Farewell '14!

I've tried writing this one a few times already. I deleted a few drafts. The negative tone didn't set well with me. To be totally honest, 2014 was literally the worst year of my life. I'm glad it's over. Instead of dwelling on that, I've decided to list my wishes for 2015.

• I wish for peace. World peace. Peace in the Middle East. Family peace. Whichever. I'll be happy with any of those. (Side note: relatives ≠ family)
• I wish for good health for my family and friends.
• I wish for stability.
• I wish for fun.
• I wish for happiness for all.

So, even though 2014 left me feeling stomped on like a sidewalk dandelion, I'm still hopeful for a much brighter future. Bring on 2015!

What are your hopes and dreams for 2015?

Love,

Super Simple Easy Bow

Umm...so this is kind of late. Remember our costumes for Halloween? Well, this is how I made Sean's bow tie, which can be repurposed. Stick around for that.

I cut two pieces of felt. One was 10 inches by 2.5 inches. The second one was 1.25 inches by 3.25 inches. Still with me?

I folded the large strip in half, overlapping it a bit. Using a needle and thread, I sewed the ends together and created the pinched look. I then wrapped the small strip around the center and sewed the ends of that together, but not attaching it to the large strip. For the bow tie, I slipped a large safety pin into the back.

Once Sean was finished with it, I then slipped it onto a headband. Adorable! You could also use a clip.

This whole project took me less than ten minutes. And I'm awful at sewing. I'm thinking of making these in several different colors to match my daughter's wardrobe.

Love,

Happy Holidays!

Hey, all!
It's that time of year again. Again!?! Where did this year go? I won't keep you too long. I just wanted to say Happy Holidays and I wish you a wonderful new year!

My family and I made some gingerbread houses last night. Here are some of the highlights.

Such concentration. Photo by Sean O'Donoghue.

Pretty pleased with her work.

Nom! (In actuality, she still hasn't taken the first bite. She says it's too pretty to eat.)

Yeah...there's no hope for this one, but it did taste good.

Mine! Tasted better than it looks.

We do these houses every year. What are some holiday traditions in your home?

Love,

December Ipsy: Thinking of You

Thinking of You themed bag

Hi, all!
Straight up, I love this month's bag. It introduced me to my new favorite...you'll just have to wait and see!

In no particular order (because I liked it all!) here's what I got this month.

1. Bumble and bumble. Straight Blow Dry - Smells lovely and does what it's supposed to. I have thick hair that tends to frizz. This helped my blow-out last for a few days and left my hair soft. (Value $14 for 2oz. Sample Value $3.50)

Love this!

 2. NYX Cosmetics Butter Lip Balm in Ladyfingers - This is described as "mauve", but seriously it's more of a berry pink. The color lasted from 8 am to lunchtime at noon. The moisturizing effect stuck around a bit longer. Plus, it smells like candy. (Value $4)

Love that!

Swatch out!

3. CAILYN Cosmetics Just Mineral Eye Polish in Orchid - I've never tried something like this before. The packaging is certainly unique. The eye polish is a loose powder eye shadow and is a lovely shimmery rose gold. Applied dry, it's pretty subtle. Use a sticky primer or apply wet to amp up the drama. (Value $15)

Love this, too!

Swatched dry.

 4. Swissco Electroplated Eyelash Curler in Purple - To be totally honest, I didn't try this one. I have naturally curly lashes and already have a curler that I rarely have to use. (Only when I've slept on my face weird and my lashes are doing freaky things, really.) I'll probably pass this one along to someone else. It's adorable, though. The purple is so pretty. This model also comes in blue. (Value $5)

Love that purple!

Aaaannnddd.....a different angle.

5. tarte deluxe lights, camera, lashes 4-in-1 mascara - So we've gotten to my new favorite...MASCARA!!! I really love what this does for my lashes. It gives me volume, length, definition, everything I want in a mascara. It has a traditional bristle brush. It doesn't flake or smudge on me and is easy to remove. I'm in love! (Value $20. Sample value $8.33)

The new love of my life!

6. Wet n Wild MegaSlicks Balm Stain Moisturizing Lip Color in Lady and the Vamp - This one is an oldie but a goodie in my makeup collection. I had to redeem some points before they expired, so I ordered this. I didn't realize that I already had this one, I just thought they had brought out a new dark color. Soooo...now I have two.

An old love.

I really do love this stain. It goes on a deep plum and when it wears down, it becomes a beautiful rose shade. The stain does last about all day. I'm bummed that I didn't get to try a new shade, but happy that I'll have a back-up for this gorgeous one. (Value $2.99)

Stainy.

7. The bag - This month's bag is a nice black satin with a plastic hang tag. The zipper and lining match the tag. It's cute. It'll get used.

Satiny.

The grand total for this month's bag (not including the balm stain or the makeup bag) is $35.83. I'm happy with the way my $10 was spent this month. If you're interested, click my ipsy link to get some more information.

If you already subscribe, what did you get? I'm nosy like that.

Love,

Last Minute Ugly Sweater DIY

Pretty happy face for a kid who's wearing an ugly sweater!

So guess who got the news at, oh, around 9 o'clock last night that this morning is ugly sweater day at school? Yeah, that would be me. So after I stopped panicking, I came up with a pretty decent plan. I took Zara's most embellished sweater (dress) and added my own bits.

A closer look at all its glory.

I had some craft felt so I cut out a shape that's vaguely tree-shaped. I used more felt to do the ornaments, tinsel, and star. I then used a white glue to stick it all together. When that dried, I used a bunch of safety pins to attach the monstrosity to the sweater. My favorite part of this project? It's only temporary! If I had had more energy, I would have added more bits all over, but for a last minute thing, I was happy with it. More or less.

Love,

Decorated Baby Wipes Box

So, I lost my crafting mojo a while back, but I think I can feel it slowly returning. Woohoo!!! I really missed it! Even though my daughter has been out of diapers for many years now, I still carry wipes around with me. I have a box in my purse, in my desk at work, and on my vanity to clean my brushes. They're awesome and how did I get through so many years (decades!) without them? I dunno.

I needed a new wipes box. My old one finally fell apart. I found this one at Gabriel Brothers for ¢90. They also had blue and yellow. It had a sticker on it that was easily removed, leaving a blank canvas for my own stickers. I made the stripe using printed tape. It's like Scotch tape. I then used a bunch of scrapbooking stickers that I had lying around to decorate the case.

Even if you don't carry around wipes yourself, this could be a cute idea for someone you know who's expecting.

And speaking of expecting, expect more crafty things out of me in the future. Did I mention how much I missed it? ;-)

Love,

Review: Benefit They're Real Push-Up Liner

Freebie!

Fun fact: Magazines in Ireland (and the U.K) tend to come with freebies! I know! So, I was browsing the racks at Eason in Killarney, Ireland and came across this little gem. Elle had included a sample size of Benefit's They're Real Push-Up Liner! Woot! Woot! I've been curious about this liner since it came out, but due to the mixed reviews I hadn't bought it. I was thrilled with the opportunity to try it.

This tiny package has enough for several uses, so I was able to give it a good try.

The tip is a flexible angled rubber.

The gel comes out strangely. It makes a bead on the tip rather than coming out evenly, which can be a mess. (And, yes, I followed the directions. I pushed up a small amount and wiped it off. It always beads up anyway.)

The formula is a bit too dry, so I was never able to achieve an even application. You see the big blob? Yeah, imagine that on your eyelid. The best luck I had applying this, I had to make a small pool of the liner on my hand and then dip the tip into it. I'd have to work with it a bit that way to warm it up to get it to go on my eye. When I take it straight to my eye from the applicator, it's a big honkin' mess. Straight up. I tried this twice and both times I had to go in with my beloved Jessie's Girl Liquid Liner to clean it up.

The good points: It's seriously black. The pigmentation is excellent. It lasts all day and was easy to remove with baby oil on a cotton ball. When I deliberately rubbed it kind of hard, it had a little flaking, but I was really, really going for it. It won't flake with normal use.

I'm so thankful I was able to try this before buying it. I've seen some people have great luck with it, but I wasn't able to get it to work well for me. If you're dead-set on using a gel liner, try Essence Gel Eyeliner with a small angled brush. Same matte highly-pigmented black, easier to use, much (much!) more cost effective.

Have you had a chance to try this out yet? How did it work for you?

Love,

November ipsy bag: Girl Meets Glitter

A+ for ipsy!

 Hi, all!
I'm just going to come right out and say it. This month's ipsy bag was amazing! There's not a dud in the group! Not one!

In no particular order (because I loved it all!), here's what I got:

Left to right: Temptu S/B Highlighter, Be a Bombshell Eye Base,
 J.Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint, Elizabeth Mott You're So Fine eyeliner

 1. J. Cat Beauty Wonder Lip Paint in WLP 111 Red Potion - This is a full size of J.Cat Beauty's answer to OCC Lip Tars. You need only the tiniest bit on a lip brush to give you a nearly matte berry lip that will last you most of the day. I did need to reapply in the evening after having applied it at 8 a.m. to begin with. One coat will give you a lovely matte(ish) winter berry shade, while two coats will give you deep, dark drama with a satin finish. The website features 18 different shades. (Value $4.99)

Perfect winter lips in a tube.

2. TEMPTU S/B Highlighter in Pink Pearl - This is a teeny-tiny-itsy-bitsy sample size, and you know what? I've used it a few times and you can't even tell there's anything taken out of the bottle. You really only need the smallest bit to give your cheekbones a gorgeous opalescent pearly highlight. It's very liquid, so you really have to be careful dispensing it. On me, it doesn't last all day, but while it's there it's amazing. (Full size value $27.50, Sample size value $2.75)

Shiny in a bottle

3. Marc Anthony Oil of Morocco Argan Oil Volume Shine Hairspray - Who doesn't love a good hairspray? Well, probably some people, but not me. It's a good hairspray with good things in it and missing some bad stuff. Can't ask more than that. (Full size value $8.29, Sample size value $1.38)

Perfect size for travelling!

4. Be A Bombshell Cosmetics Eye Base in Submissive - I used this as a base under powder eye shadows and it made the colors pop, it didn't crease, and it lasted all day. Perfect! (Value $14)

A pretty, warm bronze. Awesome for Autumn!

5. Elizabeth Mott you're so FINE Eyeliner in Glitterati - This is a gorgeous black liner with fine silver glitters. It doesn't give a super-dramatic glitter effect, so it doesn't look like you tried to wear a smashed disco ball on your face. It's pretty.

Aww, thanks, eyeliner! You're not so bad yourself.

 The brush is a classic liquid liner brush with a very fine tip. I'm awful at liquid liner, but I found this easy to use. (Value $17.99)

Yeah...my camera didn't want to focus on the brush, but you get the idea.

 6. The Bag - I really think the bags should get their own place on the list. This one is so stinkin' cute! It's a durable silver glitter (but still smooth) vinyl with hot pink zipper and *black liner. It's in conjunction with Forever 21. It's adorbz and I will love it forever and ever and call it Smooshie. Or not. Whatever. I really do love this bag.

Squee!

Inner liner and label of Smooshie

The grand total of my bag was $41.11 (plus Smooshie). That included three full-sized products. I'm thrilled and will get a ton of use out of everything. Ipsy is a subscription service for $10/month that sends you 4-5 products. Some are samples and some are full-sized. And it all comes in a reusable makeup bag. If you're interested, head on over to ipsy to find out more. Click here if you'd like to give me some points for signing up.

If you already subscribe, what did you get in your bag this month?

Love,


*edited for accuracy