Ruby FOTD and Rodent NOTD

I love Bare Escentuals SO MUCH! I have a small collection of eyeshadow and blush (well small is very subjective), and they tend to get ignored. The Ruby Collection is perfect. I wore it non-stop when I first got it, and for good reason. The colors are so pretty, and they would look good on many different skin tones. I gave a Ruby Set to my sister in law for her birthday and she is a fair toned redhead. Of course, I bet it is no longer available, but Bare Escentuals has many other great starter kits.






FACE
MUFE HD Primer
NARS Sheer Glow
NARS Loose Powder
BB Corrector
Anastasia Brow Powder

EYES
UDPP
BE Wild Ruby
BE Vintage Ruby
BE Golden Ruby
MAC Blacktrack
L'Oreal Lash Out

CHEEKS
BE Ruby Radiance

LIPS
Lipstick Queen Medieval


And on to my rodent nails, American Apparel Mouse. I had trouble capturing this color accurately. It the shadows it is a cool lavender taupe, but in full sun it has a very warm cast.

NOTD and a Small Hand Transformation

American Apparel L'Esprit. I took two pictures trying to capture the lavender hue in this polish.



And now to show you the wonders of cuticle cream, here is a nail picture from a couple weeks ago:



I have switched back to my old faithful hand cream. Not the best smelling (very herbal and strong), but it is very rich.


I also love their cuticle cream!

Hands and (warning) Feet

Zoya Felicity turned out to be a favorite. It seemed a bit understated and boring, but I really love it on. I think I need more subtle colors in my collection, and I definitely need more Zoya. Great formula and great brush as well.




And smurfy toes:

Strawberry Blonde FOTD

I forgot how much I love this lipstick!




FACE
NARS Sheer Glow
MAC MSFN
BB Corrector
Anastasia Brow Powder

EYES
UDPP
MAC Dazzlelight
MAC Style Snob
MAC Handwritten
MAC Blacktrack
L'Oreal Lash Out

CHEEKS
MAC Hipness
Clinique Peony Fresh Bloom

LIPS
MAC Strawberry Blonde

And check out this cute $12 shirt from Target! Hidden in the Merona section :)

NOTD: AA Peacock and a Bit of Indecision

Here is my first polish job this morning.

Then I grew tired of the glitter and decided to try a more subtle accent nail.

Now I wonder if I should have just left it all cream :P

Humid FOTD

I really need to start drying my hair before I take pictures, but I am usually so ready to be done by the end of the process




FACE
BB Natural Finish Foundation Sand
MAC MSFN Light/Medium
BB Corrector Light Bisque
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo Medium Ash

EYES
UDPP
MAC Humid
MAC Juxt
MAC Gorgeous Gold
MAC Blacktrack
L'Oreal Lash Out

CHEEKS
MAC Instant Chic
MAC Redhead MSF

LIPS
MAC Lollipop Loving
MAC Sock Hop

NOTD American Apparel Factory Grey

This has turned into a nail polish blog lately. I have been lax with my makeup, and I even went out completely bare faced Saturday and Sunday. More on that after the picture.


This weekend was a bit crazy as I mentioned before. On Saturday my fourteen month old John woke up with a temperature of 102. He was coughing and not eating well. I rushed out the door in 10 minutes to make it to the doctor before they closed for the weekend. I made it exactly at closing time :) They checked him out, and said he had croup which just has to run its course. Luckily no ear infection or anything else. He was pretty miserable though. I am happy to report he is feeling all better now.

On to Sunday afternoon. My older boys were playing outside and I heard crying. Nothing unusual there, so we waited for them to come inside and tattle on each other. Nathan came in with blood dripping down his face and everywhere. My oldest son was looking very much in trouble. We cleaned Nathan up and got him calmed down. We were able to determine that Samuel was practicing his golf (it is a real metal set for kids), and Nathan got behind him. Of course he wasn't watching and got Nathan right on the top of his head. I am not kidding when I say my husband nearly passed out, so I took Nathan into the ER. I was deep enough to need three staples. He was a trooper though, and didn't cry at all! He actually kind of had fun. Afterward he got to pick out his own giant bag of M&Ms. We were a sorry looking pair walking through Target that evening :)

I can definitely say I am glad it is Monday.

A Few More Polish Comparisons

I will make this brief since my weekend has been nuts (more on that later). I am settling down to watch the finale of Lost. I have been a faithful watcher from day one, and this had better be good!



Ocean Love Potion is a favorite and much different than the others. Greenport and For Audrey are surprisingly similar, so unless you are an avid collector, I'd skip one or the other. For Audrey is a touch bluer and lighter.



Lemon Fizz is deeper and more neon than the pastel Butter.



And Damone Roberts is deeper and more green than Office.

American Apparel Polish Swatches and Comparisons

With the recent 30% code at American Apparel, I decided to give their nail polish a try. My items arrived within the week, although there were a few problems. My back ordered colors arrived barely bubble wrapped. They were not broken, but all were clearly used! Two were even marked as testers. I called Customer Service, and they were apologetic. They are sending me replacements. My other three came perfectly wrapped and new from the warehouse.



L'Esprit is definitely bluer than Lilacism. I much prefer the AA formula over Essie. It was opaque in two easy coats.



Neon greens are nearly impossible to photograph. These are much greener than the picture. The China Glaze is more neon and slightly lighter than Malibu Green. But they are quite similar.



Mouse is more taupe than Chinchilly, which is more of a cement color.



Teal is more of a blackened deep teal than Peacock. They are pretty different as far as teals go.


Now you can see my problem as I try to photograph the last group. My 1 year old woke up and wanted to play.



These are the last three of which I have no dupes.

American Apparel polishes have a great opaque formula worth checking out, but only if you can get past the lack of quality control when it comes to shipping. They have some pretty and unique colors, especially when it comes to creams. Just be warned that you may encounter some problems, and their company CEO is a subject I won't even touch.

Nails and Friday Trip

My nails are the shortest they have been in awhile. I did some major gardening and I had to chop them off.



Here are some pictures from our drive to the mountains yesterday!


My husband keeps bees, and he helped some friends get started.


Some fossils my kids dug up. Seashells from the highest elevation in our state!

Goodbye mountains!

FOTWeekend Using Urban Decay Summer of Love

I plan on wearing this all weekend. It is simple and peachy :)






FACE
NARS Sheer Glow Mont Blanc
MAC MSFN Light/Medium
BB Corrector Light Bisque
MAC Prep + Prime Powder
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo Medium Ash

EYES
UDPP
UD Chopper all over
UD Mowie Wowie on tear duct
UD Smog in outer corner
UD Bourbon 24/7 pencil on lower lash line
MAC Blacktrack on top lash line
L'Oreal Lash Out WP Black

CHEEKS
BB Aruba Bronzer
MAC Instant Chic

LIPS
MAC Dressmaker, Dressmaker

Yummy Carrots and Perfect Pork Tenderloin

I am taking a break from makeup today and posting a couple of great recipes I have used recently. First is a recipe for carrots from somewhere online. Don't ask where, because I have no idea since the husband found it.

Sauteed Carrots

1 large bag of carrots
2-3 tbs of EVOO
4 cloves of garlic
salt and pepper

Peel the carots and cut into small sticks. Parboil them for 5 minutes. Heat EVOO in a skillet or large pot over medium heat and add garlic. Saute garlic for 1-2 minutes, but don't let it brown. Add carrots, turn heat to medium low and cover. Cook for 6-7 minutes to let the flavors combine. Salt and pepper to taste. Eat whole pan.

Pork Tenderloin in the Crockpot (from Allrecipes.com)

1 (2 pound) pork tenderloin (I used 2 1lb tenderloins)
1 (1 ounce) envelope dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3/4 cup red wine
3 tablespoons minced garlic
3 tablespoons soy sauce
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place pork tenderloin in a slow cooker with the contents of the soup packet. Pour water, wine, and soy sauce over the top, turning the pork to coat. Carefully spread garlic over the pork, leaving as much on top of the roast during cooking as possible. Sprinkle with pepper, cover, and cook on low setting for 4 hours. Serve with cooking liquid on the side as au jus.

I have been serving these two dishes with mashed potatoes- make sure to use lots of butter and half and half for full caloric intake!

Nfu-Oh 51 :Taste the Rainbow

Well, don't really taste it- just look. This is layered over Sally Hansen Midnight in NY.