It's Leap Year Wednesday!

Okay, so I did have pink polish on today... but it wasn't picture worthy because it is chipping and I haven't had time to redo it. I have on Zoya Brie though, which is a gorgeous, creamy deep pink. Pictures will be posted eventually... once I have decent nails again.

I did a fun video for Leap Day though, kind of a "I just wanna talk about whatever I wanna talk about"... and did a video on Sephora free gifts and beauty insider rewards. I also showed the 100 point Dior gift that I received back in January and hopefully will eventually have 500 points saved up sometime in 2012 to get the Dior 500 point gift that is a charm bracelet and deluxe perfume sample.

Hope everyone had a great Leap Day! It was cute that all of the birthdays on Sprout today were for 4 year olds!

Louis Vuitton Empriente Lumineuse PM in Ombre!

So DH offered to get me a bag as kind of a late Valentine's/early birthday type of gift... after having a hard time mulling over what to get - this Lumi popped up and I grabbed it. The Ombre color is the Empriente color that I had been considering, and even though I previously had mentioned the Empriente Artsy in one of my posts - I decided that the Lumineuse might be even more versatile. (Especially with kids!)

So it arrived this week and I'm still figuring out whether I love, like it, or am just neutral about it? I seem to kind of be wavering all around and my opinion changes from minute to minute. In any case, it is a very pretty bag and  what may be making me balk more than anything could be the price tag (eek!!)... but the leather is just divine and the color is lovely too...

What do you think - a keeper? :)

New Shoes! Tory Burch Tumbled Leather Revas in Peacock Blue

I love, love, LOVE these shoes... they are fantastic! A turquoise-toned blue is one of my favorite colors and these shoes did not disappoint my love of blue! I cannot wait until the weather gets better and I can wear these things!

I'm also going through a bit of a Tory Burch obsession phase right now... so I'm also wanting the Miller sandals in Love Pink, another pair of flip-flops, and the Revas in the Royal Tan tumbled leather for Spring. Can we say obsessed much??

(So obsessed in fact, that I did a video about these shoes!! Love!!)

Pink polish Wednesdays... Zoya Uma!

Today's pink is kind of more of a beige-y, peach-y, pink. I didn't have much time to do my nails and had zero time to do any clean up around the edges... so I needed to use a neutral flesh color polish so that my mistakes weren't as noticable. I'm planning on wearing a brighter pink at the end of the week or this weekend, when I have more time to do my nails.

Still love this color though... Zoya 'Uma'!

One of my favorite every day looks from the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette so far!

I've started to really enjoy playing with the Naked 2 eye shadow palette and trying to blend different colors together. I occasionally also mix colors together from the original Naked palette as well. Once I really started using the colors in different ways, I found that there is definitely enough difference between the two palettes to justify owning both! They both have some unique colors that are still neutral enough for every day and having the additional palette to pull colors from has been great!

Here's a look I'm loving as a nice, neutral every day "stay at home mom on the go" type of look...

Verve across the lid up & to the brow, Tease across the lid, Pistol in the crease blended out, and a bit of Busted in the center of the crease to darken it even more. (Virgin from the original Naked palette was used to highlight.)

Fun!

My Sephora & Ulta "semi-haul" video ;)

I hate the word haul... but here are some recent purchases that I made in January & February from Sephora, Ulta, & Narscosmetics.com.

What was in my Louis Vuitton Brea MM for Valentine's Day!

I did a Valentine's Day week "What's in my handbag video", because I was using my Louis Vuitton Vernis Brea MM and thought it was very festive! :)

Still on a Valentine's Day high with Pink Polish Wednesday...

I'm very into pink this week, with it being Valentine's week and all... so I changed my polish to Zoya's Dana for pink polish Wednesday! It is bright and perfect for Spring & Summer... but also works great for this holiday week as well!

Ohhhh Room Time - How I love and loathe you, all at the same time...

So we do something at our house with our toddler called "room time"... it is basically independent play time in her room to gain independence and also works well in the mornings for Mommy to take a quick shower. We did a sleep training method with Cupcake called "Babywise" by Gary Ezzo, and the idea behind room time or independent play time comes from the follow-up book - "Toddlerwise", also by Gary Ezzo.

Basically, as your toddler gets older you put some structured independent time into your daily schedule to bolster their independence. Ideally, I believe they suggest you start working on room time (having previously had independent time on a blanket or in a play pen previous to this) around ages 21-24 months. I had to start Cupcake slightly earlier though, because with the arrival of Peanut... and Cupcake's new found ability to climb out of a crib and play pen around the same time - I had to come up with some way to take a shower on a daily basis. Cupcake had always excelled at independent time in a play pen, which I used when she was younger to do chores during the day or make dinner... so I figured - what the hey, we will give it a go.

We started the week after Christmas, so that Daddy was home to help keep watch and ease her into the transition. You start with a lower time limit, around 10-15 minutes and the goal is to work up to a time length as long as 45 minutes of independent play time in their room. In the book and on other blogs you see an image of a well behaved child, quietly playing with some non-electric toy, in a pin neat room for the entire length of independent play time.

This is not my child.

Cupcake is a... spirited toddler. And very creative. She can find the delight and humor in the most simple of things. Like throwing clothing that used to folded neatly in her dresser drawers into the air while yelling, "Wheeee!".

So while I delight in the fact that Cupcake has taken well to independent time in her room in the mornings, and worked up to the 30-45 minutes that I need in the morning to get in the shower... I also never know what I'm going to walk in to when room time is over. Some days it is not too bad, some toys here and there - books strewn through the room... other days... it looks like a hurricane of Q-tips and clothing has swept the room.

Let's not leave it up to me to give you a written description though... They say a picture is worth a thousand words, so for a week I brought the camera up to her room after room time to capture what room time means at our house.

1/25: This day's theme was apparently "Q-tips"...

1/25: Looks kind of annoyed that I crashed her party!

1/26: Room time must have been so exhausting this day, that I came in to find her taking a bit of a rest!

1/27: Pretty tame day...

Then we had a few uneventful days... she was saving it all up for the finale...

1/30: The Grand Finale... empty drawers, Tah Dah!!

"Nevermind cleaning up this mess, Mom! Let's get straight to reading books! "
(We have reading time after room time.)

I will say, she's getting better. Messes are not as frequent - and this was a particularly "spirited" week when I took the pictures. She's still a few months away from being 2 years old... so I think as she gains a bit more age, it will keep getting better and better. For now, I will keep perfecting my folding skills...

Tarina Tarantino Magical Palette - Review and Look Idea!

I picked up the Tarina Tarantino 'Magical' eye shadow palette at Sephora the other day because I wanted a bit of color to mix up my eye look. I tend to use mostly neutrals that are in the Naked or Naked 2 palettes on a daily basis - so when I walked past this palette with beautiful purples I knew I had to get it! There is a great pewter color that works with brown eyes really well, and the bottom deep purple color actually looks like a purple against fair skin... unlike some purples that look like a dark gray or charcoal eyeshadow once you have them on.

I've been using the matte white shade in the Magical palette for highlighting and colors from the Naked 2 palette as a base. I've found that the Tarina Tarantino eye shadows are long-lasting and feel very smooth when you're applying them. I use Too Faced's Shadow Insurance eye primer, so I'm sure that helps the shadows stay on longer as well. The darker purple color in the palette does tend to "shift" on my crease after about 4 hours, and when I get home it looks like I put more of the darker color above my lid than I actually did... but it is very minimal and doesn't look horrible. Just a more noticeable shift than I've seen with the Urban Decay shadows that I'm more used to.

This palette is priced at $32 at Sephora right now, I think it is a great buy to add a few additional colors into your eye shadow rotation. The packaging is beautiful and travel friendly. While I don't think that this palette is going to replace my love for my Naked palettes anytime soon... I do think it is a keeper!

Watch the video for the look I've liked with this palette here:

Here's what it looks like on:

Pink polish Wednesdays... Butter London!

I had been wearing Zoya's Julieanne at the beginning of the week (gorgeous purple color!)... but decided to change it up today to a pink for Pink Polish Wednesdays and also to try a nail polish that is going to be a part of my upcoming haul post. (I haven't done one of those ever, so I thought it would be fun to try & show you some of the new things I've gotten recently!)

Today's pink is Butter London's 'Fairy Lights' and it may be one of the most appropriate polish names I've ever seen! The instant I put it on, I thought to myself, "That reminds me of fairy wings for some reason." Ha! It is a nice foil polish that goes one smoothly and coats evenly (unlike 'No More Waity Katie', which I returned because of its blotchy application & got this color instead)... and the pink is a sparkly light pink that isn't too baby-ish.

It actually pops a bit more than I thought it was going to - thinking it would be a subtle color that would blend into my skin tone. I really like it though, it is a keeper for sure!

Whoo hoo for Naked 2!

It's late (in my world), I'm tired... I'm rhyming.

However I am excited that I finally picked up the Urban Decay Naked 2 palette, follow-up to the Naked palette... my practically every day eyeshadow palette for about the past year! I was actually concerned that the Naked 2 might not be different enough from the original to justify having both - but I was pleased to find that they are actually a great compliment to each other.

Naked 2 palette on top, Naked palette on bottom

There are thousands of reviews out there on these two, I'm sure - so I will just touch on the highlights for me personally... I love the neutralness (is that word?) of each of the palettes and I appreciate the subtle differences in the Naked 2 version, with more taupe and gray based colors.

Naked palette on left, Naked 2 palette on right

My go-to combination from the Naked palette has been Sin across the lid up to the brow, Toasted across the lid, Hustle in the crease, and Virgin as a highlight.

My go to Naked palette combination for every day

I'm loving a few combinations of colors from the Naked 2 palette so far, and I've also been mixing some of the colors of the Naked 2 palette with my Tarina Tarantino Magical palette.

Some favorite combinations so far from Naked 2...
- Bootycall across lid up to brow, Tease across lid, Pistol in crease, Busted in crease
- Verve across lid up to brow (Pewter from Tarina Tarantino palette across lid, and Deep Purple from TT palette in crease, White from TT palette as highlight)
- Verve across lid up to brow, YDK across lid, Busted in crease

I'll be sure to upload pics of combinations as I get to try some more...

Pink polish Wednesdays... (Yes, I realize it is Friday)

Well, it has been a hectic week and getting near a computer with a moment to write anything sane has proved to be harder than usual.

I participated in my first "Pink Nail Polish Wednesdays" for On Wednesdays We Wear Pink... and was so busy I couldn't get pictures until today. I was wearing Zoya's Anaka at the beginning of the week, which is a gorgeous fuchsia pink... but decided to tone it down a little bit on Wednesday because I was going to tour a day care I'm looking at having the girls go to a few days a week. So I thought I would go with something a bit more subtle.

I put on Zoya's Reece... I just love this color! It is a gorgeous shimmer pink, that has gold highlights throughout. It's a truly unique polish and just one of those colors that makes you happy when you look at it! I did a little touch up today to take a picture, so it is still on my nails.

Zoya Reece

In other news, as I mentioned above - I'm looking into child care for the girls a few mornings a week so that I can take Cupcake to classes again while Peanut is at day care, and then have Cupcake get some socialization time with kids her same age a few mornings as well. It is a truly nerve-racking experience. I've been a SAHM since the start, so looking into part-time day care has been a big decision for us... but a necessary one. Not only do I think my sanity will benefit from having some 1 child mornings (and one glorious child free morning on Fridays!) - but to get Cupcake into swimming and gymnastics classes that I have to participate in... I have to have some sort of care worked out for Peanut. So it just seemed like the right way to go to work out a combo situation of days that they are both going.

I will keep you posted on how it goes... This SAHM is nervous about putting the girls into someone else's care, and also a bit miffed that I could get a new Speedy every month for the price of day care. I just need to keep repeating to myself: Sanity, sanity, sanity. Sanity is priceless.

Update! Britax B-Ready Double Stroller Review - Infant & Toddler Configuration

I've been using our Britax B-Ready double stroller for about 10 months now, so I figured it was time for an update on how I'm liking it. I used it for a little over 7 months as a single stroller - and now of course I'm currently using it as a double stroller, in infant bottom & toddler top configuration.

Here's my You Tube video review:

I really loved using the stroller as a single stroller. It folded up neatly and only took a bit more space in the back of our Honda CRV than the Chicco Cortina I was previously using. Cupcake had a higher riding position, so she liked the vantage point and being able to get into the bottom storage area from any angle with the zippered entrances was a definite plus. The larger wheels in the back make it incredibly easy to navigate tough terrains or to "ramp" the stroller onto a curb - however I do still get caught on doorways more often than I probably should. Operator error?

Britax B-Ready in Double Configuration: Infant bottom, Toddler top

When we transitioned it to a double stroller, it felt very odd for about a week - but then after I had a chance to get use to it, it was very user friendly again. We purchased an adapter to be able to place the infant carseat on the lower level from Buy Buy Baby. (Also available for purchase on Amazon HERE.) Our Britax Chaperone carseat snaps right into the adapter and after a bit of practice you can practically do it with one hand.

Carseat adapter for lower level

Speaking of one hand, most operations on the stroller DO take two hands to operate it - closing it you have to simultaneously pull levers on both sides of the push handle. Opening it also takes two hands to open the lock and kind of balance the stroller as you open it. However for the loss in being able to easily open or close the stroller with one hand - I would much rather gain the smaller footprint that this double stroller has, compared to other double strollers.

It is very similar in size to a single stroller and has a similar footprint when folded and when open. My biggest concern was that it didn't take up the entire back of our Honda CRV - or possibly even not fit. (When I looked at the Chicco Together in the store, I took one look and first thought, "Would that thing even fit in the back of my car when it is folded???") When you have the second toddler seat on the stroller, it folds up with both seats still in place, likewise - you can also fold it up with the lower infant carseat adapter still in place as well.

Britax B-Ready folded up in the back of our 2008 Honda CR-V

All in all... it gets good ratings from me still. The only issues we've had with it were Cupcake being able to chew pieces of the foam off of the bar that goes across the front of the upper toddler seat. (Which thank goodness is removable.) The five point harness straps on the toddler seat can also get kind of "fumbly" sometimes, since the top strap is removable from the waist strap - and if they detach when you're not wanting them to, that gets frustrating. Also, we've had one seam starting to come undone in the footrest area of the toddler seat... I haven't decided what to do about that and I may even contact Britax about it to see what they say. I will get back to you guys on that one.

Area my daughter chewed on the toddler safety bar

Loose seam on upper toddler seat

With these things in mind, I still think that its issues pale in comparison to issues I would be having with different larger, harder to fold, and bulkier to push double strollers that are on the market. I think this has been a great option for us!