Sally Hansen: 04 Blue Me Away

Picture complements of
 Polish Police

Today was just one of those days that I needed to paint my nails.  I was going to try to hold off until the weekend, but I woke up to some very bad news and then the day just went down hill from there.  Work was just not working and my customers were being whiny.  When my customers act like babies disguised as old people I need to paint my nails so that I don't end up snapping, "Do you want me to help you or not?", which it sometimes comes down to if they just keep going on and on about the problem and don't let me talk.

Linda and I decided to swap blues this weekend.  I didn't like that Essie: One Day Without Blues color very much because it was too pastel for me.  Linda had a blue that she didn't use much that was more neon and thought that she'd like the Essie.  She did!  And I love Blue Me Away.  It was a great swap.  Thanks Linda!

Since I haven't done stamping in a while I built up my patience to do it.  Once I got over trying to make them perfect they went on with no problem.  Lately if I do stamping I only do single fingers with simple designs because it drives me crazy if they aren't perfectly straight.  Once I got over having the pattern come out perfectly it dropped my blood pressure and made stamping enjoyable again.  I think I was just getting too serious and nit-picky about it.  I'm not a professional nail salon after all.

Flash

No Flash
This is much more true to color than with the flash.

Slow Cooked Brisket

I told my family that this week we will be eating really well.  I had gotten up early on Sunday to run some errands so that I could be lazy around the house the rest of the day.  This was the first time that I had been to Costco shortly after they opened.  I dread going to Costco on the weekends but since it was early it wasn't so bad.  I bought so much meat and vegetables for barbecuing this week.  We start with the ribs from my earlier post and then last night I made a slow cooked brisket.  Originally I wanted to try it on the grill, but quickly realized that I would have to stand out there for hours to get it to the consistency that I wanted.  Plus I know nothing about grilling brisket.  For all I know, you might have to have a smoker to make it delicious.  I found the recipe for the Best Ever Brisket on allrecipes.  It was so good that even my dad gave it an A.  That's telling you something.

I used my anchovy broccoli recipe and our normal roasted potatoes.  I was originally going to make rice, but while Christopher and I were on a run he said that he would really like some roasted veggies.

I've posted this recipe before, but here it is again for ease.  I know anchovies sound kind of gross, but believe me, it's delicious and I don't even like fish.

Anchovy Broccoli

1 can anchovies in EVOO
4 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 bunches broccoli
5-6 tbsp water
Salt and Pepper to taste
EVOO 

Directions: 

Mince anchovies into a course paste.  Reserve EVOO in the can.  Sautee anchovies until fragrant and then add garlic and reserved EVOO, stirring constantly.  Add raw broccoli, toss in anchovy mixture.  Add water and cover for 3-4 minutes to steam.  Salt and pepper to taste.  

Grilled Baby-Back Ribs

I want my baby-back baby-back baby-back...

After going to Costco in the morning, I was home with tons of meat and vegetables.  I was thinking of trying another stab at the Beer Can Chicken that was a massive failure back in May, but we've been having so much chicken lately that I wanted ribs.  I'll try the chicken on Wednesday when Nick is coming over to supervise.  So I marinated my ribs all day and threw them on the grill.  I thought that the char looked really nice, but when eating it, they were a little more done than I'd like.  Char = bad.

I was also trying out grilled artichokes.  It was done on a whim, which doesn't always have the best outcome.  Our family really likes plain old boiled artichokes, but half way through the boil I decided that I would try something new.  This was definitely an experiment.  The recipes I had read instructed to boil the chokes first.  So I did.  But I guess I didn't boil them long enough.  They were only half way done when I pulled them out of the water, but I didn't want them to get over cooked on the grill.  Instead, they were undercooked.  I figured that they would continue to cook on the grill.  My dad has never been a fan of artichokes and will give his up for grabs if he gets to eat the heart.  For once he actually liked it, which I was very surprised about.  He said that he liked the flavor.  I had drenched them in EVOO and sprinkled salt, pepper, and garlic powder on the top.  No wonder he liked it.  I will definitely be making these again, but will boil them longer.  I guess they don't really do a whole lot of cooking while they're on the grill.

I was extremely pleased with the pasta salad and it was super easy.  All I did was mix a dry bag of Italian dressing together as the directions instructed and add it to pasta, olives, diced tomatoes (drained and rinsed), and a can of kidney beans (also drained and rinsed).  The trick with pasta salad is to let the dressing soak into the pasta and tomatoes.  I let it sit in the fridge for about four hours and would give it a good shake every once in a while to try to evenly coat the pasta.  Last minute I chopped up some stuffed green olives from Costco and threw them in.  Yum yum!  It was the biggest success of the night. 

Essie: Trophy Wife

A while ago I had posted that I had to have this nail polish when I first saw it.  I usually don't gravitate towards green, especially a bold green, so I was a little skeptical.  My impulsiveness made me put it in my basket.  I'm so glad that I picked it up.  It really does remind me of The Little Mermaid.  When I asked Christopher what the color reminded him of his response was, "Is it Harry Potter related?" and then "The Little Mermaid."  Hah hah!  It's not just me! ...Though Christopher and I think so much alike sometimes that it's a little creepy for being siblings.

Flash

No Flash

New Purse!

I have been eyeing this Marc by Marc Jacobs purse for months now, but wasn't sure if I wanted to fork out the money for it.  I love it and so worth it!  It's so gorgeous on and off that I can't stop looking at it. I just purchased some leather conditioner to spruce up my Coach purse that Nick got me last Christmas so I've already conditioned this one too.  The only negatives that I can see right now is that because there is more leather it is a little heavier and has fewer pockets, but I will adjust.  I figured that I haven't bought any shoes in a while so that allowance can go towards the purse...and I think we all know that I spend way more on shoes than any sane person of my pay grade would.

Chinese-Style Dinner

I wanted to make this dinner all because my mom brought home a Napa Cabbage.  I'm not going to go into a lot of detail since this is a normal Chinese-style dinner that we have at our house, but this time Nick and I made it.  Usually we leave this up to my mom, but I've been trying to learn more Chinese cooking so I wanted to try the whole meal for myself.  I had done smaller versions of this in NY, but this was the first time I made the vermicelli noodles.

Grilled Pork Loin, Asparagus, and Smashed Garlic Potatoes

On Wednesday night I prepared a pork loin for Nick to grill up while Emmy and I were on our run.  It was mighty tasty.  I was inspired by Giada De Laurentiis' Honey-Mustard Pork Roast with Bacon.  I didn't have many of her ingredients so I was winging it.

Honey-Mustard Pork Loin 

1/2 c yellow mustard
1/4 honey
2 tbsp horse radish 

2 tbsp garlic powder
2 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp Kosher salt
2 tbsp black pepper 

Directions: 

Mix mustard, honey, and horse radish together in a bag.  Marinate pork loin in mixture for 1-2 hours or overnight.  When ready to grill, rub on dry mixture of garlic and onion powder, salt, and pepper.  Grill over medium heat until meat is firm to the touch.

I made the gravy from the pork drippings.

Four roasted heads of garlic for our mashed potatoes.  We smelled lovely. 

Ticks!

Squirrel Hill before the grass was so tall that it comes
above her head.

This week Emmy got her fur shaved because it's been getting so hot here.  It's a good thing too!  Yesterday we were on our run and I let her off leash like usual to a large hill that she likes to chase ground squirrels around.  When she came back I saw a bug on her and tried to flick it off.  When it didn't easily come off I took a better look and started to freak out.  I've never seen a live tick before, but knew exactly what it was when I saw it's body.  There were people around us so I didn't want to start squealing like a girl and run in circles, which is what I would have normally done.  Plus I was focused on getting the thing off of her fur before it burrowed in.  So I pinched her fur so that it couldn't crawl down any further and had to pick it off. First I was flicking at it, but the little bugger had himself stuck into her thick fur.  I resorted to pinching it like you are supposed to do with ticks.  After I got that one off I took her to a spot on the grass and made her sit there until I combed through all of her fur. I picked out eight ticks!  She is never going squirrel hunting again.  It gives me the heebie-jeebies just thinking about it.  I probably looked like a mommy monkey picking lice out of her baby's fur.  I was so grossed out.

Christopher was playing tennis at our community park so I stopped by there on our way home to have him check her out and then also had my dad check for them too once we got home.  With them being the big campers/boy scout/scout master I figured that if there were anymore that I missed that they would get them.  Thankfully I had gotten them all before they managed to bite her.  Auntie Julie said that the ticks would have died anyway because of the flea/tick medicine and collar that she wears, but I'm just glad that they were all gone.  Yuck!

Look at all her fluff!

Before the shave

After the shave.  She lost 2.5 pounds of fur!

Bracing herself in case we have anymore earthquakes.

I love me some Applecare

For months now my headphone jack hasn't been working.  It stopped back during the holidays, but I didn't want to go to Apple during Christmas time.  That's just asking to get run over by an irate shopper.  So I finally got myself an appointment to go there and get my computer fixed before my Applecare expires in August.  Of course, today my headphone jack mysteriously started working even though I check it at the beginning of the week and it was still out of commission.  Thankfully the technician believed that it wasn't working.  The plastic casing at the edge of my laptop was also beginning to crack from opening and closing the laptop.  This happened when I first got my computer and was using a pretty plastic case cover.  My guess was that the case just added weight that wore down the durability of the plastic.  Maybe I'm just hard on my computer or maybe it's a common problem since the tech didn't seem phased.  Anyway, besides the semi-functioning headphone jack and cracking plastic, the button of my mouse was sticking as well.  This was entirely my fault.  I had spilled wine on it months ago.  I thought I had cleaned it well enough because there didn't seem to be any damage and it wasn't sticky, but recently it started to get really difficult to press down.  Dust must have gotten into it and stuck to the sticky bits of wine that I couldn't quite clean out.  I explained this to the technician and told him that it didn't bother me since it was my fault, I didn't want to pay out of pocket since spills aren't covered under warranty, but he said that because the case was cracking anyway they would replace the whole keyboard panel.

Originally the tech said that it would take three to five days.  Oh you should have seen my face.  Five days without my computer?!  I work from home and use it from 9-5 everyday plus whatever extra time I spend futzing around on it after work.  I resigned to use our family computer.  By the time I got all the way home and was trying to figure out why stupid Windows 7 wasn't loading, Apple called back to say that my computer was done. Woopie!  I stand behind my idea that there are little magical elves working behind the big doors to fix things with a quickness.  (My friends all laugh, but most likely think I'm crazy.)  It took me longer in travel time back and forth than it did for them to fix the laptop.  It pays to live near Apple HQ.

After I had a potentially dangerous situation with my warranty running out on my first Apple laptop, I always get Applecare now.  It pays for itself.  Literally.  When I bought this laptop two years ago it was an extra $300.00, which seems like a lot but I have brought my computer in a few times for other fixes.  This was a major fix and I had one previous to this.  In the past I had to get the keyboard panel replaced because the plastic was cracking, as I previously mentioned.  I also had to get the cd/dvd drive replaced because I forgot that I was burning a cd, closed my computer, and proceeded to pick it up and move it around to put in my backpack.  Moving your laptop while it's reading or writing a cd is bad news.  Moving it, turning it vertically, and shaking it around a bit is very, very bad news.  I totally broke the cd drive. Woops.  So that had to be repaired.  I'm pretty sure that Applecare paid for itself after replacing the first cracked case and cd drive.  Then I needed a new power cable, so that was $60.00 under Applecare.  And now today the grand total after getting a new logic board, keyboard panel, and hardware repair, the grand total was $577.64; all covered under Applecare.

So now I practically have a new computer.  The outer case is still the original, but tt is no longer nail polish speckled, discolored from nail polish remover, sticky from wine, or falling apart.  ...Yet.  It is a well known fact that I break computers.  I think that all of the problems I've had with this computer minus the headphone jack, were my fault because they all seem to be because of my negligence.  I have yet to have any problems with the operating system, but knock on wood.  The moral of the story is, get Applecare!  It's so worth it, especially if you're like me!

Program 6 and the Power of the Tide Pen

Midweek Bonnie texted me to see if I was interested in going to the San Francisco Ballet with her.  How could I turn it down?  Free tickets and some quality girl time.  According to their website calendar, we saw Program 6, but the actual ballets that we saw were different than what was listed.  The show was formated so that there were three separate performances.  Each performance had its own story.  Our showing consisted of Petrouchka, Underskin, and Number Nine.   I fell asleep for Petrouchka, which was more of a classic ballet with a storyline.  I hadn't slept well the night before and the comfy chairs, dimmed lights, and pretty music lulled me into a slumber.  The seats that we had were in the back row of the lower tier so at least no one could see my head bobbling.  Well I don't think anyone did.  I was worried that my head would fall off my hand and I'd whack Bonnie in the shoulder.   During intermission we went to get some wine and walk around, which helped me perk up.  I was able to stay awake for Underskin and Number Nine.  I really enjoyed both.  Underskin reminded me a lot of the modern dance that I did in college, but executed a thousand times better.  I have to say that it was my favorite of the three.  Bonnie really liked Number Nine, which was making its world premier that week.  We were one of the first to see it!  I thought that Number Nine was very well rehearsed and nice a fast paced to keep you interested, but still preferred the eeriness of Underskin.

At the second intermission between Underskin and Number Nine Bonnie and I went back out to get another round of beverages.  As we were walking to the tables Bonnie spilled her red wine onto her khaki-colored jacket.  I quickly whipped out my Tide Pen for her to treat it.  Her coat was a peacoat style so she was able to switch the flaps to hide the stain.  After the ballet was said and done, we headed back to our neck of the woods to have dinner with Nick at one of our current favorites, Postino.  I figured after dragging Bonnie to Pho, which she didn't enjoy much, I would take her to somewhere that I knew she would like.  And she did!  So we met up with Nick at the restaurant after we got off of BART and started telling him about her wine mishap.  She went to show him the stain and it was gone!  There were maybe one or two small, very faint purple spots, but the rest had been removed.  I love the Tide Pen, but I didn't know it was powerful enough to remove red wine stains!  Everyone has to get one of these!

Shellac Followup: Day 11

If only I could stop my nails from growing.  It is day 11 after getting the shellac done with Bonnie and it still looks great.  My only complaint is that my nails grow to quickly!  I don't like seeing the nail polish come away from the cuticle, and my left index finger is a good 1/8 of and inch grown out now.  I also have a difficult time typing with nails. Though mine aren't long compared to what a lot of people keep, they are very long for me.  I just don't want to cut them because it will waste the Shellac because the rest of it looks so good!

To Keep or not to Keep?

That is the question.  Bonnie had told me that she got some Stila eye products from Costco.  First of all, I didn't know that Costco sold makeup.  Second, who knew they'd sell high end brands?  I saw Shiseido and Lancome there as well, amongst some Cover Girl and other brands I didn't recognize.  I was rushing around the store yesterday to get some fish and veggies for our upcoming dinners when I decided to pop into the makeup section.  I found it right across from all the lotions and shampoos.  I guess I had always just been looking at the wrong side of the aisle.  ...Though that may be a good thing.

Now I'm torn about keeping this set.  It was only $12.97 for three Stila products.  I checked into the prices at Sephora and Amazon and this is how it all comes out if you buy them individually.

• Kajal Eyeliner in Onyx: $18.00
• major MAJOR lash mascara: $22.00
• Starlight eye shadow pan: $18.00
• Storm eye shadow pan: $14.99

I'd say I'm getting a pretty good deal here, but as Nick likes to tell me, there will always be deals.  The reason I'm on the fence about keeping this set is because I have a big order of Jane Cosmetics coming in today and also that ELF palette from the Target Daily Deals coming this week as well.  I'm taking my computer in for some maintenance on Friday and plan to hit Sephora and get another Urban Decay 24/7 liner, which I have yet to post about but will eventually.  As you can see, not only have I been accumulating a lot of cosmetics for the last few months, but just this week I expect two large orders to come in.

The main reason I wanted this set was for the eyeliner and mascara.  Since I really like the Urban Decay liner ($18) I wanted to try the Stila one that is significantly less expensive with this set.  I figured that if I like the liner and mascara I could just continue to purchase this set and give away all the doubles of eyeshadow I get.  I think that the Starlight shadow is pretty, but it looks very much like many of the colors I already have.  The same goes for the Storm, but I tend not to wear that dark of shades.  Also, my preference is to have a middle color shadow to balance out the light and dark, which clearly this does not come with.  So I'm not loving the shadows, but I really want to try the mascara and liner.

What do you think?  My mom told me that I should just keep it because I was hemming and hawing about it so much that I would end up thinking about it all the time if I returned it.  I think she may be right, but I'm going to leave it unopened until I get my Jane products in the mail today.  Thoughts?

Addendum:  I put up a poll in the sidebar.  Let me know what you think!

Why did the chicken cross the road?

To get away from my grill.

Recently, because the weather has been so nice, Nick and I have been grilling up a storm.  I would love to be able to eat red meat everyday, but since we would all die early deaths doing this, we have been doing much more chicken.  As you probably know, I'm not the biggest lover of chicken, but if it's grilled and dark meat I will eat it.  I've been trying to get hold of my grilling chops and seem to doing pretty well.  Nick is a fabulous griller because he stands there to monitor and flip the food as necessary, where as I tend grill and run around trying to get the rest of dinner on.

After a little debate and me getting grumpy about it, we decided that we will alternate who does the grilling.  I am starting to realize that if Nick handles all the meat that I will never learn how to do it myself.  Usually I am the vegetable preparer and his sous since the only time he really cooks is when he is with me and I cook all of the time on my own.  So this time I insisted that I get to handle the meat, which left the vegetables for Nick.  Thankfully he was all for alternating and supports me learning how to grill.

I premarinated my chicken thighs and drumsticks in Alpenglow Orange Chipotle sauce that Christopher brought home from Colorado.  This stuff just smells good.  When I was pouring it into the baggies of chicken I was thinking, wow, this is going to be good chicken if I don't burn it.  While that was marinating and I was on my run with Emmy, Nick arrived and prepared some garlic zucchini for me to grill up also.  It was sooooo good.  Zucchini is one my favorite vegetables and he did a great job preparing it.  Yum!

Nick wants to enter a contest with Shun to win some free knives.  This might be his entry, but we'll see.  We cook so much meat that I think he should send in a nice picture him carving the meat with his Shun.

I didn't burn it!  What we both need to start working on now is getting the hang of doneness.  I was poking the meat with my giant, long BBQ tongs to see if it was springy.  Nick taught me that I should use my finger like I would if I was cooking in the kitchen.  There was a big difference in feel from the tongs to my finger.  It helps immensely to use your finger, but some of my drumsticks were still a little pink.  Because of the bone it is difficult to tell when the meat is fully done.  It will feel like it is done, and most of it is, but then when you get right next to the bone it is a little pink.  I will have to start using my thermometer in conjunction with the poke test. 

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Last night we grilled up some chicken really quickly too.  My dad had to be at a troop meeting by 7:00pm instead of his usual 7:30pm so we were rushing to get things on the table.  On this chicken we used the Char Crust rub that I used on the tri-tip.  While Nick grilled the chicken, I was inside doing the veggies.  The broccoli turned out really well and all I used was garlic, nutmeg, and sesame oil.  I was hoping to taste more nutmeg, but it was overpowered by the sesame oil.  Christopher was able to taste something, but thought it was cinnamon.  My dad's piece of chicken was cooked well, but for some reason all the other pieces were still a little pink...probably because we were rushing to get his dinner on.  As Nick likes to say, "A hungry Chin is an angry Chin."  He is very correct and looking out for all the young scouts my dad would be grumbling at.   It's a good thing we have a microwave for the rest of ours!

Easy Broccoli

4 broccoli crowns, cut into bite size pieces
1 head garlic, minced
1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp EVOO 

Directions: 

Parboil broccoli until bright green and still crunchy.  Douse with cold water.  Sautee garlic, nutmeg, and sesame oil for one minute over high heat.  Add broccoli.  Toss until broccoli is well coated.  

Grilled Tri-tip, asparagus, and cauliflower

Last Tuesday we decided to grill up some tri-tip using a dry rub that Christopher had brought home from Colorado last year.  I rubbed down the tri-tip, marinated asparagus with garlic and onion powder, Worcestershire sauce, EVOO, salt, and pepper, and prepped a whole cauliflower with some butter, garlic powder, salt and pepper.  It only took me 20 minutes to do it all!  I was pleasantly surprised how quickly I was able to get everything prepared before going on my walk with Emmy.  Once I got back, Nick put everything onto the grill.   The clean up was super easy also.  A delicious meal that was fast and easy.

Addendum:  We used the Char Crust: Roasted Garlic Peppercorn rub on the tri-tip, which you can purchase online at their website.  It comes in a 4oz package that I have now used on the tri-tip and chicken and still have about one more family sized serving to go.  I am highly considering purchasing more as the summer months continue. 

Urban Decay Naked Palette: Followup

After using the Naked Palette for a couple of weeks now, I can see what all the hype is about.  It is a darn good product for the price you pay.  Since I work from home and don't leave the house that much, I've only used it a handful of times, but every time is a wonderful experience.  I can create so many different looks geared towards the event that I'm going to.  I have found that my favorite color is still Sidecar, but that I also turn to Darkhorse all the time to smoke out the outer corner.  I'm afraid that I will run out of these two colors before the rest of them are used!  I better start using the other colors more too!

Makeupgeek's swatch again for reference.

Like I say in every post when I talk about shimmer, I love it but know that you shouldn't wear it all the time.  I just can't help it.  Sidecar is so shimmery and pretty!  There are some pretty visible flecks of glitter in it, but you can't feel them at all which makes it blend easily. I like adding Darkhorse to it because it adds a sheen, but is not gung-ho shimmer.  If it is a daytime look I will also add Buck in the crease to matteify the shimmer. 

This is a great palette for getting things done quickly.  At first it took me a long time to get a look that I liked, but now I can complete an eye look in about five minutes.  Over the weekend I was getting ready to go to a memorial service when my mom said that my uncle told an aunt who told her (confusing, I know) that it started at 10:00am.  It was 9:20am and I was just sitting down to put on my makeup.  My initial reaction was, "What!  I thought it started at 10:30!"  Knowing that the chapel was about 30 minutes away and that I ALWAYS get lost, I started to slap on my makeup.  Because of the Naked Palette I was able to finish my look without having to pull out a bunch of different eye shadows and brushes.  I was able to complete the look and get to the church on time without breaking the speed limit.  

I know that I complained a lot about the 24/7 dual end liner being replaced by the brush, but it may have been a smart change.  I will discuss the liner in a later post.  I like how soft the brush is and how well it holds its shape. I have washed it several times now and it hasn't fluffed out or lost its pointedness.  The synthetic bristles don't have any fall out at all, unlike my Sonia Kashuk set that I swear will be bald by the time Christmas rolls around.  Because it is nice and thin at the tip of the brush I can get right into the outer corner of my eye and have a lot a lot control on how much product I apply.  It is not the best for blending, but it's not exactly the right type of brush for that job.  It is great for packing on the color and even applying the darker shades as a liner.  I really like this brush, but I still wouldn't pay $26.00 for it.  

Beauty Bag

About a month ago I saw on Nouveau Cheap's blog that Target was giving away free beauty bags with samples and coupons.  I find myself checking her blog everyday now just to see if there are any good give aways like this.  So far I've benefited from a free Essie nail polish, free samples of the new Maybelline Fit Me foundation (they sent a sample of every single color!), a sample of the new Cover Girl Natureluxe foundation, and now this beauty bag.  It was really nice getting the Fit Me foundation samples because I have no idea how to tell what color I should get.  As it turns out, I just don't like foundation or even tinted moisturizer for that matter.  I always think people look so nice when they wear it, but when I put it on myself it creeps me out to not see the freckles or the X scar that I have on my cheek.  Not to mention that it clogs my pores and makes me break out.  I'm glad that I was able to get these samples so that I could test them all out before spending $13.00 on a whole bottle.

Anyway, Linda and I promptly signed up for the beauty bags and patiently waited for them to arrive.  We had actually forgotten about them until I saw on Nouveau Cheap's blog that she had received hers nd so had a few of her readers.  Where were ours?  After a couple of weeks we figured that we had signed up too late and they had run out of their supply.  To our surprise though, we both got out beauty bags this week!  Better late than never!

Here are the contents: 

Neutrogena Naturals Lip Balm
Nivea Express Hydration sample
Revlon Colorburst sample in Hot Pink
Fekkai Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner sample
Sonia Kashuk makeup bag
Beauty product coupon booklet 

Not bad for being completely free.  I tore out quite a few of the coupons in the booklet, which will undoubtedly cause me to spend more just because I want to be able to use my coupons.  They don't expire until the end of July so hopefully I will space out my purchases of things that I need or think I need.  I put the sample hand lotion in my purse because it's the perfect size, but haven't tried it out yet. I like the chapstick, but it doesn't have SPF in it.  I can't smell much of a scent, but it glides on well and feels pretty moisturizing.   I'm going to put the Hot Pink sample in my purse for one of those days that I'm out and about and then end up having to go somewhere nice last minute and need a pick-me-up.  Linda tried out hers and she said that it was too bright for her taste.  It will probably be to bright for me too, but I will keep that in mind and use it sparingly.  As always, the shampoo and conditioner samples will go into my travel bag.  I have quite a stash of sample packets of lotions and whatnot in there so that I don't have to buy the $1.00 travel sizes or bring whole bottles.  

I was disappointed by the makeup bag.  It looks pretty big when you're looking at it, but it doesn't fit much.  I was hoping to use it as my toiletry bag in my purse since the super cute Coach one that Auntie Mary gave me for Christmas is bursting at the seams.  This bag is deceiving.  I could barely fit in the stuff that I have in the much smaller Coach coin purse and a few extra feminine products.  There was no way that all my little hand sanitizer gel, sanitizing wipes, tide pen, eye drops etc. were going to fit in there too.  Bummer.  So now it's sitting on my desk waiting for me to figure out a good use for it.  I'm sure I'll figure it out eventually.  Nevertheless, I can't be too hard on the tiny bag since it was free.  I just wished it was more useful, but that's just me.  No wonder my purse is so heavy. 

L'oreal Hip vs. ELF

As I referenced in my Consentino Wine at Grocery Outlet post, Bonnie noticed that they sold ELF makeup there as well.  The cart that I was pushing was really heavy from the boxes of wine I was trying to maneuver.  As I was aiming the cart into the checkout line Bonnie says, "They sell ELF here too."  Someone had put a makeup kit by the chips.  Score!  My immediate response was, "Really? Reverse!"  and I backed the heavy cart out.  I got this kit for only $4.99!  I believe that they sell these kits at most Targets, but I haven't seen any in our local store yet.  I couldn't believe how many products you get in one little kit.  I gave the eyeliner to my mom since I have so many already, but I think I will try their mascara next.  So far their primer seems pretty good, but it feels thinner than the Urban Decay Primer Potion.  I don't know if that is good or bad, but I'm hoping good as I don't want to fork out $18.00 every time I need to replace my primer.

Day to Night Collection
$5.00 ELF Website

While we were there we also saw a few L'oreal Hip duos for only $2.00!  Usually these are $7.00-10.00 in drugstores.  I picked up Darkwave.

Swatches compliments of Nouveaucheap.blogspot.com
If you're looking for great reviews on drugstore brand items, she's the gal to read.
She also provides info on weekly beauty sales and promotions.
I read her almost everyday.

I also found the Clean and Clear brand soothing eye makeup remover for only $4.00 when it is usually $8.99.  I've tried this out a few times now and it seems to get the job done.  It claims to not leave an oily residue and it is less oily than the Boots brand, but I can still feel the oily texture and have to wipe my face down with a baby wipe after using it.  I wouldn't say that I'm in love with this makeup remover, but it doesn't sting my eyes and is considerably less greasy feeling than the Boots.  I find that I do reach for this more than the Boots one now and will probably only use the Boots as a backup.  I still would like to find a non-greasy remover (if that even exists), but if I can't, then I would definitely repurchase this.

Grocery Outlet: $4.00
Regular: $8.99

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Okay onto my review.  I haven't actually used any of eyeshadows on my eyes yet, so this is just my initial reaction to the products.  Note that I am not necessarily comparing the colors from each collection, but the actual product itself. 

The contenders: L'oreal Hip in Darkwave vs. ELF Day to Night Collection shadows

To start, I want to talk about the ELF palette.  I like this palette because it is easy to throw in your purse to do touch ups or even change your whole look throughout the day.  This is presumably why it is called Day to Night.  If you're on the job and start off with a neutral look, which is very easy to achieve with this palette, you can easily go to the bathroom to spruce up your eyes to go out for the evening with the darker colors.  What I like about this set is that it has all shimmery colors.  What I don't like about this set is that it has all shimmer colors.  Hahah.  My eyes are always attracted to the shimmering shadows, but my brain knows that you shouldn't wear shimmers all the time.  This palette could have gone with a nice matte shade, perhaps in the sandy color in the top row.  The dark coal and lavender colors have a considerable amount of silver glitter.  When I swatch them on my hands the sparkle is very visible.  It is less noticeable in the lavender, but it really shows up in the coal.  The other four colors, vanilla, sand, bronze, and maroon, are all shimmers.  I made those names up by the way so that they are easy to reference.

Top: No Primer
Bottom: Primer
From left: Vanilla, Coal, Maroon, Lavender, Bronze, Sand

Even without the primer, each shadow has a pretty considerable color pay off.  Yes, you can get better texture and density with a Mac or Urban Decay shadow, but lets remember the price frame here.  This whole set was only $5.00.  I mean, check out how boldly that coal and maroon come out.  I personally prefer the lighter shades and would use the vanilla as a highlight for the bronze and sand colors.  I think the maroon and coal are very pretty, but I tend to not wear such dark colors and if I do I only put on a tiny dab.

Okay, I'm glad that I only paid $2.00 for this.  I was really excited for the price cut, but I'm really not impressed by the colors at all.  I have quite a few Hip duos in my collection, but tend not to wear them.  It was the price that sold me on this.  I was disappointed by the pigmentation of this shadow.  I think it is easily buildable, but that takes a lot of product and time, which I don't usually have if I'm getting ready to go out.  I like to be able to dab my brush into the color and have it go on my eyelid without having to keep applying more and more.  On the plus side, the navy color is matte.  Well pretty darn close to matte.  If you stare really hard at it you can see a minuscule amount of shimmer. I don't find either of these color unique, but I didn't think the ELF colors were that much so either.  The texture of this shadow is much firmer than the ELF.  I don't particularly enjoy that as it makes it a little more difficult to get the product on my brush and/or finger.  I feel like I have to make big swiping movements to pick up product rather than a simple tap.  

Not only did I not enjoy the pigmentation and firmness of Darkwave, there is no mirror!  In the old Hip duos there was a little mirror in the bottom of the packaging where the sponge-tip applicator was stored.  In Darkwave there isn't one at all.  Granted, I don't usually use the little mirrors in my makeup much, but it is nice to know you have it if you need it.  The mirror in the ELF palette isn't the greatest, but it at least gets points for being there. 

Top: No primer
Bottom: Primer
From left: Navy, Olive

I applied the coal color from the ELF palette next to the navy to show how much darker the ELF shadows appear.

The bottom line and main reason for this review is to show that the more expensive brands are not always the best brands.  Needless to say, I much prefer the ELF shadows over the Hip.  Unless there are Hip colors that I haven't seen and the price is right, I don't see myself purchasing anymore Hip duos.  (I still really like their loose pigments.)  To date I own eight Hip duos, and rarely use them.  I know for a fact that I have used most of my ELF quads that I recently purchased and I've had them less than two months.  The ELF shadow pigmentation, firmness, versatility, packaging, and price all get higher marks in my book than the Hip.  

So next time you're in the market for some budget friendly shadows, consider ELF as a suitable prospect.