Nail of the Week 2/10 & 2/17

Hi guys!

My nails for the past two weeks haven't really stuck to any kind of trend. Other than accent nails. I do what I want!

The week of Valentine's Day I finally got around to wearing my Nailtini Mai Tai, and I chose Nailtini Champagne for an accent nail. I wish Mai Tai had leaned a little more pink instead of orange, but both the polishes had excellent wear time. I liked Champagne a lot. It will definitely show up as a future accent nail color!

This week I decided to step out of my comfort zone and try some free-handed nail art, and I'm loving the results! I'm wearing Sally Hansen Grey Area and Zoya Dot as an accent color. Then I free-handed a little heart in Grey Area on the pink. And I'm seriously obsessed with it. These little hearts may start showing up in a lot of future manicures!

I'm really loving accent nails lately, so I think they may sticking around. As my best friend said, "It's kind of like the grown up version of painting all your nails different colors!"

February 2014 Ipsy Bag

It's my favorite time of the month again! Ipsy time!

This month's theme was: The Look of Love!

In my bag, I got:

Zoya Nail Polish in Dot

This is the third Zoya polish I got from ipsy, and I'm totally okay with that! I actually wanted the other color that people were getting in bags (Odette), but I decided to wear this as an accent nail this week (you'll see on Friday!), and I'm kind of loving it. It's a good basic neutral. Pretty and girly, but not in your face so.

POP Beauty Plump Pout Mini in Fuschia Freesia

This has kind of a weird smell in the tube (and for a little bit on your lips) but it gets better. It, too, is pink and girly, and it's a really nice color. I'm not a huge lip gloss girl, but I like having a variety for when I do decide I want to wear one.

Tini Beauty Eyetini Cordial Cream Shadow + Base-in-one

When I swatched this on my hand, I had high hopes. Unfortunately, I experimented with it just a little on my eyes, and it sheers out really badly. It's a beautiful color, but I don't think it's going to be good for anything but a base for a purple powder shadow which I am now on the lookout for!

skyn ICELAND Fresh Start Mask with Ice Age Mud

I'm not a big fan of foil packets, but I do love a good face mask. I ended up trading my last ones away because I was worried about my skin handling it poorly, but I think I'll give this one a try!

J.Cat Eyelashes & Eyelash Glue

This is the second pair of J.Cat fake eyelashes I've received from ipsy, and I'm not the least bit excited about them. I don't wear fake eyelashes!

I'm kind of 'meh' about this bag. It's not bad, and I'm looking forward to using four out of the five products, but there's nothing I'm crazily excited about. I would've liked some of the other products that were options this month like the blush, the First Aid Beauty face wash, or the Pacifica Lotion.

Eggplant, Fennel, & Sausage Baked Ziti

Hi guys!

I have another awesome recipe to share with you today. When I first started making this recipe, I thought for sure I wouldn't share it because I was skeptical, but it turned out to be a rousing success!

The recipe is for Slow Cooker Eggplant, Fennel & Sausage Baked Ziti.

This requires a little prep work at the beginning, but it's just browning the meat and cutting the fennel and the eggplant. I used penne instead of ziti, and my "Italian seasoning" was just adding however much rosemary, thyme, oregano, and basil I felt like adding.

And it's AMAZING! Seriously. I've never cooked (or, for that matter, eaten) fennel before, and it's really good. Plus, the eggplant cooks down to almost nothing, so if you don't like the consistency of it, this is a good way to try it! Of course, sausage and cheese make everything better!

For me, the best part about this recipe was the fact that it tasted way more fattening than it was. This baby's under 400 calories a serving! The perfect combination of tasty and good for you!

Does anyone else love their slow cooker as much as I do? Any good recipes to share?

Mini Fashion Haul - Gap, Loft, Banana Republic

Hi guys!

Today I have something a little different to show you. Recently my mom and I went shopping to find my sister a black long-sleeved shirt, and ended up with a lot more! Everywhere was having crazy sales, so I got a few things.

We started at Gap. I got two workout tops which I love. It's always nice to feel cute when you're sweaty and gross!

We stopped into Loft and I scored an awesome pair of red cords. My mom has the same pants (in her size) and says she absolutely loves them. They're pretty perfect: super comfortable, they come up high enough, they're skinny but don't make me look like a sausage casing, and best of all: they were $20!

And last, but not least, we went to Banana Republic. The sales here weren't quite as good, but we made out okay. I got this GORGEOUS cobalt blue cardigan (which are quickly becoming my new favorite fashion piece) and a nice flowy top.

It's always when I'm not looking that I find the best pieces! Have you guys hit on any awesome deals lately?

Nail of the Week 1/27 & 2/3

Hi guys!

These past two weeks I went a little more natural/chic in my polish colors. The first one is Zoya Shay.

I've had this one for a while, but I am SO glad I finally got around to it. It's the perfect nude shade for me. Plus, it goes back and forth between brownish, beige, and pinkish depending on the light. I think everyone should have at least one really excellent nude shade in their collection, and this one is definitely mine.

This week I was wearing Julep Olivia.

I really like this polish, but it was a bad week for my nails. The dry weather is really taking a toll on them, so I broke 3 in a day and a half and two more between Wednesday and today. I ended up taking my polish off today to give my nails some time to rest and (hopefully) get stronger before I paint on Sunday. Regardless, I liked this color more than I thought I would. I've always thought dark nail polish looks really chic, and I like that this has that feeling without being as harsh as black. 

Do you guys have any tips and tricks to keep your nails from becoming dry and brittle? Combine the cold weather with the fact that my nails are already prone to peeling, and I am one unhappy nail polish lover!

Skinny Chicken Enchiladas + Life updates

Hey guys!

Today I come to you after finishing up a DELICIOUS dinner. I made Skinny Chicken Enchiladas from Pinch of Yum, and they are amazing. I am all about slow cooker meals - the less prep the better! Plus, I can never say no to good Mexican, so I had to give this a try.

As far as slow cooker recipes go, this one is actually pretty fast. You only cook it in the slow cooker for 3 hours. Then you put it in the oven for 20 minutes or so. And you can pick your own spice level. I'm not big on spicy food, so I used mild salsa, but you could use any level and even add in some chili powder or oil if you wanted to.

The best part? Two enchiladas are only roughly 350 calories! Who needs enchilada sauce, right!?

In other news, I've been selling stuff on eBay for my neighbor and generally trying to keep myself busy. My mom and I have been doing yoga together, and I got an amazing massage yesterday. I also finally started reading the book on typography my mom got me in the fall. Hopefully that will lead into me looking at the sites I bookmarked about graphic design and brainstorming some ideas for the stuff I'm supposed to be working on!

I hope everyone is having a good week!

January Favorites

Hi guys!

Thanks to Christmas, I have some awesome products I loved during January! Most of them came from this kit that my sister got me:

Let's go from left to right!

First we have the Tarte Pure Maracuja Oil. I recently stopped taking birth control, and my face has been severely unhappy. I'm going to the dermatologist later this month, but in the meantime I've really seen a difference with this. When I use it with my acne spot treatment, I think it helps my skin fight off the awful stuff better than with just the spot treatment by itself. And while I'm not sure it helps control the oil production on my face, it definitely doesn't make it worse!

The blush is in Thankful, and it's the perfect pink color for me. I think it really gives that lovely "it's cold outside" flush, and it has great staying power.

The "skintuitive lip tint" reacts with your body chemistry to create the perfect shade for you. I love using this just to give my lips that little bit of color without being too dark or drying. I usually put this on and then use my Baby Lips over it when I'm getting ready, and I love it!

The other make up product I've been loving this month is my sample size of Tarte's Lights, Camera, Flashes mascara.

My immediate response the first time I used this was, "Holy eyelashes, Batman!" I love how versatile this mascara is. I can use it every day for a "my lashes but better" look or I can really pump up my look and have my lashes stand out. It doesn't flake or smudge on me, and the staying power is fantastic.

I also have to give a shout out to my The Body Shop body butter. It's been a cold and ridiculously dry winter this year, and this stuff has been saving my skin as well as smelling delicious!

For non-make up products in January, I recently finished watching all 4 (and what's out of the 5th) seasons of Community. 

It's weird and quirky and has gone through some ups and downs, but I love it. It helps that I'm in love with Danny Pudi, who plays Abed. If you're into weird, quirky sitcoms, definitely give this one a try. And once you've watched it, go watch the bloopers. They make me the happiest.

One last favorite for January is Bastille's album Bad Blood.

This band can do no wrong in my opinion. I've listened to this album SO many times over the past month. My sister and I listened to it a bunch on our way to Tallahassee and I've listened to it a ton since then. I am so not an album person, so the fact that I'm so obsessed with this album is a big deal. If you're looking for specific song suggestions, my favorites are "Pompeii," "These Streets," and "Flaws" though, as I said, the whole album is brilliant.

So that's everything for this month! What products have you guys been loving?