Easy DIY Thanksgiving Turkey Cupcakes

Hi all, I thought I’d post this fun and cute turkey cupcakes recipe and how-to before Thanksgiving starts.  This will especially come in handy if you are looking for a cute way to spruce up your dessert this holiday season, and your guests are sure to gobble them up in no time!

What you'll need:

2 12-Cupcake pans

24 cupcake liners

1 cake mix box of your choice

1 tub of chocolate frosting

1 22oz. bag of candy corn

1 small tube of black frosting

1 small tube of white frosting

1 Ziploc bag

1 offset spatula

1 red Fruit by the Foot roll

Step by step:

• Pre-heat your oven according to package’s directions
• Prepare cake mix according to package’s directions and line pans with cupcake liners

• Pour batter halfway into each cupcake slot
• Bake according to package’s directions or until golden brown and an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Let cool completely.

• Evenly frost the tops of each cupcake with tablespoon amount of chocolate frosting using an offset spatula

• Fill a Ziploc bag with frosting and cut a small hole at the tip
• Using the filled bag, pipe the head of the turkey on one side of the cupcake by squeezing and holding in place (until you have your desired size).

• On the opposite side of the head, pipe a line- curving with the cupcake, approximately 2 inches (where the tail feathers will go)

• Place 5-6 candy corns with the white tips going into the cupcake and the flat yellow side sticking out- and they will naturally fan out
• Take one candy corn and cut the white and orange part off and place in the center of the chocolate head to create the beak

Picture shows both tail and beak steps

• Using white icing, dot 2 white spots until you have reached your desired size. Flatten out any sharp points with your finger
• Squeeze a dot in the center of each white eye using black icing to create the pupils

• Cut a small rectangular piece off of a Fruit by the Foot roll and place half above the beak, letting the other half dangle 

And voila! There you have it!  A simple, easy and adorable way to make innovative Thanksgiving treats for your next holiday party.  Hope you found this recipe easy to follow and helpful and that you give it a go!  Let me know your family’s reaction and how they turned out!

Happy Thanksgiving!

XOXO,

Grace

LORAC Mega PRO Palette II Review

Hi all!  I’m super-excited to be writing this post o­n the recently launched and limited edition LORAC Mega PRO Palette II, which is sold exclusively at ULTA (online and in stores -- click here to buy it now).  When the original Mega Pro Palette came out last year, it sold out so quickly that barely anyone was able to get their hands on it, so I wanted to share my thoughts with you and decide whether or not it lives up to the hype.

What we’re dealing with:

The Mega PRO Palette II was created by celebrity makeup artist and founder of LORAC Cosmetics Carol Shaw, and launched exclusively at ULTA for the 2015 holiday season on October 4^th.  LORAC shadows are known to be velvety-smooth, highly pigmented and blend like a dream, and this palette delivers exactly that.  Measuring at 5¾x7¾, the palette is double the size of the LORAC PRO palettes (which have 16 matte and shimmery shadows and cost $42), and offers new shades that are unlike any from the previous palettes. 

Before the limited edition item came out, I did my fair share of research to see if it was worth the money, or if I was better off buying another palette.  Most good-quality palettes have about 12-16 shadows and cost somewhere between $40 and $55.  In comparison, the 32 shadow Mega II Palette (valued at $205) only costs $59 on ULTA’s website, which means each shadow is $1.85 – an insane value!  And while the individual pans are slightly smaller than the Pro Palette shadows, the combination of pigmentation and quality is tremendous, and you honestly don’t need that much of each one to really build the color for your eye look.  On top of that, the Mega II Palette comes out to be a lot cheaper than buying two Pro Palettes, which would still not give you 32 unique shadow colors.  Here’s an inside look at the color breakdown of the Mega II Palette:

The Shadows:

The top two rows have a total of 16 matte shades, while the bottom two rows have 16 shimmery shades. 

Row 1 (Mattes): Porcelain, Custard, Tawny, Burlap, Melon, Tangerine, Saddle, Forest

Row 2 (Mattes): Bisque, Lavender, Purple, Sorbet, Goji, Cabernet, Ash, Black

Row 3 (Shimmers): Sugar, Chiffon, Prosecco, Soft Plum, Cinnamon, Sandstone, Gunmetal, Blue Quartz

Row 4 (Shimmers): Moonlight, Seashell, Peony, Dark Sienna, Penny, Olivine, Gold Leaf, Black Ivy

In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I decided to buy the Mega Pro II Palette, and am so glad that I did.  Overall, I’m really pleased with this purchase.  The quality is unbelievable and you get a lot of bang for your buck.  The shadows are soft and smooth like butter and swatch amazingly well.  They are extremely easy to apply and super blendable.  Plus, the back of the box has three Pro Tip “recipes” for an eyelook using just matte shades, shimmery shades, or both, so that’s neat.  Bottom line is, I highly recommend the palette and if you don’t want to spend the money yourself, it’d be a great item to add to your holiday wish list! 

XOXO,

Grace

Top 5 Essie Summer Shades

Hi Dolls, I thought it’d be fun to share my go-to nail polish shades this summer with you.  These are my current favorites and I’ve been alternating between them when getting my nails done professionally or doing them at home.

Essie polishes are known for their long- lasting formula and range in over 300 shades.  They cost about $8, but you can find a better deal when they go on sale depending on the store you get them from.  They tend to go on sale often, and you can find them at your local drugstore or beauty supply store.  They will last you a long time, but make sure you store them in a cool place away from direct sunlight.  I have to be frank with you, though, and tell you that the application of some of the polishes may seem thick.  Still, I suggest applying two coats on top of a nourishing base coat in order to bring out the true color of that particular shade and get the best results.

Here are a few of my favorite shades (left to right):

1. Go Ginza= an opaque white-based pastel shade of lavender and pink that is just perfect for summer.  It’s subtle, yet fashion- forward and I hold it near and dear to my heart, as this was one of the color inspirations for my wedding.  
2. Candy Mint Apple= A bright and fun, cool-toned opaque pastel that, depending on your skin tone, can either look like a pale shade of mint green or sea foam blue.  This shade won’t make your nails look chalky or dull at all, and will perk them up instead.
3. Fiji= The name says it all! It is by far the BEST baby pink I have ever seen.  Like the two shades mentioned above, it is an opaque pale pink with blue undertones that is just so perfect for summer! Regardless of your skin tone, this is guaranteed to make you look tanner, especially on your toes.  However, I also find it to be Essie’s trickiest polish to apply.  It tends to be on the thick side and can leave your nails looking streaky.  I recommend either taking it with you to a nail salon (or use it if they have it), or shaking the bottle in between coats to even out the product in the bottle. 
4. Peach Daiquiri= A bold and bright coral shade of pink that is a cross between watermelon and fuchsia (depending on the light).   This color just pops, it is one of the easier Essie creamy formulas, it doesn’t streak and dries out super shiny.  Try this for your next pool party and match it with a refreshing peach daiquiri to quench your thirst.
5. Urban Jungle= A creamy new take on the typical stark whiteout summer shade.   This opaque beige and off-white color will make you look tan, yet won’t come across as dull or chalky.  Its initial application may look a bit sheer and streaky, but after two coats you will successfully achieve the color you see in the bottle.  With this shade, you can wear white well after Labor Day! 

So there you have it.  I’d love to know what you’re currently wearing on your nails, so feel free to share your thoughts with me. 

XOXO,

Grace