REVIEW: GINSENG HEALTH PATCH (KOREA)

So I've been really lazy with blogging recently, but I thought this deserved its own post here, because it really works!

Some history about me...

I injured my back from ice skating over 10 years ago, and I guess it never recovered properly. Back then, I couldn't even sit properly at school unless I used a cushion! I saw both Western and Chinese medical practitioners, and I thought I recovered, as I didn't feel anymore pain. The pain suddenly hit me a few years later when I was in New Zealand, and it was so painful that I couldn't even walk properly.

 I've sought all kinds of medical help, including acupuncture, Chinese massage, acupressure, Chinese medicine, physio, yoga, and other pain relief patches (Tiger Balm's warm plaster does a good job to relieve pain temporarily), but nothing had really done any long-term change. Having constant back pains has disrupted my sleep, and it's one of the main reasons why I joined yoga, but even so, yoga only gives me temporary relief.

I suddenly came across this product whilst looking for masks for MaskGenie, and I decided to try it. There were a few reviews on this product, all saying how good it was.

The product that I'm going to review today, is the
Ginseng Health Patch from Korea.

The idea of the patch is it stick it onto a part of the body which feels painful or tired. I forgot to mention in my review on Instagram that the patch feels slightly warm after application.

Each patch is like a thin sticky piece of paper that smells strongly of ginseng, and has many small black dots in the patch. Each patch is 9.5cm x 13cm in size, which is not particularly large, but I managed to stick it on the most painful part, and it still worked for me. It is recommended to use the patch each night for three days consecutively, even if your body doesn't feel painful or tired anymore.

On the packaging, it shows the places (acupressure points) where you can stick the patch.

The patch is very thin, but it adheres to the skin very well, and the corners do not roll up. It's not obvious under clothing unlike other pain relief gel patches. After taking my shower at night, I waited for 30 minutes before sticking on the patch. There is a Chinese belief that you need to let the "wetness" (濕氣) inside the body out first, otherwise the "wetness" will just build up, and cause even more discomforts.

I couldn't understand any of the instructions on the packaging (and there's not much information online), so I assumed that I had to peel it off in the morning (after 8-10 hours) like any other pain relief patches, but I just realised it does say "24 hours" on the packaging, so perhaps you're supposed to leave it on all day. When I peeled it off, a little of the plastic had stuck onto my back, and I had to rub it off.

After the first night, I felt that my back wasn't as painful anymore already, but I continued to use it for two more nights to get optimum results! My skin isn't super sensitive, so after the first night, my back didn't feel itchy. By the third day, I was really amazed to see that my back was not painful at all anymore, and I've never felt so good before! My skin, however, did start to feel slightly itchy after using the third patch. It's been one week since using the patch, and my back still feels perfectly fine!

I did, however, try the patches on my thighs which had muscle aches (from an intense yoga session), but the patch didn't seem to be effective at all.

I'm super satisfied with the results, and I hope they're not temporary, but even so, I'm a happy girl again, and I can finally get some good night's rest!

Rating: 9.5/10

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

MEMEBOX SPECIAL #65 APPLE MOJITO UNBOXING

Seems like I've been quite slow updating my blog recently - I did so many YouTube unboxing videos, but I completely forgot to upload them here too! So here goes, here's the video of...

Memebox Special #65 Apple Mojito

I wasn't intending to order this box at first, but having a few points in my pocket made me want to spend on a box, and this seemed to be the most eye catching one at that time...sadly enough there wasn't anything really "apple mojito" related.

For $5 off on orders above $30, you can use my December Code: V354B5

For more information on Memebox, please visit their website:
http://us.memebox.com/user/geniesfavproducts

Thank you, and have a nice day!!!


This post contains affiliate links.

REVIEW: SKINAZ THE KISSABLE 24H LIP TATTOO

I received this product inside my Memebox Special #16 OMG Box, but since it was orange in colour, I originally thought of giving it away. I did, however, change my mind, because I need to start blogging about products again, and this would be a good place to start!

SKINAZ The Kissable 24H Lip Tattoo 13g

SKINAZ takes lip makeup to a whole new level with its Lip Tattoo! This'll be the ultimate no-makeup makeup since it actually works like an impermanent colour tattoo on your lips and does not smudge or gets erased for 24 hours long. Plus, it comes in five lusciously radiant colours: Lovely Pink, Sexy Red, Rising Sun, Sweet Wine, Kiss Orange

How to Use:

Apply the Lip Tattoo thickly over your lips and wait 10-15 minutes until it completely dries up.

 Then, remove the dried lip tattoo from one end to another.

Finish off by applying another layer of lip gloss or lip balm over the top.

FIRST IMPRESSIONS:

When I first applied it onto my lips, it left my lips feeling quite sticky. The colour was also very bright and bold! It dried up after 10 minutes, and I was able to peel it off quite easily. The colour left on my lips was still quite orange, but it was definitely not as sharp as before peeling it off! Surprisingly, it was not too drying on my lips! The colour was also very long-lasting, as it was not so easy to wash off with water. I also tried to wipe it off using the Chanel Eye & Lip Remover, but the colour had still not completely come off. I was able to wash it all off eventually after using my facial cleanser and Clarisonic Mia2. If I had received the Lovely Pink, I would probably use it more, but since I received the Kiss Orange, I would probably just put it away.

This definitely was a fun product to play around with, but it wasn't really that OMG to me.

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!

REVIEW: VELIEVE WHITE CLAY MASK

Velieve White Clay Mask was featured in Memebox Superbox #13 Pore Care. It is a wash-off type facial pack which contains amazon white clay that claims to absorb excessive sebum and bodily waste and leave your skin clean, soft and dry. It temporarily contracts pores by removing dusty blackheads and helps to cultivate skin elasticity. It contains oat extracts to help maintain skin elasticity, accompanied by echo-certified aloe vera leaf extracts which act to ease stressed skin.

How to use:

Use on a cleansed face. Spread the mask over a damp (but not wet) face, avoiding the eye area. Wait for 10-15 minutes or until the mask dries, and wash off using warm water. Recommended to use once or twice a week.

Personal Experience:

I personally did not find this clay mask to be effective in removing any of my blackheads; however, unlike other clay masks, this did not leave my face feeling dry at all. It also left my face feeling quite soft and smooth, and surprisingly hydrated. I find that the Deep Pore Cleansing Masque from Kiehl's is more effective at removing blackheads, even though that is slightly drying on my face.

Rating: 6/10

For more information on Memebox, please visit their website:

http://us.memebox.com/user/geniesfavproducts

This post may contain affiliate links.

FOODHAPPY PREMIERBOX 2 UNBOXING

If you ordered a certain box for last week, you will be getting the same type of box the following week, unless you change it before a certain day. I ordered a PremierBox the previous week, but I was in hospital during that time (and had too many things on my mind), so I was unable to change the type of box delivered for last week, so I received another PremierBox (but they deducted $40 off the box since I have a few coupons to use up).

The boxes I've tried so far:

FoodHappy Box

(personal rating: 7/10)

TasteWest Box

(personal rating: 8/10)

BodyHappy Box

(personal rating: 8/10)

ChocHappy Box
(personal rating: 8/10)

Premier Box
(personal rating: 8/10)

Every time I try a new item in the box, I am able to rate them, so it helps them decide what to send me next in my future boxes!!

These were the snacks I received (I switched five items in my box). On a side note, they have still not updated the list of the products that I have received, so I am still unable to rate some of the items that they replaced inside my previous boxes!

I have finished my subscription with FoodHappy, and I am just using up the "Free FoodHappy Box" coupons that I have earned.

Finally, it's time for revealing the discount coupon...

Use this coupon to get HK$10 off three FoodHappy Boxes ($30 off in total): MZ3QB

For more information about FoodHappy, please visit their website:

http://www.foodhappy.com

Thank you and have a nice day!!!

RESTAURANT REVIEW: Soi 18 Thai Cuisine

SAWADEE KA!!!

I usually do reviews on beauty and skincare, but today I'll be reviewing a restaurant that I visited last Friday...

18巷泰國餐廳 Soi 18 Thai Cuisine

This restaurant opened recently, and is located in the heart of Causeway Bay, at the World Trade Centre. You have to take the lift up to the 13th floor, and by the way, the "button" that you press for the lift is actually pretty cool - you have to put your whole palm over it to for it to light up! There are two restaurants on the 13th floor - Soi 18 and Gyuuzen Japanese Restaurant, both owned by the same people, but they have completely different atmospheres inside!! Since I'm pregnant and I can't eat sashimi, and I somehow don't like the taste of beef anymore, we chose to eat at Soi 18 this time, but we'll definitely be back to try out the Japanese Restaurant later!!

As you walk into the restaurant, the waiters will all greet you with "Sawadee ka" or "Sawadee krap", and most of the staff there are really from Thailand (but they can all speak Cantonese, since they have been living in Hong Kong for so many years)!! The ambience inside is quite warm and relaxing, and it's a great place for gatherings! Since we had a group of five, we were placed in one of the tables in the far end of the room, so we could have some privacy! The hanging lights were quite nice, but they did hang quite low, and even I had to be careful when standing up, in case I banged my head, and I'm 168cm!

The decorations on the sides of the restaurant are quite simple yet pretty - my favourite hot pink!!!

The ambience is great, but how about the food? Since they just opened recently, they only have a temporary menu, but the waiters and waitresses were very helpful in recommending dishes!! Instead of water, we were given a kind of Thai Tea, which reminded me of the spiced tea we had in India, and I really like that taste!! I saw that they had a Thai Ginger Tea and was going to order that, but the waitress pointed out that it's quite spicy, and that the Lemongrass Tea would be a better option for me, so I ordered that instead. Sorry, I didn't take a photo of it, but it came in a small tea pot, and it had a lot of lemongrass inside!! It was a nice experience, but I still preferred the Thai Tea more!

For our starters, we ordered the Raw Prawns with Thai Chillies, but I couldn't eat it since it's RAW, but hubby and his friends finished it in no time!

We also ordered the Thai Style Grilled Pork Neck, which came with a small container of glutinous rice. The grilled pork neck was slightly too dry for my liking, but the glutinous rice tasted quite nice with the sauce (though the rice was quite hard to spoon out of the container, and the sauce was actually quite spicy for me).

Next came the Tom Yum Soup, which was surprisingly yummy! I'm usually not a fan of Tom Yum Soup, because they're usually quite spicy, but we were able to have it non-spicy, and there were a lot of prawns inside too!! Apparently if we had ordered the spicy version, the Tom Yum Soup would be made with fish instead.

This was recommended by the staff as the "Dish of the Day" - Claypot Glass Vermicelli with Crab!! Again, I couldn't try the crab, but I did have a taste of the vermicelli which was soaked in the juice from the crab - thumbs up for this dish!!!

The Phat Thai was really good, with a lot of added prawns!! The flavour was just right and very appetising, but the only complaint here is that the portion was slightly small for our big stomachs!!

The stir-fried vege was really nice, and since it was placed in front of me, I finished pretty much the whole dish by myself!!

We also ordered the Hainanese Chicken, which was okay, but nothing special.

We also ordered the beef brisket in yellow curry and garlic bread to go with it! The taste of the curry was quite nice and creamy, but there wasn't a lot of brisket pieces inside. The garlic bread was okay, but it would've been nicer if the garlic taste was stronger.

As the portions were relatively small, and we had big eaters on our table, I was still feeling slightly hungry after eating all our mains...so we ordered dessert! This is the Dessert Platter, and I think it was the best part of the entire meal!!!

Our Dessert Platter consisted of:

Mango & Sticky Rice

I couldn't try the mango, but the sticky rice was made perfectly - the rice was chewy, but it wasn't too hard, and it wasn't too sweet either!!

Black Sticky Rice & Sweet Coconut Milk

Again, the rice was chewy but not too hard, and it wasn't too sweet!!

Water Chestnut & Coconut Custard Topping

The topping was very creamy and had a strong coconut flavour, and it had lots of water chestnut and corn inside!! This was so good that I had two!!!

Agar & Young Coconut Jelly

At first I wasn't going to try this, as I'm not a fan of this type of dessert, but I tried it, and it was surprisingly yummy!!! It had a strong young coconut juice flavour (unlike the ones at other places), and I actually wanted more!!!

I was full after eating all the desserts, and it was overall a very satisfying meal!!!

We paid around HKD230 per person for this meal, which is quite reasonable, considering the location, the atmosphere, and the variety of food we ordered!! 

The bonus? One of the owners of this restaurant is my sister-in-law, Grace Cheung, the winner of Miss Asia 2007 (do you remember her? I've posted photos of her before on my blog)!! She's at the restaurant on most nights now, so in addition to the nice food, you can also dine with a Miss Asia!!!

Since they are still a new restaurant, they still have a lot of room for improvement, but they are open to suggestions, so feel free to comment, and do give them time to improve!!!

For more information, please visit their pages on Openrice and Facebook:

http://www.openrice.com/english/restaurant/sr2.htm?shopid=176221&region=0&s=3

http://www.facebook.com/soi18thai?fref=ts

Thank you for reading, and have a nice day!!!

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LIEBSTER AWARD!!!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award by Veritazy from http://veritazy.wordpress.com/

I googled about the Liebster Award, and learnt that the Liebster Award is passed around the blogging community to those who have fewer than 200 followers!

You can read more about the awards here.

Here are the rules:

If you have been nominated for The Liebster Award, and you choose to accept it, write a blog post about the Liebster Award in which you:

1. Thank the person who nominated you, and post a link to their blog on your blog.

2. Display the award on your board - by including it in your post and/or displaying it using a "widget" or a "gadget". (Note that the best way to do this is to save the image to your own computer and then upload it to your blog post).

3. Answer 11 questions about yourself, which will be provided to you by the person who nominated you.

4. Provide 11 random facts about yourself.

5. Nominate 5-11 blogs that you feel deserve the award, who have less than 200 followers.

6. Create a new list of questions for the blogger to answer.

7. List these rules in your post. Once you have written and published it, you then have to:

8. Inform the people/blogs that you nominated that they have been nominated for the Liebster Award and provide a link for them to your post so that they can learn about it (they might not have ever heard of it!)

Note: You cannot nominate the person who nominated you!!

Here are the questions by Veritazy:

1. Why did you start a beauty blog?

I love reading product reviews, so I wanted to share with others too of the products that I've used...and I love trying out new products, so there would be lots to write about!!

2. What was your first makeup product/brand?

The lipgloss from Red Earth - thinking about it, it was probably the worst thing I had ever used, as it made my lips peel like mad!!!

3. If you are forced to live with one lipstick color, which would it be?

Coral Pink!!!

4. Name 3 holy grail products from your inventory!

Skinmiso Pore Beauty Nose Pack

Doctorcos Amino Acid Hybrid Sheet Free Mask Advanced

Clarins Double Serum

5. Who is your biggest beauty inspiration?

Myself!!! Every woman wants to look pretty, right?

6. What is your favourite fragrance?

I seldom use perfume, but I would prefer juicy and sweet fragrances!!

7. How much do you spend on beauty products each month?

I have gotten way over budget with all the Memebox orders recently, so around USD200-250 I guess.

8. Favourite subscription box (if you have one)?

Memebox is the only one I've tried, but I'm really happy with them, and I don't seem to be missing out much from other boxes anyway!!!

9. Lipstick, lip gloss or lip tint?

Lipgloss!!!

10. Best beauty boosting food?

H2O, what else is better than drinking water?

11. What inspires you the most?

Again, myself? Seeing the problems with my skin (the enlarged pores, dark circles, and hyperpigmentation), I'd want to try all necessary ways to get rid of them!!!

11 Random Facts About Me:

1. I'm a New Zealand born Chinese, but I have a mixed English accent -.-

2. My first airplane flight was when I was 1 year old.

3. I got married when I was 24 years old.

4. I'm a mother of a 2-year-old, but I'm also pregnant with my second child.

5. I grew taller after giving birth to my first child!

6. I love using Korean skincare products, and am in love with Memeboxes!!

7. I love eating sweet food, but I prefer eating salted popcorn.

8. Kinder Buenos are awesome, and so are Toblerones!!!

9. My favourite cartoon character is My Melody, only because it's a rabbit!

10. I love my Samsung Note 3, especially with its stylus and huge screen!

11. I used to hate the colour pink, but now I love it, especially HOT PINK!!!

Here are MY questions:

1. What is your favourite moisturiser?

2. What are your three must-have/holy grail products?

3. What products do you use for your daily skincare routine?

4. Why did you start a beauty blog?

5. How did your blog get its name?

6. What are your favourite makeup brands?

7. What is your favourite skincare gadget?

8. What is your favourite drink?

9. Name 5 products in your beauty product wish list.

10. What is your favourite music group?

11. What are your three favourite beauty products that you carry around in your handbag everyday?

I am now nominating the following bloggers:

Unboxing Beauty

Obviobsessions

Makeupmeandyoyo

Blinkiesblurbs

Ljblog

Eatshopsleeprepeat