Beauty Splurge

Sephora Haul

It's been a while since I last visited Sephora because every time I bring the kids to the mall, I end up getting stuck at the toy's section and dash along the grocery aisle before heading back home. I really think Sephora should just open a stall on the same area as the Toy department for mommies like me!

It's been a while since I bought beauty stuff, the skincare products and makeups I've been using are still the stuff I bought from Seoul and sent to me by friends in Japan. When I was given a good reason to shop at Sephora, I grabbed the chance to buy my longtime wishlist: Clarisonic Mia, SK-II, Origins Intensive Overnight Mask and Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything.

I must say, this is the best beauty haul I've had! None of them will go to my beauty graveyard.

1. Clarisonic Mia - My pretty hair stylist/colorist told me a year ago that if I have to invest on only one thing on skincare, she strongly recommend the Clarisonic Mia. She swore it made a big difference on her skin. I've only used it 4 times but I already saw great improvement on my skin. It's smoother and clearer now, the small bumps and blackheads are getting less, my acne scars are becoming less visible too. I own a spa in Davao and I have the Ultrasonic facial machine that helped clear my acne-prone skin through sonic frequency the same way Clarisonic is working on our skin. The cheapest is $99 but with how it's working on my skin I don't think I will still need to spend $68/month on facials anymore. *to avoid over exfoliation, it's not recommended to pair this with other exfoliation system like Retinol, Glycolic peel cream, etc..
   
   
2. SK-II Facial Essence Set - It includes the Facial Essence Toner, Lotion and a facial mask. Well I don't need further explanation here, SK-II is SK-II. It's said that your moisturizer works better after you use the Clarisonic Mia and so I paired it with the best Japanese skincare. For mommies, I recommend you keep the bottle away from the kids, I tuck mine inside the bathroom cabinet after every use to secure the glass bottles and my heart from being broken! Que horror! 
   
   
3. Origins Drink Up Intensive Overnight Mask - I really didn't know about it until I googled for "overnight mask" and it came up with good reviews. I don't have time to do the facial mask process regularly (mask-wait-rinse) so I thought I needed something that can work while I sleep. The lovely fruity smell is a good bonus while you apply it but the best part is you wake up with that dewy, fresh look in the morning! No need to rinse it because it doesn't harden, it's like your skin just drink the moisture while you sleep! 

   

   Origins Drink Up Overnight Mask
4. Benefit How To Look The Best At Everything - YouTube beauty gurus rave about Benefit's the Pore fessional pore minimizer and I wanted to buy Benefit Hello Flawless Brightening Makeup too. Both are kinda pricey so I had to decide between the two fortunately, I stumbled upon this Sephora exclusive set. It has the sample size of both the Porefessional and Hello Flawless, with two shades of concealer and powder. I've tried many pore minimizers before but nothing worked for my large pores but this one from Benefit is an exception! True to its promise, my skin looked poreless (well I can't say flawless because nothing can be done with my acne scar pits anymore, but if you don't have deep scars like mine, it will surely make your skin look FLAWLESS!), I'm so glad I tried this one. I'm sure it would work better with a good foundation or concealer brush or the Beauty Blender but this is just how far my beauty budget could go. If you have extra moolah I highly recommend this set with the Beauty Blender! 
   
   

   

   Benefit Cosmetic: How To Look Best At Everything

I know I splurged this time but when I look at my beauty graveyard (that magic bin where you keep all your unused beauty products), I realized I was just wasting money on buying cheaper versions of what I really wanted. The key is to buy less frequently, and save up for the exact item you want. Make sure also that it's something you're going to use. In reality, I don't get to wear makeup at all, so even if it's tempting I just stay away from buying more eye shadows, blush-ons, and more face powder. As a result, I get more buck for the big purchases such as this and I'm happy.

Note: this is not a paid review.

FMBM: What To Do With Squash

It's Halloween once again and there are Pumpkins all over the place. Since this veggie is in season, you get plus healthy points in cooking them for the family. Last weekend I found a sliced Butternut Squash in the grocery that looked so pretty and yellow, it's like enticing me saying "take me, i'm seriously healthy!", my sons have been eating Broccoli all week long and I thought this will be a good alternative. 

Now what to do with it?

Two years ago my friends and I had dinner at White House Fusion Cuisine restaurant in Davao City but until now I can still remember how I loved their Pumpkin(or was that Squash?) soup with Nori. I was surprised then how Pumpkin and Nori tasted so well together, the chef is genius! 

I haven't tried replicating it until now for my son's lunch, he is still complaining a toothache and a lose front tooth that's why I had to prepare soft food.

Butternut Squash Soup

You can prepare this ahead of time, like slice, boil and mash the Squash the night before to make that five minute mark we're gunning for in the morning.

In the morning, saute diced onions, and chopped bacon, add in the mashed Squash and pour about a cup and a half of chicken broth or plain water. Let it boil and season with salt and pepper to taste.

When it's done add the shredded Nori in the Squash Soup.

Mix with rice and for the best option, put in an insulated food jar to keep it warm until lunch time.

Little boy had it for breakfast too.

Squash Sandwich

This morning I only had spaghetti(with instant spaghetti sauce in a bottle) for my son's bento and I needed to incorporate a fruit or veggie for his snack to get something healthier for the day. I decided to use the remaining Butternut Squash sitting in the fridge. I know Squash is an unusual player in the sandwich department but I tried this with Sweet Potato and it was a hit, so I thought Squash won't fail me. It shouldn't because I only had 20 minutes for this experiment.

Again this will be faster if you boil and mash it the night before. But since I just thought of it this morning, I had to do everything while boiling the spaghetti pasta. 

Slice, boil and mash Butternut Squash.

Add a little bit (1/2 tsp) of Mayonnaise, a lot of grated cheese, season with a bit of salt and pepper. Garnish with chopped Green Onions for the slight crunch.

I know it's not exactly healthy with the cheese and the Mayo but when it's for the kids, taste is a major concern especially if you're guilty of sneaking in veggies to their snacks.

You can keep the leftover Squash Spread in a tight bottle to serve the next day! Just add more Green Onions. (I'm not sure how long it will keep but to be sure, use it the next day).

Little boy gets to eat it for breakfast too. There was resistance at first, maybe because it's new for him but he finished it all. So I guess the experiment was a success!