Pre-Spring Planting

The day started off beautiful … the sun was out and the temperature was nice and warm.  I went out, walked the dog and noticed it was beginning to go dark and the wind was picking up.  As I walked back the raindrops started to hit my face pretty quick.  There go my plans to drive out to the Renaissance Festival later today. 

Instead we headed to Home Depot in search for a venus flytrap.  We went a few months ago and didn’t find one in stock, today was no different, and my little person wasn’t happy to hear he'd go home with his much anticipated flytrap.  So we decided to plant something in our garden.  After walking down the aisles looking at different herbs, fruits and vegetables we decided to go with strawberries.

It was a big deal since he was actually the one making the purchase today.  Unfortunately, he only had enough for the plant and the pot but couldn’t afford the soil.  Dad decided he would fork over the money for the soil since I would also use it for my avocado tree that has grown out of it’s current pot.

As soon as we got home we all got busy potting our plants.  I know nothing about strawberries, so I let the Mr. take care of that while I focused on depotting my avocado plant to a bigger pot.  

 I’ve had this plant for about a year now, my little person planted it at school and now I have taken over the plant, and it has grown wonderfully. I’m very proud considering I normally kill all the plants in the house.  This avocado tree is meant to be.

-Hizles

From the Kitchen to the Bedroom

Hi All!!!

It feels like I’ve been gone for ages and have neglected my little blog once again. 

As I took care of a few duties around the house I thought I would grab my camera and take a few shots of the “things” that I love RIGHT NOW.  Like the title read … from the Kitchen to the Bedroom … get your dirty mind out of the gutter! 

But yes, I wanted to share with you my current favorite kitchen gadget.  Seriously, I have no idea how I lived the last 30ish years without one of these in my life.  I was not blessed with the ability to be a great cook and to find the right spices to make the perfect blend for a delicious dish.  What can I say? I like cookbooks and latetly, I’m LOVING Pinterest … that’s a whole other story though.

A close friend of mine, that is also handicapped in the kitchen introduced me to a Rice Cooker.  Yup! I loves me some rice, but lets face it, white rice isn’t the best when you can be having brown or wild rice instead.  However, every time I get the cajones to be a bit risky and make brown rice I totally mess it up.  My final result is soggy rice.  Yuck!

Tonight I actually managed to make wild rice and not sticky wild rice, but actual fluffy rice.  It was divine! 

If you are rice challenged like I am, I highly recommend you invest in a rice cooker.  I didn’t fork out $200 for high-end cooker; instead I purchased a Cuisinart 4-cup rice cooker for about $50.  The few times we have had rice I have been using this machine and it has been so easy and effortless.

On to the bedroom …. Bow chicka wow wow!!!

Well, that is where I keep my makeup, skincare and hair products. 

As I mentioned in a one of my last posts I have been using less makeup lately.  My palettes are collecting dust in the closet and I’ve considered finding a new home for them :-( …

In the past few weeks I have been really enjoying the Garnier BB Cream.  I use it as a tinted moisturizer and follow with a drug store powder.  The powder that I have loved lately is the Milani Multi-tasker, it’s very inexpensive (compared to high-end powders) and it does the trick to keep my oily face less oily.

On to my hair – while cleaning out my drawers, I rediscovered Phyto Phytolisse serum.  After towel drying my hair I rub my hands together with a couple drops of this product and focus on my ends.  Result, less frizz –  and if I have extra time I will blow-dry and put my hair up in hot rollers.  It’s amazing what I find in my drawers some times, I wonder if this just happens to me?

At night I have added this to my routine … EOS Lip Balm in Sweet Mint.  I keep one in my purse and one next to my bed.  It’s definitely made me want to pucker up a bit more lately.  I’m not a big fan of any of the other flavors/ scents but this one.

And finally, my cami, I am totally in love with these little tops.  While I was on the other side of the world a few years back, my sister-in-law introduced me to Country Road’s Seam-free Camisoles.  I fell in love with how well they held everything while still being soft.  They last forever too.  Living in the states makes it a bit hard to come across these amazing camis … instead I have found a slight thicker and more shape forming cami.  My favorite are the Self-Expression by Suddenly Skinny.  It’s not as light as the ones I mentioned before but they are quite nice and help conceal those unwanted curves.   The best part is that they fit well under most clothing, a definite staple in every woman’s closet. 

Well, now that you have seen my latest favorite items I’d like to share a funny story/photo of something that happened this evening.  While I was busy getting things sorted before bedtime my little person decided to give our four-legged family member a face-lift? Body lift?  I’m not sure what kind of lift but this is how I found him…

 

Don’t worry he wasn’t harmed, minutes before he was wagging his tail … with a smile from ear to ear.  I swear think this little guy thinks he’s human at times.

Hizles

Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream Review

About two weeks ago I came across the Garnier Miracle Skin Perfector B.B. Cream.  I was excited because I had not seen or hear of a B.B. Cream available at the drugstore.  Of course I couldn’t pass up the chance to try it.

I must admit that I can only use the Garnier skin products.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have such good luck with their hair product line.  Let’s just say that it made my scalp very itchy. 

But on to my thoughts …

According to Garnier’s site they states that this product serves as a one multi-benefit product which combines moisture while still providing perfecting coverage for natural even, radiant and smooth skin.

 (Photos below taken in natural light)

Pros:

Blends Well

Provides some coverage - considering they only come in two color tones

Moisturizes while providing SPF 15

Light Scent

Priced at $12.00-16.00 US

Cons:

Light Scent (this can go either way, I personally enjoy the clean scent, others might not)

As you can see I personally don’t find any real cons for this product.  I have noticed I need less foundation, if any, while using this product.  This has become my go-to item every morning along with the Garnier Skin Renew Anti-Dark-Circle Eye Roller.  These two together are my power items everyday and serve as a great primer for a full make-up look. 

Most weekday mornings I use both products and follow by dusting loose powder over my entire face - mostly to reduce and tame the shine, I have combination skin so I definitely need a tad bit of powder in the end.  You might want to give the B.B. Cream a few minutes to settle in to your skin and then continue with makeup application.

I have not tried any of the Asian B.B. Creams that are out in the market since they are very hard to get a hold of in the states.  The closest thing that I have come across in the states is the Boscia’s B.B. Cream, with SPF 27, at $38.00. 

I did enjoy the Boscia B.B. Cream but wasn’t a big fan of the gray undertone and cost.  I also noticed that it was also a bit more on the dry side than the Garnier brand and as I mentioned before, a bit gray.  I’ve read other reviews that most B.B. Creams do have the gray under tone.  Garnier’s Light/ Medium version has more of a lightening affect than a gray affect and blends smoothly onto the skin.

Will I be purchasing this item again?

Yes, even if in one month’s time I still do not see big results as far as skin improvement, I would repurchase it because I do like the appearance it gives my face while using it.

I hope you found this helpful and give you an idea of how wonderful I think this product is.

-Hizles