Intensive Care Advanced Repair from Vaseline

Tried out the new Intensive Care™ Advanced Repair from Vaseline® My skin, just like everyone else's gets a little dry and itchy when the season starts to change so I was excited to give this a shot.

I initially didn't like the feeling of it. I assumed it would be a lot thicker but the texture was actually a little watery compared to a lot of other lotions. Also didn't love the smell too much (it's marketed as "fragrance free," btw.) After I rubbed it into my elbows and hands though, my feelings on the product started to improve. I love the way this lotion feels when it's dry. It made my hands extra silky smooth and soft without leaving a them greasy.

Since I've only been using this for a day, I don't know if it's actually "repairing" and healing my skin but I have high hopes. I'll keep ya posted ;)


***I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.

Gillette Venus Snap!

 

So ok, I am NOTORIOUS for cutting myself while shaving... but guess what? Not this time! The Gillette Venus Snap was amazing! No blood, no stubble! The swivel head was the best part, imo. Made it glide over my legs like "butta!"  I'm hoping the sun will come out SOMETIME this weekend so I can enjoy my Memorial Day the proper way: by the pool! Unfortunately, that hasn't been the case yet though BUT when it does, I'll have my silky smooth legs all ready :)

(Please note: I received this product complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.)

Color Me Orange

I was diagnosed w/ Multiple Sclerosis in early 2008. Since then, MS Awareness has been very close to my heart. This morning was the Walk MS event in my town. It was a great turnout. I rang the bell atleast 5 times (which signifies a donation of $1000 or more.) Cant wait to find out how much was raised.

I wanted to be as "festive" as possible so I went for an orange look. Did my nails Times Square Tangerine from NYColors. I painted them this morning and now, around 1, they're already chipped. Kinda disappointed by that but maybe a clear topcoat next time may remedy that a bit. Great, bright color that took only two coats.

 I didn't have a bright orange lipstick so I went with the closest color I had. It's one of those LAColor Lipstick/Lipgloss Duos called "Pleasure." It's a deep coral, almost red w/ an orange tint to it. I'd bought it a while back but hadn't used it. Today I was pleasantly surprised. Goes on smooth w/ a slightly sweet (but not overbearing) smell. Lasted many hours with only one reapply. Was slightly drying but nothing more than most matte lipsticks. I opted OUT of using the included gloss b/c it had a bit of sparkle to it and well, I'm not 12 so...

 

To all those that donated their money and/or time to the cause, thank you SO much. I'm very proud to be part of the MS community... I wouldn't miss the symptoms much though! ;)

Yay for Free Mascara!!

I received notice that I was a runner up badge winner on Influenster so they sent me a free tube of Rimmel London's Scandalize Retro Glam mascara! Just came in the mail today so I haven't had a chance to try it out (or even open it for that matter!) but I wanted to give Influenster a shout out and say THANK YOU!! Review and pics to come.

NYC Long Wearing Nail Polishes (& WnW Purty Persimmon)

Had a job interview earlier this week (I didn't get it, but that's another story...) and bought a pretty boring grey sweater to wear. Needed something to give it a pop and saw this color polish and fell in love. It's New York Colors Long Wearing in Skyline Blue (#151.) Found these earrings that matched perfectly and it really did liven up the dull sweater. I'm on Day 3 of wearing this and I gotta say that the title of "long wearing" may be a little of a stretch. Started chipping yesterday and at this point it looks pretty ghetto. If you plan on wearing this week long then be prepared for a lot of touch ups.

Also bought Times Square Tangerine Crème (#112) in the same brand. Both of these (and lots of other colors) were 98 cents @ Walmart. Saw some swatches on Pinterest of some of the other options and now I HAVE to go back and get 'em. Great bright, springy colors. While I was there, I also got Wet n Wild's Purty Persimmon lipstick. Been looking for this everywhere but all the stores I go to either don't carry it or were sold out. It's a lovely red/orange color and I think these two will go awesome together. Cant wait to wear them out. If you haven't tried WnW lipsticks then hurry out and pick up as many as you can. They are super pigmented and quite matte. They go on smooth and aren't hella drying like most of their matte-like competitors. I'll proudly post pics as soon as I get the chance to fancy it up featuring these colors.

Broadway High Shine Lip Gloss

Dollar General has a brand of glosses called Broadway High Shine Lip Gloss (manufactured by Kiss) and they are all $1! I had no idea if these were any good cause I couldn't find reviews anywhere so I thought I'd try a few out and see what I thought!

I got one in a light bubblegum pink color (Bubble Pop,) a bright coral (Orgasmic) and a purple (Fashionista.) First thing I need to tell you is that these are SUPER sticky and gummy which is exactly what I expected from a gloss that's only one dollar. My remedy for this? A colorless lipbalm (I use Chapstick.) I put on a quick swipe of it and THEN the lipgloss. Really makes a difference otherwise it's just far too distracting to keep it on long enough to even leave the house. I should add that these smell really great, which is always a plus!

Orgasmic was really nice. TBH, I don't have any coral lipsticks (I know, I know- I need to remedy that) but this gloss adds a nice, yet simple, pop of color. Will be great for spring and summer!

Fashionista left a little bit to be desired. I didn't expect it to be SUPER pigmented but a little more of the purple hue on the lips would have been nice. It adds shine to your lips though but with a barely noticeable shadow from the purple.

LOVED Bubble Pop. It was pigmented enough to tell that there was a "babydoll" tone but still very every day wearable

Would I recommend them? Eh, IDK. For a dollar I'd say give them a try. I DO like the pink and coral and really can see myself wearing them out in the future. Just make SURE to do a base coat of Chapstick!

Makeup/Polish Haul

Went to the Dollar Tree to pick up a few things and I, ofcourse, had to go check out the makeup ailse. Found some more of the Lipstick/gloss duos from LA Colors. I really do love this product. The lipstick goes on smooth and is longlasting. The gloss doesn't add much color but it does leave a nice shine and it smells SO good. I'll post pics of the shades I got (Pleasure and Sensual.)

Also found a few LA Colors "Value Packs" which include lipstick, liner and a tub of gloss. I'm actually quite disappointed in these though. The colors I got (Diva and Dainty) were both so pretty but they are so poorly pigmented. The liners are very light as well. I dabbed on the gloss (which has mini sparkles in it) and it smells and tasted like petroleum jelly. If, for some odd reason, you DO buy these, I'd just go ahead and give the tub-o-gloss to some little girl you know cause it has no business being in the makeup collection of an adult. Again, pics later.

I also got an eyelash curler in some unknown brand. It's really ugly w/ yellow handles. It comes w/ an extra pad. Besides it being ugly, it does work well enough. Wish I would have waited cause the next place I went (Walgreens) had e.l.f brand eyelash curlers for $1 as well. Woulda much rather had that one, tbh.

Speaking of Walgreens, if you have their savings card, they have a bunch of Wet n Wild products on sale for... wait for it... 69 cents! I picked up three eyeliners in Turquoise, Purple and White. They glide on smooth and are super pigmented and bright. Excited to wear those with full makeup too see the complete effect.

WnW "Wild Shine" polishes were also 60 cents. I got 4 and now I wish I had picked up more, tbh. Got Black Crème, Too Hot for You, Tickled Pink and Lavender Crème. They had one called Poppy and I so regret not getting it. Was a gorgeous bright coral. Somebody go buy that one so I can live vicariously through you. Please and Thank you!

Like I said, I'll post swatches and pics sometime soon.

Everyday Makeup

This is my everyday "go to" makeup:

-The Color Workshop lipstick in an apricot/peachy color that I use to cover up my super dark undereyes.
-NYC Smooth Skin foundation in Nude
-NYC Coverstick in Light (used as a contouring highlight under my eyes and TZone)
-L'Oreal True Match in Nut Brown (several shades darker than my skin, used for contouring on my cheeks)
-NYC Pink Cheek Glow Mosaic
-Jordana white shadow
-WnW black liquid eyeliner
-Maybelline New York Intense Volume XXL mascara in black
-Rimmel Stay Matte finishing powder/blender
-Coastal Scents "Color Me Fuchsia" brush set
-Random lipstick depending on outfit (pictured is NYX Shocking Pink)

NYC Foundation and CoverStick Review

 

Went to WalMart and was browsing the makeup aisle. I needed some new foundation b/c I was running low and was also wanting to find a cheap concealer to try out since I'm a "makeup noob." I ended up coming home with the NYC Smooth Skin Liquid Foundation (which was a little less than $4.00) and the NYC Coverstick ($1.99)

 

I'd used NYC foundation before and it was pretty straight forward. The color I chose (Nude) was a perfect match. The only mega issue I have with it is that it doesn't have a wand to apply it with. The product is very thick which makes it almost impossible to easily get out of the bottle. I ended up using an old lid/wand from another foundation that I had. If I hadn't had that, then I'd probably be kinda disappointed, tbh. If it wasn't for the crappy bottling, I would give this a much better review. The foundation itself is good though. It covers smoothly and leaves a nice base to work with. Plus the price is a mega plus. I don't doubt that there are much better foundation choice out there but I would still recommend this to someone new to makeup or strapped for cash.

 

The only reason I chose the NYC Coverstick over any others was b/c of the price, not gonna lie. I'd never played around with concealers before so I wanted to buy a cheap one to attempt to get the process down before I dove in and shelled out a bunch-o-money. I like that this is in stick form. Makes it easy to just roll on and get it exactly where you want. Sadly, the minute I began using it, the makeup itself broke off near the bottom. Doesn't really effect the use yet since it's near the top but the further down I get, the more messy it'll be. Oh well, I'll deal w/ that when I get there. I have REALLY bad dark circles and while this did help them a bit, I found that the purple/blueish tones started to seep through (and that was after I set it w/ powder.) I think if someone used this that needed average coverage, then they would be quite happy with it. It blended nicely and was smooth going on. I got it in "light" b/c I wanted it just a tad lighter than my skin so I could use it as a contouring tool as well. Since it's cheap, I would recommend it as a "why not?" buy.

WORST DRESSED @ the SAG Awards 2014

I know the SAG Awards were on Saturday so this post might be a bit old news but I just had to say that I was overall impressed w/ the dresses the ladies chose. Some though... oh my goodness (ie: Kerri Washington. Giiiiirl!)

Speaking of, let's just jump right into that. First off, I don't like the pink color w/ her skin tone but that not the worst part by a long shot. I think it's adorable when expectant moms show their bellies but on the Red Carpet? IDK about all that. She said that the dress was custom made which makes things even worse, imo. A crop top and and ugly skirt do not justify RC Realness... sorry, bb!

While I obviously really did hate Kerri Washington's dress, I don't think she wins for WORST DRESS. I don't care while Kelly or Guilliana says, Cate Blanchett's dress was hideous. Again, I'm not feeling he pink color OR the sequins. It's 2014, I don't approve of sequins. Heard several people disagree w/ me on this look but ugh, whatever. Guess I just don't see the ~beauty~ in it like they do.

 

 

Ok, so there's my pointless two cents. I haven't actually read anything about who "officially" made the Best and Worst lists but I'm really betting that Ms. Washington will certainly be on the later.

Mini Hawaiian Pizzas

Ok, ok... I know they're not pretty but they tasted yum. Here's what you'll need:

Ham
Can of biscuits
Pizza sauce
Mozzarella cheese
Can of chunked pineapple
Oregano
Garlic salt

Cubed up some of the ham that I talked about in the previous post and set it aside. Opened up a can of biscuits and pulled them apart so they're are 1/2 their original thickness and laid them out on a greased cookie sheet. Spoon one tablespoon of jarred pizza sauce on each biscuit. Throw on the cubed ham and the canned pineapple. I chop up the pineapple into smaller pieces, btw, just to make it easier to eat. Shook on some dried oregano and just a tab bit of garlic salt (go easy on that- it's strong.) I finished it off with some shredded mozzarella and cooked @ the assigned temp and time on the biscuit label. I went just a bit short on the cooking time since they are 1/2 the size.

Enjoy!

#JollyVoxBox

Got my first Influenster Vox Box in mid December. I was so stoked to see it in the mailbox! Opened it up and found a blue leopand print roll of Mini Ducklings Duck Tape, NYC HD Color Trio, Rimmel London Show Off Lip Lacquer, Puffs tissues and peanut butter 100 calorie snakes from Skinny Cow.

My son and I had to break into the chocolates immediately. They came three to a package which was perfect portion size. Eat a couple now and save one for later! They were creamy and peanut buttery and tbh, I have nothing bad to say about them at all. PB isn't my favorite flavor but I wasn't complaining. Would love to try these in caramel!

So glad to have had the Puffs mini pack in my purse this winter. With a kid trying to fight off the sickness and me, who has perpetual allergies, they for sure came in handy! Soft to the touch and doesn't rough up your nose after multiple uses.

Had to try out my Show Off Lip Lacquer as soon as possible so I wore it to my son's Christmas musical at school. The color (Aurora) isn't something I would normally buy myself but it ended up being the perfect pop of color without being TOO bold. Love how it went on and the contoured edge that help outline my lips but the longer I wore it, the dryer it got. Found myself having to put on a layer of Chapstick to try and keep my lips moisturized. That would be my only complaint.

I don't often wear much eyeshadow. Not because I don't like it, but because I'm not very good at putting it on. Loved the lighter color shade. Used it as a highlighter under my browline and on the inside corner of my eyes. Looked very nice. If someone had the skill to use this how it's supposed to be used then I can only imagine that it looks great. I really appreciated that they told us where each color was supposed to go. It's a complete look.

Havent had a chance to use my mini ducklings tape yet but I got an amazing idea off the Influenster FB page. Cut it to size to fit your fingernails and voila: easy and cheap "press on nails!" The awesome blue leopard print that came on the tape will be perfect for that! Excited to try it.

(Disclaimer: I received these products complimentary from Influenster for testing purposes.)

Vegetarian Nachos!

Made vegetarian nachos for dinner. Store brand Velveeta (heated up w/ salsa,) black beans (with garlic salt, onion powder and cumin) on top of Mama Lupe's tortilla chips. Added a spoonful of sour cream and viola- Delish!

Sandra Lee w/ a twist!

I love watching Sandra Lee's show but a lot of the recipes that she makes aren't really applicable to my life. I'm not the kinda woman who throws big parties for her friends w/ these amazing "tablescapes" and food I probably couldn't even afford to make, tbh. I love the idea of "semi homemade" food and I think that someone needs to take the Sandra Lee approach to it... but on a budget. Semi Homemade Ghettoness, is what it is, really. Here, I'll give you an example...

Here's a guide for my Potato & Ham Casserole:

Ham
2 boxes of au gratin potatoes
1 can of whole kernel corn
Garlic Powder
Onion Powder
Pepper
Parsley (for garnish)

First off, I went to the store on a Sunday and bought one of those fully cooked ham. I cubed some up into bite sized pieces and put the rest in the fridge to use in other meals throughout the week. I got a baking dish, greased it and threw in the 2 boxes of au gratin potatoes. Add the sauce packets, water and milk as instructed on the box and mix. Then I opened a can of whole kernel corn, drained it and added it to the potatoes, oh, and throw in the ham cubes and seasonings while you're at it! I topped the casserole w/ dried parsley, covered the dish w/ aluminum foil and baked in the over for the allotted time and temp that the boxed potatoes instructed. Came out ooey, gooey, savory and yum! My son even asked for seconds, which is definitely a rarity.

Listen, you could slice the potatoes yourself, cook up a cheese and cream mixture and all that OR you could use the box. Only thing that would be a drawback here would be the salt content in any boxed meal. Not something you'd wanna eat all the time but, like Rachael Ray says, "All in Moderation!"

More on what I did with the rest of the ham later.

Testing, testing...

Finally decided to get with the times and start an official blog. I've dabbled in the past but never stuck with it. This time I'm not gonna decide on a certain theme, I'm just gonna post what interests me that day, whether it's true crime, recipes, product/restaurant reviews or hell, maybe I'll just post an obnoxious amount of selfies. Stick around to find out! ;)