Pumpkin patch

Challenge: Use up 1 28-oz can of pumpkin.

Results:

1) Pumpkin oatmeal muffins. Replaced quick oats with instant apple cinnamon oatmeal lying in the cupboard, replaced half AP flour with whole wheat, mixed raisins and cranberries.

2) Pumpkin scones.

3) Pumpkin carob muffins. I've been using them ever since I made chocolate chip cookies with carob chips and nobody could tell the difference. They're healthy and cheaper than semisweet chips!

4) Ok, I am a pumpkin fanatic but even I can get a little pumpkin'd out. The bf and I didn't really feel like cooking after a late lunch on Oscar night. He made grilled cheese dill sandwiches and instead of the traditional tomato soup pairing, I made tomato pumpkin soup with parsley, chili, and soy milk. It turned out really well, except when the bf tried pureeing the soup and the lid came loose.

5) Classic pumpkin soup. Back to the basics.

After all that, I still had pumpkin left. Ended up tossing the rest. I needed a pumpkin break.

Saturday night, we went to Society in Yaletown after seeing the 45-minute wait at Chambar. It seems to be a popular place for a girls' night out as there were several tables of girls dressed to hit the clubs.

FOTD
Face
Coastal Scents HD foundation ST-004

NYX concealer stick in green (redness) and yellow (under eyes)
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer

MAC blush in Angel

Nars face illuminator in Orgasm (cheekbones)

Evian face spray

Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown

MAC paint in Untitled

Light pink (browbone) and shimmery purple-brown shade (outer half of eye) from Coastal Scents 28 Neutral palette

Anna Sui eye color in 209 (shimmery lilac on outer half and crease)

Bobbi Brown espresso eye shadow (upper tightline)

Coastal Scents Black gel liner (lower waterline)

Bobbi Brown Mica eye shadow (lower lashline)

Korean falsies from Hong Kong

Majolica Majorca mascara (bottom lashes)

Lips

Maybelline Wet Shine lipstick in Mauvelous

Lace bodysuit: Silence + Noise; Tank, rosary necklace: F21; Black pencil skirt (not shown), Prada.

We went for the mussels with garlic, shallots and Chardonnay with a side of garlic bread and fries. There wasn't much broth, but I liked the sundried tomatoes. We agreed that Chambar's mussels are still #1 though.

I was all excited to have dessert, but decided to pass. Our server was so sweet and said "ok, but I'm still going to bring you something". He came back shortly with cotton candy!

The table of girls next to us ordered the junk food platter, but we were quite intimidated by the size. The music is a little loud and the tables are a little close, but the service is great and the place is bumpin'. I left a little tipsy and very happy to a friend's house for more drinks...

Last week, I went to Daiso to look for a ceramic pot to make Korean stews in, but left with some new nails. I never tried artificial nails, but I haven't had gel nails for years and wanted to make them look pretty since they've been peeling a lot lately despite numerous coats of OPI Nail Envy and Sally Hansen 4-in-1 Complete Treatment. For $2/box, who could resist?

It took me forever to file the shape just right. I think next time I won't be such a perfectionist. I marveled at how long they were (and how my natural nails will never get that long), then realized it was a pain to do simple tasks. The bf said, "watch them all pop off during yoga".

The next morning, I woke up and decided to cut and file them to a more practical length. I thought I needed one of those professional electric drills, but they're soft enough to cut with a regular nail clipper. I feel like such a lady when my nails are pretty.

Spring is around the corner

The past two days have been cloudy after a beautiful day where Team Canada won gold in men's hockey on the last day of the Olympics, breaking the record for most gold medals and in a host country! I'm so proud.

FOTD
Face
Coastal Scents HD foundation ST-004

NYX concealer stick in yellow (under eyes)
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer

MAC blush in Spring Peach

Nars face illuminator in Orgasm (cheekbones)

Coty Airspun loose face powder in luminous translucent

Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown

UDPP

Mix of two coral shades from Coastal Scents 88 palette (outer eye)

Estee Lauder pure color eyeshadow duo in Moondust (gold on inner eye)

MAC e/s in Wisp (middle up to brow)

MAC e/s in Rice Paper (browbone)

MAC technakohl liner in Graphblack (upper)

Cover Girl soft radiants liner in Soft Cocoa (bottom)

Majolica Majorca mascara

Korean half falsies

Lips

Clinique different lipstick in Peachy

MAC tendertone in Purring

Silk slip, scarf:F21, cardigan:Talula Babaton, Boots:Minnetonka, Bag:Chanel. Rings:gifts from relatives.

This is the only thing that makes rainy days tolerable. Everyone should have a pair of rain boots, especially if you live in Vancouver. I have convinced several gfs that their Tory Burch flats and Uggs are no match for walking in the rain after they see me take those puddles head-on.

Review: Kose Softymo Collagen Cleansing Wash + Mandom Cleansing Express Moist (blue bottle)

(L) Kose is famous for their cleansing washes. This one claims to remove makeup and clean your face without having to double wash. A large pea-size amount foams up nicely and makes your face squeaky-clean without feeling tight or dry. It cost me about $5 and comes with an extra 30g. I have since ditched my DHC Cleansing Oil + Spectro Jel routine. This bottle is going to last me a long time, so it's a great value. Thumbs up!

(R) The Cleansing Express comes in two formulas: blue (hyaluronic acid) and pink (collagen). I bought the blue bottle because it seems more popular. It claims to remove your eye and face makeup in one step without rinsing. I admit I'm sometimes too tired after a late night to drag myself to the bathroom, so I use a makeup pad and a few squirts to wipe everything off. The solution is water-based. My complaint is that it doesn't seem to take off my mascara that well. I prefer the "oily" eye makeup removers such as Lancome Bi-Facil or Neutrogena oil-free eye makeup remover. However, I don't put on any of my night creams after using this and it doesn't make me break out or dry out so I'd say it cleanses pretty well. Would I buy again? Probably not. I think the cleansing wipes would be more efficient.

Hubbub

Last week I attempted to make baked bbq pork buns - the shiny, slightly sweet, caramelized brown crust ones. I always order these at dim sum, and love the mexico/pineapple bun variations.

The flat, wide ones were made by me. Dbf made the round ones and boasted that his looked better. However, mine were the ones with evenly distributed filling and packed with it!

I brushed an egg wash before baking and simple syrup wash at the end.

Too bad the other half of the bbq pork got eaten up or I would've made another batch the next day. They were soft, satisfying and not filled with fat chunks like what you get sometimes at restaurants.

Went to Hub, a lounge restaurant in Yaletown on Friday night. I did soft grey eyes and a berry lip.

FOTD
Face
Coastal Scents HD foundation ST-004

NYX concealer stick in yellow (under eyes)
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer
Coastal Scents Essence blush (sample that came with one of my orders)
MAC select sheer loose powder NC20
Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown

MAC paint in silver

Flat soft grey e/s from Coastal Scents 88 palette (lid and along lower lashline)
Bobbi Brown e/s in Rock (outer eye)

MAC e/s in Gesso (browbone)

Wet n' Wild kohl eyeliner in White (lower waterline)

MAC technakohl liner in Graphblack (upper eyeline)
Benefit Eyebright (smudged inner and outer corners)
Ardell false lashes #110
Lips
Chanel lipstick in Samoa

Shirt, liquid leggings:F21, Blazer:Talula Babaton, Shoes:Chloe, Accessories:F21, Belt:from one of my Urban Behavior dresses.

Christmas with the girls & false eyelashes clip tutorial

Hope everyone had a great Christmas! I went out for dinner at Munch in TST with A and G, then checked out G's new pad where we had a German riesling paired with crackers spread with chili crab dip, spring onion dip, camembert cheese and salmon pate. AND blueberry cheesecake... all while watching Borat and this year's Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. It was fun and filling. :P

I didn't have time to do much makeup because I was in a mad rush.

Blurry phone pic cuz we started rushing for the elevator

Eiffel tower for A!

I want more presents! Gimme gimme moreSee? I was nice...not at all NAUGHTY

FOTD
Face
Cover FX Mineral FX SPF 15 foundation
Shiseido Inoui the Enhancer concealer
Baby Pink cheeks jelly in furaku pink (I think that's what the color is - it's in Japanese)
Cover Girl cheekers blush in illuminous blush
Coty Airspun loose face powder in luminous translucent

Eyes
Prestige browliner in Earth Brown
Bobbi Brown eyeshadow in Navajo
Rimmel extreme definition two tone eye definer in fashion icon (I only used the black side)
L'oreal le kohl eyeliner in platinum
Majolica Majorca curl, curl, curl toward the sky eyelash primer
Estee Lauder Illusionist mascara
Darkness falsies

Lips
Calvin Klein lipstick in berrywood
MAC tendertone in pucker

False eyelash clip tutorial
I used to put on my falsies with my hands and use the end of a tweezer to push them into place, but since I've been more aware of beauty knick knacks lately, I decided to pick one up.

Tuke-matuge clip

Directions:
1) Squeeze eyelash glue into the cracks (the shiny part is the glue I didn't peel off from the previous use)

2) Center the falsies in the cracks and wait for the glue to become tacky (30 sec - 1 min)3) Clip the falsies close to the base -
4) Place as close to your lashline as possible and hold about 10 seconds.
Pros

• Easy to control the amount of glue (just fill the cracks)
• Adjusts the falsies closer to your lashline, and good when the falsies have lost some of their shape
  
• Less messy when readjusting (glue doesn't go everywhere)

Cons

• May still need minor readjustment
• Have to peel off the glue from the cracks and clip (well, I do it every time)
• Costs HKD26 lol

Bottom line
It's definitely more foolproof for falsie newbies and those cursed with shaky hands, plus I hated how glue went everywhere when I readjusted the falsies too much when I used to do it freehand. Thumbs up!