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!

#FitrinaTravels: Copenhagen 2014

Copenhagen is a regular in international happiness surveys. Not just any regular customer, but a top one. The most recent one is October 2013's World Happiness Report from the Earth Institute at New York's Columbia University.

After spending 9 days in Copenhagen, I have to say that the city deserves the title through and through. I saw zero angry individual and had the pleasure to exchange smiles with countless others, even strangers. No one hesitates to say "good morning" to each other when you accidentally (or intentionally; the Danes are a good-looking bunch) see each other in the eye. My Danish colleagues were truly dedicated to their jobs and they were incredibly accomodating and cooperative, while still being critical at the same time. Makes me wonder what the hell is wrong with the Singapore working culture. 

As my boss said, "every employee is a boss in the company in Denmark". Nobody can force someone to do anything if they are not comfortable doing it. Saying "no" to a project is more recommended when extremely busy than saying "yes" and screwing the project up because you cannot handle your time well. If there's a question that cannot be solved, just ask someone else who knows something about it and discuss. Vertical hierarchy is non-existent. I just simply adore this kind of working culture because sometimes I get extremely irritated when questions were not asked prior to a project development and these questions could have prevented possible flaws in the completed project. And then when I have questions, I get conflicted myself because I'm dying to ask them, but I'm also scared I'll be annoying those people that I asked. This made me realise how communication is of utmost vital importance in any organisation. 

While being in the Copenhagen headquarters, both my colleague and I were taught of basically using "tough love" to enrich ourselves and enrich the Asian branch. Going into details will be stupid because of confidential company information. To sum it all up in on sentence - we are going to shadow the Danish working culture, hopefully to a large extent. 

Ok enough of the mundane work stuff. Continuing on my enjoyable (mostly) experience....

Copenhagen is not only home to very jolly folks, it's also the city that has the world's best restaurant (Noma!), the city with extremely commendable "green" efforts and a lot of other awards lah. 

Perhaps I should list the more memorable experiences:

• almost everyone cycles. There's a special lane on roads just for cycling. If you are a cyclist, you should be happy. I'm not, so... 
• you can walk to most of the attractions. Copenhagen is also "the most walkable city" in 2013. I only took train/metro 4 times in the 9 days and 2 were the rides to and from airport. It's very economical to walk and of course very healthy. Public transport fares are not cheap in Copenhagen (as with everything else lol) so just walk!
• the weather was phenomenal. Averaging 14-20 degrees during the days we were there. It rained heavily on one day (on the day we planned to go to the most numbers of attractions. Murphy did it again!) and the other days were simply magnificent. I loved how I could wear my normal blazers and layer up a couple of scarves and I was good to go. I don't have to get any new blazers for women online!
• there was SO MUCH SPACE. I think I wasn't used to it because in Singapore, we are used to crowds, and staying at home to avoid crowds. In Copenhagen, it's so spacious and empty! 
• ah, the good-looking people. I was so mesmerised by so many breathtakingly beautiful ladies who were rocking their monochrome outfits and high heels. Same sentiments for the suited up males. And then they cycle some more. It's like I'm living in the life of a fashion paparazzi blog or something. The 7-11 girl was damn pretty. The hotel girl was damn pretty. The guy selling hot dog was damn handsome. Aiyoh, good genes man good genes!! These vikings!!
• everything was expensive. I spent S$500 in 9 days and it was mostly spent on food from supermarkets and 7-11. Very small portion of my money was used on shopping and souvenirs. But lucky can claim. Heheehhehehhe.
• at first I loved the food. Then I got sick of it really quickly. Cannot man. I thought I could eat salads and breads for all my meals but urgh I want my wanton mee and porridge and bibimbap and cheap fruit juice. I'm not saying there are no similar food in Copenhagen. I just was not willing to spend more than $30 for every meal. 

I'm going to stop writing. Getting boring already haha. Photos!! 

I seriously love my job. :')

Have a great week guys! 

Omakase Burger | 25th birthday dinner with family

Omakase Burger is like a cult that's slowly becoming mainstream. 

I heard so many people (mostly bloggers) raving about this location, but wahlao not cheap at all okay. Quite expensive lor. But okay, my mom was treating dinner, so my sister and I decided to grab the opportunity HAHA. 

And yes, the raves are all true. I have no other words because I didn't pay for it. I'm quite sure if I paid for this meal, I will have ... more things to say. OKAY PHOTOS PHOTOS. I have zero talent as a food blogger. 

Omakase Burger @ Grandstand

200 Turf Club Road #01-05

Bukit Timah, Singapore 287994

Contact: +65 6763 2698

My siblings were very nice. They bought me macarons and my sister made me her highly-coveted cads!

Turning 25 has so far been amazing. 5 more years before things go cray? D:

Recent reads: Worlds of Tsukuru Tazaki and Tsukiko Omachi

There's something strangely charming about Haruki Murakami's books. Give them to someone new and they wouldn't be able to take the bizarre stories. The first Murakami book that I read was 1Q84 and I remembered thinking how the book was freaking ridiculous. 1Q84 started with a taxi ride on a congested road. That's it. Just a simple taxi ride on a congested road. The more ridiculous the story got, the more I was sucked in into the world of Aomame and Tengo. Ohmy, I really loved that book. I actually had it on my iBooks, but I once was done (I finished reading it at the end of my Japan graduation trip. Very apt.), I decided to get the hard copy for future rereads. After that book, I have purchased almost all of Murakami's works. My favourite currently is Kafka on the Shore. Actually, wait, maybe The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle. 

Hmm. I cannot decide...

The emptiness I get after completing a Murakami book is weirdly addictive. It goes from whatthefuck to self-reflection, and then to contentment. 

So, yes, I purchased Haruki Murakami's latest (number 13!) novel - Colorless Tsukuru Tazaki and His Years of Pilgrimage. As I was browsing bookdepository.com, I saw Strange Weather in Tokyo by Hiromi Kawakami and bought it too - motivated by pure curiosity. 

I have started on Strange Weather in Tokyo and it's surprisingly good. I'm hooked. It's just a book written to amplify two characters' loneliness, but aiyoh just very good lah. 

My experience with Book Depository was not as pleasant as I wanted it to be. The books were definitely cheaper than in stores, but delivery took almost a month. I wanted to get these books for my Copenhagen trip - nope, no such luck. 

Ok, back to Strange Weather in Tokyo!

Have a great weekend guys! :) 

#FitrinaTravels: What's Inside My Carry-On Bag

I AM BACK! Touched down this morning and I'm not having the most enjoyable time right now. Headache, sleepy and red eyes, and all the fabulous aftermath of a 12-hour flight. I slept for 2 hours on the plane and spent the other 10 hours rewatching 2 X-Men movies, 1 Masterchef Junior episode and The Other Woman.

I know I said I was taking a break till October but FINGERS ITCHY LAH, must type something. :D
So here's a #FitrinaTravels post! Most of the people I know who travels have some kind of hashtag, so okay, I must be as trendy.

Disclaimer

This post was written during my flight to Copenhagen. I could not sleep and all I could think was what my next blog post was going to be about and so I typed out this post on my phone. That time was also when I realised last-minute packing was a terrible idea. I forgot to bring so many things. :(

Also, I'm sorry there are no photos to make this post more ... easy to read. I washed all my pouches and my backpack so maybe I'll update this post the next time I travel!

Here I am, almost 7 hours into the flight, all awake and my brain refuses to let my body sleep. I close my eye and the next thing I know, I'll have thoughts. I'm supposed to have no thoughts to sleep, brain!! 

But oh well, since I'm obviously overflowing with ideas and creativity (harhar), let's get on with this rather useful blogpost. Useful for you - good tips for you! - and useful for me - reference point for future trips. 

Usually I try not to bring too many things. I hate having no free hand when I'm on a flight. So, my carry-on bag is almost always only a backpack. A good, sturdy, can-take-laptop's-weight-and-have-laptop-compartment backpack. 

1. Laptop. I don't always bring my laptop; only during work trips.
2. Rosary. I admit I'm not much of a church-goer, but my rosary makes me feel safer. 
3. Notebook/planner. You never know what you may need to note down! 
4. Abundance of pens. I need to have a pen in my bag. Or pens. I hate it when I don't have a good pen to fill in arrival forms. Also, what's the point of bringing my notebook/planner if I don't have pens.
5. Handphone charger/portable charger. Sometimes if I'm lucky, I'll get a flight that has a usb port on every seat, hence I can charge my phone. I think A380 flights all have usb ports. Currently I'm on a B777 flight and nope I have no port, so that's when the portable charger comes in handy.
6. Spectacles and sunglasses. I hate wearing spectacles but I'm blind without mine. Being blind in home country is okay, still can float around due to familiarity. But in a foreign country, I'd rather be safe so yes. The sunglasses is a must, especially for omg-I-need-to-cover-my-cui-eyes moments. Get one that's a good fit for your face shape and you will rock all your holiday photos. Hehe.
7. iBanking device. This is always in my bag. Good for those sudden banking moments. 
8. Smaller wallet. My usual wallet is humongous and heavy. I use a smaller one when travelling, and it contains only the basics like Singapore Dollar, the other countries' money, IC, credit cards and keys. Oh, and KrisFlyer Card (I actually forgot today...shame...but luckily I can still rack up my Singapore-Copenhagen points online!).
9. A ziplock bag specially for receipts. Very useful when I'm making my work claims. 
10. Toothbrush in a toothbrush holder and mini toothpaste. I know some planes provide one-time-usage toothbrush and toothpaste but I don't feel like I have 100% clean teeth when I use those. So I bring my own. I brush my teeth before touching down. Twice if it's a long-haul flight. Buay tahan the feeling of having dirty teeth.
11. Toiletries case. I use my old pencil case for this! Contains mini body lotion (moisturising is very very important!!), lip balm, hand sanitiser, makeup remover towelettes, mini face cleanser, face moisturiser and eye cream. During long haul flights, my routine goes like this - after the first meal, I go to the toilet and remove all my makeup and then try to wash my face as neatly as possible without water splashing everywhere (if really splash, I will wipe off before leaving because...very paiseh for the next user leh). Then I'll go back to my seat and apply my moisturisers and eye cream. THEN TRY TO SLEEP. 
12. Face mask. Yah very important you know. I'm always tempted to bring two but cannot put too many face masks at one go, so one will do. Continuing my routine - I'll not sleep that much because I'm just not good at sleeping on flights, so I apply my mask. Most of the time, the lights on the plane are dim/switched off so I don't scare other passengers, but if the lights are switched on/it's bright outside, then sorry man. 
13. Makeup bag. I bring only the basics with me up the plane. BB cream, concealer, powder, liquid eyeliner. Done! 1-2hours before landing, I'll reapply my makeup. I really cannot go out the plane with my cui face. 
14. Handphone and earphones. These really should be way higher on the list, but I just remembered them haha. During long haul flights when I can't sleep and there's nothing that I want to watch on the "telly", I write my blogposts on my phone. Just like now! :D oh! And I also make sure to update my iBooks with new books. I prefer reading the actual book, but I don't like the extra weight during flights so iBooks lor! 
15. Calculator. I used to carry my $2 Daiso calculator that didn't really work that well, but now I have my $4+ scientific calculator from Taobao that works just like the Casio one. Calculator is very important if you want to bargain or do conversions in a foreign country. Numbers are universal anyway.
16. Passport in a nice travel pouch. Aiyah I just like to have nice travel pouch lah. Very pretentious but travelling with a nice travel pouch with all the nice compartments to store your documents just make me feel better about my travelling. 
17. Heating eye mask. This eye mask has no moisturising purpose. It's a dry eye mask that will heat up when you put it on. Instantly relaxes you and helps to put you to sleep. Or so they say. Have never worked on me before, oops? But I just bring one because very shiok. 
18. Hairclips. Get hair out of the way when sleeping! Also good for face mask application - you don't want hair sticking to your face mask, very gross. 
19. Empty water bottle. I bring my 1L one because hey, you need to constantly hydrate yourself during a flight! Hydrating yourself helps with jetlag too. Just bring the empty one in your bag, go through security and then refill your bottle at the gate.

And that's about it. A long list but all fit nicely into a backpack. 

I have 5 more hours to go. What should I do now?? Maybe I should continue reading Half of a Yellow Sun (by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie). I can't wait for the breakfast platter!! 

Break time!

I'm taking a break from blogging guys! I'll be back next month!

Enjoy your September! :)