Saturday, January 25, 2014

3CE Make-up Haul!!!

Yes guys (girls I mean), the long awaited 3 Concept eyes Haul post is finally here!!.. Ever since I came back from HK, I wanted to do this but I really didn't had the time to. Work has been really BUSY, like seriously. But good thing that CNY is coming soon! :) Taking very opportunity to rest when I can.. Anyways.. So if you didn't know one of the CORE reasons that I wanted to visit Hong Kong was to shop at the relatively new Stylenanda flagship store. Once I stepped into the store, I just skipped the 'Stylenanda' clothes section and proceed to my favourite part of the store.. 3 CONCEPT EYES!! I have been always been a big fan of Park Sora the face of STYLENANDA//3 CONCEPT EYES. *O* She just looks so perfect. Most probably plastic surgery but whatever, hehehe. Stepping into the shop was like "heaven" to me plus I was still kinda sick + tired that day so some things I bought without much conation.. opps.. So in total I actually.. spend.. guess how much.. SGD $400 plus.......................................... That's more than how much I bought over there so I was sort of 'lucky' that I had my visa card with me..
yay......... I actually help some friends buy some things and gave some away.. so I didnt spend alot actually? *self-comforting* anyways, let's just proceed to the make-up review! :)

1) 3CE NURSING CREAM


IMG_8232 Unique to 3CE, the 'Nursing cream'. As stated: For very dry skin. Ultra rich cream for hydrate dry parched skin. It contains argan oil, olive oil and palm tree seed butter etc. Just know that it's ultra moisturizing which is perfect for me! I have relatively dry skin I can say.. When I am in colder countries, my lips will peel like mad and areas like my nose and cheek area tend to be flaky.. So this was just the product for my skin. What's even better is that it can be use for chapped lips, dry knees (?), probably anywhere, kinda remind me of 'Vasaline cream'. texture-wise too, like a multi-functional cream. But this is not cheap either. Ard $55 SGD (What was I thinking at that point of time..) but the staff there sort of convinced me to get it (lol) and it can be used under foundation too to create that glossy skin look. Tried it out and it definitely did.. ;) But I guess the dewy skin look only works better in less humid countries.. Sadly I think I couldn't really create that look back in sg....... *sobs* I will succeed one day!! IMG_8227 Comes with a spatula so that you wouldn't be sticking your 'dirty' fingernails into the product and introduce germs to it.. IMG_8228 What it looks like on the skin.. :)

2) GLOSSING WATERFUL FOUNDATION


IMG_8275 Lol to the name. Glossing Waterful Foundation, haha.. Anyways got this in #NudeBeige.This is one 3CE's best seller product and yes as the name says so, it's to create the glossy look like her.. haha 3ce model The foundation has a light texture (but not as light-weighted as my lancome teint miracle foundation), it is also really natural looking. IMG_8276 Comes with a pump(?) What is this called. Yes easier application.. The store-assistant mentioned that this can be apply to your face with your fingers as well, just like how we apply bb cream normally. I tried using my foundation brush to apply however it doesn't 'sticks' well to the skin as compared to using your fingers.. So ya just a tip.. :)

3) 3CE FULL COVER CONCEALER


IMG_8205 This might just be one of my favourite purchase among my whole 3CE haul. Concealer is an essential step in my make-up routine. Because I have severe dark eye-circles which was also one of the reasons why I started venturing into make-up. Saw many good reviews online about this and I'm glad it does live up to it's expectations! :D As it's name suggests, "Full Cover Concealer", I think I finally found the perfect solution for my dark eye circles~ :') IMG_8323 Compared it to my previous concealer from Relvon, the Colorstay concealor and surprisingly it looked way lighter than the Relvon one. If I'm not wrong, there are only 2 shades for the "Full Cover Concealer" and I took the darker one (duh). If I were to compare both of them, I must say 3CE outdo Relvon way aloooooooooot, maybe can throw the Relvon away soon LOL. Purchase the 3CE concealer at around $26 SGD, slightly more expensive than most drugstore brands but probably cos the Hong Kong flagship store raised the price a little, so definitely gonna ask my friend, who is going Korea this year to get it for me :P Anyways very satisfied with this product! :) also heard reviews that this is even better than the collection 2000's one but tried that before.

4) 3CE DUO BLSUHER


IMG_8246 IMG_8249 Got this in the "Make me Blush" shade. Initially I wanted to get the orange shade one, however the SA recommended me to the pinkish/reddish shade one instead. She says Park Sora is wearing it as well on her right cheek (haha) P1000706 I do not have much blushers in my collection. The one that I normally use is from Canmake and it contains glitter (common for Japanese make-up) and it recently 'hit pan' so yeah just the right time for a new one :) I find the blusher really pigmented and the colour is strong especially the red side, so I must be careful that I do not take too much of the red part when using the product. Also brought their brush as below :P I feel their brushes are not bad but not that good. So probably brushes wise, do not buy from them..

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5) 3CE JUMBO LIP CRAYON


Not sure if 3CE were the first to introduce lip crayons into the market, but they were the ones that I first spotted lip crayons from.IMG_8255 Got this in #ohmypink, a really pretty shade of soft pink ;) Got quite a few compliments when I wore it out. And I thought that the texture would be mattifying but it turned out to be rather glossy! Simply love this Lip Crayon! :)

6) 3CE LIP LAQUER


IMG_8295 Got this in the "Super Coral" shade! :D imjennim used the "Bon Bon" shade in one of her make-up tutorials! [youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvKymDP85JI&w=490&h=370] IMG_8294IMG_8308 Again, I was utterly surprised. I thought that this was a lip gloss, so I was expecting a glossy effect, little did I know that it had a mattifying effect. I really love this Lip Lacquer alot! and the orangy-pinkish colour complements so well with my skin tone >.< Thank you 3CE I love wearing lip products now...... It is rather long-lasting although the colour might turn more pinkish-red after a few hours.. But I love it! Recently, my friend me a similar product from Clio, "Lipnicure" as a Christmas gift and I can't help but to compare both.. IMG_8322IMG_8312IMG_8316 Clio, is another Korean brand endorsed by 'Lee Hyori' and they are known better for their highly raved liquid eyeliners. Wonder how will their new line of Lip lacquers fare? The 'Clio' one is in a much redder tone and both comes with the usual brush applicator. Although I still prefer the 3CE one probably because of the colour but I must say Clio's Lipnicure has really STRONG staying power. It's like almost "un-removable", even many hours after applying it to my hand for testing purposes, it still stays! woah. Maybe it's worth a try :) IMG_8317 Swatches from Top: Clio's Lipnicure, 3CE Jumbo Lip Crayon in #ohmypink, 3CE Lip Lacquer in #supercoral

7) 3CE EYEBROW SHAPER imageimage


Last but not least, their eyebrow pencil. A few months ago, I ran out of my eyebrow crayon pencils, the ones from either Faceshop or Etudehouse, so I tried eyebrow powder which I really disliked becos I have such sparse eyebrows, I needed eyebrow pencil/crayons to sort of "fill in the gap", so I kinda had badly drawn eyebrows for a few months :( But after trying 3CE'S eyebrow pencil, I must say I will stick to this forever (till I find something better), will definitely repurchase this again!! :) their eyebrow pencil is really smooth and easy to draw. In the past, I choose to stay away with eyebrow pencils because I had pretty bad experiences with pencils, pencils can be quite hard to apply and there's a need to apply with more strength so i could be too rough to the skin area on my eyebrows :( so for a long time I sticked to eyebrow retractable crayons. Till this! Yay to another wonderful cosmetic item produced by 3CE! :)

That's about it for my 3CE review, I have quite a few items that I didnt use and intend to sell away. Maybe can contact me if you're interested, friends got special discount haha! Hope you found the review helpful :)) Ciaos~

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Wednesday, January 15, 2014

Watch "Hong Kong Vlog - My 21st year old Adventure" on YouTube

Vlog's up just in case you missed it :)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gwRRTGLWtdo&feature=youtube_gdata_player

Sunday, January 12, 2014

Hong Kong solo trip: My 21st year old adventure!

Just came back from Hong Kong not long ago!

Finally compiled my post about my short trip there. :)

It was a short yet good trip, might be uploading a vlog post soon, stay tuned!~

Getting SIM Card and Octopus Card
Shopping!
Food!
Tim Ho Wan
Street Food!!!
Jenny Bakery
Desserts
Style nanda, 3 Concept eyes cosmetic
The Peak and Peak Tram
Ding Ding Bus
Mid-Level Escalator


Getting your SIM card and Octopus Card

First thing first, once you landed, get your SIM Card and Octopus Card. These are basically your 2 essential cards during your time there.
SIM card could be purchase at the 7-eleven store and although online I saw some SIM card for tourists 5 and 8 days ones, but the one that the staff gave me was this "top-upable" SIM card.

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Next I walked to the Airport Express Train Counter and bought my Octopus Card.
This is a MUST buy in Hong Kong unless you don't use public transport O.O It cost you only $150 HKD for it and there's $50 refundable deposit (you can get back your deposit when you return your Octopus card at the MTR station when you're leaving Hong Kong)
This is the ultimate card for almost everything, you can use it for the MTR (train), buses, food, starbucks, Hui Lau Shan, shopping, etc.
Seriously when I ran out of cash I just used my Octopus card to pay for my food (but obviously you can't use it in like less-modernised areas like older shopping malls etc). It's like Singapore's Ez-link card just BETTER. I know Singapore tried to make it more useable around the island but it kind of fail, I don't understand why.

SHOPPING

TSIM SHA TSUI


  • Harbour City

Biggest shopping mall in the whole of Hong Kong, how can you give it a miss?
I found many brands that I didn't see in Singapore and best of all, there isn't any tax in Hong Kong, so things are seemingly cheaper.
You can find many American big brands there such as Zara so on and so forth.


  • STYLENANDA

One of my Hong Kong trip highlight was to go to the "STYLENANDA" flagship store in Silvercord Shopping mall. I literally went crazy over at their cosmetic line 3CE there and spent a bomb. But my money didn't went to waste, I really love their cosmetic line. ^^ Maybe shall post a make-up review! It's located on the second floor of Silvercord mall btw!

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MONG KOK


  • Argyle centre

This is a must go place if you are looking for cheaper loots. Prices can be as low as S$10+ and it's somewhat like Bugis Street to me in a mall setting

  • Langham Place

This the ultimate mall for the usual big brands you'll get in Orchard road shopping mall. Just at the main entrance, there is a H&M outlet located there which is enticing enough for you to walk through..

There was a whole level for cosmetic brands like Laneign, Khiel's etc..
KWAI FONG

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Last but not least, this is an ultimate shopping place if you're looking for cheaper alternatives, even cheaper than Arygle Centre is no other than the Kwai fong plaza. It's a rather old building but inside it's somewhat like a mix between Bugis Street (the air conditioned area) & Far East Plaza.

It's relatively easy to get there, it's situated on the Red line and just a stone throw away from Kwai Fong MTR station.

And FYI, this place was recommended by the locals, my Hong Kong friends.

Jenny Bakery

First tried these cookies at work when someone bought it from Hong Kong. Me and my colleague just knew that we had to get it in Hong Kong!!! But most unfortunately, since their cookies were so heavenly nice, the queue is extremely long, EVERY DAY.. But managed to get this at the Tsim Sha Tsui outlet nevertheless thanks to some of my Hong Kong friends :') a BIG thank you..

Their packaging is rather cute, it comes in circular tin cans and changes accordingly to the seasonal festivals such as Christmas, New Year, for me I bought the New Year one.

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They have several outlets but we went to the TST one and yes there was already a Q. But it's one of the treats from Hong Kong that we shouldn't miss! And take note that there's a cap to the number of tins you can buy. Seems like each person is being capped to 5 tins now and you are able to choose between small (roughly S$10) or big (S$20).


FOOD

1. Modern 茶餐厅

These are somewhat like the "Xin Wang Cafes" we see in Singapore but selling at prices from $4-5 SGD??? So cheap!!! Definitely must go there and eat if don't know what to have when you're there. One particular one I liked was "Cafe De Coral" and it can be found everywhere.. There are several similar cha can ting around actually but Cafe de coral can be easily found.

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Some of the food we had at the various Cha Can Ding.
2. Wan Ton Noodles

In Hong Kong, a must try delicacy is their Wanton Noodles! I think in Hong Kong, the soup Wanton noodles beat Sg's a thousand times over. (I'm serious) perhaps our dry Wanton noodles is nicer? :P but the Wanton I had, had fresh big shrimps in them. Yummy!!

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3. Tim Ho Wan

YES. It is the legendary 1 Michelin Tim Ho Wan which took it's craze in Singapore.
And the price of the dim sum is sooooooooo cheap compared to Sg.
And another thing I realised is that, Hong Kong people like to eat Dim Sum with Veggies. Yes plain simple looking vegetables which any Singaporean would never order at a Dim Sum Store when you know all you want to consume is dim sum. But no, haha, asked my Hong Kong friends and they were explaining that because Dim Sum are full of meat, so they would normally order a vegetable dish to complement the meaty dishes. Learnt something new.

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The last one was so nice, it has pigeon eggs on top! Yummy~

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Interior of the shop.

We went to the Olympian Outlet. Getting there is quite easy, closest MTR would be Olympic Station, go to Olympian City Tower 2, passing by Macdonalds at Level 1 when coming out from the door and turn right. Walk straight and you will be able to see it distinctively.

The Olympian outlet on a week day evening and we didn't had to Queue AT ALL! Wow. Actually shopping at Olympian City (Another HUGE Shopping Mall) was pleasantly relaxing because there wasn't a crowd and yet there were almost every brand you want in a mall: H&M, Uniquo, Mango, New Balance, Pull and Bear etc. It's walkable from Mong Kok MTR Station so probably drop by if you prefer to be away from the busier, populated shopping malls in the City.

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STREET FOOD

1. 豐記雞蛋仔
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鸡蛋仔 Egglet Waffles!!
My Hong Kong friends, Venus and Barley took me to this store which they say is famous.

Barley recommended me the Sesame Chocolate one which I tried and it was really nice :) Hopefully the store that sells Ji Dan Zai in Singapore has it as well.
There was also a store next to it which sells fishballs and whatsoever and I tried their curry fishballs which I really liked :)

2. Tai Cheong Bakery
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Famous for their egg tarts! Make sure to get the one in the cripsy flaky one!

They have several stores located around Hong Kong so there isn't a need to specially go to the main outlet.
Attractions


1. The Peak & Peak Tram

The Peak Tram was built in 1888 to facilitate better transport for the residents living on Victoria Peak to the main land. Imo, the peak is definitely a must go attraction. The view is specular and it is just thrilling to feel the G force when the tram moves up the steep hill. Try to avoid the weekends as it can get really crowded. I went there on a weekday so we could get on the tram relatively fast. Do check out my vlog for footages on it! :)

You can use your Octopus card which I did so didn't had to queue up for a ticket. once at the top, there is a shopping mall there with restuarants and all even a Starbucks. I even spotted the famous Mak noodles and Tai Cheong Bakery there.

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The wind actually really colddddddddddd.

2. Ding Ding Bus

This is unique to Hong Kong and is the World's only tram with double deckers and was in operation since 1904! I had to take it. So on my alone day, I tried taking this from Causeway Bay area to Central MTR Stop. The tram ride was really interesting, I was lucky to be in a tram that was rather empty and I sat on the upper deck, enjoying the breezy view and watching the pedestrians walking on the pavements. It was a pleasant experience ;)

dingding

The 6 routes are as follows:

Kennedy Town – Western Market (23 mins)
Kennedy Town – Happy Valley (60 mins)
Causeway Bay - Shek Tong Tsui (Whitty Street Depot) (45 mins)
Western Market – Shau Kei Wan (58 mins)
Shek Kong Tsui (Whitty Street Depot) – North Point (56 mins)
Happy Valley – Shau Kei Wan (42 mins)
Shau Kei Wan - Kennedy Town (85 minutes)


3. Mid-Level Escalator

Claimed to be the World's longest Escalator, I just had to try this one.

Many shows have featured this escalator before such Running Man and some movies (i heard).

And boy, it sure was loooooooooonnggggg.

It took me approximately 20 + to 30 mins all the way up. And the unfortunate thing was that after taking the escalator up all the way, we had to walk down all the way too. But I found a bus stop half-way and cruised my way down to Central MTR effortlessly.

Getting there was relatively easy, at Central MTR, come out of Exit D1 and once you're out just follow the signboards which can lead you to the escalator easily.

Watch more about it from my upcoming Vlog!

Desserts

1. HeSheEat

Shop 4, G/F, Ngai Hing Mansion, 22 Pak Po Street Mong Kok

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Located in Mongkok it's currently one of the highly raved restuarant in hongkong right now. (Credits to Openrice.com) The cafe has a rather nice setting to it and they serve really decent desserts, mostly western styled though.
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2. Honeymoon Desserts

Ahh.. yummy Hong Kong styled desserts. Although it has branches in Singapore, isn't it interesting to try it at Hong Kong itself? Their durian pancake is really nice, will eat it back in Sg. :P

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3. Hui Lau Shan

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Hui Lau Shan can be practically found everywhere across Hong Kong (especially Mong Kok and Tsim Sha Tsui) so just try their most popular Mango Jelly Drink if you bump into one of their outlet.
Cosmetics

If you're a cosmetic lover like me, Hong Kong is the best place to purchase all your skin care products, cosmetics etc. I even bought the Laneign sleeping mask at SGD $31 when in SG it sells at S$50++?? There's tons of cosmetic shops around Hong Kong, but my favourite has to be "Bonjour 卓悦“

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I can plainly say that I didn't travel much during this trip. I barely shopped besides my 3CE loots. *Guilty*

It was my first time traveling alone, and honestly without the help of the Hong Kong sisters, I couldn't have had been to so many places on my own.

Maybe I do admit that this trip was out of impulse, but I just felt like I had to go to Hong Kong.

Maybe because I'm turning 21 this year and it's that rare moment of courage that pushed me to act upon it :P

No matter what it is, it was a pleasant way to start the new year.

Pray for the rest of the year to go smoothly!

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