Manufaktura Face Elixir Nourishing Cream with Thermal Salt and Rose Oil Review

Hi girlies! To continue my blogging trend of daily routine products, I will talk about the Manufaktura Face Elixir today. During my trip to Europe in May this year, one of the stops was Prague, Czech Republic. I only stayed there for about two days, but its food and beauty are engrained within me. I saw the Manufaktura shops around town quite a few times, but I never bothered walking in. Since I had time to kill and Czech money to left to spend, I stopped by the store at the airport and I picked up several things including the Manufactura Face Elixir. 

I've been using this product as a day cream for a few months now. The word "elixir" always reminds me of serums. However, this product is nowhere like a serum. It is a legit moisturizing cream. A thick one that is. Even though it's thick, it's not too heavy. I've actually been really enjoying pairing this with my Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate since it wasn't moisturizing enough for me. If you're interested, I did a review on the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate here in this blogpost. I do feel that this product helps with firming up my skin as well as giving the skin a better complexion as it has a slight pink tint to it.

The price point is very reasonable at 259 czk which is around CAD 15. You can 15ml of products, and I really only need a tiny bit each time I apply. This product has a floral scent. The website claims that it is wild rose. It may remind you of an old lady scent if this is not your cup of tea. Personally I don't mind it too much.

If you're interested in picking one up, I believe you can do that on their official site here. If you're ever visiting Prague, I think this is a brilliant little souvenirs for friends and families! I actually bought some little lip balms for that purpose.

Effectiveness: This is a good moisturizing cream that helps with firming up my skin as well as giving the skin a better complexion.

Texture: Thick but not too heavy.

Packaging: Comes with a pump. Lightweight and compact packaging is a plus.

Price: Very reasonable at about CAD15

Repurchase? Yes if it is easily accessible to me

Before I end this post, I will share some more pictures from my trip to Prague. Hope you guys will enjoy :)

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.

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. 

Au Pied De Cochon in Montreal

I recently made a trip to Montreal for some good food and chill time.  While I was researching online for restaurant ideas, I came across Au Pied Du Cochon on 536 Ave Duluth E, which is famous for their foie gras.  I was told by my coworker that I need to make my reservation early since she couldn't get one last time she visited.  And that I did, I called about 3 days in advance and realized they're not opened on Mondays so I changed my original plan to an 8pm reservation on Sunday.

When you go in, you'll realize that you walked into a cute little place with a nice atmosphere - nothing too fancy pancy, which I like :)  We ordered the Au Pied du Cochon beer that I didn't enjoy a whole lot.  It was a tad bit sour for my taste.

We ordered 1 appetizer and 1 entree: Foie Gras Poutine and Duck in a Can.  They serve you bread while you wait for your food.  The bread was really good, fresh and crispy.  The portion of the poutine wasn't too large, but trust me, this fills you up quickly since it has a really rich taste!  The consistency of the gravy and foie gras are quite similar.

Duck in a Can is a very interesting dish.  When you order this, expect a waiter to come with a can with duck inside.  He will then open the can, and pour the duck on your plate.  It truly is a strange experience haha!

Close up picture of the duck (left) and foie gras on bread (right)

It would seem like we didn't order a whole lot, but we were completely stuffed at the end of the night due to the richness of everything!  Foie gras is quite a controversial topic... If you're an animal lover, you might not be up for it!  I figured I at least need to try this famous place once, and I recommend it!

If you haven't checked out my giveaway for a Japanese branded make up kit yet, then you should check it out now!! ;)

Hope my little attempt on food blogging wasn't too hideous ;P Much Love.

NYC Haul

As promised, here's my haul from my NYC trip! I didn't buy a lot since I was only there for 2 days, but I love them! :D

Rain Africa

59 W 49th Street (b/w 5th and 6th Ave)

New York, NY 10112

I always wanted to try the soaps from Lush, but I never actually bought any. I found this store called Rain near the Rockefeller Center that sells handmade body and bath products, and I decided to buy a couple - you all know how shopping is when you're travelling ;P I bought the Olive Oil Soap in Beeswax & Oats and in Cape Malva. The Cape Malva soap is said to be ideal for allergy sensitive skins :) They are at $7.50 each.

Anthropologie

50 Rockefeller Plaza

New York, NY 10020

While I was searching for Jacques Torres for some yummy hot chocolate at the Rockefeller Center, I saw Anthropologie there and of course I can't leave without a visit. I bought the

Efforless Angles Top. I actually saw this in store for full time about 2 weeks beforehand, but I found it on sale for half price so I was so happy with it! I love the sheer shoulder detail - it's so feminine but so casual at the same time!

Aerie

Jersey Gardens

I actually didn't buy this at NYC, but I saw it there and was thinking about it non stop after. I stopped by the mall 2 days I got back from the trip to get this baby - The Aerie Skinny Twill Pant in Gloss, which is just a coral colour. I wanted an unordinary coloured skinny pant for a while now. Its regular price is $49.95, and was on sale for $29.99, and I had a coupon for 20% off! You know I was a happy girl that day... I can't wait for spring to wear this with my white geox!

Victoria Secret

Jersey Garden

One of my favourite stores in Jersey Garden is Victoria Secret because it's super cheap! Last year when I was there, I bought a few skincare things for dirt cheap. This time around, I had to ban myself because I decided not to check in my luggage for $25 each way so I can't bring that much liquids! I found this adorable bikini top for $10! I love the colours and the cut!

I also stopped by Sephora and came out with the Sephora lip balm in Unique Pink. It's super cool because according to your own skip tone, the lip balm turns into an unique shade that's very natural and moisturizing. I also picked up the eos lip balm from a drugstore - finally!

Much Love!

NYC Food Adventures

Lombardi's Pizza

32 Spring Street, New York

For our first meal in New York, we decided to go to Lombardi's Pizza to try its White Pizza. I think it's supposed to be the first pizza place in NYC (?) I really enjoyed the texture of the pizza crust, but the white pizza is a bit too cheesy and filing. If I ever visit this restaurant again, I would opt for one with some meat ;P

Rice to Riches

37 Spring Street, New York

We stopped by this rice pudding place for a small snack after lunch. Because we were already quite full, we opted for the to-go size rather their regular sizes. We did try a lot of their fresh flavours though, and we were glad to have chosen the to-go one instead since we thought it actually tasted better ;P I feel it's an interesting experience, but I didn't think it's an absolutely must-go place.

Bon Chon

325 5th Avenue, New York

After doing some shopping, we went for an afternoon snack at Bon Chon chicken. It was delicious :) We got the combo and asked for half in normal sauce, and half in hot sauce. The hot sauce was REALLY hot.... we felt like our lips expanded afterward... lol. Luckily, the sensation only lasted for a short time.

Baked by Melissa

109 E 42nd St, New York

This cupcake place has the cutest, littlest cupcakes that make you want to scream like a little kid when you see them! At a price point of $5.50 for 6 tiny cupcakes, I think it makes a great snack on a shopping day around town. However, I find that despite the cuteness, the taste of these cupcakes are just nothing too special. After Steph and I had our tries, we still felt a little unsatisfied, so... we went to another cupcake place (our next stop after these pics)!

Cupcake Cafe

545 9th Avenue, New York

Steph and I visited this place the first time in November last year when we made a very short visit to NYC before boarding our cruise. Nevermind how pretty the cupcake looks, the taste is even better! The buttercream is to die for! One thing about the place is that it's not a very comfy place to lounge around in. Most people just buy and leave. And plus, I think this part of town is a tad bit sketchy...

Menchanko Tei

43 45 55th St., New York

I absolutely love my ramens. We originally went to checkout Totto Ramen the night before, but the line was ridiculously long so we had some Thai food instead. I was so glad to have some hot ramen soup for our Sunday's lunch especially after walking in the cold cold weather for a few hours. We all ordered the Menchanko which is basically ramen with seafood and rice cakes in a hotpot. It was amazing with the soup being slightly too salty, but I had no complaints. Ramen is just my love.

Jacques Torres

30 Rockefeller Plaza, Concourse Level

New York

We decided to stop by Jacques Torres for some hot chocolate. The location that we went was at the shops underneath Rockefeller Plaza. There were two flavours of hot chocolate available - Regular and Wicked. I obviously had to try the Wicked, which is a normal hot chocolate with a hints of spice. It includes allspice, cinnamon, ground ancho chilli peppers, and smoked, ground chipotle chili peppers. And it was delishhhhh! :D

Hope you enjoyed reading about all my New York food adventures. I'll be making another post about the things that I hauled next :)

Much Love.