Retro themed DnD makeup look featuring Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette

April 6, 2013, 8:17 am

≫ Next: Kiehls Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream review, swatch and FOTD

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If you are following me on Instagram, you would have seen pictures of my outfit for my retro-themed company dinner, also known as dinner and dance (D&D or DnD for short). What is the first thing that comes to mind when you hear 'retro'? To most of us, it would be chunky plastic earrings, polka dots etc. I googled for some reference and guess what? Retro actually consists of big bold prints like squares, huge dots and anything that shows a huge contrast. To my surprise, vintage fashion is considered as retro too. 

I was part of the planning committee for my company's D&D this year and I even bumped into my poly mate, Su at Hilton Singapore where my company D&D was held.

All of the girls in the committee be it whether they are performing or not had their makeup done by a professional make up artist while yours truly did my own makeup. Its not like the make up artist that they hired charges ridiculously high prices, in fact her charges are really affordable. If I never remember wrongly, its about $35-40 for both hairdo and makeup. However, I am really skeptical of having my makeup done by just any other make up artist because I have got hidden lids and most of the time, make up artists love doing the outer 'V' for me just like how they would on people whom have got double eyelids and it just make me look super fierce and unfriendly.

I googled for some inspiration for retro makeup looks and there are a few prominent features that I noticed.

Retro makeup look features:

1) Red bold pouty lips 

2) Heavy, thick winged black eyeliner

3) Mole (I supposed this is drawn on)

4) Bright or nude eyeshadow with deep contouring 

Since my dress is in royal blue which isn't that bright afterall, I decided to play it up with my makeup by using brighter colors. Guess what? I haven't had a chance to try Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette since I received it from the launch event and I thought this is the perfect chance for me to try it out.

Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette

Black, Yellow, Apple Green, Turquoise, Lilac, White, Espresso, Yellow Beige

It certainly took me a lot of courage to wear such bright colors. If you know me personally, I'm like your typical French - always donned in my black and whites with the occasional gray and navy and my eyeshadows are always nude - either brown, pink or gray.

I remember telling my colleague, Lei Sing how ridiculous I am gonna look as I was doing my make up. I initially planned to use yellow, espresso and yellow beige eyeshadow to do my eyes but somehow, I mustered enough courage to use Yellow (1), Turquoise (2) and Yellow Beige (3) eyeshadow to do my eye makeup instead.

I applied yellow eyeshadow on my entire lid as a base with my Crobi eyeshadow brush and turquoise color at my outer 'V' with Sigma E30 pencil brush. I did it lower and made my eyes look longer, as how most Koreans or Asians in general does it. Then, I blend the turquoise inwards, when mixed with yellow, it becomes a beautiful green! Lovely gradient I must say! This reminds me so much of my art classes when I was a child!  

Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette eyeshadows are very pigmented. I merely applied a little and the color payoff was rather good. I had no trouble blending the turquoise into the yellow eyeshadow with my Sigma E30 pencil brush.

Click here to view pictures taken at Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette launch event.

I'm wearing Freshkon Alluring Eyes 1-Day in Winsome Brown in the picture above. These ain't as comfortable as their monthly disposable counterpart. They tend to shift around my iris. I'm unlikely to repurchase them. For falsies, I used All belle Red Wedding series false eyelashes. I highly recommend this! Its very soft, give your eyelashes more volume yet it doesn't look too fake.

Here's a picture of all of the products that I used for my retro makeup look for my company's DnD! 

1. RMK creamy polished base 2. Esprique lucent lasting base 3. Chanel mat lumiere 4. Za concealer perfection 5. Bob powder 6. Make Up For Ever sculpting kit 7. Benefit coralista 8. Etude House secret beam highlighter 9. Kate brown collection 10. Shu Uemura Hard Formula H9 11. Make Up For Ever Technicolor 12. K-palette real lasting eyeliner 13. Elite tapis rouge 14. All belle eyelash fix adhesive 15. Bobbi Brown Lip Color in Roseberry

I'm very much of a base makeup person. I can do without eye makeup or lip makeup on regular days but not base makeup. You will at least see me with BB cream or tinted moisturizer on weekdays. On weekends, I never leave home without sunblock. 

Speaking of base makeup, I want to introduce you all to a few of my favourite base makeup products that I have been using recently as well as for the retro makeup look that I did for my company's DnD. 

Esprique Lucent Lasting Base UV 50

I think I'm down to more than half of this tube. Esprique Lucent Lasting Base is a blue color makeup base. I read that blue makeup base corrects yellow skin tone. I usually mix Esprique Lucent Lasting Base with those foundations that are thicker in texture such as Chanel Mat Lumiere or DrGL Foundation in the ratio of 1:1. This makes it easier to blend as well as brighten up my skintone and give a soft glow.

Holy grail? Definitely yes! 

Bob Powder

When I commented on how dewy my colleague's skin looked, she told me that she's using shimmering powder. I was quite skeptical initially because I don't want to risk looking like a disco ball. The last time I swatched Revlon's Photoready foundation, I was so put off by the sparkles. She recommended me Bob powder and passed me a new one to try. 

Its quite translucent and the shimmering effect is still pretty much acceptable for day use. I like the fact that I can just blot my face at the end of the day with tissue and touch up with Bob powder and I'm ready for that dinner date. The only downside is that its probably not easy to get it in Singapore because my colleague got it from Taiwan. 

Etude House Secret Beam Highlighter

When my cousin asked me what I want from Korea, I told her to get me Etude House Secret Beam Highlighter. I use my good old trusty MAC 224 Blending Brush to mix all of the colors together to highlight my nose bridge. To create pouty lips, I mix the white and beige together with a cotton bud and apply it on top of my cupid's bow.

Now onto my outfit of the day - 

Retro theme DnD outfit 1. Royal blue polka dot dress, Bugis Street 2. Black heels, Studio Tangs 3. True vintage gold butterfly buckle red belt, handmade 4. Blue plastic earrings, Bugis Street 5. Red scarf as headband, friend's

When we decided that the theme of the company dinner would be Retro, most of us could relate to 播音人/bo yin ren (Right Frequency), a Chinese drama telecasted in 1998 by the then, TCS (now Mediacorp). The most prominent and memorable cast member from the drama is 程美光/Chen Mei Guang played by 歐菁仙/Ou Qing Xian (Sharon Au). 

She's always in very bright colors and her signature look consists of big chunky plastic earrings as well as headbands. I still remember that her favourite line in the drama is, “我是播音人人人人人～”。Having said that, I think it is evident that my inspiration for my outfit of the day came from her. 

Here are some behind the scenes pictures of the girls getting all dolled up for their dance performance.

First, the makeup artist started with hairstyling. She did the same hairdo (teased crown updo) for all of them except for Rachel because she has got short hair. 

Retro hairstyle

After the makeup artist finished all of the girls' hairdos, she proceeded to do their makeup. 

Retro makeup

1. Eyebrow shaping 2. Base makeup 3. Applying eyeliner 4. After makeover 5. Close up of the finished makeup look

We all agree that the makeup look that the makeup artist did for Siew Chong is very elegant and classic, kinda reminds me of Dita Von Teese!

The makeup artist uses mostly eye and lip makeup from Coastal Scents and the false lashes that she use are handmade lashes from 三棵树。My personal favourite false lashes from 三棵树 is #217, they look super natural. Its highly raved by Taiwan beauty bloggers too!

Here's how all of the girls look after their makeover!

I feel that I am transported back into time just by looking at them. Sometimes I wonder if life is more stress feel then? I mean, people looked happier back then, they dress in brighter colors and they seem to have more fun and have more time for themselves. 

Me with the guys. Elvis maybe?

IT'S A WRAP!

We were all very happy that our hardwork paid off because we could tell that everyone enjoyed themselves that night.

Thanks for reading. 

Love,

Patricia 

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Kiehls Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream review, swatch and FOTD

April 9, 2013, 7:20 am

≫ Next: Day 4: Bangkok - Central World Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall and Bangkok Shopping Haul

≪ Previous: Retro themed DnD makeup look featuring Make Up For Ever Technicolor Palette

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What is it: 

- Fragrance free, Paraben free and Mineral oil free

- Dermatologist and allergy tested for sensitive skin

- Non-comedogenic

Ingredients list: 

Instant perfection ingredients:

- Natural Mineral Pigments (Amino acid coated iron oxides, known for their close affinity to skin, provide true color that lasts all day)

- Glycerin (A humectant that helps skin retain moisture. Within the formula, this ingredient provides all day hydration, replenishing moisture levels to enhance clarity and luminosity.)

Correction ingredients:

- Vitamin C (Ascorbyl Glucoside): A powerful antioxidant derivative known to have multiple benefits to prevent and correct skin damage when applied topically. The formula works to decrease melanin production and transfer. In vitro and in vivo proven efficacy on discoloration. Works to clarify skin tone, smooth texture and enhance radiance over time.

- UV Filters:

Homosolate/octisalate - This ingredient has a UVB absorber help to protect the skin against sunburn.

Octocrylene - This water-resistant molecule protects the skin against UVB and short UVA rays, also works to boost and stabilize UVA & UVB protection.

Titanium Dioxide - This mineral sunscreen blocks UVA and UVB rays. Encapsulated in spherical silica, this titanium provides a transparent appearance on skin, and contributes to a soft, silky texture.

My thoughts:

When I first received Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream in Light, I wasn't too excited. I don't know about you guys but I really hate it when BB creams are too light in color because they make me look too pale (not like I'm fair to begin with) and people around me would be like, "Hey Patricia, you sure you're okay? Not sick or anything?" Little did I know that Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream is available in 3 shades - fair, light and natural and light is the middle one.

It so happened that I wasn't wearing anything on my face apart from sunblock the very day I received Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream. Hence, I tried it on almost immediately and my colleague commented that it looks very natural and she couldn't tell that I had anything on because it looked as if it was my own skintone.

Here's how Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream looks like on me. I have done a half face swatch to show you my bare skin without anything apart from just toner/lotion (before) and after applying Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream.

The left side of my face is my bare face before applying Kiehl's Actiely Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream while the right side of my face is after applying BB cream.



Kiehl's BB cream half face swatch comparison

From the half face swatch above, you can tell that the right side of my face (with bb cream) look slightly brighter and has more glow.

Here's a full face swatch.

After applying Kiehls BB cream

The consistency of Kiehls BB cream isn't exactly what you would call thin but it is easy to blend it out. In terms of coverage wise, it has got a light to medium coverage and coverage is buildable by layering on the BB cream. On regular days, I usually apply a layer of it but on days when I want more coverage, I apply two layers. 

After I started working, my face became more prone to dryness. Most of the time, I experience dryness at the sides of my forehead and it even peels at times. How frustrating, isn't it? Thus, I stopped applying loose powder on top of any BB cream or foundation that I am wearing because the last thing I want would be to emphasize on my dry patches of skin!

You would think that I have just solved a problem, but its the start of another - shiny T-zone. You see, I have got combination skin and my T-zone gets really shiny at times and it gets to me real bad. Imagine my guy cousin was telling me, "Jie (sister in Chinese), your nose is oily!" I mean, how embarassing can that get, no? I usually have to blot my nose and T-zone by the time I reach office, my travelling time is about an hour or so. I'm not saying that Kiehl's Actively Correcting and Beautifying BB Cream helps to keep my face matte but well, at least it helps to control oiliness for a longer period of time compared to my other BB creams.

Drew my eyebrows and applied a bit of blush and lipgloss and I'm all ready to head out!

In terms of staying power, I think it does a fairly well job. I had it on since morning about 7am and I attended yoga class in the evening and managed to survive the nasty perspiration resulted from excessive stretching.

The only gripe that I have about Kiehl's Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream is that it does oxidize after 3-4 hours. Yes, sadly. 

Price list

Kiehl’s Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream SPA 50/PA +++, $68.

Kiehl’s is available at

- Robinsons Raffles City

- VivoCity #01-11/12

- TANGS Beauty at TANGS Orchard

- Tampines Mall #01-29

- Takashimaya S.C., Ngee Ann City, #B1-33

- ION Orchard #B3-54

- Plaza Singapura #01-66

- Parkway Parade #01-K2

- Bugis Junction #01-13

- Great World City #01-16

I have done a couple of BB cream reviews before, you can check them out here, http://sweetestsins.blogspot.sg/search/label/bb%20cream.

♥ Tony Moly Crystal BB Cream in Natural
♥ Kanebo Freshel Moist Lift W CREAM BB Cream SPF 23 PA++
♥ Palgantong One Touch BB Cream
♥ Bio-essence Bio Multi-Effect BB Cream
♥ Skin Factory Dashcode F.M (BB Cream in Natural)
♥ Maybelline BB UV White
♥ Biotherm White D-Tox BB Cream
♥ Dr Wu Super Diamond BB Cream (Part 1), (Part 2)

Thanks for reading.
Love,
Patricia

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Day 4: Bangkok - Central World Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall and Bangkok Shopping Haul

April 13, 2013, 5:51 am

≫ Next: Nando's Peri peri flame-grilled chicken and mango - Angry Mango

≪ Previous: Kiehls Actively Correcting & Beautifying BB Cream review, swatch and FOTD

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This post marks the last entry for my Bangkok trip! Its quite an achievement I must say to finish writing about my Bangkok trip. 

Read on to find out about my 4th day (also my last day in Bangkok) as well as my Bangkok shopping haul!

As with other days when we were in Bangkok, we had our breakfast in Abloom cafe before heading out. 

Breakfast cereal with milk, my favourite!

You can choose between scrambled egg, poached egg or sunny side up. I rotated between them out of the 4 days we were there.

The 7-eleven in Bangkok is really awesome. They sell almost everything from body mist to shampoos etc. Got these Kleenex facial tissues because the packaging is so nice! I know I always fall for products with nice packaging but its just so hard to resist!

After that, we headed to Central World Mall where I was wowed by the window display of the shops there. Well, you can't blame me for noticing the visual merchandising and signages for I majored in Retail Management back then in Polytechnic.

Jaspal, Central World Mall

Lyn around, Central World Mall

There is a lot of international brands in Central World Mall that would be familiar to you such as Esprit, Bershka, British India and Nautica.

Besides checking out drugstores in foreign countries when I travel, I also love checking out their supermarkets because you can find snacks that are exclusive to that particular country and you can definitely find local beauty, skincare products in there. That's like killing two birds with one stone, no?

So I headed to Isetan over at Central World Mall and I got myself Pocky in Lychee, Blueberry and Strawberry. They are really affordable? If I didn't remember wrongly, its probably SGD1 or 1.20 per pack and they have got fruit flakes on them. They are really nice! My colleague said that they are also available in Golden Mile Complex Thai Supermarket. 

Lychee Flake Pocky, Blueberry Flake Pocky and Strawberry Flake Pocky

We headed to Platinum Fashion Mall next because my cousin wanted to do more shopping. We had our last meal in Bangkok there at KFC. Its quite hard to order especially if you want to customize your order but I'm thankful that the staff managed to understand me when I said that I don't want my chicken rice to be spicy.

Here's my non-spicy chicken rice set with salad.

I ordered the non-spicy version because I was afraid that the spicy version would be too spicy for me. The chicken rice set have got white fungus in it which I thought was quite special. I am a fan of white and black fungus. I think they did add lemongrass to it.

After our late lunch, we took a cab back to Abloom Apartments. You got to be really firm when taking a cab in Bangkok. Most of the cab drivers tend to not on their meter and quote their own price despite the fact that there were security guards guarding the taxi queue asking them to. Unless really needed, I think taking the BTS is so much more convenient and you need not worry about being charged at inflated prices for your cab fare.

There was 8 of us in total so we asked the staff over at Abloom Apartments to help us call for transport to the airport and here's our van/mini-bus.

Its rather roomy considering the fact that there's only 8 of us and most of us can have two seats to ourselves so it was a very comfortable ride to Suvarnabhumi Airport.

As promised, here's my collective (humble) shopping haul from Bangkok.

Bangkok shopping haul: earrings holder, rabito iphone cover, naraya bag, naraya pouches, barrier repair cleanser, shoes, pocky

I got the Rabito (bunny/rabbit) iPhone covers and earrings holder as gifts for my cousin and friend from a roadside stall. I like Naraya because they have got all kinds of pouches/covers and they are really affordable. Mommy got the pouches as gifts for her colleagues while I got myself a kimono print bow sling bag in black from Naraya. Got Barrier Repair cleanser from Watsons because I have used their face masks before and I liked it. 

Here's the second part of my shopping haul.  

Bangkok shopping haul: sling bags, soap & glory scrub of my life, pond's magic face powder oil and blemish control, iphone covers (again) and anne & florio nail polishes

Got 3 of the same sling bag from MBK except that its in different colors. One is for myself and the rest is as gifts. The iPhone covers were only SGD$5 or $8 each only! Look at how pretty the prints are! I also picked up Soap & Glory scrub of my life and Pond's magic face powder from Boots as well as two Anne & Florio nail polishes from Beauty Buffet.

This marks the end of my Bangkok trip blog post series. I hope you like this post, thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

♥ Bangkok Day 1: Abloom Apartments, Sanao Pao, Chitlom, Amarin Plaza, Central World and Platinum Fashion Mall

♥ Bangkok Day 2: Damnoen Saduak Floating Market, The Grand Palace and Siam Paragon

♥ Bangkok Day 3: MBK, Siam Paragon & Suvarnabhumi Airport
♥ Bangkok Day 4: Bangkok - Central World Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall and Bangkok Shopping Haul

♥ Bangkok Beauty Shopping Guide

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Nando's Peri peri flame-grilled chicken and mango - Angry Mango

April 14, 2013, 4:05 am

≫ Next: Glamabox February 2013: Valentine's Day Edition

≪ Previous: Day 4: Bangkok - Central World Mall, Platinum Fashion Mall and Bangkok Shopping Haul

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Last month, thanks to Community Games 2013 (CG 2013), I went for my first ever food tasting session at Nando's Tanglin Mall.

What is Community Games 2013?

The Community Games 2013 (CG 2013) is a multi-sports competition held across the island, bringing the Games to the heart of the community and connecting residents of different ages, races and living across estates.

CG 2013 is organised by the People’s Association and Community Sports Clubs, with support from the National Sports Associations of the sports to be featured. The sports featured under CG 2013 are Badminton, Basketball, Bowling, Dragon Boat, Football, Netball, Road Run and Sepaktakraw, Swimming and Table Tennis.  CG2013 will be taking place from March to June at various facilities across Singapore.

Make a guess where Nando's is from! Do I hear Mexico, US etc? Turns out that Nando's is actually from South Africa!

Nando's very popular Peri peri sauce in Hot and Extra Hot

My sparkling apple

Wild mushroom and garlic bread

Daen was telling us that the mushroom soup is very special because its very peppery. Its actually rather refreshing for a mushroom soup to be very peppery and I quite like it! Did I mention that those garlic bread are to die for? They are crispy, fragrant and of a very generous serving! In fact, I love the garlic bread so much that I almost caved in to the second piece but I decided not to lest I get too full before I try out other yummy dishes that Nando's have prepared for us!

Here's our sides.

Chips with peri sprinkle, spinach and grilled veg

Wedges, chips with peri sprinkle, coleslaw, spinach and grilled veg

The wedges and chips with peri sprinkle are our favourite! 

Next, we have got Nando's signature dish, Peri peri chicken marinated for at least 24 hours in Peri peri sauce and flame-grilled to order.

We have it in 3 levels - not so brave (lemon & herb), gets you into the mood and mild.

Peri peri chicken in mild, gets you into the mood and not so brave

I think we are all not so brave afterall! Turns out everyone at our table, Jennie, Damien, Huijin and myself we can't take spicyness too well. 

Jennie and I tried mild and then 'gets you into the mood' after that and we couldn't tell which is more spicy. They tasted like they had the same level of spicyness.

Lastly, we have got the star of the day - Angry Mango series (burger, pita and wrap) that combines Nando's succulent Peri peri chicken with diced mango and rocket. 

Angry mango burger, pita and wrap in mild

Jennie and I shared a wrap. We both agreed that the chicken is really good. I mean, it takes a lot to make grilled chicken breast tender and juicy because most grilled chicken breast outside can be dry and tough if not done well. I think you will like the Angry Mango series if you have got a thing for sour food. 

With Jennie and Damien!

And here's a group photo with the other CG 2013 bloggers. I'm happy to get to know more bloggers outside the beauty blogging community. I must say that the bloggers whom I hang out with that night are a real awesome and fun bunch!

Nando's (Tanglin Mall)

163 Tanglin Road

#01-14/15 

Tanglin Mall

Tel: 6235 3555

http://www.nandos.com.sg/

Price list:

Sides:

Peri Sprinkle Chips (Regular: $3.90 / Large: $5.90)
Coleslaw (Regular: $3.90 / Large: $5.90)
Spinach  (Regular: $4.90 / Large: $6.90)
Grilled Veg (Regular: $4.90 / Large: $6.90) 

Mains:

1/4 Peri-Peri Chicken (on its own) $10.90 each
Angry Mango Peri-Peri Chicken (Wrap/Burger/Pita) (on its own) $11.90 each  

Drinks:

Designer drinks ($4.90 each)

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Glamabox February 2013: Valentine's Day Edition

April 14, 2013, 9:00 am

≫ Next: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ review and swatch

≪ Previous: Nando's Peri peri flame-grilled chicken and mango - Angry Mango

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Hello lovelies, I know this is super overdue but I wanted to try all of the products first before I share them with you.

Read more to find out how these products work for me.

Dr Cell All in One Face Gel

What is it:

Contains coenzyme Q10 as an antioxidant, can prevent negative effects caused by free radicals.

Coenzyme Q10 is essential for skin firmness and smoothness for it stimulates skin regeneration and repair.

All in one face gel contains 3 kinds of Marine collagen, hyaluronic acid, 19 kinds of amino acid and nutrition, increasing skin elasticity and moisture. Natural seaweed gel's jelly-like texture gives the skin cool and comfortable feeling.

Free of parabens, mineral oil, vegetable oil, artificial spices and pigment.

My thoughts:

Dr Cell All in One Face Gel reminds me of Dr Ci: Labo-Aqua Collagen Gel Enrich-Lift-EX except that in terms of texture, it is lighter than Dr Ci: Labo Aqua Collagen Gel Enrich Lift EX but it feels richer when applied onto the face. 

I thought that it was more oily compared to Dr Ci: Labo's because after applying it to my face, there was some leftover on my fingers and it felt slightly oily for a face gel but to my amazement, Dr Cell All in One Face Gel absorbed into my skin very quickly and I don't feel any oiliness on my face!

AFU Rose Petals Yogurt Mask

What is it:

The first natural petals yogurt mask in the world.

Contains natural rose petals made from Bulgaria Rose which moisturizes the skin while improving dull skin state, making it look bright white.

Milk-like texture with baby-like softness.

All-natural formula, does not irritate skin, ideal for sensitive skin.

Directions:

Massage mask onto clean face, leave on for 20 minutes and wipe off with warm water

My thoughts:

As I wasn't familiar with the brand, AFU, I googled and found their website, http://www.afuvip.com. The website says that AFU is from Greece but the website list the prices in Chinese Yuan. Apparently, they are known for their essential oils.

Anyway, AFU Rose Petals Yogurt Mask contain real rose petals! It is a leave-on mask, I had it on for about 20 minutes and upon rinsing it off, my face looked brighter and it does helps in keeping my face plump. The best of all is that - it didn't make my face dry or flake like how some whitening and brightening products does!

Coach Poppy Flower Fragrance

What is it:

Top notes: grapefruit, wet ivy and mandarin

Heart/middle notes: jasmine, water lily and rose

Base/drydown notes: raspberry, musk, sandalwood and creamy apricot skin

My thoughts:

Coach Poppy Flower fragrance is a fresh scent and has a sweet dry down with floral undertones. A lot of people compare this to DKNY Fresh Blossom that they are very similar in terms of the scent. 

Its very subtle so people will have to be really close to you in order to smell it. I think younger women in their 20s will like Coach Poppy Flower fragrance as a daily scent, while older women will like it as a weekend or a getaway scent.

Clinique Moisture Surge Intense Skin Fortifying Hydrator

What is it:

Rich, oil-free cream-gel instantly rehydrated your skin. Skin stays comfortably plumped, even 24 hours after you out it on. Daily use helps fortify and repair skin's moisture barrier to keep moisture in, environmental irritants out.

Contains aloe barbadenis leaf juice (moisturize) and olive extract (strengthen and repair skin barrier).

Beautymate Hydro-Nourishing & Revitalizing Snail Nano Mask

 

What is it: 

Contains skin nourishing ingredients such as Glycosaminoglycans and natural compounds that can easily be absorbed through the skin.

My thoughts:

While this is not my first time trying out Beautymate masks, it certainly didn't disappoint me! I have tried Beautymate Anti-blemish Repairing Nano Mask and Refining Smooth Nano Mask previously and I liked them. Niu Er Lao Shi 牛爾老師 recommended Beautymate on Queen/Nu ren wo zui da 女人我最大. I just checked out their website, http://www.beautymate.hk/index.php and Beautymate have got collagen drinks, sleeping masks, peeling gel, hand cream now too! Beautymate is developed in Japan and I would think that its a Hong Kong brands since its website is based in Hong Kong. 

Okay, enough of digressing, back to my review on Beautymate Hydro Nourishing & Revitalizing Snail Nano Mask. I really like snail masks in general because firstly, they brighten up my skintone, moistures my skin and also speed up the healing process of any pimples and reduce redness on my skin. I like how Beautymate Hydro Nourishing & Revitalizing Snail Nano Mask brightens up my skintone. I had it on at night and I wake up to plumper skin the next day. Plus, I like it even more because unlike whitening masks, it doesn't make my skin dry or peel!

I hope you like this post. 

Thanks for reading. 

Love,

Patricia 

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Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ review and swatch

April 15, 2013, 7:58 am

≫ Next: Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Launch Event & Store Tour

≪ Previous: Glamabox February 2013: Valentine's Day Edition

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No. 1 sunscreen brand in Japan: Biore UV aqua rich watery essence

What is it:

- Provide long-lasting high UV protection against harmful UV rays

- Watery-light consistency for easy application

- Spreads easily and instantly absorbed into skin for an invisible, weightless finish

- Leaves skin feeling refreshingly smooth and comfortably cool

- Enriched with Hyaluronic Acid and Citrus extract to hydrate and soften skin

- Gently on skin and allergy-tested

- Mild fresh, fruity fragrance

- Suitbale for face and body

My thoughts:

While Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ is relatively new in Singapore, I have seen it off drugstores shelves in countries like Bangkok, Hong Kong and Taiwan as far as 2 years ago. I remember wanting to get it when I was in Bangkok but my cousin-in-law stopped me. She was like, "You got so many products already, do you even use them all?" Well well well, there's never enough products that a beauty blogger can have, no?

Biore UV aqua rich watery essence swatch

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ reminds me very much of Biore Aqua Rich UV Gel SPF 30 PA+++ in terms of its watery texture and also how light it felt on my skin. 

The plus point would be that Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ has got higher SPF which means I need not reapply it that frequently compared to Aqua Rich UV Gel SPF 30 PA+++. As with other Biore sunblock, I like how Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ doesn't feel oily on the skin when applied. On days when I don't want to pile on too much makeup, I merely apply loose powder after applying Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++. I like how Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ don't produce a 'film-like' texture nor is it too greasy to melt my powder away as the day goes by. In fact, apart from my nose area, the rest of my face was kept pretty matte without any touching up.

However, I tried applying Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ alone after my skincare without applying any powder on top over the weekend and it kind of melted on me after about 2-3 hours. Maybe it was due to the fact that the sun was scrotching hot but then again, I didn't experience this with other Biore's sunblock like Biore Aqua Rich UV Gel SPF 30 PA+++, Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Mousse SPF 50+ or Biore UV Perfect Milk.

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ 50g retails at $18.90 at all leading pharmacies and selected supermarkets and hypermarkets.

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Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Launch Event & Store Tour

April 20, 2013, 2:49 am

≫ Next: 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market

≪ Previous: Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF50+ PA+++ review and swatch

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Last Tuesday, I attended Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Launch Event held over at Crabtree & Evelyn, Vivocity. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow collection's packaging is in green which is my favourite color and its packaging consists of flower prints that are inspired by the flowers used to create the scent in the collection! They remind me so much of the prints on Japanese origami paper! They are so pretty and I can't wait to share about them with you! 

Without further ado, let's take a look at the collection.

Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Bath & Shower Gel, Scented Body Lotion and Eau de Toilette

If you have been reading SweetestSins, you will know that I am a sucker for packaging. I melt at cute and girly packaging. So, imagine my delight when I saw Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Eau de Toilette's packaging.

Now, I bet you think this looks like your usual perfume box - nothing too fanciful.

Crabtree & Evelyn Somserset Meadow Eau de Toilette

But check out how it opens up to reveal a shape akin to that flower petals!

 

And then to reveal Crabtree & Evelyn Somserset Meadow Eau de Toilette in it! 

Its so pretty, no? I'm swooned by pretty packaging easily like that. 

I also took the chance to explore the store to find out if there's any other interesting Crabtree & Evelyn products that I haven't come across. Before I go any further, I must tell you that my cousin, aunt and mom are the biggest fans of Crabtree & Evelyn. I will reveal their personal favourite products as well as mine from Crabtree & Evelyn as we go along. 

First up is - Crabtree & Evelyn's best-selling hand therapy (hand cream). Most OLs (abbreviation for office ladies) swear by this! Its one of my personal favourite as well! Just last Christmas, I got 4 Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy as Christmas present. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy

Check out what I spotted! 

Crabtree & Evelyn Nail & Cuticle Therapy

Initially, I thought Crabtree & Evelyn Nail & Cuticle Therapy was the miniature version of Crabtree & Evelyn Hand Therapy, only to realise that its not after I turn it around and read its label. If not for the Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Launch Event, I wouldn't have discover this interesting product! Would love to try this product out to show some TLC to my nails and cuticles and find out what different magic it works compared to its cousin, Hand Therapy. 

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source, Jojoba Oil and Goatmilk collection

Crabtree & Evelyn La Source Relaxing Body Wash is my personal favourite as well as my Aunt and Mom's. Its super relaxing. I have written a review on it before, you can check it out here, http://sweetestsins.blogspot.sg/2011/12/project-finish-it-up-november-2011.html.

Crabtree & Evelyn also have got a Fruits & Botanical product line. It consists of Pomegranate, Citron, Avocado and Tarocco Orange. Of these, Pomegranate interests me the most because it has got antioxidant effect. 

Crabtree & Evelyn Fruits & Botanical collection: Pomegranate, Citron, Avocado, Tarocco Orange

 

Crabtree & Evelyn isn't just about the ladies, they don't neglect the men - they have got Men's collection.

Crabtree & Evelyn Men's Collection

They have got the Nomad collection, India Hicks Island Living Collection and Windsor Forest Collection. 

Products they have for the Men's line include hand therapy (hand cream), perfume, aftershave and room fragrance.

Of all, one product that caught my attention from Crabtree & Evelyn Mens line is - India Hicks Island Living Fragrance Diffusion. 

Crabtree & Evelyn India Hicks Island Living Fragrance Diffusion

The box is so pretty and it looks like a treasure chest. I will buy it just for the sake of the box itself. Yes, I'm such a keeper like that.

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

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台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market

April 22, 2013, 8:18 am

≫ Next: See by Chloe EDP review

≪ Previous: Crabtree & Evelyn Somerset Meadow Launch Event & Store Tour

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西門紅樓 Xi Men Hong Lou / Red House Theatre

We were walking around Ximending 西門町, near the vicnity of Red House Theatre and Ximending Police Station because we were told that there are some good breakfast places around there. At the same time, we were trying to locate one of the best braised meat rice (滷肉飯 / lu rou fan). After walking around and asking for directions (the uncles and aunties in Taiwan are really helpful, they try their best to help even if they aren't sure), we ended up at JSP 甲尚宝小吃店 for breakfast.

JSP 甲尚宝小吃店

Ximen MRT exit 1 walk abt 3mins along Hanzhong St

Opens from 6am – 12pm
http://www.twjsp.com.tw/

JSP 甲尚宝小吃店菜单 menu

JSP 甲尚宝小吃店 have got seats both inside and outside the store. The seats outside the store faces the road which I think is a very unique dining experience!

Their slogan is 'just start a powerful day'. Their logo reminds me of ultraman and anpanman (アンパンマン) merged together.

They have got both Western-style breakfast (sandwiches, burgers, bagels) and Chinese-style breakfast (savoury crepe, fried carrot cake, hot plate noodles, dumplings, hot dog, onion pancake). You will be spoilt for choices, trust me!

After going through the menu for several times, I finally settled down for 猪排汉堡 Pork Burger. I love variety but sometimes having too much to choose from can be a headache as well. 

猪排汉堡 Pork Burger NT$35, approx SGD1.50

I must rave about the 猪排汉堡 Pork Burger from JSP 甲尚宝小吃店. First, the buns are warm and so so so soft! The 猪排 (pork chop) is so juicy and the black pepper sauce goes very well with it. Plus, there's also a sunny side up! I'm definitely going back to JSP 甲尚宝小吃店 just for 猪排汉堡 Pork Burger the next time I go to Taiwan!

Here's a picture of us with our breakfast before we tucked in! 

Breakfast at JSP 甲尚宝小吃店

It was about 9+, close to 10am in the morning when we were at JSP but we saw so many people having their breakfast leisurely and we were thinking, "Don't they have to work or something?"

After breakfast, we went to 50 Lan (50嵐), opposite 85度C (85 degrees C) to get bubble milk tea (珍珠奶茶). For those of you whom are not familiar with 50 Lan/Wu Shi Lan (50嵐), it is the original Koi cafe in Taiwan!

50嵐 (50 Lan / Wu Shi Lan) near Ximending

台北市萬華區漢中街136號, Taiwan

http://www.50lan.com.tw/

Approximately 4 mins from Ximen Station. 

Directions: 

1. Head north on 中華路一段/台3線 toward 成都路/104縣道

2. Turn left onto 成都路/104縣道

3. Turn left onto 漢中街

50嵐 (50 Lan / Wu Shi Lan) classifies their drinks into categories such as 找好茶 (good tea)，找好感 (chewy)， 找奶茶 (milk tea) and 找新鲜 (refreshing).

50 Lan/Wu Shi Lan (50嵐) menu

They have got both small pearls (珍珠) and big pearls (波霸). I ordered the medium 珍珠奶茶 which literally translates to milk tea with small pearls. I love the small pearls because they are so chewy! The medium 珍珠奶茶 that I bought have got so much pearls in it that I was full even before I finish half of it.

50嵐珍珠奶茶

with our 50嵐茶!

After that, we took the train from Ximen station 西門站 to Taipei City Hall Station 市政府站. From there, we walked out of Exit 2 to wait for the free shuttle bus to Taipei 101 台北101 / 臺北101.

Saw this arty farty building while waiting for the free shuttle bus. I say its an awesome piece of graffiti!

   

Taipei 101 台北101 / 臺北101
No. 7, Section 5, Xìnyì Rd,
Xinyi District, Taipei City,
Taiwan 110

Taipei 101 台北101 / 臺北101

Here's the magnificent interior of Taipei 101 with very high ceilings.

We took the same shuttle bus back to Taipei City Hall Station 市政府站 and walked over to agnes b cafe l.p.g for tea.

 

agnes b cafe l.p.g / delices 台北统一阪急店

台北市忠孝东路五段8号1楼

02 2722-0553

Sun to Thurs 11:00-21:30 / Fri to Sat 11:00-22:00

Here's what we ordered (to share of course).

agnes b cafe sweets

agnes b chocolate

agnes b orange juice

Typical tourist shot outside agnes b cafe l.p.g

Next, we took the train to Houshanpi Station 後山埤站 and headed to Wufenpu 五分埔 for some shopping. Although it says on Google Maps that its a 10 minute walk from Houshanpi Station 後山埤站 to Wufenpu 五分埔, I swear we walked longer than that! We already found walking there a chore so imagine walking back to the station after that!

Wufenpu 五分埔

Xinyi District Taipei City, Taiwan

Open at about 2pm

Directions:

Houshanpi station Exit 1. Walk straight along Jhongpo N. Rd. to the intersection of Jhongpo N. Rd. and Yongji Rd. After the crossing outside the station's exit 1, turn right until you come across shops selling clothes and you would have arrived at Wu Fen Pu. Wufenpu starts on the left.

Note: Do not go on Mondays because the shop owners will be busy with their new stocks arrival.

Wufenpu 五分埔

Here are my loots from Wufenpu 五分埔. If I never remember wrongly, I paid about SGD80 for all of them. Such a steal, no? 

After shopping, we were famished so we headed over to Raohe Street Night Market 饒河街觀光夜市, more commonly known as Raohe Night Market / Raohe Ye Shi 饒河夜市.

饒河街觀光夜市 Raohe Street Night Market

more commonly referred as饒河夜市 Raohe Night Market

台北市松山區饒河街, Taiwan

Directions:

Houshanpi Station (~10 walk), From Wufenpu, walk to Songshan Railway Station (not metro) and look out for signs pointing to Raohe Night Market

How can we miss 炸鸡排 when in Taiwan? We bought 大鸡排 which literally translates to big chicken cutlet. We were the first in line, the stall just opened for business when we queued. 

炸鸡排/大鸡排 NT$55, approx SG$2.40

Guess what I spotted at 饒河街觀光夜市 Raohe Street Night Market? 

PG Mall / PG 美人网

Avid online shoppers or rather, avid spree-ers will be familiar with PG Mall! I remember getting most of my bags from them when I was in Poly!

Shin wanted to try Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐 and apparently, the one that you see below is from one of the more popular stall in 饒河街觀光夜市 Raohe Street Night Market.

Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐

After much convincing, I mustered enough courage to try Stinky Tofu 臭豆腐 for the first time ever in my life. Turns out that it isn't that bad afterall! It ain't as smelly when you eat it compared to when you smell it in the air. It tastes a bit bitter though in my opinion. I love the pickled veggies that they included as a side though.

Steamed crabs 清蒸蟹

The steamed crabs 清蒸蟹 didn't taste fishy surprisingly.

Lu Wei 魯味

Lu wei (魯味) is a common Taiwanese street food that consists of vegetables and meat, boiled and served with spices. It is popular with women as it doesn't contain too much fats. A huge variety of food including tofu, sausages, meat, vegetables, eggs, mushrooms, fish balls, chicken hearts, rice and pork blood cakes is offered. They are boiled and tossed with sauces: spicy, sweet, sour to the customer's preference.

We saw that a lot of locals order 'Prince noodles/wang zi mian (王子面)', seems like its a local favourite! We bought a small packet of Lu Wei 魯味 to share but we were too famished that we gobbled it up before we took any pictures. Let's just say that it was the first time that most of us tried duck blood cake 鸭血糕. It tastes like fish cake though. 

That marks the 2nd day of my Taiwan trip 2012. I hope you like this post!

Thanks for reading. 

Love, 

Patricia  

You might want to check out these posts:

✰ Taiwan Taipei Accomodation/Hotel: ECFA Hotel Wan Nian 愛客發時尚旅館萬年館 review
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 1: Taipei Ximending and Shi Da Ye Shi
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market

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See by Chloe EDP review

April 23, 2013, 7:51 am

≫ Next: Loysel's Toy Cafe

≪ Previous: 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market

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Top notes: juicy bergamot and apple

Middle notes: jasmine and ylang ylang

Base notes: vanilla and musk

See by Chloe Fragrance is created by perfumer, Michel Almairac and is defined by Chloé as chic, elegant and energetic floral - fruity. 

There's a series of 4 short videos to promote See by Chloe Fragrance on http://www.chloe.com/#/collections/fragrance/see-by/en and they depict young, fun and freedom.

See by Chloe EDP

My thoughts:

Today I'm going to share with you my current daily scent - See by Chloe EDP. The bottle design reminds me very much of a vintage bird cage. For those of you whom are not familiar with See by Chloe, its actually Chloe's younger sister brand that caters to younger ladies. I quite like the ring on the cap of the bottle because it makes lifting the cap of the bottle so much easier. 

See by Chloe EDP is definitely not your usual floral, musky perfume. In fact, I think the opening scent is very chic with a sense of assertiveness. Because it smells a little grown-up, I think ladies in their mid-20s or even 30s will be able to accept this and like or even love it! A lot of people compare See by Chloe EDP to the original Herbal Essences shampoo, that they smell similar but I disagree. 

I like how See by Chloe is not too overbearing nor too sweet to give anyone a headache because I know a lot of guys whom cannot take fragrances that smell overly sweet.

In terms of the longevity of the scent, I think its moderate, it lasts for about 5-6 hours. During the drydown, the scent of sandalwood is quite distinctive.

If I have to sum up See by Chloe with a few adjectives, it would be - sexy, mysterious and independent.

Price list:

see by chloé edp 30ml  $85
see by chloé edp 50ml $122
see by chloé edp 75ml $150
see by chloé body lotion 150ml $59
see by chloé shower gel 150ml $47
see by chloé deodorant 100ml $57

Available at Tangs Orchard, Tangs Vivocity, Takashimaya  D.S., Robinsons Raffles City,  Robinsons Centrepoint, Robinsons Marina Bay Sands and Isetan Scotts.



Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for consideration. 

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Loysel's Toy Cafe

April 27, 2013, 10:14 am

≫ Next: Candydoll Mineral Face Powder 01 review

≪ Previous: See by Chloe EDP review

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As the city lights gets brighter and roads get busier, we city dwellers submerge our heads in work be it working or studying. We rejoice as weekends draw nearer and let out silent sighs with a heavy heart on Sundays knowing that we have to head back to reality after our short escapade. Now tell me, wouldn't you want to make full use of our weekends to chill and maybe catch up with a friend or two?

Sometime ago, I was over at Loysel's Toy on a weekend catching up with my lecturer together with a friend.

Tucked away at a quiet corner, about 5 minutes' drive from Lavender MRT station, Loysel's Toy cafe at Kampong Bugis by Papa Palheta Coffee has the best coffee in Singapore according to my lecturer. It is outdoor seating over at Loysel's Toy cafe but rest assure that there's ample shade. We thought that we would be breaking out in perspiration but thank God that it was quite windy that afternoon. 

No points for guessing who ordered the latte below.

Cafe latte

Without even flipping through the menu, my lecturer ordered cafe latte. According to him, Loysel's Toy serves very good coffee. 

My friend and I share a pot of Earl grey tea with lavender.

Earl grey tea with lavender

Look at the huge massive amount of food we ordered for afternoon tea.  

Egg mayo bruschetta

If you haven't already know, I love bruschetta - be it homemade or from Pastamania. Unlike the usual Italian bruschetta with tomato, onions, capsicum and basil, the ones that Loysel's Toy Cafe serves are topped with egg mayonnaise instead with alfalfa. 

Sausages

Pancake with blueberries and strawberries

The pancakes from Loysel's Toy are really good, very fluffy! They more white in color rather than the usual yellow that you see in pancakes.

For desserts, we had lemon tart - picked by our lecturer. 

Lemon tart

In the same building itself, there's a ukuele shop selling super unique ukueles (think watermelon shaped ones)! You can also learn ukuele there, they do offer ukuele courses there. At another level, they have got rock climbing facilities and even an outdoor dining on the other plus childcare! 

After a long chat, we walked over to Kallang Riverside Park which is just a stone throw from Loysel's Toy cafe.  

Kallang Riverside Park

In terms of location wise, its not that convenient to visit Loysel's Toy if you are not driving but other than that, I think its worth checking out the place especially if you want to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life.

Loysel's Toy

66 Kampong Bugis  

#01-01 Sam Tat Building, 

Singapore 338987

+65 9451 0236

Nearest MRT station: Lavender

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Candydoll Mineral Face Powder 01 review

April 28, 2013, 7:57 am

≫ Next: Blisshouse Theme Restaurant

≪ Previous: Loysel's Toy Cafe

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I can't remember when is the last time I used powder. For me, it's always either bb cream or liquid foundation and I'm good to go for work. I used to like the full base makeup routine, consisting of makeup base > foundation > loose powder to set my makeup but after I started working, I realised that if I apply powder, it makes my face look more dry and sometimes 'crack lines' appear. Plus, applying powder makes my face and my features look flat which I'm pretty sure none of you would want that. Having said that, because I'm very much of a base makeup person, I love my loose powders and pressed powders. Although sometimes they don't work the way I want them to - reduce shine but yet not make my face and features appear flat, I still like to try out different brands of loose/pressed powder to find the best one that work for me.

Being a beauty blogger, I can be quite cynical towards product claims at times. I only believe it when I have tried it and seen the results for myself.

What is it:

CandyDoll Mineral Powder is a translucent loose powder formulated with skin-friendly minerals.

It helps cover pores and mattify skin while keeping makeup looking fresh to help you achieve doll-like procelain skin.

Ingredient List:

Talc, synthetic fluorphlogopite, HDI/trimethylol hexyllactone crosspolymer, dimethicone/methicone crosspolymer, silica, calcium carbonate iron oxide, coconut oil, aloe barbadensis leaf extract.

Today I'm going to review Candydoll Mineral Loose Powder in 01 (the permanent version) without shimmer which is my current favourite loose powder. If you're a regular reader of Japanese magazines such as Popteen, ViVi, Seventeen, there will be no way that you will miss Candydoll - makeup brand by popular amateur 'gyaru', Tsubasa Mazuwaka. CandyDoll aims at creating a doll-like appearance, targeting teens.

My thoughts:

Right after setting my foundation with Candydoll Mineral Powder

Candydoll Mineral Powder is very, very fine! In terms of coverage, it has got light coverage. I like the fact that Candydoll Mineral Powder is translucent so I need not worry about any white or pink cast appearing even if I pile on the product on my face. It makes the pores on my face look less visible and my face look so smooth and flawless, akin to that of a porcelain doll's. What's more, it doesn't make my face appear cakey like how some powder does. 

After 5-6 hours of setting my foundation with Candydoll Mineral Powder

My only gripe would be its oil-control properties, that it didn't work as well as I expected it to especially after hearing a lot of beauty bloggers raving about its oil-control properties. I have got combination skin and I must say that although it helps to keep my face matte throughout the day, I still experience a bit of shine on my T-zone, particularly my nose area but the good thing is that I don't have to blot my nose as much as usual, at the very most - once a day. 

Patricia's tip:

I usually pour a bit of powder out from the sifter jar onto the cap and use the powder puff included to pat the powder onto my face. Then, I take my large powder brush to even out the powder on my face and brush off any excess.

1) Sunblock + Candydoll Mineral Powder

On days when I don't feel like wearing too much makeup, I apply Candydoll Mineral Powder after sunblock and I'm good to go. As Candydoll Mineral Powder is translucent, it doesn't leave a white or pink cast on me. I like how it makes my face look smoother but doesn't change my original skin color unlike some powders that changes my skintone drastically and one look at it, people will know that I have got powder on.  

2) Make Up Base + Foundation/BB cream + Candydoll Mineral Power

On days when I want to look a bit more dressed up, I apply Candydoll Mineral Powder after applying foundation or BB cream to set it.

I hope you like this post, thanks for reading!

Love,
Patricia 

Disclaimer: Product was sent to me for consideration. Blog post depict my honest opinion as always!

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Blisshouse Theme Restaurant

April 30, 2013, 8:01 am

≫ Next: [Double Digest] March Bellabox: Spring in your step & April Bellabox: Beauty Goodness

≪ Previous: Candydoll Mineral Face Powder 01 review

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Blisshouse Singapore

Thanks to Streetdirectory for holding its Bloggers Party at Blisshouse themed restaurant at The Central, I got to check out the place as well as try the food and drinks they serve in-house. There is no doubt that most girls will be swooned by its girly, romantic yet simple exterior and interior decor. If you are into themed cafes/restaurants like me, I'm sure that Blisshouse Theme Restaurant  will remind you of a cafe with a similiar theme - Fullhouse Singapore that was in Singapore not too long ago.

One of the activities that we had that night at Streetdirectory Bloggers Party was - making our very own beaded handmade bracelet! 

Beaded Handmade Bracelet in the making!

I can't remember when was the last time that I last did beading. I think it was 5 or 6 years ago when I started my brainchild, AmberJewels. Speaking of that, time really flies, no? 

What's an event without food? After all, food brings people together. 

Tapas

Although we only managed to try the tapas this time round, Blisshouse Theme Restaurant doesn't just serve tapas alone, they have got main course, desserts and alcoholic drinks as well! Check out Blisshouse Theme Restaurant menu for more information!

Did I mention how pretty, girly and romantic Blisshouse Theme Restaurant is? I think its perfect for hen's night, solemnization, 21st birthday party or birthdays in general, dates and even girls' night out! 

Blisshouse is so pretty that I can't help but to snap a picture after another.

Pretty white roses which depicts purity and innocence

Love the Victorian style velvet sofas!

Doesn't this remind you of bridges in gardens/parks?

Entrance/exit of Blisshouse

Apart from the common dining area, Blisshouse have got a few private rooms. We were hosted in one of the private rooms. Let me take you on a virtual tour to show you how it looks like from the inside. 

This set of white fixture as well as the accessories and displays are so European-style and commonly seen in Korean dramas in Korean homes. If anything on the shelves catches your fancy, you can actually bring them home because they are for sale! Don't we love this dining cum shopping (2-in-1) concept? 

If you're into paintings, you will appreciate that Blisshouse has got quite a few paintings in its premises. The first one below is my favourite! 

Cherub

If paintings aren't quite your cup of tea, what about some good old music on a gramophone?

Vintage gramophone

Or maybe a classical piece like Pachelbel - Canon In D on a white grand piano?

If that wasn't fairytale-like enough, we all know almost all fairytale ends with a happy ending - of which most of them say, "The prince and the princess got married and lived together happily ever after". 

What's a wedding without a gown?  

I was told that these wedding gowns in Blisshouse are designed by a local designer! Time to show some support for our own local designers.

If you are the crafty type and that I meant - into handicrafts, not underhand means that crafty. Pun intended! On Sundays, there is Jewellery making course at Blisshouse itself!

Blisshouse Theme Restaurant

The Central #03-21, 

6 Eu Tong Sen Street, 

(S) 059817
http://www.blisshouse.com.sg/

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading. 

Love,

Patricia 

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[Double Digest] March Bellabox: Spring in your step & April Bellabox: Beauty Goodness

May 1, 2013, 8:57 am

≫ Next: 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 3: Sogo, Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe and Miramar Entertainment Park

≪ Previous: Blisshouse Theme Restaurant

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March Bellabox: Spring in your step

Don't we all love double digest? I used to look forward to Dad coming home from work trips because he never fail to bring back Archie's double digest for me! Its always a bonus when he gets me the double digest!

Vichy Bi-white Med Whitening Replumping Gel-cream 

 

What is it:

Vichy combines the highest tech in skin brightening and whitening with protective Peony essence and five different essential good for your skin oils.

This is probably one of the product that I haven't tried in my March Bellabox yet because I'm now on another whitening product. I used to love Vichy Normaderm series during my poly days. I can't remember how many times I repurchase Vichy Normaderm series each time my cleanser, toner, moisturizer and pimple cream run out. Its really good for acne/pimple prone skin and it did help in oil control, hence I love it. Will update you guys again when I try out Vichy Bi-White Med. Hope it works as well as Vichy Normaderm series!

Dr Ci: Labo Super Cleansing EX 

 

What is it:

Gentle, highly effective makeup-removing cleanser with skincare benefits, removes all traces of makeup without drying or damaging your skin.

My thoughts:

I'm not sure if I'm the only one whom experienced this, but Dr Ci: Labo Super Cleansing EX made my face stung when I was using it to remove my makeup. I seldom experience any skin reactions to products though so I'm not sure what could have caused this. 

Dr Ci: Labo BB Perfect Cream 

 

What is it:

Packs a punch of moisture, brightening, whitening, sun protection, makeup retention, smoothing and foundation coverage.

My thoughts:

For a BB cream, I must say that Dr Ci: Labo BB Perfect Cream has got high coverage. I was looking forward to try this out since I love Dr Ci: Labo-Aqua Collagen Gel Enrich-Lift-EX. When paired with Candydoll Mineral Face Powder, my skin look almost flawless! I had Dr Ci: Labo BB Perfect Cream on today with Candydoll Mineral Face Powder and my colleague was like, "Hey Patricia, why did you do today? Your face looks so smooth and flawless!"

My only gripe about Dr Ci: Labo BB Perfect Cream is that its a little too pink for my skintone. But there's nothing a bit of loose powder can't do though.

Rojukiss Pure Vita C Dual Mask 

 

What is it:

Special delivery system that keeps Vitamin C at its freshest and most effective. Skin is bright, light and firm with the inclusion of Collagen and Arbutin. Fold along the dotted line and push the lotion towards the mask to saturate the mask with it.

My thoughts:

I think this mask is rather interesting in the sense that you fold the mask pack into half and push the lotion towards the mask to soak the mask with serum. While my face did look more moisturized, I didn't really observe any visible brightening effect.

Mox Botanicals Lip Balm 

 

What is it:

Truly restorative ingredients that keep your lips young and fresh. Ingredients include black plum & fig, coconut almondine and yakima valley peppermint.

My thoughts:

This reminds me very much of Vaseline, especially in terms of texture and how it felt on my lips. The coconut scent in this is rather strong though.

Price list: 

Vichy Bi-white Med Whitening Replumping Gel-cream $59
Dr Ci: Labo Super Cleansing EX $50
Dr Ci: Labo BB Perfect Cream $67
Rojukiss Pure Vita C Dual Mask $26.70 (exclusive at Bellabox.sg)
Mox Botanicals Lip Balm $19

April 2012: Beauty Goodness

Bioderma Atoderm Shower Gel

 

What is it:

Atoderm Shower Gel has a special formulation that makes it ideal for dry & sensitive skin. It cleanses effectively for all skin types from kiddies to adults. By respecting the skin’s natural pH balance and introducing moisture, Atoderm Shower Gel will never dry skin out. Forget about itching, dryness, redness or irritation, look forward to hydrated, supple and increased protection against allergens.

My thoughts:

I won't blame you for not knowing Bioderma Atoderm Shower Gel but I'm sure most of you would have heard of the brand, Bioderma because it is famed for its Micelle Solution (cleansing water aka makeup remover).

Bioderma Atoderm Shower Gel leaves me feeling fresh after a bath. Its not drying on the skin so you won't feel that your skin is tight even if you shower with hot water.

Twistband Headbands

 

What is it:

Made of soft elastic that keeps hair out of your eyes, in the most comfortable, chic way you ever had, doubles as bracelets.

My thoughts:

I have a couple of twistbands which I have been using for quite a while. I think that they are good for people whom would like to tie up their hair but yet do not want to leave any 'dent' marks on their hair.

Personally, I don't have this problem because no matter what I use to tie my hair (be it the super skinny rubber hand that sells by the pack). it doesn't leave any 'dent' marks behind. I suppose this is due to the fact that I have got rebonded hair.

Nuxe Crème Fraiche De Beaute Cream

  

What is it: 

Plant milks, aloe vera sap, white almonds and orange flowers combine for the ultimate in skin cream.

My thoughts:

I'm quite amazed at how Nuxe products smell similar. I have yet to try this out but I will definitely update you guys when I do! 

The Skin Pharmacy Collagen Building Serum

 

What is it:

Includes key, natural ingredients that increase your skin’s most vital components to keep it looking young, fresh and beautiful, welcome back elasticity and firmness.

Sasa Hand Cream

 

What is it:

Rich, luxurious hand cream with shea butter that keep hands beautiful and supple with an added ingredient that offers UV protection.

My thoughts:

I wasn't expecting too much from this hand cream, after all it is only $3.90. Surprisingly, I quite like the scent. It reminds me of the almond jelly that my Mom always make! Although this hand cream isn't as thick in texture compared to my L'occitane, Crabtree & Evelyn or The Body Shop hand cream, I must say that it moisturizes rather well still. It does feel a bit sticky right after application but it goes away after a while. 

Kilo off Herbal Slimming Tea

 

What is it:

Help regulate digestion, stop extra water retention, help overall circulation and provide major detox benefits. Can be drunk hot or cold! Made with 100% organic French herbs.

If you are into baking, then you are in for a treat this month because Bellabox provided Laurent Bernard Chocolatier Chocolate Souffle recipe in April's Bellabox!

Price list:

Bioderma Atoderm Shower Gel $13.90/200ml, $22.90/500ml
Twistband Headbands 3 pcs/$12.95
Nuxe Crème Fraiche De Beaute Cream $70/50ml
The Skin Pharmacy Collagen Building Serum $59.90/15ml
Sasa Hand Cream $3.90/50ml
Kilo off Herbal Slimming Tea 20pcs/$16.90

In March, I attended Bellabox Blogger Event held over at Antoinette @ Penhas. Click here to check out the pictures taken at the event.


I hope you like this post! Thanks for reading.

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on

台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 3: Sogo, Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe and Miramar Entertainment Park

May 5, 2013, 9:32 am

≫ Next: Korres White Tea Gel Cleanser review

≪ Previous: [Double Digest] March Bellabox: Spring in your step & April Bellabox: Beauty Goodness

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On Day 3, I was the first to wake up and I felt super hungry so I went across the street from our hotel to Ximending to get Mcdonalds breakfast while the girls were sleeping. They have got pork mcmuffin 猪肉满福堡 in Taiwan Mcdonalds! I got myself pork mcmuffin 猪肉满福堡 along with a cup of hot chocolate 热巧克力. I think part of the reason why I got up so early was due to the fact that I was anticipating the Watsons 屈臣氏 sale that was on that day (got insider news from the security guard working at Watsons 屈臣氏 and he gave us his Watsons member card no. for further discounts). Did I mention that the Watsons 屈臣氏 in Ximending is 24 hours? How awesome right?

After the girls woke up and washed up, they got breakfast (either Mister Donut, or Yong He Dou Jiang) before we started our day out.

We passed by the 85度C outlet in Ximending. Its apparently one of the best (chain store) cafe, said to have the best cakes in Taiwan.

85度C (咖啡, 蛋糕, 烘焙專賣店)
台北市萬華區漢中街151號

Nearest station: Ximen Station, 近西門捷運站
http://www.85cafe.com/

After that, we took the train to Zhongxiao Fuxing Station.

We went to Sogo (太平洋SOGO忠孝馆 branch) to shop for a while where Andeline got a Porter bag for her sis.

 太平洋SOGO忠孝馆No. 300, Section 3, Zhōngxiào East Rd, Daan District, 
Taipei City, Taiwan 106

Directions: Zhongxiao Fuxing Station, exit no. 4
http://www.sogo.com.tw

Highlights: OL wear and cosmetics

There's two Sogos in the vicnity. One at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station 忠孝复兴站 and the other at Zhongxiao Dunhua 忠孝敦化站.

As soon as Andeline got her sis the Porter bag, she sent her sis a picture of it but turns out that it wasn't the one that her sis wanted so Shin and her went back to Sogo to do the exchange. Chuan wanted to check out the underground shopping mall (East Metro Mall) over at Zhongxiao Fuxing Station 忠孝复兴站 that links to Zhongxiao Dunhua 忠孝敦化站 so I accompanied her.

While walking to the underground mall (East Metro Mall), check out what we spotted at the connecting linkway from both Zhongxiao Fuxing Station 忠孝复兴站 and Zhongxiao Dunhua 忠孝敦化站 train stations!

These pop-up art are so pretty and artistic, no? They are 3D and they even have got LED light! This goes to show how creative Taiwan is as a country. Plus, I think it helps to brighten up commuters day while transiting, no?

When Chuan and I passed by 日藥本舖 (復興) Japan Medical (Japanese drugstore), I was ecstatic! I love Asian skincare and makeup, especially Japanese, Korean and Taiwanese ones so imagine my delight when I found a Japanese drugstore in Taiwan!   

日藥本舖 (復興) Japan Medical
復興門市-捷運東區地下街7-1櫃
http://jp-medical.shop.rakuten.tw/

They have got medical supplies, supplements, skincare products, makeup as well as snacks imported from Japan. Some of the brands that they carry include Rohto, PDC, Bigen, Paon, Sunstar and Lion.

They even have got hyaluronic acid, horse oil in their shower gels and shampoos respectively! Although most of the products ingredients list are in Japanese, you need not worry because they have got mini labels that translates it into Chinese!

For makeup, they have got Candydoll, Naris up, Sana, Kameria which I'm sure most of you are familiar with as they are available in Singapore in places like Watsons, Sasa and John Little. 

The underground shopping mall wasn't too bad. Chuan got two maxi dresses at about 10 bucks each and I got two tshirts at about 7 bucks each.

We were famished by then so we walked over to Hello Kitty Sweets to meet Andeline and Shin for lunch.

Hello Kitty Sweets

Hello Kitty Cafe
台北市大安路一段90

Opening hours: 11.30 to 22.00
Tel: 02-2711-1132
(min order of NT300 per person, 10% service charge)



Directions:

Head east on 忠孝東路四段/台5線 toward 復興南路一段 Turn right onto 大安路一段

  Or use exit 15 of the East Metro Mall. The cafe is along the alleyway just outside. 捷運板南線忠孝復興站3號出口步行3分鐘

Once you enter Hello Kitty Sweets cafe, you will be greeted by these super cute and adorable Hello Kitty cakes that just scream, "buy me! eat me!" at you. Tell me how to resist them?

Even the signage and booth that reads, "Please wait to be seated" is so cute! Omg right?

I definitely recommend that you make a reservation in advance via phone if you wish to visit Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe. We waited for about maybe 5 minutes to get in although we made prior reservations for lunch.

We paid NT$442 (approx SGD18.50) for a set meal (Hello Kitty Sweets Meal 套餐 is available from 11.30-2.30pm for lunch and 5-9pm for dinner) which consists of a salad, soup of the day, hello kitty bread/bun, appetizer, main course, dessert and drink. Click here to view Hello Kitty Sweets Menu.

We were all full even before we started on our main course. We were saying that this has got to be the most filling meal that we had while we were in Taiwan! While this meal at Hello Kitty Sweets is certainly more expensive than that of our regular meals in Taiwan, we all agree that its worthwhile for the experience, especially in terms of photo-taking opportunities at every possible corner in Hello Kitty Sweets with the iconic Sanrio character - Hello Kitty. Plus, the food wasn't that bad afterall, well - at least not as bad as the reviews that we read online.  

For drinks, you can choose from coffee, red tea, lemon tea, coke, sprite and fruit juice. I chose fruit juice.  

Fruit juice 果汁, a la carte 单点 NT$90

Salad 沙拉, a la carte 单点 NT$60

Soup of the day 每日主厨浓汤, a la carte 单点 NT$60

Kitty bread/bun (Kitty 餐包), a la carte 单点 NT$40

We ordered different appetizers to share. 

Italian roasted beef 意式牛肉, a la carte 单点 NT$100

Smoked salmon 烟熏鲑鱼, a la carte 单点 NT$100

Foie Gras 香煎鹅肝, a la carte 单点 NT$100

Here comes our main course!

White-sauce Mushroom Chicken Bread Bowl 白酱蘑菇鸡肉kitty面包盅

Curry Chicken Pasta 咖喱鸡肉意大利面

Tomato-based Seafood Pasta 番茄海鲜意大利面

Smoked Salmon Creamy Pasta 烟熏鲑鱼奶油面

For desserts, its mango pudding in the shape of none other than the star of Hello Kitty Sweets - Hello Kitty itself! We were saying its too pretty and cute to be eaten!

Mango Pudding 芒果布丁

We took the chance to take more pictures within the premises of Hello Kitty Sweets before we left because its so 梦幻 (girly, dreamy, fantasy-like)!

After lunch, we took the train to Houshanpi station to Wufenpu again to do some shopping.

Chuan bought the famous 'Taiwanese hot dog' aka Dachang Bao Xiaochang 大腸包小腸 which loosely translates to small sausage in big sausage. It consists of grilled pork sausage wrapped in a glutinous rice sausage filled with peanut powder, cucumber, Chinese parsley (cilantro), pickled mustard greens and Chinese basil.

大腸包小腸 Dachang Bao Xiaochang

Shin bought 包心粉圆 to try. Basically, 包心粉圆 is adding red bean to 粉圆 (Tapioca ball). It originates from Yilan (Ilan) by this couple whom loves the combination of tapioca balls and soya bean curd. They thought that tapioca balls by itself was kind of boring so they tried adding all sorts of fillings to it but it turns out that red bean has got the best taste of all. The popularity of red bean stuffed tapioca ball has spread throughout Taiwan, thus you can find red bean stuffed tapioca balls easily in Taiwan now.

Red bean stuffed tapioca balls 包心粉圆

Got my daily must have - Papaya milk from this stall at Wufenpu. I usually rotate between papaya milk and milk tea.

We walked to Houshanpi station after that and took the train to Jiannan Road station 劍潭站 and walked to Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園. 

Alternatively, you can also take the shuttle bus to from Jiantan Station劍潭站 to Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園.

Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園
Nearest train station: Jiannan Road station
Opening hours: Dept store and supermarket: 11.00 to 22.00,
Ferris wheel: Sun to Thurs 11.00 to 23.00, Fri and Sat 11.00 to 24.00

Shuttle bus to Miramar Shopping Centre 美麗華 at 劍潭站 Jiantan Station

Last shuttle bus from Jiantan Station: 22:15
Last bus back from Miramar to Jiantan Station is 22:30.

Don't you find Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園 familiar? Like you have seen it somewhere, maybe countless of times before but just can't seem to recall where? Well well well, if you are a Taiwan drama fanatic like me and if you like Rainie Yang, there's no way that you would have miss her dramas such as Why Why Love 換換愛 which was filmed in Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園! Miramar Entertainment Park 美麗華百樂園 is also the filming location for other Taiwan dramas such as It Started with a Kiss 惡作劇之吻 where 江直树 and 袁湘琴 celebrated their 2nd wedding anniversary as well as Love or Bread 我的億萬麵包.

There's a supermarket and departmental store in Miramar Entertainment Park apart from the iconic Ferris wheel.

Having said that, let me take you on a virtual tour around Miramar Entertainment Park.

Touristy photo

Of all, this is my favorite picture of Miramar Entertainment Park Ferris Wheel!

We came across these Harry Potter jelly beans that have strange flavours such as rotten egg, pencil shavings, centipede just to name a few which Chuan and Ande got some as gifts and for themselves.

Harry Potter jelly beans

On our way out, we came across this hair salon for kids. Check out the seats - they are toy cars instead! How cute right? I can imagine the fun that these lucky kids get while having their haircut!

I can't remember but I think we either skipped dinner altogether that night or we had our beef instant noodles back in our hotel. 

Got Meiji Hokkaido Milk Monaka from the Family Mart opposite our hotel before heading back to recharge for the next day.

Meiji Hokkaido Milk Monaka

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

You might want to check out these posts:

✰ Taiwan Taipei Accomodation/Hotel: ECFA Hotel Wan Nian 愛客發時尚旅館萬年館 review
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 1: Taipei Ximending and Shi Da Ye Shi
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 3: Sogo, Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe and Miramar Entertainment Park

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on

Korres White Tea Gel Cleanser review

May 7, 2013, 7:02 am

≫ Next: Eyemazing 101 by Jun Komori review

≪ Previous: 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 3: Sogo, Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe and Miramar Entertainment Park

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What is it:

Formulated with vegetable derived soap substitutes, the White Tea fluid gel deeply cleanses and refreshes, without dehydrating the skin. While the gel is very easily rinsed off, yet the Oat proteins' moisturizing layer remains on the skin.

An active combination of oligominerals provides energy to skin cells and hydrates the skin. The White Tea liquid gel is fine-lathering to avoid over-stripping the skin. The selected combination of 100% natural cleansing agents ensures excellent tolerance by the eyes and the skin.

Directions:

Rub gently into wet skin and rinse off with plenty of water. Use once or twice daily. 

Ingredients list:

White Tea extract (Camellia sinensis), Oat proteins, oligo-minerals, glycerine, Aloe vera.

Dermatologically tested, Opthalmologically tested, soap free

My thoughts:

Although Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser was part of a customized skincare set sponsored by Korres last year, I haven't got a chance to try it until recently (and yes, I blame that on my huge stash of skincare products). For those of you whom are not familiar with Korres, its from Greece and they place emphasis on natural products.

Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser has got a nice light, natural and calming scent to it. It lathers up a little when I rub my palms together but it definitely don't create as much foam as cream cleansers.

I have got combination skin and I don't experience any tightness in my skin after cleansing my face with Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser. Instead of the very clean feeling that I get when I cleanse my face with other cleansers, Korres White Tea Fluid Gel Cleanser leaves my skin feeling moisturized.

Rating:

★★★★☆

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

Disclaimer: Although product featured in this post was sponsored, the content above consists of my honest opinion as always!

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on

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Eyemazing 101 by Jun Komori review

May 8, 2013, 1:50 am

≫ Next: Bellabox May 2013 Ready for Cannes Sneak Preview

≪ Previous: Korres White Tea Gel Cleanser review

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Hi lovelies, today I'm going to share about Eyemazing 101 eyelashes by Japanese TV star and fashion model, Jun Komori.

Jun Komori produced 3 types of eyelashes under the Eyemazing brand, namely no. 101, 102 and 103.

Eyemazing 101

Black Base with natural black lashes for intellectual beauty! It has more lashes near the end of the at the eye a beautiful shadow due to the gradation of Natural Black lashes towards the end of lashes.

Eyemazing 102

I was unable to find any English translation for Eyemazing 102 's description, here's my thoughts on it just by looking at the picture. Although it is very similiar to Eyemazing no. 101, unlike Eyemazing 101 which is denser at the end of the eye, it is denser in front (the area near your tear ducts).  

Eyemazing 103

Black base with natural brown lashes - evaluated as the No. 1 eyelash! Very natural and soft look created with gradation begin at the half the width for a beautiful completion. Eyelashes become gradully darker from the inner corner to the tail of the eye. 

Here's a couple of pictures of me wearing Eyemazing 101 lashes.

Eyemazing 101 when worn

And here's me trying to impersonate Jun Komori 's sultry eye look. Failed attempt, I know!

Impersonating Jun Komori

Close up of Eyemazing 101 when worn

My thoughts:

In case you are wondering, I only had liquid eyeliner, kohl eyeliner and drew my brows apart from wearing Eyemazing 101 lashes for eye makeup!

If you look at the 2nd picture, you would probably notice a bit of shadow at the end of my eye on both upper eyelid and lower eyelid. Guess what? Its not because I had eye shadow on but its because of Eyemazing 101 lashes! Isn't it awesome? Yet another way to lessen the time spent on doing my eye makeup for larger and brighter eyes! I don't know about you but because I have got small eyes, I do notice a huge difference in terms of my eyes appearing larger, brighter and even the shape of my eye changes when I have got my double eyelid tape or false lashes (or both) on. In the past when I haven't really experiment with makeup that much, I really wanted double eyelid surgery because I have small, hooded or folded eyelids and in our society, big and round eyes are considered as feminine and beautiful. But now, I can fake big eyes with double eyelid tape and false lashes! I can have big eyes without surgery!

Okay, enough of digressing, you see I get excited too easily. Eyemazing 101 lashes are very easy to wear. After snipping off about 5mm off each side at the front, it took me only one try to get it on perfectly! I think it might be because the lash band is very sturdy. Eyemazing 101 lashes are very comfortable to wear. Throughout the 6-7 hours that I had it on, I did not experience any discomfort or irritation. Plus, Eyemazing lashes gives me a bit of volume yet still look natural, not over the top. What's more - the lashes feel quite soft too - this is important to someone like me whom blinks quite a fair bit because you wouldn't want your false lashes to hurt the sensitive skin below your eyes.

Tips:

- For easier application, apply eyelashes from the outer corner of the eye inwards.

- To soften eyelash band, wrap both ends of the eyelashes around your finger gently. I like to do this so that the eyelash band will be more 'curved' and I find it easier to put it on this way.

- For clean and thorough removal, wet lashes with warm water before removing, remove any excess adhesive from the band of the lashes with a tweezer carefully, dry it and put it in the eyelash box.   

I hope you like this post! Thanks for reading. If you have any questions, just comment and I will get back to you asap.

Love,
Patricia  

Price list:

Eyemazing no. 101 retails at $23.90

Disclaimer: Product featured was sent to me for review purposes but the above-mentioned consists of my honest opinion as always!

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Bellabox May 2013 Ready for Cannes Sneak Preview

May 9, 2013, 12:52 am

≫ Next: SweetestSins x KMS iPhone Cover Giveaway

≪ Previous: Eyemazing 101 by Jun Komori review

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Hi lovelies, I just received my Bellabox May 2013 and I can't wait to share about it with you.

Don't you think that the product description card for this month is very creative and cute - in the shape of a ticket?

On top of that, check out the sticker on the wrapper - its like saying Lights, Camera, Action!



Bellabox May 2012

First up, we have got -

Model Co Lipgloss - Striptease

What is it:
Unbeatable reflective, shimmering gloss that creates a glamourous, lacquered effect. The non-stick formula glides on evenly, leaving your lips with a lucious, long-lasting shine.

Lanvin Me Eau de Parfum

What is it:

Unique blend of tuberose, blueberries and licorice. Lanvin's head designer Alber Ebaz strove to create a parfum that defined the essence of female individuality and self-love and he succeeded in doing that with Lanvin Me. 

Dr Morita Hyaluronic Acid Essence Mask

What is it:

Reintroduces Hyaluronic Acid along with other natural ingredients to soothe and protect your skin.

Contains cucumber extract, marine collagen and seaweed.

The Lash Card (bonus item) 

What is it:

Excess mascara gets on to the card, not your lids and lashes stay separate.

Talika Eye Therapy Patch

What is it:

Developed with post-surgery technology, this reusable eye patch delivers moisturizing and anti-aging ingredients directly to the skin by osmosis. Can be reused up to 3 times.

Sasa Oil Blotting Paper

What is it:

Instantly get rid of shine for the matte look you need. Rose-scented.

I can't wait to try the items and share my thoughts on them with you!

Hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Patricia

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on

SweetestSins x KMS iPhone Cover Giveaway

May 12, 2013, 6:52 pm

≫ Next: 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 4: Danshui Old Street, Taipei Main Station and Ximending

≪ Previous: Bellabox May 2013 Ready for Cannes Sneak Preview

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1) Like SweetestSins and KMS California Singapore on Facebook
2) Upload a post to tell us why you are unique and tag SweetestSins and KMS California Singapore in Facebook post
3) Email me your details such as name, URL of Facebook post link and iPhone cover model (iPhone 4/iPhone 5) with the subject “Multi-colored Jewel Encrusted KMS California iPhone Cover Giveaway”

Additional information:

Giveaway ends on 31st May 2013, Friday or when up to 100 KMS iPhone covers are given away

Winners to collect KMS iPhone covers 1 working day after acknowledgement of entry by KMS” to “KMS iPhone covers can be collected from 3rd June, Monday onwards.

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on

台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 4: Danshui Old Street, Taipei Main Station and Ximending

May 15, 2013, 7:20 pm

≫ Next: Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner review

≪ Previous: SweetestSins x KMS iPhone Cover Giveaway

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On Day 4, we grabbed a quick breakfast over at Ximending before heading over to Ximen station to take the train to Danshui station.

Along the way, we spotted the setting up of 周湯豪 NICKTHEREAL 's album signing and meet the fans session (签唱会).

周湯豪台北簽唱會

Bought myself a donut from Mister Donut (Japan No.1甜甜圈專賣店) for breakfast. Make sure you get donuts from the 波堤系列, they are more chewy and special.

Mister Donut 台北西門町

108台北市萬華區漢中街110號(近捷運西門站6號出口)

Near Ximen station, exit 6

Opening hours: Mon-Sun, 10:00-23:00

http://www.misterdonut.com.tw/

Camwhored while waiting for the train to Danshui station.

淡水老街 Danshui Old Street / Tamsui Old Street

Zhongzheng Rd, Danshui District New Taipei City, Taiwan 251

Nearest station: Danshui station

Directions:

1. Head northwest toward 中正東路/台2乙線 29m

2. Continue straight onto 中正東路/台2乙線 140m

3. Turn left at 中山路

Danshui Old Street / Tamsui Old Street (淡水老街) is on the right

I have included two maps, one in English and the other in Chinese that shows the directions from Danshui station to Danshui Old Street.

Danshui Old Street is located along Gongmin Street and Zhongzheng Road.

When we reached Danshui Station, it was raining very heavily and we almost wanted to turn back because there is no way we can enjoy the scenery of Danshui Old Street when its raining. We waited for a while before it stopped raining that heavily and braved the cold dark weather with our umbrellas. The rain was also part of the reason why we didn't take any photos along the way from Danshui Station to Danshui Old Street .

But fret not because.. to make up for that, I have got the map that shows the directions from Danshui Station to Danshui Old Street in street view below.

Click here to view street view map from
Danshui station to Danshui Old Street

I guess it was the rain that got us really cold because our feet were wet from the rain so we decided to seek shelter and fill our growling stomachs at the same time at 淡水老店 喜相逢 古早味小吃店.

淡水老店 喜相逢 古早味小吃店

喜相逢

No. 2號, Zhǎngxìng St, Danshui District, New Taipei City, Taiwan 251

5 min walk from Danshui station

Thick Vermicelli Soup 古早味米粉汤 NT $30 和 Pork skin 猪肉皮 NT $30

I wanted something soupy to combat the cold so I got myself a bowl of 古早味米粉汤 which is actually bee hoon soup. 古早味 means traditional taste retained. Compared to the thick vermicelli (beehoon) soup that we have in Singapore, the rice noodles in古早味米粉汤 is not as chewy or smooth, it has got a rough texture to it and the soup taste rather bland and is quite oily. For the sides, I got myself a plate of 猪肉皮 which translates to pork skin. This is good stuff for the knees and complexion because its collagen!

Shin ordered 客家鹹猪肉 which literally translates to Hakka-styled marinated pork.

客家鹹猪肉 NT$ 70

Its very similar to that of char siew except that its fried instead of barbecued.

After lunch, it was still drizzling slightly as you can see in the photos below.

洪媽酸梅湯 (福佑宮邊)

台北縣淡水鎮中正路182號

Apparently, sour plum drink (酸梅湯) is really common in Danshui Old Street, you see stalls selling them almost everywhere.

Just beside 洪媽酸梅湯, there's this German bakery called  紅旗德國農夫面包 Berliner Landbrot and their bread smells heavenly. I was super tempted to get the Bull's horn croissant but my girlfriends rolled their eyes at me. Chuan was like, "What? You're coming Taiwan to eat croissants? Oh please!" Decided to give it a miss since I was still full from lunch.



淡水 紅旗德國農夫面包 Berliner Landbrot



Our first stop in Danshui was -

醒醐大师 (中正店)

台灣新北市淡水區中正路123號

No. 123, Zhōngzhèng Rd, Danshui District

http://www.tihudashi.com.tw/tihu.jsp

The must buy local specialty products from Danshui Old Street include:

1) 鐵蛋 (Iron Egg) and

2) 魚酥 (fish crackers)

The process of making 鐵蛋 (Iron Egg) is braising egg with soya sauce and tumeric spices before airing it with electric fan. The process is repeated daily for a week before the 鐵蛋 (Iron Egg) is ready for sale. There are quite a lot of different flavours for 鐵蛋 (Iron Egg), the more common ones include original, spicy, pepper, barbeque and garlic.

Apart from 鐵蛋 (Iron Egg), fish crackers, you can find other common local snacks such as nougat and mochi for sale.  

Part of our massive food haul

While walking down the street, we spotted another branch of 洪媽酸梅湯.

洪媽酸梅湯 (渡船頭邊)

台北縣淡水鎮中正路11巷1號

I really like how the two rows of shops converge into one so I asked Andeline to turn back so that I can snap a picture of her.

And that's me below. I think we look very 'auntie' because we had so many bags in our hands.

Here we are, opposite Danshui Fisherman's Wharf. Although it stopped raining altogether, but the skies were still gray. I like how the photos turned out to look like the effect, color splash has been applied.

Here's the boarding point for the ferry to Danshui / Tamsui Fisherman's Wharf 淡水漁人碼頭.

While we were admiring the scenery, we met this group of 3 friends (one of the guy is from Hong Kong and the other is from India while the girl is from Taichung) whom asked us to help them with a group shot and we started talking. Turns out that they were studying in Taipei and they took the chance to travel around. The Hong Kong guy uses a DSLR and he had a hard time with our compact cameras while he helping us with a group shot. Got to thank him for finding the best angle though because he was moving left and right and shifting our cameras up and down to get the best angle.    

With Shin, Andeline and Chuan at Danshui Harbour

Me at Danshui Harbour

We spotted 酸梅湯 (sour plum drink) again! This time its 阿媽的酸梅湯.

阿媽的酸梅湯

新北市淡水區中正路135之1號, Taiwan

Near Danshui Harbour

Chuan bought a cup of 酸梅湯 (sour plum drink) NT $30, approx SGD 1.30 to try. I think that it tastes like normal sour plum drink/juice, its rather refreshing though.

The shops around Danshui Harbour gives off a nostalgia feel. Its super relaxing and you just feel like slowing down your pace and embrace the natural and old-school surroundings.  

Check out the super big bowl of noodles on display (on the right) below.

As typical Singaporeans, we flock to places where there is a queue. When we saw that a queue near Danshui Harbour, we went to check it out and it turned out that people are queuing for the tower tall ice cream!

天霸王霸淇淋

Near Danshui Harbour

You get to choose either vanilla or chocolate or the best of both worlds - mixed!

Check out our tower tall ice cream!

Me with my tower tall ice cream

We took turns to take pictures of the ice cream until the ice cream started to melt and we were like, "Okay, time to eat the ice cream and stop taking photos!" Haha. The ice cream isn't fantastic but c'mon its just NT $20, approx SGD 0.85. I think its worth getting it even just to take photos, no?

There are a few shops that are pretty interesting along Danshui Harbour such as the shoe shop below, old school snacks shop and old school fun fair games store.

Check out the super big flip flops on display at this shoe shop at Danshui Harbour!

Old school snacks shop

This old school snacks shop was also where we bought a lot of nonsense. They have got sweets in super nice chinese vintage packaging that most of us can't resist.



Old school toy shop



Old school fun fair games

When we saw this, I was exclaiming, "OMG!" I mean, we don't really see these nowadays in Singapore do we? Gone were the days when our parents brought us to fun fairs over the weekend for bumper car rides, mini viking and old school games like the above which is rather hard to win. I remember that I used to pester my parents to exchange more tokens so that I can try my luck again because 3 or 5 wins allow you to trade up your prize to the super huge teddy bear or equivalent. Those were the days I tell you! As I'm saying this, I suddenly feel very old.

After that, we went in search of a good place to try the must-eat in Danshui Old Street -

1) 阿给 A-ge

2) 淡水鱼丸 Fishball soup

四十五年淡水老店淡水鱼丸

新北市淡水區中正路135-2號

This particular shop has got 45 years of history. I wonder if they change their signboard every year to add to the number of years in operation.

Shin bought Danshui fishball soup, more commonly known as 淡水魚丸, she said that she heard that these are really good.

魚丸湯 NT $35, approx SGD 1.50 for 4pcs

It is really cheap, say $1.50 for 4 fishballs. Who's the hungry fellow that ate up two even before I could snap a picture? I think they are very much like the Fuzhou fishball that we have in Singapore. In short, Danshui fishball contain minced pork. I think they are average though, not a big fan of it sadly.

And I got my 阿给 A-ge! I have been wanting to try this since forever, ever since I saw it on a food variety show and the host was saying that its a must-try if you are at Danshui (Tamsui)!

You might ask, what exactly is 阿给 A-ge? What's the fuss about?

Well, 阿给 A-ge is actually taupok (fried beancurd) stuffed with tanghoon (冬粉/glass noodles) soaked in braised sauce, sealed with fish paste, steamed and drizzled with sweet sauce before served.

Presenting to you.. my  阿给 A-ge!

阿给 A-ge NT $35, approx SGD 1.50

I think you will like 阿给 A-ge if you are a big fan of yong tau fu. Just imagine, fish cake with glass noodles and sweet sauce that taste like satay sauce! Even though I was really full, I ate quite a bit because the glass noodles were too good to be passed! Its really smooth and fragrant. Shin only took a bite or two while Chuan and I love 阿给 A-ge very much. We didn't finish it though because its really a huge serving. We were told that 阿给 A-ge keeps you very full and is of a very generous  serving because it is a fisherman's staple - they have it before going out or coming back from fishing to keep themselves full.

After filling our stomachs, we walked around Danshui Old Street and came across many traditional architecture.

Busy street along Danshui Old Street

Ramen mascot or raincoat hanger?

We spotted this super cute and girly boneless cheese pork cutlet.

Cheese Boneless Pork Cutlet

Then, we left Danshui Old Street and headed back to Danshui station as we had other places in mind for the day. Here's what we came across on the way back.

Eudora, European-inspired/styled cafe

Spotted Yoshinoya

Danshui station

Danshui Station is very special, built with red bricks, very similar to that of shop houses seen in Danshui Old Street.

I took the picture below from the train. Check out the not just double but multi duplex Mcdonalds!

Spotted McDonalds!

We headed to Taipei Main Station 台北車站 next to get our train tickets 台铁票 because we wanted to head to Taichung for a day trip the day after.

While we were getting our tickets from the automated machine, there was a speaker that kept repeating, "便当，好吃的铁路便当，快来买哦!" which translates to (Bento, awesome railway bento, get yours now!)

台铁路便当 Taiwan Railway Bento

The most traditional railway bento would be the Pork Rib Bento, it is the cheapest among all - only NT $60 (SGD 2.50).

Passed by Breeze Center at Taipei Main Station and I was drawn to the pretty and girly window display of Lavshuca. Its inspired by a dressing table!

We went to check out 李儀餅店 that was introduced by one of our friend since it was along the way.We were told that their pineapple tarts and suncake (literally translated from 太阳饼 tai yang bing) are very good.

李儀餅店
台北站*站前*地下街11-2B
國光客運.西站A棟(往桃園機場、基隆的巴士站)Z3入口,懷寧街Z6入口
Opening hours: 10am - 8:30pm
http://www.lecake.com.tw/

They have got butter suncake, curry pastry, yam pastry apart from just pineapple tarts and the original suncake. 

We thought that we would get a few boxes of pastries for our friends and family on the spot so we need not travel back again but it turned out that they don't have any extras for sale that day. Hence, we had to place our order and let them know when we will be collecting it. 

I have included maps below to show you guys how the directions to 李儀餅店 from 台北站.

Backa at Ximending, we came across 哇青蛙下蛋 (frog lay eggs) - which I remember trying on my last Taiwan trip in 2004.

That's all for my Day 4 in Taiwan. I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,

Patricia

You might want to check out these posts:

✰ Taiwan Taipei Accomodation/Hotel: ECFA Hotel Wan Nian 愛客發時尚旅館萬年館 review
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 1: Taipei Ximending and Shi Da Ye Shi
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 2: Ximending, Taipei 101, agnes b cafe, Wufenpu and Raohe Night Market
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan May 2012 Day 3: Sogo, Hello Kitty Sweets Cafe and Miramar Entertainment Park
✰ 台湾吃喝玩乐 Taiwan Trip May 2012 Day 4: Danshui Old Street, Taipei Main Station and Ximending

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Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner review

May 18, 2013, 5:53 am

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What is it:

Contains natural plant extract, hatomugi (coix seed)

- A moisturizing and non-sticky lotion that penetrates easily into areas of dry skin.

- Provides ample moisture to the skin, keeping it smooth and free from roughness

- For best results, pour a generous amount of Hatomugi lotion onto cotton pads and apply it as a face mask for approximately 5-10 minutes daily. 

- Soothes skin after sunburn, has cooling and tightening effect. 

- Can be used as a face and body mist.

- Use generously after a shower or bath by lightly padding it into the skin for moisturizing effect. 

- Fragrance and color free.

Ingredients:

Water, Butylene Glycol, Dipotassium Glycyrrhizate, Coix Lacryma, Jobi (Job's Tears) Seed Extract, Styrene/Acrylates Copolymer, Dipropylene Glycol, Alcohol, Citric Acid, Sodium Citrate, Methylparaben, Propylparaben

Made in Japan

My thoughts:

I was first introduced to Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditionerat More and more matte with Dejavu event. If you haven't already know, it is the number one selling lotion on Amazon Japan as well as a top selling product on Cosme.com!

I have been using Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner ever since I ran out of my trusty Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion and I thought that its time to review it since I have been using it for more than 2 months.

Initially, I wasn't quite used to the light and watery texture of Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner especially having switched from Hada Labo Super Hyaluronic Acid Lotion which is thicker in texture. But overtime, I grew to love Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner.

Because Hatomugi Skin Conditioner comes in a very big bottle at a very affordable price (which I will reveal at the end of the post), I can afford to be very generous with it. I usually pour quite a bit of it onto a cotton pad and pad it all over my face. I like how cooling Hatomugi Skin Conditioner feels on my face. What's more its non-sticky and it absorbs rather quickly into the skin. Its pretty moisturizing too. I read some Japanese beauty blogs and most of the Japanese beauty bloggers raved about how Hatomugi Skin Conditioner moisturizes even dry skin and is good for people that have trouble with pores and acne. Besides, I can use it for DIY lotion mask!

The only thing that I was uncomfortable with trying Hatomugi Skin Conditioner out initially was that it contains alcohol and my skin can't really take products with alcohol most of the time. Surprisingly, my skin could take it and the only reaction that my skin had was that it felt slightly tight after I applied Hatomugi Skin Conditioner.  

Rating:

★★★★☆

I hope you like this post. Thanks for reading.

Love,
Patricia

Price list:

Hatomugi Lotion Skin Conditioner $10.90

Available at SaSa.

To be notified of the latest beauty news, launches or events, follow me on or like SweetestSins on