Pros and Cons: In the Mood color changing nail polish- Fun Christmas Stuffers

Hi Everyone,

I saw these cool nail polish called In The Mood that are featured in magazines including Lucky and InStyle.

I really wanted to try them because the idea of having two colors on your nails sound really fun. In my first blog, I talked about how much I like nail polish (I probably have all the colors out there) and I wasn't going to buy anymore until I used some of them up. Well, I just kinda have to bend the rule for just this one time because .... Hello, it changes color!!! So, I went to this website http://www.inthemoodpolish.com to check it out. How this works...... on the website it says that the nail polish will change color when it is heated to 91 degrees F and your body is already at 98.6 degrees. There are different other factors that can make the color change such as running your hand under warm/hot water, going outside in hot weather, or even mood changes.

I ordered 4 colors and there are a total of 6 colors to choose from. The price of these nail polish are $8 per bottle similar to the OPI (unless you buy them online like me, the OPI cost $4.5). It is still pretty pricey for a bottle of nail polish, but at the moment, I was thinking there is actually 2 colors in one so it's not that bad. I guess I like to think of reasons why it is ok for me to spend $8 on a bottle of nail polish. For shipping, it took about a week and half..... close to 2 weeks for me to get it so if you want to order this as a gift, you may want to order early just in case.

The color options that they have are not really for fall or winter.... maybe the purple, but it's a lot of pastel colors that makes you think more of summer. The colors that I bought are Flirty (Pink to light pink), Hyper (Salmon to peach), Devious (purple to pink), and Blissful (pink to pearl white). So far, I have only tried two colors which are Blissful and Devious. 

Here's how they look when it changes color.... First color is Blissful....

Second color is Devious...

I swear I applied the same bottle of nail polish for both my toes and fingernails and in 20 minutes this is how it looks like. 

I am putting my hand under warm running water and it automatically changes the color to the darker purple.

Pros:

1) I like the idea of how it changes color

2) When it works the way it should, it looks nice (see below for why it doesn't work sometimes)

3) I like it when it's cold and the color on my nail is pink and once I hold a cup of hot tea just the tip of my nail turns purple.

4) The brush on the nail polish is not too thin or thick so it is easy to apply

5) Only need to apply 2 coats 

6) I like Devious more than Blissful because you can see more of a change.

Cons:

1) Too pricey

2) Doesn't always change due to body temp because my toes can feel cold but the nail polish is still the same color as when it was warm.

3) The color looks very matte when it dries so you need to apply a top coat over it to get that shiny smooth finish.

4) Limited colors 

Change is good!

<3 <3 <3

Cooking with Sugarcookie #4: Beef Ball Noodle Soup!

Hi Everyone,

It's cold (brrrr) in herrre! I have been craving for soup almost every day.  So, I decided to make a large pot of beef ball noodle soup that will last me for a week. This is so simple to make and it only takes 30 minutes. Here it goes:

1) I opened two cans of beef broth because I want to make sure there is enough soup left over. The noodles tend to soak up a lot of the liquid, especially the next day. I also added one cup of water to help dilute the amount of sodium in the broth.

2) Then chop up 5 cloves of garlic and one medium size onion for flavoring.

3) Once the soup starts to bubble, add the onion and the garlic in first. By this time your soup should start smelling very good.

4) While the onion is cooking, I went ahead and sliced the beef balls in halve. You can see that I bought the cooked beef balls so it doesn't take too long to cook. You can get this at any Asian market for $4.99

5) Next, I added the Japanese Somen noodles and these are very thin so they tend to cook fast. Feel free to add any type of noodles you have, this just happen to be in my pantry.

6) To balance out the meat, I added a handful of spinach. This makes the soup so much more tasteful and healthier.

7) Lastly, I added some chopped green onions and one minute later the soup is ready!!!!

If you noticed, I didn't mention adding salt at all, but if you like you can, however, I feel like the beef broth has a lot of sodium in it already. Again, too much sodium is not good for you and it's MSG free!

Bon appetit!

<3 <3 <3

Gift Ideas # 2

Hi Everyone,

Here are more gift ideas for those who still doesn't know what to get, but please be aware that some of these items may be too pricey so unless you can afford it, I do recommend you to start saving now for the next 20 years. =o) Yes, forget about saving for a house, it is all about buying expensive shit to give to others.... 'tis the season for giving...... and be in debt forever.......

1) Crystal Ergoripado Vacuum: $18,993
This is the most expensive vacuum cleaner in the world and when your friends see you using this they will all be jealous. How cool is it to own a vacuum cleaner that has 3,730 Swarovski crystals? I wouldn't mind getting one of these and tossing out my dyson. I can see myself vacuuming and singing, "Oh, you fancy huh? Oh, you fancy huh?" All I can say is, if you have the money, then flaunt it! I know I don't.

2) Goldplated staples: $175
Just when I thought people are running out of ideas, I came across the goldplated staples..... I wonder if anyone even notice the detail of the staples when they are reading a document. I guess this is mainly for those who are bored with flashy clothes and luxury cars, they need another avenue to show off their wealth. For me, I would make sure that box of staple is in a safe and not sitting on top of a desk.

3) Crocodile Skin Umbrella- $50,000

Now we are talking...... this umbrella will definitely make an efficient water repellent. If someone can afford this, wouldn't they rather just hire a person to hold the umbrella for them like the guy that works for P. Diddy? If I have an umbrella like this, I wish it rains everyday....

Enough of the expensive items... Let's talk about something the majority of us can afford....

4) Handerpants: $11.95

I think this is a nice inexpensive gift to give for all the males in your family and your significant other, especially during this time of the year. These handerpants are made out of 95% cotton and 5% spandex just like the men's briefs. Just slip them on underneath the gloves for extra warmth and protection. I know just the person to give this to. It does make a nice fashion statement!

5) White Castle candles: $10

I know I LOVE scented candles that smells like freshly baked cookies, but I think this is taking it a bit too far. I agree that White Castle Burgers are to die for and every time I do eat them I need at least 6-7 burgers to satisfied me.  However, I don't see myself buying this.... do you? As you know, scented candles have 3 notes similar to any fragrance.... so for this particular candle, the top notes are diced sweet onions and crisp pickle, the middle notes are beef patty, cheese, and ketchup, and the bottom note is a warm burger bun. All of these notes come together to make the aroma of a White Castle Slider. Yummy? Nahhh.... I want the real stuff.

Have fun shopping for gifts! I hope this helps!

<3 <3 <3

Cooking with Sugarcookie #3: Ham with Pineapple and Garlic Mash Potatoes!

Hi Everyone,

It's cooking time! I bought a ham over Thanksgiving and I haven't cooked it since. So yesterday I was able to make baked ham and garlic mash potatoes on the side. Yummy! I love potatoes. It's a comfort food for me and I cant see myself cutting that out of my diet. Let me get straight into how I made this meal. Oh, and I also made peach jell-o with mandarin orange for dessert. Fruit and Jell-o are perfect partners so feel free to mix in any fruit with your gelatin. Check how cute it looks in a champagne glass down below.

1) I made the jello first because I have to put it in the fridge for it to solidify. As instructed on the back of the jell-o box

measure out 2 cups of cold water and 2 cups of warm water.

 Mix everything together with the sugar packet and stir with a wooden spoon until the crystals dissolved.

 Then pour it into any cute glass and drop a few fruits into the jell-o for an extra oomph!

2) Ham with Pineapple: I bought 6 pounds of bone-in ham and according to the instruction on the plastic wrapper, it takes about 2 hours to bake the ham. First, score the rind of the ham with a diamond pattern and press the cloves into the center of each diamond.

Then, I decorate the ham with pineapple rings that comes in the can. I didn't find any maraschino cherry at the supermarket so I used two toothpicks to hold the pineapples in place.

Next, I made a sauce to bast the ham so it doesn't get dry and it also helps turn the ham into a nice golden brown color. The sauce is made up of pineapple juice from the can, 1/2 cup of brown sugar, and some dab of lemon juice.

Here is the ham after 2 hours of being in the oven

3) Garlic Mash Potatoes
First, wash the potatoes and peel off the skin. Then cut the potatoes into small squares so it can cook faster.

Then boil the water and add 2 tablespoons of Kosher salt.

After 15 minutes, the potatoes should be soft enough for you to poke a fork through them.

Use a potato masher for the potatoes and then add 3-4 tablespoons of butter (I had 6 medium size potatoes) and cut up 6-7 cloves of garlic or you can add 2 tablespoons of garlic that comes in a jar. I always like to add more garlic in my potatoes, but it is all up to you. Then add ground black pepper on top to give it a little bit more flavor.

Here is a plated dish of everything I made! Just add some cranberries on the side to eat with your ham.

Bon appetit!

<3 <3 <3

It's getting festive at home for Christmas!

Hi Everyone,

When it comes to decorating for Christmas I am all for it. I love coming home and being in the holiday spirit. This is starting to sound corny, but I just want to share with you what I do every year and how much I look forward to it. The part I hate the most is taking everything down..... at least I get to admire it for a month....

Here are my two adorable snowman... they are twins.... the one on the right is named Mike and the other one is named Ike..... Hellloooooo There!

AND..... drum rolls...... here is the HAPPY TREE!!!!!

I didn't have very many ornaments when I first got the tree (this is a fake tree by the way) and over the past 4 years I was able to slowly accumulate some ornaments. I usually wait until after Christmas to go to Target or Walgreens to pick out some of the after-Christmas sale items that are 50-75% off. That is the best time to buy what you need for next year. So, don't spend your money now..... it is a rip off!

I just had to get this ornament because it reminds me of my dog, Trevor! He is a Yorkie.

My little old fashioned chimney! The red bricks make it more holiday-ish! Gotta have my stockings up for Good O' St Nick to drop off some gifts.

I hope all of you have a great Christmas with your family and friends!
Yay for Christmas!!!
<3 <3 <3