OCT4

June 29, 2014

[BEAUTY] Benefit's "They're Real" Push-Up Liner


Is basically a revolutionary innovation by Benefit, and I am super proud and honoured to be one of the first few bloggers to be able to test this product out before it was even launched in Malaysia on the 27th June. That's right, means IT'S OUT AND AVAILABLE FOR PURCHASE NOW!

I highly urge and recommend everyone to give this eyeliner a try. More details (and a tonne of camwhoring pictures) below, so please please read on :) 


I'd like to say a HUGEEE THANK YOU to Paige who very kindly presented this opportunity for me to work with Benefit Malaysia (I am based in Singapore, but am also a Malaysian so, I get the best of both worlds? hahaha). 

A little bit more on this revolutionary product before I bombard you with endless of camwhoring shots. 

Benefit is very well-known for their phenomenally popular They're Real! Mascara since three years ago, with one being sold every 10 seconds! *Awesome stuff*! So with that, they have now debuted with yet another Powerful product - They're Real! Push-Up Liner

The Benefit "They're Real!" Push-Up Liner is the FIRST EVER lash-hugging gel liner in a pen! 

You know how gel-liners are famed for having a matte finish, long-wearing, waterproof, smudgeproof but the biggest problem is that, it always comes in a tub with a separate brush? I mean for me, it always tends to get a little messy with the excess of the product still being on the brush, then the product just gets everywhere! And if one day you rush out of your house and you forgot to close the cover back onto the tub, upon returning home, you find your product all dried up? (well that happened to me :'( )

So, rant over, the point is, now you can get ALL the benefits of a gel-liner easily in a pen! 

So much goodness in a pen?! So impossible, and yet it's true! 




Few weeks ago, I received these lovely items from the very generous team from Benefit Malaysia (pretty sure it's all Paige's hardwork to push them into sending me these items hahah thank you!!)

What about this liner that makes it soooo revolutionary and lash-huggingly irresistable?? It all comes down to the design of the tip of the liner! "The design of the AccuFlexTM tip is the perfect balance of flexibility" allowing for a super smooth line that is easily achievable even by the most novice of users!

  • Soft-Angled Tip: Draws easy lines, guides across the curve of the eyelid and gives you maximum control from every angle (as stated in the picture above :D)
  • Flat, Wide Guard: This is why it is described as a "lash-hugging" pen. This feature gently pushes your lashes aside so the product gets to as close to the lashline as possible. Amazing!
  • Wide Base: Pretty self-explanatory, it allows for a more stable application. 
So does it live up to what it has claimed? I shall put this to the test!

I used this liner to create a DRAMATIC CAT-EYE LOOK with a Winged-edge and the total Inner-Eye liner look. 


But first, #lemmetakeaselfie (eyeliner-less *gasppp* the horror!)



(I must apologize, I did not realize how heavily high my "soft-skin" mode was set on to on my camera. My face isn't thaaat smooth and blurry lol!)

And this is the result! :D 

I filmed a tutorial for this so, keep a look out for that! (No, I will not forget to upload this time! Have faith in me! haha :D)

Major vain selfies all the way to the end. You have been warned. Thank you. 








I tell you, I got super tired halfway through all these shots I decided to be quirky and weird instead of trying to glam it up for the cameras lol! You have no idea how tiring it is to constantly pose for your selfies. It may seem like it's a super easy thing to do, but I tell you, it's not! Super tiring can?!



Why hello there? Why is my laptop so strategically placed in this shot where my beautifully customized laptop skin can be clearly seen spelling out my website missmcmuffin.com

Well I don't know, maybe I feel like showing it off since no one knows of my beautifully customized laptop skin that I so creatively designed myself? 

LOL! Now this laughter is real haha! I was laughing to myself at how I was gonna arrange these sequential photos for this blogpost and hahaha I really did it. LOL!

All jokes aside, how did I find it? 

I ABSOLUTELY LOVEEEE IT!! Why?
  • The pen glides on smoothly
  • The formula is consistent
  • The finish is really truly matte, which I totallly love!
  • The colour is really really true black! And not like greyish like others I've tried.
  • I get to draw really really close to my lashline
  • It is smudgeproof and long-wearing! (You will get to see what I mean when I say smudgeproof in my video that will follow up very soon)
All in all, I give this pen liner a 4/5! I can find almost no fault for this, but took away one point because well, it would seem biased if I gave it a 5! hahaha I would, but I will settle with 4 :D

You can find out more information on this amazing liner over at Benefit Malaysia's Official Facebook Page

And don't worry me fellow Singapore readers, They're Real! Push-Up Liner is available WORLDWIDE! So you can still head out and get this awesome gel liner pen, or head over to Benefit Singapore's Official Facebook Page for more details :D 

Did I mention how generous Benefit Malaysia was? I did? Well, remember a few days back I ran an INSTAGRAM RE-GRAM CONTEST on my INSTAGRAM

Well, I've chosen the winner!!! 

So sorry for the delay but I do appreciate everyone that took part in the contest and thank you soooo much for such awesome interests in the product even before I did a review on it. 

AND THE WINNER IS:


CONGRATULATIONS KIM__EE!
(who also happens to be my friend hahah! You lucky lucky girl!)
THANK YOU TO ALL WHO PARTICIPATED!!
LOOK OUT FOR MORE GIVEAWAYS SOON :D




Thank you very very much to Benefit Malaysia for giving me this opportunity and utmost thanks to all who participated in the contest. And a super HUGE THANK YOU to the lovely Paige for making all this happen :D 

Happy week ahead peeps :) 


June 24, 2014

[FASHION] JRunway - Latest Trends from Japan In Singapore




(Click the image to be re-directed to their official website)

First of all, I am super super super honoured to be amongst one of JRunway's fashion bloggers :D Totally honoured and privileged and super excited!! I'm like on the friggin' same page as other famous bloggers like Triciagosingtian, Cheeserland and my fav BongQiuQiu!!

(Click the image to be re-directed to their official website)

Get the latest trends and fashion tips from Japan, from us :D It's all on their website JRUNWAY.COM

And the reason for this post? (besides me bragging about me being up there with the A-list bloggers LOL!) They are launching their OFFICIAL ONLINE SHOP very very very SOOON!!!

Sign up now to receive the latest news, promotions, updates on when and how you too can buy and wear absolutely gorgeous, trendy clothes all the way from Japan! 


SIGN UP NOW AND RECEIVE A $5 E-COUPON!


No longer do you have to personally fly yourself all the way to Japan to embrace their fashion. Now you can get it all at the convenience of your own home! How friggin' awesome is that? 

Here are just some of the few Japanese Fashion Labels that JRunway carries:

And many many others. Check out their whole list of brands they carry HERE

I had the most amazing privilege to be chosen for this, have I mentioned that already? I have? Well, I'm still gonna say it anyway because I really am super thankful and grateful for this opportunity. My utmost thanks goes out to my absolutely lovely babe KIYORA!!! Do check her out @xkiyora and her BLOG. THANK YOU KIYORA!!! 

I was sponsored with an outfit of choice, and the moment I knew I could choose from whichever brand I wanted, I immediately knew which brand I would go for. EMODA FTW!!

I am super in loveee with the brand EMODA, I especially loveeee the gorgeous Japanese Model/Fashion Designer/Entrepreneur/Mom Matsumoto Ena!!

God!! she is sooo gorgeous!!
Maybe I shouldn't put her picture in this post, spoil market for my
other photos that follows on in this post  T_T 

So yes, I ran straight to EMODA and chose quite a few outfits to try and I must really apologize to Kiyora for taking so long! She was sooo patient and nice the whole time. Giving me opinions on my outfits, how to pair it and the rest of the team there were super friendly as well! 

I headed down to the JRunway Store down at Plaza Singapura Level 1. Super convenient location, just get off at Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station and you're there! :D 


So after about 40mins (or maybe more T_T sorry Kiyora!) I chose this set paired with a super cute lilac coloured socks! 

(unfortunately, I left my socks back in Singapore over the weekend as I went back to my home in JB..Will find another time to take and OOTD with my socks on haha!)

my adorable little brown fluff tryna get my attention whilst i was taking my OOTD LOL!


The following are all pretty similar poses, but as you can already tell, I particularly like to only take my photos from the right side (as in my right angle, as in the direction right) lol! So yes, enjoy the photo spam! Photo credits to my super talented momsy for taking all these shots for me! I must say, she is improving very fast :D GOod job momsy! 



Hat || H&M
Necklace || EMODA (bought this in Japan)
High-Neck Striped Cropped Shirt || EMODA (JRunway)
High-Waisted Denim Skater Skirt || EMODA (JRunway)

Vicky: hrmm, what is my human doing?!

Vicky: oh mai gerd, what now?!

Vicky: =.=


And lastly, a super unglam and candid shot. hahaha! I just had to upload this cuz what's going on in this picture is super funny! My adorable brown fluff was trying to get my attention whilst I was taking my OOTDs, and so I decided to pick her up to include her as well into the shots. But as the shots went on, she got restless and I was gonna put her back down. Then her fur got caught on my necklace LOL! And she started struggling, hence my face looking very worried cuz I didn't want to like yank all her hair out you know?! 

Haha but all is well, all is good. I manage to free her from my necklace with no fur lost! *Yayy success* 

But yes, back to topic. Please do check out JRunway be it their Online Shop or their Physical Store at Plaza Singapura:
  • Store Address: 68 Orchard Road, Plaza Singapura, #01-54, Singapore 238839
    Tel: +65-63377546
There is really no other place more stocked full of popular Japanese fashion brands than JRunway. CONFIRM! Go and sign up now on their Online Shop to receive that $5 e-coupon

And lastly, thank you so much once again Kiyora for everything!! I super love my outfit and not to mention how comfortable they really are! I loveeee EMODA's stuff and the next thing I'm gonna aim to get, their SHOES!! :D 


Thanks for reading :) 
Happy midweek!


June 23, 2014

[EVENTS] Summer Indulgence

I am an ultimate fail as a blogger :( I am not on time with my posts and I am deeply sorry to my sponsors for that! It's just that after work, all I wanna do when I get back home is just sleep or lie down and "update" myself with what's going on on instagram. I am very very much more updated there so..

Follow me on my Instagram :D

So this event, I was graciously invited by The White Space to attend the unveiling of their new summer products. As it was all summer-themed, the venue was at Sentosa Singapore, Coastes Singapore.

I have super few pictures of this place because my camera sucked :( So bear with me on this post.

Lovely lovely customized "welcome" cards to all the invited bloggers

I have no idea why they chose that photo but, haha I liked the personalization :D Makes you feel special :) Simple things in life that makes you happy. haha! 

So as I mentioned that this happened super long ago, I still had my LONG HAIR!! I would say this is about 1month+ back. I have almost forgotten what happened that day. All I remember was my camera dying on me and not being able to take as many photos as I would've liked. 

So the remaining few, are all that I could manage to capture of the wonderful and beautiful event. The venue was very very well decorated to the summer-theme. I liked it very much! It was still too hot la :( 



With the gorgeous bunch :) Aud, Evalee, and Desiree
Always a delight to meet them at events! Makes me feel like a part of a community :D

SO what were the products that they were unveiling to us??

Tadahhh~


Whitening Jelly Essence - Aqualabel

I am using this EVERY MORNING now! It literally replaces my toner, moisturiser and essence! IT'S AN ALL IN ONE PRODUCT! Which I absolutely loveeee since you know every morning I have to rush for work, and slapping on a tonne of products on your face can take up alot of time. So with this, all I gotta do, is put this on and then sunscreen and I can move on to my makeup routine. 

This whitening jelly essence by Aqualabel leaves your skin feeling fresh like literally you feel a cooling sensation on your face. Not the tingling-face-sensitive-pain kinda feeling, but the cooling-just-splashed-water-on-your-face kinda feeling. haha! In other words, I absolutely LOVE this product! It really cuts my skincare routine in the morning down by 3/4! 

Head Spa Sparkling Serum - Tsubaki

This is seriously a REVOLUTIONARY product! It's a hair serum for your scalp. It promotes blood circulation for a healthy and moisturised scalp ( I'm guessing you can read my picture above yes? lol!)
But you know what's the most revolutionary part? It actually produces a CRACKLING, POPPING SOUND when you use it!! NO KIDDING!!

The sound of it really resembles that of you frying an egg. hahaha! NO EXAGERATIONS!

The way to use this is to spray it onto your scalp, and immediately using your palm/fingers to press it down onto your scalp. And immediately you can hear the crackling sound. This sound kinda signifies the serum being absorbed into your scalp. After about 5seconds, the sound stops. What it leaves you with is a super cooling sensation. Really very refreshing! 

I use this EVERY NIGHT and I love it! It makes me feel super refreshed, and clean and just feel good cause you actually feel like you've done something good for your scalp. And then I head off to my beauty sleep. haha :) 

Mineral Essence UV SPF 50 PA++++ - Senka

This is the sunscreen I am using every morning! I LOVE THIS SUNSCREEN TO DEATH! In fact I love all of Senka's sunscreens. To me, they produce one of the best sunscreens, like, ever! It does not leave my skin feeling greasy or sticky, and yet it still gives me that very much needed protection from the dreaded sun! Especially so now that I am walking alot under the sun :( But this baby protects my face! So yeayy to that!

All the above mentioned products are already available now in all major Watsons. Guardian and basically everywhere la now. haha! Hurry on down and purchase them now! I tell you, you will LOVEEE ALL the products I just mentioned above. I am a convert for the Sparkling Serum

Thank you, The White Space, for inviting me to all these lovely events!! I am sorry for the delayed entry on it :( THANK YOU!

Thanks for reading :)

Didn't feel like you got to feel the entire event with me? (due to my severe lack in pictures :( ) 
Don't fret! There's a highlights video kindly uploaded by the Official Tsubaki Singapore Facebook Page

Click the link below for the Video :D


June 12, 2014

[FOOD]: Singapore Fine Dining with A Local Twist - Labyrinth



(photo credits: Labyrinth.com.sg)

LABYRINTH
5 Neil Road, Singapore 08806
(opposite Maxwell Hawker Centre)
+65 6223 4098

There's always that one occasion where you feel like going to atas places just so you can feel atas and eat atas food. But then, there's also the part where atas places eventually leads to extremely atas prices. (atas = high class, high pricing, depending on the context) 

What if you could feel atas, and eat atas and yet, you don't have to pay exorbitant atas prices? 

Look no further than the most talked about newly opened restaurant in Singapore! Only a few months into its opening, and they have already been awarded "2014 BEST NEW RESTAURANT" by Wine and Dine Magazine. And that, I must emphasise, is no easy feat. 

I can honestly say, they deserve every bit of publicity, positive reviews and recognition that they're getting. They are truly unique and one of a kind! 

A brief background on this humble shop before I get onto the tonnes of pictures of food that I wouldn't advise to look at whilst on an empty stomach, it can cause you to have mass cravings for food. You have been warned! 

Labyrinth was born out of banker-turned-self-taught-chefChef Han Li Guang's passion for cooking. Challenging common perceptions, both in taste and visuals, has proven promisingly with Chef LG's signature dishes, that can only be found at Labyrinth, CHENDOL XIAO LONG BAO, CHILLI CRAB & MANTOU and SIEW YOKE FAN (in translation it means Roasted Pork Rice). 

In simpler terms, Chef LG's way of cooking, is simply ATAS fine-dining style but with a very LOCAL twist to it, making his food still taste very "familiar" to the palate. You know what I mean? You know how you always go to those fine-dining places, and you get served like 10 small-sized courses with super weird sounding names and when the waiter serves you the food and explains to you, you have no idea what the hell he's saying? And then when you eat it, it gets even more confusing because you just don't know how to appreciate the food? Like the food's all weird tasting and supposedly it's supposed to be delicious, well because it's fine-dining? HAHAHAH I apologize on that rant, but seriously, that's how I feel whenever I go to a fine-dining restaurant. I've stereotyped it to being just super expensive, and not tasty because it tastes soooo weird!

But, at Labyrinth it's really different. It's really unique and I must say that some dishes actually plays with your mind. haha! What you see, isn't what it is.  You will get what this means when you see the food. 

Also, I must say I am not particularly good with words when it comes to describing food, but honestly, pictures say it better than I can explain it. 

(photo credits: Labyrinth.com.sg)

I must thank my friend, David for inviting me to dine at this restaurant. He and his friends made the dinner super fun and enjoyable. If ever you dine at Labyrinth and you see a young man showing magic card tricks, go up to him and say hi! Request for magic tricks too, he'll gladly show a trick or two for your entertainment! :D 

At Labyrinth you get to choose out of these 2 set menus. There is no A La Carte menu. You get to choose from the Signature Menu (SGD98) or the Degustation Menu (SGD158)


I chose the Signature Menu with my main of the signature Siew Yoke Fan!! The pork belly has been highly raved by like many many food bloggers! Just google "Labyrinth Singapore" and a whole list of results of positive, good reviews will appear! And those are all organic results ok not paid ads haha!

So, we were served with the Amuse Bouche, this is to "open" up your palate so you can taste the food better. I'm just guessing the purpose for this haha.


We were then served with their handmade bread with a side of 3 different type of "jams". All 3 super unique and to be honest, I have never heard of it before stepping foot into the restaurant. LOL! One tip: combine all 3 jams together and they taste really good!


There were a total of 4 of us at the table, with 3 of us ordering the Signature Menu and only one other ordered the Degustation Menu. So thankfully, I had a chance to try out ALL the delicious food that Labyrinth had to offer :D

Pineapple Fried Rice

This is the thing about Labyrinth, all of their food sounds local and familiar, but cooked in a really atas way. But it doesn't stray far away from the taste. This actually really tastes like your usual pineapple fried rice but in a super super higher-level of cooking. The raisins that it's topped with really adds to the sweetness. Not to mention, the Rice Crispies that act as the rice of the pineapple fried rice. Really smart and creative way of re-creating this dish. Delicious too! 

Mango Tomato Bruschetta

This is a Tomato 'Steak" Tartare, with a Mango Yolk on the top. It's "Steak" because it really looks like a beef tartare with like an egg yolk on top. But, it's totally meat-less! It's fully tomatoes and the yolk is actually mango! I HAVE NO IDEA HOW CHEF LG DOES IT, but it LOOKS EXACTLY what it isn't! And it tastes soooo good! How is it possible for tomatoes to taste good?! I personally am not a huge fan of tomatoes, but I actually ate finish the entire thing!!

Coffee Pork Ribs

Do NOT let this picture fool you. It is not just a normal plain looking coffee with a biscuit. It's actually Coffee Latte infused with "pork ribs essence" (I don't really know whats in it that makes the taste). The cookie? It's a cookie baked with AWESOME BACON BITS within it and also sprinkled on the top :D In my honest opinion, the taste of the "coffee latte" leans towards tasting like Ba Ku Teh (Herbal Pork Soup). You believe me now yea that this is seriously a restaurant with a one-of-a-kind menu! 

Now comes one of their Signature Dishes! 


Labyrinth Chilli Crab

You get a WHOLE SOFT-SHELL CRAB, Tempura style, topped with Mantou "sand", with the crab leaning on an orange rock. That orange rock by the way is actually what makes this dish super super super special. It's a CHILLI CRAB ICE CREAM!!!! Screaaaammmmss creativee or what?! Out of all the dishes, this has really got to be my ultimate favourite!

The ice-cream seriously tastes JUST LIKE THE LOCAL CHILLI CRAB taste! Like how is that even possible?! Its texture is just like how ice-creams would be. The soft shell crab was sooo well cooked. When you eat everything together, the combination of the flavours on the plate, complements everything so well and it's just like a foodgasm in your mouth. I really have to say this is one of the MUST HAVEs at Labyrinth. And even they know it, hence you'll get it on both set menus :D 

Artisan Garden Pizza

How cute is the presentation for this pizza dish? It's made out of truffles, spinach tomato crust and chantarelle mushrooms. I didn't try this as I'm not much of a vegetable fan. LOL. But the rest of them said this was delicious! And I take their word for it. Anything with truffles would immediately taste good! Haha

Took a break from all the food and headed to take a few shots of the restaurant's interior.


Chefs hard at work. Dedicatedly preparing all the food for their patrons. 
FYI, EVERYTHING IS HAND MADE FROM SCRATCH USING ONLY THE FRESHEST INGREDIENTS!

Black Cod Miso

This was a dish that I've tasted many times before at various restaurants and so the taste for this, to me, didn't match up to the delicious standard to that of the Labyrinth Chilli Crab dish, if that even makes sense? Haha, this dish was delicious, super fresh cod, but I felt it needed more sauce. I still enjoyed this dish very much though, mainly because the cod they used was really very fresh. Cooking cod is not easy, one of the hardest parts to nail down is to actually get the freshest cod. And at Labyrinth you can be assured that they ONLY use the freshest of the freshest ingredients! 

Siew Yoke Fan

Ahhhh! The dish that I was craving for since I googled Labyrinth Singapore prior to visiting the restaurant. It certainly LIVED UP to its fame and to my expectations. I am a super pork belly lover! And if the pork belly isn't well cooked or well executed, I would be super depressed, like why did I just waste my stomach eating all that unhealthy portion of the pork when it doesn't even taste nice. You get my drift?

Well with that aside, this Roasted Pork Belly on Risotto infused with Ramen Broth is simply delicious! The pork skin is really crispy and tasty. I really don't have any other words for this dish other than DELICIOUS!! 

Satay Beef Tenderloin

Now, this is another dish that totally doesn't look like how its name would suggest. I was expecting this dish to be served on like sticks, you know? But here it is, being served fine-dining style but with a super local twist added to it.

And that green banana leaf thing? It is usually a ketupat (rice) but in this case, you can never guess what it actually is inside,

The "ketupat" is in actual fact a peanut-filled mochi. Which was SUPER DELICIOUS as well!!

With all the mains out, it's time for D-E-S-S-E-R-T-S!


Chendol Xiao Long Bao

I honestly find that all of their food presentation, 5 STARS for creativity! This looks like an actual Xiao Long Bao, plus with the "vinegar" sauce at the background. Let me tell you what's inside, the green skin is the "Chendol" with a Red Bean filling and the "vinegar" bottle, is actually filled up with Gula Melaka Syrup. The sweet syrup that MUST be taken together with the Xiao Long Bao. 

Also, the tip is to try and shove the whole Xiao Long Bao into your mouth! LOL Try it! I had a very hard time haha. But it's sooooo tasty!!! 




Apple Crumble

This is Labyrinth's take on a deconstructed apple crumble. I didn't particularly like this dish, as it was not that extraordinary for me. I blame the Chendol Xiao Long Bao and the Chilli Crab, those 2 dishes really had set the bar high! SO when it came to this dish for dessert, it just tasted exactly like eating 2 scoops of ice cream with apple bits and pieces. It still tastes delicious though, do not get me wrong! I'm saying in terms of presentation, it lacks from the others that I've seen. 

Singapore Breakfast

Now, this is yet another dish wholly created by Chef LG where it challenges the mind and perception of the patron. What you see is really not what you get! Haha. This looks like your typical breakfast, your half boiled eggs with dark soy sauce and pepper, paired with a cup of coffee or tea. 

But, adding a touch of Labyrinth flair, that "EGG" you see, is actually NOT EGG AT ALL!! It's a PANNA COTTA w mango puree INSIDE the egg!! The "dark soy sauce" is in actual fact Chocolate Sauce and the "pepper" is actually Cinnamon Powder!  The "tea" on the side is actually a cup of Teh Tarik Creme Brulee. THIS IS DA BOMB!!! The creme brulee was absolutely delicious. I loved the presentation of this dish, but loved the Teh Tarik Creme Brulee even more! 



Doesn't it look seriously like the typical breakfast? 
The half boiled eggs with pepper and dark soy sauce. lol!

Petit Fours

And lastly, it was the petit fours and you are served coffee/tea of your choice with free refills at the end of the service. Not only were these small cakes super adorable, they were really delicious too! I was soo full by the end of it, I could not stuff anymore of these cakes into my tummy. 

I have to say, this has got to be the MOST DELICIOUS fine-dining restaurant I've ever been to. Mainly because I love how all of the dishes have a familiar local taste to them. My favourite is definitely Labyrinth Chilli Crab and Chendol Xiao Long Bao. NO MATTER WHAT YOU HAVE TO GIVE THESE 2 A TRY!! 

Do NOT hesitate to make a booking now! The restaurant is fully booked out EVERY SINGLE DAY IT'S OPEN! Because of the popularity of this restaurant, I will HIGHLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU BOOK before rocking up to the restaurant only to be sadly turned away. 

Experience an amazing food journey with Chef LG where he'll take you on a whirlwind of flavours and textures in his absolutely Award-worthy dishes! 

LABYRINTH
5 Neil Road, Singapore 08806
(opposite Maxwell Hawker Centre)
+65 6223 4098