Makeup: The BeautyBlender

Ok, so I know I promised a feature blog-post about my dear friend's Valentine's Tea Party but I promise this is coming in a couple of days-- I actually got a request to do a tutorial on using the BeautyBlender and I thought I'd do it tonight before I go out of town on a little visit to see my little brother!

If you subscribe to Birchbox (a monthly box filled with deluxe samples delivered to your door...aka FUN) then there is a chance you received a BeautyBlender sponge in your box. I was SO excited to get one because I'd been wanting to try it but wasn't sure about it since they are slightly pricey. However, now that I have one, I think I would be willing to invest....

pink spongy fun!

Here are some quick tips for using your BeautyBlender:

1. Wet the sponge. This makes application easier and also helps to avoid the sponge soaking up a lot of your product. Make sure you ring it out until it is just damp.

2. Dot or swipe your foundation on the main spots of your face with your finger: on your cheeks, sides of nose, middle forehead, sides of forehead, lower jaw line, and chin.

3. Take your BeautyBlender and start to lightly and quickly dab it all over using the bottom fuller rounded side of the sponge, spreading out the foundation with "spackle-type" dabs. *Yes, it will look at first like your foundation will look spotty and like it isn't going to cover your face but trust me it will!

4. Every so often, you can "swipe" the BeautyBlender to even out the coverage. Try to avoid swiping too much or too hard as it might wipe off what you've done, and you want a really natural, pressed finished.

5. The pointed side of the BeautyBlender can be used to blend under the eyes, the sides of the nose (close to your nostrils) and in other parts of your face that you need to be more precise.

6. Blend until you get the coverage you need!

I LOVE the way using this sponge feels...it's soft and actually kind of fun to use! Plus, you can just rinse it out once a week like you do your makeup brushes (see a tutorial for washing those here). Hope you enjoy using your BeautyBlender! If you don't have one but want one, you can purchase from Sephora (the two for 25$ is a good deal as this basically replaces your use of a foundation brush). Happy Blending!

Cooking Adventures: Portobello Pizza

Cooking is not exactly my favorite thing to do, but every once in a while I get inspired. I figured I'd try a recipe and then share my experience with you all! I have wanted to try this recipe for a long time, but my husband doesn't like mushrooms much so I waited until he was out of town on a trip to experiment! As far as ease goes, this recipe takes the cake. It took NO time to put together and there was hardly any cleanup. LOVE. Also, for those of you watching your gluten, this is completely gluten-free!

recipe adapted from www.tenleymolzahn.com


Preheat your oven to 350 degrees so it's ready to go when you're done prepping the pizza :).

Pick yourself out a lovely medium/large portobello mushroom, and then remove the stems and the "gills" (this is the dark fan-looking part on the underside of the mushroom). You might want to run a damp paper towel over the outside of the mushroom to clean it.

Before stem/gills removed

Cleaned and stem/gills removed

Now, you're ready to add your toppings. I chose onions, bell peppers and mozzarella. Add a layer of tomato sauce before you add your other toppings (Side note: I used Prego pasta sauce but I think next time I would go for PIZZA sauce...the pasta sauce turned out a little watery). 

Now you're ready to put the pizza in! I put mine on a layer of foil on a baking sheet to cook--- even EASIER clean-up! I cooked mine for about 12 minutes, but I think next time I would go a bit longer (maybe up to 15-17 minutes) to "crisp" the cheese a little. Ovens can vary on their cooking speed, so it's good to check and cook it just like you like it! 

finished product :)

RECIPE REVIEW:

Like I said, as far as ease goes....SO EASY. I loved how fast I could put this together (very important to me!!!). Now, also like I said, I think I would choose an actual "pizza" sauce next time because the pasta sauce did make it slightly watery. I also think I would add some seasonings- italian seasoning, pizza seasoning, I don't know...just something to boost the flavor a little! That said, I absolutely loved the texture of the mushroom and the idea of eating pizza without feeling super full from thick pizza crust! I will definitely make this again, and hopefully you will like it if you try it! Let me know in the comments what you think. 

Next time, I spotlight my friend's annual Valentine's Day Tea Party! Very exciting things coming up...stay tuned! :) 

Makeup Brushes Pt 2: How I clean my brushes

Hello everyone! Today's topic of discussion is how I wash my makeup brushes. There are lots of different ways that you can do this, but I find this to be extremely easy- requires no mixing of any ingredients and costs about 99 cents! 

I use Johnson&Johnson Baby Shampoo to clean my makeup brushes. It is mild, and washes out really nicely. You can get one for 99 cents or less in the travel-size item aisle at Wal-mart or Target. I put a very tiny amount in the palm of my hand and run the brush that I'm cleaning under some lukewarm water. I swirl it around and wash until the water runs clean. I do this with each brush I need to clean. Obviously, depending on the size it takes more or less soap/water. 

I generally clean my brushes once a week to once every two weeks (depends on how much I use them during that time). Face brushes need to be cleaned more often because dirty brushes can cause breakouts-- I learned this the hard way. 

I just got this product a few weeks ago from Sephora. It is a daily brush cleaner that you can spray on your brushes to sanitize them and clean off the most recent bit of producy. I really like this spray. It can prolong the amount of time you go between major washes as well as give you a clean surface for working with each day. I bought this in a small size to try it for only 6$. You need 1-2 sprays per brush, depending on the size.

Now, this is a product that is totally not necessary for drying your brushes, but I got it just for the fun of it. Normally, you can just lay down your brushes on their side on a towel or paper towel (never dry them straight up and down since excess water can settle and cause mildew...emphasis on the "ew"). This product called the "Dry 'n Shape" from Sigma Beauty not only dries your brushes faster (4-6 hrs, normally they will take all night to dry) but it also dries them so that your nice big fluffy brushes don't lose their shape. Like I said, not necessary, but cool if you're interested :) 

These are some of my tips and tricks...hopefully you will find some of them helpful! Do you have any that you use on a regular basis for cleaning your makeup brushes? Share in the comments! Next time, I try out a recipe for Portabello Mushroom Pizza! 

Makeup Brushes Pt 1: DIY Makeup Brush Organization

Let me start of by saying that if you know me at all, you know that I am not organized in any way, shape, or form. When I come across an organization tool that sticks...well, I just have to share it. If it can work for me, it can work for anybody. I first got this idea from seeing the brush displays at Sephora (aka my heaven on earth). Then, when Pinterest came out (aka heaven on the internet) I was inspired to try. This little "project", if you can even call it that because it is so easy, is cute, cheap, and displays your brushes in a fun way while also making them accessible.

First, you'll want to get a small glass candle holder/glass container (I got mine from Wal-Mart for 2.50-ish). You want it to be small enough so that it will make the depth of the beads enough to hold your brushes totally upright (the first time I did it I got a glass container too wide at the bottom). The beads/mini-pebbles are from the home-decor section at Michael's craft store. Obviously, you could get these from anywhere they sell this type of thing, and in any color to match your own decor. I've heard of even using coffee beans, but that might be more fragrant (and not as pretty). I used one package of the beads (I believe they were 5.99). Dump the beads in the glass and voila! You've got a lovely and accessible brush holder!

Next time, I'm going to highlight tips and tricks for washing and drying your brushes to make them last! Do you guys have ways that you use to keep your brushes organized? Did you try this "project"? Let me know in the comments! Enjoy!

Birchbox & A {miracle} Product

Hey y'all! So I promised a little blog post about some of my favorites from this past month's Birchbox and then a miracle product I recently picked up. If you don't know what a Birchbox is, check it out here! 10$ for fun little makeup and cosmetic samples :)
So first thing up is another full-size bottle of Zoya polish. It's a beautiful bright pink, a holiday color with a little zest to change it up from the traditional red, green or gold. I love Zoya polish because they are harmful-chemical free and they are very good quality polishes. Plus, they are basically almost the price of the monthly Birchbox which makes them totally worth it! (To buy in stores you can get it from Ulta or Whole Foods)

My next favorite thing was this beautiful lotion, called LaRocca Champagne and Shimmer. It's so sweet/citrusy smelling and has just enough sheen without being over-the-top-glittery. I am REALLY tempted to buy the full-size!!!

And last but not least, is a miracle product (at least I think so) and I just can't believe I didn't start using this sooner. I picked up some Maybelline Instant Age Rewind under eye treatment concealer. Oh.my.goodness. It brightens and fills in lines (yes I have them at 26, with my fair-sun-damaged skin) and makes the skin under my eyes so bright and even-toned. In a word (or few), I love it. I use the lightest shade, and when I blend it matches perfectly. You only need a little bit! Another plus: it comes with the built-in applicator sponge, so you dont have to use your finger or a brush! More love!

There's my favorites for today! Let me know if you try any!

Tis the season to be slacking...

Sorry guys... lack of blogging is super lame and for that I apologize! I WILL update tomorrow with a couple of birchbox product reviews AND a review of a new miracle product I bought...at a DRUGSTORE. Yup, so you'll definitely want to come read about those! :) See ya soon.....

Kitty Khronicles

Hello all! Sorry about the delay in posting. It has been CRAZY these last few days with school winding down (more like up) here before Thanksgiving break...BUT I have some exciting news! Hubby and I expanded our family this past weekend by adopting a cat. A CAT!
We've been wanting one for a long time, and we decided to rescue one from a shelter. She's 6 years old, but very small-- actually the size of about a 5 to 7 month old kitten (read: VERY CUTE). The only thing is that she has had a very traumatic last couple of months after losing her owner (apparently to brain cancer) then being abandoned in a parking lot, being picked up by the shelter, spayed, getting teeth removed and then entering the stressful shelter environment. Needless to say, she's a little skeptical of her new home and environment. Basically she's been under the couch for the last 48 hours. However, we HAVE made progress in that I have gotten her to eat a couple of times and this morning when I woke up I realized she had ventured out from under the couch in the middle of the night to finish off her dry food. All the articles I've read online say to literally leave them totally alone and just go about your daily business just making sure they have food, water and litter. So that's what I'm doing (even though I just want to grab her and make her love me!!!) It's so nice and exciting to have a companion while hubby is gone. Here are some pictures of our new family member; more updates to come! Also, in the next post, my Birchbox review for this month!

Will add more photos when kitty comes out of hiding :)