Puas Puas Puasa with California Raisins

Puas Puas Puasa with California Raisins!

About a few weeks ago, I made some time to explore the possibilities of California Raisins just because its the Ramadan season. Raisins have relatively been similar to dates, and it is a popular healthy snack among adults and children alike. Just to be a little more specific, California raisins are loved by many because their sweetness comes naturally from the dried grapes making it a natural source of goodness! There's just so many benefits of consuming raisins that I don't know where to start, so lets start with a recent activity we did which was more towards into including it as plating decorations and on how it can enhance recipes.

Ligo Raisins and Sun-maid Raisins

Sun Harvest California Raisins

The Raisin Administrative Committee (RAC) presented a California Raisin showcase at Hotel Royale Chulan Kuala Lumpur, and guess who was present? ME! To celebrate the fasting season, the theme was puas-puas Puasa, to shed light on the goodness of raisins, to create easy recipe ideas to serve for Sahoor and Buka Puasa. Did you know that Raisins are ideal for the Ramadan season as they are ready-to-eat, tasty and healthy too! Since these raisins come in small packagings, it fits perfectly in a purse which makes it a great snack to snack on.

Raisins from California are always the best!

Since California Raisins are also economical, you won't have to worry about washing, peeling or chopping it, which leads to another point when it comes to preparing a simple meal. A favorite among many would be the California Raisin Yogurt to kick-start your day, OR you can also incorporate California Raisin in tapas/petite dishes too. But to me, i enjoy it on its own. It tastes good, and a great source of energy.

Nur Affizza Binti Azmi showing 3 recipes using California Raisins

Present during the event, we had popular TV personality and a busy mother herself, Nur Affizza Binti Azmi who demonstrated three recipes using California Raisins for busy and active working professionals and mothers to enjoy during the fasting month. The recipes were California Raisin Sweet & Sour Donuts, California Raisin Puas Smoothie, and California Raisin Tom Yum Chicken Angel Hair Pasta.

California Raisin Tom Yum Chicken Angel Hair Pasta

California Raisin Sweet & Sour Donut

California Raisin Puas Smoothie

I have to admit that with this recipe prepared by Nur Affizza Binti Azmi, busy people like you and me won't have to compromise on health and nutrition, especially during the fasting month. I know that you can be tired after a long day at work on a weekday, but thanks to California Raisin, its an ideal ingredient to prepare quick, energy-boosting and nutritious meals. Did you know that raisins are a suitable source of nutrition even for those who have diabetes?

Southern PRemium Dried Californian Raisins

There are just so many benefits of California raisins, and let me just share with you on what are the key benefits of California Raisins. The key benefits of California raisins include, all-natural, naturally sweet with no added sugar, fat and cholesterol free, low in sodium, a good source of potassium, good source of fiber, has concentrated nutrients, and contains phytonutrients that suppress the growth of oral bacteria associated with cavities and gum diseases.

The winning decoration ft raisins

The runner up!

My minimalist creation

Like, WOW! I mean, I know that raisins are good, but I never knew they cover so many good benefits for the body as well! Also, just to show you my humble creation, since we had a small activity on decorating cupcakes incorporating raisins, I tried my best by making it look minimalist, but the attendees for the day were all talented that it was uncomparable to mine. Hehe. But overall, they were all really unique when it comes to decorating cupcakes from scratch.

Congrats to the winners for the day!

I shall end my post here and say thank you to you guys for reading this post on California Raisins. Who knew that California Raisin would be a great ingredient/snack to munch on during this fasting season? I got my stash of California Raisins ready at home to prepare myself for lazy morning sahoors. Psst, if you're looking to incorporate raisins into a meal, you visit www.calraisins.org or www.caraisins.com for more tips.

California Raisins Org | California Raisins | Facebook 

Magika presents Argan Cleansing Flakes

Magika's Argan Cleansing Flakes

Hi guys! Being a modern Malay, I like to keep myself updated with the latest trends, and today I'd like to share a recent discovery on a proud Malaysian made product called the Magika Argan Cleansing Flakes or in short MACF. The MACF happens to be Malaysia's first magic sheet cleanser that uses the latest technology. In short, imagine a piece of paper that would foam bubbles when in contact with water. So to those looking for something that is 'lain daripada yang lain', this is definitely something that you should keep your eyes on.

Azura Baharudin and brand ambassador, Izreen.

MACF is founded by Azura Baharudin, believes that the product has tons of benefits to offer to Muslims and nonmuslim users. Her business started from being a business at home to now owning two offices, and has grown from working alone to having employees under her wings. The MACF is a substitute for those who prefer to travel light on holidays, or even for those who need to wash off their make up before performing prayers when not at home. Now that you know what it is, let's get into details on the product.

PACKAGING

The box of the product

The actual product

The MACF comes in a sealed box packaging, and as you take the product out of the box, you will find a compact case which stores the Cleansing Flakes. It holds 100 pieces of Cleansing Flakes which are good enough to last you a month or two, depending on how often you use it. It contains argan oil, honey, aloe vera, lemon, rose essential, arnica flower, and witch hazel which makes the product very natural to suit almost any skin type.

REVIEW

A close up on the cleansing flake

So once you open the casing, you'll find the cleansing flakes inside the compact. With my dry hands, I took one flake out, and surprisingly the flake is very soft and thin, just like paper! I got a sniff of it too, and I have to say that it smells like soap. Im actually amazed on how this has been made possible. Once in contact with water, the paper immediately dissolves into water and when you rub your palms together, the flake automatically turns into foam to cleanse the face!

The cleansing flake in contact with water

Easy foam to cleanse face

Now that we know how good it is, let's see how well it washes up makeup. As I tested the product out, I'd have to say that it feels pretty gentle on the skin. As I was giving my skin a good massage, I also noticed that it's not to harsh on the skin and it does leave my skin feel moisturized. Since I have oily skin, it's not exactly my everyday cup of tea, but its good on alternate days since its more of an on the go cleanser. You may also need to use more cleansing flakes on heavier makeup, so take note on that as well.

MAGIKA X IZREEN

The announcement of Magika in collaboration with Izreen

To celebrate the release of MACF, Azura Baharudin also announced that they have their very own brand ambassador, Izreen! Izreen has attracted a lot of attention in the media world, and Azura looks at it at a positive angle that helps give the brand a better chance of exposure. Izreen will be the official brand ambassador for MACF for the first 6 months to further promote the benefits of MACF to shoppers during official campaigns.

VERDICT 

I couldn't resist, so I bought one home!

As a verdict, I would have to say that this might come in pretty handy when you want to travel light, or if you like cleansing your face more than 2 times daily. Say when your makeup melts, you want to reapply a fresh layer, you can just grab this compact, wash your face and start a new layer to create a new look. Or, for those who want to go for prayers while you're not home, this is a great companion to bring in your bag to help you cleanse away. Priced at RM59/WM and RM64/EM per compact, so if you're planning to get it for yourself, be sure to check out the link below.

Magika HQ

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[REVIEW] b.liv | 02 Bubbly Bright Oxygenating Mask

Review | b.liv 02 Bubbly Bright Mask

So, being a fan of b.liv, I was recently introduced to a new product called the 02 Bubbly Bright Oxygenating Mask by b.liv which claims to purifies, brightens and exfoliates the skin. But other than the main functions of this tub of wonders, I was actually attracted to the idea that it turns into foam when in contact with your skin. Boy, I have to say that skincare nowadays is getting pretty advanced, gotta make sure I keep up. Hehe. So in today's post, I'll be sharing with you a little review on the b.liv 02 Bubbly Bright Oxygenating Mask.

Urban Pollitants = Skin imperfections

Oxygen plays an important role in cell regeneration, but as we grow older being exposed to urban pollutants around us, the level of oxygen in our skin depletes. (OH NO!) Which also results in the dull and less resilient skin. With the Mask, it will help diffuse oxygen into the skin which aids in the production of collagen, bringing back radiance and freshness. It is said that oxygen also enhances the absorption and effectiveness of your other skincare products too! Now, let's get into details.

REVIEW

The fancy metalic packaging

The details on the box

I've always found the packaging of b.liv products pretty exciting, especially when it always looks so classy with that metallic touch on the packaging. And as usual, the packaging had all the details that you would need to know from the description, the list of ingredients and the instructions on how to use this product. This tub of 02 bubbly bright contains 50g and comes in a minimalist design plastic container. Oh, and in case you're wondering, this mask includes a spatula too!

Details of the actual product

The texture of the mask

The actual container had a plastic seal for double protection of the content, and I always love the little efforts by the brand for ensuring that the packaging is well thought of. Since it reacts with the skin, we wouldn't want it to be exposed to urban pollutants. The mask is originated from Korea and the 3 key ingredients consist of 02 bubble, rice powder, and red soft beads. The red soft beads apparently melt as your massage your face, releasing vitamin E oil, to rejuvenate your skin.

Apply a small amount to face

Evenly spread the mask around the face, and leave it on for 5-10 minutes

1 minute later, you'll notice that your face is covered in foam!

To use this, i applied a small amount onto my face and gently massage my skin, leaving it on for about 5-10 minutes. At the 3rd minute when I was leaving it on, I notice that bubbles started to form which gave me an enjoyable tickling sensation for soft foams soaking up impurities (Pure satisfaction!). Once all the bubbles foamed up, I gave my skin another message for deeper cleansing before rinsing it off with lukewarm water. And that's about it! Easy to use, and instructions are pretty straightforward

HOW DOES MY SKIN FEEL?

Skin feels super clean, cool and moisturized. Looks brighter too!

Well, I woke up and didn't exactly do the morning ritual of washing my face first. And I think you know what I mean when I say that my skin was oily when I woke up in the morning before applying the mask. HAHA. But moving on, my skin was oily when I applied the mask, and after the whole session which took me about 15 minutes, my skin felt fresh and clean. As if my skin had a full on cleansing session! I don't know how to explain this, but my skin felt like it was breathing. In terms of skin texture, it left it feeling smoother and moisturized.

VERDICT

Close up on the foam

To end my post, I usually like to end it with a verdict of my overall thoughts. The b.liv 02 bubbly bright oxygenating mask is priced at RM99 for 50g which I believe is a fair amount. I would assume that since I didn't need to use much of the product each time, it can go up to 10 usages which means its RM10 per session. Not too bad considering the results it gave my skin. The rest of my face feels really clean, moisturized and it looked so much more alive! On combination skin, it works well and I would recommend you to get this as an alternative to your once a week sheet mask regime.

I approve that you gotta have this mask at home! 

Thank you so much for reading my review and I'll see you in my next post! Buzz me if you need any details on the product as I'd like to share you my thoughts if this blog post isn't enough. I understand that some gel-mask may give your skin this sticky feeling, but trust me, the 02 Bubbly Bright mask goes beyond that, giving your skin a unique experience. It's pretty cool that it foams up, so im definitely looking forward to using this again next week. Oh, Imma be using this once a week in case you're wondering. ttfn ❤

b.liv

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[REVIEW] AKAR.CO | 2 In 1 Scrub and Mask

Akar.co | Honest Review by me

I stumbled upon a beauty brand called AKAR.CO, and to be honest, I was triggered by how cute the name of the brand was! For those who don't know what 'Akar' means, it actually means 'roots' in Malay. So the impression that this brand gave me was that they focus on ensuring that everything was made comes with a reason, thus the name AKAR.CO. Blergh, to be honest, im not even sure what im talking about, but since I got my hands on the AKAR.CO Skin Polisher Arang 2-In-1 Scrub & Mask, im gonna share you a little review on how to use it and what I think of it.

The Travel Sized product

I've been taking care of skin very frequently recently by going for facials, laser treatments, following a proper skincare routine and etc, thus, what made we wanted to try the AKAR.CO? Well, the first fact would be that its because it has this 2-in-1 concept which gives me a choice to whether use it as a  mask or a scrub, depending on my skin condition, so YOLO! Why not right? After all, multipurpose products are the best to me as they don't focus on just 1 specific situation. Now that you know what it is, here's how you use it.

HOW TO USE

With your clean hands, collect a sufficient amount of the mask and apply it evenly on your face

To use the AKAR.CO Skin Polisher Arang 2-In-1 Scrub & Mask, basically all you need to do is obviously take a generous amount of AKAR.CO and spread it evenly on your face. I wasn't expecting any scent, but to my surprise, it had this peppermint smell which was very relaxing the minute you remove the cap. The color of the scrub is black, and just to let you know, this is not the actual size. The Full sized product contains 100gm and is priced at RM85. A little pricey for a local brand, but let's find out on how good it is!

Don't expect to be able to apply it evenly, so this is the outcome of me trying to apply it on my face

But since I had to get my hands dirty, the texture actually feels like play-doh with sugar bits and well, its black. It wasn't that easy to apply it on my skin at first, but eventually, you'll manage to get the mask to stick with a little help of water. Im not sure if that's what I was supposed to do, but for me, the water played a big role in helping me stick the product on my face. Once you've applied all over your face, leave it on for 1-3 minutes as a mask.

After leaving it on for 3 minutes, gently massage face. 

Then rinse with lukewarm water. I used a facial sponge to easily remove the excess

After step 2, massage gently in circular motion. Now, this part is a little interesting cause I actually gave it a good scrub, but halfway, I decided to add water to the scrub which kinda helped the texture to be more gentle on my skin (in my case). And as you can see in the image above, the scrub kinda turned grey and had a muddy texture. But it still felt good on the skin, and once im happy, I rinsed thoroughly and patted my face with a towel.

THE AFTER FELLING

Skin feels super smooth and cooling

The after feeling actually feels amazing! Because it had like this peppermint menthol ingredient in it, I think it kinda made my skin feel very cooling, and I also noticed that it helped in minimizing my pores! YAS! My pores are my biggest concern actually, but that's because I like being out in the sun. So, if you can relate, I can definitely recommend you to try the AKAR.CO Skin Polisher Arang 2-In-1 Scrub & Mask which might help you with minimizing your pores and at the same time exfoliates out the skin.

OTHER BENEFITS

Check out Akar.co

AKAR.CO Skin Polisher Arang 2-In-1 Scrub & Mask has tons of benefits, and they claim to treat pimples, detoxifies skin, lightens skin, balances oily skin, removes dead skin through exfoliation, eliminate blackheads, reduce acne scars, has anti-aging benefits and provides long-term results. It contains activated charcoal, jojoba oil, peppermint oil, coconut oil, argan oil and aloe vera. AKAR CO is also formulated without paraben, synthetic oil, mercury, hydroquinone, mineral oil and other harmful chemicals giving it a plus point for those who prefer products that are more natural. It's also KKM approved too!

VERDICT

My skin looks sooo shiny. Ps: Not wearing any makeup FYI

As a verdict, I would have to say that it does make my skin look healthier and clean after a few uses for the past 3 weeks. Not to forget that it's currently my go-to mask on a hot day to help my face to cool off too. Hehe. All in all, I think that is a great product that has been well formulated from the heart, and definitely safe and natural to use. For a local brand, I think it can be pretty similar to items from the shelf in Sephora, but at a much more affordable price range. For the results it gave my skin, I'd give it a thumbs up, and would really recommend you to try this too if you want a scrub that is good to balance oily skin, exfoliates and minimizes pores. Im gonna end my post here before it gets draggy, so I'll leave you their social sites at the end of the post for you to check them out yourself. Signing off xx

Quick Tip: Use it as a body scrub! 

AKAR.CO

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Quill City Mall KL YASS Raya 2018

#YasssRaya2018 at Quill City Mall

Ramadhan is a very festive season to enjoy if you're in Malaysia, being one of the biggest yearly events other than Chinese New Year, Deepavali and Christmas, this occasion is generally celebrated by Muslims from all around the world, and this year around from 17th May to 12 June 2018, Quill City Mall Kuala Lumpur is honoured to present the momentous celebration of the grand launch of Yass Raya 2018!

Neon Lights for a modern retro Raya

Definitely selfie worthy

Loving the neon lights feature

Now, as much as I would like to talk about the fancy decorations, im pretty sure for those who are looking for the perfect Raya outfit for 2018, Quill Mall City Mall is your one-stop center to find the perfect outfit! The setting of the whole layout of Ramadhan decorations at Quill City Mall scratched out the 'balik kampung' theme and created a more modern theme comprising of pastel color and neon lights, a semi-hipster decoration. I personally think that the whole concept reflected with the featured sellers who opened their booth at Quill City Mall in conjunction to the Ramadhan festive season.

Furby and Sugar

Primadona

Details on Minaz

Make your way there and be impressed with the fashion collections for the young, with more than 1,000 Raya collections and more than 40 booths comprising of clothes for a semi-hipster Raya. If you're looking for new clothing this Raya, you may find amazing clothing by famous celebrity collections from Rozita Che Wan, NSA Beauty Official, Mora & Haze, Claqisya, Lily Petuna, Minaz, Teratak Delights, Shelle'e Belle'e by Azura Couture, Furby & Sugar, Anzel Hair, Gajah Duduk, Petra RTW, El.Elfiraloy, Dlasha, Fana Couture, Dyxy Cosmetics and more! The Raya fashion booths are located a the Main Entrance and Main Atrium of the mall.

Checkout the green setting!

Trust me, the ambiance in Quill City Mall was pretty magical with all the festive sparkling lights, and there were also plenty of sharp, bright, vibrant neon lighting effects that can be seen lighted up at the Main Atrium. In the image above, you would see that there are grass carpet areas at the Main Atrium for family and youngsters to Buka Puasa to have a chill out session as they break their fast on colorful bean bags. If you're creative enough, you can even get some really good insta-worthy photos while you're there!

Happy kids with their duit raya packet

Being present at their launch, Quill City Mall also had a corporate social responsibility initiative by welcoming 50 children from Pertubuhan Kebajikan & Penjagaan Nur Hidayah for a 'Majlis Berbuka Puasa' in conjunction with the month of Ramadhan. The children were invited to spend their day at Quill City Mall KL for the upcoming Raya Celebrations too! How sweet? I always have a soft spot for malls who put the extra effort in making sure that everyone, including the less-fortunate to have a great time during a festive season. Psst, these kids were so lucky that they got Raya packets from the management of Quill City Mall too!

Hari Raya Promotions and Contest

Prizes up for grabs!

There will be Unique Raya Redemptions of Yasss Raya Packets, Yass Raya Lucky Grab, Carousel Ride, Yass Raya Photo Contest, and much more awaits at Quill City Mall! You can also stand a chance to redeem limited edition redemptions and win attractive prizes during Yasss Raya 2018 when you drop by to Quill City Mall. Contest period of the photo contest would be from 17 May until 12 June 2018, and one photo is equivalent to one entry where THREE (3) winners will be randomly selected to be entitled to win RM500 worth of shopping cash vouchers!

Minimum purchase RM350 : UOB Travel Nexk Pillo2 + 500 AirAsia BIG Points.
Shop, Dine, and Win: Prizes up to RM15,000 to be won!
AirAsia BIG Points Loyalty Program: Redeem more BIG points than usual.

Meet & Greet Sessions | 4pm-7pm

Meet your favourite celebrities!

26th May 2018: Yaya ZAhir, Syafiwah Ainaa, Hafiz Mahamad, Rafidah, Hazwan Faiz and Yana Khairuddin

2nd June 2018: Anzalna Nasir, Elfira Loy, Hafiza Hamid, Hazwan Faiz and Yana Khairuddin

9th June 2018: Mira Filzah, Rozita Che Wan, Annas Easkey, Yaya Zahir

So that's about it! Quill City Mall KL is easily accessible via highways and public transport (Medan Tuanku Monorail Station) providing convenience to shoppers as well as visitors to have a great Raya shopping experience. Free parking is available after 5pm onwards on weekdays whereas RM3 flat rate on weekends. Be sure to also get yourself a  copy of their Yasss Raya 2018 booklet for further details of their Raya Campaign.

Quill City Mall KL

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