DIY Bow loafers-inspired by Marc Jacobs

In need of a good shoe DIY? Loving the cigarette loafer trend? Love bows? Well get ready for a perfect Fall trend DIY!

Marc by Marc Jacobs bow loafer-$275.00 at Barney's New York

After scoping out these super adorable bow loafers by Marc by Marc Jacobs I totally got the urge to DIY myself a pair.

Supplies-
Patent cigarette loafers-found mine at Kohl's
3/4 inch grosgrain ribbon
Heavy duty glue such as 527
Scissors, clear nail polish, fine sand paper

Start by cutting the bottom "tail" part of the bow. I cut mine to fit along the top of the shoe and cut notches in the ends. To prevent fraying, I coated the ribbon with clear nail polish.

Next we're gonna make the actual bow parts. First make two larger ribbon rolls that are 3 inches long. Now make two more small ribbon rolls for the center of the bows that are 1 inch long.

Now we're gonna construct the bows with all of the parts we've just made.

Glue the larger loop to the ribbon tail piece. Make sure to glue the part where the ribbon roll overlaps to the tail piece. I also kind of pinched the roll flatter on the sides, as you can see the difference in the pictures.

Glue the middle of the ribbon roll down, to give it more of a bow look.

Finally glue the smaller ribbon roll to the center of the larger one. I used clothespins to hold everything together as the glue dries. Once the smaller center is completely dried, the bow is done. Now we can add them to the shoes!

I placed mine right on the middle part of the shoe. Place a spot of glue on the shoe then hold the bow in place till the glue sets up. I used the clothespins again to hold to bow in the right spot while the glue dried completely.

Once the bow is secured-Voila! Enjoy you're cute new preppy-chic loafers.

xoxo,
Amanda

Newest addition to my beauty bag-Maybelline BB cream

While I thought Garnier's BB cream was pretty good, I still wasn't sold on the oily sheen it gave my face after application. I decided to give Maybelline's version a try and I'm in love.

There are a bunch of reasons why Maybelline's BB cream is my new favorite. As opposed to Garnier's version this has a much lighter and less oily coverage. It still blurs my imperfections and gives my face a nice glow but has a great matte application, especially with my beloved beauty blender. I really like that it blurs my freckles but doesn't hide them completely. While I don't love my freckles, especially during the Summer when they get darker, I do like the character they give my face. This BB cream just makes them a little less noticeable which I really love.

I also like that it comes in handful of shades which allows for a closer match to my skin tone. Garnier's version only has two shades, of which, the light option is still too dark for my skin. The array of colors lets me find a shade that makes the BB cream work even better for me.

My only con is that the tube only has a small amount of product in it. I use my BB cream just about all week and I know I'm already through a good amount of the tube.

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB cream is available at most drug stores and mass retailers. It's less than $10.00 and a serious beauty find so I suggest you go try it out!

xoxo,
Amanda

My favorite and most raved cookie recipe ever.

While it doesn't happen all the time, sometimes I'll get the incredible urge to bake something. Sometimes the urge comes from having a bad day and then other times it comes from spending just a little bit too much time browsing Pinterest.

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon a chocolate chip cookie recipe I felt like trying and it's since become a huge star in my house and at work.

The recipe comes from the mother of domesticity, Martha Stewart, and it's seriously, dangerously delicious. Check the recipe out at marthastewart.com.

Ingredients

• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed light-brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (about 12 ounces) semisweet and/or milk chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a small bowl, whisk together the flour and baking soda; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter with both sugars; beat on medium speed until light and fluffy. Reduce speed to low; add the salt, vanilla, and eggs. Beat until well mixed, about 1 minute. Add flour mixture; mix until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
2. Drop heaping tablespoon-size balls of dough about 2 inches apart on baking sheets lined with parchment paper.
3. Bake until cookies are golden around the edges, but still soft in the center, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on baking sheet 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack, and let cool completely. Store cookies in an airtight container at room temperature up to 1 week.*

These are the chewiest and best tasting cookies ever. The recipe is pretty simple and the result is delicious!

My boyfriend has since become a fiend for these cookies and my coworker can't stop raving about them. It's a weekly occurrence that he asks me to make some for him. They are seriously that good.

With Fall just around the corner I suggest making a batch for yourself. It will fill your house with an amazing smell while the cookies are baking and once they're done you'll have a super delicious treat for a chilly night.

xoxo,
Amanda

*Recipe copied from marthastewart.com

Beauty Box 5 August review

My Beauty Box 5 August box arrived this week and was a real surprise since I totally forgot it was on the way.

My box contents:
Blum naturals Daily Cleansing Towelettes x3
Ellis Faas Lip Glaze-full sized!
H20 Plus Marine Restoring Eye Cream
Ferro Cosmetics Sheer Crystal veil
Dermaesthetics USA Vitamin C20 serum- full size retails for $144.00!!!

I'm really pleased with this box.  The samples are varied and the inclusion of a full sized item really sold me for the month. I also liked that they included three of the towelettes. I don't mind one use samples especially when they include a few for me to try. My other samples are deluxe sizes and that's exactly what I'm looking for with my beauty subscription boxes.

I'm really excited for the lip glaze. I've never heard of the brand but it looks pretty cool and I'm always up for trying a new gloss.  It's this pretty rusty orange shade that's unlike anything I have in my make-up bag so it will definitely be a nice addition. It retails for $35.00 at Sephora so I definitely got my money's worth with this box on this product alone.

Now that I've received all my boxes/bags for the month, it really looks like Birchbox was the big miss for the month. It's really surprising for me because Birchbox always receives the most press and publicity but this month the lesser know boxes were the big winners. Guess we'll see what next month brings!

xoxo,
Amanda

MyGlam August 2012

This month I was able to sign up for MyGlam, a beauty subscription service similar to Birchbox. At the same price point as Birchbox ($10/month) it promises a cute little makeup bag filled with a selection of make-up samples every month. My bag arrived last week and I couldn't wait to tell you guys all about it.

My August MyGlam bag included
MyGlam glam gloss in a bubblegum pink shade
Demeter Clean Skin perfume
Circus nailpolish in Spectacle
Salty cosmetics mineral eyeshadow
Eclos Face serum
Eclos Regenerative cream
Orange and pink mesh makeup bag.

Unlike Birchbox, all subscribers received these products. Although some of them may have been in different shades, all MyGlam bags included this same assortment of items. This concept makes me like MyGlam so much. I hate that every month with Birchbox I end up being disappointed that I didn't receive one of their stellar items for the month. That sort of envy doesn't happen with MyGlam and it's a huge plus for them.

I also really love the huge array of products for the month. There was a nice selection of beauty, skincare, perfume, and a cute nail color. It covers all the areas that I look for when signing up for beauty subscription service. This month with Birchbox I received hardly any beauty products and that's what I look for most in a monthly box.  I also really appreciated the sizes of products. Everything is a good size and will allow for multiple uses so that I can really see if I will like the products enough to purchase. The perfume sample is specifically a great size. I usually hate the super small samples that come in Birchboxes, first I hate when they don't have a spray top, and then the sample is so small it's hard to discern if I will actually like it. I need to try a perfume multiple times to see if it works with my body chemistry and the typical small sample are a pain. This Demeter sample is a great size.

The little make-up bag is a great addition to the service as well. I love the Birchbox box. It's cute and sturdy and great for storage. I like the bag a little more just because I can use it for so much more. I can throw it in my purse or my suitcase and I can honestly always find a use for a neat little make-up bag. It's also really cute too!

Overall, for my first month with MyGlam they scored pretty well with me.

xoxo,
Amanda

Feeling very Glee-ful

Looking forward toward Fall I can't wait for boots, apple cider, and sweaters. I'm also looking forward to the return of Glee. Season 4 looks spectacular from this promo and I just can't contain my excitement.

Less than a month until the season premiere and I'll definitely be counting down the days!

xoxo,
Amanda

Wednesday Wants

These Marc by Marc Jacobs are so drool-worthy they make my Wednesday Want list hands down.

Let's drool-shall we?

These pumps are preppy and chic and would seriously fit perfectly in my closet. The color blocking is subtle but really cool. I haven't been a fan of the trend but these pumps make it fantastic. At $350.00 they are a little out of my price range though.

A girl can dream can't she though?

xoxo,
Amanda

Birchbox August 2012

It's Birchbox time again! My August box arrived Saturday and as usual I'm here to open and review it with you all.

My August Birchbox included-
Schick Hydro Silk razor
Viva La Juicy La Fleur
Yu-Be moisturizing skin cream
Stila Stay All Day sample card
Wei Pomegranate buffing beads x2
Caldrea Mandarin Vetvier hand soap x2
Wei Golden Root mud mask

This month, Birchbox really disappointed. I'm a newer subscriber but overall, I've been satisfied with my boxes. I may not have been in love with them but I've never been this disappointed. My biggest complaint is how small the samples are. Birchbox touts themselves as providing deluxe samples every month. Almost all of my samples are one time use (Wei and Caldrea products) and with the Stila, not enough for even one use. I'm expecting deluxe multiple use samples not maybe one use packets that are typically available for free from makeup counters.

I'm particularly upset with the Stila sample. When I logged on to Birchbox.com my box photo showed a deluxe sized tube Stila sample. The photo is usually an example of the actual samples not the full size products so I am led to expect what's in the photo. Clearly from my picture, that's not what I got. The card sample is basically what's available in magazines and honestly doesn't even have enough product for me to even try once. It's a huge misrepresentation to show a photo of a tube and then send a card sample instead.    

My Juicy sample was also 1/4 empty when I opened my box which has never happened with any of my other Birchbox perfume samples.

Nothing in my box was particularly exciting and combined with the rather disappointing samples I did get, my box was a substantial bummer this month.

As always I have box envy from seeing the other box options especially when it looks like others got really big, actual deluxe samples and other full size products. My box of packets is a huge dud in comparison.

The bright spot of my box was that I really did like the Juicy sample. It smells great-warm and floral and exactly what I usually wear. Hopefully they come out with a rollerball version because I would love it pick that up.

Here's hoping next month is better!

xoxo,
Amanda

Monday Manicure

Lilac nails got really popular a few seasons ago but I had never been able to find a really fabulous lilac polish. Last week on a quick drug store run I found this fabulous Sally Hansen color that was exactly what I was looking for.

Sally Hansen's Lilac lace is a vibrant pastel purple that is beyond pretty. Although we are rapidly coming up on the end of Summer, this nail color is totally perfect for Spring and Summer. It's the perfect combination of light and vibrant that would make it transition easily from Spring to Summer.

As usual with Sally Hansen polishes, the formula is fantastic. It goes on well and has amazing lasting power. I ended up using two coats because one was pretty streak-y. The photos are actually from the second week of this manicure and although it's not immaculate still, I think it's held up amazingly well.

xoxo,
Amanda

Midsummer day dream

All images via Pinterest

Today,  I'm dreaming of the beach...

Care to take a break and dream along?

xoxo,
Amanda

Meet Pippi!

For those of you that follow me on Instagram you've seen the presence of a new furry friend which has seemingly taken over my account. Those of you that haven't I'd like to introduce you to my new love Pippi!

As you can tell she loves to hide and pounce!

The boyfriend and I weren't planning on adopting a cat but about three months ago she showed up on our porch steps and we decided then and there to rescue her. There have been quite a few stray cats in the area and one showing up on our porch was kind of inevitable. She was only about 3-4 weeks old so for the first couple of weeks we had to feed her kitten milk with an eye dropper. I've read that you're supposed to leave the kitten alone for the mother to return for it, but she was so tiny and crying so loud that there was no way we could leave her outside. I fit her in my palm she was so tiny! We were up throughout the night with feedings, making sure she was using the litter (ew!),  and also watching her health.

She just had her first vet appointment last Friday and the doctor was surprised at how healthy she was and how well we had taken care of her, for her being a stray. It made me so happy to see that she was developing normal and that I had done things right. I've never had a kitten that small, so everything was new to me and also my boyfriend.

It's been a crazy ride in these past three months but this kitten has completely stolen my heart. Going to PetSmart and spoiling her has become my new favorite thing to do. She has a crazy amount of toys, a fuzzy little bed, and the most adorable yellow honey-bee print collar ever.

She loves to nap on the desk while I'm typing up my posts, so in my eyes she's perfect, lol.

Follow me on Instagram to watch Pippi grow up!



xoxo,
Amanda

Little Blue Box Nails

One of my most favorite colors in the world is Tiffany blue. I can spot the color from a mile away and I can recognize it instantly. If wearing the jewelry wasn't enough for me, I decided to had to find a matching blue nailcolor.

I had to include a picture with my Tiffany's I Love You ring!

Although it's not an exact match to Tiffany blue because of copyright reasons, it's amazingly close. It has the bright robin's egg blue with a hint of green that allows it to borderline on teal. It's gorgeous and looks surprisingly good on nails.

As with most China Glaze polishes I had some issues with application. Their brushes don't usually want to work with me so I always end up running over tacky polish or applying too much which never wants to dry. I tried to keep my layers thin but even then I had to wait for seemingly forever for it to dry. My Seche Vite helped it along but it was still a pain to deal with. I love China Glaze's color selection but their formula always leave something to be desired.

I picked up Essie's Turquoise and Caicos which is a similar Tiffany blue dupe so in a few weeks I'll update you guys on how well I like that version.

xoxo,
Amanda

Beauty Blender dupe rave

A beauty blender sponge is a go to for everyday girls and make-up artists alike. It's been an essential tool that just about everyone has raved about for years. Being able to create the look of an airbrushed flawless face, it's really no wonder people have called this an absolute must.

With the popularity of BB creams I had been on the lookout for a blender sponge to add to my make-up tools. At around $20.00 I couldn't justify the original version. While fabulous, I knew I could find a dupe just as good by doing a little research. While flipping through the latest Avon catalog a spotted a similar hot pink blender sponge in my price range. After reading some reviews I ordered the sponge to try on my own.

Avon Precision Grip Teardrop Blender

I am completely addicted to this little sponge.  Once dampened with water is grows to about the size of your palm and the curved shape makes it so easy to control. It makes my whole morning routine so much easier because it spreads my BB cream so perfectly that I'm not spending so much time worrying in front of the mirror over whether my face is even or blended properly. I also don't have to fret over whether or not all the cream is off of my hands. No more worrying about staining my clothes with tinted hands! I quickly dab it all over my face and I'm good to go. The wide end is perfect for the large surfaces of my face and the pointed edge makes finished around my nose and eyes unbelievably easy.

BB creams have become my new beauty addictions and this sponge applies them so perfectly it's crazy. It really does give me this perfect airbrushed face, I can't get over how good it makes me look. The cream itself is already meant to even skintone, this sponge just takes it over the top. The sponge's texture is very soft on my skin and the bouncing technique distributes the BB cream very well. It makes it feel so much lighter too. Since you dampen the sponge with water first, it spreads the cream better giving a thinner application which makes you look fabulous and it feels so much better on my skin.  

At less than $5.00 this is a huge deal compared to the original and I definitley recommend it. Try it out- you won't regret it!

xoxo,
Amanda

Navy Nails Revisited

I actually wore this amazing metallic navy nail color for July 4th, which you already know by now if you follow me on Instagram- which you definitely should, but I'm just now getting around to posting it here. Lame on my part, I know...

I'm wearing Sally Hansen's Co-Bolt Blue and I am seriously loving this color. Around New Year's I wore a different color navy that read more like a black but this one here is seriously navy. It's vibrant yet chic and really is the perfect navy. The fabulous Sally Hansen formula went on great and a second coat was barely needed, I only did it to satisfy my inner perfectionist. It lasted for about two weeks with the ever-fabulous Seche Vite and didn't look raggedy at all by the time I took it off.


One of my guy friends even commented on how much he liked this color so this is definitley an attention grabber! When a guy notices my nails I know the color must be good!

xoxo,
Amanda