The sights, smells and sounds of Istanbul were divine, but she can’t get him out of her mind. “Where could he be?” she wonders.

At the end of her trip she was close to giving up, when suddenly he appears behind her at the train station and they finally embrace for the first time.

The captivating fragrance

“What do I wear in bed? Why, Chanel No. 5, of course.” – Marilyn Monroe.

Marilyn’s quote is a testament to the legendary sex-appeal that Chanel No.5 exudes throughout the years. On top of leaving you feeling sexy, a light layer of the scent is all it takes to bring out a sense of luxury, worldliness and sophistication. Open yourself up to your own mysterious and romantic encounter by trying on the scent at a Chanel counter near you. I know I have it on ;)



*All advertisement stills courtesy of Chanel

I am a happy camper because Elsa and I got manicures done over the weekend. Invited by The Spa at Traders Hotel to experience their luxe Spa Manicure, an awesome treat for dry and dehydrated skin, we sauntered over to the hotel Sunday afternoon for 75 minutes of pure relaxation.

Upon arrival, we were immediately served lemongrass tea and dates (the best I’ve tasted thus far!) while we waited for our treatment. Shortly after, our therapists came to usher us to the manicure stations.

Apart from cleaning up your cuticles and shaping your nails, the therapist gave us both a good scrub down with an energizing lavender scrub followed by a Gota Kola & Oat masque which had firming properties.

After ten minutes, the masque was removed and we were greeted by more radiant and baby-smooth skin.

Next came the fun part - the nail polish shades. Elsa decided to go vampy red while I opted for cheery orange.

When i first heard of eyelash perms, I felt a bit afraid of the prospect of having perming lotion that close to my retina. Apart from that, sitting idle with my eyes closed for about half an hour while someone tinkers about with my lashes didn't quite appeal to my super short attention span! However, the thought of beautiful curled lashes far exceeded my silly worries and I scooted over to Strip Bangsar for my lash perm appointment.

At Strip, the lash therapist brought me into the room where she covered me with a large towel so that I stayed comfy throughout. Wih my eyes closed, she proceeded to clean my eyes of oil and make-up with a cotton pad before attaching a thin styrofoam strip with adhesive sides which acted as a makeshift 'lash roller'. For a natural looking curl, my lashes were gently attached to the adhesive side. Next the perm lotion was applied and left on for fifteen minutes. After the desired curl is attained, the foam strip is removed. Overall it wasn't as torturous as I'd imagined and I was pretty impressed with the results. Though the curl looked natural at first, the effect was further enhanced with a coat of mascara. See below:

Before perming:

After perming:

After Mascara and Liner:

I used to have super long hair that hits right below my waist (that is, before I decided to go for the crop). So, if you are struggling with your Rapunzel-like strands, I hear ya. Keeping mine looking fresh and stylish wasn't an easy feat as it got tiring having to man-handle the length on a daily basis. Plus it wasn't exactly cheap with all the hair-products and accessories I needed. However, I’ve discovered four uber easy ways to dress long hair up with the help of three large hair pins especially on days you can't be bothered to wash. So whether your hair is medium or long, try these steps out to achieve four different hairstyles:

	The Milk Maid Crown Step 1: Part your hair right down the middle. Step 2: Braid the left length right down the end. Step 3: Lift and drape it over the crown to the right side of your head. Pin in place and repeat the step on the length of hair on your right. Step 4: Slip the third pin through the braids on the middle of your head to secure further.
	Hippie-Do Da Step 1: Grab one inch of hair from both sides of your temples, above your ears. Step 2: Twist before pining to the back of your head with the three hair pins.
	Ballerina Bun Step 1: On damp hair, twist entire length of hair. Step 2: Wind around the base until you’ve created a knot or bun. Pin around the bun to secure. Alternatively, for a more secure bun, you may choose to braid before winding.
	Pompadour Tresses Step 1: For a bit more pizzazz, tease the front section of the hair with a teasing comb until you’ve achieved your desired volume. Step 2: Once done, adjust the height for your pompadour to your liking before pinning in place with the help of two pins. You can cheat with a bit of hair spray here for better hold. Step 3: Use the final pin to create a low side pony. Take a strand from the remaining lengths and use it to wind around the loose hair before pinning it into place. Step 4: Swing your pony to the side.
Try them for yourself!

I have a confession to make…

I am well aware of the importance of proper cleansing, toning and moisturising. In fact I’m constantly urging you to do it to experience your best skin ever. However, I skip the toner stage myself because it always left my already dry skin even drier. Honestly I never really thought it was all that important because after all, I was moisturising on a daily basis right? But boy was I ever wrong!

For years, I wondered why my skin was always dry regardless of all the different types of moisturisers I’ve tired. My skin flaked at least once a month and it was like clockwork. I thought it was hormones and stress at first but then it happened more frequently until I started to freak out! Desperate to change the situation of my skin I reassessed my skincare regimen. What was it that was missing that I should start practising? Could it be my total lack of toner use?

That night, I dragged my feet to my bathroom to wash my face. Then I saturated a cotton pad with toner and applied it in sweeping movements around my face before finishing off with moisturiser.

Obviously I didn’t see a difference instantly. It was only after a week or two that I noticed less flaky skin and that my face was a lot softer, smoother and more radiant! I kid you not!

It was definitely the lack of toner that affected my skin’s ability to retain moisture. For all the cynics and beauty lazy-bums out there, hear me out and take it from me. I am now a full-believer of the power of toners as they really do exfoliate dead skin cells as well as restore the skin’s optimal pH level, thus allowing better absorption and effectiveness of the products that follow.

Care to give it a run? Some fab toners available in the market are Nivea Visage Deep Pore Toner, RM15.50 and Kiehl’s Rosewater Facial Fresh Toner, RM90. Also:

Clinique Clarifying Lotion 4, RM74.

Benefit Woman Seeking Toner, RM126.

      Heck girls, we’re not all make-up gurus so mistakes are bound to happen whether you’re a make-up virgin or not. Trust me, I’ve had my fair share of blunders. Like the time I went to a New Year’s Eve beach party wearing a foundation that was too light for my skin. Urgghh! Let’s just say the pictures weren’t exactly flattering. However, making mistakes such as these doesn’t mean you should give up wearing a certain look completely. Here are fool-proof ways to help avoid the five most common make-up mistakes:

Lipstick on your teeth

A pretty common one especially if you’re wearing a dark shade. After applying the lippie shade, place your index finger in your mouth, close your lips around it and drag it out. Can’t be bothered to do this one step? Wear a light shade lippie or gloss instead.

Wrong shade foundation

Be sure to check your foundation shade under natural light to avoid looking like you’ve put on a mask. Your foundation shade should mirror your natural skin shade to a tee. If your foundation is too light, add a bit of bronzer to the shade until it mimics your natural skin tone. Too dark? A little moisturiser can help lighten things up. Of course you can choose to avoid this completely by going au naturel, just go with a tinted moisturiser.

Not blending thoroughly

Ladies, the key to flawless looking make-up application is blending, blending, blending. Telltale lines showing where your eyeshadow, foundation or blush starts/ends isn’t tolerable! You don’t want to look like you’ve just stepped out of a bad ‘80s music video. Make-up brushes provide the best blending results so it’s a good move to invest in good ones.

Harsh drawn-in eyebrows

Thin eyebrows not only give you the constantly surprised look, it makes you look older than your age. Thickly drawn-in brows on the other hand, look fierce and scary. The trick to looking nicely groomed is to pencil-in the brow colour in soft strokes so that they mimic the look of natural brow hairs. If you are blessed with thick brows, keep them tame and tidy with a brow gel.

Flaky skin under foundation

Smooth skin is a true asset, plus it helps make-up adhere better on skin. Flakiness can look even more “enhanced” after make-up application so to avoid that, be sure to cleanse, buff away dead skin cells as well as moisturise, before you start applying make-up.