Cheesy, Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole

 I have recently become very addicted to Pinterest, spending hours looking through people’s pins, finding crafts I would love to try and recipes that sound amazing. One day last week I decided that I was going to stop imagining what one of them would taste like and actually make it. The recipe I decided on was a Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole. From the recipe it sounded delicious, not exactly healthy, but delicious nonetheless.

Cheesy Chicken and Wild Rice Casserole
3 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely diced
3 stalks celery, finely diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced*
*I subbed for sliced mushrooms
2 Tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 Cups shredded, cooked chicken breast
2 Cups steamed white rice (1 cup dry)
16 oz prepared wild (1 cup dry)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
______
Cheese Sauce
4 Tablespoons butter
¼ Cup all-purpose flour
¼ teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper
2 Cups chicken broth
2 Cups shredded cheddar cheese
Top with 1 ½ Cups shredded cheddar cheese*
*I used a little more cheese on the top because 1 ½ cups wasn’t enough to cover everything.


1.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Heat oil into a medium dutch oven or pot over medium heat.  Sauté onion, celery and carrots until softened, about 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic and cook for 1 minute.  Stir in chicken, both rices, salt, pepper and garlic salt.  Reduce heat to low.


2.  To prepare cheese sauce: melt butter into a medium saucepan over medium high heat.  Whisk in flour, salt and pepper then slowly pour in chicken broth whisking continuously.  Whisk until thick and nearly boiling then stir in cheese until melted.  Pour cheese sauce into rice mixture then transfer to a 9×13 inch baking dish. Top with additional cheddar cheese and bake for 25-30 minutes or until cheese is melted through.  Serve. *I cooked for only 22 minutes and it was plenty so be careful not to burn it!
8-10 servings

I made a special trip to my local Bel Air to pick up extra ingredients I would need since my Safeway doesn't have a bulk foods section for things like whole grains, rice, etc. I decided to sub carrots for sliced mushrooms because neither my boyfriend nor I care for cooked carrots, and I had to use extra cheese on top in order to cover the whole dish.

Left: ingredients ready for the cheese sauce
Right: ingredients prepped to be sautéed 

In all, it took me approximately two and a half to three hours (maybe a bit more) to prepare and cook, but I think it was totally worth it. I cooked the white and wild rice together in my rice cooker, using the brown rice settings knowing that the wild rice would have to cook a bit longer than the white, and it worked out great! Plus it saved me some time from having to cook them 20+ min. each separately. I also had to pre-cook the chicken before sautéing the veggies, but that didn’t take long.

 Once the rice was done, I sautéed the veggies for 10 min. as the recipe calls for, added the garlic and chicken, and let it simmer while I prepared the cheese sauce. The recipe said to “whisk continuously until the sauce [became] thick and almost to a boil”. What it didn't say was how long that would take! It probably took about 15 minutes for this to happen. If I had known how long it would take, I probably would have started it at the same time as the veggies.

Top: veggies and chicken in the pan
Bottom: all mixed together with the cheese sauce

Once everything was mixed together and placed in the oven, I set my timer for 22 min. even though the directions said to let it cook for 25-30, and it turned out to be perfect. If I had let it go any longer, the cheese on top would have burned, so be aware if you decide to make it yourself.

The finished product

This is probably the most work I have ever put into a dish, and let me tell you, I was worried it was going to turn out terribly! BUT turns out it was amazing, just as I had hoped. My boyfriend and his brother loved it. We liked it so much we ended up eating the whole thing in less than a week (it was great reheated too!). If you’re looking for a great, hearty, winter dish, I would highly recommend this! If you make it, let me know what you think or if you made any adjustments of your own. Would love to hear what you think! Also, if anyone would like an invite to Pinterest just let me know :)

Jelly Belly Factory & Belated Thanksgiving Photos

The week of Thanksgiving, I had two paid holidays, so I decided to take the extra 3 days with vacation to have the entire week off. My boyfriend had a week of vacation that he had to use before the end of the year, so he decided to take it of as well. I can say that it definitely did not last long enough, but it was nice to sleep in past 5am more than 2 days in a row :)

During our time off, we didn't do a whole lot (which was the plan), but we did manage to make it to Fairfield to take a tour of the Jelly Bell Factory. This is something we had talked about doing for a while, but we wanted to go during the week so that the factory would actually be running, and this was the perfect opportunity!

They offer free tours every 20 minutes or so and you get free samples! Jelly Bellys are my favorite type jelly bean, always have been (and it made them a million times cooler to me when they started producing Bertie Botts Every Flavored Bean - Harry Potter reference for you - but that's off topic). We had a quick lunch in the cafe and waited in line for our tour.

Due to health regulations, you have to wear a hate when inside the factory, so they provide you with these silly paper hats (better than hair nets I guess!). My hair is so long that I'm not sure wearing a hat did much anyway. Also, that yellow wall is ghastly for photos!


Here are some more photos from the factory

Harry Potter of course!

Front of the building all decorated for Christmas. To the right was a giant Christmas tree!

 Thanksgiving was at my grandparent's house this year, which was nice for us since we only had to travel about 45 minutes instead of the hour and a half (give or take) through winding roads to my parent's house in the Bay Area.

I went for a more natural look. I don't think my grandparents would have been ready for bright greens or dark greys.

China Glaze's The Hunger Games Nail Polish Collection

I'm not sure how many of you have heard, but China Glaze has reached an agreement with Lionsgate and are officially teaming up for create a collection based on The Hunger Games! Apparently there is some backlash from fans about this, but I think it's awesome! I am a huge fan of the books and couldn't be more excited that they're creating colors inspired by the books and upcoming film. I'm going to try my best to get my hands on this set! It's set to release on March 1, 2012, just before the release of the movie. What do you think? Are any of you as excited as I am?

Source

The names have changed since the original announcement, I'm not sure if this has to do with the lawsuit that American International Industries (AII - China Glaze's parent company) had with Lionsgate for ending the licensing deal they originally had, but from what I can tell, the colors are still the same. I'm glad they're back on and headed my way!

Source

The Versatile Blogger Award

Last week I was given the Versatile Blogger award from Miranda at Miranda’s Makeup & More. I want to say thank you Miranda, this is my very first blog award! I feel very special for being recognized by a blogger that I really like and respect, so thank you again.

Please check her blog out. She always has posts on great deals for your beauty needs, swatches, hauls, looks of the day and more. I also love that she has mixed posts with not only beauty, but also things about her life and herself.

The Rules:

1: Thank the person who nominated you and give them a shout out on your blog with a link to their blog.

2: Share 7 random facts about yourself.

3: Send on the award to 15 bloggers whose blogs that you appreciate and then let them know that they have won the award.

My 7 random facts:

1: First off, I am the only redhead in my family! No, I’m not adopted; red hair can in fact be found on both sides of my family tree, it just skipped quite a few generations before showing up again :). I believe my great grandfather on my dad’s side was the last before me.

2: I wanted to be a geneticist but I found organic chemistry to be way too overwhelming for me, did a complete 180 with my college career, and ended up majoring in Sociology: Organizational Studies, with a minor in Communications from the University of California, Davis.

3: I play the clarinet and was in band from junior high through college. Yes, I am a band geek!

4: I have been wearing make-up since the 7th grade and have always enjoyed it, but not until about 7 months ago did I really start to embrace my love for the stuff, and couldn’t be happier that I have!

5: I know this is uncommon, but I am not a fan of Christmas music. I love the holidays and pretty much everything about this time of year, except the music. I think working 5 years in a coffee shop with it playing non-stop on repeat from Thanksgiving through New Year ruined it for me for a while.

6: I enjoy playing and watching sports, even if I’m not very good at them. I really enjoy tennis (playing) and American football (watching), but I’m really rusty when it comes to tennis. I don’t get to play as often as I’d like to.

7:  What else… I’m actually quite obsessed with the Elizabethan era England/UK/Europe, the Tudor family, and all of its history. I can’t explain why, but that time period has always fascinated me. I would give pretty much anything for a time machine and the ability to go there in person simply to see what it was really like (as long as I had the ability to come back! I like my rights as a woman and of course indoor plumbing). 

Now to pass on the award!

These are 15 blogs that I find myself consistently reading and/or enjoying. I hope you'll check them out and enjoy them as much as I do!

Bows and Curtseys...Mad About Makeup

Pigments and Palettes

Victoria Gabrielle

Beauty by Krystal

ChaChaneen

Calores de Carol

Ivy Reads

Makeup by Jenn Marie

Makeup, Beauty, & Fashion

Mini Penny

Miss Holly

Musings of a Makeup Maniac

Stay Beautiful

The Perpetual Page Turner

Letz Makeup

Lancome & Urban Decay Face of the Day

My coworker recently asked me if I used lipgloss, to which I replied "yes!". This apparently was the correct answer, at least for me, because it led to her giving me a bunch of lipglosses and other make-ups that she received as free gift/samples but never used. See my haul post here :)

Well I decided I wanted to try a look from these new goodies and this is what I came up with.

Face:

L'Oreal True Match liquid foundation in C1 - Alabaster

L'Oreal True Match compressed powder in n1 soft ivory

E.L.F. blush in Tickled Pink

E.L.F. bronzer in Warm

Eyes:

Too Faced Shadow Insurance

Lancome e/s in Latte

Lancome e/s in Kitten Heels

Lancome e/s in Mannequin

Urban Decay e/s in Sin

Urban Decay e/s in Midnight Cowboy Rides Again

Rimmel London Lash Accelerating mascara in black

L'Oreal Paris Telescopic Lashes mascara in black-brown

Lips:

Lancome Juicy Tubes Moulin Rose

Lancome Color Design "It" Girl Sheen

Lancome Haul

One of my coworkers knows that I’m very interested in makeup and last week she randomly asked me if I like to use lipgloss. Of course my immediate response was “yes!” So she hands me a Lancome Juicy Tube  and says I can have it. I was thrilled! She doesn’t like lipglosses because they’re too sticky for her. Next she says, “I have more at home if you want them.” “Absolutely!”  So when I arrived at work the next day, on my desk was a red canvas bag filled with goodies!

It had 3 single eyeshadows (Kitten Heel, Latte, & Mannequin), 2 lipsticks (“It” Girl & another I can’t remember the name of at the moment), 2 more Juicy Tubes (Moulin Rose & Simmer).


I was so surprised. Then today I came in and there was a small, floral print train case with even more surprises waiting for me! It had 2 Lancome eyeshadow compacts, a Lipstick (Visionary), a Bath and Bodyworks lotion in White Cherry Blossom (which smells amazing by the way) and a Ginger Citrus Body butter.

It’s like early Christmas! I love the Juicy Tubes. They have just the right amount of color to them so that they’re not overly-bright, but don’t leave your lips looking pale. The red canvas bag is not my go to makeup bag for my work bag. It’s big enough to carry some brushes and anything I feel I should bring with me for touch-ups throughout the day. Love it!

NYC Starry Silver Glitter NOTW

Last week I sported a black and purple glitter look, to which my boss commented that I should wear something more festive for the holidays and specifically "not black". So when I sat down to paint my nails on Sunday, I automatically reached for red which I knew would be considered "festive", but I just wasn't feeling it. Looking through my collection I picked out my E.L.F. white polish, OPI's Fresh Frog of Bel Air, NYC's Starry Silver Glitter, and Sinful Color's Frenzy. At first I couldn't decide what I should do with them, but knew I couldn't put them all together. It would have looked like glitter threw-up all over me, so I decided on white as a base and Starry Silver Glitter to top it off, going for a snowy, wintry look. The glitter polish has tiny flakes of silver glitter and holographic, with  larger hexa-shaped glitter in blue and light purple. What do you think? My boss has given her approval!

NOTW - OPI & Ulta

I decided to try something a little different for my manicure last week. I've never really used black polish before, but I thought it would be fun to try out. I had also recently picked up Rainbow Connection from OPI's Muppets Collection and decided to throw that in there as well.

OPI's Rainbow Connection & Ulta's Little Black Dress. Little Black Dress took only 1 coat to be completely opaque, but I used two just to be safe. Rainbow Connection is awesome! It has such a variety of colors in the glitter that it look great against the black polish. I'm excited to try different looks with these polishes!

My New Favorite Brush Cleaner: Japonesque Professional Brush Cleaner

I've been trying different brush cleaners lately, everything from E.L.F.'s daily brush cleaner, their brush shampoo, regular shampoo, Sonia Kashuk's brush cleaner, and a few other things, but nothing really cleaned them well. E.L.F.'s daily brush cleaner worked okay, but there was some residues on my lighter brushes that just wouldn't come out. I thought they were stained forever! I'm also not a huge fan of shampoo which can ruin your brushes if you get them too wet, loosening the glue and causing the bristles to fall out, not to mention they can take hours to dry.

   Then, the other day I was in Ulta to pick up some more foundation and decided to see what they had to offer, and while there I came across the Japonesque Professional Brush Cleaner. I figured why not.

This stuff is amazing! It cleaned my brushes thoroughly with only a few sprays per brush and it smells great! It has a lemony scent, which I really like, and doesn't take long for the brushes to dry. The scent can linger, but I don't mind it since I enjoy citrus smells. I wish you could see in person how well this stuff works. It doesn't lather up, so no rinsing required. Just a few sprays on the bristles and gently wipe on a clean towel or tissue.

E.L.F. Stippling brush - before & after

Sigma F80- before & after

I would highly recommend this cleaner! It cleaned brushes that had already been washed, it works that well. As I mentioned above, I had a few brushes that I thought were permanently stained from makeup, my Sigma F80 included, but this cleaner got out any lingering makeup and they look brand new. My search is over!

Lord of the Rings Live Symphony

Yes, I'm a bit of a nerd/geek who loves science fiction, fantasy fiction, and all of the sort. Lucky for me, so does my boyfriend :) Last weekend we attended the Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring Live Symphony performance, which was Ah-maze-zing! If you're not familiar, it's where you watch the film, but all of the music is performed live, and I mean ALL the music, from the instrumental to the choir. It was fantastic. I hope they intend to show the other two movies as well because I'd love to go. Here are a few photos from our outing.

I wanted to take more than one picture of the two of us, and he said, "but it'll just be the same as the other one", so I made a face to prove him wrong. He loved it :)

I don't remember everything I wore, but I remember my eyeshadows were Tarte and Smashbox, with a little Kat Von D thrown in. My blush was Smashbox and mascara was Tarte. I know the pictures aren't great but I had a blast!

NYX Face of the Day - 10/28/2011

It was 40 degrees in Sacramento when I woke up this morning for work, so with the colder weather I decided to go with a bold eye color. I ended up with a light gold and bright green (my favorite color of course)! I love it. Something to keep me cheery on this gloomy day.

Face:
Cover Girl Olay Simply Ageless Concealer
E.L.F. Studio Blush in Berry Merry
NYX Cosmetics the "Al I've Ever Wanted Box" highlighter

Eyes:
Too Faced Shadow Insurance (original)
NYX Cosmetics the "Al I've Ever Wanted Box" - gold and green shadows
Wet n' Wild Twin Eye/Brow Pencils Kohl in black

Rimmel London Rimmel Lash Accelerator Mascara

Florence + The Machine

Great video and song. I would absolutely LOVE to go to a masquerade, from the likes of circa 1820s-30s Rome. Until then, I can just pretend and watch this video :)

Pottermore Releases House Crests

Unfortunately I wasn't one of the lucky few who were able to get early access to Pottermore so I've been living vicariously through the Pottermore Insider to see what it's like. Today they posted some of the house crests they've created! I'm so excited to join, I can't wait! I hope registration starts soon!

Ravenclaw sketch series

Gryffindor sketch series

Gryffindor colour process

The final crests

I absolutely love them! I can't wait to see the Slytherin and Hufflepuff crests! All photos source: Pottermore Insider

Candy Corn Nails

Last night I decided to paint my nails and couldn't decide between an orange or light brown color for fall. I asked my boyfriend to help me decide and he picked a bright orange. When I was done, I thought it would be fun to put a pumpkin type pattern on one or two, but I'm not that steady with a toothpick and don't have any nail pens (yet) so I pulled out my yellow and white polishes and viola! Candy Corn nails!

I've gotten quite a few compliments at work today for them so I wanted to share :)

Orange: Wet 'n Wild Mega Last Nail Color in Club Havana

Yellow: Sally Hansen Hard As Nails Xtreme Wear in Mellow Yellow

White: ELF Essential Nail Polish in White

The Hunger Games

I'm a huge fan of the Hunger Games Series and I'm very excited about what the movie production companies are doing to promote the upcoming film. The Hunger Games is set to release on March 23, 2012, but in preparation a website that represents the fictional capitol of the dystopian society of Panem, where the story takes place, has been created. At first (back in late August), when you made your way to the site all you saw was a scrambled picture with the words "HELLO CITIZEN. IDENTIFY YOURSELF" and the option to connect your twitter account. After connecting, it asked you to tweet "The Capitol knows who I am. Identify yourself immediately: thecapitol.pn #whatsmydistrict". Of course I registered immediately!

Source

The more people registered, the clearer the image would get and eventually we were able to see that it was the Capitol's seal.

Source

 Then twitter accounts for all the districts started appearing, along with one for the Capitol. On August 31st, @TheCapitolPN tweeted "ACQUIRING SIGNAL...PLEASE STAND BY...#WhatsMyDistrict". At this point I'm not sure anyone knew what to expect from the site except that perhaps it would open soon. Later that day, if you went to the site, it "acquired the signal" and opened to a registration terminal.

Source

You could link either your facebook or twitter account and it would assign you a district. I was assigned District 8. You could request expedited District Identification Passes (DIPs) for your district by sending out a tweet or posting on your facebook wall. This lasted until October 1st when District 12 was the first district to receive their DIPs. Lucky for me District 8 was second in line! You create an ID card of sorts and are assigned a type of career. I managed factory worker.

They have also released the official seals for each district.

Source

I think all of this is very fun and a great way to get the fans involved. If you haven't yet, you can still register and be assigned a District. I believe all 12 districts have received their DIP processing so you won't have to wait to create one (lucky you!). Have you registered? What's your district? Have you read the series? Which was your favorite?

Tarte Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss Review

I've started getting more use out of my Tarte Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss in Serenity lately so I wanted to take a moment to share it with you. When I first picked up this color, I wasn't very bold with my makeup choices, and to me this was bold, so I rarely wore it. Now that I'm experimenting more with a variety of colors, shade, and styles, I've been going to this lipgloss more and more often.

What they say about it:

"Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss

What it is:

The first-ever lipgloss that beautifies from the inside out.

What it does:

Tarte Vitamin-Infused Lipgloss nourishes and conditions lips with nutraceutical properties that rejuvenate lips, helping to protect against environmental attack. The gloss includes natural ingredients from BORBA's Age Defying, Replenishing, and Clarifying lines. 

What it is formulated WITHOUT:

- Parabens

- Sulfates

- Synthetic Fragrances

- Petro-Chemicals

- Phthalates

What else you need to know:

This gloss contains Skinvigorating™ ingredients such as grape seed extract, which helps accelerate production of natural elastin to restore the skin's clarity, and vitamins A and C, antioxidants that help prevent premature signs of aging and free radical damage. It's also formulated with acai extract, an antioxidant-rich super fruit that promotes cell regeneration and has known anti-inflammatory and skin softening properties, and chamomile extract to treat and heal dry skin. Dermatologist-tested." (Source link)

My Opinion:

It comes in a 0.20oz round tube, with a brush applicator. It seems a bit tacky when applying, but it doesn't feel tacky when you're wearing it - if I part my lips there aren't trails of lipgloss threatening to keep my lips together, if that makes sense. It's also extremely pigmented, so a little goes a long way. I only have to apply one coat for full coverage, and by one coat I mean opening the lipgloss, removing the wand and applying, without reinserting the wand for more product. I like that it has a long wear time; I only needed to reapply after eating. I agree that it leaves my lips moisturized. As a person who was severely addicted to chapstick for many years, I can say that this gloss doesn't leave my lips dried out, I don't feel the need to reapply every couple of hours to keep that moisturized feeling some lip glosses can cause, and I also don't need to use chapstick or any type of base to get the full effect.

The only real downside, in my opinion, is the applicator tip. Since it is like a paint brush, sometimes the bristles get flayed out or bent in a weird way when inserting the wand in the tube, resulting in a permanently bent piece that sticks out from the rest (as pictured). If you can avoid that, I would say absolutely try this lipgloss out.

D.G.S.Beauty's Summer Giveaway Winner

Another giveaway haul! This time I would like to thank the lovely D. Sadie of D.G.S. Beauty! I won first prize in her summer giveaway which included an Ulta Lip Gloss Set, ELF Eyeshadow Palette Vol. 1, bag, Kiss 3D Nail & Toe Art, Hello Kitty Mirror, Maybelline Dream Mousse Blush, Ulta Lipstick Mulberry Shimmer, Sally Girl Eyeshadow, Sally Girl Liquid Eyeliner, Rosewood Lip Color, Maybelline Eye Makeup Remover, Wet N Wild Sparkled Nail Polish, Sally Girl Nail Polish. I'm a huge fan of E.L.F. and am excited to try the palette! A lot of these brands are new to me so I'm looking forward to testing everything out! The bag is perfect for my purse and for travel. The goodies came very well wrapped with a lovely note :) Thank you again!

D has a great blog and always has wonderful swatches & reviews that I find really helpful, so head on over to her site and see for yourself!

MiniPenny Giveaway Win

I've been really slacking on my blag lately, but I wanted to share that I won Mini Penny's NYX: All I've Ever Wanted giveaway last month! It's a wonderful palette and this is my first NYX beauty product, so I'm very thankful to be able to try a bunch of their products all in one place. Unfortunately, a piece of the side broke in the packaging, somehow manage to wriggle its way through the palette and land in one of the lip glosses. There really wasn't much damage which I was thankful about!

Thank you again Mini Penny! If you haven't checked out her blog yet, you should. She also has an etsy shop that I recommend you take a look at. She's very creative and revamps all these vintage and thrifted items into great new finds. She's in the process of moving to Chicago, so stop on over there and if you find something you like, that's one less thing she has to move with her. 

My First Outing with False Lashes

Last weekend I went out to a Karaoke bar with some of my friends here in downtown Sacramento called Pine Cove Tavern. It was definitely a hole-in-the-wall type place, but it was very friendly and everyone seemed to be having a genuinely good time. I'm not one to sing, I'm way too easily embarrassed, but it was great hanging out with friends and watching them rock Wake Me Up and It's Raining Men. Since I wasn't bringing anything to the table vocally, I wanted to make sure I looked good just sitting as an audience member, so I decided to wear falsies out for the first time since I was in high school. It took me about an hour to get my makeup done because I wanted to make sure the lashes looked decent and weren't going to start falling off halfway through the night.

I decided to go with nude toned shadows since I have very fair skin. A dark smokey eye doesn't look great on me, it really washes me out, so I wanted the lashes and liner to be my focus. I used the Tarte Amazonian Clay Eyeshadow Palette in Soft & Smokey for my shadows (review coming). I used buff for my lid, shimmering sable in my crease very lightly, just for some definition. I forgot to take a photo of my own palette, so I had to find one (picture from google images) so I apologize for the quality.

Buff, Shimmering Sable, Shimmering Cocoa, and Matte Coffee Bean

I didn't manage any good pics of my whole face, so you're left with this one shot of my left eye, but overall I think they turned out very well. My boyfriend liked the look as well which always makes me smile :). I don't remember the brand of the falsies since I've actually had this pair since I was in high school...lol. I'm not one to throw things out when I know there's a chance I'll use them again. (I actually have about 10 pairs of all different varieties - hmmm maybe I'll do a post on them?).

I used 3 different liners to help blend in the lashes. I started with the e.l.f. cream liner in coffee and drew a think, winged line. I used Matte Coffee Bean from the Tarte palette to set the cream liner. Too Faced LashGasm mascara worked really well since the black shade matched the lashed almost perfectly and it didn't make my lashes clump, which helped to blend my lashes into the false ones. Once I applied the lashes I used e.l.f.'s liquid pen liner in Coffee to go over the liner and band from the lashes to darken the area and hide the band.

I think the look was a success, at least I was really happy with it! Will definitely have to do this again.

NOTW - Sinful Colors Open Sea

Green is my favorite color and although the majority of my nail polish collection has been shades of green for a very long time, I'm very happy that it's supposed to be the new "It" shade in fashion. So in honor of my favorite color, I sported the Sinful Colors #5164 Open Seas this week. I really love this color, it's more of a sea foam green, hence the name, but it's very light and a great color for the transition to fall. It only took 2 coats for full opacity.