MAIL: October's Vanity Trove!

And hello, October! I know it gets to people that time literally zooms past but man, I'm really glad October is here because it means I'm a month closer to my graduation! :DDD Anyway, I received October's Vanity Trove last week! Thank you, Camy! :D (The troves are also another reason for me to look forward to new months!)

This month's Vanity Trove has the theme Big & Bold and it's all about being a beauty royalty! It's being glamorous AND having fun at the same time!

"After all, why blend in when you can stand out?"
- Victoria

VMV Hypoallergenics makes an appearance in this month's trove with her Hydra Balance Gentle Cream Cleanser and Hydra Balance Smart Moisturizer for combination skin (Perfect for me!). The Hydra Balance Gentle Cream Cleanser 'whisks away excess oil + helps control acne with monolaurin (Derived from coconuts!) while moisturizing drier areas'. In addition, it also soothes over-treated and irritated combination skin. The Hydra Balance Smart Moisturizer quenches the thirst in parched areas BUT adequately hydrates oilier ones. It also contains Monolaurin to help soften and treat dry and irritated skin.

Okay, I know coconut oil is actually liquid gold for the skin but the smell isn't exactly what I would call friendly. I haven't had a sniff of these babies yet because they are sealed but I'm really excited about the antibacterial properties that Monolaurin is said to have. I really like that these are 100% free from the clutches of fragrances, SLS, allergen-surfactants, dye-phthalates, parabens and preservatives. They are also non-comedogenic and non-drying and can be used by gentlemen, ladies and children above the age of 9. (:

Bourjois' Queen Attitude Khôl Kajal is your new secret to getting Cleopatra's mesmerizing eyes! This pocket-sized eyeliner takes you from zero to glam with its content of high pigments, natural wax and a formula that is soft and intense! I'm a little concerned with how it will fare in the lasting and no-smudge departments but we will see!

L'Oreal Paris's White Perfect Laser Essence is a serum that is to be applied before your moisturizer. It cancels out your existing spot with its active ingredient, Ellagic Acid.

The Essence of Nature's Lavender Sap Patch is the most natural way that we can employ to refresh our body. Brought in from Korea, these patches zap away waste materials from our body and helps to relieve minor aches, boost energy and improves our immune system, blood circulation and quality of sleep.

I have seen similar products before and quite frankly, I was really skeptical. But somewhere in mid June, I have a chance to try these patches for 7 days. While the change wasn't drastic, to my surprise, I did find that I woke up feeling lighter and more refreshed!

Audrey Christian's Venetrim - Vein Reducing Cream is a cooling gel that helps keep spider veins at bay and brings relief to swollen, tired and painful legs. I was hoping to get the Push Up - Breast, Neck and Tummy Cream (Hehe!) but oh wells, this is a lot more useful to me. I'm usually in flats and I walk A LOT. So often, I'm left with aching legs at the end of the day. I know I'm in my early 20's but I'm really afraid of getting spider veins! Fingers crossed that this will make Blake Lively's legs a possibility for me (Okay, like maybe get 50% of her legs?!?)!

As mentioned a gazillion times, I love Bioré's makeup removers, be it gel, oil or water-based. In this month's trove, her Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets are being featured! I have previously reviewed them here! This comes real handy when you are in a rush and just want to remove basic makeup fast (and furious. Haha.). Little tugging is involved and they are just so beautifully convenient and practical!

Beside the above, my trove also contained samples of DHC's famous Cleansing Oil (Over 30, 000 bottles sold monthly in Japan!), Mild Soap (Birthed from a concoction of Olive Virgin Oil and Honey.), Mild Lotion (Suits all skin types with its formula of vitamins and plant extracts.) and Olive Virgin Oil (Place just one drop of this on your pimple's head and it will help draw out the contaminated oil!).

Vanity Trove has also included vouchers for VMV Hypoallergenics and a $20 Sasa voucher for Audrey Christian's products. (:

This month's trove is a delight that covers from top to toe. I was really surprised to see a full-sized Audrey Christian's Venetrim - Vein Reducing Cream because this costs a whopping $79! Bourjois' Queen Attitude Khôl Kajal is also a full-sized product! This is only my 3rd trove but I have been reading up and I think Vanity Trove is pretty consistent with her troves. There has been at least one full-sized product for the past 3 months (2, in fact!). :D

Anyway, I'm in the midst of preparing for examinations right now. But once I have some free time, I'll try and do a tutorial with the makeup from this month's and last month's troves! :D

FOOD: Mu Parlour

My birthday was sadly spent preparing for a job interview that took place in the evening. So I was really looking forward to the dinner that M planned for me (Thank you, love!)! The street of Holland Village was lined with brightly lit restaurants but we stopped at a rather nondescript opening that was bathed in black.

Okay, confession time. I don't really trust guys' tastes (Except for JH. My sis picks out my bro's clothes. So nope, can't trust my bro's too.) and that includes M's (I'm sorry, dear!) so I was like going 'HMMM...' really loudly. In my head.

Okay, pretty nice... I like the brick walls. But still... So-so.

BUT OH MY FRIGGIN' GOODNESS!!! This was what greeted me when I stepped inside! *in Chandler's voice* Do NOT judge a book by its cover! This is literally the prettiest and most whimsical place that I have ever in my whole entire life set foot in (M was really pleased with himself. Haha.).

I started snapping away as if I were a pro and so, this entry is going to be pretty heavy with photos, haphazardly arranged (I tried my best. I took so many photos! Like each 'scene' twice. Or thrice. Or maybe...).

Here's M poring over the menu.

I really wished this was near my place. I can just picture myself, whiling my afternoon there with a good book and some decent coffee. Sighhh...

Okay. I don't drink coffee but you get the idea.

Mu Parlour was opened only this year. It offers a rather small but decent selection of baked pastries, gourmet burgers, desserts, coffees and cocktails. M made reservations but when we reached there around 6pm (I think.), we were the only ones there. The place only started to fill up around 7pm, but it didn't get crowded.

M had No. 97 Chicken Patty, Mozzarella, Beetroot ($13. Pictured above.) while I ordered No. 11 Avocado, Streaky Bacon, Mu Secret Sauce ($15). The burgers were each accompanied with yummilicious (I know the word doesn't exist. But I just HAVE to use it!) garlic fries! The gourmet burgers reminded me a lot of Sydney's Moo Gourmet Burgers, though of course, they tasted nothing like the latter. They were just alright, pretty forgettable actually. The patty was a tad too mashed up for me and the buns were really plain.

BUT the garlic fries... THE garlic fries! They were as yummy as they looked! Crispy, tasty, inviting... Everything positive (Minus the fact that these little, puny strips will make you fat.)!

(Okay, I need to stop looking at them.)

The passion dessert, though looking very pretty, was really sour for two people who dislike sour food with a penchant.

So yes, the semi-affordable food was rather disappointing. But Mu Parlour is a pretty nice place to hang out with friends and have an okay meal, WITH awesome fries. I had a lovely evening there, company was undoubtedly fabulous and I gobbled every single strand of fry. :DDD

MU PARLOUR
16A Lorong Mambong
Holland Village, (S)277677
Tel.: +65 6466 9336
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Before I go bury myself under a heap of numbers again, here are some shots we took that day!

RAMBLINGS: The S-scary Future

Consecutive online lectures induce permanent brain damage for your current and next 9 lives. So kids, attend school.
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I have ten million thoughts running through my head right now (No. Just like only 2.) but have got only ten minutes to punch them all into my poor keyboard (Mum's, actually.). I'll be taking a big human step tomorrow when I imprint my signature on those dotted lines. Fingers crossed that this is the right decision.

Actually, I know this IS the right decision. But hmm... I didn't exactly picture post-school like that. It was more of bumming around and doing more random part-time jobs. Like scheduling, serving coffee, hanging out in museums (Yeah right.), being someone's PA and drowning in dramas and sitcoms. What I feel versus what I think is sensible... Mmhmmm.

Funny how a 14-year-old me thought that I would be raking in £40,000 monthly, all decked out in Jigsaw suits, squabbling with annoying American men who thought they knew everything (I can't even fake the British accent.) and having a roommate who was born with a silver spoon in her mouth and did crossword puzzles all day long (Sophie Kinsella, this is YOUR doing. My child will NEVER read your books.).

But oh wells. Life never ever turns out what you had pictured it to be. I just hope that I won't be sucked into my job (Everyone's telling me how horrid my job will be and asking me if I'm really certain. BUT they say the same thing for every other job that I bring up. So...) and forget to appreciate the little things in life.
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Anyway, I thought I jot down what I want to achieve during the one year I have a job before I go make a whole different checklist.

1. A certificate in makeup and hair-styling.
2. A basic cert in French/ Japanese or both.
3. Take regular yoga lessons.
4. Master the DSLR.
5. Do more watercolour paintings. 
6. Buy Vintage Barbie.
7. Be regular in the taking of my supplements.
8. Clearing out 1/2 of my vanity closet.

I'm not being ambitious here, am I?