Nature Republic Given by Nature Olive Mask Sheet

Hi girlies! Today I'm doing a quick review on the Nature Republic Given by Nature Olive Mask Sheet. I quite like to use face masks to give my skin a bit of a moisture boost throughout the week. After I've turned a certain age, I feel like my skin is always up for some extra hydration. Because skincare generally is not cheap, I try to stock up whenever I see a good deal. I bought several different types of the Nature Republic mask sheets from Bonjour when there was a massive sale (see blogpost here). Each one was for HK$4.9!

I actually really like this. The texture of the sheet is quite thick, and the surface is slightly bigger than my face. It does not contain too much serum (You and I know that the sheet masks that contain way too much serum call for a messy ending.. I can't believe I said that). Anyway I enjoyed it and would definitely purchase it again if I ever find it on sale.

Nature Republic is a very affordable Korean brand. Their soothing & moisture aloe vera 92% gel soothing gel is also super popular. I may do a review on that in the future :)

Much love.

Restoration for Sunday Brunch in Hong Kong

Hi girlies! My girlfriend and I decided to hit up Restoration in Central for some sunday brunch time. We made a reservation for 1pm on Sunday. The location is quite convenient with it being just up lkf. Once you find the building, you need to take the elevator up one floor to get to this cute little restaurant. I absolutely fell in love with the space when I walked in. It's the perfect place to chill. To my surprise, the restaurant wasn't busy at all when we were there with only a few tables being occupied.

Restoration

63 Wyndham Street

1st Floor

The two of us ordered two dishes to share. One of which was the Catfish Lyonnais which was oh-so-delish. I know they have a Fried Chicken waffle that's quite popular as well, but I wasn't feeling extremely fried food that day... but there's always next time!

 Catfish Lyonnais $168

Seared catfish, crispy potato, poached eggs, orange saffron beurre blanc, hollandaise, caviar

Jambalaya Omlette ($138)

Shrimp, Andouille crawfish tomato & spring onion with Pravolone

The second dish that we ordered was Jamabalaya Omlette. I wasn't too big of a fan of this one, probably because I was more than half full from the lyonnaise, and partly because I felt like I was eating some cha siu stuffed in an omlette. There's something really asian about this omlette haha!

For all of you meat lover out there, they even offer all-you-can-eat steaks and ribs in their dinner menu!

I absolutely recommend this place, and I'd definitely come back to maybe try out their set lunches or dinner menu. I think this is a great place for a date before grabbing a drink at lkf which is just steps away! Hope all of you enjoyed my attempt at some foodie review heehee

Much love.

Garnier Aqua Defense Non-Stop Intensive Hydrating Gel Cream Review 水潤凝萃冰河泉保濕精華

Hi girlies! I want to share my experience with the Garnier Aqua Defense Non-Stop Intensive Hydrating Gel Cream. I bought this from Mannings for less than HK$100 (I can't remember exactly how much I paid for). I've been using for at least 3 months now.

Garnier Aqua Defense Non-Stop Intensive Hydrating Gel Cream (50ml)

水潤凝萃冰河泉保濕精華

It has a gel like texture. And it's very hydrating. I think there are other gel like moisturizers out there such as Biotherm, but Garnier's drugstore price point really can't be beaten. Because of the light texture, I do sometimes feel like it's not moisturizing enough for me so I do like to apply face cream after using this. But hey, I think it does its job well as a hydrating gel cream.

Effectiveness: Hydrating, but may not be moisturizing enough.
Texture: It has a gel texture and it's not sticky.
Price: Drugstore price, bang for the buck.

Scent: It smells like green apple. Quite fresh.
Repurchase: If I ever run out of skincare and need to purchase something decent at a drugstore price point.
Verdict: Being the skincare junkie that I am, I'm likely to want to try something new. This product is not a HG for me, but it is quite decent, especially for the price.

Much love.

Haul Time - Laneige White Plus Renew Trial Kit

Hi girlies! Just want to do a really quick post on an extremely small haul I did at Bonjour! I just had a really intense weekend... And before I started one of my intense days on Saturday, I headed over to the Bonjour in Wan Chai for a quick browse around. All of you girls know the drill. Retail therapy works its best at stressful times! 

I ended up picking up the Laneige White Plus Renew Trial Kit for HKD35! I watched an episode of Kang Xi (Taiwanese talk show) today and one girl said she got this kit for free when she went skincare shopping at Laneige in Korea. So I reckon that's where Bonjour got their supplies too, but hey I'm not complaining since I do have a trip coming up and some travel size products will definitely be useful.

The kit includes five items:

- Original Essense White Plus Renew

- White Plus Renew Original Cream 

- White Plus Renew Emulsion

- White Plus Renew Skin Refiner

- White Plus Renew Capsule Sleeping Pack 

It looks like most of these products contain camellia sinensis leaf & yeast extracts. I'm most excited to try the sleeping pack as it's in a ball shape. I've never used anything like this! I'll let you guys know how I feel about it!

Much love.

PS. Cafe in Singapore

Hi girlies!

I recently made a short trip to Singapore with my two girlfriends. It turned out to be one of the most chilled and relaxed trip I've ever taken. First of all, we ate non stop everyday to a point where we forgot about the feeling of being hungry. The hunger level was either 'OMG I'm really full' or 'I'm kinda full' or 'I guess I can eat, but I'm still full'. I know... #firstworldproblems. Secondly, we took a nap everyday. It wasn't one of those 'OMG I did so much I'm falling asleep' moments. It was more like 'We shopped around for a bit, had lunch, went to a cafe, had a piece of cake and tea, but let's go back to the hotel and nap'. Ridiculous right? It's not even one of those 'I'm gonna lie here and just rest' type of nap. It was like 'I'm gonna take a quick shower, pull all the curtains to make sure no lights would shine through' type of naps. Sigh, but we all need some of those trips to get our energy back so we can conquer our daily lives again.

One of the cafes we visited was PS. Cafe.

28b Harding Road, S 249549, Singapore

They have multiple locations, but we chose the one on Harding Road at the Dempsey area because both our travel book and our friends recommended it.

I believe there are a lot of restaurants around the Dempsey area. Travelling there might be slightly difficult as the MRT doesn't stop directly there. We took a taxi from Orchid and it didn't take too long (well no taxi ride in Singapore is too long to be honest). You need to be prepared to fight for a taxi after you're done with your meal though.

We ordered the PS. Truffle Shoestring Fries. The description says that it's "tossed with truffle oil, grated parmesan & parsley." How can you resist that description! Literally, every table ordered the fries, and I totally recommend it.  The picture doesn't do the fries justice. It was massive. And obviously, we killed it during our two hours there. I also had the Goody Green juice which is a mixture of kiwi, cucumber, and green apple, perfect for a hot day of shopping.

This is the Pineapple Meringue Pie - very amazing as well.

I absolutely loved this place. We spent at least 2 hours here on a hot Singaporean day. The place is surrounded by greeneries, which is a rare thing in Hong Kong. And obviously, a beautiful place calls for more selfie time lol.

Oh, I attempted vlogging for the first time during this trip too! Please check it out if you're interested in seeing more footage from this restaurant. Here's the blogpost.

Much love.

Too Cool for Scool Egg Mousse Pack Review

Hi girlies! Let me share my experience on the Too Cool for School Egg Mousse Pack today. I bought it at the Bonjour sale for HK$49 (see blogpost here) which I thought was a complete steal because its original price is about HK$1xx. I've heard about this product before so when I saw it on sale, I immediately picked it up. If you haven't heard of Too Cool for School yet, this is a Korean brand, and you can find quite a few Too Cool for School stores in Hong Kong. I'd say their products are in the low-to-mid range prices. 

Honestly, the thing that sold me was the oh-so-cute packaging that makes you think you can eat out of whatever that comes from it! Am I crazy or what?

To use it, simply pump the product on dry palms, then apply and massage gently on face. Leave it on for about five or ten minutes until all the products has been absorbed. Then wash your face with warm water until all the residue is gone.

It's so interesting that the foamy substance would disappear after a while! But prepared for a ticklish and fuzzy sensation during that few minutes. After using it, my pores immediately appear to be minimized! There's a slight tight sensation after... I guess that's why the pores appear smaller! However, this effect doesn't last for too long, at least you won't be able to see it the morning after. Unlike other similar products, I don't think this product is made for anyone to apply right before sleep time. It's much suitable to provide a quick fix right before a big night out or a photoshoot. It's super efficient as it only takes several minutes before you put your make up on.

Effectiveness: My pores are immediately minimized after using it. I love that it only takes around five to ten minutes for this result. However, the effect is only short term so I suggest using it just for a quick fix if needed. There's essentially no benefits to do it right before sleep time.
Packaging: Super cute and quite light.
Price: Reasonable
Repurchase: On the fence. Even though it's effective, but it's only short term. I don't have problematic skin so I don't think this is extremely useful for me. I rather spend my money on something that's beneficial on the long term at the moment.
Verdict: If you're someone who's looking for a quick fix to minimize your pores before going out, this is the product for you.

Much love.

Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion Review

Hi girlies! Today I want to share my new found love - the Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion. People who know me know that I don't use a lot of make up on a daily basis. I only need a few essential items such as a light-weight foundation, eyeliner, and blush. I've been trying to find the perfect foundation for a long time but never had any luck to have found the one that's with the right coverage, texture, and lasting power. But ever since I tried this one, I think I've found the one!

Etude House Precious Mineral Any Cushion in Natural Beige W13 (SPF50+/ PA+++)

I bought this from the Etude House store in Causeway Bay a bit more than a month ago. I've been using ever since, and even brought it with me to two trips (Portugal & Spain, and Singapore). Through both trips, I applied it daily for a bit of coverage and sun protection.

I apologize for the somewhat dirty puff :S This means that I actually use the product though! :P 

To apply it, you just pick up however much amount of products with the provided puff and spread evenly on the skin by lightly patting it on. There are only three colour selections. I'm generally very pale and usually need to select the lightest shade. However, after some discussion with my girlfriend and getting the SA's advice, I decided to get the second lightest shade. If you have darker skin, you may not be able to find the right shade. The second picture makes the product look really dark, but it's actually just the colour of the cushion rather than the actual product.

The puff does get dirty after a while, but you can clean it as often as you want to stay hygienic. You can also purchase only the puff at the Etude House store for about HKD2x for one if you'd like to replace it.

Coverage: It provides light coverage so it is not for people who have problematic skin. I personally don't have a lot of pimples, but I do have quite a bit of discolouration that I'd like to balance out. This product does wonders for me in that area.

Texture: It's very smooth and it feels very close to the skin. It gives off a slightly dewy look without being too oily.

Lasting power: I'd say the texture and radiance last for almost the entire day if I stay indoor. I'm extremely impressed with the results.

Price: Very reasonable at around HKD1xx

Packaging: I find that the cushion design is very convenient. It is extremely easy to control how much product you want to pick up by pushing harder or lighter at each go. I also love that the compact is in a pearly white colour, which gives off a very clean look. If I need to complain, the cushion makes it a tad bit hard to pick up the product. I always need to push a few times before picking up the amount that I want.

Scent: Very faint, fresh scent.

Repurchase? YES!

Verdict: I'm totally in love. I noticed that there are many brands who came out with this type of cushion compact. Being so impressed with this one with Etude House, I'm so pumped to try the ones from some of the other brands such as Innisfree.

Much love.

Shiseido Perfect Whip Facial Foam Cleanser Review

Hi girlies! Today I want to review the Shiseido Perfect Whip facial foam cleanser that I'm sure a lot of you have heard about. I picked this up during my short trip to Tokyo for what I believe to be less than 300 yen around November last year, but I haven't started using it until about two months ago. The reason why it's so cheap is because it's part of the drugstore brand under Shiseido. If you live in Hong Kong, you'd be able to find it in places like Mannings. 

You really just need to squeeze out a little bit from the tube, rub it in your hands for 10 seconds for the foam to form. The foam from this cleanser is extremely fine and it feels super soft. After rinsing it off, my face feels very nice and clean. I usually don't depend on this to remove my makeup. I normally use something that is oil-based (like my Bobbi Brown oil cleanser) to take off my makeup. Because the Perfect Whip is so gentle, I don't mind using it after the oil-based cleanser for extra cleansing.

Effectiveness: Great! The product is gentle and my face felt clean after.

Price: Awesome! Really can't beat this price especially when you have a chance to pick it up in Japan.

Packaging: Love it! The tube is compact and light. I don't mind taking it when I travel. The opening lets just enough product out with just a gentle squeeze.

Repurchase: Yes. And totally when I visit Japan again.

Verdict: Overall, I highly recommend it! Let me know what you think if you've tried it, or if there's any other cleansing products that you would recommend.

Much love.

Singapore VLOG - Travel & Food in 3 days

Hi girlies! I attempted vlogging for the first time during my recent trip to Singapore! Take a look and let me what you think. I mostly did a lot of eating... like a lot. Out of everything, I really enjoyed going to the aquarium! It's super beautiful :) And also visiting little cafes here and there... generally, just having a really relaxing time.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=st_GtrKJbko

Much love.