Curiously Carmen

Bella Gelataria Handcrafted Gelato

June 26, 2014

Back when I did not have a blog, I came here with my friend who was stopping in town from Japan for a few days. Prior to him landing in Vancouver, he told me that he had to try this place before leaving, because apparently this place is very well known in Japan. Well damn, if people across the ocean raved about this place, it must be one good gelato place!

We ended up loving our gelato, but to be honest, I don’t remember much of the gelato itself as I was too happy that I was able to reunite with my friend living halfway across the world after a year.

So, half a year and one beautiful sunny afternoon later, I decided to stop by again and enjoy some delicious gelato after a delicious meal at Kintaro Ramen!

Bella Gelatria is located on the main floor of the luxurious Fairmont Pacific Rim, right by the water. There was a line up out the door, and almost around the corner the day we went. In total, we waited about fifteen minutes in line.

The staff working there are very experienced in heavy volume traffic, so they had a pretty efficient system going. There are also awards and framed newspaper articles lined up from top to bottom, so you definitely will not get bored in line.
Of course, if you do not want to read their framed articles, you can take the time to decide what flavour you want to try. I was craving strawberry that day, but unfortunately, the worker told me they didn’t have it. She was then interrupted (in a friendly manner) by the owner and master gelatier, James Coleridge as he informed me that they only make strawberry when in season.
After much debate, I settled with the chocolate belgian brownie. I was in love at first bite. The chocolate was extremely rich, smooth, decadent, and soft. I fell in love with how well-rounded the chocolate flavour was, and how creamy it was.

I have never had gelato, or ice cream, as creamy and rich like this before. You could really tell the difference in quality. Typing this post is making me so hungry now.
Next up (no, I did not order three all to myself, incase you’re wondering) is the Thai coconut milk gelato. Just like my chocolate one, this one was extremely creamy as well. There was a strong and delicious coconut taste. It came with little slices of fresh coconut as well, which added to the freshness of the gelato.
This was the mint chocolate gelato, but I didn’t get a chance to try it. Delicious is actually just an understatement for Bella Gelataria.

Honestly. I’m not the only one that thinks so, either considering that Bella Gelataria has won numerous awards in Italy for their gelato and their rating on Urbanspoon.

-Carmen
PS. Here is a picture of the outside, with their big sign. This picture was taken at my first visit in chilly November (read first paragraph above), hence the jackets.

The Face Shop Mini Haul- Korean pore balm?! and concealer

June 21, 2014

I’m really excited to write this post because I have loved The Face Shop since my preteen years and discovered two amazing products! They actually closed down the only boutique in Vancouver around five years ago.

It really sucked because I dug up my old concealer a few months ago, and it worked so well. I tried looking online but I didn’t spend that much time because the site was in Korean. I just gave up and accepted the fact that I would not be able to buy that concealer anymore. 🙁
Anyways, I was beyond ecstatic when my cousin told me that they had just opened up a boutique in town! I couldn’t contain my excitement and I actually went the same day.

Incase you’ve never heard of The Face Shop, it is a Korean cosmetics company. It is very popular in Korea and is their third most popular cosmetic line. I can see why it is so popular, their products deliver great results. Here is what I ended up buying and what I thought of the products!
I bought two full sized skin care products- a pore balm and a double ended concealer (total was $35 with tax). They were quite generous with samples, and took great care in wrapping my purchase.

The worker also informed me at the till that the beauty balm I bought works best for dry skin. I actually have combination skin so she recommended I swap my pore balm, and gave me samples based on my skin type.
Starting with the pore balm, I was in the mood for trying new products and I was just happy that I was able to shop here again! The sign on the table said it would minimize pores and cut oil from the face, so I figured I would give it a try.

It comes with a pad to rub it on your face with, but I just used my fingers because I felt it would absorb better. I noticed that the smell of the balm had a borderline medicinal smell, like Vicks Vapour Rub. At first glance, I noticed that it absorbed my oil really well and had a satiny, smooth finish. I used foundation afterwards, as you are supposed to do. Keep reading to see my results!
I couldn’t find the same concealer I bought a few years ago, so settled on this double ended concealer. The worker told me that they probably didn’t carry that one anymore, and showed me the only concealer they had. One side is liquid while the other side is a stick. I found the stick side to be very smooth, blend able and easy to apply. It also matched my skin tone perfectly. I would say it’s the same quality as the one I bought years ago! Yay!
After finishing with both products and my foundation, I was in shock when I looked in the mirror and ran to show the boyfriend because I wasn’t sure if I was dreaming. Sure enough, all my pores had disappeared.

My problem area was T zone, but I did not see any pores or blackheads at all. My amazement continued the night as my foundation stayed on perfectly without melting. When I took off all my makeup at the end of the night, I noticed my pores looked a lot tighter and smaller than they usually do. The pore balm was sure a miracle! As for the concealer, it hid my dark spots and scars pretty well and did not smudge.
Here is a picture in different lighting,with both the products on. Both pictures are completely unedited and have no filter, I just resized the second picture to fit my site better. I finished my skin off with my Naked Skin foundation, Maybelline setting powder, and Lancome blush. My total came to $35 for the 2 products. I would definitely buy the pore balm again. I definitely have struggled with uneven skin tone, dark marks, scars, you name it since hitting puberty but the beauty balm will hide all your secrets. I find it works a lot better than Benefit’s Porefessional, which was my favourite before this one. The beauty balm is $17 which is cheaper but maybe I should try using both next time?

Pros:

Pore balm is a complete lifesaver, it will even out your skin, make your pores disappear, and seems to tighten them even after washing it off
Concealer has a very smooth application, and is easily blendable

Cons:

The Face Shop does not have many boutiques, may have a hard time finding it in person but is available online
Pore balm has a strange smell (medicinal menthol scent, like Vicks Vapour Rub)

What are some of your favourite primers and concealers? Have you tried these products before and what did you think? Don’t forget to follow me on Bloglovin because I’m lonely over there, and comments/feedback here make me happy 🙂 Have a great day!

-Carmen

Urban Decay Naked 2 Palette

June 14, 2014

I love my Urban Decay products. I was introduced to the UD Primer Potion in Grade 9, and have been loving their products ever since, from their 24 hour liquid liner, to the Naked Skin foundation (review here), and finally, their Naked palettes.

So far, UD has launched 3 Naked palettes which have all seen insane reception from the beauty community. Whenever they announce a release, Youtube blows up with beauty gurus reviewing the product. For good reasons too, this is one of my beloved eye palettes! I have Naked 2 and Naked 3, but like the Naked 2 more because of the shades!

Simple packaging of the product. The physical palette is pretty sturdy, you can throw this into your bag without damaging the product. I brought the Naked 3 for my trip to Disneyland back in January, and it lasted fine all throughout moving around from my luggage to the hotel room and what not. I’ve noticed that some cheaper eyeshadow will fall out if moved around or dropped, but not the “case” for this.
Ahhhh…the beautiful shades. You can tell which shades I love using more than others. When it comes to eye shadow, I only wear champagne or golden tones. I used to wear purple a lot, but bright colours haven’t really been in style anymore and I love how champagne colours make my eyes look brighter and whiter.
Application: The brush that the palette comes with is really good as well. It is called the Good Karma shadow brush and is double ended, with both a shadow and crease brush. The shadow brush is used for general application, while the crease brush is used to add dimension (to your outer or inner corners of your eye, for example).
Long lasting?: I always use my UD Primer Potion with my eye shadow. If I don’t, my eye shadow will crease within an hour and it will fade away. With the primer, my eyeshadow will last at least 6 hours with no touch up, which is good considering I have oily skin. I’ve worn this to work, and even if I sweat or run around cause it’s a busy shift, my eye shadow looks untouched or unsmudged with the primer. For the sake of the review, I did not wear the primer tonight. I noticed that after four hours, the eye shadow was pretty much gone. I would highly recommend using a primer, or have the kit with you to touch up.

Value: Naked 2 at Sephora is $62 Canadian. Naked and Naked 3 are the same price as well. It just depends on which shades you like. Considering the quality and colour of the palette, I would say that it’s a good investment as the palette is very versatile and durable!

Pros:

Beautiful range of shades!!! (ranging from neutral to dramatic looks)
Can experiment with many different colours to create a look that you love
Comes with a their Good Karma shadow and crease brush & mirror
Easy to carry on-the-go
Comes with 4 samples of their different primers
No fall out!! (major pet peeve of mine, urgh)

Cons:

It is $62, so it is definitely an investment
Lasts longer with primer potion (I suggest the UD Primer Potion, as you can sweat a lot but it’ll still hold up)
Would not recommend if you do not like sparkly eye shadows or shades (Naked and Naked 3 have different shades than the 2)

Up next: Maybe the Urban Decay Primer Potion or Naked 3? Which one would you like? Thanks for reading!

-Carmen

Fiesta Fridays- Nesters Market Deli Review

June 11, 2014

Hello Fiesta Friday-ers! I forgot to mention that EatMunchLove invited me to the first party, so thank you for introducing me! After my pleasant visit to Urban Fare, I was craving deli eats again. This time, my mind wandered to Nesters because I was at school, and there was a location on the mountain. I also didn’t want to deal with a rush of students in the main cafeteria, so decided that the walk there would be worth it. Fortunately, my friend agreed so we went in between our classes.
Nesters deli was pretty standard. There were many delicious looking items to choose from that day. I wasn’t super hungry, and felt a slight tickle in my throat so settled on getting a small soup and slice of pizza ($4.50). There were 3 types of soup that day, I got the chicken potato soup with chorizo sausage. It was very flavourful and had a generous amount of veggies. There wasn’t much chicken in it and the chorizo was very soggy, I don’t think I want chorizo sausage in my soup again. Usually, after having Western style soup, I am left parched but I did not find myself needing a massive amount of water, which is good.
The pizza was warmed in the oven. A there was only one type to pick from. The dough was very thick, soft, and chewy- I loved it! There was also a lot of deli meat topping and veggies on it. My friend got the soup and sandwich combo and a samosa, which I forgot to take a picture of. He said the samosa was a bit dry but enjoyed his ham sandwich. If I had time to spare on campus and wanted a quiet spot to eat, I would come here again.

I hope you enjoyed the post! Happy Fiesta Friday, I look forward to reading everyone’s posts! 🙂

-Carmen

Red Wagon

June 11, 2014

Hi everyone!

The last time I’ve been to Red Wagon was almost three years ago, back when it was starting to gain traction and recognition. I remember my visit that time was average at best. I didn’t understand why people raved about this place so much! =P

So, after constantly driving by this place and seeing it lined up out the door and around the corner, I decided to try this place again last month with my two other friends for lunch!
We came on a weekday, a bit past 1pm so it wasn’t that busy. When we arrived, there was only the big 6 person round table so they told us to just sit there. Later on, a party of 6 actually came in and they had to wait for our table so we felt kind of bad. But we couldn’t really switch because the only empty tables were small, and would definitely not fit the three of us.

The three of us were also pretty hungry, and ended up ordering quite a lot of food that we all split!
We ordered the trucker ($12.50), which came with 2 eggs, 2 buttermilk pancakes, toast, home fries and a choice of bacon or sausage. The home fries were their style of hash browns, they were seasoned well and came with green onions which gave it a better flavour.

The toast and sausages were pretty standard, and you can ask them for a side of homemade jam. As for the pancakes, let’s get into them here:
Of course, you can’t go to Red Wagon without trying their famous pulled pork pancakes with Jack Daniels syrup ($13.50). The pancakes were cooked perfectly, in all their buttery, indulgent, and guilty goodness. Since it was made with buttermilk, they were really rich.

They were also very fluffy and had a nice texture. We ended up using all the JD syrup and dipped the remaining 1/4 of the pancakes with the regular syrup. As for the pulled pork, it was very juicy and tender with a slight barbeque taste to them.
We should have stopped here with the chorizo meatball sandwich with a side of fries ($13), but we didn’t. Out of all four dishes we ordered, this was my least favourite, but it wasn’t bad, either. I felt that the bread was very dry and hard to chew. The chorizo meatball was a bit dry as well.
Phew! After sharing those three dishes, we were all stuffed. However, their cute dessert chalkboard was advertising pie and ice cream, and we all wanted to try it. We actually ordered two of these, because we thought our other friend was going to join us but we ran out of time, so my friend ate one herself.

They had either apple or strawberry rhubarb (I believe it was $5, plus an extra $1 for ice cream). I would have preferred more strawberries over rhubard, the rhubarb made it taste a bit more tart. The vanilla ice cream made it taste a bit sweeter and went really well with the pie!

Our bill including tips came to $60. It was a pretty satisfying meal, but I’m not sure if I would want to wait in line during high peak hours for their food. My favourite was their pancakes due to their fluffiness. Service was also very friendly and attentive!

-Carmen