This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
This recipe is super easy and delicious. It’s a pasta casserole that is perfect for staying warm and snuggly during these winter months. This dish is great for an easy date night dinner or perfect for lunch time leftovers. Yum!
I found this recipe on thkitchn.com and made a few changes to better suit my taste.
Ingredients
8 ounces spinach pasta (I like linguine!)
6 ounces fresh baby spinach, roughly chopped
2 large shallots, peeled and thinly sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 ounces Asiago cheese, grated
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
1/2 cup half and half
6 ounces basil pesto
Freshly ground black pepper
2 large eggs
Olive oil
Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.
Boil 4-6 quarts of lightly salted water in a large pot and cook the pasta according to the package.
Set cooked pasta aside.
Peel, wash, and thinly slice the shallots.
Roughly chop the baby spinach
Mince garlic
Grate the cheese
In a large bowl, combine the half and half, basil pesto, eggs, and greek yogurt. Wisk together until smooth.
Combine the spinach, cheese, shallots, and cooked pasta in a large bowl.
Lightly grease a 9×9 casserole dish with olive oil and mix in pasta mixture with the pesto mixture.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
It’s always exciting looking forward to the new year — fresh starts and new goals. One of my favorite things to help me stay organized and keep track of all my new goals is my Erin Condren Life Planner. I got my first Life Planner earlier this year, and I loved it so much that I bought a separate one just for work.
Left, very first Life Planner (Party Pops) Right, 2015 Life Planner (Signature Stripes)
I’m so excited for my 2015 Life Planner and the extra goodies I got (interchangeable covers, I’m lookin’ at you)! My Erin Condren Life Planner arrived in a purple themed box with pretty purple tissue wrapping.
Everything was neatly packaged inside, wrapped in bubble wrap. I’m so excited for everything! First off, the Planner because it’s amazing! The planner measures 7.25″ x 9.25″ and can fit nicely in my purse. The Life Planners are $50 but you will get a $10 coupon, if you sign up for an account through my link.
This is the 2015 Erin Condren Life Planner in Signature Stripe Blues. I love the colors and how you can always personalize your covers. Having a planner that is pretty makes me excited to use it. I like planning and making lists anyway, but I find myself thumbing through the pages of my current planner and taking it with me just because I like the way it looks.
The Planner has a transparent ruler which can double as a bookmark inside or out; it just clips in and out of the spiral binding (similar to how the interchangeable covers lock in and out). The spiral ring is thick and durable, but doesn’t make the Planner heavy or bulky. In my two previous planners, the spiral binding has never bent.
It’s not just pretty on the outside. The real fun of all the Erin Condren Life Planners is inside. I love how bright and colorful the designs are on the inside of each Erin Condren Life Planner.
Near the front, there is a 2014/2015 monthly view calendar. I like how it goes back to July 2014 in case I need to reference any days. Each month has its own color theme and cute accent designs.
Inside the planner, there are tabs for each month to help you easily navigate the Planner. The tabs take you to a colorfully themed month-view of each month.
January 2015
February 2015
Just behind each month-view page is the weekly breakdown by day.The weekly view shows Monday – Sunday across the top with the date clearly posted. The days are broken down vertically into Morning, Day, and Night categories. There are fun little accents that indicate holidays or special observances near the dates.
In the upper left corner of each week view, you will find a monthly mini calendar. This is perfect so you don’t have to keep flipping pages in order to see the entire month page. Along the left column, there is a lined section for Goals & Notes. Obviously, you can write whatever you want in that space. I tend to use it for daily to-do’s or weekly reminders.
Each month’s calendar has a different color theme, but the same layout. This is amazing for me because the familiar layout makes it functional and easy to navigate, but the new color keeps it fresh and exciting. I remember when I was younger, I’d always want new notebooks before I’d even finished writing in the first — I just wanted a change from the same boring lined pages. That never happens to me with Erin Condren; I love every page and am excited to use it all year! The colored tabs will help you navigate to each month.The Notes tab in the back takes you to amazing lined and blank pages for whatever you want.
After the Notes section, there are tons of stickers built in to the Planner. There are two sheets of just colored stickers in all sorts of colors — pink, purple, grey, blue, green, teal, etc. And two sheets of “pre-printed” stickers that say things like, “Vacation”, “Day Off”, “Birthday”, or “Party”.
Blank Stickers
Pre-Printed Stickers (“Day Off” “Dr. Appt””
Pre- Printed Stickers (“Party” “Vacation”)
Blank Stickers
There is a folder in the back of the Planner with the Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert. I choose to keep this booklet at my desk, separate from the Planner. I love how it’s no longer built in to the spiral binding, so I can transfer it to each new planner every year if I choose.The perpetual calendar is small and sleek. There is a section for your contacts and a Holidays to Remember section.
Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert
Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert
Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert
Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert
Perpetual Calendar & Contacts insert
In the Planner, there is a second folder behind the first (attached). Each folder can hold a fair amount; I’ve never had one rip. I’ll usually put printouts of email confirmations, random notes, or reference materials in the folder.
There is a built-in clear plastic pouch behind the folders. It comes with cute freebie stickers from Erin Condren. I like to use the pouch for receipts or to hold stickers that I use to decorate my Planner.
Appointment Reminder Cards
Free Stickers
And now to the extras — ErinCondren.com had a coupon code for a free cover but I didn’t see it until I had already placed my order. I was super sad because I would have to pay separate shipping if I “purchased” the cover on its own. I emailed their customer service, and Anne was very friendly and helped me to cancel my first order so I could re-order my planner and take advantage of the free cover promotion without paying separate shipping. Great customer service is just another reason why I will continue to use Erin Condren planners for years to come.
I got two of the interchangeable covers — JollyJester and ZenGems. This is my first time buying the interchangeable covers, but I am excited to have variety and to continue reusing these for all of my future planners. The covers are the same durable, laminated plastic that will protect your planner and it easy to wipe clean.
I personalized my free cover — Jolly Jester. I really love the colors on this cover and how subtle the personalization is.
And I bought the Zen Gems cover. These geometric flowers are so pretty. I love how the personalization is in rainbow colored letters!
I also bought a pack of the coil clips. I thought these would be good for keeping track of invitations or pictures within the planner. I don’t know how many times they can be reused, but I tried one out and it was easy to use and you might be able to get a second use out of them as well.
pop off the non-adhesive part
clip in to planner & use adhesive side on the item you want to save
And finally, you can never go wrong with the elastic bands. I really like the platinum color; I think it goes best with the covers I chose. For me, it’s functional and also seems to visually tie it all together.
If you’re considering Erin Condren for a new planner, definitely go for it! And don’t forget to use my link to make your account for $10 off your order. 🙂
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
There is something special about an instant photo camera. I have the Polaroid 600 and was so disappointed when the film was discontinued. I recently used the last pack of film I had and sadly, it must have expired because each picture had blotchy areas that wouldn’t develop.
I started researching the Polaroid 600 film which led me to Amazon and to a whole new generation of instant photo cameras. I then discovered the Fujifilm Instax 210 which takes “wide” photos. The reviews were good and the colors looked so vibrant compared to the Polaroid 600.
The Fujifilm INSTAX 210 Instant wide Photo Camera is pretty large but really very similar to the Polaroid 600. It comes with 4 AA batteries, a shoulder strap, and a pop on lens to help focus for close up images (it even has a mini mirror so you can see if your selfie is centered).
The side has the Power button and controls to set the focus (3m to infinity or .9m – 3m). There are also controls to Lighten and Darken the exposure. And of course, the flash button — The flash seems to always go with every photo, even when I turn it off.
The side battery compartment holds 4 AA batteries that are included with the camera .The closure feels a little cheaply made. I haven’t lost any batteries yet, but I could see the case becoming loose if the camera was dropped or mishandled even a little.
The back of the camera is pretty basic. There is a pull down flap that houses the wide film.
pull down back cover
open fujifilm instax 210 wide film
insert film, line up yellow tab in the upper right corner
eject the film backing card
Once your film is in the camera, you’re ready to point & shoot. The camera is super easy to use and the pictures come out so vibrant and clear with a slight retro feel.
I really like having a “one of a kind” image that you can take with you. A lot of times, I’ll take pictures with my phone or regular camera and I end up having 20 of the same picture. I get to pick my favorites from the photo shoot and that’s nice too, but I’m not going to waste tons of film on the same picture with the Instax 210. It makes each picture seem more special even if it is just of an everyday thing.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
This recipe is so simple to make and tastes delicious.
20 minutes Prep Time. 45 minutes Cook Time
You will need:
2 deep dish pie crusts
4 oz. crimini mushrooms, diced
1 medium onion, diced
4 eggs
3 cloves garlic, minced
12 oz. shredded pepper jack cheese
9 oz. organic baby spinach
1/4 c. butter
4 oz. half and half
salt & pepper – to taste
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
Begin by sautéing the onions and garlic in the butter in a large pan over medium-high heat. About 5 minutes or until onions begin to brown.
Add mushrooms and 3/4 of the cheese to the onions. Stir to combine.Once the cheese begins to melt, add spinach.
Begin string in the spinach leaves until they combine with the onion mixture. You may need to add the spinach in small batches at first.
Once everything is combined, add salt & pepper, stir, and reduce heat to low. Then, in a large bowl, combine eggs and half and half. Wisk together and add salt and pepper.
Pour the onion mixture into the pie shells.
Next, add the egg mixture to the top of the onion mixture and gently shake it from side to side to help the egg infuse with everything.
Put your pies into the oven and set a timer for 15 minutes. After 15 minutes, add the remaining 1/4 cheese to the top of your pies. Then bake for an additional 35 minutes
Remove from the oven and allow to cool and set.
Then serve and enjoy! This quiche tastes great with tobasco and a tall glass of orange juice!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I ordered the Jus by Julie 3 Day Cleanse because my cousin mentioned it to me and I’d been interested in a detox of some kind. I found a deal on Groupon and scheduled my delivery. This was my first juice cleanse and I was very excited to try it out.
The ordering process was very easy. What’s great is that you can select the date you want your juices delivered and they overnight the juices so they are super fresh and ready to go.
The Cleanse was delivered overnight through Fedex.
Inside the box was a large green insulated bag with 3 clusters of 6 bottles of juice and ice packs banded together (18 bottles total). My juices were cool feeling (not cold) by the time I was able to open them.
I put all of my juices in a cooler and was ready to start the cleanse the next morning. Information in the box said that one should freeze the juices if not able to drink them within three days.
Spicy Lemonade – lemon, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, water
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
Acai Blend – acai berries, strawberries, banana, water
Choco-Nana – chocolate, banana, strawberries, water
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
Near the end of the day, I was feeling tired and kind of weak. I’ve seen other reviews where people feel very energized on the first day but I was seriously dragging.
Spicy Lemonade – lemon, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, water
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
Chia Berry – strawberries, chia seeds, lemon, pomegranate, water
Not So Chunky – peanut butter, banana, water
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
I was a little agitated all day and feeling tired and weak again by the end of the day. I did have some steamed broccoli to help calm me down and I felt instantly better.
Spicy Pome-nade – pomegranate, lemon, maple syrup, cayenne pepper, water
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
Chia Berry – strawberries, chia seeds, lemon, pomegranate, water
Island Coconut – coconut meat & water, date, cinnamon
Sweet Spin – spinach, kale, pineapple, banana, mango, water
I felt pretty good in the morning; clean and “light”. I was feeling tired and annoyed near the end of the day and had a few almonds to tide me over. I wasn’t a fan of the Island Coconut. I wish I’d gotten another of the Not So Chunky or Choco-Nana instead.
Overall Cleanse
I liked this juice cleanse because it was very simple. I looked forward to the variety of the next flavor and the numbers on the bottle made everything very simple. My favorite juices were the SpicyLemonade, Chia Berry and Spicy Pome-nade. The Choco-Nana and Not So Chunky were very welcome when it was time for juice #5.
I tried to wait 2-3 hours between juices and I drank a lot of water in between. Anytime I was feeling hungry, it was time for my next juice. I wasn’t really ever feeling “hungry” but I’d feel grumpy and irritated, which is usually a side effect of hunger for me.
One thing that was interesting to me about these Jus By Julie juices is that they are blended; not cold-pressed. I haven’t really seen any other juices that are blended and I thought it was cool because the juice feels more “substantial” with pulp and seeds included. The juices aren’t overly chunky, don’t get me wrong, but they aren’t strained juice like you may have seen from other companies so the texture might be a little weird to some.
Maybe it’s because they’re blended, but I thought it was weird that each juice contains water as an ingredient. There is already water in all of the fruits and vegetables so I don’t know why any would need to be added. Especially when the Cleanse + shipping was a pretty penny, I definitely don’t want to feel like I’m getting watered down juice.
I was a little disappointed when I found out that these juices were not Organic. I think it’s really important, especially with fruits, to be chemical/pesticide free. When I do another cleanse in the future, I’ll make sure to find one that’s only Organic.
I am happy with the 3 day Cleanse; it was the perfect amount of time and I do feel detoxed and “cleaner”. I think my skin is looking brighter and I feel encouraged to make better choices with diet and exercise.
If you are interested in the Jus By Julie cleanse, check out their website or if you’ve done the 3 day cleanse, let me know what you thought. 🙂
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
When you have a special event to attend, whether it be a birthday party, a graduation, a school dance, a wedding, or just a big date, you want to look your best.
Big Event Countdown!
1 month:
If you aren’t already, get into some kind of fitness routine. Exercise will help you feel healthy and energized. Nothing gives you that radiant glow like a healthy body, so go for a walk everyday or step it up and play a sport or go for a run. When your body is more fit and healthy, you’ll feel and look your best.
Diet is key to looking and feeling great from the inside out. Be sure to get your fair share of fruits and vegetables, or try a fun juice cleanse! Don’t forget to drink plenty of water and avoid processed foods.
2 weeks:
This is the time to knock out some of the easy things!
Hair cut/color – If you’re in need of a cut or a trim, now is the time to do it. Freshly cut hair can sometimes look too harsh or you may not be used to styling it. Getting your cut or color done two weeks before the big day gives you time to get used to/fix your lovely locks.
Plan your hair and makeup look. Don’t wait until the last minute; try out hairstyles and makeup looks that you’re curious about. Will you have your make up professionally done? You still will want to know the overall type of look you want. Practice makes perfect, so experiment and have fun. Once you have the look you love, take a picture. You will want to refer to it leading up to your big day.
Plan your outfit! Just like with your hair, make sure you have your entire outfit ready (accessories included); if not, now is a good time to grab a friend and get some inspiration from your favorite store (or even you friend’s closet).
1 week
Getting so close to the event! So exciting!
Eyebrow waxing! If you’ve never gotten your eyebrows waxed at a Benefit Brow Bar, I definitely recommend it. Waxing your eyebrows professionally will ensure the perfect shape for your face and help define your features. If you have any redness or bumps, it’ll have gone by the big day.
Face masks will help exfoliate the skin and even skin tone. Try the GlamGlow SuperMud or TingleExfoliate for amazing results. Repeat every few days for super glowy skin.
Finalize your outfit, hair, and makeup. Make sure you have everything you need to walk out the door to your special event.
Deep-condition your hair. Using a 5 minute hair mask can help your hair feel soft and look shiny.
Manicure/Pedicure. Freshly painted nails will really pull the look together. I like to get a pedicure at a salon because it’s super relaxing and I love the fun designs & colors to choose from but I usually like to do my manicure with my Sephora Gel Shine kit. French manicures are my go-to for any special event.
Teeth whitening is an easy way to brighten your look. I really like the Crest whitening strips because they are quick and do a great job brightening your smile.
Biore pore strips can help to remove stubborn blackheads and reduce pore appearance. I like to exfoliate and then wash like usual with my Clarisonic Mia before using the pore strips.
1 day
Face mask/ spot treatment. Target any blemishes with a soothing acne gel. I really like the Grease Lightening Cleanser from Lush. Or just dab on a small amount of any face mask onto troublesome spots.
Double check that you have everything you’ll need for the event; from head to toe.
The Big Day
Shave your legs and moisturize. Soft and smooth skin will help you feel great on the big day
Don’t forget the deodorant! The final stages of getting picture perfect for your special event can cause you to sweat and stress, but with a good deodorant/antipersperant, and least you’ll smell great and feel fresh.
Prep your skin. Primers and serums are your best friend. They’ll help your makeup stay put and keep your skin looking bright.
Use a makeup setting spray like the Urban Decay All Nighter.
A splash of your favorite perfume is all you need before you walk out the door!
You’re all set for your special day! Let me know your tips for getting picture perfect for your big event in the comments or tag me in a picture on Instagram (@muffinchanel). I’d love to see all of your looks!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The Starbucks Star Dash is back; May 14th – 27th. If you have a registered Starbucks card, check your email to see if you’ve been invited to participate. As always, each offer will vary by participant, but for me, for 7 stars = 10 bonus stars and 11 stars = 20 bonus.
Did you get the Summer Star Dash offer? What are your favorite summer drinks? I know I’ll be making my own Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers, but you can earn stars for food items too. Hello, chocolate chip cookie!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I told you I would keep you updated as I found the best Starbucks Refresher recipe, and I think I’ve found it! Since my last post, I’ve done a lot of research about the Berry Hibiscus Refresher and what goes in it. Sources at Starbucks tell me that it’s just “Berry Refresher Juice”, Water, Ice, and Dehydrated Berries. Seems simple enough — but what is in this Refresher Juice?
The first ingredient? WHITE GRAPEFRUIT JUICE! Yes! So, with that in mind, I set off to recreate this summertime (year-round) favorite!
I use my phone’s calendar and reminders to help me keep track of everything, but I find that I’m more organized when I’m writing things down. It helps me remember things and it’s nice to be able to see everything all mapped out.
I’d been looking for a cute planner that I could be excited about writing in and considered getting one of the Kate Spade agendas like my sister has. KateSpade.com was only selling the filofax-style refills and not the actual agenda to use with them. I was a little bummed and checked around on amazon and ebay with nothing I was looking for.
But in my search, I started hearing more about the Erin Condren Life Planners and I thought I’d give it a try. I went to the website and clicked the Life Planner section (there’s all sorts of stationary, wedding planners, and teacher planners too!). There was a choice of “Classic Edition” or the “Gold Edition” and I chose Classic. There are so many fun, bright covers to choose from and you can even customize and add pictures, change colors, or fonts.
Planners are usually $50, but since it’s later in the year, they’re only $30 now! If that still seems like a lot for a planner, you can get an extra $10 off by creating an account through my referral. This is a great way to try out the Life Planners and see if it’ll work for you!
I chose the Charcoal Party Pops Life Planner and customized it to say MuffinChanel. I selected to have my Planner start in April since I knew I wouldn’t be using the months past. I ordered the planner on March 17 and it arrived on March 25. The waiting was the hardest part because I was very excited to start using it!
The planner arrived bubble wrapped in this cute box with bright pink tissue paper and some fun sample stickers. I also ordered the three pack of elastic bands to keep the planner closed + they look extra fun.
I love the way the customization turned out. The cover is laminated and it feels pretty thick which is great. The spiral binding feels super strong and won’t bend like normal notebook binding. The planner measures 7.25″ x 9.25″ and can fit nicely in my purse.
The inside of the Life Planner is standard for any style cover you choose. There is a ruler/bookmark that you can pop in and out of the spiral binding to mark your place.
I really like the way the planner is laid out. You can look at the month view at the start of each new month and then a weekly view after that. The week view starts on a Monday and each day is mapped out vertically into “morning”, “day”, and “night” sections. There is space on the side for notes and goals and space on the bottom for anything from lists to meal plans, to exercise, thoughts/inspiration, or whatever you want.
There are laminated tabs for each month and section,
and a cute folder pocket in the back as well as a thick, large zip lock pouch.
There are twenty pages in the back for notes and colorful stickers (blank and labeled with things like “date night”, “doctor’s appt”, and “birthday”) to help you stay organized. It’s just a super fun planner that encourages you to use it with its intuitive layout and beautiful design.
I absolutely love mine! The only thing I would like to see improve in the planner is the paper thickness. Since you’re using both sides of the paper, you will be able to see the writing through to the next page. I usually use the fine point Sharpie felt tipped pens, and I don’t have any bleed through, but I would prefer not to see through to the other side. ❤
Definitely check out erincondren.com if you’re looking for a new planner. And don’t forget to use this link to make your account for $10 off 🙂
**UPDATE** May 4, 2014: Planners are only $20 now! And with the link, ^ you’ll get $10 off! So awesome!! Check it out!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I love taking pictures! I have a point and shoot camera that I like to use for blog pictures, but lately I’ve been using my iPhone since I always have it with me and it’s easy to quickly take & edit a picture. Check out my most recent Instagram pics on the side. —————->
And with these lenses that I got for my birthday last year, I can take some really cool photos.
The lenses just pop on and off to change them out, but the magnet is strong enough to keep it in place as you compose your picture. I keep the lenses in a small pouch in my purse, so it can be a little awkward to try and whip out a lens for some split second photo op. But to me, it’s just like changing the lens of a DSLR. When I’m having a photoshoot (of some flowers, or my newest makeup, or pretty scenery), I definitely use these lenses to get the best shot!
Macro (my favorite)
Fisheye
Wide
Telephoto
You can get these lenses online. They have two new lenses (super fisheye and polarizer) that come with the complete set for $99. Or you can buy each lens individually — they range from $15-$30. I love them!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I’m really loving the free apps that Sephora Shares is offering! Similar to the Starbucks app, the Sephora app for iPhone offers free songs or applications. You can download the Sephora Shares freebees on your computer as well. Usually, I am not interested in the free apps since they don’t really meet a need I have, but I was excited to see Tangent offered! I’d looked at it before, and the $1.99 price tag was a turn off. But thanks again to Sephora Shares, it was FREE! YAY!
The Tangent app is a fun photo editing app that uses geometric overlays to create interesting pictures. Lots of free options for customization — also some in-app purchases available, but the “basic” version is very powerful. Sephora Shares is offering this app for free until June 15 (US only). So check it out if you’re interested; there are other apps and songs available as well!!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
It seems like the phone is the one accessory we never leave the house without. It’s a camera, a calendar, fitness tracker, social media outlet, and of course helps us keep in touch with our friends and family. We use our phones everyday for tons of things, so I thought I’d share some of what’s on my iPhone with you.
Photo Editing
Diptic – Make a quick and easy collage with this app. With lots of free templates to choose from and customization options, this is my go-to for any Instagram collage. You can even adjust the borders’ thickness, shape, texture, and color.
ColorSplash – This app makes it easy to add a splash of color to a black & white photo or vice versa. You start with a color photo and then you can hand-draw the black & white filter, leaving something specific in color so that object really stands out.
LINE camera – The auto-enhance option on LINE is really good, especially for selfies. It corrects the lighting, smoothes imperfections, and can make your eyes look bigger. They have a lot of fun “stickers” to choose from too that make this app super fun.
PixlrExpress+ – I use pixlr to edit photos on my blog, so when I saw that there was an app for iPhone, I knew I wanted to try it. I use this for most of my phone-editing. Lots of filters and fonts for text overlays and powerful basic editing features. Plus, I really love how I can resize the image to keep its full size and clarity. I hate when a great picture end up looking pixilated because the app compressed it — not with PixlrExpress+!
Bokehful – The best app for adding bokeh! Not just a filter or overlay, Bokehful lets you kind of control the placement (puts a bokeh near where you tap; not exactly on the spot). You can also choose the color/color palette and shapes of the bokeh.
A Beautiful Mess – I got this app for free from Sephora and it’s pretty cool. You can add text, doodles, and borders and choose from a few filters. It’s pretty basic. There are some upgrades that I haven’t tried, but the free content seem sufficient for a quick edit.
Social Media
Twitter – I like the official app for Twitter on the iPhone. It’s clean and simple; gets the job done.
Instagram – It’s fun to go through different Instagram feeds and see everyone’s pictures. I never really use the filters in Insta; instead, I’ll upload after using some of the apps I mentioned ^.
WordPress – I mostly just check comments from the WordPress app. It’s a little tricky for me to try to blog from the app, but I have before. It’s good in a pinch!
Health & Fitness
MyFitnessPal – This app is great for monitoring your food intake and calorie goals. There is a huge library of foods you can select and you can chat with your friends so everyone stays motivated. I have it linked with my Fitbit, so MFP automatically keeps track of my activity too!
Nike+ Running – I’ve been slacking on my running goals lately….big time. But I still love the Nike+ Running app for tracking my runs. The Nike Coach update is great and helps you reach your goals without having to think too much into it.
Nike Training – I just recently downloaded this app, but it seems cool so far. Great for a Cross-Training day or its own program — I like how there are lots of sessions you can choose from. It’s like a guided workout with videos so you can see what each move is supposed to look like.
Fitbit – The Fitbit app helps me track the number of steps I have for the day, my sleep cycle, and my ranking among my friends. It’s great to not have to log into a computer to sync up my stats.
Let me know what some of your favorite apps are; I’d love to try out some new ones!
Surprise! Lots of stray hairs; not a very “clean” look + my “brow-hawk” ^
I’ve attempted to use the stencils in the Anastasia kit but they never worked for me. I’ve drawn the lines for my “perfect ratio”, but was always reluctant to tweeze in case I took too much and messed up my face. So, I left my caterpillars alone and I told myself that I was “growing them out so I could get them professionally done”.
Filled in with Anastasia Beauty Express
So, when I started hearing more about the Benefit Brow Bar, I thought this would be a good time for me to clean up my brows and get them professionally shaped. I’ve had my brows waxed at the nail salon many years ago and I thought it turned out alright, but they just cleaned up the stray hairs; they didn’t map out the best shape for my face.
There’s a Brow Bar in a nearby Macy’s and an Ulta, but I opted to go to the one in Ulta because the Macy’s one had a few bad reviews. I’m all about the reviews; I always check places that I’m interested in going! If any of you are the same way, I hope this experience review helps you out! 🙂
So, I go over to the Benefit section of Ulta and two estheticians are already with clients. One of the girls asked me if I had an appointment, and I told her no & asked if they took walk-ins. She said that she could take me in 5 minutes. So I looked around for a while before she called me over.
I sat in the chair and told her that I just wanted a brow wax. They also do brow tinting and lip waxing. She had me sign a waiver that basically says that Benefit is not responsible if you breakout or get a rash from the wax and that you acknowledge that you aren’t taking accutane or using retinol.
Brow Mapping
She walked me through the process since this was my first time and cleansed by brows with a cotton ball and some solution. She then used the Brow Mapping technique to find that perfect ratio for my face and drew lines with a brown makeup crayon. I looked at the outline in the mirror and she asked if I liked the shape or if I wanted my brows to be thinner. I told her I wanted a fuller brow and she told me that she was going to wax everywhere outside of the lines she drew. She then used a spoolie to comb all of my brow hairs up to trim them with scissors and then the same thing after brushing them down.
Waxing
The wax was a pearly white color and she applied it with a thin wooden applicator. Everything was really sanitary and clean. She applied a cloth to the waxed area, pulled the skin taught, and pulled the cloth away. It didn’t hurt but it surprised me at first. The rest of the waxing was easy since I knew what to expect.
Cleaning/Soothing
After the wax, she used a cleanser to help remove any excess wax. She applied Almond Oil to help soothe and calm the redness & then she put on a moisturizer. She really let everything soak in and gave my face some time to relax.
Tweezing
She used a spoolie to comb through the hairs and help her get to the stray hairs that needed tweezing. There wasn’t much to be tweezed after the wax.
Styling
After everything, she used a concealer crayon above and below my brows, some foundation to help cover up the redness, and filled in my brows so that I wouldn’t look like I’d just gotten them done while running the rest of my errands.
Results
Overall, I am super happy with the way they turned out and I will definitely go back. I knew that brows really framed your face and could change your look, but I didn’t realize what I was missing! My eyebrows look so clean and sharp now; it’s awesome! So happy I went! The service at the Benefit Brow Bar was great. I really appreciate how they take the time to explain each step of the process & how they touch up your makeup before you leave.
Ingredients
The Planner has a transparent ruler which can double as a bookmark inside or out; it just clips in and out of the spiral binding (similar to how the interchangeable covers lock in and out). The spiral ring is thick and durable, but doesn’t make the Planner heavy or bulky. In my two previous planners, the spiral binding has never bent.
It’s not just pretty on the outside. The real fun of all the Erin Condren Life Planners is inside. I love how bright and colorful the designs are on the inside of each Erin Condren Life Planner.
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