Beauty & Fashion Archives - Page 8 of 14

Celebrate the power of play with the Gymboree Hop ‘N’ Roll collection

I know play time for children is vital as it helps them learn about the world around them in ways I can’t teach them in a book, so I always make play time a priority. From unstructured playtime to working together to create a talent show, a fairy garden, or a circus, we fill our days with as much play as we possibly can. So, I was a little taken aback the other day when I told my kids I wanted them to wear play clothes if they were going to be out digging in our backyard and they both looked at me like I was crazy. “Do you mean dress up clothes?” my daughter asked. Clearly, they aren’t of my generation where we had two categories of clothing: play clothes and fancy. To my kids, everything is play clothes, even if they really shouldn’t be. We’re talking fancy holiday dresses year-round at the beach and white button-up shirts and dresses while gardening. After looking through their closets it became really clear that they could both use some new “play clothes” for summer that would allow them to swing on monkey bars, skip rope, and do all the other things kids should be doing all day without worrying about restrictive clothing getting in the way.

Update those winter wardrobes with Carter’s Babies and Kids #SpringIntoCarters

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Influence Central for Carters. I received a complimentary gift card to facilitate my review and thank me for my participation #SpringIntoCarters

Spring is finally here in the Pacific Northwest and that means we're purging our bulky sweaters and looking for bright colors and warmer weather wear. But, while I can wear most of my clothes from last spring {hooray for not being pregnant anymore!}, the kids have grown so much that shopping is a necessity, which I'm not going to complain about now that I've got a new little one to shop for as well. Naturally, I turned to the company that I've relied on to outfit my kids since they were born: Carter's Babies and Kids. I absolutely love shopping at my local Carter's store because every season it is restocked with an awesome mix of adorable, cute, hip, practical, and truly fun pieces for newborn on up to kids size 12.

VOLOOM your hair for lasting volume

I have what my sisters refer to as "baby hair". I believe the official word for my type of hair is “fine”, but on top of that it’s also really thin – like baby hair. As for actual styling, it's just about as frustrating as trying to style a baby's hair and requires a ton of product in order to somewhat hold even the easiest hairstyle. Even backcombing my hair doesn’t work very well because my soft baby hair just won’t hold and soon after it’s styled it ends up limp and lifeless.

But, while there are hundreds of products on the market for thinning or receding hair, my baby hair has always left me wishing I had any other type of hair. The best advice I've gotten from hair professionals so far in terms of managing my fine, thin hair has been to damage it as best I could.

Sounds crazy, right? Really, it's not as nuts as it sounds, but it makes my hair very high maintenance because unless it's basically fried through chemicals, dyes, heat and product, it just lays there limp. Or, at least it used to.While at BlogHer this year I met a company called VOLOOM and it sounded just like what I needed to try to help give my baby hair some real volume – without having to spend hundreds of dollars in a salon damaging my hair. However, it was so popular that every time I passed the VOLOOM booth there was a line of girls waiting to try it and I never got a chance to see it work in person.

When I heard that VOLOOM was working with iFabbo to get the word out about a whole new way to add volume to your hair, I gladly volunteered my locks. You see, I’ve tried volumizing powders, mousse, hair spray, creams, and just about every other gimmick on the market without success, so I’m willing to try anything at this point.

So, what is the VOLOOM? It's not a curling iron or a flat iron; it’s the first hair volumizing iron that was created specifically to add huge volume to hair. Basically, VOLOOM creates hidden layers of texture underneath your style that adds volume to any hairstyle.

Holiday shopping made easy at Northgate Mall in Seattle

Every year I swear that the holidays sneak up on me, but this year it definitely is true. With vacations, a crazy amount of doctors appointments, and all the hooplah that having children in two different schools can bring, it seems like fall just flew by. I know I'm not the only one because my Facebook feed is filled with friends lamenting the fact that they have but one or two presents purchased and no idea what to get everyone else on their list.

Hey friend, why don't you head to Northgate Mall and cross off everyone all at once? With three major department stores, a food court, a play area, and over 130 stores to choose from, it's easy to find something for everyone on your list. I envy those people who can seemingly shop for everyone they know in one afternoon, but I can totally see doing just that if I was left kidless and husbandless at Northgate Mall for a few hours so I could sneak presents for them while shopping for extended family and friends.

Loyal Hana offers maternity clothing that goes well beyond pregnancy

I haven’t bought any traditional maternity clothing this pregnancy. Not because I’m so small that I can wear my old clothing and not because I saved all my previous pregnancy clothing, but because I’ve simply gotten smarter this time around. Why would I spend a ton on poorly constructed maternity clothes that barely make it through the last few months of pregnancy when I could get good quality clothing that lasts throughout pregnancy – and beyond?

Introducing my new favorite non-traditional maternity clothing brand, Loyal Hana. Not only is it fashionable and fun enough to make you forget you’re carrying around a few extra pounds that aren’t entirely baby, it also is designed for wearing after the baby arrives when I still have a few extra pounds. That’s right, Loyal Hana isn’t just about maternity clothing, it is also post-natal wear that even makes breastfeeding your baby easier while still remaining stylish. Awesome, right?

Create your holiday look effortlessly with the KISS InstaWave automatic curler

I love a good curly hairstyle every once in a while, especially this time of year with holiday parties and birthdays galore, but I swear that every year I get worse and worse at styling a good curly ‘do. I’m fine for the first few curls and then out of nowhere I clip the iron and accidentally turn it the wrong way. Anyone who has ever done this knows that you then end up with that awful crimped piece at the bottom where the clip was holding that no amount of recurling can ever fix. That, my friends, is pretty much my signature “curly” look.

Or, at least it was. I was recently introduced to the KISS InstaWave and it’s changed the way I style hair forever. Not only is it clipless so there’s no chance of ending up with crimped hair, it’s also automatic so all I need to do is rest the hair on the barrel and press a button. There’s literally no way to mess up your hair!

Back to School shopping with Northgate Mall in Seattle

Can you believe fall is just around the corner? It seems like just last week I was walking the kids to and from school each day, packing lunches, and taking them to and from extra curricular activities, but here we are again ready to start a new school year. While I don't love the idea of summer ending and sending my kids to school, I do really love going back to school shopping.

Last week we headed out to Northgate Mall in Seattle to shop our favorite stores and check out all the new stores they have added this summer. With great clothing and gear for all ages, it just makes shopping for everyone so easy.

It truly is a one-stop shop, which is why it's one of our absolute favorite places to shop. And, with back to school sales signs in nearly every window, now is a great time to hit the mall!

Summer project: Making a switch to natural ingredients

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. {#CollectiveBias} and its advertiser. All opinions on #FreshNaturally are mine alone. Like most people, now more than ever I’m paying a whole lot more attention to the brands I purchase for my family. It’s really surprising when you start reading what’s in the things that you buy, and it’s even more surprising when over half of those ingredients are virtually unrecognizable. Making a switch to natural ingredients has been a goal of mine and I’ve recently made a huge effort to make it happen.

While I’ve still got a ways to go before I’m completely done with the transformation, I’ve made some huge progress in ridding my household of items with artificial colors and flavors, unnecessary fragrances, and preservatives. And, it really wasn’t that difficult at all, in fact, it was actually quite fun.

Find your perfect fit for summer at Figleaves.com {with coupon code}

I participated in an Influencer Activation on behalf of Mom Central Consulting for Figleaves.com. I received product samples to facilitate my review as well as a promotional item to thank me for my participation.I hate shopping for swimsuits with a passion. Sometimes it feels like there is absolutely nothing in between skimpy bikinis and swimsuits with layers and layers of fabric. I’ve worn both in the past, and while they both have their pluses they are just not right for me right now.

With small kids that I’m bending over to help, lifting, and swimming with, I need something I don’t have to mess with, tug at, or worry is showing too much. And, if it could also be stylish, that would be awesome, too.

Mother’s Day: A day for mom to Indulge at Northgate Mall in Seattle

We go to a lot of events at Northgate Mall in Seattle, our local Simon Mall. We’ve been to story time, to Girls Night Out events, to an event with live bunnies and goats for the kids to hold, to holiday events, and even to Seahawks events, but the one event I look forward to all year long is the Mother’s Day event.

If you’ve never been to a Northgate event, then you’re probably picturing a few tables running down the middle of the mall selling you siding and giving you pamphlets about having parties in your home. I know that’s what I was picturing the first few times I saw a note on Facebook about one of Northgate’s parties. But, since we had a mall trip planned anyway, I figured I would swing by the event at some point while we were there to check it out. And, I’m oh so glad we did. Since that day, we’ve gotten our faces painted, got free henna tattoos, colored our hair pink and green and blue {but not all at the same time} and we’ve been introduced to so many companies and services in the Northgate Mall and surrounding areas.

I’ve now learned something very important: When Northgate throws a party, you should show up.