Month: January 2013

IF PICTURES CAN SPEAK A THOUSAND WORDS

An adventure to the land of million bricks.

I’m going to share my family experience in Legoland, Malaysia. Seriously, our visit was right on time. We went on January 8, 2013, while everyone (well…almost) has gone back to work and school. So the park was quite empty, there were no queues at any of their rides and attractions.

Legoland Malaysia which opened last September 2012, is a theme park located in Nusajaya, Johor Bahru, Malaysia. It is the first Legoland theme park in Asia, and my youngest son is such a big fan of Lego bricks, so (like any loving parents) we decided to take the boys there for their school holiday.

Since we visited from Singapore, our plan was to take a shuttle bus straight from Changi Airport to Kota Raya Terminal in Johor Bahru, then continuing by taxi to our hotel (Thistle). It turned out to be a cheap yet complicated one hour transportation. Due to immigration purpose, we had to drag our luggage down from the bus to the immigration two times. And the bus will leave us no matter what, if we didn’t show up at the appointed stop within 15 minutes. Guess what? The immigration process took longer than 15 minutes.

Of course, we got left behind by the shuttle bus. Two times, on the way to Johor Bahru and on the way back to Singapore. Such no luck with shuttle busses, we ended up paying more for cab fares.

I hope my pictures (for more, click here) can tell a lot about our one day visit to Legoland. We had fun, nevertheless all the transportation and immigration problems.

INFO

–       There are seven themed areas, named The Beginning, Lego Technic, Lego Kingdoms, Imagination, Lego City, Land of Adventure and Miniland.

–       Miniland, where all the Asian landmarks (such as Singapore Flyer and Petronas Tower) at, have been recreated using more than 30 million Lego bricks, on a scale 1:20.

–       Some attractions like Legoland Express, Dino Island and Pharaoh’s Revenge will close at sunset due to safety reason (aka darkness). So make sure you plan wisely.

–       Maximize your Lego’s craving in “The Big Shop”. Literally the biggest shop at the whole park (there are 5 in totals), it offers the largest selection of Lego toys in Asia.

–       There are three restaurants indoor and four open air restaurants to choose inside the theme park. From western meals like pizza, pasta and chicken wings, right down to local delicacies like prawn mee and nasi lemak.

–       There’ll be Legoland hotel, but it’s still in progress, reportedly open in 2014.  Check out other hotels nearby. We stayed at Thistle Hotel, which have free shuttle to Legoland, a very nice pool and spacious room. It takes 30 minutes from our hotel to Legoland.

TIPS

–       If you can manage your time freely, visit the park at the low season.

–       Check their website regularly, as they might have ticket discount for early birds (which only available for online purchase).

–       Use the strongest SPF that you can find.

–       Bring hats, sunglasses, umbrellas (anything to protect you and your family from the blazing sun and thunderstorm).

–       Even though you might not get lost (trust me, it’s so easy to get around), get a map when you first entered the gate.

–       Don’t bother to bring your baby stroller, just rent it there.

–       Too much to bring? Rent a locker. It’s located at the gate as well.

–       Bring extra clothes, just in case you got soaked from all the fun (but wet) attractions.

–       If you decided not to eat inside the theme park and opt for fast food feasts, the Medini Mall which located just outside the theme park, has Burger King and KFC. Make sure you told the friendly people at the gate that you’ll be coming back to get a stamp on your hand.

–       Wow, mall outside the theme park? Don’t get too excited, dear. It’s not what you think it is. The stores were BLAH (I wish they move the Johor Premium Outlet there). Trust me, nothing exciting, except Burger King and KFC. LOL.

–       Go early, be there when the park opens at 10AM. If the park is not crowded, you’ll be finish at approximately 4PM (rode all attraction one time). They close at 6PM.  

–       Instead of going adventurous like us, I recommend to take a complete tour package, especially if you’re travelling with babies or toddlers. The transportation from and to Singapore sucks.  

 

 

 

OTHER THAN H&M?

H&M will be having a new more luxurious line called “& Other Stories”. 

Spring 2013, seven stores in London, Barcelona, Berlin, Copenhagen, Milan, Paris and Stockholm will be open. Offering women’s shoes, bags, accessories, beauty products and ready to wear created by their ateliers in Paris and Stockholm, they will have online boutique (soon) as well. Said to bring a more diverse collection from masculine tailoring to feminine chic, I wonder how expensive they’ll be comparing to C.O.S (another brand by H&M Group).

Anyway, while waiting for the brand to pop out, check out the video, capturing Lisa Butler (she’s a renowned make up artist) for the teaser of this exciting upcoming brand. 

(Source: https://www.youtube.com/)

A TRIP DOWN BEAUTY LANE

Kicked off 2013 with family holiday. Fun in the sun, drugstores and beauty isles. Total bliss!

Went to Legoland Malaysia and short visit to Singapore with my boys. They came back with tans on their skin, and me? Still pale but happy with all the beauty products that I managed to get on such short trip. 

Here they are:

–       Maybelline New York Lashionista Mascara

–       Bioderma Sensibio H2O

–       Essence Lash & Brow Gel

–       L’Oreal Color Riche Le Nail Art

–       Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer Cream

–       Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Powder

–       Essence Nail Art Express Dry Drops

–       Rachel K CC Cream

–       Chanel CC Cream

–       Majolica Majorca Lash King Mascara

–       Guerlain Meteorites Perles

–       Shu Uemura Karl Lagerfeld Eyelash Curler

–       Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion

–       Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner

–       Essence Quatro Eyeshadow

–       Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencil

–       Essence Fix & Matte Translucent Loose Powder

–       Essence Gel Eyeliner

Can’t wait to review them one by one. Stay tune.

WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR NEXT FEBRUARY? 

Me? I’m waiting for another fashion collaboration.

It’s Prabal Gurung + Target. Below US$200, complete with accessories like bags, minaudieres, shoes, cuffs and necklaces, I am more than excited. Another wallet friendly fashion collaboration is always interesting, and I bet these fun and flirty collection will sold out in a day, when they launched (in Target of course) on February 10, 2013.

What can you expect from the 80+ collection? His signature digital floral prints, for sure. While I  personally love the pointy printed flats and the minaudiere, check out my other favorite looks from the collection. 

GO GREEN, LITERALLY

As Pantone already announced their color of 2013, are you ready to be spotted in this hot hue?

I have to admit, I am not. I don’t think I look that great in green, so I’m going to stick with this ‘in’ shade on my nails. Still, it’s an alternative way to be seen in green, right?

My Pick:

OPI “Jade is the new black”

RESCUE BEAUTY LOUNGE “Recycle”

ILLAMASQUA “Rampage”

REVLON “Emerald”

ORLY “Enchanted Forest”

 

FINISH WHAT I STARTED

First empties of 2013.

1.    KIEHL’S MIDNIGHT RECOVERY CONCENTRATE

Not just an ordinary night serum, it’s the core of pure essential oils which I believe make my skin looks better over night. The clear oil texture might be a bit hard to absorb as it left a filmy layer on skin, that’s why one drop is enough for the whole face and one extra drop for neck area. Smell like lavender, the droplets bottle was great to use when it’s full, but hard to get when almost empty. Repurchase? Yes, it does last longer than I thought, so good price for the 30ml bottle night serum.

2.    FRESH BLACK TEA AGE-DELAY FACE SERUM

Is it just me? I believe in natural products, I really do. But, I believe most of them took longer to show their results. As an instant believer on almost everything (right down to coffee in the morning, yup, I’m that awful), this face serum didn’t show any result after I finished the whole bottle. Maybe the second bottle will do? Repurchase? Not sure, as Fresh is not available in my home town, anyway.

3.    MAYBELLINE NEW YORK THE ONE BY ONE VOLUM’ EXPRESS WATERPROOF MASCARA

The bright pink tube attracted me and the brush wand amazed me. It really did what it said, separating eye lashes one by one. It didn’t clump when it was newly opened but getting drier when it was almost finish. Repurchase? Yup.

4.    URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW PRIMER POTION

One of my ever lasting favorite product. It didn’t dry out until the last attempt, and make eye shadows stay put all day until I take it off. Considering that I have oily eye lids, it made them more matte and the colors of my eye shadows appeared more intense. Repurchase? Definitely.

5.    TRISH MCEVOY EYE BASE ESSENTIALS

I wish I could say the same about this eye shadow primer as well. Although I might say that it made my eye shadows stay put and looking matte, but the texture is too thick, it was hard to blend. And, it dried out too quickly before the whole tube is finished. Repurchase? No.

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1 T-SHIRT TWO WAYS

Who said you can’t wear T-shirt to the office?

Unless you’re forbidden to wear one by your boss, go for it!

Consider yourself lucky if you are actually allowed to wear casual clothing to the office. But, how casual is casual and how to look still representable by wearing your favorite T-shirt? Again, this is the power of mix and match.

Tips for Office Outfit:

–       Casual is NOT careless. Don’t wear your old T-shirt that you use for sleeping attire. Go for more textured T-shirt (like the picture above), preferably in lace. Never mind the statement words on it, as long as they are not rude or bad words.

–       Outerwear is a must. This is not the right time for your T-shirt to appear solo. However, you might need a more relaxed jacket to be its’ companion. Forget your formal blazer.

–       Pencil skirt is better than any other skirt, as it looks more representable. To add more fun, use the printed one instead of just old boring black pencil skirt *yawn.

–       Pick a structured bag to appear more formal when you do have to go out and meet some clients.

–       Last but not least: the right shoes. Never ever use flats with pencil skirt. They are not match made in fashion heaven. Black ankle boots are always the safe and the best option.

You still need tips for Mall Outfit?

–       Denim jacket is never wrong. You can wear it with everything and add coolness to the whole attire, even on your most casual days.

–       A more laid back bag is a must have for mall outfit. You can’t go wrong with a bucket bag.

–       Skinny printed pants will give the impression of longer legs, especially if you will wear your …

–       Flats. Seriously, I feel sorry for them who (intentionally) wear high heels to the mall. Strut your stuff somewhere else, babes, as mall is NOT a runway. Even models wear sneakers on their off day.

 

FEELING CREATIVE?

Don’t just sit there and imagine. Now, we can create our own nail polish.

How thoughtful…customized nail polish. It could be a gift to someone, or you just want to personalize your nail colors. Check out Pretty Please Nail Polish. Currently they only have 18 colors to choose from their collection, ranging from berry colors to pastels and pop colors.

It’s so easy and we can do it all online. Just choose the color, think of a name to be labeled on the bottle and you’re done. I’ve tried mine (see step by step pictures above). Well, they said nail polish can say a lot about a person. Mine will be: Shinta loves Red and hates Fakers.

ATTENTION: BAG LOVERS

Presenting the future of Mugler’s bag collection by Nicola Formichetti.

Coming next month, it’s the first bag collection for Mugler. Not surprisingly, they look edgy and very structured, typical Mugler style.

Mix of different colors and materials such as embossed leather, snake and crocodile’s skin, with price range from US$1050 to $18.000.

Look at the clutch, which remind us of Nicola’s bag creation for her dearest pal, Lady Gaga back in September 2012. It was inspired by her (err..) bum, actually. But…it was such a nice one, I wouldn’t mind wearing it.