The search begins and we met up with our first preferred list of interior design firms. These firms have a strong portfolio of the concept that we wanted. We will be evaluating based on the popularity, reviews and reliability of each interior design firms to determine who to engage. That being said, first impression matters too!

Artistroom
www.artistroom.com.sg
Read about their good reviews but they take at least 2 weeks to response to emails. Haven’t been able to fix an appointment with them. Understand that they are a small team but that’s not an excuse to go MIA. Though some reviews mentioned that patiently waiting for them helps.

Verdict: Dropped. Don’t feel comfortable with them going MIA for well, more than a month? Nope.

Dexign & Deals Interior
www.facebook.com/dexignanddeals
A new start-up since May, I saw their portfolio on Facebook and like the industrial design they had advertised. Met up with the designer and he spoke pretty eloquently. He looked quite sincere as he had advised us not to do certain carpentry works to help us save costs. He also mentioned that they were busy with their office renovation and was supposed to get back to us.

Verdict: Dropped. 4 months and still waiting for their quotation, it seemed like they had totally vanished into thin air. The last I checked, they had changed their name to Dxign & Deals. I have a bad feeling about this firm.

(Update on 27 July 2015): Someone messaged me on Facebook and told me that she was cheated by this firm. A police report had been made and it was understood that they had scammed about $200K from various people. What a close shave.

DistinctIdentity
www.distinctidentity.com.sg
Left a message to them via email and I find that they are quite pesky. I received more than 3 calls from them within an hour during office hours. Met up with the designer eventually to give her another chance. Their showroom looks minimalistic and some of the laminated samples that she showed me were already peeling off. The second meet up was fixed 2 weeks later with the quotation given, but it exceeded our budget by 30%! Though I was pleasantly surprised that a perspective of the living room was prepared for me to visualize the concept she had proposed.

Verdict: Shortlisted. They seemed quite sincere and went the extra mile but not many reviews about them. Meeting her again 2 weeks later as I told her to revise the quotation. Shall see how it goes.

(Update on 16 Jan 2015): The designer called me every single week (during office hours) when I’ve clearly told her that we are still considering. Bloody annoyed. Dropped!

Fuse Concept
www.fuseconcept.com.sg
Their portfolio is good and the response was fast, even though the designer speaks in a monotone haha. He was quite experienced with the comments given. The price quoted was on the high side and they charge GST.

Verdict: Shortlisted. Don’t mind shortlisting them even though they charge GST since they are pretty prompt and the designer is experienced. I also love his works which were featured in various magazines. But I personally feel that the designer doesn’t seemed to be very interested in getting our business. Oh well. Let’s see.

Space Sense Studio
www.spacesensestudio.com
This is one of my favorite design firms. Managed to fix an appointment with the designer after my work but as I will be late, I texted him about it. Little did I know that he had another appointment after mine and had to cancel it. I told him that he should have let me know earlier as I wouldn’t have wasted my time and rushed down since he only told me 30 mins before our appointment. I told him that I will fix another appointment after my trip to Perth and emailed him the moment I came back. Will be meeting him later part of this month.

Verdict: Shortlisted. Shall meet up with him first before deciding.

Three-D Conceptwerke
www.three-d-conceptwerke.com
Managed to fix an appointment with them and visited their office, which was nicely decorated. The designer whom I was assigned to was very young but I think we clicked pretty well. She seemed very experienced and gave quite a lot of ideas. The portfolios that she showed me were pretty much the ones we are looking for.

Verdict: Shortlisted. The next meet up will be 2 weeks later with the quotation.

(Update on 16 Jan 2015): Told the designer to send me the quotation as I couldn’t make it for the appointment. Two weeks has passed, none received.

What a tedious process! The search continues.

Check out my other posts on Home related matters:
heart Apps and Sites for Home Inspirations
heart Selecting an Interior Designer/Main Contractor/Package Interior Designer
heart Inspirations for Feature Walls
heart Getting the Keys
heart Renovation, Start!
heart Plan for Your Renovation Budget
heart What are the Renovation Costs Involved
heart Kitchen Essentials for the Home
heart Hidden and Miscellaneous Costs in Renovation Quotation
heart Where to Shop for Furniture via Online & Offline
heart Horrendous Service from SleepSavvy

I have been using Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup SPF 15 for a couple of months now. It has become my top choice for base makeup nowadays. Truth to be told, I’ve even ditched most of the BB and CC creams I have been using.

The texture of the foundation is light and wearable on a day to day basis. With its light to medium coverage, it is extremely lightweight and doesn’t feel too cakey on the skin. More liquid than cream textured, it blends perfectly well and doesn’t form streaks on the skin at all.

The foundation boasts the following:

• 24 hours coverage
• Minimizes the appearance of pores
• SPF 15 protection
• Protects the skin with hydro-pigment color technology, vitamins and antioxidants

I was matched to #2 Alabaster which has a pink hue to it and looks really natural on my skin. I’ve stopped layering on powders as I feel that it makes my skin look even drier.

The Elizabeth Arden Flawless Finish Perfectly Nude Makeup SPF 15 comes in 8 shades and retails at S$70 from all Elizabeth Arden counters.

Knowing that I have a soft spot for beef, BFF brought me to SHIMA at Goodwood Park Hotel for a tasting of their sukiyaki! Just in time for its 34th anniversary, the restaurant was just renovated and exudes a very charming Japanese and zen feel with the ambience.

While waiting for the sukiyaki, we had 4 Sashimi Moriwase (S$45) and 10 Sushi Moriawase (S$75) which comes with an assortment of raw fish that were extremely fresh, sweet and literally melts in the mouth!

The sukiyaki we sampled comes with US Prime Ribeye (S$80) and an assortment of vegetables, steamed rice/zosui rice soup and seasonal fruits. Additional servings of the beef comes with additional cost – US Prime Ribeye (S$60), Australian Wagyu (S$90) and Japanese Wagyu (S$150).

Unlike other sukiyaki, it was cooked on the spot for us by their staff. The vegetables were being lightly seared to get that amazing aroma before pouring in the homemade sukiyaki broth to bring everything to a boil. The homemade broth was made with chicken thighs, pureed vegetables such as Dutch onions along with mirin, sake and other ingredients before being reduced to a rich, thick and flavoursome sauce.

The traditional way of eating sukiyaki, by dipping the cooked meat into raw egg which helps to enhance the sukiyaki taste.

Even though the meal was a tad expensive, the premium experience made up for it. I wouldn’t mind coming again with the family or hubby during special occasions to try their teppanyaki! smile

SHIMA
22 Scotts Road
Level 1, Goodwood Park Hotel
Singapore 228221
Tel: (65) 6734 6281
www.facebook.com/ShimaRestaurantSingapore

It has been quite awhile since Crabtree & Evelyn launched a new skincare series. The brand has always been associated with hand creams, body care and fine foods. Damask Rose is the newest collection to be added to the skincare range which features the luxury scent of French rose! smile Being a floral lover, I knew I had to find out more about this luxurious range.

Pretty florals at the store! We were each given a customized bouquet of flowers to bring home. How thoughtful! smile

With my lovely babes! smile

Treats from Maple Market were specially prepared for all of us. I love how it fits so well with the floral theme! heart

A product that caught my eye, the Comforting Cleansing Balm! This gorgeous looking pale pink balm is nicely scented and melts with the warmth of the skin. It comes with a muslin cloth to gently exfoliate the skin to remove impurities and all traces of the wax. Contains ingredients like hydrating botanicals, meadowfoam, macadamia and rose hip oil, the cleansing balm is highly recommended for people with drier skin. Currently retailing at S$30, it’s definitely worth giving this luxurious balm a try!

I visited Aesthetics and Hair Clinic for the second time to do the Painless Skin Regeneration procedure. As mentioned in my earlier post, I suffer from clogged pores, acne and pigmentation issues. The laser treatment helps with:

• Rejuvenation of the facial area
• Lightening of scars – acne, surgical, traumatic, burn
• Rejuvenation of non-surgical areas like the neck, chest, hands, etc.
• Reduction of wrinkles and skin laxity
• Healing of sun damaged skin
• Reduction of large pores and rough skin texture
• Treatment of pigmented lesions melasma, age spots, dyschromias
• Treatment of uneven skin tone

Following the procedure, the skin will be brighter and re-generated with renewed collagen. After 3-4 treatments, the skin will become tighter and scars will dramatically improve or disappear. The laser treatment has the following benefits as well:

• Brighter skin tone
• Smoother skin texture
• Reduced pore size
• Improvement of scars
• Reduction of wrinkles
• Improved skin elasticity

My dull looking skin. sad

Prepping my skin for the treatment. smile

The treatment was over in about a minute, fast and furious! It was slightly painful but tolerable with the heat. There was mild swelling and redness on my skin after the treatment. Due to the sensitivity of my skin, it appears redder than most people’s skin. The downtime was really short as I was told that I can apply makeup after a couple of hours later. I didn’t do so as I reckon it would be better for the skin to have ample time to breathe and heal. smile

A cooling mask was applied to reduce the redness. It was so soothing that I nearly fell asleep.

I was also given a Post Treatment Balm which I would have to apply twice daily, once in the morning and once at night. This helps to soothe the redness of the skin. My skin also feels tighter and healthier.

This was taken a few hours after the treatment and you can see that the redness had subsided. I could also feel that my skin is much smoother and more supple.

And this, was taken about 1 week post treatment. The skin around the chin area started to dry up and flake. The scabs fell off by itself a couple of days later.

Another photo with zero edit, the scabs are all gone!

This is taken more than a month after the treatment with makeup. I am looking forward to more significant results after a few more sessions! bigsmile

Aesthetic and Hair Clinic
391B Orchard Road
Ngee Ann City Tower B #08-04
Singapore 238873
Tel: (65) 6235 0010
Operating hours: Monday to Friday 9am-6pm, Saturday 9am-1pm
www.aestheticsandhairclinic.com

Feature wall makes a room stand out and I love how you can customize them according to your preferences. The feature wall creates a focal point for the entire room. Here are some fantastic inspirations I have found while doing my research! bigsmile

Harlequin Pattern
The colorful and pretty pattern stands out from the minimalistic white walls and furniture. Ideal for kids’ room I feel.

Mosaic Tiles
The great thing about mosaic tiles is you can decide on the pattern that you want. You can even tile quotes with it!

Barn Board
Very rustic, vintage and country feel. This is one of my favorite designs.

Brick Wall
Industrial and raw looking, this design has been overused but still has its own beauty.

Frames
Display your favorite photos or posters with this inspiration!

Chalkboard
Awesome for people who have a flair for doodling.

Which one is your favorite? smile

Check out my other posts on Home related matters:
heart Apps and Sites for Home Inspirations
heart Selecting an Interior Designer/Main Contractor/Package Interior Designer
heart Inspirations for Feature Walls
heart Getting the Keys
heart Renovation, Start!
heart Plan for Your Renovation Budget
heart What are the Renovation Costs Involved
heart Kitchen Essentials for the Home
heart Hidden and Miscellaneous Costs in Renovation Quotation
heart Where to Shop for Furniture via Online & Offline
heart Horrendous Service from SleepSavvy