Want: Annie's Way Jelly Mask (Taiwan)

Bubzbeauty, BeautyQQ and BREN LUI 大佬B (all my favourite Asian Youtubers) all highly recommended the Annie's Way Jelly Mask from Taiwan and I was convinced to give the product a try. 

It's currently only available online in Singapore (Glamabox - S$27 each) and it's available in physical stores in Malaysia (Facebook). 

I didn't want to pay S$21 (currently on promotion) for a tub of jelly mask, so I decided to try my luck on Taobao. ALAS! Taobao is truly a magical place. I found many many sellers selling the Annie's Way Jelly Masks, and I chose the one with the most number of positive reviews - just in case some sellers decided to sell fake ones at a cheaper price. Buying skincare on Taobao is a little bit tricky because you really have to read through all the reviews. You certainly do not want to waste the money on fake ones! 

So yes, the jelly masks were RMB50 each and I added them into Kengyang's cart! :D Can't wait! Apparently, it's really good in helping to remove blackheads! You apply a thick 0.3-0.5cm all over your face for a good 30 minutes and then scrape off with the provided tool. The blackheads on the nose area will be softened and it will much more easily removed using the appropriate blackhead-removing tool. This also means less pressing and less redness. Also, it's supposed to help brighten dull skin. 

I got two of the Annie's Way Jelly Masks - the Arbutin + Hyaluronic Acid Brightening Jelly Mask and the Aloe Moisturising Jelly Mask. 

The Arbutin + Hyaluronic Acid Brightening Jelly Mask is for whitening, moisturizing, minimising fine lines, and leaving the skin radiantly bright.

The Aloe Moisturising Jelly Mask is suitable for oily and acne prone skin, and can be used after sun exposure. 

Do let me know if I can get these masks in any physical stores in Singapore! 

Have a good week ahead! :) 

Touring Taiwan (December 2013) with Chan Brothers - Accommodation

It's only the 3rd day of 2014 and I'm already feeling miserable because of this terrible headache. So I thought to myself, let's blog to distract the excruciating pain? Great idea right?

This post is about all the 5 hotels that I stayed in during my trip to Taiwan. Yes, 7-day-6-night trip and FIVE hotels.

What do I think of the many hotels?

I DON'T LOVE IT. I can't really say I hate it because some of the hotels were really really excellent.

• I have to pack my luggage every single morning. That will be alright if we had a later gathering time. Nope, our morning calls averaged at 645am. My goodness. Also, I'm not the type of person who can throw everything into the luggage and just pray that it will zip up. I need to fold/roll everything and fit them nicely, if not I will feel utterly miserable. So basically, I woke up 1 hour before the morning calls almost every morning and by the time I was on the bus, I was snoring away. 
• I wasn't able to really appreciate the beauty of some hotels We were so excited about our own personal hot-spring in our hotel at Taitung, but since we reached the hotel late, we were only able to soak once/twice and then we just slept because we were so tired. I wished we had two nights in that beautiful hotel! 
• Some hotels were freaking scary. One thing I hate about travelling is staying in a freaky hotel room. I'm born a Catholic and my mom always told me (more like snapped at me LOL) to ignore hotel superstitions. She can do it, BUT I CANNOT. Every single time I opened the door to a new hotel room, I will knock first. It has become a habit. Better safe than sorry right?? Anyway, some freaky stuff happened on the first night at Nantou - I couldn't fall asleep because of a really bad tummyache so I just closed my eyes and I prayed that the pain would go away. Then all of a sudden, I heard water droplets coming out of the tap in the toilet? "Tuk....tuk...tuk...tuk..tuk.." WTF I FREAKED OUT and just froze. I thought I was just imagining it all, so I just brushed it off. But the frequency got quicker and finally it stopped entirely. Then I decided to check what time it was (So stupid seriously). I grabbed my phone and as I pressed the home button, the clock turned from 259am to 3am. WTF. I immediately just turned to kengyang and prayed and PRAYED. So yes, freakish hotel rooms SUCK.

This is the first hotel that we stayed in. Our hotel room was very spacious and looked just like the photo provided on the website. We had a huge window too but lol, our view was the carpark and not Sun Moon Lake. SIAN.

1. Nantou Einhan Resorts

(Source: X)

We spent our second night in Kaohsiung and it was not a luxurious hotel. I"m guessing it's because we were staying in a city, instead of the suburbs, so the hotel rooms naturally were smaller and more cramped.

2. Kaohsiung Metropolitan Hotel 

(Source: X)

My favourite hotel of the lot. We had our own hot spring in the toilet and the room was HUMONGOUS. I really wished we had more nights in this beautiful hotel!

3. Taitung Royal Chihpen Spa

Our hotel room looked exactly like the photo provided on the website. AMAZING HOTEL!

(Source: X)

Our hotel in Hualien was also very comfortable and luxurious. The breakfast buffet was super delicious as well!!

4. Hualien Fullon Hotel

(Source: X)

We spent the last 2 nights in Taipei and I didn't really like the hotel that we stayed in. It was really cramped and the beds were tiny. I refused to sleep on one of the beds because it directly faced a mirror wtf. What kind of a hotel will do that?! It's hotel taboo! (The myth is your soul may get sucked into the mirror when you sleep and there's a possibility that your soul cannot get back into your body). I don't swear by hotel superstitions but it's really better safe than sorry lah. You know may have problem already, then you sleep on it for what right??

This hotel was really really old too and some of our drawers were damaged. BOO.

5. Taipei Fullerton East Hotel (changed from Taipei Imperial Hotel)

(Source: X)

So that's it! All the 5 hotels that I stayed in during my 7-day-6-night trip to Taiwan. I don't think I'll be joining a tour group for my future Taiwan trips. I'd rather stick to one/two hotels and explore each city more in a 7-day period. Or stay in an airbnb house! I love airbnb!!

My next trip will be from 27Feb to 2Mar for a company getaway. The location is still unknown though. The rumour is we're going to a Scandinavia country! YAY!

After that, I'll be going to Japan in August! I haven't really planned anything but I really want to spend summer in Japan! :) It's going to be blistering hot and freaking humid, but aiyoh, what's new when you live in Singapore?

Have a great Friday guys, YAY WEEKEND IS HERE! :)

Touring Taiwan (December 2013) with Chan Brothers - Sights and Food

Back from Taiwan and very much fatigued and fat. I have been trying to lose the extra flab these past 4 days and thank goodness I'm back to my original weight now. Hard work but it's extremely satisfying when I start to feel the leg muscles again. 

Anyway, just a disclaimer about this blogpost title - I'm not sponsored by Chan Brothers okay. I just went on a tour organised by Chan Brothers! 

Thank you Kengyang's parents for this trip! :) 

This tour was supposed to highlight the entire Taiwan, hence we spent a lot of time on the bus, moving from one city to another. Luckily we had a really humorous local tour guide and our bus journeys were not as tiring as we had expected them to be. 

Some tips if you want to go on an organised tour to Taiwan:

• Get the 3G Prepaid Card. 7-day unlimited 3G only costs NT500 (~S$21.50). Entertain yourself during those long bus journeys! You can't sleep every single time you're on the bus right? 
• Bring an external battery pack for your phone and make sure you turn off location services and other unnecessary applications. You need your phone for entertainment!!!! 
• Please bring along motion sickness pills. We travelled on mountainous roads and it was a jerky experience. It's damn easy to get motion sickness. Not nice to barf in front of other people eh? 
• Be prepared for early early morning calls. Our average morning call time was around 645am? Crazy, but you get to sleep on the bus so it's not so bad lah. 
• Prepare an overnight/weekend bag. There was one night in which we only had our overnight bag with us because our luggages were on the bus and the bus driver had to drive overnight to another city. 
• It's okay if you don't want to eat so much. Don't worry about food wastage. We were fed like kings and our tummies couldn't handle it. Each time we ate, there were more than 8 different dishes in front of us. After eating, you'll go back to the bus and sit down until you reach your next destination. So, it's best you don't overeat! Nobody wants a protruding tummy! 
• Buy souvenirs/food stuff only at the end of the trip so you don't have to carry your extra boxes around. 

Visuals!!

Here are some of the places that I went to. Of course there are other locations but I don't think those are worth blogging. HAHA. 

Sun Moon Lake 日月潭

Wenwu Temple 文武廟

Fo Guang Shan Buddha Memorial Centre 佛光山佛陀紀念館

Seven Star Lake 七星潭

This was a sudden addition to the itinerary because we were in the vicinity and the local tour guide didn't want to waste the opportunity!

Taroko National Park 太魯閣國家公園

Yilan National Centre for Traditional Arts 國立傳統藝術中心

This was on the way to Hualien. Everyone was sleeping and I couldn't fall asleep. THEN, super super SUPER scenic seaside views greeted me. WOW. Took out my camera and SNAP SNAP SNAPP! 

Releasing paper lanterns at Pingxi 平溪放天燈

Early morning train ride. Our morning call was 530am. WHATTHEEFF. =_=

Wulai 烏來 

FOOD FOOD FOOD

I don't really like Taiwanese oyster omelette? Very much prefer the Singaporean version. :S

Ah Zhong Mian Xian was the bomb. THE BOMB. I was freaking full, but I couldn't stop eating?! Best Taiwanese food EVER.

Shout out to Mr Chung! :))

Wah okay. Damn tired. Stitching all these photos + lagging laptop = SELF-STRANGLE ARGH. 

OKAY RUNNING TIME. ACTIVATE THOSE ENDORPHINS LAI LAI!!  

Last haul of 2013

I'm back from Taiwan and I have accumulated quite a mountain of purchases. I blame it all on my bonus. YAY Shopping! :D

I didn't do much shopping in Taiwan. Spent a hell lot of time on the bus travelling to remote places and I was too tired when we had the allocated shopping time. Once I'm back, I went CRAZY online. HAHA. All I can say is... oops? 

• ZARA Inspired Dress: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a230r.1.14.10.01dJs2&id=36711108305 
• Blue Long-sleeve Top: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w4004-4962327258.12.s4KWBp&id=36391115614 
• ZARA Inspired Leather Shorts: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w4004-4291307551.2.G2pGG2&id=35125221673
• Fur-sleeved Winter Jacket: http://item.taobao.com/item.htm?spm=a1z10.1.w4004-4662936074.38.wTrNkf&id=35516375057

• Innisfree Jeju Hand Creams: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/INNISFREE-JEJU-HAND-CREAM-10-FRAGRANCE-NEW/413252857?selectedOptions=
• Mizon Parisien Eyeliner Pencil Kit: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/MIZON-FULL-EYE-MAKEUP-SET-PARISIEN/412486797?selectedOptions=
• Tosowoong Eyeliner Set: http://list.qoo10.sg/item/BEST-NO-1-EYELINER-TOSOWOONG-SEASON1/409898032?selectedOptions=;

• Flamingo Pencil Case: http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/patti-case-flamingos/
• Ice-cream Notebook: http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/big-ideas-notebook-ice-cream/
• Spirited Away 2014 Diary (SO EXCITED FOR THIS. FASTER COME!!): http://list.qoo10.sg/item/GHIBLI-STUDIO-ANIMATION-SPIRITED/413459224?selectedOptions=
• Fox Pen Holder: http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/pen-holder-fox/

• YoungHungryFree Lisa Sequin Top in Black: http://www.younghungryfree.com/collections/tops/products/lisa-sequin-top-in-black
• Uniqlo Black Jeggings: Taiwan
• Uniqlo Printed Shirt: Taiwan

• Aztec Sunday Bag (can be travel bag too cause this is HUGEEE): http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/sunday-gear-bag-intarsia-aztec/
• Bright Floral Nerd Glasses: http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/nerd-glasses-bright-floral/
• Spike Jelly Sandal: http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/spike-jelly-sandal-black/
• 5pk Soft Lace Trim Bikini (TMI but 10 bucks for the entire set!!!): http://asia.cottonon.com/shop/product/5pk-soft-lace-trim-bikini-pretty/

Happy holidays everyone! :)

Can't wait to spend my last day/night of 2013 with Mr Chung. :)

YAY HAVE A GOOD LAST COUPLE OF DAYS OF 2013! :D

Taiwan tour with Chan Brothers (On a hiatus: 20-26 December)

Happy holidays y'all!! :D 

I'll be away to Taiwan from 20-26 December 2013. Thanks to Kengyang's parents for this trip! :) 

(Source: X)

Anyway, we'll going on a tour with Chan Brothers - 7D6N All Taiwan (TW7ATG).

Here's a summary of the proposed itinerary.

Day 1:
Sun Moon Lake, Wenwu Temple, Lingzhi Specialty Centre

Day 2:
Xitou Forest Recreational Area (Bamboo Cottage, University Pond, Meng Zhong Bamboo Forest), Monster Village, Ten Drum Cultural Village, Tainan Garden Night Market

Day 3:
Bullet train to Kaohsiung, Love River, Shinkuchan Shopping District, Pearl Culture Centre
Travel to Taitung - stay in hot spring hotel with personal hot spring facility in room

Day 4:
Scenic drive to Hualien, Ikegami Rice Packs Museum, Taroko Gorge (Swallow Caves, Nine Turn Grotto, Changchun Shrine)

Day 5:
Scenic train ride to Yilan, Yilan National Centre for Traditional Arts, Pingxi - lighting up and releasing Heavenly lanterns, Chiufen, Hsueshan Tunnel to Taipei City, Taipei 101, Shihlin Night Market

Day 6:
National Palace Museum, Pi Xiu Lucky Charm Centre, Taiwan Traditional Tea Specialty, Ximenting, Tamshui Old Street

Day 7:
Bonus trip to Wulai

Itinerary looks damn packed and chiong, but I'm excited! My first time in Taiwan!

This reminds me of end of December 2012. I think every year they have this floating balls event thing at Esplanade in which you write your wishes on the huge white ball? (Not so sure if it's yearly or just a 2012 event) I wrote three wishes - I wanted a GPA of 5.0 for that semester, I wanted an A+ for FYP and I wanted to travel to Japan and Taiwan. It's freaky because ALL THREE CAME TRUE?!

#1 - I only took COM402 and COM433 that semester. I got A for both modules. So yes GPA 5.0 fulfilled.
#2 - We did get A+ for FYP. Another wish fulfilled.
#3 - I went to Japan in May 2013, and now I'm going to Taiwan before the year ends? OMG THESE BALL BALL THINGIES ARE MAGICAL.

So yes, if you spot them at Esplanade, GO AND WRITE YOUR WISHES. :D

OK Have a good Christmas guys! I'll be back on the 27th and I'll have LOTS of reviews coming up for January 2014! Experimenting with LORAC Pro Palette and it is AMAZING. Easily my favourite palette to date (sorry UD Naked).