Twin Tested

Mother’s Day Makeover

We decided to do something a little different for our latest makeover… we ambushed our own mom!

We were so excited to surprise her.

She was shocked when we showed up with a camera man while she was working in the garden… it was priceless!

She was absolutely horrified that we caught her in this outfit, it’s her “gardening get-up”.

We took her to Life Spa at Lifetime Fitness in South Jordan.

She started her transformation with an amazing facial.

Then, it was into the salon for some hair dye and makeup…

The girls at Life Spa did such a great job keeping things natural, but also enhancing our Mom’s natural beauty.

She loved the gorgeous makeup they did.

Her takeaway tip: eyebrows are the most important feature of your face!

Va va voom! She looks so beautiful!

Her entire outfit is from H&M at City Creek.

We loved pampering our mom and giving her a fun new look.

Happy Mother’s Day!

*A big huge thank you to Life Spa for pampering our cute mom and making her feel gorgeous.

Recipe for the BEST Banana Pudding of all time!

How to make the best no-bake banana pudding of all time! This is a no-fail recipe that will knock your socks off and be repeated for years to come. It has become a family favorite!

The BEST banana pudding recipe!

We absolutely love Magnolia Bakery’s banana pudding, whether we are visiting Los Angeles or New York City we make sure to stop by Magnolia’s. The banana pudding is hard to explain, it’s fluffy yet creamy, truly heavenly!

picture of banana pudding, bananas, and Nilla wafers

Magnolia Bakery has the perfect ratio of pudding, bananas, and cake in their final product.

When we saw that there were a few at-home copycat recipes that you can make we were hesitant to try them. Why mess with perfection? Magnolia has nailed it so we didn’t want to let ourselves down with a pudding failure. However, we are happy to report that this pudding recipe is divine!

Don’t try to take the pudding on a flight

The last time I was in Los Angeles I was determined to take some banana pudding from Magnolia home to my husband. However, you need to be warned… TSA does not allow this. They saw my Magnolia to-go cup filled with pudding and quickly snatched it. I don’t know if it was because they were hungry, or because it really was against the rules to take it through security 🙂

When Brooke found a recipe that tastes nearly identical, we were thrilled!

It’s not realistic to travel to NYC or LA every time we crave banana pudding so we are so happy to have an at-home alternative. This recipe is so simple that your kids can help you with every step and be proud of the delicious masterpiece they create!

We may have been eating it for breakfast, lunch, and dinner the past few days… this recipe is versatile and works for a lot of different occasions. Have a birthday party? Make the pudding. Going to a pool party? Make the pudding. Hungry for a Sunday treat that feeds a crowd? Make the pudding.

The recipe is slightly adapted from Confessions of a Cookbook Queen

Picture of a large bowl of banana pudding, bananas, and mini Nilla Wafers

16 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 1/2 cups ice-cold water
Small box (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding mix
3 cups heavy whipping cream
powdered sugar to taste
1 tsp vanilla
1 box of Nilla Wafers
4 sliced bananas

INSTRUCTIONS

1. In the bowl of a mixer, beat sweetened condensed milk and water for about a minute. Add the pudding mix and beat for about two more minutes. Transfer to a smaller bowl, cover, and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. You want the mixture to set and be firm to the touch.

2. In a large bowl on medium speed, whip the heavy cream until stiff peaks form (I put my metal mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the freezer for five minutes prior…the cream always whips up very quickly this way). We also like to add 1/2 cup of powdered sugar and 1 teaspoon of vanilla to the heavy cream.

3. Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the pudding mixture into the whipped cream. Do not overmix or your whipping cream will get runny and the “fluff factor” of the pudding will be gone.

4. In a large bowl, layer Nilla wafers (we like to use the mini version because they are bite-size and cute!), sliced bananas, and pudding. Do not slice the bananas until you plan to serve the pudding. Ideally, you want three layers but if you go with a larger dish you might only have two.

How to customize your pudding

You can serve the pudding in individual serving cups or make miniature pies. This is ideal if you are hosting a bridal shower or party.
(adapted from The Complete Magnolia Bakery Cookbook)

We have added raspberries and strawberries to our pudding in the past and it is wonderful – especially if the berries are in season!

You can sub in a graham cracker crust for the Nilla wafers, it will have a different flavor but is a delicious alternative. If you do a graham cracker crust we suggest melting one cube of butter with one pouch of smashed graham crackers. It tastes best if the crust is refrigerated for at least one hour.

Twin Tested: Salt Water Floatation Therapy

Whaaaaaaaaat?

Yeah, we thought the same thing when we heard about this.

Salt water floatation therapy is the newest form of rest and relaxation that has just made its way to Utah.

So, here’s how it goes: you go lay and float in a 200 gallon tank filled with salt water for one hour.

In the end, you are supposed to feel rejuvenated, revitalized, relaxed and stress free.

I have to tell you a secret, I was so scared!

The whole idea of laying in a circular pod filled with mysterious salt water freaked me out a little bit.

I’m happy to say it went much better in real life than in my head 🙂

Getting used to floating is a very interesting feeling, but pretty cool.

You can watch the segment HERE!

They say floating for one hour is the equivalent of getting 4 full hours of REM sleep!

I don’t think I felt THAT rested, but in order to get the full results you are supposed to go about once a week.

Pretty high tech crazy stuff!

If you want more info:

Salt City Float Spa

7050 South Highland Drive

Suite 220S alt Lake City, UT 84117

801-928-4600

What it is really like on the Grammy Awards Red Carpet

The red carpet for the Grammys was amazing!

It is so fun to see everyone up close and get a chance to chat with them.

This year we both decided to wear Adrianna Papell dresses.

Britt interviewing Dead Mau5 and Kat Von D.

What up Carly Rae?
She was a little bit awkward to interview, but was nice overall.
She is tiny!

Teenage Heartthrob Hunter Hayes was such a sweetie.
Warning to all you ladies, he is a shorty that wears a lot of makeup (but all guys wear makeup at the Grammys).
I felt like an amazon woman talking to him.
I was trying not to fangirl too hard, but I wanted to tell him we played “Wanted” at our wedding reception.
He was one of my favorite people to interview.

Nelly.
He sang his new song to me and life was good.

Chris Van Vliet from Cleveland was with the CBS crew and is always fun to work with.
He definitely knows how to do an entertaining red carpet interview!

Brooke got to interview Miranda Lambert, who was over the top sweet and so nice.
She really is just as down to earth as she seems.

One of the funniest things we saw all night… Supermodel Chrissy Teigen asked a security guard to take her picture (he said yes of course), then he got so nervous that he dropped her phone and everyone around was just staring.
Loved her dress!

The one and only… Chris Harrison!

He LOVED it when Brooke asked him to take a photo with her.

Let’s start a campaign for Brooke for the next Bachelorette!

The run from the red carpet to backstage can be a little tricky -especially in a floor length gown.
Luckily, we didn’t miss any parts of the show.

Here is a look at what our live shot looked like for the 10 pm news… so glamorous!
Thankfully, on TV they only saw us from the waist up.

Watch the segment from the 10 pm newscast HERE

Grammys Gift Lounge

We took a trip through the Grammys Gifting Lounge on Saturday.

We are always shocked at how much free stuff they give to celebrities, but we have to say they did not have anything as cool as Red Carpet Manicure this year!

{our cute tour guide was a student at FIDM}

{every performer and presenter gets a Gibson guitar, Brooke’s holding the one they all signed}

{so many fun/way random things including a face mister/moisturizer, skin lifter, sunnies, and an amazingly cute pink toothbrush}

{everyone had to write what they love and then post it on the LOVE wall}

{The cutest part was the 10-YEAR-OLD DJ! Here she is posing with Ashanti}

{keep your eyes peeled for this picture in an upcoming Japanese magazine ha they wanted Brooke and I to take photos with their newest skincare product that they says tightens and lifts your face}

Watch the segment HERE!

PREP for the show

The most important part of Grammys prep… chocolate filled croissants from Caffe Primo!
They literally melt in your mouth… so yummy!

We also returned to make up boutique salon BLUSHINGTON

They have hands down the best stylists that listen to what you want and make it last all.day.long.

Brooke was lucky enough to get a spot in the private back room, which is perfectly decorated in a peachy pink.

She asked for a glowy look with a strong brow to match her beaded cream gown.

Our goal next time we are in L.A. is to take one of their classes!

This is what our space on the red carpet looked like before the celebs got there.
Each news outlet has their own booth and area along the way with photographers and equipment. The bigger the outlet the further ahead you are.
That is why Ryan Seacrest with E News was first in line!

A girl can get a little overwhelmed when she knows she is going to be standing next to Hollywood beauties…

This year we found both dresses by designer Adrianna Papell, I would send you to a link online, but we literally bought the last two dresses.
We LOVE sparkle.

Britt’s favorite part of her dress was the gorgeous train.

Brooke loved the peek-a-back and loads of beading.

One of the best parts of going to the Grammys was the anticipation of going to the Grammys!
We had so much fun playing dress up for a night.

XOXO B&B

Grahams at the GRAMMYS

We are SO excited to be back in L.A. for the Grammy Awards!

We are thrilled to once again be on the red carpet and backstage for the ceremony.

Our Instagram accounts will be the best way to follow all the action (links on the right hand side of the page).

We promise to update religously!

Hopefully Taylor Swift will tell us she likes our dresses again 🙂

There are so many great things about this picture, but the best part is definitely the photo bomber taking a selfer! Doesn’t get better than that.

E has a fun new camera at their interview station this year the ManiCam!
You stick your hand in and it takes video of your nails… pretty snazzy.
And now… for some great stalker pics taken today on the red carpet:

Alexa Chung just hanging out with a claw clip in her hair and no makeup on.
Why is she not at Fashion Week?

Chris Harrison… much smaller than anticipated in person.
I seriously hope he brings some roses to hand out to his picks for best-dressed.

And… the back of Ryan Seacrest’s head! He is such a little man!
Ryan came dressed in a stellar suit and was practicing his routine for a few hours… who knew the pros practiced?!

We cannot wait for the fun to start tomorrow… we are so excited to see the celebs and will give you a full report Sunday night at 10:00pm on KUTV Channel 2 as well as on Monday morning.

Blake Lively Interview

We first got to know Blake Lively in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants and then of course as Serena on Gossip Girl.

We were a little (LOT) bit nervous to interview her because about a year ago we interviewed Leighton Meester, who plays Blaire on Gossip Girl and she was not the nicest.

We also had to sign an interview deal saying that we would not ask Blake any questions about her marriage or wedding.

After signing our lives away, we thought she would be very impersonal, but we are so happy to report that Blake was super sweet and charming!

From the second we started doing mic checks, she was chatting with us like we were her best friends.

You can watch it HERE!

We asked her if there was ever a morning she woke up and decided she just wanted to wear sweats.

She said of course she wakes up and puts on sweats and UGGS sometimes, but she feels the best when she gets dressed in something she loves.

Then, we asked her what she is doing with all of her free time now that Gossip Girl has wrapped.

She said she is loving sleeping in most mornings past her usual 4:30am wake up call.

Then, we asked her about Utah because we found out she has a sister that lives in Park City.

Brooke asked where she likes to go when she is in Utah and she said she loves Nielsen’s Frozen Custard (which is one of our FAVORITE icecream joints in Holladay), Davanza’s Pizza (right off of Park City Mainstreet) and going tubing up at Daniel’s Summit.

At the end of the interview I told her I hoped to run into her at Nielsen’s next time she was in Utah.

How magical would it be to be BFFs with Blake?

Hawaii

Sam and I got the best Christmas present ever this year; going on a family vacation with the Haslams to Hawaii.

My body is still craving humid air, sunshine and sand in my toes.

After Brooke lived in Hawaii for a summer, she raved about how gorgeous it is and now I finally understand.

{sunsets to die for}

{amazingly cool beaches}

{sam jumping off our snorkel boat into perfectly blue water}

{yummy food}

{my M-I-L and I learned the Hukilau at dinner one night}

{stunning views}

{this is a picture of someone who just lot their swimsuit bottoms in the ocean. seriously. they flew off when i was boogie boarding. sam tried to go find them, but they are still floating in the Hawaiian ocean :)}