What's In My Bag & Some Chain-Handled Handbag Love

I LOVE "What's In My Bag" posts. A handbag is such a personal thing. It's like all the best of everything you like that you MUST have with you, you know? A little peek into someone's personal life.  All the little possessions people have concealed on them at all times. Full of seeeeecrets...

Alright, maybe I'm taking it too far.

But seriously, I think you can tell a lot about a person by their purse's contents.

Even if mine is mostly makeup and a giant stick of deodorant... :/

Ok, let's not even think about what that must say about me.  I like to smell nice and have a million lipsticks on me at all times, so what? ;)

 Check out my video below for all the goods! 

(and all the junk I didn't photograph...)

OH and how could I forget the bag details??

Tory Burch Marion Tote

  

Here are some more similar chain-handled shoulder bags that I love...

Urban Expressions "Frenchy" Flap Shoulder Bag (DSW)

$49.95

Kirna Zabete for Target Snake Classic Handbag

$39.99

Easy Chicken & Dumplings Recipe

Months ago I tweeted that I was making Chicken & Dumplings in the Crockpot.
...or "Chicken n' Dumplins" as we call it in the south (they taste better if you say it like that, FYI).
Lots of recipe requests followed and have continued to this day. I figured I would put it on my blog so I could reference this post (and so obviously you guys could too) instead of me having to retype the recipe a million times through twitter or having to search back through MONTHS of tweets. No bueno.

So here it is! My super easy recipe for the ultimate comfort food, Chicken & Dumplings. I've made them the "southern" homemade way before (all southern grandmas know this skill and if you have the chance, get one to teach you sometime...haha), but I swear, this way is tastier. Sorry, grandmas.  And who can resist a good Crock Pot recipe?
You will DIE at how good this stuff is. It's one of my husband's all time fav dinners.

If you're a bit perplexed as to what the heck this stuff even is, it's super simple. Chicken and biscuits (cooked into a broth with the chicken to make yummy chewy dumplings). It's THE BEST.  Around our house, we eat it in a big bowl by itself. Sometimes, I'll make a veggie to go with it. It's delish with green beans or cooked carrots.  It can go with anything really.
But prepare for a dumplin'-induced food coma after this.  I warned you.
Ok enough gushing about how much I love this stuff... here's the goods.

Crock Pot Chicken & Dumplings
(about 4 servings)
3-10.5 oz. cans cream of chicken soup (condensed, just the soup, don't add the water)
1-15 oz. can chicken broth
add about half a small can (about 5 oz.) of water
1 small onion, diced
3 or 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
sprinkle of parsley
salt and pepper 
1 can refrigerator biscuits (not flaky layers), about 8 biscuits

Add all ingredients (except biscuits) to the Crock Pot. Cook on high for 5 hours. Chicken should fall apart by this point, but you can gently break it up with a spoon or fork. Cut up biscuits into pieces and throw them into the mix. Make sure to "reset" the Crock Pot (turn it back on) to high and cook biscuits for about 40 minutes. 

So eat up, buttercups! It's delish stuff.  Hope you love it!

Glamorous Glitter Makeup Tutorial

Glittery makeup is SO fun. However, it can be tricky. There's a very fine line between looking child-like and put-together where glitter and your face is involved. One reason is because it can be tough to apply just right. If you've ever had difficulty applying loose glitter, or the concept just sounds plain scary, check out my video tutorial on this glamorous golden glitter look below for a foolproof and super easy method that works every time and keeps the glitter ON. Hope you love!

Products used:
Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch
Urban Decay Naked Palette
MAC Reflects Gold loose glitter
MAC Fix+, Urban Decay All Nighter 
Urban Decay 24/7 liner in Perversion
Loreal Lineur Intense
Armani Eyes to Kill
MAC powder blush in Legendary
MAC Pro Longwear lipstick in Sweet Ever After
MAC Lipglass in Nymphette
Sigma Beauty makeup brushes 
not shown in video:
Sigma Beauty Brow Kit 
Make Up For Ever Mat Velvet+ foundation

Where would you guys wear a look like this?

What are your fav ways to wear glitter?

Recent Target Finds (Fashion & Home)

...and so starts a new little "series" for my blog.
Since I LOVE Target so much I wanted to start a new little series of posts that I'll do here and there all about great Target finds. It may be once a month, maybe twice. Who knows... I might just go crazy.
Target really has it all. I'm pretty much convinced I could survive the rest of my life by only shopping at Target. Home stuff, clothing for the whole fam, accessories, shoes, groceries, drugstore items, electronics... everything.
Here are my finds as of late...

So my mom spotted this AMAZING little dress during one of our recent Target excursions. It's part of the Kirna Zabete for Target line and it. is. fabulous.
This was me typically instagram-ing from the fitting room.

Isn't it precious?? I'm wearing it on the left with a little jacket I tried on from Target as well, but didn't buy. It's actually pretty cute and now I'm regretting my self-control that day. I mean I figured I was about to drop $45 on a dress from Target. Might as well put back the $24 jacket... :/
The necklace I was wearing that day is from Club Monaco and probably what I will pair with it. Oh, and it's really not as short as it looks in the photo.

Oh haaa-aay, SJP!

I mean, she obviously loves her some Target too.  I won't even comment on how she's wearing hers. There's no time. Also, we don't speak ill about SJP around here, guys.

Anyway, the quality is so great. Feels really nicely made and the material is really thick.  So many pretty details. You guys know I'm a total sucker lately for ANYTHING with black leather trim. Which is everywhere now, by the way.  It's SO perfect for Fall weather. I think I'm going to wear it with a jacket now (70s, high 60s) with heels or flats for a more casual look. When it gets cooler, I'll pair it with a jacket, black tights, and boots. It's a perfect transitional piece.
Check the details...

I'm reeeeeally loving it with my new Club Monaco jacket I finally caved and bought.

Oh and speaking of... Target,  can you team up with Club Monaco, please? I'd be camping-on-the-sidewalk, door-bustin' excited about that.


I also purchased these earrings that day.  Or I should say, my mom did. They got mixed in with her things when we were checking out, so I got a "surprise" gift from her that day. I love them. Very "deco".  I'm pretty sure they were $7.99.

They have SO many cutesy Halloween things right now as well. I couldn't resist these sweet little kitchen hand/dish towels...

...or these little skeeery skeleton hand servers.  They feel really solid and heavy. Pottery Barn had similar ones last year (and probably this year too) for twice the price. These were $12.99

Although when I showed my mom my amazing new purchase she made a good point. Upon showing her, she said something along the lines of, "...for all the extra salad you're serving around Halloween..."

....... :/

Oh well. They're fun to randomly touch people with and then watch freak them out. They also make excellent back-scratchers.
Is it bad that I kind of want to have a Halloween party just to use these? Although now I'm not sure many people would want to come now that they know what we've really been using these for...

Happy Shopping!! Have you guys found anything amazing at Tar-jay recently??

NOT a sponsored post. I just love Target.

How to Wear a Shirt Dress 2 Ways

I LOVE clothing items that are versatile. Not too often can you say a dress can also pull double duty as a shirt. I surprised even myself with this one.

outfit on left full details below/ shoes on right- Sam Edelman

I bought this "Evaline Silk Dress" several weeks back from Club Monaco and immediately fell in love with the easy shirt-like shape and pretty, feminine details. You may remember seeing it in my recent Fall Fashion video on my YouTube channel. I loved how it could be worn belted for a dressier feel with heels, or without a belt for a relaxed and more casual feel to wear with flats.
I honestly didn't think of wearing it as an actual shirt until I saw it hanging in my closet near my faux leather panel leggings.
 It transformed into a shirt flawlessly and to my surprise, looked like an actual shirt. No one would have guessed it was an actual dress.

Here's how I did it. It's SO easy. You can do this with any shirt dress you have that isn't too long and that buttons completely down the middle.

First, unbutton the bottom 10 inches or so of the dress. You can always adjust and unbutton more if you need it. You'll need to unbutton less than you think. I like mine to look kind of slouchy.

Grab both sides and tie that shirt up, late 80's style (gently).  You'll want to do this while wearing it to make it easier. I just did it on the hanger to show you.

Pull the ends until it feels secure. I found I didn't need to tie it again (like a knot) with this shirt. Probably because of the material and the buttons. It stayed in place nicely like this.

and, boom. It's a shirt. Easy as pie.

I wore mine with my black Tasha leggings from Club Monaco. I've been LOVING this store lately.  Some things there are a little pricey, but I think investing in a few key, unique wardrobe pieces here and there is worth it. Especially if you can see yourself wearing them year after year. ...and especially if you can wear them several ways like this dress.
Don't worry about tying your silk tops or dresses. When I was done wearing it, it wasn't too terribly wrinkled, but I lightly steamed it with my tiny touch-up steamer and it was perfect and ready to wear as a dress again.
I'll have to tell you about that bad boy soon...

Hope this inspires you guys to see more options to make your wardrobe more versatile. Check below for all the outfit details.

• Evaline silk dress, Club Monaco
• Tasha leggings in black, Club Monaco
• shoes, Pour la Victoire (black suede)
• locket, Club Monaco 
• bag, Tory Burch

See my Sock Bun Hair Tutorial here also, if you're curious.

not sponsored

MAC Marilyn Monroe Collection: SWATCHES

I think when people see this collection, they need to take it for what it is. A collection based totally on Marilyn Monroe. Does it have crazy, out-there colors? No. Is it red-lipstick-heavy? Yes. More neutral eye shadows? Yep.  But what I love is that it has just the right amount of sparkle. Dazzleglasses, frosted formulas, red lips, and pale cheeks. It's totally Marilyn.
I actually really like the classic packaging with photos of Marilyn Monroe that aren't typical. I think it's fun and classic.
Sure as far as the products go, there are some hits and misses, as with all collections. I talk about that more in my video about this collection at the bottom of the post. Don't miss it!

Oh, and MAC Nail Lacquer, we can be friends again. ;)

Available at all MAC locations October 4, 2012

*Keep in mind this isn't the entire collection, just the items I have. For a list of all items from the collection, see bottom of post.

Lipsticks, $16.

(l-r) Deeply Adored, Charmed, I'm Sure, Scarlett Ibis, Love Goddess

swatched same below

Dazzleglass, $21.50

top- Phiff!, bottom- Little Rock

  

Large Eye Shadow, $21.50 

(clockwise from top left) Showgirl, Preferred Blonde, Silver Screen

swatched same below

Beauty Powder, $28

Forever Marilyn

Powder Blush, $22

Legendary

Nail Lacquer, $17.50

*These swatches were done with ONE coat. I wanted you guys to see exactly how they applied. I'm impressed. With two coats, they're so perfect.

(clockwise from top left index finger) Kid Orange, Vintage Vamp, Stage Red, Flaming Rose, "Rich, Rich, Rich"

I mean, this is kind of a cute look, no? ;)

The entire collection contains:

4 Large Eye Shadows

Brow Finisher, Clear

False Lashes Extreme Black Mascara

2 Eye Kohls

Penultimate Eye Liner

Penultimate Brow Marker

5 Lipsticks

2 Dazzleglasses

3 Lip Pencils

1 Beauty Powder

2 Powder Blushes

5 Nail Lacquers

#33 Lash

Check out my video below for more info on my favs from the collection. 

What are you guys most interested in from this collection? What are YOUR must-haves??

Products shown were provided by MAC Cosmetics with no agreements or obligations to feature on my blog or in videos.

My September Favorites! (Beauty)

How crazy is it that it's OCTOBER!? Wow, has this year flown by.  September has been such an exciting month for me. So many awesome things are coming up that I cannot wait to share with you all.  I know, I'm such a tease.

But for now I will share with you my favorite beauty products for the month of September. Products from my collection that have been getting the most action. Some new, some old. Also, check out my video for more info on an an exciting upcoming product launch by me and more details on each of the products.


Products mentioned in the video:
Chanel Rouge Coco Shine lipstick in Boy
YSL Rouge Pure Shine lipstick in #24
MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes in Perfect Topping & Semi-Precious Pearl
Sigma F55 brush
Michael Kors perfume "scent trick" (see video)
Revlon Smoky Shadow Stick in Torch
Deborah Lippmann glitter nail polishes

What were your favorites this month??