Memorial Day NOTD

With Memorial Day kicking off the summer festivities, I wanted a fun mani for my action-packed weekend.  Well, not so much action-packed as hanging out with friends at the lake, and celebrating another friend's 30th birthday.


I decided to go bright and flashy, so feast your eyes upon American Apparel Miami Green topped with Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure:

Freaking awesome, right?  More pics after the jump!

MAC To The Beach - Warm EOTD

I was excited to play with my new goodies, so I did a quick look with 'em!  Check it out!

More pictures and what I used after the jump!

MAC To The Beach - Haul and Swatches

MAC's latest limited edition collection, To The Beach, which is the summer collection, was officially released at counters and in stores today.  I raced my butt out to the lone counter in my city to ensure I'd snag what I wanted.  Luckily everything I wanted was still there, except Marine Life Highlight Powder, which I was fortunate enough to get online before it sold out.


I picked up:  Firecracker and Sand & Sun Eye Shadows, Easy Lounger and Flurry of Fun Lipglasses, Lazy Day Lipstick, and Life's A Breeze Lip Pencil.  Marine Life is not pictured since it is still en route.





swatchcat C was quite interested to see what I brought him!





More info and swatches after the jump!

Sally Hansen Salon Summer Collection: Review and Swatches

Like so many others, I read about Sally Hansen Hidden Treasure and decided to go on a hunt for it.  Luckily I was able to track one down, so I picked it up along with a couple of others from the summer collection.  Most of the colors in the collection weren't too terribly unique, being reminiscent of the stereotypical "tropical" colors:  berry pink, turquoise, yellow, etc.


I chose Pomegranate, Ring My Shell, and Hidden Treasure as being the most unique colors of the bunch.  I also picked up Yellow Kitty, which is part of the regular collection, mostly for it's name, of course!


Swatches and my review after the jump!

Simple Summer EOTD

Well per the usual, here in the Great Plains, we've had exactly two weeks of spring before being launched into summer.  Since summers here are notoriously hot and humid, I prefer to keep things simple...less to melt off, ya know?!  On to the look:




More pictures and what I used for this look after the jump!

Awesome find and NOTD

Ever since J. Crew introduced the Metallic Guava color in their leather flip-flops, I've been lemming a pair.  They're so simple, yet elegant at the same time.

(image from J. Crew)

Lovely, no?  But at $49.50 (exclusive of tax and shipping) they're a bit steep for such a simple design.  So, I put them in the back of my mind to purchase when I hit the big Powerball jackpot.


Today's errands took me to Target, where the husband tasked me to find him a pair of insoles.  Naturally, those are found near the shoes, and I figured while I was there I'd take a little looksie around.  I love Target for shoes.  They're cute, affordable, and usually pretty comfortable.  Everything a girl could ever want.  I found myself eyeing three new pairs of flats and a pair of beaded wedges, and then I laid eyes on these...

Trying to be my own "Sneaky Chef": Lasagna edition

I don't dislike vegetables, but it's just so hard to get those five daily servings.  I've had a few friends rave about the Sneaky Chef Cookbook, and while I intend to purchase it the next time I make an Amazon order, I have to be my own "sneaky chef" for the time being.


On the list of my favorite foods is lasagna.  Unfortunately, lasagna is one of those dishes that is not exactly healthy, what with the cheese, and meat, and cheese, and pasta, and did I mention cheese?  Cheese is delicious.  In order to make this dish a little more diet-friendly, I made a couple substitutions and additions to the traditional meat-and-cheese lasagna I grew up loving.

Zoya Hot Lips: Swatches and Review

A little while back Zoya did a promotion where you could get three Hot Lips Glossy Lip Balms free (you just had to pay for shipping).  I'm not one to pass up on a deal like that, especially since I'd been lemming a few, anyway.  Being the nude/natural/pale pink lip-lover that I am, I chose Trendy, Fame, and Meow (how could swatchcat not get Meow?!).  I already had Shimmer and Glimmer from when they were released as a set with the corresponding nail polish.




Shimmer is a light shimmering pink.  I did't see this color listed as one of the many choices...or maybe they renamed it Luvie, which appears to be strikingly close, according to the swatch on it's website.  Glimmer is described as a pale shimmering gold.  Trendy is described as a sheer shimmering peachy pink.  Fame is described as a pale nude cream.  Meow is described as a shimmering pink sand.

EOTD Smoke Signal

Yesterday I finally had a chance to use my MAC Smoke Signal pigment, recently found for me by a lovely friend.  I happen to love MAC pigments, and was thrilled to acquire this one, which I had previously missed.  For those of you who do not have this pigment, it is a gorgeous matte eggplant, and being a purple-fiend, totally up my alley.


I didn't want to do an über-smokey look, so I paired Smoke Signal with a taupe eyeshadow and nude lips.





For more pics and to see what I used to achieve this look after the jump!

Deep Sea Treasure Ombré Manicure

A request from a lovely reader!  I did this manicure a few weeks back using China Glazes Atlantis and Clepoatra glitter polishes, and really loved the results.  Here is the look we're going for:





Tutorial after the jump.

Lime Boho

I recently acquired a couple of new tops from Anthropologie, and this is one of them.  I was drawn by the deep brown color and bright stitching.  Plus, it actually ties at my natural waist!  Most tie-tops are those darn empire, and I'm rather top-heavy and long waisted, so those just don't work on me.


I paired my new find with a lime cardigan, which was a Christmas present from the husband...he actually went shopping for it, too!  I gave him a list that included this cardigan, and a few Urban Decay items, and the sweetheart actually went into Sephora!  If that ain't love, I don't know what is!  But I digress...I'm also wearing dark wash jeans with cheetah-print flats.  The look is capped off with a mottled-print bangle and a flower hairclip.





More pictures after the jump!

Over the taupe glam?

I know, I know...a pun for my first beauty post?  Sorry, but I couldn't resist.  Y'all can thank my dad for my love of the occasional pun.  This is a manicure I did using Chanel Particuliere and Illusion D'Or Le Vernis.  I realize Particuliere is old news, but I thought I would update it with one of Chanel's newest Le Vernis releases, Illusion D'Or.  Illusion D'Or has been much blogged about already, so I'll spare you the details and just get the the good stuff - pictures!





More pictures after the jump - click to enlarge 'em!

Rosé Spinach Shrimp

So, although I am a housewife, I'm a pretty lazy housewife, and the husband will attest to that.  Therefore, being a lazy housewife, I'm all about quick, easy and semi-nutritious dinners.  I'm a pretty decent cook, and have only had a couple of kitchen experiments that have gone horribly wrong.  By and large, most of what I make is relatively tasty, and the husband is happy with my cooking.  Last night I made one of our favorite dishes - mine because it's yummy and easy, his because...well, it's yummy!

Ladies and Gentlemen, your attention, please

Welcome to my little corner of the blogosphere. This is my place to share my love of beauty, fashion, and of course, cats! A little background information: I am a housewife in my late-20s, I married the boy next door, and we have two lovely cats (no children, yet).

As for this blog, I'm plan to focus mostly on swatching my cosmetic collection (which is rather extensive and grows bigger every day, lol!) with reviews and occasionally interjecting fashion-finds, home decor, cuisine, and cats! I really want to help beauty newbies and addicts alike, so I am open to taking swatch requests and requests for comparisons. Please understand I will to my best to accommodate all requests, but I may not be able to meet them all.


Now, introducing the helper cats!