just a little update~

I was finally able to watch Resident Evil 4!
Finally! Though i wasn't able to watch it in 3d since there are no tickets left & i don't want to wait for hours just to be able to watch it for i still have classes during the weekend.

I said before that i  am a great fan of Resident Evil... I have played the game, watched the CGs, & of course i will never miss the movie. I hate movies that have part 2 or 3 & so on, but i make an exception for Resident Evil.

I won't spoil the story for those who haven't watched it yet... I may be a fan but im not the type that is influenced over my likeness for something. I think the effects are good... but the story is just mediocre. I'll be looking forward for the next Resident Evil...

*otaku mode on*
I'm more of a Jill Valentine fan, but Claire Redfield is still a pretty good character. Sienna Guillory Well, considering that there are just 2 female characters... But i wonder if they would be including Leon Kennedy somehow.

I hope if ever they would decide to include Leon that they would choose a hot & rugged actor like Jensen Ackles (who i think is actually very suitable to be Leon for Jensen got that 'cold' look when he is annoyed or crossed). Leon Kennedy is my most favorite RE character. I have watched RE:Degeneration over & over again just to go 'Kyah, Kyah!' over him.

*clears throat*
Anyway, let's go back to random things...

I was with Walter, of course, & we decided to try eating at Kangaroo Jack's. The place was crowded & bustling, which i think is a good sign for it means that the food might be good.

Walter ordered Steak Ala Pobre & we were surprised with how big the serving of the rice is. Compare to the usual restaurant where most serving are just a cup (or make that half-cup most often) each serving, this one isn't. This is good for hearty eaters!

Then we also ordered Beef & Mushroom as an appetizer...i think..
It taste good but nothing special..i feel that this is something that a person can easily whip up at home if you have Worcestershire & Oyster sauce..plus a few spices. I think i need to try it..

Mine is just Spaghetti Meatballs. I think it actually tasted pretty good!
It's spicy with a hint of sweetness & sourness too. I think most filipino would love it since we prefer sweet pasta sauces. I'm not really into sweet sauces, but i don't mind this because it's spicy & the savory flavor are there.

We also ordered Cream of Mushroom soup but i forgot to take a pic for we have been busy talking & eating too. It was a bit salty though... We paid for Php 572 all in all together with 2 regular iced tea & a service charge... can't exactly remember how much the service charge is though.. But i think the price is not that bad...

Then the other day i went to Etude House to check if they have the Eye Primer already & was i glad that they already have it!

Yokatta na! Thank goodness!
I was seriously thinking of buying UDPP which is a lot more expensive. So i bought 2 since i have reviews about this primer saying that this is actually a good alternative to UDPP too... sugoi,ne?

Will do a review once i've really fully tested it. I just have to grab Pocky for it's been a while since i have not eaten it for quite sometime.

Never realized that Pocky with Almonds are way more expensive than the regular ones. I mean, i know it should be but it's almost 3x the price of the regular ones...

Then when i went shopping at the SM Hypermarket the other day, i saw this... Simba Natural  Mosquito Repellent Sticker... see that kawaii lion peeking at the hole below? I think it looks adorable. I was sold with that cute sticker.

Naturally, i was curious too...
I have been using it for a couple of days now & i think it does work..but only for a couple of hours. Doesn't really work for 72 hours.

I had a very relaxing days the past week for it was holiday in Korea & my students were on vacation so i was able to spend time for myself. Whoopee!

I'm slowly saving up for Christmas. I don't think i'll be buying as much gifts as i used to before because i always ends up buying stuff for me when im in the mall. So i'll probably just be giving money away for my godchildren... but i;m still not sure. I have to think of my birthday first before Christmas! I'll really be turning a year older again.. (-__-')

I'll be going on a swimming spree this weekend for it's my bff's birthday! How fun! I'm so looking forward to it!

Anyway, that's just a little update so that you know i haven't really abandoned my blog.hehe. I'm just a silent reader & i do try to leave love messages in the posts that i read. This is my 2nd post for this week.. hope i'll be able to do a 3rd post.

Hope y'all have a great day!
^_^

I'll try to post a weekend nail maybe tomorrow~

Food: Homemade Yogurt~

Yogurt has been around for thousands of years & has been commonly used for dips, soups & as a healthy snack. Milk undergoes the process of fermentation by certain bacteria which results in it being thick & tangy which we know as yogurt. So we are eating bacteria that actually aids in digestion.

I'm sure that a lot of you include it in your diet, especially for those trying to lose weight. I think yogurt is actually expensive if you buy it in that small container. What if you are on a yogurt diet & loves to snack on yogurt?

A small container of yogurt that measures 125g is sold for Php 25 each ( $.57)
What if you buy it for the whole family? Let's just say a family that has 4 members eats yogurt everyday.
Mum would have to spend Php 100 ($2.28) everyday, Php 700 ($15.96) every week & Php 3000 ($68.40) for the whole month just for yogurt.

Personally i think it is expensive although we know that there's no such thing as 'spending too much money for your family's health', since we only want what's best for our family.

But did you know that you can just buy it once & would never have to buy again..ever?!
You can keep that Php 3000 & spend it somewhere else. Uso ja nai! I'm not lying!

You can make your very own yogurt at home in just a day. Honto!

It's all thanks to my student, Sue.
We were just talking about random things one day..asking how she spent her day & same with mine. Then i told her that i went to this yogurt parlor & from then on we talked about it. She said that she loves homemade yogurt & since i am always inquisitive, i asked her how she makes it. I was surprised that it sooooooo easy to make yogurt! It doesn't even require any special tools at all!

When i made my first batch of yogurt i was actually quite skeptical. I was thinking that this would be an utter failure for i have this idea that something sold expensively should be needing rocket science in concocting it. But i was wrong!

It was a success!

I still can't believe that i made these for just 1 day! I made a Strawberry flavored yogurt & just a plain yogurt. It taste the same as those store bought ones. I asked my mum to try it... she said ' oh!you bought Nestle yogurt?' i said 'NOOOOO!!! This is my own yogurt!' Her eyes went big!

Bwahaha!
Now i can save the money that i use to buy yogurt & just spend it somewhere else... Happy ol' me!
If i can do it, so can you. Even kids can do it.

You just need milk & yogurt... plus a lot of patience. That's it!
So let's start..

I bought i carton of milk that measures 1 liter & a small tub of yogurt.
If you want to use a low-fat milk feel free to do so. I just haven't tried using soya milk though... I try to not eat/drink anything that has soya in it for i think i am already suffering from rheumatism for my knees are somewhat painful when the temperature is cold.

We know that yogurt contains bacteria. We know that bacteria thrives if the environment is wet & warm. That's all we need to know in yogurt making.
^_~

Most people actually heat the milk up to almost boiling point. In my case, i don't because letting the milk reach boiling point is tricky... i won't go into details about the milk substances & reactions, just know that boiling milk would require you to keep an eye on it all the time since it can burn easily therefore altering the taste.

I pour the milk on a pan ...

Heat it up for 30 seconds at most just to make the temperature a good breeding ground for the bacteria.

Most milk being sold in the grocery are already sterilized so you don't need to boil it anymore to kill any bacteria. You can actually just let the milk stand on your kitchen counter for an hour at the most so that it would be at room temperature. But then if you are having fresh milk delivered straight to you by the milk man then you can boil it to make sure that it is sterilized.

Pop the lid open of the yogurt

 1 liter of milk would need 1 tablespoon of yogurt. So scoop an ample amount of yogurt...

Then add it on the milk.
Whee!
I can hear all the bacteria rejoicing since they have a new breeding ground! Give it a good stir.

Then cover it.
I wrapped the lid in a cloth so that there would still be enough air. Then just let it stand in room temperature on your kitchen counter for 8-12 hours.

Voila!
After12 hours you were able to turn milk to yogurt. Magic,eh?! See how thick it became?

Then just transfer it in a big container for storage. 1 liter of milk will yield 1 liter of yogurt...but if you will strain the whey you'll be getting a glass of it, so it might be down to 3/4 of the mixture. But it's still a lot.

Just a little note though... straining the yogurt will make the yogurt more tangy. But i think you can keep yogurt longer if you strain it. So if you don't want a really tangy yogurt, don't strain the whey. Or you could strain the whey, keep it, then just add it when you want to eat a less tangier yogurt.

What's great about making your own homemade yogurt is that you can choose to just have it plain or fruit flavored. I fancy strawberry for today...so i made a strawberry yogurt...

How?
Just mix it with your choice of fruit preserve!

 

Simple, eh?

Now, i would just want to say that homemade yogurt has this slimy texture compare to store-bought yogurt. You can get rid of it by straining the whey. I think this is how Greek Yogurt is also made.

Greek Yogurt have a very thick & creamy texture compare the ordinary yogurt... almost like this.

That's why it's perfect for making Tzatziki!
*sudden craving for greek foods*
Yum! love that dip!
Hmm.. now that i think of it i ought to invent my own tzatziki too.

So, again, if you want to have a thick yogurt then strain it to remove the whey using a piece of cloth..not cheesecloth,ok? I used 2 pieces of cloth to strain it but 1 will do.

It's better to strain it for at least 8 hours to really get rid of the whey. Don't throw the whey, you can still use it for marinating/thawing meat because milk is a good tenderizer.

Hey, you can do the yogurt mask every now & then!

Well, there goes my second recipe post!
Hope you'll try making this homemade yogurt. It will save you a lot of money plus you can even make different flavors from the plain yogurt.

Jaa~!
^_^

Eyelook:Silver Smokey Eye

Following up on my post yesterday, this is the tutorial on how i made it.

 I just used the 88 palette, if you don't have the 88 palette im sure that you could just use a silver eyeshadow, a dark brown eyeshadow, a red orange color & black.
 
I've numbered the colors that i used based on how i applied it.

Number 1 is the color for the lids
Number 2 is an all over wash for the upper lid area
Number 3 is to create that warm sheer glow just below the brow
Number 4 is to deepen the color
Number 5 is for highlighting

Well, let's start:

• I've primed my lids using ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer & put a little lip balm on it so that the eyeshadow would really stick. Then i applied a sticky tape on the side so to create that neat winged look

• Then using a pencil liner i made a guide so to make sure that i know the exact place where i would start blending. 

This is a good step for those who got monolids but would want to sport dramatic smokey look. For those who are already used to doing smokey look, you can skip this, but if you are a beginner & needs a guide then feel free to do so.

• Using an angled brush, i smudged it out for again this would only serve as a guide. 

For those who are used to applying eye make-up, you could create a sharp cut in the crease by just blending the colors towards the brows.

• Then apply a silver-colored (number 1) eyeshadow on the lid area. 

Apply it by doing a patting motion to be able to pack as much color as you can on the area.

•  Then using a blending brush apply the dark brown (number 2) color in a circular motion on top of the silver shadow.

Doing it in a circular motion will blend the silver shadow with the dark brown therefore removing the harsh line that you created when you applied the silver shadow.

• For a touch of warmth, add a red-orange shadow (number 3) on the upper-outer area with the same circular motion.

This is how it will look like once you have blended everything all together.

• Let's add some depth on the look by applying black (number 4) on the outer area only.

Do it in a circular motion. Key to a good smokey eye make-up is blending. You should not see any lines/edges of color when you are rocking a dark smokey eye look.

• To make sure that you have blended everything together, i highly suggest that you get a clean blending brush to do some more blending.

You can't do enough blending...

•  Then highlight the look by applying a light,almost-white shadow (number 5) in between the brow & your eye make-up.

 Don't forget to bring down the color by applying silver on the inner half..just like in the pic... and the black shadow on the outer half.

•  Line your eyes to define the shape. Bring it also to your waterline,ok?

Feel free to use any liner that you want to. In my case, i just used a pencil liner then i set it with a black shadow.

• Curl your lashes & apply mascara or use falsies.

In order to rock the dark smokey eye make-up you should make sure that your lashes are really curled for this will open up your eyes.

Sorry if this is different for this was the pic that i took last night. I don't feel like applying heavy coat of mascara today so i just used this pic. And this is my real lashes!
 
Majolica Majorca Lash Enamel + Fiberwig Mascara = Va Va Voom Lashes!
isn't it?
I am already fretting because i don't know where to buy Fiberwig & i don't want to order online anymore.

This is not really hard to do, you just need the right tools to be able to do a smokey eye make-up.

Anyone can do it! Take my word!
Just make sure that you go for neutral lips when you do dark smokey look,ok?

Do you like smokey eye make-up?
What's your favorite color combination?

Hope y'all have a great day,ladies!
Jaa~!
^_^

rants & ramblings:renewing my love for eye make-up

I want to renew my love for doing eye make-up for lately i have been doing the simple make-up look. I decided to experiment with my eyeshadow palette & came up with this look...

I haven't posted an eyelook for quite sometime... though this one is not really a tutorial for i want to do the tutorial when it is in broad daylight. I mostly experiment in the evening & i actually did it in just my left eye.Sorry about my messy brows.

This is how it looks like on the whole face so that you would have an idea..

I haven't touched my 88 palette for like 8 months so i wasn't able to do a good job in picking the colors...i think..what do think?

I hope that this would actually make me love doing eye make-up again..on which, i have been searching high & low for an eye primer here in the Philippines. Whenever i check E-bay, i would only see some Urban Decay set, which im not really interested in buying since i only need an eyeshadow primer.

Now, i have tried The Urban Decay Primer Potion, Too Faced Shadow Insurance & also ELF Mineral Eyeshadow Primer...on which all of them works for me... even the ELF Mineral Eyeshadow. It didn't crease on me! How awesome is that?!

I've been meaning to do a review on it... but i have lost all my files before so i wasn't able to, but I think for the price that i paid for it exceeded my expectation!

So, does anybody know where i can buy a primer locally? I am really trying to avoid buying abroad for i have become quite impatient & can't abide the waiting time anymore. But mind you, it doesn't mean that im willing to buy it at an exorbitant price. I know that the usual price range of UDPP here in the Philippines is at around $23. Do you know where i can buy it at around that price range? I think buying it for $27 is too much...

Last time i dropped by Etude House in SM Manila they don't have the Proof 10 Eye Primer...
Is it already available?

Tasukete kudasai...
I want to be able to do eye makeup once more & i can't do it without a proper primer.

On the other hand, my zits are drying up already i guess it is because of the soap that i am using.
Yatta!
I will be making a review for that soap, but let me tell you that it's not your usual face soap, in fact it's not a soap that should be used for the face... with that in mind, i guess some filipinas would have an idea about it already. I won't spill the beans yet for i don't want it to just stop working for me..im not really superstitious but i'm calling all the shots just to be able to dry out my zits.

Well, for those who are celebrating the Vernal Equinox, hope that you'll be able to have a great celebration. Koreans are celebrating Chuseok while Japanese celebrate Shunbun no Hi... so for those who will be celebrating the mark of autumn, hope you'll have a happy one.

Until the tut for this look.

Have a happy day,mina-san!
Jaa~!
^_^

Weekend Nails:Ichigo Daisuki!

We have to admit that strawberry is 1 of the cutest fruit out there, which makes it almost a 'symbol' for anything cute..hehe. Nail design is no exception for i decided to use strawberry as my main star for my weekend nails.

Sorry if it looked uneven because my nails are uneven ... my ring & little fingernails are square, while my pointer & middle fingernails are a bit rounded. I experimented on what shape this design fits the most.

Materials used:

• Base & Top Coat
• Red Nail Polish
• Green Nail Polish
• Black Nail Polish
• brush with thin long bristles
• Dotting tool
• White Nail Polish (optional)
• Rhinestones (optional)

The pics on the strawberry tutorial is dark because i did this design in the evening... i did the flowers in the morning so it looks a lot better.

Don't worry, this is not really very hard to do. I'll take you every step of the way.
^_~

Ready?

• Apply Red polish

• Using a brush with thin bristles (in this case, i actually used an old liquid liner brush-Fashion 21 liquid liner) to apply the green polish at the base of your nail to draw the hull. You don't really need to do a uniform look when drawing the hull.

•  Then outline the hull with black polish so to really outline its shape.

• Add some small lines at the hull like so.. so that it would look better.

• Then using a dotting tool (or hairpin) add random dots on the berry.

I think it looks cute enough as it is...

But for additional cute factor, I decided to add some flowers. I add 4 white dots for the petals...

Then to have that cute petals, using your smallest dotting tool (or just a pen that doesn't have an ink) put the tip on the center of the dot, then drag it towards the center to create that line..like so.

If you do that, it would look like this... way better than an ordinary dot flowers, ne?

I added rhinestones on the center of the flowers... it's been a while since i used my rhinestones. But then using dots is good too!

Well, there ya go!
I sported this today & i got a lot of compliments with this design.

Hope you try it!
have a great weekend,ladies!

Jaa ne~!
^_^

an online shop for plus-sized women

Yes, my fellow plus-sized pinays!
There is one that caters to our voluptuous shape.
It's none other than Kaiplus!

This is a good online shop that we can count on for our big needs. There are a lot of online shops out there but there aren't a lot that answers our plus-size needs. It makes us feel 'unloved' when it comes to online shopping for we don't have much choice. To think that there is a big market for plus-size clothes.

Hey, not everybody has the Coca-cola type of body that has been set as like the ideal body type! I think there is a big number of overweight people who also wants to look & feel good. I, myself, am included in that. So why don't those business-minded people take advantage of it?

I have been stalking Sis Kai's online shop for quite sometime now. Although i have shopped for a couple of times already, but i mostly buy beauty products. So this is definitely something new to me because i have always been wary of buying clothes for my frame. Like there was a time when i went to buy clothes on a department store. There was a XXXL size of top that i wanted so much but when i tried it, it doesn't fit my bust line.

Imagine my horror!
XXXL and it still doesn't fit me?!
made me feel as big as Barney!
TT_TT

But then when i tried going around, i saw this Large sized top which i think fits my frame, when i tried it on, it's quite big for me! What the heck is wrong with this sizing?! But seriously though, it made me feel somewhat relieved knowing that sizes differ on different brands. That it doesn't mean that I am really THAT big.

The only thing that i really am sure of is using the US size for that is consistent. In that case, I mostly stick to imported brands since im sure that it will fit my frame.

Then in comes Kaiplus, with clothes that sells clothes with US sizing which makes it really so much easier for the buyers to know what are the exact sizes. They even provide the dimensions of the clothes if they fon't have the US size. And they are way cheaper than buying it on the store.

I, for one, don't really care so much for brands. There was a top that i bought at Landmark for only Php399 that has been my ultimate favorite compare to the clothes that i have bought from expensive boutiques.

I have bought 2 tops from her mostly because i was thinking that if it won't really fit me then it's not really much of a big deal since it's cheap & no effort at all because it will be delivered straight to me.

I love this tube top because it fits my frame perfectly. I love tube tops...now the only thing that i need is a bolero.

Would you believe that this top could actually fit a size 12 to size 24?!
Yes! It does!

They have a wide selection of apparels..from tops & bottoms to belts, vests, swimming suits, shoes, footsies, etc! You can just let your fingers do the talking & you can be garbed from  head to foot.

I think this shop is really a good shop for all plus-sized women on the go!

You can hop on HERE to read about their shopping guidelines. Feel free to drop Sis Kai a shout out on YM or send her a personal text message. She is really friendly!

If you don't have the time to go shopping & wouldn't want to spend lots of time browsing other stores & paying lots of money but is willing to wait for a day or 2 to get your items, then i highly recommend that you try out Kaiplus.

I'll try & take pics of the stuff that i bought but im not really much into modeling & stuff so i fear that i will just murder the look of it. hehe. But i can see myself buying from her..because her site is the one that i always have on 1 tab of my browser. I don't want to miss anything.

Hope that this would help out my fellow pinays out there who are looking for places to buy plus-size clothes.
Tell her that i said hello if you plan to drop by her site.
^_~

Jaa ne~!

disclaimer:
I wasn't paid to advertise the website. It's my personal choice to let you, guys, know about this great site. I remember a couple of girls asking me where i buy my clothes & this is such a good news to share to everybody.