Matcha Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
3 min. read
Matcha Cupcakes with Matcha Cream Cheese Frosting
Heyy guys,
So about a month ago you might’ve seen some stories on my Instagram about the recipe mentioned above. It’s been a few years since I’ve baked anything really… I actually love baking more than cooking but I don’t do it very often because I hate the huge mess that it leaves after haha. I have killer recipe for lemon bars that my family always requests for me to make every year, but it just never happens haha. Just a fair warning that If you’re not a matcha fan, then this post is probably not for you :P
Using the Teangle Matcha powder
So, why bake this time? I received some matcha powder in the mail as a collaboration with Teangle Matcha. I received the "matcha for baking" & the "matcha ginger" flavor. It also came with a small metal spoon for measuring purposes. Disclaimer: these products were gifted to me but I’m not paid in any way for this blog post - I just wanted to share my experience with you guys (:
For this recipe, I used the matcha for baking & it actually turned out amazing. I’ll have the link to the recipe right here as the instructions for the recipe if ever any of you want to try it for yourself (which you should, again, they are MATCHA cupcakes with MATCHA CREAM CHEESE frosting). I used the exact measurements as in the recipe, except I used 3/4 cups of icing sugar because the cream cheese frosting would’ve turned out too sweet. I also didn't have any greek yogurt at home so I substituted it with sour cream.
It was a really easy recipe that yielded exactly the amount it said (12 cupcakes) it would. I do recommend using the “matcha for baking” powder because the cupcakes didn’t end up tasting too bitter - you can for sure taste the matcha in both the cupcake and the frosting, but it’s not the same bitter/fishy taste you get if you were to make yourself a matcha latte. Well, everything is obviously better when you add sugar, right? Hahaha.
The Verdict about Teangle
Would I use the matcha powder again? Definitely! In fact, my sister is even used it to make some matcha custard cake for our family Thanksgiving dinner (which I did not taste, because I'm currently in Europe). I still have yet to try the matcha ginger powder so I’ll let you guys know how that goes on my instagram stories, so be sure to follow me at @katrinatioseco (yup, shameless plug muahaha) for updates!
Let me know if there are any recipes you want me to try out . Really down to doing baking challenges too because they seem so fun, but that would be better documented in video form (coming soon? Perhaaaps)
Anyway, until next post, fam! Xoxo
Hi, there!
My name is Katrina Tioseco & I’m a self-made social media marketer with a degree in interior design.
Among the many things I’m passionate about, I also love eating (although I don’t cook very often haha), travelling, coffee crawling, taking photos & clever puns.
Montreal's First All Natural Beauty Salon
3 min. read
Montreal's First All Natural Beauty Salon
Heyyy, beautiful human!
As I have mentioned over the weekend, I was invited to try out V & O Salon to get a gel manicure done - right on time before my 3-week trip too! FYI, V & O stands for "Vegan & Organic" and, as you read from this post's title, it's the first salon in Montreal that I know of to use 100% natural products. V & O Salon opened its door to the St-Henri community in mid-March 2017. They also offer pedicures, body sugaring & facials but I'll be mostly talking about my mani experience.
I Can’t Do My Own Nails…
Ok, so I feel like it's also important to mention why I get my nails done in the first place. First of all, I'm way too impatient to wait for nail polish to dry because ya girl's got things to do & places to be haha. Because of my impatience, I always end up ruining the fresh coat & having to restart the whole process once over... NOT FUN.
Second of all, I'm always coffee crawling, meaning that I always take pictures of my coffee for the 'gram & they've gotta look on fleek haha. Therefore, I'm saving myself hours of frustration by just getting my nails done once a month - my manis tend to last about 3 weeks if I take good care of them.
What Some Nail Salons Don't Tell You
One thing I really appreciated about V & O Salon was that they are super open to educating you about their products & tips on what NOT to do when it comes to nail care.
A lot of the salons I had tried were Vietnamese, so there was sometimes a language barrier between the nail technician & I. Once you sit at their chair, you choose your nail polish color & shape, & then they get to it with no questions asked. So, for about 2 years the nail techs would cut my cuticles & I thought that was just part of the nail care routine. It turns out that cutting the cuticles makes them grow thicker & dryer which some salons are hoping that it happens so you can come back for them to "fix" it.
So, protip I learned from V & O: if you notice that the nail tech is about to cut your cuticles, ask them to just push them back instead & cut whatever hanging skin is around your nails (ok, a little TMI sorry haha).
But Why Choose a Vegan & Organic Beauty Salon?
Now, why would you switch from your usual beauty salon to an all natural one? If you think long term, the latter is the least harmful option - I mean, among the many cancerous things we ingest (we're all guilty of that, I love me some junk food on some occasions) we can at least control what goes on our body. About 70% of my skincare products are organic which is why V & O was a great option for me to explore.
Also, all of their products are non-toxic, chemical-free & not tested on animals. Yes, ALL of it - so we're talking: gel manis (they use the brand Madam Glam), pedis, scrubs, facial & sugaring (which is solely made of sugar - duh haha, H2O & lemon, aka things you can find in your own pantry).
What's also cool about V & O is that everything is sterile & clean (as it should be) but here's the kicker: whatever tools that can't be sterilized (like the nail file & buffer), they keep it in a pouch under your name for the next time you come back. In doing so, that ensures no contamination because they were tools that only you used & it's less wasteful. Talk about a clean salon in every way haha (;
V & O Salon, Yay or Nay?
The verdict: YAY. I mean, I might be somewhat biased because my friend works there (& did a great job on my nails) haha but after meeting the owner & the rest of the staff, I can still vouch for how great the salon is. They even have 4 dedicated private rooms for each type of service, which is an added privacy bonus.
A part of the wonderful team, including the salon owner Pascale in the middle (:
This nail color is called “Merlot” (I’m Fall ready with this color yayyyy)
Well, that's all I have to say, folks! Feel free to leave a comment down below if you have any other questions about the salon.
Otherwise, I hope you enjoy the LAST week of September & until next post, fam! xoxo
Hi, there!
My name is Katrina Tioseco & I’m a self-made social media marketer with a degree in interior design.
Among the many things I’m passionate about, I also love eating (although I don’t cook very often haha), travelling, coffee crawling, taking photos & clever puns.
What Are You Afraid Of?
2 min. read
What Are You Afraid Of?
Have you been beating yourself up with a thought for the past few days (weeks, maybe even years) about something you wish you could do?
Long before all the podcasts & self-development books I've been investing my time in, I've been a firm believer of loving what you do (more on that in my last blog post: Why I Quit my 9 to 5). A big part of quitting my job was being afraid that I would've regretted not knowing whether it could've have worked for me or not.
But What If It Doesn't Work?
How could you possibly know if you haven't tried? I wouldn't want to live my life with the regret of "what if ..." We only have one life to live and that's already a limited time for which we don't even know. If you don't take the chances that the universe is handing out to you on a silver platter, you'll regret not having taken it. So what if you failed? At least you can put that thought/dream to rest and know that it was just not meant for you. Don't you think it's worth investing in yourself? In failing, you already get so much out of that experience alone anyway.
And what I mean by failing, doesn't mean you'll try something for 48 hours or even a week and decide that it's a failure. Don't half-ass it knowing that you'll fail anyway. The most important thing here is that you try.
Life is an illusion created by our perception , and it can be changed the moment you choose to change it. - Jen Sincero
I've only been a full-time freelancer since February and obviously there are times where I even doubt why I've made this decision in the first place. But at the end of the day, I still don't regret it. Yes, there was a month where I made less than 1 000$ but that's one of the disadvantages of freelancing. But that waS also my fault. I considered that a failure but I had to keep going knowing what I learned - in other words, what I should NOT be doing if I wanted to keep making less than 1 000$ per month let's say.
At The End of The Day...
Me to me: You are a kickass boss & don’t you forget it. ❤️️
In reality, the only one stopping you from going after that "what if" dream, is yourself. How would you feel if you could turn those "what if's" into "I did.." Wouldn't you feel so much more accomplished & proud of yourself? I know, I am. I know it won't be easy, but know that it's worth believing in yourself. I believe in you ❤️️
The bottomline here is: start that new hobby you've been meaning to pick up, launch that blog, start your own business/side hustle (but don't do it without a plan haha), etc. There is no limit as to what you can do.
Have a beautiful day & until next post, fam! xoxo
Hi, there!
My name is Katrina Tioseco & I’m a self-made social media marketer with a degree in interior design.
Among the many things I’m passionate about, I also love eating (although I don’t cook very often haha), travelling, coffee crawling, taking photos & clever puns.
Why I Quit my 9 to 5
3 min. read
Why I Quit my 9 to 5
Heyyy guys, welcome to my blog!!! (:
And as all of you may know, this post has been long overdue since I've quit my job in February. It wasn't too long ago but some of you may have been wondering why. If you want to know a little more about what I do now, keep on reading!
Do What You Love
I was recently asked: if you had to choose between making 200$ doing what you like or making 500$ doing something you can't stand, which one would you choose? With no hesitation, I choose the 200$. I have always been an advocate for loving what you do. My creative journey began shortly after high school because I didn't quite know what to pursue; I just felt like I had too many options.
I Don't Have a University Degree But I Still Have a Career
So, I studied Media Arts at John Abbott College (yup, in Farmville like the true west islander that I was haha) for 3 years. Afterward, I got into Concordia University's Human Relations program & after one tough year of not making it into half of my classes, I dropped out. Going from a college program that was, for the most part, learning hands-on, to a University program that was spent mostly in the books, I couldn't deal with the transition. However, being the planner that I am, I couldn't get myself to drop out without a backup plan. Against my mom's wishes at the time, I decided to apply to an "Interior Decoration & Events Planning" program that would earn me a professional diploma. Sixteens months later, the internship I had hired me & I was well on my way to what I thought was a career in interior design.
I Hated My Interior Designer Job
To summarize what I was doing at the interior design firm, we design & import luxurious kitchens & bathrooms from Italy. We had a lot of clients that were homeowners but our main clientele was big condominium projects. I was still designing a few kitchens here & there, but it was mostly project management & not a lot of creative juice was needed on a day-to-day basis. Although I've had my ups and downs in this firm, I don't regret having gone through it. As they say, pressure forms diamonds (I'm being that cheesy haha, sorry) & it's what has shaped me into the person I needed to become.
October 2017 - I went to Hawaii & it was a gamechanger for me. It made me realize that I didn't want to stay where I was at my job; I was completely miserable & couldn't stand the thought of waking up to go to a job that I didn't even enjoy anymore. Mind you, being an interior designer isn't that bad as a 9 to 5, but it was the environment at the office that wasn't totaaally my fave - & everyone around me knew it. I'm sure they were tired of hearing about it as well (shoutout to them for being great listeners & supporters).
While I was working at that firm, what kept me alive were my decisions to take on projects such as @LeBrunchSquad and building my personal Instagram page. Steve (the founder of @LeBrunchSquad) & I have grown an Instagram community of 1.8K followers in October 2017 to almost 8K followers today. At the end of 2017, I had also started my freelance journey as a copywriter for a Montreal-based digital marketing agency.
Honolulu, Hawaii (October 2017)
Today, I'm Happy & It's Just The Beginning
Fast forward 2 years & here I am as a freelance interior designer & self-made social media marketer - it's a long title, hence the "Creative Designer" tagline on my landing page. I decided to go freelance so I can have the time to venture more into both of the things I love doing right now: interior design & social media.
All that to say that if you're a creative person, it won't be easy finding the career that's the right fit for you. I had to go through so many hardships (& still am) to figure out what I want to do with my life. My advice to you is to: be patient, network and keep your options open. You'd be surprised at how much help & inspiration you can get through meeting someone who has gone through the same thing. Also, my mindset and my friends are what helped me get through those tough times so a big shoutout goes out to them!
My thoughts & updates on going freelance 5 months after quitting my 9 to 5 is definitely for another post. So, stay tuned! (;
Have a great week & until next post, fam! xoxo
3 min. read