Quarter Life Crisis, my story.



Today's story is going to be a different one. As one wise man said, change is inevitable and it is a rule of life. Let's spice things up by talking about me. Yes, me. The person hiding behind the screen, the author of this blog. 

By the time I post up this entry, I've just graduated with a degree in Chemistry and I am lost and confused with the infinite choices presented before me. I am sure the majority of us, alike me, have ever felt lost at least once in a lifetime. Some of us may experience it twice,thrice,etc. The young adults are more likely to suffer a syndrome known as "quarter life crisis" and I believe I am going through it now.


I've always loved Science subject no matter what level of education I was in. When I was in primary school, I was most excited when we learnt about planets,stars and galaxies. Although we didn't do any hands on, I still love learning facts about the states of matter and everything in between. During this period, every adults around me glorify the "high pay" job like doctors and engineers. Anything associated with it is favorable and praised by the elderly. Even my own parents encouraged me to become a doctor. So I tell myself, I want to be a doctor. I studied hard and luckily, I've earned a place in one of the most "prestigious" school in my country; a Science-based boarding school or known as Sekolah Berasrama Penuh (SBP).

Long story short, I've discovered that I don't want to be a doctor when I was 15~16 years old. I just knew it. I want to be something else but I didn't know what it is yet. I proceed with my foundation study (the local version of A-level/O-level). It was in this time that I've decided to pursue my higher education in Chemistry. I am not entirely crazy over it but it was the most appealing field compared to Biology,Physics and Mathematics.

Unfortunately, after spending 4 years of undergraduate studies, I still have not figured out what exactly I want to be.


Again, my parents pushed me to pursue Masters degree and I reluctantly agreed. My logic told me to continue my study while I'm still "lost" in hope that, I'll find my purpose during or by the end of it. At least, I am doing something rather than wasting time doing nothing. So here I am, doing OK but living a flat, unfulfilling life.

The problem is, I don't even know what I want. When I ask myself the typical find-your-purpose-questions, I can't answer it. The best I can do is writing down cliche answers like having flexible time, a job that travels, financial stability,doing business,etc. 

I feel lost amidst the countless opportunities presented upon me. I know it's a first world problem but I am terrified of the uncertainty that awaits me. I am so scared of failing, of disappointing people around me, of getting hurt somewhere along the journey. I've become  accustomed to the "normal" that my conscious and subconscious mind  refused to step out to the unknown.

I feel weak, unworthy and a loser.



Worse, people around me doesn't seem to show the symptoms of having this crisis. It's as if I am the only one experiencing it. Whenever I ask for advice, I've always gotten vague and unsatisfying answers.

"Oh you'll figure it out"

"So if you don't want to study, what do you want to do?"

"Don't worry,just follow the flow"

Not a single deep, thought provoking advice.


I don't know who else to turn to for piece of advice. I don't even know whether people will actually take time to read my lengthy post. But just by writing it, pouring my deepest conflict for the whole world to read is liberating. I feel slightly better now and I hope someone will find this helpful, that you are not alone in this imaginary battle created by our primal instinct to achieve success.

A'pieu Start Up Pore Primer

Bonjour unicorns!

A'pieu is a brand that always catch my attention whenever I browse Korean cosmetics online. The prices are cheap but they still give efforts on the packaging and performance of the products. Unfortunately A'pieu is unavailable in my country so the only way of purchasing are through online. I've got this primer along with the Etude House Foundation that I've reviewed before. 



This product received an approval from Get It Beauty by getting No.1 during the blind test for face primers. If you're not familiar, Get It Beauty is a Korean talk show that discussed beauty trends and health tips for women. The "blind test" is a regular series within the show where they let the audiences in the studio to test certain products without knowing the brand. Later on they will vote on which item they favor the most. 

The primers have variation depending on one's skin concern. There's 3 options which are aqua,pore and bright. Obviously,I've chosen the pore primer since my biggest issue is enlarged pores. 




The squeeze tube comes in a faux metallic grey color with blue accent at the front. Everything is in Korean except for the front body. I love the narrow oepning,it prevents the primer from squirting out and gives decent control for my desired amount.




I have no problem with white primer because it will end up invisible once blended on the skin. I noticed an ever so slightly scent that's similar to the Porefessional primer. If I were to describe it, it smells like a fresh cologne. 

The texture is somewhat like an emulsion,not quite solid or liquid. It's not silicon-ey at all. When I proceed to blend it out,it legit melts off due to the heat of my skin and blend like a moisturizer. Super light and watery. So weird but I like it.  


I don't notice any blurring effect.

When applied alone. I didn't see any of my pores got blurred. However when I use foundation on top of it,my skin become poreless! I also love the moisture it gives when I'm blending the primer. My makeup do lasts longer than normal even when I'm wearing a low key foundation like the Essence Pure Nude Makeup Foundation. It also doesn't clog my pores compared to my other face primers. I can see why the audiences were wooed by this primer. 

If A'pieu is available at your place,do yourself a favor and buy this primer (or any depending on your skin's concern) ;)

Essence Pure Nude Makeup Foundation Review,Swatches

Good morning (or evening)!

Today, I'm gonna review one of the most difficult item to find in my nearby drugstores; Essence Pure Nude Make-up Foundation. I have been hunting this and the Pure Nude highlights (that KathleenLights raved about) for a few months. It's sold out everywhere in KL :(

I've finally end my hunt and it's so worth it! 



The plastic bottle is identical to the Essence Stay All Day foundation. The color combination accentuate the "pure nude" concept which is satisfying to my eyes. There's nothing outstanding with the appearance but the large font "nude" will definitely make you look twice. I've reviewed the All About Matt! Foundation  and both packaging are 100% different.

The foundation claims;

  • natural finish
  • no makeup-up feel
  • contain moisturizing glycerin and vitamin E
  • suitable with all skin type
  • dermatologically tested




The consistency is really watery which makes sense since the first ingredients listed is aqua; water. At this point it acts more like a tinted moisturizer than foundation. I've picked up the lightest shade 10 pure beige and it matches my skin tone well. 



I've tried using two tools for application which is a damp sponge and a flat top foundation brush. It can't be distinguished from the picture but using the brush gives more coverage than the damp sponge. I personally like the latter.  The foundation itself is light to medium coverage and I do spot conceal my rosacea using the same foundation.

Regarding the claim, I personally agree with the first three. If you manage to match your skin tone with any of the available shades (sadly, there's only three shades available),it is a splendid foundation for "my skin but better" day. I love how natural it looks while feeling weightless on the skin.

At the end of the day, bits of foundation on my nose have already gone and the foundation does transfers when blotting with tissues. All is forgiven though since you can't beat the price tag. It's available at your nearby Watsons or Parkson shops.

Essence is a wallet friendly brand which offers decent quality makeups and this is why most Essence products are sold out in my area ;)

Etude House Double Lasting Foundation (Tan)

Hi unicorns!!

I just received this foundation in the mail yesterday. My friend went to South Korea and I've asked her favor to purchase a few makeups that's unvailable in Malaysia. One of it is the Etude House Double Lasting Foundation.

A lot of vloggers claimed it to be better than the Big Cover Concealer BB. So I'm truly excited to review this product. It costs 20,000 won which approximately RM70. 





The packaging is 100% different from Etude House's girly and cute concept. It reminds me a lot of the Banila Co. foundation that I've seen at my local Banila Co. counter. But I'm liking it! It comes in a frosted bottle with minimal decoration except for the color block fonts. It's sleek but slightly bulky and takes too much space. 

My shade is tan; the darkest shade. I'm glad they have expanded the shade range from three to five. I believe they are Fair, Vanilla, Beige, Sand and Tan. Although tan is definitely NOT dark enough, it's a tad fairer than my skin tone. However it does oxidize after a few hours, making it match my real skin tone. 


The pump is messy. It gets dirty easily and I have to constantly clean the stain. But the pump works wonderfully and its easy to control amount that I desire. 




The foundation has a thin, liquidy texture. From the swatch, I've expected it to have a low to medium coverage. It's also quite ashy when I first applied it. I was bummed out but the ashiness goes away after a few hours. I dislike the scent! It smells like headache inducing perfume from a cheap brand.
Thankfully it's gone as soon as I put it on my face.



Freshly applied

Applied with damp sponge (L) / applied with flat top foundation brush (R)


3-4 hours later

Look how beautifully it sits on my skin gawdddd 

I personally like it better when using the damp sponge. It gives more natural, skin-like finish but slightly low coverage. On the other hand, the brush gives more coverage, almost full. It looks ashy initially but it eventually oxidize. It's also wayyyyy less tacky than any Etude House BB creams. It's not fully matte but still it doesn't feel overly dewy, I say it has a velvet finish. 

I've never been a fan of Etude House's base makeup. It's ALWAYS too dewy for me. Even the "Cover and Bright Fit" that I've reviewed HERE is not as good as this one. This foundation is a GAME CHANGER.

I am wearing this foundation while writing this review. It's about 5-6 hours since I've first applied it. It doesn't feel oily or greasy but it does transfer when I lightly blot my skin with a tissue. The foundation around my nose has also fade moderately. 

Lovely foundation and I will absolutely use this foundation again soon. 

Essence All About Matt! Foundation 10 Matt Beige

Greetings unicorns!

I've recently purchased this foundation out of curiosity. Since I have an extremely oily skin, I figure this is a perfect match for me. I believe they have four color selection but only three were available on the rack. I picked up the lightest shade because "medium" is usually 1-2 shades darker than my skin tone (only applicable to Western makeups)

I wish they come out with more color because hello,the world ain't only about FOUR skin colors *roll eyes* Drugstore brands usually have limited color selection for base makeup,at least in my country.




The foundation come in a typical squeeze tube with standard amount of product; 30ml. I think the price is about RM20. Darn cheap! The foundation claims to be
  • oil-free
  • long lasting (12 hours)
  • moisturizing
  • covers imperfection without clogging the pores





The foundation spill into the cap because of its thin, watery consistency. It's tricky to control the product amount accordingly. Without squeezing,it didn't dispense fast enough but when I squeeze the tube,loads of it come out! Fortunately it didn't cake up even when I pile this up on the skin. phew.


The scent of this foundation reminds me of foods. I'm like "woaaa this smells like my childhood food". Funny but it smells like bubblegum?? I honestly love the scent of it. I can't stop sniffing when I was using this for the first time.

Left side - damp sponge / right side - flat top brush

First thing, it has zero coverage. The only thing it did was evening out my skin tone. My rosacea is very much visible after one layer and I've applied a second layer on my problematic area but the redness still peek through.

The good thing is that its weightless on the skin and it does has the "moisturizing" feel to it,strangely the finish is not dewy/shiny at all. It is a teeny tiny tacky so its not completely matte as it claim to be.

It lasts the whole day but my skin feels oily-er towards the end of the day. I didn't touch up at all and my contour and highlight are still visible. My blush is completely gone together with the foundation around my nose,the most oily part of my face.

I would definitely wear this on a daily basis. It's almost perform like a CC cream to me. I feel like I'm giving my skin a break while still wearing makeup. The color also match my skin tone perfectly. If you're a makeup beginner,this will be a good start if you're on a tight budget. 
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