pumpkin pie milkshakes.

this weekend is a busy one for us (alices friend had her birthday party today, and not only is tomorrow fathers day, but alice is also getting baptized), so i made the executive decision to move our weekly special dessert over to friday. ive been wanting to try this, since, i dont know, i first read about it almost two years ago, and yesterday, we just so happened to have ice cream AND we still had a couple slices of last weeks  pumpkin pie left! i was SO excited to finally get to try these out (for some reason im never able to have both ice cream and pie at the same time), and they did not disappoint:

i did change the proportions a bit from the recipe on a beautiful mess, just cause im not a big fan of super thick milkshakes and i wanted it to have a bit more pie. so heres what i did:

pumpkin pie milkshakes

ingredients (for each):
1 large slice pumpkin pie
1 cup vanilla ice cream (around the same volume as the pie)
1/2 cup milk
nutmeg or pumpkin pie spice for garnish

combine first three ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. pour into glass and garnish with spices if desired (this is another time where i really wish we had some whipped cream, but oh well). and thats it!

i can NOT stress how delicious these are, i was actually kind of sad when i finished mine. i really hope it doesnt take another two years to make this happen again though...

little treats. free eyeshadows.

if you had asked me a few months ago, i would have told you that  most drugstore makeup isnt worth the money, especially eyeshadows. the reason being that with the drugstore shadows, (at least in my experience) what you usually end up with is a low quality base that creases and fades in a matter of minutes, with hardly any pigment, meaning you have to use tons of product and re-apply throughout the day in order to keep it looking presentable. on the other hand, for just a few extra dollars you could invest in a quality product (my favorite has always been mac) that is mostly pigment, and be able to use a teeny-tiny bit of product and have it stay put ALL DAY (and sometimes even two days, not that ive ever done that...). 

now i am all about quality over quantity, and ive worn my makeup the exact same way since i was like 14, so most of my makeup is just a small, carefully selected collection of higher-end products. since it only takes a teensy bit to get the job done, and almost never needs touched up, i literally dont even remember the last time i bought eyeshadow. i was mostly ok with that, since i had found what worked for me for everyday wear. 

i got kind of bored, and wanted to try something a little different, and i looked at lots of pallets online, or at sephora, but since im a total makeup snob anything i deemed worthwhile was waaaaaay out of our price range. but then when i started couponing i noticed that sometimes, eyeshadows (but for some reason, only eyeshadows) are completely free. and im totally willing to try something that might not be so great if its free. 

a couple months ago there was a $4 off almay manufacturers coupon, and a $1 off printable target coupon for any almay eye product and these pallets are only $4.99, so i got the purple one on the left. and while it certainly isnt the superpowered makeup im used to wearing, but its still pretty great. its not as pigmented as id like, but i really like the colors together, and its a nice change to my normal "everyday" eye. i really like though is how all three colors are in a single small compact, and i dont have to juggle a whole bunch of seperate pots like i do with my other shadows. also, the texture is really nice and it holds up for most of the day without creasing (which may not even be a problem for most people because my skin is SUPER oily). overall im pretty happy with it, and i was hoping that the $4 off coupon would be printed again (it happens more often than youd think). 

then two weeks ago (or was it three? im not so good at remembering anymore), it did! i could get another one! for free! i really wanted to branch out try something different, so i got the silver one on the right, since ive never really been able to achieve a smoky eye on my own. and that one, i REALLY like, it has just the right amount of shimmer and seems to have more pigment than the purple one. 

this is totally something i would have shied away from trying if they werent free, and im really glad these coupons came around, because these eyeshadows are actually pretty great. and maybe ive changed my mind a little bit about drugstore makeup. maybe. 

stay tuned for next week, ive got a really cute tutorial in the works!

june gloom. an outfit post.

let me tell you a little something about summertime here in the south bay. generally speaking, the weather is REALLY nice throughout the spring, mostly sunny and warm with an occasional cold and rainy day, then as soon as its actually summer, everything turns grey and muggy and freezing cold in the morning and (if and only if the marine layer burns off) hot and humid in the afternoon. this lasts all summer right up until around labor day when the weather gets nice again and stays that way until christmas. 

this phenomenon is usually referred to as "june gloom" and has been very much in effect for the past couple weeks. now im having a hard enough time these days just dressing myself in general, but dressing myself for church on a freezing cold morning that may or may not turn into a hot and gross afternoon (which it did) is the kind of challenge that really just makes me want to shrivel up and die. or less dramatically, just stay in my pajamas. 

but i have a very, very, VERY strict "no pajamas outside of the house" rule in this family, so this is what i ended up wearing to church this week:

dress: target,  blazer: vintage, scarf: gift, tights: target, shoes: vintage, pokemon badges: sanshee.com, bracelet: tiffany, glasses: zenni optical 

i have to admit that i felt very accomplished after putting this outfit together because i managed to pull of an entirely monochromatic palette, and these days "monochromatic" is about as close to a "color story" as im able to get. this was also one of those super rare outfits where i really love every single piece. id really like to someday have an entire closet filled entirely with things i love and nothing else, but ive got a lot of work to do before i get there. 

the dress is a new hand-me-down from my younger sister, i recently helped her with her laundry and she gave me like, seven or eight dresses (my sister has a lot of dresses), and this one is definitely my favorite and will be getting a lot of wear this summer. the blazer is by far my number one greatest thrift store find EVER: i had been wanting a velvet blazer for YEARS, but could never find one that fit right (ive got fairly broad shoulders for a lady), until this one turned up at a $5 bag sale. it fits perfectly, has usable pockets (hard to find on ladies jackets), AND my sister and i split the bag, so i ended up getting it and a few other things for $2.50. the scarf was a christmas gift from my mother-in-law, and i love it because its so light and gauzy and perfect for this weird transitional weather. 

my favorite parts of this outfit though are my pokemon league badges (please excuse my upside-down earth badge):

james surprised me with them a long time ago, but i didnt have the right jacket to put them on until i found this black one (i actually have a slightly embarrassing number of jackets for someone born and raised in southern california). 

and these shoes:

which first of all are fantastic because theyre dancing shoes, so theyre SUPER comfortable with their low, sturdy heels and padded insoles(!), but second of all, i bought them on my very first road trip out to visit james when we first started dating (one day ill tell the whole story but today is not that day). 

not only did i feel fairly attractive in this outfit (a rare occurrence), but i also got to wear two of my most favorite thrift store pieces at the same time, which was pretty awesome. 

whats your best thrift store find? id love to hear about it.