Friday, November 18, 2011

state fair


aside from being rediculously expensive, the food at the state fair was delish. i definitely skipped on the enormous turkey leg that kyle found appealing. i did enjoy a delicious italian sausage along with some fried mac and cheese and chocolate covered bacon.

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

fall haul: bath & body works

Photobucket

i'm a little butthurt about the fact that i missed out on the 2 for $20 deal on bath & body works candles. i picked up cinnamon sugared donut  in the 14.5 oz, anyway. i really am impressed with how authentic and absolutely delicious it smells. i would have also loved to bring home marshmallow fireside as well, which they did not have in the smaller size.

the smaller, 4 oz candles were 2 for $10. i purchased apple crumble and creamy pumpkin. as you may notice, i very much prefer food scents; especially fall-related. mmm!

the bottom of these candles say to trim the wick before each relighting. it took me a while to realize this, but it helps the candles to last longer. if you leave the wick alone and light, there's a bit of black smoke that can discolor the glass container and slightly alter the scent. so, that's good to know. they are nice quality candles, however.

Photobucket

i purchased one of the tin candle holders at the store. i was a little hesitant at first, but reassured once i lit my full-sized candle inside of it. i think it's super cute!

Photobucket

bath & body works also has a variety of decorative soaps. i bought a marshmallow scented one and a glittery, pink skull with the sweet pea scent (from their permanent line).

for a store i normally don't pay much attention to, i love what bath & body works has to offer this season. it makes me excited for fall, my favorite time of year!

Tuesday, September 6, 2011

holy grail and a fail: lip balm

i went to target a few nights ago, on the hunt for a new nivea a kiss of smoothness lipbalm because i had lost mine somewhere. i could not find the lip balm in the store, however, so i ended up with an organic one by botanics.

Photobucket

Photobucket

the description sounded  nice, adding how the shea butter contained in this product is from the karite nut and used by local women in west africa for cooking and skincare. unfortunately, the "power of plants" didn't do a lot for me this time around.

i find the balm's gritty texture to be an unpleasant experience along with the product dripping off of my lips due to it's super liquid form (i'm assuming that comes from the olive oil it contains). i do not feel as though it left my lips feeling more moisturized in the least and i only like the idea of an organic product if it works. definitely not worth the $6 and change that i paid.

on a much smoother note...pun intended, although i'm a little embarrassed about it, i found my nivea kiss of smoothness! i cannot begin to explain how moisturizing this product is. it glides across the lips, offering instant and lasting hydration. the lip balm contains jojoba oil, shea butter, and spf 4.

Photobucket

i have not really found a product that compares; mostly because other stick-form lip balms require you to press with force across already dry lips. this product is slightly addictive and a considerable purchase for just $2.99.

Thursday, September 1, 2011

basket case

Photobucket

i'm not exaggerating when i say that orly's basket case is the perfect bright pink polish. it's formulation is opaque and looks lovely with 2 coats, even better with 3. i like that it's a non-shimmer polish with a shiny, yet matte finish.

Photobucket

opi's bring on the bling is a dense glitter polish that looks nice paired with basket case. both polishes are true to color as far as there appearance in the bottle.

Photobucket

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

healthy eating

i find grocery shopping to be rather exciting if i'm with someone. otherwise, it's completely boring when i'm alone. after putting it off for quite some time, i finally took a trip to my local kroger. i love kroger most for it's organic section, where i usually buy frozen pasta meals and burritos. my regular items consist of plenty of vegetables, grapes, romaine lettuce and things for salad, dried vegetable chips, humus and wholegrain pita, and salmon.

when my apartment isn't filled with groceries i end up consuming way too much taco bell. so you can see why i'm exceptionally motivated to improve my diet after i've gone grocery shopping. here is what i ate for lunch recently.

Photobucket

grilled mushrooms, onions, green and red peppers on a whole wheat pita pocket with shredded cheddar. mmm! i definitely forgot to add sundried tomatoes, which would have made the mix that much more delicious.

only on rare occasion do i feel like cooking, so i love healthy meals that are quick and easy to prepare. please share if you have an idea for a simple, healthy dish!

Monday, August 22, 2011

amazon kindle; my new obsession

Photobucket

in the middle of reading breaking dawn, i purchased a kindle. i have a huge love for books and this seemed like the perfect little device for me to own; so i bought it. the problem was that i wasn't keen on the idea of interrupting breaking dawn with a new e-book. so, i downloaded breaking dawn for 9.99 on my kindle, and it has been a wonderful experience!

the kindle is a convenient way to carry a current book, along with many others, where ever you may go. now that school has started up again, i read in between classes. textbooks are heavy as it  is and if it weren't for the kindle i'd have to carry all 754 pages of breaking dawn around with me...or not get as much reading done.

Photobucket

Photobucket

after registering your kindle online, browsing the kindle store and downloading e-books is extremely quick and simple. where ever you can access wifi, it's possible to search for books and add them to your wishlist or buy them without re-entering your credit card number. the books available on the kindle are usually cheaper than buying them new in-store. i'm ok with paying for the convenience of an e-book on my kindle. it makes reading more enjoyable.

amazon also makes a black, leather case for the kindle that includes a pull-out light. the light is activated by the battery provided by the kindle. there's no need to purchase batteries or carry around a separate light. if your kindle is always in it's case, you'll never forget it! the case provides a substantial amount of light, so it's been easy to read at night in the car or in bed.

Photobucket

other benefits include the matte, non-glare screen and crazy battery life. the kindle let's you know how much of the book you've completed at the bottom of your screen and saves your place for you. if you're interested in technology like this simply for books, go with the kindle instead of another tablet. i'm obsessed!

Monday, August 15, 2011

everyday eye

Photobucket

i love neutral pigments and warm tones. i wear this eye makeup everyday to school, work, or where ever. the look is simple, using only 3 shadows. i always skip liner, because i just don't have the patience for it. sometimes i think the simplicity of just shadow is beautiful. if this look were for going out at night, liner could always be added for more a more dramatic eye.

Photobucket

i start by using mac's bare study paint pot as a base. with my finger, i blend bare study all over the lid and up to the brow bone. this paint pot is gorgeous alone with mascara for super quick makeup.

Photobucket

urban decay's naked palette contains absolutely gorgeous pigments. for this look, i use both naked and sidecar. sidecar contains some glitter and can often result in fallout when applying the shadow with a brush. i use my finger to place this color all over the lid. then using a blending brush, i take naked to blend and diffuse the color towards the brow bone.

Photobucket

taking mac's bravado, i use the same blending brush to place and blend the color into the crease. this color is from mac's earlier quad take wing, which is amazing. i don't think bravado is a part of mac's permanent line, but it's easy to find similar colors.

Photobucket

i finish off with revlon's fabulash mascara, which is my favorite at the moment, and i'm done!

Photobucket
                                     bravado. sidecar. naked.

Friday, August 12, 2011

products i do not recommend

Photobucketafter work one night, a few of my co-workers and i decided to go out. my hair was a little flat and i couldn't have that; so i went to pick up a small can of hairspray in order to tease the bejesus out of my hair. i purchaed l'oreal's elnett and figured that it would perform well due to it's infinite positive reviews.

i can understand the hype that comes from elnett. it gives a firm hold that lasts without leaving your hair feeling heavy, sticky, or too crisp. after spraying this product, it's easy to brush through hair for re-styling. sounds great, right? except that when i got back into my car to style my hair, i felt like i was trapped inside of big foot's dutch oven from hell within the first spritz. okay, even if it may not have been that bad, the smell was pretty horrendous.

i'm not normally sensitive to smells and can appreciate a product that works regardless of scent. elnett just smells like a potent chemical bomb that cannot be healthy for the lungs even from a mile away. because of this, i would not repurchase. would not recommend. no, thank you.

Photobucketneutrogena healthy skin liquid makeup interested me because many had compared it to nars sheer glow.

i think they were joking because this foundation does not even begin to compare to the texture, coverage, or quality of sheer glow. i get that it is a drugstore foundation, but this healthy skin liquid makeup has horrible pigmentation. aside from the lack of coverage, it's finish left my skin a bit dull.

if you're looking to get a quality foundation for a small amount of cash, i would recommend revlon photoready over anything else.

you can click here to read my review on photoready.

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

back to school essentials

this summer has been great, but the fall semester is right around the corner. to be honest, i'm a little excited about it. i know that i'll soon regret saying that but i've been a bit bored with work and lounging. i picked up a few school essentials on tax free weekend to save a few pennies.

Photobucket

i always buy a 3 inch binder for school. this is because i love keeping all of my subjects in one place. some may argue that it's a bit of a hassle to carry around a heavy binder, but i don't mind it. i find it to be quite convenient and i never forget anything.

i couldn't go through the school year without a 3-hole punch. the one i have is from walmart and i believe i paid about 8 dollars for it. let me tell you, it is my holy grail product for the school year! it's nice to be able to place and organize all of your handouts into your binder instead of stuffing papers in random places.

i always have red pens in order to check my work during class if need be. it's easy to learn from errors when they're clearly corrected in red. also, "clicky" pens are a must-have as well. this way you aren't losing pen caps everywhere or getting ink all over your school bag. highlighters are also great to draw attention to key information in your notes. that's a pretty obvious one, but i'll mention it anyway.

this year, i bought a 5 subject notebook. if i don't need to carry my giant binder around, i can easily throw this into my school bag and then transfer my notes into my binder later. if you don't like this idea, you can just buy loose-leaf paper. don't forget your subject dividers!

i rarely use an agenda, but i'm thinking i might try an commit to one this year. we'll see.

Monday, August 8, 2011

scentsy

Photobucket

scentsy is a company that offers a variety of warmers that melt scented wax. this product provides a safe way to keep your home smelling wonderful without the hazard that comes with lighting candles. not only are the scents enjoyable, but the different styles and colors of the warmers can be the perfect decorative piece.

Photobucket

scentsy has full-size, mid-size, and plug-in warmers. i chose a plug-in warmer in groovy white. it's such a cute little source of light!

Photobucket
Photobucket

the company offers over 80 wickless candle fragrances in the form of bricks or bars. you simply cut out a square of the wax and place it onto your warmer. when the warmer is turned off, the wax solidifies until it's switched back on.

i have two scentsy bars in sugar cookie and citrus sun tea. both scents smell delicious and authentic and they absolutely fill a room with their fragrance. there are so many other bars that i want from scentsy including blueberry cheesecake, baked apple pie, oats and honey, cucumber lime, cherry limeade, white tea and cactus, autumn sunset, satin sheets, and thunderstorm. it's difficult deciding on which fragrances to order next!

Photobucket

my sister, aimee, is a scentsy representative. if you'd like to purchase anything from the company, please check out her website here: https://aimeelongo.scentsy.us/Buy

Friday, August 5, 2011

raspberry white chocolate scones



PhotobucketPhotobucket
Photobucket
Photobucket

this is my first time ever making scones. the directions say to apply "heaping tablespoons of dough" to a baking sheet, and that is what i did. they ended up all attaching to one another but i'm not too fussy about that sort of thing;  probably because i am quite the culinarian.

the scones were freaking delicious for how easy they were to make; just add water to the scone mix, stir, then let the heaping begin. i baked mine for about 15 minutes, which is decent timing because i have terrible patience with any sort of task. the white chocolate and raspberry bits were rather tasty. consequentially, baking scones may become a habit of mine.

Thursday, August 4, 2011

july loves

Photobucket
naked palette; naked, sidecar

Photobucket
revlon photoready; 001 ivory

Photobucket
nars; dolce vita. mac; bare study paint pot

Photobucket
elf; complexion brush

Photobucket
mac; hot gossip

Photobucket
tresemme; thermal creations volumizing mousse

Photobucket
h&m knit sweater

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

african black soap

Photobucket

shea moisture's african black soap shea butter lotion is extremely thick and moisturizing. although it's consistency is a little intense, it contains all natural ingredients and is gentle on skin; free of parabens, artificial fragrance, and a list of other undesirable ingredients. this organic product claims to aid oily, acne prone skin and eczema.

i like this product because of the moisture it gives. it feels soothing on my skin and doesn't sting during a breakout like other lotions can. aside from leaving my skin feeling smooth, the scent is extraordinary!

the only difficulty is getting it out of the bottle. the thickness of this shea butter lotion makes it frustrating to squeeze out of it's container. i managed some of the lotion into a jar from another product. you shouldn't have to do this, though; and it can be irritating if you don't have another container handy. still, i love this lotion and will continue to use it. i am also interested in trying some of shea moitsure's other skin care products.

shea moitsure is available at target and does not test on animals.

Photobucket

Photobucket

Tuesday, August 2, 2011

breaking dawn

Photobucket

i don't normally have the patience to sit in the tub, but today i was feeling a bit blah and needed to relax. so, i added some milk and oatmeal to my bath and read breaking dawn.

aside from english literature, fiction novels are not my first choice; but i bought twilight at a thrift store for 2 dollars to see what all the clamor was about. i can't say i hated the book and now i'm on breaking dawn. i'm reading through it slowly and i am compelled to finish it before the movie is released.

Photobucket

on another note, i lit this scrumptious candle that i have been obsessing over for the past few weeks; salty caramel by slatkin & co. the name's pretty awkward, but an accurate description. i'll literally sit with it in my lap and smell it while it's not burning.

although bath & body works is without a doubt one of my least favorite stores, i do love these candles. actually, i only really love this one and kitchen spice.
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...