Reviews and Other Stuff

Homemade Light Cookies N’ Cream with Marshmallow Ice Cream using Cuisinart ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker

June 13, 2017 / FOOD STUFF / 0 comments

There’s only 8 days left until it’s officially Summer! but the heat is already sweltering and the temperature continues to rise. Brace yourself because it’s gonna be a hot hot summah! What better way to cool down a bit is to chill with a homemade ice cream using Cuisinart’s easy to use ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker. Now you can create any ice cream flavor of your choice with this practical and time-saving appliance. It allows you to pick and choose the ingredients and to reduce calories that you normally won’t be able to control or know in most store-bought ice creams. Isn’t that awesome?

This Cuisinart ICE-70 is one of my favorite kitchen appliances and I always handle it with care. It’s very easy to use and it only takes a couple of minutes of your time (maximum of 60 minutes), which can be adjusted using the arrow keys. It has a countdown timer and it shuts off automatically. It also has a detachable frozen bowl that is not that heavy and needs to be frozen for at least overnight.

This can create amazing and tasty ice creams for 25 minutes, sorbets (40 mins), and gelatos (30) with just a press of a button. Easy Peasy. Also, the machine is not that noisy and it can make a substantial 2 quarts or equivalent to 4 pints of frozen goodies.

Here’s the recipe of my simple and quick Homemade Cookies N’ Cream with Marshmallow Ice Cream using the Cuisinart ICE-70. This recipe is very easy to do and it makes about 2 pints of this delicious and light ice cream.

Ingredients:

2 cups either Fat-Free Milk or 2% Reduced-Fat Milk

1 cup Heavy Whipping Cream

1/4 Cup Sugar or Natural Sweeter like Truvia Baking Blend.

10 pieces Oreo Cookies, crushed.

1 cup small Marshmallows.

Directions:

Make sure the frozen bowl has been frozen overnight and place it into the machine.
Plug In your Cuisinart ICE-70 and press the Ice Cream button.
Pour the 2 cups fat-free or 2% milk.

4. Followed by the 1 cup heavy whipping cream.

5. Press the Start button. Notice the machine’s frozen bowl will start to whirl.

6.You may add some Oreos and Marshmallows preliminary. Take note that this will change the color of your milk and whipping cream mixture into something slightly grayish like a cement. LOL. (Just like mine in the picture). If you don’t like that, then you can add the cookies and marshmallow later when there’s about 3 minutes left.

7. Observe for 10 minutes. Notice the mixture getting thicker and thicker.

8. Add the 1/4 cup sugar. If you want it to be even sweeter, try making it into 1/2 cup.

9. Add the rest of the Oreos and Marshmallows when there’s 3 minutes left.

10. Enjoy! You can serve it now or freeze it for later.

Note: If you want the ice cream to be even thicker and creamier, you can add more heaving whipping cream, which will further increase the calories.

The Cuisinart ICE-70 Electronic Ice Cream Maker is available in Crate & Barrel, JCPenney, Target, Bed Bath & Beyond, Williams-Sonoma, and Amazon.com

Happy Summer Guys!

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Coola Rōsilliance Organic BB Cream Spf 30 Review+Swatches Part 2

June 12, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Hello Monday and Hello Guys! A couple of months ago I reviewed the Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream in light to medium shade which can be read HERE, also, I did a review of their amazing primer which can be also seen HERE. This time, we’ll be talking about the complete three shades and some additional reviews of the Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream Spf 30 (1.5 oz $52).

As what I’ve mentioned in my previous post, any Coola product is worth a shot and they’ve always been true to their farm to face concept with all-natural ingredients. By farm to face, I mean “organic” ingredients, not that you’re gonna turn into a cow. LOL. Their product’s quality is worth trying for, especially their Primers, Sunscreens and of course the Rōsilliance BB Cream. With summer just around the corner, this is a much-needed product because of its organic and vegan ingredients and is made out of plant stem cells. It also has a good Spf 30 and water resistant for 80 minutes. The scent is soothing and it gives a naturally luminous tint while protecting the face from the harmful rays of the sun.

Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream Light/Medium – It gives a very light tint that evens out the skin tone for anyone with fair to light-medium complexions. I love this a lot and it makes my skin glow subtly. Once blended, my skin looks slightly luminous and more balance, almost flawless to the appearance. An in-depth review can be found HERE.

Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream Golden – A great addition to the Rōsilliance BB Cream line since this shade adds a perfect golden glow that looks very natural and somewhat buildable. It comes off as slightly orangey on the bottle, but the real shade is like a very subtle tan that just gives enough warmth on the skin. This is so great for the summer especially if you wanna get rid of the snow white flat skin tone.

Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream Medium/Dark – This is a great contouring fluid if you have a light medium to warm medium skin tone, but you have to make sure that you don’t put a lot of it even if this shade has a very natural tint and can be easily blended out, so as to be on the safe side, you know. For dark medium skin tones and above, I’m sure this would be an ideal everyday natural coverage for you.

Bottom line, whichever shade of Coola’s Rōsilliance BB Cream you belong, I’m pretty sure it’ll blend naturally for you. I believe the shades are somewhat multidimensional and adaptable because it’s meant to provide a subtle tint on the face while not totally blocking the skin’s natural color. I love that this is such an all-in-one product, the kind that you’d normally take to the beach and know that you’re well-protected, but not looking washed out from the heat and humidity. I also like that it’s not sticky, it allows my skin to breath and I can do any activity with it no matter how much I sweat. And with its decent size and easy to dispense frosted glass bottle, there’s a reason why this is my ultimate summer vibe.

The Coola Rōsilliance BB Cream is available in the following stores: Sephora, Anthropologie, Credo, QVC, and coolasuncare.com

(Disclosure: Product samples provided by Coola. The reviews, photos, and opinions herein are solely mine)

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Samples of The Week: Lancome, Tata Harper, Algenist, Dior, Jo Malone, Fresh & Hourglass

June 9, 2017 / FASHION & BEAUTY / 0 comments

Aloha folks! It’s about time for some first impressions and fresh takes on some samples that I’ve been testing this week. I’ve chosen a few skincare minis, some scents, and a few makeup samples. A lot of you may have tried them already but it would be really interesting to know what you think about the following products that I’m about to review.

Jo Malone Wood Sage & Sea Salt Cologne (1 oz $65, 3.4 oz $130) – I’d like to think that this is a unisex cologne with a beachy earthy tone. This scent has a salty aquatic vibe to it but only when you don’t spray a lot. It’s refreshing to the senses but it really doesn’t last long. Perhaps it’s only good for about an hour. Spraying more would bring out the strong herb-like scent of sage which can be overpowering.

Tata Harper Resurfacing Mask (1 oz $58) – A mask that promises to deliver instant glow, minimizes the appearance of pores, evens the skin’s texture and with all-natural ingredients. It sounds really promising, however, I can’t seem to love this mask. I’ve tried it several times already but it just didn’t seem to make a difference on my skin. I like the scent though. It smells like beet, clay, lemon, and something herb-like.

Fresh Rose Hydrating Eye Gel Cream (0.5 oz $41) – There’s something really interesting about this eye cream. I didn’t expect it to be so creamy and luxuriously smooth to the touch. Because of that, it really hydrates my eye area and it doesn’t irritate it. While it didn’t really illuminate my dark circles since the desired effect remains to be seen with time, I love how it felt cool and soothing which calmed down some of my puffiness. I’m not crazy about its strong cucumber-rose scent though.

Dior J’adore Eau Lumiere, Eau de Toilette (1.7 oz $94, 3.4 oz $124, 5 oz $155) – The captivating scent of Dior J’adore continues with its Eau Lumiere edition. This lighter version is still sexy, alluring, romantic, and fresh. This is one of the most beautiful floral scents I’ve ever tried. I love the perfect blend of Blood Orange, Neroli, and Damask Rose. It smells a bit like a bunch of gardenias with something soapy and musky at the same time. Definitely very dramatically fresh.

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm (0.5 oz $68) – Ask me what my favorite eye cream is and I will tell you that this is one of them. In fact, there aren’t that many eye creams out there that I like, but this Eye Renewal Balm from Algenist is something I’d like to recommend. I have already started using the regular jar and I’m really in love with it. It has alguronic acid, vitamin C, caffeine, aloe, green tea, etc., and the scent has a very light vanilla hint, similar to most Algenist skincare products but a bit more subtle. I love how this moisturizes my dry and sort of puffy undereyes and its hydrating effect lasts for the rest of the day.

Lancome Teint Idole Ultra Long Wear Foundation In Shades; 310 Bisque C, 320 Bisque W, 360 Bisque N (1 oz $47) – Hmmm, I think I found another beautiful foundation. It’s very lightweight and very natural, which reminded me of Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (reviewed HERE), Chanel Vitalumiere Aqua (reviewed HERE), Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer (HERE) and Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation (also reviewed HERE). The nice thing is that this particular foundation is oil-free, has SPF 15, and with buildable coverage that is long lasting. The regular bottle’s size is not heavy on the pocket too. I also love that there are tons of shades to choose from with this foundation and I adore the satin-matte effect that it gives on the face.

Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer (0.31 oz $19, 1 oz $54, 2 oz $75) – Another great primer to have because of its added SPF 15 and it’s oil-free. But somehow, it felt slightly greasy and silky at the same time. Although some have complained that their makeup was sliding off their faces whenever they use this, that hasn’t really occurred to me. I like that this primer makes the skin very smooth with no trace of pilling nor redness. With that, it makes the foundation look even more natural and flawless, and it also makes it last longer. A similar product would be the Nars Pore & Shine Control Primer, but this one has no discerning scent and doesn’t feel as cushiony as the Nars one.

When it comes to choosing which ones are my faves, I’d say, I really like the Algenist Eye Renewal Balm a lot, followed by the scent of Dior J’adore Eau Lumiere, Then I’d like to have a full size of the Lancome Teint Idole Foundation and Hourglass Veil Mineral Primer.

Have you tried any of these before? Which ones do you prefer?

Happy Friyay guys! take care,

X0X0

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