Curiously Carmen - Page 2 of 103 -

Beauty: Nature Republic Hand Cream

April 9, 2018 1 Comment

Hand cream seems like a pretty basic thing to write about, because it’s just hand cream right? However, I do believe that not all hand creams are made the same. It has to be very rich because I work with my hands all day and wash my hands a lot (#germaphobeproblems), yet absorbs quickly so it doesn’t distract me from work, driving, cooking etc.

When Cheese went to Korea last year, she gave me a Nature Republic hand cream as a gift. It has been a staple in my makeup bag and one of the best handcreams I have used, next to the Crabtree and Evelyn one.

It’s no secret that Korea is a forerunner in all things beauty…. Now that I think of it, Korean food and K-Pop as well. Korean culture is quite popular in Vancouver now too!

Anyways, back to the review… Since Korea is a forerunner in all things beauty, it shouldn’t come to a surprise that this hand cream is amazing!

Application: It comes in a standard tube with a good quality plastic twist cap so that it doesn’t spill and smear all over your bag.

A tiny drop usually does the trick because it has has a thick texture. Th cream absorbs instantly into my skin. I love that it feels softer right away without a sticky feeling so I can get right back to my activities.

The scent of this one is great as well. It has a floral and delicate scent.

I would definitely purchase this again and perhaps try out another scent. It would also make a nice, small gift for a friend.

Yay!

Food: Nando’s Flamed Grilled Chicken

April 8, 2018 Leave a Comment

Mmmm, Nando’s! The boyfriend and I are big fans of Nando’s, although we stopped going for about half a year because he got food poisoning. After you get food poisoning from a place, it’s not surprising to steer clear of it…

Word of advice- be cautious when you go to the Metrotown food court location! That was the location he got food poisoning from.

Since Nando’s has a few different locations, this review will be focusing on the one in Richmond at the new Garden City Plaza. This is our go-to location even though we both don’t live in Richmond, we do love making the drive to Richmond. We like this location because it’s clean, nice inside, and has friendly staff.

When you first arrive, the host or hostess will seat you at a table where the menu is. After that, you order at the front counter and they will bring the food to you. Drinks are self serve as well.

1/2 chicken with 2 regular sides, $15.75: This is our go-to! The first time we came, we made the mistake of ordering a full chicken which was wayyy too much food. Even with 1/2 chicken, it was quite a bit.

Anyways, this location has never disappointed us. The chicken is incredibly marinated and has a delicious grill flavour. The medium spice is a good level, which leaves your mouth with a satisfying kick, yet not enough spice to make your mouth burn, eyes tear up, and run for milk. But of course, it depends on your spice tolerance!

Peri-peri fries: These are my absolute favourite side dish because of the seasoning! It comes with a special blend of peri-peri herbs and has a hint of sweetness. They always come out super fresh and crispy.

Spiced rice: This is the boyfriend’s favourite side dish. It is seasoned as well, and is always very fluffy.

Can’t wait till our next visit! Nando’s is also one of our go-tos on Skip The Dishes when we are feeling too tired to cook. I wouldn’t recommend ordering peri-peri fries if you’re doing delivery because they are soggy by the time it arrives. The rice and garlic mashed potatoes would be more suitable!

Yay!

Food: Assembli Pizza

April 7, 2018 Leave a Comment

Originally, Coffee and I had plans to eat dinner in the West End. But on the day of, it was pouring rain, I didn’t get enough sleep the night before, and overall did not want to make the extra trek to downtown anymore.

Luckily, she was accommodating about the last minute change and so I quickly looked up some places on Google and came across Assembli, a new DIY pizza place which had good reviews!

Assembli is located by Broadway and Cambie, an easy walk from the Canada Line. It seemed to be pretty new and it was comfortable in there, with super high ceilings and spacious seats. It seemed like a restaurant that would be really busy at lunch with office workers, but it was quiet when we came in the evening.

The best part about this place is that for only for $14, you can get a decent sized pizza with unlimited toppings! Yes, you read that right… unlimited! Even the meat! I definitely took advantage of this deal.

Custom pizza, $14: To create your own pizza, it is like Subway, where you tell the staff what kind of toppings you would like. You pick your own: sauce, cheese, meats, and toppings. Afterwards, they bake it for you fresh and bring it to your table.

I got the: spicy tomato sauce, cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese, chicken breast, shrimp, salami, mushrooms, pineapples, and red pepper.

I absolutely loved my custom pizza and thought it was such a good deal for $14! It was really cheesy and they did not skimp out on the meat. Every bite had a different meat. You really can’t go wrong with a custom pizza since you’re picking the ingredients that you like!

All Greek To Me pizza, $14: Coffee went with one of the pre-determined pizzas. It came with goat feta, mozzarella, red peppers, olives, artichokes, kale, and balsamic drizzle. She was a bit disappointed with her pizza because the melted goat feta had an odd texture that made her pizza very wet.

I had a slice and I agreed with her that the melted goat feta did not go well. If she came back, she would also order a custom pizza.

Overall, I would definitely come to Assembli again and recommend checking it out. For $14, it is quite a good deal and they have a generous portion.

Yay!

Food: Broken Rice

April 6, 2018 Leave a Comment

It was a cold winter night, perfect for Vietnamese food! I suggested Thai’s Saigon Bistro, but Cinnamon wanted to go to Broken Rice instead, which was fine by me since I have wanted to try it. It’s located on the same block too.
The restaurant was pretty clean and had some gentle classical music playing.
Spring rolls, $7.50: Sangria, Cocoa, and I shared the spring rolls which came with minced pork, taro root, mushrooms, and more. They came very crunchy- piping hot and fresh!
House pho, $9.95: Cocoa and I both had the house pho, which was delicious! It came with a decent amount of rare beef, brisket, and beef balls. The broth was perfect and not too salty.
Grilled beef short ribs, $11.50: Sangria went with the grilled beef short ribs, which she thought was delicious as well albeit pretty salty. It was a big portion and she ended up packing some of it home.
Vegetarian vermicelli: Cinnamon ordered the vegetarian vermicelli which came with fried tofu and vegetarian spring rolls. She had no complaints about it either!

Overall, it was a good first visit to Broken Rice and I would come back again for the pho and crispy spring rolls!

Yay!

Beauty: KARIDERM

April 2, 2018 Leave a Comment

Today, I would like to introduce a new brand on my blog… KARIDERM! KARIDERM is a Canadian beauty brand focused on natural products, specializing in shea butter. Each KARIDERM product is made from organic, unrefined shea butter, which we all know as amazing moisturizing benefits by now.

One thing I found interesting about KARIDERM is that it is one of the few companies to work directly with shea butter producers in Western Africa. They pay 2.5x the market price for the organic shea butter, which supports fair compensation and better working conditions to African workers.

I was sent out a few of their products to try out, here’s what I thought of them!

Neutral, natural soap: KARIDERM’s soap is unscented and as pure as they come. At first, it was quite odd to wash myself with unscented soap as I didn’t feel clean. However, my doubts were washed away (pun intended), when I rinsed myself off as my skin felt really clean.

Hand cream: The hand cream is pretty lightweight and is not as hydrating as I would like it to be. It would be good for the summer/spring when you don’t have super dry or cracked hands from the weather. It absorbs quickly and has a light lavender scent.

Organic lip balm: The lip balm is made of a blend of organic waxes and vegetable oils. I loved the soft vanilla scent, which reminded me of vanilla beans. The waxy texture took some adjusting but my lips felt soft and moisturized. My favourite part of this was definitely the vanilla bean smell!

Pure organic shea butter: This small jar contains organic shea butter of the highest purity. It has the same waxy texture as the organic lip balm, and it took some rubbing to fully absorb into my skin. I would recommend this for dry patches and spot treatment, as you do have to rub it in slowly which can take a bit of time.

You can check out their website here!

Yay!