Mama In Style

Even if you love fashion, beauty, and all around fabulousness, us moms don’t always have the time to pull it all together.  So, my new one stop favorite product for looking fierce is red lipstick.  With just one beauty item, I can go from ho-hum to yum-yum .   Maybe its all in my head, but that little splash of red helps me feel sexy even during the worst bad hair/bad outfit/baby food all over me day.  That’s why to me it’s a “Pampered Mama” product.  I love how just one product can make me look and feel like I’ve been at the MAC make-up counter receiving a totally over the top glamor make-over for an hour.

The one issue I have with red lipstick however, is that it can be very tricky to find the right shade.  It took me a few tries, but right now current favorites are the Chanel Rouge Double Intensite Ultra Wear Lip Colour in Ruby Lite and the Nars Pure Matte Lip Stick in Vesuvio.  What I love about the Chanel product is that it is a lips stain, so it stays on all day, AND I can still kiss my little son without smearing red lipstick all over his face.  The Nars Lipstick is great too however because the shade is so rich and deep that it brightens up my whole face.  Basically, they’re both great reds, and I’m totally obsessed with them!

Father and Son

Happy Fathers Day to all the dads out there who help make your children feel safe, loved, and special everyday. Happy Fathers Day to my husband, without whom I’m not sure I would be able to survive the rollercoaster of parenthood.

I’m right in the middle of taking my first trip alone, post baby. This is how silly I am:  I was totally excited about my lone trip to the airport. I mean, who the hell likes airports?? New moms craving alone time, perhaps.

Anywho, I completely enjoyed getting up, putting on a cute little dress, grabbing some
Starbucks, and driving to the airport – all without strapping a baby into his seat, arranging the right assortment of sippy cups and snacks, and compiling his favorite combo of books, toys, and music (his current favorite is Rihanna, so I count myself lucky that I don’t have to listen to baby songs as I drive). Then, I promptly grabbed myself a Cosmopolitan and an Essence magazine and boarded the plane. As I boarded the plane, seated next to me were two very stylish young women who showered me with compliments about my dress (yay self esteem boost!), and a very hip mom who founded the Swayable app (check it out, its very cool). After our chat about kids and careers, I delved into my juicy magazines,ordered myself a mimosa, and had myself an “ah, life is good moment.”

Next up, I’ll be spending some much needed alone time with my husband and our best friends in LA!

So, last week our family experienced it’s first Miles related injury. As my dad went to pick up my son, he pulled a muscle in his back.

Now, let me just say that my parents aren’t those gray haired, saggy skin, shuffling around in house slipper kind of grandparents. They run 3-6 miles per day, take yoga and Centergy, hike, go out for happy hour, and in general look pretty damn amazing. Basically, my parents are in better shape than me and my husband, and somehow have better skin. I mean, I’m starting to get forehead lines while my mom and dad have perfectly smooth skin. (Should I feel ashamed of this?? Lol) When all of us our together (me, my husband, my son, and my parents), most people think we are just friends hanging out. I guess the saying “black don’t crack,” rings true, although my black is kinda cracking, so who knows.

Anyways, the fact that my dad pulled his back is surprising and I feel awful for him, as he has been in pain all week, but somehow, the experience is also endearing. I mean, my dad loves his grandson so much that even as he is injured, he wants nothing more than to have Miles around, and visa versa. Seriously, Miles and my father are best little buddies.  If my father and I walk into the room at the same time, Miles gets the biggest grin on his face and reaches for his grandpa (or gapa as Miles calls him). When my dad first hurt his back, Miles was devastated by the fact that his grandpa couldn’t pick him up and rough house with him. And conversely, my dad was itching to pick up his little buddy. Actually, at one point last week, my dad caved and picked up Miles, which lead to a prompt “quick come take him from me” as my dad stood there in pain.

So, like I said, I’m sad that my dad is in pain, but this situation has also been a touching experience. On one hand, as a parent, there’s nothing better than seeing someone other than you give so much unconditional love to your child – through pain, stress, or whatever. On the other hand, I love that through my son, I have been able to give a special gift of love and happiness to my parents, who have sacrificed and given so much to me.

Xoxo,
Mama in Style

So I guess I’m a little late to the whole TOMS Shoes bandwagon, but really, it’s only because I wasn’t so crazy about the look. I’ve been seeing people walk around town with the TOMS shoes for months, and I honestly didn’t get the appeal at first. However, that all changed once I learned the history behind the shoes, and also, once I slipped a pair on.

The idea for TOMS started after a 2006 trip to Argentina where TOMS founder Blake Mycoskie discovered the alarming amount of children without shoes. He created TOMS to give one pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair purchased. On TOMS.com, Mycoskie explains that the lack of shoes is actually a serious issue because not only is it uncomfortable and painful, it can also lead to skin penetrating diseases, infections from cuts and wounds to the feet, and can even prevent children from attending school due to a shoe requirement in classrooms.

So, of course I was moved by this story and inspired to at least try on a pair of the now infamous TOMS.  Once I did, I was completely surprised by the feeling of these shoes. They are so super comfortable! It almost felt like I had nothing on my feet. Also, when I saw that they come in a glittery edition, I was even more excited. Comfy, cute, and philanthropic? I’m sold! That’s why TOMS shoes are my Pampered Mama pick this week. So, go pick up a pair. Do something good for your feet, and the feet of a little person in need, somewhere in the world.