I have heard people say that stress can cause one to experience bouts of baking...
This was kind of one of those times and a first for myself.
Since the Corona Quarantine I've been cooking so many more meals and one night I decided I was going to give myself a break and bake the blues away.
Luckily My Love and I have had plenty of things to keep us busy so we've been very blessed through out the whole process.
I’ve made cake a couple of times and always from a box but after watching many seasons of BBC/Netflix The Great British Bake Off I thought, well I’ve got the time, let's try from scratch.
After checking out a few recipes I found the one I wanted to attempt and boy am I glad that I did!!!
Since the recipe is not my own I'll provide the exact recipe I followed.
It’s the Hershey's chocolate double layer cake and if you love chocolate this is the cake for you!
Since I don’t bake too often I didn’t have two round baking pans so I decided to do one round and one square. I’ve since made sure I have multiple pans just for this recipe!
If you try out the recipe let me know in the comments what you thought!
I used organic cane sugar in place of granulated sugar, organic eggs and butter, I used white lily flour(my mom insists it's the best) and organic non GMO raw cane powdered sugar.
I also didn't have any buttermilk so I used the milk and vinegar trick that the recipe recommended.
This beautiful dress is available from chicwish and I will provide an affiliate link if you would like to shop it.
Instead of putting together a gift guide I put together some of my favorite skincare, makeup and beauty tools!
That's because good skin is the gift that keeps on giving!
#Treatyourself
SKINCARE
Two of the items are mini's I was trying out and I love them so much already that I included them! :)
I'll start with the skincare list!
Glossier's solution has been an awesome addition to my acne treatment. It's one of those products that tends to break you out before you start seeing a difference. Once I got passed that point I would get little breakouts if I ever missed using it so I use it every night after cleansing.
Going along with the acne regimen is my homemade clay mask I use the Redmond clay brand since my husband bought a giant tub but the Aztec Secret Indian Healing Clay works great. The mask works double duty when used with apple cider vinegar to create a paste.
This is my secret weapon when I have to clear up a breakout ASAP.
It's not magic... but it is! I use it as a full face as well as a spot treatment when I'm in a rush.
SK-II gets a lot of hype and it's for good reason!
After I started using this essence I noticed my skin tone evening out, I had a small red spot on my nose that I had for over a year, it looked like a nose piercing and I was pretty self-conscious about it. It became less and less noticeable until it completely disappeared.
Caudalie Vinoperfect Radiance Serum gave me bouncy, hydrated skin for a youthful appearance.
Sunday Riley Luna Sleeping Night Oil.
This is one of the minis that blew me away enough to make the list, I'm buying the full sized bottle once it's finished. This made a difference after my very first use, and I made the hubs touch my face! lol
Belif The True Cream Aqua Bomb soaks into my skin like a dream.
Dewycel eye cream, this stuff was sent to me and I started to get a dry patch on my eyelid, the cream cleared it up. Your eyelids are a different kind of skin from the rest of your face and should be treated with products designed with them in mind.
MAKEUP
This year the Urban Decay Born To Run eyeshadow pallet came out, naturally, I had to have it.
This pallet is my new favorite and the reasons include: formula, versatility and amount of product for the price. 21 shades to be exact! If I had to bring one pallet on a trip with multiple occasions to prepare for, this is my 1st choice.
Dose Of Colors in the shade Truffle.
This was used on me for a photo shoot and I immediately went out and bought it for myself!
Lip colors are personal so you can try out swatches of your favorite colors at Ulta.
My absolute favorite mascara has not changed since I swiped my first brush of Chanel le volume over my eyelashes.
This is the first mascara that keeps my eyelashes up without being waterproof.
This product was also sent to me to try and I love the unique warm color as well as the creaminess.
Lique Creme Lipstick in Flawless, these are available at Kohl's and online.
For eyebrows I always just used a brown eyeshadow to fill in where I had gaps and a brow gel to keep them in place. The Ka-Brow by Benefit is a brow changer and helps create the brows I want.
I have oily skin that doesn't help with makeup longevity throughout the day, that's where this Urban Decay All Nighter setting spray comes in.
My makeup stays all day and it is more vibrant.
BEAUTY TOOLS
The Clarisonic is a fabulous exfoliator and I use it every other morning with my facial cleanser.
I use the Rose Quartz Beauty Roller after keeping it in the fridge, it reduces puffiness as well as reducing signs of wrinkles.
The it cosmetics velvet luxe foundation buffing brush is my all time favorite brush and I use it when I want more coverage than my beauty blender allows.
The eyebrow razors are my favorite way to deal with facial hair...
Yes I said it!
I have very dark thick hair on my head so it stands to reason that if gone unattended I could get a peach fuzzy mustache.
I found that hair removal creams designed for the face were to harsh for my skin and even made me feel that they were speeding up the aging process on the places applied.
So long explanation aside, I shave my upper lip.
I would also like to point out that everyone has different feelings about facial hair in women and its entirely up to yourself to decide for you. :)
I'm almost to the end guys!!!
The Tweezerman tweezers are award winning tweezers for a reason.
Yes they are more expensive than typical tweezers but they are worth every penny!!!
When I lived at home my brothers had their own tweezers but would steal mine, now my husband does it!
They have regular tweezers and yet they have seen the amazing difference, it cuts tweezing time down because the hairs don't slip from the grip of these bad boys!!!
Last but not least I love my Hello Kitty pencil sharpener.
This is a regular sharpener that I use for my lip pencils, it doesn't have any amazing functions that make it state of the art, it's just adorable and makes me smile.
That is what all of this stuff is about really, pampering and taking care of ourselves to show a little self love.
Happy Christmas and all of the other Holidays that I know you will all be celebrating.
I hope you are spending it with the ones you love.
I'll put links below so that if you want to check any of these products out you can do so.
These are my personal opinions and everyone's skin type and tone are different, find what works best for you! :)
So everyone on Instagram has gone crazy for this outfit and honestly I was running so late I was lucky to come up with something cohesive!
I'm in love with this dress and I bought for a transitional fall piece but like always I can't keep myself from wearing something new!
I get too excited!!!
So I've tried to link similar items or the exact ones below.
The event I attended was hosted by @itschristinemarie and @paulmitchellthesalon_ and I got to meet so many new girls and had my hair done by two of the sweetest girls there!
If you are from the Naples area or just stopping by, they will treat you like a princess!!!
Did I mention how TALENTED they are???
I have already tried to recreate this look on myself... and failed.
I'm going to keep trying but I think I will have to leave it to the experts for any big events!
For the dress click Here. It is still available in XS-M and it's on SALE!!!
Lately, I've been drawn to brighter colors, I bought this fabulous vintage skirt at a thrift store and never wore it.
I finally paired it with this cute little floral top from H&M that i've linked below.
I've found that wearing bright colors isn't as scary as I originally thought!
Ever since I saw one of these round bags from Bali I've been obsessed but after seeing so many of them I didn't want to like them anymore!
Seeing this one in person made me change my mind and I just had to have it!
Now my next project is to make more storage for my bags!
I was once asked to do a hair tutorial... I laughed.
Not in a rude way but in a dumbfounded "I can't believe anyone would want to know how I get this mass of horse hair to look somewhat normal" way.
Yet here I am a probably about a year later, surprising even myself!
So what is the tutorial? What changed my mind?
A home remedy hair treatment that gave me super soft hair/less frizz for once!!!
So of course, in honor of this miracle, I thought I would share!
Let's get started!!!
On dry hair I applied about three tablespoons of coconut Oil and three pumps of Macadamia's Healing Oil Treatment, from root to tip.
I have a LOT of hair and I took small scoops and mixed it in my hand as I went so you may not need as much as I had to use.
I left it in my hair for about an hour and I washed my hair three times to get all of the treatment out.
AS SIMPLE AS THAT!!!
I've used coconut oil by itself and I've used the Macadamia oil by itself and never received the same soft results so I thought it was worth a share!
The coconut oil doesn't have to be a special brand and you can buy a large tub at Target FYI.
I'll still put links below incase you want to order it fast.
Now for a side note in honor of my Rescue boy because he loves to crash into photos.
It was National adopt a shelter pet day recently and I just wanted to add a photo of our rescue baby.
We can't imagine life without our silly, sweet, handsome boy.
He brings so much joy and entertainment into our lives but he is also a big responsibility.
Many people buy pets only to realize AFTER that it's a life altering commitment that they don't want.
We chose to look for a shelter dog after talking about it for a very long time, before we were even married!
In the end I think Anubis chose us and we chose him.
I can't believe this but I'm actually getting a little emotional writing this!!!
He's sleeping on his chair behind me and I can honestly say he's a huge part of our family.
So I'm not asking you to "adopt a pet" or to "not buy a dog" that's your personal choice.
I'm just telling you about my experience with a pretty darn cool rescue who became my best friend.
I hope you guys are having a fantastic day and let me know in the comments your favorite hair home remedy or if you have an awesome animal friend! ;)
I'm not OCD however I am OCD about certain ridiculous things.
The biggest thing is my skincare routine.
I don't care how late I'm running I ALWAYS make time to wash my face morning and night.
The Husband thinks I spend a little too much time on this but it's my thing!
Everyone has a thing right?
Today I'm going to take you through the steps with each product I use for the morning.
Step 1: Start by cleansing, I use Cetaphil for normal to oily skin.
Step 2: I either exfoliate everyday with the clarisonic using the radiance brush head ( It's gentle) or I use the St. Ives Green Tea scrub every other day OR I use the Sensitive Clarisonic attachment twice a week.
When I use the Clarisonic I use the cetaphil on the brush combining step 1 and 2.
Exfoliating is my favorite but you don't want to do it too much. Everyone's skin is different so pay attention to what works for you!
Step 3: I use an astringent with a cotton pad to wipe away oils, this includes my neck and décolletage. I really like using Eskinol(not pictured) which can be found online or sometimes at asian markets.
Step 4: Essence is my newest addition and I'm never going back.
I put 2 or 3 drops(I'm stingy) in my hand and pat my face with it.
My complexion has evened out and I feel more confident with my naked face since starting this.
The SK-II was a splurge but I had tested it from a large batch of samples I bought from sephora and knew I was hooked!
Step 5: Another product I instantly could feel the difference as I used it was the Caudalie Radiance Serum.
I had ordered a new bottle before I ran out of the sample size, I think it's safe to say I'm addicted!
Step 6: Under eye cream has helped me with plumpness and anti aging specifically targeting that area.
I use the Innisfree brand, I like it BUT it has a very strong scent so keep that in mind if you aren't into that.
Step 7: FACE CREAM!!!! I don't care what you use but anything is better than nothing!
I ran out of my Belif Aqua Bomb moisturizing gel which I LOVE and I started using the Laniege water bank moisturizing cream I love it too!!!!
I will probably keep both on hand and alternate depending on what I feel my skin needs that day!
Step 8: Sunscreen!
I don't want to jump the gun since I've only used it for a week but so far my favorite face sunscreen has to be Origins A Perfect World SPF 40.
It's anti aging so sign me up but it isn't a weird thickness and doesn't smell strongly which I like!
I'm still testing it and I was't going to say anything but it has impressed me thus far!
Are you still with me?
I know that seems like a lot but like I said I'm a little obsessed!
If you don't have a favorite moisturizer and you want something inexpensive to get you started, Olay is my go to brand to suggest.
My first moisturizer was the Olay firming night cream and I still love it!
Also it's $6!!!
Don't forget to DRINK WATER, I drink about 2 quarts a day.
It's never too early to start skincare and it's never too late either.
My husband asked how much "younger" I wanted to look by doing all of this, my answer is simple, I'm not trying to look younger I'm starting the foundation to aging gracefully.
Have fun ladies and gentleman (Skincare is for Everybody)
and I hope you found this little morning routine helpful or at least fun!
Let me know if you have any good skincare suggestions for me in the comments below!
