Here we have it… the Marni H&M leftovers which are 50% off now at the Eaton Centre. I suppose they have to get rid of the stuff somehow. All the leather items were around, the pink silk shorts, the blue wrap dress, the floral print shirt and skirt… I was a bit sad to see the peacock-esque hoody dress in the mix – perhaps other people didn’t like it as much as I did! It makes me feel a bit ripped off.
Pick it up while it’s hot!
I thought I’d really like the new conscious collection when it launched out last Thursday April 12th, but it was sadly kind of a letdown. I loved last year’s conscious collection – the fresh white dresses, crochet and scalloped shorts.
It kind of reminded of of their Garden Collection (which I also loved) that came out earlier in 2010 and also focused on the use of sustainable materials. I picked up the white version of the red dress and I still get tons of compliments to this day.
I think it’s great that H&M came out with the Conscious Red Carpet collection – you can look great with sustainable materials and just in time for prom! However, all five of the dresses I tried on looked weird. I was especially disappointed with the two piece black and white number for a total of $70 – I couldn’t even get it on as it wouldn’t stretch to fit my arms through.. The floral dress ($80) I was so looking forward to was strange at the bust due to its thick and largely robust material. It would probably fit nicely on someone much more endowed then myself. The straps were also flimsy as they were made of ribbon. The purple dress was actually really gorgeous for $70, with an open back and beautiful floral detail, but again with the “but”, the sleeves looked strange in real life.
I was hoping to try the crazy gown and the green dress on as well, but sadly they were gone in my size by the time I got to the mall slightly before the lunch time rush.
The rest of the collection was pretty, but nothing really stood out at me, except the pink crochet shorts which I gladly picked up. Funny thing is that they have lining this year! Last year’s Conscious Collection also featured crochet shorts sans lining. Maybe next year H&M!
One of the most simple poses in yoga, yet one of the hardest poses for myself to learn was the Chaturanga Dandasana. How does one transition from a plank to upward facing dog? Initially I found myself simply collapsing onto my stomach until I realized it was simply a push up. I find many yoga classes are not clear as to how to do it. This Youtube video is pretty clear and shows 3 variations for different levels!
At the same plaza of Hot Yoga Markham, a Vietnamese restaurant called Pho on 7 has opened for a few months now. The name especially in Chinese is super cute (7 仔), so I’ve been wanting to try it for a while.
It was perfect then when they had a Groupon – $20 for $10. I went for dinner around 9 last Thursday, and there were a few tables filled around the surprisingly spacious restaurant, though in terms of decor it looked pretty much like any other pho restaurant.
Upon seating, we were provided a Groupon-specific order sheet and away we go. Their regular menu had the usual Viet/Thai styled food, and extra menus for beer combos and afternoon tea sets (condensed milk toast and luncheon egg instant noodle caught my eye) which I thought was innovative and interesting (perhaps modeled after Korean and Chinese 茶餐廳 restaurants?).
Items on the menu looked expensive, as salads start from $7 and soups $8 and up. Based on other people’s reviews commenting the servings are small, we each ordered a large pho, rare beef for myself and tripe for my friend ($7.27 each), and to share spring rolls ($3.97) and grilled meatballs ($4.47).
Our pho came first, and my large was honestly huge. The amount of noodles they provided was unbelievable and I got a decent amount of meat. Unfortunately, the soup was very very bland to the point I could taste the grains of the actual noodle itself. Typically, I don’t use the sauces/seasoning that they provide on the side as I like to taste the soup, so this dish was a disappointment and a sign of things to come.
Our spring rolls came next. Perhaps we were one of the last tables of the night, so they heated up spring rolls that were fried earlier. They were chewy and not crisp as you would expect from a spring roll. The insides were yummy though.
The grilled meatballs were your typical yummy oily marinated meatballs on a skewer. I ended up eating them with my pho to give some added flavour.
I suppose in an effort to get us out of there, they gave us our bill but the total was $25? We informed them we had a Groupon (which they should already know as we told them in the beginning). The bill was redone and now read $28! Where did the extra come from? It turned out they put a 12% service charge! I normally tip around 10% at an Asian restaurant, but for a pho restaurant… I think 12% is overkill. The server then waits for me to pay, making me feel pressured to give them the full 12%.
As we left, we agreed that we probably wouldn’t come here again. The pho (a signature dish) was mediocre and the 12% service charge left a bitter after taste.
I always felt like I had huge pores around my T-zone area, especially these mini acne scars I have on my nose resulting from puberty. I’ve tried to use retin-a-micro, my trusty acne/anti-wrinkle/skin refining cream with no avail. I’ve tried Clinique’s Pore Minimizer Instant Perfector in the past, and though it does work the results are just monetary and goes away once you wash it off.
I could pay more and try a microdermabrasion or see a dermatologist for solutions, but on a whim I got Clinique’s Pore Refining Solutions Correcting Serum instead. Selling for $39.50, it promises to do the following:
Pore Resurfacing Complex quickly, gently clears out debris and rough flakes. Pores ‘snap back’ into shape. In 2 weeks, pores look 58% smaller. Guaranteed. Over time, help skin create stronger supports and healthier cells to see more improvement.
The girl that sold it to me claimed she’d used this all over her face! For me, I stuck to the area around my nose. The serum is creamy and once applied on the skin, it gives a matte appearance and feels silky upon touch.
I’ve been using the product on and off for the past half year already, and I can definitely say that there has been an improvement. I’m not sure if it’s 58% smaller in 2 weeks as advertised, but my pores do look smaller and my skin smoother so I think it does the job as advertised.
Would I buy it again? I suppose it depends how badly I feel like my pores need work, but for $40 it’s pretty expensive. I may as well buy Japanese nose masks instead.
I never paid too much attention to Fruits and Passion, and in fact have never entered their stores all my life until a friend gave me one of their body washes as a birthday present. The body wash was in Grapefruit Guava scent – I’m a huge fan of fruity scents and it was wonderfully refreshing.
Normally, I wouldn’t use body butter, but last winter in desperate need to hydrate my skin, I got the Fruits and Passion body butter in grapefruit guava. Similar to their body wash, the cream smells great though it is very thick and probably the heaviest I’ve ever used. Initially sticky, it surprisingly absorbs very well with a nice hint of grapefruit after scent.
The only con is that it’s pretty expensive, even on sale, it was $10 for 200 ml! I say it was nice to splurge, but I wouldn’t use it on a daily basis! If you can afford it, highly recommended for dry skin!
I’ve had the Laneige Snow BB Cream since last fall, but I find myself using the Missha and Faceshop BBs so much more as they offer much more coverage, but more on that later.
I decided to try the Laneige because I’d use their skincare products before and quite liked them, and as they have a full makeup line, I figure it couldn’t be too bad. The sales girl at the store (who was pretty and had nice skin) told me she was wearing it, so I figured why not give it a try?
The Laneige BB cream contains the following properties:
The BB cream comes in two shades, a darker one in a matte colour and a lighter one with a hint of shimmer. Based on the salesperson, I was better suited for the lighter shade. Plus, as she added, wouldn’t I rather glow under the cold of the harsh Canadian winters? She does have a point.
The back of the container
Note that one has the shake the container prior to using as the solution tends to be a bit watery. Even shaken, the liquid on its own is more on the runny side than other BBs that I’ve used, though it spreads well like a skin emulsion/lotion emulating a pleasant smell as I spread it across my face.
After shaking the container, it comes out well.
Pros:
Cons:
Case in point, the redness is my cheeks is lighter but it’s not enough to hide it from view. My face does look nicer, brighter and it seems that I have a nicer complexion, but it does not offer much more else.
If you just want very light coverage that very moisturizing, then this may be the product for you. For me, I find that it does not offer me enough coverage but it’s great if you just want a hint of coverage with a small glow!
I was lining up to get in a bar on St Paddy’s day the past weekend, when my friend had to go, so the boyfriend and I changed course and went out for dinner instead at Don Don Izakaya.
To be honest, I haven’t been on Dundas for a while and I had no idea a new restaurant, specifically an izakaya, had opened until I discovered by chance through a friend’s Facebook check-in.
Don Don Izakaya is located on Dundas St West, between Bay St and University and within a 5 minute walking distance from the Eaton Centre. It had less than stellar reviews on Urbanspoon but I went in with an open mind – I figure the worst that can happen is that I don’t like it and never go again!
It’s located on the upper floor above Topcuts and a nail salon. I think if one were walking on the street, it can be easily missed as the sign downstairs is quite subtle. I arrived a little before 6 pm on a Saturday and it was surprisingly… pretty full for a day when everyone’s out at the pubs!
Similar to Guu Izakaya, its staff consist entirely of Japanese people and guests are welcomed in with shouts and the bang of drums. We were seated by the bar, which was great as we got to see everything in action. The waiters use ipads to take orders – what a great use of technology!
We started off with their themed St Patrick’s Day drinks, where I got the Matcha Kalula and him the Matcha Capico. Both were good, though it depends how much you like matcha. The matcha with the kalula tasted heavy with a very strong green tea taste compared to the capico that was light and refreshing.
Next came the Wasabi Seaweed chips which were really delicious. They were basically seaweed deep fried, with wasabi dressing on top. I only wished the bottom chips were coated with sauce as well!
The cook in charge of skewers were right in front of us, making skewers non-stop, so I got the bacon wrapped asparagus skewer which was pretty good as well.
The Atlantic Salmon and Egg Salad (bottom left) was a featured item on their menu so I decided to try it out. Unfortunately, the amount of salmon in there is minimal so all you really get is an egg salad and a large piece of bacon. As much as I love eating eggs, I found this dish to be a tad disappointing.
The salad was followed by the Fwhat Fwhat Steamed Pork buns. The buns weren’t as good as the most amazing delicious ones I had while in NYC, but they were still very good. The bun was super soft and it tastes like eating Chinese peking duck with oyster sauce (in a good way).
Next, we got another one of the menu recommendations – the soy milk tofu. It comes with a little jar of slightly salty sauce. I wasn’t a huge fan of the tofu either. Another recommendation fail. I didn’t really enjoy the flavour of the tofu with the sauce, though without it, it tasted bland!
The next menu item was the steamed shabu shabu. Flavour-wise it tasted good with the sauce, but why did the chef choose to make it look so bland to the point that it looks a bit unappetizing, with a few slices of pork belly on top of bean sprouts and the occasional mushroom! I probably could’ve done without it.
I could not help myself and ordered the bacon wrapped mushroom skewer. You really can’t go wrong with bacon, so this was good too, though I preferred the avocado version more.
The boyfriend was captivated by the Tokyo Style Hot Dog, so we gave that a try. In all honesty, it is simply a hot dog, but the flavours they top it with was amazing. This gourmet hot dog was pretty delicious, though I still didn’t quite figure out what’s meant by “Tokyo Style”.
We couldn’t decide which dessert to order, so the boyfriend spoiled me with not one, but two desserts! Both were really good in its own way. The green tea mousse was more of a jelly than a mousse, and topped with sweet red bean for flavouring.
The caramel pudding was really good if you like custard. I really quite enjoyed this one over the mousse as I found the red bean to be overly sweet.
Maybe it’s what I ordered, but I wasn’t blown away by the experience. At the same time, I would be open to coming here again. Certain dishes were pretty good, and it’s new and clean. It offers a good alternative to Guu given that its dishes are totally different so there’s a few I’d still like to try like their croquette and the udon. Service was pretty good and the staff was pretty fast in taking our plates away. For 10 dishes and 2 drinks, it wasn’t exactly cheap, with our final bill adding up to $60 something plus tip and tax, but it was a nice night out. Worth giving it a try!
The L’Oreal Warehouse Sale is in Toronto again… and it started today! Guess who was lucky enough to go on the first day? 
I haven’t been to the L’Oreal sale for a while because the tickets are hard to come by! You have to know someone because the tickets go to friends and family only for the most part.
I didn’t plan to buy too much to be honest… but somehow this ended up being my haul.
Surprisingly, there weren’t many people although this may be because I went in the day time. They still had a lot of stock of almost everything (except their vibrating mascara). There were a ton of Polo and Armani perfumes, Maybelline makeup, L’Oreal hair products/makeup, Garnier wipes and hair, Vichy, La Roche Posay, Biotherm… and a small selection of Essie, Shu Uemura and Kiehl’s.
I didn’t know that L’Oreal owned Essie!!! They were $6 each and all the colours were so nice, so of course I grabbed a few! I also got a L’Oreal French tip. Except for the dark purple and the grey, all of them look absolutely summer ready!
Although there was no tester, my sharp eyes zoomed in upon Essie’s all in one top and base coat and of course picked one up! I’ve never used an all in one, but I have Essie’s base coat at home that I use and it works pretty well so I have faith in this product.
Next, I went crazy over Shu Uemura. I got the Reindeer Kiss and Graceful Bloom palettes that I wanted so badly last year but never got because it was too expensive! I also picked up two lip glosses from the same Takano collaboration in “Love Apricot” and “Harmony Pink”
I also picked up my upcoming new skincare regiment: anti-aging for the day and whitening at night! Whoohoo! I’ve used the Primordiale night cream before and I quite liked it, so the day cream is exciting! This will come once I’m done using my stuff from the Shiseido warehouse sale last time.
As mother’s day is coming up, I got some souvenirs for the mother as well. The L’Oreal lipsticks were only $3 each and they still had the nice colours!
I also got the Garnier face wipes (because who doesn’t want handy wipes) and Ombrelle sunscreen. Doesn’t feel like I bought a lot, but they really add up! Back to the saving game… -___-
I recently got the Face Shop Face it Oil Cut Dual BB Emulsion, a BB cream with SPF20. I’d asked a friend going to Hong Kong to bring me back BB Cream from there, though I didn’t realize til after that the Face Shop actually has 18 BB creams listed on their website depending on your skin type and what you’re looking for!
It is a lot cheaper than Missha, retailing at around $20 USD for 40 ml. From its online description, the Oil Cut Dual BB Cream can be used by all skin types, but it targets those particularly with black heads and pores.
What’s interesting about it is that in addition to the BB cream itself, it includes a small concealer within the cap for added coverage for skin imperfections.
It blends well as a BB cream and the colour after it oxidises is very flattering for my skin tone. Also, I like how a concealer is included should you feel that you need extra coverage that day. It provides pretty good general coverage while staying relatively light on the skin.
The Bad
The cream has a slight minty scent and it’s not too bad, I think it’d be better unscented.
Before is on the left and after on the right. The red pigmentation is hidden away after using the BB
Final Thoughts
In comparison to Missha, the colour is more natural but the former has more colours to choose from and stronger coverage. For an every day look, the Face Shop’s Oil Cut Dual BB Emusion is the way to go!
Twitter: jealousofmyskin
