Change your look for $1??? It's so easy!

Hi there!

It really is SO easy to give yourself a new look really fast - just add GLASSES! Not real glasses - those are expensive.  But there are plenty of places where you buy fashion frames to add an extra, fun accessory to your outfit and also completely change your look.
 
I decided to make this post into a video because it's easier to show you then tell you. As I say in the video, I've been obsessed with fake glasses since I was in high school!  I shared photos in the video of different ones I've worn over the years.  So I just wanted to tell you about a sale I found the other day that got me a TON of new glasses for super, super cheap.  I'm talking $1 cheap! 

In the video I showed you my cheap glasses haul from Hot Topic. There was a bin of glasses that were all only $1 or $3.  I was able to pick up 3 pairs of fashion frames and several more pairs of sunglasses.  Here are some photos (these are in the video also). 

Some of these glasses are available for purchase on the Hot Topic site, but I have found that they are NOT selling for $1 of $3, so you will need to visit a store for these prices! I have included links below the photos for the ones that were avaialble online. 

Brown Wood Mirror Lens Retro Sunglasses ($8.72 BOGO $1!)

Black Smooth Touch Clear Lens Glasses ($8, BOGO $1)

 Not available online. $1 in store.

 Not available online. $1 in store.

  Black Metal Cut-Out Sunglasses. $3 in store.

Not available online. $1 in store.

Not available online. $1 in store.

Don't sleep on these little chain boutiques for fun accessories for CHEAP! It's always fun to add in a fun accessory to spice up your look, and for $1, you've got no reason not to try! 

If you pick any of these up in store, tag me in a photo of it! I'd love to see!

Until next time, 

xoxo

SHARE:

1 comments

Simple Purple Date Night Makeup

Hi there!

Now that I'm a housewife, I'm going to try to use my time productively. Meaning, I'm going to spend my mornings doing my makeup and hair and recording it all because, why not?

So here's my first makeup tutorial in a LONG TIME. Like, YEARS. A super simple purple look that's great for a date night. It's dramatic, but don't be scared! You can always tone it down to your liking.

The following are the products I used and links where you can buy them (if you want to and if they are still available, that is.)

Laura Mercier Radiant Foundation Primer - 


Wet and Wild Color Correcting Wheel - 



AJ Crimson Cream Foundation #3

Ben Nye Banana Powder -  


Clinique Invisible Blend Powder #20 - 


Color Pop Cosmetics Dope Taupe Brow Gel

Morphe Brushes 35B Palette - 


Eyelure Vegas Nay Grand Glamour Lashes - 


Huda Beauty Lash Glue - 

Maybelline Collosal Chaotic Mascara - 

Be sure to LIKE and COMMENT on the video if you actually like it and have anything to say about it haha!  And subscribe to my channel if you want to see more.  There are plenty of old videos to watch and new ones to come!

Thanks for watching and reading!

Until next time,

xoxo

SHARE:

0 comments

Excuse me while I cry in the bathroom.

Hi there,

OK, I didn't cry in the bathroom today. But I did on Tuesday. I also cried in the car, and at home and I only moved into the bathroom so all the people in the restaurant I was having lunch at wouldn't see me bawling my eyes out at the table.

On Tuesday, I stopped being a Stay At Home Mom.  I became a Housewife. And it was harder than I thought it would be. I knew the day would come when I wouldn't have any more babies to take care of all day, every day. But for some reason, I just wasn't prepared to handle that day.

My little baby cried when I dropped him off for his first day at Montessori school. I cried in the car after we left. When my baby cries, I get so upset. He's such an angel and he been literally connected to me since the second he was born.  He's almost 2, but I still carry him around like he's an infant. We have been together, like, almost every second of his life. Now he's gone.

Hoping he gets comfortable and stop crying on and off all day soon. I feel so sad for my baby.

#1 moved to a new school. An amazing school, and I'm so happy he's there. But I couldn't help but feel sad because his moving to this school, means so many changes for our family. Getting up early, a really long commute, having to get to know the ins and outs of a new school, getting to know a whole new group of parents, no more flexibility in our schedule for fun daytime outings and traveling...all normal things, but still kind of stressful. But we're lucky he gets to go there and I know all of these things will work out.

Each new JK student got a little bear. This bear has been attached to him ever since he got it.  He named him Orange Bear (which is also the nickname for his cohort).

But what really got me so emotional was thinking about what I'm going to do with myself! Now that it's not my job to take care of a small child all day, what the heck do I do??? I joined LuLaRoe in the spring in hopes that it could become a full time job with part-time hours when #3 started his toddler program - one where I can still earn money but still have flexible hours and be available for my children. But, at this point it looks like I won't be continuing with that. So, now I'm jobless.

A housewife.

I never planned to not work. I never even planned to be a SAHM. It just happened that I had a bad job at the time I got pregnant and it was the best choice not to continue with it. But I like working! I want to have something to do every day, earn money and contribute to my household. My plans have fallen through, so now what?  

So Tuesday, my babies were gone, my #3 cried when I left him, my #1 reminded me at the table that he'll always love me and give me hugs and kisses and I was feeling like a jobless lump. So I cried in a restaurant. Hard. And my husband told me to go to the bathroom to get myself together.  I stopped crying, but I'm definitely not together.

But I'll figure it out.  I always do.  

And there's really no point to this blog except to get it out of my system.  

But here are some happy photos of my babies on their first days. #2 is continuing at the same school and has been in her preschool program all summer, so no big changes for her this school year.  

That's all.

Until next time,

xoxo

SHARE:

0 comments

British Swim School Experience

The British Swim School provided my children with these 
lessons free of charge, but all opinion expressed are my own.

Hi there!!!

O. M. G. It's been MONTHS since I've posted anything and I'm feeling so, so, so bad about that! LuLaRoe took over my LIFE!!! But - I'm now on hiatus from my favorite clothing line, so it's time to get back to my favorite blog :)

My kids recently finished 6 weeks of swimming lessons at the British Swim School and I need to tell you about this. Did you know that drowning is the leading cause of death in children under five??? I didn't. But I do know that I don't take my kids to pools often, and especially not by myself, because I'm TERRIFIED of them drowning. They NEEDED these swim lessons. Of course for their safety, but also for my sanity. 

My two oldest have perviously had swimming lessons, but when we moved 2 years ago we had to stop because the school was too far. I'd heard only good things about BSS from friends with kids who take class there, that when I saw their booth at the WEAR Conference, I stopped to check it out. 

From that meeting, BSS arranged a private, 6 week class for all 3 of my kids. How awesome is that?!?!? This was super convenient. #3 was only 20 months when they started and technically should have been in a separate class. But it was nice to have all 3 kids together for the sake of time. We learned after the first class, though, that he should definitely be in a separate class - he wouldn't follow the rules of sitting on the wall while each kid had their turn, so my husband ended up sitting with him on the ledge during each lesson so he wouldn't drown lol! He LOVES the water and never wanted to get out of the pool!

So besides working with us on time, there are SO MANY things I loved about the way The British Swim School runs it's program.

1 - The breakdown of skill levels.

The British Swim School takes students as young as 3 months old. The first skill students learn is the back float, as it is considered "the most important water survival skill. It enables swimmers to rest, breathe and call for help, alleviating the “silent” danger of floating face down." After students have mastered this skill in the Minnow class, the "classes are divided into levels breaking down the skills of swimming strokes. Children first learn to swim the length of the pool on their front and back, then strokes will be introduced, then speed and stamina. Once in Shark 2, children have the skills required to join a swim team." (http://britishswimschool.com/faqs/)

#1 was very, very afraid starting out.  He would hold on to Sarah's shirt instead of doing his "airplane arms."  But with work and patience, he eventually was able to let go.

#3 had no fear of the water at all.  It was difficult to keep him on the wall when it wasn't his turn in the pool. 

#2 isn't afraid of anything either.

2 - The method. 

I can only speak on the Minnow level, but I LOVED that the kids learned to float while their instructor Sarah, sang songs. She would sing the "ABCs", "On Top of Spaghetti", "I Had a Little Turtle (Tiny Tim)"(which is SUPER cute and #1 sings it all the time now!). It gave them a distraction from their fear and also a time frame to practice their skill. 

My kids love this song now!

3 - The environment.

The Skokie, IL location was fairly small, which I really liked because I didn't have to worry about them running off from me while we waited for their lessons to begin. There is a play area in the lobby so the kids are occupied before and after their lessons. This was super helpful after lessons when I had to change 3 wet kids! And the cabanas for changing are right in the lobby, so I could get one kid changed while the others played. There are chairs so parents can watch their kiddos through the big window, and there are also chairs near the pool if a parent needs to be inside the area, but not in the pool.  

4 - The patience. 

Our instructor, Sarah, was VERY patient. #1 is kind of terrified of water. He's the kid that plays AROUND the baby pool in the yard but doesn't actually get in it. He was afraid he was going to drown during his lessons, so he had a hard time letting go of her. Sarah was very good with managing his nerves and when he wouldn't let go of her shirt to practice a certain skill, she adjusted to him. 

As you can see, #1 is holding on to Sarah for dear life. This happened during most of the first 5 lessons. He let go during lesson 6!

If he needed to practice his airplane arms (arms straight out to the side while learning to float on his back) but he wouldn't let go, she'd give him short goals - 5 seconds, 10 seconds - just try it. 

#1 practicing floating without holding on for a time frame that Sarah set for him.

It took ALL 6 LESSONS for him to start letting go! But he finally did!!! And after that lesson, he said he LOVED swimming class. That was a big deal.

An example of Sarah's patience.  #2 crying is not at all abnormal.

 

As you can see from my Snaps, by lesson 6, he was finally comfortable!

During week 5 of our lessons, BSS held Safety Week. The kids had to do their entire lesson in their clothes to learn how to complete their skills in case they were to fall in a pool fully clothed. I thought this was a really clever idea! After week 5 we went to my nieces birthday party at a community pool. I felt so much more at ease knowing they'd learned about pool safety during that week's lesson. And #3 let me practice his back floating with him and put his head under water several times. Truth be told - #3 did the best overall with his lessons. He absolutely loved every second of every lesson. 

#1 practicing his bac float during Safety Week

I would never have thought about teaching them to get into the pool like this.  MUCH safer than going in forward facing.

We are going to continue lessons with The British Swim School. We really loved everything about the experience. We will be splitting the kids up - #3 will be in the Young Minnows class, since he's still not ready to sit on the wall and wait his turn. #1 and #2 will continue in the Minnow program and will hopefully soon learn to float on their backs unsupported.  

I think it's pretty obvious from their big smiles that my kids had a GREAT time during their lessons, despite their fears.

I'm grateful for the opportunity to have my kids learn to swim with the British Swim School. This was a super positive experience and I definitely recommend anyone give it a try.  They have locations all over Chicagoland, including Elmhurst, Oak Brook, Schaumburg, Naperville and within Chicago's city limits in Lakeview and the West Loop, among many, many others.  Visit their website to find the location nearest you.

Let me know if you have any questions! 

Until next time,

xoxo

SHARE:

0 comments

Billion Dollar Brows Review

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

SaveSave

SHARE:

0 comments

Little Luxe List Launch and Bundle Organics Introduction

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

SHARE:

0 comments

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

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.

SHARE:

0 comments