LONDON LONDON!

Tuesday 30 April 2013

Last week, I was called up for a flight to London and I was soooo happy to see Daphnes' name on the crew list! *does a little jig* I texted her right away only to find out she was also called up!! WHAT ARE THE ODDS! *dances violently*

Itinerary for the 1.5 days was easy to decide as we both like (almost) the same kinda food and fashion and we visit the same places even if we are alone!

Dinner on the first evening was at Jamie's Italian! Jamie Oliver is opening a branch in Singapore by August and I can foresee another long queue for this. My virgin visit to the restaurant in London wasn't fantastic, save for the Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue Pie which was excellent. Soooo I decided to give it another try that evening since Daphnes mentioned she visits it on every trip to London so it shouldn't be thattttt bad, right?



Thankfully we got there a little earlier before the dinner crowd!

It's weird how I ALWAYS crave for Coke when I'm overseas 
but I never, ever order it whenever I'm in Singapore.


Posh Chips
I couldn't taste truffle :(
It was still yummy because I love potatoes.


Grilled Pork Chop
This was pretty decent but we had to send it back to the kitchen 
to cook for a little while more because we like our meat 100% cooked.


Land and Sea Risotto
Not bad, very generous with the ingredients!
I might actually order this again!

And of course, we ended with the Tutti Frutti Lemon Meringue Pie ;)
It's so nice to have a dining companion so we can order more selection and share 
AND still have space for dessert!

Oh yes, we also ordered the "Seasonal Greens" which was "broccoli" as told by the waitress.
And when it arrived, it was kai lan. 
A few strings of it for 4pound.
Most expensive kai lan, ever.

Then we went shopping!

 -

The next day, we went to The Muffin Man for brunch!
It was almost 12noon when we arrived and since we were going to have an early dinner, 
we decided to order a little to share.

Scrambled egg + ham on English muffin

Scones with strawberry jam + clotted cream

Both were so yummy.
Sigh, my tummy is blessed :)

A little shopping at Primark doesn't hurt ;)


And yes, this is how we usually try our clothes.
In the men's section.
Because it's almost impossible to find an unoccupied mirror at the ladies'.

Dinner was at Burger & Lobster!
Our first time there and we ordered the grilled and steamed lobster to share!
A full lobster for only 20pound, we were stuffed and belly happy at the end of the meal! :)


Went at odd hours (think 5pm) again to beat the dinner crowd!




YUMS!

Such a great trip and such yummy food sooooo happyyyyyy!

My best buy from Primark!
Love the floral prints, so huggable, and perfect for H's car haha.


3, 2, 1....CHEESE!

Thursday 25 April 2013

@ Chanel's pop-up photo booth in Ion last week






I miss our bedtime chats.
Xx

Bella Skin Care

Friday 19 April 2013

Advertorial

One of the most frequent question I get is, "Where do you go for facial?". To be honest, I haven't gone in > 8 months because the previous beautician didn't seem to be working her magic on me anymore. So imagine how thrilled I was to be invited for a facial session at Bella Skin Care in Jurong Point!


First Impressions
The moment I stepped into Bella Skin Care, all my senses seemed to have came alive yet calmed down at the same time. The lights were dimmed, the place smelled nice, it was soooo much quieter (what a difference a glass door made!), and I was very much at peace and starting to relax in preparation for my session.


I was greeted by a professionally dressed consultant, Pauline, who made me feel very at ease and welcomed!


After filling in some details, she ushered me into a private room to learn more about my skin condition and concerns. The concerns I shared with her were:

1) Dark eye circles
2) Blackheads
3) Some dark spots that seem to appear overnight (pigmentation)
4) A small scar I have on my right cheek


After hearing me out, Pauline recommended the Pure Blossom Therapy (promo price $98) for me as this treatment contains Co Enzyme Q10 + stable Vitamin C + Glycolic Acid!

I'm sure you girls keep seeing all these chemical names, know they are good for you and might know a little of what each does. Today, let me share with you what they actually do for your skin!

Co Enzyme Q10 is an excellent anti-oxidant which increases the energy production in cells and it helps to boost skin repair and regeneration!

We already know that Vitamin C is one of the most important antioxidant for the skin, and with the combination of Glycolic Acid, this power combo helps to

- protect against UVA/UVB rays
- prevent premature aging & stimulates collagen production below the surface of the skin.

On the surface of the skin, Glycolic Acid sloughs off the rough outer skin layer, revealing youthful newer skin! And the stable Vitamin C formulation improves elasticity, tightens & detoxify the skin, and restores a firm, youthful & radiant complexion!

No wonder Pauline said if I go back monthly for the therapy, my scar will lighten over time! ^.^



Then it was time for the therapy! I was introduced to my therapist, Angie, who was very detailed and attentive. She would inform me of the next step before commencing and that's something I really appreciate as I feel we are the most vulnerable lying on the bed, almost naked, eyes closed, and not knowing what's going to happen next.



Step One
Angie started off the therapy by introducing me to breathe in the calming rose essential floral infusion oil specially used by Bella Skin Care to calm and relax. After a neck and shoulder massage, she removed my makeup and cleansed my face. With a clean face, she got started by steaming it.


One point worth noting - Angie actually applied lip balm for me before steaming my face which was so thoughtful!!! She must be psychic 'cause I'm someone who cannot live without lip balms so for 2 hours during facial without my lip balm, I feel pretty naked. And with the hot steam blowing at my face and being in an air-conditioned room, my lips get dry very quickly. Internally, I was nodding furiously with approval at this gesture 'cause no beautician has ever done this for me before!

Step Two
Then, Angie surprised me and proceeded to do a hand mask for me while I was steaming my face. INGENIOUS IDEA! Killing two birds with one stone! I don't only leave with better complexion, I leave with softer hands too! The lady (it must be) who thought of this idea really knows the female species very well haha.

Step Three
Time for extraction! The part I hate the most :( My therapist was very thorough and she left no room for ugliness on my face. Be gone blackheads! Goodbye tiny pimples!

Another point worth highlighting was that, after every single extraction, Angie put a cooling pad on the extracted area and the end result? NO REDNESS! I even went for dinner with Jasmine after that!

(Taken right after facial, no edit at all!)

Step Four
Ampoules are included in the Pure Blossom Therapy. Angie did a face massage for me after applying the ampoules for quicker absorption and she concentrated on my eyes' area hoping to reduce some of my scary dark circles. When she was done, we moved on to...

Step Five
...the last step, face mask! Hehehe this is my favourite part of facial 'cause there's no more fussing over my face and I don't have to be talk anymore, just rest, relax and SLEEP! What aided me to sleep better was the shoulder massage Angie did for me!! I'm a sucker for good shoulder massages but H gives lousy ones :( So anyway, the massage she gave me was firm and she kneaded all my tired parts, felt so much more refreshed after the session! May I also add - very, very, VERY good time usage of multi-tasking. I LIKE! :)))



In My Opinion
I was EXTREMELY impressed with Bella Skin Care's service and I couldn't stop raving about it to Jasmine throughout dinner, and then to H.
I'm sure what we girls are looking for is the same:

An experienced therapist who doesn't hard sell during the treatment.

Rest assured you'll be in good hands (pun intended) at Bella Skin because the beauticians have been there for at least 6 years (Angie) and the rest of them average around 10 years and above! As for the hard-selling part? That's the least of my worries because throughout my entire session, the most frequent sentences I heard were, "Are you feeling cold?", and "Just relax.". Wouldn't you like someone who takes care of your well-being above anything else? :)

And now, the after pictures!



I love natural pinkness on my cheeks! And and and, this is the first time my hair actually looks FINE after facial. I always bring a hairband with me because the beauticians always pull my hair back too tightly and I just look plain gross after that :(

One week after the session
Warning: I already look terrible barefaced and this is literally my out of bed look (still can see the sleep lines zzz). So please just focus on the condition of my skin hahaha.





My skin definitely feels more supple and rejuvenated! Lines and wrinkles are also softened after the therapy, plus I have a constant glow on my face! 
And here's one with makeup during my shoot for TIPPYJESS:


Applying make-up is a breeze and I think my skin looks more radiant!

Bella Skin Care is having a $98 promotion exclusively for ALL MY READERS! ONLY $98 for ALL the treatments I did! Remember, as long as you have a good base, whatever you apply on your face will look good on you. Even if you choose not to apply anything, the glow and natural pinkness after the Pure Blossom Therapy do not lie ;)
(Print this voucher to redeem the special offer!)

Enjoy the Pure Blossom Therapy at $98 
instead of $168!


Benefits of the therapy include:

- Brightening of skin colour due to increase cellular energy
- Rejuvenating and improving the clarity of skin
- Preventing premature skin aging
- Improving & maintaining skin's elasticity & firmness
- Oxygenating and revitalizing of skin
- Having a calming effect - beneficial for blotchy/sunburned skin
- Improving hydration and lines/wrinkles will be softened

Learn more about the treatment through their website http://www.bellaskin.com.sg and Facebook http://facebook.com/BellaSkinSG. Make an appointment with them to get a free consultation, and remember to print the voucher to redeem this special offer!

I hope my lengthy entry helps you know a little more. May we achieve perfect skin together! :)

MY SURPRISE PROPOSAL!

Thursday 18 April 2013

(H commanded me to)

H and my anniversary was on the 1st of April and I actually wanted to write about that first but since The Proposal happened, that's more exciting so I'll blog about it first haha!

I cannot believe I was kept in the dark for so long by my closest friends and H. To be honest, I actually hate surprises and being the last to know.  :(

So I told H no more surprises and he said no.  >:(

ANYWAY, even though it was a surprise, I think god still wanted me to look good! My hair was PERFECT that day. I've never blown it soooo neat before and I was in awe of my voluminous hair. Plus H was smart, he asked my girlfriends to bring me to a nice restaurant so I'll definitely wear a new pretty dress for the occasion hahaha! I told him I'll kill him if I ever look ugly during the proposal. AND on that day, I actually wore this pair of dangling Chanel earrings H got me for Xmas 2010 (his first gift from Chanel for me!). I haven't worn it in AGES, almost forgotten about it and somehow, I decided to wear it that day because I thought it'll look good with my white dress, and it did! Quite amazing how The One Above was trying to convey a message to me and wanted me to look my best ya? ;)

So here was the plan...

Jasmine texted the the girls and me a few weeks before the 5th April suggesting dinner at Hide Yamamoto located at MBS 'cause her boyfriend has $500 MBS dining vouchers expiring soon. Her boyfriend is some VIP at MBS and he always has these kinda free meals and stays in the hotel so of course I believed her. After dinner, we would go to the hotel room as usual and sit around. Nothing wrong with the plan and it was very normal so I didn't find anything amiss at all, not through dinner and not even when she opened the door and revealed this:

(H and friends waited for so long, some of the helium balloons were no longer floating so they actually had to tape it to the ceiling hahahaha and in the proposal video, Debra tried pulling a balloon which was taped HAHAHA SUPER FUNNY!!)

I even asked Jasmine, "Huh. You mean Colin did this for you?". When she answered "No." and asked me to walk ahead first, I REMAINED NAIVE AND GULLIBLE till I saw one of H's friend sprinting across the room to the curtains (his duty) before it finally dawned on me...............................

Because I kept telling H he'll never be able to have a surprise proposal for me which made him even more adamant about proving me wrong.

Yup, we have a very competitive relationship hahahahaha.



(Screenshots from the video)

It was kinda weird because I didn't expect it and there was H, kneeling in front of me asking for my hand in marriage and he was so serious and nervous and I just felt like laughing (hahahaha don't judge) because he's rarely like that with me and we are always talking rubbish. The moment right after he popped the important question... "Will you marry me?"

.... I STARTED LAUGHING.

I'm really sorry for being so anti-climax but I couldn't help it!!!!

There wasn't anything funny about what he said or his sincerity, I just didn't know how to handle myself.

After laughing, there was an awkward silence of me staring at the ring, H staring at me, everyone in the room waiting for my answer and H whispered a little too loudly,

"It's one carat leh."
"Really meh. Are you sure? It doesn't look like it's one carat."
"It's one carat, I show you the cert later."

HAHAHAHAHAHAHA THAT'S MORE LIKE US - ME ALWAYS QUESTIONING HIM AND HIM ALWAYS TRYING TO PROVE TO ME HAHAHAHAHHAHA!!

In the end, I said,

"Yes la, yes la."

Not very romantic, I know.
But I don't usually have huge reactions nor am I overly emotional, and I'm a very calm person.
Hahaha



Our mini photoshoot hahaha

A view of the Suite H booked after everyone left.




My super huge and heavy bouquet of roses!
Everyone went, "Whoa 100 roses ah!" and I was like, "No la, 99 roses."
And I was right!
I do know my boyfriend very well ;) Haha.

Okay now, let me show off my ring a little.



Soooooo prettyyyyyyyy!
H got me exactly what I wanted - simple, classic, and at least one carat hahaha :')
But let's not talk about the price. 
Even I feel superrrrr heart pain. 
But he said I'm worth it. :''''')


To be honest, it wasn't a touching proposal but it was definitely heartwarming 
to see how H (and our friends) put in so much effort for just a few minutes. 
While my girls and I were feasting (which btw, H paid for, there was no vouchers), 
H and his friends + Bibi (my best friend in SQ. 
She left too quickly and we didn't manage to take a picture!) 
came over right after work without dinner to prepare everything :') 
Definitely keepers for life, these people.




(Bianca and H's friends during the preparation. Haha they took a lot of videos before The Proposal talking about the plan, each one's duty and H rehearsing hahaha!)

And so now,
I'm engaged to the sweetest man alive :))))))))))
I cannot wait for our lives together to begin,
and I'm sooooo happy we'll be spending forever as one.

Thank you for feeling happy for us, everyone!