REVIEW: MAC Huggable Lipcolour – Soft Talkin’, Play It Soft, I’m Game, Dramatical, Flaming Lips & Bare Hug

“What time is it? Summertime! It’s our vacation!”

Are you guys old enough to know where I got the above quote from? *nostalgia mode* The last movie aired more than 6 years ago! Isn’t it amazing how time flies by? Just like how it was only a few weeks ago that I reviewed on the last MAC collection for Spring. In the blink of an eye, summer is upon us! And so are some of the new MAC releases for this season 🙂 Let’s talk about the first one!

First unveiled in Winter 2013, the MAC Huggable Lipcolour collection featured a range of limited-edition creamy lipsticks formulated to provide a lasting, glossy finish that would leave lips smooth and sculpted. This amazing formula was inspired by Asian trends and could last for up to 6 hours.

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MAC Huggable Lipcolour 2015

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The Huggable Bear!

This May, more than one year since the collection first flew off the shelf, it’s back by popular demand for a limited time only! With 12 huggable hues to choose from, these lipsticks promise a rich and glossy shine that boosts collagen, and a unique gel base that melts upon contact, allowing each shade to glide on effortlessly with a feather-light moisturizing finish. [source]

The 12 colours available from this collection are Soft Talkin’, I’m In, Bare Hug, Play It Soft, I’m Game, Fashion Force, Dramatical, Flaming Lips, Glamorized and Love Feeling.

There was a preview for this endearing collection at Sephora ION outlet last Friday (slated to be launched on 15 May 2015) and being on the Singapore MAC mailing list entitled me a pass to the event. Technically since it’s not a closed-door event, anyone could enter. But then registered attendees were served glasses of fruit punch and champagne 😀 The event was joined by the huggable bear above (so cute!) which was so popular with the ladies, I didn’t have a chance to take a selfie with it. 😦

Bare Hug wasn’t available for sale and preview at the event which explains why I had to buy it off the US site. Having said that, all 12 shades will definitely be available on its official launch day.

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Overview

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Official swatch

The nude hues on the top row are simply gorgeous! In fact I kinda like all the shades in this collection. But I don’t have the deepest of pockets so I gotta narrow my choices down to 5 or 6 😦

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These are my choices! With another one (Bare Hug) on its way from the States! (UPDATE: Bare Hug review added towards the end of this post!)

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My swatch (Bare Hug is not in this picture because I didn’t have the product at the time of first publication)

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Packaging

At US$20, I expected some differentiation to the box. Perhaps some not-so-conspicuous images of teddy bear (since the theme for this collection revolves around huggable bear) printed on the box would be lovely 😀 Of course, the hike in the price this time ’round is largely due to the sleek metallic packaging of the lipstick tube (which I feel, to be honest, isn’t sufficient to warrant a US$4 increment).

Soft Talkin’

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Soft Talkin’ is a warm peachy nude. (US$20 / S$35)

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Soft Talkin’

Since I was at the physical MAC store, I had every opportunity to swatch the colours before deciding to pay for them. So I really have no idea what actually got into me that led me to purchase the lightest nude from this collection which obviously doesn’t really show on my lips except to give it some shine. Perhaps I bought it because I was fond of the colour of the bullet. It’s such a sweet warm peachy nude and it’s a shame that it doesn’t appear to be like that on my lips 😦

On the other hand, it really felt emollient and the application left behind what looked like a protective sheen that clings comfortably on my lips. Huggable indeed 🙂

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Swatch comparison against other nude colours. You can tell how emollient it is as compared to Satin and Cremesheen shades like Myth and Shanghai Spice.

Play It Soft

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Play It Soft is a bright coral red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Play It Soft

This colour is mega love. It makes me look like I have really healthy and hydrated lips because of the warm-toned pink that’s not too over the top (it’s not really bright despite the description). But I would recommend this shade for its great consistency 🙂 Plus, don’t you think it appears like it has lip glass applied over it?

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Swatch comparison with some shades I own. 5-Alarm is close, but darker and more opaque.

I’m Game

I'm Game

I’m Game is a creamy raspberry. (US$20 / SG$35)

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I’m Game

I'm Game

I’m Game

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I’m Game

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I’m Game

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I’m Game

I was contemplating between this and Glamorized because both are what I’d consider to be the attention-grabbing kind of brights. I only picked this because I felt this isn’t as scarily bright as Glamorized. (But to be honest I almost wavered when the emcee of the event commented that it would be the first shade to sell out. That’s enough to make a kiasu (grasping) Singaporean like me to buy it. But thankfully I resisted and walked away!). It actually looks pretty alright on me.

The finish is comparable to Play It Soft, perhaps equally commendable. Similarly, it has awesome coverage and consistency and it also gives me lips a very healthy shine.

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Swatch comparison. Strangely it looks sheer on my hand but more opaque on my lips! It’s usually the other way round haha.

Dramatical

Dramatical

Dramatical is a bright cherry red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Dramatical

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Dramatical

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Dramatical

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Dramatical

Oh no, yet another classic red! But this has slightly more blue undertones.

I feel that among all my red lipsticks (excluding my Matte ones of course. Those are irreplaceable), this is the best because of the finish and the colour isn’t too glaring or in-your-face. I do see myself wearing this more often than the others. Light-weighted with such smooth application, it just feels like it’s part of my lips. Plus it deserves some bonus marks for not making my lips flake over time!

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Swatch comparison with other reds!

Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips is a deep creamy red. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

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Flaming Lips

In contrast to Dramatical, this has yellow undertones and is sheerer. It doesn’t apply as evenly as the others because some of the product tend to settle heavily in the middle and accentuating the lines, making my lips look cracked at that area (you can tell from the pictures above). Still, it wore very comfortably on me because it feels very hydrating over time.

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Comparing with Dramatical and a Lustre shade (Call the Hairdresser!)

Bare Hug

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Bare Hug is a creamy soft peach/orange. (US$20 / SG$35)

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

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Bare Hug

Adding on to my list of favourite MLBB lipsticks is Bare Hug! The semi-opaque finish allows your natural lip colour to show through and on top of that give life to your pale lips without having to overdo your makeup.

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Swatch comparison!

To sum things up.. Well, it’s confirmed: I’m a new fan of the Huggable formula. I thought I was gonna hate it because nothing good comes out of sheer lipsticks. But I’m awfully wrong this time! 🙂

That’s all for this review! Let me know your thoughts through the poll below:

 

Thanks for reading! ❤

MAC Huggable Lipcolour is now available on MACCosmetics.com and will be on sale from 15 May 2015 at local MAC stores.

PREVIEW: Luxola x Alcina Launch in Singapore

MEDIA INVITE

Hey ladies!

Singapore-based online beauty store Luxola is no stranger to many beauty fanatics here. Since it first started in 2011, it has brought countless popular and niche beauty brands from all over the world to the Singapore e-market. Some examples are Sigma Beauty (I was eyeing on their brushes for the longest time), Real Techniques, Sleek MakeUP, Wet n Wild and 3CE which, as far as I know, are not available in any brick and mortar stores. This, no doubt, saves us shoppers a lot of shipping and agent fees because with Luxola, we don’t really need to purchase products by the aforementioned brands overseas anymore! 🙂 (Hmm.. perhaps they should consider bringing Lorac over as well?)

A few days ago, I received an invitation to attend a beauty cafe (or simply put, a pre-launch event with lotsa awesome food) for Luxola’s latest brand partner Alcina. Alcina is a makeup and skincare brand from Bielefeld, Germany. It was established around mid 20th century (If I’m not wrong it was somewhere in the 1970s) aimed to provide skin care for all ages. Prior to its existence here, this brand was pretty much targeted at some parts of Europe, having garnered a huge following in Germany and Russia especially. The launch here marks Alcina’s first step to going global and Singapore is in fact the very first Asian country chosen to stock the brand. *honoured* The products will go live on luxola.com on 11 May 2015.

(Please allow me to interrupt this post with some mouth-watering pictures of the irresistible hors d’oeuvres I had at Club Street Social where the event was held. Sorry, just couldn’t resist!)

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The fruit carving on the right is madness!

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At the event, we had makeup artist Frouka from Germany demonstrate how she did her makeup with Alcina products and I also had the opportunity to test out and swatch some of them.

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Here’s a sneak peek at some Alcina products that will be debuting on Luxola later, beginning with the products from their skincare range. Descriptions are lifted from Alcina.com.

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The premium cleansing foam of the Alcina Cleansing Mousse Nº1 stands for ultimate indulgence and with its mild tenside system and moisturising complexes it ensures deep-down, thorough facial cleansing which is nevertheless gentle. The foamy, creamy cleansing mousse also nourishes your facial skin as part of your daily cleansing ritual.

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Cleansing Mousse N°1 – Premium foam for gentle yet thorough cleansing

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Hyaluron Gel 2.0 for a firmer complexion. This helps to fill out small wrinkles by giving the skin moisture for combating fine lines, leaving the skin looking significantly more vital and smooth.

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Nourishing Capsules with natural ceramides, vitamins A and E and jojoba oil help the skin to store oil and moisture more effectively. They strengthen the skin’s barrier for silky smooth skin straightaway. The light, oily concentrate of these energy-rich capsules leaves damaged skin feeling wonderfully smooth without a greasy sheen.

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Nourishing Capsules provide facial care for a silky smooth skin sensation. To use this, simply twist or cut off the neck of the capsule and press out the oil and apply on cleansed facial skin.

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Facial Cream N°1 is a moisturising cream which provides intensive care to dry facial skin, relieves any uncomfortable sense of tautness and restores the skin’s elasticity and fresh look. Thanks to the carefully combined ingredients in Facial Cream N°1, including urea and the essential amino acid arginine, the skin is nourished and provided with long-lasting moisture. For beautiful-looking, pampered and relaxed skin – 24 hours a day.

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Eye Cream N°1 provides optimal protection for the skin against harmful environmental factors and ensures beautifully bright eyes. This eye cream increases the skin’s moisture content and reduces fine lines and small wrinkles around the eyes. If used regularly, Alcina Eye Cream N°1 helps to prevent the formation of wrinkles and skin aging caused by light.

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Eye Cream N°1 has a tip for easy application. Use this to increase the skin’s moisture content.

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The Alcina Eye and Lip Cream boasts a dual function: it makes the skin around the eyes smoother and also ensures beautiful lips. The linoleic acid in this cream moisturises the extremely dry eye and lip areas. The rich cream can reduce new wrinkles around the eyes and gently soothe lip wrinkles, both caused by dryness, and make stressed lips soft and smooth again.

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Lip and Eye Cream

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The Alcina Day & Night Facial Fluid with allantoin, liquorice and bisabolol balances out excess sebum production on the face and stabilises moisture levels. If used regularly the Alcina Day & Night Facial Fluid ensures a matt and balanced complexion.

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The Alcina Herbal Mask helps to clear impure skin. The combination of the active ingredients kaolin, sage and lavender oil ensures that excess sebum is absorbed and that the facial pores are visibly reduced.

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Herbal Mask: The colour does look very “herbal” to me!

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SOS Stick has an antibacterial effect which dries out spots and impurities more quickly. It’s so small and portable, great for combating pimples before you go for an event!

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SOS Stick comes with a roller ball. I’m planning to get this when it goes live later!

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AHA Facial Fluid 10% nourishes and smoothes stressed skin and is particularly ideal for mature skin subject to natural or light-induced skin aging.

Let me just say that most of the skincare products above smell REALLY good. But fret not, these products are fragrance-free and non-toxic so it’s perfectly safe to apply on your skin.

Moving on to their makeup products. Alcina specialises in skincare products but they believe that makeup can be used to enhance and develop one’s own style of beauty. Thus, that propelled them to launch a makeup line as well!

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Alcina Perfect Cover Make-up offers long-lasting coverage to give your skin a flawless look and semi-matt finish. The soft texture gives it an ultralight and comfortable feel when applied. It provides full coverage for pigmented spots, redness, impurities or an uneven complexion to achieve a perfect finish.

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Alcina Perfect Cover Make-up Swatch! These are the 3 chosen shades (there’s also a Dark shade but it’s not available on Luxola) for the Singapore consumers.

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Silky Matt Make-up leaves your skin feeling silky-smooth. The skin’s pores appear smaller and a powdery light, matt finish is achieved all day long thanks to the light and equalising coverage. Also comes in Medium shade (not in picture).

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Cover Coat Concealer hides shadows under the eyes to give a wide-awake and fresh appearance. The pleasant texture makes minor skin imperfections, pores and lines less visible thanks to its seamless coverage which can be increased as necessary.

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Cover Coat Concealer only comes in light and medium shades.

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Cover Coat Concealer swatch

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Matt Sensation Powder is an innovative wet & dry powder which gives your skin a matt and naturally beautiful complexion which lasts all day long. The novel powder technology leaves the skin feeling wonderfully soft and also fixes your make-up perfectly in place. Apply using a moist sponge, can also be used as a powder. Perfect for minor make-up corrections. Only available in Light and Medium.

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Matt Sensation Powder swatch (hope it’s visible on your end!)

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Sun Kiss Powder gives your skin a summer glow. Light-reflecting shimmering pigments make your skin look fresher, smoother and altogether flawless. As if kissed by the sun. In layman’s term, this is a bronzer. Hehe.

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Sun Kiss Powder swatch! Three different shades in one 🙂 How value-for-money.

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The standard packaging for most of the make-up (powder) products.

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Brilliant Blush adds gentle contours to your face and gives you a fresher-looking complexion straightaway. The multi-shade powder impresses thanks to optimal shade brilliance and creates vivid highlights, from delicate through to intensive. Advanced micropigments guarantee a radiant finish. Comes in two shades.

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Brilliant Blush in Triple Rose 010

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Brilliant Blush in Triple Peach 020

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Perfect Eyebrow Powder intensifies the colour of your eyebrows and makes them appear thicker. The quick and easy way to the perfect eyebrow shape for a finish ranging from natural to striking. Great hold and can be simply and professionally applied using the oblique brush. Comes in Lightbrown and Greybrown.

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Perfect Eyebrow Powder swatch

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Wanna make a guess what these are?

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Pretty eye shadow! The bronze (foreground) is so captivating *_*

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Miracle Eye Shadow adds fascinating colour brilliance to your eyelids for a sensational colour result. This smooth and luxurious eye shadow with its innovative texture is particularly rich in colour pigments and guarantees a perfect hold. It can be used both wet and dry for an individual look – from subtle to expressive. It combines the very best of baked, powder and cream eye shadows. Comes in 6 amazing shades!

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Miracle Eye Shadow swatch. Missing Mocca 070 here.

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Wonder Volume Mascara gives your eyelashes maximum volume, a thicker eyelash base and stunning length. The exceptional microbrush coats and shapes every single lash. For seductive and voluminous eyelashes.

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(My favourite part of the event) Luxola launches two types of Alcina lipsticksShiny and Intense. This picture does not (obviously) show the full collection.

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There will be 8 Intense Lipsticks and 7 Shiny Lipsticks. Intense lipsticks leaves an intensely rich and perfectly opaque colour while Shiny gives a seductive shine.

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What were available at the talk! Scarlet is the only Shiny lipstick here.

The lipsticks (both types) don’t really provide full, opaque coverage as you can see from the swatch above.

In general, the products felt amazing and high-end. Most importantly, the prices would be relatively affordable.

I didn’t get to really try most of these products so I can’t do a proper review for each of them (that’d be crazy I know but yes, I love pushing boundaries!). But I got to take home some of the products featured above 🙂 Shall do a quick review on those that I’ve used.

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Shiny Lipstick in Scarlet 010

I love the lipstick! It has a very nice sheen (though I don’t really find it seductive haha) and it feels really emollient! It gives off a nice stain effect and glides on really smoothly on my lips. It’s slightly sheer and not really pigmented so you’d need to apply multiple times for the colour to really show.

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I like how the Sun Kiss Powder has three different shades in it! They blend to form a really nice gradual tan.

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Sun Kiss Powder comes with a brush!

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With Sun Kiss Powder and Shiny Lipstick in Scarlet on

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Lips close-up

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Contoured my face with Sun Kiss Powder. Turns out great!

And that’s all from me! How do you find the products? Do you use Alcina if it’s available in your country? Let me know your thoughts in the comments below 🙂

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Thanks for having me Luxola!

And thanks for reading! 🙂 Stay tuned for more posts coming up!

Alcina will be launched on Luxola.com on 11 May 2015.

Mom’s Birthday @ Crab Party

Hey everyone! Hope your week has been great so far 😉

My Mom celebrated her birthday last week and being the eldest child, I had the responsibility of deciding where to take her on her special day. With so many restaurants to choose from, deciding where to eat can be a real headache. After narrowing down my choices, I finally decided on Crab Party which has been my go-to restaurant to satisfy my crab craving (mega love the Butter Cream Crab there!) ever since I was introduced to it six years ago.

It wasn’t my Mom’s first time at Crab Party, having brought my parents to dine there once in 2012 on Father’s Day. They too loved the food and were full of praise for the crab dishes. But prices are pretty steep and the place can be quite inconvenient if you don’t drive.

It is also noteworthy that the crabs sell out very quickly so it’s important that you ask to reserve your preferred number and size of the crab when you call to book a table.

The following is what we ordered!

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Salted Egg Chicken (S$12+)

We were tossing up between ordering Butter Cream Crab and Salted Egg Crab but I was dying to have the taste of the butter cream I missed to much linger on my tongue once again. So we got the best of both worlds! The chicken came in bite-size pieces (like KFC’s Popcorn Chicken) coated with savoury salted egg seasoning. Every bite was sensational!

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Kailan with Beef (S$15+)

We had some greens to balance out the guilt! The beef was glistening in the restaurant ceiling light, making the entire dish look so appetising and enticing. The beef was great and had a consistent chewy texture. But I enjoyed the greens more because they were really fresh and crunchy!

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Black Sauce Big Prawn (S$25+)

This was ordered by my Mom who is a huge prawn lover. I wasn’t particularly pleased with the size of the prawns because they were nowhere near “big”. Worst of all, the flesh was rather mushy – a sign that the prawns were not fresh. Overall, this dish was a disappointment.

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Mantou (S$1+ each)

Boyfriend and I went sans rice that day to allow more stomach space for the hot and crispy Mantou (steamed buns) which we would dip into the chilli gravy and butter cream sauce below.

Crabs were chargeable at S$65/kg which is pretty much on the high side. To have a peace of mind, we usually ask for our crabs to be weighed before we place our orders. We certainly don’t wish to get a rude shock when we receive our bill at end of the meal.

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Favourite Chilli Crab (medium, 1.6kg, S$104+)

Chilli Crab is the restaurant’s signature dish and of course, my folks’ favourite style of cooking crabs. The gravy was sweet and spicy enough for me but definitely not for my parents whose tolerance for spicy food is sky-high.

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Butter Cream Crab (medium, 1.6kg, S$104+)

We ordered another crab because boyfriend and I aren’t really into chilli. And most importantly, we didn’t want to compete with our elders for the crab pincers *chuckles* Our pincers were all very meaty because both crab were medium-sized, which made our meal even more gratifying.

The Butter Cream gravy was divine as usual. Sweet, thick and smooth, the gravy propels you to heaven with a single taste. It’s one of the best Butter Cream Crab I’ve had and I’m so glad standards remain unchanged throughout the years. I feel that it tastes even better with Mantou 🙂

Okay hope you guys like this short update! I have more posts coming up so please bear with me 😉

Thanks for reading!