Hello, It's me. WOW. Where has the time gone? When did we all get so busy? It is not a Thursday, but I just watched Zoella's "A Very YouTube Christmas" tag, and I thought it would be fun to answer the questions as if we were having a NotablyNotable Christmas Party! Here's the video for anyone interested:
Questions - Who would bring the best dessert? Monica! She's the Pinterest Queen <3 Who would carve the turkey? I'm going to go with Jayme, lol. Would we have turkey, though? Probably not. Who would take the best photos? Brian, hands down. Have you seen http://instagram.com/unicornhairflips ? Oh look, a shameless plug.
Who would look the most glam? Our own little Beauty Guru, Sharmaine. Who would have the tackiest Christmas jumper? People would get on my case if I didn't say myself for this one. Who would make the worst Christmas jokes? I think I'm the winner for this one as well. Worst jokes in general. Who would fall asleep first? No contest. It would be Jayme. Who would be the last one dancing? Sharmaine. She's the youths. Who would bring the worst gift? I would bring the worst gift on purpose. Who would be in charge of Christmas music? I'm going to delegate this task to Monica. She picks all the jams. Who would be in charge of Christmas dinner? If it wasn't me initially, it would probably end up being me. Who would make the best snowman? It doesn't snow here, but I'll give it to the boys. Who would win at all the games? Not Jayme! lol. I don't want to jinx it, but I have a history of winning party games. Who is most likely to knock over the Christmas tree? Sharmaine, if she's had one too many drinks lol Who would be the best Santa impersonator? I want to say me just because I think I am the one with a Santa jumper, but it would have to be one of the guys. We promise to be up and running again in 2016! I hope you enjoyed this quick, cheeky little post. We hope you have a Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and a Happy New Year! Look out for a Motivational Monday post on January 4, 2016 :)
I'm sitting at my gate waiting to board my plane at 3:35, which means this is going to look a little bland for awhile. I'm sure you know what traveling is like and I'm feeling the stress and anxiety of it, which isn't much of a surprise to me. I will be updating this later tonight when I'm relaxed and at ease. I'm sorry for the inconvenience, but don't worry, I will be posting today :)
See you in a few hours, San Diego! I cannot wait to be on holibobs, as Zoella likes to call it.
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Fail on my part for not updating yesterday... Let's just say 20 minutes into my trip we were stopped on the side of the road searching up phone numbers to various tow truck companies.
Don't worry, all is well and I am now resting comfortably in Roxanne's San Diegan abode. As I was brainstorming ideas for what I wanted to blog about this week, it hit me that I would be traveling and I always love watching YouTube videos or reading blog posts about what others pack in their makeup bag when traveling.
So that is what I will be doing, because I'm sure you're all curious to know... What I have in my travel makeup bag and how I go about choosing what products to bring and how I stow them in my makeup bag.
Also, keep your eyes peeled for a more-detailed What's In My Travel Makeup Bag video on my YouTube channel in the near future ;)
When sitting down and beginning to rummage through all of my makeup, I found it easiest to pack things in the order of how I do my makeup on an everyday basis. So I got my hands on a few Ziploc baggies and went to town.
*Each category was placed in a Ziploc bag*
1. The Base - Since I haven't ventured into the world of foundation yet, I chose to bring my favorite primer, BB cream, concealer and powder. I have normal-to-dry skin, so I only use powder wherever I use concealer.
2. Cheeks & Contour - Bronzer is my life and easily my favorite part of doing my makeup, so you already know I packed some. Then I packed an everyday, natural looking blush.
3. Eyes & Brows - This means all four tubes of mascara since I couldn't decide on one... My favorite eyebrow pencil/gel, eyelash curler, tweezers.
4. Lips - Rose salve is a must. And staying true to my nature, several types of pinky-nude lipsticks/glosses I thought I would get a use out of.
5. Brushes - Probably the most problematic for me, since I wanted to bring every brush I own. I narrowed it down to my beauty blender, powder brush, blush brush, contour brush, concealer brush, eyebrow spooly... You know, the essentials.
Once I had everything in their appropriate Ziploc bags, I tucked them away into my trusty makeup bag and threw it into my suitcase!
It's as easy as that :)
Make sure to stop by my YouTube channel (youtube.com/sharmainemiranda) if you're interested in seeing the products I've brought with me on holiday!
Thank you for being you and I'll talk to you soon!
Happy Thursday my little Tinkers! Welcome to my first “official” post for Tinker Thursday :) This week, I wanted to share my experience of baking and assembling a Mother’s Day Rose Bouquet, inspired by the lovely and talented Rosanna Pansino of Nerdy Nummies.
I wanted to do something special and unique for Mother’s Day for all the mother figures in my life (of course, including my amazing and wonderful and beautiful and did I mention amazing mommy), and when I saw this video, I knew I had to give that rose bouquet a try!
Of course, this DIY project did not come without challenges. One of the biggest hurdles I had to overcome was my lack of time and availability to dedicate to this project. In addition to working full-time, I am an evening MBA student, so you can already imagine how scarce my time is in general. Pair that up with final projects and research papers being due the first few weeks in May and, well… You can see where I’m going with this.
The demands of both work and school got the best of me and I essentially gave up on this project before I even got started. It wasn’t until after Mother’s Day Mass where I decided to go ahead and give this project a try. It was the least I could do to show my mom, aunties, and grandmother that I appreciate all their love and support and thank them for raising me and molding me into the woman I am today.
If I thought I didn’t have time to do this project the days leading to Mother’s Day, I definitely did not have a lot of time to start this project hours before our small Mother’s Day gathering at my grandmother’s house. So naturally, I had to take shortcuts in the form of boxed cake mix and ready-made/colored icing. Use your favorite cake recipe and icing mix if you have the time to do so. Personally, I think homemade is always the way to go :)
Side note: Luckily, I live near a shopping complex that houses both a Target and Michaels, so I was able to save time in purchasing all my items. Take advantage of the mobile coupons from Michaels! If you’re buying multiple items, see if you can ask a friend or loved one to come with you so they can make a purchase as well. Utilize all the ways you can save money!
-What You'll Need-
For the cupcakes:
Boxed Cake Mix and the ingredients needed to prepare (You can’t go wrong with Funfetti) -OR- Your favorite cake recipe
Icing
Food coloring (Whatever you want the color of your roses to be)
Prepare the cake mix according to the instructions on the box. Preheat the oven to the recommended settings and bake for the recommended amount of time.
While you’re waiting for your cupcakes to bake, go ahead and start arranging your flower pot by placing empty cupcake liners (I used the other colors that came in the set I purchased) around the styrofoam ball and sticking a toothpick in, leaving about half or one-third of the toothpick sticking out. I tried to keep them about a half-inch to an inch apart, but honestly, just see what looks right. There is really no “right” or “wrong” during this step. Just be sure to leave enough space for you to place tissue paper in between.
The most difficult part of this project was getting the tissue paper to stay put! I don’t know how Ro did it, she made it seem so effortless (but then again, don’t all YouTubers? haha). I cut them into small squares, just like the video shows, but I just struggled. Every time I felt as if the tissue paper was secure, it would somehow warp and fall off the styrofoam ball.
Anyway, this is how mine turned out after a few different arrangements.
Remember to let your cupcakes cool before you start putting icing on them! This is probably the number one mistake people make when trying to replicate a YouTube video or Pinterest post. The warmth of the cupcake will obviously melt the icing, causing everything to look like a big, goopy mess. I know, I know, you’ve come this far, and you’re short on time! Trust me, this rest period is crucial. I usually clean up my mess during this rest period. It keeps my hands busy and my momentum going.
Once your cupcakes have cooled, you can start to create the rose designs with your icing. I neglected to photograph this part of the process, but the video has a very in-depth tutorial on how to get that perfect petal-like finish.
My roses did not turn out as beautiful as Ro’s, but I think I did a pretty decent job. What do you think? :)
You’re going to hate me for saying this, but once you’ve completed your beautiful cupcake works of art, you have to let your cupcakes cool down in the fridge for a while. I know! I keep making you wait! Allowing the cupcakes to cool in the fridge will help solidify your rose design, not to mention make it easier to stab the bottom of them with those toothpicks you so thoughtfully laid out. No one wants a slumping rose in their beautiful bouquet. I recommend leaving them in there for at least 15-20 minutes, more if you can afford to.
All right, now comes the fun part: putting your masterpiece together! Remove the cupcake liner placeholders and carefully place your cupcake roses in their place. If you have extra hands in the room, they can hold the flowerpot in place while you work your magic.
And there you have it! A wonderful cupcake rose bouquet! Mine is definitely not perfect, but I was happy that I put my doubts and fears aside and just tried. All my family members loved seeing the bouquet, so much they did not want to eat it! I eventually convinced them to enjoy the cupcakes (after a million photos and picture messages, of course), and we had a happy Mother’s Day, indeed.
Let me know if you decide to give this project a try! I know it’s not my original project, but I would still want to see and hear about your experiences!
Level of Difficulty: 7/10; mainly due to the assembling of the bouquet and how tedious it is
What I would do different next time: Don’t put it off until the last minute :) You can prep everything in this tutorial pretty well in advanced, and leave the final assembly to the day of.
Would I attempt this project again? Definitely! It is such a cute and thoughtful gift!
That's it for this week's Tinker Thursday! Have any projects you would like for me to try? Let me know in the comments below, and I'll make sure to document my experience just for you. Thank you so much for reading my post. You are a beautiful baby unicorn. I'll be back in two weeks with another fun project!
