Worth Sharing 1

Here are some links I have been meaning to share!

* This is definitely the cutest slideshow ever (found it via designmom). I am now certainly convinced that Ava needs a cute handmade doll for her two year old portraits.

* I have been looking at lots of kids art for Lilly's room. Like, Rachelle Anne Miller Prints - so sweet - kind of a combination of Etsy and Strawberry Shortcake. I also like Trafalgars Square and they are having a very good sale right now. Then Sarah Jane Studios has the cutest little 1930's inspired prints. RKdsign has the sweetest things but I think it really bugs me that none of the kids have mouths.

* These Alouette earrings are so cute and would make the perfect gift for a pregnant lady. And at $18 what a steal.

* Look at this SUPER fun maternity photo shoot my friend had done...what is more amazing how adorable and beautiful the look or that they agreed to wear swimsuits for a maternity photo shoot!

* I have a favorite eyeshadow combination - I was wearing it in this photoshoot - it is Clinique's Color Surge Eyeshadow in Beach / Plum. Why am I telling you this? Because I am out of it! I can't remember ever using up all of an eyeshadow before but the colors and coverage of this are great! Don't you always see eye makeup you like all the time and want to know what people are doing?

* I love this new wooden wedding cake from Melissa & Doug ... I am seeing it in Ava's play kitchen future.

* This Earth Mama body butter is the best I have had in a long time - I need more!

Best Face and Body Care - according to... everyone!

So, I end up on ConsumerSearch.com a lot. They compile information from lots of different sources and studies to come up with the most popular, reliable products in certain categories. I am thinking about finding some new face care and so I stopped in to see what they say are the best beauty products on the market right now.  I thought these were so interesting, especially when you consider that salon, counter, and drug store brands are all competing .

Link to consumer search is the category name, then below a link to the actual product on Amazon.

Best Moisturizer











Olay Regenerist UV Defense Regenerating Lotion SPF 15 2.5 fl oz (75 ml)


Best Eye Cream

Olay Regenerist Daily Regenerating Serum - 1.7 oz.


Best Facial Cleanser











Cetaphil Gentle Skin Cleanser - Bonus 20oz Bottle


Best Body Lotion











Nivea Creme 250 ml cream


Best Shampoo

It is Dove Shampoo - but it doesn't give you a specific formula (hence lack of image) just that Dove is rated best overall. Really interesting!

What are your go-to products in these categories?

Tips for Modeling for Portraits

Funny story, but I was asked to model for some pictures - twice! in the last few months. That is me above. This is so totally off the radar of anything I have ever done. I was pretty nervous at first, but I have had some great tips given to me and some great photographers - these tips below made 100% difference in how my pictures turned out. The photos in this post were taken by Meggan Harper.

1. Have your makeup done! Pick a counter at a department store that you like the way the models in the ads look and go and have your whole face done - moisturizer, foundation, eye-lid primer all of it. You will need to buy some product if you have them do your makeup I would say anywhere other than MAC about $25 worth, at MAC $50. The bonus to all of this is that you will be learning new ways to do your makeup.

2. Keep your hair down, give it a little texture with wax. You need to give it some volume and lift in the photos. You can hide a lot of hair flaws in a photo with your hair down. This is assuming you in general have a shapely cut and even color.

3. Highlight your best feature, if it stands out then the things that aren't so great won't.

4. Wear good underwear! Get some spanx, or some good tights, a nice bra, a smoothing cami. Make sure you have no rolls or bumps or anything like that before you put your clothes on. This has nothing to do with your weight, anyone can look basically smooth. 

5. If you relax your mouth and keep it slightly open before you smile you will get a better smile. Flex your mouth some to keep it loose, try some serious looks but keep your mouth soft and loose, leaving the seriousness in your eyes.

6. Think about watching models on tv shows - they give a different pose and head turn or body shift every few shots try that - you will feel very silly but you will start to find your groove. The photographer will let you know - or should let you know - when you have hit something good.

7. Understand what clothes flatter your body type - this link should help: www.cardiganempire.com - go to the right hand column and check out 'body types'.

8. Have fun!

I still don't know what to do with my hands though - do you have any tips for that? Meggan helped me a lot when setting up for the photo below!

Makeup for $1! Some e.l.f. love

So a while ago I read somewhere about an eyeshadow quad for $1 from a company called e.l.f. so of course I googled it straight away! And I landed at www.eyeslipsface.com and guess what - almost EVERYTHING is $1! Yes, eyeshadows, lip glosses, foundations, primers, BRUSHES, more...$1! They also have a studio line which is a little nicer and starts at about $3  (just as soon as I try it out I will blog about it). My favorite parts of their site are 'get the look' and 'celebrity picks'.

Where to get it and where to get coupons on your $1 makeup:

There are tons of coupons online so if you order from their site you can usually get something free or 1/2 off or free shipping - you can't combine online coupon codes so just use the one that is best for your order - here is a pretty reliable place to find them.

You can also buy a small selection e.l.f. at Kmart - check online to see if yours carries it though before forcing a Kmart experience on yourself : )

Target had a limited supply over Christmas but they sold it so fast you most likely missed it.

My Stash and Reviews:

So here is my starter stash - everything I could buy at Kmart. Product comments on what I have used as follows:

Brushes - Not as good as say a MAC brush but I would say nearly as good and if you factor in that you can have 17 or more of the elf brushes for the same price - then the elf brushes are a miracle!

Eyeshadow - MUCH better than most drug store brands - good color saturation.

Eyeliner Pencil - Your basic pencil but it comes with a free sharpener and it is $1!

Mascara - The formula is good but the brush is very mediocre. I also have MAC, Clinique, and Lancome mascara and my favorite still is good old pink and green Great Lash.  Drug stores have great mascara.

Clarifying Pressed Powder - This stuff is great - goes on a lot heavier than a drug store brand - similar to a counter brand.

Nail Polish - This was the one real bummer - maybe I am a nail polish snob but if I am going to paint my nails then I want something good that is going to last and is going to give good color saturation like  OPI. Well this didn't do any of that :( It also was kind of dull.

All Over Color Stick - This is my favorite product - really - it is just so fun. Blush for me. It is a great creamy product that you would expect to pay $$ for anywhere else. It comes in a cover up stick too.

Have you used any e.l.f. - what is your favorite product?