The Holidays (Homebody-style)

Heh. That'll be me on NYE. ;)

✎ Question for readers: What are your new year's resolutions for 2012?

Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches

When there's a lot of ham leftover from holiday dinner, what do I do? Make Grilled Cheese and Ham Sandwiches, paired with instant Tomato Soup for lunch. Grilled cheese sandwiches are crazy easy to make, and they are so yummy.









PS: The tomato soup sucks. But the sandwiches rawk! }:)

Clinique White Carpet Event

I wasn't sure what to expect when I accepted an invitation to a white carpet event from Clinique, for the launch of their award-winning product Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector. I was pleasantly surprised when they sent a white Merc limo-cab complete with uniformed driver to pick me up and drive me all the way to the event venue. My, a personal chauffeur to an event! How luxe. ;P I can definitely get used to this. Heh!



As the limo-cab pulled into the venue's driveway, I spotted a photographer greeting me with his hugeass DSLR as I got out of the car. O_O And then there was a long stretch of white carpet that I had to walk on, lined with paparazzis. It turned out that the event had an Oscar theme, hence all the glam and blitz. Fun-ness! Thank goodness I was dressed appropriately (I think, I hope; shame on me for not reading the invitation closely).









As I reached the end of the white carpet, event host Bobby Tonelli was there to welcome and interview all guests.


Damn these impromptu interviews... -_-"



So the product that's being launched is Clinique's most successful product to date: Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector. It will be arriving to Clinique counters in Singapore for the first time in January 2012. With worldwide recognition, including number one rankings in the U.S., France, U.K. and Italy, 58 awards and strong consumer ratings and reviews, Even Better Clinical Dark Spot Corrector is truly a global phenomenon.



This product is to be used twice daily - morning + night, followed by your favorite moisturizer, sunscreen or night cream. I have begun using this and so far so good. It's kinda like a serum but in lotion form; it goes on creamy and gets absorbed into the face really quickly, leaving a soft velvety finish to the skin. I love it! Even though results will be more evident in about 4-6 weeks, I personally have noticed that it brightens up my skin considerably. I won't say that it has gotten rid of my dark spots yet, but teeny-tiny red dots from broken capillaries (yes I have a couple of those) appear to have receded and less visible in just one week.

There are also plenty of user testimonials online that you can look up, apparently everyone's totally raving about this product. No wonder it's won so many awards internationally and is one of Clinique's best-sellers. And results are guaranteed. Now THAT is a very bold claim, and this product's efficacy has been proven. MUST TRY!

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Ok, on to more event photos:









I recently stumbled upon a tutorial online on how to do a Side French Braid Updo so I tried it and wore the braid to the event. :) What a romantic airy-fairy looking hairstyle, eh?


I also thought the outfit I wore to the event = my skull clutch + yellow dress + double gold cuffs + AMQ-inspired leopard booties = totally Moonberry-ish, if I may say so myself. }:p

See the rest of the photos on my Facebook page — http://www.facebook.com/MBxMB.

Staycation at Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa

A chill weekend at the Shangri-La Rasa Sentosa Resort.


Ocean-view deluxe room with King bed.


I was merrily posing away in the room when suddenly...


WTF is that outside!!!!!!?!?!?! =====:0


Turned out there were quite a lot of free-roaming monkeys at the resort and they were playfully hopping all over the tiered balconies.


This was how close one of them got. :] I, uhm, kept my distance - thankyouverymuch.


The resort sorta reminded me of the all-inclusive resort I went to at Riviera Maya. I could hang out at the balcony all day, looking out to the horizon and taking in the smell of the sea.


*checking right and left then right again, to make sure there were no more wild monkeys nearby*


Welcome snack.


Mmm, my little slice of rainbow.


*nom nom nom*


D'oh! I wasn't the only one snacking as one playful monkey snagged a kueh from another guest room (the door was slightly ajar). Please do not feed the wild animals. :X


There were also a lot of peacocks at this resort. As you can see, the kids really got a kick outta this.


The resort at night.


Dinner was at the sea-front restaurant, where we indulged on seafood.


Yummmmzzz, oysters.


Lobster! :9~


The following day I woke up to a sunny morning which meant it was time to hit the pool.


Don't forget the sunscreen!


Badabing, badaboom. Nice short getaway from one island to another island. :p


My view as I dozed off by the pool. Mmmm, blue skies, fluffy clouds and palm trees. ^^ *chillz*

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This staycation was made possible by the cool folks at Sold.SG. I won this as a prize from them (thank you) - yay me! I still haven't won a single auction on the site though, ggrrrr. *shaking fists in the air* :P

Incanto Bloom

Lately when I travel, me and my bored self have resorted to flipping the in-fight duty free magazine. Because there's no movie or other form of digital entertainments allowed during take-off and landing! The geek that I am actually read every single word describing the products and whenever I get to the fragrance section, I always wonder who the copywriters for all these perfume descriptions are!!?!? Have you ever read them? They all come across as being so dreamy and lovely!

I'd say that describing fragrance has gotta be one of the most challenging jobs ever for a copywriter. Because you have to sell a product that appeals to the sense of smell and the copywriter needs to come up with the right adjectives to conjure a beautiful image or create a fantasy in a consumer's mind. I am telling you, it is not easy. After all, scent is a very very subjective matter. What looks good in words may not translate the same way in real life.

Speaking of perfume, for years and years, my 'signature' fragrance has been Calyx from Prescriptives. Sadly, the company has folded so the perfume is being phased out. :"( Hence, I have started trying out different perfumes and finding a replacement. I'd say that I prefer sweet, fruity and fresh ones. More so than the floral-y, musky ones. Hmm, sorry I can't quite articulate this very well. Only my nose knows what I mean. :P If you recall, I picked up a couple of new perfumes during my major Sephora haul earlier in the summer, those were nice.

Now I have a new bottle of perfume added to the collection! The lovely folks at PerfumeStore.sg sent me a bottle of Incanto Bloom by Salvatore Ferragamo recently as a holiday gift (THANK YOU!). PerfumeStore.sg is Singapore's largest online perfume retailer and stocks a very large variety of perfumes at up to 70% retail price! I thought I'd share a little bit about my holiday gift from them.

Salvatore Ferragamo Incanto Bloom

A new story to tell by Salvatore Ferragamo.

Incanto Bloom reveals the fashionable and charming personality of a young, sophisticated metropolitan woman with a desire for the latest in chic. She loves natural beauty and likes to collect and exhibit icons of style such as the Vara bow…the renowned symbol of the pure Ferragamo style and femininity. Incanto Bloom is bright, sophisticated, iconic. Dazzling petals explode into a passionate blooming sensation! The composition encompasses grapefruit blossom, freesia, tea rose, champaka, musk and cashmere.

What do you think? The description of an Incanto Bloom gal fits me to a tee, right? I AM a young, sophisticated metropolitan woman with a desire for the latest in chic!!! }:P Muwahahahaha.



I am really happy to receive this perfume. The initial spritz sorta smells like... a fresh summer (whatever that means). Elegant, chic, feminine. Sweet, fruity.

(Riiiight, I won't be applying for a job as copywriter anytime soon.)

Anyway, I know it can be difficult to find the right 'signature' fragrance for yourself; sorta like, uhm, finding the right man? Hur hur hur. Sorry I digress. Back to 'signature' fragrance, yes... something that represents who you are, or gives you that extra boost of confidence whenever you put it on, the extra bounce in your step. No one is stopping you from having more than one though. Maybe on weekdays you spritz on one perfume, and on weekend a different one. Perfumes aren't cheap but you don't have to break your piggy bank to get them all. How about heading over to PerfumeStore.sg to check out their selections? Can't go wrong with up to 70% off retail prices, ya know?

About PerfumeStore.sg

PerfumeStore.sg is a Singapore-Based Perfume Online Retailer. PerfumeStore.sg is Singapore's Largest Online Perfume Retailer selling over 90 Brands and counting. PerfumeStore.sg offers perfumes, fragrances, skincare and body care products. All products are name brand originals, never knock offs, copies, or expired merchandise. PerfumeStore.sg Facebook Page

Oh, by the way you know that trick of sniffing coffee beans in between perfume sampling? Coffee beans are known agents that help to neutralize the perception of scent. In the perfume section of the mall, you will see dishes with coffee beans on it at the counter. After sniffing on a certain scent, you can clear your nose of that perceived scent by taking a whiff of the bean so that you can smell a different kind of perfume again. via

✎ Question for readers: What is your favorite perfume?