Morrocan Beef Stew, Blueberry Sunrise Yogurt Smoothie, and Apple Muffins

 Last post for me today. Just wanted to share what I made the past week. 

Starting with Moroccan Stew. I can't recall ever making anything Moroccan so I was excited for this. I'm not sure how authentic it is...but it was pretty good. It kinda reminds me of a Christmas spiced type of stew. Usually I don't like any dried fruit in stew type food but it surprisingly went really well with this. I served with cous cous and veggies. I really like it- but for me it's probably not something I would make again.

Next up- a smoothie. I didn't completely follow the recipe. I added spinach. And used plain yogurt with vanilla extract added. I always try to make sure I eat a lot of antioxidant rich food and this is a good way to get a ton since blueberries have quite a bit. Can't go wrong with a fruit smoothie! 

And last up....Apple Flax muffins. I changed a lot for this recipe too. I didn't feel like buying and adding flax so I subbed Almond Flour. I always tend to have a lot of that on hand for some reason. I also didn't use the full amount of wheat flour. I used a bit of all purpose because I wasn't sure they would be as good. I think this recipe coulda handled full whole wheat. They were OK. Not a lot of apple flavor. I definitely prefer blueberry muffins over this- but nice to try something different. 

And that's all! 

The System

 

I've never seen a picture of this group until today. I kinda thought it was going to be a whole line up of people- they are considered a band after all. I don't know much about the group but I do rock with this song.

I'm kinda shocked there aren't any ladies in the group? You can very clearly hear her vocals? Underrated song that sounds like the 80's.

A bit of a one hit wonder band for me...but figured I would share because I do listen to it when it comes in the rotation. 

Shea Moisture Coconut and Hibiscus Curl and Style Milk Review

 It's that time again to start watching horribly written cheesy and yet addicting Christmas movies. I'm feeling great because I have finally finished my Christmas shopping and I'm feeling pretty great about it. I'm still contemplating if I want to decorate this year or drag the tree up and I'm leaning towards nah. But I do have my Christmas candles ready. I love a good Christmas scent going while I watch Christmas movies. I'm hoping to burn through the two I have and then buy another to have ready for next year- hopefully on clearance because I want to buy after the holiday. 

But back to Shea Moisture.

Shea Moisture claims: 

Do you hate it when you run your fingers through your hair and find them all stuck in knots and tangles? SheaMoisture's Coconut & Hibiscus Curl & Style Milk with Certified Organic Shea Butter will transition dry, damaged, over-processed hair to frizz-free, detangled and naturally beautiful curls!This styling milk is boosted with natural ingredients such as Coconut Oil, Neem Oil, Carrot Seed Oil and Shea Butter, all ingredients your hair loves for beautifully conditioned natural curls and a healthy shine that looks amazing. Use it with curlers or curling irons to achieve a good hold for the day. Define natural curls so they are lustrous and bouncy, without that heavy feeling. The natural oils in this formula contribute to soft, silky feeling hair. Plus, hair feels and looks smooth and is free of the frizzies.You can use this Curl & Style Milk from SheaMoisture every day as your go-to curl activator, and for enviously lustrous and easily manageable curls. 

Made with Fair Trade Shea Butter

Made in USA 

Bottle Made with 35% Reycled Plastic 

I've used a lot of products from the Coconut and Hibiscus line: The Gel Soufflé,  Curl Enhancing smoothie,  I also thought I tried the shampoo and conditioner but I guess not. Most Shea Moisture products don't work very well for me but some of them are OK.

Shea Moisture started out as a black-owned, black created brand but it's long since been sold so no longer. Some people claimed that's when the formulas started changing and it stopped working as well but their stuff has always been hit or miss in my hair.

I did really like the Curl Enhancing Smoothie so I was interested in trying the Curl "Milk" for awhile.

We will start with scent. It doesn't smell bad. I find Coconut scents can go either way and have a sour type scent to it...which I find is true of this. I'm not a fan of the scent. It's not horrible, I would just prefer something else for scent.

As for packaging...I don't love it. I think it would be better with a pump or in a tub because the product is pretty thick and can be a bit hard to get out.

The texture of the product is just like a thick conditioner. I don't get white casting on my hair like some other products. It add a little bit of hydration- nothing to write home about but I guess at least my hair doesn't feel super dry. 

As for definition- yes. It's good for providing a little weight so my hair has a more stretched out and voluminous look. Especially if I wait and apply it after my hair has had more time to air dry. I like what it does for my hair but I do feel it's slightly a bit more heavy for my hair than I would like.

I like Shea Moisture because the ingredients are usually better than other stuff you find on the market. The second ingredients is Coconut and it has other goodies in it. I was really excited to see Fair Trade Shea Butter. So many brands use shea butter- but never clarify if they are paying fair wages for it. 

Ingredients:

Water, Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Cetyl Alcohol, Stearyl Alcohol, Glycerin (Vegetable), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Glyceryl Stearate Citrate, Cetearyl Alcohol, Fragrance, Brassica Campestris (Rapeseed) Seed Oil, Panthenol, Melia Azadirachta (Neem) Seed Oil, Sodium Lauroyl Hydrolyzed Silk, Glycine Soja (Soybean) Oil, Tricholoma Matsutake Extract, Tocopherol, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice, Hibiscus Rosa-Sinensis Flower Extract, Salvia Officinalis (Sage) Leaf Extract, Gellidiela Acerosa (Algae) Extract, Equisetum Arvense (Horsetail) Extract, Daucus Carota Sativa (Carrot) Root Extract, Beta-Carotene, Glyceryl Caprylate, Triethyl Citrate, Caprylyl Glycol, Benzoic Acid 

Overall, it's OK. It's a good product but not perfect for me. It's something I would maybe repurchase. 

 

Well Kept Hand and Body Soap Review

 Just my luck I am going to review this and just realized it must be discontinued. Give the price- not shocking. I'm still gonna review it anyway- just in case they bring it back. 

Well Kept claims: 

Made from all natural ingredients, this bae soap created light lather that cleanses without stripping. Formulated with coffee seeds to provide gentle exfoliation, this earthy mix of patchouli, black pepper, coriander, and ginger essential oils blend to create and intoxicating aroma

Made in Canada

Luckily I bough this on sale for around $15 but the original list price was over $20. Over $20 for a little bar of fast melting handmade soap is literally insane. The most a bar like this should cost is maybe 6-8 dollars. Maybe $10.  There are so many more reasonably priced handmade brands- even some only scented with essential oils. I don't have a direct dupe of this soap- the essential oil blend is nice if you are a patchouli fan. But it smells like a handmade scented soap- it doesn't scent the soap much and it's very light.

Lather is nice. It lathers well and rinses clean. My skin wasn't dry after. It does have coffee in it to provide scrubbiness. They are a scratchy type of scrubby though. Not my favorite in terms of exfoliating soaps but it's what you come across in most soaps.

Like most handmade soaps it melts fast. A drop of water and it's halfway done. Cutting it in half can help. I didn't do so but probably should have. 

I do really like the packaging. It's very unique. Just a little baggie that you can re-use. I have a ton of these from things I have bought here and there.....I don't know what it will hold later on but I do know the baggie does smell great! I need to see if I can blend these oils and make a body oil or something. 

I don't think the ingredients are listed right but I'll list them as they have them.

Ingredients: Patchouli Essential Oil, Black Pepper Essential Oil, Coriander Essential Oil, Ginger Essential Oil, Sodium Olivate, Sodium Cocotte, Sodium Castor Oil, Sodium Cocoa Butyrate, Sodium Shea Butyrate, Ceramic Alba, Coffee Arabica Seed Powder 

Overall, it's nice. But it is well overpriced. I would only buy this again if the price came way down. That's probably why it was discontinued in the first place. I guess it was still nice to try a new to me brand. I see they make sustainable razors that are also expensive. But they sell imperfect ones. If I ever made the switch over- I would look into getting my hands on one at that discounted price. 

Max Factor False Lash Effect Max Out Blue Primer Review

 Meant to do this post yesterday and then laziness found me. Now I'm in relax mode. I should be in Christmas shopping mode though. I just feel like I have run out of ideas. Kinda like how I am running out of things to review. Figured I would dig this out though. I bought it a couple months back thinking I was buying my first colored mascara. But it's really just a colored primer for mascara.

Max Factor:

The secret's out. If you want to know how to get long eyelashes and sumptuous volume, prep for a fuller flutter with False Lash Effect Max Out Eyelash Primer. Simply glide the iconic, super-volumising False Lash Effect brush through bare lashes, and they'll be coated in intensifying blue micropigments that make eyelashes look darker and eyes look brighter. Then, once you've got this ground-breaking mascara primer on, sweep False Lash Effect Mascara over the top. Your lashes will look double the length and double the volume - instantly. No falsies needed. • Lash primer with blue micropigments to max out the boldness of your mascara • Rich formula helps increase lash volume, length and definition • Gives a false lash effect in seconds

A brand with history. Whenever I see this brand I think of old Hollywood makeup. I think they should lean more into that. I don't see many people talking about this brand and I don't think it's easily available in the US. This particular product is made in England. 

So...why blue? I really thought it was just a fun blue colored mascara. Most primers I've tried have been white. While I was scrolling social media I came across a vid of a girl making a black smoky eye look. And she used blue as the base. I guess when when you are mixing colors and you want a richer, blacker black, you add blue. I didn't know that. I really need to learn more color theory. So I guess this is supposed to bring out the black in your mascara? TBH it's a cool concept but I don't think it makes a difference in the final outcome.

This is nice- if you have the time to layer it to get the "false lash effect". I also like to let it dry between coats. It does make a difference using this as a primer. So if I have the time and want my lashes to look extra voluminous...I will reach for this. It's not quite false lashes though...

By the time I put an actual mascara on I feel like I am just putting on a top coat to color the mascara black. This will do all the heavy lifting. It's quite dry too so you really are just putting it on for color. The mascara I use it with now is great- but the first one I tried it with I noticed it would flake. So your "top" coat makes a difference. 

It makes your mascara wear like iron. It's not going anywhere once you put it on and can be a little challenging to get off at the end of the day. 

It's not a bad primer. I like having it in my makeup collection for days I want my mascara to look a little extra. It's also nice to have just in case I have a mascara I am trying out that doesn't do it for me, rather than wasting it, I can "fix" it with this. 

It's not a must have. But it's something that's nice to have. I do need to try more primers though...while I like this I am sure there are better out there! 

Le Labo Figue 15 Candle Review

 I have finally finished playing through all the Just Dance songs from the newest game....for some reason so many of the songs seem ridiculously boring. Not the songs- but the routines. It seems like they phoned most everything in which is disappointing- again. But maybe some of it will grow on me. I know I like at least 5 of the songs/routines. But it should be a lot more. 

Anyway...today we talk candles. Luxury candles. 

Le Labo claims: 

: A musky candle featuring notes of figue, blackcurrent and amber. It was developed with a high dose of fragrance oils, a custom blend of waxes and natural fiber wicks to ensure a beautiful olfactive experience.

Why is it that everyone who does candles has a figue in their collection? We don’t know. But we know, that when you smell our figue, you’ll understand why we have one. It’s not a straight figue but a figue/blackcurrent blend that makes you want to eat the wax. Please refrain from doing so.

Our candles are developed with a high dose of fragrance oils, a custom blend of waxes, and wicks constructed with natural fibers to ensure a beautiful olfactive experience. Carefully crafted by hand in the US, these candles are packaged in glass vessels and tucked into our classic kraft box with a personalized label. Please read the instructions before use and don’t forget to trim the wicks after burning!

Made in USA

This is not my first Le Labo candle. I have splurged before. I bought the infamous Santal 26 candle. I will only buy these with a gift card. I think I had a $50 Gift Card. So I got this for a bargain. Kinda.

Fig scents are everywhere lately. Which is confusing to me, because figs do not have a scent to me. Idk if you have to go smell the trees- but my parents did plant a baby fig tree and I visited it over the summer and didn't notice anyway. When figs are in season I buy a massive amount...so it's not like I am unfamiliar with the fruit. So it doesn't smell like any fig scent I have ever smelled. But...most higher end fig scents do smell a bit similar. 

The only other fig candle I have smelled was from Voluspa and Nest.  And they were fine. But this was an experience. 

It doesn't really tell you what the notes are outside of fig/black current. And amber. But it smells like a coast line, with the "fig" scent that you find in fig scents. It's woody, and sweet. And I get some saltiness like if you were standing on a boat and just breathing in a beautiful breeze on a cloudy, chilly, yet summery day. That makes no sense. But it does if you smell it. 

I'm always surprised when I leave the room and come back and catch whiffs. I get a little confused about where I am and kinda get surprised that such a scent could come from a candle and that I am still only in my living room. 

There aren't many candle that do that. It's pretty special in that way. 

But it's been giving me trouble. I have been keeping up with the candle care and trimming the wick- but after one burn maybe I trimmed too much. The candle started barely burning. I had to dig some wax out until I just stuck another wick in to try and get it to burn better. Which worked. I'm glad I could fix it. I do think the wick should be thicker. A candle of this price should be a flawless, stress free experience. 

I don't know what the wax is- they don't say. But it burns slowly so the candle will last. I hope it's paraffin free- but they don't say. 

The only other thing I want to complain about- packaging. My label came with a black smudge on it. Also they like to put the label on sloppily. The scents were made with care- but the candle assembly really was not. Le Labo needs to do better for this price range. 

This was definitely a candle worth trying because it truly was an experience in a way that most candles have not been. Would I buy it again- probably not. The price is hard to swallow. But I will enjoy this candle down to the last wax and when I get my hands on another gift card I will probably pick up another Le Labo candle- just in a different scent.