SHILLA (Korean) BAKERY/CAFÉ

We were on our way to a birthday party last friday and decided to bring a cake; we googled bakeshops nearby the house we were going and found Shilla's. Lucky us! The place have different sorts of goodies I almost drooled all over the place! Haha!

refilling samples :P

I forgot to take pictures of the cakes we bought, but they were really cute and yummy! What's even better about them are the free samples; well, they give you one when you buy something from them - I got pumpkin bread with almonds. Also, the place was swarming with lots of people, I guess it didn't hurt that each pastry they sell has free samples you can try! I literally walked around the whole selection at least 3 times! Everything was just sooooo good! BTW, the place also has a sitting area where you can devour your bingsoo, coffee or bubble tea along with your gourmet pastry! ^^

I went online to check their website and found several branches including one closer to me located in Rockville(yay!), however I think the one in Annandale is much better.....but it'll do! ;-)

 

       Green Tea Bingsoo                         Strawberry Yogurt Bingsoo

Have you guys been to this place yet? Or somewhere similar? Let me know 'cause I for one is a sucker for these things!





*Images shown are from Shilla Bakery and Yelp.com.

OH MAGNUM!

What is up with this Ice cream bar? I don't get the hype over it, had one yesterday and was not impressed. In fact, I bought 3 flavors to prove a point! (oh god, how ironic did that sound? LOL.)

I tried the Dark Chocolate one, I'd say it was a bit bitter... didn't like it. Hubby went for the Classic one and afterwards said, "hmmm..it's okay...I've had better." Definitely were not thrilled. Truthfully, I might even prefer Turkey Hill's Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough over this! :P

Also, not to be bragging or anything but I guess we both have high standards when it comes to ice creams. We lived in Italy for almost 3 years therefore you can just imagine how our ice cream palettes are like. I just can't shake my forever longing for Italian gelato, specifically pistacchio (pronounced as Pis-Ta-Ki-Yo) - believe me, I've been corrected more than once by the locals but they said it kinda nicely so I didn't feel bad. :-)

Back to Magnum, for those who haven't tried it don't waste your money, buy a skinny cow or perhaps an Asian counterpart instead, I swear those are a lot better! ROFL. Seriously though, do not listen to me. HAHAHA. I mean, it's your money, go for it! Heck, even Rachel Bilson had one! ;-) Like I said they are not half bad, it's just that I've really had better ones.





So, have you tried one of these already? How was it? Let me know if you liked it...or not. LOL.

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Battle of B.B. Creams

WHAT IS B.B. CREAM?

It stands for Blemish Balm, a type of tinted skin treatment; it's like make-up and skin care in one tube! (who doesn't like that?) Primarily sold in Asia(i.e. Korea, Japan) and because of the growing trend, large cosmetic companies in the west have released their own as well.

Blemish Balm, Blemish Base or Beblesh balm claims to do a lot of skin enhancements. In general, it has anti-aging and whitening properties; and other nutrients that helps improve skin or even lighten acne scars, not to mention that it also provides a decent amount of sun protection(SPF); imagine all of those combined in one container! However, there is a downside, color selection is very limited and the colors are usually light to medium.

Quick history, B.B. Cream was initially formulated in Germany. It was made to protect the skin after going through laser procedures and surgery. Many Koreans discovered its wonders so they decided to include it in their skin care routine and thus became the era of B.B. Creams.

I have yet to try BB creams from western markets but as far as my Korean ones go, they are the BOMB! I LOVE THEM WITH A PASSION! Seriously, I haven't used foundation since my first BB cream arrived in the mail. The thing that got me hooked is probably the fact the it is lightweight at the same time having decent coverage(at least the ones that I have.) Well I never really needed a full coverage anyway, also I rarely have to apply concealer with this - that's a huge plus! Additionally, I love that some B.B. creams offers to give skin a dewy finish (or matte) depending on your preference.

BATTLE OF B.B. CREAMS:

from L-R: Skin Food Mushroom Multicare; Skin Food Peach Sake Pore; Skin 79 VIP Gold and Missha M Perfect Cover

MISSHA M Perfect Cover BB Cream in #23

Pros :   I have 4 bb creams and this by far, has the best coverage. I'd say it is medium-full coverage.
    Moisturizing and leaves my skin a dewy look.
    I only needed a pea size to cover my entire face. The tube will last me forever :-)
    Pump tube packaging is a nice touch
    Price is super affordable, got mine from Amazon for less than $19 including shipping! yay!

Cons:  This might leave a grey cast so I usually set this up with Etude House's Miss Tangerine Veiling Powder in peach(#2) and that kinda controlled it from oxidizing.
    Some may not like the smell so I added that on the cons for me though, it's ok.
    Not very buildable as it can turn cakey if you apply too much.
    May need to blot oil off your face from time to time

*Note: Oxidizing is a term that describes the skin from turning orange or  darker. Some say that oil is the culprit of these changes. Hence, you are prone to this if you have oily skin. My advise is to pick products with oil-free formula.

SKIN FOOD Peach Sake Pore BB Cream in #2

 

Pros:    Love the smell. Fruity but not overpowering.
    Color matched my skin perfectly and felt natural, like i had nothing on!
    Staying power is good too
    Moisturizing and brightens up complexion
    Packaging is also a pump so that's awesome!
    Dirt cheap, got mine from ebay for less than $11 US!

[I will list down my favorite ebay sellers at the end of this review]

Cons:    Coverage is light, almost sheer. (personally, I don't mind a sheer coverage but to some that's a big deal so i added it on the cons)
    Did not cover my dark circles, had to use concealer
    SPF 20 PA+

swatches from L-R: Skin79 VIP Gold; Missha M Perfect Cover; Skin Food Peach Sake Pore; Skin Food Mushroom Multicare

SKIN 79 VIP Gold Collection BB Cream (FAVORITE!!!)

 

Pros:     Scent is nice, kind of addicting! hahaha, yeah I'm like that. LOL
    Coverage is pretty good. Didn't need to apply concealer on my dark circles.
    Brightened my skin in a gorgeous dewy way!
    It is meant for dry skin thus moisturizes really well.
    Matched my skin 100% (oh yeah!)
    Has caviar!
    Ordered from Amazon for $16 so again, really affordable!
    SPF 25 PA++
    This DOES whitens skin

Cons:    I didn't like the packaging, I know its cute and all but it kinda bothers me that I won't know how much product is still inside, and that I can't do anything to pump everything out of the bottle.
    Can get you oily especially during the hot summer days.

SKIN 79 Mushroom Multi Care BB Cream #2

Pros:    Moisturizes and leaves a just enough dewy finish
    Coverage is light but that's okay since it still managed to hide some redness
    Packaging is cute like most Korean products, and its also a tube so there's no chance of spilling. Awesome! hee hee.
    I haven't used this consistent enough to tell if the whitening is effective, although I heard it did for others

Cons:    The smell is a little bit grassy for me, but that's just my opinion :-)
    Consistency is kinda thick compared to the other 3 (although it blended well once applied.)
    Has SPF20 PA+


OVERALL, my favorite is obviously the Skin 79 Gold. It was actually my first BB Cream purchase and I am so happy to have found it on Amazon! Let's face it, these BB Creams are not easily accessible, luckily there are sellers on Amazon and ebay that carry these. ^_____^



Ebay Sellers:

rubyruby76
cosmetic.love - offers free samples!
zinopark

Amazon Sellers:
CP Cosmetics
Emma's Cosmetics & Skincare



Feel free to leave a comment or suggestion if you know of a BB Cream that's made you happy like these bad boys did to me! :-)