The Weekend of Parties

Things have been a little crazy around here lately.  Since the beginning of the year I've spent much of my free time working on sprucing up our little home.  The past week and a half I spent nearly all of my free time repainting the main living areas of our home from the cheap, unwashable builder basic beige to a slightly more pleasing beige in a MUCH higher quality paint.  Over a month ago I had set a date for a fun little Swap Party I wanted to host for some girl friends and soon after realized that I set the party for the same weekend as Super Bowl (hubby and I traditionally host a big Super Bowl gathering with 20+ friends).  Hosting two big parties in a row gave me the push to spend much of January painting and decorating so we could show off some of the changes we were slowly making to our home.  I'll share some of those in another post soon.

Last Saturday I hosted a Swap Party with a sweet little mimosa bar, a coffee/tea bar, and lots of brunch appropriate appetizers.  Unfortunately we were hit with quite the snow storm that morning, shrinking our party down to five girls.  We still had a great time chatting, swapping accessories and decor, and munching on the spread I had prepared.

When planning the menu for the party, I knew I wanted a brunch themed assortment of food; everything bite size to make eating while talking/swapping easy.

I prepared a Mimosa bar with options for both alcoholic and non-alcoholic Mimosas with orange and also raspberry/peach juice for a few flavor combinations.  In addition to the Mimosas, I had my Keurig set up for coffee, tea, hot chocolate, etc. and made a picture of Lemon Cucumber Mint Water which is always refreshing and a hit.

The menu included plenty of gluten-free and vegetarian options as I had a few girls in attendance with dietary restrictions.  I made Bacon, Leek and Cheddar Mini Quiche (some crustless and others without bacon), Mini Lemon Poppy Seed Muffins, Mini Cream Biscuits which I served with country ham and strawberry jam, Melon and Prosciutto and Melon and Mint Skewers, Cucumber Bites with Garlic Herb Filling, Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Covered Strawberries, Chocolate Dipped Clementines, and Salmon Mousse on gluten free crackers.  Everything was well received and we had a lovely time!

Then came our Super Bowl Party.  Planning and hosting a party for a group of 20 folks is quite the task, so I didn't get any great photos to share of the evening.  I did; however, manage to snap a few mediocre photos of the Bacon Chocolate Stout Cheesecake I made for dessert.

This was quite the unique combination of flavors.  The cheesecake itself had a pretzel graham cracker crust, a filling flavored with chocolate stout and studded with Beer Candied Bacon, and was topped with homemade Hot Fudge Sauce, more Beer Candied Bacon, and fresh whipped cream.

Overall the cheesecake was very well received (I'm pretty sure I witnessed one guest enjoy three slices).  Personally I was kind of on the fence about it.  I'm not typically a fan of sweet/salty combinations (which this certainly was with the pretzel crust and bacon), and I'm definitely not a beer drinker.  I really enjoyed the chocolate flavor of the filling and found that the beer wasn't particularly noticeable.  Honestly, as much as I love bacon, I think I'll continue to prefer it in more savory applications.  That said, our guests seemed to enjoy the cheesecake and I certainly thought the finished result had a lovely presentation!

Now that I've survived a month of home projects and a week of prepping for two big parties, I'm looking forward to a little down time from hosting.  I sure do love planning a party, but it's exhausting work!

Have you thrown any fun parties recently?

January 2013 Glam Bag

The January 2013 Glam Bag was my third bag since signing back up with Ipsy (formerly MyGlam).  The past three months, I have been nothing but happy with the products I've received!  Ipsy has consistently sent out generous samples that are varied and interesting.  Each bag typically consists of mainly well-known high end products, with one or two more obscure high-end brands and/or drugstore products.  If you're looking for a subscription service to try, for a reasonable $10/month, Ipsy would be my top recommendation at the moment.

My January 2013 Glam Bag included the following samples:

Pacifica - Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter ($7.00/2.5 oz)
Tuscan Blood Orange Body Butter is not only a highly effective antioxidant rich moisturizer that nourishes the driest of skin and helps fight off the signs of aging; it nourishes your other senses as well. The infusion of sparkling, juicy blood oranges that are highlighted with notes of red raspberry and spicy sweet Italian Mandarins take you to the beaches of the Mediterranean.

Samples size: 2.5 oz
Sample value: $7.00

Big Sexy Hair - Spray & Play Volumizing Hairspray ($17.50/10.6 oz)
Your everyday spray for BIG volume!  Spray & Play is a humidity resistant, flexible hold hairspray that provides fullness, lift and incredible shine!

Sample size: 1.5 oz
Sample value: $2.48

Nailtini - Straight Up Color Nail Lacquer in Frappe or Bloody Mary ($13.00/0.5 oz)
You can't go wrong with a classic, all the way to your fingertips.  These two are the all-time best selling Nailtini nail lacquers.  Whether the glossy true-red of bloody mary or the hint-of-pink of frappe, your tips and toes are classic perfection anytime.

Sample size: 0.5 oz
Sample value: $13.00

Josie Maran - 100% Pure Argan Oil ($48/1.7 oz)
This 100% Pure Argan Oil is a legendary oil that's rich in vitamin E and essential fatty acids, and grown organically in Morocco.  With its multitasking benefits, Argan Oil can be used for many areas including hydrating and nourishing skin as a daily moisturizer, skin treatment, treating slit ends, and softening cuticles.

Sample size: 0.17 oz
Sample value: $4.80

SOHO - Concealer, Eyeliner, or Crease Brush ($7.99/each)
Brushes featuring a tri-grip handle that fits perfectly in the hand.

Sample size: 1 brush
Sample value: $7.99

Total bag value: $35.27

A little detail of the lining of this month's Glam Bag.  I'm thrilled about the Pacifica body butter (this stuff smells amazing!), Big Sexy Hair hairspray, and the Josie Maran Argan Oil.  The concealer brush seems nice as well.  The only slight disappointment for me this month was that I received the Frappe shade of Nailtini lacquer.  It's a completely sheer pink, along the lines of what is used for a French manicure.  I don't really care for sheer polishes, but it might come in handy for days I need a natural but polished look.  The Bloody Mary shade some subscribers received looks lovely!  Overall, another fantastic month!

January 2013 Birchbox

My January 2013 Birchbox was another so-so box for me which, as of late, is honestly the best I can hope for from Birchbox.  Most of my samples this month were miniscule, but at least the products themselves weren't terrible.  I'm thrilled to try theBalm Put a Lid On It Eyelid Primer, so the box has something going for it.  The nail polish is a nice inclusion as well.  I'm not thrilled about the color, but I don't hate it and I certainly don't have any polishes in my massive collection like it, so that's a plus.  I was really excited to try the Harvey Prince perfume after reading the note description.  I immediately sprayed some on my wrist and within the hour developed a terrible headache.  I can be very sensitive to perfumes, but in the past I've only noticed perfumes with musk notes to give me headaches.  Apparently Skinny Chic, despite not having any musk notes, doesn't agree with me.  It's a shame because I really do think the scent is lovely.  I've actually tried the Ojon serum in the past.  I didn't notice it did anything spectacular for my hair and I had to be very careful with the amount I used if I wanted to avoid greasy-looking hair.  The Fresh face cream samples don't excite me, honestly, but they'll be nice to keep around for traveling or trying if I run out of moisturizer.

My January Birchbox included the following samples:

Alessandro - Nail Polish in Blue Lagoon ($12.00/0.34 oz)
Launching exclusively for the Birchbox Shop, this extra opaque polish has a satiny formula and wide brush for easy application.

Sample size: 0.17 oz
Sample value: $6.00

Harvey Prince - Skinny Chic perfume ($55.00/50 ml)
Get a glass-half-full disposition with this optimistic blend of juicy Meyer lemon, white grapefruit, and pink plumeria.

Sample size: unknown (about 2 ml)
Sample value: unknown (about $2.20)

Ojon - Damage Reverse Instant Restorative Hair Serum ($25/1.7 oz)
Repair stressed strands with this aromatic hair treatment-exotic ojon and macadamia oils work together to smooth and hydrate hair.

Sample size: 0.07 oz
Sample value: $1.03

theBalm Cosmetics - Put a Lid On It Eyelid Primer ($18/0.4 oz)
Keep that pretty eye shadow crease-free with this stay-put primer, which also prevents smudges and smears.

Sample size: 0.125 oz
Sample value: $5.63

Fresh - Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream ($42/50 ml)
With antioxidant-rich lotus flower extracts, this lush moisturizer protects skin from free radicals and hydrates for a full 24 hours.

Sample size: 4 ml
Sample value: $3.36

Total box value: $18.22

Overall, I really wish the sample sizes were larger.  I'm really happy to have received theBalm eyelid primer and look forward to giving it a try (up until now I've only tried a couple variations of the Urban Decay Primer Potion, so I'm excited to have another product to compare).  January certainly wasn't a terrible month, but I do feel like Birchbox leaves something to be desired lately.

What did you receive in your January Birchbox?