Beauty: Matte...changing it up for the first time!

I'm a huge fan of glossy and shiny looking nails...I mean, who isn't a fan of that?

A few years ago, I got the Essie Matte About You Top Coat as a gift for my birthday. In all honesty, I didn't really get into the whole matte phase that happened at that time and never used the top coat myself. 

I painted my nails with SpaRitual Emerald City and it looked so good. It was a bright turquoise colour that was perfect for the summer. 

All that chipping and indents! I'm so disappointed in the matte top coat...

Then, everything just changed...once I decided to use the matte top coat, I was pretty disappointed in my choice. It actually looks fine and my friends really liked the effect - but, it wasn't for me. The matte top coat toned down the colour drastically and it also made it prone to chipping. Already, I feel like I have to re-do my nails...and it has only been 2 days since I did them.

I'll definitely re-paint them again soon with Emerald City for all of you to see the true colour.

Until then...this is what I have for all of you!

-Susan

Food: FRUITS in my GINGER ALE

Just a recent self-discovery that I kicked myself for not knowing earlier. It's simple, but simple things are usually the best things.

I'm not a big soda drinker, but my family always buys boxes of ginger ale and occasionally, I'll crack out a can to have. 

After coming home from a yoga class, I wanted something to drink other than water. Sadly, there was nothing in my fridge except for water and ginger ale. I hesitated a little to opt for the can, until I thought to throw some fruits in...and at that moment, I knew I was obsessed.

In the picture above, I just cut some green grapes in half, sliced up half a peach, threw it in a mason jar, and added the can of ginger ale. I let it sit for about 30 minutes for the fruits to be infused a bit and it was perfect to enjoy for a summer day. 

Berries would definitely be another great combination for this.

Just for those who love alcohol, you can make sangria for one! Just mix in white wine in your choice of proportion - I usually like it 75% white wine and 25% ginger ale.

I really hope I don't get addicted to ginger ale, because of this...

Enjoy!

-Susan

Beauty: foundation for a new skincare regime?

Lately, my skin just sucks. 

I still can't put a finger to the reason behind my sudden skin explosion. I rarely had any problems before as small blemishes that surface never really bothered me, since I knew they would come and go as they wished to. Just this summer, my skin became overly congested, especially in the T-Zone area. Along with that, it's very dry with tons of clogged sebum/pores. On top of that, my acne decided to flare out targeting my cheek area, forehead, and nose. 

I do know that my skin is largely depended on my diet and genetics. But, I figured that my non-stable skin care routines probably contributed to this problem as well. I took a lot of time to research and carefully considered forming a new skincare routine for myself. Right at the beginning of my new search, I knew I wanted to settle for a natural skincare line. We tend to forget that our skin is our largest organ and what we put on it gets absorbed into our bodies. After an intense search,I've settled with REN Skincare (along with a one other product).

Rosa Centifolia Cleansing Gel (REN)

Healing Immortelle Skin Tonic (Holistic Vanity) 

Vita-Mineral Day Cream (REN)

When I inquired REN Skincare about my skin type to match me with their skin line, the customer relation was friendly enough to send me some small samples. Along with this, I also brought the Six of the Best set. With all these small sample sized products, it is nice to try more of their products out before I fully commit to their full sized products. Below is the list of products that I received or brought that have been incorporated into my new skincare routine:

Omega 3 Overnight Lipid Renewal Serum (REN)

Frankincense Revitalising Night Cream (REN)

Active 7 Radiant Eye Gel (REN)

Micro Polish Scrub (REN)

Jojoba Microbean Purifying Facial Polish (REN)

Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask (REN)

The products are one thing, while the commitment to stick to the routine is another. So far, I've been doing pretty well. 

I'll definitely give you guys an updated post in probably a month's time when my skin fully gets used to the products and to update you whether or not this skincare routine worked, as well as, which of the smaller sized items I actually purchased in full size. 

Until then, I have my fingers crossed for my skin to hopefully regulate itself soon.

-Susan

Food: Matcha Loaf Cake

First attempt at baking with matcha! 

After picking up the matcha latte mix from Tealish, I just had to bake with it as soon as possible. (Just a side note, you can find matcha (latte) mix in some tea stores as well as Japanese groceries stores.)

Oops, I forgot to take a photo before cutting my knife into this for a piece! 

I thought to start up basic and make a simple loaf cake. The matcha latte mix is definitely sweet and makes the cake sweet enough to eat without any frosting on top. 

This is what you'll need for this recipe:

• 1 cup of flour ( I used blending flour)
• 1/2 cup of matcha latte mix
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• dash of salt
• 1/4 cup of softened unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup of vanilla soy milk (you can use regular milk too)
• Vegetable oil

First, with a small bowl, mix the first four ingredients together. Give it a quick mix and set aside.

Using a large bowl, cream together your butter and sugar. Add one egg, mix, add the (soy) milk, mix, add the other egg, and then give it a quick mix. 

Slowly mix the dry ingredients with the wet. Make sure you don't over mix the batter - the consistency won't be thick nor watery. 

Using a little bit of vegetable oil, make sure you moist around the loaf pan before pouring your batter into it. This will prevent your cake from sticking onto your pan - it's the worse cleaning this out.

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees F and pop your pan in for 45-50 minutes. 

And just like that, the sweet matcha loaf cake is ready to enjoy.

A great cake to have along with your tea or just a snack throughout the day. It's not overly sweet, but I can see it as a dessert along with ice cream on the side after dinner. 

I hope you all enjoy this recipe!

-Susan

Tea: I caved and went to Tealish Teas

I can't remember when, but it was a while back ago...

Tealish Tea took part in offering a voucher sale on WagJag for a coupon to get $20 worth of tea for the price of $10. Without a doubt, I jumped onto that deal A.S.A.P. Since I was on the tea ban, I couldn't go and take advantage of this deal just yet. Days, weeks, and months past - I finally made time to mission out to Tealish Teas on Queen St. W. 

I came across a few baking recipes that call for the classic matcha. This is probably the main reason why I really caved and went tea shopping. 

I was torn between the basic matcha powder or the matcha latte mix ($8.95CDN). The sales associates at Tealish suggested the matcha latte mix for baking since it's already sweetened. She claims that organic matcha powder can be very strong and bitter for baking.

Since i was there, the new tins really caught my eyes. After I sniffed all the testers, I settled with a white tea called "Blueberry Lagoon" ($14.95CDN) - seems to be a good choice to the end of summer, since this blend screams PERFECT for iced tea!

Along with this, Tealish is currently having a sale to get rid of their old tins as they got new ones. For $10, I picked up an old favourite of mine - "Pomegrante Goji". Another great tea to be iced!

A mini tea haul to slowly build up my tea collection again. I'm in love with the tea tins, so I'll definitely be heading back to Tealish Teas in the near future.

Other than that, keep your eyes open for matcha baked goods to show up on this blog!

-Susan

Beauty: the end of Murad Hydrating Toner

Toner was a beauty neglect of mine. I never took the time to understand how toner can be such an important part of your skincare regime. I'm probably the worse at explaining concepts, but in one general statement: toners are in place to help balance your skin after cleansing. 

The first ever toner I used was actually the Clinique one from their 3-Step System - which, left me a bitter thought towards toner as it dried up my skin. And after that experience, I pushed toners aside for the next 4 years. After reading about toners on many blogs, I decided to give it another chance. That's when I found myself standing in the skincare section in Sephora unsure of which one to pick up back in March this year. At the time, the chilly weather really hit my skin and dryness was my main concern. The sephora lady suggested me to try Murad Hydrating Toner ($24 CND).

Before I get into my review of this product, Murad's website makes a few claims for this toner:

"Rehydrates skin and neutralizes surface impurities"

"Restores normal pH balance"

"Softens and soothes skin"

"Witch hazel to tighten pores. Chamomile and Cucumber Extract soothe irritation and soften skin"

This bottle comes in a simple plastic spritzer bottle. Nothing fancy. The toner is a light peachy colour - sorry, I didn't take a photo of the toner itself before I used the whole product up. But, the scent of this toner is probably one of my favourite scents ever in a skincare product. It must be the chamomile and cucumber extract that is bringing the nice smell out when you spray it - but, it also has more of a fruity scent. I really can't put my finger to what it exactly smells like. 

At first, the Sephora lady told me to spray it all over my face and then let it sit for a minute before applying my moisturizer. I was actually not a big fan of this method. Instead, I started pouring the product onto a cotton pad and padding it around my face for a more even application. 

Will I repurchase this product again? I don't think so. I didn't find this product beneficial for my skin. Maybe my skin was too dehydrated for this, but right after I pat the product onto my skin, it quickly absorbed away. Definitely wasn't giving me the hydration that I wished to be getting. 

The scent was nice enough to make me happy that I have at least tried this product. But, Murad products, brand as a whole, doesn't appeal to me and this is probably going to be the only product I try from them. 

Have any of you tried Murad products? How was your experience? Let me know in the comments below! 

-Susan

What happened to Susan?

It has been over a week since I've written a new blog post. It has finally hit me that summer is coming to an end. With only two weeks left, I'm trying to make the best of it and filling up my days as much as possible. Just looking back at my summer, it's pretty surreal of how fast four months flew by. Finished two courses in summer school, caught up with many of my old friends, and became a regular for pilates/yoga classes. Also, it's a continuing process of slowly moving out to my new place and learning to cook for myself. 

My friend have been working in the area near his family cottage this whole summer. He really needed some company for the last bit of summer, so he invited a group of us to join him for the weekend. A fast and brief trip - it was definitely one of my favourite highlights of Summer '13. A great deck and bay area, it was really relaxing to get out of the city for a bit. 

Of course, nothing is complete without a fire to make s'mores with. A small fire pit that everyone sat around during the chilly night while watching the stars fill the night sky. It was actually my first time ever seeing shooting stars and I saw MANY of them that night. 

I've been back and forth from the city the last 10 days. Spending  most of the time with my boyfriend relaxing and enjoying each other's company. He got me watching Breaking Bad and we're slowing getting me caught up. Also, I've been volunteering for a local organization in my area with my leftover time of summer. That is definitely keeping me occupied! 

With two weeks left, I really hope to get back to reading. My summer reading list definitely got pushed to the side, but my hope is to finish 3 more books before September creeps up. 

Other than that, I'm back to blogging and have a few blog posts in mind for you all! 

Until next time,

Susan