I'm seriously the worst at Blogging... Lol In my defense I just got my first big girl job and it's been a bit of an adjustment!!! Maybe i'll start doing like a professional OOTD type thing though?

I'm seriously the worst at Blogging... Lol In my defense I just got my first big girl job and it's been a bit of an adjustment!!! Maybe i'll start doing like a professional OOTD type thing though?

claiming my blog on Bloglovin' for those who would like to follow :)

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12154535/?claim=gtfwxjaaqmq">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

I'll Think of a Mermaid Lagoon Underneath a Magic Moon

Sometimes I take unintended hiatuses... Sometimes those hiatuses are nearly a year long. And I wonder why i'm not more successful! -_- So sorry everyone, but I bought a new eyeliner today and decided to play, and what better occasion to return!? This makeup made me feel like a mermaid, I even paired it with my conch-shell necklace and sea-horse earrings (not pictured). Hope everyone is enjoying the warming weather!

Products Used:

Stila Smudge Stick- Turquoise

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Stila CC Cream

MUFE Aqua Liner- Black

KVD Tattoo Liner- Trooper

KVD Esperanza Palette- Selena, Dayglo, Archangel

KVD Momento Mori Palette- Solitude, Peggy

MUFE Eyeshadow- True Blue

Buxom Lash Mascara

Tarina Tarintino Gem Gloss- Pom Pom

Makeup Monday: I Am a Good Girl

If you've seen the movie Burlesque you may recognize this look! Hopefully, at least, because that was my intention. When I saw Burlesque, I wanted to dislike it so badly, but it was just so fabulous I immediately fell in love. One of my favorite numbers from the movie, both in costume and in makeup, is "But I Am a Good Girl". I was thrilled to recreate the look and ecstatic about the way it turned out! I could definitely get used to dramatic glitter looks everyday! 

Products Used:

Aloette Face Powder in Light

L'Oreal True Match Powder in n5

Benefit High Beam

Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil in Milk

MUFE Eyeshadow in White 0, Anthracite 40, and Candy Pink

Maybelline 24/7 Color Tattoos in Inked in Pink

L'Oreal Carbon Black Eyeliner

NYX Glitter on the go in So Pretty

KVD Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Revlon Moon Drops Lipstick in Peach Silk

Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in Raspberry Pink

Gluten Free Friday: Breadcrumbs and Breadings

TGIF! It has been a long week, but barbeque season is beginning! With Memorial day coming up I thought i'd touch on a few things related, as it can be difficult at times to find something safe at an outdoor gathering.

This week I want to discuss breading. It is the most frustrating thing in the entire world going to the store and picking up a miniscule can of gluten free breadcrumbs for about five to eight dollars, and then the taste is still just so-so. Coming from a large Italian/Irish family, we use a decent amount of breadcrumbs and the store bought just wasn't cutting it. In order to save our wallets and tastebuds my mother set to crafting her own! We've tweaked and added a few things over the years, but we've pretty much got it down to a science now, and it's super easy!

Essentially all we do is go into our snack cabinet and gather up whatever bags of chips are in there and are pretty empty, and then pull out the food processor! We generally end up with a mix of tortilla chips, potato chips, and sometimes we'll even throw in some nut crackers. In the interest of trying to keep it a bot healthy, we usually have a much larger ratio of torilla chips, choosing baked chip types over fried. After finely grinding the chips, they will look like breadcrumbs, we put them into a big tupperwear container and add in a generous sprinkling of Italian Seasonings. If you want a breading that is a bit thicker, it can help to add in a bit of Rice Flour as well, just to make the coating more solid. When we pull the bread crumbs out to use them we usually sprinkle in some parmesean cheese as well, but do this right before using.

We use this often to make homemade chicken nuggets, chicken parmesean, and many other things, hope you guys enjoy!

Life and Gatsby: an Apology and a Review

Happy Wednesday! 

First of all I would like to apologize for my absence as of late, sometimes life demands to be lived. I'm not going to make excuses, rather just explain that I had a busy end of the semester as well as a few family commitments. At the end of the day, as much as I love this blog, my grades and my loved ones had to come first. But now i'm back! With how busy i've been I haven't read anything to review, so i'm going to review The Great Gatsby film which I saw on Saturday. 

I had a strong sense I would love The Great Gatsby film before I saw it because it was directed by one of my favorite directors (Baz Luhrmann), it had an incredible cast, and the soundtrack was bangin'. I thought the costumery and setting matched the over the top, new money mindset of the roaring 20's. I was over the moon about Leonardo DiCaprio playing Jay Gatsby and Carey Mulligan playing Daisy Buchanan, I thought they each suited and portrayed their roles perfectly. The cinematography in this film is something currently being debated and generally has not gone over well. I'm not sure what critics were expecting of the film, knowing it was being shot by Luhrmann, but it lived up to my every expectation. It had his whimsical appeal, and a dash of the frenzied chaos that makes his films iconic. Some have argued that this made it difficult to take the film seriously, but I disagree. The story is being told from the perspective of a character who was once wide eyed and bewildered by this new lifestyle he was witnessing and is now disenchanted and severely depressed, I don't know how anyone would expect the story to then be portrayed as if he were calm and sound of mind. My one complaint of the film, and it is a minor one, is that I feel they could have found a better fit for Nick Carraway. Tobey Maguire just didn't do it for me, I felt he was too monotone to be playing the character. His awkward style brought a funny element to certain scenes, but overall I would have liked to see someone else in the role. I felt his monotone voice and personality made some of the scenes, necessary for building the story and character development but not exactly exciting, drag. 

Overall I loved the film and want to see it again as soon as possible I would recommend it to everyone, though I do think you get more out of it if you've read the book first!

Makeup Monday: Gatsby

Hey guys! So, I had gone out dancing Friday night and did a really awesome mermaid look, but my camera was dead and the pictures I got with m phone were god awful :( I was going to put them up anyway, but while I was meant to be studying for finals, inspiration hit (of course), so obviously I had to stop studying and strike while the iron was hot. I kept having a segment of 'The Great Gatsby' movie trailer flash through my head, and being as I plan on seeing the movie as soon as it comes out, I knew it had to be done. I mixed a bit of what I've seen in the trailers along with just some classic 1920's makeup looks, and I'd say I would up fit for a Ja Gatsby party! I had a lot of fun with this look, especially the dark lip!! Let me know what you guys think :)

Products Used:

Aloette Face Powder in Light

L'Oreal True Match Powder in n5

BareMinerals Illuminator in Glee

Urban Decay Primer Potion

NYX Jumbo Eye Shadow Pencil in Milk

MUFE Eyeshadow in White 0, Anthracite 40, and Purple 92

L'Oreal Carbon Black Eyeliner

Aloette Eyeshadows in Mauve and Grey

KVD Beethoven Palette- Leather, Lucifer

KVD Love & Fury Palette in Ace of Spades

Lorac 3D Liquid Luster in Diamond

KVD Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Revlon Lipliner in Blackberry

Wet and Wild Lipstick in Sugar Plum Fairy

For the "beauty mark" I used DUO Lash Adhesive and a gem from AC Moore

Gluten Free Friday: My Yellow Cake Recipe

Hey guys, today's post is just going to be a recipe because I am so swamped with finals I am too drained for new content. But don't think it's a total cop out! I am famous for this recipe! It's the only cake I ever make and everyone raves about how delicious it is and you really can't tell it's gluten free! I find it's best paired with buttercream or chocolate frosting ;)

Gluten Free Yellow Cake (from scratch)

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups white rice flour 3/4 cup tapioca flour 1 teaspoon salt 1 teaspoon baking soda 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 teaspoon xanthan gum

4 eggs 1 1/4 cups white sugar 2/3 cup mayonnaise 1 cup milk 2 teaspoons gluten-free vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and rice flour two 8 or 9 inch round cake pans.
2.	Mix the white rice flour, tapioca flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and xanthan gum together and set aside.
3.	Mix the eggs, sugar, and mayonnaise until fluffy. Add the flour mixture, milk and vanilla and mix well. Spread batter into the prepared pans.
4.	Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes. Cakes are done when they spring back when lightly touched or when a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Let cool completely then frost, if desired.

Credit: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/gluten-free-yellow-cake/

Hope everyone is having an excellent Friday!!

-Maureen

What Happens Next- A Book Review

What Happens Next by: Colleen Clayton

This book was really amazing. I couldn't put it down and I recommend everyone read it. I haven't seen all that much hype about it and I feel like there should be more. I will say though Trigger warning, message me if you want to know specific triggers as I don't want to give anything away. But I give this book a 5 out of 5 rating. 

Makeup Monday: Neutral Dramatic Wing

Neutral Dramatic Wing

Last weekend my roommate and I traveled to Rutgers New Brunswick for a bar crawl with a few of our best buds! I knew it was going to be a night of dim lighting and Rutger's has a pretty big artsy community so I went with a dramatic neutral eye. It's not exactly how I intended the wing to come out, it was actually supposed to be a little bit more cut in the crease and dramatic, but overall I was pretty happy with the effect. It's a good look for if you want to be a bit more dramatic than usual, but still find bright or super dark colors daunting. 

Products Used:

L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle in Light Ivory

L'Oreal True Match Powder in n5

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Revlon Color Stay eyeliner in Black

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Inked In Pink

MUFE Holodiam Powder shade 303

Sephora Eyeshadow in Arctic Summit

Sephora Eyeshadow in Black Flame

KVD Beethoven Palette in Leather

NYX Jumbo eyeshadow pencil in Milk

MUFE Matte White

KVD Tattoo Liner in Trooper

Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in El Dorado

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Babylips Coral

Gluten Free Friday: Baking Gluten Free- The Basics

Hey guys! As some of you may know, I am an avid baker/chef. Baking is one of the biggest ways I de-stress, plus it usually ensures that there is at least one thing I can eat, wherever I am! I thought I'd share my go-to method i've developed over the years.

For the most part I rarely follow gluten free recipes. I find they often come out, how should I put this, lacking taste, and usually have strange ingredients that can add up to a small fortune. I usually stick with the recipes my family has been using for years, or I google other peoples family recipes! The way I manage this is by converting it to gluten free myself. The method i've developed works best with baked goods such as cookies, cakes, brownies, and dessert breads (banana, pumpkin). I've also used it for muffins, but I haven't got the consistency perfect yet, so dive into that at your own risk!

I mainly use white rice flour, I find this has the smoothest consistency and is the easiest to come by; I purchase mine from the Asian Market in Cherry Hill. If I'm doing something really light and fluffy, such as cake, I will do 3 parts white rice flour to 1 part tapioca flour. This also helps your flour last a little longer. If I'm only using the white rice flour i'll do the exact same amount as if I were using regular white flour. Now, this flour is extra fine, and very light, so if you're using a mixer I suggest blending in a very small amount, little by little. The trick to getting the consistency right is by adding in Xantham Gum. Xantham Gum acts as the binder, which in a normal recipe would be gluten, this keeps your food from being crumbly as most gluten free foods usually are. For cakes, brownies, and breads I would add about 1/2-1 teaspoon of Xantham Gum. For cookies, I would use no more than 1/2 a teaspoon because they take on a strange consistency if you add too much. Now, the only thing with using Xantham Gum is it is very important you blend all of your dry ingredients first, including the Xantham Gum. If you try and add them separately, the Xantham Gum tends to bind to itself and form hard lumps in your pastry (Gross!). As I said before, this is just the method I use, there are plenty of methods out there, and you'll find your own little tricks as you experiment!

I hope this has helped some of you out, and as always if you have any questions feel free to ask! I'll help as best as I can.

Happy Friday!
-Maureen

Collision Course- A Book Review

Collision Course by: S.C. Stephens

It was a bit wordy, but otherwise pretty good. Generally I have a hard time relating to books written from the male perspective, but I though Lucas was a very relatable character who I found myself sympathizing with. I wound up skimming through a lot, especially the last three chapters or so and honestly thought there were chunks that were not detrimental and could have been cut, but hey, I didn’t write the book, so whatever. I would recommend this book at 3.5-4 stars.

Makeup Monday: Sublime

Hello again, I hope you all are well! Recently I went to a concert my school hosted with a friend, the line up included Dev, B.O.B, and Sublime with Rome, and it was amazing! I danced through every set and thoroughly enjoyed the music. This was the  makeup I sported, full list of products below! 

P.S. I though this look would be fitting to post today because it's Earth Day! I thought the green would tie in nicely. Also a great big Birthday shout out to two of my very best friends, Kati and Tess! 

Products used:

L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle in Light Ivory
L'Oreal True Match Powder in n5

Urban Decay Primer Potion
Revlon Color Stay eyeliner in Black
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Pure Gold
KVD Tattoo Chronicles: Candelabra in Sunset Blvd
Stila Smudge Stick in Moray
KVD True Romance Ludwig Palette in Orbi, Dimebag, and Tequila
KVD True Romance Truth Palette in Long Distance, and Snake Eyes
KVD True Romance Momento Mori Palette in Peggy and Hard Luck
KVD Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in El Dorado
MUFE Aqua Liner in 4
NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk
MUFE Eyeshadow in White
Benefit They're Real! Mascara
Benefit Posie Tint
C.O Bigelow Lemon Raspberry Lip Balm

Gluten Free Friday: My Story

Hey guys! I've been a bit strapped for cash lately and haven't had the opportunity to try anything gluten free that was worth sharing. So I figured, you guys are still getting to know me, why not share my story and see if anyone else can relate!

Back in 2006 I was a sophomore in high school, (Sheesh ya'll, that was 7 years ago! Yikes!) my Mom become very ill and in the end was diagnosed with Celiac Disease. When she was diagnosed they explained to her it was a genetic disease, so my brother and I were tested and both had a positive diagnosis. Being the... charming... 16 year old that I was I of course completely rejected this idea and was convinced all blood tests were faulty and that I had received a false positive. Looking back I feel awful about how selfish I was because my 9 year old brother and mother adopted the diet immediately with little to no complaint, tsk tsk little Maureen, how rude! So I went through high school in pretty severe discomfort, having stomach attacks rather frequently, yet still convinced I didn't have a problem.

Fast forward to my sophomore year of college, I was losing weight pretty rapidly! Go me, right? Wrong. My hair was also falling out, thinning out to probably about half the thickness I had when I was healthy, my skin was a mess, and I was constantly dizzy and nauseous. I finally agreed to an endoscopy where it was confirmed I absolutely had Celiac Disease, they also discovered I was severely malnourished and dehydrated as a side effect; and so I committed to a gluten free diet in October of 2010.

I'm assuming if you're reading this post you know a bit about Celiac Disease, but in case you don't and you're completely lost at this point, i'll give you a brief run down. Celiac Disease is an autoimmune disease which frequently expresses itself as an intolerance to Gluten. Gluten is a bi-product of wheat, used commonly as a filler and found in most grains such as wheat, barley, malt, and oats.When someone who has Celiac Disease ingests gluten, externally they will most commonly experience immense pain and IBS like symptoms. The real trouble happens internally, the gluten irritates the villi (small finger like tissue) in the lining of the stomach. The irritation over time will cause the villi to flatten, and therefore they will stop absorbing nutrients, resulting in malnourishment. It also causes sever irritation to the intestinal lining, overtime continued exposure can even result in stomach cancer. So basically if the doc tells you to stop eating gluten, don't be a rebel without a cause like me :/ i'm paying the consequences now. Womp.

Of course there have been slip ups in the past three years, where I didn't know something had gluten in it, or someone preparing my food made a mistake, but I have been completely dedicated to the diet outside of accidents. My body is healthier, more nourished and functioning properly, my skin is clear (Hallelujah!), and though still thing, my hair has stopped actively falling out. I still get blue sometimes when I crave a soft pretzel, or a granola bar, but that passes. Honestly remembering the pain is enough to keep me from cheating. I've never experienced child birth, but if I had to guess, I'd say getting glutened is worse! At the end of the day I remind myself that I am alive, I have a great life, and there are far worse things that I could be dealing with; I am grateful a restricted diet is my biggest health concern!

I hoped this helped some of you, and as always, if you have any questions or comments feel free to contact me!

-Maureen

The Sky is Everywhere- A book Review

The Sky is Everywhere by: Jandy Nelson

I give it 4.5-5 stars (out of 5). Where to begin with this book. I liked how the author really focused on the balance between her mourning and her living her life. I enjoyed her many point about moving on, because really, you know your loved one would want you to move on with your life, but how can you feel joy when your heart it breaking? It's a guilty twisted thing, but it's hardly wrong. This book has made me so emotional i'm having a hard time putting into words just how good it was. In summation. Just read this book. Just do it. It's a bit slow to start and then again towards the middle, but just keep going, it's worth it. 

Candy Pastels

Last weekend my roommate and I got invited to a house party back home, where I would be sure to see a few people I hadn't seen since High School. I wasn't sure who i'd see there, but I knew I wanted a look that was fun, but not too crazy, but also showed how much my look and skills had progressed since then. We wound up seeing quite a few people we knew as well as many we did not. The party was absolutely insane and a ton of fun! This look is eye catching and a great ice breaker!

Products Used:

L'oreal Magic Smooth Souffle 

Urban Decay Primer Potion

Maybelline Eye Studio Color Tattoo in Inked In Pink

MUFE Eyeshadow in Candy Pink 85

MUFE Eyeshadow in Purple 92

KVD Momento Mori Palette in Solitude, Agatha Pink, and Sugar Skull (Eye Lid)

KVD Tattoo liner in Trooper

Urban Decay 24/7 Liquid Liner in El Dorado

Stila Smudge Stick in Moray

KVD Momento Mori palette in Hard Luck and Peggy (Lower lash line)

KVD Gypsy Palette in Birdcage

Benefit They're Real! Mascara

Aloette Blush in Coralline

Benefit High Beam

Prestige Lip Liner in Silk

Mac Viva Glam Gaga Lipstick

Beautifully Disney Lipgloss in Mysterious Mermaid

Saturday Bonus Post: Iron Man

  You guys have been so awesome in your response to my last makeup post so i've decided to post a bonus look I had queued! maybe this will become a regular thing... it could be surprise Saturdays?

Todays look was actually a challenge. I was in a bit of a rut for creative ideas and I threw a status up on Facebook asking for something for me to draw inspiration from and Iron Man was the response I got! I was in love with how this turned out!

Products Used:

Maybelline 24 Hour color tattoo in Pomegranate

MUFE red shadow

Kat Von D red from Book of Shadows palette

Kat Von D gold from Book of Shadows palette

MUFE matte white

inner corner color was created by mixing MUFE teal with MUFE white and adding the white/blue duochrome from Elf's duochrome palette over top.

KVD liquid liner in Trooper

Lash Blast mascara

MUFE Moulin Rouge lipstick

Slice of Heaven

Schar Classic White Bread: A Gluten Free Review

Holy mother of pearl you guys, Schar is quickly becoming one of my favorite Gluten Free brands, very quickly, as in my Shop Rite just started carrying their stuff a few weeks ago. Since my store started stocking Schar i've been sampling something new each week in small increments because their stuff is a bit pricey, but well worth the cost. I have previously sampled their baguettes which were to die for, I can't tell you how long since I enjoyed a roll with butter and didn't gag at the funky texture or after taste, and I also tried it as garlic bread which was also incredible. Anyway, fast forward to this week when I spotted this little beauty, their classic white bread. At $5.50 a loaf I was a bit hesitant, but given my past great experiences with the company I decided to go for it. Amazing. AH MAY ZING. It was perfect, bouncy, not crumbly, no weird taste, I tried it with a bit of butter and then toasted on a sandwich as well. Just plain with butter I could have sworn I was eating regular gluten filled white bread! While it was toasted on the sandwich it was maybe a little bit more sponge than regular bread... Like if you left the bag open for a day? Not stale, just slightly tougher, it really wasn't anything insanely   noticeable or anything, i'm really only mentioning it for the sake of review. 

Basically, I will never eat another gluten free bread again, this one has one my heart. 5 out of 5 stars, would recommend, would shout my love from the rooftops. 

Paranormalcy- A book review

Paranormalcy by: Kiersten White

Despite the slightly off putting description of this book I really enjoyed it. It's a concept i've not come across before in my paranormal/supernatural book adventures. The main character Evie can be a bit vapid and melodramatic at times, but she is meant to be a 17 ear old who is essentially raised knowing nothing of the outside world except what she sees on the seemingly Gossip Girl like television show 'Easton Heights', so there's that lol. I always enjoy books that combine several different types of supernaturals and not just the typical vampires/werewolves. I would definitely give this book as a recommendation at 3.5 stars and intend on reading the sequel :)