Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons / 1½ oz ghee (minyak sapi)
- 2 onions, peeled and finely sliced
- 10 shallots (red onions), peeled and finely sliced
- 12 large green chilies, de-seeded and cut in halves (optional)
- 1 limes (limau nipis) - halved
- 1 lemongrass (serai) - halved and bruised
- 10 cherry tomatoes - halved
- 4 cm / 2 inch cinnamon bark (kulit kayu manis)
- 3 star anise
- 4 cardamom pods
- 5 cloves
- 3 tablespoons of kurma or korma powder
- 1 kilogram / 2 pounds / 3 oz chicken
- 1 litre / 32 fl oz coconut milk (santan cair)
- 1 cup water
- 4 potatoes, quartered
- 150 millilitres / 5 fl oz natural yoghurt
- 6 tablespoons / 1½ oz almond, finely grounded
- 4 tablespoons / 1 fl oz crisp-fried shallots (bawang goreng)
- Handful of coriander (cilantro, chinese parsley or ketumbar) - finely sliced
- Handful of mint leaves (daun pudina) - finely sliced
- Salt, pepper and sugar to taste
Paste A (to be finely grounded):
- 15 shallots (red onion), peeled
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled
- 2 cm / 1 inch of ginger, peeled
- 1 onion
Paste B (to be finely grounded):
- 1 bunch parsley
- 5 coriander roots - cleaned, save leaves for garnish
- 10 sprigs mint leaves (daun pudina) - save half for garnish
- 4 green chilies, seeds removed
- 1 cup of water
Method
- Melt ghee in a pot and fry 1 onion together with the fresh shallots.
- Add in spices: cinnamon, star anise, cardamom, cloves, and lemongrass.
- Fry till fragrant and golden.
- Add in Paste (A), Stir-fry for 5 minutes.
- Then, add in korma powder and Paste (B).
- Stir well and fry for approximately 20 minutes over moderate heat till excess oil begins to appear on the surface.
- Wait for a few minutes until most of the water has been evaporated.
- Add in chicken pieces and continue cooking over moderate heat for 5 minutes.
- Add in coconut milk, water, potatoes, grounded almonds and 4 green chilies.
- Also add in salt, pepper and sugar to taste.
- Stir well and simmer gently over a low fire till gravy thickens and chicken becomes tender (approximately 35 minutes).
- Just prior to serving, add in yoghurt, a squeeze of fresh lime juice, cherry tomatoes, mint and coriander leaves, fried shallots and the remaining green chilies.
- Fold them together and simmer for another half a minute.
- Dish onto a serving plate.
- Garnish with crisp-fried shallots (to taste).
- Serve with rice or Nasi Biryani.
Note: Beef and Mutton can be substituted for Chicken.
Shade & Light Contour Palette joins the numerous options recently launched by many cosmetic brands (capitalizing on the trend with a capital C). Thankfully, it's a refreshingly exceptional palette, which stands out from the crowd for several reasons that we'll review!
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of contouring with makeup, it is the strategic placement of deeper and lighter tones to the face—the goal to create an optical illusion of a more defined bone structure (cheekbones, for example), or a smaller nose or forehead.
Housed in Kat Von D's trademark heavy matte-black packaging, Shade & Light Contour Palette contains six powder shades of varying depth: There are three larger neutral brown tones for contouring, and three smaller pans of lighter shades for highlighting. All have a true matte finish—not even a hint of shimmer—and each has a beautifully soft texture that's pigmented yet blends easily into skin (no fallout among them). Another bonus: Each pan size is wide enough to work with that color cross-over isn't a problem.
In a thoughtful move, Kat Von D cleverly categorized this palette of six shades into three matching duos, with each contour and highlight shade complementing the other's tone and color depth. This grouping takes some of the guesswork out for you, but don't be afraid to experiment with any of the shades depending on your intended purpose (Kat Von D also included a handy instruction card demonstrating a few techniques to get you started).
All six shades are mostly neutral, with some straying a bit into a slightly warmer undertone range. Let's take a closer look at each.
Contour Shades:
Highlight Shades:
Each of the highlight shades lends a brightened look to skin without shimmer, and doesn't leave a grey or ashy cast.
The shades are easy to work with and are suitable for multiple skin tones, but those with very fair or porcelain complexions may find that they are limited to the very lightest of what this palette offers. We should note that all of the shades are also suitable for use as powder brow color or eyeshadow.
On that note, you may also find Shade & Light Contour Palette appealing for a different reason: It also doubles as an excellent bronzer "palette," allowing you to create a more natural tanned appearance to skin. We tried it on a few different skin tones, and the lighter and deeper shades worked well for this purpose, as a natural tan isn't uniform in color.
It's tricky to use bronzers to contour because such products tend to have inherently warmer undertones, but here you can have the best of both—one more reason we're loving this truly versatile palette!
Shade & Light Contour Palette earned our highest rating for its concept, value (there is a substantial amount of product here), and range of shade options for different skin tones. Each shade looks beautifully natural on skin, and lacks the shimmer and unnatural undertones of other contour palettes we've come across. If you've been searching for a contour (or bronzing) palette, this is one to check out on your next trip to Sephora!
Pros:
Cons:
If you are unfamiliar with the concept of contouring with makeup, it is the strategic placement of deeper and lighter tones to the face—the goal to create an optical illusion of a more defined bone structure (cheekbones, for example), or a smaller nose or forehead.
Housed in Kat Von D's trademark heavy matte-black packaging, Shade & Light Contour Palette contains six powder shades of varying depth: There are three larger neutral brown tones for contouring, and three smaller pans of lighter shades for highlighting. All have a true matte finish—not even a hint of shimmer—and each has a beautifully soft texture that's pigmented yet blends easily into skin (no fallout among them). Another bonus: Each pan size is wide enough to work with that color cross-over isn't a problem.
In a thoughtful move, Kat Von D cleverly categorized this palette of six shades into three matching duos, with each contour and highlight shade complementing the other's tone and color depth. This grouping takes some of the guesswork out for you, but don't be afraid to experiment with any of the shades depending on your intended purpose (Kat Von D also included a handy instruction card demonstrating a few techniques to get you started).
All six shades are mostly neutral, with some straying a bit into a slightly warmer undertone range. Let's take a closer look at each.
Contour Shades:
- Subconscious: A taupe/tan shade that is the lightest of the contours and has subtle grey undertones.
- Shadowplay: A soft, tawny brown that has a slightly warmer undertone than Subconscious.
- Sombre: A deep chocolate shade with warm undertones.
Highlight Shades:
- Lucid: A pale, pink-hued sand shade.
- Lyric: A light, golden beige.
- Levitation: Light to medium peachy-pink.
Each of the highlight shades lends a brightened look to skin without shimmer, and doesn't leave a grey or ashy cast.
The shades are easy to work with and are suitable for multiple skin tones, but those with very fair or porcelain complexions may find that they are limited to the very lightest of what this palette offers. We should note that all of the shades are also suitable for use as powder brow color or eyeshadow.
On that note, you may also find Shade & Light Contour Palette appealing for a different reason: It also doubles as an excellent bronzer "palette," allowing you to create a more natural tanned appearance to skin. We tried it on a few different skin tones, and the lighter and deeper shades worked well for this purpose, as a natural tan isn't uniform in color.
It's tricky to use bronzers to contour because such products tend to have inherently warmer undertones, but here you can have the best of both—one more reason we're loving this truly versatile palette!
Shade & Light Contour Palette earned our highest rating for its concept, value (there is a substantial amount of product here), and range of shade options for different skin tones. Each shade looks beautifully natural on skin, and lacks the shimmer and unnatural undertones of other contour palettes we've come across. If you've been searching for a contour (or bronzing) palette, this is one to check out on your next trip to Sephora!
Pros:
- Contains a wide range of natural-looking shades.
- Each color is matte, blends easily, and wears well.
- Clever design groups highlight/contour shades into groups.
- Doubles as a bronzer palette.
- Fragrance-free.
Cons:
- None
Talk about a long time coming! Well past the time when Clinique clearly knew Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion wasn’t dramatically different in the least, they still recommended their poorly formulated lotion as an essential skin-care step in their famous three-step routine.
Although the original lotion remains a mundane, not-as-good-as-Lubriderm option for normal to dry skin, it is and always has been ill-suited for those dealing with oiliness or breakouts. Therefore, for those loyal to Clinique’s basic regimen and for those looking for a more affordable department-store moisturizer, Dramatically Different Moisturizing Gel is a welcome addition.
The formula is more a lotion than a gel, but does feel quite light and silky on the skin. It does not contain any oils or heavy thickening agents, and this fragrance-free moisturizer is appropriate for normal to slightly dry or slightly oily skin. The only issue we have with the product is its meager antioxidant content (most of which function best as anti-irritants). Most of Clinique’s moisturizers are brimming with state-of-the-art ingredients, but this one, though certainly effective for its intended skin types, is plain by comparison—yet dramatically better than their original and still incredibly popular lotion.
NUDESTIX is a new brand created by two teenage sisters Ally and Taylor and their chemical engineer mother Jenny. It is all about simple, natural makeup that accentuates your natural beauty rather than covering it up with all kinds of makeup. I love the vision and message of this new brand. Especially for young girls. Too many girls are growing up learning about makeup on youtube and instagram from artists that can be quite creative and dramatic with their makeup. Don’t get me wrong, I love these mediums and I love seeing the amazing talent and work that is shared, but for young impressionable girls they are missing the beauty of their youth and going far overboard when it comes to makeup. I love the NUDESTIX message of “Makeup crayons for all faces, in all places.” Simple, easy, natural looking makeup to let your natural beauty shine through. Given that I am such a strong believer of the message the NUDESTIX brand represents I really wanted to love the products. Unfortunately I was a let down by the performance of the products, especially given their price point of (RM92)
The packaging of these products is great. I love the matte black metal tins that the pencils come in. There is a mirror inside the lid and there is lots of room inside so that you could throw several pencils in the tin to tote around in your handbag. The tin is longer for the Eye Pencils than it is for the Lip + Cheek pencil since the Eye Pencil is longer due to the smudger end on the pencil. Both products contain 1.41g/0.05oz of product. Each pencil also comes with it’s own sharpener which can be kept loose in the tin, placed on the end of the pencil, or use it in place of the standard cap on the pencils.
The NUDESTIX Eye Pencil in Stardust is a gorgeous sheer shimmering champagne. It applies smoothly to the eye and blends easily. The effect is really lovely. Unfortunately the shadow creased almost immediately on my lids. It migrated into the creases of my eye and faded almost completely away from the other areas of my lid. I don’t have oily lids so I don’t usually have much trouble in terms of eyeshadows creasing so I was surprised and disappointed to see it happen so quickly.
The NUDESTIX Lip + Cheek Pencil in Love is a pretty universal soft pink. The creamy texture applies comfortably to lips and is easily blended onto the cheeks for a lovely natural glow without shimmer. The formula is enriched with peptides, Shea butter, and vitamin E. While I didn’t experience the fading as quickly with the Lip + Cheek pencil as I did with the Eye Pencil the product still disappeared from my cheeks after several hours. It also never really sets or dries down on the cheeks so you are left with a creamy, slightly tacky feeling on your skin. Reminiscent of what you would feel if you applied a standard lipstick as a blusher in a pinch. While the wear time was also quite short on the lips, about two hours, I really loved the look and feel of the Lip + Cheek Pencil as a lip product and the colour Love is a really pretty shade.
Benefits
- Cream formula
- Nude/luminous barely there eyeshadow
- Soft and satiny feel and even color pay-off
- Preservative free
- No animal testing
- Smudge-tip applicator for easy blending and smoking
- Quenched and refreshed skin
- Constantly moisturized skin
- Healthier and stronger skin
- Apply a nut-sized amount of product after having applied the lotion.
- Smooth the product into the skin with stroking movements.
- Finish at the chin.
- Use morning and evening on cleansed skin.
- Natural-looking, dewy medium coverage.
- Superior shade range.
- Broad-spectrum sun protection (unusually high for a foundation).
- Added beneficial antioxidant ingredients.
- Contains the ingredient lavender oil—in an iffy amount—which research has shown poses more of a risk to skin than other forms of fragrance.