Sensational Finds: April 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

How I Meal Plan





Ever since I discovered the world of mommy blogs, I've found so many helpful tips and tricks. I'm sure so many of you already do this but if you don't, I highly recommend meal planning! Before I started meal planning, I never brought complete meals. I would always need to run to the store and buy an item, or put a meal together quickly. Meal planning saves me time and pressure. I keep all of our meal planning stuff in our home binder (I plan on going through mine in a different post). My binder helps me keep all my paper together and in one place.

There are a couple different sections in out home binder, and meal planning is one of them. In this section I keep blank calenders, coupons, meal ideas for Baby B, my dinner list, and anything else I might need.



 I'm not the best cook and I'm a very picky eater, so I have a number of dinner items I rotate. I have them written down, as well as saved on my computer. This way I can scan the list and decide what to cook on each day. I know I need to get some more recipes (please don't be afraid to leave some ideas!)

I always meal plan for 2 weeks, since that's when we food shop. I find this to be most important because if I only meal plan week to week, then I'll have to food shop every week.

I always plan for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and snacks. This way I have everything we could need and don't buy a ton of junk food. This was another issue I'd have, we would buy a ton of cookies, ice cream, chips and things like that. When I meal plan I try to make 1 snack a fruit and the other can be something more tasty.


I also plan for Baby B's meals, he tend to not like a ton of things, so if we're having something I know he doesn't like then I'll already have something else prepared. The current week get hung on the fridge so I can take out whatever I need before work.
Food shopping easier, as well as making our shopping list. I can see exactly how many pieces of chicken we'll need, how many pounds of ground beef, or how much oatmeal we'll eat. I do keep our grocery list saved on the computer so I can just makes the changed needed. It's kinda like our "master" list. I do want to say that I buy things that Bobby likes, like ice cream such. Also if we don't follow the plan exactly that OK, it's just a guide that I like to use in order to food shop efficiently.

The template I use to meal plan is available here if you'd like it.
Thanks for for reading friends! If you have any tip or tricks, please share them with me. I love hearing from you!




Wednesday, April 25, 2012

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY!

Happy Hump Day! Our work week is half way over, which I love, but the weather has been pretty craptastic! No post just sharing a picture of my green eyed boy that I took the other day. He's becoming such a little boy. He says so many word and just loves to laugh. He truly makes life so much more exciting! See you guys tomorrow with a new post about how I meal plan!

Tuesday, April 24, 2012

Trend Alert Tuesday: Makeup Setting Spray!




Hi Friends! I hope you had an amazing weekend, I got to see my sister and her family. It was really nice. This weeks Trend Alert Tuesday is Makeup Setting Sprays! I decided to talk about make up setting sprays because this weekend I brought Urban Decay All Nighter Long Lasting Setting Spray. The reason I tried it was, throughout my day my under eye concealer tends to settle in my creases. I wanted something that would set my foundation and concealer, I asked the sales person for a sample of the Makeup Forever HD Setting Powder, and of course he convinced me to get the setting spray. I heard so many great reviews on it, so I decided to get it. I have tried others a couple other brands so I want to share my thoughts on all of them. Every one's skin is different, I have oily skin, so what might work for me might not work for you!




Urban Decay All Nighter $29.00- This product has a ton for positive reviews so I was pretty excited to try it. Sadly I felt like it did nothing, except give my skin a refreshed feeling. My under eye concealer still creased and my make up looked no different then it normally would. They do have version that for oily skin, and perhaps I should have tried that one, but for $29.00 I was not satisfied at all. I wear a MAC Prep and Prime which helps my  makeup stay on all day, so the UD didn't do anything special. Maybe if you don't wear a primer this product would do what the primer does. Who knows! All I know is, I took it back and got my $29.00 back!




MAC Fix Plus $19.00- I would highly recommend this setting spray. This is such a versatile product and can be used in a number of different ways. It can be used as a mixing medium, if you have wet to dry shadows you can spray this on your brush in place of water. The other use would be a setting spray. If your using powder products, you can tend to have that powdery look. (I have this issue on my forehead.) If you spray this on you face it can help reduce the powdery appearance, leaving your skin radiant and dewy. This is a good product to have on hand.




Evian Facial Spray $19.00 for a set of 3- This product is very similar to the MAC Fix Plus, except cheaper. It has multiple uses, it can set your makeup and give a radiant look to your skin, it refreshes, and is a mixing medium for pigments and shadows. If you don’t want to spend the money on the MAC product, go for this one. Evian Facial Spray is said to remove perspiration and harmful salt and chlorine, as well as re hydrates sun-burn. This is for sure going to be a staple in my beach/pool bag! They even have travel sizes, so you can keep one in your purse. When you feel sweaty and gross, this is the perfect refresher. I wet my foundation brush with this spray when I want a more sheer coverage. You can take your normal full coverage foundation, and make it lighter just by moistening your brush with this facial spray. This is great for the hot summer months when a face full of foundation just isn't practical.


I hope you guys try one of these setting sprays in the warmer months to come. If you have any suggestions on something I didn't mention please leave it in the comments below! Thanks ladies!

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Trend Alert Tuesday: Monthly Subscription Websites




Hi friends, Welcome Back to another Trend Alert Tuesday! This weeks trend is Subscription Websites. I feel like all I hear about now are these monthly subscription websites. They have make-up, clothes, shoes, beauty, and even undies! Holy cow they’re killing me with all this. I have to admit that I haven’t jumped on the bandwagon yet, but some have caught my eye. Others seem to get a ton of positive feedback, while others have a ton of negative. If you’re not familiar with how these work, you sign up for free, then do the survey so they can find your style (not all do this, but most) then each month you can pick from your showroom which item you like. Others send you 3-5 sample size products to try. The prices range from 10.00-80.00, and shipping dates vary. You can cancel at any time, or with some you don’t have to buy anything that month if you don’t want to. Here are the ones that have received positive reviews, that I would try.

All the shoes are manufactured by Steve Madden and tend to have that similar look. You get a number of different shoes to choose from that are selected for your style. They have a wide variety of style, and some are super cute! I loved all the shoes that they picked for me, but what I didn’t like was the price. I believe it was an about $80.00 for a pair of shoes. For me, that’s too high to spend on a pair of shoes that I don’t get to try on before buying. Other people have brought from Shoemint and love the shoes.Most people say the shoes seem to be great quality. If you like trendy styles and don’t mind spending that much, I would say try this. They always have discounts available for you first purchase, so look online for coupon codes

This is the same exact style as Shoemint, but with a price of $40.00. This site was created by Kimora Lee Simons. I believe Just Fab automatically ships 1 pair of shoes to you each month, and if you don’t like your pick you just send them back. My co-worker uses this website and she says that she likes it because it gives her a chance to get shoes she wouldn’t normally pick out for herself.

Birchbox sends deluxe sample size products each month for about $10.00. This is an automatic ship, and you don’t normally get to choose what you get. They normally send 1 full size product, but this isn’t always. I’ve seen a ton of girls who love what they get each month. Prior samples have been Essie nail polish, Tarte lip stain, and other full size products. To me $10.00 seems like a fair price to pay for samples of products to try. There was a waiting list when I went to join, so I’m guessing it’s pretty popular.

 This is a new subscription site that I’ve seen, and I really like the concept.. You get 3 high end products that total a value of $100. It could be jewelry, make-up, home products, handbags, and other similar products. Each month you choose 1 of your items. The other two are picked randomly for you. If you pick a more expensive item, your other two will be smaller items. You then get to see everything in your bag, and if you don’t want what they chose, you can try to trade with the other people on the site. The reviews have said that this is a fun way to try and get everything you want. You have 1 week to try and trade, then your little black bag is shipped. I think this site cost $60.00 per month, but remember you’re getting full size, higher end products.

I’m only going to tell you about one site that has received a number of negative reviews.

I personally haven’t tried this site, but most of the girls I know that have subscribed, ended up cancelling a couple months after. They were not happy with the product samples they received for a number of months. 


I hope this gives you some in site on the world of subscription sites. It can be so confusing and at times seem like a scam, but if you go with the right site you can get some great products at a steal. If you have any sites that you think are positive or negative, please share in the comments.




Saturday, April 14, 2012

Smart and Sassy Keys!



Hi Friends! I hope your having an amazing weekend. I want to share a little project that's quick but cute. I'm always confused by all the different keys I have on my key ring, and of course I could buy one of those colored thing, but that's boring! I saw this on Pinterest, and had to do it. Adding glitter to your keys is a great way to tell the difference between keys, while looking girly and cute. Smart and Sassy!  I love glitter, like who doesn't?!?



Here's what I used;
Glitter Glue ($1.00 at Joanne's Fabric)
Glitter ($1.00 at Joanne's)
Clear nail polish
Your key



Take the glitter glue and outline the top of the key. The more glue you use, the clumpier it will look, so try not to use too much.


This is what it will look with the glitter glue. You could always stop here, but I wanted more glitter!


While the glue is wet, dip it into the glitter. You might have to do the entire top of the key. Make sure to shake off the excess.


Tada! You have a blinged out key. Your going to repeat the same steps for the opposite side. The last add clear nail polish to both sides. This will help keep the glitter in place.


Here's how silver and gold look. I really like the gold key!
::note to self:: Paint my nail tonight, my nails are a hot mess lol






If you want to see where I got my Pinspiration click here. I'm off to finish my cleaning because tomorrow we're taking B to the zoo for the first time. It's supposed to be in the 80's, so it should be a great day. Anyone doing anything this weekend? Regardless have a great day, and thanks for reading!

I'm giving away a $50.00 Amazon gift card on the 5minutesformom blog party so make sure you go enter and follow me on twitter @Sensation_Finds to hear the winner!


Thursday, April 12, 2012

ULTIMATE BLOG PARTY!






Ultimate Blog Party 2012


Hi friends!  I want to share a blog party that I'm so excited to being joining. Over at 5MinutesforMom the annual blog party is going on all this week (((I'm sure a bunch of you are visiting from there so...HEY!))). They have different events, prizes to be won, and fun ways to get your blog out there. My blog is my hobby and even though I don't have a ton of followers, I write as if I'm talking to the world, I love sharing my favorite things with the world. I plan on finding some great blogs and maybe even winning a prize. 
Every good party has food and drinks! Let’s talk drinks my favorite party drinks are Wine, Malibu Bay Breeze, or Mango Margarita. So let’s grab our favorite drink (doesn't have to be alcoholic), and let the party begin! What is your favorite drink; please tell me because I'd love to know!



I can't forget to introduce my date! We party together all the time, and I must say he can get pretty rowdy! 


This is my 14 month old son Baby B, he's the most precious baby I could have ever dreamed of. He can out dance the best of them, he's a little joker, and he makes our life complete . I'm sure you all know exactly how I feel! He makes my heart melt!

**** I donated a prize to the Blog Party, 1 winner will win a $50.00 Amazon gift card. I love Amazon, so head over and enter for the chance to win. The winner will be announced on Twitter, so make sure your following me! Click here to go to the prize page**



Tuesday, April 10, 2012

IT'S PRIME TIME!

PRIME TIME

PRIME TIME by smallysmallz04 featuring a face makeup
Hey friends, today I want to talk about PRIMER. I'm not too sure how many of you do or do not use one. I'm very curious to know as well. I use one, every time I do make up (except for when I'm half asleep and forget). I started using one about 5 years ago and instantly saw a difference.  I have larger sized pores and uneven skin tone. My primer helps reduce the pore size and even out my skin before applying my foundation. Some primers can can be just as expensive as the foundation, but I highly recommend spending that extra money, so you get the best results from your foundation. I think it's just like an eye shadow base, you don't have to have one, but your eye make up will look so much better when you wear one. Even if your not wearing liquid foundation, a primer can be worn before mineral foundation, concealer, powder, or worn alone. Wearing a primer can help your makeup stay on longer, look less crusty around dry patches (cause I know we all have them), fill in fine lines, and help combat excess oil. I absolutely love how smooth and soft my skin feels after applying a primer. Nobody wants to add another step to their routine, but this step is only going to enhance your look.
 MAC Prep and Prime is the one that I tried first, and still love to this day. I highly recommend this one! The other one on my list that I've tried to fall in love with is the Smashbox Photo Finish. I just recently brought the color correcting and didn't notice a difference at all. My make-up went on the same and didn't last all day. I know tons of other girls who love it, so it might just be me!

I hope you go to your local Sephora and get a sample of any of these primers, I promise you won't be disappointed. Sephora is the best for samples you can try any product they sell. This takes away some of the pressure of buying something you aren't sure you'll like. If you have any primer recommendations, let me know so I can try them! Thanks for stopping by, talk to you soon!

Bare escentuals makeup
$22 - macys.com

Smashbox makeup primer
$38 - nordstrom.com

Beauty product
$33 - amazon.com








Trend Alert Tuesday: Floral Print





Hey friends! Welcome back to another Trend Alert Tuesday! The trend that I've seen and started to love is FLORAL! I can remember being a little girl and my beautiful mother always wore floral print. She wasn't into fashion, she just like flowers. Floral prints always take me back to seeing her in different floral ensembles. So like all trends it's made it's way back in style, and I don't mind at all! I think it's all about how you style it, and make it work for your style. I'm by no means a fashionista. I just know what I like, and what looks best on me. Maybe you aren't ready to try this trend, which I understand because it's a bold pattern. You could add a floral print into your home decor or accessories. Floral is feminine, girly, and a great way to add color. Here are a few different options I found that are cute and wearable, fashionista or not.
Floral
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Floral on Floral
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...floral pants...<3
The way the floral pants are paired with this sleek black shirt, looks sophisticated and classic. I love this outfit!
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Altuzarra's white leather floral panel dress
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Peter Som's floral chiffon dress
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Jason Wu's collaboration with graffiti artist KAWS
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Urban outfitters floral medallion curtain
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kate spade florence broadhurst japanese floral home decor
Kate Spade
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Lovely Retro Floral I-Pod Touch 4g Case. 
Here's how I' added a small floral pattern to my work outfit. This picture was taken at work, but I wanted to show how I styled this trend.

I plan on buying floral jeans, as wells as floral print dresses. Even though the floral on floral looks is a little too much for myself, I love floral worn separately. What are you guys thinking of floral patterns? Too Grandma or Too Cute?