Recipe Remix: Banana Bread

Recipe Remix is about taking inspiration from a recipe and making it your own.

We’ve all been there.  You find a recipe you want to make, but you realize you have all but one ingredient.

So today’s recipe remix is of a banana bread recipe.  I had overripe bananas and I was determined to make banana bread that I could actually enjoy without guilt or allergy pills.  I found a great banana bread recipe from The Pretty Bee Blog (great site, please check it out).

I knew I had all the ingredients, but after gathering everything together to make the recipe, I realized that someway, somehow, I don’t own an 8×5 loaf pan.

Ok, I know why, after finding out I was allergic to egg whites, wheat, and cow’s milk, I stopped making meatloaf.  That was the only thing I ever used that pan for.  So when we were in the process of moving and getting rid of what was not needed, it got the boot.

I was determined, so I just decided to make the recipe in a square brownie pan and cook it for less time.

Vegan gluten-free banana bread (wheat free, egg free, dairy free)

I honestly didn’t think it would be a big deal and it really wasn’t.  I think the recipe turned out great.  The recipe also calls for a gluten-free flour mix and recommends a blend from Namaste.  I used Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 gluten-free baking Flour because it is what I had.  The ingredient mix is fairly similar and I didn’t have any issues.  The base of the flour mix is rice flour and it definitely doesn’t closely mimic wheat flour.  What I’m saying is, you will notice the difference in flour texture.  If you are gluten-free due to celiac disease, have other stomach issues, or are allergic to wheat like I am, you are probably used to the different texture.

vegan gluten free banana bread (wheat free, egg free, dairy free)

One downside I found with this recipe is that it doesn’t reheat well the next day the way traditional banana bread does.  On the upside, that helps the waistline.  Well unless you eat it all the first day.

I have not listed the full recipe because The Pretty Bee Blog deserves the website traffic after creating and testing such a great recipe.  Please check it out if you’re interested.  She also talks about substitutions you can make and gives a lot of tips.


If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

Top 3 Drugstore Blushes under $10

These are my personal favorite blushes from the drugstore.  In my opinion, these blushes are great, not just good for the price.

e.l.f. Primer Infused Blush in Always Rosy, $7.00 

Top 3 Drugstore Blushes under $10 e.l.f primer infused blush always rosy swatch on medium dark skin
e.l.f. always rosy blush

Update January 17, 2025: This blush has been reformulated since I last used it, so I’m unsure if the new formula performs the same and the shade may be different.

This blush actually is listed as a bestseller on e.l.f.’s website.  They have also recently added 3 more for a total of seven shades.

e.l.f primer infused blush always rosy swatch on medium dark skin Top 3 Drugstore Blushes under $10
e.l.f primer infused blush -n always rosy

The e.l.f. always rosy blush has a beautiful formula.  I don’t really think there is a noticeable difference in performance and wear time due to it being primer infused.  The texture of the powder is definitely smoother than other blushes I’ve tried, but I just don’t notice that it made a difference overall.  I found it easy to pick up with any brush and easy to blend.  I immediately felt like this reminded me of a more pink version of the Mac blush in the shade Mocha.  I feel like Mac Mocha has more red to it than this shade.

Continue reading “Top 3 Drugstore Blushes under $10”

On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 20, 2020)

New in Beauty: Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow 897 Spirit, Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in Warm Glow, Bobbi Brown Precise Blending Brush, Sigma Beauty Iconic Brush Set

If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week.

Dior 5 Couleurs Eyeshadow 897 Sprint, $63.00:  It feels like it has been a while since I’ve been interested in a Dior collection.  In actuality, it was summer last year when I purchased from the Wild Earth collection, so I guess it wasn’t such a while ago.  I really enjoy their eyeshadow formula, I find it easy to use and foolproof.  This 5-pan eyeshadow palette is part of their Color Games Collection for Summer 2020.  The collection includes a full range of products with each category coming in two different color variations.  For instance, this palette is the warm tone choice but they also have a cooler tone option called 287 Dive.  So you’ll also find two color choices in the rouge blushes, Dior Addict Lip Maximizers, Colour and Contour eyeshadow/eyeliner duos, Mineral Nude Bronzers, Lip Tattoos, and Vernis Nail Lacquers.  If you are interested in seeing this eyeshadow palette and a few other items, please check out Michele Wang on Youtube, she did a video recently featuring what she purchased from this collection.

Bobbi Brown Highlighting Powder in Warm Glow, $48.00: Bobbi Brown has released their Summer Glow collection for summer 2020.  There are six pieces in the collection according to the Bobbi Brown website.  Highlighters always tend to catch my eye and while I have tried Bobbi Brown’s shimmer bricks, I’ve never tried this highlighter formula from them.  This does seem to be a formula that people consider to be intense, which I typically steer away from.  But then again, there are a lot of reviews that say the shimmer bricks are too glittery and I don’t find that to be the case for me.

Continue reading “On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 20, 2020)”

NARS Highlighting Powder Swatches (Maldives and Ibiza)

NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives swatch on medium dark skin
NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives
NARS Highlighting Powder in Ibiza swatches on medium dark skin
NARS Highlighting Powder in Ibiza

These powders are firmly pressed in the pan so they do not kick up powder, but are still easy to pick up on a brush in my experience.  This formula does not accentuate texture but still has enough shine to actually highlight the face.  The closest thing in texture I’ve used was the MUFE Artist Face Color (click here for a swatch and review of shade H106).  Ibiza is my personal color preference, but if you like a pink toned highlight, Maldives performs just as well.

NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives and Ibiza swatches on medium dark skin NC44/NC45
NARS Highlighting Powder in Maldives and Ibiza

The NARS Highlighting Powders are $38.00 at narscosmetics.com and are available in six shades.


If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.

On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 13, 2020)

New in Beauty: Becca Own Your Light highlighter, Makeup Revolution Splendor Matte Bronzer, Real Technigues Cashmere Dreams, Sigma Cor-de-rosa eyeshadow palette, MAC Bronzing foiled eyeshadow monaco-co

If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week.

Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed – Own Your Light (Limited Edition), $38.00:  You can always count on Becca Cosmetics to release highlighters.  According to the brand’s video on their shimmering skin perfector line, it is the number 1 selling highlighter in the US.  I think Becca does a beautiful job formulating products, so if this color speaks to you, I don’t think you’d be disappointed in the purchase. I’ve tried their highlighters in the past and the quality is very nice but was always a but too much for my taste.  GlamGirlChelsea showed a swatch of this shade in a live chat she did and although she said it looks good on the skin, it looked lighter and pinker than I typically prefer, so I don’t think I’d like this shade on my skin tone.  If you are a lighter skin tone, Mel Thompson also used this in a recent video as well.

Makeup Revolution Splendor Matte Bronzer, $12.00:  A new drugstore bronzer option is always good to see, especially considering the 6 color shade range.   They have added a pineapple fragrance which may be nice for some, but I skip fragranced products, so this one isn’t for me.  Product photos can be deceiving, but the light shade doesn’t look all that light to me.  There are other options available for fair skin, but this looks to me like it might be made for more medium, tan, and deep skin tones.  If you do have a deeper skin tone and want to see this product in action please check out Andrea Renee on Youtube, she recently featured this bronzer (shade dark) in a video.

Continue reading “On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 13, 2020)”

theBalm Bonnie-Lou Manizer (50% off today)

Today is another day in what is certainly theBalm’s longest 50% off sale.  The sale originally started back on April 7 but has been extended several times since the original end date of April 12.  If you aren’t familiar with the brand, they typically have these sales 2 or 3 times a year.  No company is immune to times being hard right now so I’m sure that has everything to do with the sale extensions.

theBalm is a brand worth checking out if you are sensitive to either talc or parabens and like supporting cruelty-free brands  Over the years I’ve tried a sampling of theBalm’s products and by far my favorite product of theirs is highlighter.  The more recent release of the shade Bonnie-Lou Manizer is the swatch I am sharing with you today.

thebalm bonnie-lou manizer swatch on medium dark skin
theBalm Bonnie Lou-Manizer
Continue reading “theBalm Bonnie-Lou Manizer (50% off today)”

On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 6, 2020)

New in beauty: NARS matte bronzer somoa, ABH Luminous foundation 400N or 410C, Laura Mercier hydrating primer, L'oreal age perfect foundation and blush, Estee Lauder Bronze goddess highlighter gelee

If you follow the beauty industry closely, then you know that new releases are happening all the time. So let’s discuss what new products are on my radar this week.


NARS matte bronzer (shade Samoa), $38.00:  I was initially intrigued to try this formula because I like their sunwash diffusing bronzer and it looks like they may be discontinuing that line in favor of this new formula.  So far, the reviews I’ve seen have been positive but I have so many bronzers I’ve been really enjoying lately and they all give the skin a healthy glow.  So, I’m not sure I really want to go back in the direction of matte bronzers if that isn’t what I like to use anymore.  NARS did also reformulate their more classic formula which does have sheen/shimmer in it, so maybe I should take a look at that formula instead.

Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess highlighting powder gelee, $45.00: I’m mostly a fan of Estee Lauder’s foundations and brushes but I do often take a look at what else they are releasing.  Every year they release a Bronze Goddess collection and this year is no different.  I’m disappointed that they have started to add fragrance to their highlighter formula for the last couple of years and I was crossing my fingers that they wouldn’t do the same this year.  If the fragrance is the same as years previous, you can smell it before you even open the compact.  The ingredient list for this year’s product does list fragrance, so I definitely won’t be purchasing a highlighter from this release.

ABH Luminous Foundation (400N or 410C), $38.00:  I have dry sensitive skin so the marketing for this foundation sounds right up my alley.  The brand is promising a luminous medium coverage that feels weightless and still manages to be long-wearing.  It sounds like a tall order.  I just can’t seem to gauge which shade I should try.  Reviews that I’ve seen are claiming the color descriptions are really off.  Today I did watch a video from a makeup artist that recommends ignoring the letters that they’ve given the shades and just use the actual shade descriptions to pick one out.  I’ll take another look at them with that in mind and see if I still want to give it a try.

Continue reading “On Wednesdays We Window Shop (May 6, 2020)”

MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Cheeky Bronze

MAC mineralize skinfinish cheeky bronze highlighter
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Cheeky Bronze

This MAC highlighter comes in 5 shades and falls under the Mineralize Skinfinish name.  They also have 15 shades of Skinfinish Natural powders of which 12 are all over face powders and 1 is a bronzer.  The two are often mixed up, so I just wanted to point out that I’m featuring the highlighter formula rather than the face powders. If looking for Skinfinish natural powders, I have a post featuring medium deep and dark that you can check that out by clicking here.

MAC describes Cheeky bronze as a soft coral with a golden shimmer.

MAC mineralize skinfinish cheeky bronze highlighter swatch on medium dark skin
MAC Mineralize Skinfinish in Cheeky Bronze

It is hard to see the golden shimmer in the picture but it is definitely noticeable if you look at yourself closely in the mirror. I do like the quality of this formula and I think it sits nicely on my skin despite my dryness and texture.

As with most makeup items, from a comfortable distance,  it looks much like other highlighters.  On me, this shade is very similar to the Patrick Starrr Holiday 2018 highlighter (Baby It’s Gold Outside).  Cheeky bronze has more color to it and you can see how coral it is in a comparison swatch, but that goes away once blended out on the face.  At least on my Estee Lauder 4W4 skin tone, when I wore one on each side of my face, I could barely tell the difference.

You can purchase this shade and the other 4 permanent shades of this formula from the MAC Cosmetics website for $38.00.


If you enjoyed this post, please consider sticking around. You can check out my Brands A-Z index if you want to know what products I have posted about in the past.

Disclaimer:  I purchased all products featured with my own money.  For my full disclosure policy, click here.