Happy Halloween!

I just want to wish everyone a Happy Halloween and I also want to wish my grandma a Happy 83rd Birthday!!! I love you Grandma!

I am taking my grandma to dinner tonight. What are you guys up to?

I hope all of you have a safe and scary night!

*Pics are from here and here. 

HB Cooks: Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

So awhile back I tweeted a picture of my tomatillo salsa and several of you asked me how I did it. It's pretty easy and really yummy. 

First you need about 1 pound of tomatillos. In L.A. they are really easy to find and they are in the regular drugstore. They look like green tomatoes with a husk on them. (They are actually from the gooseberry family.) Pick ones that are firm and clean. When you get home peel the husk off and wash them. (They will be a little sticky but that's okay.) If you like your salsa spicy then wash a jalapeno too.

Now, you need to roast them. You can do this in a cast iron pan, your broiler, or on a grill, like me. Roast them (and the jalapeno) until they are slightly charred on all sides. 

Then place the jalapeno in a bag for about 5-10 minutes. The steam in the back will help you peel the skin off.

Then take a paper towel and use it to peel off the skin and pull out all the seeds. Be careful not to burn yourself and make sure you wash your hands afterwards!

Then put everything in the blender and puree. (Not shown but really good- add about a handful of fresh cilantro to the blender.) 

Salt and pepper to taste and store. It's great with chips or on enchiladas. Let me know if you try this!

August Birchbox: Jouer Lip Gloss

This was in my August Birchbox. 

It’s a bright pink, very pretty. It has a doe foot applicator which I am partial to. The product itself is very sheer and not super sticky. I like it, but I feel I already have similar products. 

Grade: B

Picture will be up soon. =)

Halloween Favorites

Here are some of my favorite Halloween things that I have seen on the internet.

I love cake pops! These are so cute!! I wish I was talented enough to make these myself. 
*Pic from here.

These creamy ghost ice cubes would look great in a Halloween party punch.
*Pic from here.

How cute is this?!? I love Hello Kitty and I think this would look so cute on my porch!
*Pic from here.

Check out more of my favorites on Pinterest.

Birchbox: October

This is what was in my Birchbox this month. It was another disappointing month.

Tips: Wake Up Your Eyes in the Morning

A lot of mornings I wake up with swollen and crusty (yuck!) eyes. This generally makes it harder for me to wake up. I have found that if my eyes are awake the rest of me will follow.

The first thing I do is take a warm damp cloth and get rid of all the crusty bits (again yuck!) Then I use Rohto Cool eye drops. They get rid of the redness and the menthol helps make your eyes feel more refreshed. (WARNING: if you have sensitive eyes the menthol might be too harsh for your eyes. The menthol can kind of sting at first until your eyes are more use to it.) 

Then, I use my Garnier Anti-Puff eye roller. The roller is metal so it stays cool and this helps with the swelling. (Some people like to put it in the fridge but I am too lazy to walk to my fridge to get it in the morning.) The serum also has caffeine in it which aids in the swelling too. 

Now, that my eyes are awake and caffeinated it’s time to caffeinate the rest of me!

Halloween Tutorial: Candy Corn

I hope you like my Candy Corn inspired look. =)

Mac Brush Cleanser + Tip

I really like, but then again I have nothing to compare it to since it’s the only brush cleanser I have used. =) I know some people think it’s expensive ($14), but it works well. If you use my tip you won’t waste a lot of the cleanser. (A complaint I have heard and use to make myself.) 

The best way to use it is to transfer it to a travel size spray bottle. This allows you to pinpoint the cleanser on your brush and you are using a lot less product. I swear my bottle lasts twice as long now. I may try some others in the future but it’s hard when I really like the product I have been using for years. =)

Grade: A-

What is your favorite brush cleanser?

Free Essie Nail Polish

I recently heard about the website Klout from SayAnythingBr00ke. It’s a website where you get a score for just doing your normal social networking stuff. The more you network or are active online the higher your score goes and more free offers are available to you. 

I was thinking I’d try it but I didn’t have any high hopes for it. I have been a part of Influenster for almost a year and have received nothing so I didn’t think Klout would be any better. Boy was I wrong. I think I had been signed up for two weeks when I saw an offer for a free Essie nail polish from their Fall collection and I qualified! I was so excited. I received my nail polish within a couple of weeks and it is full sized.

The color I received is called Shopenomics. I couldn’t figure out what color it was for awhile. In the bottle it looked almost black but I knew it had some color to it. Even when I painted my nails I wasn’t sure. It wasn’t until I stepped out into the sunlight that I figured out that it was a super dark green. 

This is not a color I would have bought for myself, but I actually do like it. It’s subtle and does make me think of Fall.

*This is not sponsored. All opinions are my own.

Review: Tresemme Shampoo and Conditioner

Man, I just am not having any luck with shampoo and conditioners lately. I bought this set at CVS and I only paid $5 for both! They are huge too!

Well, I am not very happy with them. I have to use a lot of product and the conditioner doesn’t moisturize enough. I think the shampoo is ok but the conditioner just doesn’t do it’s job. I will be using the bottles up because they are so big and I hate to waste them but I won’t be repurchasing them.

Shampoo Grade: B-

Conditioner Grade: D

What’s your favorite shampoo and conditioner? 

Video: OOTD - Work

My favorite part is my sweater. Super cute!

August Birchbox: DDF Brightener

This cleanser was in my August Birchbox.  

This is the cleanser I use everyday right now and I love it. It gives you that clean feeling, which for me is a must. I feel like is does brighten because it has AHA in it. The AHA has also been helping to clear my pores, and I have noticed a significant decrease in my blackheads.

I use this in the morning, but you need to be careful because if you have sensitive skin it can cause you to burn. I only use it once a day because I use Garnier Dark Spot remover at night which also has AHA in it.

The only real downside is that the DDF Brightener is super expensive. A full size bottle costs $70! I just can’t see myself actually purchasing it...unless I win the lottery.

Grade: B+

Tarte vs. Revlon

This is another inexpensive vs. expensive showdown. Today I am going to compare Tarte Lip Surgence and Revlon Just Bitten.

Lip Surgence - $20

I was able to try this out because it was a product in my Birchbox back in ______(link video) THe color I have doesn’t look great on me. (It’s a very orangey color.) I do like other aspects of it. I love the texture. It is very smooth. I love that the plumping serum doesn’t sting but it tingles. (It almost tickles) I don’t find that it bleeds or feathers. I can’t vouch for the endurance because I can’t wear it without mixing it with another color.

Just Bitten - $8

I love these! They are super long wearing. They actually last my entire workday. The darker ones seem to fade a bit faster than the lighter shades. The plumping serum doesn’t sting, and the only problem I had with them is that they bleed. I was able to fix that by lining my lips.

Overall

I call this one a tie! But if I really had to choose just one it would be the Revlon Just Bitten because of their price and because they are so easy to purchase. I know that HSN has deals all the time on Tarte products, and that is the perfect time to try them.

Pick up both and let me know what you think.

One Word: Awwww!

This picture is too cute! It looks a lot like my own cat, Tigger. I never saw Tigger when he was a kitten (he found me when he was 9 months old) but this is how I imagine him looking. Tigger always finds interesting places to sleep; middle of the floor, the cupboard that where we store blankets, and in trees.

Have you found your pet sleeping in any unusual places?

Haul: Clothing!

I said this in my very recent clothing haul, but I have been buying new work clothes and have been trying to make sure that they can do double duty. I went to a fashion show at my grandma's church last Sunday. They do this every year and I have never bought anything because the clothes have all seemed really old. This time there were some more outfits for the younger crowd and my grandma offered to buy them for me. (I love you Grandma!!) So, here is what I got. =)

This scarf is not something I would normally have picked out for myself but it looked really good against the shirt I was wearing and it is SUPER soft. (I'm a sucker for soft things.) It was only $10 too!

This sweater is nice and flowy on top and cinches at the waist. (A must for me.) It is by Ruby Rd. and cost $43.

This is a maxi skirt and I kinda liked the pattern. Plus I like that I won't have to get it shortened. It is by Ruby Rd. and was on sale for $22!

Do you like your clothes to do double duty?