The Musings of a Working Mom

Tacos and tostadas are one of my family's favorite dishes. We create a "bar" and let the kids top their shells any way they wish.  Since my hubby is vegetarian, I like to use the Morning Star Crumbles in the place of ground beef for our filling.  I make the filling by heating a large skillet with some olive oil, adding some garlic and onion and sauté for a couple of minutes.  I then add the bag of crumbles and heat until fully cooked (until there are no more frozen chunks visible).  I also add some black beans, salsa, and taco seasoning to add flavor.  Then set up your stations as you wish - shredded lettuce, shredded cheese, salsa, sour cream, chopped onions, chopped tomatoes, chopped avocados or guacamole.  Try out this vegetarian variation for your next meatless meal.  ENJOY....

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...

Happy New Year!  And what a year it has been?  It's been a year since I started my blog and one of my first posts was a list of my 2011 favorites...and here we have come round full circle to my favorites list of 2012.   But first off I want to thank all of you for your continued support and for coming back to read my blog posts, commenting, and subscribing to my blog.  This blog has been my side project and my baby (outside of my real babies).  I have had so much fun writing for this blog and doing my "research" (i.e. having a great excuse to buy makeup and beauty products).  I have done quite of bit of "research" this year and have found a lot of great low-end and high-end products that have become my favorites for this past year.  This blog has also allowed me to try beauty products outside of my beloved MAC brand and I have found some amazing products at all price points.  It has taken me quite some time to compile my list but here are my fav...

I can't believe that December and 2012 is already over!  Between finding the perfect gifts, decorating the house, baking cookies, getting ready for the twins' 6th birthday and all of my end of the year projects, December really flew right on by.  I'm not sure why but last month I went back to my makeup "basics"(i.e. my original makeup items). Here are my favorites for the month of December: 1.   Laura Mercier Mineral Foundation - I love the coverage and finish of this mineral foundation.  This is by far one of my favorites this year in the foundation category.  This foundation applies so effortlessly and just a little covers a lot!  I have to say that I really like the Laura Mercier mineral foundation over the Bare Minerals mineral foundation. 2.   MAC eyeshadows in Vanilla, Shroom, Naked Lunch, Jest, Charcoal Brown, Satin Taupe, Mystery, Wedge, Sketch and Twinks - These used to be my everyday MAC shadows - until I decided to branch out to ot...

I say it every month but it's true - the month flew right on by.  I can't believe that November is over and Christmas and New Years are right around the corner!!  Not to mention that my twins will turn 6 - what what??? Here are my favorites for the month of November: 1.   EcoTools Brush Set :  I purchased this set from CVS ages ago and they have been pushed to the back of my brush stash until recently.  I forgot how much I love these little brushes.  My favorite is the "smudge"brush - it's perfect for smudging out color or liner on the upper and lower lash line, as well as applying a highlight color to the inner tear duct area.  Quite honestly, all of these brushes are great and best of all, this is an inexpensive set - quality brushes for a drugstore price!  Not only can you use this set on a daily basis, but it's small enough to travel with. 2.   Blushes:  NYX Mosaic Powder Blush in Rosey and Tarte 12-hour Amazonian Clay Blush ...

October was such a busy month for me - planning 2 birthday parties (my father's surprise 70th and my son's 2nd birthday), my husband was out on business for 3 weeks, getting the kiddos ready for Halloween, Halloween parties at school...October truly flew on by.  But the leaves are falling and the air is getting crisper - Fall is finally here! As the seasons change, so do my skin needs and makeup routine. Here are my favorites for the moth of October: For makeup - I am loving the Revlon Colorstay Whipped Foundation .  This foundation is just as great as the original fluid Colorstay foundation.  The pigmentation is great - a little goes a long way.  I have found that the best way to apply this foundation is not with a brush or damp beauty blender, but rather with your fingers.  Somehow I don't know if it's the warmth of your fingers or what, but using your fingers to apply and blend out the foundation leaves a flawless finish just like using a brush or beauty bl...

The days are getting shorter and the air is getting cooler and it's about time, I never thought that this heat wave would end.  I love the fall- the crisp, cool breezes, the leaves changing colors and I especially love wearing boots, sweaters and scarves.  September is over and here are my favorites for the month: 1.   Blushes - Nars Oasis and Tarte Blushing Bride :  these blushes have a warmth about them.  Fall usually makes me want to wear more plums and berry shades and these blushes really scream "fall" to me!  I love wearing these blushes with a soft, neutral eye.  And although both of these blushes appear to have a lot of shimmer in them, they don't translate onto your skin that way.  These two blushes give such a nice glow and flush of color - perfect for a fall day! 2.   Rimmel Stay Matte Powder with Real Techniques Powder Brush - this powder has really lived up to its name and is my new favorite setting powder.  It really...

Here are my favorite makeup brushes for FACE: FYI - I am not sponsored by Sigma brushes but I do have an affiliate link on my pages, which means if you click and purchase any brushes via my link, I will receive a commission from your purchase.  But I would not mention any products that I do not love to use and would not mislead you in order to make any money.  Having said that, I do love their brushes!  I have purchased both their Premium Professional kit as well as their Essential Kit, and a couple of their Sigmax precision face brushes (F82/F84).  These brushes, in my opinion, are comparable to MAC brushes but are a fraction of the prices of the MAC brushes. For face, I love using a couple of brushes and one "tool".  For liquid foundation, I love using my  Sigma Sigmax F84 Angled Kabuki Brush  and my Real Techniques Stippling Brush.  For powder and mineral foundations, I love using the Real Techniques Buffing brush, MAC 182 Kabuki brus...