Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette: In the Tropics

I purchased the In The Tropics Sephora Moonshadow Baked Palette a few days ago because I thought the colors looked really pretty. I was especially enamored by the colors on the bottom row (I love purples!) and the olive color on the top row (Peru).


Pros-

• The shadow lasted all day on my eyes (even 14 hours later) without creasing. The side-by-side photos below was when I first applied the shadow. The three pictures with closed, semi-open, and opened eyes was taken 8 hours later.  I used Urban Decay Primer Potion as a base/eye primer and then I applied the shadow with my fingers (I blended the shadow with a brush though).

• The creamiest and most pigmented shades were Peru and Belize.

Fails (Products Not Worth the Hype) Beauty & Makeup for 2013

I wanted to share with you the items I really did not like last year.  I hope you enjoy this video!

What I'm Wearing:
MUFE HD Definition Primer
Korres Wild Rose Mineral Foundation in 01. Fair
Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics Concealer in Y1
MAC Pro longwear concealer in NW20
Sephora Mircosmooth Baked Blush Duo in Mango Beam
LORAC Blush in Desire
Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder
Guerlain Meteorites in 02 Teint Beige
Urban Decay Primer Potion
Makeup Geek Eyeshadow in Vanilla Bean
Laura Mercier Artist Eyes Palette 2013
Stila Eyeshadow in Rosette
Sephora Long Lashing Liquid Eye liner 06 Dark Brown
MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy
Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara
Serenity & Scott eye shadow Portland's best (for my brows)
Rimmel Moisture Renew 220 Pink Chic
Bite Beauty gloss in Prosecco

Sweater- Philosophy
Earrings- Gift from my Sister-in-law

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Salad

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law made a variation of this recipe from Relish.com and I fell in LOVE.  My MIL let me borrow the pamphlet she found the recipe in; I made it and tweaked it to my liking.

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Salad

Ingredients-

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped

1 medium sweet yellow onion, chopped

3 TBSP olive oil, divided

1 TBSP White Truffle Oil

1 jalapenos, seeded & roughly chopped (I also added a shake of dried jalapeños)

1 garlic clove

Juice of 2 medium limes

1 (15 ounce) can of black beans, rinsed and drained

1 medium red bell pepper, finely chopped

3/4 teaspoon sea salt

Freshly Ground Black Pepper

1/4 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions-

           Preheat oven to 400 F.

           Place sweet potatoes, onions & 2 TBSP of olive oil on a baking sheet; toss well. Bake, turning occasionally, until edges brown, 30 to 40 minutes.  (Optional - Roast a bulb of garlic by chopping off top and putting in oven for 15 minutes. Mist bulb with olive oil and then wrap in tinfoil and bake for additional 20-30 minutes) 

          Place jalapeno, garlic, lime juice and 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 TBSP White Truffle Oil in a blender or food processor and process until blended.

          Place warm sweet potatoes and onions, beans, cilantro and bell pepper in a large bowl. Add dressing, salt and pepper. Toss well. Serve at room temperature.

Beauty and Makeup Giveaway! NARS, Stila, Too Faced, Elf, NYX and more!

I'm doing a makeup/beauty Giveaway!!! The items are NARS, Stila (Kitten eyeshadow), Elf brush, NYX eyeshadow, and Too Faced mascara.

Giveaway Rules:
1. LIKE this video (give it a thumbs up)

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

3. COMMENT about one of your New Year's resolutions! Do NOT write "Enter Me". Only comment once please.

4. Since this is a combined giveaway, you must LIKE, SUBSCRIBE and COMMENT on Melany's video as well (her comment is going to be different).

BeautyByMelany's video : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_37LfeE4Yj0
Melany's channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCxdsUjVuBRfZ1uh46pGSs7w

 * Please check the "Also share on Google+" when you share your comment :)

(If you are under the age of 18, please get your parents permission before entering because if you win, I'll need your address)

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

1 one winner will be randomly chosen. (both prizes go to the one winner- Jackpot!)
This is an International Giveaway :)

 WE WILL NOT ASK YOU TO FILL OUT A FORM TO CLAIM YOUR PRIZE.

STARTS: Monday Jan 6th
ENDS: Monday Jan 20th 11:59pm EST.
Winner will be announced on YouTube on Tuesday Jan 21st.
☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆ ☆

Follow me on Twitter https://twitter.com/kristenkchannel
Follow me on Instagram http://instagram.com/thekristenkchannel

What I'm Wearing-
Relvon Colorstay Combination Oily Foundation in 180 Sand Beige
Marc Jacobs Remedy Concealer Pen in 1 Rendezvous
NARS Cream Blush in Enchanted
Elf Eyelid Primer in Sheer
Urban Decay Naked Basics Palette- WOS, Naked 2, Faint
Anastasia Brow Wiz in Ash Blonde
Smashbox Full Exposure Mascara Buxom Big & Healthy Lipstick in Milan
Burts Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Red Dahalia
Nails- Sephora Formula X in Perfection
Shirt- Express
Sweater -- Chicos

Maybelline Color Sensational Lipsticks - Hooked on Pink, Plum Perfect, Tinted Taupe

I picked up three new Maybelline Color Sensational lipsticks yesterday (I'll post a haul video soon!) but I just had to swatch them and show the colors to you!

Here's a picture of the items (this was from when I was in CVS trying to decide which lipstick I wanted to buy. I ended up buying all three of them).

From left to right- Hooked on Pink, Plum Perfect, Tinted Taupe.

Hooked On Pink

December Favorites 2013

Just a few products that I've been loving this past month! Please go and check out my YouTube channel by clicking HERE

What I'm Wearing-
Sephora Anti-Shine Foundation Primer
Korres Mineral Foundation in 01 Fair
MUFE Full Cover Concealer in #5
Marc Jacobs Remedy Concealer Pen 1 Rendezvous
NARS blush in goulue
NARS bronzer in Laguna
ELF Eyelid Primer
Stila In the Moment Palette (desire, impulse, glance & improvise)
KVD Tattoo Liner in Trooper
Too Faced Perfect Eyes Waterproof Eyeliner in perfect black
YSL Shocking Mascara (black)
Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium
Maybelline Color Sensational Lipstick 135 Make Me Pink

Nails- OPI in Metallic 4 Life
Shirt- Target
Necklace- Ross & Simons

Dupes Lipstick - Kat Von D, Stila, Bite Beauty

Dupes Lipstick Kat Von D, Stila, Bite Beauty

Please check out my YouTube Channel and give this video a 'thumbs up' and Subscribe (it's totally free). Subscribing and receiving email notifications when I post new videos is a great way to stay up-to-date on new giveaways and giveaway winners :)

What I'm Wearing-

MUFE HD High Definition Primer

Bobbie Brown Long Wear Foundation in 2.5 Warm Sand

MAC Pro longwear concealer in NW20

Tarte 12 Hour Amazonian Clay Blush in Dollface

Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzing Powder

Guerlain Meteorites in 02 Teint Beige

Elf Eyelid Primer

Naked Urban Decay Basics (W.O.S, Naked 2, Faint)

Stila Smudge Crayon in Kitten

Lancome Hypnose Star Show Stopping Volume Mascara in Midnight 01

MAC Eye Kohl in Teddy

Anastasia Brow Powder Duo in Medium

NARS Autumn Leaves

Nails- Paula Dorf Nail polish in Runway, Sephora OPI Merry Me!

Shirt- Delias

Earrings- Nordstrom

Music- On the Bach by Jingle Punks (via YouTube Creation tools)

Additional Information on the Lipsticks:

The KVD Lolita lasts the longest on my lips but it's a tad bit drying.  The Bite Beauty Pepper is great because it's the most natural (ingredients wise), but the packaging of the lip library is cumbersome, I would love an individual tube of this color.  The Stila Vivienne is great (a tad warmer-toned than the other two), but very similar.  If you don't like peppermint in your lipstick, you may want to pass on the Stila (it does have a peppermint smell to it).

Starfish Bowl Set

Two of my very dear friends gave me a set of gorgeous starfish bowls as a birthday/Christmas present this year. I was super impressed with the quality, craftsmanship, and individuality of these bowls.

It was really hard for me to move from CA to TN, and a sweet gift like this allows me to have a piece of the beach with me. These bowls remind me of the ocean/beach in many ways. The exterior color of the bowls conjures the image of a sandy beach. Around the outside of the bowls there are the ridges/grooves (created while on a pottery wheel - using fingers or tools).  I love how the artist shaded the grooves; it reminds me of a bamboo beach hut or grass beach mat. My favorite part of these are the interior lip of the bowl; it looks like white water from a wave! I love how the artist created a foam-like look and texture with the white paint. The different shades of blue inside each bowl reminds me of the the water (different hues of blue/green of the ocean). Plus the starfish are absolutely adorable too!

I think these make great gifts (if you prefer a different style, the artist (Kyle) has many different designs in his store)

https://www.etsy.com/shop/khouser
www.kylehouser.blogspot.com

Also, I have to rave about the customer service.  I had a question about an item and Kyle was so courteous, prompt, and helpful. (I wish all stores had customer service like I received working with this artist)

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

This is a spin-off of a recipe my Aunt Marcia makes. I've veganized it by changing several ingredients. I love adding lots of chocolate chips and making this a yummy fall/winter treat.

Ingredients-
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Apple Pie Spice (OR 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg)
2/3 cups cold water
1/2 cup Smart Balance Oil
1 can of Organic pumpkin
1/2 cup pear butter OR apple sauce
3 TBSP ground flaxseed
1/2 cup water
1 cup of dairy free chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet chips in the gold bag)

Directions-
Pre-heat oven to 350 F

Stir the following ingredients together:
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup organic spelt flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1 1/2 cup organic sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon celtic sea salt
1/2 teaspoon Penzey's Apple Pie Spice (OR 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon and 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg).

In a separate bowl mix the wet ingredients:
2/3 cups cold water
1/2 cup Smart Balance Oil
1 can of Organic pumpkin
1/2 cup pear butter OR apple sauce

In another small bowl:
3 TBSP ground flaxseed
1/2 cup water
(Stir flaxseed with water and let sit for 2-3 minutes, before adding to other wet ingredients)


Combine wet and dry ingredients. Add 1 cup of dairy free chocolate chips (I use Ghirardelli Semi-Sweet chips in the gold bag). Stir well. Pour into lightly oiled loaf pans. I ended up using two pans to make two loaves instead of making one giant loaf :)

Bake in oven for 60 - 65 minutes. Check at 60 minutes with a toothpick.
If you are making muffins bake for 35-40 minutes.

November Favorites 2013

Check out some of the products I've been loving this past month :)