Josie Maran Argan Lip & Cheek Color Duo

You may be surprised to know that I sometimes shop at Sephora for beauty brands like Josie Maran, Tarte, TaTa Harper, Supergoop!, Fresh and REN. When I stopped in to Sephora the other day, I picked up this exclusive Josie Maran Infinitely Argan Lip & Cheek Color Duo mini set, along with my Beauty Insider birthday gift (my 39th birthday is today; this year's Beauty Insider birthday gift is a NARS Lip Pencil Duo in Cruella and Rikugien).

I can't believe I hadn't gotten around to trying these tubes of creamy argan-oil based lip and cheek color, which usually sell for $18 a tube. Of course, I couldn't resist two mini tubes for only $16.

The mini tube set comes in Everlasting Honey and Timeless Coral. Both are quite similar in color, as seen in the above swatch. I'd advise shaking the tubes and kneading them in your hands prior to opening, since the product has a tendency to separate.

When applied to the apples of your cheeks, the Everlasting Honey is just enough color to provide a healthy glow. It also gives a natural shine to your lips.

The Timeless Coral brings the look up a notch, with a more vibrant pop of color, but not too much.

Some of the reviews I've read said this product has a tendency to be oily and gritty at the same time. I found it to be much smoother when I made sure the product was mixed properly (kind of like how you need to mix natural peanut butter before you use it to get the proper consistency). I'd purchase more in the future.    

What I'm loving: Emma McKinstry Jewelry

My birthday is tomorrow, but my hubby and kids just couldn't wait to give me my presents, which included these adorable Emma McKinstry earrings. I had hinted about them for Mother's Day (I guess I got them early), as I wanted the heart stud to represent Hayden and the arrow to be Jacob. Emma sells the hearts and arrows separately, so you can select two hearts, two arrows, a heart and an arrow, or just one heart or one arrow. You also can pick the metal (silver or gold) and the stone (my hubby aimed to get me something similar to the kids' birthstones).

You may recall my DIY #SavetheDate Bracelet blog post from a couple weeks ago. It was based on Emma's Save the Date necklace. Although I figured out a way to make an inexpensive version, I still wanted the real deal.

To my surprise, my hubby purchased one for me with our wedding date on it. I guess he was ahead of schedule for our anniversary, as well. Emma's Save the Date necklace is more delicate and much better quality than the bracelet I made (but if you are just looking for the novelty, the DIY is fun for a bride-to-be).

Here's how it looks on me (see how tiny the numbers are next to my shirt buttons for scale). If you are looking for a shower gift or even Mother's Day (I considered getting my kids' birthdays), I'd highly recommend this necklace (it also comes in silver) or check out Emma's other creations.

BTW, Emma did not ask me to do this post. I was just happy with my jewelry.

On another note, my shirt today is Madewell's Atlas Pullover Shirt. I was going to mention that it's in the sale section for only $29.99, but unfortunately it sold out as I was typing this (although it could show up again). It's similar to the Perfect Tunic in Stripe and the Wellspring Tunic Popover Shirt in Stripe Mix, which also are in Madewell's sale section.

After-School Snack: Pineapple Pizza

When the kids come home from school, they can't wait to have a snack. I like to get something healthy into their tummies, so I try to make it fun, like with this Pineapple Pizza.

To make a pineapple pizza, you first need a pineapple "crust." Cut a fresh pineapple into rounds like this one.

Then, slice your pineapple round, as shown. You can remove the outside rim of the pineapple or leave it on for decoration.

Next, thinly slice some strawberries and place them on top of your pineapple crust to act as the "sauce." The strawberry shape fits perfectly on each triangular pineapple slice.

Sprinkle the top of your pineapple pizza with shredded coconut, as you would with shredded cheese.

Lastly, add your toppings. We used thinly sliced grapes, like pepperoni. Enjoy your pineapple pizza :)

On another note, I posted a Spontaneous T-Shirt Dress DIY last night, in case you missed it. I made it out of my son's old white t-shirts.

Spontaneous T-Shirt Dress

Looks like I'm fashionably late to the Pinterest party (yes, I finally joined today; I'm "Shannonmarie of Rawdorable"), so I needed to find something suitable to wear. I quickly put together another DIY (check out my Instant DIY Catbird-Inspired Earrings, if you missed them earlier today), this time out of my son's white t-shirts.

My son has been growing like a weed (seriously, he's my height or taller). When he outgrows his plain white t-shirts, I make them into play dresses for Hayden, although now I can transform them into something that fits me, too.

To make my spontaneous t-shirt dress, I used two size x-large boys white t-shirts (Jacob has moved up to size small in men's). I start by making a skirt out of one of the t-shirts. I just step into the collar and pull it up around my waist. The collar will stretch a bit, so I don't advise wearing it as a shirt again.

Then, I tuck the sleeves in, as shown, to create "pockets." If this truly is a spontaneous dress, you probably won't be able to actually put anything in your "pockets," as they will be open at the bottom. However, you can opt to sew the bottom of the sleeves/pockets shut, if you want functional pockets.

To make the top of your dress, simply put on the other shirt and loosely tuck it into your t-shirt skirt. You could also cut it into a crop top, depending on the fit of the shirt. How's that for spontaneity? Okay; so maybe you might want to get the wrinkles out before you go out anywhere :)

Instant DIY Catbird-inspired Earrings

You know I love a good DIY, especially something as simple as this one. In fact, it's so easy that it's basically done for you.

Now, before I get to ahead of myself, let me tell you about the inspiration for today's DIY. My favorite earrings are my gold Catbird Ballerina Earrings. They look like a tiny ballet barre with a delicate chain that wraps around to the back of the earring.

Here is how they look when worn. You can barely see them in this picture, but trust me, they're something special. The gold ones I'm wearing cost $168, but Catbird also has a silver pair on its site for $76.

Of course, I wouldn't mind adding the silver pair (or even the rose gold ones) to my collection in the future, but for now, I figured out an extremely economical substitute.

Jewelry making is a hobby of mine, so I like to stock up on some of the basics. For example, I picked these earring threads the other day. I paid about $2.99 at Michael's for pack with enough in it to make three pairs of dangling earrings.

Each earring thread is a post with a chain attached to it. Notice how the chains are similar to that of the Catbird earrings?

I had considered making a more accurate version of the original earrings, but for now, I'm happy with using the threads without any alterations and/or additions. I just styled them, as shown. The posts are worn in the traditional manner, but instead of leaving the chains to hang straight, I wrapped them around to the back. The larger link at the end of the chain loops over the back of the earring post and is secured with the clear earring back.

Here is how they look on me. That was quick and easy. Now you should have two more pairs to share with your friends.

Let me know on Twitter, if you try styling these earring threads like this. I'm @Rawdorable.

100% Pure Narcissus is finally mine!

My favorite 100 Percent Pure lipsticks are the Fruit Pigmented Pomegranate Oil Anti-Aging Lipsticks. I bought Poppy (a bright pop of red), as soon as it was released, and more recently got my hands on Foxglove (a nude pink). I'm such a fan of these lipsticks (they are so moisturizing and long-lasting) that it's no surprise that I wanted more, specifically Narcissus, a vibrant pink that apparently looks good on everyone.

Narcissus always seems to be out of stock online and doesn't hang out for long on store shelves. For example, I had hoped to buy it a couple weeks ago, when I went to visit Dana at my local 100 Percent Pure store. Unfortunately, there wasn't one there to purchase, and it was sold out online.

Luckily, I was able to snag my very own Narcissus lipstick (yes; I purchased it myself) at the store yesterday. Here's a swatch of the color.

It's the color I think of when lipstick comes to mind. It's a shade to be worn with confidence.

In addition to the lipstick, yesterday I got the Blackberry Long Lasting Liquid Eyeliner (that came in the mail; see my review from my last post) and the All Over Glow in Deeply SunKissed (check out my review of both shades from the other day).

The lipstick and the bronzer added up to enough to qualify me for the in-store Mother's Day gift with purchase. I can't believe I got all of this for just an additional $25.

If you missed out on the Mother's Day bag, you can take advantage of the Teacher Appreciation Day bundles that are available online today (Friday, April 24, 2015) thru tomorrow (Saturday, April 25, 2015). Each bundle is only $20. May I recommend the Hair Amenity Set or the nail polish trios (I used I Heart You and Republican on my nails in this recent post).

In the future, I think 100 Percent Pure should put out more nail polish sets. While I was at the store, I tweeted out a nail polish quad idea, which included Cornflower, Deep Sea, Sea Foam and Sugar "sand."

Dana (the store manager) and I discussed the possibility of having a sugar scrub party at the store one day, too. Remember our sugar scrub social? Just look at all the options.

Lastly, I picked up this popular Charcoal Konjac Sponge that I can't wait to try. I'll share my thoughts with you next week.

Happy Friday!

#100PureSelfie in Blackberry Liquid EyeLiner

I'm a huge fan of 100 Percent Pure, so you can imagine my excitement when I saw their #100PureSelfie 2-day promo in my e-mail inbox. I couldn't resist ordering the Blackberry Long Lasting Liquid Liner, which came with a free selfie stick for the extremely short 2-day window (this promo is no longer available). Those who managed to get in on the deal in time are now eligible to win prizes when they post their eyeliner selfies using the selfie stick and #100PureSelfie hashtag.

After spending part of my day hanging out with Dana at the 100 Percent Pure store, I had hoped to blog about today's haul. However, when my eyeliner and selfie stick arrived, I opted to post about them instead (don't worry; I'm still going to post about my haul in the near future).

I was so anxious to test out the eyeliner and selfie stick, as well as post my pic (I'm the first and only one at the time I'm typing this). The photo above is the one I tweeted, and of course, I used the provided selfie stick to take it. The selfie stick is really cute as far as selfie sticks go. The handle is pink and it has the 100 Percent Pure logo. Hopefully, they'll do more promos like this in the future.

As for the eyeliner, I was impressed with how easily and accurately it applied. Seriously, I just swiped this on in a heartbeat and was ready to photograph it. I did a line swatch so you can see it better.

Then, I decided to really show off what it can do with a "heart" 100% Pure temporary tattoo. I've had it on my arm for a while now, and it hasn't budged or smudged.

Hayden got a little jealous and requested a heart, too. We match.

The color of this liner is absolutely gorgeous, like smashed blackberries with a hint of shimmer. It must be those fruit pigments. Gotta love 100 Percent Pure.

Did anyone else take advantage of this offer or have this liner? Tweet me your thoughts and/or your #100PureSelfie at @Rawdorable.

The Philosophie Honey Pop Experiment

I don't know what it's like in your house, but in mine, my kids love to experiment. For example, we recently learned that honey does not freeze, so we decided to do a test with Philosophie honey in Cacao Bee, Green Bee and Berry Bee. This colorful, superfood-packed honey was the perfect choice for our experiment, as you'll see.

Hayden, in particular, was hoping we could freeze the honey like a frozen lollipop (she was obviously trying to disprove that nonfreezing theory), which would've been a cool lolli-popsicle (I just made up that word) hybrid. To start, we lined a plate with parchment, poured a lollipop-size amount of each honey flavor onto the parchment and put a stick in each pool of honey. As you can see, the honey was quite runny at this point.

We actually did this last Friday afternoon, but forgot about it until the other day (we had a busy weekend). When we finally took the honey out of the freezer, it was a bit thicker, but not frozen. Above is the Cacao Bee Honey being molded around its stick with a spoon.

We did the same with the Berry Bee Honey, which made it look a little like a lollipop. It had the consistency of taffy or a soft caramel, but not as dense.

Here's our Green Bee Honey pop, which turned out a little smaller than the berry one. But, what happened to the Cacao Bee Honey Pop?

Hayden ate it before I was able to take a pic. I guess she wanted to enjoy her treat before the freezer magic ran out. So good!