Wednesday 29 October 2014

FLUTTERY LASHES!

I've been getting compliments from my friends on my lashes about how prettty, fluttery yet natural they look. I must admit that I feel the same about them too (: To be honest, it's really hard to find a lash parlour that is hygenic, comfortable and most importantly, gives you the kinda lash you want. BUT I'm glad I've found the place after so long and I'm just gonna settle down at Flutters lash parlour already. 

Let me show you how well-decorated this vintage inspired parlour is!





They carry Tahpre products as well! Just look at the vintage pin-up girl packaging! The products and ingredients are made in Korea and is safe on all skin types.


Here's the treatment room which I call the snooze room. Never fail to fall asleep on the comfy beds. Not to mention, the staff are very gentle yet professional with eyelash extension and there's no discomfort at all. Some parlours use eyelash glue which stings the eye but no such problem here.

AFTER EYELASH EXTENSION

  

I did the D curl lash which is slightly more dramatic. Can't wait to try L-curl the next time I go! I love curly lashes (:



I really love eyelash extensions, they just make my eyes look more alluring hehe. Eyelash extension has become a NEED in my life. My original lashes are quite pathetic now so Flutters gave me this lash serum to grow my lashes. Even the boss and her friends use it and saw results after 2 months of application!


ILASH is ideal for people with thinning lashes and want to restore fullness (:


Flutters SG is nestled among many tasteful cafes and restaurants so I love exploring coffee joints before/after my lash appointment. 
Thank you Kirky for the company!


Flutters is super generous to put in a $30 voucher in every TJM parcel. So if you're buying something from TJM, you will receive this pretty jade-colored voucher in your parcel. While stocks last*



Fret not if you're not a TJM shopper cos my readers get 10% off ala-carte services
when you quote my name (:

FLUTTERS LASH PARLOUR
15A Duxton Road (above Dept. of Caffeine)
Tel: 62200920
Mon - Fri: 11am - 9pm
Sat: 10am - 6pm
Sun: 11am - 5pm



XX
Sophia
Instagram and Twitter : @sophiachong

Friday 24 October 2014

PADDLEPOP CHEESECAKE + IPL GLOWY SKIN!


I had the most colorful cheesecake of my life and thought I should share more about it since SO MANY people on my Instagram liked and commented on the picture. I chanced upon a picture of the cake on Instagram explore page and knew instantly I had to try it so I made a trip down with Judith to Tian Kee & Co. Thank you for going with me on such late notice, love you boo!



Tian Kee is a provision-turned cafe situated at Dakota Crescent. It's super old school as it's housed in the ground floor of low-rise flats and they preserve certain elements like cemented flooring and marble tiled tables. Love the entire vibe, could be the most hipster cafe I've been to in Singapore.



Iced nuts about you ($7) is a nutella flavored coffee if I remember correctly. They use coffee cubes to retain the taste. Really liked the coffee except that it kept me up till 3am hehe.


The food on the other hand was quite disappointing. Smoked salmon salad (approx $14) was a tad too sour and bread was a bit stale. The big breakfast ($14.90) was decent but not something I'd come back for. The truffled scrambled egg wasn't very truffle-ish but I liked the pork sausages.




And yes, the unicorn of cheesecakes! Was super enticed when I saw the whole cake and I couldn't wait to try it. The rainbow cheesecake (approx $6.50) texture is like tofu cheesecake so I like it! I would give it 8/10 (demerit points cos I thought it was a bit too salty)! I really like the texture, color and overall taste so it's a yay for me!
I wanna go back to try the yuan yang cake and durian cheesecake also!



Sweater weather outfit, skirt coming up on TJM this Sunday!

Tian Kee & Co
12 Dakota Crescent #01-48
Tue to Thu: 12pm – 9pm

Fri: 12pm – 9pm
Sat: 10am – 9pm
Sun: 10am – 8pm


*
Went for facial at Trinity Medical Centre before Tian Kee since it was nearby! My complexion has been pretty alright but just wanted to go back to my doctor to check if I can improve it further!


Just a little bit of clogged pores and dehydration but other than that, Doctor Lim said my complexion improved! YAY! :D



But I really hate clogged pores cos it gives me small little bumps so he recommended I use this exfoliating scrub to cleanse my pores thoroughly. It won Bazaar's best exfoliating scrub so I really hope it will completely eradicate my clogged pores problem. Tried it once already and my skin really felt damn smooth after that, love it!


Did minor extraction to remove all the white/black heads!


Face after extraction! The redness went away after 1 day.

Dr Lim also recommended I do IPL for my face so it will be more radiant and it also helps to lighten my dark spots so I gave it a shot. There's not much of a down time and it didn't hurt as well. It's been a couple of days since I did the IPL already and my skin is definitely more glowy and radiant than before! Doesn't look as dull as before.

Some pics after IPL!

There's filter in this collage cos I was being vain hahaha.

Can't really see a huge difference now but I think it will be more evident after a week? Y'all can stalk my IG for the next few weeks for selfies if y'all wanna track my progress but I'm already liking the radiance now! 

For those who are interested, you can check it out here

Trinity Medical Centre
87 Marine Parade Central
(+65) 6344 0027


XX
Sophia
Instagram and Twitter : @sophiachong

Tuesday 21 October 2014

HOW TO DE-STRESS YOURSELF!

As an online shop owner and blogger, I'm usually very busy with work once I wake up till I sleep. Take photos for advertorials, go for photo shoot, draft blog posts, travel overseas to source etc etc. It's really tiring and stressful sometimes and I don't have much time to unwind. I'm sure it's pretty obvious to most of you that the way I unwind is usually to go for beach vacations. On days I don't have time to travel overseas, I'll go for a swim, read a book, have a hearty meal, watch a movie. Or on days I don't even have time to do the above, I'll drink something refreshing to relieve some stress. And my current favorite de-stress drink is................

F&N NUTRITEA Lemongrass with ginger!
Super happy I discovered this Lemongrass with ginger drink from F&N NUTRITEA!!! It's my favorite drink when I wanna freshen up or even relieve my headache from using my laptop too much.



#FUNFACT :
Lemongrass is renowned for its calming and therapeutic effects which is perfect for stressful and busy me. Ginger delivers a soothing warmth from within, restoring harmony and wellness.

Initially, I had my reservations about the drink and if it's another healthy brew off the shelves. Until the effects of Lemongrass and ginger took place! When I took my first sip I thought OMG IT'S SOOOO GOOD. It felt light, refreshing, a tad sweet. Most importantly of all, it's the after-effect of drinking it.

It felt soothing and calming at the same time. Made me feel relaxed as if I had just done an hour massage at a spa or something. I now have a packet with me at my work and study table, whenever I’m working so the drink relaxes me every time I tense up due to stress and tight timelines (y’know, rushing to meet deadlines, meet my launches etc.) It doesn’t just soothe me, but also perks me up instantly cause the taste of Ginger gives a kick!





I started with the small carton and now I'm at my big carton already! I even passed my sister another small carton and asked her to bring to work and drink so she can de-stress at work too. How convenient!


I love the small carton cause I can bring it out and put it in my bag like an aunty. I have it with me when I do my shoots, cause I have a sensitive stomach and gets gastric pain and stomach disorder from time to time. The drink also aids in my headaches and exhaustion -
the usual symptoms I get whenever I get too engrossed with work, especially when I’m traveling.
If you’re dealing with either school or work, please give it a try too! You will feel much much much better after drinking it because the drink soothes!
.
.
.
SIMPLY TAKE PART IN THE SELFIE CONTEST TO WIN A SOOTH PACKAGE WHICH INCLUDES A FREE STAYCATION AND NUTRITEA HAMPERS!

Simply upload a selfie of yourself with a pack of F&N NUTRITEA on Instagram and #nutriteasoothes.
Make sure your caption answers why you think you deserve to win it! Make sure you get your friends to like your picture also!

For more information, head over to www.nutritea.com.sg/lemongrasswithginger/

Here's the picture I'mma upload (:

It's super easy right? Go do it now (: You might just be the lucky winner of a FREE staycation and a F&N NUTRITEA hamper! It's gonna be such a great way to unwind!


GOOD LUCK!

XX
Sophia
Instagram and Twitter : @sophiachong

Sunday 19 October 2014

$50 BANGKOK CHALLENGE!

So just last week I made a leisure trip to Bangkok for 3 days and I decided to challenge myself to spend just $50 on food for the entire trip. Well if you've been to BKK before you know it's possible if I just keep eating street food since street food stalls charge $1- $3.50 for a bowl of noodles/rice. But I wanted to have nice food, delectable desserts, brewed coffee all within $50 so let's see how I fared!

Reached Bangkok at 8.30am and went straight to Pratunam market after dropping my luggage at my boutique hotel in Thonglor. Jetted off straight to the famous wanton mee stall, SabX2, that's filled with Singaporeans now.



Maybe I've eaten it for years already that I don't like it as much as before BUT it still makes a decent satisfying meal. And it's one of the only wanton mee stalls that I know of that opens super early in the morning. The other famous ones in Thonglor don't open till like 11am?

SabX2 is famous for their dry wanton mee and pork rice. Their wanton mee is nice mainly because of the super yummy fried pork lard which adds a ton of fragrance to the dish. The wanton albeit a tad small, is quite tasty too. 
The pork rice? It's tender and fat!!! I love the salted vege that comes along with it too.
Both dishes cost 50baht each and I usually order 1 plate of each cos the portion is quite small.
But since it was breakfast and I'm not a big breakfast eater, I only had 1 bowl of wanton mee.

SabX2 damage : 50baht (SGD$2.00)

SabX2
Petchburi soi 19


One of my favorite drinks to sip on in Bangkok's sweltering heat is this bottle of tangerine juice. It might be too sweet for some of you but if you have a sweet tooth like me, you would love this 20 baht bottle of goodness. It's so refreshing and sweet, and it's only 80cents!

Fruit and juice stalls are common sights in BKK so you can find it easily. Pomegranate juice is quite famous too but I prefer the tangerine one!

Spent an hour running some errands then headed back to the hotel for a nap while waiting for Judith and Denise to touch down and join me! We were rushing to meet our other friends so we settled for dinner right outside our hotel which was quite packed during dinner time.

 Tom Yum Goong

Ordered morning glory with garlic, tom yum soup with seafood, and fried pork. 
Niyom Pochana is listed as one of Thonglor's best street food but I'm not too sure about that. The food tasted alright, but not something I would go back for. Maybe their other dishes are nicer?

Dinner (with drinks) damage per person : 150 baht (SGD$6)

Niyom Pochana
125 Sukhumvit Soi 55, 02-3911517


This was on day 2 when we headed back to Pratunam area so the girls could shop around. Started my day with my favorite coconut juice from road side stalls. 30baht for a sweet coconut hmmm!

We wanted to have yum-mama noodles for lunch but it was already closed so we settled for omelette rice along Petchburi soi 19. I know it sounds damn simple but somehow it just tasted really good! They added minced pork and spices into the omelette so it tasted really yummy!



Shared a bowl with Denise since we weren't that hungry and it was only 35 baht

Headed back to Thonglor area to chill while the girls continued shopping and decided to check out Boyy cafe alone which I've been wanting to after hearing reviews about their dope croissant.




Nestled in the heart of Thonglor, Boyy cafe has a rustic and welcoming touch to it. I like how some cafes are designed to make people feel comfortable even when they're alone and Boyy is just like that. It's just the ambience and various elements like having books/magazines and round tables. 






Had the plain croissant which was really nice! Crispy crust with a slight salty buttery taste to it. Had a cup of iced blended chocolate banana drink to go with my afternoon of reading and going through Instagram (:

Damage at Boyy Cafe : approx 250 baht (SGD$10)

Boyy cafe
Grass, Thonglor Soi 10


We were heading out to party at Demo (ekkamai area) so we decided to grab dinner nearby. A quick google search led us to this famous Thai eatery that's popular among the locals. Ordered 6 dishes for 3 people heheh. My favorites have got to be the stir-fried vege with egg bits and tom yum goong! They are famous for their chicken but I've tried nicer ones around.

Total damage for 1 person : 250baht (SGD$10) 
So ridiculously cheap for 6 dishes!!! I'd definitely go back again. Nice and cheap!

Sabai Jai Gai Yang
Ekkamai soi 1, opposite Health Land






On the last day of our trip we decided to be a little adventurous with our cafe selection and picked this japanese-italian fusion cafe, Vanilla Bakeshop, tucked in an inconspicuous alley along Ekkamai.

And this, was our first meal. Unregrettably sinful!

The ring is their signature dish which is a hybrid croissant donut topped with vanilla custard top ice cream and caramel grass. SO GLORIOUS I LOVE IT. 280 baht, anytime brah! 




We also ordered the all-day Big Breakfast set (550baht) to share and it left all of us so freaking full. It comes with eggs of your choice (sunny side up, scrambled, omelette), orange juice, coffee, smoked ham, bacon, italian sausage, garlic mushroom with spinach, cheese toast and sauteed potato served with yoghurt with berries and maple puff pancake. That was the biggest and most value for money big breakfast I've ever eaten in my life. $22 for an endless list of food. If you're not a big (no scrap that, make it huge) eater, then make sure you share it with a friend or two.

Vanilla Bakeshop damage w tax per person : 304 baht (SGD$12)

Vanilla Bakeshop
Ekkamai Soi 12








Made a last quick stop at Maewaree for Thonglor's best mango sticky rice (120baht) according to a few friends!
Rice was super fragrant and had a nice texture but mango was a bit too sour that day. Apparently, it's not usually that sour so gotta go back to try again. They also have a choice of white, green and black glutinous rice so we picked white and green. Still prefer the former. Shared this among 3 people and it was sufficient considering the heavy lunch we had.

Maewaree damage per person : 40 baht (SGD$1.60)

Maewaree
Sukhumvit Soi 55.
Walk down towards Thonglor from Thonglor BTS and you will see it on the left side. It's one of the first few stalls along the road.

Before we headed to the airport, we had a quick meal at Thonglor where I spent 90 baht on a plate of pork basil rice. Didn't have time to take pictures cos we were rushing to the airport.

That's all the food I had in BKK for 3 days and I'm a satisfied girl. Had a good mix between roadside stalls and cafe food!

TOTAL DAMAGE FOR 3 DAYS : 1202baht, SGD$48.10!
MISSION POSSIBLE!

Super glad that I passed my own challenge but of course it helped that I went with 2 other friends so we could order more and split the bill. I think it would still be possible to do it alone, but maybe at less fancy cafes. I hope this post helps those of you planning to go BKK with a tight budget. Should I do one with a $30 budget next? Challenge me something, I'll do it if it's interesting (:
sophia.chong@hotmail.com or comment in the comment box below.

Also, you can view my BKK 3 days $50 challenge pictures on Instagram by searching #50bkkchallenge .

It's possible to to live with $50 after all (:

XX
Sophia Chong
Instagram : @sophiachong