Christmas Outfit + Manicure Monday

Hello and happy Monday!  This past Saturday we had my Mom's side of the family over for a Christmas celebration - and I had been planning my outfit for weeks (as any good beauty blogger would do).  So, with only 2 days until Christmas - YAY- here is my Christmas outfit (and a Manicure Monday squeezed in at the end)!

I think the combination of the long sweater, liquid leggings, and gold necklace is super festive and cozy - while still incorporating the right amount of holiday glam.  I found the sweater a few weeks ago at Marshalls, and I am obsessed with the way it fits tightly on my arms and flows out at the bottom.  Plus, it has the right amount of a hi-lo cut so it covers my behind in my leggings :P  

I first bought a pair of shiny floral print black leggings at Marshalls - and swore up and down that I didn't need to try them on because they were spandex and they would fit... Of course I got home put them on and they were SUPER baggy.  So feeling embarrassed and discouraged, I set off to find the perfect pair of liquid leggings.  I found them rather quickly at Rue 21 ( I don't shop here often becuase I usually don't find many items that are worth purchasing - however these leggings were only $5)!!!  This time I went into the dressing room and tried them on - they were a perfect fit.

The behind is covered! 

First - check out the cute Christmas cat in his little red collar. How cute!  

For shoes - I have on my black and brown boots from Boston Store.  I purchased these for only $20 on Black Friday - so worth it.  They are very comfortable and go with almost anything.  

For make up I did a black/grey/gold smokey eye with a cat eye liner and big lashes. I used the same plum blush as in my Christmasy baking look, a plum shade with a little bit of shimmer.  On my lips I tried out a new shade from NYX - Violet Ray.  The camera doesn't do it justice - it is a deep violet shade with enough of a red undertone to make it wearable.  This is the darkest shade I own - and I am loving it.  Playing around with lipsticks is one of my favorite things to do.

As for my hair I just curled the bottom layer randomly using my 1 1/2 inch barrel iron and used some sea salt spray to add some texture and volume - I was pretty satisfied with the overall look.

Manicure Monday!

For my Christmas party manicure I wanted something that just screamed "CHRISTMAS!!!"  I think that the green color paired with a colorful glittery polish looks just like a Christmas tree with colored lights.  It added the pop of color that my outfit needed.

*I never mentioned my necklace - it is a few years old and from Forever 21.

I used my usual base coat by Essie, and then put on two coats of Wild Cactus by the Color Club.  This color came to me in a Birchbox a few months back, and I love it.  It is a true green - perfect for Christmas. The formula isn't streaky or thick, and it goes on perfectly with two coats.  

For the glitter or "the lights" on my Christmas tree inspired nails, I used one coat of a rainbow glitter polish by Cynthia Rowley.  I can't find the polish online anywhere - I purchased mine last year at TJMaxx.

Then - I topped it off with my current favorite top coat, which you can see here on my first ever Manicure Monday!

I hope you enjoyed my Christmas outfit and manicure.  If you have done a holiday look put a like in the comments - holiday season is still here and I need some more inspiration!

Merry Christmas - with love,

Traci J

A Christmasy Day + Make Up Look + Cookies | Part 2!!!

Why hello again Christmas Lovers!

After I did my make up today, I spent the whole day baking Christmas cookies with my mom!  We had a super fun time and I got even more into the Christmas spirit than I was already (if that is even possible).

One of my favorite Christmas cookies to make are palmiers.  Anne Burrell from the Food Network has a fantastic recipe that uses orange zest and they make the whole house smell like Christmas.

Here is how we made these AMAZING little cookies:

First we gathered all of our supplies: 2 sheets of puff pastry, 2 oranges, sugar, ground cinnamon, a small bowl, a grater or zester for the oranges, a cutting board or surface to roll the dough on, a rolling pin, 2 cookie sheets, a fork, and plastic wrap.

Set the sheets of puff pastry side by side and let thaw for about 30 minutes, unless you make your own - and in that case, good for you!

While the pastry is thawing, I measure out 2 cups of sugar, 4 teaspoons of cinnamon, and zest 2 small or medium oranges.  I then combined these in a small bowl with a fork.  The smell is HEAVENLY.

When the pastry is thawed, I spread out a quarter of the sugar mixture on my surface.  Then I unfold one sheet of the pastry and spread another quarter of the mixture on top.  

Using a rolling pin, I rolled the dough to about 1/8 of an inch thick.  Make sure to press down really hard to get the sugar to stick onto the dough.

Then, rolling from the shorter sides (if there are any... I'm not a very good roller so by this time it has lost its original shape) roll until they meet in the middle.  This may take some practice, but it doesn't need to look SUPER pretty - it spreads out while cooking anyway.

Wrap the roll in plastic wrap and place it in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.  Here you can see that I did both sheets of pastry and placed them side by side to rest in the refrigerator.  Waiting for this to set is the hardest part, after your hands already smell all Christmasy and you are anticipating the deliciousness that will be coming out of the oven!!!!

Speaking of ovens... I preheated mine to 400 degrees.

After they chilled, I cut them into 1/4 inch slices and laid them onto a parchment lined baking sheet.  Like I said, appearance doesn't really matter - they will cook and caramelize and no one will care what they look like.

I then place the palmiers into a 400 degree oven.  I recommend only doing one pan at a time.  Last year, when I tried to place both baking sheets in the oven - the bottom one was really burned.  

This really is the best part of the whole process (besides eating them).  The entire house is filled with the smell of cinnamon and oranges.  Does anyone know if they make a palmier candle? I need it.

Let them cook for 11-12 minutes, remove from oven and turn them all over.  Then I cook them for 6 more minutes.  Look how brown and delicious they are already!

Yum!! This is what they look like when they first come out of the oven.  Don't they look all delicious and amazing?

I snapped a few pictures of the other cookies we made: rolo pretzels (which are not really cookies) and some delicious red velvet and white chocolate cookies!

What are your favorite cookies to make???

I hope you enjoyed part 2 of my Christmasy day (don't forget to check out Part 1), and I look forward to sharing more of my festive adventures with you.

With Love,

Traci J