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.

Makeup: Conceal, Be Bold and Set it! (Sephora)

Dear lovely readers,

Thank you all so much for an awesome 2013! It's been about half a year since I started blogging and I feel so happy to receive so much love and support from all of you out there. One of my resolutions is to blog more interesting things and get involved in more events! So, fingers crossed that all goes well this year. I wish best of luck to all of my readers and have an awesome 2014! Bonne chance! ❤

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I've been wandering around in malls since my semester break started as I was looking for some stuff and also to do some random shopping. The boyfie made a sweet promise to get me one of Urban Decay's Naked palettes after I excitedly told him I wanted to go and see Naked 3's palette (btw, I did not expect nor have the intention for him to get one, that's why it was a really sweet deal). So, we went to Sephora in Sunway Pyramid the first day and they said that it's out of stock in all branches :(

Oh well.. Tough luck to get one for now but as it's not mandatory for me to have one, it's okay. Then I remember that I wanted to try and get a red lipstick. Initially I wanted to get a lipstain as I've read and seen a lot of reviews that it's hard work to apply and maintain a red lipstick. But there weren't a lot of options for the lip stain, so I went around Sephora looking for my red lipstick. After more than half an hour, I finally found one which is both affordable and up to my requirements (awesome color and texture).

Clinique's High Impact Lip Colour

(Color chosen: No.12 Red-y to Wear)
Price : RM 68 

My opinions:

❤ Love the texture and color

❤ Long lasting wear

❤ Easy to apply on

❤ SUPER in LOVE with the color!

❤ Matte application but subtle glossy finish

❤ Love the packaging; simple and glamorously chic

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

The end product ❤

While queuing to pay, I saw this makeup setting spray at the mini counters near the cashier lane. I remember seeing some makeup gurus using such sprays on Youtube, so bought one to try since I don't like the hassle of touching up my makeup and bringing a whole bag of makeup with me when I'm out. 

Urban Decay's All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray

(travel size)

RM49

"Is makeup meltdown ruining your midnight mojo? Mist on this weightless spray to give your makeup serious staying power. Developed in an exclusive partnership with SKINDINÄVIA, this groundbreaking, clinically tested formula is suitable for all skin types and features patented Temperature Control Technology. It actually lowers the temperature of your makeup to keep foundation, eyeshadow, blush, and concealer in place—even in hot and humid or cold and windy conditions. The result? Smoother-looking skin and vibrant makeup that lasts all day (or night) without melting, cracking, fading, or settling into fine lines." 

My opinions: 

❤ Light weight, you don't feel it once you spray it on

❤ Works as stated, really holds your makeup

(NO laughing lines even after you laughed like mad for an hour)

❤ Love the design and feel of the packaging

Disadvantages:

- The spray is very strong, I prefer it better if it's fine as normal mist sprays

Last but not least, my 3rd finding in Sephora would be this concealer. I found this on another day when I visited Paradigm's Sephora.

Tarte's Amazonian's Clay Waterproof Concealer

(Color chosen: Light)

RM 90

My opinions: 

❤ Color is very natural, blends well with my skin

❤ Light texture but buildable, so it won't appear cakey

❤ Easily blendable

❤ Since it's all natural, suitable for sensitive skin

❤ Animal cruelty free!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED

End of my purchase, they offered me their Sephora White Card. There's no annual registration fee or whatsoever, several other benefits offered and you can collect points, why not?

It's definitely a good buy I must say. Hope you all enjoy reading this review.
Happy New Year! ;)




Much loves, xoxo.

Disclaimer: The above post is all based on my personal honest opinions without getting paid by any source. Hope you enjoy this product review (:

Hair care: Perfect hair oil for colored hair

It's the season of joy, Merry Christmas! ❤

I don't celebrate Christmas because my family don't but I do love the spirit and happiness of Christmas. Everything seems to be so beautiful and all jolly while everyone seems to be filled with laughter and smileys!

Even the decor and songs make you instantly happy! Too bad we got no real snow here in Malaysia :(

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So, I've gotten a new hair color after months and months of leaving my hair in it's brown-goldenish ombre color (after effect of previous hair color fading). Was thinking and wondering for a bit before deciding to go with Intense Copper Brown. I know it's ugly during the I-don't-wanna-dye-it-again-just-letting-it-grow transition period but I didn't want to dye my hair again instantly as my hair condition was getting bad and my scalp had become ultra sensitive after several continuous dyes. It's often itchy and blotchy, often producing hair scalp pieces like having dandruff problem. Really really sad and problematic experience I would say. And I've been trying a whooooooooooole lots of shampoo from drugstore brands to international brands, it's so hard to find one which is suitable. Finally when I found the right shampoo and my scalp has recovered, time to do something for 2014!

So, everytime one dyes the hair, damage is done right? It'll feel very dry and harsh then end up looking very frizzy. Unless you spend time and money pampering your hair every weekend at the saloons. For those that has no time or low in budget to do that, I have found a solution to the problem!

L'oreal's Extraordinary Oil Sublime Hair Enhancer! 

This hair oil is definitely my miracle! 

It's priced at RM30 something in Watsons, couldn't remember the exact price and I have threw away the receipt. It's quite diluted instead of being dense like other hair oil products and the rate of absorption is superb! That's the most important feature for me as my hair tends to get oily easily at times by end of the day (happens when I use other brands' hair oil) but this one was awesome! 

Awesomeness:

 ❤ Rate of absorption is super fast!  

❤ Does not leave the hair oily

❤ Hair feels healthier and glows instantly

Disadvantage:

- None.

- Only the fact that you definitely have to use more than the stated 3-4 drops.

Sorry that I don't have pictures to show the 'before and after' of using the product as I like to apply it when my hair is still damped after shower as that's the best time for maximum absorption of any hair product. But this is definitely HIGHLY RECOMMENDED if you want to find something to save and nourish your dyed hair. For those that who don't dye their hair but would like to try this, fret not. They have another one for normal dry hair (:

I hope this review would help you girls out there!

Good luck! ❤

Much loves, xoxo.

Disclaimer: The above post is all based on my personal honest opinions without getting paid by any source. Hope you enjoy this product review (:

Date Night : Troika Sky Dining & Heli Lounge ❤

Took this while stuck in the traffic (:

So, the boyfie was back from JB for a few days and we were going for a date night somewhere in KL.

I stumbled on a list of sky dining restaurants in KL and let him decide on one place that interests him most.

Previously we found places such as Marini's on 57 and Heli Lounge already but didn't have the time to visit them. 

Initially, he wanted to make a reservation at Marini's but the only slot we could get is at 9.30pm. That's kinda late for dinner and we'll have to eat in a rush as they close at 11pm :(

The finalized decision, we'll go to Strato (one of Troika's Sky Dining) and then hit Heli Lounge for a drink.

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So, time to prep for the date night. I opt for something which is simple, comfy yet chic at the same time. As for the makeup, I plan to play it neutral using my Bobbi Brown's Bellini Lip & Eye Palette 

(you can read my review here)

My look of the night and #ootn with black, polka dots and a burst of red for some color ❤

Troika Sky Dining has 3 sections; Strato (Italian restaurant), Claret (bar) and Cantaloupe (fine dining). I never have the preference for fine dining as the portions served are really small and you'll have to eat with grace and class while the waitresses are staring at you. Stress much.

Btw, if you are going to Strato, please do not wear skater skirts or dresses as it's located at the upper section. You'll have to take the stairs and it's pretty inconvenient. You shall understand my difficulty when you see the picture at the bottom later.

Taken online as there was people at the table

I would say that the view offered wasn't much but the service and food was awesome. Ambiance wise was perfect, the whole lighting, music and all, lovely for a date night ❤

Sneaky bum took this secretly

We ordered one starter and two mains.

Starter: Scallops and beans

Pizza: Carbonara sauce, broccoli, smoked duck breast

Pasta: Gnocchi with braised chicken ragu and shaved cured foie gras

Each and every one of them was goooooooooood! As for drinks, I had their rose wine and he ordered their Sangria. The wine was okay but the Sangria is not something that I would recommend. We also ordered one of their recommended desserts, Strawberry Panna Cotta.

They would then escort you downstairs near the bar to enjoy your dessert.

The waiter near the stairs saw my skirt and reminded me to "watch my step" while going down.

Note to self: Never wear anything flare to this place the next visit.

The dangerous stairs leading up to Strato and the bar, Claret

Dessert accompanied by romantic ambiance ❤

After lingering there for a bit, we made our move to the Heli Lounge.

The parking there is very small and dodgy for me.

First thing that greets you, the bouncer and a small reception table to take your drinks' order. We were there around 10pm plus, and you can only enter if you buy a bottle. It's like the reception concept at clubs where you have to make your bottle purchase to enter the place. I'm not sure about evenings though, I think they serve dinner and there's no such rule because my friend told me that the food there is pretty good (he went there for dinner with the family).

The lounge area with a live DJ

Of course, you have to make your way to the Helipad for the view. After some stairs, you'll feel the wind once you reach the entrance and be amazed at what greets you!

 It was beautiful up there! 

Having both KL Tower and Twin Towers so close to you with their glittering lights..

You might experience some butterflies in your stomach if you are afraid of height.

KL City ❤

Too bad that it started to pour in less than half an hour while we were up there, I didn't even get to finish my first glass. Such a waste :( It would be nice to enjoy the view and wine there.

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And that's our date night ❤

Hope you enjoy reading and do share with me your date night outs too!

Till then,

Much loves, xoxo ❤