Sunday, July 29, 2012

Shrub Cocktails Unique to Lumia- Rosehip Cream Fizz

Okay. So this is a blog entry where I am supposed to write on my favourite Shrub Cocktail unique to Lumia at the Crown Hotel in Melbourne despite not having tried any of the Shrub Cocktails. This will be a test for my imagination to see which imaginary taste will be my favourite!

So what is a Shrub Cocktail? From the website it says that:

Devised in the late 18th Century, Shrub was a technique to preserve summer berries and fruits for consumption all year round. By adding sugar and vinegar, the fruits were reduced down to a dense liquid known as Shrub. The process not only ensured the fruits' preservation, but compounded the sweet and sour flavours, producing phenomenal taste. Now, in the 21st Century, Lumia has taken Shrub and mixed it with modern spirits to produce cocktails that are, well, a little bit glamourous.

Sounds like a mix of the old and new, and it definitely sounds yummy! Lumia has 10 Shrub Cocktails on its Cocktail selection and they are priced at AUD$19.50 each. The flavours are:

Apple Daisy
Russian Standard Vodka, shaken with cloudy apple juice, lemon juice, dandelion and apple shrub and floated in dry cider.

Coconut Husk Punch
Appleton Golden Rum shaken with coconut syrup, ginger shrub, lime and pineapple juice and finished with a couple of dashes of bitters.

White Chocolate Martini
Russian Standard Vodka shaken with pistachio shrub, white cacao and lemon juice, then topped with bitters and ginger beer.

Banana Sherbet Smack
Russian Standard Vodka shaken with banana Demerara shrub, lemon juice, lemon curd and banana skin sherbet.

Cherry Martini
Plymouth Gin shaken with juniper and cherry shrub, sweet vermouth and topped with Angostura Bitters.

Rosehip Cream Fizz
Plymouth Gin shaken with pink grapefruit juice, rose shrub, milk, cream, lemon and lime juice, and then filled with grapefruit soda.

Watermelon Sherbet Martini
Russian Standard Vodka shaken with watermelon oleo saccharum, pomegranate, lime sugar, fresh watermelon finished with a watermelon wedge.

White Peach Martini
Russian Standard Vodka shaken with Lemon Oleo Saccharum, vanilla and peach syrup, topped off with peach liqueur and cream.

Strawberry Shiraz Cobbler
Makers Mark shaken with orange chunks, red wine ‘burnt orange and pink peppercorn shrub’ and strawberry liqueur.

Green Pear Reviver
José Cuervo Gold Tequila shaken with Lemon Oleo Saccharum, orange, lemon and pear chunks, topped with fennel sugar syrup, served tall with a cinnamon sugar rim.

All of them sounds delicious but after reading the list, I knew what would be my favourite: Rosehip Cream Fizz! I love Rose anything- macarons, desserts, wines and liquers etc. Sence has one of my favourite wines and liquers of all time! So this is a no brainer that I would choose Rosehip Cream Fizz. I also have a soft spot for pink grapefruit juice and grapefruit soda. While I am not a fan of the actual grapefruit, I love grapefruit products. Grapefruit juice and soda just have the extra pizzazz about it, that little bit more complexity of citrus acidity than the usual orange or lemon. Plymouth gin gives it the slight sweetness with a hit of alcohol goodness. The juniper and lemony notes from the Plymouth Gin harmonizes with the citrus flavour in this cocktail. I can just imagine this to be a bit floral yet fruity, milky cream and yet refreshing from the bubbles in the soda and the acidity from the pink grapefruit juice. All washed down with a hit of smooth concentrated Plymouth Gin. I also like to think that it will take on a pink pastel colour-- pink from the rose and pastel from the milk and cream. Ahhhh... Can't wait to try it already!

Which is your favourite? Have you tried it? What do you think? Let me know! :)



Sunday, July 8, 2012

Sasa Haul/Mini Review: Philosophy, Shu Uemura, My Beauty Diary & Lancome

Hello everyone, I hope everyone is doing well. Sasa has been on a roll with all the promotions i.e. sales, discounts, free shipping etc., hence this haul. For those who does not know about Sasa, Sasa is a cosmetics retailer based in Hong Kong. Sasa has stores all over Asia such as China, Hongkong, Macau, Malaysia, Singapore etc. Sasa also offers shipping worldwide and the shipping rates are quite reasonable. The link to Sasa's online store is : www.sasa.com

To see my Sasa haul video, go to the video below:



So the above video was pre-filmed quite some time ago and so I have had a chance to use some of the products for awhile. Some I have used before and they are repurchases.

Products mentioned in the Sasa haul video are:

1. Philosophy Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser (90ml) USD$8.40

Philosophy products are very renowned and I have heard so many good reviews of Philosophy products that I could not resist trying the Purity Made Simple One-Step Facial Cleanser. At 90ml, it is a decent size and it is not too big that if I do not like it (I hope I will), it will not be too much of a waste. Also, at USD$8.40, it is pretty reasonable. I have not tried this product yet but I will post a review of it once I have used it enough to form an informed opinion of this product.

2. Philosophy Hope in a Jar Oil-Free Moisturizer for Normal to Oily Skin (15ml) USD$13.60

Same goes for this product!

3. Shu Uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O Advanced Formula (150ml) USD$31.30->$26.60

Okay, so I have used Shu Uemura's Cleansing Beauty Oils before. I have tried the Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil (Blue/Purple) and the Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil (Pink) and I liked both a lot. However, when I was hauling from Sasa, the promotion was for the Premium A/O Advanced Formula Cleansing Beauty Oil (Green). A/O stands for Anti-Oxidant and this cleansing oil is targeted at aging concerns but hey, it says that it will leave the user with a more youthful appearance. One can never start anti-aging measures too early right?

I have used this for awhile and I must say that I prefer the Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil (Blue/Purple) and the Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil (Pink) better. Not because that the Whitefficient Clear Brightening Gentle Cleansing Oil and the Fresh Pore Clarifying Gentle Cleansing Oil suit my skin concerns better, but because of the scent.

Somehow this cleansing oil reminds me of olive oil. It smells like it too. The other two have a nicer scent. Out of the 3, I prefer the Whitefficient one better. It removes my makeup really well and leaves my skin feeling clean. Also, it does help brighten my complexion. This Premium A/O Advanced Formula Cleansing Beauty Oil does remove my makeup really well but it does have a slightly oily feel after I wash it off. Perhaps it is meant to be more moisturizing for aging skin. (Shrugs) Who knows?

4. My Beauty Diary Sake Yeast Mask (10 piece) USD$12.70->$10.20

I am a huge fan of My Beauty Diary's facial masks and Sake Yeast is one that I have not tried out yet. I am very excited to try it!

5. My Beauty Diary NATURAL KEY LINE Black Pearl Mask (10 piece) USD$12.70->$10.20

This is a repurchase. I have used the Black Pearl Mask for several years now and I have gone through a few boxes of this mask already! After using the mask, it makes my skin feel really soft and supple. It also seems to leave a radiant and luminating effect on my skin. TWO THUMBS UP!

6. Lancome Genefique Youth Activator (30ml) USD$73.10->$54.80

This is also a repurchase. It makes my skin feel so soft, supple and my skin can literally go "boi-ing boi-ing" when I touch it. It improved the elasticity of my skin and makes my skin feel like new skin. I should also mention that my grandmother and my mother are great fans of this product too!

7. Sasa Cotton Puff (20 sheets) (1 box)

This is the free sample that came with the purchase. Not very exciting- I would rather have a sample of a product to try but it is handy to have cotton puffs around.


Products that I have used in this video are:

Face:
Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector in Medium
Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder in Translucent
Silky Girl Brow Pencil in Soft Black
Benefit Hoola Bronzer
Coastal Scents 10 Blush Palette
Models Prefer Glitz and Glamour (Highlighter)
MAC Eyeshadow in Coppering
MAC Eyeshadow in Satin Taupe
MAC Eyeshadow in Shroom
Lancome Virtouse Precious Cells Mascara (Voluptuous Black)
Dollywink Liquid Eyeliner (Black)
Silky Girl Pencil Eyeliner (Brown)
Chantecaille Brilliant Gloss (Classic)

Nails:
Essie Protein Base Coat
Essie Mint Candy Apple
Wet n Wild Fast Dry

Disclaimer: All products mentioned in this video are purchased by me with my own money and this is not a sponsored video.

Please stay tuned for more of my upcoming Youtube videos and blog posts! In the meantime, take care and have an amazing day! :)