As busy moms, we can sometimes make excuses for days when our attire is less than stylish. But there are some fashion mistakes that are completely inexcusable. Here are a few fashion pitfalls to be avoided at all costs told visually and for dramatic effect through my favorite celebrity mom disaster, Britney Spears.
1. Baggy, stained clothes
I have never understood this look. Who leaves the house in clothes that are not even fit to sleep in? The one and only exception to this is if you have a newborn. Your brain isn’t working correctly and the baby is constantly spitting up all over you. But if your baby is over three months old and you consider this appropriate attire to be seen in, quickly get on some meds. Without a proper fit, you don’t have style—end of story. One thing to always remember is not to get hung up on sizes. This can be tough when you are trying to shed baby weight. Trust me, you will look much better in something that fits and is tailored to your current size. It’s simple, when you look better in your clothes, you feel better about yourself.
2. Footwear
Okay, I realize there is a lot going on in this picture. Let’s ignore the ill-fitting jean shorts and cigarette dangling from her mouth and focus on her shoe selection. All I can think of here is how awful her feet must stink. If the weather is warm enough for tank tops and shorts, why choose boots? But I do not think anyone can explain what’s going on in Ms. Britney’s head. Here are my rules on shoe selection: 1. sneakers ONLY with workout gear – the only exception is if you are going to a theme park. 2. Avoid Crocs. You are an adult – ’nuff said. 3. I’m okay with flip-flops because I live in Florida. Just don’t wear them all the time. 4. Wear heels every chance you get. They make your legs look amazing and that shoe choice alone means you have decided to put forth a little more effort into your appearance.
3. Bad Hair
This is one busted weave. Ladies, I believe god created hats specifically with women in mind. He is a loving god. So, for his sake, when you are having a particularly bad hair day, which for me is very often, put on a hat. It’s easy and hats are one of the most inexpensive fashion accessories.
4. Sweats
Wearing dingy sweats is only acceptable if you are miserably sick or need to take the dog out to do his business late at night or very early in the morning. For any other reason, you will always look lumpy, bumpy, shapeless and just plain sloppy. I would hope that’s not the look you’re going for. If it’s cold, pull out a heavy cable knit sweater or a cardigan. To avoid temptation, just throw the sweats out all together.
5. Dress your age
Unfortunately, I am guilty of this sin. In my mind I am still 16 and have to watch myself when selecting clothes. You can secretly listen to Miley Cyrus on your iPod but you can’t dress like her. Besides, the stuff in juniors is typically of lesser quality. I can still successfully shop at American Eagle by sticking to the longer shorts and skirts. I have come to terms with the fact that I look ridiculous in shorts the size of a postage stamp.
Originally posted September 2, 2010
*Reader Note: It is Spring Break and the family is headed to Disney. Please enjoy some of my favorite posts for the remainder of the week. H&H will be back in business on Monday!*
Written by Lea Barlow •
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We all know by now that sunscreen is a must unless we want to prematurely age our skin or worse, get skin cancer. But before you start lathering lotion all over yourself and the kids this summer, take a few seconds and read the ingredients. Many sunscreens on the market contain chemicals that cause more harm than good. Here’s what you DO NOT want to see:
diethylphthaltate (which may cause liver and kidney damage and reduce fertility)
4-Methyl-Benzylindencamphor
Oxybenzone (It’s linked to allergies, hormone disruption, low birth weights, cell damage)
Cotyl-Methoxy-Cinnamates (OMC)
Octyl-Dimethyl-Para-Amino-Benzoic Acid (OD-PABA)
Homosalate (HMS)
Polyethylene Glycol (PEG)
Whenever possible, a hat and shirt is the best sun protector. But as parents, we know that’s not always a reality. My son screams like a banshee when I try to put his sun hat on him. Check out the Environmental Working Group’s fourth annual Sunscreen Guide for safe sunscreen options.
It is also important to remember that vitamin D, formed in the skin through exposure to the sun, is essential for many processes in the body, including maintaining healthy bones, a strong immune system and protection from certain types of cancer. Year round, overuse of sunscreen combined with too little time outside can contribute to vitamin D deficiencies. Getting 15 minutes of unprotected sun exposure at least 3 times a week is a good way to keep your body naturally producing vitamin D. After that, slap that hat back on, ladies. Aged leather may look good on a handbag but never on the face.
Originally posted May 27, 2010
Written by Lea Barlow •
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Today’s swap is all about the sport drink. In the past, I have been known to enjoy myself some classic lemon-lime Gatorade, but who hasn’t? In recent years I have steered clear of the drinks because of the high sugar content, bizarro flavors and weird colors that marketers keep pumping out. But what turns me off naturally attracts my children. They quite loudly beg for the enticing blue gatorade on the juice aisle. Being the grocery store enabler that I am I end up relenting.
On one oddly calm day at the grocery store we ran smack into a Vita Coco display. I had a general knowledge that coconut water was supposed to be good for you. Apparently, my husband knew even more about it because he started piling Vita Coco after Vita Coco into the cart. We avoided the Gatorade aisle all-together and have ever since. Our families go-to sports drink is now coconut water. There are endless benefits about coconut water out there. Some are substantiated while others seem a bit far-reaching. My main reason for the swap is because it is an ALL NATURAL hydrating drink that is a healthier choice for my family. It’s that simple.
Though both coconut water and other sports drinks contain sodium and potassium, which are lost through sweat during heavy exercise, their ratios of these important electrolytes differ: An 8.5 fl.oz serving of Vita Coco has 30 mg of sodium and 515 mg of potassium (more than 2 bananas!), whereas an 8 fl.oz serving of Gatorade has 220 mg of sodium and 90 mg of potassium. Loss of both sodium and potassium can contribute to painful exercise-induced muscle cramping, but lack of sodium is the main culprit, making sodium-packed Gatorade the winner.
While serious athletes are probably better off hydrating with sports drinks, coconut water is our choice for light workouts and everyday activity. We are not a family of marathon runners so it works for us. I like to drink half of a Vita Coco as soon as I wake up and the second half after I work out. On a flavor note, let it be known that I cannot drink the plain coconut water like my husband. Me and the kiddos drink Vita Coco with Peach & Mango. It’s a few extra calories but hey, did I mention it has more potassium than 2 bananas?!
Written by Lea Barlow •
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by Alexis Novak
When I was 12 my bestie Maureen and I would mix food coloring into talcum powder then leave the mush on my driveway for the sun to bake it into homemade makeup. While my parents are disappointed to this day that I didn’t become the next Estee lauder, I still have a serious love of product. Makeup is transformative. Even if I have kiddie hand stains on my jeans from the knees down, a decent face makes me feel put together and ready to conquer the crap my day is surely going to toss me.
Here are the products that moms must have on hand to do a quick morning makeup. I give products ideas for both Frugal Chicks following the budget and Eff It Gals who don’t care to.
Step 1- A tinted moisturizer that does double or triple duty. Neutrogena Healthy Skin Enhancer Tinted Moisturizer ($12.29) is for the Frugal Chick. With SPF 20 and Retinol, this product is a good primer before anything else, filling in pores and evening out the blotchies. Then ranging from $55 to $85 depending on where you buy it, you can score Neocutis Journee Bio Restorative Day Cream with PSP. Apparently PSP is a growthhormone helping patients post-surgery heal faster though I really don’t care what it is so long as it keeps making my skin all dewy. It also has anti-oxidants, hyaluronic acid and SPF 30.
Step 2- Next, a light makeup like Maybelline Instant Age Eraser Treatment Makeup ($12.99). The collagen in this product makes it glide and stay on and the weird eraser tip applicator rocks. Or, Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturizer SPF 20 ($42) which I have been slathering on for about a month and received about four “you have amazing skin!” compliments. No lie. Go out and buy this today. It says the coverage is lightweight but I find it more buildable and breathable than foundation.
Step 3- In years of hardcore research that I would call age 12 ‘til now, I have never found a decent drugstore substitute for my dark under-eye-ness. Now as a sleep-deprived mom, I believe nothing is more important than covering that shit up. Do not go cheapo in this category. I use both Benefit Erase Paste ($26) and Laura Mercier Secret Camouflage ($28), both on Sephora.com and both worth every penny. The Benefit product is thicker so I use that when I need serious coverage like banishing a period zit. The Laura Mericer kit has one light concealer and one a little darker for blending. I’m a total sucker for blending because it makes me feel like the frustrated artist that I am.
Step 4- Look alert! I am a devout eyelash curler because it makes me look like I’ve actually slept. The one that makeup artists swear by is Shu Uemura ($19) but the Tweezerman is a decent alternative for 12 bucks. Then comes my favorite part- drenching my lashes in very black thick mascara. I loved Lancome mascaras for years but then discovered Covergirl’s Lash Blast Volume ($7.79) which helps me achieve that full, dark, dramatic look that dangerously borders on stripper-ish, I mean goddess-y. I look amazing from five feet away, just don’t get close-up. Also, don’t get waterproof. It layers poorly and you have to tug lashes out to remove it. My current favorite mascara is Fairy Drops Scandal Queen mascara ($24) for the times when I want to look like one of Gwen Stefani’s teenage dancers who are dressed like big baby dolls. For me, this is most days. This mascara has a cult following and is the #1 selling mascara in Japan because it helps achieve that gothic-naughty-school-girl-thing with its freaky, patent-pending wand.
Writing all this, I am starting to wonder if I need more therapy.
Step 5- Blush is a tricky lair. You buy a pale-ish pink and then it doesn’t even show up on your face. Here’s the deal. You need a cheery pop of color on the apple of your cheekand it should be darker, more rosy or mauve-y than you think. I love all of the blushes in boxes that Benefit makes like Sugarbomb, Dandelion and Bella Bamba, it’s lastest spring look ($28 each). I have no time to look for a blush brush so I like that the built-in brush is ready for me. You can get the same look with Physician’s Formula Powder Palette in Blushing Rose ($10.99).
Step 6- Kissy face. I’m currently loving Covergirl’s Outlast Lipstain in Cinnamon Smile, Saucy Plum and Teasing Blush ($7.99). Don’t we all want to look as fresh and fun as Drew Barrymore? These pens actually do stay put and aren’t drying. Later in the day I layer with a Burt’s Bees tinted balm. Another good apply-once-and-not-worry-about-again choice is Stila long wear lipcolor crème ($20).
Step 7- Possibly the most important for morale and mojo is perfume. Or scented-body lotion. Something divine smelling that makes you feel a little less like a diaper-changing, dish-washing, bath-giving, meal-prepping beast of burden and more like a sexy fem-bot. Well, even just a little bit.
Up next, my fave skin products list…
Written by alexis •
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