And the winner is…

3 May

Hi Ladies, guess what? I’m in Laguna Beach right now and just finished an awesome dinner but after a million hours of traveling I’m so tired. Tomorrow we head to Vegas which is keeping my energy going. I plan to be pool side as much as possible during the day (with lots of SPF).

Sorry for the delay, I was so busy packing that I forgot to even post this. The winner was chosen at random and I’m happy to announce its Francisca Susanto! Please email me at blushandlaceblog@gmail.com

Thank you to everyone who participated and if you didn’t win this time don’t worry, we have more give always in the future.

xo Katie, Michelle & Jessica

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Spring Cake Pops {in pictures}

20 Apr

If you know me you know I love love love cake pops. I’ve literally tried to make them a billion times and I always learn something new during the process. Here are the latest pops I made in pictures.

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My {LUSH} Obsession

19 Apr

My MUST HAVE Lush ProductsI’m probably new to the rodeo but I just started to get into Lush Cosmetics & I’m crazy obsessed. Here are a few of my favorites (and the only things I own) but my dying to know what else I should get? For those of you living under a rock (like me) Lush makes handmade cosmetics using good for you (ethically traded) ingredients, no animal testing & they give tons of money to charity throughout the year. We have been trying to slowly switch out some of our lotions & creams for more natural products, if you read the back of your lotion bottle it’s kind of scary. I’m not sure I would be able to fully commit to an all natural lifestyle (did you see my face routine?) but something has to be better than nothing.

  1. Lush Turkish Delight Shower Smoothie {HERE} Incredibly rich rose-scented shower goodness. Put it on in the shower & say goodbye to dry skin. The smell makes me crazy happy in the shower & my skin is really happy when I get out.
  2. A Million Kisses Rose Hip & Jojoba Lip Tint {HERE} Perfect red lip tint, need I say more? It smells like roses (which appears to me one of my current favorite things).
  3. Tramp Shower Gel {HERE} I haven’t used this much but I really love the earthy smell.
  4. Lush Dream Cream Body Lotion {HERE} The girl at lush told me this is one of the best sellers & the first time I used it I knew why. It’s a really good moisturizer & I heard its good if you have irritated sensitive skin.

Okay so tell me what else should I try? I’m so excited!!!

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My Skincare Routine: Journey to Flawless Skin

18 Apr

My journey to flawless skin is an evolving process. People ask me ever so often what products I use so I thought I would share my current routine which I’m really in love with right now. I suffer from adult acne and have awful hormonal breakouts once a month. I also break out on my face after I wax above my lip, around my mouth, between my eyebrows and even above my eyebrows. On top of dealing with adult breakouts I’m starting to notice fine lines around my eyes and little creases in my forehead which is not making my journey to flawless skin any easier.

I’ve learned that keeping my skin clear is just as much about what I put in my body as what I put on my skin. If I skip my daily intake of water, eat lots of dairy or eat a bunch of crappy food my skin is going to pay for it in a few days.

Everyone’s skin type is different and I know that I probably put a lot of stuff on my skin. For some this might not work but if you are like me and have an oily t-zone, hormonal breakouts & battle dry skin this might help you.

Let me know what your favorite skincare products are, I’m always on the lookout for new amazing things.

Blush & Lace Skin Care Routine for Flawless Skin or Acne Prone Skin

AM Routine:

  1. I was my face with Purpose or Purity Facial Cleanser at the very end of my shower. When I get out of the shower I blot my face dry with a soft paper towel. 
  2. I use acne.org benzoyl peroxide which is a gel (and awesome!). I put this over my entire face and let it absorb completely before moving on.
  3. Once the astringent is absorbed and my skin is dry to the touch I dab La Mer Eye Concentrate under my eyes and on the side of them. 
  4. Finally I moisturize with CeraVe Day Time Facial Moisturizing Lotion with SPF

PM Routine: 

  1. I remove my eye makeup with an oil-free makeup remover (not pictured) but currently I’m using Nutrigena oil free makeup remover. Also if I have a lot of makeup on during the day I’ll take a makeup wipe and remove the rest of my makeup before washing (also not pictured). 
  2. Once my makeup is mostly removed I use my Clairsonic Mia and wash my face with either the Purpose or Purity Cleanser, once I’m done I blot my face dry with the paper towel again. 
  3. Only at night I use Philosophy Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads. If you are not using a retinoid in your skincare routine I would seriously start. They are not just for wrinkles but it also helps fade spots, build collagen and helps prevent acne. I use this at night because it can make your skin more sensitive to sunlight so I always use SPF in the morning + SPF in my makeup. 
  4. I put La Mer on my eyes the same way I do in the morning. 
  5. I finish up with CeraVe PM Lotion. 

Waxing & Breakouts 

Regarding waxing, I do this once every six weeks. When I arrive I make sure my face is clean and free of makeup, the girls that wax my face know I have sensitive skin so they use a different wax but you should let them know if you are prone to breakouts. After waxing I use one of my facial cleansers to wash my face very very gently. My secret weapon is putting a mild hydrocortisone cream (one percent, over-the-counter) which soothes my skin and keeps me from breaking out. I might get a few bumps but it’s really mild. I also avoid makeup and powders for the rest of the day.

A few reminders:

  • Wear the minimal amount of makeup you need to make you feel comfortable
  • Wash your makeup off when you get home if you are staying in for the night and let your skin breath
  • Wash your face after you hit the gym & during your workout try not to touch your face… no dirty gym towels
  • Always wash your makeup off at night & keep makeup removing cloths next to your bed or in your purse for those emergency times
  • With any skincare routine you might go through the initial breakout phase, you have to deal with it. There is light at the end of the tunnel but you just have to make it through. It can be awful but it’s always worth it. 
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day
  • Keep your hands off your face and wash your clean your cellphone throughout the day
  • Use sunscreen on your face or make sure your makeup has SPF
  • Moisturizer is our friend and even if you have acne or oily skin, you need the moisturize. Fight fire with fire!
  • Tanning does not help acne.
  • Use a soft paper towel of face towel on your face after you wash it, blot it dry instead of rubbing. Do not use towels close to the toilet in the bathroom or  towels used for drying hands during the day.
  • Try to keep calm, stress hormones can increase oil production which can lead to clogged pores & whiteheads so make extra effort to relax when needed
  • Drink plenty of water throughout the day… did I say that already? It must be important.

Products

I’ve put links for amazon for the products mentioned above, they might be random sellers so if your going to order anything just make sure you read the reviews.

Purpose Gentle Cleansing Wash 

Philosophy Purity Made Simple Facial Cleanser

Clarisonic Mia 

Philosophy Miracle Worker Retinoid Pads

Acne.org Benzoly Peroxide Treatment 

CeraVe AM Facial Moisturizer 

CeraVe PM Facial Moisturizer 

Neutrogena Eye Makeup Remover (Oil Free)

Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes

La Mer Eye Concentrate (only buy this from an authorized seller, lots of fakes online)

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Easy peezy pizza pasta casserole.

10 Apr

Pizza Pasta Casserole

finishedproduct

Ok so here is a very simple, yet delicious dinner that anyone would love to eat. It’s a nice recipe because it can be modified to whatever your preference is.

ingredients

Ingredients
-1lb ground beef
-1 onion
-3 cloves of garlic
-1 jar of spaghetti sauce
-1 box ziti noodles (again you can switch to whatever you’d like)
-Pepperoni
-Black Olives (optional)
-Mozzarella cheese
*I’d recommend starting off with a large sauce pan when browning the meat, as you will combine all ingredients together (less mess)*

Directions
1.) I started by browning my ground beef, then adding about 1/3 of the chopped onion, 3 cloves of minced garlic and I cooked til translucent. (drained grease)
2.) Combine spaghetti sauce with beef mixture on medium heat to bring together the flavors.
3.) Cook noodles fully or el dente, drain and add to sauce/beef combination.
4.) Fill a 9 x 13″ pan (I lined mine with aluminum foil) with pasta mixture ensuring it’s a single flat layer.
5.) Top with Mozzarella cheese, pepperoni, and black olives(This is where you can get creative, add green peppers, sausage, mushrooms, etc.)
6.) Place in preheated oven (350 degrees) and bake for about 10 minutes or until the cheese is melted.

That’s it! I made this casserole 2 days ago and ate it for dinner twice and lunch twice. Yep it’s one of those dishes, good the next day and you won’t get sick of it. I honestly can say this will be a new addition to my go to meals. Give it a shot and let us know what you added or changed to make it your own.
XOXO-Michelle

A sneak peek {becoming bronde}

4 Apr

www.blushandlace.com Brown to Dark Blonde Before and After

Just sharing a sneak peek of my hair. I was at the salon last night from 5:45PM until 10:30PM to do phase 1 of my journey to become “bronde”.

My hair is dark dark dark brown naturally and it’s also colored, I have grey hair (already, genetics is fun right?) and my hair is a dull brown color so I’ve always colored it to give it dimension and cover up the not so pleasurable strands.

I decided that for spring and summer I wanted to become a BRONDE. For me “Bronde” is the lightest shade of brown before blonde & the darkest shade of blonde before brown. It also is ash based & has some highlights to add dimension. Think Taylor Swift, Jennifer Aniston, Carrie Bradshaw (at times). This sounds simple but really it’s quite complicated.

My hair naturally pulls red so obtaining ash is not easy. Also when you have years and years + years & decades of dark (black at times) hair color on your hair it would be a nightmare to become a Blondie without bleaching.

Last night we did not bleach my hair. I also will go back in 5 to 6 weeks to add more highlights and lighten it another level. A good colorist will put a plan together for you to become lighter progressively instead of trying it all in one night, not that you can’t do it in one day if you decide to, but that really isn’t something I was comfortable with. I could have made my hair really light by putting highlights all over & toning them but I’m looking for the more “lighter with progress” look.

I’ll put some pictures of my hair styled but all of these are from this morning, no makeup, pjs still on but I wanted to show you so I’m just putting a sneak peek. I’ll also go into more detail later about the colors she used and how we did this.

Hair After Brond Blush and lace www.blushandlace.com

 

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Marathon Training {a preliminary training program}

3 Apr

RUN

Good Morning! I’m sitting here on the computer instead of going to the gym & I’m feeling really lazy and depressed. I’m currently supposed to be following a marathon training program getting ready for the Tough Mudder in Michigan taking place in June. This Michigan weather is really making my mood for working out shift all over the place. Anyway, for those of you who don’t know what the the Tough Mudder is you should seriously google it or better yet YouTube. The first time my boyfriend showed this to me it was really really cold out (snow on the ground, don’t leave the house kind of cold) and the thought of doing it sounded awful. It took me a few days and something switched, I was incredibly excited about the personal challenge associated and immediately wanted to be involved. I’ve never done anything like this before so for me it will be really rewarding both physically and emotionally.

If you are close friends with me you basically know that I stalked you all by email, phone, facebook & however else I needed to get a hold of you to convince you that you also wanted the personal challenge of doing the Tough Mudder and now we have a little team. For the rest of you I’m really sorry about my insane stalking skills and I’m publicly apologizing.

I thought I would share with you some of the tools I used to start training. I should also backup and let you know that I used to be in really good physical shape and was athletic in high school but that’s pretty much taking a back burner due to life and just being lazy. I ran in the Detroit Free Press half-marathon years ago after high school and went to the gym periodically on and off during the years but I’m never really hardcore about things. I also take Yoga classes on and off which I enjoy but it’s not really a ‘get you butt off the couch and get in shape kind of class’.

Another thing you should know about me is that the first 3 or 4 weeks of working out, when it’s really hard & you are going through that curve I immediately convince myself I hate working out and find something to use as an excuse to stop. This type of thinking, which has become a pattern really needs to stop.

The tools & how to get started with Marathon Training

Phone Apps: Our team is using the app RunKeeper which allows us to mildly monitor the other team members to see if they have completed running or not. This app is really designed for outdoor running because it works off of a GPS system and it maps your run for you, tracks your pace and distance. The app is limited when running indoors and should be switched to manual mode and you have to manually enter your workout details. Since it’s been really cold we haven’t been able to utilize the best features of this app but it’s warming up and I’m really looking forward to seeing the app track my run on it’s own. You can also play your iphone playlists in conjunction so your not running to the sound of your own breath (unless you really like that).

I’m not one to count calories but yesterday I put the food I ate in the phone app My Fitness Pal which I’ve had on my phone for a longtime. I should probably start counting calories because I thought I ate pretty good yesterday (I even Fresh Juiced) but I was so grossed out last night when I looked at what I really ate. Anyway, I’m going to try this for a few days & also log my workouts in combination. I’ll let you know how it goes!

Books: I have this book called the The Non-Runner’s Marathon Trainer by David A. Whitsette, Forrest A. Dolgener & Tanjala Mabon Kole which I used a long time ago when I was training. I know at this point the market is flooded with training books & websites but this book for me is a keeper. You can just read the reviews on the book you will see how many people have had success with it. The book gives you so much more than just basic run commands. When they wrote the book they started with a program that took a group of people who all different physical levels (0 – 5) and guess what? They all completed a marathon after the program.

The Preliminary Training Program

I’ll share with you the pre-training program from the book so that if you want to get started you can. The training goal of this preliminary training is to be able to job continuously for 30 minutes. Don’t focus on your pace or speed, just keep moving for 30 minutes. The length of this program & where you should start will depend on your current fitness level. Start at the point that represents your current level for walking / jogging.

Week 1: Moderate  Walking (Pace: 17-20 min/mile) 3 Days per Week for 30 Minutes

Week 2: Moderate Walking (Pace: 17-20 min/mile) 4 Days per Week for 30 Minutes

Week 3: Fast Walking (Pace: 13-16 min/mile) 3 Days per Week for 30 Minutes

Week 4: Fast Walking (Pace 13-16 min/mile) 4 Days per Week for 45 Minutes

Week 5: Jog for 5 min and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat 2 times 3 Days a Week for 30 Minutes

Week 6: Jog for 10 min and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once 3 Days per Week for 30 Minutes

Week 7: Jog for 15 min and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once 4 Days per Week for 40 Minutes

Week 8: Jog for 20 min and then walk at a fast pace for 5 min. Repeat once 4 Days per Week for 40 Minutes

Week 9: Jog for 25 min and walk at a fast pace for 5 min 4 Days per Week for 30 Minutes

Week 10: Jog for 30 min 4 Days per Week for 30 full minutes. Do this for TWO weeks.

Other things I have at home are P90X & Brazilian Butt lift DVD’s, both of which are really different but both super hard & fun.

Remember you can start at whatever week your fitness level is currently at so maybe you only need a few weeks of per-training or you want to complete the full 10-11 weeks, just take it slow & trust your body.

Run all the time

Alright guys, hope this helps motivate you (AND ME!!!) into action. Remember, healthy is sexy!

XO – Katie

 

 

 

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The Power of Juicing {good morning juice}

2 Apr

Homemade Juice Blushandlace.comGood Morning! I just wanted to share with you my morning juice which was (cleverly) named “Good Morning Juice” due to lack of creativity. This juice was inspired by the Suja Juice called Fuel. I recently completed the Suja 3 day juice cleanse and it went really well. I wake up sometimes craving the juice which is my bodies way of letting me know I should jump start my day with something healthy and positive.  I don’t officially have a juicer but the Ninja I have claims to able to do “complete juicing” which is essentially a high speed blade that power blends until it’s liquefied  I don’t think a normal blender would work for this unless it was made for juicing. I’ve also learned from Suja that this type of juicing can kill off some of the essential vitamins and nutrients but I figure something is better than nothing. I’ll have to post my full review on the Suja juice later this week.

I would love for you to share your favorite juice recipe. Do you use a juicer or a blender?

Okay, gotta run. Have a lovely morning & awesome day.

What you need: 

A blender / juicer

Two handfuls of carrots

One Apple, peeling is optional depending on your juicing method

One Orange, peeled

Two slices of Pineapple (mix was already pureed and stored in the fridge from Easter

The process: 

I added the carrots first and gave them a little mix because this would be the hardest ingredient to blend because it contains the least natural juice. After, I threw in the apple chopped, the orange peeled and dumped the pineapple on the top. Mix, Mix Mix. Add more or less pineapple to adjust the sweetness. I like my juice to be cold & since I was leaving for work I threw in some ice cubes and gave it a minute to blend and chill the juice.

Enjoy

XO – Katie

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April Giveaway {complete set of WEN} – CLOSED

1 Apr

April 2013 Blush and Lace giveaway WEN

A long time ago (or not so long ago) I said we would be doing monthly giveaways and I was really awful at it and did not give anything away in Jan, Feb or March. I’m admitting my faults and trying to makeup for it with this April giveaway which I’m really excited about.

This giveaway includes one FULL SIZE complete set of WEN, seriously… it’s free!

The winner will receive One WEN Cleansing Conditioner 16 fl oz in Sweet Almond Mint, one WEN Sweet Almond Mint Re-Moist Intensive Hair Treatment (4 oz) and one Sweet Almond Mint Anti-Frizz Styling Cream (4 fl oz). All the items included in this giveaway are brand new in the original packaging from WEN.

For those of you who are readers of the blog, you have probably heard me talk about WEN before & have seen my DIY post and my growing list of dupes, you are probably just as excited about this as I am. For those of you who are new here you can check out my WEN post, DIY & Dupe list HERE.

The giveaway starts today April 01, 2013 at 8:00PM EST and will end on April 30, 2013 at 8:00PM EST and is open to US residents only. The winner will be announced on the blog with the help of rafflecopter & facebook which is what I’m using this time to help with the giveaway since we are running it for the whole month. The best part is that you can enter once daily to increase your chances.

What you have to do through rafflecopter or the facebook giveaway tab on the blush and lace page (see below):

I swear this sounds more complicated than it really is because I think I’m trying to tell you guys too much…

Note: You do not need to everything mentioned below to enter, you can complete just one or all, it’s your decision. Some of the options allow you to enter once per day increasing your chances of winning. You also need to log in to rafflecopter with your facebook or your email, they won’t spam you or you can go right to the blush and lace facebook page and enter the contest that way.

Some of your entry options….

1. Like Blush & Lace on Facebook

2. Follow us on Twitter @blushandlace

3. Tweet about the giveaway

4. Follow us on Instagram, user name is blushandlaceblog

5. Subscribe to the blog via email, if you already do this you need to confirm the email address in the entry box.

Let me know if you have any issues with the entries & good luck!

How to enter… click on this little old link or go to the facebook page for blush and lace and click on giveaway. Good luck again. XO

a Rafflecopter giveaway (click here to enter through Rafflecopter) or click HERE to enter through Facebook.

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Oprah’s Favorite Brownie {Incredible Dark Chocolate Goodness}

1 Apr

Dark Chocolate Bronwies from Blushandlace.com

Oprah speaks, the world listens. I must have been sleeping last year when this made her favorite things of 2012 because I’m just getting around to making these but I guess we could say it was worth the wait. So good, just serious good. They were rich but not too sweet & had incredible dark chocolate flavor and the little bit of espresso just gives it something special that I can’t explain because I’m not feeling creative enough this morning but the bottom line is please make these brownies.

INGREDIENTS:

Dark Chocolate brownie ingredients1¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons dark unsweetened cocoa powder (You can see from the picture above that I used the regular cocoa powder I had in the kitchen and I’m not sure how much of a difference this made but the brownies were really good)

11 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped

1 cup (8 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces

1 teaspoon instant espresso powder

1½ cups granulated sugar

½ cup packed light brown sugar

5 eggs, at room temperature

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray cooking spray or butter the sides and bottom of your 9 x 13 glass (or light colored) baking pan.

2. Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a double boiler or large bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Once melted turn off the heat & add both the brown sugar and white sugar to the chocolate mixture. Mix until combined, remove from heat & set aside to cool to room temperature (about 20 minutes?).

3. While the chocolate is cooling, in a medium bowl, mix the flour, salt and cocoa. Set aside.

4. Add 3 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining eggs & vanilla, whisk until combined. Do not over mix your brownies, just mix them until it’s just combined.

5. Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.

6. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the center of the oven for 30 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through the baking time. Let the brownies cool completely (seriously just wait) before you cut them.

A side note: Before posting I sent this recipe to a few of my friends and the first question I received was about the instant espresso. When I went to Kroger I really did not think I was going to find instant espresso so I had my mind set on getting instant coffee and just adding extra but to my surprise in the coffee isle I found what I was looking for so here is close up picture for those of you who are curious. I do think that using instant coffee would be find, maybe just double the amount.

instant espresso blushandlace.com

 

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