Heal Those Hands

For those whose hands become uncomfortably dry after washing, applying hand cream is more an act of necessity than vanity. Over the years, I have learned to keep a tube, pot, or bottle of hand cream inside my handbag and on my office desk. Here are a few of the best I have tried so far.

From top right, Vaseline intensive rescue healing hand cream, Avalon Organics hand & body lotion in peppermint, The Body Shop body butter in moringa, L'Occitane hand cream in honey & lemon, and Baume de Dalmatie spotted hand cream (for velvety paws - it really says this on the tube). All the hand creams above have thick consistency and are easily absorbed by the skin without making hands feel greasy and slippery.

Vaseline lotions are one of the best and most affordable lotions available in the supermarket, so it's not a surprise that their intensive rescue hand cream works like magic on extra dry hands. The only downside, this scentless cream can get a little dull and boring sometimes.

According to its tag, Avalon Organics products are "vegetarian and hypoallergenic," and the brand promotes "consciousness in cosmetics." Hoorah for this environmentally friendly brand! Not only is its hand cream really effective, the peppermint flavor smells like a relaxing spa treatment. Avalon Organics products are available at Healthy Options.

The Body Shop's Body Butter is a fantastic body cream but only during cold weather. Applying this thick and heavy cream all over the body during the summer is certainly not recommended. To treat myself to the sweet scents of body butter all year round, I use it as a hand cream instead.

Tiny tubes of hand cream like L'Occitane in honey and lemon and Baume de Dalmatie are perfect for stashing in handbags, whatever the size. I love all things L'Occitane and this hand cream is no exception. Baume de Dalmatie is a luxurious French hand cream given to me by Queen J. A small dollop of this is enough to moisturize dry hands. Another upside of this, it really has tiny black dots inside. Its small opening is perfect for targeting specific areas such as cuticles; it also ensures minimal wastage since a tiny 15mL tube of this costs around HKD 150 in Lane Crawford.

Recommended Hair & Makeup Service at Fanny Serrano

For Pin's recent wedding, I had a bit of a hard time finding a reasonably priced, tried-and-tested hair and makeup service that's also near the location of the wedding. Online reviews are limited and the average price for this service in the Makati/Rockwell area ranges from Php 2,000 to 2,500, well more than what I'm willing to shell out. In the end, I went back to my go-to salon for hair and makeup, Fanny Serrano, even if it's rather far from the church, hoping that the hot June sun wouldn't cause my makeup to melt before I reach the church. 

Here's my inspiration for the hair. (photo from www.beautifulhairstyles.com)

 For makeup, I simply requested a look that's not too matte. And here's the overall result (pardon the water bottle):

I think Bambi did a good job with my makeup. He was fast but precise, and more importantly, I still looked like me. My hair, which was done by Joan, didn't come out exactly as I expected, but understandably so considering that I don't have bangs nor highlights.

Fanny Serrano has moved to a smaller location across Il Terrazzo in December of last year. Hair and makeup costs Php 1,500 by appointment and Php 1,350 for walk-in clients. Falsies are an additional Php 100. To set up an appointment, call 3511698.

Singapore Top Things

I picked out my top picks from the nearly 800 shots I took during my recent trip to SG with DJ. Here they are in no particular order.

It's hard to miss the elegant interiors of a TWG Tea shop. Their brightly lit stores are visible from the outside through the all-glass panels like their store in ION Orchard below. Apart from various fragrant tea flavors, TWG also has candles, porcelain teapots, macarons and ice cream and some shops have a small dining area perfect for afternoon tea, of course. I brought home their signature 1837 black tea and New York Breakfast tea (SGD 32 each). The former is black tea with mixed berries while the latter is black tea with malt. I also tried their caramel macaron (SGD 2 each), a little crunchy on the outside but soft on the inside with creamy caramel filling; the sweetness is also just right.

The next two photos are from our lunch at Restaurant Andre. I requested for a vegetarian lunch and my favorites were the soup, beautifully arranged mushroom, onions, and seaweed cooked in kaffir lime consomme, and the main dish which consisted of grilled white asparagus rolled in crunchy parmesan cheese topped with wild mushroom and garnished with leek flowers. It's impressive how the cooking was very precise in that the vegetables retained their taste and texture and how the each dish derived its taste from fresh and natural ingredients.

The zebras in SG Zoo looked like they belong in a National Geographic documentary.

 Birds n buddies show in Jurong Bird Park: fun, informative and interactive for both kids and adults.

Some SG buses are equipped with announcement boards that show commuters where the next stop is. It's a really helpful for tourists and I'm hoping that bus companies in HK will install one in their buses soon. 

Jones the Grocer's cheese room..

..and vanilla almond nougat, soft, fresh and lightly sweetened

The Marmalade Pantry's lemon meringue cake was moist and big enough for two persons to share or for one person who needs enough sugar rush to fuel an afternoon of shopping.

The Sultan Mosque was just one of the stops in the Kampong Glam walk by Original Singapore City walks. It was enjoyable and full of trivia about SG's Malay history.

My night shot of the city from Marina Bay

and a sunset shot of the city from the highest point in the SG Flyer.

Lastly, here's a pic of me at Ann Siang Hill just outside PS Cafe. It's a tiny garden on top of the hill which I imagine would look lovely at night.

I often hear that there isn't much to do in SG, but with a bit of research and planning, one can easily fill a 4-day trip in the city with various activities. I have to credit DJ, my SG trip buddy, for researching and organizing our itinerary.

Clutter-Free Desk & Other Things

I'm happy to share that I finally found a way to move some stuff off my workspace/vanity table. Magazines and books now belong on the bedside floor as that area got a facelift with a new Ikea lamp. Next, my makeup stuff get to have their own drawer instead of being openly exposed on my table. Don't you agree that an organized desk allows the mind to think clearly? Next on my organization project, my closet, yet again.

Moving on to other rather unrelated things, it's about time that I found a decent thin, braided belt as my dresses and pants are getting lonely. It sure is much easier to find stuff when one isn't looking. This belt from Bayo smells like real leather and costs only Php 345 (free size, around 43 inches in length). 

Lastly, if only I'm not afraid to turn my room into a plastic-rack-filled space, I would buy most of the stuff in Japan Home/Daiso. Everything is worth Php 88 (unless otherwise indicated) with the promise of a more organized kitchen, room, living room, office, etc. Below, a pack of plastic ziplock bags for storing all sorts of stuff for only Php 66.