Seminyak Bali, The Haven Hotel

Hello there, finally I get to squeeze some time to blog about my Bali getaway. Been rushing the last two posts before I resume back to my classes after the 3 months of much needed break. If you are a frequent visitor at my blog, you would already know that I went to Bali early of this month. Nowadays, I prefer to plan my own holidays instead of following tours as I can arrange things according to my own flexibility and also to explore the place on my own. Plus, you can always improvise according to the budget. More work to do indeed as you will need to book everything and do your own research regarding the destination.
But hey, I got my freedom, why not? (:

But for this trip, I didn't do much planning on the activities. Only booked the flights and hotel, the rest would have to wing it there. It wasn't an easy task looking for hotels for every trip as I am pretty picky when it comes to accommodation. It must be clean, within budget and location must be good too. I've always used both Agoda and Booking.com to find the suitable hotel as they have reviews and feedback from the past visitors. If you want to get more accurate reviews, check Booking.com as I've realized that the users there tend to give more detailed feedback. So, which hotel have I chosen to stay for my 4 days and 3 nights getaway?

The Haven Bali, Seminyak ❤

They were having a first quarter of the year promotion where the rates are up to 50% discount and there's one-way airport transfer available if you are staying for 3 nights and above. Of course the decision was made after days of going through reviews and making comparisons of several hotels which caught our attention and are available at our travel period. Initially I thought that the hotel is located somewhere more remote and quiet but it was the opposite of it. It's located along two stretches of food places, boutiques, shops and etc which was awesome! No worries about noise as most of the shops are closed by 9pm which is quite early and just right opposite of the hotel you have a convenient store available 24/7. Once you are there at the reception counter, they'll welcome you with cold towels for you to refresh yourselves and trust me, Bali was burning hot when we were there! The staffs were really polite and nice, smiling and greeting you whenever they see you.

If you have OCD about hygiene, worries not.

TADAAA!~ Our lovely room for 3 nights. This is the living room area where you can laze in front of the tv or just chill and have some tea at the long coffee table. The couch was so comfortable that I just want to stay in the room and do nothing.

A bathtub to soak away all the worries and stress from back home.

I got to choose the bed which was nearer to the tv! LOL. If you haven't notice, there were two televisions available in the room, one in the living room area and one in the bedroom area. There's also a wooden partition at the center where you can just slide to separate both areas.

Comfy slip-ons to wear inside the room. First time seeing a hotel provide proper slippers instead of those cheap paper thin ones.

A selfie with the bathtub like an excited child.

They refill this everyday, even the shower cap and comb.

The long coffee table that's always messy while we were there.

That's a lot of choices eh? Can drink till get bloated :D

Our very spacious balcony..

That faces the pool, how cool is that. Life is awesome! 

Our complimentary welcome drink. Some kind of fruit juice, very refreshing and enjoyable on a hot night. Slowly sipping it at their lounge with the live band performance was truly heaven.

As you can see, there's all these small cute shops, eateries and boutiques located along side of our hotel and right opposite. So much convenience and can do a little shopping if you don't wish to go somewhere far. The price is somewhat like our boutiques here, so I didn't do much shopping there.

As for breakfast, you just have to tell them your room number when you get to the restaurant, they will seat you and serve your choice of tea or coffee. As for food, it's all buffet style. There's the usual rice, noodles, chicken, vegetables and etc. Some of the things that I find it's a little different is that they serve bacons, pancakes and waffles! Yummm!~ You might get a little bored though if you are staying there for long term as the breakfast is the same everyday. My usual are the sunny side-ups, beef sausages, bacons, potatoes and pancakes! Missing the food already.. No photos are available as every morning we located just right enough time to grab a quick one and go for our tours.

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Overall experience there?

One thing that kept me wondering, "Isn't The Haven room basic and small? I don't remember it being this spacious with a living room area." And I was right, the staff actually upgraded our room to their Junior Suite! And that was without any extra charges and they didn't even inform us about it. Hmm.. Sneaky much? But it was a great arrangement and we were very happy with our stay there. The only thing is that we didn't have the time to use their gym or visit their spa. As for the rest such as service, cleanliness, food, facilities and location are all great and definitely worth the money. RECOMMENDED if you wish to stay in Seminyak area and I would definitely stay there again during future visits.

❤

Much loves, xoxo.

Food: A Tea Affair @ TWG Tea 1837

There's this new place in town, well.. Not exactly new but new to me if I have not been there yet! :D

TWG Tea 1837, sounds so classic and glamorous right?

This place opened in Sunway Pyramid a while back, somewhere in the early of the year if not mistaken. It's located right opposite of Zara and sits there glamorously with its glass panels separating it from the outside world. It sort of reminds me of the whole Breakfast at Tiffany's thing.

When it was newly opened, the boyfie promised to bring me there somewhere during CNY before he leaves again but time was so limited that we didn't make it. But he made it up by bringing me there few days ago ❤

Their tea menu list was endless.. About 4 pages, front and back. We were having a really hard time browsing and choosing the tea that we end up asking the waiter for recommendations.

This was what he recommended, one of their signatures and exclusive tea blends, T6033 1837 Black Tea.

Before preparing the tea for you, they would bring the tea leaves in the jar for you to have a smell and this one smelt very strongly of strawberry, sweet and fragrant. The tea tasted sweet even without sugar and there was a hint of strawberry behind the black tea's taste. Pretty unique blend I would say.

And who would expect them to serve main courses too?

I've always thought that they only serve drinks and desserts as the kitchen is no where to be seen. Guess where is the kitchen? It's actually just right under the staircase. They even have breakfast menus and the expected high tea menus. And since we were filled with popcorn from our movie catch up, we ordered only one main course and the rest were desserts.

TWG Tea Lasagna, where you will have 2 choices to choose from; Bolognaise ragout with signature homemade tomato and fresh basil sauce infused with Moroccan Mint Tea or seafood in a Love Me Tea infused cream sauce. And since he is allergic to shrimps, we went with the bolognaise one. I love the lasagna as the sauce was pretty unique with the tea taste and the pasta layers were perfectly cooked with awesome meat fillings. Not really a fan of the bun that came with it though as it was hard to chew on. I prefer breads that are served warm, soft and full of fluffiness.

And this is from their range of desserts, Normandy Apple Tart. Topped with their homemade Singapore Breakfast Tea ice cream and caramel coulis infused with Pomme Prestige Tea, I would say that the ice cream was rather unique, something different. As for the tart, I love it with the apple slices but you have to eat it fast or else it'll be soft and gooey soaked in the sauce. 

Then we have..

TWG TEA MACAROONS!

From left: Earl Grey & Chocolate,  Bain de Roses Tea and 1837 Black Tea & Blackcurrant

Earl Grey & Chocolate, it was okay, not too sweet but I expected better while the 1837 Black Tea & Blackcurrant one was a little sourish and wasn't my type as I don't like sour stuff. Favourite one would be the Bain de Roses Tea which has a strong rose taste and the level of sweetness was just perfect! ❤

While eating all of that, we finished the pot of tea in just minutes and as per usual, you would definitely ask the waiter for refill on hot water right? So that was what we did and to our surprise, there was no refills available as one pot of tea is per serving only and it cost RM19 per pot. LOL. Then he decided to order another pot to try and we wanted something mint.

So the waiter brought over some of their tea jars and we have another one of their Exclusive Tea Blends, T6009 Alexandria Tea. This one smelt of strong peppermint and sweetness but was rather disappointing or maybe not up to my liking as it tasted like a chewing gum that was chewed very long ago. Added some of their sugar but still tasted quite disgusting for me.

Love their display of desserts available! So cute and tempting at the same time, wish I have one at home that is accessible 24/7.

They also have a lot of tea sets and wide range of teas for you to purchase as gifts. This is one of my favourites, the packaging is just too cute to resist!

And I shall end this post with my next level selfie, reflection on the golden tea pot!

Hope you enjoy reading! ❤

Much loves, xoxo.

Food: Restaurant Wonderland Valley, Bentong

My dad got the random foodie adventure switch on last Sunday and decided to bring us somewhere out of the ordinary to dine. And he told us that the journey is going to be more than an hour and I was thinking, "Okay lah, here to KL, 45mins, probably around there include the jam time". And since the brother was the one driving, I nicely took the opportunity to nap in the car since it was raining, the perfect weather for it ❤

Then they stopped at the petrol station for a toilet break and I realized that this is no KL, the area is surrounded by trees and hills, seems like we are going somewhere really far for this meal. After passing by Genting Highlands and another short drive, we finally arrived at our destination..

Once you enter, there will be a bridge connecting the two lands separated by a stream. The bridge is extremely narrow, just nice to fit exactly one car with no extra space. And guess what greeted us at the parking lot?

WILD BOARS!!! 






There were so many of them strolling around and they are very tamed. Unafraid of humans in fact, they would just come to you if you have food in your hands. Many people bought loafs of bread to feed them, pretty cute animals especially the babies! Not much photos were taken as I initially took a video using Instagram but the app wouldn't allow me to post it. Every time I try, "Instagram has stopped working".

Our table was located just right next to the stream, very nice view and cooling environment. And that's the scary bridge that your car has to cross to get over that I mentioned earlier. Since there was not much photos, we'll be focusing on the food itself!

This have to be my favourite one, live prawns with 'Tang Hoon' noodles in soup. A very strong flavored dish, the prawns were fresh and the soup was awesome with black pepper seeds! I have always love soups cooked with black pepper seeds especially the ones bought from Sarawak as they are more fragrant than those factory manufactured powdered pepper. 

This is one dish that the Chinese believe is good for health. Terrapin cooked with ginger.

In case you don't know what is a terrapin, it's a labi-labi (in Malay). It's a freshwater turtle which is edible and it looks like..

This is one big giant size terrapin, probably for display purposes only as the ones cooked are usually small in size. Its meat gives you health benefits and a boost of collagen. I didn't dare to eat it but in the end I took one tiny weeny piece to try. The meat doesn't have any distinct smell like those in beef or mutton so it's still okay but the collagen part was a bit jelly like.

Their signature vegetable dish, giant water spinach (kangkung) according to my dad. This is also very nice, just that it could be improved by chopping the vegetables smaller in size as I feel like a goat while eating this.

Steamed chicken with minced ginger sauce. This one.. Yum yum! Love how they cooked the chicken, the meat was tender, soft and smooth while the minced ginger sauce was nicely mixed, it wasn't as spicy as expected. Very good for me as I'm not fond with ginger and garlic. With or without the sauce, it's still an awesome dish.

Last dish of the day, curry wild boar meat. The curry in this dish is also very fragrant and the meat is tender. Overall, a nice dish too.

I really enjoyed the whole dinner experience there as the place was quiet and very nature based while the food is just plain awesome. Their rice is served in buckets, one bucket is RM7.50. So make sure to tell them no rice if you're planning to just gulp on the dishes.

Location:

Restoran Wonderland Valley

Lot 926 - Kg Bukit Tinggi, 28750 Bentong, Pahang.

*Make sure to call up for booking on weekends because it might be full.

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Hope you enjoy reading this post.

Much loves, xoxo.

Travel: Luggage packing hacks

When I newly got my sunglasses, I didn't think much of the space that the case is going to take when storing it because I was so in love with it. But as time passed on, I being to realize that it's such a hassle carrying it around as it was quite bulky and took up a lot of space in my handbags, not to mention that it's impossible for me to bring it along in my clutches. Then, I was trying to find a pair that's easier for me to store and I remember one of the pairs of Rayban that the boyfie owns..

It may looked like just another pair of Wayfarer from Rayban, 

BUT

it's a FOLDABLE one! 

Tadaa! Half of the space needed gone in a minute! ❤

I've found my very own pair just 2 days before my Bali trip, what an awesome timing as I can bring my new baby along! Such an excited child.

The left one for her and right one for him.

The difference? 

Mine has Polaroid and bluish color lenses with a glossy finish frame while his is the normal lenses with gray shades and a matte surface frame.

See the difference of amount of space needed to store both?

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Since I'm already talking about space saving, here are some tips that I feel might come handy when you are packing your luggage for that next getaway!

1. Always roll your clothes.

This does not only save more space compared to the typical folded clothes but also prevents your clothes from getting all wrinkly and has those folded marks.

If you are packing collared shirts and you simply do not want to end up with a flat ugly collar, place one of your rolled up clothes in the center. To perfect it even more (sides of the collar are also protected), place another two at each side before putting other items on it.

2. Recycle your makeup / beauty products' bottles.

 I'm currently a The Face Shop user and their beauty products only come in full size. The only way you can get travel size products are through their gifts with purchase. Not only full size products eat up a lot of space, they weigh more too (glass bottles).

Recycling your beauty product's bottles are both eco-friendly and handy during packing.

Now I can have both my makeup remover and skin lotion in smaller sizes.

3. Keep product samples!

Usually when I'm offered with product sample sachets, I don't really know what am I supposed to do with them. If it's a product that I have not tried, then mostly I'll use them but what if the products are something that I'm already familiar with? It'll only be tedious if I use them on a daily basis as I have to open a new one every now and then plus if you didn't finish it in a go, you'll be leaving that packet exposed to the bacteria in the air. But nowadays, I find them very convenient when it comes to traveling. If you don't want to bring heavy bottles of beauty products, bring the samples instead. Easy to store and can be dispose after used.

4. Bag your stuffs.

If you are an organized person like me, you should probably try this. Not only this method would ensure that your stuff are neatly kept, but also some protection from dirt and dust. I always like to separate my stuff into bags; one for toiletries, one for beauty products and makeup and always bring some recycle bags to separate the dirty laundry from the clean ones. Keeping your accessories in zipper bags could also protect them from getting oxidized quickly which may cause the color to turn dull. Furthermore, you wouldn't have to rummage through the whole luggage trying to find for that small pair of earrings hidden somewhere in there.

If you find keeping in several bags is a hassle, try getting a travel organizer. Works well too (:

5. Scarf vs jacket.

Nowadays I would bring a scarf with me instead of a jacket.
✔ A scarf can be folded small and takes less space to keep compared to a jacket.
✔ Jacket is just a jacket. Not practical if you are traveling to a hot weather place. Where as a big and long scarf could keep you warm, turned into a beach dress or even a cardigan when you need one.

Here's one of my favorite tutorial videos ❤

6. Shoes vs sandals.

This is the dilemma when it comes to packing. Should I wear my sandals and pack my shoes or should I wear my shoes and pack my sandals?

For me, wear the shoes and pack the sandals. Sandals are okay to be squash away in luggage where as shoes.. They can easily run out of shape unless you stuff them with paper balls and etc. Also, shoes can keep your feet warm and cuddly in the plane.

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So, those are some of my travel packing hacks and I've also found a link to some other cool tips. Read here.

Hope you enjoy reading this post!
Do leave a comment below and share with me some of your tips so that I can apply them for my next adventure. Sharing is caring! ❤


Till then,
Much loves, xoxo.

Kosé: Sekkisei Lotion Mask

Hello all, I'm finally back from my getaway at Bali. It was pretty hot there, both of my shoulders are burnt and I look slightly brown now. Ignoring that fact, it was an awesome one! Really enjoyed the relaxation and lifestyle there, very simple and chilling. Shall blog about it soon ❤

Sneak peek: Sunset dinner ❤

Back to my blog title, I shall blog about the Kosé workshop I attended for their Sekkisei Lotion Mask launch. This post was supposed to be up before I go to Bali but there were too many last minute arrangements in the way. A big shout out and thank you to Carmen for inviting me to the event. It was nice to meet her and Jess again and being able to spend some girly time together.

The event started with the staffs explaining to us about their products and what are the benefits. One thing that I find awesome is that their products are made for all skin types. So, one question.. Do you know the difference between a toner and a lotion? I've seen articles and videos from beauty gurus on Youtube stating that toner has smaller molecules than lotion and it helps your skin to absorb better any product that you apply afterwards. Also, the ability to minimize the size of your pores. BUT using only toner itself might actually cause harm to your skin as it might thin out the layers of your skin. Where as a lotion will hydrate and moisture your skin and with Sekkisei Lotion, you don't need to apply toner beforehand. How much more convenience can you ask for? 

Edited the brightness but Blogger doesn't load :(

These are the facial products that we all had the opportunity to try out!
From left to right: Cleansing cream, Lotion, Emulsion and BB Cream

I was looking forward most to try out their famous Sekkisei Lotion and also the BB Cream as nowadays I prefer to use BB Cream instead of foundations for its light texture.

Here are the benefits of the Sekkisei Lotion. Can be applied as lotion mask and boost up to 10x of moisture?!? I was very excited to try this out as my skin type is more towards dry and sensitive, definitely in need of some hydration. As we all did put on some light makeup to the event, we started with the most basic step of skin care regime, removing the makeup.

Step 1: Take a cherry size amount of cleansing cream and apply on your face in circular motion starting from your cheeks to the chin and then forehead. Followed by using two pieces of tissue to dab away the excess. Do this by placing the tissues on your face as how you usually place your mask on and gently press them down to absorb the excess. Next, use a wet cotton pad to clean or just wash it off with warm water.

I really love this product as it cleans very well and doesn't leave that dry feeling from using foam cleansers.

Moving on to the spotlight product, the Sekkisei Lotion.

Image from https://www.facebook.com/kose.malaysia

Step 2: First remove the cap and you'll notice a thin line at the inner top when you capsize it. Pour the lotion till the line. Take your mask (which looks so cute like an oversize pill) and drop it into the lotion. Wait for about 5 seconds for the mask to absorb the lotion and puff. Then gently open it and place on your face for a maximum of 10 minutes for full effect.

The lotion mask has a very strong smell when you put it on initially, this is due to the herbal ingredients used in the lotion. It's supposed to hydrate your skin while giving you the calming effects from the scent. The mask is very refreshing and my skin definitely feels like it went for an express treat! ❤

Btw, you can dab on a little extra of the lotion after the mask if you feel that it's not enough.

Our mask on selfie w Carmen and Jess ❤
Photo credits to Carmen.

Step 3: Pour a generous amount of the Sekkisei Emulsion onto the cotton pad (about the size of a 50cents coin) and apply on the face. And you are done with your skin care regime! Time to move on to makeup.

It was so nice that we get to try their skin care products together with their makeup range.

BB Cream, 2 shades.
No.1 for fair skin and no.2 for natural skin color

Model of the day was blogger Nana and they have a makeup guru, Mr Dobashi who came all the way from Japan to join us. He looks like the Japanese version of Vanness Wu. Pretty humble and funny guy. He overheard our conversation and joked that Vanness Wu is his brother. Twins I would say, LOL.

Took this shot after putting on the BB Cream on half of my face to see the difference. Can you spot which side did I applied on?

*Hint: My face was a little blushing red before that (;

My opinion on the BB Cream?
Super duper love this product! The texture was so light that it felt like you have zero makeup on your face yet the coverage was awesome! I would definitely consider splurging a little extra for this baby someday.

Full face with the BB Cream. Looks a little flawless right? No editing and my red spots were totally covered well by the product. Works like magic! ❤

This is their cream blusher but the texture has a powder like finish. Love the coral shade color on the left.

Jess was so lucky to have Mr Dobashi helping her
Photo credits to Carmen.

Last touch to all, a little face powder to set the makeup and you are ready to go!

We have a little refreshment and Q&A session. Of course not missing out on the chance to take photos with our Vanness Wu!

Carmen took this while I was munching on the chocolate cake,
hence the hamster face.
Photo credits to Carmen.

Photo credits to Carmen.

And a group photo with all fellow bloggers and Mr Dobashi to end the night.

We all got a goody bag too with samples of some products. Might do a product review on that.

Till then, 

❤

Much loves, xoxo.