LOL Grandma

I just really feel like I want to start the LOL Grandma trend.

Delicious!

While I'm sitting here enjoying my delicious pizza-English muffin... I have to wonder to myself; does EVERYONE know about the savory scrumptiousness that is the perfectly made pizza-English muffin? Do people exist solely on Ramen and macaroni?

So I thought I would offer some suggestions on meals that are affordable for college students, as well as being tasty and good for you, as well!

As mentioned, the
Pizza-English muffin.
Of course, you could get actual pizza sauce, shredded mozzarella cheese, Hormel pepperoni and call it a meal... however there are ways of making it involving less specialized ingredients (read: the ingredients can be used for other things besides pizza muffins!). Instead of using labeled "Pizza sauce" use your favorite canned spaghetti sauce (I personally like Paul Newman and Bertolli brands!). Because plain pizza sauce tastes boring to me, and whenever you eat really good pizza the sauce is usually flavored with different spices- it's not just tomato paste. So therefore you will be creating a tastier meal, and then you can also use the SAME jar of pasta sauce for making spaghetti meals as well! Convenient!
Also, instead of buying shredded mozzarella cheese which you will probably never use except for pizza related items... just use anytime of sliced cheese such as Provolone or Colby Jack that you can also use for sandwiches. It melts and tastes pretty much the same! And for a healthier alternative to regular pepperoni- get turkey pepperoni. It tastes literally EXACTLY the same and has SO many fewer calories than the normal kind. Plus it's just generally better for you! I also like to eat the pepperoni with cheese on wheat thins as a snack. Also, if you are not a fan of English muffins- this tasty treat can also be converted onto a bagel! Which you can also eat for breakfast as well.

Cheesy Chicken Sandwich
A personal favorite... this one is really helpful if you have a George Foreman grill (Something I would recommend to ANYONE to get if you do not have one already.)
But anyways, You start out with a frozen chicken tenderloin or two, depending on how big they are. These usually come in a big bag and are in the frozen section. They are much easier to handle and prepare to me than normal chicken breasts, as they are already cut and all you have to do is run it under hot water for a minute without dealing with the squishy raw chicken factor. Pop them on the grill, adding some Italian or Greek dressing, or any other type of seasoning if you want! In the meantime get 2 pieces of wheat bread, and assemble it with whatever your favorite cheese is. I like to use Provolone for this. Once the chicken is done cooking, incorporate it into the sandwich and put it back on the grill for about a minute or two. It's cheesy, chickeny goodness will make you happy you read this blog.

Voila Meals
I don't know if everyone knows about these wonderful meals...but all you have to do is put the whole bag into a skillet and let it cook for 10 minutes. There are different flavors, and the bags are pretty cheap and feed 2-3 people (depending on how hungry you are!) They are not too bad on calories at all, either!

Campbell's Healthy Request Soups
Yummy, healthy, warm, and soothing.

Kashi/ Amy's Organic Frozen Meals
Okay, so these may not be the cheapest things you can buy. BUT. They are amazing. Microwave meal food that does not taste like microwave meal food. Plus they are really healthy, unlike the $1 Michelina Fettucine Alfredo meals that pack on tons of calories without any substance!

Now, these are some food items that I always have on my shopping list, and the reasons why I love them so.

• Laughing Cow Cheese- these wonderful little soft-cheese wedges can be used as a replacement for cheese AND mayo for sandwiches- (for those who like the creamy texture of mayo on a sandwich...without the fat or taste!) And they are really tasty as well. They come in different flavors too, like Swiss, Garlic & Herb, etc. I also like to munch them with wheat thins/crackers. Such a great product!
• Yoplait Yogurt- these satisfy my sweet cravings without being too indulgent because they come in flavors such as Boston Cream Pie, Key Lime Pie, Strawberry Cheesecake, etc.
  
• Wheat thins- just great for snacking, always!
• Fruit- I love oranges, and pears.
• Corn Chex- yes, just the plain corn chex cereal. It is great to snack on... and is one of the healthier cereals with the least amount of sugar! I have eaten like literally a half a box of this at a time. Whenever I have it there are always chex pieces smooshed on my dorm room floor, haha!

1, 2, 3, 4 tell me that you love me more.

So I feel like the stress is slowly creeping on me again...
I just got an e-mail from my Secondary Voice Class saying that I had to do all these crazy things and attend all these recitals/secure an accompanist myself, etc.

Right now I am still rehearsing Fat Men in Skirts 3 hours a day, and I just started rehearsals for Robin's freestage which is about 2 hours of dancing each. In addition to that I am in Kapow, but thankfully that doesn't rehearse on an everyday basis. Add to that all my classes including acting which we are required to rehearse with our partner and think of activities... and stage management which probably won't stress me out..until one-acts start, that is!

I just feel like as soon as one thing ends, another thing starts, and the stressfulness of it is just going to increase!

After January Fat Men will be over, but then there will still be Situations (Robin's freestage) and Kapow. Those end in March, but then One-acts start in which I will be stage managing one as well as probably being IN one, hopefully. Then add to that assistant props managing Machinal, Dance Extravaganza, and preparing for juries and.. yeah. STRESS CITY! bahh.

I know I'll get through it, however. I always do! I just sense like an onset of stress coming... eek

Change up your hair!

SO yesterday I just randomly decided to put my hair in sponge rollers overnight and see what happens.

This is the result.
You know, I actually really love it. I haven't had short hair in a really long time, and it just feels really free and bouncy! I realistically can't cut it because of auditions/headshots/the show I'm in/etc... but this is a nice way to have the look of short hair without it actually BEING short.
I'm also digging the sort of retro vibe it gives off as well. I feel almost like a cross between Marilyn Monroe and Shirley Temple! haha!

As a reference, this is what my hair usually looks like:
It's pretty long, actually, so it is crazy that it got as short as it did.
If you want to recreate the same style with sponge rollers, just get a pack of a variety of sizes (I used Con-air sponge rollers) and roll your hair with the smallest ones on the bottom layer, working up to the biggest rollers on the top layers of your hair. Make sure you are rolling them really tight and using small pieces of hair so that they roll up directly against your scalp. It is not the most comfortable thing in the world to sleep in, but once you GET to sleep... you can usually sleep well the rest of the night, haha.
Just be forewarned- they will be super duper tight when you first take them out, but let them fall for a little bit and maybe put some leave-in conditioner in it, working the curls with your fingers so they separate some.

It's alot of fun, and a way to kind of change up your hair drastically without cutting/coloring it.

So the other day I was at an audition for Six Flags.
They are starting up their shows again for the summer, mainly the country song and dance show, and the looney tunes characters talent show type thing. They were also looking for hosts for karaoke and other various events going on. It was a pretty grueling audition process-
It started at 10 AM, well registration did, and I didn't get out of there until about 5:30!
Total there was about 70+ people there.
We had an acting, singing, and dancing portion, alternating with different groups.
I sang "My Strongest Suit" from Aida as well as "But Not For Me" from Crazy For You.
After these three portions, they had callbacks, in which we had to sing a specific song from the actual show, mainly just to see if you could do a high C# belt.

I did actually get into this last group of callbacks, which was pretty exciting as the group only had like 11 girls, and I believe I did my absolute best on the callback song, and it went perfectly!
I'm really excited though, because I'm SO close to getting cast... and if I do then I will have a professional acting job all summer long, which would be AMAZING.
So keep your fingers crossed!

Some interesting facts:

• American Idol Season 1 contestant EJay Day was there and in the male callback group. If you don't remember him, he was the first one voted off. I think he sang the song "I'll Be" on the AI Soundtrack for the first season. (Which he of course sang for his audition, as well haha. The auditions were open so we could see everyone in their initial auditions.
• Some guy actually sang Katy Perry's "I Kissed a Girl" in his singing audition. To make it even better, 1) he could NOT sing, he basically 'talked' the song, 2) he had no sheet music or backing track, 3) before his audition, he actually said 'Hey.. I don't have any music so I wanna get the audience to help me out...' and proceeded to clap in rhythm, urging the audience to follow along.. and we did.. laughing the whole time. The judges surprisingly let him sing a good bit of it... until they finally said "Okay, Stop.. stop. We just wanted to see how far you could go. In which the guy then said "Oh I can sing the whole thing!" We all were glad he did not.
• Another guy actually introduced his song as "Crabby Patty" by Spongebob. He sang a line (if you could call it singing...) and then started laughing. He asked if he could start it over and he did... and ended up laughing again. He then proceeded to walk off the audition area and said "I can't do this!" laughing the whole way. So bizarre!
• The songs I heard the most were, "Happy Birthday" (No lie! One girl even had the pianist play it for her without sheet music.. and the pianist gave her the starting note and the girl went completely off key, and the pianist was trying her hardest to follow her but she just kept jumping all over the place. What was funny is that the girl kept looking in desperation at the pianist as if it was her fault lol.) And Carrie Underwood's Before He Cheats. SO many girls sang this song. It's like... I know this is a country music show, but really???

It was a long, crazy day, but at the end of it I'm pretty proud of myself and it really establishes that I want to do this SO bad. Even with all of the craziness of auditioning and the stress it can bring, there's no better feeling than being prepared and just bringing all you have and having the chance to perform in front of people. Because really, that's what it's all about! This audition really helped me confirm even more-so that this is really what I want to do. I know the life of an actor is one of uncertainty, rejection, and struggle, but there is nothing else that I want to do.

There is also an audition coming up in March for High School Musical 2 at the Legacy theatre in Tyrone, GA, which is a paid professional theatre company. I'm really excited about that because it is during the summer! I am mad because I never have time to do stuff for the Springer or other theatres, because it is ALWAYS conflicting with school stuff, and like right now I'm in 2 shows and I also am trying to maintain all A's. Now, if I get the Six Flags job, I won't audition as I won't have time, I'm sure. But if I don't get it this is another option, and it will be great to have a professional theatre credit!

Anyways, so things in that area are going well, I think.
Today is the first day of classes for the new semester. My class voice class was canceled, so I have only been to one, Stage Movement so far. In about 30 minutes I have Stage Management, then costume shop, then I am done for classes...although I have rehearsal from 7:30-9:30, and then I need to find an activity for my Meisner class...uhh. That is like the hardest thing ever. I hate looking for activities so much! Oh well. I will find one, I'm sure.

But so far I have kept up on my resolution to look like a normal person! I did my hair and I did pretty eye makeup and put on nice clothes and everything! And I even ate BREAKFAST! =O
I really dont' know when I'm going to be able to start working out.. my schedule is sooo packed that it's not even funny. But I may fit it in at nighttime.. since I take showers at night that may be the ideal situation! Actually, that would probably work well... especially once Fat Men in Skirts is over. (Fat Men in Skirts opens on January 30th, make sure you go see it! =])


Movie you need to see: Eagle Vs. Shark. I saw this over the break on Watch-movies.net...but I'm pretty sure you could rent it in movie stores or on iTunes. It is an indie film based in New Zealand and co-stars Jemaine Clement from "Flight of the Conchords." It is a quirky love story, type comedy with the directing style of Napoleon Dynamite, but with an awesome soundtrack like Juno. It is heartwarming, and I loved it and I'm pretty sure I cried at one point. But yeah. I definitely recommend it!
Song you should download: Fancy Footwork by Chromeo. Such a cool electric/funky/dance song!

I really want some ankle boots like these Alexander McQueen ones:
Too bad these are over $1,000. Although they are super fabulous!

Janine's Makeup Tips!

Over the years I have developed quite a few tips that guide me during my cosmetic undertakings, and I just decided I would share them with you! =]

Foundation

• As far as foundations go, the first tip is to make sure that it is your color! Even if you think it looks like your color, make sure you know if you have pink or yellow undertones. If you have pale skin and blush easily, you probably have a pink undertone. If you are usually darker-complected for most of the year, you probably have a yellow undertone. (which actually makes it harder for us to buy foundations, sometimes!) Some people even have a neutral undertone, which means they can go either way! But now alot of drugstore brands are offering charts and custom-shades that describe whether the specified foundation is yellow, pink, or neutral. If you have no idea which shade you are, go see a makeup counter at the mall and I'm sure they will be able to help you out!
  
• Even if you have oily skin, well-moistured skin will always look better under foundation. Skin that flakes is not too pretty so make sure to moisturize! (Oily skinned ladies make sure you pick an OIL-FREE one. (My personal favorite is Neutrogena Oil Free Fresh moisture, available at any drugstore)

Apply your foundation everywhere, and don't forget your eyelids and top of the neck.

Concealer

• Make sure you are putting your concealer on AFTER your foundation. If you do it beforehand, the process of applying your foundation will rub it all off!
  
• The best concealer I have found that covers up under-eye circles and blemish marks wonderfully at a great price is the Maybelline Cover Stick.
  
  
• Ideally, using a brush to apply concealer is the best because you can concentrate solely on the spot that needs it. Although if you do not have a brush, use your ring finger to apply it, as this is the finger that uses the right amount of pressure to deposit it without rubbing it away.

Powder

• I have found that a pressed powder as opposed to a loose powder works best. For more coverage, pick a powder the same or similar shade as your foundation. For a more natural look, a translucent powder may be your best bet!
  
• Save money on powder touchups by investing in oil blotting sheets. E.L.F. Blotting sheets are only $1 for a pack of 50! These soak up the oil on your face without ruining your makeup.

Blush

• Whenever you buy a blush, the first and most important thing is to throw away the little brush that comes with it. These are cheap and do not distribute the blush properly! Get a nice fluffy brush to apply your blush with for natural, even coverage.
  
• Find a blush that complements your skin tone. If you have olive/tan skin, pick a golden/peachy shade, and if you have fair skin, a rosy pink shade is best. Pinch your cheek and release- the color your cheek gets is the color of your ideal brush shade!


• Also, if you have dry skin, a creamy blush formula would work well for you, whereas if you have oily skin, make sure to stick with a powder formula or else it will fade very quickly!

Mascara

• Make sure you put on mascara before your eyeshadow so you don't have to go back and fix your eyeshadow if you make and mascara mistakes!
  
• Before applying mascara, use an eyelash curler to make your lashes pop even more. I use one about everyday, because my lashes tend to stick straight out!
*For EXTRA curling power, blast it with a hair-dryer for a couple seconds before applying to your lashes, but be careful because it can get kind of hot. This step is not for the faint-of-heart.*

• Also, when you take the wand out of the tube, make sure to wipe off the excess from the tip and side on the inside of the tube, because if you don't it can get messy!


• Apply the mascara to the bottom of your lashes and wiggle it side-to-side as you go up, rotating the wand as you go up. This will create the most dramatic effect as opposed to just brushing it on.


• If you have one and you have the time and you want to create very dramatic lashes, repeat the previous step 3 times, separating lashes with a lash comb each time in between.


• For a super-WOW effect, use my all-time favorite mascara: Diorshow. At around 20 something dollars a pop, they are definitely not cheap, but the effects are worth it. This in conjunction with the tips mentioned above will get you FABULOUS lashes, trust me!


• If you are not willing to shell out the money for the Diorshow, Maybelline Define-A-lash is another favorite mascara of mine.

Eyeshadow: Everyday

• For a natural look that still looks polished, it's good to have a couple colors to work with. A neutral eyeshadow palette is something that I always use, and is good to have. Also, try to invest in good quality eyeshadow for it to last. Sometimes you can find really nice eyeshadow for super cheap at TJ Maxx and Marshalls and places like that. I got this Stila eyeshadow palette for $5!



• Another favorite eyeshadow combo is Clinique Strawberry Fudge.


• A general rule is to have one neutral shimmery shade to go over the entire lid up to the eyebrow, one color to use in your crease, and one color to use as an eyeliner, or if you use stick liner, then just stick to 2 eyeshadow colors.


• The light neutral shade will serve as a highlight to your brown bone and to the inner corner of your eye, and the crease color will give your eye definition.

• The right makeup brushes are also essential to great eyeshadow application. The sponges and mini-brushes that come with certain eyeshadows are not good for blending, and alot of the times will waste your eyeshadow because they are rough and will break it up.


• When applying your eyeliner, I have always found that using a dark brown eyeshadow (MAC eyeshadow in Embark) with a skinny eyeliner brush is my favorite way of applying it. I use MAC because it lasts FOREVER. You barely ever have to buy eyeliner!


• When applying eyeliner, you can make your eyes look larger by focusing on the outer corners of the eye, don't carry your eyeliner all the way into your inner crease!


• Also, if you use an eyeliner pencil, don't forget to BLEND!


• You can use a liquid liner for a retro look, which I love to do and pair with red lips sometimes. If you have never used liquid liner before, don't fret, because it will take some practice and some goofing up at first. But once you get used to it, it's a snap to apply! Just make sure you are resting your elbow on a flat surface.


• If you have problems with your eyeshadow melting off after a couple of hours or creasing, invest in an eyeshadow primer. Urban Decay Eyeshadow Primer Potion is my personal pick! I actually just found it and wrote a blog about it a few blogs earlier. This makes your eyeshadow look virtually just-applied up until you are about to go to bed. Miraculous!

Eyeshadow: Dramatic

• For a dramatic night-time look, or just for the adventurous makeup guru, there are a couple things that will be helpful.

1. A selection of bright, fun colors. I prefer MAC or Makeup For Ever eyeshadows as they are both very pigmented and last a long time. But there are super-pigmented drugstore versions now that should do the same trick when doubled with a primer.


2. Good brushes!


3. A highly pigmented black shadow


4. Black Liquid Liner
   
5. Fake lashes if you want


6. Creativity!

• Here is one dramatic look that I did recently: To achieve this look I used a turquoise blue MAC eyeshadow, My Stila palette for the neutral shade, Make Up For Ever in a rich black for the smokey effect, and liquid black eyeliner.

If you want to try a look like this, this is how you do it:

• Apply mascara in the way I showed above.
• Apply a bright color across your lid up to the crease.
• Then apply the black in your crease, as well as the outside corner of your eye, making a shape like this "<" on your outer corner going into your crease. Be liberal with this and make it really dark and smoky, making sure to blend it well with whatever color you choose!
• Apply liquid liner, extending it past your eye for a cat-eye effect. Blend the black down to it.
• Apply a light shimmery neutral to your browbone
• Accent your eyebrows if they need it with an eyebrow pencil for more drama!

And voila! There you go. Use this guide as a jumping point to create your own dramatic eyeshadow looks. Don't be afraid to get crazy, because makeup is supposed to be fun! =]

Lips

• For an everyday look, lip gloss is generally your best bet! There are so many different brands of lip gloss out there everyone is sure to find their favorite! Some of my personal favorites are Victoria's Secret extreme lip plumper, Sally Hansen Lip Inflation, And any other Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip glosses.
• Some days I like to heighten the drama and go for an intense bold red lip. There are several steps to getting the perfect red lip to stay for longer than just an hour, and here they are:

1. Make sure your lips are conditioned! Slather them with a moisturizing balm and then rub a washcloth over them to get the dead skin off.
2. Use a lip liner close to the same shade as your lipstick, and line your lips AS WELL AS filling them in all the way! This is very important and will make your lipstick adhere to the liner so it lasts longer.
3. Apply your lipstick with a lipstick brush for precision!
4. Apply concealer with a brush along the outside edges of your lips, blending it ouward into your foundation. This lesser-known step will make your lips POP, and creates a sharper contrast with your lips to your skin. Make sure to blend it well though so it doesnt look like a lip-halo!
5. Apply some clear gloss

And you are done! Follow all of the above steps, and your lips will be radianty red for hours on end.

• A general rule, however is if you are doing really strong lips, keep it easy on the eyeshadow, unless you are going for an extremely glamorous nighttime look.
• Also, if you are doing a very strong, dramatic eye like what I showed above, keep the lipgloss simple. A nude gloss works best.

Eyebrows

• Often neglected, eyebrows are essentially what frames your face. You can have an awesome makeup job, but if your eyebrows are unkempt, something is always going to look a bit "off."
• If you want to get your eyebrows looking pretty, but don't know where to start, go get them waxed, then use tweezers at home to maintain the shape whenever they grow back in. It really is unnecessary to continue waxing your eyebrows. I've only gotten mine waxed once in my life and I've just maintained the general shape with tweezers for years!
• I also use tiny scissors to trim the unruly eyebrow hairs that I have. Everybody may not need to do this-it just depends on how long your hairs grow!

General Tips/Recap:

• Invest in a set of really nice makeup brushes, (or ask for them for Christmas, like I did!) I would recommend MAC or Sephora brushes as they are the best quality!
• Don't be afraid to experiment. Makeup is FUN.
• Read magazines for inspiration and makeup tips. Clip out pictures of makeup that you really like and try to recreate it at home.
• Watch Youtube videos for hundreds of makeup tutorials. You will find out some great tips this way!
• Check out stores like TJ Maxx and Marshalls for discount makeup deals.
• Good quality products you can get at drugstores: Lipstick, Lipgloss, Mascara, Blush, Foundation, Powder, Concealer
• Products you should splurge on: Eyeshadow, Primer, Mascara

So there you have it! Those are all my favorite makeup tips that I have learned over the years. I hope this has been a helpful guide to anyone reading.

My new love for Pucci.

Okay, it's official- I have fallen in love with Emilio Pucci. And why wouldn't I?! Pucci's designs always involve bright colors, crazy graphics, and overall uniqueness. Now securing the money to get ahold of some of these items...that is another story...

Amazing!

Whenever I come across a fabulous makeup product, of course I am going to share it with the rest of the world! Well I definitely came upon an AMAZING product....

URBAN DECAY EYESHADOW PRIMER POTION.
This is what it does: It creates a base for your eyeshadow so it doesn't slide off during the day or make those unflattering creases due to oily eyelids. I have seriously oily skin, so I ALWAYS have that problem. I have all these cool eyeshadow colors, but recently I have started to not wear them because they always come off and fade on my oily eyelids. Well, after using this product, my eyeshadow will last all day long without ever budging. It is simply amazing. It seriously looks like I JUST put it on like 8 hours later! It also makes the eyeshadow colors more vibrant, as well. All in all it is a great product and rightfully so, as it won the Sephora best of 2008 award.

It is about $16 at Sephora, but I think it is worth it.

It's a new year!

So it's actually 2009. Crazy, huh?
Along with the new year, of course I am going to be making my personal list of resolutions.

1- Be healthy.
I'm not saying here, "Oh I have to lose weight!" I'm simply just saying I want to be healthy. Regular exercise, not crazy, regular meals, but healthy ones. Minimal sweets/fast food.


2- Get more sleep.
No more going to bed at 4 AM and getting up at 8:30! That is ridiculous. I need to start sleeping like a normal person! Haha. I feel as if that would help me to perform better at school and what not.

3- Stop looking a hot mess every day.
With a schedule consisting of Pilates and Dance class every day... I tended to get into a rut of looking like I was just born. I would like to attempt to look like a "normal person" as I like to say... which really consists of not remaining in PJ's and/or dance clothing all day long, and somewhat fixing my hair and/or makeup.

4- Be generally cleaner.
So my mom basically tells me that I'm never going to get married and everyone will judge me because of the way I keep my room and car. (Who knows what she would say if she saw my dorm room!!) But apart from those reasons, I think I need to start being cleaner just for everyone else in my life that has to deal with it. I suppose you should be able to use my bathroom without tromping through a sea of clothes. And I really hate discovering 5th grade science projects in my refrigerator.


5- Make sure to appreciate everyone around me. =]

Happy new years everyone!