MISSKOUTURE

北の家 Guu Izakaya

2010-08-29T18:14:00.004-04:00

This restaurant has truly changed my mind towards Japanese cuisine since I'm not a big fan of sushi. This entrance to the restaurant is like walking through the entrance of Tokyo. This experience has really allowed me to respect the Japanese culture and an experience that I would never forget. As we approached the restaurant, there was already a long line up outside, every one waiting for their names to be called. We waited for 40-45 minutes. What was very unique about this restaurant was, every time someone walked through the front door, all the waitresses, chefs, hostess, bar tenders, and other workers, will greet you. You must think, well.. all restaurants greet people. But this restaurant really offer you the greatest greet you'll ever experience. As we walked through the front door, all the workers loudly greets us with the Japanese language. It was really something I've never seen before. The inside was rather small, but you can almost feel the love of the workers flowing around the space. The kitchen and bar were both open-spaced which really provided an one on one interaction with the customers and other workers. There was outdoor patio seats, side tables, and long tables centered in the middle which were all gathered by people. I was however really glad we probably had the best seats there! We had the high stool seats that were situated right in front of the bar, allowing us to view the bartenders creating very unique drinks that smelt and appeared so beautifully in the beautiful glasses. The bar was decorated with a really creative scheme of using Japanese bottles gathered perfectly on a beautifully designed shelf behind the bar. And hey, we're girls after all, watching these really good looking Japanese bartenders making these amazing drinks made the experience there even more worth it ;) Upon sitting at our seats, we received wetted towels from the waitress and we wiped our hands with it as it was probably incorporated in the Japanese culture. My friends and I were well prepared for ordering as we looked up for review recommendations on the internet while we were waiting outside. We ordered 6 dishes and they came one by one just at the right times to finish one dish at a time while eating them freshly served. The place was pretty loud and is hard to talk with your friends as the workers continuously greet the customers coming in and out as well as sending out messages from one worker to another. But I didn't mind it at all as it was a really interesting experience hearing the Japanese language live. All the workers were extremely well-mannered, and made me wonder how they still have their voice after the night. The food was just spectacular.. made my eyes widen each time I took a bite out of each of the dish and I couldn't stop saying "damn, this is really good". The food were THAT good.. there was no dish that I disliked (from what we ordered)! The authenticity of the food and the environment will truly change your mind about the Japanese culture forever. Coming to this restaurant is like dropping by Tokyo for a short trip. Really an experience I will be craving for in the near future that many other restaurants will never quite grasp. By far one of the best restaurant experiences I've ever had. ありがとう (Arigatō) !

398 Church Street, Toronto

TAKOYAKI
- deep fried octopus balls with tonkatsu sauce and mustard mayonnaise
- this dish was flippin' amazing, the sauce just melted in my mouth like no other
* my top favorite of the night
$5.00

KINOKO CHEESE BIBIMBAP
- Rice, garlic sauteed mushrooms and cheese with seaweed sauce
- Let's just say.. I've never loved Bibimbap the same way I loved this one before
- the seaweed sauce and cheese blended with the rice so well that it created the
perfect texture and taste, simply a dish that will leave you asking for more
$8.30

GRILLED AVOCADO AND PRAWN
- this dish was fantastic, the flavor was so mouth watering! the prawns were
really tasty against the avocado, a must try!
$6.80

The inside of the dish, Grilled Avocado and Prawn

HOTATE BUTTER
- Pan fried scallop with soy sauce and garlic butter
- the sauce for this one was just phenomenal, just wished there was more!
- we didn't order base on price, but after getting the bill, we realized this dish
was pretty pricey compared to the others based on proportion, it is seafood
over all, you be the judge for this one =P
$7.50

HOTATE BUTTER

IKAPIRI
- deep fried calmari with spicy ketchup and wasabi mayo
- when you can't eat spicy food, but still end up finishing the dish, that's how
you know this dish is worth the burning sensation of your spicy-virgin tongue
- the calamari was fresh and was simply delicious, but I must be honest, if you're
Chinese, you would soon realize that the taste of this calamari will seem rather
familiar to the usual sweet and sour sauce sauce in Chinese dishes
- $5.80

IKAPIRI

YAKIUDON
- Pan fried udon noodle with beef and vegetables
- we waited around 20 minutes for this dish (they probably forgot about it), but
it was worth the wait as it was yet a dish that did not fail to impress
- the sauce blended well with the softness of the udon, and the mixed vegetables
were really tasty! (*my second top favorite of the night)
$7.80

KINOKO CHEESE BIBIMBAP
- yes! you've heard it right! although our stomachs were satisfied just right, we
decided to stock it to the max to provide our stomachs with the excellent Guu
experience we had.. so we ordered another KINOKO CHEESE BIBIMBAP..
yummmmmmmmy

upclose and personal with Kinoko Cheese Bibimbap
- by far the greatest invention of bibimbap I've ever tasted!

That's all for now, I hope you all have a chance to one day try Guu Izakaya! The price is really reasonable for the food presentation and unique atmosphere!

Dessert Trend Bistro

2010-08-29T16:37:00.002-04:00

Having a pretty boring summer with no vacation is pretty dull. The best part of the summer is with spending more time with my friends. So we decided to head to downtown Toronto to satisfy our sugar craves at an award winning dessert place. The buildings on the street looked like a historical village, but what was so fascinating was that each restaurant and store had their different unique style and elegance. We heard about this dessert place after reading someone blog about it and decided to try it out. As much as it was tasty, the service they provide is it a bit unusual. When you first enter the restaurant, they seat you down with something to drink, but to my surprise they had no menu or anything to specify what was offered there. Instead we had to walk up to the refrigerators and choose our dessert. What was rather frustrating was the desserts had no names labelled with them. They were all in their pretty little place but we had no clue what flavor they were. So we asked the woman who worked there for the flavors. The desserts had no creative name which lost some uniqueness, but all in all, the desserts were superb to the taste and the creativity in the design of the chocolate shell was beautiful and unique. The inside of the dessert was like opening a surprise gift, not knowing what to expect as a hidden layer of dessert unravel beneath the surface. Just the customer service was a bit bad considering it was difficult to get someone to refill water to our glasses while they were busy talking with their other co-workers. The price of the desserts is widely ranged, the dishes shown were in the $7.50 range, which is very reasonably price for the quality their desserts offer.

154 Harbord Street, Toronto

Passion Fruit Parfait
- the taste was amazing, it was like taking a
bite through a burst of many fruity flavors.
- the flavor was truly accentuated for its
highest quality for your taste buds

Passion Fruit Parfait

Strawberry Parfait
- the lemony flavor of the interior was really a
surprise that gives you that boost sweetness
just enough to make you smile.
- the top layer consisted of a lemony taste, while
the bottom layer consisted a strong burst of
strawberry taste with sauce that will make you awe

Strawberry Parfait

Tiramisu
- the taste for this dessert was surprising as well. the
coconut burst of flavor through the minimal coffee
scent was just enough to satisfy your delight. the top
layer had the consistency of pudding-like texture
with a hidden cake/biscuit-like layer hidden
beneath the top layer.

Tiramisu

Tiramisu, Strawberry Parfait, Passion Fruit Parfait

The atmosphere was really heart-warming as the fresh air
flowed through the windows giving you the perfect breeze.
However, because of that, you may want to avoid coming on
a really humid day.

The design of the place is really minimal in complexity,
providing you a really calming environment to enjoy your
desserts.

Baton Rouge

2010-08-12T00:58:00.003-04:00

I haven't tried much restaurants with ribs and steaks, but I've heard too many good reviews that I fell in love with this place the first time I came here. The price can be a bit put-off (ranges $20-$35 range).. definitely not a place to go weekly for a student.. but I must say and warn you.. this place will be definitely having you crave for their food proportion 24/7! I was sad just leaving this place! Baton Rouge is really a place you've got to go to when you're hungry and got some money to splurge!

Rib Steak Sandwich + Fries (BEST DISH EVERRR) .
But dare to say.. my momma's homemade roast beef
sandwich is a great dupe as well. ^^

My friends ordered fried chicken / burger
with fries and coleslaw as side dishes.

This meal will definitely stuff you up to your stomach's desire. Even my friend who often feels hungry after a full meal couldn't finish her's! Definitely order your dish with side orders of fries + coleslaw ! (they are really tasty!).

Fresh Waters

2010-08-12T00:43:00.005-04:00

So instead of devoting my blog towards only beauty, I thought.. well.. why not just include a bit of the fun stuff I do during summer! I'm a big fan of going near waters as it feels so refreshing and I love to EAT EAT EAT. So the other day I went to Centre Island, which was a island situated near the Harbor Front in Toronto. You would need to travel in a ferry to get there, and when you do, it's an amazingly large park with surrounded waters from all directions. If only I did more research on the weather that day (heavy rain later through the day).. but nonetheless it was a great experience. I didn't get to go through the whole island due to the weather, but this sure won't be the last time I'll be visiting this place!

Ferry

View of downtown Toronto

Beach

And for the food lovers. We went to Jack Astor's afterwards for some pasta! (sorry forgot what this dish was called), but they do serve good food!

Don't judge! I love the extra dose of cheese on my food =D

Would really recommend trying their calamari.. deliciousss!
(sorry for the bad focus!)

Hair Dye for Black Hair

2010-08-04T21:39:00.011-04:00

Palty Hair Dye - Milk Tea Brown

Having black hair can be a really big pain when it comes to hair dyeing. I wasn't willing to go through the process of bleaching and dy-ing it on top of that.. So I did a lot of research in discovering a possible alternative by dyeing at home. Considering it costs around $80-$100 to get your hair dyed in the salon.. I wasn't willing to dish out that much just to change the color of my hair that will just grow out of that color in a couple of weeks. I came upon this Japanese hair dye called Palty and fortunately I lived near a chinese mall that had basically any beauty products you wanted to find that were from Asia. I didn't know about Amazon before I purchased it, so I went searching for nearby Asian stores. The lowest price I found it at was at the chinese mall for $15. I've dyed my hair a lot in the past and NEVER once was I fully satisfied with the results.. the color just never showed! So like everyone online said, the Palty hair dye would show up better if left on for a longer time of period. So i decided to leave it on for a hour or so. My hair turned out orangey, but was expected because it's hard to get black hair tot urn into a natural brown unless it's been bleached. Nonetheless, I love the results and have received compliments at school on it. My hair actually felt less damaged after dyeing it with Palty.. oddly lol. Fortunately it doesn't look as orange when you're indoor..but if you're just tired of having black hair (like me), any lighter hair shade would definitely give you enough change in look. And I mean.. if you look at a lot of the Asian celebrities' hair, many of them have orange-toned hair =P. For the price, this product gives you salon quality results.. but be sure to prepare for commitment with an orange-brown tone if you're willing to test this product out!

Before (very discolored from all the failed drugstore attempts)

After

With Flash

Without Flash

Emjoi Soft Caress Epilator Review

2010-08-02T20:12:00.013-04:00

Hands down, this product was life changing. Like all of you probably are, I was one of those that watched all those youtube videos reviewing on this product and hearing about how amazing it was but never having the guts to try it out due to the pain of tweezing. I've never liked tweezing or waxing.. they were just TOO painful for me.. but then again tweezing the eyebrows do get painless overtime. Us girls know how annoying it gets when you have to shave almost every couple of days because hairs just sprout like no other. I've always felt uncomfortable wearing sleeveless shirts because that feeling of not having all that hair off and gone just felt so nerve-wracking to even risk missing. Anyways, let's get to this review. There were many versions of this Emjoi epilator but after researching, I figured the Soft Caress that can go both corded and cordless was the best bet since you can bring it on vacation charged up or have it plugged in at home. Now.. I have to warn you that the first time I used this was probably a very very very bad experience. Everything I hoped wasn't going to happen.. happened. So I used it after a shower so my pores were opened.. but even so.. it was SOOO PAINFUL. I remember hearing someone saying they couldn't handle the pain and just took it one step at a time. I took that advice into use and completed my underarms in 3 days by doing a bit at a time. I literally felt like passing out after my first experience with this epilator.. my underarm was burning and my virgin hairs left their hair roots bleeding. Yes I know.. this is very disturbing.. but it was the truth as I never tweezed or waxed my underarms. If you want to know how it feels, just tweeze a hair out to see if you can handle it.. then again the epilator pulls a lot out at once, meaning the pain will pass by quickly instead of tugging each one out at a time. After the 3 days of use.. I took a week break and came back to get rid of the ones that didn't go during the first experience. To my surprise.. it didn't hurt that much anymore! I was shocked because I literally had tears the first time I used it. I guess sometimes beauty just comes with pain lol. I've been using this product for a little less than a month and it's honestly been the best month ever not having to worry about my underarms! The hairs are growing out EXTREMELY slow (A plus!), and the hairs are so much less noticeable when they do grow out. I'm extremely happy with this experience and I'm glad I went through with the pain! A really good tip is epilate while you're watching something on tv.. I feel there's less pain when you're not looking straight at it while it works away. And using this on shorter hairs instead of growing it out is actually less painful. It use to feel like pulling the hairs out to my skin but now it just feels like a tiny tickle to my skin. What I love the most is I'm able to wear sleeveless shirts any day without worrying about raising my arm to get something! Girls.. invest in one of these when you're able to and throw away all those razors and shaving cream, because they'll be history and you'll never touch them ever again! Truly one of the best products I've ever used having it take away all those razor burn pain.

I bought mine from Amazon and that's the cheapest price I've found it at. I didn't check ebay but it doesn't hurt to search around for the best price. Worth every penny and will NEVER go back to shaving! The shipping came faster than expected, highly recommend buying it from there. Check out the reviews on there if you're still in doubt.

Update: I haven't used my epilator for about a month now.. and my underarm still looked like I just epilated yesterday! very impressed with the results! I've never felt so carefree about the thoughts of shaving ever before. A+

NYX Blushes: Cafe and Mocha

2010-08-02T00:25:00.015-04:00

Having to be on the paler side of the asian skin tone, I never really had color in my face and a lot of bronzers I've bought always turn out orange on my face and most of the blushes I thought would just give me a light glow actually never ended up showing up on my face! So I decided to take a risk and go for bolder colors that would actually show up. I do not own a lot of mac products and the main reason to that is because NYX products provide such a quality of makeup that could easily overpower top branded makeup out there. The pigmentation of NYX products are just so superb that sometimes I feel it's so underrated because of the brands that are already in the market.. ESPECIALLY in Canada. Finding NYX products in Canada is a pain and even if you do find them.. they are sold at really high prices. I've bought NYX products online before from the U.S. and have noticed the great price difference between buying the products from U.S. and Canada.. even shipping the products from U.S. to Canada was way cheaper than buying the products here. Enough with the rambling, so recently I decided to splurge and purchase 2 blushes; 'Mocha' and 'Cafe'.. I was aiming at finding Taupe and Angel but they didn't have those 2 colors, so I decided to get 2 colors which were around the same color range and a bit more daring. Something I learned from watching tutorials were that blushes which look really pigmented from the pan isn't really so IN YOUR FACE when you apply them with a light hand.

Cafe , Mocha

Cafe , Mocha (without flash)

Cafe , Mocha (with flash)

Rating: 10/10

- NYX pigmentation just never fail to impress me.. ONE light dab in the blush provides a whole LOT of color (a litte goes a longgg way), and the smooth texture of the blushes are a plus!

- Mocha is a great blush tone that gives your cheeks a light flush of raspberry tint that really blends well to the paleness of my skin with a light application

- Cafe is a sort of light taupe color with a small tint of purple and gray. It really adds dimensions to your face when used for contouring.

Maybelline Sensational Lipstick: Born with it

2010-08-02T00:15:00.011-04:00

So after having a bad experience with Pink Please.. well not totally hating on it.. but I was expecting a lighter shade of pink. I couldn't just let go of Maybelline Sensational Lipsticks.. so I gave it one last chance with the shade "Born with it".. and thankfully this time I found the shade I was looking for! Pink Please would have looked better on someone with naturally light colored lips.. but for people who have red lips to begin with, 'born with it' will make your lips to a settled neutral pink color.

Rating: 10/10

Maybelline's Pink Please VS Mac's Way to Love

2010-07-28T08:48:00.015-04:00

Now.. a lot of people see the resemblance between Maybelline's pink please and Mac's way to love and since I had both of them I thought I would put them to the test myself.

Pink Please, Way To Love

Review: I won't exactly call them dupes.. more like sisters. They have the same family tint of pink but not the same shade. The difference in colors show more in pictures with no flash. The effect of them are very similar though. Mac's 'way to love' appears sheer and you should NOT expect it show up on your lips the way it appears in it's packaging unless you have pale lips to begin with. If you have pigmented lips, I would recommend getting Pink Please as it has better pigmentation yet not look extremely pink on your lips. As shown in the pics,Pink Please has a darker shade than Way to Love. I must admit they both look similar on the lips as they don't show up much on my pigmented lips unless you layer it on. But I honestly like pink please more because it just seems more moisturizing and it's more noticeable on my lips than way to love.

Rating (Pink Please) - 9

Rating (Way to Love) - 7

- these lipsticks would look good if you want punch of pink that does not over power nor take away from your natural lip color.

Favorite Summer Nail Color

2010-07-28T08:38:00.009-04:00

China Glaze - Agent Lavendar
- One coat gives off the effect of 3-4 coats! It's opacity is simply amazing.
- China glaze is an amazing nail polish brand that can't be missed! Try them if you haven't yet because they are really affordable for their quality.

Crest Whitestrips - Pro Effects

2010-07-28T08:01:00.017-04:00

After hearing such good reviews on youtube about the Crest Whitestrips.. I thought it would be the greatest time to test them out since they were on sale the same week I was getting my braces removed after 2 dreadful years. To be honest, I never really smiled with my teeth much in pictures before I got braces.. I just never felt confident about my teeth ever since I was a little child. Ever since my grade 3 school picture, all my school pictures of me had my lips glued shut. But ever since I used the Crest Whitestrips.. I've been smiling nonstop in pictures and in person. Okay well.. maybe because my teeth finally look align for once in my life but the Crest Whitestrips has really boosted up the appearance of my teeth and the brightness of my smile. Here's the proof:

Day 1 (1st use): The day I got my braces removed. I did 2 uses, 1 hour (3o mins each)

Day 2 and Day 3 almost looks the same but trust me! It got slightly whiter.. It's just I rather not upload the larger size of the picture to avoid having my teeth right up next to your face =P I kind of slacked and did 1 use (30 min) each day.

Day 4 (1 use): I think I might stop using the whitestrips now.. My teeth looks really white in pictures and I don't want to make them TOO white.

Review: These whitestrips are not as easy to use as it sounds. I've heard many reviews of slipping, foaming, and sensitivity (which I was most scared of). Thankfully my teeth didn't turn sensitive on me after using this, however, it was completely hard to keep my lower teeth's strip on my teeth as it repetitively slipped off. I have heard the Advanced Seal version didn't slip as much but Pro Effects was of a higher quality in whitening, so I rather sit there without moving my mouth in any way for 30 minutes to avoid any slipping. The foaming was a bit disgusting.. but was expected. As you remove the whitestrips, the gel leaves this really gross sticky residue.. sorta makes it feel like you're trying to remove gum from your teeth. But no worries, after peeling off the strips, just rinse with water thoroughly and it'll all go away. Simple. Not completely time consuming. Most of all.. it whitened my teeth dramatically (definitely saw difference after the first day).

Rating: 10/10

Stila Bronzing Powder - Shade 01

2010-07-28T07:25:00.011-04:00

If you're looking for a bronzer that would definitely show but not overpower your face and looks natural, this bronzer would definitely look gorgeous on you. This bronzer gives a really nice color to your face if you have light skin tone and this has really good pigmentation (a little goes a long way). The texture feels extremely smooth to the touch, leaving your skin feel smooth as well.

What's really good is it has spf 15, which not many bronzers out there have.
However, if you want to use this for contour, it may not be the best color.

Overall, not a MUST have as there's probably a drugstore dupe (NYC) out there somewhere, but the pigmentation and natural look has won me over.

Rating: 8/10

For Audrey

2010-06-05T00:34:00.007-04:00

For too long I've been hearing people talk about this nail polish. Yes.. it's the one and only China Glaze's "For Audrey". (The color in the picture doesn't really justify it's true color.. it's less pale and more bold in real life) I've been wanting this nail polish since.. FOREVER and finally had the chance to try it out. It was waiting on the shelf patiently for me to finally find it and purchase it! I live in Canada.. so this nail polish was a pain in the behind to find. The color is amazing in the container and I must say that it's offly similar to Tiffany & Co.'s boxes.. basically identical! It's just a very pretty color. However, once I applied it on my fingers.. although it was really pigmented and looked like it's true color with one coat.. maybe I'm not use to bright colors but it didn't exactly fit .. "me". Has anyone felt that this color just wasn't their color? I mean.. I'll probably love this color as time passes as my obsession with blue will probably kick in.. but for my initial thought.. it just seems a bit off when trying to find an outfit to match this color without making it look TOO bold.. like I mean.. a white tee would look good with them but it's summer ! i need to wear colors ! the colors just clashes with my nails. Well I guess it's a love and hate relationship with this product for now.. =P

Update: so it's been 20 days or so.. and I've grown to really like this color. Although at times it may not match your outfit colors.. it's not that apparent and i mean.. who really cares right? The color on its own is really too beautiful to dislike. And i know.. you must be asking.. "why on earth do you still have this nail polish on even after 20 days?!".. well that's because it's still rather in a "okay" condition.. okay well.. maybe i was just too lazy to go through the whole removing and re-applying process. The staying power of these nail polishes are just superb.. although it grew away from the nail base and had my nails cut.. it hasn't chipped!.. well maybe just a bit ^.^