Kiss My Face

I half mentioned in my "comeback post" that one of the things I've become obsessed with in 2013 are my choices in household and beauty products. And obsessed really is a good word. I feel almost OCD over it all, and even if I tried, I don't think i could get myself to stop.

This is that part where I could get up on a soapbox and preach about the evils of animal cruelty and animal testing, but that's not what I'm about, that's not what this blog is about, and I respect everyone's right to make their own decisions. For me, I look down at Tessie and the thought of anyone hurting her is enough to make me fall to pieces. Sooooo, on that note, you may start seeing reviews on products that I've been trying to incorporate more into our daily lives and most of these will include the phrases "cruelty-free" or "no animal testing." Like this one.

I ran across Kiss My Face while looking for a cruelty-free sunscreen. My one and only New Year's resolution was to stop tanning since I know it's bad for me, and I'm finally starting to see the effects of it (wrinkles? check. freckles? check). I actually have pretty fair skin, but thanks to the Portuguese on my dad's side of the family, I can rock a wicked tan. But, we all know evetually our sun worship catches up with us, and since summer starts early in SoCal, I needed sunscreen pronto.

Ok, I know you're looking at the picture and thinking...that's not sunscreen. Nope, it's not. I haven't actually used their sunscreen yet. And since I'm a hands-on gal, I wanted to do a sniff test before I committed to anything in the KMF line. Thankfully, our local Henry's carries a nice variety of their products, including their body lotion. Another thing my sisters and I inherited from our dad is ashy skin, so lotion is not a luxury in my beauty routine, it's a necessity! After sticking my nose in a few of the bottles ("Olive & Aloe" was also a contender as was "Mango") I settled on "Peaches and Creme" because it actually smelled like a freshly sliced peach (and with Jason being from Georgia, peaches have a special place in my heart).

As soon as I got home I gave it a try. On first pump, I was nervous because the lotion came out a little thin and liquidy; once I started to apply it though the consistency got thicker as I rubbed it in. All in all I was quite please with the way it felt (and smelled!) on my skin. Although it makes me crave peach cobbler like it's nobody's business!

Overall impression: I'll buy it again, and probably in the other scents as well!

---

Note: I have not been paid, perked, or in any other way endorsed to review Kiss My Face.   

Spring digits

Spring has sprung (finally!) and we're lucky enough to have those gorgeous pink blossoming trees right outside our bedroom window! So I took my cue from mother nature when I visited my favorite local haunt for my favorite way to pamper myself. 

Nubar is a cruelty-free brand that my salon just started carrying, and they have some of the most delicious pastel colors I've ever seen! Like wearing a bag of Easter jelly beans on your fingers and toes! Bonus, it's made without all the harsh chemicals like toluene that traditional polishes pack in their bottles. To spice it up, and play with some of my Pinterest pins, I added a little nail decal post-salon visit. I love the accent nails everyone is wearing lately, although traditionally an accent nail is the ring finger. Since my job involves a lot of pointing, I figured it was worth making sure those nails were the most fancy!

I'm loving this shade! It's like that perfect girly-pink without being too Barbie-pink. And my toes are sporting the matching hue and decal as well (although I offset my piggies, and did the decal on my second toe).

Yay spring!  

Hungarian Cabbage Noodles

So, Jason and I have been pescetarians since 2007. Aside from the odd craving for ribs (we could pack away some ribs!), we don't miss red meat. I know some of you are gawping in shock thinking of steak or prime rib right now, but we were never big meat eaters to begin with so it wasn't a huge leap to cut it out of our diets. As a result, we've been the recipients of many vegetarian cook books from our loving (but think we're pretty crazy) families.

This is the one I'm digging right now. The recipes are super fast, super easy, and at only 5-ingredients per recipe, I'm not shopping for a bunch of random items I'll use once and then throw away when they've rotted in the fridgidator (no that's not a typo, that's actually what I call it).

I've tagged a bunch of recipes to try out (some of the smoothies have me stupid excited, which feels odd the say about food), so with each grocery trip, I'm trying to include one or two new meals into our usual rotation. Recently we tried this one (we changed this recipe up a little to suit our preferences, and to use what we had on hand; our "changes" will be noted in blue).

Basic Ingredients

2 tablespoons light olive oil

1 large onion, quartered and thinly sliced

1 16-ounce bag shredded cabbage coleslaw (or small head of cabbage)

12-ounces wide egg noodles, preferably yolk free

1 tablespoon poppy seeds, or as needed (we used toasted sesame seeds)

1. Heat the oil in an extra-wide skillet or stir fry pan. Add the onion and saute over medium heat until golden. Add the cabbage and a small amount of water; cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until the cabbage is limp and just beginning to brown lightly, 10 to 12 minutes. I also added a splash of soy sauce for a little extra flavor.

2. Meanwhile, cook the noodles according to the package directions and drain. Transfer to a large serving container.

3. Add the cabbage mixture and poppy seeds (or sesame seeds) to the noodles and toss gently but thoroughly. Season to taste with salt and lots of pepper, and serve.

The dish may seem a little bland at first, but if you brown your onion to where it's almost caramelized  it adds a very sweet flavor to the noodles. Next time Jason and I want to add other veggies like celery, mushrooms, and maybe even broccoli. A little splash of teriyaki sauce and it gives it even more of a stir-fry feel!