And the WINNER is...

Thursday, June 21, 2012

 
Well, the wonderful people at Julep have contacted me with the winner of the Julep Maven Intro Box GIVEAWAY!  And the winner is....  JOANN TAVARES!!!!  Joann has selected the "It Girl" Maven Box which is on its way!  ENJOY! 

Thank you Julep for your generosity and giving my readers a chance to win such a fun prize!  Thank you to all who entered!  Stay tuned for more GIVEAWAYS soon! xoxo FMM

BB Cream 101

Sunday, June 17, 2012


So lately, there’s a ton of buzz about this wonderfully innovative product you may or may not have heard of… introducing the BB cream (aka Beauty Balms)!  I’ve been known to say that I love when my beauty products can multitask!  Well, BB creams are the epitome of the word ‘multitask’.   Ladies, you can chuck all those bottles of moisturizer, primer, oil control creams, sunscreen, and treatment serums in the trash because all you need is a one good BB cream and let IT take care of all that and more!  Think of the money you’ll save!!!  No really, think of the super cute shoes you could be sporting because you no longer need to invest in a thousand separate products!  I mean, who wouldn’t love a little extra money in their ‘shoe fund’ piggy bank right? 
Well, I must admit, I was quite intrigued by all the hype when I received one BB cream in my May Birchbox that I kind of loved!  Not knowing much about BB creams, I decided to take a little trip to Sephora (I know, I know… any excuse to go there right? Well, this one was kinda legit!).  When I inquired about BB creams, I was immediately directed to Cathy Ortuso whom seemed to have a world of knowledge when it came to this stuff!  Her enthusiasm and comfort with the subject, reminded me of how giddy I get when chatting about beauty products!  Loved her!  I explained that I wanted to learn more, and would love to sample some of these creams before investing in one.  She so kindly picked out her favorites and began by sharing some of her wonderful knowledge with me.
First she showed me two Dr. Jart’s Water Fuse w/ SPF 25 and Dr. Jart’s Premium Beauty Balm.  She suggested that Dr Jart’s Water fuse is best for the warmer months and the Premium is better for the cooler months.  Now here’s an interesting tidbit, the ingredients make the color of this beauty balm!!! What??  Here I thought there was actual foundation in here!   According to Cathy, bb creams essentially prime, moisturize, protect from the sun, fight against aging and lastly they hydrate the skin.  Can you imagine a product that does all of those things?   Are you sold yet?  Clearly you are!!!  So I tried both and loved them.  In fact, it wasn’t until I got home that I realized that the Dr. Jart’s water fuse was actually the bb cream that I received in my Birchbox and loved! 
The next product was the Smashbox bb cream.  Now I’d heard a ton of positive reviews about this particular product.  Cathy assured me that these bb creams were perfect for enhancing and evening out the skin rather than change the skin color.  These are not foundation and certainly don’t feel heavy like most foundations do.  I’m certainly not a fan of the way foundation feels on my skin and can assure you, that all of the products that I sampled felt very light. 
The next product was the ‘No Foundation Foundation’ by Perricone MD.    No I didn’t type that twice, that’s the actual name!  This product contains antioxidants, it lifts and firms (wonder if this would work on my rear section if you know what I mean!!!)  These products are meant to enhance the skin so they’re great worn alone or under foundation. 
Lastly, she introduced me to Sarah McNamara Skin Transformerwith SPF 20.  Ok, they only had a sample in the shade ‘deep dark’ so when she put a dab on my skin was like “oh heck no’!  But once she massaged it in, it blended to my skin tone and really did enhance it.   I found this particular bb cream to be so perfect for my summer sun kissed skin!   In fact, I’ve already returned to Sephora to purchase the full size which I’m now religiously wearing every single day!  I plan on purchasing Dr. Jart’s bb cream at the end of the summer when my color starts to fade.
Well, I’d like to give a major shout out to Cathy Ortuso at the Sephora at Menlo Park Mall in Edison, NJ for willingly sharing her wonderful knowledge on BB creams with me.  I learned so much!  Which goes to show, don’t be afraid to ask your local Sephora sales associate about any product you may have questions about.  If you’re lucky like me, you’ll walk away feeling much more confident with your beauty investment!   Cheers to Sephora and Cathy!
Ok if you have yet to enter my giveaway, please be sure to do so by scrolling to the previous post!  GOOD LUCK!
BTW don't forget to become an official follower of FMM!  Also follow me on Twitter @fashionmavenmom and 'like' my FB page! xoxo

Hey, I just met you... and this is crazy! But here's a giveaway, so ENTER MAYBE!!!

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

 

I'm SUPER excited to be hosting my very first giveaway with one of my favorite nail polish companies Julep!  You remember me talking about them here and here!  Becoming a Julep Maven gives you access to all their latest colors and fun beauty products! You get all kinds of fun goodies every month at your door step for only $19.99 each month.  Commitment shy?  No worries, YOU decide how often you get the boxes!  In fact, you can skip a month or even cancel at any time... though i guarantee, you won't want to!

So here's how it works, you go to their website and take a short (and super fun) quiz to determine what kind of Maven you are!  My quiz determined that i am the 'Classic with a Twist' Maven which ironically is how i would actually describe myself.  However, i was so attracted by the 'Boho Glam' colors that i decided to switch to that Maven!  See, that's the beauty of this program!  YOU decide!  In fact, every month, a few days prior to shipping the box, you will get an email previewing the selection you are going to receive.  If for some reason you're just not that into that month's selection, you can skip!  Or, if you decide one of the other Maven boxes is way cuter, you can change your selection.  It's so flexible and so easy! 

So I've got good news!  Did you know that you can actually get your first box for only $.01!!!! Yep, you read correctly!  All you need to do is click here and enter the code MAVENINTRO. There is no commitment.  If you are not happy with your selection, just cancel!  But again, I'm so confident that you will absolutely love it or i would not be raving about it! 

So here's the even better news!  The wonderful people at Julep want YOU to have your very own FREE introductory box!  One lucky winner will be chosen at random using Rafflecopter!  You can see what the introductory boxes look like here. ( If you win, you can choose from any of these).  How MAH-JOR is that! So here are the rules!  (Please make sure you use the Rafflecopter box to enter, this is VERY important!)

1.  You must "like" Julep's Facebook page.
2.  You must submit your email to Julep's database here.
3.  You must become an official follower of Fashion Maven Mommy by clicking the "Join" icon in blue above the word "followers".
4.  You must "like" Fashion Maven Mommy's Facebook page.

Enter the above information in the box below and you are all set!  A winner will be announced soon!  Let me know what you think! GOOD LUCK!!!!!

http://www.rafflecopter.com">a Rafflecopter giveaway

Beauty Bar - Sample Society with Allure

Thursday, June 7, 2012


So yesterday i received my FIRST Beauty Bar Sample Society with Allure box!  I was particularly excited about this one because I'd read good reviews about it.  It arrived beautifully packaged in a very chic black box sporting the Beauty Bar Sample Society logo.  The inside was clad in fancy silver tissue paper adorned with a slight sheen making this box look and feel extremely luxurious.  I knew immediately if the samples were anything like the packaging, i was in for some really great stuff!  After peeking through the tissue paper, you will find a brochure complete with everything you need to know about each item in your box.  It also includes a $15 coupon code to use on purchases of $50 or more at www.beautybar.com.  The first item that caught my eye was the BAMBOO Style Boho Waves Tousled Texture Mist.  This item is perfect for beach season!  I'd never tried this particular product, however, i have tried and loved other BAMBOO products.  The next product is an eye cream by Caudalie.  I have to admit, this is the first Caudalie product i have ever tried.  I like the way it feels and will use it all until it's gone!  I love eye creams and use them everyday!  The next product is a beautiful fragrance called 'Live in Love' by Oscar De La Renta.  It's very light and floral making this a perfect fragrance for the warm weather ahead!  I'm particularly excited to have received the 'Just Kissed Lip Plumper' by Jane Iredale.  I've tried similar products in the past and was not a fan of the way they made my lips feel.  The color 'Tokyo' is light and flattering.  Now lets talk about how it feels... you will notice immediately a very cooling sensation on your lips.  Almost as though you've just been kissed by a peppermint candy! It's kind of an interesting feeling, one i don't actually mind this time of year.   I'm invisioning that on a hot summer day, it'll be kind of nice knowing at least my lips will be keeping cool right?  Lastly is a Murad clarifying cleanser that caters to acne issues.  Thankfully i do not have this problem, though i do get my occasional breakout.  When that happens, I'll be armed with my Murad clarifying cleanser so be afraid acne... be very afraid!



Well, that concludes this box.  Hope you liked my review.  I paired this review with a video so feel free to click below and see for yourself.  I'd love to know your thoughts on this box.  What are some of your favorite monthly delivery boxes?


Don't forget to become an official follower of Fashion Maven Mommy!  Also, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter @fashionmavenmom and "like" my facebook page! XOXO

June Julep Maven Box - Boho Glam

Tuesday, June 5, 2012



So I'm LOVING my Julep Maven monthly delivery boxes!  This month's certainly did not disappoint!  I had a chance to preview my box before it shipped fell madly in love with this month's gorgeous turquoise and yellow selections for my Boho Glam Maven!  When the box arrived, i quickly opened it with the same enthusiasm as a child on Christmas morning!  Gosh it's just SO FUN, i mean... who doesn't love getting fun little packages in the mail!  Anyway, this month i received two polish colors in Robin (a beautiful turquoise blue reminiscent of the Caribbean ocean) and Daisy (a happy shade of yellow).  Along with my polish, i also received a full size Julep SPF 30 Daylight Defense hand and face cream.  Honestly, this could not have come at a better time since I'm headed for the Caribbean at the end of the month!  My 'Daylight Defense' better get itself a passport because it's coming with me!  In addition to the Daylight Defense SPF lotion, i received an SPF 15 lip balm.  I LOVE lip balms, particularly those with SPF because i feel more at ease knowing my lips are protected.  Besides, I'd much rather worry about what color bikini I'll be wearing poolside, or which tropical cocktail i should indulge in, don't you agree?  Now here's a great little bonus, this box came equipped with a coupon for a free... did you hear that?  FREE nail polish!  YAY!!!!  Woohooo (doing the happy dance here)!  Yes, all that and a couple of sweet treats (which i will not indulge in but i can think of a friend or two that will)!  I got all of this for under $20!  So, are YOU a Julep Maven?  If not, then what are you waiting for???  Use a coupon code and you can get your first box for just $.01!  Hullo???  Everybody wins here!  Try it!  If you do, let me know!  Click on this link and sign up :) 



OK, now for the really fun part!  I finally did my FIRST video!  I figured, what better way to truly illustrate the contents of this fabulous box, right?  What do you think?  Enjoy! xoxo


Don't forget to become an official follower of Fashion Maven Mommy!  Also, follow me on Bloglovin, Twitter @fashionmavenmom and "like" my Facebook page.  XOXO Carla
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