We had a great vacation and I didn't get any blogging done while I was gone (although I was happy to try out the Blogger mobile application with my post below!) - I did do a few vlogs! I will be sharing those in upcoming blog posts.
I did come back to an exciting piece of news this morning though! I found out that I was selected as a finalist by You Tube channel 'MyHouseWifeLife' in her 1 year anniversary contest, with a video that I submitted from my mommy vlogging channel, 'beingmommywithstyle'! To enter the contest, we were to select our five Spring must have items and tell what we most love about Spring!
Watch my video entry here:
And visit MyHouseWifeLife's Video Announcement of the finalists to vote by leaving a comment of your favorite video. (There were 8 finalists, no pressure to vote for me... I just wanted to share because I was so excited about being selected as a finalist! Watch the 8 finalist videos and vote for your favorite!)
Visit MyHouseWifeLife's Finalist Announcement and Voting Video HERE.
This is my first attempt at "mobile blogging", so excuse all of the typos I'm sure will be present! Since we have a few trips coming up, I thought I would explore blogging from my iPhone and the mobile blogging application!
Here's a fun pic from my phone of Wednesday's pink nail polish... Zoya Dana!
I was given the opportunity by Sibu Beauty to review their Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser. It is supposed to leave your skin looking and feeling radiant and refreshed; remove excess oil and impurities; gently exfoliate; and work for all skin types.
It is all natural, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and sulfate-free.
After using it for over a week, I feel like it leaves my face feeling more moisturized and refreshed. The consistency is a nice, lightweight cleanser that has small exfoiliating beads that provide a gentle exfoiliation. I love the unique smell, to me it has a light scent of clementine and berry... which I believe is the sea buckthorn berry.
I've been using this product in the shower, but I think it would also be a great cleanser to use at night to remove makeup. The consistency is great and the product is gentle enough to be used daily.
My verdict: The Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser is a great all natural choice to use for facial cleansing. I thought it did a great job at leaving my skin feeling clean and refreshed, and it wasn't too heavy. I also like the gently exfoliation beads, that helped to renew my skin. The smell was also great, a very unique scent - that wasn't overpowering, and very pleasant. A light scent of berry and citrus.
I'm planning on continuing to use this product and I would recommend it if you've been thinking of trying it!
Watch my video review here:
To try a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser from Sibu Beauty - enter by filling out the form at the link below. Sibu Beauty will be mailing one lucky reader a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser to try for themselves!
Enter by May 1, 2012. Product will be sent directly from Sibu Beauty. Please be over the age of 18 and a resident of the US.
* Please note the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.
My big announcement on You Tube yesterday was that we are going to have TWO exciting, exclusive You Tube, giveaways when I reach 1000 and 5000 subscribers!
I expect to reach 1000 subscribers (or be close enough to open the giveaway) in May, and took suggestions from my blog giveaways here at Mom's Got a Brand New Bag for what to do for the next giveaway. For the 1000 subscriber giveaway, we will do a beauty giveaway, full of my drugstore favorites from Target and elsewhere! I'm excited to be able to share some of my favorite products with you. That giveaway will open in May 2012 or when Bags4Bubbles on You Tube reaches 1000 subscribers, whichever happens first.
The REALLY huge announcement though... was after I thought about it for a bit, I thought it would be appropriate to start planning a Louis Vuitton giveaway! Since the majority of my videos on You Tube are bag and specifically a lot are Louis Vuitton related... I thought that if we made a goal and reached it, it would be a great way to say "thank you" for watching all of my videos to do a Louis Vuitton giveaway!
So I proposed a 5000 subscriber Giveaway Challenge on You Tube! When, and if, I can reach 5000 subscribers on my You Tube channel, www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles - I will be giving away a brand new Louis Vuitton bandeau! The bandeaus are the long, thing scarves that look fantastic tied on your bag as an accessory or can be used in many other ways as well.
I thought this would be an exciting way to get people more involved and also encourage people to check out my new videos, in addition to my old ones. Since I took a bit of a break from making videos, I wanted to let everyone know that I was back making them again!
The rules for the You Tube exclusive 1000 subscriber and 5000 subscriber will include the following:
1) You must be a subscriber at www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles to enter.
2) They will be random comment giveaways, so the enter will be placed with your comment on the giveaway video for each specific giveaway - and one winner will be chosen at random by Random.org.
3) Both giveaways will be open internationally!
4) Entrants must be over the age of 18.
5) The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their shipping address before they forfeit and the gift goes to the next person on the list!
So they should be some pretty easy and fun giveaways! So if you've stopped by Bags4Bubbles to check out my older videos, come on by and check out my new ones as well! Subscribe, and help us reach our 1000 & 5000 subscriber goals!
I think it is adorable! However at $420 and having no where appropriate to wear it to anyways... (not exactly a great choice for grocery shopping or toddler soccer lessons!) it will definitely not be joining my closet.
This next "better-priced" find is adorable and more practical though! I've been thinking about getting a clutch for Spring, for those days when I would prefer to "downsize" - and had been primarily focusing on Tory Burch options. This J.Crew Tillary Clutch is a great option, and on sale to boot!
Tillary Purse in Flax, www.jcrew.com, On Sale for $88
Following up from my blog post last March, HERE... It is time to see how my 8 Most Worn things have (or haven't!) changed!
(I mean seriously... does You Tube purposely pick the worst thumbnails ever?)
Here are my current most worn products:
1. Most Worn Hair Product - I still really love the Matrix Essentials Vital Control Hair Spray that I featured in 2011, but it has been discontinued... so I'm out of luck after I finish off the can that I'm currently using. I've found a new love in Alterna products and use the Alterna Bamboo Shine Mist everyday and also use a leave-in creme every day as well... right now I'm using and really liking the L'Oreal Paris Everstyle Smooth & Shine Creme.
2. Most Worn Lip Product - Another one that I'm still liking... Too Faced Lip of Luxury Lipstick in Free Love & Too Faced Glamour Gloss in Peek-a-Boo, they are still staples in my makeup bag that I carry in my purse AND in my vanity! I like them that much! I've also found a new favorite, NARS Crusing... and between these three lip products - I am typically wearing on of these a lot of the time and they are my most worn.
3. Most Worn Earrings - I finally ponied up and got a few pairs of nice earrings for every day wear... one of my most worn being the Tiffany & Co Somerset Knot earrings. (Kind of a nicer version of the Forever 21 pair that I feature in 2011!) I also wear a CZ pair from Target a lot too.
4. Most Worn Shirt - My most worn shirt is actually a "type" of shirt... those flowy cardigans that are in style (they're still in style, right??) and ever so practical if you'd like to, *ahem*, mask a few things. I have a few that are favorites from H&M and Gap.
5. Most Worn Nail Polish- My most worn polish now is Zoya Reece... it is an extremely fun and happy pink, that I love wearing in all seasons!
6. Most Worn Shoes - I'm loving my Tory Burch Silver/Black Leather Revas right now and they are my most worn shoes! The Revas are a comfortable flat for me and I really love the medallion on the toe area to just give it a little bit of extra character.
7. Most Worn Perfume - Marc Jacobs, Oh, Lola! - It is a great scent that has light scent and is practical to wear in most situations.
8. Most Worn Bag - The Louis Vuitton Tivoli GM, is a great little bag! (Well, not so little... more large-medium sized!) It is fun to use, comfortable on the shoulder and the pleating gives it a lot of style! One of my favorite bags by Louis Vuitton right now!
By following the link, it will take you to my favorite pink nail polish from Zoya's Surf collection, Rory!! A gorgeous mauve pink with silver and gold glitter accents... I also probably love it since the name is a throw back to my all time favorite TV show, "GilmoreGirls" too! (You don't have to order Rory, you can order any color polish... I'm just sharing "my love" for this Surf Collection color - get it?!?)
Once you have an account at Zoya, you can "Share the Love" with your friends as well, create a link at Zoya.com after you are signed into your account. When your friends create an account or order after following your link, you're awarded with Love Points to get a discount off of Zoya polish!! Win, win, win!!
More information on the "Share the Love program HERE.
Korker bows are fun and easy to make at home, to match special outfits or for holidays! They are a great way to make a unique bow for your bow collection... one that is made by you for baby!
We have a variety of bows in our collection, some store bought, some bought from sellers on Etsy, and I really appreciate that every bow is different. A lot of thought and effort goes into the making of hair bows by individual sellers we've gotten some of our favorite bows from. I also occasionally like to make our own bows at home though, because I think it is a neat way to have something your child's wardrobe that is made by you. They are easy to make... even if you're not especially crafty! (If I can make korker bows, ANYONE can make them... trust me.)
Check out my You Tube tutorial, and step by step instructions are below!
How to make a korker bow for babies or toddlers!
1) Collect your supplies: - 3-4 ribbons in 3/8" length, 1-2 ribbons in 5/8" or 7/8" length, Scissors, Glue Gun, Baking Sheet, Alligator Clips, Crafting Wire, Dowel Rods, and Clothes Pins
2) Preheat your oven to 250 degrees.
3) Wrap a 3/8" ribbon around a dowel rod that is the next size down from your ribbon (so 1/4" dowel for 3/8" ribbon) and use the clothes pin to hold the ends.
4) After you've wrapped 8-10 dowel rods, fill a baking sheet with the dowel rods and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes.
5) After you let the dowel rods cool, remove the ribbon from the rods.
6) Cut into desired lengths.
7) Connect the cut pieces with a small piece of crafting wire, twist the wire to create a defined center.
8) Wrap a small piece of coordinating ribbon around the center of the bow to cover the wire.
9) Glue the bow to a alligator clip that is covered with a bit of coordinating ribbon.
10) Let the glue dry, and don't forget to finish the edges of your cut ribbon! You can use liquid stitch or a heat source to gently melt the edges so that they don't fray with use.
I've wanted to do a review on the Angelcare Deluxe Movement and Sound Monitor for quite some time, because it is something that we hold in high regard around our house. We've used an Angelcare monitor since the day we brought Cupcake home from the hospital, and now use it in both girls' rooms. We're even still using the movement monitor on Cupcake's Angelcare monitor at almost 2 years old... because we've also found a nice secondary use for the movement monitor - it lets you know if someone has climbed out of their crib! (Which has only happened once, knock on wood... but it was good to know by the alarm the day it did happen!)
Angelcare Deluxe Movement and Sound Monitor, www.amazon.com, $159
The Angelcare Deluxe movement monitor has the regular sound monitor option to hear the sounds in the room, but also senses movement in the bed which basically equals it monitors the baby's breathing during the middle of the night or while sleeping. If it does not sense movement after 15 seconds, a warning beep goes off on the base unit, after 20 seconds, an alarm sounds on the base unit and the portable parent unit that you carry with you. The slightest amount of movement can be detected by the monitor, so you have to make sure to test the room before using it with the baby... to make sure that ceiling fans or drafts aren't causing a false movement reading. In that instance, the sensitivity can be adjusted up or down to better meet your room atmosphere, however lowering the ceiling fan level may also be necessary.
We've test the monitor before and it doesn't just sense weight, it does actually sense the slight movement of a sleeping baby breathing. We've set books or other inanimate objects in the crib when we first got the monitor to simulate the weight of a baby, and indeed the alarm still goes off. It must sense movement. If you lightly touch your hand across the top of the crib sheet, the monitor can sense that. It is that effective.
We did have a number of false alarms with Cupcake's monitor in the beginning, she has the ONE under mattress pad version, which is the original version. From about 2 months old until 7 months old, we would occasionally have false alarms with her Angelcare monitor, if she had scooted herself into the corner of the crib where the monitor could not pick her movement up. (Since the pad is placed in the center of the crib under the mattress.) Once she was large enough that her body mass was just large enough to be able to always be within the radius of the movement pad sensor capability, the false alarms subsided.
For Peanut, we decided to get the TWO under mattress pad version - to try to reduce the number of false alarms... and indeed it has! Since we moved Peanut to her room, we have only had the alarm go off less than a handful of times, and each of the times it did go off - we felt it was legitimately a true alarm because she had not taken a breath for 20 seconds. (Which is more common in younger babies than I think most people realize... she also went through a period where she was having eating and breathing troubles, which I think increased her odd of having a legitimate alarm go off.) Since her eating troubles have subsided, we have not had any further alarms with the two pad version. I would confidently say, we have not had any false alarms with the two pad version.
The parent units are easy to use and switch between the functions that you want the monitor to use. You can use the monitor with sound only, movement sensing only, Tic sound on, Tic Sound off, and it also has a function that can set a different alarm if the temperature of the room goes outside an acceptable range that you set. I really like that the temperature of the rooms is shown on the face of the monitor, and we actually use that alot to control the temperature in our home and in our girls' rooms.
All in all, I would recommend the Angelcare movement monitor to any exception or new parent that was considering it. It has definitely been worth the money, and we liked it so much with our first daughter that we had no hesitation in buying a second one! While of course there are other precautions you should take for the prevention of SIDS, the Angelcare monitor has helped me to sleep better at night when I knew I wouldn't be able to go in and continually check on the sleeping baby.
I also like that the monitor goes UNDER the mattress and that there are no wire or other apparatus from the monitor inside of the crib. Another popular model has a clip that goes on the baby's diaper to detect movement, however the lifespan of that monitor seems fairly limited - since the baby will be able to remove the monitor on their own by age 6-7 months or sooner. (And also could be agitating to them when they begin rolling over on their own.) Having a two under mattress pad version would definitely be my recommendation after having had both the one pad and two pad versions. It seems to lessen the chances of having a false alarm, and also gives you more confidence that the entire span of the crib is being covered by the monitor.
Check out my You Tube review, on my new "Mommy Vlogging" Channel!
New You Tube Mommy Vlogging Channel, for mommy vlogging, baby product reviews, and more:
Thanks for stopping by! Please let me know if you have any questions or comments, as you can tell... the Angelcare Movement Monitor is something we definitely passionate about around our house!
I've been obsessed with browsing Etsy lately... mainly for cute baby outfits and unique dresses that look different from the more commercial looking clothing that we usually wear around our house. I think the outfits that Carter's, Gymboree, and Target have are adorable too of course, it is what the girls mainly wear on any given day - but sometimes it is nice to just have something that isn't as mainstream. Has a bit of attitude and uniqueness to it.
Following my bird theme that I've had going on for the past few months, this pinafore dress has an adorable bird print that seems like it could easily transition between seasons:
Bird pinafore, Keeker's Crafts, www.etsy.com, $22
And there's also a cupcake version to appeal to my cupcake obsession...
So I'm hoping some of these items show up in the girls' wardrobes for Spring & Summer... I think they would be great additions to just spice up our "usual" favorites from larger commercial stores.
For Pink Polish Wednesday, I thought it would be nice to share a swatch of Butter London's "Disco Biscuit" nail polish... the super pretty fuchsia pink with iridescent glitter color that is being given away in the Perfect Pedicure Giveaway!
It's very sheer, so I've found that three coats works best for me. I really love that it is a bright, unique pink - that still has a bit of sophistication to it... I've tried a few neon-ish pink nail polishes the past few months (to follow the neon trend this Spring) that I've been let down by, they were too bright, too childish, and looked too out of place. Butter London's Disco Biscuit has been the answer to finding a bright pink with lots of character, that is still appropriate for wearing out to lunch and errands!
I've been meaning to post about this for a while, but I put off my purchase from GiaCoco for a bit... Cupcake started going through a phase where she wouldn't wear bows - and our bow buying kind of fell off pace. Fast forward and we now have Peanut who is still young enough that I can adorn her hair with whatever I please and not have to worry (yet) about her pulling it out and gnawing on it! So we are getting back into the swing of things with bows...
I really love the look of flowers as well, but prefer the more handmade look as opposed to the more store bought flower look... When one of my fellow 2010 May mommies opened her own hairband flower business, I knew they were going to be a hit! Gorgeous flowers with a lot of individual style! Cupcake went into her 'pulling hair accessories out of her hair' phase before I could order a GiaCoco flower - but I'm happy to now have my first GiaCoco flower on the way to us! (For Peanut to wear, of course!)
GiaCoco just introduced a new line for Spring & Summer called "Under the Sea" - which true to its name, is full of bright colors and beautiful jeweled adornments. I cannot wait to find the perfect airy dresses to go with our flower that is on its way... and the additional flowers that I'm sure will on their way to us in the future as well!
This is the flower we currently have on the way to us for Peanut...
