Milani Lip Intense Liquid Lip Paint

Alright, so this blog post as been WAY overdue (pending since...October I think! Ouch! Sorry guys!!) I had it started, photos taken, swatches etc but never finished the blog post to publish. Life just takes over sometimes, ya know?! Well finally, here it is! 

So I grabbed these beautiful Milani Lip Intense Colors a while back when I was picking up a prescription at the pharmacy. Ok, don't even act like you guys don't grab random things from drugstores while you wait on the pharmacy to fill your prescription ;) *Bonus: These were BOGO so I paid about $6.49 for TWO...score!

My main reason to grab these was because they reminded me so much of the popular (& not so cheap) Too Faced Melted Lip Stains. Lets take a quick peek at my first impression on these little babies:

Packaging: Simple yet vibrant. Plastic flat tube. Nothing too special. I do appreciate the soft application stick which gives more control when applying instead of a tube like the Too Faced Melted.

Colors: Red Extreme, Pink Rave, Fiery Coral, Violet Addict (I didn't get Violet Addict because I already had the Too Faced Melted in Violet and the two colors looked VERY similar...and also because violet is not a color I would wear THAT often so didn't want to have two similar colors). 

Formula: Smooth, non-sticky, Drys quick. I did notice that after wearing it for about 6 hours, it faded some and I had some slight dry lines on the upper & bottom corner of my lips. In my opinion, no biggy. For the price, the formula feels identical to the Too Faced Melted and applies effortlessly. These also remind me of NYX matte lip cream but possibly slightly silkier. It's not exactly matte, but it does have a hint of shine. Also another thing, they do "bleed" a little if you don't use a lip primer and anti-feathering pencil (it's basically a clear wax pencil that you apply on the outline of your lips)...I had mine for a while now (from Sephora) but Milani also makes one to go with this lippies HERE.

Should I go buy it? If you don't want to splurge on the Too Faced Melted but still want something similar for a much cheaper price then yes, I'd say go for it. If you like a pop of color, get these! I will def use these more often than I had originally expected to...and mix it up with some of my higher-end lipsticks to change up the color/formula a bit.

Color: Pink Rave #2

*To me this sort of reminds me of "Girl About Town" by Mac. It's a beautiful bright pink.

Color: Fiery Coral #3

*To me, this color is more of a Barbie pink vs CORAL (whomp! whomp!) Not sure why they would name this "coral". Nonetheless, it's a beautiful super Reese Witherspoon type of color ;)

Color: Red Extreme #1

*This is a classic hot cherry red tone. It's bright but does fade out a little throughout the day so I like to mix it with my Dior Addict in "Pandore" during a recent outing that I wore it...went perfect with my holiday red dress! <3

xoxx- 

Hope everyone has a wonderful holiday and New Year!

Baked Apple Pastry *Dairy-Free+Grain-Free* [perfect for a Holiday Dessert add-on]

An apple a day...keeps the doctor away, right? Well...being married to one defiantly doesn't do that in my life ha! But truth be told about me + apples = I actually feel sick after eating [raw] apples...so I rarely ever eat an apple on any day! So screw you doctors!

Other fruits I can munch on or eat daily with my lunch or breakfast [like berries...mmmm]...but apples...oh you apples, I just can't! Why? Because after eating say...a whole apple, I will suddenly feel like gagging! LOL. Sometimes, I actually do GAG. It's insane. I really do want to love apples though because I know how great they are for my body. Apples contain both Vitamins A & C as well as COPPER, which by the way is an essential element to healthy skin! Who doesn't want that, right?

So as life has its adventures, a few weeks back, my husband & I stumbled upon picking our own apples and bringing home a bag full of good ol' apples from an apple orchard. [let me just tell you about the dreaded look on my husband's face when I told him lets just go ahead and check out the orchards before the corn maze while we waited on our friends. BUT he knows how quirky little things like this make me happy so he TOTALLY went with the flow haha]. So to make a good use out of the apples we picked, I decided to use them in a verity of ways, so I can actually eat them this time without gagging. I made the following (which I will post recipe to each soon):
- Grain-Free Apple Pastry (Recipe below)
-Almond Flour Apple Pancakes
-Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins- Dairy Free + Flour Free (Recipe HERE)
-Fresh Green Juice

*Grain-Free Apple Pastry*

What ya will need:

(For the Apple Filling)

- 3-4 apples [peel em', deseed/core em', chop into tiny pieces]

- 3 tablespoon of Coconut SUGAR [I used this kind but you can get any type...organic or not!...this one was on sale at my local grocery store one day so I grabbed it]

-1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon powder [I used McCormick, but you can you whichever kind you like]

-1/8 teaspoon of ground nutmeg powder [I used McCormick, but you can you whichever kind you like]

-Big pinch of salt 

-2 tablespoon of water 

(For the Dough)

-1/2 cup of Almond Flour [I used Bob's Red Mill]

-1/2 cup of Tapioca Flour/Stratch [I used some that I got off of Amazon Here but tell me why...I was at a Asian grocery store a few days ago and saw them selling these for only $1.00...slightly smaller in size but a buck!?!]

-1/2 teaspoon of salt 

-1 cup of canned unsweetened coconut milk [not the lite version; just regular. I used this one from Target but ANY work...I literally have 3 different brands of coconut milk in my pantry right now lol]

-1 egg made into an egg wash [add some water to your egg and mix mix mix with your fork]

What ya will need TO DO:

Step 1: [PREHEAT YOUR OVEN TO 350 F] Ok...Go ahead and make the Apple Filling by combining all of the ingredients for the filling in a pot over medium heat for about 10-15 mins or so. Once it looks good to you [should be thick and apples should be a little soft]. Turn off heat and let sit to the side while you prepare and make your crust.

Step 2: Go ahead and make the dough by combining all of the Dough Fillings (almond flour, tapioca flour, salt, & coconut milk) in a large mixing bowl. The result will be a pancake like batter.

Step 3: Put a medium sized frying pan on medium heat

Step 4: Scoop in about 1/2 cup of batter and slowly from the middle of the pan, drop in the batter. Shake the pan a little if you want the batter to spread out more, but it doesn't matter.

Step 5: Let each side cook for about 3 mins (30 secs to a min more if needed). You will have about 4-5 flatbread looking pastry sheets depending how big/small you make it.

Step 6: Using a scissor, cut off the edges of your sheets to form a square.

Step 7: Spoon in about a tablespoon of the Apple Filling into the flatbread sheet, close it up using fork.

Step 8: Using a brush, rub some egg wash (1 egg mixed up w a few drops of water and mix again) all over the outside/top. Sprinkle each triangle with some coconut sugar.

Step 9: Spread aluminum foil onto a baking trey, place each triangle on trey, pop in the oven (preheated 350 Degrees F) for about 40-45 minutes or until you can tell they look crunch...crispy from the outside. YUM! *Do not overcook them too much as my batch the 2nd time I made these had become a bit too crunchy/hard after a while. You can always re-toast it in the toaster oven when reheating. 

*These were such a hit with my husband and MYSELF. Yum yum yum. Something my husband did when reheating these was pop it in the toaster oven for like 2 minutes or so to make it extra crunchy because once they cool, they do tend to get a little bit softer.

Hope you enjoy these guilt-free sweet cravings! Xoxx-

Husby & I with our selfie game gone wrong lol

My Sisters Holiday Brunch *Baked Egg Bowls*

A few weeks ago, I went down South to visit my sister. Growing up, one thing that I always admired my sister for was her love for cooking and daring different recipes. Whenever she would visit my mom's house, she often came up with some fun things to snack on or make...and most of the time, the recipes would be something quick & easy...Like these delicious eggs in a bowl! 

These are SO quick & easy. Fool proof. Fancy "looking". And perfect for a holiday brunch add-on. Hope you enjoy this recipe! xoxx-

(serves 4-5)
What'ya NEED:

• Left over hash browned potatoes (or make your own like we did using 1 large potato: Shred potatoes into a large bowl filled with cold water. Stir until water is cloudy, drain, and cover potatoes again with fresh cold water. Stir again to dissolve excess starch. Drain potatoes well, pat dry with paper towels, and squeeze out any excess moisture. In a pan, cook potatoes until a brown crust forms on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Continue to cook and stir until potatoes are browned all over, about 5 more minutes) OR Just buy the ready-made hash brown and cook it as package directed. 
• 1 tsp butter (or olive oil/coconut oil)
• 1 Tbsp jalapeno, seeded and finely diced
• 1/2 cup sweet onion, diced
• Half Avocado (peels & sliced into thin strips)
• 1 cup of Dry spinach (chopped into tiny pieces)
• Half large Tomato (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 cloves of garlic, diced (we just used a garlic crusher)
• 1/4 cup dairy-free or regular mozzarella cheese, shredded 
• 2 eggs [for 1 serving] (we ended up using 8 eggs total since we were making it for 3 adults & 2 kids)
• salt and pepper to taste
• Seasoning salt to taste
• Paprika (sprinkled in)
• CorningWare Ramekin. Like these HERE.

What'ya Need To DO:

• Preheat oven to 350° .  
• Preheat a skillet/pan over medium high heat.
• Melt butter in the skillet and add the onion and jalapeno. Cook 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until starting to soften.
• Add the garlic and cook another minute, stirring occasionally.
• Spray the ramekin dishes with non-stick spray.  Divide the hash brown potatoes between the dishes.
• Stir the onion, chili, garlic mixture into the dishes.
• Throw in the chopped spinach.
• Top with chopped tomatoes 
• Top with cheese.
• Crack two eggs into each ramekin.  Season with seasoning salt pepper, & paprika on top (go light on that SALT btw!)
• Bake in the oven on the middle rack for 5 minutes.
• Top with two slices of Avocado 
• Broil on high for 5-6 minutes or until the eggs are set (DO NOT overcook as the eggs become too "dry")
• Rest for 5 minutes before serving.

SO Delish! <3