Neutrogena Celebrates 60th Anniversary with Neuwomen

Posted on July 10, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

How often can you hang out with a beauty brand’s team to share your personal thoughts and experience? Neutrogena recently celebrated its 60th anniversary with a fun session of sharing and pampering among “Neuwomen”

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I’ve been converted back into being a Neutrogena fan a few months ago when I tried its Deep Clean Cleansing Lotion, Deep Clean BlackHead Eliminating Daily Scrub, Deep Hydrating Mask and Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock. I’ve known Neutrogena since I was in my teens, used their acne product and found it to be very effective. I guess with the tons of beauty brands in the market, I just lost touch with Neutrogena while going through my journey of testing different brands to suit my ‘aging’ concerns.

Beautiful wall mural at Neutrogena 60th Anniversary

It was happy news to be invited to Neutrogena’s 60th anniversary celebration. This private event was an opportunity for all “Neuwomen” (a term coined by the brand for Neutrogena users and fans like me) to share their experience with any of the products.

Host Joanne Kwan

The event started with lively greetings from lovely host, Joanne Kwan, who herself also shared personal skincare and beauty habits with the rest of us. It’s amazing how we, Neuwomen, found common ground with similar habits that we have, both right and wrong, when it comes to taking care of our skin, or at least trying to, haha!

Neutrogena brand manager, Grace Teoh

Neutrogena brand manager, Grace Teoh, talked more about each Neutrogena skincare range and what concern each one addresses. Grace encouraged us to share our experiences and feedback about the products that we have tried while she listened intently to what we had to say.

Cindy Teh conducting skincare pampering demo

Neutrogena had a guest speaker, Cindy Teh, a beauty specialist and makeup artist, who gave more advices and tips on how to properly use skincare products. Cindy also conducted a pampering demo where she showed best techniques step-by-step on taking care of the skin. To ensure the efficiency of the products we use, it is very important to apply each one in the right order and in the right way.

A lot of women nowadays want everything to be fast or 3-in-1 or even 7-in-1. But as Cindy reiterates, skincare is just like cooking a dish. You cannot dump all ingredients in the pot and expect it to the taste the way it should. It has to be done step by step and in the right order; otherwise, your dish wouldn’t taste right. With this, I totally agree. In the morning, I do skip some products because I’m in a hurry but I still use them step-by-step. At night, I apply my full range of 7 different items, which I religiously do as a routine. To be honest, I’m surprised when some people say that it takes too long to apply beauty products when in my 21 years of doing this (I started skincare at 13), it will only take between 10-15 minutes each time. Like Cindy, I also apply my products while watching TV at night; whatever show my son is watching. I’m a working mother so I have to manage my time in taking care of my almost-5-year-old son after work, study with him, do some house stuff, do my blog which involves taking photos — editing photos — writing an article, then spend time again with my son, get him to bed, wake up early to get him ready for school while I myself also get ready for work. But I still allot 5 minutes in the morning and 15 minutes at night for my skincare routine. I think that at this age and technology, it’s a matter of time management, or rather task management, that we all should learn. If we want to keep our skin healthy and youthful, we need to work on it, don’t we, ladies?

Neutrogena showcased their range of products during the event, including the range that I’m most intrigued about at the moment—AGELESS, Neutrogena’s Age-Fighting Solution.

Neutrogena Ageless Anti-Aging Skincare Range

I haven’t tried the Fine Fairness range yet but I’m excited to test the Brightening Serum and Brightening Cream once I finish my current whitening products. Hope these solve my dark spots (oh, sun, sun, why do you torment me so…)

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Neutrogena Fine Fairness for Brightening

All blue and looking cool, the Hydro Boost range provides optimum hydration to the skin. I’ve tried a sample of the Hydro Boost SPF30 and I loved it. It smells great and fresh, and it’s a non-sticky SPF.

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Neutrogena Hydro Boost for Skin Hydration

The Deep Clean range is best known for its cleansing efficacy, with different items that provide solution to every cleansing requirement, from makeup removal to blackhead elimination. I’ve tried several items from this range and each one is a great product that never fails to fulfill its promise of effective cleansing. I’ve tested the Deep Clean Cleansing Lotionbefore and it works great!

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Neutrogena Deep Clean Skincare Range

Another product that I raved about was the Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunblock. This is seriously a MUST-HAVE for ladies. It works great on the face and body, works great with makeup, doesn’t leave a white film, is not sticky and contains SPF50. What else can I ask for? Oh, I have 1 wish for this product: that it eventually comes in a flip top cap to save me time in the morning to unscrew and screw back.

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Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunblock

Neutrogena came up with a variant for those with sensitive skin called Ultra Sheer Pure-Mild. Love the all-white with silver accent packaging (yeah, yeah, I’m a sucker for good presentation huh).

Cindy also conducted a makeup demo session (yep, the ladies were all eyes and ears on this one) where she revealed artist tips and tricks. Did you know that you can make your lip color stay longer with tissue + foundation + re-application of lip color? After applying your first layer of lipstick, dab it with a tissue then apply powder foundation then reapply the lip color, and voila! It will stay longer.

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Cindy demonstrating makeup tricks for Neuwomen

There were other activities like nail pampering session, video testimonial taking, which allowed the ladies to enjoy that Saturday afternoon even more.

Held at CANVAS photography studio, Neutrogena’s 60^th Anniversary was a fun-filled session with fellow women who share similar skin and beauty concerns. I think that it’s really amazing of Neutrogena to ask for and listen to what consumers have to say about their products, whether good or not very good. I had a great time discovering skincare and makeup tips from experts, and I did enjoy sharing my thoughts with other women, too.

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Excited to try more Neutrogena products, especially AGELESS Eye Cream!

Although technology has come a long way and now has solutions that may provide immediate results, it still pays to take care of our skin on a daily routine basis. Like what Neutrogena says, Beauty Begins with Healthy Skin. So ladies, let’s all start on our journey to healthy skin. No shortcuts ya.

Thanks again to Neutrogena and to the gorgeous Neuwomen of our time.

ME (right) with Sui Ying

Get connected to Neutrogena Malaysia via Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/myneutrogena

Shizens Awards Prizes for Stand Firm Stay Firm Photography Contest

Posted on July 4, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

It was out of passion for photography and interest in the subject that I participated in this contest. And guess what? I was one of the lucky winners.

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Shizens Time Resistance Essence STAND FIRM STAY FIRM

In April, so that was around 3 months ago, Shizens proudly launched their Stand Firm Stay Firm photography campaign. The “Stand Firm Stay Firm” campaign aims to display the outer beauty of women while also revealing their inner strength, which serves as an encouragement for them to stand firm within our society. It was an online contest where customers and fans stood a chance to win prizes by expressing their creativity through photos that display inner strength and outer beauty.

Hundreds of people submitted entries for the campaign, both for mobile photography and photography enthusiasts. And in the end, 10 finalists were selected/voted from each category that vied for grand and consolation prizes. I was so happy when I learned that I was one of the 10 finalists under photography enthusiasts.

My entry for Shizens Stand Firm Stay Firm Contest

My entry was this photo of myself with my precious son. I had a great time taking this photo with him, as he was very participative and supportive of what I was asking him to do.

Shizens announced the final results early in June and I was one of them! My photo landed as First Runner Up. Wee!

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Winners were invited for a prize-awarding session last weekend. Held at Shizens flagship store in Level 6 of Pavilion Kuala Lumpur, the awarding of prizes included photo ops with Shizens brand manager and time for us to explore skincare and cosmetics at the store.

Shizens Flagship Store at Pavilion KL

So what did I get as the First Runner Up?

RM1,000 cash prize as shown on the mock certificate above
RM800 cash voucher from Shizens
RM500 cash voucher from Flissco photo studio

The first thing I did was splurge on Shizens products, of course! I had RM800 to spend and I was more than happy to pick my choices. Well, I’m already in love with some of their products so I knew what to pick. And here’s my Shizens haul:

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My Shizens picks that day!

Natural Pore Nutrient Pore Foundation 12g RM228

Hydro lotion 100ml RM188

Silky Renewal Gel 50ml RM138

Replenish Nutrient Expert 30g RM380

Shizens Natural Pore Nutrient Foundation RM228 (around USD71)

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I was very much intrigued by the foundation and I was more than happy to finally get a chance to test it. The name is very interesting and that white swirl of moisturizing nutrient visible on the foundation really makes it eye catchy. Must try!

Thanks once again to Shizens and to my friends and families who supported my son and me.

Shizens Photography Contest – GRAND PRIZE Winner

Congratulations to all the winners, especially to the grand prizewinner, Abam Mizie, who captured an amazing expression that truly represents the aim of this campaign. Great job!

Philips and Disney Work Together To Light Children’s Imagination

Posted on July 2, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

Philips announces new Philips and Disney Product Line in Malaysia. Children can discover a whole new world of inspiration, enchantment and magic through light.

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Philips Disney SoftPal Mickey – it’s a HUGGABLE LAMP!

My son is turning 5 years old in November and my next challenge is to train him how to sleep alone in his own bedroom. To be very honest, it worries me. First, how do I get him to even lie down on a bed outside our current bedroom? Second, what if he wakes up at night and discovers that I’m not at his side? Will he cry? Will he panic? How can I get him to feel comfortable being alone?

My first thought was to make his room themed to his favorite cartoon characters so he’d be more comfortable to be inside it. Maybe use a bed sheet and pillowcases with Disney’s Lightning McQueen. I’m even thinking of getting him a bed shaped like a racing car. But I haven’t thought of lighting yet. It’s amazing to discover how these small elements in a child’s room can make so much difference to their comfort and well being.

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Royal Philips, a global leader in lighting, announces its partnership with family entertainment giant Disney to develop a range of inspiring, magical, and playfullighting products for children, parents, and everyone young-at-heart. Philips and Disney lighting, available in Malaysia, combines Philips’ groundbreaking innovation in lighting with the magic of Disney characters and storytelling to transform a child’s bedroom into a more creative place for bedtime stories and a restful environment for a good night’s sleep. I’ve already developed a nightly routine of reading stories to my son before he sleeps and it’s important for me to keep this habit of learning and imagination.

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My first visit to Hamleys in One Utama

The launch – held at the Malaysian branch of Hamleys in the new wing of One Utama, saw 15 children aged from 4 to 9 years embarking on fun activities such as a mini race to look for Philips and Disney lighting products. They were also given pillows to build their own pillow fortressas part of engagement activities to encourage them to use their imagination. PILLOW FORTRESS?I didn’t even know there was a term for that play stuff where kids create a “house” or “dungeon” using their pillows. Wow, I learned something new.

As an (ex) interior designer, I have learned that lighting plays a significant role in creating the ambience of a room and it affects the people who dwell in it. Studies show that lighting has a strong impact on an individual’s mood, and the right lighting can help everyone, from children to adults, fall asleep and wake more naturally so that they can concentrate, perform tasks better, and simply feel happier during their waking hours. Philips and Disney Lighting is designed with children in mind, in order to provide the best lighting for their bedrooms. Whether parents need help encouraging their children to sleep or wake, Philips and Disney’s range of compact, portable lighting products can help.

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Philips Disney SoftPal Mike at RM199

The most interesting Philips and Disney product that I’ve seen that day was the SoftPals. These soft, nighttime companions introduce just enough light to chase away the bumps in the night, without interrupting children’s natural sleep patterns. It’s an adorable soft lamp that our kids can hug and play with! Isn’t that amazing? I’ve never heard of something like it. Philips and Disney have truly done an innovative invention.

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Philips Disney SoftPals Mickey and Minnie (RM199 each)

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Philips Disney SoftPals Sulley and Mike (RM199 each)

Philips Disney LED Night Light (left – RM73) and

LED Projection Lamp (right – RM104)

During playtime, magical make-believe is brought to life with the new LivingColors Mickey & Minnie, which feature vibrant lighting displays to create spectacular, imaginary worlds. The entire range of products offers imaginative and fun lighting to make bedtime a joy for children and parents alike.

Philips General Manager, Adrine Ong, with SoftPals

“As likeminded companies, Philips and Disney are committed to enhancing wellbeing and overall happiness,” says Adrine Ong, General Manager for Philips Lighting Malaysia. “This starts in the home, by creating a comfortable and engaging environment for our children. Designed with children in mind, the Philips and Disney lighting products transform the bedroom into a magical world. Philips is excited to bring these products to Malaysia and give new meaning to children’s bedtime.”

The product range is equipped with child-friendly features like the Smart Philips LED bulbs designed to last for years and stay cool to the touch to protect little fingers. Each product is also meticulously designed with child safety in mind. There are no small parts or sharp edges, and cables can be safely tucked away using the velcro binders.

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Child-friendly, safe, easy-to-use lighting

“These child-friendly, safe, and easy-to-useproducts will provide endless inspiration for Malaysian children’s imaginations and create the perfect environment for night or day,” Adrine adds. “Through this partnership between two known and trusted companies, Philips and Disney Lighting will create wonderful family memories for every home.”

Where to buy:

The full range of Philips and Disney lighting products will be available in branded retail outlets, department stores, specialty stores, and hypermarkets in Malaysia immediately. For further information, visit http://philips.com.my, or join the Philips Lighting Facebook Page at www.facebook.com/PhilipsLightingMalaysia.

GOOD NEWS for parents and children!

Philips is running the Pillow Fortress Facebook Contest

From 30 June to 30 July 2014

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Fans of Disney and Philips lighting stand a chance of winning the latest Disney SoftPals and LivingColors lighting by participating in the Philips Pillow Fortress Facebook Contest.

There will be 10 winners for this contest and two top winners will bring home the Philips and Disney Lighting products in the form of classic Minnie, Mickey or Monster’s Inc. stars Sulley or Mike characters. More details can be found www.facebook.com/PhilipsLightingMalaysia.

How to Join:

To enter the Facebook contest, participants must upload an image of their pillow fortress creation to the Phillips Pillow Fortress Contest Facebook App.
The pillow fortresses can be made of pillows, bolsters and other soft bedding furnishings. Structures constructed from wood or metal are not eligible.
Submissions must be an original photo, drawing or any other static visual form of their own pillow fortress creations.
Photos, which copy other participants, will be disqualified.
The entries must be uploaded as a contest entry on the Philips Pillow Fortress Contest tab on the Philips Lighting Malaysia Facebook page only.
All participants must also complete and submit their details as requested by the contest app, along with a caption of their entry.

Participants are encouraged to share their entries with their friends and fans via Facebook to garner votes for their entries. The votes will contribute 30% to each participant’s evaluation during the judging stage while 70% will be based on judging of the entries by the Philips’ team.

So BUILD AWAY, parents and kids! Share your pillow fortress moments with Philips and with your friends!

Magical moment with kids and Philips Disney lighting

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Me with Adrine Ong of Philips

About Royal Philips:

Royal Philips (NYSE: PHG, AEX: PHIA) is a diversified health and well-being company, focused on improving people’s lives through meaningful innovation in the areas of Healthcare, Consumer Lifestyle and Lighting. Headquartered in the Netherlands, Philips posted 2013 sales of EUR 23.3 billion and employs approximately 112,000 employees with sales and services in more than 100 countries. The company is a leader in cardiac care, acute care and home healthcare, energy efficient lighting solutions and new lighting applications, as well as male shaving and grooming and oral healthcare. News from Philips is located at www.philips.com/newscenter.

Watsons is in RAYA NI MESTI KAHWIN Drama this Raya Season

Posted on June 28, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

Leading retail brand launches its Raya Mega Sale to make this year’s Raya a memorable one

Watsons Raya Mega Sale

Watsons Malaysia once again embarks on a special Hari Raya campaign in conjunction with the Malaysia Mega Sale. The leading health and beauty retail brand has collaborated with Media Prima, TV3 on their exclusive Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin drama series as part of the campaign.

Thecampaign encourages Malaysians to watch the drama Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin at TV3, shop at Watsons’ outlets and get a chance to meet the lead casts – Nina Iskandar, Amar Asyraf and Azlee Khairi as well as win exciting prizes. In addition, Watsons has initiated Raya Mega Sale from 24^th June – 6^th August with discount up to 50% to help customer look good, feel greatthis Raya.

The main casts of ‘Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin’ drama – Azlee Khairi, Nina Iskandar & Amar Asyraf together with Jessica Ng in a chit chat session with Danny Hoh, Marketing Controller of Watsons Malaysia

Speaking during the Chit Chat session at the launch event, Marketing and Development Director of Watsons Malaysia, Jessica Ng said, “In every year that we have initiated Watsons Raya campaigns, we have received overwhelming response. Last year when we launched Azam Raya Bersama Watsons with Faizal Tahir, we composed a special Raya song which hit more than 130,000 views in less than a month. Knowing our customers truly appreciate the value-added services we provide, this year we are emphasising on an experience to offer and connect Malaysians in this joyful Hari Raya celebration with Watsons. We believe this campaign will make Hari Raya for many Malaysians a very memorable one.”

Here’s GOOD NEWS for Watsons Shoppers!

First 1,000 customers who RSVP, with spend of RM80 or more between 24th June – 6th August, will get a chance to meet and shop with casts of Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin at 3 selected stores!

During the meet and greet, 3 lucky winners each store will win RM200 shopping voucher to shop with the casts.

FACEBOOK and INSTAGRAM Contest

There will also be a digital contest aptly titled #watsonssiapanakkahwinon Facebook and Instagram, where One (1) grand prize winner will win a 3D2N stay at Holiday Villa Cherating and beauty packages for 2 by posting their couple photo to Watsons Malaysia Facebook or Instagram with the #watsonssiapanakkahwin.

At the launch event, lead actors of Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin Nina Iskandar, Amar Asyraf and Azlee Khairi were present to share their involvement in this exciting campaign with Watsons.

“Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin, has a fascinating story line that will surely interest our fans. I’m playing the lead role as Nana who is in dilemma when both of her housemates are engaged and set to be married three weeks after Raya. So Nana makes a promise to herself to find the man of her life and get married this Raya. The suspense of the story is as we reveal who Nana falls in love with in her journey of finding true love,” expressed Nina. The first episode of the drama series will be aired on TV3, this Sunday, 29 June at 9.30pm.

Signing Ceremony by main casts of ‘Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin’ TV dramaL-R: Jessica Ng, Marketing and Development Director of Watsons Malaysia; Caryn Loh, General Manager – Trading of Watsons Malaysia, Nina Iskandar, Azlee Khairi, Amar Asyraf, Kulvinder Birring, Managing Director of Watsons Malaysia and Indonesia and Danny Hoh, Marketing Controller of Watsons Malaysia

To raise awareness about the campaign, Watsons has designed Four (4) one-minute capsules in between the drama which will run throughout the drama period on TV3. The capsules incorporate beauty, skincare, health & personal care for both men and women and will include important elements to Look Good, Feel Great during Hari Raya.

“We wanted to develop a meaningful partnership and dedicate a campaign for our customers and with Raya Ni Mesti Kahwin,we have seen the opportunity through which we all can relate to our customers especially during festive gathering be it with friends or family whereby the question ‘Bila akan kahwin?’ is unavoidable. We believe viewers will be eager to know how to conquer this phrase and find out what happened at the end” added Jessica.

Watsons Malaysia’s Managing Director, Kulvinder Birring, GM – Trading, Caryn Loh and Marketing Controller, Danny Hoh joined Jessica and the casts Nina Iskandar, Amar Asyraf and Azlee Khairi on stage for the campaign poster signing ceremony.

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Part of participating brands of Watsons Raya Mega Sale together with Kulvinder Birring and Caryn Loh

On top of that, customers who purchase RM30 and above at Watsons will receive exclusive Raya packets for free. The participating brands for the campaign include Blackmores, Brand’s Innershine, Colgate, Dove, Enchanteur, Garnier Men, Garnier, Gatsby, Gilette, Johnson’s Baby, Himalaya, In2it, KATE Tokyo, Lipice, Maybelline, Nano White, Neutrogena, Nivea, Nur Kasih, Olay, Orang Kampung, Salonpas, Safi, Scott’s, Sendayu Tinggi, Silky Girl, Simplysiti, Syahirah, Vaseline and ZA.

For more information about Watsons Mega Raya Sale, visit Watsons Facebook www.facebook.com/watsonsmalaysia / Watsons official website www.watsons.com.my. Don’t forget to ‘Like’ their facebook page!

ABOUT WATSONS

A.S. Watson Group is the largest international health & beauty retailer in Asia and Europe, with over 10,700 retail stores in 25 markets. The Group has a diverse portfolio of market leading retail brands offering everything from health & beauty, food, electronics, wine to perfumes. With over 100,000 employees, the Group is also a member of the world renowned multinational conglomerate Hutchison Whampoa Limited, which has six core businesses – ports and related services, property and hotels, retail, infrastructure, energy and telecommunications in 52 countries.

Watsons Malaysia currently operates at 305 Watsons stores in the country serving more than 3 million customers per month.

Watsons continually sets the standards in the health, wellness and beauty market, providing personalized advice and counseling in health, beauty and personal care on top of its market-leading product range, making customers LOOK GOOD, FEEL GREAT every day. Since 2009, Watsons has been the No.1 pharmacy/drugstore brand in Asia*.

Watsons is the flagship health and beauty brand of A.S. Watson Group.

*Campaign Asia-Pacific’s “Asia’s Top 1,000 Brands” Survey 2012 of over 5,000 Asian respondents

4 Expert Tips to Prevent Facebook Account Theft

Posted on June 22, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

Have you or some of your friends experienced account theft or “hacking” from social media accounts? Kaspersky shares some expert advice to protect yourself from cybercrime

I guess a lot of us have encountered shout outs from our friends or relatives saying their account have been hacked and that they only have 1 account. I do recall wondering why some of my existing Facebook friends would suddenly send me another friend request when we already are connected. I still receive this once in a while and due to the increasing cybercrime nowadays, to double check that I’m really connecting with the right person, I send a message to the original friend account asking if it’s him or her asking for the 2^nd connection. Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.

Statistics released in May of last year show that the amount of Facebook users in Malaysia amount to 13.3 million, equivalent to 45.5 per cent of the Malaysian population at that time, which ranked Malaysia as 8th in Asia and 21st in the world. Facebook users now transcend age and it is important that we are all made aware of the dangers of not being alert when using Facebook.

Facebook remains the preferred target for cybercriminals who specialize in stealing social network accounts: according to Kaspersky Lab’s statistics, in Q1 2014 fake sites imitating Facebook accounted for 10.85% of all instances when the heuristic anti-phishing component was triggered. Only fake Yahoo pages sparked more phishing alerts, leaving Facebook the prime target among social networking sites.

Today’s Facebook fakery is a global business, with cybercriminals attacking the site in a variety of languages: English, French, German, Portuguese, Italian, Turkish, Arabic and others.  

Unauthorized access to accounts in Facebook or any other social network can be used to spread phishing links or malware. Cybercriminals also use stolen accounts to send spam to the victims’ contact lists and publish spam on their friends’ walls where it can be seen by other users, or to spread messages asking their friends to send urgent financial assistance. Hijacked accounts can also be used to collect information on individuals for use in future targeted attacks.

Smartphone or tablet owners who visit social networks from their mobile devices are also at risk of having their personal data stolen. To make matters worse, some mobile browsers hide the address bar while opening the page, which makes it much more difficult for users to spot fake resources.

“Cybercriminals have developed a number of ways to entice their victims to pages with phishing content. They send links to phishing web pages via email or within social networks or in banners placed on third-party resources. Fraudsters often lure their victims by promising them ‘interesting content’. When users follow the link provided, they land on a fake login page that contains a standard message asking them to log in before viewing the page. If users don’t become suspicious and enter their credentials, their data will immediately be dispatched to cybercriminals,” said Nadezhda Demidova, Web Content Analyst, Kaspersky Lab.

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4 Expert advice to prevent account theft

If you receive an email notification from Facebook or a message that your account may be blocked, never enter your credentials in a form attached to that message. Facebook never asks users to enter their password in an email or to send a password via email.
Place the cursor on the link and check if it leads to the official Facebook page. Moreover, you should manually type the Facebook URL into the address bar – cybercriminals are capable of concealing the addresses to which they are leading you.
When you have manually entered the URL in the address bar, check it again after the page has loaded to make sure it has not been spoofed.
Remember that Facebook uses the HTTPS protocol to transmit data (check your URL bar, it should say https://to know that you’re in a secured site). The absence of a secure connection probably means that you are visiting a fraudulent site even if the URL address seems to be correct.

More information can be found at securelist.com.

About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 16-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more at www.kaspersky.com.

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2012. The rating was published in the IDC report “Worldwide Endpoint Security 2013–2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares (IDC #242618, August 2013). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2012.

Fashion Shopping at Duriana Sale Event

Posted on June 15, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

Isn’t it a great idea to have a marketplace where you can sell pre-loved items?

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Duriana successfully held its first fashion-focused Market in the Skies yesterday at the rooftop of La Scala Restaurant. Thanks to Duriana for inviting me (including my naughty son) to check out this sale event.

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There were a lot of things to check out. Each vendor had a booth or tent where they displayed different types of merchandise ranging from dresses, shorts, skirts, pants, blouses, shoes and accessories to beauty products and cookies! Exciting collection and fashion items, indeed! And the best part of it, prices even start as low as RM6 for an item. Can you believe that?

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I didn’t have much time to go around as my son kept nagging me to go to KLCC (well, he saw the twin towers on our way to La Scala and I also promised him that I’ll take him there). We had some juices from the bar then walked around Duriana’s sale event.

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I want to thank the gorgeous lady of HMEHGERDwho sweetly gave this pumpkin deco item to my son. She noticed that my son was nagging me for it even when I told him that it’s not for sale. Thank you, gorgeous lady. Sorry, I missed your name.

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Thanks to HMEHGERD for this pumpkin item

HMEHGERD was selling a lot of beautiful items, and I liked this ultra shiny pouch (is it a pouch, mini purse, phone wallet? Whatever, haha). It was available in 3 colors and I asked my son to pick; he chose the red one. Did I say that it was only RM19?

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Red shiny POSH mini purse at only RM19

More booths were selling very nice accessories at low, low price of RM10. Look at all these!

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Accessories at RM10

Mad Treats was selling cookies while allowing you to try them first. My son was a bit shy but I knew he was eyeing the cookies so I bought a pack of “Chris Breezy” for only RM6.

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Yummy cookies at only RM6 with FREE tasting

Check out this adorable box by The Kooky Project. I thought it was for pizza because it was displayed together with Mad Treats cookies but upon asking, I discovered that this was actually for clothes. Creative huh? With this box, your dresses won’t be overly crumpled vs a bag!

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The Kooky Project box for clothes

FH Club display of accessories and cosmetics

FH Clubwas selling a lot of fashion items including beauty and cosmetics stuff. They had necklaces, earrings, bracelets, wristlets, including face masks, hand and body lotions, mascara, CC cream and eye shadow!

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My son’s pick for the shopping day – Blue Bird lotion at RM22 from FH Club

My son did the shopping for me. He picked this blue bird with lotion inside. His target was the cute blue bird container.

I’m sure the other guests had a good time checking out the Duriana fashion sale event. There are pretty things to buy at very low prices.

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I think it’s a clever idea to have this kind of social market place. A lot of women, like me, love to shop and sometimes we end up not actually using them and it’s such a waste. Why not sell them instead of letting these things get old? Check out Duriana online and learn how you can make money from your pre-loved stuff! Or if you don’t want to sell anything, check out what pre-loved items you can buy online via Duriana!

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Me at Duriana Shopping Event in La Scala, KL

Here is my small loot yesterday. Gotta love those brand new red shiny Posh pouch, lotion and cute pumpkin.

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ABOUT DURIANA

Duriana is a new mobile-first, peer-to-peer marketplace app available in Malaysia and Singapore. Unlike existing classified e-commerce systems such as Mudah and Lelong, Duriana positions itself as a social selling app, which merges the functions of Instagram and eBay. Duriana allows you to discover a world of amazing products for sale – from your friends & neighbors, trendy blogshops or cool local shops you have yet to discover. The app is available for download on iPhone, iPad and Android systems at http://www.duriana.com/.

Find out how you can sell your pre-loved items through Malaysia’s biggest online marketplace via http://www.duriana.com/

Stay connected to Duriana through their FB page at:

http://www.facebook.com/durianamalaysia

Lego Shop and Model Display in Bangsar Village

Posted on June 13, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

At this age, I am still fascinated by Lego bricks. And I’m happy to see that my son shares the same adoration for these tiny pieces of genius.

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LEGO Shop now open at Lot 29, 2nd Floor, Bangsar Village II

Last weekend, my-in-laws, my husband, my son and I went strolling around Bangsar Village for a fun Sunday. We don’t regularly come to this area, my husband’s place of business is mainly at The Curve so my son and I would sometimes join him on a Saturday afternoon. So I was surprised to learn that a Lego shop is now open in Bangsar Village.

What grabbed my son’s attention from outside the mall was the huge poster or ad wrapping the exterior of the bridge connecting Bangsar Village I and II. Expectedly, my son kept asking to see Lego while we were looking for a parking space. And so we walked to Bangsar Village II, guess what we saw at Level 1?

A display wonderland of Lego city models!

There’s a city model display called LEGO friends where you’ll see beautiful structures for girls.

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LEGO Friends Sunshine Harvest model at RM89.90

LEGO Friends Heartlake Juice Bar model at RM149.90

And then there are displays that will be appreciated by mostly boys and boys-at-heart…

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The LEGO day for my son won’t be complete if he doesn’t see the shop. We went to the 2^nd floor to find the newly opened LEGO shop, here with several old and young shoppers. It was shining brightly and twinkling in the eyes of my naughty son.

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The LEGO shop has a lot of themed merchandise such as Legends of Chima, Star Wars, Lord of the Rings and stuff for girls (sorry, I was paying more attention to boys stuff). You can even find LEGO figures of Iron Man, Spiderman, Darth Vader and more.

Well, my feeling was right that LEGO is not just for kids. I’m sure that artists, designers and art lovers would agree with me that these models are very tempting to buy: the LEGO Architecture models. Look, it even has the Empire State building model.

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LEGO Architecture Empire State Building and Willis Tower at RM99.90 each

The naughty boy got what he wanted and was all-smiles after his daddy got him some LEGO toys.

This LEGO shop is located at Level 2 in Bangsar Village II, Jalan Telawi 1, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur, Wilayah Persekutuan Kuala Lumpur.

The LEGO model display is located at Level 1. For more info, visit http://www.bangsarvillage.com

Stay connected to LEGO through their FB page at:

http://www.facebook.com/LEGO

To find out more about LEGO, visit them at:

http://www.LEGO.com

Wine Tasting Event for Wine Club Members

Posted on June 10, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

It is always delightful to meet and greet fellow wine lovers. Last month, Wine Talk gave its Wine Club members an afternoon of wine tasting at Bricks & Barrels Hartamas.

Wine Talk, online wine delivery service in Malaysia, celebrated its passion for great wines together with its Wine Club members in May, at the famous Bricks and Barrels Beer Garden in Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur.

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(photos courtesy of Wine Talk)

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Wine Club guests flanked by Wine Club ambassadors

A wine afternoon like this won’t be complete without Wine Talk’s French sommelier, David Stephan, who served 6 different delicious wines. The guests experienced premium service from David as he personally filled wine glasses with white, rosé and red wines fresh from Wine Talk’s exclusive wine collection. The French wine expert personally handpicks all the wines that are available for ordering online via www.winetalk.com.my

David Stephan greeting Wine Club members

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Gorgeous guests at the Wine Club event, photo bombed by David Stephan

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David Stephan serving delicious wines to guests

The event was closed to Wine Talk’s Wine Club members and friends. During that afternoon, the members did not just enjoy wines but were also treated to delicious canapés and finger food from Bricks and Barrels.

What made that afternoon even more fun and exciting for the members was the lucky draw where David gave away bottles of wine, crystal decanters, crystal wine glasses and a grand prize of Pascal Jolivet magnum size wine bottle! (FYI, a magnum size wine bottle is equivalent to 2 x standard size 750ml wine bottle)

wine talk gave away prizes to wine club guests

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The Wine Club members had a great time sampling wines while hanging out with friends, fellow members, Wine Club ambassadors and David. The afternoon was filled with laughter and good cheers, just like how a wine tasting should be.

With special thanks to Uber, Wine Club members who chose not to drive to the venue were transported by Uber’s premier private drivers. They enjoyed hassle-free traveling within KL and a worry-free, pleasurable time at Wine Talk’s wine tasting event.

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So the question is, what is the Wine Club and how do wine lovers join the Wine Club? The Wine Club is an easy and pleasurable way to enjoy wines where David personally handpicks wines for you and sends them to your preferred delivery address on a monthly or bi-monthly basis. With the Wine Club, you discover more and taste more wines from around the world that you might not have tried if you were picking them from a shop.

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There are 4 ways to join:

Sign up online via www.winetalk.com.my/wineclub where you will choose the quantity, frequency and type of wines that you like.
Call 1300889788 to speak to a Wine Club ambassador and state your preferences.
Arrange for a personal wine tasting session where a Wine Club ambassador can share more details with you, click HERE
When you visit La Bodega or The Pressroom, you can grab a Wine Club booklet, fill-up the form and fax/email to Wine Talk

And that’s it! David will start sending you a personalized selection of wines based on your preference. So far, I’ve been enjoying selections of white wines that I’ve never heard of before. If you want to learn more about wines, I agree that the only way is to keep tasting more! And as David says, “Life is too great to drink bad wines!”

Visit http://www.winetalk.com.myor call 1300 88 97 88 for more details and wine selections.

Stay up-to-date with Wine Talk via their Facebook page at: http://www.facebook.com/winetalkmalaysia

You can also enjoy RM50 OFF by using my special code – BLOG50CC – valid for purchase of RM300 on normal-priced wines at Wine Talk. Simply key-in the code upon checkout to redeem discount.

World Cup 2014: Tips for Using ATMs and Avoiding Credit Card Cloning

Posted on June 4, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

Are you traveling to Brazil for the World Cup? Kaspersky Lab shares some tips to avoid ‘card mishaps’ while overseas

If you’ve purchased a ticket to Brazil for the World Cup or even for a holiday, this is definitely something that you should be aware of. Besides, even if you have no immediate plans to go there, most of these tips are applicable even in Malaysia or other countries. After all, better safe than sorry!

If you still haven’t decided how you plan to pay your bills while you’re in Brazil – cash or credit card – it is high time to do so. Kaspersky Lab warns that Brazil has some of the most creative and active criminals specializing in credit card cloning. And, unfortunately, they love to target foreigners who don’t know how to protect their cards when withdrawing money from an ATM or paying for their drinks in a restaurant. But our experts have some useful tips to protect against the most common attacks on ATMs and point of sales (PoS) devices in Brazil.

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Avoiding credit card cloning

PoS devices are very common in Brazil – according tothe Brazilian Central Bank, credit and debit cards account for 70% of all payments in the country. Chip-and-PIN cards are accepted by almost all businesses, even by cab drivers.

Tips: despite some recent newsabout security flaws in this protocol, chip-and-PIN cards are still more secure and harder to clone than magnetic swipe cards. If you don’t already have this type of card, ask your bank if it’s possible to get one before you travel.

In Europe and North America, many people are in the habit of handing over their cards to staff in restaurants and stores. In Brazil, this can be dangerous.

Tips: please don’t do this – you’re presenting fraudsters with a golden opportunity to clone the card, and the temptation is inevitably too strong to resist. Ask the staff to bring the electronic payment terminal to you.

Be careful of chance encounters or accidents which might take your card out of reach for a moment. If it happens, check that the card you get back is really yours. If you have any doubts, report it immediately to the bank.

PoS and PIN-pad malware

So-called Chupa Cabra malware and Trojan-Spy.Win32.SPSniffer, a malware family with several variants developed in Brazil and seen in the wild since 2010, affects PoS and PIN-pad devices, both of which are very common in the country. These devices are connected to a computer via a USB or serial port to communicate with electronic funds transfer (EFT) software. The Trojan infects the computer and sniffs the data transmitted through these ports.

The PIN is encrypted as soon as it is entered, most commonly using triple DES encryption. But Track 1 data (credit card number, expiration date, service code and CVV) and the public chip data aren’t encrypted in the hardware of old and outdated devices. These are sent in plain text to the PC via USB or serial ports. Capturing this data is enough to clone a credit card.

· Please keep a close eye on your credit card statement to check all transactions and inform your bank immediately if you see something suspicious.

· Wherever possible try to pay using a wireless PoSdevice – they are a bit more secure than the older ones connected to serial or USB ports.

Using ATMs in Brazil

Brazil has 118 ATMs per 100,000 adults according to the World Bank, placing it ninth in the world in terms of ATM numbers. This presents lots of opportunities for fraudsters to install skimmers, also known as “Chupa Cabra” devices.

· Tips: use your hand to cover the keypad while you enter your PIN, it is a great way to foil most skimmers, which tend to rely on hidden cameras.

· If you see something that doesn’t look right, notify the bank or owner of the machine, and go somewhere else to withdraw your cash.

“Be cautious while using ATMs or paying with your credit card. Don’t forget that cybercriminals in Brazil perform their malicious schemes all the time. Even during the day you can see them hanging out, wearing flip-flops and beachwear while installing skimmers in a crowded bank. Also remember that it’s far more secure if your transactions happen right in front of you. Be careful of chance encounters or accidents, which might take your card out of reach for a moment. If that happens, check that the card you get back is really yours. If you have any doubts, immediately report the incident to the bank,” said Fabio Assolini, Senior Security Researcher with Kaspersky Lab’s Global Research & Analysis Team.

More information can be found at securelist.com.

So to everyone, whether you’re going to Brazil or anywhere, be cautious of how you use your ATM and credit cards. Happy shopping!

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About Kaspersky Lab

Kiehl’s Fun in the Sun with The Butterfly Project

Posted on June 2, 2014 by CelesteDeJesus

I’m terrified of the sun, kinda like in a vampire way, but to celebrate a fun day with fellow beauty bloggers with this brand, I think I will conquer my fear…

I just celebrated my XXth birthday today! I can’t believe I’m a year older. Although I’m happy and thankful with all the blessings I have in my life, I can’t deny that my skin now needs even more extra care as I age. Do you know that your skin tends to hold or retain less moisture as you get older? Do you know that environmental factors like the sun and the air can contribute to skin moisture loss? And the less moisture your skin has, there’s higher risk of premature aging? (agh, panic!)

Why do I need 24-hour no-shine fresh hydration?

Every woman needs continuous hydration throughout the day and everyday. I work in an air-conditioned office, that’s five days x 8 hours where my skin’s moisture can decline continuously. I tend to have oily combination skin so I don’t really like thick, oily moisturizers. I need a moisturizer that ensures hydration WITHOUT giving me shiny areas on the face as the day wears on.

What do I love about Kiehl’s?

I first fell in love with Kiehl’s when I tried the Blue Herbal skincare range several years back. It worked really good in addressing my pimples and acne blemishes. Kiehl’s has been around for more than a hundred years and continues to make revolutionary and scientific cosmetics. Kiehl’s is also very committed in creating better lives for the society. I have respect for this brand because of their clinical approach, and their passion and commitment to what they do.

I’m excited to learn that The Butterfly Project has a campaign this month in association with Kiehl’s! Wouldn’t it be nice to have a fun morning with fellow beauty bloggers who love Kiehl’s while sipping ice cool drinks and trying out the new Ultra Facial Oil-Free Gel Cream?

I want to join The Butterfly Project team this weekend to celebrate Fun in the Sun with Kiehl’s! I hope I’m not too old for it…and I’m sure we don’t need to wear 2-piece beach outfits to feel the fun of summer!