My Favourite Restaurants (at the moment)

Hi everyone ! This is a different type of post that I usually blog about, it's going to be all about food :). Where do you like to eat? I love to try new foods and new restaurants, but I have compiled a list of places I like to visit time and time again.

1. Cafe Nervosa

This is a lovely Italian restaurant with a lively atmosphere located in the midst of Yorkville, Toronto. It has a lovely selection of pastas, pizzas, and seafood. The price range is approximately $15-20 a person, depending on what you order and what you drink. I personally love the cappelini dish, it is a spaghetti pasta with sun-dried tomato sauce topped with fresh goat cheese and basil leaves.


2. Ho Su Bistro

 This is a Japanese restaurant with two locations, one at Yonge and Eglington, and one at Queen St. W. The price range is about $15 a person. Their lunch time specials are really cheap, you can get chicken teriyaki with soup and salad and side dishes for ~$7. I love coming here with friends or family and the staff are really nice. I like ordering bulgogi (cause I'm boring) but I'm sure the sushi dishes are great too.

3. Asian Station (in Pacific Mall) 

I've been coming to this place to eat for a while now, and I suppose it has become one of my favourites. It has a modern syle interior and very roomy seats. The meals are cheap (usually under $10) and you get a soup, a bubble tea, and a huge portion. I usually order the pork with rice (It's really flavourful! I think it's msg though =[ ) and I recommend the iced passion fruit high tea (so good!). 


4. Terroni

Terroni is a Southern-Italian restaurant with a medium-expensive range of dishes (similar to Cafe Nervosa pricing). I used to go to the St. Clair location a lot but it recently has relocated to Rosedale (correct me if I am wrong) and there is another location downtown. I recommend the pepperoni pizza (LOL so boring yet sooo good!) and the pasta with lemon in it (forget the name) is really good. 

5.  So Great Thai restaurant 

This Thai restaurant is very tasty and not expensive! It is about $10 a person or less, and the portions are a good size. I usually get the mango chicken or the stir fry with beef. The restaurant it self is kind of small but their food boast rich flavours and freshness. It is located in North York. 


Thanks for reading and hope someone will find this helpful! :)
Rebecca

Michael Kors shoes!

Hi lovelies! Today I stopped by the mall and finally picked up a pair of Michale Kors Berkely T-Strap because I have been eyeing these shoes for quite a while. Originally, I wanted to order them online because on the Nordstrom website they were only $50! (Regular price: $130) but the shipping ended up being more than the shoe =.= so, I caved and got them at the mall for $99 still on sale, but not as cheap as at Nordstrom's. I was looking for a casual style heel so I could wear to dinners or parties but not look overly fancy. They come in many colours and fabrics, you can get them in a black elastic (I suppose this would be more comfortable), suede in shades of grey and beige, and patent leather in shades of white and black. I purchased the black patent leather pair. One thing to note is to be careful with the zipper. My mom tried these on in the store, the zipper was broken, so while zipping up your shoes, don't be too violent! :P Here are some pictures I took of my shoes :

They are comfortable! I haven't worn them out yet so I will let you know if they give you blisters or anything like that. 
Until next time, 
Rebecca.

Starbucks!!!

Hi everyone! Now that it is summer, do you treat yourself to a cold caffeinated drink? I know I do, right before my 2 hour physics lecture! My favourite right now is the iced white chocolate mocha, I tried it because my friend loves the non-iced version, but I personally prefer the iced much more! When I don't have so much money on my starbucks card, I may order an iced caramel macciato, or a passion fruit lemonade. How about you? 

Found this picture on Google (here), haha, didn't know it was 610 calories, however still good, need that energy for class! 

Love, Rebecca

Review of Laneige multiberry yogurt pack and Skin Food Rice mask :)

 

Today I am going to do a short review of the Laneige multiberry yogurt pack and the Skin Food Rice mask. I actually own the laneige strawberry yogurt pack but I am pretty sure it is the same ingredients and they just changed the name of it :)

Starting with the Laneige multiberry yogurt pack, I am sure many of you know about this product as BubzBeauty on YouTube claims it is her favourite product from laneige. I have been using this product for the last year, and it is still not finished! this wash-off mask will last you a very long time. The strawberry scent is very sweet and not overpowering, and the texture is creamy but does not have a very thick consistency. You are supposed to leave a thin layer on your face and wash it off after ~20 mins, but in my first year of university, when I forgot my moisturizer on certain days, I would use this as my moisturizer at night and wash it off in the morning. It is a great moisturizer and brightens up dull skin. I definitely recommend it :). 

Here is a picture of what the mask looks like: 

Moving on to the Skin Food Rice mask, this is my favourite out of the two. I LOVE the texture of this product. If you put it in the fridge before you use it on a hot summer day, it feels very refreshing. Some people may think this is not a strong exfoliant, and I do agree with that. I use it when i want to exfoliate my skin (I don't like harsh exfoliants, even the St. Ives Apricot scrub is too harsh for my skin) and apply it onto dry skin. I use generous amounts on my face and then when i wash it off, it leaves my skin feeling very smooth, soft, bright, and clear. I will repurchase this product once it is all used up. 

Here is a picture of what the mask looks like: 

LOVE it !! <3 
Talk to you in the next post,
Rebecca.

PHYSICS :(, masks, bb cream.

Hello everyone! Today was a long day at U of T, rushing to finish a physics lab with my group mates, and then attending a 2 hour lecture of physics after that. (Just a recap if anyone wants to know: I just finished first year at McMaster University for Life Sciences) I finished the day by researching 2nd year courses and feeling a bit unsure about what I want to do as a career. I'm hoping to get into one of the professional schools (pharmacy,dentistry,optometry, etc.) but I'm not sure which one is right for me yet. I haven't ruled out medicine because I don't know that much about it other than you become a doctor and save lives (and it also opens to other opportunities such as specializing). I do enjoy learning about different aspects of science, but I guess to me it is still "school" and I would rather be relaxing by the beach, or shopping (hahaha).

On another note, I am happy because my friend is back from her vacation from Asia, and she brought me some goodies :). 

The  my beauty diary apple polyphenol mask, supposed to tighten pores and hydrate the skin. These masks are always raved about by youtube beauty gurus so I've been wanting to try them out for ages! You can buy these from www.sasa.com I also got the chocolate mask too :)


Also, she got me the Skin 79 super plus bb cream triple functions (such a long name) in the hot pink bottle, I've always heard such good reviews on this too and can't wait to try it! I usually use the L'egere white multi bb cream- it's great if you are in a rush and want to moisturize and even up your skin tone at once. Here's a picture of the Skin 79 one:

Hope you guys have a great night (it's currently quite late at night here) and until next time, 
Rebecca ^.^ ❤ ♡

Tasty food/Mini Collective Haul

   Hello! Today is a really beautiful day, 23 °C/73°F but I am stuck inside, blogging and later, doing some of my physics homework =(. Recently, I ate at a Vietnamese restaurant called Lemongrass, and I think they are a big franchise because I always see them around everywhere. Here is a picture of what I ate... 

 It is chicken with vegetables on the side, and "bun" noodles, I think it's a type of rice noodle but correct me if I'm wrong! You are supposed to pour this..watery-sour-sweet sauce on top (sounds gross but its really yummy). Here is a picture of what my friend got...

  It's a VERY spicy soup with rice noodle, seafood and vegetables. I had a sip of this, and nearly died! I needed to drink half a glass of water to recover (lol). This restaurant is pretty good, not the best, but I like the interior design of the place. They also had a $1.99 special on a strawberry smoothie that I tried. Not as great as the smoothies from Cultures, which i LOVE, but still good for the price. 

Now, moving on to the haul... I find that when summer comes around I am always out shopping around and picking up a few things every so often. Here are some of the things (beauty related) that I have chosen in the last little while: 

My friend and i went crazy at Bath and Body works yesterday! They had their usual buy 3 get 2 free deal but they also had spend $30 get $10 off! I calculated how much we saved, and we saved $35. I bought the coconut mango scrub, and two triple body moisture creams in Secret Wonderland and Country Chic. My friend got the same scrub, and a Into the Wild cream. Firstly, I was so excited to get the scrub! For ~$12, it's really good! It makes your skin feel very soft and the so called "crushed walnut shells" are not abrasive on your skin. It also smells really yummy and not sickly. The Secret Wonderland cream was purchased for a friend, and it smells very girly and ..magical. It is hard to describe because it is not something simple like a fruit, but the packaging is so pretty! I also love my Country chic cream, I have wanted this for so long, and I love the scent! It smells floral, summery, and soothing.

Moving onto some lip products and powder, 

This is the Revlon matte lipstick in smoked peach. ~$6, this lipstick is okay, the colour is a nice and light peach, but I find it a bit drying. My lips are pink naturally, so this does not show up as dramatic as it would on other people. I've been dying to get the Nars belle de jour lipstick, but as it is $30 before tax, I am holding off for now. This will suffice for now :) Moving on,

This is the L'occitaine Pivoine Floral lip shine in the peach shade, and it is a sheer, sparkly light peach colour that goes on faintly. It is fun for summer and not as sticky as some lip glosses. I mainly purchased this lip gloss because I was in love with their cherry blossom lip gloss from last year (so moisturizing, nice colour, not sticky). It was $20 which I don't think is bad considering most lip glosses are over $20 at Sephora. Next up, 

Bobbi brown's lip gloss in Brown 7. I love Bobbi, but I really don't like this lipgloss. The main reason is because of the brush (I will insert a picture below)- whenever you take the brush out of the bottle, all the hairs split up in every direction! I googled this and someone said its designed to get every ounce of the lipgloss inside the bottle but I don't really care, the brush is actually...scary! The colour pay off is great, however. It is so pigmented, almost like a lipstick, and lasts the entire day. It was really expensive, about $28. Here is a picture of the brush... 

And here are some swatches of the lipglosses, from left to right : Revlon matte lipstick in smoked peach, l'occitaine pivoine floral lipgloss in peach, and Bobbi brown lip gloss in Brown 7

Moving on (this is such a long blog entry >< sorry guys!) I recently purchased the Mac mineralized skin finish in light medium. I was running out of my L'oreal mineralized powder (the one with the brush attached on top) and I wanted to try something different. 

I love this stuff ! It's a bit pricey, at ~$36, but totally worth it! I think it will last a good year, I don't cake it on or anything, and it mattifies the skin without looking cakey at all, and gives off a subtle glow. Lastly, for nails...

I recently got the china glaze nail polish in secret perwinkle and the Sally hansen insta-dri in quick sand. I wonder why they chose "dri" instead of "dry". Maybe insta-dry was already taken? I love the periwinkle colour for summer, It has great coverage and does not go on streaky. You need about 2 coats. The Sally hansen isn't as great but I still love the colour. I think i needed about 4 coats to make this one look good! Not sure about the whole insta-dri thing though, I didn't notice it drying any faster :P. Anyways, that is all for now, but thank you for reading this! 

Much love, Rebecca

Lip Balm Review 

Over the past years, I have enjoyed buying a variety of lip balms and came to the realization that a lip balm must a) smell good! b) have moisturizing benefits. Here is my review on some of the lip balms I am trying and I hope this might be helpful to you!

1. H&M strawberry kiss lip balm (approx. $5)

 

       This is a great lip balm, it smells of very sweet and artificial strawberry and is made of Vaseline (the infamous moisturizer). The consistency is exactly the same as Vaseline, and if you like that oily, smooth texture- then you will love this lip balm. I got this lip balm last year around Valentines day, so I am not certain if it is limited edition.

2. Anna Sui Lip balm (approx. $20)

      This lip balm is okay, but it is not one that I will repurchase. It is pretty expensive for a lip balm, and some people may find the scent offensive. It smells of rosewater, and has a very oily and runny consistency. The packaging is quite extravagant, and I like the signature Anna Sui roses against black design. 

      3. Lip smackers in vanilla (approx. $3) 

       
      I am not a very big fan of the lip smackers lip balm, I think they are fun and cute to own, and are a part of every girl’s childhood. They do not contain very moisturizing ingredients. I will not be repurchasing this lip balm again but I think they are great for kid’s loot bags. 

      4. Kiss my face lip balm (in strawberry lemon) ($3)

      
      When I purchased this lip balm at Whole Foods, I was absolutely in love with the scent, it smells of strawberry and honey. The ingredient list looks great, from beeswax to shea butter. Love it and may try other flavours.

      5.  DHC lip cream (approx. $7.50)

I received this lip balm as a gift from my aunt, and was not very impressed because there is no scent! It is moisturizing but I have no desire to apply this due to the fact that it is unscented. The packaging is great though, good quality plastic with a lipstick style bottle. 

      6. Fresh Sugar lip balm (approx. $26)

      This is a very expensive lip balm! It smells lovely- a very lemon-buttery scent, and glides on smoothly. The moisturizing benefits are great, however my problem with this lip balm is that it runs out too quickly. The lip balm will last you about max. 2 months which is unacceptable for the price. The packaging is lovely (but quite heavy!), it has a bronzed finish with a lipstick style bottle.
       
      7. SoftLips in strawberry (approx. $6) 

      I used to be obsessed with these softlips lip balms because they glided on so smoothly and smelt delicious. As of late, I have not been as inclined to purchase these as they are quite expensive for the quality. I personally don't think they are as moisturizing as the Burts Bees or Ballmania. I think these are much cheaper in the States at Walgreens or CVS rather than in Shoppers located in Canada. 

     

      8. Burts Bees lip balm in peppermint (approx. $5) 

     

      This is my absolute holy grail lip balm. I love the tingly mint feeling it gives your dry lips and after a few minutes your lips feel hydrated and smooth. The scent is great if you like peppermint, and for the price, it is amazing.

      9. Ballmania lip balm (approx. $8)

     This lip balm is one of my favourites. The quality is amazing for the price. In terms of packaging of this lip balm, it is adorable! The smell reminds me of Blistex DCT lipbalm, but much more sugary. The consistency is similar to the H&M strawberry kiss lip balm but it is a bit thicker and creamier.

      Thank you every one for reading and take care :)

      Rebecca ^.^