Girl Loves The Curl

Tuesday, December 4, 2012

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. by tiffanyfl26 featuring black scarves

Sunday, December 2, 2012

EOS Lip Balm Alice in Wonderland Set

For the Christmas, I bought someone a set of the EOS Alice in Wondrerland Collection of lip balms. I like the little Mickey Mouse profile as a silhouette by the opening. The flavors are Blueberry Potion (blue packaging), Sweet Vanilla (cream colored packaging), and Watermelon (red packaging). I have also bought a set for myself and I have tried them all. I like the vanilla one the best, but that's just my preference of tasting vanilla over fruit flavors. Don't get me wrong, they are all very good tasting. My second favorite is the blueberry and watermelon probably will be in the summer months. They moisturize like all the other EOS lip products do. Plus the fact that its an Alice in Wonderland Set makes it even better. I'm still hating myself for not purchasing the Urban Decay Alice in Wonderland Palette.

Here they are in their package:

There is the Mickey Mouse silhouette where you twist them open:

More pictures:

Opened

The bottom

Once you take them out of the packaging, the bottom of the box is adorable. It says "Very few things indeed were really impossible". I don't know if it says different things on different packages, but this is what I got. When my friend opens hers, well see if it says anything different. It is also written twice, once on top in English and once below in french. The writing on the back of the box is also in English and French. I love the little bottom part of the box. it fits perfectly on one of my shelves in my bathroom where I keep all my face products and night creams. I have also delegated a corner for all my lip balms now in this little box. It slants so the front of the box is is shorter than the back and has a little picture of Alice in a pattern around it.

How the box is angled

The inside

The back

My lip products storage for my bathroom:

That faded pink one is the strawberry flavored one that does not come in the Alice in Wonderland set.

Overall, I like the EOS lip balms. They are strictly purse balms and I can't carry them in my pocket or gym pants (Unfortunately, this is also where I need lip balm the most) because the packaging is so bulky and sticks out like crazy. Also you have to be careful putting the lid back on or you can jam it into the balm. I have done this several times with my strawberry one. I think these I will mostly use at night on my lips after I shower and scrub my face. I just use honey and plain white sugar to scrub my lips about every 3 days and then I will top them off with balm before I go to sleep. I really have to do this in the winter because they can crack and hurt if I don't. So these will be used for the top off balm after I exfoliate my lips and other than the bulkiness of the packaging, I think they moisturize very well. I highly recommend this set for anyone who is thinking about purchasing them.

Saturday, December 1, 2012

YSL Bag

YSL Bag by tiffanyfl26 featuring red lip makeup

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Low-Calorie Pumpkin Bread

I love the fall, except the cooler weather. There is nothing I can do about it, so I find what joys I can from it. It's still around 75-80 degrees during the day and 65-70 at night. I know, I'm a big wimp when it comes to cold weather. I don't think I could survive in the snow. One of the joys of the fall I like is pumpkin flavored foods. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin spice coffee, caramel macchiato coffee! I don't love what the full fat versions do to my waist line.

Starbucks Tall Caramel Macchiato: 254 Calories

Starbucks Pumpkin Loaf (1 Slice): 390 Calories

Totaling: 644 Calories. I am So Sick of doing this after the holidays!

I was looking around on Pinterest and I saw a recipe for a low calorie pumpkin bread. I though I might try it. The recipe says the loaf makes 12 slices and it does. Per slice is 228 calories for this recipe. That's a lot lower than 390! I left out the pumpkin seeds and nuts. When I checked it against my fitness pal, each slice this way has 170 calories. Another big difference. I've been eating this with my Caramel Macchiato Iced Coffee that has 105 calories and I really don't know the difference between the full fat and this. Now, it's not exactly the same tasting, but I like it because it's texture is alot less greasy. It's still dense like the full fat loaves and moist. With my big iced coffee (It's great hot too) and a slice of this, the total calories come to 275. That's a savings of almost 400 calories from Starbucks version!!! That's a whole meal. I have had this every day for the 2 weeks and the numbers on the scale haven't moved. I still hate the cold weather, but I can at least still keep my comforts that help me get through it. This is the recipe:

Reduced Calorie Pumpkin Bread

Ingredients:

Cooking Spray
3/4 cup spelt flour
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup soy flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 tsp table salt
2 eggs, large
1 cup pumpkin puree
1/3 cup honey
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup brown sugar Splenda, packed
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 Tablespoons unsalted pumpkin seeds

I pre-heated the oven to 350 degrees just like it stated and used 1 8x4 loaf pan. I sprayed the pan with cooking spray. I mixed all of the dry ingredients in one bowl and mixed the wet ingredients in another. After I stirred both really well, I added the dry ingredients into the wet about 1/2 cup amount at a time will it was all well mixed. I then poured the mix into my loaf pan and set the timer for 30 minutes. I though this would be a good point to check for doneness. Sometimes my cooking times vary greatly when I find recipes on the web I think due to the climate. This is about at 15 minutes (I had to peek).

The picture is fuzzy, I just took it quickly to show a friend in a text. The total time took 38 minutes total with looking to test about 3 times. I'm not much of a baker and I'm watching and timing how things look at certain times so I can learn. I'm so proud of myself for this one. I made bread, be it not a yeast bread yet , but I'm working on a whole wheat, rye, and soy flower bread with carrots and sunflower seeds to replace my ridiculously expensive bread I like from Whole Foods for breakfast in the morning. This is how it looked in the end. Sometimes I will spread some of my smart Balance Light Spread on top of it. adds a few more calories, but it ups the yumminess factor. I put on about a teaspoon. This is the end result with my coffee (and a bite missing =)

Overall this recipe is a keeper to me. On the site it says you can leave out the honey to save 51 calories per slice, but I think adding honey to breads makes them taste so much better and help the ingredients stay together better. Sometime the bread can be a little think which means you will have crumbly bread in this case. I think it out with a little vanilla soy milk. They make fairly large slices and 2 on the end were sorta smaller than the others because I didn't measure it to slice it. I just count up the sides 12 spaces and get a rough idea how big each slice should be. It think it's a substantial snack and eat it in the late afternoon with my almond milk iced coffee. It's very filling and I have no problem lasting till my night meal with no in between hunger. It's a real treat during the autumn months.

Thursday, November 22, 2012

Miranda Kerr Winter Style

Another Great Style from Miranda Kerr

Another look I love from Miranda Kerr. So classy and chic. Very simple. She is one celebrity that I often like to watch for styles. There have only been a handful from her where I was like....what were you thinking?!?! I also love the fact that she's on her way to her doctors office.

These are similar looks for way less than the dress she has on. Hers is from Alexander Wang. The middle style look similar and still very classy.

I haven't seen any pictures where she doesn't have the sunglasses on so I can't see wheat Eye makeup she is wearing. I have seen this one where she has what looks like a standard face of foundation, concealer, and powder. Very simple my lips but better lip color. It might be the colder air, but she might be wearing a little bit of pink blush also.

I don't think I would attempt the over the knee boots. Maybe a pair of calf high boots or ankle booties. Looks like she's wearing classic RayBan black sunglasses and a black bag. Another reason I like to watch her style:

She also wears items in her personal wardrobe more than once.

Baked Asparagus "Fries"

Ingredients:

Asparagus, however much you like (16 Medium Spears = about

a pound

1 teaspoon olive oil per pound of asparagus

Sea salt, to taste.

How to make it:

Cut off woody end of asparagus (hold below blossom and end of stalk and bend the stalk gently as if folding, discard the cut end).

Line a pan with foil and pre-heat broiler

Lay out the asparagus in a line on the lined pan and sprinkle with olive oil first , rolling it around to coat it ebenly, then flake with sea salt.

Broil for 7-9 minutes, very close to the broiler coil then turn the asparagus over and broil for another 3-5 minutes (time depends on thickness of the stalk).

Eat with fingers

     Nutrition Information

     For About 1 bunch of Medium spears trimmed:

     Calories:     92 kcals
     Fat:             5g
     Carbs:         10g
     Protein:      6g

Saturday, November 10, 2012

Gym

Gym by tiffanyfl26 featuring bcbg max azria

Sunday, October 21, 2012

Autumn

Autumn by tiffanyfl26 featuring a linea

Animal Print at the Gym II

Animal Print at the Gym II by tiffanyfl26 featuring white gold diamond earrings

Lovely

golden by fluffof5 featuring two tone earrings

Saturday, October 20, 2012

TKB Trading Haul #1

These are old posts from my old blog to the new. This one was from back in October of 2010!

I had to keep it. It was my first TKB Trading order. I've purchased more TKB Trading pigments since 2012...haha...so a TKB Trading Pigment Collection Post is in works for the future. I have some other eyeshadows I have made posts about too. Check them out under: Archives --> Makeup

This is the old post:

I finally decided to try some of the mica's from TKB Trading. I thought it might be fun to mix my own eyeshadow and boy was I right! I bought a few fillers and some colored mica's. I took some photos of swatches with the colors I bought:

(Left to Right)

Sparkle White and Travels to Pluto

Sparkle White is a very light mica, very airy I guess I would say. Here in the picture, I applied it very thick so it will show in the picture. I sometimes in the winter do a grey and black Smokey eye and this would be pretty for the highlight- it's like glistening snow. I don't have the pleasure of snow where I live but I have been able to visit it once. Applied lightly, it gives a white kinda glistening appearance. Not like glitter but shimmery with little shimmers. It has a slight silver tone to it when applied lightly (very slight) and more silver tone with a thinker application. I like the fact that it's shiny and glimmery but not "glittery". It's a cool tone and the overall appearance on my medium yellow toned skin tones it down slightly without me looking washed out. Gorgeous!

Travel to Pluto is one from their "travels to" collections. This one is interesting. It looks in the container to have a very slight pinky tinge to it. It looks bright, glimmery white and when I swatched it and looked straight down it was white with a greenish slightly blue tint. When I looked at it from the side angle, the green sheen "traveled to" a soft pink iridescence. It's iridescent and not a complete color change as it looks white at whatever angle but it has a different sheen at different angles. I don't know what I'm going to do with this one. I might mix it with some of the colors I bought to see what comes out. I suspect it will lighten whatever color I'm using because it is so "think" white and not very, very sheer. I'm not sure so I have to try it and see what I get.

(Left to Right)

Apricot, Sparkle Rose, and Scorpio the Eighth

These are my more "pink" and "gold" colors I opted for. Apricot is a very light, peachy gold. It kinda has a very slight pinky color but I would say it is more peachy and definitely more of a gold color. When swatched either lightly or heavy this color has a golden slightly peach color. It's very light and very pretty! I think I'll use it as a highlight or mix it with other colors to lighten and have a gold-ish undertone.

Sparkle Rose is wow! It's on the darker pink side- like a blushy color. Would be beautiful in a mix for bronzer or blush. It's FDA approved for all applications and is also going to make a beautiful lip color. I'll mix it in eyeshadows too. This one is definitely more of a pinky, peachy, golden color. Applied lightly it's gorgeous for eyes as the pink is not as dark as it looks in the bottle. I'll buy this one again when it runs out, very versatile color.

Scorpio the Eighth is an interesting one. It looks kinda pink/mauve in the bottle and when it's swatched fairly thickly. Then as it thins out it has a slightly light reddish orangey tint to it. When it's thinly applied it has a shimmery violet fuchsia like color with hints of peachy orange and red. Very interesting indeed. This one I think (and I'm not sure- I haven't researched all that well as to what the difference between micas and iron oxides are and what effects they have on skin) might have a bit more iron oxide in it as it- I wouldn't say "stain"- kinda leaves a dark color under the shimmer. I washed my arm after I did the swatches with soap and water the Apricot and Sparkle Rose washed right off where this one I had to scrub it a little bit- not alot but I had to put more arm power in it where it wasn't harsh. This is very pretty and an interesting one indeed.

(Left to Right)

Glimmer Beige, Australian Amber, and Gold Reflects

Glimmer Beige is absolutely Gorgeous! (So is Australian Amber) It is a light browny color with gold overtone. I'm going to try to add this to nail polish! Gap made a nail polish a few years ago that I wish I bought in bulk and stored in the back of the fridge called Sandstone. They stopped making it and I dragged my bottle out as long as I could. It was a neutral brown/gold colorthat was absolutely fantastic on my skin. It's one that when I put it on, my hands and feet like almost instantly looked tanner. It was a subtle brown with a golden tone to it. This very much resembles it. Thinly swatched it has more of a gold color than brown but with a slightly heavier hand it has that slight brown to it. More on the sparkly side I would say than shimmery. You definitely sparkle when the afternoon sun hits it. I might add some to a small amount of body lotion to put on after a day at the beach. Very Pretty- on my reorder list- probably forever!

Australian Amber is another one I just fell in love with. It has the same golden glimmery effect like the Glimmer Beige does but the brown is more pronounced. It my picture it looks really brown but applied lighter it's softer in brown color. It's like glimmery cappuccino throft. Very nice neutral glimmery brown.

The last one in this set is Gold Reflects. I thought it might add more glimmer than glitter to some of my matte eyeshadows and oxides I bought and it does just that. It's like Sparkle White as far as the consistency goes but a little more "airy". I opened the baggie and gold was wafting through the air. A slight breeze will send little specks in the air. I tried it mixed with a store bought mineral shadow I already have and it just completely brought it to life. One possible draw back though? It's very light and takes flight very easily and when I took off my makeup that night it seemed to be all gone. The next morning when I was driving,- I didn't put on eyeshadow that day- I looked at my eyes while the sun was shining in my face and WOW I was gold glittery. It made a nice look so I kept it there but it doesn’t seem like it's going to be easy to come off with just a swipe of eye makeup remover (Clinique Take Off The Day) and a light washing, this you might have to apply a little abrasion like a wash cloth to get it all off. Still it's pretty.

Last set of colors:

(Left to Right)

Swiss Chocolate, Cypress Green, Black Amethyst, and Patagonia Purple

These are darker colors for "Smokey Eyes". I have yet to find a shade of green and purple that I think look good on me. I have green eyes and all the green I try seem like it's "too much green" with my eyes and the purples that are popular are more for cooler skin tones or more than likely it's just me and think they are too bright- so I'm going to make my own and see if I can't be happy that way. Too bright green (like this one straight, I plan on mixing it) even if it mix it seems to look too "muddy" to me and doesn't give my eyes that "pop". I did mix a little purple with some darker colors and found an "eggplant" kind of shade that really helps my eyes stand out. I'll talk about that in a minute.

Swiss Chocolate is a very dark brown/dark bronze shimmery color. It's another really pretty one. I'll probably use this one by itself and mix it with other colors as well. Glimmery Espresso!

Cyprus Green. This green has Ferric Ferrocyanide in it. I looked it up because I was apprehensive to put anything with the word cyanide in it on my face. The FDA approves it for eyes, nails, face, ect. but Not On Lips. Evidently it's not good to ingest it directly by mouth. It's used to create "Persian Blue" in combination with Ferric Chloride, a popular dye in most cosmetics and other applications. It was evidently discovered by accident and was instantly popular as artists had yet to discover a really bright blue at the time this was discovered. It is also used as an antidote for certain heavy metal poisonings?!?! Well, who knew. But still don't put it in your mouth or around it. It still kinda bothers me, if I shouldn't put it around my mouth- why should I put it around my eyes? I'm not too sure about this one- but it is beautiful. What we women do in the name of beauty. Evidently it's safe everywhere but around or in your mouth. Bright green lipstick isn't for me anyway so I play with it, I don't think I'll wear it daily though. Alice's words from Disney's version of Alice in Wonderland swirl in my head "For if one drinks much from a bottle marked poison," . I think I'll have to take her very good advice she seldom listens to and only use this sparingly and only once in a while. Anyway, it's gorgeous! Forest Shimmer Green. I mixed it with some other colors and I'll put the picture below. I call it Green Sand Beach, Hawaii. That's what it reminds me of- the sand on this beach is a green color because of the chemicals in lava flowing into the ocean. The sand looks brownish green "olive green". Here is an example of the sand from Papakōlea Beach, Hawaii

Not my hands holding this beautiful sand

Black Amethyst is a pretty purple that reminds me of "eggplant" shades. It appears they have a dark undertone and the purple almost sits on top of it. This is a purple that does NOT have the Ferric Ferrocyanide in it and I feel better about it. Not as purple as:

Patagonia Purple is intense purple. not as bright as the Grape Pop they sell but it's still pretty bright (for me anyway). This purple is more of a true amethyst color- shimmery royal purple. Shimmer, Shimmer, Shimmer! It does contain Ferric Ferrocyanide so not on the lips. Oh, Alice will you stop sounding your voice of reason and safety in my ears. I got it- Not on my lips, use sparingly and only once in a while. Maybe it’s more of a violet color. I still think light royal purple. Anyhow- it's lovely.

I'll have to try some looks soon (Pictures Below with the Purple I mixed- I called it Haze), these are two I mixed on the fly just to see what I could make:

Same colors but sorta muted. Green Sand Beach, Hi and I don't know about the other one yet. I have to find something that’s as pretty and purple as this. TKB Micas Are Wonderful. They do give you a good lot and they sell tall profile jars to store them in but I opted out of that. They are $10.99 to ship 70 of them plus their cost of $40.00. I was going to go in halves with a friend but I found these. They are $8.99 not including the tax. I used a coupon for 40% off. There is 6.5% sales tax where I live so my final price for 12 jars was $5.75 including tax. Roughly $.49 a piece. They are made for bead storage and I shook the green to see how much would collect in the groves. It does but I wouldn’t say anymore than the 5g or 3g jars used for eyeshadows. And they have a clear case to keep them contained and not just loose containers in your container. I cut the label off the baggies that the micas came in and wiped off the backs. I laid them down flat and covered the top with a piece of clear shipping tape and trimmed it to where it would fit the side of the bottle. It’s not very eye appealing, but I’ll never remember what ingredients are in them and which purple has the Ferric Ferrocyanide in it.

That’s this round of TKB Trading pigments and micas. Shipping was $3.00 and I received it in about 4 days from the day I placed my order. I’m very pleased with TKB Trading and the micas they offer. I’m already planning another one! Thanks for looking and I hope this helps someone who wants to see pictures of TKB Trading's micas!

Addition 10/8/2010

Some pictures I took using Patagonia Purple I mixed with some of the other colors I bought. What should I name it? I added matte brown in my crease to blend it out and soften the edges. Maybe just Haze. And I should have put on mascara too =)

It's a light, almost dirty purple but the pictures don't do the shadow justice. It has little bits of gold sparks in it too.

10/20/2012:
I'll put up a post on my TKB Trading Pigments Collection that I have started since I first made this post soon.