Make-up Monday: How to clean make-up brushes/sponges

There are many ways to clean make-up brushes and sponges.  I am going to share the way I have been deep cleaning them for the past year.  I discovered this method when I first started using a beauty blender and trying different method on cleaning it. 

It might be a surprise to some but maybe not to others.  I use a bar of soap to clean my beauty blender and make-up brushes.  The best bar of soap for me are the ones from the hotels…no kidding.

While cleaning out my boyfriend’s bathroom one day about a year ago, I discovered a whole bunch of hotel soaps.   I mean a WHOLE bunch (over 100, and I’m underestimating it…lol).  I asked my boyfriend about all the soaps and he said that his parents always brought them back whenever they went on trips.  I’m guessing they went on A LOT of trips.  Since it was just there, I decided to put them to good use. 

Since I started using a beauty blender, I hated how it looked after I try washing them with shampoo or liquid soap because it didn’t take all the foundation/makeup away.  I didn’t want to spend money on buying a cleaner just for the beauty blender either. 

The first time I used the bar of soap on the beauty blender, I was so surprised on how clean it came out.  The beauty blender looked brand new.  Then I tried washing my makeup brushes and the bar of soap cleaned my brushes squeaky clean.

So next time you are at a hotel and have not used your bar of soap, you may want to think of taking it for your brushes/sponges. 

Pictures are below for reference.

Bars of soap from hotels

Dirty brushes

Wet the soap for easier lathering

Swirl the brush around until you start seeing foam

Use your fingers to wash the brush until the water runs clear

Dirty Beauty Blender Sponge

Keep squeezing the sponge until there's no more suds

Keep rinsing until there's no more suds

Towel dry the brushes to get rid of the extra water.

Finally lay the brushes/sponge on a towel.  Roll the towel so the handle of the brushes can lay on it so the water doesn't run into the ferrule. 

Anatomy of a brush

 Hope you try it out.  If you have any questions or comments, please let me know.  Enjoy!

Yummy Wednesday: Lemon Madeleines

Every time I go to Starbucks, these little cookies are at the register tempting me to buy them….so evil.

I always thought these cookies were hard to make until one day my friend Trini gave me a recipe and told me it was easy to make.  After getting the Madeleine trays to make the forms, I was all set to make them.  I couldn’t believe how easy they were…so easy.

Trini said she got the recipe from Williams-Sonoma, but when I searched online for the recipe, it was different.  This is Williams-Sonoma’s recipe for Lemon Madeleines (http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/lemon-madeleines.html)

This is the recipe I used:

Lemon Madeleines

Ingredients:

5 tablespoons unsalted butter

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

½ cup flour

½ teaspoon baking powder

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon lemon extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 375*.  Butter madeleine pan or spray with nonstick baking spray.

Mix all of the above ingredients.  Place in the middle rack of the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes.

Makes 12

I tested out the batter to see how it would turn out if you didn’t have a madeleine pan.  I dropped the batter like I would for any other cookies and baked it for 12 mins.  The batter spread more than I thought it would, but the end result was really good.  I also made it with the pan so you can see how the cookies puffs up and forms it's sea shell shape.  

Once you make these, you'll never buy these cookies again from anywhere.

Hope you try it out and let me know what you think!  Enjoy!

Makeup Monday: Best "tools" for long lasting nail polish

I have to admit...... I LOVE nail polishes!!!  There are so many shades of color you can choose from and so so many brands out there.  Just makes me happy seeing all the colors and designs you can choose and create.

When I first got into nail polishes, I hated it because the polish never lasted no more than 3 days.  It bothered me every time there was a chip (even a small one).  This led me to testing out different brands and techniques which let me to discovering 3 main “tools” to have in your nail polish kit and to achieve a longer lasting outcome.  You can get all these tools at your Sally Beauty locations or at your local drug store (depending if the store carries it).   

The first "tool" would be the Orly Bonder.  This bonder is amazing holding onto your nail and anything you put on top of it.  Depending on where you purchase the item, the price can range from $6 to $10.  At Sally Beauty it's $7.99.  I have put a link to help you find the product.

 

 http://www.sallybeauty.com/basecoat/SBS-654807,default,pd.html 

The next “tool” would be American Classic Gelous Nail Gel Coat.  This product is a think formulation but works very well.  It's $5.99 at Sally Beauty.  Link is below.

 http://www.sallybeauty.com/nail-gel/SBS-507020,default,pd.html

The final "tool" would be the top coat.  My favorite top coat so far has been Seche Vite.  This top coat dries your polishes in about 5 minutes or less. 

http://www.sallybeauty.com/seche-vite/SBS-215000,default,pd.html

The first thing I do when I start painting my nails is to remove all of the old polish and to make sure I have no residue on my nails.  I shape my nail to how I like it to look and then start the first layer with the Bonder followed by Gelous.  After I paint on the color of my choice and sealing it with Seche Vite.  One other important tip is to make sure to paint the free edge of the nail (tip of the nail).  This prolong the wear of the polish by helping prevent chips to occur easily.  

Using all the tools and tip, the wear of the nail polish for me was about a week.  It went from 3 days to 7 days of chip free nail polish.  That saved me time from painting my nails twice a week to only once a week.

After all the steps are done...all you have to do it enjoy your newly manicure nails!!! 











Nail polished used:  Nicole by OPI in "Paparazzi Don't Preach"



Let me know if you try out any of the "tools".  Have fun!

Asian Style Short Ribs (using a slow cooker)

Today I finally made one of my boyfriend’s favorite dish.  He has been asking me to make this for about a month now and I finally got around to making the slow cooker asian style short ribs…yum!  I don’t know why I’ve waited this long to make this delicious and easy dish.  All you have to do is put everything in a crock pot and wait. 

I found this recipe while I was watching the Live Well Network at my parents’ house about a year ago (http://livewellnetwork.com/Food-Rush/recipes/Slow-Cooker-Asian-Style-Short-Ribs/9013068).   I have adjusted the recipe to fit our taste palette. 

I used about 4.5 lbs of beef short ribs.  Place about 2 TBS cooking oil in a pan.  Place the ribs and season with salt and pepper and brown on all sides.  You don’t need to cook all the way through at this point.

 

After browning all the short ribs, you can transfer it on a plate or directly to the crock pot and let it rest.

While the meat is resting, prepare the sauce that will go inside the slow cooker.  I double the recipe so the meat was covered fully. 

• ½ cup honey
• ½ cup tamari (Japanese soy sauce)
• 3-6 inches of fresh ginger, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 TBS Asian chili sauce
• 6-12 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 bunch green onions, sliced
• 3 cups water

Place all the ingredients in a bowl and mix together.

Pour the sauce mixture over the short ribs.  Place the lid on the slower cooker and set it on low for about 7-8 hours.

After about 5 hours I would stir the pot to make sure all the meat is submerged in the sauce.  Then let it sit for the remaining 2-3 hours.

I remove all the bones from the meat (comes off very easily from the meat).  Remember how many pieces you put in because that will help you find all the bones when you remove them....lol.

You are done and it’s ready to eat. 

We usually to eat it with rice and putting the sauce over it tastes so good.  I have it here with bok choy.

Hope you enjoy this dish if you try it out.