The Musings of a Working Mom

Well it's that time of the month again - NO sillies...it's time for my favorites for this month!!  It's been a hot month and I've been trying to keep my makeup routine short and sweet, as well as light on my face.  I've also included non-makeup items too...I hope that you enjoy my favorites for the month of June! 1.  Sleek Rose Gold Blush - I love using this blush...it gives my cheeks that perfect rosey-glowy look.  It's not too over the top and yet not too light...it's been my perfect go-to summer blush color. 2.  Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer and Mineral Foundation - I have been using this duo this month as my everyday foundation routine.  LM tinted moisturizer is by far the best tinted moisturizer that I have tried - this TM has more coverage than others and I like to apply it with a foundation brush like my Sigma F60 .  I then buff on my LM mineral foundation over the TM with either my MAC 182 Buffer Brush or Real ...

To continue on with my Beauty on a Budget series, here are my favorite eye products from the drugstore: The new Color Tattoo cream shadows by Maybelline are awesome! These are a great dupe for MAC paintpots, MUFE Aqua Creams, Benefit Creaseless Cream Eyeshadows, etc. These cream shadows are really pigmented, last all day and don't crease. I love wearing them as a base for my shadows or as an all over lid color blended out with a fluffy crease brush and that's it! These are great especially for busy mom's on the go. I also like the L'Oreal Infalliable Eyeshadows.   The formula of these shadows are buttery and soft and remind me of pressed pigments. They are very richly pigmented and last all day as well without creasing (of course I always use a primer before I apply any eye makeup).  They come in a great range of colors, and in a shimmery finish as well as matte finish. Wet n Wild also have great eyeshadow palettes for super cheap. T...

My kids love Sloppy Joes - and what's not to love?  They are yummy and messy and perfect for kids!  I love making Sloppy Joes for my family but I'm not the biggest fan of the store bought sauce that comes in a can.  It is made with high fructose corn syrup and lots of additives and preservatives...a BIG NO GO for my kids!  I found this perfect recipe for tasty, yet healthy Sloppy Joes for my kids as well as my family.  The perfect weeknight meal for the kid in all of us! Sloppy Joe Sliders Recipe courtesy of Cooking Light November 2011 Serves 4 (serving size: 2 sliders)   Ingredients 1 large carrot, grated 10 oz lean ground beef 3/4 cup chopped onion 1 tsp garlic powder 1 tsp chili powder 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper 1/4 cup organic/natural (no sugar added) ketchup 1 Tbsp Dijon mustard 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce 1 Tbsp tomato paste 1 Tbsp red wine vinegar 1 (8 oz) can no-salt-added tomato sauce 8 slider buns Directions 1....

If you know me or follow my blog, then you know that I love me some makeup, especially the luxurious items that make you feel like a million bucks.  But the truth is that my love for makeup started in the drugstore.  I started out using CoverGirl foundation and concealers, Revlon lipsticks, Maybelline eyeshadows, etc.  As I became more infactuated with makeup, I learned that the good quality stuff was found at the department stores and higher end brands.  So off I went to the mall, and I started exploring the different brands and what they had to offer.  I found a few brands that I eventually depended on for my "makeup fix" (i.e. MAC, Urban Decay, Chanel).  And over the last 5-7 years, the R&D's of these "drugstore" brands have greatly improved and they now offer quality makeup that stands up to the higher end brands.  Not to mention that some of these "drugstore" brands are owned by the same conglomerates that own the hig...

What is up with all the hype about the Guerlain Meteorites Illuminating Perles?  What do these colorful balls do to your face that is so amazing that women are paying $58 for this product?  Well for me, this little tin brings back so many "makeup" memories for me from my childhood.  I can't remember if my mom owned one of these tins of magic balls or if it was someone close to me that owned this product but I remember the little colorful balls, the fragrant lavender scent that emanated from the package....this is such a nostalgic product for me.  I have been eyeing this product for such a long time but really didn't give into buying it until one day I decided that I wanted to find out for myself what all the hype for the product was all about and why I was so drawn to this product.  It wasn't until I received this product and I opened it up when all of the memories came flowing back to me.  There are three "Harmonies" - Teint Rose 01, Teint Beig...

Nothing satisfies you more on a hot day than a cool, refreshing drink.  While I hate to admit that my favorite go-to drink back in the day was Pineapple Juice-Malibu Coconut Rum (sounds yummy, right?), I have to move on from that "college drink" and drink something more sophisticated.  Here are two drinks that are sure to quench your thirst - Watermelon Mojitos and a Painkiller (recipes from Everyday Food Issue 94). Watermelon Mojito Makes 6 Ingredients 1/2 small seedless watermelon, cut into chunks 1 bunch mint, tough stems removed, 6 sprigs reserved for garnish 1 Tbsp superfine sugar 1 lime, cut into wedges 1 1/4 cups white rum Directions 1.  In a blender, in batches, puree watermelon.  Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into a liquid measuring cup, pressing solids to extract as much liquid as possible (about 3 cups); discards solids. 2.  In a large container, combine mint, sugar,and lime.  With the back of a wooden spoon, crush mint and li...

I am not one for wearing nail polish on my nails.  For one, I get so annoyed if there is one chip in my polish that I have to take it off immediately.  Two, I never keep my nails long enough to make nail polish look good on them so I don't bother wearing polish on my nails (I need to keep my nails short so I don't scratch the little ones while man handling them!).  In any case, I always have my toe nails did and so I like to find awesome colors to show the adventurous side of me.  While reading another beauty blog, I read about her latest OPI haul and saw this awesome nail polish color called Just Spotted The Lizard.  It's a limited edition color from the Spider-Man Collection and it is absolutely gorgeous!  The color in the bottle is stunning - it has a duochrome effect, depending on how you look at your nails (or the bottle), the color changes on you.  It is goldish-greenish-bluish-tealish in color - it's truly beautif...

It's already here - my Birchbox !  This month's theme is "Jet Setting".  With the school calendar ending and graduations commencing, it's time to plan and pack for that summer trip(s).  So the Birchbox team has come up with some great luxurious products that they have found through their travels that can last through a long flight or car trip. The products included in this month's Birchbox: Apothederm: Stretch Mark Cream (full size $89.95) - Gear up for summer with this peptide-packed lotion: it fades stretch marks within weeks. Now that's an excuse to buy a new swimsuit. CleanWell: Individual Hand Santizing Wipes (full size $3.98-5.98) - No Sink? No problem. These germ-busting cloths are made with natural thyme oil to clean and soften your hands. Scalisi Skincare: Anti-Aging Moisturizer Broad Spectrum SPF 30 (full size $110) - A team of biochemists spent years developing this moisturizer, which uses four different peptides to trigger collag...

My family and I recently went to a local orchard and picked a whole lot of strawberries.  We ate as many strawberries as we could, we added them to our yogurt and cereal, we made strawberry milkshakes, but we still had a lot of berries left.  So what to do with them?  Well make a dessert of course!    I love the combo of strawberries and lemon and I remember seeing a Paula Deen recipe using fruit pie filling and cake mix...it was really simple and required very few ingredients. Here is the original recipe but I just substituted the ingredients with what I had on hand.  Here is my version of a Strawberry Lemon DUMP Cake...by the way, I don't really have ingredient amounts as I just used what I had but I'll do my best to give approximate amounts.  In any case, this last minute "throw-something-together-to-use-up-the-strawberries" dessert came out AWESOME!!  Top it with some low fat vanilla ice cream or whipped topping and you have a sweet...

Like most families that are full of hungry kids - I am a member of Costco and every month I get their magazine called The Costco Connection.  Each month I look forward to the seasonal recipes and some of the featured articles.  This month, they have a great article on Bob Harper - you might recognize him as the hunky, tatted up trainer on The Biggest Loser.  He has just written a cookbook called The Skinny Rules: The Simple, Nonnegotiable Principles for Getting to Thin.   In this cookbook, Bob lists his "nonnegotiable rules" that can lead to successful weight loss.  Oddly enough, these are the same "rules" that I give to my clients when I'm coaching them for successful, healthy weight loss too!  These rules are easy to follow and can lead to healthy, attainable weight loss without trying too hard (but don't forget to add in some sort of physical activity daily to make the weight come off faster!). The Skinny Rules What's In: ...