Everyday Baby Steps

L'Oreal Products You'll Want To Try

marybabysteps — Wed, 04 Nov 2009 17:48:20 -0800

L'Oreal is a trusted brand in cosmetics. They've been around forever. I've been a fan of their eye shadow for some time, but I've never really tried many of their other products. In fact, I never knew L'Oreal had such a wide range of products until they sent me a box of goodies to try after I put out a query to HARO about fall makeup. I was introduced to a wide range of products. They have hair care and color, skincare, cosmetics, even men's and kid's products. Here are my absolute favorites!

Collagen Filler Day/Night Cream

I have to be honest and tell you that I didn't think I'd be swayed by the skin care products. You see, I'm very dedicated to my Mary Kay. I admit it, I went in with a closed mind on this one. I've tried other skin care lines, and while it's fun to play and experiment, I always go back to my trusty standby. I've been using the L'Oreal Collagen Filler Day/Night Cream for well over a month now, and I love it.

The formula is creamy and thick. My skin feels so soft after using it. It looks plumper and smoother. It's been great now that dry skin weather is starting to set in. Though my skin is combination/oily, I tend to dry out once the furnace kicks on. I love massaging this cream into my skin and having no dry patches throughout the day. If you've got oily skin, you may like the Day Lotion better, rather than a thick cream. But I recommend switching to a creamy or dry skin formula for the winter months if your skin is at all prone to dryness.

Revitalift Deep Set Wrinkle Repair Eye

I've found over the years that eye cream is a must. Without it, the skin around my eyes looks crepey and feels dry. I like that this eye cream has a formula for both day and night, all in one tube. You know how I love multi-tasking products for moms! The best thing about these eye creams is how gentle they are. I have extremely sensitive eyes. I've used some eye products that make my eyes sting terribly if I get even a tiny bit in them. I haven't had that problem at all with this product. The only recommendation I have is to be careful when dispensing the product. If you're not, you end up with too much cream. No one wants to waste product!

Clean Artiste Waterproof and Long-Wearing Eye Makeup Remover

This is great stuff! Simply soak a cotton ball or sponge, and wipe away the day's eye makeup. Again, remember that my eyes are super sensitive. Not an issue with this product. It's strong enough to do its job, but it's gentle to even the most sensitive eyes. I genuinely recommend this eye makeup remover.

If you're like I was, and you aren't very familiar with what L'Oreal has to offer these days, you'll want to visit their website to check out all the amazing products they've come out with recently. You'll also find makeup tutorials from my new obsession, Project Runway. You may even want to become a fan of L'Oreal on Facebook.

Makeup By Lauren Luke

marybabysteps — Sat, 12 Sep 2009 09:55:38 -0700

I have a new makeup brand to tell you about. The makeup itself is amazing; I just love it. But it's the woman behind the brand that's the real story. I first heard about the By Lauren Luke brand from Tammy at A Mom In Red High Heels. I read a post she did on the makeup with an interview from its creator, Lauren Luke. I was immediately taken with this charming, beautiful woman with the endearing English accent. I was even more impressed as I learned more.

Overnight Sensation

Turns out Lauren is a YoutTube sensation. She had a love of makeup and started putting video tutorials on YouTube, using herself as a model. Before long, she attracted thousands of viewers. In fact, a top talent agent spotted her and immediately signed her. From there, Lauren was able to launch her own makeup line that is sold at her website and at Sephora stores. She was recently featured in Time magazine

The Makeup

The makeup palettes are just wonderful. For only $32.50 you get a compact full of everything you need to put together a gorgeous look. I purchased My Luscious Greens and My Vintage Glams and received free shipping. Can't beat that. Each palette contains an entire coordinating look of 3 eye shadows, 1 blush, 2 lip glosses, 1 eye liner, and two colors of eye shadow primer. For those of you who haven't used primer, I highly recomend it. In fact I talk about it in a video I did demonstrating a hooded eye look on my MomTV show, Everyday Answers. I love makeup By Lauren Luke. Everything is right there at my fingertips. I appreciate how the colors are already coordinated, and I can just pop the case in my purse for touchups on the go. The palette is a bit larger than your standard compact, but I have a big purse! The ease of application is wonderful, and everything lasts all day long, with only a few touch ups of the lip gloss.

See For Yourself

Visit Lauren's YouTube Channel to see her in action for yourself. I'd recommend buying her makeup as well. It's perfect for moms because it's compact, coordinated, and cost-effective! Gotta love that. I'll be buying more when new colors come out. Lauren told me on Twitter that she will be including some coppers in upcoming lines, which makes me very happy! Visit her on Twitter and Facebook. She's just as personable online as she is in her videos. And she's just another example of the good things that can happen when you put yourself out there!

Quick Summer Hair Care Tips

marybabysteps — Thu, 09 Jul 2009 09:30:29 -0700

We're about midway through the summer. Does your hair feel like mine, coarse, dry, and dull? I recently realized that I should have been taking better care of my locks from the very beginning of summer. After swimming at the pool and playing outside, the damage from so much chlorine and sun is really starting to take its toll. But it's not too late to repair the damage. Here are some things you can easily add to your routine to bring back your hair's shine and vitality.

Wear a Hat

Your mom probably told you to wear a hat in the summer to protect your scalp from sunburn. This is still a good idea, but it's also smart to cover up your hair to protect it from sun damage. While SPF is great for protecting your skin from the sun's damaging rays, it doesn't work the same way with hair. A sun protectant in hair products like shampoo and conditioner would only be washed away when rinsed out. Therefore, the FDA has not allowed for hair products to display an SPF level on their packaging.

Moisturize

Though you won't find an SPF hair product, you can look for ones that contain a protectant like sunflower oil. Also, check for moisturinzing and conditioning ingredients to help restore moisture lost to sun and surf. You'll want to apply protective products liberally and regularly in order to maximize their benefits. I use KMS California Solperfection After Sun Shampoo, which contains coconut oil, grapefruit extract, and caffeine, all beneficial to hair health. I recently started using Healthy Sexy Hair's Soy Renewal. This product came in My Pretty Pink Box and has sunflower oil and argan oil to protect hair. Since adding these to my regimen, I have noticed a difference in the condition of my hair. You may also want to try using a leave-in conditioner containing natural ingredients like keratin, wheat germ protein, or jojoba oil to condition your hair. The product's effectiveness wil be enhanced by the summer heat.

Give It a Soak

Rinse hair with clear water before and after swimming. Wet hair will absorb less chlorine than dry, and it makes sense to rinse away as much of the chemical as you can after taking a dip. Bring along a bottle of fresh water with you expressly for this purpose. I usually fill a bottle or two with water to keep us hydrated throughout the day, anyway.

Take a Break From the Burn

You may want to take a few days off from your electric styling appliances like blow dryers, curling irons, and flat irons. That kind of heat just strips away moisture and damages your hair's cuticle. I recently got a cute new style that requires lots of straightening, but it also looks nice with my hair's natural curl. So I skip the iron at least every other day, which helps to mix things up a little, too.

Good luck keeping your hair in tip top shape this summer and have fun. Stop by Total Beauty and check out their quiz to find out what's the best shampoo and conditioner for your hair for a little help on deciding which hair product to buy.

Win e.l.f. Cosmetics!

marybabysteps — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 13:52:28 -0700

You all probably know that I'm a makeup junkie. So when e.l.f. had a special for Mother's Day a while back, I jumped on the chance to try their cosmetics. For those of you who aren't aware, e.l.f. stands for eyes, lips, face. Contrary to my husband's belief, they don't sell makeup for elves. Anyway, I have to tell you that I was amazed at what I received for my money. I believe I spent only $8.95 including shipping and got a box full of items.

Not only was I pleased with the price, I was actually very impressed with the quality of the products. As a former beauty consultant for a couple of companies, in addition to the reviews I've been able to do here at Everyday Baby Steps, I've tried a lot of beauty products. And I'm pretty particular when it comes to my cosmetics. I wasn't disappointed with e.l.f.

I found that the products went on smoothly and seemed to last quite well. I'm partial to things that smell yummy, so I fell in love with e.l.f.'s Hyper Shine Gloss in Fairy. It smells like a pina colada, and it's just the right hint of color for casual days. Guess what? I've got a gloss just like it to give to one of you! I've also got the Regular & Waterproof Mascara Duo in Black and a professional eye shadow brush from e.l.f.

All you have to do to win is leave me a comment telling me your must-have cosmetic item is. Mine is lip gloss because I have such pale lips that I've gotta have some kind of color. This part is required for entry, and all entries must be received by July 12th at noon EST. Winner will be notified by e-mail. You can earn extra entries by:

1. Grabbing our cute Summer Soiree button and posting it prominently on your blog.

2. Subscribing to my blog, either by RSS or email.

3. Add yourself to my followers in the sidebar.

4. Enter a giveaway at A Simple Kinda Life or Moody Mama Says.

5. Stumble this post.

6. Tweet this giveaway, including @marybabysteps in your tweet.

7. Favorite Everyday Baby Steps at Technorati

8. Blog about the Summer Soiree

For every one you choose, you'll receive an additional entry. There are lots of chances, so good luck!

My Pretty Pink Box

marybabysteps — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 18:41:56 -0700

Do you know about My Pretty Pink Box, the best source for beauty samples and full sized items at the best price? My Pretty Pink Box is a fabulous way to try new products and to pamper yourself for a VERY reasonable price. Each month, a new pink box is offered, stuffed with beauty samples, full-sized products, and special deals. And the price is phenemonal. Last month's My Pretty Pink Box was only $12.49! Because the contents vary each month, so does the price.

Check out a video from My Pretty Pink Box founder, Linda Granillo, that shows everything you will receive if you purchase June's box. It goes on sale TOMORROW, June 10th, at 7:00 am Pacific. I just got the reminder e-mail in my inbox this morning; otherwise I would've let you know before now! Be sure to visit My Pretty Pink Box tomorrow to order yours, as quantities are limited. I'll be ordering mine!

By the way, you can follow Linda on Twitter to get updates on each month's My Pretty Pink Box or you can sign up to receive e-mail reminders.

Be sure to let me know if you get one!

Guest Post on Eco-Friendly Bath and Body Products

marybabysteps — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 08:44:21 -0700

Now that Mother’s Day has officially passed, it’s time to remind ourselves that mothers need to take care of themselves all year long. Sometimes it’s hard with the kiddos but mama needs to keep herself happy & that means pampering! Even if you are not on vacation, you can take a break and a temporary trip from the world.

Eco-friendly bath & body experiences are the perfect way to do it. Today, more and more moms are concerned about what they are putting on their skin & many small businesses are paying attention and coming up with products that not only pamper...but are actually good for you.

Amourai Organique (http://www.luvamourai.com) is one such business. Owner Raiquel Cole has a small line of hair products made with organic ingredients. The goal of this company is to treat your head like a princess with products such as Silver Spoon Shampoo (sulfate free), Knight in Shining Armour (deep conditioning) and Majesty Jojoba Hair Lotion (a light conditioner to keep the frizzies away).

Now that you have your head covered, it’s time to move on to the rest of your body. Bidwell Botanicals (http://www.bidwellbotanicals.com) is another great place to shop for goodies. Jill Jones (owner of Bidwell) recommends their Lavender Goat’s Milk Soap and Grapefruit Passion Salt Scrub (scrubs are wonderful for exfoliation and grapefruit makes women smell young). . Bathing in Luxury (http://www.bathinginluxury.com) has a Whipt Pudding (http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=21968719) which is made with shea butter that will keep your skin soft and glowing all year long. You’ll also want to look at their long list of soaps.

To keep you in the mood, consider scenting your home with products from Barcelona Bath & Body (http://www.barcelonabathandbody.com). Their Room Refresh uses a fine mist and essential oils to have your home smelling fabulous in an instant. The bottle even has a safety clip to prevent accidental spraying! Or check out their sachets (available in 5 mood-calming scents) for your car...driving with kids can be so stressful.

It’s critical to remember that YOU are important...as well as your family...so make some “me” time for yourself every day.

---
Liz Nonnemacher
http://www.wickedlychic.com, Independent Shopping for the Wickedly Fashionable

Blinc Heated Lash Curler

marybabysteps — Tue, 02 Jun 2009 14:52:49 -0700

I have a new weapon in my beauty arsenal. It's the Blinc Heated Lash Curler, and it's incredible! I am a 35-year old makeup junkie, and I think I know quite a bit about cosmetics. I'm embarrassed to tell you that I've never had an eyelash curler before. Really, I haven't. In my younger years, I had nice full and thick lashes, but I've noticed recently that my once lush lashes are getting kind of skimpy. That's why I decided to give this curler a try.

The Review

The Blinc Heated Lash Curler is differrent than most. It's an innovative tool that doesn't crimp or squeeze the lashes. It doesn't get extremely hot and has a built-in guard to prevent any chance of burns. It's easy to glide over your lashes, like a mascara wand, and the heat curls and sets each lash. Not only does this make the lashes look fuller, it also separates them, eliminating the constant clumping I usually experience no matter which mascaras I've tried. I love it.

How I Got It For Cheap

I recently bought a beauty magazine called New Beauty. I've seen it on the stands before, but at $9.95, I resisted. Last month's edition had Jennifer Aniston on the cover, and I happen to adore her, so I picked it up to take a closer look. I was immediately hooked! There's tons of great insider info from the beauty industry, and I knew it would be beneficial to my knowledge base. There are tips for professionals and for consumers alike, and there's a great deal of information about cosmetic surgery as well. That's an area I'm not looking into personally due to lack of financial resources and fear of pain, but I found it to be interesting reading.

Once I got the magazine home and did some reading, I found a coupon for $20 off at SpaLook just for completing a survey. I thought it might be too good to be true, but lo and behond, the survey was actually quite short. And I got my Blinc for only $9 including shipping. The retail price is $24! I'd say I got my money's worth in purchasing New Beauty. Their website is great, too. They offer fun virtual makeover tool, beautyt info broken down by subject, as well as blogs.

What do you think? Did I do good? Do you use an eyelash curler? If so, what kind?

Join Me for Glamour's 30-Day Makeover

marybabysteps — Sun, 03 May 2009 18:33:51 -0700

I found an easy way to improve your appearance in just 30 days over at Glamour.com. It's called the 30-Day Makeover, and it looks like a lot of fun. I know that self-improvement is rarely easy, but this program seems to be a really low-pressure way to make changes in your appearance over the period of a month.Not only that, but you'll also have a chance at winning a spa getaway by participating. Sounds good to me!

Basically, the idea is that you'll visit Glamour each day to get a new beauty tip. Read the tip, and check it off once you've completed it. For every time you complete a tip and check it off, you'll be enetered for the spa getaway to the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in Los Angelas. You can also leave comments and read what others have written about the tips. This program fits in with my baby steps philosophy fabulously, and I'm looking forward to getting started.

The first tip I read was about shaping your eyebrows. Since I just got mine done, I think I can check that one off. See, told you it was easy! After taking a look through the tips, I'm even more excited about getting started. There were tips on things as simple as improving your posture to fashion tips from Glamour's famed Do's and Don'ts.

So what do you think? Wanna get started with me? I'll try to post periodic updates here, and I'll be sure to let you know when I win that spa getaway! Wanna go with me? ;-)

I Won Makeup From PRIIA Cosmetics!

marybabysteps — Thu, 30 Apr 2009 03:56:17 -0700

I. Won. Free. Makeup! How cool is that? Fifty bucks worth of free makeup, to be exact. And it was easy. PRIIA Cosmetics is a new company that offers an awesome line of handcrafted mineral makeup and natural skin care. It was founded by Kelley Maddison, an esthetician who really knows her stuff about cosmetics and healthy skin.

All I had to win this bounty of beauty products was sign up for PRIIA's VIP Beauty Plus program, which gives you inside info on new products and sales from PRIIA and automatically enters you in the monthly drawing for $50 worth of free products. How cool is that? Bet you're wondering what I got. Here it is.

Mineral Satin Shadow in Sweet Pea

Mineral Satin Shadow in Sea Turtle

Mineral Matte Shadow in Just Peachy

Pucker Upz Lip Infusions in Naked Kiss

Browz Now Mineral Brow Defining Creme in Auburn

I also picked up these samples.

Cheek Whisperz Mineral Blush in Delicate Pink

Cheek Whisperz Mineral Blush in Sugared Apricot

Vacation in a Jar Mineral Bronzer

Whew! How's that for a list? I got ALOT of stuff, and I have to say it's all awesome. The colors are long-wearing and feel good on my face. I especially love the Sea Turtle shadow because it's bold and different. The eye shadows don't crease or get crepey either. Vacation in a Jar is so amazing. I was concerned it would be too dark for my fair complexion, but it really did add a nice, natural glow. The Naked Kiss Lip Infusions is my favorite of the products. It actually stays on, and the color is phenomenal - it goes with anything! I love the brow creme. It's not too dark and really looks natural. I have to admit that it took a bit of practice for me to get the application right, but now I just use a Q-tip to apply, and it's easy. Getting used to loose powder eye shadow and blush was also different for me. I prevfer pressed powder for ease of application, but the jars have holes at the top that make spillage minimal. And the results are certainly worth it. Take a look.

What do you think? I really felt ready for spring wearing these colors. It was a fun change for me from the neutrals I so often choose. Stop by PRII Cosmetics and brose around, and don't forget to sign up for the VIP Beauty Plus program for your chance to win some new makeup!

The Beauty of Sales

marybabysteps — Fri, 24 Apr 2009 08:17:55 -0700

You all know I'm an advocate for pampering yourself as a mom. We moms give so much to our families, and I know we all love to do it. But I also know that if we don't give a little bit to ourselves, we're bound to burn out. That's why I blog so much about fabulous things for moms. I also know that many of us can't afford to indulge for ourselves very often. I've got a way, however, that you can give yourself a little something while enjoying personal growth in the process. The answer is becoming a sales consultant in a home party business or similar venture.

Now wait, before you start telling me, "Oh no, Mary, I don't want to sell anything. I'm not a sales person." I understand any concerns you may have. I really do. I don't consider myself a sales person either, but as you know, I do love makeup. That's why I decided to sell Mary Kay when I was pregnant with Brady. I knew that I had a tendency to let myself go when I spent most of my time at home, and I knew the effect that would have on me. I didn't want to be a frumpy, depressed mommy, so I took action to avoid it. I figured that as a Mary Kay beauty consultant, I'd have to keep up my appearance, and I'd be forced to get myself out of the house and amongst people. And I was right.

Self Confidence and Community

I loved selling Mary Kay because I was able to meet people, get out of the house, and build my self-confidence. I went to weekly meetings and was able to interact with other consultants and with customers. Contacting people to do facials was also something that helped to boost my self-esteem. It helped to maintain my people skills as well.

Business Skills

I learned quite a lot about record keeping and handling expenditures through my time with Mary Kay. I also learned communication skills and was able to hone my public speaking. Becoming a sales representative or consultant is a great way to keep your job skills fresh if you're planning to be out of the traditional workforce for awhile.

Free Product

Of course, I was also in it for the product. Selling Mary Kay allowed me to wear Mary Kay. No, I never really made any money, but that was okay with me. What I got from the experience was worth it. Perhaps you may want to consider selling a product just for the benefit of being able to afford it yourself. That's all right. Choose something you're passionate about, that you love. I can almost guarantee you it'll be worth it.

Host a Party

If you're not up for becoming a consultant yourself, maybe you want to look into hosting a party for a product you love. My entire house is decorated with Home and Garden Party products because I've had several parties in the past where I earned free or discounted merchandise. Having a home party is a fantastic way of getting together with your friends and supporting the business of another woman.

I just visited with my Mary Kay director yesterday, and I'm thinking abot getting back into it. I kind of miss hanging out with the girls and getting together to do facials. Now that I'm starting to feel more comfortable in my writing routine, it might be a good time to take that step. What do you think? Is this something you think might be right for you?