Trader Joe's Cookie Butter

Trader Joe's is the darn devil.
They had thee utmost of nerves to create cookie butter.
Cookie butter? Like, cookies all mashed up into a spread like peanut butter?
And I'm trying to watch my sweet intake, too? Dam them for real!
For reals though, this stuff is magic!
I've been eating it with pretzels...

And apples...

And bread... I ate an entire jar in one week!!!But it was so good. And besides, Cookie Monster will be so proud of me:)

Have you tried Trader Joe's Cookie Butter? What's curing your sweet tooth lately?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for this product with my own funds.

Making Green Smoothies! Yum!

I've really been enjoying drinking green smoothies for breakfast!
They're an easy, healthy and delicious way for me to get all my vitamins.
Fortunately, making these green smoothies is so easy.I throw all of these ingredients into my blender: strawberries, bananas, blueberries, half a cup of yogurt, a cup of water or juice, some ginger, a teaspoon of honey and a handful of kale or spinach leaves. I blend for about five minutes. Then I get this baby:

This is so yummy-to-my-tummy! Good thing is that it fills me up until around lunchtime.
Another perk of drinking these smoothies: I premake mine the night before by putting my ingredients into a container. Cuts back on my morning routine because I am NOT a morning person.

Do you drink green smoothies? If so, what kinds do you like to make?

NOTD: Revlon’s Coastal Surf

I’ve got a confession to make. But you’ve got to promise not to tell anyone, ‘K?
Here’s my secret: I’ve never worn a gel manicure.
Yep, I said it and I went on the record with my statement.
My reason is valid, though, because I do think it’s a good product for busy mothers and career women.
I mean, how could you not support a nail polish that doesn’t chip for two weeks?
I can’t at the moment because I have a short attention span. I change my nail color like I breath. Too many colors and designs to paint.
Enter Revlon’s Colorstay line.
I’d been wanting to try this line for a long time now because the polish is supposed to give a shine similar to gel polishes once dried.
There are lots of shades in this collection but my eye zoomed right to Coastal Surf, a beautiful sky blue hue.
Gawd, this color is just so pretty!
The formula was creamy; went on opaque in about two coats but I'm wearing three coats just because.
The polish was durable. I didn't notice any chippage for a few days.

The shine was on point, and the color! Oh, the color!
Got a call from Al Roker the other day asking me to please take the sky off my nails and put it back in the atmosphere!

What say you? What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for this polish with my own funds.

Songs in my mind

Hey there!

Hope you're well. I've been busy, as usual, but wanted to share some songs that have been roaming through my dome lately:

Mercy by Kanye West, Big Sean, Pusha T, and 2 Chainz:


You're on My Mind by Kem:


Everybody Got Their Sumthin' by Nikka Costa:


So Blessed by Jill Scott:


What about you? What songs are you loving these days?

Random NOTDs

Hey there,

Hope you're well! I've been super busy with work but as always, have managed to paint my nails.
Here are some pics:

Covergirl's Regal Red:

This is a pretty, classic cherry red that made me felt, well...regal.

Covergirl's Regal Red and Wet n wild's Rain Check:
I wanted to do some more polka dots. I love polka dot nails!

Milani's Mint Candy:

Oooooooh. This is a pretty mint green that's walking into turquoise territory. Too bad it chipped on like day 2. Damn you Milani!

Hot Ticket I Take My Coffee Matte and Black:

This is the shiniest black matte nail polish I've ever seen! lol.

Hot Ticket I Take My Coffee Matte and Black and N.Y.C.'s Love Letters:
Now this is a nice combination!

What say you? Which is your fave? What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the polishes with my own funds, except for the Hot Ticket I Take My Coffee Matte and Black. I won that one in a blog contest.

L'Oreal lipstick in Beige Swatches/Review

I'm always on the lookout for new work lippies. I usually try to wear soft hues like pinks and browns.
Going to add L'Oreal's Beige to that list now because I think it qualifies.

Here's a swatch:


And on my kisser:


Beige is barely noticable, which I like for work because I'm not trying to bring too much attention to my mouth.
Looks like I have grease on my lips. Still like it though.
It's perfect for work. Barely noticeable. But it works. Pun intended.

What do you think? What lipsticks are you wearing these days?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for this lipstick with my own funds.

Layering with Wet n Wild polishes!

From right to left: Believe Me, It's Real, Give Me A Price Quote, Back Alley Deals and Cost Is No Issue.

I've written about the gems that are part of Wet n Wild's Ice Baby Collection.
They're sparkly! They're glittery! They'll dramatically transform your life!
OK, OK they won't transform your life but they can change your nails, specifically your nail polish.
I like these babies on their own but wanted to have a little bit of fun layering them over other polishes.

Here are some pics of my experiment:

Give Me A Price Quote and Brash's Toxic Purple:

Believe Me, It's Real and Revlon's Hazy:


Back Alley Deals and Revlon's Not So Blueberry:


Cost Is No Issue and Revlon's Wind Fall:


Which is your fave? Have you tried any of these polishes? What's on your tips and toes these days?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for these polishes with my own funds.

What I've been eating lately in pictures

Here's what I've been eating lately in pictures:

Trader Joe's Garlic Hummus:

I put this bad boy on everything: sandwiches, chips, crackers. Anything!

Trader Joe's Quinoa and Black Bean chips:

I bought this because I love quinoa and black beans. The chips are bland but are wondrous dipped in the above hummus!

Sweet Potato and broccoli dish:

I got this recipe from my Whole Body & Soul magazine. It was easy and delicioso.

Ginger Beer:

OMG! I bought this from the local international food market and was instantly transported back to my childhood in New York where I'd drink this with my siblings and thought I was grown because I was drinking "beer." LOL!

What about you? What have you been grubbing and sipping on lately?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for the products with my own funds.

NOTD: Mint Candy , Wild Orchid and a Jewelry Heist

I'm a sucker for mint greens, as Sinful Colors' Mint Apple is one of my fave colors, so I snapped up Milani's Mint Candy the second I first laid eyes on it.
This color is gorgeous. OMG, I heart this. It even has micro shimmer in it!

Here it is on my nails:


And here it is with a coat of Wet n Wild's Jewelry Heist over it:

Only problem was the chippage on this cutie. My nails chipped after two days of wear! Damn you Milani! Still a purdy color though.

Rimmel London's Wild Orchid has spring written all over it. I'd been lemming over this cutie for a while:

Wet n Wild's Jewelry Heist is on my ring finger.

And speaking of Wet n Wild's Jewelry Heist again, that is my new fave top coat. I counted five different color of glitter in this top coat. It's been blinging up my polishes lately! Here it is entirely over Wild Orchid:



What do you think? Which color is your fave? What's on your tips and toes?

FTC Disclosure: I paid for these polishes with my own funds.

Polish Week: My Nailcare Routine!!

I've gotten a few request to do a post on my nailcare routine.
It's nothing too difficult and doesn't take up a lot of time.
Here's what I do, in pictures:

First, I remove my nail polish with Zoya's Plus Remover:

I love the pump on this remover, which removes polish with ease. It's my fave remover of all time, but when I can't get to Ulta to buy a bottle, I use Target's $3 non-acetone polish remover.

Then, I buff and file my nails:

I remove my ridges and smooth my nails with these cheapies I get from the drug store. I use a glass file that I got from Sephor to file my nails.

The cuticles are next:

I just push them back with an Orange Wood stick. These things are great because they can be used over and over again. I've also used them for getting gunk up from under my nails and mixing polish.

Also, I massage Burts Bees cuticle cream in to my cuticles:

This stuff has done wonders for my cuticles! Sometimes, I use olive oil or lip balm to moisturize my cuticles.

Afterward, I moisturize my hands with love and toast hand cream:
This stuff has been love in a bottle for my hands! It's so moisturizing and smells so good!

Then, I apply a base coat:

I'm currently using one from Orly that I got from CVS.

Next, I apply three coats of nail polish so my nails can pop. I let them dry.

Finally, I apply one coat of Poshe top coat:

I was using Seche Vite top coat for a long time but like this one because it's 3-Free and dries super fast. I'm able to place tape on my nails for Funky French manis shortly after applying the Poshe top coat. 

And that's it. That's my easy, breezy nailcare routine.
That wasn't rocket science, was it?

What about you? How do you do you at-home manicures?

FTC Disclosure: I previously paid for the products with my own funds.

Polish Week: My Fave Top Coats

Hi there!

Thanks for hanging in there with me for Polish Week.
I hope you learned some things about nail care and polish.
For my last installation of Polish Week, I wanted to share with you some of my all time fave top coats. OMG, I hope you love these top coats as much as I do!
Here they are in no particular order:

-Essie Shine of the Times:
Shine of the Times is just...OMG...just crazy awesome. I can't even describe it but the flakies can bring out the beauty in a uuuuuuugly polish! Here she is over Revlon's Posh.


-N.Y.C. Love Letters:
Love Letters is so romantic. Here she is over Rimmel's Midnight Blue.


-Sally Hansen's DVD:
I got DVD when I first started blogging about polish and had no idea what a layering polish was. I didn't get it but now I do. Here is DVD over Revlon's Violet. So pretty.

-Essie's A Cut Above:
Another pretty topcoat from Essie. I love the pink glitter in this. So gorgeous! This is over Hello Kitty's Blueberry.


-Wet n wild's Jewelry heist:I like this gem from Wet n wild's Spoiled collection. I counted four, five, heck, I lost count of how many different colors of glitter's in this beauty. Here she is over Milani's Mint Apple.

What about you? What's your fave top coats? And what are you wearing on your tips and toes?

Polish Week: My Nailcare Tips Part 2

Hi there!

Here's Part two of my nailcare tips:

-Topcoats can make or break your mani. To prevent quick chipping, apply a topcoat like Seche Vite and Posche either every night or every other night.

-Dip a Q-Tip or small make-up brush in nail polish remover to clean up edges after your mani.

-Some don’t like the smell of acetone. I don’t. There are many natural and organic brands out there that work just as well.

-Hardened polish on the neck of the bottle? Soak a cotton ball in nail polish remover and wipe off hardened polish.

-Glitter nail polish can be a pain to remove so it’s best to use the Foil Method. Soak a cotton pad with polish remover and place it over your nail. Then wrap a one inch-wide strip of aluminum foil over the nail. Wait for about ten minutes. The glittery polish should come off easier.

-Black nail polish is depressing and Gothic in the real world but very chic and edgy in the polish world.

What about you? Got any other tips to add? And what are you wearing on your tips and toes these days?

Polish Week: My Nailcare Tips Part 1

I’m not a professional but my nails are always pristine. Here are some nail care tips that I’ve picked up from the beauty blogosphere:

-When taking care of your nails, you must care for your hands, too. I make my own hand scrub by mixing one cup of sugar or salt and half a cup of olive oil. Then, I take a handful and scrub all over my hands.

-To cut or not to cut? Some people cut their cuticles. Not me. I push mine back with an Orange Wood stick.

-Olive oil is a great cuticle moisturizer. Don’t have any? Use lip balm.

-I’m a fan of glass nail files because they tend to not split my nails as much as standard files do.

-To prevent air bubbles showing up in your mani, roll your polish in between your hands instead of shaking it.

-Base coats are essential to your nail polish! It keeps your nail bed from being stained and helps the polish adhere better to the nail.

-Two coats of nail polish will give you full opacity, but sometimes I’ll apply three to make the polish really pop!

Have any other polish/nail care tips? And what's on your fingers and toes these days?

Polish Week: Lacquer Lingo

Hi there!

I thought it would be cool to share some popular types of nail polish with you for today's installation of Polish Week:

-Magnetic: This kind of polish has magnetic particles that are activated when an in-cap magnet is placed over wet polish:
-Crackle: This kind of nail polish forms fissures or cracks when placed over the painted nail:
-Duochrome: This polish type features two different colors in it, depending on which way you angle the nail:
-Flakie: This type of polish has flakes in its formula:
-Holographic: This is a polish that produces a “rainbow affect” once painted on the nails.

-Cream: This polish has a thin consistency that can sometimes appear wet on the nail bed:
-Matte: This polish finish lacks a shine and therefore is dull:
-Foil: This polish finish has a metallic finish and a sparkle similar to aluminum foil, hence the name:

Which is your favorite? I love creams, foils, flakies, heck...I love 'em all! LOL!

And what color is on your tips and toes these days?