A Visit to Hearst Castle

A group of us decided to drive down to San Simeon. There's nothing in particular there except that there exists a mansion. Hearst Castle is a National and California Historical landmark mansion. I believe a section of that mansion was built to be the world's largest private zoo. The zoo no longer exists but you can still see the bedrooms, gardens, and the famous Neptune Pool.

On our journey there, we stopped by one of the stops on a highway and enjoyed the scenic view. Looking down from above, we saw a message (that we couldn't make out). 

Scenic view by the highway

This is a side view of the architecture of the mansion.

Part of the Mansion

There you can see a fountain carried by four roman-looking tigers. They even show their tiresome expressions, which I find it funny.

Fountain of Youth?

There it is! The beautiful Neptune pool. It was prohibited to swim in or even to be near it, but look how inviting the pool looks.

Neptune Pool

We enjoyed the little historical tour and stayed in town to explore the country-like city for the rest of our trip.

Clarisonic Mia Sonic Skin Cleansing System

Product Review : Clarisonic Mia

A couple of weeks ago, I saw the Clarisonic Mia + other cleansing systems on SlickDeals. I have heard great reviews and positive feedback from this product. Therefore, I was in great temptation to purchase one for myself. Call it the act of spoiling thyself. Here's what you have to know about my skin type. I have combination skin; the T-zone is the most oily and the rest my face is very dry in the Winter and very oily in the Summer.

Clarisonic Mia

What is it?

• Uses Sonic Technology and micro-massage motions to cleanse skin, removing impurities, leaving skin softer and smoother.
• Cleanses 6x better than using hands in 1 minute
• Gently massages skin to clean pores
• With usage, the skin is able to absorb moisturizers and serums more effectively
• Gentle enough to be used 2x a day

Cost: 

• Approximately $85 with discounted sale on SlickDeals

Package includes:

• Clarisonic Mia (Blue)
• Universal voltage charger
• Travel Bag (Brown)
• Additional Sensitive Brush Head
• 1 0z. trial size Refreshing Gel Cleanser
• 5 ml. La Roche-Posay Daily Clarifying Acne Treatment
• 10-day supply of Hyalo Gyn
• Vaginal Hydrating Gel

Opening of the Clarisonic Mia

Travel Bag + additional Sensitive Brush head

Travel Bag + Sensitive Brush Head

Hyalo Gyn + La Roche-Posay

Clarisonic Mia in BLUE

Beyond the Washcloth...comes Clarisonic!

Ou La La with gel cleanser and charger, and of course my Mia

My New Blue Clarisonic Mia

Progress:

I have started integrating the Clarisonic Mia into my daily skin regimen. I use it twice a day, in the morning and at night. My first day of using the Clarisonic Mia was great, I already noticed the difference, my skin was radiant and glowing. It looked smoother even after applying my daily moisturizers and lotions. Am I being bias already?

A week has already gone by and the same review I had about this product on the very first day did not change. I am impressed. My skin was still glowing and more radiant than ever. I have also tried other cleansers instead of the gel cleanser in my morning regimen. I still feel really clean after using the Clarisonic. My skin does look smoother and feel a bit smoother. Although, I still suspect that I need more time before I can fully review this product thoroughly. 

Its been a couple months already. I am still using my Clarisonic. I have notice significant changes to my skin. My forehead is absolutely shiny from using my Mia. However, a product can only do so much to your skin. It has come to the maximum peak of effectiveness. However, I do recommend the product for maintaining clean and clear skin.

Food Adventure in Berkeley

Today, my sister took me around Berkeley to explore some of the best foods in town. I imagine that the business here must be doing well with all the college students roaming around. To begin, I was not familiar with the place whatsoever, and I had no expectations of any sort, which means I am not expecting much. However, I did had my mind set on a drink, because I was extremely thirsty.

And off we go....

1. French Hotel Cafe

• Ordered a Vanilla Latte...yes, my very usual. And yes, not the best way to cure a thirst, but I wanted one. Although, I care not for the espresso, I do enjoy my source of vitamin D in steamed milk. 
• It was very delicious and well-made. It reminded me of the times I sat at Common Grounds and had a cup of their Vanilla Latte. 

2. Gregoire with an accent on the first letter "e".

• Famous for their potato puffs. 
• It was the first time I had heard of these food. Its shaped in circular form filled with mashed potato, except the exterior outer shell is deep fried to give it that crispy texture as you bite in to it.
• Basically, crunchy on the outside, soft on the inside
• Cost: Approximately $4.50 for 10 potato puffs
• When ordered to-go, there's a set of metal looking fork, which in fact, is plastic

3. Masse's Pastries

• My very first time trying some Macarons. I ordered two.
• One being blueberry
• Looks like the tray was almost empty with this one, let's give it a try. It was rather too sweet for my liking. Its the same feeling where you're eating a cream cake that was way too sweet. As for the blueberry flavor, I had hardly tasted any, if there were any.
• Second being pistachio
• Surprisingly good for a green-looking dessert. The cream was deliciously good with the light outer shell. There were also bits of pistachio sprinkled all around for a nutty taste (which I like very much). However, I do have to point out that there wasn't a strong taste of pistachio.
• Cost: Approximately $1.25 for one piece.

Gregoire Logo

My First Bite

Gregoire's famous potato puffs

..includes a flavorful fatty sauce, which tasted like
tartar sauce and mayonnaise mixed together.
<I heard they change their sauce monthly>

At Masse's Pastries
Left in Green - Pistachio
Right in Purple - Blueberry 

This will not be the last of my Berkeley visits, so stay following for more exciting food trips in this little college town.

E.L.F. Goodies

What's the next best thing to looking great in your own raw skin? 

The natural look; better described as applying light make-up to create the effect of radiant flawless skin. And its always better to purchase make-up that works great and cost less. E.L.F. make-up and cosmetics offers decent beauty products at low prices than most retail stores. If you can't get it online, you can just drive to your local Target store to find the same products without paying the shipping cost. Personally, E.L.F. products are a hit-or-miss for me. If the product is good, then GREAT! I pay a little bit of money for a good product. If the product is bad, then I guess I pay for what I get, which is not so much of a loss than say a hundred dollar product. 

My finds at Target:

E.L.F. Nail Polish. The new fall preview collection.

• Not sure if its a new line or new packaging, but I have never seen this before at Target, actually not even on their website. The new bottle is in a circular shape instead of a rectangle shape. The top cap is decorated with gold specks of snake skin look-alike features. 
• Overall, I like the new change. However, it does seem like a smaller bottle with an increase of a dollar.
• Cost: $2.00 per bottle
• Name: There are no labels indicating the name of the color of this product. Its a nude base with a very light hint of pink. 
• Its a nice color for an everyday causal look or maybe if you're going for a sophisticated appearance.

E.L.F. fall preview collection nail polish

Nails painted with the nameless ELF fall collection nail polish

E.L.F. Cream Eyeshadow

• Name: Dawn
• Its a neutral color, perfect for light make-up. It does consist of a bit of shimmer. Its also very creamy when applied.
• Package: Package includes the eyeshadow in a square container. If you look at the side-view down below, notice that the container is customized to a shape that DOES NOT fill up the product in all corners of the square container. Package also includes a small brush for eye application.
• Personally, I feel that using my finger tips is a better tool to apply than the brush.
• Cost: $3.00 a box

ELF Cream Eyeshadow in Dawn

The color Dawn

Oops...brush has been used!
But I couldn't resist the temptation to test it out first

Dawn Cream Eyeshadow Swatch

***I wanted to point out that after reading a blogger note that their own blog pictures have been taken off their web and was used for fraud, has made me paranoid. Although that specific blogger is a seller and I am not, that puts me back in a more relief state. However, I did consider at one point to include watermarks as a record of copyrighted print. So, I finally took the time to include it in my recent photos, I'm a bit lazy to go back and do the old pictures. We will see~~

Delightful Dessert

When I was packing my things to move out of my apartment, I found my lime jello. I forgot all about this jello. It was only a week before it was going to expire. I decided to make myself a cold dessert, which was perfect for the warm summer weather.

Lime Jell-O

Top it off with a swirl of whip cream

And I'm ready to eat

A perfect flavor balance

Midnight Meal Run

Last week, it was an overwhelming week with large amounts of cleaning and packing the apartment. I was moving back home and everything needed to be in boxes, even the cooking utensils. So what's for dinner?! Baldos, a Mexican Restaurant is the answer. I get my usual Carne Asada fries. Mm Mmm Good. Pretty unhealthy but its delicious. Although I'm not a big fan of cheese.

• Carne Asada Fries
• A pretty high calorie meal. Not for the faint of heart.
• Consists of two sauces: Green sauce and Red sauce. 
• Green sauce has more jalapeno taste to it, which gives it a more spicy taste, whereas the red sauce has more pepper and chili taste, which taste more flavorful to me.
• Consists of carne asada (grilled beef), avocado, fried potato ( french fries), sour cream, and cheese.

My Dinner

The two kinds of sauce: Green sauce and Red sauce

Close-up

Getting ready to chow!

Where's my avocados?

Oh, there you are. Trying to hide...

Biotrue

It seems like Bausch + Lomb has come up with a new line called Biotrue. I guess that inspiration comes from using biology to formulate this product. As I am very interested in biology, I was tempted into buying this at Costco. I'm not gonna lie, but the packaging was pretty impressive. There was also a promotion going on, which takes off a couple of bucks from the original cost. 

• Biotrue
• New line of Bausch + Lomb. The brand is currently promoting both Biotrue contact solution and Biotrue OneDay lenses
• Has a lubricant found naturally in our eyes
• Matches the pH of our tears
• Keeps specific tear protein active
• Here's the link for more information (I am not affiliated with this company in any way): 
• http://www.biotrue.com/

Biotrue contact solution.
Notice the right sidebar of the box, it shows an image of the contact lenses case.

I did not try this yet. I am still trying to finish my other solution. Updates will be added once I try this.

Dollar Tree Deals

Today I went to the Dollar Tree for a stroll. I didn't expect to buy anything particularly special, just because its the Dollar Tree. However, there were a few hidden goodies that I saw and was tempted into buying. 

1. L.A. Art Deco

• Art Deco is a fast-drying nail polish. 
• It contains a thin tip for decorating and designing purposes. 
• Can be used for detailed artwork.
• Tip: A white Art Deco would be perfect for creating perfect-looking French Tip.

2. Clip on Light --- Same LED Travel Lights or Kindle Reader Lights selling on eBay

• I bought it for my Kindle Touch. Dollar Tree calls it Travel Lights; eBay calls it Kindle Reading Lights. I personally use it for my Kindle Touch. It was cheaper than buying it on eBay. I bought it for $1.00 at the Dollar Tree and eBay users sell it for around $4.00. I got a GREAT DEAL! If anyone is considering about a nighttime reading light on their Kindle, I recommend checking out a local Dollar Tree store or 99 cent store, unless you don't mind the extra 2 bucks.
• Here's a link to one of the users that sell the same product that I bought eBay LED Light.
• Cons: You need 3 "AG13" 1.5V Alkaline Batteries (which are the tiny circle batteries). Cannot use rechargeable batteries. Not sure how long these battery will last, I will update on that. However, it does include a set when you first buy one.

Art Deco original packaging 

Close-up shot with no flash

Close-up shot with flash

Black Art Deco

Pink Art Deco

LED Kindle Touch Light --- Forgot to take the original packaging
but this was taken right  after un-wrapping.
I got too excited.

Pressing the side "Open" button yields an automatic rising of the light's head

Blinding bright lights. Perfect for night reading.

LED Kindle Light attachment on a Kindle Touch

A youtube video that I found on the mechanical LED Kindle Light

Skip to 0:42 seconds to see the LED Light demonstration

Breakfast Is Served

Today was a delightful day because of a morning surprise. My housemate prepared and made me an egg omelet. It was visually appealing, almost like restaurant-made breakfast. The egg had a nice golden crisp with the sweet and sourness taste of ketchup. Taking a bite, you get the crunch from the pepper and softness of diced meat. It was delicious! 

Thanks to H.C. I get to be lazy for one morning.

Egg omelet stuffed with green pepper and meat drizzled with ketchup

Closeup Shot of omelet

Mini Chicken Pot Pie

So I have been dying to try this recipe after I saw it on this link  Mini Chicken Pot Pie Recipe. I followed exactly the recipe they had and made these beautiful mini chicken pot pie. The things that I didn't have was a muffin tin and chicken breast, I had to improvise using a cupcake tin and real chicken pieces. Fortunately, it turned out great. These mini chicken pot pie were very satisfying and fulfilling. You can really taste the cream of chicken, which gives it that creamy texture and flavor. The only alteration for next time would be to use lesser dough.

Recipe from QuickDish by Tablespoon:

Prep Time: 20 min.

Total time: 35 min.

Serving Size: 10 mini chicken pot pie

• 2 (10 oz.) cans Pillsbury biscuits 
• 1 chicken breast, diced
• 1 (14.5 oz.) can cream of chicken soup
• 1 cup frozen mixed vegetables
• 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese 
• or 2/3 cup shredded low-fat cheddar cheese
• 1 tsp onion powder

Optional Seasoning:

• 1 tsp garlic salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp dried parsley flakes

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400 °.
2. Take a large bowl, combine the cooked diced chicken breast, cream of chicken soup, frozen vegetables, cheese, and seasoning.
• Optional: Spray Pam or spread butter to muffin tin or cupcake tin to make it easier to take the pot pies out.
3. Evenly spread Pillsbury biscuit on the tin to create a cup-shaped opening.
4. Fill the cup-shaped opening with the pot pie filling evenly with a spoon.
5. Bake for ~15 minutes or until golden brown
6. Take it out to cool. Enjoy!

Whoo! Its done!

Can't wait to munch on you.

Pot Pie heaven

The oozing of melted cheese

Foreign Presents

If you take a look at any of your items that you have at home, most or even ALL of your products say Made in China. Why? Because manufacturing is way cheaper to produce and labor cost is way lower. Yep, that's just how the economy works in order to earn their share of profit. Although so much of the products we buy in America is from China, there are things that you just can't buy from China in America. Say what? Yea, all the cute things or weird flavored food. Ever heard of bamboo crackers? Neither have I, but it was really good. I wish I had more. My sister came back from Taiwan and got me back some goodies.

Presents I got from my lovely sister:

• Tony Moly Blackhead Egg pore gel
• Excessive sebum, keratin accumulated great in removing white head & black head 
• Gel form
• Deep cleansing, provide clear & translucent skin. Contain keratin with whitening effect to provide a clean & smooth skin
• And if after finish using the product, break that yellow part of the shell, you will find seeds that you can plant. (I find myself laughing as I heard the last part of it)
• Famous Pineapple Cake
• A famous sweet pastry with pineapple paste filling.
• Bamboo Crackers
• A thin cracker with bamboo flavor? Well, it taste like...really hard to explain. There's a slight salty yet slight sweet taste. There's a bit of pepper taste as well. But it was really good, very addicting. 

I still have a few more goodies, updates coming soon.

 Tony Moly Blackhead Pore Gel Packaging

Egg Pore! 

Crack that egg open...

And you get the gel 

Famous Pineapple Cake

Delicious Bamboo Crackers. Its the bomb!