Chunky & Warm Checkered Scarf

     I just love the feeling of finishing up a project. This morning I finally got around to putting the fringe on a scarf that I made around Christmas. I'm really please with how it turned out. Another plus is that it was super fast to make (it took three days and maybe five hours total, if that long) and it's probably the easiest pattern I've followed thus far, just because  you're making your stitches in the empty spaces instead of having to put them directly into a chain. It's also super warm, and I think that the colors I chose are going to be easy to wear. I used this pattern from the Fiber Flux blog for the Fiona scarf. I tweaked it just a tad- I chained 184 to make it a bit longer and because I wanted to incorporate a colored pattern, I have two more rows. Instead of adding buttons I put fringe on my scarf using the instructions here. I had  quite a bit of colored yarn left over, so I'm going to make the smaller scarf out of one of those and add buttons to it- I think the purple one featured on the blog is just adorable! 

I was able to grab him before he started playing to model for me ;) 

     The colors I used for my scarf are Fisherman, Spice, and Denim. I do recommend that you use the Thick and Quick or a similarly thick yarn- I tried using a thinner yarn and it just didn't work out well. Happy hooking! 

Crock Pot Chicken Fajitas

     I don't know about anyone else out there, but I looove Pinterest. It is such a nice way of finding new things, especially crochet patterns and recipes. I found a link to the blog Stacy Makes Cents through a pin for her crock pot chicken fajitas recipe. I tried the recipe last week on a day I wanted to study and not have to get distracted by making dinner... and let me tell you, the smells from the kitchen were making it pretty hard to concentrate! They turned out great- this was the first recipe I've made using the crock pot (Matt usually takes over making BBQ and roasts) and I was so pleased with the results, I'm trying more recipes. Yesterday I made creamy lemon pepper chicken (which was BOMB), and I have the makings on a cube steak recipe she has on her blog, too. Most of the recipes are pretty flexible, too- for example, I just used a McCormick spice packet instead of adding cumin and chili powder, and I left out green peppers... because they're yucky :P 

     It was so simple to make and sooo yummy! This will definitely be a repeat meal for us. When it was finished cooking in the crock pot the chicken was super tender- I ran a fork over it and it just fell apart. Mmmmm, yum :)

    I hope that everyone has a very merry and safe Christmas! 

Getting into the Holiday Spirit with Jingle Belle

     A little while back, the hubs and I were in Radford and decided to go into one of the few comic shops in the area- Game Quest. It is more of a game shop than a comic shop, but they do carry some new issues and have tables set up with long boxes full of comics to rifle through. On this particular visit I scored some Harley Quinns and two Jingle Belles. I had never heard of Jingle Belle before, but the comics were a little 2- part Christmas special, so I figured I would see what they were all about. Plus, they were written by Paul Dini *squee!!!* After my Anatomy final today, I was ready to read some comics to get my mind off of how awful it was and since Christmas is fast approaching, I decided these two would be perfect. 
     The first thing you gotta love about these is that this girl is cute, from her design and demeanor to her pet muskox that she rides. She is the spoiled teenage daughter of Santa Claus, on a mission to do a good job and win the approval of her dad her way. Some of her schemes are a bit short-sighted and she tends to not take things very seriously, faults that so many teenagers usually have. Despite all of their arguing, she does love her dad and her heart is in the right place. 
     I definitely recommend these if you are looking a sweet, funny comic to read around the holidays. The retelling of the Santa myth is interesting and to see him with a family and issues that almost everyone can relate to is refreshing.  One of these days I'm going to have to try to get my hands on the other Jingle Belle comics out there to see the rest of the mischief she gets into!

Paul Dini's Jingle Belle, issues #1 & #2, 1999

Mind-numbing

     I don't know about the rest of you, but for me today has just been one of those days that I wish could have turned out different. After waking up a bit early to do some grocery shopping with the hubs I had to go take a final exam for Personal Financial Planning. Which wasn't too bad, but now that it's out of the way, the next exam up is the one that's going to be the hardest- thank goodness it's Monday and I have the whole weekend to try to prepare! But of course, I'm still stressing out about it, because hey, that's just what I do. But now, on top of all of the static already in my head, my heart is sunk from the news about the school shooting in Connecticut. I know people who have lost children, and I know that it is a horrible, horrible pain to have to bear. I can't fathom how hard it is for that community to try to pick up the pieces of what happened this morning.
     My heart also can't help but ache for the shooter himself. He had no excuse for his actions, but if anyone can rationalize killing their own mother, other school workers, and young children so that it is not only acceptable, but necessary, then they have some serious issues. If only he had had some one to talk to or perhaps even therapy, this may have never happened. Maybe he could have lived a normal life and been a functioning member of society. I've read so many posts on social media calling the shooter names and saying that he deserves to rot in Hell,  but I can't do that myself. Yes, his actions made him a monster, and if he had survived, I would have been all for capitol punishment for his actions. However, monsters are made. This young man was once his mother's son, a brother. In today's society it is so easy to feel distanced from people that when some one starts having mental instabilities and lapses in judgement, either no one notices or the person retreats farther into themselves. The shooter was 20, the same age that I am for another week, which gives me shivers; I just can't picture anyone being able to do what he did, regardless of whatever he was trying to deal with. I am curious about how his brother is doing, and I feel so horrible for him- I can only imagine what he is having to deal with himself. I am interested to know what provoked the shooter's  attack- but the world may never know. 
    My heart goes out to the people of Sandy Hook and I hope that God covers their hearts like a balm in this confusing, despairing time. There are no words that can bring back any of those who were lost, but hopefully some of the confusion about what happened can be cleared and those who were lost can be honored.  

Brains....

     Hello, all! It's been a long time since I've posted anything on this blog- I'd been so busy that I felt a bit like a zombie sometimes. That's what happens when there's a lot of work and not enough play! But, here in the last couple of months I've been gaining a bit of free time, so I started messing around with the idea of blogging again and actually sticking with it instead of going MIA every so often (I've wimped out on this resolution a few times, but maybe this time will be different.) 
     I've had a ton of major life stuff happen since I last blogged. I finally got my Associate's Degree and transferred to Virginia Tech. Since I don't work anymore I have a little more time to do what I want to (like play Pokemon and collect Catwoman comics.) I've taken up crochet and I play Darksiders on my husband's Xbox like a madwoman. Yes, my husband's, I'm now married :) If you didn't see that coming, don't worry, I didn't either. We got married in August after deciding that we wanted our relationship to keep growing and didn't want to try to do long- distance. We had originally been planning on getting married next Spring, but having the wedding sooner didn't feel rushed. Matthew is really a fabulous husband, and I feel so blessed that he entered my life when he did. 
     I think I'll probably still do makeup posts, but I'm pretty sure that in order to keep myself on the blogging track I'm going to branch out and write about other things, too, just like a general blog.  These things will probably include crochet, cooking, ferrets (we adopted another one!), and geekery at large.  So, hopefully I'll be posting again soon, and I hope everyone has a great day! 

Everyone say "Hi!" to the newest member of the family- Odin! 

I haven't forgot about the blog, I swear!

     Hi, I hope everyone had a great Easter weekend! I haven't been able to post much lately because I've been super busy with school stuff (classes end May 3, hooray!), and then with work on top of that... I feel like I've barely had time to breathe! I still don't have time to put up anything too long, but I do have a couple of posts I'm hoping to get up soon (one on my adventures with cat-eye style liner and another is a tag.) And today I just thought I'd share a picture of Loki playing in a box :) 

 

sheer spring mani

     Hello everyone! I don't usually post my manicures simply because I kinda suck at painting my own nails :/ But, this last time I did a pretty darned good job! I actually got all of the polish on my nails and NOT on my fingers! The colors didn't work out quite the way I was hoping, but it is still a cute, light, spring-time type of look. To be honest, I was wanting the grey-taupe shade to be alot less sheer and alot more edgy. Can't always have everything, though, I guess! 

  

My hand looks kinda awkward trying to hold both of these :/ 

     For my base and top coats I use Sally Hansen Double Duty Base & Top Coat. On most of my nails is two coats of Gray's Anatomy from Wet'n'Wild. I was very dissapointed with the color payoff- I guess it being a "fastdry" polish is responsible for the sheerness, because this polish is sooo thin. I only used two coats because when I do more, no matter what the polish, the result is usually a thick goopy pile on my nail that takes forever to dry an I did not feel like dealing with that. The color is so lovely in the bottle, and sheerness aside, it is still pretty on- just not what you might expect. On the plus side, this polish did dry quickly! On the last day I wore this polish, I decided to see how many coats it would take to make it completely opaque; on my thumb it took two more coats, but on my index finger it took three more until you couldn't see the white tip of my nail underneath, bringing the total number of coats to opaqueness to 5. On my ring finger is two coats of Sally Hanson's Diamond Strength Brilliant Blush. Now, this one I expected to be alittle on the sheerer side (I've used it before on a full mani and it's such a cute color!) It is a pinky- pearlescent white that literally glows. I hate to say it, but even in its two coats it was more opaque than the Wet'n'Wild. I will just have not not buy any more of the fastdry colors, because the regular line of Wet'n'Wild polishes are great, IMO.

 

Loki says "Hi, hope you enjoyed the post!" 

an easy, cat-eye inspired look

     I've been meaning to post this look for about a week now, but I keep winding up either busy or spending time outside because the weather this way is so beautiful! I love the weather in spring time, simply because it is warm but the humidity hasn't reached the crazy level like it tends to do around here in the summer. Anywho! This look is somewhat inspired by pin-up girls and the cat-eyed or winged liner that they often sport. I love that look! It conveys so many different things- sexiness, mysterious, elegance, fun loving, just depending on the gal wearing it. For years I have not been able to master the cat-eye or winged liner, but an idea struck me the other day; I remember some one doing a tutorial and using tape to achieve the outline they were looking for. I mulled the idea over and thought, what the heck, I might as well try it. And here's the result!

     I took tape and put it from the end of my lashline to the end of my eyebrow; I found this to be the most flattering angle. I used Stila's Kitten on my lid and MAC's Handwritten in the crease and out V. I chose Handwritten specifically because it was matte, and I figured that it would be easier to work with than something with sparkles or a sheen. I then sprayed an angled liner brush with water and collected some more of Handwritten on that brush. Then, I ran a line going against the edge of the tape and connected that to my lashline, about in the middle of the lashline. Instead of making a triangle shape like I've seen some people do, I let the line be thinker towards the outside and thinner on the inner. I've been trying out this technique with actual cream liner, and it's working pretty well, so I think I'm going to get some liquid liner and try it out with that, too. Hopefully, I'll be able to post some pictures of how that turns out soon! 

     And now it's time for a cute kitty picture: 

     Hope y'all have a nice weekend!

this is how I get 'Naked'

     I know... another post on what you can do with Urban Decay's Naked palette... *YAWN.* But, I figured I would go ahead and post this one, since it's a look that I wear quite frequently. And since everyone and their second cousins have raved about the palette, I'll keep my piece on it short and sweet; even though it seems like alot of dough to shell out for one palette, I think that it is of excellent quality, very versatile, and well worth it. I use mine at least three times a week ;) 

     
     Okey dokey, so here's the scoop- in the crease & outer V is Darkhorse, with Smog on the lid and Half Baked on the inner part of the lid. To highlight my inner corners, I use Hard Candy's Tiki bronzer, something I've been reaching for quite a bit, lately; I've been gravitating towards subtlety more and more. In these pictures I'm wearing The Balm's Hot Mama blush and Clinique's Tenderheart gloss.
     And to all of y'all who have Naked 2- is it worth it? I've been eyeballing it, and since I get so much use out of Naked it seems like a good idea, and the idea of having more cool neutrals to work with is appealing. The thing that keeps holding me back, and it is a silly little thing, is that Half Baked is in it, too. I can't help but feel UD cheated and should have included some other color! 

quick & casual

     Hi, I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was good  but fairly uneventful. This week should be interesting, though- Matt is out of town for his job and the baby ferret is staying at my house until he gets back! My sisters are somewhat fascinated with him, so he has had plenty of playtime, which has tickled him absolutely pink. I've been able to stay with him most of the day, which has been nice. The only running I had to do today was to a study session for a microbiology test that I have tomorrow, so I just kept my makeup fairly minimum.

     A while back I purchased a small Stila palette from Sephora, and that's what I mainly used; on my lid is the infamous Kitten, with Eve in the crease. On my brow bone I used Hard Candy's Tiki bronzer/ highlighter. As I usually do, I just swept Too Faced's Pinch my Petals on my cheeks, and today I used The Balm's Coco my Coconuts lip gloss (I loves it!) 

my go-to haircare is always Dove, and the new Oil Care line is no exception

     Hello, I hope everyone has had a wonderful weekend! Mine has been great; Matt's birthday was yesterday and I got to spend the day with him and his brother at the flea market again. I found some super cute owl bookends for $5 this time, plus a Gameboy Color for $10, so now I can give my little sister's back! 
      So, onto the review! I always have been very picky over my hair, so I won't just use any shampoo. The kind I find myself reaching for over and over again is Dove. Don't get me wrong, if I have a coupon or there's a sale, Pantene does a good job, but there is absolutely no beating Dove. I regularly use a blowdryer and a flat iron on my hair and am able to use heating implements on my hair more often without damage because the shampoos and conditioners Dove makes are so nourishing. And, not only can my hair handle more abuse with Dove products, but it takes longer to get split ends after trims. Being long, my hair is fairly heavy, so I usually opt for the Volume formula, but the last time I went s&c shopping another formula caught my eye- the Oil Care. I know there is a huge buzz about argan oil, and this formula is built with almond and mineral oils. I have oily skin and hair, so I've always been somewhat skeptical of oils actually helping me, but I decided I would give this product a shot. Luckily, I have been very impressed with the results! 

     With this formula I get the same quality I expect from Dove, plus a little extra. My hair is still shiny, soft, and healthy, but with this formula it feels even more hydrated, without being weighed down. This is a formula I would readily recommend to those with unmanageable or frizzy hair, as I notice less flyaways and random fuzzies while using this s&c. It has a feminine "clean" smell without being overpowering (my fella even commented on how nice it smelled!) The formula is thin enough to be easily spread through hair but is still substantial enough so that you don't have to use a large amount- I use less Dove than I would of Herbal Essence, for example. The shampoo is easy to lather and the conditioner is easy to work into hair, and they are easy to rinse out, too.
     In addition to having amazing products, I feel good about buying Dove products because they support a cause very dear to my heart-  confidence and self esteem for women and girls. In a world where we are all pushed to be "perfect", this company actually encourages people to find beauty in their selves the way that they are and even used funds to support this cause. One of the things that makes me the saddest is to think that a woman or girl can look in the mirror and see anything besides a beautifully unique individual and I am glad that Dove has the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty.

muddy plums

     Today my college had a snow day AND since it was President's Day, my government- employed boyfriend had the day off, which was good news because it meant we got to spend some time together before I had to go to work. And what did we do? We bathed the ferret! And he was also souper sweet and fixed me chicken noodle soup and a grilled cheese for lunch.
     I was in a hurry to leave my house and Matt likes the au naturel look on me as far as make up, so I decided to keep it fresh and light, with a pop of plummy purple at my eyes to make my blues really stand out.

 

Either the lighting in the living room is crazier than I thought or my bangs cast one wicked shadow- that one eye looks like it has a bruise under it! Totally not existent IRL, though! 

     For blush I used just a dab of Too Faced's Pinch my Petals (my favorite!) and on my lips I had a swipe of Clinique's gloss in Tenderheart. For my eyeshadow I pulled out the handy dandy Naked palette and used Buck in the crease and Naked on the main lid. I then went over Buck with Jezebel from Concrete Minerals. To highlight the inner corners and under my arches I used Tiki, a brozer/ highlighter from Hard Candy. And violola! Look complete! 

one of my very favorite activites

     It's a proven fact: women love to shop, and I am no exception. It is also a proven and fairly unfortunate fact that most men hate shopping with women. Luckily for me, the Good Lord let there be flea markets! The cool thing about flea markets is that there is usually something for everyone, and looking at things is more of an adventure than just browsing through a store. On Saturdays when I don't go into work until later, sometimes I will tag along with my fella and his family to this huge flea market there is in Bristol, TN. Because my fella and his bro and me (when I have the time) are all gamers, we spend most of our time checking out the vendors selling games and consoles, and we like to check out the movies and books, too. And of course there are all sorts of random treasures set out on display. The last time we went before today I found an old comic book from the 50's called "The Son of Black Beauty." The guy's price was $15, and he had another copy, so he let me have both for the $15. That was definitely one of my favorite buys. The majority of my purchases are game- related, with most of those being of the Pokemon vein (for those of you who love Pokemon like I do, you gotta check out Shiro Cosmetics!) And today I found two very neat items- a big "Pokedex" book for the Pokemon Diamond game ($5) and Pokemon Pinball for Gameboy Color ($10.) I wasn't really looking to buy anything today, but since I'm in the middle of playing Diamond I figured the book would come in handy, and I couldn't pass up Pokemon Pinball. If you put a triple A battery in the cartridge the Gameboy shakes with the game because it has a rumble pak built in, and I couldn't pass up something that neat! I've been playing it some this evening, and it's definitely worth the $10. 

 

Goodies! 

     So, are any of y'all gamers or Pokeholics? How about flea market pickers? If so, what's your favorite loot? 

I may be coming back.... :)

     The other day I was at school, writing something or the other, and I couldn't help but think: "Man, my writing skills are getting rusty!" It's hard to believe that I haven't did anything on this blog in a whole eight months... I have missed blogging, but with college, work, homework/ studying, and my personal life, I have just had trouble getting the time and motivation to write and to edit pictures. After some personal wallowing about poor me doesn't get to blog because of yada yada blah blah, I finally did something productive and came up with a solution: write shorter posts! That way I can do more with less time and effort. Instead of doing haul- style reviews, from now on I'm only going to review an item or so at a time. Also, I think I'm going to stop rating things on a "stars" scale, and even though I like doing a "breakdown" style review, writing reviews in a more article- type style would probably be a better tool to improve my writing. So be warned, there will be changes, just not sure how drastic they will be yet. I do hope to do more posts on looks and there will probably be more that are just about life in general and not even related to beauty/ make up. This can include but probably won't be limited to: animals, books, movies, music, the adventures me and my fella go on, and more! I'm pretty excited and I hope I can keep at it this go- round :)    

 And for now, I'll just leave y'all with this picture of the two things that make me smile the most- my Matthew and our baby ferret, Loki! 

I hope y'all like seeing this little guy, because he will probably weasel his way (har har har, pun intended!) onto the blog pretty often!