Review of Gaston Luga Praper Backpack in Pink

As a lifestyle blogger who loves travelling, I am always on a lookout for classy looking, yet durable backpack which I can put all my stuff inside.

Gaston Luga was a brand which I have fallen in love recently after checking out their website at www.gastonluga.com.  Although it is a company based on Stockholm Sweden but they ship their bags to globally.

It offers beautiful backpacks in different sizes for both men and women, from the Classic to Praper to the classy ranges.  The range of colours to choose from is an added point as well.

My personal favourite was the Praper range and I got it in pink as I love the mixed of ruggedness with femininity.  With its dominant, simplistic and elegant design, this bag will look great in any situation.  The bag is made of thick and strong cotton fabric, with adjustable shoulder straps and contains a 13-15 inch laptop pocket and four smaller pockets for the phone, wallet, etc.

The valuables are kept safe with the strong hooks, which are adjustable in four levels to suit current packing need.

You can also customise your bag by matching your personal style with a coloured leather address tag.



The metal feet will keep the base of the bag clean when you put it down on the ground or chair.  The thoughtfulness of the founder can be seen through the inclusion of a special pocket for passport and travel ticket so that it is easy to access and at the same time safely kept.

The dimension of the bag is 30 x 42 x 15cm.


The best part is Gaston Luga ships direct to your Singapore address with free shipping with 20% off as tax rebate.

Great news for my readers...If you are keen to purchase any of the bags on Gaston Luga website, get 15% off by quoting 'mselaineheng15' as the discount code before checking out.

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Media Food Tasting at Korean Charcoal BBQ SEORAE on 12 April 2017

Craving for Korean food over the long weekend?  Check out Popular Korean Charcoal BBQ SEORAE as it has sizzled up its mouth-watering selection with exciting new additions, sets for sharing and a merry array of soju cocktails and makkoli mixes that guarantees good times all round. 

One plus point to order the grilled meat is that SEORAE uses a special ‘circle grilling’ technique where diners can scoop up silky folds of egg and fiery grilled kimchi for a burst of flavours to go with their meal.  For added indulgence, coat your skewers with a layer of melted cheese that surrounds the grill, offering a buttery creaminess that’s hard to resist.  I am a cheese lover so it is definitely a YEAH for me!

A must firm order has gotta be its signature Korean Galmaegisal (premium pork skirt meat).  Once said to be reserved only for lofty Korean royalty in olden days, the exclusive sirloin- extension—forming only 250 grams between the ribs and belly of a full-grown pig—is now a must-have on every local Korean buff’s platter. Marinated in a delicious blend of Korean spices and grilled to perfection, the galmaegisal takes on the characteristics of wagyu beef; rich with flavours, and promises a tender and juicy bite. 

I also tried a few other grilled dishes like Woosamgyeob which is US beef shortplate, marinated with Seorae's special juicy sauce.  I am not a great fan of beef but this dish doesn't have that strong 'beef' smell and I actually like the flavour of the meat.

The Spicy Samgyeobsal is yet another one of my favourite grilled meat.  I love pork belly because of the crisp bbq fats that go well with the meat... an awesome combination of soft vs chewy texture.

If you are into stews, SEORAE has a wide variety to choose from.

Warm up your bellies with the comforting Budae Jjigae – a succulent selection of sausages, spam, bacon, fish cake, tteokboki, beans, mixed with fresh vegetables and simmered in a special Gochujang spicy stew. 

I also tried Sundubu Jjigae which is spicy soft tofu stew mixed with minced pork and fresh vegetables, clams and eggs.  This will be a great choice for cold days to warm up the body.

This was my first time eating cheese dumpling when Cheese Mandu Tteokbokki was served.  It was an interesting combination of Korean rice cake cooked in Seorae's hot sauce, served on hot pan with fried fish cake, egg, corn-cheese dumpling, ramyeon and pineapple

New on the menu is the fickle-friendly Kkochi Platter – charcoal grilled skewers oozing in an array of delicious and addictive fillings such as melted cheese, kimchi and spicy enoki wrapped in samgyeobsal (premium pork belly) or woosamgyeob (US prime beef shoortplate). 

I strongly recommend everyone to try this out.

Make your meal a merry affair and knock back a toothsome tipple or two. New concoctions include the Rose Petaline Soju and Lime Mojito Soju, both guaranteed to put a happy blush in your cheeks. Flashy meets fleshy with the Pineapple Cocktail, featuring a whole pineapple that’s spiked with soju and scooped straight from the husk.

New Promotions

Epic Lunch Menu

Price: Starting from S$10.90
Valid: Monday – Friday, from 11.30am to 3.00pm (Not applicable on public holidays)

Enjoy a fuss-free lunch in the heart of the city as Seorae Singapore serves up its signature selection— including Kkochi Platters, Budae Jigae, Seoul Bulogi and Dolsot Bibimbap—in affordable lunch sets (starting from S$10.90) with free drinks and side dishes that are perfect for sharing. Enjoy 20% off on your BBQ meats and get them expertly grilled to perfection by your very own server, allowing you to head back to the office without smelling like smoke.

Kkochi Platter

Price: S$21.90 (a la carte); S$14.90 (with minimum two BBQ meat at regular price) 
Valid: All day

For the fickle eater, opt for the Kkochi Platter and treat yourselves to a variety of charcoal grilled skewers wrapped in samgyeobsal (premium pork belly) or woosamgyeob (US prime beef shoortplate). Enjoy them at a reduced rate with a minimum two orders of BBQ meat at regular price.

Ultimate Grill Set (for 2-3 pax)

Price: Starting from S$79 
Valid: All day

Get the best of the best with Seorae’s Ultimate Grill Sets, featuring a wide selection of premium pork and beef cuts, complete with all-time favourites such as the spicy Sundubu Jjigae, refreshing Japchae and a Jeju-style Bibimbap that’s served in a stainless steel bowl. 

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Keen to visit SEORAE?

Check out the information below:

Address: 
Plaza Singapura #02-01
68 Orchard Road Singapore 238839

Telephone:
+65 6238 8429

Opening Hours:
Sunday – Thursday: 11:30am – 10:00pm (Last order: 9.30pm) 
Friday – Saturday: 11:30am – 11:00pm (Last order: 10.30pm)

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SEORAE

TOKIO INKARAMI Hair Treatment at Kenjo Salon on 12 April 2017

When the owner of Kenjo Salon, Joseph, texted me to drop by to try their latest hair treatment, Tokio Inkarami, I was elated cos it had been a while since I last trimmed my hair and did hair treatment.  

It so happened that there was a media food tasting session in Plaza Singapura at 12.30pm, the same location as Kenjo Salon, hence I decided to try my luck to go to Kenjo Salon earlier to see if I can trim my hair first at around 11am.

Soo Bin was in the salon by then and she was so kind to trim my hair first so that I could leave around 12.15pm for the food tasting, before coming back at 3pm for Tokio Inkarami hair treatment.

Soo Bin trimmed off about 3 inches of my hair ends as I had a lot of split ends.

 Just look at those curls which Soo Bin created for me using a flat iron.  I love this soft and romantic look.

After my food tasting session, I came back and Soo Bin mentioned about changing the hair colour since the previous colour had faded to a much lighter tone and the dark roots were showing.

I was agreeable as I also wanted a darker colour this time round.  There were so many colours to choose from and it was very harder to make a decision.

 Finally I decided on a violet, red and brown mixed type of colour cos my previous colour was ash brown.

First step was to protect my scalp so Soo Bin applied a scalp protecting cream on it.

Afterwhich, she proceeded to massage it all over the scalp.

The colour was applied onto my hair carefully and we had to wait for a few minutes for the colour to settle in.

I am not sure how long it took but once Soo Bin checked the hair, she gave the go ahead for her assistant to wash my hair using Tokio IE Inkarami Shampoo.

Tokio Inkarami Hair Treatment

Joseph mentioned that this hair treatment is only found in 40 hair salons in Singapore so far, hence it is very exclusive.

At the same time, it has received great rating from the high-end salon in Aoyama, Harajyuku, Ginza and it's now the most popular salon menu in Japan.

The reasons why this treatment is so popular is because of the Patent technology 'Inkarami', contains Nobel Prize ingredient 'Fullerene' and helps in 40% recovery in hair treatment.

All these results in: 

• Amazing repair power
• Enduring hair's strength by aggregation bond
• Provide admirable shiny feel
• Achieving weightless feel and dynamic hair
• Amazing change in hair quality

Pre-Process by TOKIO 0

TOKIO 0 contains penetrating agents so that the hair cuticles are softened to allow other ingredients like keratin amino acid,  ceramide complex, hydrolyzed silk and pellicer, to moisturise the hair.

Apply TOKIO 1

Soo Bin applied sufficient amount of TOKIO 1 into my hair and comb my head to spread the product evenly onto the hair.  The "Waterfowl Keratin" will penetrate into the core of the hair, building up a base for INKARAMI reaction.

 Afterwhich Soo Bin used a hair steamer to steam my hair for 3 mins.  I kinda like this cos it felt so soothing.

Apply TOKIO 2

TOKIO 2 was applied from middle to the ends of my hair and again my hair was combed to allow the ingredient to be even spread.

Then Soo Bin and her assistant proceeded to 'kneed' my hair.  This method allows the ingredient to penetrate deep into the hair.

Apply TOKIO without rinsing hair

Soo Bin applied TOKIO 3 from mid to end of my hair and after that she and her assistant proceeded to 'pound' on my hair.  How interesting is that!

Thereafter, the hair steamer was used again to steam my hair .  This time round, the hair steaming process took about 3-5mins.

Apply TOKIO 4

The hair was rinsed and TOKIO 4 was applied.

Firstly the assistant rubbed TOKIO 4 into her palms throughly until it turned into whitish colour, before applying onto my hair.

After my hair was towel-dried,   Soo Bin applied appropriate amount of TOKIO Qing & Kueen before blowing drying it.

Soo Bin was so sweet to give me nice curls using the flat iron again.

And here you go.... my new look!  I am loving the new length, colour and of course the softness and smoothness of my hair.... yippee!

I also brought back the TOKIO HOME care products, like TOKIO IE INKARAMI shampoo, TOKIO IE INKARAMI conditioner and TOKIO IE OUTKARAMI oil treatment.

Soo Bin mentioned that these home care products help to react and interlock with the whole treatment to preserve INKARAMI effect.  Everyone who tried TOKIO INKARAMI hair treatment should get a set of these 3 products to extend the wonderful results.  I am so gonna use these products everyday from now on.

Kenjo Salon is located at 68 Orchard Road, #04-72, Plaza Singapura (New Wing).

Check out Kenjo Salon's website at www.kenjosalon.com for more details on the services it provides.

You can also follow them at the facebook page https://www.facebook.com/KENJO-korean-Hair-Salon-살롱-293791920773570/.  The salon also has an instagram account : @kenjosalon, where you can see photos of hairstyles created by Kenjo Salon.

To make your appointment with Kenjo Salon, please call +65 6238 8083.  If you quote my name 'Elaine Heng', you can enjoy 15% off all hair services as well.  

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Tokio Inkarami

Beauty Show by Beauty Keeper organised by Sample Store on 2 April 2017

As a lifestyle influencer and image consultant, with a strong interest in the beauty topics and products, I was extremely excited to attend the first ever Beauty Show by Beauty Keeper organised by Sample Store.

It was hosted by Hossan Leong, one of Singapore's most hilarious emcee and the audience had a fun time watching the show, while being entertained by him.

The Sample Store Beauty Show was held at Carnivore Brazilian Churrascaria at the Shoppes at Marina Bay Sands.  All invited beauty bloggers were treated to lunch at 11.45am when registration started.  Myself and my fellow influencer, Jonathan, who notified me about this event, reached there around 12 noon and took our lunch there, before checking out those beauty products which Beauty Keeper was going to showcase that day.

Sample Store Beauty Show started at 1.30pm with Hossan Leong singing a part of a Chinese song to kickstart the event.  It was kinda cute and interesting and immediately grabbed everyone's attention.

The finalists of Sing!China Season 2 Singapore Selections Finalists also graced the event, even though they competed in the finals just yesterday.

The invited bloggers and public who bought the tickets to attend Sample Store Beauty Show had a chance to see skincare and makeup demonstrations by Candy Tiong, a celebrity makeup artiste, who used products which can be purchased from Beauty Keeper website, www.beauty-keeper.com.

Some of the products which Candy demonstrated on one of the Sing!China finalists, Alan, were Destino Advanced Repairing Face Soap, MD/AA Jiao Oil and Water Dual Balancing Gel, Userism Bright Whitening Ultra -Water Facial Mask.

Hossan played a game of guessing which hand belongs to a lady after getting 2 gentlemen and 1 lady to go on stage to cleanse their hands with Destino Advanced Repairing Face Soap.  And it was so funny... Alan thought that one of gentlemen's hands was that of a lady's!

That is how effective Destino Advanced Repairing Face Soap... no wonder Hossan said this is a 'tai tai' face soap.

 Next, Candy demonstrated how to apply makeup for a day to night look, using Userism D.D Cream SPF 50 Dynamic All-Daily Defense, Serlando Rosy Pink Moisture Dew and All-Belle Natural Lash False Eyelashes.

My favourite part of the Beauty Show was when Candy showed us how to transform the day look into a night look.  I think iIt was definitely easy to do so with products available on www.beauty-keeper.com.

 For another Sing!China finalist, Candy demonstrated how to remove makeup using water and a special cloth called Skincare Towel.  Wow... super amazing!

 There were counters located at the back where the bloggers and public were seated so that we could take a look at some of the products available on http://beauty-keeper.com and test them out too.

D.D Cream SPF 50 Dynamic All-Daily Defense

All-Belle Natural Lash

Serlando Rosy Pink Moisture Dew

MA/AA Jiao Pulsed Mask Foaming Face Cleanser and Lamsamyick Facial Mask Beauty Brush 

PHYTOPIA SlimWay Synergy and Stretch Marks Remover Synergy

ERH 20% Mandelic Acid White Emulsion

ERH Taiwan Aboriginal Series-B

Mollifix Hightlight A++ Upgraded Sports Bra

Look what I got in the goodie bag given out during The Sample Store Beauty Show!

I can't wait to try out the MD/AA Jiao Pulsed Mask Foaming Cleanser as the packaging  mentioned that it gently cleans while increases skin hydration and smoothness, tightens pores and controls oil secretion.

I also received the Starsuki Total Cleansing Eye and Lip Make-up Remover and this product is able to remove both water based and oil based eye and lip makeup well and at the same time, it is alcohol and fragrance free!  It also contains a layer of Royal Jelly that gently removes makeup and leave the skin soft and bright.

As a big fan of false eyelashes, I am so glad that I got the All Belle Unique Knitting Eyelashes.  They are made in Taiwan and sterilised by Medical Gamma Ray to meet the strict safety requirements of SGS.  Can't wait to try them out!

Overall, it was an enjoyable Sunday afternoon learning about products available on www.beauty-keeper.com and how to use them effectively.  Check out the products right now if you are keen to buy them.

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