How to know if short hair will look good on you

I saw this article on Harper's Bazaar that day and thought that I should share it! Many women are so unsure of whether they should cut their hair short, so I'm sure this article will help.

Basically, it's the 2.25" rule - read the article here to find out more!

Get, Snap, Blingo!

Bunny, selfie, Soyato, lucky draw loot, beautiful Thea with her box of Benefit

Last Wednesday night, I attended Vanity Trove's project launch party because a representative kindly invited me to join in the fun and generously let me bring my friends too. True enough, I really enjoyed my time at Zouk that night with Anthea, and Rach, who came with her friend Euge. No pics with Rach because she disappeared after telling me that she would see me at the Soyato counter when she was done with something. When I called her to ask where she went, she told me she was having dinner outside before coming back for the lucky draw lol we said she abandoned us for food but I secretly wished I did so too because I was so hungry hahaha

There was a Hippie/Boho Chic theme, Benefit Cosmetics make-up counter, DIY Pink Room nail corners, hair-styling stations where we could get hairstylists, including Gary Chew from Salon Vim, who used Loreal Professionnel's steampod (which is amazing) to style our hair, good hosts, a game for the entire event to keep people occupied, delicious food and many gorgeous girls. I went for a casting which ended so late, so I inevitably arrived later than expected. Thus, I only got to try eggless cakes from Emicakes and soy ice cream Soyato - but no complains because these are more vegetarian-friendly. I've been eating really little meat these days so all's good. I was really craving some savoury snacks though, maybe fries? I didn't go for the make-up or hairstyling services either because I was focused on carrying out my missions for the game.

The biggest surprise came when Anthea, Rachel, Denise and I all won something from the lucky draw! When they announced that the next prize was going to be a box of Benefit products, Anthea casually commented that she wanted it and next thing we knew, the host announced her name. I was so excited I screamed lol. I managed to gather all my lucky stars and got myself some real sweet stuff from Kwerkee, including a real sturdy stool made out of floral-patterned cardboard (now serving as an extremely useful bedside table), a beautiful asymmetrical black clutch with wooden details and some quirky house decor items, which hopefully can last a few years until Javin and I get our own crib.

Thank you Vanity Trove for inviting me, it was a very fun event that I will remember.

Favourite 3 Korean products

I've been away because of Chinese New Year celebrations (I really really love Chinese New Year! Everyone is so happy), but I told myself I would post more Korea-related content that is more informative and useful, so here are the three Korean products I couldn't tear myself away from while I was in Korea.

I love this stuff from Laneige (amongst their other awesome products) and I am sure that people who are familiar with Korean beauty products already know how good this is. I've always heard my friends raving about this so I finally got myself one when I was in Korea.

It's a sleeping pack that should ideally be used bi-weekly, after toner and moisturiser. I love it because the gel is light and isn't a heavy cream so my skin doesn't feel oily after I have put the pack on for a while. You can really feel the results of the mask when you wake up the next day - smooth bouncy skin, nothing less!

I like this because the colour is pigmented and matte. It can look flaky if your lips are very dry so I don't put it on on dehydrated lip days or I slather on some lip balm before applying it, but I'm not complaining because I got it for about $5 when Aritaum was having a promotion. The cushion that is attached to the end of the stick is great for things like toning down your lip colour.

You can find these on Qoo10.sg.

After having lunch with my groupmates one day, I dropped by the Tony Moly on the way to school and wanted to try their Cat Wink Mascara because I heard good things about it. However, this Double Needs mascara was on sale so I tried the sample and headed to the gym as planned. It didn't smudge at all like my previous mascara, Helena Rubinstein's Lash Queen Feline Black, which is supposed to be amazing, particularly for volumising and lengthening without clumping, but it still smudged by the end of the day. After my workout, my mascara was miraculously still in place. I was sold and bought it the next time I passed by Tony Moly. I recommended it to all the Singaporean girls and we kept one each because it really is that good.

Besides the smudge-proof attribute, I like how it isn't too thick so my lashes don't look too clumpy and "spider-ish" and I can vary the thickness of my mascara with the number of coats.

There's a Tony Moly shop in Singapore, so you could check it out if you are looking for an affordable mascara that does a reasonably good job.

Seoul: My first perm, Myeongdong, Lee Chul Hairkerker

Many friends and others have asked me where to get a good perm in Seoul or where I permed my hair, so I thought I should do a post on my first (and favourite) perm in Seoul, and also the first ever perm in my life. Before flying to Seoul, I told myself that I would get my hair permed because Koreans always seem to have perfect hair (they really do in real life by the way) so I assumed that hair technology would be more advanced and professional in Seoul.

Javin, Sherman and I did our salon search at Myeongdong, one of the major shopping areas in Seoul because Javin's friend recommended a salon there called Juno Hair, which has really good reviews online. Myeongdong is one of my favourite places to go for a walk with Javin when we are free. It holds a lot of memories for me because it was one of the first places we visited in Seoul and the place where I first ate my favourite Seoul street snack 계란빵 ("egg bread" in Korean, pronounced "kaeran bbang").

The shops there sell stuff mainly from brands, like Boy London (one of the most popular and trendy brands among Koreans) and there is A-land there too, a shop that sells stuff from young designers. I only window shop there because most of the items are too expensive for me, so I'd rather go to Hongdae/Dongdaemun/Gmarket, two of which I talked about in my Shopping in Seoul post. Myeongdong has a ton of food places to eat and I actually have a list of places to eat in Myeongdong, which I may or may not do a post on. There is a movie theatre, street food, cafes, departmental stores... Oh and a Catholic cathedral. It's just a huge congregation of buildings.

For people who are into Korean beauty products, Myeongdong is THE PLACE to go. It's practically heaven for all beauty junkies and shops are constantly having sales. Don't even get me started on Korean beauty products and cosmetics...

There are hair salons too in Myeongdong, but they are more on the high-end side compared to those in Hongdae. I was pretty apprehensive about getting my hair permed because my hair is already pretty dry to begin with. We headed first to Juno Hair to check out the prices, but they were too high. We combed Myeongdong and ended up in a salon, now known as Lee Chul Hairkerker (이철헤어커커), which I highly recommend.

Don't ask me what Hairkerker means though.

Hair salons in Seoul have such impeccable service. Upon entering the salon, the assistants took off our coats for us and put them in lockers while hairstylists gave us one-on-one consultation at their consultation corner. I regret not taking photos to show the beautiful place but it was very well-renovated and designed. We were all given albums of hairstyles to choose from and they gave us advice based on our preferences and hair condition. I went for a digital perm with the most expensive treatment because Eun-young (my stylist) strongly advised me to do so. I trusted her because her hair was really soft and silky. That's how I choose hair salons by the way haha.

My perm was 110,000 - 130,000 won (I can't remember the exact price) and my treatment was 70,000 won so the total was about $230. Significantly more expensive than in Hongdae, but comparing my first and second perm, it was definitely worth every cent. It's still cheaper than in Singapore anyway.

My curls were pretty lasting. It's important to get a perm that actually lasts or your money will just be wasted. Of course, there are certain hair types that just don't hold curls. My hair is quite dry so it holds hairstyles pretty well. They started out like this:

And by the end of four months, they were like this:

My advice for people with dry hair and want to perm their hair is not to scrimp. Go for a really good treatment. My theory is that treatment should ideally be before the perm itself, because prevention is better than cure. The treatment I went for consisted of seven steps. That day I went around Far East Plaza to ask about the treatments the salons were offering for promotion and they were all mostly one-step treatments, with the exception of a few two-step treatments. I find that if the treatment isn't intensive, it doesn't really work or last. The treatment at Lee Chul Hairkerker really kept my curls shiny and soft. Money should not be saved when it comes to hair if you can afford it (if you are financially-strapped, then you shouldn't even be wasting money on doing your hair) because it really does make a difference! I kind of regret not going back to Lee Chul for my second perm because my curls didn't turn out as soft and smooth as the first time.

Lee Chul Hairkerker (이철헤어커커)
4F, 22-5, Chungmuro 1-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul-si
서울 충무로1가 22-5 4층
(Located opposite Primo Bacio Baci)
Myeongdong station, Exit #6

Technicolour

Cap from NUZZON, Dongdaemun, Seoul

Bustier from KSL City, Johor Bahru

Neon skirt from Hongdae, Seoul

Wannabe Cushion Tint in No. 7 Nikita from Aritaum

Some colour to liven up the rainy days. I've been wanting to cut my hair short for the longest time (either collarbone length or jaw length) but looking at these photos I suddenly don't want to part with my curls haha! My roots are showing and my curls are really out of shape though, so I'm really looking to doing something with my hair soon. I actually wanted to go lighter or go blonde-ish but I think I would scare my MGP bosses to death and I will probably lose my job lol.

My items from Paula's Choice arrived last night and I used them immediately because I couldn't wait. I've been without a proper cleanser for months so I've been using random samples and cleansers I can find around the house. So far the products feel good and I guess I should do a review if it can be helpful. I think skincare products will always be my weakness and one of the things I really look forward to when I go overseas is duty free shopping at the airport <3

Just in case this is important,

I will be away in Bali from 7th December to 11th December.

I am looking forward to Bali because although I did travel more than usual this year, I still feel the need for an escape after the most draggy semester in university. When Daddy told us we were going to Bali for our year-end holiday this year, I was planning up a workout schedule so I could get my body as close to a bikini body as possible by the time we got to Bali, butttt life is always full of surprises. Sprained my ankle in October and that put me off exercise for two to three weeks, examination period... Right now I'm facing a non-contagious non-life-threatening rash (it's called Pityriasis Rosea for all you science-y people out there) that is taking over my torso so I tried not to exercise because it might aggravate my condition. Guess that means no water activities (!!!!!! ): boo). It will go away on its own, but the bad thing is that it's gonna take six to eight weeks. I started exercising again though, my body just doesn't feel right without it.