sogurt café + sogurtbash!

 A couple weeks ago I had the honor of hosting Sogurt's 3rd Anniversary Party at Zouk Singapore: #SOGURTBASH! I had a lot of fun with my co-host Luke Lee (yes - the one from ABTM!), blogger Georgina Poh and everyone else who came along to join in the fun. Thanks for coming you guys - you made the evening absolutely brilliant and I'm sure you had as great a time as I did! My hair was sponsored by Liese, makeup sponsored by Maybelline, stunning floral crown sponsored by Plume Insignia (an Etsy store started by two of my good friends!), and pretty ice-cream heels sponsored by Melissa (many thanks to Chrissa for helping to coordinate the shoe sponsorship!). My skirt is from webstore Lace and Ebony, my dress (worn as a top) is from Zara and my accessories are from Lovisa! The theme of the event was "Garden of Eden," so I decided to stick to the theme by wearing a floral top and crown. However, I also wanted to mix those florals with something edgier, and this electric blue skirt with peplum laser-cut details was begging to make its debut, so I opted for the skirt and a pair of delicious, sparkly ice-cream heels. The jelly heels were super easy to walk in and very comfortable/light, and while the ice-cream design didn't exactly comply to the dresscode, I thought it added a colorful, fun accent.

 Last but not least, I have Auum to thank for sponsoring my beautiful bio-sculpture nail extensions and manicure for the night. I love the electric-blue glittery tips they pampered me with! This great new "honest nail spa" at PasarBella @ the Grandstand specializes in happy, healthy nail treatments using products that are 3-free and 5-free; that is, without nasty additives and chemicals. As well as using products of the safest calibre, Auum maintains the highest standards of cleanliness and hygiene as well: they sanitize their tools using UV light and use disposable tools where possible. I highly recommend their friendly and healthy services!

 Okay, now onto the main part of the blogpost: the newly opened Sogurt Café at Bukit Timah! You've probably driven past it loads of times on Bukit Timah thanks to its convenient location, but I'm telling you: You need to go inside and try their food! While Sogurt has many branches dotted across the island, this is the first Sogurt Café, and I certainly hope it isn't the last. With light sweet treats and savory, healthy lunches, this delightful extension of our favorite froyo destination is equally delicious! The boyfriend and I were treated to a three course meal at the café, and our overall experience received nothing less than a massive two thumbs up.

 First Course: Turkey Ham, Brie Cheese and Cranberry Panini (served with a side of potato chips and salad) - SGD$10.50

We loved this! The toasted sandwich bread was deliciously healthy and the cranberry + cheese combination was an unlikely success. The portion of salad was served with a yummy light dressing and the potato chips were a fantastic way to top off this varied, healthy dish.

 Second Course: Waffles with Froyo and a Strawberry - SGD$6.50

If there's one thing that beats froyo by itself, it's definitely froyo served with a sweet, fluffy waffle drenched in chocolate sauce! I've always loved waffles and ice-cream, but honestly speaking, waffles with froyo was ten times better. It's a small portion that's big enough to satisfy a sugary craving or a light snack, but small enough to leave a little room in your tummy and prevent a food coma/food baby.

 Third Course: Toasties with Strawberries and Chocolate Sauce (served with fresh fruit) - SGD$7.50

Sliced strawberries and chocolate sauce sandwiched between warm toast and covered in even more chocolate sauce; yes please! This is the ultimate sugar fix for those of you guilty of possessing a sweet tooth (me included!) and is a great way to finish up a meal. The only thing that could make this delicious dish better? If it was served with froyo! Oh well, it's not that hard to grab a cup and swirl your own froyo to have alongside your chocolatey toasties (my mouth is seriously watering right now). Toasties are also available with nutella and bananas instead!

 Before we knew it, all our food was gone!

We had a wonderful experience taste-testing the new surprises at Sogurt Café Bukit Timah, and it definitely deserves all the rave reviews it gets. Make sure you head on down to Sogurt Café for a healthy quick fix of either sweet or savory (or both!) and let me know what you think!

This is a sponsored advertorial.

ootd @ sogurt!

Hello lovely people! I'm still in the depressing midst of exams so apologies for my erratic presence on the blog (and for my over-presence on Instagram - it's proved to be insanely good at distracting me from boring revision). I shot this quick outfit post while having froyo with Zack at Sogurt's Star Vista outlet, which has literally become my second home. It's situated at a perfect location (near MRT stations and my school!) and is such a great, healthy option for post-exam treats and catching up with friends. For those of you who have never been to Sogurt before, check out my step-by-step guide for the perfect Sogurt experience below!

 1. Pick a cup! Sogurt offers two different sizes for cups, and while I usually am able to restrain myself to a small one, I occasionally opt for the bucket-sized cup for a more... intense dose of froyo. The big cup is perfect for sharing between two or three people too! Sogurt doesn't charge you according to the number of toppings or the size of cup you choose - you pay by weight. And I don't know about you, but that for me is the most liberating thing about the Sogurt experience: you can have as much of anything as you feel like! (Marshmallow lovers pay virtually nothing for those featherlight toppings!). Some days I'm in the mood for a dessert-style froyo so I load up on various indulgent toppings and flavored sauces, and other days I'll grab a half-cup of plain Sogurt with strawberries for a healthy, quick snack option when I'm on the go. 

 2. Fill up with froyo! Each outlet usually has about 4 dispensers with different flavors of Sogurt, and the flavors are often offered on a rotational basis. There's nothing more fun than walking into your usual Sogurt outlet and being surprised by a new flavor, and don't be afraid to ask for a tester to see if the new flavors offered tickle your fancy.

 3. Fill up with more froyo! Don't stop at one flavor. Or two. I usually layer my three usual flavors of froyo (nutella, strawberry and plain) in cute swirls, and contrary to popular belief, mixing flavors isn't gross. It's the best thing ever.

 4. Pick your toppings! This is arguably the most fun part - whether you're in the mood for chocolatey everything or you just want a classic berries/granola mix, load up with whatever you want and however much you want! My personal favorites have got to be strawberries, chocolate covered banana, white and milk chocolate chips, oreo cookie crumbs, almonds and digestive crumbs. Delicious!

 5. Weigh in! After you're done filling your cup with all things nutritiously delicious, place your cup on the weighing scale to pay (Sogurt charges $3 per 100g of goodness). To make the most of your Sogurt experience, collect a loyalty card and receive stamps for every $5 spent and plenty of surprise discounts along the way! Furthermore, Instagramming your Sogurt experience with the hashtag #sogurt gets you a little surprise too.

Top and Clutch: c/o style.in.kind, Necklace: c/o Katja Tamara, Skort: Zara, Cross Bangle: c/o OhMySmoothies

See those vouchers on the table in that last picture? I'm giving a BUNCH of them away real soon so stay tuned for that! Use the hashtag #SISxSogurt on Twitter and Instagram and I may just surprise you with some vouchers!

But here's the exciting part:

 Sogurt's 3rd Anniversary Bash at Zouk promises to be the most exciting event of the year! With free froyo, exciting games and prizes to be won, and free club entry for TGIW at Zouk - what more could you ask for? It's going to be an incredible night of froyo fun with the best froyo chain in town, and it'll cost you barely anything considering all there is for you to win! Tickets are available from any Sogurt outlet, so make sure you get your paws on some for you and your friends before they run out! You're not going to want to miss the biggest party of the year!

rockefeller.

Fleece: Uniqlo

Coat: Zara

Bag: H&M

Jeans: Topshop

Boots: Dr. Martens

~

 One of the best weeks of my life was a few weeks ago in February when I spent a week in the States for my sixteenth birthday. We spent a couple days in Connecticut seeing family and friends, but the remainder of time was spent roaming around the chilly streets of Manhattan and exploring what might just be my future home one day. I thought I'd be able to prance around the streets in cute leather jackets and unzipped winter layers, but the botoxed weather-woman (?) wasn't kidding when she said it would be freezing so I whipped out the woolly hats and gloves instead - no shame because warmth is paramount! These pictures were taken during our Valentine's Day excursion to the Rockefeller Center, where we witnessed the most incredible views of the city from the Top of the Rock observation deck after making a two-hour detour to Banana Republic (yum) and Anthropologie (more yum). I'm such a sucker for this place.

I scooped up this gorgeous coat at a ridiculously marked-down price from Zara a few days before my trip, and I don't think I've ever made a wiser purchase (primarily because it looks like something Rumi Neely might wear). It's versatile yet very edgy, and is designed perfectly for winter; the A-line cut ("You look like a tent!" said Mom) means there's room for proper warm layers underneath, and the turtleneck-avec-buckle leaves room for a scarf. My biggest regret on the trip was not bringing a greater selection of bags, so unfortunately my trusty satchel had to suffice the whole time (Cue PS11, pretty please!). Anyhoo, I tried to create some kind of middle-ground between the black coat/boots and the brown bag/fleece by wearing a pair of muted khaki-colored jeans, which seemed to successfully bridge the gap. Until the day I can travel with an entourage of LV suitcases piled up as high as I please, dressing out of a suitcase will never be something I enjoy (I'm not sure whether I should point out my lack of accessories, or whether you've already noticed). 

More NYC photos coming soon!

xo 

fall 2012 - england | photo diary.

Here it is; the comprehensive photographic recollection of my marvelous week in Kent + London! For those of you who don't keep up with me on Twitter, I spent a week in early November soaking up the nippy weather, sunny skies (YES you read that correctly - there was magnificent weather!) and beautiful fall scenery of England. Although the purpose of the trip wasn't exactly for leisure (I spent the first half of the trip studying and sitting various exams, eek!), I ended up doing a lot of shopping, sightseeing and touristy photo-taking in England's stunning capital city. Following my rambles (which should end soon) is a photo-diary which will hopefully take you on a visual journey through my various experiences over the past week, including one or two repetitive outfits (Singapore Airlines' weight allowance unfortunately didn't accommodate my entire wardrobe so apologies for the lack of diversity in the apparel department!), tourist-y shots, and countless snaps of the crispy fall leaves/bare trees - I seriously can't help myself when it comes to fall, I have such a weakness for the burnt hues of the perishing foliage, the fragile, naked branches and the fresh-red-cheeks weather that goes along with it. It's such a beautiful representation of nature's most intricate cycle; the dying, falling, absence and subsequent regrowth of leaves, and the leisurely decline in temperature followed by the eagerness of warm sun, gently nudging the snow out until next year. Judging by the snowstorms that have hit my cousins in Connecticut, my description was probably a little (or a lot) romanticized, but when you live in a tropical city without the luxuries of dynamic weather, all you've got is your imagination to fuel you (e.g. turning my air-con down to 10˚C on Christmas Eve in order to bundle up in several woolly articles of clothing and pretend I'm in Europe). Enjoy!

a coat for crispy weather.

I hardly ever do outfit posts, but I thought I might as well take advantage of the crisp-y weather and crispier leaves that Kent is abundantly scattered with during this glorious time of year and take some pictures in my new Topshop coat, which was literally my savior throughout my chilly week in the UK. I'm back home in Singapore now and until my next trip to somewhere cool, this coat is sadly of no use to me, but I love it so much I might even get it framed. This was actually the outfit I wore on the plane (minus the coat), so I wasn't exactly rocking the fresh-faced look; it was more of a 12-hour-flights-suck look. This Zara top is one of the few items of clothing I own which my dad has purchased for me (without my presence/immediate consent, that is) - he's not really one for fashion, but he definitely hit gold with this simple striped wonder. He even bought it in the right size! Paired with soft Topshop jeans and my trusty H&M satchel that never leaves my side (and is now sadly falling apart), this outfit was, in a word: easy. No frills or fuss; perfect for anything from long-haul flights to lazy afternoon tea coffee (jetlag must be overcome!) in a tiny British town. 

The first thing I did when I landed? Bought myself a packet of good old British crisps - Walkers, that is. If there's one thing I love about visiting Britain/Ireland, it's getting my hands on a pack of their traditional, timeless crisps. Not chips - crisps.