Mia's Review: J.ONE Jelly Pack

After seeing this product in Ha Ji Won's segment in Get It Beauty, I got so intrigued by this miracle-sounding, multi-purpose skincare product and quickly jumped onto the 'buy it' tab when I found it on sale at Qoo10. 

From the product name of this flagship product of Ha Ji Won's beauty line, it definitely sounds more like a sleeping face pack but since HJW used it directly on a cleansed face under her make up (and recommended doing so), I ended up trying it out the same way first.

The product comes with a pump head that dispenses the thick, salve-like gel in very manageable amounts so there's no fear of over dispensing the product. I uses about 3 to 3.5 pumps for my day routine and up to 4.5 pumps for my night routine.

The gel is extremely thick and tacky, which comes as a huge surprise (I can't really say it's pleasant) and I really wondered if I should apply it under make up. Actually, I even fear putting it onto my face as I'm very prone to clogs from rich, creamy products. 

After spreading the gel across the skin, wait for a few seconds before using your hands to pat it in delicately, after which your skin will feel extremely sticky and the stickiness will take a while to go away. I highly suggest that you incorporate this jelly pack into your morning routines only when you have the luxury of  time to wait it out, for I usually wait for 5 to 10 minutes after patting the gel in for the tackiness to go away. For my oily skin type, I have to say there's still a slight stickiness that stays behind regardless of how long I waited, which I feel is pretty obvious from the sheen created on my right side of my hand that's with the product as compared to the left side that's left bare. However, I feel that this tackiness is also the make up gripper, that holds onto whatever foundation you put onto your face.

And so, let's test it out with the Missha x Line Magic Cushion (Brown), which is supposedly the one that gives you a matte finishing. 

(A review of this cushion is on the way, so do stick around!)

 Right side: 1 layer of Missha Magic Cushion over J.ONE Jelly Pack

Left side: 1 layer of Missha Magic Cushion

As you can tell (I hope), other than making the supposedly matte finishing rather dewy, having the jelly pack under the bb cushion also gave it an overall smoother, more flawless looking finishing with some really evident pores diminishing effects. 

And here's a badly taken selfie to show you how my bb cushion ended up looking dewy (instead of matte) and the final finish way more refined than it would be without applying the jelly pack. 

A downside of using this jelly pack under make up, is that it turns everything extremely dewy and the foundation will just slip around on your face and never sets. The only base make up I currently own that managed to set on its own on top of the jelly pack is the Skinfood Pore Fit Cushion Bottle (my review HERE). And for everything else, setting them with a good dust of loose powder can never be skipped. 

Even so, as I do not believe in really mattifying out the entire face with a thick layer of loose powder (and risk walking around with a caked-up face), I left my face semi-dewy (yes, does feel a little sticky and heavy for I have extremely oily skin) on an extremely hot day (weather these days are absolutely crazy!) and my daily walk out to the MRT station (3 bus stops' worth of brisk walking, takes me around 20 minutes) left my face literally raining perspiration. I definitely thought that my foundation would have totally melted, or worse, turn streaky (perspiring beige sweat, oh no!). But a quick dab of my sweat-covered face showed minimal transferring of my foundation to the piece of tissue paper! 

And the slight discomfort of a heavy, sticky face for the entire day aside, I was pleasantly surprised to find that most of my foundation stayed put for the 10 over hours I was out, with all the crazy sweating from my daily routines.

As for the usage as a sleeping pack, I feel that the results is pretty decent, giving me well hydrated and plump-looking skin the next morning, but I do not really enjoy going to sleep with a sticky face.

So have you ladies also tried out this super-tasker wonder product? Tell me your thoughts on it!

You can get J One Jelly Pack and other products in their range at lazada.sg, amazon.com or qoo10.com.sg

Till then,
Mia Foo

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Mia's Taiwan Travelogue: Ximending Airbnb

And so after bidding Cingjing goodbye, we packed our bags and hopped onto the HSR again, heading for Taipei!

And the very first place we head for was obviously our airbnb apartment, located in the heart of ximending.

Getting to the apartment might seem dauntingly long judging from the route marked in red on google map, but it's a pretty short (around 15 minutes) and easy walk, even with a luggage in tow. 

The apartment's owner, Kenny, is a really helpful and friendly guy. Setting arrangement with him over whatsapp text messages was smooth and stress-free.

And I think this picture tells you why I chose this apartment out of the thousands available on airbnb. 

Thought not big at all (in terms of Singapore's context I'll call this a SOHO with two platform furniture beds) the apartment comes with not 1, but 2 platform queen sized beds, 1 queen size bed on 'ground floor' and another sofa bed at the 'living room' area in front of the wall mounted TV. So effectively, you can squeeze in a large group of 7! But having just 1 bathroom (there's bathtub, yes!) to serve a group of 7 will definitely not be your best choice though. 

And while the location of the aircon units right where the platform bed is means the platform beds taker will freeze to death in the middle of the night for the 'ground bed' takers to not melt into the bed while sleeping, the room temperature problem is conveniently strike-off since it was the cold winter season while we're there. Plus, Kenny is considerate enough to provide a standing fan right in front of the 'ground bed'. So, don't worry about that. :)

Other than the thoughtfulness of prepping the mini kitchen up for us with cleaning agents and starbucks coffee mugs and water dispenser, Kenny also prepared a portable wifi for us to stay connected on the go.

I reckon he likes bear brick too?

You'll be surprised at how much effort Kenny puts into making his guests feel at home. He printed maps of Ximending and the Taipei metro and mark out the recommended attractions (and corresponding stations) on them for our consideration as well, which was extremely useful! 

To book this apartment, visit the airbnb page HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: Spicy Thai Thai Cafe Revisited [Food Tasting]

Time flies, and it has been more than 1 year since my previous visit to Spicy Thai Thai Cafe (read my previous review HERE to find out how to locate the restaurant). 

There hasn't been any changes to the outlook of the restaurant, but the menu surely has! Other than having the (my) 'old time favourites' of the Lala Beehoon & Hommok (Thai-style Otak), we were introduced to quite a table of food that's new on the menu!

And first up, the carbs!

Tom Yum Seafood Fried Rice - $6 (single pax portion)

I was pleasantly surprised to realise that the bits of greens were actually chopped long beans and not frozen peas. The tom yum flavour wasn't that strong, so if you're a fan of fried rice but doesn't really know how to appreciate a good 'acutely sour and spicy' tom yum flavour, this should be a safe choice for you. However, do not expect your fried rice to come as a heart shape on your plate. Heh! 

Stir-fry Fish Maw, Crab Meat & Beansprouts - $18

Well, we all kept calling it Pad Thai, but apparently it's not what it's called on the menu. 

It tasted exactly like how a Pad Thai would have tasted, minus the usual spiciness, and with pieces of fish maw and crab meat inside. I couldn't remember the distinctive taste of crab, because I really had just a mouthful, but the fish maw added a lot of bite and texture to the dish. 

Stir-fry Basil, Minced Chicken & Long Beans - $10

Flavourful with a spicy (after) kick. I highly recommend that you eat this with rice (plain rice, even better!) for its flavour is really quite strong with so much basil and chopped chili bits tossed into the minced chicken and chopped long beans. Having the chicken minced also makes it perfect choice of dish to top on your plain rice, so yup. But do tread carefully if you're not a fan of spicy food. The spiciness hits you after you've done chewing and swallowing. 

BBQ Pork Belly - $18

In my previous review (link above) , I've mentioned about their yummy BBQ pork collar and now they've added belly to their menu, which tasted just as good (like charsiu) and a whole lot more tender!

BBQ Japanese Squid with Roe - Seasonal Pricing

Well, that's one huge squid! HAHAHA.

We've got two separate plates of them and one was significantly more tender than the other. Nevertheless, the squid were still relatively well done and not overcooked till the point of tasting like tasteless rubber. The BBQ cooking method also gave it a fragrant roasted taste. Although I felt that this would be so much better if it just had a little bit more of a salty taste, I can still see myself having a plate of this along with a pitcher of ice cold beer. HEH!

The squid roe, however, is a big no-no from me. Definitely an acquired taste, it tasted extremely fishy (not the very pleasant kind) and with a very gritty texture. 

Deep Fried Sea Bass with Mango Salad - Seasonal Pricing

I know, from this angle, even if I were to tell you it's chicken fillet, you'll probably believe it too. 

There, this is better, isn't it? 

Well, you can't go wrong with a deep fried fish, can you? The fish was fresh and sweet, the skin coated in a thin layer of batter and fried till crisp and golden brown. 

Thai Style Curry Crab - Seasonal Pricing

Not a fan of crabs (I always get bloated from eating crabs), I didn't really try this out except for a tiny tiny bite of the flesh and found that the crab was pretty fresh. As for the gravy, I can't comment much for I didn't get to taste it. 

And here comes and much anticipated dish of the night!

Fish Maw Crab Meat Abalone Soup in Coconut - $28

This is like a mini Buddha Jump Over the Wall, Thai style. 

2 mini abalone, fish maw, crab meat, golden mushroom and slices of coconut flesh cooked in flavourful savoury thicken broth, served in a coconut shell. So shiok!

You can hardly taste or smell the distinctive 'coconut taste' in this dish at all, even though there's really quite a generous amount of coconut flesh found in the broth. Instead, it added on to the overall sweetness of the dish. 

And surprise surprise, this is my favourite dish of the night.

Deep Fried Kang Kong with Special Thai Sauce - $10

Who knows that fried Kang Kong will taste so good! You don't even need the dip, just munching on these amazingly crispy, slightly salty vegetables will give your tummy and tastebuds a great feeling of satisfaction. I could have easily finished the entire pan of that, no joke. 

Spicy Thai Thai Cafe is located at

115 Aljunied Avenue 2, #01-35

Singapore 380115

For more information, visit their website HERE

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia's Review: DYNA Mucota Argan Oil Treatment with Headlines by Artistry (Sponsored)

If you follow me on my IG, you'll know that I've recently mucota-ed my hair again, and this time at Headlines by Artistry.

I don't think you'll need more introduction about Headlines as they're highly discussed upon by bloggers these days and especially popular for their Mucota DYNA treatment. And as you know, I'm an avid Mucota supporter, but has yet to try out DYNA. So I was truly elated when I received the sponsorship invite from them to try out their signature Mucota DYNA treatment! 

Thought to yield a very much less straight looking, non-permanent results, I was assured by my stylist, Chris Wong, that DYNA can be used to produce permanent, straight hair. And as part of my hair are quite damaged from bleaching, he used a stronger number 1 cream, DYNA CAT, on my newly grown curly roots and then the milder DYNA CA on my already rebonded ends. 

Other than the usual heat protecting spray, there's also this hair treatment cream with collagen to further nourish my hair. 

The unappealing shade of hay-yellow aside, you can see that my hair is really dry, especially at the ends and there's a portion (I reckon that's the portion of my hair that got the most bleached) that looks fried. 

In spite of me going in pretty late, Chris still worked on my hair diligently and after 3.5 hours' of work, gave me a head of soft, smooth and straight tresses! 

I like how DYNA does not have the very strong pungent smell that's characteristic to the usual rebonding cream (like Mucota Opera) and leaves our hair a lot softer and naturally straight. 

The fact that it's effectively a treatment also means that my fried ends got saved! I can assure you that those fried ends you see on the left weren't snipped off to give the after photo on the right. 

I'll highly recommend ladies with curly, unruly and yet damaged hair to give this DYNA treatment a try. Moreover, Headlines is giving a 10% discount to all of their first DYNA customer. Otherwise, you can bring a friend (new customer) on your 2nd visit onward to continue enjoying the discounted rate. 

Otherwise, you may also quote my name "Mia Foo" to enjoy 10% discount off all services.

Headlines by Artistry is located at 

10 Anson Road, International Plaza, #03-32. 

Nearest MRT Station: Tanjong Pagar

For more details or to make appointment, please call 6223 3133. 

Till then,

Mia Foo

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Mia Bakes: Maccha Roll Cake & Cloud Bread

Yup, and it's another baking session with the girls!

This time we're challenging the impossible, the ROLL CAKE.

With tons of fresh strawberries! HAH, kidding. These were eaten in the course of baking the cake, but none actually went into the cake (we used another packet of korean strawberries instead).

So, let's get started with the ingredients!

for the sponge cake:

4 eggs, yolks and whites separated.

170g caster sugar (about 3/4 cup)

70g cake flour (about 3/4 cup)

2 tbsp fresh milk

2 tbsp bakeable green tea powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

16" by 12" baking tray

(try not to go any smaller or your cake might be too thick)

for the filling:

250ml whipping cream (cold)

2 tbsp icing sugar 

1 tbsp bakeable green tea powder

fresh/canned fruits, sliced/chopped. 

(we used sliced korean strawbrries & cut canned peaches)

First up, mix all the dry ingredients together and pass them through a sieve. You may repeat for up to 3 times, but just once will do if you're really that lazy. 

Then, separate out the yolks and egg whites carefully. Make sure there's absolutely no traces of yolk in the whites, else you won't get your meringue. 

Beat the egg whites on high using a mixer (you may your hand-held whisk, but be prepared for some serious aching arms) until it turns foamy and then gradually add in half of your sugars, beating until you achieve stiff peaks and a glossy finish. 

Stop once you achieve that, do not overbeat!

In a separate bowl, beat the yolks and remaining sugar until it turns pale and creamy. If you're using the same mixer, remember to get your meringue done before you beat your yolks (by doing so you won't need to wash them). 

Add in milk and beat until well mixed before adding in the sifted dry ingredients and mix well. 

Then, add in 1/3 of the meringue to temper the yolk mixture (you may use your whisk to mix at this point). 

After the mixture turns more or less homogenous, add them into the rest of the meringue (depends on which bowl is bigger, you may add the meringue to the yolk mixture too) and fold gently using a spatula until there's no more big lumps of meringue. 

Do not over mix, else you'll deflate your meringue and your sponge cake won't turn out fluffy. 

Once done, pour the mixture into a greased, lined baking tray and bake at 220 degree Celsius for 10 to 12 minutes, until the top brown slightly and is springy to touch.

And while the cake is still warm roll it up in the parchment paper and cover with a clean, damp tea towel. Leave it to cool like that while you prepare the filling.

Making the filling is simple, for you just need to pour the cold whipping cream into a mixing bowl, add in the icing sugar and green tea powder and beat till stiff peak is achieved.

When the cake has cooled completely, unroll and peel back the parchment paper. It doesn't matter that the cake is crinkly and ugly as this will be rolled inside while the pretty side on the parchment paper will be outside. 

Spread your whipped cream onto the cake and pop in cut fruit of your choice. Remember to leave at least half an inch space on the sides and 2 inches at the end. Else, you'll just waste all the cream as they ooze out while you roll the cake back. 

And since the cake was pre-rolled while it's warm, rolling it back will be a breeze!

Wrapping it back in the parchment paper, pop the entire roll into the fridge for it to set for at least 30 minutes. 

And of course, we split the cake evenly between ourselves!

I'll say that the choice of strawberries with canned peaches is a great combination for the syrupy sweet peaches not only even out the bitterness of the green tea flavour, but also neutralises the tangy-ness of the strawberries. 

YUMS!

Next up, it's something I'll advise that you do not waste ingredients and time trying it out. These no carbs, gluten-free "cloud bread".

Ingredients can't be any simpler, for you only need 3 eggs, 3 tbsps of cream cheese and 1/4 tsp of baking powder (or cream of tartar). 

Optional ingredients for flavour can be honey or your favourite herbs. We wanted to use rosemary but couldn't find any, so settled for oregano instead. 

Separate the yolks and whites and beat the egg whites with baking powder until stiff peaks form. In the other bowl, mix the yolks and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Temper the yolk mixture with 1/3 of the meringue before folding in the remaining 2/3 until you see no more lumps of egg whites. 

Drop the mixture freely onto a parchment paper lined baking tray and sprinkle your choice of herb over it before baking at 160 degree Celsius for 17 to 20 minutes and then broiling for 1 minute to brown the surface. If you do not have a broiler, just baking them for the full 20 minutes will work, too.

These are hardly like bread at all being all flat and tasting extremely eggy. They'll pass off as pancakes with no issue though. Perhaps we've deflates too much of the meringue during mixing which is why the flatness. But just judging on the taste itself, it's a definite NAY from me.

Till then,

Mia Foo

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