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The modelly model in me June 3, 2008

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 16comments

What do you get when you put a vainpot, RM300 and two hours together?

Heh. Last weekend, I succumbed to my inner girly dream to become a model and signed up for an Estee Lauder Model Search makeover PLUS a photoshoot. In addition to being treated like a model, this package entitled me to a RM250 voucher to redeem Estee Lauder products and an additional door gift comprising an Estee Lauder eyeshadow and mascara worth RM80 (there was also a RM150 Sony voucher which I don’t see any need for). Anyway, all this happened at Queensbay Mall. I can tell you that honestly, it felt very diva-ish, just because I was able to tell the hairdresser how I’d like my hair done, and the professional stylist what kind of look I wanna achieve. All simply for the taste of that modelly million bucks feeling. Felt exactly like a scene out of America’s Next Top Model.

But it’s a female thingy I suppose.

My hubby cannot for the life of him, fathom how or why I would wanna sign up for the makeover and contest. And again, I have to say it’s a female thing. I saw girls and women of all shapes and sizes patiently sitting there, waiting to be made up by the professional makeup artists and then sportingly posing for their photo shoots. And (dare I say) aunties too were not spared the temptation.

And in the end, after all was said and done, my hubby was also SWEET enough to pay an additional RM100 for the entire set of my 21 digital photos from my shoot PLUS a framed A4 size copy of one of the photos. I enjoyed myself thoroughly throughout the session (except for the fact that I forgot to bring along a bottle of water, so I was rather thirsty - in reality, models would be provided with water, no?).  As a move to fulfill my modelling fantasy, I even asked for a blower to be used during the last part of my shoot :) … you know, the ones that make long hair fly all over the place.  I’ve always wanted to do that.  Haha.  I know I will probably never do this ever again, so it was a fantastic experience.

I wonder if the turnout would be that great if there was a similar model search event for guys?

The shopaholic that is moi January 29, 2008

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 10comments

 

Last weekend I finished reading my second book for the year: Shopaholic & Baby by Sophie Kinsella. Thank you Rinnah, for recommending this fantastic book to me! I simply couldn’t put it down. Such a good start to a year which I have resolved to read more in. I enjoyed the entire story immensely, and the book was written in a first person manner, which makes it so diary-like, so blog-like… as if I was in the head of Becky Brandon herself, who by the way I could totally relate to. I think she and I would make very good friends indeed. She’s a self-professed shopaholic, just like me, and she is pregnant. I remember when I was carrying Ethan, all I wanted to do was to get the best of everything for him. Every shopping adventure then inevitably led me to purchase gorgeous baby items for the baby in my womb. And I saw the same thing happening to Becky as I devoured the contents of the book in all eagerness. This book is really a page-turner. Not deep profound thinking stuff, but more of a happy, light reading material thing. Totally fab for pulling myself away from the dreary work life. I found myself reading it as I was tucking Ethan to sleep, when I was waiting for my TV program to start, when the adverts came on in between the shows I was watching and any time I could.

The shopaholic nature in me made me understand completely what Becky was going through. The book is real, it was funny, and it was addictive. In fact, I was just telling Rinnah that I’m gonna read the entire series as soon as I can. In the meantime, while waiting to start on my next book in the Shopaholic series, I am sure Becky would be proud of me. Know why? I finally got my new Guess handbag! I had been eyeing it for over a month now, but the few places that I had gone to, they only carried the design in red. I wanted the black one because it would be more versatile and I LOVE the shiny material of the bag because it would take me from day to night without any hassle or need to change into another bag.

Finally I saw the black one in Metrojaya last week, and I nearly fainted from the excitement. We only bought it on Sunday afternoon though - thank goodness it was still available then! I even managed to obtain a new one, right from the store! Wheeeeee!!!!!!! Thank you, dearest hubby love! Muuaaaaaccckkssss!!!! Now I have a new bag for Chinese New Year! It’s definitely big enough for all ‘em angpows! Oh, and Paris, don’t worry… the Coach Madeline tote is still on my KIV list, I’m saving that for my next trip to Pavilion KL!

Perfectly groomed arches December 18, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers, The Fairer Sex , 4comments

Hands up who has never plucked their eyebrows? I’m sure men too would have at one time or another tweezed a stray hair here and there before. For women however, I feel it is essential that they maintain a perfectly groomed pair of eyebrows, because the bushy look ala Brooke Shields from the 80s just don’t cut it anymore.

Eyebrow embroidery has always fascinated me. After just a few minutes of *work* on the eyebrows, there is no need to use an eyebrow pencil every day to draw in your eyebrows. Certainly saves a load of time, eh? Unlike eyebrow tattoos which are permanent, eyebrow embroidery will last for about a year or so only. So if you do not like the resulting eyebrow arch, you only have to live with it for about a year… So is eyebrow embroidery is the perfect solution for someone with sparse eyebrows? Well it depends… embroidering the eyebrows will result in your eyebrows looking drawn in, i.e. it’s like permanently having brow liner on your face; but if you want a more natural look I’d say get an eyebrow hair transplant. Yep, transplants are now not only limited to the head, you can have it done on the eyebrow region too, because you know, eyebrows can also suffer from hair loss.

Don’t look at me though…I am for now perfectly contented with tweezing and plucking my brows. But you may want to check out the American Hair Loss Association for more pertinent information. I was amazed to find many eye-opening pieces of information there, including options for eyelash transplants and potential dangers of hair transplants.

Hair affair to share and bare December 14, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex , 12comments

Photo Credits: eBeauty Daily

Got my hair highlighted today. Yay me. Believe it or not, it was my first time getting highlights done. In fact, it was my first time getting a salon to put any color in my hair. Some years ago, I colored my hair using the DIY method (save money ma), which turned out quite all right, by my standards. I have very fine hair and quite little hair too, so home coloring meant it was not a problem for me to cover my entire head of hair. Well, most of it anyway. The result of my DIY coloring was akin to highlights too, because there were a few stray portions that were left uncolored. This time, however, I thought I would treat myself to some professional highlights at the salon. A good friend of mine once told me that if I wanted to get highlights for my hair, to never every do it myself. So, that’s what I did. In any case, I desperately needed a hair cut too.

Off I trudged to the D’View hair salon recommended by Susan, who coincidentally also wanted to get her hair colored. We chose our colors after a brief discussion with Cindy, the hair stylist and then sat back and watched as the *magic* began. I chose a slightly dark blonde color, which Cindy said would set off my fair complexion beautifully. She told me that the color I see in the sample would appear one shade darker after being applied on the hair.  She also mentioned that since my hair was fine, the blonde highlights would suit me well. I have no idea what the rationale behind this was, by the way, but trusted her judgement nonetheless. The only thing I told her was that I wanted the highlights to be subtle and yet to be visible too, whatever that meant. It certainly made sense to Cindy, anyway.

The highlighting process began with the application of the hair color to individual sections of my hair. A piece of aluminum sheet was inserted below a hair section, and the color paste was brushed on. Then the aluminum sheet was folded to cover the colored hair section and pinned aside. Following that, another section of my hair was combed aside, untouched and uncolored. This entire process was repeated till my entire head was covered in sheets of aluminum, hair pins and hair color. No way was I gonna take a picture of me with my hair sticking out like that all over the place! Then a heater-like apparatus was placed over my head, providing heat to the top of my head and also the right and left sides. After about 15-20 minutes, the sheets were removed and the color on my hair was rinsed out.

Next came the color treatment. Something that looked very much like hair mousse was applied generously to my entire head and then it was heater-time again. 15 minutes later, my hair was left to cool, and then the hair treatment mousse was rinsed off. At this point, I could see the highlights showing subtlely when my hair caught the light, and it look good :)

Cindy then gave me a hair cut. I asked her to trim and convert my fringe into a side-parting one, and also to cut off roughly an inch from the back of my hair. I have to admit she was pretty good at it. It helped that she too had fine and little hair like me. And I was very satisfied with the results. I now have a new haircut for Christmas and the New Year, I love my new hair highlights.. and well, the only thing is that it has left a hole in my pocket :(

I initially thought the quoted RM140 price for highlighting my hair included the haircut and the treatment, but I found out that it did not. In the end, I parted with RM270++. Sob sob… but the upside is that I’ve got a great new head of hair now to show off :) Here’s the obligatory before and after photos (back view only) :P

The change doesn’t look too drastic, eh?  Well, hubbs loves it and so do I, so that hole in the pocket seems worthwhile after all!  :) 

I do need to refrain from washing my hair till Sunday though, which I honestly do not think I can tahan because I am used to washing my hair every day. AaargggHhhhhhh!!!! How now brown cow?

Gorgeous beautiful Y-O-U!! November 29, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 5comments


Photo Credits

What would people do in the name of beauty? What would YOU do just to look beautiful? Oh, I know…you’re gonna shove it in my face that beauty is only skin deep, right? And yet, there are so many people thronging beauty salons, trying to live up to that bit of expectation to be pretty. It is a never-ending quest for perfection. On one end of the spectrum, there are people who just go for their regular facials, just to ensure that their skin is in clean and tip-top condition. Also, there is nothing like a soothing head and shoulder massage to end a facial and make you revitalized. Then on the other end, there are people who would spend a hand and a foot just to remove imperfections like wrinkles, blemishes and oh… sagging skin. Is it wrong that these people want to look better and prettier or even more handsome? I mean, they have the money, so they can flaunt it, right?

Truth is, beauty is NOT only skin deep. Which means that outer beauty does play a part in enhancing one’s confidence too. So where does one draw the line and say enough is enough, I will now accept myself the way I am? When do we stop succumbing to advertisements promising us more beautiful skin and more beautiful figures? When will beauty advertisements cease to exist?

Probably never, judging by the demand that is out there.

I believe we need to be absolutely sure of what we want in the first place, before we even take a step into the *cauldron of promises*. If what you desire is to get rid of wrinkles, then be firm with yourself and stop at that. Don’t allow yourself to be tempted to go for a liposuction too, if that wasn’t on the agenda. Above all else, feel good about yourself because you alone know what is best for you. And listen to your heart.

Hello to Confidence! August 18, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Rainmakers, The Fairer Sex , 1 comment so far

During the last department staff meeting I attended, apart from the boring work stuff that was discussed, the topic of speaking up with confidence was also brought to the table.  The usual tools of the trade were shared, such as the importance of making eye contact, keeping the topic interesting to the target audience and yes, even telling the obligatory opening joke.

I’ve been giving this some thought, and in my opinion, while all of the factors above play a pivotal role, having the confidence to speak up in public depends not only on what is being conveyed or how it is being conveyed, but unfortunately or fortunately, it depends a lot on the appearance of the person giving the speech too.  I mean, I would certainly find it difficult to take someone seriously if he or she were dressed in an untidy manner.  If the speaker did not care about his appearance, why should we, the audience, care about what he has to say, right?

In the same vein, having a great complexion definitely bodes well to boost one’s confidence, and I definitely feel it is an important aspect that should not be overlooked by anyone for that matter.  Having said that, acne problems plague almost everyone, teenagers, young adults and sadly, even those whose lives have only just begun at 40.  There are so many methods used to combat acne, ranging from traditional ones to modern ones, even to the extent of hormone therapy.  A popular chemical agent that is used widely to fight acne and breakouts is Benzoyl Peroxide.  This substance acts in drying up trouble areas anywhere on a person’s skin where treatment is needed.  However, Benzoyl Peroxide could pose as a potential irritant to some people, especially those with sensitive skin.  And here’s where TriClear acne treatment comes in.  Containing absolutely NO Benzoyl Peroxide whatsoever, TriClear’s secret ingredient is *Inflacin*, which treats all four causes of acne at one go.  With TriClear, infection, inflammation, excess oil production and clogged pores become a thing of the past, as prominent results can be seen within just a week! 

Isn’t that great?  One week is all it takes to get a major confidence booster!  Now THAT’s what I would recommend to people who need to speak effectively in public! :)

Vainpot Me! July 9, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Memes & Tags, The Fairer Sex , 22comments

I’ve had people come up and tell me that I am vain. I’m not sure if it was in jest or in all seriousness. I really hope it is in a good way VAIN, whatever that means. So in one of my blur moments of realization, I stumbled on this interesting quiz and I knew I had to take it immediately. Interested to see what it revealed? There….


You Are 89% Vain


You’re beyond vain. Besides being obsessed with your looks, you’re obsessed with everyone else’s looks. Yes, you look amazing. But you also need to be fabulous on the inside to be truly attractive.

How Vain Are You?

Whoa! That’s 11% short of being 100% vain!…. You tell me if that’s good or bad? :P

I suppose these are the few reasons why I have attained an 89% score in vanity:

  1. I pose in front of the mirror every now and then. This would explain why I take ages in the fitting room when I try on new outfits. I try to emulate the sultry, sexy, playful, whatchamacallit looks supermodels use when they are modelling.  I have a lot of mirrors in my house and I check myself out when I go past them :P  Yes, mirrors help give the effect of space in my crib, but it also serves as a means for me to be vain :P
  2. My favorite channel on TV is E! Especially the snippets where they demonstrate how ordinary looking people can look all glammed up. I take these tips very seriously. For instance, tips like putting a bright colored eye shadow on the inner corner of your eye will help make your eyes look larger. I tried that and it works!
  3. I am very easily persuaded to buy beauty products, and recently on E! they revealed that one of the top 20 products the celebrities use is Estee Lauder’s Perfectionist CP+. I asked my friend who was traveling in the States at that time to get a bottle for me. But too bad it was out of stock. Maybe everyone saw the same program I did?
  4. A few days or weeks before attending a function, like a wedding dinner, I would scour my wardrobe for a suitable piece of attire to wear. I would put it on and parade in it with shoes and accessories. Helps me get in the mood of things. :)
  5. I will willingly wear and bear with shoes which are highly uncomfortable, as long as they look good on me. I know that it’s unhealthy but it’s the price I am willing to pay for the sake of vanity.
  6. I don’t leave home without makeup on. In fact, I feel naked if I am makeup-less. If I have no time, I will still dab on a bit of concealer and some eyeliner.  However, what’s weird is that I don’t wear lipstick. I hate the feeling of lipstick on my lips. I’ll probably go as far as lip gloss on an everyday basis but lipstick I will only put on ONLY for MAJOR functions. And I can’t be bothered to touch up either.
  7. When I was pregnant, I continued being vain by wearing strapless maternity wear. I refused to even look at night-gown-like dresses adorned with bows or duckling and chicken motifs.

So how vain are you, really? I’d like to know… so I am tagging:

Paris at her glam site
Lilian aka 5XMom
Wuching - some guys are vain too. Are you one of them?

Oh Joy Oh Joy! May 21, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex , 13comments

Sorry! That was just me clicking away amateurishly at my camera *embedded* in my new Nokia N73 while we were at the Botanical Gardens last Saturday morning. Truth be known, my fingers did a whole lot more exercising than my entire body did, that’s for sure! No complaints about the camera, err…oops, the phone except that in the one week that I have had it, I encountered error messages on several occasions telling me that my 1GB memory card was not detectable. To resolve this, I have had to either restart the phone or reinsert the memory card. So later that Saturday afternoon, we scooted over to Gurney’s to report this to the guy who sold us the phone. Actually, my hubby also wanted to go and get his phone loaded with games, as he discovered that his new phone was game-less…tee-hee! Anyways, the guy kinda reconfigured my memory card and told me that it should be working all right now; so far, so good, no problems..I’m keeping my fingers and toes crossed!

Oh yeah, we stopped by The Body Shop too, as it was the second day of their annual sale. A couple of days before the sale started, I had received an SMS and 2 voice mails informing me of the sale. And it looked like everyone in the whole of Penang got it too, because the whole shop was jam-packed so bad, it was so hard to move. It figured because The Body Shop members also get an additional 10% off during the first three days of the sale. And being a member, I could NOT resist checking out what I could grab. And look what temptation did to me…

So all in all, a weekend well-spent. We managed to contact the air-cond man to come and fix the air-conditioner in our room too. So it’s no longer leaking now. Yippee!! What a splendid 2-days I had. And what a contrast it is to today. SIGH… Again, I’m so sad it has to be Monday today. Boo hoo….

Vaccine against Cervical Cancer April 24, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 6comments

I just went for my annual gynaecological checkup a couple of weeks back and was informed by my ob-gyn that a new vaccine which offers a 90-over percentage prevention against cervical cancer is now available. My first question was “How much?” My gynae says it will cost about RM1,500 for a series of 3 jabs. Well, at first glance that would seem steep but if you compare that with an average of RM16,000 for a hysterectomy in the event of cervical cancer, it all makes perfect sense.

I still haven’t decided if I want to go for this vaccine yet. This vaccine is called the Quadrivalent Human Papillomavirus Recombinant Vaccine and combats the virus which causes cervical cancer, i.e. the human papillomavirus (HPV). Well actually the vaccine is not 100% preventative and protects against 4 strains of the virus, but these are the 4 most prevalent strains. Hence this explains why the vaccine is only 90-over % effective, and not 100%.

With the advent of this vaccine, this is good news for all women. The fact that lives can be spared just by vaccinating oneself is definitely news which is welcomed. However, some people claim that the introduction of this vaccine, especially for young girls as young as 11-12 years, will encourage promiscuous activity, since the HPV is a virus which is spread through sexual activities. I beg to differ. If young girls are vaccinated against the HPV, that does not give them the license to go ahead and indulge in rampant sex, but if they do, I strongly feel it is the upbringing that causes it. So the parents should be the ones who are responsible in inculcating responsible actions among their kids, and not blame it on some vaccine.

So have I decided to take this vaccine? I dunno yet. I’m still undecided. I fervently hope my insurance can cover for it, or better yet, that my company will foot the bill for the vaccination. Then I’ll take it in a heartbeat.

Back to M and Sizzling Fajita April 22, 2007

Posted by The Giddy Tiger in : Drooling & Cooking, The Fairer Sex, Thoughts & Scribblings , 3comments

We spent Saturday shopping at Queensbay Mall. I decided to utilize my Jusco Members’ Day Privilege voucher which entitled me to get 15% discount for almost everything in the departmental store and 5% discount in the supermarket section. Temptation (and vanity) got the better of me, and I ended up buying a new swimsuit for myself. It’s a black halter tankini and I got it for 15% off the retail price! :) Better yet, I got it at size M, which is my pre-pregnancy size… I was wearing a size XL swimsuit when I was preggers, so naturally I was elated. I just might go swimming tomorrow…. hehehe…

Oh yeah… have to add this: we had dinner at Friday’s again where I redeemed/claimed my FREE Sizzling Fajita Tower. On our previous visit to Friday’s, we were lucky enough to be selected as a recipient of this free entree, which costs RM30.90-RM32.90, depending on whether you order it in the chicken, beef or combo variety (I think they also have shrimp, but let’s not deviate, shall we?). Anyway, all I had to do was to log in to the Friday’s survey site, answer a few questions, and when I was done, a code was generated. This code needs to be copied onto the receipt and brought along to any Friday’s outlet to claim the meal. Ain’t that great?

I ordered the Sizzling Fajita Tower Combo (Beef + Chicken) and man, it was fantastic! It was served in 3 layers:

Note of caution though: Be EXTREMELY HUNGRY if you wanna order this.