HOW TO MAKE YOUR EYES LOOK BIGGER

How to make your eyes look bigger. It's no secret that my eyes are kind of small. I'm Asian, and my eyes are hooded, so I thought I'd share with you some techniques that I used to make my eyes look bigger and brighter. This also works if you want to look like you're wide awake, when really, you're about to collapse into the closet piece of comfortable furniture. Yup, this should help. :)

Quick breakdown of the video if you're pressed for time, or quite frankly aren't into watching videos (I get it, no worries). 

TIPS AND TRICKS TO MAKE YOUR EYES LOOK BIGGER

• Define your socket bone with a warm, neutral shadow/bronzer, and bring this down to the lower lash line.
• Add a peachy shimmer to your eyelids.
• Curl your lashes from the root to tip, lifting them as high as you can.
• Use waterproof mascara to hold the curl in place. First coat underneath lashes, concentrating at the roots. Let dry, and coat the top of the lashes to lengthen and thicken. Coat the bottom lashes lightly.
• Tight line with a black eyeliner. Do not line all the way to the inner corner, or you'll close up your eyes.
• Line the waterline with a nude liner.
• Highlight the inner corner of your eyes, underneath the arch of the brow bone, and the center of the eye lid. 
• Define your eyebrows to frame your face. 
• Smile, beautiful! :)

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DIOR CREME DE ROSE

Dior Creme de Rose. Talk about lip balm luxury! I've seen this lip balm around, mostly emphasized by Essiebutton, so of course, I had to get it. I hopped on over to my local Macy's to see if they had it in stock, and lo and behold, there was one left. I did indeed drop $27 on a lip balm, but this is one beautiful lip balm. Encased in a weighty, porcelain white jar, this is really a statement piece. I didn't think I'd ever say that about a lip balm before.

Creme de Rose is formulated with rose essential oil, vitamins A & E, shea butter, and contains SPF10 for a light layer of protection against the sun. It's very light and not at all greasy. The scent is of sweet roses. It's not overbearing, but is completely luxurious. Creme de Rose moisturizes my lips and doesn't take anything away from them. Do you ever get the feeling that sometimes your lips are even more dry after applying a certain lip balm? I get that a lot of times, but Creme de Rose doesn't do that at all. My lips are soft and supple for hours. 

While you do have to apply it with a finger or a brush, personally, that's not an issue for me. I'm really enjoying having this lip balm as a part of my collection. I keep it tucked away in my acrylic storage, all safe and pretty. 

Have you tried Creme de Rose? 

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WEEKEND DELIGHTS | BROWN BUTTER BROWNIE SPECIAL

Brown Butter Brownies. Yum! I like a good brownie, but when you add some whipped cream cheese and cookies to the mix, oh my my... I just had to share! This is a recipe that I modified to fit my tastes, so feel free to change it up to your heart's content. 

FYI, all photos were taken with my iPhone...so I do apologize for the quality and the sun's craziness. Hope you still enjoy it! :)

I took a basic brownie box mix and switched it up a little bit, because well, that's just what like I do. Feel free to use your scratch mix and experiment, because I'm sure it'll be just as delicious!

First, instead of using oil, you're going to brown some butter. I used two sticks and browned up those babies to their nutty scrumptiousness. Set aside and cool. Preheat oven to 350F.

Ready for another secret ingredient? Ta-daaaa! Vanilla extract!

In a mixing bowl, add brownie mix, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and browned butter and mix. 

Throw in some chips - chocolate, white chocolate, mint chocolate, your choice.

Line a 9x13 in baking pan with parchment paper or butter it up to prevent sticking. Pour in the brownie mixture and bake for 25 minutes.

While that's baking, cream together Cool Whip (or use your homemade whipped cream), cream cheese, and sugar until smooth, light, and fluffy.

 Like so!

Crush some cookies! I used about 6 cookies (Keebler Chips Deluxe Rainbow Cookies). Feel free to use any kind.

Pull the brownies out of the oven and stick a fork in the middle. If it comes out clean, it's done. Let cool to room temperature.

Once cool, coat the brownies with a nice layer of the delicious whipped cream cheese topping.

 Sprinkle on the cookie crumbs.

And devour!

BROWN BUTTER BROWNIE SPECIAL

INGREDIENTS:

BROWNIES

1 Brownie box mix

2 Eggs

2 sticks (1/2 cup) Browned butter (instead of oil)

1/4 cup Milk (instead of water)

1 tsp Vanilla extract

TOPPING:

8 oz. Cool Whip (or homemade whipped cream)

4 oz. Cream cheese

1 tbsp. Granulated sugar

DIRECTIONS:

BROWNIES

Brown 2 sticks butter in a pan and set aside to cool.

Preheat oven to 350F.

Combine brownie mix, eggs, milk, vanilla extract, and browned butter. 

Line a 9x13 in baking pan with parchment paper or grease with butter.

Pour brownie mixture into pan and bake for 25 minutes or until done. Place a fork into the middle of the pan, and if it comes out clean, brownies are done. Let cool to room temperature.

FOR TOPPING

Combine Cool Whip, cream cheese, and sugar. Mix until smooth.

Crush cookies for topping.

Layer over cooled brownies and sprinkle with crushed cookies. 

Cut up, serve, and enjoy!

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FRIDAY BEAUTY WISH LIST #1

I think I'm going to start posting up wish lists again in different categories. I'm kind of on a spending ban at the moment, so why not share the products I'm lusting after to get over the fact that I can't actually purchase any of them. 

Do any of you shop around either online or in-store, put things in your cart/basket then walk around until you don't want those things anymore? I do... I keep items in my cart for weeks, looking back every now and then just to see that it's there. That's usually how it ends. In-store, I walk around holding items I want most, and if I get tired of it by the end of my visit, I'll put it back. Most likely, I didn't really want it badly enough to buy it. Lots of money is saved this way, let me tell you. 

Anyway, here is my first Friday Beauty Wish List. I'm really bad at keeping up post series (sorry...), but I'll try really hard to keep this one up. 

Are any of these products on your current wish list? Do you have any of these? Tell me about them! 

FRIDAY WISH LIST #1 by abeautymoment featuring Yves Saint Laurent

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LIMECRIME VELVETINES RED VELVET

♫Lovin' him was red, RE-E-E-ED, RE-E-E-ED...♪ Lime Crime Velvetines Red Velvet is not for the faint hearted. This lip stain is the ultimate red lip color, so if you like your reds like I do, you'll love this. 

This gorgeous lip stain comes in a frosted glass tube with a red lid complete with Lime Crime logo and pretty roses all around. A sticker on the bottom of the tube states the name of the product.

The Lime Crime Velvetines are a matte lip stain that goes on smoothly, but you MUST apply with caution. It's easy to get it everywhere and very hard to clean up. You'll need a steady hand, and to make it easier, I advise to apply this with a very small lip brush instead of the applicator. But if you're a pro, go on girl (or guy)! Staying power is amazing. I ate and drank right after application, and this stuff stayed... and stayed. To remove, use an oil-based makeup remover for quick removal. 

The Red Velvet formula is amazing. It's smooth, creamy, glides on so smoothly and dries to a matte finish in a few minutes. Red Velvet smells like Red Velvet Cake. You know I love my cake - and red velvet cake.. mmhhmmm. Try not to eat it, lol! 

Red Velvet is a classic red, and I don't see any blue or orange tones in it, so it may just be a true red. I could be wrong. Or blind... which I am, so don't sue me. Either way, the color is gorgeous. If you want to go all out red, this is the color for you. In the swatch below, you can see that the formula bleeds into the fine lines in my arm, but this didn't happen on my lips (weird?). 

The only problem I have with this is that it doesn't sit well on the inside of my lips (as you can see in the photo above) - now, this could just be a personal problem, and to be honest, it's totally fine. I still love this stuff. I saw two guys the first day I wore this and they both were like (O.O) "woah that's red..." HA! YESSSS!

As for the pricing, it's steep at $20 a tube and $5 shipping (US) on the Lime Crime site, but it does make for a great gift! 

Have you tried any Lime Crime products? I must say I'm very interested in the other products now!

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BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES RECIPE

Tomorrow is Valentine's Day, and what better way to celebrate than with a delicious batch of chewy brown butter chocolate chip cookies! BUT, these aren't your average chocolate chip cookies. No, ma'am. These are made with the most delectable ingredient known to mankind - Brown Butter. 

What is brown butter, you say? Well, brown butter is butter that you heat up on the stove until it turns a rich, caramel color and smells sweet and nutty - kind of like hazelnut. This stuff is dangerous. Beware of the urge to drink it straight from the pan. :) Okay, enough diddle daddle - on to the process of making these delicious treats! 

First, you'll want to brown your butter, like so. 

Set that aside to cool and move on to creating the cookie dough.

Combine flour, baking soda, and salt (optional) in a bowl and set aside.

Next, combine brown sugar, white sugar, and brown butter. Mix until smooth.

Add in eggs and vanilla, and mix well. 

Combine dry ingredients and wet ingredients. 

Add chocolate chips!

Cover with plastic wrap and chill in fridge for 30 minutes. After chilling, scoop out a tablespoon of dough and roll into balls (roll in extra chips, if desired), and place them 2 inches apart on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Bake at 350 F for 10-12 minutes, until edges are firm and starting to brown. 

Enjoy!

I like to make my cookies with just a few chips, but feel free to load 'em up! 

BROWN BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Prep time: 15 mins + 30 mins chill time

Bake time: 12 mins.

INGREDIENTS

1 cup salted butter (can use unsalted)

2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 tsp. baking soda

1 cup dark brown sugar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 egg yolk

2 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips (or any kind of chips!)

1/2 tsp. salt (if using unsalted butter)

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Cut butter into pieces and place in a saucepan over medium heat until browed. Whisk frequently. Let butter brown and then remove from heat. Set aside to cool.
2. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, baking soda, and salt (optional). Whisk together and set aside.
3. In another bowl, combine brown sugar, white sugar, and browned butter and mix until smoothly blended. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract. Blend well. 
4. Add in dry ingredients and fold until mixed well. Fold in chocolate chips.
5. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes.
6. Pre-heat oven to 350 F.
7. Scoop out dough (1 tbsp.) and roll into balls, placing them onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Keep them 2 inches apart to keep from sticking to each other.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until edges have set and started to brown.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven, let cool for 5 minutes before transferring cookies to a cooling rack.
10. Let cool, and EAT! 

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