Canadian Bath Bomb Company

 Canadian Bath Bomb Company
Shop: https://www.etsy.com/ca/shop/BathBombCo
Shop Owner: Jackie Pritchard
Intro: These quality bath bombs are made by Jackie in her studio, using organic oils and butters - they also come in a plethora of amazing scents, and trust me, they all smell AMAZING!!! Jackie uses skin soothing Epsom salts with a blend of certified organic cocoa butter, shea butter and canola oil to transform your bath time into a luxury spa experience all in your very own bath tub. Each bath bomb is decorated with mica colored Epsom salts or pink Himalayan salt for a splash of color. Jackie adds the extra touch by individually wrapping each bath bomb in a clear plastic wrap so that you are able to enjoy the scents when you aren't using them yet so they all stay clean and hygienic. Each bath bomb is labelled individually so that you can easily pick out which one you want when the time comes.


Bath bombs come packaged in a box with foam chips to make sure they stay intact! 

Pictured below are 6 bath bombs (names are pictured below, I included pictures front and back).

 

My favorite one is Black Raspberry, followed by a tie of Green Tea and Rosemary Lavender.  The Rosemary Lavender smelled so relaxing. I dropped this under running warm water and when the oils mixed with the steam, it cleared my senses and immediately relaxed me. I used this after my recent game of tennis and it worked out my kinks in my lower back, legs and shoulders.My skin was so soft after soaking in the medley of oils - Side note: Epson salt does wonders for your skin - they always say whenever you take a bath, you should always add Epson salt as it helps to detox you naturally.

My girlfriends, hubs and even guy friends all asked me what that amazing smell was when they walked into my condo, I had the bombs stacked on a tray in my washroom and it scented my condo - it's amazing! The smell gets even stronger when released in water, so you know that Jackie is using nothing but quality products. It doesn't lose any fragrance whatsoever.

I am already planning my next order which will be: Pink Sugar, Vanilla Bon Bon, Ginger Papaya and Mandarin Pomander. I can't wait!!!

I hope that you will give Jackie's products a try, it's Canadian and crafted with love!

Until next time, XO - M.
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Chinese spicy eggplant and minced pork stew


What's cookin?
Pictured below is a dish I grew up eating, it's a spicy eggplant stew with minced pork. 

Ingredients:
For the stew
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp soy sauce
1 tsp cooking wine
1 pound minced pork 
2 medium sized eggplants (cut length wise into bite sized pieces)

For the sauce
1 tablespoon hot pepper paste
a pinch of cornstarch
1 tsp sugar
...water to mix everything together


Directions:

1. Brown meat with the soy sauce. After meat is about 60% cooked, add the cooking wine. Once the meat is cooked, drain the browned meat in the strainer. I usually take an extra step and run it under hot water to clean off the extra grease. 

2. Blanch the eggplant until it becomes translucent. Careful not to overcook it or it'll turn to mush when you stew it later. Drain the eggplant.
 
3. Heat some oil in a large pan, and brown the garlic. 

4. Add the pork and the eggplant in a large pan and mix well. 

5. Take your red pepper sauce mix (should look like below) and pour it all over the egg plant mix. 

6. Continue to stew for another 10 minutes until the flavors incorporate fully and the stew thickens up.
   

Your finished product should look like below - serve it with rice and enjoy!!  
 

Until next time,
XO - M. 
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Nailpolish Canada - The Great Polish Giveaway

OMG GUYS!! :)

Natasha this one's for you - remember when we went to get pedicures for Nina's birthday and you fell in love with the color I picked? When I found out about NailPolish Canada's Great Polish Giveaway, I knew I had to contribute my top summer mani/pedi color - Essie's Off the Shoulder (pictured left).

What Nailpolish Canada did was have bloggers each contribute one "must have" color to the giveaway - in total, they are selecting 200 colors and it's going to a lucky winner. I have attached a ballot below for those who want to enter through my page, or else, you can just enter directly on their site.

Link: http://www.nailpolishcanada.com/categories/the-great-polish-giveaway-of-2014.html

I order all of my polishes from this site and they are L-E-G-I-T. They have so many colors and brands, and they also have cosmetics like The Balm, Real Technique Brushes etc and even the makeup is amazing quality. Right now, they have free shipping on any amount - so I suggest all of you to take advantage of it!!

Goodluck everyone!!!

Until next time, XOXO - M!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
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Winning the Illamasqua Set...

On July 18th, I was casually reading the feeds on my twitter account and saw that there was a contest to win a bunch of Illamasqua products from Dave Leckie! I instantly hit that "retweet" button and felt the need to share with everyone my love for Illamasqua blushes - they are SO pigmented, a little goes a long way. 

On Monday, the 21st, while sitting at my desk at work, my phone started vibrating and to my shock, I had about 20+ notifications - they were all congrats tweets for winning the Illamasqua set!! AHHH!! At that moment, I started running around to my coworkers (naturally, driving them insane) and telling them about my awesome surprise :) SO HAPPPY!!!! I've never won anything to this extent before! Maybe a doughnut or coffee from the Tim Hortons Roll up the Rim to Win.. lol.....

Anyways, Dave, such a sweetheart, contacted me right away, got my info and within 2 days, these babies were in my grasp....... *oooooo ahhhh* - Sorry it took me a few days to upload these pictures!! 

I hope that you're all enjoying your Monday morning!! And for those of you in Canada, it's a long weekend coming up this week! Let's look forward to that!!

Until next time - XO, M.




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Niji Sushi

Ni Ji Sushi
Reviews: http://www.urbanspoon.com/r/10/133894/restaurant/Scarborough/Ni-Ji-Sushi-Toronto

I have been here a few times in the past couple years, it is located at Midland and Ellesmere. I think that the quality has gone down recently, it wouldn't be the number 1 place I would think of if I was craving sushi. The value however, is good for what you are getting. I think the best deal is to get take out. For e.g. if you get the J2 combo (small for 2-3 guests) you get sushi, sashimi and maki, it is $35. 

TIP: If you pay by cash you get 10% off.



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Maybelline Instant Pore Eraser Primer

Quick post here but guys the Maybelline primer is on sale at Loblaws superstore for $3.97 shoppers drug mart sometimes sells em for close to $12... needless to say I stocked up! This primer feels like the smashbox one its silicone texture based... found these at the one at scarborough town center while I was waiting for my prescription at the pharmacy.

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JULY EMPTIES


Empties for July:
1. Darphin - Purifying Foam Gel Cleanser with Licorice
I actually got this cleanser during my bonus point redemption event at Shoppers Drug Mart. I figured, if there was anytime to splurge on a cleanser, why not use my points to do it :) Thoughts - got the job done, however I will not be purchasing this product again. I feel like as far as cleansers go, it is not worth the splurge - my current face wash the Garnier Grape Seed cleanser is quite amazing at probably 1/3 of the cost. What I truly believe that you should splurge on, is a good serum and moisturizer/eye cream. If I was to pick between the two, it would be a good serum.

2. Clinique - Spot Treatment Gel
My HOLY GRAIL acne spot treatment gel - NOTE: the old formula pictured here is better than the new one they have out now. I looked at The Bay and Sephora, and couldn't find the spot treatment in this bottle anymore - did they just get rid of it and revamp it to the new ones and change the formula a bit? The new one is much thinner in consistency - if anyone knows where I can get the old one, please tell me!

3. Bioderma - Cleaning solution for Sensitive Skin.
My HOLY GRAIL makeup remover. This removes EVERYTHING - from the toughest waterproof mascara to the most stubborn gel eyeliner. This comes in original formula (blue bottle) and the one for sensitive skin (clear bottle with pink cap pictured here). The directions say that you can use this to clean your face and pat dry, but I always wash my face after I use this. I believe in effectively and properly cleaning your face everyday to make sure that you're not causing any clogged pores etc and then having a nasty zit pop up! 

4. Urban Decay - All Nighter Setting Spray.
Pretty good staying power, I am currently using the MAC Fix +, will update you on which one I like more. So far, I'm leaning towards MAC.

5. Ole Henriksen - Truth Serum.
Vitamin C in a bottle. I love this stuff - I always get complimented on why my skin looks so good (not to sounds like I'm full of myself and toot my own horn), but honestly - it's because I invest in a good serum. This is one of the best I've used. After a while, you just notice that your skin is just glowing and refreshed. It is lightly citrus scented and it's not overwhelming at all. If you really want to stretch your dollar, put it on every other day.

6. Benefit - They're Real Mascara
Love the wand applicator of this mascara and it does build alot of length while separating the lashes. If you are looking for volume though, this would not be the mascara you want. This is purely for length.

7. WAHL - Pet Tear Stain Remover
Decided to include a pet product here that I use on my furbaby. Since shih-tzus tend to tear alot, they have the tendency of getting tear stains around their eyes and it stains their fur and can become stinky. I use this cleaner to wash B's face everyday followed by a wet towel and he has never had an issue with this. They recently reformulated it (I bought my new bottle and am already using it) but it still works the same, so no complaints there!

Here's a picture of Bentley hanging out with his dad at work - see, his eyes are so clean :)

Until next time! XO - M.

P.S. I have some super exciting news to share tomorrow!! 

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Korean Pork Bone Soup


Every weekend, hubs and I go to get our Korean Pork Bone Soup fix at Owl of Minerva (Midland & Finch). Actually, I think it's more so me that craves this all the time - however, I decided, since I love to cook so much, why not try to learn how to make it? 

Yesterday, I decided to take on this challenge - my friends Cliff and Sharon actually witnessed me scurrying in the kitchen making this but I think I finally got the hang of it.. It was worth the 4 hours!! 2 hours of soaking the pork in cold water to drain the blood out... and the other 2 hours stewing. It tasted clean, no MSG, and it was superrrr delicious. I loaded up on extra vegetables too. 

I think I'm going to make this more often :) Once I ace it, I'm having my friends over to eat this... yummmy!!

Recipe courtesy of Maangchi!
http://www.maangchi.com/recipe/gamjatang

Her recipes are amazing, I have learnt alot from her and even got some ideas on my own having looked at hers, I tweak it around a bit here and there to my liking and voila - yummy korean goodness:) 

I hope this will encourage you to all try it! So far I've made her pickled radish recipe, spicy kimchi wings and now the porkbone soup!

Until next time - XO, M.


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Joey Restaurants



Location: Joey Restaurants (Shops at Don Mills) 
Website: http://www.joeyrestaurants.com/

 Appetizer: 
Calamari Fritti - $13
Calamari with Tempura vegetables 

Spinach and Artichoke Dip - $12

Both of the appetizers were super delicious, our group loved it and we actually ordered another Calamari to share among the 7 of us.



Main:
Steak and Sushi - $24.75
This was mediocre - I ordered the steak medium rare and it came medium and cold, which is disappointing considering they present it on a cast-iron plate. The sushi roll on the menu is a dragon roll, however, the filling inside was horrible. It is that stuffed crab salad with mixture instead of the traditional California roll which is what I would have preferred (typical dragon roll I'm used to is pictured below). The rice was really really mushy and almost soggy and wet (not in the right way)... I think in the future, I'll just stick to ordering my lobster grilled cheese... I definitely won't be ordering this again...

Hope that this helps you out if you're planning to eat there!
XO - M.
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Coconut Chia Seed Pudding with Mangoes

Alright guys, as promised, my recipe is here!! I almost feel bad making you guys wait for this lol - but it is super easy and super delicious! I have it a few times a week for breakfast and it's super healthy for you.

Here are the ingredients for my chia pudding - SUMMER IN A BOWL mmm...:
1. Coconut Almond Milk - 1 cup.
2. Chia Seeds (whole seeds, not powder) - 1/4 cup.
3. Fresh Mangoes

Directions:
1. Take a glass container (one that come with a lid) - put the 1/4 cup Chia Seeds in first, then the 1 cup milk - this helps the seeds to mix better. I found that if you try to put the seeds in after you put the milk, the seeds all float and its harder to mix it. (but honestly, doesn't matter).
2. Mix well - make sure all the seeds are submerged in the almond milk - if not, at least coated.
3. Close the lid - and let soak for 15-30 minutes on the counter - this helps with the expansion of the seeds. I tried to put it in the fridge right away and the seeds didn't soak at all, it was almost hard and stuck together.
4. Stir half way through the waiting time to make sure all the seeds don't stick together.
5. When you see that a majority of the seeds have expanded, then feel free to pop it in the fridge until ready to serve.
6. Prepare mangoes (or whatever fruit alternative) and serve.

Best time to eat it is after you let it thaw from the fridge for 5-10 minutes, I find the flavor to be at its prime then... Since the coconut almond milk is already so fragrant and sweet on its own, you do not need any added sugars. If you wanted to though, you can always add honey or agave but I find no need for it.


Benefits of Chia Seed:
To summarize - includes:
1. 28-gram or one-ounce serving of chia has 11 grams of dietary fibre — about a third of the recommended daily intake for adults.
2. Chia seeds are packed with omega-3 fatty acids, with nearly five grams in a one-ounce serving. These fats are important for brain health. 
3. A serving of chia seeds has 18 per cent of the recommended daily intake for calcium, which puts your well on your way to maintaining bone and oral health
... and much more.

Until next time!
XO - M.
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July 2014 IPSY Glam Bag

IPSY July 2014 Glam Bag

Contents:
1. Bare Minerals Eye Shadow Duo
2. wHet nail polish
3. Elizabeth Mott - Tints & Sass Tint
4. Hang Ten - Dark Tanning Oil
5. Marrekesh Hair Care (Argan Oil Treatment)





Featured below is the wHet nail polish - it's 100% vegan, and this is 3 coats of polish.

My favorite product would have to be the Bare Minerals Eye Shadow Duo - the two shades are a light pink and plum color, both very wearable either day time or amp it up for a nice smokey eye at night.

My least liked product would have to be the Elizabeth Mott Tint - although I do understand the whole premise behind tints - I find that 1) it's hard to control 2) in order to ensure that you blend the product properly and not leave blotches of stains on your cheeks, the best way I found is to blend it with your fingers, which 90% of the product ends up on your finger vs. your face - I think I'm going to save this product for an emergency use or even give it away later on... 

The tanning oil ....hm.... should I try it? I'm super scared of a streaky disaster? while I know it isn't a self-tanner, still... what if some areas tan better than others? Maybe I'll do a swatch test..... plus the SPF is only 8, so that really does nothing "sun protection" wise.

XO - M.



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Louella Delights

Louella Delights
Website: http://www.louelladelights.com/html/scented_soap/
Toronto, Ontario

Featured here:
1. Eucalyptus Mint Soap ($5.90) - My favorite of the two that were sent to me (I got the half size bar - the actual bar is about double this) . If you are a lover of Eucalyptus, you will definitely love this soap, anytime of the day - especially after a long day at work, or a good sweat at the gym - it completely de-stresses you. Once the hot water hits the soap, all the oils just come out and it scents my condo.. so amazing...It reminds me of the eucalyptus steam room at Le Scandinave Spa at Blue Mountain Resorts...

2. Wisteria Lilac ($7.12) - (I got the half bar size - the actual bar is about double this) made with cocoa and Shea butter, this is perfect for people with dry or sensitive skin. This is perfect for fall/winter, or even right before bed - its a really soothing lilac smell, not overwhelming. The consistency of the lather is really smooth and almost milky/creamy in texture. I always have really dry legs no matter how much I moisturize and I find that alot of soaps I use suck all the moisture out of my legs even more... This one, paired with my Lubriderm moisturizer, kept my legs prepped and ready for summer. No more scaley alligator skin legs! (TMI i know...* gross *).

3. Mochaccino Lip Balm ($2.75) - I love the small tin it comes in, slim, compact and perfect to throw in my purse or makeup bag on the go. I know alot of companies now, e.g EOS balms that people love, are SOO bulky I'm not a fan of those at all. I really like this lipbalm - it has a sheer tint of color that gives the perfect "my lips but better" shade, on days I want to be casual and not rock a lipstick. I wouldn't say that its super moisturizing, but - it does keep your lips moisturized (does that make sense?). What i mean is, if you have super cracked lips, this won't help you on day one. You would clearly have to get something more heavy duty. However, if you just need a good hydrating lipbalm this is it - bonus factor? it's NOT GREASY at all.. LOVE that fact! I hate greasy lipbalms or glosses which makes your hair get caught on it and becomes a real mess.


What I'm looking forward to try next:
1. Chardonnay Lip Balm
2. Tea Tree Neem Soap - I LOVEEEE Tea Tree. My hubs has sensitive skin, so I think this would be perfect for him

For those of you looking to try the soaps out, they have a 6 piece sample pack for $20 (pictured left from Louella Delights website). They also do bulk orders or custom orders if you wanted to order them for a wedding or special occasion gift/favor to your friends/family or guests.

I really hope that you will try these soaps out, the owner and creator is from Toronto and I really believe in supporting our local talent here. Paying a bit more for the added quality and products is so much better for you. Being able to understand everything you read on the label actually helps vs. reading those liquid or bar soaps in the stores that have all these chemicals etc combined in their mixes.

Give it a try! Let me know your thoughts! Until next time.........

XO - M.




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Gal's Sushi

Came here for dinner on Saturday for a friend's birthday and I have to say that their food is pretty good. Service was quick, however, do not expect to have service with a smile - they are too busy running back and forth to do that (however, I don't really mind just because the price is good and it's quick so I have nothing to complain about).

They have some pretty creative rolls here too, not just your standard California or salmon rolls. The beef sashimi was mediocre, I wouldn't order it again. They do give you some free side dishes, which include Jap Chae (korean glass noodles) and potatoes with a sweet glaze on it that my friends were in love with.

I have yet to try the Korean food, but alot of people were ordering it. For my korean food, I have to say that I am a loyal fan of Owl of Minerva and of all the korean places I've tried before, I still go back to Owl.

All in all, I would come back here - I've been here before for their lunch specials and it is really reasonable. Try it out - let me know your thoughts!

                                                Company Website: http://www.galsushi.com/
Location: Markham, Ontario
Type of Food: Japanese/Korean. 


XO - M.

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