TAKE THE DAY OFF CLINIQUE- FIRST TIME TO REVIEW

First off, I'm not an expert when in comes to make up, can't even make a full make-up face. But don't get me wrong, I love make up. I have some fave make up products and like watching make-up vlogs and even have favorite make up vloggers and bloggers as well^.^.
This is my first time to write a product review,though a bit hesitant ^.^. 
Just to be clear, we have different skin types so this product may be great for me but not for you. Just want to share how happy I am after discovering this product, accidentally. Yup! You heard it right. I'm not looking for a make up remover because for the reason that, in the first place I don't use make up everyday, I'm a housewife so, everyday I'm just at home doing house chores ^.^ Whenever I go out, mostly, I only wear lipstick and powder,that's it!

Got this product last year December, it was included in a promo package that I bought in Clinique. By the way, Clinique is my facial skin care for years now. And they got this promotion last year that when you've reached a certain amount of cliniqiue products they will give you this small tin box together with different kinds of clinique products in travel size.

Come 2017, one time after coming home from a trip, mejo sinipag ako before heading to our trip earlier that day, I decided to apply some make up and as I was preparing myself to bed, that's when I saw this Clinique Take the Day Off, waiting to be used ^.^. And it's exactly what I needed at the time ^.^. 

It says on the bottle: 
     Lightweight cleansing balm quickly dissolves tenacious face and eye makeups, including those with sunscreen. It transform from a solid balm into a silky fluid oil upon application. Use fingertips to massage balm over dry skin. Rinse well.
Without washing my face, I took a reasonable amount of the balm, massaged it all over my face and to my neck ^.^. Then rinse it with water. Since, I'm a bit doubtful of this product(it's my first time), I used my Clinique toner to check if my face is makeup free after rinsing, and surprisingly yes! all my makeup was gone ^.^ Then I applied my Clinique Moisturizer. The following day, I noticed some changes in my face. It's clean, fresh clear and my blemishes became a little lighter than yesterday, and it feels softer. It made me very happy. I just finished the travel size and now I bought the full size and it's huge hehehe.. You can see it in the photo above and it only costs 135RM. Now, whenever I got some makeup on, I'm not worried anymore 'coz I know that there's this balm that I can use to make sure that I'm makeup free before going to bed and gives me a clean,clear face the next day. Such a huge help for me. I have a Combination Skin, partly oily and dry ^.^. I'm not prone to pimples, but I have blemishes(almost a year now), I think it's because of the weather here in Malaysia, always sunny ^.^ If your here in Malaysia, I purchase my Clinique at Parkson inside Mahkota Parade,Melaka.

So that's it my friends. 
For online purchase, click here.
See you on my next post, I'm thinking of sharing my fave Sunscreens.. 

Renelah

MY HEALTHY HOMEMADE FISHBALL

Fish balls! Fishballs! as manong calls out selling, one of Philippines' popular street food. Dipping it with sweet and spicy sauce, who couldn't resist that ^.^

Today, I'm sharing how I made my Healthy version of "Fishball". That's the main difference of home cooked food/meal, it's always the healthier version ^.^

Staying quite sometime here in Malaysia, we get to miss Filipino dishes and snacks, a lot!! And the only way to satisfy such cravings is to cook them myself. Being said that, let's begin cooking Fishballs!

I used Asian Sea Bass for this dish,locally called as Siakap, but I guess you can use any fish that you like, just be sure it's fresh. 

The main reason I choose Siakap is because of it's size which makes it easier to scrape the fish meat off. Just one Big Siakap can make a lot of fish balls. 

Luckily, the guy in the market cleaned the fish without me asking. So, I scrapped the fish meat off and debone as well. I don't have a food processor at home, so I just chopped the meat manually ^.^ using the back of the knife. Then transferred it in a big glass bowl, continued pressing the meat using a spoon, making sure the meat is free from any bones and well grounded.

Doing this process will make the fish sticky and smooth until close to a paste texture. Be prepared!! making this dish requires a lot of manual labor which will make you exhausted, but at the end all your hard work will pay off! Continue this process until the mixture is smooth and sticky. 

In a separate bowl, whisk 2 medium eggs, then add salt and pepper.

      

I mentioned healthy fish balls, right? I decided to add some vegetables, diced carrots and potato, one each. Then mixed with the egg batter.

Adding cornstarch and all purpose flour. Another step where you need constant stirring to make sure all ingredients are well amalgamated. Add water according to the batter consistency, not too moist and not too dry. 

This is my first time making a fish ball, so I just used my cooking instincts ^.^.
And finally, combine the fish meat and batter together. Use those muscles ^.^ mixing all the ingredients together. I occasionally switched hands when mixing the batter, it's a tiring process. But I'm up for the challenge!

This is how it looks like after mixing all the ingredients. You see the final batter, like I've mentioned earlier, it should be not too moist nor too dry. And lastly, before shaping it into small balls, I did the taste test first ^.^ I fried half spoon, enough to check its taste. 

Here are the ingredients that was used:

     Siakap

     1  cup Flour

     1/2 cup Cornstarch

     2 Medium Size Eggs

     Salt and Pepper

     1 Carrot

     1 Potato

Using a spoon and my clean hands, I wet my palm first with a little cooking oil, this is to avoid the batter from sticking into my palm, shaped it into flat balls, I just like it that way ^.^. 

Frying the fish balls:

     1. In a deep medium pot, heat cooking oil. 

     2. One by one add fish balls and stir it occasionally, to avoid them from sticking to each other. 

     3. Remove fish balls when golden brown and puffed.

     4. Place cooked fishballs in a bowl covered with paper towel.

I know what you're thinking ^.^ nde sya kamukha ng fishball na bini-benta ni Manong hehehe..

Making Sweet and Spicy Sauce:

     1. In a pan, combine water with soy sauce, vinegar, brown sugar, flour, little cornstarch, minced garlic, salt and pepper. Stir well and add chili as per your liking. Adjust ingredients according to your taste preferences.

     2. Bring to a boil under low heat. Stir occasionally until sauce thickened.

     3. Once your desired taste is met and sauce thickness, remove pan from the fire.

Commending my husband for helping me on this part, I just add all the sauce ingredients but he's the one who made the sauce taste great. The first sauce I cooked was a bit bland. He repaired the sauce and turned it into that familiar taste that we crave for ^.^ Lucky me.

At this point, all my hard work finally paid off. 

Seating side by side, hubby and I, enjoyed our first fish balls, dipping in a sweet and spicy sauce. Bringing a slice of home in a simple dish on our table. Sharing laughters with our fishball stories ^.^.

See you on our next post!

Renelah

ABOUT US

Hi! We are Rene and Leah, happily married. Currently residing here
in Malaysia.
Welcome to our online blog.

One fine afternoon, I've decided to create this blog. Without any sense of, maybe creativity?, with the eagerness to start, I decided to name it My Simple Life.
I love writing, though, I can say I'm not that good at it ☺. I love reading blogs, on how people express themselves through words and create a connection with their readers/followers.

Wishing that I can also have that connection, if ever I have a reader, well, who knows..

My husband and I, love to travel. We both have an itchy feet ☺. Love going to new places, long road trips paired with great music to sing along to, and experience new things. 
Though acrophobic, I love adventure.
Pico de Loro was our first climb, together with friends(experienced mountain hikers), whilst tired and exhausted, we reached the peak with a happy heart and feeling accomplished conquering acrophobia.
Believing that life is meant to be enjoyed by means of travelling.
This blog is not only about our travels, but also about our regular everyday life.


As a housewife and residing in a foreign land, we get to miss our favorite viands, foods and snacks back home. And to pacify these cravings, I learned and still learning on how to cook them. But to be clear, I'm not an expert in cooking, just being very patient and willing to learn new things. Anyway, I have a very good critic and mentor, my hubby, the love of my life ^.^. 
Helping me whenever I'm into new things and providing full support all the way. Because of this, I'm glad to share these recipes with you guys. 
I know that we all have our own unique cooking style, just want to share mine maybe as for reference.

A part of this blog, is about our second home here in Malaysia, the town of Muar. I want people to see how we view Muar in our perspective, the experiences, places, people and the food. The friends that we gained, locals and foreigners alike.
We are just regular couple who loves to share our story, thinking that maybe, just maybe, our experiences can inspire others, 'coz other people's stories also helped us in a way or two.

Join us as we discover the world and how we live Our Simple Life. 

Creating this blog with a cheerful heart. Spreading only love and happiness.
Welcome! And hope that YOU welcome us as well.

Renelah