Goodbye 2013!

2013 has honestly been an amazing year. It flew by so quickly. From starting club volleyball earlier this year to starting this blog and meeting a lot of amazing people. I also learned to manage a busy schedule and deal with stress better. My New Years resolutions are:

1. To improve my grades

2. Improve time management skills 

3. Be more consistent with my blog posts

4. Be more active within my school e.g. join some clubs

I'm so thankful for each and every one of you. 

Without your support, this blog would not be possible.

THANK YOU!!

With love,

Samantha

How was Christmas?

So sorry for the long hiatus, there was just so much to do before Christmas: shopping, cleaning, cooking, baking. I promise to be more consistent.

Anyways, how was Christmas? I hope you all enjoyed spending time with family and received/gave some great gifts. I know I had a great time and even received some of the items on my wishlist like Hunters.

I would love to hear about how your Christmas went. Comment below!

With love,

Samantha

Less is More

Even from a young age, I have always loved makeup. I have vivid memories of coaxing my mom into being my "client" and letting me put lipstick or mascara on her. I wanted to wear makeup every chance I could, but she urged me not to until I got older. 

Now, at 13 I understand that the best makeup a girl can wear is her smile. But, sometimes you need a little something extra. That's where makeup comes in. Sometimes a little blush or mascara can give a girl the boost of confidence she needs to be herself. However, makeup should never be so overdone that it looks "caked on". The motto of preppy makeup is "less is more". Its main focus is to accentuate your natural beauty. This means it should look like you aren't wearing any makeup. 

Here are some examples of classic/preppy makeup:

 

 

All three of these ads show "fresh faced", natural looking models. 

To achieve this look (this is what I do), don't use foundation. Instead, use concealer on blemishes and under the eyes. The concealer under the eyes should be a shade lighter than your natural skin tone to brighten that area. Next, a bit of eyeliner(in brown or black) on the top lids and eyebrow pencils to frame your face. Add some pink, nude or red lipstick and you're ready to go! If you want, you can also use eyeshadow as long as it's nothing too bright (think peaches or nude colors!). For more formal occasions or during the winter, you can wear a bit of bronzer and blush for that "glow". Again, don't be too heavy handed with the bronzer, you don't want to end up looking like a Kardashian. ;)

What's your beauty routine like?

With love,

Samantha

Lazy Snow Days + Nutella Pancakes!

When the weather outside is frightful,

 Nope, this is more like it

 

There's simply nothing else better than making pancakes, especially if they're....

NUTELLA PANCAKES! 

Nutella Stuffed Pancakes

Author: divas can cook

Serves: 12 pancakes

Ingredients

• 2 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons sugar
• 1¾ c. warm milk
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• Nutella (make sure that it is soft and creamy)
• Toppings: fresh strawberries or bananas and cool whip

Instructions

1. In a medium size bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.
2. In a large bowl, mix together milk, melted butter, beaten eggs, and vanilla.
3. Gradually add the flour mixture into the milk mixture. Stir gently with a whisk JUST until the large lumps are gone. Small lumps are good. Do no over stir or the pancakes will not be fluffy and light.
4. Let batter rest for 10 minutes.
5. Heat and butter griddle on medium high heat.
6. When griddle is ready add ¼ cup of batter onto the griddle.
7. After a minute or so add ½ -1 tablespoon of Nutella to the center of the pancakes. Use a knife to gently spread Nutella out a little.
8. Cover the Nutella with about 2 tablespoons of batter or enough to cover up the nutella. YOU MAY NEED TO TURN DOWN THE HEAT TO MEDIUM AT THIS POINT SO THE OTHER SIDE DOESN’T COOK TO FAST.When bubbles form on the top of pancake and the underside is golden, gently flip it over and cook the other side until golden.
9. Place on a plate and make the rest of the pancakes.
10. Serve warm topped with fresh strawberries or bananas and a bit of cool whip.
11. These pancakes reheat well if needed.

Notes

~TIP~ Watch that heat! I kept my heat on medium or a little above. Top with fresh strawberries or bananas & cool whip! Yum! Don’t overdue it with Nutella. A little goes a long way.

Here's how I made them:
(Sorry for the bad quality pics, I was using my phone)

In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, salt and sugar. Set aside.

In another bowl, combine the warm milk, beaten eggs, butter and vanilla.

Gradually combine the dry mixture into the wet mixture.
Make sure you don't over mix the batter, small lumps are okay!
Once mixed together, let the batter rest for 10 mins.

It should look something like this after 10 mins. It's much fluffier than it was before.

Oil or butter your pan/griddle.

Pour about a ladle full of batter onto your preheated pan.

Dollop a little bit of nutella in the center of the pancake. I guess you could use chocolate chips instead of nutella, but that wouldn't be much fun would it?
Remember!: A little nutella goes a long way especially since you don't want the pancakes to fall apart while you're flipping them.
Cook for a few mins on each side and....

Voila! Here are the finished nutella pancakes.

They're so delicious and perfect for chilly mornings during the holidays. I mean, who doesn't like nutella?

With love,

Samantha