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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

I Did Makeup For Countess Luann de Lesseps!!



Yes, you read the title of this post correctly.  I had the amazing opportunity to do makeup for Countess Luann de Lesseps from The Real Housewives of New York!!  I happen to know somebody who works at Hampton Daze Magazine so when they needed someone to do makeup for Countess Luann for their July 4th cover she came to me. With some hesitation, only because I was nervous, I jumped at this incredible opportunity and am so glad I did.

Now I have a confession to make, I have never seen one episode of The Real Housewives Of New York.  This was probably a good thing because I wasn't really fangirling too bad. I have seen Luann in an episode of Law & Order: SVU, though, because that is a show I am obsessed with.

Well, I am sure you dying to know how she acted, nice or snotty?  I am pleased to say she was down to earth and nice to work with. It also helped that we have the same makeup style, more on the natural, radiant side.  When I asked her what look she wanted for the cover she said natural with a youthful glow.  I knew at that point I would be good to go because that was right in my wheelhouse. You can see the outcome on the cover below.  You can thumb through the whole issue and see more photos here.



Of course I couldn't leave without getting a picture with The Countess on the porch of her Bridgehampton home. And yes she is extremely tall and thin. Lucky woman!



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Monday, July 8, 2013

The Color Run: The Happiest 5K on the Planet



This was my second year doing The Color Run in NYC (Brooklyn).  Last year was such a blast we had to do it again and I am sure we will keep doing it as long as they keep having them.  Basically, it is a 5K and everyone starts out in white and there are different color stations along the run where different color dust is thrown at you and by the end everyone looks like a colorful rainbow.  It is a great time for women, men, kids and people of all ages.  And if you don't run, no problem! We didn't run either. We walked and jogged, partially because it was 90 degrees and humid and partially because we don't run and it didn't matter. It truly is the happiest 5K on the planet.



You can see the sea of white above at the start line. Everyone's crisp and clean appearance was about to change.  There was a ton of energy and good vibes coming from the crowd.  So when they counted down and the run started we actually ran (for a little bit.)  I noticed more people walking this year than in the past and I am sure it had to do with the hot and muggy weather but it didn't stop us from having a good time.


 There we are after hitting the first color station. Splattered with pink and ready to move on.  As you can see it's a laid back race where tons of people stop to take photos along the way.



As you can see the next stop was blue.  You can also see from the photos that Floyd Bennett Field was a great location for this run because of the wide space for the huge amount of participants. There was plenty or room to step to the side and take photos, take a break or whatever.


Above is my hubby jumping from excitement after yellow.  We really started to feel the heat at this point but kept on trucking. 



Above you can see us before and after we ran through Oompaloompa Land aka the orange color station.  This was the final color stop so it was off to the finish line.



After the finish there was a stage set up with music and tents all around with free swag.  Everyone was dancing around the stage and every so often everyone threw their color packets up in the air and you got covered in even more color.  Last year I was right in the middle of the crowd and I couldn't breathe because of the thick cloud of color so this year I stuck to the outskirts but still had just as much fun and more importantly I could breathe! 

I had a blast both years but I had to say the one disappointing factor was that last year they had professional photographers set up taking photos in booths and you could order online afterwards but this year they didn't have that.  I was really disappointed because we got amazing photos from them last year but at least I had my own camera.  

Would I recommend doing The Color Run? Without a doubt!! It truly is a great time for everyone. I dragged my hubby last year who wanted nothing to do with it and this year he couldn't wait.  A few words of advice, once registration opens for your city, sign up!! It fills really fast in most cities.  Also it is well worth the money. It costs between $40-$50 but that includes the race, a great quality tshirt, a sweatband, a packet of color and some fake tattoos.  Really a great deal! So go out and sign up for the Happiest 5K on the Planet!! Maybe I'll see you in Brooklyn next year!




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Sunday, July 7, 2013

For The Home Giveaway Hop


Welcome to the "For The Home" Giveaway Hop hosted by Mommy's Favorite Things and Mama's Baby Cupcakes. 

This hop is focused on items you'd want/need for your home! After visiting my giveaway, make sure you use the linky below to take a look at the other 40+ blogs and see what they have to offer! Each blog has a minimum prize package of $25 per winner. 


Make sure to check out the Grand Prize hosted on Mommy's Favorite Things blog. This prize is sponsored by WoodSnap.com and is a great prize of FOUR 12x12 personalized photos printed on wood for a retail value of $280!

I am excited to announce that I will be giving away a $25 gift card to Pier 1 Imports.  They have the most beautiful items for the home and I am sure the winner will find something they love. Enter below.


a Rafflecopter giveaway


Be sure to visit all these other participating blogs for a chance at some great prizes!  

Mama's Baby Cupcakes, Mommy's Favorite Things and the "For The Home" participating bloggers are not responsible for sponsors who do not fulfill prize obligations.


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Saturday, July 6, 2013

Redd's White & Blue-BQ House Party



Have you heard of House Party? If not, you definitely want to head on over to their website and sign up. Basically, you sign up to host different themed parties from a variety of major brands such as Keurig, Monopoly and Pampers.  If chosen, you receive a box full of FREE goodies to share with your guests.  In return you just need to answer a few surveys, post photos of your party and promote on social media. Just be warned, you will not be chosen for every party you want. Sometimes there are only 200 spots and thousands upon thousands apply and the brand chooses by the survey you fill out when applying. I see many complaining on social media when not chosen but hey it's free to sign up so you didn't lose anything. There were many I wanted and never got but I was luck enough to be chosen for the Redd's White & Blue-BQ Party.

I was thrilled with my party pack. I received a $25 gift card to buy the Redd's Apple Ale, bottle opener keychains, awesome koozies and a pair of sunglasses. My guests loved their favors  but more importantly we all loved the Redd's Apple Ale, so much so that we needed to go out and get more once our 4th of July party was in full swing. I never had apple ale before but I am now a fan and my guests that had some sort of apple ale in the past said that Redd's was by far superior.

We had a fabulous 4th full of Redd's, good company, Kan Jam and fireworks. It doesn't get much better than that.  I truly hope to be able to host another House Party soon because this was so much fun. They are currently accepting applications for a Monopoly Party so make sure you head over to House Party and apply today! Hopefully we all get chosen! Fingers crossed!


Some of my guests having fun!



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Friday, July 5, 2013

The Yummi Pouch Is The Way To Go!



I was lucky enough to receive a set of complimentary Yummi Pouches to review.  They are reusable food pouches which is absolutely perfect for my daughter.  Olivia is 17 months old and loves "fruit bags," as she calls them but they can become quite costly especially when she can sometimes go through several in a day.  I love the fact that I can now fill my own pouches with an endless variety of healthy treats at a fraction of the cost.  What is better than that?

Before I share our personal experience with this amazing product let me tell you a little bit about them. They are dishwasher and freezer safe, BPA and Phthalate free, can hold up to 6 ounces, easy to fill through wide zipper opening and finally they are recyclable and fully CPSP compliant.  These are all major pluses in my book and in combination with the fact that they are actually something practical for everyday life with a toddler, they are definitely a purchase all parents should make. 

I hit the beach with Olivia today and the Yummi Pouch was the perfect snack solution. Olivia has a habit of dumping her puffs and snacks out of their containers and picking them back up and putting them in her mouth so not really the ideal snack with all the sand.  I filled up two yummi pouches with applesauce and kept them in our cooler. After a while in the heat this was a nice refreshing snack for Olivia and she was shaking with excitement to get her hands on these pouches.  An added bonus is that there was no mess! Plus, they could be thrown right in the dishwasher when I got home. 

Keeping snacks cool in the fridge



Excited for her Yummi Pouch



Mmmmmm



Best beach snack!


If you have a baby or toddler at home I highly suggest purchasing a Yummi Pouch 6 pack. They even sell dishwasher safe stickers so your little ones can decorate their pouches.  And there's an added bonus they are currently running a Fireworks Sale where you can get 25% off the entire store through July 7th. What are you waiting for go and order yours today!  You can also connect with Yummi Pouch through Facebook and Twitter.

I hope you enjoy the rest of this 4th of July weekend!! I hope to be able to try out my Yummi Pouches at a frozen yogurt shop next. We all love frozen yogurt but the hubby and I cannot fully enjoy ours because we have to feed Olivia hers.  I am planning to put the yogurt in the pouch so we can all enjoy our scrumptious snack at the same time. I'll be sure to keep you posted on how it went. 
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Thursday, July 4, 2013

Pamper Yourself Giveaway

What woman doesn't love to pamper herself every now and then? 


Pamper Yourself Giveaway
Hosted by
The Breezy Birdie
Co-Hosted by
Barbara's Beat

Prizes:

1 sheet of Jamberry Nail Wraps from Crank up the JAM with Lakendra - Independent Jamberry Nails Consultant

$30 GC to Elke Caldart, Independent Designer with Origami Owl

1 Lei Away Sinful Skin lotion, 1 Tipsy Lavender Mr Mister essential oil spray, 1 Cajole soap for her, 1 Cajole soap for him, 1 Mother Earth Handle solid lotion, 1 Peppermint Perk Portabalm essential oil balm, &1 Lil Miss Frisky Bombinator bath bomb from Sandi Maylett - Perfectly Posh Independent Consultant 

1 It Works! Body Wrap from It Works! Body Wraps With Jaime -Independent Distributor 

1 Nail Polish from AVON Head to Toe

$25 Gift Card for WoodWick Candles

$25 to Bath & Body Works

The giveaway will run from July 3rd at 1am PST to July 31st at 11:59pm. Giveaway is open to US only and you must be 18 years or older to enter. No purchase necessary. Use the Giveaway Tools app below to enter.


Disclosure: I was not compensated for this giveaway, nor am I responsible for shipment of prizes. This event is in no way associated with Facebook or any other social media platform. Social media platforms are in no way responsible for shipment of prize. For full disclosure see Giveaway Tools.

Wednesday, July 3, 2013

Red, White & CASH Giveaway

Happy 4th of July!! 

I have teamed up with Marquis from Simply Clarke and 20 other bloggers to bring you a $350 Red, White & CASH giveaway. Thats right, we are celebrating the 4th by giving away some PayPal Cash to one lucky winner.

I hope that you have a great 4th of July! Be sure to check out all the amazing ladies below that made this possible. 
1. Simply Clarke  //  2. Pink Heels Pink Truck  //  3. Never The Same Spice Twice  //  4. Shades of Color Art  //  5. Pursuit of Pink  //  6. Glam Hungry Mom  //  7. Living In Another Language  //  8. A Girl Smitten  //  9. When In Doubt Just Add Glitter  //  10. Fueled & Aflame  //  11. Pearls & Curls  //  12. A Complete Waste of Makeup  //  13. Toby's Tails  //  14. Dancin' With A Dolly //  15. To The Sea  //  16. Carolina Fireflies  //  17. Southern Beauty Guide  //  18. All That Glitters  //  19. Felicitous Fruition  //  20. Everyday Thoughts  //  21.   Je Ne Sais Quoi Jules  //  22. Pretty Little Inspirations

a Rafflecopter giveaway