BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Gloss Review

Lip gloss has always been one of those product that I love and loath at the same time. I love the way it look, not the way it feels, and lets face it there will never be a lip gloss that you hair doesn't get stuck in.
It was love at first wear for me with these buttercream glosses, they are without a doubt the best I have ever come across.

I picked these up at TJ Maxx for $3.99 apiece, and I got them in the shades Sassy Sorbet (right) and Perky Peony(left)
The packaging of these glosses is quite simple and solid, the tube is a very heavy plastic, almost feels like glass. The gold writing on the tube seems to be staying in place quite well, I have had these for a little more then a month and have noticed no wearing away.
As for the product its self! It is a very thick creamy gloss, it doesn't feel sticky or super gooey, but it does have a soft glossy feel. Its actuley really hard to describe these to you, its like their glossy but not glossy all at the same time.
Perky Peony is a light muted pink, this one is almost the same color as my lips.
Sassy Sorbet is a deeper darker shade, a little bit darker than my natural lip color.
There isn't a lot of difference in the shades themselves, but I have been reaching for Sassy Sorbet much more.

I love the formula of these glosses, and I would highly recommend them to anyone who loves the glossy look, but not the gooey texture.\
Anna.

Happy Thanksgiving Cookies

So, if you didn't know Thanksgiving is tomorrow, TOMORROW!
For the last five or six years we have had Thanksgiving at our house, but this year we are having it at my Grammies. Not having so much preparation to do has really made it sneak up on me.
I wanted to do something quick and easy, yet festive, and I think these cookies are perfect for a last minute Thanksgiving treat.

For the Cookies:

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

3/4 Cup Almond Meal

1 Teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1/2 Teaspoon Cinnamon

2 Sticks Salted Butter

1 1/2 Cups Sugar

2 Large Eggs

1 1/2 Teaspoons Vanilla

1/2 Teaspoons Almond Extract

In a large bowl whisk together the flour, almond meal, baking powder, and spices.

In large mixing bowl beat room temperature butter until smooth. Add the sugar, and beat until fluffy, about four minutes.

Add the eggs one at a time to the butter mixture, beating well after adding each egg.

Beat in the vanilla and the almond extract.

Slowly add the flour mixture to the butter mixture, mixing at a low speed until the flour is completely combined.

Form the dough into two sections and refrigerate for an hour.

Preheat the over to 350f.

Roll out the cookie dough to 1/4 inch thickness, and cut out the forms. I used cookie cutters I got at Walmart that are made Wilton.

Place the cookies on a cookie sheet about a inch apart( these don't raise much) and bake for about six minutes or until the cookies are set. I really wanted the cookies to be a little bit chewy so I didn't let them get golden.

Place cookies on a cooling rack, and cool completely before decorating.

Royal Icing

5 Egg Whites

1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla

4 Cups Powdered Sugar

Food coloring of your choice

In a large bowl, whisk together the egg whites and vanilla until frothy.

Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, whisking in after each addition.

If you want your icing to be really white you can add a couple of drops of lemon juice, but I skipped this because I am coloring my icing.
Now its time to ice!
I outline the shape I want the icing to be, let it set for a minute or so, and then fill it in with the same color.

The cookie, and the royal icing recipes originally come from The Nerdy Nummies cook book my lovely sister gave me for my birthday.
I had a lot of fun making these cookie, I don't feel like my  icing job came out that well but oh well. They taste good and look cute, so that's all that matters.
I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

November Favorites

I know everyone has been saying this, but isn't the year going awfully fast? It seems like it was just June and now here we are at the end of November.

 I know I didn't do a favorites post last month, but here I am with Novembers! I had a hard time narrowing it down to a reasonable amount of product this month, and come to think of it non of these are particularly seasonal.

Tarte Maracuja Lip Exfoliant

I love the packaging of this product, I almost think I will use it for something else when its empty.

This is a sugar scrub that contains bees wax, coconut oil and peppermint. This leaves my lips feeling so soft and smooth. I use this in the morning to prep my lips for whatever lipstick I decide to wear.

TonyMoly Pocket Bunny Moist Mist

I admit it! I bought this simply because it was adorable, really what other reason do I need?

I use this mainly on my no makeup of light makeup days, because the spray is quite strong and I'm afraid to mess up a full face of makeup. I love the way this mist smells, its a mix of strawberries and pineapples.
I will say that this was $15.00 in Ulta, and I later saw it on Amazon for around $7

The Body Shop Matte It Skin Primer

I had been told by a fellow beauty blogger that this primer was a dupe for the Smashbox Photoshop primer, and they were right! I do think this one is a bit thicker, but other than that I don't think there are a lot of differences.

Mary Kay Translucent Loose Powder

This was a gift, and the first sort of setting powder I have had, and I really like it. I love the matte finish this powder gives, it dose have a tendence to go everywhere, I don't know if that is a loose powder thing or if I am just messy(I'm just messy).

Younique Moodstruck 3D Fiber Lash Mascara

I got this in the beginning of October and I have been really loving it. You can read my full review Here. I had a bit of a hard time getting used to it but now I'm quite happy with it.

BareMinerals Marvelous Moxie Buttercream Lip Gloss

I have this in two colors one of which seems to have rolled off somewhere and I can't seem to find it.

This lip gloss really surprised me, It goes on beautifully, and isn't sticky.
I am hoping to have a full review of these up soon. This one is in the shade Perky Peony.

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Stockholm

I have talked about how much I love this lip cream in several different posts, and it remains one of my favorites for this time of year, and probably all year.

NYX High Definition Blush in Intuition

I picked up this blush when we were driving through New Jersey. I haven't used a lot of NYX products, but I'm super impressed with this one. The color payoff is amazing, and it has the tiniest bit of a shimmer to it.

Anjou Eucalyptus Essential Oil

There really isn't much to say about this, but it smells AMAZING! It is such a clean, refreshing smell, I find it quite relaxing.

Woods Of Windsor True Rose

I have always wished I could find a perfume that smelled just like roses, so when I wondered into my favorite British good shop and found this, I was super excited. It smells just like roses, its a very light scent and is very easy to wear.

Perky Peony, Stockholm, Intuition.

Well that's a round up of all of my November favorites.
Let me know what some of your favorites are this month, I always love hearing what you guys have been loving.

September Favorites

November Glam Bag: First Impressions

I got my November Ipsy glam bag this week!
The bag is so cute this month! If you read my review of lasts months glam bag you will know that I wasn't particularly fond of that last one. This one has constellations in the shapes of various makeup items, and the zipper has a little star on it.
Lasting Smiles organic lip balm. Lip balm is essential this time of year, so I'm never sorry to have a new one on hand. This one is pepper mint so it smells amazing, and a lovely feel on.
Plus every percuss from Lasting Smiles helps fund cleft surgeries for kids.
Absolute New York Matte Stick in Dark Red. I haven't used this because I never wear red lipstick, the two I have will probably last me a lifetime as it is. I will either give this to a friend or save it of a giveaway( Yes there will be a giveaway in the new year)
TheBalm Mad Lash mascara. I really like the wand on this mascara! When I first saw it I wasn't sure I would, but I have found it really easy to use. I am a bit on the fence about the mascara its self,  its a bit more of a messy look than I normally go for, but I'm still getting used to it.
Luxie beauty small duo fiber brush. I haven't used this one yet, but it looks really nice, and I love the rose gold on the handle.
Eyeko London Skinny liquid eyeliner in black. This has to be my favorite thing I received in this months bag. I have used one of Eyeko's other liners and I love that one as well. I have a hard time with eyeliner as a rule, so when I find one that I love it makes me really happy. This one is so easy to control and goes on beautifully.

Over all I was super happy with this months bag, and I can't wait for the next one.
I have decided that after next month I will be canceling my subscription and trying out something new.

Have you ever used a beauty subscription?
Which one would you recommend?
Have a wonderful weekend!
Anna.

ColourPop Ultra Matte Lip Review

 Look everybody, I'm outside!
It was such a lovely day when I was taking the pictures for this post that I decided to take them in the out of doors.
I don't think I am a negative person be nature, but if someone asked me to describe this lipstick in one word it would be disappointing. I was so hopeful for this product, I have heard a large number a great reviews and have had it recommended by lots of people. Maybe my hopes were to high, or maybe I just don't know liquid lipstick.

I love the color, it is perfect for this time of year, and it goes on really, but the problems start to raise their less than adorable heads.
Problem 1: As soon as it begins to dry my lips started to feel stiff, dry, and all round uncomfortable.
Problem 2: It sinks into every single little crack on the lips and makes them look wrinkly.
Problem 3: Almost as soon as these lipstick dries it starts to flack, to the point that when I let out a breath, or speak little bits of lipstick scatter into the wind.
Problem 4: It has amazing staying power! This may or may not be a problem for you, but it sure was for me. Once I realized that it was flaking, I decided to remove it, and unless you have a makeup remover on hand this is pretty much impossible, I scrubbed and scrubbed only to have sore red lips and all the makeup from my nose to my chin gone. Not the best look when you are out and about.

Just a little baby rant, nothing to worry about. Its not very often that I feel this strongly about a product. As I said a lot of people do really love this product, so this is just my opinion.

What are you thoughts on this lipstick?
What is your favorite liquid lipstick? I'm on the hunt and in need of some recommendations.
Anna.

Autumn Cupcakes

I am planning a large amount of Christmasy recipes for the next two months, so I thought I should do one more Autumn themed one.
I bought a set of owl themed cupcake decorations a couple of weeks ago and have been longing to use them, I know I wanted to make pumpkin cupcakes before Fall was completely over, so I thought I would kill two birds with one stone.

Can we take a moment to look at how adorable these are? Just look at the swirl! I actually spent time and effort to decorate these and I may be slightly proud of them.

Cupcakes:

1 Cup flour

1 Teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

1 Teaspoon Cinnamon

1/2 Teaspoon Nutmeg

1 Teaspoon baking powder

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1/2 Teaspoon cinnamon

15oz (one small can)  Pumpkin Puree

1/2 Cup Brown Sugar, packed

1/2 Cup Sugar

1/2 Cup Vegetable Oil

2 Eggs

In a large bowl mix together flour, spices, baking powder, and baking soda.
in a medium sized bowl whisk together the pumpkin puree, sugar, vegetable oil and eggs.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix together at a medium speed for about a minute, so its all combine but not over mixed.
Line muffin tin with whatever liners you have on hand.
Fill muffin cup 2/3 full.
Bake for 15-20 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.
Let the cupcakes cool completely before decorating.

Frosting:

8oz Cream Cheese

1/2 Cup Butter

1/2 Cup Shortening

1 Teaspoon Vanilla

4-6 Cups Powdered Sugar

In a large mixing bowl mix together the butter and shortening, add the cream cheese and vanilla, mix until well combined.
Slowly add the powdered sugar, and mix it in a little at a time( try not to over beat it because it can get a little gummy)
If it isn't a good texture for the kind of decorating you have in mind you can add a little milk or more powdered sugar depending on what you need.

I had so much fun making these! The cake its self was a little different then I was expecting, less pumpkiny and more like a spice cake, but it was still really yummy.
What is your favorite Autumn treat?
Am I the only one who thinks these owls are adorable?
Anna.

Lets Chat About: Lanocreme Bee Venom Face Mask

 I haven't done a Lets Chat post in SO LONG! I have really missed doing up one of these every couple of week, but to be honest I have a hard enough time getting two post up a week as it is(master procrastinator right here).
Anyway! I recently saw this Lanocreme Bee Venom face mask in TJMaxx, or TKMaxx depending on where you are from. I got this mask for $5.99 and on the Lanocreme website it is $35.00, so I feel like I got a pretty good deal.

 I freely admit to being completely terrified of this when I was about to use it for the first time, and with good reason(more on that in a minute)
I love the pot this mask comes in, It feels very well made and has an expensive feel to it, frosted glass always feels that way to me.

This product intrigued me for a number of different reasons, the first being that it said BEE VENOM in large friendly  letters, and the second being the Manuka honey. I have been trying to get more skincare products with Manuka honey in them a you can read more about it here.
As I said, I was a bit frightened to try this mask because of the warnings that go something like this,
WARNING!
Product causes stinging effect
Do NOT use if you have a bee allergy
NOT suitable for sensitive skin
Now I wouldn't say I have super sensitive skin, and I have never done the recommended spot test before using a mask, but I did for this one. I applied a small amount to the back of my hand, and it felt just like a thick face cream. When I applied it to my face was when the fun really began, it started with the burn, then the tingling, almost to the point where I wanted to take it off. I decided to leave it on for a full fifteen minutes, and when I removed it I was pleasantly surprised, there was no redness, itching, or any other signs of irritation. Instead me skin felt soft, moisturized, and a little bit tighter.
So all round this was a highly successful experiment. I have used this mask four time now and have had no problems with it, but if you do have really sensitive skin I would not recommend this to you.
One other nice thing about this is that a little goes a long way, as I said I have used this four times and I am hardly a quarter of the way through.

What is your opinion on this kind of face mask? Would you ever try it your self?
Please let me know your favorite mask too, I have been loving trying out new ones and I'm running out of good ideas.
Have a happy Monday!
Anna.