If you have been following my blog, you’d probably figure out by now that I place quite an importance on skincare and haircare. And you’d be right about that. I care about my hair. A lot. But unfortunately for me…unlike most beauty and skincare junkie out there, I have dry and sensitive skin. They get dehydrated, flaky and itches easily, so usually, commercial products that’s mostly chemical based does not sit too well with me.

Do you know that my scalp is sensitive to the point that I can only use baby/ children shampoo only? Well, you probably don’t know that. I’ve been sharing my son’s shampoo for years as they are the only thing that’s kind to my scalp.

I have to admit, though… That although I like smelling like babies…fruity and all that, the scent is just so boring. And so when a friend send me this Esmeria Soothing Organics…. the organic solution to sensitive skin & scalp problems, I get pretty ecstatic to try it out.

So…is it kind on my scalp? Surprisingly… Yes…it is and it’s quite a refreshing change from the usual baby shampoo I’ve been using. The shampoo is pretty soothing on the skin and the scent is quite relaxing and the hair feels quite smooth after that.

If you are looking for an organic shampoo that not only smells nice but gentle on the scalp, I suppose this one is quite a safe bet. 🙂

Although I managed to remedy my easily dehydrated skin with continuous consumption of the collagen drink Ephyra, my frazzled and ‘salon’ fried hair doesn’t seems to be benefiting from it.

Pretty distressing. There are times I feel like I’m a live version of Simba the Lion King and if my hair decides to not behave…I could seriously imitate our Prime Minister’s wife’s  hairstyle without much effort. I’m no big fan of Kak Mah…so having being compared to her hairstyle distresses me. 🙁

The commercial stuff doesn’t work on me. Tried hair masks…hair serums…they all failed me terribly. I thought of giving up but a friend of mine suggested that I try the non-chemical, all natural homemade remedy instead and somehow…I’m glad I followed her advice.

I hooked up an online consultation with C&C Natural Handcrafted Soaps ( they are specialized in making homemade soaps and creams) and tells them my troubles and they prescribed me the Crème Conditioner and Detangler.

The Crème Conditioner and Detangler contains water, coconut oil, grape seed oil, olive oil, emulsifier, glycerine, essential oil and lavender.

Used it to de-tangle my Lion King hair and works wonder. 🙂 Hair condition seems much better too although I must say that the scent too spicy and sharp to my liking. But forgivable I suppose, considering there is no added chemical and whatnot and it is not supposed to smell like perfume. 🙂

Erm, I’m not suppose to say this but the leave on creme kinda doubles well as a body lotion and massaging lotion too. Ran out of em and decided to use on hubby one fine day, and he fell asleep almost immediately after the massage. Huhh…it must be some soft of  aromatherapy effect.

The nice lady from C&C has included a complimentary Shea Body Butter for me to try. Like the detangler, it works wonder…just not quite my cuppa tea as the smell is not too pleasant for me. But again…it is all natural ingredients and works like magic on the skin. I guess we can’t complain too much, huh? 😉

Cleffairy: If the commercial stuff doesn’t work, then try the homemade stuff. They might do wonders on you.

So, the postman knocked the door and arrived with a parcel the other day. It contains these- Two bottles of Harum Malam Supplement and a small bottle of Vee Spray from INFO MASALAH WANITA.

So, what’s Harum Malam?

Well, basically, Harum Malam is an internal health supplements for women that helps resolve internal issues such as :

♡ Increases desire and sexual stimulation by lubricating the vagina

♡ Helps tighten and firming the vagina wall muscle

♡ Helps kill bacteria in the urinary tract as well as to overcome the problem of frequent urination

♡ Increase body resistance system and stabilizing hormone

♡ Reduce stress and tension

♡ Helps in reducing wrinkles and encourage skin regeneration

♡ Breast firming

♡ Helps increase intimacy

Harum Malam supplement contains: Rose Extract , Lemon Fig , Raisin , Honey, Goji , Kaffir Lime , Kayu Serapat Pomegranate , Manjakani , Pueraria lobata , Pueraria Mirifica .

Frequently Asked Questions About Harum Malam Supplement:

Can Harum Malam be consumed during your period ?
Yes.Harum Malam can be taken during menstruation. Some users claimed to no longer have menstrual cramps after taking Harum Malam

Harum Night for pregnant women ?
No. Harum night should not be taken by the expecting mothers but is fine for those who are lactating or during confinement.

Can teenagers non married women take Harum Malam ?
Yes because Harum Malam is not just an aphrodisiac, but a form supplement for women.

Can Harum Malam helps me increase fertility and chances of conceiving?
As Harum Malam in one or other ways helps with intimacy and internal bodily health in whole, there might be a chance of you conceiving.

So… how does Harum Malam works on me? Well, I’ve just started using Vee Spray and Harum Malam, there’s a few noticeable effects, but I’ll tell you more about it in the next post. 😀 Wait for my testimonial, yea?

Ephyra is a collagen-based antioxidant drink, the most delicious, in the form of sachets made from natural ingredients (L-Glutathione, Astaxanthin, Acai Berry, AcerollaCeri, Marigold Flower Extract, Gum Acacia, Superberi & Tomato powder) that treat, renew and further enhances inner and outer health.

There are loads of collagen products out there, but EPHYRA has gained a place in the hearts of thousands of loyal users. So why EPHYRA is different from the others in the market? Well, for one, EPHYRA uses marine collagen from “white fish” which live in the deep sea. Reason being: deep-sea fish are free of contamination. EPHYRA uses hydrolyzed collagen. Hydrolyzed collagen consists of the smallest fraction of amino acids, which are easily absorbed by the body.

EPHYRA contains absorbable collagen. This is very important. Do you know why loads of people people takes collagen, but couldn’t really see the result? High collagen molecule density is the reason. The body can’t absorb it easily. A brand’s collagen is measured in DALTON (Da). It’s not about how many mg of collagen there is in the content, but how small the protein is. The more rapidly absorbed, the sooner see the effects of body. Important fact: The density of EPHYRA collagen = less than 1500Dalton. EPHYRA collagen size = less than 1500 Dalton and therefore very easily absorbed by the body . That’s why those who are drinking EPHYRA can see the effects as early as 7 days unlike most collagen in the market where one needs 3-4 boxes of collagen to see the effect.

EPHYRA collagen content is sufficient for the body .The human body does not require a large amount of collagen, but only needs small amount of it. (Do note that exessive amount of collagen can be damaging to the kidney in the long run. :()

EPHYRA is a skin supplement , (a beauty drink ), but not the only the skin that will be able to benefit from it . There are other benefits besides bright and elastic skin . Among them are: Energy booster

• Less hair loss. ~ Strengthen hair roots , and encourages new hair growth.
• Weight control.
• Shiny and healthy nails.
• Cracked heel decreases. ~ No more dry and cracked heels.
• Dark circles under the eyes is reduced and more even skin tone.
• Reduce inflammation & joint pain as well as knee pain.
• EPHYRA is proven to be effective as early as 7-14 days.

There are many collagen products out there that claims to be safe & clean , but surprisingly when we checked them out with MOH & JAKIM, it is not. It is important to choose a product that will not be harmful to your body. EPHYRA is certified Halal, so if you’re a Muslim, you won’t have to worry about consuming a non-halal product. 😉

EPHYRA has been proven effective by so many users. Just take a look at the testimonial below:

The Skin condition of this user is much better after consuming EPHYRA after quite some time. 😀

It doesn’t just work for the ladies, but EPHYRA doesn’t have any gender discrimination. Men can consume and benefit from EPHYRA too. 😉 I know a few male bloggers who consumed EPHYRA religiously…and they have benefited tremendously from it. Among them are Shakiddo and Eyriqazz. 😉 Check their blogs out and find out for yourself how they actually benefited from it. If I’m not mistaken, EPHYRA also helped boost up EYriqazz’s fertility and his wife is now pregnant with another child. 😉

I’m myself an EPHYRA user. And I assure you that it’s nothing short of miracle. Below is the recap of my first 14 days experience with EPHYRA.

14 days journal entry with EPHYRA

Day 1: I was a little skeptical about drinking EPHYRA, cuz most collagen and beauty drinks taste nasty. But I tried it regardless and was pleased to discover that EPHYRA is not only easy to prepare; all you need to do is just pour out the sachet contents into the shaker and shake it with cold water, but it taste very, very good too! EPHYRA tasted like a yummilicious glass of orange juice. I was all smile and immediately craved for a second glass on the spot, but rules are rules. One can only take EPHYRA once a day and according to prescribed serving. Completely a pleasant experience.

Day 2: I did not realize if there is any changes, but I noticed that I had no problems running around like the crazy Duracell Bunny all day long in events and whatnot. That’s pretty surprising cuz I get tired pretty easily and my mood can get terribly nasty due to fatigue.

Day 3: My skin isn’t any fairer and the dark chicken pox scar was still there, but I noticed that my skin is not as dry.

Day 4: Bowel movements improves and I pee more often.

Day 5: I was able to sleep better.

Day 6: Started noticing that my face is getting smoother and much more hydrated from within.

Day 7: The real fun begins, could really start to notice the difference in my face. It’s now brighter and my skin feels hydrated from within.

Day 8: Was out whole day again, attending events. Was filled with energy and people mistook my son for being my kid brother twice.

Day 9: Flaky and scaly skin is much lesser and I could seriously see the new skin regeneration effects.

Day 10: Skin is much clearer, smoother and the best part, chicken pox scar started to really fade.

Day 11: Took a good look in the mirror and noticed that my face is much fairer and my cheeks have natural rosy blush though there was no make up on. Skin is devoid of pimples though I was having PMS symptoms. The dark circles around the eyes and eyebags has pretty much faded. Skin tone is much more even too.

Day 12: More and more chicken pox scars faded away and my skin feels hydrated from.within all day through. Another noticeable positive changes that I noticed is that my gum no longer bleed easily. I suppose all that vitamins in EPHYRA contributed in this change too.

Day 13: Again, someone mistook me as my son’s elder sister and I noticed that my lips is surprisingly soft, fuller and pinkish without the usage of lip balm.

Day 14: Chicken pox scar is no longer noticeable. Skin much softer and smoother and my face is much more radiant than before. Took selfies and compared the picture with the one taken before I started to consume EPHYRA and I can happily say that I look much better and healthier now.

So, am I satisfied with the result? Yes, absolutely! I could actually see positive results in just 5 days of usage, and I’m definitely a happy camper, considering that I feel much more beautiful and confident now. I rarely feel as tired as before, and feel completely revitalized. A note here: I did not use any other skincare products throughout my 14 days challenge with EPHYRA, so I can vouch that it is really, really effective!

Not convinced? Well then just take a look at the before and after below.

Can you see the difference? Skin is much fairer and flawless.

And lips is much pinker. These photos are taken completely ‘nude’ with no makeups on and no filter was used whatsoever. Please ignore the damaged- looking hair, though. I had a little bit of a disaster in a stupid hairsalon and not even EPHYRA could save my burnt and frazzled hair. That’s another story altogether and I need to fix it and rescue it by using some hair products or chopped them all off, but apart from the disastrous hair, I believe that the changes that EPHYRA helped me achieve is amazing!

Ugly chicken pox scar has faded, and my skin is not as flaky and as dry as before too and I have no doubts that with continuous usage, I’ll be able to get rid of them unhealthy skin and damaged skin completely.

EPHYRA might be a tad costly for some, but I have some good news for those who are living in Putrajaya and Perak. EPHYRA will be joining Karnival Utusan (Putrajaya ) & Karnival Jom Heboh (Perak) from  26th April to  27th April 2014. EPHYRA will be sold at a promotional price during these carnivals.

Visit any of these EPHYRA booth during the carnival, and stand a chance to meet celebrity couple Memey Suhaiza and Norman Hakim. 😀

And in conjunction of EPHYRA’s 2nd anniversary, OCEANLIFE will be have a MEGA SALE starting from 28th April 2014 where you can take advantage of the promotional price of RM180 (original price is RM197). So…grab em. It’s really worth every penny spent as I can vouch for the effectiveness. 😀

And in conjunction of the anniversary, EPHYRA is also producing exclusive, limited edition t-shirts at RM15 each. It’s really cool and comfy, so you might wanna grab em too. 😀 Check out their booth during the carnival to take advantage of the promo price and loads of freebies awaits. 😉 I’ll probably check out the Putrajaya one and let me know if you’re going too, and I’ll meet you there.

The 3D2N Railway Tour Package trip to Perak left a huge impact on me as spending time with my foster family in a secluded kampung sends me down the memory lane, right to my childhood days when my late grandmother was still alive.

You see, I was somewhat a kampung girl when I was growing up. My father is the sort of people who emphasized on strong family ties, and so most of my childhood years were spend visiting my grandparents in kampung. We usually visited and overnight there every weekend, and most of our festive holidays were spent there too. I wasn’t really fond to go back hometown ever week, to be honest. As a child, I wanted a more ‘modern’ kind of fun. I longed to hit the mall with friends or stay at home and play computer games. In other words, I was envious of my peers of my age who gets to spend time that way instead of being stuck in a boring kampung with their grandparents.

But I’m an adult now and looking back, I appreciate my father’s effort to give me  precious and irreplaceable memory. How many people my age could honestly say that their childhood was well spent? Anyone could say they lurked in the malls during weekends, buy not many could tell you that they spent their childhood holidays and weekend with their grandparents, doing what kampung kids did…swimming and frolicking in the waterfall, go fishing with grandfather, getting all muddy and dirty in the paddy field, picnic by the paddy field and playing kites with cousins, climbing rambutan and guava trees and eat the fruits on the tree itself… Those memories are priceless and not something the kids these days could easily experience.

Yes, spending time with Mak Tok, my foster mother during my stay in Bukit Gantang Homestay triggers a lot of childhood memories, and made me miss my late grandmother dearly.

My late grandmother and I was particularly close. She dotes on her grandchildren a lot, but unfortunately for us, she passed away as soon as I went to college and started to build my own life. Is is my son’s misfortune to never be able to know his loving great-grandmother, as we lost her to a deadly illness known as diabetes. Yes. My late grandmother was a DIABETES patient, and the last few years of her life was a painful memory to revisit.

My late grandmother was diagnosed with diabetes as early as in her 30s, and she has been strictly on diet and medication since. Things were under control for a few decades, but her diabetes kinda got worst when she was in her 60s. She was admitted to hospital on and off because of it. Despite of her effort to watch her diet and taking medicines religiously, my late grandmother still suffers from high blood sugar level that leads to various health issue. She had poor blood circulation and whenever she injures or cut herself on her feet, her foot infection gets really hard to heal. Hard to heal READ: almost never gets heal. A small cut will remain bloody, filled with smelly pus and as time goes by, the infection gets worst. From a small cut, the would gets bigger and bigger and the pain became much more intolerable for her. It brought so much pain for us to see my grandmother in pain, and at some point, the doctors suggested amputation, which my grandmother was strongly against.

As time goes by, my grandmother succumbed to the deadly illness, something each and every one of us in the family regrets. There are times I wonder, if medical science was as advance back then as it is now, could my grandmother be saved and spared from all the sufferings? I thought, perhaps, if there was proper blood sugar control, it could have at least ease her suffering if not prevent her demise.

You see, my grandmother may have been departed, but my grandfather is very much alive, and though suffering from the very same disease, diabetes, he coped with the illness much better with the help of Live-well Mecomin.

He began taking Live-well Mecomin as per suggestion by his doctor and pharmacist and not only his high blood sugar level gets under control, but glycation is prevented from happening too. Live-well Mecomin is a supplement, not a miracle medicine, mind you, as it is a mere Vitamin B12 supplement but Live-well Mecomin has no doubt improved my grandfather’s quality of life as it helped to regenerate damaged peripheral nerves and prevents feet numbness that has been plaguing him for years before taking Live-well Mecomin.

My grandfather can now take a walk around the kampung with us without complaining of feet numbness due to diabetes within 5 minutes of walk. A wonderful and very welcomed improvement, if you ask me. At least now my grandfather’s high blood sugar level is much more under control and he now could feel his legs better. No more complaints about numbness and stuff and whenever he injured his legs, he could spot it early and get it treated before it gets worst. What a relief. All of us could stop worrying that he would suffer from feet amputation and whatnot the way my grandmother did before her passing.

Now, it is a fact that talking and reminiscing about the good old times or wistfully wishing that my late grandmother took Live-well Mecomin will not bring her back to life, but I do wish that this particular supplement could help those who are suffering from diabetes could benefit from it and improve their quality of life. Live-well Mecomin contains mecobalamin, the neurologically-active form of Vitamin B12 vital to the central and peripheral nervous system. Mecobalamin protects against neurological (nerve) disease and has the ability to regenerate damaged nerves in people (especially diabetics) with peripheral nerve damage. Diabetics and pre-diabetics are advised to supplement with mecobalamin as they are most prone to peripheral nerve damage. If nerve damage is left untreated for an extended period, diabetics face a higher risk of leg amputations.

Live-well Mecomin doesn’t produce free radicals and here’s who could benefit from it:

• Diabetics
• Pre-Diabetics
• Those with symptoms of nerve damages such as
  • Loss of feeling
  • Numbness
  • Tingling
  • Burning sensation
  • Nerve pain
• Those recovering from surgery, accident and multiple fractures
• Those suffering from Pernicious Anaemia
• Vegetarians

Live-well Mecomin helps to:

• Regenerate damaged nerves
• Promotes healthy nerves
• Protects against degeneration process of the nervous system
• Reduces nerve pain from diabetes

According to grandfather, Live-well Mecomin is available in 90 Vegetable Capsules Blister Packed (10’s X 9)  and you need to take 1 vegetable capsule (500mcg) three times daily after meals for it to works effectively. I suppose, that’s a small sacrifice to make in exchange of a better quality of life. So if you have anyone suffering from diabetes, you might want to look into this supplement and ask your doctors if you could take em so that you can benefit from it. Don’t wait til it’s too late. Prevention is always better than cure 😀

A lot of people asked me questions these days. Work related questions, personal questions and also ‘pretty amusing questions’, but all I can say is that changes is necessary, and at some point in our lives, we need to move on for the better. Some may like it, some may not like it, but I will do what I must and what I see fit.

One of the amusing question I received last week during my Railway Tourism Trip with Sahabat Media is about me traveling light. I was probably the only one who brings a small backpack as a luggage during my 3D2N trip to Perak. A lot of people couldn’t comprehend how I could survive with small luggage as that, but I did. And a lot wondered what’s in my striking pink backpack too.

Well, here’s some common item that I usually bring with me whenever I travel; My trusty DSLR camera, a shawl (because I believe style shouldn’t have to suffer whenever I’m traveling), my purse, small bottle of cleanser, lip-tint, BB Cream, mirror, a few packets of Ephyra, mints/fruit preserves, baby-wipes, my smartphones, power-banks, panties and sports bra, along with some clothes. Those are the usual things that I bring along with me whenever I go travel. So, how about women’s needs? Well, I usually use tampons whenever I travel, but ever since I miscarried back in August 2013, I got a lil bit traumatized inserting foreign items in my vagina… you know… it’s kinda related to the stupid suction thingie that they used to remove dead fetus from your womb. The entire thing is pretty much a horrifying and traumatizing experience for me. I don’t really want to talk about it, so yea, to cut the long story short, I’m no longer using tampons during my monthlies. Disposable pads are much more preferable, but these days, I’m a tad sensitive about em, so I use cloth pads instead.

A friend of mine introduced em to me and though skeptical at first.

I was given the entire Snowdrop starter kit to try. Apart from pads, I was also give. A panty liner to try too.

I can assure you that it works much better than the disposable ones, and after doing research about it, I discovered that there’s plenty of disadvantages using disposable sanitary napkins all these while.

Take a look at the youtube vid below

Sanitary napkins are  made ​​from recycled paper or paper pulp containing dangerous toxic chemical, so when  chemicals mixed with blood it will breed bacteria that can cause vaginal infections  and abnormal vaginal discharge for some women.When infection occurs, women in question will be prone to a variety of diseases , especially in the vagina. Bad itch, rashes, yeast infections and worst of all hormonal disorder and infertility. All these toxin takes years to accumulate in the body, and according to medical reports, it is one of the cause for cervical cancer too

I was surprised to discover that blood are actually not bad smelling.  The foul smell is actually the result of a chemical reaction between the blood and the chemicals in disposable pads , not from the smell of blood itself.

The advantages of using Snowdrop Cloth Pads:

•     The absorbent layer made ​​of anti -bacterial microfibres to absorb moisture four times its original weight .
•  Pads and Liners Snowdrop has been designed to adhere well without wrinkling your underwear , especially the part on the back for better protection and comfort throughout the day .
•  Pads sewn around the top , and not sewn edges like most other cloth pad ( edge sewing faster and cheaper ) but also non-durable ( more easily drawn especially if put in the washing machine )
•   Absorber layer and top stitched together in the middle to give the impression of a thin , neat and comfortable . Waterproof layer sewn in the middle to avoid penetrating and leaks.
•  Snowdrop only use high quality imported fabrics and customized microfibre fabrics such as anti -bacterial , PU coated nylon to provide maximum performance , functionality and durability on all products . Both antibacterial microfibre and PU coated nylon is certified Oeko- Tex Standard .
•  Quality workmanship , each of the pads are handmade with care and detail for consistent quality .
• Snowdrop offers a wide selection of patterns and designs to suit every woman’s soul and feeling .
•  Patterned fabrics used specially imported from USA cotton designer of high quality , resilient and durable .    Snowdrop offers a warranty for defects or damage from the manufacturing process ( for 1 year) .

Cloth pad is similar to the widely used disposable pads, the only difference is that it comes with buttons.  I’m using Light Mist and Medium cuz I have a petite body, and it works as well as the disposable ones. I can’t say much about it yet as this is the first time using em, but I can vouch for the quality and comfort. It is much more comfortable, almost as if you’re just wearing panties during your menstrual instead of wearing thick pads. My flow is pretty much heavy, but these pads does not leak and leaves undesirable stain on my panties or pants. Another brownie point for it. 😀

The one that I am using is made from minky fabric. The inner layer comprises a layer of anti-bacterial microfibre absorber and waterproof layer PU coated nylon to prevent leakage. Back layer (below) is 100% cotton patterned imported from USA. Equipped with two poly-resin buttons for easy size adjustment.

Washing and taking care of cloth pad is easy. All you need to do is soak em overnight or rinse it under the tap and hang them up to dry. You may also wash em by using washing machine.