The Musings of a Working Mom

This month's beauty subscriptions are in and now it's time to compare these 2 subscriptions for the month of February - Birchbox vs. Ipsy!! Both beauty subscriptions had the same theme of "Red Carpet Ready" but which box was better? Now I like that Ipsy's bag was much more "cohesive" in the sense that all the products could be used to create a sultry, smokey eye which is definitely red carpet appropriate.  Whereas Birchbox really didn't have that "cohesive" quality other than the fact that their products can be used to help create a "HD-ready" look.  I also like that Ipsy has a cute cosmetic/makeup bag each month - even though I won't need them all, it adds to the value of your monthly subscription. The value of each box is a guesstimate but the approximate value of Feb 2013 Birchbox is ~$18.34 while the Feb 2013 Ipsy bag is ~$63.36. The winner is:  -For value: Ipsy  -For content: Ipsy Overall winner:  IPSY Fe...

With my husband being a vegetarian (and I a meat-eater), I have to be creative with my meatless entrees. But I have to be honest with you, I am running out of ideas.  But in this month's Fitness magazine, they have a great vegetarian slow cooker recipe that was not only easy to prepare, but delicious and healthy.   I will say that my version resulted in a lot of "gravy" and resembled a soup more than a curry but it tasted delicious nonetheless.  I also think that the next time I make this, I will brown up the tofu first to give it some more crunch and texture.  I prefer my tofu with some crunch to it versus the soft texture of the tofu in this recipe.  But this dish was very delicious and flavorful.   I will definitely make this again and perhaps for my parents.  I hope that you give this recipe a try and feel free to substitute any veggies and adjust the heat to your desire.  Enjoy.... Coconut Curried Tofu and Spinach Yield: 4 servings Hands...

The theme for the February Birchbox is "Red Carpet Ready" - which is perfect considering there seems to be an awards show just about every other weekend!  The team at Birchbox has gathered their favorite beauty products to help you get "red carpet ready" - This month's BB features: 1.   Color Club:  Nail Polish in Wild Cactus (full size, $8) - Shoo away winter blues with this on-trend emerald polish. 2.   Lancome:  Le Base Pro Makeup Primer (full size, $42) - Get an HD-ready complexion with this oil-free primer, which masks flaws and extends the life of your foundation. 3.   Miss Jessie's Original: Pillow Soft (full size, $22) - New from our favorite curl-conscious brand, this lotion leaves hair frizz-free and feather-light. 4.   Vasanti:  Brighten Up! Enzymatic Face Rejuvenator (full size, $34) - This exfoliating cleanser uses professional-grade (read: effective) microderm crystals and papaya enzymes to brighten skin. Birchbox Treat 5...

I've received my 2nd Ipsy Glam bag over the weekend - how exciting!  I haven't even received my Birchbox yet (although in their defense they did send out an e-mail stating that their shipping will be delayed due to the snow that NYC had last week/weekend) - but the Glam bag shipping is pretty fast. This month's theme is "Get Red Carpet Ready" and it appears that the products in this month's bag are focused on the eyes!  This month's "glam bag" is a black faux patent leather bag with a bright red interior.  And it contained.... - Lash Cards - little mascara shields you can use to prevent mascara from getting on your lids and smearing around your eyes.  I have also read that you can use these as eye shadow shields under your bottom lashes while applying dark or chunky/glittery shadows to prevent fall down onto your cheeks. - Mica Beauty Cosmetics Gel Liner in Black -  I like gel liners...so it will be nice to see how this one fares compare...

Super Bowl parties are known for the appetizer spreads - most notably wings, chips and salsa, sliders, etc.  However this year, our party was overrun by "dips" - every dip you can think of: buffalo chicken dip, layered bean dip, vidalia onion dip, jalapeno popper dip, along with the standard chips/salsa/queso dip and pretzels.  I'm not sure why we even offered dinner since we all filled up on the dips!  I have to say that Pinterest recipes were used for most of these dips in addition to the pretzel kiss treats that I made.  Oh how I love those Pinterest recipes! Here are some of the recipes: Jalapeno Popper Dip  (original recipe from  Simply Gourmet ) Ingredients : 2 8-oz packages of cream cheese, soft 1 cup of mayonnaise 4-6 jalapenos, chopped and deseeded.  The seeds will make it fiery hot. 1 cup of cheddar cheese, shredded 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese, shredded 1/4 cup diced green onion Topping : 1 cup of crushed crackers ( I u...

Just like every month past, January just seemed to fly right on by!  One of my resolutions for 2013 is not to buy any new makeup before using up what I already have in my stash.  Yeah that resolution only lasted about 2 weeks before I broke down and bought a couple of new items.  But in my defense, this resolution really applies to me not buying any more eye shadows/palettes.  I have more eye shadows than any one woman, who is not a professional makeup artist, should own.  I have just about all the colors I need and unless a new shadow/palette really "WOWS" me, I'll have to pass on that one.  But I did find a few items that did peak my curiosity not to mention that I had heard a lot of great things about  these products. The first product is the L'Oreal True Match liquid foundation.  I know that this foundation has been out on the market FOREVER and I had heard so many positive reviews on this drugstore foundation but I always passed on this bec...

I know, I know...we never have enough time to exercise.  There just aren't enough hours in the day to do what we need to do, especially for ourselves.  But no need to make any more excuses, here are some effective and butt-kicking moves that will give you the results you want and in 10 minutes! The only equipment you need: 1) enough room to move, and 2) a Superband or elastic loop.  To get the max effect of these work outs, knock out as many reps as you can of each exercise in 1 minute.  Then immediately start the exercise - no rest between sets is the key.  If you feel strong enough after your first round, start a second round performing each exercise in 1-minute intervals with no rest between sets. Aim to do this workout 3 times per week making sure that you leave a day of rest between workouts. So no more excuses....all it takes is 10 minutes and the thought of looking good in your bathing suit this summer.  Happy Working-Out!! Self Magaz...