I'm moving!

In an electronic way... I'm making the move back to WP. Join me at mahalmade.wordpress.com

Red velvet cake batter cookies - oh my!

One of the things I love to do is cook/bake. The downside of my love of baking is that my husband won't eat anything I bake unless it's a strictly chocolate brownie or chocolate chip cookie. How boring. But this time around, I wasn't going to sacrifice what I wanted to eat because I knew my husband wouldn't eat it-- in fact, I kind of took guilty advantage of it. On one of our weekly grocery runs, I had to pick up more sugar (I use morena sugar for baking) and the boxed cake mixes were screaming at me. Knowing I wouldn't be able to eat a whole cake by myself, I picked up a box anyway because I can atleast eat a bunch of cake batter cookies alone or they'd be easier to share... you know, if I wanted to. So into my cart a box of red velvet boxed cake mix went.

Anywho, here's the finished product of my kitchen madness:

Looks good, right? Even my daughter couldn't wait for them.

See the recipe after the jump!

Revlon Girly + Wet n Wild Flossy Flossy

I'm the type of person that has to get up and do something in the morning-- I can't just wake up and do nothing. So what else is there to do when the house is clean and breakfast is cooked? Go to Target! Oh, but I wanted to look at fabric at Joann, too, so go to Wal-Mart! The Wal-Mart just down the street from where I live is perhaps the most ghetto Wal-Mart I've ever been to so if I'm not in my parents' neck of the woods, I make the 11 mile trip to the nicer one out in Porter Ranch.

While browsing the cosmetics section, I saw the beautiful brightly lit one-side-of-the-aisle display of... dun dun dunnnn... nail polishes and nail products. It was pretty spectacular, even my daughter thought so.

They even had a couple of brands that I'd never seen before, and across from the display was good 'ol Revlon. With so many options I just couldn't choose! I kid you not, I spent atleast half an hour going from side-to-side picking up bottles, holding them up, looking up swatches of them online. People probably thought I was crazy! I was limiting myself to only one bottle. For about 10 minutes, I was down to Sally Hansen Snow Globe, Revlon Heavenly, and Revlon Girly. I really wanted a pretty polish with holographic glitter so I could use it whenever I wear one of my aurora borealis bracelets like this one but I couldn't pick between the two (Snow Globe and Heavenly) so I ended up going the other direction and picked up Girly. Girly is a pinkish milky base with royal purple and fuschia medium hex glitters and small pink, purple, and holo glitters. I couldn't wait to get home and try it out. I didn't get around to it until the evening though.

See my mani using Revlon Girly after the jump!

New Spring pieces

Our family room has been a mess as of late with all of my jewelry supplies hiding in corners, in entertainment centers, and behind baby walkers. I've got TONS of supplies waiting to be made into something so I finally put some of them to use over the last week. When I think "spring" I think of flirty girly colors, lots of pastels, and LOTS of bling!

Here are a couple of the pieces I managed to put together while watching two AH-mazing Lakers games the last few days (go Lakers!):

 Spring crystal trio necklace on gold chain

Amethyst fire agate double wrap silver chain bracelet

The little birds hanging out in the pictures are from Michaels. I've actually got three of them-- these two have cut outs on the sides, the third doesn't have cut outs but has pretty rhinestones on the wings of the bird. I fell in love with them when I first saw them and I knew they were coming home with me immediately. My daughter is OBSESSED with birds and always points them out to me, "Mom, oh, a bee!" She calls them bees. She calls most things by their first letters-- my purse is a "pee," her diaper is a "dee"... Naturally, when she saw these little guys, "Mom, oh, a bee!" If you love them as much as I do, try your local Michaels store. I got them a couple months ago, I think they're from one of the Spring collections. I saw them maybe a couple weeks ago and I'm pretty sure they were in the clearance section and they had other colors, too. So if you happen to still find any or if you bought them like I did, please share-- I'd love to see them.

Sinful Colors Spring 2013 Collection: Sugar Rush

As I mentioned in my last post, Walgreens had a great deal on Sinful Colors nailpolishes. They are $1.99 regular price but they had a coupon for $1.00 off. I didn't go wild but I did pick up a few on a couple trips I made last week. I picked up these pretties the first time:

Left to right: Unicorn, Orange Cream, Starfish, Sweet Tooth, and Candy Coated

Walgreens had the displays for their new Spring 2013 Collections, one of them was Sugar Rush which was pastel and bright eyecandy. I basically went pastel crazy =D.  All of these colors (with the exception of Starfish) are part of the Sugar Rush Collection. There were a couple others, Cotton Candy and Sweet Nothing, that I did not purchase because the colors didn't appeal to me. At the time. Watch, I'll end up purchasing them in a couple weeks when they're regular price. Doh.

Here are the colors swatched. Unicorn (which I read on Emi's blog is also a core shade) is a really pretty yellow in the bottle but for me it applied horribly. All of the swatches above are three coats and I couldn't get Unicorn to full opacity with three. Maybe it's just me but it wasn't really my cup o' tea. I wasn't too crazy about how the color looked on me either. I'll still keep the color and use it just in my nail designs.

Of the five colors I picked up, my favorites are Orange Cream and Candy Coated. I also have Hazard from Sinful Colors which is a more bold orange/coral color but Orange Cream is just right on me. Candy Coated reminded me of Revlon's Enchanting when I saw the bottle in the store but I decided to purchase it anyway and I'm really glad that I did. Again, it's a great formula but it doesn't have the slight shimmer that Enchanting has and it's more on the blueish lavender side. To be honest, I actually like Candy Coated better and it helps that it's cheaper, too ;).

So those are what I picked up on my first trip, I'll be back later to show you a few I picked up the second time around. Did you take advantage of the $0.99 Sinful Colors polishes at Walgreens last week or do you have any of the Sugar Rush Collection? Which one(s) is your favorite?

Stripes, spots, and flowers

I've been obsessing over floral and polka dot nails lately, you know, ever since I learned how to do them. In between scrubbing the heck out of the grout in our master bathroom, watching the Laker game, washing three loads of laundry, and prepping dinners for the week, I managed to sit down and do my nails... right before I washed the dishes. I messed up my tips a little in case you couldn't tell which I'm sure you can. Note to self: be sure my nails are COMPLETELY dry before doing dishes. 

Left to Right: Kiss in White, Revlon in Eclectic, Finger Paints in Don't make a Scene, Sinful Colors in Starfish, Sinful Colors in Candy Coated, and Sally Hansen in Golden-I

Last week, Walgreens had a great sale on Sinful Colors nail polish (only 99 cents each!) so I made a couple trips to pick some up, including a few from the Spring 2013 Collections Sugar Rush and Almost Famous. I'll be back a little later to share which of those I got (one of them was used in this nail look).

Happy Monday!

Today's accesssories - H&M scarf + armcandy

Today's accessories =).

People that know me know how much I love scarves! I wear them all year round-- winter, spring, summer, and fall. I have a tendency to purchase oblong scarves more than any other cut. Square scarves make me feel like a cowboy when I wear them. Infinity scarves aren't as versatile. If I'm in the mood for an "infinity" scarf, I'll simply take an oblong scarf and tie the two ends together because I like the look of the knot. It adds a little more oomph. But I broke my oblong-scarves-only rule when I found this beauty.

I got this about a couple years ago from H&M (I LOVE H&M scarves!). It's a square scarf but it's HUGE. It is 54"x54" which is larger than a lot of other square scarves I've seen. I can tie the ends together without looking like a cowboy and I get a really nice drape from it. The fabric is thin (you can see through it) and it tends to stick to itself-- all the fabric softner and static remover sheets in the world couldn't help it-- but I love it.

The pattern and colors on the scarf were the thing that first caught my attention though (the size of it was an added plus). There's pale orange, burnt orange, eggplant, royal purple, light gray, dark gray, and pink and the interesting design brings them all together perfectly. 

So since it's chilly but sunny in L.A. today, I decided to wear my lovely scarf along with my light pink/vitrail light crystal & gold chain and brown leather & gold bracelets which I made. You can get your own crystal bracelet here.

Floral, polka dot, & glitter nails

What can all of these polishes, a bobby pin, and a few teeny tiny pearl cabochons do for you?

Left to right: Sally Hansen Bubble Gum Pink, Wet n Wild Undercover, Finger Paints Don't Make a Scene, Wet n Wild French White Creme, Maybelline Green With Envy, Sinful Colors Mint Apple, Sally Hansen Green With Envy, and Kiss Black.

This. Don't mind the cuticles (as usual).

This was my first attempt at nail art, not just adding some glitter on my nails. Well, okay, I did that on one nail one and a half nails. I was always so intimated by painting designs on my nails whenever I looked at pictures but I was so surprised at how easy this really was. Originally, the design didn't have the pearl cabochons or black centers but I decided they needed a little extra oomph! so this happened.

 I'm pleased with how it turned out but I don't expect to turn into nail artist pro overnight.

As usual, my cuticles are pretty crappy. One of these days I'll get into caring for them. One of these days... Do you have any products that you would recommend? What's your routine?

This week, I'm linking up to:

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February Ipsy Glambag

For months, I debated whether or not to sign up for Birchbox, which is a monthly beauty subscription. Then while browsing Instagram I saw a few pictures from people who had received their monthly beauty subscriptions and it included a gorgeous black and white chevron makeup bag with red details. But it wasn't Birchbox. It was from Ipsy. So, again, I sat on my butt for a few days before I bit the bullet and signed up. It's $10 a month which includes shipping ($10 + tax in atleast CA now). It includes a makeup bag and beauty samples that follow a specific theme. I got by first bag in December.

It's now February and I received my glambag themed Red Carpet Ready. The makeup bag is a simple, shiny, black vinyl pouch with a red lining. The bag smells exactly like a beach ball, plastic-y and very cheap.

 

Here is what I received in my glambag.

Take a closer look at what I received after the jump!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Whether you celebrate it or not, Happy Valentine's Day!

My husband and I usually don't do anything for this "holiday"... but it doesn't mean I can't indulge in all the cutesy, pink and red, heart-shaped stuff that's out there. I'll admit, I'm not much of a fan of Krispy Kreme donuts-- they are WAY too sweet for me. But, come on, heart-shaped donuts with pink, red, and white sprinkles? No way I'm turning these down!

Also updated my nails. I'm wearing two coats of L'oreal Penthouse pink, one coat of Flossy flossy, a thin layer of a Wet n Wild white polish on my tips, and a teeny, tiny heart on my ring finger in Wet n Wild Undercover that you can barely see. 

Speaking of Flossy flossy, remember my first review about it and how I'd say I'd probably buy another bottle or two? And how I also mentioned Jewelry Heist? Um..... yeah. This happened.

What can I say, when I like something, I reeeeally like it. I did a quick swatch of Spoiled's Jewelry Heist and compared it to Flossy flossy. While it looks similar, the two aren't exactly the same. Flossy Flossy doesn't have the blue microglitter that Jewelry Heist has. The small glitter in JH are also more on the iridescent side than in FF. I didn't see much of (if any) of the medium gold hexagon glitter either. Those weren't too big of an issue for me. The deal breaker for me, though, is that JH isn't as densely packed with glitter as FF is. So the winner here for me? Flossy flossy. 

Review: Revlon Enchanting

Whenever I don't know what color to paint my nails, my go-to color is usually purple and Sally Hansen's Insta-Dri in Lively lilac. Well, my Lively lilac has... dried out?

Over the weekend, I also picked up a Revlon polish in the color Enchanting (buy 1 get 1 50% off!) which is the first Revlon polish I've owned. I used them before when I was much younger. This was before I bought nail polish and I used whatever my mom had which basically consisted of reds, pinks, and clear coats.

The bottle is definitely pretty. Simple with a black brush handle and gold trim. Something about gold that gets me every time. Anywho, my last mani looked like my base color was cracking so it was time to switch up the nails. After about half an hour of trying to figure out what color to use, I remembered that I had this little baby and put it to work.

It's a reeeeally pretty deep lavender color. Lively lilac is more pink toned so it's a nice change. The Revlon Enchanting went on so smooth, I was actually really surprised. When first applied, there was a slight somewhat pinkish shimmer to it but looking at the color now that it has dried, it's a nice smooth creme. This took me two coats for full opacity-- I tend to use thin coats so some of you may be able to even get away with just one.

Don't mind my crappy cuticles-- I suck at them. This is with one coat of Wet n Wild's Fergie Collection glitter in Glamorous which is a clear base filled with medium gold hexagon glitter and tiny gold square glitters. And just for kicks, here's a picture of my nails and my breakfast-- I love these little manzano bananas! I added a really thin coat of Flossy flossy (have I mentioned how much I love that polish yet?). This also gives another view of the color under bright lights. I'll take an outdoor picture when the sun comes out =).

Would I buy this again? Absolutely. I'm sorry, Lively lilac, but you've been replaced.

Valentine's Day crafting

My favorite holidays in no specific order are the 4th of July, Christmas, and Valentine's Day. Not because of all the gifts (um, giving fireworks as gifts?) but because I'm obsessed with lights and cutesy decorations. And water fountains. And things that shine/sparkle. But that's beyond the point :). So after the Christmas and New Year's festivities were over I started planning K's Valentine's Day goodies for her to bring to school. I love the idea of unique, handmade valentines and not just the cookie cutter kinds you find at stores with a card and a piece of candy, though I know they've gotten a little better since I was in grade school.

I didn't want K to pass out sugar to the other kiddos at school-- I'm sure they'd get enough candy from everyone else anyway. For my brother and sister-in-law's baby shower last year, I decorated bubble wands as the party favors and I had a few extra so I figured I'd decorate them for Valentine's Day. Well, me and arts & crafts stores have this bond, a bond that makes me buy crap I really don't need. What did I buy that I didn't need? Bubble wands *le sigh*. They weren't just any bubble wands-- they were packs of red, pink, bubble, and yellow bubble wands with a heart on the top. Come on people, a HEART! So I bought some.

Then I went to Target and, well you know, Target and I have a bond, too. (Note to self: stop bonding with stores that always have cute stuff). Killing time, K and I stopped by the holiday corner to look for something for her teacher, maybe a bigger bubble wand. We didn't find any big bubble wands but I spotted lollipops in really cute packaging. They were heart shaped and guess what colors they were? Red, pink, blue, and... purple. No yellow pops. I bought a few bags and figured I'd attach them to the bubble wands. I apologize ahead of time to the other parents at the school for joining in loading their kids up with sugar.

I got home and started crafting away! Sorry, I didn't take any pictures of the process. I taped a lollipop to each bubble wand. Then I made some simple tags on my computer and printed them out on pink cardstock and attached them to the wand with ribbon. And that was it! Super simple and super cute!

K had fun matching the lollipop colors with the bubbles but got a little confused with the purple pops. "Mom?" she'd say whenever she had a purple lollipop that didn't have a matching bubble. My initial plan was to just keep the purple pops and hope I'd find a use for yellow bubbles but then it hit me-- Lakers! And so the purple pop stuck to the yellow bubble wand and they lived happily ever after.

Intro + Wet n Wild Fergie Collection - Flossy flossy

You know that feeling you get when you try to do something you've done in the past but then you try to get back into it? That awkward feeling? Totally feeling that way right now. Long story short, I used to blog ALL. THE. TIME. circa 2001-2005. Nothing really of substance-- mostly what I did that day, how I felt, how dumb boys were, and sharing 272 pictures of myself via webcam. Hey, one misplaced hair really does make a difference. Things haven't changed TOO much. I'll spare you the details of my life because I want to share something I found that I am totally IN LOVE with.

The Wet n Wild Fergie Collection has been around for a little while now and previously the only thing that I bothered to purchase that I had to have was Glamorous, a clear base nail polish with gold glitters. The hubby and I stopped by CVS on the way home from stuffing ourselves with AYCE sushi for dinner yesterday because I wanted to pick up the Essence of Beauty precision blender sponge (I'll write about that after I get some use out of it). Naturally, I had to detour through the nail polish and I found the Fergie Collection display hiding at the end of an aisle. The $3.49 price tag made me squirm a little. I know, it isn't THAT much but when I'm used to Wet n Wild being $1-2, I tend to react. Anywho, one bottle of gorgeous glitter caught my eye.

Flossy flossy is a clear base nail polish with gold and pink/rose gold hex glitters and tiny multi colored hex glitters-- I can catch glimpses of purple, teal, green, silver, and an orange/red. I was so excited to try it when I got home that I just put it on over whatever polish I was already wearing.

This is two coats of Flossy flossy over two coats of WnW Undercover which is a mauve color. Here it is with a white base + one coat Flossy flossy + one coat Sally Hansen PinkSlip + one coat Flossy flossy + one coat Revlon quick dry topcoat. First photo- indoors; second photo- outdoors in sunlight; third photo- outdoors in shade.

The glitter polish applied smooth, took a little of coaxing to get the glitter distributed well enough but overall I'm very pleased with it.

Would I buy this again? Yes. As a matter of fact, I will probably buy another bottle (or two) next time I go to CVS so I've got enough to last me a while.

Edit: I just did a Google search and I found a couple blogs (here and here) that Flossy flossy is the same as the Spoiled polish Jewelry Heist. Save $1.50? I'm all for it!