ArglyDuckling.com: New Website Launch + Bloggers' Dinner!

you just gotta love a website that's named Argly Duckling, especially when it's an online beauty  boutique dedicated to bringing in cutting edge brands from around the world, specially for all of us *gly ducklings out there!!! (because the word *gly doesn't exist in their dictionary. haha! love the concept behind ArglyDuckling!)

ArglyDuckling.com has just been newly launched, and we were privileged to get a first look at the exceptional variety and range of products that's being brought in by ArglyDuckling, at a cozy bloggers' dinner session some time ago :)


Ling (Evonnz) and i at the dinner, which was held at Food For Thought! she's become my "official event partner" of late, hahaha.

we were introduced to many of the cult products and brands available on ArglyDuckling, and even got to bring back a specially put together beauty box each! thank you Jazlyn!

ArglyDuckling carries products from skincare, body care, makeup to hair and nail products, even!

i like how ArglyDuckling keeps things personal, with little touches like a handwritten message.

they are also extremely thoughtful too, just take a look at this sticker specially printed so that you can keep track of your products, and their expiration date! if you're anything like me, your vanity table is probably cluttered with like ten thousand products and you can't remember when you even opened them! you sure don't want to be using them past their expiry dates!

i'm gonna showcase some of the products i was gifted with, and might review them again in future individually, once i've had a chance to try them all and have passed a verdict on them!

one of the products that really intrigued me at the bloggers' session, the LAQA & Co. Fat Lip Pencil ($26)! gorgeous packaging with beautiful illustrations on them, and the lip pencil itself feels and works like a crayon, with five pretty shades currently available!

the color Lambchop is an intense hot pink, and i loooove it! it's brilliantly striking, and just wearing the color on my lips gives me a perky and happy feeling :D the smooth formula goes on easily, but the staying power is only about a few hours, so it's probably a good idea to pop the convenient little pencil into your tote for touch-ups during the day.

i'm always on the lookout for good mascaras, and Blinc Mascara ($30) is so highly raved by the team at ArglyDuckling that i'm sure it must be amazing! the mascara formula is really unique: it forms no-smudge, waterproof tubes around your lashes instead of the usual fibre based mascara, and will come right off with warm water and some gentle pressure! can't wait to try this one to see how good the effect of the mascara is.

the Ciracle Good-bye Blackhead ($32.90) is definitely one of my must-buy recommendation from ArglyDuckling, it totally works to get those blackheads off! i've tried it a couple of times already, and love it! peeling off those stick-on pore packs can be pretty painful and leave the skin feeling sore/sensitive, but this blackhead cotton mask is infused with special ingredients that make the sebum (your blackheads and whiteheads) soften and actually rise to the surface, after which they can be gently removed with the provided plastic removers/cotton buds!

Evonnz has got a more thorough review on her blog here, so you might want to pop over to check out how the mask actually works! i took some before and after close-ups of my disgusting blackhead infested nose too, for you to see the difference D: D: D:

LOOK! (i'm sorry it's so gross) but it's really amazing!!!

some of the other products from ArglyDuckling that i've yet to try, but look really promising! from top left clock-wise, Rebel Nails nail stickers, Ciracle Jeju Water Sleeping Mask, Benita Berry cleansers and lip balm, Phytocare Papaya Ointment (with Calendula).



and here's the best part, ArglyDuckling is having an introductory offer, with 20% off your first purchase, along with free shopping!! TOO GOOD A DEAL TO PASS UP!

i immediately went to cart out some of the products i'd been eyeing, and received my purchases via courier shortly after! :D :D :D (IS REAL ONE. not sponsored.)

items all came well-wrapped and protected!

i got the Kaia Juicy Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths ($30)! a product has got to be good, if the company that makes it only sells ONE product, right? :S which is the Juicy Bamboo facial cleansing cloths!

at $30 for 30 pieces, they are a tad pricey (after 20% off is $24!) but these cleansing wipes are made of bamboo fibre (go green! bamboo is one of the fastest growing plants around so help to save the earth by purchasing products made from bamboo instead of other trees!) and are super stretchy, so one sheet will definitely suffice to cleanse off thoroughly! also, the cloths are infused with 8 pure citrus essential oils, organic Canadian honey, sunflower seed oil and oat amino acids, it leaves the skin feeling velvety soft, non-irritated, no sticky residue and no need to rinse with water. 100% bio-degradable too!

i love bringing cleansing wipes along on my overseas trips because they are so hassle-free! this one is going into my luggage next week! (i'm flying to Italy!)

Jazlyn was demonstrating to us during the bloggers' session just how stretchy and strong this bamboo fibre cloth is!

i was so impressed with Ciracle, i bought two more products from the brand! the first is a Pimple Solution Pink Powder ($25.90) while the second is a Vitamin Source C-20 Serum ($39.90) and i can't wait to see how well these two work! (as i type now, i have the pimple solution on my face, haha!)

the pimple product is really cool, it's a powder in a solution, and you need to use a cotton bud to pick the pink deposits to apply onto your pimples! as for the Vitamin C serum, it is supposed to be a best seller in Korea, and most Vitamin C serums i know cost from above $100 at least, so this is a really good price, especially with the 20% discount :D :D :D


also liked the LAQA & Co. Fat Lip Pencil so much, i bought another shade, this one is called Fairy Blood and comes in a sheer, shimmery nude pink!

swatched on my hand :D so nice huh!!!

my last purchase: Nature Girl Flower Power Body Lotion ($59)! i don't like artificial and over powering scents when it comes to body lotion, and really liked this range of body lotion when we tried it at the bloggers' session! all the different "flavors" smell really good with a blend of organic herbs and fruity scents,  and it's made with certified organic shea butter, wildcrafted foraha nut oil and organic herbal extracts to hydrate, replenish and condition the skin! the bottle is huge, 255ml so i think it'll last me for quite some time! :)


phew!!! i hope this post hasn't been too boring, i promise i only share products that i feel are worth sharing, and honestly, i wouldn't dare to recommend or share about products that i think aren't good! :) do go and check out ArglyDuckling.com, before the introductory 20% discount/free shipping offer is over (end of July 2012)!!! also, check out their nail polishes (Butter London and Deborah Lipmann, which are really really popular and well-known nail brands!) because from what i know, they have got one of the lowest rates around town (Butter London at $23 each before 20% discount)!

hop over to ArglyDuckling.com fast! :)

***

in other recent news, you might or might not know (haha) that i'm flying overseas next week, to Turin, Italy for the Europa Cantat (international choral festival/workshop!!!) which also explains my lack of updates and why i've been so busy the past couple weeks, as i need to prepare for the two weeks that i'm away so that business can still continue to operate!

no worries cos i've checked and I HAVE INTERNET IN MY HOTEL HALLELUJAH. so things may be a tad slower over at TheVelvetDolls, but we should still be having weekly launches if nothing goes wrong!! ooooh. mad excited for my trip! will be heading over to Nice in France too. it will also be a much needed break for me, been feeling rather burnt-out and stressed the last month with work!

and here's two random pictures from Instagram. if you don't have Instagram still, GO AND GET IT. my mostest favouritest app ever for photo updates and sharing wooohooo! add me at @yinagoh!

rainbow knit top and pastel pink shorts, both upcoming on TheVelvetDolls! i've been dressed like this so often the past few weeks cos i've been mad lazy to dress up (and my wardrobe is in a mess too, very hard to find clothes. hahaha) super casual and comfortable wear! oh i could wear shorts everyday. oh wait, i DO wear shorts almost everyday :X

another one of Ling and i, at Origins Plantscription event last week! will be blogging about this one soon! :D

i sacrificed my liver detoxing to write this entry, so be grateful that i'm risking my health for you. LOLOL. ok i am going crazy about this liver detox thing. BUT, did you know that lack of sleep (or simply interrupted sleep or not sleeping at the right hours) can be extremely harmful to your health and liver?! cos your liver flushes the toxins from your system that accumulates daily, every night while you sleep (minimum of 5-7 hours required) and when you're not sleeping during this time frame, the liver cannot do its job properly! so, if you want to be healthy, please, sleep right!!!

end of my health rant. okay, i am going to try to salvage my liver health now ;__; have a great Sundayyyy okay!!! i'll update again soon ^^

Salon Vim: Hair color + Texturizing perm review!

hellooooo!!!

my apologies for the long overdue post ;__; i've been buried under a pile of work for the past 2 weeks! (i don't know why, actually. but there's been a thousand and one things to do and i feel desperately short on time at the moment. haven't even been looking at Formspring as often and opening my inbox the past week cos doing so just stresses me out even more)

but anyway, i believe it's all just a state of mind so i have to meditate and be zen until this feeling passes.

and also, i actually still have a million and one things i've yet to blog about, including my last trip to Salon Vim, when i did my insanely chio pink streaks! :D :D :D it's my first time getting such an outrageous color on my hair, but surprisingly enough, it looks really really good and i've received tons of compliments on the pretty hair color ever since!

the first thing i get done every visit is to of course get my hair style refreshed! this time, i opted to keep the length and just got some of the dry/damaged ends snipped off! i'm now thinking if i should go shorter, though. hmmmm.

i normally just waltz into the salon every visit and pretty much expect Stephanie, my hair stylist to work her magic and make my hair gorgeous. haha! most of the time, i'm open to all kinds of ideas and suggestions from Stephanie cos i trust that my hair is in good hands with her!

so when Steph suggested i do a soft texturizing perm on my hair ends, i agreed to it straight away! the texturizing perm will curl in my hair ends, so that it's easier for me to style: everyone knows what a pain shoulder-length hair can be, when it comes to styling. as we only wanted the curl on the ends, only the lower half of my hair was set into curlers and then hooked up to the machine. it took about 30-45 minutes of heat setting, before we carried on to the next step: coloring!


i've been going for pretty safe color choices so far, and we thought it was time to try something more exciting :D i still wanted something that wasn't too shocking though, so in the end, we settled for pink/purple streaks on a brown base! sounded awesome already, and i couldn't wait to see the end result, but we still had one last step to go: hair treatment!


i got to experience Redken's Chemistry Cocktail Service: it's a personalized hair treatment that reconstructs and conditions the hair with a "cocktail" of different ingredients specially chosen for your hair needs! the hair treatment left my hair feeling ultra soft and conditioned, i love it! ^_^ Redken Chemistry Cocktail Service is currently having a 30% off promotion til the end of July, so i think it's really worth experiencing for yourself!

and after hours of sitting in the salon chair... finally finally ended it off by getting my hair blow-dried to perfection :D i swear there's magic going on at Salon Vim, how do they always always manage to blow-dry the tresses so gorgeously every single visit?! not that i'm complaining, but i can never manage to do the same myself at home!

check out the gorgeous results, love love loooove those pink streaks! surprisingly, the texturizing perm and crazy hair color didn't leave my hair as damaged and dry as i thought it'd be. the end result of the perm was really quite natural, and noone could even tell that i'd permed my hair!

and a shot with my hair stylist, Stephanie! do look for Steph if you're considering getting your hair done at Salon Vim too! she's amazing with hair colors and also offers really great recommendations and suggestions if you're stumped and at a loss about what to do to your hair! :)

here's some pictures i took of my pink hair the past few weeks, i've been courageously washing my hair with cold water instead of hot water so that the color lasts longer! and it's been quite a few weeks since i dyed my hair already, but the pink streaks are still there! :D :D :D another helpful tip for crazy hair colors to last longer is to only shampoo the scalp and top of your head, leaving the ends alone! works quite well for me!

gorgeous or what? :D it looks especially awesome when braided, cos the pink streaks look so nice when interwoven!

i've also been masking my hair as regularly as possible: between the hair color and perm, i don't want my hair to become all dry and damaged, so intensive conditioning is the way to go! L'Oreal Professionel's Serie Expert's Force Vector hair masque helps to strengthen my brittle hair and condition it, for stronger and healthier hair! ^_^ and i am absolutely in love with the Absolut Repair Cellular hair spray: i spritz it on generously before blow-drying, and it helps to protect and repair damaged hair at the same time! my hair always feels soft and silky after using it!

***

it's only two more weeks to the end of July, so hurry and book an appointment with Salon Vim before July ends, in order to enjoy the fantastic GSS deals they're having! it's the best time to head over to Salon Vim because 30% off for the texturing perm and also creative cut/color/highlight is so so so worth it! this special deal only comes by once every year, so don't miss it!

also, i highly recommend the Redken Chemistry Cocktail Service as well! with 30% off, it's perfect for giving your hair a special treat.

remember to call to book your appointment in advance!

***

 SALON VIM 


313 @ Somerset #04-07/08/09
Singapore

vimsalon@yahoo.com.sg
68847757/68847767

 http://salonvimbychezvous.com.sg/

 check out Salon Vim's facebook page too, for the latest promos and services available! :)

***

Review: Cure Natural Aqua Gel + Give-away!

you know that a product is good, when ZERO advertising dollars have been spent on it to date, and it's been ranked #1 best selling skincare product on popular Japanese beauty website COSME! one bottle of this magic flies off the shelves in Japan, every TWELVE seconds!!

if you've not heard of Cure Natural Aqua Gel already, you're definitely missing out on one of my favorite exfoliating products of all time! (REAL ONE, I NEVER BLUFF) i've been using Cure Natural Aqua Gel for the past year, and i love it!

Cure Natural Aqua Gel is so highly raved, due to it's amazing ability to remove dead skin cells gently and effectively to help in skin renewal for softer, smoother and brighter skin! it is made of 90% water (revitalized hydrogen water), and natural plant extracts from aloe vera, gingko and rosemary. Cure Natural Aqua Gel also doesn't contain any preservatives, fragrance, artificial coloring and alcohol!

what i love about Cure Natural Aqua Gel is that it doesn't have any of those harsh exfoliating beads that feel so abrasive and rough on the skin, but yet does its job to slough off those dead skin cells miraculously!! 

all it takes is a couple of pumps of Cure Natural Aqua Gel to be gently massaged for 30 seconds (do this after cleansing and drying well!) to instantly see brighter and smoother skin! and because it's so gentle, you can even use it daily!

look at how the liquidy consistency of the gel transforms into little white bits after being gently massaged into the skin D: this is actually the revitalized hydrogen water reacting to the unwanted protein (which is our rough/dead skin cells), causing it to bind together and solidify into white particles that's easily rinsed off! it's super shiok to feel all the white rubbery bits forming as you massage your face! :D once you rinse off all these white particles, your face will feel satisfyingly clean and smooth! 

Cure Natural Aqua Gel costs $42 for a 250g pump bottle (retails at Watsons!) which is really reasonable for such a generous-sized product. in fact, i couldn't even finish using my bottle of Cure within a year (it has a 1 year use-by date due to its natural ingredients that are preservative-free!) but the cool thing about Cure is that other than using it on your face, you can use it on other body parts too, like your neck, elbows or knees! :D i love love love Cure Natural Aqua Gel, and you ought to give it a try too!

you may also have noticed the little tube of Cure Water Treatment Skin Cream in the picture above: this cream is an exclusive product that isn't for sale! Cure Water Treatment Skin Cream is actually a popular lightweight moisturiser that the manufacturer, TOYO Life Service, specially produced in consideration of its staff who suffer from dry hands from dealing with cardboard boxes daily! i've tried it as well and it has a watery texture that's easily absorbed, leaving my skin feeling instantly hydrated, and less dry/wrinkly!

so, to celebrate Cure's 10th year anniversary, you now get a chance to win a set of the best-selling Cure Natural Aqua Gel, together with Cure Water Treatment Skin Cream!!! :D

ONE set is up for grabs, and here's how to win! :)

1. Like Cure's Facebook page here!
2. Leave a comment on this blog post (remember to fill the email address, cos comments won't be privatized!)

give-away ends on 16th July, midnight! :D only open to local (Singapore) addresses!

***

P.S. CURE is also giving out 600 tubes of the Water Treatment Skin Cream to the public! All you have to do is purchase a bottle of CURE Natural Aqua Gel, and email enquiry@japalang.sg your particulars (name, mailing address, contact no.) and proof of purchase (receipt!) by 23rd July 2012 for a chance to win! Winners will be announced weekly on their facebook page.

Sœurs at Cineleisure + TCC Dinner Date!

i started this blog entry on Sunday, and it took me two days to blog it cos i was too busy with work :( SORRYYYYY!!!!!!!

promise the next update will come faster (GIVE-AWAY NEXT ENTRY!) and also because we're looking to hire another minion for TVD so that i can get some of the workload off my hands.! it seems that the work is never-ending: before we can finish replying emails and sending out parcels for one collection, i have to scoot off to plan the next collection, arrange photoshoots, edit photos, put up previews and blah blah blah.... i still can't bring myself to hire a professional photographer to shoot for us, cos maybe i'm very fussy with my pictures and i'm worried that another person might not be able to give me the look/feel i want or be able to capture the model's best angles! 

(i know i know you're thinking if not people called professional photographer for what right. but i still strongly believe in my own sense of beauty and aesthetics HAHAHA especially when it comes to male photographers who care more about the composition/lighting/angle when all i want is for the model to look pretty!)

Apple's and my personal favoritest favoritest picture from S114!! when we get pictures like this, all the effort is SUPER worth it :D :D :D

you won't believe how the two of us manage to do every shoot, honestly i think my models are super amazing because they are always so accommodating and helpful to me ;__; ask them to climb mountain and scale rivers for me also they do! gan dong max. 

for this shoot, we actually went to the Rail Mall, which is a super ulu location, all the way at Upper Bukit Timah Road or something! it's quite a popular place for shoots, so it's no secret.

 usually, it's just me and my camera, the model, and a trolley full of shoes, accessories, and clothes! i don't drive as well, so we have to take a cab to and fro from office to whichever photoshoot location chosen for the day.

which is also why you hardly see me blog about any photoshoot "behind the scenes" lately, haha. because there's no one else to take photos of us lol! and it's enough work for two people as it is already. 

i start by scouting for a suitable place to start shooting, then we drag the trolley of barang barang over, and if we're lucky, there's a toilet nearby, but if we're not, thankfully my models are well-versed in changing in public already :X it's really sweaty and hot work though! and wherever we go, we have to bring our trolley along with us cos there's no one to be stationed there to look after it! then i have to dig out all the clothes/shoes/accessories for the model to change into for every outfit, and run over to adjust the model's hair and clothes in between every shot. 

to get to the now-defunct railway, we had to climb up a really treacherous and rocky slope (dragging up the heavy trolley and all!), but it was really really really very pretty up there!!! so scary when we were going up, and i thought we weren't going to make it down by ourselves with the heavy trolley and container full of things. thank God we had kind hikers who saw us on our way down and they all helped us with bringing everything down safely!

spotted a cute little chameleon too in the greens. heheh.

after a long and tiring shoot D: super exhausted and drained! huge sense of achievement though, especially when the photos turn out gorgeous!!! :)

i hope the customers will like the photos as much as we do, too! a lot of hard work goes into every image, from the styling, shooting, modeling, etc to editing and processing every picture that goes up on the website! :)

***

i took some time out last Thursday, to head to town for dinner with the girlfriends at TCC! and i also managed to drop by Sœurs (pronounced as "Sir") at Cineleisure, 

if you haven't heard about it yet, Sœurs is a quaint little shoe boutique newly opened by Jayne and her sister Jasmine! and Sœurs actually means "sister" in French!

their pretty logo. so intricate!

they have a gorgeous selection of shoes available, and all those shoes that i tried on were so so comfy!! :D :D :D Sæurs also brings in a range of accessories and apparels too!

hello pretty 老板娘 Jayne!! :D

and a picture with Jayne!! :) tried on these pair of wedges that were really cute! also dressed in TVD from top to toe: the floral bustier in blue that's launching this collection, upcoming blazer in white, and already-launched petal peplum skirt in coral! :D

eventually, i settled on this pair of mad comfy and pretty duo-tone wedges and i wore them out immediately! love the nude-pink color and how easy it is to match. also got another pair of strappy flatforms too that are just as comfortable!! i'll post more photos of my pretty new shoes soon! :D

Sœurs is having a GSS promo now until the 22nd July, with 50% off your second pair of shoes, which is a super good deal! bring your girlfriend down or just pop over for some shoe-lovin' by yourself, hehe. you'd be spoilt for choice to pick only two pairs! :D also, quote my name YINA to get 10% off regular-priced purchases! 

Sœurs is located at Cathay Cineleisure Orchard, #02-12!

Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/soeurs.singapore)

Twitter (@soeurssg) 

Instagram (@soeurssg)

***

in case you didn't know, TCC is currently having their 1-for-1 GSS promotion for main courses and pastas, so i've been dining there quite frequently!! :D :D :D i love the food there, but some branches are really substandard, man. don't go to the one at PoMo (Paradiz Centre) cos i had a really bad experience and bad food there!!

went to the one at Peranakan Place with the girls, great food, but service was a tad slow!

there were 8 of us in total, so yayyy every one can get a 1-for-1 main course/pasta! :D :D :D we haven't had so many of us for a long time!

the printed side, Debs, HJ, Wendy and Noi! uhh. don't know what's with the phones. haha.

and we all very white on our side of the table wheee!! with Fel, Joyce and Nancy!! 

my favorite appetizer from TCC: Shroom Bites!! mini mushroom puff pastries! :D so yummy i can eat three of them for appetizer and have space for main course!

hot and spicy wings. YZ's favorite. haha. Fel doesn't like them cos of the spice/herb seasoning it has!

my main dish: "Ocean Surfin'"! been eating this a lot whenever i go to TCC cos it's fish (healthier!) and it's super yummy with a salsa sauce that's really zesty! it tastes a little different at every outlet i visit though (TCC PoMo #fail)

Fel's Aglio Olio that's delicious too! most of us ordered the same thing, haha. 

Dark Devotion: dark chocolate lava cake with ice cream. a sweet ending to our dinner!

just a random shot hehe.

ME! was trying out a new pair of falsies that day, but i think it was a little too heavy and thick, ended up looking kind of strange :(

and everybody looking all mei mei! :))) all the sampat girls. hahahah. you all know who you are :X we miss you, Steph!

i was working non-stop the entire week, so i was really glad for an evening of girly gossip and chillax time! de-stressing time much needed. thank you, girls! ❤

and now, it's back to work! :) have an awesome week, stay happy and come back soon!

Review: Lancome Rouge in Love!

FotD, with Rouge In Love on my lips! oh, the shade goes perfectly with my reddish pink highlights! i really like how it instantly makes my lips look so juicy and hydrated, and it's good for wear of up to 6 hours! now i really want to try the other shades! (check out Evonnz's blog post here with swatches of all the shades, they look extremely yummy!) with 27 shades in total, i'm absolutely certain you'd find a shade that you're going to fall in love with, too.

Lancôme’s Rouge In Love is available in Singapore at all counters island-wide, and is priced at S$40.

i also have gotten my hands on the Lancome Maqui Blanc Miracle compact that's been highly-raved so far!! it's mad awesome. (don't you just love this photo i edited on the iPad. photo taken and edited by yours truly)

***

on a side note, I HAVE BEEN SOOOO BUSY THIS WEEK! it's been work work and more work, til i didn't have time to blog ;__; so i'm gonna make up for it with more regular posts the next couple weeks! (i hope.) i have yet to blog about my last trip to Salon Vim still, so i promise that entry is coming up soon! as well as some more beauty shares and also a give-away!

and speaking of hair, my fringe is at a totally annoying stage at the moment, i can't help but to keep on whining to EVERYBODY. i really want to grow it out, but right now, i can't do a centre parting without looking cuckoo, but yet it's too thick and long to do a full side-swept parting like i've been doing the past few months :( the best i can do is a semi-centre part which doesn't work all the time. grrrrr. so tempted to pop by the salon to ask Stephanie to just snip off the fringe for me, but i'm resisting that urge for now, until i really can't take it anymore! ;__; SHOULD I GO BACK TO BANGS.

here's another picture of my funky neither-here-nor-there kind-of-but-not-quite centre parting. *tears hair out* howwwwwwww. to carry on growing out the fringe, or not? #firstworldpains

ah well. hair troubles aside, i promise i'll be back REAL soon with another blog entry this weekend! come back soon!! ^_^