Haul | Paris

I got this many things, threw it in a bag and took the Eurostar back to London~ 

Here's the exciting part-- the haul!

I went to CityPharma at 26 Rue du Four (the place to go for all skincare junkies), went into a trance and got a bunch of things.

I actually did research on what I wanted to get and things my relatives requested before going, but I still ended up this many things because everything is SO MUCH CHEAPER THAN SINGAPORE!!!(Even with the exchange rate, which was around 1.65:1)

I spent a ton and freaked out when I got to the cashier:

"€420 ?! WTH did I buy?" was the first thought in my head (even though I was the one who picked the items..)

I got some soap, Bioderma, moisturisers etc. French skincare is well known in the world and if you look at the French women in real life, you'd want to buy whatever they're using too. The good thing is, you can enjoy tax free shopping when you spend around  €175 and above, which can be easily done. 

Things that are super worth it to buy:

Haul | Phuket, Thailand

I'm back from Phuket and I have a little haul post for you guys~! :)

Considering my past records, I have to say, I was a good girl this time -- no big holes in any wallets.

Plus, you guys know that Thailand is pretty cheap so all's good~

I was in Phuket, Kata area, with my mum for 5 days and boy, was the sun shining bright and hot!

Never thought I would be this tanned but here I am, at least 3 shades darker than before.

Gotta say, this is really troublesome because my foundations are all too light for me now :(

Not sure if I should go get one that matches my skin colour now or pray that I will return to my original colouring soon (probably a month or so). Meanwhile, I've resorted to using bronzer all over my face to ensure I don't make the bald face eagle foundation faux pas - light face but dark body.

Any thoughts on what I should do about this? :\

Dilemma aside, let's get on with the haul!

Haul | F21, Uniqlo, Zara & F3 Bazaar

So...I did a little shopping over the past few weeks.
Nothing major (read: not a huge damage to my wallet), and I scored some sweet deals during the F3 Fashion Bazaar sale last weekend (9 -13 May)

Let me just say that if you are a fan of F3 shops, this once every 2-3 years bazaar is the best thing evarrr.

If you don't mind past seasons stuff, that is. Also, sizes either run big or small, so it's a good time for curvy/skinny girls to stock up.

Clothing items go up to 70% off (and more for some) while accessories and jewellery will not exceed $10. In fact, Topshop's jewellery line, Freedom, were all going at $2 each.

Tip: Follow them on Facebook or Instagram for first deeds! (but it won't be until a few years later)

Let's get right on to the haul!

(Pardon the un-ironed sight of them)

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F21/UNIQLO 

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F21 is to fashion what MacDonald is to food. Both are cheaper alternatives, both give customers satisfaction and happiness, and both end up with customers regretting (sometimes) going in there after coming out, with their wallets/health not unscathed. *All are from F21 unless otherwise mentioned*

1. Knit Cami in Heather Grey/Black/Mint - $4 each
These are good for layering under that translucent/gaping back top or even on its own with high waisted shorts and midi skirts. At $4 each, I almost got every colour they had in stock. Almost.

2. Burgundy Dress - $23
Something easy to throw on with a dainty necklace for those lazy-to-move days. Plus, since it's so lightweight, it's great for the summer!

3. Short Sleeve Long Dress (from Uniqlo) - $29.90
I have the same exact dress, minus the belt, in mustard yellow and I LOVE IT. So I decided to get it in this pretty blue too.

4. Dripping Necklace in White - $10 (UP: $27)

5. "C' in Gold necklace - $1 (UP: $7)

6. Triangular necklace in Orange - $10 (UP: $21)

7. "C" on Black - $1 (UP:$7)

I don't have colourful statement necklaces and since 4 & 6 were on sale, I thought I'd add them to my collection. I got 5 & 7 because, how cute are they!! And they have my initials on them too! They would make great everyday necklaces as well~ Can't believe I didn't see them previously and at $1? They are a steal.

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ZARA

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My love for ZARA has been rekindled. Recently, they have been coming out with really pretty and trendy pieces and I am lusting after them. Unfortunately, I am not working i.e no income which pretty much means no spending recklessly.

1. Striped Shirt with Jewel Buttons - $79.90
I love the details on this blouse and my mum personally okayed it so...I got it. Although horizontal stripes are usually frowned upon for full-figured people, there are ways to make it work. The material that the striped top is made of, for one, can help soften the overall effect that stripes have. Here, the blouse is made of chiffon, a lightweight and flowy material, which helps mitigate the 'blocked' effect that stripes impose. Another tip is to look for thin stripes. Thick stripes add to the overweight effect which is what we want to avoid. So, with these tips, don't be afraid of wearing horizontal stripes anymore!
(A detailed shot of the blouse at the bottom of this section)

2. Faux Leather Skirt - $79.90
Yes, I jumped on the skorts bandwagon. Like everyone else. Gotta say though, I sorta understand what the hype is about now. These are great for spring/summer.

3. Faux Leather Skirt with Zips - $69.90
I know. It's white and no, I'm not crazy. I had to exchange this after buying it because the black skorts stained it. Just from being in the same paper bag. My heart dropped when I saw the stains but thankfully, and gratefully, the people at ZARA were willing to exchange it for me. So BIG BIG THANKS TO THE PEEPS THERE :) Note to self: gotta be extra careful wearing this out.
You might wonder why would I buy it if it's so troublesome. I got it because, first off, it's white and second, it's so soft! It's like wearing cotton candy. Plus, the dolphin hem - the curved line at the sides - gives it a sporty vibe and additionally, it is supposed to be a very flattering hemline for shorties (like me) as it helps to elongate your legs.

Close-up of the jewel buttons.
I love the level of details but this blouse is gonna take some time to put on.

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WAREHOUSE/TOPSHOP/IZZUE

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Bought all these on 2 separate occasions. First on F3 members preview day (9th) and the second on the following Sunday (11th). They had a promotion for DBS/POSB card members - $10 off for every $100 spent. Which means, more savings!!

1. Black Utility Jacket with Pleather sleeves (Warehouse) - $59 (UP: $156)
I'm a sucker for outerwear. Nuff' said.

2. White Strappy wedges (Venilla Suite, made to love) - $69 (UP: $159)
"I don't need more shoes," said no females ever.
White is always en-pointe for summer and this pair of wedges has an interesting detail on its strap - it's a clear band going across the top of the feet. I have high hopes for this pair of wedges as my everyday shoe this season.

3. Flocking Foil "X" Tee (Izzue) - $19 (UP: $59)
This is a men's tee. Sometimes, I feel that men's tees have such nice designs. This is one of those times.
I was pulled in by the holographic detail with the cutout stars. Usually, I don't like tees with words but "HEATWAVE" is pretty apt for the upcoming weather. And yes, don't limit yourself to only the clothes meant for your gender, if you like it and it fits, get it (if you have the means), regardless of which gender it is supposed to be for.

4. Flowery Spag Cami (Topshop Boutique) - $15 (UP: $103)
I only realised that this is made of 100% silk when I got home. Imagine my joy and surprise as 100% silk anything is usually pretty expensive. In the scorching heat, wearing silk is a good way to keep cool. I thought that this would be a good piece to bring with me for an upcoming trip in July (more details later!) as it's going to be hot and humid where I'm going.

5. Leather top (Warehouse) - $23 (UP: $153)
I gotta give my thanks to my friend who saw this and gave it to me (because it was more my size than hers).
This is a mixed media top - the front is of real leather (sorry my vegan readers) while the back is of chiffon with an overlapping flaps detail. Initially, I was hesitant about getting this because it's kinda tough to wear leather in Singapore and I debated this over a Topshop chiffon top. Which, come to think about it, was kinda stupid to debate over because the savings for this leather piece totally tops the Topshop piece. So, I'm totally glad I got this in the end. Now, the question is how to wear this in this weather...

6. Spikes Earrings/Earcuff - $2 (UP: $23)
I've seen many versions of the earrings/earcuffs but they are always studs. Which, sadly, I can't wear because I have thick earlobes. So when I chanced upon this at the bazaar, I snapped it up! And at $2, it's a major steal.

7. Stegosaurus Ring in Gold - $2 (UP: ???)
Doesn't the 3D flatten things resemble the dermal plates on a Stegosaurus' back? Well, at least I think so. Pretty cool!

8. Religious Statue in Resin Necklace - $2 (UP: ???)
A plain white tee is the best canvas for this necklace to stand out. Not your traditional statement piece and pretty unique within my necklace collection.

~~

Didn't do much damage considering my past record so I'm plenty happy.

Can't wait to wear some of them this coming summer!

Have you done any shopping for Summer 2014?

What are your must-have pieces?

For me, I think the white wedges, Spag Cami and Knit Camis will be my go-tos this summer.

Hit me up @ Twitter or Facebook!

I'd love to hear from you :)

Also, follow me on Lookbook or Instagram to glimpse a slice of my daily life!

Till next time.
Love,
Christine xoxo

Hong Kong Haul!

Hello everyone!

Here's me back with my post on all the goodies I've got for myself from Hong Kong. If you've not read about my trip to Hong Kong, click here to read it!

Anyway let's quickly move on to the stuff that I've bought in Hong Kong. First up, my T-shirts and tops!

1: Monki, 80 hkd. 2: Some shop in Kwai Fung, 20 hkd. 3: 6ixty-8ight, 168 hkd. 4: Esprit, ~45 hkd after discount. 5: Monki, 80 hkd. 6: Esprit, ~45 hkd aft. discount.

I'm super satisfied with the shirts I've bought this time, especially the shirts from Monki. I love buying shirts from there because the cloth is thin (but not like cheap cloth), feel super smooth against my skin and has really great uni designs on it. Best of all, if you always feel fat just because you're size xl etc, you'll feel happy here because you won't be wearing that size. I wear a size S there for the shirts and can even fit nicely into XS! Haha. So if there's no Monki outlet near you and you happen to be in Hong Kong, go check one of the shops out. You can go to the Monki store at Langham Place which is directly connected to Mongkok MTR as it is the easiest to access. If you're ever in the area of Tsim Sha Tsui, there's a new Monki store there which is bigger (2 floors!) and the interior is really cool. I discovered it on the last day of my trip while wandering the streets in TST area(that's where my guest house was located). It's a new shop so the address hasn't been listed on Monki's site, but it is definitely worth a look.

Anyway, here's a special spotlight on shirt 1. Look at the graphic. Such a cool idea. I now have a cat crawling through the hole of my body. It's like I'm one of those hollows in Bleach with a hollow hole in the body!

On this trip, I finally got a new watch! My mum bought this for me at the usual watch shop she frequents in North Point (it's just opposite the MTR exit). It's from this brand called Wired, which according to the lady, it's by Seiko. The design of the watch face is really unique and pretty. I like how it is girly yet still has that air of sophistication that I think is suitable for ladies in their 20s who are maturing into women. It's quite amazing how fast my heart was charmed by this watch despite having considered getting a watch from Fossil or Marc by Marc Jacobs for months. I walked into the shop and bam! it was the only thing I saw. I've not seen this brand in any watch shop in Singapore yet so I'm very glad I got this when I saw it. The prices of watches in that shop is always cheaper than what is charged for in Singapore, so my mum loves getting a watch from there.

Watch from Wired. The lady at the shop charged me 1000hkd, which is the discounted price for friend. haha.

Next up are the cosmetics and beauty stuff I bought from Hong Kong.
As I've mentioned in my other post, you definitely have to beauty products in Hong Kong. Go to any Watsons, Sa Sa, Colormix and Bonjour there and get mindblown by the array of stuff and the prices.

Box 1

• A spring eyelash curler by SANA that I got from Sa Sa. It was 69 hkd but I used the 10hkd with 50hkd spent voucher from Sa Sa on it, so I got it at 59 hkd. I've not tried it yet though. 
• A 50ml size sample of Clarins' Toning Lotion with Camomile. Price: 38 hkd. I'm waiting for my Vichy Toner to finish so I can put this to the test. 
• A 5ml tube of Clinique's All About Eyes serum which was selling at 48 hkd. It even has a roller ball inside too! Tried this serum for the first time today because my eyes were puffy from lack of sleep and it un-puffed pretty quickly!
• Sinful Colors' Nail Polish in the color Dream On (113) at 19.90 hkd. It's supposed to be matte finish, which I didn't realise until now. I've been wanting to try Sinful Colors' nail polishes for a while now, but I can't find any in Singapore yet. Imagine my excitement when I saw this in Sa Sa. Plus it's super affordable (around 3+ sgd). I grabbed one for myself and another for a friend. I would have grabbed more if I had not bought more nail polishes from Watsons before the trip...It's a little sad that I've to restrict my (quickly growing)nail polish collection.

Box 2

• From Watsons, I bought Fasio's Limited Edition Full Dynamic Eyes Set at 98 hkd. This is a super value set because I saw that the prices for each individual item on the shelf going at around 80 hkd each (I think. It has been a while since I last saw the tag...) The set contains the Full Dynamic Volume Mascara and the Mascaliner. They're both full sized products if I'm not wrong. The Full Dynamic Volume Mascara has your standard big round mascara wand. The Mascaliner is a mascara plus eyeliner in one, if you've not guessed from the name by now. The brush is a comb brush, and at the end of the brush is a tiny nylon tip which is the liner part, enabling you to draw sharp lines (says the box). Anyway, I love the mascaras from Fasio so I look forward to trying them out soon.
• In the skinny box beside is Canmake's Quick Easy Liner. It cost me 46 hkd after the 10hkd discount, making it a really cheap eyeliner. It's a liquid liner with a 1.65mm felt tip. It's pretty small and light, making it easy to carry around. It looks like the ink will finish very quickly though... Anyway, I saw an advert for this at the back of a japanese magazine so I went to get it. The eyeliner felt tip is slightly stiff but easy to draw with. It stays on well but it still smudged on me at the end of the day. I like how it's easy to remove. I guess I like my liquid liner from Dolly Wink better but this is definitely a lot cheaper. 
• The pink pen at the bottom is the Color Brilliant Pencil from Lavshuca. It's in the shade PK-2 and it pencil liner. It's a bright pink colour but not the hot pink that I was hoping for. It was pretty cheap and I got it because I've been wanting to try a liner from Lavshuca for a long time now. It's not that bright on my tan skin though. I think it'll look great when mixed with my purple eyeliner or as a base eye color as well. This kind of pink will always be in for Spring.

Box 3

• Here are my 2 boxes of face masks from this brand called "My Scheme" (this is my bad translation of the chinese name. It's wo de xin ji in chinese). This brand is similar to My Beauty Diary in alot of ways. Both are from Taiwan, paper masks, have cute pictures and most importantly, work well. However this brand is slightly cheaper than My Beauty Diary in Hong Kong. I got these masks at 2 boxes for 80hkd on offer at Colormix, which roughly sums up to 13+sgd for 2 boxes and 6+ sgd for one! That is a total steal, as in Singapore, the price of one box is around 12sgd I think. If you're thinking that the masks are cheap because they're expiring, then you're wrong. They're expiring 2 years from now, by then which they'll have been used up by me already. If you're a fan of My Beauty Diary, Hong Kong sells them cheaply is you aren't going Taiwan. Different shops were selling them at different prices though. Colormix was selling one box for 78 hkd, while Sa Sa was selling 3 for 159hkd(53hkd/box). The Bonjour shop further down the same street was selling a box at 52hkd. Hence my sister got herself 2 boxes of the masks from Bonjour(they weren't expiring soon either). They cost around $14-16 in Singapore so it's worth the while to stock up on masks while in Hong Kong. :)

Here are some random stuff that I got. Ice Breakers' Sours(Love them!) and the Ice Cubes (which are chewing gum) from a supermarket. I like the Sours mints from Ice Breakers, so I was super happy to find them in bigger packaging than in Singapore. I've not seen the Ice Cubes before so I bought 2 for gifting. The bottle in the middle is makeup remover that aims to make itself a Bioderma dupe. Like  Bioderma, it is a micellar solution that claims to remove your makeup and suit sensitive skin. I got it because it's a huge 500ml bottle and it only cost me 68 hkd from Sa Sa. It works pretty well so far. I need to put it to the hard test of removing waterproof lash fibres mascara to check the effectiveness someday...

Socks are from a shop in Kwai Fung, Hairband from Argyle Centre(Mongkok) and the nail tools are from Dragon Centre 5th Floor (Sham Shui Po).

More random stuff. These are the odds and ends that I gathered from the various shops I went to. 2 pairs of socks(the leopard one is so cute!), a fancy red hairband, nail striper brushes in 3 sizes and a nail file. The things I tend to buy while wandering around...

Here's a picture of the Pocky that I bought at the Marketplace because I've not seen them before:

From Left: Mango Mousse Pocky, Rare Cheese Cake flavor Pocky and Green Tea  Mousse Pocky.

These Pocky flavors are not found in Singapore I think, as I've not seen them in any of the NTUC/Cold Storage/Giant here.My sister and I bought one box of each kind to try. So far, I've tried the cheesecake one and it was yummy. Reminded me of biscuits with lemon cream filling.

Now let's welcome a new member to my bag family:

Ta-dah! I bought this at the Aeon Jusco at Tsuen Wan for 189 hkd after discount. It was on sale and I was swept away by the design and bold colours. I've been wanting a new backpack for school (one of my other bagpacks broke after 5 years... :( ) It has 3 compartments and a laptop section so it'll do finely for school. Benefit of having such a bagpack is that I'll always know where my seat is in the sea of uniform tables at the canteen during lunch.

Lastly, I bought a new pair of flats while walking in Wan Chai market. It's from a shop called Union and it was having a sale. I bought mine at 299 hkd I think.

This pair of shoes are leather and has fringe plus tribal design at the toes, making them ultra cool to pair with everyday casual-wear. Fringe is quite trendy too. I love the coral and the softness of the leather (so soft!). I think they're real because they feel and smell like it. I've been wearing them to school and they're really comfy to walk in and absorbs impact quite decently.

Well that's all about my haul from Hong Kong. Personally, with the exception of the watch, I notice my shopping has been quite tame this time round. I didn't spend money on exorbitantly priced items, neither did I buy alot of makeup and skincare compared to my last trip there. I'm a little proud of myself for having not spent so much :) However, not having spent a lot of time shopping doesn't mean the trip was boring though. My family spent more money on eating expensive but mostly yummy dim sum and other food. I can't wait to go to Hong Kong to do more shopping again, preferably during the sale season for their spring/summer clothes!

Till next time.
Love,
El   xoxo

I'VE NOT SHOPPED THIS MUCH SINCE LAST YEAR!

Guys.

Geddit, GEDDIT?? :D 

If you do then...

"Haha, yes, I did it. Puns away. You're welcomed."

But if not...

"Okay, forget it. Just continue reading"

Before I go on,
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL!
May 2014 be full of happiness and awesomeness for all of you :D

First post of the year and it's a shopping haul post.
I hope this don't mean anything for the rest of my year.

~~

Last Friday, I met up with one of our (El's and my) mutual friend from high school and we went shopping!!

ALWAYS SAY YES TO RETAIL THERAPY PEOPLE.

(I felt bad only doing shopping just because I know she's not a shopping person. 

Even El (who's in HK now, stay tuned for her post!) asked if our friend was bored just shopping with me. :( )

A rare photo of Hannah and I.
Taken that night at The Long Bar @ Raffles Hotel. The place was very retro.

It was nice talking to her as she is studying in Sydney and hence, we only see her once a year. Even then, we don't really talk. It's more of a watch TV shows and just hang out at Hannah's place kinda thing.
So yes, it's amazing how our friendship survived with just a measly annual meeting that doesn't even involve much interaction.

Anyway, yes, I went shopping and when Christine goes shopping, it's never a good ending for her bank account.

No exception this time round.

~~

Hit the jackpot at these stores.

I think they ran out of TOPSHOP bags. 

I only realised that ALL I bought were bottoms when I started on this post. LOL.

Here are the individual shots!

ALL WERE ON SALE. HURRAY FOR SALE SEASON.

Jeans: Topshop (Motor Baxter Skinny), S$49
Black slouchy shorts: Forever 21, S$10
Denim shorts with embroidered flowers inserts : Forever 21, S$15
Black skirt with green flowers: Warehouse, S$49
Zippy pleather skirt: Pull & Bear, S$29.90
Plaid skirt: Pull & Bear, S$17.90

I'm trying to build up my basic essentials staples.
The jeans and pleather skirt are definitely going on the list.
It's a ever-growing list.

Besides focusing just on plain basics, the little details matter too.
Cue denim shorts and the skater skirt.
So yes, pay attention to the little details.
Even a simple pleather skirt has so many variations to it.
(The zip down front changes so many things)


Got a Spikes & Roses bracelet from Topshop, Freedom too (S$9). It was love at first sight.
Love the contrast between the edgy spikes and the feminine roses. Such a bright colour too.

I will probably put together a lookbook for these soon so look out for it! :)

Till next time.

Love,
Christine xoxo.

Christine's Watsons Sale Haul

As El mentioned in hers, the both of us went to Watsons' one-day member sale albeit at different stores last Wednesday. This is really a good time to stock up on make-up, haircare, and skincare as discounts hit as much as 20%+ 5% (member) off and not to mention, there are the buy-one-get-one-free offers!

I went to two Watsons - Tiong Bahru Plaza and Lot 1.
Some of the items I bought are to replenish my almost depleted stock. 

Then there are those I wanted to try.

Here goes.

Note: Prices stated are after discount.

1. Complete multi-purpose solution for contact lenses, $22.60

This 3-pack solution usually costs $26 at stores selling them. For $22.60, I'd gladly stock it up. Plus I'm running low.

2. Majolica Majorca Honey Pump Gloss Neo in OR240 and Aurora Tear Liner in Blue, $9.90

This came as a package deal. I think if they were to be bought separately, it'd cost over SGD$20. So, it's a really good deal. Thanks to El for pointing it out to me. 

(Coincidentally, or not, we both got the same lipgloss shade)

I got this at the Tiong Bahru Plaza outlet. The salesgirl was really nice. She offered to change the lipgloss and liner in the already packaged ones to the combination I wanted. She also swatched the colours of the lipglosses for me although they were tons of people around and the store was packed. Thumbs up to her.

3. L'Oreal Paris Elvive Extraordinary Oil, $16.90

I have come across some good reviews about this hair oil and have been wanting to get it.
It's supposed to help maintain the frizz and keep your hair moisturised.
Smells musky though, like sandalwood - not really my kinda scent.
But we'll see how well it works on my unruly, frizzy hair.

4. Bio-Oil, $12.50

I just started using this oil about 2 months ago to lighten the scars on my body as a result of eczema.
It claims to be a skincare product for scars, stretch marks, uneven skin tone, ageing skin and dehydrated skin.

So far, the oil does what it claims - my scars have started to lighten.

And it doesn't hurt that it smells really nice, like baby powder.

I am almost down to the last few ml of my existing bottle though so this sale gave me a great excuse to get another bottle. 

5. L'Oreal Paris Studio Line Fix & Shine Finishing Spray

Just needed a hair spray to replace my empty one and this caught my eye.
It's my first time using this L'Oreal product.

It claims to be an ultra-fine formula that is anti-frizz and boosts shine.
So far, I've used it once and it doesn't seem like it does what it claims.
Maybe a few more tries.

6. Nivea Lipcare in Soft Rose and Essential Care, 2 for $6

I have almost used up my Vichy lipbalm that I got at the last Watsons sale.
It's pretty pricey for a lipbalm at ~$18 although it did help my eczema-inflicted lips.
But it's just too expensive for a lipbalm.

To me, Nivea's lipbalms are just as good and they are 6 times cheaper (on discount).
So I decided to get the Nivea ones to replace the Vichy one.
Yay to moisturizing protection for lips!

7. Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear Nail Polish in Confetti Punch(left) and Silver Streamers(right), $5.40 each

Initially, I didn't want to get any Sally Hansen nail polishes when I saw that they were going on sale as well in the Watsons sale booklet. However, when I walked past the counter, Confetti Punch caught my eye.
Since I don't have many glitter polishes, I thought that I might as well get it when it's on sale.
Also, silver streamers looked like it would be a pretty unique glitter since it's in a black and silver combination.

8. Nip+Fab Spot Fix, $15.10

Not sure about how well this works but Nip+Fab has gotten some pretty good feedback about their other products. Hence, I got this for those days when random pimples pop out at the most inconvenient timings.
I'm sure we've all had those irritating pimples.
Hope it works well!

9. Essence Floral Grunge Mini Lipgloss Set, $5.10

The mint coloured lipgloss got my attention.
Plus, it's in mini-size!
How cute is that!
For the price, I would gladly experiment with the 3 lipglosses.

10. Essence Floral Grunge Hairband in 01 Freakout, $4.70

I saw this as I was getting the lipgloss set.
It's a common enough spiked hair band but I really like that the spikes alternates between gold and silver.
Ubiquitous yet quirky at the same time.

And also, FREAKOUT. Hah. What a name for a hairband!

11. Veet Hair Removal Cream for Sensitive Skin, $9.50

The name says it all.

~~

What would you have gotten at the Watsons sale?
Share with us your thoughts on twitter or comment below! :)

Till next time.

Love,
Christine

El's Watsons Sale Haul

Hello people! How's your week going? This is going to be my last post before I stop for exams, so it's extra long.

Christine and I went for the Watsons members only sale and grabbed some of the stuff that we've been wanting to get. We both went for this sale but at different Watsons. The queue was crazy at my side, but I did manage to get most of what I wanted. I spent A LOT of money as I was getting some makeup from Majolica Majorca and also Vichy skincare, two very expensive brands at Watsons. I usually only buy expensive brands at sales( like most other people probably). I bought some random stuff as well, like food etc. I saved quite a bit from the sales. Sadly, my receipt's gone, so I can't tell you the exact prices and discounts I've got.

Are you ready for my massive haul? *Drum rolls*

*****

Ta dah!

This has got to be the most I've spent at Watsons in a while. I'll just introduce everything I've got in a clockwise direction. 

I've got myself some Nutella sticks to bring for class. They were going at 2 for $5.90. I've eaten a pack and it was pretty good. Lots of Nutella but too little biscuit sticks though.

Next is Tri-Activ Moisturiser and the Purifying Astringent Lotion from Vichy's Normaderm range. The lotion is a toner, which I liked after stealing some from my sister to use. It is soothing and smells nice. There was a 20% discount for Vichy products, so it's a good time to spend some money on skincare.

I've used a couple of Tri-Activ Moisturiser samples before deciding to buy it, as it is pricey. However, this is a good product. I find that it does control my oily skin. Best of all, I've noticed that it really helps to calm down my skin. My face was all angry and breaking out after not sleeping much for a few nights(thanks to essay deadline). After using this, I find that my skin heals faster. I know that it's this product, because that's the only thing new in my routine. Or it could be because Vichy's Hyaluspot works even better with products from the same range. Anyway, I'm quite surprised that I like this range, since I dislike the purifying cleansing gel from the same range! 

The white packet beside is a free sample of Vichy's new 3 in 1 Cleanser+Exfoliant+Mask that I received from the promoter.  The instructions say that I can use it as a cleanser/scrub or as a mask. How cool is that?

I also bought Nivea's lip balm in the colour Soft Rose. There was a 2 for $6 deal for Nivea's lip balm, so my sister and I each got one. Can't wait to use it and see if it does leave a rose shine like the package claims.

I also got myself a mini can of dry shampoo from Batiste to bring with me everywhere I go. I've been wanting to get this so that I can style my fringe in school when it starts clumping together. There's no discount for this, but since I was there...

Below is a tub of hair treatment  mask from John Frieda's Frizz-Ease range. I think I got it at 13.90,which is a 7% discount. I've been curious about the effectiveness of the Frizz-Ease range since reading about it last year. I was so happy when Watsons finally carries the brand this year! 

 

Beside it is the Skin Remaker case from Majolica Majorca(MJ). It's the limited edition rose gold casing and it was the last one at my Watsons. It has a nice mirror inside. I bought this to hold the Skin Remaker powder. The case looks super luxurious and elegant. The place to put the pan uses a clip in mechanism, making it easy to refill. There's also a place for the sponge which came with the powder.

That brown, rectangular package beside the case is the powder! It is sold separate from the case, so you'd have to buy them separately. I got mine in the shade OC10, which is a very good colour match for me. I've been wanting to try the powder after reading the reviews online. For those of you who doesn't know, MJ is by Shiseido. Since I love my foundation from Shiseido, I think the powder is worth a try. I got 25+5% discount for the items, which is a bigger than usual discount. 

I probably will give a review on this powder in the future after testing. Check back here in later if you're interested! 

To the left is the mirror from Majolica Majorca which I got for free for spending more than $35 on their products. It's really cute and handy. The green thing next to it is the free passport holder from Watsons. Amazingly(or maybe not so), Christine and I got the same colour even though we were apart. Haha.

In the center is a MJ set going at $9.90. It contains a Honey Pump Gloss Neo (shade OR 240 aka Orange) and the Aurora Teary Liner (blue). This is really worth it because the gloss itself would have cost around $12+ I think. It's a really tiny but expensive gloss. I have one and I like it. It's not sticky and it makes my lips look pretty. I'm planning to give this gloss as a christmas gift to a friend while I keep the liner for myself (I know I'm a cheapskate). 

Beside it is Bio-essence's Miracle Bio Water. They're 2 for $16.90, just like what the pink sticker on it screams. This is probably another of those thermal water mist sprays like Avène Thermal Spring Water and Vichy Thermal Spa Water. I just bought it because I'm almost done with my bottle of Oguma Aquakey, which is another facial mist. 

That's all for my haul.Whew! It has been a super long post. Thanks for staying with me if you've read till the end. I can't wait for the next Watsons sale to get more awesome stuff. I'd love to check out the Sally Hansen section to see if there's a sale for their polishes because I forgot about it. I hope you've enjoyed this post! Look out for Christine's own Watsons haul post coming soon! See you again in December :)

Till next time.

Love,

El   xoxo

Mini-haul: Chicwish, H&M, Uniqlo, Cotton On, Miss Selfridge, Americaya

As promised, here's my (somewhat) mini-haul of the stuff I bought on my self-declared retail therapy day and some other stuff I've accrued before and since then! :)

Confession: I'm an avid online shopper.

This is really a mini-haul compared to my usual shopping standard and taking into consideration that I bought  some of them 2/3 months ago.

From left to right
First row: Yellow polka dot pants, Uniqlo, $9.90 (sale); Pink dotted shirt, Cotton On, $10 (sale), Cream L/S Crop Top, Miss Selfridge, $63 ($53.70 after my F3 member discount!)

Middle row: (All from online store Chicwish) L/S crochet top, AUD33.92; Skull lace blouse, AUD29.90; Armygreen hooded parka, AUD63.67

Bottom row: (all from H&M Somerset) Black chiffon and mesh L/S top, $20 (sale); Dark green knit top, S17.90; Boyfriend jeans, $10 (sale)

~~

YES. You read that right, jeans on sale at H&M for $10. 
Who can resist getting them? (rhetorical question)

Also, Chicwish is having a 15% off store-wide at this point of writing. 
If you are about the same size as me on the top (UK10-12), no harm checking the site out! 
What's more, they offer free international shipping!
(No point looking at their bottoms though for all sizes are SPCs: skinny people clothes)

~~


I bought some hosiery from H&M as well.

Both were at $5 each from $9.90 (left) and $17.90 (right) respectively.

I haven't thought of what to wear with these socks/tights yet though.
I just liked the pattern and prints on them.
We'll see.

~~

If you follow me on instagram (@christinehzy), you'd have seen my photo of this baby here.

If you've not...
I got this on sale for $29.90. I think it cost $79.90 originally. What's more, it's from Americaya.

As my friend so eloquently put it - " buy first then regret"
But booties are always IN in the fall season.
Moreover, it's pretty light for a pair of booties and it's quite comfortable too.
So, no regrets there :D


Alas, no accessories for me this time round.

That's all for my mini-haul for Fall. Somewhat.

Till next time.
Love,

Christine xoxo

OOTD, Dinner and a Mini Haul

Hello fashion lovers! I hope your week has been great so far. :)

Last Saturday, I went out at night with my sister to 313@Somerset to do our favourite exercise-shopping! Not only do we burn calories, we also burned a hole in our pockets as usual. It was refreshing to be in town again after so long. Technically it has been slightly more than a month, but the routine of just travelling between school and home makes it feel like it has been longer than that. Thus, I'm thankful for recess week ( even though it means I've got a bunch of essays to plan and write).

First stop was CoCoICHIBANYA Curry House! Both my sister and I were starving from the long train ride! I like to eat the japanese curry at CoCo because I can adjust the spice level and rice portion. The best is that they deduct the bill if you ask for less rice ( I wish other food places would work like that)! There was a special promotion going on: Yakiniku Beef Curry with Mango Cooler going at $15.80 nett, so I ordered that because it's really worth it. I piled on a bunch of the pickles available on the curry because they are AMAZING together. The Mango Cooler was not bad-- it consists of lychee-flavoured shaved ice and mango chunks. The mango chunks were sour , but the lychee-flavoured ice makes up for it. I really like lychee-flavoured food, be it sweets, ice, jelly etc. but I'm not such a fan of the fruit itself... which is weird. The service is really fast and the food is good, but sadly the pricing is a bit high for me, so it's a place I'll go to if I feel like treating myself. I've been to the branch in Bangkok, and the pricing is so much cheaper compared to Singapore. Of course, the food in the food courts there are even cheaper. Other than that, it's a good place to go to for a curry treat, since they've got a good variety. If you're on a bigger budget, I recommend  that you try the curry with the omurice (aka omelette rice) or the katsu with cheese curry rice. The omurice is my favourite thing there.

My Dinner! Nom nom nom...

After dinner, we headed over to Forever 21. The sales items are on the 4th floor, so I was keen on checking out the sales section. Most of the stuff on the sales racks are pretty damaged or just not my cup of tea this time. Also, I noticed that the current styles seen at Forever 21 are range from tribal to graphic prints, word tees, and the usual fall staples of boots and jackets.  However, nothing really caught my eye, even though I did try on a few pieces of clothing. Empty-handed, my sister and I went on to H&M.

H&M has even more sales items. The good thing about H&M is that their sales items are in pretty good condition, unlike Forever 21. It was crowded (as usual) but the fitting room queues were not that long! The sales selection is pretty large and the prices are reasonable. I saw a lot of things that interested me. Happily, I took the shopping bag and threw a bunch of stuff in to try. In the end, I left a happy girl. I found a pullover sweater that had a nice edgy but laid back look to it. I was looking for something like that to wear to school and I'm glad I've found one. I also got a shirt with a black liquid heart because it was super soft and was on sale for $5! Coincidentally, both of them are in black and white. I guess my recent sketching of my monochrome lookbook have influenced my mood. I'm loving the black and white look,which I find is great for all seasons!

From Left: Tribal Pullover Sweater: H&M, $30; Black Dripping Heart top: H&M, $5

Last stop: New Look. My sister likes to go there. It's her favourite place to look for clothes because the size range is bigger. I like going there when there's a huge sale, because that's the only time I'll buy things from there. Otherwise, most of the things are just way too overpriced for the quality or just over my budget. I bought a white tank to combine with the blouse my sister wanted to get the 2 for $29.90 special. After all, buying the blouse she wanted alone would have cost her around $26. I might as well get something right? It is important to help others. ^.^  I guess it was a sign that I ought to buy it, since I've been eyeing this tank for a month. I love the straps behind which makes it look both simple and edgy. The pure whiteness of it makes it look expensive and classy. Plus the material is of pretty good quality-- not like those thin ones that will easily tear. It's versatile: it can be matched with jeans/shorts for a casual look; or paired with a black fancy skirt and some bling for a party look.

White Tank: New Look, $14.95 (sale).

Lastly, here's my outfit of the day:

Outfit is from Esprit. Cardigan, $14.90; Butterfly Tube top, around $24; Khaki skirt, $14.90. (Prices listed are sale prices) White flats: Jwest, $80; Orange bucket bag: Bangkok's Chatuchak Market, $8.

 My dear sister helped me take this photo with my phone. Not really the most flattering photo taken, to be honest. The outfit looks better in real life. Well, this was taken at the end of the day, so both of us had lots of shopping bags to carry. Thus this was the best we could do with the amount of energy we had left.

P.S.Notice the big H&M bag in my hands with my goodies inside! *winks*

Not to forget, my nails! I finally have the time to paint my nails. I did this based on a Marc Jacobs Daisies Inspired Nail  Tutorial by elleandish on YouTube. I changed up the colours slightly based on what I had in my collection, but this is easy to do. I love how cute the flowers are! If you love nail art designs, do check out her YouTube channel and blog for inspiration!

All in all, I had a great time just walking around and doing something without worrying about my school next week. Look forward to seeing more of my new clothes in future outfit posts!
Hope you've enjoyed this post :)

Till next time.

Love,

El   xoxo