Ambush at Plaza Singapura

Starting from last week, I had a pact with my 2 sisters that we will meet up every Tuesday for a 'sistery gathering'. We will just meet up, have dinner, gossip and even shopping. Anything goes. So this week, we headed to Plaza Singapura for dinner and we ended in Ambush.

Located on level 4 of the new wing of Plaza Singapura, it is not difficult to locate it because it is right in the middle. It does not have a shop lot like others but it is still quite spacious in it. We decided to order an appetizer and a few main courses to share.

 

Our appetizer is rosti and it is yummy! The crust is nice and crispy and they sprinkled black pepper in it which gives it a nice mild hot taste to it.

My youngest sister decided to be adventurous and ordered baby scallop and fish roe pasta with squid ink. It does not look appetizing but is the tastiest among the 3 main courses that we ordered.

My second sister also chose a pasta dish and it's vongole. It's not bad too but comparing the 2 pasta dish, i personally find the squid ink pasta to be more flavourful. It will be nicer is there is some chilli in the vongole pasta to give the extra kick.

I decided to go for marinara paella because my youngest sis tried it before and said it is not bad. I personally didn't like it because it has too much tomato paste for my liking and was very sour. The best paella is still from Serenity *THUMBS UP*.

I am a fan of chai tea latte and saw from their menu that they have honey ginger chai tea latte. Ordered it and I can't taste any honey or ginger in it. Hmmm......

What best way to end a sister-y gathering with some shopping??? We headed to Lowry Farm and I saw this top that I really like. It was on discount at $49.90 when the original price is $89 *gasp*. I will not buy this top at $89.

My second sis commented that it will look nice with a nice necklace (did I mention she is an accessory queen) so I pulled her to Lovisa with me to get a necklace to match this top and I ended with 3 necklaces!

Nothing beats sister-y times!

Review: Bionike Defence B-Lucent Day Peel and Roll-On Focus

I have been generously invited to the BioNike Defence B-Lucent event in the earlier part of the year and the company has provided Defence B-Lucent Day Peel and Roll-On Focus for our use and review. After using it for a few months, I am finally ready to write this review. :)

BioNike Defence B-Lucent Day Peel

Day Peel is a daily creamy, rinse-off cleanser that removes purity through the gentle exfoliation. The exfoliating grains are really fine and does not provide irritation to my combination sensitive skin. The special formulation is based on polyhydroxy acids, effective in modulating the keratinisation process, favouring cell turnover and providing hydration at the same time.

This cleanser is also fragrance-free and thus is extremely suitable for sensitive skin.

After rinsing, my face feels fresher and also slightly fairer due to the exfoliating effect.

BioNike Defence B-Lucent Roll-On Focus

Roll-On Focus is a localised treatment targetted at lightening dark spots. The special ingredients included achieve a double effect: provide an immediate exfoliating action (alpha and polyhydroxy acids) and, at the same time, attenuate melanin production.

It comes with a roller tip that makes application very easy.

The product is a clear serum that has a faint berry scent, very refreshing!

I have tried Roll-On Focus on my freckle for about 3 months and although the effect is slow, I do see mild lightening on my freckle. It also does not irritate my sensitive skin which is good news. Do take note that it is also important to couple any spot lightening treatment with adequate sunblock so that while treating the pigmentation, you do not further enhance the development of spots. :)

Disclosure: The product in this review is sent by the company for my review and consideration. All opinions stated are my own honest views and no compensation is received for this review.

YSL Blush Radiance No. 6

YSL Blush Radiance in No. 6 is part of Project Swap which I had with hot mama, Jacq sometime back and I finally managed to blog about it, lazy lazy me. 

YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is a matte bright pink shade that look pretty intense in the pan. Honestly, if you showed this blush to Ruby a few years back, I would not have thought I would touch it, especially so because it is matte as well. I have always have a preference for slight shimmery blush and it still holds true now.

Housed in a gold shiny case, it is a terrible fingerprint magnet. But considering that I don't bring it out for touch up, I can certainly love with it.

Pigmentation is impressive as you can see from the swatch below so you do want to go easy with the application initially and slowly build it up. It stayed on pretty well on my cheeks for about 6 hours in the horrible humid weather in Singapore.

I dug out some of the pink toned blush stash that I have and tried to do a comparison to be if YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is dupeable. Here are the blushes I used.

And here are the swatches in the same order as above (under sunlight in the top shot and indoor in the bottom shoot).......

Burberry Peony and Illamasqua Unrequited looks more powdery candy pink and Paul n Joe Cheek Colour in No. 07 has a stronger coral tone. Tom Ford Wicked looks closest in comparison with the exception that it has shimmer whils YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 is matte.

Overall, I am very satisfied with YSL Blush Radiance No. 6 that I caved in and purchased it IMMEDIATELY when I saw that it was on sale on one of Sophia's blogsale! Yeah to good deal!

Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colour in Bronzed Amber

This post is a much delayed post on Tom Ford Illuminating Cheek Colour in Bronzed Amber, which I managed to purchase over Saks or Nordstrom (?) with some lovely ladies over the website. Meryl got Blush Guilt while I opted for Bronzed Amber.

Illuminating Cheek Colour in Bronzed Amber is part of the 2013 Summer Collection and the name 'Bronzed Amber' is so appropriate. Summer is all about sun, tan, healthy glow etc etc and I knew I am choosing this over Blush Guilt.

Housed in a plastic twist up applicator, it certainly remind me of NARS Multiple. I have not used NARS Multiple so I can't make any comparison here.

Bronzed Amber is a bronze, golden shimmery shade which looks like molten liquid in a tube, a real beauty indeed. When swatched on the arm, it looks sheer and bronzy gold and can be easily blend out.

Top: Blended out, bottom: Heavy swatch

My suggestion in using Illuminating Cheek Colour is to not apply directly from the tube as I find it harder to control the application. I tried applying it directly on my cheek and it was a disaster, the product was all over my cheek. In the next try, I applied by getting the product on my finger and then slowly tapping onto my cheek and it turns out better. The only drawback is that it takes more time for the colour to appear on me. Definitely not suitable on days when I am in a hurry. Other than that, it is a lovely bronzer which is definitely suitable for summer. :)

Review: Bio-essence Royal Jelly + ATP Shape V Face Series

I have been generously sponsored to try out the new Bio-essence Royal Jelly + ATP series which is able to enhance cell energy and skin metabolism. This is not all as it can also lift and firm sagging skin which is a huge concern in most women after the age 35. If you interested to find out more, you have to read on. :)

Bio-essence Royal Jelly + ATP Shape V Face series consist of 2 main ingredients: ATP and Royal Jelly.

Do you know Royal Jelly contains proteins and 17 types of amino acids, vitamins,  abundant minerals and traces amounts of carbohydrates and fats. Not only is royal jelly able to nourish the skin, improves skin radiance and texture, it can also disinfect pimples or acne skin.

The 3 products that I will be reviewing here will be:-

1) Deep Exfoliating Gel with Royal Jelly + ATP
2) Radiant Youth Essence with Royal Jelly + ATP
3) Face Lifting Cream with Royal Jelly + ATP

Deep Exfoliating Gel (retailing at $32.90)

It comes in a easy squeeze plastic tube which is very user friendly. After applying and massaging the clear gel on dry skin, you can start to see bits of dead skin forming. I love how my skin feels smoother and cleaner after using the product. :)

Radiant Youth Essence (retailing at $38.90)

For ladies with dry skin, you would really like to pay attention to this product. Radiant Youth Essence is your saviour when you need that immediate moisture to combat your dry skin. Housed in a plastic bottle with pump applicator, it is very easy to pump out the essence for application. The essence is clear, watery and very moisturising. However, I do not think it is suitable for ladies with oily skin as it is has a tinge of oiliness in it that you might not feel that the product has been properly absorbed. However, I have tried it on my neck and love how smooth my neck felt after application.

Face Lifting Cream (retailing at $49.90)

The light cream is easily absorbable after light massaging into the skin and I do not have any sticky after feel. I do notice that my skin looks more shiny after application and would suggest ladies with combination or oily skin to go easy with the amount first.

After using Face Lifting Cream for about 3 weeks, I noticed that the laugh lines at my cheeks does seem to be less obvious. As I do not have any wrinkle issues, I cannot comment on this function. 

If you are interested in trying out these wonderful products, do 'like' Bio-Essence Facebook page here and play the  'Unlock Your Feminine Charm' to win daily prizes. :) Good luck!

Disclosure: The product in this review is sent by the company for my review and consideration. All opinions stated are my own honest views and no compensation is received for this review.

NARS Satin lip pencil in Hyde Park

My very first NARS Satin lip pencil is another steal from Sophia's blogsale and it's none other than Hyde Park. I have to say I wasn't overly excited about it when I decide to purchase it but when I got to try it on, it is a nice surprise. :)

Instead of a lip colour in a typical bullet form, here we have it in a jumbo pencil firm. What I like about pencil form is that it doubles as a lip liner which makes it so easy for you to ensure that colour is applied neatly and uniformly to all corners of your lips. Texture is extremely smooth which makes it easy to apply over your lips. Not only does it not feels dry on my lips, it gives a nice shiny sheen too.

Hyde Park is a cool-toned deep red shade which interestingly looks like a deep berry shade when I applied on my lips.

I love it that Hyde Park is able to instantly perk your look up for the day even with minimum makeup. As you can see below, I have nothing but base makeup, brows, a bit of blush and NARS Satin lip pencil in Hyde Park. I don't look tired or haggard right? :)

Have your tried any lip pencils from NARS yet? Do share with me your favourite shades. :)

Lunasol Cream Cheeks EX05 Rose Pink and EX08A Soft Orange

There was a Kanebo Sale some time back and I was really hoping I could snag some good Lunasol deals during the sale so I braved through the crowd on the 1st day to grab some stuffs. You know the scary part about sale is not about spending the money but spending on things that you might not use because it is cheap? I honestly had this problem but I'm glad I managed to purchase stuffs that I know I would use. Kudos to myself, lol!

This post is dedicated to the 2 cream cheeks that I got during the sale: EX05 Rose Pink and EX08A Soft Orange. For your information, EX08A Soft Orange was not sold individually but was part of the Spring 2011 Set. As my colleague was keen in the eye palette and lip gloss in the set, I let go of the 2 items to her and only kept the cream cheek.

The texture of these cream cheeks are quite creamy and easily blendable. The key to cream blush is always go easy on the application at the beginning. You can build up the colour but you cannot 'build down'.

EX05 Rose Pink is a sweet baby pink shade and EX08A is a burnt orangey shade. Both have a satiny finish which doesn't look flat.

EX05 Pink Rose (left) and EX08A Soft Orange (right)

EX05 Pink Rose (left) and EX08A Soft Orange (right) - heavy swatch

EX05 Pink Rose (left) and EX08A Soft Orange (right) - blended

Lunasol Cream Cheek last approximately 6 hours on me and despite tissue blotting during the day, the shade still stays on (but not as strong as at the beginning of the day), but this is acceptable to me. For ladies who like their blush to stay on strong throughout the day will need touch up.

I'm not sure what is the retail price of Lunasol Cream Cheeks over the counter but I paid $19 for 12g of products which I think is quite a steal. :)