My Fake Plants Died....

"My fake plants died because I didn't pretend to water them."-Mitch Hedberg

So lets talk succulents. The often soft, waxy cacti that have quickly become one of the biggest trends indoor gardening has seen in years. Modern design shows, pinterest and hipster-esque terrariums are practically teeming with succulents of every shape, size and color. Most succulents are drought resistant, storing water in their leaves and stems. There are hundreds of different varieties but the most commonly found ones include jade, aloe and Christmas cactus's.

Being trendy, these little green jewels can be hard to find and when you do they can be greatly over-priced. I found an air-plant at a local market for over twenty dollars and little non-potted varieties for as much as thirteen bucks a plant in local flower shops (!!!!). I have also found succulent workshops which look amazing but the price tag of seventy odd dollars is a little daunting to make a centrepiece. You can imagine my surprise when I found just what I had been looking for all along at the Superstore this weekend. In the floral department they had oodles of succulents in adorable lime green and white pots for only $3.99! I picked up three and took them home. When I got home I hunted in my pantry and found a small, oblong plate I had purchased at the dollar store that just so happened to fit all three tiny pots. What resulted was an adorable little centrepiece that is modern, on point with trends and that takes up the empty space where my tulips usually sit during tulip season (which sadly, has just ended). This cute little display cost about $17 dollars and I couldn't be happier with it!

Now that I am the mother of some new plants, I had to do a little research on how to keep them happy and healthy. Here are some tips to keep your succulents alive....

• Don't over water them, they don't like the TLC we are used to giving to many of our other house plants. Only water them when the soil is completely dry. Over watering can cause the roots to rot and your lovely, plump succulents to shrivel and die.
• Don't place them in extremes. Extreme sun, extreme heat, extreme darkness and extreme cold can be damaging to the little guys. Reasonable temps and light is what these guys want, you may have to move them around to help achieve this. General rule is a foot or two away from a window that gets good light (not on the window sill), they can sunburn!
• Feed 'em. This one surprised me a bit in my research. They love a little extra nutrition and succulent food is cheap at flower markets and on line.
• If your little plant isn't growing, it may be pot bound. They need a little room to expand and grow, sizing up a pot may be exactly what they need. If you do re-pot, try to make sure the new soil is damp before you transplant. This will allow all of the roots to have access to moisture from the beginning.
• Lastly succulents require pots that have good drainage. Whether it is a pot with a drainage hole or a good, thick layer of gravel before the dirt goes in, they really do hate saturated soil. Remember many of these little gems are desert plants, they get a soaking from the rain and then they dry out and the cycle continues. They won't dry out efficiently if there is no drainage.

Happy planting all!
-m

 

Honey, I am Going To My Grave..

"Honey I am going to my grave with my eyelashes and my makeup on!"- Tammy Faye Bakker

Prepare for a long one gang, today I want to talk makeup. My makeup routine is pretty basic. I haven't left the house without a little mascara in years and recently I have started to feel naked if I don't fill in my brows just a touch. Maybe it's the fuller brow trend or maybe it is because it enhances the shape of my face drawing attention upwards to my eyes (that's what I tell myself). I think the reality is that those two simple steps make me look and feel awake. Other than that I am a cheap BB cream girl who loves liquid eyeliner, a touch of blush and lipstick if I am feeling frisky (which is often!). I can count on one finger the number of times I have worn foundation and if I have on some eyeshadow, it must be a really special occasion. I am big on basics that enhance what 'cha already got.

Flashback four years ago and I was a girl who was, to put it bluntly, a mascara whore (*cough, cough). I had tried them all, the cheap drugstore ones (Maybelline, Revlon, Covergirl etc.), any mascara Benefit produced I have owned, as well as Clinique, MAC and Make Up Forever to name a few. Out of all of the above I always have come back to MAC's "Zoom-fast" in black and for water proof (what can I say, I attend a TON of weddings) I love the Make Up Forever "Aqua Smoky Extravagant". To all the ladies who LOVE the original Maybelline in the pink and green tube, I wish I felt you but I have tried and I don't. My lashes aren't short but just like my hair they are fine and surprisingly light for a dark haired lady like myself. Seriously I look like I have no eyelashes until I put on a very wet, very separating mascara (hence why my faves are my fave).

Flashback to 2013, my beautiful friend Stella was in cosmetology school, she needed a lash model for testing extension application and asked if I would do it for her. Well, those lashes changed everything. They were beautiful, I always got compliments and frankly I looked as though I had gotten an easy 14 hours sleep every single night and then woke up and had a triple espresso (honestly, I looked that awake!). For two years I had an on-again, off-again relationship with extensions (but really more on than not). I loved them. Eventually the cost of maintenance became excessive (100+ to get them on and 50+ for a fill every 4-5 weeks) and in January I gave them up. It was shockingly hard to do (I felt mega naked) and at first I was convinced my lashes were ruined. They were most certainly not ruined, I just forgot what my natural ones looked like! I hopped back on the mascara train.

Now fast forward to ten days ago. My friend Courtney encouraged me to try a new product she was in looooove with. Now Courtney is the sweetest momma of three equally as sweet boys and she is not a liar so I listened to what she had to say. I had heard of Younique before, I had googled it, seen all the pics on instagram. I thought it was an exaggeration, that if it did work I would look like I had tarantula eyelashes (tacky!) and I was not really on board with any "pyramid" type businesses. I had tried Arbonne, and I hated it (sorry Arbonne die hards, it gave me acne). I wasn't willing to try something in that bracket again. But like I said, Courtney is not a liar, she is too sweet to even tell a fib so I joined the Facebook group, placed an order and thought to myself "there goes another forty bucks".

My order arrived yesterday, in a massive truck with a surprisingly handsome delivery man. I had been gardening and was absolutely covered in black mulch (to give you all a bang'in visual). I ran a bath, scrubbed my face/stained black appendages and decided to try this stuff out. It was surprisingly easy to use. One eye at a time and three simple steps (one good coat of transplanting gel, a good coat of fibers and another coat of gel to seal it). I did one eye and stepped back to inspect not only my handy work but the products success and to say I was shocked is an understatement. I was so surprised I instantly sent my sister and friend Joanne a pic with one eye done and the other naked. It wasn't clumpy, it wasn't too thick, it looked fairly natural and considering I have been working non-stop and not sleeping the best, I looked awake. Now I am not suggesting everyone rush out and buy it and sing "hallelujah" at the top of their lungs because maybe something that works for me may not work for you. I am however, saying that so far love it and I feel a tiny bit bad for being so negative about it to begin with. I have a sneaky suspicion that it will find itself permanently in my makeup rotation right along side of my brow filler. If I can make a suggestion, if you use any type of concealer or very hydrating product (like a BB cream or foundation or tinted moisturizer) place a tissue under your eye . The fibers do come off the brush a little bit and will likely stick in the hydrating products so just let them land on the tissue instead! Also to note, I was pleased at the fact that the fibers didn't migrate into my eyes and that it is far easier to take off than regular mascara with just a little cleanser and water (no raccoon eyes!). Win-win!

For more info on how you can get your hands on this product and some before and afters of my tired eyes (seriously excuse the bags, they are big enough to take shopping with me!) check out the pics and links below.
-m

It comes in a cute little "leather" case!

Two tubes is all you need!

No shadow or liner, Just one coat of Younique on the left and my naked lash on the right! I am told you can put more coats on for more drama but that hardly seems necessary to me!

Yes, the lighting is weird...Different day, it was more sunny! Anyway, eye liner on both, left eye one coat of Younique, right eye one coat of my trusty old mascara (quite the difference).

One coat of Younique, both eyes, no shadow, no liner, just my new fabulous fiber lashes and not a very flattering camera angle (my nose looks so big!)

If you wanna order some, click here and get it from my girl Ruth! For more info about the product, click here .

Never Rub..

"Never rub another man's rhubarb"-The Joker (Batman)

Rhubarb is a funny vegetable. Yes, a vegetable. I assumed it was a fruit since it is best paired with fruit and is often baked into delicious pastries. I will admit, I had to google it. Turns out, it is a vegetable that we all just treat like a fruit.

Why is rhubarb so great? Well in my probably biased opinion, it is tart, tangy and has the perfect sour smack that elevates so many sweets. It grows like crazy, pretty much everywhere. It is seasonal but freezes better than a banana (and we all know we have freezers full to the brim with frozen bananas) and is easily accessible at the many local farmers markets that pop up everywhere this time of year. Did I mention it is cheap and loaded with tons of healthy vitamins and minerals? My only warning, the leafy greens on a rhubarb stalk are not good for you, as in the are considered a poison. Eeep!

Need some rhubarb inspiration? Look no further than the recipe below for the ultimate (and simple) rhubarb squares that I stole from my friend Heather (who happens to have a very enviable rhubarb patch!). They have a short bread crust, I mean what can beat a shortbread crust?!
Happy baking!
-m

Heather's Rhubarb Squares (gotta give credit where it it due!)

Crust-

•  1 cup flour
• 1/3 cup icing sugar
• 1/3 cup cold butter

In a bowl combine above, and mix against side of bowl with wooden spoon until crumbly dough forms. Press into bottom of 11x7 baking pan at bake at 350 for 12 minutes, until edges are slightly golden

Filling-

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 eggs (beaten)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups chopped rhubarb

Combine above ingredients in order listed. Pour over still warm crust and bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes until just set. remove from oven, allow to cool and serve with a strong cup of coffee! Told you it was easy!