Charcoal Thai

This is gonna be a rather short post.
Most of my colleagues know that I like BBQ. I'm always suggesting to go new bbq places for dinner gatherings and all. Thing is, my parents love steamboat. So we went Charcoa Thai @ Nex for dinner yesterday. Mookata is somewhat good to satisfy the soupy steamboat craving as well as the hot plate bbq.

We reached there at 1800hrs and there was no queue so we got seated very quickly.

We were introduced the buffet but seeing there was only 3 of us, we went ahead with the Mookata Set instead. Price was very reasonable for the portion, I would give it a 4/5. Food was also very fresh and good, also a 4/5. We even ordered additional cray fish which was really good - so fresh you can taste the sweetness in the meat!

What I didnt like about the place was the ambience and the service. Frankly, I think its common for such BBQ restaurants to be slightly busy but they were clearing tables with their trolleys in a very messy way. The reason for it? They were seriously shorthanded. The place was handled by 3 service staff. 2 of whom looked more senior that were running around the entire place, including, cleaning, serving, ushering and also collecting payment.

If their service improved, with the prices they are charging and the freshness of their food, I'm pretty sure they will always be long queues outside. Till that improves, I see no incentive in going back, unless specified by others.

Gonna end off this post with photos. Cheers!

The amount of food (FRESH) in one Mookata Set

We already started eating. Spot the crayfish.

Vege and shrooms.
There are more Veg under the meat on the other platter

Mum ordered this for me cause I like LALAs.
But I didnt like the taste of it. Too sweet.

Review: Beautiful Teeth Whitening

I know I have been saying that I want to review this truthfully. However, I come across an issue each time I try. I'll talk about the issue in a bit, but let's begin with how I first came across this product.

A friend of mine was selling it. In fact, a few friends of mine were selling it across different channels. I would say, it resembles a pyramid scheme, otherwise known as Multi-level Marketing (MLM).

Right before I came across "BEAUTIFUL", I was already looking at similar teeth whitening kits "Pop Smile", as well as "Hi Smile". Since my friend was selling "BEAUTIFUL" and the price is generally cheaper than the rest, I decided to give it a try.

Very clean and simple design

Says nothing about the ingredients

For those of you wondering, you can get an original "BEAUTIFUL" set at SGD70. It comes with a LED kit, a gel, and a USB adaptor. Both starter kits for "POP Smile" and "Hi Smile" are approximately SGD81. I know there isn't a lot of difference between the prices, but seeing that "BEAUTIFUL" works for my friend... the logical idea is to go with the cheaper option! 

So yes! I bought a set from my friend whose selling it. And I wasn't able to stick to the routine at all. I know all about discipline and putting in the hours but there was a burning issue preventing me from sticking to the suggested routine. 

What issue, you might ask?

After using "BEAUTIFUL" for 2 consecutive days, the 3rd day will always start to hurt. The first time, I was burnt. A whole patch, approximately 2cm long and 0.5cm wide, of my inner upper lip turned dark red. I felt like it was going to tear and turn into a monstrous ulcer. So, I did something crazy. Hahaha. I applied Bonjela on it immediately before going to sleep. And yes, if you are cringing now, it did sting like crazy. The next morning when I woke up and brushed my teeth, the whole patch of skin came off. And there was no more burning sensation. Guess it was a crazy but right choice to apply Bonjela. Haha.

A shade chart

So with that, I stopped using the kit for a week or two. When I tried starting it again, the same thing happened. Although milder, not as serious. But it was always the third session where it starts to burn. Again, this time, I could not complete the suggested treatment plan. After this same cycle repeated for 4 times. I gave up. Which is why it is hard for me to write a proper review because I know how much it helped my friend. Her teeth were pretty yellow due to early years smoking and yet "BEAUTIFUL" gave her a white set of teeth yet it doesn't work for me. 

The suggested treatment plan is 15-20mins for the first 3 days, then extend it to 30mins for the next 4 days. Each treatment plan is a week long and you can do it once weekly thereafter just for maintenance. Brushing your teeth before using, and rinsing your mouth with warm water after each use.

I could not complete the treatment plan even when I tried to reduce the amount of gel, as well as the time used. So I got curious and began reading a few articles and one of them stood out more than the rest... from Daily Vanity. It seems this product is not only non-HSA approved, it contains more than usual amounts of Hydrogen Peroxide. You know the 4% or 6% thing that you mix into your hair dye..? 

Actual scanned copy of the reading material in the box.

The box design was so clean and neat but I don't see any indication of the ingredients within the gel. 

I managed to find the list of ingredients in the leaflet inside the box, as shown in the picture above. It would be the second grey mark on the left. 

With the help of google translate, I managed to make out the ingredients as follow:

- 食品级纳米二氧化钛/ Food Grade Nano Titanium Dioxide

- 卡波姆/ Carbomer

- 木糖醇/ Xylitol

- 薄荷醇/ Menthol

- 调味素/ Seasoning

- 去离子水等/ Deionized water, etc.

I recall that Daily Vanity mentioned that there is hydrogen peroxide listed. But according to the leaflet and google translate, there isn't. And what the hell is "De-ionised water, etc". What is etc?! Omg. Given that my gums were burning, I am more inclined to say that there is hydrogen peroxide present. Since it works for some people, I will say that this product works! But it really depends on the individual and frankly, I would not recommend. 

SampleStore Review: Hiruscar Anti-Acne Series

Whenever I hear the name Hiruscar, I would always assume that it is a post-acne treatment... for scars! Hence the name Hiru"scar"? Get what I mean?

Hiruscar actually came up with an Anti-Acne Range with 3 products that promises you will "see acne improvement in 2 days! Reduce pimples and lighten spots without drying the skin."

1, The Cleanser (RP: S$14.90)

Step 1 of everything is to Cleanse. I only started using this 2 days ago. So it is rather difficult for me to say how it may remove excessive dirt and sebum and how it may balance the skin moisture. But truth be told, I have not experienced extreme dryness or anything. My nose is a little dry compared to usual but nothing to be worried about. What I really like, as a plus point is the smell of this product! Reminds me of baby shower gels. Could be because of the smell, I generally feel very safe using it.

Not sure if you can see. It's clear! Lather well!

2, The Serum (RP: S$39.90)

Step 2 is to tone and moisturise. I wasn't too sure if it could tighten pores but the product is indeed light and non-greasy. Something very important for people with combination skin. That said, the smell of this product reminds me of pepper. Could be the ingredients involved. Will list them out later.

Intentionally took it with the drip to show how light it is.

3, The Spot Gel - aka the HERO PRODUCT (RP: S$19.90)

Step 3, the final step of all is to treat. I think it works very well for the spots itself. That said, I can't confirm about the blackheads and whiteheads because I haven't been using this product long enough. They are really good for pimples though. I can really see the difference from 2 days ago till now.

Pointed tip makes application so easy!

So yes, as I was saying. Ingredients List.

Left: 11-Sep, Right: 13-Sep (Pardon the high forehead. HAHA)

I really think the ingredients helped to tone down the pimple redness and inflammation. Would continue using it and update if anything changes. In the meantime, you may purchase these at any Watsons & Guardian Stores island-wide. If you can't bear to spend the money on 1 entire bottle without knowing how it works in your skin?
Get your free samples here!

To better and healthier skin with #HiruscarSingapore and #SampleStore

Circling up the mountain for Lake Toba

I know I was supposed to complete this like 2 weeks ago, but I really couldn't. And I am actually writing this in the hotel room of another Indonesian City - Surabaya. How quaint. Hahaha.

Anyhow. During the most recent long weekend (during Hari Raya Puasa), I took a somewhat #YOLO trip with 2 of my UNI friends. One of my friend asked if anyone wanted to join her on a trip to Medan and 2 of us replied “Yes”! I was still in a meeting (cause I think it was my regular mad Tuesdays) while the 2 of them went ahead to book a hotel room as all rooms were snapping up fast! When it came to our flight bookings, we were more relaxed and only booking it the next day.

I was rather worried about the weather there as there were contradicting information on certain blogs and I really wasn't sure what to pack for. So I packed one of each - a pair of jogger pants, a pair of shirts (berms rather), a few t-shirts and a lightweight jacket. (FYI, our travel period is in End June).

Conclusion: I didn't have to use the jacket at all! It was cooler than usual but nothing too cold. When it rains, it gets extremely breezy though. So, in case you're worried, bring along a windbreaker.

There's nothing much to buy there unless you're into the Medan City T-shirts at the airport. Hence we didn't really spend much. The only hefty thing we splurged on, was Transport!

Day 1 - Arrival at Medan Airport

We were quite hungry so we got ourselves a Roti Boy each (at 11.5k) and then the must-have... DATA SIM card (at 55k). When you're travelling free and easy, it's always good to invest in the local DATA SIM cards. This way, you can look for maps and even call for vehicles wherever you are.

Bus counter

We read online that we were supposed to take a bus to AMPLAS terminal and change to another bus from there. So, thats what we did. Bought tickets to AMPLAS terminal (at 15k) and when we finally reached, we paid another 40k for the second bus fare.

All these people were headed the same way!

This is how the terminal looks like.

We were told that the bus will leave at 12pm. Mind you, it was only almost 10am IDN time. We had 2 hours in that rundown terminal with nothing to see nor seat. We were already prepared that the buses were non-air-conditioned, but when one of the local bus came and we saw how the people squeezed themselves into the non-air-conditioned bus, it caught us speechless. We were there at the terminal because we wanted a local experience, not a "I-shall-stick-my-whole-sticky-body-next-to-you" experience. Probably being judged, a Taiwanese couple came to us and talked about how they were cheated of their "aircon" bus that never came. So, we decided to uber back to the airport (100k per car) to get ourselves a shared taxi. (FYI, Uber and Grab do not service Parapat area.)

When we got to the airport (again), we couldn't find where is the shared taxi counter. All there is are the expensive private cars. Finally after asking around, we found the shared taxi counter - which is also the bus counter. Omg! So dumb right? There's a small sign on the counter that says "NiceTrans" taxi. So small card, who will notice?!

Anyway, after asking, we found out that shared taxi runs on a unidentified schedule and the taxi has just left. There are no taxis at the airport on standby anymore. So they offered the private car again (although slightly cheaper than the others). Eventually, the 5 of us took it and paid another 140k per pax. That's like a total of 230k spent on transport alone in that one morning.

The journey from the airport to Lake Toba takes 4hours (on good traffic). So, when we finally got to our hotel, it was already time for dinner. We were staying at the Parapat View Hotel.

Empty expressway on the way to Parapat. Wait till you try to local roads.

So nice!

Parapat View Hotel

View from  the main lobby

View of Parapat View Hotel

It's feels more like a chalet (with breakfast) than a hotel

It was almost impossible to go out of the area without a car. So, we ate at the hotel and spent about 180k per pax.

Day 2 - The only day we went around

Like I mentioned, without a car, there was no way around. So, we requested to our hotel to help us get a car to go sightseeing. Again, the car cost 700k but this time, we are sharing within 3 and not 5. So about 230 per pax.

There are many photo zones in the area. So pretty!

We went to Sipiso-piso. The waterfall!

And when we wanted to go Mt Sibayak, it started raining.

So we went to a place where we could see the volcanoes instead

View from Bukit Gundaling

Coffee with a view

And the toilet we had to go cause we were out for too long

Yeah, you get it. FYI, we had to pay to use the toilet too.

So yes, day 2 also ended with dinner at the hotel for 190k.

Day 3 is the day we leave Parapat and head back to Singapore.

This time, we managed to get ourselves the shared taxi and it cost only 80k per pax. However, the downside was, we had to hitch with regular Indonesian guys working at or around the airport. This means, a very early trip to the airport. Our flight was at 8pm! We initally planned to go around again, till 12pm and head to the airport, knowing it was a 4-5hour journey. But yes, because its such a long journey, you really don't know what's going to happen on the way, so we agreed to leaving at 8am for the airport.

Eventually, we reached the airport at 12ish.

Survivors of the back! 

A&W for lunch

POP MIE for dinner

Piece of advice, please stay within the domestic boarding gates until absolutely necessary. There are no food/ restaurants inside the international gates and POP MIE was our only option. So yeah, before going into the boarding gates, we hogged seats at Starbucks for 3 hours. But, can you blame us? Hahaha.

Anyway, after we came back from the trip, I felt like my back was breaking apart. Hahaha. Since I am the smallest sized (and youngest) on the trip, I always volunteered to take the back seat. By back seat, I mean the last (3rd) row of seat inside the MPV with no head rest. Right..? You can imagine, can't you?

So. The good thing about taking the back seat is, you get both left and right windows to yourself. If you want to see something on the left, scoot left. If you want to snap a picture on the right, move right! Hahaha! But because of the long distance journey, yes, my back felt like it was gonna break! HAHAHA!

That said, this trip is super therapeutic for the soul, but really tiring for the body!

Hence, therapy for my body the next day!

Total expenses for the trip (approximately 400 SGD)
Flight: 230 SGD
Hotel: 80 SGD
Expenses (Food): ~460k IDR
Expenses (Transport): ~550k IDR
Expenses (Others): 55k IDR

Hope all these little bits of information helped whoever going to Medan/ Parapat in future.
Cheers!

Burgers & Lobsters

Travelled to Genting in June for work and got to try out
Burgers & Lobsters.
Burgers & Lobsters.
Burgers & Lobsters.

They're a restaurant chain from London that specialises in beef burgers, lobster rolls and lobsters! I've not been to UK before so I have not tried it before. But the reviews are always so good! And when you google, things to eat at Sky Avenue, it was literally the first thing that came up.

Google Search Results

If you click into any of those sites, you will realise that Burgers & Lobsters is definitely within the list (and some even Top 3). So yes! I was really excited to try it out seeing that SkyAvenue (at Genting highlands) is the first SEA expansion.

Snapshot extracted from their story

I think they are probably planning their next SEA expansion in Bangkok seeing there's a red dot on the website's map... But there's no location indicated yet (unlike the red dot on Malaysia that says Genting Highlands), so I would say its in plan but nothing's confirmed.

The interesting signage that became the #OOTD wall of many 

The Menu

I ordered the STEAMED LOBSTERS!!!

What's the verdict?

For the price of approximately RM160 (SGD50), I felt that it was TOTALLY WORTH IT! The sauce was so good. And to ease the oiliness in the butter sauce and fries, the salad was sour and refreshing! The down side was that the steamed claws were probably a little overcooked. It was really tough to get the meat out of the claws. But they were really meaty!
My friend had the grilled ones and her claws were easier to eat. That said, the size of her claws were smaller than my original steamed. I would think that the meatier the better but sometimes the ease of eating does put some people off. Nonetheless, I really enjoyed it! Would love to go back there every month or so to eat but, it's so tiring to take the 2-3 hour ride from KL (and a possibly 5-6 hour ride from Singapore)...

After the awesome dinner, we went to walk around and look-see look-see. Hahaha. We went into the Casino as realised we couldn't understand the games. Was observing for a while and then we left without placing any bets. There were so many China Chinese in the casino and they were smoking everywhere. Somehow, the mall is renovated as an non-smoking premise. However, even in the mall, you could see people smoking within. Sigh.

Soon after leaving the casino, we found ourselves in a cosmic bowling alley. Haven't really seen one in Singapore myself, so as a frequent bowler, it was intriguing. Managed to play a quick game before heading back to the hotel for a good rest as I had an early day the next morning.

Even the balls glowed

SO PRETTY

I'll be writing another travel post about my recent trip to Medan in this week. Hopefully by tomorrow, they'll be up! Cheers!

A very real problem... How to clean your retainers?

Ever since I removed my braces, I’ve been a rather good girl, wearing my retainers every night as per instructed by my orthodontist.

Why a “rather” good girl?

I recall his instructions were to wear the retainers 24/7 for a period of 1-3 months, then every night when I sleep.

So, the rebellious thing I did?

I only wore the top retainers for a month for 24/7. And, then I started wearing the pair only at night.

The reason was simple.
The retainers were somewhat in the way when you talk. Knowing that my bottom teeth are stable for more than 6 months, didn't help (He said the bottom teeth were in place at least 6 months before I removed my braces). However, since the top teeth are always cheeky, moving around a lot, I kept to my promise to wear them for at least a month.

Then came the issue.

The plastic retainers started to smell a little. I could always taste a little bit of ‘sourness’ when I put them back on. Sounds disgusting? I know right! That’s why I say it’s a very real problem. Hahaha. So, before my next appointment with Dr Stanley, I tried googling a few ‘remedies’ and what I gathered were mostly:

1. Brush retainers with a new brush (use it only for your retainers)
2. Use antibacterial hand soap to brush your retainers (since the sourness is created by germs/ bacteria)
3. Soak your retainers in salt water

On my next visit to the dentist, I spoke and raised my concerns to Dr Stanley. He mentioned that plastic retainers are bound to smell as plastic does absorb your saliva, unlike the traditional stainless steel retainers. The best way to prevent it from smelling is to wash it with retainer cleaner like below.

It’s similar with Denture Cleaners, except that it is more gentle for clear soft plastic. However, these retainer cleaners are hard to find in Singapore. Even online, you may be required to ship them from overseas into Singapore.

So his alternative suggestion? Use Denture cleaners.
He mentioned that the ingredients of Denture and Retainer cleaners are basically the same. Just that one is stronger than another. Because for dentures, we eat and chew and food gets stuck. But for retainers, we are mainly washing off the bacteria and grime.

The thing to take note when using denture cleaners is to dilute the mixture more than usual. Logically, since the standard dentures would require 1 denture cleaning tablet, I would only use half for my retainers for each wash. I used denture cleaners from Daiso.

A box of 12pcs retails at the standard SGD2 and I use them on my retainers each week.
That’s SGD2 for 24 weeks! Each week will cost you even lesser than $0.10!

Nowadays, most Daiso products come with English translation. For those of you that don’t understand the 'curt' instructions on the box. There are 3 steps illustrated.

1. Add the tablet into warm water approximately 40-50 degrees, or room temperature.
2. Immerse your false teeth (or, in our case, retainers) immediately.
   What it means to say is that you should not wait till the tablet completely dissolve before putting your retainers in. They should go in while the tablet is "bubbling".
3. Cleanse your false teeth thoroughly after

Basically it does not tell you how long you should keep it soaked but they do advise to soak it overnight for thorough cleaning. That's what I usually do on the weekends, taking them out in the morning and soaking them till I need to use them again at night.

Do note that these cleaners are soapy in nature. So, after a good soak, you should always brush your retainers clean with your ‘retainer brush’ and rinse them thoroughly. Just get a brush from the hotel room of your recent travel, or buy one cheap soft brush off the shelves and use it to clean your retainers.

With this ‘deep clean’, your retainers should be able to stay smell-free and clean for a week before the next cycle starts again. On a daily basis, please still brush and soak your retainers in lukewarm water.

An extra bit of advice.
Sometimes you’d notice that when you had meals with strong spices (especially garlic), brushing your teeth alone doesn't get rid of the smell. You probably need to rinse your mouth couple of times with Listerine.
That said, the same thing applies to your retainers. Simply brushing it with lukewarm water won’t help!
So if you know you had meals with strong spices, it would be a good idea to ‘deep clean’ it the next morning when you remove your retainers and prevent the smell from being absorbed.
Keeping your retainers clean and bacteria free (as much as possible) is very important in maintaining good oral hygiene which may affect your health. 

Hope this little bit of information is helpful for all out there who are using retainers or are removing their braces and using retainers soon.
Cheers!

P.s., I know I mentioned in a previous blogpost that I will be doing a review on 'Beautiful Teeth Whitening Kit' but I have yet to be able to follow through with a treatment plan. Any reviews written at this point in time would be biased so please bear with me. I'll complete the suggested treatment plan and share my #elliehonestreview soon.

Review: "Clean it Zero" by banila co

‘Clean it Zero’ is THE makeup remover from Banila Co. I chanced upon this item online and spotted it during my travel to Korea last year at the Banila Co. shop.

Front of the box

Back of the box

Side of the Box

Unlike common Cleansing Oil, Banila Co. Clean it Zero is a Cleansing Balm, or otherwise known as a Solid Cleaning Oil. If you’ve not heard about Solid Cleansing Oil before, it is actually a wonder product that combines the effectiveness of the cleansing oil, as well as the gentleness of a balm. Clean it Zero is a “Lightweight sorbet-like textured makeup removing cleansing balm that whisks away pore-clogging impurities.”

Clean it Zero comes in a pretty pink tub. I’m talking about the classic Clean it Zero. I think there are 4 variations in total as seen on the website but at that point in time, I wasn't too sure of the differences so I stuck with the classic. But I found them out recently.

1. Clean it Zero Classic – Pink Tub
2. Clean it Zero Purity – Blue Tub (Refreshing, mild formula)
3. Clean it Zero Resveratrol – Green Tub (Uplift and defend against ageing)
4. Clean it Zero Radiance – Silver Tub (Brightens skin)

When I first saw the design, I was really considering whether to get it or not. WHY? Not because I don't like pink. But because… I HAVE NEVER BEEN A FAN OF TUBS! You can even say that I hate ‘tubbed’ items because I really don't like the idea of dipping my fingers into a tub of product. Not only do you waste product stuck within your fingernails, think about how much germs and bacteria you are introducing to the tub each time you dig in – no matter you wash and clean your hands or not. I have always transferred my TUB products into pump bottles. Like Laneige Sleeping Pack, Innisfree Green Tea Cream. I would always (ALWAYS) get a $2 vacuum bottle from Daiso, transfer the product into the pump bottle before using. However, considering the raves about this product, I decided to give it a try and seeing that Clean it Zero is a Cleansing Balm, there was really no way I could transfer it to a pump bottle. When I finally unboxed the item, I realised Banila Co. is so considerate that I am very accepting of their design. Hahaha.

A care pack with a inner lid, scoop and magnet,

The magnet helps to test authenticity. (vertical lines)

Horizontal lines, depending on how you align the magnet

The inner lid and scoop being put on

The classic Clean it Zero contains raspberry, mistletoe, papaya, and acerola extracts but it actually smells like grapefruit, I think. Or it could be because of the fragrance added into the product. The very mild scent feels very therapeutic and aromatic to refresh your tired senses after a day at work (or day out). I love how the product melts into a cleansing oil after you rub them warm on your palm. For people like me that love my waterproof mascaras, the Clean it Zero cleansing balm melts the makeup quickly without stinging the eyes. Similar as any other cleansing oil, I will emulsify it with a bit of water before rinsing it off with lukewarm water. Depending on what I have on my face, if I have my full makeup on, I will still cleanse it with a gentle foam cleanser (to be safe?). But if I am only on sunblock, after I rinse off the Clean it Zero, I just go about my toner and regular routine.

‘Clean it Zero’ is definitely recommended!

In Korea, a tub retails for 18,000 KRW. Which is approximately 22.50 SGD. With tax free, you can probably get a tub at 20 SGD or so. So far, I have yet to come across them in SG brick and mortar stores but I do see them available on qoo10. Alternatively, seeing that the SG-MY exchange rate is so favourable currently, you may want to pop by SASA Malaysia as they do carry it in stores. Unfortunately, SASA Singapore does not.

I only started using this product in June and looking at how much product I have left (or how little I needed to use each time), this tub should be able to last me for 3-4 months. So, in September or October, I should be popping over to our friendly neighbour JB to get it off the SASA shelves! Muahahaha.