Kim Chi Fried Rice for Two

Fried rice has always been a comfort food for me. You can put everything but the kitchen sink into it. Growing up my mother would always use our left over rice and sometimes leftover char sui to make lunch for my siblings and I after Saturday Chinese school. Fried rice has quickly become a staple in my household due to its ease of cooking and simple ingredients. As an adult, I grew tired of the traditional Chinese fried rice and discovered kimchi fried rice! It was not until I began watching Korean dramas that I discovered this flavorful dish. Here, I will show you my interpretation of the dish. It requires only a few ingredients and it is super easy and quick to make. I hope you enjoy.

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked rice (here I used jasmine rice)
1 cup chopped kimchi
1/2 cup kimchi juice
1 green onion
2 garlic cloves (chopped)
1 teaspoon korean red pepper paste aka gochujang
1 cup shrimp (optional)
1/3 cup roasted seaweed strips for garnish
*The main component of this dish requires cooked rice, kimchi, kimchi juice, green onion, and red pepper paste. The rest of the ingredients are for personal taste, but any type of protein may be added to the dish to enhance nutrition and texture.

Ingredients for Kimchi Fried Rice

Directions:
1)Pour kimchi juice into the cooked rice and allow it to soak into the cooked rice.
2) In a large wok, add ~1tsp oil and wait for it to get really hot.
3) Into the wok with oil, stir fry garlic for about 30 seconds.

   4) Then add the kimchi and stir fry for 2 minutes.

5) Add the kimchi flavored rice into the wok and stir until well mixed ~about 5 minutes.

6) Make a empty hole in the center of the wok, put a tsp of oil and add the hot pepper paste into the oil to brown for 1 minute.

7) Throw in the shrimp and stir for another 3 minutes.
8) Plate the rice.
9) In a clean wok, pan fry an egg sunny side up.

10) Place the egg on top of the rice and garnish with green onions and sea weed strips.

That was easy! Enjoy!!

Farewell my old friends

It's difficult to come to terms with my makeup obsession I had in the past. This week was finally the perfect time to clean out my makeup stash and part ways with everything old, unused, and utterly tacky for my face. It's ridiculous how much I threw away and seeing all that $$$$$ going down the drain. 

*sighs* I'm glad I'm over the makeup hoarding phase. The sight of throwing away my money like that is so scary. My rule of thumb is to buy the necessities: foundation, powder, eyeliner and mascara. That's all anyone needs to look fresh and natural. Forget about the bright eyeshadows, glitter liners, and other makeup trend oddities. The best makeup is minimal makeup. 

My ombré hair

I've been trying to get my ombré to look more ash blonde, but I always fail :( I love this hair color trend though. It makes my boring volume less hair have a little more "oomph". The first pic is what my hair color currently looks like and the second one is the first time I ombré dyed it.

Galaxy nails!!!

I made galaxy nails as a means to procrastinate on studying for midterms!! I love nail therapy!!!

My BzzKit arrived for the Covergirl Natureluxe Campaign

My package finally came =]. I joined the campaign early April and it arrived with 2-3 weeks.

I am a BzzAgent and I received:

- Full-sized Liquid Silk Foundation in #320 Aspen

- Full sized Gloss Balm in #215

- (5) $2 off coupons for the Natureluxe Silk Foundation

Covergirl's new Natureluxe line ditches synthetics for natural ingredients for a polished look and lightweight feel. It is said that 3 out of 4 professional makeup artists would recommend Natureluxe to their clients, 8 out of 10 artists agree on its luxurious lightweight feeling, and 9 out of 10 would recommend it to their clients for a sheer color with non-sticky and lightweight feeling.

The foundation comes in 14 different shades and the balm comes in 16 shades. This product includes ingredients such as: cucumber water, jojoba, rosehip extracts, mango and shea butters.

*These product reviews are my honest opinions*

Covergirl Liquid Silk Foundation with SPF10 in #320 Aspen

Rating: 4 out of 5

Retail price: $11.99

This foundation is really good for people with dry skin because it is moisturizing and leaves a natural dewy finish. The coverage is light to medium, but certainly not full coverage because my freckles are still quite visible after application. Also, the consistency is slightly thin and watery, but once applied it leaves a lightweight feeling. It also doesn't oxidize throughout the day.

I really like this foundation because it gives a really fresh faced look while having protection some SPF protection. I really like the hygienic packaging as well.

The reason I took out 1 point is because the fragrance was way too strong. I have also tried Covergirl liquid makeup before and it also has a really strong scent.

Covergirl Natureluxe Gloss Balm with SPF 15 in #215

Rating: 5 out of 5

Retail Price: $6.49

This balm reminds me of candy because it smells like raspberries (looks like raspberries in a tube). When you apply the balm, it feels very smooth and moisturizing. The name "gloss balm" is true! It feels like a balm, but when you see it in the mirror it gives a very nice glossy sheen. I love how this is a tinted gloss balm too. Great product for on-the-go lip color and moisturizing.

FIRST POST!!!

So I thought I would start this blog with reviews of items I recently purchased within the past month.

Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark Circle Eye Roller in Sheer Tint:

Rating: 5 out of 5

Price Range: $9 to $11

I was anticipating on trying this because I heard many good reviews on how natural and lightweight this roller is. This product says it will get rid of under-eye puffiness and dark circles for brighter looking eyes. It is dermatologist tested, ophthalmatogist tested, allergy free, and non-greasy.

I personally have really dark eye circles, dry skin, and am also starting to develop wrinkles under my eyes. For reference, I am a NC 25 in MAC. When I tried this product, it was really cooling and moisturizing to my eyes after a night of sleep. I used it as a concealer for day to day use because it provides a lightweight tint. The coverage is really good considering that I typically like using full coverage concealers.

Overall, I would buy this again. It helps moisturize the under eyes, conceals, and also prevent wrinkles(supposedly). Compared to concealers, the roller does more than just concealing. I would recommend this to persons with light to medium skin tone because the color is quite fair.

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipgloss in Coral Reef, Lilac Pastelle, and Shine City:

Rating: 4 out of 5

Price: $6.99

These are one of the best drugstore lipglosses I have tried. They are fairly inexpensive especially when you get it on a BOGO deal. Compared to MAC lipglasses, these are really opaque and non sticky. I really like how this line provides a lilac colored lipgloss too. I give this a 4 out of 5 because I just wish the color selection to be a bit larger.

Here are the swatches of the lipglosses compared to other similar MAC shades:

coral reef vs. luscious spark dazzleglass, lilac pastelle vs. lavender wind lipglass, and shine city vs. baby sparks dazzleglass.

Panasonic Eyelash Curler:

Rating: 3 out of 5

Price: $14.99

This is my second heated eyelash curler I have purchased. In the past I have used Ardell's heated curler, but it would always break after 3 months use. So I decided to try this Panasonic one because I heard read and watched reviews of how well this works. It is made like a form of a lash comb and not the conventional metal curler style.

I found that this curler is just ok for me. I personally have really stick straight Asian eyelashes that doesn't hold a curl for even 5 minutes after I apply mascara. I tried to curl my lashes with this without mascara and with mascara. I found that it didn't really curl well when no mascara applied. When you use it after mascara, it worked a lot better. I guess the mascara acted as a kind of gel so that once heated the curl was better. It also helps comb out mascara clumps and make the mascara look longer IMO.