iherb recommendations

Hihi friends of Hazelnutt House (",) 

when I have nothing better to do, I like google, "iHerb haul" to see what others purchase on iHerb.  It helps me discover new items that I probably wouldn't look for on iHerb.  Having made numerous purchases on iHerb, here's a list of items that I have either repurchased of highly recommend.  

• Stacy's Pita Chips, Cinnamon Sugar Flavoured - If you read my posts, you'll know that I am obsessed with cinnamon sugar.  This product is available in Singapore, but only at certain supermarkets, so I perfer to order it from iHerb.  

• Annie's Homegrown, Bunny Grahams, Chocolate - I've repurchased this countless times and still love it.  This is kiddo's favourite treat too. 

• Harney & Son's Green Tea with Thai Flavours - I love this tea... it's pretty strong for a green tea with a pleasant coconut and lemongrass scent.  

• Harney & Son's Earl Grey Supreme - My all time favourite Earl Grey tea.  One sachet is good for a pot of two cups coz it is pretty strong. 

• Nutiva, Organic Chia Seed - My daily does of omega 3 and fibre comes from these teeny weeny seeds, I eat them with my oatmeal in a jar for breakfast every morning. 

• Simply Organic, Madagascar Pure Vanilla Extract - I purchase baking supplies from iHerb too.  So when I run out, I'll order online instead of trying to look for this in stores.

• E.L.F. Cosmetics, Studio, Powder Brush - I've 2 of these brushes.  It's a cheap product that really works.  I use it with powder in a pan, loose powder and even mineral powder. 

• E.L.F. Cosmetics, Luscious Liquid Lipstick, Raspberry - This wears like a lipgloss and it gives a nice colour to my lips.  Doesn't wear off as quickly as I thought it would. 

• Real Techniques, Expert Face brush - What can I say about Real Techniques' brushes?  Go get them!  I've the blush brush, stipple brush and this face expert brush... the bristles are soft and they work fabulously! 

• EcoTools, Retractable Kabuki Brush - You don't find many retractable brushes that are good quality.  This brush is dense and soft and really comes in handy when travelling or if you carry a makeup pouch around with you all the time. 

• Just a Leaf Glass Tea Cup - Well, I love this simple, see through glass cup with a lid.  I don't use the infuser portion of it much coz I prefer my tea in bags.  It's really cheap at $2.95USD for first time purchase.  

• Deep Steep, Body Wash, Honeydew & Spearmint - Smells great! In fact my friends are recommending the body oil as well as the foaming hand wash from this brand.  So i'll definitely be venturing into the other products as well. 

• Badger Company, Damascus Rose, Antioxidant Face Oil - I love love love this face oil and since I use it daily for my night time routine, I use it up quite quickly.  Read my Damascus Rose, Antioxidant face oil review here. 

Talk to you ladies soon!!!! And I hope you'll enjoy yourself shopping on iHerb! 

Products that I will not repurchase from iHerb

Hello, friends of Hazelnutt House :) 

I thought i'll share some of the products that I've bought on iHerb that didn't work for me.  I'm in no way slamming these products, just wanna let you know why it didn't work on me and why I won't be repurchasing them.  For your consideration in case you've your eyes on these products that you can purchase form iHerb.

1. Giovanni Cool Mint Lemonade Scrub - I gushed about this body scrub initially coz it smelled soOOooo good...lemoney and minty, a combination which I adore. The minty effect is powerful, I must say.  Your skin will be tingling for a long time during and after use. However, it left an uncomfortably oily film on my skin after washing off.  So I thought i'll just wash the film off with an extra coat of body wash, but the film seems to cling on for dear life.  Despite the heavenly scent, I think it is far too much trouble and discomfort to use.

2. Sibu Beauty Age Defying Eye Cream - This eye cream contains sea buckthorn which is a good anti-aging ingredient however, sea buckthorn has a less than pleasant smell.  I know coz I've tried sea buckthorn supplements and they smelled really bad, at least for the brand that I've tried.  This cream smells too, though not as badly as the supplement.  It doesn't seem to sink in readily into my skin and when it does dry it leaves a matte layer which I can't appreciate since I am looking for a hydrating/moisturizing eye cream.  Who would have thought that an age-defying cream wouldn't be moisturising.

3. Herbatint Rosemary Herbal Oil - I've used this hair oil several times, usually heating it up a little before I slather it all over my hair and scalp for a deep treatment.  It smells great!  And the surprising thing about this oil is that after washing off, it doesn't leave an oily feeling on my hair!  I supposed lots of people will appreciate this factor, right? Yeah, I appreciate that but it doesn't seem to do much for my hair.  A deep conditioning mask will do a better job.  I will continue to use it till I run out but I don't think I will repurchase it. 

4. MyChelle Dermaceuticals, Creamy Pumpkin Cleanser - I wouldn't say that this is a bad cleanser coz I think it works well as a cream cleasner.  However, it just did not fit into my cleansing regime.  I usually remove my makeup with makeup remover or cleansing oil and then I double cleanse with a foaming cleanser.  I can't use this cleanser as my first step to removing makeup, coz it doesn't do that well and I can't use it to double cleanse since it does leave a creamy film on my skin.  So I usually use this only on rare days when I do not have makeup on.   

5. Go Raw, Organic Super Cookies in Chai Masala - Hmmm... I was excited about this brand of chips, it looks more like chips than cookies to me.  There are lots of good reviews for this product and I was eager to try.  I don't like the taste, the ginger is too strong IMO and the chips were dry and gritty... tasted like doggie food, if I have to give it an apt description. 

6. Go Raw, Organic Super Chips, Pumpkin - This tasted better than the Chai Masala cookies, but sadly, I still associate it with doggie food... :( I realised it's made from pumpkin seeds instead of the fleshy sweet orange fruit that I thought I was getting.  

7. Stash Tea Company, Moroccan Mint Tea - Big mistake... somehow this tea tasted big on liquorice... and I for one dislike liquorice.  I don't see liquorice as an ingredient, so something in there tastes like liquorice. 

8. J.R. Liggett's Old Fashioned Bar Shampoo, Tea Tree and Hemp Oil - I really wanted to like this product after reading reviews on how it cleaned and cleared up oily scalp on some people.  I did read that it may not work with either hard or soft water, I can't remember which but I am sure Singapore's water doesn't go well with this bar shampoo coz having been warned by some reviewers, the exact thing happened to my hair as I was trying to wash it out.  It lathered well and I was happy till it was time to rinse.  My hair seemed to have turned into a waxy mess during the rising stage, the water seemed to have turned the lather hard or something and to rescue the situation, I had to use my regular shampoo to wash this shampoo off.  So it really depends on the type of water that runs in your tape when trying this product out. 

Badger Damascus Rose Antioxidant Face Oil

Hi hi friends of Hazelnutt House :) 

I haven't done a product review in a long long time... I used to do reviews more often on hazelnutt.onsugar.com.  but on this new Hazelnutt House, I do more of craft entries. 

I have been using this Badger Damascus Rose Antioxidant Face Oil for a couple of months and I Love LOVE LOVE IT!  So, I thought it deserves a good mention here on my blog. 

As you can see here, I am almost through with this 29.5ml bottle. (29.5ml?! strange capacity, huh?)

Here's just a quick overview of my skin. 

I have combination skin which tends to get oily around my T-zone.  I am in my mid 30's and I have noticed that my skin is drier than before but still oily on the surface.

This oil has a rich amber colour and has a semi-thick consistency.   It smells great with its mix of rose, lavender and chamomile oils.

Currently, for my night time skincare routine, I have been using one spa water and one pump of this oil.  First, I mist my face with Vichy Spa Water to allow more slip as I rub the oil into my skin.  It takes awhile for the oil to be absorbed, but when the oil is eventually absorbed into my skin, my face didn't look or feel greasy.  There is still traces of shine, but it didn't feel like an oil slick.  Unlike the Kiehl's Midnight Recovery Concentrate which seemed to sit on my face and didn't do anything different for my skin.  I followed the 'pressing' in method that the Kiehl's staff recommended but it just didn't work for me.  

With this Badger face oil, it absorbs well and I wake up to soft 'plump' skin.   The drier areas e.g. my cheekbones don't feel that dry and tight anymore.  I can't say that the difference is life changing or remarkably obvious but it is something that I noticed after having used this oil for about two months.  Despite the high concentrations of pure oils in this product, I feel that my skin feels less oily and more hydrated with use.   I guess my skin has learned not to overproduce sebum since the face oil helps my skin to achieve a balanced state.

I got this Badger face oil from iHerb @ $12.59USD which definitely didn't burn a hole in my pocket :) 

Talk to you ladies soon!

iherb haul

Hihi friends of Hazelnutt House (",) 

there's always a good reason to shop online yeah?... As I was tossing and turning in bed one night, unable to fall asleep, I decided to do some shopping on iHerb. 

About a week later, my loot arrived.

Here's what I got: 

• EcoTools Full Volume Styler brush - I love this brush and instead of having a paddle brush to brush out my hair and a separate round brush for blow drying, I use this huge round brush. 

• EcoTools Retractable Kabuki brush - LOVE LOVE LOVE this brush!  It's fab for touching up on the go.  I retract this and cover it up with the cap and leave this at work or take it along with me when I travel.  The first time I bought this brush was probably five years ago.  It was in the silver packaging.  I am still using it, just thought I should get another.. just because....

• Edamama in Slightly Salted and Spicy Wasabi - The salted version tastes better... somehow the wasabi powder manage to land on the sides of my lips and mouth area and I could feel the heat which was rather uncomfortable. 

• Annie's Bunny Grahams, Chocolate flavour - Kiddo's and my favourite! Not too sweet, just right with a tad bitter chocolate taste.  Repurchased this countless times.
• Stacy's Pita Chips, Cinnamon Sugar flavour - LOVE LOVE LOVE... everyone in my family loves this, even Kimmie The Dog.  Repurchased this countless times too!

• Go Raw Super Chips, Pumpkin flavour
• Go Raw Masala Chai Super Cookies... nice texture, but I don't fancy the taste... won't repurchase this again, but I may try the other flavours.

• Stash Tea in Morrocan Mint and Breakfast in Paris - I'll recommend Breakfast in Paris.  It is a lovely light subtle taste of bergamot, this black tea is neither tart nor bitter.  Steer clear from the Morrocan Mint tea though coz it tastes like it contains liquorice.  I bought it coz it contains peppermint and spearmint.  I thought it will be a good combination along with green tea to detox BUT... somehow it tastes of liquorice... eeks!

• Alba Cotanica Hawaiian Shampoo & Conditioner in Mango
• Dickinson's Witch Hazel toner.  OMG!  I didn't know that this toner smells soOOooo bad! I really doubt i'll use it again... will probably use it to wash something... say, the sink? 

• Some E.L.F. lip products

• Nutiva Chia Seeds - repurchased countless times, coz I eat it with oats every morning.  Kimmie The Dog eats it too, so I have to repurchase this quite often.

• Auromere Need soap - purchased this for Kim, coz neem soap is supposedly good for her sensitive skin.  

Here's a code that I'm sharing with you ladies.  Use it to get some dollars off your first purchase. 

Talk to you soon!

What toys/products to avoid for Christmas or birthdays

Hi hi friends of Hazelnutt House (",)

After a long list of what's good to buy a kid for Christmas Part 1 and Part 2, I am gonna feature some items that are really not worth buying.  Hopefully this helps in some way when you are deciding on what to buy kids for Christmas or on their birthdays.

Pardon me if these products are meant for girls.

1) Melisa & Doug Princess Crayon Set

I mentioned that I really love Melisa & Doug products but this Princess Crayon Set was a total letdown. 

It doesn't come with the Disney princess sticker.  Kiddo stuck it there. 

So, the plastic case looks pretty and I was very pleased with the grip of these three-sided crayons.

The bad:

1. The formula is really dry and it requires adult strength to produce enough pigmentation when colouring in.  
2. The pastel pink and fuchsia sticks looks very different but on paper, they look similar.  (4th and 5th shade from the left)
3. There is NO GREEN!  Granted that this is a 'Princess Crayon Set'  but don't princesses go to the garden to admire flowers in bloom?  My kid had to look for a green crayon from another set to colour in Daddy pig's (Peppa's dad) green shirt. 
4. Way too many pink/red shades... they should remove one of these shades and just add in a green. 

2) Hello Kitty Spectacular Spinner and Whirl 'n Wear Spectacular Spinner (click on link for reviews on Amazon.com)

I bought the Whirl 'n Wear set and on closer look when I saw the Hello Kitty set, they look like they have the same concept.  Even the prints and words on the box is similar. 

So, I included a picture of it here. 

So the concept is, you add the charms into the slots of the round spinner, then as you spin, the elastic thread should run in through the charms effortlessly.

The charms are lovely and that was what caught my eye.

The bad:

1. It was really difficult loading the spinner which is the big round object that you see on the box.
2. You need to aim very well to ensure that the charms sit within the tiny slots.
3. The spinner always get stuck and it was difficult to spin the thread through the charms without having to stop to adjust something.
4. It was really difficult to fasten the ends of each jewellery with the fasteners provided. 
5. If fastened wrongly, it is impossible to remove the fastener and try again.  

Although this toy set is meant for kids 5 years and above, it was awfully tough for an adult to operate.  And you know, when an adult can't work the toy, kids get impatient.  Not a good sign. 

3) Hello Kitty Aqua Beads

The concept of this crafting set allows you to arrange beads on a board using the template cards provided.  There are holes on the board to allow the beads to sit in.  Once completed, you spray the beads with water and it will expand and become gluey, attaching onto neighbouring beads.  Once dried, you have your beaded item. 

The bad:

1. The beads are a nightmare.  They fall everywhere even with the placement casing provided.  
2. It wasn't easy to place the tiny beads onto the board, if you upset one bead, it may cause the rest to get out of place.
3. The beads smell of glue once wet and when dried, the beaded item still carried the smell of glue.
4. Drying time is long, about an hour or so.  Not suitable for impatient kids and we know that most kids are impatient. 

4) Hello Kitty Crystal Creation Kit

The idea behind this kit is that you'll be able to create crystal stickers following the numerous templates that the kit provides. Once the crystals are laid out on a sticky pad, you adhere a layer of something on top and load it into Hello Kitty's back and you'll pull out the completed crystal sticker from in front. 

This toy looks good when displayed on Kiddo's shelf but it was a total nightmare to work with. 

The Bad:

1. The crystals are TINY... difficult even for an adult to handle.
2. It is not easy to stick the crystals onto the sticky pad.
3. The sticker layer that needs to be adhered onto the crystal tends to crease and once that happens, it is almost impossible to undo coz it is ultra sticky.

These are some of the crystal motifs that we made and I am sooOOooo glad that we ran out of crystals. I believe that I can use the crystals that I have for crafting but I don't wanna go through the hardship and nightmare working on it with Kiddo.

So, look out for these frustrating and unrewarding items and try to avoid them as gifts.  (",)

"Hey, what did you get in Japan?"

Hi hi Friends of Hazelnutt House (",) 

A couple of my friends are leaving for Japan.  I got quizzed several times, "Hey, what did you buy in Japan?  Any shops that I should go to?"

 I really didn't shop much when I was there in January this year but there were two shops that I visited several times to snoop around and ogle at the shelves of beauty products.

Matsumoto Kiyoshi pops up in the streets of Tokyu like wild mushrooms, so it is difficult to miss this shop that is bursting at the seams with endless beauty goodies. 

The other store that is also interesting is Tokyu Hands.  You can practically find EVERYTHING at Tokyu Hands.  They sell bicycles, beauty products, clothes, shoes, household items, glasses, toys... you name it.  Some Tokyu Hands are HUGE!  The one in Takashimaya has probably 5 levels (if I remember correctly).  Other Tokyu Hands are smaller, but just as fun to snoop around.

Ok, here comes my photo spam of what I purchased to give you an idea what there is to look out for.  

Biore eye mask...  it is a gel/jelly-like eye mask that you place under your eye and then wait...

I won't recommend this hehee... coz it didn't do anything for me.

 Some Canmake lip glosses which are cheaper than in Singapore. 

Here's some Heroine mascara, mineral powder with Little Twin Stars motif, Visee blush and K-palette eyebrow pen. 

Ettusais is way cheaper in Japan, so it'll be good to pick some items up if you are a follower of this brand.  I bought the Ettusais Puru Puru Mist. 

Of coz one has to try out the crazy selection of Japanese sunscreen.

The one on the left is from Shiseido and it does leave a slight powdery feel on the skin.  

The Biore UV Aqua Rich Watery Essence is great to use on arms especially in warm and humid Singapore weather.  

The one on the right is Hada Labo UV Creamy Gel.  It is a tad too moisturizing for me.  I'll recommend using it on arms for a moisture boost or on dry mature skin. 

For coz, I jumped at the chance to visit Daiso, partly to see for myself how it differs from those in Singapore.  

I picked up these plant kits for the fun of it.  The plants didn't grow ... hehee... bummer.

If you see these packets of candies, please grab some!  They are like cotton candy but with a punch!!! Some of it turns into chewing gum while otheres are plain cotton candy with sprinklers of crackling candie pops (",) 

These tiny bottles of sugar are fun buys and great as gifts too (",) 

Ginger sugar, cinnamon sugar, cacao sugar and almond sugar.

These handy flavourings are something that I buy often at the grocery stores and since it was so cheap in Daiso, I picked up a few packs.  The preserved plum on the left is superb as an Onigiri stuffing.  Oh yes, speaking of which, onigiri is sold at most convenience shops like Lawson, so grab some while you trot around on the go (",)  I've not had the chance to try the plum stuffing in Singapore, it is soOOooo good... 

These green tea powder from Daiso don't taste that good.  Skip them. 

Oh yes... Magic Salt (",) I love sprinkling it over my salad, sunny side up egg or in pasta. 

These Pretz potato sticks are the bomb!!! I bought many boxes of these coz it is super duper expensive in Singapore.   

Some cute face towels for Kiddo... easy for her to wring with her small hands. 

I picked up these origami books for Kiddo and she had so much fun creating paper toys for herself. 

This is a paper cutting booklet that I picked up from Daiso too.  Each sheet is printed and you just need follow the instructions to fold and then snip away and you'll end up with beautiful paper cuttings (",)

Ah ha... snack time!  It will be wise to purchase snacks at the airport so that you do not have to lug them around with you.

I bought two varieties of the Tokyo Banana... Original and the Caramel Custard Cream.

Here's the Hokkaido Cheese Cake and the Hokkaido Shiroi Koibito Chocolate Cookie.

These chocolate cookies also known as White Lover Chocolate Cookies needs no introduction. 

A must buy (",)

You can skip this Hokkaido Cheese Cakes... they are really tiny and don't pack a punch.  Kinda like sponge cake with a teeny weeny taste of cheese.

I love these giraffe printed Tokyu Bananas (",) 

The animal print on the cake is so adorable!  

The caramel is sticky and is great to snack on when it is refrigerated.

The original ones are of coz a must buy too (",)

 From one of the supermarkets, I bought some Maxim beverage sticks.  

Matcha, Chocolate Mint and PEACH!!! 

This peach beverage is sooOOoo fun to drink.  Once hot water is added, it fizzes up and the peach smells soOOoooo good - albeit artificial, like the Hi-chew candy kinda scent. 

This matcha is superb too (",) One of the nicer ones that I've tried.

And of coz this Chocolate Mint beverage... is to die for!  I love chocolate mint, so maybe I am bias... hehee...

Ok, i'm gonna stop here... hope someone finds this useful in one way or another (",)