Perfect Pedicure Giveaway - more great items to win, from butter London & Toe Juice!

**Now CLOSED! Thanks for entering!**

Another great giveaway!! I'm happy to announce our second giveaway as a part of the 1 year Blogiversary! Toe Juice and Hog Wash were provided by GCubed LLC for this giveaway, I am supplying the butter London nail polish!

You can also get entry opportunities by following my blog here of course, liking the Facebook page for Mom's Got a Brand New Bag, OR a new opportunity - subscribing to my You Tube Channel! (Hi Everyone that is here to enter from You Tube!) I'm excited to be including my fantastic You Tube subscribers in my giveaways and also including a video with information on the giveaways!

The best part? It is totally FREE!! US residents only, must be over the age of 18. Mom's Got a Brand New Bag will ship our winning entrant of the 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway the winning gift for FREE! Good luck everyone! Perfect Pedicure giveaway ends on April 15, 2012.

Here's a video showing the items in the Perfect Pedicure giveaway! I will post CLOSED in the video title when this giveaway has closed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And the official rules:

The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway is now CLOSED for entries!

I love the idea of blog giveaways! It gives a chance for readers to interact & connect with the blog. Plus, they are just fun!! I'm excited to give away a few products from some of my favorite brands with the idea of pampering yourself at home in mind, that any mommy or diva could appreciate!

The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway will be done by me personally and is not sponsored by the individual companies featured unless otherwise mentioned, I just want to do it for fun! (Please note Toe Juice and Hog Wash were supplied by GCubed LLC.) And share some items from my favorite companies with YOU! 
The Perfect Pedicure Giveaway is now CLOSED for entries! To enter, click on the link at the bottom of this page and fill out the form. Comments are not valid entries, but feedback is always welcome! 
Perfect Pedicure Giveaway Official Rules

1) An entrants must be a follower directly on the blog, Mom's Got a Brand New Bag(see link to left), or "Like"on our Facebook page. Your user name on the blog or Facebook name is required on the entry, otherwise your entry be invalid. Additional entries for the Perfect Pedicure giveaway include subscribers at my You Tube channel – www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles! You are not obligated to do any more than one of these for an entry, however you are limited to three entries.
2) To enter, click on the link below, fill out the form, and submit. You must submit a valid email address, this is how I will contact the winning entrant to get their mailing information.
3) Commenting on this post will not enter you in the contest... but you know I love the comments, so they are always welcome and appreciated! :)
4) Giveaway is for US residents only.
5) The winning entry will be chosen using random.org - a random number generating system that will pick a number at random out of the entries to be our winner.
6) One entry per blog follower name OR Facebook follower name OR You Tube Subscriber name.
7) Winner will be notified via email with 24 hours of the closing of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours to reply through email with their shipping information before they forfeit and another winner is chosen. The winner will also be announced on the Giveaway page here at the blog.
8) Giveaway will close on SUNDAY APRIL 15th, 2012.


*~* Giveaway CLOSED, thanks for entering! *~* 

Product Review: Toe Juice Foot Rejuvenation & Hog Wash Hand Sanitizer

I was sent a few products to try by GCubed LLC and wanted to share what I thought about them with you guys! Review of two skin care products - Toe Juice & Hog Wash!

Toe Juice, an "it can do it all" liquid that is supposed to cure a number of skin ailments, the main one being dry, cracked, or rough skin. I tested this product on my feet, around the edges where I get caluses and tend to need (i.e. want) a pedicure every few weeks to feel like my feet are comfortable and presentable. After a few weeks of using Toe Juice, I did notice that my feet remained softer, and that I could go longer between pedicures if needed. It is easy to apply, I found that it was most easily applied on a cotton ball and wiped on the foot. Available at amazon.com, toejuice.com, drugstore.com, Walgreens.com, and some brick & mortar retailers. If you're in the Chicagoland area, Jewel Osco carries it.

My verdict: I think that Toe Juice is a great product and I would like to continue using it in the future. Especially for those times when I'm too busy to get in for a pedicure, after consistent use... I think it could buy me an extra week or two between pedicure visits.

Hog Wash is a clear hand sanitizer that is supposed to make your hands softer and not over dry them like some sanitizers can. After a week and a half of occasional use (after diaper changes, etc.) I did find that it was not drying and did make my hands feel a bit smoother, like you had put a small amount of lotion on. The consistancy was slightly sticky after application, which can be a bit tricky if you're needing to scoop up a baby immediately after applying it - however it wasn't as bad as other hand sanitizers I've tried in the past. All in all, it doesn't over dry and is just a good basic sanitizer with a light lemon smell. Plus it has a cute name to boot.

My verdict: It is a good basic hand sanitizer for when you don't want some thing fragranced and are on the go. This would be something I would throw in the back of my vehicle for "on the go" diaper changes and other unfortunate instances like that, that require hand sanitization on the go. ;)

To try a FREE 1 oz bottle of Toe Juice, go to www.toejuice.com and enter code, "1ozfree". You only pay for shipping and handling, and the 1 oz bottle of Toe Juice will be free to try!


If you'd like to watch my review as well, here it is in video form!

I will also have a chance to win a travel size of BOTH products in an upcoming giveaway! Look for a future video in the next week with more details!



*Please note that the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the aforementioned company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.

Let the 2nd birthday party planning... begin!

Cupcake's 2nd birthday is quickly approaching and we settled on a "Super Why!" theme because she's so into the show right now!

Thanks to "Super Why!" and incorporating a bit of an 'ABC' theme into her already cupcake filled room (we kind of going for a combination theme these days...) - she's learned all 26 letters within a few short months! I figured that was cause enough for "Super Why!" to earn the coveted birthday theme! We are planning on just having a low-key backyard birthday party, but a theme always seems like the appropriate thing to do for (kids) birthday parties.

If you don't know what "Super Why!" is, it is a show aimed at preschools that explores fairy tale books to solve problems going on in Storybook Village. There are four adorable characters that each have special powers to help in solving problems in each episode: alphabet, word, spelling, and reading. And of course Super YOU, with the power to help! (Cupcake has started saying her name when they say, "Say your name"... so adorable!)

My stroke of genius (in my humble opinion, of course) in the party planning came when I thought of the idea to make our backyard into "Storybook Village". And to have different stations with different fairy tale themes that coordinate with the activity at that station.

She just got an outdoor play house... that could be turned into the "Book Club".

A station with building blocks could be "The Three Little Pigs".

A station with bubbles could be "Cinderella"... (wands for Fairy Godmother's wand!).

A station with a mini bounce house could be "The Princess and the Pea" (bounce house for the bed in the story).

My husband just rolls his eyes whenever I bring up the party planning, but I think it would turn out cute! Let the planning begin!

I've started a Pinterest board to put project ideas and eventually post the final outcome! Feel free to follow along!

http://pinterest.com/bags4bubbles/bella-2nd-birthday-ideas/ 

Good job, Bella!

Cupcake (aka. Bella...) is this phase where she has started repeating "Good job, Bella!" back to us, when ever she gets praise for something I thought it was adorable and finally got her doing it on video the other day. She usually will sit next to me or play in her play room while I'm getting ready... but she's decided lately that she MUST sit on my lap and do her makeup along with me.

I thought it was adorable.

Lots of love and cupcakes to you! Hope you're having a great weekend!

1 Year Blogiversary GIVEAWAY!! (Closes April 2, 2012!)

** This giveaway is now CLOSED! Thanks for entering!**

**The link to ENTER is at the bottom of this page in BRIGHT PINK! Good luck!!**

I can't believe it has been one year already! Time to celebrate "Mom's Got a Brand New Bag" with a few fun giveaways!! I've got some exciting things planned and I can't wait to start the fun! This first giveaway is special, because you get a few extra chances to win! I'm also including entry opportunities if you follow or like my new other blog or the Facebook page!

You can also get entry opportunities by following my blog here of course, liking the Facebook page for Mom's Got a Brand New Bag, OR a new opportunity - subscribing to my You Tube Channel! (Hi Everyone that is here to enter from You Tube!) I'm excited to be including my fantastic You Tube subscribers in my giveaways and also including a video with information on the giveaways!

So the first GIVEAWAY will include over $50 worth of gifts!

The best part? It is totally FREE!! US residents only, must be over the age of 18. Mom's Got a Brand New Bag will ship our winning entrant of the 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway the winning gift for FREE! Good luck everyone! Giveaway ends on April 2, 2012.

Here's a video showing the items for the first giveaway! I will post CLOSED in the video title when this giveaway has closed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

And the official rules:

The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway is now CLOSED for entries!

I love the idea of blog giveaways! It gives a chance for readers to interact & connect with the blog. Plus, they are just fun!! I'm excited to give away a few products from some of my favorite brands with the idea of pampering yourself at home in mind, that any mommy or diva could appreciate!

The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway will be done by me personally and is not sponsored by the individual companies featured, I just want to do it for fun! And share some items from my favorite companies with YOU! 

The 1 year Blogiversary Giveaway is now OPEN for entries! To enter, click on the link at the bottom of this page and fill out the form. Comments are not valid entries, but feedback is always welcome! 

First Giveaway Official Rules

1) An entrants must be a follower directly on the blog, Mom's Got a Brand New Bag(see link to left), or "Like"on our Facebook page. Your user name on the blog or Facebook name is required on the entry, otherwise your entry be invalid. Additional entries for the 1 year Blogiversary giveaway include subscribers at my You Tube channel – www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles! You are not obligated to do any more than one of these for an entry, however you are limited to FIVE entries. (One like/follow/subscribe at each of the five sites.)

2) To enter, click on the link below, fill out the form, and submit. You must submit a valid email address, this is how I will contact the winning entrant to get their mailing information.

3) Commenting on this post will not enter you in the contest... but you know I love the comments, so they are always welcome and appreciated! :)

4) Giveaway is for US residents only.

5) The winning entry will be chosen using random.org - a random number generating system that will pick a number at random out of the entries to be our winner.

6) One entry per blog follower name OR Facebook follower name OR You Tube Subscriber name.

7) Winner will be notified via email with 24 hours of the closing of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours to reply through email with their shipping information before they forfeit and another winner is chosen. The winner will also be announced on the Giveaway page here at the blog.

8) Giveaway will close on MONDAY APRIL 2nd, 2012.


*~* Giveaway is CLOSED, thanks for entering! *~*

Tory Burch Spring 2012 Must Haves!

It's no secret that I've been obsessed with Tory Burch lately, especially her popular Revas...

I would love to add a few fun Tory Burch accessories into my mix for Spring though, and I've pretty much been able to find something in every category on her website that I am wanting right now! Sunglasses are the next thing that I *need* to get, and these over-sized square sunglasses are my number one pick.

Tory Burch Over-sized Enamel Sunglasses, www.toryburch.com, $149

All of the shoes on my shopping wishlist right now are Tory Burch, but I think that these Love Pink Miller sandals just scream Summer. (And they scream 'buy me' as well!)

Tory Burch Miller Sandal in Love Pink, www.toryburch.com, $195

Tory Burch jewelry is exceptionally cute as well... I'm mainly a silver-toned gal, but I really like a number of the things that she has on her website even in gold tone! My top two jewelry picks are both silver-toned though...

Tory Burch Logo Earring, www.toryburch.com, $68

Tory Burch Mini Clover Necklace, www.toryburch.com, $98

And of course what would a seasonal wishlist be without at least one bag? (Or two?) I know it's not very bright... but I love this Robinson Satchel by Tory Burch - this would be an all seasons kind of bag for me.

Tory Burch Robinson Satchel, www.toryburch.com, $550

And on days when only a brighter color will do - I love this Amanda Hobo for a pop of Spring color!

Tory Burch Amanda Hobo, www.toryburch.com, $465

Now all I need is the lottery fairy to visit me... so I can get them all at one time!! Happy Spring!

My perfume collection!

I've had a great time watching perfume collection videos on You Tube lately... so I decided to make my own!

My current perfume collection video:

I've been so into perfumes lately... one of my missions in late 2011 was to find a few great perfumes so that I eventually could find a signature scent. I'm still on the hunt, but have found a few new favorites during my trials.

I decided it would be a bit too much to go through the details notes of each scent in the video, so I'm putting more of the details in my blog post here! Once you start looking at the notes of each scent, I think you can start to see a trend of what type of fragrances I lean towards...

Fragrances shown from the mirrored tray...


- Dior, "Miss Dior Cherie"
Miss Dior Cherie is a floral fragrance, with notes of Italian Mandarin, Egyptian Jasmine, and Patchouli.
- Marc Jacobs, "Oh, Lola!"
Oh, Lola! is described by Sephora as vibrant and flirty, with notes of Raspberry, Vanilla, Peony, Pear, and Cyclaman.
- Chanel, "Chance eau Tendre"
Chance eau Tendre is described as delicant and radiant, with notes of grapefruit, quince, fresh green notes, Jasmine Absolute, and White Musk.
- Juicy Couture, "Viva La Juicy"
Viva La Juicy is a very girly floral scent, with notes of wild berries, mandarins, honeysuckle, gardenia, jasmine, amber, caramel, vanilla, and sandalwood.
- Michael Kors, "Very Hollywood"
Very Hollywood is a seductive floral scent, with notes of mandarin, gardenia, and vetiver.


Fragrances on the dresser tray are...
- Marc Jacobs, "Daisy"
Daisy is a flirty floral scent, with notes of strawberry, violet leaves, ruby red grapefruit, gardenia, violet petals, jasmine petals, musk, vanilla, and white woods.
- Vera Wang "Princess"
Princess is described as a soft oriental scent, with notes of water lily, lady apple, mandarin meringue, golden apricot skin, ripe pink guava, Tahitian flower, wild tuberose, dark chocolate, pink frosting accord, precious amber, forbidden woods, royal musk captive, and chiffon vanilla.
- Sephora, "Hello Kitty"
Sephora's Hello Kitty fragrance is a sweet floral scent, with notes of cassis sorbet, Italian mandarin, apple, magnolia blossom, freesia, orange flower, tonka bean, vanilla, and musk.
- Chanel, "Chance"
Chance is a young floral with notes of white musk, hyacinth, citron, pink pepper, jasmine, fresh vetiver, orris absolute, and amber patchouli.
- Burberry, "Brit"
Brit is a floral oriental scent, that has notes of Italian lime, icy pear, green almond, white peony, sugared almonds, amber, mahogany, vanilla, and tonka bean.
- Dolce & Gabanna, "Light Blue"
Light Blue is a sexy floral with notes of Sicilian citron, bluebell, granny smith apple, jasmine sambac, bamboo, white rose, cedarwood, amber, and musk.
- Emporio Armani, "She"
She is a floral oriental with notes of angelica, cardamom, bergamot, mandarin, heliotrope, vanilla, cedar, and musk.
- Vera Wang, "Sheer Veil"
Sheer Veil is a white floral, with notes of champagne rose, lavender dream rose, violet, white stephanotis, gardenia, and white lily. Perfect for any wedding day! 
- Sample size Bond No. 9, "Madison Square Park"
Madison Square Park is a fun floral fragrance, with notes of grape hyacinth, huckleberry, prairie dropseed grass, red leaf rose, red hunter tulips, and teakwood.


What I'm lusting after....
- Bond No. 9, "Madison Square Park"
- Gucci, "Guilty"

Fragrance note information courtesy of Sephora.com and Bond No. 9 blog.

Diane von Furstenburg for Gap Kids!!

Okay, so I've been obsessed with Diane von Furstenberg wrap dresses since the good ole 'Gilmore Girls' days... when Lorelei and Rory looked adorable flouncing around the Dragonfly Inn wearing them. (And had midnight trysts in them!) So I was excited to see a surprise when I randomly opened the Gap website today... Do you know what is cuter than an adult DVF dress?? DVF in miniature!!

Gap Kids has teamed up with DVF to come up with a line of super cute clothing for kids... and it is adorable to see DVF designs in smaller scale! I'm in love with the colors and prints in this line!

DVF Wrap Romper, Toddler sizes - www.gap.com, $50

DVF Gap Kids Graphic Tee, Toddler Sizes - www.gap.com, $30

DVF Belted Romper, Toddler Sizes - www.gap.com, $50

The price tags are better than the average price of an adult piece of DVF design, but of course are still pretty steep to put on a toddler. Prices average $40-$60 for the DVF Gap Kids pieces... and while I think they are adorable, I'm still on the fence whether my playing in the dirt, crayon eating, juice spilling toddler will be getting anything from this line or not. Regardless, they are adorable - I heart them!

February Favorites!

I'm on a video kick right now (and neglecting blogging... whoopsie!) - and wanted to share my February Favorites!

Products in video:
- Philsophy 'Full of Fortune Cookie' 3 in 1 Shower Gel (Sephora)
- Amazing Cosmetics Concealer (Sephora)
- EOS Lip Balm in Mint (Target)
- Sonia Kashuk Blush in Flamingo (Target)
- Boots No. 7 Lash 360 degree mascara (Target)
- Rimmel Lipstick in Airy Fairy (Target)
- Rimmel Lip gloss in My Eternity (Target)

I've already come across a few favorites for March, so I'm going to be excited to share those with you after the month is over!

Daycare experiment fail.

Well, I didn't ever get around to blogging about the beginning of our daycare experiment... but I guess I can just summarize it at the end! I signed up the girls for a few mornings of daycare, so that Bella can go to parent & tot activities on the mornings that Natalie is there and giving Natalie a few mornings of Mommy time. (Well, one glorious morning I scheduled 4 hours to be able to do things like go get a haircut... which I have never gotten around to doing yet, by the way.)

A few things I learned during our month long experiment...

1) Nothing is open at 8am... unless you want to go to McDonald's or Target. I scheduled the girls from 8am until noon to try to avoid interrupting Bella's nap schedule, however I failed to realize that the only hours I would really be able to get anything actually DONE "errand wise" would be between 10am and noon... which doesn't leave much time when it takes upwards of 20-30 minutes to get back to the daycare location.

2) People ARE NOT joking, when they say your kids are going to be sick constantly after enrolling daycare. We've tried out daycare for a month, and my kids have pretty much been sick off & on... for a month. Bella has had the worst of it, more because I think she's in that age category where all the kids are sharing and licking every thing that they do share... ick.

3) Getting two kids ready and out the door in the morning is a hassle, not fun, and just generally... something I do not enjoy. (So if this was an experiment to see if me going back to work full-time was a possibility on the horizon, which it might have partially been... that is a giant no-go.)

4) On a positive note, I do really enjoy surprise artwork, made by little feet at daycare.

Natalie's first artwork masterpiece

So overall... it is just turning out that the original schedule I put together is not for us. Daycare is a valuable resource for parents that chose to or have to work part-time or full-time, and I applaud everyone that gets one or more children up and out the door every day to be somewhere on time... it is a chore. Especially with a little one in the 2 year old category! For now, I believe we will be chalking this up as a learning experience and dropping our schedule down from four mornings a week (which just seemed like too much), to two mornings a week. Which means that only Natalie will attend while Bella does some activities, and Bella will be forgoing her "school days" for now...

That's my plan right now to try to make it more manageable. Once Natalie starts chewing on everything, we shall see how it changes from there... It may realistically end up being zero days at that point. Mommy doesn't like having sick babies. At least through all of the sickness of the past month, they still have both stayed adorable.

Here's my "other" brand handbags...

I do own other brands of handbags besides Louis Vuitton and regularly use them in my rotation... They are mainly Coach, with a bit of Marc Jacobs and Balenciaga thrown in.

I used to have a collection that was primarily comprised of Balenciaga bags and then found that Louis Vuitton bags seemed to just fit my lifestyle better after having kids. I try to keep my handbag collection at a "moderate" level and sell things that I'm not using to fund new things. So what you see that is still in my collection are what I consider "keepers" at the moment!

Updated Louis Vuitton Accessories Collection ~ HD Style!

Here's the updated video for 2012 of my LV accessories!

Excited to announce... I'm a new Independent Consultant for Scentsy!

I'm excited to announce that I'm a new Independent Consultant for Scentsy!! I've loved using my Scentsy products, and you can say that I was "hooked" from the moment that I tried them! Starting in March 2012, I am an Independent Scentsy Consultant and would be happy to answer any questions you have about Scentsy!

I've dedicated a new blog to Scentsy reviews, product information, and information about promotions I'll be running in the near future! Please stop by when you get a chance! Also like us on Facebook!

Wickless Candle Scent Blog

Wickless Candle Scent - Facebook Page

I will keep my posts on 'Mom's Got a Brand New Bag' focused on fashion, beauty, bags, and babies... as always! I may sneak a post here and there about Scentsy when I'm particularly excited about something (like an older post I had about their cupcake warmer!!) - or when I share things like my Scentsy collection, that are relevant to both pages!

Stop by my personal Scentsy webpage to browse the new March 2012 items!

https://dihughes.scentsy.us/Home

Updated Louis Vuitton Collection video! 2012 HD style!

I finally did an updated Louis Vuitton collection video... my first ever in HD! Hope you enjoy the update!

Thanks for watching!