Blooming Teas...

I finally managed to try out the blooming tea buds I brought back from London last month. Paris has blogged about Full Bloom Teas before on her site, but I have yet to be able to order it off their website (they’ve sent my order to the wrong address twice!)

I found a small shop along Compton Street in London that stocks great coffee and teas called the Algerian Coffee Store, and found these in the window. They’re a bit pricey at £2 a pop, but when you look at the amount of work that has gone into creating it, you’ll see why.

I loved the Blooming Richness variant of the tea, which opens up into a pretty red bloom framed by a plethora of ‘foliage’. Very pretty indeed.

The only fault with this tea is that it looks better than it tastes. I guess you can’t have everything.

Rating: 3.5 / 5
Value: $

DELIcious by Ms Read...

There are many café-boutiques nowadays, but its a rare find to visit one that has managed to pull off both well. I was at Ms Read’s DELIcious café at 1 Utama recently, and was pleasantly surprised.

The interior was cosy and inviting, and with soft lighting, its easy to just sit back and lose yourself in the experience (as long as there are no screaming kids around!)

I’m always on the hunt for exceptional garlic bread, and with the bread here, I am in love. The aroma of the garlic and herbs was simply intoxicating.

Main course was the Cabonara Spaghettini with bacon. This is one of the better cabonara sauces I’ve tasted, with just the right consistency (in a bad case, the sauce comes out lumpy or congeals 10 minutes into the meal)…I would have preferred it to have been done with angel hair pasta though.

We also tried the Pan-Seared Crispy Skin Salmon and Seriously DELIcious Cheeseburger. The Salmon skin was crisp as promised, but the chef managed to lock in the moisture and keep the remainder of the salmon flavourful and a perfect complement to the asparagus spears. The burger was tasty enough, but the highlight wasn’t the burger. Rather, the chips with cracked sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper kept us drooling for more.

And washed down with a lychee and watermelon frostee, it was simply heaven. The combination may sound weird, but seriously, you’ll have to try it to believe it.

For dessert, we decided to split the Berrilicious Chocolate Pavlova, which was fresh cream, strawberries and chocolate shavings on a chocolate-based meringue pavlova. Two words – absolutely divine.

Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$

Badger Balms...

(Before you ask, no, it’s not made of badger!)

I’ve been addicted to this every since coming back from London. They have an absolutely divine ‘Sleep Easy’ balm made with baby balsam and lavender (amongst others) that will just send you off to beddy-bye land. Very good for those with insomnia (I go through periodic ‘toss and turn in bed’)

The range is quite comprehensive, and covers everything from balm for hardworking hands (smoothes out all the wrinkles), healing balm (for those nasty paper cuts!) and just general ‘feel good’ balms in yummy tangerine and lavender scents. Some online stores stock it, but if you’re in London, head on down to the Spitalfields market in Whitechapel – it retails at £10.95 for a box of three…and great as gifts either as a set or individual tins.

Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$ (worth every penny)

Absolute All-Time Favourites...

I’ve tried tons of beauty products ever since I was introduced to the world of makeup and such, but these have got to be my all-time favourites:

Revlon Superlustrous Lipstick and Gloss

This product has got an amazing texture, not to mention a great lineup of shades for every skin tone. Personally, I love the ‘Nude Lustre’ and ‘Glossy Rose’ shades – they add a subtle shine without screaming “I’m wearing lipstick!!”

Rating: 4.5 / 5

Value: $$$

Revlon New Complexion Powder

I don’t like the two-way cake, but the powder gives one of the best cover-ups I know in powder form. And since it’s got cornsilk in it, shine’s also effectively banished for a good part of the day…all you need is a slight touch-up before leaving work!

Rating: 4 / 5

Value: $$

PS: It’s now on 10% off at Guardian and Jusco!

Lancôme Juicy Tubes

Pure shine on the lips…definitely for those who wan the super glossy look. Tastes great too! I love layering it over the Superlustrous lipstick when I want a more ‘watergloss’ look rather than the glittery shine.

Rating: 4 / 5

Value: $

Crabtree & Evelyn’s La Source Range

Crabtree has got one of the BEST fixes for dry skin – the La Source range. They’ve got scrubs for hands, feet and even body to a fantastic cream/lotion. Only problem is, your skin feels so good after the scrub, you’re fooled into thinking that you don’t need the lotion! An absolute must-have for any beauty regime.

Rating: 5 / 5

Value: $

Pedigree Markies

Yup, you heard me right...Pedigree Markies. I’m reviewing dog snacks. Why? Simple. Because I have a dog, and she’s got an opinion. And her opinions are PRETTY EASY to read…*lol*

But from a human perspective, the Markies are good because they’re easy to handle (translated: not greasy, which is good when you’re in a hurry) and smell quite nice. Not that I’m going to try one for myself, but there’s really no point in ending up smelling like chopped liver just because you’re giving your mutt a treat!

PS: Doggie food and treat reviews will be rated on a scale of 1-5 ‘paws’.

Rating:

Lancôme Hydra Zen Neurocalm™

While I was at the Duty Free Zone at KLIA recently, I picked up a Lancôme ‘Bon Voyage’ travel set made up of Galatée Confort, Tonique Confort and Hydra Zen Neurocalm™, all in handy 125ml sizes.

Prior to using this I’d bought and tried the Lancôme Hydra Zen Neurocalm™ Moisturising Fluid, and I must say the product lives up to its name. The solution left my skin feeling very smooth and relaxed, and there was no ‘if you smile, your face will crack’ moments even though I only used a couple of drops.

Rating: 4/5
Value: $$ (a bit on the pricey side, but you get what you pay for)

Welcome!

Hi, and welcome to Beetrice’s Reviews!

I blog under the name Beetrice and this site is basically about reviews – literally anything and everything can be reviewed, right? However, be that as it may be, I usually limit my reviews to beauty products, supplemented by a regular dose of promotions and news in the beauty industry, as well as any other tidbits I think you guys might like.

I used to work with some beauty brands at a previous job, but I don’t work within the beauty or fashion industry anymore, so the information on this site is sourced from my own print/online research or grapevine news from trusted sources. That said, I also hold down a full time day job so please be patient if the posts are rather late in the day.

My product reviews are based on personal experience, and I usually pay particular attention to whether it works for Asian skin as many of these items were designed for a Western market. As for supply, my products are obtained from other bloggers, bought myself or provided by the brand representatives themselves. In the case of the latter, this will be disclosed.

For those of you that want a bit of background to where I come from – I was born and bred in Malaysia, but spent a portion of my life in Australia. I also enjoy a fair bit of travel, so suffice to say some of the products are picked up along the way. However, most of the products I review will either be from Malaysia, Australia or Thailand unless otherwise specified.

That’s me in a nutshell…I hope you enjoy the material here, and do feel free to drop me a comment or email if you have any suggestions or recommendations. I’d love to hear what you have to say!

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