Making Shared Birthdays Special!

I have always been in charge of dessert for any occasion ever since I can remember. Whether it was going to pick out cakes from the bakery with my mom when I was younger or making them once I learned how. This past week we celebrated my sister, brother and mom's boyfriend's birthdays all on the same day and I was in charge of the dessert. 

Now, sharing a birthday cake between the three of them seemed wrong and almost impossible considering my sister loves strawberry cakes, my brother only really likes chocolate desserts and my mom's boyfriend's favorite is anything with chocolate and peanut butter. I also didn't want to make three separate cakes because, well, it'd be too much work and we'd all be in sugar comas before the night ended! So, I decided I would make three different flavors of cupcakes all unique to each person's favorite flavor.

After many test trials and recipe tweaking, I made three really delicious flavors!

Up first, my sister's Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

I took this recipe from Sally's Baking Addiction and only had to lower the temperature to 325° F and bake for 16 minutes instead of the suggested 20. These cupcakes start with a soft vanilla bean cupcake and they're filled with a delicious homemade strawberry jam. The topping takes this cupcake from simple to absolutely amazing. And even though I used all organic/as healthy as you can get ingredients for my health-nut of a sister, they turned out so yummy and looked super adorable!

Filling the cupcakes was much easier than I thought. I just took a sharp knife and cut a hole about 2/3 deep and used a small spoon to carefully fill the hole. After that, all you have to do is put the piece you cut back on top. The strawberry whipped cream sits on top and covers up the holes and any messes. A sliced strawberry on top is an easy touch that makes these cupcakes look like they were picked up from a bakery!

Since I had left over whipped cream, I added some to the extra chocolate cupcakes and they were to die for!

Next up, my mom's boyfriend's Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes.

I also borrowed Sally's recipe for this VERY peanut buttery frosting, but used my own chocolate cake recipe. This frosting was so rich and the perfect touch to really make these something he'd love. I added sprinkles like Sally did to add a little extra and they made them look a million times better. 

Last, but not (at all) least, my brother's Chocolate Cookies and Cream Cupcakes.

 Yes, you guessed it I saw these on Sally's blog as well and if you haven't clicked the link yet you really should! ALL of her sweets look so amazing I seriously want to try them all! These have the same cupcake recipe as the strawberry cupcakes, but instead of waiting to fill the cupcakes you add a ton of Oreos to the batter. This gives the perfect amount of crunch and Oreo flavor. The frosting was, of course, delicious. It wasn't too sweet, but the texture and taste were the perfect addition to these already over-the-top cupcakes.

I added the rest of the crushed Oreos on top to give him a sneak peek of what his cupcakes were going to be. 

And I couldn't just put these adorable (and time-consuming) cupcakes into a boring tupperware container. So, I found these super cute cupcake boxes at Michales for about $3 for a three pack which worked out perfectly. I also got the polka-dot cupcake liners and flower from Michaels. The packaging added the perfect final touch and made them look and feel much more personal. 

I was so happy with how all three cupcake flavors turned out and they all loved them! We had such an amazing night celebrating and just being together. Family time is seriously my favorite time and  it is always so nice and special when we all get together. 

Hope you enjoyed and can try these recipes out!

xo

Holy Grail Eye Cream!

Before I became interested in beauty and trying out different products, I never owned a separate moisturizer for my under eye area. I just used the same one all over and never thought twice about it. It wasn't until I started to experiment with new makeup, more makeup, or three different makeup looks in one day that my eyes began to get really dry and irritated. 

I learned that the under eye area was the most sensitive and delicate place on the face and figured I needed to get a nice product that would work in moisturizing and fixing the damage I'd done by handling that area like the rest of my skin. After much trial and error, I've found the perfect product!

Origins Eye Doctor; $35

This is my second jar of this Origins Eye Doctor eye cream and I have been loving it since I first tried it! First off, this eye cream has such a fresh soothing cucumber scent that really relaxes and soothes my eye area. It is very moisturizing and absorbs quickly, so you're not left with any oily residue. Unlike most eye creams I've tried, this product doesn't irritate or burn the dry patches around my eyes.  It has definitely worked in moisturizing and soothing my eyes both before I apply my makeup in the morning and after I've taken it off for the night. However, this product is not the best at getting rid of puffiness or dark circles. It is challenging to find an eye cream (within a reasonable price range) that can do all three perfectly. I'm still on the hunt, but for now, this product is perfect at getting rid of and maintaining dry and irritated areas around my eyes.

This is the first and only product I've ever purchased from Origins and after the success I had, I definitely want to get my hands on more products from this brand. Their all natural and harsh chemical-free products really appeal to me. Although their prices can be a little high, they give you small free samples of the products you want to try before you fully commit to buying them. This allows you to really fall in love with the product before you're left with a full bottle of something you may not want to use. 

xo