Parchment Paper Salmon Recipe

Hello, lovelies! It's starting to feel a bit springy now, right? I've recently been inspired to do some major spring cleaning: house and body. To keep the body clean, I made a delicious salmon dish; this was one of the easiest meals I've ever made. I feel really good about eating well, and it's so much easier when you can chuck a bunch of things together, wrap them up, and bake them!

Ingredients

1 tablespoon butter, softened

1 tablespoon parsley

1 tablespoon garlic

3 large potatoes, cut into 1/8-inch-thick slices

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 celery stick, finely chopped

1 cup baby spinach

3 salmon fillets (6 ounces and 1 1/2 inches thick each), skinned

1 lemon, thinly sliced

Note: Feel free to add any other vegetables that you like!

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Cut 3 large pieces of parchment paper into heart shapes. I suggest folding a large piece of parchment paper in half and cutting half a heart to keep it symmetrical.

Stir together butter, parsley, and garlic in a small bowl; set aside.

Divide potato slices between parchment rectangles, layering them in stacks to form a bed (slightly larger than the salmon fillet) to one side of crease. Season with salt and pepper.

Uncooked ingredients in heart-shaped parchment paper.

Top each bed of potatoes with the shallots and celery, followed by half the spinach. Place salmon fillets on top of spinach. Top each salmon fillet with 2 lemon slices; reserve remaining slices for garnish (optional). Finish with the butter-parsley-garlic concoction; season with salt and pepper.

Half-heart shaped salmon packets ready to be baked.

Fold parchment paper over ingredients at the crease. Starting with one end of the paper and keeping edges together, make small overlapping pleats the length of the paper, creasing tightly as you go and shaping the edge into an arc. The packet should resemble the shape of half a heart.

Place packets on baking sheet. Bake until packets have puffed, 25-30 minutes. Transfer packets to plates. Serve immediately, opening packets at the table. Garnish with remaining lemon slices, if you desire.

The final product. Yum!

I hope you all try this recipe and love it as much as I do! It's so easy to make! Also, feel free to post pictures and tag me so I can see them! Enjoy!

xx Amanda

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

Making the Best of a Love-Hate Relationship: Exercise {Part 2}

Hello, lovelies! Well, it's beginning to look like Spring... kinda. The grass is still brown and the temperature can hardly pass 50 degrees (and I'm on Spring Break). It's kind of a bummer. Regardless of this disconcerting spring weather, it's been warm enough to start getting active again.

Trust me, working out is never something I look forward to doing, but it just needs to get done. College seriously is 100 times worse if you're feeling sluggish and tired all the time. You just have to take thirty minutes out of your day to take a walk around campus or on a treadmill, ride your bike or longboard, strap on some rollerblades, or go lift heavy things if that's really more your style. Start sweating, people! 

In my 18 years, I have never heard someone say they regretted working out.

So today, I decided I'd make my walk a little more interesting. I cranked up some music on my phone, took the cameras with me, and I got lost in Downtown CR. What a better way to start the morning than to have a tranquil adventure to discover places and things you've never seen before?

Here is what I discovered on my walk... Enjoy!

"Only hipsters drink Sprite"

"Hues of Blues"

"Anonymous Graffiti"

"Ducks and Rubbish"

"Downtown in the Distance"

"Go Like This on Instagram"

Maybe this post will give you a little motivation to go work out. If not, maybe you'll get up and go on an adventurous endeavor! It was so fun to discover some cool stuff today!

xx Amanda 

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

Want to read {Part 1}? Click here!

Mascara Mini Reviews

Hello lovelies! Hope you're all doing splendid.

We all want to achieve long, voluminous lashes that make our eyes really pop, right? The key to this is having the right mascara. We desire the mascara wands that coat every lash with the perfect formula while separating, curling, and lengthening all at the same time. We want a multitasker. Is that so much to ask? I definitely don't think so. Whether you're looking to lengthen, curl, or volumize (or all of the above) I've got a list that will help you perfect your lash look!

Maybelline Volum' Express Pumped Up! Colossal Mascara

This mascara is the ideal 3-in-1 for the woman looking to lengthen, add volume, and separate lashes. It's the biggest mascara wand I've ever seen which distributes more mascara when applying to lashes and rids lashes of clumps. It also has a long lasting formula that will stay all day with no smudging included.

COVERGIRL Lashblast Volume Mascara

If your eyes aren't known to get along with mascara due to allergies, this could be your perfect match. This hypoallergenic mascara formula and large brush will max out the volume of each lash and lasts all day. No tears. No smudging. Also comes in waterproof.

Maybelline Great Lash BIG Washable Mascara

This mascara includes a large brush to awaken your lashes by lengthening and curling. It also creates lots of volume with each coat applied without forming clumps and globs. The product is know to be contact safe and great for women with sensitive eyes.

Too Faced Better Than Sex Mascara

You are about to create some intense lashes when applying a coat of this thick formula. This hour glass shaped wand will make lashes will look lush, full, and desirably long. Just be ready to start begging for more.

Maybelline The Colossal Cat Eyes Washable Mascara

Not loving the eyeliner look but want to create cat eyes in a matter of seconds? This is your product, my friend. With a stroke of this claw wand across your lashes, this formula will create super fierce feline-like eyes while separating and lengthening lashes to a T. 

L'ORÉAL Voluminous Miss Manga Mascara
This crazy huge brush brings all sorts of volume to your top and bottom lashes. With its 360° flexor brush, your lashes will be long and amplified all day. Be ready to build up to 15x the volume in a few quick swipes.

There ya go, folks. I hope you enjoyed this mini reviews of mascaras I've been using recently. I hope you enjoyed!

xx Amanda
Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore 

Quick and Easy Homemade Donut Recipe

Hello, lovelies! I hope all is well, if it's not, this recipe might fill you with warmth and happiness. Today, I'm going to teach you how to make quick and easy donuts. But let's be real... is it 'doughnuts' or 'donuts'. I'm going to say 'donuts' because it's shorter and I'm lazy efficient.

A big thank you to Zachary for teaching me his "campfire" cookery skills.

Let's get started!

What You'll Need
Pillsbury Biscuits 
Vegetable Oil
Sugar
Cinnamon

Yields: 1 biscuit = 1 donut, so that's your choice.
---
Okay, so you may have noticed that I didn't really provide proper measurements. The thing about this is that it's typically used when camping outdoors. When you're packing minimally, you wouldn't want to pack measuring cups and other utensils. So this all just depends on how many you want to make, and how much sugar and cinnamon you like.

Directions
1. Fill a medium sized pot with vegetable oil (about 1/2 way - 2/3 of the way full so the donuts will float). Heat stove to medium-high heat. 
2. Pull biscuits apart and shape them into donut form... or if you want to be creative, make other shapes.
3. Prepare a cinnamon-sugar mixture in a medium sized bowl.
4. Once stove is heated, put 1-2 donuts into oil and let cook. Occasionally turn donuts over to monitor. You want both sides to be evenly cooked. They should look somewhat crisp and golden brown.
5. When you're ready to take donuts out of the pot, pull them out with a fork, spatula, or (as Zach does) use chopsticks to pull out and put in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Evenly coat both sides and place on plate.
6. Let cool (optional).
7. Eat.

I hope you all enjoy and have a good rest of your week!

xx Amanda
Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

Valentine's Day Make Up Tutorial

Hello, lovelies! How many of you are getting ready for Valentine's Day? Maybe you're planning a special evening with a special someone or maybe you're just hanging out with some friends. Whatever the case may be, if you're looking to do something with your make up, I've got a look for you!

This look is centered around the Naked 3 Palette from Urban Decay, but you can always use drugstore dupes to create this look too! I suggest the Iconic 3 Palette by Revolution Makeup.

Let's begin!

 

I started off this look with priming my face with the POREfessional Primer by Benefit. 

For foundation, I'm using a fancy foundation because I'm considering Valentine's Day a special occasion. I used my Nars Sheer Glow Foundation {Light 3: Gobi}, and I applied that with a foundation brush. 

For concealer, I used the same-old, same-old Maybelline Dream Lumi Highlighting Concealer {Ivory & Buff} and blended that in with the same foundation brush I used for my foundation. 

To finish off the face (for now), I used my trustee Rimmel Stay Matte Pressed Powder {001: Translucent} and applied that using my Real Techniques Contour Brush.

For brows, I used my Too Faced Brow Envy Kit and use the Brunette shade to fill those puppies in! To prep my lids for the eye shadow, I use Urban Decay's Eyeshadow Primer Potion {Original} and just blend that in with my finger. 

Okay, now it's the part that we've all been waiting for: THE EYES. 

Starting off, I applied Strange (the lightest color) all over my lid and on my brow bone. This is just to reassure that all the colors we apply show up as brilliant and true-to-color as possible. 

Next, I applied Limit (a pinky-tan shade) on my crease for a transition color. 

Then I placed Buzz (a shimmery pink shade) all over my lid. I did a few layers of this to get the best shimmery look I could get. 

Then I went for Darkside (a dark brow shade) and applied that on the outer 2/3 of my crease and really blended that in with Limit. The trick with dark colors is to only apply a small amount at a time, blend, and then if you want more, add more and blend again. 

Once I was satisfied with the amount of Darkside placed in my crease, I added a bit of Liar (a shimmery brow shade) on top of that for extra definition.

To finish off the eyes, I tight lined and hit my waterline with some Maybelline 
Define-A-Line Eyeliner {Brownish Black}. If you feel comfortable using liquid liner to line your top lid, go for it, but I don't think it is as flattering on women with hooded eyes (like myself). Lastly, I coated my top and bottom lashes with my Too Faced Better Than Sex mascara.

To add a bit of color to the skin, I used a bit of NYX Powder Blush {Mocha} on the apples of my cheeks. I like this color because it's a soft pink blush that doesn't overpower the eyes, but still works with this "pinky-Valentine's-ey" theme I'm going for.

And last, but certainly not least, I applied my Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter {025: Peach Parfait} which is a nude-pinky color with a hint of shimmer which I think really pulls the eyes and lips together. If you want to go for a bolder lip, feel free to do so!

And there you go! Here's one look that you can do for Valentine's Day! I hope you enjoy these types of posts! Have a spectacular Valentine's Day, whether you're hanging out with your significant other or just getting together with some good friends!

♥♥♥
P.S. Feel free to send me pictures of you recreating this look!

P.P.S. A special thank you is in order to Zachary who so kindly let me use his room to create this post because my new roommates would've thought that I'm weird.

xx Amanda

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

January 2015 Favorites

Hello, lovelies! Guess what today is! Groundhog Day!! Yes it is, but I was more implying that it's February now, which means it's about time to share what I've been loving in January.

Apparel
Pizza Sweatshirt
I owe credit where credit is due: my boyfriend introduced me to this website by rocking his "cat eating a hot dog" sweatshirt (I kid you not), and it's safe to say we're both a little obsessed. For Christmas, he bought me a pizza sweatshirt (because pizza is delicious) and it's so comfy and so "out there". It's not like me to be comfortable standing out of the crowd but I don't even care. It's so cool and I like seeing everyone's facial expressions when they see me in it!

"Bad Hair Day" Beanie
If you're like me, you hate doing your hair. You wake up in the morning, and you just look at your hair and cry inside a little because it has the potential to look decent, and yet, you just can't be motivated enough to make it look good. When I have these days (80% of the week), I just throw on this comical beanie and go on with my day. 

Once again, I get comments and giggles from people and I just feel so clever wearing it (even though I didn't come up with the idea). I just let people think I'm clever. In reality, I'm just lazy.

Beauty
Bioré: Charcoal Facial Cleanser
So I've shaken up my beauty regimen a little. I had been doing a lot of research about products that really help with sucking out all the toxins and dirt from your pores, and I concluded that charcoal was the secret ingredient. I bought this product at Target and the beautician I was talking to said the same thing. I'm convinced it's some sort of magic.

Warning: Your skin may get worse before it gets better while using this product. I personally did not experience this, but it has been reported that people get serious breakouts, and in a few week's time, the acne will disappear and your skin will feel like butter (but not oily and gross). Okay, maybe butter wasn't the best comparison but you know what I mean. SUPER SOFT!

Garnier: Charcoal Facial Scrub
I bought this the same time I bought the facial cleanser. I only use this 2-3 times a week to get extra dead skin and dirt out of my pores and off my face. Don't go overboard using this product: there is such a thing as "too much exfoliating".

Too Faced: "Better Than Sex" Mascara
This mascara works wonders! It helps lengthen and curl my lashes and gives them loads of volume! It is a bit costly, but I think it is worth every penny when you get these types of results!

Gold Bond: Intensive Healing Hand Cream
Hands down (punny), the best hand cream I've ever encountered. It absorbs into your skin in a matter of seconds and keeps my hands soft for a hours. It repairs the cracks I get in my hands on frigid days and even after I wash my hands, I still notice it working!

Entertainment
James Bay: "Scars"
His voice is gorgeous and he's British! This song is about his significant other leaving him to go to America. It's so beautiful, and it will most definitely be on replay for awhile. Give it a listen.

Ellie Goulding: "Love Me Like You Do"
I heard this song on Pandora and fell in love instantly. I have always been a fan of Ellie Goulding, but this song is definitely my favorite. Also, to my surprise, I found out this song is also featured in the upcoming movie Fifty Shades of Grey. That makes me 1000 times more excited for the film!

Zoe Sugg: Girl Online
Okay, I will admit that the intended audience is probably in the tweens to young teens range, and I may be a little too old to enjoy this book... but who is too old to read about young love? If you're a romantic like me, I'd suggest this book. There's adventure, friendship crises, romance, and even blogging! It was practically made for me!

Let me know what you think of these products and if I should do any proper reviews over any of them! Have a wonderful week and always be smiling!

xx Amanda
Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

Major Changes

Hello, lovelies! I hope January is treating you well. Even though the new semester has begun, I just wanted to update you all.

So... the whole "dermatology, majoring in Biology, going to University of St. Thomas" situation...? Yeah... that's not really a thing anymore. It was a concept of my imagination.

As you are all very well aware, I wrote a lot about stress last semester. Maybe too much? The reason I had to continuously confide in my blog with all my stress problems was because I was continuously stressed; I was not in a good position: physically, mentally, or emotionally.

I think that most of the pressure was coming from the thought that I had to have my life figured out the second I turned 18 and headed off to college. I compared myself to my siblings and family members and their success stories. I wanted to make millions and do something that I thought I would be admired for doing. 

I've said so many times (and I even have a sign on my bulletin board) that I want to be an inspiration to others. I guess I had this radical idea that the only way I could inspire people was by making 6 digits and creating the perfect life.

However, this is not the case. None of that stuff is worth the torture and anxiety I went through last semester. It's unfathomable how many times I cried per week while I stared at the piles of assignments. The grades I received weren't so hot either. I tried so hard to please my family and impress my friends, but I had to be honest with myself. That life was not for me.

And although UST is a beautiful school, I hated it. Now, I'm not telling you that you shouldn't go there, because it is a magnificent school with amazing programs and majors. It just was NOT for me. 

First off, it was 5 hours from home, and I'm too family oriented to be away from them for a significant amount of time. Second, the thought of having night classes makes me cringe, and they made my schedule so awful that I never looked forward to going to class. Thirdly, I hated my major, therefore, I hated school. Lastly, everyone knew everyone, except for me. I had three friends (you know who you are) and I'm so thankful I had them. But they had their own lives and did their own things so I couldn't depend on being entertained or having something to do all the time.

Now, I am going to school closer to home, closer to the love of my life, I've made friends, and the best part: I am content with my major and my classes. As much as I'd like to think it will be a surprise to you all, I am now a Journalism major... surprised? Yeah, I didn't think so. 

Writing is my passion. Biology is work.

Do you see the difference? I may not end up making nearly as much as I had hoped for, but I'm going to feel fulfilled and happy throughout the years and be able to find so many opportunities.

If you are thinking of changing your major or your school, just keep those things in mind. I hope this helped a little.

xx Amanda

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

•••

I'm appreciative of everyone who supported me through the tough times and making me feel like I made the right decision.

Seriously... I can't thank you all enough.

New Year's Resolutions 2015

Hello, lovelies! Happy New Year! Holy crap, it's 2015! Where has the time gone?! Well I figured instead of making a "December Favorites" post, I figured I should address the most challenging... challenge that the new year offers to each one of us: New Year's Resolutions.

Yes, the dreaded resolution. The unappealing thought of having to "better ourselves." I, myself, struggle with this every year; not even struggle, I lack desire to concoct plans that will ultimately fail me. I have told myself for multiple years that I will "eat healthy." Does that happen? No. I hoard boxes upon boxes of Ferrero Rocher in my kitchen/bedroom. Yes, I'm awful. I've also told myself that working out is a stellar idea. I think I worked out about twice and then wasted away that $50 gym membership.

-I'M VERY WELL AWARE I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE-

We need to stop and be honest with ourselves. We cannot be making promises to ourselves that we know we cannot keep. So I've decided to make a list of New Year's Resolutions that will benefit myself, and maybe some of you, and won't strain your bank account or y(our) lack of discipline. 

P.S. I did post a few of these suggestions on Twitter but you 

can only do so much with 140 characters.

Read more.

Write more.

Pick up the camera again.

Hold doors open for people.

Appreciate every square inch of my body.

Be thankful for everything I am given.

Don't be afraid to ask questions. 

Drink more water.

Cherish the little things.

Unapologetically say no.

Pleasurably say yes.

Find better ways to cope with stress.

Make 2015 a year to reminisce. 

See? There are plenty of resolutions to be made and ways to improve ourselves without giving up things we really love. Let me know what your resolutions are! It would be nice to get some inspiration from you too!

Happy New Year!

Bring it on, 2015!

xx Amanda

Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore

Neutral Smokey Eye and Curly Locks for a Night Out

Hello, my lovely readers! I hope you've had a fabulous weekend! For today's post, I'm going to show you how to achieve a very neutral, natural make up look and how to create curly, luscious locks. Let's get started!

(I wrote this in the order I created this look. 

Feel free to change the order if you're more comfortable with a different routine.)

Hair Prep

This is optional, but I washed my hair before I curled my hair because my hair would have looked pretty nasty if I didn't. I used Suave Professionals: Almond + Shea Butter Shampoo and Conditioner. However, if you curl your hair with two-day old hair, you'll still get excellent results. While my hair was still damp, I put some TRESemmé: Volumizing Mousse through my hair, root to tip, to get a little extra volume in my hair.

Face Prep

I washed my face in the shower using Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Cream Cleanser and Neutrogena Naturals: Acne Foaming Scrub. After my shower, I spritzed some LUSH: Tea Tree Water on my face and neck (this helps to even out the discoloration in my face). Then I moisturized my face with Aveeno Active Naturals: Ultra-Calming Daily Moisturizer. For my lips, I swiped on a layer of LUSH: Mint Julips Lip Scrub to get rid of any dry skin stuck on my lips. Then finish off with Burt's Bees: Beeswax Lip Balm with 

Vitamin E and Peppermint.

Make Up

So... I normally do my hair first, but my hair was still wet so I figured I'd let it dry more while I did my make up. Just as normal, I started off with using Maybelline: Baby Skin Instant Pore Eraser on and around my nose and on my forehead. For foundation, I used my True Match Lumi Healthy Luminous Foundation {Porcelain/Light Ivory}. If you and the girls are planning on taking pictures, try to avoid foundation that has SPF in it because it may leave an unflattering, shiny effect to your face. For concealer, I applied Maybelline: Dream Lumi Touch Highlighting Concealer {Ivory & Buff}. I use Ivory to highlight under my eyes and along the bridge of my nose and I use Buff to cover any blemishes I may have. Finish your face off (for now) with Rimmel: Stay Matte Pressed Powder {001: Transparent}.

Next, I filled in my eye brows with Too Faced Brow Envy Shaping & Defining Kit and applied the brunette shade. Then apply a thin layer of Urban Decay: Eyeshadow Primer Potion {Original} to my eye lids to prep for eyeshadow. If you apply a primer, your shadow is less likely to crease and it will stay in place for much longer. For eyeshadow, I used NYX: The Natural Shadow Palette {TNS 01}. I used the peachy color as a transition color, put the light brown to the right of the peach all over my lid, and put the darkest brown on the outer portion of my lid and in the crease. A tip: you can always apply more of this dark shadow, but it's hard to get rid or hide mistakes. Take your time and don't forget to blend! Finish your eyes with curling your eyelashes and applying mascara. I used Maybelline: The Colossal Cat Eye {Glam Black} on my top lashes and Maybelline: Great Lash BIG {Very Black} on my lower lashes.

Back to the face, I used Too Faced Milk Chocolate Soleil Matte Bronzer {Light/Medium} to contour my face (don't forget to brush across your neck too). For blusher, I used a very understated blush to keep this look very natural. I applied Maybelline: Master Hi-Lighting Blush {10: Nude}. To highlight my cheekbones and brow bone, I used Physician's Formula: Powder Palette Mineral Glow Pearls {Translucent Pearl}. To complete the look, swipe on a  bit of Victoria's Secret: Shiny Kiss Flavored Gloss {Mocktail Hour} for a shiny, yet natural finish.

Ta Da! Make up is complete!

Hair
Now that my hair was finally dried, I sprayed TRESemmé: Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray all over my hair to protect it from the heat from my curling iron. I use the Infiniti by Conair Curling Iron {1 inch}. I like 1 inch barrels for my short hair so I can create noticeable curls, but they aren't super tight. If you have longer hair, you may want to try a 1.5-2 inch barrel. 

I begin curling my hair by pulling up the top section of my hair above my head. I work my way from the front of my head to the back of my head. I typically curl away from my face but every few pieces I'll curl towards my face to switch it up. Feel free to do this, just not with the pieces closest to your face. Always curl those parts away from your face. Once you're finished with the bottom section, take another chunk out of your top section and repeat the steps above. Continue to do this until your hair is covered with curls.

Once you've finished curling your hair, don't worry! You won't have to keep the "too perfect" curls in. Let your locks cool for a few minutes, then gently finger comb your hair to separate the curls. I don't recommend using a brush to do this; you might end up with super big, frizzy hair, which is not the look we're going for. Finish this look with a bit of TRESemmé: Tres Two Freeze Hold Hair Spray. To get rid of those frizzy bits close to your part, spray them a bit with your hair spray, then use the bottle to soften them down.

Voila! You're ready to go out with the girls!

 

Where would you wear this look? Let me know in the comments!

xx Amanda
Twitter & Instagram: @amanda_wymore