Foodie Goodie | Yujacha (Honey Citron Tea).

So here I am feeling under the weather again. I spent most of the day under the sheets, sniffling, coughing, and catching up on two of my favorite currently-airing Korean dramas - Kill Me, Heal Me and Healer. (I'm actually catching up on the latter, after being cajoled by a fellow Kdrama addict that this drama is pretty good despite being a Park Min Young starrer. I'm glad I took her word for it.) 

Normally, I would not blog on a weekend especially when I'm sick. But I just had to blog about this Honey Citron Tea, which I'm sipping as I write. One of my readers asked me about it (she probably saw my post on Instagram the other day) so here it is.

Yujacha, as Koreans would call it, is made by preserving slices of yuja fruit (that's citron in English) in honey and sugar. The end result is a syrupy, marmalade-like substance that is packaged in a jar like jelly. Add a couple of teaspoons of yujacha to a cup of boiling water to make a soothing herbal tea that tastes like dessert. It also comes in powdered form, packed in single-serve sachets. Simply dissolve in water (you can enjoy it hot or cold) and that's it. :)

Yujacha in sachets.

A traditional tea in the Land of the Morning Calm, Yujacha has been used for hundred years in Korea, and is a well-known stress-reliever and a cure for colds. They say it's also a cure for hangovers.

Can't find Yujacha in the supermarket? You can make your own! :)

Yujacha (Honey Citron Tea)

Ingredients:
4 citrons (or any other citrus fruit)
1 1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup honey

Procedure:
1. Wash the fruit well in cold water. 
2. Peel then remove and discard any white remaining on the fruit.
3.  Cut peel into thin strips.
4.  Segment the fruit.
5.  Place fruit and peel in a bowl in layers, covering each layer generously with sugar.
6.  Cover and let stand at room temperature for two to four hours. (Sugar should be dissolved or be transparent).
7.  Place in a jar in layers, drizzling honey over each layer, and close tightly. Refrigerate for one week.

Usage:
Add 1 tablespoon of the syrup-like mix to one cup of boiling water.

What is Egg Donation, and Who Does This Kind of Treatment Benefit?

When it comes to having a baby, things don't always go completely according to plan. If you have had trouble conceiving naturally, and have been diagnosed by your doctor with a condition that means that your own eggs are not suitable or accessible for standard IVF, you may worry that your hopes of having a normal pregnancy are over. However, thanks to women who donate their eggs to other women, you may still have a chance to have the pregnancy you long for.

Clinics all over the world now offer IVF treatments that can use your partner's sperm or donated sperm (if you don't have a male partner or he himself also has fertility issues or a hereditary genetic condition you don't want passed on to the baby) along with donated eggs, where the embryos can be transferred into your own uterus for you to carry the baby to term and give birth to him or her naturally.

Photo credit: IVI Fertility.

What Is The Process For The Prospective Mother? 
If you are about to undergo a transfer of embryos from donor eggs to your womb, your uterus will first be prepared using hormone treatments. These will be administered at your assisted reproduction clinic of choice. During the period of your treatment, you will be required to be effectively 'on call', as when suitable eggs are donated you will need to be available to come to the clinic fast. The eggs, when found, will be fertilised in vitro or by microinjection, using either sperm collected from your partner on the day (this will require sexual abstinence on his part for a period beforehand), sperm gathered earlier in the process from him and cryogenically preserved, or sperm from a donor, depending on the course of action you have deemed most suitable for your case.

Once fertilised eggs have been grown into viable embryos, your doctor will decide on the appropriate time to move them from the lab into your womb. They will also decide on how many and which embryos to use. The transfer process is relatively short and painless, as the embryos can be implanted without any more discomfort than a normal smear test. After that, it is simply a case of waiting to see if you have become pregnant! Viable embryos not used will usually be preserved so that if this round of treatment does not result in a successful pregnancy, more embryos can be transferred in a second round without all of the other stages needing to be done again.

How Effective Is It?
IVF using egg donation, such as that performed by the very popular IVI Spain clinics, has a very high success rate. IVI boast a 90% success rate in terms of their assisted reproduction processes leading to a full pregnancy. While no method of conception is ever guaranteed, for older women or women who have had various other problems that have left their eggs unsuitable for natural conception, it can be the best hope for a happy pregnancy.

Spotlight | Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer.

Having started a love affair for highlighting and contouring, I decided to give the Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer a try.

Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer.

The Nymph Aura Volumer is "a multi-functional cream that promotes skin radiance and glow with plumped up moisture." If you're a Kpop fan, or if you watch Korean dramas, then you know that dewy, glowing skin is one of the hottest makeup trends in Korea.  And if you've long been wondering how your favorite Kpop idols and Hallyu stars have such beautiful, glowing skin, then look no further. This baby does the trick!

#3 Transparent.

This product has four available variants - #1 Pure which is bright pink in color, #2 Brilliant, which is a lighter shade of pink, #3 Transparent, which is a very sheer pink, and #4 Luminous which is light beige in color. The one that I have is the #3 Transparent.

Hangul text on the side panel.

It comes in a plastic bottle, with a no-nozzle, airless pump. Although the pump is easy to use, it tends to dispense a bit more than the amount you need, especially if you're doing the 1:3 ratio.

Pump bottle.

And by that I mean 1 part volumer, and 3 parts BB Cream. Mix them together and apply evenly on the face. You can use a brush to mix and apply, but I prefer using my fingers.

The transparent gel is the Nymph Aura Volumer. Just a teeny dot mixed with my BB Cream.

Here's how it looks like when applied. It has a gel-like consistency, but it spreads out easily and does not feel sticky at all. I especially love its scent - fragrant but not overpowering, and very feminine.

Notice the difference between the two sides? The right side, which is a combination of BB Cream and volumer, has a very obvious, radiant glow as compared to the left side, which was swatched with just BB Cream. Just so you know, I used Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream, which has a semi-matte finish.

Left: just BB Cream. Right: BB Cream + Volumer.

If you're worried that mixing the volumer can lessen the amount of coverage of your BB Cream, you can use the Nymph Aura as a highlighter instead. Simply apply a small amount on your forehead, on your brow bone, on the bridge of your nose, and on top of your cheeks. Tap the product lightly as you apply to make it look more natural on your face.

Products Used:
FACE: Klairs Illuminating Supple Blemish Cream, Benefit Erase Paste in Medium,
Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer #3.
EYES: Ever Bilena Eyebrow Pencil in Brown, BYS Waterproof Eyeliner,
Fairy Drops Volume Burst Mascara.
CHEEKS: Tony Moly Cristal Blusher in Pleasure Peach.
LIPS: Givenchy Rouge A Levres #711.

Overall, I love this product and have no regrets in buying it. (Because I actually bought this on a whim, haha!) I love how it makes my skin look supple and radiant, especially during this time of the year when my skin tends to look dull and dry. And yeah, I like how this product makes it easy for me to get that Korean, dewy makeup look. :)

The Etude House Nymph Aura Volumer comes in one size only (25 grams) and sells for Php 848 each. Available at Etude House branches nationwide. :)

Wordless Wednesday #117 | Tom and Yue.

Little man loves this month's Happy Meal toys!
We bought two the last time we went to McD's. :)

CC Cream Chronicles | Laneige Water Base CC Cream.

As I have mentioned in my previous post, I'll be reviewing the Laneige Water Base CC Cream which I used for in this look. And so here it is, the first water-based CC Cream from the Korean cosmetics/skincare giant Amore Pacific.

Laneige Water Base CC Cream in Pure Beige.

According to the Laneige website, this product is a 'multi-function cream that helps you achieve moist and gorgeous milk-color skin'. And by multi-function, it means that you can use this not only as a makeup base but also as a skincare product. It moisturizes, brightens, and whitens the skin, evens out the skin tone, and gives sun protection.

Brief product description at the back of the tube.

The Laneige Water Base CC Cream is available in two shades - Peach Pink for those with light skintone, and Pure Beige for those with fair skin. It comes in a 40 mL tube with an easy-to-control pump.

Plastic tube + easy-to-control pump.

Pure Beige, which is the shade that I have, is a very light, fleshy-kind of beige. It does not have color capsules, unlike some of the CC Creams that I have tried. This product actually reminds me of The Saem's Gem Miracle Black Pearl O2 CC Cream. Both CCs have the same creamy texture, the shades are quite identical, and their scents are a bit alike, too.

Pure Beige.

This CC Cream is very easy to apply, and is easily absorbed by the skin. Once blended, it has a lovely, iridescent finish that gives the skin a nice, healthy glow.

Blend, blend...

Coverage is sheer to medium, which is great if you don't want to look too made up or if your skin has zero to little imperfections. If you want more coverage, you can use this as your makeup base and wear BB Cream/foundation over it.

Left without CC Cream, right with CC Cream.

Here's how the product looks like on my face.

Bare-faced! Ugh!

Wearing Laneige Water Base CC Cream plus the usual eyeliner,
mascara, blush, and Korres Cherry Lip Gloss.

Gotta love that instant brightening effect! :)

What I love:

- Sleek packaging.

- Lovely, mild scent.

- Comes in two shades.

- Lightweight formula.

- Easy to apply and blend.

- SPF36 PA++.

- Stays on for about 6-8 hours.

- Instant brightening effect!

- No breakouts, no allergies, safe for sensitive skin.

- Price is still reasonable, considering it's an Amore Pacific product. 

I believe this sells for Php 1450 at Laneige stores here in the Philippines.

What you might not like:

- If you're looking for more coverage, this CC Cream alone might not do the trick for you. 

Are you a fan of CC Creams, too? What's your favorite? :)