Saturday, July 30, 2011

JULY FAVORITES!

Here are our very favorite things from the month of July.  Check them out, then post a comment to let us know what you were craving this month!



Featured in July Favorites:

Jayme's newest obsession -- her iPhone 4
Mendi's Frederic Fekkai Glossing Starter Kit: Shampoo, Conditioner & Cream
Jayme's Laura Geller Blush-N-Brighten in Apricot Berry
Mendi's L'Oreal LeGloss Colour Riche Lipglosses is Baby Blossom & Golden Splash
Jayme's MAC High Tea Lipstick & NARS Easy Lover Lipgloss
Mendi's Revlon Crazy Shine Nail Buffer
Jayme's China Glaze Strong Adhesion Base Coat
Mendi's Barielle Nail Rebuilding Protein Base Coat & Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender Top Coat
Jayme's MAC False Lashes Mascara & Eyebrow Pencil in Lingering
Mendi's Shea Moisture Organic Coconut & Hibiscus Shea Butter Wash w/ Songyi Mushroom
Jayme's Vaseline Cocoa Butter Vitalizing Gel Body Oil
Jayme's Kate Spade Twirl Rollerball
Jayme's Marc by Marc Jacobs 'Rock' Chronograph Silicone Bracelet Watch

Thanks for watching!  We'd love to know what you were craving this month...from beauty products to fashion to food...let us know by leaving a comment!

Friday, July 29, 2011

Shake Your Salad Up!

It's not all meat & potatoes at my house.  Sometimes we like to mix dinner up a little bit with just a simple salad.  I like to call her my "Summer Salad"...real original, I know.  Check it out:

Ingredients
Spinach
Strawberries
Mandarin oranges (wait, how did they miss getting in the pic?!?)
Almond slices
Fat-free Feta cheese
Lite Raspberry Walnut Vinaigrette
(**ignore Mr & Mrs Corn, they were trying to sneak into the pic...sneaky little corncobs...they probs pushed the mandarin oranges outta the way**)



Here's a pic of it in all its glory...minus the feta cheese because the hubz isn't down with feta, so I have to add it to only my salad.


And since I'm an equal-opportunity-cheese-lover, here's what it looks like after hubz gets his portion & I'm free to feta until my heart's content (and yes, I just used "feta" as a verb):


Oh & because this post wouldn't be complete without me sharing one of my favorite kitchen gadgets with you, here's a pic of my strawberry huller in action.  With the push of a button & a little twist, that annoying leafy stem is dunzo.

You can find this Strawberry Huller at Sur La Table

So what do you think??  Do you feta?  What's your favorite summer salad concoction??

Mendi





Thursday, July 28, 2011

Nordy Anniversary Sale & Collective HAUL


I had so much fun at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale and can't wait for next year.  Definitely great deals on big items like Frye boots or Hudson jeans and they also have Nordstrom "exclusive" products that debut at this sale.

Nordstrom Anniversary Sale Purchase
MAC Reel Drama Lip Kit
- Small Travel Bag
- Cremestick Lip Liner in Softwood
- Cremesheen Lipstick in Reel Drama
- Dazzleglass Creme Lipgloss in Scene Stealer

Next year I will be prepared for this sale so I can get some great items for Fall at awesome sale prices.

Avon
Ideal Shade - Custom Shade Foundation Lotion in Medium

Thanks to Tracy D @ My Best Beauty Buys for turning me on to this product!  See her post here.

Nordstrom Haul
Chloe K Tank Top
Frenchi Scoop Neck Boxy T in Purple
Chloe K Sheer Green Shirt

Macy's
Michael Kors Harlow Platform Sandals in Peanut Vachetta - Thanks Mom!!

Dillards
Lancome Free Gift with Purchase - Thanks Mom for passing me your samples!!

Did you guys go to the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale?  Please leave me a comment and let me know what you were craving.

Jayme 

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

Adult Onesies...You In or Out?

We've seen the adult "onesie" around and were wondering what you guys thought about this trend.  Back a few years ago you would see "onesies" or jumpsuits pop out in wardrobes of the fashion challenged on many episodes of TLC's What Not To Wear.  Poor Clinton and Stacey would literally almost pass out as they grabbed these garments and not so politely tossed them in the garbage.  But now you see even some of the most glamorous celebrities rocking this look.

Celebrity Jumpsuits
via

Celebrity Jumpsuits
via

Celebrity Jumpsuits
via

Celebrity Jumpsuits
via

What do you think?  Would you wear a dressy jumpsuit?  We say go for it and think that the key to jumpsuits is matching the right one to your body type.  But why not have fun with this trend.  And really...a one piece outfit...doesn't get much easier than that!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Would You Rather? TAG - Beauty Edition


Questions asked in this TAG:

1. Would you rather lose all of your mascaras, eye liners, lip sticks, and lip glosses or lose all of your palettes and eye shadows?
2. Would you rather chop off all of your hair or never be able to cut it again?
3. Would you rather have a coral cheek or a pink cheek?
4. If you had $1,000 to spend, would you rather buy clothes or makeup?
5. Would you rather apply lip stick as eye liner, or eye liner as lip stick?
6. Would you rather only shop at MAC or Sephora?
7. Would you rather only use one eye shadow color or one lip color for the rest of your life?
8. Would you rather wear winter clothes in summer or summer clothes in winter?
9. Would you rather wear dark nails or bright nails all year round?
10. Would you rather give up your favorite lip product or your favorite eye product?
11. Would you rather only be able to wear your hair in a pony tail or a messy bun?
12. Would you rather never be able to paint your nails again or never use lip gloss?
13. Would you rather shave your eyebrows and have none at all?  Or sharpie them in everyday?
14. Would you rather live without makeup or nail polish?



We TAG anyone who wants to do this video!  And we'd love to know some of your answers, so please leave a comment.

Monday, July 25, 2011

Happy Birthday Mendi/Giveaway Winner!

Before I jump into who won the July Giveaway I wanted to take a minute and wish Mendi a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

I hope you are having a FABULOUS day and just wanted to say thank you so much for all you do for me as a friend and as my partner in Her Late Night Cravings. I couldn't imagine being on this blogging adventure without you!

And now for our July Giveaway Winner...Congratulations to Claire at Spinning Threads. We are so excited that you won all of these prizes we selected from Anthropologie.

a Rather Novel Collection Fragrance Pencil in Taverns & The Hague by Caroline Sabas
a Lulla Collection Imaginings Scarf 
a Stephanie Johnson Pleats and Streaks Cosmetic Bag in Navy

Claire, we hope you enjoy your presents! We had a blast shopping for this giveaway. And don't be discouraged...there will be another chance to win next month...my birthday month! :-)

Jayme

And don't forget to visit Claire's blog and say hi!

Saturday, July 23, 2011

Presents for Everyone!!

Hope you all are having a FABULOUS weekend!!  It's sweltering in VA right now, so we are trying to stay cool.  And if you all want to stay "cool" then you will enter our JULY GIVEAWAY!!  :-)  Mendi's birthday is just around the corner (Monday) and we want to share birthday gifts with you all by sending one lucky reader some goodies from Anthropologie...

a Rather Novel Collection Fragrance Pencil in Taverns & The Hague by Caroline Sabas

a Lulla Collection Imaginings Scarf 

a Stephanie Johnson Pleats and Streaks Cosmetic Bag in Navy

It's easy to enter. See below:

TO ENTER: Comment on this post & let us know in which ways you are following HLNC (via Google Friend Connect, YouTube &/or Twitter).  You MUST be following via GFC in order to be eligible (if you aren't already following, just click on the "Join this site" button on the right hand side of this page).  

You can receive multiple entries by doing the following:
1 BONUS entry for subscribing to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/herlatenightcravings
1 BONUS entry for following us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/herlatenightcra/herlatenightcra

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, July 24th at midnight EST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: Anywhere!

We will announce the winner here on HLNC on Monday, July 25th...Mendi's birthday!! Be sure to check back here.  We will attempt to contact you via one of the three ways in which you follow/subscribe to HLNC.  To be sure that you don't miss the announcement, feel free to subscribe to our blog by entering your e-mail address in the "Follow by Email" section on the right hand side of this page.  Or if you feel comfortable leaving your e-mail address in the comment, please do so.

Note: This giveaway was funded directly from our pockets...just as a way for us to thank you for all of the support.

Can't wait to pull a winner!! And remember we will have another giveaway next month for Jayme's Birthday!!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Latest Obsession: MAC Semi Precious


As I said in the video, I did not expect to fall in love with this collection like I did.  These eye shadows are fabulous and I'm so excited to have them in my makeup kit.  Please let me know if you have tried any of the Semi Precious Collection and tell me your thoughts.  I'm dying to know!

What I bought from the collection:
Mineralize Eye Shadow in Clarity
Mineralize Eye Shadow in Rare Find
Mineralize Eye Shadow in Hint of Sapphire
Mineralize Eye Shadow in Mineral Mode
Mineralize SkinFinish in Semi Precious Pearl

Extra goody not from the collection:
Lipglass in Pink Poodle

Also, what is your favorite lip gloss from MAC?  There are so many good ones.

Jayme

Thursday, July 21, 2011

HELP WANTED!

I'm begging for some help here and I'm hoping that we have a reader out there with a remedy.  I bought a Juicy Couture leather bag several months back at the Williamsburg Premium Outlets and had only worn it a few times when disaster happened...I got dye from my jeans on my bag.  Oh good lord!  The jeans had even been washed many times but apparently that didn't matter.  My jeans had it out for my Juicy.

What do I do??  Have you guys ever bought something and within the first couple of times wearing it something bad happens to it?  It's a really yucky feeling because I try to take care of my things so I can have them for a really, really long time.  She is a super light tan and is soft and textured.  I took some pictures of what happened to her:


 The dye marks are in the middle towards the bottom of the bag.



Has this ever happened to any of you??  What are your solutions dear readers??  I need help and am turning to you for recommendations on how to take care of this type of stain before I start buying up leather cleaners and harassing my dry cleaner.

Looking forward to hearing your suggestions!

Jayme

And P.S. -- Don't forget to enter our July Giveaway!






Wednesday, July 20, 2011

Forever 21 Haul


We thought we'd mix it up for you guys today & show you some clothes that we just purchased at Forever 21.  Hope you guys enjoy our first ever joint clothing haul!  We definitely had fun shopping!

What have you been buying lately??  Drop us a comment to let us know!

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Tune In Tokyo: Intro

We are SO excited to introduce our wonderful friend, Stephanie, who will be guest posting on a regular basis here on Her Late Night Cravings.  We mentioned her recently on a post and we are just delighted to welcome her to HLNC.  She currently resides in Tokyo, Japan with her amazing husband and three beautiful children.  Her posts will be called "Tune In Tokyo" and she will cover a wide array of topics that will be sure to educate and excite.

Stephanie at home in Tokyo with her three children Charlie, Lily & Ben
OK Steph...take it away!


Sayonara America & Konnichiwa Tokyo!

It has been a very hectic and emotionally draining four months for me and my family... As you know, on March 11th (my 36th birthday) Japan was struck by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake.  This in turn created a powerful tsunami which demolished a nuclear reactor site and has been one of the most devastating disasters to affect any country.  The earthquake shook the ground for six minutes and changed the lives of so many forever.  My family and I were physically fine ~ just shaken up and scared.  It puts things into perspective quickly thinking about all of those that didn't survive or have food, water and shelter. We had each other where so many others were not as lucky.

In the days following, we evacuated back to our home base in Orlando, FL after the earthquake to let things settle down.  We were set to return within one month, however, my 5 year old son broke his femur after being home two weeks and has been in recovery since.  I guess the trauma of going through the earthquake wasn't enough!  It's character building, right?!

Here is a little bit about me:  I am a wife and mother of three young children (twin 5 year olds and a 3 year old) who lives in Orlando, FL.  In February 2010, my husband accepted a three-year international assignment in Tokyo and we officially moved here in April 2010.  Now it is time for us to return for "Year Two" of our three-year adventure.

With three children and a husband, you can imagine how much luggage we had to make the trip back, with the final count being:  Nine suitcases, three car seats, three pillow pets, and two bottles of Hidden Valley Ranch!  Since I have yet to find ranch dressing, or "dip dip" as my kids affectionately call it, in the international grocery stores, we covet "dip dip" in our house.


5am at the airport in Orlando
In Chicago, waiting in line for our flight to Tokyo
As you can see, I am very comfortable during our 12.5 hour flight
We FINALLY arrived in Tokyo!  Nine bags and three car seats...VERY American!!  I look pretty scary with no makeup and I know I am breaking all the HLNC rules!  Sorry Jayme & Mendi!
This is what jet lag looks like: all three kids watching a movie at 2am.  My three-year-old woke me up wanting me to put him in his bunny costume...have to love that quirky kid!
Being back in Tokyo is wonderful and exciting, but with that comes the emotional distance you feel with loved ones back in the States.  I have made a conscious decision this year to manage my homesickness better and make it the best year of my life filled with more of what I enjoy:  travel, sightseeing, exercising, cooking, photography, learning, reading, meeting new friends, and spending time with the good friends I have made already.  I feel energized and ready to live life to the fullest and take this opportunity we have been given to grow and learn.

Now, Tokyo is a very exciting and large city with very modern/technological advancements and history spanning thousands of years.  The greater Tokyo area has over 35 million people with the city itself having 13 million.  New York City has 8 million people, so 13 million is a lot of people!  Tokyo's subway system is one of the busiest public transportation systems in the world and it's the primary (in addition to cabs and buses) means of transportation.  Like most metropolitan areas, you can get almost anything you want within a close proximity to your apartment and the food/nightlife is unparalleled.  We live near Azabu Juban, Hiroo and Roppongi Hills where I do most of my shopping and eating out.  The Michelin Guide estimates that Tokyo has over 160,000 restaurants compared to New York City's 25,000 and Paris's 13,000.

Over the next two years, I will be making contributions to HLNC's blog with posts on many different topics that will span from cultural experiences, food/dining, health and beauty, and anything you want me to talk about!  But I'll start with a teaser of a few of my "favorites" in Tokyo so far:
  • Japanese Professional Swallows baseball games
  • Vending machines with everything from beer, coffee drinks, umbrellas to fruit and vegetables
  • Best customer service
  • Beautiful Japanese gardens and parks
  • Shopping in Azabu Juban, Ginza and Jiyugaoka
  • French fries dipped in sour cream and drinking beer at “August Beer Club” which is a local restaurant about a 5 minute walk from our apartment
  • Swimming with the kids at the “Tokyo American Club”
  • Taking the kids to the 100 Yen Shop (Dollar Store in the U.S.)
  • No tipping ~ EVER!
  • Clean cabs
I will go into more detail on some of these favorites in blogs to come!  I am so honored Jayme and Mendi have asked me to be a guest contributor to HLNC and I hope you find my adventures in Tokyo interesting enough to keep reading more.
~Stephanie

Monday, July 18, 2011

JULY GIVEAWAY! - **Closed**


As we mentioned in the video, to celebrate reaching 300 Google Friend Connect "Followers" and to share Mendi's birthday month love with you guys, we wanted to do a giveaway.  One lucky winner will receive the following (all from Anthropologie):

a Rather Novel Collection Fragrance Pencil in Taverns & The Hague by Caroline Sabas
Described on Anthropologie's website as "exotic Oolong spiked with mandarin and lemon zest, violet leaves and rich musk (FRESH)"

a Lulla Collection Imaginings Scarf 
Described on Anthropologie's website as "the bright, bold splashes of color on this lightweight wool wrap make anything seem possible"

a Stephanie Johnson Pleats and Streaks Cosmetic Bag in Navy
Described on Anthropologie's website as "energetic ikat excites airy silken chiffon folded into a pleasant little pouch"

TO ENTER: Comment on this post & let us know in which ways you are following HLNC (via Google Friend Connect, YouTube &/or Twitter).  You MUST be following via GFC in order to be eligible (if you aren't already following, just click on the "Join this site" button on the right hand side of this page).  

You can receive multiple entries by doing the following:
1 BONUS entry for subscribing to our YouTube channel: http://www.youtube.com/herlatenightcravings
1 BONUS entry for following us on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/herlatenightcra/herlatenightcra

GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, July 24th at midnight EST

NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

PRIZE SHIPS: Anywhere!

We will announce the winner here on HLNC on Monday, July 25th, so be sure to check back here next Monday!!  We will attempt to contact you via one of the three ways in which you follow/subscribe to HLNC.  To be sure that you don't miss the announcement, feel free to subscribe to our blog by entering your e-mail address in the "Follow by Email" section on the right hand side of this page.  Or if you feel comfortable leaving your e-mail address in the comment, please do so.

Note: This giveaway was funded directly from our pockets...just as a way for us to thank you for all of the support.

Good luck!!  The great news is that there will be another giveaway next month for Jayme's birthday! Woot woot!!!

Sunday, July 17, 2011

July Birchbox!


As we mentioned in the video, we have a couple of standouts from our June Birchbox, which were the Kiehl's Ultra Facial Oil-Free Lotion, the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brightens and the Pangea Organics Toner.  Please leave us a comment if you have used any of these products before and let us know what you think.

If you are not signed up for the monthly box of girlie goodness, then please check out Birchbox's website and sign up if you think it's your thing.  Let them know that Her Late Night Cravings sent you their way!

We already can't wait for next month!!

Friday, July 15, 2011

The Secret's Out: a L'Oreal HiP Review

Today we want to share with you our review of the L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Eye Shadow Duos.  When we filmed our June Favorites video we mentioned that we were so impressed by the Metallic Duo in Magnetic that we were going to post a full review.  Between the two of us we have tried every formulation (there are 5 total...Metallic, Bright, Crystal, Concentrated & Matte) and we can't wait to share our thoughts.

So let's get to gettin'!!!


L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Metallic Duos
What L'Oreal says:
"...Metallic Shadow Duos are expertly coordinated to create an edgy, shimmery look.  The rich, super blendable color glides on evenly for hours of captivating, crease-resistant wear."

Magnetic

Gunmetal

What HLNC says:
Pigmented, smooth and wearable.  The Metallic shadows are like butta!  They apply so smoothly and really pack a punch with pigment.  Application is easy and there is no work to blending this formula at all.  The shades we chose have just enough shimmer in them without being too much.  We aren't scared of some shimmer, but for those that are hesitant, then these shadows may be for you.  The quality of the Metallic is that of shadows you would buy in Sephora or higher end department stores.


L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Bright Shadow Duo
What L'Oreal says:
"...Bright Shadow Duos are expertly coordinated to create a dramatic look with pure, intensely pigmented shades.  The rich, super blendable color glides on evenly for hours of captivating, crease-resistant wear."

Showy


Flare


What HLNC says:
These shadows have pigment, baby!  When L'Oreal labeled this shadow as "Bright" they were not playing around!  If you have a darker skin-tone, these seriously pigmented shadows are ideal.  Application of this shadow was super easy as the formula is smooth and rich.  Showy's turquoise shadow has a really nice sheen to it and the blue is a solid matte.  We applied the turquoise on the lid and then blended on the blue from the center of the lid out to the corner.  We were hoping that this combo would be as easily blended as L'Oreal says it is...and it did not disappoint.  We will say that the product did have moderate fallout so you have to be careful or really take your time applying because you might have some color fall onto your cheekbones and this shadow is so pigmented that you don't want to accidentally have a green/blue "highlight."  (We're not trying to look like something from the movie Avatar!  Just sayn'!)  Flare was equally as nice, but there was something about Showy that made her the standout of the two.


L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Crystal Shadow Duo
What L'Oreal says:
"...Crystal Shadow Duos are expertly coordinated to create a sparkling, ethereal eye look.  The luxurious, soft-to-the-touch powder glides on smooth for a shimmery, pearlescent finish that glimmers like pure crystal."

Charming

What HLNC says:
The colors in this duo are gorgeous.  We will say that the formulation is definitely different - a little chunky and "crystal-like".  When applying this shadow, the more you rub your brush across the shadow the more you are just wasting it.  You almost have to dab your brush into the shadow to get it to adhere to the brush. We imagine it's kind of like working with straight out pigments where you take your brush and grab up the individual granules.  The color on the left, the light pewter, is a gorgeous shade and definitely fits the "ethereal" look that L'Oreal claims, which is so pretty.  The purple has a little touch of black specs throughout.  It looks like it's going to be a bolder color, but unfortunately it didn't apply that way.  We put this color in our crease and made a V shape on our outer lid and when we blended it out, the purple was so ultra subtle that it was kind of hard to see.  This might be the whole point of the crystal, but we wanted it to stand out just a little more than it did.  This shadow had significant fallout as a lot of the pigment ended up on our cheeks and kind of worked as a highlight on our cheekbones, which was not it's intended purpose.


L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Concentrated Intense Shadow Duo
What L'Oreal says:
"...Concentrated Shadow Duos are expertly coordinated to create a dramatic look with pure, intense pigment shades.  The gorgeous super-blendable color glides on evenly for hours of captivating, crease-resistant wear."

Saucy

What HLNC says:
Most definitely "saucy!"  This rich copper and shimmery chocolate duo create a glowy brown smoky eye combo.  We were pleasantly surprised with just how concentrated this pigment was, particularly from the copper.  It did take a little more elbow grease and layering of the brown in order to achieve the smoky outer lid corner that we were going for, but once you get just the right amount applied, it's totally worth it.  Pull the copper down onto your inner lower lash line for a little extra "glow."


L'Oreal HiP Studio Secrets Matte Shadow Duo
What L'Oreal says:
"...Matte Shadow Duos are expertly coordinated to create a dramatic, intensely pigmented look with a smooth powder texture.  The rich super-blendable color glides on evenly for hours of captivating, crease-resistant wear."

Dashing

What HLNC says:
We have to be honest here and admit that this matte black was a little intimidating looking in the pan, but after layering it over the pink, it's not nearly as "flat" as you might think.  We did notice that it took quite a bit of blending it out in order to get a consistent gradient of color from the black to the pink, so be patient with this one.  The extra nice bonus from the black though is that you can use it as a powder liner over top of your black eyeliner to soften up the edges of this look.



HLNC's Verdict:
Overall, we were really impressed with these shadow duos.  L'Oreal boasts that these colors stay on for hours and are crease-resistant.  We have been experiencing 90-100 degrees in VA with insane humidity and these shadows definitely have staying power.  We did use primer, like with all of our other shadows, but they lasted from approximately 8am well into the evening without creasing.  Our favorite has to be the Metallic. We are suckers for anything that sparkles!  We feel that these "drugstore" eye shadows have the best bang for your buck.  Each of these shadows run approximately $8.00, although prices may vary. We managed to get some of these at our local CVS when they had a Buy 1, Get 1 50% Off sale.  You can't beat that!

Please let us know what you think if you have tried any of these shadows!!

Thursday, July 14, 2011

GLAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM


I'm back with another GLAM BAM THANK YOU MA'AM video.  Mendi and I LOVE doing these, so please keep the recommendations coming!

A HUGE GBTYM to my friend Katherine for recommending the Smashbox Lip Enhancing Gloss in Tease. I love it and wouldn't have purchased it if you hadn't stopped me at the Sephora event to show me what you were trying (and buying!).  Thanks girl!

And of course a GBTYM to our friend (and fellow blogger) Erin from Tropical Mind.  She guest posted on our blog and recommended the fab Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream.  My cuticles thank you too Erin! :-)  We so enjoyed your coming over to HLNC with your awesome 10 Under $10 Beauty Bargains!

Also, after this video was made Mendi bought the Burt's Bees Cuticle Cream and seconds my GBTYM!!

Jayme

Wednesday, July 13, 2011

What's 'Appening??

I'm back to tease your taste buds with a quick & easy Summertime bruschetta appetizer.  Nothing fancy here...just a simple snack to throw together for those nights when the day has gotten the best of you & there's no time to spend making a gourmet meal.  Which, to be honest, is pretty much Monday through Thursday nights at my house.

So, you start with this:


Lite TEXAS TOAST
Grape tomatoes, diced
Olive oil 
Salt
Pepper
Fresh basil, finely chopped
Fresh oregano, finely chopped
Shredded mozzarella cheese
Marinara sauce (not pictured above)

Cook your TEXAS TOAST per the box directions.
In a small bowl, mix together your diced tomatoes, a drizzle of olive oil, a pinch of salt & pepper, the basil and the oregano.


Once your TEXAS TOAST has been in the oven for 5-6 minutes, take it out & add your tomato mixture to each slice.  


Then top it with the shredded mozzarella cheese.


Put it back in the oven for 3-4 minutes...just long enough for the cheese to get good & melty.  Heat up a cup of marinara sauce for dipping & you're good to go!


"Quick & easy" has a place setting at my kitchen table any night of the week...she's the best kind of dinner guest.  If you like to keep it simple, let us know.  We're always looking for new things to whip up!

Mendi

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

SCOOP DU JOUR: Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten


Hope you enjoyed this product review!! We just can't say enough about the Laura Geller Blush-n-Brighten.

Sites mentioned:
Birchbox 
Laura Geller

Please let us know if you have tried the Blush-n-Brighten or any other products by the fabulous Laura Geller. We are so curious!

We plan to do more in-depth product reviews in the future, so stay tuned.

And don't forget to let us know what you're craving!

Monday, July 11, 2011

TOP 10 SUMMER 2011 TRENDS

Back in March, we gave you guys a few ideas of the biggest trends that we were seeing for the Spring.  Now we're back with a list of 10 Summer trend ideas...  Enjoy!

#1 - Feather earrings

Jayme's mom was the first to turn us on to this trend.  Believe it or not, she found her inspiration from an episode of Pretty Little Liars.  Feather earrings are a fun and easy way to spice up your outfit. Everyone's adding feathers to their hair this season, so why not add them to your ears!


via
Stephan & Co Feather Earrings from Nordstrom  for $8.00


#2 - LWD (Little White Dress)

The LWD is a must-have for Summer.  Perfect for date night, weddings (yes, we said it...it's OK to wear white to a wedding) or family reunions.  Just beware of the BBQ sauce!!  And remember you can always add color with your bag or some bright accessories.

via
ASOS Summer Dress with Sweetheart Neck from ASOS for $43.10


#3 - Nude frame sunglasses

We just learned something new:  Don't google images of nude sunglasses.  We didn't exactly get what we were looking for.  Eek!!  Anyhoo, nude has been such a hot color since Spring and now you can incorporate nude into your style via something other than nail polish or lip gloss.  We don't see this color going bye bye anytime soon!

via
Micheal Kors 'Shetland' Cat's Eye Sunglasses in Nude from Nordstrom for $115.00


#4 - Tie-waist shorts

Tuck a tank into these shorties & you've got the easiest outfit that you can possibly pull together for the Summer.  Dress em up or dress em down, you can't go wrong!

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Drew Cargo Short in Mill Indigo from The Limited for $49.90


#5 - Ikat print

Yes, we know, the Ikat trend has been around for awhile, but we've noticed that it isn't going away anytime soon.  There are tons of ways in which you can incorporate a little Ikat into your life: a scarf, a bag, some home decor...but we fell in love with this dress at first sight.

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Silence & Noise Ikat Dress from Urban Outfitters for $79.00


#6 - Fringe sandals

How fun is fringe??  We love this look, but we do think that there is such a thing as TOO much fringe, so we love this Lauren Conrad suede fringe sandal in natural.  Just enough fringe without going overboard. We see this paired with a cute sundress or a pair of shorts.  Perfect for that afternoon party by the pool or an outdoor concert.

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LC Lauren Conrad Fringe Sandal from Kohl's on sale for $25.99


#7 - The Low Bun

"My anaconda don't want none, unless you've got buns, hon..."  Sorry, we didn't mean to go "there." Sir-Mix-a-Lot does that to us sometimes.  What we really want to share here is our favorite hair trend for the Summer...and can you say easy peasy?!?!?

hairstyles 2011
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#8 - Bronze makeup

Why not have that sun-kissed glow all day and even into the night?  This is the best time of year to play up your face with golden and bronze makeup.  Bronze colors will give you that beautiful and natural look without the harsh effects of laying out in the sun.  You can't go wrong with this palette of perfection.

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Little Black Palette from Lorac for $33.00


#9 - Lip stains

We love the idea of a lip color with staying power during the heat of Summer.  Swimming, sweating and dare we say kissing, all work against our freshly done lips.  But with this lip stain you have the luxury of long-lasting color AND a balm to keep your lips moisturized.  So go ahead apply your lip stain and dive into the pool.  Your hair might be wrecked, but your pout won't be.

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Smashbox Limitless Lip Stain & Color Seal Balm from Sephora for $23.00


#10 - Neon home decor

Add a pop of Summertime color to your mantel, a dining room table or your outdoor patio with something that will WOW houseguests.

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18" Casablanca Lanterns from ZGallerie for $14.95 each

There you have it!!  HLNC's guide to Summer...have fun with all of the newest trends!  Be sure to leave us a comment if you definitely plan to take full advantage of any of these, or if you already have!!

Saturday, July 9, 2011

Beauty Battle - "Slingin' Mud"

Recently, one of our awesome readers, Tracy D from My Best Beauty Buys, recommended that we pick a product and each try it out to see if we came up with a similar "review."  The kicker is that we weren't allowed to tell each other our thoughts and opinions until we sat down to film a review video together - that way we'd be sharing our real and "live" reactions on the selected product with each other for the first time while the camera was rolling.  We were super excited about Tracy's idea, so we went out and picked up the very first product for our Beauty Battle.  And yes, we definitely plan to do these again...we thought it was fun, though really tough to keep our mouths shut and our opinions on lock down...hahaha!  Harder than you'd think, since we tell each other everything!

We chose the AHAVA Natural Dead Sea Mud:


Now our reactions!


We hope you enjoyed this type of video and that you'll be excited to see more Beauty Battles in the future. Please send in your recommendations and maybe your idea will be featured next time!

Friday, July 8, 2011

Lip Smackin' Good


Did those ribs get your attention?!?!?  Mmmmm, mmmm, mmmm....

Thanks go out to my Daddy for being the Grillmaster of the night.  These ribs would make you want to smack yo Momma!  KIDDING...don't smack your Momma...or my Momma...or any Momma!!!

We grilled out at my parent's house last weekend & I thought I'd share a couple of easy recipes with you guys, so here goes...

Simple Summer Pasta Salad (via myself)

2 boxes of Betty Crocker Suddenly Pasta Salad Classic, cook per box directions
(you'll need vegetable oil for the pasta salad)
Hormel Pepperoni minis
Grape Tomatoes, quartered
Cucumbers, diced
Cheddar cheese cubes, quartered


After cooking your pasta & mixing it with the seasoning packet, toss in your pepperonis, tomatoes, cucumbers & cheese cubes, then just stir it all up:


Some people don't like cold pasta salads, but I love them...I could seriously eat this everyday, although you probs shouldn't.  I love having lots of leftovers of this, so that I can have it for a couple of days.  And it doesn't get much easier than this.

For dessert, I decided to give a new recipe a go...I found this online a year ago & added it to my recipe binder.  I finally found the chance to try it:

"Healthified" Peach Cobbler (via Eat Better America)

1 cup Bisquick Heart Smart mix
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 cup fat-free (skim) milk
3 tbsp canola oil
3/4 cup sugar
1 can (29oz) peach slices in light syrup, drained
1 tsp lemon juice
Vanilla reduced-fat ice cream

**Tip: I think this recipe needs more ground cinnamon...I will double what the recipe calls for the next time that I make this.**


Heat oven to 375 degrees.  In an ungreased 8" square glass dish, stir Bisquick mix & cinnamon together.  Then stir in the milk & canola oil with a wire whisk or fork until blended.

In a bowl, mix the sugar, peaches & lemon juice together.  Spoon it over the batter in the baking dish.

Bake for 50-55 minutes or until golden brown.  Let stand for 20 minutes before serving.  Serve warm with ice cream.

And here's what it looked like piping hot, straight from the oven:


*Note: As you can see, I didn't have an 8" square baking dish, so I doubled the recipe in order to make it to fit a larger dish...which resulted in a LOT of leftovers...TOO much...*

Served a la mode:


Man, now I'm hungry.  

Let me know what your fave go-to Summer recipes are & I'd love to hear from you if you decide to try either of mine!

Mendi


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