My favorite and not so favorite bronzer-Part2

Hello Lovelies,

here is the part2 of my face bronzer post, the 1st post is here:

the 3rd favorites are:

-Rhoda which is really a face powder but it's in a dark color, has a very soft texture and  blends very well.

-Revlon color stay Mineral finishing powder, on the back it says it suppose to be all over face powder but I use it as a bronzer. it has little bit of shimmer and it's my winter bronzer.

-Cargo OneBase concealer+ foundation which I got the time when Sephora were discontinuing this brand for under 10$ I think. it's a cream product in a really dark color but since it's cream it blends very well and it's perfect for contouring. and it stays put all day. 

-Joe fresh stick in Bronze, this is Canadian brand by the same guy who is one of the founder of Club Monaco (one of the brands which I have a slight obsession with). I got it last summer and it was around 6$ I think. I hate the smell but it's just a cream shimmery bronzer.it goes on very nicely but wish they had more colors.

-Natural Origin 2-in-1 Bronzer and Blush in color light by Physician formula, I love this brand, I never got disappointed by any of their stuff, both colors are very nice and soft. I used a lot in winter but I think it's getting too light for me now. 

-Bronzer mousse by Vichy which I talked about here. 

And here are the disappointments :(

-Nars in Casino: I think I got disappointed by this because I had high expectations of it ( yes being Nars and everything). I got it about 2 years ago. they come in 3 colors and when I was at the counter the lady suggested this is my color. it blends very hard and has orange undertones.if I am not careful I could end  with very intense orange color!! I kinda get used to it now and I use it with the lightest hand ever. but still it is a disappointment to me.

-Ooh La Rouge blush compact duo by Too Faced, I got it during winter time, the blush color is fine but the bronzer which suppose to be for contouring does not have any color. it is more of beige color rather than bronze and I don't know on what skin color would show ( maybe the most fair skins)!!

-Pink Leopard by Too Faced, which I can summarize as a pink-slightly bronzed disco ball. it has too much shimmer and its color comes more pink. it could be used as a light highlighter though ( use with very light hand). I used it once as a bronzer and took it off immediately :( now I just open it once in a while and look at it because it is so pretty but not on my face just in the package ;)

Hope this was helpful, wish you all a great Wednesday

Mania

Menu Plan Monday

Hello lovelies, 

hope you all had a great weekend. here was warm and sunny and had great times with friends. But now back to Mondays' subject and that is what to eat this week.  so let's get down to it:

Monday : Feta-olive stuffed chicken

Tuesday : Striped bass with mushrooms

Wednesday :   Chicken and cheese enchiladas

Thursday : Spicy sausage and potato

Friday:  Grilled chicken Cesar Salad

I  also participate in Laura's Menu Plan Monday post. as the week progresses I will update this post with the pictures and if you like to know more details about any of the recipes please let me know ;)

Have a great week everyone :)

Mania

Monday

Wednesday

Thursday

Bass with mushrooms

This is delicious meal that I cooked few weeks ago, it is with bass but you could use any other type of fish. the key part is the sauce, it is so creamy and tastes really good. also this amount is good for 4 serving.
Ingredients:
2 tablespoon of unsalted butter
4 shallots, thinly sliced
2 sprigs thyme ( I did not had fresh so i used dry)
salt and pepper
1 1/2 cup of white mushroom, sliced
4 bass fillets
2 tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup dry wine
1/2 cup heavy cream
fresh parsley or chives for topping
take a large skillet and heat up the butter on medium heat. add the shallots and thyme and cook for about 6 minutes ( till the shallots are soft). season with salt and pepper.

add the mushrooms and cook for about 5-7 minutes (till they get slightly brown)

 take another skillet and heat the oil over medium heat. season your bass fillets with salt and pepper and add it to the oil, cook for 3-4 minutes till they become crispy, then transfer it to the plate.

Now add the wine to the same skillet you used for fish, cook on high heat for 3-4 minutes. then add the cream and simmer to thicken slightly for 3-4 minutes.

pour the cream sauce over the mushrooms in the skillet

then add the fish. let it cook for 5-7 minutes. then add the parsley. hope you try and enjoy this one.

Have a great day everyone :)
Mania

Lancome gift with purchase at The Bay 2011

Hello lovelies,

It's time for another gift with purchase, from Lancome (July 7- 31). all the details are shown at the picture below. I really don't care that much about Lancome and honestly for someone like me ( not being a fan and all)  I have a tons of Lancome products sitting in my drawer; I think they are really overpriced (I tried their foundation, eye-shadow paletts, lipsticks and lipgloss, mascara). although I must say I love their perfume specially Hypnôse Senses Eau de parfum. their new collection which is coming in September I guess is just gorgeous and I have my eyes on this blush. so I won't be buying anything this time but if you're a Lancome fan or need something it's a good time to check your Lancome counters.

Happy shopping!

Mania

Tres Leches Cake

I baked this cake long long time ago and I posted it once but for some reason blogger ate it, I did not know it was that good. anyhow I contacted them several times, mainly to ask "where is my post" where they did not answer any of them. so I kinda did hunt Google for a a few weeks and saw a lot of people had the same problem as me and they did not know to just wait for them to fix the problem or they should just redo the post. now it's been over 2 months and I think if they wanted to fix it, it should 've been done by now. so on side note I really dislike (close to hate )blogger and the way they handled their shut down situation. 

I think I baked it at Cinco de Mayo weekend. it is a Spanish cake that I had once baked by one of my friends (she is originally from Venezuela ) and it was SO good. it is not like any ordinary cake, so moist and due to its ingredients it has a very special taste. If you never had these, you need to try; believe me it is worth it :)
I will now stop rambling and start the recipe. it has 2 steps one is the cake preparation and while the cake is baking or cooling you have time to make the topping.
Ingredients for the cake :

1 cup sugar
5 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
1/3 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder


First heat the oven at 350 F and grease your pan,best would be a rectangular one ( like 13x9 inch)  

Then in a large bowl, mix egg yolks with  sugar  and mix till they become a light yellow color ( for about 5 minutes), very gently add the milk, vanilla, flour and baking powder. mix them well at low speed or with a spatula, then set aside. 

In another clean bowl, beat the egg whites till they form peaks.make sure to use clean mixing handles.  

Gently add the egg yolk mixture to the egg whits and mix slowly with a spatula. then pour the batter into the pan and bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the toothpick comes out clean from the center. take it out from the oven and let it cool down on a rack. 

Ingredients for the topping:

1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
1 cup sweetened condensed milk
1 cup  whipping cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoons dark Cuban rum ( you could skip this one though)

1/2 cup of whipped cream + 2 tablespoon of fine sugar  ( already mixed and thick)

In a large bowl, mix the evaporated milk, sweetened condensed milk, cream, vanilla extract, and rum, whisking until well blended. the result is a liquid cream, it is not dense. 

Once the cake is completely cooled, poke the cake thoroughly (every 1cm) with a toothpick, just be careful not to tear the cake. this whole is for the topping to absorbs to the cake. put  the cake  a baking sheet to prevent the syrup all over the place. very slowly pour the syrup over the top of the cake, and let it absorbs then pour again to prevent the overflow. then use the tick version of whipped cream and spread it all over the surface. 

Cover it and put it in the fridge for at least 2 hours before you serve.

As I told you this no ordinary cake,I am sure you won't be disappointed. I already made plans to bake this after my sugar free challenge is over.

Enjoy!
Mania

What I have on my Night Stand

Hello lovelies,
hope you had a great week so far, I am here with another beauty related post. yes, it helps me to forget baking and cakes ....mmm cakes, I miss them so much.

But anyhow back to reality, I wanted to share with you the stuff that I keep on my night stand and use them every night before I go to bed.

Advanced night repair eye cream by Estée Lauder. I got this  in gift purchase thingy and it is one of the most hydrating eye-creams I ever tried. I use just a tiny amount and tap it with my ring fingers under my eyes, where my top cheek bone is. I highly recommend this, you could try them when they have GWP because I think they pop one of these in that all the time. 

Born Lippy Strawberry Lip Balm by Body Shop which I got as a gift from a dear friend of mine. it is so moisturizing and also tastes yummy. and I wake up in the morning with soft lips.

Diacneal Acne Treatment by Avene,  has Retinaldehyde and glycolic acid which has so many benefits for skin. it kinda balances skin texture and tone by helping to lose dead skins and lots of other good stuff. In overall it's a great product.

Lush cuticle butter which I use every night to moisturize my cuticles. why ? I explained here in more details :) and last but not least a good and light moisturizer which for me is body butter form Body Shop to get rid of annoying dry skin and sleep well with smooth soft skin :) 

So that was all my beauty products on my night stand. because sometimes I do forget to use them and it seems as soon as I settle in my bed I remember that. I keep them there so I don't have to get out of the bed.

So do you have specific routine or products for your night time, as always love to hear about yours.

Have a great day everyone :)

Mania

Menu Plan Monday

Hello lovelies,
I hope you had a great weekend. in Montreal it was long weekend  because Friday was Canada Day .Happy Birthday Canada !

Here are some shots form the firework which I took with my phone ( excuse the poor quality). it was beautiful and these photos just don't do it any justice.  

 But now back to Mondays' subject and that is what to eat this week.  so let's get down to it:

Monday : Chicken schnitzel

Tuesday : Turkey Reubens

Wednesday :  Shepherd's pie 

Thursday : Parisian Tuna Sandwich 

Friday: Spicy sausage & potato sandwich 

This week will be mostly sandwiches.I  also participate in Laura's Menu Plan Monday post. as the week progresses I will update this post with the pictures and if you like to know more details about any of the recipes please let me know ;)

Have a great week everyone :)
Mania

Monday

Tuesday

Wednesday