Crabtree & Evelyn Promo…

For you Crabtree & Evelyn fans, you’ll be glad to know they’re starting a promotion from tomorrow (1 March) until 23 March on their Bath and Body Lotion combos:

For every Body Lotion purchased, you get a full sized Bath Gel free (with the mailer). I do have some extra mailers with me, so do let me know if you want to get any yeah? The La Source and Aloe Vera ranges are particularly good.


Have a good weekend!

Something to try over the weekend...

Since it’s Friday, here’s a relatively simple updo you can try at home over the weekend… :D the Sweet Short Updo:

1. Take a large, central rectangular section from the fringe to the crown and roll on a large heated roller. Take a large oval section directly behind this section 1” from your ears, secure into a ponytail. Pin the ponytail forward and curl the ends under.

2. Take a 1” section from the side hairline and pull it to the back of the head, twist it tightly then secure at the twisted point by pinning it to the ponytail’s oval section. Make sure that your Kirby grip is pushed in securely before moving on to the next step.

3. Repeat this process identically on the other side of your head so that the finished look will appear balanced, then carry on, repeating the last step with any hair not already sectioned. Make sure that your sectioning is neat and your pinning is good before moving on.

4. Backcomb the ends of all the newly created twisted sections, maybe adding a spray or two of setting lotion or hairspray. Smooth these backcombed sections into loose soft curls on the back of the head. Use a bristle brush and hairspray for hold.

5. Unpin the ponytail and divide it into three sections. Backcomb each section thoroughly then twist and smooth each individual section into soft curl shapes. Drape these newly created curls across the back of the head, spraying to keep them in place.

6. Unwind the front rectangular section from the roller and brush hair up vertically. Drape this section over to one side, loosely pinning some of the ends under the curls at the back of the head. Spray the entire look thoroughly with a strong-hold hairspray.

And voila! You should end up with something like this…

** Apologies for the picture quality – I took these pics during my visit to the hair salon from a magazine…heheh…

Have a good weekend, y’all!

Isthmus KL...

If you’re looking for a nice place to have lunch with fantastic ambience, you cannot beat this restaurant:

On the pricing side, it’s a little high, but you’ll absolutely die over their cooking. They’re now offering a 3 course lunch with a glass of fresh juice from RM26++ (menu changes every 2 weeks)

If you’re not game for a set lunch, their ala carte menu’s also pretty good…

- Mouth-watering prawn & mussels creamy risotto with Wild Porcini mushrooms & herbs – RM28++
- Pan-seared marinated miso organically farmed Barramundi with Bean & Pea Sprout Salad served with Mirin Aioli – RM26++
- Moroccan style grilled Australian Rib Eye Beef with Green Pea Compote & Vegetable Ribbons infused with Red Madeira Spice mix – RM32++

Just to tempt you a little bit, these are just a couple of the dishes I’ve tried there so far:

Grilled Fish Fillets on a bed of mashed root vegetables – for light eaters.


Fettuccine pasta tossed with grilled sliced mushrooms and herbs – my personal favourite.


Tiramisu – need I say more?


Grilled Nashi Pear with Black Sesame Ice Cream – sounds weird, but tastes great!


Panna Cotta with Fresh Strawberries and Coulis – for those who don’t want their desserts too sweet.

For directions on how to get there, see below:

PS: The other reason I like it so much is because it’s near my office… :D

Boots Extremely C Triple White Energising Night Cream...

Description:
A rich night cream specially formulated to energise your skin overnight, whilst helping improve the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles, leaving your skin softer and younger looking.

• Triple C Complex enriched with Ascorbyl Glucoside, Sodium Ascorbyl Phosphate and Ascorbyl Palmitate, plus Vitamins A and E, give enhanced whitening effects, helping inhibit the production of melanin, brightening dark spots and providing anti-oxidant effects.


• Citrus Extract Complex and Tangerine Extract help increase the turnover of dead skin cells, refreshing and revealing brighter skin.


• Soybean Protein, Honey Extract, Cassia Betaglucan, Lecithin and Cholesterol, nourish and moisturize the skin, smoothing the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles.


• A synergistic Multi Mineral Complex including Sodium, Magnesium, Zinc and Manganese PCA’s mourish the skin, energizing intra-cellular ATP and stimulating cell growth.
  Soluble Collagen helps support natural Collagen, smoothing and improving skin’s elasticity.

Directions:
Use at night, after cleansing and toning, as part of your daily skincare regime. Apply with fingertips and smooth onto your face and neck. Avoid direct contact with the eyes. Keep away from heat and direct sunlight. For best results, use as part of your Boots extremely C skincare range.

The Verdict:
I’ve been using this for a while now, and I must admit my skin tends to react really well to Vitamin C-related products. For one, the citrusy scent gives you a boost just before you go to bed and second, there’s no sticky aftereffect - gets sucked right into your skin. With its Triple C Complex, it works to effectively brighten skin while you sleep.

After a month’s use, I’ve found less pimples popping up (especially around the hairline) and that my face is less shiny in the mornings. This product is part of the Extremely C Triple White range at Boots – I’ve also tried their Pore Refining Essence together with the night cream for some unexpectedly good results, but that’s for another post.

Only bummer is that this product is not widely available. For now, the Energising Night Cream is available either via the website or at Boots outlets.

Boots Extremely C Triple White Energising Night Cream comes in a 30ml jar at an approximate equivalent value of RM80.


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$$

No.7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum...

My cousin Tine asked me to get this for her while I was in Bangkok, and I was pretty curious about the hype surrounding this ‘miracle’ serum…

No7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum

It’s known in the UK as No.7 Protect & Perfect. The product claims to reveal younger looking, beautifully refined skin with this powerful blend of caring and skin restoring ingredients. Light and non-greasy, it glides on instantly softening and smoothing your skin.

With regular use, it works to renew your complexion, restoring radiance and helping to reduce the appearance of pores, fine lines and wrinkles in just 4 weeks. With concentrated levels of our unique antioxidant complex and skin-firming pro-retinol complex to boost and maintain skin's elasticity.

How to use :
Use day and night to supplement a moisturising regime. Apply a small amount of serum to the palms of the hands and smooth over the face, avoiding the eye area. Finish with moisturiser.

The Verdict:
This serum feels quite nice against my skin, and leaves a cool sensation. I reckon my pores got a little smaller too. Might take a while to see results though – I only saw a difference after 5 continuous days’ use.

No.7 Restore & Renew Beauty Serum (or its equivalent) is available in all Boots stores worldwide (for Malaysians, the closest is in Bangkok). Price is approximately RM140 for a 30ml supply.


Rating: 3.5 / 5
Value: $$

Elianto One Touch Blusher...

I’ve tried Elianto’s eyeshadows before, and decided to give their One Touch Blusher a try the last time I went…

The instructions are simple enough – take off the cap on the bottle and gently fit the applicator over the top. However, it MAY get a little problematic as the little cover is rather hard to maneuver (think fitting on those spongy thingies on your headphones).

However, once you get the applicator sponge on, it’s a pretty nifty product.

One thing to note though – it has a rather shimmery base, so be careful not to put too much on the apples of your cheeks…you may end up looking like a wooden puppet with painted cheeks!

Elianto’s One Touch Blusher can be gotten at all Elianto outlets and retails for RM15.00 in 6 shades.

Rating: 4.5 / 5
Value: $$$

Cats Whiskers Sale...

Check out Cats Whiskers for their latest promotions…

(Click on images for larger versions)

Cats Whiskers is located at:-
Sri Hartamas : 34-1, 1st Floor, Jln 27/70A, Desa Sri Hartamas, Kuala Lumpur (above Pills & Potions Pharmacy) Tel: 2300 1264
Damansara Perdana : 22-2, 1st Floor, Jln PJU 8/5G, Damansara Perdana, Petaling Jaya (opposite The Place) Tel: 7728 5662
Bangsar : 7-1, 1st Floor, Jln Telawi 2, Bangsar Baru, Kuala Lumpur (opposite La Bodega) Tel: 2282 7317
Subang Jaya : 32A, 1st Floor, Jln SS15/4D, Subang Jaya (above Pressto) Tel: 5638 3520
Damansara Utama : 52M, 1st Floor, Jln SS21/58, Damansara Utama (opposite RHB Bank, same row as Baskin Robbins) Tel: 7710 5217

Small glitch...

Judging from the feedback (on the blog, email or otherwise), some of you have had some problem with looking at the fonts in certain versions of IE and Firefox. At this point, I think I've managed to take care of these bits of miscreant code, but do let me know if there are any further ‘visual’ problems k…

PS: But at least I know some of you have been waiting for my return…awww…thanks, guys!

The BEST satay in town…

A friend recommended this place to me recently, and I finally found some time to go visit the place last weekend. It’s tucked away in a corner in the Jalan Peel-Carrefour-Queen’s Park area, right next to the traffic lights.

Restoran Queens is usually frequented by the locals and anyone just looking for some good food.

I’d recommend you visit the place in the evening as they also have ‘dai chow’ available to do Hokkien Mee, noodles and rice. The Hokkien Mee is pretty good, not too oily for those watching their diets. The only bad thing is they don’t have the ‘fried pork lard’ bits.

This is the real feature of the place – satay! I tried both the Beef and Chicken satay, and it’s simply amazing. The meat literally juices itself when you bite into it…in fact, you barely need the sauce to dip it in (unlike the Kajang Satay ones where the sauce is the main feature). And the size of the sticks! The picture above is taken in real-size – NOT magnified ya…what better value can you get at RM0.50 per stick??

The sauce is nothing spectacular, only serves to enhance the already-mouth watering flavour of the satay sticks.

While you’re there, wash down your meal with a glass of ice-cold fresh sugar cane (RM1.50 per glass). And no, you don’t need to worry about the storage conditions of the sugarcane, this store houses its sugarcane supply in buckets OFF the floor.

I haven’t gotten any ill-effects from eating here yet, so even though the place looks a little dingy, don’t knock it until you’ve tried it. Apparently the grilled chicken wings are superb as well – didn’t get to try them, although I noticed a lot of people ordering it. Next time…

Specialties: Beef & Chicken Satay, Hokkien Mee, Grilled Chicken Wings

Prices:
- Satay @ RM0.50 per stick
- Hokkien Mee @ RM6.00 for one person’s portion
- Sugar Cane water @ RM1.50 per glass

Restoran Queens
Jalan Peel
(directly opposite Carrefour and diagonally opposite Queen’s Park)

Opening hours: 5.30pm onwards (while stocks last!)


Rating: 4 / 5
Value: $$$

Beetrice's Reviews is BACK!!

Dear readers,

I am super-pleased to let you know that the revamp is over, and to reveal the new layout of ‘Beetrice’s Reviews’ to all of you… :D And to let you all know I am BACK!!

I wanted something that would be a little fresher than the ol’ humdrum layout y’all have been looking at the past…8 months or so. So here we are – splashes of turquoise and blue!

Believe me, I have heaps of reviews lined up…but after all this time, I think I’m going to have to streamline my focus a little bit. Moving forwards, this site is going to be focused on…

1. Beauty Products (we’ve all got an inner vanity!)
2. Food (you have to eat, don’t you?)
3. Bargains/Sales (who doesn’t want to know where the best deals are?)
4. Other – depending on my mood…

So there you have it…Beetrice’s Reviews is back! New review on the best satay in town coming up shortly!

PS: Aahhhh…it’s good to be back!

Ratty Valentine seals...

During my visit to Ikea last week, I stumbled across these oh-so-cute stickers – they’ve merged rats with hearts – rather tastefully, I might add.

They make fantastic seals for your CNY / Valentine's Day presents. The best part is, they’re only RM1.90 for 32 stickers (2 sheets x 16). Go grab yourself a few if you’re in the area!

Happy Year of the Rat!