On My iPod Pt. 15

I haven't done this in a few months, so I thought I'd share what some of my recent most played songs are. As always, please share some of your favorites with me. I haven't listened to the radio in ages so I'm behind on some of the newer songs, I'm sure. Let me know what you are loving and I'll definitely check them out. I'm especially a sucker for a catchy chorus. :)

1. Who's Laughing Now - Jessie J
2. Someone Like You - Adele
3. Yoü and I - Lady Gaga
4. Turning Tables - Adele
5. I Wanna Go - Britney Spears
6. Mean - Taylor Swift
7. E.T. - Katy Perry
8. Look At Me Now - cover by Karmin

9. Skyscraper - Demi Lovato
10. Super Bass - Nicki Minaj (don't like her music much, but she was good live and I like this song!)
11. Lighters - Bad Meets Evil ft. Bruno Mars
12. Just Can't Get Enough - Black Eyed Peas

August Favorites!

It's that time of the month again for my favorites! Also, I'm only ten followers from 400. You know what happens when I reach 400? My next giveaway! :D I'm not really planning on doing one for every hundred I hit, but I really want to do something to give back to you and to make up for being an absent blogger for a lot of this summer. The giveaway is nothing major, but it is close to my heart in that the item is from my business with my mother-in-law!

ELF Eyebrow Kit- Seriously, it's fantastic. Why pay over $20 when this gets the job done for only $3?!

MAC Softwash Grey pigment- I've been loving a wash of silver lately for my eyes. Good timing since metallics are huge right now! This specific color was limited edition with last year's Christmas set. They do have a nice silver pigment called Platinum that is permanent, though.

Urban Decay 24/7 eyeliner in Binge- I love the blue with silver. This is my favorite blue eyeliner by far.

L'Oreal Voluminous mascara- I used to love this mascara and then CoverGirl LashBlast came along and all other mascaras just faded into the background. Now that I've used up my LashBlast, I'm going back to my others. And this one is still a favorite and doesn't flake!

NARS Turkish Delight- This is such a great gloss for when you do smokey eyes. It adds just the right amount of color to lips. This easily works for my soft silver eye look during the day and at night when I smoke it out.

I guess I've been an one-look pony this month. ;) Tell me or link me to your faves for this month!

2011 Fall Fashion Trends

I live through each season just waiting for fall to come back around. I feel like the fashion possibilities are endless. You can create so many outfits with layering! My idea of a perfect fall day is strolling along the city in comfortable boots, a cozy sweater, and a pumpkin spiced latte in my hands. For me, it just doesn't get much better than that. :)

Here is my list of my favorite fall trends for this year. Some of these are timeless and classic, so you may just be able to shop your existing closet and find pieces that fit a certain trend. If you want to stay on trend and don't care if it's a classic item or not, shop cheap! Then, you won't kick yourself later for having a coat that looks like it has sprouted hair (à la Lady Gaga) that you paid mega bucks for.

1. Polka dots. Any color combination is fine, but the black and white combo will always be the most revered.
2. Bold stripes. Factor in body shape. Wider stripes are fine on those who have smaller upper torsos, as the stripes visually widen the area. If you're curvy or have a bigger upper torso, you want to go with thinner stripes and preferably have the stripes be a darker color. Like the big stripes widen, the thin stripes will visually slim you down.
3. Lace. I love lace! Be it on your purse, shoes, top, dress...it just makes everything beautiful. It's especially lovely as a white dress and paired over black tights.
4. Red. This is looking to be the power color of this fall. I've seen red pants pop up everywhere, but you can incorporate the color any way you want.
5. Tartan/Plaid. Plaid is so fantastic, especially for casual weekends. My favorite is to wear a long plaid button-down over skinny jeans with a motorcycle jacket and boots. It's an easy way to get the "edgy chic" look.
6. Florals. Yes, florals in fall. They are generally considered a warm weather trend, but they can be taken into fall. I think the key thing to look for are warm florals. The orange dress above is a nice warm shade that's perfect!
7. Bold jackets. Possibly one of my favorite trends ever! I love playful jackets. For an affordable selection, try Old Navy. I know I continuously speak of my love affair for that store, but they do jackets right. They are wonderful quality and come in so many styles and colors.
8. Snake prints. Snake rings, bracelets, clutches, shoes...It's all about making a huge statement with your accessories. It's popping up in clothes too, but I feel that trend is universally hard to pull off.

What trend are you looking forward to? There are other trends happening that I didn't mention (as this is my own personal list of favorites), so did I miss one of your favorites? Leave them in the comments!

New Layout & NYX Palette: Strike A Pose

I got this palette last year and never got around to swatching it. I think now is a good time because it has some nice warm colors suitable for fall and winter. And it's often on sale on online stores like Cherry Culture. Just checked and it is on sale at the moment for $8.50 US!





My overall thoughts on this palette are positive. I love that it has a white and the purple shade is gorgeous. There's a nice mix of neutrals and colors. The thing I like about the colors is that they work well with the neutrals and aren't necessarily over-the-top bold. Perfect to take you from day into night!

I have a few other NYX palettes that I am going to be swatching! I also changed up my layout. The other was screaming summer, but I'm ready for autumn. :) I know there's still a bit yet of summer, but fall typically hits where I am a little bit sooner. I'm still making some tweaks to the coding and graphics and it may keep changing until I get it where I want it. So don't be alarmed if you see something one minute and it changes the next!

Have a great night!

My Sephora Order Arrived!

I'm pretty happy with what I got! I also took advantage of getting the VIB hat box full of samples. That special offer is over but they often have other deals for Beauty Insiders and VIBs, so you're missing out if you order or shop at Sephora often and don't have an account with them. :)

^ everything in the box

^ I got three samples, though one not pictured is Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue for men. I picked that one for my husband and it smells so good. These are the two I got for myself.

^ the little hatbox

^ All of the samples inside. I was really hoping to get the Stila lip and cheek stain sample, but I guess I ordered a little too late. I got the Brazilian Peel instead which, to be honest, scares me. I have extremely sensitive skin and have allergic reactions to some skin products. I feel like this might be too harsh for me. The Tokidoki perfume sample is adorable and has a handy rollerball. I'm also excited to try the Buxom mascara (hard to see in this picture, but it's to the left beside Miracle Worker.

^ I saw these hair clips on sale and loved the print and colors. I have heard really good things about Fresh's lip treatments, so I picked out Sugar Plum. After using it for awhile, I will review it. And I noticed that Sephora is now carrying Nails Inc. London now! This is perfection, because I will forever have a love for anything associated with London. All of the shades are each named with London in mind. The one that I got is a gorgeous berry color named Picadilly Circus.

These products were all such a lovely reward for completing my ten products in Project 10 Pan. My very superficial way of patting myself on the back for a job well done! ;)

Project 10 Pan: Done!

Finally! It has taken me about four months, but I have completed ten beauty items thus successfully ending my current Project 10. :) You can see my first post about it all here. I finished up just at the beginning of this month. It's a good feeling!

^ Everything sprawled out!

^ Sephora and MAC makeup wipes, Maybelline Dream Mousse concealer, Clinique Almost Makeup foundation, CoverGirl LashBlast mascara, Body Shop Tea Tree Oil Blemish Stick (review coming), and CoverGirl NatureLuxe foundation.

^ My beautiful Dream Mousse concealer. I'm completely not above getting the absolute last remnants out of the jar before I truly toss it out. It'll be a sad day!

^ Pantene shampoo, Body Shop Vitamin E facial mist, and Bath and Body Works Cucumber Melon spray.

And there we have it! Of course, I did what any beauty addict would do after finishing one of these projects. I made a very small online Sephora order! ;) When it arrives, I'll do a post. Have any of you started or completed a Project 5/10 Pan recently? It's hard work, but worth it.

Old Navy Fall Haul 2011

OK...maybe I'm rushing fall just a little, but I couldn't resist starting to stock up when I was mailed a 25% off coupon code for Old Navy online. I didn't overdo it, though it certainly took restraint not to. They have some great styles out right now! Now to wait impatiently for my new outfits to arrive!

*pictures from Old Navy

1. black cami- These are my favorite tanks. I wear them under nearly everything and they are comfortable enough to sleep in. My favorite part is that the straps are adjustable. Canada / US

2. floral chemise- Technically, not just for fall. I fell in love with the pattern (my love for florals is not unknown!) and it looks really comfortable to sleep in while producing an understated sexy vibe. Depending on how long or short it is, I might even be able to pair it with a cardigan and leggings for a look outside of the bedroom. We'll see! Canada / US

3. black dolman sweater tunic- Perfect to pair with jeggings and skinny jeans! Canada / US

4. navy sweater dress- I already have a black one just like this and it's amazing. The length is perfect for me (I'm 5' 9" and it hits a few inches above the knee). I thought I'd get navy this time to pair with my gray leggings and boots. Canada / US

I also grabbed a few items the other week with a gift card that I received for my birthday. I snagged up a green tank with a white crocheted lace pattern on the neckline (not on websites any longer), a pair of blue plaid PJ bottoms, a pink top that can be on the shoulder or off, and a green polkadot tank! I really recommend the chiffon tops, because the neckline is very versatile.

Have you started stocking up on your fall wardrobe for this year yet? It's my favorite season and the one that I have the most fun shopping for! :)

July 2011 Favorites

I don't know where this summer is going, because it still feels like it should be June at the latest! Here are the products/things I have been loving during July. :)

1. China Glaze nail polish in For Audrey

2. ELF eyebrow gel/powder duo - so amazing and cheap!

3. Clinique Airbrush concealer - planning on doing a review on this soon

4. Maybelline Dream Matte Mousse - I've been bummed ever since learning the Dream Mousse concealer had been discontinued, but the foundation works just as well. I use it on spots that need extra coverage and then go over my face with my MAC MSF Natural.

5. Satin Taupe, Soft Brown, Mink & Sable, and Brule - Still in my quad, because I've been too lazy to put them back in my palettes after my trip to Niagara Falls this past weekend. ;)

My husband got the go-ahead from his doctor and he's back at work today! So I'm trying to get back into our regular routine. That should equate into more blog posts. Yay! Tomorrow, I'll share a small clothing haul. I have a few product reviews lined up and other fun posts. And....drum roll please....another giveaway! I promise to make up for my absence over the past two months. Thank you so much for sticking around. ♥

Shrimp Linguine with Creamy Sauce

Tonight, I made shrimp linguine and just created the recipe as I went. I wanted more of an alfredo sauce than a tomato based sauce. Here's what I came up with!

I used:
1 box of linguine pasta noodles (perfect to provide you with leftovers!)
garlic powder (cloves of garlic will work also)
vegetable seasoning (parsley, basil, salt, pepper, etc. Season to your own taste.)
1/2 stick of butter
sliced mushrooms
1 bar of cream cheese
shrimp

Steps:
1. I put out my cream cheese to get closer to room temperature so that it will melt down easier.
2. Start boiling water for noodles.
3. In a skillet, add 1/2 of the butter and let it coat the pan as it melts. Add the mushrooms, garlic, and seasoning.
4. Place pasta in boiling water.
5. As the pasta cooked, I added the cream cheese in two halves and the rest of the butter to the skillet. While it was all melting, I started to take the tails off of my shrimp.
6. I added the shrimp closer to the end, because it is easy to overcook shrimp and make it tough. You only want it in the pan for a few minutes. Toss it in the sauce.
7. While it cooked, I drained the pasta and plated it.
8. Add the sauce on top and voilà!

It took me around 30 minutes with preparation and cooking time. Not too shabby! It turned out very tasty...which is good since I have leftovers for tomorrow's lunch. :)