Facial at Jurlique, Midvalley

I rescheduled my usual monthly facial session with Clarins to try one from Jurlique. I normally would not even go near Jurlique due to the price factor but idiot me saw 'up-to-50% discount for Maybankcard members' advert at their Midvalley window display. The bait was set and admittedly, I was hooked.

I do have a valid reason for wanting to try it. I have read good reviews about their products and it seems slightly more affordable than N.V. Perricone.

Jurlique
The information below is obtained from Jurlique's website www.jurlique.com
Jurlique was founded by a chemist and a horticulturist, Jurgen Klein and his wife Ulrike Klein. They have been developing plant-based beauty products since 1985 and believe nature trumps chemistry every time. They nurture their biodynamically grown plants and herbs with great care and integrity at their farm in South Australia.

Facial Session: Process
This was to be 1.5 hours and I chose the hydrating type and not radiance facial as my face was feeling dry. The Beauty Advisor, Chermaine informed me the hydrating facial would involve more hand massage for the face which ranks high up on my list. I simply detest any machine-dominated type of facials.

It started with a scalp massage, followed by double cleansing of the face. Then it was application of an exfoliater which stung like crazy. Good thing the facial lady informed me beforehand, if not they would have a victim who dropped-off-facial-table-induced-by-pain-intolerance-to-exfoliators. I couldn't wait till she wiped it off my face with the super comfortable warm wash cloth.

Then face steaming commenced which proceeded to the dreaded whitespot/blackspot extraction. *SIGH* She commented I have to be patient because my face had LOADS of it but I think she is quite good at it. My right leg started to feel funny at the discomfort inflicted by the dastardly pinchers on my face. I'm not even sure how it could be related but it always happens. After the extraction, facial lady sprayed their star product Rosewater Balancing Mist to sooth my face. I can't really say how good it is with just 2-3 sprays but it smells nice enough.

She followed soon with a face massage done simultaneously with the face steamer on and then a cool collagen mask was applied. Once the collagen mask was in place, my legs and shoulders were given a short massage (I really like it!!). That about concludes the facial after the collagen mask was removed and an ampoule of moisturiser and sunblock applied on my face.

Facial Session: Conclusion (from good to bad)
All the staff there were courteous.

The facial was mostly a relaxing one.

Redness at extraction places was minimum considering the extensive poking and face does look clear from white/blackheads. The suffering was justified!

Face feels and looks greasy due to all the moisturiser that was applied and I didn't have my fantabulous ZA Vitamin Powder to blot it. But I don't have a problem with the greasy face as most of my hydrating facials would have this outcome.

The products did not stimulate my olfactory senses as much as Clarins.

I had a look at my face to judge the facial outcome and to my shock, the sides of my nose was peeling. *Huh?* Wonder what triggered it. Chermaine did mention that I seem to be more sensitive at my cheeks & nose area . One hour post-facial, nose is fine and not peeling anymore.

Aggresiveness in promoting their products: 3 out of 5 stars.
Pretty persuasive. I did buy ONE product (Herbal Recovery Gel) but it was what I wanted from the beginning, not something they recommended. But my wallet is still hurting though.

Facial Price: RM 203 (after 30% discount from the normal price of RM290) *gasps, faints*


Facial Session: Final Verdict
Would I go for a Jurlique facial package: Nope.
a) Products are good but the cost is chilling. I'm too poor or rather, I'd prefer to splash my money elsewhere.
b) Getting to Midvalley is a hassle.

That said, I think Jurlique may benefit certain people who has sensitive skin or fancies plant-based products.

I am the proud owner of Herbal Recovery Gel

A potent botanical concentrate, infused with a rich blend of herbs and precious plant oils to restore, firm, hydrate and revitalise the skin. Helps to minimise the visible signs of ageing with daily use.

Guardian Refresher Course, July 2009

I was invited to join the Guardian Refresher Course and it was a whole day event at Sunway Resort Hotel sponsored by Schering-Plough. It started off with the various pharmacy-related topics presented by invited guests culminating with a dinner and lucky draw.

I took a day off from work and was looking forward to it. Admittedly, I was salivating for the door gifts as it seriously packed a punch from my previous experience (by my standards at least) but what was finally distributed exceeded even beyond my expectations.

*July doing a hula-hoop samba from receiving a box of Mireica*

In the spirit of my OCD-ness, I would make a list of the items found in the goody bag I received and give a rough estimate of the value. I usually get very spirited doing non-sensical things especially when I have more important work-related tasks at hand e.g. marking essays.

Update: Too lazy for a list. See picture below.

Freebies galore

Getting there
Getting to Sunway was an experience by itself. I was going to get to KL Sentral and grab a cab to Sunway Hotel. But since my time management sucked, I flagged a cab from my place to get me straight to the venue. First thing cab driver told me "It's very jam, do you mind?' Well, I DO mind but it's not like I have a choice; Cheras traffic is awful.

Travelling constantly with LRT, standstill cars stuck in those nightmarish early morning jams barely registers in my mind as the LRT whizzes to my destination. However, being the victim confined in one of the standstill car's with a meter ticking is seriously a big cause of unwanted adrenaline release and tachycardia. *sob*

Anyway, the damage to my financial account was RM17.60. It's not too bad considering the circumstances.


Staying Awake During Talks
I was the last participant to arrive at 9.05am, totally breathless. Who knew Bahamas Rooms at Level 12 was such a pain to locate. The greatest feat was that they have not started yet and I'm quite certain they were not holding their breath for my arrival. I managed to grab a seat with some familiar faces, the KLCC/MV pharmacists .

Second greatest feat of the day was that I managed to stay *barely* conscious through the two morning sessions. I think my brain did absorp some useful information that Schering-Plough would love for me to retain e.g. Intranasal mometasone furoate (Nasonex) is a potent corticosteroid with minimum systemic absorption, causes negligible mucosal thinning, no growth retardation, preferred choice of patients whom they did a survey on and *TADAA*...... now comes in a new SCENT-free formulation.

I was definitely right on track where learning useful information is concerned with 10% brain activation.

Had a blitz getting freebies from the counters but it was the standard pens, mugs but the apple-shaped talking alarm clock was pretty cute. The pink Elomet bag was also a nice one in my opinion. I also gobbled down lots of fried 'wantan' during the tea break as I was seriously not looking forward to the Italian lunch they were going to serve.

Lunch At Avanti

What can I say, I am not a fan of Italian food. I suffered quite badly during my Italian holiday last year. Back then, I cringed in total despair when the tour guide proudly proclaimed that they would be taking us for 'authentic Italian food' when we were at Tuscany. *mega sob*

It turns out 'authentic Italian food' also meant lots of wine of any kind you can imagine. *mega smile*

But this Italian lunch seems to have been tweaked a little for the benefit of our local tastebuds, so it was actually palatable.

Lunch at Avanti

Public Enemy Viewing

After the end of the Refresher course, there was a short break of 2 hours before the dinner started. Not one to waste any time where a cinema is in vicinity, yours truly hopped over to Sunway Pyramid for a Johnny Depp eye-candy fest with 3 other friends in tow.

1) It was god-smackingly BRILLIANT! Everyone MUST watch it.
2) Christian Bale looks like a has-been next to Johnny Depp.

-End of Review-



Dinner

Highlight of dinner was more the lucky draw and this crazy fun performer. I didn't get his name but he certainly provided the entertainment for the night.

Poor sod having to touch Ah Kua's tissue-paper boobs

And finally after 29 years being being luckless in lucky draws, I FINALLY won something!!! An Ogawa Two-Motor Eye Massager. *Speechless*

My first lucky draw prize

Anime List

I think I have watched enough animes in the past 6 years to finally construct some sort of list. I have to admit my list is probably biased towards the newer animes.

Best Romance
1) Clannad After Story - Tomoya & Nagisa
2) Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles - Sakura & Syaoran
3) ef~A Tale of Memories
4) Ayashi no Ceres - Tooya & Aya

Clannad After Story - Tomoya & Nagisa

Best Humour (Laugh till I need CPR session...)
1) Fumoffu!
2) Ouran High School Host Club
3) Fruits Basket

Entertaining Physical Smackdown (without mechas)
1) Tsubasa Tokyo Revelations Ep 1- Shaoran & Kurogane vs Kamui
2) Sword of a Stranger
3) Claymore - Teresa vs Priscilla, Irene, Sophia and Noel

Most Convoluted Storyline with Astounding Number of Plot Twists
1) Tsubasa Reservoir Chronicles (Toyko Revelations, Shunraiki) & xxxHolic
2) Code Geass R2
3) Kurogane no Linebarrels

Most Spunky Female Heroine (under the age of 16)
1) Kure-nai - Kuhouin Murasaki
2) Shion no Ou - Yasuoka Shion
3) Hatenkou Yugi - Rahzel Anadis

Super Cool Dudes I Salivate Over
1) Kuroshitsuji - Sebastian Michaels
2) Gundam 00 - Setsuna F. Seiei, Lockon Stratos
3) Nabari no Ou - Yoite
4) Blood+ - Hagi
5) Vampire Knight - Kiryuu Zero, Kuran Kaname
6) Junjou Romantica - Usami Akihiko

Most Whiny or Spineless or Indecisive Male Leads (somebody shoot them!!...)
1) Kurogane no Linebarrels - Kouichi Hayase
2) Noein - Goto Yu
3) Gunparade March - Atsushi Hayami
*for the record by the end of the anime, I usually don't feel so suicidal having to watch them

Most Pathetic Utter Garbage Anime
1) Gungrave
2) Weiz Kruz Gluhen
3) Mien Lieden
4) Sousei no Aquarion (but songs were good)

Ugliest Looking Girls in Anime
1) Flame of Recca

My First YouTube clip

I IMPLORE everyone to view the WHALE CLIP on YouTube.

Bkoko was in Boston attending the World Glaucoma Congress that somehow suspiciously ended up with him filming humpback whales at Stellwagen Bank.


Benefits of viewing the clip:

5) You get to view one of nature's greatest wonder (No..it's not Bkoko surviving a rocky boat ride)

4) You will know how the tail of a humpback whale looks like

3) You get an estimate on how heavy humpback whales are by observing the amount of water splashed up

2) You get to see a humpback whale doing a belly-flop

1) I want 100 views. I'm really not greedy... (that somehow is not a benefit but we'll let that slide)

Of Great Friends....

I think it is perfectly reasonable to state I am 'socially challenged'. It has probably caused my parents especially Mum undue despair.

Perhaps I should elaborate:
1) I rarely talk on the phone. Replying SMS is optional, not a necessity.
2) I go out for movies alone. Once in a blue moon, I invite YL out for movies. And once in the bluest of blue moon, I meet up with JA or Vin in Taiping.
3) I avoid gatherings with great zest. I shamefully admit I will scheme and lie to get out of it.
4) My MSN has a grand total of 8 contacts.

But there are exceptions to everything. I am not really *that* dysfunctional.

Anyway, being the way that I am has never bothered me in the least because I have had the greatest luck to be friends with some truly remarkable people.

And one of them is Chrissy.

But Chrissy is leaving soon. And I will be stuck swimming around sharks and a hippopotamus. @_@

But I will always remember our unending talk-fest, how I literally forced High School Musical 3 into her ears, her kindness and laughter. And I wish her and Eric the best of luck in their life together and all future plans!!

I received a bottle of Merlot Red Wine (thank you Eric) and an 'ang pow' (thank you Chrissy) for being their emcee. It doesn't end there! Look what E&C gave me as a gift for my birthday... my first Forever Friends pirate bear *sob*.

“Truly great friends are hard to find, difficult to leave, and impossible to forget.”

Birthday and Wedding

My birthday arrived, whizzed past and it was sure a special day indeed!!

It was memorable because Chrissy and Eric's wedding was on my birthday and that I had emcee duty that night. I was obsessing over the script the whole of Friday at work, at night and on the day as well when I was in the hair salon.

In hair salon
Hairdresser: Are you a student?
July : Why do you ask? *not in the most talkative mode*
Hairdresser: You seem to be reading and memorising a lot.
July : .......*lost in concentration*

The script was vetted by various people at different parts of the world; obviously Chrissy, Bkoko and also K. Having the speech screened by two guys of different cultural background was most enlightening.

I suppose that will be my first and last emcee duty. I won't find anyone as dear and as compelling as Chrissy for me to ever say Yes again. Good thing that I didn't fall flat on my face on stage so that's always a blessing. At one point my lecturer side almost surfaced and it was at the tip of my tongue to ask everyone to be quiet and pay attention. I just managed to restrain myself. -_-"

Anyway, time to wipe off the pink nail polish and till the next birthday and wedding that I have to attend.

p.s Thanks to my parents I will have toned arms, legs and butt when my new exercise bike arrives. Not forgetting Sis and Satinder who sent me a birthday card. And all those who sent me SMSes and Skype/MSN messages.

Super cute souvenir



Elegant couple under BLUE sky