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Vegetarian Diet

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I stopped eating meat about a week ago after watching the documentary, Earthlings. If you haven’t seen it, definitely check it out. It’s terrible how they mistreat and abuse animals all for human consumption.

So far, the transition to not eating meat has been easy. I would eat chicken often and hamburgers occasionally, but after watching that documentary, I have no desire to. I’ve been eating more fruits, vegetables, and nuts which is a huge upgrade in my diet.

My fingers used be swollen in the mornings, so much so that it was awkward to make a fist. It was uncomfortable but I attributed it to eating/drinking sugar at night or not drinking enough water during the day. Since cutting out meat, however, I haven’t had any swelling at all; it’s great!

I’m looking for some vegetarian/vegan recipes that are quick and easy to make. If you know any, please let me know! 🙂

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Blog Health + Beauty Lifestyle

Fitbit Flex band breaks — UPDATED

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Sad news — my Fitbit Flex‘s band is broken.

I popped the tracker out of the band to charge it, and the band separated where the view finder is. I haven’t even had the Flex for that long! This is crazy. I’m super disappointed. At least I have the larger band that I guess I can use.

I didn’t really want to buy the replacement colored bands, but I might have to.

I’m going to check Fitbit.com to see if they have a warranty or something. Or maybe I can do an exchange at Target?

muffinchanel fitbit flex break wrist band broken muffinchanel fitbit flex break wrist band brokenHas this happened to you? if so, what did you do?



UPDATE:

I sent an email through the fitbit.com website at “contact.fitbit.com“, letting them know about my defective wristband. They replied in less than 15 minutes and said they’d be happy to replace my band! So awesome! I replied providing my address, phone number and wristband details like they requested.

UPDATE #2:

muffinchanel fitbit flex break wrist band broken muffinchanel fitbit flex break wrist band brokenSeptember 4. I received my new band in the mail today! Yay! Thanks Fitbit!



Update #3

You can buy your own replacement bands in the classic colors or fun/bright colors online. They come in a three-pack which is nice for some variety & just as a handy replacement in case the band breaks :/

*** Check out my first impressions of the new Fitbit ChargeHR! It even has a heart rate monitor! I love mine!

UPDATE — my Fitbit Charge HR band broke too! 

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Blog Lifestyle

Top 10 – August Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

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I’m a little late to the party — I think this album came out sometime late last year — but I’m here now!

I first listened to the album on YouTube and then forgot about it, until recently. I’ve been listening to it a lot lately; the songs are catchy and fun.

  • Game of Thrones

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After I saw the first season, I hated this show! How dare they kill off a main character!! Not much has changed….but I like the show a little bit better. I’m rooting for the Khaleesi to reclaim her throne!

  • Natural for Her – Herban Cowboy

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I first heard of this deodorant from neo-reality.com. It prevents sweat and odors and it’s natural, what more could you ask for? This deodorant is vegan and certified organic so you don’t have to worry about chemicals and carcinogens seeping into your skin. Very happy with this purchase.

  • Pedicures (Clambake by Essie)

My mom and I recently went out for a birthday pedicure! I used Clambake by Essie because it’s so fun and it’s the perfect balance between red and orange.essie_clambake

Pedicures are a great way to relax and pamper yourself. Especially during summer, when you’ll likely be wearing flip flops, nothing can make you feel a little happier than looking at freshly pedicured toes.

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  • Korres Lip Butter

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I got these two, Pomegranate and Jasmine, for my birthday and they are both awesome! These lip butters are so smooth and make my lips feel soft and hydrated. Some of the colors are bright, but the results are mostly sheer with a hint of color. Perfect for every day and definitely one of my all time favorite lip products.

  • US Open

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All the best players all on one stage for two weeks of fun. Tennis is such a cool sport because it’s just you against your opponent — no teams, no blaming others. They’re doing some intense stuff as athletes, from sprinting to strategy. What a great game!

  • California Pizza Kitchen

screen-shot-2013-08-29-at-10-00-14-amI love the Pizza Kitchen. Their spinach artichoke dip is delicious and their BBQ Chicken Pizza is awesome.

  • Photojojo iPhone Lens

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These lenses are so cool! Thanks to my family for the perfect birthday gift! You can find these lenses at photojojo.com — all four for $50.

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My favorite lenses are the Macro and the Wide. Both lenses actually come as one and you unscrew them to separate. It took me a day to figure out how to get to the Macro lens :/ but it’s awesome. Check out my instagram: MuffinChanel for some awesome pictures!

  • Josie Maran SPF 40

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I really like this lightweight, dewy sunscreen. With Argon oil, it seems to clear up any discoloration and balance my skin. No parabens and cruelty free; it’s a silky sunscreen that absorbs well into my skin. It leaves me feeling fresh-faced, and not greasy.

  • SEPHORA Smart Liner

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This liner is so awesome — the curve of the casing give you the control you need to get the most precise line ever. The flexible felt tip makes it easy to create a fine line or build up the drama with a thick wing.

See last month’s favorites HERE

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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora Birthday Haul

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Yay for my birthday month and 3x’s the points at Sephora!

muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free giftI’m super excited because I picked up some awesome things at Sephora, I received a special VIB samples pouch with my purchase, and a great VIB birthday gift….AND i earned triple points!

First off, I tried out Sephora + Pantone Color IQ device to help me find the perfect foundation color for my skin tone.muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift pantone color iq match

The device takes pictures of your skin and tells you your Color IQ number. I’m 4Y06 — then you take your Color IQ number and plug it into your phone or their iPads they have at the makeover station and it’ll tell you what foundation colors will be the perfect match for you in each brand.

So, I picked up the new MARC JACOBS BEAUTY Genius Gel Super-Charged Foundation in shade 22 Bisque Light. (See my review HERE)muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift bisque light medium 22

I also picked up the Korres Lip Butter in Mango (they didn’t have the pomegranate kind in stock).muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift mango lip butter

And this awesome eyeliner from Sephora. The design is perfect for your finger to wear like a little claw. It gives you a lot of control and the felt tip gives you a precise line. Yay!

muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift liquid wingedThen, as extras for being a VIB, I got a deluxe samples pouch and a free birthday gift! So Great!muffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift vib freemuffinchanel sephora birthday haul korres eyeliner marc jacobs foundation free gift watts up

I’m very happy with my purchases and my freebies! Happy Birthday to me!

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Blog Lifestyle

My Starbucks Rewards – Free Birthday Food or Drink

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

My birthday is this month and I’m very excited. I’ve been rather busy and it’s always a pleasant reminder when I see “birthday perk” reminders in my email from the companies whose loyalty programs I participate in. Like Starbucks! I’ve told you about Starbuck’s Rewards program before and if you visit the coffee chain more than once a month, it’s definitely worth it for you to sign up.

032812_swe4_1_missSince it’s my birthday month, I got an email for my free drink! Yay! Of course I’ll be getting a Very Berry Hibiscus Refresher!

Thank you, Starbucks!

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Blog Lifestyle

Spinach Quiche!

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I love this spinach quiche; it tastes great and it’s easy to make.

What you need:

  • 3 egg whites
  • 1lb shredded swiss cheese
  • 1 white onion – diced
  • 3 tblspns heavy whipping cream
  • 2 deep dish pie crusts
  • 1 lb spicy turkey sausage – ground
  • Stouffer’s – spinach soufflé
  • tobasco – to taste

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Directions:

  • Cook sausage in a frying pan and grind in a food chopper. I use a Kitchen Aid one that’s perfect.
  • Defrost the spinach soufflé in microwave – or leave in refrigerator overnight.

Combine shredded swiss cheese, ground sausage, diced onion, defrosted spinach soufflé, and heavy whipping cream in large bowl. Mix with spoon until completely mixed. Fold in three egg whites and pour mixture into pie shells.

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Bake at 375 degrees for 60 – 70 minutes. Let cool and enjoy!

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Blog Health + Beauty

VIB Rouge – Sephora

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Sephora’s Beauty Insider program just created a new level — VIB Rouge. This top tier level is yours when you spend $1000 in a calendar year (January – December).

muffinchanel sephora vib rougeThe free shipping perk is cool and I’m curious about these “special surprise gifts”.

Has anyone reached that level yet?

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Blog Lifestyle

Top 10 – July Favorites

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

1. Victor & Rolf – Flowerbomb

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 flowerbombMy favorite fragrance of all time. Flowerbomb makes me happy. I first tried the $25 $29 (prices have gone up!) rollerball from Sephora and fell in love. Try it if you haven’t already — very strong floral notes! Amazing!

2.  Lancome Star Bronzer

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 lancome bronzerLancome’s Star Bronzer comes in six shimmer shades and three matte shades. I use my matte bronzer in shade 02 Sunkiss for slight conturing. This bronzer isn’t too dark or muddy and will look natural on many different complexions.

3. Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 neutrogena-makeup-remover-cleansing-towelettesI love these cleansing wipes. With these, there is no excuse to not remove my makeup before going to bed. They remove all of your makeup and don’t leave your face feeling oily. The refill packs come with 25 wipes for about $4.50 – $7, depending on sales and where you shop. I’ve seen a 4 x 25ct. + 1x 14ct. at Costco for about $11! Best deal ever if you can get it.

Of course, it’s best to actually wash your face, but on those nights when you might be too tired,  these will do the trick. You never want to go to bed with your makeup on!

4. Eggs Benedict

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 eggs benedictI’m not much of a “breakfast” person — I eat in the morning, but I don’t like “breakfast” foods….except for eggs benedict! Definitely my favorite breakfast-y food!

5. Very Berry Hibiscus Refreshers – Starbucks

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 very berry hibiscus refresherI only recently have started drinking these again. I’ve talked about these before, and I still enjoy them every once in a while. Make your own!!

6. LUSH baths

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 lush bathNothing is more relaxing or makes me feel cleaner than a LUSH bath. So perfect! My favorite combination is The Comforter and a Sex Bomb bath bomb. I love LUSH! See my other LUSH posts HERE, HERE, and HERE

7. Hair, Skin, and Nails pills – Andrew Lessman

I can see my nails growing and staying strong when I take these, but if I skip just one day, my nails will break. :/ But these, in combination with my B-12s help my nails to grow and stay strong. I don’t really notice a difference in my hair or skin, but I’m sure it’s helping in some way. These pills are packed with vitamins and biotin. You can get them from HSN.com.

8. Sam’s Town – The Killers

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 andrew-lessman-healthy-hair-skin-and-nails-720-caps-d-20130710101229687277028muffinchanel july favorites 2013 samstowncoverI loved The Killer’s – Battle Born, so I decided to re-discover some of their older music. I’ve been listening to Sam’s Town a lot lately and I love it.

9. Target App for iPhone

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 target appI love going to Target — I can get everything I want in one stop. Plus, it’s where I was able to find my Fitbit Flex when it was backordered online. Target has everything and the Target App has coupons for some of those items. Some is better than none! What’s awesome is that they can scan the coupon directly from your phone — no clipping coupons or having to remember to bring them when you shop.

10. Monster’s University

muffinchanel july favorites 2013 monsters-university-2013-wallpaper-hd-for-desktop-680x382I really enjoyed this prequel to Monster’s Inc. Disney and Pixar make the best animated movies! And what’s even cooler is the website they made for the movie – http://monstersuniversity.com/edu/. How fun!

What have you been enjoying this July?

See my favorites from last month!  (Top 10 – June Favorites)

See my August Favorites HERE

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Blog Lifestyle

California State Fair

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Blog Lifestyle

Farmer’s Market

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Blog Health + Beauty

Sephora by OPI – gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

The Sephora by OPI gelshine™ At-Home Gel Colour System  is do it at home gel nail kit. It costs $160 and you pick your own color to include with the kit. Additional colors are $17.50.

The kit comes with:

  • 0.29 oz gelshine™ Base Coat
  • 0.29 oz gelshine™ Top Coat
  • 0.29 oz gelshine™ Gel Colour (must add to cart separately)
  • gelshine™ LED Light
  • 25 x Nail Pads
  • 3 x Removal Nail Wraps
  • 2 oz Nail Cleanser
  • Buffing block
  • 2 oz Nail & Gel Colour Remover
  • 0.3 oz Brush-On Cuticle Oil
  • Cuticle pusher
  • 3 x gloves
  • Instructions

Prep the nails

Gently buff the surface of the nails with the Buffing Block





muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 1Spray some Nail Spray onto one of the Nail Pads and clean the nails

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 2Apply Base Coat

Apply a thin layer of the Base Coat to your thumb. It’s super important to use a thin coat!

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 3Cure the gel polish under the LED light





muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 4muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 5muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 7Cure the thumb first, then apply Base Coat to the other finger nails and cure them. The polish isn’t going to “dry” on it’s own, so you’ll want to do the thumb separately so it doesn’t smudge before it cures.

Apply Gel Polish

I used a super pale pink “Bare to be Different”, but Sephora offers 14 different shades on its website.

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 6Thin coats! If you apply the polish too thick, it won’t last as long. Your manicure should last up to two weeks. Cure after each application of polish

Apply Top Coat

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 8Cure your top coat and clean nails with the Nail Spray again to remove the tacky feeling.

Follow up with Cuticle Oil

muffinchanel sephora by opi gel shine 9This Gel Nail kit is awesome! You no longer have to wait for your nails to “dry”. After 30 seconds under the LED light, your manicure is safe. You can tell by the formula that it is professional quality. Use thin coats of polish to get a professional, long-lasting manicure.

I would like to see Sephora offer more colors of gel polish, but really you can use any LED gel polish you want.

In fact, I’ve done a gel base coat, a layer of regular nail polish, and then sealed it with a layer of gel top coat. Just make sure that if you’re going to layer in a “regular” nail polish, you let it dry completely before applying the gel top coat.

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Blog Health + Beauty

Lush Haul

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

I ordered a few items from LUSH and just in the nick of time too. I’d run out of all my bubble bars over the weekend.

muffinchanel lush cosmetics haul

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Blog Health + Beauty

Aveeno Clear Complexion vs. Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream

This post may contain affiliate links; all opinions are my own. See Disclosures here

Just a quick comparison of these two drugstore BB creams — the Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream and the Maybelline Dream Cream BB Cream.

muffinchanel bb cream comparison reviewBoth BB Creams have a Broad Spectrum SPF 30. The Aveeno BB Cream is around $15 at drugstores and the Maybelline BB Cream is less expensive at around $9.





I had started using the Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream and really liked it. Application is easy and it gives medium to light coverage. The finish is slightly greasy, so I set it with a translucent powder and it lasts all day.

muffinchanel bb cream comparison review swatchesWhen I ran out of the Maybelline, I decided to give the Aveeno Clear Complexion BB Cream a try. The formula is much thicker than the Maybelline and it seems more dense. I prefer the pump on the Aveeno bottle; seems more sanitary. But the first pump of product always pushed out a clump of product that had dried and hardened inside the tip of the spout; gross. I’d find myself squirting out a pump onto a tissue just to get rid of the clump and wasting all that product.




muffinchanel bb cream comparison review swatch compare Application of the Aveeno BB Cream was “smeary”. I’m not sure if it was my sunscreen underneath, or just the product itself, but it was always streaky on me. I’d set it with the translucent powder and it’d be fine, but only after blending/rubbing it off with my fingers. I’d find my skin looking shiny near the end of the day and my skin is never greasy.

So, I’ve switched back to my trusted Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream. It looks kind of scary-orange out of the bottle, but it blends into the skin quite nicely as an alternative to foundation.

Let me know what BB Creams you like. I’m interested in some high end ones as well.

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Blog Lifestyle

Pacific Grove, California

muffinchanel pacific grove californiamuffinchanel pacific grove california