My new addiction!!
Sorry, once again it has been too long! So I thought for this post I would talk about my new passion or addiction, as it were. As you can see from my bio, I love to write. And with that comes the love of reading, they essentially go hand in hand. I love to read books and magazines. Normally I stick to one magazine and that is “US Weekly”. I know, I know, GOSSIP… seriously?? YES, seriously. I love gossip!! Who doesn’t??? However, I decided that maybe it was time to add some new titles to my repertoire. Mind you there are tons of magazines out there to read. But since I crave all things fashion and beauty, I felt Marie Claire and Redbook would be my best bets. Now I cannot get enough of either one of them. They are both informative, fun and addicting. If you want information about fashion, makeup and hair then these are the must reads for you. Yet, they are very different.
Marie Claire has their “Most Wanted: under $100” article. These pages will give you tips and tricks for fashion and even vacations!! And I have to give props to Marie Claire for the article “Big Girl in a skinny World”, because we aren’t all size 2’s. Most of us know the average size for women is a size 12 and Ashley does a great job of helping break the stereotypes. MC’s April’s edition also has “Spring Clean Your Beauty Routine”. I love this because our skin needs change from the harsh Winter to the often pollen ridden Spring. How great is that?
Redbook, on the other hand, has such a great feel and vibe to it. I love their “50 under $50” section with deals on clothes, makeup and hair products. Their “Q and A” sections are always informative and there always seems to be a question that I have been dying to know the answer to and just never asked! A bonus for Redbook: they’ve got food!! Great recipes and tips to eat healthy and great workouts, too!
I have to say that reading magazines has become my new favorite thing. Can’t wait for May!
Brush on the left was caked with eyeliner and is now clean. It has a dark brown color to it. The middle brush was caked with black eyeliner and now looks like new!! The brush on the right is for my concealer and is now like it was never used!!!
My new makeup brush and well just about anything cleaner
Sorry it has been so long since I have posted. But I am back!! And I found a use for something that most everyone has in their home. Johnson’s baby shampoo!! Do you want to know what it is?? Cleaning makeup brushes. Yes, my friends, makeup brushes. I have needed to clean my brushes for a while. And thought ugh I will probably have to buy expensive makeup brush cleaner. As I was getting ready for bed I saw the baby shampoo. We use it for our dogs baths. We all know how gentle it is and “no tears”. So why not use it to clean brushes that you use on your eyes? I took a small amount of the shampoo and put it in my palm and just circled the brush around in it. I did this until it was clean. I used it on my brush for my concealer (it needed to be cleaned big time) and the one I use for my eyeliner. And even for my shadow brushes and cleaned my eyelash curlers with it too!! Just make sure you rinse well to get all the residue out and voila CLEAN brushes. Love it!! Now I have a handy and inexpensive way to clean my brushes so they will last longer!!
A baker… I am not!
Christmas for me is a very special time of year. Since I was a little girl, my mom and I would make cookies. And not just any cookie, either. We would make Cookie Press Cookies using my grandmother’s recipe. They are by far the best cookies in the world. The reason they are so yummy is because they are buttery and soft. I would look forward to making the dough, loading up the cookie press and decorating them just so. And more importantly, I wanted to start this very tradition with my little girl. So last year, we were both very excited to bake cookies. We did as I used to do with my mom. Make the dough, load up the cookie press and decorate to our hearts content. However, look very closely at the picture above. Do you see anything wrong with this picture? Lo and behold, they are burned cookie press cookies. This is what we did last year to about 3 dozen of the cookies we baked. I was so upset. So, I then decided to be different and try the recipe on the Wilton Cookie press box. It is their Classic Spritz cookie recipe. It uses 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of no color almond extract. Let’s just say that they are good, but nowhere near as good as my grandmother’s recipe. Since last Christmas, we have moved and I couldn’t find the cookie press. However, my wonderful husband found it; no longer in the box, of course. Saturday night, I was craving those cookies. So I got all the ingredients ready to start baking. And you know the drill. Make the dough, load the cookie press, and decorate!! I always taste the dough just to make sure. And they tasted a little funny, but it didn’t dawn on me as to why. So I press out two sheets full of the little spritz cookies. I put them in the oven and they start to bake. Normally, after about 7 minutes, the lovely aroma of vanilla will fill the air. Well, all I smelled was flour. Then it dawned on me… I FORGOT to add the vanilla. Yes, folks that’s right…. no vanilla. The dough didn’t taste awful; therefore I hoped against hope that maybe they would taste okay. They finished baking and I take them out of the oven to cool. Once they cooled, I take a bite. YUCK!! They tasted like big balls of flour. Mind you these cookies only have a cup of sugar, because they are meant to be butter cookies not sugar cookies. Fortunately, for me and my daughter, I have about 1/2 a batch of dough left so I add some vanilla. Whew, we may only have about 20 cookies that actually taste like I remember them, but at least we get to enjoy those. I guess I am just not a baker. I will leave that to my husband, as he makes the best pumpkin pie in the world. He also makes a Rum Cake and Lemon Liqueur Cake that are sinful!! Maybe I will try again next year or maybe not =)
Will you try anything?
Okay, I admit it, I am one of those people that won’t try something if it doesn’t sound or look just right. Today, I turned over a new leaf. What prompted this sudden change? The Candy Cane inspired Hershey’s Kiss. Here is how I came to discover that you really should try it before you decide you don’t like it. Last week, we had a holiday luncheon and received thoughtful gift bags. In these gift bags were two different flavors of Hershey’s Kisses, Cherry Cordial and Candy Cane. Now I will say this, I don’t care for cherries. So, the Cherry Cordial kisses went to someone that would appreciate them, rather than seeing the inside of a trash can. The Candy Cane kisses, however were left on my desk to share with others. Today, as I was working away, those little kisses were still on my desk. And let’s just say this; I was having a hankering for something sweet. Deep down, I kept thinking chocolates and candy canes, do they really go together? But they were just sitting there and almost calling out to me, “Try us”. I slowly reached over and grabbed one of the shiny wrapped candies. I smelled it, and it had a wonderful aroma of white chocolate and peppermint. Hmmm, interesting. Now mind you just because something smells good, doesn’t mean it may taste good. But I decided to take the plunge and open one. It was delicately swirled with white chocolate and peppermint. As I was savoring the candy, I noticed bits of something. I thought, oh no have I gotten a bad piece of candy. No…it was little tiny bits of Candy Cane! Brilliant! I am now a fan of the Candy Cane inspired Hershey’s Kiss. However, I am very sad that they are only around for the holidays. I guess I better go out and grab a bag before it’s too late. So ask yourself this question, will you try anything, or do you just assume you won’t like it before you try it? Maybe you should give it a shot; you never know what you may be missing.
Ladies, if you are anything like me, you go to the grocery store to shop for….well, groceries. But alas, this is not the grocery stores first rodeo and they know how to get a girl off track. Why is it that the cosmetics section is right at the front as you walk in? This, my friends, is clever design. They do this so you can’t help but go check out the latest and greatest in all things to look your best. Well, their clever tactic works and you start to peruse the make-up and realize you need the perfect eye shadow. You have your favorite colors, as do I. I prefer shadows in the green and purple range as my eyes are green so those colors make them POP!
I get home and immediately take off my eye make-up and try out my new eye shadow. The anticipation is agony! I start to delicately place the color on the applicator and it is perfection. But as I apply the shade to my eyelid, I get nothing. Why? Because the shadow doesn’t contain enough pigment. I have bought countless brands of eye shadow and could never seem to find just the right one. Well, that day has come. Eureka! Not only does this brand of eye shadow have the best colors, but they also have a nice selection of duos to fit your style. So… run, drive or bike to your local grocery or cosmetics store (Ulta, love it!) to try L’oreal’s H.i.P Professional Shadow Duos. H.i.P stands for High Intensity Pigments. Genius, I tell you!! L’oreal have 5 different types of shadows in this line: Bright, Crystal, Matte, Metallic and Concentrated.
Here’s a brief overview of each shade: Bright: rich color for a dramatic look. Crystal: a luxurious look with a bit of sparkle. Matte: has the texture of a powder but will also create drama. Metallic: if you like edge with some shimmer, this one is for you. And lastly is Concentrated, this is very saturated color with a velvety finish. Ahh, finally I can breath a sigh of relief. I cannot wait to go get some more shades. Now let’s go get beautiful!!