Berlin, here I come!!

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27 February 2014 - 2 March 2014

Want: MAC Diva & MAC Media Lipsticks

I don't know what's up with me nowadays. I just want to buy dark-coloured lippies?! It's even more queer because I don't even apply lipsticks before I go out. Maybe buying the two lipsticks below will motivate me to try out vampy lip colours? :D

I think a vampy lip with a heavily-mascaraed nude eye will look perfect! Ok, ok, I need to try!! 

Yes to MAC Media or MAC Diva or both? Heehee.

MAC Media - Photos from: Temptalia

MAC Diva - Photo from: X

This site claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this site are copyright to its respectful owners and the person/entity who created the photos. Images shown on this site are not for sale or for any other commercial purpose - all images are for site presentation purpose only. If there is an image appearing on this site that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please email with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Quick review: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate

This is a quick, quick review on the hugely popular and almost cult-level Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate. To sum it up in one sentence - I wish to love it, but the breakouts killed every desire. 

I'm definitely not blaming Kiehl's because different people react differently to one product. Moreover, the product has worked its magic on so many people! I have friends who can only sing praises for it, and I'm happy for them! I'm just a little bit heartbroken that it didn't work for me. I pondered if I should write this blogpost, but since over 95% of the reviews (an exaggeration, but I think my percentage is close) are positive, I might as well contribute to the other spectrum to provide a different opinion to potential users. 

I love everything about it until it gave me weird bumps on my forehead and upper cheek area. I thought it was just an initial product reaction, so I persisted, but no, the second morning, I had 3 new pimples. 

Application-wise, it's quite a pleasant experience. You just use two-three drops (I was recommended only 2 drops because of my oily skin) and pat the dispensed product on your face. After massaging the product in, you can decide to top it up with your usual moisturiser or not. I felt a slight heating sensation after application, but nothing uncomfortable. 

The Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate contains Evening Primrose Oil, Lavender extract and many more good stuff. I take Evening Primrose Oil pills every morning so I was quite puzzled as to why this caused me breakouts. Maybe too much EPO? 

I have decided to stop using it and continue with my Michael Todd Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum. Fortunately, I did not purchase the product. I got a very generous sample from Kiehl's. I love Kiehl's and I truly am impressed by the way they constantly come up with innovative products that you can try first before committing. It's just sheer bad luck that this product didn't work on me. Sigh. I'm really quite sad. I wanted to join the cult and be sprinkled with the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate's magic dust!! 

Oh well. At least now I know I don't need to spend the S$80. 

The most important thing now is to get my skin back in order. SIGH. 

Anyway, on a happier note, this is my 1000th post! HOORAH! Thank you all for the support! :) 

This site claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this site are copyright to its respectful owners and the person/entity who created the photos. Images shown on this site are not for sale or for any other commercial purpose - all images are for site presentation purpose only. If there is an image appearing on this site that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please email with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Review: elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer (Sand)

I was in BHG the other day, looking for my holy-grail L.A. Girl Pro Conceal Concealer, and the entire L.A. Girl section was removed?! What the freak!! I was extremely displeased and frantic because hey, I cannot live without my favourite concealer! 

So, I went mad and scoured the web for a potential dupe for that. I came across someone selling the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer on carousell and I decided to give it a go. It has "maximum coverage" part of its name so shouldn't be too bad right? I purchased mine for S$5.50 - a complete bargain. 

You can order it from the elf website too. US$3!

Can someone please tell me where to get L.A. Girl products because this elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer has turned out to be one of the worst concealers I've ever tried. :( 

The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is

• oil free
• blendable and wearable
• long-lasting
• claimed to be great for heavy-duty concealing

This comes in 6 shades and my shade is Sand. 

Ingredients list

Packaging: I can't seem to remember the product that this elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer resembles. Is it the NARS Primer? Argh I had a fleeting image in my head, but now I have no recollection (don't you hate it when that happens? urgh). Random chit-chat aside, the packaging is sleek and straightforward. I like how there's a clear strip all the way around so that you can match your skin shade without actually trying the product. Just put it next to your face and you should be able to match quite easily.

One more thing I like about this concealer is how much product users are actually getting. 20ml of concealer is A LOT for something with such a low price tag. My favourite L.A. Girl Concealer only has 8g of product and it's more expensive. How I wished the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer works better...then I can save on some money! But no, it's not very good. -sad face-

To test the concealer out, I used a dark maroon eyeliner and a pink eyeliner. Let's see if the concealer can hide these two lines.

Consistency: The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is quite watery in nature. I think it's because it's oil-free? I don't fancy such a consistency for my concealers. I prefer creamy ones because they tend to conceal better. However, if you're one with only dark eye circles as a problem, then this concealer may be the one for you.

After the first layer of concealer, you can see that the dark maroon eyeliner is still peeking through. The pink one is almost completely covered up.

A second application proved to be potent. I can barely see the two eyeliners and so, yes! the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer does have quite good coverage. Not on the first application, but good enough after two layers.

So you may be wondering why I have grown to dislike this concealer?

The problem I have with the elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is how it is NOT long lasting. It's also a terrible product for those with oily skin AND living in a tropical country.

My blemishes looked sufficiently concealed in the morning, and I was a happy camper. However, just a mere couple of hours later, I was shocked at what I was seeing on the mirror.

1. I looked like someone poured oil over my head. 
2. My blemishes were visible. Where did the concealer go?!
3. I had concealer streaks down the sides of my nose. 

By experience of daily application of concealer, I would normally only start to look oily after 4-5 hours. Even when I touched up at the end of the day, I never had the problem of blemishes and acne scars being so visible. 

Wow. Definitely not a good wow, but wow. 

The elf studio Maximum Coverage Concealer is certainly not a good concealer for those with oily skin + living in a tropical location. I cannot fully blame elf because maybe it's not formulated for such a combination of environmental factors. But yes, please avoid if you have that combo. 

Will I buy it again? Confirm plus chop, no. 

I was quite disappointed with this. Now I have to hunt down the L.A. Girl Pro Conceal Concealer. WHERE ARE YOU, OH HOLY GRAIL CONCEALER!!! 

Department of Caffeine (Duxton)

In 1 week, Kengyang and I dined at 3 cafes. Quite a feat for us because usually in 3 months, we wouldn't even visit one. haha. 

I left work early on Friday to have a quick Valentine's brunch with Kengyang (yah I know we dined at 49 Seats for Valentine's Day, but still I would miss this guy when he's in Shanghai, so more dating time please!!), and we decided to try Department of Caffeine. Kenneth (read his food blog, it's quite excellent) and Kengyang's sister highly recommended this cafe, and since it's so near my office, we decided to give it a try!!

In summary, it was a really great experience and I probably found the best waffles that I've ever eaten in my life. 

The irony of life - Department of Caffeine didn't serve us great coffee. Probably it's because Iced Latte which is easy to screw up. I drink coffee A LOT and I know when I'm served average coffee. I'm not trying to sound obnoxious, but it's quite a heartache when I drink an average cup of coffee after paying a substantial amount of money (S$6.50!). The Iced Latte was okay; it tasted more like coffee-flavoured milk. I should have ordered the aeropress or handybrew!! Next time, definitely ordering another different cup!

Kengyang ordered the Chicken Fillet Sandwich and oh my gosh it was HUGE. 

For S$15 (no taxes!), this was a good value. The chicken fillet is fried to perfection and wow even the bread was excellent. I had to control myself and let the man eat his sandwich, haha!

I ordered the Sundried Tomato & Herb Waffles and it was GROUNDBREAKING. Waffles was cooked perfectly - extra crispy on the outside and fluffy soft on the inside. Scrambled eggs was a little too dry but it was actually good that it was a tad dry because then it wouldn't make the waffles soggy so quickly! 

The star of this dish was definitely the waffles. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner everyday but my cholesterol level will be hitting the roof so sadly this can only be occasional treats. :(

The maple bacon jam was strange at first, but the more I ate, the more I wanted more! It's really sweet but very queerly, every single bite left a bacon-y aftertaste, which is always welcome in my life. Bacon everything!!

We ended with an order of the famous Buttermilk Waffles with Butter Rum Bananas. It's crazy how much we ate, but very miraculously, I didn't feel full at all! I think it's my tummy reacting to the amazing waffles I ate. "Give me more! Fill me up with all that waffles!!" - That's probably what my tummy exclaimed if it could talk. :P 

This serving of waffles was quite different from the one that I had for my main dish. The waffles was still prepared excellently, but this time the bananas were the star! They were SOOOOOO GOOD. Of course, the premium vanilla ice cream they used was equally amazing. Seriously, I have nothing bad to say about this dish. I only have praises and excitement. 

We were so lucky to have visited 2 excellent places in 2 days?! Thank you to all the people that recommended this cafe to us, we certainly enjoyed our time and we definitely would recommend Department of Caffeine to all our friends!

Department of Caffeine

15 Duxton Road, Singapore, 089481

6223 3426

Reservations: deptofcaffeine@gmail.com

Monday - Tuesday: 10:30 - 19:30

Thursday - Friday: 10:30 - 19:30

Saturday - Sunday: 09:30 - 19:30

Website

Facebook

49 Seats (Kreta Ayer)

I'm starting to appreciate the location of my office. I have so many good food around me! It's not good if you have non-existent self-control or if you're watching what you eat, but great for celebrations! No lack of new restaurants to try out! 

Kengyang and I decided to celebrate Valentine's Day one day earlier because 14 Feb 2014 was one day before he left for his work-and-study stint in Shanghai, so it would be good to be home early to double check everything. 

Kengyang suggested 49 Seats and I was quite surprised that he suggested a location; usually I'm the one scouring the Internet for a good restaurant. Before going out to meet him, I did a quick research and Googleland provided me with an endless list of blog reviews. I didn't know this restaurant was so highly raved! 

49 Seats was just a 10-minute walk away from my office, and I was there early. What's new lol, I'm always early and pushing people to reach on time. 

We ordered mineral water because we were going to feast on some sinful dishes. We were given these metal cups that made me think of the cups that I used for brushing my teeth when I was little.

I think new cafes/restaurants have it hard nowadays. They always have to think of something new (something outside of the menu) to entice new customers.

Another unique trait of 49 Seats will be their opening hours. They are only open for business from 6pm onwards! Also, they close at 2am on weekdays and 430am on weekends. SUPPER SPOT.

We ordered Cheese Fries and it was SO GOOD. Yes, it tasted like KFC Cheese Fries, but definitely a better rendition. The fries were not soggy and the cheese generously poured on top was exquisite. Kengyang and I devoured this baby within minutes. TOO GOOD. 

Kengyang knew right away what he was going to order since he dined at 49 Seats before. He ordered the Pan Fried Fish with Al Scampi Sauce. It was quite simply one of the best pan fried fish that I've ever eaten. Crispy on the outside and delightfully soft on the inside. The Al Scampi Sauce was bombdiggity! The sauce came in a separate container and 49 Seats was so generous with the seafood in the sauce. Huge shrimps and clams. Truly a plate worth every cent. Kengyang didn't really like the side salad though because some of the greens were bitter, but hey, anything green is good for me, so guess who cleaned up the plate? :D 

I ordered the Tom Yum Seafood Pasta because there were so many blog reviews that highly raved this dish. Actually, there were also quite a few that were on the fence about the pasta. For me, I LOVED IT. I wanted to lick the plate clean but I needed keep my actions in check - especially with Stomp slowly taking over the lives of the kaypohs. 

But yes, this was a plate that would break world records if there were a suitable category. Of course, it's a personal preference so if you didn't like it, good for you. It's amazing to my tastebuds!

The first mouthful was very unexpected. I thought it would just be cream sauce with a hint of Tom Yum spices. But oh man no, it was fiery and very much like a bowl of Tom Yum, just strangely (and unexpectedly delicious) paired with cream sauce. 

The Tom Yum Seafood Pasta would definitely be a turn-off for those that prefer lightly flavoured food, or food that's handled with minimal salt. This pasta is very heavily flavoured - great for my Indonesian tastebuds. hehehehehehe. 

49 Seats once again proved to us how generous they were with the seafood portioning. Wah, looking at the photo below makes me drool. I WANT IT NOW PLEASE. 

I would most definitely recommend 49 Seats to my friends. Of course I have to warn them first that the Tom Yum Seafood Pasta is quite heavy, just so that they know what to expect. Overall, it was a great restaurant worth revisiting!

Can't wait for my next dining experience at 49 Seats!

49 Seats

49 Kreta Ayer Road

+65 6225 4332

Monday-Thursday: 1800-0200

Friday-Saturday: 1800-0430 (Yes they open at night till late! WOW!!)

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Have a great Sunday guys! :)

Forever 21 is testing my shopping ban ...

This Forever 21 is tempting me like people tempting a donkey with a carrot. Or like using honey to get Winnie The Pooh out of his bed. 

Seriously, why all so nice?! ;-; Crying in despair because emptying my bank account significantly for all these items is quite stupid. I shall just share my struggle with my blog readers. HAIS. 

Goddess Rose Longline Kimono (US$22.80)

Groovy Crocheted Tank (US$19.80)

Dainty Floral Crop Top (US$14.80)

Eclectic Beauty Maxi Dress (US$27.80)

Sweet Floral Smock Tunic (US$15.80)

Day Tripper Cutout Top (US$22.80)

Elephant Parade Tee (US$6.80)

Bird of Paradise Satin Top (US$15.80)

Boho Elephant Woven Shorts (US$13.80)

Down-To-Earth Leaf Leggings (US$12.80)

High-Waisted Plaid Pants (US$24.80)

Rustic Ripped Jeans (US$27.80)

Favorite Ripped Jeans (US$32.80)

Lace Print Dolphin Shorts (US$12.80)

Must-Have Strappy Sandals (Brown & Black) (US$36.80)

Must-Have Buckled Booties (US$39.80)

Go-To Combat Boots (US$39.80)

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If I get them all, it's going to cost me US$424.40, and that's before shipping to Singapore. But that will be around US$23.6 approximately per item. AIYOH SUCH TERRIBLE LEMMINGS ON A SUNDAY.

Sometimes, I really want to be born filthy rich.

Anyway, I won TOTO for the first time ever! Not a significant amount lah, but still I've never won TOTO in my life before. Yay!

This site claims no credit for any images posted on this site unless otherwise noted. Images on this site are copyright to its respectful owners and the person/entity who created the photos. Images shown on this site are not for sale or for any other commercial purpose - all images are for site presentation purpose only. If there is an image appearing on this site that belongs to you and you do not wish for it appear on this site, please email with a link to said image and it will be promptly removed.

Seoul Yummy (The Central)

Last Sunday, Kengyang's family invited me for a hearty Korean dinner at Seoul Yummy. It was our first timing dining with his sister's boyfriend too! 

To be frank, I don't remember the names of the dishes that we ordered. So let's just stick to "this dish" HAHA. I'm a terrible food blogger and that's why it's not my forte. All I do is spam photos and describe each dish as either "delicious"/"omnomnom"/"marvelous"  or "terrible"/"pooi". 

See lah, that's why I'm not a food blogger. I like to eat, but my vocabulary for food is limited. :D

Photos!

We were served 6 banchans (Korean side dishes) and my favourite is still the kimchi. I didn't like the creamy potato so much because the dish barely had any taste!

Kengyang and I ordered the army stew set, his parents also ordered the same. His sister and boyfriend ordered the combo set and they ordered the below appetiser. I didn't get a chance to try this so I have no opinions on this. 

The army stew set is so filling?! More on that later!

Spicy chicken glass noodles. Very nice and very flavourful!

I upgraded my mixed grain rice to a beef glass noodle and it was really good as well. 

Grilled fish from Kengying's (bf's sister) two-person combo. Had a tiny bit and it was quite fishy. Meh. 

Kimchi soup! 

Our army stew set. His parents also ordered the same thing. The portion is CRAZY. I think this was S$49.90++ plus S$8.90 upgrade to Beef Glass Noodles. The Deokbokki disappointed me immensely. Till now, Togi Restaurant still has the best Deokbokki for me. This one was just average and way too bland. 

Two-person combo! 

Ending the meal off with a cold red bean soup. It was very normal. Nothing to shout and be excited about. I think we were also way too full to enjoy this bowl of red bean soup. :S 

The army stew is worth a try, but please come with at least 2 other people. Kengyang and I couldn't finish the army stew because there were simply too many things to feast on. Stay away from the deokbokki.

It was a good weekend with Kengyang's family. I think I really saved a nation in my past life to be able to meet such amazing people. :')

Seoul Yummy

The Central 

6, Eu Tong Sen Street, 03-92, 

Singapore 059817

Reservation Number: +65 6227 8802 (not available on Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Public Holidays, 5pm onwards)

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Review: Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Oh my goodness, this review took me so long to write?! It's quite ridiculous how many drafts I have right now. So many pending blogposts and so few are out! My bad guys, my bad. I'm back on my blogging track, FAST AND FURIOUS. This is my 3rd post of the day, super fast and furious!! 

The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara is currently one of my favourite mascaras (the other one being Maybelline Rocket mascara which I will review very soon). It's the mascara that I will grab for travelling because of how easily removeable it is! 

I got it during the Etude House Warehouse Sale for a really cheap price (definitely not more than $10). You can purchase it at Etude House stores nationwide, but I will advise against that because you can get it for so much cheaper on Qoo10. 

Qoo10 Link 1

Qoo10 Link 2 (new mascara!! I want!!)

First of all, the external packaging already looks promising. The mascara is super waterproof that you dip your head in water and it will still look fine - at least that's what I'm getting from the all-blue packaging. Yay for waterproof mascaras!

Anyway, a little sidetrack, do you know that if you want your eyelashes to hold the curl longer, you should use a waterproof mascara? The formula for these mascaras are thicker and this seals the eyelashes into place. However if you have sensitive eyes, I will recommend you to stay away from waterproof mascaras because most of them are a bitch to remove. You end up scrubbing your eyes till they go red and it's not a pleasant experience. 

Back to the review!

The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara will give you a

"clean, intense definition for a long lasting, perfect 10 smoky eye look."

Not sure about the smoky effect, but Etude House Proof 10 Mascara definitely delivered in terms of longevity and intensity.

Ingredients List

Product packaging: I love it. It looks like an elongated nail polish (chuckle, I don't know where this description came from). Somehow the packaging reminds me of The Little Mermaid? Why?! But yes, beautiful packaging indeed.

Mascara brush: The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara has a slightly bent wand with full, sturdy bristles. It's very reminiscent of an eyebrow brush, but much better in terms of control because of the slight angle. I love my mascara to have full, thick bristles because I'd rather go for volume than length. So this mascara scores highly in terms of brush design.

First coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

First coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Second coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Second coat of Etude House Proof 10 Mascara

Application: To be honest, I made a mess when I used this mascara for the first time. I wasn't used to the slightly bent design, so I accidentally smudged a lot of mascara under my eyes. FAIL. But after that, I paid more attention to what I was doing and I didn't have similar mishaps moving forward. 

Volumising?: Yes. Definitely. One coat of the Etude House Proof 10 Mascara already provided me with ample volume (see photos above). The second coat gave my eyelashes that extra oomph and I was ready to go! Love it! I will suggest to stop at the second coat though because as you can see in some areas of my lashes, clumps are starting to form. The clumps are easy to get rid of if you have an eyelash brush, but well keeping application at two coats will make life easier. No need to use eyelash brush, save time!

Waterproof?: YES SIR. I actually cried on one of the nights I had this on my eyelashes (and UD Zero on my eyelid), and I had ZERO smudging. None. Quite impressive!

Super washable?: Here's the thing about waterproof mascaras that bothers me to death - some of them are so freaking hard to take off/remove? I used an oil-based makeup remover on makeup cleansing wipes, and I still couldn't get all of the gunk out of my eyelashes. I'm also at an age whereby tugging and rubbing your eyes constantly will have detrimental outcomes (aka wrinkles, boohoo), so I hate it when I can't the mascara out!!! The Etude House Proof 10 Mascara is a different story. It actually feels like a non-waterproof mascara during the removal process - easy and effortless. Using warm water helps too! 

This is very much unlike my newly acquired CoverGirl waterproof mascara which kills my eyes every time I try to remove it. I don't know whether I should do a review on that or not. I don't really want to get that mascara on my eyelashes :S. 

Longevity: It's very long-lasting. But I'm not wowed by the fact that it's long-lasting because waterproof mascaras are supposed to be long-lasting right? So okay, met my expectations. 

Will I buy this again? Oh yes. I'm actually running out of this at the moment. It's quite sad. So I'm contemplating between getting this or getting the new Etude House Proof 10 mascaras, or maybe get both? TEEHEE

Hope this has been useful. Have a great day guys!! :)