Foodie Goodie | Jack Skellington Cupcakes.

With the Day of the Dead just around the corner, I'm sure there are lots of Halloween parties happening left and right. If you're hosting one, here's an idea. Spice up (or should I say 'spook up'?) your dessert table with this quirky treat inspired by the king of Halloween himself - Jack Skellington! They make great giveaways for the kids (and kids at heart), too!

Jack Skellington Cupcakes

Ingredients:
For the cupcakes
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/2 cup butter softened
2 eggs
1 cup milk
1 teaspoon vinegar

For the frosting
White buttercream frosting
2 toothpicks
Tube of black decorator's icing

Procedure:
1. Preheat oven to 325 °F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
2. In a bowl. combine flour, sugar, baking soda, cocoa powder and salt. Mix on low speed until blended for about 3 minutes.
3. Add in butter, vinegar and eggs 1 at a time until combined. Slowly add milk to batter until completely mixed, scraping down the bowl as you mix.
4. Scoop batter into baking cups filling about 2/3 full. Bake until a toothpick  inserted in the center comes out clean, about 17 to 20 minutes.
5. Frost the cupcakes using the white buttercream.
6. For each cupcake, use the tip of a toothpick to lightly etch the outline of two large Jack Skellington eyes in the frosting.
7. Slowly pipe black decorator's icing onto the etched lines and then fill in the inner circles. Use another toothpick to spread and smooth the icing.
8. Pipe on two short lines for a nose. Next, pipe a long line across the bottom of the cupcake for the mouth. 9. For the finishing spooky touch, randomly top the mouth with a bunch of short icing barbs.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

Wordless Wednesday #60 | Dance Practice.

Practicing for the upcoming Dance Concert. :)

The Face Shop | 10 Years of 'Natural Story'.

I must admit, the main reason that I started buying and using The Face Shop products was because of their poster boy, Kim Hyun Joong.

He was my favorite Flower Boy (from the hit 2009 drama 'Boys Over Flowers'), my favorite among the members of SS501 (his now defunct boyband), and one of the first Hallyu stars that I literally went gaga over, lol.

My favorite Flower Boy.

Moving forward, Kim Hyun Joong has been endorsing The Face Shop for the past three years. Launched in 2003, the brand opened its doors to the public with its very first branch in Myeongdong, South Korea, and has since become a household name in the global beauty industry.

'Natural Story' was the brand's concept, and it was as simple as it could be. The Face Shop wanted to share the benefits of nature, and together with science, deliver the best products for the skin.

Taking pride in using only the highest-quality, all-natural ingredients, The Face Shop also boasts of products that are reasonably priced for the modern woman of today. Their successful line of skincare and cosmetic staples is testament to worldwide consumer loyalty, and product effectiveness.

Natural Story.

It's been a decade since that fateful day in Myeongdong, and to commemorate this glorious occasion, The Face Shop has released a 10th Anniversary Limited Edition set containing five of their most popular, best-selling products of all time.

Happy Anniversary, The Face Shop!

Included in the set are:

Natural Sun Super White SPF50+ PA+++.

The brand's signature sun care line. Since its release in 2006, the Natural Sun AQ line of products has seen additions and evolution due to advancements in sun care technology. Nine products comprise this trendy sun care line with each product empowering consumers with sun protection plus added skincare benefits based on their activities and needs.

Raspberry Roots Sleeping Mask.

Koreans are known for incorporating mask sheets in their daily beauty regimen, and The Face Shop's 'Real Nature' and 'Raspberry Roots' masks are consumer favorites. The 'Real Nature' line sells over a million pieces globally per month while the 'Raspberry Roots' line is a favorite among international customers since its release in 2006.

Rice Water Cleansing Foam.

Staying true to its commitment of providing effective and affordable skincare products, the brand’s famous 'Herb Day 365' and 'Rice Water Bright' cleansers have remained at budget-friendly prices for 8 years in a row. These products are best known as long-lasting cleansers that have superb brightening and cleansing powers with instant results guaranteed.

Chia Seed Moisture Holding Seed Cream.

One of The Face Shop's signature skin care lines, Chia Seed is armed with an eco-friendly concept and packed with premier hypo-allergenic quality ingredients. The Chia Seed Moisture-Holding Seed Cream,  which keeps the skin soft and hydrated 24/7 by sealing in moisture, has been a steady best-seller since its release last year.

FACE IT Power Perfection BB Cream.

One of my favorite BB Creams of all time (I even regard heralded this as one of my HG BB Creams), and the number one selling product in the brand’s BB cream category. More than 1 million pieces have been sold since it was first introduced in the market, making it a legend among consumers - a hit in countries like China, Southeast Asia, and Japan.

The 10th Anniversary LE set. :)

Selling at Php 1500 (around $34) here in the Philippines, this Limited Edition Set is now available at all The Face Shop outlets worldwide.

Have you tried any of these products yet? What's your favorite beauty/skincare product from The Face Shop? :)

Foodie Goodie | Carrot Cupcakes.

Who's in the mood for carrot cupcakes? I am! I even dreamt of them last night, haha!

And so for this week's edition of Foodie Goodie, I'll be featuring - yep, you guessed it right - this carrot cupcake recipe which is a fusion (or should I say my tweaking) of the recipes I learned from both Martha Stewart and the Food Network. Enjoy! :)

Carrot Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ingredients:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
a pinch of ground nutmeg
3/4 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup canola oil
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups finely shredded carrots (about 2 medium carrots, peeled)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
4 ounces low-fat cream cheese, room temperature
3/4 cup confectioners' sugar, sifted
2 tablespoons orange juice
1/4 cup shredded coconut, for garnishing

Procedure:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper cupcake liners.
2. Sift together the flours, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.
3. In a large stand mixer with the paddle attachment, combine the brown sugar, oil and eggs until well combined.
4. Add the carrots and vanilla.
5. Add the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
6. Stir in 1/4 cup of the chopped walnuts.
7. Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake until a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
8. With an electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese, confectioners' sugar and orange juice until smooth and creamy.
9. Frost the cooled cupcakes and sprinkle with the shredded coconut.

Shared with Food Friday and Food Trip Friday.

EZRA | The First Capsule Collection from ZALORA.

So what's a 'capsule collection', you may ask. Just to be clear, it's not a collection of medicines, or things that you pop into your mouth when you are (or to avoid getting) sick. A capsule collection or capsule wardrobe is actually a set of easy-to-wear items that can be mixed and matched to create a number of different stylish ensembles.

This concept was pioneered by American designer Donna Karan in 1985, when she first released her '7 Easy Pieces Collection'. These seven pieces are: a bodysuit, a blouse (or turtleneck), a coat, a jacket, a skirt, a pair of pants (or trousers), and an evening dress.

When this collection debuted in the runway, Donna Karan showed models dressed only in bodysuits and black tights. And as the show progressed, the models then began adding items of clothing such as jackets and trousers, to show versatility of the pieces and the interchangeable style of dressing.

An example of the 7 Easy Pieces.

Here in the Philippines, online fashion store Zalora recently launched their own capsule collection with their own clothing label, EZRA. This in-house, exclusive collection features clothing, shoes, and accessories for women, with a range of menswear already in the works.

EZRA.

Here's a bit of info about the brand:
Fresh, exciting and current, EZRA is for fashion-lovers who pride themselves on staying on the forefront of trends and up-to-the-minute style. Drawing inspiration from the catwalk, celebrity looks and street style, EZRA is a must-have for style-setting individuals that value unique and affordable fashion.

EZRA’s collective of international, Singapore based designers continually scour the globe for inspiration to bring you the latest in what’s directional and cool. This is seen in the diverse range of on-trend pieces found in both the women and men’s collections of apparel, footwear and bags.

Womenswear incorporates fun and flirty designs for the girl who loves the frivolity of fashion to the chic and trend-savvy, for the girl who likes to stand out from the crowd. Pieces that can take her from day to night with ease are paired with footwear and bags that effortlessly complete the EZRA look. EZRA’s Men’s collections embraces a wide-range of trends from youthful street-style to a more refined sartorial look that allow any guy to experiment with an assortment of modern, global-inspired looks.

Now take a look at some of my favorite stuff from this newly-unveiled line. These are pieces of clothing that I would actually wear, considering that I'm a simple jeans and t-shirt girl in real life. Haha! :)

Drop-waist T-shirt Dress, Php 595.

Tweed Jacket, Php 2195.

Metallic Lace Tee, Php 649.

Embellished Collar Sheath Dress, Php 1795.

You can view the entire collection here, and you can get to know more about EZRA here. :)