Glittered Candle Holders Quick DIY

I decided to do some quick crafty DIY stuff to get ready for Christmas so I bought some cute little candle holders at Ikea and thought "Hey! These could look more festive!" I had a bunch of leftover glitter from another mini project and decided to use it for this. I find that the super fine glitter works the best anything super chunky looks kind of strange and stands out too much. 

Materials needed:

Candle holders 

Small glitter, color of your choice 

All purpose glue 

Sponge brush

Newspaper 

Paper plate for dumping your glue on

Your drink of choice (I chose sparkling wine) 

All I had to do was paint on a thin layer of all purpose paint and then over some laid out newspaper I sprinkled a thin layer of the glitter over the holders. As these are white it is hard to see where you missed spots unless you shine some good lighting on it. I do prefer using the sponge tipped paintbrush because I find you can blot it on and any wipe any excess off easily. 

The sparkle shows up a bit when you have the lights down low and some candles going on but they really get the point across when you have a pretty strand of lights kind of strewn about in the front. 

If you throw on a filter it really brings it out and I thinks it looks super cute just hanging out in front of the TV while sipping a tasty beverage with your favorite show on. I have another DIY for a mini Christmas tree that looks super duper cute alongside these bad boys. This DIY is perfect for anyone and everyone. Seriously, if you're not the least bit crafty you still can't fail at this. But as a warning you might have glitter all over your floor for the rest of the week. 

So hopefully someone pout there is a bit more encouraged to try something a bit crafty not that the holidays are here. We're all going to be spending more time indoors so we might as well enjoy our surroundings. 

XOX

Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Black Cherry

Whenever I read a blog and get that deep longing feeling for a certain color for some reason I really don't run out and go buy it. I always forget or they are all out of the color I am lusting after but this one, this was my Moby Dick. This one was my white whale. After searching and searching for one that was still in the stores and not yet opened and swatched by some other inconsiderate customer. I mean, isn't that what beauty bloggers are for? I mean c'mon we are all so glued to our phones liking spam on Facebook nowadays and yet we don't have the time to Google "lipstick swatches"? Really?!! Okay...enough of my mini rant. Luckily I was finally able to find this within a five mile radius of home and I didn't have to resort to getting desperate and ordering it online. 

I know I have probably passed up this lipstick a few times thinking it would bee too dark and vampy but now that I have gotten my paws on it I feel it isn't that bad. It really compliments my fall/winter skin very well and over all I am glad I got it. To me it's pretty dang festive for the season and even though we might be getting 90 degrees in the afternoon and 50 degrees at night (damn you non fall weather! damn you!!!!). Are you guys out there lusting after any similar colors? I hope I had the chance to convert one of you out there to join the dark side of the lip color spectrum because as a former non believer It just took one post to convert me!

XOX

Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes - Review

So now that I have used this mascara a couple times after I got it from this past Glossybox I think I have formed enough of an opinion to let you know what I do an don't like about it. This is the younger sister mascara to the Lights, Camera, Lashes which I have not tested out so I personally cannot compare the two.  

Strangely it came with this extra head which is puzzling to me. I really dont see the point of having an extra one packed into the box. Am I supposed to change it? Or am I supposed to gaze upon it and then just throw it out? It seems wasteful but if someone out there knows what I am supposed to do with it, let me know because  am just way too clueless. But as you can see there is a dense side, a side with more spaced out spikes and a couple little tiny spiky bits at the top. I do like the concept but personally all i really need is the dense side and the top for getting the small eyelashes in the inner and outer corners. 

One thing I really do like is the packaging. It's very different from what I am used to and feels a little fancy. I really am one to love a good snake stamped pleather in a bright and shiny gold color. But I don't approve of the fabric if they were used for skinny pants. Now that would be an eww moment right there. 

Now once the mascara is on the brush the helpful color coding is no longer very helpful and both sides look the same. At least to me and I refuse to squint and worry about it because its not worth getting wrinkles over. I do really love how dark and pigmented it applies but I feel it really doesn't hold the curl i just did on my lashes. It took years of practice and scouring magazines and the internet for tips and tricks to perfect the way I curl my lashes. So if I take my time curling my lashes and getting them ready for a coat of mascara that mascara better not make my lashes droop and that is what this one does, makes my lashes look like they are at half the height I curled them to. I also feel my lashes become very stiff after it dries. I don't have a problem with that but it may be a deal breaker for any of the readers out there. But I think what I disliked the most is that it does smudge and I will have a black eye by the end of the workday. If you have dry skin you might not have this issue but for us oily/combo skin gals or even gals who just love the look of dewy skin won't find this product to suit them. 

I really am not one to complain too much about getting thing from the subscription boxes that I purchase especially when the one item I get is worth more than the box its self. I spent $21 on the box and the mascara retails for $23 so I am grateful that I did get my moneys worth out of it. I really am not one to always buy mid range and high end makeup for myself and if I do it is usually a lipstick. So I do think it's nice to have something to try out that is out of my purchasing comfort zone.While I do have a problem with it getting a little smudgy towards the end of the day my luck might improve when I gets cold out and my skin dries out a little bit. 

For me this mascara would be used during the day time because I really don't need super dramatic curled lashes at 11 am and will probably just be using it up when its colder but would not purchase this on my own because I just like to swipe and go in the morning without having to think about anything. The only thing I should be worrying about is making time to make a cup of coffee before work. 

so have any of you lovelies tried this mascara yourself? If you did I sure hop you had better luck with it than I did. And I'm still scratching my head over the extra mascara wand it came with. 

Hope to see you again next time lovelies!

XOX

My Crazy Fall Obsessions

Like I have said before, I am nowhere close to being anything like a Martha Stewart but I still like do make DIY projects, decorate for the seasons and cook. What I love about making things is you really don't have to be a domestic goddess at all to do it. It doesn't have to look professional. It just has to look festive.  Festive will always look cute and if someone tries to tell you differently then don't listen to them. If it makes you happy that's all that matters. As you can see I am nowhere close to being a professional florist but hey, I tried. These marigolds were from the farmers market and decided to get them in two different colors. i am not a big fan of greenery in my arrangements and refuse to buy any premade ones filled with baby's breath and eucalyptus branches. It just really isn't my thing. 

We just got this end table for the corner in between the couches and got the lamp at Ikea even though we really don't need the lighting. It's more to set the mood for a quiet night in than for anything else. We had also just bought some cinnamon scented pine cones which have filled up the room with the scent. I love coming home to the smell and find it relaxing. as for the little pumpkins, they took two weeks to die and they really aren't pumpkins but an eggplant. Most people don't eat them because they are supposed to be really bitter. 

I really love to make soups and have loved making them since I was younger. They're just so easy and filling and make a wonderful meal on a cold night. This one here was loaded baked potato soup with cheddar and  was requested from my boyfriend and made it because I love it too. There's some yummy bacon, a bunch of potatoes and cheese and it paired lovely with the Chardonnay we got from a winery we went to over the summer. 

I had Instagramed this cuppa spiced wine awhile back and I really feel proud of how this one turned out. I really loved the slices of pear and apple and the whole thing gave me the warm fuzzies. Oh the joys of cinnamon and wine! I did add half a shot of spiced rum to it even though most recipes will recommend adding Brandy but we didn't have any so rum did the trick. 

This is my version of a healthy lasagna, all veggie and no noodles at all. the only bad this I used was the cheese. All I did was layer zucchini, eggplant, olives, tomato sauce and herb boiled potatoes. Adding the potatoes was a stroke of genius because they just added something different to what I'm used to seeing with vegetable lasagnas. 

We have access to a persimmon tree and with the overflow of persimmons combined with my urge to make things a bit different I made a persimmon pie. Last year I only made cookies and bread out of them but this time I kicked off the season with this beauty. I had looked up recipes all over the internet but with so many polarizing reviews on them I took the risk and just used a regular old pumpkin pie recipe instead and just used the persimmons pulp. This thing was all gone by the next day it was so good. I do think what I would do differently is add a little orange zest to help out and bring some brightness to the overall flavor profile. 

So there you have it! I have been soooo busy trying to bake everything and anything and just get it all out of me because I can and because it makes me feel awesome to start with nothing and end up with something awesome. To me Fall is all about rebirth and at least where I live it's like getting a second Spring but more festive. I think those who don't like Fall are those who don't go out of the way to make things warm and cozy where you spend the most time. We all are going to be spending more time cooped up so we might as well like our surroundings, right? So I hope you all get inspired by this and maybe make a nice bowl of hearty soup or make your own flower arrangement or find a new recipe to bake. Hope to hear from you all and hop you drop in next time as the seasons will change and I will definitely be changing it up for Christmas time. 

XOX

Amazing Grace Body Butter - Review

I got this body butter awhile back in a gift set I bought for myself. At the time I had no perfumes at all. Yes, shocking I know because I love scents. The body butter doesn't smell as strong as the perfume but that's makes it great to slather on and to spray a few bits on your wrists because then it won't be too overpowering together. The consistency is great, not too heavy and greasy and absorbs very quickly. I find I have better luck with butters and oils than with lotions for my dry legs as lotion doesn't seem to keep me moisturized all day. 

I find this is a great scent to wear during the day and around the office. While wearing it I feet like one of those girls who always smell pretty. It smells pretty and not the least bit prissy and doesn't feel like it's for tweens or someone who is a lot older than I am but could be worn by anyone of any age range. I feel that is is better in the butter form because I do find that after awhile the perfume smells a little bit powdery on me which isn't as bad as others I have tried but still doesn't appeal to me all that much. 

So when I am feeling a little less than amazing and super dry skin I'll slather this all over and head out the door with amazingly soft legs and a new pep in my step. I think overall I would only repurchase the body butter because it's perfumed without being too overpowering and doesn't leave the powdery scent the perfume does. As of right now this is my only body butter which is a shame because I feel I am missing out on some good stuff out there. So if there are any body butter junkies out there it would be awesome to get some recommendations of some of your favorites. I really hope to hear from some of you lovelies! 

XOX

Rimmel Exaggerate Unerdercover Shadow Primer

I am always excited to see a new product from Rimmel and this is no exception. I am always excited to try out any eyeshadow primers. Even if I only use just an eyeliner I will use a primer because I think that nothing is more embarrassing than one eye looking more lined than the other. I also tend to look for primers with very little if no glitter at all. This one has a little bit of shimmer but not enough to make me look like a disco ball. I find that there was no tacky feeling, and that the texture felt a little slippery but dried out to a soft finish.  

As for intensifying eyeshadow I think it does what it claims. These are swatches of the same exact color from my Naked pallet. On the left the eyeshadow has the primer underneath. I don't find that it has a scent so if you are worried about it, I sure don't smell anything at all. For now I will use this in my rotation and see if it beats out my favorite. If I do find it to become a favorite I will make a mention of it in a future post. If I do end up liking it I don't think the $4 is too much of an asking price 

What do you think about the Rimmel eyeshadow primer, have you tried it yet? Did you think it lived up to the claims? let me know what you think by either commenting me or by email if you wish! I do also frequent Twitter more often than I really like to admit so you can join me over there if you wish. 

XOX