From Mascara To Meatloaf

2010 Nail & Brow/Eyelash Challenge – Day One

Posted by Aquilah on March 6th, 2010

Hello my fellow followers! I know, long time no post. I seem to post weekly as opposed to daily. I’ve been in a slight rut, and though I don’t mean to be, I am.

I’m going to pose a challenge for myself. Not so much a challenge, but I have no idea what else to call it. For the next few weeks (months), I’m going to take 5000mcg (5mg) of Biotin daily, and see how it helps my nails. I’m going to continue using the same treatments, and I already believe the Barielle Growth Activator for Natural Nails helps a lot. I also happened to read that Biotin is recommended for infants for Dermatitis, so I can only hope it’ll help mine too, right?!

In addition to the Biotin, I’m also going to be using Ardell Lash & Brow Excel Growth Accelerator to see how well it does on lengthening, strengthening and growing my eyelashes and brows. This isn’t the original formula, but a newer version. It can be found in Sally Beauty for $15.99 ($15.49 with Sally Card), and and comes in a black tube. It has a brush similar to a liquid eyeliner brush.

I’ll take pics weekly on either Saturdays or Sundays, so we can chart the growth progress. How’s that sound? Sounds good, right? Yep, it does! So, here are pics of my nails and lashes currently:

My Left Hand as of Day One

My Right Hand as of Day One

Front View My Eyelashes/Brows as of Day One

Side View of My Eyelashes/Brows as of Day One

Review: Overall Beauty Mineral Eyeshadows

Posted by Aquilah on February 24th, 2010

Product: 5 of 5
Packaging: 5 of 5
Quality: 5 of 5
Price: 5 of 5
Overall: 5 of 5
Would I repurchase? Yep! I sure would purchase these! The only thing that would make them better was if they were pressed mineral eyeshadows!

::: The Product :::
Overall Beauty Minerals is a line of mineral eyeshadows available for $7.99 from Overall Beauty. Each shadow comes in a sealed 5g sifter jar, and the sifter itself is sealed closed, so there are no worries about any leakage before the shadows arrive to you. The front of each jar has a picture of minerals, along with the color name, and the ingredients are listed on the back of each jar, as well as on the website.

::: The Ingredients :::
Mica, Iron Oxide, Zinc Oxide USP, Titanium Dioxide
May also contain: Ultramarine Blue, Kaolin Clay. (Overall Beauty does not use talc or bismuth oxychloride in their makeup.)

::: My Experience :::
I received OB Mineral Eyeshadows in Night Wisp, Honeydew, Pale Pink, Buttercup, Ivory Lace, Lavender and China Doll. Are are very light colors, mostly for highlighting. Descriptions are as follows:

Buttercup – Light golden wheat
Pale Pink – Pale pink with a hint of mauve
Honeydew – Vanilla-ish with a green duochrome tint
Ivory Lace – Shimmery ivory
Night Wisp – Light peach with bluish-purple duochrome
Lavender – Shimmery paled lavender
China Doll – Soft whispery pink

When used with a primer, all of the eyeshadows are darker and have a richer color. The key is to pat the eyeshadow on, not swipe it on using a windshield wiper motion. Out of the colors I received, I definitely LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Night Wisp! My favorite pigment from MAC is Pink Opal, but Night Wisp is like Pink Opal only better. I can’t even describe how it’s better, it just is! After Night Wisp my favorites are Lavender and China Doll. China Doll reminds me of a shimmery mineralized version of Stila Bouquet, which is my daily eyeshadow.

Granted I’m naturally tan, so these should probably all be highlighters for me. However, they give just the right amount of shimmer without being overly shimmery. There is nothing frosty about the colors either. All of the mineral eyeshadows applied like butter, and I didn’t have any issues with creasing and/or fading throughout the day. Again, since I’m so dark everything isn’t going to show on me as well as others. However, here are pics of Night Wisp and Lavender (sorry they’re not so great!):

::: Overall :::
I would definitely buy these, especially Night Wisp! The only thing that would make them any better is if they were pressed eyeshadows since I find them easier to use. I don’t have to worry about tapping them out of sifters (or spilling them everywhere if I take the sifters out!). For only about $8 per shadow, and knowing it’ll last forever, it’s seriously almost insane to not purchase a few! Who doesn’t love a good deal?!

Disclosure: These products were sent to me for review from Overall Beauty. For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Swatches: Diamond Cosmetics

Posted by Aquilah on February 24th, 2010

Finally! I’ve been trying to do these swatches forever, but I either put it off or swatched something else… Anywho! All swatches are two coats without a top coat. And now for your viewing pleasure

Monarch Masquerade

Deeper than Metallic Venom, and definitely a new fave for me!

Dirty & Flirty

A nice taupe… Almost mushroom-y, but too band-aid on my skin

Hi Ho Silver

Nice silvery lavender… Any VNL might be taken care of if one uses 3-4 coats

Never So Ever-Green

Fantastic green that definitely makes me think of an evergreen tree.

Metallic Venom

Purple laced with silver. A little lighter and slightly more vibrant than Monarch Masquerade.

Disclosure: These products were purchased by me from Diamond Cosmetics. For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Recipe of the Day: Absolutely Best Ever Lasagna

Posted by Aquilah on February 24th, 2010

And no, I didn’t make that name up LOL! That’s actually the recipe’s name! My husband loves lasagna, and while it’s not my favorite pasta dish, I do eat it. However, I do prefer it with cottage cheese over ricotta and I only use ground beef (so the sausage was substituted in this recipe). This was a lovely dish, and there was more than enough for leftovers! I’ll have to cut it in half next time though!

Total Time: 2¼ hours
Prep Time: 1½ hours

Serves 10-12

INGREDIENTS
1½ lbs lean ground beef
½ lb Italian sausage
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
1 tablespoon dried parsley flakes
1 tablespoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon dried basil
2 (14½ ounce) cans whole tomatoes, undrained and chopped
2 (6 ounce) cans tomato paste
24 ounces cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
2 eggs, beaten
½ teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons parsley
½ cup grated parmesan cheese
1 lb mozzarella cheese, divided
12-15 lasagna noodles

DIRECTIONS
1. Brown ground beef, Italian sausage, onion and garlic.
2. Add salt and next 5 ingredients; stirring until well mixed.
3. Simmer 1 hour.
4. Cook lasagna noodles according to package directions; drain and set aside.
5. Combine cottage cheese, eggs, pepper, 2 tablespoons parsley, Parmesan cheese and 1/2 of mozzarella cheese; In a lasagna pan, layer noodles, meat sauce, and cheese mixture; repeat.
6. Top off with layer of noodles; sprinkle evenly with remaining mozzarella cheese.
7. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cheese mixture is thoroughly melted.

Picture & Recipe Source: Recipezaar #28768 Absolute Best Ever Lasagna

Swatches: Random

Posted by Aquilah on February 14th, 2010

I took the time to swatch some random polishes… Most are Rimmel, but that’s because I got these three ladies on clearance at my local Target for less than $1.70 each! (And I hope it’s so they can bring in the new ones because NO ONE has those locally, but one store out of my way!) All of these are two coats, but the CdM dupe which is three.

Rimmel Shocker

A seriously bright pink! Good for your standard summer brights, and who can resist bright pink toes in the summer?!

Rimmel Climax

I’m a lover of purple polishes, and this one has always caught my eye. Such a gorgeous lilac!

Rimmel Hard Edged

I sometimes feel backwards in that I like my vamps right as I should be liking pastels. This is a gorgeous blackened wine.

Nicole by OPI Truth or Lilac?

Yet another lovely lilac! I wonder which OPI color this is rebottled as Nicole LOL!

Wixbetty’s OPI Creme de Menthe Dupe

Though I don’t own the real OPI Creme de Menthe, Wixbetty’s is a perfect dupe from what I can tell! Gotta love it!

Disclosure: These products were purchased by me at my local Target. For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Makeup Preferences

Posted by Aquilah on February 10th, 2010

Question: Has your makeup preference changed over the years, and if so, how?

I wasn’t HUGE into makeup until about 2006 when I joined two makeup forums. I mean, I used eyeshadows and whatnot, but I wasn’t a fanatic. I didn’t know how many different brands there were, or even what primer was. As a matter of fact, I had only heard of M.A.C. a few years prior in passing when my younger sister went to use her face powder by them (in retrospect, I think it was Blot Powder).

I remember two of the first high-end brands I heard of were Bobbi Brown and Stila while reading a magazine. I was intriuged, but didn’t give the brands much thought past that. I mean, I wasn’t a hardcore makeup person, and at the time, even Stila seemed like a lot of money to a high schooler! I eventually started using Clinique, but it didn’t seem like much of a step up from Cover Girl or Revlon for some reason. Ya know?

Anywho! About eight years, a few makeup forums and LOADS of money and swaps later, I had way more makeup than I knew what to do with! I can’t say my husband was too happy, but he loves me all the same LOL! I switched over to Stila for foundation, then Chanel… Eventually I ended up in Urban Decay’s mineral makeup. Needless to say, the eyeshadow, blush, bronzer, lipgloss and lipstick ranged from Cover Girl to Chanel. I was a happy woman with more than enough to offer a nice variety of brights or nudes.

And now, here I sit, four years later, and I’m completely back to where I started almost. I still keep up with the brands and their new releases, but not the way I used to. I wear the same basics daily, and I’ve gotten rid of 90% of what I once owned. I don’t do brights at all, and I stick to tonal/neutral colors. Bobbi Brown is quickly becoming my favorite brand since she’s more about enhancing the true you, and I think that’s where I finally am. I think I’m happy enough with my skin and my facial features that I can feel I only need to enhance myself, not hide someone I don’t think I want to be. Does that make sense?

So yeah, what are your makeup preferences, and how has that changed over the years? Who are your fave makeup artists and what are your fave brands?

OPI Shrek Forever After (Summer 2010)

Posted by Aquilah on February 9th, 2010

I heard about this on Twitter the other day, and my jaw literally dropped. I never would’ve guessed OPI would do a collection based around the movie Shrek! I mean, I get Alice in Wonderland, but Shrek?! Whodathunkit!

Anywho! Chic Profile had the goods as far as preliminary collection information, so I had to share my findings with you!

The OPI Shrek Forever After collection will consist of six nail polishes:

Funky Donkey (dark purple)
What’s With the Cattitude? (light blue)
Rumple’s Wiggin’ (light purple)
Who the Shrek Are You? (dark yellow or lime green?)
Ogre-the-Top Blue (dark blue)
Fiercely Fiona (light yellow)

I seriously cannot WAIT until more pics come out! I’m sure this will be released in timing with the Shrek Forever After movie release, which is currently set for May 21.

Recipe of the Day: Easy Homemade Applesauce

Posted by Aquilah on February 8th, 2010

I never realized how easy it was to make applesauce until I had way more apples than I needed. Then I checked out Recipezaar and found the following recipe. Delish and takes no time at all!

Ingredients
4 apples, peeled, cored and sliced
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon or nutmeg

Directions
1. Put the apples and water in a saucepan.
2. Cover and bring to the boil.
3. Boil over low heat, stirring occasionally, 20 minutes.
4. Stir in sugar and cook until it dissolves.
5. Add cinnamon or nutmeg.
6. Serve warm or cold.

***Side notes***
I have made this without the sugar, with only half the amount required, as well as as the recipe calls for. I think you can sweeten it to taste almost. And if you’re using a sweet enough apple (I’ve used Jonathan & Gala apples), then you probably won’t need sugar at all. And it tastes just as yummy hot as it does cold… Oh heck, it tastes just as awesome no matter how I made it!

Recipe & Picture Source: Recipezaar #70097 Applesauce

You Tube & Makeup Gurus

Posted by Aquilah on February 7th, 2010

A few years ago when we moved to NY, I got into makeup big time for the first time in my life. It was because of joining makeup forums and watching YouTube that I learned new methods for applying makeup, as well as learned about new products and new releases.

Over the years more and more makeup “gurus” have shown up on YouTube, and while they’re all good, I have my favorites. MakeupByRisa being a HUGE fave only because I learned about Risa WAY before she joined YouTube and she keeps it real. Not to mention, I’ve never seen anyone rock bright pink or purple lipstick the way Risa can! Another guru I really like is emilynoel83. I like Emily because she uses a lot of drugstore brands, which is great for people on a budget or who don’t believe MAC is the holy grail of cosmetics. I also like the fact Emily has her husband Tyler in her videos from time to time, which is nice to get a male perspective on things. Oh, and I LOVE Pixiwoo too!!! Sam & Nic are just too awesome!!

So, what YouTube gurus do you like? You know what we need though? More nail polish gurus. I mean, I like JulieG, but it’s not the same as if some of our well-known nail bloggers did vids on Konads or whatnot! I’d totally be addicted!

Childhood Nostalgia

Posted by Aquilah on February 3rd, 2010

There’s been a mini battle going on in my house because my oldest daughter and I want a Nintendo Wii. My husband, being a complete PS3 fan, is totally against it. He doesn’t see the point in us having one, even though we have no interest in the PS3 and it’s not like we can use Wii Fit on it.

Well, the other day my brilliant self came up with the perfect solution! I’ve been wanting to play Super Mario World badly, but we don’t have a Super Nintendo… We don’t have a Nintendo either, and my husband’s wanted to play Mike Tyson’s Punch-Out… SO! I looked on Evil Bay and found a FC Twin System that plays both Nintendo AND Super Nintendo games! I checked for reviews on the system on Amazon, and it seemed like it was worth getting for $43 shipped!

Now, the system will be here today, and we found the old games that made us happy such as Street Fighter II, Top Gear 2, Punch-Out, Super Mario World, and Super Mario All-Stars (it’s the original Mario, SNES versions 1-3 and Lost Levels)… The whole she-bang with games included only cost $101! Seriously, you can’t beat that! (I still need to get Tetris though!)

Even better, the kids don’t know we ordered it and they’ll be able to see what kind of games we played when we were their ages! Not to mention, I think it’ll be one more way for us to have fun together as a family.

So, what takes you back to your childhood? What games do you wish were still around, or do you with your kids had to enjoy? And if it’s not a game, maybe a cartoon or movie… Even a toy! Goodness, I have lots and luckily, it seems a lot of them are coming back – Like Strawberry Shortcake!