Wine Not Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!!! And I KNOW those exist. Now, lets talk wine!

I think I talked about a Pinot Grigio last week but I'm gonna do it again.  Sue me.

Last weekend I picked this up because, to be honest, it was cheap. I paid $4.99 at the Mini Mart right down the road.

I think this is the only wine I've tried by Fish Eye but it's pretty good, especially when considering the price.  This is definitely a drinkable wine.  And here's the thing about Pinot, if I'm looking for a wine buzz I'll always go for Pinot. For some reason I feel like this type just does it for me every time. Don't get me wrong, a bottle of any wine is enough to do that but I only need a couple of glasses of this to accomplish my goal.

Ok, that's all.  Have a wonderful time. 

Manic(ure) Monday

Happy Monday!  Jk.  I know those don't exist.  

Anyways, today's manicure is brought to you by the Letter O!  and P and I.  I finally splurged and bought two OPI Nail Lacquers.  And by splurge I mean I got them on sale, buy one get one free.  I was super pumped to finally give OPI a shot but I failed and both the colors I picked out ended up being SUPER sheer.  It was my fault though. I usually open the bottle and at least check and see how it looks on the brush and I didn't do that with either one.

This is three coats of It's Totally Fort Worth It.  I will say that even though I'm upset that it's not a solid color (and again totally my fault), it went on very smoothly and it lasted on my nails for about a week!  That's HUGE for me!  I'm pretty hard on my nails and I usually start to notice chips within the first day or two... even with a top coat.  So I'm definitely planning on buying more OPI in the future.  As long as I can get a good deal on it, $9 is a little more than I like paying for polish.

Nailed or Failed it.

Sorry guys, no new Pinterest post today.  I got a late start (I slept in past 9:30 for once!!!) and I'm really not feeling it.  Please forgive me!  Thank you.  I don't want you all to leave here empty handed so check this out-

Enjoy that and I'll catch you on the flipside...

February Birchbox!!

A couple of posts ago I told you that I finally got signed up for Birchbox.  Here's a little refresher on what Birchbox is- "Birchbox is the best way to discover new grooming, beauty and lifestyle products. Sample top products from high-end brands, get expert advice, buy new favorites and earn points with every purchase."  That was taken directly from their website.   Anyways, last weekend I got my first box in the mail and here's what it looked like

Let's break it down.

Picture 1- Perfume Sample for Juicy Couture's new Couture La La.  The description says it's a stunning mix of mandarin, red currant, lily, and orange blossom.  Sounds amaze-balls right?  I don't like it one bit.  It doesn't smell at all like the description says.  It's slightly florally and baby powdery and bad.  Picture 2- Color Club nail polish in Wild Cactus.  I'm kind of excited about this color because it's one I wouldn't normally pick for myself and I guess it's a hot color right now... I'll make a Manic(ure) Monday post about this in the next week or two...

Picture 3- Dr. Jart+ Black Label Detox BB Beauty Balm.  This is supposedly the brand that brought BB creams to America.  I have never tried a BB cream before this so I don't have anything to compare it to but I will say that I really liked it!  It went on nicely and felt super lightweight on my skin.  Both times I've used this, I've used it under a light layer of Clinique loose powder and I was very happy with the overall result.  This definitely has me interested in trying more BB creams.  Picture 4- Beauty Protecter Protect & Detangle.  I am IN LOVE WITH THS!!!!!!  Let me just list all of the magical things this spray is/does: Instant detangler, thermal protector, UV protector, seals cuticles, smoothes hair, locks in color, adds shine, and conditions.  It is weightless, non-greasy, and safe to use daily and on all hair types.  I normally use anywhere from 2 to 5 products in my hair on a daily basis depending on what look I'm going for.  The past couple days I've been using ONE and my hairs feels so much healthier and softer than with the plethora of goo I normally put on it.  Out of the entire box, this is the one thing I was most happy with and I definitely plan on spending the $21.95 (eek!) on a full size bottle.

This littleguy was just a "bonus" treat.  I love Ghiradelli though so I'm not mad about it.

Overall, I will say this- I was kind of disappointed.  From the review videos and blog posts I've checked out I was expecting more bang for my $10.  I'm on the waitlist right now for Ipsy, another beauty subscription service, and the members over there seem to be having better luck but until a spot opens up for me I'll stick it out with Birchbox.  Maybe next months will be better...

Wine Not Wednesday

Mini bottle madness up in hurrrrr.

Don't you love when things come in MINI?!  I decided to do another two-fer, first the nail polish and now the wine.  What?!  I know.  

They're both from Sutter Home.  Sutter Home is always a decent brand.  Not typically my favorite but when the mini mart doesn't have anything else that's recognizable and I'm not feeling adventurous, I'll beeline straight for the Sutter Home White Zin.  These "taste tests" were exactly that this week.  First, I've never had a Red Moscato.  (I've had Pink Moscato, I think by Sutter Home, and it reminded me of Four Loko.)  Second, while I have had Pinot Grigio, I've never had the Sutter Home brand.  

The Red Moscato is one I will definitely have again, and again, and maybe again...  My Aunt Laurie told me a while back to try it but after my terrible experience with the Pink I was a bit apprehensive.  She was very right in recommending it to me.  I loved it.  I did a bit of reading on this wine and they make it by combining moscato with a fruity Merlot.  Sutter Home suggests pairing this with maple gazed ham, spicy steak meatballs, pepperoni and chili pepper pizza, and cream cheese stuffed strawberries, among other things.

The Pinot was a Pinot.  Nothing to terribly exciting about Sutter Home.  I will say though that if given a choice between Sutter Home Pinot or Barefoot Pinot, I'm going with Barefoot.  Sutter Home suggests pairing their Pinot Grigio with shrimp cocktail, (no thanks...) apple chicken salad, cornbread stuffing, and lemon and herb roast beef.  

I'm rating both of these wines as drinkable.

Manic(ure) Monday

So I know it's past Valentine's Day but I still want to show off my nails for the special occasion.  We can just call it poor planning on my part that this post is going up the Monday AFTER V-Day instead of the Monday before.  My bad.

Pretty fitting right?  I used all Sinful Colors for this week.  The red is called Gogo Girl and it's this really awesome red.  It's a little thin (and also a couple years old) but after 2 or 3 coats it looks awesome.  The pink is called Soul Mate, a very pretty pale-ish pink.  And I don't know the name of the pink glitter because the sticker fell off but I've only seen one Sinful pink glitter so if you're interested in it, chances are it's the first one you find.

Bonus- Since I'm posting my Valentine Mani late, I figured I'd give you a two-fer and post another mani I did a couple weeks ago.

This polish is a textured so it's supposed to look grainy like that.  It's by Milani and the color is called Purple Streak.  It was $3 or $4 at Fred Meyers and they had a few different colors.  It's a fun spin on a manicure but I felt like it was a little hard to work with, even harder to clean up, and once it started to chip, it looked extra bad.  But with all that said, I'll probably use it again but maybe instead of my whole hand, only do it as an accent.

Nailed it or Failed it

It's Pinterest day!!!  I have been hitting the Pinterest app pretty hard this week trying to figure out what I wanted to do for this weeks post.  I found tons of clothes and recipes but no such luck in the DIY department.  So today I went for something a little different.   Lately I have been so frustrated with my counter space to makeup ratio.  I've been using a hanging Victorias Secret makeup bag because my very limited counter space (a) doesn't really allow traditional makeup organizers and (b) has been overrun with hair products.  Today I decided to fix all of that.  I don't have one specific Pinterest post to refer you to because it's more of a collective thing I guess.  I just took a few ideas from different posts and threw in a couple of my own and while I'm still not 100% satisfied, it looks a million times better.  

Here's a before picture-

Look at that mess.  Anyways, I started with a fresh slate by taking everything down.  The only things I left are the necklaces and headbands hanging from the towel rack.  Then I started the basics.  These are the things that will always be on the counter, no matter what.

I used the same fish tank rocks in my new toothbrush/comb/random things holder as I did in my makeup brush holder.  And then there's my hair clips and ties.

But here was the fun part, trying to figure out how to organize and get my makeup out of the bag and on to the counter.

I decided to stick with a glass jar theme.  Now, this isn't all of my makeup, I definitely paired down when I was emptying out my bag and I also keep a small bag in my purse of my most used items.

Here's where I get crafty, I made the stand you see in the corner.  I took two candle stick holders and two circle mirrors that are also supposed to be for candles and stacked them together.  If you're making one, try turning the candle stick holder upside down.  Mine had a much wider base so it took up more room.  Once I figured out the placement I wanted I used a hot glue gun to glue it all together.  Sturdy as a slightly wobbly rock.

And here's after picture.  I forgot to take a picture of my new goo storage but it's just an old basket I had laying around and it's now packed full and stationed on the back of the toilet.

I spent a total of $20.97 on this project.  All of the glass jars, besides the tall one for the toothbrushes, and the stuff for the stand I bought from the Dollar tree.  The tall one I got from Michael's.  The total cost also included a hot glue gun and some glue sticks.  

Wine Not Wednesday

Well, since no one has objected to the name of Wednesday's newest hot topic, we'll go ahead and stick with it!!!

Here's a little background info about my wine preferences  I don't do reds.  I've always liked whites a lot better because they tend to be sweeter but for the sake of research and science I'm planning on trying to do at least half of these posts with a red wine.  (So far 2 out of 3 is perfect because now, for the next couple posts, I can do whites!)

I picked this wine up from the mini mart down the street for around $10.  It's a Zinfandel called Old Vine Zin from Gnarly Head.

Here's a close up of the label for you...

I'm rating this wine as sipable  The flavor is kind of spicy and fruity and would probably go pretty good with chocolate, milk or dark.  I did a little bit of research and I found that this wine is made from gnarled 35 to 80 year old vines.  Which is supposedly some of the oldest in California.  

Bonus picture time.  I collect all of my corks (hello pinterest crafts!!!) and this one is one of my favorites.

Manic(ure) Monday

Sharpie fun!!!  Here's where I got the idea: The Beauty Department ((Love that site btw... check it out when you're done reading and showing off my blog to everyone you know...))

Goodness, lately I've been terrible at my clean up jobs.  Oh well.  For this manicure I used Sally Hansen Midnight in NYC, it's hard to see here but it has very fine multi-colored glitter in it!  The design was done with a metallic silver Sharpie marker.  It was super easy to work with and if you mess up you can just wipe it off and start over without harming the polish.  Here's my issue- You can just wipe it off...  Also, I don't know if it's the top coat I was using or if I was too rough with it but if I tried to put a top coat on it would just smear my dots and completely ruin the design.   The original poster said she had no problems getting the top coat on so I suppose I'll just have to practice.  Other than that, I really loved using the Sharpie!  It was so much easier to use than a paint pen and the color was just as vibrant as I had hoped.

Nailed it or Failed it

Short post for you all tonight.  Earlier I went to Beki's house for a painting sesh.  Just what the soul needs.  With that being said, although my post is crafty/creative, it doesn't come from the Pinterest.  Sorry, kinda.

My side of Beki's professional set-up.

 My finished works of art.  

Up close shot of my favorite one of the night.  It's just a bunch of dots in purple, pink, and aqua.  Nothing too special but it turned out quite nice.

Second favorite.  GO DUCKS!!!  The other two I left with Beki to send to her brothers.

Recent Beauty Haul

I just wanted to show off my recent makeup finds.  

First off, back in December, Victoria's Secret was promoting their VS Fashion Show with an instant win contest and I just so happened to win!!!  I never win anything so to say I was stoked was an understatement.  Recently, my winnings arrived in the mail.  Here's what I got-

Picture 1- The flyer that was packaged in my box.  Picture 2- The bag that all of it fits into.

 Picture 3- VS Brilliant Lip Shimmer in Possesion.  This is a little too pinky for my taste but looks good on top of a darker pink or red.  Picture 4- VS Pro Radiant FX Face Illuminator.   This is a super shimmery cream that I put on over my foundation anywhere I want to brighten up.

 Picture 5- VS High Definition Mascara in Blackest Black.  I am in love with this stuff!  It's probably my most favorite mascara beside the Diorshow.  Picture 6- VS Eyeshadow Duo in Divine.  This duo is super shimmery, the left side is kind of a rose pink/gold and the right side is a deep brown.  This combo makes a very pretty smokey eye and the rose is great for everyday wear.

 Ok, so the Clinique is not new, it's a gel eyeliner in True Black.  I'm posting the picture because its the eyeliner I'm wearing this one of the following pictures (I applied it using my new SOHO eyeliner brush!!!)  The picture on the right is the new Revlon ColorStay Ultimate Suede lip color in Cruise Collection.  This is supposed to me a matte finish color that lasts 16 hours.  I'm wearing it right now and I love the color!  I'll keep you updated on how long it actually lasts.

This is the VS eyeshadow, mascara, and Clinique eyeliner.

 My bathroom lights are terribly unforgiving but this is the overall look with the lip color, illuminator cream, and of course the same eye makeup as the previous picture.

Make-up brush reviews...

TGIF!!!!  Here's a quick little review on some make-up brushes I picked up.

My newest makeup brushes!!  It's the SOHO smokey eye set.  It comes with an angled eyeliner brush, a smudge brush, and an all over color brush.  I used them tonight and I really like them so far.  They feel like a very good quality in my hands and they all work great!  I used the angle eyeliner brush with my Clinique cream eyeliner today and I'm happy with it.

I also decided to make a holder for my brushes.  Yes, I used fish tank rocks.  Don't judge me.

 I also picked these cuties up from Sally Beauty Supply.  The quality is so-so but they are the PERFECT size to keep in my purse.

Wine Not Wednesday

Welcome back gentlepeople, to the second installment of Wine Not Wednesday.  Is that working for everyone yet?

This weeks wine is one I've been eyeing for a very long time... you'll soon see why.

How could you NOT want to try this?!  It's called Red Velvet and comes from California's Cupcake Vineyards.  So cute!  According to their website www.cupcakevinyards.com, Red Velvet is a blend of Zinfandel, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Petite Sirah.  I'm going to rate this as sipable.  It's alright but I feel like it should be paired with tri-tip or maybe a buttery ritz cracker with dip.  I tried this cream cheese cranberry dip that was amazing and that's kind of what I'm picturing for this.  The suggested pairings are Hoison steak (what?!), a bacon cheeseburger (alllright alright), or dark chocolate fondue.  

Manic(ure) Monday

Happy Monday!!! I had the day off so it was just a splendid lazy day for me.  So, I know I said last week that I'd be having some Sharpie fun, and I did, but I bought a new nail polish today and I absolutely love the color so I'm not going to wait til next week to show it off.  I'll post the Sharpie one soon.  Hopefully.

The polish is by Finger Paints and it's called Tiffany Imposter.  I picked it up today at Sally Beauty Supply for free!  Kind of.  They were having a BOGO sale on this brand, if  you buy a clear top coat you get another polish for free.  So for the top coat and color I paid 4.49.  Not a bad purchase if I say so myself.  This is my first bottle of the Finger Paints brand and so far I really liked it.  It's definitely a two-coat polish because the first coat was a tad bit thin and streaky but that could also be because of my lack of technique.  By the time I got the second coat on it looked great though.  Besides it being a bit thin, I really liked the consistency and found that it was really easy to work with.  The same goes for the top coat.  I'll definitely be going back for more.  

Here's a bonus picture for you.  I was having fun using the self timer in my Camera+ app.  How do you feel about the top bun?  It's a bit more messy and loose than the typical top bun.  

Nailed it or failed it.

It's craft time again! I got the idea for this weeks post from Pinterest but I don't have an original post for you for a couple reasons: 1- I never pinned it but if I search for it there are tons of different pins about it and 2- there are a few tips I'm going to post that came from another blogger but I couldn't find the exact pin that linked us to the blog. I'm sorry about that btw.

In this weeks post I'm going to talk about sharpie mugs!

All you need is a mug (or plate or bowl or whatever you want really), some rubbing alcohol (or improvise like me and take the alcohol swabs out of your first aid kit), and Sharpies!  The mug I used came in a set with plates and bowls and stuff that we got as a wedding gift from my Aunt Beckie.  I think it's ceramic but I'm not positive.  I read in the other blog that ceramic is what we're shooting for and honestly, the cheaper the better.  The reasoning behind that is that more expensive mugs (or plates or bowls or whatever) have a nicer glaze on them but in the cheaper mugs, when heated up, the glaze will actually bond with the markings better making it permanent, and that's the goal here sooooo I'm ok with that logic.  I honestly don't know anything about the quality/price point of these mugs (like I said, wedding gift) but my thought process was that I'd try it on one of these and if it worked I'd stick with it and post only this but of it didn't work I'd head to the Dollar Tree and work on round two. 

Now, background info aside, lets focus on the task.  First you need to thoroughly wipe down your canvas with rubbing alcohol (or alcohol swabs) to remove all the oils.   When drawing be mindful of where you put your fingers, the marker will have a hard time sticking if there's already crap there.  Then start drawing.  I used the metallic gold and metallic silver Sharpies and just kind of doodled.  Theoretically, if you mess up you should be able to wipe it away with some rubbing alcohol.  This was a little easier said than done but not impossible for me.  When you are done with your rendition of Starry Night (or the Mona Lisa, whatev) place it in the oven and turn it up to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.  Don't pre-heat!  Let it bake for about 30 minutes then turn the oven off but leave the mug in there to cool.   In the original post I read, the blogger had some trial and error and found that there is less of a chance of cracking if you let the mug heat up and cool down with the oven.  Also, most posts will say to heat it up to 350 but according to the previously mentioned trial and error, that temp didn't always work out.   She had also said that some colors might fade so keep that in kind.  The silver and gold that I used did not fade but originally went on a bit thin so I'm going to try going over it again and re-baking it.  I don't know if that will help or not but I'll let you know.

I'm going to go ahead and say, poor artistry aside, I nailed this craft.  I drew on a mug with Sharpie, baked it, washed it, and then used it and nothing wore off which is the general idea. 

And on that bombshell, it's time to end.  Thank you and goodnight!!!!