A whole lot of Jurlique

A surprise was waiting for me when I got home last night. There were a few boxes waiting for me; it felt like Christmas all over again ;P

Did some online shopping last week at Acmamall.com. They are having a promotion for free shipping to certain countries AND a 30% discount on most beauty items. How could I resist? :P Did my sums plus some comparisons online. It seems to be the best value I could find at the moment.

So, I went ahead and got my basic Jurlique skincare routine. The bottles came in 2 separate shipments on 2 consecutive days. Each came wrapped prettily in a silver gift wrap and the boxes were all tied with satin white ribbons. How cute is that? *hearts*

However, I noticed the expiry date's Aug 2009. I shall have to start using the products instead of saving them for another time. Think I shall be able to finish the products by Aug? Anyway, do check out Acmamall.com. With the discount until 31 Jan, their prices are even better than Strawberrynet right now.

Also trying out the new slideshow thingy from Photobucket. Quite cool ;)


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Listening to: 王若琳 - The Best Mistake I've Ever Made
via FoxyTunes

Canmake eyeshadow

First eyeshadow purchase for 2009! :)



This was a completely unplanned purchase. But things just happen when I'm in Watsons. Oh well. I couldn't resist the colour ;P Just had to get it.

Tried it for the first time when I went Chinese New Year visiting. The colour isn't very pigmented tho. Used the white as a highlight on the brow bone and under my brows near the nose bridge. The pink went on as an overall base. I applied a LOT but the light colours came out very sheer even though the shimmer was, well, very shimmery. However, the red came out rather strong. I used it as an accent colour and I think it worked well. A little goes a long way.

Hmmm, I'm looking forward to my upcoming Taiwan trip! And all the makeup I'm going to get. Hehehe ...


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Listening to: 范逸臣 - 无乐不作
via FoxyTunes

大 S beauty books 1 &2: 美容大王 & 揭发女明星

Borrowed these 2 books from the library last week. 大 S is a female artiste from Taiwan who is well-known for her talent as well as her grooming.

When I learnt that she had a new beauty book published, my first thoughts were to check out Kinokuniya for availability of books 1 & 2. Well, the response was book 2 is available whereas book 1 is out of stock. Hmm, so it's back to my friendly library and the $1.55 ;P

They have both books! *yippee* They were ready for collection and I picked them up last night.

While waiting for them to be available, I also did a search online. Lo and behold, I found them online as well. If you read Chinese, these are pretty good resources. I did a quick check, seems like the entire book is available online. You can read them here:

美容大王大S的变美圣方 (that's book 1)


揭发女明星—美容大王2 (book 2)

There're some interesting tips which I learnt from book 1 and would like to share them here. Let's talk about hair for instance. I'm taught not to sweep my hair all to one side as it may increase the drag on that side and encourage hair loss. A better way would be to divide them equally instead.

When sitting down, it's best not to 'squash' the precious hair strands between my back and the chair but to part it equally and sweep them in front. Similarly when wearing a seat belt in the car, it's better to place your hair over the seat belt rather than to belt it up as well. *whew* I hope my descriptions here do make sense. Let me know if there's anything unclear.

For skin, to have a fairer and more luminous complexion, she recommends we take note of what we eat. From her own experience, she shares that consuming foods which are white in nature tend to help her whiten her complexion. Foods such as milk, almond milk, soy milk, pearl powder are esp effective for her. And of course, there's the constant need for sunscreen and sun protection in the form of umbrellas, long sleeves and other coverings. I've started using my brolly now whenever I step out for lunch *hehehe* Besides keep me fair, I find this additional protection also reduces the sun irritation of my skin which I usually suffer from after I come back from lunch.

All in all, an informative read :) I would borrow the books or read them online tho, rather than buy them. Better to be more prudent nowsadays! ;P


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Listening to: Joel Osteen - #410 - Don't Give Away Your Power
via FoxyTunes

Happy Chinese New Year!

There's a celebratory mood permeating my part of the world this week. Posting a picture of the pineapple tarts which I'll be feasting on this season. Hehehe... have a good celebration!

Dr Hauschka skincare and beauty book

So, I was reading up on beauty and skin care and stuff like that (remember this post?). Which got me thinking about organic/natural skincare ... one thing led to another and I found myself at the Dr Hauschka counter one day, chatting with this really chatty SA who was trying her best to find out what I need and to sell her stuff at the same time.

I'm a little leery of trying new stuff on my skin, so where possible, I try to ask for samples (yes, that's a big try for me, I'm still trying to conquer my fear of the formidable SAs) or I'd get the products in travel size.

The interesting thing abt Dr Hauschka, they've most of their basic products in travel size (around 10g/10ml) which costs less than $10 each. I was picking out the Cleansing Milk, Cleansing Cream, Facial Toner and the Rose day cream, when I was distracted by a call. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed the SA whipping out a calculator and doing her sums on it. When I'd finished my call, she asked if I'd like to purchase the Daily Face Kit instead. Turns out, this kit retails for $37, has 6 products in it and is totally cheaper than if I'd purchased those 4 products on their own.

Wow. Thumbs up for initiative and good service. I'd really like to go back and shop with her again.

This was what I got.
The one in the foreground is a sample of their new soothing mask.

I thought the sample packaging very interesting. It is full of information about the ingredients and effects of the mask plus nice photos to look at :)

This is the Daily Face Kit for Dry/Sensitive skin. It comes in a nice tin which is perfect for travel.

A look inside reveals all its goodies: Cleansing Cream, Cleansing Mask, Facial Toner and 3 moisturisers - Moisturising Day Cream, Quince Day Cream and Rose Day Cream. Wheee! :)

On another note, I've been trying to incorporate some walking in my daily routine. This was one of the suggestions from the beauty books which I'm incorporating into daily life. I'm starting with once or twice a week during my lunch break and will try to increase the frequency as time passes.

It's recommended to walk in an area with greenery - parks are good, as are the little gardens interspersed between the various public flats as I discovered today. It's a bustling area where my office is located. But I decided to explore a bit during lunch and discovered some nooks and crannies of peace right smack in the middle of all this hustle bustle *yay* Now I've more options for my walks and I don't even need to take any public transport just to get to a quiet place :)


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Listening to: Olivia - My Favorite Things
via FoxyTunes

Page One

It's the birthday of a friend's daughter next week and we are invited to celebrate with one very special girl on her special day :) Was wandering around Vivocity the other day and happened to pop into Page One.

For book lovers, stationery lovers, lovers of all things kawaii, this is the place to go. Look at what I got:

My 戰利品 from Page One: A bag of Crayola washable markers (can be used on mirrors, glass, windows AND it washes off!), 2 card covers.

Closeup of the markers.

Winnie the Pooh! How cute is that :)


I couldn't resist ;P This is for me.

Believe me, I took a long time before the haul was culled to 3 items. You've no idea the amt of stuff I was juggling between 2 hands. *LOL*


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Listening to: 周杰伦 - 无双
via FoxyTunes

Any tips for Taiwan?

I'm excited and looking forward to my trip to Taiwan this coming Mar. Yes, I'm going to Taiwan!! After badgering the people around me for so long, namely my long-suffering family and frens, it seems a little unreal that I'm really going.

But, yes, I am going :) SIA had a promotional airfare travelling to Taiwan which ended 12 Jan. The couple of days before that, my mum was still dithering on whether we should or we shouldn't make this trip... but anyway, to cut a long story short, we got the tickets and now I'm raring to go.

Will be in Taipei and Taichung from 21-28 Mar. Any tips on shopping? Any must-sees, must-dos, must-buys? Learnt from Yumeko that Cosme Decorte is cheaper in Taiwan than Japan *gasp* Any other brands that I should take note of?

Thanks in advance for the recommendations and tips ;) Will share more on my upcoming preparations. I've still 2 more months to go before the trip itself. I'm looking forward to it!! *yippee*


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Listening to: 蘇打綠 - 城市
via FoxyTunes

Collagen hydrating mask

Other than Watsons, Sasa is also a fave hangout of mine for beauty products and all sorts of interesting amusing things - all in the name of beauty.

I bought these collagen hydrating masks the other day and have been wanting to try them out. There're 5 of them in a box. It's recommended to use 1 mask per day for 3 consecutive days and then use 1 or 2 per week after the intensive treatment.

I tried out the intensive 3 days programme over the weekend as I was having a bit of a sun burn. Seemed pretty ok to me tho I've reactive skin.

What I liked about the product:

• it was cooling on my face and cooled down my skin considerably despite my slight sun burn.


• it didn't irritate my skin


• I could see an immediate difference after one application. My skin was plumper with moisture and my fine lines due to the dryness were less noticeable

What I didn't like tho:

• It had a slight medicinal smell


• The essence left a slightly sticky residue

Well, I guess nothing's perfect in this world. For $15.90 per pack of 5 masks, I think it's quite a good buy :)


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Listening to: Chris Botti - Let There Be Love (feat. Michael Bublé)
via FoxyTunes

What do you do with your ironing?

When I was studying overseas, living on my own, I had to start doing household chores. Yea, that sounds totally spoilt, doesn't it? ;) I've helped out at home on and off but I'm one of those fortunate ones who don't really have to do chores around the house.

So, that changed when I was living on my own. It helped that I was still in school and could survive on a basic wardrobe of jeans, Tees and knits. I still went on shopping sprees, tho living on a student budget. Guess there're just some things that don't change *grin* But the clothes I bought at that time had to have one very important quality - they should need minimal ironing or no ironing at all.

Imagine my surprise when I received this today. Wonder what the charges are? I'm still undecided between the ingenuity of the business proposition or whether times are now so bad that one has to find such alternative ways of earning a living.




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Listening to: Bach - Air on G
via FoxyTunes

Too Faced So Smurfy

Remember Too Faced? Well, imagine my surprise and delight when I saw this limited edition makeup collection called Too Faced So Smurfy at Sephora.com. IT. IS. TOO. CUTE!!!!

Yes, I am a Smurf lover. Oops. Now you know the generation I below to ;P

In the collection, there is an eyeshadow quad with one pink, one blue and 2 shimmer shadows. There's also a liquid eyeliner, lip gloss and illuminating face powder. The packaging whimsical and adorable, with cartoon Smurf characters and Smurfette (of course!) adorning the lids and tubes.

I've no photos as I've yet to see the product in person. Wonder if Sephora @ Sg carries it??


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Listening to: New Creation Church - 雅比斯的祷告
via FoxyTunes

Beauty books

Recently, I've been reading up on skin and skin care whenever I get the time to. Am always grateful for the library for its vast collection. I've always managed to get the books I want, when I want it. For a fee of $1.55 per book, I can place a reservation on the title and specify which particular library I wish to pick it up from. This reservation service has spoilt me in a way ;P I hardly browse libraries anymore; I just go to the online catalogue, search for my book and place a reservation. Wait for the sms notification that my book is ready for collection; go to the library and pick up my book. All the physical work gets done for me ;D hee...

These are 2 books which I'm reading recently. Very informative. I like them as they contain useful information which I can apply in my everyday life.

Look out, here comes the next beauty guru ;P muahahaha....

Awakening beauty the Dr Hauschka way by Susan West Kurz
A book written by the current president of Dr Hauschka International. I like the gentle tone of the book. It explains things in a simple manner, nothing too esoteric yet I don't feel that I'm being talked down to.

It also reinforced my perception on wholistic beauty, that is, to be truly beautiful, we have to take care of our body, soul (mind, will, emotions) and spirit (the spiritual side of things). Gave me quite a bit of food for thot and I'm planning to implement some ideas into my everyday life.

Natural prescriptions for women: What to Do-and When to Do It-to Solve Dozens of Female Health Problems-Without Drugs
This was an eye-opener of a book for me. It also sent me into a mild panic in the beginning as the closet hypochondriac within me starting wondering if I'm having this problem or that. LOL.

But taken in a positive light, this book educated me on the myriad of problems a woman can have if she doesn't take care of herself and the many ways to rectify that. Very informative read. Just don't let your imagination get too active and start wondering around ;)

After reading these 2 books, I realised, with beauty, it all starts with love - love for ourselves, love for nature, love for the people around us; receiving love. The trick is how to put it all in balance and to express that love in the right manner, at the right place and at the right time. Perhaps this is where wisdom comes in.


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Listening to: Yo-Yo Ma, Ton Koopman; Amsterdam Baroque Orchestra - Bach (JS): St. Matthew Passion, BWV 244 - Erbarme Dich
via FoxyTunes

Salt baked chicken

Well, other than loving beauty, I also like to eat :) A lot. Came across this recipe today. Looks really quick and easy. Too good not to share :) Enjoy!

CNY '09: Hed Chef's recipe for Salt Baked Chicken
Mon Jan 12 2009


SALT-BAKED CHICKEN
Ingredients
One whole chicken
3 stalks of spring onion
50g young ginger, peeled and smashed
50g blue ginger, peeled and smashed
2 whole star anise
1 tsp five spice powder
2 slices of dried mandarin orange peel
2 tbsp rice wine, or sherry
2 tsp kosher salt (from major supermarkets)
Dash of white pepper
2 tbsp of dark soya sauce
3kg kosher salt
3 large sheets of grease-proof paper

Method
1.Wash and pat dry chicken. Remove only the head and claws. Tuck the chicken legs into the body cavity.

2.Rub rice wine, salt and five spice powder into the cavity of the chicken, then place spring onion, young ginger, blue ginger, star anise, orange peel inside and add a dash of pepper.

3.Rub dark soya sauce all over the outside of the chicken.

4.Place chicken on a rack and leave it to dry for an hour in front of the fan. If not, leave it for two hours, until the skin is dry.

5.Heat a wok and pour salt in.

6.Once salt heats up, take one-third of it and put in separate container. Reserve this.

7.Lay the three sheets of grease-paper and place chicken on top. Wrap the chicken in individual layers as tightly as possible.

8.Once you see the salt begin to smoke slightly, place wrapped chicken – breast side up – in the salt snugly and pour reserved salt over the top, covering as much of the entire chicken as possible.

Be sure that when you place the chicken in the wok, it is sitting on a layer of salt and not in direct contact with the wok. Cover and leave on medium heat for 11/2hours.

Do use a cheap wok or big pot that you do not intend to use for frying or daily use because the salt causes the metal to corrode quite rapidly.

If you prefer to use the oven instead of a wok, use a deep casserole dish into which you can fit the whole chicken.

Heat the oven to 180 degC. Pour salt into the casserole and heat for half an hour. Then remove about one-third of the salt, place the wrapped chicken in and pour the salt over it to cover it as much as possible. Bake for 11/2 hours.

Reproduced from www.SoShiok.com.
Copyright © 2008 Singapore Press Holdings Ltd . Co. Regn. No. 198402868E. All rights reserved.


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Listening to: 张栋梁 - 晚安，宝贝
via FoxyTunes

Peaches and strawberries

California white peaches

Korean strawberries in a punnet

A perk of where I work: colleagues who know where to get cheap and good stuff. These fruits were cheaper than what I would have had to pay at places like Cold Storage, yet really yummilicious. I just had another peach for breakfast. Hee ;)


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Now playing: Tom Brier - Just Peachy
via FoxyTunes

Sephora and Too Faced

I checked out the Sephora store a couple of weeks ago. It's a veritable candy store for makeup and skincare products. I've to admit, I was a little disappointed at the range in store tho: 50% carried in store were those brands which are being sold in dept stores. Guess I was expecting more cult brands or brands which couldn't be found anywhere else.

However, some brands did catch my eye: I liked the Sephora range of makeup. The makeup was displayed on 2 open counters and categorised into Eye, Lip, Base and so on. It's a girl's playground :)

I was also attracted by Bare Minerals, Too Faced and Bliss. However, after checking out the prices of these brands online, I'm really hesitating about putting down money for them at the Sephora store here.

Case in point:
Too Faced Glamour To Go set. It's retailing at $40 in Sephora but only USD$19.50 online! *wail* I was playing with the set in store and almost wanted to get one as my sis' bday pressie. Wonder if I should tho?

Too Faced has free international shipping now for purchases above USD$75. On a separate note, Benefit too has free international shipping for purchases above USD$115. Do share your experiences on shopping online from these brands.

I've one week more to decide on the pressie. Ahhh, decisions, decisions.


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Listening to: 坂本龍一 - The Beach
via FoxyTunes

New Beaute de Kose makeup!

Received this in my mail today. Available in stores now, so you may want to check it out. The colours look so sweet :)





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Listening to: 王力宏 - 06.你是我心内的一首歌
via FoxyTunes

Kinokuniya magazine haul

Remember the 20% discount at Kinokuniya? It was actually a pleasant surprise for me. I'm a major fan of Japanese fashion & beauty mags though my knowledge of 日本語 is really elementary at best. But. I really really like to read these mags. Those pics! The products! The gifts included with a particular issue! *jumping with excitement*

So, how could I pass up the opportunity to buy more titles when there's a 20% discount sale going on? Not that I need much excuses to begin with... LOL.

These were the issues I bought:

Can Cam (Jan & Feb 09 issues), JJ (Feb 09) and Oggi (Feb 09). I find Oggi targeted at a relatively older or more affluent audience whereas the other 2 titles are younger. On a side note, I like Baila too cos of Blenda ;P But it wasn't available that day plus they've changed cover models, so.

A pleasant surprise with the purchase of Can Cam Jan 09 was the lovely bag charm from MZ Wallace. If I'm not mistaken, MZ Wallace seems to be quite an up-and-coming brand now in Japan? Anyway, the bag charm is lovely. And I've got it hanging on my everyday bag now :D

Here's a close-up shot of it. I like the cheery red colour very much. For a freebie, it feels heavy in my hand and looks very well made. Could have been any of the bag charms being sold in the shops nowadays.


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Listening to: U2 - Hallelujah
via FoxyTunes

On hair, curls and curling irons

I've a question: what curling irons, hair tongs, curling tongs or watchamacallit do you use for curling your hair?

Have had wavy long hair for the past year. Like my curls a lot but not too keen on the frequent trips to maintain the perm, so thought of DIY-ing my curls at home. Would like something within S$100 if possible. Other criteria would be:

• Ease of use esp for a beginner like me


• Gentle on my hair (hey, I'd like to take care of whatever I've got! ;P)


• Did I mention fast to curl?

Hee... basically something really good and friendly for non-pro users. Any recommendations will be greatly appreciated!!


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Listening to: Enya - May It Be
via FoxyTunes

Mascaras: Maybelline and Revlon

Remember my mascara shopping spree from some time ago? LOL. Well, I finally got the chance to use them.

First the context:
I've very Asian eyelashes aka dark brown in colour, stick straight and pointing down. It took me a while before I finally got the hang of curling my eyelashes. I really must say, practice makes perfect! I'm quite happy to report that I can now curl the entire top row using my trusty $3.90 plastic curler from Watsons *beam* Now, that is a feat for someone who used to crimp her eyelashes and bits of her eyelids at the same time.

Also, mascara wise, I only use it on the top lashes and not the bottom ones. Don't ask me why, just the way I am ...

Ok, so now you know. On with the reviews:

Maybelline

Packaging wise, this came in a pretty pink tube which I really liked :)

I also liked the angled brush and bristles. It really made application easier for me. Somehow, the angle was just right and I managed to get all the lashes coated on the first try. Yep, even the tiny ones at the corners of my eyes :)


However, I realised, this mascara didn't do much for me in terms of length or volume. My lashes did look more defined and the curl lasted and lasted but that's about it. One impt thing for me tho: I forgot I was wearing mascara (that's how light weight it was) and absentmindedly rubbed my eyes a couple of times. And the mascara lasted! And, I didn't get tiny black specks on my fingers ;) which means it most probably didn't flake. Yay.

So, for the price (S$17.90), I got a decent everyday mascara in a pretty pink packaging :) May have to use something else if I'm looking to pile on the va-va-voom factor tho. But on the whole, I really like this :)


Revlon

I liked the sleek shiny packaging of this tube. Somehow I like shiny stuff, so the silvery thing worked for me ;) Ok, confession time, part of the reason why I bought this was cos I liked the shiny tube. LOL.


This was in waterproof formula, in Blackest Black colour. I applied this after curling my lashes and could see the volume IMMEDIATELY. It was like, poof, all of a sudden, I've this veil of black lashes ;P Length-wise, there really isn't much of a change. I liked that it held my curl in my lashes tho. Later in the day when I remembered to check, the lashes were still curled up, fan-like. However, I've had to put on almost 3 coats of this. It didn't seem to 'latch' on to my lashes well.

But. Remember I like to rub my eyes? Maybe that's the reason, as I found some black flakes dotting my undereye area when I checked. Yikes :(

Overall, this is quite a good mascara if you're looking for volume. The black colour also made my lashes stand out. The negatives: it was flaky and I had to apply more than 2 coats before I could see any difference. Maybe that's why it flaked?

Hmm...

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Listening to: Olivia - So Nice
via FoxyTunes

可愛い!!

Japan has still got the coolest and cutest stuff IMHO. Read Yumeko's post on Swimmer (a brand in Japan) and Chocoholic (its sub-brand) and just wish I could fly there now. Right NOW.

Well, I guess reading about it is the next best thing ;)

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Listening to: Lisa Ono - Stay All Night
via FoxyTunes