Makeup Minute-Drugstore Eye Shadow Palettes

I'm finally getting around to sharing one of my favorite products at the drugstore, eye shadow palettes!  Eye shadow palettes have been around for a while with high end brands but this is a pretty new thing for the drugstore.  Usually drugstores just have the quads with 4 colors in a small eye shadow set, but with the palettes your able to get a variety of even more shades in one place without breaking the bank.  Most found that they wanted the Urban Decay Naked look without paying $54 dollars, so the drugstore saved the day with a cheaper alternative.

 

Some of my favorites are the eye shadow palettes from Maybelline.  I've heard these have mixed reviews, but I think they have great value and quality for the price!  They started the collection with The Nudes, then came The Blushed Nudes, and fairly recently released The Rock Nudes. 

 

 

The Nudes

 



The Blushed Nudes

 



 

 

The Rock Nudes

 



 

The great thing about these palettes is that they are one of the most affordable throughout the drugstore.  You can find them at Walmart for $9.00!  Other well known brands that I've heard have great, new eye shadow palettes include L'Oreal, Revlon, wet n wild, and Covergirl. I can't wait to get my hands on all of them! Shh.. don't tell Dallin! :) All range in price and quality, but I absolutely love that this is something you can now find at your local drugstore.

 

If you've tried any of these or others that I haven't mentioned and should try let me know!   I'm always up for trying new eye shadows!

April Birchbox 2016

How beautiful is this box!?  This Birchbox was a collaboration with Rifle Paper Co. They're pretty designs almost stole the show from the fun samples inside.  They also gave all Birchbox Subscibers a 20% off coupon for your next order at Riflepaperco.com!  This box is all about natural beauty and exploring ingredient-conscious products. 

Included in this box:

-Supergoop!  Dailey Correct CC Cream in Fair to Light-Even though this is one of the smallest samples I've ever gotten in a Birchbox I'm looking forward to trying it. This CC Cream triple protects against UVA, UVB, and infrared-A rays.

-Briogeo-Don't Despair, Repair!  Deep Conditioning Mask- This smells so good!  I'm so excited to try this ultrahydrating mask that conditions and strengthens.  You can leave this in your hair for 15-20 minutes or you can add a shower cap and blow dry for a little while to lock in the conditioning magic.

-The Beauty Crop-PBJ Smoothie Stick in Guava Nice Day-Look at this packaging, so cute!  This stick boasts a soft, sweet tint and features hydrating, and good-for you ingredients.  What more could you ask for.  I wore this to church yesterday and I LOVE this color, so, so pretty!

-Vasanti-BrightenUp! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator-This face scrub loved by many, copies the effect of microdermabrasion for glowing, smooth skin.  We all know I love a good exfoliator!

-Whish-Shave Crave Shaving Cream in Lavender-This shaving cream is packed with shea butter to leave your legs feeling super smooth after shaving.

If you'd like to find out more about all these great products or how you can get a Birchbox of your own you can go to their website here!

April Glam Bag 2016

Dream on!

This month, Ipsy wanted you to create looks that celebrate every side of your unique beauty-from natural and understated to high fashion and ultra glam.

It's all about dreaming big, and experimenting with products you may not have tried before!  I'm such a fan of what was in this bag-not so much the bag itself but hey sometimes you can't like it all and that's ok.

Included in this box:

-tarte cosmetics LipSurgence lip creme in wonder-Boy is this long lasting.  I love the color and packaging too!

-Briogio Don't Despair, Repair!  Gel to Oil Overnight Repair Treatment- I haven't tried this yet but I think it's an awesome idea-put this on your hair before bed, sleep on it and wake up with ultra smooth locks.  I'm in!

-Skinn Cosmetics Bright Eyes Eye Enhancing Eyeliner-I've never used an eyeliner like this but I've seen people use it all the time.  It brightens and opens up your eyes to make you look fresh and awake. 

-Crown Brush C427 Duo Fiber Blush Brush-I've always wanted one of these brushes.  I can finally figure out all the hype.

-Jelly Pong Pong Cosmetics Neapolitan Palette-We all know I love me some eye shadow, so when I saw this in my bag I screamed a little.  These colors are beautiful and deep I can't wait to play with them more.

If you're interested in finding more about Ipsy's Glam bag you can go to their website here!

BBQ Turkey Sandwiches

Ever since we found these sandwiches on The Red Headed Hostess years ago, this recipe has been a staple in our house. It seriously is the perfect combo of everything delicious all wrapped up in one toasty hoagie!

 

 

Even though there aren't exact measurements you can judge it off of how many sandwiches you'd like to make/need and how saucy you'd like it!  We love to use up things we have on hand to make these sandwiches any time.

BBQ Turkey Sandwiches
Recipe from The Red Headed Hostess

hoagie rolls
BBQ sauce
mayo
Deli turkey
coleslaw mix
coleslaw dressing
swiss cheese
red onion, sliced
avocado, sliced
tomatoes, sliced
salt and pepper

Slice your rolls in half and toast under the broiler.  While that is toasting chop up your turkey, and mix it with some BBQ sauce.  Pull the rolls from the oven. Mix up the coleslaw and coleslaw dressing and pop that in the fridge.  Spread some mayo on the top halves and BBQ sauce on the bottom of your toasted rolls.  Now you can put some swiss cheese on the mayo side and the BBQ turkey on the BBQ side, put it back in the broiler till it's hot and bubbly.  Layer on the rest of ingredients to your liking, season with salt and pepper

Walmart Spring Beauty Box 2016

Spring is finally here and all my beauty subscription boxes are packed with fresh, new products just in time for the season change!  This box helps you 'define your beauty in full bloom'!  I love the Walmart Beauty Box, as you can tell it's packed with great sized products.

In this box:

-Curel Itch Defense Body Wash-This body wash has a strong clean sent and claims to calm dry, itchy skin.

-Neutrogena Moisture Smooth color stick in Pink Grapefruit #140-Love these!  So glad it's moisturizing for the warmer days ahead.

-Jergens Natural Glow Daily Moisturizer in Fair to Medium-Gradually creates flawless natural-looking color that has a revitalizing formula with vitamins and antioxidants.  I'm not much for the tanned look on myself.  And isn't it all the rage to look like a super white vampire anyway?? Maybe I'm just a few years behind. haha

-CeraVe Healing Ointment-Non-greasy feel skin protectant, I'd assume this could go on chapped lips, hands, etc.  I love the small packaging!

-John Frieda-Brilliant Brunette Subtle Lightening Shampoo-Gradually creates naturally glowing color, with visibly brighter results.  If this does what it claims to do this shampoo will be a dream.

-Colgate Optic White Platinum Toothpaste-High impact white toothpaste that claims to make your pearly whites 4 shades visibly whiter and starts working in 3 days.

-Burt's Bees BB Cream in Light/Medium-New to Burt's Bees their first ever BB Cream! Only available in 3 shades light, light/medium and medium. The shade I received might be a little to dark for me since I am not tan (see above comment) but I love the idea of light coverage.

I love these Walmart Beauty Boxes-just look at how many fun new products I get to try! 

Ham and Cheese Sliders

These sandwiches are so delicious, Brittany has mastered them and she found the recipe at Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour.  These little sandwiches have the perfect mix of flavors and are so great for company!

 

Brittany has one secret though, she started using these...

 

 

King's Hawaiian rolls! And let me tell you they do make a difference!

 



 

 

Ham & Cheese Sliders

 

Recipe from Pearls, Handcuffs, and Happy Hour

 

Sliders

 

24 King's Hawaiian sweet rolls

24 slices of ham

24 slices of swiss cheese

1/3 C. mayo

1/3 C. Miracle Whip

 

Poppyseed Sauce

 

1 T. poppyseeds

1 1/2 T. yellow mustard

1 stick butter, melted

1 T. minced onion

1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce

 

Slice your dinner rolls in half crosswise.  Mix up the mayo and Miracle Whip and spread a little on both the top and bottom of each roll.  Place one slice of cheese and one slice of ham on the bottom of each roll, place tops of the rolls back on each one.  Whisk together:  poppyseeds, mustard, melted butter, minced onion and Worcestershire sauce in a small bowl.  Make sure to place sliders on a baking sheet with edges lined with aluminum foil and place them close together.  Take the poppyseed sauce and pour it evenly over all the sliders.  Let sauce sit for about 10 minutes for butter to set in.  Cover the sliders with foil and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (or until cheese is melted).  Uncover and bake for an additional 2-5 minutes or until tops are golden and crispy.



The Best Rice Krispie Treats with a Chocolate Topping

When I was younger I was always excited for family parties because I just knew my grandma would be making a couple batches of her special rice krispie treats!  With a few tips from gram and Kellogg's famous recipe I think I've finally found my favorite version of these sweet treats.  

 

 

The ongoing debate is which one is better chocolate or plain?  Chocolate wins for me because hello there's chocolate, but the plain are a very close second!

 



Rice Krispie Treats with a Chocolate Topping

Based off of Kellogg's Original Treats

Rice Krispie Treats

3 1/2 T. butter
1 large package Jet-Puffed Marshmallows (I always use about 44 marshmallows.  Just throw in a few extra so you can be sure it will be extra marshmallow-y!)
6 C. Rice Krispies cereal

Chocolate Topping

3/4 C. butterscotch chips
3/4 C. semi-sweet chocolate chips

In a microwave safe bowl melt butter.  Swirl butter around to coat bowl, this prevents sticking later.  Add in marshmallows and microwave for about 1 to 2 minute until marshmallows get big and fluffy.  Mix.  Add cereal and mix all together. Spray a 9x13 pan with non-stick cooking spray and put mixture in pan.  Flatten with back of spoon that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray. For the topping melt butterscotch and semi-sweet chips in microwave in 30 second increments, stirring in between.  Once melted and mixed. Spread over rice krispie treats and set in refrigerator.  Make sure to take them out 20 minutes before cutting so treats will be easier to cut.

So which do you think is better plain or chocolate??

Caroline's Chocolate Chip Cookies

On our mission to find the perfect chocolate chip cookie recipe we had to test out my aunt Caroline's cookies!  They are totally delicious and my brother Brandon swears by them!

 

 

They are the perfect soft cookie!

 



Caroline's Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 C. shortening
3/4 C. packed brown sugar
3/4 C. sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
2 1/4 C. flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2 C. chocolate chips

Mix:  shortening, brown sugar, sugar, eggs, vanilla-really well.  Add dry ingredients and mix in chocolate chips.  Bake at 375 degrees for 7-10 minutes.  Makes 3 dozen. 

Makeup Minute: Mixing Mascaras

Something I have loved doing in beauty routine is mixing mascaras.  This is a great way to mix up results and achieve the look that you are going for.  Have you ever wanted a mascara to just do it all?  Give you length, definition, volume...the list could go on and on.  Well you can do that by making your own custom mix!

For instance I love my Covergirl LashBlast mascara it's perfect for every day, but if I want to amp up the length of my lashes for a night out I could top it with Eyeko Black Magic mascara. 

Another combo I love is Maybelline The Rocket with Eyeko Black Magic, The Rocket gives so much volume while the Black Magic adds length. 

There really are so many possibilities with this!



 

We finally have our own chance to make that perfect mascara that each of us like.  If you come across a favorite combo let me know!

March 2016 Highlights

March has been a busy month! We have had so many friend wedding receptions, dinners with family and friends and so much more!

Easter also came early this year so my Mom of course is always on top of decorating!  She got this adorable cake stand from Target for $5, we thought it would be so cute to add some grass with the little bunny figurines and then she found these adorable mini glittery eggs!  We love it!

To start March off we went to Owen's baptism and made some pretty amazing Jello Pretzel Salad if I do say so myself.

The next day Dallin was off on his first out of town work trip!  It was rough, but we made it work. haha This was the first time we've been apart for more than a couple days since before we started dating!!

Dallin got back in time to celebrate his birthday!  For his birthday he got Pikmin 3 and let me tell you its a fun game!  We went to the Melting Pot down in SLC on Saturday since his actual birthday was on Sunday.  On his actual birthday we had ribs for dinners and some amazing baked potatoes.



This was our first attempt at making ribs ourselves and it was a huge success!  After our dinner I made some brownies and we went to Dallin's parents house to celebrate with them.  While we were up there we stopped by my parents house because everyone wanted to see Dallin, we love birthdays!  Emma was so excited to give Uncle Dallin a card she made and she also made him a pretty amazing poster!



We had some left over brownies so we shared them with the people that were still there. And luckily I got a picture of the birthday boy!  So happy to celebrate this guy's life! 



Pi Day was the day after Dallin's birthday so of course we celebrated with a pie from Marie Callender's along with everyone else in the Salt Lake valley! We were glad they still had our coconut cream!



I also started BzzAgent since I love free stuff and sharing amazing products!  They send you products to test and review with an honest opinion, that's it!  It's a pretty sweet gig!

We went to my sweet cousin's surprise birthday party in Orem and decided to hit up some of our favorite spots while we were there.  Brick Oven is always a favorite-make sure to try the rootbeer and their breadsticks with the special dipping sauce its a mix of alfredo sauce and pizza sauce and it's delicious!

Little Adam was my buddy that night and it was a ball sitting by him all night, he was a big fan of the special sauce too!



We also decided to go to The Cocoa Bean another Utah County fav!  I always get the Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake, its just too good to try anything else.  Its a milk chocolate cake topped with a smear of Nutella, and a layer of raspberry jam, then the most amazing cream cheese frosting and a perfect fresh raspberry on top!

The next day we went to the Chocolate & Cheese Festival at the Natural History Museum. It was such a blast!  So many things to do at the museum and so many samples!  We also found out about some great chocolate and cheese shops and even factory tours we want to go to soon. 



We loved walking around in the new gecko exhibit and finding all the geckos.  Out on the deck they had the Salt Lake Astronomical Society and they were all looking at the sun through different telescopes and lenses.  We're hoping to go to some of their events once it starts up because that was so interesting to see.



After that we went to dinner at Joy Luck with the Strong Family to celebrate Chris' Birthday.  Their walnut shrimp and cream cheese wontons are incredible, we also love their pad thai.

 

We went to my best friends baby's first birthday party!  I wish I would have gotten pictures Gabby did such an amazing job!  Later that night I watched the General Women's Meeting with the girls in my family.  Such a great reminder to love and serve.  You can find more of the specific talks here!

 

Dallin and I decided to forgo Easter baskets this year, and instead we each get an Easter gift of shoes. haha I'm in desperate need of work shoes and Dallin needs some everyday shoes so it's a win win!  Next year we will be more festive!  On Easter I was supposed to give a lesson in Sunday School, but my class wasn't there so I get to keep my lesson for another week! :) After church we went to my parents house for dinner.  My Mom always makes everything so fun and cute!  She had a little carrot with our name for each of our place settings.  The dinner was completely delicious!

After we had our annual Warner Easter Egg Hunt with adults and kids!  My Mom always fills some eggs with money so it's an extra incentive to be quick.  It took us a while to find the golden egg but once we did no one could reach it so Brittany and Cody started using yard decorations to help.

 



It was a great month!

Ipsy Glam Bag Review March 2016

Hello Spring

This month's glam bag was a fun mix of products all to welcome Spring.  I love the bright bag they had all of the products in and it was so cool to compare bags with my sisters because we each got products unique to us and our styles and different bag colors too!

 

Included in this bag:

-Beau Gachis Paris-Eyeshadow Brush-Haven't tried this, but it feels super soft yet dense and firm so I'll be able to pack on the color for a base easily with this brush.

-Starlooks-Luxe Longwear Eye Pencil in Jet-Super excited to try this!  I love the dramatic look of black eyeliner.

-MAKE UP FOR EVER-Step 1 Skin Equalizer-Hydrating Primer-I've only used this primer a couple of times, and so far so good!  I love the hydrating aspect especially since my skin has been super dry lately.

-Pixi by Petra-Beauty Blush Duo in Rose Gold-I love this blush duo!  The pink gives you a perfect natural flush and the lighter shade gives you an easy highlight or you can mix both together for a pretty glow!

-Alterna Haircare-Caviar Anti-Aging Miracle Multiplying Volume Mist-Haven't tried this yet but it claims to adds volume so I'm in.  Anything to help these super long locks get a little bit of life!

If you'd like to try a Glam Bag for yourself you can get more information about it here!  I seriously look forward to my subscription boxes/bags each month, they are so fun to receive!