Hello everybody! Today, I thought I would share with you all some of my favorite things in the first two months of 2017. There are quite a few items on this list, so make yourself comfortable, and let’s do this!
First up is a food item. I’ve recently been really into matcha green tea for its health benefits. When I was younger, I didn’t like the flavor of green tea and I never understood why my cousins from Korea loved it so much. Now that I’m older, I’ve grown to appreciate the rich, earthy flavor. I found a Japanese matcha cookie at a Korea grocery store and tried it out. At first, it was really dry and slightly bitter, but I found that it tastes good with milk!
Next, another food item: I came up with an amazing sauce recipe that I have been using for salads and spinach wraps! If you’d like the recipe, here is a link to the post.
Oh my goodness, I am excited to share this next one with you all. Pistachio muffins. I’ll let that sink in. My mom brought these home one day from WinCo, which is a supermarket near our house, and I fell in love. These muffins are really delicious for breakfast. I’ve been starting the day by waking up early and setting my laptop by the window with a muffin and a glass of milk. It helps me be productive yet relaxed while soaking up some rays.
The sugar crystals add a nice texture. Also, it is just me or do pistachio flavored foods (not the actual pistachio) kind of taste like maraschino cherries?
The next item is similar to the food theme we have going on. It’s the Etude House Bubble Tea Sleeping Pack. I wrote a review on this before and I wasn’t too wowed by the product, but now that my skin is drier, I’m finding that my skin soaks up the product better. I’ve been using the strawberry one recently, and it’s helped fight against the dry flakes around the corners of my mouth. Plus, the packaging is just so cute!
Another product that I have been using quite frequently these past two months is the Shiseido Cotton Pad. You might be groaning and saying that it’s ridiculous to spend a fortune on cotton pads that you just throw out after one use – and I agree. However, I added this to my online shopping cart during Sephora’s VIB sale event since I wanted free shipping, and I find that there is a lot of product in one package. There are 165 large cottons pads in one package, and I cut them into smaller sizes before using, extending the number of uses. I love the plushness of each cotton pad because it soaks up a good amount of toner or whatever product I’m using. I usually have to reapply nail polish remover to a cotton pad because the acetone evaporates too fast but not with the Shiseido cotton pads. I cut off a tiny square, soaked it with acetone once, and it removed bright blue nail polish from all ten fingernails – no stains left. While I might still purchase standard drugstore cotton pads for budget reasons, I’m definitely enjoying these fancy Shiseido ones while I have them and might even consider buying another pack once I finish mine. However, it’ll be a while before I have to think about that because these really do last a long time if you cut them into smaller sizes!
Next, I’d like to share the Stila Cosmetics Nude Interlude Color Balm Lipstick in the shade Sophie. I’ve been wearing this shade frequently as I find that it’s a nice natural shade that really complements any outfit. I didn’t wear it too often in months before because I found that it looked too washed out against my skin tone, but now that it is winter and my skin tone has changed, I’ve been loving it!
Another product that I have been using quite frequently is the Etude House Moistfull Collagen Essence-in Base in shade 1 mint essence. I haven’t been using this normally as a primer but to mix in with another product that is too dark for me. The only foundation-type product I had with me was the Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer in the shade St. Moritz, but it was slightly dark and too orange compared to my skin tone. Plus, I didn’t really like the finish of the tinted moisturizer. I’ve been mixing this in to counterbalance the orange tones and lighten the shade up a little. It’s also helped alter the formula to a semi-matte finish. I wouldn’t say it’s my all-time favorite primer or anything but it’s been very helpful these past few months!
Now, a product that I have been absolutely loving is the konjac sponge from The Face Shop. I bought this guy a little while back but recently started using it daily. The water at my apartment in San Jose isn’t the best as it doesn’t seem to completely wash all of my cleanser off. I know that soft water generally means that the water quality is great, but I don’t really think that’s the case here. I find that the konjac sponge removes all excess soap and sebum, leaving my skin silky smooth. Plus, it doesn’t leave a watery mess all over the sink!
Last, but not least, I’ve been obsessed with a new game called PicrossLuna. If you like brain puzzle games, you’ll probably enjoy this one. It’s similar to Sudoku in that you use numbers to fill in the grid, but instead of filling the grid with numbers, you use the hints indicating the number of squares to fill in for each row and column. The filled-in grid is completed to show an image at the end. It’s a fun brain challenge that I definitely recommend!
Okay, I think that’s all for my January and February favorites! Thanks for tuning in! Don’t forget to click the like and subscribe button if you enjoyed it and would like to stay updated on future posts! Let me know in the comments section below if you’ve ever tried these products out or plan on trying someday. Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time! Bye!
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