High Heels : Pretty and Pretty Bad

I love wearing high heels since it can be fashionable and completely make me feel taller and sexier. I’m wearing high heels almost EVERYDAY to office. However, I ditch high heel and wear comfy slipper. I just don’t wear high heels all the times, except going out somewhere in the weekend. Because I know wearing high heels is stressful on the joints of the foot because all of my body weight rests there. The foot is then forced into a narrow and pointed toe point. Then it will leads to contribute to knee and back problems, disabling injuries in falls, shortened calf muscles, and an awkward, unnatural gait. (I saw a woman in weird gait while wearing her up-to-date yet hurting heels). I admit high heels make my feet hurt, but I do tolerate the discomfort in order to look taller, stylish, and more professional. 

Tips: If you still wearing high heels, get a comfy ones – Lewre, Nine West, Ferragamo, Aldo, etc. The best thing to do is alternate every other day between heels and comfy shoes. Your feet, knees, hips and low back will love you for it. Oh don’t get osteoporosis at young age, ladies!

DIY : Home-made Orchid Fertilizer

Washed rice water from my nasi lemak.

Making your own organic orchid fertilizer is easy and inexpensive. And you can avoid all those unnatural fertilizer ingredients. Here is a time-tested and home-made alternative fertilizers. My mom was so proud of her orchid garden and she have been using this recipe for generations.

 Supply your orchids with water in which rice has been cooked; this provides extra vitamins to your orchid. Let them sleep for eight hours, or overnight before feed the plant. Try this, in a week they will show result.

Recipe : Nasi Lemak with Sambal Tumis Udang & Petai

Sambal udang is quite easy to make and you need only a few key ingredients–prawns, sambal, belacan, and tamarind juice. Some loved sambal udang with petai (stinky beans), and what I’m going to post here today is sambal udang with petai. The recipe is quite simple, with plenty of shrimps and the right balance of spicy, sour, salty, and a tint of sweetness from the freshness of prawns.

My mom has a killer dish of sambal udang, and here is the recipe (served 5 persons)

Sambal Udang Ingredients

Cooking oil

500g mid size prawns (shelled and deveined)

10-20 dry red chilies

5 shallots, 2 garlic, 1 inch ginger (blended)

½ tbsp Belacan (Shrimp paste)

3 tbsp tamarind pulp (mixed with 1/2 cup water & strained)

1 cup of petai

Sugar and salt to add taste

The Methods:

 Boil the dried chili in water for 10 minutes then rinse it with cold water and get rid of the seeds. This will ensure that the sambal is not too spicy. Blend the chili, shallots, garlic and ginger in a blender to make it into a paste and set aside.

Heat up cooking oil, add in the blended spice paste and stir-fry until fragrant.

Add belacan and make sure it not clumping.  Keep stirring and let the sambal thickened.

Add in prawns, petai continue to stir for about 2-3 minutes.

Wait till the oil rises and add a splash of the tamarind juice, bringing it to a quick boil. Add water if you want. I don’t. 

Add in salt and sugar. Actually I used palm sugar syrup to give my sambal extra kick.  Dish out & serve hot.

Sambal udang is great with nasi lemak or even steamed white rice. In fact, the sambal sauce is so good that I can drench dollops of it with  rice and eat it plain. It’s really appetizing and the shrimps are simply delicious.

 Me digress : Bonnie can't live without Clyde, so do my sambal can't go without nasi lemak. Oh I love nasi lemak, good for breakfast and brunch, excellent for dinner and supper. From January to December, any season, any weather. Oh please stop. So here is my nasi lemak recipe. (I skipped the crispy anchovies)

The Ingredients:

2 cups of rice
Pandan leaves (tie them into a knot)
Shallots
Ginger
Salt to taste
1 small can of coconut milk
Some water

The Methods:

Just like making steamed rice, rinse your rice and drain. Add the coconut milk, shallots and ginger and a pinch of salt, and some water. Add the pandan leaves into the rice and cook your rice.

Petai has a strong peculiar smell, so be sure you have something like mint candy or chewing gum after you had petai. 

My Skincare Routine

My skin-type is overall normal-combination but slightly oily skin. I get breakouts occasionally, maybe once a month and it typically takes a week for my skin to clear up. Considering that I'm pretty low maintenance with my skincare routine, I suppose I have decent skin.

This is what I'm using right now, I used quite a few brands from Olay.  I am super loyal to Olay since I was 12. (Because my aunt works with P&G). Back then, it was called Oil of Ulan then they renamed it as Oil of Olay, and currently known as Olay. Whatever name it has, the quality is brilliant and amazed for the price.  During my teens and early twenty, I used whitening product from Olay and I made up to change to anti ageing range last year. Early prevention to get away from wrinkles. Nightmare!!

Nutri-Rich Oil Control Facial Foam, for evening use.

Cleanser - I typically loves rich foam cleansers, and I love my current ones, Nutri-Rich Oil Control Facial Foam from Cosway. I have been using this for almost 4 years and it suit my combination skin well. I use it at night to remove make-up,oil and dirts after long day at work and follow with my green tea toner, which is the best combination I have found for my easily-oily skin. Normally I apply the cleanser with facial brush all over my face, and rinse. With or without the brush, the cleanser leaves your face with a nice glow and deep cleansing, and it's very soft (however, the facial brush does nothing but improve your results!) After a hot sweaty day this was really refreshing. Love it!

Olay Total Effects Foaming Cleanser, for morning use.

My second cleanser is from Olay, Olay Total Effects Foaming Cleanser. I used this every morning, again with my facial brushes and I have seen a minimized pore appearance and my skin does look smoother and more even looking in tone. (ohh so many ands).  The fragrance is just nice, not too overwhelming or irritant to my skin. This is my first tube of this cleanser and to be honest I think I cannot go away from it.

Toner – For years, I used my green tea toner. I like that fresh clean feeling, so I tend to stay away from alcohol toners or ones that have a gel-like texture or ones that are too strong which sting the skin. I love this as it can help my face for being less oily and my make up stay a lot longer.

Moisturizer – Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti Ageing Cream, SPF 15. I have two products of this, one is gentle, which is I used when I have my foundation on my skin. Secondly is touch of foundation – daily use to office because I don’t wear foundation everyday and it save my time a lot! Thank You Olay!

I have tried loads of other product, range is from the drugstore product to the luxury lines but always go back to this. First, I love the pumped bottle. The pump ensures that the content inside is left clean but this means that I end up getting excess cream on the lid. I ensure that the opening is left clean after application but this does not reduce the mess. Secondly, this cream goes on very nicely and absorbs quickly. When I put it on, it sank in almost immediately, leaving a perfect base for my foundation/powder. Thirdly, it covers my pores and at the same time, it let my skin breathe. Fourth, I like the smell of the mixture.

However there is downside. Warm weather makes the creamy texture too rich for my skin. After a few hours, I find that my skin becomes too dewy (good word for oily) on my forehead and nose for my taste and I need a touch up sooner than usual. Green tea toner makes it less oily, however. Apart from the oily effect after application, I’m satisfied with other aspects.

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti Ageing Cream, SPF 15 with Touch of Foundation. Can you see my pores on second photo? And the product hide brilliantly my pores (third pic).

And this is me (morning face). I only had moisturiser and powder to set my skin. I like the way this covers like a light foundation, but doesn't feel like one. It leaves my skin looking healthy and fresh. I use the green tea before this and set with a mineralized powder. Sometime, it seems to last most of the day, but if I am going out after wearing all day a little powder brings it back to life.

Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti Ageing Night Cream

Night Cream – Olay Total Effects 7 in 1 Anti Ageing Night Cream.
Since I use day cream from Olay Total Effects, so decided to go along with the same range of night cream to get better result. The cream is quite heavy at after first few minutes applied, and it absorb well into my skin so it doesn’t stain my cloth or pillow or whatever contact to my face. It leaves my skin unbelievably soft, toned and even in the next morning. I have been using this for couple of months, and it softens my mini wrinkles and definitely firms my skin. As it a night cream, it have a nice pleasant smell for sleep

Eye cream - Currently, I just apply VCO under my eyes every night without fail. I might considering to get Olay product for my eyes.

Scrub - I don't have specific brand for scrub, but I do scrub a lot

Mask - Again, I don't use specific product for face masks. I prefer something fresh and natural so I will do a homemade mask from whatever that I have in my kitchen.

Pore Strip - Oily skin like me get blackheads easily. Once a month is a must! I hate blackhead on my wide nose.

Tip applying night cream/moisturizer - Place few dots at specific areas (forehead, chin, next to mouth), then rub it UPWARDS with clean fingers, and finally massage it thoroughly around the rest of face until the product disappears or absorb to the skin. It is very important to massage it in until all the white disappears to get a nice even effect.