Favourite AB Sheet Masks (+ a meh one)

I think I'm really late in discovering the world of Reddit. Through Reddit, I got to the know the lovely world of AB or Asian Beauty. Not that I am new to Asian beauty products, but I'm really new to the AB community in Reddit. To be quite honest, the Reddit AB community is so much more informative and reliable than a quick Google search. 

I came across a thread on holy grail AB sheet masks and I was introduced to soooooo many new brands! I wanted to try so many of them T_T. However, I do have a few holy grail sheet masks that I know I will use again and again in the future. Here's the list! 

Innisfree Skin Solution Mask - Trouble Care

• This sheet mask uses unbleached pure cotton pad to enhance comfort, application and essence absorption. It applies smoothly on the skin and has a pleasant herbal smell. I really like this for when my skin is red and inflamed (especially good the day after extraction at a facial salon). I don't go for facials anymore, but this certainly has helped to soothe the redness, while providing ample hydration at the same time. 
• I have another holy grail Innisfree mask, but I ran out of it (I must have used more than 50 already). It's the Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask in Bija. Fantastic sheet mask and an all-rounder. 

SNP Animal Dragon Soothing Mask

• I thought this was going to be a gimmicky mask that's all visual and no substance. But I was so wrong. I first tried it during my Hong Kong trip last year. I had major skin troubles and my face incredibly inflamed and irritated (to the point whereby SASA ladies immediately talked to me about getting products for severe acne, without me asking). I used this on the last night and my skin immediately cooled down and felt less itchy. The redness and pimples were still there, but the skin didn't feel as hot. Great mask for days in which the skin is hot and itchy due to inflammation. This mask was great fun too. I walked out of my room with this applied and my sister got a shock and started laughing hysterically. 

MEDIHEAL Tea Tree Care Solution Essential Mask

• This one uses a cellulose sheet mask that is drenched in the essence. Application can get a little messy but the mask applies on your skin very smoothly, almost like a second layer of skin. I like this because after you remove the mask, the essence gets absorbed into your skin very quickly. Sometimes I put this on for longer than the recommended time just because there's so much essence! The longest was an hour and the sheet mask was still moist to the touch. 

Neogence N3 Mandelic Acid Refinish Mask - I can't find a link for this anywhere, did Neogence discontinue this line? Here's a reddit link (one fo the users highly recommended the mask) - https://www.reddit.com/r/AsianBeauty/comments/3ogupr/random_purchases_that_end_up_surprising_you/

• This mask can get a little tingly so if you have sensitive skin, please stay away. It contains mandelic acid, a type of AHA, which is a chemical exfoliant. It's great for calming down huge painful pimples. Won't make them disappear overnight, but they will be significantly less painful. I'm currently on roaccutane so I'm not using this mask as often as before. But if you are not on such strong medication and are experiencing some painful cystic spots, this may be great for you. 

And then... there's this...

I really do not like them.

I got the Mamonde 7Days Project Sheet Mask (Soothing) via RoseRoseShop because I was intrigued. Daily mask application for 7 days?! I tried one and I hated it. The essence was so oily and sticky. Hours after I removed the mask, my skin still felt sticky and heavy. I couldn't take it anymore and just washed my face with my usual cleanser. My skin really felt like I had a hefty layer of oil on it. Not good at all.

Maybe this will be better for those with extra extra extra dry skin. Or those living in extreme cold temperatures.

So there you go! 4 current holy-grail masks and 1 meh mask. :D Now I need to restock the Innisfree It's Real Squeeze Mask, and perhaps try other brands! Any recommendations?

Quick Review: Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye

I was on my way to Bangkok and I needed an eye cream. That's why Changi Airport is amazing - duty-free shopping!

I purchased the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Eye for S$50 (retails for S$72) after I received attentive and thoughtful service from the Kiehl's salesperson. Great service really makes a whole lot of difference! I informed her that I had a problem of dark under-eye circles and she immediately introduced the product to me. I had tried the Midnight Recovery Concentrate before and I broke out from it, but I knew that it was an effective product for less acne-prone skins since my friends were raving about it. So, I got it!

And... I really like it. It's not sticky after application and a little goes a long way. I also like how there's no strong fragrance upon application. Results have been positive. I've used it for more than a week and I've noticed how much less puffy my eyes were in the recent mornings. However, I did notice that the under-eye area was dryer and affecting the way my concealers apply. I'm not sure if it's because of this eye cream, or because I'm on accutane. Probably the latter. Overall, it's a decent eye cream. Repurchasing is not in the plan right now because I want to try out the Kiehl's Super Multi-Corrective Eye Opening Serum and Creamy Eye Treatment with Avocado next.

Did I also mention that Kengyang bought the exact same product 10 minutes before I bought mine? He loved it as well!

19th day of gratitude

Photo taken by me :) It was a great morning today at Upper Bukit Timah!

I didn't know being grateful was so difficult. My mind always heads towards the "complaining" direction first, and I have to stop myself from being grumpy. It's not about the usual thankyous that everyone deserves. It's when I face something out-of-the-ordinary and challenging. I get flustered, roll my eyes and then express my annoyance. It's not a good habit to have and I'm trying my best to drown the whining bug with positive thoughts. 

Actually, I have quite a lot of things to be appreciative now - Downtown Line (total journey time of 50 minutes to office!), Netflix (motivation while running), understanding bosses (makes me want to work harder), afternoon rains (I love the sound of heavy rain when I'm working. ASMR??), SunMoon Fresh store that sells one of the cheapest salads in the area, et cetera. Not even going to mention the people because this post will be too long, but I love all of them :') 

I'm going to quote the Dalai Lama now. Laugh all you want, but I think these words should be a gospel. 

"The roots of all goodness lie in the soil of appreciation for goodness." -- Dalai Lama

Massive ASOS Haul (Dec 2015 - Jan 2016)

This is excessive. I spent a total of £103.91 (approximately S$215) on 12 items. 

If I divide that total amount with the total quantity bought, I saved a great deal (the total original price for all 12 items was £308, or slightly over S$630). But if I look at this entire post as whole, I shopped way too much. 

1. I'm very vexed about Chinese New Year outfits. This year I need multiple outfits because I'm going back to Indonesia on the second day of CNY. 

2. CNY coupon code from ASOS that slashed another 18% off sale items. 

3. Lack of self control and discipline. 

I'm horrible. 

Before this post turns into a self-castigation attempt, here are the items I purchased. All of them were from the sale section.

Vero Moda Mixed Stripe 3/4 Sleeve T-Shirt Dress
ASOS Skater Dress with T-Shirt Overlay
ASOS Patch Denim T-Shirt Dress With Lace Up Back
ASOS Paisley Printed T-Shirt Mini Dress

Noisy May Cadance Lace Up Tee
ASOS Sheer and Solid Oversize Shirt
ASOS Sleeveless Blazer in Stripe Co-ord
ASOS Denim A-Line Mini Skirt With Plait Tie Belt In Mid Blue
ASOS Denim Dolly A-line Button Through Mini Skirt in Indigo with Contrast Stitching

ASOS PETITE Crop Top In Rib with Side Splits
ASOS Classic Retro Sunglasses
ASOS Enamel Open Circle Necklace

Currently waiting for the first package to arrive. I wonder how many of them will end up on Carousell. Oh the joys of online shopping~

Other than these, I have new stuff from Zalora, Cotton On, Dressabelle and MDS Collection. I need to Evanesco some items in my wardrobe. 

Bangkok 2016

Flying out of the country again, just a day into the second week of the new year. I always plan my holidays way ahead of the actual travelling period, but this time, it was on the spur of the moment. He bought the tickets and I booked the accommodation just 2 weeks before. It's something out of the ordinary and I don't think I can do this last-minute thing without getting stressed out in the process. 

But well, yes, it's time for me to venture out to Bangkok with my boyfriend. He has a work thing the week after in Bangkok, so it's good that we're spending some time together first. 

I finally adorned (yeah just let me use this word lah, my skin is in a terrible state now) my face with this pair of shades from Cotton On. Got it for only S$4 during an online sale a long time ago! Whilst digging up this pair, I realised there were many other pairs that were stuck in shades box and never made their way out of my house. I think that's reminiscent of many other such "boxes" in my room. For example, my nailpolish box - I don't even wear nailpolish anymore! I need to start up my nailpolish engine man. How about my exploding wardrobe? I have tried to put aside some items that I want to sell on Carousell, but that's where they have been all this while - on the side. Bah what's wrong with me??

Okay, I will take photos and sell some on Carousell after this post!!

I think the shades looks good on me, no? A good dosage of mei tu xiu xiu was also used to get this photo looking good. What to do~

I bought myself a giant purple donut/doughnut (whichever's your party) cushion. It was S$14 and expensive by Bangkok's standards, but hey it has been very functional, especially when I'm trying to watch Netflix on my phone. So yes to a good buy!

In all the times I've been to Bangkok, I've never dared to eat at the zhi-char stalls by the roadside near Central World. Call me pretentious, but I didn't want to risk a diarrhea on the FIRST night of my vacation. Also, every time I go back to Indonesia and turn into a glutton, I always get tummy problems. I don't blame the food from the roadside stalls, I blame the rabbit food diet that I force myself into in Singapore, making my digestive organs pompous and clean-freaks.

But when Kengyang told me to have dinner there, I just went, "okay, let's go". My brain works strangely sometimes.

He took this photo of me. Very nice right?

And to return the favour, I took this blurry photo of him. I feel very bad, even till now. Taking blurry photos is a no-no and a huge sin in my books and I actually committed the sin. ZZZ.

Luckily he's okay with it. I chose a great great man. :')

Verdict: DAMN SCRUMPTIOUS. Servings were huge and we couldn't finish the tom yum soup. I paid for this dinner (I think it was 700 baht, that's almost 30 dollars!) and I think the girl added some extra bahts into the bill. But whatever lah, the food was good so I was okay with paying a little bit more that stated in the menu.

We lunched at Platinum Mall's food court and it was okay. Good enough to fill our hungry tummies.

This bowl of beef noodle though. It was fire in a bowl. I thought I could eat spicy stuff. I thought wrong. This was just too much. Kengyang didn't know that the actual broth was already freaking spicy, so he added another heap of dried seasoned chilli. Fireworks!

Off to Chatuchak we go! We also went to Union Mall for a good hour (it was one MRT stop away from Chatuchak Park MRT station). I'm officially way too old for these places. I only bought 2 bags for myself. That's all. I should be happy because I didn't spend much, but I wasn't happy because I was there to spend some moolah!

Kengyang had a smashing time though. I think this shopping trip was more fruitful for him. He even got himself a damn good pair of leather Onitsukas! Triple grade A replica of course, but for 750baht?? Great buy indeed and he looked good in them.

I didn't have any luck with footwear though. Not even a pair of slippers to replace my dying Rubi ones.

At least I got to eat my coconut ice cream!

This was also the day I experienced the mighty drying powers of roaccutane. I had layers of concealer and powder on my face, but when I was back in the hotel room (a good 11-12 hours later), I was not oily AT ALL. My gosh.

I'm going to write another post regarding my accutane update when I hit the one-month mark. It's day 16 today and so far the initial breakouts have slowed down and my face is slowly turning into a desert. Flaky skin galore! Not complaining though~

Dinner was at Somtam Nua and it was a great experience, as always. This was my third time dining here and the standard has always been very up there. I hope that persists!

Can you believe that I've never been to the Victory Monument?

So I went!

But that was more of a convenient stopover because the goal was to find this boat noodles shop near the Victory Monument.

We found it and we had SO MANY BOWLS of tiny servings of noodles and fried stuff.

Each bowl was only 12baht, and according to Kengyang, he could finish one bowl in one gulp, so no need to feel guilty about the next photo.

Okay.

What do you do after eating so much noodles?

You eat some more!!

We wanted to just walk around Siam, but I had a sudden recollection that there was an After You cafe in one of the Siam shopping malls, and yeah we ate again. But this was dessert, and you know the thing people say about having separate stomach for desserts? It's a fact.

My boyfriend with a pikachu visor they handed out at the mall's entrance.

Apparently, a Thai cable channel is going to broadcast the latest season of pokemon soon? Or something like that lah, I'm always misinformed about such things.

We went to the train night market on the last night!

This was a funny story.

The group that opened the original train night market opened another branch nearer to the city centre. but I read online that it was a smaller one. So, naturally I wanted to go to the larger one and I've been there before and I liked it. I asked the hotel frontdesk about the taxi situation in getting us to the further, original market, and she said no taxis would start their meter for that and they would quote at least 300 baht because it was so far away.

I was disappointed but we decided to go ahead with our plans. So, we got a taxi just outside of Pratunam market and the taxi driver quoted us 150 baht. Wow? We were pleasantly surprised and got on the taxi.

The taxi driver drove for a good 10-12 minutes and then stopped by the roadside and said we have reached. Both Kengyang and I stared at each other and we thought of the same thing - we have been conned. Some more this taxi driver so aggressive one. When I asked him if this is the train night market location, he kept saying yes and after that he told me very fiercely to get out and that he would show me the way. I got scared already lah, so I just got out and followed him.

Actually, he did bring us to the train night market, but it was the newer branch. LOL.

And to be honest, I really did enjoy my time there! The atmosphere was amazing and the shopping was great too. So, it turned out to be a great night.

Sorry taxi uncle for doubting you!

Getting back to the hotel was also a problem. No taxi wants to go to the Pratunam area for less than 200baht. ZZZ.

A taxi pulled up and it was a woman driver. I told Kengyang that this taxi confirm will bring us back to Pratunam, and I was right. She even started her meter! What a great lady.

Was that a sexist paragraph? Hmmmmm. But she was a really nice lady. She chatted with us (mostly with Kengyang lah because I was really tired and dozing off) and showed us a photo of her son.

That was the end of our vacation. The next day, we headed out to Kengyang's business hotel and then I left for Singapore. Sad face emoji.

Last meal in Bangkok! It was in a cafe near the hotel (called "Buttercup" I think) and wow the food was good. The toast dessert was surprisingly delicious - on par with After You!

For those who are looking for an affordable boutique hotel in Bangkok, you can try Budacco Hotel. We stayed there for 3 nights and we loved it. Not a lush hotel, but the room had everything that we needed and it was very clean. The service was top-notch too!

A great trip with my pikachu-loving boyfriend. Till the next one! :)

2016 - A Fresh New Start

After two months of blogging absence, I felt the itch and finally decided that I should continue writing online. I'm not one to write elegant prose. I also don't have the linguistic mastery that some other bloggers have. I guess I'm changing this space to a more personal one. I write to make myself happy and hopefully, I can make some of my readers happy too. Less ads and more lifestyle posts. I think that's the correct direction. 

2015 has been a messy year for me. I felt a lot of stagnance, like I'm not progressing in any aspect of my life. Work was great, but I wasn't 100% committed. Family problems were getting better, but I was avoiding a lot of troubles (i.e. I chose to avoid than to solve). My relationship with Kengyang was stable, but my insecurities led to my uncontrollable anger outbursts. My skin condition spiralled way out of control and so did my weight. Basically, I was pimply, plump and pathetic. 

It took a lot of courage to admit that I was starting to head into the depression realm again. I always blamed PMS for my mood swings, but they were getting out of hand. So, it's time to take control of the situation. 

Work: A recent talk with my bosses boosted my confidence and I'm determined to be a better employee. One who takes her job more seriously and one who will strive to serve clients better so as to bring only positive remarks about the company. I used to be very whiny about my work, so I need to stop being such a complain monster! 

Family: 2 more years till I move out! I can't solve family problems and participating in arguments only lead to more problems, so being zen in times of chaos is the way to go. 

Love: Sometimes I wonder what honorable deed I did in my past life to deserve such a great boyfriend. Other than Kengyang, I don't think anyone else can put up with me. Even I cannot take myself. I need to keep this temper in check. 

Skin: Enough is enough. Facials only fixed the acne situation momentarily and spending tons and tons of money on skincare products will only lead to more irritated skin. I consulted a dermatologist on the last day of 2015 and I decided to be put on accutane/roaccutane. It's a long process (explained as 8-9 months) and the side effects are aplenty. But a full course completed has around 10%  chance of recurrence - meaning 90% of patients will never get acne again in their lives. So, I'm willing to take the chance. I'm on day 13 today, and so far I'm not enjoying the initial breakouts, but I will persevere. 

Weight: It's obvious that I have gained weight and it's time to do something about it. I'm now so scared of weighing myself because I don't want to get shocked by the numbers that I see. It's time to lose those inches and be happier again! 

I'm not saying that my 2015 was entirely terrible. I love all my friends who made my year much easier to get by. I don't have a lot of friends, but those that I have are really precious to me and I wouldn't want to lose any of them.

Let's hope 2016 will be more pleasant and placid. Have a great year guys! :)