Thailand-- Land of Smiles No more?

I fell in love with Bangkok, Thailand 8 years ago.

Everything was "almost" perfect. People were very friendly, food was divine and there were so many night markets and malls to choose from! The only thing that I didn't enjoy was their weather because it was too hot for me. But I can't blame them for something that's beyond their control. Anyways, we even had our honeymoon there!

After a few years (last year to be exact) , I visited Thailand but this time we went to Phuket. And I can honestly say that I enjoyed it! Except for one incident in the airport where a Thai tour guide (assisting a european couple) really went berserk and slapped my hands because I was holding the trolly that was supposed to be for her client! For crying out load, there were so many trollies around us, if that was a special trolly (gold plated perhaps?) then she could at least tell me in a very nice way to leave the trolly alone! And so I thought that she was just an exception, a nuisance, a black sheep.

Anyway, I went to Bangkok last week with hopes that people are still as friendly and as warm as when I first went there a few years ago. Surprisingly, much to my dismay majority of them changed big time! From street food vendors, to market vendors.. even the sales associate in some malls were very very different. They were not smiling, looked pissed if you inquire on their merchandise and will even harm you or curse you (well I based it on their reactions) if you did not buy anything from them. But I am not saying that everyone changed, it's just that majority of the the people I met were very different from the Thais I used to remember. I am not sure though if westerners get to experience my ordeal. But anyway, there were still some who were very very nice and very friendly so at least I still have another reason to go back.

And besides, even if majority of them changed, the food still tastes the same! So that is one factor to definitely consider. Street food, restaurants, food courts... they will definitely not fail you!

My favorites and definitely a must try:

1. Barbecue -along the small streets of bangkok. I saw them selling from noon until around 6 pm (or while supplies last) From the marinade to the sauce.. perfect!!

2. Basil pork (pad kra pao moo (moo is pork) )- can find it anywhere! It is minced pork stir fried in holy basil. A little spicy though so you have to have a bottle of water beside you.

3. Pad thai- the best pad thai I tasted was in one of the streets in Siam square near the Siam BTS staircase.

4. Larb Moo- minced pork with a very refreshing dressing. It's basically a salad without the greens.

4. Mango tango - in Siam Square. A dessert place where they sell anything with mango. Yummy!!

5. Thai Iced tea- not your usual japanese, chinese or english tea but just as good (or even better!?)

Try their massage as well, although many foreigners complain that Thai massage is not so relaxing because it is a very hard massage, just make sure to tell the masseuse to be very gentle. I normally just get the foot massage (which normally includes a little of the back, shoulder, arm and if you are lucky you also get a head massage)

I kinda enjoyed the markets but not so much, because for one I didn't like their attitude, second clothes are free size so that means it only caters to petite girls (and even boys!) and you are not allowed to try it and lastly I am not into the business of reselling their stuff in my country so I don't get the same discount like the other (asian) foreigners who buy in bulks!

Anyway, going back to Thailand for the food and the massage is still so worth it!:)

MAC lipstick

Definitely not a big fan of lipstick or lipgloss.. it's just too oily for me and besides I eat a lot so whatever I am applying on my lips will definitely not last.

But because I will try to sport a smokey eye look I therefore need a nude or pale lipstick. So in my search for a good one, I tried going to the MAC shop.

And while checking out their lipstick collections I realized that if I really want to apply lipstick sans the oiliness I should go for the MATTE finish. I tried few of their nude shades but it doesn't look good on me.. maybe because of the lighting (again!? Same problem with SASA) or my skin color! I don' know.......

After approximately 10 minutes, an SA (salesassociate) approached me.. yeah honestly I'm really not their biggest fan.. I always have this notion that they are just there to hard sell and not really help as in sincerely help. hahaha! Anyway, she offered to help me and I reluctantly told her that I am looking for a Nude shade of lipstick. Well EXPECTEDLY she gave me the same shades I was looking at before she came.

She, however, suggested another color, I tried it on and surprisingly I liked the look of it.. although I forgot to consider that it's more on the glossy side than the matte side...:( Sad to say there's nothing much I can do except to love it!:)

1. Sheen Lipstick in Peachstock by MAC

and moving on to the best purchase I made courtesy of the not so lovely and somewhat annoying SA....

2. Matte Lipstick in Russian Red by MAC

April Beauty Haul ♥♥♥

I'm running out of concealer so I decided to visit the mall last week to look for the perfect replacement (coz unfortunately I can only get my favorite concealer in Singapore! It's a cheap brand though but it covers my blemishes really well!)

Anyway moving on, aside from the hunt for the perfect concealer I also found the perfect red lipstick and some other stuff!!:)

1. TIME BALM concealer by The Balm

I am happy to inform myself that I have found the almost perfect replacement for the concealer I am currently using! Time Balm has a cream like consistency so I only need a small amount. I make sure to apply it ONLY on the blemishes and dark spots. I recommend using your ring finger to dab the concealer so it will blend in nicely on your skin and will make it appear more natural. The only difference between Time Balm and the one I'm currently using is that my fave concealer has a cream to powder finish while Time Balm is creamy and when applied on my skin it still feels creamy, therefore it is really a must for me to dab it so it will look and feel more natural.

2. Lovely Me-ex Angel Skin Loose Powder from The Face Shop

Unfortunately, I am not satisfied with this product.

I always have my ever reliable compact foundation which I always use after applying my liquid foundation but I decided to get a loose powder coz I thought it will give a better effect on my skin. I was thinking of getting a loose powder from the same makers of my compact foundation but I opt to try another brand. The difference? My compact foundation feels so light whenever I apply it on (alone or with a liquid foundation!) But this one feels heavy on my face, I am not sure if it's the sponge provided (I have not tried using a brush) or it's just not compatible with my liquid foundation.

Also my face looks a little darker and unhealthy. I tried all the shades (not on my face though but only on the back of my hand) and this one should suit me well but I guess I was wrong.

This might be a good product to some but not for me. Oh well..:(

3. Shady Lady Eyeshadow in Just This Once Jamie shade from The Balm

Its shade is Purple with a slight touch of pink. This was supposed to be a "go to eyeshadow" for me during those days where I feel lazy to use so many products on my eye. But since the lighting in Sasa was bad I thought the shade was light enough for my everyday use but when I went home I realized that it is darker than I expected. So what I did was to use it on the crease of my eye instead.

I think this product is worth a try, a little expensive, (although not as expensive as the other high end brand) but you just have to choose the correct shade under the correct lighting.

4. Cucumber Purifying Peel off Mask

I love love love this mask! I started applying this at night and I dont know if it's all in my mind but whenever I wake up the next day after using this product I noticed that my face is brighter, skin is tighter and it is less oily! And a single pack (like this one) is good for 3 applications. Very cheap but very good!

4. Rejuvenating Orange Pads by Skinlite

Will just update this post once I tried this product.:)

5. Eyeliner in White from Sasa

Nothing to rave about. :)

Just your average normal white eyeliner. But it's very cheap so might as well grab one since I need this color anyway.

6. Auto Glitter Eyeliner Pen in Violet by Cyber Colors

I have other products from Cyber Colors and I'm glad to say that I'm always satisfied with the brand. What you need is what you get from their products, no more no less. So I'm glad I bought this eyeliner, its glittery violet which I can use on the inner corner of my waterline. The color of the pencil looks dark but when I apply it on my skin it will turn into a very very light purple, almost white! Very very nice and inexpensive as well!☺

*** MAC lipstick review on my next post

OPI in Mini Bottles

I have no plans of buying an OPI.. ever. I swear by the quality of this product but the price is just too much for my budget and besides I dont really know how to properly apply polish on my nails.

But as we were window shopping last Sunday in Midvalley Megamall, I went inside Shins and saw a vast collection of OPI from the regular sized bottles to the small ones. And just by adding a few extra bucks I can have four different colors in mini sizes.... and so I decided to get one. The regular price for the standard OPI is RM59 but this one costs RM 78!!:)

I have yet to try them.

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