Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup

February 3, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood7 Comments

Way back when Pinterest was brand new and there weren’t too many people that used it yet, I pinned this easy crockpot potato soup from Pearls Handcuffs and Happy Hour. As we all know, Pinterest has really taken off and it has been a huge blessing to bloggers of all kinds.

I have made this soup so many times, and ever time I make it I love it just as much! Very simple, very delicious. Perfect for dinner on cold winter days!

Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — Photo credit goes to Pearls Handcuffs and Happy Hour

Ingredients:

1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese (Fat free cream cheese won’t melt)

Directions:

In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese.
Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat.
About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and keep heated until thoroughly melted.
Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions (Sometimes if I have leftover ham I will cut it up and add it into the soup, ham is my favorite!)

If you would like to read the original posted recipe on Pearls-Handcuffs-Happyhour click HERE

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Make up

Make Up Dupes…?!

February 2, 2016February 2, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood6 Comments

Have you ever been using a drugstore product and thought to yourself, “Hmmm this reminds me of…(insert high end product name)” or vice versa with a high end product?

Did you know that many of the high end companies we love are actually owned by one of the well known drugstore cosmetic companies?

YSL, Lancome, Georgio Armani, and Urdan Decay all have the same parent company L’Oreal.

Even Essie and EM by Michelle Phan and many more are owned by L’Oreal. I love L’Oreal, it is one of my favorite drugstore make up brands. You may remember that I also love Maybelline, it is also owned by L’Oreal.

Here is a list of the companies that are owned by L’Oreal:

L’Oréal Technique
L’Oréal Professionnel, (including ARTec and Innate)
Kérastase (created by L’Oreal in 1964)
Kéraskin Esthetics, (created by L’Oreal in 2007 and specializing in skin care professionals.)
Matrix Essentials, (founded by Arnie Miller in 1980 and acquired by L’Oreal in 2000.)
Mizani, (founded in 1991 and bought by L’Oreal in 2001.)
PureOlogy Research, (founded in 2001 and acquired by L’Oreal in 2007.)
Redken 5th Avenue NYC, (founded by Paula Kent and Jheri Redding in 1960 and acquired by L’Oreal in 1993.)
Shu Uemura Art of Hair
Carol’s Daughter
Carita
Decléor

L’Oreal Luxe

Lancôme
YSL
Giorgio Armani
Biotherm
Cacharel
Diesel
Viktor & Rolf
Ralph Lauren
Kiehl’s
The Body Shop
Shu Uemura
Stella McCartney
Clarisonic
Guy Laroche
Paloma Picasso
Urban Decay
Maison Martin Margiela
Yue Sai
Helena Rubinstein

Consumer products

L’Oréal Paris
Ombrelle
Garnier
Maybelline
Nyx Cosmetics
SoftSheen-Carson
Carol’s Daughter
Créateurs de Beauté
Essie
Magic
EM Michelle Phan
Niely Cosméticos
Colorama

Active cosmetics

Vichy
La Roche Posay
Inneov
Skinceuticals
Roger&Gallet
Sanoflore
Dermablend

One good thing about L’Oreal is its standards on animal testing:

“L’Oréal no longer tests on animals any of its products or any of its ingredients, anywhere in the world. Nor does L’Oréal delegate this task to others. The rare exception allowed is if regulatory authorities demand it for safety or regulatory purposes.”

Did you know that L’Oreal owned all of these other companies? Are any of your favorite brands owned by L’Oreal?

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

Make up

Winter Is Killing My Skin!

January 31, 2016February 6, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Ladies! I don’t know about you, but Winter Is Killing My Skin!

Winter Is Killing my Skin! | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — Super cute, right?! What we do for beauty!

Gone are the days of dealing with an oily face, hello red irritation and dry patches! Hmmm, I’m not sure which of the two is worse…

I have been drinking a lot of water, using moisturizing masks. I even tried applying a thicker moisturizer at night. That was a no go! It made my skin breakout like crazy! Yes, I now have younger looking skin, but it is only younger looking because I look like a teenager with acne! Talk about adding insult to injury right?!

Just another reason to hate the cold and snow of the winter. This too shall pass…just not soon enough!

While, I don’t recommend clogging your pours by over moisturizing at night, I do recommend the Hada Labo Tokyo Ultimate Anti Aging Facial Mask. They are sold at Target. You get 4 in a pack for $14.99. (that comes to about $3.75 each.) They recommend using the mask 1-3 times a week. My skin does feel more moisturized after I use one of the masks. Added bonus you look super cute while wearing it too 😉

I received the Lather Honey Moisture Mask with Propolis Extract in an ipsy bag. I love this mask and have been using it quite often since I got it last month. It is marketed specifically as relieving skin that is “stressed by nature’s harsh elements.” You can find it on Amazon for $22 for a 4 ounce tub. A little goes a long way, but is still very moisturizing. It has a delightful honey scent.

Do you have any tips or tricks to help with winter skin? I’d love to hear what you are doing!

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

Make up · Quote

Winged Liner

January 30, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodImageLeave a comment

Make up · Review · Weekly Product Highlight

Mauve Over! Maybelline Lip Sensational Lipsticks

January 30, 2016April 22, 2022 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

I am a big fan of Maybelline, they offer so many great makeup products at a reasonable price.

I’m very particular when it comes to the way that lip products feel on my lips. I do not like lipsticks that make my lips feel dry and uncomfortable. I hate it when my lips hurt for days after wearing a lip product. I haven’t found that to be an issue with the Maybelline Lip Sensational Lipsticks. They are so smooth and comfortable to wear. After I tried my first shade I liked it so much that I went back and purchased three more!

When it come to choosing a lipstick shade I always find myself leaning towards mauve. Mauve is a color that can have a wide range of shades. Magnificent Mauve #430 is a lighter pink based mauve, while Mauve It Up #440 is a more purple/blue berry toned mauve. Mauve Mania #450 is a reddish mauve. On the Mauve #445 is my favorite. It has purple/brown under toned and is just beautiful. With its blue tinge it makes my teeth look whiter. There are several other different shades, formulas, and finishes of mauve to choose from the Lip Sensational Lipsticks.

If you are not interested in Mauve, I recommend you check out some of the other 32 Lip Sensational Lipsticks shades. They are so rich in pigment and creamy in texture! With 32 different shades available from light corals and nudes to deep vampy purple reds, you are bound to find a perfect shade for you.

Have you ever tried any of the Maybelline Lip Sensational Lipsticks? What is your go to lipstick shade? What is your favorite type of lipstick finish? What is your favorite brand of lipstick? Let me know in the comment section below.

*Some of the above links are affiliate links

I would love for you to follow me on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook. You can find me as Looking Joli Good on all four.

Fashion/Style · Flab to FAB

Jeans and Genes

January 29, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

Flab to Fab Finding Jeans | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — We’ve only just begun…

As you may recall, I have been on a journey from Flab to Fab, and part of this journey has lead me to desperately needing new jeans!

I don’t know quite what it is about jean shopping specifically, but it is exhausting!

I have been wearing the same jeans that I fit into almost 20 pounds ago. I recently decided that enough is enough and I just needed to suck it up and keep trying until I find the right pair!

You may be thinking, but you have lost a lot of weight, all of your problems have magically been solved! Nope!

Unfortunately, even though my jeans size has changed, my genes haven’t changed. I have a small waist, thicker thighs and fat knees. You may remember me talking about that in my post about Working Out For Beginners. (I seriously HATE my fat knees!)

Don’t worry, these wonderful genes have also given me a lot of great traits as well.

This means that due to my overall body shape, I am always in between sizes. Seriously, so annoying! If the waist fits, the thighs and knees are too tight. If the thighs and knees are comfortable the waist is way too big. If it seems like a great fit overall they are too short…

Well, I would rather have circulation to my legs, so I decided to just resign myself to the fact that I will always have to wear a belt. I finally found a pair that I like and that are comfortable as well!

On the bright side, no matter what size jeans you are in, you can always wear an amazing pair of earrings! I got these a while ago and had totally forgotten about them until just the other day. The best thing about these earrings is that even though they are long and dangly and absolutely beautiful, they only weigh 2 grams.

I hate it when my earrings pull on my earlobes giving me a major headache. Of course, if I really like the earrings I totally still wear them. We all know about suffering for beauty! #thestruggleisreal I mean, let’s face it, stiletto heels are not comfortable to walk in in any way at all, but come on, they make you feel so beautiful! No pain no gain, am I right?!

I’d love for you to follow me on Instagram Lookingjoligood and on Facebook Lookin Joli Good

Review

Living In Yellow

January 28, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodLeave a comment

Girls, you know that when I like something I like to share it!

One thing I love about Pinterest is finding awesome blogs. That is exactly how I found Erin’s blog Living In Yellow. She not only has awesome style and is beautiful, but she is also hilarious too!

She recently did a whole post about style on a budget from Target. You know I love Target!

You have got to check out her blog!

Delicious Recipes

Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup

January 27, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood2 Comments

Lately I have been loving eating black beans! They have such a great hearty flavor and are so good for you too! This time of year when it is so cold outside, I love to eat soups!

When I saw this recipe on Tidy Mom, I knew that I was going to love it! So simple and so delicious!

Hearty Black Bean Soup | lookingjoligood.wordpress.com — Picture credit goes to Tidymom.org

Black Bean Soup Recipe

This Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup is full of flavor, you’ll never miss the meat. Ready for the table in 30 minutes, but it’s even better the next day!

yield: 6 SERVINGS

prep time: 5 MINUTES

cook time: 25 MINUTES

total time: 30 MINUTES

Ingredients:

3 (15 ounce each) cans black beans, undrained, divided
2 teaspoons on minced garlic
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon chipotle chili pepper
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
14 ounces chicken broth, or vegetable broth
1 (10 ounce) can tomatoes with green chilis (I hate the flavor of peppers, so I skipped the green chilis)
1 (11 ounce) can yellow corn, drained

Directions:

Place one can of beans in blender; add garlic, chili powder, red pepper flakes, chipotle chili pepper, cumin and salt. Cover and blend on high until smooth, about 30 seconds. Pour mixture into stockpot.
Stir remaining 2 cans of beans, broth, tomatoes and corn into stockpot. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes

Check out the original recipe by clicking HERE.

I serve it with sour cream (or plain no fat greek yogurt) and cheddar cheese on top. I also make corn bread to serve with it. You can also serve it over white rice for a different type of dish completely. If you want to have meat in it, add ground beef or ground turkey or shredded chicken. So delicious!!! Enjoy!

Photography

Blood Orange

January 27, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGoodImageLeave a comment

Seriously though, how beautiful is this blood orange that I had for breakfast this morning?!

Review

Drugstore Haul Review

January 26, 2016January 31, 2016 LauraJoli LookingJoliGood3 Comments

Good Buy or Goodbye?!

If you know me, you know that I love Target! They take all of my paper and mobile coupons, plus they have cartwheel.

Back in October, I bought all of these things at Target and posted a Target Mini Makeup Haul. Since then, I have had time to use some of the products for a while now, and I am ready to give a review on them.

Once again I am going to use the simple “Good Buy” or “Goodbye” rating 😉

Here is what I got:

Ultimate 10 BB Creme Conditioner and Nature Fusion Moisturizing Shampoo with Melon Essence. I love Pantene! It is my all time favorite shampoo/conditioner brand! Even when I have used other higher end brands of hair care I always end up coming back to Pantene. I am sad to say though that neither of these specific two worked out for me. I have very straight fine some what oily hair. The BB conditioner left my hair feeling weigh down and the moisturizing shampoo was just too moisturizing and not cleaning enough. Pantene is a good buy, but neither of these two were. So it will be goodbye to both.

I have been enjoying the Maybelline Fit Me Foundation and wanted to try out theFit Me Concealer. Nope, can not figure out what all the hype is about?! I don’t like this concealer at all. Maybe I got a bad tube but it does nothing for me! I don’t really even have dark circles under my eyes, but I still like to try to brighten up my under eye area. I may as well be putting nothing on my face because that is what it looks like. Goodbye!

I love the YES to Grapefruit Daily Facial Scrub, I was hoping these facial wipes would be good as well. I like the way they smell and feel, but unfortunately they stung my face and gave me a bit of a red raised rash. Obviously anything that irritates my skin and causes me pain is a Goodbye!

I say it all the time, I love Maybelline mascaras. I have heard so many great things about the Lash Sensational Mascara but I have never tried it. I figured I would give it a try to see if it lives up to the recommendations. I have to be honest, I have so many other mascaras that I still need to use up before they go bad, that I haven’t even opened this one yet. So…good buy/goodbye? I still don’t know.

I gave the EOS Visibly Soft Vanilla Mint Lip Balm a try. Let’s face it, the EOS lip balm packaging is super cute, but overall that is where it ends! I have tried the Strawberry one, and was less than impressed by it. I was told that the vanilla mint one is different and better than the others. It is definitely better than the strawberry one, but I don’t overly love it. I have used better lip balms that have cost a lot less. Also, I feel like so much of the product gets wasted because of the egg shaped design. After wearing this lip balm my lips don’t feel any more moisturized. At $3 each they are just ok, I have to say this is a Goodbye.

The Soothing Remover Cleansing Towelettes for Sensitive Skin wipes were just ok. They get my face makeup off pretty well. I can get some of my waterproof mascara off, but not much of it at all. If I really want to try to get my mascara off, I end up having to really work at it. The wipes start to dry out before I can get it all off. If I use the wipes too much around my eye area they end up burning my eyes like crazy, so yeah, I’m not into that at all! I have to say Goodbye to these wipes.

I had a coupon for the Herbal Essences Happy Go Lather Body Wash and decided to give it a try. It smells delightful. Nothing overly special about it. It was a good price and it gets me clean without drying out my skin, so I guess it is a good buy.

If you are interested in seeing some other things I have recently purchased and have been trying out, check out my recent mini drugstore haul by clicking HERE. Check out my recent haul reviews by clicking HERE.

Have you tried any of these products? Did something that didn’t work for me work out awesome for you or vise versa? Let me know!

Looking Joli Good

Kindness is beautiful!

Tag: make up

Easy Crock Pot Potato Soup

Make Up Dupes…?!

YSL, Lancome, Georgio Armani, and Urdan Decay all have the same parent company L’Oreal.

Winter Is Killing My Skin!

Winged Liner

Mauve Over! Maybelline Lip Sensational Lipsticks

Jeans and Genes

Living In Yellow

Hearty Southwest Black Bean Soup