I remembered the first day that I found out I am pregnant, I am so happy beyond word that I cried. Like I cant believe that it is really happening. I am very grateful to my creator. I never imagine, that I could be that happy and blessed to felt that kind of happiness.

Like many other women, we are always curious and want the best for our baby. So, I went online to do lots of research and talk to friends who have more experience. I also talk to my mum, my mum in laws and my granma and aunties to absorb as many input and info as I could. When I was doing my research, I found that some of the info it like bit by bits and scattered all around. Then it triggers to my mind. What if I help to compile it and post it in my blog. In this way, many other ladies would be able to reach to it as well.

Please do bear in mind, I am not an expert in pregnancy or giving birth but I am more than happy to share with you all the info I’ve got in the most simplest way.

 

What to Do

· Download Baby Center Apps into your phone or tablet – it provide good info and you able to track your baby growth. (One of the first thing I did after suggested by my dear friend Angela)

· Make appointment with doctor for ultra sound. You can opt for any clinic or hospital, ultra sound is just a monthly check up to check on your baby health and growth. (in my case every two week since I have miscarriage before so need close monitoring)

· Wear a comfortable shoe, the main reason is that to reduce tiredness of wearing heels and to ensure that you don’t fall.

· Plan when to announce your pregnancy. Some says, it is better to wait atleast on second trimester (after 3 month) before sharing the word. Still it is up to you. I saw lots of funky way on how to announce your pregnancy. My was just simple, whatsapp and call to my close family members and friends.

· Sleep early, growing a baby in your tummy is a hard work. You need all the rest you can get. Some sites also encourage mummy to get a power nap during day time.

· Pamper yourself, it is going to long and tiring journey as a pregnant lady. Go book a pedicure session (not like you can reach your feet anymore) or maybe ask your husband to do it for you. Book a maternity massage session from midwife or “mak bidan”.

 

What not to do

· Stay up late. Some people could take it but it is greatly encourage for mothers to get enough rest.

· Ride or motorbike especially on early stages of pregnancy (if you don’t have option try to drive it slow and avoid bumpy road). The movement, possibility of falling, the bumpy road might affect your pregnancy in a way that since your featus just attached itself to your uterus walls, there is a possibility of it to fall if you have vigorous movement.

· Avoid riding on roller coaster or those “extreme” theme park games.

· Some airlines don't accept pregnant women at already 7 months. Since after 7 months there are possibilities of you giving birth at any time so to avoid complications try not to travel via plane after 7 months of pregnancy. ( I personally try to avoid long distance travelling during my pregnancy, I just felt that I need to be close to my appointed doc just incase).

· Wait till atleast 5 month pregnancy before you purchase any baby items (till the baby super stable), as after 16 weeks you may know the gender and it is easier to purchase items when you know your baby gender.

 

Food to take

· Healthy food, try your best not to opt for processed food.

· Eat more veggies, fish ( contain lots of protein and omega good for baby’s brain development, however there are certain types of fish to avoid I’ll share more below) and fruits for vitamins.

· Eat folic acid tablet for baby growth

· If you like to eat bread, Eat wholemeal instead of processed (white) varieties when you can.

· Choose lean meat, remove the skin from poultry, and cook it using only a little fat.

· wash fruit, vegetables and salads to remove all traces of soil, which may contain toxoplasma, a parasite that can cause toxoplasmosis (toxoplasmosis can harm your unborn baby).

 

Food to avoid

· I don’t know about you but, I cant take potatoes when I am pregnant. I produces lots of gas.

· soft blue-veined cheeses, such as Danish blue, gorgonzola and Roquefort. Cheeses like this are made with mould and can contain listeria bacteria that cause listeriosis. Although an infection with listeria is rare, even a mild form of this infection in a pregnant woman can lead to miscarriage, stillbirth or severe illness in a newborn baby.

· Avoid raw or undercooked eggs and any foods that contain them, such as homemade mayonnaise.

· Make sure that eggs are thoroughly cooked until the whites and yolks are solid. This prevents the risk of salmonella food poisoning.

· Do not eat raw or undercooked meat.

· Cook all meat and poultry thoroughly so there’s no trace of pink or blood. Take particular care with sausages and minced meat.

· Some countries advise pregnant women not to eat cold meats (for example, salami, chorizo and parma ham) or smoked fish because of the risk that the food may contain listeria bacteria. In the UK, pregnant women are not advised to avoid these foods because the risk of infection is so low. However, if you’re concerned, you may choose to avoid them.

· Avoid liver or liver products, such as liver pâté or liver sausage, as they may contain a lot of vitamin A. Too much vitamin A can harm your baby.

· Try not to eat Tuna, as they might contain mercury.

· You should limit caffeine during pregnancy - avoid having more than 200mg of caffeine a day. High levels of caffeine can cause babies to have a low birth weight. Too much caffeine can also cause a miscarriage. Caffeine is found naturally in some foods and is added to some soft drinks. As for me, I decided not to take caffeine at all. No coffee and no tea and yes.. even green tea contain caffeine.

· I also heard from lots of people to avoid spicy food as it might cause heart burn and indigestion, the problem is I have no appetite if my food is not spicy. (Thanks to my Asian tongue) I am grateful that I do not have heartburn issue.

I hope you find this post helpful and may all the mama out there have a safe and pleasant pregnancy experience. I will try to update from time to time if I found any useful tips to be share and to end this post, I just like to share my baby scan picture’s and the pictures of my scrap book + pregnancy journal.

M.A.C PRO LONGWEAR Concealer (Review)

 

 

If you can grab only 1 product from M.A.C what would it be? As for me it would be non-other than their awesome Pro LongWear Concealer. One of the main reasons is that I haven’t found a drugstore dupe for this concealer yet. It is such a unique formula. It gives medium-buildable coverage. I would say and the best thing is that it lasts for majority of the day even through heat and humidity which is amazing for something so light weight. At first when you apply it the texture is a bit hard to blend but with the warmth of your skin it blends in nicely without losing any coverage. It claimed to last up to 15 hours and I love the fact that it does really stay. I mean some products claim to stay but end up fading away and smudging after few hours but not for M.A.C when they said longwear.. it is longwear. (Even for my oily skin)

It does work on blemishes just definitely use the beauty blender (or liquid brush) and build up the coverage you need with thin layers. A lil goes a loooong way with this product.

One big problem for me is definitely the PUMP. It always dispenses way more product than what I need. Plus I cant put it in back once it is out of the bottle. It would be super awesome if they could find way to improve this. Other than that I am very happy with this product and would really recommend you to grab this concealer to all skin types who want long lasting coverage when you visit M.A.C store.

Honestly, I used my M.A.C only once in a while, when I got important function or really important meeting or I have to attend wedding. If for normal daily wear, I’ll opt for my other concealer which are more cost effective (for me). My shade is NW 25. This product is retailing at RM 72 for 9ml.

 

What about you? Have you tried this M.A.C concealer?

 

 

** I purchased the item above with own money. As usual, I will test and review products regardless of whether they have been sent to me or not with honesty. Unless stated so in the post or marked with an asterisk, all products featured on this blog have been bought with my own hard-earned pennies. I started this blog to give my two pennies worth of thought and have fun along the way and that is exactly how this blog shall remain.

Neutrogena Deep Clean Ultra Foam Cleanser and Foaming Scrub

 

Olla ladies, today I would like to introduce to you new product by Neutrogena. This time around it comes in two range the first one is the mulberry and the second one is the pink grapefruit range. There are two main cleansing products for each range which are the ultra foaming cleanser and the foaming scrub.

Thanks to Wonder box for sending me the Pink Grapefruit range for review purposes. For your information each product is currently retailing at RM 31.90 and you may grab it at any major local pharmacies. I saw it last time at Watson.

The Pink GrapeFruit Ultra Cleanser comes in 175ml container with a foaming pump. It claims to be effectively remove up to 99% of oil, dirt and impurities. While the foaming scrub comes in 100ml container and helps to deep clean into your pores thanks to the scrub particles in it.

As for my personal experience, the moment I received it I am actually quite happy since it is in pink! Super cute in my opinion.. Anyhow as for usage,I would prefer the foaming cleanser compared to the foaming scrub. I found that the foaming cleaner does effective job at cleaning my face and just with few pumps I am able to get big scoop of foam on my hand. As for the foaming scrub, I don’t get as much foam as the cleanser and I found it to be too “gel” textured. I would also prefer if it is less scented. No issue over grapefruit, but since I am currently pregnant.. my nose is over sensitive over smells and I found that this products smell is too strong for my liking. However, do take note that.. It might just be me (thanks to hormone!)

What about you? Have you try it out? Did you like it?

 

 

For more info, do check out www.wonderbox.com.my and http://www.neutrogena.com/

 

 

** Products above courtesy by Wonderbox and Neutrogena. As usual, I will test and review products regardless of whether they have been sent to me or not with honesty. Unless stated so in the post or marked with an asterisk, all products featured on this blog have been bought with my own hard-earned pennies. I started this blog to give my two pennies worth of thought and have fun along the way and that is exactly how this blog shall remain.

NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil (Review)

 

 

After all the Hype and Urban Legend status of this product did it live up? Yes! It is AMAZING!! I own a few jumbo eye pencils from NYX, but the milk shade is my favourite by far.

Honestly, this product has so many usage. I even have used it for eyeliner and as an under eye lightener also as a eyeshadow base and highlighter for inner eye corner and below arch bone.The matte white jumbo pencil is very creamy and easy to blend with no tugging and what I like the most is that the finish is just a bit tacky for a few minutes, which really holds on to powder eyeshadow.

As for the downside, you need to sharpen it (using the JUMBO shaper) I was abit blur at first. When my blue NYX jumbo pencil almost become blunt, I tried to twist the bottom cap but it does not work, end up googling how to push out more products (LOL). Then I found out that you need to sharpen it. I was abit hesitate to sharpen it since the top part look like it is made out of plastic. It turns out that it only look like plastic (only like a cover layer) the rest was made out of wood from the inside. Hahaha..

For the price I think it's a steal considering how much product there is. I got it for RM 22 from Sephora. If you visit Sephora, I would highly recommend you to grab it.

 

 

** I purchased the items above with own money. As usual, I will test and review products regardless of whether they have been sent to me or not with honesty. Unless stated so in the post or marked with an asterisk, all products featured on this blog have been bought with my own hard-earned pennies. I started this blog to give my two pennies worth of thought and have fun along the way and that is exactly how this blog shall remain.

Beauty Haul from Watsons

Olla ladies, I went to Watsons and saw they having sale and great PWP. Decided to check it out able to grab few beauty essentials at great bargain. Woot! woot! Lets check it out one by one…..

I have quite a few concealer and BB cream, but I like to use this for office daily… I treat it like under eye’s concealer. It does helps to cover my dark under eye ( thanks to pregnancy, I have hard time sleeping at night). The higher range concealer I use it only for special function, event or if I have meeting. Other than that, for just a simple daily make up, I opt for this one instead.  This one normally retailing at RM 24.90 but thanks to Watson’s I got RM 5 off since I got the member cut. Only paid RM 19.90 for this baby!!

Next, I got the Watson’s Hair Treatment Mask, this one is retailing at RM 15.90 (Thanks to the discount I only paid RM 12.63) I love this mask since Watson even before the change to their new packaging. The main reason is that it is so worth it for money.. I mean 500ml for RM 15.90 like seriously??? I like to alternately use this hair mask with my other “branded”  hair mask. The best part is that I amble to be so generous while using it.. Just get a big scoop for your whole hair.

Maybelline Colour Tatto is Tenacious Teal. Believe it or not I got it for only RM 16.80 yessssss! okay stop blinking.. Ini betul punya… I cant believe my eyes when I saw it too. I mean I got all the other colours for RM 21.90 ( some at 19.90) last time.. and I still remember how hard it is to scout for this Tenacious Teal colour. Always run out of stock. So since I saw it at a very good deal, decided to grab it and keep for present instead. Maybelline, when will you ever bring in other colours in Malaysia??? 

 

Every since I am just a school girl, I have been purchasing this treatment oil from ellips. Now the latest version come with improved formula which enriched with Moroccan oil. Again it is a great alternate serum/ oil / treatment for my hair so far. A box contain 2 packets and each packet comes with 6 capsules. They are selling for RM 9.90 per box, However this time around, it is only RM 6.93.. apa lagi grab two boxes terus la..

 

 

Okay, here is a confession. I freaking love baby shampoo. Especially, this one by Johnson & Johnson. Like all the other products I’ve purchased above, this is my alternate shampoo.. I used the branded more stylo one when I really have time to massage my scalp and so on.. If I am in a rush just need a simple wash I’ll grab this one instead. I felt it would be a waste to squeeze my expensive shampoo and didn't have the time to really lather n massage it into my hair n scalp.. With this cost effective shampoo, I wont feel the quilt if I am in hurry.. hahahaha.. so I can squeeze it happily

 

What about you? Do you have an alternative and cost efficient products as well??

 

*P/S: I bought all the products above with my own hard earned money.

Pixy Cleansing Series for Make up (Review)

 

Olla ladies, have you ever felt so tired after work or event or after coming back from class that you felt like… I wish I could erase my make up in one swipe? Some even guilty of not bothering to remove make up because they are super tired. Good news! Pixy came out with single step product that help to remove make up while helping to moisturize it!

It comes in two range, the first one is the PIXY Gentle & Moist Cleansing Lotion (does not require rinsing) it is water based and the second one is the PIXY Single Step Liquid Foam ( this one does require rinsing) it is gel like texture and acts like a foaming facial cleanser which helps to remove make up in one single step as well.

I dont know if you can tell, but as I mentioned earlier the first one is water based and the second one is more to gel base. Both smell sweet and very light more to floral note. It comes in two sizes (which is great for those who would like to try it first, you can grab the smaller size one to test out whether you like the product or not ) and it is retailing at RM7.90 for 50ml and RM13.90 for 100ml. How affordable is that?

I used heavy duty pigmented make up for this test just to make sure how good is the cleansing properties. I used K-Pallete 24 Hours Eyeliner (I bet you know how heavy duty this one is) then the Maybelline Colour Tattoo Eye Shadow (this one need no intro of the staying power) and a very pigmented lipstick by Stage in the colour Paparazzi Pink 15. All I did was, drop few droplets on the cotton pad and swipe it. It works! Well, not in one swipe but I don't have to apply pressure or swipe vigorously. Which is great, few gentle swipe is all it needs and my skin smell nice, felt clean and no sticky or oily feeling what so ever.

Do you know that this product used Honey as the key ingredients? I have repeated few times about honey goodness to our skin and how its a great humectant. As for a refresher, this means it attracts and holds on to water molecules. In another word it means it draws water to the skin, relieving dryness and irritation and everyone knows about the anti-bacterial properties of honey right? Weee!

Another plus point for this product is that is it alcohol free. For Muslim ladies, you know sometime you are at a mall or at office and you need to perform you prayers and you need to remove your make up, this products would make it super easy. Swipe it off your face and you can just go to “ambik air sembahyang”  with no worries as this products do not contain alcohol. Scientifically alcohol dries up skin and may lead to skin irritations, so always try your best to opt for non-alcohol skin care range or make up remover.

I do understand that there are few other products in the market that provide single cleansing step which are water based. However, I would personally suggest for you to try out this one as it is an affordable option and it does the works plus with the honey and non-alcohol contain it does give a plus point. Even if you dont use heavy make up and just want to make sure your skin is clean, you can just swipe it over your face.

 

 

On a separate note, do you know that Pixy is having a contest now? ONE STEP IS ALL IT TAKES TO WIN WITH PIXY, RM10,000 WORTH OF PRIZES! 3 lucky winners will walk away with Habib Jewels jewellery plus Pixy Products and there will also be 10 consolations winners. So how to join? all you need to do is check out Pixy Facebook or website to submit your entry. Hurry Up as the contest ends as midnight on 6th December 2013.

 

All the best and good luck!

https://www.facebook.com/PixyMalaysia

www.pixy.com.my/onestep

www.pixy.com.my

 

* Products courtesy of Pixy Malaysia.

2nd Malaysia International Healthcare Travel MIHTE 2013 Launch in Sunway Pyramid Convention Centre

 

Olla everyone, a couple of days back I was invited to attend and cover the Malaysia International Healthcare Travel event thanks to Caroline. Do you know what is Healthcare Travel all about? This is the second time this event was held. Following the success of the 1^st Malaysia International Healthcare Travel Expo 2012 (1^st MIHTE 2012), the Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (MHTC) will once again organise the 2^nd Malaysia International Healthcare Travel Expo 2013 (2^nd MIHTE 2013).

2^nd MIHTE 2013 provides opportunities for healthcare travel industry players to come together through an Expo and a Conference. The Expo is a platform to showcase your products and services to a targeted, like-minded audience. The Conference will provide your personnel with opportunities to learn about different facets of medical tourism from industry leaders, and to share information.

The event as a whole will present participants with an invaluable opportunity to find partners to create innovative packages to meet the needs of this fast growing industry. There will be ample social events to get to know industry players in an informal setting as well.

The Objective

To Provide:

• To provide a platform for the creation of end-to-end healthcare travel packages.
• To create opportunities to connect with the right partner and strengthen existing ties.
• To showcase an array of innovations from medical science and technology, travel to aftercare.

Earlier that day, Dr Mary Wong Lai Lin the Chief Executive Officer Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council (Malaysia) give us some overview and welcome note regards to the event. The event was officially launch by YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Haji Muhyiddin Haji Mohd Yassin, Deputy Prime Minister of Malaysia. On that day we also have the opportunity to listen to few speakers on certain health tourism related topic like, Peter Greenberg the well-known Travel Editor for CBS News as well as Dr Lim Teck Onn who share with us about Performance Driven Healthcare Travel and the topic of Health Insurance and Medico Legal Trends in the Healthcare by Dale C. Van Demark and David Boucher who are the Partner McDermott Will & Emery (USA) and the President & Chief Operating Officer, Companion Global Healthcare, Inc. (USA).

There are many exhibitors and delegates who joined the event if you can see in the pictures above. Check out more info regarding this event at http://www.mhtc.org.my or http://healthtravelexpo.com or their fb at https://www.facebook.com/mhtcmalaysia 

 

**Pictures credit to Malaysia Healthcare Travel Council

Cintai Malaysia Contest by Mentos in conjunction with Tourism Malaysia 2014

 

Have you eaten Mentos before? I bet many of us have right? I mean Mentos have been with us since 1950 even before Merdeka. I remembered during school time, my tuition teacher will gave us Mentos if we are sleepy in class. She gave us candy to much to stay we stay awake during her class. Thanks to her, I have been using that trick ever since and brought Mentos with me even when I was studying in university.

The main reason I like Mentos is that apart from keeping me awake, it also give me the fresh breath. Last time there were only few flavours and my favourite was the mint (light blue packaging). Well, now days there are 8 choices to be pick from.. You name it… from fruit to even secret flavour.

 

 

Well, thanks to Mentos I was given to opportunity to share happy news will all of you. Would you like win travel holiday worth more than RM130,000 ? If you are, here is how! Super simple just by purchasing 1 Mentos roll, you will be in the running to hang out at Sipadan or Redang or Langkawi or Tioman.. There are also daily prizes of smart phones and KFC vouchers to be won!

 

 

so how to join? first, buy Mentos roll then you may opt for sms entry or go to Mentos facebook (https://www.facebook.com/mentosmalaysia) and click on the contest tab to participate.

 

Contest is from 15th Oct 2013 until 15th Jan 2013

Good Luck!