Thumbs Up Yesterday!

::TAKE TWO::

Hey guys!

It's Friday and this would have been posted yesterday but some unfortunate technical difficulties delayed post til today. 

I've given big thumbs up to some pretty awesome products this week. 

Here is a Le Métier De Beaute Kaleidescope eye shadow set in color Pretty in Punk. These retail for $95! Granted I am IN LOVE with these ultra pigmented shadows, my budget conscious self can not possibly fathom spending that amount of money on any singular item let alone a piece of makeup.

I was privileged to receive this in my Limited edition Neiman Marcus Popsugar box and am thrilled to get to try something so luxurious.  I looked around to find the names of these colors but nothing surfaced. The website does have different color combinations for the Kaleidescope set and you can find YouTube videos about how to apply the shadows to really take advantage of the multidimensional "Kaleidescope" effect.

http://www.lemetierdebeaute.com/ in case you'd like to check them out!

The shadows were swatched with primer. I love the density of these. The light beige-gold color on the left is now my favorite highlight and inner corner color. It has a hint of peachy to it and when applied lightly just gives a nice soft shimmer. The bright bold pinks in the middle are great for the outer lid and crease and blend really well together to create a beautiful ombré effect. This black shadow is something else. I have mixed feelings here. It is finicky but oh so fierce! I have learned that I must apply this shadow before ANY other makeup due to its fallout. Fallout that cannot be simply brushed away. Fallout that smears black streaks across your face anywhere it falls. Despite this downfall I LOVE this black. It is intense, sultry, bold, and smoky. When all necessary precautions are taken to avoid streaks this black makes an awesome outer V color. Once applied it DOES NOT BUDGE. At all. All day. Seriously.

Here I used scotch tape to create a sharp cat eye with the black shadow. I used the dark pink right above the black and blended with the light pink toward the crease. I smoked out the black shadow a bit and applied the beigey golden shimmer to the inner corner and brow bone. I took these photos after an 10 hour work day and you can see the shadows are still complete, no smudging under my eye. This color combination would be perfect for a Valentines look. 

I love these shadows and I find myself reaching for them daily. 

I have always loved wine hued nail polishes. Deep burgundies reminiscent of a bold glass of Merlot. I layered this deep berry cream color from Nails Inc. with a smokey sheer black with red shimmer polish from Julep. The combination of the 2 creates a rich full-bodied burgundy. 

I received the Nails Inc polish in a Glossybox and am a Julep Maven subscriber where I get a few new polishes each month.

Both of these boxes are great and they have really made it possible for me to try out awesome products. 

While organizing my Julep collection I stumbled upon these gems that I ordered on sale shortly after Halloween. I have never used crackle nail polishes before so I picked these up to try them out. 

I decided to layer them over a hot pink base to hopefully make the crackle pop!

I love how the texture came out after only a few swipes of the brush. The orange combination is perfect for a fun beachy summer look. I think I will paint my nails with either the black or the silver for valentines day, although the white would be awesome with a red heart painted on top! 

I love food! A big thumbs up for these herbed French bread pizza toasts. I took a loaf of rosemary olive oil French bread from Target and placed them under the broiler just until the edges began to brown. I slathered each toast with a roasted red pepper tapenade, laid a few thin slices of muenster cheese, and topped each with some pepperoni slices. Back under the broiler until the cheese is hot, bubbly, and brown around the edges. Holy yum! 

This is a delicious indulgence any time of the day!

My thumbs down this week is also somewhat food related.

I grew up drinking artificial sweeteners and Splenda was always the first choice for taste. The last few years I had found a new sweetener called Ideal. It is amazing. Simply sweet and very natural tasting, better than real sugar! One day a few weeks ago I ran out and kept putting off buying more. Honey to sweeten my coffee just wasn't cutting it and I really try to stay away from refined white sugar. I finally broke down and ran to the nearest store to get more sweetener. All they had was this bag of Splenda granules. I knew I previously likes Splenda so I picked it up. When I tried this in my espresso I nearly spit it out! It was disgusting! I used the same Splenda to sweeten iced tea and it tasted fine. I don't know if the acidic nature of the bold espresso I make caused the flavor to warp or what, but very time I add it to my coffee I want to gag. 

Thumbs down to Splenda sweetened espresso! 

Even though it is Friday, I was going to include these #TBT pictures in my post yesterday so I will still add them today!

My circle of friends at our highschool graduation.

Some more of us striking a pose on our way to project Graduation.

Good times!

Hope you enjoyed reading this post!

(albeit a day later)

Til next time,

Trish

Super sad face, stupid phone.

I JUST finished typing a lengthy Thumbs Up Thursday post with great pics and awesome descriptions and was adding the tags before publishing it and MY PHONE DIED. I LOST EVERYTHING. I have the pictures still saved of course but there's no way I could recreate my original post full of poetic prose. I know no one else has a clue what my original post originally said but I will forever know that it was great and no subsequent post of similar content will add up to its greatness. GAHHHHHHH!

Because it is now almost Friday and my brain is spent and I'd like to stew in my solo pity party for a few hours I am going to go to sleep and start fresh on a Thumbs Up Yesterday post tomorrow. Yep. 

So mad right now.

Outfit of the week

Hello!

I've got 3 more outfits to show today. This week was all about earth tones. I really love tans and olive greens. I have been told that the olive colors compliment my light skin.

You may have seen an outfit like this before but I chose to add this pic because it shows the tops color better and the detail on the sleeve. This shirt is from Zulily. It is comfortable, fits well and the color is amazing. It has a slight sheen but not shiny. I almost always pair this top with the featured scarf because they compliment each other so well. I got the scarf from Shoptiques.com using a gift card I received from a Popsugar MustHave box. It was less than $3 and that was the shipping! I know I mention Popsugar a lot but it is worth it! These jeans from Zulily have become my favorite pair, fit extremely well, and I always feel good wearing them. The shoes are brown Clark's flats that I found at Ross. The earings are a jade stone with gold tone wire that I picked up from World Market. They are my second favorite pair of earrings. 

I've finally worked up the courage to wear the tribal print sweater that I picked up from Forever 21. When I first tried it on I felt it looked too boxy, with the help of the brown braided belt I found at Charming Charlie it gave me some shape. Also the wider leg on these heathered brown Gap pants balanced the volume up top. I had several people tell me they liked my sweater and I feel more confident about being able to pull it off. The shoes and earrings are the same from the first outfit.

No great work week is complete without a blazer! This one is a forest green color and I found it from Zulily. I also have it in black. It is a cropped, 3/4 sleeve style. Underneath I have a light knit gray and black short sleeve sweater from Ross. As usual these are the dark gray NYDJ pants that I love and turn to most often. The shoes are a patent black flat from Ross. The silver pennant necklace is from Baublebar.com gifted through one of my Popsugar boxes. It's not too bold but not so dainty that it can't be seen. It's an everyday piece and a welcome addition to my growing collection of accessories. The earrings are a light teal blue with silver wire from World Market.

Most of my clothes and accessories come from the same stores but when I find a store that carries unique quality pieces at reasonable prices I go back as frequent as possible. 

Hope this has given you some ideas on where to look for cool stuff. It's sometimes hard to find clothes etc. on a tight budget but that's the fun in bargain shopping!

Thanks for reading.

Til next time,

Trish

Sushi date!

Hello again!

A few weeks ago Ryan and I went on a pretty fun and entertaining date night where we got to MAKE SUSHI. I found the deal through the Amazon Local App. They offered a sushi making class at a local Japanese restaurant for half amount it usually costs. I believe I paid $70 for the two of us which is close to what our sushi dinners run and this time WE made it ourselves. So awesome. 

When we arrived we sat at a booth across from another couple and were given these trays assembled with the items we'd need throughout the class with a description card of the three different rolls we would be making. The couple across from us were fun to talk to and we really enjoyed being able to laugh and share a good time with one another. We paired the night with a few cold ones and we were set!

Action cam!

While we were making the rolls the owner of the restaurant was demonstrating and explaining what to do. He told us funny stories about the origins of Japanese cooking. He was a real character and made us all laugh. It felt like we were at a comedy show!

Here is the first roll that we made, a pretty basic crab meat, avocado, and cream cheese roll with seaweed wrapper on the outside. 

Aerial view of our spread. At the end we got to take the bamboo rolling mats so that we would be able to have a sushi making night at home. 

Here you will see the half eaten final roll that we made. I don't remember the name but it was the MacDaddy of rolls. It had shrimp tempura inside and outside was topped with crab stick salad, panko crumbs, spicy mayo, and eel sauce. This roll was super delicious!

The whole experience was a blast. I would recommend anyone to check out Amazon Local, Groupon, and Living Social for any deals in your area. You can find some really interesting stuff to do. 

I love finding things like this to do with my honey. 

Hope you enjoyed sharing my experience. If anyone has found any great deals out there and had fun experiences I'd love to hear about them. Comment below and share your good time.

Thanks for reading!

Til next time,

Trish

Thumbs Up Thursday!

Hey guys!

I've got another post about items I thought deserved a big thumbs up this week. I've been feeling a bit under the weather and wasn't able to photograph all the items I wanted so there's a few less than usual. 

This is the Mally Lip Magnifier in color tulip. 

It is seriously amazing. It keeps my lips soft, and seems to make them appear plump without too much shine. It has a subtle color but overall looks best right on bare lips. It creates the softest pink

kissable lips. I received this in a birchbox and would absolutely consider picking up a few more shades because the formula is amazing. Each crayon sells for $20 and this color is perfect for a natural lip and would look awesome with a dark smoky eye. 

The next thing I'm loving this week is a set of soaps that my sister gifted me for Christmas from a local shop. 

These smell fantastic.

My favorite is the Frosted Cranberry. It's fresh and rich and when I showered it left the faintest glimmer of frosty scent and my skin was super soft. It rinsed off well and didn't feel too squeaky or too slick. These are HUGE and should last a while even using daily. I am looking forward to trying the Honey Oatmeal with cornmeal it will be useful for exfoliating. The lemon ginseng smells so fresh and it would be perfect for morning showers to invigorate the senses and wake you up. I looked up the website for information and it seems you can pick these up for $10 a piece. They make a fancy gift and definitely worth the splurge to indulge in these luxurious scented suds. Thumbs up to my sister for such a nice gift, thanks Shell!

As I said before I was hoping to add a few more but I shall talk about the other thumbs up next week. I do have a thumbs down this week. Like last week it's a product I was really hoping to love. It's actually not a complete fail, I just will have to limit use. 

I bought 3 Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector lip treatments. They look VERY nice on my lips and I had been using them all day every day for a week solid. I assumed they were going to be ultra-hydrating for my lips. WRONG. These dried my lips so bad they started to crack and burn whenever I wasn't wearing it. I've read reviews where people layered these over another product to give a slight sheen to the lip and make them look fuller. It absolutely works at making the lips look plump and full. I like that about them. I wish I didn't have to use another product to keep my lips from chapping. Perhaps if I constantly remember to apply my chap stick every night and after application I'll be ok to continue regular use. It seems like a pretty tedious lipgloss though. 

Overall I'm very pleased with the Mally lip crayon and would much rather use it instead of the Clarins, it gives almost the same effect and does not dry out my lips. 

Here's a few #TBT from my highschool prom

We decided to go in a big group of girls and guys so no one had to worry about having a date. 

Lovely ladies!

Thanks for stopping in!

Til next time,

Trish

Outfit of the Week

Hello again! 

It's time for another #OOTW. This week I really let my hair down, and even broke the slip resistant rule and wore riding boots. Sometimes you just have to do your own thing.

This outfit was quite comfortable. The black pants and shirt are from my Forever21 haul and they both fit and feel amazing. I love the zipper detail on the top (although it is somewhat hard to see here). The boots are Enzo Angiolini brown buckle riding boots and I picked them up from Macys a few years ago. This sweater is one of my favorites and I bought it from Kohls a while back. It's open style and drapes nicely. The color is the prefect mix of burgundy and purple. The necklace is a chunky gold tone chain with heart pendant (I also have in silver) and I got it from Zulily. I get compliments on both of them any time I wear them. 

This shirt is one of my absolute favorite tops. It's from the Lauren Conrad LC clothing line at Kohls. It's chiffon fabric and feels light and airy when I wear it. The pants are the gray NYDJ that I'm so accustomed to wearing and the shoes are black patent flats I picked up from Ross.  This necklace was gifted to me by my lovely friend Hayley several years ago, it's gold tone chain with white pearl-like hearts. It goes with everything and I wear it all the time. 

This look is my "today is going to be a chill kind of day" outfit. I have this tunic from Nordstrom Rack in blue as well and I am so glad I bought both of them. It's not uncommon for me to reach for these several times a week. They are extremely versatile and comfortable. They are long enough to be worn with leggings and just come over the bum, but not so long that it drowns my body. It's got a gathered detail on the shoulders and and button tabs to keep the sleeves back. I love olive green and I think it compliments my skin tone. I paired it with the black skinny pants from Forever21 and a gold tone chain with gold leaf charms. The shoes are the black patent flats from Ross again. 

Hope you enjoyed seeing what I wore this week. If anyone has suggestions on what they'd like to see comment below. I have some awesome stuff planned for February; nail tutorials, DIY clothes and furniture, COOKIE decorating! I am always looking for new ideas also :)

Thanks for reading!

Til next time,

Trish

January 2014 Popsugar MustHave Unboxing

Hey there, 

I received my Popsugar MustHave January box yesterday and I wanted to show you what they've sent this month. I rave a lot about the things I've gotten in past boxes and I really think it's the most exciting subscription box, just above Glossybox. I think the price is worth what you receive. They don't just send beauty items, they always include a little bit of everything, it's like your birthday every month. 

Drum roll please!

Some pretty neat stuff this month!

This is the Malin + Goetz Detox Face Mask. It claims to hydrate and brighten your complexion. I'm pretty excited to give this a try. It's a full size product, and from their website it retails for $40. That's more than the whole box cost! Absolutely an awesome item to receive. I might post a review or include it in a Thumbs Up (or down) Thursday. We'll see!

The Juice Generation book looks amazing. It's a juicing recipe cookbook and I sure am glad I bought a juicer a year or so ago and will be able to start trying out these tasties soon! It's awesome quality, full of photos and overall another great find in this box. I love when they send books and knick knacks too, once I've got it I've got it, no running out and having to repurchase if I like it. On amazon.com you can purchase this book for $16. 

This 2014 Flip Around the World desk calendar by Rifle Paper Co. is super cute. It's flip style pages with each month have charming illustrations of world famous cities. 

The details in each drawing are precious and this is something I could totally see myself turning into greeting cards once that month has passed. This calendar retails for $16 from the Rifle Paper Co. website. Popsugar also included a 10% coupon off future purchase. 

This is Revlon by Marchesa Box O' Files. It's just larger than a matchbox and contains 6 dainty nail files for the girl on the go. Can't wait to throw these in my bag for mani-mergencies! You can pick some up for $3.50 at Target. 

These tech gloves from Jack + Lucy are a nice addition to the box. This style glove is pretty popular and this particular pair is gender neutral and could even be embellished to give them a personal character. I could not find information about where to get these or how much they cost but overall I'm not disappointed in getting these in my box. The only thing is I shall have to wait for December this year to be able to wear them in South Texas! They may go into a gift pile that I could send to my family up north. 

The last item in the box was this huge bag of Pipsnacks White Truffle Pipcorn. Popsugar usually includes some kind of snack in the box and this is pretty neat. I've never seen mini popcorn but can't wait to try it out. This popcorn costs $6 per bag and can be found at their website Pipsnacks.com. 

Wow! This box was an amazing value for me. I know I will get use out of everything in the box. All together the box comes to around $82 without including the gloves since I don't know how much they are. I got this box in a 3 month subscription for $35 dollars per month. I essentially saved about $50! I have been impressed each month with popsugar and it really has been my favorite and most enjoyable sub box to get each month. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Til next time,

Trish