Promotion: MUKTI Gentle Facial Exfoliant @ only RM78. The key to achieving a clear & smooth complexion.

Most people overlook the importance of exfoliation (or scrub as many would call it). It is actually the key to achieving a clear, bright and smooth complexion.

Why? Because the top most layer of our skin is actually a layer of dead skin cells. If our skin is not as effective as it should be, this layer starts to build up. The result is dull and uneven looking skin. Also, a thick dead skin cell layer may result in clogged pores which may cause whiteheads, blackheads and pimples *gasp*

Hence the importance of regular exfoliation to help skin get rid of dead skin cells. It should be part of your skin care regime. It is definitely in mine!

But there are many different types of exfoliation products/scrubs. I like the MUKTI Gentle Facial Exfoliant for a few great reasons:

• 
  
  Jojoba Beads does the job to gently polish off dead skin cells. The key word here being "gently"! This is one scrub that will NOT scratch your face ever. The Jojoba Beads are perfectly spherical with no sharp edges. So you'd never risk damaging your skin, especially those with slightly thin & sensitive skin (like mine).
• 
  
  Contains Ginkgo Biloba to improve circulation. This helps in promoting healthy skin growth. Healthy skin is beautiful skin, really!
• 
  
  You can cleanse and exfoliate at the same time. For those who use just a foaming cleansing on a daily basis can skip the cleanser and go straight for the MUKTI Gentle Facial Exfoliant on days they'd like a scrub. For me, I always double cleanse starting with a milk cleanser then follow with a mild foaming one. So for 2-3 times a week, I will use the MUKTI Gentle Facial Exfoliant instead of my usual mild foaming cleanser. It works a dream.
• 
  
  It's certified organic. Need I mention this? *smiles* Certified organic means it's certified to be made with organic ingredients and that it doesn't contain any suspicious ingredients. I firmly believe (and have proven!) that when we cease to bombard our skin with chemicals, it doesn't have to work so hard in dealing with all the synthetic stuff. And thus result in healthier, stronger and definitely better looking skin.

So how often should we be using a scrub? I'd say at least 2-3 times a week.

For the best part of it all.... the MUKTI Gentle Facial Exfoliant is now on promo. Enjoy RM10 off and get it at only RM78. Valid with any Mukti product purchase. Also valid for online purchases.

Say hello to a smooth complexion!

XOXO,
Michelle

Eco Living Tips : Making an Earring Holder out of odds and ends

I have a habit of keeping little odds and ends that includes spare buttons, odd beads, bits of string, remnant stationary, etc. I’m never really sure what I’ll do with it but just can’t bear to throw it away so wantonly. So I’m going to make something out of it. All it takes is a little bit of creativity and it’s a great way to spend a leisurely Saturday afternoon.

So what am I making? An earring holder that is wall mounted!

Why am I doing this? Because I have bits and bobs of things that I’ve hoarded over time, because my earrings are overcrowding my dresser table and because I love nothing better than to repurpose things to give them a new lease of life.

What you’ll need:

• Random buttons > I have a respectable collection of buttons hoarded over a span of 20 years *laughs*. I remember sitting next to my mom as she changes the buttons of her clothes to update them and I’ll be scavenging the old buttons because it seemed a pity to throw them away. So as you can see, some of the buttons look like they are from the 70s. Well, they are! 
• Thick thread > I’m using leftover ones that’s a nice beech brown. These are typically used for cross stitch purposes. It’s a bit of a mystery why’d I have this in my drawer, I don’t do cross stitch! But they are coming in handy now. If you don’t have this type of thread, don’t fret. You could use ordinary sewing thread. Just that you would have to “bundle” them to make it thicker.
• A piece of cardboard > Any size or shape you fancy! What I have is a piece of plastic wafer cardboard roughly the size of an A3 paper. It’s leftover from some event that we did (I think). If you are using any other type of cardboard, the only criteria is that the cardboard must be lightweight (because you will be “mounting” it on the wall) and it will not be difficult to poke a needle through (because you will be doing that repeatedly!)
• Needle > Find one with a needle hole (is that what they call it?) big enough to put a thick thread through.
• A little bit of White Tack, Scissors and a Pencil.

What to do?

1. Choose your buttons. Have fun! Be creative! Choose a few different colors and slightly different sizes. Pair them up.
2. Arrange your buttons (in pairs) on the cardboard and decide how you want to lay them out. Basically you will be tying a thread between a pair of buttons and that’s where your earrings will hang from. I’ve chosen Red, Black and Neutral colored buttons and laid them out in pairs but at varying heights. That’s because I have dangly earrings of various lengths.
3. Mark the locations of the buttons with a pencil once you are happy with your layout.
4. Now sew away! No fancy stitches. Just sew like how you’d sew a button. I’m using thick thread so just 2 stiches per button. If you are using ordinary sewing thread, you might want bundle it to save you a few stitches. Link to eHow on the basics of sewing buttons.
5. Once all the buttons are sewed one, the hardest bit of effort is done. Yay! Now you can put the needle aside and do this bit by hand. Loop the thread around a button tightly and then pull across to the other button. Loop back to the first button and keep going until you have about 4-5 lines across. At the end, go round the button a few times quite tightly and cut the thread. *Important* You have to make sure the line is snug and fairly tight. Otherwise it will sag once you hang your earrings on them.
6. Do this for all the button pairs and you’re done! 
7. Now you can mount it on the wall with some White Tack. If you don’t know what White Tack is, it’s pure magic. It’s this white rubbery thingy that can be used for mounting on surfaces without leaving a mark. And it’s reusable. It’s my can’t-live-without bit of stationary. Try it.
8. Now the fun bit. Hang up your earrings! Then stand back and glow with pride that you just made this masterpiece *smiles* You can even hang your necklaces on it.

*pictures up ahead*

Isn’t it pretty? And practical too.

Like they say: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle.... and I’ll add to that: Repurpose!

XOXO,

Michelle

In the making.... what do you think?

Sneak preview!

What do you think of the design? Are you loving it? Well, we are! Coming very soon *smiles*

Feeling cool on a hot day

It's yet another hot day!

Over here in KL, we have not seen any rain for a few days. It's unbearably hot, it's Monday and I am dreaming of cool breezes on a chilly day.

Well, I cannot change the weather outside but I can on the inside! We are lucky to have a quiet and private workplace at a residential area. So it's small, cosy and relaxing. And there are little things we can do to feel cool on a hot day *smiles*

So what do we do to feel cool on a hot day?

1. The cooling scent of Peppermint wafting in the air..... We put on the burner with a few drops of pure Peppermint essential oil. The fresh minty scent is a real pickup! Just like eating mints cools the breath, the minty scent in the air makes the air feel somewhat "cooling". Do try it!

2. The soothing sound of water gently flowing..... We have a mini fountain thingy in the office with feature ducks constantly spewing water. Some visitors commented that it's as if the ducks are drooling (LOL). Anyhow, it helps to disperse moisture into the air (cooling!) and the sound of water is so relaxing! And when one is relaxed your pulse slows, blood pressure lowers and body temperature drops slightly.

3. The relaxing lull of Joanna Wang's jazzy voice...... I absolutely adore her. Her songs puts me in the Zen mode and forget I'm at work, forget it's Monday and forget the heat! For me Joanna Wang or the soothing sounds of Bossa Nova music never fails to relax me. Or sometimes I put on nature sounds of birds chirping or rain falling in the rainforest. Whatever works for you!

So are we feeling the heat? Well, a little still but it's definitely cooler, calmer and more relaxed here than  in most places. But we work hard, really! 

Enjoy your week ahead. We definitely have lots to do this week as a brand new shipment of (fresh!) Madara stocks just touched down.

XOXO

Michelle

Everyone loves a freebie!

We are doing a promo with Skindeco.net and we are giving away 10ml of Madara Tinting Fluid absolutely free (you get to choose from the 2 shades, Moon Flower or Sun Flower) . Plus 30% off any one (1) selected Madara product.

If you are wondering what's this tinting fluid thingy, it's like an "organic BB cream" that is moisturiser+sunscreen+light foundation. Except that Madara's version is minus the chemicals and will never ever clog our pores. You might ask, "10ml? What can I do with that?". To put it in perspective, the standard size tinting fluid is 50ml so 10ml is 20% worth. From experience, 10ml should last you 2-3 weeks of use or worth about RM25 depending on which way you like to look at it. Well, the best part is, it's free! *smiles*

So what do you have to do? Simple!

(1) Be a member/fan of Bodybar's Facebook Group. To do that, click "like" on the Facebook widget on the sidebar. Or if widgets boggle your mind (like they do mine), then click on this link [Bodybar Facebook Group] and be a member. If you are not a Facebook buff, no worries, just drop us an email at info@bodybarskincare.com with your full name.

(2) Check out Skindeco.net's blog entry <click here> and print out the voucher.

(3) Head on to any Bodybar outlets before the end of the month (30 June 2010) to claim your goodies. Do remember to bring the printed voucher! All while stocks last of course and we will need you to sign up for the mailing list.

Just a bit of a flashback, Skindeco.net's Connie reviewed the Madara Moon Flower Tinting Fluid some time back and she gives a fabulous rundown of the product. If you like to read it (again), follow this link.

Fancy a bit of cyber window shopping? You can check out the Madara range here on our website and surely you will find some inspiration to make good use of that 30% discount. My favs from the range are the Moon Flower Tinting Fluid, Deep Comfort Toner, Regenerating Night Cream, Regenerating Lip Balm, Sunkissed Tinted Lip Gloss, Mint Shower Soap and (yikes) Contouring Cream. What about you? *wink*

XOXO

Michelle

For the book lovers

(This post has nothing to do with beauty nor natural skin care! Thought I better start with a bit of a disclaimer *smiles*)

I must confess, I'm a book worm. I love to read. And cook. And sew. And garden. And whip up random beauty recipes from every day kitchen ingredients. Ok I'm digressing. Well, enough rambling and I'll delve a little deeper about the DIY beauty recipes another day.

Back to the topic at hand, if you love books as I do, you might want to head on to Tropicana City Mall concourse between 3- 15 June 2010 because Borders is having a S-A-L-E there.

Books for as low as RM5, vouchers for purchases RM100 & up and selected items 50% off such as gifts & stationary. And if you are a HSBC cardholder, more perks await you.

In my personal opinion, of all the bookshops in Malaysia (maybe with the exception of Kinokuniya) I find myself still gravitating back to Borders though the price is a just a tad higher. Maybe because they have better variety? Better packaging? More non-mainstream books? Or perhaps their stores are brighter and better laid out? (probably the last of the reasons!)

Anyhow, I'm definitely marking my calendar to hopefully pick up some good reads. See you there? *smiles* Or maybe at our Bodybar TCM outlet which is on Level 1 round the corner from Best Denki. After all, we are also having a mini warehouse clearance with items going for 30%-70% off, all while stocks last of course *wink*

XOXO

Michelle