2012 - What. a. year!

It’s a bit late, but I figure it’s not too late to do a recap of 2012 since we’re still in January right? Right? I initially thought I hadn’t done all that much, but after looking through photos and matching events, hey, it’s still quite a list! (beauty or otherwise).

*takes a deep breath* and here we go!

January got off to a fabulous start spa-ing and doing a massive gift exchange with the evurl ladies – I think this was the only group shot we actually got all year! LOL…we’re terrible at taking photos like that :P Watched Ballet Revolucion.

Saw Freeze in Genting pre-CNY with the family. Had CNY dinner with the evurl ladies…for beauty bloggers, we sure focus a lot on food! :D Watched Swan Lake. Met the lovely ladies behind Bellabox, and have been a huge (okay, even bigger!) fan of theirs ever since.

Loved the i-Light 2012 show at MBS. Munched my way through classy food at Savour 2012, and still trying to recreate this 'ice cream crafted to look like a potato'. Re-discovered my love for blushes…especially the “it’s so pretty I can’t bear to use it!” ones.

Had even more classy food at World Gourmet Summit 2012 and been trying to recreate some of them at home with *some* success (will not subject poor souls to it until they've been perfected though). Bought my first ever Deborah Lippmann polish.

Descended on Tine and LeGeeque in Melbourne. Shopped till my wallet threatened to melt. Got my nails done by the awesomely talented Clara Hwang. Met Tinnipoo for the first time, and got a good workout from laughing too hard. Fell head over heels for my god-furkid, Coco (whose human mum will definitely protest she’s since become a total monster).

Tried rainbow eyeliner for the first time, inspired by Connie. Hit up Lady Gaga (paws up little monsters!) with Rinnah and Dom. Discovered how crazy Dom can be about food (or just in general).

Visited the Redken Rock the Runway show. Had a most fun and useful hair workshop with Jorge Joao in the lead up to the Redken show.

Took part in my first Standard Charted run ever (and survived!). Watched La Cage Aux Folles and laughed myself silly. Watched Comedy Masala and laughed even harder. Caught up with old friend and local comedian Kuah Jenhan and marvelled at how times have changed.

Headed to Cameron Highlands on my first fully-sponsored trip thanks to Strawberry Park Resort. Tried my first gelish manicure thanks to psawyerbeauty. Got engaged to a guy who makes me laugh till my sides hurt, and then some.

Hopped over to Batam for a day trip and ayam penyet. Moved apartments in Singapore, and fell in love with its rooftop pool. Did the whole fan thing and descended on the Harry Potter Exhibition at the Artscience Museum. Regressed even further back to my childhood visiting Universal Studios Singapore and loved every minute of it.

Made my first order of Stickygram magnets (won’t be my last!). Dicovered Mary Kay and some new loves. Watched Avenue Q for the third time (second in Singapore), and sang along. Got my feet tapping to Burn the Floor.

Bought my first Longchamp (at duty-free, no less!). Received my first Marc by Marc Jacobs item – an iPhone cover!! (larp you long time, you know who you are). Developed a love for Yankee Candles. Visited Batam once again (this time the posh side at Montigo Resorts!) on a company trip, and now want to go back there before the rates go up. Went to Bangkok on a belated birthday trip with the fiancé.

Had my first French degustation experience at Le Normandie at the Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok (yes, the irony of having French food in Bangkok…it was awesomely impressive though!). Gave the Thai economy a huge boost thanks to all my shopping there. Loved Fresh Sugar lipbalms so much, I ended up with a Fresh Sugar Christmas tree when Sephora launched their seasonal sets. Started doing up my apartment back in KL…I love my quirky lamp and blow-up reindeer! :D

And there you have it – when I was going through it, I realised I actually watched quite a number of shows in 2012…averaging out to about one a month! I love that they’re so accessible here (and it doesn't help that I just booked another THREE for January and May in 2013). :P

Here’s hoping your 2012 was as good for you as mine was for me. 2013 is going to be a huge year for me as well - bring it on!! :D

The ArglyDuckling – a name (and retail service) too cute to ignore!

A couple of weeks back, I received an invitation from the nice ladies at ArglyDuckling to attend a introductory session to some of the ranges they carry. In a nutshell, ArglyDuckling is an online retail site in Singapore carrying some great niche brands (and they’ve got a super-cute name to boot! Rinnah has already drawn the connection to the Ugly Duckling tale, so I'm sure I won't have to go into that too)

During the session, we were introduced to quite a number of brands, so I’ll just leave you with some of my choice picks and a short preamble about them.

Nature Girl – looking beyond the fun outlook, this brand carries a whole range of botanical products. There’s body lotion, body wash, cleansing milk, cleansing gel, exfoliating face mask, salt scrub, facial mist, shampoo and conditioner! *whew*

They smell great...personal picks would be the Patchouli Orange, Blood Orange and Orange Blossom Botanical Body Lotions (simply because we only got to try the body lotions that evening, and I’m partial towards citrusy scents!). There’s a huge variety of scents to pick from though, so rest assured there’s a scent to suit everyone.

Kaia – the Kaia Bamboo Facial Cleansing Cloths are brilliant for removing makeup and grime. It’s infused with 8 pure citrus essential oils, organic Canadian honey, sunflower seed oil and oat amino acids…it’s got a mild scent that I’m ambiguous about, but the brand has definitely gone all out for natural packaging. The cloths themselves are 100% biodegradable!

Blinc – what they’ve brought in is the lash primer, mascara, eyebrow mousse and eye shadow in a number of colours. I’ve come across this brand in the past but have never had a chance to try it, so this might be a good time, eh?

Ciracle is another brand that has caught my eye over the years but somehow never got around to trying them…until now. The two that caught my eye was the Jeju Water Sleeping Mask (above), which contains gold flakes (you can probably make out a few if you look at the pic closely). The texture for this mask is similar to that of jelly, which I’m looking forward to trying out!

The other one which I currently have and am going to test out is the Blackhead Cotton Mask, which claims to remove sebum, blackheads and whiteheads without irritation. As for me, I’m more interested to see how this will stack up against my current Skin Food Egg White Pack fave.

Benta Berry is another fun brand that smells exactly like berries (Rinnah likens it to Ribena!). The kit you see above is made for both boys and girls, and even comes in a transparent pouch so that you can pack it in your cabin luggage.

For those that have been raving over Lucas’ Papaw Ointment but don’t like that it’s petroleum-based, this Pure Papaya Ointment with Calendula may be your answer. Personally, I prefer the smell of Lucas to this one, but in the end it boils down to personal preference since Rinnah seems to prefer the smell of this one!

I think most people would be familiar with at least one of one of the salves and balms from the Rosebud Perfume Co. Smith’s range. There are a number of varieties available that come in cute vintage tins…and yes, I’m such a sucker for cute packaging!

If you’re not into the tins or need them to be more travel- or handbag-friendly, some of the salves and balms now come in tubes – easy peasy to tote around.

I guess I kind of saved the best for last, because these are pretty awesome! Move over Sally Hansen, there are now some pretty awesome designs out from Rebel Nails originating from jolly old England. They’re retailing at an affordable SG$15 and come with a guide to help you select the correct size for your nails. Just check out that gorgeous floral print! (and no, I’m not just saying that because it’s *cough* purple…)

Our of all the items above, my absolute favourite of the evening would have had to be Rosebud Perfume Co. Smith’s Menthol and Eucalyptus Balm in a Tin. This salve smells exactly like rootbeer!! *swoons*

Other brands carried by ArglyDuckling include Butter London, Deborah Lippmann, Laqa & Co and Pangea Organics.

Now the good news – ArglyDuckling is currently having a storewide offer of 20% off plus free shipping for all orders above SG$50. New shoppers will need to register to enjoy the offer, while existing customers will be sent a code via email. This is a limited time offer so if you want anything you’d better high-tail it over there! :D