August 27, 2017 – Melissa Kartini

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If there is anything that makes me happier than knowing I could sleep in or that the latest season of one of my favourite TV shows is out (Suits, anyone? I know. I’m ~~generally~~ very easy to please), it’s having a goal to work towards.

Now, the goals I’m going to talk about are stuff that are almost completely outside of work. I see them as hobbies to fill my time with. If they so happen to assist me in my career, all the better.

I’m just the sort of person who has to have a hobby, and as it turns out, learning is one of them 😀

Achieve fluency in Japanese

The same goes for Mandarin, but I have a greater love for Japanese. It’s amazing how much the language is tied to the culture, and honestly, achieving a native or even advanced level of fluency in it would be incredible. Of course, I’m aware that I’ve yet to tackle the toughest hurdle -the oh-so-dreaded Kanji– but that has yet to deter me. It’s intimidating, but… best to think positively about it.

It’s just one of the many obstacles standing in the way to fluency.

And really, I’ve never been happier than when I’m in class or when I’m studying the language on my own. The sense of achievement I get whenever I successfully complete a stage is something I’d like to keep pursuing. So yeah, come on, Kanji.

To make things even better, I’ll be receiving my first Japanese certificate after next week! I’ll have to take an exam, of course, but it’s a step towards realising my dream. Guess I’ll be hard at work studying till this coming Saturday then!

Learn more languages

I’ve always known that I love studying English. What I didn’t know is that that love can extend to other languages as well. So long as I find the culture interesting or there is plenty of good quality media to go around, it’s very likely I’d be drawn to it.

For example, with English, I actually taught myself the language before I entered school. I received next to no help from my parents, and that was fine with me. I was happy to hole myself up in my room with piles of Peter and Jane and Enid Blyton books, haha.

Now that I’m older, I’ve discovered that this isn’t limited to English. In fact, I have a list of languages I’d like to learn after settling my Japanese and Mandarin.

First one is Korean. After that, it’s hard to say, but I have an interest in learning Thai, Portuguese, Spanish and Cantonese. Which ones I’ll definitely take is a mystery due to time constraints, but yeah, those would be cool.

We’ll see what happens in a couple of years.

Participate in a language exchange program

This isn’t as huge of a deal as it sounds. It’s essentially a program available on certain language learning apps where people are able to find native speakers of the language they’re studying and practice what they’ve learned thus far through conversation. This can be done via text messages, audio messages and video calls.

Of course, they have to teach a language in return. Hence the term “language exchange program”.

Hone my photography skills

This one might seem a bit random, but I’ve thought about it and I think it’s a good skill to have, especially considering the field that I’m in.

It’s not something I’d like to solely dedicate myself to, but again, it would be good to have. Plus it also means I can pretty up my blog with much better pictures, haha.

That being said, I’ve already looked up a class I can sign myself up for. Just gotta wait for the next batch to start, and hopefully, it’ll work out with my schedule.

Travel to Japan

This one’s a no-brainer. Japan is such a beautiful country that is rich in culture. How could I not want to go?

Thankfully enough, this one seems to be pretty much in reach. My family and I are planning to visit the country once my brother and I are more fluent in the language. Earliest would be sometime at the end of next year or one of the following years, if all goes well. Goodness knows it’s hard enough for us to find time when we’re all free, so who even knows when it’ll happen.

Improve my drawing skills

This one’s been up there for a long while now, and because it’s more of an idle side interest than anything else, I wonder if it’ll even happen. But yeah, when I was younger, I used to want to become a comic book artist.

It seems very silly when I think about it now, how I used to draw pages and pages of comics to sell and how I was successful at it too. Parents even called in to complain because their kids were buying too many of it! HAHAHA. That was a funny time.

Even though I’ve lost interest in becoming an artist, drawing still remains a small hobby of mine. It would be nice to have it taken to the next level.

Insert more skill acquisition here

Graphic design, more in depth Adobe Photoshop skills, more and more certificates… Even thinking about these things makes me wonder if I’ll even have the time or energy for the majority of them. It’s not as though I’m a student anymore, but that’s alright. At least this means I have stuff to look forward to after work.

Ah, well. I think that’s about it for now. There are more things I could add to this list, but right now, my Japanese textbooks are waiting for me.

Till next!

Like 2+

Hello, everyone! As you may have noticed, I bleeped out of existence for a while there- real life reasons, most of which had to do with work and to an extent, studying. Hopefully, I’ll be able to stick to my thus far unsuccessful one-post-a-week schedule this time around. Go me?

I’m going to have to make up for lost time by posting a bit more, but anyway…

On to today’s post! I’ll be reviewing an anti-aging serum by Estelle & Thild called Biodefense Multi-Action Youth Serum (RM243). It’s something that I can’t help but to have mixed feelings about, because while I’m ecstatic that I can now try a wider range of skincare products, it’s also depressing to know I’m actually old enough to use anti-aging stuff.

Clearly, passing the 25 year old mark is one of the more depressing milestones in life. ~~For now.~~

But I digress.

What is it?

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Back to the subject. In an effort to promote a more youthful appearance, Estelle & Thild pairs science and nature together to concoct the perfect anti-aging serum. The result? Biodefense Multi-Action Youth Serum is born.

Neatly squeezed into a slim bottle with the brand name printed in a charming, girly font on the exterior, this formula is essentially an organic potion that is packed to the punch with Superberries and White Tea. This formula is supposed to both reduce as well as prevent the first signs of aging while bringing in the added benefit of boosting radiance and hydration.

All in all, a pretty good deal. Especially for those who have dry skin.

What is it like?

The serum itself is a watery, gel-like light brown substance that is easily absorbed into the skin. Surprisingly enough, it carries an herbal, almost woody scent that is a bit on the strong side. Now, scented products aren’t exactly something I’m a fan of, but because of how easy it is to slab this on, I’m not going to complain. In any case, the smell fades pretty quickly, which in turn gives me less reason to grouse about it.

To further add on to its positive qualities, the serum doesn’t leave behind a sticky residue, nor does it turn my skin into an oil slick. The latter is always a plus in my books! This makes applying makeup on top of it A-OK.

Packaging

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There are few complaints to be had regarding the packaging this serum comes in. Easy to use, its pump does well in distributing product evenly- a great trait to avoid wastage. We all know how expensive serums can be.

~~And how quickly they run out too.~~

As for the bottle itself, its slim, rounded design makes it comfortable to hold while its frosted glass makes it easy to monitor just how much product you have left. Needless to say, I’m quite happy on the packaging front. 🙂

End result

After using this serum for a few days, I saw an improvement in the texture of my skin. It was smoother and more youthful-looking- undoubtedly definite pluses all around, however.

Now, this is a big however, because the side effect of using this manifested the concern that’s present every time I try something new.

I was plagued with breakouts. Not those small pimples with whiteheads that will eventually pop on their own, no. The ones I was lambasted with were those dreaded deep, angry, painful pustules without whiteheads. Cry.

At first, I thought maybe it wasn’t the serum, so to be extra sure before I start pointing fingers, I phased it out of my skincare routine for a few weeks. Alas, when the time to give it a try rolled by, I received the same result.

And to be extra, extra, extra sure, I repeated the process. Same thing. 🙁 Sighs. I guess it’s just not meant to be.

Where can I find it?

Sephora.

Verdict

Product rating: 2.5/5
Packaging rating: 4/5

Despite the improved texture of my skin, I’m going to forgo buying this in the future. I already have acne-prone skin; I don’t need help with moving things along, thank you very much.

Don’t let this discourage you from giving this a try, though. Some products just don’t work on certain people, be it because of skin type or other genetic factors. Something to bear in mind before making a new purchase.

As implied earlier, this might work better for those who have dry skin.

Ingredients

Aqua, Rosa Damascena Flower Water, Glycerin, Saccaride Isomerate, Rosa Canina Fruit Oil, Simmondsia Chinensis Seed Oil, Dipalmitoyl Hydroxyproline, Gluconolactone, Vaccinium Myrtillus Fruit Extract, Camellia Sinensis Leaf Extract, Glyceryl Caprylate, Ficus Carica Fruit Extract, Palmitic Acid, Tocopherol, Cetearyl Olivate,sclerotium Gum, Xanthan Gum, Sodium Citrate, Maltodextrin, Sorbitan Olivate, Parfum, Citronellol, Geraniol, Limonene, Linalool, Sodium Gluconate, Citric Acid, Sodium Benzoate, Potassium Sorbate, Sorbic Acid. Ingredient From Organic Farming. Made Using Organic Ingredients.