Nude Zebra Nails

Lately I have turned to looks and such that are on the neutral and subtly bold side. Thus, I created this animal print color combination (probably nothing new really, heh) which took several different attempts as to which polishes worked best with the Konad stamper.

Base Color: 10 Professional Nail Lacquer in Moonlight (2-3 Coats)

Konad Zebra Print Nail Stamp: Sally Hansen in Blackout

Top Coat: OutTheDoor in Clear (1 Coat)

Pumpkin Pie Pudding Recipe

This is just an easy desert recipe I came up with this past weekend, my mom and dad both enjoyed it so I figured I'd share it on here.

Ingredients
1 Package - Jello Vanilla Pudding
1 tbsp - Pumpkin Pie Spice
1 tbsp - Vanilla Extract
10 Cookies - Nilla Waffers (finely crushed)
2 cups - Milk (I used 2%)
2 tbsp - butter (melted)

Crust
Combine the melted butter and crushed Nilla Wafers. Press the mix firmly into the bottom of a cup or small bowl.

Pudding
Make the vanilla pudding according to the box directions and mix in the pumpkin pie spice and vanilla extract into the milk and pudding mixture before you begin the boiling process. Once the mixture has been brought to a boil slowly pour it over top your crust. Let chill in the fridge 15 minutes or longer (my mom liked this when it still had a bit of warmth to it). Eat and Enjoy!

*Makes 3 of these in my Margarita glasses.

Decor Shopping at Target

I went over to Target last weekend and came across sooo many cute things that I really wanted to buy! However, all I ended up buying was one of these cute red Chinese fu dog bookends (yeaaa.. for celebrating Chinese New Year!)... I might regret not having bought its mate later, heh. I guess the Target fu dogs also come in other colors but I only saw the red ones at my local store. I also found that CWonder is currently selling the same fu dogs as a 2 set for $58 (with shipping is an additional $8.50) and they come in 4 different colors (so yea, it's much pricier there too).

Whoaaa... can I buy this entire isle at Target? LOL! I just loooove nearly everything :D I def wanna go back though and get the chevron throw pillows.

Speaking of CWonder I purchased 2 ikat bowls in navy blue on their website, I just had to have them after viewing soooo many ikat patterns online all week (see my inspo for this splurge)! IDK, I'm just totally addicted to ikat designs right now! I'm also thinking of making a trip out to IKEA for some things... oh, and plus its a total WIN for me because I'm meeting my recent love interest over that way too, woot!

CWonder.com

A trip to Mayport Naval Station

For those that don't know I was born a Navy brat however, that was fairly short lived and now a friend of mine happens to be in the Navy. So a few weeks ago we both decided to meet-up before he went "under-way" as they say in the Navy (it pays to have flight benefits BTW ;P). It was also nice to get away from the 14F weather we were having in DC as Jacksonville, FL was a nice sunny 70F... I needed a mini vay-k anyway.

Going to the Mayport Naval Station is pretty cool really... especially since they have practically everything a person could need without really having to venture off base. From rental car service, to a WIFI billiard bar, an on-site hotel, a chapel and church, rental car service, bowling alley, and my personal favorite while there... the beach ;) Our last night together was spent snapping night photos along the moon-lit beach, walking down to St. Johns Light Station and relaxing on the sand... the pics were pretty cool looking and he happens to have one of the number 1 and most popular cameras right now... the Nikon D90 (pshh... leave it to me the recent camera enthusiast to know that, hah).

The diet of a bachelor living on base seemed to consist of bologna and cheese sandwiches (to which I hadn't had a bologna sandwich in forever!). They also seem to love bacon... I mean, what crazy person doesn't?? Haha. The beer of choice in his shared hotel style room... Stella Artois, which I personally think has an odd beef jerky taste to it. Interestingly enough for a guy that use to DJ back in college and listened to underground hip hop he now finds himself listening to electronic, techno and ambient type of music... Kaskade being one of his favorites (which is nice, relaxing, and a bit meditative). His split hotel style room is shared with several guys (4 in total)... one whom I happened to catch texting on his bed while in his boxers... oppsie, better knock next time, haha.

If you're hoping for photo's well... my 2 year old cellphone battery expired shortly after I got to JAX airport which was a bit lucky but unfortunate as well :P If my friend emails me the photos we took on his camera than I'll post them up here for you to see.

Teen Vogue Cutout Inspo

For some reason an issue of Teen Vogue arrived at my house recently... so after browsing through the images I cutout the items that perhaps appealed to me the most.

Click Image to Enlarge

Various shades of nail polish...from a chunky orange glitter to funky crackle colors, and shades of nude to bright blue. Robin Egg colored clothing and jewelry, to orange sunglasses and makeup. White lace mixed with orange-red's. Pin-Up Pumps and Snakeskin Booties. Susie Bubbles must have perfume followed by her white camera addictions. Kate Moss's puffy hair-do to twisted braids.

Recent Miscellaneous Item Haul

I mostly wanted to share some new items I have gotten recently... I don't really follow any trends for the most part and I'm not overly obsessed with fashion like I am by cosmetics. I just try to buy things I enjoy that make me happy and fit :) However, there are a few others online whose style I can often relate to or feel inspired by... This Chicks Got Style (I like how she has basic staple pieces but also has a stand out piece to her outfits), Ballet and Pink Roses (I think her style works nicely for my age, and I currently love her natural makeup looks via YouTube), and a recent one I found is Mariannan.

Click to Enlarge Image

-Silver Chunky Sparkle Jordana Nail Polish - Kmart (I haven't tried this yet but it seems like a trending color right now, Essie has a similar one out)

-Olay with Touch of Foundation - Target (I'm on my second bottle of this stuff, I like it so much better than there "Touch of Sun" version)

-Glade Candle in Water Blossoms - Kmart (I bought this because I love the aerosol spray in this stuff but the candle was disappointing and smells a bit masculine to me)

-Revlon Lash Glue - Drugstore.com (I got this because I think I might be allergic to Ardell's latex lash glue and this stuff worked fine for me)

-White Watch - WetSeal (this was free during WetSeal's Black Friday sale when you spent a certain amount of money)

-Black Lace Ballet Flats - Kmart (these are my first pair of ballet flats, they're cute but I'm still unsure if I really like ballet flats in general... I look too short :P)

-Long Gold Earrings - WetSeal (these are too long and heavy for my personal taste and at some point I'll mod these to about half the length and perhaps make a bracelet out of the other one, these match a necklace I got from Target awhile back)

-Feather Earrings - (I think my mom got these at Rugged Warehouse and they're pretty cute)

-Imoshion Black Faux Fur Purse - TJMaxx (I'm really liking this brand of purse which is why I got this cute furry handbag, my other Imoshion purse has really held up as my everyday bag)

-Black Vest with Leopard Print Collar - Kmart (For some reason I couldn't resist this vest, I think I found the leopard collar appealing, hah)

-Big Black Tote Bag - TJMaxx (originally $110 I got it for $60 and thought this would be a cute alternative for my purple Target tote that I use for school, it also came with a wallet)

-White Washcloths - TJMaxx (I needed some new washcloths and these were a good deal :P )

-Black and White Skirt - WetSeal (yes, I have a bit of a bum due to my Spanish side I guess, hahah...)

DIY Lomography Tutorial

This weekend I attempted giving digital images a lomo makeover using the edit feature in the Windows Live Photo Gallery program. I came up with this tutorial myself so let me know what you think or how this worked out for you.

Before and After

Adjust Detail
Step 1: Reduce noise by clicking analyze and reduce it as much as possible (right), do not sharpen the image (left).
Adjust Color
Step 2: Reduce tint to a low faded resolution as much as possible (left).
Step 3: Raise the color temperature almost all the way up (right).
Step 4: Lower the saturation to where the image starts to look faded and almost gray in color (left).
Adjust Exposure
Step 5: Increase the shadows as much as possible (left).
Step 6: Increase the Highlight slightly but don't completely wash out the image (right).
Step 7: Brightness might increase slightly (right).
Step 8: Contrast might decrease slightly (left).
Save Image and Start Adjusting again...
Adjust Color
Step 9: Slightly increase the color temp (right).
Step 10: Slightly increase saturation (right).
Step 11: Very slightly increase tint (right).
Adjust Exposure
Step 12: Reduce shadows slightly (left).
Step 13: Increase highlights slightly (right).

Note: Keep in mind if your image is not as bright as this one started out then the settings could vary.

Dollar Tree Haul

One store I use to dread being dragged to when I was younger...the Dollar Tree. Now that I'm older I actually find some okay stuff so... don't knock it till ya tried it, haha. It pays to save!

My slightly intoxicated face ;P

Using the L.A. Colors palette in Trendy, I created the above look (not the best pic to see the makeup on, bleh). Also in this pic was my first time ever wearing false lashes out...I didn't do the best job applying them and I still don't find these Ardell lashes (Black 137) to be dramatic enough to make much impact to my natural lashes. These Ardell lashes were also some of the most dramatic ones I could find at CVS. So, where the heck do Vegas show girls get their lashes cuz those might work better for my personal preference???! Heh.

Dollar Tree Haul

From left to right here are the Dollar Tree items I picked up.... I got the 6 set L.A. Colors palette called Eye Candy, these seem best applied via finger method. I also got the trio palette called Lemon Grove and I love the green shade in this thus far. I got the neutral 12 palette in Trendy as I mentioned earlier. I bought 3 e.l.f. eyelid primers because... they were only a dollar each (obviously right) and I'm having high hopes for the stuff (thus I stocked up) ;D I also bought a facial scrubber... not an item I'd use everyday but rather as needed with my facial cleanser.

I was surprised to find the L.A. Colors eyeshadow aren't too bad at all really...a little chalky so you may get some "fall-out" and soft in texture, I'd pick these over the e.l.f. eyeshadows any day. Dollar Tree also had the older style Almay eyeshadow trios which are pretty decent as well...matter of fact I went to Wal-Mart afterwards and came across a lady who was wondering about the Dollar Tree's makeup as well...so I definitely helped her out (every time I'm in the makeup isles lately it seems someone is asking my advice... always happy to help, hehe).

Famous Baked BBQ Wings

This recipe of mine is pretty basic and easy, but I love how my wings turn out and I love this Famous Dave's BBQ sauce although you could also use your own favorite BBQ sauce.

Ingredients
3lbs (or one dozen) of Chicken Wings
1 bottle (20oz) of Famous Dave's Sweet and Zesty BBQ Sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees Fahrenheit.
2. Using a large bowl pour most of the BBQ sauce into it as needed and fully coat each wing in the sauce.
3. Set wings in a single layer upside down on a large baking pan (cover pan in aluminum foil for easier clean-up). Use two pans if you have to.
4. Bake the chicken wings for about 30 minutes (until halfway cooked). Remove from oven, flip the wings over on the pan (you may want to drain off any excess chicken grease in the pan at this time), and spoon over some additional BBQ sauce on top. Continue cooking for an additional 30 minutes or until fully cooked.
5. Remove the wings from the oven. Eat and Enjoy!

*I like my wings to look dark in color but if you want them less blackened looking than add the sauce onto the wings after about 45 minutes of cooking instead of starting them out fully coated in BBQ sauce. I think one 20oz bottle of BBQ sauce could probably do around 6lb of chicken wings. If you like the typical American restaurant style BBQ Sauce which is more on the spicy side rather than sweet try Franks RedHot Sauce as this is generally what's used (I know that since a friend of mine is a chef).