it's about that time...

well...as you probably may have already guessed, i've decided that it's time to put this little blog of mine to rest for a bit.

while i loved doing this and i loved you guys (those of you who still might be around) i have moved on to something else.

a long time ago, i used to love doing photography.

we're talking years here people.

way before point and shoots and dslr's...there was me and my hand-me-down 35mm film camera.

yes, that's right, i said FILM.

well, actually, before THAT even there was a film point and shoot that i bought at a flea market when i was 8 because i wanted a camera and it was cool looking.

anyway, back to the 35mm.

my dad had passed his camera down to me and i would take pictures of anything i could. mainly my nephew (he was 10 years younger than me and, at this point, i was in high school). then college came and after college, work, and then a boyfriend who turned into a husband, and then kids.

that 35mm was long gone and i had moved onto a dslr.

i liked it, sort of.

i would use it as a glorified (and more expensive) point and shoot and take it out maybe twice a year for maybe 10 mindless pictures at a time.

then came my iphone and that dslr just started to gather dust.

then, this past december, i decided to take it out for some pictures of my kids.

we went out on a little photo shoot where i planned where we went and i actually thought up ways to creatively capture images of them.

i liked it a lot.

after that, i started taking some more pictures...like here and there.

then a major personal event happened in my life that kind of changed everything.

the emotions i was feeling at that time, just had to get out somewhere and i chose photography as a way to express it.

so here we are.

why am i telling you this??

well, you see, i have started a blog about my photography.

it's still a HUGE work in progress.

my blogging (and website tweaking) is a tad bit rusty, but i have started something and i hope you come by to take a look.

you don't have to of course, but if you do, well, that would be really really nice of you.

anyway, that's where i'll be, just in case you'd like to find me.

thank you so much for your time over the years here. i really appreciated all of your fabulousness.

truly.

i did.

hope to see you over in my new digs.

you can get there by clicking here..if you're so inclined.

xoxo
jenn

breast cancer awareness month...stila's positively pink set

everybody has that cousin.

that one person you love to see and sit next to at weddings, baby showers, or other family events, because you know they will turn a long and generally boring affair on its ear.

carmella was that cousin.

i'm the youngest of all the first cousins...so i (of course) was always the 'baby" whenever the family on my mother's side would get together.

carmella would give me hugs, offer up any candy she might happen to have on her person (she always did fyi), and play with my hair.

she always had a funny story to tell.

always.

she loved being a teacher and would tell me that, like it or not, i was going to be a teacher* too one day.

she taught me my first joke, that i can still tell today and kill with...and it's not g-rated.

she loved music and loved to dance.

she had an infectious laugh and personality.

you always found yourself smiling around her.

she's the one who named me.

as what sometimes happen with cousins, you lose touch with one another.

children grow up.

families move.

one day i received the call from my sister that carmella wasn't doing so well.

turned out the breast cancer that she had fought almost her entire life was back and attacking her body with a vengeance.

she died the next day, before i had a chance to see her.

a beautiful person inside and out.

gone.

what's so heartbreaking is that there are other women like carmella out there.

other amazing women who are losing their struggle with breast cancer, or who are being diagnosed with it, every day.

october is breast cancer awareness month.

it's your chance to show your support for those affected and their families.

this month, i'll be posting some products that will not only make you look good, they'll make you feel good too.

take the above for example.

for every purchase of this really cute positively pink set, stila will donate $1 to the breast cancer research foundation.

what's not to love about that??

head on over to stilacosmetics.com to find out more.


*disclosure: i have not purchased this product, nor was i given a set to review. i was, however, a teacher before i stopped in 2005 when i had my son. :)

things that make me blush...bobbi brown pot rouge for lips and cheeks

one morning, this past summer, the kids and i were hanging out making pancakes and dancing to some music.

just a fun weekday morning for us.

at some point, the doorbell rings and little r headed to the front door to see who it was.

he comes back in and said that i had a package on the porch.

i headed to the front door and opened it...figuring i'd grab the box quickly and come back in.

we're talking about the distance of one single step away from the door.

i step out the door and balance on one leg while holding the screen door open with my other foot.

all the while hearing my kids behind me, wondering aloud what could be in the box.

as i am reaching down to grab the box, i hear a distinctly MALE voice say "ma'am?"

yeah...you might know where this is going.

did i mention that it was morning and i was wearing only a t-shirt and my undies??

no??

yeah. 

i was.

of course the male voice belonged to the ups guy.

who i thought was long gone.

he had tried to drop off a package at the house a couple doors down and had no luck.

so he came over to ask if i would sign for it.

fyi...it's really hard to try and stretch your t-shirt over your exposed bottom while holding a package and propping a screen door open at the same time.

really, really hard.

and, in case you're wondering, it IS possible to feel yourself turn every shade of red imaginable.

every. shade.

soooooooo....that's how i get a little color in my cheeks!!!

seriously though...for those times when there is no spare ups guy to happen upon me while my tushie is exposed, or in case you're in the mood to have a little color in your cheeks, there's this blush.

well, actually two of these blushes used in combination with one another.

my favorite duo is bobbi brown's pot rouge in powder pink applied with a light hand on the cheek bone and a pop of the pot rouge in pale pink on the apples.

gorgeous and just that sweet natural color that flatters and makes you look all glowy.

they're $25 each, but last forever and can also be applied to your lips too.

find yours at bobbibrowncosmetics.com or at your local bobbi brown counter.

disclosure: i bought these myself at my local nordstrom.

clinique even better eyes dark circle corrector

"time marches on and sooner or later you realize it's marching across your face"

                                                                                           -dolly parton (steel magnolias)

lately, my children have started taking up residence in my bed...very, very early in the am.

at any given moment i will be woken up by one, or both of my kids as they crawl into bed with me.

now before you say "awwwww...that's just so darn cute jenn!!", understand that they are also horrible sleepers.

horrible.

i'm talking tossing, turning, hitting, kicking, etc.

nothing says GOOD MORNING than a swift kick to the face by a random little foot.

awesome.

what always confuses me is how someone so small can take up 3/4 of our king sized bed, so i am left with a teeny-tiny sliver that leaves one of my legs dangling off the edge.

how is that even possible??

due to the fact that i get a lot less sleep, i have become a devote of anything eye care related.

so, when the above was sent to me to test out, i grabbed it and claimed it mine...laughing maniacally.

ok, maybe not that crazy, but i was pretty darn excited.

i use it in the morning, over my eye cream, and then if needed later on in the day.

you only need a little fyi.

it has this cooling applicator tip, so all you have to do is squeeze and apply.

i do a little patting in just to make sure it's "in there", but that's it.

the sheer optics in the tinted formula can work with fair to dark skin...which is perfect so you don't have to try and figure out what color you need.

it's also said to visibly lighten dark circles by 30% in just 12 weeks.

i haven't been using it for that long, but i have noticed that it's made any darkness i might have look less obvious, without having to use concealer.

love that.

find yours at clinique.com, or your local clinique counter for $39.50


disclosure: i clearly received a sample from clinique for review, but would not hesitate to purchase this again because it's pretty darn fabulous.. 

bobbi brown 20% off friends and family event

i honestly wished i had realized this yesterday BEFORE i bought a crap-load of bobbi goodies.

oh well.

head on over to bobbibrowncosmetics.com and start spending.

no code necessary for your discount and free shipping with purchases over $65.

go nuts.

better late than never...michelle williams oscar makeup deets

so....um...i've been gone for ages huh?

whole lotta stuff going on here that i will get to at a later date, but for now i wanted to get this up because i effing love michelle williams and LOVED her look at the oscars.

yes.

i know.

i said it.

oscars.

i am that late people.

anyway, here's the scoop on her makeup look that went with her coral dress (louis vuitton!!) and amazing hair.

does she not have the best short cut around??

read on...

all makeup by chanel celebrity makeup artist angela levin:

angela levin: my inspiration was a flower! when i saw michelle in her stunning dress, it made me think of a beautiful rose i have in my garden. like that flower, she looked so gorgeous and delicate, so i decided to use an array of spring hues!

products:

skincare - 
i began by hydrating her skin with a light layer of chanel sublimage la creme texture supreme ($390).

eyes -
next, i used chanel quadra eyeshadow in mystic eyes ($58), using half moon strokes on the lids to maintain a round, soft feeling. for an added pop of glamour, i placed a bit of chanel soft touch eye shadow in tigerlily ($28.50) on her lids. under the eyes, i used the darkest color, the neutral deep brown with gold flecks shade, from chanel quadra eyeshadow in mystic eyes ($58). for her eye brows, chanel sculpting eyebrow pencil in blond clair ($29). to the top and bottom lashes, i applied two coats of chanel inimitable mascara in noir ($30).

face -
foundation...to further enhance michelle's already gorgeous skin, i applied chanel vitalumière aqua compact ($58) for a hydrated, flawless, revitalized and radiant look.
blush...for the cheeks, i applied my favorite new cheek color, exclusive creation blush horizon de chanel ($58).
highlighter...to accentuate the natural contours of michelle's face, i lightly added chanel limited edition natural finish pressed powder in jasmin ($45) to her cheeks. i also added this to her shoulders for a slight highlight as well.

lips -
for Michelle's bright, purpley-pink lips, i mixed two chanel rouge coco shades from chanel's spring collection: rouge coco lip colour in paradis, a pink coral with rouge coco lip colour in destineé, a spring plum (each $32).


To find the products listed, click the links or head on over to chanel.com. you could also check out your local chanel counter.

clinique repairwear uplifting firming cream

my love/obsession with clinique knows no bounds.

just as i was thinking about trying a new moisturizer...one that would be a little more aggressive at fighting back the hands of time (*ahem*)...this popped up on my front porch.

it was as if someone from clinique pr had a major esp moment and was all like jenn needs this ish asap!!

god i love them.

to say that this cream is awesome on all levels isn't saying enough.

first off, it's not as expensive as you'd think...it's right at $58.

it also does a heck of a lot for those dollars people.

now, don't worry your pretty little head honey.

i'm not going to go on and on and bore you to death with all the technical talk...mainly because i never understand of word of that stuff anyway.

what i am going to tell you is, since receiving this cream a little while ago, i have nothing but happy thoughts of unicorns and rainbows.

and my skin looks pretty amazing too.

seriously.

i've noticed that those little lines that start creeping up once you hit the big 4-0 aren't looking so line-y and that just works for me, thank you very much.

it doesn't contain any spf, but that didn't disturb me one bit from applying it during the day and night.

i just add some spf on top for the daytime, but that's just me.

you go ahead and do whatever you see fit.

i don't judge.

well...not all the time.

moving on...

i cannot stress enough that this creamy goodness is ma-jor and has now been added to my must have list.

you know, the one that exists purely in my mind because i'm too lazy to actually write it down?

yup...that one.

get yours at clinique.com or your local clinique counter.



disclosure: i clearly received a sample from clinique for review, but would not hesitate to purchase this again because it is now my fave. 

pureology's swanky new look

how genius is the new packaging from pureology??

being that i ALWAYS turn my shampoos upside down in the shower (so that i can get every single last precious drop) it makes sense to create a bottle that allows you to do so easily.

i cannot even begin to tell you how many times precariously perched bottles have fallen and landed on my foot mid-shower.

ouch!!

it's still the same concentrated formula, but you're able to get at least 70+ shampoos out of each bottle.

impressive...right??

they're also 100% recyclable and now use more sustainable practices with the production process.

in case you're wondering what exactly they do...you can read about it on their website pureology.com.

happy shampooing!!

here's some new "sh*t" for you to enjoy...

by now you've heard of the sh*t girls say videos and the other parodies that have joined the fray.

this one is right up there as one of my favorites...mainly because it's funny and the hairstylist featured is so darn adorable.

 i mean, i want him to be MY stylist pronto.

dare you not to laugh...

 

clinique lid smoothie antioxidant 8-hour eye color

hello!!

how have you been?

it's been ages hasn't it??

sorry.

i'll spare you the excuses and the drama and the hoopla and just get to the good stuff...the review.

those of you who really really know me, are aware that my adoration for clinique goes far and wide.

i love how they just get it right every single time and don't charge you an arm and a leg for a product.

they just don't.

a new fave of mine is their lid smoothie antioxidant 8-hour eye color.

it's cream based and comes in a nifty little tube that has this neat little cooling applicator thingy that feels oh-so-good on your lids.

the best part is you don't need to use a brush to apply if you don't want to.

all i do is squeeze a little on the middle of my eyelid, spread it a bit with the applicator, and then finish up with my finger.

that's it.

done.

once i apply it, it's pretty much there for the rest of the day.

essential when you have a 2 year old hanging off of you at any given moment.

do you honestly think she'd let me take a break to re-apply?

yeah...not gonna happen.

there are 12 colors to choose from, but my favorite is bit-o-honey...a sweet little neutral that just puts the finishing touch on my look.

you can find these at your local clinique counter, or online at clinique.com.


disclosure: i received a sample from clinique for review.

ghd limited edition era collection

Over the years, I've heard much discussion involving the awesomeness that is the ghd flat iron.

Until I recently tried it out for myself, I had no idea how great they really are.

They're amazing.

And talk about speedy?

The ghd flat iron heats up in seconds.

Seconds!

Essential if you are in dire need of straight locks and have zero time to wait for your iron to be hot enough to do its job.

Once ready, it straightened my hair easily...no fuss, no muss.

Love that.

To top it off,  it even comes with a sleep mode that automatically shuts it off after 30 minutes...perfect for the forgetful straight hair lover.

As if the flat iron itself wasn't amazing, you can now get one in a sweet limited-edition collection.

Ghd’s new Era’s Collection allow you to reinvent iconic looks from the most stylish eras: Glamour Era, New Wave Era (seen in pic above) and Boho Chic Era.

Each collection includes:
• a sleek ghd Gold Professional 1” styler
• heat resistant purse per collection
• two ghd straight plastic hair clips
• Protective styler heat guard
• step-by-step booklet showing you how to recreate the styles at home

Check out the collection for yourself at your local Sephora or sephora.com.




disclosure: i received a sample for review...honestly though, i wouldn't hesitate to buy this one for myself or gift one to a worthy friend.

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!

jillian michaels ripped in 30

How can you not want to purchase a workout dvd that makes that promise?

I recently purchased Jillian Michaels Ripped in 30 dvd after reading a few great reviews on Amazon.

All you need for the workout is a set of handweights and a mat if you have a hard floor.

I also suggest a towel for wiping up the massive amounts of sweat that will be pouring off of you.

First off, let me say that I was a so-so fan of Jillian prior to this video.

I sorta-kinda liked her on the Biggest Loser (back in my much heavier days, when I would watch said show while eating a pint of chocolate chip ice cream) and so-so liked her on her own show...even if it was short lived.

I freaking love her on this workout video.

L-O-V-E.

She has the right combo of humor, intensity, and overall amazingness that's able to carry you through each 24 minute workout.

The concept is really simple, she implies circuit training in a 3-2-1 method.

3 minutes of strength, followed by 2 minutes of cardio, and ending with 1 minute of ab work.

There are 3 circuits total, along with a warm up and cool down.

There are also 4 different workouts based on four different weeks...week 1, week 2, week 3, and week 4.

Each new week is meant to be harder, as well as different than the last.

She does this so it keeps everything new and fresh so you don't get bored.

I consider myself (at this point in the game) in decent shape....I tend to run (on average) anywhere from 25 to 35 miles a week.

While performing week 1's workout I thought that I was gonna pass out.

Seriously.

I had run for just 3 miles that day, but WOW this was intense.

If you're watching it for the first time, I do suggest that you either watch it all the way through, or use the dvd remote to pause the workout.

Each workout is only 24 minutes total, so she tends to go through each exercise pretty quickly.

Within the first few minutes of the workout, I started to sweat.

By the halfway point it was a full-on pour.

At the end, my shirt was soaked through.

I am not joking.

Jillian suggests that you only do her tape 5-6 days a week and take at least one day off.

Due to the fact that I run and I'm training for my second half marathon (philly bound this time!) I just used her tape three days a week and used the same week for about three weeks.

Does that make sense?

I'm glad I did because now I'm now on to week 2 and I can only say that it's waaaaaaaay more difficult that week 1.

Like night and day different.

After doing her week 1 workout for a bit longer, I really really noticed a difference all over.

My legs and arms are really improving and I'm seeing a lot more definition in my abs.

Woo-hoo!!

Remember though, I'm also running 5-6 days a week and doing the tape about 3-4 depending on my mood.

While I don't think that just doing the tape will make you completely "ripped in 30" I do think you'll get an amazing workout that will get you moving and burning some calories.

If you really want to see some improvement, I think it might help to add a little more cardio somewhere in your day.

For example, do the tape in the morning and then later on that day do about 30 minutes of cardio besides.

The 30 doesn't have to be insane, even walking will help.

Just get moving.

Combine the two along with a great eating plan (Jillian even provided a free download for one with her dvd!) and you'll be well on your way to losing some major weight!!

Find it at amazon.com.

tarte lipsurgence natural lip lusters

Just for the record, any makeup product that comes in chubby pencil form will win my heart over in a hot second.

These cute/adorable/chubby little sticks from Tarte are the bee's knees of fabulousness.

Inside each stick are ingredients that hydrate and smooth your lips.

Boy do they moisturize.

Plus they're made without all of those synthetics, parabens, and the other not-good-for-you standbys.

If any of the above doesn't grab you, there's always the colors.

Six gorgeously sheer shades to choose from.

One that's in my bag right now is the shade to the right...glisten.

A sweet little sheer peach that's just perfect for right now and beyond.

Get some.

Find more info at tartecosmetics.com.


disclosure: samples were provided by pr