Hello everybody! I’m back from Japan and it was a really wonderful experience! We visited Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka and visited Universal Studios Japan and Tokyo Disney Sea Park! We took the Hollywood Dream The Ride and it’s possibly one of the best rides I’ve ever taken! I’ve never screamed more!! You get to choose 1 out of 5 tracks to listen to while taking the ride, how clever is that?! I chose Osaka Lover by Dreams Come True and now it’s on repeat on my Winamp player.

Listen to it here:

The Tower of Terror at Disneysea was a little disappointing and not very scary though; all the rides in Disneysea seem smaller and less scary compared to Disneyland LA.

Shinkansen (bullet train) ticket from Osaka to Kyoto

Japanese boy on the shinkansen we took

Almost 1000 photos to go through, will update with more soon!

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Tags: ANA, boy, bullet train, compare, disneyland, disneysea, dreams come true, holiday, hollywood dream, honeymoon, honshu experience, japan, kyoto, LA, married life, osaka, osaka lover, played, review, ride, roller coaster, shinkansen, song, tokyo, tokyo disney sea park, tower of terror, universal studios japan, usj, 新幹線

So I’ve removed all the clutter and reduced the lag, the following is what I think of some of the online ad serves that I’ve tried and tested.

Adsense
Possibly the least fancy but quite relevant and surprisingly, the $$$ is comparable to other ad serves. Some ads are cost-per-click (CPC), some are cost-per-thousand-impression (CPM). My ads are mostly CPC because it’s not so huge/popular that advertisers choose to place an ad here for CPM. Cashout at US$100.

Advertlets
You get paid CPC and CPM, payout is in RM, cashout at RM$100. No minimum traffic requirements. One of the prettiest advertisements. Malaysian based company, server lags out terribly quite frequently causing my blog to load slowly.

BLOG2u.SG
One of my favorite and best paying, they match you with an advertiser and you get to choose whether or not you wish to write an advertorial on the vendor. Singapore-based, cashout is immediate via internet bank transfer! Remember to say keymistress referred you!

Nuffnang
Verdict: Don’t waste your time.

WidgetBucks
Welcome to the MLM of online advertising! Ugly flash ads, CPC only. Good for massive tech blogs, doesn’t work for me.

At the end of the day, I wonder when I’ll ever hit the minimum cash payout. Probably after 3 years of blogging, maybe?

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Tags: ads, adsense, advertlets, blog2u, cashout, compare, nuffnang, review, singapore, widgetbucks

A very lovely lady sold samples of her extensive BB cream stash to me to try out before buying. My sis is going to Korea next week or so and she’ll be helping me get some! Korean brands like The Face Shop, Missha and Skin Food are waaay overpriced in Singapore (about 50% more).

I don’t think I can vouch on the effectiveness of the BB cream as I didn’t really monitor my skin but there have been many testimonials by other ladies. As for oil control, I honestly didn’t feel that they did anything for that matter but some left my face oilier than the others at the end of the day. My current fave is Skin Food’s Aloe Sun BB cream.

On blending…
I personally feel that all the BB creams don’t blend very well, you’ll need the help of a sponge unless you wanna risk adding a few more age lines to the canvas. I’ve tried to pre-mix my BB cream with moisturiser, it works but I just don’t like the idea. I prefer applying the BB cream immediately after my moisturiser while my face is still, erm, moist; then quickly work in the BB cream. After that, I finish off by dusting on my Ettusais Day Protect Powder (using it as loose powder).

On choosing the right shade…
All the creams left my face with a whitish cast (#1 for Skin Food). Unless you’re fair without yellow undertones (usually Asians have yellow undertones), I recommend you choose #2 Natural for Skin Food BB creams where you have a choice.

Reviews
dermaRX Beblesh balm SPF15
Smells like clay mask, the type that hardens on your face when you go for facials at a beauty salon. Much lighter texture and easier to blend compared to the rest.

Dr.Jart+ Rejuvenating Blemish Balm for all skin types SPF 10 Anti-Irritant Concealer
The worst smelling of the BB creams I’ve tried. It’s hard to describe, some reckon it to smell like detergent? Not sure if it’s because I wasn’t very thorough on removing it at the end of the day but after consecutive use, some small bumps start to appear.

Skin Food Gingko Green BB Cream vs Skin Food Aloe Sun BB Cream SPF20 PA+
SF Aloe has a very light fragrance that’s better than Gingko, but the smell of Gingko isn’t bad or anything, both simply have a very mild scent. I prefer Aloe because of its SPF properties, so I don’t need to apply sunscreen anymore. Gingko left my face oilier compared to Aloe too. That said, Aloe wins hands down!

BRTC Perfect Recover Balm
The smell is similar to SF Gingko, but less noticeable. I was advised that this isn’t readily available in the shops in Korea, I can’t remember if it’s prescription only or? However, you are able to order it online if you can read Korean from their online shop. *shrugs* Currently, this is the most trusted medical brand BB cream till date.

Other useful links
Skin Food’s website
kimoko’s reviews
whiteelephant’s summary
Where to buy
Luna Beauty, eBay

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Tags: aloe, bb cream, beblesh, blemish balm, blend, brtc, choose, compare, concealer, day protect powder, dermarx, dr.jart+, ettusais, gingko green, loose powder, perfect recover balm, rejuvenating, review, right shade, skin food, skin79, smell, spf