Petit Vour October 2014

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I have been subscribing to Petit Vour since March of this year and have been really pleased with the selection out of all the boxes I've tried. I'm more of a skincare and lip balm kind of gal and typically Petit Vour hits this on the head. There is always one beauty item but I swap on mysubscriptionaddiction.com and edivv.com  and the value of the items is great so I have a good stock pile of items to trade. So for those of you who are new to Petit Vour it is a vegan and cruelty free box with a mix of beauty and skincare products many of which are higher end and you'll always get a value higher than the $15 a month you pay. For U.S. subscribers its $15 a month with free shipping. That value does not change regardless if you pay for 1, 3 or 6 month subscriptions which for someone like me who can only pay monthly its nice to know i'm getting the same value as everyone else. They do not have a referral program so my opinions are my own and I don't get any kick back what so ever and I pay for my own boxes. So lets get started.


The theme this month was Beauty Thrillers and I loved that Petit Vour stayed classy this month and didn't send orange nail polish, or halloweenish colored lipsticks, etc. That happened to me last year with another subscription box and I was really turned off by it. I'm 27 not 7 and I want something that speaks of fall not something costumey. Some people can pull that off but I don't see myself walking in the PTA with orange glitter nails and purple lipstick. Anywhoo there selection was very practical.


Pacifica Devocean Natural Lipstick $14 
Mine is in the color Firebird and since I am not a lipstick kind of gal I will be swapping this. I'm happy about the value though and this alone almost covers the box.


Flo + Theo Body Butter $7 (full size 4 oz $28)
Mine is in the scent Orange Harvest. The container barely weighs anything that is how lightly whipped this product is. It has cocoa butter, shea butter, coconut oil, vitamin e, and essential oils which is really awesome. However, I did apply this to my hands and it is far too greasy for me. I didn't feel like it fully absorbed into my skin and just sat on top. A little goes a long way and may do better on my legs but I think i'll have to make myself use it. 


Forager Botanicals Natural Eau de Parfum- Nectar $0.50 (full size 2 oz $98)
This is a floral, citrus, and honey scent which contains no real honey. Since I have no sense of smell I will use this in a trade and would have liked to see an item with a slightly higher value.


S.W. Basics Skincare Mini Exfoliant 1 oz $12
I'm really getting into the dry scrubs Petit Vour has been sending out. You simply add water which makes them great for travel. This scrub only contains organic oat flour, organic almond flour, and sea salt. I love the packaging and will reuse the container. I get the concept of simple ingredients being elegant but at that price I would probably reorder the Root Science scrub I got last month. Still excited to get another scrub and love this packaging over Root Science's. 

Green Chili Sauce Recipe

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Living in the Mid-West, and a pretty rural area at that, green chilies are not prevalent so when I see fresh poblanos I usually get a pound and a half to make chili for my husband. On occasion I see frozen green chilies from New Mexico at Walmart but I'm pretty sure they stopped stocking them. However, I enjoy the experience of roasting the peppers and preparing them and the anaheims are never as good looking. So here is what I do to make green chili, and next time I will remember to take picture throughout the process.

Ingredients

1 Small Yellow Onion
4 Cloves of Garlic
2 Tbsp Butter
2-4 Tbsp Olive Oil
Salt
Pepper
Cayenne
Cinnamon
Cumin
3-4 Tbsp Flour
2 Cups Chicken Stock (or water)
1 can of Rotel Diced Tomatoes with Green Chilies (Mild)
5 Large Roasted Poblanos

Roasting Peppers

I actually do mine in the toaster oven at 450 degrees for 35-40 minutes or so. I watch to see that the skins have blistered so that I can remove the outer skin of the peppers. If you've never done this before what that means is that the peppers have an almost clear shiny layer that you'll be able to peel off only after roasting. To better aid in this process you can put the peppers in a zip lock bag and seal it. I have never had to do this so I do not know how long you should leave them in the bag. 
To roast simply cover your pan with foil, for easy clean up, and make slits along one side of each pepper. At this point you can remove seeds if you wish. Sometimes I do it before and sometimes I do it after but it will be much easier before and you can wash your peppers thoroughly. Once they have been properly roasted and peeled you'll cut them into 1/2 inch sections (I don't worry to much about precision here because I use an emulsion blender at the end of the entire sauce making process). 

Directions

Start by chopping the yellow onion and garlic and add it to your sauce pan along with the butter and olive oil. You can alter the amounts of onion and garlic to your liking and same with the butter and olive oil I simply like the combination. Cook on medium to high heat until translucent. Its during this time I add my spices usually a pinch here and a pinch there. Do not allow all your butter and oil to cook off you will need it when you add the flour. Whisk in flour. Your mixture will become thick and you'll want to make sure you keep your chicken stock close and ready to pour so your mixture does not burn. At this juncture I always feel its better to make it too thick than too thin. Adding more flour later is a pain and the sauce can always been thinned with more chicken stock. Continue whisking and add your chicken stock. Turn your heat to medium low and allow the mixture to thicken. You can then add your Rotel and diced chilies. You want to cook it for a while to allow the flavor of the green chilies to penetrate the sauce and you'll want to continue stirring or turn the heat on low so as not to burn your sauce. Then I remove the sauce from the heat and do short pulses with my immersion blender. I am not attempting to make a smooth sauce this is simply to break up so of the garlic, onion and chilies while still leaving it chunky. Be very careful and cover the pot with a lid while you do this so you do not splatter yourself with hot sauce. I think place the sauce in a container and allow it to cool before refrigerating. 

That's it! If you've ever made a gravy you know how to do this. I don't really measure and every time is just a little different. Like I said next time I'll take pictures of the entire process and make sure the make it on this page. Enjoy.

Lush Haul

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I am over the moon to do this haul. Visiting a Lush store for the first time was a real treat for me. I have never tried Lush products before and since I knew I would be near a Lush while helping my sister move to Virginia I had to pay a visit. Just weeks before I almost made a purchase online but the cost of shipping, in comparison to what I was buying, was a bit much for me. I wanted the opportunity to try things in store to help make up my mind and oh boy did it ever! The day Missouri ever gets a Lush I will be one happy girl! 


So off to the mall my sister and I went and the poor thing, being pregnant, couldn't get near the store! She said she could smell it stores away and once you walk in you can totally tell why. 


All of their soaps, bars, bath bombs, bubble bars, etc. are all unwrapped and sitting on shelves, in crates and baskets which makes it feel like a glamorous upscale candy shop for bath goods. Bath & Body Works has nothing on these guys. Plus they are cruelty free while using amazing ingredients and techniques to make their products with vegan selections. I swear I only went in for one thing but alas I came out with a bit more. If I had a sense a smell I probably would have had no self restraint!  


The store is so fresh and clean looking with all of these beautiful colors. If I lived next to one I'd be in real trouble! So without further ado here is what I got on my first Lush trip. 


My only intended purchase was the Silky Underwear Dusting Powder which has a jasmine scent. I actually wanted the Vanilla Puff which has a real vanilla pod inside however it contains talc which really surprised me with Lush. So I chose the Silky Underwear which has no talc. I've also been looking for a good facial moisturizer as I recently gave up my Clean & Clear to find a cruelty free alternative. I have to try my facial moisturizers. I'm very picky but was pleased with the feel of Skin Drink which contains some amazing oils, aloe vera, cocoa butter, and avocado! For some it may be a bit pricey at $23.95 for 1.5 oz however at that price its cheaper than the DDF Moisture Dew I use to buy at almost $40 an oz. I wish it had a pump but as the woman at Lush told me that is because it is packaged by hand and this container is easier to fill. You'll notice when you look on the bottom of Lush products there is a sticker with a cartoon avatar of the employee who made the product, their name, date it was made, and when its good til. I love this kind of awareness in regards to where your product is coming from and how much care is put into it. Very cool idea!

I also made sure to pick up some staples. I got two different kinds of Toothy Tabs which are dried tooth paste drops making them great for travel, some Honey Trap lip balm, Ultrabalm for anything and everything, and a Pink Bath Bomb for my little girl. My little girl loved the bath balm. It turned the water pink and had confetti hearts on the inside! I would have also picked up D'Fluff shaving soap however they only had the large and I wanted the smaller so the gal gave me a small sample. It has fresh strawberries in it and my mom said it smelled amazing. I can't wait to try out my little sample and then cave and order a big one! 

Here is a breakdown of everything I got with links:


A fix all balm and I've heard some people use it for burns and cuts so I may give that a try as well.

This contains spearmint and will be the closest to traditional flavored toothpaste.

This is their most popular from what i'm told and really intrigued me. It contains vanilla, black licorice and sandalwood.

This is an amazing balm with oat milk, olive oil, peppermint oil, honey, shea butter and so much more. It might be new favorite of mine.

Jasmine scented with grated cocoa butter which feels amazing on the skin. This was my only intended purchase and it did not disappoint.

So much goodness in one little pot. Fresh avocado, rose oils, and aloe vera are just the beginning. Non greasy with great skin conditioning sold me on this product. I am not a fan of greasy facial moisturizer no matter what their claims. 

I'm not gonna lie one of the reasons I bought this bath bomb was it was one of the cheapest. Taking a $5 or more bath is out of the question for me. I thought it was be a nice treat for my daughter however I'm looking forward to learning to make my own bath bombs and bubble bars. I steered away from the bubble bars as they were around $10-$12 which was excessive for me.


I hope you all enjoyed this haul and can get to a Lush to check it out for yourself because it really is a treat!




Peach Fuzz: The Cute Name for Facial Hair

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When talking about peach fuzz I cannot help but think of my little 77 year old grandmother who has a full face of it since I can remember. I never thought anything of it and rather liked it on her. It was like a light snow white fuzz and she has never tried to hide it. She never wore makeup so never thought twice about what it would be like to have to apply makeup over it. Needless to say genetics was and is not in my favor. At only 27 I already have that light fuzz all over my face and wonder if in 30 years menopause will deal me the death blow. I already find myself steering away from maybe especially heavy foundations as their application can be difficult over fine hair and find it becomes concentrated in areas where the fuzz is much more prevalent like the side burn area. So I made a big decision...wax it all. That's right I waxed it all and I learned a little something through the experience.

I have had excess facial hair since I was 13 which was barely noticeable except my upper lip which earned me the nickname "Magnum P.I." while is school. Kids can be such dicks. Anywhoo I tried hair removal creams but found my skin couldn't take it and unfortunately didn't learn about bleaching until well out of primary school. That was my saving grace until I started waxing my upper lip a few months back and I find I am usually satisfied unless I happen to be in a Maurices dressing room which for some ungodly reason has lighting that will reveal every stray hair, wrinkle, and imperfection. So with that success under my belt I started thinking it was time to get rid of my peach fuzz side burns and after watching multiple videos decided I would wax them. 

Pain wise waxing peach fuzz is not as bad as your eyebrows, in my opinion. It will be tender since it is an area of your face that is not use to such a sensation but the hair is not as thick and I find it much easier to pull out. I was actually surprised it didn't hurt as much as my upper lip. So after what I would consider one of my single greatest decisions this year, which I'm not sure what that says about me, I proceeding to make one of the worst decisions to date. Instead of using a small razor to remove the rest of the fuzz, which I felt was too manly of a course, I proceeding to wax my entire face. The pain wasn't the issue as I was using those wax strips you rub between your hands and found that one strip could be used up to 3 times lessening the blow. Afterward I was very pleased with myself and decided if I ever got a chance to travel back in time I would tell 13 year old me to tidy that shit up. This feeling was rather short live though and within two days my skin rebelled. My skin was still slightly red which merely looked like a sunburn but worse were these tiny little raised bumps all over my skin. They were not visible unless I got very close to the mirror and were very dry. It seems that it ripping out the hair I either pulled up small areas of skin or irritated the hair follicles. Since then, almost a week later, I've been undergoing a routine of light facial scrubbing followed by soothing oils to re-hydrate and repair the skin. By the time my skin is better the damn hair will have grown back. 

So now I'm thinking if I got that time machine it's a tie between going back and telling myself "this is one of your more moronic ideas," or going back and telling 13 year old me that most of those kids won't be sitting so pretty in 14 years. The fact of the matter is that having polycystic ovarian syndrome has a lot more unpleasant side effects than just cysts and as most of us know hormones are not our friend. At some point I learned to embrace that and then happened to watch too many YouTube videos one evening and got a little randy with the wax! I feel that waxing my upper lip and sideburns will be here to stay but as for the rest of my face I'd rather have smooth healthy skin than try to be a completely hairless mammal.