Ipsy November 2013

It's that time of the month again! This month Ipsy sent out SIX products for us to play around with. This is hands down my favorite bag! I liked all of the items and will use them, I was a little disappointed in getting another red lip product (I really wanted to try the plum lip crayon) but I was still pleased with my bag!

1) EM Michelle Phan Waterliner- Sunshine Yellow   - $20

I have read a lot of great reviews on the EM waterliner, so when I saw it in my Glam room I was very excited!! I have to agree with the reviews, this eye pencil is great for your waterline! I always have an issue with eyeliners smuging on my waterline so I don't typically line my waterline, but this eye pencil has the best staying power out of all the eye pencils I've used on my waterline. I've tried everything from Maybelline to MAC and nothing works as well as this EM eye pencil. I've had this on for five hours and it hasn't smudged yet, when I do try to line my waterline it usually disappears in an hour or so. Sunshine Yellow is a very pretty gold shade that brightens my eyes. I was a little hesitant trying it, but I think this is my new "go to" waterline eye pencil! It's not an over the top look and I think I can use this everyday if I pair it with the right eyeshadow colors. I'm crossing my fingers in hope that Michelle Phan decides to make a special holiday eye liner collection for a reasonable price, I would love to have this eye pencil in a bunch of different colors!


2) Be a Bombshell lip crayon- Hot Damn -$14

This red isn't as bright as it looks, it's a very pretty red that compliments my skin tone. I was hoping for the color Shameless, which is a pretty plum color. I'm sure I'll use this lip crayon, especially since it looks really good on my lips, but I made sure to say I wasn't in love with the color when I reviewed it on Ipsy. Don't forget fellow Ipsters, always review your products on the Ipsy website so they can match you with products better suited for your glam bags!

3) Nailtini- Caviar Cocktail  -$13

Caviar Cocktail is a gunmetal silver that is great for this season. It goes on opaque in one stroke and isn't streaky. I'm not sure if it's the brand or just this color but I felt like it dried on my nails quickly.

Nailtini in Caviar Cocktail  & Lyla ceramic effects nail polish in N. 52, The butterfly effect
pictured with a clear topcoat by Sally Hansen

4)Pixi Bronzer- Summertime  -$18

I'm really happy with this bronzer! When I first heard we were getting Pixi bronzer, I was afraid that it would be a mess of shimmer... Thankfully the shimmer in this bronzer is minimal and I think it's great for contouring! It stays on pretty well and I like how compact it is.

5) Starlooks Gem Eye Liner- Topaz-$14

I'm loving this eyeliner as well! The name is a little misleading, it looks more of a silver color then a true topaz but who cares? It's pretty on, I lined my eyes with it then used a liquid eyeliner in black to make it stand out more. I can see myself wearing this liner for the holidays.. heck anytime works for me! I'm really happy Ipsy decided to let us try a colored eyeliner, I think it came into my mailbox at the perfect time!

6)  BH Cosmetics (Sample from Galaxy Pallet)- Neptune - $1.27 (Pallet of 18 Shadows retails for $22.95)

Neptune is a gorgeous color! I want to buy the whole galaxy pallet, from all the swatches I've seem on other blogs, I think it'll make a great addition to my eyeshadow collection. I paired this with the starlooks gemliner and a few other colors for a cosmic (see what I did there?) look.
My Favorite Product: EM waterliner in yellow sunshine

My Least Favorite Product: This month was super hard to pick a least favorite item.. I guess the Lip Crayon in Hot Damn since I wanted the Shameless color, but that's only if I had to choose a least favorite product!
Bag Value: $80.27

Look how pretty BH Cosmetics Neptune and Starlooks Topaz gem liner look together!!

Pictured (from the bottom of my eye to the top): EM waterliner in Sunshine Yellow, ELF liquid eyeliner in Black, Starlooks Gemliner in Topaz, BH Cosmetics in Neptune, Red Earth eyeshadow in grey flannel(crease), Urban Decay eyeshadow in Asphyxia, Urban Decay eyeshadow in Aura (highlighter, from the Wizard of Oz Glinda pallet)

This is the eye look I have on today, sorry that the picture quality isn't the greatest.. I need to get a laptop so I can start using my camera to take pictures instead of my Iphone! I've had on my shadow for about 5-6 hours and it still looks flawless. All shadows are over my Jesse's girl eyeshadow primer.

Thanks for reading, and see you guys next month!

XX- Shirley

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October 2013 Ipsy bag!

Oops... I totally forgot about doing my review of October's Ipsy bag!! So sorry it's late!

This is what I got in my October Ipsy bag!!

1. Be Delectable hand cream in Coconut & Cream $3.50

 

This hand cream is pretty nice, I'm not too crazy about the scent.. but it's not horrible and is very hydrating!

2. Zoya in Giovanna $8

 

This green is GORGEOUS! I thought it would be great for both fall and Christmas nail looks. I did end up trading with my friend Angie for The Zoya in Mason (Which is also gorgeous!) since she would use this color more then I would and I love nail polishes in purple and pink tones. BUT! She's letting me borrow it when I do my Christmas nail look. ;)

3. La Fresh face wipes $2.50

 

At first I was a little disappointed to get face wipes in my Ipsy bag but I figured that at least it was something that I would use (and I did!). Nothing special really sticks out in my mind about these wipes, they work well and do the job intended but it's not something that I'll go crazy looking for in stores when I restock my facial wipes. Not my favorite part of the bag, but not the worse either.

4. Sexyhair blow dry volumizing gel $6

 

This was my least favorite product. I still have not used it, I let my hair air dry when I wash it and I don't use anything in it besides a leave-in conditioner. Hair products are things I typically don't use, so this is probably going to one of my sister in laws. I'm sure it's a lovely product, but just not something I would use.

5. Buxom lip gloss in Dolly $9 (Deluxe sample)

I love Buxom lip gloss!!! Especially in Dolly, I recently threw out my old Buxom in Dolly when I was going through my makeup (It was from 5 years ago and I pretty much used the heck out of it!). Thank goodness I waited to re buy it, this is the best lip plumping gloss I've bought! It does give you a tingly feeling when you put it on, so don't be alarmed if you get it and it makes your lips tingle. That means it is working!

My favorite product: Buxom lip gloss in Dolly
My least favorite product: Sexyhair blow dry gel
Bag Value: $29

This bag wasn't one of my favorites since it didn't "wow" me but nearly all the products are things I would use up. I could've done without the blow dry gel but it won't get wasted. The bag was definitely worth the $10 I paid for it, and I honestly can say that Ipsy is worth it.

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/r/15g2

Em cosmetics mini review

Welcome back my lovelies!!!

Today I'm doing a mini review of a sample I received. If you received last month's Ipsy bag, you also received a sample card of a look from the Career Life Palette, a product from YouTube guru Michelle Phan's new cosmetic line "EM". Since this was a sample card, I don't have a lot of product to judge from so I'm gonna give you a first impression and one time usage review.

The sample card had three shadows and a cheek color to sample. I used a brush to swatch them on my arm without primer and they seemed pretty pigmented. I was pleasantly surprised, especially since many of the reviews online tended to be on the negative side. When I put them on my eyes, they felt nice, not gritty, and blended fairly well. They also stayed on my lids during work (I used Jesse's Girl primer on my lids) and I didn't notice any creasing. I love, love, LOVE the blush color, it gave me the perfect glow without looking chalky but only lasted for an hour or two. Again, I didn't have a huge sample to work with, so I'm not going to say it doesn't have staying power. I think that the company would benefit from giving an actual sample to its Ipsy testers but the eyeshadow sample did last all day. I used primer, I didn't think it would be fair to judge it without a primer since I ALWAYS use a primer for my eyes, weather it be a cheap Wet n Wild shadow or a pricey Urban Decay shadow, so it wouldn't be fair for me to treat it a different way.

The eye colors didn't impress me, they are basic colors that I already own in other makeup lines, but I appreciated that the colors would work on many skin tones so I took a look at the other palettes on her website. I feel like there aren't too many unique colors for me to choose from since I already have a huge MAC and Urban Decay  shadow collection, but I'm interested in trying more shadows. Considering the price point and that it IS a new makeup line, I don't feel comfortable spending $75 for a huge life palette, but I may consider buying one of the smaller blue or purple palettes if they go on sale for the Holidays. Her blush palette might also interest me, I'll have to find out what this blush is called. I can't really say if Em cosmetics is worth the expensive price tag since I was only able to sample it for one day, but I think it has the potential to be the perfect prestige starter line for a newbie or teen. One thing that really caught my attention from her line was a highlight and contour stick, I would love to get my hands on it since I just started getting into face contouring. Time will be the true test for this brand new line, but for now I'll wait to see what specials the upcoming holidays provide in terms of special sales before I buy a bunch of EM stuff..

Here are my arm swatches (no primer):

 

My eye look, using Bare Mineral's Sun Goddess on my brow bone, Cailyn Cosmetics gel liner in purple, and a softer matte brown from L'oreal Hip a little above my crease color for blending purposes. I used all three sample colors provided as well:

(Sorry for the messy hair, Leo started crying in the middle of me doing my makeup so I had to snap a quick picture! Otherwise I would've forgotten thanks to mommy brain :)

I hope my review was somewhat helpful, see you all soon!

xx
-Shirley

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfbo8o5xo88t2do

Maybelline Fit Me Foundation Stick

Maybe she's born with it? Maybe it's Maybelline?! 

Ok, I got THAT out of my system! 

Now time for a little review on the new Maybelline Fit me foundation stick! Ok so this product... This product... *sigh*

I had high hopes for it, but unfortunately I wasn't super impressed. I have oily skin, I really fell for the "shine-free" claim that Maybelline has used to market this foundation. Sadly, it didn't work for me. I was oily, especially my t-zone, within a few hours. By the end of the day,  my skin felt disgusting. I used this foundation for about a week, the first day I used it with a primer, bronze and blush. It did not hold up, it honestly felt like my bush and bronzed just slipped off my face. The next day I used my mineral veil to set it and it helped it out. The next few days I ended up pairing it with my pure minerals foundation and mineral veil, it gave me a flawless look.... But that really doesn't help me as a stand alone every day foundation and it felt like I just over loaded my face with foundation.Not to mention that the color is hard to match to your skin tone, I bought the color 310 (Sun beige) and it wasn't horrible in terms of color match but it went on lighter then I thought it would. If I ended up loving it, I honestly would've tried the next darker shade but unfortunately I will have to pass on that.

I love the packaging, it's very sleek and you get a decent amount of product. The price wasn't bad, I believe I paid $6 for it and usually you can catch a sale in your store of choice.  I defiantly loved it under my pure minerals foundation and mineral veil, so I'll use it for photos and any special occasions when I want that super flawless face look.  Maybe someone with dryer skin can pull this off, I wouldn't write this product off completely if you have a different skin type. Unfortunately, it is not shine free for us super oily gals. 

I hope this review is helpful, see you soon! 

XX

-Shirley

Jesse's Girl swatches and review

Hey everyone! I just wanted to post my review of a new brand I bought at Rite Aid last week called Jesse's Girl. I've been reading a lot about this brand's liquid eyeliner when I was looking at the other products that Ipsy subscribers received in their glam bags and I just had to have it! Overall, I'm  pretty impressed with this brand, especially since most of the items are around $6.

First up...

Jesse's girl Eyeshadow Primer- $5.99

LOVE this primer! I usually use my MAC paint pot in Layin Low as a primer for my lids, but I'm almost out of it and have been looking for a replacement primer. This primer makes your eyeshadow stand out and last all day without getting that funky crease at the end of the day. On my arm, I swatched a green eyeshadow from my Jesse's Girl "The Eyes Have It" make-up palette (review down below). On the left is the shadow without the primer and you can see that it's not as pigmented as you would get it with the primer. Considering my MAC paint pot retails for about $15, this is a cheaper option that works just as well. 

Jessie's Girl Eyeshadow Palette "Brown-eyed girl"- $3.99

This is one of four eye-shadow palettes in the Jesse's girl line. I swatched this palette on my arm without primer. I'm pretty satisfied with the colors in this eyeshadow palette,they go on smoothly and blend in well. The lightest color in the palette is a little chalky, but other then that, it looks great once you use a primer. All of my eyeshadows are put on top of primer, my lids tend to be oily so if I don't put a primer on my shadow just disappears. The affordable price point on this palette is what drew me in, I really only went in to Rite Aid to get the liquid eyeliner but once I started checking the line out, I HAD to buy it! 

Jesse's Girl Eyeshadow Palette, "The Eyes Have It"- $3.99

This is the second eyeshadow palette that I bought from this line that I couldn't resist buyin.. I know, I know, momma's got a shopping problem, but seriously, you can't beat the price! Again, I found that the lightest color was a bit chalky, but the other colors went on pretty smoothly and stayed on thanks to my primer. 

Jesse's Girl Kohl Eyeliner, "Dark Brown"- $1.99

Unfortunately, this product was one I didn't like. I normally don't like eye pencils to begin with, but there are some brands that I use, such as Urban decay and MAC eye pencils. Jesse's girl eye pencil just wasn't cutting it for me. I love the packaging, especially having the sharpener built into the cap of the pencil, but that's really one of the only good things I can say about this pencil. It takes a few applications to get this pencil dark enough on your lids and I had to go over it with a shadow blending brush to get a few sports smoothed out where the liner clumped on. Personally, I wont buy this product again, but I'm not bummed since it was inexpensive.

Jesse's Girl Liquid Eyeliner- $6.99

OMG, I LOVE this eyeliner!!!! Just a warning, if you go out looking for it, it's in a separate display.. I went to two different Rite Aids before figuring that out! This eyeliner is easy to put on and goes on smoothly. The brush is modeled after a calligraphy pen and I think that helps in its application. The eyeliner claims to be water proof, and it stayed on all day, but it comes off pretty easily in the shower so I'm not really sure how water proof it really is. I recommend this eyeliner, especially for someone who may be new to using liquid eyeliner and needed something that was easy to apply.

Jesse's Girl Lipstick, "Sheer Perfection" "Plum Blossom"- $3.99 each

Sheer perfection is a mauve-y neutral lip color that I love! It looks great on my pigmented lips and glides on smoothly. It's got a nice shine to it and stays on for a decent amount of time, it's not a long wearing lipstick but the formula is nice. Plum Blossom is a reddish berry lipstick that goes on opaque and smooth. I think this is a great fall color, and like the Sheer perfection, it's not a long wearing lip stick but stays on for a decent amount of time. The price is right, I think I would buy a few more colors in the future. 

Jesse's Girl Liquid Glass Lipgloss, "Cinnamon Girl"- $4.99

Love the color... Hate the stickiness! It is super glossy, but I can't stand sticky and heavy glosses so I doubt I would buy again. They had different colors available that looked beautiful and the packaging looks great... But I can't get past the stickiness so I'll have to pass. 

Jesse's Girl lip liner, "Naked"- $1.99

Like the eyeliners, the lip liner cap has a built in sharpener which I feel is a big plus. I didn't mind this liner, it is dry and not the smoothest application, but the color is really pretty. A little balm before applying would probably make it less dry and the color goes on well so I'm not terribly disappointed. I think it's worth the money you pay for it, but it's not my holy grail of lip liners.

I hope you enjoyed my review, I think this brand is great for a teen who is starting off her makeup collection or someone who likes a good deal, especially on the liquid eyeliner. The are products that I wouldn't buy again but there are also products that I would, so I think it's worth buying. 

Ciao!

Shirley

Ipsy Glam Bag make over!!

DIY! If you're a subscriber of the Ipsy Glam bag, you may start having too many cosmetic bags and at a loss on what to do with them... Until now! I love the September bag, it's super cute but I didn't know what to do with it. I thought it was a shame that it didn't have a strap, it would make the perfect wristlet for an outfit I was planning. Using  some 3/16 eyelets and a little ribbon, it easily transforms into a clutch bag! 

I used a single hole puncher to make the hole near the zippers closing (you can punch a hole on whichever side you prefer) then followed the instruction on the eyelets. Once I put the eyelets on both sides of the makeup bag, I threaded ribbon in the eyelets, measured the ribbon around my write and knotted it. Once I made sure it was the perfect length, I cut off the excess ribbon. Easiest DIY ever, I'm sure I'll make more clutches as I get more glam bags! 

If you haven't joined Ipsy.. What are you waiting for? It's only $10/month and you get 4-5 different products..

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag!
Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfbo8o5xo88t2do

Ipsy September 2013 Glam bag

Hello everyone! I know, I've missed out on blogging about the last two glam bags, but I promise I have a good excuse!! Baby Leo has been teething and as a result, this momma hasn't had a good nights rest in a loooong time... we also went to Puerto Rico in August so by the time I received my glam bag, it was pretty pointless to blog about it since the September bag was coming out! Never fear, I plan on doing a recap on the last 6 months of using Ipsy, you'll see some of the July and August items in my recap. 

Without further ado... Here's what I got in my September  Glam bag!

I really like this month's glam bag! The bag itself is super cute! All of the items are things I will end up using, when I first read about September's glam bag, I was really hoping to get all of these items. I know its the luck of the draw, but I got lucky and received my perfect bag. It sure makes up for last months bag. Here's a break down:

Cailyn tinted lip balm- Big Apple $19

I still love my Cailyn eyeliner I got in my Ipsy June 2013 Glambag, so when I heard Cailyn's tinted lip balm was a item I could get, I was crossing my fingers and hoping I would get this in my September bag. Not disappointed at all! Now, I must warn you, this isn't a very "balmy" type lip balm. I honestly think Cailyn would be better off not marketing this as a lip balm, it goes on pretty well but does not have that smooth feeling one normally assumes lip balm would have. It was pretty matte, but it goes on well and stays on like a lip stain. The color is very vibrant and once you put some gloss or clear lip balm over top of it (I used the NOYA chapstick from the August glam bag) it looks great! I normally don't use this color red, I like the more mauve or brownish red colors... but I love how Ipsy takes me out of my comfort zone! This is going to look great when I go out and need to look made up, the color looks great with my tan skin tone and I really can't wait for date night with my hubby!

Butter LONDON nail lacquer- La Moss $7.50 (Sample size- Regular size $15)

This vampy red is definitely a great fall color!! I've always wanted to try Butter nail polish but was put off by the price. I'm a huge polish junkie, but it's pretty hard to justify spending $15 on one nail polish when my baby need diapers, but I can see the temptation. This nail polish is great! After two coats the color looks great, doesn't look streaky or dull. I haven't put a top coat on it yet, but when Leo gets into bed tonight, I'm going to finish my mani/pedi and see how it holds up the rest of the week. 

NYX single eyeshadow- Nutmeg $4.50

Another great fall color! NYX has won me over, it seems like everything I get from them swatches well and holds up! The color is vibrant and if you use a base on your eyelids like I do, It stays on all day.  I really like the affordable price tag this brand sports, as a mom, you tend to not want to buy anything for yourself. NYX's items are affordable enough where you don't feel like you're taking away from the family budget.

It's so BIG! Elizabeth Moss volumizing mascara- Black $9 (sample size, Full size $19.99)

I love mascara samples!! They are great to put in your purse and I seem to never buy the full size because by the time I use it up, a new one mysteriously appears! *cheeky grin* This mascara does what is advertised, I saw a difference in my lashes as soon as I finished applying it. I think the brush has a lot to do with it, it isn't shaped like your regular mascara wands. It's got a more hourglass shape to the brush, which I think aids in the volumizing of your lashes. I would consider buying it unless of course I receive a new sample mascara! :D

Starlooks kohl eye pencil- Obsidian $12

This is another company I was excited for! I received the lip pencil in the color tipsy in my June glam bag. I was really impressed with it, so I was pleased when I found out I would get to try the eye pencil. Let me preface this review with this. I am a firm gel eyeliner addict, I hate pencils and love using an eyeliner brush to apply my liner. That being said, this pencil wasn't the greatest. Sorry starlooks, I was trying to go about it with an pen mind, but I didn't like it. It goes on great, but it made my eyes itch and water like crazy! I know it isn't the NYX shadow because I've used their shadow in the past and have never had an issue. Maybe there's something in the ingredients that just doesn't mesh well with my skin, but I don't think I'll use this liner again.

My favorite: Cailyn lip balm.. I'm seeing a trend here, Cailyn products are great!

My least favorite: Starlooks kohl eye pencil

Bag estimated value: $52!! 

Only $10/month and you get 4-5 different products.. why haven't you signed up yet? 

Join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag!
Check it out here: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfbo8o5xo88t2do

Here's my little man, all bundled up on a cold September morning!

Ipsy June 2013 Glambag

I just recieved my June Glambag today!! Last month I was pleased with my products, so I was excited to see what this month would bring... and I was NOT disappointed! Without further delay, here is what I got in my glam bag this month:

I am super excited!!! Leopard print is one of my favorite prints and as soon as I finished taking my pictures, I emptied out May's bag and swapped it for this one in my purse. I couldn't wait to use my new makeup so as soon as Lil squish went down for a nap I played around with my new stash.

1) J Cat Sparkling Cream Palett: $4.49

Glitter, glitter everywhere!! Oh boy, I do love my glitter but I really wish someone would perfect the formula... This cream palette wasn't anything different from the other cream palette's on the market. It's a little difficult to get the glitter on your eyes without it streaking.  I know, I know, It's an all over face cream, but honestly.. who actually uses these palettes on anything other then your eyelids? I found this to be more "glittery" then NYX's sparkling cream palette but I still found it difficult to put on my eyelids the way I wanted it to look.

2) NYX Rouge Cream Blush $6

My first reaction? "OMG, it's so pink, I'm gonna look like a clown!"  I wasn't even going to bother putting it on when I first saw the color.. but what type of blogger would I be if I didn't try it out?! So I decided to woman up and put a bit on my cheeks after I applied my foundation, makeup remover out so I could quickly wipe it off.. Boy was I wrong! This color really blends in well, a little goes a long way! I was pleasantly surprised, I never thought I would like this color but it looks great with my skin tone. It's almost 5pm and it still looks great, most blushes (I usually use MAC) seem to fade away as the day goes, but not this one! Good job NYX!

3)Starlooks lip pencil in Tipsy: $12

This was another "OMG, I'm gonna look like a clown." reactions. I never would have picked this color to use on my lips. I know that neon lip colors are big this season, but it was never really something I thought I would try or even WANT to try. Go figure, I actually liked the look! It may not be "work" lip liner, but going out for a night in the city? Oh yea!

4)Psssst! Dry Shampoo 1.73oz: $3.23

This one is my "meh" product. I didn't care for it, I'm really anal about washing my hair every other day so I'm not sure when I'll get the chance to try out dry shampoo. Would I go out and buy this product normally? No.. but it may be good to have on hand in case we lose electricity and I have to rely on babywipes as the main sourse of cleansliness..(Hurricane Sandy anyone?).

*edit* So I was informed by my good friend that Dry shampoo is used for those in between days, when your hair is oily... Opps! My bad, I guess I will find a use for this afterall! Sweet!

5) Cailyn Cream eyeliner in Purple: $21

When I saw this on Ipsy's sneak peek post, I was crossing my fingers and praying to the makeup deity that I would get this in my glam bag.. and my prayers were answered!! I love cream eyeliner!! I have a few different colors from MAC (I love my teal blue liner) so I was excited when I saw this in my bag. I wasn't dissapointed either!! This liner goes on smoothly and doesn't get that cracked look that some liners tend to get. The brush is built into the cap of the liner so you won't ever lose it. Thank's for having my back makeup deity!!


And the best bag to date (IMO): LEOPARD PRINT!!!!

Ok, so we get a bag every month, but I REALLY like this one! I like the material as well, it's not flimsy and looks like it would be waterproof as well.

My favorite product: Cailyn cream eyeliner

My Least favorite product: Psssst! Dry hair shampoo

Bag cost estimate: $46.72!!! Pretty good for a $10/month service!

I hope my review was helpful! Remember, what I get may be different then what you get, but that is what makes Ipsy so great. Make sure to comment below and let me know what you loved from the June glam bag!!!

Make sure to join in time for July's glam bag!! Help a sistah out and use my referral link :)   http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfbo8o5xo88t2do

xx~Shirley

Grapefruit Chicken.. YUM!!

I must admit, before I got hitched I could barely boil water right.. oh how times change. My family has always lovingly (I think) teased me about my cooking. Since becoming a married woman, I have honed my cooking skills and actually gotten my husband to eat my cooking... begrudgingly at first, but lately he hasn't had that look of absolute fear in his eyes when I start tinkering in the kitchen. My googling has lead me to try out many new dishes.

I am totally in love with this recipe! I added a few things to the original recipe (found here) and didn't grill the chicken. This is my end result:

My husband and parents LOVED it!! I even got a request from my younger brother to send him some the second time I made it, so you know its good. Here's my detailed instructions for the novice chief.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons brown sugar

1 tablespoon honey

1/4 cup olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 boneless skinless chicken breasts, cut into strips

2-3 cloves of garlic

1/4 cup of white wine

Directions:

Cut your first grapefruit in half and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Add your brown sugar and honey into the juice and whisk it together. Put it off to the side.

Peel your garlic cloves and either use a garlic press or your knife to cute up your garlic. Set it aside.

Take your second grapefruit, peel it and seperate the wedges. You will have to take out the "flesh" from each of the wedges and put it into a pan or small pot. Once you have all your wedges done, you will take half of the juice mixture that you made with your first grapefruit along with your garlic and slowly simmer it untill it thickens slightly and looks syrup-ey... I don't think that's actually a word, but it's the best way I can think to describe the consistancy of the sauce. It should take about 8- 10 minutes to do, just be careful that you don't burn it or you'll have a lot of scrubbing to do once you finish cooking! Set it aside once you're done.

While your sauce is cooking, add your olive oil, salt, and pepper to the remaining grapefruit juice. Whisk it and pour it into a gallon ziplock bag. Add your chicken and smush it around, then put into your refrigerator to marinate for 20-30 minutes. The acid of the grapfruit will start to cook the top layer of your chicken if you leave it marinate longer, so make sure to put your timer on.

Once you're done marinating your chicken, take out a pan and dump the contents of your ziplock bag into the pan along with your white wine. I like to put a lid over top of it so that my chicken cooks faster and I cut a piece in half to see if its cooked all the way. Once it's cooked, you may notice that theres a lot of sauce in the pan that you cooked it in. Pour out the sauce into a small bowl, then finish up cooking your chicken by adding a little olive oil or butter and letting it get a golden brown look to it. Afterwards, add the sauce back in with the cooked grapefruit sauce. Make sure to coat all of your pices of chicken and viola! It's ready to be served.

I like to add some white rice (I start making it in the rice maker when I first start marinating my chicken so it's finished by the time my chicken is done cooking.) and a fresh salad with my husband's yummy vinegar dressing. 

Bon appetit!

Leave me a comment below on how your dish turned out!!

xx ~Shirley

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2013 Review

Hey everyone! So anyone who knows me, knows about my love of makeup! I found this great service called Ipsy. I know.. I know, you're asking yourself, "what's Ipsy?!". Ipsy is a monthly subscription based program where you pay $10/month and recieve 4-5 different products. These 4-5 products are usually worth way more then your $10 subscription. I recieved my first glam bag, and I must say, I'm very impressed. There are a variety of different glam bags based on your personal prefrences, so other Ipsy subscribers may have one or two different items. The products come in a cute little makeup bag and a hot pink envelope. Here's what I recieved this month:

Pretty nice huh? This month I recieved a NUME finishing serum sample, a full size Zoya nailpolish ($8), a Pacifica Roll on perfume ($10), a full size Juice Beauty lipgloss ($22), and a sample size Yaby conceealer.

Just the full size products alone would end up costing $40, so I feel my $10 was well spent! Here's a breakdown of each product.

NUME finishing serum:

I really liked this hair product. It's very silky when you put a drop in your hands and I definatley noticed my hair feeling softer after applying. You only need a few drops, otherwise you will end up with oily hair, but those few drops really do make your hair look great! I would recomend this product and will end up buying the full size in the future. This serum is $29 for 2 fl ozs, but like I said, a little goes a long way!

Zoya spring 2013 nailpolish in Blu:

I have yet to put on a top coat (Leo has kept me very busy!), and my nail polish has just started chipping at the tip of my nails. I put this on a little over a week ago, so a top coat would've made tghis polish last even longer. This is my first experience with Zoya, and I think I may like them better then my beloved OPI nail polish! *gasp* The horror! There were five other colors that Ipsy subscribers could've recieved, I'm happy with this bue color! I've been getting a ton of compliments on my nail polish, so a big THANK YOU to Ipsy!

Juice Beauty lipgloss in Pink: 

When I heard rumours about a full size lipstick or lipgloss being sent out, I was praying I would get the lipgloss and Ipsy heard me loud and clear! I love, love, LOVE this lipgloss! It's made out of natural ingrediants and you can taste the berries after applying it on. The color seems to be one of those that would work with any skin color, I want more stuff from this company!

Yaby concealer:

I'm not a concealer wearer and only swatched this. It looks like it would work for my skin tone, but this was a "meh" product for me. I figure if I hate it, it'll work perfectly as a primer for my eyelids when I put on my eyeshadow. I'm thrifty like that! *grins*

Pacifica Perfume Roll-on in Tahitian Gardenia:

 I usually don't like Gardenia as a scent, but this roll -on isn't horrible smelling. I've used it a few times and thankfully the citrus-ey undertones make it a-ok in my book! This one is staying in my purse for times when you just need a little refreasher or get an invite to go out after work.

My favorite product: Juice Beauty Lipgloss

My least favorite product: Yaby concealer

I hope my review was helpful, see you all in June when I review the June Glam bag!

Oh! If you decide to sign up, make sure to click the link, Ipsy has a referral system in place so help a sis-tah out!: http://www.ipsy.com/?refer=u-hfbo8o5xo88t2do

Make sure to comment below on what YOU liked in your Ipsy glam bag!

xx~Shirley

Oops... Sorry about that!

I know, I know.. It's been a long time since I last posted. Life has been pretty hectic, fun and crazy! Hubby and I added a little squish to our family, work, and.. Well the squishy took up most of my free time. Leonardo came to the world on January 12 and has been the best thing to happen to me! 

Here he is: 

Isn't he adorable?! Omg, all I want to do is give him loads of nommings! So, as you all can imagine, pregnancy and adjusting to a newborn is extremely life changing. I honestly did not imagine HOW different my life would become. Weight gain, paranoia and waiting dominate your pregnancy while sleepless nights, breast feeding vs. formula feeding and fear dominate the newborn adjustment period. I'm not going to sugar coat it. Realizing that YOU are now in charge of this teeny little life form is scary!  Nothing prepares you for it, not even owning a pet. My precious Bear-Bear is a handful, and no, I did not think having a child could compare to owning a pet, but you would think it's kinda the same initial feeling. Nope! You realize that, eventually, this little human will become an adult. What happens if you screw up? Will your child become a psychopath because you failed at breastfeeding?  OMG, will the twenty minuets exposure to TV that my child received rot his brain? Solids before six months and my child will become obese, but solids after six months and risk food allergies? 

As a first time mom, irrational fears crop up. Eventually, once the post-pregnancy hormones start wearing off and logic returns, you realize that this fear means you care. As long as you care for your child, they will be fine. Oh and you won't accidentally kill your child by touching the self destruct button (aka the soft spot). I don't mean go poking and prodding 

 at it, but accidentally touching it won't kill them. Thank you google! ;) 

We are finally getting into a nice routine. Of course it seems that when we do get a nice routine going, a growth spurt or teething start and totally screw things up for a week then it's back to the drawing board! But...

I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world.

Ciao! 

Just cause: