21 Day Fix by Beachbody

I am officially going to start the 21 day fix by Beachbody in a couple of days!! The challenge pack arrived today and I was so excited that I opened up the box and started looking through everything before I even thought about doing an unboxing video. Woopsy! I know this is kind of a random post, but I am so excited to start this and I plan to try lots of new and healthy foods with this program and I will be sharing recipes along the way. I will also share updates on how I am doing with the program and if I see any progress and how I like it, or what I don't like about it. So stayed tuned for blog posts on all of that! I really love the Beachbody programs and Shakeology! A few years ago, I started Insanity, but was unable to finish it. I am hoping I can stick with 21 day fix! It definitely seems like a program I can stick to. I will keep everyone posted on how it goes. When you order 21 Day Fix with Shakeology you will get a meal plan, a 3 day quick fix plan, a start guide, information on Shakeology, 30 day supply of Shakeology in whatever flavor you choose(I chose chocolate), a shake recipe calendar, 21 day fix work out dvds, 21 day fix Plyo Fix dvd, 1 shakeology shaker bottle, and 7 portion control containers(2 orange, 1 blue, 1 yellow, 1 red, 1 purple, and 1 green). To learn more about 21 Day Fix and other Beachbody programs go to the Beachbody website. Beauty starts on the inside, so you have to feed your body all of the right nutrients so that you feel good on the inside and exercise helps you to feel good on the outside, at least for me it does. I personally think that you feel most beautiful when you feel good inside and out! Time to get my beauty on and I can't wait to hopefully see some results! Remember eat the rainbow and get active and if you have an off day, you can always start over again tomorrow because every tomorrow is a new beginning! I know, I know it's cheesy, but it is so true! Well, I am off to get some sleep now! Goodnight all and happy dreaming!

  

21 Day Fix and Shakeology!

Tasty Tuesday: Roasted Veggies

It is Tasty Tuesday with some delicious roasted veggies! It has been a while since I shared an easy and healthy recipe, so I thought I would do just that! I love veggies! I love salads, I eat one almost everyday, sometimes twice a day. Honestly, though, I prefer my veggies cooked, well roasted. It is so easy to do. All you need is your favorite vegetables and some seasoning and a little bit of olive oil. My favorites to roast are zucchini, cherry tomatoes, and sweet bell peppers. I also like to do yellow tomatoes and yellow squash, if I have them. As far as seasoning, anything goes. I always use garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and salt. Depending on what I am in the mood for, sometimes I will add either chili powder, cayenne pepper, Italian seasoning, basil, or oregano. Sky is the limit with this one! So on to the prep and cooking instructions!

Prep and Cook Roasted Veggies

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• Clean and dry off all your veggies
• Cut up your veggies (I usually cut zucchini into small chunks, the tomatoes in half, and the peppers into about quaterish size pieces.) Keep in mind the veggies will shrink a little, so you don't want to cut them too small)
• Line baking pan with parchment paper or aluminum foil (makes for easy clean up) 
• Next you want to coat the paper or foil with a little olive oil (You just want enough so that the veggies don't stick, I usually use a spray oil for this)
• Spread the veggies out on the lined pan
• Drizzle a little bit of oil on top of the veggies or use the spray oil (Once again you don't need a lot of oil just enough to help the seasoning stick)
• Then choose your seasonings and sprinkle on top (I don't measure, I just eyeball it. I tend to use a lot of garlic, and very little salt.)
• Once you season them, pop them in the over for about 30-40 minutes or until tender, make sure to gift them a little stir on the pan about half way through. 

When they are done, you can eat them as is, or you can mix them into a pasta or some rice or use them to top off a grilled or baked chicken breast. However, you decide to eat them, they will be delicious! Also, I like to cook a bunch of these in advance for meals. They keep well in the refrigerator for about a week and they reheat pretty well too! 

Before Cooking: Zucchini, cherry tomatoes, sweet bell peppers seasoned with garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, salt, Italian seasoning, parsley, and chili powder. 

  

After Cooking: I added the roasted veggies to some brown rice. I also added some spinach to mix because I decided I needed some more greens. 

However you like your veggies, just try to get them in daily! I always say try to eat the rainbow every day. If you aren't a veggie lover like me, there are lots of ways to get them into your diet. You just have to hide them in your food. Try mixing them into a fruit smoothie, you won't even taste them. I am going to do a smoothie recipe blog soon! Make salsa, or make a wrap, just cut up the veggies into really small pieces, and you probably won't even notice them while you are eating the wrap. Vegetables and fruit are full of important nutrients your body needs to thrive and feel good, not to mention all of the antioxidants in them. Veggies and fruits help keep you healthy! And in my opinion, they are just delicious! Happy cooking everyone! 

Mani Monday: Opalescent Topper

It is Mani Monday and this paint job has an opalescent topper to finish it off! This is actually the mani I did last week, I never got a chance to post this. I gave my nails a rest this week, which I think is good to do once in a while. Your nails need to breathe too you know! Anyway on to the mani! Can you guess what polish I am using? It probably may come as a shock that it is Sinful Colors lol! I love this polish! This really is a basic polish change, with a twist. I wanted to try one of the new polishes I got. So I painted Sinful Colors Calypso on my nails. It is a beautiful, dark blue green polish with a creme finish; and it is part of their permanent line. And guys Calypso is a one coater, which makes it even better! I loved it on it's own, but I was really itching to try the opalescent toppers I had also bought. I was going to use the green one,but then changed my mind and decided to use the purple one and it turned out perfectly! It is a sheer, shimmery purple topper called Flight To See. It was released this year as part of the 2015 Sinful Colors Spring Collection and it was a new release. It was, however, limited edition, but I am sure it will pop up again in another collection, which is pretty normal for Sinful Colors. Anyway, on it's own Flight To See is a really pretty shimmery purple with a silver flux. When paired with Calypso, it turns into this very deep jewel tones purple, that has beautiful metallic looking finish! It stays dark around the edges of the nail and as your eye moves toward the middle of the nail, the light picks up the silver flux and make this purple pop! I am a fan! I can't wait to try out the green opalescent topper that I got too! So keep your eyes out for a post about that soon. Happy Monday and happy painting everyone!  

Sinful Colors Calypso

Sinful Colors Flight To See
over Calypso with flash

Sinful Colors Flight To See
over Calypso without flash

Mani Monday: Sinful Colors Beaches And Cream

It is Mani Monday; and this week is another basic polish change using Sinful Colors Beaches And Cream. This is a limited edition color, that was released last summer and re-released this summer. I saw it last summer and really wanted it, but never got around to purchasing it before it disappeared off the shelves. So, when it was a sale a while back and I saw it, I decided to just get it along with a bunch of other shades that you can see in a haul video here. I love the color, but I am not a huge fan of the formula. It goes on streaky, making it a little tricky to work with and it took three coats to make it opaque. I don't mind the three coats, but streaky is a little annoying. I love Sinful Colors! The formula is almost always perfect, but every once is a great great while, you get a dud. It's a shame too, because the color is an almost perfect neutral. It isn't totally white and has the perfect amount of yellow undertone in it, making it a really nice warm neutral. It is a creme finish, which I like, but it isn't a true creme. When you see it in the bottle, you don't see the yellow as much. It looks more cream colored and it has a slight pink shimmer. Creme finishes, don't have any shimmer. However, once you paint this on your nails, you see the yellow more and that slight pink shimmer is barely noticeable, in fact you can't even see it in the picture below, which is why I would say it is more of a creme finish. I do think Beaches And Cream will be a good neutral base for nail art, which is always a plus if you like nail art! You can never have too many neutral bases! That's it for this Mani Monday review! I hope everyone has a happy Monday and happy painting everyone!

This is actually how it looks in the
bottle, you can see the slight pink
shimmer down the center of the
bottle that the flash picks up.

Sinful Colors Beaches And Cream

Bulu Box Unboxing May 2015

Today I have a Bulu Box unboxing to share. I got a great deal on the Bulu Box and wanted to share it with everyone! The first box I received was the May 2015 weight loss box. They do have a regular box that is geared towards health and fitness, while the one I got is geared primarily towards weight loss. You have the option to switch between the two boxes at any time just by logging into your Bulu Box account online. This is a monthly subscription box and it costs $10.00 per month. The only reason I signed up for it, is because I found a great deal on Groupon. I was able to get three months for the price of one. I do feel that three boxes is plenty to figure out if you like the subscription and want to continue it or cancel it, which is why I thought this was such a great deal! You also have the option to cancel the box at any time. If you really like something in the box, then you can go to the Bulu website to purchase the full size product. At this point, I am kind of on the fence with this box, I think I may switch to the regular Bulu Box to see if I like it better. After I get my third box, I will let everyone know if I like it and plan to continue you my subscription! To learn more about this subscription box, check out the Bulu Box website for more information. Happy Saturday everyone! 

Julia Finucane's Solo Art Show

My best friend, Julia Finucane had a solo art show at Love, Light, & Magick on Hertel Avenue. I met her there before the opening and helped her put out the snacks. Before the opening started, I snapped a few pictures of her wall of art and few close ups of some of my favorite pieces. She is an extremely talented artist. Her art  is fantasy based and very whimsical in nature! It is a fairy tale lovers dream! Her art work was on display for the entire month of May. If you missed it and want to check out more of her work and learn more about her, you can find her art work at her blog and store. If you are in the Buffalo area, you should check out Love, Light, & Magick too! Everything in the store is very reasonably priced. If you are a lover of all things spiritual from Pagan to Buddhist, from crystals and essential oils to tarot and candles and other things of a more magical or spiritual nature, you will love this store! Don't forget the check out Julia's blog and store! 

Buffalo Waterfront

Hello all! In my last day in the life type blog, I wrote that my boyfriend and I had gone to Gallagher Beach and then headed over to the Buffalo Waterfront to take a little walk. While we were enjoying the sun, we decided we wanted to tour the naval ships, but realized quickly that we did not have enough time to do so as I had to get home and get ready to go to work. So a few days later, it was really nice out again and we went back down to the water front and decided to tour the ships and go through the naval museum. Once again, this was a trip down memory lane for me. I think my dad's favorite thing was to pack us all up in the car and take a drive down to the waterfront and look at the ships. We would get a hot dog and ice cream for lunch or dinner and walk around. While we ate we would watch the boats on the water and we always stopped to look at the naval ships. Every once in a while, my dad would say let's go on the ships. He was in the navy, so he would tell us everything about the different things on the ships and what it was like living on a destroyer. This is a tradition he still carries on with my nieces and nephews. So while, touring the ships I told my boyfriend all about this and he listened to me reminisce about some of my favorite childhood memories. It was such a nice day and honestly I could have stayed down there all day and night, but I had to get home again and get ready to go to work. I thought it would be nice to share some pictures of the water front and the ships. I hadn't been down there since before all of the updates. And all I can say, it is so pretty down there. I can't wait to see what else they have in store for the Buffalo waterfront. One thing I do know for sure is I love this city and am so lucky to have born and raised here! How often to you get out and enjoy the city you live in and appreciate all it has to offer? Think about that the next time you complain about the crazy weather patterns. Go out and be a tourist for a day and take in everything this beautiful city has to offer. You might be surprised at how easily you fall in love with it!

 

                                                             

Gallagher Beach

Back in April, yes April, my boyfriend decided that he wanted to take me to Gallagher Beach. We had wanted to get out and enjoy the few days of sunshine that we had in April. So he asked me if I wouldn't mind waking up really early to go somewhere that he liked going. He would not tell me where this somewhere was and wanted to surprise me. All he would tell me was that it was some place he really liked to go early in the morning to sit and watch the sun come up through the fog. Me, being the morning person that I am(sarcasm) needed to know why he was dragging me out of bed so early and where were we going at the ungodly hour of 7 am? Of course I kept bugging him to tell me where he wanted to take me so early in the morning and he relented and gave me some hints. One of my guesses was Gallagher Beach, but he would not confirm. We were running a little late in the morning, and by we I mean I was running a little late in the morning. This of course will come as no surprise to anyone who knows me. I am perpetually late to everything, no matter how hard I try to be on time. Well, needless to say we missed the sunrise, but we still had a really nice time sitting on the concrete ledge looking out at the water, talking, and just enjoying each others company. When we left, I told my boyfriend thank you for bringing me there because I hadn't been there since I was little and it brought back a lot of childhood memories of driving adventures with my family. After, we took a drive past silo city and then headed over to the waterfront to take a walk. More on that adventure later. Here are a few pictures I snapped while at Gallagher Beach.

   

Mani Monday: Memorial Day Mani

It is Mani Monday and today I am doing a Memorial Day Mani! For this manicure I used used four colors and a toothpick. I used Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby, Hot Spot, Snow Me White, and Star Blast Off. Ruby Ruby and Snow Me White are both a creme finish. Hot Spot is a shimmer finish and Star Blast Off is a chunky glitter. Today happens to be Memorial Day, so I decided to go with a patriotic theme this week!

Step 1: Apply a base coat. I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Strengthener.

Step 2: Apply a base color. I used Sinful Colors Snow Me White. In general, I hate using a plain white nail polish, they are always streaky no matter the brand and you almost always need three coats, which means a lot of polish.

Step 3: Apply your red nail polish down one side of the nail. Before it dries, apply the blue nail polish down the center of the nail, slightly overlapping the red polish. I used Sinful Colors Ruby Ruby for the red and Sinful Colors Hot Spot for the blue. Starting at the red polish, drag a toothpick from one side of the nail right though the blue and white to the other side of the nail. For this step, I would work one nail at a time, as you want to polish to be wet.

Step 5: You can do this to every nail, if you like, but I chose to just apply the glitter polish to my ring finger for an accent. This one takes patience. The glitter I used was Sinful Colors Star Blast Off. It is a glitter that has white starts and chunky red, white, and blue glitter in it. It took a few dips into the bottle to get a white star to stick to the brush. I wanted two stars on each ring finger. Once I got the stars I dipped the brush back in the bottle and applied a thin coat to each ring finger to get some of the red, white, and blue glitters on the nail.

Step 6: Apply a fast drying top coat. I used Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat for this. After this clean up the cuticle and around the nail with a nail polish remover or acetone. Let the polish dry and finish off the manicure by applying a cuticle oil to the cuticle to moisturize.

Memorial Day Mani

This manicure does take a little bit of time and some patience. Happy painting and Happy Memorial Day everyone! Please have a safe and happy holiday and take a minute to remember all of the fallen hero's that fought for our freedom. Freedom isn't free! Say a prayer for all of the brave men and women who died fighting for our country and say a prayer for their families too.

**This manicure was done last week. I finally had time to finish writing this blog and share it with everyone! Sorry for the delay. I think I am almost all caught up.

Mani Monday: Easy Nail Art With A Toothpick

It's Mani Monday and here is an easy nail art manicure using a toothpick! I am loving Mani Monday, it definitely makes Mondays more bearable! This is an easy manicure and the only thing you need is two nail polish colors and a toothpick. I saw a video on YouTube quite some time ago by Cutepolish, using this technique. However, she used three colors and I am only using two. Check out her tutorial here! The colors I am using are Sinful Colors Daredevil and Sinful Colors Navy I Do. Both have a creme finish according to the Sinful Colors website, however, Daredevil does have a slight shimmer to it. I think these colors work perfectly together, but you can use any two colors you like.

Step 1: Apply a base coat. I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Strengthener.

Step 2: Apply a base color. I used Sinful Colors Daredevil.

Step 3: Pick another polish color and paint a stripe of it down one side of your nail. Then while it is still wet, drag a toothpick through the stripe of color and base color and stop just before reaching the other side of the nail. I used Sinful Colors Navy I Do for this step. I chose to only do an accent nail, but you can do all of your nails like this and it would look super cute! I would recommend working one nail at a time with the second color and toothpick though, as you don't want this color to dry before dragging the toothpick through it.

Step 4: Apply a fast drying top coat. I used Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat. Then clean up the cuticles with acetone or nail polish remover, if necessary. Let the polish dry completely and then finish up the manicure by using a cuticle oil of your liking to moisturize the cuticle and around the nail. 

Toothpick Manicure using Sinful Colors Daredevil and Navy I Do.

There you have it! An easy manicure; and all you needed was a toothpick! Happy Monday and happy painting everyone!

**This manicure is from a few weeks ago. I finally had time to finish writing the blog and post it! Sorry for the delay!

Mani Monday: Swirls

It is Mani Monday with pretty swirls! I used three colors in this manicure. The base color is Sinful Colors Easy Going. This a very very light pink. It has a creme finish and is opaque in two coats. For the swirls and nail tips, I used Sinful Colors Navy I Do. This is also a creme finish, true navy color. It is a limited edition color from the Spring 2015 Collection. Over the Navy I Do, I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Ice Queen, a silver glitter with chunky blue glitters mixed in. I just wanted this manicure to have a little sparkle and Ice Queen was the perfect thing! Ok so onto the manicure!

Step 1: Apply a base coat. As usual, I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nail Strengthener for that.

Step 2: Apply a base color. You can use any color you like for this. I used Sinful Colors Easy Going.

Sinful Colors Easy Going

Step 3: Pick out the right nail art brush. The one I used was a little big, I didn't realize until after I started, but I was already committed and if I am being honest, I was just too lazy to start over! 

Step 4: Pick out a color that complements the base color. I used Sinful Colors Navy I do. Decide which nails you want to have a french tip on and which nails you want to have swirls on. I decided to put swirls on my middle and ring fingers. If painting a french tip is hard for you, like it is for me, I find the easiest way to do it is to hold the brush steady at the tip of the nail and rotate the finger in the opposite direction. So, if you are working on the right hand, you would hold the brush steady at the tip of the nail and starting at the the left side of the nail you rotate your finger until the brush reaches the right side of the nail. You would reverse this for the left hand. The swirls you just free hand and anything goes with those. I find it best to use small strokes with the brush for the swirls. 

Sinful Colors Navy I Do for Swirls and French Tip

Step 5: This step is optional. I wanted a little sparkle in this manicure. For the sparkle, I used Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Ice Queen. I just applied it over the Navy I Do for a little pop.

Sally Hansen Ice Queen over Navy I Do

Step 6: Apply a fast drying top coat to seal the polish for a long lasting manicure! As always, I used Sally Hansen Insta-dri top coat. After you apply the top coat clean up the cuticles, if necessary. I do this using acetone. I find it works better than regular nail polish remover. Just keep in mind that acetone is extremely drying! So I always use a cuticle oil after I am done painting my nails and cleaning up the edges. I like Sally Hansen's Vitamin E Cuticle Oil. I like this because it has the vitamin E in it, however, if you have coconut oil handy, it is a million times better! I tend to switch between the two. Once I finish this Sally Hansen cuticle oil, I will stick to coconut oil only.  

Finished Manicure

Well there you have it! A really pretty manicure. This one does take some time and patience, but the end result is worth it! Happy Monday and happy painting!

**I did this manicure about a month ago, and haven't had time to finish writing the blog post about it until now! Sorry for the delay everyone!

Mani Monday: Sinful Colors Nirvana

It is Mani Monday! And this week is a basic polish change using Sinful Colors Nirvana. I am absolutely in love with this color. It is part of the Sinful Colors permanent line and I just purchased it recently along with a bunch of other polishes that you can see in a haul video here. I see it every time I go to the store and every time I ignore it. It was on sale and so I decided to buy it. I don't know why I waited so long to get it. I have no other colors in my collection that are like this one and it is so much prettier than I expected it to be! It is this taupe color that tends more towards a brown with cool blue/purple grey undertones. When you see it in the bottle it definitely looks like a muddy brown, but on the nails you can see more of those cool blue/purple grey undertones that make it more taupe in color. Nirvana has a creme finish and is opaque in two coats. If you are looking for a color that is unexpectedly different, definitely give this one a try. While I got it on sale for $.99, at $1.99 regularly, you can't beat the price and the quality is amazing! Happy Monday and happy painting everyone!

Sinful Colors Nirvana with flash you can see
those cool undertones.

Sinful Colors Nirvana with no flash this is what you see
when you look at in the bottle as is.