Soft & Light Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

I am not one of those bloggers who will make you go through their entire life story just to get to the recipe. Short, sweet, and to the point. I will tell you these cookies are soft and fluffy so if you're into crispy or crunchy cookies this recipe isn't for you!

INGREDIENTS

• ½ cup butter, softened
• 1 cup peanut butter
• ¼ cup sugar
• ¾ cup brown sugar
• 1 egg
• 1 tablespoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 and ½ cups flour

intructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Combine butter, peanut butter, and both sugars. Add the vanilla and egg and continue to mix.
3. In a separate bowl, stir together the remaining dry ingredients: baking soda, salt, and flour. Slowly mix in the dry ingredients to the peanut butter mixture. 
4. Shape into 1 inch balls and arrange on a lightly greased or lined baking sheet. Flatten each ball of dough with a fork. 
5. Bake 9-10 minutes. Allow to cool before transferring. 

Change is good...right?

Hey Guys!

It has been so long since I've done a blog post I almost forget how to do it! What is proper grammar? How do I form complete and understandable sentences? I'm only kidding (or am I?)

I've been on and off with this blog for a few years. At times I find it extremely hard to write about anything at all. When it comes to beauty related posts I find it even more difficult seeing as I'm not an expert.

That being said I'm thinking about transitioning this blog from beauty related content to more of a lifestyle blog. That would include: product reviews, recipes, travel logs, and day in the life posts. I'm not sure if that will sway the small audience I have now away from this blog, but I'm hoping you guys will stick around through this change!

Another change I want to bring to this blog is health and fitness! I've gone through surgeries and multiple medications causing me to gain about 100 pounds in just over a year! I'm allowed to start exercising again so I was hoping to maybe do weekly check-ins with progress pictures and weigh-ins, but only if that is something you guys are interested in seeing!

I hope I see all of you guys in my next post!

Sephora Haul!

Deep in my heart I am a drugstore girl but I just can't resist Sephora! Everything about the store calls to me. Unfortunately there are no Sephora stores close to me (gotta love island living!) so I resort to online shopping. Everything just looks so much more enticing online doesn't it? Does anyone agree with me here? I haven't put these products to the test yet I only have my initial impression so I will keep you updated as I form better opinions on them!

May Coop Raw Sauce 1.35oz $14.00

Claim: The essence intensively hydrates and delivers critical nourishment to skin, creating a healthy-looking glow from within. It also helps prep skin to better absorb subsequent products, such as serums ad moisturizers, so that you get the most out of bother your morning and your evening skincare routines. I've heard nothing but good things about this so I have very high hopes

 

Becca Aqua Luminous Perfecting Foundation $44.00

Claim: A light, buildable, liquid foundation that imparts subtle luminosity with a weightless feel. I got the shade fair and I would say its more of a light/medium color! I looks very orange on me like I rolled Nacho Cheese Doritos on my face. Its a shame because the finish and coverage are amazing it was exactly what I was looking for in a foundation. I'm hoping in summer this may work a little better with my completion.


SEPHORA FAVORITES Quench Your Skin $48.00

 

Claim: A 12-piece collection to deliver incredible skincare benefits, from hydrating to soothing to protecting. These Sephora Favorites sets are always a good buy for the money. It has a lot of products I've been wanting to try. I rarely buy full sized skin care until I try a sample of it so these are perfect for me. I'm so glad they included the belif truth cream I've been lusting after it for months!

 

Bite Beauty Bite Mix and Mingle in Confection/Marmalade $10

I believe this was a stocking stuffer lipstick but I managed to snag it before it was sold out. I'm not sure how these two colors will look on my complexion but I'm sure I can make it work. They are both extremely pigmented and creamy. 

Too Faced Love Flush Blush Wardrobe $36.00

Claim: Expertly curated range of nudes, pinks, corals, and berries are wearable and flattering on any skin tone. It says its for all skin tones but these colors look clownish on my porcelain skin no matter how light of a hand I use and how much I blend. I might end up giving to this a friend with a darker complexion.

Too Faced Chocolate Bon Bons Palette $49.00

Claim: 16 matte and shimmer shades in cool pops of color, sugary brights, and beautiful go-to neutrals all infused with or chocolate-scented, antioxidant-rich cocoa powder formula. This palette is BEAUTIFUL. The colors are amazing. The pigmentation is amazing. No complaints here.

I need to put myself on a no-buy but will I REALLY stick to it? I doubt it. Spring product launches are coming aka my bank account is going to be crying.

Christmas in the Swyers' House

Anyone who knows me in the slightest can tell you that Christmas is my absolute favorite time of year. If it was socially acceptable, I would have Christmas lights on my house year round! There is just this indescribable feeling that this time of year gives me. On top of my already incredible obsession with Christmas I gave birth to my son in 2010 on Christmas Day!

I thought it would be fun to show you guys around my house a little and give you a peak at some of my favorites posted around my house. I will tell you that I buy 99% of my seasonal décor at thrift stores so I cant provide links!

My top shelf of my left book case has 2 snowmen plates, one I bought at a local thrift store for $.49 and the other was a gift from my mother a few years ago. In the center I have a large snowglobe with a vintage/retro Christmas tree inside. I bought this one at a thrift store a few months ago for only $2.99. The two smaller globes were gifts from my MIL, she bought them at my local Navy Exchange. The two snowmen on the outside are so adorable! My mother gave me one as a present 6 years ago. I believe she bought it at Cracker Barrel. The other I bought at a thrift store for $1.99 (are you guys getting sick of me mentioning thrift stores yet?!)

Second shelf is a little less busy. The large snowglobe on the left actually spins! One pyramid has a scene with a snowman and the other has Santa. I purchased this one only a few weeks ago at, can you guess, a thrift store for $3! The glitter monogram was from TJ Maxx for $9. The three candles that look like cookies were bought at a thrift store for $.49 a piece.

My entertainment center has A LOT going on, but that's just how I do things. GO BIG OR GO HOME. The small lantern and trees are from Walmart. The ceramic trees were all bought at thrift stores. The snowglobe was another gift from my MIL from the NEX. The polar bear salt & pepper shakers are from TJ Maxx. The three mosaic candles are from Kohls 6 years ago! Finally my small tree and tree skirt are from Hobby Lobby. I bought them this season a few weeks ago when they had all their Christmas selection 50% off.

Im almost done I promise! I just can't help but ramble on and on about Christmas! I want to show you guys a few of my favorite tree ornaments. My mother sent me this ice cream snowman  a few weeks ago and its my ABSOLUTE favorite ornament on my entire tree. Ok one more then I promise I'm done! This tiny little snowglobe that has 2 snowmen inside. I, of course, bought it at Goodwill for $.99

I know this has to be the longest blog post in existence but can you blame me?! I am always in the Christmas spirit. Please send me pictures of your tree and you decorations! You can send them to me on Instagram or tag me in them @sharonswyers

Walgreens Haul December 2015

This past Friday I spent the day in Seattle and I managed to find a huge two-story Walgreens. I dragged my husband and son in and much to my surprise they didn't have any new displays! I was so disappointed. When we got back to our city I went to our Walgreens and found so many new displays! Granted they didn't have the one display I was looking for (the new Wet n Wild Stay Wild trios) but they did have some others.

First thing that caught my eye was the Cinderella display. I started searching for the highlighter with no luck. I did managed to snag up a few things though! Seriously if anyone has an extra highlight they want to give me I wont object! I picked up the All-In-1 Highlighter/Bronzer/Blush. I just couldn't resist the packaging. The only other thing in the line that interested me was the lipstick in Pretty Pink.

 

 I found the winter/holiday revo lip balms and snatched two of those up! I got Sugar Cookie and Butterscotch Cream. Both of these smell amazing and so true to the name. I 100% recommend these.

I found another one of the Revlon Ultra HD Matte Lipcolors in Addiction. It was the only one there that hadn't been opened or tampered with so it was my only option.

I picked up a Wet n Wild Best Of Collection. I'm assuming its for the holidays it was only $10 for 8 MegaLast Salon Nail Colors. I haven't swatched them yet but some look promising.

The last thing I picked up and probably the most exciting was the Garnier Skin Active Micellar Cleansing Water. I've been using the Simple Micellar Water for a few months now and I absolutely love it. I have used the Caudalie one and its awful on my skin. This one is really promising. I will keep you posted on how it works for me!

I'm still on the hunt for the Wet n Wild eye shadows and the Cinderella highlight! Have you guys had any good hauls lately? Share with me I love seeing hauls! Comment here or tag me on Instagram @sharonswyers

Sephora Black Friday Haul 2015

This was my first year ever did any type of Black Friday shopping, online or otherwise. I thought I would pop my Black Friday cherry with a Sephora order! I waited all Thanksgiving day for the Sephora $10 deals to go live. As soon as I saw NouveauCheap post on Instagram that they were live I got immediately on my Sephora app, added my top 3 wish list items to my basket, and checked out before they were stolen from my (online) basket.

My first order consisted of:
tarte Easy Glowing Deluxe Cheek Set

tarte Fanciful Favorites Deluxe Discovery Set

COVER FX Face And Eye Primer Set

My second order was just a few of the $10 deals that weren't my first priority but if I did manage to snag them I would be happy!
SEPHORA COLLECTION Face Mask Explorer Set

Origins Task Maskers

CLINIQUE Sparkle & Glow for Very Dry to Dry Combination Skin

I also manage to add one of those free gifts with my $25+ purchase. I picked out the Gold with White Brush Stripes Clutch full of a few samples.

I would say I had a pretty successful Black Friday shopping experience online at Sephora. I am not crazy enough to ever go out in person on Black Friday, but I may get here eventually!

Tell me what deals you got! Leave a comment here on the blog or follow me on Instagram @sharonswyers

Hello Guys!

Where do I even start? It has been over a year since I last blogged! So much has happened in the past year. My husband deployed for around 8 months to Japan. About a month into his deployment we heard back about the orders we put in and they got approved!

Then when he returned in mid-September (2015) we moved cross country to Washington.

 It has been a huge change for all of us. I am loving everything about the West Coast so far!

I am finally settled down and ready to start blogging again. I am hoping to get up 2 blog posts a week! I'm shooting for a well rounded blog focusing on makeup, travel, health and lifestyle, and occasionally a food review! Please leave me a comment if you want something specific or you can always reach me at my email: nailpolishalwaysfits@gmail.com