27 Aug 2012

Healthy Lunch Ideas for School



It's back to school for many kids and adults out there, be it high school or college. Or, you might be a mom who has kids to send off everyday for school. Here's a video you might find helpful: healthy, affordable and - most importantly - utterly delicious lunch ideas! Your kids will love you so much for making these yummy lunches, and you can have the peace of mind of feeding them healthy, fresh foods low in fat, sugar and sodium.



Here's what I'm making!

Lunch #1

Chicken Salad Wrap
Fruit Parfait
Coco-Mango Infusion

Lunch #2

Crunchy Veggie Wrap
Apple Strudel
Red Berry Infusion

Lunch #3

Spicy Tuna Wrap
Strawberry-Apricot Milkshake

All these lunches can be prepared in advance to cut down on prep time in the morning when you're in a hurry. The chicken and tuna salads can be prepared a day in advance; make an extra portion to keep in the fridge for multiple days. Veggies can also be sliced or chopped the evening before, just be sure to wrap in cling film to keep them fresh and juicy.

I hope you enjoy these lunch ideas! Let me know if you try any of them out. They are sure to be a hit with young and old alike.

23 Aug 2012

Tutorial: Brandy inspired


This tutorial is inspired by Brand's latest music video, "Put It Down". One of the looks she wore in the video was this fantastically stunning smokey makeup that just looked so sultry and alluring. After watching the video a few dozen times on full-screen, I could make out that a silver-charcoal shadow was used on her lid, and some smokey browns to blend it out. Since Brandy has a darker complexion, the brown shadows obviously looks a lot more subtle than on my own fair skin, but I wanted to recreate the look as closely as possible.

Her lips were kept a glossy nude shade, her face was contoured and brightened up with a rosy blush, and lashes were used on top and bottom.

 




Here's my spin on this look.





Want to see how I did it? Then watch my video tutorial below!



Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift cream foundation, Bobbi Brown Shimmerbrick in Peony, MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Shimpagne

Eyes
Sleek Molten Metal 715, Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Loose Colour in Ironic, Barry M Dazzle Dust N. 97, MAC eyeshadows in Soft Brown, Handwritten, Copperplate, Solar White, Shroom, MAC Feline kohl pencil, Inglot AMC Shine shadow, Sigma highlight pencil (from their Brow Kit), Kryolan mascara, Amazing Shine lashes Nr. 47, (lower lashes I don't know which brand it is), Duo lash adhesive

Lips
KIKO Sheer Lipstick Nr. 400, Revlon Lipgloss in Peach Petal

Nailpolish
KIKO Nr. 288

Do you like this look and where would you wear it? Let me know in the comments!

Review: Kiehl's Aromatic Blends



Being a fan of many Kiehl's Skincare products, my curiosity was peaked when I learned the company is releasing four new fragrances. I attended a media event surrounding the release of these scents where I learned all about the creation process, the inspiration behind the fragrances, and how they are made. I was quite taken with the concept: simple, understated scents featuring only a few notes.

There are four fragrances in total, and accompanying each scent is a matching body lotion and shower gel. The body lotion is silicone free, and the body cleanser is sulphate-free.

Fig Leaf & Sage: This fragrance was inspired by memories of the perfumer's childhood in Provence, playing under a fig tree. Combining the scent of figs with the savory herb of Sage leaves, it definitely has a very Cote d'Azur French Riviera feel.

Vanilla & Cedarwood: The vanilla bean in this fragrance is sourced from a sustainable development project in Uganda, and these vanilla beans have a much higher quality than commercial vanilla (used for cooking example.) The sweetness of the vanilla combines with the woodsy cedarwood for a very unique combination.

Orange Blossom & Lychee: To achieve a very complex orange scent, many parts of the orange tree were used, not only the blossoms, but also the leaves and the stems. Combined with the lychee, this fragrance had an oriental, dreamy touch.

Nashi Blossom & Pink Grapefruit: For this Japanese inspired fragrance, perfumers used a complex extraction technology (instead of the traditional distilling method) to obtain the true fragrance of ginger to support the other scents of Nashi and grapefruit. This was my absolute favorite scent - it was extremely fresh and original, very revitalizing!



My personal favorite - as I already wrote - was the Nashi Blossom and Pink Grapefruit combination. It was airy, fresh, and citrusy, but still had a soft, feminine note. My least favorite was probably the Fig Leaf & Sage - I love to eat fresh figs, but I generally don't like perfumes with this note. There's something very strong and cloying about it that doesn't mesh well with my own body chemistry.

Above you can see the Vanilla & Cedarwood set - this one is very feminine and sweet, but the cedarwood adds an interesting touch that I haven't found in many other vanilla based perfumes.

I definitely recommend checking these out the next time you're at Kiehl's! They are very wearable, inoffensive scents that can be worn with ease. Have any caught your eye? Let me know in the comments which one you would try first.







17 Aug 2012

School / College Makeup for Less

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Here's a quick, easy, and very affordable makeup look that's perfect for an educational setting. It should take you less than ten minutes in the morning to complete, will make you look effortlessly polished, and won't have you sticking out like a sore thumb on the first day of class.

Are you currently attending high school, college, or maybe a night class? Let me know in the comments!




If you want to recreate this makeup look, watch my tutorial below!



Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift cream foundation, L'Oreal Magic Smooth Soufflé in Plume

Eyes
Maybelline Color Tattoo in Tough as Taupe, Wet n Wild ColorIcon palette in Comfort Zone, L'Oreal Infallible Lacquer Liner in Blackest Black, L'Oreal Power Volume Collagen mascara

Lips
L'Oreal Caresse lipstick in Innocent Pink

Nails
Essie Topless and Barefoot


13 Aug 2012

Watermelon inspired Makeup


Mira from Funnypilgrim and I collaborated on this fun summer makeup - each of us came up with a look inspired by summer fruits. My fruit of choice was watermelon, and Mira's was blood oranges.

Here's what I came up with!




I have to say, I think this is one of my personal favorite looks I've done in a while. It's just so darn fun, bright and colorful! Where could you wear this? A summer cook-out, a BBQ with friends, a summer soirée, or maybe a summer music festival.

Watch my tutorial for step-by-step to recreate this look.


Face
L'Oreal Visible Lift cream foundation, MAC Fleur Power blush, Nars Desire blush, MAC Beauty Powder Blush in Play in Proper

Eyes
Urban Decay Primer Potion, Ben Nye eyeshadows in Cherry Red, Toast, Chartreuse, Jade Green, KIKO Precision Eye Pencil 411, MAC Blacktrack Fluidline, Illamasqua Precision Ink in Abyss, Rimmel Scandaleyes mascara

Lips
NYX Tinted Lip Spa in Juicy, Urban Decay Glide-On Cheek Tints in Crush and Bang, MAC Clear Lipglass

Nails
KIKO Nr. 332


Do you like the look? Please let me know in the comments!