ICE CREAM SOAP - Quick Time 1 Minute Solution

Hi to the lovely ladies (and gentlemen) who are reading this! ^_~

This post serves as a continuation to my series of Asian cosmetic reviews. This one, like the Lucido-L hair dye I posted last time, was bought from this great Japanese cosmetic outlet called Cellule. (I will definitely go back there once given the opportunity! Their prices are so damn low!) Anyway, what's so interesting about this Quti1 product is that it's.. *drum roll* ..an "ice cream soap!" YUM! Wait, what?

What does "ice cream soap" mean???

Well, it is "ice cream type magic cream soap" to be exact! And it simply means that the texture of the soap is like ice cream. In fact, it comes with a little spoon that mimic those used for frozen yogurt and you dip this thing into the cream and scoop all that delectable goodness out. Mmm..

I got LEMON flavor because the smell is just so refreshing!

 (Beware: this is not for eating--although it is quite tempting to do so!) So what do you do after scooping it out? You slather it on your made-up face, of course! ^-^ Why "made-up"? Because this soap boasts to eliminate all traces of THICK makeup on your face within ONE MINUTE. Hence, the name "Quick Time/Quti1."

Pac-Man died because he ate this soap.

 So, of course, I've tried using this after coming home from a party. I had liquid foundation on (I usually just use light mineral powders), double-coated mascara and the works a.k.a. THICK make-up. After leaving it on my face for about a minute, I rinsed it off and WOAH! It really made my face feel awesome. O_O

Btw, I always avoid using these products on my eyes. I have my Mary-Kay eye makeup remover for them.

I didn't quite believe that this soap would work, but it did. It wiped away all the layers of makeup I had within 1 minute. And to top it all off, it makes your face feel smooth right after washing. :D Thus it is, indeed, a "magic" cream soap.

One of the main reasons why I bought this product was actually its scent! It is sooo true to its "flavor." It also comes in Strawberry (pink), Aloe (green), and Orange (orange--you guessed it right!). The consistency is also very good to the skin. It rinses off nicely, without leaving a few bits of "ice cream" on your face. I would recommend it to everyone, including those with sensitive skin since it's not drying at all. Overall, I give it 5 out of 5 stars for being true to its claim. ^_^

Next time I'm in Japan, I'm getting the Orange flavor... or the Strawberry...

...or the Aloe! :p

Japanese Hair Dye ~ Is it any good?

Why, hello people!

Once again, I apologize for having long gaps between my posts. I've been really busy arranging my stuff from the Philippines and Japan lately that I couldn't find time to write a decent post. Quality over quantity, after all. ^_~ Anyway, I'm back and have something interesting for those who love, or are intending to, color their hair at home!

Hailing from Japan, one of the souvenirs I got for myself was this do-it-yourself hair dye. It's the Lucido-L: Honey Brown, bubble-type hair dye. It came with 4 items inside: 1 big bottle (peroxide), 1 small bottle (the color), gloves and a conditioner.

Bubble-type simply means that the hair dye can be applied like shampoo (see pic above)

There's a hole at the back side of the box for you to put Bottle #1 in so that it won't budge while you pour the contents of Bottle #2 inside. Pretty neat, huh?  I took out my professional dyeing tools  to ensure high-quality results!

The instructions were all in Japanese. I can read Hiragana, but not Kanji so there's not much I could get from READING this piece of paper. Thankfully, there are pictures *sigh of relief* and since I've colored my own hair several times before, I already know what to do.

 

It's pretty much the same thing as Western hair dyes. You pour the contents of bottle #2 (small) into the big one (bottle # 1).  Then you shake it, ensuring that the big bottle's cap is on. [Western hair dyes may want you to take out the cap and replace bottle cover with your own finger.] But all else is the same.

Here, I poured the shaken contents into my dye bowl so I can use my professional brushes.

 And the process begins! The instructions say that you leave it on your hair for "20~25 mins." I left it on for about 1 hour. Do this AT YOUR OWN RISK. If you're unafraid to damage your hair like me, then go for it! Leaving the formula on your hair longer can have brighter results!

(LEFT) For reference, here's one of my most recent pics, taken just 2 days ago. My hair was a dark brown, with reddish highlights and long black roots showing through.  (RIGHT) Me saying bye-bye to black roots!

OK, so 1 hour later... *shower* ... *towel dry* ... *blow dry*...


 o (◡‿◡✿)



(((o(*ﾟ▽ﾟ*)o)))



 ☆*:.｡. o(≧▽≦)o .｡.:*☆



TADA!!!! I took digital camera pics but the color didn't really show there coz it's night time. So I proceeded to take pics with my iPod touch and here are the results. (｡◕‿◕｡)/

Haha! Sorry for the retarded face.

So I'm really happy with the results. ^_^ There was one Asian girl on YouTube that complained about this Lucido-L product coz her color still looked like a boring black-brown. She bought the exact, same hair dye as me but she didn't leave it on longer.

So to anyone who wants to try this product, I say go for it but make sure you leave it on for at least 40 mins if you want brighter hair.  Also, arm yourself with STRONG hair conditioners, especially made for colored hair! Hair dyes DO damage hair but if you own the right stuff, then you'll be OK. ;) After all, life is too short for you to NOT color your hair just because Mom said you're gonna damage it. hehe. Sorry, Ma!

XoXo,
Kerzia

Liked this post? Then make sure to subscribe! Questions? I'd be happy to answer all of them. 'Til next time!

Quick Lipstick Trick - no lip gloss necessary!

Hello, everyone! Ｏ(≧∇≦)Ｏ

Finally I'm back! I've been gone for more than 2 months because I'm right here in the Philippines spending quality time with my family & friends. OK. Since I was talking about food in my last post, I'll be talking about makeup this time.

Recently, I've been playing VMUA (Volunteer Make-Up Artist) to my cousin Kaja. She is in a girly "Kpop" group called Pink Step and I looove 'painting' her face when she is about to go onstage! ^-^ She's my cute, little guinea pig. Right, Ja?

 So, this is the BEFORE pic over here. No makeup whatsoever. (She already has her wig on, though.)
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About an hour later...
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Tada! This is her AFTER. She only wanted to have a simple smokey-eye look. Main eye-shadow colors: light grey and super dark grey + black liquid eyeliner. Her cheeks are a combination of light peach & pink and she has false lashes on.

Now, I'm not gonna go on and on with the types of primers I used and the other stuff I put on her eyelids. That's for another post. What I want to focus on are her LIPS.
Yes, just a very simple lip trick to those who are new to the magical world of makeup.

WHAT YOU NEED: 2 lipstick colors (one matte, the other should be glittery/shimmery & a bit lighter-toned). That's it. ^_^
So here I simply used RED lipstick (doesn't matter what brand) + a shimmery, light, metallic ORANGE.

Put the red lipstick as you would normally put lipstick on. Use a lip brush (optional) to ensure that every nook & cranny is covered with that luscious color.

Sexy /cute highlighted lips

THEN, for your lips to pop out and shine, pat/glide a bit of the orange only in the middle part of your lips (upper and lower). And voila! You're done. Your lips are shinin' like nobody's business! ;D

Other colour-combinations that work: red + light pink, mauve + shimmery hot pink, hot pink + white eyeshadow (yes, you read that  right!) Now go search for 2 lipsticks in your bedrooms and get creative! Enjoy!

Easy Korean KALBI (BBQ short ribs) recipe

How to make kalbi pretty :p

OK! As a request from one of my cousins again, I'm putting "something that is MORE meaty.";D Get excited, people!
 If there is one cuisine that my bf and I cannot survive without, it's Korean! That is why I cook a lot of Korean-inspired food since... what's not to love with all this spicy sexiness, right?
The last kalbi my Dad & I cooked was amazing--even if we had to use our conventional oven. (We live on the 10th floor of a city condo, we DON'T have a backyard.) But to those who can grill outside, consider yourself lucky! So the following is a Kalbi recipe taken from my oh-so-favourite website: Allrecipes.com. I somehow lost the Kalbi recipe that I used last time, but this one is pretty close and is more apt for those who are in the Philippines.  The ingredients here are all available over there; no North American mumbo-jumbo. Now, the secret is in the MARINADE. I tweaked the recipe a little bit to make it more awesome. If you see green, it's me adding some stuff.

Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:

3/4 cup soy sauce 3/4 cup brown sugar 3/4 cup water 1 garlic clove, minced

2 green onions, chopped 1 tablespoon Asian (toasted) sesame oil 2 pounds Korean-style short ribs (beef chuck flanken, cut 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick across bones)

Directions:

1.	In a bowl, stir together the soy sauce, brown sugar, hot sauce (if you want it spicy), water, garlic, green onions, and sesame oil until the sugar has dissolved. Put away about 1/4 cup of marinade in a tiny bowl, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate <- we will turn this into gravy later.
2.	Place the ribs in a large plastic zipper bag. Pour the [main] marinade over the ribs, squeeze out all the air, and refrigerate the bag overnight. Sorry, you won't get to eat it till tomorrow. :p
3.	THE NEXT DAY: Preheat an outdoor grill for medium-high heat, and lightly oil the grate. Remove the ribs from the bag and grill them. (Remember the small bowl of marinade we put in the fridge? Add a bit of cornstarch/flour into it and stir. Keep stirring & adding starch to make it thicker.)  Then slather the gravy on the ribs while you are grilling them. This way, your ribs will be super saucy! ^_^ Mmmm.. Now they're done! Enjoy!

our BAKED VERSION of the kalbi -- honey was incorporated in the marinade

Those damn pimples: chemicals to avoid

Cosmetic education time! (GUYS included)
Have you ever wondered if makeup, hair gels, hair sprays, or other supposedly 'beautifying' stuff you own can make you get pimples? Well, you're reading the right article! 
Here's my story: I used to think that my skin was the 'normal' skin type (i.e. not sensitive to anything) UNTIL I reached a point where my face looked like a mini pepperoni pizza (!!!) *horror movie sound FX* from trying on too many kinds of makeup!  If you noticed that you gained a few bumps on your face after going to your cousin's birthday party, it MAY be because of that blush or foundation you were using, or that hair spray you excitedly spritz all over your hair (not knowing that a lot of the chemicals went to your face).  
Have you ever wondered WHICH chemicals are causing havoc to your 'beautimous visage'? 
Well, if your skin turns out to be SENSITIVE like mine (and I learned this the HARD WAY!), try to avoid any one of these ingredients on the products you buy. These comedogenic (pimple-causing) ingredients were proven through continuous 'rabbit ear' experiments done by dermatologists.* I have typed them down in alphabetical order to make it easier for you folks when going shopping. :

1. Acetylated lanolin
2. Acetylated lanolin alcohol
3. Buytl stearate
4. Cetearyl alcohol + ceteareth 20
5. Cocoa butter
6. Coconut butter
7.  D&C red #30
8. Decyl oleate
9. Glyceryl stearate SE
10. Isopropyl isostearate
11. Isopropyl myristate
12. Isopropyl palmitate  
13. Isostearyl isostearate
14. Isostearyl neopentanoate  
15. Laureth-4
16. Laureth-23
17. Lauric acid
18. Mink oil
19. Myristic acid
20. Myristyl lactate
21. Myristyl myristate  
22. Oleth-3
23. Shark liver oil
24. Soybean oil
25. Stearic acid: TEA
26. Stearyl heptanoate 
27. Wheat germ glyceride

NOTE: If these ingredients are further down the list, then it should be OK. If they are the first 5 on the list, then you have to use it at your own risk.

 Now ladies, you can still splurge on lipsticks, eyeliners and eyeshadows. You don't really get zits on those areas anyway. Gentlemen, make sure to wash off the gel from your hair once it's bedtime 'cause some of those chemicals will stick to your pillow and transfer to your face. 
In sum, things to watch out for are: primers, blushes, foundation, wrinkle creams and moisturizers. The more ingredients there are in the list, the less healthy it is for you. Trust me, I have 'battle' scars.

*For more info, go to: http://www.acne.org/comedogenic-list.html or read the Handbook of Cosmetic Science & Technology, 3rd Edition.

EASY Hoisin Shrimp... Mmmm!

~*~*~*                                                                                                                                                  *~*~*~
 I was debating whether my first post should be about cosmetics or food. And, as you can see, food won! =p My cousin, Vinjo, also wanted something more "manly" in my blog, so I told him not to despair.

Now... I posted this HOISIN SHRIMP dish on my FB and people seem to salivate at the looks of it. So I decided I should share the recipe. It is SUPER easy and can be found at the back part of Lee Kum Kee's Hoisin Sauce jar. Only, of course, I like to make my own version of almost every dish. So here's the yummier version:

1. Heat oil in a wok/frying pan + Stir fry 3 cloves minced garlic, 6 bits of shaved/minced ginger, & 1 lb of shrimp for 3 mins.
2. Add 2 tbsp. Hoisin Sauce & 1 tbsp. Oyster-Flavored Sauce. Put more if you want it saucy!
3. Stir fry the whole thing and cover the pan until the shrimp is fully cooked.
4.  Take out from heat and sprinkle ground black pepper + paprika liberally on the cooked shrimp!
*Add cilantro garnish or diced green/red peppers, if you like.

And that's it! Cheap & yummy. ^_^ For better tasting shrimp, I suggest keeping the head on coz then you can suck all the juicy goodness out of it. But if you're like my bf, who thinks the shrimp's head is pleading to him with a don't-eat-me look, then take off their heads. >.< Enjoy!

Beauty/Food Editor on the Rise

Hi, girls and occasional guys!

Welcome to Beauty Miser. I have created this blog for the benefit of those who are just like me: addicted to either FOOD or COSMETICS -- or both. I aim to educate my audience about international cuisine and also, what types of makeup out there are inexpensively gooood.  *two thumbs up*

Now why "Beauty Miser"? Sounds like a machine that can make you beautiful, right? Hehe. Well, that's one reason why I picked the name. Also, I am using 'miser' here in the most positive connotation available: someone who is frugal or likes to save money. I hate buying cosmetics that are not worth the cents I have in my pocket, so I tend to go for those that are inexpensive yet still deliver! Hence, prepare for some reviews on the way. I shall also show some makeup before's and after's so you guys can see how the products I buy work.

As for those who are here for the food? Pictures will be falling from the sky as I show you what's available from the places I have traveled/traveling to and EASY RECIPES (Yey!) will be coming your way as soon as I concoct my experiments in the kitchen. So stay tuned and be sure to follow me if you like what you see!