6 Things Making Me Happy This Week

1.  Trips to Disney World! Ok well, my trip was last week but I'm still grateful for it this week too.  It was about as hot as the surface of the sun and we walked MILES AND MILES a day but a vacation is always a beautiful thing and I had a lovely time.  

2.  Fall weather!  My goodness I am just happy as a clam with the weather in Chicago.  Especially after spending a week on the surface of the sun, I'm so grateful for the chance to wear boots and scarves.  

3.  This SNL Wes Anderson spoof.  If you've seen any Wes Anderson films, you'll probably find this hilarious and spot on.  

4.  I finally got my hands on the Lorac Pro Palette.  I'm sure you'll see this surface in a beauty post in the near future because this palette is total perfection.  

5.  Pancetta at Aldi!  Do you shop at Aldi?  I practically live there because the prices are so amazing.  However, they tend not too carry many specialty items but that seems to be changing.  I've gotten almond milk, goat cheese, organic baby kale and now pancetta!  Aldi knows the way to this girl's heart (through meats and cheeses).   

6.  Pioneer Woman marathons.  Whenever I have a quiet Sunday morning to myself, I like to queue up a Pioneer Woman marathon on Food Network.  I'm a bona fide city girl but sometimes I could see myself living in the middle of nowhere and baking all day long.  

What's making you happy this week?

Cinnamon Sugar Pretzels

Well, here's a recipe.  Sort of.  It requires approximately 7% brainpower to make this.  And 100% willpower not to eat it all at once.  I'm sure you can guess what happened to me.

Attack of the Plums!

Plums!  Plums everywhere!  I'm ready to whole-heartedly embrace some plum colors for fall since I think they tend to flatter me best.  Corals and pinks are fun and all but fall and winter shades are really my jam.  Here are a few of my faves:

1.  Rimmel Show Off Lip Laquer in Galaxy
Have you heard of the phrase "your lips but better"?  It's that perfect shade of lip color that's just a smidge better than your own lips and looks perfect.  Well this isn't quite that.  It's certainly darker then my natural lips but it's still a perfect slliightly purple tone.  

2.  Maybelline Dream Bouncy Blush in Plum Wine
Despite the (in my opinion) somewhat silly name, the formula of these Dream Bouncy blushes is just great.  I'm a ride or die cream blush girl and this line has some gorgeous shades.  Plum Wine in particular is a wonderful rich plum that I love pairing with a simple cat eye and a light plum or natural lip.  

3.  Maybelline Great Lash in Vision in Violet  
Oooo what fun!  Colored mascara!  Now I'll admit, I'm not a huge fan of the formulation of Great Lash mascaras.  I think they don't provide much volume and can sometimes be wet.  However, when it comes to fun shades like this, I like to layer it on top of my usual mascara for an extra pop of color.  For around $5, it's an easy way to make an eye look a bit more fun. 

4.  Revlon Lip Butter in Sugar Plum
This shade reminds me a lot of the Rimmel Show Off shade but slightly less glossy.  It's certainly not matte and it has a lovely sheen.  Just like the Show Off, I reach for this a lot when I'm going for a mostly neutral look but I'm still looking for a slightly darker lip.  

5.  Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Smitten
While it may read a bit red in the picture, this is actually a super pretty plum-y fuchsia and it really packs a punch.  I've found the Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains to have a very long lasting formula that can occasionally be drying.  Just be sure to moisturize well before applying and you'll be set.  

6.  Maybelline Baby Lips in Grape Vine
I LOVE this stuff.  I think I've gone through two tubes already and I'm on my way to a third.  Not only are these wonderfully moisturizing, they actually have decent pigmentation.  This provides a great wash of plum to the lips and it's my go-to product for weekends.  Crazy easy.  

7.  Milani Lipstick in Sangria
I feel like Milani lipstick is really an undiscovered gem for most people.  I can't really speak to the rest of the Milani line but I'm crazy about their lipsticks.  The pigmentation is wonderful, they're not drying, and they have decent long-lasting wear.  This shade may look a little intimidating in the tube but it's a very wearable deep plum and it's pretty much THE perfect shade for fall and winter.  

What are your favorite plums this season? 

Throwback Thursday: Disney Edition

I'm the one with "Pooh" on my hat

1.  Guys my hat just says "pooh" on it.  I paid for that with my hard-earned 13 year old allowance.  Of all the hats, I decided to wear one that said "pooh."  I mean, it least it doesn't say "poo" but if the only redeeming quality about your hat is that it doesn't "poo" then it's probably still not a great hat.  

2.  In this picture we're sitting on the "People Mover" (which is now called the Tomorrowland Transit Authority I believe) and it just runs on a track through Tomorrowland and offers no particular excitement.  However, it's one of my favorite rides in the park and certainly the most relaxing.  

3.  So relaxing, in fact, that Grace was just about ready to take a snooze right there on the ride.  Apparently it had been a long day.  But the beauty is, this was back in the day of film cameras, not digital, and precious pictures like this made it to film because there was never a chance to delete it.  Think of the memories we're losing by deleting pictures!  I implore you!  We would never have pictures of little sisters seconds before napping on the People Mover.  

4.  Let's all take note of the Nano Baby hanging on a shoelace around Grace's neck.  This was primetime for Grace's Nano Baby days.  She couldn't stand to be parted from her Nano Baby for more than mere seconds! 

5.  I guess there's some solace in knowing Sara was wearing a "Dopey" hat (Pooh is still worse though).  Also, overalls.  Which seem to be making a comeback?  I'm all about it!  Shapeless jean unitards?  Sign me up! 

6.  I promptly lost those sunglasses in Tower of Terror probably one day after this photo.  

Coffee and Donuts Ice Cream

I did it.  I really did it this time.  This ice cream..... ugh.  There are no words.  Which makes blogging tough.

Here's the deal.  I used Jeni's ice cream recipe base.  Holy Moses, it's perfect.  I tried Jeni's ice cream for the first time a few weeks ago (at a Taco Festival of all places) and it was heavenly.  SO flavorful.  I got the Black Coffee flavor and I just died right on the spot.  It was perfect.  It definitely inspired me to make this ice cream but the coffee flavor is more subtle.  Cuz I had to leave room for the delicious donuts too!  

Fall Fingers

I'm sure I'm not the only lady who paints her nails, like, 3-4 times a week.  Partly it's because no base coat in the world can prevent chipping for me (and I do NOT tolerate chipping) but it's also because I find the act of painting my nails really relaxing.  And duh, I like having different colors on my fingers.

And I'm not one to strictly use "summer colors" or "fall colors" or whatever.  Of course I really love a bright neon in July or a deep berry in October but there are also a lot of other options that still look great for the season.

If I was cray cray rich, I'd buy EVERY Essie, OPI, and China Glaze collection under the sun.  And then I'd swatch them for you all and talk about the latest and greatest of the season.  But let's be real, I'm a lady on a budget so I often look for great drugstore options and tend to splurge on top coats or base coats.  Also, if kept well, nail polish lasts foorreever.  So here are some newbies and classics I've been loving lately.

L'Oreal Color Riche Walk On The Beach
I think it's only natural to think of dark colors when it comes to fall but I think a great nude polish looks good any time of year.  I especially love this shade because it's got cool tones which, for me, really flatters my skin tone.

Revlon Colorstay Fall Mood
I love this super metallic copper shade!  I saw this last week at Ulta and immediately snatched it up.  It's unlike any other shade I own and would make a great holiday shade too.  And an extra bonus, the metallic effect makes lightly harder to spot chips.

Orly Terra Mauve
This color looks unassuming in the bottle but it's such a lovely muted berry pink shade.  It's one of those no-brainer polishes that I reach for when I don't quite know what I want to wear.

OPI Ski Teal You Drop
Ah, this one is a classic!  I've worn it for years.  It's such a wonderful deep rich teal and a fun alternative to a dark berry or red for the colder months.  I've even seen a great dupe for this by Revlon (the name escapes me) if you don't want to drop the $9 on OPI.  

L'Oreal Stroke of Midnight
This is one of my newer polishes and I've worn it half a dozen times already.  It's a beautiful marbleized slate grey with streaks of silver.  It has a slightly cool blue tone and it's great when you want a dark nail but you still want something with a little interest.

L'Oreal Breaking Curfew
Yikes, can you tell I have a thing for L'Oreal polish lately?  For the price, I think it's one of the best drugstore options.  This shade is my favorite when I want a super dark nail but not quite black.  I like to wear my nails long and sometimes, black on long nails can look a little.... witchy.  This is a very deep berry purple that makes an excellent replacement.  

Well now you know what my fall fingers will look like.  What are you loving this fall?

Fluffer Nutter Brown Sugar Oatmeal Cookie Sandwiches

We are now in full-blown fall candle mode.  I stocked up on the BEST fall scents the other day.  Are you aware that there is a candle called Sweater Weather?!  And Leaves!  What a world we live in guys.  What a world.    

So let's talk about these cookie sandwiches, mkay?  They are totally amazing.  Like, probably one of my best of the year.  I know right?  That's quite a statement!  But they have all of the best things.  The cookies are chewy but with perfect texture (shoulda guessed a Pioneer Recipe wouldn't disappoint) and the frosting is balanced with the ppeerrffect blend of fluff, peanut butter and cream cheese.  It was all just meant to be.    

September Beauty Favorites

Monthly favorites time!  I wanted to get this posted last Monday but I had just moved apartments and I was too flat-out exhausted to even consider it.  I know you've been waiting with baited breath.  Anyway, let's get at it.  

L'Oreal Voluminous Million Lashes Excess
Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Brightener
NYX HD Photogenic Concealer in Glow 
L'Oreal True Match Powder in Deep Cool
Revlon PhotoReady Powder in Light/Medium

Yikes!  That's a mouthful.  I'm lumping all these together because they were just in last month's favorites and they're still going strong.  With the move and all, I really relied on some trusty standbys instead of buying new products that I'd just have to pack up.  However, I have tried one or two new mascaras that still didn't make the cut to a favorites list.  My Million Lashes Excess is a tough one to beat.   

Simple Foaming Cleanser

When it comes to skin, I feel like I'm pretty lucky.  While I certainly get the occasional breakout, I've never had to deal with any major skin issues.  It feels like I'm at an age where perhaps I should start investing a bit more with my skincare but perhaps I'll save that for next month because Simple is an affordable drugstore brand and I've been pleased with it so far.  Since this cleanser is gentle, I tend to use it in the morning for a quick wake-up and to catch any leftover makeup bits that didn't make it off the night before.  It NEVER stings my eyes and I've had zero irritation with it.  This one is a no brainer.