ed note

Editor's Note: I think the word delightful is kinda lame, but I really like the alliteration. :)

Friday, August 19, 2011

Hold Me Closer, Tiny Dancer

I love ballerina wrap sweaters like this.  I also love these waxed denim pants. I love them together, provided you are fit enough to pull off wearing skinny ass pants with a top that does not cover your hips and upper thighs.  It's a pretty and romantic look for fall that isn't sickly sweet.  I also love that this whole outfit is under $60 at H&M.

Under $20 Alert! Mod and Navy

Get thee to your local H&M!  This adorable little dress is only $19.95!  I totally own a nearly identical Theory dress, which was sadly about 10 times the price of this dress.  It is definitely not 10 times more awesome.  I am kinda peeved about that now.

Check it!

Receipe Review: The Best Broccoli of Your Life.

So this recipe I found on the Amateur Gourmet for Roasted Broccoli claims to be the "Best Broccoli of Your Life."  Yeah, it was pretty damn good.  It is simple and fast too.  Just cut up some broccoli, toss with a little olive oil and coarse salt and throw on some sliced garlic.  It cooks in about 20 minutes.  There are some optional ingredients (like cheese), most of which I left out of mine.

Very good? Yes.  Was it the best broccoli of my life?  I am not sure about that.  Maybe if I added cheese...


Pregame Fall With a New Pair of Boots

I know Steve Madden shoes are basically for teenagers.  I know I am not a teenager.  That is beside the point.  Two years ago I bought essentially these boots (the 2 years ago version) and they are still amazing (though slightly caked with mud because of my work conditions).  So amazing, that I am thinking about getting a second pair.  Especially since they are on sale for $95.40.  The cognac color is gorgeous and the quality is surprisingly nice, especially for this price.



Buy 'em!

Rainbow Push Cakes

This is a few days old, but I kept thinking about how stinking cute it is, so I had to post it!

These push cakes from Simply Creative Insanity are so stinkin' cute and surprisingly easy.  Just box cake mix, food color and frosting, plus these cute little containers sold on Etsy.

Check out the how-to!

Forever Fridays: Lace Sweatshirt, Sure Why Not

I don't know why, but for some reason this speaks to me.  I am not sure what it's saying.  Maybe: "Damn, you crazy girl.  I am a lace sweatshirt!"  But for some reason, I just think it's kinda cute.

buy it

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Shit I Love: MAC Mineralize


Mineralize Foundation
So on account of el crazypants diet I just finished up, I have discovered a few awesome things as of late.  First and foremost: MAC Mineralize line.  Because of the way the HCG diet works, you aren't allowed to use any beauty products or cosmetics that have oils or fats in them (except mineral oil).  At this stage in life (mostly because I get to work at 6AM), I don't wear a ton of makeup.  But (also mostly because I get to work at 6AM) I do rely on concealer.  Usually, I just swipe on a little concealer, bronzer and mascara and I am good (enough) to go.  So since most concealers and foundations are made with fats and oils, I was gonna have to do without.  

Luckily, one of my ladyfriends is way more into makeup than I am and alerted me to the fact that MAC now has a mineral line.  Sweet! Time for a trip to the mall.  So after trying basically all of the items in the mineralize line, and scrutinizing the ingredients lists to the best of my ability, I settle on a foundation, a dark shadow to use as an eyeliner, a shadow duo, and a bronzer.  Whoops I guess I went a little overboard.  So I used to use MAC's foundation  and pressed powder all the time back in the day because I loved the coverage and whatnot.  But as of late, I just phased foundation and powder out of my life.  The mineralize foundation is nice for gals who aren't really "foundation" gals because its a little lighter than MAC's other foundations.  It has SPF 15 and goes on really smooth and light.  The coverage is pretty without looking too made up.  Nice.

Smoked Ruby
So I also got the Smoked Ruby shadow to use as an eyeliner.  It's a mish mosh of metallic dark red and black, but mostly black.  It makes a gorgeous almost black liner when applied wet, and also makes a pretty awesome smokey shade when applied dry if you're into that thing.  The other stuff I got was great, but these two were my favorites of all of my mineralize booty.

Shit I Love: Eyelash Extensions.

So there is this place by work.  It is not a fancy place.  It is definitely not in a fancy area.  But it is pretty fabulous in my book.  That place is KT Nails.  About a month ago when I started on the HCG diet to lose the love pounds I picked up living with Boyfriend, I had to make a few life changes.  Because of the way the HCG diet works, you aren't allowed to use any beauty products or cosmetics that have oils or fats in them (except mineral oil).  Now, I don't wear a ton of makeup on a regular basis, but there is one thing I couldn't live with out.  Mascara.  I have kinda puny eyelashes that are lighter on the tips so I feel kinda naked without mascara.  Vanity, thy name is Sisyphus.  
 
So the thought of going a month without mascara or other makeup seemed pretty problematic.  It's bad enough I was feeling chubby and frumpy on account of the extra pounds.  

In walks KT Nails (found via yelp).  They offer lashes ranging from $17-$80 for a full set.  The $17 ones are big clumps of lashes that they put on and kinda look like halloween or a drag show.  The $80 ones are the individual lashes that are applied 1 by 1.  The $40 ones are little clumps of 3 lashes each, but they don't wing out side to side like the $17 version.  I picked the $40 ones, figuring if they looked too cheap, I would maybe switch up to the $80 ones.  To my surprise, they look totally awesome.  To me, they look just like the ones that are applied 1 by 1, just half the price.  They are gloriously long and flirty, but they are not full drag show lashes.  Also, touch ups are only $8-$12 depending on how many lashes you lost in between visits.  After about 3 weeks, I needed $10 worth of touch up work.  I think they are worth the price just for the time saved on not having to put on or take off mascara every day.  Plus they are way better looking than my natural lashes with mascara.

KT Nails is located at 506 W. Chapman, Placentia, CA 92870.  (714) 854-9084.  Walk ins are totally welcome.

Britney's Backstage Beauty Secrets (Surprisingly No Mention of McDonalds, Cigarettes or Starbucks)

So over at Allure they just posted an article about Britney Spears' backstage "beauty secrets."  Naturally, I clicked on the link to see what they could possibly have to say. I am drawn to Britney news much like I am drawn to pics of 3 legged chihuahua puppies.  They are both cute, but sad and kinda fucked up and make me ask God: "If you are out there, why did you let this happen?"

Anyhow, the article was pretty boring and didn't say anything notable except that they use men's concealer on her. MEN'S CONCEALER!  First things first.  Men's concealer exists.  Ok, fine, its 2011 and everyone probably could use a little concealer on their wedding day, so I get it.  Second. Why does Britney need men's concealer?  5 o'clock shadow? Razor burn?  I understand that you need to use much stronger makeup for the stage than real life, but it seems weird to me that there were no female concealers strong enough for La Brit. 

Someone should probably alert ProActiv.

There is no K in Collection

God save us all.  The Kardashians have launched their "Kollection" at Sears.  The good news is I don't go into Sears very often, except when pricing electronics or appliances (yeah, yeah, I admitted I occasionally venture into Sears - gotta love the 'burbs).  Anyhow, so before I looked at said Kollection, I was thinking to myself "Self, maybe if the Kardashians didn't insist on replacing all of the C's in the world with K's I wouldn't dislike them so much."  

Horrid Kjumper
Horrid Kpants
Then I looked at the Kollection.  And I remembered why I dislike them.  Overpriced Trash.  How fitting.  If you have been to this site before, you know that I have no problem with discount retailers like  H&M and Forever 21 (ok, some problems).  I think there is a very real need in the marketplace for what  I call Disposable Closables.  Fashion for the People.  The slutty drunk people mostly, but still people.

But the difference between F21 and H&M and the Kardashian Kollection is... well there are two main differences that strike me.  1.  At least I can find some acceptable items at F21 and H&M.  2. The price points!  I want to know what Sears shopper is prepared to drop 99 bones on a tacky jumper or a tacky pair of sequined trashbag pants.  I have spent way more than $99 on a pair of pants or an outfit before, but gosh, I at least felt like I was getting something for my money.  Perhaps they were inspried by the words of the fabulous Ms. Dolly Parton, "It costs a lot of money to look this cheap."

On the bright side, if they keep throwing K's in front of everything, it makes it easier to discern what shit to stay away from.

Recipe: Skinny Minnie Strawberry Sorbet

So, as you may know, I have been on a little bit of a diet lately.  Today is my first day of maintenance,and altogether I think the diet has been really successful.  As of today, I have lost 17.5 pounds in just under a month.  I am not totally in the clear though.  I still have 3 weeks of maintenance with no carbs or sugar (though most fruit is allowed- hooray!) to make sure that I stabilize at this weight (+/- 2 pounds).

But anyways, back to the point of this post.  Maintenance means I can start adding back in a wider variety of food.*  Which means fun, skinny minnie recipes, like this super easy and delicious strawberry sorbet.**  Easy is an understatement - it   doesn't even begin to describe how easy this is.  

Ingredients:

7 medium strawberries
1/2 lemon
2-3 drops of Vanilla Creme Liquid Stevia***

Directions:
1. Remove stem from strawberries (duh), and cut in quarters (not really necessary, but it speeds things up).
2. Squeeze the juice of 1/2 of a lemon directly into knock off magic bullet blender (watch out for seeds!)
3. Add Strawberries and Stevia to taste
4. Blend
5. Freeze

Because this makes a perfect single serving portion, it freezes super fast (yay for Ziploc mini containers, this one was the perfect size!).  Mine set to the perfect amount of freeziness while I took a long bath.  The end  product was just the perfect amount of sweet and tart.  I can't wait to try it with other seasonal fruits.

*Note:  This recipe is actually allowed in Phase 2 and Phase 3 (Maintenance) of the diet.
**Note: Fat is allowed in moderation during maintenance, so some of my recipes will have fat, just not carbs or added sugar.
***Per the HCG diet, liquid stevia is the only sweetener allowed.  If you are not following the HCG diet, you can throw in a little splenda, or if you are feeling really crazy, a little bit of real sugar.

Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Oh Holy Crap! Missoni for Target Update!

Update: Missoni for Target arrives in stores and online September 13!


Now that I am able to form full sentences regarding the matter, let me tell you, I am pretty damn stoked about this.  I think this looks like it might end up being one of the better Target collaborations.


See the whole lookbook over at Fashionista.


Fall Tall Tales

Yay for Old Navy carrying cute fall tops in tall sizes.  There is nothing worse than finding a top that would be soooo cute, if only it were a little longer.  However.  Boo to Old Navy for not carrying these tees in a size tall small. (Especially because their sizes run big)



Buy it here.

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

The Other Middleton Girl


If La Duchess Kate's dress is not your cup of tea, or if you want to look like a linebacker, ABS has also knocked off Pippa's dress.



Available in black or white.






Royal Princess.

So I probably find this hilarious in part because I was not a fan of La Duchess Kate's wedding dress.  But I just find it that much more hilarious since the style is called "Royal Princess" so there is no confusion.  I am just imagining the look on my face if I was a guest at a wedding and the bride busted out in this cheeseball copy.

I am not sure if it's meant to be an inexpensive ($1,110) wedding dress or an expensive halloween costume.