Lauren Paints | a beautiful life

February 15, 2015

Spend or Save on Foundation: My Designer Favorites & Their Drugstore Duplicates

Having a good foundation is important in all aspects of life, but especially important when discussing make up. I've tried a pretty wide variety of foundations. I've had my bouts with caked on coverage, I've used sheer foundations on days when I needed a pretty thick coating, I've even applied the wrong color and had those horrible lines on my neck that give me away...

Luckily over the years, through all the trial and error, I was able to develop some pretty good insight on which brands work the best and offer the most coverage without looking tacky. I also discovered that finding a foundaton that doesn't break the bank can be frustrating.

Today I'm sharing some of my designer favorites and their drugstore duplicates - the quality is almost identical yet the price is cut in half, I'm all about scoring a deal and I just have to share! While not all of the "drugstore" items are available at Walgreen's they all fall into a lower price point yet offer incredible quality! Treat yourself to new foundation, it's life changing when you find one you love and I guarantee you'll love each and every foundation on this list!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links provided by Postpresso.

February 14, 2015

The Ultimate Travel Survival Kit

Traveling is one of my true passions in life, I'm sure I'm not the only person in the world that feels this way. I love to see new sites and experience new cultures. I also know that things happen while traveling that you just can't avoid - you can skin your knee, get a sunburn, or even end up with a stomach bug. Today I'm sharing everything you should include in a travel kit to make sure you don't have to make a last minute run to the drugstore or even worse, go without. Travel in style with no worries about mishaps now that you have it all in the bag!

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links provided by Postpresso.

February 13, 2015

Surprise Your Sweetie With This Super Simple & Adorable Reminder of Love for Valentine's Day - Valentine, You're My Main Squeeze Free Printable

I can't believe Valentine's Day is here. While today is Friday the 13th, another awesome day to celebrate in it's own right, I had to share one last Valentine's Day treat for your loved ones before it's officially The Day of Love! This super fun reminder you care is the perfect way to make your "main squeeze" smile!

I made this "Valentine, You're My Main Squeeze" printable for you to download here; all you have to do is cut and tape and these adorable Valentines are ready to hand out to all of those you want to treat! If you plan to host a Valentine's Day party or want to surprise your man with a six-pack, these would be adorable around adult beverage bottles as well!

I also made cute little bow ties to mix up how my bottles looked, easily crafted with some red card stock! I love making cute little treats like this and although hubs may think it's a little cheesy, I'm certain he enjoys being treated to reminders of my love - because we all love love, right?

Even if you are certain your Valentine feels loved, a little reminder like this on Saturday morning with some donuts could really make your sweetie feel special! I'd love to know, What kind of sweet little Valentine's treats do you have planned for your sweetie?

February 10, 2015

DIY {Last Minute} Valentine's Day Treat Bags with 2 FREE Printables

DIY Valentine's Day Treat Bags with 2 FREE Valentine's Day Printables

As you've probably already read on all the other Valentine's post I've shared recently, I can't get enough of celebrating the day of love so today I want to share a super simple DIY Valentine idea!

Whether you are looking for Valentine's for your little one's to share with their classmates that aren't just the regular ol' store bought variety or you want to surprise your coworkers with something a little cutesy - these FREE printables are the perfect little reminder that you care!

I made two printables, one that I paired with twizzler bites that says "I love you to bits & pieces" and another that says "Happy Valentine's Day, Love Bug!" that I attached to a whole baggie full of gummy worms! You can download the printables here.

These are super easy to make. Just cut the printables, place candy in bags and staple the printable to the baggies! If you are looking for a last minute classroom Valentine idea, this is an amazing option! Especially because you can find both candies at the $1 store!

Everyone deserves to receive a Valentine, maybe even hand these out to strangers to make their day brighter! I'd love to hear who you plan to surprise with one of these cute little reminders of love?

February 9, 2015

Banana Split Valentine's Day Pudding Cups

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. With that said, this tasty Banana Split Snack Pack Pudding Recipe and opinions expressed below are all mine. #SnackPackMixins #CollectiveBias

Valentine's Day is all about sharing the love, right? I'm all for getting creative and we all know "it's the thought that counts". So when I was brainstorming up a few ways to spoil my love bug, I started to think about a few of the things we enjoyed together... Then it came to me, I combined a few of everyone's favorite treats together to make the ultimate dessert for Valentine's Day - Banana Splits made with Snack Pack Pudding!

This little Banana Split Station, with all the fixings, was super easy to put together! I just took a trip to Walmart and grabbed everything I needed, including Snack Pack Pudding Cups in Chocolate and Vanilla, bananas, cookies (because cookies are good on everything), Reddi-Wip, nuts, and of course, cherries to make these banana splits "official"!

I decided to make this sweet treat even sweeter, I designed a set of cute, banana-loving monkey printables and decorated my cups! You can download both FREE printables here! Make your own Snack Pack Valentine's to surprise your little one, their classmates, or even your main squeeze!

Banana Split Valentine's Day Pudding Cups

Chocolate and Vanilla Snack Pack Pudding Cups
Reddi Whip
Cookies
Bananas
Cherries
Nuts

These little babies are super easy to make. I almost feel silly spelling this out, but directions never hurt anyone, so here we have it:

1. Open Snack Pack Pudding, they have new packaging so this is even easier than it used to be!

2. Crumble a cookie into pudding.

3. Layer bananas (cut up into little pieces) on top of cookie crumbles.

4. Add just the right amount of Reddi-Wip and nuts (or sprinkles? YUM!).

5. Put a cherry on top (to make it official)!

Enjoy!

What sweet little things do you have planned for your sweetheart on Valentine's Day? I'd love to hear how you plan to spoil the one's you love! Don't forget to treat them to something sweet with a Banana Split Pudding Cup they'll just go bananas over!

Sometimes I play with my food, especially when it's this tasty! Check out my instagram stopmotion video I made:

A video posted by Lauren Paints (@sunkissed_sweetheart) on Feb 9, 2015 at 1:28pm PST

February 8, 2015

Red Velvet S'mores Cookies for Valentine's Day

Sometimes sweet treats happen when your desperate and today, that's exactly the case. I wanted s'mores but didn't have graham crackers, so just regular ol' snack crackers had to do. I also only had strawberry marshmallows and red velvet flavored chocolate hearts. You might say "those aren't s'mores ingredients", but I beg to differ.

These delicious little pieces of heaven are going to wow your taste buds. The unexpected combination of snack crackers and red velvet chocolate is mind blowing-ly tasty and the almond bark coating makes these perfectly sweet treats, that much sweeter.

If you are looking for a way to treat yourself on Valentine's Day (because it's perfectly okay to treat yourself) or your sweetie, these Red Velvet S'mores Cookies are the way to go!

Red Velvet S'mores Cookies

Ingredients:

Crackers

Red Velvet Chocolate Hearts

Strawberry Marshmallow

Almond Bark

Chocolate Sprinkles

Place Marshmallow and chocolate on top of a cracker and microwave for 10-15 seconds or until marshmallow is puffy but not overdone.

Add 2nd cracker onto the stack and allow them to cool.

Once cool dip into melted Almond bark and allow "cookies" to cool once again.

Add chocolate sprinkles, if you wish.

Enjoy!

February 6, 2015

Weekend Eats - A Collection of Quick & Creative Dishes to Serve This Weekend

Today's discussion is sponsored by Mode Media, all opinions are my own.

Everyone loves the weekend. There's just something about lounging around on Saturday mornings or heading off to brunch at a friend's house after attending services on Sunday morning. While most weekends are full of good times, those good times often involve good food - right? Today I want to share a collection of weekend eats - quick and creative dishes that will wow your family and friends this weekend while keeping you from spending the whole weekend in the kitchen.

Ranging from healthy and super easy dishes to indulgent (yet still super easy) treats - my Weekend Eats Collection is sure to leave you with a menu that will be out of this world on Saturday and Sunday and leftovers that will leave your belly feeling full all through the week!

What's your favorite meal to make on the weekend? Do you spend more or less time in the kitchen on Saturday and Sunday? I'd love to hear about your typical weekend meals!

February 5, 2015

Staying Fit & Motivated While Earning Rewards with Sears FitStudio - 6 Fun Ways to #Achieve15

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Sears. I received a promotional item to thank me for participating.

I'm on a mission to better myself this year, with fitness goals including losing a little more weight and building more muscle. I've been spending more time running, practicing yoga, using lifting machines, and really just trying to get my heart rate up.

While the benefit of working out is obvious to your body, with Sears FitStudio I'm able to motivate myself with more than just the physical reward; it's a free, one-stop fitness destination with a rewards platform that will make any yoga-loving, shopaholic happy.

The rewards never end so neither do my work outs - every single day I feel motivated to get my work out in so I can earn ShopYourWay points through the Points for Progress program and the #Achieve15 fitness program. If you're a shopaholic like me, this is the answer to staying fit - just connect your favorite fitness app or device and start earning!

Not only do you earn rewards, Sears FitStudio also has gear reviews and ratings available, which makes deciding on new gear so much easier. I know I'm one that always wants to hear about new products from other consumers before purchasing and thanks to Sears FitStudio, before I buy anything fitness related I can check out what other fitness minded people think of the products. While I'm browsing through opinions on products, I always love checking out their Deal of The Day. With all kinds of personalized deals, chosen based on other products I've shown interest in! After I've scored some deals, I always like to check my progress on my goals for the month - setting goals has become an important part of my workout plan and keeping on track with these goals is vital!

With rewards, reviews, and deals comes my favorite part of FitStudio - access to workouts, fitness programs, and step-by-step exercise instruction. You can set yourself up with a whole new workout regimen and even learn new ways to get your body moving!

If you sign up for an account and connect your favorite fitness app on your phone (or your favorite fitness gadget), you'll have access to all of this and more and as I said, it's totally free! Be sure to work towards the #Achieve15 goal which will reward you with $5 for walking/running 15 miles or by burning 1500 calories in 2015, I bet you can accomplish that in no time! I can't wait to see what you buy with your earnings and share what my earnings buy for me as well.

I'll be trying all different types of ways to achieve burning 1500 calories over the year and can't wait to try some new activities! Today I want to share six fun and fancy ways that you can #achieve15:

1. Kayak - spending time on the water is not only calming, it can be a great workout pumping your paddles through the water to propel you farther. Plus in Florida, it's always a good time to go kayaking!

2. Trampoline Center - These little gems are all over The US and feature wall-to-wall trampoline areas. Can you imagine the amount of calories you'll burn chasing your friends or family around one of these places?

3. Volunteering - While this may not seem like a workout, helping move heavy items around while volunteering at a thrift shop or running around playing with dogs at the humane society is a great way to burn calories and do something to give back to your community.

4. Headstands - One of my personal favorite ways to get my blood flowing, is to get upside down. It may seem like it's impossible now but with yoga practice and some strength training most people can start hanging upside down pretty easily.

5. Ziplining - This idea is for the thrill seekers, I'm still trying to convince myself to let go of my fear of heights and give this activity a try. Flying from one great height to another, pulling yourself up ladders, it's all calorie burning, adrenaline pumping fun.

6. Geocaching - This is a super fun way to get out and explore while finding "treasure". It's a thrill to find the package and the journey to get to their hiding spots is usually pretty fun as well.

I'd love to know, what is your favorite way to get your heart pumping? Do you participate in any fun activities that you think others should give a try to #achieve15? Check out these videos for inspiration!

Stay Connected with Sears FitStudio on: Facebook | Twitter

NAV

February 15, 2015

Spend or Save on Foundation: My Designer Favorites & Their Drugstore Duplicates

Designer: Giorgio Armani Luminous Silk Foundation ($62)

Drugstore: Max Factor Skin Luminizer Foundation ($23)

Designer: Benefit Hello Flawless ($39)

Drugstore: Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation ($15)

Designer: Estee Lauder Double Wear Stay In Place Makeup ($46)

Drugstore: Revlon - Colorstay Makeup ($16)

Designer: Make Up For Ever HD Invisible Cover Foundation ($51)

Drugstore: NYX HD Studio Photogenic Foundation ($15)