How to Make a (Vegan) Pumpkin Latte at Home!

Now, I don't like my lattes super hot (and actually usually ice them), but this is a good recipe for a windy evening (or.. when it's 90 degrees out, like right now).  It's super easy and you don't even need a stove, though how you choose to boil your water is up to you; if you only have a hotplate instead of a microwave, of course boil your water that way.  I have an electric kettle, and would usually use that, but I don't know where the heating base is right now.  If you enjoy tea (or instant coffee, or even ramen noodles or miso), I highly recommend an electric kettle.

Also, this is a great way to reuse a glass bottle and have a portable latte like what you'd buy at the gas station or grocery from a certain big chain.  =]  My bottle used to be a Taste of Nirvana Coconut Water.  These bottles are the perfect size for this, and coconut water is so good for you.

You need:
1/2 cup water (estimated)
1/2 cup vanilla soymilk (I use light vanilla, which I steal from j0hn; again, estimated)
1-2 teaspoons turbinado sugar (or sweetener of your choice & how sweet you like it)
1 bag of Bigelow Pumpkin Spice Autumn Spiced Tea (use two if you really like it concentrated)

In my case, I fill my glass bottle more than 1/3 of the way full, but slightly less than 1/2 of the way full (if that makes any sense at all?  See the photo) and pop it in the microwave for a minute and a half.  You may need to adjust this according to your microwave, mine is pretty weak.  My water is just boiling when I remove it from the microwave (with a hot pad, it will be hot!).

Steep your tea bag for 2-4 minutes.  Squeeze all of the liquid out of your tea bag (read: pure flavor) and toss it.  Add your sugar/sweetener first, because it tends to dissolve better in warm liquid.  Then add your soymilk to the top.  Cap it, shake it, and enjoy it!

Alternatively: leave some room at the top & add some ice if you like it cold.  If you like it hot, steam or boil your milk beforehand, but be careful; you need to make it in a mug instead, or you WILL burn your hands!  Glass bottles are great heat conductors, haha.

TAG: The Liebster Award!

Rules:
1.  Post 11 facts about yourself.
2.  Answer the questions the tagger has set for you.
3.  Create 11 questions for the people you've tagged to answer.
4.  Tag 11 people.

11 Facts About Me

1.  I have been vegan for like seven years and straight edge for nearly four years.  Vegans don't eat anything that has anything to do with the animal kingdom.  Including fish.  Ha.
2.  I have post traumatic stress disorder, which causes me to have reoccuring dreams (for as long as I can remember), inappropriate emotional responses, poor attention span, and really random flashbacks.  I also have related insomnia periods and... mood swings, hah.
3.  John and I are child free, but we do share our home with a dog and two cats.  The dog is my baby, the eldest cat his baby, and the youngest our baby; I am in general more of a dog person.
4.  I have been heavier and I have been thinner.  I was much happier at my low weight, both with my appearence and my health.
5.  j0hn says, "you make good foods."
6.  John and I have our home decorated for Halloween year round.  We are really into skeletons and anatomy.  Oh, and pumpkins.  We love pumpkin ANYTHING.
7.  Although I love the freedom of being a freelance artist, I truly love working at Sephora.  I love being able to impact a maximum number of lives because I truly believe (good) makeup can be life changing.
8.  I went to a tech school for communications and broadcasting, then went on to college courses for Electronic Media.  I had to drop out my junior year.  I would go back for Journalism on the magazine track.  I never thought my life would bring me to a career in cosmetics.  I have Lady Gaga and emilynoel83 to blame for that, ha.
9.  My favorite movies range from anything from childhood classics to disgustingly gory horror films.  I tend to avoid a lot of dramas and comedies, but do enjoy an action film now and again.  Also, I tend to prefer films from overseas, and often find my favorite films are remakes of foreign films.
10.  I drink a lot of coffee.  I am on a friendly, first name basis with most of the baristas at the Starbucks in my mall.  They know where I live, where I work, and one may even be my neighbor soon.  It's probably not healthy, but I do look forward to seeing them so it keeps me coming back.
11.  I don't read as much as I used to.  I honestly feeling like I'm losing my intelligence as I age, and it terrifies me.  There are days that I can't even string together words with more than one syllable and I wonder what happened to the sharp young lady that learned SAT vocabulary for fun.

11 questions from Toxid.lotus
1.  My favorite color is apparently green.  It took me a really long time to come to this conclusion, though just easily it could be said my favorite color is black.  My decor is mostly black, my clothes are mostly black, and I love a good black eyeshadow.  But right after that is green.
2.  I have a lot of deep memories.  Most of them were not positive.  I remember being three or four years old, living in a really poor section 8 apartment, and getting in trouble for spraying all of the exterior windows on a "block" with green puffy paint.  I remember having it all over my hands and my favorite Mickey Mouse Safari shirt.  Maybe it wasn't puffy paint, just fabric paint.  I remember being scared because I was in trouble, but mostly being upset that my shirt was ruined.
3.  I have a ton of tattoos.  I really, really, really want to finish my right arm, and get my left sleeve done.  My left arm is going to be all black and grey, and have one panel images from some of my favorite comics.  I need to finish the Year One Batman tattoo, and start my Death of Superman piece.
4.  I love green tea and chai tea.  I love them even more with disgusting amounts of sugar.
5.  I love early fall.  Even though Halloween is a little later, I love the weather in early fall.  The leaves are starting to change, it's cooler, but not cold, and I am not considered as weird as I am the other nine months of the year.  Clearly I'm just really enthusiastic about Halloween!  No one dresses or decorates like that year round, right?!
6.  One?  Indie:  MSC despite the lack of foundation.  "Mainstream":  Urban Decay.
7.  Nothing more than toes and maybe some bones in my left foot.
8.  I love pretty much any scent I have from One Hand Washes the Other.  I also really love Lavanilla's Pure Vanilla fragrance.  I am in love with the new Guerlain Le Petite Robe Noire, Tocca's Violette, and Burberry Brit Sheer.
9.  See above
10.  I have an irrational fear of zombies.  I am terrified of not knowing what the government is doing with bioweapons, and am afraid that something could actually create zombies because of it.  Not necessarily brain eating zombies, because those aren't as scary, but flesh eating, angry, running zombies terrify me to no end.  I think it's because I'm happy with my life and don't want to see something like that happen.
11.  I actually haven't given a lot of thought to what I'll be for Halloween.  No clue.  I'll probably be working and not too worried about it.  I love Halloween year round, so on actual Halloween night, I tend to just wing it.

11 questions from me:
1.  What is your one must have holy grail cosmetic?
2.  Who has been the most influentual person in your life?
3.  Do you have any pets?  What are they?  (Stole this one)
4.  If you could live anywhere, where would it be?
5.  Do you play video games?  What's your favorite?
6.  What would your "last meal" be?
7.  What is the best book you have ever read?  Why?
8.  What is the coolest animal ever?  Why?
9.  What is your all time favorite scent?
10.  What's your "style"?  Home decor, clothing, etc.
11.  Tell us one random memory that you want to share.

I tag:
Everyone!  =D

My Top Five Vegan Foundations!

Looking for an updated version of this list?  Check this post here!

Not pictured:  Hourglass Immaculate Foundation

I have combination to oily skin, so please keep that in mind when reading this. However, I combat this fact by using a great primer (usually Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer) to make my skin appear a little more normal. I fully believe that all of these foundations can be worn by all skin types.

1. Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation SPF 15 – 1.7 oz - $38.00

This is definitely my current favorite foundation. It is NOT full coverage immediately, but you can very easily build it up to be. I have been wearing this as both my foundation and concealer. It has fantastic coverage, even when applied lightly, and offers good oil control. I haven’t had any issues with patchiness, and although I wouldn’t say it lasts 12 hours on me, I definitely get a minimum of eight hours. They want you to use their big bamboo brush with this foundation, and while I agree that a large, dense synthetic brush is necessary, I strongly dislike the size of the brush head. I use a Real Techniques buffing brush, the Sephora Mineral Powder Brush #45, the Sephora Pro Airbrush #55 or #56, or the Urban Decay Good Karma Optical Blurring Brush if you get my second favorite foundation.

2. Urban Decay Naked Skin Weightless Ultra Definition Liquid Foundation – 1 oz - $38.00

This foundation is everything you want out of a lightweight foundation. It offers color coverage without adding any texture (which is both good and bad, depending on your needs). It feels amazing because it feels like you’re wearing nothing at all, yet for those with no texture issues, you will be left with flawless skin. I am a huge fan of the finish of this foundation, and really love it. This is a fantastic foundation for anyone who likes how lightweight a tinted moisturizer is, but want more coverage. This foundation nearly won out the spot for number one, but I am in a long term relationship with my Amazonian Clay foundation at this point. They want you to apply it with their smaller, dense, synthetic fiber brush, and re-designed their pre-exisiting Good Karma foundation brush to make it perform even better with the formula. Important notes: it’s very liquid-y, and you have to shake the bottle before each application.

3. Beauty Without Cruelty Ultimate Natural Liquid Makeup-up – 0.5 oz - $23.95

I hadn’t realized that this was only a half an ounce, and that’s mainly because this bottle has lasted me so long (and still isn’t finished). It’s a beautiful, naturally radiant formula that looks like your skin, only better. I would compare the finish to NARS Sheer Glow, so if you prefer a more matte look, or are more on the oily side, you’ll need a good primer and setting powder. It applies easily, and it’s also wonderful with a fluffy, dense, synthetic brush (though I’ve also used a beauty blender type sponge and a flat foundation brush with no issue). It’s a great foundation since it’s so natural looking, I can’t imagine anyone truly disliking the finish. I will warn that the shades run possibly a tad dark, so keep that in mind when you order. I wear fair, and it’s still possibly a little too dark for me.

4. Hourglass Immaculate Liquid Powder Foundation – 1 oz - $55.00

Where to begin: I love this foundation. If price were no factor in how I graded things, this foundation would certainly be in the top three. However, it is a little pricy and it kills me just a little every time I walk by it at work (because I’ll never bring it home with me). The price, however, is due from it’s promises (not claims!) that you do NOT need a powder with it, it WILL control oil, and it WILL have and maintain a matte finish all day. That is a pretty big list of demands, but this foundation delivers. I pair it with the Mineral Veil Primer and a stippling or buffing brush, and couldn’t be happier. The coverage is great and the range of colors is excellent (except for deep to very deep skin tones).

5. Pumpkin and Poppy Full Coverage Mineral Foundation – 30 grams - $10.75 (on sale)

I am not a huge fan of mineral powders of any sort, but I do make an exception when it comes to Pumpkin and Poppy. The owner is a long time internet friend, and I know that a lot of time and love goes into every product she creates. She worked very hard to bring out a full coverage mineral powder foundation that also has a large range of shades. She is currently reformulating all of her foundations, so look for those to return later this year. Another awesome thing about Pumpkin & Poppy? In the past, you could order a "refill" for your empty foundation, which helps reduce the amount of plastic that ends up in landfills! I think she will be bringing this program back. She also offered custom mixed colors (ie: if you find that mixing two parts of one foundation to one part of another was your perfect shade, she'd send you that, instead of having to buy both).

GIVEAWAY: Urban Decay's Vegan Palette!

I recently did a Back to School Look featuring the Vegan Palette, and it made me decide I wanted to give one away to you guys!  This giveaway will end on September first!  & PS:  Some extra goodies may find their way into your package... =]


a Rafflecopter giveaway

EOTD: Back to School with the Vegan Palette!

Today's look is going to be a tutorial as soon as I get to edit it (I'm on my way to work), but it's simple, easy & 100% vegan!

In this look:
MSC Optimus Primer
Urban Decay Vegan Palette
[Urb
Minx
Gunmetal
Half Baked
Smog
Twice Baked]
MSC pigment in Adipose
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero
Blinc mascara in Black

MAIL: Birchbox August 2012!

Please excuse the sunshine photo, haha.

In this box:
-Shu Uemura Full Shimmer Shampoo Sample 0.5 fl oz - $2.40
-Shu Uemura Full Shimmer Treatment Sample 0.5 fl oz -$5.67
-Viva La Juicy La Fleur Sample 0.05 fl oz - $1.40
-Jouer Birchbox Pink Lip Gloss 0.06 fl oz - $5.00
-Apothederm Stretch Mark Cream 0.7 fl oz - $11.04
-Schick Hydro Silk Razor - $8.95

Total value:  $34.46

First impressions:
I'm excited to try the Shu Uemura, and totally confused as to how there is now a US branch.  Does this mean that the beloved eyelash curler could make a return?  Or did they sell the technology to Lancome because they never plan on coming back with makeup?  The Viva La Juicy smells nice in the bottle, but of course, it gets a little weird on me.  I'll wait and ask j0hn what he thinks of it when he gets home.  The lip gloss is nice, but it's so freaking tiny!  Apparently though, it's a quarter of the product in a full size, so that makes me a little sad to put into perspective.  The Apothederm product excites and disappoints me in the same breath.  I doubt there is enough here to see a reduction in stretch marks.. especially since the bottle is only half full.  And lastly, this month's lifestyle extra came to everyone.  The razor is exciting because it even comes with coupons on the back.  I'm probably going to pass this one to my sister though, as I already have a razor I like, as does j0hn, or we use electric razors.  Maybe I'll save it for my next trip, though.

Final thought?  This box was better than I was expecting; we had no spoilers available this month and it made it a little hard to get excited about it, but it also kept my expectations low.  It's a toss up on that one.  Want to try Birchbox yourself?

This was in the box as well, and provides tips and tricks for makeup, tools, reading labels, shaving and skincare.

MAIL: MyGlam August 2012!

What's in this month's bag?
-Circus Nail Polish in Spectacle - full size: price unknown [V, CF]
-Demeter Roll on Perfume Oil in Clean Skin - .29 fl oz: $10.00 [says CF on their site]
-Eclos Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream - .25 fl oz:  $3.12
-Eclos Cellular Activator Facial Serum - .5 fl oz:  $7.50
-s.a.l.t.y. cosmetics Glama-ZOID! Eye Shadow - 1 gm: $5.98
Total:  $26.60

First impressions:
Holy cow that eyeshadow is overpriced!  A 2.5 gram loose pigment is $14.97?!  WHAT?  My second impression was.. I like the nail polish, I actually like the roll on oil, but... whut?  The gloss smells like.. candy, but maybe not in a good way, and they're presenting it as an extra goodie, not a regular part of the bag.  This month isn't good or bad, it's just.. confusing.  I'm kind of indifferent about this month's bag.  I guess if I didn't know how damn overpriced the eyeshadow was, I wouldn't feel so eh about it, but, $14.97?!  C'mon!!  What kind of start up charges that much for "mica, boron nitride 30" mixed together in a pot?!  It's white, sparkly and sheer!  That's like.. a 600% markup, at least!  I'm so confused by this bag.  And can I just say, seeing "STEM CELLS" plastered all over the skin care has me scratching my head.  It's a serious anti-aging ingredient, and Myglam is geared towards 13 to 30 year olds.. not 40 to 60 year olds?

I like the bag a lot at least?  I.. still don't know.  Eh.

FOTD: Sexy & Smoky

If you have hooded lids, but you still want a smoky eye, here is a great way to acheive that without looking like your eyes have disappeared into your head, haha.

I concentrated a light color on my lid, did a soft cut crease with a darker color, then added a medium toned color into the outer v and below the eye to the outer edge of the iris.

Face:
Smashbox Dark Spot Correcting Primer
Urban Decay Naked Skin Foundation [V, CF]
MAC Studio Finish Concealer in NC20
Hourglass Aura Cheek Stain in Rouge [CF]
bareMinerals Ready Bronzer in the High Dive
ELF Translucent Matifying Powder [CF, V?]
ELF Liquid Eyeliner in Black [CF, V?]

Eyes:
Korres Anti-Aging Eye Primer
Urban Decay Book of Shadows IV (Uzi, Money, Loaded) [CF]
Eyeko Skinny Eyeliner in Black [CF?]
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Zero [V, CF]
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

Lips:
Josie Maran Lip & Cheek Stain in Tango [V, CF]
Buxom gloss in Celeste

EOTD: the Joker?

Eyes:

Korres Quercetin & Oak Anti-Aging Primer
MSC Pop N Lock Shadow Base [V, CF]
MSC pigment in Acid Bath [V, CF]
MSC pigment in Trashed [V, CF]
MSC pigment in Hold Fast [V, CF]
MSC pigment in Birfday Suit [V, CF]
MSC pigment in Bitch Slap [V, CF]
Eyeko Skinny Liner in Black [I think they're CF?]
Urban Decay 24/7 Glide on Pencil in Zero [V, CF]
Lancome Hypnose Star mascara

Another angle, from my webcam.  Have a great day everyone! =D

posted from Bloggeroid

FOTD: Back in the swing of things with Detrivore!

So after not wearing makeup for about four days, I'm back!  Here's a look I did today with my newly acquired Detrivore Cosmetics eyeshadows.  There are only two eyeshadows in this look, but do to the darker colors properties, it looks like three or more.

Skincare:
Dr. Brandts Dark Spots No More Serum [V, CF]
Sephora Collection Instant Depuffing Roll-On Gel [CF*]
Philosophy Take a Deep Breath Gel Hydrator [V, CF]
Smashbox Photo Finish More Than Primer Dark Spot Correcting



Face:
Urban Decay Naked Foundation in Shade 2.0 [V, CF]
MAC Studio Finish Concealer
BareMinerals Ready Bronzer in the High Dive
Buxom True Hue Blush in Euphoria
Maribella Permanent Eyeliner in Black (brows)

Eyes:
Korres Quercetin & Oak Anti-Aging Eye Primer
Detrivore Cosmetics pigment in Ghost [V, CF]
Detrivore Cosmetics pigment in Plague [V, CF]
Urban Decay 24/7 Liner in Zero [V, CF]
MAC Eye Kohl in Fascinating
Lancome Hypnose Star Mascara

Lips:
Buxom gloss in Celeste (I think...)

FOTD: makeup!?

I put on makeup for the first time in days. It's been so hot, we sweated non stop while moving.

Face:
MAC studio fix powder in nc20 (i finally hit pan!)
BWC creamy concealer in fair
ELF studio blush in peachy keen

Eyes:
Stila e/s in karat
Maribella permanent liquid liner (brows)
Lancome hypnose star

Lips:
Fresh lip balm in rose

posted from Bloggeroid

I won a SELF magazine giveaway of Hint water

Hey guys! We came to the old apartment today to return our cable & internet stuff and check the mail one last time, and I found this on my doorstep!

"Congratulations on winning the SELF Healthy Foods Giveaway! We thank you for your interest in our product and hope that you agree HINT Raspberry-Lime really is the best"Flavored Water".

Enjoy and please remember that HINT is best served chilled.

Stay hydrated,
Your Friends at HINT"

As soon as I try them I'll let you guys know how they are! :D

Ftc: I received these products in a giveaway from SELF magazine. I was not paid, or even asked, to do this post.

posted from Bloggeroid