Actifry, Landscaping, and Shopping

Things have been so busy! Bill has been working super long hours with the business, we're in the process of adopting a puppy, landscaping our yard, and planning a wedding! I'm just thankful that the farmhouse is finished otherwise I would be going crazy. Just when we think we can finally relax, something else pops up. I guess that's what keeps life interesting though!

One of my new favorite toys is the T-fal Actifry. It's a cooker that lets you fry foods with a minimum amount of oils. I only used a Tbsp of oil for two pounds of fresh cut fries. I can't wait to use this for stirfry, potato wedges, crispy veggies, and even desserts-there's a recipe for ice wine fruit compote in the booklet that looks amazing! The fries came out great..I cut them super thin so they would get crispy, but I think next time I would leave them a little thicker since they got more like shoestring potatoes. My fiance loved them!

Our pond with the mist rolling over it..we love sitting down there at night and listening to the chorus of frogs and toads

Our yard is finally starting to look like, well...a yard!! We planted a few flowering plums, white birch, weeping hemlocks and pines, a weeping larch, flowering cherries, and this beautiful weeping redbud. The pink flowers are so pretty, it's one of my favorite things that we planted so far. We plan to take a trip down to Conestoga and Black Creek Greenhouses in the next week to buy a few more plants to fill in our rock border. I'll have to post pictures when the patio is finally in. Having friends over by our fire pit for drinks on our new patio for the first time will be amazing!

I had to include a picture of these cute new slippers..they were at Steve Madden on clearance for $9.99!

I will have to post pictures of the rest of my makeup haul, but one of the standouts was this Physician's Formula Glow Boosting Airbrushing Bronzing Veil..it's just so pretty and makes my skin glow! A new summer staple. What summer beauty essentials have you discovered recently?

Ipsy and Birchbox Reviews for March

There's nothing as cool as coming home to find a box full of beauty products at your door waiting for you. For makeup junkies like myself, it seriously feels like Christmas morning, and it's fun to try stuff you wouldn't normally have bought on your own. Sometimes I even find products that I would buy again (love those Bombshell blushes!)

This is only my first Ipsy bag. I signed up for the waiting list and ended up waiting around three weeks to get my first box. A few of the products it contained:

• A cute pink and white makeup bag
• Be a Bombshell blush in "sweet cheeks" This seemed pretty bright in the pan but looked very natural on. It has a bit of a sheen and gives a nice glow. This feels very high quality to me and I will definitely look into getting more of these.
• Big Sexy Hair Powder Play Volumizing Powder~ I sprinkled a bit of this in my hand then rubbed my palms together and scrunched it into my roots. It gave me a bit of lift but it didn't last very long.
• Mica Beauty Shimmer Powder in Earth~A very pretty loose shimmer powder, gorgeous applied wet
• Sation Nail Lacquer in 'love at first byte"~A cute, natural looking medium pink with no shimmer..this actually lasted a few days on me with no topcoat, which is saying a lot. Hope to get more of these.

This is my second Birchbox. It contained:

• Mirenesse Glossy Kiss Lipstick in "Starlet" This glossy lip pencil had amazing pigmentation..the color is a bit bright for me but I would totally experiment with other shades
• Oribe Shampoo and Conditoner for Beauty Color~The honey-infused formula made my locks soft and glossy! Need more of this
• Skin&Co Roma Cleansing Body Gel with Olive and Sicilian Orange Extracts~Directly from Rome, this smelled very fresh and washed off completely clean. The scent was a tad bit masculine for me. 
• Supergoop! Anti-aging eye cream~Haven't played around too much with this one, but I did try it and it absorbed very well
• Kusmi Tea Paris~These tea bags are so bright and cute! I love that they are whole leaf. The flavors I got are Sweet Love and Euphoria. Euphoria was amazing, it tasted like orange chocolate!

Our chickens enjoying some popcorn!

Our chickens always enjoy getting kitchen scraps and we have fun experimenting with different treats that they may enjoy. It took them awhile to get used to the strange texture of popcorn, but there wasn't a a single kernel left in their run at the end of the day. If you decide to give your chickens popcorn, just remember to use plain kernels with no butter flavoring or oil. Much healthier for your flock!

One of our Ameraucanas, Stewpot (don't worry she is our baby and will never go anywhere near a stewpot! :)

Our other Ameraucana enjoying the end of some Romaine lettuce. They love to fly up on my lap to see what goodies I have for them.

The Buff Opingtons below look up jealously :)

Purex Natural Elements Tropical Splash Detergent Review

Most of you already know I'm a big fan of Purex detergent in general. Not only is it gentle on laundry while being tough on stains, but it's a great value as well. When Purex sent me a bottle of Tropical Splash detergent from their new Natural Elements line, I actually couldn't wait to do my next load of laundry (not like me at all-ha!). One whiff from the bottle and I was in heaven. The sweet scent of pineapple and coconut mixed with exotic tropical flowers had my laundry room smelling like a rainforest! I love that the scent was so light and fresh on my folded laundry-not overpowering at all. Two weeks ago I also washed a few beach towels that I use for laying out in the summer and can't get over how amazing they still smell. All of my laundry came out perfectly clean and my colors stayed bright. I love that I never have to worry about colors fading with Purex, and also that it's hypoallergenic for sensitive skin and biodegradable so it's safe for the environment. All good stuff!

Check the Purex store locator to find where you can pick up a bottle of Natural Elements near you

Purex Store Locator

Purex provided me with a bottle of Tropical Splash Natural Elements Detergent in exchange for a product review. However, all opinions expressed are completely my own.

Victoria's Secret Sale

I always stock up when I see a good deal there, can't beat the 7 for $26 sale! The Secret Rewards card is a nice bonus too, especially since I've been lusting after a few more of those cozy looking PINK sweaters, yoga pants and sports bras. 

Ulta Haul!

OPI OZ Collection Don't Burst My Bubble and Which is Witch?

Essie Demure Vixen and Mint Candy Apple

Essie Ladylike, Bikini So Teeny, and Fiji

 Healthy Sexy Hair~ Makes my hair so soft and easy to comb out when wet

L'Oreal Total Repair 5 Shampoo~Had a great coupon for this, so far I've found it to be very moisturizing

L'Oreal The Balm in Heavenly Berry~makes my lips feel so soft and smooth, not waxy or coated at all. Very pretty sheer berry tint

L'Oreal Visible Lift blush in Peach Gold~The texture of this blush is amazing-like buttery velvet. It glides on and leaves behind a pretty wash of peach with a subtle gold sheen. Love it!

NYX Cream Shadow in Beige Frost~Very pretty for inner corners of eyes

CVS Mini-Haul

I had a CVS gift card, some Extra Care Bucks, and a few coupons to use so I picked up several new things at CVS. I love not paying full price! My first impressions on the new loot:

L'Oreal Telescopic in Carbon Black
I'm waiting until I finish up my current mascara (Covergirl Lash Blast) to try this one out..it seems like my friends either love it or hate it, so we'll see!

L'Oreal Million Lashes in Carbon Black
HG..this is one of my all time favorites. The waterproof version just does not budge, it's amazing. No flakes or smudging either. It's a little trickier to remove, but so worth it. Plus the gold tube is just so luxe!

Physician's Formula Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls in Light
I didn't really know what to expect from this..is it a highlighter? Is it an all over luminizer? The pearls are so cute but I was surprised that this one looked darker than the one for medium skin. The silver compact feels kind of bulky and cheap, and of course the brush is useless (when are companies going to figure that one out?). I'm running low on my beloved MAC Mineralized Skin Finish in Soft and Gentle and thought this might be a suitable product to fill the gap before I can pick up a new one. When I swiped it on my wrist, I was pleasantly surprised to see there was no chunky glitter or obvious shimmer, just a slight bronze sheen. I use it on my forehead, cheeks, chin and Cupid's bow and have been loving the subtle "glow" it gives. I'm not giving up my MAC anytime soon, but I was pretty happy with this.

Wet N Wild Walking on Eggshells Trio
This is gorgeous! Definitely can see this becoming my "get out the door fast" eye. Very happy with the pigment and staying power of these.

Maybelline Color Whisper in Lust for Blush
A great pinky nude, and really moisturizing. Keeping this in my purse. I'm also eyeing up Pin Up Peach, but the display at CVS was practically ripped bare. 

Essie Turquoise and Caicos
Beautiful mint green. I can see me living in this once summer comes!

Sally Hansen Gem Crush in Showgirl Chic
These are amazing. I have the gold shade as well (Big Money) and love them for doing glitter tips. This one is silver with blue sparkles, it will look so good paired with the Turquoise and Caicos.