it's been a crazy few weeks...

So...where have I been?

Well, we've been doing a little traveling.

I have two kids under the age of 5 who are driving me insane.

It's also been hot as hades out and I've been sweating my tushie off.

I am excited about a couple of things though.

The first of which is the fact that August is almost here and THAT means that school is right around the corner!

YAY!!

Please do not judge me.

I adore my children and I would do anything for them, but for the love of god they are driving me nuts.

It's been so hot outside that they really can't play outside.

That means that it's indoor play and craziness and whining.

Not fun.

My oldest, Little L, will be starting Kindergarten in the fall and we're both excited.

Well, excited and a little sad because he's my baby and getting so big and all that.

My littlest, Little E, will be starting preschool for 2 year olds.

It's only two days a week, but can I get a "hell yeah"?

With the nuttiness (hopefully) coming to a close, I will try to catch up and post a lot more than I have.

Until then, it'll still be a little sporadic and I'm sorry about that.

Anyway....

Just to give you a little chuckle, here's my favorite commercial of all time.

This will be me in the next week or so...just sayin'.



Stay tuned and please keep coming back.

I love having you here.

qvc customer choice beauty awards

Now's the chance for your voice to be heard.

QVC is holding their first ever Customer Choice Beauty Awards featuring many of the beauty goodies that you've tried and loved.

All you have to do is head over to qvc.com and click on your fave beauty products from the chosen nominees.

That's it!

My love for Tarte goes far and wide, so I have to give them a little shout-out because they're nominees in seven categories.

Just click on the pic above to get a better view, then click here to start voting!

Editor's Note: Voting is over now...I supplied the wrong link and it's apologies all around. Don't blame me, blame my offspring and the fact that I'm going to be 40 in two weeks. My bad!!

how-to...jada pinkett smith's redbook cover hair

I am not lying when I say that I'm positively in l-o-v-e with Jada's hair on this cover.

So pretty.

Today I deliver the how-to's as they were delivered to me via email earlier today.

Read on...

Celebrity hairstylist Marcia Hamilton created Jada's sizzling summer look for the August cover of Redbook Magazine.

Here's what she did:

1. To begin, blow out hair out using a large boar bristle round brush. Make sure to prep hair before drying. I used a moisture rich leave in conditioner and a couple drops of an oil.


2. Next, set hair with a large barrel curling iron working from the bottom to the top. Take large sections, no bigger than the size of your iron. Twist hair, then wrap it around the iron, close and hold for a few seconds. Pin each curl. When you're finished, spray with White Sands Infinity Hairspray and let sit for 10 minutes.


3. Remove all the pins from the set and put IT&LY Hairfashion Pure Water Drops in your hands to smooth fly away hairs while finishing. Run your fingers through waves to produce this gorgeous cover ready look.

john frieda precision foam colour

I'm probably the worst at-home hair color-er that's ever existed.

I get it everywhere...myself included.

While my hair ends up looking great after I'm done, I have to go over every blessed surface with a Magic Eraser to remove the dye.

Not fun.

This stuff made all of the above a thing of the past.

John Frieda's new Precision Foam Colour is super easy to use and stays where you put it till you wash it out.

I'm serious here.

I followed the instructions to a T and was amazed at the coverage of (ahem) my grays and the fact that I didn't splatter it all over the place.

As per the usual.

All that I was left with was beautifully colored hair that felt soft and looked incredibly shiny.

Perfection!

To find out more info and to select your shade, click here.



disclosure: a sample was provided

beauty buys under $10...covergirl natureluxe mousse mascara

While you will never see me wearing tons of makeup...sorry, it just ain't me...you will see me wearing the basics to look "daytime presentable":

-tinted moisturizer
-blush (normally a cream or a stain, but sometimes powder)
-a little mascara
-a sheer gloss

If I'm going out, I might throw in a little smudgy liner and a bit of shadow, but that's it.

My go-to mascaras tend to run the gamut, but CoverGirl is the brand I tend to reach for the most.

Why?

Well, they stay put, look good, and wash off easily at the end of the day.

No remover required.

I mean...seriously...who has time for that?

Also, if you're the kind of gal who goes through a lot of mascara, it's crazy inexpensive.

A huge bonus if you ask me.

CoverGirl's newest offering in the mascara department is their NatureLuxe Mousse Mascara.

Thanks to ingredients like natural beeswax, carnauba wax and tapioca polymers, it's incredibly light and feels like nothing on...all while delivering lift and volume.

I tried brown, which I really like for it's subtle effect on my lashes.

There's also a black, very black, and black/brown for you to choose from as well.

It's CoverGirl, so you can find it at any mass market retailer for under $10 each.

Love that.

To find out more, visit covergirl.com.


disclosure: a sample was provided by pr for covergirl

loving her cut...emma watson

Here's the textbook example of how to grow out your short do effortlessly.

Emma's starting-to-grow-it-out new style was on full display at the London premiere of the new Harry Potter movie.

And it's so ridiculously cute.

While my husband seems to think that the best way to grow out a short cut is to just let it grow and not cut it till it's long, I can tell you that the most important thing is to find a great hairstylist that you can work with throughout the long (tedious?) process.

Emma's a smarty, so she enlisted the help of Rodney Cutler of Cutler Salon...who did an awesome job in my opinion.

Now I have a new style to drool over while I begin growing out mine again.

summerize your hair

Summer is here in full force.

Unfortunately, the first thing to fall victim to the summer heat is your hair.

Am I right?

No need to fret though, lucky for you some super fab heat proof hair styling tips popped up into my inbox recently and I'm gonna share them with you.

Just because I'm that awesome.

So without further ado, read on for some great tips from top stylist - Zahir Ziani, the National Creative Director at Elizabeth Arden Red Door Spas.


· Don’t touch! – Playing or touching your hair can loosen the style out of its shape and create friction causing hair to expand, increasing volume and frizz


· Be cool – Skip blow drying and heated styling tools when you can in the summer. Excess heat can damage your hair cuticles and cause parched, frizzy hair


· Go long – When temperatures and humidity are at their highest, control your hair by keeping it long and heavy. The trick I use with all my clients is to add in curl to the ends with a roller so hair becomes “anchored” or weighed down


· Accept change – The texture of your hair will fluctuate with the seasons, so the products you use in spring may not be effective for smoothing hair and taming frizz during summer. Kerastase Bain Oleo-Relax is a perfect summertime beauty essential!


· Wear SPF – Hair, like skin, needs protection from harmful UV exposure. Look for hair care brands that offer sun protection with a minimum of SPF 15. Also similar to your skin, use hair care products formulated with antioxidant vitamins (A, C, E) to prevent against free radical damage. Add a vitamin B complex supplement to your beauty regimen to maintain health, shiny hair all year long


· Bounce-back – Use fabric-wrapped elastics; they are gentle on your hair and less likely to cause breakage and frizz. If you only wear non-metal elastics, do not wrap it around your hair more than twice. Before you go to bed, remove any elastic gently, as it can tangle hair during the night


Last but not least, make sure you visit your hair stylist at the start of every season to make sure you have the right cut and products to maintain smooth, shiny hair.

To learn more about Red Door Spa’s salon services, head on over to reddoorspas.com!