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?

Fall Festivities

This weekend we continued to embrace the fall season with some apple picking and pumpkin carving. Friday we went to Mountain View Orchards in Jemison, AL with friends Mike, Kelsey, & Adalynne, and Adam & Hannah.  It's a place that Google doesn't even know about. A little orchard not too far off of I-65, with only a small apple-shaped "U-Pick" sign at the edge of the road. Once you follow the tire tracks on back you begin to notice various lines of trees along the open fields in front of you. You roll up to the "general store" where you can buy pre-picked apples. But we were there for fun!  

We paid for our box to fill, then they loaded us up on the back of a trailer and drove us out to the orchard. We all enjoyed the country ride and fresh air, almost as much as Addy!

(Some of my VERY favorite people in this picture right here!
Also many missing, so don't get jealous on me.)

The orchard guy drove us out to the rows that were ready for picking (I prefer you to read that "pickin'," because that's just what happens in the South. You don't go out picking the fresh fruits & veggies from your garden, you go out pickin'!). Then he told us how to determine is the apples were just right for...pickin', and let us loose!

We looked high and low... mostly high, thanks to Adam, until we filled half of the box with Golden delicious ...

...and half the box with Arkansas Blacks.

Then we had fun taking pictures. :)

Then Adalynne decided to take her very first steps right in the middle of the orchard. Which I didn't think of until this moment, is somewhat ironically funny because the child loves fruit. Maybe she saved this moment as her ode to fruit. Or something like that. Anyway it happened, we were all excited, then Kelsey scolded those holding cameras for not capturing the moment, so we recreated it. It went something like this:

And after all of the excitement, we strolled (every so cutely) back to the trailer and loaded up to leave.

They next day, some of our apples were turned into caramel apples and apple pie for the Pumpkin Carving Party on Saturday! I shamefully did not get a picture of the entire table spread of all the fall goodies. But we had lots of fun carving away and creating our masterpieces!

Fall Mantel

Last Friday, I decided it was officially fall. I know it's technically been fall since September, but I haven't really had time to slow down and soak it in. Plus, it's still been shorts and t-shirt weather here, so it hasn't felt like fall. But last Friday, after my last class and right before I left for Dothan, I had to get my oil changed. I picked a recently open shop next to a thrift store I frequent so that I would have something to do in the 45 minutes it took them to change my oil.  While wondering around I happened upon a large empty frame that I thought would work nicely on our mantel for pretty cheap, so I grabbed it. And also lugged it back to the auto shop. Probably got a few strange looks, but that's okay.

When I got home I rummaged around and found the fall decor I bought last season, and threw it all on the mantel. It surprisingly turned out well for a two minute decorating whirl.

I picked up the printed handkerchief, the pumpkin (which really has a place for a monogram, sold separately, on the other side), and the acorns at Hobby Lobby after Thanksgiving last year (= 80% off). The orange dried floral thing sticking out of the candle holder on the left was also from Hobby Lobby. It was in last year's fall by-the-door arrangement outside, which I didn't use this year. The candles (Ikea) and holders (Dollar Tree) are usual mantel items that happened to fit the theme. The owl was from Target at Christmas time, but he certainly blends right in here. It didn't fill up the whole mantel, and I never know what else to do with our map, so it just stayed. 

I had been wanting a large empty frame to add to the mantel to give some dimension and height at times, but had never really looked for one (aka, thought they would/could be expensive). When I saw this one in the thrift store, I first noticed it's shape and size, but then realized that it would match the metallic sunburst piece on the opposite wall (shown above). (It matches more than the photo shows; they both have a brushed bronze metallic look to them.) And that piece also has silver in it, which helps tie in Mr. Owl.

Here's a close-up of the acorns scattered across the bottom. They are little jingle-bell like things. 

On my drive to Dothan, I got to enjoy God's beautiful scenery and noticed that the leaves are starting to change here and there. Also this week I started burning fall scented candles, and we have a few fall 'activities' planned (one of which is coming up here on the blog... stay tuned!). So, welcome fall! And apple cider, and sweaters, and boots, and pumpkin bread, and crunching leaves, and Thanksgiving, and apple pie, and everything else that feels like this time of year! (I kind of like it, can you tell?)

A few days off

I've had a couple of days off from school. If you count the weekend, and the fact that I finished class by noon last Friday, I technically had 4.5 days.  However, they call it "Fall Break" by giving us Monday and Tuesday off. I'll take it, though.

It worked out great for the break to fall on this past weekend. Jesse has been in Dothan since last week for work, so it gave me the chance to go visit him! Thankfully his brother and sister-in-law (Matt & Heidi) live there as well, so I got to visit everyone!

While Jesse worked Saturday morning, I got to visit with Heidi! We had a girl's day out, which started with getting ready - curling our hair and sharing new makeup favorites, then went shopping.  I had so much fun roaming around the stores, getting good (and honest) advice from someone with a similar style and opinion. She hasn't been to Birmingham in a while, so I think we made up for the shopping all in one day. ;)

Once Jesse and Matt were both off work, we went to Firestone Wood Fired Pizza & Grill for dinner. It was amazing! (No pictures, sorry!) If you are ever nearby, stop for lunch or dinner. Their wings and pizzas are fresh, unique, and delicious! Definitely a place that has put great thought and effort into their menu and foods. On our table: the House salad (with dried peaches and pecans - amazing combination), Wood Fired Wings, Hummus with Pita Bread (the bread was great, the hummus of the week not so much), the Meat Baby pizza (what you would think of a meat-lovers, but superb), Hawaiian Delight (ham + pineapple - not my favorite, but Jesse loved it), and the Fun Guy pizza (roasted garlic & spinach).  I've had brick oven style pizza before, but these guys know what they are doing.

After dinner Matt & Heidi took us to AdventureLand, where we had fun being kids again in the arcade. We divided up tokens and played until we were out. Heidi hit the Jackpot twice on a ball drop game, and Jesse once on the game where the light spins around and you have to punch your button at just the right second to trap it (top left in the photo). Our efforts were cashed in for candy!

On Sunday, Jesse and I went to St. Andrew's Bay. We spent the morning on the beach and did some snorkeling. We saw several fish and a couple of crabs along the rocks. There was also an interaction with a couple of raccoons that live in the rocks along the shoreline. They are apparently not afraid of people, and came out to investigate for snacks. They were adorable!

We left the beach for a late lunch at Finn's Taco Trunk, which is known for... well, their tacos. So we ordered the original fish and ahi tuna tacos. Then we patiently waited for them at their picnic tables.  They were quite yummy and piled high with fresh toppings.

Jesse has acquired quite the obsession over Chill Frozen Yogurt while in Dothan, specifically a custard yogurt that they didn't have. No worries. I made do with Pumpkin Pie Fro-Yo + cheesecake bites and Salted Caramel Corn yogurt + a brownie. I promise it all fit into that one bowl. :)

I left Jesse in Dothan for more work, and spent a night in Luverne visiting my parents. My mom even cooked me dinner to my request. Then I enjoyed some naps on their couch, doing absolutely nothing.

It was SO nice to enjoy some time off.  We crammed a lot of fun into just a few days and even through Jesse's work, he helped me make the most of it!

Another exciting fact: the next time we see Matt and Heidi we will be headed to New York!!! I can't wait!

High Five for Friday

Helloooooo everyone!  I realize I've been a little MIA lately. Please excuse the lack of posts; it's been a little crazy around here, with many 10pm nights at school (see #3).  Let's catch up though with this week's high five!

1.  Saturday we had a wonderful visit from Jesse's parents. They came up on Friday and took us to dinner at the Fish Market downtown. We then gave them the Birmingham experience of going to the top of Vulcan, which was beautiful at night; and of course a trip to Steel City Pops!  Saturday morning, Jesse took them to his work where the pond was open for fishing (an annual occurrence). You had to keep what you caught, so they returned at lunch time with several fish, which was just enough to feed the fours of us. It was SO good to have them here with us and to share some of our city with them. :)

2. On Sunday, after church, we stopped by Railroad Park for lunch.  They were having "Trucks on the Track," where all the different local Birmingham food trucks set up for the day, and 10% of the proceeds went back to Railroad Park.  For you non-Birminghammers - Railroad Park is a new-ish park in the downtown area. It's a beautiful place to picnic or go for a walk, with a beautiful backdrop of the city.  It's part of the hope to revive certain parts of downtown Birmingham, and is located just across from the Baron's stadium (Region's Field). This was actually our first time at the Park (go figure... food was involved in bringing us in).  The whole idea of food trucks really drew in a lot of people, as the lines were pretty long. Jesse and I split up to get our grub.  He was on the hunt for fish tacos, and found his way into line for Cantina, while I waited for a fresh off the grill grilled-cheese from Melt.  His cuban and fish tacos were amazing, as was his side of grilled corn with cilantro butter and crumbled fresco cheese. My grilled cheese was no ordinary grilled cheese - it took two hefty Texas toast slices to hold together the brilliant combination of pulled pork, BBQ sauce, and homemade mac and cheese!

3.  I survived my first practical in my clinical evaluations course!  And by that I mean, I don't know if I passed, but I didn't die of a panic attack in the middle of it while my professor watched my every move, and graded me by checking off every little possible thing I could do (or not do, or forgot to do).  Whew!  We were all at max stress this week, because all of our little over-achieving minds probably thought deep down somewhere that this first clinical checkoff would secretly pronounce if we can indeed be optometrists one day. But, we were all stressed for nothing. (Well maybe a little something.)  I tried to give myself a little pep talk before going in. It went a little something like this, "You just gotta go in there and show 'em you can do this. Because you can. You can take a case history. You can determine their visual acuities. You can check their pupil sizes and reactivities to light. You can do confrontation fields. You can check blood pressure. So don't stress... just go do it!"  So I did. You get timed on everything, meaning you have a certain number of minutes to perform each skill, which was the hardest part. Somehow I finished them all in time; definitely with a few flubs here and there. But, I finished it and can now move on.... to the next exam.  It's nearly midterm time, which is absurd, because it seems like we just started this semester!

4.  Last night, after I returned home from my practicals day at school, Jesse and I declared it movie night, and invited Mike and Kelsey up to watch. Movies + popcorn + friends = the best way to unwind after a trying day!

5.  A couple of weeks ago I sat for third year students to practice evaluating contact lenses. Mostly I did this because they were giving American Express gift cards out to the participants. I had had my eye on a few makeup items I wouldn't normally chunk out the dough over, but I decided if I participated and got the giftcard, it would technically be like getting this makeup for free! So, that's what happened. I finally got around to going to Ulta today. They were having 40% off several drugstore makeup brands, so I combined that with coupons to stock up on the foundation I like. (Score!) Plus my splurge (think with me: free!) beautiful Naked palette! I love all of the neutral colors it has inside, and I am SO excited to put it to use!