Michiko Scarves is finally here!

Assalamualaikum..

Hello everybody!

I would like to introduce my own brand of scarves that i made and designed.

Why Michiko? When i was little, my family used to call me Michiko because they say i look like an actress from Japan. Haha..

Here's some of our collection..

Measurement : 2 meters x 0.6 meters

The purpose of having a scarf that is long and wide enough is to enable you to cover your chest area and manipulate the scarf to your own style and preference.

Please check out our Facebook page at Michiko Scarves. You can also follow us on Instagram @michikoscarves.


Much love,
Yana

Tips on motherhood

Hello everyone!

Its been a while since i last posted anything on my blog. I've been a busy mommy and now a student. I've joined University Malaya to finish off my final year and get my degree in MBBS.
A lot of my friends are either expecting or have had their babies. Motherhood is such a beautiful journey, don't u think? I would like to share my own experience about the preparation and where i bought my baby stuffs since a lot of my friends always ask me these questions. So let's get started..

1) Do i really need to buy a baby cot/crib?
I bought quite a big baby cot so that it still can be used until the age of 4-5 years.. i thought having a baby cot is a must but if u are planning to fully breastfeed, it could be a pain for u to get up every 1-2 hours to take the baby out,feed her and put her back in, discreetly. I did that during the 1st 2 months and let me tell ya my back was hurting so bad and i developed a condition called De Quervain's tendonitis where the synovial sheaths on both of my wrists are inflammed and the pain was indescribable.

So after having such a condition i had to come up with a plan since my wrists are pretty much in a bad shape. My baby sleeps in the middle of me n hubs,on her own matress,bolsters and a flat latex pillow which has big holes on it so that the baby won't suffocate. But there's an issue here. Will it be safe since there's 2 gigantic parents sleeping together with a small little baby on the same bed? As for me it really depends on u. I am a light sleeper and even the slightest sound can wake me up. And it is the opposite with my hubs. When he's in dreamland that means bye bye until i shake him up. LOL love u abg! We try to sleep very quietly and sopan-ly so that we won't mash or suffocate our baby.

Some of the people i know sleep separately. The mommy sleeps with the baby and the dad sleeps alone. This method may be better if your partner sleeps ' dangerously' haha!

I think it's better for u to wait and see until the baby comes, and then decide on whether u need a cot.

2) What other baby essentials do i need to prepare before the baby comes?

a) bath tub, hooded towels, toiletries (shampoo, soap, lotion, cream, minyak angin)

b) baby nail clippers - very important because their nails grow so fast and they like to scratch their faces

c) changing table - i find this useful for cleaning, dressing and undressing the baby so that your back won't hurt. I bought mine together with the cot at Babies Kingdom.

d) breastpump - mine is medela freestyle and medela harmony both bought from Emums dad shop at www.my1stop.com.my

e) bottles - even a breastfeeding mom will need bottles to store their milk in case of emergency. To feed the baby I have medela, NUK and Avent(that i don't use much because it won't fit into my medela breastpumps). For storage purposes i use bumble bee, amazing mom and Autumz storage bottles. Got most of them from www.enjoybreastfeed.com

f) cooler bag and ice packs - if u plan to breastfeed and it makes travelling with milk easier. All bought from www.enjoybreastfeed.com

g) detergent for baby - i use Autumz laundry detergent and Pureen ABD for baby's clothes. Pureen HAD and Rocking Green Detergent for cloth diapers

h) diapers - i use cloth diapers. If any of u are interested to know more about my cloth diaper routine please let me know in the comment box below. I will make a different post about it

i) stroller and car seat -  a car seat is a must for safety reasons

That's about all that i can think of at the moment. I will add more if i have missed anything else.
If any of u new mommies have any questions please don't hesitate to let me know in the comment box below. I would be glad to help. I know motherhood can be a little scary, intimidating and overwhelming to some of us but with proper guidance  there shouldn't be any problems.
Till next time,
xoxo
Mommy Yana

Affordable Quality Brushes Comparable to MAC's Brushes! Sigma Mrs. Bunny Vegan Collection Kit Review

Hello dolls!

I wrote this post when i was pregnant and never got the chance to post it...

I would like to introduce all of you to my Sigma brush kit from Mrs. Bunny Vegan Collection!

This is what i call "Love at first sight".. I fell in love with this collection right away after i saw the colours of the handles (baby blue+pink) and decided to get it when i found out that the bristles are made with synthetic Sigmax HD fibers.

I decided to get this one after reading and watching great reviews about Sigma brushes in general plus some videos of several beauty gurus talking about the differences between this collection and previous collections. MakeupByTiffanyD, a YouTube beauty guru also compared Sigma brushes with MAC brushes.

You can watch her video here :

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wtHRSQpDqQo

F30 Large Powder Brush  

 

The softest powder brush i've ever tried and owned! Hands down! the density of the bristles is perfect for a powder brush and it really powders your skin well without taking in too much product. Some powder brushes tend to accumulate too much powder in between their bristles and you'll end up with a cakey face. Not with this one obviously. I use this brush to apply loose powder all over my face.

F50 Duo Fibre Brush

This one in particular is great for foundation application (though i don't use it for that), applying blushes or bronzers and loose powders too. It is also great for applying MAC's mineralized skin finishes (MSF's) ! But i think there's a lot of duo fibre brushes from other companies that are as great as this one. For example, my duo fiber brush from Tony Moly. The both of them have similar density and softness. So, i wasn't too crazy about this brush because i've had the same quality brush from other brands. But it's still a great brush though since it comes with the set.

F40 Large Angled Contour Brush

I can never rave enough about the softness of all Sigma Brushes. I'm touching all of them as i'm writing this review. LOL (feeling itu penting).. This brush is great for applying blushes or bronzers and since it's angled and tapered, it fits nicely into the hollows of your cheeks.

 E40 Tapered Blending Brush

 

Great blending brush! it's smaller and not as fluffy as MAC's 224 brush so it's really great for Asian eyes which have much less space.

  E55 Eye Shading Brush

 

    This brush is really great to pack on eyeshadows on to the lids. Because it is very dense and stiff, it packs on colours very well. The bristles are super soft and not prickly (need i say more?). The rounded shape of this brush makes it a lot easier to apply eyeshadows on to the lids too!

 F70 Concealer Brush    

 

I use this for spot concealing. Even if i use it to conceal my under eye area, i still dab the concealer with my ring finger to kinda melt the concealer and blend it into the skin. This brush is good for applying concealer on  needed spots, not for blending it in.

 

E30 Pencil Brush

A pointed round brush which is great for smudging eyeliner or applying eyeshadow on your under eye area. Sometimes i use this brush to apply highlight in the inner corners of my eyes.

E65 Small Angle Brush

 I use this brush to set my eyeliner with eyeshadow to make it more long lasting.. This brush can also be used to fill in your brows. But i think it's a little soft for that purpose. I prefer a sturdier angle brush to fill in my brows.

 E70 Medium Angled Shader Brush    

 

This brush is great to create a cut crease look. It helps you to blend and make your cut crease even more smooth looking.. Sometimes i use this to apply eyeshadow on my lids when my other brush is dirty.

Sigma brushes really caught my attention. They really deserve to be where they are now. Thank you Sigma for creating such great products! I'm in LOVE...

To get your Sigma brushes at 10% discount, you can click the banner below..After making your order, just enter this code AP2012 to enjoy your 10% discount.

And if you purchase any Sigma products for $30 or more in total, you'll be getting a complimentary gift which is a mini eyeshadow palette! How fun!!

Note: The sub-total of the purchase must be over $30 to receive the complimentary gift. 

 

Introducing our new little bundle of joy..

Hey everyone!

I missed u guys! I know i have been missing for months now..I am happy to announce that i gave birth to a healthy baby girl on March 15th 2012!

Big momma in labour pain hihi

And finally....
Tadaaaaa!!

Introducing.. RANIA ZARA BT SHAHAIRUL AMIR, weight 2.98 kg , born at 03.30 am..

Weeeee i'm OUT!

Welcome to the world, sayang..

Our Chubby Bunny is 3+ months old now. Oh how time flies..My little princess is getting bigger and bigger day by day..
She is now 6.6 kg!

Latest pic of me..Breakfast with my lovely girlfriends last weekend..

I am proud to say that my baby is fully breastfed (coz' everybody knows that mommy's milk is THE BEST) and she wears cloth diapers (more eco friendly)..

You can ask me questions here at the comment section below or ask me on my Facebook :)

Till then,

xoxo

Biore Cleansing Oil in Cotton Wipes Review

* Not Sponsored *

Hey everyone!

I've been hearing great reviews about Biore's cleansing oil in cotton wipes for some time and i couldn't help but to wonder how good they are. My dear friend Ashley also made a review on Biore Makeup Remover for eye and lip.

I still love my Shu Uemura Skin Purifier Balancing Cleansing Oil but i think i also need a good makeup remover wipes especially for traveling and on lazy days.

I decided to get the refill version since i already have a dispenser box which is quite similar and works well.
Let's see some of the pictures...

Refill : RM 25+ for 48 wipes

 I would use one sheet to clean my makeup even though the size of the cotton wipes are not big enough. Here's how i use it. I'd leave the moist cotton wipe on my eye for about 5-10 seconds for the cleansing oil to break down and kinda melt my waterproof mascara and other eye makeup. Then i swipe it across my eye. I was so AMAZED with how much product this wipe can wipe off with only one swipe.

Whole face

I use both sides of the wipe to clean my whole face. If you feel like u need more, just take another piece of it to thoroughly clean your face again. It leaves my face moisturized and smooth.

I always feel like my face needs that extra cleansing. I'd wash again with my facial cleanser and exfoliate my skin right after i remove my makeup with any makeup wipes or removers. Then i'd apply my toner, serum, moisturizer, eye cream and lip balm before i hit the sack. That's what i normally do and has been my skin care routine for the longest time.

On my lazy days when i'm really exhausted, i would just use 2 sheets of this cotton wipes to remove all of my makeup. But that rarely happens.

In my honest opinion, Biore Cleansing Oil in Cotton Wipes works really great! Especially for those who always don't have the time (such a LAME EXCUSE!) to take off their makeup before going to bed.

Verdict : For a drugstore makeup remover, i would give this product 4.5 out of 5 stars simply because it is affordable, works great in removing makeup, doesn't rip off the moisture of my face and doesn't break me out. I just wished the size of the wipe could be bigger.

Hope this helps..
xoxo
Yana

A quick update

Hello everyone!

Sorry for the lack of updates. I'm using my phone to update coz I've been fairly busy preparing for the baby's arrival. So far so good alhamdulillah..We also had numerous family visits and i had a great holidays with all of them.. My holidays went really well. How about yours?

Here's some pictures of the lil one's cloth diapers,clothes,mittens,socks,towel,blankets etc. I have washed all of them just to be sure that her stuff are all clean and safe to be used.

I am eagerly waiting for her arrival which will be in March. Can't wait to shower her with all the love in the world!

Till then,take care..
Xoxo
Yana

DIY : Create your own lip palette

Hello darlings..

I really feel like this is the best decision i've ever made (makeup related) !

I was inspired to do a DIY project and decided to make my own lip palette. I have a bunch of lipsticks that were sadly abandoned and scattered all over the place. It was really hard for me to notice and use all of them.

These are some of the reasons why i decided to do this:

a) because they are too bulky and as a makeup artist i can't be traveling with all of them
b) it's too tedious to keep opening and closing the cap to decide which colour to choose
c) i love to organize all of my makeup so that it's more practical and convenient for me to put a good use to each and every one of them
d) i'm a little anal with organizing all my stuff especially my makeups
e) really easy to travel with

So this is how they look like...

Let's move on to the process..

Makeup Class 11th February 2012 #3

Hello everyone!

I'm going to conduct a makeup class on the 11th of February 2012 at my place in Petaling Jaya. Only 4 seats available for each session so that i can focus on each and every one of the participant. If you are interested, please email me at shazreeyana@gmail.com for more details. The first 4 to confirm and pay the deposit will get the seats.

Fee : RM 200 per participant

There is a mystery gift (makeup of course) for a participant who does the best makeup on herself at the end of the class.. Let's have funnnn!

Here's some of the topics that i'll be covering :

- How to differentiate different types eye shapes and the best eye makeup for each eye shape
- How to choose your colour
- Demo on everyday to evening look, including bridal makeup look
- Brush basics : essential brushes you'll need
- How to achieve flawless face
- Different types of foundation
- Eyeliner application techniques and different types of eyeliners
- Shading techniques : How to contour, highlight and apply blusher on different face shapes
- How to apply false lashes
- My tips and tricks in makeup application

Food and drinks for tea time will be provided.

Every participant will have hands-on learning experience. Makeups are provided. Fell free to bring your own makeup if you want to learn how to use them.

Take care dolls,
xoxo
Yana

Our little bundle of joy precious pictures and video posing inside the womb at 28 weeks

Hey everyone!

My heart melts each and every time i look at these 4D ultrasound photos of my little princess. I'm sure any mother would feel the same way about their baby. I still can't believe that i have a little human being growing inside my tummy.. hahaha!

What makes it even more special is this one particular photo. In this photo, she had this cheeky smile and made a 'peace' sign with her long little fingers... awwww...

*melts* I can't wait to snuggle this naughty little girl!

"Hmmm.. i wonder why momma loves Sigma brushes so much. Can't wait to play with those brushes!"

"Huwaaaa!! mommy i want all of your makeup collectionnnnnn!" LOL

I also have videos of her playing with her chubby cheeks, putting all of her fingers inside the mouth, making funny expressions etc..

This is one of them..



She pulled her own cheek, played with her face and put her index finger inside her mouth. There are more funny videos of her doing her stuff. Maybe i'll upload them later (only if you want to see them). lol

My precious little princess will be ready in March..

"Till then, take care gorgeous aunts (and/or sisters hihihi).. I'll see u in 2months time.." says baby RZ..

xoxo,
Mommy Yana & Baby RZ