I hate to break it to you, but it's December.  Yep.  And if that isn't enough to put a little panic into your bones, consider the fact that 3 weeks from this weekend is Christmas!  3 weeks!

Fear not though!  Even if you haven't yet given one single thought to Christmas, it isn't time to freak out.  It's time to get organized and we have some tips to help!

Make lists! These are a few to get you started:

• Gifts to buy

• Christmas cards to send

• Other things you know you'll need, like Christmas lights or new Christmas dresses for the girls

• Charitable donations to make before year-end

Start a calendar. Pick one up at the office supply store, download one online, or just draw one out on a piece of paper…just do it!

• First add every function to it that you know about this minute

• As invitations for parties and other events come in, add them to the calendar so it's always current

• Add travel arrangements

• Add other important dates, such as shipping deadlines

Do as much as you can now. Seriously, don't put anything off til next week if you can avoid it.  You'll thank yourself later!

• Start your shopping NOW!

• Think about what you want to bake or cook this year, and if there are any new recipes on the list test them now.

• Don't wait until Christmas Eve wrapping time to find out that you need boxes and tape.  Get it now when you see it on sale.

Order online as much as possible. You avoid the crowds and the parking lot dramas that always occur, plus you get it all done at the speed of light.  And you can usually get great deals!

• Gifts, of course

• Christmas cards, gift bags and wrapping supplies, mailing materials

• Stamps (avoid that deadly post office line that steals your Christmas joy)

There you have it: our top 4 tips to get your Christmas planning off to a great stress-free start.  Now get out there and deck those halls!

photo credit: jannalauren

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

Thanks, BigSis! I wonder if I should ask my dermi about that Tazorac?  Do you have to stay completely out of  the sun if you are using that product?  If so, that would leave me out.  Remember when everyone went crazy over “The Stretch Mark Cream turned Anti-Wrinkle Phenomenon”,  StriVectin?  Of course, I had to try it.  I remember going to my dermatologist during that time and I got quite the lecture for using that product and exposing my face to the sun. I stopped using it immediately.

• Right now, I'm using Origins Night-A-Mins before bedtime. We are having very dry weather here and my skin feels really dry. This is a pretty rich night time cream, but I love it.  It smells really nice, goes on really well and doesn't make me break out. It's $33.50 for the jar, but I've had mine so long that they've actually redesigned the jar since I bought it last.  I tried the Night-A-Mins eye cream, but it was way too thick and heavy for my eyes.  (We've had the discussion about the puffy eye syndrome.)

Origins Night-A-Mins

• When my skin is feeling dry, like it is now, I use the Chanel Hydramax + Active Serum first thing in the morning.

Chanel Hydromax + Active Serum

I really love this product! I first tried it after receiving a sample from the Chanel counter.  I was leaving on a trip soon and the saleswoman told me how much she liked to use it before a flight. It really does feel like it helps to keep your skin hydrated. I fell in love with it instantly! Last time I ran out, it took me several months to replace it and I really missed it! The bottle retails for $75.00 for one ounce. Again, it's worth every penny to me.

• After several years of using this product as my every day moisturizer,  I'm still very happy with  Chanel Rectifiance Intense Retexturizing Line Correcting Fluid.

Chanel Rectifiance Intense

This moisturizer also has a SPF of 15, whereas a lot of moisturizers don't contain any sun protection. I usually buy it at Macy's for $96.00 for 1.7 ounces. For some reason this particular product isn't available on the Chanel website.  I found it on sale for $78.72 on scentmonkey.com.

• This isn't a moisturizer, but it's the last step in my daily skin care regimen, so I thought I would end with this product. I've used Prescriptives Traceless for several years now and have never felt the need to even try anything new.

Prescriptives Traceless

Prescriptives Traceless has a smooth, undetectable finish, yet covers just enough for me. I've never liked a heavy foundation. It also has a SPF of 8 for just a little added sun protection. This is so natural looking, most people don't even realize that you have on a foundation. It retails for $32.50 for one ounce.

Whew! That sums up my daily moisturizing routine, with the exception of an occasional hydrating mask. BigSis, you want to share your favorite masks and/or scrubs?

~LilSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care

I hope you're all having a good week.  I'm having a great week myself, but I have a nagging feeling that I can't seem to shake, and it's about the 27,000 exotic animals that the SPCA is taking care of.  Last week, I told you about the largest animal rescue in US history that took place in Arlington about six weeks ago.  Since then, the SPCA of Texas has been caring for 27,000 exotic animals who were neglected and abused.

I got an urgent email from the SPCA this week, which said that the “people” (I use that word loosely) who owned the company have appealed the judge's decision to confiscate the animals from them and award custody to the City of Arlington.  Until that appeal is settled, the SPCA will continue to care for the animals, at a cost of $8,000-$10,000 per day.  They are in desperate need of $150,000 ASAP!

If this situation touches your heart as it does mine, will you please consider making a donation to the SPCA?  If I could do another bake sale tomorrow that would put a dent in this need, I would do it.  But their need is much bigger than that.  They need us all to come together for them, and contribute what we can.  Thanks for considering helping these poor little critters!

BigSis added this note January 28 at 1:30 pm: I just found this great video on DallasNews.com, which shows some of the animals and gives you an idea of the lengths the SPCA is going to for these guys.  Here's the link: http://www.dallasnews.com/video/dallasnews/hp/index.html?nvid=412930

It's short, so please check it out.  I'm in love with the Ring-Tailed Lemurs and the teensy turtles.

~BigSis

Posted under Animals

Although October 12th is the “real” date that Christopher Columbus is credited with discovering America, we're celebrating it today and we have more than the obvious reason to celebrate it. Did you know the whole mission of the Nina, the Pinta and the Santa Maria was to try to find a shorter route to the spices and silks in the Orient? True, Columbus and his crew stumbled upon a spot in the Bahamas and claimed it for Spain, but just as exciting (arguably) is that Columbus introduced the capsicum to Europe and that's spelled “pepper” to you and me.

What would cooking be like without peppers? Without spices? I say it would be boring. Since my favorite cuisines are Mexican and Italian, I can't imagine a New World without spice. And I can't imagine a spicy world without Penzeys.

I talked about my love for Penzeys a little bit last week in my Sunday Supper post.  Oh how I love me some Penzeys!  Even when I'm on a bland diet and can't be a very spicy girl, I just like to think about Penzeys and imagine the reunion we'll have soon.  They have a retail store here in Dallas where you can wander around and smell every item they carry.  If you aren't close to one of their stores around the country, don't despair!  You can order online or download a catalog if you prefer to browse their products offline.  My experience is that the Penzeys products are all fresh, all high quality, and all powerful so you need to use less of them. I love that you can buy the cute little baby jars of items that you never use up, so you aren't invested in a ginormous bottle of cloves or allspice that will get old before you need it all.

Plus, they have a huge assortment of proprietary spice blends that you can't find anywhere else.  And they do really cute gift boxes.  What's not to love about this spice haven!  Oh, and as a bonus they have great recipes on their web site.  I'm eying this one for Banana Bread.  It has buttermilk instead of higher-fat sour cream, plus it uses their Baking Spice which I've almost picked up a couple of times.  It's one of their special blends with cinnamon, mace, anise and cardamom.  Sounds like a great fall addition to my spice cabinet.

What are my favorites?  Let me see if I can whittle the list down a little bit.

• Mexican Vanilla

• Cinnamon

• Southwest Seasoning

• Lemon Pepper

• Shallot Pepper

• Freeze Dried Shallots

• Ground Chipotle

• Toasted Granulated Onion

• Salt-Free Mural of Flavor

• Sandwich Sprinkle

That's my Spice Hall of Fame for today, but tomorrow it may change. Hey LilSis, I know you have a different list of Penzeys loves since I turned you on to them.  What are your favorites?

~BigSis

Posted under Food

Can you believe we only have one more regular episode of Lost before the season and series finale on May 23rd? Noooooo!!!! Say it isn't so!  I haven't even recovered yet from losing Sayid, Sun, and Jin (and maybe Lapidus?).

I've been watching this show since the very first episode 6 years ago, and these people are my fwends. They can't all go away and leave me! Well, I kinda could handle them all going away if they just left Sawyer to console me. Mwah ha ha ha.

I say we should enjoy every last morsel of Lost before it's gone.  Here are some goodies and funnies I found that tickle me:

Let's start with a goodie, shall we?  You didn't think I could talk about Lost without including a gratuitous Sawyer photo, did you?  😀

Now, how about planning a Lost Finale Party!  Get the details from the theackattack.net.  If you don't know about this site, you have to check it out before Lost is gone!  Rachel does a review of each episode that is dead-on accurate and hilarious.  Here's the recap of last week's The Candidate.

Once Lost is finished, maybe we could get our Lost fix with a Lost cartoon series!  Ion9.com has a gallery of character drawings that's priceless.  I love how the facial expressions capture each character to a T.

I feel like I need a souvenir from the last 6 years.  What do you buy when you visit some place fun?  You buy a t-shirt, of course, and we've definitely been somewhere!  I like the women's Oceanic Airlines t-shirt on ABC's store site.

Who knew there were Lost bobbleheads!  This Benjamin Linus bobblehead from entertainmentearth.com has bloody scrapes on his face and his arm is in a sling!  Ha!  It's sold out right now, but I want it.

You can also choose Hurley, Kate, Richard, Dr. Edgar Halliwax, John Locke, Daniel Farraday, Jacob, Man in Black, or Claire Littleton (OMG, she's holding that creepy monkey-body baby thing!)

But wait!  No Sawyer?  Are you kidding me?  Travesty of a mockery of a sham!  You can't have Lost bobbleheads and not do Sawyer!  He's the bobbliest bobblehead of all!

Before I go, let me remind you to mark your calendars.  The Lost finale event is Sunday, May 23rd.  It starts at 7 pm/6 pm central time.  Til then, let me know if you find any fun Lost stuff!

~BigSis

Posted under This & That

When BigSis was here in CA last month for my birthday week, we made our usual trip to Trader Joe's. We always try to pop in so BigSis can pick up a few favorite items since there's not a TJ's in Texas…yet!

Yes, Texans, get ready!  Trader Joe's is coming to Texas. There are five confirmed locations in Texas so far. The first stores will open in Fort Worth, Houston and Plano, then in Fall 2012, they'll open in Dallas and San Antonio. (I bet BigSis is first in line when their doors open at the one in Dallas, which just so happens to be pretty close to her house.) 🙂

When she was here, BigSis picked up some of these Wasabi Roasted Seaweed Snacks since she regularly buys the wasabi flavor in the Annie Chun's brand, and loves them. I've tried the plain ones without the Wasabi before and even though I did like them, they smelled a little fishy so I never bought them again.

Can you see how yummy and crispy these are? Not only are they a great snack, but this is my new favorite quick and easy, healthy lunch.

Two or three of these simply wrapped around a half a slice of  TJ's low sodium turkey breast makes a perfect lunch.

Here are a couple made with TJ's no salt Solid White Tuna.

I've been making these almost every day with either the tuna or the turkey, depending on what I have on hand. It's a great alternative if you're trying to cut back on the carbs. For vegetarians, I've made these wrapped around an avocado and tomato slice and they're super good!

I'm sure I could get even more creative with these; maybe crab and avocado like a California roll? Yummy!

If you're lucky enough to have a Trader's nearby and you like Wasabi, pick these up on your next trip and let me know what you think.

An added bonus is that they're only 99 cents!  And, maybe the best thing is that they satisfy our cravings for a salty crispy snack, but they are actually low in sodium at only 65 mg per serving.

(Just so you know, this is not an “paid” endorsement for Traders, I just love their products and they have great options for low sodium products!)

~LilSis

Posted under Food, Shopping

Happy St Patrick's Day!  LilSis and I are only 1/4 Irish at the most, so we can't really claim this holiday as our own, but it's a pretty fun little holiday anyway!  There are no responsibilities or expectations; it's just about the wearing o' the green, eating food you probably wouldn't eat every day like corned beef and cabbage (I'll pass), and having fun.  Oh, and green beer works its way into the celebration more often than not!  And do you remember when McDonald's used to have green vanilla milkshakes on St Patrick's Day?

I'm determined to find a delicious way to bake without using eggs and dairy, and I'm encouraged by my success so far with my favorite Pumpkin Bread and the Banana-Wheat Germ Muffins I made recently.  Getting braver, I decided it was time to be a big vegan girl and try something a little trickier…cake!  With St Patrick's Day coming up, I had the perfect excuse to bake!

I found this recipe for vanilla cupcakes on VegNews.com and was intrigued!  The amount of lemon juice and apple cider vinegar sounded very acidic, and I wasn't sure about 100% whole wheat pastry flour in cake.  My rule for a brand new recipe is always to follow it precisely the first go-round though, so that's what I did.

How'd the cupcakes come out?  My first thought was that they could benefit from a bit less sugar, and perhaps 25% to 50% all purpose flour in place of some of the whole wheat pastry flour.  They were pretty coarse in texture, and maybe a bit more like dense muffins than cake.

I took these to my test subjects at the office, and got a variety of reactions:

• A laugh and a shake of the head followed by a brisk/frantic walk away from the untouched cupcakes.

• Silence after eating one.  Dead silence.  Still silent.

• “It's really good, but I like things that taste like they're healthy”.

• ” That cake will take some getting used to but I like the frosting”.

• “Well, they look good.”

I'm convinced that there is a tasty vegan cake recipe out there; actually, I'm sure there are several.  Is this cupcake one of them?  Mmmm, nah.  But it's not bad.  And when you're vegan, maybe “not bad cake” is better than no cake at all?

~BigSis

Posted under Holidays

I don't think we've mentioned lately how much our kitties love wearing hats!  🙂

If you don't believe us, just look at these happy faces from previous Halloweens when all three of them posed in their favorite witch hat!

TomTom looking very sly in his witch hat.

Ashy trying to look like he isn't enjoying his witch hat.

Gaby looking very dark and mysterious in his witch hat.

See. Don't they look like they're having fun?

(We're both animal lovers so we want to assure you that there is never any cruel treatment to our little furkids to get these photos.  Please don't call the authorities on us.)

Since we no longer host costume parties or have little kiddos to dress up, we sisters just get a kick out of showing off our little furkids in their Halloween costumes, their Christmas outfits, and their New Years Eve hats.  We actually don't need much of an occasion in order to torment them with photo shoots.

No, we aren't crazy cat ladies (yet)!  I know we aren't the only ones who like dressing up our pets. I was in Petco today and couldn't believe all the cute outfits for little doggies!

Does your pet have his/her Halloween costume yet? If so, we would LOVE to see them!

Just for the pure fun of it, we thought we would have a little Parade of Pet Costumes here on BigSisLilSis for Halloween. And this parade isn't limited to just kitties; it's open to all pets: dogs, bunnies, guinea pigs, birds, reptiles…you name it.  We want to see it!  Cats in Hats, Masquerading Mutts, Doggies in Dresses, Incognito Iguanas…you get the idea!

If you want to join in on the fun, just snap a photo of your pet in their hat or costume and email it to either BigSis (BigSis at BigSisLilSis dot com) or LilSis (LilSis at BigSisLilSis dot com) by Thursday, October 28th and don't forget to mention your pet's name.

We'll post the parade here on Halloween, Sunday, October 31st!  🙂

~LilSis

Posted under Animals

Welcome to the first post of BigSisLilSis! We've wanted to blog together for a long time, and finally decided that we weren't going to wait until we had the time to do it. Today is what we have, we are thankful for it and we're celebrating it!

We're really sisters and really friends, but we live a long way away from each other so that means we're on the phone and emailing ALL THE TIME! We talk about everything and nothing at all, and just really felt inspired to share a little bit of what we've learned, what we believe in, what we're excited about, what we hope for and what we know to be true.

So, what's up with BigSis and LilSI? Here is a little frivolity and some fun facts so you can get to know us a bit:

Who are we?

LilSis: Forty-something wife/mother/sculpting student

BigSis: Forty-something/single/crafting/cookbook-collecting/recipe-contest-entering/compulsive organizing aunt

Where do we live?

LilSis: In a suburbian neighborhood in San Diego County where Bunco, Book Club meetings and “tupperware-ish parties” occur frequently, mainly as a reason for the girls to get together for cocktails.

BigSis: In a condo in Northern Texas

What is our living situation?

LilSis: I live with my husband, my two sons, a twelve year old Great Dane and a feisty Siamese Cat.

BigSis: I live with two rescued street cats; one is a sweet high-maintenance Siamese, the other is a solid black rascal.

What do we do for a living?

LilSis: I work from home for SirHoney's business. I happen to be juggling several positions at this time; AdMin, HR Director, Payroll Clerk and Accountant. Oh, and that's my real job. My night time job is doing laundry and cooking for three hungry men! And in my dreams, I'll someday make a living by doing a series of sculptures that are actually worthy of being displayed in local galleries.

BigSis: I have an intense position as the Business Manager of a small partnership in a Dallas high-rise building.

Meat Eater or Vegetarian?

LilSis: Meat Eater. I could probably be a vegetarian if I lived alone. But, considering that I live with three meat-eating men, it would be impossible for me at this point in time.

BigSis: Vegetarian for 14 years! I have days when I'm a raw-foodist and days when I'm a vegan, but I just strive to eat as consciously as I can and don't beat myself up on my off-days.

Breakfast Eater?

LilSis: Absolutely. I eat breakfast at 6:30 in the morning before taking my vitamins. First breakfast is usually Irish cut oatmeal or a banana and blackberries in Nonfat Vanilla Yogurt or a half of a wheat English Muffin. Then I usually have a second breakfast after exercise, which is most likely an egg or a light string cheese.

BigSis: Yes, yes. First breakfast is always a frozen fruit smoothie at 6 am with flax seeds, vitamin powder and unsweetened Vanilla Almond Breeze. Second breakfast is 3 hours later at the office, and is sometimes a banana, but usually Irish oatmeal.

Baker or Cook?

LilSis: Cook. I love to cook! I hate to measure and rarely follow a recipe that I don't change. I learned the hard way that doesn't work in baking. D used to tell me that I made good cornbread even though every single time I would inevitably do something wrong and it would turn out flat as a ding dang pancake.

BigSis: I love to cook, but being single, I can get away with being lazy at the end of the day, and just having a giant pile of salad for dinner. But I love love love to bake! Give me a reason, and I'm a baking fool! I'm a perfectionist, so the exact science of baking is right up my OCD alley.

Food weaknesses?

LilSis: I can't resist Crunchy Cheetos or any kind of Mexican Food. Basically, the saltier the better! And on the rare occasion that I actually go see a movie at a theater; I can't resist the popcorn even though I know that my stomach is going to blow up like a balloon. I don't know why as you get older; you can't eat the things that you used to enjoy without some sort of side effect. (Maybe we'll discuss that later.)

BigSis: I can't pass up a Crunchy Cheeto either, or Mexican food, or veggie pizza…darn these salty genes! But I have to admit my total-without-control food is Kettle Potato Chips. I don't even buy the ding dang things because they disappear into my tummy in a nano-second and magically appear in a nano-second on my derriere.

Signature Dish?

LilSis: The kids all love it when I make my Bowties and Sausage; which is originally from BigSis' cookbook. Back when all the kids were at home, I would triple the recipe and use 3 lbs of pasta and 3 lbs of sausage. BigGuy, Big T, and HayHay all request the holiday potatoes originally from BigSis' cookbook. I'm lucky if ten pounds of potatoes feeds these hungry guys!

BigSis: When I was a meat-eater and meat-cooker, it was my stuffed mushrooms with italian sausage and cream cheese. Now it's probably my vermicelli pasta salad or my brownies.

Exercise Routine?

LilSis: Run two times a week, do yoga twice a week, and ride my bike twice a week. I usually take one day off, which is usually Sunday. I'm getting motivated to add some weight training on my yoga days.

BigSis: Cardio and weight-training at the gym 3 or 4 times a week, and walking 2 to 4 times a week as the weather allows. I'm trying to get back into my routine of adding a 5 am yoga class 5 times a week, and doing the occasional Pilates DVD when I can.

Beliefs?

LilSis: Christian. I definitely believe in the Bible. I also enjoy reading a lot of books from Spiritual Teachers. I feel it just strengthens my religion as opposed to distracting from it as some people believe.

BigSis: Christian. I believe the Bible is the infallible Word of God, and it is the authority for my life.

Early Bird or Night Owl?

LilSis: Well, I go to bed around 11:00 or 11:30; I usually wake at 1:00 with insomnia and am awake for awhile, then wake up with the dog at 4:30, maybe go back to sleep for two hours and get up with HayHay at 6:30 to get him off to school. So, am I an early bird and a night owl? Luckily, I function pretty well if I get five hours of sleep at some point in the night.

BigSis: Early bird! Especially when I get in the 5 am yoga habit! I'm more productive early in the morning and have more energy. Don't ask me about the late night talk shows!

Signature Hair Color?

LilSis: Almost platinum blonde. (That's only because it matches my gray best)

BigSis: Garnier Nutrisse Medium Golden Brown. Totally DIY. I've never in my life had my hair color done in a salon! I'm a low maintenance girl!

Signature Pedicure?

LilSis: Another little fetish of mine; I am obsessed about keeping a nice pedicure. I guess my most common one I get is either a regular French Pedicure or the French Pedicure with a color on the tips. I always have to do something a little different. I get bored easily. Right now, I happen to have purple on my toes. It's a new OPI called Louvre Me, Louvre Me Not.

BigSis: Well, DIY again! I love the China Glaze and Essie brands. My signature color for my toes is China Glaze “Fuschia”, and Essie “Wife Goes On” occasionally. If I ever wear color on my fingernails, it's OPI “Bubble Bath”. Top coat is always Sally Hansen Power Shield with Sally Hansen Dry Kwik on top.

Music Style?

LilSis: I am still basically stuck in the 70s/80s classic rock style. I do listen to some pop, but my favorites are still the rock bands like U2, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Boston, Alice in Chains, Led Zepplin, Pink Floyd, Peter Frampton, ZZ Top; I could go on and on…

BigSis: I listen to Christian pop about 95% of the time. The other 5% is a mix. I like Dave Matthews, Keith Urban, and Kelly Clarkson, for example. And Peter Frampton, can't forget him!

Piercings?

LilSis: Normal pierced ears, upper ear piercing in left ear and belly button piercing. (I just got a new piece of jewelry for my belly after having a simple ring in for almost ten years)

BigSis: Two sets of regular ear piercings. I almost got a belly button piercing several years ago before it was really popular, but once it became so mainstream I lost interest in it.

Tattoos?

LilSis: I have one memorial tattoo on the inside of my right arm in memory of D.

BigSis: None.

Weak area of body?

LilSis: Head (That's typical of Aries). Lucky for me I have a hard head. I've had a hammer dropped on my head from a boy in a treehouse, I've fallen from a tree landing straight on the sidewalk on my forehead and I've broken a car windshield in a car accident with my head but have never had stitches. (Knock on wood!) I used to have a lot of headaches; but not so much anymore.

BigSis: My weak spot is my lower back, and it flares up from time to time. It's a genetic weakness for sure that's always been a challenge, but it didn't help to be in an Acura-smushing car accident 20 years ago that involved a hit from behind from a careening old Cadillac that pushed my little car into the car in front of me. Can you say whiplash? A car accident attorney was definitely needed then!

Coming soon are our “Favorites” and our “Top Five” lists. Then, you'll know just about anything you could possibly care to know about us (maybe more) and we'll move on to more interesting topics!

Posted under Family

MAC eye shadows are like frisky little bunnies in my makeup drawer…they multiply! I knew that space in my drawer was getting pretty tight, but I was surprised to count over 50 wee shadow bunnies hiding in there.

I don't mind having that many, in fact I kind of love having a bunch to be honest. It's a fun little indulgence that isn't that expensive, and it's just good clean fun to add a new shadow to my collection.

The problem is it's pretty impossible to remember what colors are hiding in the stack. And at 6 AM it takes more time than I have to dig around in the pile looking for that gray I think I have. The time had clearly come to depot my MAC eye shadow collection. To the Google we go for instruction! To the Google!

I found lots and lots of tutorials – both video and text – on depotting eye shadows of all brands, especially MAC. Some folks like to bake the pots in a low oven, some prefer waving a candle or butane lighter underneath the pot, and others use a clothing iron to toast the bottom of the pot. The method I chose was using a hair flat iron because it seemed the simplest and safest.

Before you get started, please heed my very serious warning…BE CAREFUL with this project! You're using two super dangerous weapons: a sharp knife and a hot iron. I'm a self-confessed klutz, and I just barely managed to avoid burning off a finger or all my hair.

However, I did stab myself lightly a few times and came close to really hurting myself until I figured out how to manage this process more gracefully. It reminds me of using one of those treacherous oyster knives to open an oyster shell, but you aren't wearing those big thick protective gloves to depot shadows. So please be careful!

All you need for the flat iron method is:

• a flat iron
• a small piece of parchment paper to protect the iron from melty plastic
• a sharp thin knife
• a soft towel to use as a work surface
• 3/4″ labels
• 3/4″ thin magnets
• reading glasses to see what you're doing if you're 40-plus like me

The first step is to get the plastic insert that holds the MAC pan out of the plastic case. This is the part where I was the biggest threat to my own life. What you want to do is wedge the tip of the knife in-between the plastic insert and the case, and pop the insert out. It's easiest to do that near the back hinge where the lid connects to the bottom part of the case.

Once the insert is out, place it face up on the parchment on the flat iron. I had my iron heated to around 370 degrees.

Once you get your rhythm going, you can do two at a time.

These guys are waiting their turn on the iron. That Barbie line was so awesome!

Carefully lift the insert off the iron after 20 seconds or so, and check to see if the bottom of the insert is starting to soften. You're looking for a little dent in the middle of the insert.

Once you see that, you can poke at the hole with the tip of the knife and try to gently pop out the eye shadow pan onto the towel. If the plastic is still too hard to do that, place it back onto the iron for a few more seconds. Keep checking it until the pan releases.

The pan is going to be really warm now, so again be careful. I snap the melty insert back into the case, and then put it aside. If you left it on the iron until it got warped, you might have a little trouble getting it snapped back into the case.

While the pan is still upside down, I like to place a self-adhesive 3/4″ magnet onto it. The warm glue on the back of the pan will also help it adhere.

Some people clean the back of the pan with q-tips and alcohol or makeup remover before adding a magnet, but I didn't think it was necessary. If there's a lot of glue and it seems like a big task to remove it all, you can rub a little baby powder over the cooled glue with your finger to neutralize the stickiness.

Some of the tutorials I read suggested removing the original MAC label from the bottom of the case and attaching it to the pan. I tried that but didn't love the result.

The only thin magnets I found were 3/4″ and the original label is more like 1″ so there was a little awkward overhang. I also am not a huge fan of the black label because it's a bit hard to read, and if you've had the shadow for a while the label might be faded or worn, making it even harder to read.

What I used was a 3/4″ adhesive label from Avery. I had red so that's what I used. I think white would get grubby really quickly anyway.

You could hand-print the labels, but I like to laser-print them. They look really nice, but I also love that I have the label stored in my computer so if I ever want to replace a dirty label I print a clean one off in a jiffy. The Word document is also a nice little database of my shadows.  Yes, I am a little OCD, thanks for asking.

I just peeled the laser-printed label off the sheet and attached it to the magnet on the pan.

That's it.  Rinse and repeat a few dozen times til all the kids are depotted!

Once you have all the pans depotted and labeled, you need a palette to put them in. I bought 3 MAC palettes that were supposed to hold 15 shadows, but I pried the insert out and made room for 10 more shadows. I was a little impatient though, and just used a butter knife on my nice new palettes, and ended up scratching them a little. Oops! You'll be more careful than I was!

I since found out about another option called the Z Palette, which I might try next. The appeal of the Z Palette for me is that the lid is clear so you can easily see the colors inside. The downside is that some reviewers mentioned that the construction of the palette could be more sturdy.

After a little bit of time, my space-consuming collection was transformed into this neat compact stack that makes me very happy:

 This palette has all warm colors.

This one has all cool colors. 

This one has grays, duplicate backups of favorite limited edition colors, and some random brights with room to add more.

I had these guys leftover after the project:

It might look like a pile of junk on its way to the recycling bin, but no! This pile is headed to the Back to Mac program. For every 6 empties you turn into a MAC counter or online, you get a free lipstick. If you return them to a MAC store though, you can choose an eye shadow or a lipstick. These empties will allow me to bring home 9 more new shadows for free! Wheee!!

Now I'm on a roll with a mission to depot all of my shadows. Next project: depot the few LaFemme and Stila shadows I have, and liberate all the other random pans whose packaging is taking up way too much room!

~BigSis

Posted under Beauty and Skin Care