THE CLUTTERED COUNTER

Beauty

Current Obsession: glo minerals Suede Matte Collection

7:34 PM

dead sea mud mask

Dead Sea Mud Mask Review

9:28 PM

blush

Multi-tasker: Paula Dorf's Perfect Color in Ecstasy (Review, Swatches, and Giveaway)

3:23 PM

anastasia beverly hills

Quick Date Night Makeup Tutorial

7:48 PM

There are many times that my husband and I will go out to eat together and I'll meet him straight from work and not even bother to powder my face. But every now and then we like to go on actual dates where we get dressed up and go to a nicer restaurant than usual. On these nights, I don't have much time to get ready since I get home from work at 7:30pm. This means that I have to get ready quick so we can eat dinner at a decent time without one of us getting hangry.

To achieve my quick date night look I start by blotting off any excess oil on my face, including my eyelids. Then, I use a nude matte eyeshadow all over the lid to prevent creasing and smudging (use an eyeshadow primer if you have after-dinner plans and want it to last longer). I drew a semi-thick line with my Jordana 12-hour black eyeshadow pencil on the outer half of my lash line and used a Sigma E21 Smudge brush to drag the eyeliner to the inner corner of my eye and to wing it out in the outer corner. Then I grabbed my Lorac Pro 2 palette and used my Sigma E38 Diffused Crease and the shade Plum to smudge out the black eyeliner even more and mixed the shades Plum and Cool Gray to put on my lid and in my crease. I used the same eyeliner in my waterline and curled my lashes.

To freshen up my face makeup, I used Maybelline's Matte and Poreless face powder and Revlon blush in Naughty Nude. Then I used Anastasia Beverly Hills powder contour palette: Fawn for contour, Banana for undereye, and Sand to highlight my cheekbones, browbone, and inner corner of eyes. I wanted a no fuss dramatic lip so I decided to go with Revlon's Kissable Balm Stain in the shade Crush because it has great lasting power and wears off evenly which makes it easy to wear while drinking and eating. I also love how it stays in place so I don't have to worry about it ending up on my chin when I wipe food off my lips.

For my outfit, I wore a faux leather dress that I received in my Le Tote (pictured below) and cinched the waist with a black and gold belt. I paired it with black and gold dangly earrings from Forever21, black lace tights, black peep toe pumps, and a patent leather dark red clutch.

Eyes

Review: Bellangé 10 Piece Kabuki Brush Set

11:20 PM

One thing that a makeup lover can never have enough of is makeup brushes (...I guess that can apply to anything related to makeup like palettes, lipsticks, etc., but you know what I mean)! When my favorite foundation brush or blending brush is dirty, it's always nice to have a backup brush to use so having too many makeup brushes is VERY practical. ;) I received three different brush sets for Christmas- Sigma from my super awesome husband, Sonia Kashuk from my sister, and Coastal Scents from my uncle. But the latest addition to my collection is this 10-piece Kabuki Brush Set from Bellangé. I received a generous promo code from them in exchange for an honest review.

It probably sounds ridiculous to some of you that I am going on my fourth brush set in the span of 2 months, but some of the brushes in this set are unlike anything I have in my collection. They feature a pretty black and gold design and each brush has a description of its function labeled directly on the handle. They are all made with synthetic, animal friendly bristles. This set also comes with a brush bag which is nice because most of my makeup bags aren't long enough to fit my brushes. The material of the bag isn't very durable but I think it's thoughtful of the company to throw in some functional packaging. The bigger brushes in this collection are very similar to Sigma's kabuki set which costs $96, so if you've been eyeing that set but don't want to fork over the money then these Bellangé brushes are the way to go.

(Brush descriptions from left to right)

Flawless Foundation: This brush is great for applying liquid foundation and quickly blending out my cream contour.
Beautiful Blush and Bronzer: It's perfect for blending out cream blush but a little too dense for powder blush unless you want to look like a clown. This brush kind of reminds me of a bigger, angled version of Real Technique's Expert Face Brush, so it may work well with liquid foundations too.
Fierce Foundation and Powder: This brush applies liquid and powder foundation perfectly (better than the Flawless Foundation brush)! I like to use this brush to buff my foundation on. It applies product quickly without absorbing too much, giving me great coverage. No brush strokes from this one! This brush is a good dupe for Sigma's F80 Flat Kabuki, which has a denser, shorter brush head with softer bristles (pictured on right).
Perfect Precision: I use this brush to blend out concealer/highlighter with a tapping motion but sometimes the bristles feel a little sharp/pokey. I also unfortunately had lots of shedding with this one. A makeup artist friend of mine loves this brush so maybe I should wash and condition it to make it softer and try using it again.
Magic Mineral Blending: I like using this brush when the only foundation I'm wearing is powder. The dense and round brush head gives good coverage but it takes longer to apply than a big fluffy kabuki brush.

(Brush descriptions from left to right)

Perfection Contouring: I like using this to blend out cream contour when using my Nyx Wonder Stick. It takes longer since the brush is so small but it keeps the contour defined without being too harsh. The brush head is small, angled, and round.
Precision Contouring: The brush head on this one is small, angled, and flat. The bristles are a little too long and flexible for me. I tried it with contouring and didn't like it and can't find the best way to use it. It's a little similar to the Sigma P88 Precision Flat Angled but the P88 is a lot better with a denser, wider, and shorter head (pictured on left).
Precision Concealer: I didn't think I would like this brush because the bristles are long and the brush head isn't very dense, making the bristles very flexible, but it blends concealer out very nicely.
Precision Primer & Shadow: This one seems like a good dense crease brush but for some reason whenever I try to use it, it always makes my eyes itch and the bristles are a little on the rough side.
Mini Perfect Precision: It kind of annoys me that there is a typo on this brush (it says "Percison" instead of Precision). This one is way too pointy and dense for me. I haven't figured out a good way to use it. But the description straight from Bellangé says that this brush is good for discreetly brightening up under eye area.

This 10-piece kabuki brush set retails for $19.99 on Amazon but with their Love Your Look money back guarantee, you can return your Bellangé makeup brush set within 30 days for a full refund, hassle-free if you are not satisfied with their product. I think this is a great way to add variety to your brush collection, especially if you are a makeup artist. With the exception of the Perfect Precision brush, they are all very soft with no shedding. I would (and already have) recommend purchasing this set even if it's only for the bigger kabuki brushes.

I would ask you what some of your favorite brushes/brush sets are but I don't want to get tempted to add any to my collection for a while so instead leave me a comment telling me how you clean your brushes, maintain the quality, and store them. I've started noticing dust settling on some of my less loved brushes so I am going to change how I store them soon. XOXO- Jessie

hair

Men's Grooming: Smooth Viking Beard Products Review

10:37 PM

Here's a review for all the manly men out there! I never realized that there was a need for beard products but it makes sense that men with beards can have the same problems and concerns that people have with the hair on their heads, such, as dryness, itchiness, dandruff, and styling issues. I learned a lot more about these issues when Smooth Viking sent some products to review and feature on this blog. My husband has an awesome beard going on right now so I wrangled him into trying out these products for me so I can put this review together. (Yay for the best husband everrrr!)

Before I start the review, keep in mind that my husband is a guy that does good enough if he washes his face with face wash instead of just water. He is as low maintenance as they come in regards to his "beauty" routine. The biggest issue for him is the fact that he doesn't like to feel products on his face and doesn't like greasy things. At first, he treated these products like conditioning treatments and used them 30 mins before his shower and washed them out after they soaked in for a while. Now, he has gotten used to the products and will wear the beard balm all day to tame certain parts of his beard that like to stick out.

Beard Oil: designed to moisturize your beard, keeping it healthy and itch free. This comes in a glass bottle with a rubber dropper. The oil feels very moisturizing but not overly greasy. It definitely has more of a sans-parfum natural manly scent.

Ingredients: avocado oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil, olive oil, jojoba, pumpkin seed oil, castor oil, vitamin E, pure essential oil.
Direction: Rub 3 drops of oil between fingers and massage into beard. Use more as needed.
Hubby's thoughts: Takes more than 3 drops. More like 9 if you have much on your face. It definitely keeps the skin from becoming itchy or dry, and if you don't use Head and Shoulders or conditioner on your beard, it would be good for preventing flakes or itchiness. I don't like oil or cream on my face, though, so I rinse this out after a while too.

Beard Conditioner: contains natural ingredients chosen specifically to condition and nourish your beard. It comes packaged in a durable metal tin and has a similar scent to the Beard Oil. The consistency is hard to describe but it's softer and more moisturizing than the Beard Balm. The best way I can think of describing it is that it's a pressed salve.

Ingredients: shea butter, mango butter, sweet almond oil, argan oil, olive oil, coconut oil, jojoba, beeswax, pure essential oil.
Directions: Scrape a pea sized amount of balm with the back of your nail. Rub between fingers and work into beard from root to tip as necessary. If more is needed, repeat.
Hubby's thoughts: This one feels heavier, so I wouldn't wear it all day. Instead, I use it as a leave-in conditioner for about a half hour some mornings. I put it in, do some crunches or go for a run, then rinse it out when I take my shower.

Beard Balm: contains natural ingredients chosen to style and invigorate your beard. This comes in the same packaging as the Beard Conditioner and has a similar scent. The consistency is harder than the beard conditioner and it takes a while to warm up between fingers but that makes this a good product for beard styling and keeping hairs in place.

Ingredients: mango butter, shea butter, beeswax, avocado oil, sweet almond oil, argan oil, castor oil, pure essential oil.
Directions: Scrape a small pea sized amount of balm with the back of your nail. Rub between fingers and work into damp or wet beard from root to tip as necessary. If more is needed, repeat.
Hubby's thoughts: This is for that one spot of the beard that likes to be a rebel in fifteen different directions. It keeps it in the same direction as the rest of the hairs. Because of that, I actually use this prior to trimming my beard sometimes because it allows the clippers to trim more evenly.

Overall, I think this is a great product line for men with beards. The Beard Oil would be great for any length beard but I think the Beard Conditioner and Beard Balm is better for men with thick and/or long beards because you might not want them as close to your skin as the oil. I also think these would make a great gift for Valentine's Day or Father's Day and you can find them here on Amazon!

*These items were sent to me for free thanks to Smooth Viking but, as always, I (or in this case, my husband) provide a 100% honest opinion and would never recommend a product that I don't like.

Eyes

What's In My Makeup Bag: Before and After

11:35 PM

breakfast

Super Quick and Easy Breakfast Casserole

9:52 PM

Every Sunday, my husband and I go to church on my mom's side of town and then we spend the day with her and my sisters afterwards. These days are good ones for me to try out new recipes so I don't get stuck eating leftovers for a week. My favorite type of food is anything breakfast related and I can seriously eat eggs at every meal. This afternoon, I made a biscuit breakfast casserole, or as my husband likes to call it "bottoms up" breakfast casserole since the dough isn't on the bottom like most recipes call for.

This is a great recipe that is really easy and quick to make and it contains a minimal number of ingredients. I decided to go with a bag of precooked sausage just to save time and reduce the number of dirty dishes but you could certainly substitute it for ham, bacon, or fresh ground sausage if you want. I love recipes like this that can feed a lot of people but doesn't take away from family time or time to relax. Sundays are my only day off from work so I'm all about taking it easy.

Bottoms Up Breakfast Casserole Recipe:

Here are the ingredients that you will need:

9 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1 (16 oz.) can of Pillsbury flaky biscuits; cut each biscuit into quarters
about 2 cups of Jimmy Dean sausage crumbles
1 1/2 cups shredded mild cheddar or colby jack cheese
4 stalks of green onion sliced
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 11x15 pan.
Beat eggs with milk and mix in sausage crumbles, cheese, green onions, and salt and pepper. Gently toss in biscuit pieces until they are coated in the egg mixture.
Pour into baking dish and make sure biscuit pieces are evenly distributed
Bake for 20-30 minutes or until the egg mixture is set and biscuit pieces are golden brown. If you stick a knife into the center of the casserole, it should come out clean when the eggs are cooked through.

And VOILA! A delicious breakfast or brunch ready in less than an hour! I didn't need to make anything else to go with this because it included all of my brunch essentials-- eggs, meat, and bread. Changes are easy to make with this recipe. The original only called for 6 eggs and 4 slices of bacon (sausage sounded better to me) but I thought the egg-to-biscuit ratio would be off so I added more. I'm sure you can add more meat and round the number of eggs out to a dozen, but just make sure to adjust the baking time accordingly. Enjoy!