Passage New York

July is when the second half starts, and I start wondering how the first half of the year flew past so quickly. It's a time to think back on my new year's resolutions (if I still remember them...) and take a shot at getting them fulfilled in the remaining half of the year. 

July is also one of my favourite months of the year! Mainly because it's my birthday month hehe. And I'm so lucky this year to have a great start to the month! :) Last week, I just had the most pampering spa treatment ever!!

I didn't know what to expect as I walked along the row of office buildings along Cecil Street on the way to Passage New York. I can't believe I interned in the area for almost 3 months and never noticed the spa! I was impressed the moment I stepped into the premises. The high ceiling, spacious reception and boutique to the left of the spa immediately made my heartbeat quicken with excitement. I was led into a cosy consultation room, where I was served a cup of tea and filled in my particulars. I was to have two treatments that day - a 90min Signature Full Body Massage with Body Scrub, as well as, a facial. Simply by noting my occupation, which was primarily a desk-bound job, my consultant immediately pinpointed the areas of focus for my massage - neck/shoulders/back. I was really glad to hear that since my upper back is always aching :/ I think it's because of my pillow? Not sure why either. As for the facial, my consultant recommended the 90min Premium Intensive Facial based on my skin condition, and even kindly added on a bonus Ultrasound Eye Treatment because my eyes looked tired. 

She then led me up the stairs to the area where the treatment rooms were. Excited!! :) What I really liked about Passage New York was their attention to detail. From the consultation where they customised the treatment based on my needs, right to the end of my whole experience - I'll share more details along the way :) 

It was really nice that they provided lockers for their customers! Usually when I go for facials/massages, I would just place my belongings in the room with me. But beeping phones are pretty disruptive to the treatment when you're simply trying to relax. Out of earshot, my phone didn't bother me at all throughout my 3 hour treatment :)

My consultant then brought me to the washroom first, and I was wowed by how bright and pretty it looked! Plus it had all sorts of amenities for guests to freshen up after their treatment.

I mean, really, this is the first time I've seen a spa provide contact lens solution and cases for their customers!! The amount of care taken to make sure their guests are fully comfortable is amazing.

All ready for my first treatment! :) I started off with the body scrub, and it was really thoughtful of them to provide disposable underwear for guests so that the scrub/massage oil doesn't get on your own clothes. I lay down and relaxed as my masseuse, Lily, scrubbed every inch of my body with a milk body scrub that smelled delicious and left my skin feeling buffed and baby soft afterwards!! I was so amazed at how gently the scrub exfoliated my skin and made it feel soooo smooth :) After the scrub, I was directed to the shower area within the room itself (how convenient!) so wash off the scrub, and I came out of the shower to a clean towel and fresh set of underwear! Following which, was my favourite part of the whole treatment :)) The massage - Lily used a tension relief oil that was a blend of lavender, lemon and rosemary. It was so relaxing, and I dozed off multiple times while Lily used long strokes and kneading to smoothen out all the knots in my body. It was SO GOOD.

And the massage room was absolutely gorgeous!

Doesn't this tub make you feel like jumping right in??! Unfortunately I didn't get to use it haha, but it added to the ambience and made the room feel like a wonderful sanctuary away from stress. 

After the massage, Lilyled me to another room for my facial. And it was so sweet of them to provide me with another cup of tea, just when I was feeling thirsty :) See, it's the little touches that matter. 

Before the treatment started, my facial therapist, Hui Chiun, smoothed some soothing aromatic oils on her hands and fluttered them over my face to relax my senses. Ahh :) The Premium Intensive Facial is meant for sensitive skin like mine, and it's a deep cleansing and exfoliating facial that helps to rebalance the skin's PH, as well as, heals and reduces skin congestion. This was the first time so many skin products were used on me during a facial! I was really amazed at their generosity and attention to detail. From an enzyme peel, to acne tonic, ampoules (several of them!), a mask, moisturiser and other treatments, my skin felt incredibly well-taken care of! I also really liked how Hui Chiun was very careful throughout the extraction process, and kept checking in with me to see whether I was alright. The Ultrasound Eye Teatment was absolutely luxurious with a heated tool applied to the eye area to relax it.

After both my treatments, the staff brought me on a tour of the premises and I was fascinated to find this lovely jacuzzi! It's really an oasis in the middle of the CBD. Doesn't it look like it came out of a fairytale?? :) They also have a sauna next to the jacuzzi area, and all members have access to these facilities.

As I mentioned above, there is even a boutique included under the Passage New York brand! As Coco Chanel put it succinctly "A girl should be two things - Classy, and Fabulous". At Passage New York, you can feel fabulous after all their signature pampering treatments, and complete your wardrobe with their classy clothes and accessories.

And because it was my birthday month, they even gave me a present from their boutique!!! :') So sweet of them :') I really enjoyed my experience there so much, and I've got to say a big thank you to Sheau Jiun and the team at Passage New York for taking such good care of me :) 

Aaaaand for all you lucky girls, here's a *special promotion* for you:

Enjoy 2 Luxurious Spa Treatments @ $98 (U.P. $530) + Receive a Free leather bag (worth $480)!

The treatments are a 45min Signature Full Body Massage and 90min Vitamin C Whitening & Anti-Aging Facial.

This is the free leather bag you'll be getting, and if you look at the original prices of the individual items, this promotion is really worth it!! Usually a good-quality facial anywhere else would probably set you back $98, so with a massage (which was awesomeeee ^^ please read above if you're not convinced) and a bag thrown in, this is a really good deal! Do try it out!! I'm sure you will enjoy it too :) 

Terms & Conditions:

- Valid till 31 August 2014

- Valid for first time female customers (Singaporeans, PRs, and EP holders) aged 25 years and above

- Prior booking is required, subject to availability. Please call 6226 0888 to make an appointment

- Not valid with other promotions, discounts or privileges

- Free leather bag is while stocks last, designs and colours may vary

- Passage New York reserves the right to alter and amend any terms and conditions without prior notice

VanityTrove Get, Snap, Blingo!

i was so excited when VanityTrove invited me for their Get, Snap, Blingo party at Zouk! with a host of beauty and food booths, it sounded like just the kind of thing for me ;) really glad that jiayee could come along with me for the event too! 

we were greeted by a gorgeous dessert table set up by cremeberry, and i loved those salted caramel brownies that they had!! i'm just drooling right now thinking of them. 

we got beauty makeovers at the Benefit (makeup), Salon Vim (hair) and Pink Parlour (nails) booths. 

and emicakes was there as well with their very interesting desserts! :) gosh, i had nothing but desserts and wine that night (FAT MAXXX)

happy us! ^^^

met Sam at the event as well! (: so pretty as usual, especially after getting some gorgeous curls by Salon Vim! 

anddddd we carted home a huge bag of samples as well! SOOOO HAPPY ^^ lots of really good samples and i can't wait to try them out! especially the one from SkinInc. i've always wanted to try their products, but they're soooo expensive! :'( i think they actually gave us a full bottle of their serum! too awesome ^^

donned my 21st birthday dress from F21 to attempt to fit the theme of 'Modern Hippie Chic' haha (: 

and finally! this month's VanityTrove ^^ i decided to get a reallyyyy pampering one filled with nothing but masks! hehe.

i really loved the SexyLook Pure Ocean Pearl Whitening Mask and SexyLook Hyaluronic Acid Deep Hydrating Mask! probably because i love masks that are super duper moist, and these fit the bill! (: i also enjoyed the LoveMore Platinum Eye Whitening Patch and you can take a look at my review for it here.

Post-VDAY! (:

hihi! i'm gonna be doing a proper vday post really soon, but before that! just wanna share a couple of other things about this year's Vday! 

#ootd! :) 

my whole outfit (except for my thomas sabo bracelet) was from overseas hehe. starting to take out more of my bkk goods to wear! :) absolutely loving this pretty midi skirt that i got from there! quite unbelievable right!! the quality is really good and it was super affordable. big thanks to ngan who convinced me to buy it because there was a discount if we purchased two ;) haha (Y) 

i'm actually quite apprehensive about wearing midi skirts because I'm always worried that it'll end at an awkward length that makes my legs look short/calves look big. ughh. but this skirt was really too pretty to resist!!! looks kinda like a ballet skirt ^^ which is why it appealed to me. hehe. and i think this is a really sweet, classy style that is perfect for a date. (i even thought of how to update this look for the night, but had no time to go home to change haha).

Top: BKK //

Skirt: BKK //

Shoes: BKK //

Bag: Korea //

Bracelet: Thomas Sabo

and i came home to this on the night of Valentine's Day! ;) the VanityTrove Cosmopolitan Valentine's 2014 Playset. haha wish i received this the day before so that i could use the stuff inside, but of course, they're not ONLY for Valentine's Day ;) i've tried out the Sasatinnie Black Pearl Nourishing Black Mask and Eye Mask and i love how moisturising they are! really effective for that quick pre-date night booster for your skin! 

i've never heard of the brand Blumarine for perfumes before, but it was a really pleasant surprise to receive the Innmorata Lovely Rose EDT because it smelled really lovely!! check out my review for it here. i believe this set is still on sale, and really, it's great for every day use and not just for valentine's day, so do grab it before it runs out of stock!! ^^ 

also, VanityTrove will be having a party and they're giving out 3 PAIRS OF EXCLUSIVE INVITES to this event!!

Get, Snap, Bingo! Project Launch Party will be held on 5 March, and here's how you can win an invite to this party! 

1. Simply snap and share 3 photos of the eye-popping candy colours in your get-up on vanitytrove.com (you can also share photos of your arm/neck/eye #CANDY)

2. Hashtag #CANDY #GSB

*The contest ends 27 Feb and winners will be notified by email on 28 Feb! 

One of my favourite VanityTroves!

hi! (: i'm so happy to be blogging about my favourite VanityTrove box i've received so far ^^ every month it's such an excitement picking through the list of items recommended for me on the VanityTrove shopping page, and i think it's just so awesome to be able to try out these samples before i decide on purchasing the full-sized version. and it's a huge sense of satisfaction when i discover new products that i love using ^^

this month's VanityTrove came with a really pretty baby-blue wrapping! super sweet - i love it!

^^^always excited to open my box^^^

(pardon the kinda out-of-bed face)

first favourite product of the lot was the Shu Uemura Whitefficient clear brightening gentle cleansing oil. i'd been wanting to try Shu Uemura's cleansing oils since forever since i was introduced to cleansing oils during my facial at My Cozy Room. and i was really impressed when i tried out this product for myself! :) the application is quite different from a normal cleanser (i used it wrongly at first :P then i googled to find out how to use it). 

pour 4-5 drops of the oil onto clean, dry palms. rub your palms together to warm the oil slightly, then apply onto dry face. massage the oil gently into the skin for a couple of minutes, then wet your palms and rub it over your face to emulsify the oil (it should turn white and slightly creamy). massage for a couple of minutes again, then rinse with water. 

i really looooved the texture of the oil on my skin, and how my skin felt perfectly cleansed after that, yet soft and moisturised. this cleansing oil technology is touted to be one of the most effective ways of removing the dirt and excess oil from your skin, without stripping off naturally-occuring oils and moisture. it felt so good and i am kinda tempted to buy the full-sized version. apparently it removes make-up as well! so there is no need for double-cleansing. i didn't try this out though.

i'm one of those lazy girls who doesn't really like putting on sunblock on my face (even though i know it's one of the most important skincare steps) because i loathe the feeling of it on my face! :( i've  never really been able to find a sunblock that doesn't leave my face sticky/oily/smelling strange after i've applied it. TILL NOW. i absolutely loved the Stiefel Spectraban Sensitive sunblock (SPF 30) that came in my VanityTrove! i think i've finally found a sunscreen that i like using every day ^^ it's incredible! - the consistency of this sunscreen is really smooth and light, and it absorbs really quickly into my skin to give a lovely finish which is not oily/greasy/shiny at all! :) it also has absolutely no smell at all (unlike those products that are scent-free and end up smelling like strange chemicals). i really like it!!! (: now i've just gotta find out where to buy it in Singapore... O.o

 i've gotta say that i was really impressed with the results when i tried out Shu Uemura's POREraser Under Base Mousse. 

i didn't expect much from using it, but it did a really good job of concealing my pores!! :O this photo is just with the base on and nothing else! and you can barely see the pores on my nose. this is truly a gem :')

this was a rather interesting product! i felt that that it wasn't really nice to use, because the texture was not very spreadable which made the application tough, but, i quite liked the effects of it! you just need to apply a layer of this mask onto your face (i believe it's a clay mask), leave it on for 5min and rub it off to exfoliate the skin and rinse with water. my skin felt smoother and looked a little brighter/clearer after i cleaned off the mask and the effects lasted till the next morning :) 

for my review on the above two products, see:

Evanose Probiotics Exfoliance Gommage

Decléor Ylang Ylang Purifying Night Balm

GLOMAX Aesthetics

hi there! (: 

i was approached by GLOMAX Aesthetics sometime last month for a non-obligatory blog review, and i decided to just try it out to see how it went. i didn't have to write about it (since it was non-obligatory) but i decided to do so, because of two points:

1. The results the salon promised were indeed true.

2. It was the most painful facial i ever went through. 

starkly contrasting points, and thus my feelings about this entire facial are rather mixed, but i'm REALLY glad to see the improvement in my skin since then (: 

Just some background info about GLOMAX Aesthetics first:

Nestled six floors above Singapore's famous riverside Clarke Quay, GLOMAX Aesthetics - The Face Artistry is everything a cosy soho salon stands for: expertise, customization and modernity. The commitment to your skin deserves only the bestpreventive and corrective non-invasive treatments here for instant results. They are so good, you would not want to go anywhere else.

At GLOMAX Aesthetics - The Face Artistry, expect a fine collection of ultimate face and body treatments boosted with award-winning aesthetics machines and celebrity skincare products. Our treatments are specially crafted for instantaneous results and meticulously executed by crack team of amazingly knowledgeable beauty masters.

just to clarify, the results i mentioned above weren't instantaneous, but my skin has definitely shown much improvement since then! this post is gonna be one with mostly words because i didn't get to take any photos (i was in too much pain...haha. all the photos were provided by the salon), but i'm really glad that it was effective for my skin! i had a really serious patch of pimples at my jawline which refused to go away for the longest time, since i got back from exchange, and i think it was partly due to my diet as well, but my skin has been in a really poor condition for the past 6 months or so. since i did the Intensive Acne Medic Treatment, that patch has finally pretty much cleared up!! though there are still some scars but at least the pores are finally cleared ^^ 

so the treatment started with a cleansing milk, which is supposed to be gentle on the skin, while being more effective at removing remnants of make-up and sunblock without stripping the skin of its natural oils. i always have a love/hate relationship with sunblock because of the somewhat oilier texture it has and i find it difficult to clean off, so this is something interesting i learnt! i might actually get a cleansing milk as my first step of cleansing ;) anyone has any recommendations?

this was followed by a normal cleanser, and the most interesting part of my facial experience, which was the Sonic Cleansing step.

prior to the typical extraction, this step uses a device (as seen in the picture - that is not be btw) to lift impurities and dirt off the skin surface. this was slightly less painful than a typical extraction and i was really quite fascinated to see the amount of impurities that were removed just from this step! 

that wasn't the end of my extraction though. the typical extraction is carried out right after this, and THAT was when the torture started. because they don't do the steaming thing here, and my skin is rather dry on the surface, it was SUPER difficult to do the extraction. and it was so.freaking.painful. ohmygawd. i think my pain tolerance is pretty good - i've gone through facials in the past where my face was scrubbed with a really coarse scrub after like 1.5hrs of extraction and i survived through that with minimal cringing, even though it was painful. for this though, i was literally SOBBING and i had to ask the facial therapist to stop halfway to give me a break because it was so painful!!!!!! :"( gosh it was really super torturous. you have no idea how relieved i was when she was finally done. and i think my tears could have soaked a whole tissue -.- 

to my horror, the torture wasn't really over because after the usual mild antiseptic high frequency treatment (to kill germs), the acne IPL treatment was rather uncomfortable too! i have never done IPL treatment for my face, even though i've seen adverts for it, and i never realised it was this uncomfortable? :/ a hot device was pressed onto areas of my face and there would be this blinding red light each time, where the device would heat up even more, feeling like it burned my skin and i jumped every single time the light lit up. gosh. i literally felt like i was in a torture chamber...and i was so freaked out about what they were doing to my skin! :O the purpose of the IPL is to rebalance the sebum levels in the skin and is said to dramatically clear up damaged skin after each session. 

well the good news is that after this was a refreshing mask that helped me recover from the steps before this. but i still walked out of the salon looking really battered. i was really thankful that after a couple of days though, my skin really showed significant improvement (probably coupled with the fact that i was holidaying in Aussie) in terms of its texture and oil production. my skin did become a lot smoother than before!! (: 

would i go back? honestly, I'm very apprehensive because of the pain. but if you do have serious skin issues which do need treatment, i do suggest that it could be worth the pain and you would likely see improvement even after the first session. for those who are interested, this is a *special discount* for my readers:

Quote "Blogger Kelly" to enjoy the Intensive Acne Medic Treatment at only $88 (U.P. $150).
*for first timers at GLOMAX Aesthetics and by appointment only

GLOMAX Aesthetics
12 Eu Tong Sen Street #06-168
Soho 2
(beside Swissotel Merchant Court)
Tel.: +65 6225 5193

Christmas with VanityTrove!

hi!! (: 25 Dec may be over, but Christmas sure ain't over with VanityTrove ;) i was so happy to still be receiving presents after Christmas! received my Only For the Best Christmas Gala Trove after boxing day and it was such a great surprise ^^ 

this was the most number of items i ever received in my VanityTrove and i'm just super excited to try them out!! i haven't had the chance to try most of them yet because i only got them a couple of days ago. you can check out my past reviews on Elizabeth Arden's Untold perfume and the Apivita Purifying tonic lotion (which is one of my new favourite products after trying it! so happy to have a new bottle ^^) 

so stoked to receive a whole bunch of Apivita products this time, cos i've had a really good impression of the brand since the first time i tried it!! 

also really excited to try out Benefit's Cha Cha tint! this product was one of the main reasons why i chose this gift set ;) i'm a huge fan of the Benetint and i couldn't resist its sun-kissed version! 

lots of products to try out and write about, so do check out my VanityTrove page for my bite-sized beauty reviews! ^^ the contents of the full gift set can be found here! 

also, all the other Christmas gift sets are still on sale, so you can take your pick from the selection. it's really never too late for a Christmas present ;) 

LAST THING!!! VanityTrove is having a 12 days of Christmas giveaway (told you Christmas isn't over!) and this runs till 5 Jan so don't miss out on this! just register an account and you're all set to go (:

VTx2

hihi! i've been having a terrible backlog of posts and this is one which is super overdue! i can't wait to share the contents of my second vanitytrove with you though! (: i always love receiving these pretty parcels from VanityTrove which are so ladylike and aesthetically-pleasing ^^ and revealing the contents always gives me a thrill, despite knowing that i hand-picked the items myself, but it still makes me excited to be able to see, hold and smell all these delicious little samples. you can see my previous post on my first VanityTrove here ^^

these were the products in my September VanityTrove! (: 

probably one of the most interesting products i had was the Cheonsoo HD Snail Essence Mask. i was really quite apprehensive about trying this initially because it just gives me the shivers to think of snail slime on my face! but i've been hearing so many raves about snail masks, and i just had to try it for myself! you can check out my review of this product here!

i really liked Jane Iredale Warm Silk set which consisted of 4 miniature sized products - the mineral BB cream, amazing base loose powder, just kissed lip plumper and lipdrink. i really loved the lip products that came in this set! the lipdrink was a refreshing-smelling lip balm which kept my lips moisturized and when i spread the lip plumper on, it glided on smoothly. a great combination of products which i would definitely keep going back to (: the loose powder was also really nice to use, with its silky texture, which was perfect for setting my makeup. the BB cream gave an amazing coverage, even though the colour wasn't super suited for my skin tone! will upload a pic of it soon in my post on the Bobbi Brown Holiday 2013 collection! look out for it ;)

the Neutrogena bamboo gel cleanser was one of my favourite products in this month's Trove! (: in the midst of all my shower stuff because i used it every single day! ^^ i like how it cleans my skin thoroughly, without leaving it with the squeaky feeling. i would still prefer if it left my skin feeling slightly moister though! 

my sentiments are similar for the Covermark Mineral Wash as well! i use it at night because i feel its slightly stronger, but i really like how my face feels like it has gone through a deep-cleanse after using this (: 

ahh i didn't take pics my  Apivita Express Beauty Mask with Green Clay - one of my favourite products in this Trove!! but you can check out my review here (: also loved the Apivita purifying tonic lotion which was very refreshing and cleansed my skin amazingly to remove any excess residue that wasn't washed off with my cleanser. possibly one of my new favourite brands! (:

new samples are launched on VanityTrove every Monday, 12pm. don't miss out on them!! :)