Category Archives: Mommy Fashion

Mommy Makeup

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makeup

So back in April I mentioned that I got a makeover done by Sephora to help me get a simple look in a quick amount of time.  I still do the routine the makeup artist taught me almost a year later.  Pictured above is me without makeup and then with makeup suggested to me by the makeup artist.

First and foremost, you need a good base.  And by base, you need a good moisturizer.  After every shower and when I wash my face I put these three products on my face.  I first apply NUDE Skincare Advanced Renewal Serum and then I apply the NUDE Skincare Advanced Renewal Moisturizer.  It doesn’t make my skin feel super oily and it keeps my skin youthful.  I then put Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm under my eyes.  Now this is an absolute must for all mothers out there!  Since using this product I have noticed that it has reduced the bags/dark circles under my eyes.  It seriously helps!!!  Buy it now!!!

Now on to the makeup.  Here’s what I use:

If I am super super short on time, then I only use the CC cream.  And because the Algenist Complete Eye Renewal Balm has seriously improved my eyes, I rarely use a concealer.

So that’s the makeup I use.  I highly recommend you carve out some time to make an appointment with Sephora to update your makeup and have them show you a good routine.  Not only will you be pampered, but they do make it feasible to make yourself up in a little amount of time.

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Fabletics #1

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fabletics

So I recently joined Fabletics (the Kate Hudson athletic wear line).  I thought why not get reasonably priced work out clothes that look good to help motivate me to work out more.  I almost ordered more Lulus, but the price of your first outfit with Fabletics was pretty hard to say no to.  I ordered the outfit pictured above (and I also apologize for looking so terrible; I just finished a run).

Pros
The clothes are actually great!  As advertised, they are definitely comparable to Lulus, Nike, etc.  I actually think the crops I bought are better than Lulus.  The fit is the same, but the fabric and quality of how they stitch it together is much better.  Definitely no underwear showing when I bend over.  😉  The pants stay up when I run, and there’s a little pocket for a key and/or cash.  The tank top is also nice, although nothing special.  But that’s ok as long as it’s breathable.

The price is fantastic!  So when you become a VIP member outfits (2-3 piece sets) start at $49.95!!!  That’s pretty cheap considering it’s hard to find good work out pants for that price on its own.  What’s even better is your first outfit is half off–so this outfit I’m wearing cost $29.97.  Yes, $29.97!!!

Cons
The only con right now is that you have to be a VIP member to get these deals, even though it is free to be a member.  Being a VIP member is basically a ponzi scheme to get you to keep buying their clothes.  So yes, your first outfit is 50% off.  But at the beginning of each month you have to log into your account and either buy a new outfit or say you want to skip.  I really don’t know anyone who needs a new workout outfit each month.  But the way they get you to stay is because you have to physically call them to unsubscribe/cancel your membership, which is super annoying because I’m sure they will try to talk you out of it.  While there’s no obligation to buy an outfit each month, it’s annoying to have to go to their website to say, “No, I don’t need an outfit this month.”  Admittedly, I did buy another outfit this month.  But let’s say you are super busy and forget to tell them you don’t want an outfit this month.  They charge you $49.95, which will be a credit toward a future outfit you want to buy–a bit annoying right?

While the quality for the price of Fabletics seems great, it’s just annoying to have to be a VIP member.  We’ll see how long I continue to be a member.

And in case you are curious, I’m wearing Nike In-Season TR 4 shoes and a Nike running hat to keep the sun off my face.

Date Night–NYC

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My husband recently had a business trip in NYC, and so I joined him for one night to have a date night (I know it’s a bit extravagant, but we really needed one and we are so grateful to my parents for watching the kids).  Date night consisted of a leisurely (and hot!) dinner at Piora in the West Village and then going back to the hotel to sleep in–perfection!  Anyhoo, this is what I wore for our fancy dinner.

The dress was sent to me from Stitch Fix and is by Collective Concepts.  They originally sent me this dress because I requested something to wear at the beach.  My stylist seemed to think this was appropriate to wear to cover up from the sand to the boardwalk?!  I wrote back that while I love the dress I don’t think something that is dry clean only works for what she was suggesting!  While I ordinarily love Stitch Fix, this was definitely their first (semi) miss.  I did buy it because I knew I would wear it for date nights (I’ve worn it twice now).  I think it also is a great wear to work and then happy hour outfit–just slip on a blazer for work and take it off for happy hour.  I actually brought a dark denim jacket with me that night just in case I got cold, which would dress down the outfit.  So while the Stitch Fix suggestion was inappropriate (I honestly think they were just trying to get rid of some inventory), I still find a lot of versatility in the dress.  If only the dress was machine washable, and then I would totally wear it while lugging around a kid.

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Another great detail I added to this outfit were my earrings from Bauble Bar (similar to these).  My husband actually called them the Statue of Liberty earrings.  They definitely added a little character to my outfit.  I also love how unique they are without them being dangling earrings, which is perfect for little children who try to grab things that dangle like earrings and necklaces.  My daughter looks at them and that’s about it.  So if you are looking for earrings beyond your studs, you should really think about these!!!

And then I completed the outfit with my Dolce Vita sandals.  I would have worn heels, but I knew we would walk a lot in the city.  We ended up walking back to the hotel in Chelsea from the West Village.  Which probably also wasn’t the best choice in these sandals since they offer no support for you foot whatsoever.  But at least I wasn’t dying in heels, which I know would have happened.

P.S.  Sorry for the poor picture quality.  They were taken in the hotel room with my iPhone and poor lighting since I left the DSLR at home.

Play Date To Date Night

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So here’s another Stitch Fix top (I know, I know!  Everything seems to be from Stitch Fix!!!).  I like the top, but it’s not that practical if you are breastfeeding.  The buttons are decorative, so it won’t open enough for me to easily feed Sammy.  But I don’t mind it so much at this stage because I only feed Sammy 3-4 times a day.  I actually love wearing this top if I am going out to run errands with kids in tow, and then I can easily dress them up with some heeled sandals for a casual date night (preferably with margaritas).

The top is from Stitch Fix by Fun2Fun.  The jeans are distressed boyfriend jeans from J.Crew Factory, similar to these.  The shoes on the left are Toms and the sandals are Steve Madden.

P.S.  I hate taking selfies, so excuse that picture.

Maxi Skirt Heaven

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So I usually don’t like maxi dresses/skirts (unless I’m heavily pregnant) just because the length of it is always an issue when you are 5’2″.  But Stitch Fix sent me this great maxi skirt by Loveappella.  The light material is great for summer, the pattern is fun, and the length is absolutely perfect.  I matched it with an old Gap nursing shirt similar to this, but more form fitting.  Sammy is also chewing on her favorite Chewbeads.  If you’ve never heard of Chewbeads and your baby is teething, these things are awesome!!!  They look like any other fashion necklace out there, but these are made out of silicone.  If I wear Sammy, I don’t have to bring a teething toy when I wear her because she loves the Chewbeads.  I confess that I have worn my Chewbeads out sans baby as well just cause they look really nice.  And my shoes are the Rainbow flip flops I live in when it’s summer time.  It’s a great outfit to run errands in or for play dates on a warm summer day.

And in case you are wondering, that’s a Beach Front Baby Water Sling.  It’s made out of a jersey mesh material that’s perfect for a hot summer day and for when you want to take your baby with you into water like a swimming pool, sprayground, or calm ocean water.  It dries super quick and keeps Sammy cool, although I minimize the wearing just because we both get really sweaty and hot in the summer.

Every Day Wear

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So my previous fashion post was probably not the most practical for any mom who’s breastfeeding a baby 8-12 times a day.  The t-shirt is nice, but quite annoying if you have to lift up your top that many times and you don’t want to ruin the collar by pulling it down.  So here’s the realistic mother fashion post for a mom with an infant (even though she’s only breastfed 3-4 times a day, but I definitely still wore this during the early newborn days).

I’m wearing a Gilligan & O‘Malley nursing camisole from Target.  I pretty much have one in every color.  I also love the henley cami version.  Thankfully my stylist at Stitch Fix was also keenly aware at how much a staple a nursing cami is for a mom.  She hooked me up with this 41Hawthorn knit cardigan for my first fix.  I live in a cami and cardigan, and I love the 3/4 length sleeve for summer (because we all know that the a/c is on and it gets too cold to just be wearing a cami).  To round off the outfit I’m wearing Lucky Brand denim Bermuda shorts.

This is what I wear pretty much every day around here.  I try to make it more interesting by wearing fun bottoms, cool shoes, and interesting cardigans.  But soon the breastfeeding days will pass and then I need to figure out another every day outfit.

Stitch Fix

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So I joined Stitch Fix two months ago, and I have been surprisingly super pleased with the service.  I’ve gotten two “fixes” (fixes are what they call it when they send you your box of clothes), and I have been super super happy with what has been chosen for me.  I even made it very very clear that I am a breastfeeding mother, and they were able to find some tops that are ok to breastfeed in (obviously the camisoles are the easiest tops for breastfeeding, but I also don’t want to look too frumpy every day).

If you aren’t familiar with this new internet trend, Stitch Fix is a clothing subscription box (more or less).  You fill out a questionnaire about what your fashion style is and you give them your measurements.  The questionnaire includes different polyvore-type clothing boards that you rate so that your stylist can get a feel about what your style is and what should be included your box.  You also then have a personal comment box you can write to your stylist about anything specific you are looking for, like a dress for a beach wedding or tops you can breastfeed in.  Each fix comes with fives pieces of clothing and accessories your stylist thinks you’ll wear.  The only catch is that each fix costs $20.  However, the $20 will be applied to the pieces you want to purchase.  So you want to buy 3 of the 5 things sent, they’ll take off $20 and you pay whatever is left.  If you buy all 5 pieces, you get 25% off the entire fix.  Whatever pieces you don’t want to keep you can send back in a prepaid mailing bag that you send through USPS.  Super super easy!

It’s an awesome service, especially if you just hate shopping, don’t have time for shopping, and/or are fashion-hopeless.  As a busy mom, I fall in the category of no time for shopping on the verge of fashion-hopeless.  Haha.  I’m also kind of sad that I didn’t try Stitch Fix earlier because now they have maternity pieces!!!  Reasonably priced maternity clothing is absolutely bland.  Who knows, maybe I’ll get pregnant again and look to them for help!  😉

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Anyhoo, my very first fix I received these skinny jeans by Mavi Jeans.  Ordinarily I wouldn’t even think to try colored jeans.  I saw them and thought, “Well these are going back.”  I tried them on, and I seriously wanted to hate them.  But I was surprised I would like the bold color, the fit is great, and I love love love the tulip ankle.  What was initially deemed returnable has now become a beloved staple.  I am also wearing a printed t-shirt from Lucky Brand, flat gladiator-style sandals by Dolce Vita, and Ray Ban Wayfarer sunglasses (they didn’t come with the fix).

So far I’m really happy with Stitch Fix.  Like most people who subscribe to the service, I have a real hard time returning items because they just end up being great.  Hopefully I’ll keep posting more items I get as my personal journey towards fashionista mama instead of frumpy mama.

The New Normal

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head_shotSo I know that Eva Mendes got a lot of crap for saying sweat pants cause divorce (or something like that).  But I have to admit that I do try to leave the house in a decent state, i.e. make up and jeans.  It’s not that I believe in what Eva Mendes says–I do it because I don’t want strangers looking at me and thinking I’m a teen mom or nanny.  I know that’s stupid, that I shouldn’t care what others think.  But I do, and so I take the time to put a decent look together whenever I leave the house.  I do have to admit that it is a lot harder to do now that there are two kids to wrangle, but I still try.

You are probably wondering how I ever get the time to shower, let alone slap on some make up and do my hair.  It is a struggle at first, mostly because you are struggling to find a new normal and schedule.  But I cannot leave the house without a shower; that is just something I have always done for most of my life.  And then I quickly do my hair and slap on some make up.  But where do I find the time?  Sammy’s first nap is usually the longest (at least an hour long).  That gives me enough time to do my thing.  What do I do with Oliver?  He’s off playing on his own, but more often than not is watching Sesame Street (I know, I know).

Right, but how do I get my look in an hour?  While I was pregnant with Sammy, I went to Sephora just to get some new makeup/new look.  Sephora will do make overs as long as you buy a certain dollar amount of makeup (I find the free one isn’t long enough, nor thorough).  I did the cheapest one and told the consultant that I have a 2 year old and I’m due in November, so I want a look I can do in 15 minutes.  And you know what, they are really good about what you can do in 15 minutes and how to get that look.  My consultant gave me a long moisturizing routine at first, and I told her flat out that I can’t do that with two.  But she said I can just do the entire routine at night, but put just the moisturizer on in the morning.  Some CC cream to even out my skin tone, quick eyeshadow, a quick way to put on eyeliner, blush, and lip stick.  Super easy.  I felt great, and most importantly I felt like this is doable (and it is!).

But the hair!!!  How do you do your hair!?  If you don’t have a good hair stylist, get recommendations from friends who have similar hair as yours.  I told mine that I desperately needed something I could just wash and wear.  She factored in the postpartum hair shed (that struggle is real btw) and a little hair product, and voila here’s my hair.  Seriously, my hair takes like 2 minutes to get ready.

So you see it is possible to leave the house a little polished.  It really depends on you and if you prioritize this.  And I do.  It makes me feel normal and I don’t get those judgey or sad looks of “that poor teen mom”.  I’m exaggerating (just a little), but you get what I mean.  But I highly recommend talking to someone/people who can advise you on how to get a quick, easy, beautiful mommy look.