YSL v Pony Effect: Showdown #1

HI EVERYONE, I'm back! Today I'm going to compare two lip products, one high-end and one from a more affordable brand. I'm thinking I might make this into some sort of series, kind of like a high-end v affordable makeup, dupes kind of thing. Let me know what you guys think, should I, should I not? ANYWAYS, onto the two products we've got today with very similar colours but very different price tags.

YSL Rouge Volupte Shine Oil-In-Stick v. Pony Effect Favourite Fluid Lip Tint 

Pony Effect shade #Simone Pure ($20)                                                YSL shade #15 Coral Intuitive ($57)     

There are 4 main things I look for in a lip product:

-pigmentation

-long-lasting 

-hydration 

-packaging

So today we will be look at the two lip products in terms of these elements. 

Pigmentation

The YSL goes on very sheer and you need a couple of layers for the colour to come through. This may be because of its high oil content which is good for hydration but not so good for pigmentation. If you have very red or very dark lips, I wouldn't recommend choosing a light colour from this range as you will have a hard time trying to cover up your natural lip colour. Also, because it has a very balmy texture, I thought it would be ideal for my dry lips however, the product does not sink into the lines on your lips nor smooth them out but merely sit onto like a layer of colour. 

The Pony Effect goes on very thick and pigmented like a thick layer of coral HOWEVER it is a very oily/watery texture (but not sticky) that when you rub your lips together the colour spreads and blends with your natural lip colour to make a really pretty shade. The pigmentation is definitely a lot better than the YSL and to apply I just dab a little bit of product to the centre of my lips and then blend it out. Unlike the YSL one, it feels like this product absorbs into your lips, smoothing out any fine lines. 

YSL (left) v Pony Effect (right)

Long-lasting

I'd have to say that both lip products are not very long-lasting. I have to reapply every hour or everytime I eat/drink for the colour to stay on. The only difference is that the YSL disappears completely whereas the Pony Effect leaves a tint (expected since it is a lip TINT ahaha). I have yet to find a lip product that lasts over the one/two hour period on me (Is it my lips?!). Please guys, if you've got any recommendations for me I'd love to hear about it!

After removing with a tissue

Hydration

Both products feel oily/balmy so in terms of hydration they are both pretty good. If I really had to pick the better, the YSL wins because as I mentioned before, it stays on the lips like a layer of butter whereas the pony effect absorbs and dries like tint a few minutes after application. I do find that after reapplying the Pony Effect a couple of time my lips do get rather dry, so using it in combination with a lip balm on top, is probably best. Although the hydration is good on the YSL, its not worth it because it doesn't pass the initial test of aesthetics (which is the #1 function of a lip product, right?). 

Packaging

To be honest, the YSL packaging is what won over my heart in the first place. I mean LOOK AT IT. Its a dream. 11/10, no doubt. The Pony Effect, in comparison looks quite plain however stand-alone it is also very beautiful with a simplistic rose gold tube. The YSL is made of some sort of metal and feels a lot more substantial in weight whereas the Pony Effect is plastic and thus a lot lighter. 

It's beautiful :')

At the end of the day, apart from the packaging there is not much I love about the YSL lipstick and I can definitely say I expected more from a lipstick with that kind of price tag.  I would 100% recommend opting for the more affordable Pony Effect lip tint as it delivers better results. Don't be like me and fall for the beautiful packaging, CONTROL GIRLS. 

Ok, that's it for today. Thanks for reading, bye~

xx H. 

Clarisonic Review

HI GUYS, I'm finally back! I've been binge watching the a korean drama called "W", don't know if any of you have heard of it? It's super confusing because there are like two worlds, the "real one" and the "webtoon/fictional" one. ANYWAYS, still haven't really grasped the storyline yet but the main guy is soooooo cute so I found myself drooling over his face 90% of the time. ANYWAYS, today I thought I'd do a review of the Clarisonic. For those you you who aren't familiar with it--basically its a electronic tool for washing your face with. First of all a disclaimer- this review is by no means sponsored (I wish it was T_T) and I purchased the Clarisonic out of my own curiosity!

There are many different devices to choose from in the Clarisonic range-- Aria, Mia, Mia 2, Mia Fit, Smart Profile and many many more. The one I've picked up is the Mia 2 and is the most popular design out of all their brushes.

Day to day our skin accumulates oils, perspiration, dirt, makeup and environmental pollutants. These combine to make a stubborn, pore-clogging layer of film over our skin resulting in an overall unhealthy look, roughness and a barrier preventing good absorption of our skincare products. This is why the cleansing step must always be done and done well. When washing our face with our hands, we tend to do it really quickly and miss important areas such as around our nose, eyes, chin and eyebrows and hence these areas are more prone to acne/pimples. The Clarisonic claims to clean 6x better than hands alone and the way it does so is by oscillating at a sonic frequency, producing more than 300 movements per second. The movements between the outer and inner brush also work to loosen dirt and oil, remove deep-seated impurities from the pores and thus preparing the skin for better absorption of skincare products.

The Clarisonic claims that around 2 weeks to a month after use, users will find increased pimple/acne growth due to the deep-seating impurities being drawn to the surface. After those pimple/acne recover, your skin will be the smoothest and clearest it has ever been. First of all, I'd like to say, I've had this product since January and have still not experienced that magic. At night I go through a double cleansing process, first with an oil to remove all my makeup and then go in with the Clarisonic and a foam/gel cleanser to remove any remaining makeup and/or dirt. I can see visibly that it does remove very well whatever makeup there is remaining and my skin does feel very clean afterwards. However, I have not seen any changes in terms of pore reduction, pimple growth or radiance in my skin, which their website claims it'll provide.

Keith Haring Limited Edition Mia 2

#1. Brush Heads

The brush heads are removable because it is recommended that they are changed every 3 months for hygiene purposes. They are easily removed by pressing down and rotating. I think that if you are someone that wears makeup everyday and/or don't have an oil cleansing habit prior to using something like this, it is probably better to change it every 2 months because if the brush isn't clean itself, how clean can it make you face? This device is definitely a long term investment, apart from the $200 you pay for the initial device you will have to fork out an extra $35 for a clean head every 2-3 months. There is a similar device from the brand "Foreo" that doesn't require changing brush heads. I believe that one is about $250 for the average size which is a little more than the Clarisonic but it'll be a lot more cost-friendly in the long term. I haven't yet tried that device but am quite interested. Perhaps my curiosity will get the better of me and I will try it soon :D

There are a number of brush heads to choose from depending on your skin condition at the time--Luxe Cashmere, Sensitive, Delicate, Deep Pore and Sonic Radiance. Personally, I've tried the sensitive and delicate ones just because I want to be as gentle as possibly on my skin (I believe the standard one it comes with initially is the Sensitive brush head). I haven't seen a difference in terms of what the brush heads have done for my skin but I definitely think the delicate (blue) one is more gentle.

Sensitive Brush Head

#2. Timer

Another thing I really like about this device is that it has a 1 minute timer. This minute is divided up into 20seconds for the forehead, 20 seconds for the nose and chin and 10 seconds each for the cheeks. It beeps in between each interval, telling you to move on.  Usually I feel that 1 minute is not adequate so I run the timer twice. I love this function because I'm the type of person who always stays up super late and when it comes to washing my face I like to speed through it. As I mentioned before, not spending enough time means that you miss important places and end up with a bad cleanse which can lead to all sorts of skin problems.

#3. Buttons

As you can see in the picture above, there are two buttons. The lower is the power button. The funny thing about this is, once you press it, it will run for the whole minute and pressing it again will not turn it off but instead pause it for 30 seconds. So sometimes when I press it accidentally, I have to leave it there vibrating on my vanity for a whole minute =='. The top button is where you control the strength and speed. There is 2 speeds to choose from- high and higher basically. 

#4. Charging/Battery

Another thing I love about the Clarisonic is its charger. It comes with a magnetic charger that just clips onto the handle part of the device. I usually charge it overnight and it'll be ready to use in the morning. One charge can also last about 2 months before it starts flashing light to tell you it's run out of battery. The long-lasting battery is perfect for lazy people like me! :D

#5. Waterproof

The whole device is waterproof meaning you can take it into he shower without being afraid of being electrocuted. Also this allows you to easily clean the device, both the head and the handle!

Finally, I love that this particular edition I bought came with a lid and travel bag ( I'm not sure about the other brushes) making it very easy to take travelling with. I don't have to worry about the brush head being dirtied or damaged in my luggage!

So at the end of the day I think it is a convenient device especially if you do want to invest a little into your own skin. However, that being said, its not a necessity and I think similar results can be achieved if you are willing to spend the time to carefully cleanse. I definitely have not seen some of the results that it advertises but that could be attributed to a lot of other factors like diet, exercise, etc. If you ever try it out or have any suggestions on how I can use it better, please let me know in the comments, I'd love to hear from you guys! :)

Last thing I'd like to say is, if you are thinking of taking the plunge and buying one of these, it is best to do it off their website- clarisonic.com.au instead of buying it from Mecca. They often do seasonal/festive discounts near Christmas, mothers day, fathers day, etc so you can potentially get 10-20% off. The shipping is a couple of days to a week, so fairly speedy! 

Alright that's it for today. Bye guys!

xo. H

Huge HK Haul

HI GUYS, I'm finally back with the haul blog post I'd promised last time. So before I went to HK I had heard so much about it being a shopping paradise, how everything is super cheap and that there's lots of variety. Well, I'm not sure whether its because of the super low Australian dollar when I went, it was about 1AUD to 5.8HKD, prices were pretty standard, maybe a little bit cheaper than Australia but it really depended on what you were buying. I was planning on buying an iMac there because that is really a bargain, its like $300AUD cheaper than over here, HOWEVER, I was talked out of it by my bf. He kept saying how there's a newer iMac coming out soon and I figured by the end of the trip that there was no way I could fit something that size in my already packed suitcase anyways. So I'm just going to go ahead and share with you all the things I bought and their prices, shades, brands, etc just for your information in case you find something you really want! I won't go into too much detail about how I feel after using them though because I plan on writing some more in-depth reviews about some of the products later on :)

Starting with the beauty products. On the very first day we went to Harbour City and wonder into Lane Crawford's Cosmetics and Skincare section. I saw the Sulwahsoo counter and headed over to buy their First Care Activating Serum, a product that one of my favourite youTuber had recommended. MAN those ladies are good at selling. She sits me down and tells me that my skin is very dry and pre-maturely aged *cries* and basically builds a whole skincare routine for me. She made it sound like I HAD to get these products or by the time I'm 25 I'd be looking 30. Before I knew it, she had talked me into buying 6 things... SO in the span of 20minutes I had spent over $1000AUD on "some liquid" (according to my bf). I will do a review on how these wear, how much difference it has brought my skin, whether it was worth the money, etc. SO below's a list of the products I picked up:

-Sulwahsoo First Care Activating Serum EX 60 ml $110 (AUD)
-Sulwahsoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Essential Oil 20ml $148
-Sulwahsoo Snowise Whitening Serum 50ml $233
-Sulwahsoo Timetreasure Renovating Emulsion EX 125ml $135
-Sulwahsoo Timetreasure Renovating Water EX 125ml $122
-Sulwahsoo Timetreasure Renovating Eyecream EX 25ml $302
-Sulwahsoo Brightening Perfecting Cushion in #21 Medium Pink $80 (with one refill)

I also got gifted a number of samples of:
-Sulwahsoo Concentrated Ginseng Renewing Cream 5ml
-Sulwahsoo Pink Makeup Balancer (Brightening Makeup Base) 4ml
-Sulwahsoo Hydro-aid Moisturising Soothing Mist 30ml
-Sulwahsoo Essential Balancing Kit (water + emulsion)
-Sulwahsoo Clarifying Mask (peel off mask) 50ml
-Sulwahsoo Brightening Perfecting Cushion 4g
After trying the sample of the bb cushion, I did exactly what they anticipated--went back and bought the actual thing because it just made my face sooo radiant looking while at the same time not oily looking like the Missha one I was using, did (my face is normally very dry but IDKWHY the humidity in HK made it quite the opposite).

The Lane Crawford loyalty "points" I got from buying all those things was enough to get me a Sulwahsoo Overnight Vitalising Mask 120ml valued at $60, so that was pretty good. The sales lady tried to talk me into buying some more stuff because I was 1000points away ($200) from getting another full sized First Care Activating Serum. I was already a bit overwhelmed that I had spent so much money in such a short period of time, so NOPE, wasn't about to fall for that. Plus, I hadn't bought an overnight mask, so that was the way to go :D

I'd just like to say that the service was pretty good, the lady was very friendly and informative. Only thing is I wish she weren't so good at selling >.> As I've mentioned before, definitely buy from Lane Crawford because they do have a points system (spread across a lot of brands) which can get you some more goodies, as opposed to buy from the individual stores.

Continuing on with skincare, I got some masks from Fresh. I had never heard of this brand before but my bf's mum uses it and she has BEAUTIFUL skin, you cannot guess her age to save your life, SO I had to get my hands on some. Again the service there was exceptional, they served us with rose tea and tried all the products on my hand. With these products I saw instant results on my hand and the prices were a lot lower than Sulwahsoo, so I didn't really hesitate before I bought the set the lady had recommended.

-Fresh Sugar Face Polish 125g $88
-Fresh Umbrian Clay Purifying Mask 100ml $88
-Fresh Rose Face Mask 100ml $88

They were having a promotion where if you spend over 1400HKD ($250AUD ish) you get a bunch of free samples. I originally was going to just get the face polish and the clay mask but after hearing about the promotion I was talked into getting the rose mask as well. WHY AM I SO EASY T_T But anyways, no regrets because I totally love all three of these products. I will also do a more in-depth review on these because you guys HAVE TO try them!

Samples:
-Fresh Peony Brightening Moisturising Facial Toner 18ml
-Fresh Rose Deep Hydration Face Serum 5ml
-Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream with 7 Complex 7ml
-Fresh Sugar Rose Lip Balm 2.2g
-Fresh Peony Brightening Moisturising Face Cream 2ml
-Rose Deep Hydration Face Cream 2ml

From Too Cool for School, I also got a few pieces of skincare.
-Too Cool for School Pumpkin Sleeping Pack 100ml $26
-Too Cool for School Egg Mousse Soap (face wash)150ml $10 (was on sale, normally $25)
-Too Cool for School Egg Mousse Pack 100ml $10
-Too Cool for School Egg Cream Sheet Mask $5

The actual Too Cool for School shop didn't have the egg mousse soap/pack so I sourced those from Sasa and Bonjour (these are like HK versions of Priceline but 100times better, the number of drugstore brands they have, Korean, American, Japanese, you name it, they have it). Also I'd like to mention the number of Sasa's in HK is eye-opening, there is one every few hundred metres. LIKE LEGIT I saw more Sasas than Maccas...o.o

These are the other things I gathered from Sasa/Bonjour.
-Banila Co Clean It Zero Cleansing Balm 100ml $13 (total bargain, is way more expensive in Aust)
-Missha Eye Colour Studio Mini Palette in "Cony Pink" $30
-Pony Effect Lip tint in the shades "Fatal Allure" and "Simon Pure" $20 each
-Biore nose strips $5
-Fairy Naturals Daily Coloured Contacts in Brown $30
-Eyecurl II curling wand $9
-Heroine Make Waterproof mascara $15
-Heroine Make Quad in #4 Rose Garnet $13
-Heroine Make Waterproof Pen Liner in Dark Brown $13
-Canmake Mat Fleur Cheeks in #1 Matte Apricot $15
-Kate Designing Eyebrow Powder  $13
-Canmake Coluor Mixing Concealer $14
-Evian Mineral Water Facial Spray $10
-La Roche-Posay Mineral Water Facial Spray $12





Last but not least, I also had my eye on a brand called Kiko Milano a while before my trip. I was super excited because they actually have shops in HK. Their makeup is affordable and good quality at the same time (all manufactured in Italy). From them I picked up:

-Kiko Shade Fusion Trio Blush in #3 and #4 $17 each
-Kiko Velvet Passion Matte Lipstick in shade #303 $17
-Kiko Glossamer Emotion Creamy Lipstick in shade #103 $17
-Kiko Mirage Lipstick (limited edition) in shades #9 and #13 $16 each

So that's all the beauty related products I hauled in HK. Moving on, I also splurged on some more luxury things...

-Saint Laurent Monogram Envelope Chain Wallet in Powder $1706
-Saint Laurent Monogram Credit Card Case in Light Dusty Rose $370
-Valentino Rocketed Small Crossbody Bag in Pink $1275
-Louis Vuitton Sarah Wallet in Cherry $1258
-Dior Addict Perfume (Gift)
-Chanel Chance (Gift)
-Tiffany & Co. Mini Heart Tag Earrings $241
-FBY rings and bangle (These weren't that expensive but were kind of odd-one-out so I shoved it in here. The two rings and bangle were about $200 all together so the price is equivalent to say Pandora or Swarovski. Their products are all made in sterling silver and plated with gold, rose gold, white gold, etc and they use moissanite which is an alternative to diamond. I feel like the quality is pretty good because I wear the bangle in the shower everyday and it still looks good as new. Definitely recommend checking them out!)

I will probably do a review on some of these bags/wallets after I use them for a bit so that I can sus out whether I like them or not and share my thoughts with you guys :D

Finally, I want to say big THANKYOU to my bf's dad for gifting me the two perfumes, I love them both so, so much! Also, LV is super not worth purchasing in HK. I realised after I bought this wallet that its around $200 more expensive than if I had bought it in Australia. Other than that the prices were pretty standard and I wouldn't say you're saving much by buying it over there. Probably just buy it here because then you at least get to save on the flight!

That brings me to the end of this huge haul. Lesson learnt, the rumour that HK is the ultimate shopping heaven is only half true. Prices really aren't that low and quite comparable to that of Australia's. HOWEVER, if you're looking for variety, it is definitely the place to be. Literally, they have every single brand you can think of and plenty of stock too! A must-go place for shopaholic like me :D

That's it for today,  see you all in my next post. Bye~

xx H.

Travel Ideas for Hong Kong

HI GUYS, this is the last travel related posted I’m going to do for a while until October (when I go Japan :D). Thought I’d do this as a ‘places you should go in HK’ as opposed to a travel diary because 70% of the time I was in HK was spent shopping MWAHAH.

#1 Ocean Park

Ocean park is a theme park that is basically a combination of Sea World and Luna Park. There are only one or two rides worth going on (the rest are too childish) and you get to see seals, dugongs, fish, shark, pandas and lots of other animals :D It’s built over a mountain (not sure who thought that was a good idea…) and so you have access to half of the park on one side and then you have to take a cable car/train over to the other side for the other half of the park. Tickets are about $60-70 per person and there are also fast passes for $20-30 per person which allows you to skip the line for 5 “rides”. I can say we pretty much choose the worst day to go because it must’ve been at least 40 degrees (or so it felt) and the park was HUGE and the paths are like MOUNTAINOUS (up-hill… you know what I mean).

There is this underground display where all the seals are and you can watch them swim about and feel like you're underwater too! I swear these little things swim sooooo super fast, couldn't even get a photo with them T_T

The pandas are kept in a separate conservatory where the space is designed to mimic their natural habitat. There is no talking or flash photography in this area because we don't want to frighten the pandas! They only give birth to one cub at a time and there is only a certain small period during the year that they mate. If they miss out on this period they have to wait another year! That's why they are endangered :( I heard China donated 4 pandas to HK (YAY GO CHINA-HK RELATIONS) but um yeah I hope they are healthy and make more baby pandas soon :D Also, just want to let you guys know, at ocean park there is a chance to donate to these pandas if you ever go. I think it's a great cause and that we should all contribute, just that little bit, to save these fluffy babies!

This is an even cuter version, the red panda!! Doesn't it look ADORABLE just hanging there... Wish i could live its life... so carefree :3

Also found one of these vintage looking telephone boxes that I just HAD to take a picture with!!

If you're the type that goes to theme parks for the rides, then this ones a pass (there is about one scary ride here), but if you're like me that enjoy a SEA world kind of experience then definitely a good place to visit if you get the chance. I mean its like a zoo and a theme park in one, kill two birds with one stone ;) 

#2 Moomin Cafe 

This adorable cafe is located in Harbour City (a HUGE shopping centre with just about every brand you can think of, a shopping MUSTGO). They make moomin-themed deserts and drinks. I'm not exactly familiar with moomin but I saw it a lot in HK so maybe its more popular over there?? ANYWAYS, look how cute these green tea lattes look? (Glass cup is cold latte and mug=hot). The waiters also moved these huge stuff toys versions of the characters to your table so you can enjoy the delicious drinks with your favourite character. The exit is through a small souvenir store that sells everything MOOMIN so if your into that, definitely check it out!!

#3 Town Square

In a lot of the shopping centres in HK they have these awesome displays. This one is of the recent movie, Finding Dory (which i LOVE btw) and I also saw Line ones, Rilakuma ones, Japanese Neko ones, etc. Awesome for snapping some cute pics while you shop!! There is also a huge Lane Crawford in Time Square (the equivalent of David Jones but fancier) and I heard they frequently do sales up to 70% off branded shoes and bags. I'd imagine around sales period in December it'd be even better. Also they have their own points reward system so rather than going to the independent stores, if you shop cosmetics, its just more worth to buy it there and gets some points along the way :D These points then can be traded in for discounts and products. 

These wide pants I actually got in ALAND for super cheap ($30-40 AUD). I've been seeing them in all my fav youtuber's clothing hauls so I felt pretty excited when I saw these ones. Plus they are a bit different because it combines the wide pants design with the design of dungarees. These were really good for HK because it was really hot and these were super airy but at the same time long enough to protect my legs from tanning (I got just about 5 shades darker in the 2 weeks overseas T_T). My bf thinks I look like a nun in these but MEH I like them :D

#4 Jumbo Seafood Restaurant

I didn't actually eat here but because its a floating restaurant, legit just in the middle of the harbour like an island all by itself, I hear it's a really popular tourist sightseeing place. The view is super pretty at night because all the lights get turned on. The craftsmanship on the building itself is amazing as well... so detailed o.o

#4 Victoria Peak

So to get to this peak you can either drive, take a train or walk up (don't recommend walking, I hear its a nightmare especially in the heat). We were lucky enough to have my bf's dad car us up (yes, that's legit what they say in canto, car us up HAHAHAH). The view is spectacular, especially at night. You really come to understand why they call HK a city that never sleeps! You have to check the weather report before you go though because it was super foggy when we went and that kind of ruined the view + photos (UNLESS they were clouds.... thats what my bf thought but really...?).
There is also a shopping centre up there so if you go in the day you can do some shopping and some sightseeing at the same time. You might be wondering why there a shopping centre on top of the mountains but apparently thats where the rich people live and they need to shop just like everyone else. Not quite sure why you would live on a mountain when you could live close to the harbour but OKAY...

There is a cable car service but the line was 45minutes long when we went (despite it being like 10 o'clock at night...). We were searching everywhere for a place that sold a selfie sticks but couldn't find one ANYWHERE (I broke my in Singapore T_T). Why wouldn't a touristy place like this sell selfie sticks? If that were China, they'd full take that opportunity... So my bf thinks maybe it's banned because you can totally use it as a weapon and whack people in the face?  Well, that's the closest to an explanation we got ._.

That's pretty much all the "sightseeing" I did in HK. As I said 70% of the time was spent shopping, 20% eating so...ANYWAYS, you might be wondering since she spent so much time shopping what did she end up buying? WELL. That brings me to my haul which will go up in my next post so stay tuned ;)

In the meanwhile heres a little sneak peak at a portion of what I hauled...

<3 H

Macau Travel Diaries

HI GUYS, I’m back today with my trip to Macau. I had actually gone from Singapore to HK and took a ferry across to Macau but I thought I’d blog about Macau first because my stay there was super exciting, I can’t wait to tell you guys about it :D The ferry ride was only about one and a half hours and I took a nap so it was like one second I was in HK the next I was in Macau OHOHO. I just want to mention, my bf’s dad actually took us around everywhere and paid for everything so I don't know and hence wont be sharing the prices of attractions, hotels, etc. I am SO, SO, SOOOO grateful for everything he had done for me and taking time off work to be our tour guide. I really can’t express my appreciation in words and I feel so much regret because I wasn’t actually able to say a proper thank you to him before we left. There was a bit of a communication barrier because he only spoke very little English and Cantonese while I could only speak Mandarin. I definitely want to work on the Canto though, so that next time I see him I could properly thank him for everything he has done for me.

Anyways, we stayed at JW Marriott Hotel, it is one of the three golden buildings, together known as Galaxy Macau (I think). Bf’s dad was checking us in and this rainbow dangling thing was so pretty, I had to have a photo with it :P

Our room was on the 31^st floor and the view was ASTOUNDING. The room itself was also huge… more than enough for just the two of us. I can’t even rate this hotel, it breaks my scale, definitely a MUSTGO.

First Destination: Floating pool (yes, that curly wurly one)

We basically drop off our bag and headed straight to the pool. The pool was just about as good as the Adventure Cove one and the view of the golden buildings made it even more enjoyable. I’m also glad my waterproof sleeve came into handy again :D

There was also this really cool see through tube section of the pool where you can see people from underneath just floating past :D

I obviously wasn’t thinking when I put on my non-waterproof mascara…hence had to wear goggles, shamelessly looking like a twelvie. 

There was also a fake beach + fake waves thing going on. Again, the view was a lot prettier than the one in Adventure Cove. At this point we were like why did we even go to Adventure Cove T_T

Caught these guys in at a weird moment

After we returned from the pool it was a lovely surprise to find fruit and chocolate prepared fro us in our rooms OMG they really know how to please their guests. I mean, who doesn't like chocolates. 

After that, we head over to Studio City, a hotel opened by the Warner Brothers. The hotel itself is quite iconic because it has a huge 8 shaped ferris wheel ride smack-bang in the middle of it. 

Lego model of Studio City

My bf originally wanted to stay there because it has that ferris wheel ride, the batman ride and magic shows but we literally booked the night before so obviously it was booked out. We still got to do all those things anyways so WHAT MATTERS :D

First we went on the batman ride. It's basically a 4D movie where the seats move quite intensely. The graphics and sound effects are sooooo good it felt like you were actually dropped into the movie! But unfortunately I got a little motion sick and bleh wanted to vomit half way through. After we came out we overheard this super cute little girl telling her dad that she had her eyes closed the whole time! Her dad jokingly replied, "I didn't pay that much money for you to close your eyes, you can go in that corner and close your eyes there". AHAHA That totally reminds me of my brother who only eats watermelon when we go buffet and my mum always says "I didn't pay that much for you to come eat watermelon. I could buy you a whole one for just $10" LOL.



Next we head to the ferris wheel aka. "Golden Reel". The line was about 30-40minutes long but totally worth it! The carriages and the view is truly spectacular up there.

Only thing is, because its so popular, about 10 people get shoved into one carriage, so you kind of have to take turns with the photos. It just depends on luck, whether you get people who hog the space or not. We had selfie-sticks being waved in our faces, all over the place. Kinda dangerous if you ask me o.o

Finally before dinner we were able to squeeze in a one hour magic show. It came in three stages, the first was just some easy magic with ropes and rings (which i was still fascinated by), then we were taken to another stage where they did tricks with bubbles (my least favourite one because WHERES THE MAGIC) and then the finale was hardcore. One of my favourite was where the magician gets into a box which is hung from the roof. Then one of the strings snap (I legit thought he was going to die), you see he's legs dangling out and he climbs in and then KABOOM he appears behind the audience??? WHAT. HOW. OMG. Definitely my fav attraction at Studio City <3

After that we had dinner and headed back to our hotel. We got dropped off at one of the other Galaxy hotels (they're all connected somehow) so we could have a look around and walk the food off. It was super prettyyyy.

I need some new poses...

After we get back to our hotel room, we're feeling pretty gritty. Time to make good use of the bathtub! Bf comes up with this idea of making the shower into a steam room because it was literally a shower ROOM, pretty genius but such a waste of water >>

BUBBLE BATH YAAAAY

Who's the cuter animal?

Even the view at night is pretty 

I remember we watched a show on how to tame naughty pet cats before I dozed of. Pity they didn't do one about dogs, really wouldn't mind getting some tips on how to teach Yuki (my dog) how to behave himself hehe.

THE NEXT DAY, we had a full schedule to run as well. Bf's dad had planned all these awesome places to show me around. First up was the Venetian Hotel which was so amazing, just like how I imagine Venice would be :) Well it pretty much looked like that in Boys Over Flowers (super old korean drama). We got to go on one of those row boats as well!! Our boat lady was actually from Italy and sang the best songs. She even sang us 月亮代表我的心, this really old but classic chinese song and her accent was so perfectly on point :O

Next up we went to Da San Ba 大三巴. That name sounds similar to "3 slaps" in chinese and bf's dad demonstrated on him to show me AHAHAHA ( Love his dad <3). There is an ancient church there that's only got one wall left. Tourist sightseeing grounds this place was.

Such a manly pose AHAHA

Next up on the list was Macau Tower. This tower's best known for what? OFC their 288m bungee jump off the top of the tower! When I went on exchange last year my chinese teacher actually told us that we HAVE to try this and that it was totally worth the $500AUD she paid. Ahem. Just standing on the glass of the observation deck made my legs jelly D: You see that blue and yellow mat? That where you land......

WHY ARE HIS LEGS SO SKINNY T_T

Final destination was Grand Lisbon, a casino :D Well thing is, you have to be 21 years old to even step foot into a casino in Macau, so me being the baby I am could only take photos outside. Apparently this whole thing is owed by some rich ass man who bought one of the chinese zodiac heads from the Summar Palace for $10million?! (something crazy like that). There was also a 200+ carat diamond on display in the foyer o.o...

Well, that's it! It was only a one and a half day trip but it felt like we did so much :D AGAIN, I am so so grateful to my bf's dad for making this possible, thankyouuuuuu.

Bye y'all for now.

<3 Hannah.