Fashion x Giveaway: Firmoo Spring Giveaway!

It's officially the SPRING/ SUMMER 2014 season!

  

I personally love this season as it's a great time to dress up in bright colours, pretty florals, flowy dresses, hot shorts.... You name it. It's basically a good time to go crazy and experiment with colours, patterns and textures. Play around with different accessories such as floral crowns, chunky bracelets and midi rings. And the most essential accessory ever will be.... a pair of SHADES are essential in this warm, colourful and sunny season. What more with the crazy hot weather we've been having in Malaysia lately dududu.

DID YOU KNOW?

Everyone is blessed with different features, and different face shapes. Therefore, there is no ONE SHAPE FITS ALL for sunglasses (or sunnies). Luckily for us, the amazing fashion people of the world have come up with different types of sunnies of various color, shape and sizes to suit various face shape. Here's a simple guide on the best sunnies for your face shape. I think mine would be oval shaped.. What about you?

image from Pinterest, found on pinksole.com

You can get sunnies from almost anywhere. I'm not even kidding. From night markets to shopping malls, and even high-end branded stores! Nowadays, there is a growing trend of buying eyewear online. What makes online shopping so convenient is that it is basically a 'one-stop solution' for you to get anything related to eyewear; from sunglasses to spectacles to contact lenses.

Today I'm going to introduce to you an international online optical store... Firmoo.com! What a cute name omg. XD

Firmoo is the world's most popular online glasses store from the United States, which offers a wide variety of prescription eyewear of high quality and at extremely affordable prices. Their aim is to bypass the background costs incurred by regular brick and mortar stores. All the glasses are 100% accurate prescription-wise and fashionable at the same time. To know more about them, click here.

After browsing the website, I found that most of the products are really, really affordable! No joke. Even if the prices are in USD, it's still cheaper than retail products sold in local currency o.o Also, most of the pieces offered are really in-style now. I must say, they really do keep up to date with the latest fashion trends for glasses.

One great thing about Firmoo is that they have an editor for you to insert your photo and try on the glasses virtually! Isn't that cool? You don't even have to be at the store to try on your glasses now. 

Oh yea, take note of that free shipping code (in the USA)

The measurements and specifications of the glasses are also provided in case you are unsure.

Here are some of my favourite pairs.

image from Firmoo.com

image from Firmoo.com

image from Firmoo.com

image from Firmoo.com

Excited yet? You should be because YOU can own these too, as I have a GIVEAWAY coming up for you!

All you have to do is complete the four simple steps below for a chance to win one of FIVE (5) Firmoo vouchers worth $30 each. Best part of all, this is an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY so everyone may join! Share the good news, y'all :D 

image from Firmoo Spring Giveaway

a Rafflecopter giveaway 

The vouchers will be valid until 31st May 2014 and shipping is excluded. You are allowed to use the vouchers to purchase glasses from this category right HERE. They're all so pretty!

Contest ends next Wednesday (30th April 2014) at 12am so try your luck now! You can then shop for fashionable eyewear pieces from Firmoo to look cheerful and awesome this spring :D Remember to share this giveaway with your friends and family!

For more information, do check out Firmoo's website and Facebook page.

- GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED -

Cheers,

Carinn ♥

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Beauty: b.Liv Off With Those Heads & Absolute Matte Mask

One of the biggest skin concerns for most girls is blackheads. Don't you just find it annoying when those little black dots appear on your nose or chin area, making your otherwise perfect-looking skin look somewhat.. dirty? And they're SO hard to get rid off! I just went for a facial a few days before I tried this product out, and it was painful as @$^&%**#$?! Idk what tool the lady used to squeeze and scrape off my blackheads, but I'm pretty sure it was a knife-looking thing ~.~

Blackheads are actually clogging in the hair follicles of your skin due to sebum and dead skin. Exposure to air causes it to become blackhead while if a clogged pore is closed, it will become a whitehead. The main causes of blackheads are oil, acne bacteria, hormonal changes, clogged hair follicles and more. Soooo irritating, huh!

Fortunately, there are other alternatives to painful extraction. Thanks to HiShop, I got to try out this product which has been highly raved by many people due to its efficiency. It's the b.Liv Off With Those Head blackheads sebum gel! 

b.Liv was created to cater confidence and style for on-the-go youth who love skincare that is easy to use with proven results. Got this off their Facebook page, the logo can be interpreted as "be" and "lieve" or "be" and "live". It's a reminder to always live in confidence, believe in yourself and seize the day. 

I got to try out the tester version, but I think this is basically how the real full-sized bottle looks like. And HiShop also threw in not one, but two Absolute Matte masks for us to try out too! Oh and they even threw in a voucher hehe. Lemme know if you wanna use it for HiShop or MilkADeal ok~

b.Liv Off With Those Heads blackhead sebum gel

The full-sized bottle is a 30ml plastic bottle with a plastic cap.

The product is said to be able to clear blackheads and whiteheads in just 14 days, with ease. How it works is, the gel softens the clogged pores, allowing for effortless extraction. It also keeps oil secretion under control and avoids skin irritation. Some of the ingredients include aloe vera (the miracle gel!), menthol and tea-tree (which is used to cure acne).

All their products are biotechnologically formulated for a premium beauty salon experience. And look! There is also a 14-days money-back-guarantee, no questions asked if the product does not work. Just make sure you keep the receipt and have some leftover portions.

Comes with a pump for easy control of taking out the product and it's more hygienic too!

Inside, it's a colourless gel. Only a small amount is needed to apply on the most commonly affected area such as the nose and chin.

Directions for use: 

Pump 2-3 pea-sized drops of the gel onto your palm and apply it on the T-zone areas or areas affected with blackheads and/or whiteheads. Use daily for two weeks and see the amazing results!

What I did though was directly apply the gel on my nose. Not sure if that's ok as well? 

The gel is easily blendable but leaves a sticky feeling which only lasts for awhile after that. There is a slight cooling sensation and a sweet smell which resembles pineapple to me, idk why!

Results:

This is my nose (duh, obviously) before and after using the product in just two weeks. Unedited pics! Luckily for me, my blackhead problems are not THAT bad.. I would say it's not a significant change but you definitely can see a difference! I applied the gel every night before my moisturiser and every morning before applying sunblock.

I couldn't see any noticeable difference initially, until I compared the photos side by side and was shocked at how well this product has worked. HOLY MOLY! In just two weeks, my whiteheads have disappeared significantly, pimples have gotten less red and there are also less noticeable 'bumps' on my nose and areas around my nose, making makeup application smoother. 

Thoughts:

Speaking of makeup, I thought that applying the gel would affect my BB cream application but nope, it still stays on perfectly well. Maybe with continued use, it will be more effective. It is said that the blackheads will stop appearing again after using this product but of course, nothing is forever. Let's see how effective it really is after a month!

 Some precautions are that it is normal for more oil to be secreted during the initial period, but I did not experience this. Also, those with sensitive skin, please try not to apply too much because it may cause a mild stinging sensation.

Overall, I'm in LOVE this product! It's honestly more effective than any other blackhead-removing treatments or pore strips that I've tried. The only downside is that the result is not immediate. I have thus recommended it to my housemate who's really keen on trying it out after seeing the effects on my skin as well. It's effective and most importantly, painless. No more painful squeezing and knife-looking things~ 

You can get it from HiShop here. It may be a little pricey at RM179.90 but for me it's totally worth it cos it really, really works! No pain but big gains. Plus, it's so easy and convenient to use. I'm using it sparingly now but then again, you only need a tiny amount to see the results, so it's totally gonna last quite long! :) 

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b.Liv by Cellnique Absolute Matte - Japan Silk Mask

"Don't get mad, get matte!"

What a cute and catchy tagline XD 

This mask is an innovative skin-saver that lifts away impurities and excess sebum to combat and control shine while purifying and refreshing your complexion. Some of the ingredients contained witch hazel, peppermint, chamomile flower extract and vitamin A.

Omg was quite surprised to see a black sheet mask when I took it out. The only other black mask that I've tried is a Taiwanese brand so I was super looking forward to trying this out! It uses an active charcoal mask sheet that acts like a "magnet" to draw out deep-dwelling pore-clogging dirt to get hours of matte skin.

Directions for use:

Leave the mask on for 15 minutes. After that, gently massage the remaining essence for 30 seconds, then leave it for another 30 seconds for complete absorption.

"But first, lemme take a selfie"

The black mask sheet inspired me to whip my cat-ears hairband out and snap some catwoman shots.. XD

The mask is fits snugly, despite being a little too big for my face at the sides. There is a very cooling sensation when used due to the peppermint. The smell is quite unpleasant to me though, maybe I'm just not a fan of peppermint. Towards the end of the 15  minutes, I can actually feel my skin tightening.

 Results:

Um, my camera setting must have made my skin look different colour on both sides -_- Not sure if it's obvious on camera, but my face is definitely less shiny and brighter after use! My pimples on the forehead have also became less red and less prominent. 

The mask really does what it claims cos my skin also feels more taut and smooth, but it's a matte kinda smooth. It's a really bizarre feeling! But in a good way. 

Thoughts:

It's an amazing mask with unique properties as I've never tried a mattifying mask before! The matte feeling lasts for quite long and overall, I feel so comfortable! Although it does take awhile to get used to the taut skin feeling, but hey, a shine-free and fresh face takes more beautiful photos so it's worth it! XD

You can get the masks here for RM49.90 for 7 pieces. Quite worth it eh!

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Overall, I honestly love b.Liv products now and how I wish I could afford more of this range cos it's really effective.. :( Anyone wanna sponsor me? :p 

BUT... I have some good news for you, my readers!

Get exclusive rebate of RM20 when you spend RM99 and above on b.Liv products! The code is BLIV2014 and is valid until 30th April 2014.

Do check out more of Cellnique and b.Liv products from HiShop here. Also, for more information, check out the links below!

Subscribe to HiShop for more exclusive updates

'Like' HiShop on Facebook

Follow HiShop on Twitter

Follow HiShop on Instagram

Cheers,

Carinn ♥

Disclaimer: Even though the products are sponsored, the review is based on my honest personal thoughts, experiences and preference after trying out the products.

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Sale Alert!: Aussino Stock Clearance Sale!

Guess what? There's another sale coming to town! And it's at the exact same location, time and day as the Malaysian Clothes Buffet! (Remember my previous post about it here?)

Yes, it's the AUSSINO Sale! 

For those of you who don't know, Aussino sells bed essentials such as bedsheet, towels and more. They are having stock clearance of up to 80%! That's A LOT, considering the price of bedsheet and what not nowadays. If you get a bedsheet set for RM150, after 80% discount it'll be like.. RM30?! o.o

I actually just told my mum last week that I needed new bedsheets. It's like my wish has just been granted with this sale omg?!

I'm looking forward to buying plain white sheets and comforter, or a floral one from Aussino cos it'll be such a steal!!

Another reason why I wanna get those sheets is because.... I love Tumblr and I wanna take dreamy indie bedroom shots like these! XD Don't laugh ok, don't you think these are super duper pretty??

Photo from dormify.com

Photo from rebloggy

Or maybe even floral sheets like these!

Photo from rebloggy

Photo from tumblr.com

So yeah, don't forget to drop by the Aussino Sale if you happen to be going for the Clothes Buffet! It's so convenient since they're both being held at the same time. :) See you there!

AUSSINO SALE

Date: 25 - 27 April 2014

Time: 10am - 6pm

Venue: Syopz Mall, Taylor's University Lakeside Campus

Cheers,

Carinn

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Carinn x OOTD: Flowers in Bloom

I realised I haven't posted any #ootd posts in awhile. Thanks to the pretty cherry blossoms aka "Sakura" in JB, I was inspired to do an outfit post! Actually I don't really know if they're called Sakura, I just know they're real pretty. Looking at the flowers just makes me happy, I couldn't stop snapping pics the whole time. I was told that last week there were more in bloom but I could only come home this week for mid-sem break so, can't complain :) 

I told my bf that I wanted to do an outfit post with the cherry blossoms but we didn't know where was a good place to take pics. Luckily, as we were driving around, we saw this stretch of road near my house that had lots of pretty flowers in bloom and it eventually led us to some nearby flats. Quiet and pretty, just nice for a 'photoshoot' :p Big thanks to the boy for squatting to take pics for me in the crazy hot sun! 

FYI, blogging from my iPad for the first time cos my laptop is in the hospital :( Wonder when I can get it back.. It's so hard to blog from here cos I can't watermark photos, adjust alignment and shizz ugh.)

Flower crop top - Taobao // Striped bandage skirt - H&M // Knitted sweater - Divided by H&M // Transparent heels - Taobao // Cat-ear beanie - Taobao // Floral bag - Harrods // Neon bracelets - F-Block

Photographer: MCY

Sorry if you've already seen this outfit on my Instagram a few days back, I didn't bring much clothes back from KL so.. yeah XD

But got Japanese feel anot!! The sweater and beanie really made this casual outfit look less um, casual haha. And I think the flower(s) on the top and bag matches the sakura, or is it too much? :p

Let me know if you like this outfit in the comments below ok!

In the meantime, lemme show you some photos of the cherry blossoms in JB. #sakurajohor #sakurainjb #johorpride

Does it feel like we're in Japan? :) I love flowers and even though they wither, I can't wait for next spring's blossoms!

If you'd like to see more, you can read my previous Carinn x OOTD post here :)

Love,

Carinn

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Community: Shizens #StandFirmStayFirm Online Photography Contest [The Butterfly Project x Shizens]

Since ancient times, women inner strength can only be seen through their roles of giving birth to new life, taking care and protecting their family. But as time passed, women began demonstrating their capabilities in undertaking more responsibilities, raising a family as well as being part of the workforce and contributing to social welfare. As evolution enhanced the confidence level of every woman allowing them to showcase their inner strength, they still recognized the importance of physical beauty and strived to maintain their outer beauty through various means.

 - Shizens Malaysia.

We all know that one strong woman who is firm be it in her passion, showing love and courage through her actions or just in her fleeting beauty. This contest is a great way to honour women because they are always more than they seem.

Are you a strong woman too?

As a means of acknowledging and recognizing the efforts of all women, Shizens will be launching a “STAND FIRM STAY FIRM” photo contest from 2 to 30 April, 2014. Contest is classified into 2 categories,Photography Enthusiasts and Mobile Photography. Participants can submit their best shots that depict strong emotions, human and feminine at www.standfirmstayfirm.com or hashtag #standfirmstayfirm at Instagram to win prizes worth more than RM18,000!

Some rules of the contest:

♥ Photo must be submitted along with a photo caption OR title.

♥ You are allowed to submit more than one entry.

♥ All photographs should accurately reflect the subject matter, i.e. Relate to contest theme:  Strong emotions, Human, Feminine.

♥ photo-collaging, i.e. putting together several images, text, stickers & add-ons to make a single image, will NOT be accepted.

Here are some examples of these amazing photograph submissions.

Entry Form – Photography Enthusiasts

Open to all photography hobbyist who loves bringing picture to life! However, there are certain requirements needed for the photos selected for the finals will be printed in large.

• Photograph shall be taken using compact camera, DSLR camera (or of its similar)
• Minimum image size is: 5MB
• Studio photography with lightings are allowed

Click here to submit your photo.

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Here's my entry! I think this candid photo taken of my grandma is both beautiful and sweet. She is a strong woman for bringing up 7 kids, one of them being ill all the time. Grandma took care of that aunt for 40+ years of her life, until that aunt passed away. She cooked, cleaned, changed,carried and accompanied her everyday without complaints. Despite that aunt not being able to speak, gramma was the only one who understood her. She is my epitome of #standfirmstayfirm, just like the Shizens philosophy.

Gramma loves dolling up too, which is something in my genes which I believe came from this side of the family. She loves accessories and having nice skin. This was taken the morning of her 81st birthday when she was deciding what to wear and we were all bustling around trying to make her up. So cute, huh! A woman, at any age, deserves to look good!

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Don't worry if you don't have a DSLR to snap pics with. In this modern world, we all own a smartphone and an Instagram account so the second category of the contest is specially dedicated to Insta-addicts like me out there! 

Entry Form: Mobile Photography

Specially dedicated to all smartphone photographers! Mobile photography has made huge strides in this modern era and we’ve seen lots of talented mobile photographers over the years.

Must be taken by a smartphone or any other mobile devices.

To take part via Instagram, hashtag #standfirmstayfirm on your photo

You may also submit your photos via this website.

 Show your strength and stand a chance to win loads of attractive prizes! Find out more here: http://bit.ly/1rtxVPb 

Every woman deserves the best. #standfirmstayfirm

Love,

Carinn ♥

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