Corissa Cooks

Today I am sharing another installment in Corissa Cooks. Since I moved up to Cleveland and didn’t start my job until this past Monday, I have been doing the majority of the cooking here. I recently just cooked one of my favorite meals for the first time and shared it with the boyfriend. He enjoyed it very much. I made Taco Soup; it is very easy to make and it makes enough to feed an army.

Ingredients-2 lbs of ground beef, 1 white onion chopped, 2 1 oz packages of Ranch dressing mix, 2 1.25 oz packages of taco seasoning, 16 oz. can black beans, 16 oz can kidney beans, 16 oz can pinto beans, 16 oz can tomatoes and green chiles (Rotel), 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes, 16 oz can corn, 2 cups water, sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips. Don’t drain any of the beans or any other ingredients.

Instructions-Brown the meat and onion and drain well. Put in crock pot, then add all of the other ingredients until you get to the water. You might not need the full 2 cups. I only needed one cup. Just enough until it reaches the consistency you want. Stir well and turn on crock pot. Simmer for 4 hours. I kept my crock pot set on high for the entire 4 hours. However, if you were doing this before work, I would set it on low if it is going to go for more than 4 hours. Once finished, top each bowl with the desired amount of sour cream, shredded cheese, and tortilla chips.

I could not find the 16 oz can of crushed tomatoes, so I used a larger can and ended up dumping all of it into the soup because I figured that it would take some of the place of the water. The recipe I have also calls for a can of white corn specifically as well, but I could not find one of those either and just used a can of yellow sweet corn. The boyfriend is not a fan of sour cream and opts for none in his soup, while I happen to love sour cream and use a heaping amount in the soup. This is such an insanely easy thing to make and I cannot tell you why I love it so much, but I do. I asked my dad to make this for my birthday last year I love it so much.

Glam Glow Flashmud Brightening Treatment First Impressions and Review

Surprisingly this is my first time trying any of the GlamGlow products. To me, the products seem way over priced for what they do. But while I was returning the Eyes To Kill mascara at Sephora the other day, I noticed that there was a 100 point perk sample of the Flash Mud Brightening Treatment and thought why not give it a go. First of all, this mask makes a ton of really big claims that I think are just impossible for an over the counter mask to achieve, even with regular use. With that being said, I was still curious to see what results I would achieve with the mask.

To apply this, it is supposed to be rubbed onto dry skin for an initial physical exfoliation. I must say, I found this to be incredibly abrasive and I could not rub it into the skin. I had to pat it on, otherwise I felt like I was tearing my skin open. As you are rubbing it in, you can see that there are actual leaves and things that you would find naturally in mud/clay. The second thing I noticed was the atrocious smell of this mask. For one, there is added fragrance in this product, which always astounds me with skincare. But this smells so sickeningly and artificially sweet. I can’t quite describe the fragrance but it something that I could hardly stand for the 20 minutes that you are supposed to leave the mask on for. I will say that when I washed the mask off, it wasn’t nearly as abrasive as when I put it on. And my skin did feel smoother after use. But when I woke up the next morning, I didn’t feel like my skin looked much brighter than it did before I used the mask.

For my first experience with GlamGlow, I am not falling for the hype. I did not experience any results that would justify a $69 price tag. I can achieve much better results with the same price by going to see an esthetician and getting customized treatments for my skin.

 

 

First Impressions: Maybelline Better Skin Foundation

I have finally gotten around to testing another one of the drugstore foundations I purchased forever ago for my foundation show down. I don’t like to experiment with foundations on days that I am going to work or I know I need my makeup to last because you never quite know how a foundation is going to wear. In general, Maybelline is one of my favorite drugstore brands, as I am sure many of you have noticed from reading my blog. I was super excited when this foundation came out and I finally put it to the test. I got it in the shade 20, which I think is a very good match for me.

  
This foundation claims to be a full coverage, long wearing foundation that will actually improve your skin over time. Obviously with a first impressions I cannot say if it has done anything to improve my skin. The first claim that I can test is the claim of full coverage. I do find this foundation to have very good coverage. I think at first go, it is a medium coverage that you can build up. I applied it with my favorite foundation brush, which is the IT Cosmetics for Ulta #115. It went on very smoothly and blended with ease. I was definitely impressed with the application. As far as the finish goes, I find it to have a satin finish. It isn’t super matte but it isn’t dewy either. I applied it over my beloved Becca Backlight Primer Filter. I also used my Maybelline Fit Me Concealer under my eyes and set everything with the Maybelline Fit Me Powder in shade 125. I like to test my foundations with the products that I wear on a daily basis. Initially, I was quite pleased with how the foundation looked.

  
Unfortunately, I noticed that I had the same issue with this foundation that most other people did as well. The wear time on this foundation is atrocious. In no way does this foundation live up to its long wear claim. Within 5 hours, I noticed significant breakdown of this foundation in the forehead and T-zone. My face also started to look shiny, which is incredibly bizarre for my super dry skin. A foundation that cannot last throughout a typical work day just will not work for me. I need something that can last at least 10 hours…..not 5 hours. I intentionally did not wear highlighter today so I would be able to see the true wear of the foundation. 

  
  
I think this a foundation that will work for days that you are going to be out of the house, running errands for a few hours or for a night out. I don’t think this a foundation that will be good for daily wear given the wear time of this foundation. I also do not see this foundation working for someone with combination or oily skin, given that it made my super dry skin look oily. So far, this foundation showdown has not been super successful for me. I have yet to like one of the new drugstore foundations that I have purchased. I have a couple more to try out, so let’s hope that I have better luck with those!

Green Smoky Eye Using Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix

During the Sephora VIB sale, the only thing I picked up was the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix palette. I had been eyeing this palette since it came out but kept telling myself that I didn’t need it. Then I got the 20% off coupon and couldn’t say no anymore. Green smoky eyes are a favorite look of mine and the shade Lemmy was just calling my name.

  
   
I started my eyes the way I always do and primed with the Urban Decay Original Primer Potion. I then dusted Foxy from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette from lash line to brow bone and threw some Tease in the crease for a blending shade. I keep using these shades because I am trying to use them up. I then used a MAC 239 and packed Lemmy all over the lid. Be forewarned, I did have a bit of fall out but these shades are so soft and pigmented that you can’t really complain. I then used Lyric to highlight my brow bone and brought it into my inner corner. I then went into Noble and blended that around the top edge of Tease. I used my MAC 221 and the shade Hyperballad to deepen up the crease and outer corner. To deepen the outer corner even more, I threw in a little bit of Black Metal. I then ran more of Noble around the top edge of Hyperballad to ease the transition. I lined my upper lash line, tight line, and water line with the Mally Ever Color black eyeliner. I used the Laura Gellar Fortifying Lash Primer on my upper lashes and topped that with the Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara. For my lower lashes I used Maybelline Lash Discovery.

  
I primed my face with the Becca Backlight Priming Filter and used the MAC Studio Sculpt foundation in NW20. I used the Maybelline Fit Me concealer in Light for my under eyes and set everything with the Maybelline Fit Me Powder in 125. I bronzed using the Too Faced Chocolate Soleil bronzer. For blush I used Benefit Rockateur and I highlighted using Anastasia Beverly Hills Illuminator in So Hollywood. On my lips I used the Anastasia Beverly Hills gloss in Vintage.

I am really pleased with the palette so far and really like the way this look turned out. You really can’t go wrong with a green smoky eye. Do you guys have this palette too? Which of the shades have you been loving?

The Furry Friend Tag

I saw this recently done on Youtube and I just could not resist doing it on the blog as well.

1) What is your pet’s name? His name is Buster. I actually had no saw in naming him and I am not the biggest fan of his name. I really wanted him to be named Charlie for Charlie Brown or Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
2) What kind of pet is it and what breed? Buster is a chocolate lab and is the most perfect little dream of a dog. He never did any of the typical lab things. He never chewed or destroyed things. Like a lab, he is very smart and learns things really quickly.
3) How long have you had your pet friend? We have had Buster for 5 years now.

4) How did you get your pet? My dad and brother actually went to get him while I was in college. I got a phone call one day saying they were on their way to get a dog and it really upset me because I was not involved in the process at all. I couldn’t even come home to meet him until 2 weeks after they got him either, so I was bound and determined to not like him on principle of how the situation went down. But when I came home, my brother started vacuuming and Buster ran into my lap and I was immediately sold. Ironically, I quickly became Buster’s favorite and now he is my little buddy and we do just about everything together.
5) How old is your pet? He is just over 5 years old.

6) What are some quirky things about your pet’s personality? Buster is such a goofy dog. He does this thing we call the dinosaur dog and I will share a video of it. When I take him to PetSmart, I let him pick out a toy every time and he carries it throughout the store. There is a PetSmart that is about a 5 minute walk from where we live and we walked there one day and he carried his toy all the way home. He also likes to carry them in the car. He doesn’t sleep with me at night because he literally tries to kick me out of bed with his back legs because he doesn’t like sharing the bed. He is terrified of the PlayStation.

7) What does your relationship with your pet mean to you? It means everything to me. Buster is the perfect dog for me. He is the kind of dog that is up for anything. If you are feeling crummy and want to lay around all day, he will lay there with you. If you want to go on a walk, he gets excited about that. Any time I am going anywhere and I won’t be inside for a significant amount of time, he rides in the car with me. He really is my best friend and I wouldn’t have it any other way. He is a really special dog and I am so blessed to have him in my life.
8) What are some of your favorite past times with your pet? Everything. He loves laying with me when I am watching my TV shows. He loves going on car rides and playing fetch. PetSmart trips are always special.
9) What are the nicknames that you call your pet? Buster beans, Buster B, Poochie P

Current Nails and Chit Chat

As I previously mentioned,  I have been pretty worn down lately and just flat out exhausted. I had my last weekend off until January this past weekend, but it was a wonderful weekend. The boyfriend got us tickets to the Ohio State/Michigan State game, so we booked a hotel for the weekend to spend some time together and to make life easier. For those of you who are not as familiar with college football and Ohio State, campus and the area surrounding it basically shuts down on game days. The game on Saturday set a record attendance of over 108,000 people. Yes, 108,000 in the stadium. Add into that the students that don’t go to the games and all the people that just come to campus to tailgate and hang out, and it is just a sight to see. I graduated from Ohio State and seeing campus turn scarlet and gray on game day is still something that amazes me. Of course I had to make sure my nails were scarlet and gray before heading to Columbus. I used OPI Over and Over A-Gwen as my base and OPI Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It on top. Gettin’ Miss Piggy With It is one of my all time favorite nail polishes and is perfect for the Ohio State fan.

   
 We arrived on campus around 10am even though the game was at 330. College Game Day set up on the Oval, so that was our first stop. College Game Day came to Ohio State a couple times while I was there but I never ventured over to it. My boyfriend went the last time they were on campus and actually made it on tv and everything, but he said this time didn’t even compare to then with the amount of people that were there. It was kind of insane seeing how many people were there. We went to grab some lunch and then headed back to the oval to see the picks and the head gear selection, which was pretty exciting for me to see in person. Afterwards we met up with one of my friends for some tailgating and got to meet Beanie Wells! He is actually my boyfriend’s all time favorite Buckeye and the first Christmas we were together I got him a Beanie Wells autographed mini-helmet and he got to meet him and get another autograph when he went to a game earlier this year. But of course he was super excited to meet him again and get another autograph.

   
 The game itself was obviously a massive let down. Ohio State lost in a way that I cannot even describe. I don’t think I have ever seen such a badly coached and called game. Add on top of that the wonderful weather conditions. And by wonderful, I mean a full on downpour for the first half of the game in the cold with a whipping wind. We were three rows from the top of the Shoe and definitely felt the swirling wind. My coat was still wet Sunday morning. We still managed to have fun and were happy we went to the game. On Sunday, we met up with some friends that live in Columbus for breakfast before heading back to Cincinnati and Cleveland.

   
   
  
Overall, it was a much needed weekend for me to recharge and get myself ready for Thanksgiving and Black Friday. I am going to try and get back into regular posting but am making no promises. I bought the Kat Von D Mi Vida Loca Remix palette and haven’t even had time to play with it 😦 Working retail during the holidays certainly is no picnic.

 

 

Mini Break

Hello everyone! I just wanted to hop on here and let you all know that I will be taking a few days off from posting. For those of you who work in retail, you probably totally understand what I am going through right now. The lead up to Thanksgiving, Black Friday, and holiday is one of the most stressful and taxing times of the year. My current job duties entail setting up the entire store for holiday, which is a pretty big deal. When I get home from work, I am too exhausted to do anything. Earlier this week, I got home at 5pm, ate dinner, and then fell asleep until around 8. I got up and could only keep myself awake until 9 and then slept straight through until 10 am the next day. Luckily, I am off this weekend and am meeting the boyfriend for a weekend in Columbus for the Ohio State/Michigan State game. It will be a much needed break and I am hoping that I come home refreshed and in a better mood than I am currently in.

The Accessory I Cannot Live Without

Jewelry is not a favorite category of mine. I wear minimal jewelry and I prefer items that are smaller and more on the dainty side. My boyfriend and I started dating a month before I graduated from Ohio State and he had mentioned to me that he wanted to get me a Pandora bracelet as my graduation present. I told him that I don’t really wear jewelry but I would look into it and see if it was something that I thought I would actually wear. After researching it and knowing that Anthony really wanted to get this for me, we went to the Pandora store the day before my graduation and got my bracelet. Little did I know that this would become one of the most important things to me. By no means am I bragging about these bracelets or how many charms and stuff that I have. My amazing boyfriend has spoiled me with almost every charm on my bracelet over the past 3.5 years and every single charm on this bracelet has a story and a meaning to me. I have had many people tell me that Pandora bracelets are not special and they are so generic. Which seems so odd to me because I would probably have a heart attack if there was someone out there who had an exact match to my bracelets. They might become more generic if you are just purchasing charms to just purchase them, but as I just stated, every single charm on my bracelet was purchased with a purpose and a meaning.

  
Recently, I had an unfortunate incident that led me to realize just how attached to my bracelets I am. One of the clips on my bracelets fell off one day at work and was nowhere to be found. For those of you that do not know, the clips snap around your bracelet and are meant to balance out the bracelet and keep your charms in place. It is incredibly rare for one of them to unsnap on their own and go missing. I contacted Pandora about this and they very luckily have amazing customer service and sent me a replacement. But this process took several weeks until I received my new clip. I took both of my bracelets off when I noticed the missing clip and did not wear either of them for the weeks that I did not have my clip. That is when I noticed just how attached I was to wearing these bracelets. I felt naked without them, like something was missing. There were actually several times that I looked down at my wrist and panicked about them not being there and then I would remember that I intentionally was not wearing them.

You see, my Pandora bracelets just don’t sit in a box. I wear both of them on a daily basis. And they definitely have some weight to them. It took me a long time to get used to wearing them, but it something that I definitely notice is missing if I don’t have them on. These bracelets also unleashed an OCD side to me that I had no idea existed. My charms on my bracelets are organized in a very particular order and have to be put on facing a certain direction. If they are not I absolutely have to fix them. I have the exact order of my charms memorized, which was very impressive to one of the ladies who did one of my bracelet cleanings. They take them off and lay them in order on a tray and she was also writing down the order, when I told her she didn’t have to do that or be precise because I could tell her exactly how they went back on later, she didn’t quite believe me. When we went back to pick up my bracelet, I recited to the lady every single charm in the order that it went back on and she couldn’t believe it. Not only do the charms themselves have a lot of meaning, but their order gives me meaning as well, When I started this blog, I had two dogs-Buster and Clark and they each hada charm on my bracelet. Buster is the Buddy charm because the charm is in the shape of a lab and Clark had the I Love My Dog dangle charm with the rhinestone bow and I always kept the charms right next to each other. Sadly, Clark passed away a little over a year ago and I was obviously pretty upset by it. But I knew that I wanted to get a special charm so that a little piece of him would always be with me. I chose the Guardian Angel charm and I placed it between the two charms I already had for the dogs. I am also very particular about making sure that Buster’s charm is always facing the guardian angel charm. 

Over the past 3.5 years, I have enjoyed seeing my bracelets grow because each new charm is there to commemorate a new memory or experience. My bracelets mean so much to me because there is so much love and meaning behind them. I have never been so particular about something before, let alone a piece of jewelry. 

Current Haircare Routine

EDIT-Sorry everyone. I realized that the end of my post somehow got deleted!!! That is now corrected. 
As many of you have read on here, I am in the process of growing out my pixie cut. As my hair is growing, my haircare needs and products are changing as well. Right now, I feel like I am at a place where I am using products that I absolutely love for my hair and my hair has been looking so much better during this process. My hair is healthy and these products help my hair maintain its style with very little effort. I have really fine and thin hair that has always been a hassle for me. But now more than ever, I am getting a lot of compliments on my hair and a lot of people keep commenting on how thick my hair is. There has not been a change in texture of my hair; most of this change is due to finding amazing products that work well with my hair. Sorry my friends, but there are no drugstore products in my routine. I used to be someone that did not believe in spending a lot of money on haircare, but as I have been trying more and more salon brands, I have discovered that sometimes you get what you pay for and it is worth it to invest in more expensive haircare. With that being said, DO NOT EVER BUY SALON BRANDS AT THE DRUGSTORE. THEY ARE NOT AUTHORIZED TO SELL THESE BRANDS. That means that you are either getting old and expired product or it is diversion. There are tons of articles about this on the internet so I won’t go too in depth on it, but I highly recommend you look into it if you have not already. 

The shampoo and conditioner that has become my absolute holy grail is the Living Proof Full Shampoo and Conditioner. This stuff is definitely pricey at $24 for 8ml of product. But I can honestly say that the tiniest amount of this product goes a very long way, so you definitely get your money’s worth out of the product. A lot of volumizing shampoos and conditioners strip the hair and actually do more harm than good. That is not the case with the Living Proof line. It is sulfate free and gentle on the hair and the conditioner does not weigh my hair down one bit. But at the same time, it smooths my hair and helps my hair fall into the shape that it is cut into. My hair is volumized and looks thicker. And an added bonus to this line is that I absolutely love the smell of their products.  I also use the Redken Color Magnetics Sulfate-Free shampoo and conditioner and while I do like it and continue to use it, I see more benefit from the Living Proof line.

I am currently using the Uniq One Leave-in Conditioner but I am actually not a huge an of it. I am continuing to use it because I already have it and it isn’t so horrible that I can’t put up with it. It reminds of It’s a 10 and I also was not a fan of that product either. It is a thicker spray conditioner. I like to use a leave-in conditioner because for the most part, I wash and blow dry my hair every day it it is color treated and I feel like a leave-in conditioner helps to keep my hair healthier. The leave-in conditioner that I have enjoyed the most so far is the Kenra Daily Provision because it was lightweight but still did it’s job.

As far as styling goes, right now I am cocktailing the Living Proof Full Thickening Cream and the Living Proof Restore Instant Repair Cream. The Full Thickening Cream gives my hair great volume and thickness while the Restore Instant Repair cream helps to smooth and strengthen my hair. I use about a pea size amount of the Full Thickening Cream and half a pea sized amount of the Instant Repair Cream. I rough blow dry my hair and then I round brush it to finish it off. If I need to straighten it because of my cow lick, I use the Paul Mitchell Hot Off The Press heat protectant. I still use the Paul Mitchell Super Skinny Serum to smooth and tame the hair. My hairspray of choice lately has been the Living Proof Control hairspray. 

I have definitely made the switch to high end hair care, but it has made such a huge difference in my hair. In some cases, you really do get what your pay for. 

L’Oreal La Laque First Impression

As I mentioned yesterday, I picked up one of the L’Oreal La Laques at Ulta on Sunday. I feel like I have heard about people overseas getting these for years but they’re finally here now. Because I am still going through a major nude lip phase, you know I had to pick up a nude. The shade I chose was Choco-Laque. 

  
Choco-Laque is a your lips but better shade. It is a pinky nude. The finish on this is beautiful. It has the right amount of gloss to it without being obnoxious. I do feel because of my shade selection that it might be hard to discuss pigmentation. I did do several passesof the product to build it up to the intensity seen in the photos. Because of all of the layers, I could definitely feel the product on the lips, but it wasn’t uncomfortable to wear. If you are looking for a long wearing product, this is not the product for you; it has a short wear time due to the glossy finish. The last little issue with I had with it is that I have a hard time getting the product to roll up and down. This could be just a fluke and I got a bad one, so let me know if you have had the same issues.

  
All in all, I do like this lip product quite a bit. It reminds me of the glossy finish Colourpop Lippie Stix. I am very happy with my shade choice and will continue to wear this.