Gotta Love: Sleek Make Up

Finally, I found a matte eyeshadow palette and it comes in the best color combination that I really wanted; browns and nude.  Introducing Sleek's i-Divine Au Naturel palette which I bought from Digital Traincase.  It costs about 650 pesos only, much cheaper as compared with the ever popular Urban Decay Nude Palette.  

The palette consists of 12 colors, 8 matte and 4 glittery ones.  All colors are a bit earthy which is perfect for everyday wear (for our skin tone, I really do not get how blues or greens can be worn day to day).  The colors looks natural (thus, the name) and can be built up to a more smoky eye effect for night time.  It comes pretty close as well to the UD palette.

Top Row: Nougat, Nubuck, Cappuccino, Honeycomb, Toast, Taupe
Bottom Row: Conker, Moss, Bark, Mineral Earth, Regal, Noir

It comes with a sponge applicator, great for retouching but I prefer to use brushes.  The best part though, is that it comes with a very big mirror!  I can see both of my eyes in it :)

So one afternoon with nothing to do, I decided to try it out and get my glam on.  Haha!  For this look, I used Honeycomb for the base and Bark to add a little more drama.  For the highlight, I used Nougat.

The outdoor light washed out my make up (a lot) so I took a picture with flash.  I'm very big with contouring now as well and I read somewhere that it is best done if you are going to have your pictures taken with flash.  I placed a bit of contour in the hollows of my cheeks and sides of my nose.

I feel that I am going to overuse this eye make up!  I'm really loving it and I can't wait to try out other looks using other colors from this palette.  Hope you liked it too :)


For a closer look on the colors, go to this link.


Other products used for this look:
Face: Covergirl Tru Blend Liquid Foundation and Nichido Final Powder in Creamy Glow
Eyes: Maybelline Gel Eyeliner and Magnum Volum' Express Mascara
Cheeks: Clinique Blushing Blush Powder Blush and Fanny Serrano Two Way Cake in Rajah 
Lips: Nyx Round Lipstick in Chambord

Chef Frustrations: Culinary Team Building

Last week, my team and I had the opportunity to have one day culinary session in Enderun Colleges, one of the most prestigious schools in the country when it comes to culinary arts.  It was actually our office who organized the event as part of their Wellness program.  I was lucky enough to get one spot as my team mate had to back out due to some urgent work (thanks Lem!).

We have to make three meals that day; appetizer, main course, and dessert.  Our mentor, Chef Thomas, first demonstrated how to cook all of the dishes.  After that, we had to draw lots to know which dish we are going to make.  I got to be part of the dessert team.  Yey!

It was an amazing experience to see a real pro cook in front of you.  I got to see his tricks with slicing and dicing.  He made gourmet cooking look easy.  And it was!

These were what we had to copy

It was off to the kitchen after the demo.  Our team finished first, since we have to make the sauce after eating the main course (yes, we got to eat what we made).  We felt like real chefs inside the kitchen lab, with our white aprons and toque, and being surrounded by lots of tools that would really help you cook with ease.  After that, we had to go down to the restaurant where we are to eat, fine dining style.

The Dessert Team

Richard, Cuthbert, and Jacqueline doing the appetizers.

Our ingredients

Table set up

Here are some pictures of what we cooked that day.

Grilled Tuna on Ratatouille Salad, Olive-basil Vinaigrette

Oven Roasted Beef Hanging Tender, Baked Sweet Potatoes, Grilled Shitake Mushrooms, Herb Dressing (whew!)

Strawberries in Buckwheat Crepes, Lemon Honey Sabayon

The sabayon turned out to be too thick (I think it lacked water), but hey, I was still proud of what our team came up with.  We made it up with the presentation :)

We didn't know that there was a contest and the group who did the main course won (So jealous even if I don't know their prize yet. Haha. Competitive.)  But I gotta admit, the meal was delicious.  All of it were.

For more information regarding the short courses being offered in Enderun, visit their website at www.enderunextension.com

Yummy for the Tummy: Sumo Sam

I'm really into Japanese food lately.  I've eaten in three different Japanese-themed restaurants in the last month (consecutive weekends, fyi).  First was Teriyaki Boy, which is a fave, but the second weekend, we decided to try the newly opened Sumo Sam restaurant in Gateway Mall.

The interiors feel reserved, a bit classy even.  I have no photo of it but the chairs are so heavy but surprisingly comfortable once you sit on it.

Now for the food.  They served little tuna slices while waiting for your order.  It was juicy and not overcooked, though I wished it had been served warm.

When one eats Japanese, you gotta have rolls, right?  We ordered Crunchy Tuna Roll, and I gotta say, it's the best one I tasted!  The sauce the comes with it is just as good.  Perfect combination :)

For my main, I ordered Pork Katsu Curry Donburi.  It comes with a salad, which is so Asian with sliced oranges and orange-based dressing.  The pork is tender and the curry sauce, well, tastes like curry for the lack of a better word.  My verdict: not amazingly delicious but just right for someone craving like me.

I still wonder how curry can be a part of the menu.  Isn't curry a staple in India? 

BF ordered Katsudon, his favorite which I'm so happy I can make on my own now (see recipe here).  He said Sumo Sam's version is better than Teriyaki Boy's. 

Overall, I think their food is delicious but a bit pricey.  Will I go back?  Definitely for the rolls! :)