A Visit To Maeklong Railway Market & Amphawa Floating Market | Bangkok Travel and Beauty 2016 (Part 2)

Today we are super excited because we are heading to the legendary Maeklong Railway Market or Talat Rom Hup which means 'umbrella pulldown market'. 

Novotel buffet breakfast

Buffet breakfast selection at Novotel Hotel

But first was buffet breakfast in the hotel.

Maeklong Railway Market

We reached Maeklong Railway Market at about 10am and had time for coffee. After which we walked down to the market. 

The interesting thing about this market is that it has a train that runs through the market at certain timings. At about 11am there was an announcement to inform that the train is coming. 

Train at Maeklong Railway Market

The train was extremely near. Check out the video and you will understand what I meant. It is totally worth to make a trip down.

Maeklong Train Station

As Maeklong Railway Market was the last station of the train route, the train stopped for a while and we took the chance to take more photos of the train.

After the train left the station, we headed to a secluded place for lunch and I totally forgot to take any photos. The food were super delicious and only the locals will know how to get there and surprisingly it was full house.

I think for the next holiday I need to plan what are the must take photos otherwise I seem to keep forgetting to take photos to share. So upsetting. Does it happen to you too?

Amphawa Floating Market

Next we drove to Amphawa Floating Market. The second most popular floating market and I loved it here because it is mainly visited by the Thais which has an authentic feel to the place.

Seafood by the river

This place is very popular for eating seafood by the river. It smells so good as you walk through the marketplace. 

Long tail boat at Amphawa Floating Market

When you are there, you have to take the longtail boat to explore the surroundings of the river. We paid about 600 baht for a private boat. 

Houses and temples along the river

Traditional old Thai houses

Children playing in the river

It was a beautiful sight of traditional and modern houses, temples, wildlife, children playing by the river. 

We enjoyed so much for the past 2 days with my cousins.  We managed to do what we intended to for this trip and there are some other places we'll leave it for our next trip.

Bridge to Platinum Mall, Bangkok

Big C Supermarket

The next 2 days were purely shopping at Platinum Mall, Big C and the street stalls.

Not forgetting swimming at the hotel and just relaxing around the area and dinner with my cousins.

Maygori at Siam Square

Yummy desserts at Maygori 

We had a wonderful dinner at Siam Square called White Flower Factory. The Thai food there were really good. Maygori is a great place for dessert too.

Soap & Glory 

Cosmetics from Bangkok ,Thailand

Beauty buys from Bangkok was also a must. Can you believe it Soap and Glory is half the price compared to Singapore Sephora. MUST BUY!

It was a good reunion and we are looking forward to our next trip together. 

Do remember to pin my story down for future reference. This will be my last post for 2016. Have a great 2017, remember to stay positive and beautiful always.

Bangkok Travel and Beauty in December 2016 (Part 1)

Bangkok is a fantastic place for budget travelling with shopping at affordable prices and indulging in yummy Thai food. This trip we had the privilege of my cousins bringing us to places we have not been before. As they are locals it was much easier to move around with them.

We found a good deal on Scoot website, which gave us the opportunity to maximise our time in Bangkok, Thailand. It was the first flight out from Singapore and the last flight out from Bangkok Don Mueang Airport.

As we were too early to check in, we headed straight to Jatujak Weekend Market or to the tourist is called Chatuchak Weekend Market. 

Thailand local food in Jatujak Weekend Market

We sat down for brunch since all of us were very hungry. The food were fantastic and cheap. But be careful there are always two kinds of prices in Thailand. The local price and tourists price, so don't get cheated. 

Food corner in Jatujak Weekend Market

It was pretty cooling when we reach Jatujak about 10am but it started to get quite hot in the afternoon. I would highly recommend to be in shorts and cooling top to beat the hot weather.

Jatujak Weekend Market

After a couple of hours shopping, the heat and the navigation of the market got the better of us, it was time to take a shopping break. After so many years I still can't complete walking around Jatujak because I seem to be walking in circles. It goes to show the difficulties in navigation there.

Novotel Hotel at Siam Square 

Novotel Hotel Lounge Area

Entertainment area at Novotel Hotel Bangkok

We left and headed towards Novotel at Siam Square to check in. The location was superb. Is like staying in our Singapore Orchard area. 

Laser Games At Siam Square

Laser Games waiting area

As the room was not ready, we decided to have some fun at Siam Laser Games which was located just below Novotel. It was our first time playing and it's so fun.

Novotel Hotel at Siam Square

After the games we went to check in. The staffs were nice to give us a complimentary upgrade and an extra bed for the kid.

Rod Fai Night Market

As weekend was a chance to head off to Night Markets too, we drove to Ta Lard Nud Rodfai at Srinakarin area. It's not very convenient to get there for sure but you can check from here the best way to get there. 

Rows and rows of stalls at night market

Ta Lard Nud Rodfai Night Market at Srinakarin area Bangkok Thailand

This place is highly recommended by me to the extend of skipping Jatujak next time.The selection was good and the price was better then Jatujak as this place is more frequented by the locals. We are looking at 100 - 300baht range. Since it is a night market, the weather was so much cooler.

I apologize for the quality of the night photos. It didn't turn out well as I was really tired and had no tripod with me. But I just need to show everyone the place. We ended the night late and we were exhausted. Went back to hotel to rest for an exciting day tomorrow. Remember to pin my Bangkok Travel & Beauty Part 1 for future reference and check out my Bangkok Travel and Beauty Part 2 .

Sephora Singapore Beauty Haul During Black Card Member Sale 2016

I've never thought I would spent so much time at Singapore Sephora black card member sale during my last trip. Retail therapy at Sephora always feel good. I get to try so many products under one roof. And there are always Sephora MUA around to help you when in doubt.

Singapore Sephora Makeup Haul 2016

So let's get started with the make up that I've bought.

Nyx Avant Pop Noveau Chic

Nyx Avant Pop (Nouveau Chic)

S$25.60 (after 20% discount)

I've always been a lookout for pigmented eyeshadow palette that doesn't burn a hole in the pocket. After trying some drugstore brands available, I felt they were still not quite pigmented. So I thought why not try Nyx Avant Pop which was recommended by one of my favorite youtuber emilynoel83. And true enough the colors were very pigmented and it looks better when using an eye primer which I always do.

For that price you are getting 10 pigmented colors and I must say Nyx is very generous with the pan size of each color. I chose Nouveau Chic because the colors were great for daily wear. If you are adventurous with colors, Nyx do have 'Surreal My Heart' and 'Art Throb'.

Tarte Tartelette Tease from Sephora Singapore

Tarte Tartelette Tease 

S$28.00 from sephora.sg

I just couldn't resist not to buy Tartelette Tease. I was contemplating whether to get the Tartelette in Bloom Clay Palette but could not bring myself to commit the price without trying a smaller version of Tarte eyeshadows.

I had no regrets getting this at all. Firstly, the size is very travel friendly. Secondly, the colors are super gorgeous and thirdly the texture is very buttery and pigmented. Love this palette. Of course it was not the cheapest palette for this size but I just knew I had to get it since it was member's sale. 

Nyx Lip Products

Nyx Lip Products

S$49.60 (after 20% discount)

I picked up 2 Intense Butter Gloss in Chocolate Crepe and Toasted Marshmallow , a soft matte lip cream in Prague, a butter lipstick in Root Beer Float and a nude pink lip liner. My first time trying out the Intense Butter Gloss and I must admit I'm really impressed by the texture of the gloss. The formula is soft and buttery, the color intensity was on point. If you have not try yet, I highly recommend these.

If you are into matte lip cream, I would say try out Nyx Soft matte lip cream. The colors were very lasting on my lips and minimum touch up was needed. I'm intending to get more colors once Sephora stock up all the colors. 

Nyx butter lipstick is very moisturising and I love the color Root Beer Float. It is definitely my current favorite go to lip color. 

Nyx Setting Spray from Sephora

Nyx Dewy Finish Setting Spray 

S$11.20 (after 20% discount)

I bought this because there were so many good reviews. The mist was pretty fine in my opinion, but honestly I don't see any difference after I sprayed on my face. Guess I won't be repurchasing this any sooner.

Korean Moonshot Multi Protection UV Bouncer SPF 50+ PA+++

Moonshot Multi Protection UV Bouncer SPF 50+ PA+++

S$37.60 (after 20% discount)

This is a Korean brand by YG Entertainment and I bought this because the Sephora MUA recommended this. Previously I've been using Laura Mercier oil free foundation primer. The staying power wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, guess my t-zone was pretty oily. I'm quite surprised by the Moonshot primer lasting power. I can go through half a day without blotting off the oil on my nose which never happened to me. If I'm on make up the whole day, I only need to touch up once which to me pretty says it all. The texture is very light and non greasy at all. For 50ml the price was really good.

This wraps up my Sephora Beauty Haul 2016. I'm looking forward to their 2016 Christmas collections already. In the meantime stay healthy and beautiful. 

How To Clean Makeup Brushes | Where To Store Makeup Brushes

Hello gorgeous readers. I'm back with another beauty post. Today is about make up brushes. What do I clean with and how I store them.

Make Up Brushes Cleansing and Storage

Not too long ago I bought two amazing products to help me organized my brushes. They are non other than the brush drying stand and the acrylic box to store the brushes.

Brushes Cleansing Routine

I always head to Daiso to get my brush cleaning liquid and because I don't want to spend a bomb on Sigma brush cleaning mat, I found a substitute that was equally good and is only S$2. 

What I usually do was to pour some of the liquid into a small bowl, dipped my unclean brushes into the liquid and brush it onto the pink mat and followed by washing under running water. 

Drying Stand for Make Up Brushes

After which I hang it upside down on the drying holder. 

Please do not hang the brushes upright as the water will seep through the brushes joint, the glue will be affected and after a while the brushes may split. With the brush holder, I can wash all my brushes at one go.

I usually wash my brushes once a week so to avoid germs contamination. By having clean brushes, I can avoid pimples on my face.

Beautiful acrylic organizer to hold clean brushes

Once the brushes are dried, I will store the clean brushes into this beautiful acrylic box. Firstly, my brushes will not consume dust anymore yehhhh and secondly the beautiful pearls in the box were so nice to look at, don't you think so. I think I need to buy more acrylic boxes to store other make up hahahha.

I bought my acrylic organizer and brush holder from Taobao.com and if you find it a hassle to read Chinese words you can hop over to SgShop for help and they will ship over for you.

Thanks for dropping by. Remember stay beautiful and healthy.

Make Up Haul At Watsons Singapore

Watsons Make Up Haul

Hello gorgeous people, hope your week has been good so far.

Recently Watsons Singapore had a members sale and I couldn't resist not to go shopping. By the way they usually have members' sale every few months, so if you can wait, the discounts are quite good.

So this time I went on a make up spree. I had been eyeing Wet and Wild products for the longest time and I wasn't disappointed in their quality. Their eyeshadow collections are must have. It's super pigmented, and a little goes a long way and there were not much of fall off in my humble opinion.

Megalast Lipsticks Swatches

There are many beauty youtubers and bloggers who swear by their Megalast lipsticks and of course I need to get a few to try out. So I picked up 'Rosebud' and 'Wine Room'. Both colors are beautifully pigmented and are not drying on my lips at all. I felt that 'Rosebud' is an everyday lip color and 'Wine Room' is good for occasions.

This is the first time I'm trying out Loreal True Match and so far I'm liking it very much. It has light to medium coverage and it doesn't feel heavy on my skin. I'm so amazed by the little transfer from this foundation comparing to Bourjois Healthy Mix Foundation.

I've been trying out different brands of Micellar Cleansing Water, so far most of it does sting my eyes badly. So I decided to try Garnier Skin Active since there were many good reviews. 

Just in case you would like to know how much I paid for the products after discount, here's the breakdown :

Garnier Micellar Cleansing - S$15.92 

Wet n Wild Comfort Zone - S$10.61 

Wet n Wild Ultimate Brow - S$5.62 

Wet n Wild Trio - S$6.33 

Wet n Wild Single - S$2.77

Megalast Lipsticks - S$9.82 

Loreal True Match - S$22.50 

I'm thinking of getting some Nyx products. If you have any recommendations please leave a comment below so that I know what to try as they really have a lot of selection and I'm always lost when I'm at their counter in Sephora.

In meantime, stay beautiful and healthy. 

Korean Double Cleansing Skincare Routine | Banila Co | Heimish

Korean Double Cleansing Routine

Hello to all the beautiful and gorgeous people. How's your week so far? Hang in there as weekend is coming soon and is Formula 1 weekend here in Singapore, Yehhhhh! 

Today I want to share my Korean double cleansing skincare routine that I've incorporated into my cleansing routine for a while. And I must say my face has became so clean. 

You know sometimes when you are tired, you will tend to skip certain steps of your routine. That's what happened to me. I just use a all-in-one oil cleanser, shower and hit the bed. But problems started to surface after doing it for a few days. Small bumpy pimple looking spots was spotted on my face.

My panic mode was activated. SO I restarted my double cleansing routine again.

There are many brands and cleansers in the market. It's really a trial and error journey.

So far these products are suitable for my combination skin with oily T-zone. For removing heavy make up I love to use oil cleanser.

Banila Co 'Clean it Zero'

Had been using the highly raved about Banila Co 'Clean it Zero'. And recently trying out Heimish 'All Clean Balm'. Both has the sherbet texture and I like it because it doesn't drip. I just rub it into my face gently in circular motion and less than 5 mins, my make up removing is done.

 Both removes make up really well, but in terms of ingredients, Heimish contained more natural ingredients, and it is paraben free. At the moment I'm rotating between these two but once I finish Banila Co's I will stick to Heimish as I love paraben free products.

After oil cleansing, I will use Hada Labo moisturising cleanser for my 2nd step cleansing. It is a foamy kind of cleanser which I like.

Sometimes I do use Nivea Micellar Water to clean off my light make up or I use it for spot cleaning of my eye makeup when I make mistakes. But I still use my foam cleanser after that.

Leave me a comment as to what are your current favourites for double cleansing routine? I would love to try it out too.

In the meantime, stay beautiful!

Krabi Fun Family Holiday | Ko Hong Island | Paradise Island (Part 4)

This brings us to our last part of our Krabi fun family holiday. Time flew by so fast that we wished we do not have to face reality. 

Today the kiddos are looking forward to island hopping. I know everyone say must go Phi Phi Island and I can understand why. But it will be super crowded with swarms of tourists from both Phuket and Krabi, and it was too far away from Krabi. We decided to heed our guide, Surin's advice to go Ko Hong Island and Paradise Island instead.

Surin came to pick us up at 9am and it was raining. As we drove towards the jetty, our prayers were answered, weather started to gradually improved. 

By the time we boarded the long tail boat, sun was out smiling at us. Surin suprised us again, when he said he'll be joining us today!

Ko Hong Lagoon

Ko Hong, here we come! It was a nice 15 mins ride, with the beautiful skies clearing and the island beckoning us. 

First stop, was the Ko Hong Lagoon which was only accessible during high tides. We stayed there for a while to soak in the atmosphere as we don't have such nice lagoon in Singapore. The lagoon depth was shallow which allowed us to stand on the sand bed. 

Ko Hong Island, Krabi

Next is the beautiful Ko Hong Island. The sea was pretty clear and we could spot so many fishes around while we were snorkeling. The corals were more beautiful as you swam further away from the beach. 

Dining area at Ko Hong Island

Sheltered eating area at Ko Hong Island

After 2 hours of snorkeling, our stomach started growling. Time for lunch, which was bought by Surin. See how well we are all taken care of! 

Paradise Island

Old school swing at Paradise Island

Paradise Island

After lunch we head of to Paradise Island which was nearby too. It wasn't a big island but it was as beautiful as Ko Hong Island.

By the end of the island hopping we went back to Krabi land and head back to hotel for a nice dinner nearby. 

May & Zin Restaurant in Krabi

We found the highly rated May & Zin Restaurant just beside our hotel. Mind you it is not a posh restaurant set up, it was inside an open air food court set up.

The food was delicious as rated in Trip Advisor, the only down side was the food took a while to arrived as they cooked by table order. So I would suggest to order everything in one order instead of adding orders along the way. Otherwise you have to wait very long during peak hours.

It was a superb trip which we all totally enjoyed so much trying out different activities. We hope to go back again soon. Till the next holiday! Bye Krabi.

Krabi Sunset