• Recipe | Short Rib Grilled Cheese Recipe

    February 21, 2018

    Hi Everyone!

    I recently went to Nordstrom Bar Verde for lunch and I got the short rib grilled cheese. It was really good, so I wanted to duplicate it at home. So, here’s the menu listing on the Bar Verde menu:

    SHORT RIB GRILLED CHEESE- blackberry jam, sharp white cheddar cheese, rustic bread.

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    • Braised Short Ribs
    • Blackberry Jam
    • Canadian Sharp Cheddar Cheese
    • French/Italian Crusty Bread

    M made braised short ribs using our Instant Pot and they were delicious. She looked at several different recipes: some called for red wine and Worcestershire sauce, while others called for ketchup and brown sugar. So, search on Google and find a recipe that you would like (it’s probably best to use one that doesn’t have too many spices like thyme and rosemary because they might change the taste of the grilled cheese). M used beef stock, ketchup and brown sugar in our short ribs.

    We couldn’t find any blackberry jam except for Smuckers. So, if you can find a better quality jam, I think it would taste even yummier, but it was still delicious with Smuckers.

    I used the stove to make the grilled cheese, but you can use a panini press instead. I put some butter in the pan and lightly toasted the bread. I put the sharp white cheddar onto each slice of bread so that it could melt before closing the sandwich. Then, I spread the blackberry jam on one side of the sandwich and piled the short ribs on top. I put the other piece of bread on top and then flattened the sandwich down with a spatula. Heat until the bread is crispy or however you like your grilled cheese. Serve while it’s hot and gooey. Bon Appetit!

    What variations of grilled cheese do you like?

    Love,

    jen

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  • Finding the Right Foundation Shade

    August 16, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I am on the hunt for a new foundation and it’s taking me a while to find a shade that matches me (most of the ones I’ve been colour matched with are too light). I researched a few foundations beforehand to see which ones suit my skin type and which are highly recommended and rated. I usually walk around the store and swatch the foundations on my hand to see if I like the consistency and scent before I ask an associate to colour match me and get a sample. I’ve learned my lesson from previous times where I got colour matched on the spot and purchased that shade right away. The shades looked fine in the store, but once I went in natural lighting or dimmer lighting, it looked too pale.

    I decided to put Sephora and Mac associates to the test- I wanted to see if the different associates would colour match me with the same shades. I went to multiple MACs and Sephoras. The lighting in Sephora is so bright that even a shade that’s actually too light looks like it matches you. In store, it looks like you’ve found a perfect match, but then you go somewhere with dimmer lighting and you look like a ghost. I know I can always warm up my foundation with some bronzer or a darker powder, but if I’m going to spend about $50-70 on a foundation, I want it to be a good match where I don’t have to darken it with powder.

    Click here to see other foundation/concealer matches

    Here are my findings:

    MAC- I went to 3 MAC stores

    • Studio Waterweight SPF 30 Foundation ($41 CAD)
      • Colour Match: NC20
      • All 3 ladies matched me with NC20. At 2 of the stores, they matched the foundation on my hand and at the 3rd store, the lady matched the foundation on my jawline and neck.

    Sephora- I went to several Sephoras (one store I went twice, but on a different day)

    Listed below are products that I like and plan to purchase in the future, so I got multiple samples of each:

    • Bare Minerals Complexion Rescue Tinted Hydrating Gel Cream ($37 CAD)
      • Colour Matches: Vanilla 02 (for light skin with neutral tones) and Bamboo 5.5 (light to medium skin golden tone)
      • 2 ladies matched me with Vanilla and 1 matched me with the Bamboo. Since this is a tinted cream, the shades weren’t completely off even though there are 4 shades between Vanilla and Bamboo. I think Vanilla matches better though because the Bamboo made my skin look a bit more yellow.
    • Tarte Rainforest of the Sea Water Foundation ($51 CAD)
      • Colour Matches: Fair Neutral (fair skin with yellow and pink undertones) and  Fair-Light Neutral (fair to light skin with yellow and pink undertones)
      • I got 2 samples of this foundation and one lady matched me with Fair Neutral and the other with Fair-Light Neutral. I think Fair-Light Neutral looks slightly better, the Fair neutral is a bit light.

    The following foundations are colour matches by associates from Sephora, Nordstrom and Hudson’s Bay:

    • Yves Saint Laurent Touche Éclat Radiance Awakening Foundation ($65 CAD)
      • Colour Match: BD10 Warm Porcelain
    • Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Foundation ($65 CAD)
      • Colour Match: No. 22 Rose
    • Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($68 CAD)
      • Colour Match: 4
    • Smashbox Camera Ready BB Cream SPF 35 ($50 CAD)
      • Colour Match: Light

    The following shades are ones I tried at the store and looked like a pretty close match:

    • Burberry Fresh Glow Fluid Foundation ($62 CAD) OR Burberry Cashmere Foundation Fluid ($62 CAD)
      • Shade: Porcelain No. 11 or Ochre Nude No. 12
    • Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ($59 CAD)
      • Shade: Fiji

    I just bought a foundation and BB cream from Shoppers and The Body Shop:

    • Maybelline Fit Me Foundation- Hydrate + Smooth ($5.99 CAD on sale at Shoppers)
      • 130 Buff Beige (I love how natural this foundation looks, but the undertone is a bit too pink for me)
    • The Body Shop All-in-One BB Cream- Colour Adapting Tinted Cream ($23 CAD)
      • 01 (Lighter Skin Tones)

    Foundations I currently own:

    • Nars Sheer Glow Foundation ($59 CAD)
      • Deauville (way too light)
    • Lancome Miracle Cushion Foundation ($50 CAD)
      • 025 Beige Naturel (a pretty good match)
    • Make Up For Ever Ultra HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($52 CAD)
      • 120 = Y245 Soft Sand (a bit too light, but the next shade up, Y255, is too dark)

    Thoughts: Before you spend $50-70 on a foundation, get 3 samples from Sephora from different people to see if different people match you with the same shade. Even one shade lighter or darker can make a huge difference.

    Tip: For those of you looking for higher end makeup or skincare products. Go to Nordstrom!! They have sample containers and you can pump out or spoon out your own samples without asking an associate to help you! Make sure you close the lid tightly and properly. I recommend bringing a ziploc sandwich bag to put the samples in your purse. Mine exploded and by bringing a sandwich bag, I saved my Longchamp tote and all my things in my purse from getting ruined! You can even get your own samples of fragrances too!

    See my other foundation matches and concealer shades.

    What are your foundation recommendations (drugstore or designer)? I have normal/dry skin (dry nose area), I’d love to hear any suggestions if you have the same skin type!

    Love,

    jen

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  • Parents of the Bride/Groom- Attire

    May 3, 2017

    Hi Everyone!

    I realized that I wrote multiple posts on what I wore to my sister’s wedding, but I forgot to tell you what my parents wore to the wedding and what we got for my grandma for the reception.

    We already knew which styles my mom liked because of Pinterest. Last summer, we started looking around in stores and my mom tried on some dresses. We narrowed it down to the exact style that she likes. We realized that sequins were too much for her, but lace is too plain…so we went with a morph of the two: lace with some beading. She tried on Tadashi Shoji dresses, but she didn’t like the style on her. So, we ended up with two dresses by Adrianna Papell.

    I ordered them from Nordstrom online which was a bit of a gamble but we bought one dress in her regular size and the other we ordered a size up in petite (that’s all they had in stock). Adrianna Papell dresses are beautiful for bridesmaids and mothers of the bride/groom.

    I think Adrianna Papell will be my mom’s go-to designer for whenever she needs a nice dress. She also got a blue lace shift dress by Adrianna Papell that she wore to the wedding shower in October. They are affordable and have a bit of sparkle. She ended up wearing the one on the right to both the wedding in Mauritius and the reception in Toronto. The one on the left was the one that we ordered a size larger, but in a petite and my mom felt it was a bit too short because it ended a bit higher up than the other one.

    For shoes, she got a pair of Nine West Austin pumps in Gunmetal. These are interesting because depending on the lighting, they look gold or silver or a mix of both (as you can see on the left and right, these are the same colour, but the lighting has changed its appearance).

    For my dad’s suit, we knew we were going to get a navy blue suit (contemporary fit) because my soon-to-be brother-in-law was wearing a dark gray suit and my dad didn’t want to match. My dad tried on several suits: Canali, Hugo Boss, Harry Rosen’s brand, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, etc. He ended up with a dark blue one from Harry Rosen by Z Zegna (I think it’s this one). He wore it with a plain white button up shirt and a blue chevron tie. There was some deal at Harry Rosen (spend a certain amount and get an accessory $100 off or something so the tie was basically free). He wore his classic Florsheim leather wingtips in Black (which I believe are older than me). I don’t really think there’s a need to post pics for these because suits are kind of all the same and they don’t even sell the Florsheim shoes anymore. The reason I post pics of M’s dresses are to help Mothers of the Bride/Groom who are in search of an outfit.

    For my grandma, we knew what style she wanted: flowy skirt, not too fitted with beading…lots of beading. My grandma loves her bling. So, I ordered her two dresses from Nordstrom as well. Two embellished gowns by Pisarro Nights.

    She liked the black one better and returned the blue one because it didn’t fit quite right (otherwise, she probably would’ve kept it for the next grandchild’s wedding). I don’t know what shoes she wore, but they were black pointed toe kitten heels. On IG, after Christmas, I posted a pic of a jacket (see below) that we got grandma from Mendocino that’s black and beaded. She wore it ON TOP of her black and beaded dress when she got cold. Coincidentally, they matched even though they are different brands (the jacket is by Velvet, you can see a full-length view: here). We also had to order one dress in regular size and another in petite (but one size up). The smaller size didn’t quite fit, but the petite one that was one size up fit perfectly.

    When ordering dresses online, you need to remember that the Petite sizes aren’t just shorter, but the measurements for the bust/waist/hips are smaller as well (even when ordering a size up). For example, a 4 Petite still has slightly smaller measurements than a 2 Regular. See the table below:

    2 Petite 2 Regular 4 Petite
    Bust 32.25″ 33.5″ 33.25″
    Waist 25″ 26″ 26″
    Hips 33.75″ 35.5″ 34.75″

    My mom and grandma seem to be quite lucky when ordering online. I haven’t been so lucky, it’s either a hit or a miss. Recently, I’ve had to return several pairs of pants because they didn’t fit quite right.

    Love,

    jen

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