September Ipsy Glam Bag 2013

I signed up for a subscription at ipsy.com.  After filling out a profile, every month you will receive a small makeup bag with beauty products.  It's $10 a month plus $4.95 shipping.  With the US exchange I was charged $16.95.  I was on a waiting list for 2 months before I started receiving my Glam Bag.  There are some higher end products and some lower end stuff.  I was so happy with what I received for my first bag.  I loved everything I got. You also get discounts on the products you receive if you would like to purchase them. Here is what I received in my September bag.

When I received my Glam Bag I knew what it was right away.  It came in a pink metallic envelope .

In the envelope it came with a sample of Michelle Phan's The Life Palette in Career Life Look.

It also came with a card with discounts for all the products I received plus many more.

The makeup bag I received was a very pretty blue.

I got 5 products in my bag this month.

This is what I received:

Chella - Ivory Lace Highlighter

I really love this.  I've used this for a few different things.  I've used it on my brow bone for highlighting or on my water line to make my eyes look bigger. It's also great for hiding blemishes and red spots. You can purchase it at chella.com. I would definitely purchase this again or a product similar.  It retails for $18.

It's So Big Volumizing Mascara By Elisabeth Mott

I liked this mascara.  I don't think I would purchase it again but I will use it up.  I only received a trial size of this.  You can purchase this at elizabethmott.com.  It retails for the full size for $19.99.

Pop Beauty - Pouty Pop Crayon 

The colour I received was Rose Romance .  I really liked this lip crayon.  It has long lasting wear.  I'm not sure if I would order this online but would definitely pick it up if I saw it in the store .  You can purchase it at popbeauty.co.uk/.  It comes in a pack of 6 for $25 so approx. $4 each.

NYX - Single Eye Shadow

The colour I received was Nutmeg (118).  I loved this colour.  I will pick up this colour again.  It was long lasting and easy to blend.  You can purchase it at nyxcosmetics.com for $6.99.

Starlooks - Obsidian Kohl Eye Pencil

I never use pencil liners but I found this very easy to use .  I don't know if I could bring myself to spend the $12 for a pencil but I do recommend it. You can purchase it at starlooks.com.

So for the $16.95 I sent I received $51 worth of makeup.  I love that it's a surprise every month.  If you love makeup you'll love getting a bag from Ipsy.

Jenn

Baked Egg with Spinach

I love eggs and I love cooking with spinach so this meal is a favorite .  It's very easy to make .  It is also very healthy and only 90 calories.  I eat with with either a half of an english muffin or a piece of toast with butter.

Here's what you need to make this:

-oven safe dish with sides
-large egg
-2 cups spinach
-light cooking spray


1. pre-heat oven to 350

2 . cook spinach in a frying pan using the cooking spray until wilted (you can also add some garlic)

3. spray oven safe dish with cooking spray

4. put the spinach in the dish leaving a space in the middle

5. crack the egg so it sits in the middle of the spinach

6. place dish in in oven for 15-20 min. (depending on the size of your dish you can put it on
    baking sheet so it's easier to take in and out of the oven)


Enjoy

Jenn

Beauty Reviews 4

ESSIE - BUTLER PLEASE

I absolutely love this shade of blue .  I went to get my nails done and when I saw this colour at the salon I knew I had to get it.

L'OREAL MAGIC PERFECTING BASE - FACE PRIMER

This is a great primer.  It's kind of like the L'Oreal Magic Skin BB Cream. I use this everyday as an under eye cream. It helps smooth the fine lines around your eyes. I only use it as a primer on my whole face if I have somewhere special to go when I want to have my makeup last longer. You can purchase it at Shoppers for $18 or Walmart for $12 . So hopefully you buy it at Walmart.

REVLON PHOTOREADY 3D VOLUME MASCARA

My sister in law recommended this mascara to me .  I really like it.  It stays on all day and doesn't smudge . Which happens a lot with most every mascara I try.  It also made my lashes look really long. You can purchase it at Shoppers for around $12.

SALLY HANSEN FUZZY COAT - WOOL KNOT

I DO NOT recommend this polish.  It looks neat on but it is IMPOSSIBLE to get off. After 20 minutes and a ridiculous amount of cotton balls I gave up.  I had to go get a nail fixed at a salon so I got them to take it off.  They had to sand it off.  This polish is a nightmare .

Jenn

1st Birthday Party Theme

Last week was my daughters 1st Birthday.  I'm going to share some of the things I did to put her party together.  Hopefully these ideas will help when you plan your little ones party.

DECORATIONS

I went to Party Max and Dollarama to pick up the decorations.
This is what I picked up from each store.

Party Max
-pink plastic plates
-1st Birthday Banner
-invitations
-1st birthday hat
-1st birthday bib
-high chair decorating kit
-1st birthday cake plates
-1st birthday napkins
-I ordered helium balloons to be picked up on day of party
-sign me dog

Dollarama
-pink table cloth
-pink cutlery
-pink napkins
-pink and white streamers
-pink cupcake liners

FOOD/DRINKS

This is the food and drinks I served.

-meatballs
-meat and cheese tray
-buns
-chips
-goldfish
-cabbage rolls
-oreos dipped in icing
-spinach dip
-veggie straws
-watermelon
-grapes
-srtawberries
-cake / cupcakes
-ice cream
-pop
-juice
-water
-punch

 I saw on Pinterest oreos dipped in chocolate.  I hate melting chocolate .  Something always goes wrong no matter how I do it so I thought I'd save myself the hassle and use icing.  I bought a can of icing and used food colouring to tint it.  I put the icing in a bowl and melted it in the microwave . You should stir every 10 seconds until the icing drips off the spoon.  You don't need to melt the whole can of icing at once I did bits at a time .  Once the icing was melted I dipped half the oreo in and placed it on wax paper.  Then put some sprinkles on it before the icing set.  To save on time I made these a few days before and kept them in the freezer. 

 

For the cake I made a 6" fondant white cake .  I had it displayed on cake plates and pillars.  Under the cakes I also made cupcakes.  I served the cupcakes for the party and kept the 6" cake for my daughter to smash the next day which was her actual birthday.

I also picked up a sign me dog for everyone at the party to sign.  I was a bit upset since my other 2 kids had a bear but they only sell the dogs now.  Not that big of a deal lol but I was hoping they would all have the same one.

Jenn

Legoland Discovery Centre Toronto

My husband and I took our kids to the Legoland Discovery Centre in the Vaughan Mills Mall in Toronto, Ontario, Canada.  My kids had a blast.  As soon as we pulled up they were screaming with excitement.

They loved the giant Lego people .

These are all the activities they have there for you to do.

LEGO FACTORY
As soon as you walk in the door they show the process of how Lego is made .  Both kids got a Lego piece as a keepsake . 

KINGDOM QUEST
The kids loved this ride .  You get to ride through a tunnel and use a laser gun to shoot all the bad guys to save the princess.

MINILAND
This part was amazing.  It was a whole city made of Lego.  There was the Rogers Centre, Air Canada Airport, CN Tower, Air Canada Centre,  and a whole lot of other Canadian landmarks all made out of Lego.

LEGO MASTER BUILDER ACADEMY
The kids took a class on how to build a Lego beaver.  My 6 year old loved it but my 2 year old lost interest after a few minutes.

LEGO FIRE ACADEMY
They had a decent size play area for the kids to play on. With slides and wall climbers and different levels.

MERLIN'S APPRENTICE
The kids also loved this ride .  It was like a carnival ride .  The faster you pedaled the higher you went.

LEGO CONSTRUCTION SITE
This area had Lego everywhere .  There were soft Lego, big and small Lego.  Even the baby enjoyed it.

 

LEGO RACERS: BUILD AND RACE
This area had ramps to race Lego cars.  This was a challenge for us since my husband and I had no idea how to build a car out of Lego.  Luckily we found cars laying around that other kids had built. LOL.

When we were ready to go home you have to walk through the Lego store .  I had already looked online at their website to see what they sold to get my kids prepared on what they could choose .  I didn't want any melt downs for an expensive set.

Overall we had a great time and I would recommend taking your kids there. Admission wasn't too bad.  It was $22 for ages 13 and up and $18 for ages 3-12. Kids 2 and under are free .  They also have a cafe inside .  We ate in the food court of the mall when we were leaving.

If you would like more info click here .  There are also other Lego Discovery Centres across Canada and the United States. 

Jenn

July Favorites 2013

DOVE STYLE + CARE MOUSSE

This mousse is very light weight.  It holds curls and is great to style with.  It has a whipped cream texture .  I purchased it at Shoppers for around $5.

 

MUNCHKIN FRESH FOOD FEEDER

I loved using these with my kids.  I used to put frozen or fresh fruit or cooked vegetables in it.  I liked how the kids could suck on the food without the worry of them choking.  They are easy to use .  I highly recommend trying this product.  I purchased it at ToysRUs for under $10 for two.  I bought them 6 years ago so I'm not sure if you can still get them there but you can order them on amazon.ca.  

 TAKE ALONG TOOL KIT

  

I collect Huggies points.  So I used my points to get this tool kit.  It cost 425 points.  My 2 year old son loved this.  It came with a hammer, screw driver, nails and screws.  If you purchase Huggies diapers I recommend collecting the points.  I have used the points to get a few different things.  I have been happy with everything I received.

STARBUCKS LIGHT VANILLA BEAN FRAPPUCCINO

This is my new favorite drink .  I ask for it light to save on calories.  That means it is made with non fat milk , sugar-free syrup and no whip cream.  According to myfitnesspal.com a grande is only 160 calories.

Jenn

Bottle Your Own Beer

I've bottled wine a couple times now and I was curious about their beer.  For anyone in the Hamilton, Ontario, Canada area I went to a place called Brew Time .  The staff there were very helpful and friendly.  They have over 100 different beer recipes to choose from.  We chose "Budweiser".  Each batch is a keg and you get 6 cases of beer from it and possibly a few extra bottles.  They have bottles there that you can purchase .  The only negative aspect of the whole experience is that the beer must be refrigerated, so we split the keg with a friend and chose larger 1 liter bottles to save on space .  That way we only had to squish 24 1 liter bottles in the fridge .  We paid $65 for 3 cases of beer.  Next time will be even cheaper since I now have the bottles.  This saves money and it was fun to do with the hubby and our friend.

The process to bottle it is very easy.  First you have to rinse out the bottles.

Next you put the bottle on the machine , add a little CO2, and start filling.

When it's done filling up you screw on a cap and you're done .

I also love how you are able to drink your beer/wine while you bottle them.

When we were finished we ended up with 25 1 liter bottles.

Whether you choose this place or any other place I really recommend to bottle either wine or beer.  It's a great way to get some girls together for an afternoon or even a nice date with your significant other.

Jenn