Make Your Own Homemade Facial Toner For Blemish Prone Skin

As promised, in this entry, I will share a recipe of a homemade facial toner using only 3 ingredients easily found in your kitchen pantry. I found this recipe here but instead of using Witch Hazel, I replace it with ACV for its many beneficial properties as I'll explain further plus ACV has a lot of positives reviews when used as a toner. Store bought toner usually contains alcohol which can strips our skin off its natural oils thus upsetting its balance. I have been using this for quite a while and am really loving it. It controls my breakouts and doesn't dries out my skin. 

But please bear in my mind, this can only be used at night, as the acidity in lemon juice could heighten skin's sensitivity to sun exposure.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Lemon juice

1 cup water

2/3 cup Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)

Mix all the ingredients and funnel into a bottle of your choice. Shake to mix well. Please use filtered water or bottled mineral water as the tap water may not be as hygienic. Place in the refrigerator to maintain shelf life and for that cool refreshing sensation whenever you apply them.

Voila! you have made your own facial toner minus all the unnecessary chemicals, preservatives and fillers that are loaded in a commercial bought toner...not to mention how very cheap and easy this is on your budget.

Lemon Juice - lighten skin, removing wrinkles, blackheads and dead cells

Apple Cider Vinegar - balances PH of skin, contains AHA beneficial for sun and age spots lightening and treat blemishes

 Any question, feel free to leave in the comments section. You can comment in Bahasa Malaysia as well okay. Till next time...

Secrets Of Natural Beauty

If there's one thing I love doing in my spare time, it is producing my own homemade skincare. Homemade skincare often using natural ingredients readily found in our kitchen pantry is not something new in western countries, but here in Malaysia, where we depends so much on commercial beauty products, natural homemade products are often disregarded as ineffective approach to beauty, but this is far from being true.

Our great great grandmothers does not have the luxury and the availability of mass produced beauty products, so they turned to nature and concocts their own blends of lotions and potions.They made their own soap, cold creams, scrubs and more. They barely have skin problems, just look at their photos originally as it is, no photo editing was available either.

I took my interest on homemade remedies when I purchase an old book more than 10 years ago. That book was published in 1978. The title is SECRETS OF NATURAL BEAUTY by Virginia Castleton, loaded with tons of beauty recipes from head to toe

Nonetheless, it is important to search for the right ingredients and recipe for your own skin types. We can't just smear lemon on our skin without knowing its correct steps. So, in my next entry, I will share a recipe I have been using for quite a well and loving the result. See u soon..

Craving For Yummy Malaysian Food!

Hello readers,
It has been a while isn't it?  So, today is the fourth day of my attempt to lose another 5kg as I was planning to reward myself to a new pair of jean..hopefully..hihi..That little journey to weight lose is going on fine until I sat down in front of the TV and watch Food Network. Those colorful mouthwatering dishes were torturing me, the slices of breads, the cracking sounds of the crispy deep fried chips, the melting cheese oozing from that hot pizza...aarrrgghh!. But I have to remain calm and compose. Looking at all those foods reminds me of what I love to eat, and honestly I love food, was never a picky eater. Chinese food, Indian, Malays,just bring it home to mama...hahaha. So I decided to compile them all here for my own viewing pleasure...you too! (All photos are courtesy of Google)

Favourite Indian Food

 Roti Nan Cheese
I called this my Indian Pizza. I just have to have this once a week at least and I prefer having this on its own minus the mint dippings and all.

 Vadai

 I love this while it's still hot for tea time of course. I love the taste of lentils, curry leaves, shallots and chillies combined in a deep fried dough.

 Roti Thosai
 Hot and aromatic Indian pancakes with  blends of lentils, seeds of fenugreek and soaked rice. I craved this when I was pregnant. We drove  all over the town and most shops that we usually frequent are closed. By the end of the day, we did found one..pheww!

Favorite Chinese Food

Fried Kway Teow
 This is a complete meal of flat rice noodle with crunchy bean sprouts, veges, and lots and lotsa prawns and cockles (if the hawker is generous that is..hihi..)

Dumplings
 Comfort food at its best! Soft steamed doughs stuffed with meats and veges.


Favorite Thai Food
For me, Thai food is considered as one of Malaysian food, as there are quite a numbers of Malaysian citizen Siamese especially in the northern region, Kelantan and Perlis.

Kao Yam
  This is Kao Yam or 'kerabu'. Quite different from our typical nasi kerabu in terms of ingredients used. This one consists of cooked rice, toasted coconut,  lemongrass, watercress, roasted ground chilli, kaffir lime leaves, french beans and beans sprouts. The black sauce is palm sugar with galangal, salted fish and lime leaf

Chicken Phat Phet
 Thai version of red curry. taste more like 'rendang' to me. They include a lot of shredded kaffir lime leaves, chillies(of course), galangal is a must, and more often that not, small thai eggplants.


Favorite Malay Food

Mee Rebus
Very similar to Mee jawa of Sarawak, this is a very fulfilling dish of yellow noodles in a rich gravy made of boiled sweet potato and shrimp broth.

 Nasi Dagang and Gulai Ikan Tongkol
 My first encounter on Nasi dagang is at train station at Arau, Perlis. There's two version of Nasi Dagang; Kelantan and Terengganu but basically its a steamed rice mixed with fenugreek seeds, shallots and ginger. And you can't have nasi dagang without Gulai Ikan Tongkol or Tuna Curry. The curry has a mild curry flavor, sweet with a lot of kerisek or toasted coconut paste.

 Sup Perut
 I remembered when my hubby would drive for an hour from Perlis to Jitra  just to have this Sup Perut or beef tripes in a clear broth. This can be found in a a lot of eateries all over peninsular, but the taste would vary.

Ikan Keli Bakar
 When I was staying in Perlis for 7 years, I would have this every weekend without fail. The meat is tender and the aroma of the charred catfish's skin is very addictive.


Favorite Sarawakian Food
I am a Sarawakian, so this is a must!..hehe..being thousands of miles from home, I am in a constant craving mode of these delicacies;

Pansoh Manok
 Almost all Malaysian knew 'Pansoh Manok' or Chicken Cooked In A Bamboo. Sarawakian especially the Ibans ate way too much of this yet never grew sick of it. A very simple dish of chicken, ginger buds or Bunga Kantan, ginger, tapioca leaves, salt and water all stuffed into a bamboo and cooked over open flame.

Lelita Soup
Aha!..this is a very rare Iban delicacies. Lelita belongs to the family of slug found among the mud of paddy fields. Eeww..It looks disgusting alrite and I don't  have the spine to even grab one alive, but once cooked they're so tasty I can eat a lot of these..haha..

Umai Obor Obor
 Jelly fish salad found abundantly in Kuching, Sarawak. Simple ingredients: just shallots, chillies, lime juice, sugar and sprinkles of groundnuts.

Umai Udang
 My mummy makes the best Umai Udang or Prawn Salad. The ingredients are almost similar to Umai Obor2 minus the groundnuts.

 Umai kaki Manok
 Chicken Feet Salad is my family's healthy snack. This dish is not exclusively made in Sarawak as the Peninsulars have their own version as well.


Drooling already?.So, what's your favorite Malaysian dish? Is it any similar to mine?

Make Your Own Play Dough

Halden told me that he is planning to buy a plasticine from his school's bookshop and I am quick to disapprove. Not only does that cheap commercial version of play dough smells really off, it left nasty oily stains on the table and floor, I have to wipe each table with soapy water, and really wipe them clean as to not leave any residues,  not to mention it ain't toxic free. So, I came up with a solution:

 Conversation between me and Halden;

Me: Let's do our own homemade play dough then

Halden : Do u know how?

Me: Well, I don't , but I bet Mr. Google does

Halden: Who is Mr. Google?

Me: A very wise uncle

Halden: Whose uncle? Yours?

Me: U sure ask a lot of question. Do u wanna make play dough or what?

And so I googled 'The Best and Easy Play Dough Recipe and found the recipe;

Ingredients:

Half a cup of Salt
1 Cup Plain Flour
2 Tablespoon of Cream of Tartar
1 Cup of water
1 tablespoon of Oil
Food coloring

I did not follow the directons to the T as I found out this way is easier than to cook the mixture in a pot and then having to clean and scour the pot.

I just mix all the ingredients except the water. Then I pour 1 cup of HOT BOILED WATER to the mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon. When the dough is not that really hot too handle, knead with your hands and slowly add more flour if the dough is too soft.
They can play with it right away. Store in a zip lock bag and place in your refrigerator to extend its shelf life. Mine last for more than a month. Make several batches in different colors, it's easy and fun!..not too mention that look on your child's face...priceless!

Every Acne Has A Story : What your acne is trying to tell you

 Do you ever wonder why do you have breakouts in the same place every time? The other area of your  face seems fine but that one spot is always infested by horrid bumps and cystic acne. Just as they are about to heal itself, a new one appear at the same spot. Seems familiar?

 The ancient Chinese medical practitioner comes up with art of Face Mapping to see the underlying causes of these. These acne flares up are symptoms of what is going on with our internal health, and this concept of face mapping is very popular among beauty gurus nowadays.

Now, it may not be 100% accurate, but it can serve as a guideline and a place to start that journey to healthy and problem free complexion.

1 & 2: Digestive system  - Toxin build up due to poor digestion. Consume less junk food, fried greasy food and processed food.  Eat more cooling food such as cucumber. Drink plenty and plenty of water

3: Liver - Alcohol and dairy products could be the culprit. Any sign of food allergies will appear here first. Cut off alcohol and dairy intake, try to do light exercise daily and get adequate sleep

4 & 5 : Kidney -  Anything around the eyes including dark circles point to dehydration. Increase water intake

6. Heart  - Get your blood pressure checked. Eat less spicy food and meat . Watch your cholesterol  and eat healthy diet rich in Omegas 3 and 6 such as nuts, avocados, fish and flax seed. Since this area is full of dilated pores, check that your makeup brushes are clean and your make up is not past its expiry date .

7 & 8. Kidneys -  Take less or cut down soda drinks, coffee and alcohol as to prevent dehydration dehydration.

Zone 9 & 10 : Respiratory System -   This is your problem area for those who smoke and prone to allergies. Eat more cooling foods, cut down on sugar, dairy and caffeine. Dirty cell phones and pillow cases are two of the top acne culprits and this area is what they affect.

Zone 11 & 12: Hormones -  Hormonal imbalance. Get enough sleep, drink plenty of water, eating leafy veggies and keeping skin scrupulously clean. Another interesting point: breakouts in this area indicate when you are ovulating (and on which side).

Zone 13: Stomach - Increase fibre intake, drink herbal teas to help with digestion and prevent toxin overload

14: Illness — Acnes on this area may be a sign of illness and your body is working hard to fight it. Drink plent of water, destress, get enough rest and sleep.

I tend to fall on zone  no. 11, 12 and 13 especially during that time of that month. I guess it's time for detox and hormonal imbalance check up. Which category are you?

Growing My Own Vege

 Unlike my sister who really has green hands, I am totally the opposite. She can grow anything from squash to strawberries in this humid weather of ours. But I was in mood of something DIY and so I set my journey to AEON Jusco to purchase a packet of chinese mustard seeds, drop by the neighborhood's nursery to pick up organic soil and on my way home, I found abandoned foam wine crates outside a liquor shop..lucky me!

I mix 3/4 of organic soil with 1/4 sandy soil, water the soil and sprinkle seeds

After 2 weeks

3 weeks later

4 weeks

Ready for harvesting

The fruit of my labor, or should I say the vegetable of my labor ready for stir fry. I fertilize with blended banana skin mixed with water and I watered them daily with rice wash. I guess it's true that people said gardening is therapeutic, you consume what you yourself grew, and feels good knowing that you are doing something good to yourself. So, what's next to grow?...maybe coriander? We'll see..

Whiten Your Teeth With Baking Soda

Mission : White teeth, homemade style...hihihi

I was browsing the pantry for something interesting when this tiny jar of baking soda caught my eyes. No, I don't plan to bake anything today, but i was thinking of whitening my chompers...with baking soda!

That's right peeps..this humble ingredient in the kitchen pantry is all you need for that little 'microdermabrassion' for teeth

Baking soda is a household products with many wonders. It's a mild abrasive that effectively removes surface stains on your teeth. So, let's begin!

Step 1:
Mix one teaspoon of baking soda to water in a small bowl, enough to form a paste.

Step 2:
Rinse your mouth, then dip your toothbrush in the baking soda mixture

Step 3:
Brush your teeth, not exceeding 2 minutes, be very careful not to brush your gum as it may leaves a burning sensation. Then thoroughly rinse your mouth and the toothbrush

Caution:
Do not exceed 2 minutes. Do not do this daily, every other day for the 1st week is okay, then proceed to once a week. The abrasions of the baking soda could erode the enamel of your teeth if used longer than 2 minutes or used frequently.

Dr Oz recommends adding lemon juice to the baking soda mixture (you can read abt it here), but I think I'm fine with just the baking soda.
So there you goes, no need for expensive teeth whitening treatment or teeth whitening kit.

Soft, Beautiful Feet In 5 Days!

Hello beauties....

Have we been taking a lot of TLC of our face, hair and etc that we forgot about our hardworking feet?

Well, here's what I want to share on how I revive those tired looking pair when they started to look old and weary. Actually this should be done on a weekly basis but it seems that laziness always gets the best of me...huhu..
So whenever i have those extra minutes to pamper my poor feet, here's what i do;
and I prefer doing them before bed and as you read on you will see why

Soak
First, prepare a medium size basin or a pail with luke warm water. The height of the water should be enough to immerse your feet. Mix about one cup of  sea salt, then soak your feet for at least 15-20 minutes. I did mine while watching TV so time just flies.

Scrub
The second step takes you to the shower. Scoop a dollop of your favorite foot scrub and start scrubbing those dead cells off your feet. Do this gently. I love St. Ives Apricot Invigorating Scrub which is quite harsh on my face so I turned them into my foot scrub. You can get them from Guardian or Watson outlets. Other options ; Oilly Spa Salt Scrub or any Brown Sugar Scrub that you have. In fact any foot scrub will do. Massage the scrub all over your feet. Rinse off  and pat dry.

Moisturize
Get your favorite lotion ready..foot lotion or body lotion or body butter. My favorite is Rosken Skin Repair. Apply GENEROUSLY okayy..haha..just slather dollops of them to your feet. No need to wait for it to be fully absorbed.
And finally the most important step, put on a pair of sock and voila!..u can go to bed now. The socks will trap the moisture of the lotion to your newly scrubbed feet and combat the dryness. Plus you won't end up staining your bedsheets.

Continue to moisturize and put your sock on the following night, and after 5 nights of doing so, that soft, beautiful and healthy looking pair of feet will be finally be yours. Good nite...

Disclaimer

This is a personal blog. The opinions expressed here represent my own. All information provided on this site is for sharing purposes only.
Product are reviewed and  analyzed  based on my own skin type unless otherwise stated. I will try to give accurate, scientifically-based information about the ingredients, but your own discretion is advised. I will not be held responsible for any inconvenience or damage while making use of information in this blog.

Fair and flawless with Gluta Botox 200 000mg

I was introduced to this product by a loyal customer of mine who frequently purchase the older version of Gluta capsules, the GLUTA 20 000MG. She told me how it shrunk her boils OVERNIGHT with
no pain whatsoever. She also told me the older version of Gluta caps fades her pigmentation. Well...I am sold!..hehehe.. So, I ordered mine right away and anxiously waited for the product to arrive.

This is what the product claims it does;

Lightens complexion, diminishes scars, age spots, sun spots, acnes, blemishes, pigmentation, and other skin disorders. Get fair and flawless complexion with these babies. Just take 1 capsules with an empty stomach in the morning or before bedtime

INGREDIENTS
L-Glutathione 200000mg
Vitamin C 20000mg
Placenta Extract 500mg
Coenzyme Q10 500mg
Collagen 20000mg
Bioflavoni 500mg
Pine Bark Extract 100mg
Grape Speed Extract 100mg
Koji Berry 500mg
Acerora Cherry 100mg
Green Coffe Berry 100mg
Berry Fruits Extract 100mg

I took mine diligently for 1 and a half month. I bought the 60 caps  that will last  me 2 months. I avoided alcohol and caffein which are pretty easy as neither am i a drinker nor a coffee addict. The verdict;  I found out that after a month and a half consuming them, the skin on my cheek felt baby smooth to the touch, my forehead which are prone to sun exposure are now lighter and matches the skin tone on my whole face. My pigmentation did not fade, not yet maybe. I notices my calf and toes are no longer dry and coarse, as if i have renewed my skin. My skin is definitely fairer and more than one occasion I just gets out of the house with no make up but only my sunscreen on. I still have breakouts every now and then but  I can say that i am pleased with the result and would continue to take them to see if my pigmentation would eventually goes away.

My dad took this for 3 months and all his back pimples are gone! He called this his MAGIC PILL. My sister in law took it for 1 month and cleared all her breakouts..gee i wish i am that lucky with breakouts.

Just what is this GLUTA?
Let me break them easy enough for u guys to understand;

• Gluta or L-Glutathione is a tripeptide found in fruits and vegetables. Healthcare provider administer them to patients with lung diseases, cataracts, hepatitis, parkinson, liver diseases, cancer patients especially liver cancer patients and many more..
• Gluta is a powerful anti-oxidants, anti-aging, anti-cancer and an immune booster 
• Gluta has to be combined with vitamin C to keep it in its reduced form so they absorbs better and it helps vitamin C to release their benefits better.
• Gluta has to be taken religiously for it to show its effect. If u just wants to take a bottle, you are wasting your money.
• Overweight person takes more time to experience the effects. Patience is the key here
• Darker skin needs higher dosage for at least six months 
• There are no overdosages in glutathione even for long time uses as our body excretes them
• The only side effects recorded is SKIN WHITENING
• None is known about the uses of glutathione on pregnant or breastfeeding women. Stay on the safe side and avoid using if u are.

If u are interested in trying this product, simply become my follower and you can purchase this at RM10 discount. Just sms to 013-6293992 for prompt reply. (Malaysia Only)