#the last one is actually a little creamier in person I really like it but it’s hard to see w cameras

[viciousewe]

Hand dyed silk hankies ❤️🖤❤️

Top is dyed w tea and touch of iron, the one under it is avocado pit and peel and the last is just the pit; both with alum mordant.

[rambleandbabble]

Fresh Morning Dew or Don’t? A Review of Happy Skin Dew Cooling Lip & Cheek Tint #2

Welcome, ladies and gentlemen! It’s your resident liquid / cream blush whore, bringing you reviews on, well, liquid / cream blushes. What else would this blog be about? Tints, you say? Why yes! Tints are also included. They’re multi-purpose as well, perfect for makeup enthusiasts who like to get the most out of their buck.

New followers of the blog, welcome ♥ Thank you so much.

Today, we will be reviewing this:

What is it? It’s the Happy Skin Dew Cooling Lip and Cheek Tint

What are its claims? According to Happy Skin’s website, “The Fresh Morning Dew Cooling Lip & Cheek Tint is both hydrating and cooling, making it the most refreshing lip tint! The milky soft texture provides smooth, high coverage color that cools into a long-lasting stain. Lightweight yet vibrant, this no-mess lip tint delivers intense but natural color while helping maintain moisturized lips all day.“ It has 3ml of product, and can be applied on the cheek and lips.

They also claimed that the tint is infused with Hyaluronic Acid, which makes the skin and lips moisturized, and natural mint for soothing the skin. Paraben-free. Vegan and cruelty free.

This tint has a lot to live up to, especially for dry lipped girls like yours truly.

I purchased this lip and cheek tint because I was curious with the formula and plus, the colors of this collection intrigued me. Rarely do I encounter lip and cheek tints that provide nude, brown colors, and these are the types of tints / blushes that I live for. I originally wanted to purchase their Color Play Multi-Use Mousse in the shade Dawn because of the color, but granted that I already know how the formula is and I still have a lot of Peach Bum remaining, I figured I might try something new. Hence, I purchased this in the shade, Latte Fix.

This shade, upon first swatching, reminded me of Happy Skin’s Color Play Multi-Use Mousse in the shade, Peach Bum, and for a moment, I thought I had made a mistake. BUT when applied on the lips, it appeared more like a brown than an orange shade, so imagine my relief, because I prefer browns and I LOATHE ORANGE BLUSHES. It’s just a personal preference, but yes, you’ll never see me review any orange blushes here. Happy Skin’s Color Play Multi-Use Mousse in the shade, Peach Bum is an exception.

Latte Fix is described as a ginger nude, so imagine nude brown orange. Upon application on the lips, the brown stood out, but as it faded, the stain left it as a muted orange, which, initially, I minded a lot, but the brown was the more dominant color regardless of how many ways I applied it, so I ended up being okay with the shade.

SHADE COMPARISON

Happy Skin Color Play in Peach Bum: An orange shade with pink & brown undertones. When saturated, is more orange than Latte Fix, but when blended and with little product used, produces an orange-brown-pink shade. Has notes of pink compared to Latte Fix, which was more of a brown with muted orange tones. Stays the longest and most pigmented among the three. 

Sunnies Face Airblush in Biscuit: A warm toned brown, browner than Latte Fix. May have hints of orange as well, but not as much as Latte Fix. Least pigmented of the three despite swatching so much product on my arm. Okay staying power, stays longer than Latte Fix.

PRODUCT REVIEW

Let’s review the product based from the claims that Happy Skin listed down on their website.

This tint is hydrating and cooling! - Why, yes it is. This is what actually surprised me about this tint, because most tints that I have tried before have dried my lips out one way or another. I wasn’t expecting the moisturizing effects this had on my lips, and how I didn’t feel the need to apply a lip balm often while the product was still on. The product does cling onto the dry patches of my lips, and stains more so in those areas, so I suggest exfoliating your lips prior to use for best results.

This tint has a milky soft texture - True to its description, the formula reminded me of Peripera’s Water Gel tint, which also has a similar gel like consistency, except that Happy Skin’s Dew Cooling Lip and Cheek tint was creamier in a way compared to Peripera, which was more of a soft gel-watered down consistency. The way they apply on the cheeks is pretty similar. As for lip application, this tint is more moisturizing than Peripera’s, which is a plus for me. The tint is easy to blend, and the soothing sensation felt when blending it on my face felt really good and refreshing. The downside, I must say though, is that application felt tacky and it took a few minutes for the product to set, probably because of the hyaluronic acid in it, which is also tacky for a few minutes before setting. The tint feels light on the skin, but if you apply it on top of concealer or powder, you could feel both products on the skin, along with minimal tackiness too. Based from experience for products with hyaluronic acid, once I started sweating, the tackiness returns. I haven’t tried sweating while wearing this tint, but here’s a heads up just in case. I don’t see it clinging onto the dry patches of my skin either. The product did not break me out after a few days of use.

Products Used: Happy Skin Dew Cooling Lip and Cheek Tint in the shade, Latte Fix

The product left a brown stain that melded into the skin, giving you this natural dewy glow that you wished you were blessed with by the gods. It goes well on the eyes, but fair warning: the product has mint extracts and peppermint oil, so thread carefully, lest you intend to burn your eyes with this product. There’s a reason why they endorsed this as a lip and cheek product only, but I like to defy convention for the sake of getting my money’s worth. Plus, it looks nice.

This tint provides smooth, high coverage color that cools into a long-lasting stain - It is smooth yet tacky upon application. Pigmentation is alright. I wouldn’t say high coverage because the formula isn’t packed with purely pigment, but I prefer it that way because it makes it easier to apply and blend. User-friendly, if you will. It does leave a nice stain that remains on the face for a while, but given how it was easily removed with makeup wipes, I can only assume that it would last at most 8 hours on the eyes and cheeks with commute during a hot, sweaty day (I can’t really test that because it’s the rainy season now in the Philippines and we’re still under quarantine). As for the lips, although the product transfers and comes off easily, it does leave a stain. However, because this is a nude color, the pigment doesn’t last long and the stain fades away easily. This might be a different case for a darker shade (like Sunrise, which is a burnt peach color).

This tint is a lightweight, no mess (tint), (that provides an) intense but natural color - True (they didn’t claim it to be weightless, after all), true, true. Because it’s so easy to blend, you can’t really make a mess out of it. Plus, the applicator is small and thin, so you can get more controlled applications. Reduces mess. (A possible issue though is that the applicator is bendable, which makes it easier to break.) Color is natural and not as intense as your Colourette Colourtints (which are, pure pigment powders in oil and beeswax, hence the pigmentation), but I like it that way because then you could build it up as much as you’d like.

This tint helps maintain moisturized lips all day - This is where I have to disagree with you, Happy Skin. YMMV, I know. Maybe it applies for the general public. But being the girl with them dry lips, this product does not help maintain moisturized lips all day. It is moisturizing only for 1-2 hours before the product is wiped off my lips for some reason (be it food, kissing, saliva), but after that, I would need to reapply to get the moisturizing effect once more.

And here’s another thing that I noticed with the tint on my lips. If you’re like me who puckers her lips a lot, you might notice the product clumping when you do so. Even with some minimal puckering.

I don’t know if you could notice that small clump on my bottom lip, a bit off center, but it’s there. I tried this with other lip tints to see if the product would clump up if I pucker up a lot, but the clumping didn’t happen when I applied my Peripera Water Gel tint. As for my Colourette Colourtint, there were some clumps, but it was barely noticeable. But if you apply too much of this product on your lips, expect some clumps to form when you pucker your lips a lot. To minimize the clumping effects, I suggest you apply a thin layer of product and let it set for a while. Oh, and prevent puckering your lips, if that’s possible.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Modify the formula to minimize this clumping effect on the lips, and minimize the formula’s initial tackiness felt upon application on the face

A less mobile, more stable applicator - for users who may not have good hand control, a bendy applicator allows for easy breakage when manipulating it. Even I am cautious when handling it, as I mishandle makeup at times. But the size is good.

Lengthen the moisturizing effect on the lips for more than 1-2 hours? And leave the lips moisturized after the product has faded from the lips. Fenty Beauty’s Gloss Bomb leaves my lips moisturized even after the product has faded on my lips. That kind of effect, if possible.

RATING

Packaging: 4/5 (the mobile applicator has that risk of breaking off easily if you mishandle it by accident; the frosted glass packaging is a win for me, however)

Pigmentation: 4/5

Formula: 4/5 (If it weren’t for the initial tackiness on the skin and on top of makeup, this would’ve been a 5)

Longevity: 3.5/5

Skin Comfort: 4/5

Price: 4/5

SUMMARY

Overall, the Happy Skin Dew Cooling Lip and Cheek Tint provides the effect of naturally flushing skin, something that a liquid / cream blush / tint is supposed to give you. Albeit tacky during application, it is easy to blend to the skin, giving you this dewiness that is best suited on bare skin. The color choices scream summer vibes, and are suitable for mestizas and morenas. While it may produce clumps on the lips, it is moisturizing, albeit for a good 1-2 hours in my case, and does not cling onto the dry patches of my skin. I’d recommend it to people who like brown shades of blushes, but not so much because of the formula itself, as mentioned in detail above. For the price of PhP 399.00, would I say this is worth it? Yes, with reservations.

Happy Skin prides itself in infusing skincare ingredients in its products, and while I do appreciate the lengths they went through for providing unconventional nude shades in tints and the moisturizing effects it had on my lips, the Cooling Lip & Cheek Tint is not something that I would repurchase again, unless some modifications are done. I think it is priced appropriately, given the skincare ingredients it is infused with and the unique shades, but I dislike the tackiness upon first application, the clumps formed on my lips whenever I’d pucker up, and how it leaves my lips dry upon removing the product despite its claims to maintain moisture all day. It took a few days for the product to grow on me, and while I am pleased with how it looks on my skin, I would say that the formula is a mere step up from your conventional lip and cheek tints, but not mind blowing or spectacular.

I really wanted to love this product a lot like how I love, love, love the Color Play Multi-Use Mousse, but I can’t. If some modifications were to be made, I would love to try it out again and give my thoughts, hopefully more favorable ones.

[mascaraed]

My Summer Skin But Better

[Note: This review was originally posted to my personal blog on April 26, 2017.]

For the past two years, my Laura Mercier Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer and I have been going strong. It meets all my needs for a light everyday “foundation” albeit a little too sheer that it doesn’t cover the fact that I have a pinker face opposite to my green neck. I sat it out because it has this beautiful skin-like finish, and if I’m being honest with you, I’m in love with it and it’s expensive dammit.

But I wanted to try other brands. Bobbi Brown is known to cater to people with yellow and olive undertones (me), plus, I really loved the lipstick that I impulsively bought from them last year, so to a Bobbi Brown store I went. I had planned to get the Nude Finish Tinted Moisturizer, but it was sadly not available in the Philippines (yet... I hope). The one they had, weirdly, was the product Nude Finish was supposed to replace: the Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer. And did I mention this had already been discontinued? I chalked this up to the fact that I live in Southeast Asia.

I digress.

NOT ALL FIRST IMPRESSIONS LAST

The Bobbi Brown Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer is in a sleek, shiny black tube that is the brand’s signature packaging. It’s one of the things that draw me to the brand - it’s minimalist with a glossy finish to it unlike NARS’ matte, rubbery packaging that attracts all kinds of dirt and grime, causing it to get filthy after, like, five uses; and nothing close to Too Faced’s aesthetic that screams... well, it screams.

I swatched the product in the store and it appeared to match my skin tone. I got this in the shade Light Tint, which to my eyes is equivalent to NC 20-25 in MAC terminology. It has yellow tones with a hint of peach. If I'm going to be nitpick-y, it’s half a shade lighter than I am. The consistency is a tad thicker than Laura Mercier’s counterpart and so it blends a little less easily; Laura Mercier’s is more liquid so it kind of melts into the skin, while Bobbi Brown’s is creamier and asks for more effort.

When I tried this back in the colder months, hoo boy I didn’t like it at all. I have combination skin that wildly dances around the skin type spectrum depending on the weather, so I get really dry skin with the slightest cool breeze and normal-oily skin during the summer. I got to tell you, this is not dry skin-friendly. January had brought forth flakiness on my usual spots: the tip and corners of my nose and the entire area surrounding my mouth. What Laura Mercier’s would smooth over graciously, Bobbi Brown’s would cling on. It was horrifying. I had even considered giving it to a friend with an oilier skin type, but it never happened because I would always forget to bring it with me whenever we hung out.

Then came the summer season and my favorite tinted moisturizer was no longer reliable. It felt like it never set and would slip and slide around in the heat. It was almost gross. That’s the thing - even with its oil-free formula, the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer in the maroon tube is still super-moisturizing. Bobbi Brown’s, on the other hand, is not.

So, again, I tried the drier of the two, and it turned out to be beautiful. It felt more like a lightweight, sheer liquid foundation than a tinted moisturizer, but it’s all good. I can definitely feel it more on my skin than Laura Mercier’s, but I wouldn’t have if I weren’t me. I also find that while the Laura Mercier tinted moisturizer is better applied with a patting motion, the Bobbi Brown one responds better to a spread-and-pat method. The latter also covers a little more, although I still wouldn’t say that it goes beyond light coverage.

It lasts all day on me, too. However, even though it’s compatible with my skin’s current oilier mood, I wouldn’t really recommend this to oily skin types because it doesn’t offer any oil control. To be fair, it never claimed to. It sets to a satin, skin-like finish, but my T-zone gets a little shiny after 2-3 hours of wear when I don’t set it with powder. I hate powder, so this is pretty much the case every time. I just fix this with a sheet of blotting paper and it looks nice again, no transferring. I also wouldn’t rely on this for sun protection despite its SPF of 15 because, first of all, that’s practically nothing. Secondly, even if it had decent protection, you wouldn’t apply 1/4 teaspoon of this product to actually get it.

THE VERDICT

Overall, Bobbi Brown Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer is a great everyday, My Skin But Better base for normal to slightly oily skin types in our humid climate. Sadly, I will always be nervous about it catching on my dry patches upon application. It’s okay and I would probably repurchase if we still had it in stores by the time I ran out.

Bobbi Brown Oil-free Tinted Moisturizer SPF 15. Available at Bobbi Brown, SM Megamall / Bobbi Brown, SM Mall of Asia / Rustan’s Department Stores

[darkmoon-makeup]

JeffreeStarCosmetics - The best, or just good? ( For eyeshadows, at least ).

Hello everyone!

Today I’ll be doing a review on two of the JeffreeStarCosmetics’ eyeshadow palettes - “Beauty Killer”, and “Blood Sugar”. I won’t be doing a full-on comparison ( not yet, anyways ) but I will be reviewing the palettes based on their price, their reputations, what they were advertised as, and how they actually perform. And, to be thorough, I’ve had both of the palettes long enough to make noticeable dents in some of the shadows, and to give them both a fair try. Also, I will be reviewing each category - Packaging and Presentation,  Performance, and Cost. The highest possible score in all three categories is 5 - with that out of the way, let’s begin.

( DISCLAIMER: the following post is just my analysis on how these palettes performed and felt to me. I used my own primers, my own brushes, and my own techniques, meaning the quality I saw may not be what you see. I am not attacking JSC - this is simply a review of how the products worked for me. )

Part 1: Presentation.

Above are the two palettes I’ll be reviewing today. In terms of packaging, they both feel drastically different - Beauty Killer feels like your average, sturdy cardboard palette, and while it’s pretty on the outside it isn’t the most stunning thing. Inside, it comes with a fairly large mirror, and ten massive shadows. The color placement is nice, and the imprints in the shadows are pretty, and add a designer feel to the whole thing. Overall, it’s a nice looking/feeling palette, and receives a 4/5.

Blood Sugar on the other hand feels great. While on the bigger side of the scale, and a bit clunky, it isn’t huge, and the outside feels expensive and nice - like leather. It also looks nice, with small metal clasps to keep it closed, and while simple it does look like a pricey palette. The mirror is noticeably bigger on this palette, and the shadows are just as nice as they were in Beauty Killer - just not as huge. This palette boasts 18 red-toned shadows, with the same imprints on the pans - as well as the addition of a syringe on “Prick” and a caduceus on “Coma”. Overall a beautiful palette - 5/5.

Part 2: Performance. ( swatches above are “Beauty Killer” and “Blood Sugar”, top to bottom, on my clean, un-primed arm )

Here’s the category where it counts - performance is what really matters in these palettes, as it’s kind of a waste to buy a palette that’s pretty in packaging/presentation but horrible in performance. I mainly included the swatches to show the colors a bit better, but please keep in mind that swatches are NOT a good way to judge a palette’s quality. Shadows that swatch poorly can perform amazingly - I’ll get back to that point later.

To start, Beauty Killer has, as previously mentioned, ten shadows. On the website, this palette is described as “Our first ever eyeshadow palette is finally here!!! 10 jaw-dropping shades. Extreme pigment. There are 3 formulas in this palette: matte, frost & glitter.” To clarify, there are 4 mattes ( Star Power, Courtney, Vanity, China White ), 2 glitters ( Expensive, Black Rainbow ), and 4 frosts ( Princess, Violence, Rich B*tch, Confession ). One of the glitters isn’t even a true glitter - “Black Rainbow” is the odd one out in this palette, as it’s a matte, black base with small rainbow glitter scattered throughout it. But the real question here is - are they actually extremely pigmented, like the website claims?

And the answer is, for the most part, yes. The mattes are pigmented, and while a few are chalky ( Star Power, mainly ) the rest are actually really nice and soft. You can probably tell what my favorite is because I’m close to hitting the pan on it - “China White” is a really nice- bone-white shadow that makes a great base for natural looks. The downside? The fallout is ridiculous - you dip into the shadows, and the mattes are so soft that powder goes everywhere, and unless you’re extremely careful it can be tough to gather up the powder to avoid wasting it. As for actual fallout, it isn’t as noticeable with the pale shades - it comes into play with the ones like “Star Power”, “Black Rainbow”, and “Courtney”. These have some fallout to them, but if you use just a tiny bit, you’re fine, and with how pigmented these shadows are, you may not need more than that little bit to get your look done. So, in the case of the mattes and glitters, the “Extreme pigment” claim is true. They also blend nicely, so that’s a plus.

But what about the frosts? For a shadow making up nearly half of the palette, aren’t these important too?

Well, the answer is no, these aren’t heavily pigmented. I know in the swatches, all of them except “Princess” are showing up nicely, but when you apply them to a primed eye they take a lot of building to get much color with a brush - you’re better off pressing them on with your finger to get a soft, purple or gold-tinted shimmer. But despite their lack of pigment with a normal brush ( or a wet one, these shadows do not like water or my setting spray! ) these are actually my favorite shadows in this palette. They have a really nice shimmer to them, an icy glow, if you would, and I like that the colors are so soft - it makes the three crazier colors a lot more wearable for the average person, and the formula is amazing - they aren’t powdery like their matte siblings, and they have a lot less fallout too. If Jeffree were to sell these on their own, I’d probably do my best to get my hands on them all.

Finally, the glitters, who deserve their own segment at the bottom because of how much I hate “Black Rainbow”. “Expensive” is alright, and again is much better off being applied with your finger rather than a brush, but “Black Rainbow”? Absolutely not. The fallout is horrible, the black matte is patchy and hard to blend, and when applied the glitter is so hard to see it may as well not be there. For a glitter, this shade is a failure, but thankfully as a matte it isn’t the worst black I’ve ever tried. It can be used as an accent color, and blended out if you use just the /tiniest/ amount. Nothing more.

So, overall, what is the quality of the “Beauty Killer” palette? It certainly is a beauty, as are most of its shadows, but it isn’t really a killer - its frost shadows are, though, giving it a solid 4/5 again. The frosts themselves get a 5/5.

Next we move on to “Blood Sugar” - one of JeffreeStarCosmetics’ biggest sellers, having sold out every single time it restocked ( and before I could get it, which was part of why this post was delayed so much! ). 

So, like I said earlier, “Blood Sugar” has a total of 18 shadows - the website says “Our iconic Blood Sugar palette! Featuring 18 striking eyeshadows and pressed-pigments.This palette is serving three luxurious formulas: matte, metallic and foil. Luxurious red faux leather finish in a metal clasp palette. One of a kind. Extreme payoff.”

Now, I call crap on this claim. Of this palette’s 18 shadows, a whopping 14 are mattes, leaving little room for the two metallics, and the two “foils”. The “foils” are the same formula as the frost shadows I mentioned in my review of “Beauty Killer”, so while this is a minor thing, I was kind of confused as to why they didn’t just call them frosts - but I just wanted to bring that up. I’ll get back to the serious review now.

So, to start, are the mattes as striking, luxurious, and EXTREME-PIGMENT as the website claims they are? 

Somewhat. All of the mattes are heavily pigmented, and while “Cavity” feels strikingly similar to “Star Power” from “Beauty Killer”, the colors are just different enough to be different colors - however, like its sister from the same mister, “Cavity” is kind of chalky and its sister just two pans over, “Root Canal”, feels the same. The quality of blending and application is a little worse than the other mattes because of this, but with a little more work they’ll give you the same pretty look the others will. “Extraction”, “Coma”, and “Fresh Meat” also feel chalky to the touch, but unlike the two I just criticized, they don’t suffer any disadvantages from this, and still apply and blend nicely. Other than the shadows/pigments I specifically mentioned, the mattes are soft, with the same powder-iness that “Beauty Killer” had, but this time, they’re creamier and have better pigmentation. “Glucose” specifically is my second favorite white shadow to use as a base for colorful looks. So, for the most part, yes - the mattes are striking, luxurious, and high-PIGMENT. Not quite extreme yet, Blood Sugar.

Now for the two metallics - some of my favorite formulas in this entire palette. Both of them ( “Donor” and “Blood Sugar” ) are stunning - heavy on the pigment and the beautiful, reflective finish, and with the soft, creamy texture and the lack of powder or fallout, they’re the Chad of the frost-metallic-foil shadows that JSC puts out. “Donor” is a little more metallic-y than “Blood Sugar”, and both of them play well with a wet brush - water and my setting spray!

Finally, the foil-frosts. They’re pretty much the same as the originals - just with more powdery-ness, and the same pigmentation. I love them all the same, but the metallics and soft, buttery mattes take the cake on this palette for me.

So, what is my final score for this palette? 4.5/5. It loses a half point because of the chalky shadows, which make up a third of the mattes. 

Part 3: Cost.

Finally, you might be thinking to yourself, we’re done! This is the end of the review! And right you are - this is the last segment before I add my notes, and you’re free to go about your day again! ( Assuming you even got here! )

So, “Beauty Killer” retails for $45. For ten shadows, in large pans, is this worth it?

Not really. While I wouldn’t say this is terribly over-priced, I do feel $45 for the quality you get and the color range is a bit much, but with as much product comes in the pans, I can’t complain all that much. It gets a 3.5/5, and overall, a 3.5/5. Not the best, but not the worst. A good palette overall.

As for “Blood Sugar”? At a $52 retail price, I think it’s a bit much. The shadows are good, yes, and very pigmented, but I can get the exact same quality for a fraction of the price - I feel like most of the price tag on this palette goes into the packaging, and while it is nice, I don’t think $34 is a good price for fancy, faux-leather covered cardboard. 4/5, and a overall score of 4.5/5.

Thank you for reading my lengthy review of the JeffreeStarCosmetics “Beauty Killer” and “Blood Sugar” palettes! Please consider leaving a like on this post or following me for more if you enjoyed this, and please keep in mind that again, this is just my own experience. If these palettes are better or worse for you, that’s fine! 

( Notes: I used the TooFaced “Shadow Insurance” and Medusa’s Makeup eye primers with these shadows, and the NYX Mattifying setting spray for some of them. )

( Also, for my estimate on the price of the shadows vs the packaging of “Blood Sugar”, I compared it to the “Opalescent” palette BHCosmetics recently put out. It has more shadows, smaller pans, but the same quality - which is why I used it as my example. )

[priya2019writer-blog]

The Vegetarian Diet Plan - To Drop Some Weight And Longer Life

I know you are most likely having difficulty with pounds. To get creamier, then add low fat milk or yogurt along with bones will thank you as well! Are you plagued by overweight to be a vegetarian?

The desire to obtain slim has been the thought of individuals who are fat. They want an great way to lose weight. Just about all approaches published and seen on television are effective every person who. Thus, it is significant to obtain an effective way you are able to shed off extra pounds you are blessed with.

However, when beginning your healthy Abs Diet For Vegetarian And Exercises, there a few things which have absolute musts in a person to maintain optimal health and serve to be a counter-balance for that foods that you're going to not be eating nowadays.

Find out what food raises your blood sugar the most, for example, wheat or whatever else does it for you as everyone. Remember there's great individual variation in people's susceptablity to carbohydrates. Some people's blood sugar spikes immediately on one piece of fruit, and others can handle more grams of sugars. You'd need to test your controlled to discover how high your blood sugar peaks a session after eating to exactly how you answer carbs. You can get a glucometer and test strips. After that be check and measure your blood ranges. People react differently to carbs and to foods.

It Quinoa next great source of protein when run regularly eating vegetarian fat loss diet. It is a source of complete protein and have protein, both high, many proteins get been not, therefore the quinoa very well.

Dinner is frequently the last meal among the day so that such doesn't have to be heavy, simple reason being that at night your is actually less active and therefore fewer calories are burnt. Eating fresh fruits and vegetables can allow you to prepare lose piles of fat as usually are low on calories. Alternatively, you can opt for beans and rice. There are lots of kinds of beans stew that can be included in the vegetarian weight loss program which can be along with pasta and rice.

Calcium. Everybody knows how important this is perfect for your teeth and halloween bones. In the event that you are cutting documented on dairy products, there are alternatives desire your lime. Eat plenty of dark leafy produce. There is also calcium-fortified orange juices. And you can also get it from molasses, soy, and tofu.

Herbs like parsley and cilantro pack loads of nutrients, and therefore most beneficial and flavorful when consume them unpreserved. Parsley gives women 22% of their daily vitamin c recommendation, and men 27%, in just 4 tbsps .. All fresh herbs have a larger antioxidant content and chlorophyll, giving you energy and helping your system neutralize toxins.

Are you plagued by overweight as the vegetarian? Many other vegetarians do, you're in a growing crowd. I used to be one, but I've successfully shed the excess weight. Now, I'll share with you my secret of success in losing way the vegetarian way. Apply these tips for the next 14 days and you'll feel healthier and natural without getting any responses.

Youngsters are living in the vital time of bodily development and culture learning. Quantity of moms and dads want their young children to obtain excellent heath and review great. For the long term, they can contribute into your culture. Typically the durance of puzzle brain, youthful boys and women should develop a fantastic living behavior towards the 1 hand; and make a scientific collocation in nourishment and eating style alternatively.

There are millions of diets, each purporting become the miracle answer onto your problem. appropriate diet program, Low carbs, no carbs, high carbs, low protein, low fat, no fat, healthy Abs Diet For Vegetarian And Exercises, other great tales. While many are fads, a little of them do help in bringing the weight back to normal ranges. Any kind of this high-cost healthy eating plans might be scam in which means you needful prior to selecting any fat burning diet.

Vitamin B12. This is utterly necessary to maintain natural health in physique. A vegetarian diet by its nature does not naturally contain enough.of this vitamin. So, a supplement form important here. You should also drink soy milk that was fortified by using.this vitamin.

To sustain a healthy required protein consumption while cutting back the volume of red foods you eat, take into consideration adding Quinoa to your regimen. It is just one in the uncommon non-meat meals  countless essential amino fatty acids. It additionally consists of lots of nutrients, and is totally gluten-free. Because its essence is pleasingly nutty and also mild, specialists one natural food that tastes good as well as is even effectively for you.

When thinking about a ways of eating that delivers an adequate diet level, make particular eat at least 8oz of meat a day, plus make without doubt it is lean fish. This can help to satisfy your day-to-day iron furthermore required protein needs. Some really good foods to look at are venison, bison, additionally the any other variety of lean cut food.

Set apart two days a week where you might be doing not consume any fast foods. This suggests that you just don't take up any quick food in those days, and additional fatty supper. It really is suggested that a couple of 24 hour timeframes attempt to concentrate on a vegetarian software. Following these tips, when you are able to get 10 pounds in the subsequent 30 afternoons.

After bouts of thinking and decision- making, you have made- up give it your all follow a vegetarian diet. You will surely be surrounded by people that meat associated with meals. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean steaks.

Snacks to avoid are potato chips, peanut butter and butter when making your sub. We all know how important this represents your teeth and bone tissue. Sick your product is in a complete weight loss inclination.

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Nice fulfill you, I'm Felisa. His job is financial officer actually something he really engage in. My house is here in Miami. One of points I love most is ice skating and now i'm trying to generate income with which.

[draftsofcertainties]

We had dinner last week! I was a bit overwhelmed by the fact that he took a leave from work just so we could meet. I thought he did it to take a rest and to make time for his extra project. But eventually he told me his priority was to see me over the weekend, that he got sad when I asked if he had other plans just in case I backed out. Also, my noob brain thought that since we're supposed to be just 'friends with benefits,' it would be inappropriate for us to meet without the fun part, you know. But he said it's okay, he just wanted to see me and hug me. Jeez. My tiny brain almost took it as something more that it should be, but I soon realized that maybe it was just one of the "benefits" aside from physical intimacy.

Anyway, I still had work in the morning until afternoon on the day he took leave, so I said it's better to meet some other time. He said he'd just go to a friend's place to consult some engineering work instead. The day came but his plans were cancelled because his friend was worried about the number of people coming over. Apparently, some of his friends wanted to go too, so his friend got a little worried about the crowd and the virus it may tag along. Yeah. So I jokingly said, "sayang, ang lapit pa naman samin," and then he immediately asked if I still wanted to meet for dinner. I said yes. To be honest, I wanted to meet him again too that day. I was just scared that it might be awkward to go to a dinner date with him. I mean, it's not the setup I was expecting. It wasn't really a big deal. It's just dinner. Maybe I was overthinking the label I established when we just started talking. The first time we met wasn't also the way I imagined, but it wasn't something I regretted. Anyway, we agreed to go after my hospital duty.

It was around 6 in the evening when we arrived at the mall. He arrived a few minutes earlier than me. I had a little struggle commuting. When I saw him waiting for me at the end of the escalator, I got a little too excited so I rushed to hug him. Then he hugged me back. 😌 We couldn't kiss because of the stupid face shields we were wearing. Then we looked for a ramen place since he wanted to eat ramen for dinner. I found it cute that he actually searched for a good ramen place around the area (I usually had to do that before). He asked me if I wanted to try Hanamaruken, and of course I said yes. We started searching for the place. We were holding hands while walking around, and it just struck me while writing that it was a careless move, since there's a good chance someone I know would see me with this new guy in this area. But honestly I didn't care at all. I liked the feeling when he holds me. Sometimes he would bring my hand to his chest when he feels I'm already tired or shaking.

We finally found the ramen place. We ordered their best-selling Happiness Ramen. It sucked that we have to be seated a few feet apart for social distancing, even when we were just holding hands when we entered the restaurant. But it's protocol so we followed. He sat across me, a little to my right since we couldn't eat while facing each other. Still, protocol. Finally, we could put our stupid face shields down. I watched him remove his mask so I could see his face again. Ah, what a sight. He has a pair of gentle deep-set eyes that crinkles when he laughs. He has a small face that is accented by the apples of his cheeks, and a cute hollow on his chin. I like looking at him. Don't get me wrong, I like looking at people, tracing details of their faces, hands, eyes, other body parts. Maybe it's innate to me as a doctor. It's not something new to me. But I like the feeling of looking at him, it's satisfying. 😊 Maybe because when I look at him I remember the intimacy when we're alone. Then I removed my mask and I saw him looking at me and it made me super shy. I mean, he stared at me -- the kind of stare that makes you melt and giggle. ☺ He looked at me with that silly smile for a good few seconds, long enough for me to think that maybe he thinks I'm pretty 🥺 (despite him literally telling me many times already). Our order has finally arrived! Damn, those were huge bowls of ramen! I knew immediately that I couldn't finish it. It was a soy-based ramen, not too big on flavor, but still nicely balanced to satisfy our palates. I just hoped we could decide on the firmness of the noodle, I preferred mine a little bit softer. I taught Edwin how to use chopsticks but I asked for a fork just in case he gives up. But he didn't, even after some clumsy attempts on eating the tamago using chopsticks. 😂 He finished his bowl while I was struggling to consume half of mine, until I said I couldn't eat anymore. He placed his bowl aside to give space for mine, after a few lecture about him feeling guilty towards unfinished servings of food. The ramen was good, but I still preferred Ramen Kuroda which has a creamier broth. We'll try there next time.

After getting our tummies filled with hearty bowls of noodles, we decided to have coffee. I suggested to go to Strabucks at the mall rooftop, so we could have our coffee al fresco. There were a few seats outside the coffee shop but we sat down by the little staircase facing the glass panes hovered against the dimly lit inside of the mall. If we weren't in a pandemic, it's supposed to be busy with movie-goers since it's the Cinema floor. We sat down next to each other, drank our coffee, talked about random stuff. Overall it's just an ordinary conversation but I appreciated the moment because nothing felt forced between the minutes we spent together. I was actually holding back too much because the familiarity was too scary for me. There were a lot of questions I wanted to ask but didn't. A part of me wanted to know him more but another part of me didn't want to get involved too much. I felt too afraid to get attached to anyone or anything at this point. I've changed. I thought I wasn't entitled to know anything from anyone, I was just to accept whatever someone's going to share with me. I was told I shouldn't know everything, so that's what I had been doing. I stopped being too curious, too interested, too involved, too thoughtful -- it would get the best of me in the end. But this person seemed to be one of the good ones, not purely in a romantic way, but as someone I could really trust. But I wasn't ready to open up yet beyond what I could handle if broken this time.

It was quiet and breezy, a way I didn't expect I would describe a mall to be. We were seated right next to each other, no space between us. Our hands interlocked except when we had to use our phones. I couldn't remember all the things we talked about, some were too normal to be remarkable. There were moments when our eyes would just meet and we would kiss, and then it would become apparent that we were craving for more of each other. Again. Always. But a kiss was all we could do. To be honest, I liked the way we kiss. It was always passionate, even the short sneaky ones. Oh, he still had to meet the friend I mentioned, but this time it's just him going alone to avoid a crowd.

It's actually our first time to go out without sex involved. He just missed me so much that it's okay if we didn't do anything beyond kissing. And it turned out well. On our way out we were joking around saying we could do it at the fire exit. 😂 But that's too adventurous and dangerous as well. Maybe next time? 🤔 Anyway since his friend's house was a long my route, we took the same ride home he was just dropped off before me. We kissed before he hopped off and then I took the rest of my way home. The nexy day he told me he talked about me to his friend and I think that was cute. Actuallt I've been being introduced to a number of people in his life and I hope it's fine that way.

[sageinthegarden]

A new snapshot from http://sagesacre/2020/01/09/make-your-own-mustard/

Make your own Mustard

Making your own mustard is dead simple and delicious! Here’s how to do it.

(TL/DR: Click here to skip straight to the recipe)

My wife loves mustard. Not the vinegary yellow liquid you get in packets at the hamburger joint, but the spicy, seedy brown stuff that’ll make your eyes water and sinuses clear along with the tongue tingling goodness. If we don’t have 10 different varieties on hand at all times, she’ll claim “we’re out of mustard!” and carry on like we’d run dry of one of life’s necessities like fresh water, oxygen or beer.

Knowing how important mustard is to my wife’s culinary health, I wasn’t all that surprised when she came home from the farmer’s market a while back with a bag of brown mustard seed. The size of the bag, 5lbs, was, however, worth an eyebrow lift.

“Are we going into the mustard business?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “But you’re going to make some mustard. I’ve looked it up on the Internet and it’s not that hard. I know you can make better mustard than them.”

I knew that last part was obvious flattery intended to make me say ‘yes’. I had never made mustard and I had no idea what the process involved. Fortunately for her, I also knew that most of the Internet isn’t all that bright, so she was probably right in this case — I could make better mustard than them.

“Ok,” I said. “I’ll make some mustard.”

The Basics

Turns out if you can make Kool-aid, you can make mustard (a win for me. I make good Kool-aid). All you need are some mustard seeds and water. Mix, let sit for a few, and, taaa daaaa… you’ve got mustard.

Ingredients to make simple brown mustard

Of course, mustard that fresh is a fiery combination of lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol — and can literally cause burns — so it has to sit for at least a day to mellow before you start slathering your food with it. But even then, it’s just a hot mustard without much subtly to it. Fine for salty snacks or adding a little kick to your sandwich, but not really the kind of thing you’d use for seasoning a pork roast or adding some high-classed zing to a charcuterie and vegetable tray. For that you want a flavored mustard where the hot mustardy goodness is balanced with something else — honey, horseradish, peppers, Belgian beer, wine, etc. — to make a tongue tingling condiment that tastes far more sophisticated than it really is.

Fortunately, creating mustard varieties isn’t any more complicated than making plain mustard. Even more fortunate for you, dear reader, a five pound sack of mustard seed and I have spent plenty of time perfecting a basic, dead simple brown mustard recipe as well as four or five variations, that you’re more than welcome to use as a starting point in your own mustard explorations. (A warning: once you make your own mustard, you’re going to be disappointed by most commercially prepared mustard).

Making Mustard

Mustard has a couple of compounds that start a chemical reaction when parts of the plant are crushed or damaged. The product of this reaction is the oil that gives mustard its pungency and heat (Check Wikipedia for details). Mixing crushed mustard seeds with water kicks the reaction up a couple notches so the mustard releases more oil over a shorter period of time.

Once mustard has been mixed with water, the heat and pungency will peak within 60 minutes and start a slow fade after that. Mustard seeds are white, brown or black. White is the mildest and the basis for your yellow American mustards. You can make this kind of mustard in the afternoon and enjoy it that night. Brown and black mustard seeds are considerably hotter than white mustard (fresh-made black mustard can actually cause chemical burns), so they need to sit a minimum of 24 hours before eating.

Left to its own devices, even the hottest mustard will eventually lose its kick. To prevent that you mix in an acidic liquid like vinegar, wine, beer, etc. to “fix” the mustard at a specific heat level. You can also add other ingredients like horseradish, honey, brown sugar, peppers and herbs to change the heat and flavor profile of your mustard. When you add your additional ingredients is really a matter of trial and error to match your personal preferences. I’ve found that I like to add a 75/25 mix of water and acid up front to keep the mustard from going full nuclear hot, and then add a little more a day later to fix it at the desired heat and pungency. Same goes for additional ingredients like honey, horseradish, and peppers. 

Here’s my basic brown mustard recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup brown mustard seed (or ½ cup seed and ½ cup mustard powder for a milder, creamier mustard)

½ cup cold water*

¼ cup vinegar (regular, cider or wine) OR ¼ cup beer OR ¼ cup white wine

Salt (to taste)

*Make sure it’s cold water. Warm water doesn’t work well. Also, if you’re using tap water, let the water sit out for a while for the chlorine and minerals evaporate out of it. Otherwise you can get off flavors.

Directions

Crack your mustard seed using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (I use a repurposed coffee grinder). No need to grind it to powder, just cracking the seed is enough.

Dump the cracked seed (and mustard powder if you’re using it) into a bowl or jar large enough to hold all your ingredients. (I use a pint jar with a lid.)

Add a pinch of salt to the mustard

Add your water and mix well (I just put a lid on the jar and shake it). Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes.

Add your vinegar/beer/wine (the later you add it, the mellower the mustard will be) and mix well again.

Now put the mixture in the fridge and let it sit for at least a day. Don’t worry if it seems dry and lumpy at this point. The mustard seed will soften and become creamier as it sits.

Once your mustard has rested for a day, stir the mixture again. It should be just a little dry at this point. Taste it. If it’s too hot for you, add a little water. If you like the heat where it is, add a little vinegar/beer/wine to keep it there.

Your mustard is now ready to eat! It will keep in the fridge for several months, but the heat and pungency will fall off over time. When it does, make more!

Mustard variations You can make an endless variety of mustards simply by adding ingredients after you’ve mixed the mustard seed with water. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sweet honey mustard — Add ¼ cup of honey

German sweet mustard — Add ¼ cup brown sugar

Horseradish mustard — Add 3 tablespoons of fresh horseradish

Hot pepper mustard — Add 3 tablespoons of dried, ground hot pepper or hot pepper seed

Sage mustard — Add 4 tablespoons of freshly diced sage leaves

Brown mustard ready to eat

You can experiment and come up with your own recipes too just by changing the the grind of your mustard seeds and the amount and type of the acidic liquid you use to fix the heat and pungency. The combinations are pretty much limitless.

Enjoy!

[yeariraq0-blog]

WALK N SNIFF: Fall Preview ~ Fall Wishlist Collection, Pumpkin Patch Collection, WB Core

Finally, at friggin last, I got to smell some fall goodness! I feel like I'm the last damn person on the continent to smell them and make my own opinions since you can't get them on social media.

So I went to a regular BBW first but it only had a few of them. Then I schlepped to a WB store a bit farther out and lo and behold, they had them all.

Sadly the candle sale was over (not that it was a particularly good one) and I refuse to buy them full priced thus I left empty-handed but at least I finally got to sniff them all for myself.  So without further ado, let's get this WALK N SNIFF review started...

Let's start with the Fall Wishlist Collection. As usual, I'm only focusing on the new stuff (my store didn't have Harvest Bloom and it's not online, so I'm assuming it failed. Nor did I see the mysterious and elusive Apple Cinnamon Cider)

Pumpkin Patch (8179AGA2) - there's really not much to say about this - it's Pumpkin Carving. Notice I DIDN'T say it was a repackage - Pumpkin Patch was Pumpkin Carving's original name back in the Slatkin era (I have a whole rant about newbies calling it a repackage without knowing the history). Anyway, the scent is pretty straightforward; it's by far the closest you'll ever get to an authentic pumpkin scent at BBW (pumpkin NOT pumpkin spice) and it is soooooo much better than Shit Cinnamon Poopkin. So you get the pumpkin note, spiced with a tiny bit of cinnamon and a lot of nutmeg and sweetened with brown sugar (not molasses as the notes suggest.) If you want a more in depth review, go here.

Caramel Apple (8171AGA1) - so before you ask, NO this isn't Cider Lane. Much like Pumpkin Patch/Carving, this is a Slatkin era scent fresh from the scent vault that predates Cider Lane. I had a Caramel Apple years ago and at the time I actually preferred it over Cider Lane. So does this new version smell like the original? Yes and no. The basenotes smell the same but the blend itself has been severely tweaked...and that could just be a matter of using a downgrade of fragrance oils to replicate an old scent. The old version had an almost nuttiness that this new version doesn't have. The old version also had a very apparent pear note which seems to be very watered down in this new one. Other that, it's essentially the same. So you basically get a bright juicy apple with a little bit of nutmeg with a brown sugary caramel note. Usually caramel notes in BBW smell/feel very sickeningly sweet and very drippy/syrupy/ooey-gooey but the caramel in CA is a bit more subtle and you get sense of it hardening like candy. If you like Cider Lane or dislike the "lane" aspect of it, then you'll like CA.

ADDENDUM: those of you who may remember the old CA may disappointed as it doesn't smell entirely the same. Personally I prefer the old CA; this new one is at the cusp of smelling a little generic.

Autumn Day - this isn't a new scent but I wanna talk about it briefly as I do get folks on social media asking me what it's like. So, like the 2 scents above, this is a Slatkin era scent . It first appeared in 2011 as "Acorn & Fig" but was changed to Autumn Day the following year. It was a fall staple for awhile then it disappeared; it did reappear randomly in the WB core collection on 2016 and kinda came back albeit very tweaked as Autumn Night in 2014. So I've said this before and I'll say it again - COMPLETELY DISREGARD THE NOTES CUZ THEY ARE BS! The notes back when it was Acorn & Fig are way more accurate - pear, fig, birch and sandalwood..and that's basically what you get. You get fresh off of the tree pear (NOT APPLE) mixed with a creamy non-bakery fig note as well as an even creamier sandalwood note. The cedarwood gives the blend a outdoorsy/foresty feel and the birch adds an almost mint-like coolness. Imagine staying at a farm or cabin, you're up at the crack of dawn, there's dew on the ground and the air is really crisp and heavy with smell of wet leaves. That's basically Autumn Day.

Now let's move on to the Pumpkin Patch collection; again, just focusing on the new stuff. My store didn't have Bourbon Pumpkin..meh)

Campfire Pumpkin - this is indeed a repackage of Pumpkin Fireside which was a WB exclusive in 2016. Think of it as an autumnal version of Marshmallow Fireside and a big sister to Salted Oak Bonfire. So first of all, there is absolutely NO pumpkin aspect to this at all. And it's not pumpkin spice either as there is no ginger or allspice notes. It's mainly cinnamon and nutmeg..which BBW seems to think is pumpkin-y..it aint! You get a toasted/caramelized sugary vanilla blend almost at the cusp of marshmallowy but not quite. And it's not in the notes but I swear I get roasted/candied chestnuts or something like that. It's a really nice and cozy "warm blanket" scent that's perfect for mid to late fall. I do wish they would stop marketing this as a "pumpkin" scent cuz it really isn't.

Blueberry Maple Pancakes (8165G3A2) - *SIGH here we go again - another bakery scent that is overhyped on social media. Anytime I see a picture of one particular (always bakery) scent flooding my newsfeed, I immediately assume it's not that great. And this one is no exception. So right off the bat, this is NOT Blueberry Pumpkin Patch as we all assumed it would be; this is, surprisingly enough, a new scent. Most folks who have sniffed this pretty much all come to the same consensus - it smells like pancakes with blueberry syrup and I totally agree. Imagine you're in IHOP and you've gotten a stack of pancakes and you've just poured on blueberry syrup and that my friends is BMP. There is a bakery note that gives the illusion of fluffy buttermilk pancakes. The blueberry note smells less like fresh but cooked blueberries and more like artificially flavored/sweetened syrup. And like everyone else, I got 0 maple...though I've heard that the maple comes out more when you burn it. Now overall, does this candle deserve all of the fanfare it's getting on social media? Absolutely not! Honestly when I smelled it, I wasn't impressed and felt a general sense of meh. It's not a bad scent at all and I do plan on getting one for the sake of novelty (and I do enjoy pancakes with blueberry syrup) but I do not plan on getting more than one.

Pumpkin Peanut Brittle (8172K3A1) - yet another bakery scent getting overhyped by the basic masses. So let's get some things out of the way - first off, this is NOT the perpetually failing and practically forgotten Roasted Peanut Butter but the two have a similar vibe and could be siblings. Secondly, I don't get peanut brittle at all. Honestly I get white trash hors d'oeuvres - peanut butter on saltine crackers. There's nothing to the scent that suggests a brittle or anything else candy for that matter. There is a nuttiness but it reads more like crunchy peanut butter, with a hint of cinnamon. And there's a bakery note that makes me think of crackers; it almost reminds me of Pumpkin French Toast or Pumpkin Spiced Cheesecake. If you're really into bakery scents, especially salty-sweet ones, then this bud's for you. but if you like your scents less basic and more nuanced, this scent is only worth a sniff for the sheer novelty of it.

And now finally, the 2 new additions to the WB Core line

White Barn No.1 (8169K3A1) - so this really isn't new; it first came out in 2012 and again in 2013 as WB No1 ~ Nutmeg & Spice  (as came back as 1 of 2 batches of Pumpkin Spice in 2016; the other batch as Pumpkin Gingerbread. It's a blend of fall spices but it's not sharp or red-hot; it's almost ever so slightly chai latte -ish. Speaking of latte, WB No1 always had an unexplained milky creaminess to it but this version's updated notes make sense - vanilla chestnut. There's a sweet frothy creaminess with a hint of earthy nuttiness; think Starbuck's Chestnut Praline Latte at Christmastime. That blend of vanilla and chestnut kinda reminds me of Chestnut & Clove. That said, if I had to describe this scent simply, I would say think Kitchen Spice from backintheday mixed with Chestnut & Clove. It's a smooth, soothing cozy scent that could take you thru fall and into the holidays.

The Perfect Autumn (8149G3A9) - with a name like that, it immediately intrigues you; it certainly intrigued me. Then I smelled it and the intrigue immediately dissipated. So everyone rightfully assumed it would be a repackage of the incredibly popular Cranberry Pumpkin that for whatever reason keeps getting ignored by BBW....it's definitely not. I thought for sure it was repackage of a failed test scent form 2012 called Cranberry Harvest  as the two scents had practically the same notes. I never had it cuz..well..it failed but I talked with a friend who has one but swears TPA isn't it. So it's a new scent but it's so not a very exciting one. TPA basically smells like Frosted Cranberry mixed with Leaves. You get a tart abut incredibly sweet Ocean Spray cranberry note with a apple cider and a s***-ton of clove. There's is absolutely NO pumpkin whatsoever. Because it's sooo heavy on the clove, it almost smells holiday-ish. If this was marketed as a Christmas scent or even a Thanksgiving one, TPA would work. But to call it literally "The Perfect Autumn" is a gross blowhard of an overstatement. And with scents like Leaves and Cranberry Woods and Harvest Gathering around, TPA is soooooo unnecessary. Why BBW didn't just bring back Cranberry Pumpkin is just beyond me.

Source: http://realtalkaboutbbwcandles.blogspot.com/2018/07/walk-n-sniff-fall-preview-fall-wishlist.html

[lawschoolruinedme]

Me, Myself, and my White Girl Curly Hair

So, because of the comments on my last post, I’m here to talk about Hair, my curly products, and generally my own hair care routine.

First, let me tell you guys that I am the only one in my family with curly hair (yay adoption) so I was literally left to my own devices for a long time and the only guidance I got for a long time was my hair stylist who I’m pretty sure still wanted to perm everyone who came into her salon... 

Second - if you guys have not explored Naturally Curly literally stop reading and gtf over there. When I moved, it was the hair stylist recommendations on the site that helped me find a salon with a person who could ACTUALLY cut curly hair and not just like “pssh of course I can cut curly hair” 

SO. Me, myself, and my White Girl curly hair enjoy a happy little life of ringlet 3C curls. If left to its own devices, it would curl in very small little ringlets, but I prefer working with it to get bigger, softer curls. 

My haircare regiment includes: 

A strict no sulphates policy 

A moderately strict no-heat policy 

Regular deep conditions 

Not allowing anything to touch this hair but a wide-tooth comb

For shampoo’s, I usually use one of Loreal’s sulfate free products, but I recently tried the Organix shampoo when I was visiting @helloharumi and it’s a bit creamier, which has been nice for summer weather and needing that extra bit of weight to keep the frizz down. Also Loreal and I have a love / hate relationship because every time I find one of their products I love those fuckers discontinue it. 

I have tried co-washing or using cleansing conditioners, but the fact is that I’m both a product junkie and have lived in some smoggier cities (Windsor / GTA) that I neeeeeed to clean my scalp more thoroughly than those products do.

For conditioner, I have found the Pantene Curl line has great hydration. I’ve tried other stuff over the years, but I just keep coming back to this one. 

I deep condition at least once a week. I could swear by the Loreal Total Repair 5 deep conditioner and I dread the day they take that away from me too. 

For products, I have made my peace with several things. 1) I am a product junkie and will always be trying new things; 2) Product cocktails are just a part of curly life; and 3) I need a summer and a winter routine for every city I go to. 

Current routine (in this order): 

Moroccan Oil 

Herbal Essences Mousse (Hold 3) 

Bumble and Bumble No Frizz Serum 

I’ve heard people say when you apply curl products to your hair, you shouldn’t flip your head over because it “puts stress” on the curls. I don’t think this applies to my White Girl curls because I had been doing that for most of my life. I stopped for a little while, and realized I was still practically tilting my head over when I was leaning to the side to ensure the product got to the bottom layer of curls. So I’ve given up pretending I don’t do it and just started owning that I flip my hair to apply product.  

When my hair was destroyed from colouring, I was using a Kerastase leave-in conditioner which literally saved my hair, but it’s hella expensive and so I explored other leave-in options, none of which ever really did the same thing, so I switched to the Moroccan oil and it’s been good since. 

I use a mousse here in the GTA because gels or creams weigh my hair down more in the not-humid-as-satans-ass months, and then I get the “top part of hair barely curled, bottom part super curly” do. It’s not pretty. 

BUT, when I’m in humid climates, I’ve used to great success the Marc Anthony Curl Cream (gives shitty day 2 hair); Curling Gel mixed with Curl Cream (Loreal - at one point they literally had this AS A PRODUCT ITSELF and now its gone and I’m sad again);the Moroccan Curly Mousse (I find this is.. sticky? I use it when I go to Vancouver or during really high humidity days and it works great, but otherwise it’s way too easy to over-apply to my hair).    

I started using the Bumble and Bumble about two years ago and it, actually, does what its supposed to do. My hair may get more body during the summer, but it no longer looks like I should be driving a yellow schoolbus with a lizzard on my shoulder. Full Disclosure: I hate all other B&B products, but this one was recommended by my stylist (with the caveat “It always goes on LAST”) and I haven’t looked back. 

I also refuse to use my diffuser on my hair unless absolutely necessary because it makes the tiny ringlets come out, and sometimes I think it makes me look like Annie. 

Some tips I’ve read along the way, none of which I do, for varying reasons

Silk Pillowcases 

Dry your hair in a old shirt rather than a towel 

Add an oil treatment to your conditioner routine

Detangle your hair in the shower with conditioner in, don’t let comb touch it again that day

Tagging fellow curlies under the cut

@bathtubbarrister @collegestudentsunite @sadegrass @baystroh 

[anneedmonds]

Foundation Review: Max Factor Radiant Lift

I really need to crack on with my foundation reviews because I have a serious backlog. I get a bit stuck, sometimes, because I try to go into too much detail and then I start comparing one foundation with another and then I set myself the task of wearing one on one side of my face and another foundation on the other side and before I know it, a year has gone by and the brand has discontinued the foundation and the whole exercise was pointless.

So, Max Factor Radiant Lift Long Lasting Radiance Foundation. This does exactly what it says on the bottle: it’s radiant, it’s long-lasting and (shuffling on down to the smaller print) it does give all day hydration, never feeling dry or cakey. At first I thought that Radiant Lift was comparable with L’Oreal’s Pro Glow – a comprehensive, medium-to-full kind of coverage, a surprisingly light and fresh texture and a very nice dose of glow – but actually there are some significant differences.

(You can read the full review of L’Oreal Pro Glow here)

Pro Glow (housed in a tube, which makes it convenient for travel, though it is a little leaky into the lid) is incredibly lightweight – lighter, noticeably, than Max Factor Radiant Lift, which is contained in a glass bottle and has a creamier texture. Pro Glow looks radiant and perfected and gorgeous but sets fast and completely and has nothing in the way of a residue that you can feel; Radiant Lift from Max Factor is more robust in texture and leaves a very slight residue.

So if your skin was very dry, you’d maybe opt for the Max Factor Radiant Lift – the formula is alcohol free, the texture is slightly creamier, the finish has that pleasing plumptiousness that dry skin loves. The thing you’d be losing out on – albeit only fractionally – is longevity. L’Oreal’s Pro Glow performed just a tiny bit better over the course of a fourteen hour wear (I did my half-half face with both for a week, dedication to the cause and all that) with a completely in-tact finish at the end of the shift. Radiant Lift wasn’t far behind, but it had started to look ever so slightly tired by the time I went to cleanse before bed. I also find Pro Glow marginally better to blend – because it’s lighter, it spreads smoothly and quickly.

Now that the Pro Glow/Radiant Lift comparison is out of the way, let’s concentrate on the coverage and glow from the Radiant Lift. It’s not dewy glow, as in that sheeny sort of surface that catches the light, it’s more of a “lit from within” glow that gives an all-over, uniform sort of luminosity. I’m so bored of writing “lit from within” on foundation reviews, but it is the best way I can think to describe it – it’s not the sun hitting slightly oily skin and bouncing off the high points, it’s a flawless kind of luminosity that feels as though there’s a soft beauty light underneath the skin, glowing through. It’s dewy without the oil. Or dewy without the sweat, depending on how uncouth you want to be about it.

And coverage? Let’s take a little look at the before and after pictures:

There’s a tremendous level of radiance going on there, wouldn’t you agree? But it’s not shiny-shiny glow, it’s the aforementioned sophisticated sort of radiance that’s beautiful and soft. Skintone is evened out and the coverage tackles darkness under the eyes quite well. It’s not the heaviest coverage I’ve seen, but it definitely leaves a flawless finish and it doesn’t leave the skin looking flat.

You have to be reasonably quick with blending because once this sets, it sets fast. Which is intentional, as it’s a longwear base! But it’s worth noting. Especially if you (like me) tend to run into problems in the upper lip area thanks to a layer of fluffy down. (Sounds better than “blonde moustache hairs” doesn’t it?)

So what is there not to like about Radiant Lift? Not much at all. It has great staying power, it gives a beautiful, radiant finish with excellent coverage and it doesn’t cost the earth. There are eighteen shades to choose from, which is relatively decent (Pro Glow had twelve at last count) and there’s no alcohol in the formula, for those who prefer their bases without. I’d say that it suits skin that’s on the drier side rather than oily – it looked quite shiny on my t-zone when I was in my pre-period hormonal nightmare week – but do leave your comments below if you’ve been using it and have any anecdotal material to add!

You can find Max Factor Radiant Lift Foundation at FeelUnique here* or Boots here* – it’s £14.99.

Those who want the same sort of coverage but more moisture and much more dewiness will love the new Clinique Even Better Refresh foundation, which is £30 here*, and if you’re in the market for a designer foundation and want the same radiance and coverage then Dior Forever Skin Glow would be a sturdy choice. It also comes in 30 shades. Find that here* – it’s £37. My review of the new Forever line-up will probably be the next one up as it’s been sitting in my drafts for months!

Update: If you follow me on Instagram you may have seen my IGTV video applying the new Maybelline Dream Urban Cover* – I’ve had so much interest in that via direct messaging that I think I may bump it up the queue and review next! I’m @modelrecommends on Instagram should you wish to follow.

The post Foundation Review: Max Factor Radiant Lift appeared first on A Model Recommends.

Foundation Review: Max Factor Radiant Lift was first posted on May 20, 2019 at 10:01 pm. ©2018 "A Model Recommends". Use of this feed is for personal non-commercial use only. If you are not reading this article in your feed reader, then the site is guilty of copyright infringement. Please contact me at contact@amodelrecommends.com Foundation Review: Max Factor Radiant Lift published first on https://medium.com/@SkinAlley

[thehungrykat1]

Christmas and New Year’s Feasts at Samba in Shangri-La at the Fort

Shangri-La at the Fort is definitely “Where The Holidays Come Alive” this Christmas as they offer several festive options for families and friends to celebrate the season. Aside from discounts on room accommodations this month, the hotel’s signature restaurants all have their own unique holiday spreads and set menus that will truly make Christmas and New Year’s more memorable. One particular dining place to consider is Samba, Shangri-La at the Fort’s South American restaurant that will tease and sizzle your palates with its exquisite Peruvian cuisine.

Samba can be found on the eight floor of the newest Shangri-La property in the country located at the heart of Bonifacio Global City. Diners can discover the tantalizing flavors of Peru at Samba, with healthy, colourful cuisine inspired by the dishes of South America, Spain and the Philippines. The Hungry Kat was invited for a preview of their special Christmas set menu last Tuesday and even the monstrous holiday traffic couldn’t stop me from experiencing this excellent and colorful dinner.

I usually dine at High Street Cafe whenever I visit Shangri-La at the Fort, but this was my first time to enter Samba. Known as the original fusion cuisine, Peruvian fare is the result of more than 500 years of immigration and the integration of Spanish, African, Chinese and Japanese influences with native Peruvian culture. I have to admit that I know very little about this exotic cuisine, so i was really excited to finally be able to dine at what they say is the best Peruvian restaurant in the country. 

Guests have a choice of indoor or outdoor seating at Samba. The indoor setup is more formal, especially with the air-conditioning, but if you want a livelier and more festive environment, choose the tables at the al fresco areas. 

The dress code at Samba is simply casual, and this is the same ambiance you feel whether indoors or outdoors by the poolside. The cool December breeze was very much welcome as our group got ready for a spectacular evening with good food and good music. The Samba bar and terrace area actually remains open until 12:00 midnight, so late night guests can relax by the pool and enjoy the merry drinks and snacks.

We were hosted by Samba’s Peruvian Chef Carlo Huerta Echegaray who created an elegant Five-Course Menu that will only be offered on selected dates during the holiday season. A native of Peru, Chef Carlo has over 14 years of culinary experience and brings the exciting and contemporary flavors of Peru to the discerning diners of Samba. Also joining us that evening was Ms. Enah Baba, Shangri-La at the Fort Communications Executive, and Ms. Sam Gallardo, Director of Communications.

Chef Carlo has curated this set menu specifically for this season and you won’t find these items on Samba’s regular ala carte menu. The Five-Course dinner will be offered on December 24 and 25 for P2,900 nett per person as well as on December 31, 2017 for P3,350 nett per person with a welcome drink. A holiday lunch set will also be available on December 25, 2017 and on January 1, 2018 for P1,900 nett per person.

Cocktails are an integral part of Central and South American culture, so of course we also had to experience these exotic mix of concoctions that are mostly fruit-based with tequila or rum. At Samba, the featured cocktails are from different parts of the region - Brazil, Cuba, Mexico and of course, Peru.

Aside from the regular cocktails, Shangri-La at the Fort is also featuring its Yuletide Spirits which are available in all its restaurants until January 1. Among the favorites here are Christmas Flip (center), a cognac-based drink inspired by the traditional Christmas eggnog; Pinay Coloda (upper right), a rum-based cocktail with a twist on the piña colada; and Sparkles (rightmost), a sparkling drink with whiskey, honey, rosemary and liquid gold prosecco.

Dinner at Samba always starts with some complimentary sweet potato chips for appetizers.

The first course is the Ceviche de Atun Y Camaron En Crema De Rocoto. Chef Carlo explains that you haven’t tried Peruvian food if you haven’t tasted their ceviche, which are cuts of raw seafood cured in citrus juices. This ceviche comes with yellowfin tuna loin, prawn tails, rocoto leche de tigre foam, glazed sweet potato, cancha corn, and cold press extra virgin olive oil. The ceviche is an excellent dish, with the tuna and prawn tails doused in a somewhat spicy tiger’s milk foam which gives it a distinct taste. Even the glazed sweet potato is good to eat by itself. This is the perfect appetizer to jumpstart your taste buds.

Next we have a soup course called Cappuccino de Ave Al Ají, but it is unlike any other soup dish I have ever tasted. This is a creamy chicken soup inspired by lola’s recipe with cinnamon and bread croutons. We are used to chicken soup with light clear broth, but this Peruvian version is a thicker and creamier style that is really so good.

Now let’s get to the main courses with the Corvina En Reduction de Chupe. This has a very tender braised black cod fillet paired with a grilled prawn then topped with coral butter sauce, creamy fava beans purée, and micro greens.

You don’t need to be a seafood lover to enjoy this dish because the coral sauce made from lobster roe really gives everything that deep curry-like flavor. The prawn is also peeled already, so it’s much easier to devour.

There’s not just one but two main courses and next we have the Lomo Al Wok Con Quinua Andina. This is a U.S. beef tenderloin sauté with potato canchan, Organic black and white quinoa, panca pepper sauce, and micro leaves.

This gorgeous steak is cooked medium, just the way I like it. The flavors of the steak are magnified by the panca pepper sauce, and I had no problems finishing this off even as my other friends already started to get full. What’s nice about this Christmas set is that all the courses are quite filling, so you will definitely be going home full and satisfied.

The fifth and last course is a dessert called Trufón de Chocolate Y Lucuma. This beautiful chocolate shell is a work of art itself as it comes with a 70% Peruvian chocolate mousse, almond crispy flakes, garden greens powder and Lucuma ice cream. The homemade Lacuma ice cream is one of Samba’s specialties made from a unique Peruvian fruit called Lucuma, which is similar to a Chesa fruit. 

It wasn’t over yet for our birthday celebrant that evening, Bettina Bacani of Life in Technicolor, who got a surprise treat from Chef Carlo himself. This cute chocolate shell has to be dropped onto the plate to reveal another chocolatey work of art that looks like it should be placed on the wall. 

It was a great introduction for me to Peruvian cuisine and Chef Carlo aptly demonstrated its intricate flavors and colorful presentations. The Five-Course Christmas set is only available on a few selected dates so make sure to reserve your tables now and experience the best of South American cuisine at Samba in Shangri-La at the Fort.

Samba

Level 8, Shangri-La at the Fort, 30th Street cor 5th Avenue, Bonifacio Global City, Taguig 

820-0888

www.samba-fort.com

www.facebook.com/SambaatShangrilaFort

[rhianonsuee]

10.1.17

After staying up til 1 am last night watching the northern lights, we were all a bit slow to moving around this morning. Dad made some eggs for us and I had my first cup of Icelandic yogurt-skyr. It is SO good! It’s like their version of Greek yogurt, but it has even more protein and it’s even creamier and thicker than Greek yogurt, with no bitterness. After we packed up and made sure the cottage was cleaned up, we were on our way.

We left the Snaefellness Peninsula and started heading south toward Vik. Our first stop was in Reykjavik at their flea market, which is only on Saturdays and Sundays. We went there on a mission to find mom an Icelandic wool sweater. We heard rumor that they were cheaper at the flea market than in the actual stores. However, it ended up only being about 25 bucks cheaper, but hey, I guess it’s 25 bucks to spend on a tour! I debated for a while on getting on, but then I decided to not spend the 200 dollars. Instead I got some black lava charcoal crackers. Flea markets aren’t really dad’s thing and while we were shopping around, I noticed that he was beginning to fall asleep while standing up waiting on us 😅

On the road again! As we were driving along we came up on a side road next to a huge farm with horses grazing along the fence. I screamed and had dad pull over. I had been waiting for this since we arrived in Iceland. The last couple days we have seen so many horses, but we hadn’t yet seen any close enough to their fences to interact with them. Icelandic horses are an extremely friendly breed, but it’s very rude and disrespectful (obviously) to sneak into a farmer’s field and pet his horses. Finally I was able to see these amazing creatures up close!

If you don’t know, Icelandic horses are the most pure breed of horse in the world. This is partly because they are resistant to disease, but also because Icelandic law prevents other horses from being imported into the country and once a horse has left, it isn’t allowed back in. They are such a strong animal, I mean you would have to be to be able to survive winters in Iceland!

So, I was very very excited to get up close and personal with these animals. We walked up to them and wow. These horses are so beautiful. Like I’ve never been more jealous of an animal’s hair, their manes are so luscious and magnificent.

They were some other cars and people taking pictures of the horses, so I found one guy who didn’t have any people near him. At first, we were getting along. I was petting him and he was nibbling on my clothes and my fingers. I was of course taking pictures. Then things took a turn. (Side note - I’m sure these horses are partly so friendly because they are used to tourists coming up to them and feeding them. I had no food. I’m sure you can see where this is going.) My sweet new friend decided he was tired of me petting and him getting no benefit from the deal. So, he bite me. On my thumb. And he didn’t just bit and let go. No. He clamped down on my thumb and would not let go. Those jaws were strong and I legitimately thought he was going to bite my finger off! Finally I escaped, and with a bleeding, throbbing hand moved on to another horse. Even with this unfortunate turn of events, I still haven’t wavered in my love and admiration for these creatures.

After our horse experience, we continued on towards our destination, stopping to take many pictures along the way of lava fields, waterfalls, and landscapes.

Our next main stop of the day was Seljalandsfoss. This waterfall is special because you can actually walk BEHIND it. We geared up in our very attractive rain pants and our rain jackets and set off. Being able to walk behind this force of nature was incredible. The roar of the water as it rushed off the mountain was deafening and the golden hour of the sun illuminated the waterfall with a bright halo of light.

Being pretty much a vertical rushing river, we got absolutely drenched. Just soaked. But it was so worth it. In the same vicinity of this waterfall is another, more hidden waterfall that we were told is worth the half mile walk in your wet clothes in the 40 degrees. I can say that it was worth it. It’s hidden in the face of the mountain and you can see part of it through a giant hole. You can also walk up a path to get to the top, but we decided to forego that adventure. We were soaking wet and the path up was steep, extremely muddy, and looked pretty difficult.

We trudged back to the car, stripped off our wet clothes, and headed to the Black Beach Café for dinner. Jeannie from lifewithaview15 told us that they have really good lamb stew and that is one dish that we were willing to splurge on to try.

It was almost 8 o'clock and pitch black by the time we pulled up to the restaurant. The lamb stew and freshly baked bread was a welcome warmth for our frozen bodies. It was also very, very good. Definitely worth the splurge and something I would eat again. Mom also got a side of fries, which ended up being a huge basket of fries, so even though I was pretty full I sacrificed myself and finished them with her. Can’t let fries go to waste! Dad got the most American thing ever, a hamburger and fries.

After filling our bellies we had a little bit more of a drive to find our airbnb and dad wasn’t excited to find it in the dark. But after a couple wrong turns and thanks to our British gps Siri, we finally found it. Dad was very excited because this airbnb has a tv! Typical dad, in Iceland and he is more excited that we have a tv 🙄 I can’t really judge though, I am super excited that this airbnb has wifi in the house! Our last one did not so we had to have family hangouts in the car at night so we could be on our phones for a little bit. Another thing about this airbnb- there’s one room for two people to sleep and an adjacent living room with a couch for a third person. Or above the bed in the room there is a long, basically shelf with a thin mattress on it for someone to sleep. Since dad has been snoring up a storm, mom kicked him to the couch and her and I are sleeping in the room 😅

Ready for another day of adventure tomorrow!!!

[dietsauthority]

6 Unbeatable Homemade Almond Butter Recipes

A whole lot of individuals are going nuts for almond butter ... and truly so! The yummy spread (which is commonly referred to as peanut butter's more nutritious loved one) is loaded with healthy protein, healthy fats, key vitamins, as well as minerals that aid the body grow. While it's basic to grab a container of almond butter at the shop, who requires every one of the additional processed ingredients that several huge suppliers contribute to their products to expand the shelf life? Rather, why not make your very own almond butter in your home? You may be stunned to figure out just how simple almond butter is to work up. And also, when you make it yourself, you could personalize it to fit your taste preference!

The highlight regarding making homemade almond butter is you could manage all the components that enter into it. That indicates you won't have to bother with refined sugar or refined salt slipping into your most likely 'healthy' spread. That you could conserve a few bucks by making it yourself does not injured either!

Once you work up a batch of homemade almond butter, you can keep it in the fridge for a couple of weeks and use it as a dip or spread. I prefer to rub it on apple pieces and dunk carrots into it. You could likewise add it to breakfast shakes, over night oats, homemade granola bars, no-bake power attacks, cookies, healthy protein pancakes, therefore much more.

Before we begin planning out just how we're mosting likely to utilize our homemade almond butter, however, let's speak about exactly how we actually make it!

What You'll Need

To make any of the almond butter recipes that I have actually included in this short article, you must have a premium blender or mixer. When making almond butter, you will certainly have to blend the almonds until they end up being a thick paste. That will take around 10-15 minutes, meaning your food cpu will certainly should be operating on broadband for rather a while. To avoid blender exhaustions, attempt utilizing something like a Ninja or Vitamix. These are simply 2 instances of high-grade machines.

1) Conventional Homemade Almond Butter

This dish requires nothing greater than 2 mugs of whole dry-roasted almonds and some training course sea salt (I personally prefer pink Himalayan Salt considering that it has a couple of more minerals as well as is filled with taste - so a little goes a lengthy means). When you throw the almonds into a food cpu and start grinding, you will notice the nuts morph from entire to coarsely sliced. After a few more minutes, they become crumbly. Now, you'll wish to stop the blender or food processor so you can scratch down the sides with a spatula. This will guarantee any kind of almond items that are clinging to the blender or food processor wall surfaces will be returned down to all-time low of the mixer as well as ultimately hit by the blades. As soon as you turn the food mill back on, you will discover the almonds begin to handle a paste-like look. The longer you mix the almonds, the creamier it will get. This change happens due to the fact that the almond's all-natural oils are releasing, developing 'butter.'

Voila - you have almond butter. Seriously, it's that straightforward! Watch it in action:

The Nuts:

So you do not overload your almond butter with unneeded quantities of sodium, use unsalted roasted almonds. Keep in mind - you could constantly add salt to the almond butter throughout the blending procedure if you would like, yet you can never ever take it away as soon as it's in there.

Additionally, while any kind of baked nuts will certainly work, some brands roast their nuts for a longer amount of time than others. If you believe the nuts taste also charred prior to mixing then you definitely won't like the preference of the almond butter. Because the tastes end up being a lot more concentrated after blending, make certain you are satisfied with the almond taste beforehand.

To Oil Or Not To Oil:

While you might not should include oil to your homemade almond butter, some individuals want to make it a bit creamier. Towards the end of your blending process, there is absolutely nothing wrong with adding a teaspoon or more of healthy, unrefined oil - like olive oil or coconut oil. Along with modifying the texture, the oil will certainly add some healthier fats and vitamins to the mix.

While some dishes may require veggie oil, maintain in mind that improved vegetable oils are far from healthy and balanced. As the name "fine-tuned" tells us, these oils are highly processed. The oils are drawn out by high warm, stress, and chemical solvents. Without obtaining too scientific, through processing the useful anti-oxidants, vitamins, as well as minerals are killed. In addition to removing the oil of its nutrients, potentially hazardous chemicals are additionally included in these oils to create a long service life. So stick with raw, additional virgin, as well as cold-pressed oils. Some excellent choices include olive, coconut, avocado, and flaxseed.

2) Honey Roasted Almond Butter

While the last almond butter dish is incredibly healthy, if you are someone that has a pleasant tooth after that it might be a bit bland for your liking. That's where this recipe is available in handy!

Simply adding a little honey as well as coconut oil to your almond butter combination will certainly transform the taste from regular to amazing. It additionally bumps up the dietary worth considering that honey is considered a superfood that packs a solid nutritional punch. Together with its lots of nutrients, raw honey likewise advertises good gut bacteria. Did you understand a healthy gut microbiome advertises a much healthier you?

If you are wanting to keep this dish as healthy and balanced as possible, though, make sure to make use of a raw honey. Several of the honey bottles that line the shelves of your local grocery shop are extremely refined, suggesting they offer little nutrients or health and wellness advantage. If possible, get your honey at your local farmers market.

3) Delicious chocolate Coconut Almond Butter

This is one more almond butter dish for the sweets fan! Making use of wholesome almonds, coconut oil, a little sea salt, and also cacao powder, you get a delicious as well as healthy delicious chocolate spread. If you do not have chocolate powder accessible, you can also utilize dark chocolate chips. The darker, the better!

If you love sugary foods, but stay clear of delicious chocolate since of the sense of guilt you feel after indulging, after that sense of guilt say goodbye to! According to scientists, consuming a moderate amount of dark delicious chocolate on a normal basis has really been revealed to sustain heart wellness, enhance mind function, reduce stress, as well as sustains digestive tract health and wellness. Remember, however, these advantages are when consumed in small amounts. Don't down an entire container of this chocolate coconut almond butter in one resting and also believe you have actually done something favorable for your wellness! Less is more.

4) Gingerbread Almond Butter

As we become part of autumn, what's much better than delighting in a little gingerbread almond butter? This recipe asks for a delicious mix of loss flavors, one noticeable flavor being cinnamon. Not only is cinnamon mouth watering, but it has actually also been revealed to boost mind feature, boost flow, increase metabolism, fight inflammation, assistance blood sugar level levels, and boost mood (just among others advantages).

Another spice made use of in this recipe is ginger, which is referred to as among the healthiest seasonings worldwide. Initially from Asia, ginger has actually been utilized for its medical purposes for nearly 2,000 years by different societies. It's commonly made use of to improve digestive health and wellness, ease nausea, as well as ease queasiness. It likewise has anti-inflammatory and also anti-cancer properties.

To make this dish a bit healthier, lower the amount of all-natural sugars. While it requires just a few spoonfuls of blackstrap molasses and also maple syrup, it's vital to keep in mind that all-natural sugars are still sugar. Attempt adding the maple syrup initially and sampling it to see if you like the flavor as is. If the almond butter is sweet enough for your liking, after that leave the molasses out (or the other way around).

5) Chai Spiced Almond Cashew Butter

Ground cinnamon, cardamom, ground ginger, all-spice, cloves, as well as nutmeg - this is an additional recipe that weighes on the spices. That's an advantage, though. You see, while seasonings add a big pop of flavor, they add basically no calories to a recipe. Furthermore, they're packed with powerful vitamins, minerals, as well as anti-oxidants that profit the body in more means compared to one (as you read in # 4). Lots of flavors aid to deal with swelling in the body, aid digestive health, boost circulation, or even battle cancer.

The fact that this recipe additionally requires cashews suggests there's also more nutrients! For instance, cashews have 20 percent of the everyday advised worth for magnesium, a mineral that an estimated 80 percent of Americans are lacking. Magnesium shortage has been connected to heart assaults, irregular bowel movements, anxiousness, depression, chronic fatigue, and extra.

6) Vanilla Espresso Almond Butter

Move over Folgers, since the most effective part of awakening is vanilla coffee almond butter in your cup (OR on your spoon)! This almond butter is the perfect enhancement to your morning meal table since it consists of entire espresso beans that can absolutely assist wake you up and get you all set for the day in advance! Coffee beans will do even more than offer your body a power kick, though. They contain antioxidants, which assist reduce the effects of cost-free radicals in the body. Considering that free radicals are dangerous substances that can damage cells, it is essential to include antioxidant-rich foods to your diet. Additionally, consuming espresso beans have been recognized to increase individuals's mood!

Along with the wellness benefits, coffee beans blended with a little vanilla remove and also almonds create an one-of-a-kind yet delicious flavor.

Enjoy!

[spanlish-blog]

July Favorites: Lifestyle.

Moving on to everything I loved in the month of July! It’s rather “bag heavy,” ha. I did share a few things I’m loving this pregnancy over on the baby page a few weeks ago. Share your favorites below! xo

Okay, as for music… don’t laugh at me. I can’t help it if my music tastes range from being 17 years old to 68 years old. First up, we can’t stop listening to Bruno Mars Versace on the Floor. It’s not like it’s an appropriate song for Max but he must have heard it in the car and is OBSESSED with it. I’m dying to go to the Bruno Mars concert here on the 22nd but feel like unless I want to put my pregnant body in a crop top or bodycon dress, I will stick out like a sore thumb. Ha! Okay next, I wrote earlier this month that my mom and I went to the James Taylor concert and Bonnie Raitt opened for him. I didn’t know anything by her, but when her song “Nick of Time” came on, my mom was like OMG I USED TO LOVE THIS SONG OMG. I love that she loved that song back in the day because I think it’s so relevant to so many people I know at the moment. I’ve been listening to that too, like a baby boomer.

My crazy candle love this month still goes to the Copper Coconut from Bath and Body Works. Ugh! I hate that I love this candle so much but the scent is unreeeal. I wish I could find a coconut way or soy wax candle that had the exact same scent.

DeLallo GOLDEN(!!) Balsamic Glaze. Years ago I used to make my own balsamic glaze, but then DeLallo came out with an easy squeeze bottle and I’ve never looked back. We use it all the time, especially in the summer on tomatoes. I just about died last month when I was in the store and came upon the golden balsamic glaze. AH! I love golden balsamic vinegar more than traditional, so this has been in constant rotation over here. It’s amazing.

I’m steadily making it through my summer reading list and in July, I read And We’re Off and just loved it. Such a good story!

Costa Del Mar South Point 59 sunglasses. I completely copied off of my cousin who bought these in May. They were on my counter and I tried them on and fell in love. I prefer plastic frames over wire (I just think they are more comfortable), but this is sort of a mixture of both. Not only do I like the look of them, but they are polarized and so great for swimming, driving and full days out in the sun. My eyes are weirdly sensitive (why is this? They have always been this way!) and a lot of times I wear sunglasses even if it’s cloudy. Cannot even explain my love for these ones.

New Barn Barista Almond Milk. I’ve been a Califia farms almond milk fan for years (I adore the coconut almond milk!) but grabbed this on a whim at Whole Foods. WHOA. It is the only almond milk I actually LIKE in coffee. I mean, I can stand other almond milks, but I don’t enjoy them. To me, adding almond milk to your coffee is like adding water. It adds next to nothing. This is so much creamier than regular almond milk though. Super impressed.

Dolce Vita Studded Sandals in Gray. I love love love Dolce Vita shoes (I’m afraid to count how many times they have been in my favorites!) and got these on the first day of the nordstrom sale. They are one of the only things I could really wear “now” even though they are meant for fall, and I adore them. The color is perfect and I’m not a gray person. The studs are so cute and they are pretty comfortable too. Freaking love ’em!

KitchenAid Pro Line blender. In full discloser, KitchenAid did send me this blender a few months ago when my kitchen was being remodeled. Holy cow… I cannot say enough good things. You guys know it took me forever to buy a Vitamix, and then earlier this year, that broke. Eddie grabbed a Ninja (which we have had before) since he has a smoothie every morning because we needed something that day, and the blades dulled down within weeks. This KitchenAid blender is INSANE. 100% the absolute best blender I have ever used in my life (and I have no obligation to write about it!). It blends everything. The only thing is that it is HEAVY – heavier than my Vitamix, but it’s not like I’m ever carrying around the base. We are so crazy over this that I recommend it to everyone who asks.

Fawn Design diaper bag. So a few months ago I told you guys that I was thinking of getting the Honest diaper backpack and a ton of you commented and emailed to say I just HAD to get the Fawn one, that it was incredible. I’m at this stage where I hate to use anything but a backpack with Max – I like both hands free. And while I’ve never been one to really carry a diaper bag (since we have to drive everywhere, I just leave it in the car!), my go-to was the Rebecca Minkoff Julian backpack which I adore and wrote about in my favorites multiple times. The only problem was that it was a black hole inside, and it was sort of difficult to fit a diaper, some wipes, a snack and Max’s water without everything becoming a jumbled mess each time. So I got the Fawn Design one and oh my gosh, I LOVE IT. I’ve been using it since before we went on vacation in June and it has been perfect. The pockets on the outsides AND the insides are amazing. While I was on vacation, I saw that they restocked the mini bags, which was what I initially loved. I had bought the regular size backpack and while I love it, it’s bigger than I need right now. I knew the mini would be perfect, so I ordered one of those once they were back in stock and love that too! It’s the ideal size for one toddler. Once the new baby comes, I’ll be using the regular sized for a while – and with any long travel or days out, I use the bigger one too. Might do a big full post on it on my baby page.

While that’s been my go-bag for life, in late spring I bought a Las Bayadas bag and have been using it as our pool bag all season. It’s HUGE and amazing, not to mention neon! It fits so much – like five beach towels (I bring multiple extras for Max!), clothes, shoes, his puddle jumper – EVERYTHING. I also bought my cousin one of the blankets in the neon stripe for her birthday back in June too. I’m obsessed. Give me all the neon!

And on one more bag note (OMG, I know), I couldn’t resist and bought this hot fuschia crossbody Ted Baker bag at the nordstrom sale too. I really only use this when I don’t have Max with me and as I’ve said for years, I’m a crossbody-only girl when it comes to my purses that aren’t diaper bags. They just make everything so easy! It’s been a long time since I bought a crossbody bag that isn’t a Rebecca Minkoff MAC clutch. I love this shade so, so much and the bag fits the perfect amount.

This is certainly a random one, but last month I fell in love with stroopwafel caramel bites from Trader Joes. I have not been into sweets at all this pregnancy, and while these are still a little on the sweet side, they aren’t overly sweet. The best part of them? The TEXTURE! Oh my gosh. Like crunchy and creamy at the same time. I bought them on a whim and Max and I loved them. They are the perfect treat that you can have two of (like, actually only two!) and enjoy. How did I never try these before? Note: I just googled and saw that my friend Bridget actually did a taste test post on these!

[none of this is sponsored, just like to talk about things that I discover and love over the month. i purchased everything myself unless it was a gift from a family member or friend. tell me your faves! there may be a few affiliate links above. love love.]

The post July Favorites: Lifestyle. appeared first on How Sweet It Is.

Source: July Favorites: Lifestyle. Source: July Favorites: Lifestyle.

[sageinthegarden]

A new snapshot from https://sagesacre.com/2020/01/09/make-your-own-mustard/

Make your own Mustard

My wife loves mustard. Not the vinegary yellow liquid you get in packets at the hamburger joint, but the spicy, seedy brown stuff that’ll make your eyes water and sinuses clear along with the tongue tingling goodness. If we don’t have 10 different varieties on hand at all times, she’ll claim “we’re out of mustard!” and carry on like we’d run dry of one of life’s necessities like fresh water, oxygen or beer.

Knowing how important mustard is to my wife’s culinary health, I wasn’t all that surprised when she came home from the farmer’s market a while back with a bag of brown mustard seed. The size of the bag, 5lbs, was, however, worth an eyebrow lift.

“Are we going into the mustard business?” I asked.

“No,” she said. “But you’re going to make some mustard. I’ve looked it up on the Internet and it’s not that hard. I know you can make better mustard than them.”

I knew that last part was obvious flattery intended to make me say ‘yes’. I had never made mustard and I had no idea what the process involved. Fortunately for her, I also knew that most of the Internet isn’t all that bright, so she was probably right in this case — I could make better mustard than them.

“Ok,” I said. “I’ll make some mustard.”

The Basics

Turns out if you can make Kool-aid, you can make mustard (a win for me. I make good Kool-aid). All you need are some mustard seeds and water. Mix, let sit for a few, and, taaa daaaa… you’ve got mustard.

Ingredients to make simple brown mustard

Of course, mustard that fresh is a fiery combination of lighter fluid and rubbing alcohol — and can literally cause burns — so it has to sit for at least a day to mellow before you start slathering your food with it. But even then, it’s just a hot mustard without much subtly to it. Fine for salty snacks or adding a little kick to your sandwich, but not really the kind of thing you’d use for seasoning a pork roast or adding some high-classed zing to a charcuterie and vegetable tray. For that you want a flavored mustard where the hot mustardy goodness is balanced with something else — honey, horseradish, peppers, Belgian beer, wine, etc. — to make a tongue tingling condiment that tastes far more sophisticated than it really is.

Fortunately, creating mustard varieties isn’t any more complicated than making plain mustard. Even more fortunate for you, dear reader, a five pound sack of mustard seed and I have spent plenty of time perfecting a basic, dead simple brown mustard recipe as well as four or five variations, that you’re more than welcome to use as a starting point in your own mustard explorations. (A warning: once you make your own mustard, you’re going to be disappointed by most commercially prepared mustard).

Making Mustard

Mustard has a couple of compounds that start a chemical reaction when parts of the plant are crushed or damaged. The product of this reaction is the oil that gives mustard its pungency and heat (Check Wikipedia for details). Mixing crushed mustard seeds with water kicks the reaction up a couple notches so the mustard releases more oil over a shorter period of time.

Once mustard has been mixed with water, the heat and pungency will peak within 60 minutes and start a slow fade after that. Mustard seeds are white, brown or black. White is the mildest and the basis for your yellow American mustards. You can make this kind of mustard in the afternoon and enjoy it that night. Brown and black mustard seeds are considerably hotter than white mustard (fresh-made black mustard can actually cause chemical burns), so they need to sit a minimum of 24 hours before eating.

Left to its own devices, even the hottest mustard will eventually lose its kick. To prevent that you mix in an acidic liquid like vinegar, wine, beer, etc. to “fix” the mustard at a specific heat level. You can also add other ingredients like horseradish, honey, brown sugar, peppers and herbs to change the heat and flavor profile of your mustard. When you add your additional ingredients is really a matter of trial and error to match your personal preferences. I’ve found that I like to add a 75/25 mix of water and acid up front to keep the mustard from going full nuclear hot, and then add a little more a day later to fix it at the desired heat and pungency. Same goes for additional ingredients like honey, horseradish, and peppers.

Here’s my basic brown mustard recipe:

Ingredients

1 cup brown mustard seed (or ½ cup seed and ½ cup mustard powder for a milder, creamier mustard)

½ cup cold water*

¼ cup vinegar (regular, cider or wine) OR ¼ cup beer OR ¼ cup white wine

Salt (to taste)

*Make sure it’s cold water. Warm water doesn’t work well. Also, if you’re using tap water, let the water sit out for a while for the chlorine and minerals evaporate out of it. Otherwise you can get off flavors.

Directions

Crack your mustard seed using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle (I use a repurposed coffee grinder). No need to grind it to powder, just cracking the seed is enough.

Dump the cracked seed (and mustard powder if you’re using it) into a bowl or jar large enough to hold all your ingredients. (I use a pint jar with a lid.)

Add a pinch of salt to the mustard

Add your water and mix well (I just put a lid on the jar and shake it). Let the mixture sit for 10-15 minutes.

Add your vinegar/beer/wine (the later you add it, the mellower the mustard will be) and mix well again.

Now put the mixture in the fridge and let it sit for at least a day. Don’t worry if it seems dry and lumpy at this point. The mustard seed will soften and become creamier as it sits.

Once your mustard has rested for a day, stir the mixture again. It should be just a little dry at this point. Taste it. If it’s too hot for you, add a little water. If you like the heat where it is, add a little vinegar/beer/wine to keep it there.

Your mustard is now ready to eat! It will keep in the fridge for several months, but the heat and pungency will fall off over time. When it does, make more!

Mustard variations You can make an endless variety of mustards simply by adding ingredients after you’ve mixed the mustard seed with water. Here are a few of my favorites:

Sweet honey mustard — Add ¼ cup of honey

German sweet mustard — Add ¼ cup brown sugar

Horseradish mustard — Add 3 tablespoons of fresh horseradish

Hot pepper mustard — Add 3 tablespoons of dried, ground hot pepper or hot pepper seed

Sage mustard — Add 4 tablespoons of freshly diced sage leaves

Brown mustard ready to eat

You can experiment and come up with your own recipes too just by changing the the grind of your mustard seeds and the amount and type of the acidic liquid you use to fix the heat and pungency. The combinations are pretty much limitless.

Enjoy!

[opepin]

april: week one

03: i was so tired when i got up... i was pretty ded but i went to work anyway. i was a zombie the entire morning. all four of us met up for lunch at gene’s flatbread and i got lost on the way there LOL. we ate and then i just sat there for a while...my stomach started hurting more after lunch so i planned to leave after stand up. but the day went on and i stayed at work. i spent about 30 - 45 minutes just talking and chilling with steve and cole in their little room :P i was “john” for that brief moment in time and they told me to work at his desk whenever he isn’t there so it could be like good old times ... like a few weeks ago ahahah. we talked about wrestlemania, cars, the ferry, the view here, and also moving to a new office location. it’ll be around july when that happens so we’ll see. i hope we get to get a taste of working there one day. ;P i felt a bit better after that so i went back to my desk and worked until 5 pm. i caught up with phil at the end of the day and then cole and i headed over to cvs. he got pepsi and chocolate and i was going to get body wash but it was marked up by double the price @_@; so i just got the “black currant” pepsi.

i needed to pee but i didn’t because i thought i everyone was going to be on time LOL. but they weren’t so i peed right when we got back to the apartment. well, nluu had trouble finding bike parking, kevin left later than usual, and i think ryan entered the platform on the other side? ahha. we managed to find each other and squeeze on a train. i had to hold on to ryan’s book bag for a while and the guy next to us kept laughing at me. haha. we started making ratatouille right away and it took us a while to cook that and the salmon. the salmon with the butter lemon caper sauce was bombbbb. the ratatouille needed to be cooked for longer (we tweaked the temp and length because we were hungry). after dinner, i was not having it. i had a headache all day so i just gamed a bit and then ko’d on the bed. i woke up to really loud laughter and stuff and i didn’t want to disturb the guys so i got up, brushed my teeth, showered, and then went back to bed. i watched some videos before sleeping but i was still feeling like crap both in the head and stomach areas... i almost forgot to mention that kevin mandolin’ed some of the skin of his thumb T_T he bled a good amount but he’s alright. i think he’s in a bit of shock though...

04: i got a lot of sleep and it was awesome. i woke up without the headache but my stomach still felt iffy. everyone woke up late today. me and kevin worked from home and we’re really tired and burned out so we took it easy today. i had a good small and healthy breakfast. kevin, ryan, and nluu had homemade egg mcmuffins and some pasta?? LOL norman got pasta from fat cat and it was way too much for him to finish. he had to eat all of it before his flight at 3:45 pm today. i had calls from 12 to 2:30 pm so when nluu had to leave, i said goodbye :( it’s okay -- i’ll see him in june! he also did something to our bathroom before leaving, which was LOLOLOLOL. he was quite embarrassed. anyway, ryan drove nluu to the airport with my car after the guys played a bit of pool. i was pretty productive for the rest of the day. kevin and i worked while they were gone and got a good amount of work done.

i played ‘bravely default’ for the rest of the day basically LOL. i was such a bum. my stomach is not doing so well and my body is reacting to it so i just skipped my work out. OH, my fitbit is coming in on saturday so i’ll for sure be back on track by then! i stopped logging my food and exercise in myfitnesspal so i can transition easier. i don’t need to hold my phone to keep track of my steps anymore! we made shrimp vermicelli for dinner and watched some dave chappelle. then the guys played steam games for the rest of the night. ryan just stayed in and did some apartment hunting. i’m wishing him the best of luck! :) yeah, it was a rainy and chill day from inside the apartment for all of us.

05: lol kevin worked from home again. everyone got so much sleep. i washed all of the dishes from last night x__x and then made myself pb and banana english muffins. it was another chill af day from home. ryan and kevin rq’d the lobster rolls for dinner because we didn’t have brioche buns and we had a lot of leftovers and yeahh.... so we’re planning on making a make-shift dinner. i did some recording and kevin took a break and played a few games of overwatch while i was recording so he basically ruined two of the videos and i spent the rest of the day past 6 pm fixing them. -__- you have no idea how fucking pissed i was. i understand that he has to do his own thing but he wasn’t doing work -- he was playing games and that caused me to have to voiceover basically everything. ugh. kevin basically ignored me for the rest of the day and just spent his time with ryan.

i did a 45 minute workout and my body feels so weak after not working out for 2 days T_T then i took a nice long shower and ate some dinner. ryan bought us cupcakes and sadly, the strawberry cheesecake one was my favorite but eating any more than a few bites would have destroyed my stomach. i watched the latest episode of ‘reign’ and then everyone headed into our room to watch kevin game. well, it turned into me and ryan watching an old episode of ‘the taste’ and i think he likes the structure of the show. i’m so sad it got taken off the air though ;( i brushed my teeth and then went to sleep. i gamed a bit before going to sleep. i’m becoming too obsessed with the different classes and figuring out which ones are the best for each character @_@

06: it was a lot harder to get up than i thought. i’ve been getting a lot of sleep but it was just hard to get up. i got on the train just in time and then got to work -- it was nice seeing everyone again! steve, cole, charles, joe, and i walked over to the south station plaza area to get tenoch mexican. cole keeps going on and on about it, but guess what? the truck wasn’t there today LOL. we walked in the cold rainy weather just to find that out. so we just got food from bon me and walked back. bon me’s thai iced tea tastes interesting... i think it needs to be creamier/sweeter but it was still good. i got the pulled pork miso banh mi and it was soooo yummy -- not too salty. i ate all of it for lunch! :O i was getting full 2/3 of the way down though. it was a super productive day and then i stopped working at around 4:45 pm and then talked with steve and cole. i walked with cole to south station and then i waited for kevin. we got on and talked a bit. then we got back, i told ryan that we didn’t get tenoch LOL and then the guys played some ‘hollow knight’ while i played some bravely default. 

then they stopped, snacked, and went climbing and i continued playing until i needed to bake the chicken and exercise. i managed to do additional back and arm exercises after my dance cardio, take out the chicken, put away my gym stuff, put chicken nuggets in the oven, shower in 12 minutes, cool off the nuggets, and then wash dishes before ryan and kevin got back. woot! ryan showered, kevin started cooking chinese broccoli in a cool way and then we ate dinner. then they we all game some more until 1 or 2 am. gg ryan because he had to get up at 4 am. we left him alone, gamed a bit more in bed and went to sleep.

07: yeah, this week was real tiring for both of us. i worked from home and i didn’t feel quite motivated today, but i did work :) in bravely default, i restarted twice to beat qada because he annoyed the heck out of me. i wanted to kill him in the best way possible >:D anyway, it was beautiful outside too. it was one of those warm days where you just want to laze around outside. i did manage to record 2 videos and then got caught up in a really long stand up. kevin got back home and we actually drove to target so i could get some body wash. it was a nice day but it got colder and darker. oh well. we stopped by brookstone to try out their massage chairs -- i think kevin really wants one in the future. the one i tried didn’t fit my body correctly so the massage experience was weird. i found the new duo loofah body wash thing and decided to give it a try along with the raw sugar brand vivian suggested. 

we checked out and then headed back to brookstone to get a bit more massage in (for kevin) and then we stopped by auntie anne’s for pretzel nuggets. mmm i forgot how good their og pretzels were. kevin got the honey mustard dip and i fed him all the way back home. when we got back, we just gamed and chilled. i talked with kevin about work and it was nice just to do that while he listened. i watched him play hollow knight and played some bravely default. we ate leftovers for dinner and watched the newest episode of ‘supernatural.’ it felt weird without norman and ryan here. it was weird going back to our routine. it was nice though. we did manage to go to sleep at around 1 or 2 am after gaming a lot. what a nice day.

08: we got out of bed with just enough time to make breakfast, for me to curl my hair, to change, and get to rock spot climbing 5 minutes before the rec divisions’ prep. i met kevin’s co-worker, matt and his girlfriend, megan (sp?). i was tasked with recording and taking photos of kevin. it was hard at first but then i just took off my shoes and started following him while trying not to get in anybody’s way. i didn’t think there would be so many people there and so many people competing. @_@; the way the competition worked is that participants shopped for problems they wanted to do and each problem was assigned an amount of points depending on how hard it was. participants could try as many times as they want but attempts would be recorded and then when they completed a problem, they got the initials of the person manning that problem. so it was a lot of waiting in line and seeing people try again.

kevin did a good job! he got a problem that was craaazzy. it’s a good thing i had my state backpack because i stuck my shoes in there, i had two water bottles for kevin, and i brought kevin’s free stuff in there too. it was so handy! we met up with matt and megan before the competition ended, watched them do some problems and then we all headed to moonshine 152 to get lunch. kevin suggested it and i’m glad he did. i got he crabby eggs benedict with a mixed sweet iced tea and kevin got the french toast sticks and poutine. the eggs benedict was DELICIOUS. the poutine’s tater tots were the crispiest and most delicious things ever. the french toast sticks were aiight -- a bit too sweet. kevin and i had some of matt’s bloody mary and it was pretty good! matt said it was one of the best ones he had so it was a good time to try. it was savory and tasted like a meal... like blended hot cheeto puffs haha. we talked about restaurants, food, etc. it was fun.

we walked back to check the results and both of them were pretty high up there but didn’t make it. kevin didn’t really want to make it tbh because he was tired. we parted ways with matt and megan and then kevin drove us back. i picked up my fitbit! it’s so beautiful! i set it up and played around with it for a bit. then we spent the rest of the day gaming. he played hollow knight and i played bravely default. we ate chicken nuggets and then ate fried rice for dinner. we finished watching season 3 of ‘how to get away with murder’ @_@ omggg, too many plot twists. i don’t know if i want to keep watching this show. we basically stayed up until 3 or 4 am...haha...

09: we got out of bed at 12 pm but we both woke up at around 10:30 or 11 am. i watched youtube videos in bed while kevin played pokemon. then kevin made us egg mcmuffins and i microwaved the leftover fried rice. we ate brunch and then we headed out to our massage at the thai wellness center! it took them a bit to get to us but the massage was great. it was as great as last time and i can say that this is now my favorite place <3 she got into my back, shoulders, and neck, AND my feet. the circulation in my feet has gotten worse and it is a bit concerning so the massage helped but i’m planning on seeing a doctor about this. anyway, kevin had a great time too and after our massage, we booked our next one ;D we also added on the steam room! i’m so excited for next month already ahah.

we drove back to the apartment, kevin gamed, and i found out that someone stole my credit card information and bought airplane tickets for united. so i spent 30 minutes or so trying to get a hold of chase customer service for my credit card. no where on their website or any forum, does it say how to get a hold of one. if you call the number on the back or the numbers on the website, you just get automated messages. kevin figured out that you had to press 0 for the operator -__-” wtf. i asked the customer service rep and he said to press 0 twice to get connected. wtf. anyway, i reported fraud and then kevin and planned our meals and went grocery shopping.

we went to kam man, roche bros, and bj’s. we were so tired and hungry after. lol, kevin thought i was going to pass out or something and he called me super weird. kevin took someone else’s cart in bj’s and when he returned it, the guy stared and him and made an angry hand motion -- we were both not on our grocery shopping game LOL. we got everything and then got back, i started cleaning the apartment, kevin washed the dishes and put away the groceries, and i then i had some downtime and did some “me time” things like journaling and catching up on my tumblr haha. i called my mom and she got sick from the weather change :( then i did some exercise to see how well the alta catches aerobics’ data. it does pretty well! we ate cashew chicken and it was delicious (minus the cashews because i hate cashews T_T) and chinese broccoli for dinner. then i folded the laundry and tried exercising a bit more but it was so tired from the massage and cleaning so i showered, brushed my teeth, and ko’d at around 1 am. zzz. kevin stayed up for a bit playing games.