Dream house: First week progress

We are into the first week of our dream home's renovations!
It's so exciting to see our dream home slowly becoming into reality...loves.

Ok photos!

What has been done so far:

The tiled section of our flooring is done. The tiles are in the main area while the bedrooms will have laminated flooring.

The Hubs chose the glossy champagne coloured tiles as he felt they will help reflect light and make the living area brighter. It really does have that effect doesn't it?

Shower kerb for the master bedroom bathroom is done, waiting for the glass shower doors.

Base for the kitchen cabinets.

Piping for the stove connected.

Base for the fridge.

Base for the washing machine.

Kitchen works in progress.

Partition wall to fill in part of the indented area. This will allow the sofa to be placed flushed against the wall so there's no awkward gap behind it.

Up next will be electrical works, installation of the storage heater and bathroom accessories. I'm honestly very grateful to Francis our ID. Most interior designers just come up with the design and give you advice but one service that Ciseern provides is that your designer will also be your project manager. He coordinates all contacts for the different vendors who would be coming in to work on your renovation. When he accompanies us to purchase fixtures and furniture, we can also pass him all the invoice numbers so that he can arrange the delivery dates and installation. A lot less headache for me indeed! Honestly with work being so crazy lately, if i had to coordinate the different timings for the contractors to commence their work, I swear I would go bonkers!

Update next week!

Dream Home progress

Hi all!
Before you all think this blog has gone all weird (suddenly reviewing beauty products? isn't this a home blog?), I better post a little about the progress of our new home. I'll tell you why those beauty-related posts got onto this blog another time.

Anyway, WE GOT OUR KEYS!!! Super excited! Nothing beats the first time you rush up there, open the main door and gaze into your future home and explore every crook and cranny. I wanted to move in there immediately, who cares if there's no water or electricity or even floors! LOL.

Yeah but common sense kicked in and we are forging ahead with our renovation plans. Really excited. We are using Francis Tan from Ciseern and so far the experience has been good. We were at a Home exhibition at Expo a couple of months back, starting our research and sourcing for designers. We walked past the Ciseern booth and were approached by Francis. Since we went to the Expo with the purpose of sussing out potential renovation firms, of course we gave his sales talk a chance. He showed us around the show flat and introduced some of their star features.

We sat down to chat and he introduced us the packages that Ciseern offered and before we knew it, we signed up for their 4-Room package. Now this is sooo not me. I'm the type that researches and checks for reviews just to buy an eyeliner. Signing on the spot was giving me major jitters.

But I guess what made me trust Francis and sign for the package was mainly because he understood what zakka was. Do you know how hard it was to explain my dream home style to the friends and family who asked me? Gosh I do not want to have to go the whole to the most important person in my dream home design process - my designer. But Francis, having studied design in Japan, understood zakka which made communication a lot easier. He was also easy to talk with and not pushy. The ever-supportive hubby also gave me the assurance saying how often do you meet someone who understand your style? He was totally with me on having zakka as our home theme. Love.

Back to Francis. One could tell he really had the customer in mind. So far, he has been attentive and responsible and the renovation progress has been smooth. The actual work hasn't started yet but we have been busy picking out all the necessary materials and colours. It's tiring but really fun and exciting. It totally makes me happy to have a hand in building up my dream home.

Wow after more than 2 years finally from this:

to this:

Our beloved home!

Our main gate...entrance to our love nest! (I blurred out my unit-no of course, the top part doesn't actually look like this)

Living room

Entryway

Little nook for dining area

Living room

Bedroom 2

Bedroom 1

Master bedroom

Storeroom

Common bathroom

Master bathroom

View from the master bedroom window

The neighbourhood

It'll be very interesting and fun to post weekly progress photos of our dream home's renovation. I hope I can keep up with that!

Til next time <3 p="p">

Bellabox: October

Whee my 2nd Bellabox is here!!
Always nice to receive a pretty pink box in the mail. Can't wait to check what goodies I got this month. This month's box is their birthday box so I hope there'll be something special waiting! And Happy Birthday Bellabox! Keep those awesome beauty boxes coming!

This month the box is hot pink! Nice~

Hot pink and black...sassy combo

This month's treasures!!

As usual, I'll start with the card.


And this month I received:

1) Nuxe Huile Prodigieuse Multi-Usage Dry Oil, Retails S$68 for 100ml.
I'm quite excited to try this. Have you read the feature on Bellabox extolling the benefits and the multiple uses for this oil? I have been having a hydration problem recently, not only is my face oiling up all the time, I also have dry scaly patches on my upper arms. I'm planning to try this on the dry patches on my arms first to see if it helps.

(P.S.: I couldn't wait to try it so I used it last night before taking the photos this morning. Honestly at first I was freaking out a little over applying oil on my face but dry oil is really different from the other oil-based products one may have used in the past. It's not heavy at all and smells so luxurious! I think it has a strong smell of jasmine flowers which most people might not like but I could bear with it. The smell lingers for quite a while too. After applying, though it absorbed quite well, I felt a velvety layer over my face. I had only used like 2 to 3 drops for my whole face. I also applied it to the dry patches on my arm. I think this is more suited for night.)

2) Nuxe Body 24hr Moisturising Body Lotion, Retails S$38 for 200ml.
This is another product I need! I am currently using the yummy smelling Satsuma Body Lotion from The Body Shop which although smells sumptuous did not really do much for my dry patches. So i'm hoping this plus the dry oil will cure it. According to the card, this has sweet almond and sunflower oils, wheat and wood extracts. It's touted to absorb instantly so there should be no yucky greasy feeling. I shall use and see if that is true. Think I'll use this in the morning and the dry oil at night.

3) Nuxe Face and Body Ultra-Rich Cleansing Gel, Retails S$38 for 200ml.
Will this is better than my Hada Labo AHA cleansing foam? This soap free cleansing gel with a delicious honey scent looks like pure honey and smells really rich.

Hmm all 3 Nuxe products have really strong scents so those who may not like fragrance in their products may be a little turned off.

I had used Nuxe's 24HR Moisturizing and Soothing Refreshing Mask and loved it. It's hydrating power was very good and I loved to use it around once or twice a week overnight to give my skin a hydration boost. I have confidence in Nuxe's products and now I have 3 new items to try!

4) Bioderma Sensibo H2O Micellar Solution, Retails S$15.90 for 100ml.
This is touted as specially formulated for sensitive skin. It is a non-rinse cleansing solution and gentle enough to remove eye and face makeup. Hmm good to try.

5) Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser, Retails S$68 for 100ml.
Yay I got one of the popular products from cult makeup brand Laura Mercier! The shade I got was Nude. I also swatched it below. I'm sure you are all familiar with its presence in Sephora. I have been trying to use a lighter hand on my makeup because my skin is not really behaving well lately and anything slightly thick makes it look tired and aged by mid-day. Nooo I'm trying to maintain a youthful look here!! So I can't wait to wear this to work to see if it can create the natural fresh look I wanted. It has SPF 20 and according to the card 'extremely long wearing' and suitable for all skin types. Hopes it keeps my shine at bay and not melt off by lunch!

Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser in Nude

Slightly blended

Fully blended out. At first when I was blending it on the back of my hand I was a little worried cos it looked a little orange to me. But it seemed to have settled into my skin quite well and now looks slightly tanned? Shall wear this out later.

Inside the box was also a $5 voucher for Beauty by Nature and a voucher to redeem a Mini Lip Glace (worth $12) from Laura Mercier with any purchase.

I mentioned in my previous post about September's Bellabox that I would try to get a couple of reviews of the items up here. To be honest the only thing I really tried was the Caudalie Vinosource Range: S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum. I tried it for more than a week but did not find any improvement to my skin's hydration. It still oiled up barely an hour after applying it at night. It didn't give me the confidence to try the other Caudalie products. Plus my skin is cranky and broke out a little these past couple of weeks so perhaps when it's calmed up, I'll give the other products a try.

Hope these new products fared better!
If this box got your interest, then hurry and subscribe to Bellabox today! Enjoy the fun I had opening my box every month!

Bellabox: September

Yesterday I received my very first Bellabox!
I only subscribed last month, hopping on to the beauty subscription quite late.

I had heard of these services like Bellabox and Vanity Trove of course but hesitated to use them, even though the concept was very attractive, as they carried a lot of unfamiliar brands and I thought I don't really need more products to clutter up my vanity. As it is I have already been buying too much stuff to try and wasting them when I found they were incompatible with my skin.

However Bellabox brought in some brands that were familiar, especially makeup and I got interested. And so, my first Bellabox!

Alright, enough blabber. I'm sure you are all eager to know what's in this month's box, so reveal!

Love the pink box btw!

The products!

Card from Bellabox listing the items I'm given. A little background on me cause I know that Bellabox customises their boxes according to their subscribers needs. I'm combination skin type, hitting the big 3-0, usually uses neutrals in my makeup, goes for the fresh, natural look and put down likes to look for new products to supplement my skincare routine in the survey.

And so I was given the following:

1) Caudalie Cleansing Water, Retails $35 for 200ml.
According to the information in the box,it's for all skin types. "Perfectly cleans and removes make-up. Contains moisturising and soothing active ingredients. High tolerance formula, suitable for all skin types, even the most sensitive." The usage instructions state that it's to be used in the morning and evening. Apply using cotton pad unto face and eyes to cleanse and tone. No need to rinse. Hmmm, I'm a little iffy about cleansing products that do not need to rinse. Always feel like there's residue on my face.

2) Caudalie Vinosource Range: S.O.S Thirst Quenching Serum, Retails $67 for 30ml
"All skin types. Extra-sensory and oil free serum with an ultra-light aqeous texture. High tolerance formula that continuously captures and diffuses water deep within the skin, leaving it soft and fresh." Also a morning and evening product but avoid the eye area. I'm intrigued by this. Been looking for something to moisturise my skin. It has been in sebum over-drive lately.

3) Caudalie Vinosource Range: Moisturising Sorbet, Retails $52 for 40ml, Moisturising Matifying Fluid, Retails $52 for 40ml.
The sorbet is for sensitive skin and the matifying cream is for combination skin. Doesn't sorbet sound adorable?
Sorbet
"Surprising gel cream texture that immediately soothes, moisturises and calms the skin."
Matifying cream
"Lightweight texture with a matifying effect that instantly absorbs excess sebum and regulates its production."

4) Vichy Bi-White Med Deep Corrective whitening Lotion, Retails $49 for 200ml
It targets "melanin at its source, deep within your skin, and stops its creation biologically, this Lotion fights dark spots, dullness and yellowish skin tone. For all skin types, even sensitive." Sounds good for me, I have uneven skintone that gets dull easily so I'll see if this works.

5) Rimmel Flash Eye Liner, Retails $15.90
I'm guessing here cause the name on the eyeliner doesn't really fit with the one on the card. It was serendipity that this was in my box as I was planning to get an eyeliner with a smudging effect. Although emerald green is something a bit more dramatic for me but I'm eager to try it out!

6) Celmonze Premium Facial Ampoules, Vitamin A, Retails $95 for a box of 5
I've used ampoules before and did not feel they made a big difference. I also feel that one to try may not have much effect. But going in with an open mind!

And of course, the usual vouchers!

Hopefully I will be able to blog about my experience with these products soon and maybe find something that works for me!

Dream: Wardrobe for our Phuket trip (in my dreams)

We are going on a holiday to Phuket!!
Counting to holidays gives me a tingle and I'm really excited about this one.
It's been more than half a year since our honeymoon and we could really use a break.

We have never been to Phuket before and can't wait to be there on it's beautiful beaches and glorious blue seas. Oh to just lie there and relax!

Researching on Phuket also gave me a couple of inspirations fashion wise. First thing you need on a beach holiday would be a bikini right? Thus I bought this gorgeous bikini from Seafolly!

It's a little more expensive than any swimwear I have ever bought but I was thinking of it as more of an investment, seeing that the only bikini I have was bought more than 10 years ago (YIKES!!!!)

So I started thinking about what would be great to wear on the trip, to make it picture perfect.