Lush lash love

I have spent years of my life in search of the perfect mascara. A mascara that does not end up under my eye mid-day leaving me looking like a crack whore/raccoon-eyed freak. I've spent countless hours (dramatic) in the mirror touching up my smeared/melted mascara face mess, until now... after a long and treacherous search full of technique tricks and trying out expensive mascaras, I crossed paths with a life changing product.

I introduce to you...

drum roll please

MAC's Opulash Mascara

Allow me to name the reasons why I name this mascara a must-have beauty essential:

- Price point, at $15 it does not break the bank

- Super duper dark black color provides a dramatic look, even when paired with simple eye makeup

- Large and in-charge wand covers lashes quickly and effectively

- Amps up lashes in volume (uber thickness factor) and length

- I love that in one swipe I am done (it dries very quickly, so a second swipe needs to happen fast). My routine: curl, apply right eye top, right bottom, touch top again, re-dip, top left eye, bottom left top, touch top again

- The no-smudge factor alone is amazing

- If you're weird like me, you will love this as a little bonus: when you wash your makeup off, the mascara comes off in little clumps/tubes and does not run down your face (think non-crack whore look) - fab!

With all of this lash love, I have to dish on another incredible lash-y product I am not addicted to: LiLash.

I have been using this product for about three months and I can tell a major difference in the condition, and LENGTH of my lashes. When first using this, I used it every night, now I use it two- to three-times per week, or when I remember.

Mikey told me my eyelashes we getting too big, I told him lashes are like diamonds, there is no too big.

Color, Color, Color: lips, nails and the in-between

I left the MAC counter this weekend with two new fall lip purchases, and a sweet reminiscent feeling to post my fave colors of summer. With fall technically around the corner, the Utah weather makes me feel as though I still have plenty of time to rock my favorite warm-weather shades of COLOR!

This summer I made the commitment to start donning brighter, bolder lip colors. I am really a pale/nude lip lady, but really amped it up this summer with shades of hot pink and even some bright red!

I plan to keep this trend alive the rest of the year, continuing to stand out in my bright red lips all year long and adding some deep, dramatic colors to the mix for the cold months.

My favorite summer colors have included shades of pink, blue and coral.

Toesie and Nail Colors ...

- OPI's: Flit a Bit, Don't Know.. Beets Me, Mermaid's Tears, No Room for the Blues, Shorts Story and Gargantuan Green Grape

- Essie's: Forget Me Nots, Peach Daquiri and Splash of Grenadine

Lips ...

- Revlon's Fairytale

- MAC's: Cherry and Magenta lip liners, Superglass Superflash gloss, Scan-Delicious Kissable Lip Color, Beaute lip gloss and MAC Red and Lustering lip stick

http://www.fashionfame.com/2010/09/marc-by-marc-jacobs-spring-2011-collection/

http://wearcolor.tumblr.com/post/8208326564/via-sterlingstyle-color-me-pink

http://s197.photobucket.com/albums/aa168/Wun2ThaVisionary/?action=view&current=1316717_249320_2153632839911_1219117351_2722276_5249835_n.jpg

From my accessories, to my cosmetics, to my nail polish options and fashion - these shades have ruled my SUMMER palette; mixed with neutrals, mixed with each other and mixed monochromatically, I LOVE it all!

Trend-spotting, I am excited to see these same colors in warmer clothing options - corals, reds, turquiose-y blues, purples, greys... MMMmmm... cannot wait to get me some of these new colors!

Salmon Sunday

With a craving for something BBQ'd, we opted for a less traditional barbecue option (traditional being hamburgers or chicken) and went for salmon!

Simple, quick and delicious menu: barbecued salmon and asparagus served with pasta with a delightful brie and pear app.

I picked up a fresh piece of salmon from Whole Foods and prepped it and the asparagus for the grill.

Salmon: olive oil, Simply lemonade, lemon pepper, red pepper flakes and fresh sliced lemon.

Asparagus: olive oil, freshly-ground salt and pepper and parmesan.

While we relaxed with this goodness on the grill and the pasta boiled we sipped on wine (and Cutthroat in Mikey's case) we enjoyed brie and green pear atop a Vosen's baguette. AMAZing, especially when fresh from the oven!

A light pasta to compliment the flavors of the salmon was made up of freshly chopped green onion, sun dried tomatoes (the bottled with olive oil kind), a dash of olive oil, lemon juice, red pepper flakes and a yummy garlic parmesan seasoning. Light with a great punch of flavor!

15 minutes tops on the BBQ and you have perfectly seasoned and cooked salmon and asparagus served with a light lemon-infused pasta! DELISH!

Enjoy!

Mom

You often hear it on this blog being inspired by my Mom to cook, bake, coordinate my lip and nail colors, etc. My Mom truly is an inspiration to me whether it’s in the kitchen, with my personal style, or being a good wife and one day (aspiring to be) an amazing Mother to my children like she has been to me and my three Sisters.

I am a Mama’s girl and a Daddy’s girl. I think having divorced parents at the age of five has made me this way, and I would not change it for anything.

Thank God for my Mom….

When I am sick, not feeling well with a fever, tummy ache, etc. there is nothing I want more than my Mom comforting me – rubbing my back and tickling my face. Last time I had the flu (puking) I would have paid for my Mom to be there rubbing my back and holding my hair out of the stream of puke!

When Mikey does something sweet for me, or perhaps something that I consider less than sweet, my Mom is the first person I talk to – happiness or sadness – sharing this part of my life with her is critical!

Telling her something I cannot tell ANYone else – like a compliment I may receive and it’s way too embarrassing or “stuck-up” to tell anyone else. My Mom knows I’m a snot!

REALLY private matters. What does this mean? What does that mean?

How long to boil and egg, bake potatoes, grill fish, what kind of roast to buy, what the hell my recipe book is telling me to do… the list goes on. She is my go-to Betty Crocker for all things cooking.

Sending pictures to her of new throw pillows, a new dress or itty-bitty mini skirt, or how I arranged my bedding – I need her approval for all of this!

Gotta love her bluntness – “hmmm… yes, your butt does look big in that.”

When I just need a good cry and a big hug to tell me everything is going to be okay.

I am lucky that my Best Friend, Most Trusted Confidant, Cooking and Fashion Consultant, Hair Stylist and Rock are all my Mom.

Local treasure: La Bonne Vie

Nested down the hallway next to the Garden Cafe at The Grand America lies a treasure...

La Bonne Vie.

A divine patisserie serving incredible desserts and selling thee most unique little pieces: a headband with a huge birthday cake on it (I want), dessert-inspired jewelry and fun things to fill up an Easter basket.

I cannot wait to drop in over the weekend with Mikey to sip on a coffee and enjoy one of the decadent desserts! Mother's Day will be in need of some of these special treats.

Beautiful and delicious all at the same time!

One of thee most exciting parts - I get to work with The Grand (with my agency of course) on this retail space and ones to come... stay posted on what new shops are coming to The Grand America... SO exciting!

Quenched - all things HAIR

At a time of year when dry skin, hair and nails haunt me, there are a few products I swear by to keep my hair quenched and in good condition.

• Keeping your hair in good condition during these dry months takes effort that starts at the root of the issue: hair color. I keep my hair in tip-top condition by getting it colored every 5 weeks (with a semi-permanent color)... the color line my stylist aka my Mom uses on my locks adds exceptional color and condition to my hair.
• Next to a good color, it's all about good product, starting with a shampoo and conditioner customized to your hair type, and for colored hair. I like to switch it up every other day between Biolage's Hydrating Shampoo and Conditioning Balm and Pureology's Hydrate System shampoo and conditioner. Switching it up works well for me: 1) Pureology is super pricy, so it's nice to use every-other day 2) Pureology is SO conditioning that is weighs my hair done 3) I have been using Biolage since I had hair and I am in-love with the SUPER clean smell and the performance of the product.
• My slew of styling products includes some products that keep my hair moisturized... or at least help with the frizz caused by the dry weather: Pureology's Glossing Mist and Joico's Brilliantine Pomade.

Not yo' mama's sugar cookies (MY Mama's sugar cookies)

I am a sugar cookie snob. While most people enjoy the Lofthouse sugar cookies you can pick up at any grocery store, I refuse to consume them. They taste like chalk with some sugar in the mix... lacking flavor and in my opinion, just plain gross! This may be because like much of the food I enjoy, I was spoiled by my Mom with delicious, flavorful, beautiful sugar cookies. Different shapes and frosting colors to coordinate with each holiday... pink hearts, green four leaf clovers and Christmas trees, orange pumpkins... mmmmm

I have had a mad craving for her sugar cookies the last few weeks, rather than relying on her to satisfy my craving, I gave her impressive sugar cookie recipe a whirl. I eat one with each meal: breakfast, lunch and dinner... and lets not lie, maybe more than one. :) I think they're calorie-free actually.

Cream butter. Blend in egg, sugar, vanilla and lemon.

Add sour cream (YUMM), flour, baking soda and salt.

Cool cookie dough in the fridge for at least one hour.

Flour your surface well and roll doll out... be sure to not roll the

dough too thin - once you bite into a thicker cookie, you'll know why!

Mix cream cheese and butter... add powder sugar and food coloring of your choice!

Cool cookies, frost and eat a dozen!

AMAzing Sugar Cookies:

1/2 cup butter (cream)

1 egg

1 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/2 tsp. lemon extract *

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

1/2 cup sour cream *

3 1/4 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Cool cookie dough in the fridge for one hour

Bake at 375 for 8 - 10 minutes

Cream Cheese Frosting:

1 package cream cheese

2 tbls. butter

2 tsp. lemon extract *

2 + cups powdered sugar (until you reach the right consistency)

* denotes ingredients that make this recipe OH-SO-Delicious!

Besides the incredible flavor, these cookies are super easy to prepare! And, while I am not one to indulge in cookie dough, Mikey is, and he LOVED this cookie dough! With sour cream, lemon and vanilla in the mix - how can you not?!

ENJOY