Tarte Cheek Stain

This fall I went on a mission looking for better cheek color. Holiday parties were taking over my calendar, and I needed something that was as easy as it was fabulous.

So I ventured out to Sephora in Georgetown. Have I told you how much I love Sephora? I honestly don't know how I ever lived without it. The best thing about it--you can try on the makeup before you purchase it. I love walking out knowing I will love and use every last bit of the product I've purchased.

The awesome salesperson listened to what I was looking for: a color that was natural, but popped like I was blushing. I basically wanted to look as though I was meeting Mike Lowell or Taylor Lautner. She knew immediately what I needed, Tarte Cheek Stain.

Tarte Cheek Stain is a gel based stick. So it's very blend-able and hydrating for cold weather months. It's oil free though, so no need to worry about clogged pores.

I apply the stain from the tube with a little dab, dab motion, then blend the edges. The color is beautiful, and the gel formulation really makes the color pop. No powdery-grandma look with this cheek color.

The color I wanted wasn't in stock. So the lady helping me wrote down the color so I could purchase it online. The store even provided me with a free shipping code. Awesome! I guess this is standard practice for Sephora when they don't have a product in stick. yet, another reason to love Sephora!

Watch and SMILE!

This is way too cute. I am sure some of you may have seen it already, but I think it's worth watching again. Watching it makes me smile, and who doesn't like to smile!?

My Skin WAS Sooo Freakin Dry

I am a lotionholic. I apply it religiously every day after I shower. Even so, my skin started getting really dry this winter. It seemed as though there was nothing I could do. I tried applying lotion throughout the day. I even tried gel body oil! It didn't work, and it was gross.

Well, the other week in my Bella's Mittens knitting class a classmate our teacher complained about her really dry hands. A classmate told her to use Aquaphor. She worked for a dermatologist. Apparently, dermatologists recommend Aquaphor all the time to their patients.

Well, I purchased Eucerin, which a lighter version of Aquaphor (same company, different formulations). I have to say I have been pleasantly surprised. I was a bit skeptical at first. Even Eucerin is really thick. It does take some work to really spread it around. It absorbs though, and isn't at all greasy.

The best part, my skin isn't at all dry! Eucerin worked right away. Hip, hip, hooray!

TV Shows

Last night I fell asleep watching American Idol.

If Blair and Dan get together on Gossip Girl, I might just puke everywhere. I can't stand Dan. He needs to grow up. His whiny little boy attitude has got to go.

Life Unexpected has been canceled. I really thought they had an interesting story line going. I guess I was the only one!

I am happy to see that a former QB for the Dillon Panthers pursued a career in medicine rather than what would have likely been a short career in football. Matt Saracen left Dillon, left art school, and has moved to the tropics to be a doctor on Off the Map. (He is adorable, ain't he?!)

Pretty excited about the return of Who Do You Think You Are. The show will be airing on NBC Friday nights again. So set your dvr!

The Good Wife should be called The Great Wife, because this show has exceeded expectations.

Glee should try to run an episode more than once a month. Just sayin...

Jersey Shore is going to Italy. I wonder if they'll class it up with boxes of wine. Ha! Not really all that funny, but we can't all be as funny as Pauly D. and Snookie Those kids are hilarious.

For My Sister

My sister requested that I write more for NH Avenue. I think this will be my third post for the day. I hope she's pleased.

Last weekend I saw the Celtics play the Wizards. A majority of people at the game were Celtics fans. Go Boston. The Wizards, like most Washington teams, suck. They are really bad. Yet, much to my surprise, and I am guessing even the surprise of Wizard's fans, they were able win the game by two freakin points.

If that wasn't bad enough, I also had an entire order of chicken tenders with every condiment known to man dumped on my head at the game. Yup. Yet another reminder why I never sit in the 400 level--drunk college kids have the coordination of a two year old on cold medicine.

Pumpkin Muffins

I posted this recipe on Facebook a year or so ago. I am making them today, and thought, why not share this gem with my friends at NH Avenue? Here is the recipe for the best low-fat pumpkin muffins, copied and pasted straight from my Facebook page. :)
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This is too good to be true. I am waiting for someone to show up at my front door and demand my first born. Good thing I got this recipe from a friend who has two children. (I don't think she is in need of any others--not right now, anyway!)

Low-fat Pumpkin Muffins with Chocolate Chips

1 box yellow cake mix
1 can of pumpkin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon clove
1 cup chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

Mix ingredients together. (I would recommend blending the dry ingredients together first, but it is not necessary.)

Spoon batter into greased or papered muffin pan. Bake for about 25 minutes.

The recipe yeilds 12 muffins.

I've Learned to Knit

One of the activities taking up my time (and reasons why I haven't posted) is knitting. I learned to knit in November. Now I'm cranking out mittens, baby sweaters, and half mitts like I've been knitting for years.

I know what you're thinking, I've turned into a nerdy, old lady. This is sooooo not the case though. I knit really cool things, like Bella's mittens. That is, Bella from Twilight. The mittens are really cool, and someday I'll get the energy to take a picture of my Bella's mittens, but in the meantime here's a pic of the mittens. Those are some pretty cool mittens, right?!

Speak Now

I've been obsessed with Taylor Swift's new cd. I listen to it whenever I'm driving and I think I have just about the entire cd on my Blackberry.

If you haven't listened to the cd (shame on you), there's a little something you need to know, just about every song is about a guy Taylor either dated or has a crush on. I've gone through and counted,11 of the 14 songs on Speak Now are about boys.

• Taylor Lautner - Back to December. This is my favorite song. I love singing, "this me swallowing my pride, standing in front of you, saying I'm sorry for that niiiiighttttt....". Ugh, such a great song.
  

• John Mayer aka scum bag loser - Dear John

• That Jonas boy - He and his gf are featured in at least two songs.

• Boy that sings that Fireflies song - Enchanted. Also, a fun song to sing. "This was the very first page. Not where the story line ends. My thoughts will echo your name until I see you again. These are the words I held back, as I was leaving too soon." Oh, my gosh what are the words she was holding back?! Guess you'll have to listen to the song to find out.

• She sings about a guy friend who is marrying a girl, who Taylor thinks he shouldn't marry in Speak Now.

That's a whole lotta boy trouble for a girl who just turned 21. By that point in my life I had about two meaningful relationships. Maybe I'm just not as cool as Taylor...

Here's the video for Back to December. Hope you enjoy the song and the interesting emo boy. (If I had to guess what's in the bag, TS packed up some old Polaroid pictures they took together and some records he left at her place.)