Weekend Food Tripping at: King Bee Restaurant

Happy Sunday everyone!  Weekend food tripping once again and this time, I will be sharing Chinese Lauriat and if you are hungry, you can come back later!  hehehe

Chinese Lauriat service usually consists of several dishes served in a table good for 10-12 people!  Dishes starting from Cold Cuts, Soup, Rice with several main dishes that ranges from pork, beef, chicken and fish!  

I am a Pro when it comes to Lauriat Menu service as I grew up in a family full of parties and most of them are celebrated in Chinese restaurants with Dragon Dances (during the New Years), Song and dance number (from organizations) to showing the love of the couple (for wedding celebrations).  I am sure most of you have at least one lauriat food service experience!

It was my uncle's 70th Birthday celebration and my cousin threw him a party at King Bee Restaurant.  It's a first time for me to try the dishes served and I am quite excited because at times, you get too tired of the same restaurant and same menu!  

**Note, I don't have the menu or the Lauriat dish names, all the names of the dishes mentioned are coming from yours truly, they are not the exact name of the dishes!  

Birthday Noodles

I am quite surprised the first dish was a noodle dish!  It's just a way of saying "Be Full as Early as NOW!"  *laughs*  Just by the look, you can see that this noodle dish is quite a blockbuster!  Quail Eggs, Pork, Vegetables, Mushrooms, Shrimps, Squid, Liver strips and noodles covered in sauce!  I like my noodles very sauce-y!

Cold Cuts

Century Egg, Seaweed, Pork Asado (Roasted Pork), White Chicken, Beef strips and Duck are the usual suspect when you see a cold cuts platter! 

Spinach Soup

Shrimp bits and mushrooms in a spinach soup 

with Tofu (soy bean) and egg.  Nice!

Beef, Squid and Crab Cakes

I can't comment much about this dish because, it was a table favorite!  I wasn't able to give this a taste because it was all gone before I even get the chance to taste some!  I am with hungry people!  *laughs*

Deep Fried Chicken

Tastes like regular deep fried chicken!  It came with its own gravy.

Seafood Mix

At this very instant, I popped in an anti-histamine pill because I wanted to give this a try and I can see loads of seafood and my allergies may start to show up and I may be scratching so much and miss the rest of the dishes!  *laughs*  This dish is quite unique and I don't always see this included in most lauriat menu!  I like how the shrimps, roasted pork (asado), scallops and cashews are blended well together and I can still pinpoint the unique identity of each ingredients.

Yang Chow Fried Rice

Oh!  Let me tell you that the photos are uploaded in order!  Don't be surprised that the rice came in late, in Chinese Lauriat, rice is usually served at the last part but I guess my cousin requested the fried rice to be served a bit earlier for us to be able to enjoy this with the dishes!  We're definitely Filipinos at heart!  We love our meals with a good cup of rice!

Garlic Shrimps

I only tasted one because the shrimps served are quite small and I had a hard time removing its shell and I'm so lazy to get dirty!  *laughs*  I'm actually not a fan of "dressed shrimps" I like them naked!  *hahahah*

Pork Spareribs with Deep Fried Tofu

My favorite dish for the day!  The pork spareribs are cooked perfectly!  Sauce is just right and the pork does not have a lot of fat nor bones!  The sweet, salty and a bit of spicy taste of the spareribs stays true even on your 3rd or 4th bite!

The Deep Fried Tofu does not have any sauce to it but eaten together with the pork spareribs, it's wonderful!  Trust me, I am thinking of going back just for this!

Steamed Fish on Soy Sauce

It may look bland but do not judge the fish by its look!  Its very fresh and sweet tasting fish!  Soy sauce is not even that strong to taste!  The mixture of sauce and onion leaves are just right especially at this "dining stage" as everyone's starting to get full!

Almond Jelly

I am an almond jelly lover!  And this definitely does not pass my standard!  The taste of almond in this jelly is a bit overwhelming, I think they put too much almond concentrate and the jelly is not the "soft" type that I want!  It's actually more on the crunchy texture which is a no no in my dictionary!

Platter of Fruits

You can't go wrong with these unless the fruits are not in season!  So far, all the fruits I've tasted are wonderful!

King Bee Restaurant

UG2 Seneca Plaza

#1152 E. Rodriguez Sr. Ave., Mariana

Quezon City

Tel. No: (632) 738-2046

The restaurant is located at the main road of E. Rodriguez Sr. Avenue, it's not eye catchy though because I have to watch closely to find this restaurant.  There's a parking space right in front of the building and I was told there are more spaces at the back!  (You just have to drive around though).  Restaurant ambiance is not unique, it's a regular Chinese Looking Restaurant.  Servers are quite polite and service is quite good.

I don't have the price of the Lauriat set because this isn't paid by yours truly.  But base on experience, Chinese Laurit can costs from Php6,000-Php12,000 (approx $140-$280) depending on the kinds of dishes and the number of dishes!  The price is good for one table which can serve up to 12 guests!  Drinks are usually not included and VAT can be waived if paid in cash (not applicable to all Chinese restaurants). 

*whew* And would you believe, I'm off for another food tripping today?
Ahhh the wonders of eating!
Have you eaten Lauriat Style?  What's your favorite Chinese Restaurant?

Keep smilin'

Stay happy!

Happy Weekend Food Tripping!

Tip for the Day: Creating Bright Looking Skin

Happy Saturday everyone!  By the time you are reading this, I am off for a makeup gig and I'm quite excited about it because as you all know, prettifying someone after a stressful weekend at work is another stress reliever for me aside from blogging!  I'll share what happened when given the chance!  *crosses fingers* 

After my "Some Kinda Blue, Some Kinda Purple" Eyes tutorial, I did promised a next tutorial on "Creating Bright Looking Skin".  Why did I ever think about doing such tutorial when most of you wanted the non-shimmery or glowy look?  A lot of you are opting for a matte looking makeup right?

I know, I heard you, I am the same too!  But as I watch Korean Series, "Perfect Match" to be exact!  *laughs*  I can't help but remember my Seoul Trip 2 months ago and I've seen how gorgeous the women in Korea are and they are not even piled on makeup!  That's where the "Bright Looking" skin makeup came up because I can seriously leave for work earlier because this does not take much time! :)  

*Note from AMW: There are a lot of creating "bright looking skin" tutorial out there, this is just a simple version from yours truly and I am in no way the inventor of these tips! :)  Enjoy!

Step 1:

You have to check on your skin condition before you start this tutorial. 
If you have oily skin: you can opt to use a light moisturizer, BB cream or Oil Control Primer

If you have dry skin: you can moisturize your skin really well, let it set, apply a moisturizing primer or moisturizing BB cream.  

In this tutorial, I have applied a thin layer of Skin79 VIP Gold BB cream after moisturizer.

Conceal spots or blemishes, in my case, I lightened up my dark circles with SkinFood Dark Circle Salmon Concealer.

Step 2:

Use a lighter concealer/cream foundation (2-3 tones lighter than your original skin tone), apply a tiny amount on the bridge of your nose and the brow bone area with a concealer brush or our clean fingers.

**Note from AMW: this is the perfect time to pull out concealer or foundation shades that you wrongly purchased!  Those that are a bit too light for you!

Step 3:

If you are more comfortable with heavy coverage foundation, you can choose your favorite mineral powder foundation, regular powder foundation, of if your skin is quite good and you don't need coverage, you can choose to use a translucent setting powder.

In this tutorial, I used Revlon's Age Defying 2 Way Foundation with Botafirm in Buff with my Charm Luxe Mini Kabuki.

Step 4:

Since I wanted a super natural, "no make up" look, I will use a bronzer as a blush!  Thanks to Gracie for the Elizabeth Arden Bronze Beauty Bronzing Powder Duo.

I've specifically applied the bronzing powder on the hallows of my cheekbones to make my cheeks pop out each time I smile! 

Step 5:

This is the most exciting part!  Also the most crucial part!  Highlighting!  I used the Eyeko Pretty Eyes 3-in-1 Eyeshadow Cake shimmery white eyeshadow as a highlighter or you can choose any highlighting powder you currently own.

With a blending eyeshadow brush, I applied the shimmer powder at the bridge of my nose in one swipe.  Using a blush brush, I highlighted the area from the temple down to the prominent cheekbones.  Be very careful not to apply too much!

Step 6:

I can actually stop at Step 5 but since I've blabbed so much, why not just finish the task?  *lol*  I chose a very nice bronze-y lipgloss that has a hint of gold speckles from Bath & Body Works.  It was a gift to me by my dear ELF Nail Polish supplier Toma!  Thanks honeybunch!

I can't stress enough that the best "Bright Looking Skin" comes with a huge, sincere smile!  Smiling is free so keep that smile with your now glowy skin!  

You'd think the application of the highlighting powder you've done is not enough, but once a source of light hit your face, there will be a certain glow that's not too obvious!  So please be careful not to pile too much shimmery powder or you'll end up looking like a bacon!  :P

Any more tips you may add for our readers?
Feel free to share!

Have a gorgeous weekend!
Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

Eureka Moment: Inexpensive Stuff akes Me Happy!

A lot of my mascara, eyeliner pencils or eyeshadow base on sticks move around inside my train case when I travel, I don't like it when I open it and some pencils are scattered inside!  That irks me!  I've thought of organizing my pencils by using resealable bags but at times, I need to change them often which isn't good for our environment so I've decided to purchase a pouch or pencil case to house all the pencil goodies! 

Makeup pouches, pencil cases, so easy to find right?  WRONG!

When I search for something, at times, I have an idea on top of my head and I would like to get the exact thing I am looking for to prevent me from purchasing and repurchasing just because I am not contented with what I have.  That's just me...so don't mind me!  *laughs*

Anyways, to cut the long "hunting" story, I was out looking around the department store office supplies area and I finally found a nice pencil case to house my (as I said) pencil oldies but goodies!

TADA!!!

Why this you ask?
Well, I have a couple of requirements ---

• Mesh type but does not hole up easily
• As much as possible, clear, transparent or translucent so I can easily see the stuff inside.
• Expands as I tend to add up my stuff!
• Inexpensive or much better?  VERY CHEAP!

FOUND IT!

Soft Mesh Case

250x110mm

approx. 9x4 inch

I've seen a couple of mesh pouches but I have a feeling it'll be ruined in no time as I could get careless at times!  This one is perfect because it's mesh-type protected with a frosty plastic which protects my stuff from dirt plus I can see the products I want to reach out for easily!

And the cute part, there's a name tag space?  I can label it with my name!  Now, help me....shall I put : "Gorgeous Nikki?  Nikki the Great? or Nikki the Super Talented Freak?"  *lol*  You get the drift, you can label it anything you want!  Just because it feels like first day of school all over again!

The pencil case expands at a certain level which I find "just right" for my pencils, primers and even mascaras!

Once you open up the zipper pouch, you can easily rummage through your stuff as there's enough room!

And last...seriously, last!
This is the best of all that's why it's on my Eureka Moment list....

The product costs Php29.75 (approx $0.70)

purchased at SM Department stores

I can purchase backups but I prefer to save the earth and just purchase one because I don't need a lot of these!  But this tiny thing made my day!  Seriously! YES!  I am serious!!! :D

What's your Eureka Moment for the week? 
Anything as simple as this made you happy?

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Version: "Some Kinda Blue, Some Kinda Purple" Eyes

Ahhh, I can't keep track on the days!  Time is definitely flying super fast, the week went ok, it's finally Thursday!  Friday is just around the corner and I'm looking into a busy weekend!  I am actually looking forward for my brother's arrival!  He'll be coming back for vacation and I'm excited about it!

Today, I will be sharing an AMW Version, I call this "Some kinda blue, some kinda purple" look because the purple eyeshadow I used has a tiny specks of blue that would show up as blue on some angles on camera!  This is as usual, perfect for day time but also for night time if you want by packing up more colors! 

I just realized, that I have a very distinct line on my lids that looked like I've gone through surgery! *laughs*  Beauty Blogger Jess actually asked me about it!  No surgeries though, if ever I did, I'll make it more "deep set" *lol* But I don't plan to because nothing would make me go through that!  I'm just a coward that way!  hehehe

AMW Diagram

Prior to eyeshadow application, you can choose to apply your favorite eye primer.  In this tutorial, I am using the Too Faced Shadow Insurance.

Step 1:

Using a flat shader brush of your choice, I applied a light peachy eyeshadow from the Sleek Graphite Palette all over the lids including the brow bone area.

Step 2:

Using the free sponge applicator that goes with the palette, I packed on the "dark purple" eyeshadow from the Sleek Graphite Palette all over lid area going a bit beyond.  I also include the 3/4 portion of the lower lash line as shown on diagram above.

Step 3:

With my MAC's 226 brush or any "crease/blending" brush that has a pointed tip, I applied Shimmery Black Eyeshadow from the same palette on top of the "purple shadow" done on Step 2 packing on colors until it creates gradient effect (upwards).  At this stage, I am taking time blending and adding up shades as I move back and check my reflection!

Step 4:

Using a Bent Liner Brush from Coastal Scents, I applied MakeupMasala Gel Liner in Inky Black on the upper lash line with a slight winged effect.

** The thing with using Gel Liners, or Liquid liners above the lash line, there's a white space that needs to be covered so I tightlined with Make Up For Ever's Aqua Eyes in Black.

Step 5:

Using Maybelline Eyestudio Vivid & Smooth Liner in Purple, apply it directly on waterline.  Make sure the pencil is not too sharp!

Step 6:

Highlight the inner corner of your eyes with a shimmery white eyeshadow or in this tutorial, I am using Urban Decay's 24/7 Glide-on Eye Pencil in Yeyo.

I added a bit on the brow bone area and blended the shimmery white pencil for that "bigger eyed" look. 

Use an eyebrow pencil of your choice to fill in those brows, 

curl my lashes then applied 3 coats of 

Etude House Proof 10 Henna Fix Mascara in Black

You can choose to apply falsies for a dramatic effect

What's on the rest of my face?

Revlon's Age Defying 2 Way Foundation with Botafirm in Buff

On Cheeks:

MAC's Gel Blush in Just a Pinch

Applied MAC's MSF Blushin SuperDuperNatural!

On Lips:

L'Oreal Colour Riche in Peach Blush

Stage Lipgloss in 12 Sophia

Smile and even without makeup,
you'll look great!

*P.S. My skin is "glowy" in this photo as I have created a tutorial on creating glowy skin and I had to apply a lot for it to register on cam.

Have you sported any colored eye makeup looks lately?
I have to admit, I haven't much, I just did a couple of bright eyed makeup for tutorials
But there's no reason to doll up for now! :)

Keep smilin'
Stay happy!

AMW Reviews: Etude House Proof 10 Henna Fix Mascara in Black

I am loving Etude House because of 2 things!  The cute doll house exterior and interior and of course, the fact that the company got 2NE1 star Sandara Park to be their model!  I like Sandara Park and I am proud of her achievements both in the Philippines and in Korea.

Admittedly, I did not have plans to purchase mascara (at all) during my Korea Trip!  The sales lady, while looking at my puny lashes, advised me to try the new mascara under the Proof 10 line!  With the huge HENNA Fix written on the tube, I gave it a try right away and saw my lashes grew darker and longer which is a huge 'yes' for me and no for my wallet!

"Proof 10" was made according to the Sales Lady who can actually speak Mandarin *LOL* for the humid weather in Korea and I was told humidity is crazy there during summer!  If this mascara is made for the harsh weather up there, that made me hopeful that this will work in our country! 

After several times of usage, does this pass my standard for a good mascara?