Truffle Brownies

   A few weeks ago one of my managers at work requested these brownies for her birthday.  I've made them several times now and I must say they have ruined me for most other brownies.  At least when I'm having a serious chocolate craving.  While they are very easy and quick to make prep and baking wise, the hour cool down in the freezer makes them a delayed gratification.  But trust me, it's worth it.  And yes, I did say freezer.  *cue confused faces and head scratching*

Brownie Interior

   You can see from the picture why these are called truffle brownies.  The interior consistency is much closer to a truffle filling than your traditional brownie.  I originally found the recipe on the Food Network website.  The Food Network site is always one of my first stops when I'm looking for a new recipe.  Partially because I'm slightly fan-girl obsessed with Alton Brown.  But honestly I've yet to have one of his recipes completely lead me astray.

Warning: Major Food Porn Ahead!

Zoya Cola

   Recently I went through my polish stash and separated them into ones I've worn and ones I haven't yet.  I'm determined to make it through the haven't worn box soon.  Though this task would be easier if I stopped buying more polish.  But I think we all know what the chances of that are.  And I probably need to change up the polish a bit more often as well.  Good news for you guys, my lovely followers. 
   Today I'm wearing Cola from the Zoya Wonderful collection.  Cola is a lovely red brown shade.  It reminds me of a glass of Dr. Pepper when you hold it up to the light.  So Cola is a very apt name I suppose. 

   As you can see from the picture I also decided to try out my new Barielle top coat.  I based this decision on the fact that last time I wore a Zoya polish, Charla from the Sparkle collection, I used my normal Seche Vite and had some shrinkage and wear issues.  I've since learned that Vite, and a lot of other quick dry top coats, have a certain chemical compound in them, to help with the drying process, that doesn't play well with Zoya most of the time.  I can't remember the exact name of the compound, but I do remember it's a cellulose something.  Looking at the Barielle ingredients I did not see anything called cellulose whatever so I'm hoping I get better results.  So far I haven't seen any shrinkage and it's been about 24 hours since I put it on.

   I used 1 coat Seche Rebuild for my base, 3 coats Cola, and two coats Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender top coat.  I used 3 coats of Cola because my first coat was too thin and wound up very streaky so it didn't give enough coverage.  This was entirely my fault.  The formula for Cola was very nice, not too thin not too thick, and went on very smoothly when I used enough polish on my brush.  For the top coat, I really liked the square top.  I found it very easy to hold on to.  This one also went on very smoothly, as long as I worked quickly.  It started drying very fast which could cause issues if you don't have enough product on your nail to cover the entire area.  Which I sometimes run into, especially on my thumbs.  It's a very fine line between not enough product and too much.  One which I am still trying to figure out.  You'll also notice that the polish dries darker on your hand than the bottle color.  But this was a good thing for me.  I much prefer the darker color on my nail than the bottle color.

   I've also decided to do a bit of a wear test on Zoya this week.  For the next three days I will be working at the mall Bath & Body Works helping them box up all their product in preparation for their remodel that starts next week.  Yes there are two BBWs in my town and no I do not normally work at the one in our mall.  Though technically I think the mall isn't actually in Athens, but Bogart but really it should be Athens.  Parts of Bogart have merged with Athens so they're almost one town in areas.  But I digress.  I figure the best time to do a wear test is when I'll be doing a lot of manual work with my hands.  So I will leave this mani on for a week and post my results next Wednesday. 

   So far I'm enjoying Cola a lot.  It's a nice rich color with lots of pigment.  2 coats would probably be enough for full coverage if you don't make the coats too thin like I did.   I think this would be a really nice fall color.  It's nice and earthy and very deep when you look at it.

Disclaimer:  This bottle of Zoya Cola was provided by the company to me after I won a Twitter contest by them.  It was not provided for consideration or as a PR sample however, simply as a contest prize.

Grocery Store Cravings

   Am I the only one who goes to the grocery store for a couple things and winds up picking up all sorts of extra stuff?  Usually completely unrelated to the original items.  That's what I did yesterday anyway.  I went in for some fried chicken for dinner and lunches for the hubby.  And this is what else I wound up with:

   Ok not the ginger, but the rest of it.  Along with a loaf of bread, some balsamic vinaigrette dressing, and some pita chips.  I did at least pick up the chicken too.  I've been known to check out and get to my car only to realize I'd forgotten the item I'd originally gone into the store for.

   So what did I do with these somewhat healthy ingredients?  Why I made a salad of course.

   I already had the almonds, raisins, and cheese.  The brie and hummus haven't been opened yet, but I'm sure that will change soon.  I was very proud of myself for having a healthy dinner for once.  I also wondered if I was getting sick since I so rarely want salad.  Don't get me wrong, I like salad.  It's just not something I usually crave like I was yesterday.  Though I'm sure the glass of wine and slice of cake I had later on totally ruined any good for me ness from the salad.

   Whatever was making me crave the salad yesterday must have been a one day thing because I was back to normal for lunch.  What was lunch you ask?  Why this yummy, cheesy, carby goodness: 

That yummines is Marie Calendar's scalloped potatoes with ham.  Or something like that.  The box is way over in the kitchen.  I added extra cheese of course.  I have yet to find any kind of frozen or pre packaged food that has enough cheese on it as is.  Doesn't matter the brand or type of item.  It's like companies are scared of cheese.  And of course for dessert I had this:

   I was so happy when I found some of those yesterday.  I think I bought like 8 of them.  I would have gotten more but that was all the store had that I could find.  I absolutely LOVE coffee flavored chocolates.  Twix came out with these a few years ago originally as a limited edition item, but has recently released them again.  If you like coffee and chocolate give these a try if you haven't yet.  And if you can find them.  Now if only Oreos would re-release the coffee half and half cookies they used to make.  Do any of you remember those?  One of the best cookies ever.  Well to me and the hubby anyway.

Shiny New Toys

   It's been a week of new toy syndrome for me.  Which is good since there has been rain and storms everyday this week.  Rain, and really overcast days in general, and I don't get along.  Whenever it's raining I just want to curl up in bed and sleep all day.  Plus when it rains for several days in a row I tend to start getting depressed.  So new toys helped combat that this week.

   Friday I dragged David over to Atlanta so we could go to IKEA.  That's the part that really required the dragging since he's a typical male in the hating shopping sense.  I don't know if any of you have ever been to IKEA but I love the store.  And the Swedish meatballs.  If you've never been, check it out if there's one nearby or at least the website.  You can get some great ideas on making the most of small spaces and pick up some great deals on household items.  I picked up some new plates in a pretty dusty blue, $15 for an 18 piece set.  And the set is all plates and bowls with no mugs like most sets.  If there's one thing I don't need more of, it's mugs.  I also grabbed a wok for $5, a couple of shelves and brackets for my office for $16 total, and my favorite find, a new mirror for my entryway.

See the rest after the break

Orange Date Bread

   I realized that so far I've focused on the polished part of this blog, but not on the frosted part.  I think it's time to fix that don't you?  
   For the last couple of weeks I have been trying to clean out my second bedroom to get it usable as an office/work room.  It has been just a storage room for the last year since David and I moved in.  As I was going through a box of cookbooks I found one that I had grabbed from my mom because she didn't want it anymore.

   I paged through the book and I'm pretty sure I want to try at least 3/4 of the recipes.  If you aren't familiar with Taste of Home check out their website.  I found a recipe for baked porkchops with apples and raisins that I've made several times and it is very good.  Here's that one if you want to try it.  I highly recommend it, if you aren't against pork for whatever reason.  Though chicken thighs would probably work well too.

See My First Recipe After the Break

China Glaze Halloween and BCA Releases

Happy Monday everyone.  I hope you all had a good weekend.  I'm happy to report that yesterday's shoe shopping adventure was successful.  Not only did David, the hubby, get a new pair of shoes, so did I.  AND mine were half off since they were the second pair.  More things should be half off don't you think?  I know my wallet would be happier if they were.

   Today I just have a couple press releases for you from China Glaze.   The first is their new Halloween set Awakening.  It is scheduled for release in September online and in Sally Beauty Supply stores only.  The second is their Breast Cancer Awareness set Fight Like a Woman.  This one is also scheduled for release in September online and professional beauty supply stores.

AWAKEN YOUR HALLOWEEN SPIRITS WITH GLAMOURISHLY GOULISH
NAILS

China Glaze Introduces Three Limited Edition Halloween Polishes

Los Angeles, CA – (July 2010): Sink your claws into these three ghoulish glitters from
China Glaze, perfect for a night of fright! Uniquely alluring and unlike any other Halloween
colors before them, this collection is sure to entice. Colors in the promotion include:

• Zombie Zest: A mossy green shade with gold flecks of micro glitter.
• Ick-A-Body: A dark green base chock full of orange glitter.
• Mummy May I: Vampy, wine colored purple with flecks of hot pink glitter.

The 18 piece display will be available at Sally’s Beauty Supply Stores only and the 4 piece
with free Fast Forward Top Coat will be available at all other beauty and nail supply outlets,
stores and e-tailers.


China Glaze (www.chinaglaze.com ) is a division of American International Industries.



About American International Industries
For 35 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor of
innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women.  Our product lines
include 5 Second Nail, Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, China Glaze, Clean
+ Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Correctionist, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night,
Gena, GiGi, Gypsy Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, One
Touch, RAW, Seche, SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Sweet Mary Jane, Waterworks,  Winning Nails,
Woltra and Youthair. For more information about our full line, visit our new website:
www.aiibeauty.com

Find Strength in the Power of Pink

China Glaze Nail Lacquer Gets the Gloves Ready to Join in the
Fight Against Breast Cancer

Los Angeles, Calif. (July 2010) – Join China Glaze Nail Lacquer this October
in the battle against breast cancer, one nail at a time! The professional line of nail
lacquers brings on the fight with three powerful pinks. Inspired by the women who fight
everyday and those that support them in their battle, these fabulous shades are sure to
help you defeat the toughest opponents with style and class. China Glaze representative
Rachel Schafer voiced that “in an industry dominated by women, for women, it is
important that we strive to work together towards finding a cure”.

The three colors in “Fight Like A Woman” include:

Encouragement – A baby pink shimmer that brings on the cheer

Endurance – Power through the punches with this raspberry shimmer

Empowerment – Stand up tall with this cotton-candy crème on your nails

A portion of the proceed will benefit the International Agency for Research on Cancer
(IARC), an agency of the World Health Organization dedicated to the science of cancer
and promoting international collaboration in cancer research.

The “Fight Like A Woman” Collection will be available at professional beauty supply
stores and select salons this September. Availability will be very limited internationally.

China Glaze colors may change from season to season, but our formula remains the
same amazing longwearing lacquer with hardeners. Designed with the professional

in mind, our 220-strand brush is great for ease of application. Best of all, our non-
thickening formula provides great coverage. For more information, please visit
www.chinaglaze.com.

About American International Industries
For nearly 40 years, AII has been the leading manufacturer and worldwide distributor
of innovative, quality beauty and skin care products for men and women. Our product
lines include Ardell, Andrea, Body Drench, Bye Bye Blemish, Checi, China Glaze, Clean +
Easy, Clubman/Pinaud, Duo, European Secrets, EzFlow, Fright Night, Gena, GiGi, Gypsy
Lash, IBD, Jeris-Lustray, No Tweeze/Micro Tweeze, 'N Rage, Prolinc, RAW, Seche,
SuperNail, Surgi-Care, Waterworks, Winning Nails, Woltra, Woody’s, and Youthair. For
more information, visit our website: www.aiibeauty.com

For more information, please contact:

Alanna Littlepage
PR and Advertising
American International Industries
a-littlepage@aiibeauty.com
www.aiibeauty.com

   So which of these colors are you all most excited about?  For me it's Mummy May I.  I'm itching to get my hands on this one.  That might just be my purple obsession talking though.

Girls' Day and a Barielle Score

   Sorry I haven't posted in a few days, I've been a little busy.  My husband is starting his second year of grad school at UGA on Monday so we're trying to make sure he's ready to go.  Which of course means shoe shopping as both his pairs need replacing.  What is it about boys that they only have like 3 pairs of shoes?  And yet, in general, they hate shopping so don't want to replace them when the shoes fall apart.  So tomorrow I get to drag him to the outlet mall and try to find at least one pair that are workshop safe.  Of course I'm not looking forward to this at all.  Nope, not me.  I absolutely hate shopping.  Raise your hand if you believe that.  No one?  Good.  Cause shopping is one of my absolute favorite activities.

   Speaking of shopping, I did a little of that after work today.  The shopping center I work at has a TJ Maxx in it.   If you've never been to a TJ Maxx, you should check one out if you get a chance.  It's one of those stores where they get overstock, or discontinued merchandise, from other stores so you never know what you're going to find.  Sometimes you won't find anything.  Sometimes you'll find something awesome.  Today was a fairly awesome day for me.  What did I find?  I found a bottle of Barielle Ultra Speed Dry Manicure Extender and a bottle of Shades by Barielle in Euphoric.  Each bottle was $3.99.  I've been wanting to try this brand for a while so this find made me excited.

Barielle Score

Read about girls' day after the break

Purple Gradient Mani

   Hi folks.  First I'd like to say welcome back and thank you for reading.  I'm sure by now you're thinking "When is she going to get into actual content already?"  Well you're in luck.  That time is now.
   Recently I was browsing through Michelle's blog over at All Lacquered Up and found this entry on gradient manicures.  Or gradation as she calls them.  This inspired me to try one myself.  But I decided to find a buildable glitter in my collection that I had a matching base color for.  At this point I should mention that my favorite color is purple.  So a large portion of my polishes fall into that category.  Now does it surprise anyone after that announcement that the best matches I found were purples?  I didn't think so. 

   See the results after the break  

Legal Stuff

  I am the sole owner and writer of polished & frosted.  In accordance with the FTC's Endorsement Guidelines as of Dec 1, 2009 I will fully disclose any information regarding endorsements and company relationships.

  I am not a professional nail technician, chef, jeweler, or anything else that may be relevant.  Everything I do and post about is because I enjoy it and feel that others might as well.  Nothing I say about a particular product should be taken as fact, merely my opinion and personal experience.  

  I do work for Bath & Body Works. While I do not intend to review products from BBW, or any affiliate brands, I may on occasion make reference to them.  In these cases I will note that it is a product from my employer.  I do not receive any endorsement for these mentions nor any compensation.  I will be as honest about these products as any other I talk about in this blog.  I will also note if said product was purchased by me, with or without my employee discount, or a sample/gratis provided by the company to store associates. 

  Any images posted on this blog, unless otherwise noted, are taken by me and are my property.  Please contact me if you would like to use these images within the guidelines of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 United States 

 

 

Disclosure Policy

This policy is valid from 10 August 2010


 This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, we will and do accept and keep free products, services, travel, event tickets, and other forms of compensation from companies and organizations.

 The compensation received will never influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog. All advertising is in the form of advertisements generated by a third party ad network. Those advertisements will be identified as paid advertisements. As of right now I am keeping this blog AD FREE.  If this changes I will edit this disclosure policy and make an official announcement.

 The owner(s) of this blog is not compensated to provide opinion on products, services, websites and various other topics. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely the blog owners. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider.

 The owner(s) of this blog would like to disclose the following existing relationships. These are companies, organizations or individuals that may have a significant impact on the content of this blog. We are employed by: Limited Brands.  This includes my employer Bath & Body Works, as well as other Limited Brands retail brands including Victoria's Secret, Victoria's Secret Pink,  C.O. Bigelow, La Senza, White Barn Candle Co. and Henri Bendel. 

 

Welcome to polished & frosted

   Welcome to my blog.  You're probably wondering "polished & frosted? What's that crazy title about?" Admit it you are.  Well I'll tell you. And no you don't have a choice.  Unless you close the page I suppose.  But you're not going to do that right? Please?

   Ok, enough aimless rambling.  For now at least.  So what is polished & frosted all about?  In a nutshell it's about nail polish (polished) baked goods (frosted) and my jewelry making experiments (again frosted if you're a movie nerd like me).  For those of you who don't get the reference/joke watch How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days.  That's the main focus anyway.   I will occasionally be throwing movie and book reviews at you most likely.  And maybe even a few makeup or beauty product reviews as well.  Or whatever else distracts me one d-- SQUIRREL! (Up was such a great movie wasn't it?)

   What was I saying?  Oh right what to expect from this blog.  As you can probably tell already a lot of lame jokes and movie references.  While I can't promise to stop either of those I will try to at least link the movie or tv show I'm referencing.  Hopefully what you'll actually get from here is some new ideas for projects and some personal experiences with products or recipes you've been thinking about trying.  Have a great day everyone and I hope you come back again soon.

   Up soon: my first try at a gradient mani and some legal stuff.