Archive for January, 2010

I recently discovered my perfect nail treatment combo, and I’m so glad I did! It’s a few layers, but totally worth it! In order of application:

Barielle Hydrating Ridge Filler with Silk Fiber
Barielle Growth Activator for Natural Nails
Nail polish of choice
Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat
Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender

Anyone who uses SV knows it tends to get gloopy real quick. It might work extremely well, but the shrinkage is irritating. At first I tried to battle shrinkage with wrapping my tips with polish and SV. No luck. Then I tried using another top coat before SV. Again, no luck.

A few gals on the MUA Nail Board love their Barielle Manicure Extender, which I’ve owned but never really used. However, something made me use it the other night almost immediately after using SV. I noticed I had extremely minimal tipwear the next day… And I even wore the polish for two days! Still minimal shrinkage. In case this was a fluke given the polish I had on, I tried it again… Same results! So, I think it’s safe to say I have found my “holy grail” combo!

And while I’m thinking about it, I should mention that Barielle products are the best! My nails are growing like weeds thanks to the Growth Activator. I never thought to use it over the Ridge Filler until a fellow Nail Boarder mentioned it. Since I started using the Ridge Filler I haven’t had a lot of breakage or peeling nails either! Oh, nor have I had an issue with my nails yellowing!

I think this is a winning combo that I’ll keep using. Heaven forbid it quits working for me though! Thankfully, as long as my Marshall’s continues to receive shipments, I can keep getting my Barielle for 75% off! If I have to pay full price of $16 per treatment, I’ll die! (There you go, if you didn’t know that, run to your nearest Marshall’s and/or TJ Maxx to see if they have any Barielle products!)

Oh, and I reckon I should mention that my other winning nail products are: Barielle Natural Nail Camouflage, Sephora Glass File, Barielle Intensive Nail Renewal Oil, CND Solar Oil, B&BW True Blue Spa Cuticle Treatment and Barielle Ultra Soft Hand Crème SPF 15.

I found this recipe in my Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories cookbook, and though I’ve yet to try it, I wanted to share this with you. (Actually, I made the fruit sauce two days ago, but we’ve yet to finish making it, so we might be buying new stuff to remake the fruit sauce…)

Chunky Peach Strawberry Sauce
Makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups frozen whole strawberries
1 1/2 cups frozen peach slices
2 tbsp. Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
dash salt

Directions:
Combine Splenda, cornstarch, cinnamon, vanilla extract and salt with 1/2 cup of cold water. Stir until all ingredients are completely dissolved. Set aside.

Place fruit in a nonstick pot over medium-low heat. Once fruit begins to thaw, add liquid mixture. Stir.

As fruit defrosts and heats, use a spatula to break fruit apart into smaller pieces. Continuously stir until mixture becomes uniform, thick and syrupy.

Can be eaten hot, warm or chilled in the fridge until cold (but it’s best eaten the day it’s prepared).

Gooey Crunch Fruit Tartlets
Makes 12 servings (1 tartlet each)

Ingredients:
1 batch (entire recipe) Chunky Peach Strawberry Sauce (see above); chilled
12 small square wonton wrappers like the ones by Dynasty or Nasoya
48 sprays 0-calories-per-serving butter spray (like I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Spray)
Optional topping: Splenda No Calorie Sweetener (granulated) OR Fat Free Reddi-wip

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray a 12-cup muffin pan with nonstick spray, and set aside.

On a clean dry surface, set out 4 wonton wrappers. Spray each one with 2 sprays of butter, and use your fingers to spread butter evenly over each wonton; gently flip wontons and repeat. Carefully transfer wontons to muffin tin, placing each wonton in a muffin cup and pressing it in to form the cup shape. Repeat entire process 2 more times, and place tray in the oven.

Bake wonton cups in the oven for 10 minutes, or until they are firm and brown. Once cups are cool enough to handle, transfer them to a plate. Allow cups to cool completely.

Evenly spoon chilled sauce into the wonton cups (for best results, fill the wonton cups close to the time you’ll be serving or enjoying your tartlets). Place in the fridge until ready to serve.

If desired, before serving, top each tartlet with a squirt of Reddi-wip or a sprinkling of Splenda.

PER SERVING (2 fruit tartlets): 86 calories, 1g fat, 120mg sodium, 18g carbs, 2g fiber, 6g sugars, 2g protein = 1 Weight Watchers Point

Picture courtesy of Hungry Girl

I realized waiting on a sunny day almost isn’t worth it since the way the house sits, I’m in shade all day! I don’t think the cars on the road would appreciate me standing in the street in order to get sunlight either LOL! So, I had to make do with what I could inside the house… Sadly, it wasn’t until I uploaded my pics that I realized the best position/place to take pics since it’s the last few I took! Anywho on to the swatches!

I received my Nubars from a dear friend for a X-Mas/birthday, and I’m in love! I think Nubar could easily become my #1 nail polish brand! It applies like a dream, and all swatches are only of two coats of polish without a top coat. I most definitely MUST buy more!!!

Indigo Illusion

This is the color that made me want my first Nubar… Sadly, I didn’t get a good pic of it.  It’s a divine duochrome of purple meets blue meets gold meets green!  Gorgeous!

Peacock Feathers

Another fantastic duochrome!!!  Almost like a darker version of Indigo Illusion, but more purple than blue?  Absolutely amazing!

Purple Beach

The second color I fell in love with by Nubar.  Yet another duochrome (from what I hear, Nubar has the best).  Again, a purple meets green meets gold, but this time it meets grey!

Iced Licorice

Once again I failed on pic taking LOL!  Iced Licorice is a gorgeous purple, and this pic obviously won’t do it justice!  It’s like a smoked violet believe it or not.

Reclaim

I recently fell in love with holos, and couldn’t help it!  I needed a true green holo!  Gotta love it!  Divine!

Cherry Cordial

I didn’t think this would look too great on me, but it doesn’t look bad at all!  Cherry Cordial is a duochrome you might almost miss it’s so subtle.  I couldn’t capture yet again.  This time Nubar gave us red meets brown meets pink meets green.  (I bet DH loves this given his fave candy is Chocolate Covered Cherries… Yeah….)

Avant Garde

Red is probably my second fave nailpolish color, so I needed this matte wine color.  Totally different from my Zoya  Posh (which is more red).  And of course, I had to see what it looked like with a top coat on!

Hopefully my next set of swatches are better than these.  I need to make myself a lightbox… I sense a project coming on!!!

Disclosure: These products were given to me as a gift from a friend. For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Erin Flaherty of The Frisky posted the “Top 10 Best Drugstore Beauty Products”:

• Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser – $7.99 (Walgreens)
• St. Ives Apricot Scrub – $4.29 (drugstore.com)
• Neutrogena Ultra Sheer Sunscreen SPF 100 – $11.29 (americarx.com)
• Maybelline Mineral Powder Foundation – $8.99 (amazon.com)
• Cover Girl Clean Pressed Powder – $5.93 (drugstore.com)
• Maybelline Great Lash Mascara – $4.29 (Walgreens)
• Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick – $7.99 (drugstore.com)
• Neutrogena Rainbath – $7.49 (Walgreens)
• Pantene Pro-V 2-in-1 Shampoo/Conditioner – $6.99 (Walgreens)
• John Frieda Frizz-Ease, Original Formula – $9.09 (drugstore.com)

And even better? Erin also posted “10 More Best Drugstore Beauty Products”!

• Dickinson’s Witch Hazel Daily Facial Toner – $4.29 (drugstore.com)
• Smith’s Rosebud Salve – $4.40 (amazon.com)
• Aveeno Active Naturals Daily Moisturizing Lotion – $7.49 (Walgreens)
• Wet n’ Wild Eyeliner and Brow Pencil – $1.60 (americarx.com)
• Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum – $18.99 (Target)
• Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheets – $5.29 (drugstore.com)
• Maybelline Dream Mousse, $5.98 (Walmart)
• Neutrogena Transparent Facial Bar – $3.29 (drugstore.com)
• Physicians Formula Concealer Twins Correct & Cover Cream Concealer, Green/Light – $6.95 (drugstore.com)
• Organic Essentials Biodegradable Cotton Swabs – $5.59 (drugstore.com)

Gotta love it! Especially since everything on BOTH lists is under $20, and most of them under $10! Though I gotta say, I’m still not sure why Maybelline Great Lash keeps showing up on these “Top 10″ lists, but it does. I’ve tried it, and I’m sorry, but no thanks! What about you? Do you see anything on either list you love or hate?

Product: 4 of 5
Packaging: 3 of 5
Quality: 5 of 5
Price: 5 of 5
Overall: 4 of 5
Would I repurchase? Yes, yes and yes! I only wish it came in a tube form though…

::: The Product :::
Korres Lip Butters are lip balms which give the lips a hint of color, but can also be applied to the apples of cheeks for a pop of color. The Lip Butters are available in seven flavors/scents: Guava (clear), Quince (sheer rose), Jasmine (sheer neutral pink), Mango (sheer peach), Plum (sheer lavender berry), Pomegranate (sheer coral), and Wild Rose (sheer deep red).

All Korres Lip Butters are made without parabens, sulfates, GMO and petro-chemicals. Guava, Wild Rose, Pomegranate and Quince are free of synthetic fragrances, and Wild Rose, Pomegrante and Quince are also free of synthetic dyes. All of the Lip Butters are made with Shea Butter to hydrate and soften lips, as well as Rice Bran to seal in the treatment benefits of hydration and comfort.

Korres Lip Butters contain approximately 0.21 oz/6g in a white pot with different color lids depending on what scent/flavor you chose. Korres Lip Butters are available at Sephora brick & mortar stores, as well as online for $10. They may also be purchased from drugstore.com for $10. Funny enough, they’re available directly from Korres for only $9 *shrugs*

::: The Ingredients (All Shades) :::
Polybutene, Trimethylolpropane Triisostearate, Hydrogenated Polydecene, Hydroxystearic Acid, Polyethylene, Stearalkonium Hectorite, Propylene Carbonate, Polyglyceryl-3 Diisostearate, Sucrose Tetrastearate Triacetate, Aroma, Tocopherol, Prunus Domestica Extract, Dicalcium Phosphate, Ascorbyl Palmitate, Oryza Sativa (Rice) Bran Wax (Oryza Sativa Cera), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea Butter) Extract, CI 15850 (Red 7 Lake), CI 77891 (Titanium Dioxide), CI 77491 (Iron Oxides), CI 42090 (Blue 1 Lake)

::: My Experience :::
I kept hearing about Korres Lip Butters from the girls on Makeup Alley, as well as TiffanyD mentioned it in a few of her YouTube videos. Instead of getting one or two with my Sephora Gift Card, I decided to wait it out. I mean, I was in love with my Cococare Cocoa Butter Lip Balm!

Back in November I had a crappy experience at my local Sephora, so I wrote to the company about my experience. The district manager was kind enough to write me offering a free gift (which I never received, but that’s not a biggie) and a complimentary consultation. I’m not sure if the consultations are generally “complimentary” or not, but I figured I’d give it a go. Since this was right before the holidays, I decided to wait until after Christmas since I knew I had to go in for my birthday gift anyway… Which they were out of, so I’ll have to call the store back on this one. Anywho! The manager offered for me to come in this past weekend since a lady with Korres was in doing the consultations.

Sahra with Korres was wonderful! I didn’t need much help as far as cosmetics since I already know quite a bit and am happy with what I currently use. She did help me with her own hints on doing the cat eye/winged liner, which I still need to try out. I decided I’d finally try the highly praised Lip Butter, and was HOOKED instantly! I ended up purchasing one in Jasmine because the smell is just divine! The only one I didn’t care for smell wise was Guava… I’m not sure how to describe the smell, but it wasn’t pleasant to me. I think I’d have to get Pomegranate or Plum next… Maybe Quince…

My lips are insanely soft from using the Korres Lip Butter! I apply it at night before bed, and still wake up with soft lips! I keep it in the bathroom, so I apply it whenever I go in there as well. Since Jasmine isn’t a very dark balm, and I do have pretty pigmented lips, I don’t get much color from my Lip Butter, but that’s just fine. Also, I generally prefer a tubed lip balm (even if it’s a squeeze tube), so that’s my only real “issue” with this product. However, I will most definitely be buying more of these. I’m thinking relatively soon too so I have one for my desk at work!

::: Overall :::
I will most definitely be purchasing this product again! Korres Lip Butters are just as wonderful as everyone said they were! I’m glad I finally caved and purchased one, and I look forward to owning many more! If you have a change to grab one, do it! Smell them all first if you want too… Make sure you’re putting something on that you’ll love to smell as much as wear!

Disclosure: This product was purchased by me at my local Sephora. For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

Product: 4 of 5
Packaging: 5 of 5
Quality: 5 of 5
Price: 5 of 5
Overall: 5 of 5
Would I repurchase? Granted, I received this from a company to review, but I’d definitely buy this! I wouldn’t even hesitate!

::: The Product :::
Black Magic Mascara is a 12-hour formula lengthening AND moisturizing mascara which isn’t supposed to dry out or clump… Toma Cosmetics say what?! Yes, you read that right, so no need to double-blink! Even better, when partnered with Magic Lash Enhancer (animal-friendly and made from natural white fibers in the USA), your lashes can transform into something your childhood baby doll would even be jealous of!

::: The Ingredients :::
(Gotta add these when I find them!)

::: My Experience :::
Sadly my Maybelline Sky High Curves was beginning to flake on me, so I was only too happy when approached by Overall Beauty about doing a review on Toma Black Magic Mascara and Magic Lash Enhancer. Besides, I’d be crazy to pass up on something that’s supposed to give me the look of false lashes!

Anywho! I’m used to fiber mascaras that already have the fibers within (Avon Uplifting, Imju Fiberwig, etc.), so it was a new concept to me having to use a mascara, then add the fibers, and then continue repeating the process until I achieved my desired effect. Thankfully, there are videos available on Overall Beauty’s website by EnKore and other You Tubers, so you can not only see how to apply the mascara, but also what the end result is.

My first night I played with the mascara and enhancer to see what would happen… I only tested it out on one eye, and I was impressed! I immediately used the Black Magic Mascara and Magic Lash Enhancer the following morning, and was floored! I couldn’t get enough of looking at my lashes! They were everything I wanted, and I’m not normally one for volume as opposed to length, but I had them both!

The trick to applying Black Magic Mascara and Magic Lash Enhancer is to apply a layer of the Black Magic Mascara, then add the fibers from Magic Lash Enhancer, then apply more Black Magic Mascara. Before applying the Magic Lash Enhancer, tap off any excess fibers almost like tapping off excess mineral makeup from kabuki brush. Now, the fibers can be a tad messy, and you don’t just swipe it on like mascara. I kinda gently touch/tap the wand to my lashes and let the fibers grab on to the wet mascara.

If you only want length, you can just apply the fibers to the tips of your lashes. However, if you want volume, you can apply Magic Lash Enhancer from about midway to the tips. I’ve tried applying Magic Lash Enhancer using Cover Girl Lash Blast, and it wasn’t as great of an effect as with the Black Magic Mascara. So, my official vote there is to purchase the Black Magic Mascara to go with the Magic Lash Enhancer. Anywho! Are you ready for some pics?! Yes, I have pics of me both before and after using Black Magic Mascara and Magic Lash Enhancer!

Front View – No Mascara

Side Views – No Mascara
…..

Front View – With Black Magic Mascara & Magic Lash Enhancer

::: Overall :::
The only way this could be an even better mascara combo is if the fibers were already in the mascara and you could still achieve the same look. I’m so glad I was able to try it, but I will most definitely be buying this in the future! Though I think the Magic Lash Enhancer works best with the Black Magic Mascara, I will try using it with other mascaras too. However for only $25 for both, and knowing the Magic Lash Enhancer will last through THREE tubes of mascara just makes it an even better deal to purchase the Toma Black Magic Mascara and Magic Lash Enhancer!

Disclosure: This product sample was furnished to me by Overall Beauty.  For more information, please view my Disclosure Policy.

I’m horrible at keeping up! I can’t help it! I’ve been a busy bee! I had my 30th birthday! YAY! I know, I’m the only person on earth excited about turning 30 LOL! Not to mention, I’ve had a headache every day for the past two weeks… So, it’s not fun to play around with a headache.

However, I’ve gotten lots of new goodies! And I do have some reviews and swatches coming up soon now that the sun is trying to come out to play daily! The joys of it all

Well, I’m on my second full week of Weight Watchers! I’ve switched from a Monthly Pass to a three-month Online account though… I just don’t have any intentions on getting to a meeting, so why pay the extra for it each month, right?

Anywho! It looks like I’m down to 143 lbs already! It’s definitely a lot easier than it was when I first started. I’m able to plan ahead a lot better, and I almost count backwards on my points. For instance, I KNOW I’m going to have coffee in the morning and at least once at night. Knowing that’s a total of 3 pts., I know I only have 17 left for meals and snacks.

I’ve probably spent a good $100 in the last two weeks on food!!! But that’s okay, because it’s helped obviously! I just worry because with my birthday and eating out, I’m scared! I think I’ll let my 35 weekly points come into play there LOL! No way I can stay under a total of 55 points otherwise in a week!

So, progress has been made, and that makes me happy! I’m not striving to reach my goal by a set date… Just to reach my goal. Hopefully that makes it more attainable for me. Please continue to wish me luck and join me in my weight loss!

I forget how I originally found Hungry Girl by Lisa Lillien, but I’m very glad I did! I’ve been following her off and on for almost a year, but only recently have I begun visiting her site daily no matter what. And not just because I joined Weight Watchers and she’s a contributor! Lisa’s website offers weekly updates on such things as what’s new in food & dieting, hidden horrors in foods, better alternatives to restaurant menu items, and weekend survival strategies.

Now, Lisa isn’t a nutritionist… She says she’s just an average female, but I can’t even give her that… She’s awesome! Anyone who can come up with delicious recipes under 200 calories isn’t average! And yes, I do mean she has a book called “Hungry Girl 200 Under 200: 200 Recipes Under 200 Calories.” Can you imagine?! Well, I can since I just purchased the cookbook and I’m lovin’ what I see! I almost just ran back out to make her “It’s A Snap!” Ginger Cookie ‘n Peach Parfait,” which is only 158 calories and 3 WW points! Oh yeah!

Lisa also has a book called “Hungry Girl Recipes and Survival Strategies for Guilt-Free Eating in the Real World,” and a new book which will be available in March 2010 (but you can pre-order it now) called “Hungry Girl 1-2-3: The Easiest, Most Delicious, Guilt-Free Recipes on the Planet.” She also has an audiobook and recipe card set.

Oh! And another reason I gotta love Hungry Girl… She introduced me to Vitalicious’ VitaTops! They’re only 100 calories each, and 1 WW point! Seriously?! What’s that? You’re asking if you get to have a delicious chocolate muffin top with REAL chocolate chips for breakfast or a snack, and not use a bazillion WW points?! Oh yes, you can!!! How insanely awesome is that?!

(Picture via Hungry Girl website)