New Mattifying Moisturiser

All of us know that having a good moisturiser in your daily skincare routine is key because it keeps your skin hydrated through the day whilst you go about slogging away in the sun. Many people who work in offices think that moisturisers and a good sunblock is unnecessary but constantly being in an air-conditioned environment dries out your skin and the fluorescent office lights do emit harmful UV rays as well.

I am someone with oily combination skin so I if a skincare product is mattifying, I'm all for it! My previous moisturiser fav has been the Soap & Glory Clear Here which is a T-zone oil-control daily moisturiser lotion. Sadly, they discontinued it. When I learnt that they were discontinuing it a few years ago, I went slightly cray and wiped the shelf off of a particular Sephora of this moisturiser. I was THAT INTO IT. 

Recently, I got through my very last bottle of it, so naturally, I've been hunting around for a great mattifying moisturiser as well. I know quite a while back that I wanted to give La Roche-Posay a try as I've heard many great things about this French skincare brand. The lady at the counter recommended this to try and after a week of application, I am loving it!

It has a gel texture and applies very easily on the skin, almost like a primer sort of consistency. I like that it is light and works with combatting oil but because I have such oily skin, I still have to blot a couple of times through the day. I would say that it definitely does better in terms of mattifying your skin than some other moisturisers I've tried in the market. Will definitely be repurchasing this.

If you have a great recommendation for mattifying moisturisers, please let me know! I would love to try them out as I seek out in search of my next holy grail moisturiser.

xo,

Amelia

Greece Summer Outfits

I know Summer is drawing to an end soon but I just thought I'll share with you some of my favourite Summer outfits and specifically the ones I wore in Greece last summer. We spent a good holiday in Santorini and Athens after successfully planning the surprise proposal for my good friend Natalie and her husband-to-be. I love Santorini - it is really a dream come true. You will definitely be expecting some throwback Santorini blogposts coming up because I have a huge amount of backlog that I've not shared with anyone, not even Facebook. 

Summer in Santorini is amazing but you definitely have to pile on the SPFs. I heard that apart from Summer, Santorini is like a dead-town because everyone flocks back to Athens. I like wearing loose-fitting clothing that is breezy and it is no coincidence that most of my outfits in Greece were mainly white and flowy. One's gotta stick to the color theme of Santorini right?

This outfit deserves a mention because it was hands down my favourite outfit in Greece. I paired a cropped frilly top with a pair of flowy lacy pants, some white sandals, a black tassle clutch and put a flower in my hair. After one rave party where I got gifted a coral flower clip from a friend, I was hooked. So now whenever I go on a beach holiday or a Summer party/holiday, I like placing a flower in my hair because I just like the look of it and how it draws attention to my hair. 

A few days before the trip, I was out shopping and looking for a simple white dress. Who else is guilty of fashion shopping for a trip as well? I'm sure I am not the only one! Little did I realise when I was in Santorini that this dress couldn't fit this Grecian trip any better with all the geometric patterns on it as well. We even spotted someone wearing the exact same dress the day before we flew out. Pair that with a gladiator sandals and you have yourself the perfect modern-day Grecian outfit for sure.

A backpack is a great accessory for traveling because it is roomy and extremely convenient. I would recommend investing one in a neutral color (I have one in black and one in nude) and of good quality and functionality so that it is not easily targetted for pickpockets in foreign land. I like those that have a small zipper at the back of you to easily reach to your essentials like your cards and keys.

Honestly, this photo was taken after I tripped and stubbed my right toe on a rock and dripped blood on ancient rocks. Luckily, some kind lady gave me a plaster and some tissue to stop the bleeding. Always always bring plasters out with you! Especially whilst you are travelling. How I manage to sit still and look pretty is definitely a skill I must say.

What are some of your favourite Summer outfits?

Share them with me and enjoy it whilst it last! Not like it really makes much of a difference here in Singapore currently as the weather has been extremely hot and humid for some reason. Perhaps it is the latest Pokemon Go craze that just hit our shores and the weather is making it more challenging for us as Pokemon trainers. 

xo,

Amelia

A Quick Breakfast

Breakfast is such an important meal of the day yet most of us know that and neglect the importance of it. These days, I barely have the luxury of time like before to make myself a proper big breakfast at home. On days when I have to get into office super early, I usually rush out of the home with a slice of bread spread with peanut butter and a packet of chilled milo. On the lucky days that I get to work from home, I tend to sleep in a little more and usually wake up closer to lunch time and neglect breakfast all together.

A quick breakfast idea is to have cereal with milk and some fruits to top it off. Ditch your guilty pleasure of honey stars and koko crunch as those tend to have additional sugars added to them. My favourite these days are Banana Nut Crunch or Blueberry Mornings by Post as they are whole grain and contain zero saturated fats. 

Yes, it takes some getting used to as they are not as sweet. Add some fruits and drizzle honey or agave nectar and if you can, some chia seeds for additional health benefits. Try them and let me know how you like it!

xo,

Amelia 

Go-to Restaurant in Iceland

 It is no doubt that Iceland is now the top on my list of countries to visit. Being quite the jet-setter, I have possibly planned my trip to the land of fairies 2 whole years in advance; or rather, I wanted to go at the best suitable timing so that there's a higher chance of myself catching the Northern Lights (which I did!)

Food in Iceland is by no means cheap by my standards, possibly similar to most of the Scandinavian countries. We went to the convenience store one day to grab some light food and snacks for our two-day trip outside of Reykjavik and one small packed cold pasta salad set us back about $11. Woah. That is crazy expensive!

For our last night in Iceland, we thought we would go big and grab a nice meal at a nice restaurant. And that's just what we did. 

DILL is a Nordic restaurant and the brainchild of Chef Gunnar Karl Gíslason and Sommelier Ólafur Örn Ólafsson. They have been nominated for the Nordic Price 3 years in a row - and for good reason. It is a relatively small restaurant (do make reservations in advance) but their food packs a whole load of punch. 

Lamb Fat Bread

You can opt for a 5 course menu (11,900kr ~ S$130) or a 7 course menu (13,900kr) and with each, comes complimentary amuse bouche (or the Icelanders would call them 'snacks'). The items on the menu are seasonal and always subjected to change as the chef believe in using what's in session. Hence, what you see here in this post may not be what you are getting on your plates.

Considering how much you pay for a convenience store salad, this meal is not expensive and you can expect a bang for your buck.

 

Cabbage, Roe and Dried Sausage

Hands down, one of the best cabbage I've ever had. Cabbage - one of the simplest yet hardest food to possibly perfect but this was absolute perfection. It was so soft, melts in your mouth and there's something about the sauce as well. SO GOOD.

Wild Goose, Cauliflower and Crowberries

Potato, Ash-Skyr and Lamb Hearts

Blueberry and Cream, Juniper and Skyr

Honestly speaking, I am extremely thankful that we had our last meal in Iceland because if we hadn't, I would have left the beautiful country thinking that Nordic food is nothing special and mainly consist of cold pasta salads and skyr yoghurts. This meal changed my perception towards Nordic cuisine and there is definitely a lot of originality and creativity that went into creating the dishes as they are not the typical food types that you would possibly pair together. 

I highly recommend you check out this place as I have nothing but great admiration for their food.

Hverfisgata 12 

101 Reykjavik

Tel: +354 552 1522

Wed - Sat 7pm to 10pm

xo,
Amelia