LIFESTYLE

Tokyo Holiday Part 1 – The Peninsula Tokyo Hotel Review

September 14, 2017

August is always the holiday month for my family as we have two birthday celebrations (me and my boy!) and there is nothing better than having the celebrations overseas! This year we spent two weeks in Japan, and we had such a great time if you follow me on Instagram. The trip is mainly for city hopping with lots of shopping and eating around. We stayed at 3 different hotels during the trip – Peninsula Tokyo, Conrad Osaka and Park Hyatt. Out of the 3 hotels my top favorite was The Peninsula Tokyo for its perfect location and the impeccable service.

Lobby

For the first leg of the trip where we would be spending 7 nights in Tokyo, I wanted to stay at Ginza because it is my favorite area for shopping and restaurants. If you have kids, you should not miss the Toy Park Ginza which is a 5 storey toy paradise! I was debating between Four Seasons (which is my all time favorite hotel chain), and the Peninsula Tokyo and both of them are located at Ginza. I chose the latter because the location seems to be better and I also wanted to experience the iconic peninsula experience in comparison to my beloved ‘four seasons’ service.

Peninsula is known for their luxury transportation for the guests (surcharges apply)

We arrived at Tokyo on a very wet day with a severe thunderstorm and pouring rain. We had a chauffer picked us up from the airport (extra charge) and on arrival at the hotel, there were lots of doormen working in the rain to make sure we stayed dry with lots of umbrellas covering us which was impressive. The entire check-in was quick and smooth and the host introduced us to the room. Being a top luxury hotel, I love the fact that Peninsula is also known as a child-friendly and family-oriented hotel. I just love the extra touch they added to the room for my child which included a complimentary toy pack, children’s snacks and milk, children’s robe, slippers, skincare and even a diaper disposal bin!

for the kids

The room itself is very roomy and is much bigger than a standard Tokyo hotel room with a view of Ginza streets. The most amazing part of the room is the massive walk-in-closet. It almost feels like a second room with lots of racks and storage spaces, huge full-length mirrors, and a big vanity table with a built-in nail dryer! The bathroom is also very roomy with double vanities, a separate bath tub and a shower room. In addition, their bath towels are the best I have used (yep I am an Egyptian cotton towel snob).

Our Room – Grand Premier Twin Room

The hotel serves breakfasts at 2 different restaurants. You can have the à la carte at the lobby restaurant which I highly recommend. There are a lot of choices include western, japanese, and chinese sets on the à la carte menu, and every dish is well prepared and presented. I was surprised that I was not bored of their breakfasts after 7 days. The children’s menu is also full of options and well edited. The hotel also serves breakfast buffet at their basement café. I found it to be average as the choices were limited, and the service was not fast enough if it runs at full occupancy.

À La Carte

Buffet

The hotel has an outdoor cafe with a cute coffee van which is my favorite coffee stop.

Every afternoon you can meet with the iconic Peninsula Teddy Bear! In the evening, you can have dinner or just drinks in their lobby restaurant while enjoying the live jazz band. They also have a bar at the top floor with amazing views but I have not been.

Every hotel staff is impeccably dressed. Being a fashion lover, I love seeing their beautiful hostesses dressed in the classic full-white uniforms, and it makes you feel special when you enter the hotel with a lady-in-uniform turning the revolving door for you.

My favorite has to be the complimentary bicycles that the hotel offers! You can hire them for a day just to pedal around Ginza!

Swimming pool

Location

It is located on the quiet end of Ginza which is perfect for me. It takes 5 minutes to walk to the busy shopping streets, and 2 minutes’ walk to the royal palace. It is also located above a train station, so it’s super convenient to catch a train.

Overall Rating:

Interior 4.5/5

Comfort 5/5

Child Friendliness 5/5

Facilities 5/5

Service 5/5

Food 4.5/5

Location 5/5

Total score 5/5!!

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Labels: HOLIDAY • Hotel Review • Japan • LIFESTYLE • Luxury Hotel • Peninsula • Peninsula Tokyo • Tokyo

Monthly Favorites

March 27, 2017

I can’t believe it’s nearly the end of March as I haven’t updated my blog as I planned. I have been having rounds of flu lately so not in the perfect condition for swatching new products, but I thought I’d share some of my favorite and most-used products of the month.

MAKEUP

1. I’ve been using the Charlotte Tilbury Instant Look in a Palette Seductive Beauty almost every day ever since I got my hands on it. Thumbs up for its practicality and easy to wear, and they just look flattering without looking like you have too much makeup on. Detailed review for both palettes here.

2. My skin has been looking ok lately, so I am opting for a very natural foundation. The Tom Ford Traceless Foundation gives the dewiest and most natural finish that is completely traceless as the name suggests. The low-down is that the coverage is very sheer and the ultra dewiness will not work for oily skin. The highlight is that it is very hydrating for dry and aging skin, and you can easily fake the most glowing editorial-like complexion with this foundation! FYI my shade is Albaster that is similar to NC15-20.

3. The exclusive Chanel Le Blanc Compact Foundation is one of the best the powder foundations I have used for its buttery texture, good coverage, and feels quite moisturizing for a powder-based foundation. Detailed review here.

4. Switching to bright coral lips lately after being on brown lips for months! My favorites are the MAC Retro Matte Rich & Restless (swatched here) and Kat Von D Liquid Lipstick Berlin (swatched here).

SKINCARE & HAIRCARE

5. I prefer washing powder more than paste these days, and the Kose Sekkisei White Powder Washing Powder forms into the most creamy lather that deeply cleans and gently exfoliates your skin. It also helps to clarify and brighten your skin after each wash that you can see the difference.

6. I have been resisting Oribe haircare line for a while as it’s a very expensive line and I knew I would be loving it. Finally bought the Oribe Signature Conditioner travel-sized to give it a try when I was on holiday and I was blown away! It’s not easy to transform my overly processed dry hair to the best hair condition, and this conditioner did it after only 1 wash! Will definitely be getting the full-size set soon.

LIFESTYLE

7. I am a big fan of home fragrance, and as a result, I am obsessed with Diptyque. I have pretty much used most of their home fragrances, and my all time favorite will always be the Baies. I have it in Candle, Room Spray as well as the Scented Oval (reviewed here)!

8. Received a lot of questions about this beautiful crystal and gold coaster when I posted it on my instagram lately. They are from the brand RABLABS (I bought it here and also available here worldwide). They are beyond beautiful in real life when it gleams under different angles, and make your vanity/coffee table instantly more expensive and glamourous!

9. Here is another accessory that I have been wearing a lot. The Celine Shadows Flattop sunglasses that is seen on every fashionista! Currently on sale at 40% off here!

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Labels: CELINE • CHANEL • Charlotte Tilbury • DIPTYQUE • KOSE • LIFESTYLE • Oribe • RABLABS • SUNGLASSES • Tom Ford

My Favorites Lately

November 7, 2016

Here is a quick round-up of the products that I have been loving a lot lately.

Capture Your Style – You probably would have seen a lot of pictures of this book on my insta! Love Aimee’s blog and style (well who doesn’t?!), and different to the usual photography books, this book is written from the fashion/beauty/Instagrammer lovers’ perspective of how to take and style your pictures with your phone – think about Song of Style’s feeds.

Tom Ford shades – Lately I love wearing aviators for a casual chic vibe and this pair by Tom Ford fits my typical flat Asian face perfectly!

Marc Jacobs Contour Powder – This is still one of my favorite go-to highlight and contour palettes that is easy to use and fool proof for a natural contouring effect.

Givenchy Le Rouge 105 Brun Vintage – It is a gorgeous MLBB color that is on trend. I didn’t think I needed a backup of any of my lipsticks as I never get to finish them, but Givenchy 105 was an exception. I heard there is a long wait-list in some countries for this color, so I decided to get another one in case it runs out in Australia! Reviewed here

Chanel Velvet Nail Pink Rubber – Must have for anyone who loves pastel nail colors with an edgy twist. Reviewed here

Dior Dreamskin Cushion Foundation – The more I use it the more I love it. Though the coverage is sheer, it is making my skin look poreless and refined. Reviewed here

Suqqu Concealer Palette– Love this convenient palette for covering every type of imperfection, and the result is never cakey! Reviewed here

Artis Brushes – I have been gushing about how much I love these brushes to everyone! They have completely surpassed my expectations as they deliver pro-blending results without any skill required. Review to come soon.

Breydo Handcream Suede – Smells amazing (soapy with a hint of leather) and very moisturizing without feeling greasy.

Tom Ford Velvet Bloom Nightbloom Powder (just released in Australia) – Oh I can’t let this powder go. It’s a beautiful brightening powder for people with cool to neutral complexions. Review to come soon.

Shu Curler (LE) – I always wanted a black lash curler, so happy to see my HG eyelash curler come in the black version from the 2016 holiday collection.

Bottega Veneta Fragrance – This is a lovely sophisticated all year round fragrance for me. It has a perfect blend of soft floral notes (with jasmine and gardenia) and accented by a modern twist (with pink pepper and bergamot).

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Labels: ARTIS • BOOK • BYREDO • DIOR • FRAGRANCE • GIVENCHY • LIFESTYLE • MARC JACOBS BEAUTY • MONTHLY FAVORITES • My Favorites • PERFUME • SUQQU • Tom Ford

Phuket Holiday Diary Part 2 – Holiday Looks and Best Restaurants

September 14, 2016

The second part of my holiday diary (part 1 here) is all about fashion and food – basically two of my biggest hobbies after beauty. I have included my recommendations for some really good restaurants that I had dined in Phuket, and of course some snaps of the new resort wear I added recently.

Holiday Looks

Shopping for resort wear is always my favorite activity to do as part of holiday planning. The anticipation of going on holiday soon as well as having a valid excuse for buying more beautiful dresses always excites me. This holiday, I added another dress from my go-to brand Zimmermann. She does the most romantic and floral dresses with a boho spin, such as this off-the shoulder dress I picked. Also loving this top in the same print.

Hat – Eugenia Kim

my favorite candid shot

Camilla is the iconic high end Australian beachwear label that is stocked in most premium online retailers. Their signature bold prints in silk dresses and kaftans are over the top and dramatic, and goes well with your vacation on an exotic island! The pictures online do not do it justice, as they are so delicate, flowy and looks very expensive in real life. Most of her designs can be worn in multiple ways, and this beautiful Frill Dress I picked (also available here and here in a different print) can be worn off shoulder, one shoulder, or over the shoulders. Again I love anything with a dramatic take on the sleeves this season.

Shoes – here for less than $100 / Sunglasses – Tom Ford Aviator

Restaurants

Trisara

There were two restaurants inside Trisara, The Thai seafood restaurant served authentic Phuket styled Thai food. I dined there twice, and overall the food was great (but did not blow me away as I have very high standards for Thai food) with a lovely posh ambiance, and the service was always top notch. Trisara had another restaurant with a selection of world food over the deck area. The vibe was more relaxing, beachy, and casual with a beautiful ocean view during the day. I really enjoyed dining there as they had lots of choices for western food such as my favorite lobster sandwiches.

Every Sunday, Trisara would host their Sunday brunch which was very famous in Phuket. It was more like a premium seafood buffet that looked amazing. The brunch was extremely popular and normally booked out days in advance, and was open to public.

Some restaurants in Phuket that I highly recommend:

Bann Rim Pa – It serves high-end royal Thai food. I found the food style was quite different to the traditional Thai food. Overall the food was lovely, and it was interesting to experience what the Thai royals ate! The place is located oceanfront with a beautiful 180 ocean view, and is tastefully decorated.

Bampot – One of my favorite places in Phuket. European and Asian Fusion food with a modern open kitchen design.

Siam Supper Club – Another chic place to dine in Phuket. Love the old style New York deco, with soothing Jazz music in the background. If you are bored of Thai food, this is the place to go for some authentic grill and pizzas, and they also had some popular Thai dishes.

Raya – I had the best dinner ever! It’s the place where Thai prime ministers and celebrities go to for the most authentic thai food. The place looked very run-down but was purposely decorated to look vintage. It is located in the old town which was an interesting place to visit in Phuket other than the beaches. Apparently the food was so good that lots of wealthy people in Bangkok would fly their PAs down to Phuket just to buy the takeaways! Highly recommend.

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Labels: CAMILLA • Fashion • HOLIDAY • LIFESTYLE • OOTD • ZIMMERMANN

Phuket Holiday Diary Part 1 – Trisara Review

September 9, 2016

Sharing some holiday snaps of my recent trip to Phuket, and a travel journal for the first time on my blog.

Trisara is the resort that I had on my wishlist to visit for a very long time, so when hubby and I started our holiday planning this year, we quickly locked down our holiday destination to be Phuket so we got to stay at Trisara. It is a world leading luxury resort that is highly popular among the celebs and their rooms tend to be fully booked out during the holiday season. It is situated at a very secluded area of Phuket which is far away from Patong (the main tourist area). We booked our stay for 9 days, with the Oceanfront Pool Villa directly from the website, though the price is higher than going through hotel booking websites but we got some extra offers from the package including VIP airport pickup etc.

Flight

Booking a flight to Phuket was more challenging. We wanted to have direct flights as we have a 3 year old toddler, and Jetstar is the only airline that has direct flight to Phuket from Sydney. As we booked the business class, the entire check-in and departure were easy and quick, and the flight attendants were lovely and attentive. Since it is a budget airline, the seats in the business class are not the flat beds. Personally I think they are just slightly better and more roomy than the premium economy seats from the better airlines such as Singapore and BA. Food was also better than expected, as there were 3 menu options to choose from, and there were lots of snacks and drinks offered throughout the flight.

VIP Airport Transfer

As soon as we got off the plane, we were greeted with 2 attendants from Trisara. They took care of all the luggage, and led us to the VIP airport exit lane so we skipped queuing at the customs and immigration. It was the most amazing and quickest airport checkout I have ever had! Once we got out of the airport, the Trisara chauffeur was waiting for us and greeted us with refreshments and some icy cold towels for the hot Phuket weather. The drive to the resort from the airport was 20 minutes, and the driver spoke fluent English and made a few introductions along the way.

Resort Check-In

I was pretty much amazed by Trisara’s services the minute I stepped into the resort.

We arrived at the resort around 9pm feeling tired, but we were sent to our room straight away instead of going into the reception for checking-in. Upon arrival, there was a lovely Trisara hostess waiting for us in front of our villa, she was very welcoming and friendly and instantly bonded with my boy. When we stepped into our room, literally everything we could ever thought of having was ready. It was so thoughtful of them having the baby cot, bottle sterilizer, baby bath tub and amenities organized before we even made a request. She offered us a room tour (yep it was a big villa!), and welcomed us with another round of refreshing icy drinks, fruits, and chocolates, and also prepared lots of cupcakes for my boy.

Breakfast

Of course the breakfast is the most important meal of the day on vacation! I always look forward to spending some relaxing quality time at the breakfast. The restaurant is located oceanfront, and every table has a beautiful ocean view. The breakfast is divided into half – there is a self-serve bar for continental breakfast including varieties for pastries, cereals and Asian dumplings, and there is the A La Cart for hot breakfast with English, Thai, Japanese and Chinese choices. What I like the most is the juice bar for custom orders, and I normally get them to make a pure green juice with a blend of veges!

Ocean Front Pool Villa

Such an amazing room – I love the Balinese aesthetic to it and it still looks modern and up-to-date. The room is big enough for my son to run around the whole day without feeling crammed. The private infinity pool is the highlight, as it is big enough for a proper swim and also ideal for chilling out. There are complimentary fruits, nespressos and local flowers replenished every day.

Play and Eat

For getting around in the resort, you can either walk, or take their buggies which is our main ‘transportation’ during our stay. Everywhere in the resort is heavenly and totally instagrammable! They have a private beach that is voted as one of the world’s top beaches, and there is a big infinity swimming pool by the beach where you can relax. As a family with little kids, we have spent a lot time in the public pool area as they also have a little kiddy swimming pool with very shallow water where my boy absolutely enjoyed playing.

Other activities they provide include daily yoga, Pilates, lots of water sports, Thai cooking classes, well-being classes etc. For kids they have a dedicated kids room that is filled with toys for all age groups.

Overall the service and hospitality at Trisara was impeccable and flawless. I have stayed at many luxury resorts/hotels, and Trisara is by far the best in terms of hospitality. Every hostess knows our name everywhere we go, and we are always greeted with the warmest welcome and help. They are very attentive with every little details, and this is the only place where I feel they look after our stay beyond our expectations. At one point I had even sent a driver to purchase some nappies for my boy at midnight! The daily house keeping and evening turn down services begin as soon as we leave the room without asking! And they are done before we get back with everything fully replenished and tidied. I really can gush about it forever, but I better stop here so stay tuned for part 2 which I will talk more about the food, shopping, and my holiday looks!

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Labels: HOLIDAY • LIFESTYLE • PHUKET • TRISARA

NEW IN – Fendi Monster

September 16, 2015

Bought this little Fendi monster a while ago and finally had the chance to take some pictures. It’s cute (but not the usual girly cute) in its own unique way, and I think that’s what makes it appealing to me. Since I love investing in classic bags, this is a perfect accessory for adding a playful and whimsical spin to them. I bought mine at the Fendi boutique in the DFS Gallery in Australia (they have very limited stocks), and you can find them online here and here. There are also many affordable options such as this and this in the market now.