Oh la la avec 3 Pommes!

Hey! It’s Amy Halleran here from Beyond JEMS (@BeyondJEMS) with a guest post for Chic Shopper Chick! When Erika accepted my offer to guest post, I had to study up on what may suit her and her readers. Lucky for me, it was an easy find. In honor of all things, French, Parisienne and Towerish, I am thrilled to introduce to you my favorite French children’s clothing line: 3 Pommes (English Please: 3 Apples)

3 Pommes clothes are stylish and functional. They’re also unique and oh so creative. With original cuts and materials, fur for winter, overlays and transparencies for summer, 3 Pommes clothing is fun to wear! The line ranges from sizes 3 months to 12 years.

Why are these clothes my favorite? They’re well made, hold up under toddler and preschooler stresses and my kids love to wear them. That is the most important part. How many times have you spent a small fortune on the cutest outfit just to fight little Sally to wear it…… once. Not with this line! My kids pick these clothes out over and over.

You might think that getting a top European clothing line in the States is costly. But surprisingly, I have found some websites that carry this line at affordable prices. Oh Joy!

Glamkids Boutique offer a nice selection from 3 Pommes as well as some other European lines. They carried a few things I was not able to find at other sites, but their prices tend to be on the mid to high end range. But prices are relative, right?! So you can be the judge.

The website that offers some of the best prices for 3 Pommes is Le Petit – European Boutique for Kids. They not only have a great selection, but their sales are great too! Some items were marked down as low as $11.99. And there’s a wide selection of cute pieces for less than $20. Those are my kind of prices!

Just always keep in mind when shopping for boutique brands online to get the best price Google the brand name and do a little comparision shopping. You can often save over 50% with just a little research. I’ve included some samples below for your viewing pleasure. Enjoy!

5 Minutes To Fabulous!

Finding time in the morning for make-up can be a real challenge for many women.  Whether you’re a mom, or a working girl, or just not a morning person (like me), we’ve all been there – sometimes there just isn’t enough time in the morning!  But, getting your face ready for the day doesn’t have to take a lot of time…in fact getting yourself together to put your best face forward to face the day, is as easy as one, two, three.

The secret to beating the clock in the morning, is to rely on products that serve more than one purpose.  If you have a few multi-tasking products on hand for those mornings when you feel extra frazzled and frantic, you can fool the masses into thinking you were cool, calm and collected all morning long.

All it takes is 5 minutes (even less once you get the hang of it) to go from frumps to fabulous.

Here’s how!

Step 1: Apply a tinted moisturizer.  Tinted moisturizers are AMAZING. They are a true triple threat cosmetic acting as a moisturizer, sunblock, and skin corrector all at once.  They are also super easy to apply!  Just smooth it on your face as you would your daily moisturizer, and you’ll have smooth, even skin that doesn’t look ‘made up’ – Perfect for every day use!  Have an extra minute?  Spot treat with concealer applying it under eyes and on on blemishes.

Step 2: Apply a lip and cheek stain. I like Benetint, but for those of you that desire something a little more subtle you may want to try out Posie Tint (Benetint’s softer and sweeter looking little sister).  The key to applying a liquid cheek stain is to draw 3 lines on the apple of your cheek and blend!  These stains also layer beautifully, so if you’ve got time you can do a few layers to achieve the desired flush.  Finally, sweep the applicator over lips, and smush together for a natural looking pout that lasts ALL DAY.  Have an extra minute?  Apply clear lip gloss over the lip stain for a sexy shine.

Step 3:  Finish off the look with a coat of mascara (2 if you can manage it).  Have an extra minute?  Don’t forget to coat your bottom lashes with any leftover product!

That’s it!  Those 3 little steps are easy to do, and I promise that they will help you to look put together in the morning.

As an added tip, I personally find that it’s helpful to keep these products on stand-by.  Since I do my makeup in the bathroom, I keep these 3 items right next to the sink at all times.  This way there isn’t any fussing or finding – I can just get down to business – Which also helps to save a ton of time in the morning.  So, maybe you want to keep this kit wherever you get yourself ready in the morning…Bathroom, nightstand, glove compartment (in case you have to do this routine in the car), are all great places to keep these items.

My product recommendations for this routine are:  Josie Maran  Tinted Moisturizer, Sephora Tinted Moisturizer, Benetint, Posie Tint, Badgal Mascara, Maybelline Great Lash Mascara.

Do you have a great tip or trick to looking fabulous when time is the enemy?  Share them in the comment section!

Also, I’ve been a busy little bee working on lots of exciting photo shoots and projects lately.  Check out my blog for some of my recent work!

Chic Style On A Shoestring Budget With Old Navy

When I was packing for Disney World, I realized that all of my summer clothes, mainly my shorts, didn’t fit.  They were all 2 sizes too big.  Granted, I’m not one to complain about losing weight, but I did realize that if I didn’t wanna look like a bum that I was going to have to look for some new clothes that were great for summer but fit my budget.  (Or, lack of a budget.)  I ran in Old Navy with about 10 minutes of time to spare, and hit the summer jackpot!  Check out some of my fab finds!

I love this simple cross-front jersey dress – great by itself, or with a cardigan to dress it up.  I bought it in this color (my signature pink!) and I’m planning to wear it with a white or light pink tank top underneath it and some simple flip flops.  Then I can dress it up with a fun necklace or some chunky bracelets.  Oh, and PS?  It’s only $14.99!

I also fell in love with this sweet little lined sundress with the diagonal stripes – I love the cut and the pattern is adorable.  At 5’8″ I have longer legs, so it’s a tad shorter than my comfort level, but I think I can learn to get over it.  Or, I’ll pull an old trick from my days in Catholic School — wear a pair of shorts underneath.  I know it’s a major fashion no-no, but if you won’t tell, I won’t either. I’ll confess to one of my major fashion pitfalls – I bought this dress in a pattern and a solid (purple).  I loved the cut that much. This dress runs from $15-$20, depending on color.

The last sweet little find that I scooped up were these floral cut-out babydoll tanks.  They are lightweight, cool, and trendy.  I may or may not have grabbed this in two colors too, and um, one of them MIGHT be pink.  Jeez, I’m bad.  Please, someone stop me!  Oh yeah, each of these are $14.99, on sale from $19.99.  Sa-weet!

I have to say, I’m really impressed with Old Navy’s merchandise right now.  Apparently I’m not the only one — the entire shopping mall was practically deserted, except for Old Navy, where women were literally lunging for the last dress in their size.  (That may or may not also be something I’m guilty of.  Ahem.)  If you haven’t been by there lately, check it out.  Happy Shopping!

My Week – Keeps Kids Organized {Giveaway CLOSED}

I absolutely love to be organized.  To know what goes where, who needs to be where/when — it makes me happy.  Very happy.  If you know me well enough, you are probably laughing at the above statement, even though it’s true.  See, the issue is that while I might like the organization and the structure, the truth is…I suck at it.  Truly.  I’m perpetually late, and time has become this “fluid” thing for me that exists to merely move alongside of my day, but not to guide it. It seems it’s a family trait, as I never remember my mother ever really being on time for much, either.  Granted, I’m MUCH worse, but the fact remains that it is likely a learned behavior.

Poor Little AG.  She’s doomed.

It’s the pull of organization combined with the desire to raise a child that has a better grasp of time than I do that made me fall in love with these “My Week” Magnetic Wipeable Calendar for Kids.  It will teach your child about the different days of the week, seasons, weather and more. I love to show Little AG her week in advance, and she loves to help me put the magnets on the right days of the week, and pick out the correct activities.  The My Week Calendar comes with 58 Activity, Season and Weather magnets, a magnetic dry erase marker (yay! harder to lose!), and a reusable storage bag.  We love charting playdates, visits to grandparents houses, and other things!

Win It! 2Fish Kids has graciously offered a “My Week” Calendar to one lucky CSC reader.  To enter, visit 2Fish Kids and tell me your favorite feature of the calendar .  After your initial comment, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through March 30th will count as an extra entry each.  You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address.   As usual, extra entries are also available for stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, following me on Twitter, and blogging about this giveaway with a link back here.  That’s it, so good luck!

US and Canadian  entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on March 30th, 2009.

HUGE Sale At Hayden-Harnett – Run, wallet, RUN!

My friend Lindsay JUST emailed me today with news of this sale, because she and I are both obsessed with Hayden-Harnett.  Honestly, when I saw her email, I felt completely confused and out of it — how could there be THIS big of a sale and I didn’t know about it?  Have I been under a rock?  Am I losing my touch?  Oh. Wait.  Yeah, kinda.  I was at SxSW, and seeing as how I’m a horrible multi-tasker, I completely forgot about the rest of the world.

Including EPIC sales.

Remember this Avion Tote that I was drooling over just last week?  It’s half-priced now!  I’m also in love with this Train Case, and the matching weekender!   Today is the last day, though, so you’d better snatch it up fast!  Heck, anything travel related from Hayden-Harnett is half-priced – so go check it out! Perfect timing for spring break and summer travel!

Run, wallet!  Ruuunnnnnn!

Spring Break for Families – Sandestin, FL

There are several benefits to living in the South.  One is that you can wear flip flops almost all year round.  Another is that convertibles only have a couple of useless months.  Yet another is smelling barbeque in the air around your neighborhood almost every Sunday.  One of the best perks, though, has to be living close to the beach.  Granted, I’m technically only an hour from the Mississippi Gulf Coast, but that water?  It isn’t pretty water.  It’s just pretty gross.  However, a short 4 hour drive away?  A little slice of heaven I like to call the Emerald Coast. Ok, well, other people call it that, too. Either way, it’s awesome.

My family and I were fortunate enough to stay in Sandestin, Florida for 4 days and 3 nights last month.  If you aren’t already familiar with it, Sandestin is a 2,400-acre premier destination resort located in Northwest Florida, between Pensacola and Panama City.  It truly is an incredible place, with

“…seven miles white sand beachs and bayfront property, four golf courses, 15 tennis courts, 19 swimming pools, a 98-slip marina, water sports, children’s programs, a fitness center and spa, and a pedestrian village featuring a host of boutique shops, casual and fine dining restaurants, nightclubs and bars that come alive with strolling musicians, street performers, dancing fountains and lively festivals and events.”

We stayed at the Grand Sandestin – the resort’s answer to hotel-style dwelling.  Hotel?  Ha!  We had a huge 2 bedroom condo that was, in all seriousness, the size of or perhaps a bit bigger than my house.  We had a wrap-around balcony that went from the back balcony, along the entire side of the building, right around to the front balcony.  It. Was. Huge.  And quite spacious.  Heck, if it hadn’t rained the entire time we were there (Murphy’s Law always tackles me hard in Florida) I probably woulda been down at Baytowne Wharf flagging people down for an inpromptu porch-party.  It was that big, and that cool.

Oh, and Baytowne Wharf?  HEAVEN!  Shopping, restaurants, a ZIP LINE (Yes, I wanted to try it, NO, I didn’t get around to it) that zips through the center?  The shopping is fabulous, the food is good, and it’s all pedestrian-only.  There is a park/playground for kiddos, a place to paint your own pottery, and, when we were there, there were stilt-walkers making balloon animals, spacewalks, games, etc.  Lots of fun things to do with kids and families, and Little AG adored the pink poodle that the “tall” guy made for her.  If you do go, don’t forget to eat at Another Broken Egg Cafe – we have the original Broken Egg Cafe here in my hometown, and their Baked Brie is to die for (and can/should be eaten as a meal!).  Oh, and there is a Starbucks in Baytowne Wharf as well — thankfully I didn’t have to live without my Chai Latte!

So, remember how I tend to obsess over swimming pools?  This resort has a ton of them.  I cursed the weather multiple times for smiting me – because we had a fabulous infinity-edged pool AND awesome toddler pool just an elevator ride away.  Little AG would have been in heaven.  It’s ok though, we went to the indoor pool, where she “kick, kick, kick”ed her little heart out.  We walked on the beach, which, even chilly and overcast, was still a BEACH.  Oh, how I love the beach.   There was, of course, one crazy dude swimming in the waves – you can see his picture in the slideshow below.  Gotta love the crazies, right?

On our last day, I got to take a tour of the entire resort.  The most pleasant surprise was, by far, this little gem of a condo at the Fairways.  When we pulled up to it, from the outside I thought, “eh, this must be the older part of the property.”  I was right.  But I wasn’t prepared for what I saw inside.  It was fun, it was stylish, and it even has it’s own tanning deck on the water outside.  My only complaint was that it wasn’t on the beach, but I MAY even be able to deal with that.  Check out the pictures of the inside of this condo — isn’t it adorable?  It was open, bright, spacious… I loved it! (Sandestin Fairways 279, if you’d like to request it, FYI.)

I’ve been traveling to Destin for vacation since I was a teenager.  I had my 16th birthday party there, and I am firmly rooted in those sugar-white sands.  But now as an adult with a family, I see a huge draw to do the non-spring break, spring-break thing.  There are watersports, free bicycle rentals, canoes, kayaks, tennis, swimming, trails to explore, playgrounds to play on, the possibilities are endless and truly make for the perfect family vacation.  If you’re still searching for that perfect place to go this Spring with your family, or even this summer, consider heading to Sandestin.  The people there all bent over backwards to accomodate us, with the people at the front desk going as far as to lend us a DVD to watch in our room when the rental machine wouldn’t work (again, Murphy’s Law).  Everyone was courteous and hospitable, and NO, those people didn’t know I’d be writing about them.  Which says a lot, right?  So yeah, check it out, I know you won’t be disappointed.

At the very least, you’ll leave with a tan and a smile.  Oh, and some fantastic memories.

Skin is In!

Music Skins, that is.  (What?  You clicked, didn’t you?)  When I was at SxSW (thanks to my friends at Tiny Prints), my friends Tara, Christine, and Lori introduced me to the owners of Music Skins – and I discovered what a cool product these guys had!  Music Skins come in all kinds of cool designs, and they are made of the highest quality 3M vinyl.  Basically it means you can stick and restick and restick and restick and restick your skin without it ever being any less…urm…sticky.  I witnessed it first hand – no yuck residue, no fighting to peel it off.

I put this funky little design on the back of my iPhone, and I love it.  It’s just spunky enough, it’s PINK, and it’s a bit edgy.  A good fit for me, no doubt!  Oh, and guess what?  I managed to get the inside scoop while I was there, and soon you will be able to design your very own Music Skins with your photos, designs, logos, etc.  I am definitely going to be desigining a Chic Shopper Chick skin for my iPhone.  What will you design?

Fashion is Life!

I had an incredible week at SXSW Interactive (a huge shout out to Tiny Prints and Wedding Paper Divas for sponsoring me!) hanging out with some of my closest friends, and meeting lots and lots of new ones.  I learned a ton, and did I mention that I had a blast?  Cause I totally did. There will be lots of posts coming at you this week, as I need to buckle down and refocus/recover, but in the meantime I wanted to do a quick post to tell you that I am still alive, and also to share with you my epiphany of the week.  Are you ready?

Are you sure?

Ok, here it goes…

I realized this week that I am a fashion/style/beauty girl at heart.  It’s my passion, it’s what I love, and it’s how I thrive.  So I’m going to start trying to incorporate even more of those things into Chic Shopper Chick.  I’m ready, I’m excited, and I’m pumped up about it.

What do you think?  Share your thoughts with me in the comments!

Chic Tunes Tuesday

Panic mode has settled in.  I’m leaving in 48 hours for SxSWi and um, I’m SO not ready.  I’ve been slowly gathering and planning a reasonable wardrobe for warmish weather for around 3 weeks now, and yesterday my friend Arianne casually says to me “You know it’s going to be chilly and rainy, right?”

Um, no.  Cause that’s just fab.  Really.

I live in Louisiana, people.  I laid out in my backyard to get a tan yesterday.  I don’t have chilly weather clothing.  It’s TEXAS for crying out loud, it’s not supposed to be cool in March.  So my relaxing 3 weeks of gathering exactly what I want/need has come down to two very hectic days trying to figure out what in the world I’m gonna do.  And apparently I need an umbrella, heh.

Aside from my clothing dilemma (ok, with me it’s always a clothing dilemma) I had to do one other very important thing…update my playlist on my iPhone!  Here are the songs making the cut this week…enjoy!

1.  The Climb – Miley Cyrus  — Ok, I’m TOTALLY not a Miley Cyrus fan, not for any other reason but that I’m not generally a fan of her voice.  This song is my new favorite for the week though – love the lyrics, the sound, all of it.  It makes me happy, stick it on your “motivation and inspiration” playlist and let it make you happy too. 

2.  Green Light (feat. Andre 3000) – John Legend — Love this song, when it comes on I’m usually groovin’ around my house in a mellow mood.  It makes me smile!

3.  Candle (Sick and Tired) – The White Tie Affair — I heard this song the other day and it was one of those songs that had me bouncing around singing it for the rest of the night.  It is rock/pop and lots of fun, I’m a fan.

4. Here Comes Goodbye – Rascal Flatts  — So I’m on a bit of a Rascal Flatts kick since I saw their rockin’ show last Friday night.  Seriously, these guys are way talented, seem down-to-earth, and put on a truly awesome show for their fans.  This is their newest single from their album which drops April 7th.

5.  Kiss A Girl – Keith Urban  — If you keep up with Chic Tunes Tuesday, you already know I’m a huge Keith Urban fan.  Today marks the release of the second song from his yet-to-be-released album “Defying Gravity”.  I downloaded it about 30 minutes after it hit iTunes this morning and I’m already smitten.  He’s good, what can I say.

My latest obsession…

Today I was playing procrastinating working when I started thinking that I really do need a new laptop bag.  I want a stylish one, not just any ole bag off from any ole place, because I’m picky and prissy like that.  So I was hanging around on Twitter, shootin’ the breeze with my tweeples, when it occurred to me that I should check out my friends Hayden Harnett (who I follow on Twitter) to see if they made any kinda of laptop bag.  I knew that if they did it would rawk.

And then angels started singing.  This Avion bag in Petits Points Nuit caught my eye — ok more like it gave me whiplash and eye strain trying to get a better look.  The description says it “holds magazines, laptop, pens, a pair of flats, and a sweater, with room to spare for souvenirs.”  When I read that I wanted to get up, wave my arms around and cry, “Yes, that’s me!  That’s exactly what I need!”  My wallet immediately suspected that something was amiss, and when I went to look for it, it was gone.

Ahh, but a girl can drool dream, right? 

Your Best Face Forward! {Giveaway CLOSED}

When I was 16 years old, everyone thought I was so much older than I actually was.  People made comments about it all the time (“Oh my GOODNESS you’re ONLY 16?!  Wow, are your parents in trouble!”), and occasionally men in their late 20′s would ask me on dates or worse, make inappropriate comments to me or in my direction.  My mom, being the good mom that she is, would shoot them dirty looks, quickly usher me away, and tell them in a growling voice, “she’s only 16!”.  Naturally, I didn’t mind looking older than I was at 16, because it worked to my advantage! (And, since my mom is BOUND to read this, we’ll leave that at that. Ahem.)

Somewhere around hitting 21 years old, everything changed, and suddenly people started thinking I was much younger than I actually was.  I remember being asked for ID while buying a lottery ticket (WHAT?  Somebody’s gotta win, right?!), which simultaneously surprised and irritated me since I had been able to buy lottery tickets for 3 years at that point.  It got progressively worse, at 22 years old people would ask me if I had considered where I was going for college yet – though in actuality I was a college senior and newly married.   At 24 years old and 8 months pregnant, I had several different instances where people looked at my belly in shock and horror and flat out asked “How OLD are you?!”  (My response?  “You first!!  How old are YOU?” with a sweet smile that told them to BUTT OUT.)

So, it seems the gods of aging or anti-aging have smiled upon me for most of my young adult life.  I’m not silly enough to think this will go on forever though, nuh uh.  I’m doing my part to take care of my skin and body so that I can prepare for the years ahead of me with a fanatical beauty routine that focuses heavily on skincare.  There is a new product on the market called Tripeptinon – a small capsule of liquid that combines 17 amino acids to address your skin’s surface issues as well as underlying issues such as supporting and connective tissue in your face.  Applied as the very last facial skincare step at night during a 6 week regimen, Tripeptinon is being celebrated as THE best way to have youthful skin – kinda like a face lift in a capsule. Here’s the thing though, you don’t have to be *ahem* OLDER to use this stuff.  No matter your age, your skin is constantly exposed to elements that are working against it, sun, wind, toxins in your environment, etc.  That means that no matter your age, you’re at the perfect age to take care of your skin.

Win it! I have a 6 week supply of Tripeptinon to give away to one lucky CSC reader!  To enter leave a comment for me on this post, and I’d luff you forever if you could say something with a bit more effort than “I wanna win.” or “enter me”.  Oh, and I have final say over what comments qualify as effort.  After your initial comment, every other (pertinent) comment left on this site on other posts from now through March 15th will count as an extra entry each.  You don’t need to come back to this post and tell me you commented on another post, I can stalk track you via your email/IP address.   As usual, extra entries are also available for stumbling Chic Shopper Chick (leave your stumble name), subscribing to my site, following me on Twitter, and blogging about this giveaway with a link back here.  That’s it, so good luck!

US entries only, winner will be chosen via random.org at the end of the contest. Winners are posted here, please leave a valid email address or blog address if you’d like to be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to claim their prize. This contest ends at 11:59 pm CST on March 16th, 2009.

Have Your Cake, But Don’t Eat It!

Hello all! Sarah here again with another great baby product! Have you all seen how adorable Diaper Cakes are? I had heard of them, but when an amazing creation by Diaper Cakewalk showed up on my doorstep I was completely blown away. These things are precious! Diaper Cakes make an amazing addition to any baby shower as a decoration, but more that that they are a wonderful gift for a soon-to-be mom. The Diaper Cakewalk Cakes are of course full of diapers (sizes 1-2), which is a much needed gift for any mom, but they are also covered in useful baby items! My cake has wash cloths, a pacifier, a rattle, a precious stuff bunny that plays music, lotion, baby powder, shampoo, an adorable pacifier clip ( to keep the pacifier attached to the baby rather than on the dirty floor…someone is very clever out there), and more! It’s like it’s very own mom’s survival kit all wrapped in a perfect package!

Diaper Cakewalk goes the extra mile to make them an easy choice when ordering a diaper cake. First off, they have Sampler Diaper Cakes. This is simply a cake made from the top three brands of diapers. This allows first time moms to try out the different brands and find what they like best for their sweet baby! They also have Eco-Friendly Diaper cakes, which lots of environmentally aware soon to be moms will love. They even have Do-It-Yourself diaper cakes, which basically come as the ready made cake without the decorations and goodies so you can design your own theme! If you are on a budget or just want something small, they do have mini-diaper cakes which are just as cute as their big brothers. Did I mention they make diaper castles? They do. And they are amazing.

Diaper Cakewalk seems to have covered all angles of making the perfect diaper cake for your soon-to-be mom. Take a look at all the themed cakes over at their site as soon as you have time. I am sure you will fall in love with them just like I did!

Hippity Hoppity!

Easter’s on it’s way!  I had the same Easter basket each year as I was growing up, and I’m thinking of starting the same tradition with Little AG by buying her one of these adorable personalized Easter baskets from Pottery Barn kids.  Made of wicker, they come in 2 sizes and you can choose a chestnut or a white finish, and then you can take it a step further by choosing a lining and having a name embroidered on it.  The smaller baskets are $24 and the larger ones are $34, then you choose your basket liner and personalization from there.  You might want to hurry, some of the liners are already selling out!  (I personally like the Green dot liner for Little AG!)  Which one is your favorite?

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