Those who know me know that every year, I go to Canada for a week and a half or so to visit my relatives there. I've been going to Canada since I was only three months old. One of the first things my parents bought me was probably a passport. I've been to Canada, specifically the Greater Toronto Area, so often that I have done it all. Niagara Falls? Been there twice. Toronto Eaton Centre? Conquered that multiple times. CN Tower? That sh*t was scary (fear of heights). Toronto Zoo? I wanted to ride the giraffe there when I was little. Tim Horton's? Oh yeah. Accidentally said "Eh" in a conversation? Unfortunately.
Last month, to make my trip more interesting, I brought my DSLR and pretended that I was a professional photographer that was on a mission to capture what I did while in Canada. Come on! Let me show you what I did and where I went!
While in Toronto in 2011, I discovered a pizza joint that has become hands down my favorite pizza place! The restaurant is called Pizzeria Libretto. Living in California, I have not had mind blowing pizza. It's probably because water on the East Coast water works better with the yeast in the dough than California water. Weird, right?
I want lights like these on the ceiling of my room! I think I would constantly walk into them though because the ceiling in my room isn't that high...\
Yummy margherita goodness!
After lunch at Pizzeria Libretto, I walked by this food market that had decorated its outside walls with graffiti of vegetables! So cool!!
This super long park looks out to Lake Ontario. You see people rollerskating, riding their bikes, and ...
... walking their dogs!
What goes better with a walk in the park on a hot (and humid) summer day than a bomb pop?!
There was a section in the park that had like a circle of trees that people have carved words, pictures, etc into! Looks absolutely wicked!
Oh Canada!!
My all-time favorite picture from my trip is one that I took while in a car driving through Downtown Toronto. From far away, I saw an old couple standing on the sidewalk. I rushed to pull my camera out to snap a photo of them and managed to. It is not the best quality picture I've taken, but it is nonetheless my favorite because of the tender moment it captures.
If you've ever watched The Glee Project, a reality television show which serves as an audition for the hit show Glee, then you might have heard of the name Cameron Mitchell. I refer to him as the Robert Pattinson look-alike with a John Mayer type of voice. He was known for doing covers on YouTube of such musicians as Bon Iver, The Beatles, and, of course, John Mayer. After an eight month hiatus, he's back with a completely different genre than what he was noted for. Entering into the electronic style, he and his friend, Jake Morrison, form the duo called RVRB. No, I do not know what RVRB stands for. All I know is that their new song, "Lost in the Wild", is amazing! Mitchell's soulful voice is just the cherry on top of this track and adds a different dimension to it. Check out the song for yourself! I predict a very bright and successful future for this new duo.
2013 is already half way done?! WHAT?! I know I always, and will always, start off my favorites post by exclaiming how fast time flies by because it is true! It seems like time is soaring by at 1,000 miles per hour, especially now that I am in college. So many things happened in July. I traveled a lot. I ate new foods, experienced different cultures, and even endured my first "extreme" storm. I would call it extreme coming from always sunny California, but the locals there probably called it an average Monday in July. I went on crazy adventures with my friends and made new friends along the way. July was overall a just great month! The month of July was also spent discovering new favorites in all sorts of categories. Here is a detailed look into what I have been loving.
BEAUTY
1. Daiso Japan Charcoal Mask
First up is this charcoal mask that I got from Daiso. Daiso is a Japanese store that sells practically everything for $1.50, so guess how much this cost? Ding ding ding! $1.50! It is the most inexpensive and best face product that I own. Its purpose is removing blackheads and whiteheads, and boy does it do that very well!
The actually product after you squeeze it out of the tube is literally black goop. You can apply it around your nose (what I do) or all over your face. Like other masks, you let it dry on your face for 10 to 15 minutes and then peel it off. After one use, I noticed that my pores shrank incredibly and my blackheads were gone. It is a miracle product and my favorite beauty discovery of the year so far!
2. Bioderma Sensibio H20
When I went to Canada, it was my mission to pick up a bottle of Bioderma Sensibio H2O after hearing everyone rave about it. I understand the craze now. It looks like water, feels like water, smells like water, doesn't taste like water though. I found out the hard way. BLEH! Although it doesn't taste good, Bioderma works amazingly! It removes even the toughest waterproof mascara! Now that's a huge thumbs up from me!
3. Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation
I FOUND IT!! Eureka, I found it!! The number one thing on my shopping list when I went to Canada was the Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation. After watching Tanya Burr go on and on about how amazing this foundation is, I had to pick it up. It provides a medium coverage with very slight shimmer to create a nice, dewy finish. I would not recommend this product if you have really oily skin. It blends very nicely with either your fingers or a foundation brush like the Real Techniques Expert Face Brush to buff it into your skin. I really like this foundation because it makes me look alive and not like I had only 4 hours of sleep the night before which happens A LOT.
5. Rimmel Wake Me Up Concealer
You know I had to also get the concealer! Lately, this had been my go-to concealer. I really like the consistency of it. It's not too liquid-like and at the same time not too thick, which makes it easy to blend and allows for it to stay put for a long period of time. For days when I have class, I would often just skip foundation and apply this under my eyes and on any blemishes and I'm good to go face-wise. It is a medium coverage concealer. Very good concealer. Yup yup!
4. Benefit They're Real Mascara
For months, I've thought "I don't really need this mascara. I'm good without it. It doesn't really seem THAT special." Then, I got a small sample size from Sephora in June as a birthday gift that they give to Beauty Insiders. My goodness. I need to stop underestimating things. This mascara is FLIPPIN life changing! Well, as life changing mascara can be. My lashes look longer, fuller, and fabulous after just one coat. It holds a curl fantastically and does not budge at all!
5. Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya
I've been really into coral-y, orange-y lip colors for the summertime. The Revlon Lip Butter in Juicy Papaya has been the lip product that has satisfied my desire for summertime looking lips.
Although it looks straight-up orange in certain lighting, in natural lighting, it is actually pink with some slight orange. It contains no shimmer, but instead makes your lips look, well, JUICY!
6. Essie Come Here
When I saw this nail polish, it talked to me. It really did. It said to me, "Lisa, my name is Come Here. If you come here and pick me, I will brighten up your summer!" Just kidding, it didn't talk to me (obviously), but if it could talk, I'm sure that's what it would have said. What I like about this color is that it looks like I'm wearing a different nail color every time the lighting changed. Under more yellowy lighting, it looks red orange. Under natural or LED type of lighting, it looks a coral-y pink. Two in one! Kind of... Look gorgeous either way!
7. Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal Eyeliner in Brown
I've kind of ignored pencil eyeliners for over a year now. That is, until I bought Rimmel's ScandaEyes Kohl Kajal in Brown!
(My attempt at hand modeling while awkwardly trying to hold an object). It is a rich dark chocolate brown with specks of gold shimmer in it, which I love! This eyeliner will not budge after application. Even without a primer! Freaking amazing for a freaking amazing and cheap price! It is probably the best eyeliner that I have ever used. It applies like buttah (yes, buttah) if buttah was an eyeliner.
8. Burt's Bees Nourishing Lip Balm with Mango Butter
It tastes like candy! Fruity candy! I've been hesitant to use Burt's Bees lip balms because the first one I tried was the original honey one, and I HATED the smell of it. I, however, thought I would give the line a second chance and opted for their mango butter lip balm. Now it will forever me a part of my collection.
9. Up & Up Nail Polish Remover Pads
I picked these up at Target for my trip to Canada and Florida because of how convenient they are. This is the first time I've ever used nail polish remover pads, and I love great they are for travelling! Those days of packing mini bottles of nail polish remover and cotton balls are behind me!
FOOD
Chobani Flip Greek Yogurt
For my food favorite of the month, I have chosen Chobani's Flip Greek Yogurt line. It's like flavored yogurt on one side and toppings on another side. Then, you kind of "flip" the toppings into the yogurt by folding the packaging. It's kind of difficult to fold the container, or maybe that's just me.... Tastes good though! Instead of eating ice cream for dessert, I would treat myself to one of these! Yummy!
MUSIC
5 Seconds of Summer
I have been obsessed with 5 Seconds of Summer, an Australian pop rock band. They have the potential of being huge all over the world. I mean One Direction type of huge. Funny enough, they are currently touring as One Direction's opening act. What I like the most about them is that they act like average teenagers, lad's lads, blokes, etc. despite their seemingly exponential rise to popularity throughout the world within just one year. If you've never heard one of their songs, go check them out on YouTube!
July Unfavorite
Not Your Mother's Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray
I bought this mini bottle at Ulta because I wanted to see if it would give my hair any beachy texture. It didn't. I was really disappointed by it. I, however, have stick straight hair, so all it did was make my hair kind of matte looking. I was expecting at least some texture after using it, but I was disappointed. If you have naturally wavy hair though, it might work better for you than it did for me.
That is all of my favorites from this past month! Share with me in the comments what you've been loving this past month! I'd love to read them and try out some of your favorites!
Every time there is a Sephora nearby, it is almost like Sephora is a powerful magnet and I am a puny metal that gets dragged from meters away. I go in, try on a lip product, and then go to the makeup counter to see what samples they have available. During my recent trip to this makeup heaven, there was a representative from Sarah McNamara was at the counter, and she introduced to me the brand's Miracle Skin Transformer. She described it as a "unique" BB cream that does five things in one product, like every other BB cream out there. She insisted that I take a couple of samples home to try out on my own time. Little did she know, I love getting free samples so I was beyond happy to take those babies home. After testing it out of myself and wearing it out for a day (a very hot day, in fact), I thought I would whack on a short review for you all! What It Says It Does The packaging of the Miracle Skin Transformer says that it hydrates, primes, enhances, mattifies, and protects all in one single step. It has an SPF of 20 and is also full of antioxidants which we all know helps to prevent wrinkles from popping up on our faces. According to Sephora.com, this product is formulated to improve your skin tone, luminosity, and texture, while minimizing the look of pores, fine lines, and imperfections. What It's Really Like The Miracle Skin Transformer is unlike most other BB creams in terms of texture. It is more like a mousse than anything else. It provides a light to medium coverage. It has good lasting power after I wore it out in the California sun for a few hours without a primer. You definitely DO NOT need to finish this product off with a dust of powder. I initially found it interested that it claims to both hydrate AND mattify your skin. After using it, I would say that it does a great job of mattifying your skin and not so good of a job at hydrating it. If you have dry skin, do not use this BB cream because it will make your skin seem even more dry. It may be more fitting if you have really oily skin. What is the best way of applying this product? You can either use your fingers or a brush, but you have to work it into your skin quickly because it sets fairly quickly.
My Final Verdict It is a decent product, but I personally would not purchase it. I prefer my foundations/BB creams with a slightly dewy finish so I can have the option to go over it with a powder if I feel like it. If you have oily skin, try it out and see if you like it. The Miracle Skin Transformer, in my opinion, would be good for people in school who want a product that has a light coverage and does not need any powder. I hope you found this review helpful!! Lisa xx
I have created something so amazing that it might as well be adapted into your local high school's history books.
Using Pioneer Woman's recipe for Chocolate Chocolate White Chocolate Chip Cookies, I made the ultimate chocolate cookies. There is so much chocolate packed into these cookies that I personally call them Monthly Gift Cookies because when Mother Nature brings a woman her monthly gift, these are the cookies she will want to be munching on. Trust me, I know. You can honestly call these cookies anything and it would work: Life of the Party Cookies, Oh My Cookies, Please Your Man Cookies, Kryptonite Cookies, etc. The only that would make these cookies even better is if you could lose weight by just eating them. If only....
Click here to be taken to Pioneer Woman's recipe for her chocolate cookies.
I made a couple of adjustments to her cookies to add a personal touch.
Firstly, instead of two cups of granulated sugar, I used 1.5 cups. I then added half a cup of brown sugar because I like my cookies to make that sort of hint of molasses taste to them.
Secondly, I dumped in a whole bunch of different types of chocolate. In addition to the traditional semisweet chocolate chips, I added Swiss milk chocolate squares that I picked up from Canada, French white chocolate squares from my trip to Epcot, and, my personal favorite, milk chocolate with bits of cookies and cream. YUUMMMMM!!!!!
When it comes to what you want in your cookies, I say "Throw in whatever the heck you like." Experiment a little! Personalize them to what you like. I happen to like lots of chocolate! You can put in dried cranberries, Oreos, or even some cayenne for a kick.
You know how recipes say how long you are suppose to bake something for? I never follow those times. You know how you are suppose to preheat the oven before you actually put the cookies in? I never do that. I play by my own rules. That is how I rebelled as a teenager: not following recipes. Who's bad? I'm bad.
How do I know when cookies are finished without over baking them? I keep a very close eye on them. My trick is when the very edges of the cookies start to become golden brown and look a tiny bit "wrinkly", I turn off the oven, pull the cookies out, and let them rest on the baking sheets even if the middle of the cookies look unfinished. Because the cookies and baking sheets are still hot once you pull the cookies out, the heat finish the baking process during the resting time. Then, you will have perfect cookies that are completely baked but with soft centers and slightly crunchy edges.
BAM. There you have the secret to perfect cookies.
Look at that chocolate just oozing out. Oh. My. Goodness.
The reason why I love these cookies is that each cookie is different. One may have chunks of milk chocolate and white chocolate while another may have bits of cookies and cream. It adds the element of surprise when eating these cookies.
If you try out this recipe, please tell me what you think of it! I would love to hear your opinions!
I thought it would be a nifty (mind my 50s language) idea to document what it is like being a vegetarian in college in a segment called The Veggie Major. Clever and fitting name huh? *High-five to myself!!*
I have been a vegetarian for over three years now. A lot of my friends and family wondered how I would be able to stay a vegetarian in college because it is even difficult for an average non-vegetarian person to adjust to eating in college, attempting to avoid making the wrong food decisions and gaining the infamous "Freshman 15". I believe it is more difficult for vegetarians to make that adjustment because they would have to make sure they receive important every day nutrients like protein without eating meat.
I kind of struggled a bit at the beginning of my freshman year. I was not taking in all of the nutrients that my body needed with the foods that I was eating from the dining commons. Now that I don't have to depend on dining commons, I can choose my daily menu and incorporate foods that will keep me healthy and provide me with the nutrients that I will need.
Being a vegetarian, there are some foods that I miss, like BBQ!! I LOVE BBQ!! Smokey, tangy and sweet together in one dish?! Now that's what I'm talking about!!
When I went to Target and saw that they have VEGAN barbecue "chicken" wings, I have to try it! Gardein Barbecue Wings are make of soy, what, organic grains and veggies. On the packaging, it states that both veggie and meat-lovers will like this product. One serving of 4 wings is only 120 calories, making it a great alternative to chicken if you are watching the amount of calories you intake. Also, a serving gives you 14 grams of protein which is fantastic for vegetarians who need to make sure they are getting their daily dose of protein without meat. The best part about it that I wish they would put somewhere on their packaging in larger words is that they use non-genetically engineered soy and wheat. That's huge!!!! Soy beans are one of the most genetically engineered crops, and for them to use non-GE soy is awesome!
Though it says that it takes only 5 minutes to prepare, it actually took me double that time. It would probably take 5 minutes if you just threw everything together willy-nilly, but I wanted to make it taste good so I was okay with spending a little extra time!
Though they don't say it on the packaging, another great cooking method would be grilling the wings, especially if you are going to be serving these at a party. The grill marks on the wings would make them look beautiful and would convince your guests that they actually are chicken.
Who says you can mix art with food?! This coming from the girl who would always pretend she was Picasso and create pieces of art out of her leftovers.
They look like real BBQ chicken wings, but do they taste good and not like cardboard covered in BBQ sauce?
Texture: These wings very much resemble the texture of real chicken. It is not like biting into a piece of soft tofu which many people think it would be like. The inside has that stringy, pull-apart type of texture that real chicken has. How do they make it like that? SCIENCE, BOYS AND GIRLS!
Taste: It tastes like chicken! There is a slight difference, but it's not very noticeable when the wings are covered in sauce. The sauce, however, is just alright. It has a very slight smoky flavor, but I wish there was a bit more. It is not as tangy as I expected; therefore I had to have some ketchup on the side. It definitely leans more on the sweet side. I could have sworn I tasted tamarind in the sauce, but apparently there is none.
Final verdict? It is a great product that is perfect for vegetarians like me who crave BBQ. I will definitely repurchase these. I've tried a couple of products from this line (primarily at The Yard House) and I keep on taking a double take to make sure they are vegetarian. It is incredible that they contain no meat whatsoever!
Whether you are vegetarian or not, give this product and brand a chance!
