Apple Upside-Down Cake Recipe

Apple Upside-Down Cake Recipe

What you will need. 

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup packed golden brown sugar

2 medium apples, peeled and cored

1 9oz pack of yellow cake mix

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. rum extract

Spray a 10 inch round pan with nonstick baking spray. 

Line the bottom with parchment paper. 

In a medium skillet  melt butter over medium heat. 

Add sugar and cook for 1 minute or until bubbling. 

Spread evenly on the bottom of the pan. 

Set aside to let cool. 

Slice applies into thin wedges. 

Place wedges slightly overlapping each other in a circular pattern on the sugar in the pan.

Prepare cake mix according to package directions.

 

Add in cinnamon and extract.

 Mix it all up!

Pour batter into pan over apple slices. 

Bake at 350 for 40 to 45 minutes or until a toothpick come out clean. 

Remove cake from oven, let cool for 3 minutes. 

Carefully invert onto a serving platter.

Let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

  Enjoy!

Follow this blog with bloglovin'

Full Sneak Peek Of Ipsy's May 2013 Glam Bag!

I am so excited for this month's Glam Bag from Ipsy! 

I believe the perfume is going to be a random mix but I hope I get the rumored Pacifica one. 

I have been obsessed with the brand since I got it in my first Ipsy bag. 

You can see that bag here.

If you are getting the May bag what are you most excited about?

And if you are not already side up join me on ipsy and subscribe to the Glam Bag! You get 4-5 beauty products every month delivered to your door, for just $10. Michelle Phan curates the bags! 

Check it out here.

Also, check out my Stylist Profile here!


Follow this blog with bloglovin'

DIY Beauty: Make Your Own Perfume

 

Materials

2 oz. glass spray bottle
grain alcohol
essential oils of your choice-  you can often find pre-made blends that smell delicious if not using or making your own.

Directions

Put 30-40 drops of the essential oil – depending on how strong it smells – into your spray bottle. Top off with the alcohol, close the bottle, and give it a good shake to blend everything together. You can use your homemade perfume just like any other perfume or cologne.

Follow me on bloglovin'!

The brights by Julep for Spring!

The 2013 April polish from Julep was all about color! 

They also had a cuticle pen and dry shampoo that I love! My cuticles look much better after two weeks of use and the pen still has a good bit in it. The dry shampoo is pretty nice too though I have never used another so I have nothing to compare it to. It adds a good amount of volume for the second day which I really like. I always wash my hair every or every other day so this is great for the next day if I have curls and don't feel like having to do my hair over. I think it is safe to say I will be buying more of each later.

I was in the middle of packing for my recent move when it came so I didn't have much time to play with it but I was able to squeeze in 2 manicures before packing my box away :)

I was dying to use their rock candy jelly polish since it was added to Sephora... but I wanted to get it from Julep. I get member points when I buy from Sephora but I get member points and a discount when I buy from Julep so I just wanted till it was added to a box. 

I wanted to use all of the colors in the box as soon as I opened it, I upgraded so I have all these great colors! I love yellow polish with my skin tone so when I saw Abbie I was instantly in love. I thought a french tip with Abbie and Candy would look nice and I was right.

I added some light purple crystals to add a little pop to them.

For this look you will need nail art tape, Julep Candy, Abbie, Freedom top coat & crystals.

First, prep for your manicure, to make it last longer. Remove your old polish, if any, and soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Trim your nails and push back your cuticles. Do not use lotions or oils on your hands, it may make the dry time longer.

Apply 2-3 coats of Candy or another jelly color. I have 2 coats of Candy.

Make and x with your tape near the tip of you nails so you have the small triangle on the whites of you nails. Apply a coat or two of Abbie or another color if you wish.

After it is completely dry removed the tape. Finish the rest of you nails and add the crystals to the center of you x. You can see how I apply my crystals if needed on this nail tutorial.

Apply a thick coat of your freedom top coat and you are done!

Enjoy your lovely bright nails!

I don't know why my thumb nail corners looks so round... Anyway, here is a close up!

I also got to play with Avery from my Classic with a twist Maven profile. Since is a bright color I used my base coat to help staining of my nails if there was any... when I took off the pink there was no staining thankfully.

I wanted very spring time nails with this pink so I went with light flower to make the pink of Avery pop! 

This is such a lovely pink that my fiance who is known for hating pink loved it, he kept complimenting on how nice the color looked on me.

I think it is safe to say I love the brights from Julep this month and can't wait to play with the rest of colors.

You can find the polish, base and top coat by Julep on their site.

Become a Julep Maven and get your first box free with coupon code FREEBOX!

Let me know what style you are!

I'm a classic with a twist :) 

Check out my last spring tutorial with Julep!

Goodbye California!

On April the 19th I am starting a new chapter in my life.

 I will be leaving sunny California for even sunnier Arizona!

After my fiance and I talked about leaving California for almost a year. We spent a weekend in AZ and like everyone told me I fell in love with it. We found a great 4 bedroom house with a yard for our pup for less then our current rent! I have only lived in California so I am a little scared of being in a new place but I am very excited and think Friday can't come fast enough... or maybe I should say Saturday since the 6 hour car ride Friday is going to kinda suck with a old man pug and two spoiled cats!

Also, next year on the 19th is my wedding day!
Yay for new things, places and people!

Spring Dried Flower Burst Nail Tutorial

Spring flower nail tutorial with real flowers! 

 I saw these flowers a few times before buying them. Finally, I decided I had to give them a try and I am so happy I did! I loved how they turned out and were easier to use then I thought. I am

You will need a base coat, feature polish, top coat, dried flowers, nail scissors, dotting tool & tweezers.

A base coat is not needed, I use it because it limits the the stain on my nails when using bright colors and the flowers have a good bit of dye in the. You also don't need tweezers but it does make things slightly easier.

First, prep for your manicure, to make it last longer. Remove your old polish, if any, and soak your hands in warm water for a few minutes. Trim your nails and push back your cuticles but don't cut them. Do not use lotions or oils on your hands before you start, it may make the dry time longer.

The goods by Julep I used.

I used just one bundle for both hands.

Start by applying a coat of your base color, give it a minute or two to dry.

Apply a coat or two of the feature color.

I let it dry for about 2 minutes, I also ran cold water over my nails to help it dry faster.

I used my Rimmel top coat as a glue for the flowers.

Apply a thin coat of the top coat you are using as glue and place the flowers on your nails the way you want the to lay. Until you are happy try not to press down to hard. The tweezers will come in handy with this part.

Using your scissors cut the flowers near the base of the bundle. 

There is one stem that lost a flower when I cut the rest on my nail from the bundle. 

You can use your dotting tool to pick up any flowers that fall to apply on empty stems.

 Dip your dotting tool in a little polish and pick up a flower.

Apply a little more clear top coat for glue if needed by the empty stem and apply the pick up flower.

Apply as many or as few as you want to you nails, I did little burst of flowers on my nails.

Give your nails a minute to dry then apply your polish.

Using Julep's Freedom top coat dab over the flower so you don't have air bubbles and to cover the whole flower and so you don't move the flowers. Apply a thin or thick if needed coat to smooth things out.

Let dry for five minutes and you are done!

Enjoy your pretty spring nails!

You can find the polish, base and top coat by Julep on their site.

Become a Julep Maven and get your first box free with coupon code FREEBOX!

Let me know what style you are!

I'm a classic with a twist :)

Follow me on bloglovin'!

Kool-Eggs for Easter!

Use Kool-Aid to Dye your Easter Eggs

Here is a fun project to try with the kids around Easter.  

You can actually dye eggs using Kool-Aid.
So grab a few cheap packets in different colors and mix each one up with about 2/3 cup water. Just lay the eggs in the cup of the color you want for just a short bit.  Take out the egg and let dry. This is a fun way to make a rainbow of colors for Easter Eggs.

 

Check out a few of my other Easter post/recipe/tutorials :)

Easter Garlands!

Holiday Pineapple Apricot Glazed Ham!

Easter Eggs- Confetti eggs, egg shell planter & onion skin eggs!

What is your favorite style of egg for Easter?

I have been a huge fan of the wax Ukrainian Easter Eggs since I was a kid and saw these on Reading Rainbow. I love love love these!

Thanks for viewing, Happy Easter!

Beat Breakouts with a Tomato Lemon Face Mask

Whether it’s hormones, humidity, or just bad luck, breakouts are no fun at all. You feel self conscious about your blemishes, and often those zits can even hurt!

The best way to fight breakouts is by preventing them in the first place, both from the inside out and on the surface. A healthy diet full of fruits and veggies can go a long way towards healthier skin, and drinking plenty of water can also help prevent breakouts. On the outside, it’s of course important to keep your face clean, but you can add a little oomph to your breakout-fighting routine with this tomato lemon face mask!

The citric acid in the lemon and tomato along with tomato’s lycopene help your skin get rid of dead cells and other gunk that can clog pores and cause breakouts. I do have two things to caution you about this mask:

It is OK to use the lemon tomato mask while you’re dealing with a breakout, but if you have broken skin on your face you’re better off waiting. The acid in the lemon and tomato can irritate broken skin.

Lemon juice makes your skin more sensitive to light, so make sure you wash this mask off thoroughly after using it, and it’s best to do it in the evening, to give your skin time to bounce back before too much sun exposure.

You can use this mask once a week to help maintain glowing skin and avoid breakouts. Here’s the recipe!

DIY Tomato Lemon Face Mask

Ingredients
1 teaspoon rolled oats
1 small tomato – about the size of your fist or smaller will do the trick
1 teaspoon of lemon juice

Put the oats into your blender or food processor and blend until it forms a powder, then add the tomato and lemon juice and blend until smooth.

After washing your face, massage the mask on, letting it sit for 10 to 15 minutes, then use a warm, damp washcloth to wipe the mask away.

Three ingredients and maybe 20 minutes from start to finish.

Preventing mold on fresh berries and other goodies!

I love fruit and having some on hand so I can have it as a snack whenever but I hate having to run to the store daily to buy fresh. I find most organic fruits spoil quicker than conventional too so I have 1-3 days before it starts to look gross and or have mold. Washing everything you buy is also good to get all the wax and extra stuff from shipping of the fresh produce off and it also helps keep the fruit better. 

Here is a trick I do to help things stay longer. 

Prepare a mixture of one part white or apple cider vinegar and 10 parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain and rinse, the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar. Rinse the original plastic container and place a paper towel in the bottom. Then pop it into the fridge.

 Raspberries and strawberries soaking.

 

 They look nice, fresh and brighter after being washed. Place them back in the container they came in and store in the fridge.

 Three whole days later they look just as good as the day they were brought.

 Looks good enough to eat!

You can also just do this with just water once you bring everything home from the market, you are simply washing mold spores off the produce.

You can use vinegar on many other things too to help it last longer. I use it to wash most my produce and meat...natural disinfectant. Broccoli doesn't do well with it though.

Another tip, wrap vegetables in aluminum foil to help them they'll last twice as long! 

Hope this helps your goodies stay fresh!

Follow me on bloglovin' for more DIY tips and tutorials!