Friday, December 13, 2013

DIY Sparkly Reindeer Crunch!

This post is PERFECT for those of you with kids in your life, whether your a mommy, dad, babysitter, nanny, sibling, anything!
I remember doing this when I was a kid and it being so much fun! But this year, my mom had the great idea (gotta give credit where credit is due) to make a special "reindeer crunch" for the kids I work with.

Basically all this Reindeer Crunch is is smashed up cereal with glitter and a Jingle Bell. And let me tell you, yesterday I gave the kids a handful of small gifts including cookies and ornaments, but nothing compared to their special Reindeer Crunch!
So lets get started! The best part? You'll be done in 5 minutes!
Things You'll Need:
A few handfuls of Frosted Mini Wheat Cereal (or honestly, whatever you have on hand)
Some Red and Green Glitter
A Jingle Bell
A Plastic Bag
A Ribbon

Step 1: Take your plastic bag and crumble up some of the Cereal into the bag. You can crumble as much or as little as you want.
Step 2: Add in some glitter! We used red and green but feel free to use any colors you think your kids will enjoy!
Step 3: In the bag, add in the Jingle Bell. Mainly for Decoration, but of course there is a reason in the story (you'll see in a little bit!)
Step 4: Tie the bag tightly with a ribbon and tell your little "holiday helpers" this...

"To help Santa find his way to your house, sprinkle this special Sparkly Reindeer Crunch" on your front lawn on Christmas Eve Night, just before you go to bed. The glitter will sparkle so brightly that it will catch Santa's Reindeer's eyes while they're flying high in the sky. While Santa is giving you all your presents, they can crunch on their special Reindeer Crunch! The Jingle Bell is very important, it's to help you remember to put it on the lawn on Christmas eve. Santa is going to be so pleased that you were thoughtful enough to give his reindeer such a yummy snack that maybe he'll give you some extra special gifts!"

This could be fun to do with your kids, or just to give to them. We are keeping ours tucked into the Christmas tree so that we won't forget and so that we can tell everyone that looks at our tree what it is. Room moms: this is a super simple class gift to give each of the students! And if you're clever enough, you can even write a cute story on a little tag and tie it to the ribbons.
This is just a jumping off point, get creative with it! The kids in your life will love it and maybe it will even become a family tradition!

Hoping your Holiday Season has been bright thus far! 

Saturday, December 7, 2013

November Favorites! 2013

Hey Everybody! Just uploaded my November Favorites! Man oh man, I have sooo many great lip products to share with you! I was also house sitting when I filmed this so I apologize for the dog's jingling collar, he wouldn't stop scratching his neck. 






Favorites
Face
Lancome Teint Miracle Foundation (N Bisque)
Maybelline Age Rewind Eraser (Light)
Bobbi Brown Concealer Stick (ivory 01)
Nars Blush in "Sin"
Eyes
Avon Mega Effects Mascara
CoverGirl Lash Blast Fusion Mascara
Skin
Glam Glow Youthful Tingling Exfoliant Face Mask
Lip 
Soap and Glory "Great Kisser" Lip Balm
Milani "Chilled Brandy" Lipstick
Milani "Sangria" Lipstick
Milani "Uptown Mauve" Lipstick
Mac "Nightmoth" Lipliner
Mac "Rebel" Lipstick
Mac "Diva" Lipstick
Mac "Plink" Lipstick
Covergirl Outlast "Tempt" Lipstick
Random
Casey Homes (itsbl0ndie) on Youtube
1D Day
One Direction Midnight Memories Album

Thursday, December 5, 2013

Deep Burgundy Lips--Four Fun Picks!


Hey guys! I finally have a new beauty post to get up. This was hard because I had a couple I wanted to pick up and buy but I couldn't because I was participating in "No-Buy November". But, now that it is December, I have FOUR really fun deep lip colors for you guys to try out!

Deep, red/plum lips are really in this season and I think they are really wearable and anyone could pull them off. Just be brave and commit, I think you'll be happy with the results! 
In general, I'm a huge fan of red lipstick but something about burgundy, wine, and plum colored lipsticks is just so perfect...save those candy apple red lipsticks for Christmas to make a statement! 

This is the shade "Rebel" by Mac. This is like a cult favorite--everyone loves it and I am no exception. It leans towards the purple side of burgundy but is really versitile. If you use a lipliner, it can really transform the color. Worn lightly, it appears as a lipstain, but the coverage can be built up. This has been a favorite for 2 fall seasons now!

A nearly exact drugstore dupe for "Rebel" (dupe alert, dupe alert) is Milani's lipstick in the color "Sangria". I think the pictures speak for themselves; these two shades are definitely twins! Milani makes my favorite drugstore lipstick, I think that they are great, smell good, and are really comfortable. 

Above is "Diva" by Mac. I love this deep, vixen-y red color. Here I wore it alone, but over a lipliner (a personal favorite being "Nightmoth" by Mac), it takes on a whole new level of vampyness. I absolutely adore this shade. Don't be taken back by the "matte" label on it either, this particular shade is very comfortable on the lips. I highly recommend this to those who want a red but are a little nervous to go bright red. This is a good medium blue-toned shade. 

Last but certainly not least is my new FAVORITE lipstick. I adore this shade so much. This is Milani's "Chilled Brandy" lipstick. Oh my goodness. I wasn't expecting to like this at all because it is shimmery and I haven't had much good luck with Mac's shimmery line (the "Frost" finish lipsticks). This shade has absolutely blown my mind. I have reached for this everyday since I've bought it. It is a deep red color with a gold sheen in it and it literally looks like a Christmas ornimant. It's drop dead gorgeous and extremely wearable. I think this may be the most wearable red I have ever found (and trust me, I have bought a LOT of red lipsticks).

I hope you guys found this helpful and will go out and try a new shade of lipstick! It can be really fun stepping outside of your box and trying out something you haven't before, especially around the holiday's when you have fun events to go to and lots of people to impress.