Food hunt + update!

Food intake for the past two weeks has been way too much and way too indulgent. I eat and eat and eat and not exercise as much. Confirm gain weight. =___= 

I gotta admit though, food in Singapore is TOO GOOD. Cannot resist lah! That's why I always make sure I only have one heavy meal a day. If I'm gonna have a huge sinful dinner, then I'll eat salad/fruits for lunch. 

Time to stop blabbering and woohoo FOOD! 

KY and I went to Soon Li Yong Tau Foo at Bukit Merah for supper. This stall only opens after midnight. KY raved and raved about its amazing Yong Tau Foo and I must admit, it was the best Yong Tau Foo that I have ever consumed in my life. 

The terrible thing about my experience was the terrible queueing. I don't understand why people must cut queue? I mean, there's a queue already, then just go to the end and wait for your turn lah, why must cut queue?? I know the food is going to be sold out really fast but halo, it's your fault that you came late! Some of the people queueing came WAYYYY early and you just threw their efforts down the drain! Irritating twats. =___= 

But all my anger dissipated because holy cow, this was an amazing Yong Tau Foo experience.

Please do come here early and be civil!!

Soon Li Yong Tau Foo

Blk 115 Bukit Merah View #01-78

Opening Hours: Midnight until sold out (closed Mondays)

Nothing to praise about for the next photo. Just one of my many attempts to stay ... healthy? Anyway, just a random information - nuts are actually really high in calories. So, it's better if you eat nuts as a meal replacement, rather than eat it after a meal. I went to 7-11 to buy unsalted mixed nuts and got a shock of my life and how many calories one packet had. Yikes.

My FYP mates and I went to Poulet for our biweekly dinner and it was GOOD. A bit expensive though.

Lizhen introduced this new cafe at Marina Square while we were out together last week! It's called St. Marc Cafe. To be frank, I didn't really like the mango ice + ice cream. Choco Cro was really nice though.

Little Fuji was AMAZING. I don't know how they baked this pastry, but it was truly divine. I WANT IT ALL TO MYSELF, but we had to share. HAHA.

While having our Little Fuji, I noticed Hifumi Japanese Restaurant just opposite of St. Marc Cafe and Lizhen exclaimed that the restaurant had free flow appetisers and had really good mains. Sadly, all of us were stuffed and it was really late at night to be having another round of dinner. So, KY and I went the next day (or was it two days after, can't really remember), and it exceeded our expectations.

I was really shocked at the variety of appetisers that we can take non-stop! And nope, not anyhow appetisers okay, but legit delicious ones!!

I love love love the edamame+prawn drenched in a wasabi mayo dressing. SO GOOD. Chawanmushi was FREE FLOW. Hifumi, why you so nice?? :')

I ordered Chirashi Rice and I think it was priced at S$17.90? Very affordable for a bowl choked with fresh sashimi + unagi! I couldn't stop wow-ing to KY and I was genuinely upset when I took my last bite.

Definitely a must-go-again-or-many-many-times restaurant!!

I also went to Indobox at JEM, and it wasn't pleasant. I witnessed a really tired and overworked staff flare at the other staff members and I ate some bland Indonesian food.

I blame my Indonesian tongue for the second unpleasant experience. Being Indonesian myself, I know that Indonesian food is NOT supposed to be bland. Some people will even say that Indonesian food is too heavily-flavoured/salty/sweet/spicy. So I was initially just eating it without commenting on its blandness. Then KY also said that it was bland! Halo, we have a Singaporean here who agrees with me on how bland the food was.

So Indobox, please stop serving bland Indonesian food.

For our 2nd year anniversary, KY and I went to Baja Fresh for lunch and HOHO it was amazing. I had a free dish because I joined Club Baja and we were both super full after the meal. I'm going back there again though because I just received a free burrito for my birthday from Club Baja. HAHA. Join Club Baja!!

ANDDD the following photos are just random neither-here-nor-there photos. HEEHEE. I'm really vexed at work now because of some data provider and so I'm updating my blog!!

Photo taken by Wilson Wang. BEAUTIFUL RIGHT. 

Okay, time to upload beauty review photos when I go back home! Time to write some substantial reviews soon! :D

Have a great Thursday guys! :)

Outfits + hauls update

I haven't been very diligent with my blogposts and I blame my immensely skillful procrastination ability. There are always drafts ready for me to input my thoughts, but I just refuse to do so. I'm afraid getting older is doing nothing substantial to my prioritisation skills. Meh. 

However, once in a while, I get the drive to update my blog, and I cannot waste it!! Hence, here I am typing away furiously at 117am because if I don't, I'm just going to let this blog rot away for another good week. NOT GOOD AH NOT GOOD. 

So yay, we are back on track! :D 

First, past outfits!

Loving this Zara inspired dress (from taobao of course nyahaha). Problem is I have no idea where it is now. I vaguely remember my mom saying how nice this dress was, so I guess it has made its way into my mom's closet. LOL. 

Dress - Taobao

Necklace - Qoo10

Bag - Qoo10

Watch - Casio

Flatforms - Taobao

Denim shirt - thrifted from BKK
Pants - Gu Japan
Watch - Casio
Bag - Qoo10
Shoes - Editor's Market

ENTIRE OUTFIT - Taobao (with the exception of the bag, which is from Qoo10)

Shirt - Gu Japan
Necklace - Qoo10
Watch - Casio
Belt - New Look
Shorts - MIYOC
Bag - Qoo10
Shoes - some shop at FEP

One item that unified all the looks above is my new phone case. HEEHEE. So cute! Got it off Qoo10 for around S$8.90!

These platform sandals are really heavy. Even though I got them off Taobao, each pair worked out to be around S$15-S$16, which was quite expensive for Taobao standard. But then again, I keep seeing them on preorder sites for more than double the price, so I'm somewhat comforted.

I really love strappy platform sandals (or flatforms)! It's not too casual, and not too corporate and you get quite a bit of height for no pain! I can shop in these babies all day and not have blisters. Awesome!

Also, I realised I really prefer black footwear. My recent shoe purchases were all black in colour.

Heard so much about the Mario Badescu skincare line and I finally got my hands on some of them! I bought the Acne Facial Cleanser and Special Cucumber Lotion from luxola and so far so good!

Delivery was crazy fast! I ordered at around 10am on Tuesday, and the items arrived 10am on Wednesday! Hand-delivered to my office! They even included a sample of the Glycolic Acid Toner! Two thumbs up for luxola! :D

Her World was very kind! Apparently I joined a contest on facebook and I won it! Yay to some DrGL products! I checked online and woah these products have hefty prices huh? I'm kind of scared to use them because I'm afraid my skin will get used to the expensive products and then when I run out and go back to affordable alternatives, my skin will go haywire. This is why I'm using the products with caution now. If I'm directed to use the product twice a day (like the DrGL Skin Repair Serum), I'll use it only at night.

The DrGL Cleanser Makeup Remover is very much worth the hype. Removes EVERYTHING with one pump.

The DrGL Sensitive Skin Pressed Powder has become a staple in my daily routine. It is priced at S$108 and I finally understand why. The powder is so finely milled that my huge-ass pores are covered impressively well. It doesn't do much in terms of concealing, but woah, when you apply it over concealer, it makes your concealer look smooth and last forever. I'm in awe. Die already, how to go back to cheaper powders now? I cannot keep forking out S$108 le. :(

Ending off this post with OPI Alcatraz...Rocks.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this nailpolish!!

It has a "liquid-sand" formulation and it is GORGEOUS.

I had it on for a good week and it didn't chip on me, even without a topcoat (what am I blabbering about, obviously you don't apply topcoat for liquid-sand nailpolishes!).

Now I'm contemplating on whether I should get more liquid-sand nailpolishes! :D

Ah, can't wait to go back to work tomorrow! Much to do and much to learn! :)

Taobao Haul - August 2013

Yah lah, I went crazy again. This is the disaster that will happen frequently when one (maybe me in particular) is working and when one finds cheap deals online. Haiyah. Everyday I lament on my crazy online shopping habits, but every single time I manage to convince myself that THERE ARE WORSE SHOPAHOLICS OUT THERE. Lol. Denial - first step to being a full-pledged gaga shopaholic. 

ANYWAY, let's not dwell on how terrible my money-saving skill is? Let's move on to pictures of what I got from Taobao for August 2013! 

Once again, thank you 65daigou for the seamless service! I'm now waiting for two shipments to arrive, but I'm not worrying because I know everything will arrive intact! :D 

All prices listed below are before shipping! 

Lace+stripe top: S$5.53

Tribal print oversized jacket: S$6.17 (crazy! I saw this going for S$32 on some preorder sites!!)

Stylenanda inspired blue plaid shirt - S$6.36

Pastel blue dress with cut-out shoulders - S$4.89

Blue tropical print outerwear - S$7.40

Floral dress with cut-out shoulders - S$4.26 (no idea why suddenly I wanna go girly HAHA)

Denim jacket - S$7.02

Brown sling bag - S$5.53

Black studded skull print bag - S$5.74

Black patent flats with tiger stud - S$6.81

I first saw these bracelets on Etsy, and they were going for US$5 and above. If I include shipping to the listed prices, the bracelets cost TOO MUCH. So I decided to try my luck on taobao and I found them. At first, I only wanted the Harry Potter themed bracelets, but then I found more!

All 4 bracelets for S$6.53.

ARGH CAN'T WAIT FOR THEM TO ARRIVE.

Now I need to control myself for the rest of August. September 2013, faster come le!!

Review: Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion has swiftly become a staple in my daily skincare routine. it retails for 4.99 pounds at boots! 

This product smells like heaven. Every single time I apply it, I feel like drinking the entire thing. If you come from Singapore, you will be familiar with the range of fruit teas from Pokka. The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion smells like a blend of Pomegranate Tea and Blueberry Tea. I really want to gulp it all down but WHY IS IT INEDIBLE?! ARGH! 

That is the main reason why this lotion (more like a toner?) has become a must-apply for my nightly skincare routine. 

Since it's a "Deep Pore" formulation, I don't apply it twice a day, as directed on the bottle. Instead, I just apply it once at night. Products that deal with deep pore cleansing tend to break you out after the first few applications, so I wanted to somewhat slow down that process haha. No idea if it's working or not, but so far so good!

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion is free from all bad things on earth!! Ok I'm obviously kidding but it's great that they inform their consumers of the toxic chemicals that they do not advocate! Very good!

Packaging: I actually love the whole blue-purple theme. It looks super sanitary. Maybe it's just me, but I really pay attention to packaging when it comes to skincare. The fancier it is, the more I will turn away from it. I prefer clean-cut, simple packaging because well, if you are good, you don't need to cover it up with fancy packaging right?

The Good Things Deep Pore Anti Blemish Lotion claims to:

• help unclog pores
• remove excess sebum
• remove makeup
• soften skin (from the hydrating fig extract)
• keep bacteria away from the skin (from the willow bark and licorice extract)

This product is actually a two-in-one product - a cleanser and a toner. 

For those living in tropical countries and like to apply makeup, I'd advise you to use this as an additional step in cleansing away the makeup. Just using this product alone will not remove all the makeup and so it will not get rid of all the impurities and dirt! The best time to use this is after you are done with removing makeup and cleansing (with your trusted makeup remover and cleanser). It helps to get rid of the remaining impurities and prepares the skin for the next step. 

Ingredients List

Smell: DIVINE. Always looking forward to applying this on my skin every night.

Effectiveness: Up till now (which is around 3 weeks after usage), I have yet to see any remarkable difference in my skin condition. However, it did help to slow down the rate of breakouts that I get. Usually when I get a breakout, I GET A BREAKOUT. BOOM BAM WHAM. But with this, I still occasionally get spots, but only two spots at one time at the most, so that's an improvement right?

Will I buy it again? Yes I will. If I'm able to! The smell really is too good! Why am I so attracted to smells and packaging, I don't know why! ARGH! But yes, this is a good product. Case closed. HAHA. :)

Long weekend's gone. BOOHOO. But have a great week ahead guys! :)

Review: Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask

I have an obsession with clay masks. I just find slathering clay on my skin somewhat therapeutic and very much calming. It's like as if the clay mask is going to do some magic to my skin. The best thing is when the mask smells medicinal. I hate it when clay masks smell like flowers or fruits or other largely artificial smelling scents. It's like The Body Shop's Tea Tree Oil you know? If it smelled like flowers, will you think that it's going to work well? NOPE. So yes,  skincare brands, just make your stuff smell like medicine/herbs and people will naturally think it's going to work. 

I'm kidding. But really, the scent really affects the way you perceive a product!!

I recently acquired the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask, all thanks to Yinghui! This cannot be found in Singapore (or so I think, please leave me a comment if I'm wrong about the availability of this product, thanks!) and I was hugely intrigued to try this out because many beauty bloggers from UK were raving about it. So yay! I got it! :D Thanks Yinghui for helping me get this! 

This 125ml one retails for 8.99 pounds (bought from boots). 

Name: You know I don't normally review a product's name, but can I just make an exception for this? It's a mouthful okay. Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask - SO LONG. I usually just refer to it as the Super Facialist Clay Mask. HAHA.

Packaging: It's a simple yet professional looking tube. I can imagine this being displayed in some dermatologist's office; you know how such offices are generally all white and sparkling clean? This fits the location like a glove. I love it! The packaging makes it seem like I'm using a really expensive product! Always playing with the mind ah, these brands.

I love the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask because of the few things that it claims to help with:

• clears skin of yucky things which can lead to breakouts
• helps to unclog congested skin
• absorbs oil
• rebalances the skin

For those with sensitive, yet acne-prone skin, I suggest that you follow the directions exactly. 5 minutes may seem like a really short period of time for a clay mask, but seriously, it tingles A LOT.

Tingling is good of course. It's like YOOHOO! The product is working!! But if you  have sensitive skin, then product may work too well on your skin and backfire if you leave it on longer.

So sensitive skin, 5 minutes, not so sensitive skin, okay can more than 5 minutes. Simple right?

Ingredients List

Scent: Woah woah woah. The Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask has a scent that is quite .... unique and intense. As I said at the beginning of this post, the scent of a skincare product makes or breaks the perceived effectiveness of the product. It's exactly what's happening with this one. The clay mask smells like flowers ground up with lots of wild herbs. It's a really funky smell but I got accustomed to it, and now I really love the scent! It's definitely not a generic scent and I love it more because of that. It feels like I'm applying some rare magical mask, HAHA.

Consistency: It's gooey but still easily spreadable on the skin. It also has micro beads of goodness which feels really awesome when you apply it on your face. I really love applying this but I can only do so twice a week, such a pity.

Effectiveness: When you wash off the clay mask, your skin will feel so freaking smooth. I didn't even exfoliate my skin, so I didn't know how it got so smooth! But well, it's an addictive texture to have; you just can't stop caressing your face (sounds really wrong, but you get the point lah).

To be frank, the Super Facialist by Una Brennan Tea Flower Deep Clean Pore Purifying Clay Mask did break me out at the beginning. Not major breakout, but maybe a couple of spots here and there, especially at the T-Zone area. I wasn't shocked or anything and just continued, and those spots disappeared quite quickly. So I'm guessing that the clay mask will detox your skin and hence it's helping to purge the toxins - leading to mild breakouts here and there. All's fine now, and I really love how refreshed my skin looks everytime I use this clay mask!

Will I buy it again? Yes please. But I can't find it here yet. I need it in Singapore!! Watsons, can you please bring this in??? I love this clay mask and hope to never run out of it. :S

Have a great Hari Raya guys! :)

Review: K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 01 and 03

If you were to ask me to only choose one product from my makeup collection, I would definitely choose the concealer. Eyeliner and mascara are important, but a good concealer is ESSENTIAL. I have blemishes, I have acne scars and I have panda-like eyes - of course a concealer is always needed in my life. I'm always on the lookout for amazing concealers that conceal perfectly without breaking the bank. It's not an easy task though. I have been disappointed by high-end brands who claim to have the groundbreaking concealer that solves all known problems, but nope all those claims were just plain bullshit. 

It's especially difficult to find a concealer that works well when you are "blessed" with oily skin and are living in a tropical country. It's like a lose-lose situation - the first hour your skin looks good, the next hour your skin looks like ... a pool of oil. NOT GLAM OKAY. 

During my Japan graduation trip, I chanced upon the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer and I was extremely intrigued especially because the shades are not differentiated by colour, but by purpose. For example, type 01 is more for the fatigued working person while type 03 is more for a person who uses computers or other visual electronic devices frequently. I love this concept! However, loving a concept does not mean that the concealer will work well, and this is perfectly illustrated by this concealer. I hate to say this, but the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealers have been a waste of my money. :( 

The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer retails for 950yen (before tax). That estimates to around S$11.90. Quite affordable!

Packaging: You probably have read the many times I go ga-ga over Japanese cosmetic product packagings. These concealers are no different. Pretty (and cute, look at the bear!!) packaging that catches your attention while looking through the myriad of products. I really like the bear paws haha.

One thing I like about these concealers is how much control you have over the amount of product that you want to use. The plastic tube packaging allows practicality and you can squeeze as little or as much as you want. I will advise that you don't apply straight to your skin though. Using your clean fingers to apply the product will be much more hygienic.

Shade: The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 01 tackles overall fatigue and it's perfect for those who don't sleep very much. It has a darker shade than 03 and I guess it's a more universal shade for girls living in tropical countries. The K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in 03 tackles problems concentrated on the eye area. If you stare at computers all day at work, then this is the shade for your eye area. The problem with 03 is that it's a really fair colour. To be honest, not many girls have porcelain skin. Shade 03 is too white for me and when I use it, I normally mix it with a darker shade concealer.

Coverage: It's amazing for the eye area. The amazingness ends there. I tried to use it on blemishes, and it didn't work. The concealer slides too much during application. I'd prefer it to be a little bit more gooey.

Application: I really dislike how the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer applies. It slides around too much and I think the formulation is quite oily. It's okay when using it on my eye area, but when I try to apply it on other areas, I just cannot apply it properly! I tried using my fingers, FAIL. I tried using a brush, FAIL. I just don't know how to work with this concealer. I really don't want to waste them, so what I do now is I mix them with a thicker concealer. It's much easier to apply and conceal when the concealer is not so watery.

Longevity: Ah, where do I start with this? I don't really want to come across as being too harsh, but to put it simply, I don't like the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer even more because it fails to stay on my face for more than an hour. Of course I can't solely blame the product; I have really oily skin so any product that has oil in it will look terrible very quickly. Moreover, Singapore is not a very weather-friendly country and this concealer just melts wayyyy too easily! I remembered that fateful day when I only used the K-Palette Okuma Cover Control Concealer in the morning before work, then when I reached my office, I checked my face and I was in shock. The concealer melts too easily and too obviously! I had patches of oily concealer all over my face! MAJOR FAIL.

I want to be fair to this concealer, so I will only advise those with dry or normal skin to get it. To be frank, it does a good job concealing dark eye circles and all other eye area problems.

Will I buy it again? Definitely not. I'm trying to use both up now by mixing them with other concealers that have thicker consistencies.

It's not nice when I have to rate a product negatively and I don't like writing negative reviews. But what to do? This concealer really just failed me badly :((

Negativity aside, enjoy the long weekend ahead guys! :)