OMG, Best Beauty Hack for Full, THICK Lashes

Vavavoooom.  Baby powder (yes, powder for the baby tush) will lengthen and thicken your lashes? Say what? How so?   After applying a coat of mascara, use a cotton swab or a clean mascara brush to swipe a touch of powder on your lashes. Then apply your second coat of mascara and wow, voila! 

Makeup of the Day :: Feb 24

If you know me, I'm not one for makeup...so when I have a few spare minutes in my morning routine, I apply a tadbit of makeup and you get a makeup of the day post. HA.

Typically, everyday, I tend to quickly slab on some under eye concealer (don't worry, those bags under my eyes are Prada) and a lil on some blemishes here and there.  Then sometimes, I add a bit of liner and always always curl my lashes and swipe on some mascara. Staples, m
y friend...concealer, mascara, and my fave...matte lipstick.

Before I go to bed, it's chapstick...waking up in the AM, it's lipstick. I love to always have something on my lips, that is when I can remember to apply and then re-apply.

Today? It's ELF Cosmetics Matte lipstick in Coral. I also have a handful of other hues, but this one is on my makeup vanity and in my car...so you KNOW that means it's a must-have fave.

Perfectly imperfect #motd #elfcosmetics #mattelips #mattelipstick #beautyblogger #feelgoodfeelpretty

A photo posted by Assunta Catalano (@assunta_assunta) on Feb 24, 2015 at 5:23am PST

Grapefruit Curd Ice Cream

Author: Jennifer Farley via SavorySimple.net
Serves: about 3 cups

Ingredients
Grapefruit Curd:
2 whole eggs
3 egg yolks
1 cup sugar
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1¼ cup fresh squeezed grapefruit juice
4 ounces (1 stick) unsalted butter, cubed and at room temperature
optional: 1 drop each of pink and red food coloring

Curd Ice Cream:
1½ cup curd, chilled
1⅓ cup half and half, chilled
5 tablespoons confectioners sugar

Instructions
To make the curd:
In a medium saucepan, whisk eggs, egg yolks and sugar together until smooth. Whisk the corn starch together with a bit of the grapefruit juice to create a slurry.
Whisk the grapefruit juice and slurry into the egg mixture.
Add the food coloring if using.
Continue to whisk over medium heat until thick, 10-15 minutes. It should be the consistency of pudding. Make sure the whisk hits the bottom of the pot to keep the bottom from burning. This is less likely to happen if you use a heavy bottom saucepan.
Remove from the heat and slowly whisk in pieces of the butter.
Move the curd to a bowl and allow to chill in the refrigerator. It will continue to thicken as it cools.
Store extra curd in the refrigerator with plastic wrap pushed directly against the curd to prevent a skin from forming.

To make the ice cream:
Whisk the curd and half and half together until well combined.
Sift in one tablespoon of confectioners sugar at a time while whisking.
Prepare according to your ice cream maker manufacturer's instructions.

Spring Suede Alert

Suede so good, buttery smooth, suede is hot hot hot for spring 2015. The soft and delicate material has 
turned heads on the runway for Spring/Summer 2015 but the real head turner? The brightly colored suede
hues shown on gorgeous silhouettes.

Derek Lam, Jason Wu, Chloe, and Gucci are a few to name that sent suede on the 'in-trend' for this 
coming season, so if I were you...I'd grab a few suede staple pieces because needless to say, 
it's happening! And what's really great about this trend is that not only is it 'in' for spring summer 2015, 
but realistically, it can be worn all year round. Consider suede another seasonless fabric to work with...
now go run to get it and run with it!

Monday Motivation: Change your Perspectives

Goooood morning! Ugh, the dreaded Monday blues! Rught? NO. Dont do that yourself..put yourself with the average person with that perspective. Look at Monday as the day after your rest days of enjoying the weekend, the day of back to grinding towards your work, what your priorities are, a closer chance and opportunity to get closer to your goals and dreams.  

Monday: a day to start fresh, new and make up for any mistakes made last week. Time to up the anty my friends. happy Monday, have a kickass day and make it a kick ass week! 

Alright, kids. It's Monday. Let's do this. Meryl and Jennifer believe in you. pic.twitter.com/7Nfc6MB1CL
— The Cut (@TheCut) February 23, 2015

Easy, Peasy 3 Ingredient Pancakes

GAH, I'm a breakfast person and am always looking for new breakfast ideas, that are preferably simple and healthy.  I just came across this 3-ingredient pancake from @eugeniekitchen that is so good I just had to share!

Ingredients:

1 ½ large ripe bananas
2 eggs
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
Instructions:

Crack the two eggs into a bowl and whisk together.
In a separate bowl, mash the banana with a fork or masher, but do not over-mash, as this will cause your pancakes to not be fluffy. Be sure to use enough egg to hold the mashed banana together, but make sure that you don’t use too much banana, or else the pancake will not hold.
Combine both bowls of ingredients together and stir.
Cook over medium-low heat, using only about one to two tablespoons of batter for each.
Once the baking powder is activated, flip the pancake over and allow it to cook for an additional minute.
Serve with blueberries, butter and maple syrup. The recipe makes a serving of 10 miniature pancakes.

Everything You've Ever Wanted to Know: Lash Extensions

Us girls tend to gravitate towards a beauty fad or two and literally become obsessive compulsive over it.  We research it all day, we find a ton of different options of how to get 'er done, and than we either go ahead with it or not. More often or not, for myself, I end up not.  But please, by no means am I going to waste my time and energy...I am going to share with you my leanings of the pros & cons of lash extensions...and then tell you why I am not going thru with it. 

I don't know if it's just me, but now more than ever I have been noticing longer, more luscious, luxurious looking lashes on ladies. I naturally have long lashes but these are wam-bam thank you ma'am gorgeous! Some are very obviously fake, while others have me guessing.  I took the time to look into lash extensions...and here are my findings. 

Types of Lashes: There are many types you can have done.  The most popularly known are the 3; synthetic, mink, and then there is silk.   

Synthetic Lashes – the most basic kind of lash which is also the least expensive extension type.

Silk Lashes– tend to be very popular as they are the “darkest, richest black,” says Buhler. “They provide the fullest overall look and kind of that deep mascara look.”

Mink Lashes– preferred by women “who are wanting a really natural lash look, and…a softer black.”

After you decide from the three, there are a variety of ways to actually have these applied.  Some extensions are single lashes while others may be a strip. Obviously, the single lash application will look a lot more natural but with this comes a lot more cost and expertise of the person whom will be applying these lashes.  Speaking of which, the training and qualifications of this person is very important and something you should absolutely consider. I've heard way too many horror stories of people not knowing what they're doing and using funky glues and wrong application processes. 

Along with all of the above, you want to make sure you have a guarantee that the lashes will last x amount of days.  If there is a problem with your lashes the day after you have them applied, you should be able to go back and get a complimentary touch up or fill. 

Make sure you do your research too! Look at their portfolio and see the actual work that has been done...make sure they are true images, and not Google Image'd eye lash extension photos. 

Cost: Prices range anywhere from $60 to over $200. Definitely check out Groupon for some local deals near you! 

Do they last? Not really. So sorry to be blunt here, but there are so many factors that become enemies to these faux lashes that I couldn't possible think it's worth it.  Lashes shed, begin to look patchy and soon enough, you will have gaps after a week or so and before you know it...it's time for a fill! You won't want to sweat, swim, do hot yoga, live in a tropical climate, etc etc. If you are planning to sit pretty, sure go for it...but if you live an active lifestyle, these lovely lashes most likely aren't for you. 

So...alternatives? There are lash growth serums available at drug stores and online that do give you longer lashes. These serums are full of  nutrients to speed up hair growth and look natural but longer!