SO SHE SAYS;

A Date with Reebonz City!

2012-01-25T22:13:00.005+08:00

Just when Fred & I were running out of ideas of things to do together, Reebonz City put together a mix of features and sent us on a Couple Therapy date! It couldn't have been more timely and we had a really good time bonding over a spa session, lunch, and an art class.

Our date started off at Essence Vale Spa, a centre that specializes in aroma therapy. We were scheduled for a body scrub and massage!

We first had our feet soaked in eucalyptus oil, then our bodies scrubbed clean with a passionfruit & grape seed body scrub, and it followed with an hour-long massage with rose petal & grapeseed oil. Loved that the massage bed was heated and that there weren't any clocks in the room. Haha it's my pet peeve to have clocks ticking away in any therapy room; not only does the ticking get amplified in the silence, it also constantly reminds you of the time, doesn't it?

All rejuvenated, we moved on to have lunch at Gaia Ristorante & Bar, situated at Goodwood Park Hotel.

Beautiful setting at the recently-opened restaurant! We had our meal at the Main Dining Area and boy did we feel under-dressed! Thankfully we were there for lunch ;)

Teehee, fooling around while waiting for lunch to be served ;)

The meal started with their house specialty - Buffalo Milk Mozzarella, paired with a serving of Parma Ham. The mozzarella was sinfully rich and very different from the usual mozzarella I always have, but it went really well with the ham. We also had a portion of the Italian version of the Onion Soup, which was less heavy than the French's.

The mains they recommended were soooooo goood we immediately regretted stuffing our faces with too much starters! I had the Venezia Risotto - carnaroli rice with fresh squid, scallops, baby lobster and sea bass simmered in squid ink and topped with 'Cigliegino' cherry tomatoes. Don't be deceived by the looks of it cos it was seriously good! Fred had the Fettucine Coe E Moeche - homemade tagliatelle pasta with soft shell crab and fresh chopped parsley and tomato sauce and that was really tasty too. We decided that we'll definitely go back to have their pasta again! ;)

The Flan Di Cioccolato for dessert. Freshly baked, we had to wait a good 15mins for it to be served! And all happy after lunch, we moved on to our last and most interesting stop!

Tucked at a corner of an industrial area is Clay Street, a pottery studio! Fred & I have never gone for any classes together, let alone an art class, so this was definitely the icing to the cake :)

Mr Choo teaching us the basics of the 'pinching' method for pottery!

Us hard at work ;)

And voila! Our finished art works! :D Not only did we pick up a new skill, we also learnt new things about each other during this short one-hour lesson. Definitely a therapeutic session for the both of us :)

Like what we did?

Reebonz City would like to treat a lucky couple to a most pampering & exhilarating Valentines' Day date!

All you need to do is to visit their Facebook Page and follow the instructions above! The couple who receives the most number of votes walks away with an unforgettable and entirely-sponsored experience! The Game starts tomorrow, 26th Jan 2012. All the best! ;)

Outfit For the Day:

Forever New Eyelet Bralet, Love, Bonito BASICS Skirt (unreleased), ASOS clutch

Love my top but am not sure how customers would take to wearing bralets! Should I tweak this to a top instead? Appreciate your input!!

Well, hope everyone had a good Lunar New Year break! Will update again soon with pictures from the CNY celebrations x

PRE-CNY ♥

2012-01-22T14:27:00.003+08:00

My CNY feasting kicked off at Rach&Bryan's lovenest. The Love, Bonito crew was invited over for a round of Aunty Winnsie's signature Sukiyaki!

It was mad during our Lou Hei session cos all of us were struggling to come up with the right Chinese idioms! And we died when Fred the cheenapiang wished all of us 风和日丽 days in and out of the office! Haha fun times! And kudos to the CS team who stayed on to clear emails, and then waking up early on Saturday for a 3rd meet-up session. 辛苦你们了！

Massive steamboat session with the pals! Aunty made a delicious broth by boiling pork bones with peppercorn, while Fred the masterchef stirred in the right amount of ingredients for our favourite 小肥羊麻辣 steamboat. It was awesome having two selections that night ;)

The star of our dinner - GIANT prawns!

Lou Hei Round Two! Sushi Tei's lou hei takeout is really convenient and it's also very very yummy! Even the guys, who don't normally fancy vegetables, took a liking to it!

Peaches dipped in Cloudy Lemonade, huge Tasmanian cherries and Valzy's tiramisu to polish it all off. We were all stunned when Val revealed her secret dish... Her tiramisu reaaaallly took the cake last night.. The taste and presentation was just perfect. She made more but we only had stomachs for these 5! Well, I've set my mind to learn it from her soon ;)

Outfit For the Day: Love, Bonito's Roiston Romper.

I'm stuck with trying to think of a name for this simple drink concoction. Peachmenade? Cloudy Peaches? Hmmm.. Anyway, this is from Alessia's Mum, who'd serve this to have everyone's palate's cleaned before she served her desserts. She'd dunk fresh peaches in a lime cordial mixture but I found a substitute that's even more fuss-free.

So yes, for a great replacement of fruit cocktails that are usually too heavily drenched in syrup, you may like to try this!

Ingredients:

1) Fresh white peaches

2) Waitrose's Cloudy Lemonade/Lime Cordial

3) Schweppe's Soda Water (optional and only if you want to wish to dilute the lemonade)

Preparation:

Super simple! All you need to do is to mix the sliced peaches with Cloudy Lemonade (which can be replaced by a Lime Cordial mixture, whichever you prefer) and let them soak for a bit. Add Soda Water if you'd like it to be more carbonated & diluted. And voila! Best served chilled.

I'm not sure how imma last another 3 days of feasting, starting with two dinner seatings tonight, but it's gonna be the last festive celebration in a long time so... eat first, think later ;) Heh have a great time ya'll!

8 Easy Ways to Avoid Overeating this CNY!

2012-01-21T15:35:00.007+08:00

Chinese New Year is just around the corner and what is CNY without the sheer abundance of food? Bak Kwa, Pineapple Tarts, Love Letters, Prawn Rolls are some of my favourite indulgences, just to name a few ;) This year, however, is not the best time for me to be feasting without thinking mostly because of my upcoming wedding shoot (more about that next time). And so, I decided to put together some tips for myself to avoid putting on too much festive weight. Hope this will help you too!

8 Easy Ways to Avoid Overeating this Chinese New Year

1) Avoid 'Saving Your Stomach' for Meals

You know how, as Singaporeans, we LOVE to 'save our stomachs' for a buffet, or a really amazing meal that is coming your way? It can be so tempting to “save up” our hunger to have the most of our favourite food. However, when we skip meals and become ravenous for the next, we are likely to eat anything and everything at sight, leading to a feeling of being out of control. Instead, eat in accordance with your hunger throughout the day. If you want to ensure that you have a good appetite when you arrive at an event, try to eat enough to take the edge off your hunger before you leave home, without becoming too full.

2) Drink More Water

Drinking more water can help our stomachs feel fuller and minimize strong food cravings. Having a glass of water before eating can really help to minimize your intake during the meal! A great water-based concoction is hot water and lemon juice in the morning. This increases metabolic rates and help burn calories throughout the day too.

3) Watch Your Alcohol Intake

While it may be tempting to indulge in alcohol at this time, do your best to limit your alcoholic intake. Alcohol is notorious for making a person feel more hungry than they really are (tested & proven fact!). And you wouldn’t want to know how many calories a glass of wine can contain ;)

4) ‘Out of Sight, Out of Mind’

People tend to eat more when they can see the food. So it’s a great idea to store snacks in the cupboard or in non-clear containers, unlike those EVIL transparent containers with the red caps that almost ALL the CNY goodies are stored in! The sheer sight of snacks inside may prove to be too tempting for some people (like me).

5) Avoid Eating Straight from Food Containers

Refrain from eating straight from a multi-serve packet or container like those we see on most coffee tables when we do visitations. The tendency to keep reaching for the food is reduced if we take a serving out onto a bowl or cup. Pouring out the amount of nuts or prawn rolls you intend to eat and stopping when the food in the dish is finished will really help with over-binging!

6) Avoid Deprivation

Depriving ourselves of our favourite foods completely can be counterproductive. The chances of losing your self-discipline and then suddenly caving into our cravings will definitely lead to binge eating. As cliché as it is, moderation is KEY!

7) Mingle More

Haha I like this one a lot - Hanging around our friends and family and engaging in conversation can prove to be an easy way from staying away from the dinner table or reaching out for a snack to occupy time! Don’t you agree that it’s because we’re too bored sometimes that we grab the nearest container of goodies and start snacking? Well, if you cannot find someone to engage in conversation with, playing games on your phone may help too ;)

8) Move away

Once you’ve filled your plate with your share, apply discipline and simply WALK away. It’s just too darn tempting (and easy) to mindlessly nibble on what’s next to you. So yes, try not choose a seat near the food, or avoid socializing right next to the buffet table. See point 7!

Yep, this is all I have! Please feel free to share if you have any tips too ;) In the meantime, to all my Chinese readers, have a blast celebrating the festivities with all your loved ones and may we seek to pass down this tradition to our future generations. Have a blessed & prosperous year of the Dragon! xx

*images from Google Images*

Luke's, Brunetti's, & Others

2012-01-16T11:46:00.000+08:00

Fred & I have been really strung up, mentally and emotionally strained because of a recent series of events. But we sought comfort in indulging in food and just spending quality time together. Quality Time is our top scoring Love Language by the way ;) So after an ass of a week, we decided to go on a mini getaway during the weekend in hope to lift our spirits.

Didn't have time to pack so I brought along a couple of my favourite Love, Bonito pieces. And after going through the effort of taking all these pictures, I chose another dress instead! Haha but I'll probably keep these for the coming CNY. Which one's best ya think? In Keller Dress, Louanne Dress, and Roiston Romper respectively.

Made a reservation at Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House after my Instagram feed was fed with amazing pictures from this newly-opened restaurant (only 6 months old!). Nothing can be more appealing for us than having BOTH Oysters and Steaks as specialty in a same place.

We waited quite a while for them to serve warm bread and after about 15mins, they brought us freshly baked mini corn muffins. It was worth the wait cos they were sooo melt-in-your-mouth good!

We tried a tray of Osterville (Boston) oysters mixed with Malpaque (Canada) ones and preferred the former! Then we had another round of mouth-watering Ostervilles.

Luke's Clam Chowder to start, and though it was shared, we each had a fair amount. The sage butter gave it a thick and creamy texture and we were satisfied with the huge chunks of clams and black pepper. Slurps!!!

Mains - Luke's Bone-In Tenderloin with foie gras on top for Fred and Jumbo Lump Crab Cakes for myself. We also had the Lobster Mac & Cheese as a side. Other than being slightly salty, the food was excellent! The portion for the Crab Cake's waaay to huge for me but I loved everything about it!

We happened to be the only Asians in our entire seating and it felt foreign, like we were in an American diner or something, coupled with the bustling roars from our fellow diners. So for those who like vibrant settings, this place is a great choice!

Luke's Oyster Bar & Chop House

Address: 20 Gemmill Lane, Singapore

Tel: +65 6221 4468

Back at the hotel. In Love, Bonito's Aleia Toga from our last Orient Collection, coming up at 2P.M. later today.

Hotel Fort Canning. A sneak peek of a really luxe maxi dress coming up in Feb's Cruise (Pre-Spring) Collections!

Then it was brunch at Brunetti's with my folks on Jie's recommendation. We missed the breakfast (8A.M.-12noon) but tried their lunch menu and the food turned out surprisingly better than expected! Fred ordered waaaay too much for our stummies and we didn't have enough room to get much desserts though the visual display was stunning! If you'd like to try their lunch, the Grilled prawns with capers, lemon butter n cucumber salad stood out the most among all!

Brunetti

Address: 163 Tanglin Road, #01-35 Tanglin Mall, Singapore

Tel: +65 6733 9088

And here are some overdue photos from recent happenings!

Our recent outdoor shoot! We had a freaky Japanese soldier guarding our belongings ;) And I have no idea why but I'm destined to be jinxed with bad weather each & every time I decide to head out with the girls to shoot. The poor models were trudging through mud in high-heels, sinking their heels into the squishy mess with every step. But I'm glad we pulled throught and again, I'm amazed at Nicole's positivity and eye for detail. She managed to get at least 6 great shoot locations with just one short recee session. Do support her work here!

Amazing sunset I caught while we were queuing for Jumbo Seafood. Singapore never ceases to surprise me and that's why I call this place home.

Jumbo's business has grown so crazy huge that they've expanded outwards and people have to queue for their reserved tables! But no complains cos this place just delivers the ooooopmh with their crabs each time!

Another sunset photo from taken with the iPhone.

We tried another steakhouse less recently - Bedrock Bar & Grill. The only dish that blew our minds was the Truffle Mash Potato; I almost licked the plate clean. Other than that, we were rather disappointed with our grilled steaks.

In Love, Bonito's Anjou Maxi, now available on backorders!

A night out with the bikes. I miss these ride nights :(

Anyway, will share soon about this awesome guava snack that Fred's Mum prepared! And if your girlfriends are not into heavy liqour, the Cafe de Paris is a MUST HAVE. So stoked they stock that in Singapore now (thankyouthankyou to the distributor who brought this in). The Lychee flavour is better than Peach, but both are reaaaaallly good. It has 6.7% alcohol content and costs $25.20 a bottle. It's much cheaper in Europe though, but I'm not complaining!!

And it's nights like these that really make me miss my own mean machine. Sometimes, all it takes is a nice windy ride to take all the worries away. Well, life's tough, just gotta learn to suck it up when shit hits the fan! :)

Travelogue: Food in London

2012-01-14T13:08:00.003+08:00

Hi all! Hope 2012 has been treating you well so far ;) Sorry for the lack of updates here, it's been a crazy half a month for me and well, all of us in the Love, Bonito office. Just 4 days into the new year and it was off on a work trip again, and we came back to a staggering amount of work (our Customer Service Team reached a record high of 1,100 emails O_O in a night). But now that the pieces for our last Orient Collections have been shot, I can finally take a slight breather & get back to updating this space ;) And I thought I should start by paying off my blogging debt from last year - my Travelogues. Been seeing all the lovely holiday pictures from Bea's and Jie's (love her new site btw) and I'm inspired to get down to mine..

This was last 2011's boarding passes! And I've started collecting 2012's ;)

Fred and I were in London last Sept for about a week to attend the London Fashion Week (LFW) for SS'12 and explore more work opportunities. London's one of the world's four major fashion cities and it was definitely a great eye-opener for me. But I won't be going into the fashion aspect just yet.. I've been missing the FOOD most in London, so here's a post dedicated to the delectable stuff that made me a good 3kgs faaattter.

Spotted the Tower Bridge from the window!

We stayed at The Mandeville Hotel, just minutes to Oxford & Bond Street. The service there was great and we didn't have any problems throughout our 6nights stay. I'm not sure if it was because of the LFW, but most hotels in London were super pricey. That's our only gripe!

Checked in and I jumped straight to ordering a full English Breakfast. The portion was huggge; more than enough for Fred & I. English Breakfast's a staple in the UK so I'm guessing you'll probably find it in every hotel's menu.

Before traveling, I put time into researching about food in London. Apart from the vast diversity of cuisines, it's alsohome to many Michelin-Star restaurants! And to the contrary of many, most of these Michelin-Star restaurants are reasonably priced.

We had the chance to try out some classic European & French cuisine at Wild Honey (a one-star restaurant), sister to Arbutus (also a one-star restaurant). We had a 3-course lunch menu and it was about 20pounds per person. Their menus are dictated on seasonality and can change on a daily basis according to market availability. The really good part was that it had an unpretentious setting, the service was excellent (they seated us even though we didn't have a reservation, but kindly told us we had to finish our course in 45mins), and food was definitely really fresh. We wanted to try Arbutus but didn't get a reservation in the end!

Wild Honey

12 St George Street
Mayfair, London
W1S 2FB
Tel: 020 7758 9160

The other great opportunity we had with food was the chance to try Chef Gordon Ramsay's creations! He has a total of about 11 Michelin-Star Resturants just in UK alone, and Restaurant Gordon Ramsay is one of two 3-star restaurants in London. I had to book our table about a month in advance, and it was only for a 10.30P.M. seating! But simply put, it was the best gastronomic experience of our lives.

It was a 3-course dinner for 95pounds per person, and the menu is fixed. For starters, I had the ravioli of lobster, langoustine and salmon poached in a light bisque with a lemongrass and chervil velouté which was an explosion of flavours in the mouth, while Fred had sautéed foie gras with roasted veal sweetbreads, Cabernet Sauvignon vinegar and almond velouté, which according to him, is the best serving he's had.

For mains, my oven roasted pigeon from Bresse with grilled polenta, smoked ventrèche, braised shallots and date sauce was amaaaaaazing (I personally love having roasted pigeons), and Fred's roasted fillet of Cornish turbot with Jerusalem artichoke, pancetta, savoy cabbage and chicken jus was masked by his heavy starter. Apparently the fish dishes are not recommended in his restaurant.

And check out what we had for dessert. We ordered the Assiette de l’Aubergine (for two), and the desserts just wouldn't stop coming!

The dessert menu! That choice is basically a combination of all the desserts that the restaurant offered.

Our maitre d offered us a peek in their kitchen and I'm guessing it was because we were the last to be seated and the kitchen was all cleaned and packed when we were done. Didn't get the chance to meet the head chef, or else it would have brought the experience to a greater level. As mentioned, it was the best gastronomic experience I've had and I'd fly back there just to have his food again. So yes, I highly recommend a visit there if you're visiting London!

Restaurant Gordon Ramsay

68 Royal Hospital Road
LONDON
SW3 4HP
T: 020 7352 4441
F: 020 7592 1213
royalhospitalroad@gordonramsay.com

Somehow, the Food Hall at Harrod's appealed greatly to Fred & I, and we tried almost every selection they had, from the Oyster Bar to The Steakhouse. The Seafood section served up a superb portion of good ol' British Fish&Chips too. It was also there that we discovered a different oyster - the Irish/Scottish Natives. They have 3 grades, No.2, No.1 and No.00, with No.00 being the highest. Only No.1 was in season during the period we were there, and they were truly orgasmic!

On Wallpaper City Guide's recommendation, we tried an American diner, Automat. My mac&cheese was really good, but I suppose this restaurant's more famous for their burgers. Every one that was there for lunch had a burger in hand!

Automat American Brasserie

33 Dover Street,

Mayfair London

W1S 4NF

Tel: 020 7499 3033 | Fax: 020 7499 2682

http://www.automat-london.com/

One other restaurant that we really enjoyed was a Steakhouse that Bossming brought us! We promised to keep the location hush-hush for him. Fred & I are such steakhouse people, and we really thought this one far exceeded all the rest we've been to before. I suspect it's because of the fresh ingredients London is blessed to have.

After dinner we hung out for a bit at Champagne Bar that overlooked the entire London City!

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There were also plenty of casual dining available in London, each for about 10-20pounds for person.

Busaba Ethai for Thai food (recommended by Tingzhi).

Nando's!!

Loved the concept at the 202 Cafe in Notting Hill and Ping Pong restaurant that's a retail chain serving modern dimsum in London. Also tried the famous Four Season Duck but it wasn't really fantastic imho. They have Pinkberry fro-yo in Selfridges!

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The weekends are saved for food markets and my favourite was the Borough Market! The pies were to-die-for and it's the only place in London I actually see people queuing up for food!!

And tucked behind Borough market is Monmouth Coffee Company. Check out the queue!!! Insane. We gave up on this one and headed to the Monmouth St outlet instead where I had THE BEST cuppa latte EVER in my life, very much thanks to Matil & Cher who insisted I try. WHY OH WHY don't we have this here in Singapore?

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And what's London without some cupcakes!!! The Hummingbird Bakery serves again, THE BEST cupcakes I've ever had. The red velvet ones are 3pounds a pop @_@ but they are sooooo delish! Even my favourite London designer Mary Katrantzou frequents this cupcake boutique. More at their website here! Am tempted to buy their book to try baking some cupcakes soon!!

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Yep so that's all I have for Food in London! Will be blogging about the fashion side of things next, so stay tuned for the next Travelogue: London ;) My stummy's growling real bad now, gonna scoot off for lunch!

Happy weekend ya'll x

2011-12-31T15:15:00.001+08:00

Wishing you lots of cosmic love this 2012 x

Carpe Diem! Don't let life pass you by.

The Holiday!

2011-12-27T22:02:00.005+08:00

The weekend was jam-packed with activities and it was great meeting up with friends and family to share to joy & love of Christmas together :) Hope everyone had a good time celebrating the festivities too!

Firstly, THANK YOU ALL for your interest in the Festive Gift Bags Giveaway in the previous entry :D Am secretly happy there were so many responses (about 800ish including emails) and I appreciate the really lovely & encouraging comments you've left! Have left them unscreened in order to acknowledge the receipt of your comment, but do let me know if you're uncomfortable with showing your email addresses, I'll have your comment deleted. Unfortunately I only managed to pack 10 gift bags this time and have already contacted those that I've picked randomly. Promise I'll come up with more giveaways soon :)

Also, so sorry I can't reply to all the comments in the previous entry but to answer the common questions - the lace dress that I wore to the Blog Awards is a Love, Bonito sample and we'll be releasing something similar in both a dress & top version come mid-Jan. The floral romper is a Topshop piece and we have something similar coming up in our first Orient Collection tomorrow. Our preview is now up on Facebook! Lastly, the knotted skirt you girls have been asking me about is slated to be released first week of Jan in 6 awesome colours ;) And if you have anything else you might wanna ask, do leave a comment (click on KISSES below to do so), or feel free to email me at belluspuera@gmail.com.

And here's a massive photo update from the festive weekend!

Christmas dumplings to inject some sweetness in everyone! You guys ought to try York's Peppermint Patties, they're yums! :)

Team dinner at The Foundry! So thankful for these girls and the hard work they put in for Love, Bonito :)

So much fun at our Christmas dinner but was missing Jie like crazy! We were fooling around with the Chipmunk function on Photobooth teehee everyone should give it a try - it's hilariously cute! And I'm so glad Fred's Mum managed to pick out pieces from our studio. So happy being able to dress my mums :)

The gifts & personalized cards on the office desk :')

Festive Outfit in Love, Bonito's Smith Velvet Skirt. Love how comfy it is :D

Almost died laughing playing Raving Rabbids on the Kinect at Cher's. These girls are my happy pills and I'm so glad we managed a mini staycation this holiday!

Brunch the next day at Hatched! Was looking forward to having some solid egg-inspired meals but was quite disappointed with the dishes :( The Hollandaise sauce was too light and it made everything rather bland. On the up side, they serve good coffee using Papa Palheta's beans!

Then we managed to squeeze time to head over to the studio to get dresses for our Christmas dinner! Another super comfy festive outfit with my favourites from Love, Bonito :)

And we even found time for baking!! Our brownies were splendid (crispy on the outside, gooey on the inside) thanks to our Masterchef Mandy Leong ;)

The bestest Christmas spread EVER! We also had a jolly good time learning line dancing from the folks and singing along to Christmas Carols with our very own Santa. Best part, we were all decked out in LB ;)

Gift exchange with the pals :) This year's plans were really so impromptu and hopefully next year's will be even better with everyone around!

To top it all off, my favourite girl Alessia is BACK! :D Cannot be happier to spend Christmas at my favourite hang-out and to finally get a serving of Aunty Aaliyah's homemade lasagna. I really hope to be a superb host like her one day ;)

This lil lion has been missed!

These guys too :'''( Glad we managed to Skype though. I MISS YOU BOTH LIKE CRAZEE!

I hope to be able to update again this week, otherwise, here's an advanced HAPPY NEW YEAR to y'all! Thank you again to those who've left your feedback about my blog, appreciate it all x

Christmas Giveaway + Massive Photo Update

2011-12-22T11:58:00.001+08:00

Hello!! The year-end festivities are just around the corner and since we're all in the spirit of giving, I thought it's timely for a giveaway on this blog as an appreciation for your support thus far. I've packed ten Festive Gift Bags filled with goodies and do read more if you'd like to have one ;)

♥

♥ MAC Travel Set | Maybelline Mascara | Maybelline Eye & Lip Make Up Remover | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ RMK Cleansing Travel Set | Neutrogena Tripe Moisture Shampoo | THEFACESHOP sample set | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ Lancome Travel Set | Redken Nature Rescue Shampoo | Etude House Pore Ever Primer | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ Shu Uemura Travel Set | Maybelline Mascara | Maybelline Eye & Lip Make Up Remover | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ Biotherm Aquasource Travel Set | O.P.I. Toe Separator & Etude House Nail Polish | SKII Facial Treatment Essence Miniature | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ RMK Travel Set | O.P.I. Toe Separator & Etude House Nail Polish | THEFACESHOP Face Mist | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ SKII Travel Set | Maybelline Mascara | Etude House Pore Ever Primer | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ SKII Travel Set | Rimmel Mascara | Etude House Nail Polish | Kiehl's Samples | Shu Uemura's Cleasing Oil Miniature | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ L'OCCITANE Travel Set | MAC Slim Mirror | Bifesta Cleansing Gel | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

♥ RMK Travel Set | MAC Makeup Brush | Etude House Nail Polish | Hello Kitty iPhone Cover

If you'd like any one of these Festive Gift Bags, all you need to do is leave a comment with your email address! I'll pick ten random comments and will drop you ladies an email on Boxing Day (26th Dec). More details on collection etc. will be provided in the mail. And again, THANK YOU for reading despite my boring updates ;)

Some behind-the-scenes pictures from the Love, Bonito Appreciation Luncheon:

And here are some from Nicole's awesome camera ;)

Much ♥ again to all our lovely customers & to the wonderful LB family :)

We took a mini road trip up to KL with Bea last Friday to attend the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards. The morning started off real early and we got to KL in a speedy 2½ hours all thanks to Fred! Met Ming and he took us to have the BEST ban mian ever (check out the poached egg) but we promised to be hush hush about the place ;) Then it was a quick walk around KLCC before getting ready for the event.

At the Marriott Putrajaya Grand Ballroom. There were about 500 bloggers that gathered from Singapore, Taiwan, China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Thailand & Australia and the atmosphere was amazing!

Boss Ming and Timothy giving a moving recap on their brainchild and all I can say is, what a fantastic job they both have done :)

With Best Food Blog winner Brad (ladyironchef), Best Fashion Blog winner Cheesie, Most Influential Blog & Region's Best Blog Winner Wendy (Xiaxue). Also with my lovely companion Bea and the Jipaban ladies ;)

ZOUK KL for the after-party and boy is that place happening! Thank you Bea, Ming, Alexa, Brad for the wonderful company, not forgetting dear ahmat Fred who rushed us back to SG early next morning with only 3hrs of rest :) To more road trips like these ♥

& though we were thoroughly exhausted, we made it back in time for Daphne and Craig's wedding party at 1-Twenty-Six!

Could hardly open my eyes but did my best to channel all the remaining energy into cheers for the newlyweds! And it hit me that the next wedding in the family is gonna be mine :X

Well, hope you guys will have a fantastic time celebrating the upcoming festivites with your loved ones :) To those who may be working extra hard despite the lingering holiday aura, here's a big pat on the back for y'all! & may we share the love, joy and truth of Christmas to one and all. MERRY CHRISTMAS! x

Polaroid Update!

2011-12-16T03:22:00.003+08:00

Snaps from Love, Bonito's Appreciation Luncheon last Saturday. Will do a proper pictorial update once I get my hands on the behind-the-scenes photos and also have the official photos from that day uploaded on Love, Bonito's Facebook page soon!

Once again, the heartiest thank you to our dear customers who took time off to grace our event. It's our honour to have you ladies buying from us :) To the entire LB family: We did it! :D I am so glad we pulled this off together. You guys are a fantastic bunch. To Jie: This was your baby and you did an amazing job. So proud of you. To my creatives: We are only a team three but our show was rockin'! To the guy behind the lorry: You always get less credit than what you deserve but thank you for choosing to be the thorn among the roses.

Kim's pajama party at Fairmont. It was soooo comfy hanging out in our peejays, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be a regular theme for the parties to come! Funny how we were walking through the shopping mall to the parking lot and people just kept staring like we were so damn weird. Haha, fun times ;)

Well, it's gonna be another crazy weekend starting with a mini road trip tomorrow to attend the Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards in KL, followed by my cousin's wedding party on Saturday, and a full day of squeezing with the crowds to finish up my Christmas shopping on Sunday. I hope I'll survive this weekend and if so, more updates here soon ;)

Here's a Mishmash!

2011-12-10T09:36:00.002+08:00

It's been one whirlwind of a week at work cos we're right smack in the peakest of the peak periods! And so here's a quick pictorial update before a crazier week ahead!

Last weekend was spent with the famfam celebrating the Lao Jie's birthday! We had our favourite 小肥羊 steamboat twice and now I'm suffering from the MSG overload. I don't know how we're gonna do rounds of it for the coming CNY but it's seriously tooooo gooood to resist. The next time we gather again would be at our cousin's wedding party and it's gonna be the first (and very exciting) wedding of our uber small family! :D

The LB team took time off to surprise Jie despite rushing for a launch that day. The girls even paid a visit Daphne's 'Bun Salon' to get their hair bunned up like how Jie always has hers done! Haha well celebrations aside, I truly admire the tenacity of our pixies/elves. Love, Bonito will not be where she is now without their hard work and drive. So yes, I think we all deserve a big fat pat in the back :D

Tonkatsu by Ma Maison for Valzy's surprise dinner! Too bad Tus couldn't join us; the special pork set was so, so yummy.. This restaurant has officially superceded Tonkichi's place in my heart :D

So tough for us to meet with all the differing work schedules, but we need our girl time soon! So happy for Cara cos she's finally heading over to pay dear Fungster a visit and to smack him back in place teehee.

TONKATSU by Ma Maison
333A Orchard Rd
#02-35/36 Mandarin Gallery
Tel:(65) 67334541

Squeezed in a brunch & coffee date with Fred because it's been a while since we hung out. However, he's not really the brunch food type of guy, more of a steak & hamburger kind? So yeah, perhaps I'll save brunch dates for the girls and go for like bangers&mash with him the next time or something! Anyone has a place to recommend? :)

OUTFIT: Love, Bonito's Davenport Dress in Forest. Love the material & fit and also how crazy comfy it is so I kept this piece in almost all colours! ~~Oh and I'm letting go of the Celine for $2,100 instead of the previous $2,300! For more details on the bag please click here. And do email me at belluspuera@gmail.com if you're interested ;)~~ SOLD

As for the dress, if you missed the launch, do get yours from the backorder now :D But if wearing a stick-on bra is not really your type of thing, we have a fab Alexander Wang inspired dress coming up in the next collection that's of the same material! Our new Christmas Collection preview's already up on our Facebook Page ;)

Well, can't wait to wear mine out! Anyway, I've gotta scoot off now to meet the LB peeps. We've got a loooong day at our Appreciation Luncheon and I pray all will go well for us! Then it's Kimmykimkim's birthday party at night before catching an 8A.M. flight on Sunday for the next work trip. Just two more trips to go before a good break after the coming CNY! **persevere**

P.S. I just logged onto my personal email and realized I have some backdated about a week ago. So sorry for the late replies, I will get down to it once I'm back! x

HAPPY WEEKEND!

My New Travel Buddy & Beauty Haul

2011-12-07T12:22:00.002+08:00

Advertorial

I definitely have been and it's not fun knowing what damage has been done to my skin. I travel frequently for work and it’s necessary to know what skincare essentials I have to pack along! Makeup removers have always been my biggest headache as it's awfully cumbersome to lug around all sorts of different bottles of makeup removers (for eyes and face) plus cotton pads just to last through my entire trip. But good news! I think I may have found the perfect solution to this and would like to share it! :D *drumrolls*

Biore's Cleansing Oil Cotton Facial Sheets!

These bestselling makeup removers come in 3 different packages:

A 48-sheet tub and the eco-friendly refill packs...

& a travel size packet of 10 sheets...

Look how nice it is to have one of these pretty tubs sitting by your sink or makeup counter! Not only that, the sheets stay moist ALL the way till the very last piece ;)

My new travel buddy!

Biore’s travel packs are palm-sized, lightweight and almost as convenient as carrying a tissue packet. I’ve since started to pack them along for my monthly work trips. That way, I don’t have the burden of lugging my bottled removers along.

I also did a mini-experiment to test how fast & effective they’re in removing the following makeup: waterproof mascara, coloured eyeliner, long-lasting foundation, eyebrow pencil, lip colour and waterproof gel eyeliner!

The trick here is to hold the cotton sheet onto your skin for about five seconds, and in just ONE swift swipe, all the makeup will be effectively dissolved and removed!

I usually take two sheets to remove the entire gunk on my face; one for my face and the other one for my eyes. Removing my makeup has just gotten a whole easier! * woohoo*

I know you may just be wondering the secret behind these compact yet absolutely effective cotton sheets.

The answer to that - plenty of SMOOTH CLEANSING OIL in each sheet!

Just look at the comparison I’ve done between THEFACESHOP and Biore. Compared to the former, Biore’s cotton sheets seriously pack a punch. Each sheet is plentifully soaked with smooth cleansing oil that is gentle, alcohol-free and moisturising all at the same time. My skin feels fresh, clean and moisturised after removal. There also isn't the icky oily feeling after using the 2 sheets that I need!

My verdict

5/5 brushes!

They retail for $16.50 for the 48-sheet tub, $13.50 for a packet of refills, and $2.95 for the 10-sheet handy pack at all leading supermarkets, hypermarkets and pharmacies! Now there's definitely no reason for being caught in bad beauty situations ;)

--

And since we're at the topic of beauty, here's my recent beauty haul:

From Left: Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in Secret Wonderland | SKII Facial Treatment Repair C | Maybelline Baby Lips Lip Balm | Smith's Rosebud Salve | Sephora's Precision Sponge  | Clear-Aligners | Dolly Wink Pencil & Liquid Eyeliner (thank you, Mandom Corp) | Bath & Body Works Triple Moisture Body Cream in White Citrus

Let me know if anything piques your interest, I'll be happy to share more! ;)

Ooooh, and here's something I definitely need to share with all of you!! :D Fred & I finally ended our quest in search for the BEST tweezers in town. Check out the amount we've tried & tested before! Well, we gave the Tweezerman Slant Tweezers a shot because it's apparently an award-winning pair. It's distributed by Luxasia (thank you for bringing it in!!) and it's truly amazing in picking out stubborn stubs for Fred and the finer eyebrow bits for me. We got ours from Sephora, and I think they're also stocked in departmental stores like Tangs. A slight downside - it's $36 a pop!

And Christmas came early for me with RMK's gift package :D Really looove the RMK x Kate Spade Christmas Base Make Up Kit and it's so thoughful of the RMK team to send me some of their bestsellers to try out!

Okay last beauty bit, anyone knows where I can get DUP eyelid stickers from? I need to try them after hearing so much about them!

That's all the beauty things I have for now ;) Till the next x

Updates!

2011-12-04T14:32:00.006+08:00

I recently got the opportunity to meet Joanna, the talented designer behind Jocianne Handcrafted Jewellery.

She passed me some of her pieces to try out, and I must say, I was really impressed! Here are some of my recent outfits featuring pieces from her line.

I took particular interest in The Essentials Collection, which features the stacking rings and bangles above!

"Created with the fashion chameleon in mind, the Essentials Collection is perfect for those who love to switch up their looks by layering simple pieces or just go minimalistic with one focal piece of jewellery. Expect gorgeous mix-and-match pieces that make a delightful visual impact, like the stacking bangles and stacking rings"

The Citrus Stacking Rings are made of silver-plated wire, black freshwater pearl, golden jade & orange chalcedony. Best part, they're all adjustable so they can be worn on any finger ;) Chester Stacking Bangles are made of a mishmash of precious stones - sunstone, labradorite, wooden agate, golden jade, wood jasper, black onyx, pink tourmaline, white shell pearl, etc. etc. And to me, it's exactly what is so alluring about Jocianne Handcrafted Jewellery, that each material is cherry-picked by Joanna and preciously hand-made into a uniquely designed piece of jewellery.

"Locally designed and intricately handmade, Jocianne is a homegrown Singaporean jewellery label that aims to bring versatile, unique and absolutely wearable pieces to every lady. Our repertoire consists of handwired jewellery and handmade silver pieces embellished with semi-precious stones and the occasional old-school charm. Equipped with a Certificate of Metal Clay Fabrication (Silver) and a Certificate of Fundamentals in Jewellery Design from the Jewellery Design Management International School (JDMIS), we are set to challenge ourselves to bring to you even more statement jewellery that will fit any and every occasion."

The Eternity Necklace is also from The Essentials Collection, featuring a rose quartx briolette, diamante connector and a 14k gold-plated chain. The Summer Charm Bracelet is from another favourite collection of mine, the Precious Pieces Collection. It's made of freshwater pearls, dragon blood jade, wooden agate, mint quartz briolettes, cream Swarovski pearks and a genuine vintage Indian coin! Truly precious!

A statement necklace from the Precious Pieces Collection! It's made of tiger eye stones, yellow jade, rose quartz briolettes, gold fire-polished stones, brass leaf charms etcetc.., with a 14k gold-plated chain.

Another statement necklace that is truly an art form. I cannot believe she hand-weaved this from scratch!! The Celebration Necklace features an amazing array of 12 different materials and is definitely a conversation starter!

Not forgetting the Aqua Stacking Rings (from The Essentials Collection) and the Cobra Weaved Ring (from the Ma Trellis Collection) that I wear so very often after Joanna kindly sponsored me these lovely pieces!

Well, not only does Jocianne make beautiful handcrafted jewellery, she also provides Jewellery Classes for those who have a desire to learn the tricks of jewellery making! Also, she has a wonderful service called the Jewellery Party, in which you can arrange to be the host and display her jewellery for your friends or colleagues to purchase in return for a percentage! These parties are popular in the US especially for hen parties, girly high-tea gatherings etc. For more information about her services, do email Joanna at jocianne05@gmail.com :)
N.B. Joanna's work email has recently been hacked. Please email her at joanna.wee@gmail.com instead, thank you!

Last but not least, Joanna is also working on a new bridal jewellry line, Brio. I've seen some of her pieces and they are gorgeous! I may be working with her to have Brio jewellery for my bridesmaids and myself. *fingers crossed* If you'd like to know more, do email brio.ask@gmail.com!

Do show your support for local talent and check out Joanna's gorgeous pieces here at her website! :D And if you're purchasing anything, remember to qoute 'belluspuera' in your email for a storewide discount of 15% from 5th-20th Dec!

For the latest collection launches, follow Jocianne on Twitter (@jocianne05) or like her on Facebook!

--

A huge shoutout for Gary from SalonVim! :D Despite injuring his right hand, he's still so dedicated to his customers, making sure every one receives the best service. He didn't change my hairstyle this time because he & I still like it a lot.. But he decided to change my copper&jetblack balayage highlights to red ones. Am probably gonna take a while to get used to the new colour but I trust that he knows what suits me best :)

The newest treatment range from L'Oreal that he uses on my hair :) Oh and for those who've been asking about the name/type of my hairstyle, Gary wants me to pass the message that it's 'Velda's Hairstyle' and that he wouldn't replicate it on anyone only because he thinks each of us deserves a personalized look ;) So yes, go to Gary if you need a change this festive season, he'd be glad to get to know you better and personalize one just for you! Do hurry; their appointments are almost full :D

SALON VIM BY CHEZ VOUS
313 @ SOMERSET ORCHARD ROAD
#04-07/08/09
Singapore, 238895
TEL: 68847757 / 68847767

Lastly, a HUGE THANK YOU to all who voted for Fred & I at this year's Female's 50 Most Gorgeous People award! Your votes got us both to the Top Ten finalists that night :D And I don't know what the judges saw in us but WE BOTH WON!! It's surreal because we honestly didn't expect it at all; there were a whole buncha really good looking people there that night. We both still feel undeserving of the win but again, THANK YOU to those who voted and to those who came down to support us! We really felt ALL THE LOVE that night ;D

Hopefully I'll get my hands on all the photos for keepsake! Truly something brag-worthy to our kids next time teehee ;)

Oh and check out the AMAZING prizes we brought home (some of which are not pictured):

We each walked away with a $1,250 GAP gift card, a $1,250 Banana Republic gift card, a $1,000 Subaru golf bag set, a $1,500 MAC hamper, a 1 year supply of Freshkon Mosiac contact lenses, a Thomas Sabo watch worth $1,798, $300 worth of Redken hair products, Kiehl's treats worth $400, $100 citi dollars and a Canon IXUS camera & printer! SO FREAKING AWESOME imma give them all away!

Will be back with another round of outfits and beauty haul updates soon.. Hope you guys are having a great weekend x

Bake Date + MasterCard Promotion!

2011-11-30T21:41:00.001+08:00

Advertorial

If you're about to shop online at your favourite international websites, read further for a fabulous promotion before checking out those carts ;D

Introducing MasterCard's 'A Season of Giving' Promotion!

Not only would you enjoy shopping and shipping promotions on your purchases from international websites with MasterCard cards, MasterCard will also make a contribution to Singapore Children’s Society for every online transaction made from now till 31st Dec 2011!

3 Simple Steps to get your S$50 voucher:

1) Register your Singapore-issued MasterCard cards for the 'A Season of Giving' promotion here. You can register up to 5 cards!
2) Spend a minimum of US$500 or its equivalent on international websites between 15th November and 31st December 2011.
– Maximum of three combined transactions on one registered card.
– Each transaction must be at least US$50 or its equivalent.
3) Cardholders of the first 1,600 registered cards to qualify for the shopping vouchers will receive an email by 31st January 2012 with details of how to redeem.

Not only that, you'll also be entitled to another 10% off your shipping bill through vPOSTEUROPE, vPOSTJAPAN and vPOSTUSA!

Last but not least, you'll also be making a Purchase with Purpose as MasterCard will be contributing to Singapore Children's Society with every transaction made :) For more terms&conditions, do visit their website here!

What are you waiting for? Register your MasterCard and start your Christmas Shopping with Mastercard's 'A Season of Giving' Promotion NOW!

--

Had a bake date with VMAC recently in preps for our Christmas baking session and I must say, we baked up a bunch of seriously delish cinnamon rolls!! Thank you Mand for patiently training us step by step! I'm gonna try sharing what I learnt here ;D

Part One: The Dough

So impressed by her electric mixer, a.k.a. Sadie. I was sooo prepared to work my arms with manual mixing! It's a really good investment if you're serious in baking :)

Kneading the dough after all the ingredients have been thoroughly mixed by Sadie. A trick is to flour your palms before kneading so as to avoid dough sticking all over your fingers! Then, allow it to rest and rise.

And while we waited for the dough to rise, we indulged in a whole range of flavours from Allerines Premium Tea!

All the other awesome stuff from www.allerine.com :) Love how the Teabag Teapot prevents the tea from steeping too long. All you need to do is pull at the teabag string to bring it to the surface! If you don't know what to get your girlfriends this Christmas, these make wonderful gifts!! Love, Bonito customers get 10% off too :D

Heh all our other cute tea accessories ;) We are such tea freaks!!

Part Two: The Filling

P.S. By 'Drazazar' we mean sprinkle. And once the dough has risen and the filling is ready...

It's time to roll the dough into neat rectangles!

After which, spread the filling on the dough like jam, roll them firm, slice them, and voila! Allow them to rise a little more (it's cute how these little things expand) and it's finally time to slot the trays in the oven!

Whoopiedopiedooo!! Our bunch of imperfectly perfect cinnamon rolls fresh out of the oven! Spread on some cream cheese (off-the-shelves or home-made) and you'll have yourselves some warm buns filled with melting bursts of goodness. Totally delightful :) Well, hopefully we'll not get lazy and bake again soon. There's so much more to learn! I've already got the next on my list - banana walnut mini loafs ;)

Till the next!

Of Recent Outings!

2011-11-26T18:25:00.007+08:00

Had a really loooong & tiring week being away on a work trip, and came back yesterday slightly strung up knowing it is just the beginning of the crazy two months ahead for Love, Bonito. But going through the designs, planning the coming collections, and getting awesome shots this morning for our Christmas catalogue even though I had to drag myself up at 8A.M., I know the hard work will eventually pay off. Doesn't matter if weekends are burnt or holidays are missed, as long as our customers get super smashing stuff for the coming festivities, it's all worth the while :)

Anyhoots, here are some overdue pictures from the recent outings before the trip! Food & fun really ought to be synonyms ;)

My pleasure joining Bea & Brad on their quest to find the best dim sum in Singapore!

Seeing them hard at work, I had to whip out camera too ;) The ambience for Crystal Jade's Golden Palace (Paragon) is great, but we still prefer the dim sum from Taste Paradise & Royal China!

Yay and some awesome photos from Brad; love his boots!

Paid a visit to the Farmer's Market at Loewen Gardens last Saturday to support my super-baker-of-a-friend, Mand. And Wyna, owner of newly launched www.allerines.com. So prouda them both :D

The Khoo sisters :) Pals since babies <3

Fab stuff at the Farmer's Market! It opens almost every other Saturday and is organized by the wonderful people from The Pantry. The Pantry serves up a really good breakfast and apparently has the 'best quiche in town'! They also offer cooking classes. For more info, click here!

A mini excursion with Fred & Kimmykimkim! We caught a documentary at the Omni-Theatre and had some time to kill before dinner, so we explored the Science Centre too. Not very fun now that we're no longer knowledge-hungry kids. Think I had more kick picking up toys from the store heh ;)

Then we met the rest for Gege's birthday surprise :) The desserts at Max Brenner were extremely disappointing save for the Chocolate Souffle which was overflowing with gooey melted chocolate! However, it's an off-the-menu item and if I'm not wrong, it's only a Christmas special.

Food tasting with Jie & Rach for our upcoming Christmas Luncheon and then to the Affordable Art Fair. Loved the fair 'cept that the pieces Fred&I wanted to purchase from a UK gallery were sold by the time we confirmed them :( Anyway, about our luncheon, we've sent the invites and we're counting down to the 10th! So thrilled to know that those attending will be treated to a delectable 3-course meal & they'll also be able to purchase some really fabulous pieces from our Christmas Collections :D

And lastly, here's a sneak pic from our shoot this morning!

Happy rainy Saturday and have a splendid weekend y'all x

World Kindness Day + My Nuffnang Journey

2011-11-20T23:22:00.005+08:00

HAVE YOU DONE SOMETHING KIND LATELY?

13th November marked World Kindness Day and it was my pleasure to be able to join the peeps from Singapore Kindness Movement and the volunteers to give out gerbera daisies on the streets. It was really nice meeting Nuffnang bloggers Sofia, Becks & Leonny too! *waves hi*

It was heartwarming seeing sooo many people, young or old, taking time off their precious Sunday to volunteer in this movement!

Dr Yaacob Ibrahim greeting the volunteers and kicking off the campaign. We were really blessed with beautiful skies that afternoon and off we went distributing the daisies in bid to make someone's day!

Have you met someone who's always kind and have never thanked him/her for their gestures?

Well, this is your chance to do so! Not only would you help promote kindness among your peers, you might be able to walk away with one year's free supply of cable car rides from The Jewel Box at Mount Faber!

This is how you can do so:

1. Identify someone who is always kind.

2. Get a group of friends who all agree and want to thank this special person.

3. Purchase the yellow gerbera daisies.

4. Surprise the kind person with each of you presenting a stalk of flower to him or her.

5. Remember to say ‘Thank you!’ or even give him/her a big hug!

6. Get someone to record the ‘ambush’ while it happens.

7. Upload your ambush video on www.makesomeonesday.sg .

8. Best videos win one year of unlimited Singapore Cable Car rides from The Jewel Box at Mount Faber!

Click here to check out these wonderful 'Kindness Ambush' videos for reference! Have fun & good luck!

As the saying goes, kindness begets kindness. Perhaps we can start by trying to show kindness in our workplace/school everyday, or appreciating someone's kind gesture with a simple thank you. I'm sure all these will go a long way and may kindness bloom in our society :)

--

Because the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards is just around the corner, I thought I'd take this chance to share a little about My Nuffnang Journey.

It all started two years ago, when BonitoChico (now known as Love, Bonito) won the title for Best Blog Shop at the inaugural Nuffnang Asia Pacific Blog Awards! I met up with co-founder Ming and he shared about his vision for Nuffnang. Soon, I was onboard as a Talent.

In the last two years with them, I had many wonderful opportunitues and many 'firsts', and of course, many memories that I'll always keep dear :) I'll let the pictures do the talking!

Thanks to Nuffnang, I get to test out the latest & newest products in the market, from tech stuff to beauty products, to stationery and everyday things! Not only that, I also get to attend workshops and courses, and along the way, meet really great people.

Also, I get to be involved in meaningful causes and it's encouraging to know that I can do my part by using this blog as a medium to share with others.

And the best part of it all, I get to meet and learn from so many people from so many different walks in life!

The first time I met Nicole from Nicolethen Studios was at the Canon Symposium and we've been great working partners ever since :) That's also the first time I've ever presented to about 100 people in a lecture theatre at SMU!

To top it all off, Nuffnang sponsored Fred & I a trip to Hong Kong Disneyland! And shortly after, we went on an all expense paid trip to Sydney courtesy of Canon and had a ball of a time! How amazing is it to get sent on trips like that? ;D

And so, I'm stoked for the bloggers who have been nominated for awards at this year's Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards! I'm pretty sure all of them have their own Nuffnang stories to tell and I cannot wait to meet them and join them in their celebrations come Dec 16th!

The Awards aims to honour the crème de la crème of bloggers across the Asia-Pacific region. After 2 months of nominations, voting and campaigning, it will all culminate with the prestigious awards ceremony in Putrajaya, Kuala Lumpur, the bustling capital of Malaysia. 500 bloggers, including the biggest names in the blogosphere from all over Asia-Pacific, will be invited to the gala dinner at Putrajaya Marriott on 16 December 2011, where they will be dazzled by celebrity emcees and talented entertainers well-loved in the region.

P.S. For more details of the Nuffnang Asia-Pacific Blog Awards, check out the website here!

Once again, A BIG THANK YOU to Nuffnang for making my blogging journey an absolute pleasure :) And to my readers for always being so encouraging despite the ups & downs on this blog. I promise to upload Travelogues from London & the rest of the Europe Road Trip soon x

Brunch Dates & Shout-Outs!

2011-11-15T19:34:00.013+08:00

A much-needed brunch date with the girls. VMAC time always seem waaay too short and I cannot wait till we meet again :)

A first at Rider's Cafe with Cara & troops! I wish they didn't take the raved-about pancakes off their menu cos the other brunch food was only so-so. But with such ambience and great company, it was indeed a rainy Saturday well-spent. We also got the chance to meet Rambo, Adora's stunning stallion. And just when our food was starting to digest from all that laughter, we popped by Marmalade Pantry's lovely new outlet for tea! The Stables' definitely a great place to get away from the hustle&bustle and well, just hang out with pals. It's pretty inconvenient to get there though, so it's advisable to drive!
To more times like these :) P.S. Pardon the pixelated photos, they were all grabbed from Facebook!

So happy to be able to wear lots of Love, Bonito lately <3 We've been working really hard for our year-end designs and they're gonna be super smashing!

My favourite snaps from our recent outdoor shoot. Thank God Nicole kept encouraging me to go on despite the massive downpour. Was this close to calling off the shoot. We definitely got what we were looking for and maybe even a little more, including those crazy itchy sand fly bites. Heh well, don't forget to check out the pictures at our Facebook Page!

In even more Love, Bonito news (last one, I promise!), Jipaban has recently launched The Best of Love, Bonito mall at their spanking new website! The four of us got a chance to visit their warehouse during the November Editor's Picks shoot and they seriously have too many AWESOME stuff for us to pick from. Their range of products is so extensive I'm really not worried about squeezing downtown for my Christmas shopping anymore, I'll just do it with them ;) & speaking of awesome stuff....

Check out these laptop cases from www.snupped.com! They make really funky gadget cases that are fully customizable! You can either pick from their current range of exterior designs, or provide your own. You can then choose the interior patterns and decide whether or not you want handles to go along. All Snupped cases are handmade and custom tailored with 3 different types of fit - skinny, standard or loose. This is to provide you with the best fit possible. What's best is that they don't mass manufacture at all, <3 it!

Okay, one last shout-out for today.. I CANNOT wait to attend this the Affordable Art Fair this weekend! Was away during last year's and looking at the pictures, I know I've missed out!

This year’s AAF Singapore features more than 70 art galleries, print making demonstrations and talks on collecting by experts from Sotheby’s Institute of Art. Returning this year, the Arty-Licious Evening will kick off the weekend-long fair with an evening full of art, performance and music in association with Harper’s BAZAAR, The Substation and Very Special Arts (VSA), while an exhibition by recent graduates of Singapore art college, promises to be popular with young collectors.

The Affordable Art Fair
Date: 18-20 November 2011
Times:

11am – 6pm (Friday 18 November)
6pm – 10pm (Friday 18 November Arty-Licious Evening)
11am – 8pm (Saturday 19 November)
11am – 6pm (Sunday 20 November)

Venue: F1 Pit Building (Promenade MRT Station), free AAF buses are available from City Hall MRT
Tickets:

$30 (Arty-Licious Evening)
$10 (General Admission)
$7 (Students & Seniors)
$30 for 4 pax
Free for children below the age of 12

Visit http://www.affordableartfair.sg/ for more details, and become a Facebook fan to get the latest info first http://www.facebook.com/AAFSG

I've got 3 pairs of tickets worth $30 each to give away for the Arty-Licious Evening this Friday, 18th Nov. Do leave a comment with your email address if you're interested in getting a pair!

Can't wait to finally be able to kickstart my hunt for art pieces for the house :) What's best, they're ranged from $100-$10,000 with 75% of the art below $7,500! Hope to see you guys there at the Arty-Licious Evening :)

Till the next and have a lovely week y'all x

P.S. Thank you to those who dropped me encouraging emails & comments with regards to the previous Beauty post :) I will try my best to do more of such reviews! And thank you for your patience when reading my ultra long entries! You guys rock <3

Let's Talk Beauty - Liquid Foundations & Bifesta Makeup Remover Range

2011-11-10T22:03:00.000+08:00

Finally took some time during the long weekend to try these liquid foundations and do a comparison between them! Here's my review on the products and I hope this will prove useful to some of you :) Firstly, a little background on my skin type - I have combination skin, with an oily "T-Zone" area, while the skin around my cheeks, eyes and mouth is usually dry. Just a note that what suits my skin type might not suit yours, so it'd be good to do some homework before committing to a bottle! ;)

I generally only use foundations for events or days when I need to look more polished. The skin needs prepping before foundation (or any makeup for that matter) can be applied. A good way to prep the skin is to have your regular 3-step routine (cleanse, tone & moisturize), then apply a primer to get the face makeup ready! Remember to apply sunblock if necessary.

A good trick to reduce wastage is to pour/pump small amounts on the back of your hand, and replenish only if necessary. Using a foundation brush will help give an air-brushed effect, though blending may be less easy compared to using a sponge.

These are the RMK makeup products I currently use and so far they've been working really well for me. There's definitely room for improvement packaging wise, but I still love them to bits! Am now on the hunt for good primers & loose powders, do you girls have any to recommend? In the meantime, I had requests to try out Dior, Cle de Peau & Chanel liquid foundations. Does anyone know how I can get samples for these brands? If so, do let me know!

And since we're on the topic of makeup.. Previously in my Beauty Things entry, I asked readers to recommend a good make-up remover that is non oil-based. I had quite a handful of recommendations for Cleansing Express and I was SO stoked when Mandom Corp. (manufacturer & distributor of Cleansing Express) approached me to do a review on their product range!

Cleansing Express is now rebranded as Bifesta. Bi = Beauty in Japanese, while Festa = Festival in English. Put them together and you'll get a Beauty Festival! They've also reduced their range from 10 products to the 7 as seen above!

What I really like about Bifesta is that it's a brand that specializes in only makeup removers. And because they understand the different lifestyles and needs that their consumers have, they've come up with an extensive range of makeup removers just to cater to all!

You can match your skin-type and your needs to the chart above and see which of their product(s) suit you best! They've grouped their products into 3 main components. First being the Non-Rinse ones that consists of the 4 Lotions - Moist, Sebum, Brightup & Agecare. Followed by two Rinse-Off types in either Gel or Liquid form, and lastly, their raved-about Eye Makeup Remover.

These are the products I'll be concentrating on today ;) The Cleansing Liquid, the Eye Makeup Remover and the Lotion Makeup Remover in Moist (best suited for my dry skin).

1) The Cleansing Liquid

Occasions for use: For every day makeup, waterproof or non-waterproof. It comes in handy whenever I'm tired after a long day at work and just feel like doing everything in the shower, including removing my makeup!

Completely water-based yet as powerful as oil cleansing! It's a great option especially for those who love the power of oil but hate the grimy, oily feeling or hassle of having to double wash. Highly recommend you to put one in your shower in case of those ultra lazy days.

The results: My hard-to-remove eyeliner was dissolved in a couple of gentle rubs! My skin felt thoroughly cleansed after the rinse! Not only did it remove all the makeup so well, it was definitely much less grimy compared to my previous oil makeup removers! The skin felt completely refreshed after wash :D

P.S. Best used with dry palms!

The verdict

4.5/5 brushes

2) Eye Makeup Remover

Occasions for use: For any hard-to-remove eye or lip makeup, especially for a heavy eyeliner & mascara user like myself ;)

3 Simple Steps:

- Shake well before use (contains an emollient layer)

- Pour a 50c coin size worth of lotion onto the cotton pad

- Hold & gently press down for about 10secs before wiping off

P.S. Hold down longer for stubborn or hard to remove eye/lip makeup

The results: Amazingly, almost all eye makeup I had on was removed in just one swipe (except the false lashes).

This product is gentle yet powerful for those who want to remove their eye/lip makeup without any fuss! The emollient layer contains Vitamin E & removes waterproof makeup while the water base contains Vit B and wraps oil & sebum. What's more, it helps to protect your lashes by thoroughly removing without any need for tugging!

My verdict

5/5 brushes!

3) Lotion Make-Up Remover (Moist)

Occasion for use: When I get really slack, especially when I'm back from a long night out and just wanna do all my makeup removing on the couch or in front of the laptop etc. It's really perfect for those who just wanna strip their skin off makeup and plop in bed. I usually use this with the Eye Makeup Remover, whenever I have eye makeup on :)

All you need to do is have the Lotion Makeup Remover & your cotton pads beside you, and you're good to remove your makeup anywhere! Removal is complete when the cotton pads are free from any dirt/colouring. You don't even need to rub, just a gentle swipe and the dirt's all shown on the cotton pad!

The results: A thoroughly cleansed & moist face that's ready for bed.

My verdict

5/5 brushes!

You may ask.. Why do water-based makeup removers work as well as oil-based ones but are more gentle to the skin? Well, watch the video above to learn the secret to gentle but powerful water-based cleansing!

It's the No. 1 brand for water-based cleansing in Japan with over 4.5 million bottles sold since its launch in 2009! It has also been consistently ranked #3 in the overall makeup remover category by Japan's largest forum, @cosme.net. It's undeniably popular among makeup artists in Japan too; they use it mostly for makeup correction.

Well, with all the makeup removed in such a fuss-free and gentle way, I'm definitely sold! Thank you again to the readers who recommended Cleansing Express, now known as Bifesta :D

In the meantime, you can purchase Bifesta makeup removers at any Watsons, Guardian, Sasa, Meidiya and Nishino Pharmacies! This drugstore product is definitely economical and each bottle can be used for at least 1-2months with every day usage (yet another plus point!).

Also, if you'd like to receive a sample, simply quote 'belluspuera' at their Facebook Page!

This is while stocks last, so hurry do so NOW!!

I'll leave you now with the price range and strength chart ;)

Feel free to leave a comment or email me at belluspuera@gmail.com if you'd like to know any more!

Lastly, the LUXASIA SALE is happening tomorrow! They carry brands like YSL, Stila, RMK, Guerlain, Lancaster, La Prairie, Marc Jacobs, Jurlique, so remember to drop by if you need to stock up on your beauty products :D

Till our next beauty chat! ;)

Selling Post!

2011-11-05T16:45:00.004+08:00

Celine Luggage Phantom in Stamped Exotic Calfskin Black, 2011 Fall

Description: Stamped exotic calfskin • lined with suede • hand stitched handles • interior zip pocket with Celine embossed logo • made in Italy

Condition: Brand New, bought in Paris, selling on behalf of a friend.

Details: http://www.celine.com/en/collection/fall/leather-goods/detail/5

Material: Exotic stamped calfskin, suede

Size: Large

List Price in Singapore Boutique: SGD3,900

~~Selling Price: SGD3,500~~

SOLD

Celine Tri-Colour Mini Luggage (Chalk), 2011 Spring/Summer

Description: Aged brass hardware • top zip closure • hand stitched handles • hardware on base • interior zip pocket with Celine embossed logo • made in Italy

Condition: Mint, as good as new. Used once.

Dimensions: 12.5" W x 12.5" H

Material: Combination of distressed lambskin & calf leather

Lining: Leather

List Price in Singapore Boutique: SGD2,850

~~Selling Price: SGD2,300 2,100~~

SOLD

Please leave me a comment with your name and a working email address if you're interested in purchasing either bags! :) Do include the bag of interest as well. Alternatively, feel free to drop me an email at belluspuera@gmail.com if you have any queries! Meetups available in Singapore. More details upon application.

Thank you!

Of Celebrations & Other Happenings

2011-11-02T01:15:00.007+08:00

Some pics taken backstage with the Canon Ixus 230hs they passed me for the Female50gp Blog!

Jie says she's gonna go crazier with the banners & balloons at the finals. Ahh that spells trouble! Haha and I feel like I'm in some sorta pageant thingamajing but well, much <333 to all of you for the support!

Fresh flowers really do wonders for your home!! ;)

Dearest Dappponnee's birthday!

In some other spooky news, plans for the Halloween weekend at USS with the pals didn't materialize (we chickened out) but Fred & I crashed Rach's partay!! Finally got to see their new lovenest and here's wishing them an awesome new journey together! Make babies soon? Aunty Vel can't wait no more!

It was feasting non stop! I wonder how the girls do it ALL THE TIME. Haha and best, stay so freaking tiny!! Life's truly unfair.

Earlier that night at the Alexis Mabille show. Pretty damn amazing how Dr. Frank Cintamani & his team managed to bring in eight couturiers to show their collections for the first time out of Paris!

Snippets from Urban:

"Haute Couture (pronounced as "oat koo-turr") is French for "high dressmaking" or "high sewing", but is generally taken to mean high fashion. To be called an haute couture house, a business must belong to the Chambre Syndicale de la Haute Couture, which roughly translates to the trade union of of haute couture and ready-to-wear. Haute Couture Week 2012 is the first time a large group of couteriers has travelled out of Paris to present to a new market. The four-day event is part of the inagugural Women's Fashion Week. While some critics deem haute couture to be impractical, even unwearable, Haute Couture Week, the biannual Paris-based presentation of exquisite handmade frocks, remain the pinnacle of fashion."

Some major famfam time at Jie's pad; love how cosy her place is :) And words cannot describe how truly blessed (thank you mum&dad) I am to have these sisters of mine. You two will always be as precious as the moon, the earth and the stars are to me. And to the lil princess, you'll never read this in your life, and as spoilt as you may be, you hold a really special place in all our hearts <3 Happy Birthday again, the two babies of the family.

I really like how radiant & dewy my skin looks with RMK's Liquid Foundation! Have been hearing so much about these 4 liquid foundations and will probably try to do a review soon. If you have any other recommendations, or if you'd like me to try any, please feel free to leave a comment ;)

Well, hope everyone's been having a good week so far. Another round of updates soon! x

Part Fashion, Part Beauty!

2011-10-22T18:09:00.007+08:00

*UPDATE 30/10*

Hi ladies, thank you for your interest in the Kiss Me Heroine Make Giveaway!

The echo function approved all comments when I was replying them and now I'm unable to screen the comments with email addresses. Have wrote in for help on this matter but in the meantime, to those who may be uncomfortable with sharing, please drop me an email at belluspuera@gmail.com and I'll proceed to delete your comment! Hope this doesn't cause any inconvenience :)

~~Also, please allow me more time to collate all your entries. I'll be dropping you ladies an email tonight instead ;)~~ EMAILED!!

Lastly, some great news!! I have 10 mascaras instead of the previous 3 to give away all thanks to your interest!

Happy Sunday y'all!! :D

A few Saturdays back, I was assigned the role of being Robinsons' Fashion Police at Raffles City Shopping Centre!

My job was to 'arrest' 10 stylish street peeps in the mall and as a reward for being 'caught', the fashionistas would each walk away with a $50 Robinsons Voucher from me, the good cop!

Gearing up at the fashion department in Robinsons. So awesome how much this place has transformed to be a one-stop place for all who love their fashion! The visual merchandising was really inspiring too, couldn't help but catch a few snaps of their Prime Time Fall Fashion looks!

So, I put on my fashion goggles and the search was on! After two hours of strolling around the mall, running after people, facing rejections, taking stylish snaps etc., here are those that got stamped with my fashion faith & walked away with a $50 Robinsons Voucher each. ***drumrolls***

Yup so what do you guys think of my attempt at street style photography? ;) It was my first time doing something like that and it was nothing short of fun! Well, anything to do with fashion is always fun teehee, hope you guys enjoyed this series of Fashion Police, brought to you by Robinsons!

In the meantime, for all your fashion pleasures, remember to go down to the new Robinsons' Fashion Department to check out all their apparel, shoes & accessories. They carry hot brands like CC-Skye, Lipsy, Axara, Oasis, Aryn K and much more for ladies, and Mind Bridge (fresh from Korea) & Mantinique etc. for the guys! You'll definitely be spoilt for choice there ;)

You can check out their Facebook page here too! http://www.facebook.com/RobinsonsSingapore

As mentioned previously, I had the chance to try out Japan's No.1 mascara and boy was I impressed! I've always been a fan of drugstore mascaras like Rimmel & the raved-about Maybelline series, and now I'm hooked on Kiss Me's Heroine Make Mascara! The Long & Curl one was voted 2010's best mascara by Japan's largest beauty forum, @cosme!

Yep and I am giving three lucky readers a Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara each to try out ;)

All you need to do is:

1) Leave a comment with your Name & Email Address*

2) Tell me what your current mascara is

3) Check your email inbox by 29/10 (Sat) to see if you've gotten yourself a Kiss Me Heroine Make Mascara!

*all email addresses will be screened for privacy

Easy peasy lemon squeezy! And if you don't manage to get one from this giveaway, not to worry, they retail at Watsons, Guardian & Sasa for $21.90 a pop :)

In some Love, Bonito news,

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this new Love, Bonito skirt sample! We're currently deciding which colours to make the piece in, any requests/suggestions? Appreciate the help!! :)

Wore the outfit to host international bloggers Cheesie, Diana & Clara the other day! We definitely need to polish up the studio a little more and create a new & bigger merchandising room soon. Hopefully one day we'll be able to have LB shoppers over for some personalized shopping too ;) *prays hard*

Lastly, a big shoutout to all who came down to support Fred&I at the Female 50 Gorgeous People preview show at Clarke Quay last night! It was great meeting some of my readers (hi Andrea & Michelle) and aww man, was so touched by the effort my family & friends put in with the banners & all. Will grab pics from Jie, Rach & Cara and put them up soon ;)

Till the next & HAPPY WEEKEND!

Mid-Week Shout Out!

2011-10-18T23:24:00.010+08:00

Hello all! How has your week been so far? If you have nothing planned this weekend, how about a craaaaazy Saturday night out with 8 of Singapore's hottest Hip Hop Deejays at Marina Barrage? ;)

The deejays taking to the decks on the night include: DJ Andrew Chow, DJ Andrew Tee, DJ KoFlow, DJ J Styles, DJ Ollie Des, DJ Titus, DJ Xarin Garuda and DJ Krumbs. Many of these deejays are well recognised in the local deejay scene and a number of them have even been invited to spin overseas!

DETAILS
Date: 22nd October 2011, Saturday
Location: Marina Barrage
You'll be facing the Flyer and the CBD skyline, so it's gonna be a rockin' party under the stars!
Time: Doors open @ 8P.M. (first DJ starts spinning at 9P.M.), all the way till 5A.M.!

Tickets:
$30 inclusive of 2 standard drinks (advance)
$40 inclusive of 2 standard drinks (at the door)
Tickets are currently out on sale HERE.

The event peeps from M Cube Productions will be providing shuttle bus services at every half hour interval, making round trips from Marina Barrage to Marina Bay MRT Station, and after the station closes, from Marina Barrage to the MBS Convention Center Bus Stop! So no worries about parking whatnot, just party the night away! It's also a rain or shine event, so the party goes on no matter what! For more details, you can check out M Cube Productions HERE. Or check out their Facebook Page to find out more!

Now that's definitely something for you guys to look forward to this weekend!

--

On a separate note, Fred & I are part of this year's Female 50 Most Gorgeous People! The voting site is now up, please vote for us here: http://www.female50gp.com/2011/vote.php In the meantime, please excuse my J-Lo of a butt and Freddie's drugged-out face.. We weren't prepared for the shoot at all and boy, I shan't say more! Well, have fun ogling at all the other gorgeous peeps, just don't vote for them. Haha, I kid ;)

Anyway, we'll be at the main fountain at Clarke Quay this Friday for the preview so drop by and lend us some support if you're having dinner nearby! Voters get to walk away with lotsa prizes from the sponsor ;)

Yep so thank you in advance & happy mid week x

Prime Time Fall Fashion - Part I

2011-10-12T23:31:00.001+08:00

Just a while back, Beatrice, Nicole and myself were invited to the Robinsons & Mio TV Prime Time Fall Fashion Event at Avalon! It was a superb night hanging out with them and all the other bloggers who were there that night, and we had a great time watching gorgeous models parade outfits inspired by TV dramas from Mio TV.

Enjoying the atmosphere in Avalon with Qiuting, Zoe, Valerie, the two Michelles, and dear Bea & Nicole <3

The models strutted outfits inspired by dramas such as Gossip Girl, The Mentalist, Nikita (so hot!!) and Revenge. The outfits were so great I couldn't help but add a mental note to pick up some of the Fall pieces at Robinsons ;)

Thank you Robinsons & Mio TV for the great night! Will definitely be back to Avalon with the pals :)

Well, here are some of the stuff available at Robinsons now and you guys HAVE to go check them out! I'm actually pretty amazed at the transformation of their fashion department! They now stock lots of UK high-street brands such as Lipsy, Oasis, etc. which I'm a huge fan of. I was there during the weekend to give out 10 sets of $50 vouchers and I've bought 3 outfits already :D More about that in my next entry! Go go grab your Fall pieces at nearest Robinsons before your sizes run out ;)

And about Mio TV, I''m sooo sure the guys would kill to watch Maggie Q on Nikita, I heard she's exceptionally hot in that tv series! And kudos to Mio TV for bringing such great US dramas in ;) So if you're a fan of hit dramas like The Vampire Diaries, The Mentalist, Nikita, Desperate Housewives, Gossip Girl, go get your Mio TV sets NOW!

And don't forget to head down to Robinsons to get your fashion inspirations from these TV series too!

You can find Robinsons at The Centrepoint, Raffles City Shopping Centre, or my favourite at The Shoppes Marina Bay Sands ;)

You can check their facebook page here too! http://www.facebook.com/RobinsonsSingapore

"When love is not madness, it is not love."

- Pedro Calderon

Thank you for 7 and a half craaaazy years, Lasik Eyes.

Will try to put up the London Travelogues soon. In the meantime, happy mid week y'all! x

Last Week in Pictures ;)

2011-10-10T22:28:00.012+08:00

Zouk x Dr. Martens #FIRSTEXHIBITION

A special collaboration with Zouk & Dr. Martens' new #FIRSTANDFOREVER campaign. There were 20 limited edition Dr. Martens shoes displayed that night, all of which are customized by the scene’s designers, creatives, thinkers, artists like Holly Graberek, Yanda, Guan Min, Ownmuse to name a few! The shoes are now on auction till 25th Oct, with all proceeds going to the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Click here to place your bid!

P.S. They are also on display in various locations around Singapore like Blackmarket, Pigeonhole etc. till the 13th so remember to check them out!

Wore the same outfit previously at the Topshop/Topman event. Teehee am so in love with this cut-out design!

Our honour to be able to grace the 2011 Women's Fashion Week Exhibition and having a chance to chat with Alexis Mabille, a designer with Dior for 9 years! We're definitely looking forward to the shows come end Oct and again, a big thank you to Dr. Frank & Dr. GL for always having us!

Late dinner/meeting that got us all excited for the end year!

Before that we were at Taka scouting for fresh faces at The New Paper New Face Finals! Managed to pass my namecard to the girl we liked most and hopefully she'll be in contact soon. Yay and thanks to dear Wee Teck for the invites, he's always sucha sweetheart and I'm pretty sure all the newface girls love him :)

Celebrated Bea's birthday during the shoot last week! So glad our surprise was a success and HAPPY BIRTHDAY AGAIN Bea, you don't know how much you mean to us :)) <3<3<3

Dinner & desserts with my awesome daddy #3 ;)

The fried mushrooms at Outbacks never fails and we all miss Fung so very muchos!! *waves hi*

Made a trip down to Mandom Corp and got really inspired by their Merchandising Room.

They were so nice to pass me a whole bag of goodies (including Japan's #1 mascara!!) and I'll be featuring a really great line of products here on the blog soon ;)

And well, this sums up the weekend. Inspirations, the 'rents, BKT date, fish head curray and bobbylove :)

Will be posting photos from the Robinsons Fashion Event soon so check back when you can ;)

Good week to all! x

Quick Update!

2011-10-04T23:52:00.012+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates here! Once we were back from London, there was a whole string of activities and there was hardly any time to catch my breath! I also went through a record 8 day long diarrhea ordeal, and the dehydration led to a massive breakout (boohoo!). And just when I thought I was gonna have some 'me' time, there's another series of happenings this week..

Well but lucky for me, work's been splendid. London was a terrific break from the usual monthly buying trips and I came back fresh and inspired. Just approved 21 pretty samples for manufacturing today and our upcoming Fall/Winter collections are looking really great! Remember to catch the first launch tomorrow at 2P.M.!! ;)

Yep and here's a quick pictorial update of the past week:

At Haslinda & Shawn's wedding. We didn't manage to mingle much with the newlyweds that night but I'm extremely excited for what they have in store together :))) Here's wishing you both a fantastic journey!

Attended the Robinsons & Mio TV Prime Time Fall Fashion Show, then played Fashion Police at Raffles City Shopping Mall! I had sooo much fun (by far one of the best few advertorials I've done) and I cannot wait to blog about them. Many thanks to the trusty 5" babies for carrying me through ;)

Steamboat at the 'rents for Ah Gong's 80th. Check out those GIANT prawns (compared to a normal sized one) and how much space they took up in our pots! Am officially addicted to the 'Little Sheep' Hot Pot Soup Base too.. It's KILLER. Heh and famfam time's always my favourite :)

Pool party at Cara's, where her uber cool neighbours kayaked back & forth, where we spent the entire Sunday unwinding in the company of friends & food. It was nomnoms & boozeys non-stop and even boating later at night. Everytime we hang out at Paradise Island it's seems so much like a vacay. So yes to holiday homes next time!

Lastly, thank you Titus Reynolds & Kimmykimkim for this yummy satchel!! :D They waited 6 weeks for the Cambridge Satchel Company to hand make the bag and the results are amazing!

Wokay, that's about all I have for now. Till the next and have a good week y'all x

Beauty Things II

2011-09-24T20:32:00.002+08:00

It's always my pleasure to meet beautiful women who share their stories to empower other women. There's nothing more treasured in attending beauty events in Singapore than knowing we have the liberty to congregate. We are so blessed to be in a country where there is no gender divide, where our voice matters and will be heard, where we can take the driver's seat with absolute freedom.

La Mer's A Beautiful Journey shares the stories of 3 amazing women and how they conquered their odds. With Jie, Rach and the awesome team from Goodstuph, over a 7-course dinner at The White Rabbit.

Accepted the Pantene 14-Day Flag-Off Challenge to document my journey towards healthy hair. It was my honour to be part of the Consumer Panelists together with Genecia & Jessica. We had a good chat with beautiful Stephanie Carrington about the importance of having healthy tresses during a 5-course lunch at Stellar @ 1-Altitude (check out the view!).

Cannot be more thankful the wonderful opportunity from the P&G group and the peeps from Weber Shandwick, and for the support from Jie, Bea and Nicole. It was nice to know that each one of us donated 14litres of clean drinking water to communities in need. You can learn more about Pantene's Healthy Hair for Healthy Water Campaign here.

--

Lastly, a shout-out to the peeps at the Jean Yip Loft for bringing me on a tour around their pretty establishment, and for the much-needed pampering session. The hashima dessert & ginger tea were merely icing to the cake. You can learn more about the fabulous service they provide here.

--

Happy weekend, ladies!

You Say it's Your Birthday

2011-09-07T22:08:00.005+08:00

Last week was filled with excessive birthday celebrations but I cannot be more thankful to have my friends & family showering me with soooo much love :*)

Sukiyaki to kickstart it all. We'll never ever get sick of Aunty Winnsie's signature dashi! If only she'd open a restaurant already!

Surprise celebration from the girls in office! Basil Inn catering, special cake-pops lovingly baked by Daphne (they tasted even better than they looked), macaroons, a new Polaroid display etc.. THANK YOU ALL especially Rach the mastermind :D

Dinner at Table at 7 with the pals. It was our first time there and we were soooo satisfied with the food (European & Indonesian cuisine) and service. Three thumbs up! Will be back soon ;)

Table at 7
7 Mohamed Sultan Road
Singapore 238957

Contact:
Tel: 6836 6362
Mobile: 8338 6362
reservations@tableat7.com
www.tableat7.com

Then we butter butter butterrrreed the night away!! FINALLY met up with my favourite lawyer couple after a gazillion years.

So happy to see everyone let their hair down that night :)

Famfam time at Jie's pad with steamboat for lunch, cupcakes for tea, a round of mahjong, then another session of 'mala' steamboat. There was so much love from granny & grandpops; my heart becomes goo when they smile :) & please excuse my exposed tumtum in the pics, it was too stuffed from all the good food.

Finally some VMAC time at Antoinette, been waiting all week for a serving of their pan-fried foie gras (whoops) and scrambled eggs with shaved truffle.. So heavenly. One of the best places to hang out & have tea with the girls :)

Decked in Love, Bonito! My current favourite sandals after the Torys gave way!

The actual birthday itself was made even more special after Fred & I brought my parents to a bridal showcase and we signed & confirmed for our dinner venue next year *woohoo* No prizes for guessing where ;) My coordinator was really sweet and easy to work with too. She threw in lots of upgrades & even remembered it's my birthday!

Also, I almost hyperventilated when The London Fashion Week Team sent me the Fast Track Badge for the coming LFW! I'd have killed to be placed any where in the SS12 Mary Katrantzou show and that email was purely GOD-SENT. So so so so stoked :D

All would have been even more perfect if I had the company of my dearly missed pals. America has robbed me of 2 and Aussie of 1. Hopefully the count stays. Nonetheless, it was THE BEST BIRTHDAY EVER, thanks to those who made it a blast x

Too Soon?

2011-09-02T10:37:00.001+08:00

It seemed like just yesterday that I turned 23. This weekend's packed with birthday celebrations and turning 24 is heading towards me waay too soon. They say, once you hit your twenties, expect the years to fly by. Indeed the last year came and went like the wind, but I would like to say that I lived it well. So well, cheers to another year before I hit mid-twenties.

"And in the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln.

Travelogue: Switzerland

2011-08-28T23:17:00.007+08:00

So we loaded the car, left Paris here in the last Travelogue, and continued on a 6hour drive across borders to Geneva for a short stopover.

Averaged 170km/h on the highways cos the Europeans drive really fast and really politely!! It was freeeeezing cold when we got to Geneva and we paid a whopping 54francs (SGD85) for our Chinese food fix. Ridiculous for just two plates of fried rice :X

Pretty pastries to start the day and off we were on another 4hour drive to Tasch. Tasch's a little town where we had to leave our car before taking a train up to the car-free Zermatt.

An amazing journey with the Swiss Alps in its full glory!

To prevent air pollution which could obscure the town's view of the Matterhorn, the entire town is a combustion-engine car-free zone. Almost all vehicles in Zermatt are battery driven and almost completely silent. Electric vehicles are allowed for local commerces. - Wikipedia

Yup you'll either get chauffeured around the town by the big hotel's carriages, catch one of those cute little taxis, or go around purely on foot :)

Got a free upgrade to a bigger cabin that faces the Matterhorn. Couldn't be more blessed; the view was beyond breathtaking.

A ride on the Gornergrat Bahn to go another 3000m upwards. It was sucha pity we didn't plan to ski cos the conditions were perfect!

Can never forget how sweet the air tasted... It's by far the best place I've been to in my life.

& the day ended perfectly with hotdogs & crepes :)

Spent another night in Zermatt and it was back down to Tasch. From there we continued to Monaco, then to Rome, Venice and Milan. Will get those Travelogues up soon ;)

I always feel that I haven't been enough of a tourist to be a traveller; that I haven't been to most major cities and seen the world's most famous sites to even start thinking on going on roads less taken. But I figured, there are just some things in life that you cannot rush into. And page by page, I will unravel the chapters of this world.
I hope you do too :)

Weekend & More

2011-08-16T23:57:00.005+08:00

Finally, our turn for some Hakuna Matata. Indeed awe-inspiring and a must-watch; catch it before it closes this month!

My first home-cooked meal and I fared decently. *pats back*

Wild Rocket for dinner, loved the peppery Bak Kut Teh with foie gras and their Strawberry Cheesecake.

And Wild Oats don't serve no oats, they do alfresco drinks ;)

Wild Rocket

10A Upper Wilkie Road, Singapore 228119

6339 9448

Tue-Sat 12pm-3pm, 6:30pm-11pm;

Sun 11:30am-3pm, 6:30pm-10:30pm

Pre-drinks at 1-Altitude. Then onward to BUTT-ERH our butts off. We all need nights like these x

Thai food for recovery, love and stools. It was yet another perfect weekend spent.

Thai Noodle House

5 Coronation Road, #01-03, Coronation Arcade

6467 0104

Tue-Sun 11.30a.m.-9.30p.m.

*pictures by ginnyk*

Team bonding with the creatives and our excursion included stops at Loysel's Toy, Cat Socrates, Basheer Creative Books, Thirty Six Cameras, I Have A Room With Everything Exhibit, Sing Ho Chicken Rice. So glad we made time for this! Till the next ;)

Well it's appointments aplenty for me this week; pray I make sound choices.

Hope everyone got a good start nonetheless :)

Selling Post!

2011-08-13T17:41:00.003+08:00

Celine Tri-Colour Mini Luggage (Black/White), 2011 Spring/Summer

Description: Aged brass hardware • top zip closure • hand stitched handles • hardware on base • interior zip pocket with Celine embossed logo • made in Italy

Condition: Brand New

Dimensions: 12.5" W x 12.5" H

Material: Combination of distressed lambskin & calf leather

Lining: Leather

List Price in Singapore Boutique: SGD2,850

Selling Price: SGD2,350

SOLD

Balenciaga Part Time Handbag in Sang, 2010 Spring/Summer

Description: Aged brass hardware • top zip closure • hand stitched handles • removable shoulder strap • front zip pocket • leather strings on zips • leather framed hand mirror • interior zip pocket with Balenciaga embossed leather tag • made in Italy.

Condition: Mint, as good as new. Used once.

Dimensions: 17" W x 8.5" H x 7" D

Material: Soft vintage crafted lambskin

Lining: Black cotton canvas

List Price in Singapore Boutique: SGD2,399

Selling Price: SGD1,500

SOLD

Please leave me a comment with your name and working email if you're interested in purchasing either bags! :) Do include the bag of interest as well. Alternatively, feel free to drop me an email at belluspuera@gmail.com if you have any queries! Meetups available in Singapore. More details upon application.

Thank you!

Beauty Events and Others

2011-08-08T01:25:00.005+08:00

Sorry for the lack of updates here! Have been under the weather since the last trip but am gradually getting better and hopefully the allergy will go away in time. Thank you to those who sent their well wishes :) Here's a photo update before all these get backdated!

A fantastic catch-up lunch with the Melbourne relatives @ Li Bai :)

Followed by the Estee Lauder Workshop where they introduced their newest serum. It was a great session with familiar faces, canapes, pretty cupcakes and gorgeous gift bags! They also let us take a peek into their super chic, to-die-for pantry.

Have recently swapped the SK-II Cellumination Essence and SK-II Skin Signature Cream from this entry to the new Idealist Even Skintone Illuminator and the highly recommended Hydrationist Maximum Moisture Lotion. Will be on this new regime for a month to monitor the effects and so far so good, I say! :)

Bea and I were invited to a Lancome event where we learnt more about their latest breakthrough - Visionnaire [LR 2412 4%]. There's a whole lot of science behind the LR 2412 4% name and editors have been naming this the future of beauty. Got the chance to bring the product home and will put it to test next month or so :)

VISIONNAIRE [LR 2412 4%] So powerful that 2 out of 3 women tempted by a cosmetic procedure decided to postpone it. Achieve skin perfection without having to go under the knife!

Another jolly good fellowship @ the LB BBQ, especially when Daphne surprised Constance on her non-existent birthday. Hilarious!

Old friends are the best friends. These dear pals deserve all the happiness in the world and I cannot be more thankful that they've both found theirs :) Cheers to yet another happy occasion with the Lim Family!

A recent excursion with the Creatives. More on that once they've filtered out all the photos ;)

The weekend with Fred was filled with a whole mish mash of random things from Grand Shanghai fried mantous to Ah Chew Desserts, Horrible Bosses to Sunday shopping, new Fall picks to a Kinokuniya haul, golf to impromptu appointments. It was nothing short of perfect :)

Hope you enjoyed your weekend too and have a great National Day holiday :D

P.S. Look out for the next Pre-Fall collection on Love, Bonito this week, the pieces are faaab!

USS + Others

2011-07-24T21:49:00.002+08:00

Last week was the launch of our first Pre-Fall collection and amidst the chaos at the operation side of things, we managed to squeeze in time for some food & fun. The team relished in pretty Antoinette cakes, Twelvecupcakes treats, Moy's birthday chocolate delight, etc.. And the best part of it all was definitely our team outing to Universal Studios Singapore! :)

P.S. Sorry, can't help but zoom in on the monkeys behind! Teehee

Well, cheers to a FUNTASTIC team bonding session despite the baking-hot sun! We work hard, we play hard. Looking forward to 2 more Pre-Fall collections & our barbeque next week :) xx

In other news, Fred&I have been taking more time off recently to go on more dates, just the two of us. Time in SG has been super precious to us lately :)

Visits to our old haunts - Outbacks, Halia, Lawry's. They all never fail to satisfy our palates :)

Fung recently left to finish up his degree, and with his free-spirited & angmoh-favouring nature, he's probably not gonna come back to SG anytime soon. Hopefully the States will treat this dear pal of ours well :)

Epic night with Daddy Fung's lamb stew, a seriously choked kitchen sink and 3 men solving the problem with the R2D2-lookalike vacuum cleaner that exploded. Haha, the most random nonsense always happen over at Resort Jintan and I'll miss times like these :(

To more chapters in your life, my friend. Au revoir.

An overdue date with Nicole and we finally made time for it! Was meant to bring her to Loysel's Toy for some kickass lattes but it happened to be closed that day. Thank God Antoinette was nearby (& thanks Cara for the recommendation). The setting is really pretty and the desserts selection aplenty; perfect place to hang out with your girlfriends. They serve a la carte lunch/brunch too. Will definitely go back to the little 'Parisian" escape soon ;)

Antoinette

30 Penhas Road, Singapore

6293 3121

Mon-Thurs 11am-10pm, Sat 10am-11pm, Sun 10am-10pm

Recently converted to the iPhone and am still not very used to it :( The only good thing is that there's just a lot more to do on the phone now, much to Fred's dismay. Heh I guess I'll always be a ardent RIM supporter so please buck up, Blackberry!

Yay to pretty pics on Instagram, thanks to Rach's recommendation! Are there any apps you cannot live without? Please share!!! ;)

Lastly, so happy to have dear Bea's company at back-to-back beauty events this weekend. We've got so many new (and pretty damn amazing) products to try out. Will blog about that next :)

Gotta go now to pack & get some rest before a loooong week away from SG. Have a great week ahead ya'll!

A LB Update!

2011-07-18T12:00:00.002+08:00

So many things going on at work recently, I can hardly catch my breath! Before I know it, this week will fly by and it's off for another work trip. But well, finally managed some time off to gather all the photos from recent happenings at the Love, Bonito office and here goes:

Remember Kelvin, the person behind Rach's breathtaking pre-wedding shoot in Prague? He kindly sponsored Love, Bonito a bridesmaid shoot at The Botanical Gardens to help promote our upcoming bridemaids pieces! Though the call-time was crazy early at 430A.M., it was so worth it. The morning weather was beyond beeeaauuutiful. Here's a tiny tiny peek at what we did with him (don't wanna spoil too much of the surprise), and we cannot wait to get hold of the pictures from Kelvin! Big THANK YOU to Lightedpixels Photography for the opportunity :) And to all the rest (you know who you are), thank you for sacrificing yet another precious Sunday for LB.

Last weekend was spent managing the Love, Bonito's MASSIVE Warehouse Sale. Cannot be more thankful for all the customers who braved the sun & the rain, the heat & the humidity, the queues & the squeeze to show their support! Of course, much thanks to the LB Pixies & Elves who pulled the mission off ;)

More pics to be up soon on the new Love, Bonito blog! It's under works now but will be ready in a jiffy ;)

A new addition to the family - our dearest Tingzhi who's on a short vacation back in SG! So talented, she was one of two to be offered a Central Saint Martins designing degree. And instead of interning at the fashion houses in London, she decided to dedicate time to help us during these 3 months for our Autumn/Winter collections :))) How truly blessed we are to have her.

And with additions, there are also farewells :( Our dearest Li Khoon who interned with us for last 8 months is going back to school. As much as we'll miss her, I'm sure good things are coming her way :)

Grueling meeting discussing our half-year report and this is what Fred wrote on the notes. Classified Top Secret. HAHA so primary school!!

Lastly, in preps for the coming Autumn/Winter season, we'll be having a series of Pre-Fall Collections! Recently realized that Resort/Cruise is considered Pre-Spring, to fill the gap between Autumn/Winter (in store in September), and Spring/Summer (in store February). Similarly, Pre-Fall bridges the gap between the Spring/Summer and Autumn/Winter. So yeah, it's Pre-Spring (Resort/Cruise) then Spring/Summer, followed by Pre-Fall and finally Autumn/Winter :)

Kicked it off first with our COVET Pre-Fall Collection 2011 campaigns earlier last week. We sincerely hope our customers liked the pieces; they were selected with much thought and all feature more luxurious fabric and detailing!

The first collection for our regular LB line will launch tomorrow at 8P.M.! We received a lot of feedback asking us to launch at 8P.M. instead of our usual 2P.M./5P.M. but there are technical risks involved due to the high peak-hour traffic. However, the tech team will stand by tonight to make sure all goes okay, as well as try to rid of any bugs that have been preventing us from launching more frequently at 8P.M. :)

On a lighter note, I have my mind set on so many pieces, and finally, the Breleigh Blouse will be up!! Still can't decide which colours to keep. Ahh I want them all!! Love the Charlize Shorts too, my current staple pair of leather shorts :D

Well, check out the Facebook Preview for our first Pre-Fall Collection if you haven't and remember to catch the collection tonight! Have a great week ahead ya'll :)

Happy Times!

2011-07-11T15:22:00.002+08:00

DAY ONE

DAY TWO

DAY THREE

A mishmash of photos collated from our short weekend road trip to Ipoh.

Till the next monkey-time together <3

Last Week in Pictures

2011-07-02T17:46:00.002+08:00

It was the official launch of SK-II's newest anti-aging products and Rach & I went along to show Jie some support at the event. Jie was one of the 10 ambassadors who had the privilege to be photographed by Asia's top photographer, Wing Shya. So proud of her :) We were given the new products to try out and also had a 20% off all duty-free prices for perfumes & cosmetics at the airport! Had a really nice chat with Sheila Sim too, who's such a gem! :)

Chompchomp for some local delights before Cher leaves to London. Had a great VMAC time as usual :) And the chicky wings were worth the 45minute wait!

A familiar visit to Salon Vim :) Ern really loves Allen, who does an awesome job with maintaining her short crop, while Gary touched up my roots & gave me a trim. He wanted to try the newest Cruise Collection hairstyle for me but I have yet to fully enjoy the current one, so perhaps a change the next time! Much ♥ to Salon Vim for being sucha fantastic hair sponsor!

Finally a taste of the good ol' times :) Wasn't too long ago that we were cramped for space in the Geylang office, slogging our nights away with emails then rewarding our mornings with mahjong sessions. Change we need to face, yet the friendship remains. To more times like these, pals :)

Ahoy! It's Captain K's birthday :)) Cara did an amazing job with the decor & planning and the surprise turned out so so fine. Fred&I didn't have time to play dress up 'cept for the scarfs, but omg to pirates Kim&Tus, and kinky sailors Val&Dr.K!! Fun times :)

Recently UrbanOutffited and am addicted to my Minnetonka Moccasins & Ecote Bagpack. Not forgetting my two new friends - the cupcake keys! ;)

We're celebrating Linus & Hitomi's BIG DAY today and I've to go get ready for the dinner now! Am all psyched up for all the Lim family craziness later ;) Pics soon and happy weekend ya'll! x

P.S. Thanks for all the emails & comments regarding the last entry! You guys rock :)

Beauty Things!

2011-06-26T18:08:00.003+08:00

Been having quite a number of blog readers writing in to ask me about my skincare regime, the makeup I use etc., but have been delaying this for a while now because I always feel I'm not the appropriate person to share these things. I don't have perfect skin nor great makeup skills, and I'm not a skincare/makeup guru. I'm also pretty much like all consumers, constantly trying to determine which combination of products works best for my skin, given the generous amount of options out there in the market.

But because the readers have been really sweet about it, I've decided to do a short documentation on what's inside my cosmetic pouches. Just a kind note to all - what works for me may not work for you too!

First, a little background on my skin type. I've battled acne twice in my life, once in Secondary Two and once just a year before. For the first breakout I consulted the local polyclinic to get a quick cure and was put on antibiotics. It took it away momentarily until my terrible breakout a year ago. I decided to consult Dr. Georgia Lee and she put me on Roaccutane. After about 4 IPL sessions, my condition improved tremendously. Now I'm off Roaccutane and don't go to her for any more treatments, but have put myself on a pretty strict daily regime with the products that currently work for me. And hopefully, I will not live to suffer the stress of another acne breakout :)

1. Dr. Georgia Lee Cleanser. I use this every morning and night as my facial wash.

2. Neutrogena Blackhead Eliminating Daily Scrub. I use this once a week to get rid of dead skin.

I get terrifyingly lazy when it comes to removing makeup but have found convenience in these two products I bought in Korea.

1. BEYOND Perfect Cleansing Tissues from THEFACESHOP. Great & easy wipes to remove makeup.

2. Dr. Lash Essence Remover from Etude House. For any heavy eye makeup.
P.S. Anyone has any non oil-based remover to share? My skin doesn't take to oil makeup removers very well and I'm trying to find one that's suitable!

After cleansing, in order of use:

1. SK-II Facial Treatment Essence. I use this as my toner cos I was told on various occasions that alcoholic toners are the cause of the breakouts on my skin.

2. SK-II Cellumination Essence. My trick for an anti-yellow skin tone ;)

3. THEFACESHOP Raspberry Roots De-Puffing Eye Gel. I get milia seeds frequently if I use anything too heavy under my eyes, so this gel is just right for me.

4. SK-II Skin Signature Cream. A moisturiser that I apply in minimal amount only at night cos it's a little rich.

I try to supplement the regime with my favourite Vitamin E tissue masks every biweekly. From Etude House & THEFACESHOP respectively.

Onto makeup!

In the day:

1. Shu Uemura UV Under Base Mousse SPF 30/PA +++ as my makeup base & sunblock

2. A layer of Dr. Georgia Lee Pressed Powder SPF20/PA ++ before I leave the house

At night:

Have recently experienced the wonders of a primer/makeup base before applying makeup and am still in the midst of deciding which works better for me. RMK Makeup Base or Etude House Pore Ever Primer.

The Makeup Kit!

1. Shu Uemura Face Architect Smoothing Fluid Foundation. Used at night if thicker coverage is needed. I like this foundation cos it's lightweight, doesn't cake up, and provides medium coverage!

2. Shu Uemura Mark Cealer concealer

3. Shu Uemura Hard Formula 9 eyebrow pencil. This is one of the best recommendation from a makeup artist by far. Rocks my socks!

4. Shu Uemura Painting Liner in Noir

5. Benefit Boi-ing undereye concealer

6. Urban Decay NAKED eyeshadow palette. My all-in-one eyeshadow kit if there's a need for more colours on the eyes. Love it to death!

7. Maybelline New York Magnum Volum Express Mascara

8. NARS Blush in Orgasm

Yup, so that's about all I use! If you have anything you wanna ask, do drop me a comment (please wait for the echo function to load), or email me at belluspuera@gmail.com! :) I'll be glad to help!

These I'll Miss

2011-06-20T00:08:00.000+08:00

It's travel time once again, after having been grounded for a good month & a half with just two road trips across the border. It felt so good being in Singapore for an extended period of time. It's great being able to pop by Granny's for dinner anytime, hang out with the parents more, do fun stuff with the pals etc. without always having to say, 'sorry I can't, I'm away this this this this dates'. But anyhow, work is work and I'm trying my very best to embrace this part of what I do. So before they pile up again, here are some of the recent happenings; the occasions I get less of once the routine starts...

Every now & then Love, Bonito gets the chance to be part of something exciting but Jie, Rach & myself find it almost impossible be at the same place at the same time! Most times it's me who is out of the picture but I'm thankful we managed to grace Salon Vim's hairshow together to show Gary our utmost support :)

Mum & her fun with photofunia! I get countless emails from her with edited photos attached!

Not only events but just being around and making sure all our creatives stuff are in check and editorials go online proper. Our latest Summer Editorial featuring our new swimwear line took us 2 weeks prior to shoot date to prepare and we had to be in Sentosa for 2 Sundays in a row! It sure was fun pulling it off with my team, minus the stress. Our countless meetings, the mini staycation in Rasa Sentosa, a crazy 4.45A.M. call-time, a massive thunderstorm & more. I cannot be more thankful for the support from the LB peeps who came down too. There were a good 14-15 of us on set at each shoot! :) Will be uploading more pics on the main page this week, remember to check them out ;)

Speaking of staycations, I <3 VMAC times :) These childhood pals of mine never fail to make me all fuzzywuzzy in the stummy every time we meet.

Loysel's iced teas, a major Domino's takeaway order, old-school VCD session and VS peejays to sum up our last session. Can't wait for all of us to be back in SG so we can meet again :)

Yep and being home means more time to go out to eat & play!

A 5hr drive/ride up for our 3D2N stint in IPOH. Thank God I made the decision not to join the riders cos it rained the whole morning! Wasn't anything too fun to do there, but it was the company that was FREAKING AWESOME. Ohyapehyasomp & all sorts of random nonsense you can think of when you put 12 monkeys together. More pics when I have them!

And on a separate weekend, we made a day-trip to JB for Go-Karting Madness! It was an 'off-track' adventure to the new track and it was fun, fun, fun, fun, fun! What more we beat the reported 7hour jams, heavy thunderstorms and had 50% off our Raffles Marina bill back home. Go team!

Ahh, and the random food trips like this tzechar store in People's Park hawker centre. 100bucks for 9pax with hardly any MSG and superb service at a kopitiam. Haha, fun times!

The weekend that just passed was lovely too, with papa day's dimsum lunch at Fullerton, 987fm's event at TBC, and more crazy times with the pals.

The FHM peeps chose our Swimwear for their finals that day!! And we're also really glad to be part of the HUGE 987fm BBQ BOOZE & BABES event :)) So glad their customized baseball jackets turned out superbly fine as well and even their boss is pleased! Hee oh and it was Canon's first family outing to the beach that day and she was being a major cute pup. Will get more pics once Jie/Rach/Mum uploads them.

The day ended with a smashing good time staring at the stars & sipping wine on Cara's rooftop. The boys took the house down with a crazy jamming session (where poor Sailor had to wear headphones), and us screaming our lungs out to Eye of the freaking Tiger!

Yep and again, I love being home. I can't wait for Friday to be home!

2011-06-14T10:10:00.000+08:00

The Cambridge Satchel Company “Fluo” Collection for Dover Street Market

The Dover Street Market - another reason why I wanna go to London! But anyway, what do you think of these satchels, and which colour do you fancy most?

Pictures credit to googleimages

Travelogue: Seoul Part II

2011-06-07T22:28:00.003+08:00

Day Three

Spent the day around Hongik University.
It was marvelously filled with Korean youth culture and much energy!

The babysis stopped at every possible accessory stall!

We decided to go where all the locals were headed and tried some traditional cold noodles for dinner.

Then for supper, we settled for fried chicken & beer at the Frypan. It still amazes me how the Koreans are so fond of that snack, but well, we had a nice time with some of the English-speaking locals, swooning over Toto the red toy poodle.

Day Four

Captioned: 'My face whenever Er Jie tries to kiss me on my cheeks'. HAHA so classic.

It was the designated sightseeing day, so Jie chose the Gyeongbokgung Palace, while Ern picked the Han River Cruise.

My sisters had such a good laugh at me the entire day cos 1) they kept insisting I was an Arab Princess wannabe when I was innocently using my scarf to block the sand and wind, 2) my period came on yet another overseas trip, 3) I kept finding excuses to dodge the ride on the chingchong cruise, but was dragged onboard anyhow.

Thus the life of a middle child.

They both braved the wind, went on the deck & had a jolly good time,

while I sulked in the misery of my cramps haha

More shopping at Times Square, and yet another round of Korean BBQ! <3

Day Five

With our new Converse sneakers! Bought mine on clearance at only SGD28 :)

Failed attempts at jump shots. A sign we're getting too old (for amusement parks).

The ride in Lotte World that almost took my life. I vow to never think of rides as 'innocent looking' anymore.

Jie & I spent the rest of the day finding rest stops, chatting over overpriced sodas,

helping the babysis jump queues, and waiting for her rides to be done.

Back at Myeong-Dong again and this time, we found some American treasures - Krispy Kremes & American Apparel.

We also stumbled onto an award-winning Korean restuarant that served the best bibimbap we ever had. One bowl was SGD20ish but it was worth every cent!

Then we had drinks at apparently one of the hippest hang-out in Seoul - Between.

Day Six

Combed the remaining of Itaewon and enjoyed the little cafes & eclectic stores.

Then it was home sweet home.

What I really liked about Seoul was the cheap ($1 for a The Face Shop mask) and readily available cosmetics, the quaint cafes with interesting concepts, the extremely well-tailored Korean apparel. What I didn't like was how there weren't many chances/options for cultural exchange in Seoul, and how the Koreans were all rather uncouth & unfriendly. But I hope I'm just stereotyping!

So yeah, I guess the only winning factor of the whole trip was the solid sister-bonding time :)

Till the next!

P.S. All photos were taken by Viola's Ricoh camera

Colours of Wayuu

2011-06-03T15:28:00.000+08:00

In the hunt for the perfect festive ethnic bag, I came across this blog entry and found one too many.

Mochila bags are made by Wayuu Tribeswomen, an indigenous people who live near the borders of both Colombia and Venezuela. Each bag is incredibly labor intensive to make and can take over 40 hours to make each one! You can check out and purchase original Wayuu Taya bags here where the proceeds from the sale of these bags goes back to the Wayuu people.

via oracle fox

Addicted!

2011-05-31T22:20:00.003+08:00

pictures credit to forward by revolve

When Erin Wasson (one of my world's favouritest model and style icon) launched her jewelry line in Spring '09, I wasn't too fond of the pieces. But the Spring '11 ones have captured my heart and I LUV every single one of 'em. Really like the Tassel Lighter Necklace (top left) but it comes with a hefty USD475 price tag :( So after much much much deliberation, I settled for the Thunderbird Cuff & Ring, and the Evil Eye Cuff. Can't wait for them to arrive! :D

In other news, I want these too:

Acne Open Back Dress, Tavik Corazon Bikini, Neuw Cheeky Shorts. Pictures credit to Oak.

Damn, I need a hot bod this season. Where can I go to get one?

Well lastly, in some Love, Bonito news, we're going big on aztec and ethnic prints this Summer, alongside the burst of colours as seen in Spring! Gonna be a looong day tomorrow at the location reccee with Nicole, Ginny & Daphne, but I can hardly wait. Our team is working really hard for our Summer editorials, and they are gonna be pretty damn exciting. Stay tuned to more Love, Bonito news on our Facebook page and don't forget to catch the collection tomorrow at 2P.M. :)