Spicy noodle, bubbly mask and HARRY POTTER!

This month has been hectic. Filled with mostly busy weekdays and fun weekends. I'm very proud of myself this month. I went out to meet up with friends or to date my man almost every weekend day. Which says a lot because usually I just want to be glued to my bed and never leave my room till Monday comes again. 

Also, I cannot believe November is almost here. Christmas is around the corner. It is mind boggling how fast the year has gone by. Need to start buying Christmas presents again! Typo, here I come! :D

Anyway, you know all these Youtube videos about people trying Korean spicy noodles? I was really intrigued. Got so spicy or not?? So, when I saw that the 7-11 near my office sold them, I grabbed one to try. To be honest, it was spicy. Definitely will numb your tongue a bit, but aiyoh some people really over-react leh! I understand some of them didn't have high tolerance level for spiciness but I saw some people cursing and swearing profusely, then got some even cried like a baby on screen. Not so bad lah! Actually really quite nice. The trick is to not slurp the noodles using your lips, just put a bit of noodles in a spoon and scoop straight into your mouth. Not so spicy anymore! I'll be getting more because it's really nice and the spiciness super got kick, damn shiok!

I had a lot of fun trying out new things that day haha. After my spicy noodles, I tried a bubbly mask. I saw this on someone's Instagram and was soooo curious as to how it will work in real life. 

It's a tea tree purifying mask so it's suitable for my skin. Once you apply the black mask on your face, bubbles will start forming and you will slight tingling to indicate that the product is working in trying to remove the gunk in your pores. Then you remove the mask after 10 minutes and rinse off thoroughly. Very brilliant product if it worked as promised! 

Definitely worked as promised HAHA. I look like a bear!! 

I also liked how refreshing this made my skin feel, and the tingling sensation is quite satisfying. I have used this 3 times and I enjoyed every 10-minute session. Gonna get more soon. I got my first set of 3 on carousell for S$5. Super cheap please, but I think the retail price is much higher than that. 

Taobao purchase from last month - flamingo print tote bag for less than S$8! 

This month's shopping ban has been quite successful. I mostly bought necessities like soap, shampoo etc because I was running out. Other than that, I have restricted myself quite well. Yay. But the temptations were aplenty, especially now that we have Topshop Singapore online and of course every single day I'm discovering new stuff on Taobao. But I'll persevere and save the money for the food and shopping during my upcoming Hong Kong trip!

ALSO, JENG JENG - I finally have the illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. It is BEAUTIFUL. Jim Kay is a genius. 

My favourite page is this short guide to trolls! :D 

I love the excitement! It's like in the past when I queued up outside Popular bookstore when a new book was released just so that I could read the book immediately after release. Now no longer queueing outside book stores because can just preorder on Amazon! Can't wait for the next one! But hmm, how would Order of Phoenix be illustrated. That book has 700+ pages of densely spaced lines. Another question is how heavy will the illustrated Order of Phoenix be? But who cares about these questions because I'm still going to get all of them!

What a glorious way to end the post. I love Harry Potter so much! I have yet to visit a Harry Potter theme park so maybe 2016 resolution? :)

Review: Some Taobao Items (via 65daigou)

It's not difficult to fall in love with Taobao. Even the initial language barrier couldn't stop my addiction. On the contrary, I think I'm much better with Mandarin Chinese. If all else fails, a quick Google Translate visit should be suffice.

Two phrases describe Taobao perfectly - super cheap and a myriad of choices.

Being the biggest online marketplace in Asia where you can find anything and everything (no kidding there), it's really obvious how one can fall deeply and obsessively in love with the platform.  I kid you not, I browse Taobao on a daily basis. No purpose and no goal, just browsing for the sake of finding gems.

Most people in Singapore already make online shopping a habit - it's convenient and you need not step out of your homes to shop! Just click, click, click and you will items delivered to you in a few days' to a few weeks' time.

I actually love Taobao more than blogshops because I can find similar items but for so much cheaper. Recently, my sister and my mom have been into Taobao as well. So, we always submit our orders together. Family bonding!

I always purchase my Taobao items through 65daigou. I chanced upon the website maybe more than 3 years ago and I have never looked back. Back then, even with a much smaller manpower, their service was already impeccable. Hence, when 65daigou contacted me to write a product and service review, I was more than willing to do so.

I used to opt for Sea shipping and my items would be delivered to me within 2 weeks, but these recent months, I chose Economy Air shipping instead because I wanted to get my things faster (around 1 week to get my stuff! Faster than some blogshops lor).

I have way too many purchases from Taobao and most of them have been featured on this blog. Let's rehash some of the old content.

Jewellery on Taobao is ridiculously cheap. Quality is amazing as well.

White vest is from Taobao. It's ZARA-inspired and looks exactly like the real thing. Of course, price is much cheaper than the real thing.

Vest and bag are from Taobao. I really love this bag to pieces. It has prints of many types of fishes and one single scuba-diver. It was definitely less than S$12. How to get such good quality and quirky bag at such a price in Singapore?

Wah, one of my favourite purchases ever. This leather jacket has served me too well. I bought it for less than S$15. Too ridiculous already this pricetag! Till now, the leather jacket still looks as good as new.

This crossbody bag that cost me less than S$5 but looks so exquisite. My aunt even asked if it was from Balenciaga!

Mango-inspired dress that was less than S$12. Flawless quality. Couldn't be happier when I received it.

Shirt and jeans also from Taobao. Aiyah my entire closet really almost 50% bought from Taobao. :D

Here comes my 4 most favourite purchases from Taobao.

First is this ZARA-inspired embroidered jacket. This has quite a story, bear with me haha.
So, I had wanted this jacket for the longest time, but it was retailing for more than S$150. No way was I going to spend that kind of money. Hence I waited for Great Singapore Sale to start and finally, I saw that it was going for S$49.90 in stores! CHIONG AH, I went to 4 different ZARA stores and nope, I had no such luck. The salesperson said it was out of stock. WAHLAO EH. I was so pissed off because I spent so much time searching for it!.

I went home, searched through Taobao.... AND I FOUND IT OMG STRAIGHT AWAY BUY.

It was one of the more pricey purchases. The total (plus express shipping) was about S$33 but eh still cheaper than the sale price! And the quality is simply faultless. Beautiful, beautiful, SO BEAUTIFUL.

I also bought some statement necklaces and I was shocked at the level of service by some of these Taobao sellers.

This first necklace was bought more than a year ago. I was in love with the Shourouk Apolonia Rainbow necklace but erm it's more than S$1000. Of course, I turned to Taobao and Taobao never disappoints. Found it for less than S$20! :D

I bought these two statement necklaces from the same seller on Taobao and I was praying that they looked just like stated on the product pages.

Not only were they exactly the same as the shop photos, they also came wrapped in thick styrofoam layers. The seller made sure to stack as many styrofoam laters as possible to ensure that the necklaces were not damaged in transit. Very thoughtful!

Super pretty necklaces. Sure to brighten any dull outfits!

I have been on Taobao through 65daigou and I will never stop doing that because I really am impressed with their level of service and promptness. Also, they are always improving - More collection points, better website, cheaper shipping fees.

They have also collaborated with some Taobao sellers. These sellers are now featured on the 65daigou website so you no longer need to go to Taobao to browse for items. If you are lazy to search for things and just want to know what's available, just go to the featured section and the hot category section! Or you can click here.

65daigou is always expanding the number of collection points and timings. When I first started, I used to collect from their warehouse. But now, I have lost count of how many collection points they have. You can refer here for the exact list. I always collect my parcels near Bukit Panjang Plaza. Super convenient because I always meet Kengyang there for dinners.

65daigou also knows that one thing that will definitely keep the customers staying is offering promotions and shipping discounts. They have frequent offers for free agent fees or shipping fee discounts. Follow them on their facebook page so you are well-informed! For example, they just had a free agent fee promotion for purchases between 25 July to 30 July 2015!

And this just in guys... 65daigou just revised their shipping fees AGAIN. I love how they are constantly revising their fees to remain competitive in the market. Their shipping fees are now the LOWEST in the market!

This is with effect from 29 July 2015. Very excited about this. Just told my sister and Kengyang and the cart has been filled with many many items! :D

If your items are between 30.01 - 60kg and you opt for Sea shipping, it's now S$1.30/500g from the previous S$1.40/500g. 

You can get your items faster at a cheaper rate. Why 65daigou like this? Now I'm more inclined to shop more! 

If you don't have a 65daigou account, do register now! You won't regret this decision! 

65daigou registration

65daigou facebook

65daigou instagram

Have a great day ahead guys! :D

OOTDs, Best Boyfriend Award, Pink Dot and Catching Up

I think the most likely reason why I started taking OOTD photos again is I want to proof to myself that I can buy new clothes AND wear them. Seriously, I have way too many clothes that still have their tags on. It's a terrible habit, so I must start to wear all of them!! 

But then hor, I think I'm being overzealous last week because I have lost the steam this week. It's back to comfortable tops and jeggings for me. Alamak how leh like that!! :S 

Dress: Zalora
Vest: Uniqlo
Bag: Taobao
Shoes: ASICS 

Blouse: Uniqlo
Vest: ZARA
Shorts: H&M
Bag: Taobao
Shoes: Puma

Shirt: GU Japan
Vest: Something Borrowed (from Zalora)
Culottes: GU Japan
Shoes: WOO! (from Zalora)

Shoes: Zalora

Wow, I really like shopping on Zalora huh? 

Kengyang went to South Korea for his grad trip and being the nice girlfriend that I am, I told him to just get me 2 Laneige BB Cushion refills and a few masks. 

I guess Kengyang and friends had too much time on their hands because they went crazy shopping at the drugstores. He whatsapped me every single time they were in new shops and remarked on how crazily cheap the sheet masks were. So yes, Kengyang and friends went a little bit overboard in terms of sheet mask and aloe vera gel purchases. But hey I'm not complaining because I get immediate benefits, as seen above. :D 

I really need to go to South Korea for all the amazing beauty and skincare products!

And being the amazing boyfriend that he is, Kengyang also bought me Big Bang socks. :) 

Attended Pink Dot with dorabanana and I really enjoyed the positive energy and overflowing love from everyone! I accidentally tripped and hit a lady but instead of the usual and expected TSK + eye roll, I got a "Are you okay!!!". Everyone is happy for everyone. I love it! 

When I posted this photo, I expected a couple of family members (who always like my Instagram photos) to not like it. And indeed, that happened. But hey, that's their opinion and I respect that. Even though these family members do not approve of homosexuality, they don't go around preaching about how sinful it is either. 

As a Catholic, I have been taught that homosexuality is a sin. As my own being, I do not think homosexuality is a sin. 

Also, people who are using religion as weapons - who are you to judge? 

Did you completely ignore Romans 2:1? 

You, therefore, have no excuse, you who pass judgment on someone else, for at whatever point you judge another, you are condemning yourself, because you who pass judgment do the same things. 

How about Luke 6:41-42?

Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother's eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, 'Brother, let me take the speck out of your eye,' when you yourself fail to see the plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother's eye.

John 8:7?

When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, "Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her."

(all using NIV)

THERE ARE MANY MANY MORE. Don't ignore and just read things that you want to read leh. Selective reading means you don't know your religion entirely. How do you call yourself a follower of that religion then? 

If you have unpleasant things to say at this point, please exit the page and proceed somewhere else. Bye bye. 

Ending off this post with a photo of Shangying and I. We met up a couple of weeks ago for dinner and it was a great catch-up session. The last time I saw her was probably more than a year ago, so it was much-needed meetup!

Have a great week ahead guys! :) 

BLOGMAS Day 12: Taobao "12.12" Haul

Today's post is a short and sweet one. Work has been rather cruel, but life is made more fulfilling and satisfying when you overcome adversity. 

A quick and sudden swerve back to today's post - I have submitted (yes, another one) a Taobao order and this time it was for their 12.12 sale. Seriously, every day can be sales day. 1.1, 2.2, 3.3, 4.4, 5.5, 6.6, 7.7, 8.8, 9.9 10.10, 11.11, 12.12. All 365 days also can. 

But got sales cannot complain, so yes, hauling time!

Laptop sleeve
Backpack

From top left to right:
Necklace 1
Necklace 2
Necklace 3
Necklace 4

From top left to right:
Green top
Red top
Brown vest
Checkered top
Grey/navy top

Woohoo, less than 2 weeks to Christmas. Also, less than 12 days to my long vacation. :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! :)

August 2014 #ootd

I think compiling OOTD/fashion photos by the month will make categorising much simpler. I used to divide them by week number, but as I got older, this method got more unsuitable (short term memory + laziness kicking in). So yes, a monthly compilation will be a better method. Hopefully, I don't delete the photos from my phone. But then again I have limited space so I tend to delete. Here I go digressing again. Ok long story short, I need a better phone with more memory space. 

Top - H&M
Skirt - H&M
Watch - Casio
Bracelet - Taobao

Top - Taobao
Inner blouse - Cotton On
Shorts - Qoo10
Watch - Casio
Bracelet - Taobao

Top - ASOS
Necklace - Taobao

Shirt - Taobao
Necklace - Forever 21
Jeans - Taobao
Shoes - Zalora
Watch - Casio

Finally I own a pair of Nike Roshe Runs!! I got them from @ootdootdshop on instagram! 

Barely 2 weeks to Copenhagen. EXCITED!! :D Have a great great Friday guys!! 

Massive shoe haul - Out with the old, in with the new!

Taobao Black Sandals
Taobao Black Platform Oxfords
Zalora red Stripe Slip On Espadrilles
Zalora Floral PU Slip Ons
Taobao Black Flats with Silver Details
Zalora Kimono Print Canvas Slip Ons
Zalora Slip On Moccasins With Scallop Edging
Nike Roshe Run (Couldn't find the actual link for the black-white combo)

I have been getting rid of shoes that have long passed their lifespans. I threw away 2 pairs in Hong Kong because my black converse and sandals fell apart. Then I threw away 7 more pairs last week because all of them were either moldy (and unsalvageable), damaged or simply fell apart lah. I also got rid of some really old pairs that were just collecting dust. Felt damn awesome clearing my shoe closet, but aiyoh I'm not used to it being so empty. So hehe, time for new shoes. :D

The Nike Rosher Runs were a birthday gift from Mr Chung! :) Can't wait for all of them to arrive!

Ha:tfelt, OOTD and Great Udon

I am obsessed with Ha:tfelt (or Wonder Girl's Ye Eun). Her solo album is perfect and I love every single song. My favourite song now is Peter Pan. Why so flawless?! I'm hoping she'll get the music shows' trophies, but don't think that will happen. :S

Ye Eun wore very simple cross earrings for the album cover and I thought the look was simple and classy. So, I decided to wear cross earrings too. It has been long since I've been so obsessed with a musician. 

On a very unrelated note, I finally tried Tamoya Udon and it was soooooo good. Very affordable and extremely tasty. My meal was less than S$10! 

Definitely gonna go back for more amazing udon!

Less than 24 hours to Hong Kong! :D Can't wait!!

Taobao haul - July 2014

Some of the items that I bought have been taken down from the shops. However, a quick google translate and search bar input will almost always give you similar items from other shops. So make google translate your best friend and go on a Taobao adventure. I always start with hope of finding one product, and I will end with way too many things. 

All the items came in great quality and fit well. 

Taobao is my wardrobe's nemesis. 

Hope you guys are having a great Sunday! I'm two days away from my Hong Kong vacation! HUAT!

Stationery shopping on Taobao

Yep, I went overboard on stationery shopping.

It all started with searching for cheapo pens on taobao. That of course opened the evil pandora's box. I then found too-pretty-to-pass notebooks and stickers and markers and photo albums and yes, I bought way too many stuff that I already owned too many of. Well, at least I did purchase the cheapo pens that I needed. The cheapest I found was 13 fucking cents. WTF?! Taobao rocks lah.

So for all the above, I paid less than S$60. Shiok lah!!

You can simply enter search terms like "日记" (diary), "圆珠笔" (ballpoint pen) or "贴纸" (stickers), and a plethora of choices will be blessed upon you. Yes, google translate is my best friend.

Quick Review: Annie's Way Aloe Moisturizing Jelly Mask

My previous post on the Annie's Way Aloe Moisturizing Jelly Mask had excellent response, so I feel the need to get back to my readers on how I feel the product has worked on my skin. 

I bought mine from Taobao (here's the link!) and I saved a lot of money by doing that. This mask is available online locally, but it's S$27 per tub. I bought mine for RMB50 (~slightly more than S$10 a tub), so even with shipping charges, I'm paying much less. Taobao is truly heaven. 

I wanted to get one Aloe Moisturizing Jelly Mask and one Arbutin + Hyaluronic Acid Brightening Jelly Mask, but the latter was sold out, so I got two Aloe instead, which was a blessing in disguise because I use up one container more quickly that I expected. 

Each tub contains 250ml of product. It seems like a lot of product, but trust me, you will use it all up within 10-12 uses or so because for each usage, you have to use a lot of product! You cannot be stingy with this. 

The seller forgot to include the spatula and I didn't want to use my fingers to get the product (bacteria alert!!) so I came up with a genius plan - I used an IKEA children spoon. It's made of plastic and I can scoop out a lot of product. Furthermore, when I'm done with the 30 minutes of masking, I can use the handle to scrape the product off. GENIUS RIGHT?! 

How to use the product:
You need to cleanse and tone your face before applying this mask. Then, use a spatula (or a spoon) to scoop out enough product to apply a 0.3cm-0.5cm layer of product on your entire face, avoiding the eyes and lip area. 30 minutes after application, you remove the product by scraping it off with the spatula (or spoon) in a outer-to-inner direction (I always use my nose as the final scraping point lol). After that, you can use water to remove the remainder product. If you have more time on your plate, follow up with a sheet mask!

My thoughts about the Annie's Way Aloe Moisturizing Jelly Mask:
To be frank, I'm undecided whether I love it or whether I hate it. The first time I applied it, I loved it so much. My pimples dried up immediately the next day and my skin felt so smooth for a couple of days after that first application. After that, I just don't feel like the mask worked anymore! My skin still feels smooth after a usage, but that's about it! I'm currently about to finish my first tub and I decided to reserve this mask for days when I'm feeling really lethargic and stressed out at work. It's like putting aloe on sun-burnt areas.

I don't know why it didn't work that well for me. I applied it twice a week religiously and I really didn't see any noticeable changes. Even when I had new pimples, they didn't dry up as fast as that first application. The good thing is I actually enjoy it when I have the Annie's Way Aloe Moisturizing Jelly Mask on my face. No breakouts, no allergic reactions, but also not much beneficial effects. Maybe it's regulating my skin slowly from the inside, but aiyah I cannot see lah.

I still have one more tub to go. Definitely won't be relying on this for acne treatment. It's a good mask to have for those crazy days at work though.

Will I purchase it again? Not really. I feel that there are some sheet masks that do the same thing. Once I finish both tubs, I will go back to using sheet masks regularly. Guys, I'm super bumped that this didn't work better on me :((

Anyone else using this product? What are your thoughts on it? 

Have a great Saturday!