Fushi Fabulous

My obsession with organic beauty products (especially lip balm) has gotten me to keep trying new stuff and I've found a really good organic lip balm that is definitely gonna have a long-term relationship with me and my smackers. It's the Fushi Organic Hydrating Lip Balm from you guessed it, Buds Cosmetics (well, I did tell you previously I've bought a bunch of stuff from them so it's the review time)

First thing first, Fushi's a reputable organic brand that I've tried years ago while I was in UK and back then I only tried their shower gel cos a friend of mine had it. They're quite popular in the UK and produce ethical and awesome products that's not only organic but their ingredients are fair-traded and they also have a charity called "Tree for Eternity", a programme that helps alleviate poverty in rural Africa. They're ethically accredited. 

So when I saw that Buds Cosmetics actually stocks, I thought I'll try the lip balm. They have 3 different types, one specifically for cold sore, one anti-wrinkle and this hydrating lip balm. At $16, it's really affordable and the Hydrating Lip Balm is really great. 

It's got a very faint scent (like most natural organic product) and it's very light and non sticky. When you apply it, it's got a nice minty feel to it that's really refreshing and the moisturising effect lasts really long too. I applied it before I go to bed and the next morning, my lips are still moist, soft and very supple. The texture is really wonderful cos it's just nice and yet non gooey. Highly recommends this. Thing is, you'll have to finish it up within 6 months cos it's paraben free so it's gotta be used up pretty quickly since it's preservatives free. But I'm using it so much that I don't think it's gonna be a problem to finish it up :)

Oh Happy Valentine's Day...

Things I'm obsessed with...

I've caught a whiff of serious boredom that somehow got me thinking of the things I'm obsessed with cos I was trying to fill that yawn-inducing gap of dull moments with something I enjoy thinking/reading/looking/ and well well well, I just started thinking of what I'm obsessed with and I've come up with a list....Here goes:

• Books! Books and more books! But only good quality literature in quality print or hardcover if possible. No chick lit please! I collect books (from classics to children's books to non-fiction), I buy too many and I couldn't get enough of them but I only buy the quality paper bag (better paper) and hard cover mostly...I really wanted to have a library at home!
• Lip balm...HL could attest to this but I've (actually both of us) been obsessed with lip balms forever. I probably have over 20 different ones at home and it's still growing and I have to consciously stop myself from getting more. In my handbag alone, I have 4 different ones but I still always love to get new ones and try new ones...as HL said "You can never have enough cos they always finish fast". I gotta stop really...will try
• Perfume. I inherited my love for perfume from my grandma since I was little. She would spritz her Diorissimo on me and now my relationship with perfume has become an obsession and I love to sniff out new perfume and I love wearing perfume and if I don't, I feel naked. I have way too many perfumes at home and I collect cult perfume but so far, I've finally found a couple of perfume that I really enjoy and they're likely to stick with me for the long haul and they're: Chloe by Chloe, Petite Cherie by Annick Goutal, L'Ombre dans L'eau by Diptyque and Tresor in Love by Lancome....
• Magazines....Actually there're only a couple...Nylon, Glamour (UK edition), National Geographic, New Yorker and NW (the fabulous aussie tabloid)
• Grey's Anatomy and Gossip Girl in that order. These are pretty much the only 2 tv shows (I don't turn on the tv at home. Very very rarely...I can live without it) that I watch and I always make sure I'm up-to-date with the latest episode and I'll download the moment they're shown in the US. And between the two, I'll pick Grey's Anatomy cos I'm very much like Meredith Grey...very similar in terms of character and it's a bit like watching myself. After 7 seasons, I still love the show so damn much. My all time favorite. I feel lost when they break for the season!!! That's how much I LOVE it
• Health Supplements. Yes, I'm a pill popper. On an average day, I pop a multivitamin, a calcium supplement (I don't wanna crack a hip bone when I'm old), Evening Primrose Oil and pearl powder (for good skin and trace element). Occasionally, I beef up the pills with an extra fat burner or something and I love detox stuff...I'm currently sipping Duchy Detox Tincture...so yes, I love health supplement!
• Organic, sulfate-free and paraben-free anything...from organic food to body products...I love them all... LOVE going to Super Nature to get toiletries and food
• Hair color....it's always between jet black and light ash brown...and it's about getting that RIGHT ash brown...currently I've given up on ash brown cos so far no hair stylist can gimme the exact color I really want...it always turns out a bit off and I'm very very exacting when it comes to color so now, sod it,  I stick to jet black. The kind of blue black that's so intense that people actually ask if it's my natural color and it actually compliments my skin tone very well too. 
• Knickers...I love cute knickers and I have assorted color bras to match them...I always buy knickers...
• Cooking pasta....I'm good at it and I'm forever trying and inventing new recipes, and now that I'm mostly vegan, I gotta be more creative...
• Recycling stuff...I'm kinda unglam when it comes to recycling cos I would actually accumulate plastic bottles and then bring the whole lot back to work cos the recycling bins at my condo have disappeared for awhile...so I did the whole old aunty thing and and stuff the empty bottles in plastic bags and bring it to work...or I make OGT bring it home to pop the bottles in the recycling bins near her home. For paper, I make scrap paper, cut the A4 into half and put a large crocodile clip on top...it's cathartic when you're stressed and pissed off cos all the paper slashing action is quite a good outlet
• Julia Restoin-Roitfeld. Daughter of the former French Vogue Editor Carine Roitfeld. She's the epitome of style and she's got the ultimate French je ne sais quoi....some people have it all. A cool mom, gorgeous face and body, dream wardrobe and a fucking hot boyfriend to boot! But yes, her style is so natural...guess it helps when your mom is the editor of French Vogue. She's my current girl style crush

Notable Quotable

"I postpone death by living, by suffering, by error, by risking, by giving, by losing."

--Anais Nin

Filthy Farmgirl

Noooo...the title isn't what you think cos I'm not blogging about some porno thing but a company that produces fabulous soap called "Filthy Farmgirl"! Yes, rather naughty and cheeky name but their soap is freaking FABULOUS and to die-for!!!

Last week, I went to Buds Cosmetics (Novena Square and Mandarin Gallery 3rd Floor), the organic cosmetics and toiletries store in Novena Square to stock up on organic products and I saw these really gorgeous soap with very cool packaging that smells really awesome. It's from Hawaii and they have a hand-made, no-nasty ingredient approach (no sulphates, no paraben) and they use mostly organic ingredients too.

The most attractive thing is that they've got some seriously cute retro packaging that's so eye-grabbing and the names of their soap are totally ingenious and very cheeky. They've got names like Filthy Ass Soap (with a picture of a donkey but hey it smells divine nonetheless), naughty ones like Filthy Pussy (with a cat hello?) and Filthy Cock (with a rooster, aka male chicken please! haha) and even kinky ones like Filthy Nurse Soap...And you know what? They have a total of 69 different scents for you to choose from!!! Their packaging is sooo pretty that I'm gonna put together a montage for you (not all 69 cos it would take the entire day)...here...see...

Such gorgeous gorgeous packaging no? They're like a piece of art and it makes my post looks so pretty! I couldn't resist and I bought the Rosie Rose Petal (apparently limited edition but is available at Buds Cosmetics) soap purely cos it looks pretty and smells divine, thinking that if it sucks, I can always use it as hand soap anyway.

But well, I'm super impressed cos the soap is SUPER moisturising and not at all drying!! In fact, it's so rich and luxe that it is actually MORE moisturising that some of the shower gel out there! No joke. I have pretty dry skin and soap will always leave my skin too dry and squeaky and even when I used the supposedly moisturising soap, my skin gets so dry after that it feels as if it's gonna split.

So when I tried the Filthy Farmgirl Rosie Rose Petal, I was very pleasantly surprised that my skin actually feels okay after and even slightly moisturized! Thing is, their soap doesn't contain sulphate and other harsh ingredient and it's mostly organic. And for $16 (cheaper online obviously), it's a very good big slab that is probably gonna last for some time. My Rosie Rose Petal soap has actual Rose petals in the soap itself and the wonderful scent is unbelievably nice. In fact, the whole bathroom smells divine because of the soap. I'm sooo in love with the soap! I'm gonna buy more now and I'll have one collection of soap for me to use according to my mood! It's really great and you would want to try it, trust me! You can find out more on their website

Very cheeky!!

I've gone back to get 2 more soap and this is gonna be a gift for Mr Bunny who has brought me some super cool lipstick from Morocco which I would blog about soon....It's really great for gifts! He loves it and he now can't decide whether to use it (cos it smells so freaking nice) or to keep it as display! I love Filthy Farm Girl Soap! Freaking awesome!

Alexa Meade

This is another Alexa I'm obsessed with (first is Alexa Chung for her style and I think I'm gonna name my daughter Alexa cos all Alexas are so cool)! Now this Alexa, Alexa Meade, is one cool artiste. She's a painter and photographer who photographs portraits of people and making the print looks like oil painting BY PAINTING DIRECTLY ON HER SUBJECT and later taking a photo of them. Simply put, you go there, she uses paint, paints all over you, makes you look like a moving oil painting and takes a snap shot. The portrait photographs actually look like oil on canvas!!! It's freaking cool!!!

"Alexa Meade has innovated a Trompe-L’Oeil painting technique that can perceptually compress three-dimensional space into a two-dimensional plane. Her work is a fusion of installation, painting, performance, photography, and video art.

Rather than painting a representational picture on a flat canvas, Meade paints her representational image directly on top of her three-dimensional subjects. The subject and its representation become one and the same. Essentially, her art imitates life on top of life."

Now take a look at her work and if you don't think it's freaking brilliant, you'd better check that you still have your pulse.

This is an ACTUAL photograph, the guy is an ACTUAL human being

Now you'll see a clear perspective...though her 2-D painting skills is so good you still can't quite see it's actually a 3D person...wait...

Next one

Better? It's a bit easier to see the guy is actually a real 3-D human...it's so surreal don't you think?

Here's another shot of Alexa and her subject...Now it's clear that's a human model

I think it's freaking brilliant and I wonder how much time it takes for her to paint you! Oh and how much does she charge to commission a portrait! I would really want a portrait of myself by her! Here's her website if you're keen to check out more of her work!

Life Saver!!

I've been touted as the ultimate mosquito repellent. Mozzies love me and when I'm with my friends, they're safe cos I'll shield them from bites as I'll be the sacrificing lamb the mozzies attack. And if you've seen my legs, they're covered in mozzie bites and I look as if I have permanent eczema. Don't even get me started on how the itch drives me nuts! Talking about it makes me want a stiff drink cos it's pure tragedy. Just imagine you have a bite on your inner thigh or the sole of your foot and you're in a serious business meeting with a transparent glass table......garrrr!

But lately, I've found two salves to my mozzie tortured limbs and they're quite my life safer now! They're  a duo that works hand in hand. First it's the Lemongrass House Hydrating Mosquito Repellent. When I met up with the peeps at Lemongrass House's boutique opening at The Raffles City 2 weeks ago, they were telling me how their insect repellent spray is actually the first ever product their founders, Bobby & Palita Duchowny, came out with and it later got bought by bulk by some UNICEF peeps cos it's very effective. So I immediately pointed to my spotty legs raped by mozzies and scored myself a complimentary bottle of the repellent cream to try.

Thing is, I'm very afraid of insect repellent cos they usually smell very strongly of citronella and spraying them on generally repels not just insects but people in general, especially cute guys. Last check, smelling like roses is attractive, but smelling like a block of mozzies-repelling citronella is hardly sexy. For most insect repellents, the smell is usually very overwhelming. Your repellent usually walks into the room before you do cos that's how strong the silage is for citronella (and that's why it repels mozzies in the first place). But the Lemongrass House Hydrating Mosquito Repellent is a god-sent cos it's got a very subtle yet effect scent and it's not just pure citronella but it's got other a lavender infusion.  When I apply it to my legs at work (the mozzies are mostly from work cos I have a major garden next to my office), I won't reek of citronella and it's even got a very nice cooling sensation. And the best thing? It's hydrating like a moisturizer, so it's really 2-in-1 and quite effective! Perfect!

Of course, no repellent is 100% mozzie-proof and if I get bitten, I've found the perfect remedy to stop the crazy itch and it's the Two Girls Floral Water Stick. Okay, you can't get it in Singapore cos it's a very very old school brand from Hong Kong and they used to be famous for their floral water and they started in 1898!! Vintage really! They also sell face cream that's very similar to the old school Hazeline Snow and basically stuff that your old granny would be familiar with. But lately, in the last couple of years, they've been given a revamp and they've modernised all their products in terms of look, formula and packaging. The Floral Water Stick is a modern twist to their old floral water. It smells the same wonderful scent but it's now all handy and you can pop it in your handbag. Traditionally, the Floral Water has many different usages. You can use it as a perfume, as a towel cologne, as insect repellent (though not the most effective), and it's really very very effective for stopping itch from insect bites. I didn't know about this until my cousin whipped out one and started rubbing it on her mozzie bite. And the rest is history cos it's really SUPER effective! It even trumps steroid cream hands down (ok but only for mozzie bites, for eczema and things I'm not sure and you shouldn't try since there's fragrance)! Now I have one at work, one in my bag, and one at home. And I'm gonna upgrade it to 2 at work (just in case), one in EACH handbag and 2 at home (again, just in case). Life saver much!!