20 Beauty Facts/Confessions

I've been tagged on Facebook by a friend to discuss 20 fun facts about me in regards to beauty :-)  Those who know me know that makeup holds special spot in my heart...so here we go!

1. I was not allowed to wear makeup until I was 15, and even then it was only lip gloss and mascara.  I was and am always fascinated by watching others put makeup on or doing their hair.
2. Growing up, my mom and grandma weren't much of makeup mavens.  My grandma never wore makeup in my presence.  I loved how she described how blush was lovingly applied to her cheeks in two little red circles for her wedding day in the late 40s in China.  My mom's makeup and skincare routine: pluck stray hairs from eyebrows; religiously moisturize night and day, occasional pinky shade of lipstick and cream blush.  THAT'S IT.
3. Although I have proper skincare products, I am not as diligent as I should in terms of moisturizing and protecting (SPF) as I should.  I shall make it a resolution.  BUT, I always take care to remove all my makeup and wash my face before I go to bed.  NEVER SLEEP IN YOUR MAKEUP!!!
4. After high school I wasn't terribly concerned about make, not for a long time.  I had jobs that it wasn't practical to wear, and I couldn't really feasibly be splurging on it often anyway.  Thinking of it now, that was a bit of a sad life.  Not that I couldn't afford makeup, but because of my work schedule, the lack of interaction with friends and such.
5. When I was around 12 or 13, I desperately wanted to shave my legs--they were pretty hairy.  I was embarrassed at gym class.  So, I decided enough was enough...and snuck a new disposable razor from my grandpa's supply and lathered up with some conditioner and shaved it all off.  Mom soon noticed, but it had been done... ;-)
6. I did my own makeup for my senior prom.  Luckily, I didn't have much of a concern in the pimple department.  In the early teens, I had some tiny little pimples along my hairline but they cleared up after a couple years.  I do occasionally still get a couple, but mostly as a PMS thing.  Anyway, prom look consisted of mascara, purple shade, a little powder and pink gloss.  Hahaha.  I think I looked great! ;-)  I loved that I looked natural, but still pretty--not like the full crazy faces like teens today going to prom.
7. When I was a teen, it was wildly popular to pluck your eyebrows into very thin arches.  My natural brows cover a large part of area, but I have cleaned up under the current brows as the hairs there are very sparse.  At the time, I wanted to have thin, skinny brows but my mom said no.  Thankfully I listened to her and never plucked them into two tiny lines!  I know some ladies who over-plucked back in the day and now struggle to always fill in their brows now, especially since fuller brows are in.
8. I was never much of a foundation person.  I always just used tinted moisturizers and BB creams.  I don't really have any imperfections to cover, but I have noticed a little redness on my cheeks and sometimes on my nose and below my mouth.
9. I am not a fan of the full-coverage foundation look.  A sheerer coverage will allow your freckles show, and I feel that it is less work.  The more "perfect" of a canvas is, the more you have to do to bring life to your face: a lot of blush, contour, highlight that looks pretty time consuming to do.
10. Even though I love makeup now, I don't often wear it.  I may wear it once or twice a week, and I like watch YouTube videos to try new techniques.  Sometimes the beauty vloggers/bloggers will convince me to buy certain products but not too often.  I will try to make a particular look/technique work with what I have already, which I think many people would consider it a sizable collection.
11. I use a variety of drugstore and "mid-range" cosmetics.  I would consider the likes of Chanel or YSL to be "luxury" brands of cosmetics.  Most of my higher end products are ones that can be purchased at Macy's or Sephora/Ulta.
12. I was not overly concerned about makeup until recent years.  Now I have more opportunities to do some fun looks, afford some products and have time to experiment.  I feel I am obsessed now!
13. My first "high-end" palette was the Glamour to Go by Too Faced.  Too Faced has remained my favorite brand, I have several of their eye palettes.  The other brand that basically fills out my palette collection is Urban Decay.  Skincare is by Shiseido, love the cream cleanser.  I think I may need to consider a more affordable brand as it is just getting washed down the drain.  I shall consider Asian Biore cream cleansers--I did use them as a teen and loved them but I can't read Chinese so mom had to pick out for me lol.
14. The eyeshadow palette that I reach for most often has to be Too Faced Natural Eyes.  MY FAVORITE!!!  Second most commonly used palette is Urban Decay's original Naked.
15. Drugstore brands I like: NYX, Maybelline for mascara, Revlon.  Since I hardly ever wear makeup, you won't see me buying too many face products--they take me forever to finish!  I love NYX and Revlon lipsticks.  I do have ONE MAC lipstick which is gorgeous, but I love some variety and lots of different reds and pinks to choose from--the Round lipsticks from NYX and Revlon allows for lots of choices at a reasonable price.
16. I'm also a nail polish junkie!  When I was younger, I had a lot of Revlon and Sally Hansen polish but my go-tos nowadays in the nail department are: Zoya, China Glaze and OPI.  I tend to go for fuchsia/deep brighter pinks, reds, purples, deep blues, greens and some black/gray shades.  I do have one orange shade, but no yellow.  I don't think I've found a yellow that I think would look good on me.  Generally I prefer brights and jewel tones.  I try to like pastels, but they don't seem to look right.  Also, I love shimmer and glitter, you'll find that my collection does not have many cream colors.
17. I didn't learn how to curl my hair until I was well into my 20s.  My sister, she got the makeup/beauty bug a lot time ago but she wasn't very forthcoming in helping or sharing her secrets!
18. I love watching beauty videos online, but I don't think I have really found any beauty blogger who has similar features--even though I have some yellow-tones, I feel I am pretty neutral--I tend to choose silver toned jewelry over gold.  Gold looks washed out on me.  Anyway, I love watching Promise Phan, Michelle Phan, Makeup by Tiffany D, From Head to Toe, DulceCandy.  So if there are any Asian beauty gurus to watch who have more of an almond eye shape rather than monolid...let me know!
19. I just had one blush color until recently!  I splurged and purchased a NARS blush in Amour and have been using that for a long time.  The NARS is definitely worth the price, it is very pigmented and a little goes a long way so one compact will last a long time.  I recently ordered some NYX powder blushes.  At a fraction of the price, I feel the colors are gorgeous and easy to wear, you can build it.  Fun, flushed cheeks for $5 each color.
20. I can never justify spending more than $5 on a tube/pot of lipgloss.  I am horrible at not losing them so if I picked a up fancy one, I'd be so sad if I lost it!
21. BONUS!  Makeup faux pas that leave me wanting to wipe someone's face and helping them with their makeup:
1. Messy eyeliner.
2. Any makeup that is not well-blended.
3. Exaggerated and rather unnatural looking brows that have been drawn on.
4. Lips that are overdrawn, horribly exaggerated.
5. Red or bright yellow eyeshadow...don't know what is about them that I can't stand!

Spring Update

I've said it before, but I am quite possibly the worst blogger ever!

The last few weeks have given me plenty of time time think, reflect and re-prioritize.  I've been sick--tummy troubles with no explanation just yet.  I have an appointment with my primary care doctor next Thursday after having visited urgent care over a week ago.  The day in which I have answers can't come soon enough.  I've had stomach pains in the past but they never lasted more than a couple days, and I'd be good as new.  But not this time.

During this time, I really learned some new things about me:

• Despite the fact that I struggle with eating well and finding myself at the gym regularly at times, I think I have finally developed some good, healthy habits.  I actually missed prepping my meals and going to the gym.
• The body may be fragile at times, but it is actually very resilient.  I realize there are more painful situations in life, but this time, it has really tested me.  I still feel pretty weak and tired due to not much exercise and generally poor diet, but I have some crazy urge to strap on the sports bra and shoes and head out to do something!
• Taking the simple things in life for granted will never happen again.  I have a newfound appreciation for staying home, getting comfy, and possibly, do something I don't often get to do.  It's called getting my room in order.  I have a room in our home that the husband lovingly refers to as the Hen Den.  If I sewed, it would be my sewing room.  Or crafting room, if I crafted.  I guess you can say it's my "home office."  Okay, technically, it's not done yet but it is a lot tidier than it was before.  Surely one is familiar with the whole, "I don't have time to clean up the house for last minute guests, so let's throw everything in this one room/closet to do later" kind of thing but that moment of later is open-ended.
• Spending time with your friends, telling stories and jokes over a simple meal is quite possibly one of my favorite pastimes.  I love that I am finally surrounded by people who want the same things in life--and that we're willing to support each in our individual endeavors.  We had some friends over for our birthday celebration.  I don't mind celebrating both our birthdays together...I mean, it's only 11 days apart!
• I still wanted to cook, even though my stomach hurt and I had very little appetite.  Clearly, my fitness goals have been put aside until I felt better.  I know I still have to eat--and for 2 weeks I was only eating rice porridge and bananas, the only things that I could eat without too much pain.  Health is my priority, now more than ever.  When you're in bed in the fetal position due to the intense pain, you get kind of desperate for relief.  I was getting a bit concerned that I might end up malnourished since I was eating the same old, same old for what seemed like forever.

I am hopeful today.  Being positive and looking for ways to reduce stress are the only ways that can really help this situation, especially since there are no answers yet.

Anyway, being sad never cured anything so here are some happy thoughts:

I made this cake for the birthday celebration.  Chocolate cake, chocolate frosting, and strawberry jam filling.  I got the idea for the decorations from this blog post.  Of course, I got this crazy idea the morning of our birthday brunch.  Probably should have practiced beforehand--I wasn't sure if it was going to look good but the friends seemed to like it.  It isn't bad but it could be a lot neater.  The frosting was probably a little thinner than desired for this type of decor.  Either way, we were so glad to have spent time with our friends :-)

I do love me some pretty roses.  We have three rose bushes in front of our house.  I have no green thumb whatsoever but apparently rose bushes are quite sturdy.  Or, maybe I am lucky!  The white rose bush is a tall and slender plant, there aren't usually a lot of blossoms at any given time, not like the two other bushes.  Either way, I snapped this pic this morning of a gorgeous white rose.  The picture is the epitome of spring in my book.  Growth.  Renewal.  Cleansing.  Changing my mindset of how I look at myself has definitely changed me for the better.  I see the beauty in things and people more than I ever did.  Learning to see the good, rather than criticize the bad is a great lesson for all.  I'm going to try to uplift and inspire others, rather than judge them.

Since this is an update, there must be goals.  This coming Monday I am resuming my workout schedule.  I have already resumed my healthy eating habits and dealing with the pain.  I feel getting back to my routine will be good for me.  At least until my doctor tells me otherwise.  Between now and July 2, I need to get my act together in terms of sticking with my year's fitness goals.  I don't care to be a flabby blob any longer!  I love how my body is shaping up, how much stronger I am.  Sure, there is an opportunity to look hot in a swimsuit this year.  2014 is the year I finally come out of my shell and wear a bikini in public.  Yes, it's going to happen!

Also, I hope to carve out more time to blog.  I don't always find healthy ways to express myself, I think writing posts can help me sort my thoughts and straighten things out.  That's the name of the game: finding new, healthy habits, to improve myself more a little each day.

♥ ♥ ♥,

connie

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

Chocolate Cranberry Bars

We were invited to a Super Bowl party this past Sunday.  As one of my New Year's Resolution, it only made sense to pick something that I had pinned on my Pinterest boards.  I came across a Cranberry Bliss Bar recipe, but I only had bittersweet and semisweet chocolate.  So I decided to give the recipe a semisweet chocolate twist.  I had never had a Cranberry Bliss Bar from Starbucks, and I am not much of a white chocolate fan, but I suspect I might like them!  I really liked how these turned out.  Without frosting, that would be a lovely breakfast treat.  The recipe included for the icing, I felt was too much icing.  Maybe if the icing recipe was reduced by 1/4 to 1/3, it would be better for me.  I liked the richness of the cream cheese, sweetness and firm bite of the cookie combined with the tartness of the cranberries.  I would definitely make this again, perhaps with the original white chocolate, or maybe with a bittersweet variation.

The original recipe did not indicate how many pieces it makes, but I cut mine into 24 triangles, but maybe 36 bars would be better considering that this is a very rich dessert.

Bars:
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

12 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup dried cranberries
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips

• Heat the oven to 350°F.  Line 13x9" baking pan with foil; spray with nonstick cooking spray; set aside.
• In medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder and salt.  Add butter to microwave safe bowl; microwave until melted.  Whisk in sugar until completely incorporated.  Set aside to cool to room temperature.
• When butter mixture is cool, whisk in eggs until well combined and then vanilla.  Add flour mixture to butter mixture gradually; beating on low speed just until combined.  Batter will be thick.  Gently stir in cranberries and chocolate.
• Transfer dough to prepared pan; press into pan evenly.  Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until tester comes out clean from the center.  Transfer pan to wire rack; let cool completely.

Frosting:
6 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 8 ounce package cream cheese, softened
1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 cup dried cranberries, coarsely chopped

• Microwave chocolate in small glass bowl for 30 second rounds at medium speed; stirring between each until chocolate is melted and smooth; let cool slightly. 
• Combine cream cheese and powdered sugar in mixing bowl; mix with hand mixer until well combined.  Beat in half of chocolate just until incorporated.
• Spread frosting in an even layer over bars with a spatula.  Sprinkle cranberries over frosting and drizzle with remaining chocolate.  Let frosting set.  Cut into squares or triangles for serving.  Store bars in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Peanut Toffee Cookies

Peanut Toffee Cookies

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup old fashioned rolled oats
1 8 ounce package Heath toffee baking bits
1 cup honey roasted peanuts

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large mixing bowl beat butter with electric hand mixer until smooth.  Add sugars; beat until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy.  Add flour mixture; beat just until combined.  Fold in oats, baking bits and peanuts.  Scoop dough onto prepared cookie sheets; bake 8 to 10 minutes or until golden around the edges.


Makes 30 large to 60 small cookies.

Chocolate-White Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate-White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 11 to 12 ounce bag white chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large bowl beat butter until smooth.  Add sugars; beat until fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy.  Add flour mixture; mix just until combined.  Stir in white chocolate chips.  Scoop dough onto prepared cookie sheets 2" apart.  Bake 8 to 20 minutes or until just firm around edges of cookies.  Cool on sheet 1 minute; remove cookies to cooling rack until completely cooled.


Makes 30 large cookies to 60 small cookies.

Coconut Macaroons

Coconut Macaroons

1 14 ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1 14 ounce can sweetened shredded coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 egg whites, room temperature

Heat the oven to 325°F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper; set aside.

Combine coconut, milk and vanilla in a large mixing bowl; set aside.

Place egg whites in a small mixing; beat with electric hand mixer on low until frothy.  Increase speed to medium until soft peaks form.  Increase speed to high until stiff peaks form.  Add egg white mixture to bowl with coconut; fold gently with large rubber spatula until just combined.  Scoop mixture onto prepared baking sheets.  The cookies may be relatively close together as they do not spread much.  Bake 23 to 27 minutes or until golden brown around edges.  Remove cookies from baking sheet immediately to cool completely on cooling racks.


Makes 36 to 40 cookies.

Chunky Jam Streusel Squares

Chunky Streusel Jam Squares

This is a super easy cookie--the dough is made in a food processor and then pressed into a pan; layered with jam and baked.  My favorite flavor of jam is strawberry so I usually use that but I once made it with a pineapple-apricot preserve with good results.  I think this would be good with raspberry jam as well.  The recipe that this is adapted from included chopped nuts and chocolate chips.  I left out the nuts because I am allergic.  I ended up making this without chocolate chips because the first time I made it I forgot the chocolate chips--they were supposed to be layered between the jam and the topping.  We liked it so much we never thought about adding the chocolate chips.

Crust:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 1/2 cups old fashioned rolled oats
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 to 1 cup jam or jelly, warmed in the microwave slightly

Note: This is the recipe for 8x8" pan, makes about 36-49 squares.  If I am making this for the holidays and need a large amount, I'd double the recipe and press the mixture in a 10x15" baking sheet with sides.  To make it easier for me, I make a single batch of the dough and press the entire amount in the baking sheet and repeat a second batch of dough for the top rather than doubling all the ingredients at once and then dividing it for the bottom and top.  Also, I like cutting the squares very tiny because they are quite rich.  Perfect with a cup of coffee or unsweetened hot tea.

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Line a 8x8" baking pan with foil and spray with nonstick spray.

Combine flour, oats, sugars, baking powder and salt and butter in the food processor bowl fitted with dough blade.  Process until mixture is well combined and crumbly.  Place half of the mixture into the prepared dish; press firmly to cover bottom of pan.  Spread with jam.  Crumble remaining dough over the top, spreading evenly and pressing lightly.

Bake 30 tp 35 minutes or until golden on the top.  Let cool completely before cutting into squares.


Makes 36 to 49 squares.

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

I made these with crunchy peanut butter but creamy can be used with great results.

2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 cup crunchy peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In medium bowl sift together flour and baking soda; set aside.

In large bowl place butter; beat with electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add peanut butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar.  Beat until well combined.  Add vanilla and eggs; mix until fluffy.  Add flour mixture; mix just until well combined.  Scoop mixture into evenly sized portions 2" apart on prepared baking sheet.  Bake 9 to 11 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.


Makes 36 large to 72 small cookies.

Oatmeal Cranberry Orange Cookies

Oatmeal Cranberry Orange Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
finely grated zest of 2 oranges
1 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 cups old fashioned rolled oats, uncooked
2 cups dried cranberries (I used Ocean Spray Craisins Original)

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare baking sheets by lining with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In large mixing bowl place butter and orange zest; beat with electric hand mixer on medium speed until smooth.  Add brown sugar; beat until combined.  Add granulated sugar; beat until combined and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla; mix several minutes.  Add flour mix and oatmeal; mix just until combined.  Fold in cranberries.  Scoop dough onto prepared cookie sheets 2" aparts.  Bake 8 to 12 minutes or just until lightly golden on the edges.  Remove cookies to cooling rack to cool completely.


Makes 30 large to 60 small cookies.

Chocolate Chip Cookies

Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Everyone's favorite, this one makes a frequent appearance.  The dough without the chocolate chips has been the base for several other variations.  The recipe below notes semisweet chocolate chips, which is what I use most often but I also like it with bittersweet chocolate chips, makes for a dark and sophisticated twist.  Another favorite variation of this cookie is made with 1 bag of white chocolate chips and 1 cup dried cranberries.

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup golden brown sugar, firmly packed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 11 to 12 ounce bag semisweet chocolate chips

Heat the oven to 350°F.  Prepare baking sheets by covering with parchment paper or silicone baking mat.

In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking soda and salt; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl place butter.  Beat with hand mix on medium until smooth.  Add granulated sugar; mix in.  Add brown sugar; mix in until well combined and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs; beat until very well mixed.  Add flour mixture; mix just until combined.  Stir in chocolate chips.

Scoop dough onto prepared baking sheets 2" apart.  Bake 8 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden on the edges.  The cookies will not look set.


Makes 30 large to 60 small cookies.

Goals and Resolutions for 2014

So, it is 5 days into 2014 and I have yet to write out my goals and resolutions.  For sure, I need to work on my procrastination!  I've listed the things I want to work on and hopefully achieve by the end of 2014.  They are not in any particular order, but they are all of utmost importance to me.

FRIENDSHIPS AND RELATIONSHIPS:

• Learn to listen more carefully.
• Save my opinions for myself unless someone is hurting themselves in a reparable manner.
• Learn to not interrupt!
• Be more willing to try out activities with friends out of my comfort zone, try new things.
• Spend more quality time with people I love and less them dwelling on those who pissed me off.

HEALTHY EATING HABITS:

• Cook/prepare 80% of my meals with fresh, whole ingredients.
• Limit my meals out and junk food, alcohol and other foods that are not very healthful.
• Limit my portions of cookies, candy, cake/cupcakes and other treats.
• Try juicing/smoothies.

FITNESS GOALS:

• Continue exercising at least 3 times a week, 1 hour each session.  Hope to increase to 4 sessions a week this year.
• Start lifting/heavier strength training.
• Train for and participate in a running 5K.
• Reduce body fat to 28-30% of weight.  January 2013 I began at 43% and closed 2013 with 35.6%.

PERSONAL FINANCE:

• Set up a better budget and stick to the plan!  Continue saving in retirement funds and set up emergency funds.
• Reduce waste and maximize efficiency (i.e. stop overspending and making the most of what I do buy).
• Do the 52-week money jar challenge.  Week 1, save $1.  Week 2, save $2.  Week 3, save $3 and so forth.
• Give myself a more concrete incentive to exercise by paying myself $5 for each 1-hour exercise session, $2 for 30-45 minutes, and none for no exercise.  The money will be used for rewards if I stick to my plan.  (Hmm, maybe I need to make it more effective by removing money if I don't do my requisite 3 times a week...)

OTHERS, NO CATEGORY:

• Set up my happiness jar: It'll be a jar in which I add small slips of paper with things that made me happy throughout the year.
• To keep up with my household chores better: to never leave a pile of dishes in the sink and to get all the clean laundry put away quicker.
• Try at least 2 recipes I've pinned on Pinterest each month.
• Adopt a new habit of doing things as I go along rather than putting it off until later, or worse yet, when it's too late.
• Get 7 to 8 hours of sleep nightly.  Try to keep a reasonable sleep routine.

I suppose this is quite a comprehensive list of goals and achievements I hope to accomplish this year, but it is in no way limited to.  My main new motto in life is, "This is a work in progress.  There is always something else to improve."