Closet Essentials Summer Edition: The Dreaded Swimming Suit

Hey Beauties!

For my next few Closet Essential posts, I want to discuss essentials for summer. I thought there was no better way than to begin with the essential we love, but hate: The bathing suit.

Truth be told, most people aren't too thrilled at the idea of bathing suit shopping. Who can blame them? You are now going to be showing off parts of your body that are generally covered up by clothing. We get insecure about scars, cellulite, skin tone, etc. Not to mention, the shopping experience can be a little rough on the self esteem (um, hello stupidly bright lights that give EVERYONE cellulite). Today I want to talk about finding a good suit for your body that is cute, and makes you feel good about yourself.

Just like jeans, there are many different styles of swimming suits, and not one style looks good on everyone. When shopping, you have to consider your body type, as well as your personal style. My general advice is to make sure that the suit is not too loose, and is not squeezing anything too tightly. Have bigger breasts? Look for tops with more support. Girls with smaller breasts can better pull of badeau tops, etc. Embarrassed by your tummy? Tankinis are great options. Seventeen Magazine has tons of great content about finding the perfect suit, and feeling good about it! Start by taking the bathing suit quiz: http://www.seventeen.com/fun/quizzes/fashion/bathing-suit-quiz?click=main_sr

Something to keep in mind: nobody and no body is perfect. Everyone has flaws, and your probably your own worst critic. The most simple way to look great in a bathing suit? Confidence. Even if you don't believe it at first, just keep telling yourself that you're the hottest girl on the beach. When you appear confident, others will think you look great, too. Remember to have fun. The whole reason you got a bathing suit was to swim and do other fun activities, right? :)

X's and O's,
Amanda

Food Love: DIY Peanut Butter Cups!

Hello Sunshines!

Last week, I was inspired to make home-made peanut butter cups. I remember my mom making them when I was little, and it's been 6 months since I have had Reeces! So I made some peanut butter cups, and some with marshmallow fluff in the middle. They were a huge hit around the house, and I had to make a second ( and larger!) batch just a few days after the first. I want to share the recipie with you. They are sooooo delicious!

What You'll Need:
4 cups of chocolate. You can use chocolate chips, or regular candy bar chocolate. Whatever if your favorite!
Cupcake/ Muffin Liners

Peanut Butter Filling:
1 cup of Peanut Butter
1/2 cup of powdered sugar
1 tsp. Vanilla Extract. Vanilla is optional. I couldn't find vanilla extract here, but made the filling with the peanut butter and powdered sugar, and it was still delicous.

* As an alternative to peanut butter, you can use 1 cup of marshmallow fluff to fill them if you have an allergy or just prefer marshmallows.

1. Melt half of the chocolate using the double-boiler method. Although you don't have to use this method, I highly reccomend it. Whichever method you choose, be careful not to burn your chocolate!

2. Spoon 1 and 1/2 teaspoons of melted chocolate into the cupcake liners. Using the spoon, coat the sides of the muffin liners evenly. This will ensure that the filling is in the middle of the chocolate, and surrounded completely.

3. Put your filled cupcake liners in the refridgerator for 30 minutes, or until the chocolate is completely hardened. While the chocolate is hardening, you can melt the rest of your chocolate, and make your peanut butter filling. To make the filling, put your peanut butter in a bowl, and slowly mix in the powdered sugar. Mix until everything is well- combined.


4. Once the chocolate is completely solid, Put 2 teaspoons of peanut butter/marshmallow filling in the center of the cup.

5. When you have filled all of the cups, put 1-2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the filling. The amount may vary, depending on how much filling you used, etc. Make sure the filling is completely coated.

6. Place peanut butter cups in the fridge for another 30-40 minutes to harden.

7. Enjoy!

This recipie makes about 12 peanut butter cups. A bonus: add 1 tsp. peanut butter filling +1 tsp. marshmallow fluff for Fluffernutter cups!

I hope you all enjoy this, and give these a try! What have you been making lately?
X's and O's,
Amanda

Product Review: Olay's Beauty Fluid

Hey Beauties!

Happy Monday! Today I want to give you guys a quick review on Olay's Beauty Fluid. The Beauty Fluid is a great lightweight moisturizer suited for ALL skin types! It is very hydrating, but is not greasy at all. It works great under makeup. At first, I was unsure if the product was causing me to break out, but after about a month of use, I can defintely say that isn't the case. It is a great product, and extremely affordable. I reccomend it to all of you beauties out there for your summer moisturizer!
What moisturizer have you been using?
X's and O's,

Amanda

Music of the Month: May Picks!

Hey everyone,

For May, there isn't really one specific band or artist I wanted to feature, so I thought i'd share two of my favorite songs with you.
 My number one favorite song lately has been "Somebody That I Used to Know" by Gotye. Isn't that everyone's favorite song? It is so well written, and the lyrics pretty much sums up anyone who has been hurt by a past relationship. I also love all of the covers I have seen of it! I especially loved the Glee cover! They gave the song a whole new meaning, and the vocals were incredible.

My second favorite has been "Call Me Maybe" by Carly Rae Jespen. This song is so fun to jam out to! My fiancee loves it too, he can't stop singing and dancing to it! The Harvard baseball team did a pretty punny lip syncing of the song too! Check it out:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eEWVwgDnuzE
I hope everyone has been enjoying their Spring! It's almost summer, how crazy is that?!

X's and O's,
Amanda

Basic Skin Care Kit

Hello Beauties!

Today, I want to talk about your skincare. It is so vital, but not everybody has the basics! Today, I am going to breifly discuss what should be in your skincare kit!

1. Skin type appropriate cleanser. It is crucial that you find a good cleanser suited for your skin type. Do your research! Avoid really harsh chemicals, even if you have acne. Truth be told, harsh chemicals in acne-fighting cleansers can just make you break out worse.

2. Toner. Toner is important because it removes excess sebum and evens out your complexion.

3. Skin type appropriate moisturizer. Moisturizer is cruical, even if you have oily skin. Pick up a moisturixer suited for your skin type, and use it daily! You'll be grateful later on in life if you moisturize your skin well while you're young!

4. Eye Cream. Do not, I repeat DO NOT use normal moisturizer on your eye area. USE EYE CREAM! Eye creams are formulated for especially for the eyes. Your eyes don't have any glands near them, so it is vital that you keep this area well hydrated.

5. Anti- Aging Serum. The best treatment for wrinkles is prevention! If you start by using an anti-age remedy now, you can help your skin look younger as you age.

6. Sunscreen. Again, prevention is the best treatment. Wear sunscreen everyday, and be amazed by your skin's appearence later.

7. Water:) Drinking water helps flush out toxins, so it can help prevent breakouts. Also, the more hydrated you are, the more hydrated and glowy your skin is!

I hope these tips were helpful. I love my skincare routine. I can't stop thinking about how awesome my skin feels afterwards, and daydreaming about how awesome my skin will look when I am older!

X's and O's,
Amanda

Summer Beauty Kit Essentials

Hey Pretties!

The weather is warming up! Who is stoked for summer?

Summer brings hot weather, and if you're not careful, raccoon eyes! Today I want to talk about some must haves for your summer beauty kit. Personally, these items are things that are ALWAYS in my kit and I use almost all of them daily. But if you are missing any of the following, defintely get them for summer!

1.Face and eye primers. I use primers daily, but they are crucial during the summer. Eye primer will help your eye makeup last longer, and reduce the smearing and smudging. Face primer is awesome because it fills in your pores, evens out your complexion, and gives foundation and concealer something to adhere to. I like to just spot conceal when I can in the  summer, and face primer evens things out! Plus, the concealer isn't melting off of my face.

2. Waterproof mascara. Summer activities call for this beauty essential. Sweat, water, 'nuff said.

3. Liquid liner. A liquid liner stays put much better and longer than a pencil. It is also less likely to run!

4. Sunscreen! Honestly, this should have been first, and you should use it everyday. I use it daily, no matter the weather, but especially in the summer! Protect your skin from sun damage. You'll thank your sunscreen when you are older and virtually wrinkle free! Make sure that the product can be placed under makeup. Some formulas can be placed over makeup as well! Be sure to re-apply every 3 hours if you're in the sun.

5. Lightweight skincare. The last thing you want in the summertime are products that are heavy on your skin. I reccomed a light cleanser, and a very lightweight moisturizer. Olay Beauty Fluid is my fave lightweight moisturizer.

6. Translucent powder. This is necessary for blotting excess oil on the skin, and setting foundations and concealers so that they don't slip and move around!

What are your beauty kit essentials?
X's and O's ,
Amanda

Catching Up With Me: Updates!

Hello beauties,

Today I just want to chill and catch up with you guys. Alot has been going on lately, so I am going to fill you in!

Firstly, thanks to all who read my blog. The views have been increasing lately, and I appreciate all of the support. <3

So some updates about my wedding: Our wedding date has been moved to July 27, 2012. I am breathing a huge sigh of relief- I still have some time to plan! The wedding has also taken an entirely different course...
We originally planned to do the small ceremony , followed by a small reception at our home. We originally planned on around 30 guests. Well, our "Original" plans went straight out the window this week! And I think the plans changed for the better. My future mother in law and I began to plan the reception this week after we paid for and finalized a wedding date.  While we were planning, we came to some realizations. We have a beautiful home with a good amount of space outdoors, but for a reception? We don't have enough tables, chairs, etc for even 30 guests- and the guest list is at 65.  We would have to rent extra things, which would be a huge cost. We also considered weather. Sure, we hope that it will be nothing less than gorgeous in July, but you never know. We defintely wouldn't be able to move the party inside. You don't throw a wedding without a backup plan-ever. We also considered the formailty. Our original plan was to make all of the food here and grill for the reception. We planned this in an effort to save money. This would require me, my fiancee, and my in-laws having to work on our wedding day ( taking care of guests, cooking, etc.) Also, the outdoor space posed the problem of having no place to dance. So grilling, no dancing? We surely couldn't expect guests to show up in formal attire. Although our at - home reception was planned to save costs, we decided it wasn't worth it. We figured-this is a once in a lifetime event. We want it to be nice- and formal. So we booked a nice reception room at a local hotel. It has a proper dance floor, bar, buffet, etc. We are excited at the change of plans! I will keep you posted as we continue the planning process.

I have really been enjoying not working. Although sometimes I wish I had more work, I also have to remind myself that my fiancee and I will be working more than ever come September. I am trying to make the most of the time I have now. I am able to maintain a spotless apartment, read, paint, workout, draw, garden, bake, anything I please. I know that this fall, alot of these things probably won't happen. I've really just been living life to the fullest, and it has been peaceful.

On another note, I miss America and my family greatly. I find myself wishing I could be at my mom's house for just one day. Or an hour. I would give anything to give my mom and brother a hug and play with my dog Phil. To simply lay down for a few minutes in my old room. I am missing America, but I live insuch a beautiful place here!

Lots of cool events this week. Mother's Day, Father's Day, and my aunt Becky is getting married on Friday! I am so bummed that I cannot be there in New York to celebrate :(

I have to admit, I haven't had the best attitude lately. I have been stressed about the wedding, money, being homesick, family drama, the list never seems to end. I have felt negative and thought "why me?" a great deal. This weekend, I had to step back and reflect, and scold myself. So many people go through horrible things, far more horrible than I, and have positive, hopeful attitudes. I have plenty of food, a roof over my head, nice things, and love. I have it so good. My challenge to all of you is to find the good and the positive in your lives this  week, despite any yucky stuff that is happening.

I hope you all have a fabulous week, and as always, stay tuned for more posts! <3
X's and O's,
Amanda