Wonderskin Wonder Blading Lip Stain

Here’s the deal. As my age gets bigger, my top lip gets smaller. I call it the “disappearing lip syndrome.”  Others probably call it gravity.  Whatever.

It's no secret that my toxic trait is buying things I don’t need at 3a.m. while doom scrolling Instagram, the Book of Face, or TikTok.   

I was doom scrolling a few nights ago and saw a shitton of videos with women raving about a lip stain or lip liner.  I'm skeptical but generally willing to try out a new lip product.  Especially a stain that's actually a stain. not a lip stick. or gloss. or other goop.  

While I'll never understand women with full, plump lips, bragging about over lining them and making them even better looking, I do understand those of us with thin, or disappearing, lips.  So I purchased two of the stains I saw.  Two different brands. Both similar "nude" colors.  And while I like both, one out performed the other.  Not by a lot, but I like the color better because it matches my own lip color closer than the other. The preferred stain is:

WonderskinBeauty.  In Whimsical (warm rose) color. 

Holy. Cannoli. 

When I tell you that this liner made my upper lip look like it exists!  Like it hasn't slowly disappeared.  I am impressed.  Legit.  Over lining is tricky. You don't want to look like you've over lined. You don't want garish clown makeup.  But you also want the illusion of having actual lips. 

This product delivered.

There are two kinds of Wonderskin lip stain/tint.  One requires the use of a spray on activator. I did NOT get that one. I got the wipe off.  I first left the product on for about 15 seconds and wiped it off.  There was good color.  Noticeable color. This morning I left it on for about 30 maybe 45 seconds.  Much deeper color. And, this product appears to be buildable. 

Importantly, it really is long lasting.  Waterproof.  Transfer proof.  A legit matte finish lip stain.  You can add gloss or chapstick on top should you choose.

OF NOTE: First, the product has a smell.  It’s not a horribly unpleasant smell, but it’s there. Second, the little blue flakes that you wipe off to reveal the color are messy. Not end of world messy, but noticeable.  Third, it’s not cheap. You’re dropping around $20.

ALSO, by way of full disclosure:  Utilizing my toxic trait, I purchased this product with my own money (it's not a freebie try out or paid review) but the link included here is an Amazon link and I may earn a small a commission (like super small. cents. literally). 

Anyway, I like this product. I put it on at 7:30a and it’s now 2:30ish and I’ve drank coffee, eaten lunch, drank a Coke Zero, and it’s still here!  The color is not as deep as this morning but peeps, I still have what looks like an upper lip.  So, I’ll keep this product in my rotation.

WonderskinWonder Blading Lip Stain (on sale at Amazon now!) with over 30 colors to choose from.

I have another brand (the 3^rd that I’m trying) that will be delivered in a week or so.  I’ll get around to dropping a review for the 1st and 3rd I've tried hopefully this month.  If I remember. And don’t work myself to death between now and then.  

Spreading the Love

Let's just say, hypothetically, that we received a basket full of goodies at the office because it was our hundredth anniversary there (or something like that).   And let's just say, again hypothetically, that the basket included such yumminess as fresh fruits and bagels and various flavors of tea.  Also included in the basket was a jar of Biscoff European Cookie Spread. 

Let me just tell you, if you have never had a Biscoff cookie, you're missing out (assuming of course that you like cookies, and your like for cookies includes the likes of ginger snaps, snickerdoodles and cinnamon crisps).  I cannot describe the taste and texture of a Biscoff cookie perfectly because my palette is simply not trained for that kind of labor intensive work.  But imagine if you will a shortbread type cookie, one that is crispy and crunchy when you bite into it, but then it sorta, crumbles and melts in your mouth as it sits on your tongue.  The taste is a medley of cinnamon, ginger, spicy, warm goodness. There is almost a buttery caramel thing going on.  Like I said, I cannot describe it. I can only attest to its deliciousness.  I first had Biscoff cookies on a flight from Arizona to Utah. Then I found them at my local Fry's store (Kroger/Smiths).

So imagine if you will, the anticipation going on in my mouth when I saw that jar of Biscoff cookie spread.  And the very first thought was I have got to take this home! 

So after everyone left (and by everyone I mean my receptionist), I straightened out the break room, put away the other food stuffs, cleaned the coffee pot and promptly put that jar in my purse.  And last night I introduced it to the dramas.  What happened next is one of those what happens during the throws of edible ecstasy stays in the kitchen things.

Suffice it to say, Biscoff spread is better in our collective opinions than apple-butter, peanut butter and I believe that it just trumped Nutella in my house.  We had it on toast; on apples; on celery, on a nilla wafer and one of the dramas ate it right off a spoon. 

It is made of something like 53% crumbled cookies so the taste is nearly identical to a cookie, only it is in a creamy spread.  The only real down side was that after sampling all the various ways to eat it, I did have a slightly greasy feeling in my mouth.  By way of full disclosure, I don't get that feeling from peanut butter, but I do get it from apple-butter and Nutella.  So other than that one draw back, and the fact that I may not fit into my skinny jeans for another month, I think it is official:

We're in food love. 

*this is not a paid post.  I just really do love Biscoff cookies and now, the cookie spread.

** Originally published on August 26, 2013. 

The Timekeeper

One of my Christmas gifts to myself was a few new books. I just finished The Timekeeper by Mitch Albom. I have read almost every book he's ever written and as I stated in an earlier book review on this blog, each time I read one of his books, it seems to be so apropos to my life during that time. This book is no exception.

Mitch brings to live the fable of Father Time, the first man on earth to ever count time. He spins the story in a way to make it interesting but also he drives home a message about counting time and those people who want more time, and those who want less. There is a lesson to be learned here. It did not escape me. Because I like the messages that Albom brings forward in his books, I strongly suggest this one as a book worth reading.

The description on Goodreads says this:

In this fable, the first man on earth to count the hours becomes Father Time. The inventor of the world's first clock is punished for trying to measure God's greatest gift. He is banished to a cave for centuries and forced to listen to the voices of all who come after him seeking more days, more years. Eventually, with his soul nearly broken, Father Time is granted his freedom, along with a magical hourglass and a mission: a chance to redeem himself by teaching two earthly people the true meaning of time.

He returns to our world--now dominated by the hour-counting he so innocently began--and commences a journey with two unlikely partners: one a teenage girl who is about to give up on life, the other a wealthy old businessman who wants to live forever. To save himself, he must save them both. And stop the world to do so. 

 Originally published: 1/4/14 9:13 AM

Cafe Rio - Chicken Breast Salad

image from www.caferio.com

I love salad. I'd eat it every single day if it wouldn't result in protest from the family.  Today, I had the grilled chicken salad from Cafe Rio. 

One word:  Delicious!

It comes in a big flour tortilla "bowl" and has black beans or pinto beans, (I hold the rice), shredded grilled chicken, pico de gallo, guacamole, cilantro, lettuce, tortilla strips and cotija cheese, with creamy tomatillo dressing (or you can choose cilantro lime vinaigrette). 

The sensation of flavor in my mouth is nothing short of symphonic.  My only complaint is that the ingredients are layered, meaning the beans are on the bottom, then the chicken, then pico, then huge leafs of lettuce and then a sprinkle of cheese and tortilla chips.  The guacamole is dropped in two balls on either side. 

I always run out of lettuce before I get to the bottom, which does NOT stop me from eating the whole thing it's just that halfway through it becomes (lettuce)less salad and more of a glob of beans, pico, chicken and dressing. 

Overall, I don't care because it's delicious.

The above product was purchased by me for my personal use.  I am not being monetarily paid for this review.  I will give my honest opinion and thoughts regarding said product.

 

 

Originally posted 8/18/14 2:47 PM

Cheesy Chicken Asparagus Rolls

Photo from Google Images

Ingredients:

½ cup mayonnaise

4 Tablespoons Dijon mustard (or spice it up a bit and use horseradish mustard)

16-30 asparagus spears, trimmed

5 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves

5 slices provolone cheese

1 cup bread crumbs

Salt and Pepper to taste

(feel free to get liberal and try other seasonings - either in the sauce or in the breadcrumbs – you know what your family likes.  I seasoned my breadcrumbs with oregano, garlic powder, basil, a hint of cayenne pepper and celery salt)

Mix the mayo, mustard, salt and pepper in a dish and set aside.  Preheat your oven to 475 degrees.

Cook the asparagus (wash and rinse it first) on a paper plate or paper towel in the microwave for 1 to 3 minutes (depending on the microwave) until bright green and just tender.  Set it aside. 

Take the chicken breast and pat it dry.  Then beat the hell out of it with a mallet or a good rolling pin, until its flat, about ¼ inch thick.  Then you add a slice of provolone cheese and three or four or six asparagus (depending on how many you want, how big they are, etc.), and roll up the chicken nicely and place in a baking pan seam down (spray the pan with cooking spray first).  When you’ve rolled all of your chicken and cheese and asparagus and placed it seam down in the pan, spread on the mayo/mustard mix evenly with a pastry brush or a plastic spatula coating all of the exposed chicken.  Sprinkle with the breadcrumbs and press the crumbs in to make a coating of sorts.  Bake at 425 degrees for 25 to 35 minutes, depending on the thickness of your chicken.  Chicken is done with the juices run clear and the breadcrumbs are browned.

The original recipe also called for 1 lemon zested and juiced to be added to the mayo/mustard sauce but we found that to be a very intense flavor that we weren’t really fans of once I made the chicken without the lemon the next time I made it.

Feel free to experiment and make this recipe better for your family.  My kids are picky.  They’re teenagers now, I’m lucky to find something they’ll eat more than once that isn’t made of Doritos or cookie dough.  

All in all, we like these chicken wraps and I’m making them next time with broccoli to see how that turns out.  I served them with buttered spaghetti the first time and smashed red potatoes (I used crushed red peppers and Parmesan cheese instead of rosemary) the second time.

Originally posted August 7, 2014