22 January 2016

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Hey, guys, and happy belated New Year! I hope your year started off wonderfully. As for me, my year started off with a clear head and plans for the year that I'm going to put into action--starting with YouTube! Actually, it started with my studies, but...you're here for food right? So let's start there.

I don't know if any of you have noticed, but I've added two new series to my YouTube channel within the past few weeks. One is SPAM, Sami-chan's Portal Around the Midwest, while the other is FATY! or Food Adventure Time Yeah! This series is honest to God all about food. Food places around the Midwest, cooking, and baking--just everything food! The Midwest is a melting pot of the East and West coasts as well as down South and everywhere around the globe. THE PROBLEM IS finding them! But I'm going to make that easy on all of us by going around the Midwest starting in my lovely city Indianapolis.

BUT the first two videos take place in Terre Haute (on the banks of the Wabash River, anyone? Anyone get that reference?). The first video features me and my girl Cori trying food after dissolving miracle berries on our tongues. That was a mind bending experience that I recommend everyone to try out. You can buy some berries online from Amazon (http://amzn.to/1OnZwN8).

The second video features Cori, my baby bruddah Jeremy, and I trying out a locale restaurant called Fifi's Lunchbox. Head over to the channel (or click below) to check out what we ate and what the place looks like because I forgot to snag some pictures of the place besides the food.



For those who stuck around to read the rest of the article, the three of us hung around after eating to talk with one of the owners of Fifi's. What we found out is that Fifi's started off as a food truck going to local events that the three of us went to when we were kids serving homemade comfort food--it's comforting to me at least. Haha!!

But, really, everything is homemade--including the bacon. Bacon this, bacon that--bacon everywhere! They have a bacon latte for crying out loud!

On top of bacon, they have a lovely list of beers (although, I wouldn't know since I'm not much of a drinker) along with coffee and free wifi. Before I forget, they also have awesome desserts including a gluten free option. They also have salads that sound great. I almost had one but decided against it when I saw the Darth Vada burger (click the video to find out more).

Did I mention BACON?

So, what are you doing? Check them out if ever you're in the Haute!




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10 December 2015

posted by em: . . . .

Hello, lovelies!

It’s been two months since I last wrote to you. In other words, I broke my New Year’s resolution for 2015, but that’s okay since this is the longest I’ve maintained one! Anyways, I’m back with the unboxing of my first VoxBox from Influenster.com.

If you don’t know what Influenster is, it’s a nifty little site for social media enthusiasts to review products honestly as well as receiving themed VoxBoxes full of deluxe samples or full sized products to review for free. Sometimes, these products are sent before they’re in stores. I’ve been apart of this site since August of this year and, so far, I haven’t received a VoxBox until last week.

Anyways, all of you are probably wondering what’s inside of it! This is what I got (I received these products in exchange for my honest reviews.) :
  • Soapbox Coconut Shampoo & Conditioner
  • Yogi Tea Samples in Sweet Tangerine and Vanilla Spice (both Perfect Energy Tea)
  • Not Your Mother's Whip It Up Mousse
  • Sinful Colors Nail Polish + Gel Shine Topcoat in Haute Shine 
  • Foot Petals Give ‘em the Boot Inserts
  • Good Health Veggie Stix
  • Boots Botanics Organic Hydrating Day Cream

I was so excited when I saw the Veggie Stix. You guys have no idea. Prior to receiving the box, I was at Marshall’s looking for bras since I was in need of some. I popped into the toilet to use it, looked down, and saw that my monthly cycle had started while I was without a purse—ZERO FEMININE PRODUCTS. And then my cravings for all of the veggie chips in the food aisle of Marshall’s made sense. I almost grabbed a few bags. (I was thinking about opening one and then paying at the counter so I could munch and shop. I’m glad I didn’t, because that would have been a waste of money! And… I don’t think it’s allowed?)

Cravings, guys, cravings. Those were pretty intense.

The second thing I was excited about receiving was the Soapbox set in coconut! I love this business and their mission. I’ve been wanting to try it out, but I have a huge bottle of another shampoo that I have yet to finish. The first thing I did with this set, though, was went onto the site and entered in the codes that are on the bottles to see which countries were helped. I helped India and Bangladesh indirectly since this was an awesome collaboration between Soapbox and Influenster. 

Aside from the two highlighted, you’re going to have to watch the video as well as stay tuned for future updates! I’ll be back with a review video and post. 



Have an awesome day!

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posted by ÀS: em: . . . .
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21 September 2015

posted by em: . . . .
Almost three weeks ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Tia in our Spanish class during the one of the conversation exercises. Now, do I remember most of our meeting? No. (I'm sorry, Tia, if you're reading this!) However, I do remember her awesome sense of style that's perfect for the fall season that is beginning to take over. Check out her chic and cozy outfit below!


Her makeup is so on point.




I'm not going to lie: I fell in love with her whole outfit from the the crew neck blouse, to the distressed high waisted jeans down to her boots! I seriously squee-ed over her boots and asked where she got them. She told me she got them for a steal at Charlotte Russe where they were having a shoe sale. (I just checked on the site, and they're still up for sale in BLACK for $23!!)

You can mimic the outfit using pieces I found online below. I chose a poncho instead of a normal cardigan since it is fall and sometimes you need to cover your ears from the autumn breeze.


Tia

Tia by samijoie featuring Steve Madden
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17 September 2015

posted by em: . . .
Hello, lovelies!

I hope all is well with all of you reading this. I've been dealing with a crazy schedule since the beginning of classes, and I'm unfortunately still trying to strike a balance between schoolwork and sleep.

Yes, sleep. I hope none of you are having this problem! If you are, let's figure it out together? Send me suggestions!

Before I kick off this first First Impressions post, I would like to take a moment to say that the pores on my face feel like they're being suction cupped one by one to an extreme level--and that's a good thing! (It's like having tiny octopi on my face...) With all the stress I've had the past few weeks, this deep clean is a treat that I welcome with open arms.

So, how did I come by Majestic Pure Cosmeceuticals' Indian Healing Clay mask? A few months ago, I received a $60 Amazon gift card for participating in a study at school. I thought to myself, "What could I possibly get with this money?" First thought was KOREAN COSMETICS in flashing neon lights. I hopped onto Amazon and added two items to my cart that I've been wanting to try after watching Jenn's (clothesencouters) vlog on YouTube. I'll talk about them in the future since I'm still waiting on them to arrive.

After I added the Korean cosmetics to my cart, I looked into Skinfood's Black Sugar Mask. I was so close to buying it but stopped myself because it occurred to me that maybe I could make my own--maybe. That said, I looked at the recommended products that others bought and this Indian mask popped up on the list. I clicked it and it had a 5 star review from over a thousand users. It also had a subscription option since, I guess, it's so popular. Because of how cheap it was, I decided "what the hey?" after I kept coming back to it over the course of last week up until last night.

And into the cart it went.
First package of two or three!
It shipped in one day and is now sitting on my face as I type this post. I probably should have done more reading because I did not know that it would come in powdered form and that I would have to mix it with water in order to form the mask. I followed the instructions on the container and began to mix away in a disposable cup with a disposable spoon since I had the feeling I would screw up the first time.
Be careful when opening!
I did.

The first mask came out too thick and adding more water did nothing to the hardened ball of clay in the center of my cup. I tossed that out and started again using a smaller portion than the first attempt. This one didn't work, either. Third time's the charm when I eyeballed everything and scored with a decent mask! I massaged the mask onto my face and washed my utensils.
When I first applied to 20 minutes later.

Final thoughts...
This mask is doing wonders right now. I'm past the recommended 20 minute mark and can still feel the little octopi sucking away at my pores. Once I get the hang of mixing the clay properly, I know I'll enjoy this more since I'll be able to apply it quicker than tonight. And by apply I mean smearing mud all over my face as if I was a little kid and having fun with it!

Five minutes later...
Washing this mask off was easier than washing, say, Queen Helene Masque Mint Julep. You could tell that you were washing actual bentonite clay without anything added off of your face. This just proved to me that this is the real deal and that the label on the container is 100% true. My face definitely feels softer and smoother, my pores smaller before I rinsed off today's sweat and makeup. I'm extremely happy with this purchase! Yay, impulse buys!
My face is a little red, but that's normal for me. I seem to have a natural blush.

This was not a sponsored post. You can buy the mask here.
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22 August 2015

posted by em: . . . . .
"Hey, it's face mask Friday!"

Imagine the look on my younger brother's face (last night) when I told him to wash up and slap on a face mask. Hard? Well, he's not one for doing much for his face--he's all about the hair, so when I told him the aforementioned he sighed and went back to his computer games.

That sigh did not stop me from putting on a mask. The mask that I'm talking about today is a mask that I've had in my possession for about four months now. I thought I was going to write a review on it after having it for a month, but I became lazy with putting on my masks since school got in the way of me sticking to a consistent skin routine. And so, four months later, I'm finally writing this review that I have put off for quite some time mainly because I had mixed feelings about this mask--and laziness.

I had mixed feelings with this mask because when I first smothered my face in it, there was an immediate burning sensation. It was to the point that my eyes were watering (see below).

Yes, I'm pouting... It stung quite a bit.
I would have to roll a paper towel around my index finger and gently wipe the area under my so as not to accidentally wipe off the mask. Even though I adjusted how much I applied (as you can see here, I put on a rather thin layer of the mask), it still stung. It wasn't enjoyable. However, as time went on, I could feel the mask drying out and tightening my skin. I didn't notice anything different about my face except for the firmness that normally results after using a mud mask.

So, what is this mask, you may ask?
It's the PURE & Essential Minerals Dead Sea Mud Mask by PURE & Essential Minerals. I was given a code by BrandBacker to use on Amazon to get a free 6 oz (full size) sample of this mask. It usually runs around $25 so getting it for free was a nice plus. 

This mask boasts that it uses mud taken from the Dead Sea infused with essential oils that help make the skin look radiant and blemish free over a few weeks. So, by looking at the ingredients below, we can see that the product is backed by this claim. An added bonus to this is that it's cruelty free! *claps*

So many oils...

Upon opening the jar, you see the mud mask. No joke. It's just mud, so nothing special aside from the fact that it's a little putty-like due to the presence of xanthan gum in the ingredients. When you apply it to the face it honestly feels like you're playing with mud...that stings. There are granules in the mask to help with exfoliation, so definitely adhere to the instructions by rubbing it into the skin when you're ready to remove it. With this mask you get to clarify your skin naturally and get a little scrub action that helps improve blood circulation in your face and neck. I definitely enjoyed the scrubbing once I got over the initial sting.

All in all, I'm okay with this mask. Will it be the first one I would grab for Face Mask Friday? Nope. It really won't. I don't enjoy the stinging and would stay far away from it since I have the option to do so. Would I recommend it? Maybe. It depends on the person I'm talking to, especially how well they can tolerate the stinging sensation for the sake of beauty. If that were anywhere else on my body, that's acceptable but not on my face.

For this, I would have to rate this a 3.5/5.

Ah! I almost forgot about the smell: It smells like men's product to me. I wonder if anyone else thought this?

This was a sponsored post.

Until next time!


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18 August 2015

posted by em: . . .

"I don't like it, I love it love it love it..."

I don't know if any of you caught onto the fact that I tweaked the lyrics a bit? Haha! Honestly, though: I tweaked it because it fit this post and the song has been stuck in my head for a couple of days now.

Two weeks ago, I realised before heading into lab (summer class ^_^) that I forgot to put on deoderant before running out the door thinking I was late. Lo and behold, as soon as I stepped into Walgreens, I looked at my watch to find out that I in fact was not late to class but early. (This summer class has been screwing with my circadian rhythm from day one.) So I took my time selecting a deodorant before settling on the Degree deodorant spray.

History lesson: I used deodorant spray once in my life, borrowing it from a gym classmate back in middle school Aside from that, I haven't used it since nor can I remember it working for me. With the new advancements with spray deodorant nowadays, I decided to give it another try! So far it has been working--it kept me fresh that entire blistering hot Thursday I spent at school.

When I turned to leave, my eyes caught the makeup section that was strategically placed next to the deodorant section. Well played, Walgreens. It sucked me in, especially the buy two get one free sale on the wet n wild cosmetics. I've used their eyeliners before and they hold pretty well against my somewhat oily eyelids, so I decided to splurge a bit and buy some of their products!


Lately I've been into creating a natural look to help brighten up my eyes whenever I don't get enough sleep--which was the entire summer session, so the trio of eyeshadows were a safe option for me as well as the nude and white eyeliners. As for the blue? Eh, I was feeling a little daring!


And a look isn't complete with a perfect lippie. I stuck with some safe colours as well as a vibrant red, as seen in the middle. wet n wild doesn't joke around with their lippies from what I've learned when I tried one! 

Forgive me if the shades don't match the ones up top! I forgot to snap a photo before picking them up.
That's all for now, lovelies! Did anyone else take advantage of the makeup sale at Walgreens?


This is not a sponsored post.
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07 August 2015

posted by em: . .
Remember that post about 04 April 2015? The baby bro and I went to Flap-Jacks. Ring a bell now? Okay, let's jump back to that day. (If not, read the post here and then come back.)



Later that evening, Momma and Dad joined us in Indy for dinner. We were craving something different, something new, so I hopped onto Yelp and found Mama Irma’s, a Peruvian restaurant here in Indy. Now, we’ve had Peruvian food before (so it’s not exactly new for us...) in Virginia but it's nothing like Mama Irma’s! This restaurant is a small one situated in Fountain Square that can seat around 50 people. It has a spectacular menu with decently priced items considering Mama Irma herself checks the quality of her ingredients every day before cooking them. She told my family when she came out to do her rounds that she makes sure her ingredients are as fresh as they can be as if she was back home in Peru buying from local markets.


I loved the fact that she came out to talk to her customers. When she found out that we were new to her restaurant, she advised us to come back to order items that are off the menu and are sold on particular days. She also told us that in order to get some of her personal favorites to eat and make, we should call ahead so that she can special order the ingredients. This woman, who shared the same view as us that eating fresh seafood everyday is by far better than eating hormone feed chickens—well, okay, we share the same love for fresh and never frozen seafood, is such an awesome and caring woman. It shows in her food and how she talks to her customers as if they are family.

I don’t know how she does it, but she is some superwoman running this shop while able to waltz in and out of the kitchen to talk to her customers while single-handedly preparing multiple dishes.

Onto dinner...

To wet our palates’, we ordered her classic ceviche. Growing up, my parents always made a simple ceviche whenever the ingredients were in season or when they were craving it. It was composed of some sort of seafood, vinegar, and diced red onion. Mama Irma’s Ceviche Mixto (recommended to us by her) was composed of “fresh tilapia and shrimp marinated in citrus juice and peruvian seasonings also served with potato, sweet potato, and peruvian corn.” This vibrantly colored dish is the bomb. Even my baby brother, who hardly eats seafood, helped in demolishing the generous serving!



This was soon followed by the main course. Dad got the asado con arroz, or a “Peruvian pot roast served with white rice and salad.” He said that the meat just melted in his mouth and was perfectly cooked, and I have to agree with him on that. (I stole a few bites...) It was perfectly seasoned and melt-in-your-mouth worthy.



Momma and the brother got similar dishes; Mom ordered chicharron de camarones (“deep fried shrimp served with a salad and deep fried yuca root”) while brother ordered the chicharron de pollo (same description as Momma’s just with chicken instead of shrimp.) Both were equally good, but what I liked the most from their plates was the fried yuca root!



As for me, I ordered something a little different. I got the chupe de camarones. It was a “delicious flavorful shrimp bisque with shrimp, rice, peas, potato, peruvian corn, and poached egg topped with fried fish fillets.” It was exactly as the description states minus the poached egg (I didn’t even notice it). It was rich and flavorful, creamy and filling at the same time so don’t let the small bowl fool you! It was the rice, I swear… It’s a dish I would order again but probably not when I go back since I want to try something new!



Even though we were stuffed after polishing our plates, we somehow got roped into buying some of their desserts—rare dishes for us to order. The first is a typical crème brûlée known otherwise as leche asada. Dad took one bite of it and immediately ordered a second one. The second dessert we ordered was a pineapple cake with pineapple bits mixed in and a blackberry drizzle. Both of these desserts were heavenly.

 


Oh, and hold on a minute! We also tried some Latin American drinks. Baby bro got the Inca Cola—basically a bubblegum flavored coca cola. He’s had it before and enjoys it! The four of us sampled the home made Chicha Morada or purple corn soda. It was certainly interesting, a taste to get used to but refreshing to have after everything we ate. It wasn't for us at the time, but I'm sure the more we go and continue to sample it, the more we'll come to like it.

I hope you guys enjoyed the pictures and will drop in to Mama Irma’s in the near future if ever you’re in Fountain Square. Parking is on the street, but that’s fine because there are a ton of interesting places to pass by when walking to the restaurant. 

See ya!







DISCLAIMER: All descriptions were taken from MamaIrma.com. All pictures were taken by me on an iPhone 5C.
Mama Irma can be found at 
1058 Virginia Ave
Indianapolis, IN 46203
They encourage reservations!



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