Outfit of the day & easy dinner recipe(s)!

Part un - outfit of the day!

Hi ladies! I hope you're all having a fabulous Thursday! Today I'm doing a two-in-one type post, the first of which is my outfit of the day! 

1. Leopard infinity scarf
2. Sweater - Marshall's (15 dollars)
3. Calvin Klein jeans
4. Black ankle bootie

Part deux - recipes!

Well, it's 15 degrees here without the windchill...and what's better on a cold day than a veggie chili with sweet & spicy corn muffins on the side? ...that's right, not much (except maybe some tea, always tea.)  So I am bringing you TWO - yup, you read right - TWO recipes.  Now, since I'm a college student and I just went back today I really need easy, quick recipes...and that is exactly what these are!

Sweet & Spicy Corn Muffins:

1. 1 package corn muffin mix
2. 1 egg
3. 1/4 cup apple sauce
4. 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
5. 1/4 cup chopped pineapple slices (drained)
6. 1/4 cup finely chopped jalapenos (drained)

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• blend ingredients in a bowl and let sit for 4-5 minutes (it should be clumpy - make sure ingredients are blended but be cautious not to OVERblend)
• Spray muffin pan lightly with cooking spray
• Fill muffin tins HALFway 
• Bake for 15-20 minutes
• Serve & enjoy!

Veggie Chili (fast!)

1. 1 can crushed tomatoes (28 oz)
2. 1 can corn
3. 1 can garbanzo beans (chic peas)
4. 1 can black beans
5. 1 can of green diced chilies 
6. 1/4 cup jalepenos chopped (if desired)
7. 1 medium onion
8. 1 green pepper
9. 1/2 tsp oregano
10. 1/2 packet chili seasoning (or desired seasoning)
11. 1/2 tsp basil

Directions (4 steps!)

Very simple, very straight forward, perfect for a winter day!

Enjoy! 

Hope you all are have a great rest of the week!

Where can you find me?

Email: beyourownkindofpretty@gmail.com

Twitter: twitter.com/Ownkindofpretty 

Google+: Kayla Marie

Blogs that I adore!

These are blogs that I truly adore! Check these ladies out :)

We love Shopping!

Well, I woke up this morning to quite a bit of snow, and with snow comes a day off! I am off to my last semester of college classes this week (yay!) and today was supposed to be the first day.  Instead, I tried out a new eyeshadow palette that I acquired from my mom (thanks mom!) - it is a wet & wild palette....and unfortunately that's all I can tell you.  No where on the packaging could I find the name of the palette or the shades (possibly removed by the previous owner, I can't prove it).  Anyway, I LOVE the palette, the colors are vibrant and pretty and I went out all day and came home and to NO creasing! I had heard good reviews previously on these palettes, but it went above and beyond my expectations! I also used my Tarte gifted mascara (a holy grail of my collection), my revlon liquid liner, and I have been trying out (and LOVING) the Rimmel scandal-eyes pencils...I will do a further review on that at a later date.

More importantly..I went SHOPPING! I love shopping almost as much as I love tea (though, not much can really beat tea, and I even got something tea related).  Anyway, I went to Marshall's (in case you don't know of marshalls it has discounted clothing similar to TJmaxx or Tkmaxx in Europe).  I have been dying to get some cozy sweaters, I have one that I really love (my old man sweater from a previous post!) but I really wanted a few more, hence, I went shopping:

Now, these photos don't really do the sweaters justice at all...but the one of the left is a sweater by a company called August Silk - nothing really too special but it was super comfy and it was only 15 dollars. The one on the right was from another no name brand but it is so amazing! It is almost the material of a sweatshirt, and I got it in grey, it has super long sleeves (which I need for my freakishly long arms) and it comes down in the back covering my bottom and drapes nicely in the front...SO comfortable and cute with leggings and boots.  

I also got a pair of Calvin Klein jeans that are A-MAY-ZING...photos to come in the future...maybe I will do some outfits of the day when my photographer (A.K.A my partner in crime boyfriend) is available.  I got some super long black knee socks, some footless tights with little polka-dots, some hangers (because when you have a shopping problem you run out of room)...and finally....A MUG! Always a necessity...

"Believe in yourself" - 

the perfect mantra to start my last semester.

Hope you are all having a wonderful day! 

Snow, snow...go away!

 

If it's gonna snow mother nature better make it worth my time! We are expecting 10-12 inches here in New England this evening, and I am FREEZING - indoors, outdoors...it doesn't really matter, I'm always freezing.  So, I put on a knitted hat, and a scarf, and a sweater, and two pairs of pants, and two pairs of socks...and maybe, just maybe, I won't be an icicle.  I'm probably anemic or some odd craziness due to my lack of red meat...buttttt layers should solve that problem! This isn't a beauty post today - I am just here to tell you about my new favorite place to get my chai latte! I have a tea obsession.  it could be considered a problem, but it's definitely my solution to this cold weather we are having.  The bean & leaf is an ADORABLE little hole in the wall coffee shop in downtown New London, CT.  That area is in the process of being revitalized and this was a fantastic little addition to the area.

Not only do they have fantastic Chai lattes, but their food menu is extensive and filled with healthy and delicious choices for people with all different styles of living whether it be vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free, etc...there is something for everyone! Another huge plus, their staff is fantastic! They also have been awarded best coffee bar by Connecticut Magazine four years in a row! If it's cold & snowy where you are, I hope you are staying warm and safe! 

Stunning red lips for 4 bucks? - Check it out!

We all want those gorgeous, luscious red lips that have a matte finish and feel smooth and creamy, don't we? No? Well, maybe it's just me, but I'm in LOVE with this look; it's like, BAM in your face - you can't stop looking at my lips - type look...a few months ago I NEVER would dare to play with this color, but hey, we all grow up some time don't we? I had gone on a bing-makeup spree recently at ulta and this just so happened to be the very last tube of the NYX stay matte lip cream in "spicy".  It spoke to me from the shelf where it sat crooked, looking like it's been picked up 10 times and put back 10 more.  I contemplated, I put it down, I picked it back up, and ultimately I brought it home, and I am SO glad I did.

So, what do YOU need to know about this stuff? A few things - first, it's dirt cheap, for about 4 bucks you can pick this baby up in store or online.  Second, it is super pigmented - the second you touch this stuff to your lips it is in your lips it is bright freakin' red.  It IS named spicy for a reason, after all.  Third, it is not exactly a long-wearing lipstick (at first)...it does dry out a bit after wearing it which may not appeal to everyone.  After a few hours I find an application of simple lip balm can re-hydrate your color and keep it going strong.  I really like this stuff for the price and this COLOR - I just cannot say enough about this red....hot, that is all.

Want soft, gorgeous curls? Find out how here!

It's Sunday Fun-day, ladies - and it is time for a haaaair tutoriaaaal (spoken in the most annoying, dippy voice you can imagine).  This is my go to look - my daily special; it's simple, it's fast, and it's everything I could ever ask my hair to do for me (which isn't much, because it's unbearable).  To begin I usually have washed & blow-dried my hair out the night before - it doesn't have to be perfect, it just needs to be dry and blown out as straight as you can manage, you won't notice the little things once it's curled and pinned). I also use a heat protecting spray (suave - simplest one I could find).  

1. Placing the wand BEHIND (this is key for getting the curl to go away from your face).

2. Wrap hair around the wand and hold for approximately 10-30 second depending on your hair type - for fine hair, use a lower heat setting and hold for less time, vice versa for thick hair. As you can see in this photo I am curling the front most piece first.

3. Pin it!  I usually curl the front most piece on each side first, then I go back and pin it.  The easiest way to make it stay sit pull it back slightly overlapping the pieces, insert the bobby pin over it, and insert a second bobby pin overlapping the first bobby pin that you put in.  This ensures the bobby pins won't slip out throughout the day. You can do two sets of bobby pins (4 bobby pins total) if you are feeling the need for extra security.

4. Curl the bottom half - for this step I split my hair in two parts (left side and right side down the back of my head).  Doing the same thing I showed you in step 1 (wand BEHIND the hair) I go through and curl it in that direction on each side.  This is slightly controversial, some people prefer to change the direction every other curl. I get way to confused and some would say "ain't nobody got time for that"...so that's just how it goes down.

For step 5 I just spray some lightweight hairspray in (I don't like crunchy hair, so I just use very minimal hairspray). Then, if you want to go for a more comfortable look, you can run your fingers through the curls and loosen them up a bit. A comb would work too.  Ta-da! you have an easy every day style that wears well all day long!