Vancity Foodie: Marutama Ramen

A few years back, I never knew that downtown Vancouver would be the place to go for Japanese ra-men craving. 

Now, it seems like Robson street has become the hub of ra-men ya's.

Marutama Ramen is just around the corner of Bidwell and Robson St. Because of its slightly hidden location it isn't as busy as the ones on Robson/Denman. I got to know this place on a day when I was very hungry and grumpy; Santouka(1690 Robson St.) had especially long lineup that particular day and I wasn't in the mood for 30 minute wait. 😡

As I started to head back to our car, there it was just off Robson Street, Marutama Ra-men, oh, and no lineup!

At first I was hesitant to step in thinking there might be a reason why there aren't as busy as Santouka but again, I was very hungry. Ever since then, I became a regular customer of Marutama's. 

All of their ra-men are chicken broth based which is very rich in taste. Most of the places I know serve tonkotsu(pork bone broth) based ramen so Marutama's is quite different.

M.U.F.E. Star Powder 947

"The Star Powder is a silky powder that catches the light and gives the skin an intense sparkle and unparalleled shine. Its extremely fine, yet dense texture makes it easy to apply. Only a small amount is needed for visible results. The Star Powders can be used alone or blended together, applied over eyeshadow or mixed with any texture to highlight areas of the face."

Makeup Forever's Star Powder Iridescent Pale Peach 947($24) has been a steady seller in S. Korea being called as 'tear effect eye glitter.' 

A famous S. Korean actress, Kim Hye-Soo contributed to its fame by showing off her beautiful makeup years ago revealing its MUFE's star powder that helped create the look. Since then the product always comes up when you search for shimmery eye shadow on Korean search engines. 

M.A.C 5-Alarm

I noticed that other then YSL's tint in oil, I have been posting my old lipstick collection. Today, I finally added a fresh new product to my lipstick stand - actually 2.

The Red, Red, Red collection from MAC has been out for several months now but I haven'tbeen going out lately and wasn't able to see it until yesterday. They are in fact almost sold out now in stores and I was quite lucky to buy it. You can still get them online though! 

I bought 5-Alarm ($19) which is described as a soft orange-red lustre lipstick.

Rouge Dior 766 Fuchsia Star

Rouge Dior 766 Fuchsia star is the first hot pink lipstick I have ever owned. Last summer I walked in to Hudson's Bay and was passing buy Christian Dior's beauty stand. I wasn't planning to buy a lipstick that day, but when I saw the elegant design of the lipstick and the sexy colour of it, I had to bring it home. 

The pattern reminded me of Dior's Lady Dior which I really admired. Are you reading this Ryan??? LOL

Vancity Foodie: Vera's Burger Shack

If you think about it, a burger is actually a pretty well-balanced meal unlike its "junk food" image. You get carbs, vitamins, protein, fibre, etc from bread, patty, and veggies like onion, tamato, and lettuce.  What makes a burger is how and what you eat it with; soda, heavily salted french fries, and hormone-full meat patty are the criminals that makes it unhealthy and high calorie/sodium food. 

Well, that is just my thought. I might be just justifying my cravings for a hamburger :P

Ryan and I occasionally go to Vera's Burger Shack which we think provides decent burgers compared to McDonald's. 

My Favorite Lipstick Combo!

Sometimes I get bored with the lipstick shades I have or sometimes the colour I bought simply doesn't seems to suit me any more. That is when I experiment with mixing lipsticks I have and today, I'd like to introduce you my most sccessful combination!

This is M.A.C's Myth. I have been using this fellow for about five-six years now and it's been my number one nude lipstick. However, I found myself looking a bit pale wearing Myth lately. Maybe the tone of my skin changed? Or perhaps my taste in makeup changed? I haven't figured it out yet but I just stopped wearing it by itself and started to use it as lip concealer. 

It has a peachy under tone and is opaque enough to cover my lip colour. 

This is M.A.C's Korean Candy. As a Korean, when I first heard the name of it, I couldn't help but buy this girl. If it's named Korean Candy, it can't look bad on a Korean girl, eh? 

The formula of Korean Candy is very creamy compared to Myth which is a satin line lipstick. It is a orangy red colour which is a similar shade as kimchi. And yes, it suited my typical Korean skin tone! However, because of its very vibrant colour, it isn't suitable for me as a daily lipstick and I often got bored of it.

Missing the Sunshine..

Hi all,

the weather hasn't been nice in Vancouver lately and I am wishing the sun to come out soon! I wonder what it's like to live in places where there is only sunshine. Would I miss the cloud and rain? Just a random thought on a gloomy day in Vancouver. 

xoxo

Vivian

Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Lip Tar Stained Gloss: New Wave

(Sarah Hyland wearing OCC Lip Tar Nylon - Nylon Magazine)

Queen of pigmentation has joined my vanity at last. Every review I have read praised of their amazing long lasting pigmentation but also found lots of cons (staining teeth??? or difficulty fixing or reapplying after initial application). I am all about long lasting and bright pigmentation so... I still had to try it out myself.

It has not been very long I've noticed OCC section newly presented from Sephora. Amazingly various color selection - I thought! Plus 100% Vegan / Cruelty-Free sign is something that draws more attention these days. I picked out the New Wave Stained Gloss and Anime Matte at Sephora to see the color on my skin tone. I have more white (than yellowy) Asian skin tone and I actually liked both of them on my face. New Wave is more red/slightly fuchsia color with glossy effect. Anime is the perfect barbie pink that's more neon color. As you can tell what I look for in lipsticks and other makeup products, I am focused on more creamy or glossy texture. For instance, I love the pigmentation of Benefit Tints - but they always sit too dry on my lips to the extent I get the tingly sensation. So I ended up purchasing New Wave Stained Gloss only for now.

Mary Poppins

We've got to race back to our childhood hearts to diagnose our worldliness once in a while. For me, and probably to most of us, Disney's animations and movies are where our childhood memories are kept. I used to dance and sing after the sing-a-longs of the films. I especially enjoyed Mary Poppins and I still remember most of the songs to this day.

Every year during Christmas and New Years season, Mary Poppins returns to Vancouver. I've always wanted to go but was never able to due to other engagements or another reason that pops up... :-( Plus, I guess I never really spent Christmas in Vancouver all that much. For that reason, I was super determined to go see the musical where Natalie and her Ryan were also able to join us. Yey! 

We bought a $79.99 voucher from CostCo which included two $50 credits to purchase tickets. Then we simply called their Ticket Office helpline to reserve seats, which usually requires extra payments depending on the seats of your choice.

My seat was right in the middle of row 4 which usually is considered the best seat for live musical shows. However, since the theatre isn't too big and also the set consisted of a two storey home, I actually think the seats in the second floor might have been great too. 

Very very close to the stage! This is the only picture I took at the theatre since taking photos during the show is (of course) strictly prohibited. 

NYE in New York

New Years Eve / Christmas Holiday in New York, New York - Still! :-P
Plus little bit of Boston!!

For my previous posting on this beautiful city:
http://natalieskirakira.blogspot.ca/2014/12/christmas-in-manhattan.html

Enjoy!!