Getting Lucky Online (Again)

♫ EXO - Lucky

What kind of 'getting lucky' were you thinking when you read the title? :P

Anyway, what I mean to say is that so far I've been pretty lucky in online contests and giveaways for the past 6 months or so.  Well, all I can say is, I guess I have better luck online than offline, lol. This post is for me to humblebrag lolwut *slapped* to remind me that I have lots of things to be grateful for. (✿◠‿◠)


I kept the best [and biggest] for last, so keep on reading until the end! (¬‿¬) Hint: it's in the picture above.

Back in May, I was scrolling through my Instagram feed when I saw this picture pop up with a giveaway question. I thought 'why not?' and proceeded to comment with an answer... which won me a RM100 gift card! Looking back on my previous 'lucky' post, I think I have some kind of weird fate with La Senza Malaysia or something. Not that I'm complaining. ╮(─▽─)╭
RM100 La Senza Malaysia gift card

May is also the month for Mothers' Day. I was idly scrolling through Facebook (well, what else? *snorts*) when I saw a link to a contest by MSN Malaysia to win a bottle of L'Oreal Couture Edition Mythic Oil, which involved emailing the answer to a simple question to the contest email. I sent it out and promptly forgot all about it, until one day in June I received an email by MSN Malaysia with the subject title "Mythic Oil". It was definitely a pleasant surprise, because the Mythic Oil works great on my thick unruly hair. You can check out my review here.
Yay! Now I have a backup of my favourite hair nourishing oil! :D

July rolled around, and with it came another round of goodies. ♥ I'm not really active on Twitter (I only use it to stalk my idols lllorz) but I saw this post by Havaianas Malaysia and decided to try my luck. Amazingly enough, I managed to win a pair of the Havaianas 50 Anos x Unicef flip flops! :D
Woohoo!
I went to collect them at their H-store in Bangsar a couple of days before the deadline, haha~ Since the slippers were a size too big for me, I gave it to my bro for his birthday (he needed a new pair anyway lol). Fortunately they were a very manly blue and white combo HAHAHAHA
The awesome Havaianas 50 Anos limited edition!

July was also Tammy aka Plusizekitten's 5th blogiversary month, and I was one of the bloggers who managed to get invites to her Super Birthday at TGV 1U's Beanieplex. After the party, there was a mini blogging contest about the event, with 4xTGV Air Force One passes (basically a single-movie any-cinema hall ticket) as the prize for 3 bloggers. My blog post was chosen as one of the winners, so I got my tickets in the mail 1 week after the results were announced. (≧∇≦)
These tickets can even be used for Gold Class or IMAX 3D movies! Awesome eh?

The end of July also brought me a set of high-end skincare which I normally would not even go near due to its high price point. (−_−;) I joined Kelly's SKII giveaway and managed to win the SKII Pitera Essence Set worth RM219. The set was delivered all the way from Clozette Singapore, and even wrapped in a special Clozette.co velvet dustbag. Talk about luxurious! ಠ_ಠ
High-end skincare that I normally can't afford lol

The latest prize I've won is less than a week ago. Omoshiroi Ya was having a giveaway on Facebook for their newly-stocked Y.E.T. Korea nail wraps, so I decided to try my luck because I'd been dying to get the rainbow nail wraps since I saw them on Qoo10 months ago. I was really happy to see an email in my inbox informing I was the winner of the giveaway, and that I could choose any one of the nail wraps from their Facebook page. Of course, I chose the rainbow set! I've had a previous experience with Omoshiroi Ya, and can definitely say that the owner is a really nice and reliable person. ^^
Aren't they just adorable? (。♥‿♥。)

I'm definitely saving the best for last here. In this case, it's a pair of concert tickets which I won.


Not just any concert tickets. A pair of Premium Rock Zone tickets worth RM888 each to TVXQ!'s Live World Tour 'Catch Me' in Kuala Lumpur, to be exact, which was held on 18th May 2013! I had already bought regular tickets on the ticket launch day, but then I found a contest on Xuan where they were giving away premium tickets to the TVXQ concert, so I entered (not expecting to win anything). Let me tell you, right after I received the call telling me I'd won a pair of the Premium Rock Zone tickets, I literally screamed at the top of my lungs for a full 2 minutes out of sheer joy, excitement and complete disbelief.
The neighbours must have thought I'd finally gone crazy.

Basically my feeling of disbelief until I was there at the stadium and the tickets were finally in my hand and reality told me that YES I AM GOING TO SEE THE TWO GUYS OF TVXQ UP CLOSE IN THE ROCK ZONE ASDFGHJKL

Premium Rock Zone right in front of the stage!
How close? Well, I was right against the railing in front of the right side of the stage. The stage was barely 6 feet from my face. SIX FEET. RIGHT IN FRONT OF ME.

Here's proof:
TVXQ flying over the audience
Jung Yunho aka U-Know aka adorable squishy aka sexy dancing machine
Shim Changmin aka Max aka evil maknae aka long legs perfect body the most beautiful face ever
When they came over to the side of the stage, they were standing so close we could practically see every detail of their face/body/outfit OMG ∑(O_O;) Yunho was being adorable and throwing fanservice everywhere while dancing his sexy butt off, while Changmin was being his usual awkward yet charismatic self and singing so beautifully it'd make you cry. (´°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥ω°̥̥̥̥̥̥̥̥`)

The day of the concert was also the day of my graduation ceremony, but I only remember the concert and hardly remember what went down during my graduation LOL *sheepish*


I will be forever grateful for all these amazing gifts and experiences. Honestly, the thought 'Has my luck finally been used up after this?' often crosses my mind (especially after winning the TVXQ concert tickets), which makes me appreciate all these blessings even more, no matter big or small.

Now it's time for you to share with me: what's the best or luckiest thing that has happened to you this year? (。◕‿◕。)

Review: Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion SPF 50+

♫ EXO - Heart Attack

Etude House, to me, is synonymous with cosmetics that are pink, pretty, cute and affordable. Today I have the newest offering from Etude House to share with you - the Precious Mineral Any Cushion SPF 50+ / PA+++ BB compact.

If you've been keeping an eye out in the latest makeup trends, you'll find that there are several similar 'cushion-like' BB creams already in the market. (¬‿¬) However, this is my first time trying out such a product, so I'm pretty excited to see how it works for me. :)

Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion outer box
The Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion BB compact is packaged in a pearly pink box with silver accents, similar to their Precious Mineral BB Cream. However, the "E" initial logo is new, and is the same as the lipsticks from the Etoinette Collection.

Click to enlarge
The back of the box is all written in Korean, but the side has English translations that include the shade name, description, directions of use and ingredients list. Like most other Etude House products, it is made in Korea.

Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion BB Compact casing
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion BB Compact casing
Upon taking the Any Cushion BB compact out of the box, I was surprised at how big it was. Measuring about 3cm thick and 7cm in diameter, it's one of the bulkiest compact cases I've ever seen. Considering that it's a BB cream (liquid?) in a compact case form, I can understand why. The casing itself is a pearly pink colour and made from plastic.

Comes with large mirror for easy touch ups!
Open up the compact and you can see that it has a large mirror, and comes with a special 'air puff' that is used to apply the BB cream.

New products have a tamper-proof seal
Underneath the air puff, there's a plastic lid that protects the BB cushion from touching the puff and also any leakage that might occur. When you first open the compact, there is a plastic sticker-seal covering the cushion. Peel it off and you'll see the cushion below. :D

It's so soft and fluffeh! :3
I was curious how cushion-like it was, so I used my finger to prod the foam sponge that contains the product right after peeling off the seal, lol. To my surprise, it was indeed very fluffy and had a cooling effect. The texture is just like a regular BB cream (albeit a little more liquidy).

Pick up the product using the special air puff
Point: light *patting* motions!
How to apply Precious Mineral Any Cushion:
1. Gently press the air puff onto the foam sponge to pick up the product.
2. Spread evenly by lightly patting onto skin.
3. For more coverage, you can apply several light layers.
Tip: Apply it from larger area to smaller area (in order of  cheeks, forehead, and chin). Apply it with a light patting motion evenly all over.

The special air puff that comes with the Precious Mineral Any Cushion compact differs from normal sponge applicators, as it minimizes contents absorption with dual structure, and it doesn’t reabsorb water so it’s superior in cooling and freshness. For those who are concerned about hygiene and how to keep the air puff clean, here's a handy little guide from Etude House.
Click to enlarge
The Precious Mineral Any Cushion SPF 50+ BB compact is a new conceptual foundation that perfectly fits on the skin with easy stamping so that the product is evenly spread. This almighty revolutionary foundation has 6-in-1 functions, which include:
  • Foundation
  • Sunscreen
  • Sebum powder
  • Moisture essence
  • Whitening essence
  • Cooling

Before and after application
After applying a single light layer, I can see a good improvement on my skin! :) Skin tone looks noticeably more even, pores and light pigmented spots are covered, skin looks smoother, and gives my face an overall radiant satiny finish. I also love how it has a slight cooling effect when applied on the face - great for touch-ups in hot weather!

By this point, you must be wondering "Why on earth is it called ANY Cushion?" The name sounds strange, right? Well, the answer is simple:
Easy, fast, and perfect makeup -
anytime, anywhere, for anyone!
(◕‿◕✿)
Despite its bulky size (which is the only negative thing I can think of about this product for now), I love how it is a travel friendly BB cream in compact form. I can totally save space because I won't need to bring along a tube of BB cream AND a powder compact, hehe~ Its sebum control properties are pretty good too, as my face did not feel or look greasy even after 4-5 hours. The large mirror inside the lid is great for touch-ups!

 
Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion SPF 50+ (15g) will be available at all Etude House outlets from September 2013, and retails at RM109.90.

✓ Pros: Compact case comes with mirror, non-messy (no need to use fingers), special air puff works well for application, great for touch-ups, good coverage, contains SPF, cooling effect on skin, good sebum control, satin finish without being drying, suitable for most skin types.
✗ Cons: One of the more pricey items from Etude House's makeup range, size is quite bulky, will dry up if not closed properly, might not suit some skin tones due to limited shades.

*This item was sent to me by Etude House Malaysia for review without financial compensation. All opinions expressed are completely honest and strictly my own.

Review: Charmé Mesmerize Violet from GlassesOnline.com.my

♫ EXO - 으르렁 (Growl)

Ah, contact lenses. I'm pretty sure a lot of girls these days wear them before going out, be it for work, school, meeting up with friends, retail therapy or just a simple meal. It's super important to find lenses that are authentic and won't damage your eyes in the long run, so I'm really glad to have found an online site that sells them - at a fraction of the retail price!
Charmé Mesmerize Violet
I chose Charmé Mesmerize Violet to review, mainly because I had never heard of the brand before, and absolutely love purple lenses. At RM30.00 per pair, it was also one of the most affordable monthly coloured lenses that were available, so I thought 'Why not?', since most of us would appreciate getting more bang for our buck. :P

GlassesOnline even included a cute lens case! :D
The lenses arrived at my address within a couple of days after I placed my order, and were delivered safely with layers of bubble wrap. They even included a cute little lens case, which was really thoughtful. :3

Packaging for Charmé Mesmerize contact lenses
The Charmé Mesmerize contact lenses come packaged in a small box, with contains the lenses in simple blister packaging. I've mentioned this before in a previous review, but I must say, blister packaging is the way to go for fuss-free and non-painful retrieval of new contact lenses. (-o⌒)

This is what the lens look like. It has a swirly, almost flower-like violet pattern in the middle, with a black outer ring. I find that circle lenses with black outer rings tend to give a more 'dolly' look when worn. :)

The lenses claim to be 14.1mm, which is considered normal-sized lenses and don't help in enlarging your irises, but I find that my eyes do look noticeably larger when worn. (Or maybe I just naturally have very small eyes fml.) I like how it looks quite natural yet still obviously purplish-violet in colour when seen under natural light. With flash, the pattern of the lens becomes much more apparent.

Here's how it looks like on both eyes, with some light purple + pink eyeshadow and a thin line of black eyeliner. :)

I really like the Charmé Mesmerize lenses as they go well with my everyday makeup and outfits. In addition, the lenses are really soft and comfortable, plus thin enough to provide enough oxygen flow that I can wear it for around 6 hours without having to apply eye drops. Hmm... Maybe I shall try Mesmerize Grey next. (¬‿¬)

Brand: Charmé Mesmerize
Frequency: Monthly Wear
Diameter: 14.1mm
Water Content: 38.00%

If you're looking for quality eyewear and vision care at remarkably low prices, GlassesOnline.com.my is the place for you! As Malaysia's first online glasses store, they offer a wide range of sunglasses and eyewear from top fashion brands such as Ray Ban, Gucci, Adidas and Christian Dior at extra low prices. You can find, buy and customize your prescription contact lenses from trusted brands such as Acuvue, Air Optix Aqua, Biomedics, Focus Dailies, Freshlook, SofLens and Proclear, and have them delivered to your doorstep for free in all of Malaysia.

For sticking around until the end of the post, here's an exclusive GlassesOnline.com.my voucher code just for my beloved readers! o(≧∇≦o)

Just head on over to GlassesOnline.com.my, fill up your shopping cart, and use the code GOlauralee20 during checkout to receive RM20 off your purchase!
You can also find out more about GlassesOnline at their Facebook page. :)

P/S: I even tried out my 'vampire' look after taking all those 'normal' review pictures lololol


*This item was sent to me by GlassesOnline.com.my for review without financial compensation. All opinions expressed are completely honest and strictly my own.

My Part-Time Experience at BookFest Malaysia 2013

♫ 王力宏 - 脚本

Phew! It's been 2 weeks since I last updated my blog. As you can probably guess from the title, I've been busy being part of the crew at BookFest Malaysia 2013 that was recently held at KLCC from 3-11 August 2013.
BookFest Malaysia 2013 by Popular
The real work started a couple of days before the event officially opened, so we were working from 1-11 August. We didn't know which group we'd be put into until the first morning. Thank goodness my friend and I were assigned to the stationery and multimedia hall (a.k.a. "Lifestyle Pavilion") on the third floor, even though we were in different teams. I was super glad to be assigned to the "Cash Only" lane, because the cash lane didn't have to bother about credit card slips and stuff.

CD Rama section of the Lifestyle Pavilion at Level 3
The first 2 days were spent unpacking and arranging items, plus some cashiering exercises (I didn't wanna be a cashier, honestly; I suck at dealing with money). They had an opening ceremony on the evening of 2 August, so 4 cashier counters (including mine) were open for the VIPs and  media to buy stuff before the hoi polloi arrived the next morning. Pffft... special privileges! *rolls eyes*

The supervisors and department heads had already told us that weekends and public holidays would be super crazy during the BookFest, but we were still pretty overwhelmed by the hectic first two days (Saturday and Sunday). Mostly because we hadn't gotten used to using the cash register yet, and also because we didn't expect such a large crowd. I took Monday off to rest my legs, and came back to a relatively relaxing Tuesday and Wednesday.

Thank goodness my friend discovered and recommended this quiet place behind her counter's booth that we could sit and rest during lunch/dinner break. The peace and quiet was like heaven among the chaos happening in the hall.

Facing this cash register for the past 10 days (x_x)
The most scary day was undoubtedly Thursday (8 August), which was also a public holiday due to Hari Raya. It was so crazy, we literally couldn't see the floor of the hall for a solid 7 hours thanks to the freakishly long queue of customers! There were so many people from noon until about 7pm, we barely had time to go for lunch/dinner and completely had no chance to even drink water in between. Seriously, that was the craziest thing I've ever experienced. (✖╭╮✖)

We barely had any time to do our own shopping at the BookFest (even though they said we could take 30mins off) so the only time we could get was in the morning, right when the doors opened to staff and before we headed to our counters to count the day's float.

Every morning after the cashiers had counted their float and everybody had arrived, there would be a short briefing by the head supervisors. They even had us do this cheesy "We Greet, We Smile, We Serve" kinda cheer before and after the briefing, lol. (ーー;)

Bunch of awesome co-workers! :D
The 'cash lane' team including our supervisor ヾ(^∇^)
The working hours were grueling, and my feet felt like they were gonna fall off at the end of each day, but I was really glad to have met some great new people during my time working at BookFest 2013. They friendly, cheerful and funny that the hours would just pass by while we worked, talked and basically got to know more about each other over the past 10 days. :)

Tiny tree I found on the floor on the last day of work :3
Well, it was an eye-opening working experience at BookFest Malaysia 2013. Sore feet, empty stomach, 10-minute meals, thirst, angry customers, friendly customers, great co-workers, rushing to catch the last train home, chatting with the other part-timers, and lots more, made this a truly memorable journey. Even I myself am surprised that I actually managed to stick with it until the last day, and for this, I'm clapping myself on the back. :P


That being said, I probably wouldn't want to work as a cashier at BookFest again, LOL. Thanks for the memories though!