January Birchbox Review: 2015. Let's Do This.

I love being part of the Birchbloggers group on Facebook where we all talk about makeup, beauty products, and of course, Birchbox! This is my inaugural Birchbox review and I got an extra bonus this month with the Love, Lashes and Lipstick book, which I haven't had time to read since this month's been a bit hectic. Is there any other way to enter a new year? 

So, without further ado -- here we go:

Essential Elements Wake Up Rosemary Body Lotion | Full-size, $19

I am a fan of this product line. When the product description says invigorating, they mean it. It's a little strong at first, makes me flashback to me as a young child having Mentholatum smeared on to help me with congestion (or whatever it was meant to help). But, the smell quickly turns subtle and more spa-like. I have the body wash sample in the shower and the body lotion by my bedside to rub into my arms, hands, and elbows before bed.

Katherine Cosmetics Everyday Eyeliner | Full-size $26

This eyeliner glides on well and doesn't smudge. I liked trying the dark brown color since I usually use black. The color is a better choice for a daytime, more natural look. It's a pretty high price point for me for an eyeliner, so let me know if you have any drugstore recommendations. 

Key West Aloe Gentle Aloe Facial Cleanser | Full-size $16.50

I was excited for this product after several people posted that they liked the line. I've tried this product and the lotion and...I wasn't crazy about either. I don't think the facial cleanser lathers that well and with the wide variety of beauty products available, I'm going to skip this line in the future.

Ren Glycol Lactic Radiance Renewal Mask | Full-size $55

Not my favorite mask. The smell was a bit off-putting and I was underwhelmed. I like the thicker cream or charcoal masks. It's not a bad product, just not for me. 

Sweet Science Invisible Daily Tint SPF 35 | Full-size $45

Three cheers for face products with a higher SPF! I love the lightweight feel of this product and how easily it glides on. I would use this as a stand alone in the summer when I ease up on my makeup routine, but in the winter, I still pair it with more coverage from a BB cream or foundation.

Extra January Favorite: Herbal Essences Naked Collection Shampoo, Dry Shampoo and Conditioner 

This did NOT come in my Birchbox, but I was sent samples from Klout for Herbal Essences newest line, which I love, and I'm adding it to my January list of favorites. The dry shampoo is fantastic and I used the BOGO coupon Klout sent to get the full-size shampoo and conditioner. It leaves my hair smelling fresh and it makes my hair feel super clean and hydrated. 

I look forward to getting my Birchbox in the mail every month and it's fun learning from other bloggers and YouTubers about new products to try. Let me know if you have any recommendations of recent must-haves you've used!

New Recipe Resolution: Homemade Mac and Cheese

I've had a long relationship with macaroni and cheese. Earliest memories come from the good ol' Kraft blue box variety, either with or without cut up hot dogs mixed in. It was a treat when I was upgraded to the Velveeta shells and cheese (which I no longer have the taste for, sadly). Then, of course, there was the progression into college and the many packs of Easy Mac I went through to save money and stay fed. And, now in my adult years, whenever I see this comfort food on a menu, I order it.

Homemade mac and cheese is easy to make, as you can imagine. I mean there are only a few other things to throw in besides the title ingredients, but I feel there is an art in making it that I have yet to perfect. 

I make a good one, but definitely not the best I've ever had. It's getting the right mix of cheeses, a well-seasoned sauce, and the delicious crumb topping just right. The latest version I made included cheddar, white cheddar, and a mixture of Parmesan and Romano cheeses. 

Note: The Pioneer Woman says to grate your own cheese for better melting. She is right, of course. I love her.

First, you have to create a thickening agent by combining melted butter, flour, and milk and whisking away over a medium heat. Add salt, pepper, and paprika to taste and then slowly add handfuls of whatever cheeses you'd like to melt into the mixture slowly. 

I've put together this recipe based on a combination of recipes I've seen online and by watching Food Network.

Boil and drain your macaroni noodles and don't overcook them. You want them to be able to hold up to the cheese. Add the cheese sauce, mixing it all together so every noodle gets some of the action. Transfer to a greased baking pan and add the crumb topping, which is melted butter mixed with bread crumbs and a little more cheese. 

Pop in the over at 425 degrees for about 20-25 minutes. I usually just put it in with whatever else I have cooking. The top will get nice and golden. 

With baked mac and cheese, you're most likely going to have a few clumps of cheese, which I like! Grating the cheese by hand helped, but I cheated with the Parmesan and Romano cheeses and used the shredded kind in the bag.

Homemade Mac and Cheese:

- a few tablespoons of butter, melt slowly in a saucepan over medium heat
- a tablespoon or two of flour
- 1 1/2 to 2 cups of milk
- salt, pepper, paprika to taste
- 1/2 c. to a 1 cup each of cheddar, white cheddar, Parmesan, and Romano (again, use whatever cheeses you think would be good - like Gruyere!) 
- 1 package of macaroni or whatever shape of pasta you'd like

Topping: 

- 2 tablespoons of melted butter
- 3/4 c. of bread crumbs
- more cheese!

This makes a whole pan full of mac and cheese, which is good because I think it's even better the next day as leftovers. 

Enjoy the eats!

Monday Musings: Turning the Corner

Taking a break from my writing schedule to well, write this blog post and keep up with my 2015 goal of contributing more to my own creative endeavors. This week has already begun with good news and I had an impromptu lunch with Mikey, so I'd say I'm off to a wonderful start. 

Do you ever feel like you are five steps ahead of people and just waiting for others to catch up? In some cases, I am guilty of instant gratification. If I need to know the answer to something, I want to know right now. But, usually that's not how the universe works. It's not just going to lay out your life before you, so you can cherry pick the good parts. 

I've felt for some time that I have been waiting and waiting (and waiting!) to see what's around the corner, and I feel now like I'm finally rounding the curve, which makes me think of this quote by Martin Luther King, Jr:

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase." 

This is so, so true and can apply to almost any situation. Speaking of MLK, for those of you who haven't seen "Selma," I recommend doing so. Despite certain critics who want to focus on the inaccuracies of what is a fictionalized version of this significant time in history, it is still an important film to watch, if for nothing else then to get the conversation going. Inequality and issues surrounding civil rights are still very much a point of contention in 2015. They deserve to be discussed.

Recently, I was waiting for a screening of a different movie to start when I heard a man behind me say he did not want to see "Selma" because he was tired of white people telling the story of black history. He went on to say that no black person was associated with that film and he had no interest in seeing it. 

I wanted to whip around and ask if he caught the most recent Golden Globes when they discussed the fact that the movie's director, Ava DuVernay, was the first black female to be nominated in the category of Best Director. Never mind the support and affiliations with several other celebrities and musical artists who took part in the creation of the film. I also wanted to tell him to shush. But I kept the comments to myself. It was a discussion I chose to skip.

Close-minded attitudes are not my thing. 

Maybe too many times we avoid discussions because it's the fight we don't want to have or the point we don't feel we need to prove. Sometimes we just don't want to fight period, but instead appreciate the opportunity to learn from others, understand how we do and do not want to live our lives, and create the kind of life that makes us happy. 

We just have to instill the kind of confidence and passion within ourselves, so that when we find those things worth fighting for, we won't back down.