La mer loose powder - The Powder

I thought that I should post something on the La Mer loose powder as I did my fair share of review on the Internet before I bought it and so far,  my experience with it hasn't been as good as the ones I read on the Internet.

I've been using this loose powder for about 6 months after my 3rd refill of loose powder from Cle De Peau finished. 

Each time after I finish my CDP loose powder,  I had the strong urge to try out the La Mer one.
In terms of pricing,  the cdp one costs $180 for the entire set and $120 for the refill while the one from La Mer costs $130 for the entire set, no refill.

One day,  I decided to make that jump. 

I think the one from La mer lasts alot longer as after 6 months,  I still have so much of it left.

My shade is in 05, which is supposed to be the translucent shade and the powder itself comes with slight shimmers. 

The thing is, the sponge that comes with it does not pick up the powder well enough so it resulted in me ending up with either too much or too little powder on my face.

When i applied too much of it, this powder cakes within the first 10 seconds on putting it on and I also find the shimmer a little overpowering. At some parts of the face, it looked like I had on eyeshadow. The shimmery kind. 

It settles into the fine lines on my forehead and coupled with the shimmer, made the skin look too made up and nope, I did not experience the airbrushed look which many have been raving about. 

When I apply too little of it,  the skin just still feels sticky from the foundation. So... There is really no good in between. :( 

The loose powder from CDP, on the other hand,  is so finely milled that it gave a truly translucent look that allows people to still see your skin beneath the makeup. I thought that this is really important. 

So. I'm not done with the powder and have not touched it since I bought the one from Hera. 

Will I go back to CDP after this?  Maybe. 

Will I stick to Hera? Maybe. 

Will I purchase the one from La Mer again? Not really. 

Hera Cell Bio Cream

Together with the Hera Cell Essence and a hundred different things,  I bought the Hera Cell Bio cream.

The sales assistant told me that these 2 items are supposed to go hand in hand together and they do give out trial packages where you have these 2 items together in a small box.

Cotton gauze comes with the cream and these will come in useful for those once a week intensive sessions. 

On normal nights,  I just swipe them all over my face and hope for the best. So far so good. 

Been waking up to hydrated and translucent skin. 

For those intensive sessions,  here's how you use it. 

Soak the cotton gauze in the Hera Cell Essence , apply double the amount of Hera Cell Bio cream than what you will usually apply daily onto the soaked cotton gauze, swipe mixture over the face and when you have covered the entire face, lay the cotton gauze across both sides of the cheeks, across the nose, leave it alone for 10 mins and then remove the gauze and go to bed. 

The cream feels medium weight. Definitely not what I would call a light cream but it doesn't bother me when I sleep at night. 

The laneige sleeping pack,  on the other hand. ... feels like it just does not dry and it gets on to my pillow,  bedsheet,  hair,  everywhere and still feels sticky when I wake up in the morning,  many hours later.... This may be why I've been neglecting it for so long.

Hera Cell Bio cream,  on the other hand, is not as heavy but I think that it does a good job too. 

It is most likely too heavy for day time as I can totally see it turning the face into a whole oily mess if mixed with foundation unless you are staying in somewhere very dry and cold. 

That being said, I think I will try it during the day when I go for my winter vacations. 

Review : Hera Cell Essence Bio Fluid

You know how some people just keeps on trying new beauty products, be it skincare or cosmetic items?

How everytime they buy a new product, how much they look forward to tearing the packaging open and then trying it for the first time, 

How they seem to have tried almost every product that is out in the market and how normal people will not be able to understand the excitement when they find yet another good product that lives up to its name and how exhilarating it is when that same product  actually works on them, word by word, according to the label, on what it's supposed to do? 

That kind of feeling is very much like how you would feel when you are in a crush. Sometimes, those crush develops into stable relationships and some become life partners.

I'm one of the some people. 

I just got back from an eventful trip in Seoul, South Korea. 

It's eventful because I bought so many beauty products which I've been wanting to try but unable to get hold of as the items are not available in sg yet. 

In fact,  I've never bought so much in a single trip I think I scare myself a little. But,  at the same time,  trying out these products and seeing how they actually works so well is a very rewarding experience for me. 

Also,  looking at my bathroom and wardrobe,  how it is filled with all kind of items which I've accumulated, I've decided to join in on the review bandwagon. 

It's good to have an idea of what you are thinking of buying because we don't want to buy a product that only works on those glossy magazines. 

Man, that was a long introduction. 

Today,  for my first review,  I'm going to talk about Hera Cell Essence. 

Hera is a popular brand in korea and it is on the same level as Sulwhasoo.

It is a higher range than Laneige and Iope and you can purchase the items from Lotte Departmental Store. I bought mine from the one in Myeongdong where they have the most attentive staff who took great care to understand the condition of your skin as well as the expectations of the products. 

I think you may be happy to note that they are very generous with the samples too. I'll be reviewing those too. Having so much fun with the samples :) 

I think this product was supposed to work like the SK I I essence.

In comparison,  

Fragrance - Hera Cell Essence smell alot better than the one from SK I I. I am a fan of SK I I products. Just could not get used to the funny smell that comes with it. Having said that,  they still hold a very special place in my heart as they were the ones who introduced me to bright and translucent skin some 8 years ago. 

Price - Hera Cell Essence cost around 60usd,  not very far off from the SK I I one. 

How to use it - this product comes with a box of cotton pad. Instruction Was to apply the essence into the cotton pad and then to carefully wipe it on the face. I've been following this instruction and noticed this method just means using alot more essence than necessary because alot of it just gets soaked up by the cotton pad. 

These markers at the back of the bottle tells you how much you should be using at each application but I think. .... Just use whatever amount you need. You can stop when you feel that your skin is supple n hydrated enough for the next item. 

If you follow the markers on the bottle, it should last you a month. If you use it like I do, patting without the cotton pad and not following the markers,  you probably stretch it to 1.5 to 2 months. 

It still works. 

It's probably a better idea to just pat it on to the skin. Get your money worth yo. 

Function - it promised radiance, whitening and hydration. I use it together with the Hera Cell Bio cream and after 2 weeks of using it,  my skin feels alot more supple and silky. The hydration part of it is amazing. 

Putting on makeup is now a breeze. 

Fine lines which were on my forehead and which were getting increasingly noticeable also lightened by a great deal. I want to say that I don't even notice them being there anymore actually. 

One thing about testing skincare for me is how the bare skin looks after I remove the makeup at the end of the day and for these 2 weeks that I've been using the Hera Cell Essence as well as the Hera Cell Bio cream is how my face shines and how translucent it looks. 

All in all, I really like this product and I will definitely purchase it again. 

dimsum weekend again

One of the things that makes us very glad to wake up early for during the weekends is good breakfast! ( or lunch, depends on how you look at it )

we got ourselves to the Tower club chinese restaurant again where we had plates after plates of dim sum.

Love their fried carrot cakes and the fried mini bean curds there! ( The texture of the mini bean curds  reminds me of the stinky bean curds which i tried in Taipei. only without the sauce. try it! )

i remember how i would always look forward to having dim sum during anytime of the day, especially during those days when we were in Tucson.
and now, when we are back in Sg, when we went to New york for a one week holiday, we still went looking for dim sum in the morning (-_-")

it must have something to do with the variety of choices when it comes to dim sum.... and then washing them down with chinese tea! =)

it was a little hazy that day and we could not see very far though the view was still good.

look at those chairs behind me.
Do they remind you of the ones in the Neo Pets game? did you use to play that game actually?
i did and even purchased the gems to buy pink colour furnitures!! hahaaa

the next time i go there again, i will remember to take pictures of the food instead of just the 2 of us.
=)

Dinner at Lawrys

i had soooo many cupcakes during the month of September as there were just too many birthdays going on. :)

ok, i had a lot more just because i missed the lovely ones by twelve cupcakes soooo much!

have you tried them yet? my favourite ones are the red velvet and the salty caramel ones, oh, and the peanut butter with jelly one. okok, everyone loves the peanut butter with chocolate one too!! 

i think it helps that they are tiny so you don't get yourself into a situation whereby you have 1 and then you need to stop having it for the next 1 month because you've had too much this time round.

On another day, my girlfriends and i went for a little celebration at Lawry's where 2 of us made the logical move to have steak while the other 2 of us decided to go ahead for our favourite seafood.

washed everything down with a nice share of bubbly and the world was at its best. 

wash everything and anything down with a nice glass of bubbly and everything you touch turns into gold.

did somebody just say drama-mama? 

a pretty pouch for our dearest friend. 

everyone loves a hello kitty. 

keep it in your purse and no one is ever too old for glitter hello kitties and its nice to open up your bag and have a little something which reminds you of your girlfriends <3 nbsp="nbsp" p="p">

i hope your weekend was good. 

i shared it with my family, G and some of my girlfriends again. Right now, can't wait for the next one to arrive already!

Have a blessed week ahead. May we all sail through it and may the week be over before we know it!

homemade steak sauce

i love my steaks and if they have to come with the steak sauce, i prefer something homemade instead of just sticking to A1 sauce.

a few days ago, i had a craving for some steak with steak sauce and i wasn't willing to settle for ready made ones or A1 sauce so the next better way was to google for a recipe!

Google is everything to me.

it never fails. its like a life line or something very close to that.

Google knows everything and it doesn't mind me asking it many questions every single day. 

I think thats what makes it sooo lovable. 

so, i found a recipe from HERE which i am going to cut and paste for you below for your easy access.

I think that this is really one of the best around and like what most reviews about this said, you really need to taste it with meat to fall in love with it.

on its own, its not that great but have it with any type of meat, i think it's going to work out.

in fact, i think this sauce is good for christmas too because of the color of it and because it uses raspberries!

one thing to remember, not to have this with spicy wine. 

i had two sips before i gave up. On the wine. ( mental note to do more research on the types of wine i like and those which i can't take more than 2 sips )

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons raspberry jam
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar ( i used only 1 tablespoon )
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tablespoons tomato sauce
• 2 tablespoons malt vinegar
• 5 drops hot pepper sauce ( i substituted it with ground black pepper and also added some garlic powder)
• salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1. In a saucepan over high heat, blend raspberry jam, brown sugar, Worcestershire sauce, tomato sauce, malt vinegar, hot pepper sauce, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes, or until thickened.

Easy Peasy right? Right. 

Oh yes, before we came back, we had coffee and a huge chocolate cake at this cafe in MBS.

it was a nice, relaxed afternoon but the best part was lazing around at home in the evening while the inevitable monday creeps in slowly but surely.

ps: we were happy. we just like to put on cool and cold looks for the pictures. its a couple thing. 

Have a beautiful weekend ahead ;)

Xoxo

ages

its been sooo long since i've written anything in here!
i've missed this little space, i've missed decorating it with my thoughts and beautiful pictures of things that goes on in my life.

life has been..... busy..... pretty uneventful.
i wish i had more done but when things don't happen according to how you want them to, its important to still, not give up.
to still keep on hoping and believing.

good times are often not too far from us.

we just have to remind ourselves to turn our back on the negative things and focus on the good.

and simply to keep on keeping on :)

its never easy, especially when you are still feeling so stuck in the rut.

natural optimism plays the biggest part here. you need to drag it out from wherever somehow.

isn't this what life is really about?

to keep on trying ?

August was a special time for me.

while it was a month which i couldn't wait to be over soon, it was also the birthday month of 2 of the closest people in my life.

First up was my sister's birthday and she turned 29 this august!

how time flies.... next year, she would be in the same club as me.

the thirty and fabulous club :)

we went for a nice steamboat session at Chongqing hot pot, completed with our favourite durian cake!

we always go for the dual pot where half of the pot will be filled with spicy broth while the other half would be the herbal chicken broth.
often, i can't help just dropping everything into the herbal chicken broth while completely ignoring the spicy pot but it is really the mixture of the 2 soup base which adds up the experience!

She got her chinese name changed and the words on the banner is her new name.

Really happy... is it because you are getting older and wiser? :)
the next year, you will be 30 and it is a fabulous time really.

the waitress did not do a very good job in taking a clear picture so we took turns!!
the photographer for this pic was Miss I.

it was barely 4 days later when it was time for my Cousin's birthday!

i remember that i was really engrossed in korean drama at that time and was really trying to go for the korean girl look.
hahahahaha.
drama series...are great distractions from our daily lives and its fun going about the different dressing phases according to the kind of shows you are watching.

i think it is mostly because of the drama series plus my reading blogs and pinterest that results in me not only wearing black, black and just black.

The birthday boy who turned 32!
boy am i glad that he is still the same old him after all these years!
the happy, unassuming and really comical him.

During one company event.
my buddies and i, being ourselves, always taking pictures in front of huge mirrors.

we also went for lunch at Jewel Box on another day because K is holding her beautiful wedding there in December!
foie gras salad which we shared.

Crabmeat linguine which was full of huge chunks of crabmeat!

There is something about ladies always taking pictures in the washroom. beautiful washrooms!
i'm always doing this photo-taking in washrooms with my girlfriends and i think its a universal thing?
this one had glass all around so we just had to do it. Make full use of the sunlight coming through the glass.

August went away and September is leaving soon too.
this only mean one thing to me.
Christmas is coming!!!!!!

i c.a.n.n.o.t w.a.i.t.

i love the xmas season sooo much and was totally over the moon to see xmas decorative items already selling in the stores today!
really? so soon? =)

ps: are you on Pinterest?

its the next best thing to FB. hmmm.... i think its even better than FB.

try it out if you are not on it. you may just fall in love with it like i did.

xoxo.

Easy Pancakes

Pancakes are one of the easiest food to prepare and you do not need any complicated kitchen gadgets to get it done.
they look good with fruits, butter and maple syrup and tastes even better than it looks!
you will need 20 minutes from the start till the time you get to try out the hot pancakes and the below is a really easy recipe to follow ;

Ingredients
1 cup of all purpose flour ( or cake flour )
1/2 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
2 tablespoon of caster sugar ( you may add lesser if you like )
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
Butter ( for cooking and topping )
berries ( used as topping for the pancakes )
Maple Syrup or Honey ( topping for the pancakes )
icing sugar (optional )
light whipped cream (optional )

Steps

• Mix the flour, baking soda and the baking powder together, set aside.
• mix the milk, egg, sugar and vanilla essence together, set aside.
• add the milk mixture into the flour mixture and blend until you get a smooth batter.
• grease the pan with butter or vegetable oil.
• drop the batter using either any ladles which you like, depending on the side of the pancake you wish to make. ( i used a soup ladle but only filled it up 3/4 full for smaller pancakes )
• cook until you see bubbles or pitted bubbles appearing on the surface and flip immediately. ( it takes less than a minute for that to happen and it cooks very fast so do not wait too long. )
• when the pancake it cooked, stack it up in threes or fours.
• sprinkle a little icing sugar (Optional )
• add a little light whipped cream (Optional )
• add butter, fruits and maple syrup.
• Enjoy the beauty!! :)

Robert Timms and Halia

The House Of Robert Timms is now one of my favourite breakfast joints.

Its not quite as crowded as places like Antoinette where i've yet to make it for a meal because there's always a queue outside and the layout of the restaurant is a little cramped, i think.

Personal space is soooo important.

Apart from the breakfast menu, the pasta and mussels at Robert Timms are really good too!

Try the Chilli Mussels when you are there. It tastes very much like the ones with white wine except that it is spicy too. A total winner :)

A favorite time to go is on a Sunday morning to drive away the impending monday blues though lunch is a good option too!

We checked out Halia for lunch and had a really pleasant time.
The Steak was very well marinated and juicy.

Dessert was Green Tea Creme Brulee with Pistachio Macaroon.

Service was immaculate and the weather was so good for outdoor dining the day we went.

When in doubt, go for good food.
It drives the darkest clouds away :)

Staycation

We checked ourselves into Swisshotel, Merchant Court, a few weekends ago where we took time to laze around, go for nice dinners and a movie each on both saturdays and sundays!
it was quite funny as we were supposed to watch "Painted Skin ", the mandarin move on saturday but as someone had troubles with reading mandarin and just booked the first mandarin show which he saw on the website, we ended up going to the wrong show and only discovered it 5 minutes into the show. hahahaha.

the next day, we made a booking for the right show but realised that the one we watched the day before was so much better. This is also known fondly as " a blessing in disguise" and " you-just-never-know ":)

Decided to go with my maxi white dress that day! Easy to move around in.

Maxi dresses are the next best things ever designed to structured jackets. you can wear them to everywhere and the last thing you have to worry about is showing your fats because they just blends into the maxi dresses. at least.... thats what i like to tell myself.

We reached the hotel and decided to lie around and watch some Olympics first.
When G was still watching it, i decided to do something else.

Went for some light snacks before going to Vivocity for our movie.
I really like that mall.
Its gigantic, its airy, it has everything from Zara to Forever21 to the numerous very popular restaurants. you can practically stay in the mall the entire day and not get bored.
Dessert before the movie. Who can resist a strawberry shortcake?? it looks sooo pretty and tastes like heaven!

After the movie, we went for supper at Ippudo Tao at Mohamed Sultan Road.
This place never goes wrong with its flavourful ramen and its delicious side dishes.
i wasn't in the mood for a lot of food that night after snacking here and there and a strawberry shortcake but i had a good time just because of this drink here.
Its the Calpis Soda which tastes very much like ice-cream soda.
i always try to get my hands on them but very often, they are left with the Calpis water while the calpis soda are out of stock.

Seasoned Chilled Japanese Cucumber. i think no one does it better than them.

G's favourite Ramen.
This man can survive on just Ramen alone.
I remember that when we went to Tokyo, he wanted to have ramen everyday and we even checked the internet for the best few ramen and went to check a few of them out.
In Tokyo, it is common that patrons buy the meal coupon from a ticketing machine inside the restaurant and then pass it to the staff as an order chit.
but because they were all in Japanese, we had some trouble selecting additional toppings.
No, we had trouble ordering just the ramen which we wanted but it was such a novelty and it was so much fun :)

The next day.

Then we lie around and watched the Olympics again after breakfast.
Actually, we watched it a few times throughout our stay because it was so captivating! Who can resist the Olympics? its so exciting!!

I'm so happy to say that Sg now have 1 individual bronze medal.
it means so much for a little island like ours!!
Feng Tianwei is the genius :)

 Dear London, i miss you very much.
Hope to see you soon. :)