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Nine by Sweet Basil Review : Hair roots, Head Spa and Parrucchi Soda Treatment

Happy new year everyone! Hope 2014 has been kind and 2015 will be awesome to all of you! I made some little resolutions, hope I get to keep them. Every year the festive spirit gets me really excited and I go all out to get ready. You've read about my first experience with eyelash extensions, now here's my first visit to Nine by Sweet Basil to get my roots touched up and treatment done!

Keep reading to find out how you can get a FREE Parrucchi Hair Treatment!!




Nine by Sweet Basil was recently opened in 2014 and all stylists are Japanese and trained in Tokyo. They're located in a nice quiet shophouse opposite Raffles Hotel, at Purvis street. You might almost walk past their entrance but look out for the red outlined door (above). The salon is on the second floor!


When I stepped in, I was happy to find such a spacious hideaway! What I really like about Nine by Sweet Basil is that you get your own personal space as there are separators and a walkway between seats, so you get to feel like a celebrity, or as I prefer to put it, avoid the gaze of people getting their hair done around you. I feel so awkward every time other customers at other salons look at your hair and judge my conversations with my stylist lol.

BEFORE:


This is my hair when I walked in, waiting for my hair stylist to finish up with his previous customer. Make sure you're on time for your appointment because Japanese are sticklers for punctuality. Anyway, my hair roots of about 1cm were growing out since I dyed it almost 1 and a half months ago. My hair was also quite dry, with even dryer ends :(

My stylist, Yoshi-san came over and analysed my hair condition (yes dry ends and a weak scalp prone to dropping hair), and I told him I wanted to trim my hair a bit in addition to touching up my hair roots. He then recommended I get the Moe Moe Head Spa and Parrucchi soda treatment so my hair would be much healthier and rejuvenated.

I agreed, and awayyy we went!


He started with adding hair dye to touch up my roots, then steamed my hair to let the colour soak through. The whole process took about 40 minutes? Then it was time to wash it off.


Yoshi-san led me to the basins and I like how Nine by Sweet Basil doesn't have basins all in a row, side by side with each other. It's really strange sitting next to a stranger when someone else is getting their hair done haha. Doing my hair is something I like to do alone, without my personal space invaded. Please tell me I'm not the only one with this preference?


The really hipster ceiling which I was staring at when I was getting my hair washed!


Next, we did the Moe Moe Head Spa, which is a cream applied and massaged onto your scalp to stimulate hair growth. Yoshi-san's massage was AMAZING!! You can tell him your preference for the strength of the massage, and I usually prefer a really strong one. It was mega shiok. Think he massaged my head for like a good 15 minutes or something. I wasn't timing or anything but it seemed to go on forever. 

Once that was over, he did the Parrucchi soda treatment which remove excess oil and sebum from your hair that normal water can't get rid of. It makes your hair feel like a thorough cleaning has been done and I love that feeling. When bubbled on your scalp, the soda treatment improves hair circulation as well. It does not have a smell and neither does it sizzle on your scalp, contrary to popular belief from the word "soda".

Nine by Sweet Basil also has this really curious looking machine called the Morbido Steam, which shoots out steamy nano water (which means tiny water molecules) that helps to keep your hair soft and clean, creating a glossy finish.


After that hour long spa and treatment pampering, I thought that we were about to commence the hair trimming portion, but Yoshi-san gave me a head and shoulder massage!!!! 

Mind blown. It was the first time any hair salon ever gave me a neck and shoulder massage. Ever.


After cutting and blow drying, Yoshi-san curled and styled my hair with wax. Typically on a standalone basis, lady's cut is $90, while men's cut is $80 here.


Hello me.


Taken with better lighting. Nice right!! You can see how glossy and sparkly my hair looks here, and my hair roots blend in naturally with the rest of my hair :)


Result of Cut+Roots Colour+Treatment+Head spa = One very happy face and really silky hair I couldn't stop caressing for some time. What do you think?

PSST! They also do hair styling and make up for special events!


These are just SOME of the products used on my hair, tried and tested by some of the most influential hair stylists in Japan!

Honestly, after this you can pretty much go without washing your hair for 3 days and your hair doesn't feel crazy oily disgusting. Assuming you don't do any sweaty exercises of course.

FREE PARRUCCHI SODA TREATMENT!!

Oh, I mentioned at the start of this entry that there's a free soda treatment right? Here's how to get one!

Just click on this link, register and redeem a FREE Parrucchi Soda Treatment worth $50!

Now that was easy. It's also very worth it. Terms and conditions apply.


With Yoshi-san, thank you for the silky smooth hair and the best look I could have this festive season.

Nine by Sweet Basil

26A Purvis Street 
(near Bugis Junction and opposite Raffles Hotel)
Singapore 188603
Telephone: 6337 3661

Operating hours:
Weekdays: 10am - 8pm
Weekends and holidays: 10am - 7pm
They're closed on Tuesdays!

Thank you Masa-san for coordinating~
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Japanese Eyelash Extensions at KJ Studio Review

Falsies are soooo mafan (troublesome). You have to apply glue, wait for it to dry a bit, place them gingerly on your eyelids and at night you have to remove them gingerly. When I heard about these eyelash extensions and just how easy and convenient they were, I decided to give them a try. Looked up various eyelash extension places online and decided to trust my eyelashes (and eyes!) with KJ Studio, and my beautician was Jeane.

What are eyelash extensions?


Jeane was really nice and patient to explain the whole concept of eyelash extensions to me. Eyelash extensions are applied lash by lash on top of your own natural lashes, which means there is a limit to the number of lashes you can apply to your nail. The more eyelashes you have, the more extensions you can put, and the stronger your eyelashes, the thicker the lashes you can use!


This is why you need to put eyelash growing serums on your eyelid (which are also sold at KJ Studio!). Anyway, my own eyelashes aren't the most numerous or strong, so Jeane told me that my ideal number of lashes is 60, ON EACH EYE. I was trying to count my eyelashes and I can't count 60 strands of them so I think they are probably stuck together or I lost count somewhere.

See that white sticker under your eye? That's to make sure your lower lashes don't get in the way, and also to ensure you don't open your eyes during the procedure. This is very important! There were a few times when I was napping and tried to open my eyes out of instinct but luckily these were holding them down lol.

My experience

KJ Studio is on the second floor of a shophouse near Outram Park MRT. It has an adorable area for you to do your make up after, since no eye make up is allowed before the treatment.

I filled in a registration form and Jeane proceeded to introduce me to the different types of lashes, the styles eg "Kawaii" (cute), "Sexy" and "Mix" of both. I picked Mix because my falsies are usually the Sexy type hahahah.
If you look closely at the picture (click to enlarge), Sexy lashes are longer only at the ends, but Mix lashes are long from the middle of your eye. Kawaii gives a very natural, olive eyed look which doesn't suit me haha.


You get to pick the curliness of your lashes too! I picked C curve because I wanted the effect to be quite noticeable but not too gyaru (like crazy obvious) Jeane asked general questions like if I wore eyeliner on a daily basis, if I wore contacts/specs on usual days, etc and I told her to pick the length and thickness of the eyelashes for me, since it was my first time.






PSST: You can pick coloured eye lashes as well!!! I decided to go with all black this time but I definitely want to try the coloured ones one day!

These were my lashes before:


My whole procedure including consultation took 1 hour. That's really fast huh! Maybe it's because my lashes aren't strong enough to do more...  Jeane is really pro at it so I actually fell asleep zzzz

 This is how you'd look like if you were to do extensions at KJ Studio (That's not me, and that's another japanese beautician)


Woke up to the splendor which is my lashes:

Aren't they amazing??

Side-by-side comparison:

Thicker, longer, curlier.

My eyes look bigger now. Now imagine when I put on some eyeliner, ZERO mascara and a bit of eyeshadow.

They are even more obvious in real life! That's the power of longer lashes.

Impressive, huh? At KJ Studio, my 60 eyelash extensions on each eye (which is 120 in total), costs $110. Unlimited lashes are $150.


When choosing which salon to do your eyelash extensions at, remember that the most important feature to consider is the skill of your beautician. These are your eyes we're talking about!! Jeane has been doing eyelash extensions for over 5 years now, and was trained in Japan. She speaks fluent English so don't worry about having any language barriers.

The only trouble I had with my eyelash extensions so far is that I forgot I can't use cotton wool to remove my eye makeup anymore. The wool bits kinda got stuck to my eyelashes LOL, but luckily I managed to get them out. A friend suggested I use cotton buds instead which work like a charm. Please remember not to use cotton wool!!

Important!!

If you have just had permanent eyebrow done, please wait till the scab comes off and the eyebrow surface is clean. If you have botox injected, please wait for 2-3 weeks. If you just had LASIK surgery, please wait for about 1 month till the eyes' symptom settles.


KJ Studio is a stone's throwaway from Outram Park MRT, but if you want to, you can walk from Chinatown MRT which is a bit further.

Do make appointments before you come because they're usually quite busy!

KJ Studio

43A keong saik road S098147 MAP
Tel: 6221 6209
SMS: 9151 7246

Opening hours:

Weekdays 12pm - 9pm
Sat,Sun,PH 10am - 7pm
Closed on: Wed, 1st & 3rd Tues

Thanks Jeane for the great service and the gorgeous eyelashes!
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Coffee Bean Beanstro Christmas menu and pretty logcakes

One of the most famous Christmas songs is "All I want for Christmas is you" sung by the (then) angellic voice of Mariah Carey, and is a song that is completely overplayed in shopping malls. Not all of us can be so lucky to have our desired person as a christmas gift, so we have to comfort ourselves with other, material things - like cake.

Have you gone down to Orchard to look at the lights yet? Now all we need is some snow, but too bad we have to settle with rain lah. To bring up the Christmas spirit in you, the Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf have a new menu and some Christmas sets for you to either buy for yourself, or buy to give the person whose house you're visiting. Good idea aye?

GIFT SETS


This Holiday Cocoa Trio Gift Set and Warm Winter Cocoa Gift Set caught my eye the moment I checked out their Christmas products.


You get to make your own drinks using Coffee Bean' exclusive cocoa powder!! Also, did you spot that Red Velvet powder too? :P Each cocoa tin has a shaker top for controlled portions, and the Holiday set also comes with a mini metal whisk!


Christmas mugs, tumblers and peppermint teas.

CAKES

Wouldn't it be nice to share a cake with your family and friends to complete that holiday cheer? Coffee Bean's cakes do not disappoint with their pretty designs and Christmas decors!


If you're interested in ordering a cake, please remember to call 3-4 working days in advance, excluding the day of order, Saturdays, Sundays and Public Holidays.



Prices vary from $29 to $171. My favourite is the Gingerbread house that looks too cute to eat!

CUPCAKES

If you think cakes might be a bit much for your big party gathering, why not cupcakes? These are easy to share and saves you the hassle of cutting hahaha.


Get your Apple, Banana, Chocolate, Cranberry and Blueberry cupcakes at promo price of $35 for a pack of 20!



You can keep the santa's as a souvenir haha! I like how the cupcakes are rich but not too overpowering :)


Let's not forget the less fortunate during this festive season and do our part to make their 2015 a brighter one. Purchase this adorable Christmas bear that William is holding at $5 and full proceeds will benefit the Singapore Children's Society. Choose to bring this bear home or donate it to the children by hanging it on their tree in the store!



Lucky winners of a icing log cake contest won Coffee Bean Expresso Machines each!


For a list of Coffee Bean outlets in Singapore, check it out here.

Photos were taken at the Suntec outlet:

No 3, Temasek Boulevard, 
#02-603/604, Suntec City Mall, 
Singapore 038983 
Tel: 6884 5726 
Opening hours: Mon - Sun: 8am - 10pm

Thank you Coffee Bean and thanks William for the pictures!
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What happened to my lost android phone... 1 year later

How many of you have never lost your phones??? Really? Okay how about leaving it in the toilet or table somewhere THEN rushing back and finding it still in the same place? Less people now?

Well, I always thought I was the careful type (losing umbrellas is a whole different category - I think I've lost more than 5 in my lifetime) but one fine day, I lost my Samsung S3. You can read my initial story here.

I was at Beerfest Asia til like 1am ish and I still remember I was a little woozy after the beers. My battery was running low from that day's activities (think 10%?) and I was sitting on a bench outside the tent, texting. We decided to head back as we were all beat. I threw my phone in my bag without zipping it up and we proceeded to hail a cab outside.

As we planned to share a cab, I got in first and moved in from the left door, I'm guessing my phone probably dropped out of my bag at this point, and we reached our destination. Immediately wanting to charge my phone, I desperately searched my bag and realised the horrible truth - it was gone.

Here's a tip, ALWAYS ASK FOR A RECEIPT WHEN YOU ARE IN A CAB. I have learnt my lesson.

It was late at night and we didn't even know which cab we got into. I thought it was the red chevrolet Trans-cab but my friend remembered it as the maroon SMRT one. Either way, we called both taxi companies but they claim that their GPS on each cab did not register the right area, and even searching by taxi fare amount didn't lead to any matches. The uncle probably left the meter running to avoid getting caught or something :(

Headed straight back to Beerfest where they were packing up, but nobody found a phone. Sigh.

I kept calling my phone, googling phone location apps but it's so tough to track your phone's location when you don't already have the app installed, and when your battery is at 10%.

Needless to say, my phone's battery died even before I could track it. Once your phone is off/dead there's literally no hope.

Here's another tip. DOWNLOAD APPS THAT ALLOW YOU TO TRACK YOUR PHONE'S LOCATION. Don't wait until your phone is lost before you do this.

-------------

One year on, I was looking at apps to download from the play store on my desktop when I realised, hey there's this device I can install apps on called "GramenPhone Samsung GT-19300". What device is this?!

Then it hit me. That's my phone. MY PHONE!!! That means I can download tracking apps and fnid out where my phone is!!! My heartbeat started quickening.

Used Android Device Manager to search my phone's location and....lo and behold...

"Accurate up to 1,189 metres, last located at Dhaka, Bangladesh, 1 Dec 2014 at 9.43pm"

FML no hope already la.



PS: If you've lost your Android phone like me, try and find your phone with this link. Google is amazing.

Update: I hope he doesn't have any of my photos on his phone, or that he shows off to his friends that he has a Singaporean girlfriend or something. Don't worry I don't have any NSFW pictures on my phone haha, just a ton of selfies.

Have you ever found a lost phone? Share your experiences in the comment box below! :)
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Indulge at Park, Grand Park City Hall Hotel lunch buffet Review

As we approach everybody's favourite month (admit it, you love getting gifts or snapping up discounted items, or maybe it's just the Christmas songs in the air), it's time to let loose and reward yourself for all the hard work you've done during the year. You deserve it. 

Think about how much you've achieved over the past months, how you've grown and learnt from mistakes... doesn't that make you feel better about yourself? 

There was a birthday celebration on the day I went, so the area outside was blocked off. A nice place to hold a meal event with family and friends!

Likewise, I decided to indulge my taste buds at Grand Park City Hall's in-house restaurant recently for a buffet lunch. Grand Park City Hall is a convenient short walk from City Hall MRT, and is just next to Funan and Peninsular Plaza. It's a nice area to head to when Raffles City Shopping Centre is too crowded during mealtimes.

I was pleasantly surprised at the spread of food, there was seafood, cheese, salad, mains, grilled and a huge dessert table with a delightful spread! Was the food as good as it looked? I was about to find out.

The seafood table:


The seafood table spread was full of scallops, mussels, prawns, salmon and yellowtail sashimi, as well as assorted sushi. 



Chef/Staff will refill the food at regular intervals, so you'll never see an empty area. I'm not a big fan of cooked scallops and mussels so I gave them a pass, but the sashimi and sushi were decent.



Yellowtail is low in sodium and rich in omega-3, which are essential as your body can't produce them naturally. They are also associated with lower risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure, cancer and arthritis. 

WINNING DISH for me in this category has got to be the: Prawns. They were really fresh and crunchy!

Let's move on to the mains, shall we?

The mains:

Chinese, japanese, western and even italian, Indulge at Park really does serve an international buffet using various cooking techniques. Let's take a look at some of them.


Seafood stew ala Italian cuisine, the squid was a little too chewy for my liking.


Braised pigs trotters and cereal prawns. I felt the portion of pigs trotters could have been larger (ie more meat) and the cereal prawns were a bit soggy, though. 


The okonomiyaki was really popular with its fish flakes and sweet sauce. Don't miss this out!


There's also a chef making okonomiyaki and slicing the steak right in front of you!


My companion liked the steak but it was quite fatty to me. It looks dry in the picture but there's gravy on the side for you to add at your own discretion.



 WINNING DISH for me in this category has got to be the: Baked sea bass. I had three servings of this because it was THAT good. It was fresh, seasoned well, no fishy taste, nice and soft. Grab this when it's just laid out and you have a winning dish. An absolute must try!

The cheese table:



Cheese, crackers and some grapes to reset your palate. 


Am not a big cheese fan but my companion was very happy with the cheese, there were only 3 (mostly soft cheese) types - Manchego, Salad Cheese and Brie so don't expect too much.

The salad table:

Usually salads at buffets are overlooked, but this one had quite a nice spread.

It's good to incorporate vegetables in your meal. Try to save some space for this k? Your body will thank you.


I had lots of cherry tomatoes ^_^

 WINNING DISH for me in this category has got to be the: everything. You can't go wrong with salad right? There were 4 different sauces to choose from so there's something to suit your liking.

The dessert table;

Pretty cakes, adorable macarons, ice cream, strawberry fondue, cupcakes, and more were on the dessert table at Indulge at Park. The ladies were very, very satisfied.


Look at that spread! It runs both sides of the table *_* 


These assorted cupcakes were tiny bites of love. You're full by this time but there's always room for dessert.



Mousse and jelly anyone?


Bread and butter pudding was really deliciously soft and fluffy! Best consumed warm.


WINNING DISH for me in this category has got to be the: Signature Durian Pengat. Man this was world class. Everyone there must've agreed with me because it would be wiped out within 5 minutes of replenishing and there were people waiting around the area to catch it when it was back. Uncles and aunties would take one bowl full at each time.

If durian's aren't your thing, the chocolate ice cream is a close second. Thick and slightly dark, the bitterness drizzled with your choice of sauce (milk chocolate for me) was a perfect way to end the meal.


If you're interested in checking out Indulge at Park at Grand Park City Hall Hotel, there's an amazing deal brought to you by American Express and Hungrygowhere!

Here are the prices on ordinary days:

Buffet Lunch : 12noon to 2.30pm 
(Mondays to Saturdays),
$36++ per person*

Buffet Dinner : 6.30pm to 10.30pm 
(Sundays to Thursdays)
$52++ per person* 
$59++ per person (inclusive of 3 glasses of wine)
$99++ per person (inclusive of free flow of champagne, wine, beer and soft drinks)

* Children under 12 dine at 50%.

Here's their prices for their special Christmas menu, valid from 1-30 Dec! (prices differ on Christmas eve, Christmas day and New Year's Eve)


Lunch Buffet: 12noon to 2.30pm
(Mondays to Saturdays)
$45++ (Adult) /$22.50++ (Child)
$55++ (Adult) (Inclusive of 2 glasses of selected wines)
$95++ (Adult) (Inclusive of Champagne, Wines, Beer & Soft Drinks)

Sunday Lunch Buffet : 12noon to 3pm
(Sundays)
$55++ (Adult) /$27.50++ (Child)
$65++ (Adult) (Inclusive of 2 glasses of selected wines)
$105++ (Adult) (Inclusive of Champagne, Wines, Beer & Soft Drinks))

Dinner Buffet: 6.30pm to 10.30pm
(Sundays to Thursdays)
$58++ (Adult)/$29++ (Child)
$68++ (Adult) (Inclusive of 2 glasses of selected wines)
$108++ (Adult) (Inclusive of Champagne, Wines, Beer & Soft Drinks)

PROMOTION PSST~

Get the buffet lunch for just $30++ per person with your American Express card until 2 December!!


American Express and Hungrygowhere have done a tie up with a number of establishments to bring you $30 specials for lunch or dinner, a few of the good deals I'd recommend would be:

  • Gyu-Kaku (Anchorpoint) - Wagyu lunch for $30++??
  • Al Forno (East Coast) - Starter, main course AND dessert for $30++??
  • Marukyu (Raffles Place) - bara chirashi don, tempura (dinner) and chawanmushi for only $30++??
  • Lawry's The Prime Rib (Mandarin Gallery) - Lawry's chef cut 120gm of prime beef rib OR Italian chicken & mushroom OR US kurobuta baby back ribs for $30++??

Talk about a good steal! For the full list, click here. These end on 2 December though, but I'm sure the deals will come back again in future. Keep a look out for them!

Don't forget to get a free cocktail or whisky taster or drink promotions with your redeemable with your American Express card! For more information, refer to my other blog post here.

#30liciousamex

Have any good buffets in Singapore to recommend? Do leave a comment below if you'd like me to check it out~
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