Tonight Mr. ALIQUID offered to make dinner, because he saw this recipe on the New York Times website and wanted to try it. If he wants to cook, I'm certainly not going to say no! Before we even started eating, he asked, "Are you going to blog about this?" I said sure, so here we are!
This is a great easy one-pot dinner: chicken thighs in a white wine and Dijon mustard sauce with shallots, tarragon and cherry or grape tomatoes. It's soooo flavorful, with a nice balance of savory and acidic! Mr. ALIQUID's chicken didn't come out quite as pretty as the picture in the NY Times, but we didn't care. Definitely give this one a try!
The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.
Happy Sunday! Last week I got my second Pretty & Polished subscription box! This box contained two exclusive polishes, a mini thermal polish, a mini nail file, samples of handmade soap and cuticle butter, and some little nail studs! I decided to try on one of the exclusive polishes, just to give you an idea of what you might receive if you buy a subscription box.
Life is a Bowl of Cranberries is a metallic polish that shifts from purple to burgundy to red and orange. It looks different in every light--love it!
Pretty & Polished Life is a Bowl of Cranberries. Three coats with Out the Door topcoat.
The formula on this polish was pretty typical for a metallic. I had to be careful not to use too many strokes for each coat to prevent dragging. I got some brushstrokes, but not too bad. Three coats were needed for opacity.
This last photo is in indirect sunlight, where you can see the polish looks way different than under my lamp! Reminds me of a sunset!
Since Life is a Bowl of Cranberries was exclusive to this month's beauty box, it's not available for sale, but you can sign up for the next beauty box and see what surprises you get!
The product in this post was purchased by me. All opinions are my own.
Hi guys! I'm really feeling spring here today--it's 50 degrees and sunny! T-shirt weather is coming soon, I just know it...
FingerFood's Theme Buffet has been going so well that after we finished all the original prompts, we came up with a whole new set so everyone could keep going! If you want to join in, just join our Facebook group!
This week's theme is monochrome, from the Greek meaning "one color". Having to stick to just one basic color is a good excuse to play with different finishes! I decided to try doing a gradient of a holographic and a creme polish. I've never done this before, but I love how it turned out--really subtle and elegant I think!
The polishes I used are Layla Jade Groove and Revlon Eclectic. Here's a sunlight shot for some more holo sparkle!
Have you seen any other gradient manis using the same color in different finishes? Leave 'em in the comments!
The product in this post was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.
Happy April Fools Day! Did you get tricked today? (I loved Zoya's and Julep's fake products!)
I'm not gonna prank you, I promise--but I do have something a little different today! Studio Gear sent me their Hydrating CC Cream to try out, and I jumped at the chance since I'm always looking to improve my makeup routine! I wanted to compare this product against my current CC cream, which is from Pur Minerals. Keep reading for the review and a special discount code!
Let's look at the claims Studio Gear makes about this product:
SPF 20 sun protection
Hydra-Extend technology provides moisture for up to 72 hours
Micro-encapsulated pigments perfect and fade dark spots and acne scarring
Adapts to your own skin tone, creating the most natural looking coverage
Anti-aging and collagen building ingredients help minimize fine lines and wrinkles
Skin nourishing ingredients help to correct and maintain youthful complexion
As you might remember me mentioning before, I have oily, acne-prone skin with a lot of hyperpigmentation from old zits. I also have dry patches thanks to the benzoyl peroxide I use. (Oily and dry at the same time is the worst combination!) So when I try a new makeup, I especially want to know how well it covers up my imperfections, whether it feels moisturizing without making my skin oily, and how well it stays in place throughout the day (i.e. does it melt or crease?). So I'm going to be paying special attention to claims 2-4 above! I won't have much to say about #5 and 6, since they seem like longer-term benefits and I just started using this product.
OK, here's how the Hydrating CC Cream looks before and after blending it out. I'm using the shade Linen, which is the lightest of three:
As you can see, the cream starts out white with little specks in it (those are the micro-encapsulated pigments, I'm guessing) and blends out to a very orange-yellow tone. I think they chose this tone because it's good at covering up redness (I use a yellow concealer on my pimples normally). It looks like it won't match my skintone, but don't worry!
Once you start blending the CC cream onto your skin, it does start to match your natural skintone. You just have to be careful to get every little bit blended, or you'll get little orange patches. It applies very smoothly and feels moisturizing--I didn't get a lot of flaking even on my dry spots. Plus it has a nice rosy scent!
So how well does it cover? Well, folks, I'm baring it all here by showing you my face with absolutely no makeup (auughh!), followed by one coat of Studio Gear CC Cream, then two coats. Please ignore my grumpy expression...I could've sworn I was smiling when I took these photos...
I don't have a whole lot of acne right now (except for those two lovely bulls-eyes on my chin) but I do have a lot of pigmentation from old pimples. It doesn't help that I'm really pale!
After one application of Studio Gear Hydrating CC Cream, my red spots aren't totally covered up, but I do notice a difference in the evenness of my skintone. It hasn't turned me orange either! I'd say the cream doesn't really affect the shininess of my skin.
I didn't see too much difference after a second application. The cream is definitely more sheer than a foundation would be (and more sheer than my Pur Minerals CC cream), but if you have nicer skin than me, you could probably get away with wearing only the CC cream. I should also note that even after two coats it didn't feel heavy!
Finally, I put on my usual foundation, concealer and powder (all from Jane Iredale) and wore the full face of makeup for the rest of the day. Here's a shot of me with everything on, just for the sake of comparison:
So how did the Studio Gear CC cream hold up over time? I was actually really impressed! Compared to my Pur Minerals CC cream, it didn't get as sludgy, pilled or creased, except for a little bit on the oiliest parts of my face. My skin had a soft, almost velvety feel to it. I was really happy with the moisturizing qualities of the CC cream.
The Final Verdict:
Light coverage
Natural finish
Good moisturizer
Light and breathable
Long-lasting
If you're looking for some light makeup to cover up minor imperfections in your skin tone, or if you want to add a CC cream to your current regimen, I would definitely recommend Studio Gear Hydrating CC Cream! I'm looking forward to seeing if I get any long-term benefits from wearing it!
Studio Gear Hydrating CC Cream retails for $34 at the Studio Gear website. BUT you can get a 10% discount on your entire order using the coupon code bloggercc! Happy shopping!
The product in this post was sent to me for review. All opinions are my own.
Hi all! As we say goodbye to March (and hopefully hello to some warmer weather--it was sleeting here today!), I want to share the top five nail art photos I was drooling over this month. (Check my Pinterest board for more!) All these ladies are incredibly talented, so make sure to go follow them if you aren't already!
1. Mixed Dots and Triangles by Fashion Polish
How can you not love this combo of two totally different patterns and color schemes? This is a great way to do a fancy kind of French tip, plus I always love seeing the nude nail show through in nail art! (Art by Fashion Polish)
2. Crazy Neon 80s Nails by PiggieLuv
Yep, this is the epitome of the 80s! The variety of patterns and shapes are exciting without being too busy or overwhelming, and I love the colors! (Art by PiggieLuv)
3. Erin Condren Planner by Will Paint Nails for Food
Funky art deco paisley, great color scheme, perfectly executed. Visit Will Paint Nails for Food to see the design that inspired this mani!
4. Vintage Gradient Floral Nails by Lacquerstyle
If I didn't know better, I'd guess these were nail wraps, but they're hand-painted! I only wish I had this kind of talent (and such steady hands)! They're like grandma's couch, but in a good way. (Art by Lacquerstyle)
5. My Window to the Universe by More Nail Polish
OK, be honest, is this not one of the best galaxy manis you've ever seen? It looks like a photo from the Hubble. The stamping makes it even more awesome! (Art by More Nail Polish)
Did you like my top five manis? I'd love to see your favorite nail art from March--leave it in the comments!
Hey everyone! March is coming to an end (already?!), and that means it's time for Gimme That Polish! These are my top five polishes I pinned on my Pinterest wishlist this month. I confess I've gotten really behind on blog reading lately, but I still managed to find five lemmings (I mean really, that's not hard)!
1. Jindie Nails - Anniversary Seaquins
This isn't a new polish, but it's new to me. You probably know by now that I love all crelly glitter polishes, and I'm drooling over the sheer amount and variety of glitters in this one! (Jindie Nails shop | swatch by Lacquer is the Best Medicine)
2. Dance Legend - Strutter
Dance Legend is a Russian brand that I've been admiring from afar for a long time--they do a lot of stuff you don't normally see in commercial brands over here! Check this one out...a green/teal with holo shimmer and green microflakies. An explosion of green! I have a feeling that if I was wearing this polish, I wouldn't be able to stop staring at my nails. (Dance Legend shop with list of international stockists | swatch by Pointless Cafe)
3. Model City - Nemesis
I love moody shades like this! Nemesis is a muted olive scattered holographic. It's not bright or in-your-face, but still fascinating to look at! (Model City shop | swatch by Nail Polish Wars)
4. Polish Me Silly - Toe-tally Cosmic
I know it seems like there are a million of these super-multichrome polishes around lately, but this one is unique to me because it seems more "grown-up" thanks to that plum-brown color shift. (The colors get louder when layered over black.) It shifts to gold, green, blue and purple! (Polish Me Silly shop | swatch by Nailz Craze)
5. Models Own - Magpie
Ahhh speckled polishes! Yes they've been done before (I have a couple myself), but I still want them all. Models Own has a new collection of them called Speckled Eggs. I love the base color in this one, of course. I wish UK brands were easier to get! (Models Own shop, also available at Ninja Polish | swatch by UKNailRunner)
What'd you think of my top five? What polishes are you lusting after right now?
The product in this post was given to me as a gift. All opinions are my own.
It's a rainy Saturday afternoon here, the perfect time to free a polish from Mount Untried! Today I'm wearing a cute glitter polish from indie brand Sinister Benediction called Spearmint or Fruit. It's a sheer, shimmery pale green base with black, yellow, pink and translucent white glitter.
Sinister Benediction Spearmint or Fruit. Two coats with Gelous and Out the Door topcoats.
