Korean cooking + beauty boxes!
Dec. 20th, 2016 10:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sarea
This weekend, adelagia and I made kimchi! :D We are totes ready for when we're dating and/or married to Onew and Seo In-guk, respectively. LOL. (Links go to pics of said celebs, in case you're curious.)
Here'sadelagia mixing up our batch. I had a HUGE tub, so there's more kimchi there than it might seem. More than six pounds worth!
I also made buchu (Asian chive) kimchi and dwaejigogi-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), both of which were AMAZING. Soooooooo delicious. I only have a pic of the pork pre-cooking because I was too hungry to remember to take a picture of it after it was cooked. >< Also, I didn't have a pound's worth of pork belly, so subbed some shrimp instead. ALSO DELICIOUS. I think you could easily substitute with firm tofu for a more healthy version... which I may try in the near future. The buchu kimchi is a little too salty, which may or may not be because I didn't have enough chives... I halved the recipe, but I was using older chives, so I had to weed out a lot not-so-good ones. Anyway, I will probably use less fish sauce next time.
=========
One of my Christmas gifts to myself arrived today, and I'm soooooooooo happy. I love American Giant's stuff, especially their Essential Full-Zip Hoodie. I have several of the Classic, as well, but I like the lighter weight and softer feel of the Essential.
ANYWAY... Recently, they came out with a new product, a stadium blanket. I saw the email about it, but wasn't able to actually take a look until two hours later... and they were all sold out already! GRRRRR. A few days later, they said they'd made a limited quantity available again, and I was able to nab two in the only color that remained at that point, a heather navy. I would link it, but it looks like they're totally sold out now, and have even deleted those webpages. Sheesh. Like all their stuff, the blanket is really well made, heavy with quality material, and very warm. <333333
(I was going to link a promo code for 15% off, but it looks like it can only be sent through email. So let me know if you want it! And of course, I get something out of it as well, natch.)
I'm a big blanket person, kind of like Linus. Even when I'm not cold, I like having a blanket on me. It just feels so much cozier! Anyway, I have a lot of blankets.
=========
Watched another episode of Descendants of the Sun. I'm actually still OK with the show, despite the fact that, as expected, the two leads are already "broken up." It helps that I like the male lead, and the female lead isn't super annoying.
=========
I wasn't going to take any time off during the holidays -- other than the days off that everyone gets -- because it's a super quiet time anyway, and I was thinking I'd save my vacation days. Only... it turns out that I have so much vacation saved up (I can only carry over a year's worth, which for me at this point is 200 hours/5 weeks) that I would be forfeiting over 43 hours if I didn't take it! Which would be intolerable. So now I'm going to take Wed/Thu off, as well as all of next week. I still might be sacrificing a few hours, but that's better than 43. I don't work for free, yo.
=========
Speaking of work, we did a white elephant gift exchange... only I had my annual physical during that time so I couldn't actually participate. I contributed a set of R2D2/R2Q5 salt and pepper shakers and an R2D2 measuring cup set. (I may have little use for Star Wars, but I know other people love it, so that stuff makes for good anonymous gifts.) My manager played for me, and he had told me ahead of time what he'd gotten for the exchange (a cast-iron fondue set). Since they were going to allow "me" to go last, thus being able to nab whatever I wanted, I told him that that's what I wanted. I figured it was a safe bet -- I didn't know what random crap other people were going to bring, and I don't really trust my manager to know what I'd really want, so it seemed the most prudent course of action. I still need to get it from him, though.
=========
My December beauty boxes have arrived! I know, it's once a month but seems so much more frequent, doesn't it?
Birchbox
1) Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel - I made this selection from the month's choice... I hope it works well! To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with any of the selection choices this month, but I didn't want them to send me a random one from the group, so I picked the one I was most likely to use.
2) Marcelle CC Cream SPF 35 Complete Correction - Golden Glow - Meh about this because I'm only just now dabbling in BB cream... I don't think I'm ready to move onto CC cream yet!
3) Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for Brilliance & Shine - This is cool, as I love Oribe, but I don't like shampoo/conditioner samples usually because they come in packets rather than little bottles. :/ That's just a pain to deal with.
4) Coastal Scents Blush & Bronzer Palette - Meh. I'm still not really sure I understand bronzer. >.> And blush always looks so fake on me. But it's kind of necessary when using BB cream, otherwise I just look super pale. So we'll see how this goes.
5) Juliette Has a Gun MMMM... (fragrance) - I haven't yet met a fragrance sampler I liked, and this is no exception, unfortunately.
6) Saphira Hair Mineral Mud - This is apparently a hair mask, which I'm eager to try! I suspect "mask" is just a fancy way of saying "conditioner," but whatever!
Ipsy
1) Hanalei Lip Treatment - This is apparently a mega moisturizer for chapped lips, so I'm pretty pleased with getting it.
2) OUAI Wave Spray - Yes, it's for beachy waves, which they claim is "not just for summer anymore." Um, okay. I'm not displeased since I do enjoy the look, and I'm glad to try a new product, but I do think winter is an odd time for it.
3) Ciate London Liquid Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick - I love the mauve color of this, so I'm hopeful that it'll be nice to use, as well.
4) tarte cosmetics deluxe maracuja oil - I'm cool with this sample, as well. It seems like this is the new argan oil? Anyway, looks like a multi-purpose oil for skin brightening, frizz control, and makeup removal.
5) theBalm Cosmetics Mad Lash Mascara - Why with the mascaras recently? As noted from last month, I'm ehhh on these. But now I feel like I have no choice but to try using it more often. (Not pictured because I gave it toadelagia.)
Sephora Play!
1) Sephora cream lip stain in Always Red - Sephora does a really good job with their cream lip stains. They're smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented. This is NOT a color I'd normally use, but I gave it a shot afterakscully said she gets tons of compliments when wearing it. It does look awesome on her. On me... well, I felt kind of like a movie star, and kind of like someone's grandmother who has too heavy a hand with her makeup. The problem for me is that the wand captures too much product, so it tends to go on WAY too thick. I end up only doing a small swipe, but there's no good way to spread the rest of it on with the wand, which would add too much, or your fingers, which makes it look smeary (going outside the lip lines) and awful. A lip brush is pretty much the only solution.
2) MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer - I MIGHT have use for this, now that I'm trying out BB cream? I haven't used anything since getting sick though -- what's the point, I end up wiping it off with tissue, anyway.
3) Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray - Again, might be useful now that I'm using BB cream...
4) Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo - I've never met a dry shampoo I've liked, but everyone keeps making them and pushing them at us!akscully shared this article about how dry shampoo is actually bad for your hair, so it makes me even less inclined to use it.
5) Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara - OMG SERIOUSLY WITH THE MASCARA. (idreamofdraco, I hope you've gotten the Too Faced one by now and are enjoying it! :D)
Edit: Oops, I forgot to declare a winner for the month. Surprisingly, and I believe for the first time ever, Ipsy was the winner. Other than the mascara, I was pleased with the other selections. Sephora Play! was a huge dud for me this month, and Birchbox not much better.
adelagia and I made kimchi! :D We are totes ready for when we're dating and/or married to Onew and Seo In-guk, respectively. LOL. (Links go to pics of said celebs, in case you're curious.)Here's
adelagia mixing up our batch. I had a HUGE tub, so there's more kimchi there than it might seem. More than six pounds worth!I also made buchu (Asian chive) kimchi and dwaejigogi-bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork), both of which were AMAZING. Soooooooo delicious. I only have a pic of the pork pre-cooking because I was too hungry to remember to take a picture of it after it was cooked. >< Also, I didn't have a pound's worth of pork belly, so subbed some shrimp instead. ALSO DELICIOUS. I think you could easily substitute with firm tofu for a more healthy version... which I may try in the near future. The buchu kimchi is a little too salty, which may or may not be because I didn't have enough chives... I halved the recipe, but I was using older chives, so I had to weed out a lot not-so-good ones. Anyway, I will probably use less fish sauce next time.
=========
One of my Christmas gifts to myself arrived today, and I'm soooooooooo happy. I love American Giant's stuff, especially their Essential Full-Zip Hoodie. I have several of the Classic, as well, but I like the lighter weight and softer feel of the Essential.
ANYWAY... Recently, they came out with a new product, a stadium blanket. I saw the email about it, but wasn't able to actually take a look until two hours later... and they were all sold out already! GRRRRR. A few days later, they said they'd made a limited quantity available again, and I was able to nab two in the only color that remained at that point, a heather navy. I would link it, but it looks like they're totally sold out now, and have even deleted those webpages. Sheesh. Like all their stuff, the blanket is really well made, heavy with quality material, and very warm. <333333
(I was going to link a promo code for 15% off, but it looks like it can only be sent through email. So let me know if you want it! And of course, I get something out of it as well, natch.)
I'm a big blanket person, kind of like Linus. Even when I'm not cold, I like having a blanket on me. It just feels so much cozier! Anyway, I have a lot of blankets.
=========
Watched another episode of Descendants of the Sun. I'm actually still OK with the show, despite the fact that, as expected, the two leads are already "broken up." It helps that I like the male lead, and the female lead isn't super annoying.
=========
I wasn't going to take any time off during the holidays -- other than the days off that everyone gets -- because it's a super quiet time anyway, and I was thinking I'd save my vacation days. Only... it turns out that I have so much vacation saved up (I can only carry over a year's worth, which for me at this point is 200 hours/5 weeks) that I would be forfeiting over 43 hours if I didn't take it! Which would be intolerable. So now I'm going to take Wed/Thu off, as well as all of next week. I still might be sacrificing a few hours, but that's better than 43. I don't work for free, yo.
=========
Speaking of work, we did a white elephant gift exchange... only I had my annual physical during that time so I couldn't actually participate. I contributed a set of R2D2/R2Q5 salt and pepper shakers and an R2D2 measuring cup set. (I may have little use for Star Wars, but I know other people love it, so that stuff makes for good anonymous gifts.) My manager played for me, and he had told me ahead of time what he'd gotten for the exchange (a cast-iron fondue set). Since they were going to allow "me" to go last, thus being able to nab whatever I wanted, I told him that that's what I wanted. I figured it was a safe bet -- I didn't know what random crap other people were going to bring, and I don't really trust my manager to know what I'd really want, so it seemed the most prudent course of action. I still need to get it from him, though.
=========
My December beauty boxes have arrived! I know, it's once a month but seems so much more frequent, doesn't it?
Birchbox
1) Real Chemistry Luminous 3-Minute Peel - I made this selection from the month's choice... I hope it works well! To be honest, I wasn't too thrilled with any of the selection choices this month, but I didn't want them to send me a random one from the group, so I picked the one I was most likely to use.
2) Marcelle CC Cream SPF 35 Complete Correction - Golden Glow - Meh about this because I'm only just now dabbling in BB cream... I don't think I'm ready to move onto CC cream yet!
3) Oribe Shampoo and Conditioner for Brilliance & Shine - This is cool, as I love Oribe, but I don't like shampoo/conditioner samples usually because they come in packets rather than little bottles. :/ That's just a pain to deal with.
4) Coastal Scents Blush & Bronzer Palette - Meh. I'm still not really sure I understand bronzer. >.> And blush always looks so fake on me. But it's kind of necessary when using BB cream, otherwise I just look super pale. So we'll see how this goes.
5) Juliette Has a Gun MMMM... (fragrance) - I haven't yet met a fragrance sampler I liked, and this is no exception, unfortunately.
6) Saphira Hair Mineral Mud - This is apparently a hair mask, which I'm eager to try! I suspect "mask" is just a fancy way of saying "conditioner," but whatever!
Ipsy
1) Hanalei Lip Treatment - This is apparently a mega moisturizer for chapped lips, so I'm pretty pleased with getting it.
2) OUAI Wave Spray - Yes, it's for beachy waves, which they claim is "not just for summer anymore." Um, okay. I'm not displeased since I do enjoy the look, and I'm glad to try a new product, but I do think winter is an odd time for it.
3) Ciate London Liquid Velvet Matte Liquid Lipstick - I love the mauve color of this, so I'm hopeful that it'll be nice to use, as well.
4) tarte cosmetics deluxe maracuja oil - I'm cool with this sample, as well. It seems like this is the new argan oil? Anyway, looks like a multi-purpose oil for skin brightening, frizz control, and makeup removal.
5) theBalm Cosmetics Mad Lash Mascara - Why with the mascaras recently? As noted from last month, I'm ehhh on these. But now I feel like I have no choice but to try using it more often. (Not pictured because I gave it to
adelagia.)Sephora Play!
1) Sephora cream lip stain in Always Red - Sephora does a really good job with their cream lip stains. They're smooth, creamy, and highly pigmented. This is NOT a color I'd normally use, but I gave it a shot after
akscully said she gets tons of compliments when wearing it. It does look awesome on her. On me... well, I felt kind of like a movie star, and kind of like someone's grandmother who has too heavy a hand with her makeup. The problem for me is that the wand captures too much product, so it tends to go on WAY too thick. I end up only doing a small swipe, but there's no good way to spread the rest of it on with the wand, which would add too much, or your fingers, which makes it look smeary (going outside the lip lines) and awful. A lip brush is pretty much the only solution.2) MAKE UP FOR EVER Step 1 Skin Equalizer Primer - I MIGHT have use for this, now that I'm trying out BB cream? I haven't used anything since getting sick though -- what's the point, I end up wiping it off with tissue, anyway.
3) Urban Decay All Nighter Long-Lasting Makeup Setting Spray - Again, might be useful now that I'm using BB cream...
4) Drybar Detox Dry Shampoo - I've never met a dry shampoo I've liked, but everyone keeps making them and pushing them at us!
akscully shared this article about how dry shampoo is actually bad for your hair, so it makes me even less inclined to use it.5) Lancôme HYPNÔSE DRAMA Instant Full Body Volume Mascara - OMG SERIOUSLY WITH THE MASCARA. (
idreamofdraco, I hope you've gotten the Too Faced one by now and are enjoying it! :D)Edit: Oops, I forgot to declare a winner for the month. Surprisingly, and I believe for the first time ever, Ipsy was the winner. Other than the mascara, I was pleased with the other selections. Sephora Play! was a huge dud for me this month, and Birchbox not much better.
