Maslenitsa

Hi y'all!

It is snowing outside! And considering it's  the south, it's quite a bit of snow for us.... Snowflakes are visible at one particle per cubic yard.  Walking out of target, I joined the group of strangers stopped in their tracks, observing the snowfall.

Now it's quite handy given the cold atmosphere that this week happens to be Maslenitsa. New to this holiday? It is a russian folk holiday to mark the change of seasons, and boy is it fun to celebrate! On this holiday, whip up blintzes and pancakes or anything else with butter. It is the holiday of burning butter! Today I am making blintzes using Natasha's recipe - she shares awesome recipes and ogle-worthy pictures on her blog, natashasrecipes.com. 

Here's some of the magic in my kitchen:

Happy Maslenitsa!

Pen holders... Hey, I could make those!

So I have been on the lookout for a way to add a pen holder to my planner...

And without any luck of finding cute ones, I asked the sewing machine for some help.  Here's what it answered me with!

Simple and cute! Oh I love the many uses of fold over elastic! The ones that have fabric straps have a stretch of pretty fold over elastic in the back.

Then the sewing machine started whispering..... That's when it got weird. "Forget practicality! You need ruffles for no reason!" It said. On the front cover, nonetheless, the cheeky thing!

You Know You're Sick When...

Do you have certain tell tale signs that tell you, yep, it's not just a one-day sickness, you've got the full on flu? Here are mine (the ones that are not so vivid and disgusting, involving words like phlegm and congestion)

You Know You're Sick When:
1. you have absolutely no ideas on anything you could do, whether that be things you need to do or things you want to do. You've got a completely blank head.
2. you seem unable to make easy decisions. Tea or soup? Huh, whaaaat...? that's so hard!
3. when you need to get something, the decision of whether or not you will get out of bed totally relies on how far away the thing is. I know I should get some warm tea for my throat, but it's in the kitchen... and I'm not in the kitchen...
4. you don't want to talk to anyone. Cause it hurts. And it is too much effort to come up with words to say.
5. You are exhausted after having slept all day.

And....
You Know You're Sick as an Adult (vs. a Kid) When:
1. you cancel appointments and your job for the day and actually miss going.
2. the prospect of getting to watch TV for the entire day doesn't do too much for you; in fact, you have no idea what to actually watch and aren't really watching it when you turn it on.
3. your friends don't come over after school to drop off your homework for the day; instead, you make a long list of things you need to do when you get better; you hope that happens soon because the catch up is going to be terrible!
4. you really can eat whatever you want, so long as you can muster up the energy to go and get it.

Since we're going to have a long winter, let's hope for a healthy one!

Geometric tips

Have y'all tried these nail tip stickers from Kiss? I seriously love them every time I use them! The packet comes with a regular French tip and a set of crystal, full nail stickers (props for two uses, Kiss!)

And I must say, they look pretty cute on short nails!  You can apply them just to the tips for a traditional French manicure look or on half the nail, like I did, for a geometric look!  How fun!

Dry skin and 5 minutes to get out the door?

Once, twice, or everyday in winter... It happens.  Despite copious amounts of moisturizer, despite a diversified skin care routine... You wake up with dry pathes all over.  But quick! You've got to be out the door and there is no time for a long skin care routine and makeup!

Well grab a bb cream and some cream products! Today we are eschewing powders of all types!

Here we've got a Maybelline lipstick in Lust for Blush (665), a vibrant pink cream blush from a Sonia Kashuk palette, Sonia Kashuk's cream bronzer, and a metallic eyeshadow (this one is from Pacifica).

Use a stippling brush to apply a blue toned, healthy looking blush.  If you want, use a cream bronzer to contour (I sheeted this one out quite a lot!) Pop on a metallic eyeshadow to draw attention to your eyes!  If your lids are not your dry spots, you can certainly use a powder shadow.  Top it off with a fresh lip color like Lust for Blush.  This matte line is amazing because it is moisturizing and didn't accentuate dry lips.  Now if your lips are in the desert territory, you may want to try a bright gloss!

Toodle pop! Off for some tea and some face moisturizer now that it's the end of the day!

Presto! I'm awake!

Hello, dreamers!

I've been enjoying this simple look for looking sweet and awake!  It all comes down to two of my favorite products:

The Bold Lacquer Mascara by Revlon and The Concealer & Highlighter by E.L.F.!!!

For this look, you will also need:

*foundation, bb cream, or the like

*concealer (if you wish)

*your favorite blush

*the attitude of peter pan (hey, no grown up notions here!)

After your foundation (and concealer), smile!  Place 2 dots of cream highlighter on the top of your cheek (yep, we are accentuating the wide part of the face, but the glow looks fantastic!).  Blend, blend, blend!  This highlighter is soooo easy to work with!

For the mascara, run one coat on each set of eyelashes (it looks pretty ordinary at this point!).... wait a few seconds, and apply another coat (ooh, those lashes are starting to look good!)....wait a few more and apply the last coat (what!?  why do you look so awake all of a sudden with those flirty eyelashes of yours?!)

Now top off your look with your favorite blush!  Any lip product will go with this looks, so go for your best!

Now hop on out into the sunshine and have a fabulous day!

Hello, there, stranger!  How is your holiday season?  It seems like we start the winter season in November... we get ready for Thanksgiving, celebrate Thanksgiving, and then we're getting ready for the winter break and time off.  We try to make family time and friends time and alone time and fun time... All in all, the fun requires quite a bit of balance!  Did I forget to mention that students are dealing with exams through all this and us adults are managing this on top of work?  Oi vey!

One thing that is inevitable in the winter season is dry skin.  Till winter blows in, I am unaware (each year, by the way) of the multitude of places that can turn dry overnight!  There's lips, and face, and ears, and toes, and then the rest of your skin!

So today I wanted to share some of the products that are on our side, fighting the deep crevices that form on our skin from the dry air and healing the rashes that remain as scars after a windy adventure outside.

 First of all is the Elizabeth Arden Hydrating Mask.  This mask is fabulous for your face when you have dry patches so tattered it looks like you are peeling from a sunburn (ew!).  It has a light neutral scent, and stays on for only 15 minutes.  I've tried this on my hands, as well, and it is great for keeping the top of your hands soft.

 Next is face moisturizers.  It seems like I have tried many moisturizers and serums, but these are the three that I love most.  The Garnier Moisture Rescue Gel-Cream for Dry Skin: oh, my gosh, this smells fantastic!  Like fresh roses and flowers in a light, non-allergy way!  The gel formula is soft and absorbs quickly.  Despite the fact that it is for Dry Skin, I think it is better as a daily moisturizer, not as a heavy duty night cream, as it is not strong enough to fix stubborn dry patches.  The Neutrogena Naturals night cream is a bit stronger, although the scent is a bit stronger, as well.  It smells like oats and the consistency is not as flattery as the Garnier gel (but, hey, night creams aren't meant to be pretty, right?).  I like that the Neutrogena cream is pretty neutral and is great at dry patches.  I've tried other creams and serum and was allergic to the perfume! And when all else fails, slap on some thick Nivea Creme just on your dry patches, and try not to rub on anything!

Two great balms are the Bobbi Brown lip balm and the Nivea Lip Butter in Raspberry Rose Kiss.  Both are absolutely soft.  My only quip about the Nivea one is that it leaves your lips a little milky in color; however, the heavenly smell more than makes up for it, and I use this one at night.  The Bobbi Brown one is sooooo thick that it lasts a crazy long time on the lips.  It's one of those products that will smooth out rocky lips in one or two applications (even handy for men as it is clear and not shiny).  A great mask is the Bite Agave Mask - Bite has recently come out with tinted ones, which is fun!  Though it is a bit price for a lip treatment, the intense treatment it provides is worth it!  It tastes (er... I mean, smells!  I won't actually eat it!) like sweet honey and is as moisturizing as it.  The last product is by It Cosmetics - and it is their Vitality Lipstick.  I thought it would be a cool lip color as it adjusts color based on your lips, but as an added bonus, it is super moisturizing!  I've been using it as a deep treatment when I go out and want some natural color!

How are you doing in surviving the winter?  I hope you get to enjoy time with family and some down time, as well!

Toodles!