What was waiting for me when I came home.... + a cooking experiment

While I didn't buy too many things while I was abroad, I did make a couple purchases that I was excited to come home to.  More specifically, this...

Read about the products+ some of my ventures into cooking after the jump!





I remember back in February when Space NK was having a huge sale on Vincent Longo products - and when I say huge, I mean huge.  Products were discounted up to 90% off and when one of my favorite products from them - the Water Canvas Blush - retails for $44, 90% off helps a lot.  I couldn't resist ordering a couple more in the shades Clover Mist and Savannah Fresh.  Even though these retail for so much money, they last for a loong time  My current shade in Aqua Crimson has been going on 3+ years of daily use, and I used it about 2-3x  a week for about a year before that.  I love the texture of these blushes - they're spongey with a watery texture that is always so light and refreshing, yet it manages to last for the entire day.

The next product from Vincent Longo is the Water Canvas Foundation.  Although I've never tried this before, I've heard so many good things about this product.  I'm excited to give this a test run!

I also have heard a lot about the Lip and Cheek Gel Stain.  I've recently become on a huge stain kick recently, especially during the winter when I was craving that perfect flushed look.  Now that it's almost summer, I want to use the stain for a fuss-free look that will stay on for awhile.  I ordered these in the shades Angel's Touch and My Sunshine.  On a complete impulse buy I also added the Perfect Shine Lip Gloss in Dolce, a beautiful shimmery nude shade.

When the Sephora VIB Chic Week sale rolled around, I actually didn't have much that I wanted to order, but I did pick up a few staples.  The Murad Clarifying Cleanser is one of my favorite cleansers, and always manages to prevent acne, and clear it up whenever it does arise.  I also replaced my Urban Decay All Nighter Makeup Setting Spray, which is a lifesaver in the summer when I need my makeup to last all day.  Since it was my birthday in April, I was also sent the Beauty Insider gift from Benefit with a mini size of They're Real! Mascara, and Watt's Up! Highlighter, which I'm sure everyone has seen.

The two Kiko items were items I couldn't resist when I popped into a Kiko store in Spain.  The Color Sphere Baked Eyeshadow in 04 is a beautiful baked eyeshadow that I noticed the first time I walked into a Kiko store in Germany.  I couldn't walk away from this rose-gold color this time! I also wanted to get one more blush, so I picked up a shimmery gold shade in 100.  I can see this being the perfect glowy bronze blush for this summer.

The Vincent Longo order from SpaceNK also came with a bunch of skincare samples, none of which from brands I'm very familiar with, but I'm sure I'll get around to trying them...eventually.

I haven't actually gotten around to using these products because lately I've just been lounging around the house sans makeup, but one of these days I'll actually get out of the house again, I promise :)


This weekend in a burst of inspiration and the desire to experiment, I actually decided to make myself some food.  While I was in Germany, all I wanted to do was cook sometimes, but loved my host mom's cooking so much that I just looked up recipes for when I came home.  Although I didn't use a recipe for this, just the act of looking up different recipes inspired me to combine my own ingredients.

Here is the easiest, most basic combination of ingredients ever for a quick lunch or dinner that is filling and delicious!

Bell peppers and portobella mushrooms stuffed with quinoa, marinara sauce, and topped with mozzerella cheese.  This came partly out of desperation with an empty refrigerator and laziness to go out and buy more food.  I'm used to stuffing mushrooms with mozzerella and pesto, but had no pesto on hand this time.  

This is possibly the easiest thing ever.  I'm a big fan of not actually measuring things, and just placing "what looks right" together.

First, add the cooked quinoa.

Spoon some marinara sauce on top - replace with pesto if desired!

Add sliced mozzerella on top - it would be wise to add more than this.  My laziness :X

Put it all in the oven at 375 degrees and bake for about 20 minutes. That's it.  It could have probably used a drizzle of olive oil and even some basil, but I didn't have basil on hand either.  Go figure...