Over the weekend I went to Thorpe Park Fright Night. It was dead early for a Saturday but had such a great time with great company. I am known for being a bit of a scaredy cat so I had no idea why I put myself through this and go along to the mazes. Anyway, I have plucked up the courage and went to all the mazes and screamed until I couldn’t scream anymore. The theme park was sooo full of junk food stands I had no other choice than to eat at KFC….twice. Not drinking enough water and scoffing my face with fried food had left my lips feeling absolutely dry, sore and numb! This morning I woke up with such numb lips and I can see how dry it looked. Panicked and used my sister’s Lush lip scrub to help rub off dry, dead skin. The sugar scrub is basically edible but I am not going to do that; as I continue to scrub away, my lips felt smoother instantly which is a relief!! You know that horrible look when you apply lipstick with patches of dry skin on your lips… Ew! A lip scrub is so handy when you have a moment of crisis like that and rather than biting away the nasty dry skin (I know gross, but we all do it)…the lip scrub help solves that! I hope this was a useful review along with my Thorpe Park ramblings :)

May xx

Another one of my Paris #RVLtraveldiary moments and this time we took some great shots at the Pont Alexandre III bridge. The view was breath-taking and how can you not love Paris with a view this amazing. We woke up ridiculously early to avoid all the touristic crowds and even at 10am we managed to just about succeed the crowdless shots. It was abit awkward as I leaned over the bridge with Alice from Form 42 taking my pics and a creepy local guy just standing there watching us! Like…go away and let us get on with it, I am not a tall skinny model or a girl wearing a slutty outfit so you can run along now. I am sure a lot of you fashion bloggers out there experience the odd stares and creepy pervs when doing a quick photo op, but in the end..I guess you just get use to it and gain a little confidence of public display of posing! Once you gain that confidence, it comes through in the pictures and I am glad the pictures came out as I wanted. Luckily, Paris was kind to us and gave us dry spells, breezy winds and sunny skies so appropriately I wore a woolly beige, short sleeved jumper from Marc by Marc Jacobs, Faux black skirt by River Island and Aldo nude heels. Photos by Alice: Form 42. Let me now of your experiences of #publicdisplayofposing :)

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

What a bitterly cold start to November and I am already reminiscing the hot, warm weathers we had just a couple of months ago! Darn it I really feel the chill however many layers I pile on! Just before the lavender fields were out of season, we managed to go in for free which is great…however the field wasn’t as purple as we would have liked but hey ho, we knew that! The Lavender Field in Hitchin was the closest farm around London which requires a train ride to Hitchin and a 1/2 hr bus ride…unless you have a friend who lives in Watford and in my scenario, lucky enough to have a friend to drive us to the location). One big blunder though and perhaps a stupid one, I thought you could use your oyster card to pay for the train ride…and unfortunately got hit with fine for 1 way! Honest mistake and I would have wished they’d understand, but no, paid the fine and off we go!

I loved the fact that the farm was pretty deserted so we can take some landscape shots without specs of people in the background. I must admit, I have only had 2 hours of sleep that day so my concentration levels and attention span was next to nothing! I am glad I made the most of my day experience at the Lavender Field. Next year, I will definitely pay another visit during the peak season.

Photography by: Form 42 | Location: Lavender Field in Hitchin

Do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

I finally made it to the Tower of London and see for my own eyes the Blood Swept the Land and Seas of Red by ceramic artist Paul Cummins. It is truly stunning and a beautiful way to commemorate and mark the end of the First World War.  This definitely helps the younger generation to get involved, understand and pass on our history generation after generation. I am truly gutted I never made it on the list to volunteer and plant the poppies, but to see them in person was truly a moment to remember.

Coming from a Chinese background I do feel very proud to be British but at the same time, the history of politics will never be solved today or wiped for a clean slate. My dad gives me history lesson from a Chinese point of view and I never really thought what their side of the story was as I am born in the UK and always learnt the UK history point of view at school. Anyway, I am against war…I live my life to enjoy the now, the future and the people around me.

For many years to come, lets pay our respect for Remembrance Sunday and wear our Poppy close to our heart. May x

I am super excited to collaborate with MaybeLdner blog, a blog all things about London from places to eat, sight see, hidden locations and tourist attractions! When MaybeLdner approached me I was so honoured  and wanted to ensure that my beauty blog shares the London essence for the MaybeLdner readers! I have a full time job as well as juggling my hours on my beauty and lifestyle blog and what better way to spend your weekend in a relaxing coffee shop that’s pretty much empty for me to concentrate and enjoy a cuppa Yumchaa matcha latte. This sweet little coffee shop is situated in Granary Square of King’s cross…yes where Central Saint Martins is located. I love how mismatch the furniture was from floral print to under the sea print chairs. I think they have over cramped the number of chairs in this coffee shop but nevertheless, I have a coffee shop all to myself. I love how they have separated their tea selection in individual cups so you can have a good sniff on what tea you would like, but instead I went for matcha green tea and carrot cake to satisfy my sweet tooth. This post went up at the MaybeLdner blog yesterday, please show some support :) on my new venture with the London based blog.

Uncut: after the coffee shop, 2 15 year old boys posed as 17 asked my photographer for her number…the boys were persisting that “age is just a number” and that she should “try something different”. Made me laugh so hard it made my day! I know it’s half term but…stay in school kids.

May from Red Velvet London blog

Photography by Alice from Form 42 | Location: Yumchaa at Granary Square, King’a Cross

Follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

Maybe I have slightly underestimated this tiny blue pot! I have a basket full of different creams and it’s tricky to flicker between creams and decide which one to use or stick with. But one thing I learnt that I should never stick with the same cream for too long, my skin will just get use to it and not soak in the benefits. I have been using the Vichy Aqualia cream for over a month now and it has been amazing. However, I didn’t feel the same plumping feeling I got during the first 2 weeks of use! So time for a switch up to L’occitane Imortelle Precious Cream which I first thought, why such a tiny pot? Regardless, what they say is small packages comes with big surprises and I hope this is it. It’s perfect to plump up the skin, reduce signs of wrinkles and firm the face up, and being only in my twenties it is never too late to look after my youthful skin. After a good few days of use, I can feel how richly moisturising it is on my face and especially when the weather is becoming bitterly cold. The perfect handbag size too so I look forward to finishing up this pot in no time.

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

Here is my first BBloggers Exchange post and I am so excited to do my first one with Genzel Kisses. I can’t quite remember how I found her but I fell in love with her blog instantly – she has so much personality and such a lovely girl from the Philippines so she was my favourite read of the Summer! Today, I am still a massive supporter of her blog and decided to do a beauty blogger exchange with her and discover some cool, random beauty products from her side of the world. I am always excited to try new brands and new products so these samples are perfect and as I will be travelling soon, these will be perfect. I spent my week sampling everything and I felt like a little girl again trying to apply everything I had! Another thing is that I love my photography; I am still in the process of practicing and perfecting them and with the natural lighting on my side today, I am happy with my product shoot :) I hope you have enjoyed my post and if you are looking for some fresh new beauty posts from the other side of the pond, check out Genzel Kisses. Don’t forget to hashtag #BBloggersExchange

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

Spotted! A Kenzo milky rice body scrub called Kenzoki in my sister’s room. After enquiring what this is in her room which obviously is none of my business and no reason for me to be in her room, I was very curious and most importantly whether I can use it to review for my blog (when really I just want to use it). It smells so lush, milky, floral, just like their signature Kenzo scent with rice active plant essence to help nourish and soften the skin. After planting my hand in the tub like a spade, I grabbed half a handful and I must say, the texture is bizarre as I am so use to the usual exfoliation seeds and beads as appose to rice granules. It is very rich in moisture and of many bath moisturisers I have used, this is up there for sure! It just looks and sits pretty in our bathroom and I am sad to see the tub emptying faster than I could imagine! I love the fact that I can go to bed smelling of Kenzoki and wake up to work with my Kenzo Flower perfume.

Click and Follow: Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

Here is my second Beauty Blogger Exchange collaboration with the lovely Sophia from Beauty in My Mind blog. I was super excited with what I received, a new eye palette that’s a perfect shade for this winter and brands I have not heard of or tried before. I have been following Sophia the past year and I adore her blog and she’s such a lovely person. First up, I could not wait to try the Faby nail polish, I admit I have never heard of Faby let alone tried their polishes. I must say, pigment is rich so all you need is a coat, very easy to apply and v long lasting. Not a colour I have in my collection so I am glad to add this brand and colour to my polish box.

The MUA eye palette is my fav!! The colour palette is so me and I am definitely in for the long haul with this one throughout Winter so thanks so much Sophia, like Christmas came early :) Surprisingly, MUA cosmetics is very affordable (under £10) which I thought would be more than £10 for eye makeup. Very good quality and lasts for the whole day.

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

I was so excited to attend the iDBUS event and enjoy an unusual afternoon tea on the classic routemaster bus! Courtesy of iDBUS, a handful of bloggers were invited to experience something a little different and I have met some lovely travel/lifestyle bloggers on the day! Whilst we wait for the full party, off course, everyone’s cameras were out snapping away and getting way too excited. This little boy walked past us with his cute little toy dog pet and dread to think what happened when coming face to face with a deep puddle! Anyway, I was so glad to finally meet Em from Catch 52, Hanh from Hanhabelle, Nadine from German Girl in London and Alice my amazing photographer friend from Form 42.

Brace ourselves! We were so ready to dive into our Afternoon tea from BB Bakery and before we do so, the one time it wasn’t awkward to spend 10 minutes taking pictures of our food before we eat! The first thing I went for? The raspberry macaron, I am a bit backwards when it comes to the formality of tucking into finger sandwiches before diving into the sweet desserts but hey ho, it was absolutely delicious and was surprised that you can actually book/hire a place on the bus for a tour around the popular London landmarks. we had a lovely French guy (Belgium actually) serving us during the tour, he was so hilarious, got the mood going and filled our champagne glasses to the max! Nadine from German Girl in London Blog was hilarious, I think she was gutted his number wasn’t inside our little goodie bag haha!

The bus tour lasted around 1.5 hours, not bad at all where you can combine both Afternoon tea and a tour! Even better, there is a route map that will guide you along the way as to what we will see. I’ve had so much fun, bus filled with laughters, a memory we will treasure for sure and ended the evening with a goodie bag! What a goodie bag?? I did not expect a voucher for each one of us to take a +1 from London to Paris/Lille/Belgium or Amsterdam return via iDBUS. Amazing, thank you iDBUS for your generous gift, goodie bag and an amazing experience to remember. Road trip here we come and iDBUS has prepped us with an eye mask, inflatable neck pillow, power bank and informational guide of what we can expect from iDBUS.

BB Bakery, iDBUS and the French Belgium guy on board, thank you for hosting a wonderful event. To find out more about BB Bakery and what they offer, you can visit on their website here BB Bakery. For an alternative route to Europe from London and for far cheaper, you can check out their destinations and route here at iDBUS.

I hope you have enjoyed my post. Do follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. Photos by: Myself, Alice from Form 42 (photographer of the event).

Copenhagen!!! My first visit to Denmark and so far so good. Admittedly, I was at a work social party the night before and drunk packed through the night and managed to successfully get to the Airport! I flew with Norwegian Airlines and I must say, seats are roomy and comfortable and most importantly…free wi-fi on-board! Amazing. However, after leaving my battery pack in Wetherspoons at the Airport…I was to survive on 20% battery throughout the weekend :( Nevermind! Copenhagen city was easy to get around and one particular town we stumbled upon was Christiania, land of the hash, town of the weed. Stalls around the area and surprisingly friendly stall owners chatting to us and warning me to put my camera away as it gets people around paranoid! But nevertheless, we didn’t try any weed and continued our journey across town.

The anticipated wait, Tivoli Gardens was just a stone throw away from central station. I was extremely excited; anything sparkly with bright lights…my camera snaps away. Probably the prettiest light display I have seen in a long while. The christmas tree was so tall and colourful, I bent over backwards to see the tip of the tree. The carousel was spinning and little boys and girls enjoying the PG rated rides. Too bad the weather temperature dropped to single digits as it was bitterly cold to jump on the roller coaster ride. Whilst my friends were enjoying a game or two and drinking mulled wine and hot chocolate, I have been snapping away with my Canon 5D mark ii and tackling the night with super high ISO! I definitely recommend to visit the Tivoli Gardens at night where you will definitely enjoy the bright lights (less kids too); you may even spot an albino peacock munching on it’s new favourite snack…popcorn so it seems!

Nyhavn in Copenhagen was the destination I’ve been anticipated to visit. Spent our last day strolling along the canal and enjoy this movie scene like view. Again, the weather temperature hovered around the single digit so we did a quick route around the Christmas market which I must admit, not much to it and slightly boring but the food court was a surprise. My friends were going liquorice crazy whilst I was chomping down chocolate samples from every corner. We had our final meal at Sushi Lovers…freshest fish in Denmark means quality sushi right in front of you. Did you know that Sticks and Sushi originates from Denmark? As recommended, Sushi Lovers is far better than Sticks n Sushi and what a satisfying meal to end the trip. Copenhagen, you have been wonderful and took away great memories. Until next time Denmark. May x

My lovely sister gifted this Burberry English Rose nail polish earlier this year and being a girl we can’t have enough of nail polishes and all the possible shade in the world. I love that the bottle is ‘so Burberry’ with it’s signature check design on glossy granite colour lid. With my skin tone, slightly yellow beige and tanned; not all nude polishes will suit me as some nude colours may be too cold or too warm. The English rose is just the perfect shade for me so I am so grateful to add this to my polish collection. The brush is very similar to Dior’s which is slightly flat and thick which means it’s very easy to apply and less likely to make a mess. Flat brushes always work for me as it’s easier to control and paint around the nail. The polish does require 3 coats to get the perfect non streaky look and have that gel like glossy nails and one tip for the Burberry polishes is that you must have a top coat. It can easily chip but as long as I love the colour and smells like Burberry, there is always a way to avoid the chipping-gate. Also, applying 3 coats at a time means the bottle runs out quick so I am cherishing every drop retailing at £15.00 a bottle.

Maybe I went slightly overboard but I am close to running out in supplies and they are so expensive in London. I eBay it all the way to grab a supply from Hong Kong or Japan where it is far cheaper! I probably use 1 strip a week and this stash should last me for another 6 months. These ones look slightly different from the white packaging we see in Boots, these are black strips which apparently are better but I do prefer the white strips. But hey, black strips seems a little more novelty however the black strips leaves behind black glue residue which isn’t ideal! Unfortunately here in London, a box of 10 is about £8 – £11 however I got 6 boxes for £25, not bad at all. May xx

Oh what a month it has been with work, travels, socialising, more work and oh hey; some diamonds! Straight after my Copenhagen trip, I decided to take a quick visit to the Vashi Diamonds headquarters in Farringdon the following day. I am a girl in my twenties and definitely have reservations as to what kind of ring or shall I say diamond engagement ring I would like when I get proposed one day! Some say I’m quite a high maintenance girl but that’s not true; I appreciate the fine things in life however you can not put a price on quality and desire! Does that still mean high maintenance? For now, I’m pretty content to satisfy my visual appetite on a range of beautiful diamond collection which is perfect for an ideal gift for all ladies. If only someone can buy me my favourite diamond snowflake pendant…it’s only £303 :) this little beauty has 13 round diamonds in a bezel setting with a total carat weight of 0.15; colour G; clarity of VS2 with an ideal cut. The metal is 9k white gold and simply stunning. My next favourite piece was the 2.00 carat Tennis diamond bracelet: ideal cut, 2 carats, colour G, S12 clarity with 9k white gold metal. The bracelet glistened so much under the light even my camera couldn’t take a clearer shot. After indulging on these treasured delights, I left the headquarters diamondless…guys you know exactly what to do! Discover more of Vashi diamonds at vashi.com

I’m here! My second Hong Kong visit this year and this time I am with my eldest sister, who’s been travelling to HK 5 times this year alone! We decided to rest up from all the travelling we have done and decided to take a peaceful stroll from our village in Wai Har to Sam Mun Tsai which is about 10 minutes walk. Interestingly, Sam Mun Tsai, Plover Cove was once a flourishing pearl fishing industry as early as the Song Dynasty under the name of “Town of Charming Pearls”. Unfortunately, pearl fishing was later stopped as the production of pearls diminished gradually. It was really important that we understand the culture around our village and where we have come from. It was the perfect knowledge walk whilst enjoying the scenic landscape. Not only was it tranquil, we could see Mother of Mercy in the hazy distance every time we marked our bearings. The villagers lead a simple life, they go fishing, have a good old chat with their neighbours whilst preparing their meal for the evening. As we made our way back home, we started to see fishermen making their way to the harbour. The flies are out in full force and that’s usually a good sign for them as fish come to the surface to feed on them. More Hong Kong adventures to come and do check out my Instagram snaps on the go with the #RVLxHK

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

Oh did I mention? Day after I flew into HK, I flew out with my sister to Singapore! With less than 4 days to explore, I had to beat the jet lag to visit as many locations as possible. I decided to walk all the way from Orchard Road to Marina Blvd in the scorching 28 degrees burning my shoulders. As I was approaching the Fullerton Bay hotel, I saw a Christmas tree decorated with ribboned green boxes that looked like Tiffany’s. My judgement was right, it was a Tiffany & Co decorated Christmas tree in the most tasteful, luxurious way. I walked in to explore more and saw the most gorgeous room; the Clifford Pier restaurant room with sky high ceilings with spacious, airy atmosphere. The room oozes luxury and I had to take pictures of this beautiful dining room that was far too inviting not to. Then, no time to waste, whipped out my phone to Instagram the tree with their hashtag #ATiffanyHoliday where I have checked out their 2014 Christmas commercial which was very romantic. You should definitely check out their ‘A Tiffany Holiday‘ ad on Youtube. I wish I had the time to experience their afternoon tea but my destination awaits. Until next time, I may see a different designer collab Christmas tree at The Fullerton Bay Hotel.

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

The much hype chocolate that evaporates in your mouth! My friends have been telling me about Royce’ Nama Chocolates which is currently not available in the UK (noooo). I was on a mission to find these boxes of delights which originates from Hokkaido Japan, a fine, delicate combination of selected chocolate and fresh cream with a hint of prestige liqueurs. Consistency is velvety smooth, melts in your mouth, followed by refined flavours that are simply irresistible. They also do selections that are liquor free and the one I bought was mild milk (also available in milk chocolate and mild cacao) in Hong Kong which retails at around HK$150 which is about £12.50 for a box of 20 pieces. It comes wrapped in a cooling foil bag which lasts for about 9hours before it melts so best get home and stick in in the fridge. Clearly I didn’t know the art of eating these chocolates so i tried them straight away while they were still cool when in fact you are suppose to eat them after an hour in room temperature. The chocolate is absolutely delicious and is exactly what it says on the box. The much hyped chocolate is exactly that and I need to try every flavour before I leave.

May

I have been in Hong Kong for a good week now and I have been enjoying the breezy 18 degrees in my home town of Tai Po. My sister took us to Tai Mei Tuk, a short bus ride from where we live to enjoy a bit of bike riding along the Plover Cove reservoir dam. You can easily rent the bikes there which is pretty cheap and as villagers, we get village discounts for the bike hire. The hire is not by the hour, you pay the one off amount for however many hours you want it (but you must return it by 4pm. The sun was out but it was a little chilly as expected since we were riding along the dam. We were messing around with the selfie sticks and I don’t think my coordination is very good as I almost toppled over the humps whilst filming! The bike ride is perfect for couples, friends, families and even fishermen wanting something leisurely to do in the evening or the weekend and you do also see hikers and runners up and down the dam. I guess something for everyone and the one thing I see in common…selfie sticks everywhere. What an enjoyable fun day to hang out with my family, my brother will be here in HK from South Korea next week and we will b coming here again :D tune in for more adventures in Hong Kong on the blog.

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx

I hope you have all had a lovely, joyous and happy Christmas! I have spent my first ever Christmas abroad in Hong Kong which is a big change from the year on year family time in the UK. Whilst the Christmassy atmosphere lingers, what better way to enjoy your week off work (yesssss) and have an ultimate girls night out! I know it’s Saturday ladies and thought I’d dedicate today’s post on this theme. I am not gonna lie, sometimes I am lazy to get ready and dress up; but once you get into it…I am in the zone! I like to think I’m quite fast from getting ready to out the door…give or take 25 minutes max? Makeup I’d say 15 minutes and getting dressed is 10 minutes….if I decide to curl my hair, that’s an added 40minutes! Yes, I have thick, long, massive hair so that takes the full whack of my time. Enjoy the girly, private moments when getting ready and undistracted by your mum calling you whether you want dinner or friends checking up on you on what you are wearing (if you’re phone is on silent). Have the bet girls night out on the last Saturday of the year! May xx

What to know what the dressing table full of cosmetics and beauty products I use? Chanel waterproof mascara (for anti smudging), L’occitane precious cream, Benefit they’re real gel liner, Body Shop face shimmer glow, Mac pencil eyeliner, YSL Couture palette Parisienne, Chanel pink lipstick and lip liner, Clinique Chubby Stick blossom tinted lip balm. (photographs taken at the Cora Pearl Suite by Kit Lee of StyleSlicker, Grosvenor Hotel in Victoria. I was her plus one guest..lucky me :))

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter.

Is it me or has Winter really hit hard this month?! I arrived back in London at 5am NYE and I was dragging my suitcase across the icy pavement! I forgot how cold London can be as I have been running around in a hoodie and T shirt for the last 3 weeks (yes, I was in HK). Nethertheless, I shook off the cold chill and wrapped up in my warm, cosy robe. Whilst I unpacked my suitcase, I thought I do a bit of flat lay for todays post and go with the cold blue theme. I picked the Hydrangeas from my back garden over the summer and dried them; can you believe it was once pink?? Came in handy to match my colour palette in today’s beauty flat lay. I have selected my favourite beauty products this Winter which I have been using regularly and religiously. Clinique is a fantastic brand, they sent me this Even Better Essence lotion which I have never heard of before and my skin has never looked brighter and protected my skin too from UVB/UVA (yes, us Chinese girls have such a thin layer of skin)! Thanks for the recommendation Clinique! Also, goes without saying how amazing the Vichy brand is for skincare and super hydration. Chinese girls have a thin layer of skin and so we are prone to dehydration and Vichy has always been my lifesaver. The Aqualia Thermal light cream is French and have been using this brand for 5 years now. Last but not least, my sisters have been ridiculously jealous of my eyelashes as they have grown longer and thicker since using Rapidlash. It was an expensive purchase via Asos but it was definitely worth it and since I’ve stopped applying it (due to laziness) my lashes carried on growing! More importantly, I just wanted to play around with beauty flat lay and photography; simplistically blue and airy. Have a lovely weekend my beautiful readers :)

Hope you can follow me on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter. May xx