Author: muffinchanel.com

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Starbucks Holiday Star Dash

If you have a Starbucks Rewards account, you may have been invited to participate in the Holiday Star Dash! Check by logging in to your My Starbucks Rewards and clicking “Join”

From now until December 3rd, you’ll accumulate stars (separate from the stars you already earn through My Starbucks Rewards) for every purchase. Earn 10 stars, you’ll receive a $5 eGift card; earn 16 Stars, earn a $10 eGift card! You’ll get an email with redemption instructions by December 11!

What a nice extra holiday treat, especially when you can earn that $10 eGift for just 16 stars instead of the 20 stars it was during the Fall Dash.

What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?

[polldaddy poll=7582717]

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Blog Lifestyle

Holiday Travel Essentials | Flying

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

With the holidays right around the corner, many people will be traveling to visit friends and family, or just going on a vacation. Whatever your reason, air travel may be in your near future.

Whenever I fly anywhere, I purpose to pack as lightly as possible. No one wants to lug three suitcases and two totes through the airport; trust me. So, unless you’re going to be away for more than two weeks, try to fit everything into one duffle/suitcase and one larger “carry-on”/purse. Winter time can be more difficult, since many of our sweaters and jackets are bulky, but if you wear or carry some of the larger items, you’ll be fine.

I actually carry on all of my luggage, rather than checking a bag. No one wants to stand around the luggage carrousel after a long flight, waiting to find her bag with the pink ribbon (Tip: always give your bag some kind of distinguishing characteristic if you are checking luggage to help you identify your bag quickly and easily!)

Once you’re on the plane, you’re ready to sit back and enjoy the flight! Here are my travel essentials for your trip:

Large Tote — Think “Weekender Bag”

This will be your go-to bag for all things travel. Big enough to hold all of your essentials, but small enough to slide underneath the seat. I like this handbag by Michael Kors.

Water

rei trader joes water bottles fruit bars muffinchanel

Fill your own water bottle once you are through airport security, or just buy a bottle from one of the many stores past the security gates.

It’s important to stay hydrated on the plane since the air can be very dry. Yes, the flight attendants will bring you a beverage and maybe a snack, but those cups are small and the attendants aren’t there to keep refilling your glass. So come prepared with your own water…

Snacks

…and your own snacks. Plane food isn’t the best especially if you are on a short flight. You won’t be served a meal and if you get a snack, it’ll be a little packet of trail mix or something of the like. That’s fine in a pinch, but I’m all about being prepared and eating more than 5 mini pretzels, so I like to bring fruit bars. The “this strawberry walks into a bar” kind from trader joes are my favorite.

Hand Sanitizer

Purell muffinchanel

Don’t want to eat with dirty hands, of course. But you also want to protect yourself from all the germs on the plane. Anytime you touch your face, eyes or mouth, you want your hands to be clean.

Neosporin

NEOSPORIN muffinchanel

This may sound gross, but it’s a travel pro tip — put a little neosporin on your pinky finger and line the inside of your nose with it. It’s your own personal barrier against breathing in those germs!

Continue reading “Holiday Travel Essentials | Flying”
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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora Haul | VIB Rouge

photo 2

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Sephora’s 20% off sale for VIB’s just ended. Being only $34 away from VIB Rouge, I decided it would be a good time to get a couple things I had my eye on, and tip my VIB status over to the next level.

muffinchanel sephora haul urban decay living proof, clarisonic vib rougeAfter a few recent hauls (HERE, HERE, and HERE), I was pretty set with everything I wanted. I did pick up a couple of items, got a free VIB tote and redeemed some of my Beauty Insider Points.

Clarisonic Brush Head Replacement – Sensitive





muffinchanel sephora haul urban decay living proof, clarisonic vib rougeI use the “Normal” brush head now on my Clarisonic Mia, which is nice, but I wanted to try a softer brush.

Living Proof Restore Repairing & Damage Reversing Travel Kit

muffinchanel sephora haul urban decay living proof, clarisonic vib rougeI’ve been looking for a new shampoo/conditioner since Garnier Fructis changed the formula on the Triple Nutrition line. :/ My hair isn’t damaged necessarily, but it will feel dry and frizzy, especially in the winter.

Urban Decay Essentials – 500 Point Perkmuffinchanel sephora haul urban decay living proof, clarisonic vib rouge

  • b6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray (0.5 oz)
  • All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (0.5 oz)
  • Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging (0.13 oz)
  • Eyeshadow Deluxe Sample in Mushroom (0.03 oz)

This perk seemed really nice. A deluxe sample shadow, eyeshadow primer and two mini facial prepping/setting sprays. I’ve never used the Urban Decay facial sprays, but they seem like a cool idea. And for free 500 points, it’s a nice way to try out a new product.

And *Drumroll*, the VIB Rouge Welcome Kit!





photo 3So exciting! It came with a mini lipstick designed by Bite exclusively for VIB Rouge members. I now get free shipping on all orders, free makeovers anytime, special surprise gifts, and invites to exclusive rouge events. Yay!

Check out my first VIB Rouge perk!!!

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Blog Health + Beauty Lifestyle

Lush Holiday Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Every year, Lush comes out with its holiday gift sets, bath bombs, bubble bars, and more. Some of the seasonal scents are less than magical for me, but there are a few that I really look forward to.

Golden Wondermuffinchanel lush holiday favorites

This bath bomb is huge! It’s $6.95 and shaped like a present with a white bow on top. I used this the other night and it smells lovely.

Christmas Eve
muffinchanel lush holiday favorites

My favorite Christmas themed bubble bar. Super relaxing; makes your water so silky and pretty blue.

Cinders

muffinchanel lush holiday favorites

You can’t go wrong with this yellow bomb at $4.95. With red “pop rocks?” inside, you’ll feel like you are sitting near a crackling fire with this cinnamon scented bomb.

Do you have any LUSH holiday recommendations? What are your favorites?

Check out my year round favorites HERE.

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Blog Health + Beauty

Training for a Half Marathon

nikerunning instagram werunsf muffinchanel training for a half marathon

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I follow NikeRunning on Instagram and a few weeks ago, I started seeing a lot about the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco #werunsf. How fun that would be — to run in San Francisco! I’ve always enjoyed running and have been running off and on for many years. I don’t know if I’d consider myself a “runner” though. A true runner is probably a lot more consistent than I am, but I always enjoy the occasional run.

But this marathon got me thinking — would I even be able to run for 13.1 miles? I’ve done a few 5K races here and there, but 3 miles and 13 miles are very different. When was the last time I ran for more than 3 miles in one run? And then it was decided — I needed to train for a half marathon.

I’m using my Fitbit Flex and my Nike+Running App to track my runs. Over the last five days, I ran 5 miles at 12’03″/mi; 3 miles at 12’03″/mi; and 1.5 miles at 9″51″/mi. I’ve found a few training plans online that I’ll modify and follow. My goal is to be able to run 13.1 miles straight by February! 

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Blog Health + Beauty

GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Review

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

There is a lot of hype around the GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD clearing treatment mask; I’ve heard everyone rave about it. I wanted to give it a try but at $69 a jar, I wanted to see if I could find a better deal.

muffinchanel glamglow supermud mask reviewYou can buy the mask from Amazon for $37! But it seemed a little too good to be true, so I opted to buy the mask from Sephora (still slowly working my way to VIB Rouge…). You can buy the single cleansing mask for $69 OR you can buy it in a couple of kits that have bonus gifts HERE for the same price. Obviously the gift set is the best value, but I still didn’t want to pay $69, so I used a gift card I had and a 20% friend and family coupon. I ended up paying about $30 which felt like an acceptable price for this “miracle mask”. But does the SUPERMUD live up to the hype?





muffinchanel glamglow supermud mask review1Packaging

This kit was packaged nicely in a pink box that showcased both the SUPERMUD (1.2oz) and the YOUTHMUD (.5oz) . The box does a jacob’s ladder kind of fold that inverts the box so that blue packaging is revealed. Kind of neat; I guess if you’re giving the mask as gift and want to “customize” the packaging.

muffinchanel glamglow supermud mask review 2The actual jars are heavy and have a quality feel. I opened both jars and the black jar was sealed with a foil, but the white jar didn’t have a seal. In fact, there was mud coming up around the edges a little bit too, as if it had been opened. I read online that others have gotten the mud without a seal too, so maybe the white jar doesn’t come sealed? :/ It seemed odd, but the box the jars were in was sealed and the jar seemed “full/unused” so I just went with it.

SUPERMUD

The mud is dark and has a slightly minty smell — minty like the goo they use to take a mold of your teeth at the dentist, not the good kind of minty like breath mints. It’s not awful; don’t worry. There are small chunks of green tea leaves in the mask and it’s slightly watery. I think this mask would dry out easily if left open for longer than necessary.




Application

muffinchanel glamglow supermud mask review 5I stirred up the mask with a plastic stick before using. I used a flat makeup brush to apply the mask, avoiding my lips and eye areas. Since the mask is kind of watery, I didn’t need to apply too much to get coverage. Plus, I didn’t want to waste any or use more than necessary, so I just painted on a thin layer.

Continue reading “GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Review”
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Blog Health + Beauty

10 Ways To Use | Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

There are so many ways to use Josie Maran’s 100% Pure Argan Oil. I received a small bottle of the jasmine infused argan oil last year and I loved it! This year, we got a huge MEGA bottle from QVC — 6oz.! Yay!

Continue reading “10 Ways To Use | Josie Maran 100% Pure Argan Oil”
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Blog Lifestyle

Top 10 – October Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

  • Oliver

oliver 1968 muffinchanelI love this movie and not just because I like musicals. This 1968 adaptation of Charles Dickens’ Oliver Twist is fun while touching on serious issues. If you haven’t seen the movie or read the book, I definitely recommend it. This used to be on Netflix, but they’ve taken it down since 🙁

  • Philip Glass

muffinchanel october favorites philip glass days and nights big sur californiaEarlier this month, we saw Philip Glass play at the Days and Nights Festival in Big Sur, California. It was a beautiful day and the festival was so much fun. If you aren’t familiar with Philip Glass, check out some of his solo piano HERE and HERE.

  • Josie Maran – Whipped Argan Oil

muffinchanel josie maran whipped argon oil best ever yay dry skinYou already know how amazing this has been for me! Of course I had to make it one of my October favorites 🙂

  • Josie Maran – 100% Pure Argan Oil

muffinchanel october favorites josie maran argan oilSo excited about this. Review HERE, but you can use this organic oil for so many things! It’s amazing and it is perfect for all skin types! 🙂 🙂 🙂 Historically, Argan oil has been used to treat acne, stretch marks and skin conditions like eczema and psoriasis!

  • Benefit – The POREfessional

muffinchanel october favorites the professional primer benefit cosmeticsI first got a sample of this with one of my Sephora purchases and I loved it. I recently picked up the full sized version, and I got a great deal! I use this on top of moisturizer but underneath foundation. It give a smooth canvas to apply your makeup and it reduced the appearance of pores — it’s gives an airbrushed effect.

  • Sephora by OPI – French Manicure Gel Nails

october favorites sephora by opi gel french muffinchanel

I love the classic look of a French manicure; it looks great with everything. This kit from Sephora is a great value with 2 full sized gel polishes, a detailing brush, and nail decals for just $29. I’ve only had this on my nails for 3 days, but the gel formula is amazing and will last up to two weeks. Super easy to apply and several colors to choose from in-store and online.

  • Pretty Little Liars

muffinchanel pllThis show makes me think of fall. I had a Netflix marathon last year in October and tried to keep up on the most recent season online. With the most recent Halloween special, I’m excited all over again to solve more of the mystery! Are you watching? Do you think Ezra is A?

  • GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD mask

muffinchanel october favorites glamglow glam glow face mud supermud tingling exfoliate clearing hollywood californiaI got this mask in a set in my last Sephora haul. I have used it twice and there is a full review HERE, but so far I really like it.

muffinchanel the plant organic cafe october favorites vegetarian lentils avocado beets mushrooms fries mixed greensmuffinchanel the plant organic cafe october favorites vegetarian lentils avocado beets mushrooms fries mixed greens 2This organic, vegetarian “burger” was awesome. With avocado and white cheddar, the lentils, mushrooms, beets, cashews & bulgar wheat pattie was delicious. It was served with a side of mixed greens, roasted potatoes, and pickles. Yum!

  • Watt’s Up – Benefit

october favorites watt's up benefit muffinchanelThis is my go-to highlighter for that gorgeous winter glow. I like the way the product glides on and it blends very easily with your fingers. The highlight is natural looking, but you can definitely see it. Perfect for holiday party time or year round.

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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora Haul – Almost VIB Rouge!

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Another Sephora Haul! Yay! I actually purchased these items over the course of a few weeks. I had two other Sephora gift cards and a 20% friends and family coupon to use and I got some great things! I am so close to VIB Rouge!

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour blush – Dazzled

muffinchanel sephora haul tarte amazonian clay blush dazzledI already showed a picture of this on Instagram. Instagram (Follow me! ❤) I love this color — sort of like a mauve-y rose with slight gold shimmer. I had heard lots of good things about this blush, but I decided I really wanted it after reading Vanessa’s blog: Let’s Talk Makeup. 🙂 I’ve only used it once, but so far I really like it. Review to come!

GLAMGLOW – SUPERMUD: Gift Sexy

muffinchanel sephora haul glamglow glam glow face mask clearing mud cleansing I’m super excited to try this out. I hear nothing but great things. Have any of you tried it? What did you think?

REVIEWS HERE!

Laura Mercier – Secret Brightening Powder

muffinchanel sephora haul laura mercier secret brightening powderI tried this out as a setting powder for my under eye concealer — amazing! The powder is super light; finely milled. It doesn’t settle into fine lines or make your concealer look cake. I love this so far.

Josie Maran – Moroccan Miracle Hair Duo with Argon Oil

muffinchanel sephora haul josie maran argan oil hair serum hot oilI saw this in the check out line and thought it would be nice to try this hair serum. It comes with a vile of the oil treatment which seems cool too.

Lancome – Hypnose Drama mascara

muffinchanel sephora haul lancome mascara hypnose dramaDefinitely my favorite mascara. I like how it builds without getting clumpy. The waxes seem moisturizing to the lashes and removal is super easy with my Purity cleanser.

Viktor & Rolf FlowerBomb – 250 Point Perk

muffinchanel sephora haul vib 250 point perk flower bomb flower bomb viktor rolf fragranceVIB Rouge Countdown: $34!!!

UPDATE: I unlocked VIB Rouge!

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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora by OPI gelshine |French Manicure

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I love the gelshine kit from Sephora by OPI. Gel manicures last so much longer than regular manicures and aren’t harsh on your nails like acrylics. The entire gelshine kit from Sephora costs about $160, but like I’ve told you HERE; it’s worth the price. They have 17 only 9 colors to choose from online now, but I’ve seen more of a selection in the stores.

Today, I used the French Manicure kit that I got in my last Sephora Haul. The kit comes with 2 of the gelshine colors: True Romantic and White Hot, a french tip applicator brush, and some nail decal stickers — all for $29 which is a really great deal considering that each of the polishes alone costs $17.50.




Here’s what I used to get that clean, classic french manicure look using Sephora by OPI gelshine.

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine french kit 1After cleansing the nails, I applied the base coat and two coats of True Romantic.

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine french kit 1 true romanticAfter my base was cured, I painted on the White Hot onto the tips of my nails using the applicator brush.

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine french kit 1 white hotI cured each nail after I painted on its tip and then I sealed everything in with a layer of the Top Coat. 🙂muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine french kit 1 white hot true romantic

Click HERE if you want to see step-by-step how to apply the gel polish/curing.

*UPDATE: After a few days of wearing the True Romantic pink color, the pink begins to fade. It is no longer a clear bright pink, but it turns in to a almost “opaque cream” color — not pink. It looks fine with the french manicure, but it’s definitely no longer any shade of pink. You’re better off using Bare To Be Different from the same Sephora by OPI line if you want a clear/pinky color that lasts.




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Blog Lifestyle

Pier 39 | San Francisco, California

We enjoyed such a beautiful day at Pier 39. The weather was perfect and there were some extra attractions to celebrate the Pier’s 35th anniversary.

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Blog Health + Beauty

Josie Maran Whipped Argan Oil | REVIEW

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Let me start by summarizing: this post is about eczema and includes pictures of terrible rashes…you have been warned!

The transition into fall and winter can be harsh on your skin. We all want balanced, and soft feeling skin, but sometimes it takes more than lotion.

Growing up, I would get dry, itchy patches on my arms and legs during the winter, but it wasn’t until I got older that it became more severe. I had reddish patches on my legs near my knees that would itch year round. This was so frustrating, especially during the summer when I would wear shorts, but my legs were flaky, itchy, and dry. 🙁

I saw my doctor when the “rash” seemed to spread to a larger section around my knees and the area around upper thigh became discolored. She told me that I had eczema and prescribed me a cream to apply daily.




The cream was thick and cold and I hated it, but I applied it every day. I started to notice results after a few days and stopped using the cream. The itching and rashes returned so I continued the cream again. The cream was just a temporary solution — I needed something healing; something that would balance out my skin and keep my hydrated.

*Drumroll* Josie Maran – Whipped Argan Oil!!!! I cannot say enough how much this has helped me. Josie does not mess around and I couldn’t be happier.

muffinchanel josie maran whipped argan oil best ever yayMy mom gave me this jar of the Whipped Argan Oil ultra-hydrating body butter in the scent Vanilla Fig (thanks Mom!). It’s a little pricy at $35 for the .8oz size (at Sephora or QVC), but worth every penny to me for how it’s helped me. (Pictures at the end) More about the cream — it’s super lightweight and not greasy. It absorbs quickly into my super dry skin, but just as quickly all over where I’m not dry. It comes in a few different scents, but I really love the Vanilla Fig — sweet, but not overpowering.

muffinchanel josie maran whipped argon oil best ever yay dry skinI first used this before bed and the next morning I saw a huge difference. After a couple days, my dryness and redness were gone; my skin wasn’t itching and irritated. AMAZING! And even when I missed a couple of days, the rash didn’t come back. Finally, something that actually worked to heal and fix the problem! It’s only been about two weeks since I started using Josie’s Whipped Argan Oil, but I don’t have an issue with eczema anymore. The difference is night and day! My skin is soft and smooth; no discoloration and no itching! YAY!




before after muffinchanel josie maran whipped argon oil eczema dry winter skinI am so super happy to have found the Whipped Argan Oil. Look at the difference — the eczema was basically attacking my leg, and now my skin is calm and balanced. 🙂 This is a love love love holy grail product for me. Everyone should try this out; you will not be disappointed!

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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora Haul!

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

My last Sephora Haul was back in August when they were having that promotion to earn 3x’s the points for VIB’s. This time, I had a 10% off coupon code from the “Beauty Fall” promotion and a gift card that my Prima gave me for my birthday. Thanks Prima 🙂

sephora beauty fall muffinchanelSo, I bought a couple of things, redeemed some beauty insider points, and of course got some free samples! Yay!

sephora haul muffinchanel opi gel benefitBENEFIT COSMETICS – It’s A Love Fest

This set is Limited Edition and Exclusive to Sephora. All I really wanted was the POREfessional face primer (because I got a free sample in my last Haul and loved it), but for only $6 more dollars, I get a full sized POREfessional, a full sized They’re Real mascara, a mini SunBeam highlighter, and a mini Coralista lip gloss! Yay!




sephora haul muffinchanel opi gel benefit love fest porefessional Such a great value. And it all comes in a cute “collector’s” tin which I can use to store things in. I’ve never used the SunBeam or Coralista so it’s nice to get to try out new products.

SEPHORA BY OPI – Gel French Manicure Kit

I selected this kit because it was a great value as well. Also Limited Edition, it comes with 2 gel polishes (White Hot and True Romantic), nail decals, and a applicator tool.

I prefer gel nail polish to regular polish because they’re easy to do and they last so much longer. (See application process HERE ). Plus, with this kit, I get everything for less than the two gel polishes would cost separately! (See what I used to create French Manicure gel nails HERE)

VIKTOR & ROLF – Flowerbomb

sephora haul flowerbomb muffinchanel opi gel benefit flower bombI redeemed 250 points to get this mini sample of my favorite fragrance. This is a great little travel size and it comes in the same signature bottle. Super cute!





Samples

I always like selecting the three free samples when ordering online. This time I got:

  • LANCÔME ÉNERGIE DE VIE Dullness Relief & Energy Recharge Daily Cream
  • Bumble & Bumble – Thickening Shampoo
  • BENEFIT COSMETICS – The POREfessional

P.S. I’m about $100 away from VIB Rouge.…kind of excited!

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Blog Health + Beauty

MARC JACOBS BEAUTY | Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation REVIEW

muffinchanel genius gel marc jacobs 22 bisque light reviewThis post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Back in August, I told you about my Sephora haul where I picked up the MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation for my birthday. I’ve had a couple of months to use the product and I’m ready to give a review!

First off, there is NO SPF in this foundation and I am all about protecting my skin from the sun’s UV rays. I’ll use a sunscreen (usually Neutrogena’s dry touch SPF) as a moisturizer before applying the foundation.

Cost

$48 for 1oz. Kind of pricy, I think, for what you really are getting.

Packagingmuffinchanel genius gel marc jacobs 22 bisque light top off

The foundation comes in a sleek glass bottle with a shiny black cap that removes to reveal a pump dispenser. I always prefer a pump because it allows me to control the amount of foundation I use and it’s more hygienic than an open bottle or compact. The bottle is very substantial, and I’m sure that it’s part of that high price tag, but it’s heavy and kind of bulky if you were to travel with it.

Consistency

The formula really is different than other liquid foundations. The “gel” is almost smooth like a primer. It’s still runny like a liquid, but thicker and very light weight. The gel does make it nice to apply though and a little goes a long way. One pump can give me light coverage for my face and neck.

Continue reading “MARC JACOBS BEAUTY | Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation REVIEW”