New Beauty Favorites

Hello ladies!

Let's have a little beauty chat.  I've added some new products recently to my "arsenal" that I'm kind of in love with.  Most of this stemmed from my recent obsession of watching beauty reviews on Youtube and reading beauty blogs. Along the way I decided to invest in better beauty products than what I was using. I'm not into trying all kinds of new products really, I just want to find the best products for me.  I mentioned in an earlier post that I had replaced my pricier Estee Lauder foundation with Revlon Colorstay, and I also found a great eye liner. Since then I've been in search of a great palette of eye shadow, a primer, and a new moisturizer. Here's what I've found ( + a couple more):

1. Naked Palette (by Urban Decay) - I know, I know. It's all the rage in beauty land to be an owner of this infamous palette. I didn't really care about joining them, but after watching different reviews I realized all the perks this offers. You get such a wide variety of colors here, which I realize are mostly all shades of brown, but that was just what I was looking for. The palette I had prior had 4 neutral/brown shades, and in comparison, the shadows from the Naked palette blend together so much better. I also like that all but two of the colors have shimmer.  And their greatest quality is that they stay in place all day! With other brands I've used I would put it on in the morning and by that night it would nearly be gone. Now, this was definitely a splurge for me (well, really I used a gift card, so it was free-to-me) but it does come with a nice brush and a travel size of Urban Decay's eye primer which works really well.  A little bit goes a LONG way with these shadows because they are so pigmented, so I expect this palette to last a long time.

2. Benefit Primer - Earlier I mentioned my Revlon Colorstay foundation, and while I love it and believe it is one of the best long-wear products out there, by the end of the day it has faded some. It's something to do with my skin, which is not really oily or dry. It just sucks it up or something - but not as bad or as quickly as other foundations I've tried. Not being one to want to keep re-applying makeup throughout the day, I gave this primer a try. People talked about how it's a miracle product and keeps your makeup perfect all day. Not true. Other people say it dries up and makes their makeup look splotchy.  Not true for me. It comes as a stick, and I just draw lines with it all over my freshly-moisturized face and smooth it in with my fingertips. Then I immediately come behind it with foundation on a brush. So if some of the reviews are so bad, why do I like this?  It's a tacky kind of formula, and does grab onto the foundation and keep it on and looking fresh for longer. I definitely notice a difference when I do where it versus days that I don't. I would be willing to try a different primer in the future, but I think I will keep a primer in my makeup bag.

3. CND Vinylux Nail Polish - This polish makes me excited. Apparently it's supposed to be a salon only product, BUT you can buy them on Amazon (and probably other sites).  They come in a large variety of colors, and they are supposed to last for a week.  The key is to use the color and the top coat together, and it will cure in natural lighting, similar to gel-polish. I hate when I paint my nails and the next day they are so chipped it's time to take it off.  With this polish I notice the tips of my nails wear down a little, and occasionally there has been a chip, but overall it's the best polish I've ever used.

4. Simple Daily Moisturizer w/ SPF 15 - Time for a confession. Until recently I've been using the same acne-preventing moisturizer that I've used since... probably high school.  It's cheap, smells good, and I get overwhelmed at all the other options on the aisle, so I would just always buy the same ole same.  But I finally realized that I don't have such a big battle with acne anymore, and this moisturizer wasn't doing much for me. Again, overwhelmed by all of the choices, I spotted the Simple brand.  I've received samples in the mail from them as they were up and coming and liked all of their products so far. I chose their moisturizer with SPF15 for my skin, especially since my foundation doesn't have much sun protection.  This is a big bottle of moisturizer and a little goes a long way!  It has a hint of a sunscreen smell right when you apply it, but that goes away quickly.  It feels smooth and clean, but not greasy or oily. I put it on immediately before primer and foundation, and it doesn't feel thick or heavy under those. Definitely a good choice!  I'm considering getting one of their other options for using at night, since I don't need SPF then.

5. Revlon Colorstay Ultimate Suede LipStick - I picked this up a while back, with a coupon and some kind of deal I'm sure. I love this stuff. The color shown above is the color I have (Backstage), and it's quite bold but a pretty fall color. What makes this great is that it goes on like a normal lipstick or lip butter, but seconds after it kind of dries up into a stain. So you have to make sure it's in all the places you want it to be, but none you don't want it to be, and then you're good to go! The color stays on for hours and doesn't transfer much to napkins (or husbands. ;)  ).  I usually like to keep some chapstick around, or another lipstick, to apply over it after an hour or so because it can feel a little dry (like you can't rub your lips together smoothly) and to give it some shine.

If you have any questions for me about these products, please comment below.  You can also share your favorites!  Have you found any tried and true beauty products that you love?

High Five for Friday

Happy Friday!

It's been a while since I've done a high five,... or posted much of anything else, really. It's been a little busy around here. Let's link up with Lauren and recap this week:

1.  Last weekend we went home to celebrate Gene's birthday. We brought home some clays to shoot with him and had fun outside with those.  Marilyn and I gave it a try. It was the first time I had shot a shotgun, and while the act of shooting it went well, I didn't hit any targets.  Well, I hit one they put on the ground for me, but none in the air.  So I let the men finish off the rest.  We spent some time with both our parents while there, but it always seems too short.

2.  While home for the weekend we also went to McClelland's Critters, which is a small zoo in Banks. I vaguely remember going there with a church group as a kid, but it was a great experience even as an adult. You get to feed lots of animals, and Mike (the owner) gives a tour, which is very interactive. This is what makes this place so great and different from a larger zoo. You get to meet each animal and see their personalities.  You can tell that Mike loves each one of them.  If you live nearby, go check it out and help support this local attraction! Clicker HERE to see more from our visit.

3.  After the ride to and from home, Jesse's car reached its 200,000 mile mark! It's had a few problems here and there, and has had to be doctored up after encountering a few animals as well, but it's held up quite well.  It will probably be with us until its end.

4.  On Wednesday night, Jesse went to see our friend Mike's comedy show.  Mike works with 321 Improv, which travels all over the US doing shows at churches and events, providing clean yet hilarious comedy with a great message.  I think it's an amazing and somewhat rare opportunity that these guys have, to get up on stage and share their talent.  Growing up as a Christian, you always hear that God gives everyone talents and you should use them to glorify Him. Most would disregard "being funny" as a real talent and search out something else. But Mike's passion really shines through and he gets to share laughter and happiness with everyone he meets through his career.  I think it's awesome.  Anyway, they rarely have shows scheduled in Alabama (which is a shame, so those of you with input for events like this, give them a call - I promise they didn't put me up to this plug!), but this week it was at least within a 2.5 hour drive and Jesse was able to go.  This show happened to be paired with Harris III's magic show, which they sometimes get to tour along side. Jesse had a great time!

5.  Today my classmates and I got to pick up our second order of optometry equipment. Above you see my BIO, which is kind of like a fancy (read: expensive) head lamp, and the lenses I will use with it to see all of your retina! This time I even got to personalize a little bit of it. :)

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

From Our Kitchen - Apple Pie, Y'all!

Remember all those apples from this day?  What I forgot to tell you then was that we picked a total of 75 apples! Then we divided that up between the 3 couples.  So what did I do with 25 apples?  Made apple pie!.... twice.  Once was for the Pumpkin Carving party.  Then I was begged into making another to share with my friend Erika.  (How dare she!)  But that meant Jesse and I got to eat a couple more slices two.

Here's what I did. And I promise it was delicious.  Some said it was the best apple pie of their life.  Now, it could have been due to the fresh-from-the-farm apples, but I'll take the flattery. ;)

But first, let's have a chat about apple pie.  It's quite an important topic, or at least has been in our relationship. Apple pie is Jesse's favorite dessert. But not just any ole apple pie. Not one from the deli of the grocery store. And definitely not those in the little sleeves from McDonald's (do they still have those?!). It takes a homemade, made-from-scratch apple pie to please this man. I learned this early on in our relationship and slaved away over a few of them while trying to woo him.  My step-dad thought I was going to lose fingers over sliced apples once.
After preparing my very first pie, and bringing it to him with a huge smile on my face, I'm sure he said it was delicious, but he had to tell me that the next time I made one I should slice the apples really thin, just like.... his mom does it!  Ladies, when your mother-in-law is a good cook, you gotta step up your game!  Lesson learned: always consult the mama.  So I did, and she told me about this thing known as a mandolin slicer.  It really does make all the difference for the pie. Thinly sliced apples lay flatter against each other and make it easier to cut with your fork and eat. It also lets you pack in lots of apples, and we like more apples and less "sauce". And now you know our secret!

This is not Marilyn's actual recipe, but for this pie I combined a crust and filling recipe, mostly adapted for my pantry.  There is also method to this madness, which I learn the first go-round.
Click HERE for the recipe I used (and to print it).

Anything that begins with two sticks of butter is likely to be tasty, so go ahead and cube those two sticks, then put it back into the refrigerator. (This was the moment that my beloved camera died a sad and sudden death. I think I had a couple of pictures of...butter... but I've been too lazy to get them off the card. I grabbed my phone to take the rest of the pictures, so excuse the quality. These events will not effect the taste of your pie.)

Measure out your flour, sugar, and salt for your pie crust.  This time I made a revelation: I threw all of this into my stand mixer, turned it on "stir," and added the butter several pieces at a time. Just like when you use a pastry blender (which I don't have, which is why I was improvising) you want the dough to go from powdery to tiny, little pea-sized clumps. Once the butter is all cut into the flour mixture, add a couple of tablespoons of ice water, one at a time until the dough starts to stick together.  Be careful not to over-do it here, especially with the mixer which works fast. The less you mix it, the flakier your crust will be. Once it just begins to hold, stop mixing, and dump it onto your work surface. (I like using this silicone mat. It's like a Silpat, but from Aldi. Aka - cheaper. You're supposed to be able to bake on them, but that seems a little weird to me. Moving on...)

Divide your dough into two, and pat into rounds. Wrap them in plastic-wrap and pop them in the fridge to keep chilled.

Now work on your apples. Use a mandolin slicer, or just a knife and more patience than I have, and cut up your apples. It will probably take about 8 mid to large-sized apples to fill out your pie.  I didn't have any lemon juice to toss mine with, so I tried to work extra fast. This is also the time you add all of your sugar and spices to the apples, tossing to coat each slice.  Some recipes call for letting the apples sit in this sugar mixture for some time to let more juices flow. I prefer to keep on going without this step, mostly because by this point I can't wait to get the thing into the oven, because the sooner it's in, the sooner it's out and I can eat a slice. Plus it turns out just right with plenty of juice/moisture.

Next up, roll out your bottom crust. You may need to let it sit out a bit to warm up if you've made it ahead of time and it's really cold.  I like to smush the edges to keep the shape round as I roll, like this:

Once you've roll to size, flour the top surface and roll it up on your rolling pin (dusting the bottom of the crust with flour as you pull it off the counter).  Then drape it into your pie dish.

Dump in your apples. Smile because you're almost done, and this is going to be amazing.

Roll out your top crust, and roll it up onto your rolling pin, like before.

Top your pie with crust, and trim any excessive edges.  Leave about an inch all the way around so you can tuck the top crust under the bottom crust, and pinch them together. Make the edge as pretty as you want. I used a fork to press and seal all the way around.  At this point I realized that I did not add the additional tabs of butter on top of the apples that was in the recipe I was following.  After a slight moment of panic I decided that the two stick of butter in the crust would suffice, and it was true! No butter was missed, and we saved a few calories, right?

Brush the top with egg wash, cut a few small slits, sprinkle with a little sugar, and pop it in the oven.

And there you have it!  Glorious apple pie. Deliciousness that taste like Fall.  And your house smells all cinnamony (unless your pie dripped into the bottom of the stove and burned.... yep. Prevent that by putting an aluminum foil lined cookie sheet on the rack below - next time, next time). And enjoy! With a scoop of vanilla ice cream, of course. Can't forget that!

What's your favorite pie to make?  Or your favorite pie to eat during the Fall?