Of course you may. This is the January Play by Sephora monthly subscription box. Each month you receive 6 samples (includes the one definite fragrance sample) and a little drawstring bag to keep all your samples in. They have recently changed up the bags to better color coordinate with each month's theme. This month is all about working out and includes products that work with that.
And like every month you get a special play pass card that gives you 50 extra Beauty Insider Points and in-store learning. I don't go into the store that often so this isn't so useful for me. But it is on this handy dandy poster sheet that not only tells you what is included but also tips and tricks to use the products.
What I received this month:
It Cosmetics Your Skin But Better CC+ Color Correcting Full Coverage Cream + Anti-Aging Hrdrating Serum 0.135 fl. oz
Clinique Almost Lipstick in Black Honey
Ouai Treatment Masque 0.5 fl. oz.
Tarte FRXXXTION Stick 0.22 oz.
Drunk Elephant Lala Retro Whipped Cream 5 ml
Tory Burch Love Relentlessly
Look at this little cap on the tarte stick. It's nice packaging for a small sample.
This would be one of those products upon receiving that I would just scratch my head at. It reminds me a lot of the old gel stick blushes tarte has (and I believe still have?) and when that handy dandy pamphlet would help explain things.
This actually an exfoliating cleanser! (and you know how much I like exfoliating things, see my latest skin care haul, here) All you do is swipe onto damp skin and massage into a lather. I can't wait to try this on out.
This little moisturizer actually came slightly opened. So when I picked it up it made a little rattling noise and I thought what an interesting product! But it's just a loose lid, which is actually a little concerning. The product inside was thankfully not dried out.
Here's everything out of their paper packaging.
Swatches of the two colored products: top Clinique Almost Lipstick and below that the CC+ cream in Medium.
The lipstick is a lightweight no-mirror needed balmy type of lipstick. It really just tinted my lips a little. That's it for this post!
Of course you may. Today I wanted to share a little haul of some items I picked up at Mario Badescu. This was back during Black Friday, but I don't have that special gift with purchase that came with. On to the haul!
So when I purchased this order I had just about run out of face cleansers and toners. That's why nearly everything here is a cleanser or toners. Starting at the top right:
- Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs and Rosewater. I believe they have officially discontinued their Rosewater only spray and replaced that with this one. It's been awhile since I have used that but on first initial spray it feels the same. Mister is a big fan of this and if I can get him to moisturize that's a win for me.
- Special Healing Powder: I've mentioned it a few times now but I am quite oily skinned, so I am always looking for products that can control that or at least minimize the look of it. I'm hoping that I can use this as a final step in my night time routine and I won't look like an oil slick head in the morning.
- Alpha Grapefruit Cleansing Lotion: I picked up this and the other three chemical exfoliating products to help brighten and clear my skin. It says it's a cleansing lotion, but I will be using it like a toner. The step right after I have cleansed my face.
- Enzyme Cleansing Gel; I couldn't chose between a cream or gel cleanser and that's why I picked up two. Both aren't very foamy and will sting your eyes!
- Glycolic Acid Toner: Again with the exfoliating toners.. but in a pretty bright blue color!
- Facial Spray with Aloe, Herbs, and Rosewater (4 oz. travel size): travel size of the spray, for on the go of course.
- Glycolic Foaming Cleanser: Although this says foaming, I don't find that it foams that much. I have only used it a few times, and the cleanser only foamed when I used it with a Clarisonic. (Which I don't recommend as it is quite stripping. I found my self with a peeling nose the next morning!)
Also with the order came some samples. What's nice is that you can pick a sample for any of their products!
This is the Kiwi Face Mask. I haven't used it yet, but it smells so fruity and looks pretty cool with all those seeds. I will be using my face brush method to apply this as this is in a pot.
That's it for my little haul from Mario Badescu. This brand is also sold at Ulta in case you want to test our some of the products in person. (Also this is not a sponsored post, I don't even think the company knows I exist, other than me purchasing their products.)
Of course you may. I am a total sucker for lip balms and when limited editions come out, I just can't help but want to pick it up. Even though I don't use the Vaseline Lip Therapy line of lip balms, the cute, pink, fair isle or Christmas sweater pattern totally suckered me in.
I actually realized I don't have any of the tin package of this lip balm. I only have the teensy, baby Vaseline tub kind. The normal type of packaging is like a retro one that I believe was available years ago and then reintroduced recently overseas (Europe) and then here in the US. The product inside feels the same to me.
It's basically just a tinted Vaseline, petroleum jelly formula. My thoughts with using this kind of lip balm is when I know I just want to seal everything in. If my lips are super dry, this won't do anything. The product will just kind of sit on top and won't moisturize. So what do I use Vaseline Lip Therapy for? It's my second lip balm. What I mean is, I use it as a topper! I apply a moisturizing lip balm and then following, I top it with this one. It just seals everything in. The only thing is that this one has a little bit of a tint, so I feel like I could see it smearing all over my pillow case.
So I totally know I fell off the boat with my little blog here, but here I am back for sure. It was a longer than needed break and I should be totally refreshed and ready to blog daily. I want to bring more to my blog and really have it represent more of my life. I also want to makeover the site a little bite. I want to be better at cross promoting my blog on instagram (that's for you sis!) & lastly I want to blog daily, like Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, AND Sunday. (This is my little, belated New Year's Resolution.) So come back for more content with cooking, baking, beauty, DIY's, board games, travel diaries, Popcorn the hedgehog, Oswald the cat, organizing, and just lifestyle!
Of course you may. I know it's been quite a while since I posted anything. It was all going so well too! I was posting every week day and then I just stopped. Things came up and my blog went on the back burner a little, but not anymore. Before the new year starts I want to get back on the horse and back to SMI. (not waiting for those New Year's Resolution, but I will no doubt be still making a list so look out for that soon!)
After being in Atlanta for the past few years, can you believe I have yet to visit the Atlanta Botanical Garden? So while I can't attest to how the Gardens are during the day time or any other time of the year, the visit was actually really nice. You don't really see much of the plant life, but the lights displays are pretty to look at. (These pictures are really not doing them any justice. You don't the full effect of the lights or the twinkling.)
We got here a little after the sun set, which that's when the opening hours are for the Holiday Lights anyway. So you would also be coming in after dark. I went on a Sunday so it wasn't too crowded. But we were planning on visiting the day before except they were sold out online. We would have gone to the late night 9 PM special discounted ticketed one, but our dinner decided to take longer (because of the waiter) than we planned. I was worried that although the late night special was discounted, you would only get an hour to see everything. But that's plenty enough time, especially since it's also freezing outside and that's about how long I can stay out. So check tickets before hand! (This is a separated even from the regular admission.)
There a little bonfire are to make s'mores! This was me catching the falling marshmallow. (#totalnewbiemove)
If you can't tell, it's a dragonfly. (There's also a premium deluxe ticket that includes 3D glasses, and these subbosedly look much cooler through them.) I don't think I will be trying the deluxe one next time either.
A poinsettia Christmas Tree
Why hello, Thomas!
The giant sign outside the Botanical Garden, if you happen to somehow miss this, you surely can't miss the super long line of cars leading to it.
Some things I must remember the next time I go: dress warm! I probably should have had a hat or a scarf or mittens or something! And there were so many people with those Christmas light necklaces. That would be totally obnoxious any other time, but just walking around the garden, they seem to just blend in. Not to mention since it is dark you can totally find your party if they happen to turn around. It's also quite small so we didn't have a route planned and we got to see everything. Also we parked in the residential area across the street and avoided paying the parking fees. If you do the same just remember to look for the signs! Some spots require permits.
Of course you may. At our first Thanksgiving we had at our tiny place with basically no kitchen, we didn't have a turkey. Instead I pan roasted a tiny chicken! I made up for the lack of spectacularness that comes with the turkey with lots of sides. It took me all day to prepare (lots of timing preparation involved with the one electric stove and toaster oven), but me and Mister and Oswald happily had a roasted bird and lots of fixings. This year if I were to have a turkey I would sous vide the whole thing! I know that's a little crazy to imagine, and not at all spectacular in terms of presentation, but I will have a turkey and it would be perfectly cooked and it wouldn't use the oven or the stove. Today I want to share the first part of how to sous vide a turkey!
First off even if you don't sous vide a turkey, I would highly suggest brining the turkey. A brine is basically solution of water and salt. The brine will inject moisture into the meat and can even prevent over cooking it. The salty water basically gets absorbed into the meat and plumps it up while seasoning it. The extra moisture retained can help add a few more minutes before your turkey become dry and overcooked in the oven. While the only flavor your truly get is the salt, I like to throw in a couple of extra spices and herbs.
All I do is gather salt, spices and herbs in a bowl. Dissolve it in water then add in the turkey.
After at least 12 hours in the brine, remove the turkey legs and pat dry. Then stick them into a zip lock freezer bag. This is a gallon sized, so can you imagine how giant these turkey legs are!
Add in an extra large pat of butter (or if you have it on hand, some bacon grease!) and into the water bath it goes.
Now by choosing the temperature and cook times you can decide how the turkey will taste. With a higher temperature (closer to the 165°F), the turkey will have a more traditional texture. It's drier and almost stringier. With a lower temperature (closer to 145°F), the turkey will be more moist and softer. At the higher temperature, it will only need to cook for 5 hours, whereas the lower temperature the cook time will be 8+ hours. (I chose to cook our turkey at 145° for 12 hours.
After 12 hours, they look a little something like this. Which isn't bad, but by no means does this look delicious yet. It will however taste juicy and be seasoned!
So how to make it look as delicious on the outside? Well there are a few ways to achieve that brown crispy exterior.
1. Take a torch to it.
2. Put it on a rack and blast it under the broiler (in the oven)
3. Grease up a pan and sizzle it away.
So this isn't as even brown as it would have been had I been a more patient. But me and Mister were getting hungry so we just dug in.
That's all it takes to make turkey in a home with limited appliances. You can also simultaneously make turkey breast and other parts of the turkey in the water bath sous vide. Then DIY it with a bunch of toothpicks and construct a turkey! (Maybe not.)
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