Monday 14 January 2019

2019 Resolutions

While some of my resolutions are more personal, these are some that I'm comfortable sharing.


Read and Review Non Fiction Books
My target is to read at least 1 non fiction book per month. After years of reading (I'm a bit of a bibliophile), I realized that reading without writing is not as efficient. Hence, the reason why I wanted to do a review or share my key takeaways from the books. Remember program NILAM back at school?  (I got awards for NILAM program both at secondary and primary school #BranggingRights 😂) Is it still a thing nowadays, tho?


Dean's List
There're 2 semesters in 2019; March and September. I am aiming to get at least GPA 3.75 for both of 'em which is the Dean's List benchmark for postgraduate program in UiTM. The first semester result has yet to be announced. I think/hope I'm getting GPA 3.89 at least (A, A, A-). I don't know, we'll have to see next month. [Will definitely be a little heartbroken if I got less than 2 solid A's. *nerd*


Complete Bayyinah Cover to Cover Program
I've had Bayyinah TV subscription for a few years now and my favorite program is the Cover to Cover series. There are videos on the backstory of the Surahs, why it was decreed upon our Prophet and the linguistic part of it. With this class, you'll have better appreciation of Quran. . But I always do my own notes, and I think I have only covered not more than 20 surahs. Some surahs take as long as 3 hours! But yeah. I'm aiming to complete the series this year. Maybe I'll share notes in my blog. Should I?


*In total I had 10 goals for 2019. Hoping this will be the best year yet. Final year before entering the 3 series, InsyaAllah.
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Monday 7 January 2019

My Best Beauty Find of 2018

Sarah Chapman Skinesis Overnight Facial


I bought the Elixir Radiance Duo from Cult Beauty (to take advantage of the discount code/ free delivery/ VAT refund) and I got it at a steal! 2 full size items; Overnight Facial and Morning Facial for only £48. The Overnight Facial alone cost £49 💚 Maybe it's an LE item, I'm not sure. 

So Sarah Chapman is a highly sought after facialist (notice that she's not a dermatologist) in London. Her client list were extensive (including Meghan Markle, Gigi Hadid and Victoria Beckham to name a few) and there's a waiting list of 3 months to get yourself an appointment. She launched this best-selling Overnight Facial in 2008. That's 10 years ago! 

Okay, about the product. It's facial in a bottle. It is a serum-oil (took a while to fully absorb tho) but the effects are jarring. You can see the result the very next morning! The brand promise to leave your skin plump, smooth, rejuvenated, bright and radiant. That's a lot to promise but they do deliver.

I always used it on a dull-skin-day or when I need that extra boost or just to pamper my skin. Can't recommend enough!


Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed Highlighter




Confession. Previously, I don't see the need to highlight because so many times (in real life), I saw amateurs with patchy and unnatural streaks of golden / silver highlight across their face. It does look amazing in promotional pictures/ beauty guru's Youtube videos but it seems difficult to master. Done correctly, highlighter are meant to emulate sun kissed healthy radiant skin.

So the other day Sephora was offering discount for Becca's Champagne Pop highlighter and I bought it on a whim. I felt in love with it so much that I bought another 2 shades; Opal and Moonstone 😂 They were so amazing!! The powders are so finely milled that it blended nicely with my skin. 

*I've tried the liquid version. I prefer the pressed highlighter


ColourPop Super Shock Shadow (SSS)
Trust me when I said I had a lot of eyeshadows 😂 A lot! This product alone, I had nearly 20 shades of em. But I had 2 shades that I kept coming back to; Issa and Central Perk. In fact, I've hit pan (it's been less than a year!).

Issa

Central Perk
Issa is a beautiful metallic eggplant purple that looked different from different angle. It last very long (without primer) and never creases. While Central Perk is the perfect deep plum color and even looks great on its own.


Hourglass Ambient Lighting Edit Unlocked Palette


My second Hourglass palette and I really love it! This is a limited edition palette with 6 new shades of finishing powders, bronzer, blush and strobe powder. The textures of these powders are so soft and finely milled. They do not sit on top of skin / look powdery no matter how much you apply and I also love the brightening effect of the face powders! 


Laura Mercier Matte Radiance Baked Powder


So I got this as part of the Sephora Favorites Sunkissed Glow set from Sephora US. I did not set any expectation but when I first used it, I was blown away. It was so good!! It look so natural and beautiful on my skin. Blendable and lasts long too!
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Tuesday 1 January 2019

Top 5 Highlights of 2018

1. First House
  • We got the keys for Olive (yes, we named our house) 😂
  • Really, it was a shock to us since the completion date was supposed to be at the end of 2019. But we got 'em in June this year 
  • We did some minor renovation, then there's the kitchen cabinet, painting, yada yada yada
  • It's a small house, enough for us to call home 💕 [Who knew such a small house will cost us a lot LOL)
  • Housewarming party coming soon!
Work in progress. Obsessed with the green marble ❤

Bare living hall. Overlooking KESAS highway and my mom's (sort of) 😂

2. Career
  • Alhamdulillah, 2018 was indeed a great year for me; career wise
  • Never thought I'll be promoted to a manager at the age of 28 years old (after only 4 years of experience). In a totally new industry, no less!
  • Still in disbelief and indeed Allah is kind.



3. ACCA
  • Met my goal of completing all the papers on my first attempt *yeayy!!*
  • Received Special Commendation Award from MyPAC for being the first part time scholar with straight pass
  • Got an award from KDU for my final paper, P5 😎



4. Postgraduate Education
Started my  #MBAJourney at UiTM in September. With N, no less!! So proud of him 💖




5. #teamCip
  • Had been a part of the super competitive family for a couple of years now. We had major tournament involving at least 20-30 teams, twice a year 
  • I was the goalkeeper for handball and goal defense (GD) / captain for netball




Can you imagine how tight the game was? Only 9 goals throughout the 4 quarters 😂









Looking forward to what this year may bring.
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