Review: Meishoku Moist Labo BB Essence Cream SPF40 PA+++

I finally got two of the BB creams that I had ordered in the mail a few days ago. So far I've only tested out this one, so I'm only doing a review on this for now, and hopefully I'll be able to do a review on the other one soon.

So this is the first Japanese BB cream that I've tried.

And of course, I can't read Japanese, so I don't know what the package says.... but, I Googled it to find some more information about it, and....

"Meishoku BB Total Cream covers all your blemishes perfectly and cuts off UV rays that are harmful to your skin. A perfect waterproof and sweatproof cream which gives you porcelain skin while keeping it moist. The color easily adheres to fit your skin color, hence solving the problem of unmatched color. Suitable for all skin types.

Hyaluron Moist Essence, SPF40 PA+++, Concealer, Foundation, Pore and sebum care, Trouble soothing and Skin Improvement."

It comes in #1 Natural, or #2 Shiny. I went with the #1 Natural. The tube contains 33g of product, which is smaller than typical Korean BB cream sizes of around 50-60 ml. I ordered mine over Ebay for about $15 USD, which I think was really worth it.

Compared to all the other BB creams that I've tried, instead of being darker than my skin tone, this one is a little bit lighter, and it does not have any greyish undertone, which is something I really like about it.

It has a very thick consistency, which makes it kind of hard to blend, which I hate, but its fine if I mix it with a little bit of moisturizer.

It is VERY lightly scented, barely even noticeable. I only notice it if I put it right up to my nose and start sniffing. Smells kind of like a really faint sunscreen smell or something.

It has pretty good coverage considering that it's so thick, and lasts all day for me without drying out my skin, getting cakey, or fading away. Plus, it makes my skin look brighter and have a healthy glow.

Overall, the only thing I don't like about this BB cream is that it doesn't blend very well. Otherwise, I'd definitely recommend trying this out if you have a lighter skin tone.

Skin ID Update 4

So it has been a week of using Skin ID now, and I have major updates about it since the last time I talked about it.

Last time, I said that my skin was feeling tight. That was what? Like, 3 days ago? The next day, it was feeling even tighter. And I hated it. It was so tight, that whenever I made any facial expressions, wrinkles would form and I looked like a 70 year old lady.... Or something rather. So I decided I needed to do a mask that night to replenish the moisture and I also went back to using my old moisturizer. I also reduced my use of the products to only my forehead, nose and chin.

The next day didn't feel as tight, but instead, my skin was flaking around my eyes (I don't even know why.... I didn't even put any of that stuff around my eyes) and on my cheeks. I felt so embarrassed about it because I was seeing a friend of mine that I hadn't seen for over 20 years. I hope next time my skin will be doing better. I did another mask last night.

Today, most of my skin feels almost back to normal, but around my eyes is flaking A LOT. It looks so horrible, I'm so glad that I don't have to go anywhere today. I put more eye cream around the area today hoping it'll restore some moisture, and I'll be exfoliating my entire face tonight so hopefully that'll get rid of the peeling dead skin.

The pimples on my forehead have reduced a bit, except a few of the bigger ones, they haven't gone away or seem to have even shrunk. But I guess I will stick to it a bit longer to see how it goes. It seems to be fine for my forehead. It hasn't felt dry or anything, so I'm assuming that this might be okay for people with oilier skin. I can't even imagine getting the other products for the oilier and less sensitive skin types, how drying that would be.

Skin ID Update 3

Its been almost a week since I started using Skin ID. The first few days it didn't seem like it was doing anything. And then I almost felt like I was breaking out even more. And the past couple days, my skin is starting to feel a little bit tight (dry), but its not peeling or anything. And my skin is definitely getting a little bit sensitive, especially the upper cheek, near around my eyes, it stings a little bit when I apply the anti-acne treatment. So I probably wouldn't recommend this for people who actually have sensitive skin. But I also noticed, as my skin started feeling drier, it also looks and feels clearer. There's still a lot of acne on my forehead, but on my cheeks it definitely looks and feels smoother and brighter. The pores on my nose appear smaller too. Not that I had large pores to begin with though, so I can't say much about that. All of my stray pimples that were on my cheeks, and chin (and not forehead, where almost all my pimples are), are gone now. I'm not completely sure if they're gone just because of time, or if Skin ID actually helped though. But I'm definitely looking forward to seeing if it helps with my forehead.

Konjacu- The Original Japanese Konjac Sponge from INOSH

I came across this today, and decided that I definitely need to try it out.

What it is, is a sponge made from a vegetable fibre extracted from the plant Amorphophallus konjac. It has no preservatives, colouring or additives, and it's eco-friendly. I haven't felt or tried these yet, but the description kind of reminds me of loofahs, only they don't look quite the same as loofahs.

They come in three different types. A white one, charcoal one and one for body. The white one is for dry/sensitive skin, while the charcoal one is for oily/acne prone skin.

These claim to neutralize substances on the skin. I don't know how that works, but I'm interested to find out. It's supposed to be exfoliating, deep cleansing, get rid of blackheads, kill acne-causing bacteria, balance out the pH of your skin, and moisturize, enhancing skin tone and texture.

All this information is from the website by the way, which you can find by clicking here.

I personally have not tried this yet, but even if it doesn't do everything that it claims to, I'm sure it'll be a good exfoliant, and more preferable to the normal towels I use to wash my face.

I will do a review on it when I receive them in the mail and when I've tried them for at least a week.

Cleansing Oil

It might seem odd, to be cleaning your face with oil. Especially for those with oilier skin. I was skeptical when I first heard about cleansing oils, but I kept hearing about how well they remove makeup and all that so I had to try it.

The thing was though, that they're not very popular in North America, so it was hard to find myself some cleansing oil to try. But when I went to Hong Kong last summer, the first thing I bought was probably a bottle of cleansing oil. I had no idea which one to try, so I just randomly bought one.

The first one I got was the Decleor Cleansing Oil. I love Decleor products for their essential oils, and I loved the scent of it, although I am aware that not everybody will like the smell. It removed my makeup okay, but not the best. I never had any problem with it clogging my pores or anything so it was all good. I don't quite remember how well it washed off though. The bottle lasted me about 4 months.

After that, I went back to the Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover that I had been using for years, for a few months, and then I decided to try another cleansing oil.

This time, I had to order it online, because I was not in Asia anymore. So I went to Sasa.com, and got the Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil White. This is definitely on the cheaper side compared to other brands, making it a lot more affordable. I really like how this one comes in a pump dispenser so I can control how much of it comes out. The oil has a very light citrusy fragrance which I really like. I find it works really well in removing makeup. I just use my hands to rub it on my face and eyes to remove the makeup without cotton or anything and it all comes off gently. It rinses off really easily and doesn't feel oily at all, leaving no residue. I haven't noticed my skin brighter or whiter with using this, although it claims to do so. But overall, this is definitely worth the price, and works really well. I love it.

Skin ID Update 2

Okay so I have tried all the Skin ID products now. I can't say much about them, since I haven't used them long enough, but I'll just describe the formulas a bit.

The cream cleanser looks like the typical foaming cleanser, except it's not very foamy. It doesn't seem to lather up very well for me, which might be a good thing, since cleansers that lather up tend to dry out my skin more. But sometimes when I don't get that lather I just feel like I'm not cleaning well enough. That's probably just psychological though.

The acne spot treatment contains 2.0% Salicylic Acid. It is a gel, and it pretty much feels and smells like any other spot treatment that I've tried before.

The anti-acne treatment contains 2.5% Benzoyl Peroxide. It says its a gel, but it doesn't look like a gel. Putting it on at first feels creamy, but then it dries out really quick.

The moisturizer and skin soother I already described last time. I forgot to mention the medicinal ingredients in them though. The moisturizer contains 0.5% salicylic acid, the skin soother doesn't contain anything for acne, so I guess its just for moisturizing. Also, I think I forgot to mention that the moisturizer is a cream, and the skin soother is sort of like a gel. I don't know if it would be called a gel though.

But another thing I want to mention, is that upon using this set of stuff (I haven't figured out if its the skin soother or the moisturizer), my face doesn't seem to be as dry as it used to be. In fact, it feels a lot more oily and shiny. So I'm not too sure about that. I'm planning to start using the spot treatment and anti-acne treatment twice a day as well since my skin doesn't seem to be drying out or anything. And I doubt that it feels oily because I put too much moisturizer or skin soother, because I put less than a dime size amount of each on my entire face.

Create the Steamy Look with Urban Decay

I love this look SO much so I thought I'd share it.

Click here to go to the Urban Decay website to see the look and learn how to do it.

Steamed Custard Buns

Even though I haven't been baking or cooking as much now that I'm home, I still make things from time to time. What I like most about being home, is that when I do bake something there are people to help me eat it all within 1 or 2 days, so nothing gets wasted.

The other day I decided to make steamed buns. I made a batch of the usual steamed bun recipe, but then I decided to split the dough into three parts and make three different kinds. Plain, green onion and custard. They were all really good, but the custard ones were exceptional, especially considering that they were vegan and low fat, unlike the typical custard.

My brother liked it so much he even suggested that I try talking my uncle in letting me make them in bulk and sell them at his shop. That is, if I don't find a job for the summer, which I still haven't. But if I did, then it would be my first step towards opening my own bakery. Even though I will be selling these steamed buns through my uncle's shop, it'll make me happy just to know that people like the things that I make. And maybe I could gradually introduce more baked goods, and then one day, gradually move off onto opening my own little bakery.

I doubt it'll all happen though, and even though it's like, my lifelong dream to open my own bakery, it's also my dream to finish design school and become a successful architect or interior designer. So I don't know, I probably have to decide between the two one day.

Or maybe I can open up a new and different kind of store, sort of like Urban Outfitters or Anthropologie where they sell clothes and home decoration stuff, but I'll have baked goods and home decoration stuff all designed and made by myself.

Omg I absolutely love that plan! And I don't think there's anything like it yet, so it would be perfect! Now I just need to finish my design schooling, go to some culinary school, and get the funding (maybe work a few years), build up my name, and hopefully in about 10 years this can all happen....

Neutrogena Skin ID Update

I received my Skin ID package today in the mail via UPS and I am so excited to try it out now! I can't believe it took less than a week to arrive. But first I have to put these pictures up and more information about it.

This is what the package looked like. Very simple and clean. I blurred out the UPS label of course so I don't get any stalkers.... =D

Opening the box.... Its all pretty and blue inside! There is a letter and two pamphlets (one French and one English) on top of all the stuff. And a bag to put all the products in. I chose the orange one.

Taking all that stuff off, the products are all embedded in plastic so they don't get thrown around or squashed in the box. And then there is the little acne spot treatment that was supposedly free, and the receipt underneath it all.

A picture of everything taken out of the box.

And everything put in the bag. There's still so much room!


First use, First impressions.

I just went and took a shower and tried out a few of these products.

It took me a very long time to decide if I should use all of them, or only certain ones, and in what order am I supposed to use these, since there are no overall instructions, only instructions for each one.

Obviously #14 the cream cleanser would go first. And then from there on it wasn't so clear. Do I use the acne spot treatment first and then #32 the anti-acne treatment, #53 moisturizer and finally oil-free skin soother? Or do I use the anti-acne treatment, moisturizer, oil-free skin soother and then acne spot treatment last? Or what? It probably doesn't make much difference though, so I'm going to go with this order:
1. Cream cleanser
2. Anti-acne treatment
3. Moisturizer
4. Oil-free skin soother
5. Acne spot treatment

But that's only if I'm using all the products. I was reading the directions on the back of each of them, some don't say how often to use them so I assume once in the morning and once at night. The anti-acne treatment says twice a day, but fair skinned individuals should begin with one application. The acne spot treatment and moisturizer says 1-3 times a day. So for the anti-acne treatment I will begin with once a day, as well as acne spot treatment. The moisturizer I will use twice a day.

So for now I decided in the morning I will use:
1. Cream cleanser
2. Moisturizer
3. Oil-free skin soother
(I still use my eye cream and sunscreen as well, and makeup on top of everything.)

And at night I will use all of them.

I can't believe how complicated this thing sounds. I think they really should include overall directions based on your answers to the questions on the evaluation thing online.

But anyway, now that I had set a routine for this, I got in the shower and brought my cream cleanser with me. (I wash my face while I'm in the shower in the mornings.) After shampooing and conditioning my hair, I washed my face with just a towel and water first. And then I washed my body. After that, I put about a dime sized amount of cleanser in my hands and massaged it into my face. Then I used my little scrublets to scrub. (They're sort of like the ones that come with the new L'Oreal Paris Go 360 Clean, only I got mine from Hong Kong for a really cheap price and without the cleanser.) And then rinsed it all off. The cleanser was foamy, but not super foamy and had a nice cooling sensation. It didn't seem to dry out my skin too much. My face didn't feel tight or anything after so that's a good thing. After I rinsed with cool water to close the pores and got out of the shower and dried myself off.

I then applied the moisturizer. It feels really smooth and creamy, fast absorbing and made my skin feel really moisturized. And it had a nice cooling sensation, just like the cleanser. It also seemed to give my skin a nice glow to it, which I love. And then the oil-free skin soother was more gel-like, but felt nice and moisturizing as well and absorbed really fast, and had the cooling sensation as well. After putting all this stuff on my face, it still felt "cool" for about 10 minutes, and I loved the feeling. Now I don't know how well this stuff does after a period of time yet, but I will update about it later on.

Travel Tip

Queenie made this video yesterday, showing us what she brings with her when she travels, along with an amazing tip that I will definitely use from now on.

Instead of bringing the entire original product, she uses contact lens cases and puts it in them. Its even better than getting all those travel bottles that they sell! I absolutely love this idea, and since I wear contact lens, I have so many contact lens cases lying around that I just don't use which is a perfect use for them next time I travel.

I just loved this idea so much I had to share it. It is amazing.

Review: NYX Concealer in a Jar

"Provides smooth, long lasting coverage so you can pretend the word "concealer" doesn't exist in your dictionary!"

I normally don't really like to use cream concealers like these, but after trying the Barbara Daly concealer, I decided I wanted to try these ones as well. I went with the shades CJ04 (Beige) and CJ05 (Medium), because CJ04 seemed a little bit too light so I wasn't sure. CJ05 ended up being way too dark. CJ04 has sort of a yellow undertone, while CJ05 is more of a pink undertone. What I usually do is use CJ04 to cover up all my dark circles and then dab a tiny bit of CJ05 on top of it to get the perfect shade.

These concealers are super smooth and velvety. They go on really nice, provide great coverage and they don't cake or settle in fine lines or anything, and it lasts all day. I think I might actually like this more than the Barbara Daly concealer actually because it feels more lightweight.

They do have a weird... bathroom-like (I don't mean shit-like) smell to them though, which is something I don't like, but its not like I'm putting tons of it on or anything so the smell isn't noticeable. Other than that, these are great!

Review: 2B Alternative for Face

"* Improve your prominent jaw line.
Besides water retention, it is traditionally believed the cause of a prominent jaw line is an oversized jaw bone. However, according to plastic surgeons, the facial bone structure would not affect the overall size of a face significantly. An angular jaw line is more often due to the thickness of inner chewing muscles, which results in the protrusion of facial cartilages that causes undesirable jaw lines. Basing on this concept, 2B For Face from 2B Alternative provides a total solution for you.

* Safer and more effective than bone reduction
Unlike common products in the market that only focus on water retention in the face problems, 2B For Face contains a brand-new French Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, which effectively weakens and thins out chewing muscles that cause a square jaw by topical application. It would make the jawline softer and more feminine. According to plastic surgeons, weakening the chewing muscles is safer and more effective than bone reduction surgery. It effectively resolves different facial problems and is therefore a common practice in Europe.

* Total solution for facial recontouring
In addition to Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, 2B For Face contains de-swelling ingredients from the U.S., which accelerate lymphatic circulation and reduce double chin and facial swelling. Besides its re-contouring effect, Lipidure from Japan can also moisturize the skin and reduce wrinkles. Melaclear 2 re-vitalizes the skin texture, leaving the skin velvety, elastic and radiant after use.


How to refine the facial contour with the professional recipe?

5 steps for professional facial contouring steps:

1. First, the coix extract in the lotion reduces the facial swelling.
2. Increase the water-holding capacity of the skin with Lipidure. The seaweed extract encourages the moisturized cells to organize well.
3. Aloe extract and witch hazel extract tighten the skin and eliminate your double chin.
4. The major active ingredient, Acetyl Hexapeptide-3, keeps the chewing muscles tightened and prevents the appearance of pendant and loose jowl.
5. Melaclear 2 and Ginkgo extract activate the bottom cells, increase skin elasticity and promote skin whitening.

Apply 2B For Face for 2-3 months, and your facial features would look firmer, the square face would disappear gradually and a slimmer facial contour be promoted."

I first came across this on Sasa, and it looked very convincing to me, even from reading all the reviews, most of them seemed positive, like it really did make a difference. So I wanted to get myself some, but on Sasa.com, they only offer shipping in Hong Kong for this particular product. Then I found it at another website, one2fit.com, and I placed an order on it for 5 boxes since its so much cheaper ordering it in bulk.

So I've been using this for about a month, or maybe a little bit longer now (I don't remember the exact date I started), and so far I haven't noticed any of the slightest changes though it does say 2-3 months in the description, so maybe I haven't used it long enough. I also missed some days/nights during the period. But since I did get 5 boxes, and I'm still on the first box, I will definitely keep using this until I've been through them all, hoping it'll work.

On the top of each box, there is a 2B Alternative seal for authentication I guess.

It opens on the side.

And inside are two 7ml vials snuggly packed in foam. I was quite surprised by the quality of the packaging.

Take it out of the box, remove the aluminum seal, lift the rubber stopper cap thing off and place the tip on and voila! It works like an eyedropper.

BB Cream Haul

Since I just found out how much oil is in the Missha Watery BB Cream I've been using lately, and it was the only one that I brought with me going home for the summer, I just spent all morning on Ebay (My source for most Asian products other than Sasa.com) picking and choosing out a number of BB creams, while trying not to spend too much. All of them are the cheaper end of BB creams, costing less than $15 each including shipping. So they're very affordable and I hope they work well! I ended up going with 5 of them, two of which are Korean, two are Japanese and one Taiwanese. Will be doing reviews of them as I receive them in the mail.

Neutrogena Skin ID

I first learned about this in an advertisement at the movies and thought, maybe I should try it. And then I totally forgot about it until last night when I was looking for some new products to try out for my skin, since it hasn't been doing very good lately. My forehead is breaking out, my chin and around my nose and lips are really dry and flaky....

So I went to the website and did the evaluation and got 25.32.53.

I checked some reviews on the program and figured it was mostly either love or hate. People either thought it was great and it worked perfectly on their skin (And I found out most of these were those who claimed to have drier/sensitive skin), while others thought it was horrible, dried out their skin like crazy, made them break out even more. So I'm thinking, maybe they exaggerated their problems thinking it'll work better, but in turn the treatment was too strong and dried out their skin making it flaky and peely? I don't know, but I definitely said I have dry skin when I was doing the evaluation, and said that my skin was sensitive most of the time. Even though its not that sensitive, I put that because I find it does get very sensitive to acne products.

So I placed an order on my set of Skin ID, and I added Oil Free Skin Soother for $15 so I'd get free shipping, which would've been $6.99 so I think it was worth it.

Now I'm just waiting for it to arrive in the mail and hopefully this will be something that'll really work for me!

Updates on this to come when I receive my products and every week from then.

LORAC Haul

(Please excuse the dullness of the photos in this post, due to lack of lighting)

Hautelook recently had an event for Lorac, and everything was super cheap so I thought I couldn’t go wrong trying some of these things out. I ended up getting:

Lorac Mini Mocktail Bar (Flavored Lip Gloss Collection) $9.99 USD
Lorac Gloss Stick (Sheer Peach) $4.99 USD
Lorac Lip Polish (Kiss Embarasser) $3.99 USD
Lorac Cheek Stamp (Coral and Golden Glow) $4.99 USD each

I also noticed that they are on Loraccosmetics.com for VIP Discount as well.

And also, another Lorac product I’m adding to the list to review that I didn't get with the haul:

Lorac Natural Performance Foundation (Sensitive Skin NP3) $36 USD


Lorac Mini Mocktail Bar

“Let your inhibitions go wild with LORAC Mocktails!

Don’t worry about having one-too-many with LORAC’s Mini Mocktail Bar! Six yummy, high-shine lip glosses drip lips in gorgeous Red Carpet color, while each delicious flavor tastes like your favourite after-party cocktail. 0 Calories, 0% Alcohol- grab a LORAC Mocktail or two and let your inhibitions go!

Mocktail List

Guava Tiki
Tropical Dream
Lava Flow
Razberi Cosmo
Caffeini Martini
Sex on the Beach”

I really like the lighter shades (Guava Tiki and Tropical Dream.)

It comes in a box that has a cover which opens to reveal a window that shows the glosses.

The glosses are very small, about the size of a finger. Very cute. Plus, they smell soooo good!
They are like, squeeze tubes, where you just squeeze it and the product comes out onto the little brush. Which was not at all what I expected. I was expecting the typical wand brush thing.

The only downside is that they are slightly sticky. At the full price of $25 I’m not sure if I would still buy this, though it is really cute and would be a great gift.


Lorac Gloss Stick

“Super Slick Moisture Rich Natural Oils Preservative-Free”

The packaging seems kind of cheap…. Just a normal lip balm kind of thing, but I don't know... the plastic they used feels really cheap or something. But the product is great. It goes on really nice and smooth, and moisturizing like a lip balm.

The colour is sheer, which I love since its better for everyday wear than lipstick is. It’s a little bit glossy, but definitely not glossy like lip glosses are. More like a soft sheen.

The only thing I don’t like is the smell. It reminds me of those cheap drugstore lip balms that are targeted towards children. Like, those Lip Smacker things. And it doesn't last very long. Maybe a couple hours max.


Lorac Lip Polish

This is really cute, looks exactly like a mini nail polish. Even the formula is very much like nail polish, maybe a little bit thicker.

It smells great and its not sticky like the Mocktail glosses are. It feels very nice on the lips, and has a kind of cooling sensation. I wouldn’t apply it directly with the little brush though because it gets way too much on the lips, and the shade is just a bit too dark to my tastes, so I just apply a little bit with my finger on top of lip balm to give my lips a little bit of colour.

Lorac Cheek Stamp

These looked really cute when I saw them on the website, and I couldn’t decide which shade to go with so I got both. But I’m very disappointed in them.

It twists open, and in the base is a little blush compact which the foam applicator dips into.

I just don’t like the way the applicator side of it is always in contact with the blush side, so its always has too much blush on it to apply. So what I have to do with this is either lightly dab a little bit of the blush on my cheeks and use a brush or my fingers to blend it in, or just use a brush to apply it in the first place. Which defeats the purpose of having an applicator built in.

The blush itself is a non-shimmery, non-sparkly, matte finish, which I really like. It seems to last really long which is a plus. I guess that makes up for the crappy applicator.

Something I found really cool about it though, was that the applicator is spring loaded, which I tried to show in the following picture.

Even though it only cost me $4.99 for each of these, I think it was a waste of money, nevermind the regular price at $22.00 each.


Lorac Natural Performance Foundation (Sensitive Skin)

“LORAC’S Natural Performance Foundation gives you picture perfect coverage that lasts throughout the day. It is Oil, Paraben and Fragrance Free and loaded with botanical actives Xyleine, Premier Olive Leaf Extract and Vitamin A to help protect, nourish and sooth sensitive skin.”

I’ve only used this maybe like… twice since I got it. It was a waste of money. I really liked the packaging. It twists to reveal the pump.

It provides pretty good coverage, but I don’t know if I just got the wrong shade or what? When I pump it onto the back of my hand, it looks like the perfect shade, but when I start to blend it in, it becomes darker and more pink.

The formula is very creamy, feels very smooth and satiny. The only thing though was that about half an hour after putting it on my face, it extremely dried out my skin and made it really flaky. That was in the winter though so my skin was naturally drier. So I tried it again in the summer when my skin was less dry, and it did the same thing. Even on the more oily areas of my skin such as my forhead and nose, so I definitely wouldn't recommend this for anyone with normal/dry skin, and probably not even for those with oily skin.

And then I never used it again.

Homemade Gluten/Seitan (Using all-purpose flour)

Many vegan/vegetarian dishes are made with gluten/seitan, but it can be kind of costly to buy it premade and cook it. This is usually made using high gluten flour or instant gluten flour, which would be much easier and faster to make, but regular all-purpose flour can make this just as well.

Ingredients:
5 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/4 cups water

Directions:
1. Place flour in a large mixing bowl and gradually add water while kneading it to form a stiff, elastic dough. (It shouldn’t be sticky.)
2. Cover and set aside the dough for approximately half an hour.
3. Pour water in the bowl just enough to cover the dough.
4. Cover and set aside for approximately two hours.
5. Wash the dough by kneading it in the water. The water will become cloudy.
6. Pour out water and refill with clean water.
7. And wash dough by kneading more…. And replace water and wash…. and wash… and wash….. Until the water runs clear. (This will take approximately half an hour or more, and you’ll be left with approximately half the size of dough as what you started with. It will look gross and kind of like… brains….)
8. Place in a clean bowl, cover and place in fridge for a day. After a day, it will look smoother and be more elasticy.
9. Cut or shape into desired shapes and cook as desired.

Vegan Flour Frosting

Okay, I know this sounds weird and probably gross, but this is seriously the best frosting I have ever made. I always have the problem with buttercream frosting or any other frosting that is made from confectioners/icing sugar because it always turns out way too sweet, especially if I’m piping the frosting on, it’s just way too much.

And then I discovered this type of frosting. It is amazing. It’s lighter tasting than buttercream frosting, and a lot less sweet, which makes it perfect for piping onto cupcakes or cakes. The consistency is a lot lighter, almost like whipped cream, but slightly heavier than whipped cream. So its kind of like a cross between whipped cream and buttercream frosting, which I absolutely love. So far I have only tried this on cupcakes, though I am planning to try making a black forest cake using this instead of heavy whipped cream.

Ingredients:
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup soymilk (I like to use Vanilla Silk)
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegan margarine (Earth Balance)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
*Note: Don't try to use all margarine, it doesn't seem to work. I haven't tried all shortening though so I can't say anything about that.

Directions:
1. In a bowl, sieve flour into soymilk. Whisk together until smooth.
2. Pour into a small saucepan and cook, stirring constantly, until mixture starts to bubble. Set aside to cool.
3. In a large bowl, cream together shortening, butter and sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy.
4. Add vanilla and salt. Blend well.
5. With an electric beater, beat in cooled flour mixture on medium speed, approximately a teaspoonful at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Continue beating until light and fluffy.
*Note: Make sure there aren’t any small lumps of flour in the frosting, especially if you are piping it, lumps will look unattractive and get stuck in the tips. It can be really frustrating!

How to Eat a Cupcake

I never knew about this before. I just came across it the other day, and found it completely amusing. And life changing. So I thought I'd share it. (Click the link!)

Vegan Sugar Cookies

I found this recipe on vegweb.com and replaced the silken tofu it called for, for applesauce. And I added a cookie frosting to them as well. I have been meaning to try this out for ages and I finally did. They turned out great. The cookies themselves taste really good. Soft and rich. And not too sweet. But once I added the frosting, it was a little bit too sweet to my taste. But I’m sure if they’re being made for children, they won’t be too sweet. Also I did a horrible job of frosting them, its embarassing… that’s why I don’t have a picture for these. But I will take a picture the next time I make them.

Ingredients:

Cookies:
3 tbsp Applesauce
1/2 cup Earth Balance margarine
1 tsp Vanilla
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/4 cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt

Frosting:
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
2 tsp soymilk
2 tsp light corn syrup

Directions:

1. Cream together margarine and sugar until fluffy.
2. Add applesauce and vanilla.
3. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt.
4. Mix well.
5. Roll out and use cookie cutters to cut out cookies. Make them however thick you want them to be, since they won’t rise much.
6. Bake for approximately 10 minutes at 350 degrees Fahrenheit.

While cookies are cooling….

1. Mix together confectioners’ sugar and soymilk.
2. Add corn syrup and stir well.
3. The frosting will be somewhat stiff.
4. I suggest putting the icing into a piping bag and pipe it onto the cookies. It’s much easier, less messy, since the frosting is so stiff it’s kind of hard to spread on with a spatula. You can also add a little bit more soymilk so its easier to spread and more like a glaze. If you’re adding sprinkles, be sure to put it on immediately after frosting, before the frosting hardens.

Back to Blogspot

I haven't posted for a while because I had decided to switch to Tumblr. But I've decided that I much prefer Blogger over Tumblr, so I'm back, and I will be transporting all the posts I've made on Tumblr onto here right away, plus I have a bunch of new posts I'm planning to put up very soon!