Handmade Soaps from Bali

I recently went to Ubud with a girl friend of mine for some R&R and while shopping in the streets of Ubud, we stumbled upon 2 shops selling handmade soaps. I am not much of a soap person but thought I'd step out of my comfort zone and try using soap instead.

I bought handmade soaps from 2 shops - Blue Stone Botanical and Kou Bali. 

They are very reasonably priced. They ranged from 30,000 - 45,000 rupiah each (USD2.60 - USD 3.90). To come to think of it, I should have bought more!!!!

I haven't tried them yet but one thing is for sure. They. smell. so good!

If you're ever in Ubud, check them out.

Blue Stone Botanicals

Jln. Dewi Sita, Ubud-Bali

ph +62(0)812 3611 9431

www.bluestonebotanicals.com

KOU BALI
Jl. Dewi Sita
Ubud, Bali
TEL: 0361 971 905
Email: kou_soap@kou-bali.com

How to Make a Fishtail Braid

Lately, my 9yo girl has been very into different hair styles. She has been searching for 'Cute Girls Hair Tutorial' on YouTube and has found many tutorials on how to style her hair. One of the things she has learnt is the fishtail braid. This kinda makes me wanna keep my hair long again!

Check the video tutorial down below.

My Top 3 Beauty Gurus on YouTube

I am a late bloomer into the makeup world. Up till 5 years ago, I never really know how to use makeup. Makeup, to me then was a complicated subject - until I stumble across some of my favorite Beauty Gurus on YouTube.

Here's who I subscribe to.

1. xteeener

What I like about her is that not only does she use high end makeup but she uses a lot of drug store products in her tutorial -which, in my opinion, appeals to a  wider audience. Her makeup techniques are simple and easy to follow. It also helps that she is able to articulate well. She gives honest reviews and I must admit, I learnt most of my makeup techniques from here :)

Here's one of my favorite makeup tutorial by her.

2. Michelle Phan
Michelle Phan is no stranger to the Beauty Guru YouTube community. She uploaded her first beauty vlog in YouTube in 2007 and she steadily climbed the ladder of success. Today, she has her own makeup line i.e. emcosmetics.  She did an Angelina Jolie Makeup Tutorial which I was pretty impressed with. Check this out.



3. Promise Phan
Promise is really good with makeovers. She does excellent celebrity transformations and she never cease to impress me with her talent and skills.

Do check out her Maleficient Makeup tutorial.




I've also recently starting following a few other beauty gurus on YouTube.

So there you go. I started my makeup journey with these 3 gurus. From then on, I have discovered several other makeup gurus on YouTube as well which I will share in due time.

My Makeup Brush Collection

 I have a tonne of them for a simple plain Jane like moi.

Check these out.

Ya...why do I need so many right? But the trick behind the applying makeup and blending and what have yous is the brush. It's so important to use the right make up brush to accomplish the intended look that you are going after.

I've only tried a handful of makeup brushes brand such as Mac, Sigma, Elf and a few others I bought from the drug store and so far, let's just say that I am a Sigma fan yo! Sigma has a wide variety of makeup brushes and they are just as good as the Mac brushes and honestly, they are cheaper too.
Win-Win!

4 years ago, I ordered Sigma brushes directly from the Sigma Beauty website and got it shipped internationally to Malaysia. They didn't sell these brushes in Malaysia then. Today, you can purchase them online and get it shipped to  Malaysia at a  fraction of the shipping cost which is much less compared to if you were to buy it from an international site.
Lately, I have been adding more Sigma brushes into my collection by purchasing them online at Luxola.
My latest addition to my collection is the  P80 Flat Precision brush.



It's a small, dense synthetic brush with a flat head which is used for precise concealer application. I use it to stipple  the concealer under my eyes and any other spots on my face which require concealing. I tell you - using the right brush makes a whole lot of difference to your makeup!

Finger Accesories

Credit : Photo from Blair Eadie's blog.

Blair Eadie is one of the style icon I adore. One of the things I absolutely love is her attention to details to accessories worn on her hand/fingers.

The nail color is gorgeous! (Nail color by Deborah Lipmann - Flowers in Her Hair) and the beautiful rings from Rue Gembon. I love how she dares to try out new styles, mix and not necessarily matches her accessories and they still turn out to be gorgeous when worn together.

Credit : Photo from here.

Here's another ensemble I absolutely adore!
I absolutely adore stacked rings and chunky accessories!

How To Remove Glitter Nail Polish

Credit : Image from here.

Nail glitters are really pretty. Don't you think so? They are suitable for both the young and the old in my opinion. The only thing I hate about it is removing it from the nails. If you try to remove the glitter nail polish like how you remove your normal nail polishes, you'd find that you've go through several cotton pads and gallons of nail polish remover  just to remove the glitter nail polish  from 1 friggin' nail. 

I. kid. you. not.

Here's a known  simple trick on how you can remove glitter nail polish : 

1. Soak a cotton ball/pad in acetone nail polish and then soak the cotton ball/pad on your nail and wrap it completely with aluminium foil. Repeat this process on each finger.

2. Let it sit for 5 minutes and then slide the foils off and then voila! The Glitter Nail Polish is gone.

Alternatively, you can skip the 2-step process above and apply the OPI Peelable Base Coat instead by just peeling it off the nail in just a few minutes!

Do you share with us if you have other tips and tricks on removing Glitter Nail Polish :) We'd love to hear from you!

How Often Do You Change Your Nail Color?

How often do you change your nail color? I am the type who gets bored with my nail color pretty quickly. I change it when I get bored or whenever it starts to peel - whichever comes first and I don't usually have them on for more than a week. That is probably why I will not go with gel color because although it lasts for weeks, I'd probably get bored with it after a week.

I also let my nails rest for at least a week so that they don't end up dry and brittle.

Lately I have been more inclined to pastel, summery colors - thanks to the influence from Beauty Gurus on Youtube. I know, I know...I am such a sucker.

This is my latest addition to my nail polish collection. Bought for RM10 (or was it RM15) from Watson. It was my first time trying out this brand and I must say that I am pretty happy with the consistency of the formula PLUS it dries up pretty quickly. This I think is value for money. I had this on for a week (in between my base and top coats) and I am glad to report that it didn't make my nails yellow or anything. Definitely worth the try.

Other recent online purchases of mine have are these China Glaze nail polishes. China Glaze weren't available in Malaysia until recently. You can purchase these online too at Nail Fiesta.

What is your current favorite nail color? Do share it with me :)

About Me

Hello everyone! Welcome to All About Beauty Stuff where I share my passion about beauty related stuff especially for women. I am located at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Via blogging, I hope to share my experiences, reviews of beauty products and regimes, tips and tricks and in by doing so, I do hope to learn from my readers too! 

If you've any questions at all, please feel free to drop me an email at mymumbojumbo@gmail(dot)com