January 15, 2017

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill Birmingham | Jess's 21st - Food Diary Review

For my waifu - Jess's 21st birthday we went to Macro Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill in Birmingham for a cute meal and some cheeky cocktails~ The restaurant is located near the Mailbox in The Cube. The table had to be booked in advanced (note they charge a fee per person), luckily we managed to get one and upgraded to a window seat last minute! Yasss winning~ Anyway lets get started with food, shall we. ^^

► Steakhouse / Food:

For drinks we got one of my absolute all time favourite beverages - Fentman's Rose Lemonade. Can't believe she has never tried it before, it's so good! To be fair, I discovered the it in a pub in Lancaster so what can I say lol. Anyway, it's will not disappoint you! It's refreshing, has wonderful hint of rose that's doesn't overpower the lemonade. It's a great non-alcoholic alternative to champagne or wine.

Jess selected the Sirloin Steak which is served with Homemade French Fries and the Classic Steakhouse Green Salad. With Peppercorn Sauce in addition. For a British steak it was okay, could do with some seasoning.

I went for the Wheeler's Fish Curry with Mango and Coriander as I thought the combination of flavour would be interesting. Which surprisingly, the mango works in harmony with the sauce. The curry had to two types of fish - salmon and haddock, as well as tiger prawns in it. A nice variety of ingredients for different textures. The curry sauce is mild and creamy so it doesn't overpower the flavour of the fish or mango. Served with buttered rice on the side, which I wasn't particularly fond of. The rice was hard, so it tasted half cooked? Could do some improvements on that. I think herbed rice would of been a nice pairing. The dish was mediocre, i'm not crazy over it and I don't dislike it either.

Marco Pierre White were super cute and gave us a little something extra~ Their service is top notch, the staff were just friendly and warming. A little funny story, I accidentally said Merry Christmas instead of Happy Birthday to Jess, when she was blowing the candle off her birthday cake, RIP me. In Chinese, Merry Christmas (聖誕快樂) and Happy Birthday (生日快樂) are very similar sayings okayyy. P.S Merry Christmas again if you're reading this Jess. ^.< <3

► The Bar:

Finished off the night in the bar area with a couple of cocktails, enjoying the city night view. Even though the food was average, no one can deny how stunning the view is! Instagram worthy af. The cocktails look the same but one is actually a mocktail - Virgin Colada and the other is your typical Pina Colada. Have a guess which one is which. ^.< These were overpriced af but it tasted damn good.

► Overall

Marco Pierre White Steakhouse, Bar & Grill is definitely a spectacular place for enjoying a luxurious atmosphere and experiencing the Birmingham skyline in a 360 degree view. Food wise, it was average and nothing special. It could do better with the fine dining price they charge. I do recommend the bar, if you don't mind splurging on drinks and enjoy a nightclub kind of vibe. At Macro Pierre White, you're paying for the view and experience rather the food/drink itself. Nevertheless, it was still a lovely and memorable occasion.

January 10, 2017

Zaful | The World is Your Runway. Crepe Jumpsuit Outfit

Everyday is a fashion show and the world is your runway~

First outfit post of the year! I've been trying to wear more colours because most of the time my outfits are either black or white. But here we are with another black outfit because you can never go wrong with black right? and because I'VE FINALLY FOUND THE PERFECT JUMPSUIT OF MY LIFE! This is Zaful's Loose Cutout Slip Jumpsuit.

I struggle to find flattering jumpsuits due to my height but this is absolute perfection for me as the trouser length has been cropped. Great for short girlies like me and adds extra chic points to the jumpsuit. Also the trousers have a wide crepe style, that is currently very trendy. I really love the top detailing with the side cut outs and scallop cut. It shows my figure nicely and gives off a edgy yet chic vibes.

The quality of the material is high and made of cotton blends. It's very soft and has satin sheen finish. Highly recommend this for dinner dates, nights out or just a treat for yourself whenever you want to look and feel good~

Outfit Detail:

Jumpsuit: Zaful

Heels: NewChic

*Item sponsored by: Zaful

January 05, 2017

Diamond Tip Microdermabrasion Experience & Results | Beyond Beauty Birmingham #bblaseruk16

Discount: For 20% off, mention Michelle Cheung's Blog

Very, very excited to share this post with guys because I finally got a microdermabrasion treatment done! Remember all the PMD hype? So after learning about all the different skin treatments and cosmetic procedures Beyond Beauty Birmingham has to offer at their Blogmas event, I had a consultation done was recommended by the Beyond Beauty team to get a Microdermabrasion treatment done as it helped with my skin concerns most. I have loads of scars and pigmentation left over from my acne. They take forever to fade away as my melatonin levels are ridiculously high, even a simple scratch results in dark brown scaring!

Before the treatment I had to fill in some documents and was welcomed some lovely green tea. No fizz and cocktails today because we're looking after our skin here!

What is Diamond Tip Microdermabrasion and its benefits?:

Some information before I get into the process~ Microdermabrasion is a non chemical treatment that removes the outer layer of the dead skin to reveal the healthy skin underneath. It also promotes the production of new skin cells, to improve the skins texture and appearance. So it's a great treatment for those want to remove scars, have acne prone skin or sun damaged skin, uneven skin texture etc.

Diamond Tip Microdermabrasion is currently the latest and more advanced version of microdermabrasion technology. Diamond is less harsh than crystal tips, so it's gentle and doesn't damage/drag the skin.

Treatment Procedure:

This is the room I did the procedure in~ First, Laura the Beauty Therapist prepped my hair back and covered me so that no residue would get over me. Laura then used Dermalogica's Professional Pre-cleanse and Special Cleansing Gel to clean and remove any oily debris off my face. It was so relaxing - the Pre-cleanse is oil based and with Laura doing a face massage, felt like I was in heaven.

Moving on to using the Derma Co machine~ Laura then used the second circular silver tool, which heats up to open up the pores. Don't worry, it's doesn't burn and in fact is quite pleasuring like when you put a nice warm mug on your face on a cold winter day.

Time for the exciting part, removing the dead skin! I'm sorry I didn't take a picture of my face during the procedure because hello there's something sucking on my face, so safety comes first. Using the diamond tip suction tool, Laura worked her way round my face and neck, to ensure all the dead skin was removed and that there was no overlap. You don't want to overlap and remove too much skin as it can irritate and injure it. To my surprise, it was very very gentle and does not feel like sandpaper scratching my face.

Once that was complete, Laura then applied a really cooling gel and used the cooling tool on my face to close up the pores. Yasss it was basically facial session. Who said microdermasion treatments were all machinery work?

Since I was getting the full Microdermabasion package treatment done, Laura then did a LED Light Therapy treatment. Which emits different light frequencies to target skin concerns such as acne and pigmentation issues, stimulate collagen for brighter and more plumped skin etc.

To finished off the treatment, she applied Dermalogica's Professional Ultra-calming Range - Mist, Complex and Concentrate to calm my skin down and reduce any redness. All products were applied in the order of the photo above.

The Results:

Before:

I try to stay away from showing my complete bare face but here we are. So this is my face before going out my house to Beyond Beauty Birmingham.

After Day 1:

Back in my house right after the treatment. My skin feels unbelievably soft and there are noticeable results. I had to avoid touching my face because it was very sensitive after the treatment, my face felt raw much similar to a minor sunburn kind of feeling. The skincare products I normally use, irritated my skin.

Day 2:

Recovering, skin is still sensitive but is clearer than Day 1.

Day 3:

Still in recovery stage but my face is less sensitive and looks pretty much the same as Day 2. I found that using Vitamin E skin oil was very gentle and helped my skin a lot.

Day 4:

Wooo my face isn't as sensitive and back to using normal skincare products. I still used Vitamin E skin oil since it helps with scarring. Skin is even more clearer.

Day 5:

Think I am done recovering here. Though there are still scars, it has noticeably faded. My skin texture and skin tone has improved as well. I've also noticed that my skin is less oily than before which i'm very happy about!

Overall i'm trill with the treatment and results. I definitely need to go back to Beyond Beauty and do microdermasion has a routine thing to fade my stubborn scares even more! Laura and the Beyond Beauty team were amazing and so lovely! They answered every questions I had and gave me expert advice on looking after my skin. I wholehearted 100% recommend them. - 10/10.

If you want to check them out:

Location: 94 Broad Street, City Centre, Birmingham, B15 1AU
Site: www.beyondbeautybirmingham.co.uk/

Discount for my readers!

Beyond Beauty are offering discount for my readers! To receive 20% off any treatment of your choice, just simply mention my name - Michelle Cheung and that you've read my blog post! ^^

*Disclaimer: This is was complementary treatment to share my experience.

December 29, 2016

Clarins | Single Eye Shadow in Sunny Yellow Review

Hope everyone had a lovely xmas! I've been starting to use more bold colours so that I can create more experimental and fun looks! I decided to get a yellow eye shadow as I had a festival makeup in mind I wanted to try out (yes I know it's winter but I just really love festival makeup!). I chose this one from Clarins since it has a matte finish and I enjoy using their skincare products. However i'm not particularly happy about this eyeshadow...

Swatches:

One layer of swatch, using my finger. I'm sorry, Clarins but where is the pigmentation??? Using a brush isn't any better either.

Quite disappointed with pigmentation. I had to layer it 4 times for the its full opacity to show.

Performance on the eyes~ I pat the eyeshadow onto my eyelids so that it would show up more. The shadow itself was quite powdery and had some fall outs. I can't say if the other shades also underperform or not since I don't others and have not tested them out.

While I don't like to bash brands or products, I will mention when products do not perform well and need to step up their game. For a high end brand like Clarins, it's a shame this eyeshadow doesn't live up to the quality of their skincare products. It's definitely not worth the price either and I would not recommend it. Your'e better off saving yourself some money and getting a drugstore one that mostly will perform the same or even better. The only thing I like is the tiny brush it comes with, even though I am unlikely to use it.

Rating: 2/10 - It's a no no from me.

December 24, 2016

Clean & Clear | Deep Action Oil-Free Cream Wash Review

It's been a while since I've last reviewed skin care products aye~ so here we are, back at it again!

I haven't used Clean & Clear products since I was high school, so I thought it'd be fun to see if they've improved over the years. Plus it's a change from all the Asian products I use.

Product Description:

"Clean & Clear® Deep Cleansing Cream Wash cleans deep down to effectively remove dirt, oil and impurities without clogging pores. Contains a special ingredient to help prevent spots and breakouts. The tingling sensation after use tells you your skin has been thoroughly cleansed, leaving it cool, refreshed and really clear." Taken from boots.com.

^ would be nice if they actually state what that special ingredient is. Not to be rude but that ingredient could be literally anything. Is it the water or the salicylic acid? Idk, Clean & Clear you tell me.

Product:

The product is thick and creamy; its lathers into a slight foam when you start working and massaging the product with water. It has a lovely cool minty feeling when you use it, I really like as it makes my skin feel clean and fresh. The feeling is very gentle and not intense at all, but if you have sensitive skin you may want to be careful with it. I currently have oily skin, it does a great job cleansing all the oils without drying out my skin.

Now to the main point, does it help to get rid of spots? After using this for a few weeks - I say yesss! It doesn't get rid of spots completely but it definitely helps to make spots easier to manage and prevents new spots forming.

One awkward but happy face~

I really enjoy using this product because it works, gives a cooling sensation, accessible at any drugstore and it's affordable for everyone. It's exceed my expectation.

*Note what worked for me may not work for you as we all have different skin, but I recommend this cleanser and for such a good price why not would give this try?~ ^^

Rating: 8/10

Merry Christmas Eve, hope everyone has a lovely holiday!

What are you guys doing for Christmas? Lemme know in the comments~ It's always interesting to hear all the different ways people celebrate!