Godiva Ice Cream Parlor Truffles

I have a peculiar love of taking macro pictures of food cross-sections (don't ask me why).  So of course when Godiva released a seasonal collection of chocolates that has me super-excited - it's called Ice Cream Parlor - I just had to take some pictures of it!

Limited Edition Ice Cream Parlor Truffles

Our limited edition Ice Cream Parlor Truffle Collection has expanded with 2 new delicious flavors, Banana Split and Black Raspberry, offered in the Boutique Chocolate Case. These truffles join your returning favorites such as Mint Chocolate Chip, Rocky Road, Neapolitan, Pistachio, Double Dark Chocolate, Lemon Sorbet and Pecan Caramel Sundae.

The website lists only 6 ice cream truffles but I know there are at least 10+ varieties.  It's been next to impossible to find a full listing of all the available flavors (either Google has failed me or Godiva needs to work on their SEO).  Whatever, this is a collection Godiva has done before so I'm sure there are many other delectable flavors floating around out there.

Neapolitan, Mint Chocolate Chip, Banana Split, Pistachio

My crap photography skills don't do them justice but gosh, these little babies just melt my heart....   I only got 4 this time around but I'm sure next time I pass the shop it'll be another four (or all the other flavors available ^_~).

Our Neapolitan Ice Cream Parlor Truffles feature a dual center of strawberry and vanilla ganache, enrobed in milk chocolate.

Neapolitan - It's supposed to be the classic vanilla, chocolate, strawberry mix.  I put this one first cuz it was my least favorite :P The flavor was so typical and aside from how purty the cross-section is, I didn't really enjoy this one.  It just tastes like any ol' chocolate+strawberry sweet.  The strawberry tasted really artificial too.  I don't really recommend this one. 

Taste aside, the dual center certainly does photograph beautifully though doesn't it ^_^?  Also love the creamy consistency.

Not on website.

Banana Split - Milk chocolate+walnuts+strawberry+banana (the bottom).  The banana flavor was surprisingly strong in this one, and overall this actually tasted like a Banana Split.  I rather liked this one - the creamy banana taste was fairly unusual and made this taste authentically "banana-split"-y.   My bro said he thought it tasted bitter though, which I thought was odd.

Our delicious Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Parlor truffles feature mint ganache and Godiva chocolate chips, enrobed in a dark chocolate shell.

Mint Chocolate Chip - omg this seriously tastes just like a spoonful of warm mint chocolate chip!  If you like mint chocolate ice cream, you'll really like this one.  I will say the mint chocolate flavor itself is kind of prosaic (I mean the whole mint+dark chocolate thing has been done a million times) but the ice-cream-like texture really makes this truffle something special (to me).

Pistachio and white chocolate ganache is enrobed in a shell of rich dark and white Godiva chocolate, and sprinkled with crushed pistachios.

Pistachio - I don't actually like pistachios in nut form but I got this one because the lime green color charmed me so much~  Turns out to be probably my favorite among the four.  It just has that delicate, unmistakable pistachio flavor and the perfect whipped cream texture.  Twas delicious and is highly recommended ^_^

I hope you guys aren't grossed out by bite marks (because then you're probably barfing all over your keyboard now) :\  But I couldn't resist with all the funky centers ^^  Plus the texture of the cream centers were so exquisitely spot-on when it came to feeling like ice cream is melting on your tongue (albeit without the coldness).    Overall, I feel like the flavors can be a bit of a hit-or-miss and some of the flavors are definitely on the boring side :P  Real chocolate aficionados with a refined palate may want to pass on these truffles but for the everyday chocolate lover, these are definitely a treat :)   I'm no chocolate connoisseur and I suspect you can find far more complexly flavored chocolates out there.  But overall, Godiva definitely wins hands-down in the packaging and "charm" department.

*sigh* How could I have missed this collection before?

I'm particularly keen to try one of these truffle cones - it's $2.50 for literally one truffle (lord knows I'm paying for that thumb sized cone and little dribble of chocolate around the edges) but they are so frikkin cute!!  I have a bad feeling that it's going to become an obsession of mine to try every flavor xD

Well...enough of that :)  I hope everyone enjoyed their Memorial weekend!  My weekend was pretty chill...my fam went to a little beach in VA, grilled hotdogs and pork slices (how Asian), ate watermelons and cherries, caught a few crabs, and just relaxed in the cool breeze blowing off the lake.  I made a little vid which I may post later this week - it's really short but kind of funny because I basically made a twin sized bed out of one of the picnic tables ehehe

NOTD: Zoya Rica from the Sunshine 2011 Collection + Candyyy

Grrr...I'm still so annoyed with Blogger :( I lost about 2-3 drafted posts during the whole Blogger fiasco and I'm still sulking about it ^^;; I have to write my travel post again and for chrissake WHY won't the image uploader work in Firefox!?   I hate having to open Safari to just upload a picture into these posts.

Ok I'm dumb.  I somehow disabled 3rd party cookies ^^;; Now I can FINALLY COMMENT other people's blogs! So yeah.  If one day you're on blogger and your image uploader and/or you can't post comments - check if you enabled 3rd party cookies x}

Zoya Rica - 2 coats

Seche Vite Top Coat

Another NOTD, seriously? yeahhh I don't know why, but I am obsessed with painting my nails. It's therapeutic for me - painting my nails while watching to TV is my way of unwinding on Friday night ^_^ This is another slight repeat color for me; I usually wear it in a rainbow and this was my first time wearing it as a solo color.  It's a lovely color either way though isn't it ^_^?

Also - I haven't posted about CANDY in awhile. I've an uncontrollable sweet tooth so I'm forever snacking on candy of some kind and here are a few gems I've tried in the past few weeks months (plus a few favorites):

Steph of Julu Jewelry sent me this along with a pair of Angel Wing Pearl Earrings I ordered awhile back.  I love the earrings btw, I got them in lavender and I wear them pretty often since they are pearls and studded.  The pearl is quite large so they're very noticeable.  It's also in rhodium so no tarnishing~  Anyway, these alien-eggs are SO GOOD.  It's powdered matcha on the outside with a red been filling if I recall correctly. The triangle packaging is so cool too.  I wish I could find these in Asian markets but no luck :( SO GOOD, highly recommended indeed!

Bali's Best - SO AMAZINGGGGGGGG.  They sell these in random Asian markets now (Hmart and Hanaro) - YES.  My favorite hands down is the Green Tea Latte one.  It actually tastes like green tea!   The Latte candy (yellow bag) is pretty good too, it tastes like a real latte drink.  It's quite strong actually :)

The green tea is a little disk with no filling and the Latte Candy is fatter because it has a creamy milk center :)~  My 2nd favorite is Bali's Coffee candy. It's SO coffee-ish! It has no filling but it tastes like pure unadulterated black coffee.   I have also tried the Expresso candy, which has a filling as well.  That one is my dad's favorite because it's sweeter ^_^  Sadly, you can only buy in bulk from the official website, but there are a ton of sellers who sell individual bags online.  I am DYING to try the Citrus and Iced Tea Candy; if the Green Tea Latte one is any indication, it'll pure tea goodness :D  Sadly, I have never seen the Citrus or Iced Tea ones in stores :( I may very well order them online one day.  Everyone must try this brand!

Some quick replies to people because Blogger commenting is being such an ass:
Aki! - I tried posting on your blog but it was NOT WORKING :( But yes, I saw the tag and thank you very much for doing it ^_^

Suzy - yes I'll do this tag soon.  I just need to take a pic :} Thank you for tagging me.

Eleonora - Yep, I visited Dongdaemun!  I forgot my camera that day though so no pics :( I liked the setup a lot but everything seemed a little overpriced to me after being in Busan for some reason though :P I had A LOT of fun there just walking around there and I'll definitely be going back. What's the name of the restaurant?  I'll be going back to Korea in October I think and I'd love to stop by there.

....and I think that is all the questions ^_^  Man I have missed the blog-o-sphere....14 days = 14 Internet years ahah.

Raindance Makeup Tutorial + Raincloud Earrings + Blueberry Kitkats!

This is a blue post: blue rain drops, blue eye makeup, blueberry kitkats~ I must confess that I am not sure if this qualifies as a "wearable" look tho... it looks more like a 'snow' look rather than a 'rain' look...rats. Oh well.  I'm still rather fond of the colors I used here, I have such a weakness for blues and greens ^_^

Products Used:
Missha Color Stick Eyes in WH01
Maybelline Quad in Charcoal Smokes
Daiso Shine Eyes palette in Blue
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Flipside
Koji Dolly Wink Liquid Liner in Black
Maybelline The Falsies in Black
R&R Blush in Foreplay
Tutti Dolci Lipgloss in Lemon Meringue (smells SO good)

On Face:
Skinfood Mushroom BBcream in Shade 1
Benefit Boi-ing Concealer in Shade 2

On Nails:
Zoya Ibiza
Nubar 2010

I'm not sure where you can buy the Daiso Shine Eyes palette I'm using here.  I suspect that the palette I'm using is the same as this, just arranged differently and with a different name.  The color swatches look exactly the same.  Anyway, I really do recommend this palette - so pigmented!  The down side is that my whole palette shattered (in case you couldn't tell ^^) and it's constantly shedding powder everywhere -_- And I'll just say now that I am obsessed with the Maybelline Quads - I bought two more >_< - but they were on sale at Walmart for $4-5 :D! so now I have five total and dare I say I like them more than the UD Naked palette *cough* Don't ask me why ^^;; I just do.

My beloved grey knit cap is turning a faded green from many washings :\ As for why I'm wearing a scarf so weird...I'll let you in on a little secret - I was wearing PJs (it was the weekend!) so I covered up my top with a scarf ^_^  Here tis a closeup:

I have a little errant tail of blue eyeliner on the center of the lid xD! But I'm more annoyed with my eyelid...I don't understand how I line my lashes right along my lashline yet when I open my eyes, I look like I put too much eyeliner on towards the outer half. Argh!?   Much like Rimmel Airy Fairy turning a hideous shade of purple on me, this remains a mystery to me :\

Anyway, I just adore these Raincloud earrings, the more I wear them, the more I fall in love ^_^  I always get compliments on them and they're so comfortable!   I knew I didn't regret getting them the second they came out of the box, the molten look of the clouds just totally makes it for me.  And of course...candy.

The one of the left was a delicious sweet green tea flavored caramel (I think).  As for the one on the right, Steph warned me it that the coating was really bitter (like real matcha). It was ^_^ at first I was like wtf O_O, but then once the bitter coating melted away, it made sweetness of the chewy center was that much better.  Overall, definitely a good candy. I appreciate how real matcha powder was used and the overall effect of the candy is authentic and not cloyingly sweet.  Very memorable!  It's a real pity that I haven't seen either of these at Asian markets around me :(

I was so thrilled to try the blueberry Kitkat! I've chatted about the greatness that is Japanese KitKats before, so trying another flavor was *heaven*.  The coating was milk chocolate with a mild blueberry filling between the wafers.  I kinda wish the blueberry flavor was stronger (I adore blueberries), but I still enjoyed this kitkat quite a bit. I ate it all too fast :(  Since blueberry is such a mild, delicate flavor, I think it would've been better to coat this in white chocolate with blueberry bits (and a bit of blueberry flavoring ^_^).  I think it'd be so pretty!  A white chocolate bar with flecks of blue :D like blueberry and cream~

Anyway, that's all for now!

Puccho Kajitsu King Candy + Otano no topo (Creme Brulee) + Award

Nothing like spending a leisurely Sunday eating sweets, watching My Fair Wedding reruns, and surfing the internet.  Love it ^_^

Let me introduce you to one of the most interesting candy I've eaten in awhile - Puccho Kajitsu King candy.  The bag makes me chuckle ^^ It's pretty off the wall even considering the Asian love of kooky packaging~ 

It has real chunks of dried strawberry and pineapple in it and is made by the same company who makes Hi-Chew, so the white part has a similar (if not identical) flavor and consistency.

I really dig how they used real bits of fruit in the candy, which you can really taste since the white part doesn't really taste like much - it tastes (and looks) exactly the same as the white coating on the Hi-chew candies.  There is a definite pineapple flavor, more than strawberry, which is understandable since it's naturally a stronger flavor. Since there's fruit the texture of the candy is pretty odd...dried fruit + chewy candy but it's not unpleasant. 

This is definitely one of the more unique candies I've ever eaten and it's my brother's favorite Asian candy - and that's saying something since he always tries every piece of candy I buy (usually behind my back -____-).  ahhah and it is certainly a must try :}

Otona no topo is a kind of bastardized Pocky ^_^ all the coating is on the inside~

Each box came with two packets :} The hollow tubes are coated on the inside with a (really) sweet creme brulee flavored cream, but it lacked the subtly of real creme brulee so I actually didn't like this too much :\  The cracker part was oddly...salty?  and that made the cream even sweeter.  I prefer the "real" Pocky ^_^  You won't be missing out on much if you don't try this I think.

Also, this is much belated post but Elisa of Memorable Days was kind enough to tag me for this awhile back :)

I tried valiantly to not tag people who have been tagged before by me so here goes to my more recent discoveries (or those I hadn't gotten to tagging till now) who have impressed me with their well-rounded posts and lovely personalities:

1. Dina (XYYan)
2. Bubbles & Beauty
3. Slowbro's Dreams
4. patikym
5. Bibi
6. Silky Bow
7. Beauty & Gardens
8. Rinny's Beauty Diary
9. The Little Dust Princess
10. The Pioneer Woman - this isn't a "beauty" blog but who doesn't know this lady?!   She takes lovely landscape and food photos for one thing and just about the only person I can think of who talks so much about cows xD   She's really catapulted to fame via her blog - she's been on Food Network, published a cook book, is writing another book (a love story) and apparently it's being made into a movie with Reese Witherspoon in it O_O  And her photographs...*_*!
11. Musings of an Offbeat Biped
12. eyeseeyouuu - circle lens and her pencil sketches O_O
13. Cosmeddicted
14. BethLovesApple
15. Buhay sa Korea - Filipino living in Seoul.  One of the few strictly personal blogs I read ^_^

FYI: I tagged a lot of people in previous award tags but I'm really bad with going around and 'alerting' people ^_^ So, please - if you have time, please mosey on over through my old award tags cuz I prolly tagged you and didn't tell you :P

I hope everyone's having a wonderful weekend!

A Sweet Post-Christmas All Bundled Up!

I hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas!  Can you believe 2011 is just four days away!?  I spent most of Christmas all bundled up :D  This is the cozy, soft furry blanket that my dad got me~ It's so light yet warm and SO SOFT.  He bought it at Hanaro Food (yes, a grocery store) because he said he noticed I would always stop by to pet it xD  I have the best dad ^_^

Stellamor is apparently the "No. 1 blanket manufacturer in Korea. Other brands: Uno, Aroma, Safari and Stellamor." Their official website (English) shows a lot of really pretty prints (including Disney ^^), but Hanaro only had this old fashioned Oriental-rug print :P  This is an "acrylic mink blanket" and very easy to wash, much easier than a huge comforter, which is why this kind of blanket is usually used in Korea as an extra winter blanket to go between you and your comforter.   Apparently it can be used outdoors (as a picnic blanket) as well. It's a surprisingly light and thin blanket, so even a queen-size fits easily into a washing machine.  It was $39.99 for a Queen-size.

I got the blue colored blanket (it shows a red blanket on all the packages :P).  I wasn't crazy about the Oriental-carpet-ish pattern, but gosh darn - IT'S SO SOFT.    I washed it right after I opened it since it smelled like plastic from the packaging and there was absolutely no pilling and was still so soft!   Word has it that this blanket is popular since it's never supposed to pill or lose it's softness like fleece does. If you ever see this in your local market/K-town area, I so recommend getting this.  It'd be great for college students (warm, machine washable, very portable since it's thin and light) and I can literally see myself keeping this for the next several years (if not decades :D).  It's just a very high-quality blanket for a remarkably reasonable price.

Since it started snowing in VA today, I did some mini-hauling from the comfort of my home ;)   I picked up a few products from Boscia, Pretty & Cute and a few nail polishes from Ebay. Here are the sales I partook in:

1.) Boscia: A flat $10 off $30+ with free shipping with $45+.  You also get 3 free samples with any purchase (like Sephora ^_^).  I got 2 items that was exactly $45 after the discount, so that I qualified for free shipping.  Overall I was able to pick up both products for $22.50/each~ Not bad since this winter has been really dry and my sheet masks are barely keeping the flakiness at bay.  I need something intensely more hydrating so we'll see if the Intensifying Moisture Pack + does the trick :)  I got the Smooth Facial Polish as well because I can never resist exfoliating products, but this one is supposed to be very gentle - aka perfect for winter.  Ends 12/31/2010.  

2.) Pretty & Cute:  P&C has been bringing in a lot of new things from various brands lately, but I'm only interested in the new Lioele products.  It was a pretty small haul of mostly lip products and the new Lioele Princess nail polishes, which reminded me of beautiful Easter eggs ^_^  Perfect for spring I think!  I'll prolly review them quite soon since nail polishes and lip products are things that don't need to be used long to know if they're "good quality" or not. Ends 12/31/2010.

I also picked up some petit fours from Wegmans!  They came in a box of 8 with 2 of each flavor ^_^ I've always thought petit fours are the cutest thing so I couldn't resist these!  They're basically bite-sized cakes. Don't they look so cute lined up in a row like that :D?  I think the yummiest looking one is the 2nd from the left~

Green: My favorite! Green-tinted white chocolate on the outside and white cake with apricot and a buttercream filling. It's quite sweet but it tastes exactly as a petit four should I think!

Chocolate: It's coated in dark chocolate with chocolate cake and a "white icing" filling. It's good, not too sweet, but rather 'typical' tasting.

Lemon: Vanilla and lemon flavored coating with some kind of fruit filling, raspberry I think. I didn't like this one very much. I think the artificial color and flavor of the pink filling kind of threw me off...it's tart but not...satisfying. It's a weird clash of tastes, lemon and something tart. My least favorite.

Another Chocolate: Dark chocolate coat with yellow cake and a raspberry filling and rum I think. There was definitely some kind of alcohol in it cause it made my throat warm. I wasn't crazy about this one either because I don't like rum in my sweets.  While rum does add a certain complexity to the flavor of chocolate, it just wasn't subtle or pleasing here.

Sweet Pumpkin Pocky, a cute little spin off the classic Pocky I'd say~ I think it's was a seasonal flavor for Fall (Halloween).

Adorable packaging huh ^_^?

Flavor-wise I don't have much to say...it's not pumpkin per se, maybe a sweet pumpkin pie.  The wheat cracker stick is the same as all the other Pocky and the coating is a vanilla-pumpkin pie-esque flavor. The coating is very thin so the taste is quite subtle.  It's yummy, but nothing to write home about.  So if you don't get to try this, rest assured you are not missing out on much.  I just get a craving for Pocky every once in awhile so this fulfilled it :)

And that's all for now!  

UPDATE: And oh yes, today is Boxing Day!  This day is traditionally when people distribute gifts to the needy and public service people; and while everyone should knock themselves out hauling, don't forget to set aside a little something for your mailman/post office or drop off something at the Salvation Army~   I for one, know that my mail peeps deserve a little something....lord knows they lug up enough packages to my doorstep from Hong Kong/Japan/Korea ^_^