The Wonders of Lipstick

     

       Did you know that every woman can pull off any color of lipstick if and when she finds the right shade that matches her skin tone? Therefore if you want to try on a new lip color but are scared to because you don't know how it will look on you, take a look at all the different types of shades that come in that particular color. Also keep in mind that different brands carry different shades of color. For this reason it is good to look around and see which color looks the absolute best on you. Now that you know these things, let’s talk about the different ways in which you can make your lips look more vibrant and kissable.

         

Primer: Alright ladies, just as there is eye primer there is lip primer. I highly suggest wearing primer in order for your lipstick to last longer. Many lipsticks claim they last up to twelve, but as you may already know that doesn’t always occur if you do not wear primer. Several things such as eating and having drinks can get rid of your lipstick. If you do not owe lip primer it is totally fine because instead of using actual primer you can chose to use some of your foundation prior to applying your lipstick. Once you have done this you may choose to add some clear lip gloss for a shiny look (I personally like it better without the lip gloss, but it’s all up you.)
 
Lip liner: okay, I know it's not as common as it used to be, but I still love lip liner! I think it gives your lips better definition. And hey you don't have to use a red lip liner and a shiny lip gloss, that's old school, get creative, try outlining your lips a dark red and a lighter red in the middle, this gives your lips a plump like look, and adding shiny lip gloss is the killer. It will definitely give you kissable lips, perhaps something to consider when going on a date? ;)

Mix and match: okay if you are trying to get super creative by mixing different types of lipstick to create the ultimate look you should go about it in this way. First apply on your primer and base color; then gradually start applying the other tones of lipstick you are going to use (make sure to mix well or to gradually move from one color to the next, if you are trying to go from dark to light of course). I would suggest working your way from the corners of your mouth inwards. Finally you may decide to add some lip liner for more definition. And for this type of look ladies you need to add lip gloss, it’s a must! 



      Very well ladies these are just a couple of suggestions on things you can try with lipstick. Remember don't be scared to get creative, if you happen to mess up there is always make up remover, it’s no biggie. 

Christmas Cookies!

December is one of the best months of the year but with this month comes the need to buy presents. Presents can make a huge dent in your pocket if you aren't smart and can't think of alternative, equally meaningful, and just as wonderful presents. So for this post, here are a few great, pocket friendly gift ideas:

Cranberry Hootycreeks

Servings: 18 cookies
These are great presents and relatively cheap and easy to make! Jazz up this recipe with a cool jar and some ribbon. The nutritional value for this include: 126 calories, 1mg cholesterol, .9g fiber, 105mg sodium, 21.s carboyhydrates, 4.2g fat, 1.7g. 

Ingredients

• 5/8 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup rolled oats
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup dried cranberries
• 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans

Preparation

1. Layer the ingredients in a 1 quart or 1 liter jar, in the order listed.
2. Attach a tag with the following instructions: Cranberry Hootycreeks 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a cookie sheet or line with parchment paper. 2. In a medium bowl, beat together 1/2 cup softened butter, 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla until fluffy. Add the entire jar of ingredients, and mix together by hand until well blended. Drop by heaping spoonfuls onto the prepared baking sheets. 3. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, or until edges start to brown. Cool on baking sheets, or remove to cool on wire racks.

Meringue Mushrooms

Servings: 36 mushrooms.
If you are looking for a gift that requires a bit more effort and love in the creation, opt for this recipe. These are great gift ideas and are pretty awesome to make. The nutritional value for this recipe include: 39 calories, 0 cholesterol, 0.1g fiber, 22mg sodium, 7.1g carbohydrates, 1.3g of fat, 0.6g protein.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup egg whites
• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4 ounces chocolate confectioner's coating

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 225 degrees F (110 degrees C). Line 2 cookie sheets with parchment paper or aluminum foil.
2. In a large glass or metal bowl, use an electric mixer to whip egg whites until foamy. Add cream of tartar, salt, and vanilla. Continue whipping until the whites hold soft peaks. Gradually sprinkle in the sugar so that it does not sink to the bottom, and continue whipping until the mixture holds stiff shiny peaks.
3. Place a round tip into a pastry bag, and fill the bag half way with the meringue. To pipe the mushroom caps, squeeze out round mounds of meringue onto one of the prepared cookie sheets. Pull the bag off to the side to avoid making peaks on the top. For the stems, press out a tiny bit of meringue onto the other sheet, then pull the bag straight up. They should resemble candy kisses. Do not worry about making all of the pieces exactly the same. The mushrooms will look more natural if the pieces are different sizes. Dust the mushroom caps lightly with cocoa using a small sifter or strainer.
4. Bake for 1 hour in the preheated oven, or until the caps are dry enough to easily remove from the cookie sheets. Set aside to cool completely. Melt the coating chocolate in a metal bowl over simmering water, or in a glass bowl in the microwave, stirring occasionally until smooth.
5. Poke a small hole in the bottom of a mushroom cap. Spread chocolate over the bottom of the cap. Dip the tip of a stem in chocolate, and press lightly into the hole. When the chocolate sets, they will hold together. Repeat with remaining pieces. Store at room temperature in a dry place or tin.

Holiday Cookie Tree

Servings: 1 cookie tree (2 dozen cookies)
This is such an eye catching present to make! It is both delicious and gift worthy. The nutritional value of this is 486 calories, 43mg, 0 fiber, 80mg sodium 59.6g carbohydrates, 24.8g fat, 4.1g protein.

Ingredients

• 6 1/4 cups Pillsbury BEST all purpose flour
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 sticks Crisco Baking Sticks
• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 5 large egg yolks
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 (10) count star shaped cookie  cutters in graduated sizes (2"-8" diameters)
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 1/2 cup warm water
• Holiday decorator sprinkles

Preparation

1. Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Beat shortening, sugar and vanilla in separate large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until blended. Beat in egg yolks and orange juice. Gradually stir in flour mixture to form a soft dough. Divide dough into 4 equal pieces, shaping each into a disk. Wrap in plastic wrap. Chill 4 hours or overnight.
2. Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll out dough, one piece at a time, to 1/4-inch thickness on floured surface.*** Keep remaining dough chilled until ready to use. Cut out a total of 24 cookies, using the 2 largest cookie cutters 4 times each and the 8 remaining cookie cutters 2 times each. Bake on prepared baking sheets, 16 minutes for small cookies, 18 minutes for large cookies, or until edges begin to brown and centers are set. (Group similar size cookies on same baking sheet for even baking.) Carefully slide baked cookies on parchment paper onto work surface. Cookies may be fragile while warm. Cool completely.
3. Stir powdered sugar and meringue powder in large bowl until combined. Add water. Beat with electric mixer on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 to 7 minutes. If necessary, add additional powdered sugar or water to reach the desired spreading consistency. (Keep frosting covered with damp cloth to prevent hardening.) Reserve one of the smallest size cookies for later use. Spread icing over remaining cookies, immediately topping with decorator sprinkles.
4. Place one of the largest size cookies on decorative platter to begin assembly. Spoon about 1 tablespoon remaining icing onto center of cookie. Repeat to stack additional 22 cookies on top, by decreasing size, rotating each cookie slightly to stagger points of stars. To complete decoration, hold reserved small cookie by its edges and coat both side with frosting. Decorate as desired. Stand upright on top of tree, securing with a small dab of icing. Let stand until icing is firm.

It's all about the Nails! (Designs)

Everywhere you look these days, you see amazing designs, every color under sun and cute little pictures smack dab on not only fashion, but on fingernails! Manicures and the cutes nail polish designs are quickly becoming the quintessential fashion statement of the moment. And, nail polish is now serving an important function for the many individuals who strive to be in style and chic at all times. Nail polish serves as a very powerful fashion statement as well as an additional way of accessorizing an outfit. And, with the winter season upon us and the holidays quickly approaching, there are numerous shades of gorgeous nail color that is sprouting out all over the place. Everything from shiny foil silver and sparkly gold hues to deep mahogany browns and peach, the colors of nail polish choices are endless. Some other great and wonderful nail polishes that are out in the market right now are Kelly green, sky blue and bright yellow.

But, with all the new nail polish colors out there, what does a fashionista do with them? Well, first of all, they utilize them to their fullest by never letting them chip and replacing the color frequently. But, the real creativity comes out when ladies use a pretty nail polish color and utilize it to its fullest with cute and fun designs. One of the newest and easiest designs to do is a dot pattern on the nails. Anyone can do this simple design and yet it still looks intricate and very skillful when put on the nails. This dot pattern is achieved by simply starting out with any color polish and painting all your nails. Colors that work best as the base include colors such as teal, white or bright pink. Then with a contrasting color such as white or black, you would paint on little mini dots, creating a dotted effect on your nails. This look is both easy to achieve and looks spectacular when paired with all the winter scarves and hats of the season.

The dots are easy to apply with simply the nail polish brush, or if you really want to get technical, the use of a toothpick or pin can also be used for precise application. Finish off this look with a strong top coat and you are good to go. Another look of the moment is the half moon manicure trend. This nail design is accomplished through the use of little paper reinforcement stickers that you find in the stationary section of any drug store. First, you would paint your nails any color and then make sure you have a contrasting color on hand for the next step. Wait for your nails to completely dry and then go on to the next step. Get out the paper reinforcement stickers that you have and cut them in half. Place the half moon side up on your nail, starting at the base of each nail. Then paint your nail above the half moon with a contrasting color. When this next coat is dry, take off the sticker and all you will see are two colors stacked one on top of the other with an interesting half moon design separating them. This look is easy and most importantly, very inexpensive to achieve.