On the Menu: Beef Sinigang

Nothing beats a cold, windy day than a perfectly good bowl of steaming Beef Sinigang. This quintessential Filipino dish is made from beef imported from… Tagaytay.   Yes, we went to the home of bulalo to purchase kilos of  beef because the meat there is much more flavorful than the ones here in Manila, or so I’ve been told.   Nevertheless, no matter where you purchase your beef, this asim-kilig sinigang will always be a family favorite.

I did take a couple shortcuts in preparing this dish.  First is that I used a pressure cooker because everybody knows that beef usually takes longer time to tenderize than pork or chicken.  Using a pressure cooker typically reduces overall cooking time in half.   Also, I used powdered sinigang mix instead of using real tamarind and taro (gabi), because I don’t know how to use real tamarind, and these sort of mixes make life a whole lot easier.

The array of vegetables I used in this dish are the usual sinigang staples: kangkong, okra, eggplant and string beans.  You can omit any vegetables you don’t like, but this set is our usual.   

1. To prepare this dish,  I placed my beef, along with an onion sliced in half and some peppercorns, into the pressure cooker.  I added water just enough to cover everything and placed my cooker into high heat.  Once the pressure cooker started whistling, I lowered  the heat to medium and set the timer for 20 minutes.
2. After 20 minutes I turned off the heat and left the cooker to release the pressure on its own.   This is important because you can NOT take off the lid with pressure still inside, or else.  You don’t want to find out what happens.
3. When I was sure that all pressure had been released, I took off the lid and checked the tenderness of the beef.   Mine was tender enough to just fall off the bone, so I’m good to go.
4. I added the vegetables first before the mix, because my mom said once that the veggies will cook faster without the mix.  I started with the string beans, gave it a 2 minute boil, then the okra, and finally the eggplant.
5. Once the vegetables are all in, I finally added the sinigang mix.  Now take note that the amount is definitely to taste.  My brother wants the asim-kilig, while I prefer a combination of sour and salty.  I used fish sauce instead of salt to flavor the soup.

And there you go!  Beef Sinigang for the windy days.  Hope you enjoy and happy reading!

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WIMMB: Careline Extra Shine Lipgloss

Hello everybody!

My actual go-to makeup look is what I fondly call the gandang minadali look.   I’ve mentioned it before on my previous post, where I only need concealer, powder and lip product and I’m good to go.   For this kind of “look” I always reach for my favorite lip tint or lip gloss.   And the lip gloss I’m currently loving at the moment is the one from Careline, the sister brand of another favorite, Ever Bilena. It is called the Careline Extra Shine Lipgloss (enriched with Vitamin E)

First of all, isn’t the packaging just adorable?  The tube looks so cute and you can actually see the color of the lip gloss.  It comes with a doe-foot applicator which makes application really easy.  

I got the shade 04 and I was actually surprised at how pigmented this lip gloss is. You may not see it in this arm swatch, but it actually comes out as a somewhat deeper glossy red when applied to my lips. That's because my lips have dark edges and are quite pigmented. Nevertheless, this lipgloss is quite opaque, almost reaching liquid-lipstick levels, and gives me a really nice pop of color.

It also has a bit of a scent, almost peach-like. I absolutely love its scent.

The formula is super bouncy, and it's difficult not to play with the applicator. It's really creamy as well, and an absolute delight to apply to the lips. One thing to note though is that this lipgloss is not heavy on the lips at all. Sure you can feel that you have something your lips, but it is definitely annoying or troublesome.

As for the longevity, well, it only started fading on me around the 4th hour mark, but it still has enough pigment to avoid actually having naked lips. It does tend to feel somewhat drying on the lips by this time, but again, nothing too troubling. Even after eating this lipgloss stays put, and that's an impressive feat for an inexpensive product.

I really hope you give this lip gloss a try, but since it has been around for quite some time now, I'm sure you already have. This Careline Extra Shine Lip gloss lives true to its name, giving a nice extra shine to your lips for a totally cute everyday look.

Happy reading!

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Foodie: Homemade Tuna Sandwich Spread and Easy Tuna Melt Sandwich

Has anybody else ever thought of mixing cheese and fish? Anyone? No? Well that never stopped me from making my very own homemade Tuna Melt with cheese. Very simple to make, only needs a handful of ingredients and definitely so satisfying.

Tuna Sandwich Spread

First on the agenda is of course making our very own homemade tuna sandwich spread. Very simple to make, and the ingredients are not hard to find at all. I used canned tuna in brine, plain mayonnaise, chopped half of an onion and salt and pepper to taste. Now let it be known that I am a pretty capable cook, but I do eyeball most of the ingredients. Therefore, not a lot of exact measurements here. I’d like to think of this as a technique post rather than a recipe post. Anyway…carrying on

I first drained the canned tuna very well, then gave it a quick chop into almost but not quite fine pieces

I then chopped half a small onion, which I nuked for one minute in the microwave. This method gets rid of the raw bite of the onion while still retaining its shape. Makes it a tad less noticeable by my picky nieces.

Finally I combined all ingredients together in a small bowl, squeezing in just enough mayo to my liking. My preference leans toward the liquidy side so I put more mayo but you can definitely reduce to your liking.

There you go, homemade tuna sandwich spread. Perfect for crackers or bread slices during snacktime. As for me, I took it to the next level with this tiny gem

Those cream cheese triangles we see in grocery stores gave a whole load of flavor and creaminess to my tuna melt. I spread half triangle of this cheese each to two slices of bread, topped with my fantastically delicious tuna sandwich spread. I made sure every inch of the bread is covered in my concoction before toasting.

There you go! Perfectly simple yet utterly satisfying tuna melt sandwich. No other fancy ingredients for those who can’t find them, just basic, no muss no fuss quick meryenda.

Thanks for reading!

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WIMMB: Fashion 21 All day Matte Lipstick in Russet

Hello everybody!

Story time: It’s pretty hard for me to look for good and affordable lipsticks.  Don’t get me wrong; I know that local brand lipsticks are stepping up their game, it’s just that I have pigmented lips.  Like, I have dark lips.  I can’t wear most nude lipsticks because they make me look sick and washed out.  It’s a chore for me to look for a good MLBB shade.

That’s why I was very impressed by the Fashion 21 All day Russet lipstick.  I was on the hunt for a good quality everyday lipstick and All day Matte line from Fashion 21 was really well-hyped.  Of course I had to give it a try, and what can I say, I absolutely fell in love with it.

I got this for only 175 pesos, which is definitely within my budget as I promised myself that I will only buy lipsticks not surpassing 200 pesos.  Cheapskate much?

I love the packaging.  It looks very sleek and the metallic gray color of the tube gives off a high-end vibe.  Plus, you can definitely hear a click when you close the tube which means the cap won’t get taken off easily inside your makeup bag.

I was actually pretty intimidated by the shade when I first saw it. I don’t want to wear only dark lipsticks (even though it’s basically what works for me) because they weren’t girly enough for my taste.  I wanted to get a different shade from the same line at first, like Bronze or Sushi, but when I tried Russet on I fell in love immediately. It’s a gorgeous reddish pink with hints of brown and it works beautifully on my lips even if they are pigmented on the edges.

You do need a couple of swipes to get the true pigmentation, but it’s okay for me. It sets to a matte finish without making my lips dry and emphasizing my lip lines, although a thin layer of lip balm underneath never hurts. Also, I do not detect any noticeable scent when I put the lipstick on.

As for longevity, it lasts a good 4-5 hours on me without eating, which is pretty good in my book. There’s a tad bit of transfer on utensils when I eat and I definitely need to retouch afterwards. But the color is just so gorgeous on me that I don’t mind reapplying. Once or twice for an entire day is not bad all.

I therefore conclude (haha) that the Fashion 21 All day Russet is a total steal. Great price, great packaging, great shade, and great longevity. I will definitely check out more shades from this line.

Thanks for reading!

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WIMMB: EB Advance Perfect Eye Concealer

Hello everybody! 

The next item in my makeup bag that I will be giving my thoughts on is: my concealer.  Not to brag or anything, but I do have quite clear skin (thank you Lord for that) and not a lot of darkness under my eyes.  Basically there’s nothing much to cover up, I just usually use BB creams or foundation to even out my skin tone and get rid of the redness on my face. That’s why I purchased a small concealer stick, just enough for when I want a no makeup-makeup look.

The EB Advance Perfect Eye Concealer Stick is perfect for those days when I’m going somewhere really quick, like a trip to the grocery store or to my niece’s school to pick her up.  Just pop a bit of concealer under my eyes, on the visible veins on my cheeks, redness around my nose, and then follow up with some powder and I’m good to go.  I bought this stick for 100 pesos, and I believe you can get this at any huge grocery store and Watson's stores.  Ever Bilena is an easy brand to look for, don't you think?

EB Advance Perfect Eye Concealer

Yeah, the label had completely rubbed off, leaving me with a blank tube.  Other than that, it is a basic packaging with a twist bottom, and you get a decent amount of product.

I got mine in the shade CO1 Light, and I remember there were only two shades available in the mall I got this from. It's a smidge lighter on me but I can get away with it because my skin is acidic and the concealer oxidizes on me by the time I leave the house, so no big deal.

Here's a swatch of two layers of the product.  I drew a line with eyebrow pencil on the back of my hand, and as you can see it covers the line pretty well.

I normally use around 1-2 layers of the product under my eyes, then 1 layer each for the veins on my cheeks and around my nose.  Then I set my face with powder; sometimes when I’m too lazy to reach for my face powder I just use baby powder.  It has a creamy consistency which makes it fairly easy to blend.

This concealer stick for me gives light coverage under my eyes and medium for my veins and redness.  It does tend to crease under my eye area especially since I wear glasses and I do get oily.  But anyways, like I mentioned earlier, I only use this concealer for really quick trips, when I don’t want to put on BB Cream or foundation and I just want to look presentable.  

For me, the EB Advance Perfect Eye Concealer is a decent buy.  If you can make it work, like I did, it's a nice addition to your makeup bag.  Good for those gandang minadali days, or if you want a good concealer for an affordable price.

Thanks for reading!

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WIMMB: Ever Bilena Kleopatra Eyebrow Pencil

Hello everybody! For the first part of my What’s in my Makeup Bag series, I will be talking about one of the very first makeup items I’ve bought: the eyebrow pencil. I’ve always been a pulbo lang, pwede na kind of girl. And since a good chunk of makeup gurus on Youtube puts emphasis on the terms “kilay is life”, I figured my eyebrows were a good place to start practicing.

Enter Ever Bilena Kleopatra Eyebrow Pencil in Dark Brown. I bought this pencil at our nearest 7/11 store for only 65 pesos.

It comes with its own brush, which was very convenient.

The shade I got was Dark Brown, which I believe complements my hair nicely. The actual pencil is very soft and creamy, making it easy to blend. I only need light strokes because it is pretty pigmented.

I absolutely love this pencil. This was what I used to learn how to properly shape my eyebrows. I use this to outline my brows, and then fill in the sparse areas. However, because of its creaminess, I tend to smudge a bit outside my brow area, but that can be easily resolved with a bit of concealer or foundation.

I find that it also stays on my eyebrows for an entire day, or at least until I take my makeup off. Then again, I don’t particularly have oiliness around my brow area, so the pigment stays put for a long time.

Overall, the Ever Bilena Kleopatra Eyebrow Pencil is a solid purchase: inexpensive, easy to use and easy to find. For those who are just starting with their makeup, like I was when I first bought this pencil 3 years ago, this is a good product to start with.

Thanks for reading!

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What's In My Makeup Bag

I’m going to admit it right here, right now: I’m a total cheapskate. It’s true, I never particularly cared for brands, style and whatnot, and I definitely look at the price tag of anything and everything I purchase. Thus, all of my makeup can actually fit into this one pencil case: With that in mind, let’s take a look at what’s inside my “makeup-bag”. I did not get into cosmetics until after I graduated and entered the corporate world (I finished college last 2013). Even then, I only wore makeup because we were encouraged (read: required) to. Because of this, all of my makeup products are quite.... sparse. But let’s take a look at the contents anyway. I will be showing you the products and giving you my thoughts on them on this segment I would like to call: What’s in My Makeup Bag.

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My plans for this blog

What I am planning for this blog is to put into words all of the things that interest me; things that affect me in everyday life. These may be places I go to, food, books, makeup, movies, and all that good stuff. Do keep in mind that I am just a regular woman. An everyday, run-of-the-mill Filipina who celebrates life one day at a time. I’m hardly an expert on any of the things listed above, but I will give nothing less than honest thoughts. So I will be doing a series of reviews of anything and everything I ever use, post recipes of our lunch and dinner, give my opinions on books I have read and movies that I’ve seen. Sounds like a lot, but then again, I don’t have anything else to do. I hope you enjoy reading what I’ve posted and will post in the future, and join me as I open my chestbox of musings (yes, it’s terrible, hahaha).

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