Tipsy Tuesday: Presidential Election 2012 Edition!

What better excuse is there to drink than on an evening in which you will make one of the most important decisions of your life ... which one of the 2 crazies will run Amurrrika?! 

Enough chatter... let's get to the important stuff.. cocktails! I leave you with 3 cocktails featuring the colors of our fine country: the red, white, and blue!

First up we have.. 

{Watermelon-Blueberry Cooler}

Serving Size: 

-Makes 1 tall cocktail

Ingredients:

-6 ounces watermelon

-1 ounce blueberry vodka

-1-2 lemon wedges

-Ice

-Blue decorating sugar, optional for rim (or use Tropical Punch Blue Pop Rocks!)

Directions:

1. Puree watermelon, vodka and juice of one lemon wedge in a blender. Add ice (to desired thickness) and blend until smooth.

2. If sugaring the rim, pour a small amount of blue decorating sugar onto a plate. Run lemon wedge around the rim of the glass. Dip rim in sugar.

3. Pour cocktail into glass.

And for you wine-o's out there like myself, I give you...

{White Wine-Berry Sangria}

Serving Size: 

-1 pitcher

Ingredients:

-1 bottle dry white wine (I used Sauvignon Blanc)

-1 cup lemon-lime soda

-1/2 cup raspberry vodka

-1/4 cup brandy

-Chopped strawberries

-Raspberries

-Blueberries

Directions:

1. In a pitcher, combine wine, soda, vodka and brandy.

2. Put a few raspberries and a small handful of chopped strawberries into the bottom of each glass and muddle. 

3. Fill glass with ice, then top with sangria and a few blueberries. Stir.

And lastly, what's more American than drinking out of a freakin' MASON JAR?

{Spiked Raspberry Lemonade}

Serving Size:

-About 3 cups

Ingredients: 

-6 ounces fresh lemon juice

-2 to 3 tablespoons sugar

-1/2 (750 milliliters) bottle sparkling water

-1/4 pint fresh raspberries

-1/4 pint fresh blueberries

-1/4 cup gin

Directions:

1. Mix the lemon juice and sugar together until the sugar dissolves.

2. Stir in the gin. 

3. Add the sparkling water just before serving (so the drink is bubbly).

4. Add fresh raspberries and blueberries to each glass. 

I hope you enjoy all or 1 of these delish cocktails! Happy election day ya'll!!!

Recipes courtesy of Tasty Trials and Fabulous Foods

five things friday

A few thangs currently on my fave radar this week are..

{Seein my faves w/ my fave @ Fox Theater tonight!}

{Gaga's perfume is to die for}

{Xen-Tan self-tanner.. to keep me bronzed in this amazing not so Fall weather}

{Finally chalked my hair for the 1st time on Halloween.. kinda obsessed now}

{I'm back in the Smartphone world!}

Hair Chalking!

Wake up, wake up, wake up... it's the 1st of the month...

So last night... aka HALLOWEEN--my most fave night of the YEAR if you haven't learned by now--was simply amazing. Nothing like costumes and karaoke at a dive bar, ya? Pine Cove did me well. Anywho, I got multiple comments on my hair last night, which obvi, looked 10 times better before I even got to the bar. OBVI. So, for my 4203974203947 readers and followers out there, I thought I'd put together this little diddy to show you the specifics of how I did it. Most people didn't believe me when I said I used pastels. A lot of celebs have been rockin the hair chalking look, but not many peeps knew what they used to do it. Of course, people can dye it, but for a more temporary look, feast your eyes on this DIY!

What You'll Need:

-Soft pastels (not to be confused with oil pastels)

-Gloves (or if you don't give a shit like me, no gloves)

-Brush

***Soft chalk pastels can be found at any major art store. The best soft pastels (if you want to drop some serious dough) are Sennelier pastels. However, I went to Michael's and found some pastels that cost me $4.99 or something like that. Umm, can you say score?!

Directions:

1. Twist the hair as you chalk. The texture from twisting makes the chalk release more pigment.

2. Always brush the excess powder out after chalking each piece.

3. If you’re blonde or you have blonde tips, DO NOT wet your hair before chalking. It will stain if you do because adding water to pure pigment creates a real dye. If you’re okay with the staining for several washes then go for it! If you’re looking to do color for the day, do not add water at any time. If your hair color is anything darker than blonde and you don’t have blonde tips, you’ll NEED the water. Doubling the pigment is what will help the colors to show up on darker hair. Mist a little water on the strand with a spray bottle, then chalk it up! It won’t stain darker hair the same way it will on lighter hair.

Washing it out: 

1. Before you shower, brush with a soft, natural hair brush get out as much pigment as you possibly can! It should come off almost all the way with brushing.

2. Shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo after chalking. Soft chalk pastels use “gum arabic” as a binder. It’s a very very small amount and totally natural, but it’s made from a tree sap so it’s really important to get it all out.

3. Conditioning treatment is a MUST after you wash out your chalk. Replenish the moisture that may get sucked out with chalking.

Here is a peek at what I was rockin on Halloween...

Tutorial via The Beauty Department

Wish List - 10.25.12

By the end of November, my goal is to buy all 5 of these items. 

I haven't been able to stop drooling over #'s 2 & 3 for awhile now...

Gotta pull the trigger sometime. It ain't gonna buy itself!

1. A new pair of waxed denim

2. UNIF's "Go To Hell For Heavens Sake" cardigan

3. Jeffrey Campbell Venice Wedge Sneaker

4. A new oversized white tee

5. Bright red nail polish

DIY Wednesday: Halloween Edition!

This week's DIY is featuring an idea off of Free People's Blog: Pumpkin Candles! This do-it-yourself is extremely fitting given the upcoming holiday of Halloween! Not only are these pumpkin candles perfect for Halloween, but the pumpkin spirit lingers all the way through the Fall season and these candles will provide as excellent tabletop decor for any Thanksgiving table. And the great thing about the Fall season?  ... These mini pumpkins can be found at nearly any grocery store for the next few months! How convenient, right?

What You'll Need:

-A small pumpkin (or several)

-Sharp knife

-Spoon

-Candle wicks

-Wax 

-Scented oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Start by cutting the top off of the pumpkin – you can cut a small hole around the stem, or slice the whole top portion off, it’s up to you.

2. Next use a spoon to remove the insides of the pumpkin (save the seeds to roast later!). Make sure to get the inside of the pumpkin as clean as possible.

 3. Place a wick inside the pumpkin. If you want, you can put a dab of glue to hold it in place, but I just dug the metal ring into the bottom of the pumpkin and it stayed put – plus, once you pour in the wax, the wick won’t go anywhere. 

 4. Now it’s time to melt your wax. You can use a sauce pan on medium heat, or a double boiling method – boil water in one pot, and heat the wax in a smaller sauce pan placed over the pot. If you’d like, you can add in a few drops of scented oil like vanilla or cinnamon! I used cinnamon and it smells amazing. Once the wax is melted, pour directly into your pumpkin.  

*Hint for the impatient kind like myself: If you want it to cool quickly, stick the pumpkins in the fridge (the wax hardens in less than an hour), or just let them sit overnight.  

 **Your pumpkin candles are now ready to be lit!** 

ENJOY and Happy Halloween everyone!

Also, keep in mind... Day of the Dead is slowly approaching! 

Stay tuned for Day of the Dead inspired posts!

Photos courtesy of Free People

Make-Up Must Haves: Beauty on a Budget!

 

1. Maybelline "Baby Lips" lip balm in Pink Punch

2. Rimmel London Kate Spade lipstick in shade 01

3. E.L.F. Studio Blush in Tickle Pink

4. Maybelline New York Eyestudio Lasting Drama Gel Eyeliner in Intense Black

5. Rimmel "Wake Me Up" Foundation in Soft Beige

all things halloween.

It's that time of the year again folks, my favorite time of year... Halloween. Not only do I love all things associated with this kick-ass holiday, but it is an awesome excuse to feed my sweet tooth. So bust out those ghoulish decorations, pop in your favorite Halloween movie, and get in the Halloween spirit! 

Need some assistance getting in the mood? ... Here are some photos to get you in the mood. And if this doesn't work, you are not human, which in this case, is okay because at least that coincides with the holiday.

Photos via Little Plastic Horses