Spring Nail Polish Favorites

Nail polish is one of our favorite guilty pleasures.  Our collections are scary large, but we always seem to find room for new additions.  Although we generally gravitate toward darker colors in the winter and lighter ones in the spring, we also try to check out the new releases each season.  Here are some colors we are wearing this spring, new and old!

1.  Essie Gel Couture in Couture Curator: We first spotted this color on the fantastic Kindra's Instagram a while back and knew we needed it.  It's a little pink, a little peach and soooo flattering on many different skin tones.  This is a neutral with a little personality, just what you want for spring.

2. Julep Alaina: We mentioned this polish in a previous Julep Beauty post, but it is worth bringing up again.  This polish is a perfect combination of taupe and beige with hints of mauve.  Spring weather can be a bit grey where we live (or even a little chilly) so this polish will work well with your spring or winter wardrobe.

3.  CND Weekly Polish in Cake Pop: We first spotted this polish when our fabulous friend (and blog reader) CarrieT was sporting it last summer.  It's also available in a gel formula, but this is the non-gel version, which makes at-home application and removal easier.  The pink is girly, but professional and clean looking.  We're just not too wild about the lack of staying power.  Despite the name, this seems to chip early, even with a great top coat.

4. Essie Pret-a-Surfer: This polish was first released in the Summer of 2015, but it's still one of our favorites.  It's a lovely light blue that looks amazing on your fingers or toes.  It's also a good transitional color because it's not a true pastel.

5. Julep Shelly: This mint green is lovely for spring.  At the time of this post, it was out of stock, but you can try here for a similar look.

6. Essie Gel Couture in Pre-Show Jitters: Can you tell that Essie is our favorite brand?  We love their color selection and formulas.  The Gel Couture line features basically the best brush ever and great staying power!  This color is a beautiful white with just a hint of blush.

What nail polish colors are you sporting this spring?  Let us know in the comments below!

Friday Pick-Six: 3/24/17

Here's what we're loving and living for this week!

1. Before I became a mom, I loved my daily Pure Barre workout.  After my kiddo was born, I found that I simply didn't have the time to get over to the studio as much as I'd like.  I've searched for ways to incorporate exercise into my busy schedule and came up with a few requirements.  I need a workout I can complete at home with minimal equipment (mat or hand weights are fine) that is around 30 minutes long.  Okay, if I'm being honest, the exact time measure is "The Length of an Episode of Curious George".  One of my favorite sources for workouts that fit the bill is the POPSUGAR Fitness channel on YouTube.  There are dozens of options and you can search workouts by length or type.  The videos range in length from 10-60 minutes and play easily on your laptop, tablet or SmartTV.  Some of my favorites include Power Yoga from the popular Y7 Yoga Studio and anything by Australian dynamo and celebrity favorite Simone De La Rue!  Thanks to POPSUGAR Fitness, I can squeeze my much needed workouts into my busy schedule.  Give it a try!--J

2. Spring weather where we live is often super unpredictable.  It usually starts off a little cool in the morning but warms up by the afternoon.  Layers and light weight scarves are great for this type of weather.  One of our favorite scarves is the Lululemon Vinyasa Scarf.  This scarf is a little pricey, but it's so versatile.  We each have one and so does our mom!  It can be worn 10 different ways (watch this amazing tutorial) and is light-weight enough so you don't feel too warm.  We often throw ours on post-barre workout or when running around on the weekend.

3.  One thing we all need to do is drink more water.  It's great for your skin, weight loss and overall health.  However, drinking plain water can get a little tedious.  That's where our favorite water bottle comes in!  The AVOIN Sport Tritan Fruit Infuser Water Bottle makes it easy to infuse water with interesting flavor combinations.  This water bottle is BPA-free and has a great spill-proof top.  You just fill the inner chamber with your fruit or veggies, place it inside and fill with water.  We usually let it steep from for 15-45 minutes, too, to develop more flavor.  Who wouldn't rather enjoy lemon-raspberry or lime-cucumber flavored water than plain old boring water?  (Is anyone else being reminded of this clip from Parks and Recreation right now?) We use our favorite La Croix flavors as inspiration and make up tons of different combinations.  (Pro Tip: Freeze berries before putting them into your infuser to keep your water cold AND keep the fruit in tact).  Ryan spied and sourced these after seeing Kim and Khloe drinking out of them on Keeping Up with the Kardashians.  And you know us, if it's good enough for the Kardashian sisters, who are we to argue?

4.  Admittedly, we watch a lot of TV, but it's rare when a new show comes along and makes it into our rotation.  This year, we can't stop talking about This is Us on NBC.  This drama focuses on the lives and relationships of a family across generations and timelines.  We were hooked after the first episode!  Each week we laughed and cried (and cried some more) while learning more about the complex Pearson family.  Although the season finale aired last week, you can watch all the episodes on NBC.com or Hulu.  Grab a box (or two) of Kleenex first, trust us!

5.  We're always looking for quick and easy weeknight meals around these parts.  For the record, I don't do much (okay, any) cooking on a regular basis, but I am often responsible for finding recipes and meal planning.  I recently came across this recipe for One Pot Greek Chicken, Lemon and Rice on Pinterest and knew we had to try it.  It's relatively easy, needs no specialty ingredients and was a hit with the toddler.  My husband added capers as a garnish, but olives would be great, too.  Also, since he first made it, he's been toying around with the basic recipe but changing up the seasonings and add-ins.  For example, he used this method to make Arroz con Pollo by adding in a can of tomatoes, black beans and frozen corn and changing the spices to cumin, coriander and oregano.--J

6.  Of course, our favorite store, GAP, is having a sale this weekend!  It's Friends and Family Sale time again and we couldn't be more ready to stock up on clothes for spring!  Everything is 40% off with the code FFSALE and all orders ship free now through March 27th.  Here are some picks we have in our cart:

Love the mixed print and detailing on this top!

Lace and army green together?  Sold!

Adorable for Easter!  Just add boots (okay, if you live where we do, boots AND tights)!

We don't exactly NEED more lounge pants, but these are just sooooooo great!

What are you loving this week?  Let us know in the comments below!

Our Favorite Podcasts #trypod

One of our favorite things to do lately is listening to podcasts.  They're a great way to pass the time during mundane activities like driving to work or washing dishes.  Plus, there are literally thousands of them!  You can learn new skills, be informed about current events, or just laugh a lot.  This month, many of our favorite podcasters, led by NPR, are asking listeners to recommend their favorites to friends and family.  We've already mentioned a couple of our favorites here and here.  Here are a few more awesome podcasts you'll find in our download history!  Give them a try!

1. S-Town: We were hooked on both seasons of Serial, so we were psyched to read that its producers were coming out with a new show this month.  This new series, which will be released in its entirety on March 28th, will focus on mystery and murder in a small Alabama town.  We've already subscribed so that all the episodes will be downloaded immediately to our iPhones when they're released.  We just know this will be the podcast that everyone will be talking about this spring!

2. Bitch Sesh: If you're a Real Housewives lover like we are, then you are going to go crazy for this podcast.  Co-hosts Casey Wilson and Danielle Schneider talk all things Housewives and offer their hilarious hot-takes and commentary.  This is a must-listen if you watch Bravo 24-7 like we do.  

3. Young House Love Has a Podcast: We loved John and Sherry Petersik's blog Young House Love when it came out years ago.  Their podcast offers design tricks and tips and answers to listener questions.  We are excited to follow John and Sherry's latest journey--fixing up a beach house rental.

4.  Modern Love: Last fall, we were looking for a podcast that would distract us from politics and help us focus on the good things in the world.  We found NPR and WBUR Boston's Modern Love, where celebrities read essays from the popular New York Times column.  The essays talk about love of all kinds in touching and even funny ways.  Some favorites include Revenge of the Friend read by Kristen Chenowith and My First Son, A Pure Memory read by Sterling K. Brown.

What podcasts do you love?  Participate in the challenge by recommending them in our comments below or on social media using the hashtag #trypod.

Twins Take on the Brand: Julep

One of our favorite beauty brands has to be Julep Beauty.  Julep was created by Jane Park with the mission of providing beauty products that make you look and feel great.  We discovered Julep back in 2015, after searching high and low for the amazing greige nail polish Amy Schumer wears in her hilarious movie, Trainwreck.  Fun fact--it's Julep's Alaina!  Julep's nail polish was our gateway into the brand, but we've found so many other products we love there, too.  Once again, we're not sponsored, we just love this stuff!  Be sure to check it out!

1. Adventurous Aquarius Nail Polish: Yup, Julep has a line of nail colors that correspond to your Zodiac sign.  Julep's polish is 5-free, vegan-friendly, dries quickly and lasts long, thanks to their special Oxygen Technology.  They have so many great colors, but their shimmers and glitters are among our faves.

2. Julep Your Lip Addiction: We'll admit it, we have a bit of lip gloss addiction.  We're always looking for great color without the sticky goopy feeling that some glosses leave on your lips.  Enter Lip Addiction!  It's an oil-based product, so it gives you non-stick shine and lasting power.  Seriously, the first time Jess wore this to a party, at least 4 people asked her about the color.  We're partial to the Covet pink color, but try out Obsessed or even Clear for a more conservative look.

3.  Take a Breather Oxygen Nail Treatment:  This nail treatment protects and heals damage to your nails while providing all the oxygen your nail beds need.  It's great as a break between polishes, especially when your nails might be dry coming off of the winter.  Also, this product gives your nails a subtle color that is even prettier than naked nails.  We're partial to the Sheer Pink color for our coloring, but the Sheer Shimmer looks pretty, too.

4.  Beach Tonic: This dry body oil/moisturizer is our summer signature product!  You just spray it on damp skin (right out of the shower) and rub in for smooth summer skin.  Besides providing great moisturizing, this stuff smells phenomenal!  Our only gripe is the spray bottle, which gets clogged easily.  Make sure to wipe it down and lift it up fully after each pump.  If Julep could fix this packaging, this would be perfection!

5. Eyeshadow 101: Because messing with brushes takes extra time in the morning that we just don't always have, we love an all-in-one eye shadow stick.  This one comes with a smudging sponge for easy application.  The Champagne Shimmer color provides a great everyday basic color, if you're more daring, try the beautiful Midnight Blue!

6. When Pencil Met Gel:  We've never quite gotten the hang of eyeliner, but this one makes it pretty much fool-proof!  It goes on smoothly and evenly and it's even waterproof!  For day, we love the brown or clay versions, but when you're getting fancy, check out the black shimmer.

7. It's Balm: Full Coverage Lip Crayon: This lip crayon (who doesn't love crayons!) has great staying power without being drying on your lips.  Jess keeps a Vintage Mauve crayon in the kiddo's diaper bag for a quick swipe of color while out on the town.  It's easy to apply and comes in 18 amazing colors.  For spring, try Fuchsia Berry or Electric Coral.

Twins Take On Food: Ryan's Chex Mix

There are a lot of situations where the store bought version of something is just as good as homemade, but I firmly believe Chex Mix is not one of them.  I know, I know.  You are thinking to yourself, "You're insane!  Chex mix in a bag is great!  It's one of the best road trip snacks of all time!"  I agree with you, Readers, I really do.  It is great...it's just that homemade is, well, SUPER great.

Over the years, I've played around with the recipe on the box (which is fine on its own), taken some suggestions from friends, and tweaked the recipe to what I think is basically perfection.  Although this stuff is perfect at ANY time of year, it's a family tradition during March Madness. 

Without further ado, I give you, Ryan's Chex Mix!  

Preheat the oven to 250 degrees.  Mix the following together in a large roasting pan*:

• 3 cups each of Corn, wheat, and rice Chex 
• 1 cup of your favorite kind of small pretzel (I usually go stix but smaller traditional pretzels or even pretzel goldfish work great)
• 1 cup bagel chips, broken into pieces
• 1 cup Cheese Its
• 1 cup Bugles (I'm guessing it's been a while since you had Bugles.  Yes, they are just as good as you remembered.)
• 1 1/2 cups dry roasted peanuts or mixed nuts 

* Pro tip:  I use a disposable aluminum roasting pan that you can find the baking aisle of your grocery store (because less time washing dishes means more time eating Chex Mix, obviously). 

Seasoning:

• 1 stick of butter
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil
• 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 2 teaspoons seasoned salt
• 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder 
• 1 teaspoon onion powder 

Melt the butter and olive oil in a small sauce pan over medium high heat.  Add in the rest of the ingredients until it begins to boil and get foamy.  Remove from heat and spoon the sauce over the Chex mix in the roasting pan.  (Pro tip: stir the seasoning in between spooning it over the mix because the ingredients will settle on the bottom of the sauce pan).  Bake for a total of 1 hour, stirring the mixture at 15 minute intervals.  Once the hour is up, spread the mix on paper towels to cool for about 15 minutes, or as long as you can contain your excitement.  Assuming you are a normal person (unlike myself who can inhale all of this stuff in one sitting), it keeps well in an airtight container or freezer bag for a few days.

Feel free to play around with the recipe by adding in your favorite snacks. I've had this stuff with popcorn, fritos, pita chips, goldfish...you name it.  Mix some up this week and let us know what you like best!

Friday Pick-Six: 3/17/17

Here's what we are loving and living for this week!

1. I've been on the hunt for a great dry shampoo basically since I became a mom and had pretty much no time to wash my hair when I wanted.  I've struggled to find one that didn't leave my already fine hair limp and heavy with product.  After a long time of searching, I abandoned my quest.  Until a recent power outage that is!  On Day #2 sans power, I found myself wandering the aisles of Target with the kiddo using the free wi-fi to download podcasts.  I had a recently read a write-up about L'Oreal Paris Hair Expert Clay Dry Shampoo in Real Simple magazine and thought I would give it a go.  Lo and behold, I think I finally found that elusive dry shampoo that works for my hair!  There was a pleasant but not over-powering scent and it didn't leave my hair feeling stringy or heavy-feeling.  A few spritzes, a comb through and one high ponytail later and I arrived at work NOT looking like someone who had spent the previous 20 hours trying to convince a crabby toddler that being without power and heat was a "fun adventure." Dry Shampoo for the Win!--J

2.  As if we needed another reason to love Target, this week we can't stop eating some of the seasonal varieties of Archer Farm's trail mix.  Ryan's fave is Bunny Bait (honey roasted peanuts, white chocolate covered pretzel balls, confetti cookie pieces, etc.) and Jess loves the Chocolate Peanut Butter Overload (sort of a classed up version of the ole Chex Mix favorite "puppy chow" with mini peanut butter cups).  Added bonus is that they're on sale- 2 for $6 this week.

 

3. This time of year, it's pretty much impossible to NOT have chapped lips, so I have been searching for a good lip scrub for a while.  I recently ordered a Sweet Pot Sugar Scrub & Lip Balm from Clinique and I am already noticing my lips are less chapped.  It's a 2 in 1- one side is a lip scrub and the other is a tinted lip balm and they come in a variety of shades.  I have the sweet rose color and it's the perfect little hint of pink.  Plus, look how pretty they are!!--R

4.  When's the last time you've had a White Russian?  It's been a while, right?  Well, friends, we are here to tell you that they are just as delicious you might remember.  Fun fact:  our mom actually made Jess her very first White Russian back in college while prepping for a family Christmas party.  (Among other things, our mom is a great bartender!)  Here's a great recipe from one of our favorite blogs, Smitten Kitchen.  (Word to the wise: if you don't have heavy cream or half and half, regular old skim milk works just fine).  If it's good enough for The Dude, it's good enough for us.

5. We love using Pandora as a great way to get a playlist of songs we already love and finding new releases.  Some new music we are loving this week is the new CD, Divide, from Ed Sheeran (especially the single Dive) and The Search for Everything by our fave, John Mayer.

6. We make our fair share of cookies in these parts.  One of our favorite things to do is whip up a batch of cookie dough, scoop it out into cookies and then freeze those babies.  That way, when a cookie craving hits, you're never more than 10-12 minutes away from a sweet treat.  It's our very own version of "Break and Bake".  Our favorite tool to make this task a little simpler is the Oxo Softworks Cookie Scoop.  The scoop is easy to use and scoops evenly sized not-too-large-but-not-too-small cookies.  And for what it's worth, Phoebe's Grandma was right, the classic Nestle Tollhouse Chocolate Chip Cookie is where it's at.

Twins Take on the Trend: Athleisure

The Athleisure trend has been around for a while and it shows no signs of stopping.  Frankly, that's probably because getting away with wearing workout wear everyday is accessible and practical.  Here are a few of our favorite athleisure items and how to style them.

1. Athleta High-Rise Chaturanga Tights: Jess here...full disclosure, I should probably call these "Target Pants" or "Saturday Errands with the Kid Pants" instead of yoga pants because that's where I wear them most often.  I did actually originally purchase them for Pure Barre (and continue to love and rock them there), but have found them a bigger place in my wardrobe lately.  They're comfortable and feature a higher waistband to keep you sucked in in all the right places.   They come in many fun colors and textures to mix into your wardrobe.  I like to style them with a swing tank and long cardigan, blanket scarf optional.--Jess

2. New Balance 574 Retro Sneakers: Maybe it's just because they remind us of Ryan Gosling and Steve Carrell ("Crazy, Stupid Love", anyone?) but we adore New Balances.  They're sporty and stylish and look cute with the aforementioned Chaturanga Tights.  Just make sure you find a good no-show sock to pair with them.

3.  Gap Fit Breathe Side-Tie Tee: We don't always buy the same exact clothes, but when Ry snap-chatted a mirror selfie of her in this top, Jess ordered it immediately.  It's blousy enough to go over a workout tank, but super flattering with the adjustable tie-waist.  This top works at the gym, studio or out to brunch. Of course, we ordered it in grey, but this pretty blush pink would be on trend for spring.

4.  Gap Pure Body Mockneck Poncho:  Jess again.  I've never met a poncho I didn't love.  Seriously, my work bestie counts the days that I don't wear some sort of poncho-drapey cardigan-blanket scarf, etc.  This one is so soft and cozy!  This poncho works with leggings or you can dress it up with skinny jeans and boots.

5.  C9 Champion Focus 2 Performance Athletic Shoes:  The C9 Champion line at Target is an awesome collection of on-trend athletic wear at a super affordable price point.  I bought these shoes a few weeks ago and they are cute, supportive and breathable.  (Spoiler alert: there's almost no difference between those and my favorite Nike Flyknits,,,, just the price!)

6.  Athleta Crossback CYA Sweatshirt:  Ryan here-- I'll admit, most of my sweatshirts are oversized Michigan ones (not that there's anything wrong with that) but this one is adorable AND functional.  I love that the longer length gives a little bit more coverage with leggings.  Perfect for throwing over your barre clothes and heading out to brunch!