Wedding Talk

So, our wedding solemnization and wedding date has been fixed.

May 2nd 2014, Friday  for solemnization at Holiday Inn Orchard.

May 31st 2014, Saturday,  for wedding at Seoul Apgujeong Annabini House.

I am satisfied with both the locations.

As Mun's father is in charge of whipping up the dinner at Holiday Inn Orchard, 

I feel more at ease that our guests will be satisfied with the dinner.

Nevertheless, the buffet spread at Annabini House looks so scrumptious.

I doubt I can get to enjoy the food on my wedding day so Eric suggested we go try the food this coming November. 

Yesterday was Korea's public holiday so Eric and his mum went scouring for our wedding location.

And everything was settled yesterday, from our photoshoot studio, make up to our ceremony location.

Efficient max. 

I feel so sorry to his mom though, as this kind of things should be what the bride is supposed to take care of.

Finally a load off my mind for now, but more things to worry about. 

I am actually experiencing some pre-wedding blues.

I know everyone is like, you are getting married, you ought to be a happy bride.

I asked google, and I realised there are so many bride-to-be experiencing the same thing as I do.

The things to worry about just seemed to be never ending.

As we are of different tradition,

gifts exchange might also become a problem.

I want the situation to be a win-win situation, so I have been working it out with my parents.

Nevertheless, saying bye bye to single life and moving on to another stage of life is scary.

Now, how to be a good wife is not my concern, it is how to be a good Korean wife.

That's different, y'know. 

I am also giving up my job in Singapore to start anew there.

I am worried about my job prospect too. 

Being quarrelsome in times like this doesn't help except to strain the relationship.

I am glad that Eric and I are able to stay calm admist all this stress and work things out together.

Now, I will just focus on being a happy bride ^^

July Favourites

Hello readers, just to share with you all, some of my favorites for the month of July!

1. Unisoy Instant Organic Soya Milk Powder

 I have been using this as a meal replacement for either my breakfast or lunch for about 3 weeks from now.

There are two versions but I chose the orange one which is without cane sugar. 

Per sachet contains less than a 100 calories and it is so tasty that I don't mind drinking it everyday.

If u drink it for breakfast, it can pretty well last you for a few hours until lunch, and you will not have the tendency to overeat for lunch.

It can be purchased from local supermarkets at about $8 for 12 sachets. 

2. Lang Leav

She is a contemporary poet from Sydney and I am totally captivated by her style of poetry. 

Her poems are usually short,  and she has the tendency to play with irony.

She uses simple words, joining together to form a poem of complexity.

All her poems have a touch of melancholy in them.

Follow her on tumblr to read more of her poems

http://langleav.com/tagged/Popular

She has also released her new book " Love and Misadventures" recently and I am planning to get hold of it.

3. Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum

The good old Skinfood Black Sugar scrub has gained popularity throughout the years.

With this, Skinfood has released a new product from the same line.

I think it is released less than a few months ago. 

They got the gorgeous Lee Min Jung to do the CF for this product.

The power of the media.

The first lines of the CF caught my attention 

" 360 degrees of smooth skin completed" 

Although called a serum, it is supposed to be used as the first step of skincare.

It has a texture of somewhere in between a toner and a serum. 

Doesn't live a sticky residue on the face.

It has exfoliating, brightening, wrinkle-smoothing and hydrating benefits in a single formula.

After using it for 2 weeks or so,and the best part is, it really made my skin smoother.

I also like its hydrating benefits so in the morning, I use this and go straight to my CC cream.

I also noticed that my make up glides on better. 

All time favourite as of now.

Pore Care

Hi, I am back with a beauty post!

There are about 20,000 pores on our face and how we take care of them can change the way we look.

All blackheads, whiteheads or even acne are caused by congested pores.

So, let's get down to solving the root of the problem!

Step 1:  After you are done with cleansing your face.

Pour some boiling/hot water into a basin and steam your face for about 10 minutes.

Alternatively, you can use a steam towel for about 10 minutes. ( Just soak a clean towel into hot water, wring it dry and apply to your face)

This helps to open up your pores and prepare it for deep cleansing.

Step 2:

 Use a deep cleansing mask ( Clay mask)

It works to exfoliate and draw impurities to the skin surface and into the clay.

It also removes excess sebum

However, clay mask is known to be rather drying so be sure to moisturize your face thereafter.

Leave it on your skin for 10-15 min.

Step 3: 

"Close back" your pores

I am so tempted to try out Sea Tree Ice Toner but it's spray aerosol type so they don't ship it worldwide.

So i came up with my own way to shrink my pores.

After you wash off the clay mask, splash your face with ice water. 

You can add ice cubes into the water, or u can store a bottle of water in the fridge for this usage.

Step 4: 

Follow up with an exfoliating toner. 

I am in love with Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum! ( will do a separate review)

It is sort of  like a 2 in 1 toner and serum.

It is said to help exfoliate skin, leaving it soft, smooth and supple. 

I store my Skinfood Black Sugar Perfect First Serum in the fridge so it is really refreshing to apply it right after washing my face. 

Step 5: 

Use a Vitamin C serum. 

This O.S.T Original Pure Vitamin C20 Serum, I swear it's so good for your skin. 

After using it for a week, the blackheads on my nose are visibly reduced, it also kind of evens out my skin tone by reducing the appearance of acne scars.

It also has pore tightening effects.

Final Step:

Moisturize, Moisturise and Moisturize

Supply the lost moisture back to your face by using your favourite moisturizer.

I like how Clinique Thirst Relief is so lightweight and hydrates your skin really well

Alternatively, I just slap on a generous amount of Laneige Water Sleeping Pack .

It keeps your skin deeply hydrated throughout the night. 

Depending on your skin condition, and schedule,

I suggest doing the pore care regime once every week/ two weeks.

However, the best time to do this regime is 2 weeks before your time of the month.

Try not to do this regime during or a few days before your time of the month as our skin is extremely sensitive during that time and easily irritated. 

Long Distance Relationship

I am really bad at being consistent in blogging.

Here I am, back after more than a month. 

Anyway, we had a celebration for Ziwei yesterday as she is about to get married in France in September.

How cool is that!

So happy for the awesome couple!

They have been doing 4 years of LDR and finally can be together

I have only been through a year of LDR and I am dreading it so much as much as I have gotten used to it.

The thing about LDR is I love and hate it at the same time?

Well, absence do makes the heart grow fonder. 

Especially when you only get to see each other once every few months.

Everytime just feels like falling in love all over again.

I don't know how to explain this but yes, it just feels like a new relationship all over again.

Very fresh and exciting.

But, at the same time, I hate LDR too.

Especially at the time of the month where your hormones are raging and your imagination just run wild. 

So many 'what ifs'..

However, I think for a LDR to work,

both parties must have similar lifestyles.

Imagine a guy who parties all night while his girlfriend tries so hard to reach him on the phone from miles away. Frustrating, isn't it?

Luckily,for me and him,

we are not really into night life 

so we don't have any disputes on that. 

and he is easily contactable. no issues for this too.

I am so glad we don't have to do LDR anymore in the near future 

Birthday Post

I managed to spend my birthday with the boyf this year.

Dinner was at Novotel Seoul Ambassoder at Gangnam 2 days before the actual day. 

Camwhored too much at home and was late. He waited for 50 minutes and was a little pissed :S

But I managed to appease him and we finally arrived here. 

It was a nice cosy hotel.

We felt like we were in Paris, because of the miniature display

 This was the appetizer. Salmon salad.

Simple but tasted pretty awesome.

Before this there was actually some bread but Eric said we should have it later lest we feel too full for main course

At the end of the meal, the waiter took it away and we were like awwww..

Rich and delicious crab bisque.

Couldn't get enough of it

For my main course, I chose a medium done ribeye steak.

The meat was so tender and succulent. 

And I finished all the fries for the first time. 

He loved this shot he took. 

I am not an expert in wine and all tasted the same to me.

I prefer the white wine while he said the red diablo wine tasted heavenly.

Shit, hair was quite messy. 

I swear this hairstyle is hard to maintain

Lastly, the dessert.

Gummy bears as toppings, cute.

His cousin was working in this hotel,so he got the chef to specially decorate it for us. How sweet. haha.

Saturday was spent at Carribean Bay and Everland.

I loved Carribean Bay! Will definitely go back again.

Didn't take any pictures at Carribean Bay as we didn't want to spend $25 to get the waterproof casing to put our phones/ camera. 

$25 just to haolian not very worth it. 

About evening, we headed to Everland.
Timing was good as we did not have to wait too long for the rides.

Everland was having the rose festival too.

Played a little too much on Friday and Saturday,

so the actual day of my birthday was spent at home. 

Napping the whole afternoon away. 

For dinner, his mom knew I love Cold Noodles, so she prepared it for me. 

Look at the eggs! My favourite

At night, we had a mini celebration with the cake and wine he bought from novotel on Friday.

I have always only love fruit cakes.

No,don't look at the candles.

 I go by international age and I insist I am 24.

Yay, Happy Birthday to myself.

Hope that this year will be smooth sailing and that I could be a better person.

and hope that it will always be you <3

Beauty Haul: The Base series Hits and Misses

From left to right: The Face Shop Face it Primer in Moisture Fitting, Etude House CC Cream in Glow, Innisfree Air Skin Fit BB Cream in Pink Beige, Hera CC cream in Pink Beige, The Face Shop Aura CC Cream in 01, Laneige Water Supreme Power Pact in Light Beige, Innisfree Mineral Powder Pact in Light Beige.

As you can see, these are my recent base haul from Korea. I have no idea why I bought so many since I have only one face. But I just like to test different products until I find the one that really suits me. So I am here to give a brief review of each of the products I have tested.

1. The Face Shop Face it Primer in Moisture Fitting

I have only started experimenting with a face primer since last year. And have since realised the importance of it. It really helps to prep the skin for the foundation routine, making foundation application easier and have your make-up stay on longer.

However, I have always been on a search for a primer that is non-sticky and lightweight and I am glad I found this. (Apparently, it is quite popular among the Koreans)

This primer is rather lightweight and doesn't mattify or dry up the face upon application.

Skin feels silky smooth, and thus foundation really glides on easily. 

It has a light flowery scent too. 

There are two other versions of this primer, Velvet Skin and Shimmering.

I tested out the Shimmering in the shop but it was too 'bling bling' for day-to day usage. 

Still think moisture fitting has the best texture out of the three. 

2. Etude House CC cream in Glow

I have blogged about this in my previous post.

Very moisturising and light coverage. 

Good for use on a good skin day, and like the name suggests, it really makes your skin glow without appearing too oily. ( It's just a fine line between glowy and oily really)

Better than the banila co CC cream in my opinion. 

3. Innisfree Air Skin Fit BB Cream in Pink Beige.

This was an impulse buy.

It was a new range of BB Cream by Innisfree so I wanted to try it out.

The BB Cream was difficult to spread out onto the face, and the finish is too matt for my liking.

Moreover, after a few hours or so, it sort of oxidised to an orange colour, like I have jaundice or something.

It just doesn't suit my skin tone. Dislike. 

4. Hera CC Cream in Pink Beige

I just cannot express how much I LOVE this CC cream.

My favourite base product at the moment. 

It's ah-mazing. 

Watch this.

For a CC cream, it has the coverage of a BB cream.( medium-high)

Moreover, it does a good job of covering imperfections as well as dark circles.

Upon application, the skin looks so fair and radiant, like that of a Photoshop effect. 

Moreover, it has a long staying power too. Doesn't oxidize or anything. 

Love it!

5. The Face Shop Aura CC Cream

This product has been so raved about so I thought I should give it a try.

Unlike other CC cream, this one comes in a compact form, which is rather cute.

The cream dispenses through a small opening in the middle, hassle-free.

It also comes with a sponge applicator but I prefer to use my fingers as I feel that the applicator absorbs too much of the product. 

It's coverage is medium-high I would say, and has a dewy effect.

The only thing I dislike about it is the feeling of it on my face.

It is quite sticky I would say, but if you finish it off with a powder pact, it is pretty decent.

6. Laneige Water Supreme Finishing Pact in Light Beige

My next favourite powder pact following the Banila Co Primer Pact.

I still like the primer pact, but it's just that I am ever so fickle minded when it comes to cosmetics, I have to try other products. 

The powder is so fine and light, and it sticks on to the skin pretty well. 

What I really like about this is that, it really brightens the skin, and retains the moisture in it. 

Coverage is not high, it is just used to set your liquid foundation or bb cream,

which functions well enough for me as I just want to hold my base make-up in place and not cover/ mattify it. 

and as usual, Laneige products always have this light flowery scent which I love.

Oil control is not that great however, still needs a touching up once every few hours.

7. Innisfree Mineral Powder Pact in Light Beige.

Everything with the word "mineral" just really attracts me.

At least, no break-outs right?

This powder is pretty decent.

Powder particles is rather fine too, coverage is a little thicker than the laneige finishing pact.

The shade is more of a pinkish undertone, but a little dark for my liking. 

Good for use on an especially humid day when you need your base makeup to stay on longer.

But, I don't really like the way it smells. 

Innisfree products always smell a little medicinal?

I will do a beauty haul on Skincare soon.

Stay tuned ^^

Back from Korea + Review on Etude House Proof 10 Auto Pencil

I am back from Korea!

Have been catching up on my sleep for these past few days.

I wonder why but i have been feeling so tired and groggy.

Don't think its's jet lag, only an hour difference :S

Three weeks just went by so quickly.

While the boyfriend was at work in the day, I either met up with friends or spent time with his mum.

At times when he had customers outside, he would come and pick me up from home and I would wait for him in one of his company's cafe until he knocked off. 

Quite boring huh, but at least got to spend time together. hee

Have been loving this make-up look.

Face: 

1) The Face shop Moisture Fitting Base

2) Etude House CC cream in Glow

3)The Face Shop Lovely Me Cushion Blusher in 01

4) Banila Co The Secret Marbling Highlighter

* No powder to set the CC cream, the dewy look is the in look now. 

Eyes:

1) Etude House Proof 10 Auto Pencil in BK801 *( Refer to review below)

2) Etude House 3 Step Lash Perm Volumecara

Lip:

Aritaum Wannabe Cushion Tint in Blondie

Also had a haircut! 

I totally had no intention of cutting this that short.

I initially wanted to do the Volume Magic Straight Perm but the hairdresser told me my hair had damaged ends so I had to trim off a bit.

In the end, she made my hair so layered and choppy I was horrified.

So I went back again the next day to ask her to cut it to a unified length. 

I began to like it more and more though. 

* I have been loving this so much. 

Etude House Proof 10 Auto Pencil in BK801

 Finally a really waterproof eyeliner pencil

I have tried so many eyeliner pencils and even though a lot of them are said to be waterproof, 

it doesn't seem to be true. 

Well, I don't have the habit of priming my eyes, that's a possible reason why it smudged within a few hours.

But this eyeliner pencil is amazing.

I don't even have on my eye primer, and it just stays there at least for a good 6 hours?! 

The pencil is so smooth and glides on easily. 

A pencil liner is indeed very convenient for a lazy me. 

Sorry, Bobbi Brown Gel Liner, I might have to put you at the back of my drawer for a while. 

Beauty Review: The Face Shop Chia Seed Sebum Control Moisture Cream

This was actually an impulse buy as Faceshop was having a 50% off. 

Furthermore, Suzy is the spokesperson of this product.

I just have to get it. 

After trying it for a week, I have to say I love it!

It is supposed to be used as a last step of skincare routine.

In the past, I have always sworn by using a night cream of a heavier texture,

However, I have developed milia seeds( oil seeds) on my face as a result of over nutrition.

Since then, I have always wanted to look for cream of a lighter texture, and here it is it.

It is a colorless, light, gel cream which is said to contain 73.64% chia seed extract.

Furthermore, it is oil free! Good for sensitive skin.

I am sure you have heard of the health benefits of chia seeds for consumption( Go try the chia seed bread from Breadtalk, it is said to make you eat less potentially)

When applied on the skin, it promotes hydration and it contains over 60% essential fatty acids for a better complexion.

What I like about this cream is it feels really light on the skin, with the right amount of hydration.

Suited for both day and night application. ( after essence)

It smells like Ion Shopping Centre. I don't know why but it does. 

There is also a sebum control function which helps to control excess sebum, especially comes in handy when you apply it before makeup application.

However, I do not really recommend it for those who have extremely dry skin as the hydration might not be enough. 

In a humid country like Singapore,

I think this amount of hydration provided is just right.

Beauty Review: Etude House CC cream in Glow

Hello from Korea!

Been here for a week. Didn't do anything much except for stocking up on beauty products and trying them out.

Introducing my new favorite product: The Etude House CC cream in Glow

CC cream is said to correct, care and even out your skin tone.

According to my Korean friend, CC cream is the in thing now in Korea.

All the cosmetic shops have been coming out with their own range of CC cream.

I have actually tried out the banila co CC cream, but didn't like it that much as it appears too oily.

Apparently, this Etude House CC cream is said to have an 8-in-1 function, which includes Anti-Aging, Stress Relief, Hydration, Whitening, Sun Protection (SPF30/PA++),Tone up, Smooth texture and Luminosity.

Anyway, CC cream in general has a lighter coverage than BB cream. 

So for people who prefer a heavier coverage, you can actually layer foundation over this CC cream.

The consistency of this CC cream is neither too runny or thick, and can be evened out rather easily.

See how the skin glows after application?

It doesn't really contains shimmer but it just gives the skin a "물광" (mulguang) effect

Apparently, a matte finish is not so sought after in Korea. 

The Koreans prefer a dewy,  hydrated look.

 This is a picture of just using the CC cream alone.

Do check this CC cream out and let me know what u think about it.

Kids are no angels

Kids are no angels.

This is what I have concluded after almost a year of full time teaching.

I was baffled at how some teachers can comment about how sweet their students are and how they love kids.

Or maybe they are lucky and get all the nice children.

(Come on, you know it isn't true.)

I was quite taken aback at how the students now differ from the students back then.

In the past, whatever they teacher says, we wouldn't even breathe a second word and would do as told.

But now, they will always find all sorts of excuses to get away from what they were supposed to do.

And even talk back or challenge whatever you said.

Trying to be funny is it?

Actually I have been going through this emotional struggle 

I don't know how to strike a balance between being firm and nice to the kids.

I want to be nice to them but 

At times, I even blame myself for their rudeness.

Was it that I just not firm enough, that resulted in them " climbing all over my head"?

But when I tried to be fierce,  I was reluctant to hurt their feelings.

(Why should I even care when they made me angry in the first place)
 the most commonly used word during class must be
야 하지마라고 !(hey I said stop it hor )

I think this experience is good enough to prepare me when I become a mother next time.

Low Carb Diet

Just a random post about weight issues.

I think since young, I have always been on the chubby side. 

Maybe not fat fat, but never thin :(

I always blame it on my bone structure,

 (like Eric always laugh and say my bones are thicker than his?!)

But that's not an excuse, isn't it?

Well, I think losing weight has been my "life-long career"

Since secondary school, I have tried everything possible.

Like just eating apples, or just drinking honey water.

But all these efforts proved futile, as I supposed all these crash diets are not gonna work long term.

Moreover, after the crash diets, I felt so pathetic and stressed up that I just went on a binge,which is worst.

So, I just can't be bothered and just eat whatever I want, so my weight went up to almost 64kg in JC1.

My weight then fluctuated between 58kg-61kg throughout my university years. 

Losing weight has never been successful until last year.

I decided to go on a low-carb diet

I still eat my lunch normally but for dinner, I will not eat more than three spoonfuls of rice.

I always ask Mum to cook more side dishes to "distract" me.

And I think it works for me. 

It was hard at first, but with some self discipline, incorporating some exercises(hot yoga is really good)

I managed to reach 53kg. 

Shedding those pounds away really made me feel more energetic and more confident.

I have never loved junk food, so it's not much of a problem.

But, I have ditched all the soft drinks, and settled for my bori-cha ( korean barley tea)

Sometimes, I do have cravings like 歇脚亭's pudding milk tea, etc.

Maybe once or twice a month won't hurt?

I guess human beings are never easily satisfied.

I still think I need to lose more weight.

I want to look good for my wedding shoots at the end of the year^^

070513

I am so in love with the Shu Uemura cleansing oil.

Been using it for about three weeks or so, and it is really good.

I have always been reluctant to try oil cleanser because they always break me out.

So I have always stuck to me good old Skinlite Cleansing Cloth.

However, recently they have re-packaged their product, with only 12 cleansing cloths(instead of 30 in the past) and still retailing at the same price.. :(

But, back to the oil cleanser, it really doesn't break me out at all.

And it really removes all traces of make up thoroughly.

Hello to smooth and clear skin once again! 

Gonna get the bigger bottle in the airport 

Bought a new camera. The sony nex 3n. 

It is almost as good as an DSLR, just a smaller version.

Can't wait to snap a lot of pictures with it.

Taiwan next Friday!

Can't wait to see my boy!

It's been two months since we have seen each other.

Not very long but still.. 

Gonna go for my yoga class.

Bye

Update

Can't believe the last time i blogged was last year~

To think I talked about consistency

But then again, I always have a theory i always believe in: I only blog when I am feeling down

But I haven't been feeling very much of that since I started working.

I seem to be getting more and more unfeeling as I grow old. Oh no.

 

 

This year started pretty well

Adapting well to my long distance relationship, lost weight , and coping well in my job.

I sort of enjoy being a full time tutor, I guess it's the part where I could wake up late and have time to myself.

And I didn't even thought that the majority of my students now would be Koreans

My Korean did come in handy after all!

It all started when I posted a notice on the official Korean community in Singapore website.

I started getting calls and introductions, and now here I am.

I like working with Korean mothers better.

At least they trust you to teach their kids well and they respect the teachers

Unlike some parents who like to poke their nose into everything, and try to find any  possibilities that you are trying to mislead their kids.

 

Teaching in Korean families also helped me to improve my spoken Korean really fast!

I don't have to spend money on classes. Hands-on everyday.

Really killing two birds with one stone. Haha.

But, I am still doing self-study everyday at home.

There is still so much to learn.

 

Recently, I am also into hot yoga.

I am a lazy girl who doesn't really like to exercise. Running is not my thing. And I hate the sun.

So, I am glad I found an exercise that I like.

The feeling of sweating all your toxins out of your body is awesome.

However, I started to have some breakouts after I started yoga.

Googled it and they said that it is a symptom of detoxification.

Well, hope it clears away soon.

I am so disturbed by the bumps of my face that I went for a facial today.

Took so much effort to maintain a clear complexion, please don't fail me.

At the start and end of every yoga session, we are supposed to rub our palms together and massage our face with it

I never did it, and never is going to.
I can't imagine how dirty my hand is, and the bacteria that is going to be transferred to my face.
Maybe I am too paranoid.

Can't wait for May to come.
Going for a short trip to Taiwan with Eric and then to Korea.