Say WEN

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I've always had very thick, wavy, hard to manage hair. I spend a small fortune on haircare using the best hair products i could find, however, at times my hair still seems to have a mind of it's own. Working full time and being a mommy to 4 year old twins, i don't have much time to fuss with my hair. I recently encountered a wonderful treatment that i will blog about at a later date called 'Therama Fuse'. It's basically a hair straightener that helped me tremendously with the 'swelling' issues i had with my hair. One requirement for ensuring that this treatment lasts 4-6 months is using solely 'sulfate free' products. A few months ago, while channel surfing, i came across an infomercial for WEN hair care products. Now, usually i skip right through all infomercials because i hate being suckered into unnecessary junk. However, Chaz Dean, the creator of WEN hair care, had recently been on a couple of episodes of "Flipping Out" on Bravo which is a show i really enjoy. So i figured I'd see what he had to sell me. The products looked great and the clients seemed to be happy BUT it's an infomercial and that's what's suppose to happen right? So i took to the Internet to read some reviews and i was SOLD! The initial cost is $29.99 but you get the cleansing conditioner, the re-moist intensive hair treatment, the styling creme, the texture balm and a hair comb with free shipping. All this seemed to be a great deal and it was all sulfate free. When it arrived in the mail, i was eager to try it. It has an online tutorial as well as a booklet that comes with it. Overall it's pretty easy to use. The products have a very soothing scent. My hair feels so soft, even when wet! I am able to comb it out using my new comb with no pulls or tugs. It is quite evident when i blow dry my hair that it feels considerably softer. Overall, this is a wonderful product! I do find that using a regular sulfate free shampoo/conditioner once a week is good as this product can make your hair a bit limp after a while. The only annoying factor is the fine print which basically automatically enrolls you as a member where they ship the product every month to you. However, a simple phone call took care of all that. The great thing about calling to cancel my membership was the promotional email i received a month later offering all this for only $19.99!!! SCORE! Couldn't pass that up!


Back to MAC

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

MAC has always been one of my favorite make up brands. I love the fun colors, the heavy pigmented shadows, and I especially love their charitable work. I still remember the first time I purchased MAC products. I was about 18 when I walked into a Nordstrom that carried the brand. I walked up to the counter and was quickly greeted by a wonderful MAC artist who taught me all kinds of neat little tricks to using the product. I purchased several brushes and shadows. The MAC artists showed me that you could create two looks with their shadow by simply going from using it as is to wetting your brush and applying it on the eyes for a more dramatic look. This works especially well with the dark shadows which you could use as eye liner! In addition, for those of you that don't know, there is a wonderful little perk to buying MAC products. When you are all finished with your product, DON'T THROW IT AWAY! They have this wonderful recycling program called 'Back To MAC' that allows you to bring 6 empty containers to one of their stores in exchange for a lipstick, eyeshadow or lipgloss. Note that you may do the same thing at your local MAC counter but are only allowed to pick a lipstick for every 6 items you bring back. For me it's about convenience. The MAC counter is only 5 minutes away whereas a MAC store is about a 1/2 hour drive away. Therefore i typically exchange my empty containers for a lipstick which is fantastic anyway considering it's free AND you are helping the environment along the way so it's a WIN WIN situation!
So today, I ran to Nordstrom and scored these two gorgeous lipsticks. One is a fun orange color 'So Chaud' (retails for $14.50) in keeping with the current trend of adding a pop of color. The other is a fab red shade called 'Brave Red' (retails for $14.50) which is classic and adds instant glam to any outfit. Perfect for adding a tad bit of color to those dark, gloomy Winter days... and THIS is why i love to shop at MAC!




Here I am wearing 'Brave Red'. Haha love the reflection from my sunglasses! I assure you I was stopped at a red light :)



Wearing 'So Chaud' below :)
 
 


Put A Ring On It!

Monday, January 23, 2012

I have always enjoyed big, chunky, fun rings! Since becoming a mommy, I noticed that all my super cute rings have been tucked away in my jewelry chest. This is mainly because although they're fun and make a bold statement, they're not the most practical for changing diapers, washing dishes, and all things associated with a mommy's life. Well this year I'm vowing to change that! I recently purchased this gorgeous Michael Kors ring which retails for $98 although I snatched it for MUCH LESS on Ebay (brand new with tags)! The ring is composed of three bands, two gold and one sparkly silver band. You could essentially wear the bands separately or paired together for a bolder statement which I love! Although the ring is photographed on my wedding ring finger, I will most likely wear it on my right middle finger. I had to photograph it this way because my left arm is out of commission due to recent elbow surgery. This is another reason why I haven't posted consistently lately... Kinda hard taking pictures and typing with one hand... Though I'm starting to get the hang of it!





Pretty braid

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Thought I'd share :)



Here's a quick video tutorial!

Mani time!

So I have to admit, removing the sparkle polish from my last post was really hard. I picked up some acetone and that seemed to help a little. For my new mani, I decided to pair up the sparkle color from the previous manicure 'you're so eggnog-cious' by OPI for Sephora $9 (although i scored it for $5)over 'school of hard rock' by Essie $8 and in love!!! The combination of the rose gold shimmer over the blue/grey hued polish is a brilliant combo!

Nailed it!

Sunday, January 8, 2012

The other day, I set out to buy a fun glittery gold polish from OPI for Sephora, when sitting next to it was an even prettier glitter shade called 'Don't Be Eggnog-ious'!  The OPI for Sephora shades typically run for $9, however, when i got to the counter, this shade was on sale for a mere $5!   SCORE!  I think it may be a limited edition so snatch yours up quickly before they sell out!  I fell in love with this shade primarily because it really looks like rose gold which I'm totally into right now! I decided to give it a try. I began by applying an opaque white polish first. Then, I applied a coat of new sparkle polish. Topped it off with a clear top coat and voilà!!!

Side note: necklace by JCrew... One of my FAVORITE stores :)




Birthday bliss...

Saturday, January 7, 2012

Wow, what a fun night!  You  know, i haven't REALLY celebrated my birthday in a few years.  It's 5 days after New Years and i know people are tired and broke lol.  I usually combine my birthday dinner outing with a friend or two who's birthdays fall around the same time and I'm perfectly content with that.  However this year i really wanted to get some good friends together and have a dinner party.  We got a private room at LouCas, shared many laughs and made wonderful memories.  Thought I'd share some pictures from our fun night...








A new beginning...

Friday, January 6, 2012

Here she is... isn't she beautiful???  I have no clue how to really use it but i know that soon, i will be creating some gorgeous memories thanks to this beauty.  I look forward to sharing my pictures with all of you!  Yay, I'm so happy!!


Birthday Wish...

Thursday, January 5, 2012

Well, today is my birthday!  I love being 25ish ;-)  I have to say, I'm really looking forward to this next chapter in my life!  This blog, although small, is that something I've been looking to do for a long time.  I honestly feel a sense of relief because all these dreams I've had of doing something like this are finally coming to fruition.  Today, i made a big purchase.  One that i consider a small investment towards this blog.  I purchased a DSLR camera!! Yay!  I'm going to take a photography course with a couple of really great friends which should be loads of fun and a great learning experience.   So to my three followers and everyone else who reads this... look out!  Great things are coming your way!!! 

My hubby woke up extra early and made me breakfast this morning.  He had a beautiful bouquet of roses, a secret present (which i won't know about until we have 'date night) and this card which honestly, made my day!  I can't stop looking at it!!!  It's sooooo meeeee!

It says "Which part of 'i want a pony' don't you understand??

Welcome home honey!

Monday, January 2, 2012

Merry Christmas, Happy New Year and Happy Birthday to meeeeee!  I've been drooling over this GORGEOUS Michael Kors Orange Hamilton Tote for a while now for several reasons.  One, orange is one of my favorite colors.  Second, it reminds me so much of the orange Berkin bag that I LOVE and know for a fact that i will never own because it's the price of a fancy car!!!  Third, i absolutely adore Michael Kors.  He is the epitome of a classic American designer.  In fact, i still remember my very first Michal Kors piece.  I purchased it over 10 years ago at Bergdorf Goodman's in NYC.  It was a gorgeous winter white pencil skirt that i often paired with a super chic pair of camel suede DKNY boots.  Ahhh i remember that day well because it was the day after Christmas.  One of my best friends and I went into the city shopping, followed by dinner at Tao and then a little lounge time at Whisky Blue.  What a fun day!  You see, that's the thing about fashion... for me, many of these purchases are more than just things, they are wonderful experiences that become fond memories.  Every special designer piece is coupled with sweet nostalgia of the moment it was purchased or received.  And now... with a little Christmas money, a few gift certificates and a couple of store returns, this beauty is mine... all MINE!  Cheers! You can purchase your very own here for $349 http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/michael-michael-kors-hamilton-silvertone-chain-large-vertical-tote/3033820?origin=keywordsearch&resultback=3182

Ni Hao... Move over Martha!

Sunday, January 1, 2012


This year, the girls' decided on a Ni Hao Kai Lan theme for their party.  I had a lot of fun with this theme!  I started planning quite early as their birthday is in December and is always such a crazy time for me.  I kept a notebook where I'd write down all my ideas.  It was also a great way to keep pictures of ideas or products i planned on purchasing.  I made candy sushi using home made rice crispy treats, fruit roll ups and Swedish fish. That was so fun and it looked adorable!


 Then i had the brilliant idea of attempting to make sushi cake pops!  WHAT WAS I THINKING! Although these came out awesome if i do say so myself, they were NOT easy to make.  I bought a 'baby cakes' cake pop maker and used a brownie cake mix to make the cake pops.  I zip locked the cake pops and froze them as i read this would help hold the frosting and decorations.  I dipped the cake pops in white chocolate melted white chocolate morsels.  I saw on pinterest.com this brilliant idea to place the decorated cake pops in a strainer upside down to dry.  Here's a picture for a better visual. 

 
I then used white sprinkles, rolled fondant, jelly bellies, nerds and any useful candy i could find in my local grocery store's candy isle.  I placed them in a rectangular styrofoam board and placed a red ribbon with white threading all around the board.  They turned out amazing and tasted DELICOUS! While they weren't exactly easy to make, they were certainly worth the effort.  Here are some pictures...

MOVE OVER MARTHA!


I hung Chinese paper lanterns as decoration.

The party favors were red Chinese take out containers filled with fortune cookie crayons that i found at etsy.com 

I also found children's chopsticks on ebay which i thought would make a wonderful addition to the party favors.  Also added were Ni Hao Kai Lan gummies, blow horns, rings, and personalized fortune cookies.  I topped the red Chinese take out box with a personalized Ni Hao Kai Lan sticker.  Here it is :)

Last but certainly not least, here are the sweetest birthday girls!!!  Mia and Olivia... can't believe they're FOUR!!!


Thank you SO MUCH for reading! XOXO, Carla - FMM
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