Facial Cleansing Wipes: Sephora vs. Yes To...

Removing makeup is very important to a daily skincare regime. Before going to the gym, tanning, bed... The obvious way to cleanse your skin would be with a facial soap and water. Sometimes, it's not this easy, especially when you're on the road. Before going to the gym, I often choose to use a cleansing wipe to free my skin of pore-clogging makeup, while leaving eye-makeup so that I don't look like a 12-year-old (you know you're nastying up your pores 20-fold by sweating in makeup!!).

I've been using the Sephora Brand Express Cleansing Wipes for a while now and recently received Yes To Blueberries Brightening Facial Towlettes in my monthly Birchbox. Each product has its own pros and cons. Which one is right for you? Find out more after the jump.

 

Strawberries and Cream

Local strawberries have been rocking recently. I've had an abundance of chocolate dipped strawberries, but was feeling something a little creamier for dessert tonight. I stumbled across the best cream filling recipe ever. Of course, I used it for dipping, as it requires less effort than using it as filling.

Strawberries and Cream

Excited for the recipe? Keep reading...

Crepes du Jour

I recently made a very delicious, homemade treat! I was pretty impressed with myself for getting an unfamiliar recipe right the first time! I combined a few different recipes to create a delicious dessert crepe.

What you'll need:

Throw Pillows Made by Moi

I hate to ruin the story, but here's what you have to look forward to:

Finished product

In an attempt to spruce up my living room, I recently painted, taking the walls from a very bland off-white to a shade referred to as Secret Moss. This made a world of difference to my living room (in my opinion anyway), which isn't given justice by the following pictures!

Above: old; Below: new

Above: old; Below: new

So, in light of the new wall color and the fact that my puppy recently chewed up each of the old throw pillows on couch [which didn't match anyway], I decided we were in serious need of upgraded throw pillows! And I figured I could just do them myself!

Warmer & Scent of the Month - March

I am very excited about March's Scent and "warmer" of the month! This month introduces the first Buddy of the Month, Wellington the Duck. This plush, cuddly guy is stuffed, with a zippered pouch in the back to tuck away a Scent Pak, maintaining a fresh smell for him and the space around him. Wellington is ready for Spring in a cute little yellow raincoat! Like other Scent Buddies, Wellington comes with a Scent Pak.

Wellington the Duck

Things You Should Know: Gym Etiquette, Peeves

As part of my Things You Should Know series, I thought there were a few things that everyone should know about how to act and what not to do/always do at the gym. It doesn't matter if it's a private membership gym, one-time visit, etc., keep these tips in mind.

1. Keep your noise level down.
While this is always a good tip to abide by, it was atrociously brought to my attention last week while I was on the treadmill at my gym. With my headphones in, I kept overhearing a loud hacking. It would calm down, then pick up again. Concerned, I removed an earbud and glanced around. The guy at the end of the row was identified as the culprit. He would alternate walking a few seconds with jogging a few seconds. This man was in no shape or form athletic in the first place. And as he began to jog, he would start huffing and puffing- not just deep lung sounds, vocal "Haaaaaahhh!!!!"'s and everything. He didn't limit himself to deep guttural exclamations, but was yelling, "Oh my God! Ohhhh!! It's sooo hard!! Ahhhh!! It hurts!! Oh my God!" and on and on. I glanced around and noticed everyone around awkwardly focusing on their television screens, trying not to pay attention to him. While it was hilarious, it really was distracting and rude.

This also applies to whistlers, hummers, singers, and so on. Basically, if someone else can hear you, don't do it. If you insist on exercising your vocal chords while working out, I would recommend purchasing a treadmill for your home.

Free Stuff: Monthly Scent Bar Drawing [Closed!]

So, I've decided to give away a free Scentsy Scent of the Month bar each month! How exciting, right?! As you may know [especially if you read a few of my other posts], Scentsy puts out a Scent of the Month each month. This scent is 10% off during that month [the warmer of the month is 10% off, too] and is typically a new release. Get the details after the jump!

Things You Should Know: Antibioics

There are several topics which are very important: most people know a little about them, maybe just enough to get by; yet, there are important details about that everyone should know.

Antibiotics are very important. Before their discovery and development, many lives were lost for reasons we scoff at today. Most people take antibiotics for granted and blindly trust that their physician will give them any details needed. Doctors are bust people, seeing scads of people a day; they get busy and sometimes an important reminder slips by unannounced. As antibiotics are incredibly widely prescribed, it's important that you take the time to educate yourself on something that could save your life, or at least make it more comfortable.

Pain-free Makeover: Taaz.com

Ever get that feeling that you want to try something new- maekup, lip plumping, hair style or color- but don't want to take the actual risk or potentially waste your money on something you may not like? I get like this all the time. Thankfully, Taaz.com has a makeover tool which allows you to test out cosmetics, alterations (such as teeth whitening, lip plumping, brow shaping), new hairstyles and colors (including changing the color of your own style). For example, here is my Before and After:

Before and After

Just Desserts: Watergate Cupcakes

Since I was young, one of my very favorite deserts has always been Watergate Salad. Nothing tops a rich, pistachio flavor! A friend introduced me to the best combination ever, Watergate Salad and cupcakes, after there were leftovers from a wedding reception. It took months to get a hold of the recipe, mostly because the cupcakes were referred to as Pistachio Cupcakes at the time. Finally, my sister tracked down a recipe and altered it to fit our taste, which obviously makes it better than ever!

Finished product, conserving frosting before I knew there was plenty.
I promise, very tasty! 

Just Desserts: Homemade Turtles

For Valentine's Day, I felt like doing something a little special for my husband [okay, maybe for my own benefit, too...]. Back around Christmas I stumbled across directions to make your own homemade turtles (the candies, yum!). The first time around, it didn't go as well as planned, but I decided to give it another try, lining up a few new techniques. I'm very pleased to announce that they came out great!!

Cooking Tip: Toast your Pasta!

I got this really neat cookbook a little while back and have been experimenting with a few of the tips listed in it. One of my favorite new culinary tricks of the trade is toasting pasta!

Toast your Pasta!

Shopping: Sephora Valentine's Special

As a Beauty Insider [meaning I have an account], Sephora sends me specials or advertisements about every other day or so. Today, Sephora sent out a Valentine's Day Special that is definitely worth taking a look at! Using promotion code SHIPLOVE, particular items (pictured below) will receive free 3-day shipping! Super!

Just Desserts: Coconut Rice Pudding

I stumbled across a bunch of coconut recipes one afternoon. My favorite (so far) is the Coconut Rice Pudding. It's come to be expected that when I cook something, I nearly always do something wrong, in some way. The first time I made this, I followed the directions perfectly, but I used sweetened coconut milk (the viscous kind, typically marketed for pina coladas, I found it on the cake isle) while the original recipe called for unsweetened milk. While checking out the "ethnic" food isle the other day I finally found a can of unsweetened coconut milk, got really excited, thinking Yes! Now it will be really awesome!! I was wrong. Come to find out, the "mistake" I made the first time was actually an improvement! So, here is what I consider the best recipe of coconut rice pudding ever!

Operation Crochet a Scarf

My mom spent most of the time leading up to Christmas crocheting like crazy. Most females in my family are donning handmade scarfs this winter. I absolutely love my soft, blue, black, and white infinity scarf, but I realized that I really do need a scarf comprised of warm colors. So, I endeavored to crochet my first scarf!

Mind you, I have crocheted before. I don't think I've every actually finished something 100%, but I've known the basics since I was a child. After a quick crash course with my mom, I set down and began to crochet away.

The finished scarf, wrapped in to itself three times

Beauty Tip: Eye Makeup Remover

I always love finding a new purpose for common products!

One product I had a horrible time finding an agreeable brand was eye makeup remover. From cheap, Target makeup isle to expensive, hard to find, there was not one brand I could consistently use on my sensitive skin without swelling, itching, a rash, peeling, redness... You name it. Luckily a solution presented itself in response to an unexpected medical issue.

Jalapeno Pinwheel Poppers

I found this awesome recipe on Pinterest [yeah, I'm sure you've never heard that before]. This recipe, which I will from here out refer to as Jalepeno Pinwheel Poppers, is great for many reasons. It's quick and easy. The ingredients can be bought well in advance and you don't have to worry about them going bad. They can be made [somewhat] in advance and cooked [somewhat] later.

Jalapeno Pinwheel Poppers, professional picture from recipe source

It takes about 15 minutes to get everything thrown together, and about 13 minutes cooking time. I've ever so slightly altered the original recipe to make it better.

Kitchen Drawers - Vertical Silverware Tray

When we bought our house, I knew that the kitchen would be the one thing that I hated most (after we had our bathroom renovated). I tried my best to quickly make it tolerable with a little amount of money. I've hated the cabinet setup since day one. Overall, there isn't much cabinet space, and what's there is laid out horribly! There are two small drawers the depth of silverware/junk drawers, and two deep drawers that have no good purpose (awful planning!).

Horrible layout.

When we moved in, I hurriedly found spots for things, just trying to get the boxes unpacked. I had to buy a new silverware tray because the drawers aren't of a typical width.

Warmer & Scent of the Month - February

Every month Scentsy releases a Scent and Warmer of the month, each of which are discounted 10% during that month. As an Independent Consultant, I have access to the warmer and scent of the month about half-a-month earlier than customers can order them. The information for the special is released early in the the preceding month, so I learned about the February special at the beginning of January.

February is a special month for Scentsy, a new line, "ScenTrend," is being released. ScenTrend is a Scentsy wax bar featuring an annually selected fragrance note that has been expertly deemed to be an up-and-coming scent. The bar is not meant to be melted alone, but to act as an enhancing scent to another Scentsy bar (bars that have been determined to mix best have a special notation). Because of this new release, my Warmer of the Month package included a sample bar of the ScentTrend, in addition to the warmer of the month and bars and room spray of the scent of the month.

February: Warmer of the Month, Room Spray, ScentTrend, Scent of the Month

The February warmer is Flutterby, a premium full-sized warmer. It has a nice, neutral green color with a hint of crackle finish. Butterflies are stamped in to the warmer and carved out, letting some of the light seep through.

Flutterby, Full-Sized Warmer

February's scent of the month is Pixie, "a mischievous moonscape of pink pepper, mandarin, and heliotrope, deepened by exotic teakwood and vanilla oak." I thought this sounded promising, definitely worth a shot. When it came in and I popped one open, I was a little disappointed. I had already heard people raving about it online, so I guess my hopes were a little high. It was a little too fragrant for me, which is something a lot of people specifically look for (you'll continue to notice the scent for a longer time period than something that is more subtle). There is a strong floral smell, reminding me of a perfume my mom wore to church every Sunday when I was a small kid. There is a nice, sweet smell that is a little less prominent, and even a little bit of a fabric softener whiff in there. It's not bad, but it is definitely strong.

Pixie, Pink Pepper atop the Flutterby warmer

The ScentTrend of 2012 is Pink Pepper. This scent is described as,"both sweet and spicy, with a bit of floral mixed in." They say it mixes great with gourmand and floral fragrances, adding depth and character. While it can be combined with any of your favorite bars, it is highly recommended to pair it with Imperial City, Amber Road, Paradise Punch, Love Story, Hendrix, and Pixie (the February SOTM). While they say it's not like black pepper that you find in pepper grinders and in kitchens, you can definitely smell a very similar peppery note. The bar in itself isn't strong, it's not supposed to be; but it will add an interesting touch to another fragrance. If you concentrate, you can pick up a slight floral hint within the ScentTrend bar.

As I didn't particularly care for Pixie right off the bat, I was shocked that when I held Pixie and Pink Pepper together it had a much more pleasant smell, something that I thought I would really like in a warmer!

So, I broke off a portion of the Pixie brick which comes with the WOTM package and threw it in the warmer in my bathroom. I haven't added any Pink Pepper yet, I wanted to give Pixie a chance on its own first. It was really strong! From the small amount I put in the bathroom, you could smell it in the bathroom, three bedrooms on that end of the house, and into the kitchen. You can even smell it, although not as strongly, into the living room! If you're looking for a bar that gives you a ton of bang for your buck, this is it!! I still haven't added the Pink Pepper, but it's on my to-do list.

Homemade Dog Treats

My family really loves dogs. I mean, really, really loves dogs. So much so that my mom decided they deserved homemade treats just like the rest of us! 

Homemade with Love!

 Thanks to Pinterest and my mom's philosophy that anything could and should be homemade, we decided to try our hand at homemade dog treats. A little google search lead us to countless options, but luckily one of the first few looked promising, requiring a lot of stuff you usually have on hand! 

There are a lot of pups in my family. If my sister and I are both at our parents' house, there will be at least 5 dogs, possibly more depending on if any other family is in town or around. Some holidays we have 10 or 11 running around. Anyway, it was a good gamble on my mom's part to double the recipe. Represented here is the original recipe (not doubled).

Dinner - Wino Chicken

Cooking and I have a love/hate relationship. I love cooking when it works out, hate it when it doesn't. I'd say that, overall, my cooking turns out good about 50% of the time. Lately, though, I've been doing pretty well... knock on wood! I did get a new oven, I think this is really helping!

I watch a good amount of Food Network, but somehow seem to miss the actual cooking shows designed to help people like me, average cookers. I catch a lot of Iron Chef and Food Network Challenges, which helps me ad lib cook, but doesn't really give me a lot of recipes to use at home. Luckily, FoodNetwork.com has been awesome at helping me with this.

One day I stumbled upon an awesome recipe by Paula Deen. The official recipe title is "Lady and Sons' Chicken in Wine Sauce," which is a mouthful. I've renamed it Wino Chicken. Below is the recipe, slightly altered to fit my taste.

Distressed Skin

Generally, I have extremely sensitive skin. Add to that a harsh, windy winter and my skin becomes so irritated it hurts- really bad, all day. This applies to my entire body, but it recently became a serious problem with my face.

About 2 years ago Aveda was recommended to me. I tried a few of their products, found some of them worthwhile, but was allergic to some, as well. I had been using Clinique's dramatically different moisturizing lotion my entire life (okay, preteen years on), but around this time found that it really wasn't moisturizing my skin well enough.

Clinique Dramatically Different Moisturizing Lotion

 
On the Aveda kick, I decided to try out their Botanical Kinetics skin line. I bought the liter bottles of their cleanser and moisturizer because it was a better deal in the long run (I'm such a bargain hound).

Aveda Botanical Kinetics Moisturizer

At first, the Aveda cleanser and moisturizer were okay. It should have been a sign that my sister had to quit using them nearly immediately, as it irritated her skin. After about a year I decided I didn't really like it that much, but it was an expensive set and I'd just finish out the bottles and then find something better. Recently my husband picked up a Neutrogena face wash and set it out for himself. Well, I began using it, too, and realized, Aveda vs. Neutrogena... Neutrogena won.

Handy with a sewing machine

So, I know how to sew. Admittedly, I am not the best seamstress ever. But, I know enough to be handy. This is incredibly important because I'm pretty short; nearly every pair of pants I posses have been hemmed (not always by me).

So, I purchased a new pair of scrubs the other day. They only had medium scrub bottoms, and I usually take a small, but I thought, "why not, they're scrub bottoms." It's not like they're supposed to be super fitted anyway. I knew I would have to hem them, no big surprise there.

With my mother's help, we got a hem length figured out. Note to all: do not attempt to figure out how much to take off by yourself, bending over to pin the pants will always distort the length. Anyway, the pants were also much looser through the thighs than they appeared in the store, so my mom suggested taking that in a little, too.

This is the promotional photo for the bottoms- note the slit at the ankle.

Bring Back My Bar! An Independent Consultant review

Scentsy is running a Bring Back My Bar promotion, offering a chance to purchase 20 different discontinued bars, back by popular demand, thanks to over 5 million votes from devoted fans! These bars are back for the month of January only. As usual, each bar is $5, or you can buy 3 for $16, or 6 for $25.

Independent Consultants were offered the chance to purchase all 20 in December. I did not take advantage of this, and now I wish I would have! But, 8 different scents were just delivered (7 were mine, 1 was my sisters) and I was super excited to crack them open!

Bring Back My Bar!