Lush Dream Cream

Body creams, lotions, body butters, moisturizers. Some people struggle to keep up with the mundane task of slapping on those creams after a bath. For me, it's absolutely essential and I'd feel really uncomfortable without my body moisturizer.

I discovered Lush's Cream Cream on my trip to Japan and I'm currently on my second tub!

Description:

Our number one, best-selling product of all time, Dream Cream contains every ingredient nature makes for soothing sore skin. One of our proudest product achievements ever, we love this body lotion because it makes people happy. It transforms suffering bodies into states of peace with our calming blend of oat milk, lavender and chamomile to care for irritations, reduce redness, and banish blotches. Olive oil and cocoa butter are perfectly suited and incredibly effective for dry or chapped skin, and especially gentle for even the most sensitive types. Do your skin a favor, treat it right with Dream Cream.

Price

I bought this in Japan and I think it was around S$24 (240g)? I'm sure it will cost a lot more in Singapore, that's why I bought a backup after my first 2 uses in Japan.

Texture

Quite creamy but not thick, and it sinks into the skin about a minute or two without leaving a greasy layer.

Scent:

Herbally lavender scent. I can't say that it's the nicest smell in the world, but I definitely got used to it, and I think I even grew to like the light lavender scent.

Packaging

I love Lush's packaging. Even though it's not the most hygienic to have products in a tub like this, I really don't mind. I actually like dipping my fingers into tubs compared to pumping products out of a dispenser. That's for body products of course, for anything that comes in direct contact with my face, a pump please.

What I like:

• It absorbs easily, but it's still moisturizing enough.
• That fact that Lush uses a ton of natural ingredients! I have quite sensitive skin and it's just good to know that you're not putting on a layer of unhealthy chemicals on your skin every single night. I mean, I'm sure they use some sort of chemicals to prolong the shelve life of their products or whatever, but at least (I like to think) it's more natural than other some other moisturizers you get at the drugstore.

What can be improved:

Other than the price, i think I'm really happy with the Dream Cream! Nothing much to complain about really. 

It took me about 3months to finish an entire tub with daily usage and I'm currently halfway through my second tub:( Honestly, Dream Cream performs better compared to say Johnson and Johnson, but I get so much more product with Johnson and Johnson and it's a baby friendly brand! I might just go back to J&J after I finish Dream Cream, but if I have unlimited spending power, Dream Cream all the way.

The Providore at Mandarin Gallery

The Providore at Mandarin Gallery is brought to you by the people behind Jones the Grocer. I was there a few weeks ago with kx, su and rose for dessert.

I love the interior decor, which is both rustic and chic at the same time. We ordered a few desserts to share since we had quite a heavy dinner.

Mixed berry gelato ($5.50). Super light and refreshing, great for a sweltering afternoon or after a heavy meal. It's extremely addictive, with a good balance of sour and sweet, and I find myself reaching for it constantly.

Salted butter caramel gelato ($5.50). The person who came up with the idea of mixing butter with salted caramel is genius. Salted caramel is something that I can never resist, and I think this definitely made it to one of my top 3 salted caramel ice cream.

Strawberry shortcake ($8.50). Unfortunately, this looks better than it tastes. It's on the dry side, and I personally feel that the cake wasn't spongey enough.

Lemon meringue cake ($8-$9), can't remember the exact price. This was rather disappointing as well. It had quite a dry texture, just like the strawberry shortcake, and it tasted like raw lemon. 

With my girls! Mann, how I wish we were all still in school :(

I've only been to Providore on weekday nights and I think it's a really great spot to chill since there aren't many customers around. Will definitely return for their gelato ice cream! 

333A Orchard Road

Mandarin Gallery, #02-05

Singapore 238897 

Hours: Daily 9am - 11pm

Topshop Lip Bullet in Heartbeat

I'm such a sucker for new lip products. Ever since I bought the Soap & Glory's Gloss Stick (which left a really good impression), I've been wanting to test out more lip crayon type product to see how they fare. Topshop recently brought out their new range of lipsticks (packaged like a lip crayon), and I was immediately drawn to a bright coral colour - Heartbeat.

Description from website:

Richly pigmented self-sharpening precision lipstick with a satiny finish. Twist up format for precise application

Price:
$19

Texture:

Smooth and glossy, but it leaves a layer of film on the lips.

Scent:

No detectable scent

Packaging:
The lip bullet is housed in a twist up stick. As usual, Topshop's makeup packaging is always so simple and chic. One problem I had with the lip bullet is that the product has a tendency to melt and the colour will migrate down the white tip. It's not a very big issue though.

Swatch:

Topshop's lip bullet in Heartbeat is described as a peachy pink colour on their website. On my lips, the peachy tone doesn't really stand out. It's quite a bright colour, but it can be toned down by wearing just a light layer.

What I like:

• The lip bullet is just as pigmented as a lipstick. I was expecting more of a sheer colour, so I was pleasantly surprised by the colour payoff.
• Heartbeat is quite a bright colour and it leaves a nice pinkish stain even after a few hours of wear.

What can be improved:

• I much prefer the texture of Soap & Glory's Gloss Stick. Topshop's lip bullet leaves an 'oily' film on my lips, and application can sometimes be quite patchy.
• The lip bullet is not drying, but it tends to sink into the dry lines on my lips.

To be honest, the lip bullet feels very similar to a regular lipstick, the only difference is the packaging. I have to say that I'm slightly disappointed by the lip bullet. At $19, I think it's a tad overpriced for what it does. I could easily get a lipstick from Revlon that is better quality. Nonetheless, it is a pretty colour, so I'll probably continue wearing it.