Friday, February 26, 2010
Thursday, February 25, 2010
Why Didn't I Know About This Place?
I dedicate this post to my sister, who is even more obsessed with bargain beauty products than I am. The other day, I met a gal who clued me in on the existence of Cosmetics Market, an off-price discount store for beauty products and more. It's the TJ Maxx of high end cosmetics. Unfortunately, they do not have an online store, but if you are ever in the city, head down to Murray Hill and get yourself some bargains! It's not just for women- they have products for men as well as random home products.
For 5 bucks each:
Stila lipstick in a color called "mandy"- I had to get it. It happens to be an awesome color.
Stila long wear lip color (packaged like a fat eyeliner)-I love this stuff.
Vincent Longo Gel-X lipcolor- the formula is great, but the color I picked is dreadful. oops.
All of these retail for around 20 bucks and the long wear Stila product is current season, meaning that it is sitting on a shelf in Sephora at its ridiculous retail price.
They also carry drugstore brands at slashed prices. Like most discount stores, the selection varies. This is not a problem for me as I am not typically loyal to products.
I also got some 99 cent toothbrushes and a Wilton silicone loaf pan for 3.99. Meatloaf and banana bread recipes to follow...
Friday, February 19, 2010
New Appliance
I love kitchen appliances. I would love to own a waffle maker, a crock pot, a juicer, and most of all, this:
I am also intrigued (and often perplexed) by appliances that have a very specific purpose:
I'm into the yogurt maker, because yogurt seems like something that would be a little labor intensive otherwise. I eat a lot of yogurt so it might be economical in the long run. However, the slider maker and the egg cooker would be useless to me.
Anyway, I don't have room for any of these electronics- useful or not.
However, when I found this, I couldn't pass it up:
This thing is AWESOME. In case you can't tell from the image, it is a single serve blender made by Hamilton Beach that is small enough to store easily. It only costs around 20 bucks and it makes fantastic smoothies. I will never pay 5 dollars for a smoothie again. I love smoothies. They're great in the summertime, but they also make ideal breakfasts and pre/post workout snacks. When you make them yourself, you can ensure that they aren't filled with unnecessary sugars, etc.
Things I Like to Blend in My New Blender:
Bananas (sliced, frozen or not)
Frozen Strawberries, Blueberries, or Mixed Berries
Milk (Soy, Almond, Coconut or Skim)
Orange Juice
Peanut Butter
Soy or Whey Protein Powder
Flaxseed
Yogurt
Honey or Raw Agave (although I think you get enough natural sweetness from the other ingredients)
Any fruits would be good. I do not recommend adding sugar because it's really not necessary. If you like a sweeter drink, honey or agave nectar would be better options. If you are drinking a smoothie for nutritional purposes, it needs to have fat (milk, yogurt, etc) and protein in addition to the fruits. In the future I will be trying more adventurous ingredients such as spinach, avocados and perhaps some raw eggs.
I am also intrigued (and often perplexed) by appliances that have a very specific purpose:
I'm into the yogurt maker, because yogurt seems like something that would be a little labor intensive otherwise. I eat a lot of yogurt so it might be economical in the long run. However, the slider maker and the egg cooker would be useless to me.
Anyway, I don't have room for any of these electronics- useful or not.
However, when I found this, I couldn't pass it up:
This thing is AWESOME. In case you can't tell from the image, it is a single serve blender made by Hamilton Beach that is small enough to store easily. It only costs around 20 bucks and it makes fantastic smoothies. I will never pay 5 dollars for a smoothie again. I love smoothies. They're great in the summertime, but they also make ideal breakfasts and pre/post workout snacks. When you make them yourself, you can ensure that they aren't filled with unnecessary sugars, etc.
Things I Like to Blend in My New Blender:
Bananas (sliced, frozen or not)
Frozen Strawberries, Blueberries, or Mixed Berries
Milk (Soy, Almond, Coconut or Skim)
Orange Juice
Peanut Butter
Soy or Whey Protein Powder
Flaxseed
Yogurt
Honey or Raw Agave (although I think you get enough natural sweetness from the other ingredients)
Any fruits would be good. I do not recommend adding sugar because it's really not necessary. If you like a sweeter drink, honey or agave nectar would be better options. If you are drinking a smoothie for nutritional purposes, it needs to have fat (milk, yogurt, etc) and protein in addition to the fruits. In the future I will be trying more adventurous ingredients such as spinach, avocados and perhaps some raw eggs.
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
The Weirdest Olympic Sport Ever
There's a sport in the Olympic games called "Curling." I had never seen it televised until this evening. If you or someone you know is a "Curler," I apologize in advance for this post. However, to my ignorant eyes, this is the least athletic sport I've ever seen. I'm absolutely baffled at how you can win an Olympic metal for pushing a "rock" around with a broom. I understand that it takes some skill and coordination....but so do pool, golf, and croquet and you don't see these sports represented in the freakin' Olympic games! I saw an article about how one of the Curlers in this year's games is pregnant. At first I thought, "That's crazy!" but after seeing the games, it doesn't seem like a pregnant curler would have any kind of disadvantage whatsoever. I've seen challenges on The Biggest Loser (a reality tv show about people trying to lose large amounts of weight) that required more athleticism than this. I think golf is actually more exciting to watch. I don't mean to be disrespectful to anyone who plays this sport...but seriously?
Other Olympians:
Curling has made me realize that being an Olympian is not an impossible dream.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Things I'm Loving Right Now
Happy Valentine's Day everybody! I hope that everyone had a relaxing/romantic/fun/amazing day. I got up and made a big brunch. For dessert, we took Larry to Time Warner Center in Columbus Circle because I heard that they were sampling free goodies. We headed over there and helped ourselves to brownies, cookies, cream puffs, and best of all:
Heart Shaped Macarons!!
I had three.
They were awesome.
One of these days, I am going to make them myself. I got a fabulous book from cousin that has a great recipe, but it's a very involved process and so I have to wait for a special occasion. I considered making them for Daryl today, but he does not share my love for macarons. He even turned down the free samples this morning.
Okay, so here's my list (that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day other than the fact that it has "love" in the title):
Things I'm Loving Right Now (in no particular order)
* Midtownlunch.com
This is one of my favorite blogs! This is where I found out about our dessert extravaganza this morning. If you don't live here, it's not too useful, but if you ever come to visit, (or you just like reading about food), check it out! The blogger just started a LA branch, as well.
*Sally Hansen-Natural Beauty Foundation
This stuff is fantastic. It was created by Carmindy of the makeover show "What not to Wear." She partnered with Sally Hansen to create a line of paraben free cosmetics. Duane Reade was selling almost the entire line at half price so I picked up a few items...and then I went back and bought some more. Everything is super natural looking, and even at full price it's a great deal. I've tried every kind of foundation out there- from the 5 dollar drugstore variety to the super high end and I think this is my favorite. Even though it isn't oil free, it doesn't make my skin freak out. If anything, it prevents it from getting so flaky. I had to rave about this stuff because the other day someone actually complimented my skin. This never happens. I was like, "it's totally the makeup!" I also like the blush, eyeliner, power and eyeshadow.
*CVS Deep Action Power Cleanser
This is what I bought myself for V-day. It was a lot cheaper than a facial, and a lot cheaper than the Clarisonic, which is this exfoliating brush that retails for 200 dollars or something crazy like that. My sister has one and I really loved it, but there was no way I was going to shell out that much money for a cleaning accessory. Neutrogena came out with the Wave, which is poor man's version of the device, but you have to use pads that are pre filled with their cleanser. I discovered the that the store brand "Wave" at CVS comes with cleanser-less pads. Perfect! My face hasn't been this exfoliated since my last facial. $15 well spent.
*The Winter Olympics
The figure skating competition is my favorite. Go USA....but I do have to say that I tend to be more partial to the underdogs.
*No-pudge brownie mix
This is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth for 100 calories. All you do is stir in some yogurt with the mix and bake. I make 1 serving at a time in the microwave or I'd eat the whole pan...which would be grossly more than 100 calories.
*Mypoints.com- This is a terrific site for those of you that make online purchases of any kind. By clicking through this site, you earn points for purchases that you would have made anyway. I've been a member since the beginning of college and forgot about it until recently. I just earned enough points for a 25 dollar giftcard. I totally recommend it. It's free to sign up.
Heart Shaped Macarons!!
I had three.
They were awesome.
One of these days, I am going to make them myself. I got a fabulous book from cousin that has a great recipe, but it's a very involved process and so I have to wait for a special occasion. I considered making them for Daryl today, but he does not share my love for macarons. He even turned down the free samples this morning.
Okay, so here's my list (that has nothing to do with Valentine's Day other than the fact that it has "love" in the title):
Things I'm Loving Right Now (in no particular order)
* Midtownlunch.com
This is one of my favorite blogs! This is where I found out about our dessert extravaganza this morning. If you don't live here, it's not too useful, but if you ever come to visit, (or you just like reading about food), check it out! The blogger just started a LA branch, as well.
*Sally Hansen-Natural Beauty Foundation
This stuff is fantastic. It was created by Carmindy of the makeover show "What not to Wear." She partnered with Sally Hansen to create a line of paraben free cosmetics. Duane Reade was selling almost the entire line at half price so I picked up a few items...and then I went back and bought some more. Everything is super natural looking, and even at full price it's a great deal. I've tried every kind of foundation out there- from the 5 dollar drugstore variety to the super high end and I think this is my favorite. Even though it isn't oil free, it doesn't make my skin freak out. If anything, it prevents it from getting so flaky. I had to rave about this stuff because the other day someone actually complimented my skin. This never happens. I was like, "it's totally the makeup!" I also like the blush, eyeliner, power and eyeshadow.
*CVS Deep Action Power Cleanser
This is what I bought myself for V-day. It was a lot cheaper than a facial, and a lot cheaper than the Clarisonic, which is this exfoliating brush that retails for 200 dollars or something crazy like that. My sister has one and I really loved it, but there was no way I was going to shell out that much money for a cleaning accessory. Neutrogena came out with the Wave, which is poor man's version of the device, but you have to use pads that are pre filled with their cleanser. I discovered the that the store brand "Wave" at CVS comes with cleanser-less pads. Perfect! My face hasn't been this exfoliated since my last facial. $15 well spent.
*The Winter Olympics
The figure skating competition is my favorite. Go USA....but I do have to say that I tend to be more partial to the underdogs.
*No-pudge brownie mix
This is a great way to satisfy your sweet tooth for 100 calories. All you do is stir in some yogurt with the mix and bake. I make 1 serving at a time in the microwave or I'd eat the whole pan...which would be grossly more than 100 calories.
*Mypoints.com- This is a terrific site for those of you that make online purchases of any kind. By clicking through this site, you earn points for purchases that you would have made anyway. I've been a member since the beginning of college and forgot about it until recently. I just earned enough points for a 25 dollar giftcard. I totally recommend it. It's free to sign up.
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Love-ly Weekend
Happy Valentine's Day! In this household, February 13th is the more significant date, because 10 years ago on the day before V-Day, Daryl took me on our first date. He picked me up in "Luke" the white convertible Le Baron and we went to....wait for it..........
I have no idea why we decided to go there and I don't think we've dined there together since then. I like OTB just fine, but it's nothing special. I suppose it would be like having your first date at Red Lobster or The Olive Garden. This Tex-Mex chain is a part of our history, though.
Daryl and I were in the same English class and had an upcoming test that would cover a book that neither of us had read. He asked me on a date under the guise that the primary purpose was to study for this test. We decided that the best way to do this would be to rent the movie.
It was really boring.
We watched about ten minutes of it before we gave up and watched Dumb and Dumber instead (this was Daryl's idea).
This was not my kind of movie, but I don't remember protesting. I don't really remember what it was about, but Daryl was really disappointed that I didn't find it to be had funny as he did. If I didn't laugh aloud at a part that he thought was particularly hilarious, he would rewind the scene and make me watch it again. "See! That's funny!" he'd insist. I haven't watched this film in 10 years, but it holds a special place in my heart.
Daryl is working all weekend and our budget doesn't allow for any kind of grand celebration. We did have a nice brunch at a new Latin-inspired restaurant in our neighborhood. Tonight, while he was at his show, I made him a card along with some of his favorite cookies (peanut butter).
The recipe is soooo simple. They aren't the most fabulous pb cookies I've ever had, but they are tasty enough. The best tasting recipes seem to use loads of butter or crisco and that's just gross (unless someone else makes them...what you don't know can't hurt you...) They are so quick and convenient to
whip up since they only consist of 4 ingredients. Here is what you do:
Flourless Peanutbutter Cookies
1 cup of peanut butter (I recommend ALL NATURAL. You can use creamy or chunky.)
1 cup of sugar (I used 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I only had 3/4 cup of white sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Mix pb and sugar until smooth.
Stir in the egg (I beat it first) and baking soda.
Butter a baking sheet (or 2) and preheat oven to 350
Form dough into 2 inch balls and press each one down with a fork
Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until bottom is golden. I prefer mine to be on the undercooked side...they are chewier that way. If you over cook them, they will be quite dry because the recipe is dense as it is. Let them cool off a bit or they will crumble right out of the oven. I ate so many I feel sick. (I had to make sure that they were good enough for gift-giving :)
I have no idea why we decided to go there and I don't think we've dined there together since then. I like OTB just fine, but it's nothing special. I suppose it would be like having your first date at Red Lobster or The Olive Garden. This Tex-Mex chain is a part of our history, though.
Daryl and I were in the same English class and had an upcoming test that would cover a book that neither of us had read. He asked me on a date under the guise that the primary purpose was to study for this test. We decided that the best way to do this would be to rent the movie.
It was really boring.
We watched about ten minutes of it before we gave up and watched Dumb and Dumber instead (this was Daryl's idea).
This was not my kind of movie, but I don't remember protesting. I don't really remember what it was about, but Daryl was really disappointed that I didn't find it to be had funny as he did. If I didn't laugh aloud at a part that he thought was particularly hilarious, he would rewind the scene and make me watch it again. "See! That's funny!" he'd insist. I haven't watched this film in 10 years, but it holds a special place in my heart.
Daryl is working all weekend and our budget doesn't allow for any kind of grand celebration. We did have a nice brunch at a new Latin-inspired restaurant in our neighborhood. Tonight, while he was at his show, I made him a card along with some of his favorite cookies (peanut butter).
The recipe is soooo simple. They aren't the most fabulous pb cookies I've ever had, but they are tasty enough. The best tasting recipes seem to use loads of butter or crisco and that's just gross (unless someone else makes them...what you don't know can't hurt you...) They are so quick and convenient to
whip up since they only consist of 4 ingredients. Here is what you do:
Flourless Peanutbutter Cookies
1 cup of peanut butter (I recommend ALL NATURAL. You can use creamy or chunky.)
1 cup of sugar (I used 1/4 cup of brown sugar because I only had 3/4 cup of white sugar)
1 egg
1 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Mix pb and sugar until smooth.
Stir in the egg (I beat it first) and baking soda.
Butter a baking sheet (or 2) and preheat oven to 350
Form dough into 2 inch balls and press each one down with a fork
Bake for approximately 12 minutes or until bottom is golden. I prefer mine to be on the undercooked side...they are chewier that way. If you over cook them, they will be quite dry because the recipe is dense as it is. Let them cool off a bit or they will crumble right out of the oven. I ate so many I feel sick. (I had to make sure that they were good enough for gift-giving :)
Wednesday, February 10, 2010
Snow Day
NYC public school was cancelled today because of snow. A lot of businesses are closed as well. Snow day is not really a big deal when you technically don't have a job. People are excited to get an unexpected day off from work but I'd be thrilled to be called in. It is really pretty outside, though. If only the windows in our apartment didn't face brick walls...
As I mentioned the other day, I got new photos taken this past weekend. I used the same photographer that did the first shots I had made when I moved to the city. Her name is Laura Rose and she's lovely. Today I received the proofs. There were over 500 shots to choose from so it's a little overwhelming. None of these have been retouched and I'm not sure which one I'll have printed up, but here is a sample:
As I mentioned the other day, I got new photos taken this past weekend. I used the same photographer that did the first shots I had made when I moved to the city. Her name is Laura Rose and she's lovely. Today I received the proofs. There were over 500 shots to choose from so it's a little overwhelming. None of these have been retouched and I'm not sure which one I'll have printed up, but here is a sample:
Friday, February 5, 2010
Bring it On, February
January was not so prosperous, but things are looking better this month. This week, I worked on three different t.v. shows, 2 promo gigs and 1 freelance editing job. This weekend, I have a photo shoot (new short-hair headshots!!) and another promo. On Monday, I'm booked for a background gig that could potentially turn into a reoccurring part. I have a feeling that I'm too young looking to play what I'm being called in for, but I'll cross my fingers.
On Wednesday, I was supposed dress in an inflatable costume as the iconic Doughboy at a conference. I was to pose for pictures with attendees. Unfortunately, Doughboy wouldn't rise:
His fan was broken.
Since Doughboy could not make an appearance in a deflated state, I basically got paid to eat breakfast and hang out in a conference room for a few hours.
I wish all of my random jobs could be that awesome.
On Wednesday, I was supposed dress in an inflatable costume as the iconic Doughboy at a conference. I was to pose for pictures with attendees. Unfortunately, Doughboy wouldn't rise:
His fan was broken.
Since Doughboy could not make an appearance in a deflated state, I basically got paid to eat breakfast and hang out in a conference room for a few hours.
I wish all of my random jobs could be that awesome.
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