Pasta Salad!

It just occurred to me that I promised a pasta salad recipe about a month ago and totally forgot about it. I meant to take photos when I made it for my mom's work party, obviously that didn't happen. I came across this somewhere... I'm not sure, possibly in a magazine or one of my many cookbooks. I have no idea. I've since memorized it because I make it fairly often. Here's what you'll need.

1 regular sized bottle of fat free italian dressing
1 1/2 cup of light miracle whip
1 box of spiral noodles
1 cauliflower
1 orange pepper
1 red pepper
1 green pepper
about 5 carrots

So you'll want to cook the pasta, drain, rinse,and set that aside to cool. (I like to rinse mine in cold water because I'm super impatient.)

Cut up your veggies except the carrots. For the carrots, wash and peel them. Then, using a veggie peeler, just run it down your carrots so you get super thin "slices". Put everything into a large bowl, larger then you think you'll need so that you can mix. Wisk your italian dressing with your miracle whip in a smaller bowl until smooth. Pour a generous amount of the dressing mixture over your veggies and mix with your hands. Toss the noodles in there with the veggies. Pour the remaining dressing over the top and mix with your hands until everything is coated. Cover and refrigerate.
You should have a decent amount of dressing in the bottom of your bowl so just give your salad a good stir before serving.

Obviously you can omit or add any veggie you'd like, sometimes I throw some broccoli in there, or fresh peas. Other times I like to mix in some cooked shredded chicken (awesome way to use up left over fried chicken, just remove the skin before you shred it.) and make it a meal.  It's super easy peasy and you can customize it any way you'd like!

Enjoy!!

July Test Tube Reviews and Photos

The Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector was actually something I've been seeing in magazines for about a month now and have been wanting to try but always forgot to pick up when I was at the store. So it worked out really nicely that it was in this test tube, in a full size no less!  It retails for about $9.99 - $11.99 depending on where you go. You can check it out online right  HERE.  It comes in 4 different shades, Fair, Buff, Light, and Medium. All of them look fairly light though. I'm normally fair when it comes to skin tone shades, but I received the Light and it seems to blend in seamlessly.  It is on the yellow side, which normally makes me look like I have jaundice, but it works nicely under my eyes and doesn't show a yellow tinge once it's blended in. It has an interesting applicator, a flow-through brush with a twist up dispenser, the product does come through the side of the brush (like every other flow-through brush applicator in life) but it's still super easy to use. It says to rinse the brush under water but be careful not to get water in the product, I however, simply wipe it clean with a baby wipe and spray it with a little alcohol. Done. Clean and sanitized.  The coverage seems buildable, but starts to get cakey after the second layer as it is a bit thick. I found that you need to blend it out right away because it dries super quick and is almost impossible to blend it afterwards. I apply and blend one eye before even applying to the other eye and that seems to have solved the problem for me. It neutralizes dark circles very well, better then the concealer palette I was previously using and is awesome as a primer under eyeshadow. It says that it also de-puffs and treats under eye bags, but I don't really have puffy eyes, so I haven't noticed a huge difference on that front. I'll definitely be buying this when I run out. Awesome product! Hopefully they'll be coming out with a couple more shades so women who are darker then a fair to medium skin tone can try this out as well.

Applicator brush, obviously I've been using this.

A sloppy swatch, that's my wrist/hand, although it kind of looks like a foot.

The next thing I tried out was the Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick Pen. These retail for $20 on the Mally Beauty website and you can find that HERE. I received Blossom but there are 22 shades available. It looks much darker on the website then it does in my photos or in person. It's more of a shimmery mauvey pink. The website says it's "A High Performance, full coverage lipstick that gives you a perfect, full color finish with awesome shine." I found it more of a gloss then a full coverage lipstick. I had to apply several layers to make mine opaque and by then it was globbed on to thickly it didn't look nice at all. It was a little hard to swatch because every time I threw another layer on there it would pull the first layer off. It wore nicely though, I got about 4 hours out of it.  It has a strong scent, but it smells wonderful in the tube, when applied it takes on a the smell of almost a halloween lipstick. You know the kind, the black waxy ones you get at walmart in the halloween isle next to the delicious costume lashes.  I actually like that smell because it brings back memories of dressing up as a child. It's an unusual smell though for any other make up brand. The color is nice in the tube and in the swatches but on it looks more like a shimmery frost then a glossy lipstick on my lips. I haven't been a fan of frost lipsticks since middle school so it was definitely a turn off for me. I actually think these might be nice in a brighter color, like the fushia or summer peach. I wonder if blossom is a little too close to my natural lip color so the shimmer just stands out more. I would be willing to try another color if they were on sale, $20 is a little too much for me when I wasn't super impressed in the first place. I was overall disappointed with this product, I'm a HUGE fan of her Evercolor Starlight Waterproof Eyeliners and the Evercolor Shadow Sticks, so I had high hopes for this as well. It certainly won't stop me from trying any of her other products.

 

This is the second (actually it's the third) tube of LashFood eyelash conditioner I've received through New Beauty. Which is interesting because I use it all the time and just when I'm about to run out I end up with another tube from them. Thank goodness too, because it retails for about $120. You can check it out for yourself HERE. I have a confession, I'm probably the only one who notices though, honestly. The lashes on my left eye are much shorter then the lashes on my right eye. I have no idea what happened but one day it seems they all broke off and left me with stump lashes. When I noticed, the only lash growth system on the market was Lastisse, and the warning of "May cause brown iris pigmentation in eyes that can be permanent" freaked me the F out. I'm not even going to underdramatize that. The thought of my blue eyes turning brown was creepy. All I could think of was the time my science teacher told us that most people's eyes, regardless of color, turn brown when they die.So anything that changes your eye color like that seems way too unnatural to me. Don't get me wrong, I'm not opposed to brown eyes or contacts that change your eye color, it just doesn't sit well with me that something would actually change the pigment in your eye. I'd still be weirded out by it, if it said it changed your eyes to green as well. Ok, all that being said, I lived in shame with my one eye of stump lashes. When I remember to use the LashFood eyelash conditioner on a regular basis, I start to notice my lashes looking longer and more lush in about 3 weeks of continual use. However, it takes about a month after I stop using it for my lashes to go back to how they were before.  It has a little brush, like a liquid liner brush that you paint the product on with. It's extremely easy to use. The product has no smell either, which is really nice. Who wants to paint something on their eye that has a super strong perfumed scent? And what's the point there anyway?

Overall it's a fantastic product that really does wonders with my sparse lashes, I would keep a continual supply of this on hand if I had the money to spend on it. It's a shame that it's so expensive.

Next up is the Lumene Firming Night cream. I used this for 2 weeks religiously, every night, just on my forehead where I was noticing some fine lines appearing. I must raise my eyebrows alot in my life, probably directly related to my working in customer service for 15 years. Two weeks were enough for me to see a mild improvement, my forehead was noticeably  smoother and my foundation no longer settled into anything that you could see by looking at me. I used this as well as the Neutrogena facial serum I also received in this test tube.  It retails for $22.99 at walgreens. You can check it out HERE. It has little to no smell and is absorbed in about 30 seconds. It's a little on the thin side as far as night creams go, but it doesn't leave that super heavy feeling afterwards. Overall it's an awesome night cream, if it makes my fine lines less noticeable after 2 weeks I can only imagine the awesomeness after a couple months. 

I love the Neutrogena  Rapid Wrinkle Repair Serum. And I love the little squeeze bottle with the pump dispenser. Love it! It has a pleasant scent that disappears fairly quickly and it absorbes into the skin super fast without any residue. Combined with the Lumene cream I saw a noticable reduction in the fine lines appearing on my forehead in 2 weeks of using it. I'll definately be purchasing this when I run out.
It retails for $20.99 on the Neutrogena website but I'm betting you can find this at walgreens, target, or walmart for a little less. Of nothing else you'll save on shipping. You can check it out HERE.

This is the second sample of Smashbox Photo Finish primer I've received from New Beauty. While I feel it's a lovely primer and does it's job very well, I don't like it. I use it under costume make up or when I'm doing test make up, when I don't want to use my regualr primer. It dries out my skin, and since I already have dry skin, this doesn't work for me. I bet it would work really nicely on normal to oily skin though. The first time I used this, I arrived at work for a 9 hour shift, only to find out our air conditioner died on us. Oh did I mention it was 90 degrees outside and I'm a cook? Of all the days to test out a new primer right? But by the end of the night my hair was frizzed so badly it resembled a lion's mane, my shirt was soaked in sweat, but my make up still looked fantastic. So, as a primer, this is wonderful. For me and my dry skin though, not so much. I'll pass on buying a full size, which retails for $36 on the SmashBox website HERE but I think you can get it at Sephora for about $29. 

Jane Iredale Tantasia retails for about $36 and you can check it out HERE. I had high hopes for this, like I do with all self tanners. I was excited to test out a new one, I keep hoping to find one that tans the vitiligo spots on the inside of my mother's wrists, but so far, no luck. I tested this one on the inside of my forearm. It went on smoothly and I liked that I could see where I was applying it. I let it dry and went about my day. However, it wore off after about an hour. I thought maybe it would develop or something but I had no such luck. There was nothing but my ghostly white skin looking back at me in the morning. I was very disappointed. Maybe I didn't apply it right, I thought. So I tried again, on the top part of my forearm. Again, it wore off in about an hour. I'm not trying it again. Either my ginger skin can't be stained by a self tanner, or this just isn't right for me. The smell, however, is awesome! It's all citrusy and delicious, which is a strange thing to say about a self tanner scent. I wish it would have actually tanned my skin for longer then an hour because the color was exceptional for my skin tone, but sadly, this won't even be kept around in my "maybe I'll use it within the year" bin. 

Ahava Time to Hydrate Essential Day Moisturizer retails for $8 for a travel size to $39.50 for a regular size which comes in a little tub and not a squeeze bottle like this sample size here. You can check it out HERE.
There isn't really much to say about this, it's a moisturizer, it isn't any more or any less then my other moisturizers. It didn't magically fix my dry skin but it didn't irritate it either. The only thing that makes it stand out is that it smells like jasmine to me, which is a fantastic smell, I'll probably throw this in my purse for on the go and call it a day. I will not be purchasing this only because I own about 10 other moisturizers and I don't feel like there is anything super special about this.

The Hydroxatone Instant Effect On the Go Singles retail for $69.95 on their website for a tube. I couldn't find the singles on their site but did find them on Amazon for $44. You can check out the Hydroxatone website HERE. The promise is that in 90 seconds you see a reduction in fine lines, crow's feet, wrinkles, and under eye bags. (although I'm a little confused on the crow's feet and under eye bags considering there is a large warning on my box telling me to keep away from my eyes.)  I'm 27 so I don't have wrinkles yet but I do have some fine lines on my forehead that I previously mentioned. I ripped my packet open and succeeded in getting the product all over my hands, I wish it had a perferation so it would tear easier but it's not really a huge deal. I put a little more then I thought I should use on my forehead and massaged it in, then held my face still while it dried. I leaned in super close to the mirror and to my surprise the fine lines were gone Not reduced or noticeablly smaller, just gone. Absolutely lovely! I did notice that it left a very shiney area though, so I'd recommend going about your normal beauty routine after you apply this, or atleast throw some powder on top to minimize the waxy shine left behind. I also noticed that it feels like I've got tape on my forehead every time I lift my eyebrows, a very strange sensentation but not something you can see. My movement isn't hindered at all. Overall I'll use this for events, but probably not on a regular basis. I will keep it in mind for when I'm a little older and my fine lines become actual wrinkles. It's a wonderful product and really nice to take the guess work out of how much to use by putting it in single packets. I'm not sure how many "wrinkle emergencies" I would have that would make me need this "on the go" but I do appreciate the single packets. 

And last but not least, It's a 10 Miracle leave-in product. This retails for $14.59 on amazon.
You can check out their website HERE.

You can also use their store finder if you don't want to purchase this over the internet. I had been seeing alot of buzz about this product over the past couple weeks so I was excited to try it. While it did soften my coarse, curly, animalistic wolf hair, it left a greasy feeling, almost like I had coated it in wax. Also the smell was so awful, strong, and lingers afterward that I had to wash it out after an hour. I would not want to be out and about and have this scent linger after me. I will not purchase this product, nor will I use up my bottle. I'm certain I'll end up throwing this in the trash. It's a shame that the scent is so bad.

Well that was everything in this season's Test Tube, let me know if you have any questions! Thanks for reading!
You can check out New Beauty Test Tube HERE if you are interested in receiving your very own. 

*New Beauty Test Tube is a sample box that I purchased with my own money, everything in this review is my own and true opinion of the product, I do not get paid to write glowing reviews.*

July NewBeauty Test Tube

So, pretty much the only sample company I buy into anymore is NewBeauty's Test Tube. They have never done me wrong. Ever. I generally love everything they throw in there, but even when I don't like one or two things it's still completely worth the money. Plus, I love that it only comes 4 times a year which keeps me from getting to bored with it.

This month's tube contained the following:
Olay Professional ProX clear complexion renewing lotion (sample size)
Neutrogena Rapid Wrinkle repair Serum (full size)
Lumene Firming Night Cream (sample size)
Smashbox Photo Finish Primer (sample size)
Hydroxatone Instant Effect 90Second Wrinkle reducer on the go singles (15 packettes I couldn't find the packettes online so I'm not sure if this is a full size or not)
Ahava Time to Hydrate Essential Day moisturizer for normal to dry skin (sample size)
Lash Food Eyelash Conditioner (which is the 2nd bottle I've received from Test Tube and it's a sample size)
Jane Iredale Tantasia self tanner (sample size I also want to say it smells deliciously like citrus)
It's a 10 Miracle Leave-in Product (sample size)
Mally High Shine Liquid Lipstick in the color Blossom (full size)
Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector (full size)

And as usual I got the $10 off a $60 order, $25 off a $125 order, and $50 off a $200 order discount cards for www.SpaLook.com. Which I almost never use, but they did enable me to order a clarisonic and a couple of the cleansers at a wicked discount. As a single mom, I just don't normally make really large beauty purchases aside from my once a year stocking up order from Urban Decay. I'm also kind of a loyal beauty brand whore so I rarely stray from my tried and true brands. Which is why I love the Test Tube, it lets me try out other brands that I wouldn't normally buy. I've actually discovered a couple favorites this way. Miracle Skin Transformer is one that I originally got as a sample in Test Tube and have since incorperated it in my daily routine. It's AMAZING, no joke.

I'll get some individual photos, swatches, and reviews up in a couple days. i tested some of these out while I was on vacation this past week, but there are a couple that I haven't gotten around to trying. I'm hooked on the Neutrogena Healthy Skin Brightening Eye Perfector already, it's wonderful!  Reviews and photos to follow!

Sweet Balsamic Dressing

Kraft sweet balsamic dressing is my new cooking obsession. I bought it for the first time because they make these adorable tiny bottles of it and sell them for a dollar at my local grocery store. I ended up buying the sweet balsamic, regular balsamic, and raspberry balsamic. I had no idea what to do with it but for some reason sweet balsamic sounded delicious.
It just so happened that I read a recipe, that I would never make in my entire life, in my food network magazine that used sweet balsamic over chicken. I devised a plan. I ended up making a gravy type sauce out of it along with the chicken, and served it over noodles. I was hooked.  I haven't made a gravy type sauce out of it again, but I do like to stew meats in it, half dressing, half water, and just let it simmer for an hour or so. I've used it with chicken, throw it in beef stew, in the crock pot with a roast, over pork chops, and as a sauce for fish. 
My favorite way to use it so far is with chicken.


1 small bottle of Kraft sweet balsamic dressing
3 normal sized chicken breasts (or chicken boobies as we call them in our house) cut into strips
8 large carrots, peeled and cut up into medium thick pieces
2 medium sized onions (cut in half and thinly slices)
2 tablespoons olive oil

Heat your oil in your pan, throw your chicken and your onion in, put a lid on it and let it cook just enough so the chicken is just cooked on the outside. Pour your dressing in, and fill the bottle with water, pour that in as well. Add your carrots. Put the lid back on and cook on high for about 30 minutes. If the liquid is reducing to fast or you have issues with it boiling over turn your burner down.  Stir occasionally.
after 30 minutes, take the lid off and turn it back on high, let it cook down until the liquid is just a thin layer covering the bottom. Let it stand for 5 minutes before serving. Done!

Super delicious, only a couple ingredients, and very easy to make!

Serve it with potatoes, rice, noodles (don't cook the liquid down as much and you'll have a tastey "sauce" to serve over noodles! If you do this throw a pinch of dill in there before serving. Trust me! It sounds weird but it'll be delicious!), whatever your heart desires.
I like to serve mine on the side with a large salad. Peppers (orange and green), cauliflower, lettuce, red cabbage, and carrots, with a blue cheese dressing. YUM!
I've never had leftovers of this, but I bet it would taste delicious cold over a salad for lunch the next day.

Enjoy!


**All Kraft dressings were bought with my own money, I was not given these products by Kraft nor was I paid or asked to provide a review good or bad. **