xanga update

hi all.

it's official. my xanga is now shut down. everything has been downloaded from it. lindsaydamodel.xanga.com is now gone forever, not to be migrated into their new pay-to-use system if their warehouse situation is resolved.

later. ~Lin-chan ^.~

dinner: "chipotle" barbacoa bowls

hey guys! so lately, i've been craving going to chipotle and getting their barbacoa bowls ($6.50?). basically, chipotle charges you based on your meat, so whether you get a bowl or burrito: it's the same price. but you actually get more food when you order a bowl..just no tortilla. these bowls are about two meals for me. so, anyway, we wanted to try to make it at home instead of going out every time. unfortunately, i didn't think about taking photos until after i was halfway through eating, after i mixed everything together. annnnd, it wasn't very pretty..so i decided post anyway, without photos. lol. regardless, here's the recipe we tried out tonight. it came out pretty awesome, but a word from the wise: if you halve this recipe, use only 2 chiles, not 3, unless you're ok with the spiciness. teh hubz is a meanie and thought 3 would be acceptable...uh, no. ~.~
~Lin-chan ^.~

barbacoa recipe (taken from here) [we halved this recipe]

⅓ c apple cider vinegar 3 tbsp lime juice 3 - 4 chipotle chiles in adobo [we used canned ones] 4 tsp minced garlic cloves 4 tsp cumin 2 tsp oregano ½ tsp ground cloves

1 tsp ground black pepper           1 tsp salt           4 - 5 lbs chuck roast           2 tbsp vegetable oil           ¾ c chicken broth           3 bay leaves

Directions:

1. To make the adobo sauce combine vinegar, limejuice, chipotles, garlic, cumin, oregano,
   black pepper, salt and cloves in a blender or processor on high speed until smooth.
2. Remove most of the fat from the roast and then cut into large chunks (approximately 6).
3. Pour oil into a frying pan and sear all sides of roast on medium-high heat until browned.
4. Place meat into Crockpot and pour adobo sauce over meat.
5. Pour in the chicken broth and add bay leaves.
6. Cook on high heat 6 hours or on low all day.
7. While still in the Crockpot, shred the meat with two forks and turn the heat to warm.

optional additions:
sour cream, avocado, mexican cheese, rice, lettuce,
corn, pinto beans or black beans [we used canned, drained]

pico de gallo:
2 tomatoes, seeded & finely chopped
½ white onion, finely chopped
¼ c cilantro leaf chopped
½ tbsp lime juice
about ½ mango, finely chopped/cubed
salt

mint manis for talia joy (notd)

hi all, as many of you may know, taliajoy18 (or talia castellano, of youtube) passed on earlier this week after many years of fighting cancer (NPR article). talia always posted photos of her manicures and her final manicure photo was of her, her mom and her sister's hands, with their nails painted mint. today, everyone is posting their mint manicures as a tribute to talia and her legacy. if you paint your nails and post photos too, the hashtags for facebook & instagram are: #MintManisForTaliaJoy #TaliasLegacy

i used wet n wild's i need a refresh-mint and i finally used these nail embellishments that i bought forever ago. i also used orly bonder (basecoat) and american international prolinc diamond dry air dry topcoat from sally's.

RIP Talia! ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

 

July 2013 ipsy bag & first impressions

 

yessssss! my July IPSY BAG* has finally arrived!!! (theme: beach beauty) this time wasn't too bad: my myglam room opened up this morning and my package came in the afternoon.

ranking the past four months, this one is tied for number 2. april is number 1, june is tied for number 2, and may is number 3. onto my impressions! ~Lin-chan ^.~

1. bh cosmetics california collection eyeshadow sampler (3 shadows--mini, ret. $11 for palette (16 shadows, 4 blushes) [~$1.31?]) -- these shadows are pretty nice, the purple from the hollywood palette was a bit difficult to swatch, but the other two are quite nice. i'm not super interested in their matching full sized palettes, so i probably would purchase other palettes from them in the future, but not these three.
• likelihood to repurchase: no, will probably explore other products from the brand
• update: passing it off to T
2. pop beauty pouty pop crayon in coral crush (3g--full size, ret. $25 for set of 6 [$4.17]) -- this shade is really nice, it's pretty close to my yes/no pink borderline, but i think it can work. it feels like a thinner version of a lip butter. it's very balmy.
• likelihood to repurchase: probably no, will probably explore other products from the brand
• update: passed it off to A, hubz didn't like how it looked on me (too bright)
3. coola suncare mineral face spf 20 unscented moisturizer (.23oz--mini, ret. $36 for 1.7oz [$4.87]) -- i'm glad i got the unscented one, i've posted several times on here that i hate rose oil/fragrances. i do like how it is literally unscented. like no sunscreen scent, no..nothing. i'm excited to try this but i probably won't repurchase this though because it's kinda expensive (plus shipping), when i could just go to a sephora or ulta and buy my usual stuff (clinique city block or urban decay bb cream).
• likelihood to repurchase: probably not..we'll see......
• update: product has been finished. it has a disguised sunscreen scent..don't like it. i'm sure it works great at blocking the sun and i haven't had an allergic reaction to it, but i don't like the scent.
4. sexy hair weather proof humidity resistant spray (1.4oz--mini, ret. $18.95 for 3.4oz [$7.80]) -- i'm not huge into hair setting sprays, but i will try this out. i like how the nozzle can turn and lock. the scent is only slightly less offensive than ordinary hair sprays.
• likelihood to repurchase: no 
5. nailtini straight up nail lacquer in mai tai (.05oz--full size, ret. $13) -- this red/coral-y color is ok. it's not really me. probably will give this to my mom because she loves shades like this.
• likelihood to repurchase: not this shade, but interested in exploring brand
• update: gave it to mom and she liked it
6. clear hot pink ipsy bag -- i really like this bag!! i'm not a huge pink person, but it's neon. and clear. i don't like how it's too short to put standard-sized makeup brushes and pencils into, so i'm not totally sure how i want to use this bag yet.
7. card with company info/discount codes
1. bhcosmetics.com/ipsy: 10% off california collection, code: ipsy (exp. 8/31/13)
2. popbeautycosmetics.com: 20% off purchase, code: POPluvsIPSY (exp. 8/6/13)
3. coolasuncare.com: 30% off any purchase, code: ipsy (exp. 7/31/13)
4. ulta.com: $5 off $25+, code: 108723 (exp. 8/15/13)
5. tinibeauty.com: 30% off any purchase, code: hot4ipsy (exp. 8/15/13)
6. demeterfragrance.com: 20% off any purchase, code: ipsydfl20 (exp. 8/31/13)
7. dermae.com: 20% off any purchse, code: ipsy0713 (exp. 9/31/13)
8. benefitcosmetics.com: receive a hello gorgeous trio with $35+ purchase, code: glambag (exp. 8/15/13)

approximate product value: $31.15

 

please excuse the horrid paint job; i quickly painted on 2 coats, took pictures, and immediately removed it

 

(shadows swatched over milani eye primer)

*Affiliate Link.

updated unii & z palette comparison review (pic heavy, updated)

hi guys, here's a photo update--primarily a size comparison view--for you guys. i still like both brands of palettes, with the same pro's and con's as before:

unii palette: large mirror only one size & price has a locking hinge closure lid tilts open to about 120° comes with "not a magnet" sheet comes with thumb grip casing is a bit thicker packaging contains detailed instructions for depotting

z palette:           large acryllic window           variety of sizes & prices (small, 4U, large, pro, dome)           has magnets along edge           lid can fold underneath palette           comes with round metal stickers           -----           all (but dome) are the same thickness/depth and store nice and flat           has a blog and information for depotting online

the z palette sizes i have are pro, large, 4U, and small. i don't feel the need to get a dome palette, since i don't really use that many baked (or tall "panned") products. aside from the depth/thickness, the pro and dome are the same dimensions. ~Lindsay-chan ^.~

pro black, large raspberry damask (makeup geek exclusive), 4U aqua/yellow, small striped

 

large vs. pro


4U vs. pro


small vs. pro


4U vs. large


small vs. large


4U vs. small

turquoise unii palette, aqua/yellow 4U z palette
 
interior: 4U z palette (top), unii palette (bottom)

update (4/29/14)

sephora dome palette vs. black pro palette (thickness)