As Healthy as Cheesy Vegetable Chowder Gets...

Around 3pm today, my stomach started growling. I've been doing well with eating right lately...although yesterday I allowed myself a cheat meal (cheesy potatoes oh em gee) and I was craving a comfort meal. We pondered over Cracker Barrel but it's so far and I don't think I can control myself in there just yet.

I decided to make Broccoli Cheddar soup, but then figured 'why not throw in every vegetable in my fridge?' soup. 

I wanted to keep eating healthy but I also wanted something that was filling and tasty. I chopped up two red skin potatoes, a few carrots, 1/2 of a red onion (I didn't have any other kind), a spear of broccoli and 1/3 of a yellow cauliflower. I then threw all of the veggies in a big pot and filled it up just so the vegetables were covered. I tossed in a tablespoon of butter, a chicken bouillion cube, garlic salt and pepper. Then I let that simmer until the veggies were cooked.

After that, I gave it all a quick mash with a potato masher (I think? It didn't have any holes and it was smooth...but it mashed so...) and here's where I substituted. Every creamy soup has some kind of dairy/fat that makes it so delicious. Instead of cream or half and half, I used 1 cup of 1% milk and 0% Greek yogurt. I whisked those together and dumped them in. It obviously wasn't as creamy as other soups but it did the job.



I then added some extra sharp cheddar cheese, which is the only bad part of this recipe. It thickened up the soup and also gave it some flavor. You could definitely add low fat or no cheese at all though, it's up to you.

And that was that! My whole house smelled like Panera and I got to satisfy my craving for a creamy, cozy soup..without all of the fat and calories! And that dangerous little biscuit up there? Yeah, I had one (er, two) of them, but I figure it all balanced out. Back on the grind tomorrow! Happy Sunday :)



And this time, I'll keep it off.

After about a month of eating whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted, I needed some serious detox. It was like I allowed myself to have an eating vacation. Being busy really does make it hard to eat healthy. Between surprise 50th birthday parties, graduation parties and family reunions, I've been pretty much surrounded with junk food, also known as my favorite food. I ate my body weight in cheesy potatoes and pizza last month. I'm done. Not only do I want to eat healthier, I want to be in better shape. I have a 5K coming in two weeks and if I don't want to be the laughingstock of the whole race...well, I will probably do something embarrassing enough for that to still be true, even in the best shape of my life.

You know you have been eating too much junk when you actually crave carrots. During these past four weeks I've had little to no water each day. It's much easier to grab a pop from the fridge and go. That's where I started, cutting out pop.

I don't need pop and when I don't have it in the house I rarely drink it. I normally choose unsweetened iced tea or water with lemon. The more I drink pop, the more I crave it. So, no more pop.

I don't have the strength or will power to go through another fruit and vegetable cleanses so I just decided to eat right. What a concept, huh? I don't want it to be about "I'm not allowed to have this, I can't eat that." I just want to make better choices in general and improve myself and my diet in time. I don't think that's too much to ask of my brain. My taste buds are a different story.

So here, I'm vowing to myself that I will try my darnedest to drink at least 64oz of water per day. To choose healthier options. To eat more fruits and vegetables. To not have empty calories. And to be more active. Being busy and being active are not the same thing, trust me. I've been on the go all month but I haven't worked out once. That's all about to change. I've pinned a bunch of quick workouts on my Pinterest boards, read every page of Undressed Skeleton and acquired all the motivation I need to start. You really do have to be ready in your mind before you will actually stick to something and believe me, I'm ready.

So here's what I had to eat today. It's not perfect but it's a start. I'm thinking of doing these posts every few days along with some grocery hauls, just to hold myself accountable. What do you think?

Breakfast: coffee, of course, and oatmeal with raspberries, a banana and a teaspoon of honey (it didn't really need it)

Lunch: strawberry Activia yogurt, baby carrots, strawberries, trail mix and sweet potato kettle chips.
I also drank 3 Camelback water bottles

After work I had a Tazo black iced tea, lightly sweetened.

Dinner: we had guests tonight so I didn't have much of an option. I skipped the bun but had a hamburger with a piece of sharp cheddar, mustard and ketchup. I also ate a lot of grilled asparagus. The lighter asparagus is pickled. So good!

Other than this, I might have a bowl of cereal later. I don't go to bed until late and I'm working on not eating right before I sleep. Wish me luck!

-Liz

Eyeshadow Dupes!

I know how very rare it is to come across a true "dupe" in the beauty world. I haven't seen many for myself, most I'd file under "extremely similar" or "you don't need both."

I love watching dupe videos and reading the blogs comparing products...before I buy any eyeshadow, lipstick, nail polish, etc., I google the color to see if anyone has taken any comparison pictures with other colors so that i don't end up with two (or more) of the same shade (that's happened to me way too many times to count).

Anyway, I spent about an hour and a half the other day watching Lifetime movies and swatching eyeshadows from my collection. I figured I had about 30 taupes, two of them had to be the same. They weren't. I did come across a few other shades that I'd be willing to say were extremely similar to each other and if you have one, you don't need both. I only picked a few to share because these are the ones I thought were truly the closest in color in real life. Enough blabbering...here we go!

First up, a nice highlight or all over lid shade. Obviously one of my favorites, MAC Shroom is a beige/cream shimmery shade. Here it is next to Urban Decay Virgin from the Naked Palette. In the pan, Virgin looks more pink than Shroom but when swatched, they look incredibly similar.

Left: Urban Decay Virgin, Right: MAC Shroom

Left: Urban Decay Virgin, Right: MAC Shroom

Next we have another gem from the Naked Palette, a nice crease shade called Buck. Here it is next to MAC Cork. I never really thought of how close these shades were but I do use them both for the same thing, darkening up the crease. They're pretty dead on. Buck looks warmer in the pan but on the eye you cannot tell the difference.

Left: Urban Decay Buck, Right: MAC Cork

Left: Urban Decay Buck, Right: MAC Cork

Moving on from the Naked Palette, we have another pretty MAC shade called Twinks. This is my sister's favorite, a nice plumy/brown/burgundy shade. Here it is next to ELF Saddle. I actually find Saddle to be more pigmented than Twinks (and it only costs $3!)

Left: ELF Saddle, Right: MAC Twinks

Left: ELF Saddle, Right: MAC Twinks

Now we've arrived at my favorite "dupe." This little cheap Maybelline trio that I've had for, oh I don't know, forever called Bronze Glitz. I'm pretty sure this is still available for under $5. This palette contains two dupes of two NARS shadows.

NARS & Maybelline Dupes

NARS shadows are so soft and pigmented and these maybelline ones aren't that too shabby either. The first "dupe" is NARS California. I got this color for more than half off when Sephora had it for sale for $9 as they often do. Here it is next to the bronze shade in Bronze Glitz. While they're both shimmering warm copper shades, the main difference is that the Maybelline version has a little more of a gold sheen than the NARS.

Left: NARS California, Right: Maybelline Bronze Glitz 



Left: Maybelline Bronze Glitz, Right: NARS California

The final dupe I have to share with you is probably the closest in color in my opinion. The NARS version is from the Cheyenne duo. Sort of a mustard yellow almost metallic shade. The Maybelline is the top gold color from Bronze Glitz.

Left: Maybelline Bronze Glitz, Right: NARS Cheyenne

Left: Maybelline Bronze Glitz, Right: NARS Cheyenne

Well there you have it. My first dupes post. I hope this helped someone out there save some money (or realize you may have dupes of your own!) Now I'm curious about my lipsticks and blushes!

What are some dupes from your collection?
-Liz

Twitter is less annoying than Facebook

Hands down, my biggest problem with social networking is having to friend, follow or subscribe to people I don’t care about.  I’m just not one of those people that can follow thousands of folks on Twitter or be friends with thousands of people I’ve only met once, a long time ago and be happy. I only follow people I actually like and/or care about what they have to say. On Twitter I normally give someone about three strikes before punching that “unfollow” button. And no, I’m not too cool to bother to follow anyone back. It’s more of an OCD thing with me; I can’t tolerate certain types of tweets clogging up my feed. This is most likely the reason I don’t have many followers, because I won’t just follow anyone for the hell of it. And I’m okay with that. There have been people I’ve followed, unfollowed, refollowed to see what they’re up to, remembered why I unfollowed in the first place and still continue check their Twitter feed every now and again. It’s a sickness I’m dealing with.

There’s some kind of rush that happens when you unfollow a celebrity as well, it really is like you’ve been freed. Click the button, sit back and let out a sigh of relief, the suffering is over. When I first got Twitter in 2009 (those were the days), I followed every celebrity I’ve ever heard of. That number is at about 6 now and one of them is on thin ice. I follow mostly random people I find entertaining and I’ve “met” some great “friends” that way. I only personally know about 5 of my followers, but that’s my favorite thing about Twitter, it’s a great place to meet people you wouldn’t have otherwise come in contact with if it weren’t for a common interest in being part of/making fun of today’s pop culture.

Facebook is a different story; it’s where you add people you already get enough of on a personal level. I rarely add someone on Facebook that I don’t know in real life, with very few exceptions. Most of my Facebook friends I’ve known since at least high school and I hardly ever read anything any of them post. I’m just over it. Like my friend Melissa (@30plussome) says “Facebook is to Twitter what Myspace was to Facebook.” It’s just too much. That’s why I don’t really understand Facebook going public, it’s already at its peak.  **I wish I could somehow prove to you that I wrote this weeks ago, therefore predicting how poorly Facebook stock would have done.  I’m so smart. Why am I not rich?**

In my opinion (which means nothing) I don’t see it lasting for much longer. I prefer Twitter much more and I’m most definitely more like myself on Twitter. I can’t say anything I want on Facebook because most of my friends on there don’t “get me”. I post a few pictures per week but that’s about it. It’s mainly a tool to keep in contact with family/friends that no longer live around me. You know what the main problem with Facebook is? The character allowance per status update. I’m not sure if there is a limit but if there is, it’s way too long.  That’s also one of Twitter’s greatest qualities. 140 characters and that’s all you get, make it short and sweet and to the point. Some people tell their life story in their Facebook status updates and I simply cannot take it anymore. That’s where “hiding” comes in.

The ability to hide people on Facebook is one of life’s greatest blessings. 60% of the time it works…every time. Yes, you could “unfriend” but what if it’s someone you actually see on a weekly, even daily basis? What if it’s one of your oldest friends? Hiding is a great way to defriend on your end only. (Another one of Twitter’s pluses, it’s mostly one sided.) I’m going to go out on a limb and say hiding those chosen few people on my Facebook was one of the best decisions I’ve made recently. I just clicked “hide all by _____ _________” and never looked back. The best part is, they never have to know. You don’t have to offend anyone or hurt anyone’s feelings; you just simply don’t have to read their posts anymore. I’m sure someone’s hidden me, and I’m okay with it. Do what you gotta do.

Besides the annoying and all too frequent posts (if you want to post statuses on an hourly or even more frequent basis, GET A TWITTER, that’s what it’s for), there’s the never-ending evites, the game requests, and the notifications: “so-and-so commented on so-and-so’s status that you also commented on” Couldn’t care less, wasn’t looking for a debate. Hence the reason I’ve resorted to my new motto: “’Like’ it or Leave it.” Don’t get me started on how badly I want a dislike button to exist, on Facebook and in real life.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, I enjoy complaining about these social media sites that I get to use for free. Even though the people of Twitter can get annoying sometimes, I’m dependent. I could probably count on one hand the number of days I’ve stayed off of Twitter. It’s an addiction and to those of you think it’s too complicated: get over yourself. Just admit I’m always right and realize I was the one who told you to move from MySpace to Facebook way back when…you know who you are. Follow the trend, Twitter’s where it’s at…for now. Have fun, just don’t follow me ;)

Beauty Q & A

Seriously, one of my favorite things to do when I'm bored is fill out surveys. I know, what an exciting life I lead. Anyway, I found this beauty questionnaire that I don't believe I've ever filled out before so...here we go!

1. Do you apply your foundation with a brush, sponge, or fingers?

I apply mine with a brush, typically the Sephora Mineral Powder Brush #45 or the Real Techniques Stippling Brush. I've tried to use a sponge similar to the Beauty Blender and it just takes too freakin' long. I haven't used my fingers since High School, it feels weird.

2. Do you apply your eyeshadow from light to dark? or dark to light?

Light to dark, that way, I don't have to worry about the dark shadow on the brush when I dip it into the light. I do my highlight last, though, with a different brush.

3. Do you prime your eyes?

Always. Normally with a Paint Pot.

4. Concealer first, or after foundation?

After.

5. Go for manicures, or manicure yourself?

Do them myself...I just feel like it's a waste of money since I'm so rough on my hands at work. I like to get a pedicure every once in a while though, because they last a lot longer on me.

6. Exfoliate lips, face or both?

Both. For my face I use the Clarisonic once a day and then a physical exfoliator like Exfolikate about once a week. The best thing I've found to exfoliate my lips is a plain old wet wash cloth.

7. On average, how long does it take you to do your makeup?

About 10 or 15 minutes. I failed miserably at the 5 Minute Makeup Challenge.

8. Do you wear makeup everyday and everywhere?

I wear makeup every day that i work, for sure. But on the weekends I typically don't unless I'm going to a family party or dinner or something.

9. What release are you most excited about? (Makeup)

Currently nothing... there's just too many recently. I do hope MAC comes out with a nice warm fall collection, though. I love warm neutrals and anything to do with fall. I get so jealous when I see people use the Spiced Chocolate Quad or even Mulled Cider Eyeshadow because those came out before i was into makeup and they just look right up my alley. The names make me want them even more, anything that has to do with fall I need in my life. A collection like Warm & Cozy might make me fall back in love with MAC.

10. What’s your weakness? Shoes, purses, clothes, jewelry, eyeshadow, lipstick or other?

I'd say my weakness is nail polish, although I'm getting better.

11. Do you whiten your teeth?

I use Crest 3D Vivid White or whatever it's called. Then I have Whitestrips and the 5 Minute White System...I'm too lazy to do them most of the time. Note to self: face mask and Whitestrips tonight.

12. Wax eyebrows, or pluck?

Pluck.

13. What do you use to contour?

I don't really contour. I just sort of bronze around the edges of my face using either Milani Sunset Duos in Sunset City or NYC Sunny.

14. False lashes, or natural?

Natural. But I wore falsies last weekend and they were amazing. They looked so good and I couldn't even feel them. I think they were Ardell 109's. LOVE.

15. Favorite makeup brand?

That is just too hard of a question.

16. Liquid eyeliner, pencil or gel?

Gel if I want a stark line, a really soft almost liquid pencil (i.e. Milani Liquif'eye, MUFE Aqua Eyes, Urban Decay 24/7) when I don't.

17. Lipstick, lipgloss or chapstick?

Lipstick.

18. Pigments, pressed or cream eyeshadow?

Depends on what I'm in the mood for/how much time I have. I love BE loose shadows but I'm loving their pressed ones as well and pressed is usually faster. I have a slight obsession with cream shadows, however. 

19. If you had to wear only one thing, excluding foundation; what would it be?

Mascara. But that situation would really suck.

20. Favorite color?

Taupe. LOL, is that even a color? I used to make fun of my mom for being so boring and loving taupe but it is very versatile and can easily lean more brown, purple, silver, whatever. I love taupe.

21. Favorite color combination?

For eyes? I really like mixing cool and warm tones. I like to do taupe with a warm brown crease or light cool brown with a burgundy crease.

22. Natural? or Dramatic? (Eye Makeup)

Lately I've been loving natural eyes and a bright bold lip but when I'm excited to sit and get ready for a night out I love doing a smoky eye.

23. Do you care more for quality or name brand?

Quality.

24. Do you enjoy using face masks? If so which ones?

I like using them but get annoyed when I have to take them off. I really love the Formula 10.0.6 Deep Down Detox Ultra-Cleansing Mud Mask (what a mouthful) and I want to try more of their products soon. It does everything the Queen Helene Mint Julep Mask does without the weird smell that's left behind.

25. What is your current addiction? (example: lipsticks, eyeshadows, earrings..)

My current addiction is probably bold lipsticks. I really love MUFE #36 and MAC Watch Me Simmer. I need to do a "Summer Lipsticks" video soon :)

Ardell 109 Lashes & MUFE #36 Lipstick

Thanks for reading! Let me know if you fill out this questionnaire, too!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Rendezvous + Comparisons & Possible Dupes

After hearing some buzz about the new Revlon Balm Stains (and slowly figuring out that they weren't the Stain + Balms that I wasn't a fan of) I had to try them. They looked very similar to the Clinique Chubby Sticks that I love and for less than half the price! I only picked up one so far but I have a feeling I'll be getting more very soon.


I found these at Target today...I've read other blogs saying they come in twelve shades and I've seen pictures of a big display but Target only had about six shades to choose from. I pick Rendezvous because I love the orange trend right now.


When I first chose it I thought it would be similar to the Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon that I already own. (Why I didn't just pull that out of my purse and compare in the store, I'll never know.) I was totally off. I do have another lip product that close in color but we'll get to that in a minute.


I've only had these for about 12 hours but I can already tell you that they are closer to the Tarte Lipsurgence Natural Lip Tints than the Clinique Chubby Sticks. I love both brand's versions but here's why I'd group them with Tarte more:


Smell: this is the biggest difference. The Clinique Chubby Sticks don't smell like anything but the Revlon and Tarte ones both smell like mint.
Taste: because they both smell like mint, they kind of have that minty taste/feel on your mouth as well. Not a bad thing but different from Clinique.
Stain: The Tarte and Revlon perform more like a stain where the Clinique are more like a glossy tint. This is good and bad for me, as stains wear off unevenly on my lips but while the glossy stain types last a good amount of time, they don't last as long as a stain, obviously.


Revlon Rendezvous is a coral that leans mostly orange in the tube put pulls a little red on the lips. I wish it would've been a truer orange on my lips but it's still pretty. It has tiny - and I mean tiny - micro shimmers in it that I normally don't like but they are barely noticeable. I think they give it more of a sheen. Believe me, if there was noticeable shimmer, I would've probably returned it.


Enough blabbing...roll pics!

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Rendezvous

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Rendezvous

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Rendezvous

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain - Rendezvous & Clinique Chubby Stick - Mega Melon

Revlon Balm Stain - Rendezvous, Clinique Chubby Stick - Mega Melon, Tarte Lipsurgence - Moody

Revlon Rendezvous, Clinique Mega Melon, Tarte Moody

Revlon Rendezvous, Clinique Mega Melon

Top & Left - Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, Bottom & Right - Balm Stain in Rendezvous

Left to Right: Revlon Lip Butter in Tutti Frutti, Revlon Balm Stain in Rendezvous, Clinique Chubby Stick in Mega Melon, Tarte Lipsurgence in Moody

Obviously, the Clinique Mega Melon isn't as close as I thought it would be but I did find Revlon Tutti Frutti Lip Butter to be very similar. The main difference is how glossy it is, and how it stays that way. The Balm Stain starts out that way but slowly dries to more of a satin finish - but it never feels dry to me, which is awesome. The Balm Stain is also a little more sheer (but buildable) and the Lip Butter is more like a lipstick to me.


To me, it's all a matter of personal preference. The Balm Stains have more of a "staining" effect on the lip and the Lip Butter is more of a glossy balm or lipstick. Balm Stains have the minty effect, Lip Butters don't. I'm sort of bummed I picked out a color so similar but the formula is different enough for me to keep.


I can't wait to try more of these soon!


Have you tried any? What do you think?

-Liz

Pie > Cake

I'm really not one to get into politics or anything like that. I don't like to push my views on other people and I really hate when people do that to me. That being said, I am so friggin' disappointed in North Carolina. I'm not going to lecture but come on! Why do so many people care so much what other people do with their own lives? Who gives a crap if two people of the same sex want to get married? I know a lot of straight people who don't take marriage seriously so what does it even matter? If two people are in love that's all there is to it. It shouldn't matter what gender. I have a few people in my life that are gay, but even if I didn't I would feel the same. Just because other people in the country "don't like it," it shouldn't be allowed? Well I don't like nasty, squeaky Crocs. Can that be outlawed? I'm sure I could rally enough people to get behind that. What about Creed? Mushrooms? Girls who wear a baby pink version of their boyfriend's favorite football jersey? Where does it end?!


I'm going to leave it at that, it's all been talked about to death and it seems that the majority of the country has no problem with gay marriage.  It shouldn't even be called that, it should just be called "marriage." I just wish we'd all come together and start moving in one single direction for once. Life is about change, people! It's the only constant.


Anyway, that off my chest, here's something that makes me a little abnormal to society:


I hate cake. I realize how strange and unnatural this seems to some of you but I always have, always will. I also hate frosting. Not just "Nah, it's not my favorite but I'll eat it if there's no other choices..." No. I refuse to eat cake and sometimes, that means I go without dessert. It's a tough life. There are, however, a few exceptions: angel food cake, pound cake, pineapple upside down cake and cheese cake. I don't know why those are acceptable to me. It's mainly your typical chocolate or yellow birthday party cake that I can't tolerate. For one, the chocolate cake has a weird chemical after taste to me and I don't know why but it's gross.
I don't understand why someone would order "Birthday Cake Remix" at Coldstone on purpose. I mean, without a gun to their head.


I also dislike caramel (pronounced carmel in these parts). I say dislike because as of late, I've been dabbling into a few caramel flavored foods. I would never order a Caramel Macchiato or eat a Werther's for the fun of it, but I'm trying and that's what's important.


Just like with my complete and utter fear of roller coasters, I wish these statements about me weren't true. Nothing makes you feel like a freak show more than a family devouring Grandma's Famous Homemade Red Velvet Cake and you refusing to even try it. The first time people find out I try not to make a big scene. I whisper to whomever I'm with "No, thanks." Their reply is usually "What? Why not?!" After beating around the bush I'm usually forced to come out with it. "I don't like cake."


Gasps


Silence


"What do you mean???" Then comes the voices, round and round like a carousel "Liz doesn't like cake? Liz doesn't like cake! She said she doesn't like cake." It's also not one of those facts that people accept and move on with their lives after hearing. Their day takes an interesting turn and their personal goal is to get you to try and eat cake. Not just eat the cake, but change your whole view on cake, do a 180 and end up loving it. Not gonna happen, cake snobs.


I guess the point of this whole thing is that everyone is different. None of us are the same but we're all living on the same planet at the same time. Everyone should be able to do what makes them happy. (Given what makes them happy is not murdering little old ladies for their Sucrets and handmade afghans or something.)


I'm sure you have a little freak bone in you, too. Let it shine, be different. It's what makes the world go 'round.