Most shocking semester in my life

I feared for my life and I survived. I thank God and I thank all my friends who helped me get these results. 5.0?! The idea still has not sunk in and when I told my mom, she said, "5.0 means what? good or not? not good don't tell me".

I grew up with this pressure and for once my mom said, "wow" to me. :')

Kengyang also did well because he pulled his cgpa by a whole lot! :) I believe writing our wishes on the floating balls at Esplanade contributed too.

Now to get A+ for FYP and to work my ass off to go to Japan in May with Chay (and hopefully Ong also)!

Watsons Members Sale (27/12/2012) Haul

I woke up and dashed to Bukit Panjang Plaza for the Watsons Members Sale today! Didn't even apply my war paint, just specs and bare face. 

Watsons Members Sales are always a must-go for me because I can then stock up on my necessities but at lower prices! 

This time, the sale was also quite good, with quite a few of cosmetic bundles - my favourite because I get to try many products for S$9.90 per bundle. 

Here is what I bought! Other than the two cosmetic bundles which were S$9.90 each, the rest were going at 30% off their retail prices! I bought the Fisherman's Friend (S$1.60) to top up my entire purchase to S$50 so that I can get more points for my card. Heehee. In total I spent $51! 

Kate Cosmetics bundle includes an eyeshadow palette and a double-ended eye pencil.

ZA Cosmetics bundle contains a lipstick, a mirror, an eye & lip makeup remover and an eyeshadow palette.

I spent more than S$30 and I was the first 100 in the store, hence I was entitled to redeem a free goodie bag! Yay Watsons! :)

LOL at this TVXQ mug.

I just took photos of all the cosmetic products and I can't wait to do product reviews! Hoorah Watsons! :)

Benefit event + Benefit Goodie Bag + A little bit of Laura Mercier

A couple of weeks ago, I went for a Benefit event, thanks to Eve who invited me along! :) 

I think it was an event to celebrate the newly opened Benefit counter at TANGS Orchard, and also to introduce their new Christmas sets! It was a great experience trying out all the different products and eating pink food, like the pink popcorn and pink cupcake!

Pink popcorn which tasted amazing. 

The wheel that you'll get to turn for any Benefit purchase you make. A very lucky woman walked away with a S$500 Benefit hamper after making her purchase. 

The range of Benefit skincare products that Eve was so into because of the lovely smell. 

They very kindly gave all the attendees cute goodie bags. Even the plastic bag is nice lah. We received a perfume sample (which I used up on my cruise trip and honestly the staying power is God-like), That Gal Brigtening Face Primer sample and The Pore-fessional sample.

Yay to a pretty photo too! :) 

At the end of the event, we also roamed around and I managed to score a 7-day sample of the famous Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. I wanted to get the oil-free formula one, but sadly only this type was available as samples. I'm tempted to get the full-sized one but it's a whopping S$68! :S

Merry Christmas to all my readers and all my friends!! Hope you guys have an amazing time today, be it food-wise or company-wise. JUST ENJOY LAH. :)

Review: Etude House Styling Eye Liner

My obsession with eyeliners will never end and I'm not going to do anything to curb this eyeliner hoarding habit. Personally, I think girls need just two makeup products - a good concealer and an excellent eyeliner. 

A tip for girls with single eyelids - don't pile the eyeliner. It's tempting to draw a really thick line because generally an application of eyeliner will give the illusion of bigger eyes. However, for those with single eyelids, a thick eyeliner application will backfire and your eyes will look smaller than they really are. The trick is to buy a good white shimmery eyeliner to apply on the either the waterline or the inner under eye corner. The sudden pop of white will make you look more awake and your eyes will seem more large! 

This review post is for another eyeliner that I purchase on Qoo10 - Etude House Styling Eye Liner. Each eyeliner was only S$2.50 (excluding shipping). Visit this link to make your own purchase: http://list.qoo10.sg/gmkt.inc/Goods/Goods.aspx?goodscode=407646448 

This time I didn't only buy the black eyeliner, but also the white one because I really like how the correct application of white eyeliner makes your eyes look bigger! 

The reason why this is so is because when you use white eyeliner on your waterline, it creates the illusion that your eye whites are larger. The excellent combination for a larger set of eyes is of course to include eye-enlarging contact lenses. However, I'm really scared of putting things into my eyes, so I will make do with the white eyeliner. :P 

Packaging: Simple and classy enough. Great that the packaging colour matches the product colour. Sounds really dumb to compliment this aspect, but some brands prefer an all black range, with only the pencil lead being the differentiating factor. 

Eyeliner lead quality: I'm sitting on the fence for this one. The black eyeliner has a great pencil lead. However, the white one seems quite brittle. When I first tried the white one, the lead broke and I thank God it broke while I was trying it on my hand. Imagine the hassle if it broke when I was applying it on my waterline. 

The white lead broke on its first application. 

Swatches under yellow room lighting

Swatches under camera flash

Pigmentation: Definitely no qualms about the pigmentation. The black was very smooth and the colour was quite shockingly jet black. I didn't expect that since it was only S$2.50. The white takes more work but I have no complaints about that too.

Swiped with water.

Waterproof? These are not waterproof eyeliners. As seen from the photo above, I rubbed the area with some water and the colours just smudged. Hence, for those with oily eyelids, either equip yourselves with a great eyelid primer or just avoid this eyeliner altogether.

Longevity: The black eyeliner was okay. After a good 4 hours, I noticed that some of it had transferred to my lower eye area, hence I had to check it every now and then. The white eyeliner was completely gone after 3 hours. Hence, these eyeliners are not the most lasting of all eyeliners, but it's good enough if you are in an air-conditioned room all day. If you are going to be walking all day in a warm temperature, just opt for a waterproof eyeliner and not these.

Will I buy it again? I gave this much thought and I have come to the conclusion that I will not get it again. The main reason is because I'm experimental when it comes to eyeliners. I will only repurchase when it's a really good one like Urban Decay's. For those just starting out, it's a good buy though because the eyeliners are cheap and works relatively well.

Hope this review helped and have a good holiday guys! :)

[15& SOUND] 1st SOUND - "Be My Baby"

So in love with them!!! :)

Korea needs to start giving them more love! Lee Hi is fantastico, but these girls are definitely on par!

Review: Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask

I apologise to my readers for not posting more review blogposts. The only reason I can give is that the laziness kicked in, especially because it's the holiday season and all I wanna do is lie on my bed and be a sloth, and roll around all day. 

Not a very fruitful holiday, I know. Yikes. 

But here we go, one more skincare review done! :) 

This time, I'm reviewing the Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask that was included in my August Vanity Trove. I only got to use it now since I have my reservations about using new masks due to my sensitive, troubled skin. Since now my skin is somewhat under control, I'm back to using masks again! Hoorah for that! 

If you want to get this mask after reading my blogpost (haha I hope that is the reason), then you can click on at beautycarousel.com to purchase it. It retails for S$9.90 each! 

"Adopting an organic approach to beauty care and rich in active botanical extracts and oceanic minerals. MORILINS Facial Therapy and Eye Therapy masks cater to a wide range of skin types gently and effectively."

All the hype of organic products have also been applied on masks. Personally, I don't get the hype, but I'm quite sure the placebo effect works on a majority of people. Just because a product is organic means it's better than its counterparts. The mind works that way and it's smart than more and more brands are jumping into the "organic" bandwagon.

I'm not saying organic products are a bad thing of course. You pay more for a product that is deemed more effective and sanitary - sounds reasonable. I just don't get organic tomatoes lah, organic corns, organic black pepper. For what?

But that's beside the point haha. Let's get back to reviewing this eye mask!

This mask has a different directions guide than other eye mask. You will understand why in a while...

All the goodness that's compacted into the Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask.

Ingredients List

Packaging: The packaging embodies the "organic" concept very well. However, I thought the packaging was too big for an eye mask. It makes me think that I'm paying more for the packaging than the mask itself.

Mask Design: Such an interesting eye mask! Instead of the usual double sheets of cloth that need to be applied under both eyes, the Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask is just one long sheet of cloth! Also, this makes sense because instead of applying it under the eyes, you are supposed to cover your eyes with it, hence the "Close eyes before applying masks" instructions. I love this concept!

In the photo below, I was applying it wrongly. HAHAHAHA. The correct thing to do is to apply the mask further up until it covers the entire eyeball area!

I realised my mistake and I moved the mask further up, but I forgot to take a photo. FAIL!

Application: Confusing at first, but I finally got it! The eye mask was also very soft, hence it applied well and fit into the contours of the eye area very well. No unnecessary air bubbles and the perfect fit meant that I can be sure the goodness is working on every part of my eye area evenly.

Did it work? I'm quite happy to say yes it did work, and it worked miraculously. I think the main reason why it worked so well was because I had a bad eye-area condition to begin with. It was examination period and all I did was study and watch videos. Hence, my sleeping pattern was heavily disrupted and I looked like a panda (or Big Bang's Seungri LOL) without makeup. After using this mask for a good 40 minutes (I fell asleep halfway and hence I had it on for more than the recommended timing), I was surprised that the swelling under my eye area was visible and remarkably reduced.

The reduced swelling carried on till the next day and I was quite pleasantly surprised! Usually eye masks only work for a few hours, then your problems will appear again. Definitely not with the Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask!

Whether or not the mask firmed my eye area is a question that I cannot answer because I only used it once! After-effects like firming can only be seen if you religiously use the mask for a few weeks or so. Hence, I'm not eligible to tell you whether or not the firming effect is legitimate.

Will I buy it again? I will, but now I'm quite hesitant because of the price tag. S$9.90 per eye mask is quite pricey in my opinion. At the moment, I'm using my philosophy hope in a tube, and so I don't really need an eye mask. However, in the future when I badly need an immediate solution, I definitely will go back to the Morilins Firming + Revitalizing Organic Eye Therapy Mask!

Bangkok Haul! Madness I tell you!!! :S

When I vowed to bring an overweight luggage back from Bangkok, I wasn't kidding at all. Sadly, my luggage was too small, and after squeezing everything in, I only had a 7kg increase from its initial weight. 

My sister went even crazier because she was not only buying stuff for herself, but also stuff to sell on her facebook shop. 

My poor mother had to accomodate with us. I think she barely bought 5 items for herself. :S 

It was a good family outing though, so everything's fine and dandy. 

My sister and I didn't want to lay everything out in our Bangkok Hotel because we needed to save every precious minute either shopping or eating!! Hence, we decided to do it once we reached Singapore. Haha, people commented that we could open a pasar malam stall already. :X 

It's quite obvious which half is my sister's and which half is mine. She's fond of pastels and florals and peter pan tops, while I'm more into denim, quirky prints, studs and loud colours. It's good that way because we always buy different things - meaning more things to choose from each other's closets (though she has the advantage here because she can wear most of my clothes as baggy wear, but I can't fit into her teeny tiny tops. Urgh). 

 

I think both of us spent less than S$400 on all this craziness. It's good when you're travelling with your parents because first you don't need to pay for food, transport and accomodation (or FTA in short hahaha) and second, they will give you more money when your those in your possession have been exhausted.

Bangkok was truly a shopping paradise. My most expensive buy was just S$11!

I don't really have an informative itinerary to type out for you guys because most of the time, we just blindly walked around our hotel (Centrepoint Petchburi, which is located next to Platinum Fashion Mall!) and we found gems!

Here's a list of the places that we went to:

1. Platinum Fashion Mall
2. Chatuchak Weekend Market 
3. Pratunam Market
4. Grand Palace
5. Centrepoint 
6. Chinatown
7. MBK
8. Saphan Phut Night Market

Some tips when in Bangkok!

• Refrain from taking tuk-tuks during peak hours or when there's a traffic jam. The tuk-tuk drivers usually will quote you exorbitant prices!
• Taxis are amazing in Bangkok. They are everywhere, they are loud-coloured (neon pinks, neon oranges, neon purples, neon greens!!!) and they are CHEAP. Our trip from the airport to the hotel was 200baht (including of highway fee and airport surcharge), that's like S$8!! Please make sure you ask the driver to use the taxi metre though. We didn't know about this and our taxi ride to Chatuchak was 200baht (quoted by the driver), while our ride back to the hotel was only 80baht (by taxi metre). =_= 
• MBK is an amazing shopping place if you are shopping for gold and electronics. If not, then skip it. We were only there for 45 minutes and ended up eating, and buying nothing. 
• Please learn the art of bargaining, especially when you are in Chatuchak Weekend Market or any other markets. My mom is a total expert and both my sister and I were relieved we had our mom with us. Both of us have terrible bargaining skills and we witnessed the true powers of my mom's legendary bargaining skill. More than half price cut. O.O
• Platinum Fashion Mall is cheap by Singapore standards, but they are not cheap by Chatuchak Weekend Market standards. So if you are lucky and you are in Bangkok during the weekends, then spend most of your money there rather than Platinum Fashion Mall. 
• We also realised that the vendors at Chatuchak Weekend Market charged more on Sundays than on Saturdays. We were there on both days and the prices increased on Sunday. Blergh. 
• Saphan Phut Night Market was amazing, especially for those who like vintage clothes and jeans! Denim shorts were as cheap as 100baht (~S$4)! 
• PLEASE EAT THE COCONUT ICE CREAM AT CHATUCHAK WEEKEND MARKET. HOMAIGAWD HEAVENLY ICE CREAM. 
• Roadside stalls in Bangkok are not dirty and the food they sell are all amazing. Please exploit the many fresh fruit stalls! Even non-fruit lovers will love the mango/jambu/pineapple/guava because they are all SO SWEET. 

I can't think of anymore right now. haha. I will update the list again when more thoughts come into my mind. 

Bangkok was fantastic and I can't wait to go back for more shopping and eating and getting fat!!! :D