Spring Is Just Around The Corner

Today was a beautiful warm day in the bay area. My house is one of those shelter that doesn't act as a shelter because its actually colder inside than when you are on the outside on a warm day. I took a scroll outside and got myself warmed up and even came back home sweating.

I got to see some cherry blossoms starting to bloom and it reminds me that spring is on its way and all the birdies and flowers will start appearing...not to mention that allergy season is on its way too. 

Cherry Blossom

Cherry Blossom Close-up

How To See My Blog in Dynamic View

Blogspot has made it possible to view my blog and contents in new ways called Dynamic View. For me, I started blogspot using the original view and by me enabling this features makes my blog different from how I want to express my theme. The different views does give my blog a fresh and more professional mood to it, which I do like, however, there are limitations to certain features, such as a music playlist. I will not be enabling this feature anytime soon, however, there are still ways you can view my blog with this feature.

What you have to do to see my blog in dynamic view:
www.SimpleEatz.blogspot.com/view

• Simply add /view to the end of my weblink. 
• Look at the upper left hand corner, you will see sidebar. Place mouse over it and the rest of the views will be available for you to view.
• Click on one of the views to see my blog differently.

or click below for the view you want to see (total of 7 views)

*Some features in the dynamic view may redirect you back to my original blog because I have not enable the dynamic view feature.

Sidebar

• The left hand side shows a list of my blog posts and center shows the main post.

Classic

• In classic view, you will see the most recent blog post as the main page. As you scroll down, the previous post will show and after that the previous of the previous post will show. You will end up scrolling all the way down to the very first post that I have posted.

Flipcard

• Flipcard is an interesting view. When you place your mouse over my pictures, it will show the title of the post and the date of the post. 
• You can also change the category according to Recent, Date, Label, or Author. My snapshot shows the category Recent.

Magazine

• In magazine view, you get to see a picture of my blog post with a short description of each post next to it. You get a chance to preview the post before clicking into one.

Mosaic

• In mosaic view, you basically see all my pictures in different sizes arrange like a mosaic. Once you click on one of the pictures, the entire post will pop-up on top and the mosaic will still remain at the end of the post.

Snapshot

• Snapshot view shows all the pictures in polaroids. When you click on one of the pictures, the post will pop in front of you. 

Timeline

• In timeline view, everything is arranged from earliest to the latest in the following format seen in the snapshot above.

And that concludes all the 7 views. If you have a particular view that you really like, please write a comment below and I will consider switching my blog to that view :D

Skin79 VIP Hot Pink

Product Review: Skin79 VIP Hot Pink

About product:

• VIP Hot Pink is a BB cream that sets as the base of your makeup and allow your skin to look bright and natural without feeling greasy and tight. 
• Tangerine Oil provides lively skin. Arbutin helps whitening of skin. Phyto-complex provides nutrition for the skin. Ceraminde3 provides moisture to the skin, Adenosine helps wrinkle improvement, and Osmopur protects the skin.

What I like:

• Multiple functions and ingredients to treat my skin
• Easy Pump
• Comes in various sizes
• Mines is 40g, which lasts pretty long. If you're a first time buyer, I recommend getting the 5g. 
• Helps cover light blemishes, acne scars, and a little bit of my freckles
• Product oxidizes to skin tone 
• I have to point out that it does have whitening effect, so you could appear one shade lighter than you normally are
• Triple Function: whitening, UV protecting SPF 25, wrinkle improvement
• Good for dry skin/combination skin
• Does not appear to be "cakey" or heavy on face, which is why I like bb cream more than liquid foundation
• Face looks great in pictures
• Lightweight makeup

What I dislike:

• Bottle is not transparent, so it's really hard to tell when you're almost running out
• Coverage is good for minimal acne scars, pores, freckles, etc. Not as great if you have cystic acne. When applying too much, face can appear to be very pale.
• Does not come in many shades. If you have medium-dark to dark skin, this product may not be suitable for you, since this product is targeted to Asian skin.

A little background about my skin type:
My skin type is oily/combination, however in the winter, its a mix of dry/combination. This product is my very first BB cream. I bought mines way back when Garnier, Olay, and L'oreal still didn't have their products out in drugstores. I didn't know anything on BB cream so I did a lot of research before jumping on the bandwagon of BB cream. The popular one at that time was Missha M Perfect Cover BB cream and I tried it from my sister, the end result was horrible. It gave coverage but it dried out my skin so bad. So I was looking for something more moisturizing at the same time had coverage. 

I came across two brands that I really want to try: Skin79 and Skinfood. There were more reviews and positive feedback from Skin79 Hot Pink, so that ultimately convinced me that that BB cream is the one for me. I really like it. It was perfect for the summer time. I have very oily skin in the summer so this made my skin look hydrate and natural, at the same that it provided coverage and SPF functioning in the sun. Its perfect for summer because when you're sweaty you don't want your makeup to feel like its melting on your face, this BB cream is very lightweight and it almost feel like you don't have it on at all. This is still my all time favorite, so I highly recommend. For the winter season, I recommend the Skin79 Gold.

Box of Skin79 Hot Pink
Bottle is similar to Skin79 Gold except in Hot Pink color

1. Skin79 Hot Pink
2. A swatch of the Skin79 Hot Pink
3. Grey cast forming
4. Oxidizing Skin79 Hot Pink

*Checked out the review for Skin79 Gold.

Arizmendi Pizza

Arizmendi Pizza is officially my favorite pizza spot! A unique feature for this pizza is that all the ingredients on the pizza is 100% vegetarian, similar to Cheese Board (a sister store). I only been to both places once and I got to say that I do happen to favor one out of the two. It's the one I am reviewing and it goes to --- Arizmendi Pizza! Many may demur, but this can change if I try more pizzas from both. As of now, Arizmendi is so yummilicious!

Food Review: Arizmendi Pizza

Ingredient topping of the Day: 

• Goat Cheese, Oil, Mozzarella Cheese, Red Onion, Parsley, Butternut Squash, Pecan

Cost:

• About 2.75 a slice or $10 for half a whole pizza.

My thoughts:

• The taste was delicious. I didn't think such combinations will work, but it was great. What I especially like from the combination was the butternut squash and the pecan; you get a subtle taste of sweetness and a hint of crunch to create that wow factor.
• Can't wait to go again to try some exciting combos of flavor!

Interior of Arizmendi Pizza
* Free cups of water on the side

Pizza of the Day

Yums!

Birthday Eat Outs #1

I already showed you some of my birthday gifts, but I haven't showed you the main course. My favorite part of birthdays is always the food. For this year, I already had my mind set on Texas Roadhouse for some juicy steak. 

Food Review: Texas Roadhouse

What I ordered: 

• Rib-eyed Steak 
• You can not make this at home. The tenderness and juiciness of the steak is right on! I got medium rare and its just the way I like it. 
• Ribs
• I got to say that if this entree offers both steak and ribs simultaneously, the steak out-beat the ribs by a dozen. I got to say that the ribs were tender and it came right off the bone, which gives it a clean finish. Ribs just can't beat steak.
• Side #1: A Cup of Chili
• I am a big chili fan. You give me cheddar and crackers mix it all in with the steamy chili and you got yourself a fan right here. It was so good, I had a blink second that I want an extra order home.
• Side #2: Loaded Baked Potato
• This little guy is so much better than the one I ordered at Wendy's. The whole potato was so soft and steamy. I had the loaded on bacon, cheese, and sour cream. It was so yummy, besides the fact that there were way too much sour cream and cheese.
• Overall, by the end of the meal, I was bloated. I couldn't even finish the half of my meal. How do people even finish this in one go? It was definitely not meant for one serving. Servers were so friendly and I even got a chance to see the workers do their little live dancing gig. Awesome!
• Don't forget to arrive early. The waiting time was 45 minutes!

We are here!

Texas Road House

Frozen Peach Margarita

Sweet bread with yogurt flavored cream

Cup of chili with cheddar and cracker

Rib-eyed Steak & Rib with loaded baked potato

To-go Bag. Way too much food!

Birthday Gifts and such...

Birthdays. Ah, the one and only day of the year that you get to be the center of all attention, well maybe not exactly. But maybe a few minutes is what your Facebook friends will be thinking and wishing you a happy birthday. Here are some of my gifts, as well as some goodies I got myself.

Birthday Gifts

Bobbi Brown Corrector in Beige

Mary Kay Even Complexion Essence

Estee Lauder Bold Volume Lifting Mascara

Sushi Crave

I spent my day at Starbucks applying for jobs. I love coffee shops, especially when studying is not the reason for why I'm there. The act of sipping a nice cup of warm vanilla latte with soy-milk is absolutely heartwarming on a sunny winter day. As the day dawns into the evening, my stomach growls for satiety. The complete fulfillment is the sushi I have been craving for, ever since I came down with a bad case of food poisoning or stomach flu a few weeks ago. It was probably the worst experience thus far. My cravings were satisfied at Ichiro. 

Food Review: Ichiro

• This is probably one of those restaurants where you don't expect much from it. Its located in a quiet street and when you enter the place, very few customers are present. Staff are friendly and welcoming.
• Food was reasonable for the portion size. Titantic is one of the biggest sushi roll I ever saw for $12. 
• For an affordable and tasty sushi place, this is by far one of the better ones I have tried. I will definitely come back again. 

Excuse my crappy phone camera...

Interior of Ichiro

Combination Sashimi (Tuna, Yellowtail, Salmon, Albacore)

Cherry Blossom

Lion King

Ginormous Titanic

Puzzle Pirates

Recently, I have an urge to play some games. Yea, I admit I'm a nerd when it comes to video games or computer games. I can spend hours and hours to finish a role playing game. I'm not sure what's a fun game at the moment, but I know there's been many YouTubers playing the game Slender, which I am not a fan of when it comes to horror games. It's way to intense for me. So in the end, I decided to explore some childhood memory PC games. I ended up with Puzzle Pirates. I remember back when I was a kid it was frustrating for me to navigate and play the game because of computer lag, but now its different. I can enjoy the game!

Time to be hiatus!
I'm creating a beginner account, so Join me!

Puzzle Pirates
Pirate name: Ailea

Sephora Birthday Gift

Being someone that has a birthday way in the beginning of the year has its perks; one being a Beauty Insider at Sephora. Anyone can join and its absolutely free. What happens is that every year on your birthday month, you are eligible to receive a Sephora birthday gift. By the way, each year features a new and exciting new gift, so its even a surprise, unless that is your birthday is in December and everybody has revealed it to you...as well as me :D

This years birthday gift from Sephora is 

• Benefit mini They're Real mascara
• Benefit mini Watt's Up luminizer and highlighter

Both are really nice free gifts this year, probably the best that I ever had gotten. So when the time comes for your birthday, be sure to stop by Sephora and pick one of these little guys up. 

Box package of Sephora's Birthday Gift 2013

Left: Benefit mini Watt's Up Luminizer/Highlighter
Right: Benefit mini They're Real mascara

Benefit mini Watt's Up Luminizer/Highlighter

Benefit mini They're Real mascara

Skin79 VIP Gold Review

Product Review: Skin79 VIP Gold

About product:

• VIP Gold is a BB cream that helps keep skin moist, has whitening effect, and ingredients to help prevent wrinkles. 
• Sweet Almond oil provides nutrition and resilience for skin. Arbutin helps whitening of skin. Madecassoside improves texture. Kava, Purslane extracts relaxes the skin, Adenosine helps wrinkle improvement, and Osmopur protects the skin.

What I like:

• Multiple functions and ingredients to treat my skin
• Easy Pump
• Comes in various sizes
• Mines is 40g, which lasts pretty long. If you're a first time buyer, I recommend getting the 5g. 
• Helps cover light blemishes, acne scars, and a little bit of my freckles
• Product oxidizes to skin tone 
• I have to point out that it does have whitening effect, so you could appear one shade lighter than you normally are
• Triple Function: whitening, UV protecting SPF 25, wrinkle improvement
• Good for dry skin/combination skin
• Does not appear to be "cakey" or heavy on face, which is why I like bb cream more than liquid foundation
• Face looks great in pictures
• Lightweight makeup

What I dislike:

• Bottle is not transparent, so it's really hard to tell when you're almost running out
• Coverage is good for minimal acne scars, pores, freckles, etc. Not as great if you have cystic acne. When applying too much, face can appear to be very pale.
• Does not come in many shades. If you have medium-dark to dark skin, this product may not be suitable for you, since this product is targeted to Asian skin.

A little background about my skin type:
My skin type is oily/combination, however in the winter, its a mix of dry/combination. Overall, this product is great. The reason I bought this was because I really enjoy the VIP Hot Pink, but because of the cold winter, my skin appears to way drier than it normally is. I heard that VIP Gold is better for hydrating and moisturizing the skin and the VIP Hot Pink wasn't doing too good of a job in that area. I'm really glad I tried the VIP Gold, its an alternative for me in the winter season. I highly recommend this.

My newly arrived Skin79 VIP Gold Collection +
3 Intense Care Dual Effect Sleeping Pack Tony Moly Sample

Skin79 VIP Gold Pump Bottle

Skin79 VIP Gold Collection

1. Pump of BB Cream
2. Gray cast forming right after applying
3. BB Cream oxidizes to skin color

*Check out the Review for Skin79 Hot Pink