The Naked Fish Shoppe

(Image Source)

The Naked Fish Shoppe is a western seafood restaurant located at the GrassRoots’ Club in Ang Mo Kio, a 5 minute walk away from the Yio Chu Kang MRT station. With 8 years of experience, the Naked Fish Shoppe serves mainly fish, prepared using various cooking techniques – deep/pan fried, grilled, baked or poached, in a cosy indoor setting.

If you are not a fish lover, the Naked Fish Shoppe also provides other seafood dishes such as seafood fried rice, steak, boneless chicken chop and seafood platter.

As this was a food tasting invitation by the OpenRice, a lunch menu consists of appetiser, soup, main course and dessert of our choices were served.

Crispy Calamari
$7.50

The calamari does not taste greasy but moist even after deep frying. However, I find that the breadcrumbs (was it?) that forms the outer shell makes the dish tastes like frozen fish nuggets you get from the supermarket.

A plate of crispy calamari (4 pcs) costs around $7.50, which in my opinion, is not really value for money.

Lobster Bisque
$4.50

Interestingly, the lobster bisque was served in a bread bowl which could also be eaten with the soup together. The soup, however, was not flavourful enough. It would be great if there were bits of lobster meat in the soup for additional texture to it.

Deep Sea Premium Grade Barramundi Fish Fillet
$14.50

I found out from the owner of the restaurant that the barramundi was imported and can be found in the deep sea, instead of the regular mud barramundi we see in wet markets.

I find that the Barramundi fillet tastes very fresh and tender. The lemon butter sauce tastes good on its own but is a tad disappointing as it doesn’t add flavour to the fish. However, I like the portion of the fillet served because it is very solid and filling.

If there’s anything I would like to change about this dish, it would be the sides. The hashbrown and mixed vegetables doesn’t look appetising enough. A simple, well tossed garden salad would add value to this dish.

Honeydew Pudding w/ Coconut Cream
Price Unknown

The honeydew pudding was a surprise. This small bowl of pudding ended the lunch on a sweet note. The pudding tastes very refreshing with the first few bites, but becomes a little sweet (I’m not a person with sweet tooth) towards the end.

The coconut milk added on top of the pudding is a good choice because it is creamy and balances the taste on the whole.

Other Services
The Naked Fish Shoppe also provides catering services for personal or corporate events.

On the whole I give this a 3/5. You may want to try out this place if you want a taste of fresh, solid fish fillets served at an affordable price.

Naked Fish Shoppe
The GrassRoots’ Club
190 Ang Mo Kio Avenue 8
#01-02
http://www.thenakedfishshoppe.com

Disclaimer: This is an invite only event.

My new favorite perfume!

Recently I attended a workshop on image presentation and I found out that the strong perfume scent is in the list of the top 10 image destroyers.

But no, this post is not about the workshop. It is about my latest fave – pureDKNY A Drop of Rose EDP.

A while ago I was invited to the launch of pureDKNY’s A Drop of Rose EDP and by the end of the event, I was sold.

The perfume smells really light, with a tinge of rose scent, a scent that reminds me of rose syrups.

A Drop of Rose pureDKNY’s latest perfume with its predecessors, A Drop of Vanilla and A Drop of Verbena, trailing behind.

The roses that were used in the making of each bottle perfumes were hand picked individually in the pre-dawn hours, in Turkey’s Anatolian flower fields during the harvest season in June.

By season’s end, 2500 tons of petals have been bagged, weighed, and transported by a truck to the distillery where they are processed through 26 stills into essential oil of rose. The essential oil would then be added into the making of the fragrance.

The packaging of the perfume is absolutely recyclable. The perfume bottles and caps are made up of 100% recyclable glass and aluminum components, while its carton is bio-degradable and printed with low-VOC inks. The outer wrap is made from cellulose.

In addition, I also found out that pureDKNY has a partnership with CARE, a leading humanitarian organization to help lift women out of global poverty. Hence, DKNY will make donations to support CARE in order to continue its efforts in providing resources to help more women to escape poverty.

I also received a bottle of A Drop of Rose and I really loved it!

I find this perfume incredibly versatile. I can apply it when I’m going to school and to events. The best part about it is that the perfume lasts for about 6 hours in the hot summer weathers of Singapore.

You can find pureDKNY A Drop of Rose EDP in both 50ml and 100ml, at the price of $96.00 and $132.00 respectively at all major departmental stores.

Saveur!

Last month, I was invited to a food tasting event to Saveur!

Saveur is located at Purvis Street, a stone throw away from the National Library building. In fact, Purvis Street situated right behind the building!

I first got to know Saveur through a show that Bryan Wong hosted and brought my girls over for a birthday lunch. Even though it wasn’t my first time dinning at Saveur, I was thrilled about the event because I got to try out almost all the dishes available on the menu!

This place is a restaurant that sells quality, yet affordable french cuisine! Hence, I believe I should properly introduce this great venue!

Saveur is still so packed even on weekdays!

We had our bread and butter served with unsalted butter before the start of our meals. There’s a choice of either soft or hard rolls to choose from the menu.

Bread and Butter – $2

Saveur’s Pasta – $4.90

I didn’t order this but took a bite to see how it taste like. It is a pasta that is tossed with chilli oil with Japanese Kombu (seaweed) and Sakura ebi (dried shrimps). I would suggest this to be shared among your friends, as the portion served is huge enough to become a main dish.

Foie Gras – $9.90
Pan-seared duck liver served with apple-infused port wine and vanilla bean

There are two versions of this dish but I ordered the one with port wine. This dish is a little on the sour side because of the apple-infused port wine, but it is an excellent pairing with the crunchy apple slices added.

Duck Salad – $5.90

Loved this dish! The duck confit, orange segments, quail egg and cherry tomatoes mix really well together. Personally I hate the taste of raw vegetables, but this is just right because of their homemade lemon vinaigrette.

Duck Leg Confit – $10.90

The first time I went to Saveur, I tried one of their popular mains – Duck Leg Confit. Tender meat paired with orange slices and sauteed Shitake mushroom instantly made this dish my favourite. But the second time I visited Saveur, this duck leg confit is a little salty.

Pork Belly – $10.90

If you are a friend of pork belly and soft boil eggs, you’ve got to order this to try. I ordered this during my second visit to Saveur. The pork belly skin is crispy and the meat is tender and juicy. I don’t like soft boil eggs but it pairs well with the green lentils.

Pistachio Panna Cotta – $6.90

I would recommend this to people who dislike sweet desserts!

Texture of Citrus – $6.90

This dish kept us guessing with the different kinds of citrus used! Blood orange jelly (red ones in this picture) served with orange granité, freeze-dried pineapple, feuilletine, citrus segments, and lime zests.

Chocolate & Hazelnut – $7.90

Every chocolate lover should love this as it is chocolate mousse with crushed hazelnuts, broken raspberries, roasted rice puffs, chocolate tuile & praline. However I find it a little sweet and I feel “jerlat” (sick) after eating a few spoonful of it.

5 Purvis Street,
Talib Court #01-04,
Singapore 188584

http://www.saveur.sg/

Maybelline Color Tattoo Th’ink Flea

Maybelline New York is putting up an awesome flea market this Saturday at Scape!

Click to view in actual size*

There will be 8 hottest blogshops setting up their stalls there and you can also get free makeovers and watch exciting runway shows at 3pm and 5pm!

The best of all is that you get to be one of the first to preview Maybelline New York’s latest Color Tattoo 24HR, the new range of eyeshadow colors that will be launched in 2013. You can also purchase them at a special price at the flea!

Date: 15 December 2012, Saturday
Time: 12pm to 6pm
Location: *Scape, Level 4 (Click here for map)

See you there!

Get Picture Perfect with L’Oréal Paris Lucent Magique range

I was invited by L’Oreal Paris Singapore to try out their latest Lucent Magique series! I must say that this latest range of highlighter/concealer, foundation and primer is by far the best over-the-counter cosmetics! You seriously have to get them.

Sis and I at the launch!

The Lucent Magique range is the latest innovation by L’Oreal Paris! Lucent Magique is the first skin transforming makeup line ever created by an over-the-counter cosmetic brand.

This range promises to give you a radiant and flawless looking complexion. It consists of a foundation, BB cream, highlighter and primer. The BB cream was launched a while ago but not the others!

Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation – $32.90

The Lucent Magique Liquid Foundation uses 40% pure water in its formula to give you a sheer, lightweight and hydrated finish, and also provides you with a light-medium coverage.

Its formula gives you 33% more radiance, as compared to traditional foundations.

The foundation will also suit every skin tone with the 6 different shades available. Below is a swatch of the primer and the foundation’s lightest tones N2 and R2:

Swatches of the Lucent Magique foundation’s lightest shade.

R2 is lighter than N2 but it is slightly pinkish, hence most fair Asian would suit N2 better. Even though N2 looks a little dark, but it is actually lighter when spread out.

Notice how my skin looked death pale with R2 on my skin than N2?

Most bloggers have fair skin and picked N2 as it suited our skin tone better and looked more natural.

Lucent Magique Primer – $24.90

The primer is a whitish, pearly liquid that turns transparent upon application. The primer would enhance the light reflection on your skin for a 3D sculpted look. Use it alone for a subtle glow on your cheeks and T-zone area, or under the foundation for a long lasting hold.

Lucent Magique Touch of Light Pen – $22.90

This pen works as both a highlighter and a concealer. It can help to highlight cheekbones, nose bridge, enhance lip pout, brighten tired eyes and plump expression lines (laugh lines) to achieve a flawless complexion.

The Touch of Light pen has only 2 shades available – Light and Fair. Light works very well as an under-eye concealer and highlighter of the cheekbones and nose bridge to enhance my facial features.

All these three products from Lucent Magique are currently my HG products! I’ve been using them everyday!

Everything can be photoshopped including the glow of our skin, but photoshopped glow can never look like radiant skin taken under the sunlight.

There were also makeup demonstration that taught us how to use the Lucent Magique range:

Here’s a video of how to pro do it:
http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XNDQyODMyNzYw.html

Additionally, we were also given the nail art sticker for trial!

Photo courtesy of Her World

The nail art sticker has 6 fashionable designs in total and are very easy to use! The video below teaches you how to achieve beautifully manicured nails without the pain of applying messy nail polish!

I tried it myself at home and here’s the result:

It has extras for certain nail sizes and therefore you can redo your nails if you make mistakes.

The downside of this product is that not everyone’s nail size are the same width, hence fitting can be quite a pain.

The Lucent Magique range is now available! For more information, visit L’Oreal Paris Singapore’s facebook page!

Recently L’Oreal also launched their latest L’Oreal Paris moodboard on their page where you can create your own moodboard, and then upload a cover photo using those pictures in your board! You get to stand a chance to win $300 worth of prizes weekly. The grand winner will win a Samsung NX100 camera worth $799.

Christmas Tree Light-up at 313@Somerset

313@Somerset launched its first ever Christmas Light Show few days ago and I was one of the bloggers to witness it first hand!

Here’s a short clip of how it looked like:

You can still catch the entire Christmas Light Show at 313′s Level 1 Atrium from now till 23 December at 6.30pm, 7.30pm and 8.30pm! Additional shows will be held on Fridays and Saturdays at 9.30pm!

Scroll down to the end of the post if you want to skip the post-event writeup and see what is in store for you when you visit 313@Somerset this festive season!

We had our caricature picture drawn by an artist and this is me below:

We had some light refreshments served while we watched the Acapella performance by Key Elements and etc.

Finally, we concluded the day with a sumptuous meal at Brotzeit!

In conjunction with the light theme this year, there will be a Light Art Christmas Card and a series of fun filled activities held at 313@Somerset:

Light Art Christmas Card
Charlie Lim, a renowned Singapore photographer uses his technique of “light art” to design unique Christmas cards for the shoppers at 313! This method of photography uses a single source of light and paints the subject in the dark while the camera captures the image.

Hence, from now till 23 December, the first 80 shoppers each day from 12pm to 7pm who spend a minimum of $150 will have an opportunity to get their photos taken!

Roving Santa and Christmas Characters
Santa Clause, Santarinas and the Christmas characters are coming to town 313@Somerset on 7, 14, & 19 – 21 December at 6pm and 8pm and 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 & 23 December at 4pm, 6pm and 8pm!

Additionally, there will be a musical performance y the Kaze Flute Ensemble to take everyone through the melodic series of Christmas pieces performed on a flute. Catch them on 7, 14, & 19 – 21 December at 5.30pm and 7pm and 8, 9, 15, 16, 22 & 23 December at 5.30pm, 7pm and 8pm!

Recycled Ornaments Workshop
Create your own personalised ornaments for your home to spice up the festive season from now till 23 December, every Friday to Sunday at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm! Not only you can do your part for the environment by using recycled materials for making ornaments, you also can lend a helping hand to the visually handicapped this festive season! To participate, all shoppers simply need to make a donation of a minimum of $10 at Level B2. All proceeds go to the Association of the Visually Handicapped (SAVH). Pre-registration starts on the 5 December.

Draw it Forward Project 2012
Peter Draw, a caricature artist who earned a place in the Guinness Book of Records for drawing the world’s largest caricature taught some children to draw through workshops sponsored by Great Eastern. These children will then use their newly acquired skills to draw caricature for the public. To support this project, you can make a donation for the drawings on 13 – 15 & 20 – 22 December from 12pm to 8pm. All donations proceeds to fund programmes for the under-priviledged children supported by Community Chest.

My Christmas Wish List – Facebook

313@Somerset has launched a “My Christmas Wish List” facebook application for the social media savvy shoppers! From now till 20 December, shoppers may be granted their Christmas wish list by simply snapping a photo of items from three stores within 313 and submitting it to their facebook page here.

10 shortlisted wish lists will go through online public voting from 10 – 20 December and three participants with the highest-voted wish lists will each receive $500 worth of 313 shopping vouchers! In addition, five lucky voters will also receive $50 worth of 313 shopping vouchers each.

Hurry up as the dateline ends on 9 December!

Spoilt for Choice with Redemptions
Shoppers will receive 1 Christmas point for every $50 spent (maximum of 3 same day receipts). CLUB313 members also earn 1 point for every $45 spent. The Christmas points can be used to redeem gifts such as Samsung Galaxy Note II, the new iPad, Frederique Constant Ladies watch and 313 shopping vouchers from now till 25 December!

Additional Rewards for VISA Cardholders
VISA Cardholders will receive a 313 voucher worth $10 when they spend a minimum of $200 in a single day from now till 6 January 2013! This is limited to the first 50 shoppers per day on a first-come-first-serve basis.

Lucky Christmas Tree Instant Draw
From now till 23 December, 10am to 6pm at the Level 1 Atrium, attractive prizes will be flashed up randomly onto the Christmas Tree and shoppers get to walk away with $500 worth of 313 shopping vouchers daily! The first 80 shoppers who spend $150 can redeem a “Lucky Tree” coupon for the instant draw at B1 Concierge. All CLUB313 members who meet the minimum spend will be guaranteed for a redemption.

 

For more information, call the concierge desk at 6496 9313 or visit to 313@Somerset Facebook page.

Get flawless with Kevin Laoshi @ Starcruise Virgo

Media Conference

Some time back, L’egere and M.O.S.S invited some bloggers to L’egere’s media conference. L’egere invited Kevin laoshi, the well known beauty maestro in Taiwan, on board Starcruise Virgo to conduct a series of beauty workshops. Therefore, I got a chance to meet Kevin laoshi in person to bring home more beauty knowledge!

Background Information of L’egere
L’egere is based in Korea that aims to bring effective and innovative skin care and make up solutions to women around the world at reasonable prices. Through research, L’egere has developed a wholesome and holistic range of products that are catered to different skin types and needs.

Can you believe he is 43 years old this year?

Kevin laoshi first came across L’egere a few years back and have since been an ardent fan of it. During the media conference, he shared some tips on how to achieve beautiful skin here are the highlights:

Q: What are his favorite products from L’egere?
His favorite product has got to be the Ice Toner that turns water in the spray can into frost when dispensed out. This product is his favorite because unlike the usual thermal water sprays, the Ice Toner does not leave droplets on our face. Kevin laoshi introduced this product in the famous Taiwan variety show 女人我最大 and received favorable responses.

Q: What are the products suitable for Asian skin types?
Kevin laoshi recommended the L’EGERE WHITE -C Revitalizing Collagen Essence which is an oil-free essence that helps to exfoliate skin, increase skin elasticity and delay aging of skin.

I received the collagen essence in my press pack and honestly speaking, I’m loving it so much. It has worked very well on my skin. I’ve been using it for around 2 months or so and the acne scars have faded in about 2 to 3 tones. The essence is also very thin and watery which leaves no stickiness on my skin.

Q: What are the must-haves for Singapore’s weather?
Oil free products BB creams and oil control products are recommended by Kevin laoshi on the T-Zone area ONLY as our cheeks are usually dry. He recommended the L’EGERE Magic Water Cool Aqua Powder because it has a Water in Powder technology that contains 60% of water in the powder to moisturize our skin. Additionally he also recommend that we have the ice toner in our bags to calm our skin to combat our mid-day shine.

To check whether you have dry or oily skin, look out for spots and freckles as they appear only on dry skins. However some girls have both freckles and oily skin. The reason is due to the lack of moisture and the skin has to produce more oil for the lack of hydration.

I also got to take a picture with Kevin Laoshi!

The day after was the workshop conducted by Kevin laoshi and it was opened to the public.

Kevin laoshi with the emcee of the day

Kevin laoshi recommends us to lie on our beds like the picture above when applying moisturiser as it helps with lifting of our faces.

He also demonstrated the correct massaging technique to achieve “V-shaped” face on an audience:

For the benefit of everyone reading this, I got the whole process videotaped down… Yes I know, you don’t have to thank me.

 

Personally I tried this method at home and I’m glad to say that it works!

My face during September was a little puffy and less firmer as compared to now. Even my girls who have not see me since the HK trip have commented that my face looked much defined and sharper now!

He also taught the audience the tips and tricks to achieve a flawless and natural looking face.

On applying blush on the cheeks, Kevin laoshi recommended finding our cheekbones to determine the area that our blush should be:

 

End result:

He also taught the audience in choosing the correct clothes to suit our own body shapes and sizes:

It was a fulfilling experience overall! Hope to see him again sometime!

Counting Down: 4 More Days!

Last Friday I attended Loreal Paris’s latest Lucient Magique foundation launch and I’m impressed. I can’t wait to try their products and blog about the event!

Counting down to the influx of blog posts: 4 more days!

Bellabox’s Oct Birthday Ed. & September’s TGIF with Bellabox

Sponsored Review

October is not only my birthday month, it also marks the first year Bellabox entered Singapore with its fabulous sample products! Happy Birthday Bellabox!

Over the past year, Bellabox has collaborated with over 80 brands which includes famous brands such as Elizabeth Arden, SKII, Benefit and more!

In their October Birthday Edition box, this is what you will be getting:

1) NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil (good product!)
2) NUXE Body 24 Hour Body Moisturizing Lotion
3) Nuxe Face and Body Ultra-rich Cleansing Gel
4) Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution (good product!)
5) Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDT

NUXE Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil
100ml for $68

This multi purpose oil can be applied onto hair, face and body. Initially I was worried that it might be too oily for my skin, but the oil was quickly absorbed into my skin. If you have a bathtub at home, a few drops of this oil can be added for a moisturizing bath.

NUXE Body 24 Hour Body Moisturizing Lotion
200ml for $38

This is a tad greasy as this is more suitable for dry skin types. The almond and orange flower petals scent smells good though!

Nuxe Face and Body Ultra-rich Cleansing Gel
200ml for $38

This is a soap free cleansing gel that promises to soothe and soften skin. I’m a little skeptical about this product as anything use to clean my body might be a little drying on my face. Have not tried it yet.

Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution
$100ml for $15.90

This is the product to look out for! This solution is a cleanser that removes makeup, dirt and other residue in just one wipe, no rinse! It is also super gentle and has no fragrance at all, perfect for sensitive skin users!

Guerlain La Petite Robe Noire EDT
30ml for $81

When I first smell it, it smells very overpowering for me. However after a few seconds, the fragrance quickly dispersed and left a light feminine and floral scent on my wrist.

Last but not least…

You get a mirror from Bellabox!

Before I left for Hong Kong, I attended Bellabox’s event at the Wangz Hotel Rooftop Lounge!

There were various booths set up for us to visit such as the Elizabeth Arden makeup station, Bioderma’s demostration on their star product – Bioderma Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution, Aveda’s hair and massage and more!

Sis enjoying the massage!

Makeup artist Darren Yeo doing a very heavy makeup for his model and then…

gone within seconds using Bioderma’s Sensibio H20 Micellar Solution. :O

We also did a homemade scrub taught by Petronille Cosmetics! The scrub was made up of brown sugar, olive oil, cocao and tea tree essential oil. I used it at home and it is so awesome!

Overall it was a fun night getting to know more brands and bringing home loads of goodies!

Watsons’s Beauty Day Out

There was a Beauty Day Out blogger’s event organised by Watsons a month ago at Fullhouse!

Yes, Watsons is voted as the #1 Singapore’s Favorite Health and Beauty store in Singapore!

It was the night for fun activities, visiting various stations to find out about the various beauty brands that Watsons offered.

Marc Anthony‘s best selling product – The 2nd Day Clear Dry Shampoo. According to Marc Anthony, this dry shampoo allows you to clean your hair instantly, absorbs excess oil and add volume to your limp and lifeless hair without leaving any residue. Perfect for girls with long hair because drying hair takes an awful long period.

Here’s a picture of Jamie in the process of styling her hair by Marc Anthony’s hair stylist.

CLIO Professional, well known for its gelpresso eyeliner, will be launching their new Waterproof Turnliner Twisturn and all these goodies below for Singapore fans soon.

Image taken from Watsons Singapore Facebook Fan Page

CLIO’s makeup artist tried on the Turnliner Twisturn for me. It was in a gorgeous shade of purple, the same color they have for their gelpresso eyeliner.

Atorrege AD+ is a skin care brand targeted for sensitive skin and people with Atopic Dermatitis. “AD” refers to Atopic Dermatitis and “+” means advanced formula.

Founded in Japan in the 1980s, today Atorrege AD+ is Japan’s Number 1 skincare brand endorsed by Yes 933FM DJ Lim Pei Fen.

The haircare brand Ma Cherie was also one of the famous brands that Watsons carries. The name Ma Cherie means “My Sweetheart” in French. Ma Cherie is the haircare line of Shiseido that aims to provide girls with desired beautiful hair without compromising on the packaging and scent.

Not forgetting everyone’s favorite eyelash brand Dolly Wink!

No. 1, 2 and 4 will be repackaged and no. 15, 16 and 17 will be joining the family of Dolly Wink eyelashes this December!

Here’s a picture of me trying out their upper and bottom lashes (no. 11 & 6 respectively):

And of course I fell in love with their bottom lashes and bought a whole lot from Hong Kong last month.

L’Oreal Paris gave us an interesting presentation to promote their latest products:

L’Oreal Youth Code Essence, improved version with 2x effectiveness in boosting your skincare products (as if their old version wasn’t awesome enough!) and the new Youth Code Rejuvenating Eye Essence – Targeted for ladies who wishes to “erase” the common problems such as puffy eyes, dark eye circles, fine lines caused by tugging of eyelids & etc!

L’Oreal also recently laucned their Lucent Magique BB Cream, a one-tone-fits-all cosmetic product that aims to cover spots, minimise pores, correct skin tone & etc.

Last but not least…

Bio Essence is launching their Professional line to provide hydration, fight eye bags & dark eye circles problem and gives you 3D face lifting with their new products.

I hope everyone reading this will be as thrilled as I am! With so many products offered by Watsons, there is one other thing you will need to look out for:

Watsons had launched their new mobile app for its members! You can now check out the latest hot item retailing in Watsons, view E-beauty tips, grab E-Coupons, check out your transaction history and read their Glow Magazine online!

This app now available in both Apple’s App Store and Android Market!