The Home Office Gear Guide for Every #WAHM

Running a business from home is not as simple or as carefree as one would like to believe. However, there are certain things that if used in our home office, working from home can be a little more manageable.

Please take a look at the slideshow composed by the writers at workingmother.com  I am more than positive you will find one of these helpful.  I personally plan on getting item number 10!

Home Office Gear Guide | workingmother.com

Now it's Your Turn:  Which one of these items are you interested in getting for your home office?  

Trend Alert: 70's Chic

70's Chic Casual Spring Trend

Today's Trend Alert is all about the 70's Chic Casual Look. I can definitely see why this outfit could be worn to any casual event or worn as an everyday outfit. These pieces are versatile, making them MUST haves in any fashion-istas closet! 

Let's look at it piece by piece:

Where To Buy

This Spring Blazer can be worn with a blouse and jeans, over a simple tank top, even over a colored T-Shirt.

Where To Buy

These are cute Spring Sandals

Where To Buy

A Bohemian inspired bag in soft leather gives you a relaxed yet stylish vibe to your outfit

Where To Buy

Unique Feather Earrings are a classy pair. Every single Feather earring is "unique" because each earring is a leaf - there are NO two leaves alike!

These Spring fashion pieces have made their way on my shopping list.  Cant wait for these to arrive at my doorstep! 

Now it's Your Turn: How are you liking this 70's inspired look? Which items can you see yourself rocking this Spring?

Hottest Trend for Spring: NEON

Being a child of "........" years, I can vividly remember when wearing neon colors was considered to be "oh so trendy". Well, as in sometimes tends to happen in the world of fashion, some trends come and leave for good, while other trends come back and with a vengeance!

The fashionistas at beautyriot.com have conveniently put together a list of ways this Neon Trend can be worn. So let's see some of the ideas they came up with:

#1 - Pink Neon Lips

#2 - Louboutin Inspired Neon Stilettos  (Hell yea!)

#3 - A Neon Clutch

#4 - Neon Nail Art - Yes, a MUST Do!

#5 - Another Neon Weave Inspired (NOT HAIR) Clutch

#6 - Infinity Neon Scarf - This is a definite BUY!

#7 - A Neon Painted Bangle - Lovely

#8 - Not a Clutch Babe? No worries - Get a Neon Messenger Bag instead!

#9 - A Neon Felted Necklace - Use cautiously, please!

#10 - A Simple yet Bright Neon Orange & Pink Outfit

There are just a few of the suggestions in beautyriot.com slideshow. If you are intrigued and would like to see the entire fashion article: please click here.

Now My Fashion Mavens, it's Your Turn: Out of these 10 Neon item suggestions, which do you see yourself wearing this Season?

Simple Skincare

If you are anything like me you try your best to stay abreast of all the new latest skin products. Sometimes it becomes a challenge because there are so many different brands that are being made and each one tries to sell it the public promising great results.

But, let me ask you this: Do you always get the results brands promise? Not always, huh.

This is one of the many reasons I enjoy being a part of the shespeaks community. I was given the opportunity to participate in their Walgreens Simple Skincare Program. Basically, all I had to do was visit my local Walgreens store (which was not hard for me to do - I go there all the time!) and once there, speak to the Beauty Advisor about the New Simple Skincare Line. Easy as pie, right?

Right! Luckily for me, my Walgreens in Gahanna, Oh is by far the best pharmacy to go shopping at. The cashiers are very friendly and the Beauty Advisor was also helpful. They had the Simple Skincare Display right there where the Beauty Advisor's cash register was at. It would have been very hard to miss. (please notice the above photo)

Along the side of the display, there was also a small flyer describing the product line and inside there was a $1 off coupon.The Beauty Advisor was knowledgeable enough to point that put for me.

As a result of sharing this information with the team at shespeaks - I was sent a sample of a Simple Skincare product to try and review. The product I received was the Simple Smoothing Facial Scrub.

A day after I received the Facial Scrub I decided to use it after my evening shower. I was caught off guard by the soft smell of the scrub. The fragrance is more "natural" smelling - it doesn't smell like perfume, like some other facial products I have used before.

The scrub has these little "rice granules" in it- this is what exfoliates the surface of the skin. Immediately after I used the scrub I noticed a few things: (1) the rice granules do not scratch or irritate skin (2) the scrub is light but not runny (3) the scrub rinses off quite easily and (4) my skin feels refreshed.

I am really enjoying this facial scrub. It is gentle enough to use twice a day. I tend to use it in the morning as a "wake up call" as well as at night, before going to bed, in my opinion the scrub washes the daily stresses away.

So, ladies please trust me when I tell you: the Simple Skincare product line is well worth the cost!

If you would like more information on this product line, please feel free to visit them at simpleskincare.com

For more information about the shespeaks community please visit their site.

Disclaimer: As an active member of the shespeaks community I was given the chance to participate in this program - As such I received a free sample of the product in order to test and review. ALL photos and opinions are 100% my own.

A Month on 4X PRO-B - Practicing #DigestiveCare

During the first week of March, I shared news with all of you about the changes I started to make towards living a more healthy lifestyle. The first change I did was deciding to take care of my "digestive" health. How? By drinking a pro-biotic supplement called 4X PRO-B.

Honestly speaking, it has now been a little over thirty (30) days since I started taking the pill. For the first week, the progress was not that visible. Not to say that it was not working because it definitely was. I could tell that I had lost in inches more than weight per-say. But the biggest change was the regularity of my digestive system. That was exactly what I needed!

Now, that I could feel the changes that were happening with my digestive health, I then took it up a notch. I started to change the way I eat. As a caterer, this can be my downfall but I was not about to give in! There was NO way I was going to let myself think that just by taking the 4X PRO-B was going to suffice.

Therefore, I started to prepare healthier versions of our favorite foods: 

Egg White Parmesan & Cinnamon Raisin Breakfast Sammie

Pork with Caramelized Onions on a bed of Bib Lettuce

Homemade Fresh Peach Ice Cream - Delicious!

Another change my familia chose to do was to take advantage of the warm weather we have been experiencing in Gahanna by walking to the park and playing basketball together.

My Dear Husband, Alex, and I walking to the park

My Husband and Lil Diva - She had just tried to get the basketball in the hoop!

During the day, however, since I am blessed to be able to have my office at home, I try to take a few minutes in the morning to exercise using my workout DVD's and work out bands.

Here is the most recent workout DVD I have purchased - I love working out to Gold Gym

In conclusion, let me just say that I am very satisfied with the 4X PRO-B. I highly recommend incorporating this probiotic into your healthy eating routine.  The product does exactly as it claims: "Promotes gastrointestinal health & digestive system balance"..."When taken daily, this product helps maintain digestive health with active probiotic bacteria"... I can assure you, these statements are 100% true!

These are only a few of the benefits of taking 4X PRO-B, for more detailed product information - go to costco.com

If you are curious to see where you can purchase your very own box of 4X PRO-B, do not worry, I have you completely covered! Take a closer look at my google+ shopping story.

Again, trust me when I tell you: Taking 4X PRO-B will do your body some good!

For more information please visit costco.com / Costco Facebook Page

Disclosure: This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias However, ALL photos and opinions are 100% my own

Kiss Nail Dress

Here is my nail design

The Kiss Nail Dress really does what it claims: it sticks. I received a complimentary package of  Kiss Nail Dress  in my Influenster #LoveVoxBox which I have used to test and post this review.

Kiss Nail Dress are nail stickers that have fashion jeweled designs on them. The box has 28 stickers - each strip comes with 12 stickers in different sizes to fit both nails and toes. Inside the package is also a nail file - which came in handy when I used the file to contour the edges of the strips so they were flush with my own nails.

This strip has stickers fit for your nails and nail file

These are the nail strips for your toes - the sizes are bigger than those for hands

Application of the jeweled strips is extremely easy. So easy, even my nine year old daughter applied them in matter of minutes!

Here is Lil Diva's nail style

The strips are sturdy which lets them stand up very well when exposed to water. For me this is an added bonus - I spend lots of time in the kitchen cooking and washing dishes. As of today, I have had them on for about 5 days - there is no bunching, the strips are still intact covering the entire nail surface! According to the Kiss Nail Dress packaging, these strips can last up to 10 days, but I am confident these can last longer.

The strips I received are named "Cocktail". They are pink zebra stripes with jewels. I was glad to see that Kiss has 18 different fashion forward styles to choose from.

Check out the 18 Styles Here: 

It doesn't end there! If you go to Kiss Nail Dress you will find tips on how to create different styles using the nail strips. So, no matter what style of nail art you are into, I'm positive that the Kiss Nail Dress has the perfect style you're looking for!

Where to Buy
Nail Dress’ suggested retail is $6.99 and is available in all major drug chains and mass retailers like WalMart, CVS and Walgreens.



*Disclaimer: The products included in the #lovevoxbox received from influester.com were sent to me for review as part of the VoxBox program - which is completely complimentary. However, ALL photos, videos and opinions are 100% my own.

#LoveVoxBox Unveiling

It's Fab Friday Luvlys! Today I wanted to share with all of my wonderful readers my very first video! I am very happy to say that making a video was fun and not as difficult as I had once imagined it to be.

First, let me just say that I am grateful to have joined Influenster.com  If you are not familiar with this company, you should really take the time to check them out. Basically, the more involved you are on the site, you are able to earn more badges which leads to being considered for a special treat - which is being sent a box filled with product samples that you can review, while sharing your opinions with others. How sweet is that?

I joined a few months ago, earned a few badges, and was given the chance to receive my very first VoxBox filled with goodies!

Okay, now that you have an idea of the program offered by Influenster.com, please take a few minutes to watch my #LoveVoxBox Unveiling Video:

Yes, I must admit - I tend to be a little "chatty" but could any normal person actually contain their excitement after receiving such a special opportunity? I think not! 

So, let's take a few seconds to recap which products were received in my Influenster #LoveVoxBox :

Gillette Venus & Olay Razor

Kiss Nail Dress - Fashion That Sticks

Stash Tea Herbal Tea Sampler

Ghirardelli Gourmet Milky Cream Devotion

Truvia Natural Sweetner

I am really looking forward to the chance I have been given to integrate these products into my daily routine. I already have a few ideas in mind, especially for the Stash Tea, Ghirardelli Gourmet Chocolates and the Truvia. 

Now It's Your Turn:  Which products are you looking forward to hearing about the most?  Please share your thoughts, we love to hear from you! 

PS - Don't forget to come back so you can see the products up close! 

*Disclaimer: The products included in the #lovevoxbox received from influester.com were sent to me for review as part of the VoxBox program - which is completely complimentary. However, ALL photos, videos and opinions are 100% my own.

Mastering Three of the Hottest EYE Looks

Some of the hottest spring makeup trends this year are concentrated on the Eyes. The three (3) trends that have us jumping for joy are the "cat-eye" liner, big bold luscious lashes, and bold eyebrows.

Here to help us master these Eye trends is the team at bloom.com They have put together the three (3) makeup products essential in achieving these looks. To give you an idea, please take a look at the photos below.

The Feline Flick 

Bold Brows 

Defined Lashes 

To see these product suggestions in depth just click on the caption to go directly to the web page for detailed product information and product pricing. 

Now It's Your Turn: How do you feel about this Eye Trend? Do you think you can master these looks?

PS. If you like this posting and wish to join bloom.com - Please click on the "special invite" link below located in the Let's Go Shopping section at bottom of page

Happy Belated Jewel Day!

Everyone here at The Daily Fashion & Beauty News would like to wish all our special Luvlys a very Happy Belated Jewel Day!

Yes, yesterday was Happy Jewel Day. Are you surprised? We hope so! Jewel Day can be celebrated today and on any other day you choose to pick..it is all up to you!Now, if you are not exactly sure how to celebrate..Let's think about it for a second.

In all reality Jewel Day is a day to either give or receive a piece of jewelry. It is not a date specifically for couples or those who are married. Not at all.It is actually just a day about surprising someone with a special unexpected gift. So the gift can be given to pretty much anyone - even to yourself as a special reward!

Here are a few simple yet trendy gift ideas we found for celebrating Jewel Day:

Decked Out Necklace

Show Off Ring

Wild Blingdom Bracelet

These are just some of our favorite trendy finds that would be the perfect gift to give a close friend on Jewel Day.



Now It's Your Turn: Which of these do you like most? Will you be treating yourself to a special jewelry reward today?

Mini Detoxes For Everyday Living

photo credit

Spring is in the air...We can hear the birds chirping happily during the morning hours...Our moods are slowly becoming more uplifting... Now is the time to take hold of the "springing-forward" momentum.

But how? Small changes over time can prove to be much more effective than trying to make drastic changes all at once.

Here are a few simple "Mini Detoxes" Ideas to get us started:

For Your Mind: Right about one hour before your bedtime - turn off all of your electronic devices. This means your computer, smart phone, Ipad - everything!

For Your Closet: Pick a day or evening to dedicate to this mini detox. Go through your closet - Select every piece of clothing that you haven't worn in months, pieces that make you feel "less than awesome" and get rid of them! You can choose to donate the clothes, or if they are in good condition, sell them on Ebay. But get rid of it!

For Your Bathroom Cabinet: Take a close look at all the cosmetics, medicine, lotions - check the expiration dates on these. Throw out anything that is past their time.

TIP: Most of us tend to hang on to our makeup way past their prime. Here is a general guideline to use in order to make sure we are not applying expired makeup on our faces:

• Cream eye shadows: 12 months
• Powder eye shadows: up to 2 years
• Eye liner (pencil): 12 months
• Eye liner (liquid): 3-6 months
• Mascara: 1-3 months
• Lip liner: 12 months
• Lipstick: up to 2 years
• Lip gloss: 18 months
• Cream to powder: 12 months
• Powder: up to 2 years
• Blush: up to 2 years
• Cream blush: 12 months Cream foundation: 18 months
• Liquid foundation (oil free): 12 months
• Concealer: 12 months

Note: These timelines would begin when the item is purchased.

Your Diet: Try to prepare whole foods - basically try to eliminate any type of processed can ingredients from your meals. Try to eat more fresh fruits, veggies, and whole grains.

As you can see, just by making a few small changes, mini detoxes can really help us feel better as we move forward into the warmer seasons.

Now It's Your Turn: Do you have any "mini detoxes" you like to do in order to get ready for the spring and summer months?

Are You Ready for The Hunger Games?

Although, one of the most anticipated movies to be released this year, The Hunger Games, will not be seen in theaters until later this month - March 23, there is still time to get wrapped up in the excitement of getting fashionably prepared for this movie premier.

To help us do just that, Sally Beauty is currently selling a collection of nail polishes geared toward this movie. The brand known as China Glaze has partnered with Lionsgate Films, releasing their China Glaze Hunger Games Nail Lacquer Collection.

The collection has a grand total of 12 hypnotic shades. Every color from Lux and Lush to Smoke and Ashes! China Glaze has pulled together a nail color for all 12 districts mentioned in the Hunger Games Novel.

But, please do not take my word for it!  To give you an idea of what these look like, take a quick peek at the photo I received below:

All 12 shades of China Glaze Hunger Games Nail Lacquer Collection can be purchased online. Now,  if you are like me, who prefers to see the product up close, you can go to your nearest Sally Beauty store to get your very own Hunger Games Collection Nail Lacquer.

Now It's Your Turn: Which District Shade is your favorite? Which shade will you be wearing on premier night?

15 Tips To Help You Look Younger

What woman do you know wants to look her age? Do you? Of course not! We are always on the “look-out” for the next best item to buy to see if it helps with our trouble areas. Sometimes it works, other times it may not. So, the question still remains: Are there any tips that I can follow to help keep father time at bay?

For starters, let look at a few things we can do with our fashion styling that can actually help us look younger:

1. Do not wear clothing with pleats – Flat pants hide the tummy area best.

2. Wear blouses with three quarter sleeves, or just roll up longer sleeves to expose the thinnest part of the arm.

3. Make sure you are wearing the correct bra size – this is a MUST in order to prevent the two things us women despise the most: sagging boobies and back fat. So if you think you should go get fitted – DO IT!

4. Learn to wear and love shapewear undergarments – these can turn into your new best friend. I would know – I have plenty and in all colors! Shapewear helps give you a smooth looking figure which also helps with your clothing fitting you properly.

5. If you have trouble with “back fat” the best way to conceal it is to wear a long cardigan paired with a V-neck t-shirt underneath. Wear it open as if it were a jacket – Just make sure that the cardigan does not swallow your frame.

6. Give your legs a mini-makeover: Slather on a tainted body moisturizer or glow bronzing moisturizer. No need to over indulge in it, just applying a simple coat to legs can do wonders by adding definition and hydrating your skin.

7. Try to “dress taller”: This is done by wearing one single color starting from the waist down. In other words: match your hosiery and shoes to the color of your pants/skirt/shorts. If wearing something knee length, avoid wearing chunky shoes or ankle strap shoes as these will immediately make you appear to be shorter.

8. Try to draw attention to areas of the body you are most proud of by wearing bold accessories. Example: wearing a bold necklace draws attention to the face.

9. Stand up straight! Walk with confidence – Head held high for a younger looking body.

10. Add color to your wardrobe – try wearing pieces with color instead of all black. This can be done easily with a scarf, belt, sweater, or even a jacket.

11. Maintain your nail length – Your nails should not be longer than ¼ inch beyond your fingertip. Why you ask? Longer fingernails are usually looked as being old-ladyish.

12. Avoid wearing mom jeans as if they were the plague! Do yourself a favor by wearing jeans that are either straight or bootleg in a dark wash. Most importantly: Avoid the dreaded Muffin-Top by wearing jeans that have a waistband that sits just below the belly button.

13. Try to “manage” your middle – Let’s face it, we don’t all have the washboard abs we wish we had so instead let’s manage our love handles. This can be done by wearing shapewear designed to slim the waist, wear a push up bra to lift the boobies up – this helps balance out the torso area, and wearing dresses with an empire waist help by emphasizing the smaller part of the torso right beneath your bust.

14. Add shine and gloss to your hair. Everybody wants glossy hair – you’ve seen the commercials!

15. Brighten your smile – Yes, regular use of whitening products on our teeth can help keep our smile looking younger and flawless.


Now It's Your Turn: Do you have any style tips for looking younger? 

Practicing #DigestiveHealth Using 4X Pro-B

During the earlier weeks of February I was given an opportunity to participate in a project revolving around the issue of digestive care. I was (and still am) ecstatic. I was literally “gun-ho”, thinking of all the changes I could make to improve my health and well being.

As part of this project, I was mailed a 21 day supply of 4X Pro-B. Here is what one week supply looks like packaged.

If you are not too familiar with this product, don’t worry I will explain. The 4x Pro-B is a natural probiotic, “a live microorganisms which when administered in adequate amounts confer a health benefit”, that has four strains of natural bacteria that is beneficial in stimulating a healthy digestive routine. In addition, taking probiotics also contributes to support immune system function.

If you read that and seemed to be shocked or slightly disgusted, please don’t be. Did you know that probiotics are consumed everyday without you even know it? Yes, this is true.

Probiotics can be found in some brands of yogurt, soy yogurt and even in certain dietary supplements. So consuming probiotics is not that strange as one would think. Personally, I was a little taken back but once I started taking my daily dose – I could feel the benefits!

It has now been exactly 25 days since I started this project. I take my pill once in the morning – then continue on with my day as normal.

At first, I thought to myself that it would probably take the entire 21 days + before seeing any kind of results, but was I wrong! I noticed changes in my body after the first week. I felt lighter. I could tell that I had lost a few pounds – mostly water weight but pounds lost are pounds lost!

As the second and third weeks have gone by, I can tell that inches have come off my waist line. Pants that were hard to button are not hard to wear anymore. Taking the probiotic once a day has definitely made a huge difference in how I go about my day. Along with this natural supplement, I have made a few changes in my eating habits, I have been trying to work out daily, and overall be more active.

Sometimes this can prove to be a challenge, especially in my case being that my office is in my house – where I have complete access to my kitchen ALL day. One thing I can say is that, the probiotic has put a curve into my appetite. I don’t have those afternoon sweet treats anymore. I am able to have to have my three main meals – breakfast, lunch, dinner – and a snack.

I have been preparing healthier foods as well. Eating a healthy balanced meal goes hand in hand with this type of supplement. I mean, it would not make sense to eat nothing but greasy, fatty foods thinking that the probiotic will take care of the excess fat – it does not work that way. I wish!

To give you an idea of the type of dishes I have been preparing for myself and family please look at these few recipes I have posted on Latin Cooking Diva  – All of them are less than 400 calories!

Flourless Chocolate Cake
Strawberry Banana Nutella Crepes
Empanada Pie 
Collard Greens & White Bean Spaghetti 
Vegan Pancakes

For my workout routines, which I prefer to do in the morning right after breakfast, I have been doing a number of workouts. I do cardio, Pilates and Yoga.

I am the type of lady that likes to have variety in my workout routine – I do this to keep the activity fresh and exciting – I get bored fairly easy. But, switching DVD's has been an enormous help.

Another thing I do which I believe has helped me with this project is that I tend to wear my sneakers through out the entire day.

My wonderful husband bought them for me months ago, but they help with toning my lower body – even when I am not working out. It’s like they say: “every little bit – helps”.

You may be wondering where the 4X Pro-B can be purchased, well I have ordered my very first supply from Costco.com. It was super easy, the site is very informative, and you can easily compare this brand with others to see how they differ from one another.

I was able to put together a slide-show of my online shopping experience on my google+ page

For even more information on 4X Pro-B and Costco please visit their facebook page

This is not the end of this project journey – this is only the beginning. Please join me during the entire month of March, where we will talk more about health, exercising, as well continuing this topic of #digestivecare with a second future post.

*this shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias #CBias..Please Note: All photos and opinions are 100% my own*