For the Love of... Cats!

Meet my cat, Montecarlo! She’s female, by the way. oops. Her nickname is Monty. Even with that alias they still mistake her for a him, though. I mean, does that name really sound masculine? Because I personally think all names that end with ‘-y’ are pretty girlish. Heh. She was born on February 2012, and I got her when she was about 3 months old.

First tour outside: "I'll get you for this."

I remember when I first got her, she was so tiny and meek and meowing like a poor thing! But after arriving a few minutes in the hotel (Yes! We sneaked her in! mehehe.) she was already out running and playing in the room. It was a memorable day for us when we first got her, because the night later, we would be on a trip back to my hometown and, pets were prohibited inside the bus. It was a decision we had to make, my cousin, sister and I. It’s a win-lose situation. We could either get her home safely or get her thrown out the middle of the road if we got caught! Well, there’s no way the bus conductor would do that to a poor kitty, right? And so we stuck to the latter. Imagine the stress she had to go through. And imagine our sleepless 8 hour trip, trying to stop her meows and attempts of jumping from the seats. It was crazyyy! I guess I’d also give a share of thanks to the cooperative passengers who saw her yet didn’t say a thing, for a successful mission. I’m just glad we’re over that part. And I never want it to happen again. -_- So far, it never has. When she had to be brought back to Manila (where I currently live), my parents had her in the car with them. That’s how it goes until today. It’s the best deal. No stress, and she’s treated like a princess! Ain’t that how they like to be treated? Like royalty. *wink wink*

zzzzz

Right now she’s in the province with me. She’s a year and nine months now! Growing up too soon. She’s prepared to be a mom now. But I’m not yet ready to become a grandma! LOL. And I still have to discuss this with Taylor. (You see, TL’s her biological father. No wink part here, I’m serious.)

“Annoying human slave putting her filthy hands on me…”

Monty is my first cat. She’s crossed out all my misconceptions about cats being snob, apathetic, scary, etc etc. Was I the only who had that kind of thinking? I don’t think so. A lot of people do. Cats often get compared to the more common house pet – dogs, to be less lively, less expressive and less interactive with their owners. It’s true, they can be timid. But it’s not that they don’t express their feelings and interact with their humans. You just have to find a different way to understand them. And accept the fact that cats and dogs are very different species. Cats are sweet and loving too. (And they can be funny!) They may not just be as energetic as dogs. But they can also greet you at the doorstep coming home from work or school. Mine does! :D Oh hey dog lovers, don’t get the wrong idea ‘kay? It’s not like I’m brainwashing the readers into getting a feline, surrendering themselves and becoming slaves of the royal supremacy. Nope, not at all. I love dogs too, you see! ;) I have owned several, I currently own one and til now love them to death. (But I guess this is not the right post to talk about it…)

How would cats look if they had eyebrows? Hmmm...

So you guys, don’t just dismiss the thought of having a pet which you haven’t even fully gotten to know about yet. May it be a cat, dog, chicken, pig or armadillo. Research, research, research! Get to know the breed, their traits, your compatibility with them, the money and of course time you will need to spend, and a lot more!

Well, thanks for reading up to this point. Till next time! (:

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Oh wait a sec, let me introduce Patsy first! My sister’s awfully fluffy cat. :3

Meow meow! :3

She’s about four months younger than Monty. My sister got her after she took care of Monty for some time. I guess she became attached and soon wanted a cat of her own. She’s the fluffier one. (I’d guess she’s a triple coat.) And sooo funny too! Hilarious. She’s also more aggressive and energetic than Monty. That’s all for now. Byeee!

Lovin' the light!

Bobbi Brown BB Cream SPF 35 ~ Review

Okay so this is one of my not-so-few unplanned beauty product buys. No reviews, I don't even remember swatching this. I was just at the Bobbi Brown counter then found myself reaching for this baby. "Ooh, Bobbi's got a bb cream! Well, since it's Bobbi Brown, it's worth giving a try." was what I thought. Little did I know that this was going to be one of my few successful impulse purchases.

According to Bobbi Brown:

Moisturize, perfect and protect - instantly and over time. Now it's easier than ever to get great skin with Bobbi Brown's new BB Cream SPF 35. Inspired by a skincare/makeup hybrid that's a cult favorite in Asia, this formula combines moisturizer, treatment, Broad Spectrum SPF and a lightweight foundation in one. Plus, it's now available in nine skin tone correct shades carefully formulated by Bobbi herself. Consider it your skin's new best friend.

According to some beauty blogs, this is the best bb cream for a "matte" finish. Now I'm even more glad I didn't read reviews before getting this. To me this actually leaves a dewy, natural finish. (Which was what I wanted a bb cream to give me.) It gives the skin a healthy glow. This is may be nowhere near matte, but it does help control my oilies! Did I mention it was oil-free,? A certain plus plus plus! for an oily skinned gal like me. It has the potential to accentuate dry patches though, so make sure you're properly moisturized before application.

I was given the shade Fair, which I thought was a little light on my NC25-30 skintone.

Well blended

This gives a sheer to light coverage, despite its thick consistency. Initially I thought it only evened out my skintone, but I noticed that the look gets better as the day goes by. Neat!

Wear time, surprisingly for its coverage, is quite long. I can leave the house at 10 am, return by 8 pm, and STILL see it on my face. Some point at mid day, I have to retouch the blemish areas and blot my nose though. Anyway, it's good for about 6++ hours.

The best part of this bb is that it doesn't aggravate my sensitive, acne-prone skin, which is always my deciding factor for a beauty/skincare product.

Review Summary: Bobbi Brown BB Creme SPF 35

Pros:
Oil-free
Great texture, non-drying
Controls oil
Doesn't cause breakouts

Cons:
Coverage is a little too light for acne/acne scars

Overall:
4/5

Would I repurchase? If I don't find another bb cream with just slightly better coverage, yes.
Would I recommend this? Yes

Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-hour Primer ~ Swatches + Review (Updated!)

Hurray for a huge ☑ on one of my wishlist items~ I just got my Tarte BB Tinted Treatment 12-hour Primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 in shades Light and Medium. ;) Having the two shades was sort of a mishap, well... onto the review!

Tarte says:

Indulge and nourish your skin with our BB tinted treatment 12-hour primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 sunscreen which offers multiple skincare and makeup benefits in one eco-chic tube. This powerfully pure formula serves as your:

• healthy treatment
• 12-hour primer
• buildable coverage
• oil-free moisturizer
• pore minimizer
• skin brightener
• chemical-free sun protector 

Tarte cosmetics are formulated without: parabens, mineral oil, phthalates, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance. And they're cruelty-free. (:

Love the eco-chic tube!

This BB is available in four shades: Fair, Light, Medium and Tan. Not so many shades to choose from... Then again, this is a bb cream.

Light and Medium

As you can see, Light is a little light for me, while Medium is slightly too dark. Luckily I can mix those two to achieve my perfect shade. If I could just pick one though, I'd choose the latter.

Well blended

I am in love with this bb's texture. It's mousse-like silky. The texture is almost the same as MUFE Mat Velvet Plus'. It leaves a semi-matte to matte finish, while still looking natural. I was really, pleasantly surprised with its coverage. It provided an almost-medium with just one layer. I didn't have to use concealer on this one. Acne and acne scars were almost gone.

The first second I saw this on my face, I was pretty disappointed. It covered pretty well, but accentuated my pores and dry patches. I gave it a 3/5. Off I went to do grocery shopping, and when I came back, lo and behold. My face looked flawless! I was in front of the mirror, smiling. How crazy cool is that. So I figured that if you just wait a few minutes and let it set, it'll then you show you its real awesomeness.

Since I wasn't able to use this for long hours, I can only comment on the short time I wore this baby. Oil control was great. No traces of oil for the two hours I was out running down the aisles of the supermarket.

I also didn't breakout from this. I'm super glad.

**Update**

Okay, so I've worn this for a couple times now. Once I wore this from 3pm to 1am, and when I got back home... my gawd!!! My face still looked great! I only blotted my face (nose) with a blotting paper and at the end of the day there was minimal shine on my nose. I also didn't set the bb with any finishing powder or spray. Amazing. This is HG material. I looooove!

Review Summary: Tarte BB tinted treatment 12-hour primer Broad Spectrum SPF 30

Pros:

Oil-free

Great coverage

Controls oil

Doesn't cause breakouts

Cons:

The only con I can think of is Tarte cosmetics aren't available locally. Boohoo. But for the product itself, none. (:

Overall:

5/5

Would I repurchase? Yes
Would I recommend this? Yes

Céleteque Hydration Facial Moisturizer ~ Review

Hi everyone! I'm going to give a short review of Céleteque's Facial Moisturizer from its Hydration line.

I am so not a moisturizer person. Well after much research, I learned that moisturizers are essentials even for oilies like me. This has been receiving rave reviews on forums, and at the time I really needed a moisturizer, so I bought this and tested it out.

I got this at Watson's, Php127 for the 50ml. There's also a 100ml size for Php210. This is available nationwide.

According to Céleteque:

• Céleteque DermoScience HYDRATION facial moisturizer has a unique hydrogel formulation that provides the skin with optimum hydration without the greasy after-feel.
• Its triple moisturizing system contains Glycerin, Pro-Vitamin B5, and Aloe Vera that work deep down to provide lasting relief from skin dryness.
• Has Dimethicone that seals in the skin's moisture
• Leaves you with soft, smooth and supple skin

It's dermatologist tested, water-based and oil free, non-comedogenic, hypo-allergenic, and fragrance-free. I thought this was perfect for my oily, acne-prone, sensitive skin.

The first time I tried this was nighttime, after my normal skincare routine sans moisturizer.

Applying this was a joy. Its gel-like consistency spread on smoothly and was easily absorbed by my skin. My face felt cool. True enough, it left my skin soft, smooth and supple. I couldn't believe how perfect this was... almost.

Came morning, I woke up with my face still feeling fresh. I was so surprised I didn't have oil at all. But what I had was three freaking new pimples! Pimples that weren't there last night. I was sooo disappointed, I had high hopes for this moisturizer. Well, I didn't plan on giving up just yet. I still applied it during the day. And then at night. The next morning, guess what, another new pimples! It wasn't my time of the month yet, so it had to be this moisturizer. It sucks but I just had to let it go. It may have been perfect, the application, price, overall experience... but products that cause breakouts are really a deal breaker for me.

It works for lotta gals out there. Sadly, it just didn't cut it for me. But you might want to check it out! It may work for you too. Or have you already tried it? Tell me what you think! (:

Review Summary: Céleteque Hydration Facial Moisturizer

Pros:

Affordable

Sturdy packaging

Great texture

Provides total moisture

Controls oil

Cons:

Causes breakouts

Overall:

2/5

Would I repurchase? No

Would I recommend this? It might not have worked for me, but it may work for others, so yes.

How To Brown Your Butter

Hurray for my first post! And it's about baking! Ehem. Today's post is about browing butter. Have you ever encountered a recipe that called for browned butter and kinda felt lost about it? Good! Now read on...




Browned butter is simply butter that has been cooked until it turns into brown and acquires a nutty flavor. Hence its name, beurre noisette in French, or hazelnut butter.

Browning butter is really easy. But just as it’s easy to make, it’s also fairly easy for it to get burnt. No one wants a beurre noir! :D So it’s important to pay strict attention to its cooking process.

Now let’s go and brown some butter!





First, we need unsalted butter. Don’t forget your whisk… Cut butter into pieces for easier and even melting.

Place butter in a saucepan and turn heat to medium.






Once it melts, it will start to foam. Start whisking.




Whisk whisk whisk, continuously…

Bubbles will form. Keep whisking.

The color will then start to change. But don’t stop…

Now once you see darker brown specks at the bottom of the pan, which are the milk solids toasting and giving off that nutty aroma, remove from heat. Keep on stirring, it will continue to turn darker.

Heat turned off at this point


And there you have it, folks! Browned butter. Very easy to make, huh?







Use this in place of melted butter and take your recipe a notch higher. (:



Some pointers . . .

* Always cool your browned butter a bit first, before mixing it in a batter or adding in your eggs. You do not want to cook those eggs right. Nobody wants scrambled egg in their brownies.