July 2012 Hits & Misses - Beauty, Craft, Food and Lifestyle Favorites

I am an avid watcher of YouTube videos, especially those related to crafting and beauty. One of the things I've seen going around for a while, mostly on the beauty videos, is to showcase a few things you really loved from the month before. Even though I haven't really seen this done on many blogs, I thought it was something that would still translate really similarly between the sites (video v. blog) and it might be a great opportunity to share with you some of MY favorites from the previous month.

I'll try to pick 1 or 2 (or more!) favorites for each category, but have no fear, each favorite will be a true favorite. I won't just choose things to have more products. I'll choose things I've been using on a regular basis or have used several times and loved. The same goes for the misses - they'll be things I've tried to make work or just wasn't happy with, not just a random assortment of things that merely didn't make it to the hits list.

Below you'll find a bunch of the things I've come to love and/or found very useful in the month of July. I'll also try to provide links where you can find out more info and/or purchase the items if it looks like something you might enjoy as well!

Hits:
Food:
Ice water - Every night before I go to bed I've been putting a plastic cup about half full of water in the freezer. In the morning I add a bit more water to the now frozen cup and it keeps the water cold for a long time as the huge ice chunk melts. It also adds more water to what's in the cup as it melts. I keep a near constant rotation of cups with ice like this going. I've found it helps me drink more water since I only really like it cold.

Freezer pops - If you live anywhere in the US, your summer has probably been pretty hot here lately. With temps and heat indexes soaring into the 90s and even sometimes above 100, I'm all for finding cheap ways to beat the heat. These freezer pops certainly helped. I found 36 of them for about $2.50 at Walmart, but found 100 for $3.50 at Meijer just this past weekend. I'm not really too picky about exactly which flavors are included in a pack as long as I have my pink ones and my blue ones. I tend to pawn the orange and grape ones off on my dad though.

Sweet Baby Ray's Honey Teriyaki Marinade - As you can see from the bottle above, this has gotten quite a bit of use this month. I think we've had 3 or 4 meals with it and there's still enough for 1 or 2 more. It's really, really good on steak. When I use it, I like to get the steak in the marinade in the morning to then cook in the late afternoon/early evening for dinner. As with any marinade, the longer you can leave it sit the better.
 

Lifestyle:

My "fancy" flipflops - I call these fancy because they're silver, sparkly and a whole ton more fancy than the flip flops I usually wear. I scored them on a trip to Dollar General when everything with a yellow dot (tons of their summer shoes and clothes) was 70% off. They were originally just over $6 and I got them for just under $2. Not bad and really if they don't last much longer than this summer, for $1.something I won't be too upset.

Craft:
Empty food boxes - I've found TONS of uses for these bits of scrap cardboard. The added benefit is that it keeps all the cardboard out of the landfill, even if just for a little bit longer.


Beauty:

Eyeko Skinny Brush Mascara - I won this mascara in a giveaway on a beauty blog a few months ago. I'd used it here and there, but recently started wearing it almost every day - even if I didn't do a full face of make up, I put this on. I've read mixed reviews of it, mostly from people who hated the brush. When I first started using it, I wasn't all that fond of the brush either. However, now that I've been using it for a while I've figured out how to use it for my lashes and the results are amazing!

Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm - A quick disclaimer that this is extremely expensive. Far more than I would really ever pay for an eye cream at this point in my life to be honest. However, I received a sample in my Birchbox a few months ago, and that sample has lasted a long time. The directions say to apply it twice a day - morning and night - but I've just been applying it at night. It really hydrates my under eye area and helps to smooth out some of the fine lines and wrinkles I have developing under there. I feel like I'm a bit young to be having these creeping in already (and they've been there for a while now) so I was happy to find that this is helping. I can really tell a difference when I don't apply it the night before. Instead of being more smooth and less wrinkly, there are tons of fine lines and wrinkles that my makeup tends to settle in. I've also found that if I need to use concealer under my eyes, putting on a little bit of this before doing my makeup helps keep the concealer from settling into things and makes it last longer.

Misses:
Food:

Tea Forte Minteas in Lime Mojito - If you read my last Birchbox review, you'll know I was not a fan of these at all. I've never had a mojito before so I'm really not sure how they're supposed to taste. That said, if these are true to flavor (or as close as you can get sans alcohol and being solid v liquid), I don't want to try one. I definitely get the lime flavor, but mojito? I'm not sure. Also, for something with mint in the name, I'm looking for something a bit more minty.

Lifestyle:
I couldn't think of anything I'd used in daily life that I was less than thrilled with.

Craft:
I really tried to think of something crafty I was using or tried to use recently that just wasn't working out for me and I couldn't think of anything. This is a good thing, right?

Beauty:

DG Beauty Makeup Remover Tissues - I know that sometimes you really do get what you pay for, but not always. I thought I'd give these relatively inexpensive makeup remover wipes a whirl because I'm always looking for a better way to get makeup, especially eye makeup, off my face at the end of the day. These were not the wipes for me. They do an ok job, but I sometimes felt like I was having to go over and over the same spots to get everything off and/or going back over with another product completely to feel like my face was makeup free. This was especially true for my eye makeup. As I stated above, the Eyeko mascara I've been using usually comes off pretty easily with a bit of water and/or a good soak in the shower. I thought it should be no problem for these wipes to get it off if it really comes off pretty easily. Nope. I'm not sure if they aren't moist (shuddering at that word) enough or what the deal is, but I need to wet my face a few times to loosen the mascara before I can really get it off with the wipes. Once it's loosened with a little water it comes off with just a few swipes though.

Nothing like a meal full of veggies

 

Dinner tonight was absolutely delicious! I really cannot say how much I love fresh veggies in the summer - don't get me wrong, I love veggies in the winter too but they don't hold anything to fresh, home grown veggies in the summer.

We had steak, sweet corn (bought from the local farmer's market), summer squash (grown by my aunt's neighbor) and twice baked potatoes with chives (grown in my garden), bacon and cheese.

What's in My July 2012 Birchbox

After seeing the preview video about this month's Birchbox, I was pretty excited (again!). It looked like there were going to be some great new products for me to try. Needless to say, I wasn't very disappointed.

Jouer Moisturizing Lip Gloss in Wind - Full size = $20 - Trial size = $5.71 value

I'm not sure the camera is picking up the true color of the gloss. It seems to me that the picture looks a bit more pink than it actually is. To me, the shade is much, much more nude. I'll be honest, I was actually a little scared of this since it's more of a nude color. I have yet to find a perfect nude shade that doesn't make my lips look like death. I should say had yet to find. I love this color. It goes on a peachy nude and looks great. I put a small swatch up there because I feel the swatch captures a more true color.

blinc Mascara - Full size = $26 - Trial size = $17.46 value

I've never heard of this brand before now, but I love a good mascara. I haven't tried this one yet and probably won't for a while. I want to use up more of the 2 tubes I already have open before adding another to the "open" pile. The package says it's water resistant yet comes off with some water and gentle pressure. I have another mascara like that and I love it. Hopefully this will become another favorite as well.

Tea Forté® minteas - 3 pack - Full size = $9.95 - Trial size = $3.32 value

I'd seen these pop up in several other boxes so I was very excited to see them in mine. However, that's about where the excitement stopped. I had hoped to get the cocoa/chocoalte ones, but was initallyh ok with getting the Lime Mojito flavor instead. I quickly learned that I really dislike this flavor. I've never had a mojito and if these mints are anything like the real thing, I don't want to either. I'm not even sure I can explain why I dislike this flavor, except that I don't taste any mint at all, just a citrus/tea flavor. I don't know that I'd really want to throw mint into that mix though.

Oscar de la Renta live in love - Full size = $78 - Trial size = $78 - Trial size = $1.56 value

I know that a lot of people don't like getting these types of perfume samples, but I was happy to get one this month. I'd been thinking about starting to wear perfume again and thought this might be a great start. Again, that's about where the excitement ended. The info card says that there are "notes of hyacinth and orchid over a rich base of sandalwood and cedar." I think that's why I don't like it - the sandalwood and cedar. I'm not at all saying it's a bad scent, just that it's not my scent. It reminds me of a sweet old lady's house - again, the sandalwood and cedar. So it's a pleasant scent, just not one I want to wear on my body.

Manna Kadar Cosmetics sheer glo shimmer lotion - Full size = 29 - Trial size = $0.29 value

I was quite disappointed in the size of this sample, mostly in compared to the full size product and not really in relation to how much is actually in the tube. I swatched a bit on my hand the day I received the sample and even after repeated hand washings and daily tasks there was still a bit of shimmer on my hand until I took a shower. Aside from that I haven't really tried this out yet, but I'm excited to.

Birchbox Exclusive Earbuds - Not currently for sale on Birchbox, but the cheapest earbuds run about $10 at Wal-Mart

I was so glad I got the pink/bllue ear buds and they couldn't have come at a better time. My regular ear buds decided to quit working on the right side after over 2 years of use (pretty good for ear bud standards!).

Total box value: $38.34 including the $10 estimated for the ear buds

Taco Bake Recipe - Foodie Friday

This recipe was born out of "I'm hungry," "Tacos sound good" and "Tacos again?" And while it's a pretty good recipe, there are a few changes I would/will make the next time this is on the menu (and there will be a next time). Don't worry though, I'll let you know when it comes what I would change.

 

Ingredients:

1 package cornbread/corn muffin mix prepared according to directions

Taco meat prepared according to your tastes - use your normal amount when feeding your family, along with any seasonings you put in

Cheese of your choice - shredded, cubed, from a jar

Lettuce

Tomatoes

Any other taco toppings you desire

As you may be able to tell from the ingredients list above, this recipe is quite customizable to your tastes. Feel free to make any substitutions you need according to your tastes and/or ingredients on hand.

Directions:
1. Prepare the cornbread/corn muffin mix as directed on the package. The ingredients and/or directions necessary to do this step may/will vary depending on the mix you have.

2. Brown the ground beef and season to your preferred tastes.

3. While the meat is cooking, chop/prepare any other ingredients you'll be using - tomatoes, lettuce, cheese, etc.

4. Also while meat is cooking and you're preparing ingredients, bake the cornbread in a large pan at the directed temperature on the package for half the time directed. When you take it out, it should just be setting up on the sides and still kind of gooey/not done in the middle.

5. Layer the cooked seasoned taco meat onto the partially cooked cornbread and spread to make an even layer. Put back in oven and finish cooking the rest of the time directed on the cornbread package, minus 5 minutes. You'll need that last 5 minutes for melting the cheese.

6. When there's 5 minutes left in the cooking time for the cornbread, take it back out of the oven and cover evenly with as much cheese as you desire. I used a mixture of shredded Colby-Jack cheese and Velveeta. In the future I will probably either use all shredded cheese or opt for a can/jar of nacho cheese.

7. The cheese should be melted in about 5 minutes. Remove from oven and top with your desired taco toppings. I put tomato and lettuce over the whole thing and individuals added sour cream, onions and hot sauce as they desired.

This was a great alternative to regular tacos in shells and really took about as long to make since I could be doing other things while it was baking.

Layered Summer Salad - Foodie Friday

Source: kraftrecipes.com via Jessica on Pinterest

This summer layered salad from Kraft has been my most liked and repinned pin on Pinterest ever. It currently has more than 700 repins and and 100 likes. Holy cow!

I first pinned it maybe about a year ago because it looked good in an e-mail I got from Kraft. I get e-mails from Kraft with recipe suggestions depending on the season or a theme they're going with for a holiday or other occasion coming up and this happened to be included in one for summer. This is not some sort of special service or anything fancy and anyone can sign up for the same thing from the Kraft website.

There are three main reasons I think this salad is amazing:

First, the picture just looks delicious. Who wouldn't want to eat a salad that looked that good?

Second, it looks easy enough to make. Most people I know over the age of 12 can put veggies down in layers, making this a recipe most could succeed at!

And third, I feel like this could totally be customizable for differing tastes. Don't like peas? Add something else or leave out altogether! Iceberg is cheaper than romaine? Use that instead!

A bonus fourth reason! You can make it ahead so you don't have to throw it together at the last minute and you can spend your time doing things you enjoy or need to get done instead of cooped up in the kitchen waiting to make a salad.

Do you have a favorite summer salad? Have you made this one before? Thoughts? Opinions? Is anyone out there? Bueller? Bueller?