Monthly Archives: March 2014

Ok, so today I’m going to share something a little embarrassing for me… some close up, no makeup, photos of my blackheads.  Plus, my pores and red blotchiness!  But hopefully it will be for the benefit of all of you!  I’m sure many of you have seen this DIY blackhead remover photo circulating around Pinterest lately…

Clearly, this before and after shot is showing some pretty amazing results.  I was a little skeptical, but also secretly hoping these results were true.  I decided, what the heck, I have all the ingredients, and I would LOVE to get rid of my blackheads.  So I decided to test this DIY out – check out my results below!

Here’s what you need:

• 1 Lemon
• Baking soda

Here’s what you do:

1. Mix about a tablespoon of baking soda with enough lemon juice to make a thick paste.  Adding more lemon juice or baking soda until you reach desired consistency.
2. Gently massage the mixture into blackhead prone areas.
3. Leave on for up to 20 minutes (I did it for 10 minutes), and then gently rinse with luke warm water.

Here’s my before shot…

And my after shot…

As you can see, not really the kind of results pictured in the original photo.  Although, I can see a little improvement, even with some of my redness.  So perhaps if this DIY blackhead remover is used several times, it may prove to be effective in eliminating blackheads.  I’ll continue testing out this DIY for a few weeks and let you all know if I have improved results.

Do you have any tried and true DIY’s for removing blackheads?  If so, please share in the comments section!  I’d love to try them out!

Hey guys, so I know it’s been forever since I posted my first Highlight and Contour results, BUT I have been continuing to add highlighting and contouring into my makeup routine.  I’ve also continued taking pictures, so when I finally kicked my butt to make another post I’d already have the photos ready to go!

I’m still mostly following the techniques I’ve learned from Maskcara, but in this second round of photos I’ve also implemented a blush technique I learned while watching videos by The Makeup Chair.  Basically the technique is to apply blush straight out toward your ear, instead of following the natural curve of your cheekbone.  This will help anyone who has a long face.  What do you think, can you notice a difference between my before and afters?

[Sorry for the bad lighting in these photos!  I still haven’t been able to find the best lighting to take makeup photos in my new apartment.  Hopefully I’ll be able to create better lighting next time!]

In this photo, I’m not only showing a before and after of HAC, but also a before and after of filling in my eyebrows.

Not sure if I notice much of a difference in the set above, but I think my face definitely looks a bit more wide than long in the set below.

In this next set, I see a general difference in bone structure between the before and after shot (even though I’m completely washed out).  My features are definitely more defined and my face looks thinner.

I’m still deciding whether or not HAC makes much of a difference in the long run.  I can’t seem to exclude it from my makeup routine anymore, but I’m not entirely sure if it’s worth the extra time.  There is a fine line of:  if you don’t do enough, there isn’t a noticeable difference.  Yet if you want a big difference, you can easily do way too much and look like a clown.  I guess we’ll see as time goes on and I continue to become better at this technique!  I will also be trying to experiment with different products more in the future.

I’m still using the highlight and contour products I mentioned in my original post, which are the L’Oreal Paris True Match Foundation Powder in Deep Cool and Maybelline New York Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer in Nude.  While they still work pretty well, I am on the lookout for a better bronzer for my complexion, and a concealer with better coverage (but still inexpensive).  If any of you have any suggestions, please leave them in the comments section below!

Bonus!  I’m including this photo because I managed to capture the eye shadow pretty darn well.  So I wanted to share this awesome 60-second smokey eye by Maskcara, which is seen in the photo below!  It’s become my go-to whenever I want to do something extra with my eyes, but don’t want to spend too much time on them.  The only difference is that I used the Sephora Collection Pro Lesson Palette for Brown Eyes.

In case you’re interested, here’s a list of some of the other makeup products I used in these photos:

• Clinique Superbalanced Makeup Foundation in Ivory
• Clinique Superbalanced Powder Makeup in Natural 2
• L’Oreal Paris Voluminous Million Lashes Waterproof Mascara in Blackest Black
• CoverGirl Perfect Blend Eye Pencil in Mink
• Burt’s Bees Lip Shimmer in Raisin
• Ben Nye Eyeliner Pencil in Black

Happy Day After St. Patrick’s Day!  Hope you all had an awesome holiday, and hopefully you’re not feeling the after effects of last night too hard today.  Daniel and I had a low key St. Paddy’s, which included a homemade meal of corned beef, cabbage, and mashed potatoes.  Plus a couple of pints of Guinness (of course), mint green cupcakes, and a few Irish movies!  It was nice not dealing with the typical crowded bars, and since I didn’t have too wild a night, I was able to put up a new Etsy listing today!

My newest knitted creation is this super cute knit Bowtie Headband!  It is 100% handmade, super soft and warm, and looks great with a top knot.  It’s my new favorite winter accessory to wear for the last bit of the season.  Check it out!

This is another original design by moi, and you can get it at my Etsy Shop: MicheleVenleeDesigns!  You can also find other fun items there too!

As always, if you love it, please share it!  And be sure to come back soon, because I’ll be sharing the FREE pattern for this Knit Bowtie Headband in the spring!

This week we’ve been having outrageously beautiful weather in Portland.  The sun is shining, the temperatures are warming, birds are singing, and there’s that distinct smell of spring in the air.  I decided to bake a batch of cookies that reflect the cheeriness I feel with this gorgeous weather, and the lingering sun (thanks to the time change).

Last year I had stumbled on this lemon cookie recipe while randomly searching for cookie recipes on Pinterest.  They sounded pretty good to me, so I decided to make them.  Guys, I cannot even begin to describe how amazing these cookies are.  They are SO buttery and soft, and have the perfect amount of lemon flavor.  They are addictive.  Daniel and I seriously can’t hold back when these are in the house.

So in honor of spring (hopefully) being around the corner, here is the Lemon Cookies with Icing Recipe!

Here’s what you need:

Here’s what you do:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  In a medium bowl, stir together flour, cornstarch, baking soda, and salt.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together softened butter, sugar, and lemon zest until light and fluffy.  About 2-3 minutes.  I used an electric hand mixer for this, but an electric stand mixer would also work well.

Add in the egg and egg yolk.  Then add in the lemon juice and vanilla extract.

Slowly add in thirds of the flour mixture until just combined.

Drop large tablespoons of cookie dough on lightly greased baking sheet (or lined with parchment paper) about 2 inches apart.  Bake for 9-11 minutes.  I baked mine until they had just set up and were lightly brown on the bottom.

Allow to cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet, and then GENTLY (as they will still be very soft) transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.

Once cookies are completely cooled it is time to ice!  I just made a simple sugar icing by whisking the powdered sugar with just enough milk to make it spreadable, while still being quite thick.  You’ll want it to be thick so it doesn’t drip off the sides.

Once the icing hardened, I stored by cookies in airtight containers with wax paper separating each layer of cookies.  For me, this recipe made 18 cookies.

The original recipe was just for plain cookies, but I thought adding a little sugar icing would create the perfect balance between zest and sweet.  Boy, was I right!  This is one of my absolute favorite cookies to make and, of course, eat!  And now I hope it will be one of your favorites too!

Be sure to let me know in the comments section if you try out the recipe!  Enjoy!

Hi everyone, I’m super excited to share my latest listing on Etsy – the knitted Beard Hat!

If you love what you see, please share with your friends!  Hope you all have a Happy Monday!