Sunday, August 29, 2010

FOTD with Kate Diamond Cut Eyes BK-1 a.k.a. How to look like a crack whore a.k.a. How to look like Ke$ha

Products used:
  • MAC - Beauty Powder in Shell Pearl 
  • MAC - Mineralised Skin Finish Natural in Light Medium
  • Kate Diamond Cut Eyes in BK-1
  • NARS blusher bronzer duo in Laguna and Deep Throat
  • Maxfactor 2000 Calorie mascara
  • MAC lipstick in Hue
  • Not pictured: Urban Decay eyeshadow in Polyester Bride/White Rabbit and Dollywink liquid liner in Black.

Method:
  • MAC MSF Natural - applied with a kabuki brush and used as foundation. Gives light coverage with a matte finish.
  • Kate palette - light grey shade applied all over lid.
  • Kate palette - charcoal shade applied to crease and outer V.
  • Kate palette - use the blue shade to blend the charcoal shade into the light grey shade.
  • Kate palette - using a sponge applicator, gently pat the glittery highlight shade all over lid.
  • Urban Decay Polyester Bride on inner lower lash line.
  • Dollywink liquid liner - upper lash line.
  • Kate palette - charcoal shade applied as lower lash liner using a flat angled brush.
  • Macara
  • NARS Laguna - face contour.
  • NARS Deep Throat - apples of cheeks and swept upwards.
  • MAC Hue lipstick

How do you like my contacts? They're Geo Nudy Browns and I nicked them off Sheila xD Thanks babes!
Did you know that the MAC MSF Natural can be used as a foundation?!
"I surrender!!"

Monday, August 23, 2010

Daiso Nose Pack review - works better than the Face Shop's!

O Daiso, how much do I love thee, let me count the ways.
So you've read all the rave reviews about The Face Shop's white mud nose pack, and you're throwing your toys out the cot because there's no Face Shop near you and you have no friends that you can unashamedly beg/blackmail to grab you a tube.
Have no fear! MACnunu to the rescue!! or rather your friendly neighbourhood Daiso...whatever.


What they say:
I actually have no idea what they say, it's all in Japanese and the boy is too engrossed with playing Starcraft to translate for me! Hmph! But basically, it's your run of the mill peel off nose pack. Spread it on after a shower, wait for it to dry, peel it off and examine all the gunk it pulled out of your nose. Joy!
I'm not 100% sure, but I think this is a Daiso exclusive product which is not available anywhere else. The back of the tube says it's made in Korea (The Face Shop's country of origin!)
Daiso is a Japanese hyakkin, or 100 yen shop; same concept as North American dollar shops except the quality of the products is much better.
The even better news is that they have 11 branches in Ameeerika. Sorry fellow Canadians, I believe the only Daiso in Canada is the one here in Vancouver. If you're really desperate for a tube, email me and we'll see about a group order.

Ingredients:
Water, PVP, Alcohol, Polyviryl Alcohol, Titanium Dioxide, Propylene glycol, Methyparaben, Allertoin, Allantoin, Polyquaternium 10, Disodium EDTA

What I say:
Like the Face Shop White Mud Nose Pack, you spread it on wherever it is that you have blackheads, breathe through your nose for the first minute to ensure you don't pass out from the fumes, wait for it to dry, then peel it off.
The Daiso nose pack is more liquidy consistency wise compared to the Face Shop one and spreads much easier.
I really feel that it works much better than the Face Shop one! It got out way more gunk, especially from the bridge of my nose! My nose was noticeably clearer afterwards. I can see skin! Hooray!
It also didn't hurt as much as the Face Shop one to peel off.
The only downside is that it still stank to high heaven.
What will a nose pack review be without the gory photos?



Mmmm....pore strips.

Damage:
$2
Verdict:
Yes it's $2, and some of you are gonna question whether or not it's safe to use blah blah fish paste. That's up to you to decide. I've used it several times already and my nose hasn't dropped off yet.
IMHO it's far superior to any other nose packs I've used before.
To locate a Daiso branch near you click ---> List of Daiso branches

Monday, August 16, 2010

Parents say the darnedest things

Asianic Parentis, The Asian Parent, the evolved and final form of all Asian adults. If you're lucky enough, and your Asian parent left the motherland long ago, or better yet, was born in a Western country, you might not have been submitted to most of these pearls of wisdom.


1. "If you drink Coke,  you will cough." 
I don't know how this one came about. At some point I asked my mom why drinking Coke (or any soda for that matter) will make me cough. She mumbled something about the high sugar content giving you phlegm and the fact that it's cold. She then gave me stank eye along with "I only tell you because I love you, if you don't want to listen then forget it" cue a lecture on how she "sacrificed so much for me", how they were working from the age of 6, etc etc etc.
2. "Don't sit on warm public seat"
My grandmother and my aunts are inevitably armed with folded newspapers every time we have to take public transport. Whenever a seat frees up on the bus, they'll swoop upon it, unfold their paper, fan the seat for a few seconds, lay the paper over the seat and then proceed to sit on top of it. When I asked why they did this, they said it's to "keep out the previous person's bum breath." Yes they really said that.
This saying is in direct contravention with...
3. "Don't sit on cold surface"
I have yet to figure out the reasoning behind this one. No one has yet been able to give me a straight answer. I suspect it has something to do with infertility due to your hoo ha being in contact with a cold surface.
4. "Don't sleep with fan on"
Also known as "fan death". Sleeping facing a fan means certain death of the sleeping person. If pressed for proof of this phenomenon, they will loudly proclaim that it happened to the daughter of the aunt of the friend of Mrs. Chan.
5. "If you eat chocolate (or any junk food for that matter) you will grow pimples."
This is because chocolate, and all junk foods are "yeet hay" (hot air) and this in turn will cause pimples. The only counter action is this is to drink copious amounts of "leung cha" (cool tea). Don't let the name fool you, this "cool tea" has no correlation whatsoever to your Lipton Iced Tea, it's made out of eye of newt, and toe of frog, along with insect larvae, centipedes, dead skin scrubbed from the back of an elephant with 6 legs and I don't want to know what else. You'll smell it from a block away and the smell lingers for weeks. Only when you drink it will you realise that the horrid smell does not compare with the vile taste.
6. "If you don't exercise, you won't grow taller."
As a result of this threat, I used to be on the track team and swam daily. When I asked my parents why I'm still the size and shape of a teapot, they said it's because I was a picky eater. This is in direct contravention of their claims that I eat so much that I'll fat "to death". My mum also tuts and sighs at me whenever I wear jeans claiming that I exercised too much as a child and therefore have tree trunks for thighs -__-"
7. "____to death!"
The gruesome end to any undesired physical activity. Wear brand new pair of heels? "Wear those will PK to death!" eat 1 more chicken wing? "Will fat to death!" Wear shorts outside in Spring? "Will cold to death!"
I wonder if we can argue that if they use the chicken feather duster on us, we'll hurt "to death".
8. "If expose bellybutton, will catch a cold."
Usually expressed this way, "Don't expose bellybutton, will catch cold to death."
9. "If sneeze, must put on clothes."
It doesn't matter if it's mid summer in Africa and you're sitting inside a sauna. If you sneeze, you must put a jacket on. Otherwise you will catch a cold "to death".
10. "I hit you because I love you."
Said while they're gleefully swinging down the chicken feather duster with the cracked bamboo handle onto your buck naked bum. In public.


In addition to these, my mother also used to come up with the oddest "facts" that she made me believe until I was well into my adulthood. Things such as "drink this and you'll be prettier/taller/thinner", and "if you have a stomach ache, your stomach will feel cold, you must rub it with this *cue Chinese medicated oil which smells suspiciously of menthol* until your stomach heats up, then you'll be better." and "if you sleep with wet hair, you'll have migraines later on in life (Thanks to Superwoolu and Swtexcape for reminding me of this one!). She also kept the local supermarket  pretty well informed of when I had my period and does not believe in the existence of dinosaurs.
Despite the decades of trauma and embarrassment, I do love my Asian parents, they brought me up to be a reasonably well balanced individual who respects her elders and loves her veggies.
For sure in my teenage years, I found life with them...frustrating...to say the least, now they are an endless source of amusement - how can you not laugh when your mother replies that she sees "trees" in front of her when she's lost and you ask her what landmarks does she see?
Omg, I must be turning into an Asian parent!

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Nunu's Kitchen - Honey Garlic fried ribs.

Finally another recipe! This one is quite special, this is potentially the recipe I'll be submitting to the Mapleleaf Prime Pork Blogger cook off contest.
Yours truly was one of the 20 bloggers on the West Coast selected to take part in this contest. Wow, I really feel quite grateful to be selected into such a niche group!
The winner gets $500 worth of groceries courtesy of Mapleleaf Canada. I know this will probably be a long shot considering the talent of the other contestants, but the reason I entered is because I'm hoping to donate the groceries to one of the non-government subsidised food banks/soup kitchens here in British Columbia. I find it quite appalling that in a 1st world country like Canada, there are still so many people who are starving on the streets.
EDIT: I have decided to enter this recipe into the contest! Please show your support by voting for me here. You can vote once every 24hrs. Nunu's Kitchen needs your support!! Thank you!


Honey Garlic Fried Ribs
You will need:
  • 1 package Mapleleaf Prime Pork Back Ribs - cut into individual ribs.
  • Canola oil for frying.
  • For the marinade:
  • 3 tbsp cooking Sake;
  • 1 knob fresh ginger approx 2 finger lengths in size - juiced and pulp discarded;
  • 2 1/2 tbsp light soy sauce;
  • 1 tbsp brown sugar;
  • 1/2 tsp salt;
  • For the breading:
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs;
  • 1/4 cup corn starch;
  • For the sauce:
  • 3 cloves garlic - minced
  • 1 tsp dried chilli flakes
  • 3 tbsp honey
  • 1/2 cup tomato sauce
Le Methode:
  • soak cut ribs in cold water for approx 30mins to drain away any traces of blood;
  • Prepare marinade by mixing together the Sake, soy sauce, ginger juice, salt and sugar. It should taste sweet, yet salty at the same time, the fragrance of the Sake and the warm heat of ginger should be noticeable.
  • Marinate the ribs in the marinade for at least 6 hours and preferably overnight.
  • Once ribs are ready, remove them from the marinade juice and bread them in a mixture of breadcrumbs and corn flour. If you want an even fluffier and crunchier exterior, first dip the ribs in an egg wash before breading.
  • Heat oil on medium heat. Test by dropping a bit of the breading in. It should not be so hot that the breading will immediately turn black!!! It should roll around and turn a nice golden colour. I don't have a deep fryer so I used the smaller pot I had xD hey it works!
  • Fry the breaded ribs. I did mine in batches of 3 and it took approximately 5-6 minutes to turn golden. Once the ribs turn a medium golden colour and no more blood comes out of the bone, remove the rib and allow it to drain on some kitchen towel.
  • Turn heat on high and allow oil to heat up.
  • Fry the ribs a second time, about 30 seconds each should do it. They will now turn a darker golden colour and will be really crispy on the outside. Remove and allow to cool and drain on some kitchen towel.
  • Make your sauce. Mix together the tomato sauce, honey and chilli flakes. Turn heat on low medium, in a pan, sauté the garlic in some oil. When garlic get fragrant, add the tomato sauce mixture. Stir well until sauce thickens. Er....yeah I didn't take a photo of the sauce but if you look in the right hand corner of the photo below, that's how the tomato sauce, honey, chilli flakes mixture should look like xD
  • Add fried ribs to sauce. Mix well. Excuse the shoddy photo, my usual photographer was off playing Starcraft -__-
  • Once ribs are evenly coated, remove from pan and serve immediately.


Please tell me what you guys think!!! should this be the recipe I enter into the contest? or is it too...blah? Any tips?

Monday, August 9, 2010

Winner Winner Chicken Dinner.

Yeah yeah, I'm late, but this time it wasn't due to procrastination for a change!
Geez, do you have any idea how hard it was for me to get the prize?! I nearly lost my shoe.
So, all in all, I got 23 entries for this contest, and let me tell you, deciding on a winner was really difficult!
In the end, I picked a bunch of finalists, wrote down their names on pieces of paper and left it to fate.
And the winner of the Chicken Dinner is.....dun dun dun!
Kay of Bihada Diaries!!!!
To my question of what moment would she relive over and over again if she had the power to stop time, this was Kay's reply:

"Honestly, i don't want to relive a moment in my life. I don't regret anything, and all of what I have now is because of all of my experiences. Especially considering that i would be stuck in that moment! I would rather move forward!"

Her reply echoes my feeling on the subject, I am who I am because of my experiences. No regrets and it would simply be torturous to relive a single moment over and over again ad infinitum.
Congrats Kay! Please e-mail me (nunu@macnunu.com) with your postal address and I will send over your prize!
To everyone else who entered, thank you all very very much, reading your comments is the highlight of my day, and without you all, I would've given up on this blog long ago! Please keep on reading and entering future contests!
All my love,
Nunu
p.s. to all who asked, my birthday was on July 8th xD

Monday, August 2, 2010

Summer Brights FOTD - green, blue, and purple

Products used:
  • MAC - Studio Fix Foundation
  • MAC - Graphic Garden palette - Colours used: Wild Wisteria; Botanical Blue; Linear Lilac.
  • MAC - Mineralised Skin Finish in Light Medium
  • NARS - Duo in Deep Throat and Laguna
  • Coastal Scents 88 Shimmer Palette - indigo and denim
  • L'Oreal Voluminous Carbon Black mascara
  • Vasanti gloss in Coral Sea
  • Annabelle Smudgeliner in Blue Sapphire

Method:
  • MAC Wild Wisteria - all over lid and inner half of lower lash line
  • MAC Botanical Blue - middle of lid
  • MAC Linear Lilac - outer V and bring all the way to middle of crease
  • CC indigo and denim - crease and outer half of lower lash line
  • Blend, Blend, Blend.
  • Annabelle Sapphire Blue - upper lash line
  • Mascara
  • NARS Laguna - face contour
  • NARS Deep Throat - apples of cheeks and sweep upwards
  • MAC MSF - all over face
  • Vasanti Coral Sea lipgloss
Don't mind my hair, I had a rather horrific haircut the other day -__-
In case you were wondering why I was being so colourful, it was because I was trying to match my dress xD
I couldn't decide between the Vasanti Coral Sea gloss or the NARS Orgasm gloss. I think the Orgasm gloss washes me out a bit? What do you think? I eventually went with the Vasanti gloss xD

Sunday, August 1, 2010

Upcoming CSN review!

So it seems like a lot of you guys are moving into or have just recently moved into your new apartments. How's the furniture situation looking? is your "dining table" a piece of cardboard spread over 2 telephone directories? are you sleeping on a pile of your clothes? did you save the cup your cup noodles came in? Yes, furniture is so bloody expensive! Did you guys know that I still have no dining chairs? we have a table, but we have no chairs, go figure. Well, I'm happy to report that's where CSN Stores come in!!! They have absolutely everything you'll need for a new home, be it dining room tables, kitchen ware, home decor, other furniture, the works!
The best part? their prices are really really really reasonable. They have dining tables starting from $82 and they still have free shipping!
Take this dining table for instance:
Guess how much it is? Just $170, and you get free shipping. As in a truck will deliver this right to your doorstep. We actually have a similar table, but we paid almost 4 times that price -__- hence we still have no chairs.
A dining room set like the one below will only set you back $275 and once again, free shipping.
If you're more into modern furniture, they've got that covered too.
Of course, if you're not interested in furniture, CSN also has a Luxe store which stocks name brand shoes and bags. I like this one, very Hermes, without the waiting list.
When you feet are killing you, and you're sitting on the side of the pavement with 4" heels on, wailing to your friends that you can't walk any more, you'll be glad that you had a pair of these Footzyrolls in your bag!
CSN stores have kindly offered to send me a product for review, keep your eyes out! I know that many of you are concerned about online purchases from unknown companies, so I'll be telling you all about their customer service, the quality of the products, the good, the bad, and the ugly!