Author: muffinchanel.com
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here.
This vegetarian sandwich is easy to make and tastes great!
You’ll need:
- Cracked Wheat Sourdough bread
- Bell Peppers
- Red Onion
- Garlic Cloves
- Olive Oil
- Pepper Jack Cheese
- Cilantro-Jalepeño Hummus
- Mustard
- Tomato
- Salt
- Pepper
Broil your bread in the oven and lightly drizzle some Olive Oil on one side, then flip the bread over and let your cheese melt slightly on the bread.
Remove the bread from the oven and add tomato slices to one slice of bread, and spread hummus and mustard to the other slice. *Use a thin layer of hummus. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Then add sautéed peppers, onions, and garlic to your sandwich, cut, and serve with potato chips.
*For an extra kick, add some tobasco hot sauce to the vegetables!
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
If you follow me on Twitter, you may already know that I recently was one of three #SephoraGiveaway winners to win a Marchesa prize package! For three days in November, Sephora would tweet out a question related to the Marchesa brand. If you answered correctly within one hour, you were entered into the drawing to win and I won! So exciting!
Sephora sent me a Direct Message that I’d won and I emailed them the information they requested. About 2 weeks later, I received a box with the Marchesa Parfume D’Extase 1.7oz fragrance, the 1oz fragrance, and the rollerball (the Hair Mist was not in the box 🙁 ).
Then, about two weeks after I received the fragrance, the dress arrived! The Notte by Marchesa dress is all white silk with black lace straps and detailing around the neckline.
I found these images of Katie Lowes wearing the dress at ELLE’s 20th Annual Women In Hollywood Celebration (10.21.13) on katrinapavela’s tumblr.
I’m really excited to have won! Thank you, Sephora and Marchesa! Super excited to wear my dress and fragrance over the holidays!
Categories
Skincare Haul
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I got a bunch of awesome skincare items that I’m excited to start incorporating into my regimen. A lot of anti-aging and preventative treatments — never too soon to start!
Above:
NIA 24 – Gentle Cleansing Cream
MD Formulations – Facial Cleanser
Thalgo – Bio Protective Cream
Decleor – Total Anti-Aging Night Cream
Ole Henriksen – Truth Creme Advanced Hydration
Priori – CoffeeBerry Revitalizing Cleanser
Peter Thomas Roth – Glycolic Acid Facial Wash
I also got these serums as well:
NeoStrata – Cellular Restoration
Serious Skincare – Pure Pep: Innovations
SkinCeuticals – C E Ferulic: Prevent
I’m super excited to try everything out. Have you tried any of these products? What did you think?
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The top tier of Sephora’s Beauty Insider program is VIB Rouge. I recently became Rouge level with my haul from the VIB sale last month and have been excited for all the perks that come with Rouge status — invites to exclusive events, free shipping, free access to the beauty studio, and special surprise gifts.
I am very happy with the free shipping. I haven’t used the Beauty Studio at all (and don’t think I will) (have any of you used the Beauty Studio services?) but it’s nice that the option for a free makeover is available. I think it’d be fun to go to a VIB Rouge event, but I was really excited/curious about these “surprise gifts.”
I started researching online about what the gifts were & how frequently they were given, but no one seemed to have gotten anything. In fact, the VIB Rouge forum at sephora.com was full of girls who were upset about not yet receiving anything.
But I got an email today about getting $20 off your purchase of $50 or more that’s “exclusive” for VIB Rouge and VIB’s (thanks for the info sdbeautyjunkie and prettytrippy) whereas BI and VIB level will receive a $15 off $50 coupon. Check your email if you are a Beauty Insider — the coupon starts today and goes through December 16th.
I went to Sephora today and was pleasantly surprised to receive another special surprise gift!
Since I am VIB Rouge, they were giving out a cute mirrored compact and a holiday/thank you card. So cute!
The compact is black on the top with “SEPHORA VIB ROUGE” in red lettering. I opened the mirror and it had a cute note inside:
“DEAR VIB ROUGE, THANK YOU FOR BEING ONE OF OUR BEST CLIENTS. BEAUTY ADDICTION LOOKS GOOD ON YOU. HAPPY HOLIDAYS, SEPHORA BEAUTY INSIDER TEAM”
…and inside the card
You can get the compact online as well by using the code: ROUGELOVE.
What a cute little gift! I wasn’t expecting anything, so this was perfect. I actually really like the mirror and will carry it in my purse. It’s little things like this that make you feel extra special.
Have you gotten any VIB Rouge gifts? Let me know in the comments! 🙂
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Landon Austin
When I first heard about Landon Austin on Youtube, I thought he used auto-tune on his voice. He has a really unique sound, accompanied by an acoustic guitar and his songs are pretty mellow. I am really liking Once In A Lifetime. Even though it’s a slower song, I like to listen to this when I’m running.
The Hunger Games – Catching Fire
This movie was much better than the first. The Capitol establishes new rules in order to surpress a rebellion encouraged by Katniss Everdeen’s breaking the rules in the last Hunger Games. Peacekeepers are enforcing more rules on the different Districts and Katniss and Peeta must fight again in the 75th Hunger Games. If you liked the first movie, you’ll really like the second. By the end, I was holding up my three fingers and whistling the Mockingjay tune!
Chipotle
I’ve been loving Chipotle so much in November. I get a burrito with: white rice, fajita vegetables, sofritas (only served in select states/locations), the green salsa, corn, sour cream, and guacamole. MMMmmm. So good. I’ll sometimes get the chips and guacamole on the side, but only if I’m super hungry.
Nike+ Running
I’m still training for a half marathon, and I’m using the Nike+ Running App to track my runs. Just the other day, I logged my farthest run – 7.25 miles! Yay. I’ve still got a ways to go and a lot more conditioning, but I really like how the Nike+ Running App lets you create goals how you can “race” with your friends. Add me (MuffinChanel) and we can race!
Lush Baths
I love Lush baths; especially during the colder months. Relaxing underneath a blanket of bubbles is so perfect. My favorite combination at the moment is The Comforter bubble bar and Think Pink bath bomb & to make it extra amazing, I add a dropper of Josie Maran’s Argan Oil! With this bath ^, I used Sandstone soap to exfoliate and Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Amazing!
Starbucks Holiday Star Dash
I’m so excited that I was selected to participate in the Starbucks Holiday Star Dash. As you can see, I earned my 16 stars and will get the $10 eGift! Yay for those Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers!
Photojojo Macro/Wide Lens
I got this lens for my birthday and it’s awesome. If I have to choose from the three they offer, this is the one I choose. I love it because it is both Macro and a Wide angle lens — just unscrew it to get the Macro.
Rainbow Loom
My little cousins shared their Rainbow Looms with me over Thanksgiving! They taught me how to make the Starburst and Fishtail bracelets! You can get the Rainbow Loom at Michael’s for $17 and each Rubber Band Pack of 600 bands is $4.
Grand Theft Auto 5
I recently bought GTA 5 and it’s so much fun. I have GTA 4 (but I never even finished the story mode), but GTA 5 is so much better. You play as three different characters in story mode & the online mode is so much fun; I’m already on level 16!
Living Proof – Restore
I bought this in my Sephora VIB Rouge haul to try it out and it’s awesome. My hair looks and feels softer and healthier. I’ll repurchase the larger sizes when I run out. I do like these small bottles though; perfect size for traveling.
What have you been loving this November? Let me know in the comments.
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
The Urban Decay Naked 3 palette is out sold out already on UrbanDecay.com and will be available at Ulta and Sephora in December (the manager at my local Sephora invited me to the “release party” for the Naked 3 on in-store December 11 & online by December 6), but I won’t be purchasing it. The internet is abuzz with excitement about the “rose gold” themed palette, and sure the colors are pretty, but the Naked 2 will always have my heart.
I have the original Naked palette and it’s nice, but I love all of the colors in the Naked 2. The Naked 2 is what the original palette should have been; the perfect blend of neutrals with some awesome shimmer colors. With a wider range of colors, from a light matte cream to a dark matte black, Naked 2 stays true to its taupe-y base.
- Foxy (cream bisque with matte finish)
- Half Baked (golden-bronze with shimmering finish
- Booty Call (shimmering cork)
- Chopper (copper shimmer with silver microglitter)
- Tease (creamy pale brown with matte finish)
- Snake Bite (dark bronze shimmer with metallic base)
- Suspect (pale golden beige with shimmering finish)
- Pistol (light gray-brown with shimmering finish)
- Verve (oyster with shimmering finish)
- YDK (cool bronze shimmer with metallic base)
- Busted (deep brown with shimmering finish)
- Blackout (blackest black with matte finish)
You can never go wrong with a neutral look. Every one of the Naked 2 colors is amazing for every skin tone. The original palette had random blue and greys that didn’t look quite right on me, but the Naked 2 is perfect in every way. I use my Naked 2 every day and I will repurchase it when it’s gone.
The Naked 3 palette seems a little too pink for my liking. How many pink looks can you create before it’s too much pink? (Can there be too much pink?) I’m just not a pink eyeshadow person. I wear a lot of earth tones — browns and greens — and the Naked 2 compliments every look.
The reason I won’t be buying the Naked 3 palette? The Naked 2 palette already has me covered; I don’t need anything else. 🙂
If you are more interested the Naked 3 palette, check out these swatches by Musings Of A Muse, or this review by Phyrra, or this review by Temptilia. Whatever Naked palette you are interested in, it’s sure to deliver Urban Decay’s highly pigmented shadows that are soft and easy to blend.
Is the Naked 3 palette on your holiday wish list? Let me know what your favorite Naked palette is in the comments! ❤
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Many of you may be traveling for the upcoming holidays. It’s always fun to go somewhere new or see friends & family, but it can be difficult deciding what to pack or just carrying everything you want.
I always try to pack just the “essentials” so my bags aren’t loaded down and I’ll have room in case I get a few souvenirs. You really need to ask yourself what you want; try to only bring products that have multiple uses. For example: with makeup, see if you can find a blush you like that can double as an eyeshadow. Or a dark eyeshadow that you can also use to fill in your brows. With beauty items, it can be a little more tricky. You don’t want to neglect your skin while you are on holiday, but you don’t want to carry your full sized bottles either.
This is where those sample sizes from Sephora or little mini bottles of products come in handy. I always save the samples for traveling because they hardly take up any room and you can just discard them when you are done. If you don’t have the sample sizes of the product you want to bring with you, there are always those mini travel bottles you can buy at the drugstore.
Here’s my travel makeup bag:
This bag is actually a clutch from the Marc Jacobs collaboration with Target last year; it’s a shiny metallic pouch that’s fairly large and fits all you see here ^ very nicely.
- A few of my makeup brushes
- Marc Jacobs Genius Gel (Bisque Light) (see my review HERE)
- Urban Decay – Naked 2 Palette
- Lancome – Effacernes (Porcelaine)
- Fresh – Sugar Rose Tinted Lip Treatment
- Urban Decay – Eye Shadow Primer Potion mini
- Laura Mercier – Secret Brightening Powder
- Benefit – The POREfessional mini
- Benefit – Watt’s Up! mini
- Tarte – Amazonian Clay Blush (Dazzled)
- Maybelline – Eyestudio Gel Eyeliner (Blackest Black)
- Lancome – Hypnose Star mascara mini
- Benefit – They’re Real mascara mini
- Viktor & Rolf – Flowerbomb mini (Sephora 250 point perk)
- Smashbox – Layer Lash Primer
- Revlon – eyelash curler
Here’s my skincare and toiletries bag:
This bag was a gift with purchase at Victoria’s Secret a few years ago. It’s metallic gold, but has vertical pink stripes inside and it’s pretty large.
What’s inside?
- Pursonic
- Lush – Grease Lightening
- Philosophy – Miracle Worker eye cream
- Josie Maran – 100% Pure Argan Oil (see some of the many uses HERE)
- Clarisonic Mia
- Philosophy – Purity Made Simple
- Colgate Total travel size
- L’occitane – Hand Cream mini
- Lancome – Genefique mini
- Lancome – Vissionaire mini
- Dr. Dennis Gross – Alpha Beta Peel sample
- Living Proof – Prime Style Extender sample
- Lancome – Absolue Night Premium mini
- Lancome – Absolue Premium mini
- Altoids Smalls – Peppermint
- Origins – GinZing eye cream sample
- Bumble and Bumble Thickening Shampoo sample
- Bumble and Bumble Thickening Conditioner sample
- Purell – Hand Sanitizer mini
- Blistex – Medicated Lip Balm
- Neutrogena – Ultra Sheer Dry-Touch Sunscreen mini
- Lancome – Energie De Vie sample
- Bumble and Bumble – Grooming Cream sample
Let me know if you have any holiday travel plans coming up and what your must-have beauty travel essentials are! ❤
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here.
If you have a Starbucks Rewards account, you may have been invited to participate in the Holiday Star Dash! Check by logging in to your My Starbucks Rewards and clicking “Join”
From now until December 3rd, you’ll accumulate stars (separate from the stars you already earn through My Starbucks Rewards) for every purchase. Earn 10 stars, you’ll receive a $5 eGift card; earn 16 Stars, earn a $10 eGift card! You’ll get an email with redemption instructions by December 11!
What a nice extra holiday treat, especially when you can earn that $10 eGift for just 16 stars instead of the 20 stars it was during the Fall Dash.
What’s your favorite Starbucks drink?
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
With the holidays right around the corner, many people will be traveling to visit friends and family, or just going on a vacation. Whatever your reason, air travel may be in your near future.
Whenever I fly anywhere, I purpose to pack as lightly as possible. No one wants to lug three suitcases and two totes through the airport; trust me. So, unless you’re going to be away for more than two weeks, try to fit everything into one duffle/suitcase and one larger “carry-on”/purse. Winter time can be more difficult, since many of our sweaters and jackets are bulky, but if you wear or carry some of the larger items, you’ll be fine.
I actually carry on all of my luggage, rather than checking a bag. No one wants to stand around the luggage carrousel after a long flight, waiting to find her bag with the pink ribbon (Tip: always give your bag some kind of distinguishing characteristic if you are checking luggage to help you identify your bag quickly and easily!)
Once you’re on the plane, you’re ready to sit back and enjoy the flight! Here are my travel essentials for your trip:
Large Tote — Think “Weekender Bag”
This will be your go-to bag for all things travel. Big enough to hold all of your essentials, but small enough to slide underneath the seat. I like this handbag by Michael Kors.
Water
Fill your own water bottle once you are through airport security, or just buy a bottle from one of the many stores past the security gates.
It’s important to stay hydrated on the plane since the air can be very dry. Yes, the flight attendants will bring you a beverage and maybe a snack, but those cups are small and the attendants aren’t there to keep refilling your glass. So come prepared with your own water…
Snacks
…and your own snacks. Plane food isn’t the best especially if you are on a short flight. You won’t be served a meal and if you get a snack, it’ll be a little packet of trail mix or something of the like. That’s fine in a pinch, but I’m all about being prepared and eating more than 5 mini pretzels, so I like to bring fruit bars. The “this strawberry walks into a bar” kind from trader joes are my favorite.
Hand Sanitizer
Don’t want to eat with dirty hands, of course. But you also want to protect yourself from all the germs on the plane. Anytime you touch your face, eyes or mouth, you want your hands to be clean.
Neosporin
This may sound gross, but it’s a travel pro tip — put a little neosporin on your pinky finger and line the inside of your nose with it. It’s your own personal barrier against breathing in those germs!
Categories
Sephora Haul | VIB Rouge
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Sephora’s 20% off sale for VIB’s just ended. Being only $34 away from VIB Rouge, I decided it would be a good time to get a couple things I had my eye on, and tip my VIB status over to the next level.
After a few recent hauls (HERE, HERE, and HERE), I was pretty set with everything I wanted. I did pick up a couple of items, got a free VIB tote and redeemed some of my Beauty Insider Points.
Clarisonic Brush Head Replacement – Sensitive
I use the “Normal” brush head now on my Clarisonic Mia, which is nice, but I wanted to try a softer brush.
Living Proof Restore Repairing & Damage Reversing Travel Kit
I’ve been looking for a new shampoo/conditioner since Garnier Fructis changed the formula on the Triple Nutrition line. :/ My hair isn’t damaged necessarily, but it will feel dry and frizzy, especially in the winter.
Urban Decay Essentials – 500 Point Perk
- b6 Vitamin-Infused Complexion Prep Spray (0.5 oz)
- All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray (0.5 oz)
- Eyeshadow Primer Potion Anti-Aging (0.13 oz)
- Eyeshadow Deluxe Sample in Mushroom (0.03 oz)
This perk seemed really nice. A deluxe sample shadow, eyeshadow primer and two mini facial prepping/setting sprays. I’ve never used the Urban Decay facial sprays, but they seem like a cool idea. And for free 500 points, it’s a nice way to try out a new product.
And *Drumroll*, the VIB Rouge Welcome Kit!
So exciting! It came with a mini lipstick designed by Bite exclusively for VIB Rouge members. I now get free shipping on all orders, free makeovers anytime, special surprise gifts, and invites to exclusive rouge events. Yay!
Check out my first VIB Rouge perk!!!
Categories
Lush Holiday Favorites
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
Every year, Lush comes out with its holiday gift sets, bath bombs, bubble bars, and more. Some of the seasonal scents are less than magical for me, but there are a few that I really look forward to.
This bath bomb is huge! It’s $6.95 and shaped like a present with a white bow on top. I used this the other night and it smells lovely.
My favorite Christmas themed bubble bar. Super relaxing; makes your water so silky and pretty blue.
You can’t go wrong with this yellow bomb at $4.95. With red “pop rocks?” inside, you’ll feel like you are sitting near a crackling fire with this cinnamon scented bomb.
Do you have any LUSH holiday recommendations? What are your favorites?
Check out my year round favorites HERE.
Categories
Training for a Half Marathon
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
I follow NikeRunning on Instagram and a few weeks ago, I started seeing a lot about the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco #werunsf. How fun that would be — to run in San Francisco! I’ve always enjoyed running and have been running off and on for many years. I don’t know if I’d consider myself a “runner” though. A true runner is probably a lot more consistent than I am, but I always enjoy the occasional run.
But this marathon got me thinking — would I even be able to run for 13.1 miles? I’ve done a few 5K races here and there, but 3 miles and 13 miles are very different. When was the last time I ran for more than 3 miles in one run? And then it was decided — I needed to train for a half marathon.
I’m using my Fitbit Flex and my Nike+Running App to track my runs. Over the last five days, I ran 5 miles at 12’03″/mi; 3 miles at 12’03″/mi; and 1.5 miles at 9″51″/mi. I’ve found a few training plans online that I’ll modify and follow. My goal is to be able to run 13.1 miles straight by February!
Categories
GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD Review
This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here
There is a lot of hype around the GLAMGLOW SUPERMUD clearing treatment mask; I’ve heard everyone rave about it. I wanted to give it a try but at $69 a jar, I wanted to see if I could find a better deal.
You can buy the mask from Amazon for $37! But it seemed a little too good to be true, so I opted to buy the mask from Sephora (still slowly working my way to VIB Rouge…). You can buy the single cleansing mask for $69 OR you can buy it in a couple of kits that have bonus gifts HERE for the same price. Obviously the gift set is the best value, but I still didn’t want to pay $69, so I used a gift card I had and a 20% friend and family coupon. I ended up paying about $30 which felt like an acceptable price for this “miracle mask”. But does the SUPERMUD live up to the hype?
Packaging
This kit was packaged nicely in a pink box that showcased both the SUPERMUD (1.2oz) and the YOUTHMUD (.5oz) . The box does a jacob’s ladder kind of fold that inverts the box so that blue packaging is revealed. Kind of neat; I guess if you’re giving the mask as gift and want to “customize” the packaging.
The actual jars are heavy and have a quality feel. I opened both jars and the black jar was sealed with a foil, but the white jar didn’t have a seal. In fact, there was mud coming up around the edges a little bit too, as if it had been opened. I read online that others have gotten the mud without a seal too, so maybe the white jar doesn’t come sealed? :/ It seemed odd, but the box the jars were in was sealed and the jar seemed “full/unused” so I just went with it.
SUPERMUD
The mud is dark and has a slightly minty smell — minty like the goo they use to take a mold of your teeth at the dentist, not the good kind of minty like breath mints. It’s not awful; don’t worry. There are small chunks of green tea leaves in the mask and it’s slightly watery. I think this mask would dry out easily if left open for longer than necessary.
Application
I stirred up the mask with a plastic stick before using. I used a flat makeup brush to apply the mask, avoiding my lips and eye areas. Since the mask is kind of watery, I didn’t need to apply too much to get coverage. Plus, I didn’t want to waste any or use more than necessary, so I just painted on a thin layer.