Hylamide Sensitive Fix serum | Beauty Empties

Hello kawans! Last month, I finished using this serum I bought back in Vancouver and that kinda led to a sudden prompt to start a little 'beauty empties' category on my blog. This serum here is the Sensitive Fix Advanced Calming Complex serum from a brand called Hylamide.

I don't think a lot of people(or at least in M'sia) has even heard of Hylamide(I too, didn't know about them until last November), but they're actually a brand under The Ordinary's parent company - DECIEM. I got this to try last year during DECIEM's 25% Off Black Friday Sale, along with some other products from The Ordinary like their Marula Oil and Nicinamide.

If you're interested to read what I think about Hylamide's Sensitive Fix serum, do keep reading! :)

Part of Hylamide's Booster series - Today I'm finally sharing my two cents on their Sensitive Fix Advanced Calming Complex serum. This is a "targeted serum for skin sensitivity to reduce signs of irritation and redness". Directions say to apply this serum twice daily to counteract visible redness and sensitivity. As for it's price - 30ml retails for $18CAD before tax. (but if you're shipping to msia direct from Deciem, it'll be $17USD 😤) In terms of consistency, it's very lightweight and closer to a watery consistency as oppose to the usual thicker serums. Indeed, very 水水的.

For your convenience, here is the list of ingredients in Hylamide's Sensitive Fix serum taken from the product page. I am no dermatologist so I'm not gonna dwell much into it. My rule of thumb when trying new products is to: read up reviews(including the ones on Deciem's website), go through the ingredients list then google and read up on each ingredient.

After getting the product, always do a patch test!! I'd do a patch test on my hand first, then on the next day, do a patch test on a part of my cheek or something. Skincare's really all bout trial and error so when trying new products (especially if your skin is prone to breakouts) you gotta be careful!

Like many serums, this one comes with a dropper too.

Tiny bit of serum that the dropper couldn't reach. I didn't have a backup for this so I was trying to stretch this tiny amount for as long as possible. Good thing pouring the very last bit of product out wasn't a challenge(I know with some bottles, the last bit of product very difficult to pour out one!).

Current Skin Condition: I think before sharing what I think about this, I should perhaps write a little update on my current skin condition. So compared to a year and a half ago, my skin has actually improved ALOT. I still have some acne and blackheads(prob a lot more of this now) but I don't have a lot of angry acne bumps anymore. Also, can you believe that the last time I went to a facial was a year and a month ago??😯 I know it's FAR from perfection or even what I would consider good skin but I'd still call it a win. 

Improvement on my acne struggles aside, I still get redness around the sides of my nose. Occasionally maybe when the air is stuffy or maybe my hands just weren't clean and I touched my face💀, I'd get like a patch of redness on my face, similar to a mosquito bite, but its painless and not itchy at all. My mom calls it sensitive skin and I find the term 'sensitive skin' a little too generic, but guess I'll just roll with it.

My thoughts + Would I repurchase: I know that all products perform differently across all skin types and I ain't gonna lie, this serum was pretty useless when it comes to getting rid of the redness around my nose😪. But wait, even though it did not do what I wished it would, I actually found myself LIKING this serum enough for me to consider repurchasing it😂. 

Surprised? Yeah, same, but hear me out.

I have been using this serum every morning before my moisturizer. Sometimes when I'm lazy, I'd use just this and skip the moisturizer👀. I really like the watery consistency, how quickly it absorbs into my skin, and basically how it gave my skin an added layer of hydration in the mornings. Malaysia is also super hot so while it doesn't get rid of redness, it actually does calm my skin a little, and I like that.

These days when it comes to deciding if I wanna repurchase a product, I would wait 2 weeks(or more) after finishing to see if I miss using it. If I do, I'll repurchase or "budget" it into my future expenses😂. I finished using this almost two months ago and now I've been missing it every morning so UNLESS I find something similar, I'm probably placing an order some time in November because ya girl spent way too much on STUFF last month😭. In the meantime, I'm back to using the Innisfree Green Tea seed serum in the mornings. I've been pretty loyal to that serum for it's hydration factor but a part of me feels that I like this Hylamide's one more now😳 ----in fact, to the possible extent of not repurchasing my green tea seed serum when I'm done with it👀.

That's all I have to say for this serum, and thank you for reading! I'm almost done with two moisturizers I've been alternating between the past few months so if I'm feeling it, I'll share an update again!

Until next time, and stay safe!

♡ Candy ♡

Recent K-Beauty haul from Althea Korea

Annyeong kawans!! About a week ago I got myself some stuff from Althea Korea and now that it's here, lemme share with you guys a quick lil haul post! Before that, isn't this a super cute box? I remember really loving their past christmas themed box designs, but this 5th Anniversary box is just C-U-T-E af 💖.

PS. Do you guys keep your Althea boxes? I tend to re-use the cute ones as storage boxes/laptop & monitor stands and recycle the generic ones 😂

Inside also super pretty!

Some cute stickers were included! If you're into journaling, these stickers would make a cute addition to your spread.

[ The Haul ]

First up in my haul, sheet masks! I used to be very obsessed with sheet masks but these days I've just been plain lazy lol. My sheet mask stash have been running low for the past few months now so I think it's okay to replenish my stash a little(?) This time round I got a mixture of masks ranging from my favourites to new ones I'm excited to try!

I bought two types of sheet masks from Althea's A'Bloom series. I remember loving the Avo-Cuddle-Me mask (RM3 each, RM27 for pack of 10) from A'Bloom's first release so I got a few of that. If you wanna read my review on it along with the rest of Althea's A'Bloom first release so you can read it here!

Another sheet mask I got from A'Bloom is their Coco-Me-Up Lifting Coconut sheet mask (RM3 each, RM27 for pack of 10). I am a sucker for anything coconut scented and this was released when I was in Vancouver so I ordered two this time to try. I have yet to use this but I hope it smells like coconuts, so assuming it does, I can't wait to bask my face in a sweet coconut aroma for 15 minutes straight hehehe.

The Klairs Midnight Blue Calming Sheet Mask (previously RM14, NOW RM11 each) is one my favourite sheet masks. It's kinda pricey (any sheet mask  >RM10 is pricey to me lol), but now that it's on sale I snagged 2!

Next up I got the Wangskin White Flower Mask Pack (RM5 each). No discounts on this but it's an affordable old personal favourite of mine which I have not used for a long time. For the past year and so I've been mainly going through the masks I bought from Japan so this time round I got 1 of these to see if I still enjoy it. Also, I know it claims to be whitening and anti-wrinkles but I personally love this sheet mask for it's hydration and pricing!

Last sheet mask I bought is the Mediheal Teatree Care Solution Essential Mask EX (previously RM12, NOW RM5). I actually can't remember if I've tried this mask before but it was on sale and I wanted to try it so I got 1. I quite enjoy Mediheal masks, they have this blue hydration one that I really love too so thinking bout it now, maybe I should've gotten a few more😳.

Next up we have Althea's Waterful Green Bamboo pads 20pcs (previously RM18, NOW RM8). These are toner pads that can also be used as a mini mask pad for targeted areas. My other Althea Angels kawans have said pretty good things about this but I never got around trying em so I'm pretty excited. When I was browsing what to buy on the site I saw that they've released this in travel pack size(20pcs) so I got one hoho, btw the full size of this is currently retailing for RM33(originally RM70) for 80pcs so if you're interested in that, here's the full size.

The Althea Skin Relief Calming Cream (previously RM32, NOW RM17) is another made by Althea goodie a lot of my kawans have said good things about. I've wanted to try this for a long time so I guess it's time I add one to my cart.

I have not tried this product so I can't comment about the texture/how moisturizing it is etc but one thing I like about this product right off the bat is the tube packaging. Most moisturizers come in a tub and how many of you actually use a spatula for your moisturizer :)))))? So for effortless hygiene sake, tube packaging +1 Also, RM17 for 80ml is a very very good price.

This is the product I am most excited for in my haul (actually I only intended to buy this but everything else just crawled into my cart LOL). This Neogen Real Ferment Micro Essence (previously RM148, NOW RM132) is a product I've been dying to try for a really long time because all my favourite skincare gurus are always raving about this😂. My go-to K-Beauty source is always Althea so I'm superr happy that this product is finally available on their site. I lowkey wanna believe that they brought this in because they're tired of me tagging them on IG story asking when they wanna bring it in LOL.

Here's how the product itself looks like. If you watch a lot of kbeauty skincare videos, you've definitely seen this essence before! I'm not sure when I'll start incorporating this to my routine but depending on how much I like it, I might just post up a lil review on it.

Finally in my haul I got some Etude House skincare products to try. I have never really paid attention to Etude's skincare products until I've heard about their Soon Jung line😂. Their Soon Jung skincare line is known to be suitable for those with sensitive skin so during this haul I bought 2 products from this line to try. I picked up this Soon Jung 10 Free Moist Emulsion (RM47) because I wanted to see if I could use this as a light weight day time moisturizer. 

The last product in my haul is the Etude House Soon Jung Hydro Barrier Cream (RM67). From the reviews I've seen online, this moisturizer seemed like it has a nice texture(?) I won't know until I try it for myself but that's mainly a reason why I bought this.

Here's how it looks like. I got the regular one and I know that their Hydro Cream also has a 2x more moisturizing version but I think that might be a little too heavy for my skin so I got this to try instead.

That sums up my haul for today! I only intended to get the neogen essence but on top of Althea's on-going anniversary sales, I also got an Angel discount from Althea so in the end I caved and got a few backup products I've been eyeing. Thank goodness most of the products I got are only expiring in 2023 because I still have some unopened stuff to finish first before getting into some of these!

Some additional shopping tips: If you're new to Althea, you can sign up using my referral code HERE! You'll get a RM20 coupon and I'll get one too😌! On top of that you can also use Shopback for cash rebates. From this order, I got RM12 cashback! If you don't have shopback, sign up via my referral HERE hehe!

Hope you enjoyed reading this post and until next time!

Candy

Gallery Kitchen Food Review at Hyatt House, Mont Kiara

Hello kawans!! I hope everyone is doing well! Today I have a food review to share with ya'll! This is also the first dine-in food review I attended since coming back from Vancouver so you can say I was pretty excited just being there. Couple weeks back (a little after dine-in is allowed again) I was invited to Hyatt House Kuala Lumpur's Gallery Kitchen to try their local signature dishes and here's my mini review!

Hyatt House Kuala Lumpur is located at Arcoris, Mont Kiara (next to Kiara 163) and this is how the front of Gallery Kitchen looks like. 

As someone that is pretty kiasi, I liked how they've made sure there's a good amount of distance between tables. Also, when we were eating, I heard a bell ring from their kitchen. Apparently the hotel has a bell installed to remind their kitchen staff to practice personal hygiene. I'll have to give an applause to that!!👏

I visited during RMCO period(I think it's RMCO) but this is how the restaurant looks like before MCO. (photo provided by Hyatt House)

Social distance practice aside, I actually really liked the ambiance in Gallery Kitchen. With the current situation I've been extra skeptical when dining-in restaurants but despite Gallery Kitchen being one of the first few restaurants I visited since dine-in was allowed again, the ambiance in Gallery Kitchen just had a comfortable vibe to it. You'll have to check them out to feel it for yourself, the comfy-soothing feel was something I can't quite put to words.

Like most restaurants now, once seated you can scan the QR code on the table to browse their menu.

Let's start with drinks. This beautiful lime coloured drink is called HH Signature (RM15). You can probably already tell from the name that this drink here is Hyatt House's signature mocktail. It's a blend of fresh kiwi, rambutan, and calamansi. It's a nice thirst-quenching drink for your typical panas giller day in KL. A little sweet for my liking but I still find this nice and refreshing! If you like something fruity, you'll love this!

Next we have an Iced Latte (RM10). I got this pretty much because I would always get an iced latte to try wherever I go hahaha. The latte was okay and has the perfect amount of bitterness to it. For people like me that isn't into fruity drinks that much, lattes are my go-to.

[ The Signatures ]

Hyatt House's Gallery Kitchen signatures would be their Lamb Varuval with Biryani Rice, Ayam Percik with Biryani Rice, Chicken Rendang, and Mee Siam. Now here's the thing, I was a tiny bit worried because my heat tolerance is very questionable hahaha. I think specially for me😂😳, the chef had toned down the heat levels for the dishes because I noticed that some dishes were either mildly spicy or just not spicy at all😂. It was later on I remembered that generally hotel restaurants don't serve overly spicy dishes so I didn't need to worry at all😂

Anyways, just a heads up, if you like it hot, remember to let them know😏!

Mee Siam (RM19). Now, this was pretty yummy! They paired it with some sambal prawns on the side but the star is still the mee siam! I like the good balance of savoury-sour(from the lime juice) and I think their take on mee siam tastes a little more ketchup-y than other places I've tried but I happen to like that😋. 

Ayam Percik with Biryani (RM26). This is actually the first time I'm having ayam percik so I don't have anything to compare it to but hey, I like it. For the chicken, the best way to describe it is probably to say that it tastes like an ever-so-slightly sweeter version of their Chicken Rendang. By the way, I love their Chicken Rendang. But we'll get to it! As for the biryani rice, I can't comment much on it just because I'm not the biggest fan when it comes to biryani rice in general.

Lamb Varuval with Biryani Rice (RM28). This dish is served alongside with a bowl of dahl curry. The lamb varuval was alright. The meat was tender, and I don't recall many..or any bones(?) maybe I'm just good with choosing which piece of meat to eat😂. I noticed a lot of places tend to serve lamb dishes with a lot of tiny bones, absolutely hate those lol, but I didn't have that bony-struggle with this😌! I'm not a fan of the dahl though, the spices just seemed too strong for my liking😅.

Chicken Rendang (RM28). I kept my fav for last *wink* Out of the 4 dishes, this is by far my favourite! If you happen to visit Gallery Kitchen, order this and thank me later. The chicken meat was tender, juicy and coated in tasty rendang sauce. The dish would've been absolutely perfect if there was some heat in it but I suppose the chef was looking out for my baby heat tolerance so I got to try a non-spicy chicken rendang😂. Still love it though! 10/10 would recommend.

[ Quick Tour Around Hyatt House ]

While the chef was preparing our meal in the kitchen, we were given a little tour around Hyatt House. We checked out some of their rooms and got a peek of their facilities as well. Their pool was still closed during our visit but we got to check out their Sky Bar. If you have a special occasion, you could even hire a deco team and throw a little party up here! Remember to practice social distancing though!!

After checking out the facilities, we got to take a look at the types of rooms they offer. Hyatt House has 4 types of rooms to offer - starting from Den Room, Studio Room, 1 Bedroom Suite, and lastly their 2 Bedroom Suites. Rather than a hotel, they're more like a serviced residence, hence the name - Hyatt House, y'know, like a home away from home.

Their rooms are furnished to look like a hotel's but you'll also find household appliances like a full size fridge, washer, stove etc. Here you can see a few photos I took when I was shown around their Two-bedroom suite.

Their warm tones in their living area really give the place a comfy feel.

Subject to availability, some rooms at Hyatt House comes with this HUGE outdoor chilling area. Despite it being an afternoon, this area wasn't even hot.

See, I wasn't kidding when I said it was huge.

Bedroom #1

Bedroom #2

If you've read any of my past hotel reviews, you'll know a hotel bathroom shot like this is mandatory hahaha. You can't see it in the photo but their 2 bedroom suite also comes with a walk-in shower and a bathtub! 

Here's a quick peek at their kitchen area. You get a full size fridge and a fully equipped stainless steel kitchen. The suite also comes with a dishwasher and washer/dryer. Perfect for those visiting KL/PJ for work! Especially if you're working at Plaza Mont Kiara area. It's literally a 5 minute walk.

Excuse me I'm just making myself at home here hahahaha😂! I was originally there to share my thoughts on the food at Gallery Kitchen but since I personally do enjoy Hyatt Hotels😚, might as well share a bit on their rooms too since we were given the little tour😊 Honestly, I haven't stepped foot in a hotel room in so long, while we were given this tour, all I wanted to do is check-in for a night hahaha!

That is all for today! Thank you for reading and be sure to check out Gallery Kitchen. If you do, remember to give their Chicken Rendang a try! If local food isn't your cup of tea, don't worry, they also offer other western selections like fish and chips, pasta etc!

Ciao ciao! Until next time!

Candy

*Disclaimer: This is an invited food review but opinions are 100% mine, opinions on rooms is solely based on the show room units I visited*

Gallery Kitchen, Hyatt House Kuala Lumpur

G-2 Arcoris, No. 10, Jalan Kiara, 

Mont Kiara, 

50480, Kuala Lumpur,

Malaysia, 

Tel: +603 6419 8688

A tea time treat from Union Artisan Coffee [Mini review]

Hello kawans! It's been awhile and I wanted to come on here to preach my love for Basque Burnt Cheesecakes. Yes, it's over-hyped. But am I over it? Nope!! Y'know, I could get bored having tiramisu everyday(proven when my family made a huge tray last week😳) but it's probably gonna take me awhile before I get bored of burnt cheesecakes. The only thing stopping me from indulging on these everyday would be the calories.

So, I made cream pasta today

Hello kawans! Today I'm gonna share with ya'll how I cook this pretty easy and super yummy cream pasta dish, but before that, how's staying home for everyone? Apart from not being able to get my favourite wantonmee, the introvert in me is actually doing pretty well at home. I'm still working on my demo reel so there's that going on. The only difference is probably the part where I spend a lot more time cooking, and even more now that we're on MCO...where the whole family is home and we can't eat out.

So the other day(I know title said today), I attempted to re-create a cream pasta dish my boyfie taught me quite some time ago. This is my 3rd attempt on cooking this and every single time I make this, I would always butcher the recipe he gave me HAHA. This time, I may have "altered" it to a whole new level, but hey, it still turned out pretty good sooooo here we go!

Ingredients/What I used (this recipe feeds 3-4people) :
3 sausages (if you have bacon or smoked duck, use that instead!)
2 boxes of white button mushrooms (I used the sliced 125gm/box ones)
2 medium size onions
butter (optional)
salt
black pepper
cooking oil
dried parsley (optional, feel free to use fresh ones too!)
1 box of cooking cream 200ml / half and half (used this in canada but can't seem to find it in KL)
fresh milk
soy sauce (optional)

*Disclaimer! I know that this isn't really a "MCO friendly" recipe, I just happened to have these ingredients at home and needed to cook this before the mushrooms go bad 😅.

Also, this is just a fun cream pasta recipe I re-created that somehow turned out pretty well so I decided to document it down for ya'll to see and maybe try?? Also, I'm still a baby when it comes to cooking, so if ya see me doing anything wrong here, I'm so sorry😅*

A stress-free vacation for your skin / Miniel Skinlab review

Hello kawans! It's finally time for some skincare talk! Today I will be sharing a review on some skincare products I tried from a new local brand in town called Miniel Skinlab. I noticed that I rarely use any products from local skincare brands, but these looked promising and because the ocean blue really caught my eyes, I decided to try these out.

As Miniel Skinlab is still very new, they currently only have 2 products - their Hydraque Boost Serum and Hydraque Gel Mask. The hydraque series is focused on fighting dehydrated skin and just so if you're wondering(because it is a local brand kan?), yes! both serum and gel mask are Halal Certified! I have been trying both of these products for about 3 weeks now so if you'd like to know more about these 2 products, do keep reading!