Ms Skinnyfat

Brows frame a person’s face. Without a right set of brows, a person could look untidy, tired, or even suspicious. No seriously. You know how first impression counts no matter what people say. So even though i'm super minimalist when it comes to dolling up, the 2 things i cannot live without are my concealer and my eyebrow powder.

I'm sure you girls would understand like how you'd get bad hair days, or bad clothes days, or bad shoes days, there are also bad brows days. Sometimes no matter how you draw your brows, they just don't go on right and it leaves you all messed up for the rest of the day. So to combat that issue, i decided to give eyebrow embroidery a go. Say hello to my new brows!

No i'm kidding. I would never go out like that! This is the first step of my eyebrow embroidery experience at Allure Beauty. I decided to give them a shot after reading the good reviews online! The numbing cream is applied immediately so that it'll take effect once you decide on the brow service and shape you want.

After comparing the various pictures of the brows on actual customers, of course i went for the Signature brow. Shorter strokes are used and the strokes follow the natural grain of your eyebrows, thus giving it a more natural look. The Angelic Eyebrow is for those who need some help with hair growth.

Before the actual embroidery, the therapist would shape your brows first and then pencil in the ideal shape. It's all based on the Da Vinci Golden Ratio to create balance.

One of the principal trainers determining the ideal length and arch for my brows.

We went through several rounds of editing the shape of my brows before she was finally satisfied with her artwork. Perfectionist but I like! She showed me a natural and a slightly thicker and flatter Korean brows and I decided on the natural one. Here's a before and after picture of my brows.

I have rather sparse brows which are quite thin even though I've been threading for the past couple of years. They're also quite spaced out. I was delighted to see how much fuller they are after she drew them on. No more pains with drawing my brows in a bit!

A customized color will be blended according to your skin tone and hair color. Nope it's not green! Bad lighting in this picture oops. And it wouldn't turn green like tattoos do. The color is inked onto the skin using a sterile blade but the cut is only on the surface area, hence it is not permanent like eyebrow tattoos. The eyebrow embroidery will last about 2-3 years typically. The good thing is that it allows for changes in shape and color to suit your current face shape.

The first session took a good 3 hours because the brow expert was really particular about achieving the right shape. So we alternated between lying down and sitting and viewing from various angles and on different devices just to make sure my brows are balanced. My skin was quite sensitive for the first session so it was on the red and sore side. Am not gonna scare you with those pics.

The aftercare includes waterproofing your brows for a week and application of the soothing cream when required. The paint will peel off naturally as your brows heal. Try to keep itchy fingers away, if not the color will not stay that well. How do I know? Because I had the itchy fingers and my brows didn't turn out too well. I had a patch on my left brow which was kinda empty because the color didn't stay. Boo! This is expected though as the color will only be about 50% of what was first inked. So for the first month before my touch up session, I still stuck with my eyebrow powder.

The touch up session after 1 month is necessary to make the brows darker and fuller. Thankfully the general shape remained when I visited the City Square outlet.

The process was the same but this time I finished the session in less than 2h! Yay.

My brows were darkened a bit more this time. A lighter color was used the first time round because the brow expert was afraid I wouldn't be used to the dark brows.

As my skin condition was a lot more stable than the first time, there was no redness at all and I loved how natural my brows were even immediately after the session.

Amazing hur!

So this is the immediate after picture. Some bloody streaks but that's expected. They use blades after all.

This is my day 2 pic! Love the shape!

I'll update with my current eyebrow state soon but I must tell you how I absolutely love my eyebrows now. And I don't even need eyebrow powder anymore!!

Now on the dollars and cents. Prices increase as you opt for more individual strokes. Allure's basic eyebrow packages start from $198 and so Angelic brows are the most expensive. The therapist's qualification also factors into the cost. Senior therapist price would be $1380 (before GST). This includes 2 free touch-ups (after 1 month and another after 1 year). For treatment with a principal trainer, an Allure Signature Eyebrow Embroidery session would cost $1680 excluding GST.

Well here's something to cushion your wallet a little! Allure is offering a $100 discount off their Signature Eyebrow Embroidery if you quote Cheryl / Ms Skinnyfat for a session with their Senior Therapists. This is valid till 9 Oct 2014.

I must say that Eyebrow Embroidery is the best beauty invention ever and it's definitely worth the investment.

Allure Beauty Salon
Tiong Bahru Plaza #05-04A.
Tel: +65 6270 8845.

West Mall #04-10.
Tel: +65 6898 2242.

City Square Mall #03-29/30
Tel: +65 6509 8859

People go on a juice cleanse for different reasons. 1. They believe that the combination of fruit and vegetable juices, rid the body of toxins while flooding it with nutrients, vitamins and minerals to boost the immune system. 2. They wanna give their digestive system a break from digesting solid food. 3. They wanna lose weight, get glowing skin, better digestion etc. After my first juicing experience (read it here), I was still a little skeptical about the benefits but decided to give it another shot, this time with Punch Detox.

Punch Detox is new to Singapore but it's well established in Hong Kong. Other than using organic fresh fruits, vegetables, spices, nuts... they are the only one in Singapore that incorporates a “superfood” in every one of its juices e.g. Amazonian Acai berry, Himalayan Goji berry etc. which are well... SUPER.

Norwalk hydraulic juicer, the Rolls Royce of juicers, is used by Punch (of course it's cold pressed duh). The juice retains significantly more vitamins and enzymes and is supposedly more tasty too.

There's the regular 3 day cleanse with two levels. Well I forgot and chose level 1, which proved to be waaaaay too easy for me since I already take a lot of veg and fruits. So go ahead, take the plunge and start with a deeper cleanse. What's the point when it's too easy right?

Punch also offers a “Build Your Own Cleanse” program and you can handpick your favorites from 10 nutritious juices. This works well for experienced “juice cleansers” or return customers.

Now back to my Level 1 cleanse. All 18 bottles were delivered on day 0 (the day before the cleanse). I was disappointed to see that the menu for each day is the same. BAH Boring. Differentiation would be good, well at least there's be something to look forward at each juice break. :(

Some logistics first. The bottles are made of plastic and they're tall and slim. This made them much easier to transport since I didn't want them sent to the office. If you remembered, I hated how heavy the HICjuice bottles were. Also, Punch's cooler bag is sturdy with a sufficiently thick strap for easy carrying but the strap isn't long enough to be slung over the shoulders.

The Punch Detox Juice Experience

I started the juice cleanse thinking that I'd get through it easy this time since I've already done it before. Plus the fact that I'm only giving level 1 a shot (which is for the kiddy league tbh). Plus the fact that my appetite hadn't been that well in the days leading up to my cleanse, so I thought that should kinda help with the craving. Well, I was wrong about that craving. I obviously wiped out the memories of me obsessing about food the THE WHOLE TIME. RWARRR. So if you're like me, my advice for you would be to keep yourself busy so you wouldn't think about snacking.

This time, I tried to start my cleanse right, which meant starting my day with some warm lemon water. I hate drinking water but I've been conditioning myself to drink more ie. following the regular 8 x 8 rule. It got easier over the 3 days. So yea, do it!

So let's start with the flavors. There are only 6 flavors so here goes.

Juice 1- Citrus Punch

It has Lemon, Ginger, Cayenne Pepper, Agave Nectar and water. I thought it was honey lemon water because it was a little sweet and not as as sour or spicy as the HIC'Juice Lemon N Spice. W couldn't take the HIC one but I loved that so this is really mild. Certainly minimal afterburn.

Juice 2- Green Punch

Celery, Cucumber, Kale, Bitter Melon, Parsley, Spirulina and Green Apple. I'm accustomed to this taste since I had plenty of green juices in my first cleanse. My conclusion is that green juices are all the same. This went down easy and made me crave for more veggie!

Juice 3- Red Punch

This is the expensive ABC made with beet, carrot, ginger, orange, goji berry and red apple. I like the lightly spicy cooling ginger taste. Due to the high fruit content, I found the juice to be on the sweet side and I much preferred Heart Beet by HIC.

Juice 4 Fruit Punch

This was a terribly sweet juice that really tasted like a fruit punch (which I don't like). I know it's natural sugar and all but the ingredients could certainly be tweaked. Meh! I couldn't get through half a bottle and I didn't want to dilute it as well because that would mean more punch. So I threw it away. :P The next day I shared the drink with my friends and diluted mine from 1/3 to half a bottle so it became just about bearable.

Juice 5 GazPUNCHo
Punch Detox is the only juice cleanse in Singapore to offer a savoury juice, the GazPUNCHo. After tasting the juice, I guess I know why they're the only one... The taste was simply eeeeeks. I've had many a Spanish gazpacho but this featured garlic, cilantro and cayenne heavily. I tried it as a cold drink and I could only finish half a bottle due to the pungent taste and viscous texture. I gave it a second shot as a soup after heating it up and again I could only stomach half a bottle. Another bottle was given away to S's daddy.

Juice 6 Nutmilk

I didn't like HIC's nutmilk at all because it had this really oily mouth feel and a stale oil taste. Punch Detox fared better and it was actually tasty if you like that Chinese almond taste. It tasted kinda like a Chinese almond pudding in liquid form. I'm pretty sure English almonds wouldn't yield that flavor. Anyway, it's a good neutralizing agent for the pungent Gazpacho.

After my second juice experience, I think I've kinda found a use for juicing. While I didn't lose much weight from this (I was a steady 39kg and it dipped below on the last day), it did help with some bloatedness and my tummy was exceptionally flat. I think it's quite a good way to kick start a weight loss/ work out regime as it shrinks your appetite. Since I saw some physical changes, I was slightly more determined to keep in shape too. Don't expect the weight to be kept off forever though. That only happens with a good diet and regular exercise. Also I noted that my skin was kinda clear and dewy during this period. Whee!

Punch Detox is available for order online at www.punchdetox.com.sg or you could email to info@punchdetox.com.sg Each three-day juice cleanse comes complete with 18 bottles and is priced at $330 nett, inclusive of delivery. Individual juices can be purchased at $20 nett per 500ml bottle, with a minimum order of 6 bottles.

Yan Ting is back with its elegant mooncakes this year and this time it is housed in a distinctive turquoise lantern box which imo is a Chinese Tiffany box!

This time, there are 5 flavors in Yan Ting's snowskin mooncake assortment. Once again, there's the Pure Mao Shan Wang Durian Indulgence ($118/box of 8). You can only imagine the decadence.

Of the other 4 flavors, my favorite was the Red Dates and Wolfberries Delight which draws inspiration from traditional Chinese desserts. This was very fragrant with a light sweetness. Kinda like Cheng Tng! I could also taste the distinctive dried longan taste in this one. Certainly a light but refreshing spin!

The Black Sesame and Melon Seeds Crunch and Chestnut Cravings were adequate i guess but not mind blowing ($68/box of 8). I guess the good thing is that they aren't too sweet.

The new Chocolate Royal Liqueur Truffle ($70/box of 8), supposedly the highlight, was sadly disappointing. The liqueur was full bodied but the chocolate filling simply fell flat. It tasted like those cheap waxy chocolate of a long long time ago.

Other than the snowskin collection, there's of course the traditional baked ones and i'd go for the Reduced Sugar White Lotus Paste with Macadamia Nuts ($68/box of 4). Porky fans could have the White Lotus Paste with Assorted Nuts and Yunnan Ham ($75/box of 4).

Gifting packages are also available and starts from $142. Mooncakes are available till 8 Sep 2014.

Hotel bars are getting a revamp these days (finally) and we headed to Anti:dote for their innovative tapas and reinterpreted classic cocktails crafted with premium spirits and house made bitters, liqueurs and sodas.

The bar is now helmed by Tom Hogan, previously from Bernard’s Bar at Chicago’s Waldorf Astoria, and his partner in crime Bannie Kang, from City Square in Swissôtel.

Anti:dote’s cocktail menu offers ten mixed drinks ($23), each classified by its potency and refreshing flavor. These drinks are made from artisanal pours of rum, vodka, rye whisky and gin balanced with fruits and spices, mostly of which from the hotel's own garden.

Corpse Reviver #2 with level 4 potency and refreshingness. This would revive any corpse.

A seemingly healthy drink with beet, rosemary, honey, lemon and tequila- Blood of Dillinger.

Refreshing seemed to be the theme of the night as my friends all went for fruity and sweet. Here's the citrusy Remedy and Treat of Kings.

There are about 24 items from the Tapas menu which is served till 10.30pm. We were fortunate to make the last order!

The Crisp parmesan pizza ($12) is a must order at Anti:dote. This minute cracker is made of paemesan crust with dollops of flavorful pesto and powdered tomato as its based. Topping it off, you have the olive oil caviar, melty cheese snow and micro basil. Hearty pizza flavors in a small bite. Lovely!

Crisp anchovy sticks with garlic aioli ($8) are the perfect snack to go with drinks and by that i mean cider but cocktails can do too! I love the salty and buttery puff sticks and also that strong and pungent garlic aioli.

Have you seen a huge gua zi before? Well here it is and it's spiced and sugared.

The Caramelised foie gras and vinegar glazed leeks on crisp puff pastry ($18) were little sweet morsels, kinda too sweet for my liking and there was quite a fair bit of leek/onion glaze. I could do with a slightly more seared/cooked foie gras but that's a personal preference.

We could smell the Black Truffle Bao ($20) before we could see them. For a hotel bar, i must say the bao (Steamed Bun) skin was done very nicely and it had a nice fluffy bounce to it.

It was nice seeing sliced Perigord black truffle but somehow the taste of the truffle didn't come through. Perhaps it was the strong flavors of the veal cheek and caramelized shallot with Madeira that overpowered it. The foie gras in the bao might as well have been a piece of tofu because it didn't give the bun any flavor at all.

We would have gone for more items if we weren't so stuffed. Other must tries are the 2-hour braised short rib ($18), clam sphere ($14) and the Paleta iberico de bellota done tomato shabu shabu style ($18).

Anti:dote

80 Bras Basah Road, Fairmont Level 1, Singapore 189560

+65 6431 5315
Daily: 7.30am - 2am

Bar: 5pm - 2am

A lobster craving sent me searching for the best lobster roll in Singapore. It's funny how i've not had any in Singapore but i didn't want to set myself up for disappointment after having some really awesome ones in NYC and Boston. So when the option of The Naked Finn failed me for dinner (they only serve the rolls during lunch), i headed to Loh Lik Peng’s The Market Grill with Stupidgirl for our usual night of overeating.

As with Loh's other restaurants, the Market Grill doesn't take reservations (which annoys the hell out of me). Seriously only kids don't make reservations. Anyhoo, MG may seem like a burger/seafood joint but it's more a grill masquerading as a whimsical diner, which churns out lobster roll after lobster roll, followed by burgers and steaks.

We took the bar seats and that gave us a good insight to how Executive Chef Colin West and his team works. That man is a tough one, having cut his teeth at Les Amis, Le Saint Julien, Braise, and Swiss Grilland.

Well Stupidgirl was gunning for the Most Adventurous Diner award and she ordered the Crispy Pig Ear ($18) behind my back when the Buttermilk frog legs were not available.

This is a dish i would never order because i was duped once by S's grandmother into eating the cartilage. EEKS. Well thankfully it only tasted like fried skin and the soft bone wasn't that hard and crunchy.

I should have simply insisted on having the Cod Croquetas ($19) from the start. They're these sinful balls of Spanish paprika spiced Atlantic cod and fluffy potato balls that are battered and deep fried. I liked that it has a nice spice to it and it's paired with this wicked and pungent aioli (which is amazing).

Fluffy center! I got a spike in one of the balls though. Be careful when you eat this.

Of course, the highlight of the meal... LOBSTER ROLL!

The Atlantic Lobster Slider ($45) is made from a whole steamed live lobster of approx 500gm. The meat is chilled first and then tossed in herb mayonnaise before being served on a perfectly buttered and grilled crustless brioche bun.

I found the roll a little bland on the first few bites. Perhaps it was the claw meat which wasn't quite coated with the sauce. I'm a fan of the salty buttered hot roll at Neptune Oyster in Boston (that is in a league of its own). That said, the light touch on the seasoning allowed the sweetness of the lobster to come through. It's not as perfect as Neptune's but it's ok. The fries were ridiculous though. I mean who doesn't know that the fries hold almost an equal weight as the lobster! Tsk. These were cardboardish and the equivalent of a fat MacD fry.

The Chargrilled Whole Lobster ($45) 500gm seems like a pretty good option too if you would like to get your hands dirtied. This is served with clarified butter lightly infused with garlic, brightened with a squeeze of lemon, and sides of salad and mashed potatoes.

The burgers are all the rage at The Market Grill as well but i was kinda disappointed with the lack of seasoning on the patty. Granted that my CW Breakfast Burger ($23) came with 150g chuck meat hand-formed patty was faulty and grilled to medium rare perfection and a patty could hardly go wrong with bacon, sunny side and cheddar cheese but somehow just underwhelming compared to the lobster roll.

More overeating ensued with desserts and we went with the Rum Banana Pockets ($15).

Think gooey dark rum soaked bananas encased in a crispy pastry and topped with a crunchy nut crumble. Of course there must be ice cream and the rum and raisin was satisfying with the hot mix.

Overall a decent dinner at The Market Grill. Will head back for lobster roll minus the fries.

The Market Grill
208 Telok Ayer St, Singapore 068642
Tel: +65 6221 3323 (No reservations)
Mon - Sat: 11.30am-2.30pm, 6-10pm

You have my heart at baked anything, and i can never say no to freshly baked breads, pastries, cakes, you name it. It's the smell of butter and sugar probably, both of which i cannot resist and that resulted in a shopping spree when i stumbled into Bread and Hearth, a new artisanal bakery in the Keong Saik/ Chinatown/ Ann Siang area.

Bread and Hearth prides themselves with using pure butter and quality ingredient. There is absolutely no shortening used, as highlighted by the friendly staff. French Normandy butter and flour goes into making these quality pastries.

Their Le Croissant ($2.80) is their signature and it looked visually appetizing with a nice crust and a good height. I didn't give that a try because i was distracted by all the interesting flavors of the other bakes.

The Matcha Orange is a bread roll with a nice matcha fragrance and the flavor is lifted by the refreshing chunky orange peel. The Honey Chocolate bread ($3) was porous and very bouncy. Even though it said Honey Chocolat, it wasn't sweet at all and it actually had a salty taste. That said, i still like how it was flavored nicely with the dark chocolate chip bits. Do add some honey to it after you toast it. I swear it's divine.

The Bacon Focaccia ($6.50) is exactly that kinda bread that i'd want for a breakfast. The fragrance was taunting me during work the whole afternoon and i finally succumbed to my weakness and took several bites and boy was it satisfying. It's the perfect savory snack. I would eat the foccacia even if it didn't have bacon on it.

The Cream Cheese Sesame ($2.80) turned out to be a sweet treat instead of a savory one! Think dense creamy cheese with a nice sweet pastry crust peppered with smokey sesame seeds. Yummy! Another must try is the Bostock which is more than 50% cake i swear.