Be Chic Literate: The Time Traveling Fashionista (On Board the Titanic)

The cover of the book is just the tip of the beautifully illustrated iceberg...

The Time Traveling Fashionista On Board the Titanic by Bianca Turetsky is one of those rare novels that appeals to both young adults (like my daughter Peyton) and grown ups (like me) alike. Between the engaging story and the lovely illustrations, not only is the book a definite page turner, it is one that you will want to look at over and over again! {Book sent for the purpose of review-but in full disclosure, Peyton had already read and was a huge fan of the series}

Whipped Creations for Winter - Ouidad’s Curl Recovery Whipped Curls Daily Conditioner and Styling Primer (The Return of The Curly Girl Chronicles!)

Whether outside in the snow or getting cozy by the fire with hot cocoa, Ouidad has just the whipped winter treat for strands! Gentle enough for daily use, the Ouidad Curl Recovery Whipped Curls Daily Conditioner and Styling Primer can be used as a conditioner, to soften and restore hair, or as a primer to serve as a foundation for styling. This whipped creation is ideal for winter and will instantly moisturize hair and smoothes frizz, while enhancing shine. {Product sent for review}

Get A Delicious Boost with Green Mountain Coffee Espresso Roast Iced Latte!

In my opinion, coffee is just about the closest thing that we have to what the ancients called "the nectar of the gods." I'm generally a happy, well adjusted human being - as long as I've had my morning cup of joe. And once upon a time, one delicious mug in the morning was sufficient, but that was when I had the luxury of being able to take an afternoon nap with my littlest. Now that I have to power through until bed time, I'm in definite need of an afternoon pick me up. For some reason, a hot cup of java just isn't as appealing to me in the afternoon as it is in the morning, so an option like Green Mountain Coffee Espresso Roast Iced Latte is perfect!

Haute Gifts for the Holidays: Join L'Occitane to Celebrate Their Favorite Days of the Week! (And A Giveaway)

L’Occitane will celebrate their favorite days of the week - Thursday and Friday! Guests shopping any L’Occitane retail boutique nationwide on Thursday, December 12th and Friday, December 13th will enjoy complimentary signature L’Occitane beauty rituals such as hand massages, mini-facials and fragrance layering. Also, with any $65 purchase, shoppers will receive a chic L’Occitane Thursday Friday Tote Bag while supplies last. Shop in style for everyone on your gift list at L’Occitane!

And now for the giveaway!

Mani Monday: Cookies & Gold from NCLA's Black Market Collection

Disclaimer: I am not a nail blogger or professional (so sometimes I color outside of the lines and my cuticles look a bit ragged). I am merely a girl who LOVES nail polish!

I'm so in love with this latest collection from NCLA, Black Market! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get them all on to my fingers!  Last week I shared Bullion in a Bottle and this week it's Cookies and Gold... {Collection sent for review/feature}

The Best Beauty News on the Web! (The Beauty Blog Coalition Weekly Roundup 11-22-13)

Mama Fashionista: Find out why the HSN exclusive, Carol's Daughter Gardenia Collection is not your ordinary floral!

Painted Ladies: Painted Ladies is celebrating 20,000 Facebook followers with a huge giveaway, open world wide!

Lola's Secret Beauty Blog: Looking for a great gel eyeliner? Then get back to basics with the wonderful Bobbi Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eyeliner!

My Newest Addiction Beauty Blog: Laura reviews an i-Rave Mica Eyeshadow and hosts a giveaway for Cosmetic Cosmos!

TheFabZilla: What's your go-to concealer? TheFabZilla reviews Cover Fx Cream Concealer with Before/After Photos.

Essence of Beauty Shea Indulgence Collection

Essence of Beauty is a collection of bath and body products that feature advanced formulations and luxurious scents {expertly crafted by master perfumers} - all at affordable prices and available exclusively at CVS/pharmacy. {Product sent for consideration}

Hue In The City Question of the Week: What To Pair With a Bold Lip...

This week's question is:

Do you struggle with pairing an eye look with a bold lip?

Not really! Once upon a time, if you were going to rock a bold lip, that meant going easy on the eyes. But I don't think that is such a hard and fast rule any more. I ALWAYS wear cat or winged eyeliner, and from time to time {more often lately than I used to} I love to wear bold, matte lipstick {mainly MAC's RiRiWoo and Heaux}. As long as the eyeshadows that I choose to wear don't clash with the shade of my lipstick, I go as bold and bright on my eyes as I please. For example, this past weekend, this was my makeup look:

Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipstick (Swatches)

So I'm a bad beauty blogger, in the sense that I hate to take pictures of myself and I don't wear makeup everyday, but I'm making a conscientious effort to do better. So here's a bit of a first step, it's not pictures of me wearing the lipsticks {though I may get the courage to add those at some point later on}, but here are some swatches of the GORGEOUS Rimmel London Moisture Renew Lipsticks. I was sent 6 of the 20 shades and they are so absolutely beautiful, I will be buying more!

Protect Your Color (and Curls) with L'Occitane!

{Product was sent by PR for review consideration}

We all know that L'Occitane carries a wide and wonderful selection of fragrance, skin care, and bath and body goods-but did you know they offer hair care as well? It's just as luxurious as the skin care I've been raving about lately {hello, Divine Lotion and Iris Angelica Sublime Essence}! Here's an overview of my favorite hair care line from the French luxury brand, the Aromachologie Radiance and Color Care Collection!

For the Discerning Friend Who Has Everything-Give the Gift of Maestro Dobel Tequila!

photo source: Maestro Dobel

Everyone has at least one person in their lives that is IMPOSSIBLE to shop for. For me, it's my hubby and my dad: they both have caviar taste and I'm generally on a tuna fish budget. It makes it uber frustrated when it's time to buy gifts-I want to be able to impress them while thinking out of the box and not breaking the bank. That's a really hard combination! I know that I'm not alone in this conundrum though. Perhaps there's a man in your life with a taste for the finer things, or one that seemingly has everything. What can you possibly buy him that he will really appreciate? Obviously something with as much taste and understated elegance as them, yet something they do not yet possess: Maestro Dobel Tequila. {Product provided for consideration}

Wunderkind Reads: Muddypaws' New Friends

As much as my girls and I like to watch TV, we also all LOVE to read! I've shared books here before as part of my "Be Chic Literate" series, and now I would love to share some of the gems that my youngest daughters and I get to enjoy during our story time! 

Last night we read, Muddypaws' New Friends from Parragon Books. It's actually part of a series that tells the story of Ben and his best {puppy} friend Muddypaws.  {Book sent for review}

Wunderkind Review: Prince Lionheart flipSTOOL

My girls are all tall-Peyton is already the same height as me and the two little bits are both tall for their ages. But that doesn't mean that they can't use a bit of vertical assistance from time to time like their mommy! That's where Prince Lionheart's clever {and cute} flipSTOOL comes in! {Product sent for consideration/review}

November 2013 Beauty Box Five "Unboxing"

It was my pleasure {and total surprise} to be invited to be an beauty contributor for Beauty Box Five, a beauty sample subscription service, based out of Austin, TX! The mission of BB5 is to introduce subscribers to new brands and products by delivering five carefully selected beauty products each month. Here's a peek at what came in my November box! {Box sent for review consideration}

NewBeauty TestTube Gets A Makeover!

I've been sharing my affinity towards beauty subscription services for a while now, and I very happy to share this one with you now. NewBeauty TestTube was actually the first ever beauty subscription I purchased and I'm very happy to see that they've made an adjustment from their previous quarterly offering, to every two months! {A TestTube was sent out for consideration}

Take Advantage of the Lucky Magazine Deal of the Day Featuring Soap & Paper Factory!

Lucky Magazine is shining a light on one of my favorite companies, Soap and Paper Factory! I featured their Bella Collection last month and recently I was sent a bar soap from the Roland Pine Collection and I am obsessed!

Soap & Paper Factory Soy Candle and Shea Butter Soap from the Bella Collection

Mani Monday: Buillion in a Bottle from NCLA's Black Market Collection

Disclaimer: I am not a nail blogger or professional (so sometimes I color outside of the lines and my cuticles look a bit ragged). I am merely a girl who LOVES nail polish!

I'm so in love with this latest collection from NCLA, Black Market! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get them all on to my fingers!  Last week I shared Prized Possessions and this week it's Bullion in a Bottle... {Collection sent for review/feature}

Get Beautiful Skin with PUR attitude AND Support Victims of Typhoon Haiyan

PUR attitude Energizing Oxygen Serum and Wild Durian Fruit Peel 

I actually received these serums for review not too long ago, so I haven't had enough time to give them a proper review, and so I was going to hold off on sharing them. But when the company let me know about the involvement in aiding those affected by Typhoon Haiyan, I felt compelled to go ahead a feature them...

Carol's Daughter Limited Edition Gardenia Bath & Body Collection (An HSN Exclusive)

This fresh, limited-edition (HSN Exclusive) Gardenia fragrance joins the Carol’s Daughter family of delicious, naturally inspired scents. Free your skin with this moisturizing collection of a Body Cleansing Cream, Body Cream and Dry Oil Mist that doesn’t smother your skin with heavy artificial mineral oil – allowing it to breathe naturally. As is customary with Carol’s Daughter, the Gardenia Collection is free of parabens, petroleum and artificial colors. {Products sent for consideration}

Squeez'ems Reusable Food Pouches, Handy & Healthy For On-The-Go Tots!

Squeez’Ems are eco-friendly, reusable food pouches for any pureed or blended food. They are easy to fill, clean and store for on-the-go families! Squeez’Ems reusable food pouches are perfect for parents who make baby food for their babies and toddlers. They are great for yogurt, applesauce and homemade baby food and ensure your baby or child is eating healthy at daycare, with grandparents, with other caregivers, and at school. {Product was sent for consideration}

She Said What Now? NickMom's Kids Say the Darndest #MotherFunny Things

I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and its client.

Yep... that's my Kenziekins, draped in like, 20 pairs of my underwear. She went through a phase where every chance she got, she ransacked my lingerie drawer and set about putting every single pair of panties I owned...over her head. Yeah. Wore them all around her neck like necklaces or something. Lasted for months. But at least she was cute with it and it was in the privacy of our own home {well, until I took a picture of it and posted it on the web for the whole world to see}. Now that there is such a thing as NickMom and NickMom.com, at least I know my kids aren't the only little weirdos out there {but of course Nickelodeon didn't come out with it until I was on my third and last kid}...

For more of this #MotherFunny post, click here...

Wednesday Reads (Wunderkind Edition): Bunny Loves to Write

Parragon Books' Bunny Loves to Write by Peter Bently 

I'm very happy to say: as much as my girls and I like to watch TV, we also all LOVE to read! I've shared books here before as part of my "Be Chic Literate" series {and I have a few reviews coming up really soon!}, but I would love to start sharing some of the gems that my youngest daughters and I get to enjoy during our story time! {Book sent for consideration}

My Picks for the Nordstrom Women's Fall Scent Event!

Y'all know I'm a fragrance fanatic, so I'm super stoked for the Nordstrom Women's Fall Scent Event! Happening from November 14th through November 20th; it's perfect time to pick up a new fragrance for yourself or as a special gift for a loved one! They'll have exclusive gift sets and at my local Nordstrom (Nordstrom Mall of Georgia), they'll have an engraver present to to personalize your bottle (November 15th)!

Mani Monday: Prized Possessions from NCLA's Black Market Collection

Disclaimer: I am not a nail blogger or professional (so sometimes I color outside of the lines and my cuticles look a bit ragged). I am merely a girl who LOVES nail polish!

I'm so in love with this latest collection from NCLA, Black Market! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get them all on to my fingers!  Last week I shared Emerald Bay and this week it's Prized Possessions...{Collection sent for review/feature}

Get Comfort and Style with Vionic Footwear!

 Staying in style and feeling comfortable can be a bit of a balance – literally. A study from Journal of Applied Physiology showed that women who routinely wear high heels are at risk for permanent physiological damage to their knees, hips, back and tendons – so those high high heels we love so much could end up presenting long-lasting damage in the future.

Fab Friday Favorites: Hand Creams! (Fall Into Beauty)

My hands have always been notoriously rough. It's just the way they are. But over time I have discovered that the right cream can make them look good and feel smooth {even if not quite soft}. Plus, regular use of hand cream is sort of important if you plan on taking pictures of pretty polishes on your nails from time to time {which I am wont to do about once a week, usually on Mondays :) }. These are a few of my tried and trues - conveniently separated into drugstore and luxury categories, plus two that I'm dying to get my hands on {particularly because I've tried other products from the brands that are just FANTASTIC}! {Products that were sent for consideration will be noted with {c/o} } 

There's No Excuse for Stubble with Somersets Shaving Oils for Him AND Her!

Now that the temperature is dropping, there's even more reason to snuggle close to your honey! So don’t get stuck kissing your guy’s scratchy stubble! Get him hooked on Somersets Shaving Oils for Men! Available in Original, Extra Sensitive and Tough Stubble, these luxurious oils will leave his skin smooth and hydrated, making him extra kissable! {Products sent for consideration}

Keep Your Special Day Close at Heart with Not Just Any Old Day Jewelry!

It started with a gorgeous bracelet from Oia Jules, and was further fed by a beautiful watch from my father in law, but lately I've been about rose gold ANYTHING! I recently shared my Rose Gold Hammered Bar necklace from Isabelle Grace's Wear and Share Pink Collection, and today I'm sharing another pretty, sentimental rose gold piece... from NotJustAnyOldDay.com {product sent for consideration}.

My Journey To A Better Me: (Not So) Extreme Measures with Bodies byDesign Atlanta

I previously opened up about my struggles to loose weight and my body image issues, and while I share updates fairly regularly on Instagram, it's been a while since I've given any sort of updates here, so here goes...

Since I wrote that initial post in late March, I lost seven pounds and then promptly gained it right back, then lost 10 and gained it right back after I sprained my ankle in early August. I'm happy to say that I'm now 12 lbs down and have kept it off for well over a month now! It's a small victory in the grand scheme of things {really a mere drop in the bucket in relation to the amount I'd ultimately like to shed}, but it's a victory nonetheless.

Take a Trip to Emerald Bay with NCLA! (Black Market Collection)

Disclaimer: I am not a nail blogger or professional (so sometimes I color outside of the lines and my cuticles look a bit ragged). I am merely a girl who LOVES nail polish!

I'm so in love with this latest collection from NCLA, Black Market! As soon as I saw it I knew I had to get it on my fingers and I knew that Emerald Bay had to be the first one wore! It's like having a mermaid's tail on your fingers! {Collection sent for review/feature}

October 2013 Favorites!

I tried really REALLY hard to narrow it down to an even 10 this month, but just couldn't do it! So here they are, the 13 products I could not stop reaching for during the month of October. {Products sent for review will be noted with c/o}.

Top 3 Go-To Makeup Products For Getting Ready in a Hurry! (Hue in the City Question of the Week)

Question of the week: What are your top 3 go-to makeup products when you're getting ready in a rush? 

This is easy, because I'm perpetually in a rush, so my go-to products are always fresh in my mind {and tried and true! 

Run (Don't Walk) to Nordstrom! It's Estee Lauder Gift with Purchase Time!

It's GWP (gift with purchase) time at the Estee Lauder counter in the Beauty Department at Nordstrom Mall of Georgia! Right now with a qualifying $45 purchase you get this chic black and bone patent leather clutch, filled with: 7 shade Pure Color EyeShadow palette, a full size Pure Color Long Lasting Lipstick in the shade Rubellite, a mini Pure Color Intense Kajal EyeLiner trio in Blackened Cocoa, Blackened Plum, and Blackened Sapphire, a mini Sumptuous Extreme Lash Multiplying Volume Mascara, a mini Advance Night Repair, and a mini Resilience Lift Firming/Sculpting Face and Neck Creme. Whew; that's a lot of goodness in one bag!

Need some suggestions on what to buy to qualify for the gift?

Fab Five Friday: Micellar Waters! (Fall Into Beauty with My Newest Obsession)

Yep, add it to the list! I'm officially obsessed with Micellar Waters. I mean, what's not to love? They are the lazy girl's best friend for facial cleansing-super easy to use, insanely effective, and way better than facial cleansing cloths {no offense, because I still love them too}! Here are three of my faves (so far) and two that I'd love to get my hands on next!

We're Back! October 2013 MAC Matter Purchase

Before I share what I purchased for this month's installment of MAC Matters, here's a brief recap of what this whole shindig is about:

This series is the brain child of the fabulous Pam of Pammy Blogs Beauty. She basically decided that instead of continuing a subscription to a beauty box service, she'd use the money ($21) to build a core collection of products from MAC Cosmetics. I read about it and immediately asked if I could do it with her.
Here are the rules for the MAC Matters Makeup Challenge: