Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween to all of you!!  Hope you have many Tricks & Treats!  Celebrate well & stay safe.  

Red Lips

I had a request recently to talk about Red Lips.  I've heard time and time again, " I can't do a red lip."  You CAN!!!   I believe anyone can wear a red lip.  There are so many ways to do this.  You can do it with minimal makeup, medium makeup, or heavy.  I prefer minimal or medium makeup, for myself or everyday.  I love Heavy for darker skins, dark hair, or evening.  
 Minimal makeup would be a tinted moisturizer, concealer, soft liner, mascara, soft blush, maybe a tinted brow gel, & red lip.  Medium makeup would be foundation, concealer, soft neutral eyeshadow, liner, mascara, blush, brow color, maybe a highlighter, & red lip.  Heavy would be the same as medium but with darker eye shadows or a smoky eye.  
There are SO many versions of Red Lips such as, orange-red, pink-red, true red, dark red.  

Wearing a red lip with light makeup

Wearing a red lip with medium makeup

The key is to venture out into colors that you find are more comfortable for you.  Try a stained red lip, found in a lip stain or tint.  These are more subtle and easy to start with.  

Stained Red Lips

Pinkish Red Stain

If you are really uncomfortable with a red lip, try it first with minimal makeup & on a day that you're simply running errands, to allow yourself time to adjust.  Then, as your comfort level increases, go ahead & wear it to work, out in more social environments, or go with a lipstick for more brightness & pigment.  Ease into it.  It's an easy, quick way to dress up your look, while maintaining a classic look.
On days that I want to feel better, I throw on a red lip.  If I am extra tired & look that way, I throw on a red lip, it immediately brightens my face & mood.  Now is the time of year that a red lip can easily be pulled off well.   

Check back for my feedback on dark, wine lip, or otherwise known as oxblood red.  : )
XO

Amber Fillerup from barefootblonde.com wearing MAC Russian Red

A beautiful spectrum of reds.  NYX brand selection

NYX Fire, a warm pink red.

Minimal to Medium Makeup with an orange red lip

Amber Fillerup from barefootblonde.com wearing MAC Russian Red

Heavy Makeup with Red Lip

Jessica Alba wearing an Orange Red Lip, one of my fav lipsticks by Bobbi Brown Orange.

Gwen Stefani wearing a bluish red lip, MAC Ruby Woo

Brown Red Lip

Mani Monday

Here is our Mani of the Week.  Don't mind my dry cuticles, I'm totally working on improving that.  This cold Chicago weather dries me out and I've been slacking on moisturizing my hands.  Check back next week for a new mani!

Essie's Merino Cool

October's Citrus Lane

October's Citrus Lane Box was good but not great.  For Penelope's age group & gender, we received the (items seen below) Elephant Shaker from Green Tones, Odd Duck from Boon, Ez Grip Massaging Teether and Rattle from Innobaby, and Gripe Water from Mommy's Bliss.

The Elephant Shaker is pretty cool.  It's eco-friendly & easy to grip, great for younger babies.  

Odd Duck is actually the pink duck seen below.  Although, I would've enjoyed the white & orange seen in the pamphlet.  (I'm not a huge pink lover unless it's soft, ballet, baby pink).  I have been a fan of Odd Duck & wanted to get one at some point in time.  It is larger in size, has a different shape than standard rubber ducks, and the bright colors & designs are fun.  I love that it will not hold water, so it mold will never accumulate.  

The EZ Grip Teether and Rattle is kinda fun too.  It's lightweight, easy to grab, and massages gums and stimulates.  It promotes natural jaw development.  It's really cute and I like that it rattles too.  Super cute.  

Gripe Water is good for baby's upset stomach.  This one is safe, effective, and all natural herbal medicine.  It eases gas, and stomach pain, hiccups, and teething.  Gentle and effective.  

While these are all useful and good to have, I wasn't wowed with this box like last month's.  It's still worth having and I am pleased overall but not wowed.  

Gap Goodness

I have to say, the Gap nursing tops I purchased awhile back are amazing.  I got 2 short sleeve & 3 3/4 sleeve for fall.  I've been wearing them like crazy lately & absolutely LOVE them!!  They're flattering & great for being non-chalant about nursing.  Both the purple & green 3/4 length sleeve tops are so comfy & can easily be worn with leggings.  I've been pairing the purple with dark grey leggings & the green with navy leggings, both combos with my leopard/tan Minnetonkas.  The black 3/4 length sleeve top is extra soft, more than the others.  The white & coral I have been pairing with cardigans that are neutral grey, tan, brown, navy, or a combo of neutrals with an argyle pattern.  I really do love these & find they are a necessary staple for any nursing mother.

Mani Monday

I hope you had a wonderful weekend.  Although Monday is here & it's the fresh start of a new work week, which is most commonly dreaded.  It is also a fresh week of beautiful, endless possibilities in our lives.  Friday will be here before you know it.  Enjoy your week.

: )

Essie School of Hard Rocks

Friday Favorites

Happy Weekend ladies & gents...

Favorite Church: Our Lady of Guadalupe in Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Favorite Fall Cocktail: Pilgrim Punch

Favorite Specs

Favorite Place on Earth: Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico

Favorite Lady: Blake Lively, love the hair & makeup

Favorite Inspiration: Halloween Costume
Love Mermaids & they do exist.  : )

Penelope's 1st Halloween

 

Halloween is upon us & as some of you may know, it is my all time favorite holiday ever!!  I love Halloween, I wish my hubby loved it as much as I do, cause I would go to town!!  Maybe that's what kids are for!  : )

So for Penelope's first Halloween, I think she may be a lil black kitty, sort of as seen below.  No bundting costumes for my lil pumpkin.  They're cute just not my style.  I really wanted Pippa to be a homemade sushi roll but Jay said, no way!  : ( Boo!  Maybe next year, til then a lil black kitty she shall be.  I really look forward to going to town with crazy Halloween makeup & making her ghoulish.  I may have to wait a bit for that too.  I'll do a little makeup to go with her kitty look, if possible.  ; )  

Of course who can resist all the cute outfits that can be worn leading up to Halloween & immediately after.  Not this mama, check out the outfits I got for my lil miss.  

Gap.com

oldnavy.com

oldnavy.com

September Product Favorites

I meant to post this earlier in the month but had so many other great posts, I had to put it on the back burner.
My favorite products for the month of September are Stila Convertible Cheek & Lip Color in Lillium, Palladio Hydrating Lipgloss in Baby Doll, Benefit's Erase Paste #2, California Baby Calming Shampoo & Body Wash, & California Baby Calendula Cream.

Stila Convertible Color was a constant in my makeup routine for the month of September.  I love this color, it's simply pretty as a warm soft pink.  Not only does this wear beautifully but the pigment is lovely & very build-able.   I definitely need more colors.  Another color I love that I can only find in a recent palette is Lily.  Gorge!!

Stila Convertible Cheek Color in Lillium

Palladio Lipgloss in Baby Doll was a newbie for August & I still wear it.  I'm not a huge fan of glosses because they come off quickly & have little pigment.  I am more of a lipstick gal.  Nothing excites me more than shopping for a new lipstick that's the perfect color of the moment, creamy, wears long, & offers great pigment on the lips.  But this gloss wears great with exceptional pigment.  The color is a purply pink which is always a fav color for me because it makes my eyes look more green.  Love this gloss all around.  

Palladio Hydrating Lipgloss in Baby Doll
purchased @ a local Sally's location


Benefit's Erase Paste is a favorite because with the lack of sleep & tiredness, I endured with a new baby, this was my under eye savior.  The melon tones help brighten the under eye without being too camouflaged.  The creamy texture adds moisture to my tired skin without overly enhancing fine lines.    LOVE!

Benefit's Erase Paste 

California Baby's Calming Body Wash was another life saver.  I began a bed time routine of giving Penelope a bath & the calming scent does seem to work.  With the first use, she was easier to put to bed & slept better.  On the few occasions, I haven't bathed her, she's been a bit more difficult to put down.  This is a definite staple & I can tell my lil girly girl likes her baths & fresh change of pjs before bed.  She may not look like me but she has inherited some of me.  : )

California Baby Calming Shampoo & Body Wash




California Baby Calendula Cream is a beautiful product.  This moisturizer is multi-functional for body & face.  It's rich yet not greasy & smells amazing with natural french lavender essential oils added.  I may in the near future try this cream on myself.  This was a favorite simply for the amazing moisture & smell it offered my lil girl.  

California Baby Calendula Cream

I am not endorsed by these brands just offering my honest review.

Mani Monday

Happy Monday!!  It's a new week, new mani, & it is a beautiful fall day, here in Chicago.  I decided to go with a classic & a color I adore especially for fall & winter...red.  This is an oldie but a favorite color by Essie called Poor Lil Rich Girl.  You may still be able to find it.  Maybe Essie.com

Have a Great Week!!!

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday, Have a beautiful weekend!!!

Favorite Smile

Favorite Reminder

Favorite Look of the Week: Ballerina Chic
I'd wear soft colored ballet flats with wavy hair & red purse.  : )

Favorite It Girl of the Week: Clemence Posey

Birth Announcements

We are soo excited for Penelope's Birth Announcements!!  After some research & a stellar coupon, I decided to go with Minted.com.  They had really cute options, so cute, it was hard to decide on a design.  Jay & I decided on the one below & felt this picture was one of the cutest.  We really loved how the flowers in the design trickled down into her hair.

Hope you enjoy!  We're CRAZY for our lil Penelope!! : )

we were not endorsed by minted.com in anyway.

Butt Paste & Honest's Healing Balm

I recently went through 2 tubes of Butt Paste on Penelope.  I used the white Original formula & nude colored Natural one.  I have yet to see a diaper rash on Penelope (knock on wood), so I'm not quite sure if it's the efficiency of the Butt Paste?  We did find ourselves adding an additional layer of vaseline to allow the poop to simply slide off the skin.  Well with that in mind, I decided to nix the Butt Paste & Vaseline combo when we ran out.  I have dabbled a bit with the Honest Healing Balm.  This product has a vaseline type of texture & is clear.  Butt Paste both nude color & white left stains on Penelope's skin in her nether region, which was a little concerning for me & annoying.  

I'm going to use Honest's Healing Balm going forward.  It is organic, smells nice, has a great texture, & nixes the need for 2 products.  Not only is this a great product for the diaper area but it can used anywhere anytime, need be.  I may try it as a night cream, it's already an amazing hand cream, as it soaks beautifully into the skin, while offering superb moisture.  I do look forward to experimenting with it as my skin may get chapped in the chilly winter months.  

I like the concept behind Butt Paste & am sure it works wonderfully for some but the staining alone weirded me out, too much.  Just another reason for me to love my delivered diapers & wipes (both biodegradable with super cute patterns...plus the best I've tried) and delivered home goods, bath products, etc.  I love Honest Co!! If you haven't tried them you can get a trial sent to your home for the cost of shipping (??$5??).  The wipes are thick & durable, I like them much better than the standard wipes found on the market which are loaded with artificial, over powering fragrance, & super flimsy, I end up needing more = more waste.  Plus, I've had way less blowouts & leaks with Honest diapers than Huggies or Pampers.  Check out Honest Company @ honest.com

(I am not endorsed by Honest Company just an honest review)

Baby Shower Hostess Gifts

I really wanted to do Baby Shower Hostess Gifts, as I saw the amount of money, time, & work put into my Baby Shower.  It is hard now a days, times are tough for everyone.  So with a budget in mind & wanting to find a special gift that most people would not treat themselves too.  I went with Anthropologie.com.  I LOVE Anthro!!!  They have the cutest, kitchy, chic stuff ever!! It was really hard deciding amongst all the amazing items.  I decided on these adorable aprons because I am obsessed with their aprons & what woman wouldn't love getting a cool apron?!!  Then I got these fun picture frames too.  I ordered a professional photo of Pippa & put it in the frame.


I hope they are enjoyed, as I brewed on this for a bit & really wanted something special to show my appreciation.

Thanks again ladies!!!!!