Jeffrey Campbell Babies: Take Two

Remember how I raved and waxed lyrical about my first pair of towering, 5-inch, Jeffrey Campbell Foxys here? Well I really wasn't exaggerating when I said how comfy they are despite its eye-popping height! So comfy that I've worn them out on every single clubbing night (without blisters and with plenty of compliments to boot) and when I realised I wouldn't be able to pack my 5-inch chunky heels into my luggage back to London, I simply had to order another pair and send it to London! 

I got a black Friend Suede Platform Pumps this time. The difference with Foxy is that these babies are slightly shorter (by half-an-inch), come with slingbacks instead of the T-shaped design at the front, and obviously the colour! I thought it was very befitting that my nude pair is back home (where it is summer all year long) and my black pair is here since, well, nude shoes would look strangely out of place in winters and autumns. Also feeling terribly pleased with my buy because I waited three long weeks on Shopbop - going back to check the prices everyday until the prices fell from full price, to 50% off, to 70% off! If you know me well, you'd know that nothing makes me happier than a really good bargain! 

Excuse the vanity here because I got really excited to pose with my shoes. As per usual Jeffrey Campbell standards, they felt incredibly comfy when I tried them on. Now that I've got my dancing shoes with me, anyone up for a party??? (:

Yearning

Hi. I'm back. So many things have happened since I last left off here. I'm sorry. I'm sorry I stopped writing. I'm sorry I forgot this space - though not for the reason you'd imagine but for the fact that I cannot seem to recall all that has happened in the past two months of hiatus now. No, not without the help of words and images that I usually get from this space, I cannot for the life of me remember. It's quite sad, isn't it? To be so caught up in the intricacies of living that you eventually forget the big picture - life itself. Were the past two months a happy two months? Were they sad? Or were they hectic months, not unlike the line of dark-coated passengers who traipse through the left side (Or was it Right? These differences in continents confuse me.) of escalators in tube stations every morning. Tube stations, not MRT stations now. Oh yes. I remember something. The entire MRT fiasco that happened somewhere in the last two months. It's funny what a huge ruckus it caused back home because right now I'm living in a place where such occurrences are normal and we calmly accept it and simply find ourselves next-best alternatives. But that's where the problem lies doesn't it? Acceptance and next-best alternatives. It all sounds very dignified and noble but is that really what life (not living) should be about? 

I guess the biggest thing that happened in the past two months was moving across the world back to this rainy country that makes me laugh and cry both at once. Leaving home was especially difficult because five months is a really long time and basking in warmth for that long just turned me into a lazy and comfortable creature. But I did leave the warmth in the end, and coming back here was - in the most unfathomable of ways - especially magical this time. Don't you see? My emotions are playing the most cruel paradox on me! It's one thing to be happy, another thing to be sad, but a whole new dimension altogether to feel both at the same time! Being back here felt magical because everything felt new and shiny all over again. London is beautiful. Not quite the city of sunshine but certainly the city of dreams. Don't let any homesickness fool you for a minute because I am so incredibly thankful to be here. 

As for how 2012 has been treating me so far - it hasn't been fantastic. A while ago, I made a promise to myself to crawl out of a dark hole but somehow along the way I think I've fallen right back into that hole and back at square one. It's funny how things repeat itself over and over again. Like the higher powers ran out of story ideas on how to pan out our lives so they repeat them and we oooh and marvel and call it deja vu. I want to write new stories though. So I guess that's my resolution for 2012: To write new stories for myself. And write them so differently so that things stop repeating and I can finally bid goodbye to deja vu. I've a good feeling about this one. You know what they say - when you're down here, the only way to go is up. I have high hopes for you, the rest of 2012. Don't you dare disappoint me.

One last sign of weakness before I take on the rest of 2012 with a smile - you know, I'm missing a lot of things right now. I miss excitement. I miss butterflies in my tummy. I miss warmth. I miss being deliriously happy. I miss subtle contentment. I miss laughing. I miss making people laugh. I miss spontaneity. I miss being surprised. I miss having grand goals to work towards to. I miss the feeling of knowing that I can take on the world. I miss doing nothing. I miss the ability to feel. I miss that lump in my through when I feel touched by something. I miss my comfort zone. I'm missing too many things to list them all. And maybe, just maybe, I'm also missing my heart.  

If you see it around, will you return it to me? I'm going to need it to write my stories. 

The Line @ Shangri-La

Had lunch at The Line with the family last thursday - the first time I ate there was about three years ago, in celebration of C's birthday. I remember having to rush through our food (in our attempt to try all 16 stations) but we still couldn't manage the feat within the 2.5 hours. The funny thing is, this time, my family and I finished our meals with plenty of time to spare. Either my family eats quite little, or we are just very, very focused eaters (who don't talk while we chomp). Haha, I suspect it might be a combination of both. 

Anyway, I've decided I'm not really a fan of buffets anymore. We did the math and realised how impossible it is to make them worth the money. Besides, my stomach's been acting up lately - first that bout of gastric during revision, then the strange squeezing-like pain during exams and now a sharp pain on my right. Slightly worried, but I hope everything will turn out alright.

Oh and happy december everyone! It's my favourite time of the year because I just adore the sound of christmas jingles in departmental stores. Plus Christmas sales. Plus all those value-for-money Christmas gift sets. And ooooh, it's the best time to buy travel-sized toiletries (just look for "stocking fillers"). And goodness, boxing day sales in London awaits! (:

Flor Patisserie @ Duxton Hill

{Berry Berries - Signature Cake}

{Napoleon - Bestseller cake}

It's been a pretty busy but good day today: visa application submitted without fuss, traversing Duxton Hill in search for delicious cakes, good news at 3pm and dinner at La Nonna with a long-lost (by long-lost I simply mean out-of-contact) senior. Kinda enjoy busy days like this one, and kinda greedy for more of such days. What can I say? I like to have my cake and eat it.

Kinda excited that everyone's ending exams/ flying back to Singapore soon too (:

You Are The Apple Of My Eye

This is quite possibly the most touching film I've watched all year. Oddly enough, it's a chinese film - and chinese films don't usually catch my fancy - but this one did with its endless trailers playing on the screens of train stations. Well, I must say I'm glad I watched it. The film talks about first love and is achingly accurate in its portrayal - the hesitance, the teasing, the not-telling, the childishness and how first loves rarely do work out but the memories and friendship last a lifetime. It reminded me of theBoy - how we liked each other for four years, how we were too shy to admit it, how we drifted, how we each found other people, and mostly how we remain amazing friends till today and still retain those puppy memories from our adolescent years.

Brilliant film which, I think, everybody can relate to. Catch it if you haven't already!

Post-Exams + Another Skincare Haul

The day after our papers ended, I immediately headed to town to replenish the skincare essentials that I'd run out of during the exams. I must say, I went a little crazy for retail therapy and ended up buying quite a bit of extra stuff as well. But ah well, I'm just ummmm, doing the "stocking up on things I cannot get in London" part of packing in advance! 

#1: Fancl Mild Cleansing Oil
#2: Fancl Face Washing Powder
#3: Fancl Sunguard SPF 30

To be fair, I only bought these three things from Fancl. But the sales assistant was really nice (and deserves a shout-out: her name is Claris from the Raffles City branch!) and gave me that whole bunch of samples because I commented that I have to travel for work and sample sachets are so much more convenient than trying to ensure all my liquids are below 100ml. She also have me two bottles of Deluxe Tenseup, two of those washing puffs and a Fancl calendar! And to top it off, their free gift Aqua Repairing Mask was out of stock (and "while stocks last") but she made arrangements for me to go collect the mask from another branch. Kudos to lovely sales assistants! 

Other stuff from the haul:

#4: Etude House Eye Mascara Remover - I'm quite happy that this is an almost-perfect substitute for my Nature Republic's one, which is great since there's no more Nature Republic in Singapore!)

#5: Hada Labo SHA Hydrating Lotion - Finally tried this after I blogged about it months ago! It's actually pretty decent, very moisturising and quite a cheap-option ($22.50) toner! Very worth it so I'm quite happy with the purchase (:

#6: Narüko Raw Job's Tears Whitening Night Gelly - Bought this because both Char and Dor were raving about how "luxurious" it feels. It really does feels nice and has a great smell, but it feels exactly like my Laneige Water Sleeping Pack so I'm not that impressed by this. That said, it is half the price of Laneige so maybe it's good for the pockets that I've found a cheaper alternative! 

Also, isn't the Christmas shopping bags so pretty now? I absolutely love the Christmassy feel in town right now (:

In other non-shopaholic news, post-exams has been great so far! Girly wine-time immediately after our paper, Zouk in our exam clothes with our files and books stuffed at the locker, dimsum at Cherry Garden, Sushi Tei by the beach with the girls, rollerblading along East Coast and some yummy Yet Con steamboat. Mmmmm, seriously looking forward to five more weeks of this decadent lifestyle (: 

Lancôme Trésor Midnight Rose Blogger Event

So the bar exams are finally over and I have time to blog about this event I attended a few weeks back. Charlene kindly invited me as her plus-one to Lancôme's Trésor Midnight Rose Blogger Event and I said yes immediately because I was thrilled to have a "legitimate" excuse from studying!

The event was a cozy affair held at Group Therapy Café along Duxton Road. The Lancôme staff had tastefully decorated the place (and the food!) with the theme purple, and had posters of Emma Watson plastered over the walls. Now, if you know me, I'm a huge fan of Emma Watson (I think she's an incredible combination of beauty and brains) so even before I had a whiff of the fragrance, I knew it had to be something special for Miss Watson to decide to endorse it!

{Charlene, my favourite beauty-junkie friend from way back in secondary school}

{Juliet, my new friend!}

And boy, was I right about Miss Watson's judgment! To be honest, I'm not a fan of fragrances. This possibly stems from a few key childhood memories of getting onto the train/lift with women who wear exceeding strong fragrances, and proceeding to sneeze non-stop for the next ten minutes. So I was a bit skeptical about falling in love with this one... but Trésor Midnight Rose actually manage to prove me wrong! It strikes a really interesting balance which is quite hard to explain - it's sort of sweet, but not too sweet, and at the same time it has these deep undertones but which are not overpoweringly so. It's fun, flirty and light, yet there's also this sexy allure underneath it. 

This is probably the perfect fragrance for young women in their 20s who has just left the sweetness of being in their teens but haven't quite attained the allure of a woman in her thirties. 

{From left to right: Trésor, Trésor In Love, Trésor Midnight Rose}

{More Emma Watson, isn't she gorgeous?}

Anyway, as I've mentioned earlier, I'm not a fan of fragrances so I was never in the habit of spritzing any on. However, Trésor Midnight Rose has managed to change my mind and because Lancome was kind enough to give us each a complimentary bottle, I've been wearing this fragrance for the past few weeks whenever I feel like I need a little pick-me-up. Am still loving the scent after so long though, so I guess this one's definitely a keeper! So if you're in your 20s, and you like a fragrance that strikes the perfect balance between sweet and musky, I say quick scurry down to a Lancôme counter and take a whiff of this! I'm pretty sure you'll fall in love with it like we did!

{My two lovely dates for the night}

Anyway, just a little side-rave because I've been gobsmacked by how glow-y my skin has been looking these past few days. At the event, Lancome kindly gifted us each with a bottle of Lancome Génifique as well (for the uninitiated, this is their trademark youth-activating concentrate). I started using the concentrate since a few weeks ago (one drop each time) and saw no difference at first.... until one day I accidentally knocked over the bottle and had too much concentrate in my hand! I decided to put all of it on my face and voila, my skin suddenly looked amazingly glow-y that day! 

Since then, I've been using two drops of the concentrate each time and my mum has commented that I constantly look like I'm glowing and have foundation/BB cream on (when I don't). Though I'm not a hundred percent sure it's solely because of Génifique (I've been using my sample SKII Clear Whitening Source Lotion because I ran out of my normal toner, and also my Hado Labo Exfoliating Face Wash because I also ran out of my normal cleanser), I've a pretty good hunch that Génifique really is the main reason because I've been using it the longest! Or that I've accidentally stumbled onto a HG combination of products that produce brilliant results when used together (must thank the exams for causing me to have no time to buy my usuals). Whatever it is, I must say I'm loving it (:

Never Have I Ever

... walked out of an exam hall feeling this bad about a paper. I know it's just one lousy, confusing, convoluted, two-hour exam paper which doesn't necessarily mean very much in the bigger scheme of things - but somehow it has managed to shake my belief in this career path I've chosen, dread the (possible) re-sits in december, dread having to do this all over again in LPC and dread more exams to come in May and July. 

I am probably overreacting but... it's just been a really bad day today.

In an attempt to cheer myself (and other depressed souls out there who went through the same hell this morning), here are some some photos of the retail therapy goodies I've accumulated over the past few revision-hell weeks:

Clockwise:
NYX Eye Pencil in Dark Brown
M.A.C Eyeshadow in Beauty Marked
NYX Studio Perfect Primer in Lavender
OPI's Start to Finish Base and Top Coat
OPI's I Brake For Manicures (from the Touring America collection)
OPI's I Eat Mainely Lobster (from the Touring America collection)
China Glaze's Something Sweet (from the Up and Away collection)

Bought all these babies from a Smoochiezz flea which was located right outside the Starbucks we were studying at - for only $77! It does sound like a lot, but considering each OPI usually already costs £10.50 in the UK, everything I got was a really good bargain. (Hi Khus, if you're reading this, that was a fun one hour break from studying wasn't it!). 

Jeffrey Campbell Friend Suede Platform Pumps

Bought these from Shopbop online at a 50% sale last week! If you've been reading my blog/listening to me rave, you'd know that I've been lusting over Jeffrey Campbell shoes for ages and recently bought a pair in Bangkok (it still puzzles the mind why USA shipped to bangkok but not to Singapore). Anyway, I loved my first pair of Jeffrey Campbells (wear them clubbing all the time and they are the comfiest 5-inch heels in the world) so I didn't hesitate to snap these babies up when they went on sale. Actually no, I did hesitate for about 3 weeks - and the price dropped from 30% to 50% off. So it just goes to show, good things come to those who wait (:

And finally, lust of the moment - OPI's Best of the Best Mini Collection. 10 different colours from OPI at just £23! This is a really, really good deal man (considering what I said earlier about how a full bottle of OPI costs £10.50?) and I would totally buy it if I didn't already buy those few nail polishes from the smoochiezz flea earlier.  But it's a great deal in my opinion (you get a whole variety of colours for cheap!) so for anyone who's interested, you can buy this at BeautyBay! 

Okay, am feeling slightly better now. This whole retail therapy works wonders man. Fingers tightly crossed that today's fundamental error wasn't as fundamental as I thought.... and that the next two papers will be a breeze. Study hard everyone!