Beauty Bag: Joi, Nuestra Vida Dulce

Hello everyone! I'm Joi from Nuestra Vida Dulce and I'm excited to share with you my bag of tricks! ; ) I love makeup and a good deal, so most of my stuff you can find at a drugstore.

What you'll find in my bag is...

1. My brushes. They aren't thrown in my bag but rather reside in an Anthropologie glass cup. I couldn't do my make up without 'em!

2. This is my actual makeup bag! It was a fun find from a little store called Francesca's. I love it because it is huge!

3. My blushes consist of "Desire" by Lorac, "Dandelion" by Benefit, and a mineral blush by Sephora.

4. My mascaras I'm using lately are "The Falsies" by Maybelline and "Define a Lash" by Maybelline, as well! Both are waterproof for staying power!

5. My concealer is in stick form by Rimmel and the color is "Soft Honey." LOVE it!

6. I've been rotating between these two lipstick. They are both by Rimmel. "640 Summer Angel" and "006 Pink Blush."

7. My foundation of choice is Studio Fix by Mac in the color "NW 25." I don't think I'll ever go back to liquid foundation. This stuff is unbelievable!

8. I often use a transparent powder after my concealer to set it by Rimmel .

9. Sometimes I use some gloss or chapstick and my favorites are these two. Softlips is my all-time favorite and the other is Neutrogena's Lip Soother in the color, "Gleam." It's got a great scent and flavor and it has a great cooling sensation!

10. My shu uemura eyelash curler!

11. I absolutely love this eyelid color corrector called "Lemon Aid" by Benefit. It camouflages my red eyelids just right!

12. My bronzer is a must for my pale skin. I use the cheapie Rimmel brand in the color "Sunlight."

13. Tweezers for quick touch ups and an eyebrow pencil in dark brown.

14. I've been using this purplish eyeshadow quad by Maybelline exclusively for a couple weeks now and love it!

the lovely Joi and her hubby

If I had to pick a 'can't live without' product, while I love my Studio Fix, I'd probably go with my bronzer. It's an instant pick me up and makes my sleepy and pale skin look rejuventated. It's a definite no skip item in my makeup routine!

Thanks for having me!

Thanks so much to Joi for revealing her great beauty picks. I love the idea of putting makeup brushes in a pretty glass cup!

Smashing Pumpkins Soap + Giveaway

New at Lather & Soak, Halloween themed pumpkin soaps! Super fun and spooky! They come in a warm pumpkin scent...yummy. You can head over {here} and have a look.

And since a giveaway is long overdue... one lucky reader will receive 3 pumpkin soaps!! great to add to your own Halloween decor.

All you have to do to enter is be a FOLLOWER of my blog, and tell me what you will be going as for Halloween this year? If you don't dress up, what will you be sending your kids out as? Or what was your best Halloween costume past or present? Please include your email as well so I can get a hold of you if you win.

To get a second entry: you can feature my shop on your own blog via links or a blog post and leave a second comment with a link to the post.

The contest will be open to Canadian and US residents until Monday October the 18th 2010 until 10 pm EST, the winner will be announced the following day through random.org. Good luck to all and of course don't forget to check out Lather & Soak!

Happy Thanksgiving Canada!

Here in Canada we are celebrating Thanksgiving, so I wanted to wish all my fellow Canadian readers a Happy Thanksgiving long weekend! I found these beautiful paper goods on Etsy that are great for gift giving or for place cards for your turkey dinner.

  {Fresh Lemon Blossoms}

{AmyBugCrafts}

A warm throw for fall

Okay so you all heard about my love of warm chai latte's in the fall season, and what better to curl up in while sipping away at your latte then a beautiful throw. I found this one at Winners the other day while on my search for a milk frother. I love it! it's so warm and cozy and not only does it look so luxurious from a distance, the detail is the icing on the cake. Yup that's right tiny chevron print! I am in LOVE! check it out in my reading nook.

Oh and while I was out I also picked up this cup zebra print mini makeup bag ( you know for the days when you need to freshen up your makeup on your way to a night out straight from work!) Guess where I got it from?...click {here} for the answer.

have a great weekend everyone!

Emerson Made

I hope you've all heard of this fab online store called EmersonMade. It's a shop full of eye candy!Owner (and model for the brand) Emerson and her husband Ryan run the company and they believe "in celebrating the uniqueness of the individual", through their clothing, accessories and home decor. Take a look and telll me you aren't in love?

 the sweetest packaging

 amazing photo styling

 love this clutch...yup I want it!

 fun and rustic table runners

Diy chai latte

The weather has changed, it's been getting cold out and crisp fall days like these make me crave hot warming beverages. I have to say, in my University days I was a Starbucks junkie. I had long breaks between classes and to stay awake I thought hits of java were a necessity. But those days are long gone, I can't justify spending $5 on a coffee, especially now that I am a home owner.

I have one problem though, as much as Tim Horton's is okay for tea and hot chocolate, they have yet to master the latte! And did I mention that chai latte's are my favourite warm drink. So I have to admit I have been going to Starbucks again for my yummy chai latte's.

But I've noticed my wallet is emptying fast...so what did I do you ask? I googled... that's right, I googled how to make your own chai latte at home. I got a lot of search results and basically took a few tips from each site and made my own recipe. Keep in mind this is a lot easier to make if you have a pricey fancy cappuccino/espresso maker, but as I don't here is my DIY version.

I did have to go out and get a few things, but the cost of all my supplies totalled no where near the cost of a fancy espresso machine.

Here's what you will need:

-three tbsp chai tea (loose leafs)
-coffe and tea presser
-milk frother
-4 oz milk any kind works ( I went with lactose free) but soy milk also adds a nice almondy flavour, also increase milk amount if you want to make more then just one cup.
- 1 tsp sugar (add more if you lilke it sweet)
-cinnamon
-kettle (to boil your water)


Step 1: pour three tbsp of loose chai leaves into tea presser and add hot water from your kettle (not boiling, let it stand a while) to the presser. Let the tea steep for 10 minutes with the press lever in the top position. After 10 minutes press the lever down ( this action separates the loose tea from the liquid) and put mixture
aside.

Step 2: pour your 4 ounces of milk into a microwave safe glass/container, preferably a tall glass as the milk will double in size after you froth it. Make sure your milk is cold, it froths easier this way, and froth for a few seconds to a minute. Then pop it into the microwave for 20-30 seconds. Once the milk is warmed add your
sugar and stir.

Step 3: pour your warmed frothed milk into a mug then add in your steeped chai tea mixture. Stir together to incorporate the milk and the chai tea. Top with some cinnamon. Let cool if needed and sip and enjoy your very own chai latte! I made some extra chai tea mixture that I will put in the fridge and reheat and take to work tomorrow (in my portable cup), I will just need to froth up a new batch of milk. The chai tea mixture will last about 2 days in the fridge.

Step 4: smile knowing you just saved yourself $5... and possibly a lot more, now that you won't have to hit up a Starbucks everyday ;)

(supplies: tea presser, milk frother, chai tea purchased at HomeSense)

Beauty Bag: Tara, the cinnamon post

I was so flattered when Liz asked me to be a part of this series of posts...and a little nervous. I do not wear a lot of make up, buy a lot of makeup or know how to apply makeup but I do like to try and look pretty so here goes...

1. bareMInerals Original SPF 15 in light & bareMinerals Mineral Veil. I have said at times that all I've ever wanted in life was to have clear skin. Now I want clear skin and no wrinkles...not a lot to ask for I think. I have loved this foundation / powder from the moment I tried it. It helps me fake the clear skin and wrinkle thing. And they say it is so pure you can wear it to bed...which I may or may not have done before:) When I tried bareMinerals for the first time I bought the kit and I use all of the brushes it came with. The concealer brush is my favourite - I can't live without it!

2. bareMinerals blush in secret. I think pink cheeks look pretty. And many years ago my University roommate told me to wear blush...so I do.

3. Bobbi Brown Chocolate Palette - yeux et levres. Eye and Lip colours from the queen of natural looking makeup. This is a little old if I can admit. I purchased it during a low point after my second child. The beautiful makeup girl recommended it and I wanted to look like her. I do like that if you moisten a super-flat eyeliner brush the dark brown eyeshadow can double as eyeliner...for when hubby and I have a date night. And the pink lip glosses are really pretty.

4. Tokyo Milk Bon Bon LipBalm No. 093 Sweet Cream. I bought this purely for the packaging. It was on sale at Anthro and makes me feel kissable.

5. Mojo Spa Just Nude Lipstick Honey Balm. www.mojospa.com I found this little balm at a funky store/spa in Chicago. It was such a memorable trip...and I think of it every time I slide open the cute little container (again it's all about the packaging with me!). It is handmade and has just a hint of pink colour. Pretty with a capital p.

Pretty with a capital "P", blogger Tara from the cinnamon post

The only other thing I wear regularly is mascara...in black. I go with whatever is on sale at the drug store as I try and replace it frequently.

Thank you Liz for thinking of me and letting me post here today on your gorgeous blog!

Thanks so much to the beautiful and talented Tara from The cinnamon post for taking part in beauty bag and letting us all see her great beauty choices! I have to admit myself, that I too have bought makeup purely for the packaging and now I feel better to know I am not alone ;)