Back to School Essentials (feat. Gelo, florence by mills, and More)

 While back to school looks a lot different this year than it has in the past, there are still some essentials you and your littles need to get off to a great start this school year. Here are a few recommendations to add to your shopping list. 

{Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Go Back to School in Style the new SALLY HANSEN + CRAYOLA INSTA-DRI COLLECTION

Color authorities Crayola and Sally Hansen have joined forces to offer a bright, bold, and fun suite of limited edition hues that dry in just 60 seconds. The exclusive collection that launched on July 1st. 

Sharpen those pencils, pack that apple, and add the final touch to your back-to-school look in an instant! The new Sally Hansen + Crayola Insta-Dri Collection transports you back to that care-free time of coloring with crayons, sketching out vibrant creations, and jumping back into the September back to school season. Color authorities Crayola and Sally Hansen joined forces to offer a bright, bold, and fun suite of hues that dry in just 60 seconds — so no time is wasted for the woman on the go. With a 60 second dry time, Sally Hansen Insta-Dri® Nail Color’s 3-in-1 formula features a built-in base and top coat to provide shiny, extended wear in a single step in just one stroke. These color specialists did their homework: From a saturated red to a marvelously mod white, here are the 12 new, specially designed shades inspired directly by the Crayola crayon colors we all know and love.

Wild Strawberry

Ripe and ravishing, this primary red crème shade is a classic.

Head Back to School with Fresh Monster!

We're officially back to school - prepped with new clothing, new school supplies and new haircuts. With a new haircut it’s important to keep your hair healthy and what better way than with a 100% safe and toxin-free line? Fresh Monster believes there shouldn’t be any tradeoffs when it comes to keeping kids clean and safe. Natural products should work just as well as conventional ones—and safe, toxin-free formulas needn’t be a costly luxury. Created by moms who have worked on the front lines of haircare (and know firsthand about the harsh chemicals lurking in personal care products), Fresh Monster offers a full line of toxin-free haircare made just for kids. All-natural botanical extracts; safe, plant-based cleansers; and fragrances blended from all-natural ingredients, never from chemicals. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

GetYourPerfume’s “Best Beauty Bets for Back to School”

Whether you’re headed off to high school or packing for college, here are a few of the best beauty essentials every girl needs to start the year off right. Whether it’s a new fragrance or maybe a new beauty regimen you’re looking for, GetYourPerfume’s “Best Beauty Bets for Back to School,” has you covered, with great tips for your back to school beauty routine. {Products provided for review/feature consideration}

“Best Beauty Bets for Back to School”:

Back to School Spritzes from Fragrance.com!

Nights are getting cooler, the sun is setting earlier and rising later. Toward the end of the month leaves on the trees will begin to change colors, which means many things - one being that the new school year is upon us. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Tips to Create the Ideal Homework Station from Lorena Canals

All hands on deck…the new school year is upon us! Now is the perfect time to get your student’s homework station ready to go for the new school year with Lorena Canals’ machine washable rugs. Parents no longer need to worry about their kids’ craft projects spilling on to the rug—clean-up is a snap, simply throw the rug in the washer! You can beautify your kids’ work space with a gorgeous rug from Lorena Canals plus here are some great back to school homework station tips!

Give Back to Those in Need with Sydney Paige Backpacks

Sydney Paige Young Explorers Backpacks

Give back this Back-to-School season by purchasing a Sydney Paige backpack. For every backpack bought, the same one, filled with school supplies, goes to a child in need, giving them the confidence they deserve when returning to the classroom. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Head Back to College with These Beauty Essentials!

Summer is almost over and it’s back to school time! Send your kids back to school with the beauty essentials everyone else will be asking about! {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Make Oral Health a Family Matter with Boka!

Back to school often means, students are surrounded by oral health hazards like cafeteria lunches, vending machines full of sweets and even candy shared by their BFF. According to a study done by The Academy Of General Dentistry, children may not be getting the necessary nutrition to ensure a healthy smile. While requesting that children brush their teeth in between classes might be pulling teeth (figuratively, of course!) Boka is here to help with some alternative options for giving kids a healthy smile during the school year. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Exciting Back-to-School Surprise from Crispy Green!

The Crispy Green brand, makers of Crispy Fruit freeze-dried fruit snacks, has always been propelled forward by its primary mission of providing healthy snack alternatives for kids, adults or anyone interested in living a healthier lifestyle. Their newest innovation is a personified reflection of this desire. Please meet Chris B. Green and his sidekick, Chirp! {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

TUDIA Klip – Ingenious Clip Protects Fragile Apple Cables from Damage

Meet your iPhone's new best friend, the TUDIA Klip! This ingenious tiny 2 piece silicone and polycarbonate clip quickly snaps onto Apple Lightning and 30-pin charging cables, reducing strain by 80%, protecting your essential Apple charging cables from fraying and breaking, which often happens after just 6 months of use. The stylish TUDIA Klip saves money by controlling the cable from bending at the most vulnerable end points of the cables -- extending the life of expensive $25+ Apple cables, ensuring that they will be ready to charge your iPhone, iPad, iPod and Apple Watch when you need it most. {Products provided for review/feature consideration}

Back To School Tips and Tricks

Summer has come and gone and it’s now officially September. It’s time to say goodbye to the beach, and hello to school! Here are some easy tips to help you through your new morning routine, so you are looking better than ever with more confidence to rock the halls. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Add Nutritious Seeds to Your Diet with Nuts from Puritan's Pride!

Seeds are often the forgotten sisters of nuts, but seeds have many amazing health benefits that shouldn’t be overlooked, according to Kristin Schierenbeck director of Nutrition at Puritan’s Pride. Seeds contain protein, essential fatty acids, fiber, vitamins and trace minerals - plus they're really easy to add to your families diet {without them even knowing}! {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

See Chalk in a Whole New Way with Chalk Ink!

Chalk Ink is the ORIGINAL Chalk marker and definitely is far superior from other chalk markers and especially ordinary chalk like we used to use back in the day. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

Epson Makes Back-to-School Prep Effortless with LabelWorks® LW-600P

Just in time for back-to-school season, Epson has designed an innovative solution to ensure children’s items don’t end up mysteriously missing. Parents can now print names, initials, and symbols directly onto Epson’s iron-on labels, which can then be easily added to clothing, backpacks or any other fabric. Both durable and machine-washable, the labels ensure items make their way home while adding a unique and personal identifier to children's belongings. {Product provided for review/feature consideration}

PishPoshBaby's Mom Team Offers Helpful Back-To-School Tips

While you're soaking up some fun in the sun with the family this summer, don't forget that the busy back-to-school season is upon us! The start of school can be a stressful time for the whole family/ if parents are not prepared. Thankfully, Parenting Expert Shira Stein, Head Mom Rep at  PishPoshBaby, has must-have organizational tips that will guarantee easy sailing through the back-to-school frenzy. They can help any parent stay calm, cool, and collected when school makes its yearly arrival!

Unlimited Talk Text and Data/Web for $34.88 a Month!?! AKA: Walmart Best Plans = My First Grader's First Cell Phone!

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone.

Never in a million years did I think I'd be buying a cell phone for my six year old, let alone one with unlimited talk text and data, but how could I resist the offer from #CollectiveBias to participate in the #Phones4School campaign and take advantage of Walmart's fabulous price plans and a fantastic deal on the Alcatel One Touch Evolve! 

If you want to see why I bit the bullet and bought a phone for my first grader, click here!

Go Back To School In Style with the Right Lunchbags, Backpacks, Carpooling Gear!

We know it seems like the kids just got out of school, but believe it or not, back-to-school time will be here before we know it and we’ve got just what you need to get your kiddos to school in style. Brands like Prince Lionheart, Booginhead, BubbleBum, Pish Posh Baby, and Kinsights bring you their best bets for back-to-school success. Check out lunchtime must haves, high quality carpool finds, and digital health record keeping for your kids. {Some of the products mentioned were provided for review/feature consideration}

Little Green Lice Guard Collection: A Back to School Basic

I don't like bugs, and neither do my girls {or my hubby for that matter}. That might seem like a "duh!" statement, but last night we just watched an episode of "Ridiculousness" on MTV where some IDIOT actually reached out to touch a huge poisonous spider and then had the audacity to be shocked when the spider bit him. No matter whether you are like me and completely averse to all things creepy crawley or an amateur entomologist {insect enthusiast}, any sane person knows to be wary and take precautions against parasitic, disease carrying, poisonous, or simply nuisance causing insects. It is in that vein that I am happy to share this inventive, preventative, hair product for your precious little ones from Little Green! {Products sent for consideration}

Make Back to School Grand with Pillsbury!

Grands! Grilled Cheese Sandwiches: http://clvr.li/14hD30B

They say that break fast is the most important meal of the day, but if you asked my girls I'm sure they'd say the most important meal {to them at least} is the after school snack!

Did I whet your appetite? For more on the all important afternoon snack and the recipes for the snack pictured above, click here!