Sunday Afternoon at Burger Jones

Today I went to my first burger joint.

If you've been to Uptown you may have heard of Burger Jones, a totally rad restaurant and cocktail bar. As a self-proclaimed cheeseburger addict I strive to try as many as possible, so I'm sure you can imagine how excited I was when the family decided to stop there for an after church lunch.

Snazzy shirts, retro menus and an open kitchen were just the starters.

 

Next came the spotless presentation. The food arrived on metal baking pans and the burger buns had been hand-stamped-all part of the Burger Jones charm. So what did we eat?

A bacon cheeseburger with a side of monster sized onion rings for Abi.

The Southwest Salsa Veggie Burger (deliciously smothered with their in-house guajillo salsa, a tomato slice and avocado) with a side of Maple Bacon Sweet Potato Fries for Mom. And for me? The Chubby Cheddar, their spin on the Juicy Lucy.

Please excuse the terrifying knife that I included in this shot for some reason.

On the list of things you're excusing, please add my extremely awkward hand and arm.

Yeah, it was juicy. 

While I found the beef a little over done, the great company more than made up for it, and based on the exclamations of delight I was hearing from the rest of the group I'd definitely go back just to try a few more of the delicious combinations on the menu.
 

My older sister, Beth, and a close family friend, Rob

 

Younger sister Abi :)

If you're looking for a great burger and a retro Uptown vibe, stop by Burger Jones.

Until next time,

E

Friday Roundup

Hey friends, it's time for the Friday Roundup!

1. If you read my last post you'll know that on Tuesday I became a citizen! Pretty exciting stuff.

2. Another exciting post here-I reviewed a new product for Birchbox before it even came out! They've also featured my review in their online magazine, along with nine other bloggers.

3.No picture evidence but I've been LOVING oatmeal this week for breakfast. But not just by itself, oh no. I mix it up hardcore with chia seeds, peanut butter, cinnamon, fruit, whatever!

4. I got to go with my dad to work for the first time ever! While it wasn't a super eventful day, I was able to edit his business' website and hang out with him all day, which I really can't complain about ;)

5. This little monkey got a haircut. Here you see her in all her derpy glory before the cut.

What have you been up to this week?

Until next time, God bless.

E


Disclaimer: All pictures from my instagram @middlemuse.

Thankful Thursday

Hey friends!


Sorry for my absence, I've been getting back into the swing of things with this last semester. As late as it is I'm here for another round of Thankful Thursday :)


This week I'm thankful for:

The future. I've been doing some research into opportunities for after I graduate in May, and I'm definitely getting pretty excited!

Citizenship. For those of you who don't know, my family and I are from England but have been living in America for almost 12 years now, and we became citizens on Tuesday! The ceremony was pretty interesting, and there were over 1000 people there from 114 different countries. Pretty amazing!

And finally, my new job. My little sister and I are saving up to take a trip somewhere warm this Spring Break, and my new job (which is obviously my financial source) has been calm and the people welcoming, so I've appreciated that.


How about you, what are you thankful for this week?

Until next time, God bless.

E

Clinique Take the Day Off Cleansing Balm

Hey friends! A while ago I promised to do reviews of my new skincare goodies, so here's the first installment of that. 

I've never been a fan of makeup removers, as they've usually resulted in left over make up or stinging eyes. Until my junior year in college I  never really cared all that much for skincare in general, *shocker*, but even when I did start to love it, the idea of an ADDITIONAL step in my admittedly lengthy routine just didn't appeal to me.

And that's where cleansing balms come in. These bad boys do the job of two products. Since learning more about skincare, I've really wanted to try one out, because Cetaphil was just not doing the job of taking off my make up and cleaning my face. Brief side note: I switched back to Cetaphil after running out of a more expensive cleanser, and the difference was pretty apparent. My makeup wasn't being removed entirely, and I developed really sensitive eyes and random dry patches. Now that I've stopped using it they're almost gone and I don't wake up with mascara still on. Take what you will from that. End side note. When the great and powerful Ms. Hirons recommended this one, I decided I wanted to try it pretty much instantly, and once I finally got my hands on it (thanks to a generous younger sister ;) I was not disappointed. 

In the pot it is just a solid, white balm, but once you've taken out the small amount you need and start massaging it into your skin it quickly melts into an oil. It takes off every bit of makeup on your face quickly and without hassle, including stubborn waterproof eyeliner and mascara, and you can massage it over your eyes and into your lashes with no fear of stinging. I haven't experienced any break outs or clogging as a result and neither has my sister whom I share it with.

Ingredients: Ethylhexyl Palmitate, Carthamus Tinctorius (safflower) seed oil, Caprylic / Capric Triglyceride, Sorbeth-30, Tetraoleate, Polyethylene, Peg-5, Glyceryl Triisostearate, Water/Aua/Eau-Tocopher-ol, Phenoxyethanol

As you can see  it has got no fragrance or mineral oil in it, both big pluses in my book!
I like to use it as my morning cleanse if I'm having a good skin day and my first night cleanse, wipe it off with a hand-hot, wet flannel or muslin cloth, and then go in for the second cleanse with something a little stronger.

So, what are the pros?

Because you need such a small amount it will last for ages.
Good for pretty much any skin type, even sensitive/oily, due to its lack of fragrance and other break out inducers.
Takes off stubborn make up quickly and without stinging.
Not too expensive, I would call it mid range.
Washes off nicely, leaving no residue.

Cons?

Pretty much nothing, but don't use it alone on days when you're looking for something to really nourish your skin. This is a no mess, no faff cleanser without bells and whistles.

Possible hygiene issue with the dipping pot style, but as long as you wash your hands before you cleanse (which you should do anyways) there should be no issue.

Final Score: A-

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who is looking for a cleansing balm/cleanser for taking off make up and leaving their skin soft and clean!

You can find it here for $28.50.


*Disclaimer: I received this as a gift and was not paid to give my opinions. No affiliate links.

The Big Reveal: Beauty Protector Protect & Oil Argan Oil Hair Serum!

Hey friends.

I've been hinting over the last few posts that there would be an exciting one coming up, so here it is!

I'm what you call a Birchblogger, which means that I am a blogger for Birchbox, an awesome beauty and lifestyle subscription box company. I'm a huge fan of Birchbox because it's only $10/month with free shipping and they send you 4-5 "deluxe" samples of beauty or lifestyle products. Not only do they send you great samples (tailored to you by a survey on their website) but the boxes are pretty much always worth more than that, I've had some worth over $40! Occasionally you get a full sized product, and you also get "Birchbox Points" whenever you review a product in your box or buy something from their website. Collect enough points and you can put them towards a purchase on their site. All in all it's a great deal, so if you're interested in signing up you can click my referral link below. PS: They also have a men's box, which has a lot less beauty products in it ;)

Back to business. So recently, Beauty Protector (Birchbox's best selling brand) created a new product. This product has yet to be released and was sent to just 10 Birchbloggers to try out and review on their blogs. Guess who was one of the 10? ;) This girl! Words can't express the excitement I felt on reading that email, and I'm happy to announce that the new product is:

                                             The Beauty Protector Argon Oil hair serum!*

Now fortunately, I live in an apartment of women who all have different hair textures, which makes testing out a hair product wonderful because you have the opinion of several different women with different hair types. Roommate 1: Long, dyed a good number of times, thick, dark, Eurasian hair with a slight curl when left to dry naturally. Roommate 2: Long, dyed only twice, thick, blonde, Caucasian hair with a very curly (in places even ringlets) texture. Me: medium thickness, colored blonde Caucasian hair, mid length and with a very slight wave.

But first, lets talk aesthetics. I love the packaging.  It comes in a beautiful 4 oz matte black bottle with gold writing... so gorgeous. It arrived as is, with just a clear cap and no box, and has all the ingredients listed on the back:

 I realize it's a little hard to see everything, but that's what happens when you try to take a picture of a round bottle.

Unlike a lot of other hair oils I've seen on the market, this one has a pump, so it's pretty easy to get the small amount you need. It also smells amazing, very sweet and vanilla-ish (new word alert ;) and the texture is like a gel and oil mixed together.

In terms of ingredients, one thing to possibly be aware of is that it does have silicone in it, which can weigh down fine hair or thicker hair types if it's used in excess. However, I didn't have this issue and neither did my roommates-I just thought it should be said.

The product promises to "[keep] hair healthy, shiny and happy. Beauty Protector Oil will guard against UV rays and heat, while it's smoothing and strengthening qualities work tirelessly".

Reality: Well, it's pretty much impossible to verify the first two claims if you haven't used the oil for a good long while, which for the sake of a deadline I couldn't. Its promise to protect against UV rays and heat does make it unique though. As for smoothing and strengthening, we all felt that it made our hair softer and cut down (though only marginally) on frizz. My hair tends to get weighed down by product pretty easily so I only used one pump and had no issues. #1 used a pump and a half and said the same.

Final thoughts: While #2 and I both liked it, we didn't think it was a miracle worker. #1 absolutely loved it, saying that it made her hair really soft and she loved the smell. She and I both thought that our hair would see more evident results given continual usage. Update: Now that I've used it several more times, I've definitely noted a marked difference in my hair when I don't use the serum.


I promised an update on the price and here it is: You can buy it here for $21.95 and free shipping :)

So, pros:

Smells delicious
Gorgeous and practical packaging
Cuts down on frizz
Leaves hair soft
Adds a little bit of shine
Cuts out the added step of a heat protectant
Protects against UV rays
Will last a long time due to the small amount needed

Cons:
No big results-you will most likely have to wait and use it several times before you see a more noticeable difference
Contains two different types of silicone which could weigh hair down if too much is used 

Overall Grade: B. While I won't be shouting from the rooftops about it anytime soon, I would recommend this product to a friend.


I hope you've enjoyed this review, and if you want to learn more or give an awesome beauty and lifestyle subscription service a try, click here.



Disclaimer: By clicking on the links above I will benefit via Birchbox points.While this product was sent to me to review, this is my real and honest opinion.

Friday Round Up

Hey friends, here's the Round Up!

If you're on a mission to lose a few pounds or are just interested in nutrition, read this, aptly titled "How to Win an Argument With a Nutritionist". My awesome friend Bekah (who was my very first roommate!) posted this fantastic article on FB the other day and I loved it. It definitely clears up some common nutritional myths.

Chia Seeds, baby. It's all about the Chia Seeds. Click here to get a quick and easy jam recipe and learn more about this awesome super food. 

An awesome package arrived on Thursday with a couple of products I'd ordered from the Body Shop. They're having an amazing sale right now (up to 70% off!!), so I'd definitely recommend hopping over to pic up a few goodies.

I've definitely been having a bit of a Merlin binge recently. It's one of those shows that I started watching and then got phased with, but have recently started rewatching. I'm on the last season now and sad that it's ending!*

I uploaded my New Years Resolutions post and this week's edition of Thankful Thursday. Take a peek and leave a comment if you haven't already.

That's it for now! Hope you've enjoyed this week's Friday Round Up. Sneak peak at next week: Get ready for an exciting post on a product that hasn't come out yet, and a review of a great cleanser. I'm really excited for the big reveal!

Until next time, God bless.

E

*pic source: www.freelyspeaks.com

Thankful Thursday

Hey friends!

It's time for another Thankful Thursday. This week, I'm thankful for:

My health. Abi came back from her conference quite sick...and I managed to catch it. Thankfully I've been able to get a lot of sleep (over 11 hours the other night!) and am pretty much better now.

Provision and Conviction. I'm really grateful for how God provides what I need, whether that be a job, money, food, whatever. He's also really been convicting me recently of things in my life and heart that aren't of him. It's not fun, but I'm grateful that he has the grace and love for me to do it.

The fact that it's 11° F right now. Seriously. It has been SO cold (in the -20s!) these last few days, to the point where all schools in Minnesota were shut down on Monday and Tuesday..yikes. You can probably understand why 11° seems pretty great right about now.

For my awesome friends who I get to hang out with tonight and tomorrow. They're pretty great :) 

And that's it for this edition of Thankful Thursday. What are you grateful for this week? Comment below and let me know!


Until next time, God bless.

E