May 2016 | The Glam Mom

Billion Dollar Brows Review

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These products were sent to me for review by Billion Dollar Brows.  All opinions are my own.
Hi there,

I've seen Billion Dollar Brows on Hautelook (one of my favorite shopping sites!) several times, but never really gave them a thought because I've been so happy with my Anastasia Beverly Hills products (I've been using DipBrow and BrowWiz, both in Chocolate). But, this brand wanted to send me their brow pencils to try out and I was happy to try them out! 
Billion Dollar Brows sent me their Brows On Point Micro Pencil in 4 colors - Blonde, Light Brown, Taupe and Raven.  Billion Dollar Brows states that this super fine, self-sharpening pencil makes it easy to create hair-like brush strokes to fill and accentuate your brows. It is supposed to be water- and smudge-proof and is easy to apply.
This is me before my brows were done.
I couldn't decide which color would work best for me so I decided to do one brow with Taupe and the other with Raven.   
Brow on the left is done with Raven. Brow on the right is done with Taupe.
I decided that Taupe was the better color for me as my hair is highlighted and I think Raven is just a bit too contrasting.
To finish my face, I wiped off the Raven and redid 
my right brow with Taupe.  I thought I'd wiped it 
off enough, but you can see that the brow on the 
left is still darker.  NBD. The combination 
looks pretty good also! 
I will say that I really like these pencils!!! Just as advertised, they glide on easily and the fine point makes them easy to work with.  I happened to test them on a day when I was going to be outside playing with my kids in their baby pool and doing some yard work. It was 80 degrees, so the waterproof factor was tested well. My brows stayed in place all day!

One cool feature of Billion Dollar Brows  is that they have a subscription service! You can have your chosen pencil (they offer 3 different types) and color sent to you automatically every 30, 45 or 60 days. That way you don't have to worry that you'll run out and be brow-less while you wait for your new pencil to arrive in the mail!  That I like!

The price point in very competitive. The Brows On Point Micro Pencil runs $16, which is cheaper than Anastasia's Brow Wiz, which runs at $21. And I think it's a very comparable product!
I currently have a big collection of brow products, so right now I won't be joining Billion Dollar Brows subscription service. But I'm glad that I have these in my collection now!  Once I run out of my current products, I know what I'll be reaching for!

Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo

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Little Luxe List Launch and Bundle Organics Introduction

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Hi there,

A few weeks ago my friend Teka and I attended the Little Luxe List Launch Party at DL Loft and it was super, super cute!
The idea behind Little Luxe List is REALLY clever and preggo moms will LOVE it!!!
Little Luxe List Founder, Yanira Garza
The founder, Yanira Garza, was pregnant with her 3rd child and her friends wanted to throw her a Sprinkle (a mini shower for a mom who already has children and doesn't need a full-blown baby shower). But, she didn't want to register at a big box baby store as she already had all the BIG baby necessities.  She just wanted cute, more specialty-like items for baby #3. But, not every store has a baby registry option. And, even if it did, how would she keep track and share items she wanted from all different stores? Well, that's where Little Luxe List comes in. Yanira and her team will help you develop a dream baby registry!
The party was held at DL Loft. This place is so cute!  Can't wait to do a shoot here!
First, you fill out a questionnaire. Yanira and her team will hand-pick 10-15 items that NEED to be on your registry based on your answers. From there, you can start to add items yourself.  Want a hand-made big you saw on Etsy? ADD IT! Want a cute onsie from H&M? ADD IT!  You are free to add items from all over the web and Little Luxe List will combine it all into one list that you can easily share with family and friends. The items you choose will be linked so they can shop for you straight from the web. How clever is that???

I would have loved this for my 2nd baby shower!!!  There are only so many onsies from Carters a mom really wants her baby to wear.  But baby clothes from Zara or H&M??? Bedding from The Lad of Nod??? I would have LOVED to have an option to add that to my registry!
More shots around DL Loft, because I was kind of obsessed with the place!
We were also introduced to Bundle Organics. Bundle Organics has created safe to sip teas and juices for pregnant mamas. Since pregnant women aren't supposed to consume herbal teas or non-pasteurized juices, Bundle produces a line of organic, caffeine and herb-free teas as well as prenatal juices that. are packed with organic fruits and veggies with an extra bump of essential vitamins for baby’s healthy development. The juices are pasteurized so you can sip worry-free. I tried the Orange-Carrot-Berry-Ginger juice and it was GOOD!!!  
The teas come in 3 versions - Nausea Relief, Pregnancy Wellness and Lactation Support. I grabbed a few of the Pregnancy Wellness teabags, but haven't tried them yet.  I have no doubt they will taste very good!    

So, check out Little Luxe List and share it with your preggo friends so they can register for some FAB baby gear asap! And if you see Bundle Organics in your nearby Babies R Us or Buy Buy Baby, grab some to try!

Let me know if you have any questions!

xoxo


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Master Decluttering Your Beauty Products in 6 Steps - Guest Post by Sophie Lawrence

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This post is a guest submission by Sophie Lawrence of Perfect Cleaning

You can hardly find a girl who would say she has enough cosmetic products. On the contrary, it seems like the beauty products are never enough and although their quantity keeps growing, you cannot resist buying yet another product you have seen on sale. Well, that's the circle many people find themselves involved in and all of a sudden, they realize they have a pile of beauty products they have never used. So, how can you deal with the mess you have created and which is the best method for sorting out your cosmetic products and deciding which of them to throw and which of them to keep? Read on and get to know some proven methods for decluttering your cosmetics bag:

  • Do you put the tweezers back in place after using them? How about the nail rasp? You probably leave them on the sofa, on the table, etc. In order to get a better idea of what cosmetic tools and products you have, you are supposed to include yet another task in your weekly cleaning and tidying up. You have to walk around the house and pick up all beauty products you find.
  • When you have piled all products you have, it is time to go through them one by one and check for expiration dates. Needless to say, those that have expired have to be thrown out. It would be nice if you take your expired products to a place where they can be disposed in an environmentally-friendly manner.
  • You will inevitably come across products that have not expired yet, but you don't even remember when you bought them. The best way to decide whether you need that product or not is to ask yourself when was the last time you used it. If you really like that product and you have just forgotten it at the bottom of the cosmetics bag, then, it's time to start using it again. If you don't intend to use it, it's time to toss it.
  • Another trick recommended by CarpetCleaner Notting Hill that would help you make an evaluation of the beauty products you have requires you to ask yourself will you use it again anytime soon. For example, if you have a suntan lotion that has not expired yet, the most sensible thing you can do is to use it again the next summer.
  • All too often we buy body lotions and face creams that cause skin irritations or rashes. As a result, we discontinue using it. If you think that throwing it away would be a waste of money, you can just give it to someone who would be happy to have it. The most important thing is to declutter your cosmetic bag and get rid of the stuff you do not use.
  • Unsuccessful purchases of cosmetic products do not necessarily mean a waste of money. In some cases, you can remedy the situation on your own. For example, if you have foundation that does not match your skin colour, you can alter it by mixing concealer and the mismatched foundation.

In order to save yourself the thorough clean up of beauty products, you'd better entirely use the one you already have before purchasing a new one instead of buying multiple bottles and end up using just one of them. Last but not least, don't forget to keep your beauty products pretty. Regular cleaning and disinfection of the tools you use is mandatory if you want to avoid infections and have a glowing skin.
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Babywearing is a Lifesaver - Wear Conference, May 27-29, 2016

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Hi there!,

When I had my first baby, I knew NOTHING about babywearing. For my shower I'd received both a Baby Bjorn and a Moby Wrap, but I had not a single clue what to do with them.  

A week after #1 was born, I was struggling with everything, especially breastfeeding.  We had a lactation consultant come to our house and she was the one who taught me how to use the Moby.
He was 8 days here.  And I'd been crying 
right before my husband took this photos.  
Lots of tears during those first weeks!
And I didn't use it too many times after this as he was a fairly agreeable baby who didn't mind being put down and trying to entertain himself. And also, I just felt like it wasn't right for me. There was so much fabric and took too long to put on and it just didn't feel secure. 

I used the Bjorn on a few occasions - airplane rides, baseball games, places where he'd need to be held for a long time and my lazy arms just didn't want to hold him for hours on end.
#1 on a flight home from New York in the 
Baby Bjorn. He slept the whole time! - 2012
#1 asleep in the Bjorn at a White Sox game - 2012
Fast-forward a year to baby #2. WHOA! She was an entirely different animal. Like, the worst. She cried ALL. THE. TIME.  I couldn't put her down. I had to nurse her every 2 hours from birth until 10 months old (I'm not joking). She was EXHAUSTING. I was so tired. And frustrated. I had a crazy newborn and an 18 month old and only 2 hands.  

In came BABYWEARING!  For real this time.

I'd bought an Ergo carrier from BabySteals while I was pregnant just because it was prettier than the Bjorn (it was the Options style, with the changeable covers). Then I'd bought an Ergo Active because it was green and I thought my husband would like it. After she was born, I tried the Moby again (I bought a new one - purple because she was a girl!) to wear her around. I had the same issues as the first try - I just didn't like it. So, I pulled out the Ergo and learned how to use it by watching YouTube videos. Then I joined Babywearing International of Chicagoland. O! M! G! !The amount of information was kind of overwhelming! And who knew there were SO MANY KINDS OF CARRIERS!?!?!!  
From this Facebook group and all it's educators and other experienced mamas, I learned that I could BREASTFEED IN THE ERGO!!! That was seriously such a LIFESAVER!!! If you've had an 18 month old, you know sitting down is not really an option. Being able to chase him around the house (or the park or wherever) while still being able to nurse my super-clingy baby was basically the only thing that helped me survive. I could cook dinner while nursing. I could fold laundry while nursing. Go to the park and not have to worry about sitting on a bench while my toddler ran off! It was a real game-changer in my baby world.
 At the Makeup Show with #2 in the Bjorn. 
I drove my husband's car and forgot 
my Ergo! Thankfully, he had the Bjorn in his car!
 She was attached to me A LOT!
My husband's first time trying out the Ergo Active. 
Joining the baby wearing group also got me really interested in different types of carriers.  I joined swap groups looking for my most desired wrap at a reasonable price in my size (I never found it though).
Kokadi Erna in Wonderland
I did eventually find a wrap I loved the pattern of but, same as the Moby, it was just too much fabric for me. I still have this though. I'm not quite ready to part with it yet. 
Natibaby Leopard!
was so excited for my first "Fluff Mail!"
My first attempt at a simple carry. 
Needed some work for sure!
That back carry was atrocious. Husband 
wouldn't lift the waist band and I 
didn't even think to put the hood 
up to support his head. 
So, the Ergobaby carriers have been it for me. I love them! They are so easy to use! Like I said, I have the Ergo Options and Active and have also bought a 360, which I LOVE! I love having a forward-facing option! I bought it specifically to take to Disney World and it was PERFECT for my 3rd baby to feel fully involved in everything we were doing there since he could forward face (the other 2 styles don't allow for forward facing).
Forward facing a Disney World. It 
made it super enjoyable for both of us!
So, with my experience with 3 kids and trying so many different kinds of carriers and having had babywearing turn a really hard newborn experience into a mangageable one, I'm REALLY excited to be able to attend the WEAR Conference that's coming to Chicago in a few weeks!

WEAR is a Babywearing Conference that will focus on promoting safe, comfortable and accessible babywearing education. The goal is to educate parents on, and preserve, indigenous babywearing practices while showcasing the latest in babywearing fashion, design and innovation.

The conference will run for 3 days - May 27-29 - in Chicago at the Westin on Michigan Ave and the days will be JAM PACKED full of events! There will be presentations on the science behind babywearing, demos on how to wrap with a woven wrap vs a SSC (soft-structured carrier), and how to create beautiful tie-offs in your woven. 
You can learn:
  • The benefits of Kangaroo Care
  • Important facts on hiking with your kiddo in a carrier
  • Babywearing Yoga
  • Tandem Babywearing (which I've done!)
Tandem baby wearing at Disney World. 
Baby #3 was already asleep and #2 was tired, so I just threw 
her on my back. Not the best example, but hey! It worked!
  • Backwrapping (which I tried, but failed at out of pure fear of dropping my kid)
  • How to use a ring sling...
I mean, they will cover EVERYTHING!!! See the jam packed schedule HERE (be sure to click the tabs at the top to see what's happening on each day.  There is A LOT!)

There will be over 50 vendors available to shop from (DANGEROUS!!! I listed some at the end of this post). There will also be a babywearing lounge where you can go and try out different carriers and even a consultation room where you can sign-up with a babywearing professional for a one-on-one session.

This is the ULTIMATE BABYWEARING WEEKEND with the BEST in Baby Wearing Education!!! (Did you know there is a World Babywearing Educator Day??? Yep, there sure is!  It's May 26th, the day before the WEAR Conference begins!)

I think this is something that new parents should DEFINITELY attend. I wish I'd known about all the benefits of  baby wearing and how it could have made my fairly easy first baby even easier! I'm glad I figured it out by the time I had my second! And, I've used every bit of knowledge with my 3rd also! A conference like this would have been INVALUABLE to me before #2 was born.  
Back in New York with #3
And let me tell you - you may think that just because my youngest is already 19 months old that I'd be just about out of the baby wearing phase. Trust me, I AM NOT! I just wore my 3 year old this past weekend when I didn't have a seat for her in the stroller and she was too tired to walk. I ALWAYS take my Ergo with me for just such occasions! I carried her nearly 40lb booty through the mall while pushing a stroller too! (I'm a babywearer who LOVES my stroller! No need to choose - you can have the best of both worlds mamas! LOL!)
Purchase tickets to this conference HERE! I will be there all 3 days and am really looking forward to learning a ton and sharing it with all of you!  I hope I'll see some of you there!!! 

Until next time,

xoxo


Some of the WEAR Sponsors. Be ready to SHOP!

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 BWI_logo TCOP Logo Carry the Future Logo Lift Me Up


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