The Best Way to Relax (and ENJOY LIFE)!

Recently I have been working my arse off (not literally. Well, almost...) so I decided I needed a break. A long deserved break.

So this was how I spent my Sunday.

Trick Eye Museum

This is an incredibly amusing place to visit. Look at the awesome pictures that I took! 

Having some whaling good time with my pet killer whale!

I excel at everything, including synchronized swimming (no, I'm not)

When my mind is at peace, I can achieve great things... like levitation!

Balancing on a thin pole over waters? Easy peasy.

I took so many pictures and every single one of them is just mind-blowing! It's a great place to bring your family to on a weekend!

W Hotel Sentosa Cove

The highlight of my relaxing weekend has got to be my stay at W Hotel Sentosa Cove. It's situated at the heart of Sentosa Cove, right next to Quayside Isle where all the yummy food and beautiful yachts are docked. The scenery is simply stunning from my room. 

The beautiful view from my balcony. I didn't take a picture during the day. What a pity. :(

The first thing that I always check out upon entering a room is the bed! I love the designs and lights! The lights changes with just one switch! You can opt for different light themes to change the mood of the room. I spent the whole night playing with the lights. Hahahaha

I like this lighting the best. The neon feel!

I just had to take some pictures on my comfy and fluffy bed. >.<

Here are the pictures from the rest of the room!

The doorway to the room.

The mirror in the toilet is so pretty! Just look at the design on the edges of the mirror!

I've stayed in many hotels before and I got to say that this bathtub has got to be one of the biggest. It opens out to the room so I can take a steamy hot bath and watch TV at the same time. What a life...

I cannot describe how happy I am to see a full length mirror in the room. This is something that is lacking in many hotels and I am so happy W Hotel Sentosa Cove has it installed at such a convenient location.

There are beautiful couches and table in the balcony to let you take in the beautiful view of the waters. The light theme that you can play with in the room affects the lights in the balcony too, completing the whole feel. Awesome!

Right from the start when I walked into the hotel, I was impressed by the decor. Everything looked so lavish and stunning. The hotel staff were so sweet and polite, always attending to me with a smile. I don't think I have seen happier service staff, the employment perks here must be damn good. I signed up for the Starwood Preferred Guest membership when I checked in and I got to say, it was the best choice that I have made this weekend. The membership is free and it gives me 15% discount to all Starwood hotels worldwide and all the stores located within the hotels. 

Had my Sherly Temple at the WOOBAR when I arrived and I got a 15% discount because of the SPG membership! Yeah! I love discounts!

SKIRT

Went to SKIRT restaurant at the lobby of W Hotel for dinner and my oh my, one of the best steaks that I have ever eaten. I ordered their famous Full Blood Wagyu Blackmores M9+ Skirt steak ($68++ for 200g) and I absolutely love it! The meat is so tender and juicy, I finished eating the steak in 10 minutes! I'm so going back again! Best part? I got 15% discount. Muahahahaha!

Sorry for the blur picture. Didn't realize it was blur and ate up the entire steak before I knew it.

Their homemade BBQ sauce and apple-flavoured palate cleanser.

Grilled Portobello Mushroom! Enough said.

After dinner, I went back upstairs and got a surprise gift from W Hotel! 

They sent me a tray of chocolates and a handwritten card. They really know how to make me happy. Chocolates, never fail to lift my mood.

When I woke up the next day and realized that I had to check out, I was so reluctant to leave. I had such a tough time getting myself out of the comfy bed. :( The whole stay was so enjoyable and relaxing, totally recharged me for the crazy work that was awaiting me. I love the view, location, staff, amenities, everything! I am so going back again. The next time, I'll bring my entire team there for a team staycation!

Dove Nourishing Oil Care Serum

In one of my previous post, I mentioned that I was trying out the Dove Nourishing Oil Care serum. Well, here are the results!

Look how frizzy my hair is! This is the condition of my hair after washing and left to dry naturally. You can see the crazy flyaways and frizz.

This is how my hair looks AFTER applying the serum. I didn't even comb it or anything after applying. It cleared up most of my flyaways and frizz just like that!

I really think it is the nutrients from the coconut oil and almond oil that really help. These oils are easily absorbed by the hair to help strengthen and maintain moisture. I was initially worried about the smell since it is coconut oil but surprisingly, the oil smells really good!

Of course it won't remove all the frizz and flyaways with just one use. It will take some time for the hair to absorb up the nutrients from the serum and slowly improve. But so far, I'm happy with the results!

The other thing that I really like about the Dove Nourishing Oil Care serum is the fact that it is not greasy. Considering how much coconut oil and almond oil that went into it, it doesn't make my hair or hands feel greasy after applying. 

Did a comparative test with a hair oil serum that I was using previously (Brand X) and Dove Nourishing Hair Oil Care serum.

The oil serum is not properly absorbed by the paper towel even after I left it there for 5 minutes. 

On the other hand, the paper towel absorbed the Dove Nourishing Oil Care serum really quickly. 

There is actually a technique to apply the serum properly. 

1. Pump about 3-5 pumps of the oil serum onto the palm of your hand.

2. Press palms together to use the heat from your hands to warm up the serum. This helps the hair to absorb the serum better.

3. Spread the serum onto the ends of your hair gently. Don't rub. 

My recent obsession with my frizz and dry hair is crazy. I needed to combat the frizz monster so I did some research on frizz. Well, you need to know your enemy well in order to win the battle, right?

Causes of frizz:

1. Genetics

Curly or wavy hair tends to be drier because the natural oil may not coat the hair strands as well as straight hair. The hair strands are more prone to becoming raised, resulting in greater friction. -> I have straight hair. Point eliminated. 

Damn you, weather!

2. Environment

What kills your skin are probably killing your hair too. UV rays and humidity. Sun dries and damages the hair, while humidity causes dry and porous hair to suck up moisture so the hair shaft swells unevenly, giving the appearance of full and frizzy hair. -> Biggest enemy of all Singaporean women, also my enemy. 

3. Heat styling and hair products

Hair dryers, curling irons and flat irons may be my BFFs before an event but definitely my enemies after the event. These heat styling tools do what you think they do, they "burn" your hair, at least that is what I think I am doing to my hair whenever I use these tools. Alcohol is a dehydrating agent so hair products that contain alcohol are also boo boo. -> Yes, I am guilty of these.

4. Friction

Simple things that YOU ARE DEFINITELY GUILTY OF DOING like combing your hair with your fingers and drying your hair by rubbing with towel actually cause friction and results in frizz. -> I am tempted to cut off my fingers now because I have a habit of playing with my hair. T_T

My Vanity Trove

I have been super excited to share this with you guys and this is why!

My very own VanityTrove box! I worked with VanityTrove recently to come up with a special edition VanityTrove box that contains numerous beauty products that I love! Super awesome! It even comes with a personalized greeting card from me!

Let's take a look at what the box contains!

First up the Skin Food Black Sugar Perfect First Serum voucher. It's a double-functioning first serum that contains black sugar extract to soften and smooth dry, rough skin. It also contains other actives that improve skin condition and create a flawless skin texture. Head down to any Skin Food outlet to exchange the voucher for a free bottle of serum!

Out all day and hair starts to get greasy and gross? I get that with my fringe a lot especially with this weather here in Singapore. That's when the Batiste Dry Shampoo comes into handy! Just shake the bottle and spray the contents onto your hair, and it's done! So easy! The small bottle also makes it easy to carry in your handbag especially for us girls, this can easily fit into our pouch!

I love smelling sweet all day! Honey by Marc Jacobs keeps me feeling energized, refreshed and smelling like honey all day with just a few sprays! Super LOVE!

EmerginC Peel Pad and Phytocell Detox Mask. The peel pad is super convenient to use, simply wipe it across clean, dry skin to remove dead skin cells and it also aids in reducing wrinkles. Really like this brand as EmerginC Scientific Organics is an active, 100% natural, paraben-free, petrochemical-free, synthetic fragrance-free range of skincare. On top of that, every product contains a minimum of 70% organic ingredients; and for every product sold, a tree is planted. A corporate tree planting program to support the natural environment. 

The Phytocell Detox Mask is a French-green-clay mask that helps to draw out impurities and improve your skin tone/texture. It remained soft on my face and rinses off really well! Love how it helps add that glow on my face! 

I love sleeping mask because I'm usually too lazy and this Skin Food sleeping pack even comes packed with the Vitamin C goodness from Tomatoes. Yum!

Too Cool for School is a relatively new beauty brand in Singapore but it's quite well-known in Korea! I have been using their BB cream, McGirly Rice Wine Secret and love it.

Pink Girl Jelly Base is my key to getting a glowing skin. This can be used as either a makeup base or highlighter. It has a fresh floral scent and the skin absorbs it quickly without it leaving it sticky like what some makeup base do to your skin. Just apply a thin layer under your makeup and voila, soft, dewy glowing skin!

My other secret to a brighter skin is the Sothys Cleansing Cream. It's really useful to remove pigmentation, a common concern for us ladies when we spend so much time under the blazing sun. It also helps even out skin tone to reveal a brighter and healthier looking skin.

The Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse oil is really useful for people with dry skin! This product is really light in texture but moisturising, and I really like the smell! Add a drop of oil onto your powders to get smooth glide-on effect and the best part about this is it leaves your skin smooth without letting you feel a tinge of greasiness. You can also use this oil to give your hair a healthy gleam after a bath and before bedtime. 

Well, at the end of the day, we all need a good makeup remover to clear up all the makeup and junk that you have accumulated on your face! A good remover is essential to keep your face clean and healthy, and SILKYGIRL makeup remover is very gentle (good for sensitive skin) and thorough and it also removes waterproof makeup which can sometimes be extremely hard to remove.

Last but not least is my favourite product in the box, Skin Inc Pure Revival Peel from the Get Awesome Skin set! It's awesome at removing dullness and dead skin cells, giving me a brighter and more youthful complexion especially on days when I have to be constantly exposed under the sun because of filming. This is one of the 3 items from the Get Awesome Skin set that will be included in the trove - Pure Revival Peel 20ml, Encapsulated Serum 5ml (Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Collagen, Coenzyme Q10, Hyaluronic Acid, Chlorella, French Pine Bark, Licorice or Ceramide) or Pure Deep Sea Hydrating Mask 20ml. 

If you have been wondering what beauty products I like and use, you can purchase this box to try them out in their sample sizes first. The box can be purchased from https://www.vanitytrove.com/sg/shop/special for just $35. 

There is something special out there for my fans too! just quote JANICECHIANGVT during the purchase and get a full-sized item in your box! This promotion is only valid for the 1st 50 customers so do hurry! 

Here's to a great start of the week and I can't wait for you to try out all the products yourself too! 

Sprained Ankle

So it's one of those days today. Days that just somehow do not want to go the way that you have intended it to be.

I am an organized freak. I plan my day 1-2 days in advance so that I can fully maximise the day for all my activities. I woke up this morning with the intention of bringing my dog, Cookie to the vet because his skin allergies got worse, and I did bring him to the vet. Upon reaching the clinic, the nurse told me that they are fully booked today and I have to come back another day. Bummer.

So I made another appointment for next weekend and carried my little one out of the vet. Maybe he was too heavy or fat and blocked my vision but I tripped over some steps and fell. I managed to break his fall by hugging him closer to me but I ended up grazing my left knee, cut my right pinky toe and sprained my right ankle. Sigh.

I sat on the ground, grabbing my ankle in pain and wanted to call my parents to come and get me. Then I remember I drove here so they don't have the car. At the same time, I had to make sure Cookie didn't get too excited and run out to the roads. He was a good boy though, as usual, sitting right next to me, watching and waiting for me to recover.

I had to drag myself up and pray that Cookie will not run off while I walked to the car. He followed me all the way to the car throughout the short walk without venturing far. I guess my dog is a very good boy after all. :)

Managed to drive back home with my painful right ankle, using my left ankle to control the brake. Definitely not a very comfortable ride home for Cookie.

Compare with my left ankle, my right ankle looks so swollen. >.<

My Hair Needs Help

Most days I’m too lazy to style my hair and just let it dry on its own after washing, but that usually results in super frizzy and messy hair. AND I HATE MESSY HAIR! So when I know I have to meet people on that day, I will wake up earlier to blow dry my hair until it is smooth and straight, but usually by mid-day there will be flyaways and it really annoys me.

I miss the days when my hair was so soft and smooth.

On special occasions, I will give my hair some waves by curling it with the curling iron. I love the wavy look but I cannot imagine curling my hair on a daily basis. The damage it does to my hair is just crazy!

Me (with curls) trying to do the “JianHao” classic expression. 

After all that constant blow drying and occasional heat-curling, my hair is like grass now. I am super sad. I go for regular hair treatment and it really helps a lot but I know I need to do my part to maintain my hair too. But I need to style my hair for filming and events all the time, so no choice.

The ends of my hair are super curly as though the ends are burnt. T_T

So a week back I decided to do something about it and went shopping at Watsons. I browsed through all the hair products and to be honest, I stood there for 30 minutes because I cannot decide what to get. THERE ARE SO MANY PRODUCTS! In the end I decided on Dove Nourishing Oil Care serum after googling on my phone.

So this Dove Nourishing Oil Care serum contains both almond oil and coconut oil. The almond oil is easily absorbed by the hair and thus able to deeply nourish and rebuild the cellular structure of dry hair to repair surface roughness. Coconut oil on the other hand, is known to be highly efficacious in reducing protein loss from hair. Both oils help to lock in moisture and lipids in the hair to give a smooth and shiny feel. Sounds very chim right? Just know that almond and coconut oils are good for your hair and definitely something I need now.