At a Glance | Skin Food Platinum Grape Cell Eye Cream.

After days and days of battling with stress, wallowing in misery, and crying until the tears run dry, I was not surprised with what this whole ordeal has done to my eyes. Not only are they puffy, they've become ghastly sunken as well. Not to mention the dark circles made even darker, and the fine lines looking more prominent than before. Aigoo! Peering closely at the mirror, I feel like I've aged a decade over the past few days.

Skin Food, help!

Which is why I thought of giving Skin Food's Platinum Grape Cell Eye Cream a try. Both platinum and grape cell are known for their antioxidant properties, with the latter also popular for its anti-ageing and skin-firming functions.

The cream, up close.

I've been using this since Monday, in lieu of Human Nature's Sunflower Oil. The cream may look runny and greasy in this photo, but it's actually creamy and non-sticky. It feels light, and is easily absorbed by the skin. Moreover, it has a very light, mildly sweet, almost unnoticeable scent.

Of course I can't determine its effectiveness yet. After all, only four days have passed since I first used it. Perhaps with continued use, I'll be able to see the results in two weeks' time. Good thing this small tester sachet can go a long way - four to five days at least. Its full size pot (30 grams) is a bit too pricey at Php 2,000, so for now, these tester sachets will do. And I do hope this Skin Food eye cream can really do wonders for my not-so-wonderful undereyes.

Sharing with 366. :)

Foodie Goodie | Pastillas de Leche.

I try to keep myself as preoccupied as possible these days, lest I end up sulking and stressing over the series of unfortunate events. Today, I spent a good part of the afternoon making this.

Pastillas de leche.

That's pastillas de leche - a dessert made of milk and sugar. Although traditionally made with carabao's milk, fresh cow's milk or goat's milk can also be used as substitute. I made mine with fresh cow's milk, powdered milk, and condensed milk. And instead of rolling it into logs and wrapping it in paper or cellophane, I shaped my pastillas into cubes and stuck toothpick in the middle.

I was able to smile a bit once I stuffed my mouth with these sweets. Oh, sugar fix! I'll be needing a lot of you in the coming days.

*Update, February 26, 2012

Due to insistent public demand (lol), here's the recipe for pastillas de leche.

Ingredients:

500g condensed milk

100g fresh milk

2 1/2 cups powdered milk

1/3 cup caster or regular white sugar

cold butter

Procedure:
1. Mix condensed milk, fresh milk, and milk powder until the texture of the mixture becomes smooth as dough.
2. Rub a small amount of butter on your palms. Spoon out a small amount of the mixture on your palm and roll it into a ball.
3. Shape the mixture into cylinders. In my case, I shaped them into cubes.
4. Roll the candied milk onto the sugar making sure to cover it entirely.
5. Place the toothpicks on the center of each candy. Or you can opt to wrap them in cellophane, just like the pastillas candies usually sold at sari-sari stores.

Sharing with 366, Food Friday, Food Trip Friday, Yummy Sunday.

Discount Shopping | Taiwan Fashion Week Sale.

The YesStyle Taiwan Fashion Week Sale has been launched! All Taiwan brand products are up to 60% off. Plus, international express shipping is free on orders over $150! Sale runs until February 26th only.

New customers get additional savings with this coupon code: WEBGAINS5FEB12

Add the code above upon checkout of your YesStyle purchases and get $5 off!

Please note that a minimum of $10 purchase is needed for the use of this coupon, and is not applicable to the shipping charges. Offer is valid from February 23 - 29 only.

Stalin | Thanks for the Memories.

Don't despair too much if you see beautiful things destroyed, if you see them perish. Because the best things are always growing in secret. - Ben Okri

I'm still grieving, still writhing in pain. Although my sadness is not a fleeting moment, I am trying to cope up and move on. I am getting the strength from those five years of happy memories.

To my friends, fellow bloggers, and blog followers, thank you for seeing me through these trying times. Your words of support and encouragement are truly appreciated. Please bear with me as I try to get my groove back.

Sharing with This or That Thursday, i Heart Macro, Weekend Flowers, Color Connection and 366.

Stalin, 2006 - 2012.

You put up a good fight. Until the very end, you were so brave, my little revolutionary. 

It's time to rest now. No more pain.

Good night, Stalin.

Mommy, Daddy, and Yue love you so much. You will be truly missed.

In loving memory of Stalin,

the bravest and smartest little furball, who

up to his very last second,

proved that he was worthy of his revolutionary name.

Wordless Wednesdays, Mommy Moments