Winter Rainy Day Essentials

The weather has taken a drastic turn from sunny to dreary and I'm still getting used to it. If you're like me and wants to spend the weekends indoors to escape the incessant rain and wind, here are some rainy day essentials that will help you pass the time while you lounge in your cute pajamas!

You will need: 

Twinings Fruit Selection Tea to sweeten up your day! 

They're all pink and purple and fruity which are not only my favourite colours and scents... but also my favourite teas :)

My favourite are the strawberry & mango and blackcurrant, ginseng & vanilla 

hot tea on a cold day = yum yum yum! 

A wintery nail colour to dazzle your day

Winter doesn't always have to be cold and dreary. If you have dark nail colours that match the mood outside, feel free to emulate the character of winter on your nails ;)

This is the Shu Uemura in shiny rouge and the Etude House transparent top coat.

Pamper essentials

Winter comes with wind... and with wind comes dry skin. Make yourself feel more hydrated and treat your skin to some masks that will restore the moisture and life into the darkest of winters (; Also... using the lemon mask brightening sheet is a great way to cheer yourself up in the irony (hehe).

Here I have Tony Moly Lemon Mask Brightening Sheet & Etude House White Pearl.

Books for Inspiration

Whether or not its a novel, your journal, or some magazines for when the weather's got you down and you want to feel inspired by these amazing women, reading will always give you inspiration for style, decorating or for your next goal. I tend to write down things to feel blessed for when the weather is icky and wet, which is a great way to remember to keep positive and to remember what your main goals are, big or small!

I have Glamour (November 2014) , Elle and Bazaar (both December 2014) this month. Both Hearst magazines are doing a feminism issue where they are celebrating inspirational women and their style, as well as beauty trends and other trends this season. There were also doing stories about Carey Mulligan, Emma Watson and Keira Knightley, who are all wonderful women and great role models. If you're feeling like the winter has you confused and unsure about what to do and if you should even attempt to look presentable when all you want to do is drink hot chocolate and sleep, they will definitely inspire you and encourage you to do something small/big with your life, or at least, get out of bed and start doing the things you want to!

What are some of your winter essentials? Let me know!
Let's all band together and encourage each other... because winter is coming
Happy rainy day :) 

Lunchtime: The Providore @ Mandarin Gallery!

Mandarin Gallery in Singapore has some fantastic food choices, but unfortunately I seem to always return to an old favourite: Wild Honey.  So this time, I decided to be slightly more adventurous and have lunch at The Providore, which serves Western-type meals which are a lot healthier and use less oil/grease compared to other restaurants.

If anyone from Singapore is reading this, The Providore is essentially under the same label as Jones the Grocer, which is known for its yummy, yet non heart-pain inducing foods.

I opted for the lobster macaroni and cheese and a homemade berry tea.  I was very impressed with the lobster mac and cheese; the lobsters were fresh and the chef was (satisfyingly) not stingy with the lobster.  The cheese was very light and creamy, and what I noticed was that when I was done with the portion the cheese only left a slight film of oil on the bottom of the pan, as opposed to some restaurants where the mac & cheese is literally swimming in grease.  The only (slight) criticism I would have is that the macaroni wasn't very well-cooked and was still slightly hard to bite, but I was willing to overlook that on account of how well-fed I was.

My other favourite was the berry tea.  I'm slightly obsessed with iced teas during the summer-- regardless of what flavour or what kind.  I chose a berry tea because it reminded of the Boston Iced Tea which I love-- cranberry juice, black tea and sometimes lemon or strawberry mix depending on your person.  But this tea was refreshing, sweet-- and although I normally hate juicy bits in my tea-- the juiciness and the sweetness of the strawberry and berry bits was such a treat for the tastebuds

Unfortunately, I don't have any pictures of the refreshingly minimalistic decor, so here are some pictures I borrowed off some Singaporean food bloggers (sources at the bottom of the picture).  I wish I could eat this everyday, but unfortunately my wallet is connected to my bank account.  If only it rained money ): 

Source

Any idea where I should eat next? Let me know (: