YASSSS. The #KinkyBlueFairyTeam got to bring home our very own Fairy Mobile!!! Sadly, we didn’t get to bring it home forever. It only lasted till we rolled up glamorously (paparazzi style) at the party. Haha.
Upon collecting our keys, we headed down to the basement to collect our Fairy Mobile. Because there were so many Mercedes-Benz’s lined up together, it felt like a “Take your pick” kind of moment. *throws confetti in the air*
Isn’t she a beauty!? We rolled up at the party fabulously in this baby.
The limited edition La French Touch by Martell was created in celebration of their 300 years of excellence. From the vinyl record player invitation (I kid you not. It’s so high-tech that it even has a USB port!) we received, I had an inkling that the theme of the party would be blue. I was right. Upon arrival, the venue was nicely lit in neon blue.
The entrance was so trippy that it gave me great aesthetic pleasure.
It’s been awhile since I attended events or wrote about anything for KinkyBlueFairy. It’s been a crazy month for me. I have lots of stuff to rush before Chinese New Year.
Rachel: “Hey, did you read the e-mail? Do you want to go for a food tasting on Thursday?”
Andrew: “Depends, but most probably I can’t. I’m stuck with work.”
… I ended up making time for it. LOL.
The Uber driver dropped us off at Hock Choon Supermarket. At first we thought we were in the wrong place because we weren’t familiar with the area… until we found this little sign.
[Rachel]
This was my first bonding time out of the office with Andrew! I’m very glad he came along because his photography skills are indeed very professional. The visuals in this post will be pretty. Yay!
Our trip to Katie’s Stove at Hock Choon felt like such an adventure *cue Dora The Explorer theme song* because the only significant landmarks that we saw were Victoria Station on our left and the supermarket on our right.
Andrew came up with the brightest idea to walk further down the road until we saw this little yellow sign. Good job, Sensei Andrew! As I’m recalling our visit, we didn’t seem like the brightest souls, honestly. Haha.
Us upon arriving at their gates: “I think it’s here. The chandeliers at their al-fresco area look the same as their pictures.”
Katie’s Stove is the brain-child of Ezry, who is half-Johorean. His appreciation for Johorean delicacies grew when he met his wife, Nadrah, leading to her family introducing and sharing their love for Johorean food with him.
His mother-in-law is none other than Khatijah Ahmad or better known as Khaty, the owner of a veteran catering company called Katie Kitchen that specialises in Johorean recipes as well!
Living by their motto, “Kita buat dia, bukan dia buat kita” (we are the ones to set the rules, not the recipes nor the guides), the family revamped the traditional recipes to create a memorable dining experience for their patrons.
As soon as we stepped in, we simply fell in love with the interior. The choice of colours and furnishings gave off an air of luxury. A perfect spot to have dates!
You will notice they use orchids as part of their decor.
I had their Kopi Pak Belalang (RM3.50), kampung-style white coffee. Arabica beans mixed with cocoa powder, Nigella Sativa, Acai berry, and Maqui berry.
A little different from the usual white coffee I have every morning. Theirs was a tad sweeter with a stronger caffeine aroma. It was the perfect wake-me-up for a hot afternoon.
Andrew played it safe by having a latte (RM 7.90).
I have always been a fan of Kiehl’s. I remember my first Kiehl’s purchase was a pot of lip balm at Hong Kong International Airport 9 years ago. And then I proceeded with purchasing the Ultra Range as soon as I got back to Malaysia when they opened their first store in Pavilion back in 2008 (with my own fresh-grad money!)
When we got the invitation from Kiehl’s Malaysia to the launch of the Nature Powered Masques, I was ecstatic! They’re known for throwing very tasteful events and this did not disappoint. Akin to their aesthetics of natural skin care ingredients, the event was held at Glasshouse at Seputeh where the surroundings were filled with plenty of greenery and eco-friendly furnitures. Zennn… *proceed to do the lotus position*
The two products that were introduced to us were the Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque and Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque.
Let’s start with the green one first. This masque is a natural solution to a man-made problem = POLLUTION. The P word can (and already are, for some of us) result in older-looking, dull and discoloured skin (ewwww…), premature skin aging including increased melanin spots (nooo…) and pigmentation.
“Pollution and its negative effects on the lung and cardiovascular system have been well understood and more recently, studies suggest that pollution is also affecting skin integrity,” said Dr. Jean Kruttman, Director of the Leibniz Research Institute for Environmental Medicine.
Based on this insight, Kiehl’s chemists proudly concocted an innovative skincare treatment that takes the battle against pollution past simple cleansing. Kiehl’s Cilantro & Orange Extract Pollutant Defending Masque defends and replenishes skin to reduce the visible effects of pollution while preventing impurities from adhering skin.
Kiehl’s answered your prayers, people! The masque protects your skin from the evil UV-induced oxidation and oxidative stress (in simple term, it fights skin damage). There’s more: the masque is jam-packed with goodies like Vitamin E and Cilantro Seed Oil to strengthen the skin. And finally, I’m obviously saving the best for last… this masque has the ability to shield our skin against pollution AND when used in the morning, the complete formula within the masque offers anti-adhesion properties to defend against environmental impurities by preventing pollution from sticking to our face!
I AM SOLD!
Now waaaaait a minute. Don’t go running to your nearest Kiehl’s store yet. Chill, girl. I’m not done here…
The next product that I would like introduce to you is the Turmeric & Cranberry Seed Energizing Radiance Masque. Don’t you just like that word? RADIANCE!
The formula works as an “instant facial” by brightening and energizing the look of dull, fatigued skin to restore a healthy, rosy appearance. With ingredients like Cranberry and Turmeric, this facial masque helps visibly improve the overall look of skin, while crushed Cranberry Seeds within the formula gently exfoliate for a smoother (yes!), brighter and illuminated complexion.
We should totally include masques in our beauty regime. Do you know that some of the world’s most iconic women have relied on the benefits of natural ingredients found in facial masques to instantly transform their skin? For example, Cleopatra. She would routinely use a facial masque to cleanse, nourish and rejuvenate her skin. Another example would be Marie Antoinette where many believed she had her own signature facial masque made with egg whites. This method is still used by French women today for the purpose of tightening pores and repairing the skin!
That’s me thinking to myself, “This product is so great!” while the guy explains how I can include the masque to my routine. CLICK TO READ MORE
Before Joyce left for her #JSQUAREDinTanzania trip, she told me to bring the girls, Rachel and Nicole, to the Love, Bonito store in Mid Valley to check out the Chinese New Year collection. I was excited (but of course I had to maintain and just uttered a very cool “Okay…”)! I love Love, Bonito! Half of my wardrobe now is filled with clothes from LB. I love the material, the cut and how the clothes just fit onto my petite XS frame. I never have to worry buying LB clothes online because everything has been perfect. I have full confidence in LB. You should too! #Trust
When we got to the physical store in KL, I asked the girls to choose their Chinese New Year outfit and we’d play dress-up in the fitting room. We took a bunch of clothes each. It was so much fun! But the collection at the store was limited. I asked the store manager where all the Chinese New Year new arrivals were. And I nearly fainted when he told me, “Oh, they’re mostly sold out.” Sold out?! That’s bonkers because I know for a fact that the new arrivals just got onto their racks two days ago. We were late! But you know what, don’t panic! Because you (*i*) can still get them online 🙂 Phew!
Speaking of shopping for LB clothes online… good news for all you Joyce and LB fans! First 100 readers will get to enjoy 10% discount when they shop online at Love, Bonito. Just key in LBxJOYCE10 at check-out! 😀 [Note: Discount Code valid until 5th February 2016 and not applicable to sale items and gift cards. Valid for one use per customer]
It was only my first week with the #KinkyBlueFairyTeam when King popped the question.
No, she didn’t ask me for my hand in marriage. Pffftt.
What she really asked, was whether I wanted to go to Vietnam. I didn’t really think much about it and said YES immediately.
Vietnam is a place that I never thought about visiting…like ever. Mainly because of the weather. I’m a total princess when it comes to the heat. I won’t deny that. And it isn’t everyday you actually hear people talking about their trip to Vietnam. The vacation stories that I usually hear about are of Japan, Europe and Korea. So I guess this trip was something different. A first for me.
This trip to Ho Chi Minh was sponsored by Cuckoo; a Korean electronics brand that specializes in rice cookers and water purifiers. It was my first time hearing of this brand, so I did what I do best: I stalked them. *cue 007 theme song* The very first thing that I found out about them was their brand ambassador, Kim Soo Hyun! Oh, you know the guy from that very popular Korean drama ‘My Love From the Star’!! A little part of me hopedthat I’d get to meet him, fan-girl (just a little) and make everyone else jealous. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen. 🙁
Anyways, before I left for the 3D/2N trip, I received tips on how to survive in Vietnam. Basically, a 101 Guide to Vietnam. Everyone seemed to have this preconception that it’s very unsafe and the local vendors will try to con you for money and all that jazz. Well, when you’re in a foreign land, you’ll just have to be street-smart and you’ll be good.
I had zero expectations for Vietnam because of all the negative reviews that I heard and read up on. But, by the end of the trip, I actually wished that we had more time to explore Ho Chi Minh on our own. There was still so much to see and so much to do.
Upon arrival at the airport, we met our tour guide, Tom. I was very impressed by his language proficiency. Not only was he fluent in English, but also in Cantonese and Mandarin. He really put the Chinese in me to shame.
I really loved the houses in Ho Chi Minh. They were all tall and slim. Even though each one of them had its own character, oddly enough, they looked really nice right next to one another. The size of their homes sort of reminded me of the Stuart’s residence in ‘Stuart Little’, wedged between two huge estates. But in Ho Chi Minh, there were twice the amount of Stuart residences.
Speaking of slim, Tom explained that there are 4 things that are slim in Vietnam; the water pipes, roads, houses, and girls. Apparently all Vietnamese girls cap their weight at 46kgs… which takes a whole lot of dedication, I guess. True enough, I’ve never seen an overweight Vietnamese lady on the street.
Our first stop was the War Remnants Museum. The museum mainly exhibits very visual images of the Vietnamese War when it was invaded by the American and French colonies.
