Green & Gorgeous

Getting Fresh Faced & Gorgeous for Less with Rimmel

jennae — Fri, 14 Jun 2013 23:11:16 +0000

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 their client. As usual, all opinions are my own.

You may remember my last experiment with makeup here at Green & Gorgeous. It went pretty well, so that gave me some courage to keep trying new products and techniques. So when I was given the opportunity to shop for some great, affordable makeup by Rimmel and create a fresh-faced nude summer look, I jumped at the chance.

Nude is really my cup of tea, because I’ve never been a big fan of makeup that is super colorful or over-the-top. Maybe I’m playing it safe, but I have a feeling that if I ever try to go crazy with color, I’ll end up making myself look like Mimi from the Drew Carey show. Remember her? Yeah. Not a good look.

All of the products I used to create this look are available at Walmart for just $3.97. So you can literally purchase a full face of makeup for less than $20. Here’s what I grabbed:

Rimmel Stay Glossy Lip Gloss in 750 Immortal Charm
Rimmel Clean Finish Foundation in 520 Natural Caramel
Rimmel Quad Eyeshadow in 003 Smokey Purple and 002 Smokey Brun
Rimmel ScandalEyes Waterproof Kohl Eyeliner

First, the obligatory “before” photo:

I started with the Clean Finish Foundation. In store, it was a bit tough to match just the right color, so I opened it hoping for the best. Thankfully, the color was a great match for my skin tone, and the coverage was really nice. My skin was smooth and even, but it didn’t look caked on.

I moved on to my eyes, first lining them with the Scandaleyes Eyeliner. I bought two eye color palettes because I couldn’t decide which to choose. In the end, I decided to go with a slightly more dramatic eye since my lips would be nude, so I tried the purple palette, following the instructions on the back.

The colors read more brown than purple, so next time, I think I’ll try a more pigmented purple. Still, I was happy with the subtle look. If I were ever to wear eye makeup every day, it would probably look similar to this.

Finally, I finished with a great nude, glossy lip. Ta da!

For comparison sake, here are the before and after photos together:

Of course, my daughter was watching and decided she wanted to get in on the makeup fun too. I skipped the foundation and eyeliner for her, and used the more neutral eye shadow and nude gloss. She felt like a grownup, but didn’t look like one.

Get into those eyelashes, though! While mine are all but nonexistent, hers are long and luxurious. She’ll never need to wear mascara!

I sincerely did like these products, and for this price, I can definitely envision using them again. I like the idea of using products from a single makeup family because they’re more likely to play well together. But the next time I do a makeup review, I’m definitely going to be looking for an organic brand, because at the end of the day, I really like to avoid putting chemicals on my face — which is, in large part, why I don’t wear makeup more often.

Still, if I ever get in the habit of wearing makeup daily, this type of fresh, relatively nude look is what I would do. It looks like I tried, but not like I’m overdone, which is just my style.

Check out this digital magazine to get great makeup ideas for the summer from Rimmel London, and find the brand on Facebook and Instagram.

Father’s Day Gift Idea for the Sports Fan

jennae — Thu, 13 Jun 2013 19:54:01 +0000

My husband and I have lived in Georgia, on and off, for 10 years. And in all that time, we have NEVER been to a game for any major sports team. We had tickets to an Atlanta Hawks game one time, but something really important came up and we gave the tickets to friends. So when I had the opportunity, via the Make-a-Wish Foundation, to get some tickets to an Atlanta Braves baseball game on Father’s Day, I know it would be the perfect surprise for my sports-loving hubby.

But given that I don’t actually have the tickets in hand, I had to figure out a hands-on way to reveal the surprise. Lucky for me, Walmart gave me the freedom to do something special for my husband for under $25. I decided to go all in on the Braves theme.

Every Walmart in every state I’ve ever been through has offered licensed apparel and accessories for the local sports teams. My current local store was no exception, and I knew there would be a ton of Braves gear to choose from, particularly in the height of baseball season. There were, in fact, so many items that I had a hard time choosing. I went through everything from pajama pants to boxers, jerseys and more before finally settling on a pair of Braves basketball-style shorts for $19.97, because I know my husband loves the way they fit, and a coordinating Braves t-shirt for $14.97. I went over budget by getting two items, but I figured my hubby was worth the extra money spent out of pocket

Lastly, I grabbed some mini red velvet cupcakes from the Walmart bakery because, well, they cost less than $2 and my hubby loves red velvet.

But this gift had to be all about presentation. Since we won’t have the tickets until game day when we pick them up at will call, I put my graphic design talent to use and designed some faux game tickets, complete with the official Braves logos.

Next, I designed a ~~fancy~~ simple cardstock pouch into which I could insert the tickets with a simple message: “We’re going to the Braves game, Dad!”

Finally, I made a “Batter Up” marker for the cupcakes. Get it? “Batter up?” Cake batter?

OK. Maybe that was only clever in my head

We put the cupcakes on a platter and the clothes and “tickets” in a basket, and we were good to go! Please ignore the fact that the basket clearly has a Fall theme It was what we had on hand.

My daughter wanted to get in on the fun too, so she designed a sign that her Dad can take to the game to cheer on the home team.

Now we’re patiently waiting for Daddy to get home so we can give him our game day surprise. Wouldn’t the sports fanatic Dad in your life love something similar?

DISCLOSURE: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Keep Your Bored Kid Busy: Simple DIY Play Tent

jennae — Mon, 03 Jun 2013 17:40:28 +0000

I’m not going to lie: I’m one of those parents who dreads the end of the school year. Not because I don’t relish being able to spend more time with my daughter or go on family vacations, but because of two simple words: “I’m bored.” The bane of every parent’s existence during the summer. Summer camps generally only last a week at a time, and most are prohibitively expensive, so my husband and I are left to find ways to occupy our 7-year-old that don’t involve a screen.

I bookmarked a DIY play tent years ago, but never got around to trying it. When Walmart challenged me to create a fun summer idea for kids, this project immediately came to mind. Since my daughter has developed a love for making forts and tents out of sheets, chairs, pillows and whatever else she can get her hands on, I figured now was the time to try.

You’ll Need:

Four 36-48″ lengths of wood (Walmart has 36″ sign stakes)
3 round wooden dowels (36″ or longer)
Drill & bit
Twin flat sheet
Spool of coordinating ribbon
Coordinating thread
Duck tape

Once we got into this project, I couldn’t believe how easy it was. The setup of the tent is really simple. Take a look at this diagram:

We originally planned to use the 36″ sign stakes from Walmart, and they would work great for a smaller child. However, my daughter is ridiculously tall for her age, so we wound up using some longer pieces of 1.5″ x .75″ plywood we had from another project. We cut each piece down to 48 inches in length.

The next step is to drill holes to connect all the pieces together. Measure 2″ from both ends of your wood. Make a mark dead center. This is where you will drill the holes for your round wooden dowels.

You’ll want to carefully check the diameter of your wooden dowels and make sure your drill bit is the same size. We bought 7/16″ dowels at Walmart, so we had to pick up a drill bit in that same size. Carefully drill all 8 holes (at both ends of each length of plywood).

Feel free to sand the edges of the holes to remove any loose wood and splinters. Place two lengths of plywood together with the holes at both ends lining up. Slip a wooden dowel through the holes at one end. Assuming you used the correct drill bit size, your dowels should slide into the holes pretty snugly and you won’t need any end caps or washers to keep them in place. However, feel free to add these for additional strength if you wish.

Do the same with the two remaining lengths of plywood, and slide the other end of the dowel through the top holes. Then simply open up the pieces of plywood into an A-shape. You should be able to see the frame of your tent taking shape. The other two wooden dowels will act as support beams at the bottom of the tent. Slide the dowels through the bottom holes on both sides of the A frame.

Ta da! The frame is complete! But it’s not a tent without a cover.

I grabbed a twin flat sheet at Walmart for just $4.97 to use in making the cover. I discovered that the width of the tent was exactly half the width of the sheet. This may not be the case for you, depending on the length of your dowels, but I just cut the sheet in half, lengthwise.

Cut four 10″ length of ribbon. Fold each piece of ribbon in half, and sew them to each corner of the sheet, on the right side.

These will allow you to attach the cover to the frame. Simply lay the sheet over the center dowel and pull each side over the support dowels on the bottom. Fold the end over the dowel and tie the ribbon around the plywood, like so:

Finally, I wrapped some fancy Duck tape around the bottom of each piece of wood to help my daughter avoid splinters and to help the tent slide open and closed more easily on top of the carpet.

That’s it! I planned to add some embellishments like tassel or some iron-on appliques, and even add some “doors”, but I ran out of energy — and my daughter ran out of patience to try the tent!

She slept in it the very first night, and she’s been using it nonstop ever since! She loves it, and the dog loves it too!

The beauty of this design is that the round dowels make the entire tent collapsible. So we can just fold it up and slide it under her bed or in a corner when she’s finished with it. Easy cleanup makes for a happy Mama.

I also love the fact that I can easily change out the cover if my daughter wants another color or pattern. I have some old orange and white curtains that I’ll probably use to make another cover.

All in all, this is one of the most rewarding projects I’ve done in a while, because I can see how much my daughter loves it. Plus, even if you have to buy all the supplies brand new, you’ll still spend less than $25 total to make it. Now I just have to figure out how to keep her busy for the next 3 months O__O. This Pinterest board of activities is a start. How do you plan to keep your kids busy this summer?

DISCLOSURE: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Outfits: Memorial Day Style

jennae — Wed, 29 May 2013 20:54:41 +0000

Every year, my family and I look forward to Memorial Day weekend, as it brings carnival in Atlanta — the one time of year when we can almost feel like we’re back home in the Caribbean again. My husband, daughter and I, along with my sister and nieces, usually go to the parade on Saturday and the Virgin Islands picnic on Sunday, and we always have a great (and exhausting) time. I’m actually glad this only happens once a year, because it took me all day Monday to recover from all the walking and standing in the Georgia heat.

The occasion always calls for comfortable, cool (as in temperature) outfits, because I know I’ll be standing most of the time. On Saturday, I broke out my current favorite maxi dress, a colorful vest I’ve been itching to wear, and my go-to Penguin sneakers. I couldn’t have made a better choice. I actually wore my FitBit activity tracker for the whole weekend, and I took almost 19,000 steps through downtown Atlanta on Saturday alone. My feet were done by the end of the day, so I can only imagine how much worse it would’ve been had I been wearing uncomfortable shoes. (aff)

And as you can see, by the end of the day, I got tired of my long dress tripping me up, so I tied a knot in the front to keep it out of my way. I actually think I like the way this looked, though I wasn’t planning on showing off my shoes that much

On Sunday, the temperature jumped about 10 degrees, so my maxi dress was comfy, I knew it would be too hot to try that again. I broke out another t-shirt from my company, Differently Clothing, a cute peplum skirt and another pair of sneakers. Again, a great choice, because I think I only got to sit down for a total of 5 minutes for the whole day. I didn’t even remember to put on my FitBit until halfway through the day and it still measured nearly 6,000 steps.

I also didn’t get to take as many outfit photos, but I got a lot of shots with my family, which really was the whole point of the day.

I always enjoy carnival in Atlanta because it’s an opportunity to introduce my daughter to Caribbean culture in a way that is tough to experience when we’re at home. Immersing her in the food, the music and the people all at once is a unique experience that I’m glad she’ll be able to refer to as she’s growing up. My husband, sister and I always get to see people we either haven’t seen in years, or only see during carnival.

So what about you? What did you do this Memorial Day weekend? Feel free to link to your Memorial Day fashion posts in the comments.

Outfit: Summer White with Sears Style

jennae — Mon, 27 May 2013 20:17:20 +0000

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 their client. #ThisisStyle

My closet — and my overall style — are pretty colorful. And while I do tend to pair a lot of color with black, I really don’t own a whole lot of white — mostly because I’m terrible at keeping it clean. So when I was challenged to shop Sears for a summer white outfit, I jumped at the chance to step outside my normal colorful box and find something that would be great for a summer outing — maybe a date with my hubby.

My biggest issue is that I am immediately drawn to pattern and color, so I had to really challenge myself to ignore all of it and focus on white. My daughter actually helped me, and she’s the one who picked these shorts. Now that I have them, I can’t believe I never owned a pair of white shorts before. They are ridiculously comfortable and I can literally wear them with any top in my closet.

The top skewed a little more “mature” than I’d normally buy, but wearing it off the shoulder and wearing the belt that came with the shorts on top of the shirt made the whole outfit feel a lot more like me. Of course, it helped that I was able to use my Shop Your Way rewards membership to get $10 off (score!) from points I’d already accumulated, and I earned points on this purchase as well.

I’ll be traveling a bit this summer — hopefully including a trip to the beach — and this is a great go-to outfit that will be in my suitcase, because it is as effortless as it looks. Now I just need to find some cute silver sandals. Maybe some gladiators?

What about you? Do you wear a lot of white? The more important question though: How do you keep it clean?

You can find Sears Style on Twitter and Facebook

Honor our Veterans on Memorial Day

jennae — Mon, 27 May 2013 12:00:23 +0000

For most of us, Memorial Day is a cause for celebration, usually because we don’t have to work and it’s the beginning of summer for kids. However, in a family with military connections, Memorial Day means so much more. My little brother and sister-in-law are still active duty service members, and my husband and two brothers-in-law have all served in the not so distant past. So today and every Memorial Day, we like to stop and remember all those who spent their lives serving our country and, by extension, all of us.

I’ve also seen firsthand that the transition from military to civilian life is not always a smooth one. In spite of what you might think, military skills and service don’t always translate well to civilian jobs. My own husband struggled for years to turn his military experience into a lasting job, until finally, he joined me in self-employment.

So I’m happy to see that Walmart is committed to offering a job to any veteran who was honorably discharged within the past 12 months, as long as those veterans meet the company’s standard hiring criteria. Because of this program, Walmart expects to hire about 100,000 veterans over the next 5 years. You can learn more about Walmart’s commitment to hiring veterans.

While all of us may not be able to offer a job to a veteran and many of us may not know firsthand what it is like to serve or love someone who does, we can all take a moment to appreciate their sacrifice and say a prayer of continued protection for those who continue to serve their country.

Happy Memorial Day!

Note: Free printable “Land of the Free” image from How to Nest for Less

DISCLOSURE: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Outfit: Body Love + Shorts

jennae — Fri, 17 May 2013 15:54:27 +0000

I’ve been a journey toward self and body acceptance for a couple of years now, and I’m happy to say that I’ve made a lot of progress, in large part because I try to surround myself with women and messages that contribute to the positive body image movement. What’s funny is that I designed the t-shirt I’m wearing in these photos really early in my journey. Let’s just say it was an aspirational message, because I wasn’t there yet. Today, however, I can wear this shirt — and all the others in the Self Love series — with pride, because the message is the truth. And I hope that it inspires someone else — anyone else — to love theirs too. The shirt is available in a bunch of colors and t-shirt styles.

In other news, I’ve had these shorts for months and have planned at least 5 outfits with them. But every time I planned to wear them, the weather took a turn for the cold. When Eboni from The Fashionista Next Door chose shorts for this week’s Style Me Friday challenge, I finally had an excuse to try again. I got lucky, because yesterday, it was finally warm enough to rock them. All the other looks I planned were more demure and conservative, but I wanted to go more casual. The graphic tee, wedge sneakers and the bow in my hair created exactly the overall look I was going for: Casual and cute, but still well put together.

Side note: I’ve since learned that I need to find shorts that are a little longer. I haven’t worn shorts this short since I was in high school, and now I remember why

Outfits for Two: Feeling Dressy

jennae — Wed, 15 May 2013 13:54:03 +0000

She’s wearing: Thrifted Route 66 dress (similar & similar) | Faded Glory wedges courtesy of Walmart | Forever 21 necklace (similar) | Gifted earrings and bracelet (aff)

I’m wearing: Calvin Klein maxi dress (similar) | Cobalt sheer back blazer (similar & similar) | Old Navy belt (similar) (aff)

She’s wearing: Thrifted Route 66 dress (similar & similar) | Faded Glory wedges courtesy of Walmart | Forever 21 necklace (similar) | Gifted earrings and bracelet (aff)

At 7, my daughter is definitely developing her own sense of style. She loves skirts and dresses — mostly because I don’t let her wear them to school very often because I know how rambunctious she gets on the playground. So she jumps at any chance to wear anything with a skirt and frills. A Mother’s Day brunch at my mom and sister’s church was the perfect opportunity.

And her shoes? When Walmart sent us these fabulous wedges, I knew she’d love them. Of course, she also learned something about wearing grown up shoes. They hurt after a while She quickly learned why I warned her to bring a pair of flats, too. Still, I was impressed by her vision to mix the floral pattern in the dress with the multicolored stripes in the shoes. The patterns are both busy, but it works because they’re in the same color family. I just may have to let her dress herself more often

I’m wearing: Calvin Klein maxi dress (similar) | Cobalt sheer back blazer (similar & similar) | Old Navy belt (similar) (aff)

As for me, I technically wasn’t even supposed to be in these photos (hence, the reason I’n not wearing jewelry or shoes), but since my hubby snapped a couple of the two of us together, I figured I’d make a blog post out of it. I’ve become obsessed with dresses of the maxi variety because they’re ridiculously comfortable and easy to wear. Especially when barefoot

After the brunch, my husband spotted this great location for photos, so we all took some. How adorable are these two?

And of course, my daughter had to shoot one of mommy and daddy.

All in all, we had a great weekend. How was yours?

Six Reasons to Go Bike Riding as a Family

jennae — Sun, 12 May 2013 14:44:11 +0000

Last year, My daughter and I gave my husband a bike for Father’s Day. Since then, I have watched wistfully as he and my daughter rode together as I watched from the sidelines. That all changed a few days ago when we FINALLY bought a bike for me as an early Mother’s Day present, thanks to some encouragement from Walmart. We were challenged to spend a gift card on something biking related, and we used it toward the cost of a bike. I chose the $149 Schwinn Clairmont cruising bike, and I couldn’t be happier that I can now join the fun. The fact that the bike is my favorite color (turquoise) and features a gorgeous peacock motif is just icing on the cake!

May is National Bike Month, and here are some great reasons to take up biking with your own family:

1. It’s an INCREDIBLE workout

Let’s face it. These days, with technology as prevalent as it is, most of us are pretty sedentary. The last time I rode a bike with any regularity, I was a teenager in great physical shape. So when I took my new bike out for it’s very first ride, I got a quick reminder about how physically taxing it can be. But you know what? It was the best kind of workout. With the breeze blowing through my hair and my husband and daughter laughing gleefully in front of me, I couldn’t think of a better way to get my heart rate up. Anything that encourages us to be active as a family is an automatic win in my book.

2. It encourages great communication

We live in an apartment complex with a pretty busy parking lot. So even if we stay within the complex and don’t venture out onto any busy metro Atlanta roads, we still have to be alert and vigilant. Our preferred riding positions are for my husband to take the lead, with my daughter in the middle and me bringing up the rear. Biking together encourages us to talk to each other to alert of possible dangers, changes in direction, etc. It encourages us to be clear, concise and respectful of one another — all characteristics of great family communication in general.

3. The wind in your hair

Do I need to explain this one? Plain and simple, it feels like the best kind of freedom, and I love every second of it.

4. It’s great quality time

My husband, daughter and I have pretty diverse interests, and biking is one of those things that we ALL enjoy. When we all can get excited about doing something together, it makes for much better family time than when something is forced upon one of us that we really don’t feel like doing. This is one activity for which none of us has to compromise.

5. Umm. No carbon emissions. Score.

While we haven’t quite worked up to biking to the store yet, we’re getting there. We live in a pretty traffic-heavy area, so biking everywhere may be a safety risk, but there are three grocery stores and two strip malls within safe biking distance. We have every intention of biking back and forth whenever we can to cut back on our carbon emissions as a family.

6. Did I mention it’s just plain fun?

As I mentioned, I had been wanting a bike for years, because my memory told me riding was something I’d want to do often. It’s a great way to get — or stay — in shape, but more than that, I really do enjoy it, and my daughter and husband do, too. We’ve found a great parking lot that is empty during the weekend where we can race, challenge ourselves to bike up steep inclines, etc. I feel like a kid again when I’m riding, so that’s reason enough for me to do it often.

DISCLOSURE: As a participant in the Walmart Moms Program, I’ve received product samples and compensation for my time and efforts in creating this post. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Outfit: Dear Curves + Pattern Mixing

jennae — Fri, 10 May 2013 20:19:55 +0000

I’m Wearing: Forever 21 colorblock top | Adavi Peplum Skirt courtesy of Dear Curves | Thrifted Steve Madden Luxe pumps (similar & similar) | Handmade “Yhanni” Nefertiti earrings from Shop ALS | Bracelets from Forever 21, thrifting and Walmart (aff)

Have you ever come across a clothing company that really excites you? Found pieces that you know in your heart of hearts you HAVE to have? Dear Curves did that for me. For about two years, I had been looking for a designer that makes modern, figure-flattering plus-sized clothing in African prints. Until I discovered Dear Curves, most of the stuff I found either 1. Didn’t come in my size, or 2. Wasn’t my style. This company makes awesome skirts, dresses, tops and pants in fun, modern African-print fabrics that will make you feel like your best self.

I am wearing the Adavi peplum skirt, and I love it! It is feminine and beautifully form fitting. One caveat, though. It is a little too form fitting. Typically, I wear a size 14. Dear Curves is based in the UK, and in my experience, UK brands tend to be slightly off in terms of American sizing. In this case, the skirt is a little too small, in part because the fabric doesn’t stretch. It fits, but doesn’t zip past my hips or pass the “sit” test (which is why I took these photos really close to my front door…lol). If I didn’t have any other incentive to lose another 10 pounds, this skirt is it, because I WILL wear it again In any case, when ordering, I would go up a size. Dear Curves offers sizes from 14-28.

As soon as I saw the skirt, I knew I wanted to style it with a black and white striped top. I’ve been wanting to experiment with pattern mixing and saw this as my chance. In this case, I think the thick stripes work as a great counterbalance to the small-scale pattern on the skirt. I added my awesome Nefertiti earrings handmade by the endlessly talented Alex Elle of Shop ALS and a bunch of random bracelets, including one from Walmart’s Empowering Women Together collection. Overall, I was really pleased with the look.

Have you ever tried pattern mixing? Feel free to link to your pattern-mix outfit post in the comments!