Good Things

As Martha Stewart would say, these are “good things”. First week of a new semester and my mind is reeling from the sheer number of essays due in March. My gawd!
So I did what most people would do – look for a means of an escape! And escapism for me came in the form of urgently craving a hot delicious cup of earl grey tea. I usually prefer breakfast teas, but after back-to-back lectures today, all I could think of was earl grey tea. Ahh. How nice it would be to have some in this cold (well, ok, 13 degrees for winter is laughably warm) wintry weather!

I couldn’t just drink any tea, surely!? So off I went to Fortnum & Masons (cursing under my breath as its neither near where I stay nor school) to get that caddy of earl grey. While in the store, I was also reminded that they have a lovely selection of biscuits – which took me the better half of an evening to browse – before I finally selected two tins to try. The jubilee pistachio and clotted cream biscuits and golden crunch Picadilly biscuits. Oh I hope they turn out nice! Tea and biscuits! I hope they will cure me of essay headaches!

Tags: Fortnum & Masons

Clarins blue orchid face treatment oil

While in Barcelona, I made a visit to Sephora to pick up some skincare items since London doesn’t have a Sephora (bummer!). One of the items I picked up was the Clarins Blue Orchid Face Treatment Oil for dehydrated skin. Even though Clarins is available in London, I picked this up along with other stuff as I am not about to make a special trip anywhere in London just to buy a single item!
I’ve been using the oil every night for a week now and it has really helped hydrate my skin, especially a horrific scaly forehead. I’m *finished* with moisturisers as they don’t really work for me in the wintry weather. This oil is light and smells quite pleasant. I like the fact that it’s pure oil, without any other fillers. This, together with the Naruko narcissus total defense night repairing dew work well for me. Please note however that my positive comments are in the context of winter. It will not be suitable for the humid weather in Singapore (unless you have extremely dry skin or spend much time in air-conditioning).

Tags: Clarins

Muji New Year’s heavily discounted haul!

Only intended to get an incense stick burner from Muji as I bought some lovely ginger lily sticks from Zara Home in Barcelona. However, the heavily reduced prices on other stuff was simply too hard to resist. In the end, I purchased a felt iPhone case and matching felt spectacles holder for as little as £3. Also picked up a £5 bag pouch in dark green which can be transferred from handbag to handbag. A scented candle in a tin for £2 and a pencil case for £1.50! Unbelievably bargain prices.

Tags: London, Muji

Bioderma Cleansing Gel and Cleansing Water

Happy New Year to my readers! May the year ahead be starry and smooth-sailing for you!

I spent the first few days of 2012 in sunny and picturesque Barcelona. Although I made pit-stops at Bershka, Stradivarius and Mango, the highlight of my trip was being able to snag some bottles of Bioderma cleansing water and cleansing gel from a pharmacy in the Spanish city. After reading the product’s review on one of my favourite blogs, FrontRowBeauty, I was convinced that this would be a good purchase. Indeed, it is one of the best make-up cleansers I have used. The cleansing water does not sting the eyes at all, and removes waterproof make-up very effectively. I would re-purchase the cleansing water in a heartbeat.

The cleansing gel also came highly recommended by the pharmacy staff although I have yet to try it out. I am optimistic though, that it would fare well too.

Here are some photos of the Bioderma products and a few from my Barcelona vacation – a must-visit if you have not been there!

Till the next post from London!

 

Elf brushes and makeup

Decided to get some ELF products as a Christmas present to self.
Since I’m in the UK where the brand is available (free delivery above £30), I thought this was a good time.

The most expensive item is £3.50. Most of the items I ordered were from the Studio line. Most of all, I decided to try their brushes.

Some cream eyeliners in dark blue and olive green.
Also ordered a blush cum bronzer combo. This looked promising.

Hopefully they don’t disappoint!

Tags: Elf

Keratase Resistance Double Force Multi-Protective Spray for Weakened Hair

A friend of mine who needs to look good all the time at work recommended the Keratase Resistance Double Force Multi-Protective Spray for Weakened Hair (green bottle). She swears by it.
I had enough bad hair days, especially after gusty winds in London, and in desperation sought her advice.
And what a good recommendation it was. Apparently this is hard to find in Singapore, but many salons sell the product over here in the UK.

It cost me £18.50 for 300ml can. Test drove it today and am pleased with the results. This hairspray has a lovely scent, doesn’t make the hair crunchy ( my hair still looks natural and I can run my fingers through it as it’s still soft) but it gives a mild hold and keeps all the frays at bay. Perfection in a can.
This is a keeper.

Tags: Hair spray

New Ring

Like the new ring? *grin*

Christmas shopping

Made a pilgrimage to Fortnum and Mason this afternoon to get some tea and also pick up a dessert for an upcoming Christmas eve potluck dinner party.

Fortnum is a lovely place but I only managed to survey the ground floor, due to the pre-Christmas shopping rush.
I decided on six large almond mince pies for the party, and picked up the following for myself :-
Royal blend tea, Breakfast tea and Irish Breakfast tea. A jar of thick cut Sir Nigel’s marmalade and a strawberry jam with extra fruit. Resisted the ones with cognac and champagne as they were quite dear.

Wishing all readers a Happy Christmas and lots of good cheer ahead for the New Year!

Tags: Fortnum and Mason

Another (yes, another) haul from H&M

Hauled more stuff from H&M today. This is really terrible. H&M to me stands for Hauling and Mauling (my wallet, that is!).

Today’s catch of the day :
1. Rust wool blend mini skirt
2. Cute houndstooth blazer (for fashion more that practicality) but looks amazing when paired with a pastel light scarf
3. Silky blouse in grey (former model Jerry Hall is photographed wearing the white version)

Tags: H&M

Accessorize at Covent Garden

Today after class, I went a little mad at Accessorize and H&M. Bought a bunch of things and felt really happy!

Sure, they don’t cost a lot – most of the stuff hovered around the £3.99 mark. But it made me feel like a million dollars!

Covent garden has been dressed for Christmas!

Tags: Accessorize, H&M