Product Review: Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover

Hello! Today I'm back with another product review sponsored by Sample Store which is the new and improved Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover!

The new Bioré Aqua Jelly Makeup Remover, with its revolutionary jelly-like texture, comes in an even smoother, lighter consistency but with the same high cleansing ability that effortlessly dissolves and lifts off more makeup in a gentle glide

It comes in a cute pink bottle with the usage directions printed on the back of the packaging as well as on the back of the bottle itself. Love the fact that it has a pump which most makeup remover do not have which makes it easier to get the products out of the bottle.

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Senaru Crater Rim x Descend x Missed Flight)

"Travel is the only thing you buy, that makes you richer."

Day 4 (Senaru Crater Rim x Descend to POS 1):

When we woke up, we were greeted by the majestic view of the lake which we did not get to see the day before. 

After breakfast, we packed our bags and prepare to set off for the climb to Senaru crater rim.

 Group photo before setting off

We headed along the lake for a few minutes before climbing up. The view at every step of the way was no less than spectacular yet again.

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Summit x Segara Anak Lake)

"Somewhere between the bottom of the climb and the summit is the answer to the mystery why we climb."

Day 3 (Summit x Segara Anak Lake):

Our summit climb began at 2:30am. When we were up, we could already see many flickering lights along the route up. People sure began their climb early! The summit climb was definitely the hardest part of the trek. The last part was the worse. People were right about taking 1 step forward and sliding 2 steps back. The summit seemed so near, but just like what our guide told us, don't always believe what your eyes see. Walking up the never-ending path to the summit was torturous. However, we just took our time and slowly crawled up. Manage to catch the gorgeous sunrise on the way.

Dawn breaks as we inched our way up the path to the summit.

Even when the sun was already up, we were still far away from the summit...

Travelogue: Mt. Rinjani (Transit x Sembalun Crater Rim)

"Nature, in the purest sense, is where both serenity and wilderness coexist in harmony. When we visit it, we feel both peaceful and uneasy all at once."

Still feeling the "Post-Rinjani Withdrawal Syndrome" even after being back in SG for a few days now. Miss everything about Rinjani, other than the torturous climb and aching muscles.

Well, here's my recount of the trip for future viewing!

Decided to go on this NTU ODAC public trip as my 7rek mates were signing up for it and they asked me along. Rinjani was on my list since last year after we completed our 7rek Indo recce (Read more about the previous trip here). And since the trip leaders are people I know too, so why not? 

This was a 5D4N trip with 1 day of transit from SG to Lomobok and resting one night before the start of our trek. However, it soon became a 5D5N trip... Read on to find out why.

Anyway, we went with Green Rinjani and yes their service was really good! From the accommodation before the trek to the food and tents provided during the trek, they were all excellent! We had 6 guides and approximately 25 porters for the 28 of us. The guides were extremely friendly and patient with us, accommodating to our needs and all. Really thankful to have them during our trek! 

I was all excited yet nervous all at the same time while preparing for the trip, not knowing what to expect. 

Day 1 (SG x Bali x Lombok):

Our day began at 6am at Changi Airport T2. Gathered for check-in and prepared for our flight to Bali. Flew by Tiger Air from SG to Bali, which took approximately 2.5hrs. 

First stop: Bali International/Domestic Airport. Made our way from the international arrival hall to the domestic departure hall, with plenty of time to kill. So we went around looking for lunch before checking-in for our domestic flight to Lombok.

View from domestic departure hall

 If you look closely, you can actually see the blue seas behind the runway.

 Second experience on a propeller plane

So our domestic flight was by Wings Air and it was a propeller plane! There wasn't much ventilation in the plane before take-off cause the air conditioning wasn't turned on. It felt like we were in a sauna x.x Thank goodness it was only a 30min flight.

Felt like ages before the plane finally took off.

 Bird's eye view of Bali

Travelogue: Bangkok (BKK)

Spent the new year in BKK shopping! Went there from 31 Dec 2014 to 3 Jan 2015 for a family vacation. Didn't really get to go most of the places I wanted to visit (like the sunflower field in Lop Buri and the Alpaca farm) or tried the food people recommended though. Worst of all, I feel like I haven't shopped enough ): I guess one can never have enough of shopping...

We probably went at the wrong date too cause on the 31, stores closed earlier than usual and some remained closed throughout the first 2 days of the new year... Tough luck. So a note to anyone who's planning to celebrate the new year in BKK, go for sightseeing on the first few days of the new year before doing shopping. By 2 Jan, most shops should be opened. Anyhow, still enjoyed my short getaway with my family, shopping till my back and feet hurt.

Booked our flight during the SQ 2-to-go promotion 1-2 months before. The timings for the flight were great as it was a morning flight there and a night flight back. Which meant that we got to spend 4 whole days in BKK. It was quite a last minute decision by my mum, but what's new? The past few family vacations we had were mostly impromptu too. Haha.

After booking the air tickets, I researched on the hotels near Pratunum area and we decided on Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel, as recommended by my aunt who stayed there previously on her trip to BKK. The hotel was quite pricey, considering we could get a cheaper price for a 5 star hotel nearby but we went with that recommendation anyway.

So off to BKK we go!



Day 1: Arrival in BKK, Siam Paragon (After You Cafe), Central World

Hello BKK!

After clearing immigration, we went out to get the 3G SIM card. They have different service providers (AIS, DTAC) which charges the same rate (299 baht) for 7 days unlimited 3G internet and 100 baht talk time. We went with AIS and got it settled within minutes.

We took the airport city rail to Ratchaprarop Station which took around 30 min and cost 40 baht per pax. It was cheaper than taking taxi which would cost around 300 baht and since we only had 2 luggage, it wasn't that much of a hassle. Our hotel was about 2 or 3 streets away from the station and it was easy to locate the hotel.

Even though it was only 10:30am when we reached, the receptionist checked us in immediately. Rested in the room for awhile before heading out to get lunch.

First stop, Siam Paragon. Walking from our hotel to Siam took about 15-20min.

Headed straight to the food area to look for lunch. Saw the "After You" Cafe that everyone has been raving about and without hesitation I told my mum that I'm gonna have that for lunch. Haha. So we ordered 1 Shibuya Honey Toast ($175 baht) to share. I'm gonna admit, their cafes aren't exactly cheaper than those in SG (or rather even pricier) but since everyone raves about it, I had to give it a try.

I do love it! It's similar to having hot and crispy waffles with ice cream! Heavenly taste. However, it was ultra sinful. The toast is covered with butter, but I guess that is what makes this toast so yummy!

After the dessert, we headed to the food court to get more food. In BKK, the food you get from the food court tastes as great as those in the restaurants! I love their Phad Thai! Non-spicy food for a person like me who cannot take spicy food hehe.

We walked around the ground floor and found this other dessert store which sells eclairs and this really cute chocolate "toast bread"!

Walked around in Siam Paragon for awhile but since all the shops there are mostly international brand or branded goods, we decided to go to Siam Square for more budget shopping.

However upon reaching there, most of the shops were closed cause it was New Year eve... What a bummer. I didn't expect that as I read online reviews saying that BKK shopping is open 365 days a year. They weren't exactly wrong since the shopping malls do open all year round, but not the individual shops along the streets.

So we moved on to our next shopping destination, Central World. Walked about 10min from Siam Paragon via the "overhead bridge" or connecting walkway to Central World.

This was another huge shopping mall with many international brand such as H&M and Topshop. Yet another mall where there's no opportunity for budget shopping, so we mostly window shopped.

They have this Snoopy themed decoration all over the shopping mall which was really cute!

Directly opposite Central World, there is the Big C Supermarket. We went there to see what goodies and snacks we can buy back to SG. Bought cup noodles and chips for late night snack in the hotel and headed back to the hotel for a short rest before heading out for dinner.

The view from 20th floor of Centara Watergate Pavillion Hotel. They had a new year's eve dinner which costs about 200 SGD per pax.

Streets of BKK. On the left is Pratunam Market and on the right is our hotel.

Had dinner at Black Canyon Cafe but I wasn't satisfied. Hence after shopping around the "night markets" along the streets, we went to Tom N Toms Coffee for supper. Without hesitation, we ordered 2 tortilla pizza.

I first had it when we were at Busan last year. I love it to bits that I had 2 servings in one meal. And now since I chanced upon it in BKK, I felt like I could eat this every meal (and I ended up having at least once every day throughout the entire 4 days I was there).

After supper, headed back to the hotel as the streets were getting crowded since everyone was heading towards Central World for the countdown party.

We wanted to have an early night since we were waking up at 5am the next morning for Pratunam market. But the noise from the countdown party everywhere was making it impossible to sleep. So when it was midnight, we manage to catch some of the fireworks display from our hotel room.

Happy New Year!