This pink eye is contagious...in a good way.

My DP, otherwise known as my husband, and I went out tonight for Korean fare...his fave! It was supremely spicy and deeelicious. I will share with you that I gain inspiration from the simplest of things and odd little associations in my head. As I got ready for our date, I thought of the sour, pungent heat of kimchee and my mind went to this pinky red eyeshadow look. The color is from Cover Girl's new flamed out singles that come in little pots. It's a bright  reddish salmon color shot through with a golden sheen and a little sparkle. I also used a little bit of a clean lilac color in the crease and outer corners. I lined with a black gel liner and used plenty of black mascara. No time for falsies tonight....he'd just have to love me au naturel. I kept the rest of the face soft and neutral...not too much bronzer or blush. The eyes are the focal point, and although they are light they have plenty of color going on. You don't want to risk looking clownish.

 

Here are few pictures of my scrumptious inspiration

 

 Stay tuned for pictures and description of products used.

Griddled Chicken Sans Messy Cleanup

If your family is anything like mine they are always... and I mean always hongry! Doesn't it just sound more dramatic with the o instead of the u? Well, nothing is worse than the cleanup after feeding my starving clan. To this end, I devised a way to grill or should I say griddle some chicken breasts. I used my little Presto pancake griddle. The secret is to get it screaming hot so that the chicken breasts sear on the outside and stay juicy on the inside. The cleanup was minimal... I found it very easy to wipe down the little table on my Weber Q. After all, who's afraid of a little grease on the patio versus your pristine tile in your kitchen? The other little trick I'm almost afraid to share, lest Fire Marshall Bob be reading, was to cover my hissing, popping, and bubbling chicken with the lid from the Weber. Attempt at your own risk. I experienced no major meltdowns.

 

 

Recipe:

4 boneless chicken breasts butterflied

Lawry's Seasoned Salt

garlic salt

black pepper

smoked paprika

3 tablespoons grape seed oil

 

 

Rub the chicken with oil and apply seasonings to taste. The smoked paprika is absolutely essential...it adds  beautiful color and an earthy richness. These are awesome on a roll, in a taco, or chopped into a salad.

This J. wants some Glo!... How to achieve Jennifer Lopez's signature look.

I will start this post by clearly stating that I don't resemble J.Lo in the least.  I am demonstrating the transformational power of makeup. Many will recall Jennifer's catapult to fame in the movie Selena. In those days, Jennifer was a sweet Latina brunette with creamy pale olive skin. Well, pale no more...The J. Lo we now know and love is a golden goddess. You can achieve this sexy bronzed glow with a few key products. I, myself, have quite fair skin...I usually wear the second lightest foundation in most lines. Think more along the lines of Anne Hathaway than J. Lo. Here is my inspiration for the look. Jennifer Lopez at this years Golden Globe Awards:

 

Here are a few pictures of the look I created

 

 

 

The following products were used on the eyes;

L'oreal palettes in Cookies and Cream and Cupa Joe

Revlon Colorstay Eyeliner in Black

Physicians formula Organic Wear Mascara in Ultra Black

Maybelline Gel liner in Very Black.

MAC Charcoal Brown eyeshadow

Too faced Shadow Insurance (not pictured)... I happen to love this eyeshadow base. It's practically colorless, it really helps the the powder shadow cling to the lid and it makes the colors pop. You could use another brand of eyeshadow base. Urban Decay makes a very popular one and I've heard the L'oreal one is very good. 

I also applied a few individual lashes to the outer corners...You could easily omit this step, but it makes a big difference in how glam you will look. I will post some pictures in the future of before and after pictures with and without the lash augmentation.

As for the eyeshadow technique, I made sure to take the medium tan shade from the Cupa Joe palette and apply it in the crease to warm up an otherwise cool silvery black smokey eye. I lined all around the eye and waterline with the Revlon Colorstay and went over it with the gel liner finishing with a cat eye flick at the outer corner. Concentrate the glittery black in the outer corners to elongate the eye and make sure to blend well. I applied a little Mac Charcoal Brown in my brows and set with clear brow gel.

 

The skin is an absolutely essential part of this look achieved by blending a medium coverage liquid foundation with some liquid bronzer. I used;

MAC Studio Fix Fluid NC25 which is about a shade darker than my skin. I made sure to blend well into my neck and decollete area.

Maybelline Mineral Power Bronzer Makeup Booster... Wow, that was a mouthful! This is sadly discontinued, but I know that NARS and Clinique both make a similar shimmery fluid bronzer. Mix this to desired level of bronziness.

Hard Candy Glamoflauge Concealer in Light under the eyes

Wet N Wild Ticket to Brazil Bronzer

Revlon Honey Bunch Blush, a warm coral /sienna shade on the apple of my cheeks.

MAC White Frost pigment as a highlighter on cheekbones....you could use any light pearly shimmery powder highlighter.

 On the lips I used a soft warm rosy nude shade by Bobbi Brown called Toast with a reflective Revlon gloss called Snow Pink to achieve that trademark wet nude look. I blended a teeny tiny dot of concealer into the lips to make the color a little bit more opaque and milky. Below is a picture of the lip products and pearly highlighter used.

 

Get Reddy Series Part 2

As I mentioned in an earlier post. Nothing speaks femininity, polish, and panache...like a red lip. Psssst... I'm going to let you in on a favorite of beauty bloggers, makeup artists, and makeup aficionados or aficionadas .....whatever! It's called Sheer Red by NYC cosmetics and its ridiculously cheap. It retails at Target or Walmart for around a Dollar and it looks like a million! It looks so fantastic and luxe its almost criminal...  so just get over its cheapie packaging. Don't look at it! Crush it up into a pretty palette or keep squirreled away in your purse and apply it stealthily.

As you can see, it is what I call an easy red. Not too bright, deep, garish or heavy looking. A matte red mouth can be a little aging and we all want to avoid that. It is soft...if a red can be described in those terms. It has a lovely,moist, sheer texture hence its name. I lightly lined after application of the lipstick with another fave of mine Rimmel lip liner in 057 Ravish. Lining after helps to prevent the dreaded ring around the lip look when the lipstick begins to wear off. The lip liner is pictured in the thin line to left of the juicy Sheer Red. I get about 3 hours of wear without having to reapply but at this price who cares?

How to do Blue

Blue eyeshadow is an extremely flattering look on brown eyes. Unfortunately, although most people have brown eyes in the world... blue just doesn't get enough love. I think it's because it can be an intimidating color to work with on the face. I will demonstrate that it is possible to wear blue and appear both tasteful and appropriate.
 

 

I will share a very useful tip with you...when a applying a dark and or colorful eyeshadow look, do your foundation after the eyes are done. Nothing is worse than a foundation sullied by fallout from your shadow....even if you clean it up. Trust me, the finish never looks the same. I used a lovely new foundation sample from Lancome today. I am liking it sooooo much I am going to review for you after I purchase the full size version. I can't recall its name, but it is a new one that comes with a concealer built in to the lid....can you say genius?
The eyes consist of a L'Oreal eye palette called Skinny Jeans, layered over a long lasting cream shadow by Estee Lauder called Blue Velvet. I haven't noticed a lot of buzz on the blogosphere over these little drugstore palettes...but I like them. They have a very pretty, sophisticated color range and they really pop over a quality base like the Estee Lauder's Blue Velvet. It is the layering of textures which gives a makeup a modern

look and feel in stark contrast with my earlier Boogie Blue post. I lined with a Navy liner from Revlon's Colorstay line. I blended the darkest blue shadow over the liner to both set it and deepen it. On lashes L'Oreal Voluminous full definition mascara.... I will write on this in a future My Favorite Things post.

The cheeks are a combination of Estee Lauder's Bronze Goddess bronzer (not pictured) and a couple of MAC shades called Mocha and Margin.

 

I also want to mention a super star little product for those us who aspire to airbrushed, glowing, highlighted, and glorious perfection a la Kim K

Ta Da....

 

 

This product is similar to the much revered YSL Touche Eclat, but at approximately a fourth of the cost. It's called Maybelline Age Rewind concealer....the highlighting shade is a pinkish beige shade called Brightener #60. It really does work wonder to brighten the undereye and upper cheek area. You will look fresh and awake. I believe this retails for about 7 dollars at your local drugstore.

Remember ladies, who cares if its from the drugstore if you look fabulous and the product works well. Nobody needs to know!

 

As for the lips, I wore a soft beigey bronze Creme de Gloss from Dior called Feline Beige... I believe #611. I layered it over an old standby workhorse lipstick by Estee Lauder called Sugar Honey. I will feature this lipstick in later post...I can wax poetic about its versatility and how it just work with just about anything. Another important piece of advice when wearing a heavier eye look...keep the lips and cheeks soft and simple. Otherwise.... think Jerry Hall circa 1981.

Beware of Boogie Nights Blue

So seriously, I would never wear this look out of the confines of my home. Consider yourself lucky to actually see me with this much paint on....go ahead have a laugh. Some of us are actually old enough to remember our mothers and aunts wearing colors

 

like these back in the day. I am posting this as a nod to my generation. Yes, that's you...I'm talking to you, child of the seventies and early eighties. I will also do a post sharing a very pretty smoky blue eyeshadow look that is actually very wearable. In sum, I repeat.... unless you are a time traveler and trying to get into Studio 54 tonight...Don't do it!

Skinny Pig

Just a quick example of a weeknight meal that I can feel good about serving my family. Healthy meals were on my mind tonight, particularly after my husbands usual weekly check in with my aged mother in law. We listened to the news about the most recent demise in her circle of friends and family. The usual culprit (insert drum roll and dramatic finish) is heart disease. Can you say bummer?This dinner has it all, taste, fiber, and lean protein. These heart healthy components can be adjusted to your liking. You can use any meat or vegetable combination that you have on hand and  that you find appealing. A smart short cut, is to always have frozen steamed brown rice on hand. Otherwise, you might be waiting forever

for this tough little grain to cook through. Recipe to follow shortly.

Get Reddy!

Nothing is more chic and polished than a perfect red lip. There is a red for everyone and every occasion. This is the first installment in a series of red lip combinations that I highly recommend. This juicy red mouth is achieved with the iconic MAC Viva Glam lipstick, Rimmel Red Diva lipliner, and NYC plumping lip gloss in Supersized Red. FYI, the only thing supersized on this gloss is the giant doefoot applicator. It is an extremely affordable gloss which runs about 3 dollars at your local CVS or Walmart. I know MAC lipsticks run about 15 dollars so they're not cheap, but certainly not out of reach. Another bonus, is that the Viva Glam matte formula is super saturated with pigment and is very long lasting, if a little drying. This can be remedied with some balm or lipgloss as shown below. In the picture of the swatches, the lip liner is picture in the center. Viva Glam is on the far right and Red Diva on the left.

Sometimes less is more

I have a love/ hate relationship with chicken thighs. I loathe their unctuous nature when fried or stewed, but grill them and they tell another story. I particularly like the boneless, skinless thighs which are affordable and ubiquitous at the grocery store. Seasoned simply with garlic salt, pepper, rubbed with grape seed oil and grilled carefully, they are poultry perfection. Add some toasty, chewy, earthy grilled tortillas and a slather of the citrusy tart Habanero salsa and I'm a happy lady. I will add recipe for Habanero salsa shortly.

Say yes to cauliflower

This meatless dish is a delight. My kids exclaimed Ooooo Mom, this is deeeelicious! This warmed my heart and brings a smile to face just thinking about it now. It is simple and looks kinda fancy plated...If I do say so

myself. My children call it cauliflower cake, I call it delicious. The tangy tomato sauce is essential to this dish and takes it from wallflower to superstar. I serve it with Poblano herbed rice which another crowd pleaser at my house. Recipe as follows;

1 quart jar of Roma tomatoes or any good quality canned tomato with juice
1.5 cups of shredded Cheddar/Jack cheese
8 eggs separated
1/2 tsp of salt
1/2 head of cauliflower blanched and cut into smallish florets
1 small white onion thinly sliced
1 clove of garlic
2 tbsp of butter
1 tsp Knorr chicken bouillon powder
Pinch of cayenne pepper or smoked paprika
Pam spray for a 13X9 inch Pyrex baking dish
Directions:
Beat separated egg whites with electric mixer until soft peaks form. Fold in previously whipped remaining egg yolks. Please take care not to over stir as doing so will deflate your egg whites. Carefully pour one layer of fluffy eggs into prepared baking dish and dot with blanched and cooled cauliflower florets. Sprinkle with cheese and add the rest of fluffy beaten egg mixture. Bake at 350 for about 25 minutes or until pale golden and set in the middle. In a saucepan saute sliced onion and finely minced garlic in butter until translucent. Add pureed tomatoes, chicken powder and a pinch of cayenne pepper for a little kick. Simmer and reduce for about 15 minutes. I do this while the cauliflower cake bakes in the oven. Cut into squares and serve with sauce.

 

 

Drugstore Cowgirl

OK, so as you may have already guessed, I luuuuurve makeup! It is my creative therapy, next to cooking. The bonus is  no major cleanup and it isn't fattening. However, as most of you know high end cosmetics often come with an extortionate price tag. I have noticed in the past few years, that the drugstore is truly catching up with the department store and makeup artist lines. Along with the substantial quality improvement the prices have noticeably increased. Luckily, the prices are for the most part still well below that of most department store lines. Now, truth be told, I still splurge on certain items, but, superb looks can be created with product from your local drugstore. The following look can be described as a polished neutral look with a pop of fresh coral on the lips. This is a nice look for work, or a lunch date with friends. If you want to amp it up for a date with your special someone you could add some gloss to the lips or some corner false lashes. I've included pictures of all the products used. I believe that only two of the items used are from the department store. I could have easily replaced them with drugstore items, but, had a moment of laziness and didn't bother looking for their more inexpensive cousins. I will list the products by name;
Revlon Photoready Airbrush Foundation
Revlon Nearly Naked Powder
Wet n Wild Coloricon Bronzer in Ticket to Brazil... Ummmm, not so much for 3 dollars!
Hard Candy Glamoflauge heavy duty concealer....Please ladies don't forget to apply this in preparation for beauty combat. Seriously though, this is super opaque, it could make the Wicked Witch look flawless.
Wet n Wild Ash Brown brow kit... incredible product for the price. The color is sooooo natural and it even includes a brow wax in a cute mirrored compact.
MAC Bare Study Paint Pot....easily duped with the Maybelline  potted cream shadows in the same format.
L'oreal eyeshadow in Antique Brown
Cover Girl Flamed out eyeshadow pot in #330.... OK, so how annoying they only numbered these on the back of the pot. Are you listening CG? I believe it's called Melted Caramel. Soooooo pretty!
Revlon Blush in Berry Rich....this is a soft neutral reddish pink, very flattering and natural on light skins.
Maybelline Unstoppable eyeliner in Espresso.... tightlined my upper lash line. More on this in another post.
Almay eyeliner in Brown Topaz...used this in the lower lash line for soft definition
Revlon Siren lipstick blended into Clinique lip color balm in Mighty Melon....really though you could blend this hot coral lipstick into any creamy balm.
Clear Brow Gel.... to set my brows. I used a Boots product, but Cover Girl and Maybelline make nice ones as well.
Cover Girl Clump Crusher Mascara over a coat of Cover Girl Flamed out mascara.... These products make me giggle with their names and packaging. They are like  Marvel comics super hero mascaras! Clump crusher is green like the Hulk and the red one is like the guy who could turn into fire and stuff.