Lisa Eldridge - Professional Make up Artist

I'm going to be travelling in a couple of days, so I won't have much time to post anything new... but before I go, for all the girls (or guys) who wear makeup, I wanted to talk about Lisa Eldridge.  Lisa is a professional make up artist with 21 years experience. She has become one of the most highly regarded make up artists among supermodels, celebrities, and magazine editors. She is in high demand within beauty and fashion circuits internationally.  I had subscribed to her youtube channel a few months ago, and her videos include tutorials ranging from natural to creative/dramatic looks; as well as tips/tricks/advice.  All her explanations are extremely clear, and I found every single one of her videos very helpful!   She is not a youtube partner, and so she has relied on word of mouth to get almost 37 thousand subscribers!



She has many pages where you can follow her:
Facebook - http://www.facebook.com/lisaeldridgedotcom
Twitter - http://twitter.com/lisa_eldridge
Youtube - http://www.youtube.com/user/lisaeldridgedotcom
Mailing list on her blog - http://www.lisaeldridge.com/elist/

At the moment, she is doing a give away for everyone who is following her:

The Phantom of the Opera

I was first introduced to the story of the Phantom of the Opera when I was very young.  We had a recorded VHS tape of the 1990 TV miniseries version, and I loved it!  There have been many adaptations of the novel "Le Fantôme de l'Opéra" by french writer Gaston Leroux, but the only story I was familiar with was from the TV miniseries.  In this version, the plot focused on the Phantom's childhood and past while showing him in a gentler and kinder light as compared to other adaptations and the novel.  Also, unlike the other movies, we never see the Phantom's face as he is always hidden behind his various masks.  This version starred Charles Dance as the Phantom/Erik and Teri Polo as Christine.  What I also liked about this film were the comedic scenes they included every now and then.

Oh, and I recently found the entire miniseries on youtube!!  Go to CompleteMovies4U 's channel :)

I have also seen Andrew Lloyd Webber's 2004 musical film, starring Gerard Butler as the Phantom and Emmy Rossum as Christine.   Being an adaptation of the Webber's 1986 musical, it was more focused on the singing and performances rather than the Phantom's history... but I also enjoyed it; mostly because I love Emmy Rossum's voice.  On the other hand, I felt Gerard Butler's singing could have been stronger and more operatic... overall it was very entertaining!

I hope to read the original novel, when/if I find it....

Sweet Potato Balls (pronounced "bAAwls") recipe

Made these for thanksgiving, and they were sooo good... I may have made them bigger than they were supposed to be... Oh well!

Ingredients:

·         3 cups peeled and chopped sweet potatoes

·         ¾ cup brown sugar

·         ¼ cup butter, softened

·         2 tablespoons milk

·         ½ teaspoon grated lemon zest

·         ¼ teaspoon salt

·         8 large marshamallows

·         ½ cup crushed cornflake cereal

1.       Preheat oven to 325F

2.       Greast 9x13 inch baking dish

3.       Cook sweet potatoes in boiling water for 15 mins

4.       Drain and mash with sugar, butter, milk, lemon zest, and salt

5.       Shape mixture into 8 balls with marshmallow in centre of each

6.       Roll in cereal crumbs and place in dish

7.       Bake for 20 mins (until mash mallows begin to ooze)

Ellen's Bathroom Concert Series

Ellen singing with Jennifer Hudson.... in the bathroom... my favourite!

Piano solo: "Time To Say Goodbye" - Francesco Sartori

Time to Say Goodbye (Con te partiro) by composer Francesco Sartori

Marshmallow Crispy Squares recipe

Here's the recipe!  It's very simple -  you only need 3 ingredients:

 45g butter

 300g mini marshmallows

 180g Rice Krispies

Melt the butter in a large pan, on low heat

 Add marshmallows and stir constantly until melted

 Take pan off heat, and immediately add cereal.  Mix lightly until well coated

 Place in tin.  Let cool completely before cutting.

* Since we couldn't wait until they had completely cooled to attack, I buttered the plate before placing the squares on it so that the marshmallow doesn't stick! 

Until tomorrow...

I didn't have time to create a post, for both yesterday and today... too much studying!  So until tomorrow's (where I will post the recipe for some marshmallow crispy squares that I'll be making) , here's a couple of videos that are really funny!

First is a clip from the Fresh Prince of Belair comedy (and it's not of Carlton dancing lol):




Second is a video of Jimmy Fallon's impressions on AGT:

Piano Solo ("All I Ask Of You" by Andrew Lloyd Webber)

Piano solo of the song 'All I Ask of You', from Andrew Lloyd Webber's "Phantom of the Opera" :)

Hand Dancing

This video became very popular recently.  From two professional Irish Dancers, this youtube video was uploaded onto their own channel (youtube.com/user/upandoverit).   They choreographed an entire hand dance to the song We No Speak Americano!  It took them 5 days to come up with the choreography, and 5 days to practice the dance -- did you know that Irish dancers usually learn to practice using their hands first, to imitate the movement of their feet?  :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

It's already December! Yay!! We're going home for Christmas, so we don't have a big tree in our apartment, but we did decorate it a little bit...

and my huge christmas mug :)

Piano Solo ("Caruso" by Lucio Dalla)

This is a video of myself playing the song "Caruso" by composer Lucio Dalla :)

Pumpkin Pie Recipe

Here's the Pumpkin Pie Recipe I used for Thanksgiving this year.  You can serve it with either vanilla ice cream or some whipped cream on the side ... it's so good!

Ingredients:
 1 cup sugar
 ½ cup packed brown sugar
 ¼ teaspoon salt
 2 tablespoons cinnamon
 2 eggs
 1 can pumpking (15 ounce)
 1 can evaporated milk (12 ounce)
 1 9-inch prepared unbaked pie crush

1. Preheat oven to 350F
2. Stir together sugar, brown sugar, salt and cinammon
3. Add pumpkin and evaporated milk
4. Transfer to pie crust
5. Bake for 1 ½ hours
6. Toothpick comes out clean when pie is done
7. Cool before serving.

PVC Pipe player?!

My sister gave me the link to this video of a college boy, who engineered an entire instrument made of PVC pipes! He performs a show, playing songs in this order:

-Office Theme Song
-Linus and Lucy
-Turkish March
-Mario Brothers Theme
-In the Hall of the Mountain King
-Bad Romance
-Viva La Vida
-Like a Virgin
-Crazy Train
-Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger
-James Bond Theme
-Pirates of the Caribbean Theme
-The Final Countdown

Very talented! I wouldn't want to be the one who follows him...

Great Chinese State Circus - Swan Lake

This is an amazing video from the 'Great chinese state circus', playing Swan Lake ... it's a mix between acrobatics and Ballet.... take a look!

The Ultimate Gift Guide @ Sephora

Sephora has published their holiday catalogue for the Christmas Season!  It has many great ideas for gifts, so take a look : http://www.sephoracatalogue.ca/index_en.html

Also, I highly recommend signing up to be a "Beauty Insider" on Sephora's website - it's free! You'll receive e-mails keeping you up to date on special offers or new products, and you can customize your profile so they can inform you of personalized products that would suit you, and they have beauty advice on their website!  Whenever you purchase something from the shop, you get points added to your account, and when you reach a certain number you get a free gift! 

As a bonus for being a Beauty Insider, you can also pick up a free gift 2 weeks before/after your birthday! Last year I got a set of lip glosses by Sephora... the colours are very nice! 

This year, they're giving away this set:

I also went to the Sephora store recently, and purchased a few items: Urban Decay's Primer Potion, a Sephora foundation brush, and a Fresh Sugar Rush Set christmas gift for my sister:

Have fun!

Laughing With --- by Regina Spektor

                          http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pxRXP3w-sQ


No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one laughs at God
When the doctor calls after some routine tests
No one's laughing at God
When it's gotten real late and their kid's not back from the party yet

No one laughs at God
When their airplane starts to uncontrollably shake
No one's laughing at God
When they see the one they love hand in hand with someone else
And they hope that they're mistaken

No one laughs at God
When the cops knock on their door
And they say we got some bad news, sir
No one's laughing at God
When there's a famine or fire or flood

But God could be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God themed joke or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke

God could be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they've lost all they've got and they don't know what for

No one laughs at God
On the day they realize that the last sight they'll ever see
Is a pair of hateful eyes
No one's laughing at God
When they're saying their goodbyes

But God could be funny
At a cocktail party when listening to a good God themed joke or
Or when the crazies say He hates us
And they get so red in the head you think they're 'bout to choke

God could be funny
When told he'll give you money if you just pray the right way
And when presented like a genie who does magic like Houdini
Or grants wishes like Jiminy Cricket and Santa Claus
God can be so hilarious

No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war
No one laughs at God in a hospital
No one laughs at God in a war

No one laughing at God in a hospital
No one's laughing at God in a war
No one's laughing at God
When they're starving or freezing or so very poor

No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
No one's laughing at God
We're all laughing with God

Cinnamon Butter Cookies!

This is one of my favourite cookie recipes!  You can add some icing on top if you like, and adjust the amount of cinnamon depending on your taste:
Makes ~ 16 cookies

Ingredients:

 1 cup white sugar
 ½ cup unsalted butter, osft
 3 egg yolks
 2 tablespoons milk
 2 cups plain flour
 ½ teaspoon baking powder
 ½ teaspoon salt
 2 teaspoon cinnamon


1. In a medium bowl, cream together butter & sugar.
2. Beat in egg yolks, then stir in milk
3. Another bowl: combine flour, cinnamon, baking powder, and salt
4. Stir into wet ingredients
5. Wrap dough & chill for at least 2 hours
6. Preheat ove to 175C
7. On a slightly floured surface, roll dough into ¼ inch thickness
8. Cut out cookies with cookie cutter
9. Place cookies 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet
10. Bake for 10-12mins until brown.

(Source: nigella.com)

New Blog!

Hello!  I've decided to create a new blog where I will be able to post about anything I'm interested in!  It's going to cover anything from Health & Beauty, to Music, to Cooking & Recipes, to books or movies that I like/recommend ... perhaps some photography too!
Enjoy!