Saimese: 2015

Saturday, March 7, 2015

My FAV Lippies from #30DaysofLipstick

I thought I'd compile a list of my favourite/most used lipsticks out of the 30 that I posted for #30DaysofLipstick. I wasn't trying to aim for my top 5 or top 10, but I ended up with 10 anyway.

Day 1: Gerard Cosmetics lipstick in 1995

Day 11: Sonia Kashuk velvety matte lip crayon in 08 Mulberry Nude

Day 24: Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip lip liner in 14C Light Rosewood worn all over the lips
I usually use this as a lipliner & mix it in with another lipstick or all over the lips with another lipstick all over too because I find that it feels a bit too drying on its own.

Day 27: Revlon matte lipstick in 009 Fabulous Fig
This is one of the first matte lipsticks that I purchased & it's still one of my faves. I usually apply this all over the lips + Revlon matte lipstick in 007 In the Red in the center of my lips & blend that in.

Day 19: Sephora cream lip stain in 04 Endless Purple (Discontinued)

Day 9: Revlon ColorBurst matte balm in 225 Sultry
I usually apply a light layer of this instead of opaque, but that really depends on the rest of my makeup & mood.

Day 29: Mary Kay creamy lip color in Retro Rose (Limited Edition)

Day 23: Wet n Wild MegaLast lip color in 916D Ravin' Raisin + Sephora cream lip stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed applied lightly all over & blended in while it was still wet

Day 20: Annabelle Cosmetics lip liner in 420 Blush all over + Maybelline color sensational creamy matte lip color in 660 Touch of Spice

Day 30: Dose of Colors liquid matte lipstick in Berry Me

If you haven't already noticed:

- I have a comfort zone & pinks are not a part of that.

- For bold lips, I tend to lean towards berry tones these days.

- I have always loved matte lips & that love is still strong.

Do you have a comfort zone when it comes to lippies?

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

My-Sweet-Take-on-Tabbouleh Salad (Gluten-Free | GF)

I have a special spot in my heart for quinoa. It's versatile, filling, & known for it's high protein content. One day I bought quinoa from Bulk Barn & on my way out of the mall, I walked by a Mediterranean restaurant at the food court called Villa Madina. I've had tabbouleh plenty of times, but as I glanced over the tabbouleh this time, the first thing that crossed my mind is that I could use quinoa as a substitute to make tabbouleh.

Since then I've been using quinoa to make tabbouleh salad instead of bulgur wheat which is used in traditional tabbouleh recipes. However, the other day while making tabbouleh, I was snacking on red grapes & I thought red grapes would taste really nice with this salad.

I loved the end result, so I thought I'd share the recipe. I must warn you though, I don't have exact measurements. It all depends on your liking - if you like a lot of lemon juice, onions, or salt, then go for it. Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of the strong flavour of parsley, which is a bit odd considering that parsley is one of the main ingredients in tabbouleh. But that's exactly why I didn't add as much parsley as most people would & added more grapes instead.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of chicken broth
- OR 1/3 Maggi chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 cup of water
1/4 cup quinoa
1/2 English cucumber
2 tomatoes
1/2 red onion
40 seedless red grapes
handful of mint
2 to 3 handfuls of flat-leaf parsley
juice of 3/4 of a lemon
salt
ground black pepper

Method:

Bring the chicken broth (or 1/3 chicken bouillon cube dissolved in 1/2 cup of water) to a boil. Add the quinoa & let it cook for 20 minutes or till the quinoa absorbs all of the liquid & it is cooked properly. Once it is cooked, let it cool. If there is some liquid remaining & the quinoa is already cooked through, use a sieve to strain the excess liquid.
Cut the cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, grapes, mint, & parsley. I didn't dice everything into small pieces & I cut the grapes in half.
Season with lemon juice, salt, & ground black pepper.

Chef's notes:

I prefer cooking quinoa in chicken broth (preferably homemade) as it adds a lot of flavour to the otherwise bland quinoa. Alternatively, you can cook 1/4 cup of quinoa in 1/2 cup of water. You can also try adding a pinch of salt to the water before adding the quinoa.
You can take out the seeds in the cucumber & tomatoes, but I was eating the salad right away, so I didn't mind leaving them in. If you plan on storing the salad, you might want to take out the seeds so that the salad doesn't get too watery.
Traditional recipes of tabbouleh include a bit of olive oil, but I skip it.

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

#30DaysofLipstick Day 26-30

This is the last post from the #30DaysofLipstick challenge that I took part in on Instagram. If you saw my previous posts from this challenge, you probably figured out my signature pose for this challenge. I can't decide whether I had more fun wearing so many lip colours or sporting my collection of big earrings!

Day 26: Stila Cosmetics stay all day liquid lipstick in Dolce

Day 27: Revlon matte lipstick in 009 Fabulous Fig

Day 28: Maybelline color sensational creamy matte lipstick in 665 Lust for Blush

Day 29: Mary Kay creamy lip color in Retro Rose (Limited Edition)

Day 30: Dose of Colors liquid matte lipstick in Berry Me

More links for the #30DaysofLipstick challenge:

Day 1-5
Day 6-10
Day 11-15
Day 16-20
Day 21-25

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

#30DaysofLipstick Day 21-25

Day 21: Sephora cream lip stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed

Day 22: Mary Kay creme lipstick in Hibiscus + Marcelle Cosmetics rouge xpression lipstick in 853 Jezebel in the middle

Day 23: Wet n Wild MegaLast lip color in 916D Ravin' Raisin + Sephora cream lip stain in 03 Strawberry Kissed applied lightly all over & blended in while it was still wet

Day 24: Make Up For Ever Aqua Lip lip liner in 14C Light Rosewood worn all over the lips

Day 25: Mary Kay creme lipstick in Whipped Berries + Maybelline moisture extreme lipstick in G100 Chestnut mixed in all over

More links for the #30DaysofLipstick challenge:

Day 1-5
Day 6-10
Day 11-15
Day 16-20

Upcoming:
Day 26-30

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

#30DaysofLipstick Day 16-20

Day 16: NYX Cosmetics soft matte lip cream in Addis Ababa + Revlon matte lipstick in 002 Pink Pout mixed in all over

Day 17: Maybelline moisture extreme lip color in 360 Cherry Brown

Day 18: Yves Saint Laurent rouge volupte lipstick in 25 Soft Beige

Day 19: Sephora cream lip stain in 04 Endless Purple

Day 20: Annabelle Cosmetics lip liner in 420 Blush all over + Maybelline color sensational creamy matte lip color in 660 Touch of Spice

More links for the #30DaysofLipstick challenge:

Day 1-5
Day 6-10
Day 11-15

Upcoming:
Day 21-25
Day 26-30

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

#30DaysofLipstick Day 11-15

Day 11: Sonia Kashuk velvety matte lip crayon in 08 Mulberry Nude

Day 12: Senna Cosmetics' cream lipstick in Ruby

Day 13: Mary Kay creme lipstick in Rich Fig

Day 14: Wet n Wild MegaLast lip color in 913C Sand Storm

Day 15: Mary Kay creme lipstick in Raisinberry

More links for the #30DaysofLipstick challenge:

Day 1-5
Day 6-10

Upcoming:
Day 16-20
Day 21-25
Day 26-30

xoxo

Let's connect: BLOGLOVIN' • INSTAGRAM • FACEBOOK • TWITTER

#30DaysofLipstick Day 6-10

Day 6: Wet n Wild MegaLast lip color in 916D Ravin' Raisin + L'Oreal colour riche lip gloss in Rich Pink in the middle

Day 7: Make Up For Ever rouge artist natural lipstick in N9 Copper Pink + L'Oreal colour juice sheer glossy lip gloss in 850 Butterscotch Drop in the middle