Mascaras - A WOW Look for your Eyes

I would never tell my friends to come to me for makeup advice. I'm not the person that explores with makeup or frequents Sephora or Ulta with confidence. In fact, those places intimidate me quite a bit!

I recently asked a college friend for mascara recommendations because she always posts fabulous fashion and beauty advice. I was looking for a mascara that could help hold my eye-lash curl for the day and give my eyes a little more "pop" without having to apply eyeliner everyday. She gave me 3 fantastic recommendations. I was so blown away by one of them though, that I had to share it!

Here are the 3 I tried*:

1. Benefit: They're Real! Lengthening Mascara, $24
2. Too Faced: Better Than Sex Mascara, $23
3. Cover Girl: The Super Sizer Mascara, $7.49

The WINNER: I liked the Cover Girl mascara best, which was shocking to me! It's only 1/3 of the price of the other two but it delivers results for the whole day! It holds my eyelash shape/curl and gives my lashes better definition than the other two. The brush seems very underwhelming and almost too small but the size actually gives you very good control to do a broad application and detailed application. I put a photo below that is a close-up of my eyes...let me tell you, that is TRICKY to do and not look totally scary :) I applied my mascara at 9am and you can still see my lashes at 2pm in the afternoon - woot woot!!! Usually, my lashes have melted back into the curve of the edge of my eye lid by this point...I digress.

One other thing I learned during these tests - you need to rotate your mascara every 3 months! Who knew?! I only replace my mascara when it's clearly drying out :) Replacing a $20+ mascara every 3 months really adds up, which makes me so pleased with my new budget find!

What's your favorite mascara and why?

*Prices listed are from ulta.com

Focaccia - A Crowd Pleaser

They always say, you shouldn't try a new recipe for a party...and yet, I always do! This weekend, we hosted a Super Bowl Party. Cory & I wanted to make fresh pizzas (one of our favorites & family specialties) but sometimes they can be quite a hassle with a crowd. As I was brainstorming on an alternate food to make, I thought, ah! Focaccia with some yummy toppings. Last time I tried to make focaccia, it did not turn out well (it was tough and didn't have the nice airiness that focaccia should have) which made me a little hesitant to make it again. Then I found this excellent recipe on Allrecipes.com (original recipe). The reviews were great and the amount of time it took was even better (sometimes doughs can take SOOO long!).

Quick summary: this foccacia came out incredibly nicely! If you are hesitant to make doughs, don't be with this one, your efforts will be rewarded! It is also a great recipe for a crowd.

Focaccia Bread
Makes 1 large, jelly roll pan size loaf

1 T honey
2 C warm water
1 T active dry yeast
1 T kosher salt
1 T olive oil
1/2 C diced onions
5 C all-purpose flour
3 T olive oil
2 T freshly chopped rosemary
1/4 C freshly grated Parmesan
1 T sea salt

Step 1: Dissolve honey in warm water in a large bowl. Then sprinkle the yeast on top. Let stand for 5 minutes until the yeast softens & foam begins to form.

Step 2: Stir in 1 T kosher salt, 1 T olive oil, diced onions & the 5 cups of flour. Mix until the dough begins to form.

Step 3:  Cover the bowl of dough with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm place for 20 minutes. Becca's tip for a warm place: boil your kettle with water, place the bowl of dough & the tea kettle in the oven. Open the kettles stopper to release the steam into the oven...voila! You have a warm place.

Step 4: Once the dough has risen (or if you have a double oven) preheat the oven to 415 degrees.

Step 5: Line your jelly roll pan with parchment paper. Spray the parchment & sides of the jelly roll pan with cooking spray. Place dough on the parchment and spread out, making sure to make indentions with your fingers as you gently spread the dough. The dough is very easy to work with.

Step 6: Drizzle the foccacia dough with 3 T of olive oil and spread evenly with your fingers or a pastry brush (lightly brush though). Then sprinkle with the rosemary and parmesan cheese. This is the part where you can add your own toppings. I also sprinkled freshly ground sea salt on top. This time as additional toppings, I used:
- sliced cherry tomatoes (I sliced them, then placed the slices on a paper towel to drain some of the liquid from them)
- asiago cheese
- thin slices of pepperoni
- other topping options: olives, red onions, feta cheese, other fresh herbs

--> I made the dough several hours ahead of time. I wanted the bread to be warm when our guests arrived, so I wrapped the dough with saran wrap and put it in the refrigerator. About 30 minutes before I wanted it to go into the oven, I took it out of the refrigerator to let it come back to room temperature. I would dare to say the pre-baked dough would be OK to refrigerate overnight. Let me know if you try this!

Step 7: Bake the in preheated oven for 20 - 25 minutes, until bread is golden! Cut into large squares (about 3x3 or 4x4" squares) and enjoy!