2012 « Fab Fatale

2012

December 13, 2012

Benefit Fine One One

I am challenged when it comes to applying cheek cosmetics. I’m never sure what goes where – above the cheekbone, on the cheekbone, under the cheekbone – and I’m certainly not good at blending. I just heard about Benefit’s Fine One One cream highlighter, blush, and bronzer stick and I can’t wait to try it. You simply glide the stick across your cheek, with the highlighter end across the top of your cheekbone, and then gently blend with your finger. Sounds pretty easy, right?

A Fine One One description from Benefit – This sheer brightening cheek & lip color gives your look instant LIFT, SHAPE and POP. Glide on the three shades – pink champagne, sheer watermelon and soft coral—for a sheer coral pink flush that builds from soft & natural to bright & cheery.

Benefit’s Fine One One is now available for pre-order at Birchbox.com for $30 and will start shipping {ships free} on December 19th! I’m all over this deal!

December 13, 2012

Holiday Gift Ideas – The Nail Polish Addict

Julep Oprah's Favorite Things

This limited-edition white lacquer jewelry box includes a twelve polish set of toxin-free Julep nail colors hand-picked by Oprah herself. Julep’s gorgeous collection is perfect for holiday gifting, or as an introduction to accessorizing with color. I’m not sure what I’m most excited about – the gorgeous polish, the jewelry box, or the fact that this set is one of Oprah’s favorite things!

The Oprah’s Favorite Things Julep Holiday set includes:

Rose – Juicy watermelon red crème
Lauren – Hot tropical pink crème
Carrie – Classic, cotton candy pink crème
Maria – Rose pink frost
Gloria – Modern coral crème
Maya – Delicate pink seashell
Lynn – Nude blush pearl
Audrey – Light pink micro-shimmer
Morgan – Frosty grape purple
Charlotte – Demure lavender crème
Amy – Smoky, turquoise crème
Susie – Muted mint green crème

Use promo code OPRAH at Julep.com to apply 50% discount to the Oprah’s Favorite Things Nail Polish Jewelry Box – regular price $168.00, $84 with promo code.

December 12, 2012

Lasagna Alfredo Roll Ups

Lasagna Alfredo Spinach Italian Sausage Roll Ups Recipe

This is a recipe that I keep on regular rotation at my house and love to make it for company. The original recipe was vegetarian, so the meat is optional, but I love it with the addition of Italian sausage or chicken. These lasagna roll ups are huge! The recipe makes 8 lasagna roll ups – I am stuffed after one and two is perfect for my husband. We usually freeze the leftovers so I can heat up a home cooked meal when my man is out of town. Serve with a side salad and some garlic bread for the perfect Italian feast.

Servings: 8

Ingredients:

8 lasagna noodles
1 pound Italian sausage (optional)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, drained
2 tablespoons thinly sliced green onion
1 pint part-skim ricotta cheese
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 egg
1 jar Alfredo-style pasta sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add lasagna and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente. Rinse in cold water and drain well.

Meanwhile, in a large deep skillet over medium heat add oil and cook sausage until browned. Add in drained spinach and green onions until tender, stirring frequently. Remove pan from heat and stir in ricotta cheese, Parmesan cheese, salt and egg.

In an 8×12 inch baking dish, pour about 1/2 of the Alfredo sauce on the bottom and spread evenly. Place noodles one at a time onto a sheet of waxed paper or plastic cutting board. Divide the spinach mixture up for 8 roll ups and evenly spread on each noodle, roll, and place seam side down into the baking dish.

Top lasagna roll ups with remaining sauce and mozzarella cheese. Cover loosely with foil and bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly and the cheese is melted. Broil for a few minutes until cheese is lightly browned. Serve.

lasagna alfredo roll ups recipe – altered slightly from allrecipes.com

December 11, 2012

What I’m Wearing – A Baby Bump

Maternity Clothes Jeans

I’m so happy to finally announce that, “I’m Pregnant”!!!! I’m not sure why I waited until 6-and-a-half months to share the excitement, other than I was probably overly cautious after my first trimester. Getting pregnant has been a 3 year journey for us with lots of ups and downs, but the downs have made this “UP” so so worth it. My heart is so filled with joy and I can’t wait to meet our little baby in March. We’re not going to find out the sex, so nursery shopping and picking out a name has been a challenge, but I’m loving every minute of it. More on all of that in posts to come, I’m sure.

We just had our 6 month ultrasound last Monday and saw things that I had never imagined – the baby was kicking, rubbing its eyes, swallowing, and hiccuping. You would think that due to my previous situation, that I would be terrified of ultrasounds, but I can’t help but to jump out of bed on an ultrasound days and think, “yay, we get to visit the baby today”. I know that’s a funny thought since the baby is always with me, but it’s just so nice to see that adorable little face on the monitor and know that everything is ok. My husband surprised me by flying my mom in from Washington for the weekend {yes, I went into the ugly cry when she walked through my front door} so that she could go to the ultrasound with us, which made it even more exciting when the little one put on a show for all of us.

Besides the ultrasounds to let me know everything is ok, the baby is also kicking up a storm. I started to feel flutters two months ago and now its full on kicks and movements. I can literally see he/she rolling around under my shirt and my heart melts every time. How can I concentrate on anything else whenever that little baby is moving around inside of me? I always had hope that we’d make it to this point, but I’m still in shock at the same time and those movements are a reminder of just how far we’ve come… FINALLY!

I’m trying to proceed with caution, but it’s really hard not to get so excited about all that is {hopefully} yet to come.

PS – can you see the bump in this post? My belly is exactly why that blue dress was so dang short LOL. If you had seen a side profile of that outfit, it would have been obvious that I was not only pregnant, but 5 months along. It was all I could do at 4 months to stuff myself into these jeans and black shorts for my post first-trimester outfits. I’ve learned that full frontal profile shots while covering your hips can be very deceiving ;)