Refreshing Glass Jars Inspiration

Despite what seems like a never-ending winter, spring is finally here-ish! And what's better to do this spring than enjoy some refreshing drinks in... jars?

Mason jars, jam jars, whatever jar you have lying around will work for this occasion.

I found these jars on sale at ModCloth the other day. The colored straws are bountiful everywhere.

I'm planning on revamping the website and introducing some new things. Stay tuned!

Nustrisystem Fast 5 Review - Week 1 Weight Loss Progress

I had mentioned previously that I was trying to lose some weight by working with Nutrisystem Nation Blogger. I started off with the Nutrisystem Fast 5 starting on January 13th and have made some progress so far.

The Nutrisystem Fast 5 is a one week jump-start kit that gets you started to quickly lose weight. I don't know about other people, but my biggest problem with any diet regimen is the lack of motivation. Any jump start helps keep me motivated. The Fast 5 kit is supposed to help me lose 5 pounds within my first week!

Included is a one-week meal plan that features 7 breakfasts, lunches and dinners that were specially selected to help the weight loss jump-start. Included is also new shakes that were specially formulated to fight off hunger and boost metabolism. After the Fast 5 week, I transition into the regular monthly program.

And how has this worked out for me so far? I unfortunately cheated and had a few too many drinks once or twice, but I have followed the guidelines for the most part and eaten a lot cleaner. I didn't lose 5 pounds within my first week, but I loss a total of 3! For all the good meals and some inappropriate cheats along the way, I am absolutely thrilled with the results. It is definitely a great motivation for me. I anticipate easily losing another 10 pounds within the next two months as long as I stick with Nutrisystem.

Expect some before after pictures sometime in the future!

Some tricks my Nutrisystem counselor taught me to help get through the first week:

• Drinking non-calorie beverages around like diet soda, crystal light and water to stay hydrated and feel full.
• Eating plenty of veggies prepared and cut up and then some cooked and ready to reheat.

Nutrisystem Nation Blogger & Recent Updates

I know you've noticed the lack of updates and I apologize. I wish that I could say that posting schedules will return to normalacy soon, but I really can't make any promises. I am attempting to cut into my holiday hours and prepare some additional posts, but the current work schedule doesn't really allow for any regularity.

So what else have I been up to? How about gaining an additional pudge here and little bit of fat there? Busy schedule means no time for working out but lots of time for pigging out. And with Thanksgiving having just passed, my additional pudginess is more than I can bare.

Luckily for me, I am now officially a member of the Nutrisystem Nation Blogger program. How will this make me lose weight? They basically feed me and my pounds are supposed to drop. I know we're all a little skeptical here, so keep an eye out for my blog updates starting January 2014. I'll record the meals and progress along the way.

Who knows? Maybe my New Years Resolution will actually work out this time.

Please update me on your lives! I feel like I've been missing so many connections since I've been MIA. What types of posts are you hoping to see? Any New Years Resolution?

Disclaimer: While I will be receiving some free meals to test out, I am not getting paid to write about Nutrisystem. Everything I write is my honest opinion.

LÄRABAR: Natural, Vegan, Gluten-Free Fruit & Nut Food Bar

The Larabar is a clean, gluten-free, preservative-free vegan food bar.

I don't recommend packaged food often, but this fruit and nut bar can barely be considered packaged. It has no added sugar, no fake sweeteners, no preservatives, no weird colors or additive. The Larabar is basically a medley of fruits, nuts and/or vegetables and maybe a pinch of sea salt. Did I mention it is absolutely delicious?

I haven't tried all of the flavors, but the Peanut Butter "Cookie" is my favorite thus far. It has made from  dates, peanuts and sea salts. You read that right. Three ingredients. Absolutely nothing else! It's no cookie, but it is a naturally sweet and savory snack.

A 16 count of Larabar can be purchased on larabarstore.com for a little over $25. It's a little pricey, but that is a good price for natural food and convenience nowadays. Alternatively, you can make your own bar with dates and whichever nut or veggie/fruit you like, but I think I would gladly pay for a few packaged bars to keep around. I'm not big on eating snack bars, but the Larabar is one I am very glad to keep around, even on any restricted diet.

A Larabar is approximately 200 calories. It is a great workout snack or just something to have in your bag for the hungry days. I keep one in my gym bag for added energy in a hurry.

Disclaimer: A complimentary sample of the Larabar was received for testing consideration. The opinions expressed therein is the opinion of the author. (P.S. I love Larabars!)

Favorite Holiday Things & Recommendations June 2013

1. Summer on the Shore. This lovely beach view was from my hotel room (which I received from a generous upgrade). I love spending my days on the beach. It's partially because of the lovely sun and mostly due to the fact that time spent on the beach is time not spent working and frantically checking emails. Speaking of, I am really behind on email correspondences, so please be patient with me if you contacted me and haven't heard back yet. I spent all week on the beach and am still easing out of vacation mode. 

2. Revercel Triple Duty Sunscreen. I have been using this Revercel sunscreen and tint (review here) as my go to foundation for my "good skin" days. It gives off an amazingly natural and dewey glow. I have been wanting to try the Illamasqua Skin Base foundation for the dewey look, but I think I will save myself the $40 and stick to this spf 45 tint for the summer months.

3. Sigma Eye Shadow Base. I pack light when I am on vacation. These Sigma eyeshadow bases (swatches and review here) are the perfect eyeshadow and base for the shore. They are lightweight, pigmented and can be used as eyeshadows and/or base. Granted they are not completely waterproof, but they lasted well for me under the hot sun.

4. Birthday Cupcakes. There are very few things I enjoy more than a scrumptious red velvet cupcake. I enjoyed this one on my birthday and indulged in some unhealthy treats and drinks. I won't regret this one because vacation is supposed to be filled with guilty indulgences!

Braided Updo, Ribbon Elastics, Guilt-free Tiramisu Weekend

This gorgeous summer weather is lending itself to another wonderfully scrumptious Saturday. There are a lot of fun celebrations this weekend and I am enjoying the good eats and styles that come along with it. Looking for something fun this weekend? Try some new hairdos, recipes and accessories. It doesn't matter if you are at the beach or at home, these treats are sure to be enjoyable.

1. I love the braided updo worn by Emma Watson to her Bling Ring rep carpet premiere. Use this short tutorial for an inspired braided updo that's great for the boardwalk:

1. Blow-dry hair loosely with a 2 inch round brush.
2. Lightly layer in texurizer or hairspray for extra texture and grip.
3. Using a fine-tooth comb, make a deep side part.
4. Brush the hair through to the back on both sides and secure each with a hair tie to keep them separated.
5. Unfasten the hair tie on one side and begin French braiding just above the ear, working down to the nape of the neck. Fasten with the hair tie.
6. Repeat this process on the opposite side but divide the hair into two sections to allow you to braid two narrower lines on this side.
7. Once the three pieces have been braided to the nape of the head, merge the remaining hair together and braid in the middle to the end of the pony
8. Once the braid is finished, twist the hair into a bun at the base of the neck.
9. Secure the braid bun with a few bobby pins.

2. Jessica over at Dessert with Benefits cooked up a scrumptiously breathtaking tiramisu that is sugar-free and no bake! For someone who dislikes the hassle of an oven, that is double yum!

Celebrate Mother's Day! E-Cards & Charity Contest

How are you celebrating Mother's Day this year? Perhaps you will have a nice, homemade dinner with the family or relaxing spa day and outing. Whether you enjoy your holidays indoors or out, there are many fantastic ways to honor and celebrate all the great mother's out there.

19th century painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec painted a portrait of his mother in the garden.

We can't all be famous French painters, but how about sending a lovely Mother's Day e-card that also raises awareness about the importance of early cancer detection? E-cards are great for the moms who are always attached to their computers. Flower shops and postal services don't work on Sundays, so an e-card is the perfect bonus gift to add on Mother's Day for the faraway mothers!

Noreen Fraser Foundation has collaborated with many celebrities to produce funny Mother's Day cards in an effort to honor mothers and raise awareness. See the quick and hilarious clips here - and send one out today! (Some notable celebrities include Seth MacFarlane, Jack Black, Zach Galifianakis, Kim Kardashian, Will Farrel, Neil Patrick Harris and more.)

Is your mom extraordinary? Tell everyone why by entering Extraordinary #MOMents campaign and you and your mom can win a year's supply of Wet 'n Wild makeup! This campaign is a collaboration effort between the Noreen Fraser Foundation and Wet 'n Wild to support women's cancer research. The best part is that for each #MOMent shared, Wet 'n Wild will give a dollar to the Noreen Fraser Foundation to support women’s cancer research!

Scrumptious Saturday: Roasted Red Pepper Hummus

I'm not a healthy eater, but I take great pleasure in eating my vegetables with hummus. In fact, I'll eat almost anything with hummus. Because really, I don't need an excuse to eat this delicious, creamy goodness. Hummus is great because it can be paired with most things to make it better! Baby carrots and hummus is an interesting combination at first, but it'll grow on you. Obviously pita, breads and carbs also go great with hummus. Most vegetables (like carrots, celery, cucumber, tomatoes, peas and broccoli) will taste wonderful as well. If you're a meat eater, slather it on your meats. If you are like me, just whip out a spoon and gobble it down.

Photo Credit: Wikimedia Israel

For about 1 cup of hummus, I typically use:

• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 16 ounce chickpeas, drained
• 2 tablespoons tahini
• 2.5 tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 cup roasted red peppers
• 1/4 teaspoon dried basil

Just add all the ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Add roasted red peppers and lemon juice last and reprocess until the red peppers are finely chopped or completely smooth. Season with salt and pepper to your liking. Eat.

Three Things in My Home Office

I have a lot of junk floating around my home office, but three things are definite favorites right now.

I have been diligently filling up my Fly Agaric notebook with journalistic thoughts. I haven't been quite so good with my journal writing in recent years, but having a notebook nearby sure helps. Right on top of the notebook is my new C-3PO flash drive. It even omits Star Wars sound effects when you eject it! 

My friend picked this up for me on her trip to Nepal. She is such a sweetheart! I love this book so much. It's so cute that I don't have the nerve to use it. But great things, no matter how cute, are meant to be used and not saved. That has always been belief. If only I can bring myself to use it now!

The paper is handmade! Another reason why it is so difficult to ruin it with my writing.

Three Things to Dress Up a Poorly Decorated Room

I'll admit, I'm not big on decorating. When I was in college, I left the four walls of my dorm room barren and filled up only about half the closet space. A minimalist, I would call myself. Truthfully, I just didn't want to waste my time putting things up only to take them down later. Why move in only to move out? I will live out of a suitcase if I must. That was my logic.

Now that I am considering a more permanent fixture, I find myself eyeing furniture and decoration pieces everywhere I go. I doggy ear magazines that advertise decorations and kitchenware I like, I observe other people's homes and I look at interior design blogs.

These mirror feather wall decors reflect light and create interesting reflections on the wall.


This bird wall print a personal favorite. It is a poor man's art, but art nonetheless.


These natural, scentless tea light candles look great in any candle holder and are (probably) less toxic to the respiratory system than regular candles.

So yes, I guess I do like decorating. As I haven't found my ideal home to settle down in as of yet, I can't exactly plan out my new dining area or master bedroom. For now, I pick up small pieces of goodies here and there to spruce up my otherwise boring apartment.

ModCloth Reorganizes My Home (Trays, Storage)

ModCloth is well known for their quirky retro clothing and accessories, but I've recently ventured further into their apartment section to make some purchases for the home.

Firstly, I bought two decorative trays: one tray to store my perfume and one tray (to rule them all) to keep on my nightstand for keys and jewelry that I am too lazy to properly put away.

5 Simple DIY Projects to Spruce Up Your Home

 Paint anything with mod podge and glitter.

(via Buzzfeed and The Sasse Life)

Make beautiful custom candles with coffee beans, tea lights and a small cup or container.

(via Les Choses de Marie)

Use old magazines, two belts and a pillow to make a stool.

(via Apartment Therapy)

July Conscious Box, Little Black Bag And Flying Tomato

I apologize for the lack of updates. I am going on a little holiday this weekend so there will be no new posts until I get back. (I'll try to approve the comments throughout the day via my phone.) There are many exciting things waiting for me once I get back. For instance, my newly arrived conscious box:

I've already devoured the apple-mango sauce, eaten some peppermints and cracked open the aromatherapy cards and oil. I'm most excited to try the tea. I'm bringing the Just Great Stuff bar and cucumber basil tea with me on vacation to enjoy. Everything else will have to wait until I get back. I'll definitely do a thorough review once I get back. I also have a shipment of the Little Black Bag coming my way. I can't wait to come home to my new handbag and accessories! Everyone has been raving about LBB for so long that I'm glad I'll finally get the chance to try it.

My Week in Instagram Photos - I Caved

Not going to get sucked in, I told myself. I'll never get into Instagram. Well, here I am. I actually saw some bloggers do "my week in Instagram" posts, so I decided to follow suit. I don't take that many Instagram photos, so it's more like my weeks/months in Instagram. I just want to say that the Urban Outfitters owl earrings are officially my favorite earrings! Thanks for encouraging me to get it!

As you can probably tell, my week consists of being in the sun, wining and dining. Oh, and working out the giveaway winners! That's actually huge chunk of my week. I am still sorting through emails and getting the winners' information out to the sponsors. All be done before the end of the week.

Three Things: Custom Palettes, Luffas and JewelMint

I depotted some of my eyeshadows earlier this week and cracked a good few. I squished them, both rectangular and round, into an old Physicians Formula palette and ta-da: my own custom travel palette consisting of Nvey eyeshadows (which I reviewed here) and Physicians Formula matte eyeshadows. I just got sick of "netural" palettes being either too plain or way too glittery.

Eyeshadows in a augmented Physicians Forumla plastic eyeshadow case.

I have been in love with my loofah/luffa sponge as of late. If you didn't know, luffas are made from from the luffa plant. If you're up to it, Wandering Chopsticks demonstrates how to make a good luffa sponge.

This natural Loofah sponge is grown and sold by the Luffa Farm. How cute is that?

When I received my Setting Sun necklace, I was afraid. Afraid it would be too big, too gaudy, too costume-y, too much. When I realized how well it paired with a plain sweater, it became a personal favorite. Now I've broken it and lost the piece it came with too. It's amazing how losing one little piece of the necklace ruins it completely.

Goodbye JewelMint Setting Sun Necklace

Karuna Brightening Treatment Mask, Euro 2012 Final

I am watching the Euro 2012 final between Spain and Italy right now and I am super excited! (Though I am fairly certain Spain will win.) Watching ESPN happily while lying on my coach with laptop by my side, I pamper myself with the Karuna Brightening Treatment Mask. That's my perfect Sunday.

Karuna Brightening Treatment Mask 

The Karuna Brightening Treatment Mask is by far the best cloth mask that I've ever tried (and I've reviewed quite a few cloth masks on this blog). The cloth is thin and adheres to the face very well. It holds more serum and liquid than most masks despite it's sheerness. Apparently the fiber cloth is a special, all-natural fiber that retains 50% more moisture than its synthetic counterpart, allowing pores to fully dilate and drink in the beneficial ingredients. I started this mask shortly after the Euro Final began. I just watched Spain score their 4th goal against Italy and this mask is still moist and cool! That's at least over an hour of intense moisture. 

Karuna Mask is thin and light but packed full of serum!

Design Seeds: for the color lovers

If you follow me on Twitter, you've heard me rave about Design Seeds numerous times. Allow me to do it at least once more. I am in love with the concept of color palettes and find them truly inspirational. Jessica of Design Seeds creates gorgeous color palettes inspired by beautiful photographs that she edits herself. She doesn't rely on any color extractors, but instead creates the color combinations herself. I plan to use a color palette or two for future projects, but so far, I just find myself spending endless hours clicking away at these lovely images. Perhaps you can find Design Seeds useful if you need color inspiration for a home remodeling or website design project.

Pinteresting things I want to do

enjoy my day in bed (via here)

proudly wear bold bracelets (via here)

Happy Father's Day 2012

To all caring fathers, single-mothers, loving grandparents or guardians out there:

Homemade Rose Oil

Did you know that June is National Rose Month? Celebrated as a symbol of love, beauty, and hope, the rose was officially declared as the National Floral Emblem of the U.S. by President Ronald Reagan in 1986. With roses across the country in full bloom, now is the perfect time of year to create your own Rose Oil. One of the most widely used essential oils in perfumery and beauty care; Rose Oil can be used for everything from moisturizing your skin, to curing wooden furniture.

Homemade Rose Oil:

1. In a food processer, or using a mortar and pestle, grind rose petals to release fragrance
2. Place pulp into a mason jar with an airtight lid
3. Cover rose petals thoroughly with olive oil or canola oil – ensure that the oil reaches through to the top layer of pulp
4. Push the rose petals down with a wooden spoon
5. Seal the mason jar and place in a cool, dark place for two weeks
6. Strain the oil into smaller containers and seal.

In addition to using Rose Oil as a moisturizer and to cure wooden furniture, you can also use for a fragrant bath.  Adding sea salt to the mixture creates an aromatic and effective exfoliant.