The Mugshot Cafe

Start the day with a tasty bagel? Satisfaction!

We went to Mugshot to try out their bagels one early morning. This was actually my 2nd visit. I wanted to try more. The shop is one of the old shop lots at Chulia Street. When I mean old, it's really old. The shop is much much older than me, considered its heritage status. They have a "chim za-ing" (in hokkien) in the middle of the shop allowing the sunlight to brighten the shop. Cozy~

Chee Yon's order. Beef & Rocket. 

This is what Mavis had ordered. Cream cheese & smoked salmon. Look how generous they are, such a big piece of salmon. I've tried this during my 1st visit. Taste good but I prefer to have lesser cream cheese. Perhaps I should tell them less cream cheese next round? Hehe.. 

This is my order, Bacon & Egg. Thumbs up for this. The combination of the bacon & egg and how the taste lasted in your mouth... Yum!

Mango & Walnut Yogurt. Another generous serving. Look how chunky the walnuts were. 

Some drinks to quench the thirst. Cappuccino, and Wild Berries tea. 

Such a tasty breakfast. Satisfied. =)

They had an oven to cook/ heat the food.

Snapped some photos before we started our breakfast.  

Mavis, where are you? =p

Chee Yon snapped a few too. 

This is what I've meant. Chim Za-ing (in hokkien). They have a space in the middle of the shop with a transparent roof top allowing the sunlight to shine in. We don't have this nowadays, only those heritage shop have this kind of design. Some people don't have a roof at this area during old days and it will be wet if it rains. 

More old stuffs. 

Some sense of humor from the owners. Lol. 

Snapped some photos with Mavis after our breakfast. =) 

People get confuse with our outlook. They said we look alike. To me, of course Mavis looks prettier. Lol. 

Outfit of the day - Crochet lace top and scallop shorts. 

Cafe Info: 

The Mugshot Cafe 

302 Chulia Street, 

10200 Georgetown, 

Pulau Pinang. 

Tel: 012-4056276

Open Daily: 8.00am - 9.00pm

Ok, I think I should stop now. Looks lengthy, hope you guys don't mind. Till then, bye. 

p.s. - Thanks to Chee Yon for the photos. 

OPI - Don't Burst My Bubble

Looking for a soft shade nail polish? Here, OPI - Don't Burst My Bubble would be one of the good choice.

This soft pale baby pink is one of the members of OPI's Oz The Great and Powerful collection. The color is so subtle, soft and sweet looking. It is always kind of tricking to wear a pink nail polish as it tends to make my hand look dull or darker but this lovely color just work perfectly. 

It look sheer on 1 coat and almost transparent in color with a hint of pink. The formula is not streaky, so smooth and glossy that provides a clean look. 

With the 2nd coat, it looks slightly opaque and the soft pale baby pink color looks more prominent. 

I always prefer to have more color on my nails. With the 3rd coat on, it reached its full opacity. The color is so subtle and soft, make the nails looked so neat and well groomed. 

The formula of this nail polish is perfect and not streaky, so easy in application. It finishes perfectly and smooth even with only 1 coat. The white base had toned down the pink color and make it so subtle and soft. I believe it is suitable for every skin tone and will make your nails look so well groomed and neat. For newbies who wanted to start having some color on your nails but don't know which perfect color to choose, consider Don't Burst My Bubble. You will fall in love with this. 

Call me crazy. I am actually considering to get another bottle of Don't Burst My Bubble. I'm not too sure whether it is a regular color that will be produced all year long or it is a limited edition. Thinking of if it's a limited edition really make me nervous a little bit. Hey, I finally get myself a perfect pink color nail polish. I really wish it is available any time in the market. It is so difficult for me to get a nice pink nail polish as all the previous pink tones really make me disappointed. All of them make my hand look dull and dark. I am really debating on whether to get the 2nd bottle and keep it in stock =p.

All in all, I am really happy to have this color with me. It is not the typical nude color that looks boring. The jelly finish makes it look so squishy, soft and dreamy. It is so much fun on it and yet sophisticated, so easy to match with any color of outfits, so appropriate for any occasion and also so office appropriate. I have 1 word in mind to describe this - Perfect! 

Bye Bye UV - Sunscreen vs Sunblock

Busy preventing UV from your face? Well, don't forget about your body, it needs your attention too. So today, I would like to introduce and show the difference of these 2 products - Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA+++ and Block Up! Sport SPF 50 Lotion from Fruit of the Earth. 

I got tanner few months ago due to lots of outdoor activities and I wanted to get back to my original skin tone. So, I decided to look for something that could give me protection from the UV.  Before I start with the products and their differences, below is to show you how the UV ray (UVA & UVB) penetrates our skin. UVA will cause tanning and premature skin aging while UVB will cause sunburn and skin cancer. 

Diagram from medmovie.com

Let us start with Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence SPF 50+ PA+++. 

This sunscreen is Japan's No. 1 sunscreen seller since 2011 and had won multiple awards. The high coverage of SPF 50+ and PA+++ provides a longer time of protection against UVA and UVB from our skin. Its water base texture is so lightweight and is easily absorbed by the skin. Feel so smooth after applying and the skin feels cool and refreshing. What I like most about this product is the non-greasiness. A perfect choice for hot and humid weather. But wait, why am I not getting any fairer after using a couple of bottles? The SPF and PA should helps, right? Hmm...  

Now, Block Up! from Fruit of the Earth came into the picture. My friend had recommended this sunblock to me after hearing me complaining on my skin tone progression. She told me that her skin get fairer after using this so I decided to give it a try. And YES, my skin tone does get fairer after using the 1st tube (30ml)! So fast, amazing!

I've actually used a few ranges of Block Up!- SPF 50 for adult, Kids SPF 50 and Sport SPF 50. Well, all in travelling pack size (30ml each) as I wanted to try out different ranges. I would strongly recommend the Sport range. Sunblock normally gives you the sticky and greasy feel on your skin after application and sometimes it will last for the whole day which is kind of annoying. Block UP! Sport SPF 50 from Fruit of the Earth is so much different from the others even as compare with its sisters (SPF 50 for adult and Kids SPF 50). It is so much less greasy and the greasy feeling went of quickly after application. Much more lightweight and smells better too. I am very satisfied with this. 

Now, why Biore couldn't help in getting my skin fairer while Block Up! could? It doesn't mean that Biore's quality isn't good enough. Don't forget, it's Japan's No. 1 sunscreen seller and had won a few awards. The actual main reason is that, Biore is a sunscreen while Block Up! is a sunblock. What's the difference? Shouldn't them all be the same? Of course, no. Never lump a sunscreen and sunblock together. They are different. Continue reading and you will know why. 

Sunscreen

• A chemical sunscreen that helps to absorb UV ray (UVA and UVB) before it starts to penetrate our skin layers. 
• Contains SPF and PA. 
• SPF helps to absorb UVB. This will help to prevent sunburn and skin cancer. The higher the SPF, the longer time of protection. 
• PA helps to absorb UVA that could cause skin tanning and premature skin aging such as sunspot, wrinkles, and uneven skin tone. The more + you have, the better it is. 
• Doesn't provide full spectrum of UV protection. It could only provide protection on short wavelength of UV radiation. 
• Tends to be wear off easily and requires reapplying. This increase the chances of UV penetration to the skin. 
• Lightweight and non-greasy. 
• Could be semi-transparent in color. 

Sunblock

• A physical sunscreen that blocks UV ray. UV ray will be deflected before it reaches our skin. 
• Contains Avobenzone (Parson 1789), Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, or Oxybenzone that block longer wavelength of UVA radiation from reaching our skin. 
• Contains SPF to prevent sunburn. 
• Thicker in texture. 
• Doesn't wash off easily and could last longer. 
• Whitish in color due to the content of Zinc Oxide. (Careful, this may stain your clothes)

So now the difference here is on the PA and the Avobenzone, Zinc Oxide, and etc. PA helps to absorb shorter wavelength of UVA and also because of the short life spend after application, there is still chances for UVA to penetrate our skin and causes tanning and premature skin aging. In the other hand, Avobenzone and friends help to block longer wavelength of UVA and the life spend is longer which means less chances of UVA penetration to the skin. With the skin own metabolism and the block out of UVA, the skin tone will naturally return to its own tone when using a sunblock vs a sunscreen.  

Both Biore and Block Up! are fairly good products that served different purposes. It's just my own preference on Block Up! from Fruit of the Earth as I prefer a sunblock that could provide full spectrum of protection so that I could get back to my original skin tone.

Below are some tips while you are purchasing either a sunscreen or sunblock. 

The lotion on top is the Biore sunscreen and the bottom is the Block Up! sunblock from Fruit of the Earth. You could see the difference in color. The sunblock looks much whiter than the sunscreen. You could also realize that the sunscreen is easily spread out on the skin. The thickness of the sunblock texture still remains and requires longer time to spread out. 

If you are looking for a sunblock, please make you sure are choosing the ones that contain Avobenzone (Parson 1789), Zinc Oxide, Titanium Dioxide, or Oxybenzone. This will have a full spectrum of protection from UVA that causes skin tanning and premature skin aging. 

  

Conclusion would be if you don't mind getting tanner or plan to get tanner, sunscreen will help. The UVA still manage to penetrate your skin layers and you will have the SPF to help you avoid sunburn. If you don't want to get tanner, sunblock will be good. 

Till then, stay pretty inside and out. Oh ya, make sure you clean your skin thoroughly during bathing and get some scrub done at least once a week. You don't want to get your pores blocked. Chaos!

Nude Nails Are Back In A Different Way

If you did pay attention on the recent runway programs, you will notice NUDE NAILS ARE BACK! This time, in a sheer looking way. From New York Fashion Week to Paris Couture Week, runway models were wearing barely noticeable nude color nail polishes.   

Photos from Pop Sugar Beauty and Glamour Beauty 

In order to achieve the barely noticeable nude nail look, opting for sheer beige or sheer pale pink nail polish would be a good choice. Well, basically any color of sheer nail polishes are all suitable. The reason for not choosing a creme nail polish is because creme couldn't have the translucent effect as sheer nail polish does. 

Below are some sheer nail polishes that I managed to get from my current stash. 

First one to go is Nail Beige (No. 35) from Lioele. 

Just like it's name, Nail Beige is a very sheer beige color. Here, I've applied 3 coats so the effect is slightly opaque but the translucent effect is still there. To achieve the barely noticeable nude look, 1 or 2 layers of this varnish would definitely sufficient enough. 

I pretty like the quality here. It had lasted for 1 whole week without chipped. I've purchased this at below RM15.00 sometime last year and the condition is still as good as a new bottle. So, definitely worth the price. =)

Up next is Don't Burst My Bubble from OPI's Oz The Great and Powerful Collection. 

Woo... love love this color sooo much. It's a sheer pale baby pink. So lovely! It was kind of frustrating taking photos for this. All the photos just couldn't do it justice! =\ But trust me, this color is a 100% match for a nude nail look. 

Here, I applied 3 coats and again, it looks slightly opaque. Don't blame me for this, how should I know nude nails will come back, I applied this few months ago =p. I guess I will do another separate blog for this lovely color. Hopefully I could get the right color for the photos. And of course, I'll do 2 coats to get the nice nude nail look =p. 

That's all I have in my stash that I could share, not that much of sheer varnish but more to add on. I've just ordered another one from OPI and it is on its way =). 

Not enough of sheer nails polish color info? Well, here are a few more sheer colors that I have in mind: 

• OPI - Barre My Soul from the New York City Ballet Collection. A soft sheer beige. 
• OPI - Don't Touch My Tutu from the New York City Ballet Collection. A soft sheer white. 
• OPI - You Callin' Me A Lyre? from the New York City Ballet Collection. A peachy sheer pink. 
• OPI - Care to Danse from the New York City Ballet Collection. A soft sheer lilac. 
• Essie - well, they have lots of sheer colors. Vanity Fairest, Rock Candy, Allure, Sheer Bliss, Happily Ever After, and the list keep going on. 
• Orly - Sheer Nude. A sheer beige. 
• Deborah Lippmann - Naked. A super sheer beige.  
• Chanel - Ballerina, White Satin.  Both soft sheer whites. 
• Etude House - PK006. Sheer peachy pink. 
• Skin Food - Yogurt Drink (No. 1) from the Fruit Drink range. A sheer whitish beige. 

Haven't had enough? Well, do some homework, google up! =p

Alright, happy searching for your new nude nail look peeps. 

High Tea at Suffolk House

Last Sunday was lovely. Me and my friends went for a high tea to celebrate one of our girl's birthday. 

Here is the place we had our high tea - Suffolk House. 

Suffolk House is one of the heritage landmark in Penang. It is located on the banks of Air Itam River (to make it simple, it is right behind Methodist Boy School). The environment is so serene and full of greenery. You can't even realize that you are in the middle of a city. It is such a comfortable place to spend the evening relaxing, catching up with friends or reading a book while having some tea and scones. Ha, sounded so English.

Here comes the food. 
The high tea set comes with cucumber & salmon sandwiches, scones, homemade chicken pies, fruit tarts, cream puffs, biscuits, cream & 4 types of jams, and a few english tea of you choice. It is just nice for 2 person or 3 for small eaters. 

I particularly like the homemade chicken pies and scones. Both are warmly served. The homemade chicken pie smells good and tasted just nice, not too salty or creamy. As for the scones, the combination of melted cream together with the warmly served scones..... hmmmm..... tasty. 

We really had a great time enjoying the food and the atmosphere, so relaxing and calm. Totally out from the hustle and bustle city life. =)  

Here is the address if you are interested to visit this lovely place. 

Suffolk House
250, Jalan Air Itam, 
10460 Georgetown, 
Pulau Pinang. 
Tel: +604 - 2283930

Reservation is required if you would like to have the high tea during weekends. 

Oh ya, for those who loves to take photos, you may want to consider visiting Suffolk House. It is also a nice place to take photos. Below are some photos for sharing.