Pumpkin Spice Muffins recipe

This recipe is on a Philosophy Pumpkin Spice shower gel.  It's too bad that shower gel is packed full of chemicals.  This is a yummy recipe!  I reorganised the ingredients order so I know what goes where :)

These four ingredients go into the same bowl; mix together:

1/2 cup butter (melted or soft) both ways work!
1/2 cup cooked pumpkin
1/3 cup buttermilk (I substitute with soymilk & lemon juice)
2 eggs slightly beaten

Combine these ingredients in another bowl; mix together:

2 cups flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground ginger

Preheat oven to 400˚F

Combine all ingredients together and mix well.  Spoon batter into greased muffin pan (or in the cupcake holders) Bake 15-20 minutes.

These can be made organic easily if you purchase organic ingredients.  I love putting some cream cheese frosting on top, I buy a mix from Whole Foods (I haven't looked up a recipe for this, but I should have!)

Enjoy.

Lily Lolo = Love

Have I expressed my love for Lily Lolo yet?  Have I mentioned how much I love the name?  Did you know it started in England?  Where do I begin... well, first of all, I haven't tried all of the Lily Lolo products yet, but I've tried many!  I have experimented with some other mineral brands and I do not love them like I love Lily Lolo mineral cosmetics.  My next blog post will mention Bare Minerals and why I dubbed it "devil dust", so stay tuned.

I was first introduced to Lily Lolo via a makeup tutorial on YouTube.  I was intrigued right away, therefore, Googling away.  I found the website and began to look around at all the products.  I was estatic that samples could be ordered for most products!  I placed an order of samples and received them the following week (not bad from England to the States!) I ordered foundation, blush, setting powder and cover-up samples and the foundation sample pots are a great size (perfect for travelling as well.)  I still have the PeepO cover up sample and lots of the blush colours left.  I had to try them right away and after an hour of wearing them, I was hooked.

My face did not itch... did NOT itch, after wearing it outside in the hot southern sun (I've lived in the south for two years... hate the heat and the sun.)  My face was not greasy looking, but had a nice glow.  It stayed on and didn't wear off, most excellent!  The Translucent Silk finishing powder was also great, kept shine down and didn't look cakey.  My husband was sweet and ordered me the Lily Lolo Basics Kit and the Parma Violet eyeshadow for our one year wedding anniversary.  I love the packaging too, it's not as messy as other mineral makeup packaging.  The minerals don't pour out at you and sprinkle themselves all over the bathroom countertops and floor.

I really enjoy the PeepO cover up for underneath my eyes.  I like to mix it with my eyecream or I'll mix a little water with it before applying it with my concealer brush.  I used to use the cult favourite Cle de Peau concealer in Ivory, but tossed it ($69 concealer in the trash, under 1/2 remaining) because it was full of filth.  I gently press a little of foundation over PeepO and amazingly, it covers so well!  If I do need a little more coverage, I'll use my Nvey Eco concealer (which happens to make an excellent eyeshadow base... just set it with a setting powder from Lily Lolo, add eyeshaow and voila!) 

What I love about the blushes is that not only are there beautiful colours, but you can use them as eyeshadows or mix them with a clear gloss to create a colour lipgloss.  Genius!  Multi-tasking products, who doesn't love that?

Give Lily Lolo a try, I can't wait to order more prodcuts :)  I wonder what they're working on next...

is it cold yet?

I've been so lazy with blogging and it's ridiculous.  I have the time.  I've had from last Sunday through next Thursday off.  It has been amazing :)  I have discovered Netflix, a two week free subscription through the x-box 360 or whatever it's called.  I watched a movie that Helena Bonham Carter was in from 1985 (A Room with a View), it was only her second movie and I saw three naked men splashing around in a pond.  I really enjoyed watching I Capture the Castle (based on a novel.)  A Room with a View is also based on a novel, I would like to read them.


So, autumn has arrived!  Unfortunately where I live, it still feels like summer and it makes me miserable.  It's too hot and it's uncomfortable. 

I miss...

Seeing the leaves on the trees turn colour. 
The smell of wet leaves. 
The look of bare trees.
Grey skies.
The wind whistling outside.
Dressing in jumpers and trousers.
Lake Michigan violently waving.
and so, so much more.

I had a Starbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte last weekend.  I'm not a huge Starbucks fan and I'm always disappointed that their drinks are inconsistent.  This was the first Pumpkin Spice Latte of the season, I'll probably have one more once it gets cold.  It didn't feel right drinking it when it was hot outside.  Granted, I was in Barnes and Noble and it is chilly inside, still... wasn't quite the same.  Right then, I shall get blogging on some other things... cheers!

Bonnie Wright at the London premiere for Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

Who else was loving Bonnie Wright's looks at the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince premieres?! She looked absolutely lovely in London, NYC, Denmark, and Poland! Who is her makeup artist?! I want to know and I want to know what products she used! I'm going to post a photo of Bonnie at the London premiere and tell you how to get her look.

Bonnie is young with gorgeous skin and doesn't need to masque it with heavy foundation. You have the option of using a face primer which helps smooth out fine lines (if you have them), pores, and helps your makeup stay on longer. A tinted moisturiser will even out skin and give it a lovely glow. Skincare is absolutely a necessity and Bonnie likes to use organic skincare products from Ren and Neal's Yard Remedies (as do I.) I think it's important to set a tinted moisturiser with a translucent loose powder; it helps to set it and absorb shine. If you have oily skin, use a mineral powder foundation.

Her cheeks are a lovely, beautiful nude flush without being brown. You can use a cream or powder blusher, but if you have dry cheeks a cream blusher is the way to go and if you have oily skin, a powder will do. To intensify the colour you can apply the cream blusher first and apply a same colour powder on top. To keep the cream blush on longer, use a translucent loose powder and/or the same colour powder blush on top of the cream.

Bonnie's makeup artist gave her beautiful smoky eyes. Always prime the eyelids with an eye primer. This helps your eyeshadow stay on longer without creasing. You can dust on either a nude matte eyeshadow or translucent loose powder if you don't want the dark (black or dark grey) eyeshadow to be so intense. Apply black liquid liner on the top and wing it out ever so slightly. Use a black eyeliner pencil or the black or dark grey eyeshadow applied wet on the bottom. Use a silver pencil in the inside corner of your eyes to make them appear bigger and to make the eyes not so dark. Apply two coats of black mascara, primer optional! Mascara on your bottom eyelashes is also optional (I never do it because my bottom, lashes are long and get tangled with the top lashes.)

Bonnie sports a nude lip and a lipgloss is perfect! Now, if we could have beautiful red tresses like that…

So... products that would work for this look:

PRIMER
* Korres Face Primer (silicone-free and eco-cert certified)

FACE
* Boots No7 Soft & Sheer Tinted Moisturiser
* The Body Shop Glow Enhancer
* Lily Lolo mineral foundation (for oily skin)

POWDER
* Lily Lolo Translucent Silk finishing powder

BLUSH
* Chanel Nude blush
* Mark Nude cream blush
* Korres Natural blush
* Lancome Miel Glace blush

EYESHADOW PRIMER
* Urban Decay Primer Potion
* Chanel Professional Eye Shadow Base in Beige

EYESHADOW
* Korres 11 Base eyeshadow (optional)
* Korres 54 Dark Grey eyeshadow
* Lily Lolo Witchypoo eyeshadow

EYELINER
* Korres Black or Grey Long-Lasting Eyeliner pencil
* Korres Silver Eyeliner pencil

MASCARA
* Rimmel Sexy Curves
* YSL Volume Effect Faux Cils
* Lancome L’Extrême

LIPS
Korres Naked Beige lipgloss

These are just my suggestions as to what I think would work to achieve her look at the London premiere. I can’t wait to see more of her and her work. And maybe someday soon, we’ll find out products that were used and what she favours from Ren and Neal’s Yard Remedies. Thanks for reading! Cheers!

Korres, NaturallyThinking, 2-Nature, & Lily Lolo

Alright, so I’m currently sitting outside and the heat is bearable… ooo, a nice breeze just came through! The sky is overcast and I love it! I feel happiest in grey weather, odd isn’t it? I do like the sun, but my porcelain skin burns easily. Tomorrow I’ll write about an excellent organic sunscreen from Australia! I’ve bought two tubes already.

So, UPS came about an hour ago with my Korres package! I ordered the Milk Proteins 3 in 1 cleansing emulsion and new Abyssinia mascara in brown. I’ve used the Milk Proteins 3 in 1 cleansing emulsion for quite sometime. This is my 3^rd bottle. I’ve used the Dr. Hauschka Cleansing Milk and I like it (Dr. Hauschka has amazing products), but I feel like my skin likes the Korres better (not as heavy.) I don’t have oily skin, combination with a few spots. At night, I take a little bit in the palm of my hand and rub it into my skin, then rinse with warm water. I then take the same amount of cleanser in my hand and massage it in and cleanse my skin with my Clarisonic. It’s amazing! Really deep cleans and gently exfoliates my face without being too harsh. I applied the Abyssinia mascara and so far I like it. My eyes aren’t itching and it gives volume and length. www.korres.com

Where has that cool breeze gone off to? I’m inside now because I saw a creepy looking hornet/wasp. It was possibly my fault as I spritzed some pure organic rose floral water on my face.

NaturallyThinking. I first heard of this brand through YouTube by a lovely gal alissaevelyn. Check her out. She’s sweet, funny, & very helpful. While watching one of her video’s she mentioned to tone with rose floral water. Brilliant! Why? It’s cheaper then most toners and does a better job, doesn’t sting skin or dry it out. Rose water is also naturally calming. I ordered rose and lavender floral waters along with a lavender face scrub. I love all of it. “Lavender water is an excellent tonic on the skin when you have blemishes, uneven skin tone or mild acne. The anti-bacterial properties help to kill bacteria in the skin and the toning natural goes deep down into the pores without clogging.” I use the Lavender water at night and the rose water in the morning. I also ordered glass bottles (they were so cute and inexpensive!) I was also happy that NaturallyThinking posts to the States. Check out the site: http://www.naturallythinking.com/

2Nature Organic Hemp Seed Oil Face Cream is ah-mazing! I also heard about this from alissaevelyn on YouTube. This cream contains English Daisy oil which helps free blocked pores, re-hydrates and intensifies metabolic activity of the skin, Can even aid with removal of spots. I love using this at nighttime because it’s not heavy and helps with spots! I like to use the Korres Wild Rose moisturiser during the day (again, not to heavy and helps brighten my skin.) The 2Nature organic moisturiser comes in a huge tube, 160ml or 5.41 ounces. This costs £5.95 or about $10.12. Check it out: http://www.2-nature.co.uk/face-cream.html

Lily Lolo… I’m shocked at how much I like the products already and it’s only day two! Unlike the devil dust, which I refer to Bare Minerals as, Lily Lolo doesn’t contain Bismuth Oxychloride. That ingredient can cause itchiness. Lily Lolo doesn’t feel as heavy and covers better. The Translucent Silk doesn’t feel itchy either (Bare Minerals mineral veil made my skin itch!) It’s a light and lovely setting powder. The blush samples that I have are nice & Doll Face is so pretty used as a lip colour mixed with a clear gloss. Overall, a wonderful product and I’m excited to purchase full sizes. http://www.lilylolo.co.uk/

I happen to love English beauty products! I think Europeans know what they’re talking about when it comes to skincare and makeup.

Has anyone tried Neal’s Yard Remedies products? I ordered a sample size of a moisturiser from Ebay and will get it next week.

tired tuesday

I'm horrible at blogging lately, argh! I want to blog on my little balcony during the day, but it's so hot outside! 98°Fahrenheit or to some of you, 36.6° Celsius. & the humidity is high too, unbearable. & then these hornets come flying at me, but I'm told by my friend that those aren't hornets, they're wasps. WHAT? The state that I'm from, those are hornets, but apparently there are different types of wasps (which I knew.) Creepy. I've been stung by a hornet on my foot and it cramped up and I cried.

I will be updating tomorrow because I've received lots of goodies from the UK in the post this week and last week. I can't wait to write about them! I've received parcels from NaturallyThinking, 2Nature, and Lily Lolo. I'm LOVING everything. So, I'm off to bed to read Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire and to eat a frozen banana dipped in milk chocolate (I know it's late to eat, but I really want one.)

Ah... I LOVE weekend getaways with my hubby! We're currently in Atlanta having loads of fun. We went to the Lennox Square shopping centre today & I went to the Body Shop & bought two items that I've heard were lovely (by a few different people!) I love this store, Health Unlimited (family owned) because they sell so many organic and natural products. We also were able to sniff the new Creed fragrance, Acqua Fiorentina... yummy. But I still like my Creed Spring Flower & Love In White a little bit better. Faizan & I are Creed snobs :) We also went into L'Occitane and purchased Rose 4 Reines travel shower gel & lotion & the roll-on eau de toilette... smells so lovely. The girl working there that helped us is from London, but said her dad has lived in Atlanta since she was 2. I love British accents. It makes me miss my friends in London (whom I haven't seen in a few years.)

Speaking of which... I told my mum that we need to fly to London next year, so we're saving our pennies. We were there in '98, SO long ago! I remember Harrod's, New Look, & Tesco... along with various castles & Lego Land. I would love to move there... convincing Faizan is another story :)

Tonight we met up with Faizan's former colleague & his wife for dinner at Biro's. Yummy food. We had a lovely chat & then departed ways. We walked to Barnes & Noble bookstore & bought lap desks & books. Well, I bought the UK Marie Claire (I already subscribe to Marie Claire & a few others.) Hopefully, next year we'll be living in Atlanta *crosses fingers*

Tomorrow morning, we are going to Virginia Highlands to get iced coffee at Aurora Coffee! I LOVE coffee, but I drink it about 2 or 3 times a week if that. I don't want a caffeine addiction! We might also stop at the Atlanta Cupcake Factory, yum! I don't want to leave tomorrow... this weekend was so nice!

I plan on writing some skincare reviews this week!