DIY Wall Art

Last month i decided to revamp my guest room aka my 'make-up room'. I got rid of our old desk and replaced it with a couple more Alex Drawers from Ikea with a glossy white table top.  This made such a difference for my work space because the set of wide Alex drawers i had were stuffed full and i was in desperate need of extra space.  I knew I'd wanted to add some fun wall art above my new vanity but didn't want to spend a whole ton of money on the project because lets face it... prints can get expensive!  So i decided to take matters into my own hands!  I thought about a few fun quotes that i might want to incorporate into my wall art and definitely had a color scheme in mind!  I wanted a coral pink, gold, white frames and a bit of sparkle without making it too over the top.  For this project i went to my local Michael's Arts and Crafts store and walked up and down various aisle in search of inspiration.  I wound up with a few sheets of coral/pink scrapbooking paper, white card stock, a sheet of really pretty sparkly paper drenched with the word 'love' and two other sparkly card stock papers (one pink and one speckle with silver and gold).   I also picked up a set of large, metallic gold stick on letters.  Then i went to Target and purchased a few 8x10 white Room Essentials Frames as well as some 4x4 frame also from Room Essentials which were incredibly affordable.  When i got home, i began to play!  I traced a couple of hearts and layered them against a sparkly background and vice versa.  When i settled on a look i began figuring out a way to make the hearts cohesive. Next, i began placing the gold metallic letters strategically on the 8x10 paper to create some cheeky quotes. Lastly, for the one square frame left, i thought it'd be fun to create a kiss art print!  I simply put on some lipstick, kissed a piece of white paper and inserted into the frame... easy!  I was so proud of the way my wall art turned out!  So fun and super affordable!  Anyone can do this... just use your imagination and go go go!

Thank you so much for reading! Xo, Carla - FMM

DIY Tips From Miranda Kerr's Facialist!

Lets face it, we all want beautiful skin!  Who else to look to for advice than Miranda Kerr's facialist Ildi Pekar.  With the COLD Winter upon us, keep your skin in tip-top shape this season with some tips from Pekar.  

Tips to keep your face  Hydrated This Winter:

·         Using krill oil/fish oil is great to have hydrated skin!

·         Stay away from scorching hot water, this over dries your skin!

·         Use gentle products. Anything that is soothing for the skin like honey

·          Lay off the caffeine, it does dehydrate you

·          Almonds/Avocados oils are great to eat to keep your skin hydrated within

·          Pumpkin seeds and walnuts are also very high in oil! Add it to your diet

DIY Winter Mask (Once a week to keep the skin hydrated)

½ Banana and Smash

3tsp. Of raw honey

3tsp. of sour cream or yogurt (with fat!!)

Blend the ingredients

Apply to face, Sit for 15 Minutes

Rinse with cool water

I'm totally trying this easy DIY mask!  Sounds delicious and easy to make.  If you try it too, let me know how it worked out for you!  Thank you so much for reading and stay warm! Xo, Carla - FMM

Pixi Spring Launch Party in NYC With Target Style!

I was stoked to get an invite to Pixi's Spring Launch party.  First, because I'm a huge fan of the brand, second I'm obsessed with Target, and third, i think Pixi's spring launch is quite possibly my favorite yet and so i was excited to see it all up close and personal!  This party was everything and more!  When i walked in, i was immediately drawn the the stunning hues surrounding the room. There were gorgeous sprays of pastel toned flowers, painter's palettes adorned with Pixi products, over sized paint brushes, makeup stations for quick touch-ups, a photo station complete with props for fun photo ops, champagne, cheese, macaroons... gosh the list goes on and on! This feast for your eyes, and senses quickly mesmerized me!  Speaking of a feast for your eyes, you guys, Petra Strand, the creator of Pixi is seriously gorgeous!  She was so welcoming and made me feel so at ease! Shortly after meeting her, we posed for an impromptu photo shoot!  It was SO fun!  I'll treasure that photo and memory for as long as i live!  Side Note: When i initially met Petra, a huge bead of sweat dripped down my forehead and no matter how discrete my attempt was at wiping it off... there was just no way out of it.  I finally confessed that after having my twin girls, my hormones have been a little out of whack and well, sweat happens!  She was so sweet about it and quickly asked about my little ladies which made me breathe a little easier!  Oh and lastly, when her pretty shoes pinched her feet half way through the event, she took them off and rocked bare feet for the duration of the night!  Petra... you're my kind of girl!

OK on to the makeup!  This collection was inspired by watercolor hence, the painter's palettes and water color canvases throughout the room.  One particular work of art i quite enjoyed, was a DIY nail polish canvas art featuring the spring collection's nail polish colors.  I'm obsessed with the blue polish and am going to purchase it stat!  It's seriously a must have you guys!  There was one palette in particular that completely blew me away... the Emerald Gold palette has the most stunning emerald green shadow you've ever seen... like ever!!!  The cheek tints were spectacular, the balms were stunning!  Honestly, this is one of those collections that you will have a very hard time narrowing down your choices!  You'll want it ALL!  The endless silky eye pens are divine.  In fact, i recently purchased one in Emerald Gold but am going to pick up Blue Black soon!  I have a ton of product swatches to show you in a future post so stay tuned!

Overall, this night was AMAZING!  Thank you Pixi, Petra and Target for an unforgettable evening of beauty!  You can shop Pixi's new launch at Target stores or Pixi online!

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

Resurf.a.stic One Step Microdermabrasion

These days, it seems we are all searching for the fountain of youth!  Sure, we all want gorgeous skin but all things come with a price!  For some, gorgeous skin means going under the knife.  For others, it simply means getting your hands on a few great products or expensive treatments to help keep your skin young and beautiful!  All of this however, seems like so much work!  Think about it... surgery means, recovery time, a hefty price and the uncertainty that you may wake up looking like MJ! However, with so many products on the market, you can easily become overwhelmed.  Besides, chances are, you'll need a whole army of things to get your skin looking it's best!  But, reality check!  I don't know about you, but i don't have a whole lot of time to include 20 different products into my skincare routine!  In fact, i think every other post I've ever written has had the words 'multi-tasking' in it!  Yep, if it's multi-tasking, then it's for meeee!  Speaking of such, let me introduce you to an uhhhh-mazeballs dot com product I've recently discovered!  Resurf.a.stic is the world's first microdermHYDRATION stick!  This pretty little stick houses a flat out miracle for your skin!  From the very first time I used this product, I immediately noticed a difference in my skin.  First, my skin felt soft and hydrated.  I noticed also that my moisturizer absorbed so much quicker after using Resurf.a.stic!  Which poses the question, why spend hundreds of dollars on microdermabrasion treatments when you can use this little power house in the comfort of your own home!  Ahhh with all that extra cash lying around, you can easily go all Carrie and splurge on that fabulous pair of Manolos!  Actually, Resurf.a.stic is more then just a microdermabrasion treatment!  It cleanses and hydrates your skin!  As with all of my cleansers and exfoliators, I keep my Resurf.a.stic in the shower for easy and quick access.  It gently removes dead skin cells so your face gets the full benefits of your moisturizing and nourishing products.  Think about it, you spent your hard earned money on your moisturizers and serums but what good are they if you are not properly cleansing your skin.  This product will actually allow your entire skincare to work well... better!  In addition, you'll enjoy the diminished appearance of fine lines, rough spots, small scars and wrinkles.  It will soften your skin and promote natural cell exfoliation.  It boosts clarity by polishing away dullness.  In addition, it deep cleans pores and reduces discoloration, uneven patches, oily patches, bumps and sun damage, thereby promoting collagen!  There is no pain or irritation involved... and the best part?   Results are instant!  Just stroke this product all over your face and rinse!  That's it!  Easy as pie!  When you finish, you'll notice your skin feels clean and hydrated.  I also LOVE that it's so portable!  You'll be able to take this baby just about anywhere!

So lets chat!  Have you Resurf.a.stic?  What are your thoughts?

Thank you SO MUCH for reading! XOXO Carla - FMM

 

*Product was sent for consideration.  All opinions are mine based on my own personal experience with this product.  This is not a sponsored post.  

DIY Knotted Hair Ties & Headbands

 

I've noticed these cute, colorful knotted hair ties everywhere lately.  I've come across them in magazines, people's Birch Boxes, etc.  This past weekend, i visited one of my favorite stores Anthropologie, and fell completely in love with their knotted hair tie/headband selection! The color combinations where dreamy and some of them even sparkled!  I purchased a pack of neutral toned hair ties and drooled over the gorgeous selection of embellished hair ties.  They were essentially the same hair ties as i was purchasing in a pack of 5 for $12, however, these were sold individually for $10 simply because they had a pretty sparkly bead.  That's when i light bulb went off in my head (don't you just love it when that happens?), i makes these myself!  In fact, the next day, while strolling the isles of Target, i found a pack of 3 for $2.50!!!  Score!  I quickly purchased a few packs in a variety of colors.  Right next to these hair ties were knotted headbands (there went the light bulb again!)... i mean, why embellish solely the hair ties when i could embellish the headbands as well!  YES, perfect!  Ok so i purchased a few headbands as well.  After that, i visited my local Michael's and AC Moore stores (making sure to take advantage of their coupon offers) for a selection of the prettiest beads i could find and i quickly went to work!  I am so so SO pleased with they way they turned out!  In fact, i ordered these hair ties in bulk and may consider a tiny little side business on ETSY??  What do you think???  I took a lot of pictures so enjoy!  Oh and here's some food for thought for all you pony tail wearers, you know how you often carry around your pony tail holder on your wrist?  Well, how cute would these embellished hair ties look instead?  You can actually wear them as a bracelet!!!  I took a picture with my phone to illustrate that look.

These are the inspiration hair ties...

These were some of the colors available to purchase of the non-embellished hair ties. 

 

These were the neutral pack i bought.

Here are the headbands, also non-embellished.



So first, here are a few pictures of my bead selection... aren't they pretty?

Below are the hair bands i used for this DIY as well as the neutral one shown in one of the pictures above.  The ones below were purchased from Target 2 for $5.  The neutral pack was purchased at Anthrolopogie for $12.



OK so start with one knotted hair tie.



 

Undo the knot...

 



Insert bead/beads of choice.  Make sure the bead has a wide hole or it will make this entire process much more difficult!



Tie the knot and VOILA!

 

 

Here are a few of my other creations!

Here are the embellished headbands... 

These next three pictures are of me wearing one of the hair ties, headband and finally the headband as a bracelet.  Sorry for the poor quality but i took them myself using my iPhone and i think the 'hair' shots were taken too closely but hopefully you'll get an idea of what it looks like on.

 

 

 Well, that's it!  I hope you enjoyed my little DIY!  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