The Ultimate Luxury @ Branché Hair & Nail Salon

Some places leave you feeling like a million bucks. Branché Hair & Nail Salon, at the new Capitol Piazza, is one such haven.

It was by sheer luck that two girlfriends and I got invited by the Salon Director /Top Stylist, Kensuke Kai-san, to a free trial of their hair spa and styling. I was initially hesitant but (thankfully) signed up for an appointment with Kai anyway - turned out to be one of my best impromptu decisions ever!

Stepping into Branché on a Saturday afternoon in May 2015, first thing that struck was how serene and peaceful the place was. None of that hair-dryer noise, busy chatters, hustle and bustle you'd find at a typical hair salon. In fact, there wasn't even that mish-mesh of chemical smells, just a pleasant, calming atmosphere. The ambience here is a little formal - bright, posh, spacious - and everyone were so polite and friendly, puts one instantly at ease.

Newly opened in March 2015, Branché offers hair and nail services under one roof, helmed by a team of true-blue Japanese stylists and nailists, each with over 10 years of experience. A successful chain with 20 outlets in Japan, 3-month-old Branché at Capitol Piazza is its first overseas establishment, as Kai explained.

The service here is IMPECCABLE - and so are the stylists' sense of style ;) It's not just about the hair, it's the entire customer experience in play - nothing but made-in-Japan best quality, products and services, and just that extra bit of attention to details too. Subtle but certainly noticeable. I was truly blown away! I received undivided attention from my skilled and very patient stylist, Kai, from the point of arrival, through the 1.5-hrs of pampering hair treatments, delicate care, seriously to-die-for head and shoulder massages, and beyond. Nothing about the customer is insignificant here. I felt truly valued, respected, and pampered like a princess. An experience unlike any I've had before, and one that inevitably won my heart over. Even the selection of drinks offered, and the (very Japanese) way they're presented, left me in awe - just check out that picture below of my delicious Matcha Latte!

The prices here are, of course, not for the faint-hearted. Expect to pay around S$200 for a haircut with scalp analysis, wash and style. But what you pay is what you get. In fact, I believe you're getting way better service and value here than what you'd get at some of the larger salon chains, for the same price. As you can tell, I'm quite a convert now ;)

I've since recommended several colleagues and personal friends, and everyone has only good things to say about Kai and Branché. In my opinion, a treasure cove, and an indulge (even if it's a guilty one) worth splurging on.

Branché Hair & Nail Salon

13 Stamford Road, #B1-33 Capitol Piazza, Singapore 178905.

Opening Hours: 11:00am - 8:00pm Daily

For Appointments, call: +65 6702-3036 (Recommended Top Stylist/Director: Kai)

Other Awesome Hairstylists: Ichi | Eri | Kento
Nailists: Safori | Meg (based in Nagoya, Japan)
www.branche.sg | Facebook | Instagram

happy easter 2013!

*smile*... just a little something...

happy easter, everyone!

happycall pan can bake!

yes it's true, and it works! the happycall pressure-pan bakes too, how cool! :) referencing recipes from experienced food bloggers, i made some tweaks and adjustments of my own and pulled this off...

 

 

 

 

 

the texture of the cake turned out, as the other bakers had also noticed, dryer and somewhat crumbly compared to regular oven-baked ones, but the fact that happycall can be used for baking opens up new possibilities for fun experiments in the kitchen :)

so the above was my first happycall bake - a mango upside-down cake with nuts and chocolate chips - totally random and unorthodox, but go ahead have some fun, do it whichever way you wish ;)

some inspiring recipes:

• Ellena Guan: cuisine paradise
• Sherie: maameemoomoo

Mentos singapore - national night??!

9th august is Singapore's national day... but have you heard of the 'national night'? ;)
LOL... hilarious (and very Singaporean) viral video by - guess who? - MENTOS SINGAPORE! hehehe...

"Tikkam" for grown up women :)

remember when you were a kid, you would spend all your spare pocket money at the neighbourhood "tikkam" store - picking up a random number from a cup/box, matching it against the numbers on the gift board, and then often, smiling silly, walking away with an inexpensive little bell, a trinket, an eraser or something...

this is like that, except it's targeted at the grown up women ;)

www.vanitytrove.com

 

you pay a fixed monthly subscription fee of S$25.00, and get little surprise packages of random beauty samples - skincare, bath & body, makeup etc. - delivered to your door steps every month.

very interesting concept, and i think it would continue to work as long as the perceived value of the packages surpasses the amount being paid, and of course, that lousy samples stay out of the packages. moreover people are not exactly paying for the items in the box, what they're after is that surprise, the suspense and that little thrill of receiving something expected - yet unexpected - in the mail. so keep it pretty too, and the subscriptions will roll...

good old comfort food

comfort food comes in all forms for me at different times, sometimes it's a slurpy piping hot bowl of nissin instant noodles (maggie mee), sometimes it's sinful pan-fried luncheon meat on toast, other times it's a plain bowl of teochew porridge with hae-bee-hiam (dried shrimps with chilli) and salty preserved olive leaves fresh from the glass bottle, or simply cheese with crackers...

today, for lunch... this was my yummy comfort food - the Beo Crescent Hainanese Curry Rice.

this stall has been around since i was a little kid, mum would occasionally buy this for our sunday takeouts. i guess it's a mixture of the nostalgic familiar tastes and the good old memories of my childhood days, that makes this an exceptional comfort food for me.

i love mine flooded with the generous scoops of mixed gravy and curry sauce, and the oh-so-sinful crispy fried fatty pork chop, a side of long beans, and braised cabbage.

do be prepared for the lunch-time queue (they usually sell out by 2pm or so), but good things come to those who wait... ;)

ps: of course, none of the above would be perfect without my biggest comforts of all times - my cuppa hot teh-siu-dai, or simply tea with milk (reduced sugar) :)

a lunar new year gift for myself :)

i simply love hearts and polka dots and ribbons and butterflies... can't explain why - guess it's part inert, part cultured.

it was love at first sight for this little pouch from coach - shiny patent leather in a sweet subdued lavender shade, debossed monogram prints, and *gasp* the most adorable little bow with a worn-gold heart charm! <3 <3 <3

yea, i know i didn't need a new pouch, but in the spirit of the lunar new year celebrations, i've decided to indulge myself and splurge a little, a new year's gift for myself ;) a pretty, new money purse for the new year, that should be a good token, right? *smile* ok, i'll be good now... no more indulgences.

cheers to a happy lunar new year 2012!

tokidoki rollerball fragrances...

these are toooooo adorable!
i wonder if sephora singapore carries these... shall drop by to check it out this weekend :)

adios & ciao ciao rollerball duo (US$30)

 

rollerball collection (US$18 each)

jingle bells...

i love the harajuku lovers fragrances, have always loved them since i first set eyes on the original collection at a Macy's store in Seattle :) and of course, that's also the beginnings of my (evil) little collection of those cute little fragrance dolls... hehehe.

confession: after all these years, i must have a total of 6 or 8 bottles to date (a few of which were gifts) - selected ones from every single collection, as well as the special edition "Gwen-only" ones :)

yay! there's a new release from HJL, its latest but also the very last fragrance from the line. *sob sob* such a pity because it's been fun looking forward to each new release, but also a BIG sigh of relief, after all no one can go on collecting them forever, can they? ;)

i am definitely getting the 10ml (S$38) for this festive "jingle gwen" fragrance doll. i've heard from colleagues that Robinsons Singapore already has this in store, so get yours early whilst stocks last!

related posts:

• harajuku lovers - G of the sea
• Harajuku Lovers are wicked ;)
• harajuku lovers - solid perfume coffret
• i want the Harajuku Lovers Snow Bunnies gift set! :)

show some kindness today

it's world kindness day.

i believe kindness should be shown every single day; but for today, let's all just make that one extra act of kindness.

something small, something big...
make someone's day.
make someone smile :)

http://makesomeonesday.sg

absolutely tokidoki-fied! :)

i was at the STGCC (Singapore comic con) over the weekend, and so thrilled to be able to meet my idol Simone Legno again (4th year in a row!) - got his autographs on a couple more of my tokidoki items, and of course, a photograph together :) my friends said i looked like a starstruck teenager with a schoolgirl crush in my photo... LOL.. well, i have to admit i did feel quite like a 16 year old that day... hehehe.

so for the comic con, my colleague - who's well aware of my love for all things tokidoki, promised to make me some tokidoki cupcakes (one-of-a-kind) specially to commemorate the event! they turned out super duper adorable! i kept the Timidina cactus pup and the chilli ones (because i love all things spicy!) and gave the cute Adios and Ciao Ciao pair to Simone Legno when i met him at the autograph session *grin*.

so yeah.. i did the schoolgirl crush thing. LOL! ;P

 

all this tokidoki excitement has gotten me catching up on the recent tokidoki news and happenings, and... OMG! i found something that i am sooooooo definitely getting! (perhaps as an early birthday gift for myself) :)

check out the next blog entry (above) for more...

ps: while at this, be marvelled by the way awesome tokidoki art installation at K11 mall (hong kong)! how i wish i was going there sometime soon...

Watsons pink ribbon walk 2011

the annual breast cancer foundation pink ribbon walk is here again... and Watsons continues to be the anchor sponsor for the 2nd consecutive year, bringing us the Watsons pink ribbon walk 2011.

i was excited to receive the e-newsletter call for registrations earlier tonight but am quite disappointed when i found out that the organisers have decided to do away with the competitive run this year! also, together with the change in venue from the past two years' big splash @ the east coast park to the waterfront promenade @ the marina bay, the distance is now reduced from the original 5km to 3.2km :(

not that i'm exactly an athletic sportsperson, but the BCF pink ribbon walk/run has, over the years (since I first took part in october 2009), become my annual motivation to train and prepare myself to complete the whole course. even though the inaugural pink ribbon walk back in 2008 did start out without the run component, but as the competitive race got introduced in 2009, and carried on in 2010, the decision to suddenly revert back to a "walk only" event in it's 4th year, just doesn't seem to make much sense in terms of progress for an annual sporting event.

i guess i can understand if the organisers decided that it's more important to make this an opportunity to cheer on the breast cancer survivors, and encourage them to participate in a fun walk, hence the rationale in reducing the distance and intensity of the activity as well as the competitive nature of it, but i can't say that i'm equally enthusiastic about this year's pink ribbon walk.

i wonder what were the real reasons behind BCF and the organisers' decision to make such changes (including the change in timing from morning to evening) to the annual affair. anyway, now i'm in two minds about this whole thing, i do like the new location at the waterfront promenade, scenic dusk view and all... but i'd very much prefer to participate in the 5km run. oh well, i shall give myself some time to think over it, and decide if i'll still sign up just for continuity's sake.

date: 1 october 2011 (saturday)
time: 6:00pm
venue: marina bay waterfront promenade

the voyage night festival 2011 is here!

the museum night festival is here again!

renamed the Voyage Night Festival 2011 this year, i'm looking forward to some spectacular outdoor performances, beautiful art installations, fires, lights and all... as good as the previous years! what's more, you get free admission to selected museums through the night (till 2:00am)... what's not to love about it?

so don't miss this chance, gather your friends, block your calendar today! :)

participating museums and locations include:

• national museum of singapore
• singapore art museum
• peranakan museum
• the substation
• stamford green
• singapore management university campus green

recap: night festival 2009; night festival 2008

yay! Singapore NDP... here i come! :)

well... one of the combined rehearsals, that is :)
not the actual parade on 9 august, scaled down fireworks and such, but still cool!!!

C. and I had originally planned to meet for dinner this saturday, but she had called earlier to ask if i would like to change our plans and go watch the combined rehearsal for the Singapore National Day Parade (NDP) instead. C.'s friend had some extra tickets, and she's so nice to ask if she could bring a friend (me!) along. wow! between dinner and the NDP, my answer was a sure no-brainer! hehehe..

so here i am, finally going to attend my first ever NDP (even if it's just a combined rehearsal show) this weekend! yay yay yay! lucky me! *happy dance*

in fact, i did think of balloting for tickets to this year's parade sometime back, but had somehow missed the deadline. i had even bought one of those tacky "I <3 SG" Giordano t-shirts two weeks ago! LOL! perhaps i'm now being rewarded for that ;)

this year's NDP theme is Majulah! The Singapore Spirit.

"The 2011 NDP is the third one to be a full time musical, just like in the 1996 and 1997 editions, but for the first time will include the popular parade and ceremony segment. The entire show was written by Haresh Sharma. It revolves on the history of Singapore through the eyes of a mother and her son who was born on the same year as Singapore gaining full independence, and later on through her grandson, who sees the Singapore of today as well as in the coming future." (abstract from wikipedia - National Day Parade 2011)

i'm looking forward to the scenic waterfront, the live fireworks, the thundering Black Knights, the magnificent national flag flying above us, the mass singing of all those patriotic national day songs we were all so familiar with as a child, and that whole awesome experience of everyone in the crowd cheering on Singapore, the advanced celebration of our nation's 46th birthday together... and since this saturday is the 3rd combined rehearsal, i think we'll be receiving the NDP funpack too! AWESOME!

i can't wait.. :)

BIG thanks, C.!

btw, i'm bringing my buddy along. i think he'll really enjoy the 'lion city' celebrations too ;)

so what else is there to do if you didn't get any NDP tickets this year?

• what to do when you can't get tickets?
• check out the official NDP 2011 website
• participate in the NDP Outreach activities 
• add 'ndpeeps' to your friends list on facebook
• a preview: xtemujin 360°Resources

we have moved!

we have officially moved into our spanking brand new office today!

and i like it here! :)

actually, the physical move (all that unpacking, cleaning and personalising) took place last Friday.. but we sort of started a new work day afresh at our new location today.

everyone seems to be enjoying the new office so far, it's a bigger and brighter environment, the interior decor is nicely done up - fresher air, fun and coordinated colours, warm and comfortable, with enough space and rooms for meetings and break out activities. all in all, a more cheerful and conducive office, professional yet fun and casual enough, hope that bodes well for everyone.

there are many more corporate offices in this area too, with people dressed up in proper business attire.. makes us all more mindful of our own dressing too (far cry from our casual slippers and t-shirt days back at the Phase Z. Ro container-office or Holland Village residential unit)...

the lunch queues are longer here as well (not liking that so much) but i guess we'll soon get used to that or find our way around to some other favourite lunch spots in no time.

ooh.. and check this out too! our new office has a security biometric fingerprint reader at the door, it's so cool! i feel like a secret agent every time i get that "verified" message. LOL.. ;) awesome!

mille crepes cake - mini teddy bear version :)

i made a mille crepes cake over the long weekend again.

i was quite pleased with my first attempt at making the cake but there's definitely room for improvement, so this time i just wanted to make the crepes thinner and try the blow torch caramalised-sugar top.

the cake turned out pretty decent looking, it's still chilling in the fridge right now, so i can't quite comment on the taste yet (though i suspect the pastry cream was better the first time because i didn't whip the cream long enough this round so the consistency is a tad bit runnier)... oh well, that leaves room for a third attempt in the near future ;)

anyway, because i had made such a conscious effort to keep each and every crepe real thin and even this time, i actually ended up with some leftover batter after painstakingly completing 20 pieces of crepes (notable improvement considering i only made it to 17 layers the previous time before my batter ran out.. hehehe).

so, what good would some remaining 4 - 5 spoonfuls of crepe batter make?

i pondered for a moment... and this was what became of it *smile*..

tada! meet my special edition teddy bear mille crepes mini! :D

so cute, isn't it? hehehe.

i was able to use the last drops of batter to create 3 full-size crepes, then carefully etched out 20 identical teddy bears with the cookie cutter, and sandwiched each between a layer of the vanilla-baileys pastry cream, topped with sugar and blow torched (like creme brulee). small as it is, this sure is a complete mille crepes cake on its own too, not even a single layer short ;)

i'm not sure if i will go all out to make plenty of minis the next time, it's simply too time-consuming and exhausting. but i might have fun with a few other different cookie cutters if i have some leftover batter again the next time. so stay tuned...

harajuku lovers - G of the sea

me likey this!! sooo adorable! :)

should i, should i not?

too pricey though.
i would get this if they have it in the smaller 15ml version.

to add to my tiny collection of the small HL fragrances *wink*.

sooo cuuuute...

Harajuku Girls G of the sea perfume (USD64)

edited to add: good news, fellow H.J.L. fans! this limited edition mermaid "G" is now available in Singapore! :) in fact, to my surprise, they have actually brought in the 15ml version of it too *woohoo*. as i had promised, i went ahead to get myself a 15ml bottle of this at a 10% discount ;) original retail price S$38, available at Takashimaya shopping centre fragrance department. go get yours now!

bunnies unite - happy easter! :)

all the little bunnies at home came together to wish everyone...

HAPPY EASTER! :)

we are Singaporeans. double confirm! :)

i'm a true blue Singaporean, grew up in the HDB neighbourhoods, love the hustles and bustles of the old estate, the familiar hawker centres, void deck shops, comfort food (and teh siew dai) :) even managed to tolerate and survive the noisy common corridors and screaming kids from the playground beneath the block.. hehe.

of course, i do have my fair share of complaints, discontent and gossips about the society, the education system, the not-so-gracious behaviour of some fellow Singaporeans etc. but at the very core of it, i am still happy and very proud to be a homegrown part of this little red dot.

once in a while, we come across local TV/movie productions that just blow you away - movies like "i not stupid"(Jack Neo), "881" (Royston Tan) etc. that have made a name even outside of Singapore, and i am proud of their achievements. 

even on our local TV, i have gotten addicted to some very entertaining 'homemade' small bites that are simply hilarious. here are two current must-watch on Mediacorp Channel 5, if you haven't already become a fan:

1) The NOOSE

premiered back in 2007, the Noose is now already into its 4th season, yet i have enjoyed and continue to enjoy every single episode of this (thanks to the recording feature on HubStation). don't miss the most entertaining impersonations from funny bones like Chua En Lai, Michelle Chong, Alaric Tay etc., on local news and heartlanders stories with a twist (and lots of humour)!

2) We are Singaporeans

"... a gameshow about everything and anything to do with Singapore - from history to culture to trivia! Hosted by Hossan Leong, contestants will get the chance to walk away with $10,000 every week. We Are Singaporeans debuts on Channel 5 on 6 April, Wednesday at 8pm."

i think the trailers are superb and very successful! just seeing how funny Hossan Leong is makes me wanna watch the gameshow and find out what it's all about. if you don't believe me, watch the series of trailers below (my favourites are the supermarket and 'kopitiam' versions). i couldn't stop laughing everytime it comes on TV, and i didn't even mind watching them again and again! lol. soooo good and soooo Singaporean! :)

(all clips courtesy of mediacorpch5 on youtube)

happy easter 2011!

it’s a short work-week this week, and who doesn’t love short work-weeks? :)

Easter is just around the corner, and it’s time for this self-declared Easter Bunny to hop by and leave little surprises for everyone in the office again!
(a personal little tradition - see previous years surprises: 2010 / 2008 / 2007)

our staff strength has certainly grown over the years... from a handful 4 years ago, to a little more.. and now i have 24 colleagues to plan for! *whoa* :P

well, more eggs to hide, more fun for everyone.. hehehe.

i certainly enjoy doing this, and it's so much fun seeing everyone go crazy hunting for their treasure eggs.

ooh.. and this year, the Easter Bunny herself received a very special HUGE version Easter egg too! awww... :) THANK YOU!

 HAPPY EASTER 2011!