ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE who right after carefully applying lipstick run out the door only to find out later (when catching yourself in the mirror) that your lipstick has run all over your mouth? Not so attractive right?
The simple solution: A CRAYON.
I’m always skeptical about these new products (some work well – others a waste of money) but ended up buying one at Shopper’s Drug Mart for only $14.99 and it seems to work very well for darker shades especially…you know, the ones you definitely don’t want to run. And it’s very easy to apply.
This indispensable Secret Lip Liner is new in Canada, first introduced in New Zealand and quickly expanding around the world. No Bleeding Lips™ Secret Lip Liner stops lipstick and lip gloss from bleeding & feathering, and creates a sheer defined lip shape.
The No Bleeding Lips™ Secret Lip Liner offers a super-glide formula that is soft & creamy ensuring even product deposit around the lips.
It’s waterproof and long-lasting (5+ hours), non-transferable and smudge-proof so you can wear your lipstick & lip gloss with confidence.
Goes with any shade of lipstick or gloss (as it’s clear), especially bright and bold colors, creating a sheer defined shape.
The Huffington Post has this to say:
The Downfalls: There are none. It works — really, really well. The only catch is if you don’t wear lipstick a lot, it may not be worth buying. If you’re a lipstick lover, you will become obsessed with this product.
Can’t say I’m absolutely obsessed with it but it is useful and worth buying. Just don’t try to get more of the product out by winding it too much – it will not go back.
The LESS-IS-MORE look requires more work than you realize.
See things in black & white. FilmMagic (left & center), Getty Images (right).
In theory, the minimalist trend seems fairly easy to pull off. It’s all about simplicity, so there’s no complicated pattern mixing involved, or piles of jewelry to layer just so. The “is this too much?” stress of glitter, sparkle and embellishment isn’t a factor either, and loud colors are usually kept to a palette of one or two—if that. Most pared-down outfits are centered around neutrals. Yet, for such a perfect-sounding sartorial scenario, less-is-more dressing requires some serious finesse. Unlike the bigger-is-better ensembles, there’s no room for error: with only a few pieces to work with, the styling job needs to land somewhere between jeans-and-T-shirt basic and beautifully breathtaking. The basics:
Black and White is the easiest and fastest way to nail down this look.
Making color the Main Event:
Getty Images
If you’re going to add color in a minimalist look, you’ve got toreally add color. Display your hue (or hues, but you really shouldn’t do much more than two—it complicates things) of choice in a big splashy way, and keep the rest of your outfit quiet.
Stick with Statement Accessories:
Getty Images
Never, ever coordinate matching earrings, bracelets and a necklace—it’s better to go with one bold piece. Pick something striking (like a high-shine metallic or chunky crystal accent piece) to balance your otherwise unadorned look.
Consider Shape and Texture:
Getty Images (left and right). Wireimage (center).
Details like pleating, an asymmetrical hemline and multiple layers of the same colored fabric make the best understated statement.
Peppered Chicken & Steamed Halibut with Ginger serves four
Very seldom, if ever do we make Chinese food at home because…1) we think it’s too much work and 2) it’s easier to go to a Chinese restaurant for the assortment. Yes, you will get more selection from going out but you can experiment with a couple of delicious recipes at home that will be on par with any fine Chinese restaurant. Aside from these two main dishes, you can add sides like fried rice and an easy broccoli (gai lan) with oyster sauce to round out the menu for variety. The rice and vegetables for peppered chicken can be made in advance & easily re-heated.
steamed halibut
Steamed Halibut with Ginger (fresh & lovely Asian dish)
Ingredients:
1 lb. halibut fillet – 1 tsp. coarse kosher or sea salt
Pat halibut dry with paper towels. Rub both sides of fillet with salt. Scatter the ginger over the top of the fish and place onto heatproof ceramic dish.
Place into a bamboo steamer (widely available in Chinatown) set over several inches of gently boiling water, and cover. Gently steam for 10 to 12 minutes.
Pour accumulated water out of the dish and sprinkle the fillet with green onion. Pour both soy sauces over the surface of the fish.
Heat peanut oil and sesame oils in a small skillet over medium-high heat until they begin to smoke. When the oil is hot, carefully pour on top of the halibut fillet. The very hot oil will cause the green onions and water on top of the fish to pop and spatter all over – be careful. Garnish with cilantro sprigs and serve immediately.
Peppered Chicken
pepper chicken
Ingredients:
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. sugar
1 cup soup stock (chicken or vegetable)
1 hot pepper, diced
1 Tbsp. cornstarch
1 cup onion, diced
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
2-3 green peppers, diced
1 cucumber, diced
2 sweet red peppers, diced
1 lb. uncooked chicken meat, cut into ½ or 1 inch pieces
Marinate the chicken meat with 1 Tbsp. cornstarch and 1 Tbsp. soy sauce for ½ hour. Fry in peanut or sesame oil until brown and tender. *Saute all vegetables with remaining ingredients and stir constantly. Combine meat and vegetables. Serve hot. *If vegetables were made in advance, just reheat with the chicken meat.
Gai Lan/Oyster Sauce
For the Gai Lan (Chinese broccoli) with oyster sauce – parboil 2 lbs. fresh gai lan (or you can even use broccolini) in boiling water for 3 minutes with a pinch of salt. For sauce: 1 tsp. salt, 1 tsp. sugar, 2 Tbsp. dark soy sauce, 1 Tbsp. sherry wine vinegar, 4 Tbsp. oyster sauce, 1 finely minced slice of ginger.
Heat saucepan with oil, sauté broccoli for about 2 minutes, remove and pour sauce ingredients over top with ½ tsp. cornstarch which will thicken it like gravy. Pour a few drops of sesame oil over the broccoli and serve hot.
fried rice
Fried rice is easy. Make or use leftover cold rice (it can be plain, jasmine or basmati) and fry in peanut oil with two beaten eggs, cut-up green onion, fresh or frozen cut green beans, mushrooms, peas and a bit of soy sauce, Chinese five spice (optional) & salt to taste. Garnish with green onion. You can also add shrimp, diced chicken meat or crab. *Make sure to pour slowly the beaten eggs with a bit of salt over the rice so that they will coat it but not settle in lumps.
Have you tried making Chinese food? It’s a lot easier than you think.
Goodbye Year of the Snake, hello Year of the Horse!
“Gung hay Fat Choy“/ “Gong Xi Fa Chai” – these mean “Happy New Year” in Cantonese and Mandarin Chinese respectively. “Kung hei fat choy” means: “We hope that you will be wealthy”.
Chinese New Year, or Chinese Spring Festival, holds the most significant position among all Chinese festivals and holidays. Friday marked the start of 15 days of celebrations to ring in a new zodiac calendar year for over a billion people around the world. It’s also called the Chinese Lunar New Year, because its date is determined by the Chinese lunar calendar, which falls sometime from late January to early February and varies from year to year.
An employee arranges a display of gold horse figurines in the window of a jewelry store in the Mongkok district of Hong Kong, China, on January 30.
Everything from grand lion dance performances to solemn temple ceremonies, the Lunar New Year is also a special time for individual and collective reflection amid the social gatherings..of which I attended a festivity at my neighbours house with plenty of food, wine and great company.
Here are eight (8) LUCKY ways to PAY HOMAGE to CHINESE TRADITIONS:
1) The Chinese New Year is accompanied by a belief in good fortune, and there are many decorations around to herald the new year.
Chinese celebrators head to temples to pray for good luck during the New Year celebration period. There they burn incense sticks and can also have their fortunes told. If you are not of Chinese descent but would like to participate, attend a Chinese temple and take a tube of fortune sticks which can usually be found at the entrance to the temple. Ask a question, shake the tube and the number that falls out can be interpreted by one of the fortune tellers at the temple.
2) Clean your home in time for New Year. This tradition is founded in the belief that cleaning the house at this time of year will sweep away the bad luck” that has accumulated inside over the past year. Cleaning also makes the house ready for the good luck to start entering again.
Be aware! Donotclean your home during the New Year, such as sweeping or wiping the windows. To do so is to “sweep away” the good luck you’ve just received for the New Year. Over the following 13 to 15 days, you’re relieved of cleaning duties. It may be a little dirtier than usual but it is an important part of observing the tradition.
3) Decorate your home. The color that is most recommended is red. Red is the color or symbol of good luck in Chinese culture. The number “8” also symbolizes good luck and wealth, as in Chinese the word for eight rhymes with fortune or wealth.
Take care not to overdo the decorations. Display a few good ones to bring life and fortune from their brightness and colorful nature.
Place flowers through the house, such as lotuses. Lotus flowers symbolize rebirth and new growth.
Place mandarins in bowls throughout the house. Mandarins with their leaves still intact are the fruits of happiness for the New Year. Keep their numbers even though, as uneven numbers bring unhappiness. When offering mandarins to others, always offer them in pairs.
4) Have a traditional dinner on New Year’s Eve. This is one of the most important parts of the holiday and the food eaten at this time of year has traditional meanings related to the Chinese New Year. Some Chinese choose not to eat meat on the first day of Chinese New Year because each new year carries the name of an animal.The remaining days carry no such restrictions. Traditional dishes include fish, jai, chicken, law pak ko, lin guo (sticky rice cake), noodles and desserts.
Rolling out the dough for homemade dumplings & filling.
Dumplings (love them – we’re assembling them in the photos) play a special role in New Year food because of their shape, a shape which resembles the ancient Chinese gold or silver ingots. Some of the food meanings include:
Jiu, a traditional hard liquor, and daikon, the Chinese radish, carry the meaning of longevity.
Red chilies mean good luck.
Rice ensures harmony.
5) Cook your own Chinese cuisine.
Rita teaches me how to do it right
If you’d like to do more than simply order at your local Chinese takeout, try a recipe suitable for Chinese New Year. You can find them on the internet but I’ll put a delicious & simple one that I’ve made on tomorrow’s blog.
6) Dress for the occasion. If you have traditional Chinese clothing (luckily I did), this is the perfect time to wear it. Outfits can be purchased in Chinatown, and silk Chinese clothing is very beautiful. Prefer the color red for all your clothing during this time. Associated with joy, happiness, good luck, wealth and good fortune, red clothes will ensure that you’re fully participating in the spirit of the celebrations. Gold is another suitable color; try combining the two for a very elegant look. (fyi I wore red nails with a real gold flecked topcoat).
Practice makes perfect – with Rita & Lynn.
Avoid wearing too much black during the celebration period. Black symbolizes bad luck and even death. This is a time of good fortune and life!7) Togetherness with family and friends (and neighbors). This is the most important part of the New Year and is a time of connecting and sharing the celebrations together.
Bring Angpau, the red envelopes, with you, to pass to children. Usually, the red envelopes are filled with money or treats (mine held chocolate coins). The red color is meant to scare away any evil spirits. I didn’t know that these envelopes are usually given to the unmarried from the married. Good to know.
8) Parades: look online or in your local newspaper for information about local Chinese New Year parades in your area. The Lantern Festival is held on the last day. People carry lanterns designed as insects such as dragonflies or animals with them on the streets. Sweet rice cakes and other sweets are eaten on this day and people put candles around their house to guide the spirits home. Meaningful traditions.
有乐趣不管你做什么
The above should mean…..”have fun whatever you do“
ARE YOU ONE OF THOSE who right after carefully applying lipstick run out the door only to find out later (when catching yourself in the mirror) that your lipstick has run all over your mouth? Not so attractive right?
The No Bleeding Lips™ Secret Lip Liner offers a super-glide formula that is soft & creamy ensuring even product deposit around the lips.
Girl Who Would be KING on Life, Style and INSPIRATION. 
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