Monday, March 28, 2016

Best Drugstore Eyeshadow Palette



Here lately, I have really been wanting an eyeshadow palette with more of a pink tint. I would love love love to get the Naked 3 palette by Urban Decay, but I really wanted to try something a little less expensive. I decided to try the Wet n' Wild Au Naturel Eyeshadow Palette in Nude Awakening. The price was $5.99.

Let me just say, I was pretty worried about the pigmentation. Other times that I have tried drugstore eyeshadows, I had to keep putting it on and keep putting it on, and it still would not show up. This, however, has great pigmentation. This may be my new favorite palette. Here are the swatches of each eye shadow:
The lighter colors are hard to see because of my pale arm (sorry about that). However, when put on an actual eye shadow primer and next to a darker crease color, they show up very well on the lid. I washed my arm a couple of times and took a shower, and the four darkest colors WOULD NOT come off of my arm. That's how good it stayed on. My favorite color out of the whole palette is the mauve color. That's actually why I got it. Some of the colors are matte and some are shimmery. Most of the light colors are shimmery ones, and the darker ones are matte.

Now, onto the cons of this palette.

A couple of the colors were a little too orangey for me, and they washed me out; however, this does not mean it will be like that for everyone. Here is a close up of the colors:


I can say in all honesty, that the orangey colors was the only con about this palette, but it is not a con for everyone because warm colors suit other skin tones better than mine . Overall, I really think this palette is worth looking into it. I suggest you give it a try!

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Red Velvet Cake Truffles


Looking for an easy, inexpensive dessert to make? Look no longer. Red velvet cake truffles are delicious and easy to make.

Makes roughly 42 truffles.

Ingredients:

  • One box of red velvet cake mix (and anything you need to bake the cake)
  • 8 oz. cream cheese-softened (I get the Philadelphia bar)
  • 2 bags white chocolate candy melts or at least 20 oz. almond bark

Preparation:

  1. Bake the cake as instructed on the box.
  2. Once the cake has cooled completely, crumble it up into a medium-large bowl. Make sure there are no large clumps and that it is crumbled into fine pieces.
  3. Work cream cheese into cake with hands unless you can no longer see any of the cream cheese.
  4. Shape the mixture into balls and place on large wax paper covered baking sheet. They can be whatever size you like, but I like to make mine just a tiny bit smaller than a tablespoon.
  5. Refrigerate for 3-4 hours or freeze for 45 minutes. If the cake isn't cold, it will fall apart.
  6. Melt chocolate candies according to instructions. Hint: do not get regular white chocolate chips that are meant for cookies. They will not melt. One bag of the candy melts wasn't enough for me, so pick up two. It is also better if you use the double boiler method. Put some water in a larger pan and then put a smaller pan, such as a sauce pan, on top. Make sure the size difference isn't too large because you don't want the top pan touching the water. Heat up the stove so that it brings the water to a simmer and put the chocolate in the top pan. Continue stirring until melted so it doesn't burn.
  7. Use a fork to roll around the cake ball into the white chocolate and place back onto the baking sheet. Repeat for all cake balls.
  8. Let the white chocolate dry (which doesn't take long) and you are done!
Cake after mixing in cream cheese

That is it for the post. Have a great day and enjoy the truffles!

Monday, March 14, 2016

Places every Kentuckian Should Go


I really like adventure, and I'm sure most of you do too. Sometimes it's just hard to find things to do, especially in a small town. I typically alternate between going to the movies, Walmart, and the Mexican restaurant. Lately, I've been trying to find other things to do, most of which is hiking or seeing new places. I have listed these places, as well as things to do, as a bucket list. I have already been to a lot of the places listed; the pictures don't do it justice. You need to see these places for yourself.

1.) I have been to Kingdom Come State Park many times. It is beautiful, especially in the fall. It features Log Rock and Raven Rock, and you are likely to see at least one black bear if you go at the right time.
One of the many views at Kingdom Come.
2.) Camp Blanton, also located in Harlan, KY, is famous for its sand cave and knobby rock. It also features several trails and a beautiful forest.

3.) Black Mountain Thunder Zipline in Harlan, KY has a two-hour canopy tour with heights up to 500 feet. If you're brave enough, this provides a gorgeous view!

4.) Cumberland Falls is one of only two places in the world that has a moonbow, and it is located right here in Kentucky.
5.) Dog Slaughter Falls is another waterfall located in the same park as Cumberland Falls.

6.) Cumberland Gap National Historical Park has it all. History, several trails, waterfalls, and scenic overlooks. There is even one trail where you can stand in three states at once.

7.) Bad Branch Falls is yet another waterfall, located in Letcher County. It is best to go after is has rained. It is a 1.2 mile hike to the waterfall.

8.) Although located in Virginia, Devil's Bathtub is pretty close to the Kentucky line. It is a brilliant blue-colored swimming hole.

9.) Fort Knox is a very historical place. Although you cannot go through gate, it is amazing to just be in the vicinity and to know the history behind it. There is also a museum in this area.

10.) The Creation Museum could easily turn into a 2-3 day trip. There are ziplines, a planetarium, exhibits, petting zoo, shows, and more. This museum shows creation through the Bible.

11.) Speaking of planetariums, Hummel Planetarium at EKU is amazing as well, and the tickets are cheap.

12.) Back to Harlan County again, the Kentucky Coal Museum provides history about, well, coal mining. The tri-cities area, where the museum is located, is full of history.

13.) Mammoth Cave is something everyone should have the pleasure of seeing, whether you live in Kentucky or not. It is the WORLD'S largest known cave system.

14.) Red River Gorge is a great scenic area to hike. It is home to the Natural Bridge.

15.) The entire city of Middlesboro was built inside of a crater, so that is a cool place to check out.

16.) Dinosaur World is an outdoor dinosaur museum near Mammoth Cave that has life-size dinosaurs.

17.) Waverly Hills Sanatorium is one of the most haunted places in the world, and it is right here in Kentucky.

18.) The Corvette Museum is an awesome place to visit if you love cars. Or even if you don't because it's the only place in the world that corvettes are made.

19.) Shaker Village in Pleasant Hill is home to the third largest shaker community in the world.

20.) Visit the Thomas Edison house in Louisville, KY.

21.) Take a cruise on the Belle of Louisville, a steamboat that is 100 years old.

22.) Visit the Kentucky State Capitol, of course.

23.) Try out some bourbon on the Kentucky Bourbon Trail.

24.) The Kentucky Derby Museum is a must-see. After all, Kentucky is famous for horses.

25.) If you appreciate art, travel to Berea. The whole area is famous for its art.

26.) Take an underground boat tour at the Lost River Cave.

27.) Octagon Hall Civil War Museum is a place with loads of history, including the actual site of a civil war hospital as well as remaining artifacts.

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Arm Workouts you can do Anywhere

It can be hard to find the motivation to go to gym, especially when you have a lot of things going on. That makes it difficult for college students to work out. Summer time is almost here and you need to feel good in that tank top. You can do these arm exercises everywhere, so you can't use the lack of equipment and space as an excuse anymore. I have not listed an amount of reps because everyone is different. Cycle through these exercises twice, doing as many as you can, but don't forget you get to do all of these exercises two times! You should go until you can't go anymore. There is no certain order to do these exercises in, but try to alternate between muscles, which is how I have them listed. Here is how to get your tank top ready arms:

1.) Arm circles
2.) Cobra pushups
3.) Military pushups
4.) Tricep dips
5.) Incline pushups
6.) Burpees
7.) Plank
8.) Chest press pulse
9.) Reverse plank
10.) Arm raises

Hint: If there are certain exercises you want to do, but don't have access to dumbbells, substitute it with something around you like a water bottle or a book. Most of the time, just going through the motion will give you a workout, but adding any weight can go a long way.

Also check out blogilates with Cassey to see how to do some of these exercise and more. Her videos are so much fun to do, and you do not need a lot of space.

I hope you liked the post! Have an awesome spring break!