Finally.. an update!

I feel bad for neglecting the blog, but so much is going on this summer - a lot more than I expected, that's for sure! But I've come bearing treats.. a recipe!! I made this last night, and I got so many requests for it to be put up that I just had to make a post about it.

This dish is a tequila lime chicken on top of an avocado pesto pasta. It was amazing! Now, the tequila lime chicken came from a recipe I saw on the Food Network show "Pioneer Woman" (for the full recipe how she did it, you can see here).

Ingredients:
4 limes
1 cup tequila
1/4 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 package chicken breasts (or in my case, breast tenderloins)
1 package angel hair /thin spaghetti pasta
1 jar pesto sauce
1 ripe avocado, sliced
Parmesan cheese (if desired)

To make the chicken:
Squeeze the juice of the limes into a blender or food processor. Add in tequila, olive oil, salt, and Italian seasoning. Blend until thoroughly mixed. Place chicken into bag(s), and then pour lime mixture into the bags and put in fridge to allow chicken to marinate. (The original Food Network recipe says to let marinate for hours or overnight, but I did it for 30-45 minutes; and it turned out just fine!) Preheat oven to 425F, place chicken in pan, pour a little of the excess sauce over the chicken, and put in the oven to cook for 20-25 minutes.

To make the pasta:
Cook pasta, drain, and place pasta back into the pot. Add 1/2 jar of pesto sauce to the pasta and toss to coat evenly.

Plate pasta first. Then add parmesan cheese if desired, avocado slices, and chicken on top. And voila!

I promise not to stray away from the blog again for so long, haha. And hopefully everyone goes and tries this, because oh my goodness it was amazing!

L'Oreal Paris Color Vibrancy Shampoo /Conditioner

I got a sample of this in the mail for L'Oreal from a freebie website on facebook (sue me, I love these sites; because I love trying out samples to be able to review!). I love the colors of the bottle, because black and pink has always been a person favorite combination of mine; so I was automatically drawn to the product because of that reason. It's priced at around $4-5, depending on where you go; so that's another great attribute about it.

Then I tried it today, and I must say that I'm quite surprised. I've never been a L'Oreal believer, because it usually makes my hair a bit oily. This shampoo and conditioner made my hair SO unbelievably soft. I'm able to just run my fingers through my wet hair, whereas there are usually knots in it even after I normally use conditioner. My hair color is brighter than normal, and the color looks fantastic. This is definitely a buy! Especially since I have a coupon from L'Oreal :)

Let's talk BB Creams!

Beauty Balms (BB Creams) are a hot trend right now in the makeup world. Everyone wants one! But there are so many out there, how do you choose which one to get? I've sampled five different BB Creams - high end and drug store brands, and I'm here to give you my take on them all.

Urban Decay NAKED Skin Beauty Balm - This one was my favorite one. I got it as a sample from Ulta; and I wasn't expecting to like it, since it only comes in one color. It's priced at $34 for a full-size bottle, and $14 for a travel size bottle. Even the sample size has lasted me a while though, because you don't need to use a lot.. as with most UD products. It has a light texture, and it stays on all day with or without a face primer.

Revlon Photoready BB Cream - This is the closest to Urban Decay's that I've found so far. So naturally I love it, especially as a drugstore brand. It's priced at $10.99 for the bottle at Walgreens, and once again this bottle has lasted me a really long time. I love using it on days when I need a quick fix without using foundation or going "all out." I don't have to use a primer, but I will just to make sure it stays on throughout the night if I'm going out. It hardly needs touchups, and the color matches so well!

Maybelline Dream Fresh BB Cream - This was definitely my least favorite. It was oily, which didn't work well with my skin; and it looked orangey when I put it on. It didn't stay on long at ALL, even if I used a primer. I had to make frequent touchups during the day if I wanted my makeup to stay looking as good as when I first put it on. I definitely won't be buying it again.

Garnier BB Cream - I got this sample in the mail from Garnier themselves off of a sample website. This one is another cheaper one, priced $11.97 at Walmart. It was pretty good! I used the light /medium color for normal to dry skin. It was light on the skin, and the color matched really well. It didn't stay on quite as well as the UD or the Revlon one; however, it wasn't too terrible.

Tarte BB Cream - The last one I tested was Tarte's BB Cream, priced at $34 at Ulta. I got this one as a sample from Ulta also. I used the light color, and it was darker than some of the others. It was a little more oily than the others, so I wasn't a fan of it on my skin; and I didn't need a lot at ALL. It also came off a little easy throughout the day, even with a primer.

This project was kind of fun, I'll admit. I like testing new stuff, even if it's samples. Next time I'll be ready to review a couple of foundation primers!

Days 18-24: June Blogging Challenge

Day18: Something you're embarrassed to love.
Oh my gosh, Duck Dynasty!! Hahaha. I tried so hard not to like that show, but I hate to say that I love it! How can you hate a family that has such good values and are so funny.. even if they're redneck as hell? Ha!

Day19: A goal you're working toward.
Getting my bachelor's degree and starting a career! Have you ever been so close to something you could taste it? That's me right now! Ahhh!

Day20: A random act of kindness.
When my husband and I were in Myrtle Beach for Spring Break back in April, we found an extra parking ticket that someone had paid for and left in the machine.. and we took it and gave it to a guy, instead of using it on ourselves :)

Day21: Your favorite recipe.
I have a ton!! I'm pretty partial to my potato soup recipe that we love making during the winter.

Day22: A book you love and recommend.
I love reading any John Grisham book. His books are all so amazing, and I can never put them down. My favorite of his will probably always be "The Street Lawyer" or "The Firm." Both of them are so good, and I finished them both within days of starting them. The suspense and thrill are worth whatever time I gave up and the sleep I lost.

Day23: 3 songs that put you in a good mood.
This is a hard one, because I have so much music that I love! Okay, let's see..

• This I Gotta See /Jason Aldean - as much as I'm not a huge fan of Jason Aldean, I really like this song for some reason. It just makes me happy to hear every time, and I always have to turn it up really loud and sing at the top of my lungs.
• Wagon Wheel /Darius Rucker - I like the original too, but this one is just so easy to sing to!
• Can't Hold Us /Macklemore ft. Ryan Lewis - I don't know why, but I just love this song hahaha.

Day24: Something sweet.

This is called a salted caramel butter bar.. I've had in it in my "need to make" queue from Pinterest for a while now. It looks amazing! It reminds me of a chess square, which is one of my favorite sweet things ever. I can't wait to try to make it!

Day17: 3 random things that can instantly make your day.

Good morning texts! No matter where he goes or what he's doing, my husband always tries to make time for the good morning text - which always makes my heart flutter just a bit :) it's one of those things that made being in a long distance relationship much easier, and that never stopped once the distance closed!

This should be pretty predictable, if you know me at all. I love my Sofie more than life itself! She's always so full love, and she just makes me feel better when I'm sad or upset. She's been the best thing that's come into this family by far :) not to mention she gives us a few good laughs, hahaha.

The last pick is definitely the Golden Girls!! I own all 7 seasons, and I've introduced them to my best friend, as well as my husband; and now they're a must have in my home. I don't go to sleep without them. They're my "mindless tv" must have. I watch them when I need a laugh, a smile, to get my mind off something, etc. Always my favorites!!

Day16: Something that makes you awesome.

Umm..

Uhh..

Hm.

Well.

I mean. So.. there's just so much to list. Ha!!

What is something that makes me awesome though? This is usually a question I'd ask my husband, but I'm SOL because he's not here at the moment haha. I don't know what he would say. He'd probably say how easy I am to hang out with.. there's a reason we're ultimately best friends I'm not a huge girly girl most days. I have my moments, but I'm not the prima donna that you see a lot of the time. I watch more football than most guys - let's rephrase that: I'm OBSESSED with more football than most guys. And I'm not afraid to yell at the tv and show my temper, which may or may not be a good thing, haha. But I think that makes me pretty awesome.

Day15: Your favorite photo you've taken.

It says (or top three) in it.. so I'm going to do that, because there's NO way I can choose one hahaha. And disclaimer: I am in no way, shape, form, or fashion a photographer - nor do I claim to be one! Just so everyone knows :)

This was taken at our very first USMC ball in November 2009. (Awww, widdle PFC!) I've always loved this picture, because right as I was taking the picture he grabbed my hand and squeezed it really tight; so the smile on my face is probably the most genuine thing you'll ever see on my face, haha. I just love, love, love it! No matter how old it is, I'll always enjoy seeing this picture.

This is another favorite picture taken. Yes, it's of my dog, Sofie. Go figure, right? And this was surprisingly taken on my iPhone! Crazy, I know!! She and I were just outside playing in the big puppy area one day, and I decided it would be cute to take pictures of her playing with her favorite stick; and this was THE best one. It's still by far the best action shot I've ever seen, I think haha.

And last, but certainly not least, this is another favorite. I love what happens when I just snap random pictures sometimes. It makes me so freaking happy, because I end up with gems like this. This is what happens when Sofie wants to play, but nobody plays with her hahahaha. It's amazing.