Coastal Scents Purchase

Just ordered a bunch of stuff from Coastal Scents. Will be doing reviews soon!

I was sooooooo tempted to buy at least one of the 88 palettes, especially the neutrals. And maybe the metals. Thank goodness the spree did not allow bulky items i.e., 88 palettes. I'll be sourcing for cheaper alternatives in the meantime.

Silicone Oil - 4 oz bottle $5.49

Supposedly works great as a primer. I'll be comparing it with the diva defense primer, which is also silicone based, but powder form.

Diva Defense Primer Sample 1/2 tsp $2.00

Rave reviews everywhere for this powder primer. I just had to try it. $2.00 for a sample portion, why not?

Concealer A - Multi Purpose 1/2 teaspoon sample $2.00

Let's see if it helps my horrid dark circles. Supposed to provide great coverage for all kinds of blemishes and imperfections.

Exotic Skin Foundation Sample Pack $4.99

Silk Cover Mineral Foundation Samples 7 Light Shade Set $9.95

Couldn't decide which to get, so I decided to get them all. Must stop impulse shopping.

Brushes:

Italian Badger Angle Blush $6.99

Pink Deluxe Oval Shadow Brush $2.39

Black Precision Pointed Detail $2.79

Black Stipler Brush $7.95

Synthetic Deluxe Crease Brush $2.79

These are some of the best rated brushes that were available. I really wanted to get the Wide Synthetic Buffer Brush. Unfortunately or fortunately, it was sold out.

Can't wait for the products to arrive!

Alla Checca. Serves 4.

Made pasta alla checca for yesterday's lunch. Again, original recipe from allrecipes.com. Checca sauce is a essentially an uncooked sauce, made from tomatoes, basil, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, and salt and pepper.

I prepared the sauce the previous night because the recipe requires it to be marinated for up to 10 hours. The next day, just boil some pasta, drain and toss it with the sauce. Tasty pasta that requires no cooking skills!

What you need:

• 5 tomatoes, seeded and diced
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 4 cloves of red onion, minced
• 1/2 cup of chopped fresh basil
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 tbsp grated parmesan cheese
• 1 pound fusili or shell pasta

Combine tomatoes, garlic, red onion, basil and olive oil in a non-metal bowl.
Stir in salt, about 1/2 teaspoon, and some pepper to taste.
Mix well and cover it in plastic wrap.
Let it sit in room temperature for about 2 to 10 hours.

After 2 or 10 hours, depending on how patient you are...

Cook pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until al dente. Drain.
Pour sauce over hot pasta and toss. Use fusili or shell pasta because it holds the sauce better.
Top it off with grated parmesan cheese.

Very simple! Use the fresh ingredients where possible, although it is still acceptable to use canned tomatoes and dried basil. Now if only I grew my own tomatoes and basil!

Great Chicken Salad

Just made the Great Chicken Salad from my favorite recipe website, allrecipes.com. I changed the recipe a little, if you want the original, click here.

I used chicken thigh because I didn't have any chicken breast in the fridge. I also used more celery because I like it crunchy. There's no need to chop it up nicely because its all going to get blended up. It is, however, wise to chop it equally sized, so that you don't get uneven chunks of chicken or celery. The easiest way to chop celery is to cut it lengthwise into the desired width, then bunch them up together and start chopping it across.

What you need:

• 2 cooked boneless, skinless chicken thighs, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 4 tablespoons mayonaise
• 4 tablespoons cole slaw dressing
• 1/2 lemon, juiced
• salt and pepper to taste

Mix the chicken, celery, mayonaise and cole slaw dressing in a large bowl. (I always use too small a bowl and end up getting chunks of food flying all over.)

In a food processor, combine the mixture. (How long to blend it depends on your preference, whether you like it chunky or smooth.)

Season with salt and pepper, mix thoroughly.

Refrigerate till well chilled.

Don't worry if its too watery, the excess liquid will be absorbed after a night in the fridge. Have it with slices of warm, toasted bread.

Olive oil as a makeup remover

I first saw this on Ricebunny's website. And after that, I saw DHC's range of olive oil products. That convinced me to give it a try. Extra virgin olive oil can't be bad for you!

What you need:

• Extra virgin olive oil
• Piece of damp cotton pad
• Small container

I always have extra virgin olive oil at home for cooking, so I poured a little of that oil on a piece of cotton wool and pressed it on my waterproof mascara laden eyelashes. After about 30 seconds, I wiped it across my eye lids gently, and pieces of cotton pad came off. The olive oil got into my eye and vision became cloudy and stung for a while. I could actually see a little bit of olive oil on my eye ball. Not good! After blinking my eyes profusely and dabbing at it with a towel, it got better. It did seem to remove all traces of mascara, but the eye area was red and sore due to the wiping.

After failed attempt 1, I decided to try again the next day. Because I was a cheapo and didn't want to spend another $30 on Fancl's cleansing oil which only lasts for 3 months. This time round, I skipped the cotton wool and just applied olive oil directly onto my eye lids. I used it as I would use the Fancl cleansing oil and just massaged gently, making sure that my eyes are tightly shut to avoid the previous day's disaster. Use enough oil so that it doesn't get too dry and you don't end up pulling the delicate skin around the eye area. Don't use too much either because it will definitely get into the eyes and sting like mad. Just use it bit by bit, adding more when needed. After gently massaging the eyelids with olive oil, wet a piece of cotton pad (squeeze out excess water) and wipe across the eye lids a few times, till all traces of eye make up is removed. Much better than using dry cotton pads.

Finally, just rinse off and continue with your regular face cleanser. Tadah! Your eye makeup should be completely removed. No signs of milia seeds or breakouts after 3 weeks of using the extra virgin olive oil as a water proof eye makeup remover. Of course, everyone's skin reacts differently, so be sure to do a test first. I only use it for my eye area because I use very light makeup on the rest of my face and my BOD cleansing milk works just fine for non waterproof makeup.

Now, for ease of use, I bought a small clear container with a flip top from MUJI to store my olive oil. Remember to store just a little at a time, and take note of the expiry date. I find that it works better than Fancl's cleansing oil. Its up to you to decide!