Oh look what came in the mail last week! Sample Store allows you to choose what samples you'd like to try without the hard selling of pushy salespeople and if you have sensitive skin like me, you'll appreciate spending a small price to try out some cosmetics and then finding out whether it suits your skin without wasting a lot of money nor product.

I really like the packaging. Yes. You're pretty. I shall keep you and use you for some other reason.  So...what was my 'loot'?

It's Hada Labo's 3-in-1 Whitening Gel Moisturiser! I know that I'm already very fair so I don't really need any whitening creams BUT whitening creams/moisturisers do help in evening out skin tones and I have combination skin - oily but dehydrated. So, I am always on the lookout for good moisturisers that hydrate my skin without clogging my pores.

So why is this gel 3-in-1?

Well...it is supposed to be able to replace your essence/serum and face mask while also moisturising. So...it's more like a 3-in-1 effect. I also like the fact that it can be used as a sleeping mask, which means that it is deeply moisturising and I already thought of replacing my night moisturiser with this.

The gel comes in a nondescript pot and the inside is a translucent whitish gel...

It doesn't have any floral or fruity scent and I was pleasantly surprised at how plain it is. Really perfect for those who don't like any scents in their moisturisers.

Now, for the skin test. I really liked how smooth it applied and that it was not sticky nor oily. It did feel a little like spreading jellified water. What was more impressive is that my cheeks, which are usually the most dehydrated parts of my face, were supple and moisturised the whole day! Same for Day 2 and 3 of application. On Day 4, I went out in the hot sun and with my usual moisturiser, my cheeks were bound to start itching and become dry. However, I was really happy that it didn't. Was it because of Hado Labo? Possibly.

If you have sensitive skin, I think you should really try out the Hado Labo 3-in-1 Whitening Gel but do it sample-size at Sample Store.

After trying and if you like it, you can purchase it at any Guardian, Watson's, Sasa, OG, BHG, Unity and Robinsons stores at S$38.90/80g. Really a bargain compared to some brands out there. It's even cheaper than my usual moisturiser!!

In true Japanese fashion, Hado Labo has a Snow Princess game on their Facebook Page www.facebook.com/hadalabosg where you can play it to stand the chance to win a jar of the 3-in-1 Arbutin Whitening Perfect Gel!

This is an excellent chance for everyone to prove their trading abilities with our POEMS 2.0 Stock Challenge. Those in Singapore will get extra chances at winning the Mazda 6* simply by registering for the competition!

For those living outside Singapore, do join the trading challenge as this competition is for INTERNATIONAL participants as well! We already have over 2,000 signed up and from countries such as Australia, Malaysia, China, India and even Vietnam!

There are 3 categories for you to choose from and you can take part in any 2 (except Virtual Reality & Successful Investor together).

The starter kit is really awesome and is worth over S$200 in trading tools. So what are you waiting for? Just sign up...even if you just want an extra chance at winning the car!

I'll be at the Roadshow on 1-2 Mar at Ngee Ann City, which will be fun because we'll be having games and prizes to be won! See you there...

*Terms & conditions apply.

Through my friends, I heard about Genki Sushi's new interesting way of delivering food to your table and I finally had the chance to experience it!

I'd like to call the bullet train (shinkansen) used here the sushi-kansen. They also have the F1 car version...so would that be called the F(ood)1 service?

Ok, enough with the puns. I think that this is an excellent marketing gimmick that endears Genki Sushi to the patrons, makes an excellent talking point which serves as a Word-of-mouth advertising, reduces their salary overheads AND reduces food wastage since they only prepare food that is ordered instead of rotating sushi on a conveyor belt.

Of course, it does help that the food is really fresh and delicious too! Be careful, you will over order just so as to see the sushi-kansen come and go and it really doesn't seem expensive when each sushi is from S$2.90++ onwards. But as we all know, it adds up. So, watch your budget! That said, bring your children. They'll have a ball of a time seeing their food coming to them via a train/car. Adults will love it too!

I really should've done Genki Sushi a bit more credit by taking photos of the food but I was really hungry that day so...alas, I was more thrilled about the train than anything else when it came to taking photos/videos.

Genki has really taken technology into their stride by making you order through their iPad minis which, interestingly enough, isn't locked to some contraption on the table. Love their trust. Either that or they have staff with keen eyes who will spot if you 'accidentally' bring it out. I'm sure there are CCTVs strewn around the restaurant too.

Genki Sushi
Orchard Central
181 Orchard Road #03-32
Singapore 238896

Chinatown Point
133 New Bridge Road #02-33
Singapore 059413

Daiso has caused me to spend a lot of money. This time round, it's yet another nail item. I spotted the gold nail stickers of crosses and Fleur de lis. Only S$2...couldn't resist. So, I didn't want any gothic nails so I decided to go with something rather simple. I used a heck of a lot of glitter and it's quite visibly thicker than the rest of the base nail polish.

I used China Glaze's blue-purple, a cheap large blue glitter, Innisfree White holographic nail polish as well as another silver glitter. I think the most expensive polish used here is the China Glaze polish which I bought on sale for only S$9.

What do you think? Quite different from all the recent flower designs huh? Well, I might just do another flower design next week thanks to a video tutorial by @cutepolish. I think she and @ellelandish were tasked to do a video using Sephora's FX Spring line AND that they had to do a design with toothpicks and had to have flowers. Both were scarily similar in the sense of items used. I've watched enough of both girls' videos to also know that they would've used dotting tools or mentioned alternative tools but in those particular videos, none were mentioned.

Ok...enough of me ranting on about 2 videos and 2 designs that you've obviously not watched. Till next week then!

I finally went to Saveur for lunch today for my intern's leave-do and it has been a long awaited affair. The abstinence was necessary to ensure interest in the food and observation of changes.  The last time I went to Saveur was in Mar 2013. That's almost a year ago!

So...some changes noticed:

The price of their signature Duck Confit is now $12.90++ instead of $10.90++. Photo courtesy of my colleague.

Their Beef Bourguinion too has increased its price by $2 to $16.90++.  Also...I wonder whether the portion of the beef has reduced because this is how their beef used to be circa 2013:

Well, can't complain because the most important thing is that the TASTE doesn't change and it didn't. Saveur's food quality is still maintained although they have opened a new branch in Far East Plaza last year and they've also opened an Americano bistro thing at The Cathay.

When I see 'Specials' in restaurant menus, I tend to order them because the staples can always be consumed another day. So this time round, we ordered their Salted Caramel Lava Cake (S$9.90++).

Look at that well of salted caramel! I should've taken a video of how it overflowed/oozed onto the plate when my intern did the honour of making the first cut. This dessert was simply divine. I wanted 2 of those. All to myself!! The scoop of whipped cream was the palate 'cutter' - much to my surprise. It was not sweetened and therefore, lent a neutral tone to the tongue if you felt overwhelmed by the caramel. I want to go to Saveur again JUST to eat this cake and to also nibble on the Salmon Confit (S$9.90++) which I didn't order. Yum.

So, if you don't already know, Saveur is located at the following addresses and do note, they don't take reservations and at these prices, don't expect 5-star service from the wait staff either:

5 Purvis Street
Talib Court, #01-04
Singapore 188584

14 Scotts Road
Far East Plaza, #01-07B
Singapore 228213

Website: www.saveur.sg

It first started with this:

I was trying out something really bling and was a variation of a design that I saw in a magazine.  Alas, there was a lot of bling and too little time.  In other words, I didn't wait long enough for the inner layers to dry before hopping off to the shower.  So most of those bling you see were DESTROYED.  :(

Thus, I had to endure a day of bad nails (haha...bad nail day) until I reached home this evening to redo my nails.  I was inspired by a screen used during a bedroom scene of the play "Fat Pig" which I watched with the girls and Chow.

Sorry for the blur shot because I took the photo while lying in bed and groggy from sleep.  Anyway, it was a bit Japanese and I quite like the criss-cross design.  Too bad I do not have a brush or striper to draw cleaner lines. Perhaps I need to invest in either. So proud of my handiwork!

Now...what design shall I do next?

Last Tue, my dear dog Baileys was lethargic and grumpy.  When I touched him, he was really hot so I stuck a digital thermometer in his ear and found out that he had a mild fever.  His WHOLE body was bright red and he was itching all over plus his ears were also infected overnight. :(  I knew that he was seriously not feeling well because this greedy little thing actually REFUSED food from me.

Thus, I had to bring him to the vet's the next day...

My dear dog was unusually quiet and throughout the car ride, instead of moving around and staring out of the window, he was lying down curled up next to me.  When we went into the vet's and I plopped him onto the table, he wasn't walking around the table and trying to be Superdog.  He merely let the vet (wo)man-handle him.

Miserable Face

Turns out that Baileys was having a severe allergic reaction to either something or many things.  As we've recently changed our floor cleaner and the sofa cleaner, these might have led to a major allergic shock.  It obviously was affecting his breathing because he was wheezing too!

After he was given a shot, steriods in a coconut oil lotion and anti-histamines, it was back home where again, Baileys refused to eat.  Really heartbreaking and a cause for worry.  Good news is that once the steriod lotion and anti-histamines started working, his appetite came back and he was almost back to his usual self.  Except that this time, his eyes started getting all glued up with discharge and his skin was flaking all over.  Yup, another trip to the vet's to do an allergy test plus a test on his lump found on his belly.

Despite the eye and itch, Baileys was almost back to his usual kaypoh self! Cone needed because he was still itching all over and he was trying to bite himself all the time.

Anyway, he did the bio-resonance allergy test (S$273) and oh my goodness...my dog is allergic to one whole long list of things! Worst of all, he is allergic to FISH, which I've been feeding him for the past 5-6 years!!! Ok, he could've developed the allergy since he's already 10 years old but I had ordered a new batch of Fish 4 Dogs...which I later replaced with another brand/type of food, but finding that replacement took me 30 minutes trawling through ALL the brands and ALL the ingredients of each type of dry food. Why so long, you ask? Besides fish, my dog is also allergic to beef, chicken, pork, potato, wheat, barley, corn and oat! That's almost ALL the main types of meats and staples used in dog food! Conclusion was - Baileys had a triple whammy of allergies which resulted in him being so ill.  Yes, he is allergic to the new floor cleaner (we're no longer using it), his food, his ear cleaner (thrown out) and shampoo (uh...still trying to find the alternative).

After that 1.5hr test, it was back to the main clinic area to see the vet for his eye and lump.  Remember me saying that he had a cyst removed from his left eye? That eye's ulcer is back and is now infecting his whole eye.  Didn't help that his eyes are also dry, which is why he has so much mucus build up. 

The vet took a bit of extraction from the lump and put it under the microscope to see whether it had any abnormal cells.  While waiting for the results...

...Baileys decided to snooze.  He was snoring and even the vet's assistant was very amused.  Old dog...must understand that visits to the vet are just *yawn* so *yawn* boringzzzzzz.  LOL.

My dog is such an angel when we're out of the house.  He was so well behaved at the vet's and even charmed the vet, who wanted to kiss him for being such a good boy.  He wasn't bitey and was completely fine with all the prodding and flipping.  He only minded the florescent staining part but then he had me to rub his face against so he was still a happy dog.

I'm glad to say that my dog is back to his typical greedy self (I don't quite miss this part) and he's been bumping into all of us with his cone while his skin heals.  The infection in his ears are completely gone and he loves me rubbing the coconut lotion (with steroid creams) on him.  His eyes are definitely a lot better with the super expensive eye drops but it's far from perfect.  His left eye still has thick discharge but at least his cornea isn't angry red. What makes me happiest is that he greets us enthusiastically everytime we come home, as if he was never ill to begin with!