My First Visit To Nourish Naturally @ Upper Thomson Road

Just last week, I went to Nourish Naturally which was located along Upper Thomson Road for a full manicure and pedicure session that uses Mavala products. (Ling had bought it through Cozycot spree some time back but last minute her mum could not make it so I went on her behalf..Thanks Aunt~)

Ling had described the location of the shop to me so I roughly know where it was located.. just a short walking distance from Long House Food Court. (When I reached the place, I realised it was just a stone throw away from my favourite ice-cream parlour- Icekimo where one can find homemade ice cream in local flavours such as Teh Tarik and Bandung ..Oppss.. better don't digress!)

Nourish Naturally was just a small shop space located on the 2nd level as shown in the above picture..

The staff were very friendly without doing any hard selling of products/services.. They were telling us that they were so busy lately as many customers had bought full mani/pedi session from Groupon spree.. The response was overwhelming that that cannot meet the demand, meaning customers may have difficulties booking their appointments.

Nourish Naturally uses mainly Mavala products as the staff told me that it is what makes them unique; Mavala nail formulas are developed without toluene, camphor, added nickel..and Mavala hands and foot care programme is based on natural ingredients. (but they do carry OPI nail polishes on their shelves due to demand/request.)

My nails were short so I did not opt for those striking reds... and in the end, I chose these 2 colors...

Overall it is quite a good experience and the staff (Lynn and Valerie) were friendly and experienced. $24 for full mani/pedi at Nourish Naturally is very worth it! Heard Groupon offered full mani/pedi + parrafin wax for $30 and the take-up rate was very good. Ok, next time if you see Nourish Naturally having full medi/pedi promotions for first-time customers, can try coz its definitely worth your moolah.. (The usual price of their full pedicure itself is $38, 6 sessions for $180)

More about Nourish Naturally:

215C, Upper Thomson Road,

Singapore 574349

Tel: 64583286

Website: http://www.nourish-naturally.com/

Thank you Ling for your treat! ('',)

Konad Nail Art Stamping Kit - M25

Some time back, I bought a Konad nail art stamping kit at Etude House when I was in City Square, JB. .. All these while, I thought I had bought a faulty one because I just cannot stamp the design onto my nail plate..

But today I tried again.. and it work!! ('',) although not very pretty, at least got some prints.. coz previous times, I cannot even get 50% of the prints on my nail plates.

I guess the trick is to be fast ,.. and while scrapping must leave no nail polish on the sides of the design that I am going to transfer to the little chop, or else this residue will end up being transferred onto the little chop and be transferred to the nail plate once I stamped onto my nail plate.

Think I am to get another konad plate which comes in smaller designs/prints.

Transdesign Parcel Received

23 Nov 2009 - Knock Knock... Postman Postman... I quickly opened the door and the postman handed me a parcel...

I ordered on 12 Nov and got my parcel on 23 Nov, it only took 11 days .. That was pretty fast I should say..

By the way, for transdesign, they are charging US$4.99 per OPI polish.. and if you buy 9 polishes, you can request for their special small flat rate box rate of international shipping at US$18. ( it will be more worth if you can share with a friend and order up to 9 polishes, so that you end up paying US$2 for shipping per bottle)

If you are buying 9 OPI polishes, it will work out to be ( US4.99 x 9) + (US$18 shipping) = US$62.91

If we take currency rate at SG$1.48 : US$1 , it would work out to be around SG$93.. which is SG$10.30 per bottle.. Dont know if its cheaper compared to spree-ing though.

I tried on OPI Tickle My France-Y, and quite like it ( its like nude pink, but with slight purple tone to it).. It look quite the same as my Estee Lauder's polish (white beige).

My Very First Transdesign order..

Just last week, I made an order on transdesign.com. Weilin had wanted a few bottles so we shared the shipping.. I was telling her that transdesign charges US$18 for international shipping if using small flat box rate, which mean maximum of 9 bottles... Before confirming the order, I made a call to transdesign hotline to confirm if they allow me to ship 1 OPI crystal file instead of a 15ml polish.. the person said yes.. so  went ahead with my order...


12 Nov 09 - I confirmed my order, and received this email notification.

(click on image to enlarge)

17 Nov 09- I received the actual invoice.. ( they did make changes to the shipping rate!)

( Click on image to enlarge)


Let me see how many days it will take for the parcel to reach me... ??

On transdesign.com, it states maximum of 9 units of 15ml polish that a small flat rate box can contain.. I wonder how much they would charge me if I added 1 more unit to make it 10... ???? Will they charge me US$32 ?? It will not be worth if they charge me US$30 for 9 items. its still not too bad for us to pay US$2 shipping per item... ( the other day I saw a push cart at Heartland Mall selling OPI nail polish at $18.90 each, $45 for 3) For my order, it worked out to be around SG$10 per bottle.. which mean SG$30 for 3 bottles... but cheaper than what Singapore's Push Carts are selling.. just that we need to wait.. and also a fear that the parcel would get damage, but an excitement in waiting for the parcel to reach my doorstep... HAHA...

Update: Transdesign Parcel Received on 23 Nov 2009.

L'oreal Derma Genesis Pore Smoother Bloggers Lunch - 24 October 2009

This was my very first bloggers' event !!! and I was very very honoured to be specially invited by L'oreal and Cozycot to attend their launch of the latest range of L'oreal skincare products - L'oreal Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother, a new line for women who long for less visible pores and smoother, softer skin.

It was really a very exclusive bloggers' lunch as in there were only like 13 of us, including the 2 lovely ladies who organised this event for us- Ms Stella and Ms Adeline, from L'oreal Singapore. We had lunch at one of the private rooms, Serena, at Forlino Restaurant which is located at the building besides the Merlion Park.

We were introduced to L'oreal New Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother complete range which is fuss-free regime , just 3 products... a scrub, a toner and a gel cream.

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Did you notice that when you are younger, your skin is youthful and free from visible pores? But over time, your skin surface becomes more uneven with

-fine lines appearing

-the pores become visible,

-the texture of the skin become uneven,

-complexion becomes less radiant

Now in 3 simple steps with just 3 products.. we will be on the way to discover the secret of smoother skin.. I tried the 3 products on the back of my hands, and I can see the difference in both of my hands.. and I really like the pleasant nice scent of these products.... This range has already launched at Watsons, and testers are readily available, do try out the samples on your hand and see the difference .. L'oreal Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother Gel Cream is light weight and easily absorbed into our skin without the greasy feel...

( click on image to enlarge)

The main ingredients:

- Hyaluronic Acide + Pro-Xylane - The powerful combination creates optimal cellular environment for brighter and tighter skin.

- Active Micro-smoother - Smoothens the skin by refining the pores, cell by cell...

And after the short and precise presentation, we were treated to a sumptuous Italian cuisine:

These 3 cookies/chocolates were quite special, with 3 different textures.. the 1st one on the left left our mouths with those popping sound.. ( think the chef added those popping sweet inside it, reminded me of the colorful popping powder which I would buy when I was a kid) , the 2nd one was soft like cake texture... while the 3rd one tasted like the the top coatings of the traditional colorful mian bao hua biscuits.

The service at Forlino Restaurant was excellent, the staff were friendly and attentive..Great food, great service, great ambience and excellent service (",)

That was not all.. L'oreal even went to the extend to provide us with express manicure sessions to further pamper us..

I had short nails so the friendly manicurist chose a light color with simple nailarts..

Besides being the first few to attend this exclusive preview of the New L'oreal Derma Genesis Pore Smoother range, being treated to a sumptuous Italian cuisine at Forlino Restaurant with nice ambience and view, being pampered with manicures and nailarts, we were each given the complete full size products of this New L'oreal Derma Genesis Pore Smoother range...

Thank you L'oreal for organising such a great event! Thank you L'oreal and Cozycot for this exclusive invitation!

Special thanks to Ms Stella and Ms Adeline for sharing your beauty knowledge with us and organising this special preview of L'oreal latest skincare launch. I had so much fun enjoying myself with other bloggers...

A fantastic and fruitful Saturday afternoon spent with the ladies! ('',)

Update after using Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother range:


I really like the light nice scent of this entire range of products.. I had tried the 3 products for the past few weeks and I am loving them.. The Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother scrub is gentle to be used everyday.. plus the Derma Genesis Pore Minimising Smoother Gel Cream is light-weight and non-greasy, it just absorbed into my skin after application, and the next day I will wake up to smoother skin..Most importantly, I do not encounter any breakouts using this entire range on my combination/sensitive skin.

Making Nails Grow Longer Faster - Sally Hanser Nailgrowth Miracle

If I want to make my hair grow faster than normal, I have to depend on Elence Shampoo. But if I want to make my nails grow faster, than I will use on Sally Hansen Nail growth Miracle Salon strength.



Some time last year, I went to a Sally Hansen workshop and this product was included in my goodie bag... and I have tried it for a couple of times already.. and it did make my nails like grow abit longer than normal.

It is something like applying transparent nail polish.

Texture: Thick and transparent nail polish-like texture.

Color: Transparent.

Smell: It has got a chemical smell after application.

Directions of use: Shake gently.Apply one thin coat to clean, dry, bare nails every other day. If wearing nail color, use as a base coat, then apply color.

After effect: After I applied a layer, it does look like I had applied a layer of clear nail polish. Its not those ultra shiny type, just a very sheer shine.

Size: 0.45 fl oz/ 13.3ml

Price: I think should be less than $20. but very sure as it was given in my goodie bag.

Quite good I find!

Pedicure at Color Zone Junction 8

I was still asleep when my handphone rang this afternoon.. I got a call from ling at 3.35pm and we were supposed to go to pedicure at 4pm.. oh gosh, I was so tired that last night I did not set alarm clock before going to sleep at around 1am.. although Ling was at Sembawang, she said she will come and pick me go Bishan... So Paisei that she has to drive from Sembawang to my place before making our way to Bishan.

Ling treated me to one session of pedicure as my last year birthday/christmas present..she has got a package at Color Zone Junction 8 so invited me to do pedicure with her..she was telling that got massage chair there, although she did told me she bought the package out of sympathy for the girl who served her during her first visit.

They really do sell..like before the start of the session, ask us want to do honey milk treatment which cost $6 and explained that it will soften our cuticles etc..and even asked us to do Spa pedicure which include a mask.. Aiyo lor, i saw the customer next to me who did the mask, and its quite boliao that the mask only applied on the upper part (instep)of her feet.. its some sort like our face mask which the China manicurist said will help in whitening.. But I dont want lah..The massage also anyhow one, think about 20 seconds only. The massaging chair only lasted 15mins then have to start the program again.

Then half way, ling's manicurist asked if she wanted to add $3 to do the scrub..Wow piangz, even have to pay money for the scrub, i thought it will be free... but she agreed...and in the end, our pedicure came up to $45 - $36 for the pedicure, $6 for the honey milk treatment, $3 for the scrub.

I dont think its worth it lor..so expensive.. The outlook of the shop is ok .. but inside was really plain as compared to the nice and cozy Qian Zu Ge that I last went.

And to add, No OPI polishes are available. Only Orly, Misa an China Glaze. and the first few colours I wanted dont have.

This is the color I chose..( haha, pretty much the same as the one I chose at Qian Zu Ge)

My toes nails are too short.. because I cut them short just last week.. think have to be longer than do pedicure nicer.

I told ling not to renew her package after her last session finish because not worth for the price and service. ( they got hard sell lor and ask customers to buy this and that)Think elsewhere can get full pedicure and full manicure at less than $40. Recommended her go Qian Zu Ge instead. haha

Etude House Nail Polish

Etude House WH707 Nail Polish

My first Etude House product from my dear friend. She also bought one for herself.. and she said nice, so also buy one bottle for me.. so sweet of her, keep buying things for me..



After bathing, I applied the colour to my nails.. its a lovely color - abit of purplish silver ( not too loud) .. and here is how the color look like on my nails..

Thank you my friend for the gift.


Side Note: Etude House is quite a new shop at City Square, last time when I am into bb cream, I have known of this Korean brand, and this is the 1st Etude House I came across.. I am not sure if Singapore has any outlet though, never see before.. the product's packaging is very girly, with nie prints.. even the shop decorations is quite pink.. its located opp Watsons, near to the exit to the bridge which connects the old JB customs to City Square.. but I find their service not really good... think when we are looking and trying out the colors, the staff actually took one of the tester piece and test the color on her nails just besides me..and the rest of the staff and the manager were also talking among themselves....

My First Time Doing 3D Nail Art At Qian Zu Ge

On 20 Sep this year, I went to Qian Zu Ge with Tiphanie to do our mani+pedi+3D nail arts which we had purchased from the CozyCot Holy Grail Party.

We arrived at 7pm sharp for our appointment..however, the receptionist said there will be a slight delay as the manicurists are still working on customers. But the friendly receiptionist immediately said she bring us to a cozier place.. so she led us to the LAVENDER room which was their VIP room. 2 huge sofa chairs with a large LCD screen can be found in the room.. and the receiptionist asked us to wait in there for a while ..she served us 2 very nice cups of red date tea.. We were busy taking pictures in the room while enjoying our delicious hot toasted wholebread nanyang bread..

After enjoying ourselves in the room.. we proceed to do our mani and pedi.. there were only 2 manicurists - Ivy and Grace.. Ivy did mine .. ( when we were about to begin doing our nails, the receiptionist walked in to serve us the second round of red date tea) when I first soaked my feet into the nice sink, she immediately asked me if the water is too hot or do i want it to be warmer.. throughout the whole process, the 4 of us were busy chatting.. while the 2 manicurists did our nails meticulously.. It was my first time doing 3D nail arts and after much thoughts.. flipping through the folder a few times.. I finally decided on a flowers+ crystals design ( there were many lovely designs to choose from) ..

and I am now a happy girl but i have to be very careful when doing things for this 1-2 week as I afraid the nail arts may be damaged if I very chor lo-r...







haha, I transferred 2 of my finger nail arts to my 2 toes..



The 3D nail art that i had chosen actually will cost $50 but because I had bought it during the cozycot holy grail event, we only paid $28. So classic manicure, classic pedicure and 3D nail arts on 10 fingers , I only paid $46.. I think its very cheap!

They even helped us to put on our shoes after our sessions.. because they were afraid that our nails would be damaged if we too rough in wearing our shoes.. And you know, while I was happily walking to the counter.. Grace called me urgently and you know what happened:She passed me my handphone and said that I had forgetten about it.. and then I remember about my watch .. then quickly went back to search.. haha, the watch was stuck inside the sofa chair, luckily Grace digged it out for me. I am So touched! Imagine if I have left the place .. think the next day I have to make another trip to the salon to get my watch and handphone, or worst - I will lost my handphone and watch. I am very happy and satisfied about my whole experience.. And both the manicurists are very friendly. ( in fact, i really feel bad that they have to work until so late)

Will I revisit Qian Zu Ge?
Definitely!! the normal price of their pedicure is $30 and normal price of manicure is $25..if just now they have a more attractive package, I would certainly fork out money to sign their package.. but then what I saw was 5 mani + 5 Pedi + 5 hand paraffin for $220.

How is their service?
I think both Ivy and Grace are very friendly and good. Most importantly,they did not hard sell any service/product to me. They did not mention a single word about their package at all from the moment I stepped in, until I finished.. no word of buying from them at all.. In fact, it was me who go and asked them what packages they have, and the receiptionist just showed me the folder.. but so strange they did not ask me to buy a single thing.. It realy rare these days to come across a salon that dont sell customers a single thing at all... think theire metality is they strongly believe if their service is great, the customers will automatically come back for more or recommend more friends over.

How about the ambience?
It was a nice and cozy oriental style salon.. the small room which they do mani/pedi is a cozy place.. feel much at home .. that we were talking as if the room is soundproof.. and we were laughing out so loud because its very itchy when the manicurists scrubbed our feet .. We really laughed out so loud, that a customer besides us could not help but laughed at us. ( haha, later realised the customer is also a new cotter!! and we were raving about Cozycot to her.. hope we did not scared her with our loud voices...

We certainly have created a lot of noise when we were there... but I enjoyed myself.




the basin which we put our legs.. the flower print in the basin is quite nice.


before entering the manicure room, there is this whole area for meant for massaging.

there are also 2 computers for us to surf internets. Your boyfriend can surf the internet while you do mani/pedi

Will I do 3D Nail Arts Again?
** Oh well... my lovely 3D nail arts on my nails can only last like less than 10 days. When I was in Taiwan for holidays, the crystals and petals kept dropping off one by one everyday.. so conclusion.. 3D nail arts on finger nails not for chor-lor type like me.. although the 2 nail arts on my toes can last longer, like about 1 month... Well, I would not purposely go and do nail art unless its on promotion again or during my big day! because I find it quite waste money because they can only look pretty for a few days only.

Where is Qian Zu Ge?










221 Balestier Road,
ROCCA Balestier #04-01,
Singapore 329928
Tel: 6251 0055
Fax: 6256 0050

Public buses: 124, 125, 130, 139 & 145.

Business Hours: 11am to 11pm daily (including weekends and public holidays)