PINTEREST LOOK FOR LESS

Well, December is upon us and winter is in full effect. My Pinterest feed is full of holiday musings, hearty recipes, and of course some killer winter fashion. Oh how I love this season.

I pinned the image below to my Winter Style board and it got an overwhelming response from all of you. I love this look because it's simple with only 4 pieces, but all of them are great on-trend winter staples. First, the boots. Thigh high boots are one of the sexiest winter shoe options around and they're great because they enable you to still wear your little dresses without your legs freezing. And to pair perfectly with your thigh highs, we have chunky sweater dresses. Perfect for running errands with leggings underneath but also easily dressed up for a holiday party. You'll also be noticing a lot of blanket coats out there. Some are poncho style, but the ones pictured below give you the same look with a little more functionality. Lastly, winter is the time for quilted leather. Thanks to Chanel, there are a ton of these cute quilted cross body bags for sale in just about every fast fashion store.

We all know there's a ton of extra expenses that pop up during the holiday season. Save some money on your winter style by shopping smart, and get through your holiday gift giving all the merrier. We know you can find your look for less!

Romwe Coat - $25

Amazon Sweater Dress - $45

Forever 21 Purse - $23

Glamorous Boots - $47

Total: $140

DRUGSTORE BEAUTY BUYS

Something about winter always makes me want to change up my look. Sometimes it's dramatic: dying my hair dark, chopping a blunt bob, or getting harsh bangs (never again, not for me!) but sometimes it's as simple as just adding a new product to my makeup routine. This route is sooo much easier and doesn't require quite the unwavering commitment. That said, this year I decided to add a red lip into my beauty rotation. 

I typically go for nudes and pinks when it comes to my lip color, so darker hues are a little more out of my comfort range. Personally I've never been a huge fan of a red lip on myself, but I absolutely love the instant glamour it can add to any look when executed well. This set me on a mission to find the perfect red lip color for the upcoming holiday season. Oh, and there's one more condition: The lip color must be under $10! That's right, I'm stepping away from Sephora and heading to the drugstore to find it.

The first lipstick that caught my eye was Loreal Paris' Colour Riche Lipstick in Zoe's Red. I wear a lot of burgundy in the winter, so I love this deep wine shade. I was especially delighted by this lipstick's silky smooth matte finish which helped to mellow out the dramatic color. Surprisingly enough, it also kept its rich color and crisp lines much longer than my favorite MAC lipstick. Way to go, L'Oreal! I'm sold. 

Next, I decided to try out Revlon's Colorstay Moisture Stain in Stockholm Chic. I usually steer clear of lip glosses of any sort because I hate when they feel goopy and sticky, but I've heard great things about lip stains and their lasting qualities so I decided to give this product a go. This lip color goes on with a glossy finish but doesn't feel sticky. In fact, this gloss is made with Vitamin E and Aloe so it's quite moisturizing. The color is a very orange-y red, but it plays nicely with the subtle gold sparkles in this lip gloss. 

The reddest of all reds is Boots' No.7 Moisture Drench Lipstick in Glam. We're talking BRIGHT. A little too bright for me, but it would look super chic with an all black ensemble. Despite the color, the lipstick went on smoothly and has SPF 15 which is an added plus! 

Standing in the aisle of Walgreens, I couldn't say no to the beautiful cranberry color that is Maybelline's Color Sensational Matte Lipstick in Rich Ruby. This lipstick goes on creamy but dries matte leaving you with sophisticated and clean color. I think I'll end up wearing this color for the holidays and painting my nails a matching shade of red to complete the look. 

Lastly, I put Maybelline's 24 Color in All Day Cherry to the test. This lip color intrigued me since it was dual sided and included not just a gloss but a moisturizing lip balm, too. My lips always get dry during the chilly winter months so lip balm is my best friend. How convenient to have it built into the gloss! I love the dual-sided idea but was quite unimpressed with the lipgloss itself. It went on quite messy and I had trouble distributing the color evenly. This gloss might be nice in a lighter shade of pink, but I wasn't feeling it in red. 

This fun little experiment reminded me that I don't have to drop tons of money on prestige beauty products. The drugstore really does have some great options! If I had to choose, my favorites would be both of the matte lipsticks. With such a bold color I really do prefer the matte finish, just to tone down the color and give it an edge. I will definitely be wearing these all winter long.

What are some of your favorite drugstore beauty buys?? We want to know!

POTATO & LEEK SOUP WITH SPICY SAUSAGE

The holidays are here, so that means entertaining season is here too. If you're planning on having a big party or small gathering you might want to consider serving soup, especially this potato and leek soup. This recipe is something you can make the day before or even earlier in the day and let it simmer on the stove while you enjoy your friends and family. What is also great about it is that it's gluten, dairy and nut free for those who have friends with food sensitivities. You can also modify the recipe to make it vegetarian or vegan, and it still  tastes great.

I hate it when you go to someone's house and you can't even converse with the host because they are too busy cooking. Haha! That's actually ME a lot of the time when I'm hosting because I'm not the best cook and it takes ALL of my concentration to do it. I'm really trying to be better at it, so I asked Nicole if she could help me.

Nicole Lee from Hey Dear came over to my house and gave me a private cooking lesson just in time for the holidays. It was exactly what I needed. I learned three different recipes, how to hold my knife correctly, how to chop my veggies the right way, and got some ideas of what to keep in my pantry. She is a brilliant cook and an amazing food stylist. If you're looking for some gluten free recipes be sure to check out her blog or hire her to help you become a better cook.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup dry white wine, preferable sauvignon blanc
1 1/2 cups free range organic vegetable broth
2 celery stalks chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 sweet onions, chopped
1lb leek, the whole thing chopped
1-2 garlic cloves finely minced
1 lb fingerling potatoes (russet or yukon gold work great too)
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 bay leaf
1 lb. Italian sausage, sweet or spicy (in casing)

DIRECTIONS:
Chop all of your vegatables with the carrots, onions and celery. Then peal the leeks, chop off the ends and slice them into quarters. Wash your potatoes and cop them into even cuts (in half, then half again, until they are in little squares). Put the carrots, celery, onion and leeks in a bowl, set aside. Put the chopped potatoes aside as well. Then finally chop the garlic and set aside.

Bring a frying pan to medium heat and sear the sausage for about minutes on each side. Once browned on each side, poke with a fork and reduce to low heat. Put a lid on the pan and finish cooking about 10-15 minutes until there is no pink the middle.

NOTE: Be mind that this is soup, it's rustic, it doesn't have to be perfect and really just throw it in the pot and it will do the rest.

Heat your soup pot to medium heat. Put in about a tablespoon of olive oil into the pan and add in the bowl of carrots, onion, celery and leeks. Mix together with a wooden spoon and let cook for about 5-10 minutes until the onions become translucent. Add a pinch of salt and pepper to taste. Also add your herbs. Add in your cup of white wine, keep the heat going so it reduced the alcohol properly. Let this cook together for about 8 minutes. Then add in your chicken broth, let it cook until you see it start boil.

While that finishes cooking, in another pot boil your potatoes until soft. Chop your sausage and then once both are finished add the sausage and potatoes to the soup mixture.

Let all of the ingredients simmer for about 20 minutes to an hour. If you have more time let it cool a bit longer. The longer it sits the better it will taste. Finally, add more salt and pepper to taste and serve with crusty bread and a dollop of fresh cream or fresh vegan yogurt. Enjoy!

SUBURBAN KITCHEN TRANSFORMATION

We always said we would never live in the suburbs. Well, never say never folks because we are rockin' the suburbs now. Maybe the minivan will come next because we also said we would never buy one of those too. We moved away from the city because Ryan was commuting an hour each way to work and we were craving way more family time. It was bittersweet to say good-bye to our cute 1950's ranch house and buy a home in a development where all of the architecture looks the same. Afterall, it was our first house, the place we brought Elle home to and we had put a ton of work into it.  

When we found our new home we knew it would need some work to update it, but the layout and bones were perfect. Ryan and I decided the first thing that we would going to do was repaint the whole house white, replace the flooring downstairs and upstairs and get new appliances. We wanted to start with a clean slate, and the first room to tackle was the kitchen.

As I am sure you know everyone congregates in the kitchen no matter how big or small. You cook three meals a day in there, and with little ones I'm always in there getting snacks too. This kitchen had the original appliances from the 1990's. They were functioning, but the oven seemed like it was going to fall over when you opened the door. We upgraded to stainless steel Kitchen Aid appliances. Though their original oven was electric we saw there was a gas line available, so we chose a gas stove. We are super happy with everything except the fridge. It feels a bit cheap when you open the freezer. 

We chose to pain the walls and cabinets West Highland White by Sherwin Williams. We LOVE this white. It's warm and bright and not too yellow at all. For the new floors we picked out a hand-scraped hickory that had a lot of color variation. We wanted to minimize the appearance of scratches or marks, and we are sooooo happy with this choice. It goes with all of our furniture really well.

I knew I wanted to add hardware to the cabinets. I was toying with the idea of gold handles, but I would have add to change out all of the hinges because you could see the antique brass poking through. Instead, I went with antique brass modern handles from PullsDirect.com. They were under $3 a handle verses $8 to $12 for gold. With 30 cabinets to accessorize you bet I went with the cheaper option. 

We weren't in love with the existing beige speckled countertops, but we didn't have the budget to replace them all. Instead, I found mini hexagon marble tiles that had some flecks of brown in them but also incorporated gray and white. By splurging on carrera marble we were able to elevate the kitchen without having to spend the extra amount on the countertops. 

We are so in love with our newly upgraded kitchen. It finally feels like "us." Sadly, however, a month after we renovated our kitchen flooded and destroyed our new floors and lower cabinets. Luckily we have some leftover wood and the damage isn't too bad, but it definitely is frustrating that we have to rip up the floors again. Oh well! That's life I guess. haha.

BATH TIME RITUALS

Bath time is probably one of my favorite parts of being a mom. It's time away from the phone and television to play in the water and have the silliest conversations. As I a kid I could spend hours in the bathtub, and I don't think it's any different being a parent (well, I definitely could do without all of the cleanup and water spilling over the tub some days). 

Every other night we give Elle a bath. We usually play tea party or mermaid. Munchkin has some really great bath toys, and we are big fans of their pink sparkle tea party set complete with cupcakes.

Once we have had some fun (sometimes with bubbles, sometimes without) we wash Elle's hair. We love using Be Good products because they are 90% natural and completely safe for kids of all ages. We also love their message to kids - it's all about teaching your kids kindness and love towards one another. How cool is that?! The packaging is gorgeous too, so it doesn't look ugly to leave your shampoo bottle out. You can get a trio of their shampoo, body wash and lotion for $49 at Ulta and save $13.

Everyone always wonders how Elle gets her curls. I must say it's mostly genetics, but after we use Be Good I brush her hair with The Wet Brush. These things are MAGIC I tell you! MAGIC! She doesn't cry when we brush her hair with it, and it gets out the tangles so much faster than any other brush I have used. Then I scrunch her curls with my hands and let it air dry.

To celebrate bath time fun with your kids, I'm teaming up with Be Good to giveaway a spa basket worth $165 for your kiddo. You will get Be Good shampoo, body wash and lotion along with a Pottery Barn bathrobe, matching slippers, a wet brush and kids nail polish. You'll have everything you need to make beautiful memories with your child. Simply comment below and share what you love about bath time with your kids, and then head over to Be Good's Instagram and follow them. The contest ends at 5pm MST on Wednesday, November 25th. Good luck!

*This is a sponsored post by Be Good.