Split Ends? Nope!

Back in January I got my hair bleached and dyed purple (it was AMAZING, but that is a different post for a different time) and the stylist told me to use a sulfate-free shampoo/conditioner to help the color last longer. Later at my local Target (yes... I love that store) I found only one brand of hair care that was sulfate-free. I bought it and I am so very glad I did.

L'Oreal EverPure Products

I have been using my sulfate-free shampoo and conditioner from L'Oreal for the past four months and although I couldn't tell you all the special reasons why sulfate-free is better I can tell you that I am incredibly surprised and pleased to find my split end count very very low.

I can only afford to get my hair cut every three months, but I usually have split ends so bad after two months that the third month is just one bad hair day after another. 

Guess what! I haven't had my hair cut since January! At this rate I think I will be able to make it all the way till the week before the wedding to get my hair done again (At which point I WILL be getting it dyed purple again, because that only last about a month and a half and OMG I MISS it soooo much!). That will be FIVE months inbetween haircuts!

ManDan likes my hair long (and me too!). Less split ends and less haircuts means longer healthier hair and saving money! Double yay! 

Rice Pilaf

One of my married life goals is to try one new recipe a week. Variety is the spice of life, right!? But of course old favorites are important too. This rice pilaf is one of my Mother-in-law's classic dishes. It is quite tasty, goes with so many different things (especially chicken dishes) and it is easy to make! I have almost memorized the recipe.

ManDan was so happy that I made him fish and rice pilaf he took 

this photo with his phone and uploaded it to his facebook. 

Ingredients:

1 cup spaghetti noodles broken in to 1 inch pieces

2 cups white rice

1/2 cup butter

4 chicken bouillon cubes

4 cups water

Put the noodles, rice and butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir occasionally. 

Meanwhile heat four cups of water and dissolve bouillon cubes.

Add broth to rice as soon as the noodles are golden brown. 

Top the saucepan with a lid and let the mixture cook for about 15min, until all the broth is soaked up.

*Important to not burn the noodles! Also not add the water too soon and have underdone noodles. It took me a few tries to get this right. *

That is it!

Mmmm. Check out Tasty Tuesday!

Wedding Make-up

Alright, so for the wedding I want a little more coverage than usual and I want my make-up to look good all day. Plus, it is super important that it appears I have wonderfully radiant skin naturally. Future husband has really good eyesight. Caked on foundation and cover-up isn't going to fly here.

So, after watching a bunch of videos on YouTube and testing a few different products myself I have figured out a look that works great for me! Future husband even said it looks like I am not wearing make-up. At first I was offended, I had spent a lot of time putting my face on! But then I realized it was compliment. :)


 This is going to be a long post. Alright, in order of application:


To start with I use Clinique 3-Step face wash system (clean, exfoliate, moisturize and Clinique All About Eyes. 


Primer - Lancome Eclat Miracle 
A very light application with my fingertips. I love this primer, it really smoothes out my skin, helps my make-up last longer and gives my skin just the right amount of glow. I am still using the sample I got from Sephora. I would love to own this!


Foundation - Clinique Superbalanced Makeup in Alabaster 
This color is actually just a tad too dark for my skin, but with the primer it is just right. This is a moderate coverage natural finish matte finish foundation. I apply it with a foundation brush or the Sonia Kashuk Synthetic Flat Blusher Brush


Concealer - Clinique Line Smoothing Concealer in Light
Applied with my fingertips. Really important to blend it out by patting. I have dark undereyes, so this step is especially important for me. 


*Note: both foundation and concealer look best when my face is well moisturized.*


Blush - Revlon Super Lustrous Lipstick in Plumalicious 
Yup! A lipstick on my cheeks. I love creme blush, but it so hard to find. Lipstick is a great alternative and comes in so many colors! I just apply a smudge to each cheek and blend it with my fingers. 


Eyelid Primer 
A dab of my concealer patted on with my fingertips. This really helps my shadow to stay longer. 


Eyeliner - Urban Decay 24/7 Glide-On Eye Pencil in Zero


Eyeshadow - Wet n Wild Coloricon Eyeshadow in Comfort Zone 
My favorite are the top two colors on the left side of the palette. One for the base color and one for the highlight. These shadows are really pigmented, so you only need a little. I use the Sonia Kashuk Small Eyeshadow Brush (exclusive to Target). 

Powder - Clinique Blended Face Powder in Transparency Neutral
Again, to help the make-up last longer. I just use the brush that comes with it. Swirl it in the powder, tap off the excess, then buff it on the face in a circular motion. 


Mascara - CoverGirl LashBlast Mascara in Very Black
but... I am going to have to get a waterproof version for the day! I know I am going cry!


And here is a photo of me! I am quite pale! I am hoping to get a bit tan before the wedding. But I only do that naturally... and sunshine and warm weather aren't so reliable in Michigan. 

In the photo I am wearing everything in I outlined above and I don't have anything on my lips.

Looking for Home

In mid-March ManDan and I took a trip down to Texas to look for a place to live. As soon as we walked in to the Alexan I felt like I was home. It was gorgeous, spacious and peaceful.

The entrance to Alexan. Yes, it really looks like that. 

(They even have a whole room devoted to once a month wine tasting!) 

9 foot ceilings. Granite countertops. Oversized tubs. Crown moulding... the list goes on!

Alexan is surprisingly reasonably priced for the area (and actually cheaper than university housing!). ManDan and I talked about it and we could live there if both of worked full time. But then... we would be working so much we wouldn't really be able to spend much time at home. Plus, we wouldn't have any extra money for eating out or new clothes. 

As much as I love these apartments living there would not be worth the financial burden. So, we did a lot more apartment shopping and eventually learned that it is really going to be much more economical to buy a house... a house that has been foreclosed on... where the kitchens look like this... 

Actually, this is a really good looking kitchen for a foreclosed house. 

Umm... not my ideal place. However, I am actually excited about having an extra bedroom for visitors and eventually for our babies. I am excited about working together to paint the walls however we want and ripping up flooring to put down something new. I am excited to make our house a home. But, most of all, I am excited about a better potential for financial freedom. 

ManDan and I will be moving down to Texas without a place to live. Most likely renting for a few months while looking for a house to buy. I will keep this blog updated with our shopping and renovating adventures. 

Another Blog

For as long as I can remember I have wanted to be a wife. Well, this summer I am getting married. Yay! I am going to be a wife!

I will use this blog to chronicle my new life as my husband’s wife. I don’t know much about a being a wife, but I am really excited to learn. And I have a lot to learn! I have never really lived on my own before and neither has my future husband. Not only are we going to be moving in together and on our own for the first time ever, but we are also moving thousands of miles away from our families. Whoa! We are about to embark on the adventure of a lifetime!

Some categories I think I will be writing about here are:

• Cooking  I am the oldest of a family of nine. It is going to be a challenge to learn to cook for two! Plus, I am going to have to learn to put together tasteful meal plans on a tight budget.

• Cleaning  Cleaning isn’t so bad. I will hopefully come up with a good day to day system to keep my house fresh. It is the tidying that is a problem for me. I never know where to put things!

• Homemaking  I have grown up in house after house of white walls and old worn furniture. Not because we didn’t have the money, but just because we didn’t decorate. I really want my place of living to be a home. I want to paint the walls and I want throw pillows on my couch and artwork on my walls. This is going to be an extra challenge with very little money! 

• Time Management This is probably going to be the most difficult for me. I can cook and clean… but I really like sleeping in and I waste far too much time on the internet.

• Personal Appearance I want to look good for my husband! That might mean a new way to do my hair or make-up, but it most certainly means keeping shape. I am going to have to learn to work out regularly for his benefit as well as my own.

Alright, the wedding is the end of June and then of course we will have a honeymoon. I don’t think I will get much posting in till after then. Anyway, I am not officially a wife yet!