Mario Badescu SALE going on now on Hautelook!!!

There is a sale on Mario Badescu today on Hautelook! In case you're not familiar, Mario Badescu is a skincare line that has beautiful products for every skin type. These are usually sold at Ulta and Nordstrom, but they are on sale on the flash sale site Hautelook for discounted prices today. 

Hautelook is a site where individual brand put a selection of their products on sale for 2 days. The selection of brands is new every day, with the new products posted every morning at 8am Pacific time (11am  Atlantic). The brands range from apparel and shoes, to art, furniture and designer items. 

Check them out! It is members only, so here is my invite link. 

Sites like these will save you a ton! Just saying.....

http://www.hautelook.com/short/3BfPv

My Current Favorite Current Accessories

If you guys have seen any pics of me lately, you must have noticed that I have been wearing headbands all the time. They are definitely my new favorite accessory. I love my hair in simple up-dos like the classic high bun, and headbands just add a little more interest to the whole look. Plus I think they are the perfect transition into the Spring and Summer seasons.

I got this necklace from H&M and I love it. It's like a little gold Lei and adds a delicate feminine tough to any outfit. Personally I think it goes with most outfits and I've been wearing it to death. The fact that it was cheap is another benefit.

I'm currently really loving bright nails, as I do every year at about this time. I am particularly happy with this polish by Sinful Colors called 'Pull Over'. It cost almost nothing and the quality is great. the product goes on smoothly and is opaque within one coat. The color contrasts greatly with dark skin and is nice and glossy.

Now I honestly have not worn this lip color very often. Obviously it is not for the faint of heart, but I've really been into bright and unusual colored lips this season and this is my new fave. This is the blue Lip Tar from Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics. Of course the color can be toned down with a liner or other lip colors, but I am in love with the look.

What are your go-to accessories for the season?

Review: Revlon Colorstay Moisture Stain

Revlon recently released these lip stains and I must say, I'm impressed. 

I have been historically let down by drugstore lip stains. I remember lip stains from both Revlon and Cover Girl that were designed to look like markers and were both watery and drying. Oh.... and did I mention that they were not even long wearing? Since the drugstore brands have been releasing products of  improved quality, I decided to give these a go. 

I picked up three colors from my local store: Milan Moment, Barcelona Nights, and Parisian Passion.

The color pay-off for these products is lovely. They are highly pigmented and go onto the lips smoothly. The best way to apply them is to put a first layer on, allow it to set, then go in with a second. 

The finish is glossy and only slightly sticky, and the color lasts all day. I was truly surprised when the color remained even after I had eaten!

I love these, and the fact that they are cheap and easy to find makes them even better in my eyes. 

Give them a try and let me know what you think!

Lazy Recipes: Homemade Ramen

I recently made this and got numerous recipe requests from my friends. I am not not now, nor have I ever been a recipe person. My mom taught me to cook with measurements such as 'a little bit', 'a sprinkle', and 'some', so my dilemma should be apparent. I don't think cooking is that precise though, and since people's tastes vary so greatly I think cooking 'to taste' is a better approach. 

With all that said, here is my 'recipe' for my home made ramen. This is the first of my Lazy Recipes series, where I'll be sharing my ideas for fast yet tasty meals.

For this you will need: 

1 package of instant Ramen for the noodles

1 cups of vegetable broth (any broth will do depending on the desired flavor)

1 cup water

Diced garlic
Salt

powdered ginger (or diced; go easy on this one, ginger is potent!)

A drizzle (another of my mom's measurements) of sesame oil

Sriracha

Red pepper flakes 

Parsley ( I used dried) 

Green onions chopped

1 lean chicken breast 

1 egg

1. To a pot add sesame oil and saute the garlic, ginger, red pepper flakes, and parsley until it becomes highly fragrant. 
2. Add the water and vegetable broth to the pot and allow them to come to a boil, and salt to taste.
3. Add the noodles to the pot and boil for 3 minutes stirring occasionally, remove from the heat and set aside. 
4. In a separate pot, boil an egg for ~6 minutes. This should give you a nice medium boiled egg.
5. season your chicken breast with sea salt, and cook in sesame oil in a skillet equally on both sides. Cooking times depend on the size of the piece of meat used. let the meat rest after cooking, then slice as desired.
6. Pour noodles and broth into a bowl, drizzle Sriracha over them, and place the sliced chicken on top. Cut the egg in half and add it to the bowl, and lastly, garnish with the green onions. 

I tried my best guys, I hope this is useful!

Enjoy!

What I love about Spring 2014....

Spring is here, and before it turns into full blown summer I want to share some of my favorite things with you. As someone who grew up in the Caribbean, I have always appreciated the changing of the seasons. 2014 Spring has a special place in my heart though, because this past Winter was hell! 

So... despite the hail storm we had less than a week ago, I am going to celebrate the Spring by enjoying...

Fresh flowers from Trader Joes of course because they are beautiful and cheap...

Bing cherries! (sweet ones), and...

Frozen treats! I particularly like these mango fruit bars, they are the perfect sweet and creamy snack.

I know this is a strange little post, but I just felt like having a casual conversation with you guys today... 

Spring Nail Polish Picks!

Spring is here!

I love nail polish. Though I don't always stick with seasonal colors when choosing my polish for the week, I still find that certain colors appeal to me more at different times of the year. Spring is my time to put away those deep, dark colors and pull out my pastels. 

I have a selection here of both cheap and pricey polishes that I love for the spring months. 

Butter London: Pillar Box Red

Butter London: Primrose Hill Picnic

Essie: Exposure

OPI: Rumple's Wiggin'

Wet n Wild: I Need A Refresh-Mint

Sally Hansen: Mint Sorbet

Sally Hansen: Lacey Lilac

Enjoy!

Using All the Social Media!

Get ready for the shameless self promotion.....

I have decided (actually I decided a couple of months ago...) that as a youtuber and blogger, I should be making better use of social media. I don't actually know where my hesitation stemmed from, but I am making the change. 

If you are reading this, then you are already aware of my YouTube, my blog, and possibly my Facebook. I can also be found on Twitter (@yani_rocks), on Instagram (yaniquesgt), and Pintrest (yanique thomas). I am not a ten-posts-a-minute kinda gal, but I do post some fun (that's actually debatable...) stuff from time to time. 

I hope you guys take the chance to follow in my various social media places and don't mind this little cross promotion! 

Trying to get the Bloglovin app for this blog...

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/12241401/?claim=x6qju82r2b4">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Straightening my Natural and Curly Hair!!! No heat damage...

I finally did it! 

I promised this video a loooong time ago, but the universe was against me making it until now. I straighten my naturally curly hair from time to time and I do use heat. I know heat is very harmful to hair, but I take cautionary steps that allow me to achieve a beautiful straight look without any heat damage. 

I love the results I get from my method, and I wear my hair in a variety of styles. I thought I'd share my method and my products with you. 

Enjoy!!!