Filipino Picadillo

It took a bit of research to even figure out what it was that my Mr. Shy's mom had made for me awhile back. So I made this "Filipino Picadillo" for lunch today and it came out really good, just like Mr. Shy's mom had made me basically. I did do a few things different then this recipe I found online just so I could get it the way I had imagined it being and yea...perfect'o ;DMy Changes to the Recipe

Instead of the pasta sauce I had opted for a chopped tomato instead. Also once you add the tomatoes I also added in a small box of raisins which I had soaking in some warm water prior to adding (I soak them because the raisins can be a bit too sweet and overpowering if not washed before hand) you can also choose to add the raisins to your rice instead which Mr. Shy's mom had actually done.I used a can of white potatoes because that's what I had in my house but Mr. Shys mom used red potatoes which is nice if you want to add some color to your food but it taste about the same in my opinion. Now once you add your potatoes it says to cook for 7 minutes, well in my opinion 7 minutes isn't long enough to cook potatoes and also I didn't want my picadillo to be on the runny-side because of the 2 cups of water added (also Mr. Shys mom's recipe wasn't runny). So instead I turned the heat on high, put a covered lid on it and let it cook 20-25 minutes stirring occasionally.

As a side note I would recommend letting your meat fry up long enough to were their isn't any heavy sign of beef grease showing in your pan prior to you adding your water or you might get a bit too greasy of a flavor in your end result (hope this helps with that). I think its an even better idea to fry up your meat, put it in a strainer, rinse it with hot water and then place it back into your frying pan (this meal get pretty greasy and can kill some of the other flavors).

You can also choose to use a red onion if you'd like more color (I believe Mr. Shy's mom did), I don't think this would affect the taste much either although some onions do tend to be sweeter or stronger then others.

I believe this is enough picadillo that you'll need to make 2 cups of rice to go with it because my one cup of rice didn't seem near enough. I also used what rice I had in my pantry :P This recipe also states "salt" several times and I believe that's referring to table salt aside from the 1tbsp of sea salt it mentions.

For more info on Picadillo, check out this link.

Hello from the Vampiress

This past weekend my Halloween didn't go as planned as my mom had made her own plan and as usual I'm the last to know anything in my house. Regardless my mom's friend called me and wanted to spend Halloween with me, so we got all dressed up and giggled at the silly costumes a few people wore (she's supposed to send me pics but hasn't happened yet). We got about 4o Tricker-Treaters this year and they ate all my Reese Cups! Why do they have to be one of the best Halloween candies EVER and so irresistible to the lil ding-dong ringing gremlins that come to my door?! hah. I've never been keen on Olive Garden since I was a kid, but the other night I went there with my parents and ordered the Ravioli di Portobello and OMG it was pretty good, the best dish I've ever had there!

For those of you possibly disappointed I didn't find a perfect torn shirt dupe via Target in a past post I actually did find one recently by Anna Sui. Its not exact but its got that ripped effect and it can be tied looser then how the image shows.

I redesigned my blogger layout today once again, it'll probably keep changing throughout the months since...I find HTML and graphic design to be fun like that, hah.

Quick & Easy Candy Corn Nails

I know its a bit late to be posting Halloween inspired nail tutorials but I thought up this quick idea and although you don't have to do candy corn colors you could still wear this any time of the year.
What you'll need
Paper plate (to put your paint on)
White, Orange and Yellow nail polish (recommended for this look)
Clear Nail Polish TopCoat
Cosmetic Wedge Sponge Applicator
Step 1: Paint nails using a white nail polish(1-3 coats)

Step 2: Take a cosmetic wedge sponge applicator and dip it into your orange nail polish(several coats) 2/3 from the tip of your nail toward the base of your nail.

Step 3: Take a clean side of your cosmetic wedge sponge applicator and dip it into your yellow nail polish(several coats) should be the last 1/3 of your nail at the tips.

Step 4: Apply a topcoat, let dry completely and your finished(I of course think that a matte topcoat would look more realistic so that's what I used)

*You could also have your nail tips white and the base yellow but generally the middle is always orange color, in which case you'd paint your entire nail yellow(Step 1) and sponge on the white at the tips(Step 3).

Create Smooth Nails

Ever get tiny bubbles on your nails after applying your polish or little nicks? Or have a rough or bumpy texture on your nails from glitter, nail designs or maybe just your nails in general? Well I've created an easy technique to help smooth the finish of your nails and have them looking as shiny and smooth as press-on nails(some people think my nails are fake)!What you'll need

-Essie Matte Topcoat in Matte About You
-Sally Hansen Topcoat in Hard as Nails Hard as Wraps in Clear

Step 1: Apply 1-3 coats of Clear Topcoat over your completed nails (If you have any glitter, shimmer, etc in your nail polish you'll need to apply more coats as Step 2 may alter the color, especially in those types of polishes)

Step 2: Apply 1-3 coats of Essie Matte About You (You can generally tell how many coats you need by the after-texture each coat leaves after being applied, in general the more you apply the smoother the nail will be). If you want to keep a matte look to your nails then you don't need to proceed to Step 3. Let Dry.

Step 3: Apply 1-2 coats of the Sally Hansen topcoat again once Step 2 has dried. Let polish dry completely and your smoother more flawless nails are complete!

P.S. This is just the brands that I use to do this but it may work with other brands as well. I know this may seem like a lot of coats of polish but it can generally be done fairly quick and the more coats that are built up on the nail the more it gets that press-on nail look as press-on nails sit higher up on the nail then natural nails tend to.

Sneak Peek

Since I loveeee Makeup sooo much...I couldn't help but take a sneak peek into my friends regular makeup bag...I'm sooo nosey(don't kill me, hah). Now, lets dive-in cuz I see sum MAC in their!!!LASH-A-DELIC FLIRT! FAST DEFINING MASCARA IN 01 MOD BLACK ($14)
I've never seen this before but looks like it's sold at KOHLS (we both use to work their)...it smells like old cheap mascara even though it apparently isn't and it's a bit liquidy then what I'm use to using.

MAC STUDIO SCULPT SPF 15 FOUNDATION IN NC42 ($35.50)
Seems blendable but few shades too dark for my fair skin (better for her Latin colour), has a weird smell :l Too expensive in my opinion but I also prolly wear makeup more often then she does.

MAC MINERALIZE SKINFINISH NATURAL IN MEDIUM PLUS ($27)
This appeared to leave a nice soft subtle finish to the skin but didn't seem to add much coverage but...what do you expect when a product says "natural skinfinish".

ESTEE LAUDER PROJECTIONIST MASCARA IN 01 BLACK ($19.50)
A more pricey mascara, I believe my Mom has this...hope this is the one she's using (LOL).

SPA H20 HYDRATING BODY BUTTER ($19.50)
I'm not sure what company sells this (some other state it seems)...I didn't try it but it looks like she uses this regularly as the top was screwed on loose.

VICTORIA SECRET PERFUME IN ORANGE FLOWER
I kept smelling something from the time I got near the bag and i wasn't sure I liked it at first but now the smell seems fairly alluring. I know she's the type which has odd perfumes, usually ones of peach fragrance. Although this tester says "orange" it smells more of strong yet muted floral scent. Apparently it's new this year and for those of you that don't know her...she gets discounts at VS ;)

MARKWINS BEAUTY IN LIGHT PALE 801
I think this is the brand name (sold at Target? Some kid makeup brand?), not sure where she got this exactly but it appears to be some type of coverage stick that seems more my color then hers, looks like she uses it often though.

MAC PRO LONGWEAR LIPCOLOUR IN DURASHELL ($21)
I did a wrist swatch with this and at first it's a nice pink color with gold shimmer, it goes on okay and then you follow up with the clear gloss. The gloss doesn't last long, it feels dry quick but the color does have some staying power as it fades into a nude-brown-pink color within seconds it seemed. BTW it took about 2 days for this to wash completely off my wrist!

As for any makeup brushes she used it generally consisted from the Victoria Secret Very Sexy Collection which came with her makeup bag. She mostly used foundation brushes...well she didn't have any eyeshadow so no need for the other brushes I suppose. She does groom her brows with a Maybelline brow brush, heh. All in all this total collection of hers is over $136.50, eep, I'll stick to drugstore stuff! Her usual makeup is generally natural looking, unlike her sister who does makeup vids on YouTube that are sooo caked-on and bold you'd think Drag Queen ;D LOL

P.S. If you invite me over...I WILL go through your makeup!!! SYKE...but not really ^.^ hahah