Weekend musings - Laksa and beer

363 Katong Laksa

29B Lorong Liput, Singapore 277740

Nearest MRT: Holland Village (CC Line)

Opening Hours: Daily: 8am - 10pm

Cheat days are awesome. I don't eat super healthily during the weekdays but I try to control what I intake. Once Saturday comes, I go all out and just feast on anything I like without thinking too much. You got to let loose once in a while, right?

Kengyang and I had 363 Katong Laksa yesterday and it was delicious. I dragged Kengyang to this location because I had a few mouthfuls the last time I was here and I was hooked! Poor Kengyang had to eat laksa for dinner when he already had laksa for breakfast, HAHA. True love right there! :D 

After that, we had terrible churros and then it was beer and fries time. We really shouldn't have bought the churros, it wasn't very good and it was a waste of tummy space leh. 

Because we had so much, we walked home from Holland Village. A bit fail because we ended up taking the bus at Pei Hwa Presbyterian School, but ok lah, we walked a good 5+km! After walking, I realised that Holland Village is damn near to my house, like a 7km walk away only. Maybe next time can run there!

My mind is distracted and I want to tell you that I'm loving Focus T25. Only 25 minutes a day (50 minutes on the fifth day of the week) and I feel it working. Everyday I look forward to a session because it really makes me feel more refreshed and awake! Give Focus T25 a try too if you don't want to exercise for a long time but still want to exercise effectively! 

Time for coffee and Murakami. Enjoy your Sunday! :)

Quick Review: NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in SMLC17 Ibiza

Words alone are not enough to describe my obsession with the NYX Soft Matte Lip Creams. I need to do hip shakes, arm flails and many fist pumps. The want is urgent - I want ALL colours. 

Before SMLC17 Ibiza, I only owned one NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream - SMLC01 Amsterdam. After months and months of looking at swatches on Instagram, I decided to stop thinking too much and just GET IBIZA. The NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream is not very expensive; it's actually really affordable at S$10.50 at Shopping-Disctrict.net. The reason why I hesitated getting this so much is because this colour seemed rather similar to the one that I owned. "Seemed" is the key word here because once it arrived, I realised my worries were unfounded. 

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in SMLC17 Ibiza is a beautiful deep rose pink that sets to an impressively long-lasting matte finish. On the other hand, SMLC01 Amsterdam is more like a true red. 

Why do I love it so much to the point where I can put this on an altar and pray to it?

• Applies smoothly and easily with no lumps or streaks. 
• Dries to a pleasant matte finish where your lips still look full and not dry.
• Surprisingly moisturising - doesn't cause fine lines on the lips, unlike many other matte lip products.
• Extremely long-lasting - it will survive a full 9-6 day with no touch-ups effortlessly.
• Super durable - no matter how many sips of coffee (or any other drinks) I took and how much food I ate, the colour is still on my lips. It didn't look like I had food/drink at all!
• Pigmentation is to die for. Seriously at S$10.50, this is the bomb man. 

I don't think I can find any legit cons. Ok, maybe removing it takes a little bit more time and effort, but aiyah laziness will make you ugly, so just take that extra time and effort lah!

Photos, photos!

Next on the list - SMLC20 Copenhagen. I REALLY REALLY REALLY WANT THIS, but it's sold out on Shopping-District.net. I've already registered my email in the notification list, so once this is restocked, I'm checking out!!!!! Major excited woots!!!!

Gorgeous photo from x

Have a great Sunday guys! :)

DIY: Green tea and tea tree oil toner

I'm running out of my Michael Todd True Organics Lemon Toner and I don't really want to repurchase this time round. Not because it's not good, it's quite excellent actually and I'm finishing my third bottle now, but because I want to make my own toner with as few ingredients as possible. I'm also trying to make my own because toners can be expensive - I use so much at any one time because I'm using a cotton pad and it doesn't feel like I'm pouring out a lot. Hence, I need to make my own toner that's both effective and economical at the same time.

I scoured Googleland and I decided to go with this green tea and tea tree oil concoction. I have already used it for a week and it has been amazing. The only downside is I need to make a fresh batch every week - you can't keep it longer for 7 days!

Products used:

• Small spray bottle or normal bottle 
• Green tea
• 100% pure tea tree oil 

I got my spray bottle from Daiso, green tea from NTUC Fairprice and I bought the 100% pure tea tree oil from iherb.com. It will best to use 100% pure tea tree oil; the 10% - 15% mixtures won't work as well. If you have sensitive skin or you have never used tea tree oil on your face before, please PLEASE do a skin patch test first - I have a colleague who's allergic to tea tree oil and she found out the wrong way. 

Steps:

• Brew your green tea NOT in boiling water. The water needs to be 70°C - 80°C. Excessive heat will "kill" the green tea. 
• Pour around 50ml of green tea into the spray bottle and drink the rest hehe. 
• Place the spray bottle in the fridge and wait for it to cool down. 
• When the green tea has cooled down, add in 4 drops of tea tree oil. Since we are using the 100% tea tree oil, we don't need so much in one bottle. My general rule: 2 drops per 25ml. 
• Mix, mix, mix and leave it in the fridge. 
• Use whenever needed! 

Remember to throw it out after 7 days and make a brand new batch. I always note down the date of manufacture (wah like factory haha) on a label and stick it on the bottle. That way I know when I need to redo another batch! I just made a new batch today so here's a photo! Finally can use my pretty stickers from Taobao HAHA. 

Exciting times indeed! 

Quick Review: Hoyu Beautylabo Whip Hair Color (Candy Pink)

I started dying my hair since secondary 3 and I have never stopped. I still remember dying my hair a bright colour during the holidays only to be informed by my math teacher that we're going back to school for a remedial lesson. I bought a black temporary hair dye spray and my awesome friends helped me spray my hair back to black at the void deck. HAHA MEMORIES~~ 10 years ago already wtf. 

I love using "whipped" hair dye because of how much neater and tidier the hair dying process is, and most of the time, the colour payoff is better than normal hair dyes. 

Currently, I'm loving the Hoyu Beautylabo Whip Hair Color. I have tried a few colours and my latest favourite is the Candy Pink one.  

Pros

• Very easy preparation. 
• Provided gloves are of great quality - not those filmsy plastic bag kind but a rubber medical kind
• Effortless application
• Minimal dripping (remember don't apply too much!)
• Not drying at all. My hair actually felt more conditioned after I used the hair dye.
• The colour doesn't run after the first wash. This is very impressive. I hate it when I sleep with wet hair after removing hair dye, then I wake up with a different coloured pillow. 
• Excellent colour payoff. Definitely not candy pink, but definitely a change from my previous hair colour. 

Cons

• Very, very, very, very strong chemical smell
• My hair colour didn't turn out to be any hue of "candy pink" leh, but ok still chio colour

Overall: I'm loving this hair dye and will definitely try more colours! Silky Ash, Silky Ash, yes I'm feeling Silky Ash.

Have a good weekend guys! :D

Weekend skin pamper (Sunday)

As mentioned in the previous post, I like to tackle my large pores and then rehydrate my skin on Sundays. Since starting on the Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack Sleeping Mask, I wake up on Sundays with very smooth and moisturised skin, so I don't go crazy for my morning routine. 

At night, I exfoliate and use a volcano mask to get rid of those unsightly large pores around my nose area. Then I'll use a really hydrating face mask before going to sleep. All these steps in the weekends prepare me for the weekdays in which I do only the most basic in terms of skincare. 

Morning

Step 1: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 2: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 3: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion
Step 4: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence W

Night

Step 1: Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action Foam
Step 2: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 3: Michael Todd True Organic Jojoba Charcoal Facial Scrub
Step 4: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 5: Innisfree Super Volcanic Pore Clay Mask
Step 6: Michael Todd True Organics Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum
Step 7: The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion
Step 8: Clinique All About Eyes Rich
Step 9: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence R
Step 10: Innisfree It's Real Bamboo Mask (sometimes Aloe, sometimes Green Tea)

I have been pampering my skin this way for the past 2-3 months and it has really made a difference to my skin condition. I have zero pimples on my skin now and I don't really have uneven skin tone now. Of course, the facials that I have been having helped largely in eliminating those face demons but I only have facials once every 3-4 weeks so maintaining the skin condition in between facials is also very important.

It is quite difficult to commit a good 45 minutes to skincare but I'm even more scared of the difficulty in the future if I don't take care of my skin now. So yes, lai lai weekend pamper!!

Weekend skin pamper (Saturday)

During the weekdays, I don't usually pamper my skin very much. I'm always rushing for time in the mornings before work, so it's a quick cleanser-toner-moisturiser routine for weekday mornings. On weekday nights, I'm too tired to do anything fancy, so it's also a quick cleanser-toner-moisturiser routine, with the occasional mask or acne cream. 

That's precisely why I tend to go out all out during the weekends. I go crazy on the skincare front and pamper my skin as much as possible. Some of you may think I'm cuckoo to be using so many products, but seriously think about it, there's no way you can undo things when you regret in the future. Better start early! Also, this does not mean I'm using random products on my skin. Nope, nope, nope. I have used the products mentioned for quite a while and they are products that are suitable for my skin type (oily, acne-prone) and they don't break me out at all. 

On Saturdays, I like to tackle my acne-prone skin. On Sundays, I tackle my large pores. Here are all the products that I use on Saturdays. Do note that some products are repeat ones, I don't have like 7 different cleansers and 7 different moisturisers for 7 days lah. I want but aiyoh no space no space. 

Morning

Step 1: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 2: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 3: Annie's Way Aloe Anti-Acne Jelly Mask
Step 4: Leaders Insolution AC-Dressing Skin Clinic Mask
Step 5: The Body Shop Tea Tree Skin Clearing Lotion
Step 6: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence W

Night

Step 1: Garnier Pure Active Multi-Action Foam
Step 2: SK-II Facial Treatment Gentle Cleanser
Step 3: Michael Todd True Organics Organic Lemon AHA + DHAE Toner
Step 4: Michael Todd True Organics Antioxidant Carrot Multivitamin Serum
Step 5: Enavose Bitter Almond Decongestant Serum
Step 6: The Body Shop Tea Tree Blemish Fade Night Lotion
Step 7: Innisfree Jejubija Anti-Trouble Spot Essence R
Step 8: Clinique All About Eyes Serum
Step 9: Clinique All About Eyes Rich
Step 10: Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack (Aloe Sleeping Mask)

I really love the Innisfree Capsule Recipe Pack Sleeping Mask. Always wake up with damn nice and smooth skin.

Next up - Weekend skin pamper on Sundays!!

Current favourite: Laline Girls Perfume Oil

I first got to know of this brand through my colleague and I wanted to get the Laline Girls Perfume Oil however the brand suddenly pulled out of the Singapore market and ... it's not available in physical stores anymore. :( The one reason why I wanted it so much was because this perfume oil smells like a mix of Gwen Stefani Harajuku Lovers G Perfume and ice cream soda! Every single time my colleague rolled this on, I went "wah smells like ice cream soda again!!".

That's correct. I hate smelling like chocolate but I was dying to smell like ice cream soda.

So for my birthday, my colleague actually searched through eBay to get one for me. Thank you so much!!!! It has now become a staple and I must have it on my work desk. It's tiny and compact - perfect for any type of bags/clutches.

According to the website, it has "vanilla sandalwood fragrance with a touch of jasmine and rose notes". To be really frank, I don't smell the jasmine and rose at all. But still smells damn nice and addictive. Sometimes I would apply too much and get a headache. Serves me right lor.

Have a great weekend guys! 

Such an abrupt ending lol. Prata time!

Quick Review: My Beauty Diary Eye Masks

My job requires me to stare at two computer screens the entire day and when I go home, I continue watching dramas/variety shows on my laptop. This lifestyle is already a recipe for disaster. I'm not a young teenager who can survive such a lifestyle and still have bright peepers. I just turned 25 and very devastatingly, I noticed fine lines when I smiled. I think my extreme attention on computer screens is also taking a toll on how well-rested my eyes need to be. Even when I have a full 10-hour sleep, I will wake up with puffy and tired eyes. No concealers or highlighters can hide the puffiness. I can only wait till my eyes are back to normal and that's like hours later. What have I done?! 

Recently, I have decided to take frequent breaks when I'm working. I'll go to the toilet or make myself another cup of tea. I don't care if my colleagues think I have a bladder problem, I need to get this crazy habit sorted. I think I'm going to buy small plants and decorate my work table excessively till it becomes a product out of a jungle. People say plants help absorb radiation, lessen the stress and all those good stuff, so all hail the plants! 

At home, I try to pay more attention to my skincare, especially for my eyes. I have 3 different eye creams that I rotate every morning and night. I also try to apply eye masks as often as I can. Currently, my favourite is the My Beauty Diary Eye Masks. I have all 3 variations and personally I think I have serious issues with puffiness, smoothness and dark circles, so all 3 masks are the perfect fit for my eye masks obsession. 

I also love them because they have unique (ok, strange lah strange) mask shapes and I feel like a bad-ass superhero every single time I apply the eye mask. 

I got them all in Hong Kong because it's so much cheaper there than in Singapore. I bought way too many and I'm not regretting at all because as of now, I still have yet to see the need to stock up. That impulse to buy out 4 SASA stores has very handsome rewards. Go me! 

Each box of 5 costs S$11.90 in Watsons. I bought them for less than S$8 per box in Hong Kong. 

From left to right:
Puffiness Intensive Care Eye Mask
Smoothness Intensive Care Eye Mask
Dark Circles Intensive Care Eye Mask

Basically the Puffiness one looks like batman, the Smoothness one looks larger than life and the Dark Circles one looks like the kiap kiap laundry one. :D

I truly believe that one has to use these eye masks more than 5 times to actually see the difference. My personal favourite is the Puffiness Intensive Care Eye Mask. It does what it promises to the best and my puffy eyes were always more calm and less swollen after mask removal. The most difficult to apply is the Dark Circles Intensive Care Eye Mask because it works best when you have your eyes closed.

To elevate the shiok eye-mask experience, I always put my eye masks in the fridge. This method really works if you have very swollen eyes in the mornings.

My Beauty Diary Eye Masks are on a class of their own right now. However, I'm quite optimistic at this development of quirky eye masks because it means more and more brands are going to come up with their own takes on these masks and it's quite exciting right?

So, if you are a sucker for eye products as much as I do, go get yourself some My Beauty Diary Eye Masks!!

Review: Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix

I have extremely oily skin, and the oiliness is quite rampant on the T-zone area, the cheeks and the eyelids. Basically the only not-so-oily parts are my temples and jawline. What a nightmare. 

Having lived with overactive sebum glands for more than 5 years now, I have come to accept the fact that my foundation and concealer will never stay matte for more than 3 hours. Blotting and touching up has become a habit and so I'm not very concerned with my oily T-zone and cheeks. Actually, come to think of it, I used to have combination skin with manageable sebum production. But once I hit my twenties, my hormones went lunatic. Boohoo, what to do but suck it up? 

However, there's one thing I absolutely hate about my oily skin and that's my extremely oily eyelids. Blotting and touching up foundation is easy peasy, but the case is doubly hard when it comes to creasing eyeshadow on very oily lids. I abhor oily eyelids with a vengeance. This is why I'm always on the lookout for amazing eyeshadow primers that can minimise the oily mess. So far, the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion and the Lorac Behind The Scenes Eye Primer have been excellent and truly gifts sent from above for those with oily lids. However, they are not very cheap, and I finally have found a perfect dupe for the Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion. It's only S$11 from Luxola! Cheap leh, very cheap!! 

The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix retails for S$11 for a 7.5ml tube, while the Urban Decay one retails for S$33 for a 11ml tube. Lazy to do math now, but yes the Zoeva one is definitely more bang for the buck, especially when it's as good as the Urban Decay's. 

Paraben-free and fragrance-free! Excellent for those with sensitive eyelids.

Ingredients list

Packaging: The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix has an economical packaging. It's packaged in a squeeze tube with a long and precise needle tip. You can dispense the exact amount of product that you want every single time and you can finish up the entire 7.5ml easily. Some primers have very stupid packaging where a doe-foot applicator is pumped in to get some product out. You will never use the entire tube this way! So this packaging is great. Also, it's entirely semi-matte black with grey lettering. Looks fancy but quite inexpensive.



Texture and application: The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix has a semi-thick consistency that's extremely silky to the touch. It blends and spreads very easily and evenly. Once applied, you don't notice any product on your eyelids because it blends well with your natural eyelid colour. Application is easy-peasy and fast because of how blendable the product is. A little of this goes a long way. I especially love the product description on Luxola - "It’s concentrated: the size of a raindrop from the needle nose squeeze-tube covers the entire lid." Definitely agree with that!

Effectiveness: I truly believe that this is one of the best performing eye primers in the market, especially if you have oily eyelids. The Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix does help to make eyeshadows a little bit more vibrant than if applied on naked eyelids, but there are other primers that do a much better job at this component. However, in terms of keeping oily eyelids matte, the Zoeva Matte Eyeshadow Fix is quite competent and impressive. For those looking for an eye primer to make your eyeshadows pop more, I wouldn't suggest this one, but the Lorac one is great at that! 

Longevity: My eyeshadow stayed in place - no creasing, no smudging - for more than 10 hours. How freaking insane is that?! 'Nuff said. 

Will I buy it again? YES!! But it's out of stock now, NOOOOOOOO!! I shall add myself to the waitlist. BAH... 

Have a good Saturday guys! Such a glorious day with nice rainy weather. :D 

Massive Clothing Haul (Sep-Oct 2014): Taobao, H&M, Zalora and Cotton On

There's a reason why this is a "Sep-Oct 2014" haul even though it's only the third day of October - I have to save the money and not shop anymore for the rest of October because I'm going to Bangkok next month!! Save the money and shop like crazy there! :D

Also, I need to review my wardrobe again. zzz.

First up, Taobao...
I'm very excited about these 6 items. If I could use a couple of words to describe my style, they would be "baggy" and "comfortable". I don't normally wear tight clothes because I feel like I cannot breathe. I love love love LOVE baggy and flowy tops/dresses even though they make me look bigger than I actually am. People actually ask me if I lost weight when I wear something tight. But aiyah, I prefer to be comfortable lah, and my job has no attire restrictions at all. Lagi best. Baggy tops/dresses really too nua, I love them!! When I wear something loose and boxy on top, I always make sure I'm wearing something lean and tight at the bottom; it's all about balance. This is why I don't normally buy a lot of pants/shorts/leggings/skirts. I have my favourites and I will repeat them with a different baggy top. Extremely easy process in the mornings - can save a lot of time!!

Blue shirt dress (RMB33)
Blue-green t-shirt dress (RMB32)
Flowy double plaid top (RMB69)
Striped sheer t-shirt dress (RMB27)
Striped v-neck sweater dress (RMB59)
Grey knitted vest (RMB32.99)

When I went to Copenhagen, I forgot my favourite leather jacket. I actually hung them near the bedroom door so that I could just take it and go when I left the house, but yah I forgot. Very dumb because the other jacket in my luggage was way too thick for the autumn weather. So I had to get a cardigan. Where else but H&M right? Then I saw this damn pretty curvy girl who was rocking an all black outfit with a high-low black T-shirt dress and leggings, so yes I wanted a high-low black T-shirt dress also. 

Very strangely, the black shirt was cheaper in Denmark's H&M than Singapore's, but the cardigan was more expensive. Why like that ah? 

&DENIM/CONSCIOUS long linen top (S$49.90, bought for 179DKK, so S$7 cheaper in Denmark)
Knitted cardigan (S$19.90, bought for 99DKK, so S$4 more expensive in Denmark. What?!)

Random Zalora tops that were in my wishlist. I decided to get them because I had a discount code, and on top of that, it was Mastercard Thursday, so I had a discount on top if a discount. Excellent. 

Grey-purple v-neck blouse (S$24.90)
Sheer shoulder kimono blouse (S$24.90)

I was browsing Cotton On Asia for sleepwear and undergarments and decided to get these 3 shirts as well.

Tshirt 1, Tshirt 2, Tshirt 3 (3 for S$30 deal)

So yes, no more shopping till 6 November! Can't wait to shop in Bangkok with Dorabanana! :D Our Airbnb condo looks magical also, got rooftop pool leh, wow.

Have a great Friday! :)

#FitrinaTravels - Copenhagen (Photo Spam) #2

I adore Copenhagen and would definitely love to go back. But next time, maybe I'll visit Stockholm too. Maybe throw in Oslo and Helsinki. Aiyah honeymoon Scandinavian adventure lah hehehe. 

Photos, photos!!

Perfect shirt is perfect. :D

Next up - Bangkok! :D

Massive haul post coming up soon. Ok lah maybe not so massive, but someone commented saying he/she miss my Taobao haul. OK CANNOT DISAPPOINT.

Current Favourite: LUSH Parsley Porridge Soap

Screenshot taken from X

When I first received the LUSH Parsley Porridge Soap from Eve, I gave a very rude eeyer-what-is-this look. Even though it was all wrapped up in the classic LUSH paper packaging, I could still see a hint of green. Also, it smelled strongly of herbs. Naturally, my face contorted because in my very narrow-minded mind, soap bars were supposed to smell either of fruits or of flowers.

Sorry, Eve, I'm a retard.

The LUSH Parsley Porridge Soap is now a favourite! It looks very unattractive - dirty green slab of soap with brown spots - and not everyone will get used to the smell. But wow, it's such a refreshing soap to use after a long day at work, and especially so after a run!

This soap contains fresh parsley, finely ground oatmeal, thyme, tea tree oil and aloe gel - great for those who have back acne as well!

It's not very easy to sud up, but it's a minor flaw because after rinsing, my skin feels soothed, refreshed and very moisturised. Some soap bars strip off the moisture and give you that squeaky clean sensation (I really hate that feeling) but this one will not. The best thing is the LUSH Parsley Porridge Soap has tea tree in it and tea tree is one of my holy grail skincare ingredients. Sometimes after running, I will soak my exercise clothes in a water+tea tree oil combination. That's basically saying that if a product contains tea tree, I will be naturally biased.

One more thing - my bathroom smells of herb garden after I shower with this soap. So nice! I don't think my siblings will love the smell though haha,

Thanks Eve for this amazing soap! I definitely will go back to LUSH to get more!