After thoroughly discussing this on the phone twice with Sami (both 20 minute conversations) we’ve decided that  friday faves is going to be a semi-weekly post on poorandpretty.com.  This is where we will pick our favorite things for the week and let you know a little bit bout them and why we dig ‘em.  We’ll be alternating weeks between ourselves.  I get the kids this weekend.  So here goes the first edition of friday faves, hope you like. Love actually. <3

#1. Aveda Light Elements Smoothing Fluid

This stuff is dope!  Honestly, I use this at the salon on everyone…it’s good for every hair type.  It weightlessly smoothes the hair and leave it with a great shine.  Just apply it to damp hair (a little goes a long way) and dry and style like usual.  This is my must have base for styling…even if your a wash and go person, throw this bad boy in before you leave the house.  The main ingredients are lavender and jojoba oils which are both certified organic.

#2. Lush Enchanted Eye Cream

Best eye cream I’ve used thus far.  I’m guilty of hoarding eye creams, I have no idea why I’m so obsessed with the junk.  I just hate looking tired or having dark circles.  I mean make up can only cover up so much right?  The reason I really like this is because a week or so after using it I forgot to use under eye concealer.  How the heck could I forget that!?  Because of this baby…it made my circles go away and zapped any signs of puffery I had going on.  It has cold-pressed essential oils in it that just do the job.

#3. Vintage-y scarves

Accessories are awesome and for some reason I like neck accessories…necklaces, scarves, bandanas etc…In CT now it’s absolutely freezing so anything helps right?  I like anything from old looking or grammy-ish to edgy and studded, so anything goes for this trend.  I got this one from my mum who picked it up at our local Salvation Army Store.  They have them there all the time, usually silk, but if you find a heavier cotton one then you hit the jack pot. (Especially if it’s in a pattern appealing to you.)

Oh yeah I love nerdy glasses!

#4. Aveda Refreshing Bath Bar

I’m not going to apologize for being super into Aveda right now!  It’s a really great product line which strives to be natural and green.  This bath bar cleanses and conditions the skin with plant-derived humectants, vitamins, mineral and herbal extracts.  It has a citrus smell that’s invigorating and wakes you up in the morning.  I keep mine by the shower in a tupperware container and it’s definitely handy when your in a rush.  There’s something really clean about this soap that you usually don’t get from a bar soap.  I recommend trying it for sure.  The only thing I’m bummed about is that it’s rounded, I’d prefer it be squared off for grips sake, but hey no ones perfect.

Anyone try any of these?  If so let me know what you think!  Happy Friday!

mish <3

So, I’m pretty much a cooking noob and I can’t believe I’m actually posting a recipe, but I’m super proud of the soup I made today with my new crock pot (courtesy my boss who gave me one she didn’t need).  It all started with the girls at the salon talking about crock-potting and how completely easy it was to use and about all the delicious recipes they tried, and me being a total foodie, I got interested.  My boss offered to bring in a crock pot for me that she got and didn’t need, and being “poor” I accepted.  (Hey, anything free is sweet in my book.)  She gave me a small 3 qt Rival brand Crock Pot.  So today on my day off I decided to give it a go and make one of my favorite soups: Minestrone.

This recipe is super easy and doesn’t cost a lot to make.  I had most of the ingredients laying around and picked up a few things from the store which cost me about $12 because I found all the sales (I’m trying to stretch my money further these days).  This is my own recipe that I compiled from a few different recipes…I took stuff out, added stuff, tweaked it here and there, made it vegetarian and this is what I got.

You’ll need:

• 4 cups veggie broth (you can use chicken or beef instead)
• 3/4 of an onion (chopped)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 1 stalk celery (chopped)
• 1 can cannelloni beans (drained)
• 1 can red kidney beans (drained)
• 1 can peeled tomatoes (diced)
• 1 zucchini (chopped)
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese (grated)
• 2 cups chopped spinach
• 1 cup of a smallish pasta ( I used shells)
• 1 cup frozen green beans

Note: This soup can be made vegan by simply taking out the parmesan cheese.

So, combine everything (except for the pasta, zucchini and spinach) into the crock pot, give it a stir, and cook on high for 3 to 4 hours.

BUT, 30 minutes before it’s done you gotta throw in the pasta, zucchini and spinach.

Oh yeah, take the bay leaves out before serving…I don’t think they are enjoyable as a whole (more for flava.)

OR you can do an all day cook, 1 hour on high is equal to about 2 -2 1/2 hours on low or so my directions tell me, so I guess just double the hours on low and leave it while your at work and come home to awesome soup!  Enjoy!

<3 mish

P.s my boyfriend said it was one of the best home made soups he’s ever had…and that means a lot because he’s an official soup fiend.

Red has taken the back seat for way too long…and this season hot locks are my new obsession!  Anything from a lighter copper all the way to a deep red has me wanting a fiery change.  It’s like red is the new blonde…it’s come all the way from freckles and pigtails to sexy red waves.

The great thing about this trend is that you don’t have to commit to a completely new hair color.  Check out a salon and ask about a semi-permanent glaze.  It’ll warm up your hair and give you that red shine for the season, causing no damage. (beacause it fades after a while).

Talk about standing out.  Red is such a rarity and causes so much drama (without looking completely unnatural).  Coco Rocha definitely caused a stir when the model went from pretty brown to blazing beauty.

Like it or not, (and I LOVE it) it’s cool to be warm this winter.

mish<3

p.s. What’s your latest obsession?

It’s getting colder and colder…(it is December after all!)  Now’s the time to bundle up and keep warm…but you don’t have to do it un-fashionably!

Scarves are making a BIG comeback this winter!  The bigger the better actually.  Chunky scarves look rad and keep you nice and toasty!

You know they say most of your body heat is lost though your head right?  These hats are awesome…the trapper hat is furry (faux) and super chic while the slouchy beanie is casual cool and keeps the ears warm too!

One of the things I want most this winter is a nice leather bomber.  They keep the wind out and are super badass.  Throw a hoodie underneath and you’re good to go.

Most of these are from Urban Outfitters and are pretty inexpensive….except the white trapper hat which is from Target for like $14!  A steal!

Enjoy and keep warm!

mish<3

Street style: the concept of street style is to basically showcase someone’s personal style…

Whether it’s a complete stranger, (if I’m brave enough to actually approach someone and ask them If they want to be in my blog), a friend or acquaintance, or myself and Sami, the criteria could be people who have a unique style, an interesting view on fashion, or an awesome put-together look.  Any look I think is “fashion forward” will do.  I got the idea through a really neat site called lookbook.nu, who have people from around the world post photos of their outfits.  Really cool site.  <3 Hopefully these posts are frequent enough though…since I am “poor”, I still need to get a good camera.

I’ll probably have a blurb from the individual expressing their view on fashion or talking about their inspiration for their outfit…basically anything they want to say.  It should be interesting though, I hope.

<3 mish

Paweł.

(A writer, poet, artist, graphic designer from CT.)

“The way you dress  says a lot about who you are, artistically.  Articles of clothing are strokes of paint; Usually you can tell an artist by the way they carry themselves  in the fashion world.”  -Paweł