My Nikon D5100

I finally got my Nikon D5100 and I'm SO excited!
I've been wanting to get an amateur SLR which was flexible and very capable in its features. After a lot of research and comparisons to other cameras, the D5100 convinced me that for its price and its potential, this is very reasonable and also very satisfying. I have no regrets in getting this camera because I'm LOVING it!

The Canon 7D is still in use - a friend of mine is using it and we recently went on a photography walk together (pictures will come at a later post). I had so much fun with the Nikon D5100. I'm so curious to learn all its functions and all about photography.

One of the other reasons I really like the D5100 was due to its tiny size. I can grip it with ease. It's lighter than the average Canon.

I think both Canons and Nikons are amazing and I have no preference over the other. The most important aspect is how a picture is taken and that depends on the photographer.

So from now on, some of my posts might be less wordy and more concentrated in pictures.

Princi's Bakery

One of my favourite places to dine in and currently my favourite bakery.

A few weeks ago, I was introduced to this bakery and since then, I visited it again to get a panettone.
Because I don't venture into the area of Soho, I have never heard of this restaurant before and I was very surprised to see so many high quality restaurants in the area.

This has now become one of my favourite places to dine in. Princi's do seriously addicitive desserts and foods. I'm telling you - they look as good as they taste! And everything I've tried from there so far caught me offguard because they are yummy and will leave you craving for more.

Both of the times I went there, the place was packed. The atmosphere was vibrant, the decors were simple and elegant, the staff were very friendly. There was nothing not to like.

Here are some pictures from my first visit there.

This slice of dessert is made of pistachios and something that felt slightly sweet. Was it honey? Perhaps maple syrup...? The slices of apricots on top were delicious. This has to be one of my favourite cakes. Wish I took down its name.


I got the cheesy pizza - thoroughly enjoyed it.



This is the first panettone I've tasted that was freshly made on the same day. And I have to say...I was amazed by how delicious it was. Delicious enough to make me come there again and get a second panettone =P. I'm hoping they don't stop making these after Xmas!

Soaps and Scrubs (plus Elle magazine freebie!)

Let's call this my mini haul that I've collected over the last 2 weeks.

OK, so first, I bumped into a stall called I Love Boutique. You'll find this in one of the Xmas huts in Southbank or the German Xmas huts (close to Winter Wonderland). There were so many things I wanted to get from there, but I thought twice of getting stuff I'm actually going to use.

So here we go.

I got this lip scrub which is great for treating lips during the cold weather. I've tried Lush's lip scrubs, which I prefer more, although this lip scrub is different and is also yummy.








These soaps sold for 2 for £5.
This one reminded me of porridge, oats, milk and honey. It lathers up so well!


This is very fruity, great for mornings. Reminds me of tropical fruits and summer breeze.



If you can find any December issues of ELLE, get it quickly! ELLE is giving out £20 Kurt Geiger gift vouchers. You can use this voucher for any Kurt Geiger branded items, including sale items. I didn't want to spend more than £20, so I got this fabulous wallet in purple. Other colours available are grey and black (if I remember correctly!)






And finally, back to LUSH!
I'm keeping an eye on their new products. This one caught my eye as I was looking for me usual Sugarbabe body scrub (which I could no longer find!).
Australian igloo smells slightly minty, not overpowering ... I feel that Lush could have done more with this though!
It looks like Sugarbabe but it doesn't leave the same results. There was no silky after feeling, no lasting scent on the skin. So I'm disappointed but I'd get it again because sugar scrubs are a real treat!

Alpecin Shampoo... thank you!

Since I moved to a new home in the summer this year, I realised that the water was too harsh for my hair. My hair started to fall at an alarming rate. At first, I thought it could be Lush's New Shampoo causing the trouble. I've used New shampoo for at least a year now and have had no problems with it, but I had to narrow down the sources.

I switched to Alpecin shampoo after seeing this in the ads on TV. It's aimed at men suffering from hair loss so I knew it might do the job.

And what a great job it did!

This shampoo is straightforward. Minty scent. Blue in colour. Made of caffeine. It's a no nonsense brand with a purpose to prevent hair loss and strengthen hair roots, that is all. Forget hair shine and tangle free hair and the wonderful scents in most of women's shampoos. If you're expecting any of those, you probably won't get it from this shampoo! So if you have troublesome hair, you might need some conditioner.

I've noticed a difference since I started using this shampoo. Hair fall has decreased. I really do feel that it's serving its purpose and I will continue using this.

Note: I've been using this for 3 weeks (at least!) until I began to see results.

Nuit by Christian Lacriox (and Avon's Super Shock eyeliner)

2 months ago, I was given a sample of this before Avon released the fragrance. I was spellbounded by the scent. Not only that, but I was SO surprised by how good this smelt because I smelt Lacroix's Absynthe many months ago and I found the scent revolting. So when Lacroix released the Nuit version, again at Avon's, with the same bottle design as Absynthe (Except it's now in purple), I was expecting the worst from it.

Nuit is amazing! I think for everyone who loves musk, who loves that mysterious evening scent, this is a must have. You simply can't go wrong with this, whatever the occasion and whatever mood you are in.

And at £20, it comes in an Eau de Parfum, which I prefer to Eau de toilette because it stays on for longer. For me, this lasts for 6-7 hours, sometimes more.

Also, it comes with a free watch, as if it isn't already a bargain!

One thing that struck me as soon as I smelt Nuit, was the fact that it bears a strong resemblance to Armani Code. Smell both of them and you'd be surprised of how similar they smell! So because of this, I don't consider Nuit to be unique but compared to Armani Code, it is slightly more spicy. If it was up to me to pick one of the two, I wouldn't know which one I'd go for.

They're both amazing!

And then I got this Super Shock eyeliner. With the brush, it came up to £6. However I didn't know it had glitter in it - not my taste =P
The texture is cakey - I'm assuming this could be due to the glitter. In short, this didn't quite convince me enough, so for those of you looking at this eyeliner, go for a Bobby Brown or Clinique. A few extra £/$ will be worth it.

PinKbeRRy - Yummy-ness minus the guilt - Taste the Difference.

When Pinkberry opened in Selfridges in the summer, I could not wait to visit the store and try their frozen yoghurt. As far as I know, I think they were established before Snog frozen yoghurt and they already had branches worldwide.
Surprisingly, I managed to wait a long while before actually making my trip there, partly because I had a busy schedule. The first time I went there was sometime last month and after that visit, I knew I was going to be back very soon. And so this month, I went back to Pinkberry again. This time, I was armed with my camera to snap away for this post ^.^


Pinkberry has become the best frozen yoghurt for me. I cannot believe I'm actually saying this! But it does beat Snog's yoghurt. I think it depends on one's taste.
Snog has a slightly bitter taste whilst Pinkberry has a fresher, dewy, refreshing, balanced texture and flavour. I'm telling you, Pinkberry's texture is amazing! It makes Snog's texture seem a little stiff. And of course the frozen yoghurt is the main thing we're comparing first when we compare the two, so in this category, Pinkberry is a real winner.



I went there with a friend and here is my cup. I ordered the coconut flavoured yoghurt with chocolate stuff and crunchy goodness =D
Pinkberry allows you to pick 2 types of yoghurt, so for example, you can select to have half chocolate and half coconut frozen yoghurt. Spoiling us or what?!
The funny thing is... I don't think Snog used to allow you to pick 2 types of yoghurt before. Or at least I have never seen it. But when I went to Snog last week, they actually highlighted to me that I could mix 2 different types of yoghurts....

...and so the competition begins!

This is the pomegranate flavoured yoghurt. So refreshing!
The size of these cups is slightly smaller than a Snog Special (if any of you have had that before). It's their medium size and it's just enough for me.
I like their toppings and again, I do think that it beats Snog, although I might just be saying that because I've been to Snog so many times and Pinkberry is new to me.

I also found the atmosphere of Pinkberry more chilled out compared to Snog's loud music coupled with their disco-like lights. So again, Pinkberry appeals to me more than Snog does. I can have a relaxed conversation without having to raise my voice.

Pinkberry is opening in Stratford's Westfield and I cannot wait for it! I'm keeping a lookout for their opening date till then. This should be an interesting visit because it'll be an actual Pinkberry store. So I'm curious to see how their whole 'personality' is, what kinds of footprints it leaves behind. The Pinkberry in Selfridges is on the ground floor and it's in a little corner, a few metres from where you can get your groceries from.

If you like Snog frozen yoghurt or any types of frozen yoghurts, I highly recommend Pinkberry. Do give it a try. I think everyone will have different tastes. Some of you might like Snog's more solid yoghurt and that slightly sour taste. Others might prefer Pinkberry, like I do.

Either way, both frozen yoghurts are amazing and I will be visiting them again.
Pinkberry just happens to be my new favourite now ^.^

I got some Uggs on the same day. I'll reveal which types I got in another post. I never thought I'd cave in and get a pair of Uggs... but yeah... I'm one of them now =P they are perfect for winter and so comfortable!

Macaroons and Tea ... with a slice of Pandoro

Have any of you visited the new Westfield in Stratford? For those of you who have been, it's amazing, right?! I have been there a few times now and I cannot wait to go back. I think this could partly be due to the lack of malls in this country -.-... For those of you who haven't been there, I recommend visiting it, especially since it's winter now and if you're feeling too lazy to be out on the chilly high streets...then head to a mall =P


I couldn't take any pictures at the mall because it's not allowed, so I don't have any pictures of Westfield to put here but I do have two special buys that I got from there, minus the Pandoro which was given to me (but you can find this in any good supermarkets or Italian shops).


Firstly, I got a box of this White Tea with a hint of Pomegranate. On the ground floor at Westfield's, I bumped into a Twinings stall and they had this tea on show. They offered me a little cup to taste it and after that I simply had to get it.
I'm increasing my herbal tea intake because I think that it's much better than coffee, it certainly has a lot more benefits and it's a great way to reach the 2 litre water intake daily.
This tea is white and doesn't get too dark, which means that it won't stain your teeth as much as other teas and the hint of pomegranate is yummy.





Then I stumbled into a macaroon stall (also on the ground floor) and you know that I can't resist macaroons... so I got 3 different flavours. These are known as L'Orchidee Macaroons. The person who worked there introduced me to all the different macaroons which were carefully kept and presented. And after all the introductions, I picked the ones which sounded the most interesting and limited by choices to 4, because they were £1.60 each! But oh so worth it...

The blue macaroon I was told is inspired by the royal wedding. It's a rich royal blue with a pink filling. I can't remember its taste now but I certainly was impressed with every nibble.

The pink macaroon is made from ingredients which include orchids. Apparently they squeeze the orchids to make this, which is really cool. I was curious to try this one after hearing that....and I have to say, I was taken aback by this because I could taste the orchids. It was a delightful treat.

The chocolate macaroons ... I got these because I have a weakness for chocolates and I was eager to compare these to Paul's and Laduree's macaroons. Laduree's chocolate madagascar is still on the top of my list...! But I also liked this macaroon because it was different (in a good way of course). The filling was softer and it was decorated with funky glitter to add that extra special touch to it.













For those of you who like a light cake....

Not greasy. Soft texture. No fuss. Perfect to go with tea.

Then a Pandoro is what you're looking for.

I usually have this with tea - they make great companions =P

Have a slice...!