Friday, July 18, 2008

Quest for a SUCI (not GUCCI) Perfume

Perfumes have always intriqued me - the fragrance, as well as the packaging (bottles). When I was small, I would often admire the perfume decked on my mum's dressing table - courtesy of my Pak Chu who worked in MAS. Among them was a tassled Yves St. Laurent and the classic Miss Dior. Mum would use them only during special occasions. In secondary school, some school mates would curi-curi use their perfume (since we were not allowed to wear them). It was during this time that mum gave me my first perfume - Avon "Pearls and Lace". Uni days: perfume was the craze among my coursemates. Favourites were BodyShop's "Dewberry", Dior's "Poison" and Max Factor (apa ke namanya...). I had also "upgraded" to BodyShop's "Fuzzy Peach" then. Hasrat untuk beli perfume mahal terpaksa dipendamkan because I was still studying, still on FAMA (father and mother) money. Therefore, a few years later, I spent a portion of my first salary on 2 boxes of miniature perfumes (talk about lepas geram!) Interestingly, from then on, I became a collector of miniature perfumes (more on this later).
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Perfumes are not without controversies. First, it was that alcohol issue. However a fatwa from an Al-Azhar clergy (if I'm not mistaken) relieved concerned Muslim consumers. Perfumes can be used because alcohol in perfumes tidak memabukkan (intoxicating?). The second controversy was spurred by a series of e-mails from friends. It was rumoured that certain perfumes might contain pig pheromones and all that alarming stuff. One friend in the UK even claimed that she discovered this while watching a documentary on perfume-making. How true it is, I don't know but enough to make me was-was.
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Wary (and weary) of all these controversies, I started to embark on a quest for a suci (halal / kosher?) perfume. Opportunity presented itself when I went shopping with my partner-in-crime, K. Zila, recently. We chanced upon Arabian Oud in Sunway Pyramid and decided to check out this seemingly posh perfume outlet.
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I admit, at first, takut nak masuk because the decor of the outlet gave the impression that its wares might be expensive. But with K. Zila, anything is possible (tu yang I suka pegi shopping 'ngan you, K. Zila. He! He!). The sales assistant immediately put us at ease and in no time, we were dabbing a few scents on our wrists. The perfumes were divided into perfume oils and perfume sprays. According to the sale assistant, the perfume spray contained alcohol while the oil did not. The perfume oil was a blend of fine oud essence, essential oils (normally used in aromatheraphy) and exotic flowers. Some of the perfumes were sold according to grams (quite unusual), others, mililitres (ml). We were pleasantly surprised to find that the cheapest perfume oil was RM 25 (30 g). Not bad! But of course, there were really expensive ones too...
That's not all, you can choose the bottle to be filled with the perfume blend of your choice (at least for some of the scents). The bottles came in different sizes and shapes. Although they were quite pricey, they were unique and beautifully hand-crafted. Most of the other scents came in fancy bottles and packaging. They make good gifts.



There were several scents, but most were 'woody' ones. So, those who like musky scents would be pleased with the selection. As for us, after much trying and sniffing, we found two fresh scents which we liked.

Those who are looking for suci perfumes ought to check out this particular perfume outlet or should I say, boutique. Arabian Oud is in the new wing of Sunway Pyramid. They are also in Suria KLCC and Berjaya Time Square.

Monday, July 14, 2008

Kids Say the Darndest Thing (2)

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Amani : Ma, can you buy the Hannah Montana magazine for me?
Me : Hmm... how much?
Amani : Just 9.00 Ringgit.
Me : What? A (kid's) magazine for 9.00 Ringgit?!
Amani : It's not 'A' magazine, it's THE magazine!
Hubby : "THE magazine!" (mengejek)
Me : Well, at least you know how to use your articles correctly! Ha! Ha!

Hannah Montana 3D shades
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Me : What did your father buy for my birthday?
Amani : Don't ask me, ask him! I'm not psychic, you know!
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Me : Who's your favourite singer?
Amani : Jonas brothers.
Me : Eh, I thought you like Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens?
Amani : I like their songs... doesn't mean I like them... Why are you asking me all these questions?
Me : Nothing, just asking...
Amani : I thought you want to put it in your blog.
Me : (How did she know?!)
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Saturday, July 12, 2008

Tagged (Jumping on the bandwagon)

I was "tagged" by my sister Koob a few days ago. Not quite familiar with internet lingo, I tried to figure-out ape ke bende the word means. A check with the dictionary didn't get me anywhere. So, here I am jumping on the bandwagon...

1. What do you want for your birthday?
What I want is not important (dah insaf! He! He!)... Anyway, I got a nice watch for my birthday (Thanks, Jeej!)
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2. Who will be your next kiss?
Hubby and the kids, everyday.

3. When was the last time you went to the mall?
What last time? Every weekend I go for my retail therapy maa...

4. Are you wearing socks right now?
No lah. Only wore them to the gym.

5. How did you spend your summer?
Went to Terengganu during our so-called summer vacation.

6. Have you been to the cinema in the last 5 days?
No.

7. What was the last thing you had to drink?
Plain water.

8. What are you wearing right now?
pyjamas

9. What was your last purchase?
Cannot tell here! Nanti hubby tahu...

10. What was the last food you ate?
Masakan kampung at Auntie Aini's, Nilai (more on this, later).

11. Who would be the person you would call if you were up in the middle of the night and couldn’t sleep?
If I couldn't sleep in the middle of the night, it's because of hubby's snoring! So, I'll just tap his chest (er...does that answer the question?)

12. Have you bought any clothing items in the last week?
Yes, materials for Raya

13. Do you have a pet?
Nope. My children are allergic to cats (fur).

14. What made you laugh in the last 5 days?
The children's antics.

15. If you could be anywhere right now, where would you be?
There's no place like home.

16. What is the last thing you purchased online?
Shopping online is not my thing. Nothing beats shopping the traditional way...

17. One thing you hate about yourself?
I can be hot-headed at times!

18. Do you miss anyone?
Everyone I love is either by my side or just a call away.

19. What are your plans for the day?
Spend time with my family.

20. Last person you msg’d?
Not into SMS. I'd rather call the person.

21. Ever went to a camp?
Several...I was a scout during my Jenan days.

22. Are you a good student in school?
Memang ...

23. What do you know about the (your) future?
"I'm not psychic, you know!" (Amani's favourite words)

24. Are you wearing any perfume or cologne?
Yes. Estee Lauder's Pleasure.

25. Where is/are your best friend/s right now?
Mostly in N.Sembilan, Selangor and UK.
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I'm tagging Anis!