Netherlands Food Trip

This veeeerrrry late post is dedicated to the awesome food trip i had when my father and i went on a business trip to The Netherlands a year ago. 

Food at KLM airlines

our first version of apple pie in Netherlands. apparently this is the country's specialty dessert. 

yummy! this is what they usually have for breakfast. brought tons of these when we went back home. 

KFC! 

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my lunch. rye bread with cheese something. this was only our second day in Netherlands and i was already craving for rice! 

our 2nd version of apple pie. this is what we've been having for dessert. each restaurant and town has their own version.

for dinner! at this point, i was desperate for rice already. 

Greek dinner on our 3rd night

finally, there's rice!

our Argentine dinner. i took my steak well done. 

spanish coffee.
coffee + tia maria

cheese overload. my dad wanted to buy lots of these but each round of cheese weighed about 4kls. hello excess baggage!

our 4th version of apple pie with cream

pecan pies

cold tiny shrimps salad. i feel sorry for these little babies. 

this was their smallest sized steak. i only finished half of it. gave the rest to father. 

the yummiest vanilla ice cream! this one i finished within 3 minutes. 

father's dessert

I gained 5 lbs during my 1 week stay in the Netherlands. what do i miss the most? the food! especially the apple pie. i still haven't tried any apple pie that came as close to being delicious as the apple pies in Netherlands. 

Benefit Bella Bamba is Blush Heaven!

What the Label Says

Amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features with this 3D watermelon blush. Laced with shimmering gold undertones, bella bamba is taking eye popping pretty to the third dimension...you'll never use traditional blush again!

Shade: 

3D Watermelon pink with iridescent gold tones

Weight:

8.0 grams Net wt, 0.28 oz

Price:

Bought this for P 1,650.00 at La-Petite-Confiserie

$ 28 at Sephora

Watch the video!

Swatches

might look scary on the brush but this goes on more subtle on the cheeks (when applied with a light hand)

i love the radiant dewy glow this blush gives!

Bella Bamba when swatched

me wearing Bella Bamba (lightly applied, with a stippling brush)

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Eversince I had bought Benefit Coralista and loved it sooo much, I had been lemming for Bella Bamba for soooo long! What got me wanting it more is that they say this is a 3D blush! how can a blush be 3D? This definitely got me interested. What stopped me again from blush dreaming though, was the hefty price tag. $28 for a blush. gosh. but after a month of contemplation (yes i really do contemplate on the makeups that i buy), it was finally go! 

The Good

- i could not understand at first what Benefit meant by saying this is a 3D blush (amplify cheekbones and create the illusion of sculpted features), but i finally got what they meant when i tried this on. it really does gives a slight contour, a pop to your cheeks and as if you put on highlighter too!

- this blush has a slight sweet smell which i am addicted to! Coralista had more of a fruity smell, this is more sweet, like flowers. 

- true to its color description, this is a lovely watermelon pink with slight gold shimmer that gives a beautiful, subtle iridescent sheen to the cheeks

- the magnetic flip top packaging (with mirror) is better than the packaging of Coralista

- i love the color that this blush gives on my cheeks! this goes on light pink on my NC35 skin tone. 

- no kidding, this blush gives a radiant dewy glow to the face. i've been getting a lot of compliments wearing this blush. 

- very pigmented. make sure to use a light hand when applying, lest you'll look very 3D! haha. i use a stippling brush to apply this because it gives a more natural look. 

- Bella Bamba is slightly similar to Coralista, only that Coralista is more peach and Bella Bamba is more pink. I will post a comparison between the two soon. 

The Bad

- the cardboard packaging might easily get tattered. i put this on a separate pouch in my everyday makeup kit. Albeit cute, Benefit really needs to change their cardboard box packaging. 

- hefty price for a blush (even more expensive than my other favorite NARS blushes)

- smaller in contents compared to Coralista (Coralista is at 0.42oz while this is only 0.28oz).  that's like a 0.14oz difference at the same price tag! maybe the 3D makes this more expensive? hehe.

Final Verdict

A+++++++

I am sooooo in love with this blush and as of this writing, this has replaced NARS Deepthroat as my HG blush! 

When i put this on, i thought i had died and went to blush heaven!

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