Friday, November 28, 2014

Pink and Green!

 
 
 
 
Hi everyone! I hope you are doing well this weekend and I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving yesterday. I watched the Macy's Day Parade and made a lot of good food! I am thinking I might start posting some recipes other than desserts on my blog for those who need some gluten and lactose free dinner recipes as well.
 
Today my family is putting up all of our Christmas decorations and wrapping some gifts! Our Christmas tree is up along with our stockings and nativity scene so we are ready for the holidays now! How do you celebrate and decorate for Christmas?
 
Todays Fashion Friday post is another one including, no surprise, LAYERING! I love the pink and green combo so this outfit almost screams me! See below for outfit details:
 
Pink Stripped Button Down- Chaps from Kohl's
Green Sweater- Chaps from Kohl's
Ripped Jeans- American Eagle brand bought from Plato's Closet
Shoes- Sperry's
Silver Watch- Brighton
Silver Charm Bracelet- Piercing Pagoda
 
Hope you all enjoyed and I will talk to you soon! Comment or email me with any thoughts or questions!
 
 
 
Wednesday, November 26, 2014

Fall Beauty Essentials - Guest Post

Hello everyone! x

Today I'm doing a collaboration blog post with Juliana Grace. I am giving you my fall makeup essentials and she will be sharing her fall fashion essentials. You can check out her post on my blog.
 
From Pinterest

Matte Foundation
When switching from summer to fall, I tend to toss away my BB creams and search for a matte foundation. My personal favorite is Stay-Matte Oil-Free Makeup by Clinique. It retails for approximately $23. It was completely worth it. 

Correcting Concealer
If you've read my blog before, you already know that I am completely obsessed with the SkinClearing Blemish Concealer by Neutrogena. It retails for $8.99. I find that it's slightly expensive for a drugstore concealer, but it most certainly does a fantastic job at concealing any imperfections on my skin. 

Shine ControlPowder
Right now my favorite powder for every season is Healthy Skin Pressed Powder by Neutrogena, which is $11.99 in stores and onlineI love this product. It wipes away shine in an instant. Usually, if I'm feeling oily throughout the day I use a Clean and Clear Oil Absorbing Sheet and quickly dust this powder on my face with a brush.

Plum Blush
A plum colored brush sets the tone for autumn by a far. My favorite high end blush is bareMinerals READY Blush in the shade The Indecent Proposal. It's a nice berry color which compliments my fair skin tone.
 
 
From Google Images


Dark lips
These are a must for fall and winter. I love vamping up my lips. They certainly make a statement without overdoing it. For those nights out, I tend to lean towards a classic red lip; T-Swift inspired of course. You can use any lip product you want- if you're not comfortable with a bold lip, apply a sheer gloss. 
 
From Pinterest

Smokey Eyes
When I'm not wearing a bold lip color, I love to bring the attention to my eyes. (I sometimes wear glasses, so it's important to me that my blue eyes don't hide behind my frames.)
 
From Pinterest

A subtle amount of color can easily amplify your look. For the fall, I tend to lean toward these copper tones, just because they add a nice amount of warmth to my face. Try Maybelline's Eye Studio Color Tattoo Pure Pigments Loose Powder Shadow in Bold Gold for that hint of color as a base. Simply dust a deep copper/brown into your crease and outer corner for that daytime smokey eye.

To complete the eye look, I recommend curling your lashes and applying 1-2 coats of mascara on to your upper and lower lashes. 

I'm not very good with eyeliner, so I don't even bother with it. 
 
From Google Images

I recommend choosing one feature to play up on your face: eyes, lips, or cheeks. 
 
From Pinterest
To top it all off, apply a dark nail polish to your nails. I love this subtle sparkle in this. It's still bold, but the glitter adds that feminine touch that every girl desires. 


Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed this post. It was so much fun collaborating with Juliana and I hope to do it again in the near future. 

Guilianna x

Friday, November 21, 2014

Checkered ...

 
 
 
 
 
 Hello everyone! I hope you all had a great week. This outfit is one of my FAVORITES! Anyone who knows me knows that this is my favorite way to dress. Some of my good friends even joke with me about how obsessed I am with layering :) The whole top combo is from Kohl's. We are signed up for their rewards program so whenever I get Kohl's Cash I love to go to the Chaps sections and stalk up on the sweaters and button downs to layer. The jeans are from Aeropostle an I love them because they are a bit nicer since they don't have any holes or rips. I am wearing my new riding boots from JCPenny's once again, because they are my obsession at the moment, and I paired it all with some gold jewelry.
 
I want to wish a happy birthday to my best friend and role model my momma! Since today is my momma's birthday, tonight I will be cooking up something good and my family will be playing some competitive board games :)
 
Hope you all have a great weekend! Talk to you soon!
 
Monday, November 17, 2014

Guilt over Grace- Weekly Devotion

Happy Monday everyone! I know these days aren't always the most exciting however, I am here to lift some weight off your shoulders. If you aren't a Christian or don't know God than you often see people who are as rule followers and that is one of the big turn offs for Christianity. People don't want to have to follow rules. 
 
The main reason for this is that people don't want to feel guilty. Many of us Christians however, even though we know God, still see Christianity that way. We go to church and we feel that the pastor just adds another weight on our back and we are sick and tired of feeling bad about our past and we think we have to do something.
 
This isn't however, how God wanted us to view our relationship with him. The key word here is done because God has already paid the price for our sins. Our punishment for all the horrible things we have done was taken by Christ.
 
Some of us need to be less about the do and instead celebrate the done. God's grace is good and we are forgiven!!
 
28-30 “Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.” (Mathew 11:28-30)
 
I hope all of you have a great week! Talk to you soon!
 
 
Saturday, November 15, 2014

Traditional Vanilla and Chocolate With A Twist! - Sweet Saturday

Happy weekend y'all! I hope you guys had a fabulous week and are ready for another Sweet Saturday coming your way! Last night I was at the UCF Football game and the games are always fun no matter what, but we won which only made it better! Tonight I am watching, of course, the Alabama vs. Mississippi State game which is a huge game and as we speak they are whooping butt so that's good! Hopefully we will bring it home for a big win!
 
The title of this post is the traditional vanilla cupcakes with chocolate frosting but the twist is, is that this frosting tastes SUPER delicious. It tastes almost like chocolate whipped cream and is about 100 times better than the canned frosting you buy at the store! Now the gluten-free vanilla cupcake mix is what is also so great. I found it at the Fresh Market and it is super good, however, if you cant find it then any vanilla mix or recipe will work! This recipe was super easy so let me know if you try it!

Frosting Ingredients:
5 cups confectioners sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
1 stick of butter
2 teaspoons of vanilla
9 tablespoons of milk or heavy whipping cream

Frosting Directions:
Place confectioners sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and butter in mixer and mix on low speed.
Add vanilla and milk as it mixes for about 3 minutes. Then you can frost your cupcakes and enjoy!
 
 
 
What are you doing this weekend? Let me know if you try this recipe by commenting below or emailing me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!
 
 

Friday, November 14, 2014

Camel Brown Fall Fashion

 
 

 
 
 
 
Hello everyone! I hope you have all had a great week and are enjoying this new schedule that I am doing as I mentioned on the last Sweet Saturday post! Make sure to let me know your thoughts on this whole schedule idea. Tonight I will be at the UCF Football game cheering on the Knights as always. Going to football games is such a hobby of mine and my sister and I always have a blast. What are you doing this weekend?
       Anyways, this outfit I have to admit is one of my favorites. I love the color of this sweater I found at Gap paired with some American Eagle jeans that I bought at Plato's Closet which for those of you who don't know, is a store that buys and sells your old clothes, shoes, and accessories. I love shopping there and these jeans were ALOT cheaper there than they would have been at American Eagle and they are good-as-new. I just recently saw these boots on sale at JCPennys and I was flipping out because I have seen so many pictures of riding boots this fall and I was so excited to get me a pair! I hope you enjoy this little combo of colors and are enjoying your November so far!
 
Comment or email me any questions or thoughts!
 
 
 
Wednesday, November 12, 2014

The Top 10 Tag!

Hi everyone! Today for a Whatever Wednesday I am going to be doing the Top 10 Tag. First off, thanks to the awesome Hollie Garner for tagging me! It has taken me a while to get around to doing it, but I am finally writing one up for you. I love reading these tags so if you have done one, please let me know, I would love to read yours! Read to the end to see who I tag!
 
1. Foundation
I have about 3 favorite foundations that I switch back and forth from depending on the amount of coverage I want, and what color matches me best at the moment but one that I really like and seem to grab a lot is this BB Cream. I am on my second bottle and it just gives great coverage, feels light weight, and lasts quite a while!
 
2. Concealer
To be honest, I rarely wear concealer. When I do wear it however, I use this one and enjoy it.
 
 
3. Powder
I have used this powder to set my foundation since I was thirteen and I love it still. It is translucent so it works with any foundation under, doesn't add any additional coverage, and helps the foundation last longer.
 
 
4. Blush
This is my favorite blush because I simply love the application of these blushes and this color goes so great with any look.
 
 
5. Bronzer
This is my holy grail bronzer and I could never go to any other bronzer because after trying so many different ones, I feel like this one just did a thousand times better than all the other ones and the bronzer category is one I wont be exploring in!
 
 
6. Highlighter
This stuff adds a little shimmer to your cheeks and doubles as an eye shadow if you would like which is another bonus. This is great for special occasions.
 
 
7. Mascara
This mascara does wonders for my lashes and I love this thing because it is pretty water proof but isn't to the extend where you are ripping on your lashes to get the mascara off. This is by far my favorite I have ever tried!
 
 
8. Eyeshadow
A whole palette can fit this category too right? Sorry but your girl can't go with just one so I decided why not pick a whole palette! These shades are super versatile and easy to work with so they are my favs!
 
 
9. Brows
All Naturel
To be honest any time I have tried to touch my brows it ends in a horrible disaster so I just leave them natural because they aren't scarce or anything so I don't really have to worry about it too much.
 
 
10. Lip Product
Can a girl pick just one lip product?? If I had to choose I would go with this one from Clinique because it is smooth, pigmented, moisturizing, and the color is perfect for every occasion all year round.
 
Who I Tag: Coley, Jane, and Lucy 
 
If you have any thoughts or questions leave them in the comments or email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!

Tuesday, November 11, 2014

Never Too Late - Weekly Devotion

 
Hi everyone! I personally have been through a time where I kind of turned away from God. I quit having my quiet times with God in the morning, I stopped praying to him, I stopped trying to learn more about him, I stopped trying to follow his example, and I stopped talking to him in general. After spending a while away from God, or your whole life away from God, you might feel as though after everything you have done and everything you have been through that it is too late to turn to God. I am glad to tell you that you are never too late. You are just on time, because this is exactly when God planned for you to come to him. There is nothing God cant forgive and he stands with open arms at all times, just waiting for you to come to him. There isn't any place you have to go to find him, just cry out to him and he will come to you. Life is 12,026,315,168,476 times better with God and you can never be too late.
 
The Lord said: It isn't too late. You can still return to me with all your heart.
Joel 2:12
 
 
If you have any comments or questions leave them below or email me!
 
 
Talk to you soon!
 
 
Saturday, November 8, 2014

White Chocolate Limoncello Cake- Sweet Saturday + New Schedule

Hi everyone! I hope you all had a good week and are enjoying your weekend so far. I am somehow sick again with a terrible cold but my mom decided she would bake this cake quickly for me since she obviously didn't want me near her food! Today I will be watching the Alabama at LSU game and I am very nervous so I will be munching on this cake for sure! Hope you enjoy and Roll Tide Roll!



Ingredients:
Cake:
- 2 1/2 cups flour
-1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
-3 eggs
-1/2 cup buttermilk
-1/2 cup limoncello (lemon-flavored) liqueur
- zest and juice or one lemon
-white chocolate shavings

Mascarpone Frosting:
- 16 ounces mascarpone cheese
- 1 1/4 cups lemon curd
- 2 cups chilled whipping or heavy cream
- 2/3 cups powdered sugar

Directions:
Cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease  two 9 inch round cake pans. Line with parchment paper. Grease and flour parchment. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt with a wire whisk. Set aside. Cream butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time. Add flour alternately with buttermilk and limoncello mixed with lemon juice.

Bake cakes for 20 to 25 minutes. Cool completely in pans. Once cool, remove from pans. Place on layer on serving plate. Frost top with 1/3 of frosting. Place second layer on top. Frost with one half of frosting. Use remaining to frost sides of cake. Decorate top with optional white chocolate shavings.

Frosting:
Cream together mascarpone cheese and lemon curd. Whip cream. Slowly add powdered sugar until all added. Fold cheese mixture into whipped cream. Mix until completely combined.
 
 
New Blog Schedule
Monday- Weekly Devotion: I will be posting quick devotions talking about what I have learned about God this week so you can start your week off right.
Wednesday- Whatever Wednesday: I will be posting anything from beauty, gluten-free discoveries, books, movie reviews, etc...
Friday- Fashion Friday: I will be posting new outfits and style posts featuring an outfit that I put together and loved this week.
Saturday- Sweet Saturday: I will be posting a dessert recipe like I already do every Saturday. Due to my allergies, these will always be gluten-free.

I hope you all enjoyed and if you have any thoughts or comments leave them below or email me!
jgraceblog@gmail.com

 
Friday, November 7, 2014

Denim & Pink!

 
 
 
 
Hi everybody! I hope all of you are having a great week so far! Today I am showing you an outfit I wore a couple weeks ago to church in the morning. It is starting to get a little chilly here in Florida which is making me very happy because it hasn't been cold in a loooooooonngg time. Expect more fall posts coming soon! If you have any thoughts or comments, leave them below! You can also email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!
 
 
Wednesday, November 5, 2014

St. Vincent Movie Review

Hi guys! Happy hump day! Today I am sharing a movie review or more of a warning! Last weekend I went out to a dinner and a movie with some friends and I didn't have any particular movie I was dying to see so I just let them pick which ever random one they decided. We randomly came up with St. Vincent and we all pretty much agreed that it was a rather strange and odd movie. I didn't read the reviews and ratings of this movie so I had no idea what it was about.
 
 
 
This movie is about a stereotypical old man who is kind of cranky and crazy. His neighbor asks him to babysit her elementary age son during the week and the son meshes quite well with this strange man. This is one of those movies that has a touching part to it, but it isn't necessarily a happy ending. You reach the end of the movie and realize that nothing really changed and the old man is still creepy and weird.
Rate: 2.5/10
I hate when I am not fully impressed with a movie but I thought I should let you know so you don't get your hopes up for seeing it! If you have seen it or have any other movies you think I should see, comment below or email me!
 
 
Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!
 

Saturday, November 1, 2014

Pumpkin Cake Pops for Fall - Sweet Saturday

Hi everyone! I hope all of you have had a fantastic week. I can honestly say my week has been pretty awesome. This week is homecoming week at my school so I have had the pleasure of dressing up for different themes each day at school, awesome pep rally's, and a great football game. Tonight I am going out to a nice dinner with my friends so expect an outfit post featuring my look soon! If you want to see some pictures of my costumes/ outfits for the themes this week at my school go check out my twitter!

 
 
A week ago my sister went to a party with some friends and we baked pumpkin cake pops to bring to the party. These are super adorable for fall and aren't too hard to make. I will warn you, these do take practice. Our first time making cake pops were a complete fail so don't be discouraged if it doesn't turn out perfectly for you at first. The method I describe that we use below is how we find works best and taste the most delicious. The equipment we bought to hold the cake pops and melt the chocolate isn't necessarily needed but is recommended if you are going to making a lot for a party or making them often. The equipment isn't cheap but it is super helpful and adds to the greatness of these treats. I think I have blabbed on enough so I will go ahead and show you how to make them!

Ingredients:
-Cake Mix of your choice
- Frosting of your choice
- Candy Melts in Orange (you can find these at Michaels)

Directions:


You are going to first start off my baking the cake as usual. The cake mixes you get at the grocery store will do just great! After you have baked that, let it cool completely! This is imperative if you want them to turn out ok. 



After the cake is completely cooled you are going to throw it into and bowl and mix it and mash it together with your hands to combine it with the frosting that you have.


Once all the frosting and cake are combined, take your hands and make small balls and place them on parchment paper. You don't want to make these too big or else they will later fall off the stick and be too heavy. After you have made all the cake balls put the pan(s) in the refrigerator for 4 hours. This is crucial as well. Go and catch up on some other chores and let these chill in there for the full time!


After that time, you are going to melt the candy melts in a bowl of any type on defrost setting for 30 second increments in the microwave, stirring in between. This is also very important or else your candy won't become liquid enough to dip the cake in.



Once you have melted the Candy Melts, stick the tip of the stick in the melted candy, stick the stick in the cake pop, and proceed to dunking the rest of the cake in the melted candy. You want to be patient and let it drip off the cake pops so that way it isn't making a mess of your display.


In between dipping, while the melted candy hardens on the cake pops, stick the sticks in Styrofoam. 



Once your have dipped all of them and placed them in what ever holder, or decorative display you like, keep the cake pops refrigerated until ready to be eaten. We wrapped our cake pops in clear cellophane bags you can find at Michaels and then tied off the bottom with a cute pumpkin ribbon.

Then you are done! If you give these a try let me know in the comments or email me!

jgraceblog@gmail.com 

Hope you enjoyed! Talk to you soon!