Sunday, September 29, 2013

September Favorites (Skincare and Makeup)



Check out my favorite products for the month of September.  These are products that I've found myself reaching for a lot this September (and products I've really enjoyed).


What I'm Wearing:
Sephora Anti-Shine Foundation Primer
MAC Mineralize Moisture Foundation NC20
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Concealer Y1
NYC Smooth Skin Pressed Powder in translucent
Wet N Wild Color Icon Blush in Pearlescent Pink
It Cosmetics Bye Bye Under eye in Neutral Medium
Too Faced Shadow Insurance
LORAC Pro Palette - Lt Bronze, Taupe & Cream
L'Oreal Infallible 24 Hr Eyeshadow in Eternal Sunshine
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde
Tarte Lights Camera Lashes Mascara in Black
Bite Beauty High Pigment Pencil in Rhubarbhttp://seaglassstash.blogspot.com/201...

Nails- Essie's Spinning Again
Shirt- Roxy

Thursday, September 26, 2013

Makeup Giveaway & Mini Walgreens Haul


Please go to my youtube channel to participate in the Giveaway. http://youtu.be/tNfbNkr6AVk

Giveaway Rules:
 1. If you're under the age of 18, please get your parents permission before entering (because if you win, I'll need your address)

2. LIKE this video

3. You must SUBSCRIBE to my channel, if you aren't already, subscribe! :) (must be subscribed at time of giveaway ending as well)

4. COMMENT your favorite fall makeup item, please be specific! Do NOT write "Enter Me". Only comment once please.

 **NOTE** You must complete all of the steps above or your entry won't be valid :(

*Optional - For an EXTRA ENTRY- Follow me on Twitter  https://twitter.com/kristenkchannel
and Tweet me the following " I'm entering thekristenkchannel MAKEUP GIVEAWAY http://youtu.be/tNfbNkr6AVk  @kristenkchannel "

1 one winner will be randomly chosen.
This is an INTERNATIONAL GIVEAWAY
I WILL NOT ASK YOU TO FILL OUT A FORM TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE.

STARTS: Thursday, September 26th
ENDS: Tuesday, October 22nd 11:59pm EST.

Winner will be announced on YouTube Wednesday, Oct 23 or Thursday, Oct 24th I will also announce the winner on Twitter.

If you're the winner, you'll be asked to message me with your full name & mailing address, so I can send out your prize! If winner does NOT respond within 48 hours (2 days) of the announcement, a new winner will be chosen.

(There will be more giveaways. Please don't be sad if you don't win this time!)

 The winner will be chosen completely randomly.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆


 All items are brand new and unused. I did open the box to the Tarte bronzer to take the pictures so that you could see what it looks like. 

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

Bite Beauty Best Of Bite Set

I wanted to do a first impressions/swatches of the Best of Bite Set by Bite Beauty. I'm so excited to share these swatches with you because I really like Bite lipsticks and this is my first time trying their lipstick pencils.  I've had the Quince High Pigment Matte Pencil on my Sephora "heart" list for a while and would always swatch it when I was in Sephora.  When this set came out (4 high pigment matte pencil minis) I knew I wanted to purchase it.

I've only had the products for a few hours so this isn't a review but a first impressions with swatches.

I really like that Bite makes their High Pigment Matte Pencils without parabens, sulfates, synthetic fragrances, synthetic dyes, petrochemicals, phthalates, GMOs, or triclosan.

Even though I've only had these for a few hours I can honestly say they're very pigmented. The darker colors are so bright/vibrant. Love it!

The Best of Bite Set comes in an adorable case and with a nice mirror. It's similar to the case of Bite Beauty's Bite Size Discovery Set (5 mini lipsticks).




Below Picture (From Left To Right)- Madeira, Quince, Rhubarb, Cranberry


Below Picture (From Left To Right)- Madeira, Quince, Rhubarb, Cranberry



*I purchased these items/ not sponsored.

Friday, September 20, 2013

Tuesday, September 17, 2013

The Tarte of Giving 2013 Holiday Blush Set / Leave Her Blushing Set of 3 Deluxe Amazonian Clay Blushes

My Tarte order arrived today and I was so excited to swatch and share pictures of The Tarte of Giving 2013 Holiday Blush Set!  On the Tarte website, the name is Leave Her Blushing Set of 3 Deluxe Amazonian Clay Blushes and Blush Brush. The three mini blushes are super cute and the brush that came with them is very soft.

I also love that the products are formulated without-
parabens, mineral oil, triclosan, sodium lauryl sulfate, synthetic fragrance

Honored- A nude rose shade
Imagined- Candy Pink Shade (pretty bright)
Treasured - Melon Shade

All three are matte and have no sparkle.  The cost was $34 (Although I used a 20% off coupon) so I ended up paying around $27 for this set.  I love the other Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hr Blushes I own (they last a long time on my skin and the colors are gorgeous!) so I think I'll really enjoy these as well.


Top To Bottom - Honored, Imagined, Treasured

Top To Bottom - Honored, Imagined, Treasured

Left to Right- Honored, Imagined, Treasured

Left to Right- Treasured, Imagined, Honored

Left to Right- Treasured, Imagined, Honored (Swatched a little heavier)

Left to Right- Treasured, Imagined, Honored  (In different Lighting)

Left to Right- Natural Beauty, Blushing Bride,Treasured, Imagined, Honored

I purchased this set and was not paid to write this review. 


Tuesday, September 10, 2013

Lipsticks - MAC Saint Germain vs. Maybelline Colorsensational Pink Pop

I've read that the Maybelline Colorsensational lipstick in Pink Pop is a dupe for MAC Saint Germain.  I decided to show a side-by-side comparison of these two lipsticks so that you can see the differences and similarities. I hope you enjoy! I've added my final thoughts at the end.

MAC Saint Germain





Maybelline Colorsensational Pink Pop









 Comparison swatches: (Left to Right- Saint Germain, Pink Pop)



Final Thoughts-
Saint Germain is more opaque and has a shinier finish to it. It's lighter/brighter than Pink Pop. It tends to dry my lips out more than the Maybelline Colorsensational Lipstick.

Pink Pop leans more towards a fuchsia color and is slightly darker than Saint Germain. It seems to be less "milky" looking.  Pink Pop doesn't last as long but it also doesn't irritate or dry out my lips.

Saint Germain and Pink Pop are light, blue-toned pinks; I personally think both are gorgeous!  I enjoy these lipsticks a lot (especially when my skin looks sun-kissed but also year-round).

I would't call Pink Pop an exact dupe for Saint Germain. They're similar but certainly not twins :)


*All pictures were taken without the use of a flash and colors were not altered/filtered.

Monday, September 2, 2013

Homemade Millet/Spelt Bread

I made bread the other day and decided to substitute some of the regular flour with some millet and spelt flour (to add some extra nutrients). I did a hybrid type bread. I didn't want to wait all day so I didn't opt to make the 500 degree sourdough recipe. Instead, I used my dad's pizza dough recipe but cooked it similarly to the 500 degree bread.

After the bread cooled down, my husband and I made tomato sandwiches, which are a summer staple in our household! I'll create a post soon for that recipe.

Ingredients-
1 1/2 cups organic all purpose flour (extra for kneading surface)
1/2 cup spelt flour
1/2 cup millet flour
3/4 teaspoon Celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon organic sugar
1/2 teaspoon yeast (proof your yeast first if you are unsure if it's good)
1 cup warm water (around 114 degrees F)
2 TBSP organic olive oil

parchment paper
plastic wrap
dutch oven


Sift the three different types of flour into a large bowl. Add salt, sugar, and yeast. Stir. Add olive oil and warm water. Mix well. Dough should not be too sticky or too dry.  Knead the dough on a clean, floured work surface for 6-8 minutes.  Place in a pan which is lined with parchment paper; dust some flour on top to prevent sticking. Put plastic on top of the dough and let rise 45 minutes to 1 hr.

After dough has been rising for 30 minutes, preheat oven to 495 degrees Fahrenheit. I put my cast iron dutch oven, with the cover on, inside the oven and heat it up for 20-30 minutes. When dough is ready, carefully remove the dutch oven from the oven. Adjust oven temperature down to 425F. Take the plastic off of the top of the dough but carefully pick up the dough using the edges of the parchment paper and very gently drop into the hot cast iron pot. Put your oven mitts back on and put the top on the dutch oven and place in the oven for about 25 - 30 minutes.  Take off the top of the dutch oven and let it bake another 8-10 minutes.

Remove and let cool on a cooling rack.  This recipe is a variation of an earlier recipe which you can find HERE . There is a really good link in that post which shows a video how-to on the baking portion of this bread.





Uncooked dough in the enamel pot about to go in the oven (picture below)





Sunday, September 1, 2013

Wet N Wild Eyeshadow Palette in Comfort Zone

I purchased the Wet N Wild Color Icon Eyeshadow Palette in Comfort Zone after hearing so many people rave about it. I've had it for about 6 months now and really love some of the colors (see the starred colors in the second picture).  Some of the colors look best applied wet (the dark bronze/brown color in the bottom left) while most can be applied directly without any extra steps. I really like the iridescent look of the shadow in the bottom right corner. Gorgeous!

I think this is a great warm-toned palette and would recommend it for anyone.  Plus, it's perfect for fall!

Pros-
Great quality
Inexpensive ($4.99 USD)
Smooth Shadows
Pigmented / Great color pay-off

Cons-
Packaging is a bit flimsy
Tools for application not durable


My favorite colors have stars next to them in the picture below-