I've moved!

Sorry for the lack of updates recently and thanks to all who have been following me on this blog on my personal stash, reviews, ootds, etc...

I'm delighted to say I've moved to a new blog at www.mabelkohhz.blogspot.com 

I will continue to give reviews, ootds and on my personal great buys on top of my day-to-day rants.

See you there!

STASH #75: Leg Care Part II - How to get smooth heels in 15 minutes

Does the heels of your feet look like this?

Many of us take good care of our face but ignore areas like the bottom of our feet and joints. These areas need to be taken care of too! Especially your feet - after a long day of walking, they deserve to be treated to a spa. Well, sort of. Rough and cracked heels are also not pleasant to look at when you wear open heel shoes. Let me show you how you can keep your heels smooth and moisturise all the time!

items required:

towel

foot pail

foot scraper

pumice stone

towel pad

 Step 1: Soak your feet into a pail of warm water. This is to soften the skin around the heel area.

Step 2: Dry your heels with the towel. Use the foot scraper and start scraping the rough skin around the heels!

This is how a foot scraper looks like - not sure if I got the right name of this tool or not. But basically the scraper looks similar to those kitchen tools used to scrape vegetables into thin strips? haha. So when you scrap, do it in one direction.

Step 3: Next, use the purmice stone to smoothen up the heels after the dead skin is removed.

Step 4: Wash off all the dead skin at the heel area by soaking your feet into the pail of water again and dry them again.

And there! Look! Clean and smooth heels!

To maintain your heels, do moisturise them daily, probably every night before you sleep. I use Jergens Ultra Healing moisturiser and I greatly recommended that if you are looking for an affordable moisturiser to use!

The tools seen in this post are bought from Diaso.... If my memory never fail me. Otherwise, I'm sure they are available in those neighbourhood beauty and grooming stores as well. 

STASH #74: Bysi

Look! My stash from a recent Bysi sale! I never bought anything from there before because the regular priced items are really quite pricy. It's a different story when there's 70% off!
Each piece here is $15 or less. Can't wait to wear them!

OOTD #36

Top from Bangkok

Shoes from Bugis Street

Sunglasses from Cotton On

OOTD #35

a while ago, during hari raya. mixed reactions on the dress. but i love it! manufactured at home by my domestic helper! fabric purchased from clementi.

OOTD #34

Crochet mustard top from Bysi sales - $15

Straw clutch from Mutju sales - $10

OOTD #33

Slouchy peach top from Forever 21

Black pants from H&M

Shoes from Mitju sales

Bag from Cotton On

OOTD #32

Clad in Cotton On for gym!

The pants is super comfy and great for gym classes!

OOTD #31

White top from Bangkok, Chatuchak Market - 100 baht

Shorts from Bysi during sale - $15

Sandals from Cotton On - $5

Necklace from Cotton On - $5

OOTD #30

Dress from H&M, Hong Kong - HKD$150

Bag from Bangkok - 200 baht

Shoes from Marie Claire, Bata - $20 plus

Necklace from Massimo Dutti - gift from bro

STASH #73: Wax Seal

See what came in the mail yesterday!

In love with the pretty packaging! It was a joy to unwrap the paper envelope and box to my very own personal wax seal inside! I've always wanted something like this, but it's quite expensive and those off the shelves only have a single alphabet, which I don't really like. Would be great for couples who are getting married!

I got this from a Groupon deal at only $21.90! Hope the deal comes up again, I confirm buy one more.

STASH #72 : Nose Care Part I - Biore Pore Pack

It's so difficult to not have pores on my nose and I'm sure many of you experience the same problem as me. In the past, I used to squeeze the pores (cheesey like stuff, haha) out and that resulted in my pores becoming even bigger =(

With Biore Pore Pack now, I never had to squeeze anymore because this is much more efficient, fuss-free and painless! I know many of you use this, but I realised not everyone knows how to use them right to maximise it's use! The way I use this may not be the best/right way, but it works for me and I would like to share it with you guys as well!

1. With super dry hands remove the pore strip from the plastic film. Try to hold on near the tip only and never let the strip stick together!

2. Using your other hand, put it under running water and dab some water on your nose area. Alternatively, you can use a wet towel and dab around your nose. The tricky part is to make sure your nose is damp but not too wet! Otherwise the pore strip will lose its power.

3. Dry both hands and place the strip slowly on your nose. Make sure its firmly stuck without any air bubbles. Look out for the sides of your nose, press the pore strip in and hold on it for a few seconds if needed to make sure it's down. This is important because there's pores at the sides of your nose too and you will want the pore strip to pull those pores out!

4. Wait for about 5-10 mins. To speed things up, stay in an air-con room and the strip will be harden and crisp dry much faster.

5. Now it's time to pull it off!

There goes my pores! See how every part of the strip manages to capture the pores out? If there are parts of it which is very wet, you will noticed a patch with white gooey stuff but no pores.

Some tips for you: 

1. If your eyesight is bad, get the black strips so the pores are more visible to you!

2. Best time to use pore pack is after cleansing your face. Steam up your nose to open up the pores so that strip works better!

Pore pack your nose right away!

STASH #71: Vaseline

This pure petroleum jelly is cheap and good, everyone should carry one with them! Let me share with you some of the ways I use them!

1. It is called the number 1 skin protection for a reason! I apply some on my heels once I reach office so that it can moisturise my feet while I sit and work at my desk for hours.

2. This is also good for joints areas, which are usually neglected. For instance, your elbows! Keep your elbows moisturised with Vaseline to prevent them from getting rough and dry.

3. Lips feel dry and you forgot your lip balm? No worries! You can dab some Vaseline on your lips to keep them supple and shiny the whole day!

4. Got paper cuts at work? Seal up the wound with Vaseline to prevent germs from getting in. Prevents infection and allows your wound to heal faster.

5. Finally, and to me the best use. Vaseline can be applied at the heel area and anywhere else on your feet to prevent abrasion you may get from new shoes or heels. Sometimes after a while when my feet starts to hurt, I just apply some vaseline and the pain is immediately lessen! Works better than a plaster!

A must have for travelling too! Get yours now!

STASH #70 : Leg Care Part I - Veet Hair Removal Cream

Look at the unsightly hair on my legs! So much and growing in all directions. Singapore sunny weather makes shorts a great choice to go out in. But... it is important to be able to look good in shorts and one of the way to do so is to have smooth and clean legs!

There! My secret to hairless legs. Veet hair removal cream.

First, squeeze some cream onto the pink spreader that comes together with the tube and spread it all over your hairy legs. It is important to cover all parts thickly with the cream otherwise the hairs may still remain after applying!

Wait for 5 minutes...

Take a look at the reaction of the cream on the hair! If you look closely, you should be able to spot that the hairs have become 'squiggly' looking. This is like an indication that it's time for removal as well!

Use the spreader, which now acts as a scraper, to scrap out all the cream. Look! The hairs are being scraped away too! You will be able to see black stuff scraped off, which is really your hair being disintegrated and mashed up with the cream.. like dirt. eeeks.

After scraping, remember to give your legs a good wash to remove all substances that remains!

Now I have clean, smooth and hairless legs!

I love this product for its convenience and how simple it is to use to remove all hair. However, as you apply the cream, you can actually smell a chemical like substance which I guess is required in order to be able to disintegrate your hair in as short as 5 minutes. So I try not to use it too often as well cos any chemical on your skin shouldn't be too good, right? 

Veet hair removal also contains aloe vera and vitamin E which are gentle to your skin and keeps your skin smooth, shiny and healthy as you can see from mine!

This product can be found at all major drugstores and I bought it a while back ago at about 11 bucks.

Try it too!

*I've stopped blogging here but you can find me at www.mabelkohhz.blogspot.com for more updates!

OOTD #29

You should have seen this watch before if you read my previous OOTD posts! Main focus of this picture should be the bracelet which I got from Bangkok! Costs about SGD$8 and I was attracted by the simple design which can be worn with any outfit.

STASH #69: L'Oreal Magnique primer

Bought this jar of magic cream a while ago when there was sale in Watsons for L'Oreal products and only got down to use it recently. I personally don't have the habit of using a primer and I thought I should try since primer is suppose to be an important step to set the foundation and make-up on such that it will last the whole day.

When I opened it up, it is like a plop of baby pink marshmallow! But I had a problem - I did not know how I am going to start using it. You see, since it is in a jar, I was wondering should I just dig my finger in to get the cream out? But I thought that would be so unhygienic. Imagine if I continue digging into that jar for weeks and months. The amount of bacteria accumulated inside would kill my skin. In the end I used a spatula (the one from my laneige water bank gel!) to get the cream out. A small amount would suffice, about the size of my pinky nail, for full coverage on my face. A little goes a long way.

The texture is rather creamy and a bit of strength is required to apply it all over your face. What surprises me was after the application. My skin felt powdery smooth immediately! This definitely makes the application of the other make-up so much easier. Colours of my eyeliner and eye shadow were also more intense, making my whole look brighter.

For the price and after texture it gives to my face, I think it is a not bad product to use. However, the down sides are firstly, the inconvenience of using a spatula in a jar and secondly, the cream is a little thick and I am a bit worried about clogging of pores.

I should try it for a longer period to put it to test!

STASH #68: Cotton On, Kate Spade and Naraya

Loving my blood red sandals from Cotton On (Anchorpoint Outlet) for $5. Comes in other colours like gold, silver and maroon as well.

Taking more than half of the picture is my Naraya bag which I bought from Bangkok a few months bag. Can't remember the pricing at the moment but it's less than 20 bucks i think. I super like the houndstooth prints with the big black bow! Got the tissue pack holder in the same print!

Using my bag as the backdrop, admire my new Kate Spade wallet from my boy. A tinge of retro polka dot prints with a glossy finish. Done up my nails with dark copper brown with a glittery sliver nail on the ring finger. And my ring, an old buy from a roadside stall in China.

STASH #67: Jergens Ultra Healing Moisturizer

It's a moody Monday after a long weekend! Brought a new tube of Jergens  ultra healing moisturizer to work for my dry and cracking skin. 

Super in love with this moisturizer because it works wonders on my skin!

Use it on my dry and cracked heels nightly and it heals my heels in like a couple of days. 

Bought this small handy tube for only $2 at Watsons or Guardian. You should get one too!

Have a great week ahead!

STASH #66: Sportswear - Gym shoes

Check out my new kicks from Adidas! Since my old pair split 2 months ago, I've been searching high and low for cheap, good and pretty shoes. I visited Queensway Shopping Centre, which is known to be a haven for sportswear, but was disappointed because most of the shoes were above 100 bucks! Even those on sale. How can it beeeeeee.

Went all the way to the east at Changi City Point and went home empty-handed again. Not cheap at all.. At least for my size 7 feet. I saw some pretty decent shoes for less than 100 bucks at Nike outlet but they all come in smaller sizes.

I also checked out a small Nike outlet at West Coast plaza, but nothing for me. However, I bought a sports bra from a sportswear shop beside Nike for only $9.90!

So in the end I went to Shaw Tower at Balestier. They have a sportswear shop at the ground floor, right in front of the main entrance. Quite a wide variety of shoes of different brands to choose from.  Many below 100 for  odd sizes, and even some affordable ones with available sizes! This particular cross trainers caught my eye. Love the contrast between the black and bright pink, and I intend to change the laces to some neon colour in the future when I get bored with this!

Only for $89! 

Hope they do me well at my gym sessions!

OOTD #28

Got this lovely mint flare dress from The Blush Inc for only $12.40 (inclusive of postage)! 

The cutting is flattering, and the length is just right for me. Don't have to worry about side arm hole or dress being translucent because it's all covered and lined!

Paired it up with a turquoise pumps from Mitju ($6 bought during their sales) and my $8 Bangkok bag and I'm ready for work!

STASH #65 : Ukulele

Mid July was my boy's birthday and with all the obvious hints, I did my research and finally bought a ukelele from Ukulele Movement. Ask those who plays the ukulele and most if not all would tell you to get your ukulele from UM.

It is important to get your ukulele from a reliable source for good quality wood, workmanship and sound. There are a lot of cheap ukuleles out there but they can be an imitation of certain brands or are of low quality.

You can either head down to their shop to get a feel of the different types and sounds, or if you are familiar and know what you want already, you can just buy them online. UM has a wide range of ukuleles for all players, from beginners to the pros.

For a start, I got this Makala Soprano MK-S. For an affordable price of $89, you get this instrument made of agathis wood (a common material used to make ukeleles and guitars) with a mahogany (reddish brown wood which is durable) neck, rosewood fingerboard and bridge with a satin finish.

Instrument comes with a free bag too! Buy some cute little button badges to personalise your gig bag at $1.50 each!

Besides this classic looking ukulele, the Makala Dolphin caught my eye too. 

look at the pretty colours! There are 19 bright and cheery colours for you to choose from, with a unique dolphin shaped bridge. Only for $74! 

Besides the ukulele, I brought my boy down to get a guidebook for beginners for about $19 (comes with cd-rom) and a pick. There are courses held at UM as well. You can practically get anything you need from there and their staff are friendly and patient in explaining any questions that you may have.

Do visit UM Loft at 66 Kampong Bugis, Level 5, Kallang Rivergreen Building, Singapore 338987

Showroom operating hours
Tuesday – Saturday: 12pm – 9pm. Sunday: 12pm – 6pm.
Closed on Mondays and public holidays.

You can visit their website at ukulelemovement.com for directions there and more items that they have in store!

All pictures and information are taken from ukulele movement website.