Chocolate Covered Candied Orange Peel

So happy to do my first food blog!  I've been wanting to try and make these chocolate treats  for the longest time, I figured there is no better time to start than right now.  The chocolate covered candied orange peels turned out so well, so I want to share the recipe with you all.   I’m sure they make the perfect munchy for you and your guest this holiday season.  You’d want to make extra and tuck away some just for your own!

Ingredients

6 thick-skinned oranges (I used navel)

4 1/2 cups of sugar, plus extra for rolling (I used extra fine sugar for rolling)

1 1/2 cups of water

1 cup of dark chocolate (or whatever kind you prefer)

Directions

Cut the tops and bottoms from the oranges.

Score each orange peel into 4 equal pieces, cutting only the peel, not the fruit.

Remove each piece of skin with pith off of orange.

Cut the peel into strips about 1/4 inch wide.

Put orange peel into a large pot with cold water to cover.  

Bring to boil over high heat, pour off water.

Repeat for one or two times depending on your taste preference.  

This is to remove the bitterness of the pith.  I boiled mine three times total.

Whisk together sugar and water, bring to simmer over medium heat until sugar is dissolved.

Add peels and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour, or until peels are translucent.  

Stir gently so peels do not break.

Drain the peels and place them on cooling rack to dry over night.

Save the syrup for ice tea!

Day 2, while the peels are well drained yet still sticky to the touch, roll in super fine sugar and return back to rack for further drying.  I rolled about half of my peels in sugar, and left the other half just as is, just to have variety.  The drying takes anywhere from 1 to 3 days depending on humidity.  

Day X, after countless hours of staring and drooling over your peels, the time has finally come!  Melt chocolate, I prefer dark, and dip each peel in chocolate and place on parchment paper to dry.  If you like the peels without chocolate, that is perfectly fine too.  

If you like, before chocolate sets, decorate the peels with holiday sugar sprinkles, or drizzle white chocolate to add extra wow factor.  Voilà!  Enjoy, and remember to package peels in cute plastic bags or boxes to use as holiday party favors for friends and family!

XOXO

Jia

Bond (Girl) Fever - Skyfall Nail Polish by OPI

I was real excited to see the latest Bond movie Skyfall at Cinépolis with boyfriend.  It was no doubt a first class experience, the luxury cinema even offered special Bond cocktails such as the classic Vesper, and couple modern drinks Honey Ryder and Miss Moneypenny.  The movie was brilliant, and Daniel Craig is by far my most favored Bond ever!  The Bond girl Séverine played by French actress Bérénice Marlohe definitely caught my attention as well, there was something different about her, maybe her mysteriousness and complexity... 

Celebrating 50th anniversary of the iconic British Spy James Bond, and the release of Skyfall, OPI has created a Bond themed nail polish collection, with colors named after some of the stand-out films such as The World is not Enough, Goldeneye, The Spy who Loved me, and etc.  Amongst all, the supremely decadent 18k Gold Leaf top coat, The Man with the Golden Gun!

I really wanted to recreate the Séverine look, with Skyfall, a deep maroon on top and a sparkly gold on the undersides. 

Two coat of Skyfall, very smooth application, beautiful job OPI! 

For the gold effect on the undersides, I used ORLY Instant Artist in 24K Glitter instead.  Since it is quite similar to Goldeneye by OPI, I didn't feel the need to purchase a new one.

It was a messy job painting the color on the underside, maybe because my nails are not as long as they need to be.  But for ladies with longer nails, definitely try this design, very fun and very unique, great for the holiday season IMO!

See the complete Skyfall collection at OPI website.  And remember to catch the Skyfall movie in theater this holiday season!

XOXO

Jia

Let's Celebrate like it's 12.12.12!

Just want to make a mark here and share a few fun facts about 12.12.12 with you all :)

1. At 1:21:02 a.m., palindrome lovers everywhere can rejoice in the single second that marks when the date-time combination is the same read both forwards and backwards: 
2012-12-12 1:21:02 = 201212-1-212102.

2. Dec. 12 is the last of the repeating dates until Jan. 1, 2101. Repeating dates (like 12/12/12) can, for obvious reasons, only occur in the first 12 years of a century.

3. Those who wish to take part in yet another time-based phenomenon, at 12:12:12 pm, the number 12 will be given a “sixer” – 12/12/12 12:12:12.

TWELVE NOTABLE TWELVES:
12 days of Christmas.
12 months in a year.
12 pairs of ribs in most humans.
12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous.
12 hours on a clock face.
12 strikes to bowl a perfect game.
12 people have walked on the moon.
12 face cards in a deck.
12 apostles of Jesus.
12 jurors in felony trials in all but four states, federal and D.C. courts.
12 signs of the Zodiac.
12 inches in a foot.

XOXO

Jia

New Item! Mix & Matching

Just watched Silver Lining Playbook, with two of my favorite actors Bradley Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, over the weekend.  I liked the movie very much and thought it was meaningful and entertaining at the same time!  Pat, Cooper's character, suffers from bipolar disorder and dramatized after witnessing his wife cheating, is determined to get his life back in track, using positive thinking and his motto 'Excelsior'!  I left the theater feeling revived and that everything in life was okay again~

Back to real business here (＾ω＾)  I've always liked making something that is a little more interesting and not quite monotonic.  I'm quite happy with how these earrings turned out, as they are perfectly mixed and matched with different colors, stones, textures and shapes.

Hope you like them as well!  Find these earrings in my shop here.

XOXO

Jia

New Item! Citrine Aventurine Flower Earrings

Inspired by earrings worn by the stunning British beauty and opera singer Katherine Jenkins :)  Aside from her heavenly voice, Katherine was one of my all time favorite from ABC show Dancing with the Stars, and IMO she and Mark should have have been the winner of the season!

As you can see I have made some changes from the original pair worn by Katherine.  I'm really happy with the design and the rich citrine color of the aventurine.  Hope you guys like them as well!

Find details about these lovely earrings here in my Etsy shop.

XOXO

Jia

Give Great

Great news!  

10 days of great holiday shopping starts today!  

My most sincere appreciation for all of you, dear blog readers and Etsy customers.

  Visit my shop Le Petit Ruban and

Receive 10% OFF all product with code: GG1012

Offer expires midnight PST December 14th, 2012

U.S. customers, order early to grantee Christmas delivery!

Shipping upgrade to Priority or Express mail available, just contact me for details.

XOXO

Jia

New Item! Petite Lace Needlework Earrings

Brand new addition to Le Petit Ruban's Paris collection!  

When one thinks of Paris, one thinks romance.  When one thinks of romance, one thinks soft candle lights, slow dance songs and those take-your-breath-away lacy things.  I love laces not only because lace has been big this year through out fashion.  Lace is sweet, feminine and full of character.  

These petite golden lace earrings are very adorable and delicate.  Definitely minimalist, definitely sweet, one of my favorite piece! 

Earrings can be purchased here at my Etsy shop :)

XOXO

Jia

Sinful Indulgences

As an Etsy seller, I find myself spending a ton of time, energy editing and perfecting product photos.  Which can be fun but painful at the same time.  As I am working away on this gloomy San Diego afternoon, I felt I needed something to warm me through and lift me up... :)  

Hidden in the back of my kitchen shelve, are these hot chocolate mixes I picked up over the Thanksgiving weekend from Williams Sonoma.  Why are they hidden you ask?  Because they are SO good, they are bad!  Unlike regular hot chocolate, these mixes are made from real chocolate shavings, as soon as I open the container, I already feel the rich chocolaty aroma filling my nose.  The package suggest to combine 5 tablespoons of the mix with 1 cup of whole milk.  I find that ratio a bit too intense for me, it is almost like drinking liquid chocolate, though I'm sure some true chocoholics out there love the stuff.  I like mine with just 4 tablespoons of the mix and 1 1/2 cup of 2% milk, the result?  Fabulous!  Just the right depth of bittersweet chocolate taste and silky smooth texture.  And the vanilla marshmallow cubes, what can I say, they are not your average marshmallows, they are very dense and creamy and a hint of vanilla, a crème de la crème!  Yum!

Here I have the Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate mix, the Classic Hot Chocolate mix and the box of Vanilla Marshmallows.  I have yet tried the salted caramel flavor, would be something to look forward to for sure.  I feel my day is getting more productive by the minute as I sip up my hot chocolate one heavenly drop at a time.

XOXO

Jia

Anna Sui 2012 Black Veil X'mas Collection

It is that time of the year everyone's busy making holiday wishlists and scratching body parts to find the perfect gifts for friends and families.  Retailers around the world are working all they've got, coming up with products to please us customers, Anna Sui makes no exception.  This year Anna Sui delivers X'mas Collection "Black Veil", which incorporates the year's hot trend "lace" with the all-so-Anna-Sui butterfly,  mystic purple, and dark sexy roses.  

The makeup collection comes in two variations, #01 Seductive Spell and #02 Alluring Charm.  Each set includes a lace pouch, a lip gloss, a mousse eye shadow and a cheek color.

Rose Face Powder comes with a very cute brush inside a pouch.  

Sexy charming Eye Shadows in 005 Midnight Purple and 006 Sensual Brown

Nail Color N in 014 Sparkle Aurora, 015 Starry Black, 110 Jewel Blue, 211 Dressy Purple, and 406 Dramatic Red

I really love the makeup collection with the lacy pouch and the nail color N in dressy purple.  Which is your favorite?  

Check out more wonderful items in the Christmas collection on Anna Sui website.  I was able to find most of the collection items on Urban Outfitters and Ichibankao.  Remember to use PURPLEWISHES on Urban Outffiters orders from now through 12/23/2012 to receive 10% OFF!

XOXO

Jia

Le Petit Ruban Paris Collection Kicks Off

I'm so excited to introduce to you all the new Le Petit Ruban Paris Collection!  I had in mind of these simple, chic, minimalist pieces that would make the easiest accent for a cute sweater top or a tee.  I wanted this collection to be romantic, sweet, feminine and with the perfect touch of color.

Coco - Lavender Teardrop Earrings

Rose Aventurine Earrings

More pieces are coming to store, stay toned!

xoxo

Jia

2nd Year Anniversary and 1st Blog Giveaway

Yay, happy birthday to Le Petit Ruban! 

I'm so excited and thankful for the 2 wonderful years and all the support from my dear customers.  I can still remember the days I spent deciding my shop name and anticipating my first sale.  Now at the 2nd year anniversary, I’m so grateful for my growth through interaction with my customers.  The kindness I was shown and obsticals I had to face have helped me to become a better business lady, a better artist and most importantly a better person.

Giveaway will start once I hit 600 sales mark!  So, don't forget to check back and catch the update :)

xoxo

Jia

Creer Beaute La Rose De Versailles Mask Review

I found these Creer Beaute La Rose De Versailles masks (克丽贝蒂凡尔赛玫瑰面膜) at my local Mitsuwa market.  I had originally planned to pick up a few masks by Lova Labo, but unfortunately they were discontinued and not available in the store anymore.  I really didn’t know what to expect from this product since I haven’t read any reviews previously.  But being the huge manga fan I am, I could not resist such beautiful packaging (thumbs up for the marketing team of Creer Beaute!), so I thought I would give them a try.  There are three types of these masks total, Oscar Whitening （奥斯卡深层白透明亮肌面膜）, Gold Moisturizing （奥斯卡深层若润黄金面膜）, and Royal Jelly Tightening （安東妮特深層保濕面膜）.

I use masks about once a week, sometimes a couple times a week if I’m not too lazy.  I really like sheet masks because they are easy, easy to use and easy to clean up!  I decided to try the whitening mask first, since the summer has started and I’ve gotten much tanner, and as we all know Asian girls do not like tanning!  First impressions after applying the mask… I have an oval shaped face, so for me, the mask is a bit shorter on the top, there is about half an inch of my forehead not being covered, and little wide horizontally on both sides.   The sheet is very soft and light, it lays and hugs my face smoothly and evenly with no corners sticking up.  I like that the lotion is not sticky as some other masks I have used, which you feel it’s just laying on top of the skin.  With this mask, I can feel my skin is absorbing all the nutrients.   After applying the mask for about 20 minutes, my skin looked brighter and more hydrated no irritation of any sorts.  So overall I really like the mask and can’t wait to try to other two.

Another plus with this mask is the extra lotion left in the package.  What I sometimes do is reuse the mask, soak it in the lotion and apply it on my neck!  Right now is summer time, so it feels really good to have a chilled mask on.  During the winter time, I like leaving my mask unopened in package in warm water for a few minutes before applying, so it is warm and soothing. 

Beauty products can only help so much, so remember to drink lots of water, keep a healthy diet, stay active and be happy!

xoxo

Jia

Vidi Vici Small Face Kit Review

I first found out about Vidi Vici is through BeautyQQ's tutorials on the YouTube.  Vidi Vici is a higher end cosmetic brand in Korea created by top Korean make-up artist Lee Kyung Min.  The items attracted me the most are the make-up stylers and the small face kit.  I love the idea behind the stylers, that it provides all the product needed for a complete look in just few minutes.  To me, what differentiates the Vidi Vici styler from the rest all-in-one products, is the compacted layered rotating case, it has a very sophisticated look and easy to carry around in a purse.  As for the small face kit, like how the name suggests, the product contains colors for highlighting and shading, for creating a more defined/small-looking face.  I think for many Asians, this product will come in handy!  for me at least :p

Since the price is on the higher end, after much consideration, I decided to try the small face kit, since it allows me to customize the colors that I want...  and here is a first look of the product after it is assembled.  I have from top to bottom, the highlighter, nose/face shading, blush, hair line shading/contour/brow.  

Case arrived in this box

The four shades I picked are-

Highlighter: Crystal Pink

Blush: Ginger

Shading: Taupe

Contour: Dark Brown

Case when closed, very small and compact, and did I mention I really love the sophisticated design!

Here is the small face kit ad, with product detail and description.

I would rate this product 5 out of 5.  Everything from the exterior design to the smooth texture of each shades are truly exceptional.  The next item I would love to try from Vidi Vici is their Angel Soft Loose Powder, I have heard many good things about it, and can't wait to get my hands on one!

xoxo

Jia

Breakfast at Tiffany's Bow Earrings

Breakfast at Tiffany's is a favorite classic film of mine.  I love Audrey Hepburn and her stylish and probably the most iconic performance portraying character Holly, and the ending is so sweet it puts me in tears every time.

I started out designing these earrings with the blue opaque and white cubic zirconias.  They reminds me of Tiffany blue and diamonds!  The earrings turned out to be so adorable, that I also made them in baby pink and amethyst colors.  Click here to check them out in my shop.

They are relatively petite and very delicate ❤ (＾ω＾)

xoxo

Jia

Sea Blue Opal Faceted Stone Earrings

A new week and a brand new item in my shop!  These earrings remind me of my trip to Hawaii last spring.  Spooning my shaved ice in the warm white sand next to the beautiful blue water, wish it won't be long till my next trip there (❛◡❛✿)

I really love this sea blue opal shade, it has been the top seller in my shop.  The dangling petite white Swarovski crystal pearls at the bottom adds just a touch of delicacy.  I've been trying to incorporate the use of pearls more into my creations, have I mentioned I love gold and pearls! ( ´・‿-) ~ ♥

See item detail in my shop here.

xoxo

Jia

Crown Tiara Sea Shell Pearl Earrings

I own probably a couple dozen pairs of small pearl stud earrings, in all shapes, sizes and qualities.  There is something about pearl studs, they are just so classy and timeless, very easy to dress up or down with different outfits.

I found these adorable crown tiara earring findings and had to make them into pearl studs.  I love how delicate and cute they turned out to be!  ❤  Here I have them in matte gold and silver finish.

Click here to view details in my shop.

TGIF

Jia

New Item! Swarovski Pearl Cluster Ring

"A girl should be two things: Classy and fabulous." - Coco Chanel 

This dreamy pearl cluster ring is my newest creation, made using all Swarovski elements including faceted crystals, pearls and rhinestone fireball.  I love the use of white pearls with gold hardware, they always speak elegance and harmony to me in a silent way.  See more detail of this item in my shop, click here.

xoxo

Jia

Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters Review

Today I'm doing a review for Revlon Colorburst Lip Butters that I recently purchased.  I picked up my first lip butter in the color Peach Parfait after reading a review by Frmheadtotoe, and really loved the sheerness and its soft peachy tone.  So, just the past week, CVS had a buy one get second one at 50% off deal, and I splurged another 4 awesome colors. 

Color swatch, from left to right:

Creme Brulee, Cotton Candy, Strawberry Shortcake, Peach Parfait, Berry Smoothie.

The pinks don't show as much on my lips unless I use a lip concealer.  My favorite is the Berry Smoothie, which is a soft rosy red, just little darker than my natural lip color, an instant complexion booster.  My second favorite is the Creme Brulee, a very sheer nude color, great for everyday wear when I just need my lips to have a healthy glow.  Thank you for reading my review, so what is your favorite color? :)

xoxo

Jia