Finally, The Best Mascara

If you remember, and why wouldn’t you, it was a monumental declaration, over a year ago I declared that I would go through a giant box of sample mascaras and do an experiment on which one I thought was the best.

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And as with all of my best intentions, I managed to document only three of them before I simply resorted to trying them on and then declining most of them forever. Mascara is no joke.

The mascara needs to look natural. It needs to separate the lashes, lift my short spindly genetic shortfalls, from the hovels of my face and mold the shacks of my eyelashes into skyscrapers. I want the structure to last all day but easily tear down at night.

I tried all of the mascaras in Sephora’s 2013 Lash Stash box listed here:

Benefit They’re Real Mascara (which I all ready loved previously)
Blinc Mascara
Buxom Lash Mascara
Clinique High Impact Mascara
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Lancome Hypnose Drama Mascara
Sephora Outrageous Mascara
Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant
Tarte Lights, Camera, Flashes Mascara
Yves Saint Laurent Volume Effect Mascara

I also tried MAC’s Zoom Fast Mascara, Clinique’s Lash Doubling Mascara, Maybelline’s Great Lash, Lancome’s Hypnose Doll Lashes, Benefit Bad Gal, and Bobbi Brown’s Everything Mascara through various samples and purchases.

It was quite a task, which is why it took me over a year to complete.

And at the end of it, I had narrowed my choices down to Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara (my old favorite) and Bobbi Brown’s Everything Mascara.

But then something unexpected happened.

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I tried one of my last mascaras, Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara.

AND I LOVED IT.

It was everything I liked about Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara without the residual clumping that is hard to remove at the end of the day.

I could not wait to order a full size of it.

That is when I ran into a problem. I was not the only one who adored their trial of Make Up Forever Mascara from Sephora (I believe Sephora gave out samples in their birthday gifts last year). And I was not the only one who had decided to jump and order the full size version. However, before I did, I read the reviews. Many of them declared that for whatever the reason, the full size version did not live up to the smaller size.

Thankfully, you can order a travel size version. And that is what I have been doing for the last six months.

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So, oddly, the travel sized Make Up For Ever Smoky Extravagant Mascara is the winner of my mascara trials. It lengthens lashes dramatically without being too stiff. It removes easily. It stays on all day without any flaking. It separates well. It is the mascara I will and have been exclusively buying for myself. Although, my daughter received the same kit. Her heart still belongs to Benefit’s They’re Real Mascara. So, that is the brand I buy for her.

Have you tried any of these mascaras? What is your favorite mascara? Have you done eyelash extensions? Or that eyelash growth serum? Or do you ever use fake eyelashes? I have tried the fake eyelashes once. But I have not perfected it. Maybe one day I will try again.

*This post is based on my own use of the different mascaras. Your experience may vary from my own. All photos here are unfiltered to truly show the way the product looks when I first apply it and the lighting I apply it in.

It’s The Little Things: The Best Of The Pre-Prepared Meals

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My husband’s shifts at work vary. I usually make a meal when he is home about five times a week. There are those nights though when I just don’t want to cook. Either it is just me and the kids and I don’t want to make a huge meal for just the three of us or my kitchen might be clean and I don’t want to mess it up. I can’t be the only one who feels that way about a clean kitchen, right? Please tell me I’m not alone.. Or maybe I am just plain ol’ tired. Whatever the case may be, I have tried many a prepared meal from the grocery store. Here are some that I go to again and again that I felt were worthy enough of sharing:

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Raviolis by Rana. I think these are the most authentic tasting Italian items at the grocery store.

I love their lasagna noodles. I use them exclusively for my lasagna. A few months ago I was at the grocery store and a woman was blocking my access to the noodles.

I waited and waited for her to move but she kept studying the packaging.

Finally, I decided to intervene. I assumed she was undecided upon the product.

“They’re really good,” I said.

She looked up at me in surprise.

“Oh! Yes! This is my brother’s company,” she proudly proclaimed. “I didn’t know it was in stores yet.”

We chatted some more and she recommended the pesto product which she used to help sell at the farmer’s market. I am so glad I ran into her because I loved the pesto she recommended and now I purchase it whenever I need it for a recipe.

Isn’t it a small and funny world?

I buy the family ravioli version which is around $8 a package. I add a can of marinara sauce that I have heated on the stove to the drained ravioli. Easy peasy.

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Indian food.

Hands down. Feet down. Any old body part you want to throw in right now would be down. Whatever that means. Down is good here. Maya Kaimal’s Indian sauces in a two pack from Costco are the very best preprepared dish I can find. The flavors are so intense and wonderful. I love Indian food and these little containers of curry taste like sauces I would find in a restaurant.

I shred up a rotisserie chicken and add it to the simmering sauce. I also add a half of a stick of butter to it. Because why wouldn’t I? One container serves my whole family of four with no leftovers. I always have these in my refrigerator. I serve them over steamed white rice (perfect white rice is double the water to your amount of rice- I do 2 1/2 cups of rice and 5 cups of water, 2 Tbsp. Butter. Bring to a boil. Reduce to simmer and cover with a lid for twenty five minutes. Turn off heat and allow to rest for five minutes before removing lid).

I also serve it with naan bread that I always have in my freezer. And I also chop up some cilantro (another refrigerator staple) and sprinkle it over the top.

My family loves everything about both of these sauces. We cannot decide which flavor is our favorite. They are both amazing. Very spicy but good.

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Trader Joe’s Pastas

My family and I actually find Trader Joe’s dry pastas gummy and feel they have an odd off-putting flavor (if I were to guess, I would guess cinnamon). However, their frozen pastas are actually pretty good.

They are not amazing but they are good for a frozen pasta. I am not a fan of frozen pastas with meat in them. I like that these are exclusively noodles and sauce. That is surprisingly hard to find. I buy two and serve them to my children. My daughter likes the marinara version best. My son likes the Alfredo. As for me? I like to mix them.

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Of the five brands that I have tried numerous amounts of times, the best pre-packaged spinach is found at Von’s. I know that seems odd, but there it is. The flavor at Von’s is always mild and just fantastic. I use it in my favorite salad at least twice a week.

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Foster Farm’s Chicken Tenders

I know. Frozen chicken strips? How original, Jenni. This is more of a comparison recommendation than something that is unique and special. This brand is my family’s favorite. I have tried many brands. In my opinion, these are simply the best. They stay crispy cooked in the oven. The calorie count is not bad compared to fried chicken strips in restaurants. They also make a glutten free version. I serve them with baked potatoes and salad. It does not get easier than that.

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Last, these french fries from Trader Joes are amazing. They are oven baked so they are not as bad for you as other fast food fries. I used to grab bags of these from the San Diego Trader Joes because I had never seen them at my local store. The other day, my store had a few bags. I exclaimed to the man stacking them in the freezer section, “Yay! You finally got these fries in!”

He looked at me puzzled and said, “We’ve always carried these. They just sell out.”

So, if you don’t see them at your local store, now you know why. They go quickly!

What are your go-to pre-prepared meals? I am always looking for new ones to try. I was madly in love with Albertson’s frozen manicotti and they discontinued it a few months ago. Do you know any store that sells frozen manicotti with no sauce? Just stuffed shells or noodles? They are more expensive to make than I used to find frozen. Any leads would be very much appreciated. : )

It’s The Little Things: A Lipstick Set

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday yesterday. Ours was wonderful and exhausting. At four in the morning we were awoken by the sounds of sickness coming from the bathroom. One of our children had vomited in their bed… And on the floor. And in the hall… It did not bode well for the day ahead. However, after some cleanup and a little sleep (and I mean a little sleep), we awoke again at eight and spent the rest of the day healthy and sound. My husband and I even had a chicken enchilada cook-off with each other. His enchiladas won. I’m going to pretend it didn’t happen.

I was so touched by the comments left on the blog in the last few days, I am so behind in my life and the blog, but I wanted to express my gratitude for the well wishes. I love you guys! You truly made my day.

I was so very fortunate with the gifts I received yesterday. My husband gave me this dress (that I knew about, but forgot and now it is on sale! It is very itchy, just an FYI) and I kept the red boots (briefly shown here). I also received the Aniza booties and a few more clothing items. I was so grateful to receive some thoughtful unique presents and a few much appreciated Anthropologie gift cards from my dad, stepmom, my sister and brother-in-law. My sister and her husband also ended up purchasing my husband and I the letters I fell in love with in this post. I was so happy and surprised! Any ideas on where they should go?

It was a great couple of days.

I did not have a completed post ready to publish today, but it seemed odd to not have a post up for two days in a row. I racked my brain about something I wanted to share that was not the typical outfit post. And this was what I kept stumbling back upon:

We are an odd sort of family and one of our conversations during the last few days revolved around how much money it would take for my husband or myself to lick sweet Ollie’s bottom lip. Wait! That’s such a weird thing to say. But we all concur that Ollie’s lip, while sweet as he is, is a bit gross with it always hanging there, catching food… And his burps… I know, I warned you. Although, nobody can quite be prepared for a statement such as that. Which brings me to lipsticks… Of course, how else does one segue from licking a dog to pretty beauty products?

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You can’t.

But while it is on my mind, I wanted to write about some lipsticks I have fallen in love with lately. Are they even called lipsticks any more?

They are a seasonal set called Nars Digital World Pencil Coffret and they are limited edition. They even come in a pretty case. I keep forgetting to write about them, so I figured now was as good a time as any, even if it is not timely for my usual Saturday “It’s The Little Things” post.

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I was brave a few days ago and actually wore the color I thought I never would. It is a super bright orange called Iberico. I was pleasantly surprised at how much I liked it. The outfit post for this outfit will run in a few days.

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And I wore the hot pink color (Yu) a few days later (outfit post to come).

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I initially purchased the kit for the nudes, but I have only worn the pink nude once and I felt naked without color. My favorite color in the set is Cruella, which given that this whole post started about a funny, but odd question, about my dog, fits perfectly.

My daughter has taken to wearing them, too. They are more of a colored lipstick pencil type product. Whatever it is called, I have had so much fun with this product. I bought mine a month ago. Deciding on which color to wear each day has brought a lot of joy to my life in this busy season. I still adore my Chubby Sticks, but it was exciting to change it up a bit.

What is your favorite lipstick or lip color lately? And, yes, I am aware I never fessed up to my dog answer. $100… I’m a cheap date… But not as cheap as my husband whose answer had us rolling on the floor.

It’s the little things: changing your lip color… And weird questions. Isn’t that how the holidays typically tend to go?

*No animals were hurt, or kissed, in the making of this post… Unless someone has $100. Just kidding… I am sure Ollie’s price is much higher than mine. The dog does not share my affinity for lipstick… Silly boy.

It’s The Little Things: Tights

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One of my favorite aspects of the wintertime are the tights. Dresses that might normally be too short can be transformed with the addition of another layer. I love to play with different colors, but sometimes the very best tights are simply black and grey.

Cable knit tights are fabulous, however, I am often guilty of rushing when I put them on. The pattern will creep up my legs in a different angle than its twin and can feel discombobulated and look sloppy.

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My go-to tights this year have been Nordstrom Rack’s Free Press Plush Tights. They are thick. They are cozy. They have a fuzzy lining that feels like tight sweatpants but in the very best possible way. They come in a tights version and leggings. My daughter prefers the leggings, while I prefer the tights.

More information on the above outfit can be found in this post.

I even walked down to my mailbox the other night in these tights. I knew I was getting a package. A sequel to this book and I was so very excited that I ran out of the house minus shoes. The tights kept my feet warm and did not snag at all on the pavement. I would not recommend testing your tights in this manner, but it is nice to know they can stand up to a delivery excitement.

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The tights claim to be handwash only. I am not a rule follower. And I have to be able to machine wash tights and leggings, otherwise I would never wash them. I have estimated that I have machine washed and dried each of my pairs approximately six times. My daughter and I each have four pairs of these, so it is impossible to tell which ones are which when washing, but they have all held up well. I do not expect them to last forever, but for their low cost, I have been impressed with their wear.

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More information on this outfit can be found in this post.

The tights are around $8. I took a M/L. They do have some minuses. I wish they were labeled somehow on the inside, because with four XS/S in the house and four M/L sizes, I have to guess as to whose tights are whose when I finally get around to folding clothes, which I should be doing this exact moment, but instead I am writing this post.

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More information on the above outfit can be found this post.

Do you have a go-to pair of tights? Do you have a secret to putting on cable knit tights so the pattern isn’t a weird mark on your legs? Do you ever run to the mailbox barefoot or in stockings in great anticipation of the package that could be inside?

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It’s the little things: leg coverings that are both durable, comfortable and affordable. It doesn’t get much better than that.

*I am wearing the Free Press Plush Tights in the above pictures. I have stated my experience with the tights, but please wash and handle at your own risk. I was not compensated for writing this post. I simply adore these tights and wanted to share about a product I have enjoyed these last few months. However, some of the links in this post are affiliate links, clicking on or purchasing from certain links on this page will result in a small commission for warmer legs this blog.