Curiously Carmen

Lemongrass House Blue Chamomile Salt Scrub

November 26, 2018

Lemongrass House is a brand that I have recently discovered through blogging, when they sent me a few items to try out. I have already reviewed their carrot and ginger lip balm, so today I will be talking about their blue chamomile salt scrub!

What it says (Taken from website):
Our skin-buffing Sea Salts blended with Blue Chamomile Essential Oil and Jojoba Oil remove all traces of skin roughness.
No need to moisturise after you jump out of the shower as the Jojoba Oil leaves your skin feeling hydrated and soft. Use twice a week for a more harder buffing.

I was wondering what blue chamomile is, turns out chamomile can have different colours just like other flowers. This thought never occurred to me as I just assumed for no good reason that chamomile is only yellow. I learn so much from blogging!

Application: Even before using, I was greeted by the wonderfully calming scents of chamomile and lavender. The salt beads were quite coarse and a light blueish/gray colour. When I used this in the shower, I found it to be very exfoliating and quite abrasive – probably the roughest body scrub I’ve used so far! For this reason, I wouldn’t recommend it if you have sensitive or thin skin.

I also liked how the salt beads did not dissolve when being in direct contact with the running shower water. I was able to scrub my body for a decent amount of time before the salt beads got smaller. My skin was left with a soft residue due to the jojoba oil and aloe vera gel inside the scrub.

Because this scrub is so exfoliating, I would recommend using it once a week at most. I really liked the scent and found it calming. It would be perfect for a self pampering night!

Yay!

Availability: Online or at Lemongrass House stores
Price: $20.00 CAD

Mike’s Place – Gibson’s, Sunshine Coast

November 20, 2018

Wow, this post is an OLDIE! We are talking about 1.5 years old, folks. I was going through photos in my cloud storage and came across some restaurants that I never fully blogged about on our long weekend getaway in May 2017!

I did briefly talk them in my Sunshine Coast Weekend Itinerary post though. That’s probably why I forgot to write a post!

Anyways, after our hike up to Soames Hill, we stopped by Gibsons Pier. While walking around, we came across this small ice cream shop inconspicuously named Mike’s Place. It had great reviews so off we went!
Mike’s Place is a no frills cafe. None of the fancy stuff, but friendly and cozy service. They also sold convenience store snacks as well.

I forgot which flavours we ordered (can you blame me, it was 1.5 years ago whoops!), but I DO remember that the gelato was delicious. Both our ice creams were creamy and hit the spot perfectly on a hot summer’s day.

The best part of this was how cheap the ice cream was! I believe it was around $3-4, which is an absolute steal compared to Vancouver prices. There was also a plethora of flavours to choose from!

Mike’s Place is a gem on the Sunshine Coast. Delicious ice cream, cheap prices and friendly service. If there’s one dessert place you should eat at in Gibsons/Sunshine Coast, go with Mike’s Place!

Kamamarui Ramen – North Burnaby

November 17, 2018

I wasn’t planning on writing about Kamamarui Ramen again, but I haven’t been out to try new places lately! This visit was actually from the summer time. I wrote about Kamamarui four years ago, when they opened their first shop by Metrotown.

I remember back then, it was super popular and constantly had huge line ups because it was one of the only places you could find delicious taken joint outside of downtown! Now, ramen joints are popping up everywhere and there are more options in the suburbs.

The boyfriend and I usually go to their second location in North Burnaby because it is more convenient.
Tonkotsu Ramen: This is my go-to and hits the spot every time. I order the light broth which is still pretty rich and creamy. It is a bit on the saltier side which I don’t mind!

This bowl comes with one piece of lean chashu pork. The lean pork is a bit dry so I like to soak it in the soup and eat it near the end.

If you want more chashu, you can order the chashu ramen. The chashu ramen contains the same broth but with more pieces of chashu.

Dan Dan noodles: On one of our visits, the boyfriend was pleasantly surprised when he saw that they now offered Dan Dan noodles! He traded in his usual chashu ramen (described above) for it.

It was alright, but lacking in the prominent peanut and chili flavour that is associated with Dan Dan noodles. Although he was glad he gave it a try, he would stick with the ramen instead.

Overall, Kamamarui is a great choice if you’re craving some ramen in Burnaby and you don’t want to venture into Ramen Land (aka the West End).

Yay!

Lemongrass House Carrot & Ginger Lip Balm

November 14, 2018

I am happy to share a new brand on my blog, that I haven’t shared before! Lemongrass House is a Thai-based brand, using all natural products. Lemongrass House specializes in handcrafted, spa/skincare products and recently just opened a brick-and-mortar store right here in Vancouver!

The first Lemongrass product that I’d like to share is their carrot & ginger lip balm. It was the first time that I’ve tried such a lip balm flavour!

Application: It is stored in a thin tin. A little bit goes a long way due to the key ingredients of shea butter, coconut oil, bees wax, honey and avocado oil – all moisturizing powerhouses. My dry lips were loving this and soaked it up right away!

I had to get used to the taste of ginger in my lip balm, as I mostly associate it with food/drink. But other than that, I was really impressed at how moisturizing it was.

Stay tuned for more reviews on other Lemongrass House products!

Yay!

Brown Bites: Patron Tacos and Cantina

November 11, 2018

Brown Bites is a new mini series on my blog featuring places the boyfriend has tried without me, so it wouldn’t be my own review. Why the name Brown, you ask? It is named after the Japanese LINE character, Brown. Brown is a cute, shy, emotionless cartoon bear but secretly full of love, and we adore him to pieces!

One day for lunch, the boyfriend came across Patron Tacos and Cantina. After passing by a second time, he decided to go and satisfy his burrito craving and to see if it was any good.

Patron Tacos and Cantina is located in the heart of downtown Vancouver. It was quite busy and lively during the lunch rush, but he was able to find a spot after ordering and paying at the front.

Chips: While he waited for his burrito, they gave him some free tortilla chips and salsa! They were a nice snack for him to munch on and made the wait feel a bit shorter.

Beef burrito, $16.80: The burrito was more expensive than what we’re both used to, but that is to be expected due to the central location of the restaurant.

It was a pretty filling burrito, but he has had better, taste and price-wise. For the price, it didn’t feel worth it. To compare, the burritos at Sal Y Limon are about $10 and more flavourful. The burrito we had at Vallartas was at the same price point as Patron, but Vallartas already included guac and was much larger.

Overall, he was quite excited to possibly have another delicious Mexican restaurant to go to, but the price was not worth it. There are other places in the city which are tastier and cheaper, but Patron is a good option if you’re in the area and wanting some Mexican food.

But, it has a lively and fun atmosphere so come here if you’re looking for that!

Meh.