My first taste of entrepreneurship was in 2008. That was when I got back from Brisbane. It started off as a side income to pay for my car. I sold clothes online or better known as a blogshop.
It was new to us in KL. Initially, I started sourcing locally, the choice was rather limited. You had to have the eye for what’s going to be in fashion and also not sell the exact thing your competitors did. Though it might seem like a small hobby to some. I actually registered my blogshop and even had a legit company account. My earnings were really steady and clothes sold out super fast.
My dad noticed how well it did and invested in it. Off I went to Guangzhou to shop! Oh, boy, did I shop! I even quit my day job as I was so stressed and suffered acute gastric too.
However, I did go back to a 9-5 again while maintaining my blogshop. I then co-founded another business that was also online based that eventually turned into a fulltime gruelling offline job.
2011 was when I ditched the corporate life for good. A thing about being an entrepreneur that I must be honest with you is the pay. You will definitely take a pay cut when you start. Some months you’d get paid late. Some months you’d get paid less. Some months there won’t even be enough to pay yourself. Eventually, it will get better, but there will be some dry spells depending on the nature of your business.
Due to my financial standing as an entrepreneur, I decided to save where I could. The first thing that I cut off from my day to day spending was coffee. Coffee is a mad love of mine. Nowadays, it is a self-reward when I nailed a brief or score a new client. Some rare occasions it would be a pick me up on my shittier creative rut days.
The second thing that went down the drain was my blow-outs. The third was the facials. I now do home facials which can be an absolutely relaxing thing. But I’m guilty of slapping a mask own while working.
The fourth is my makeup products. Nope, I didn’t ditch makeup. I got real with it. What do I mean by that? Read on.
Bobbi Brown was the first brand that I emersed myself into. My mother brought me to the counter in Jusco which was located at One Utama. I was in such awe. I had never seen so many shades of brown/nude. It was an endless train of colours. They had lipsticks, eyeshadows, blushers and so much more! It was magical. For years I swore by them for my foundation, concealer, powder, eyebrow pencil, eyeliner and lipstick. My favourite look to achieve with Bobbi Brown would have to be the smokey eyes with nude lips.
In 2014, I discovered Rimmel London during my travels. It became my daily go to. I wore this on my day to day adventures and stuck to Bobbi Brown for special occasions. I wasn’t adventurous with makeup you see. Not only that, I had sensitive skin. So I was rather afraid of unwanted breakouts.
Despite that, I was a lil more adventurous with my lipstick. I mixed drugstore buys with high-end ones.
2018, is the year I finally opened up myself to local products. Local Malaysian products. #supportlocal!
I now use Lurelle Beauty foundation in Natural for my regular days. Especially if I’m in a rush. It is lightweight yet gives a medium coverage. No need to conceal my tired eyes! Just two pumps and I’m golden! Here’s a picture of me as proof.
I had minimal makeup on. Just foundation, eyebrow pencil, a lil blusher and a dash of lipmatte. The lipmatte is from MaryR BeautyWhat I love about Lurelle’s foundation is it’s water-based and wudhu friendly. Perfect for me who wants to pray when I’m out and about. It is also SPF35! Yup 35 ladies. Great for our scorching hot weather!
Another new found love is MaryR’s lipmattes. They come in six colours.
- Lily
- Dahlia
- Sakura
- Hydrangea
- Carnation
- Azalea
They contain Argan oil. Making it particularly great to moist the skin. I just hate chapped lips when I’m wearing lipstick. I’m currently in UK and it’s cold and dry. So this is my go to! My favourites would be Sakura and Carnation. I even took it on my recent trip to Krakow. It definitely helps add colour to my face in the negative cold weather.
If you are in the mood for some self-reward, try these brands for a change! I’m indeed more open to local brands. They are reasonable and good! If you know of any other makeup brands that I ought to try, do drop a comment. Would love to hear about it!
