Even though I skipped Ben’s season (can you say snoozefest?) I adored Emily when she was on the Bachelor, and I’ve been waiting what feels like eons for the premiere of this season of The Bachelorette.

If there was ever a Bachelorette who I feel most represents my own style, Emily Maynard is it. As far back as high school my friends have asked why I’m always so dressed up and my answer is always “I’m not – this is just what I like to wear!” I have never needed an “occasion” to wear a dress – I own more dresses than anything else – and I live in high heels. I have always felt it’s better to be overdressed than underdressed – and I suspect Emily Maynard feels much the same way. Maybe it’s the fact that we are both from the South but whatever it is – I wholeheartedly approve. My favorite thing about Emily Maynard’s style is that she can effortlessly mix in her Christian Louboutin pumps with a Forever 21 dress and make it look elegant. Of course, now that she is The Bachelorette, I suspect the price tag for her fashion will not be as much of an issue (any designer in their right mind would be throwing clothing at Bachelorette Stylist, Cary Fetman) but I can’t imagine it will vary much from the uber feminine style that we have come to know and love.

A while back I saw a few tweets about Emily shopping at Towne and Reese in her hometown for some fun accessories, and with the official promo photo that was released we are already seeing one of the pieces that she chose – the Brooke Earrings from Towne and Reese in Mint. I am dying to order these earrings – they are totally affordable at $30 a pair but sadly they are on backorder until July. I think I’ll order them anyway.

Emily Maynard’s other Bachelorette promo shot has also been making waves because of the amount of people searching for her sheer pink and green tie-dyed top. Turns out it has been worn by quite a few in Hollywood and is the Gypsy05 Gili Silk Sheer Top in pink and green. It is currently being restocked as well due to high demand! It retails for $132.

I literally stalked this episode online so that I could grab a screencap of Emily’s long sleeved blue shirtdress – how great is it? Another one of her affordable looks – this dress can be snatched up (on pre-order right now) at Solow for only $90.

While I thought this pink tie-dye shirt was cute on Emily, I instantly knew that it wasn’t a part of a pajama set – turns out it’s another piece by Solow. You can find the Solow Tie-Dye Dolman Tee sale right now at Bloomingdales for $63.

I’m totally in love with Emily’s jumper that she is wearing in the promo video for this season where she is holding Ricki. Turns out it is the Silk Sweetheart Jumper by Whitney Eve – you can snatch up the same jumper until tomorrow (May 17) at Haute Look at a major discount – normally $97 dollars down to $35. I have searched high and low for this daggum jumper – trust me, this sale is your best bet of snatching it up. I couldn’t resist buying one for myself for our honeymoon in September.

I knew that Emily was a girl after my own heart – I love all things sparkly and from the looks of this dress – so does she! I’m sorry to say that Emily’s glamorous first night gown is not available online – if you want your own version of this $6,300 couture gown you’ll have to put in a custom request with Jean Fares Couture because the gown is not currently available in the United States. I loved this dress on Emily, but I have to say my favorite “first night” dress in Bachelorette history is still the one that Ashley Hebert wore last season.

I hope that you enjoyed this weeks guide to Emily Maynard’s Bachelorette Fashion. I’ll be back next week with more clothes and more IDs for you!

Read the original Ultimate Guide to Emily Maynard’s Bachelorette Fashion: Week 1 on Chic Shopper Chick.

With approximately 129 days to go until our wedding (but who’s counting? Oh, wait. Me.) we are in the midst of the most intense wedding planning that we will probably experience. Some of the things don’t seem that exciting to me – booking hotel rooms, booking a car to take us to and from the location, but some of the things, namely choosing our stationery, is something I’ve been looking forward to since pretty much the moment we got engaged (500 days ago exactly, in case you were wondering).

I’ve been so fortunate to work with Tiny Prints since the very beginning of my journey as Chic Shopper Chick, and they are my go-to stationery company. That’s why when I began looking at ordering programs, invitations, Save the Date cards, etc. I knew that I wouldn’t be looking any further than Tiny Prints’ sister company, Wedding Paper Divas. I knew that for our Save the Date Cards I wanted to make photo magnets – everyone puts these things up on their fridge anyway, right? So, I knew I wanted them to be fun, reflect our personalities, include our website address, and hopefully incorporate our wedding colors. But, before we could even think about designing them – we needed to take photos!

At the end of February we had an engagement session with our wedding photographer, Rob Greer, in Pasadena. We took those photos to make Save the Date cards. We took some really fun photos in that session – like these:

Obviously Rob knocked it out of the park for us, so we were beyond excited to take these photos and make them into our Save The Date Cards! The biggest difficulty that we had was narrowing our choices down – we had too many great photos to choose from, and too many amazing designs at Wedding Paper Divas to select from. We considered several different options – here were our finalists:

I loved this one, but Morgan didn’t think people would want us making out on their refrigerators, and I can see his point. Also, the biggest problem with this one was that we were having trouble fitting our website address on there somewhere!

In the end, this is the one that we chose – it incorporated the sea blue of our wedding, a traditional photo, a personality photo (hello iPhones), and a fun one – we’ve been practicing our dip for the wedding day! Plus, we managed to get our website address on there, which was really important to us because almost all of our guests are from out of town – they needed info on where to stay and what to do!

We also chose to create a custom embosser to seal the back of our envelopes. I struggled with this choice a bit – I went back and forth between a stamp or an embosser – but in the end I am so, so, so happy that we chose to go with the embosser. The final look was incredibly elegant and we will be able to use it on our wedding invitations as well. If you’re on the fence about this one – go for it! You won’t regret it!

What do you think of our final choice for our Save The Dates? Do you like it? Now we have the very daunting task of choosing the rest of our Wedding Stationery. I’m in love with the very cool Pocket Folds from Wedding Paper Divas – but there are so many amazing choices that it feels a bit overwhelming. I’m definitely planning on taking advantage of the 8 free samples so that we can evaluate each invite in-person before making a choice.

Stay tuned for more wedding goodness – with under 130 days to go I know I’ll be sharing a lot more info as time goes by!

Disclosure: A huge thanks to Wedding Paper Divas, who is providing all of our stationery for the wedding. All opinions are 100% my own – I wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect for our big day!

Read the original Save The Date Cards with Wedding Paper Divas on Chic Shopper Chick.

Of course, any good adopted snail needs a comfortable place to rest his shell. So, I decided that we would build the snails a terrarium. The kids thought it was cool too – especially once they figured out how to pronounce terrarium. Say that one 5 times fast.

After school last week we headed to Walmart to drop off some prescriptions, and while we waited for them to be filled we cruised around and collected the items that we needed to make our own terrarium.

Everything you see here was purchased at Walmart. Here is the rundown of what we used:

• 1 Gallon Penny Candy Jar ($6)
• 5 lb bag of decorative stones ($5)
• Cactus Soil ($3)
• Small pot with a variety of succulents from the Garden department ($7)

We started by lining the bottom of the jar with some rocks to ventilate the soil and allow for some room for water to collect at the bottom, if necessary (I have been known to overwater my plants). Once the bottom of the jar was completely covered with a layer of stones, we moved on to the soil.

To make it easier on the kids, I dumped some of the soil into a glass bowl and used a measuring cup for them to dump the soil on top of the rocks. We ended up using about 6 cups of soil.

This is about what it should look like after you’ve added the soil – you want to leave lots of room at the top for the plants!

I chose to use succulents because they have small root systems and they don’t need a ton of water. It’s good for someone like me who either overwaters her plants, or totally forgets to water them for 2 straight weeks. For this project, I had purchased two small pots with a variety of succulents mixed together. At this point, we covered the table with paper bags and separated out the different plants from the pot. As I already mentioned, I purchased two of these, but we only ended up needing one. The other one has found a permanent home in my kitchen.

I took the plants that I separated out and placed them in the bowl with the remaining soil while we figured out a plan to replant them.

Once we had decided on our layout, we had the kids dig a shallow hole with their hands, then place the plants in their respective places. Then we just made sure each plant was surrounded by enough soil and everyone was happy with the placement before moving on.

At this point, the plants are in and all that is left to do is decorate! We chose a few of our favorite rocks from the bag to serve as decoration, but also to give the inside of the terrarium some character. Each of the kids chose a few of their favorite rocks and got to place them wherever their little hearts desired.

Ta-da! And this, my friends, is how you make a terrarium with your kids! Easy peasy lemon squeezy! I was really pleased with the result.

The kids loved it too! This was a really quick project by the way – it took 20 minutes tops from start to finish – and probably even less if you’re not taking photos with every step!

And last, but not least, meet our snails – Teach and QT (cutie). They eat tons of lettuce and apple slices and I’m pretty sure they think that they now live in snail heaven. The kids are completely fascinated by them.

We had so much fun making this terrarium with the kids, and a week later it still seems to hold just as much appeal as it did the first day. I’ve been watering the plants every other day, but after the first two weeks I plan to back it off to just twice a week. Obviously I can’t use the lid that came with the jar, so we ordered some mosquito netting to put over the mouth of the jar that keeps the snails in but still allows everyone to breathe.

What do you think – would you make a DIY terrarium?

Disclosure: This was a sponsored post by Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms. All opinions, and ideas are 100% my own.

Read the original Make Your Own Terrarium: A Fun Weekend Project With Kids on Chic Shopper Chick.

“He changed the way everyone looked at hair. Before Sassoon, it was all back-combing and lacquer; the whole thing was to make it high and artificial. Suddenly you could put your fingers through your hair!” — Grace Coddington, Creative Director, Vogue

An avid soccer player as a child, Vidal Sassoon turned to hairstyling after his mother revealed to him that she had a premonition that he would become a hairstylist. She brought him to a local shop where he was accepted as an apprentice, and he never looked back. All of the hairstyles introduced by Sassoon were very modern and incredibly low-maintenance. His hairstyles focused on dark, straight, and shiny hair that was totally free of product and cut into geometric, yet very organic shapes.

Of course, who can forget his iconic commercials in the 1980′s and the ultimate tagline – “If you dont’ look good – we don’t look good!”

I personally grew up with Vidal Sassoon products lining the walls of my shower, so I felt it was appropriate to remember Mr. Sassoon with a post. I admire him for being such a visionary, yet an incredible business man as well. Thank you Mr. Sassoon – you were and still are an inspiration.

“When I looked at the architecture, the structure of buildings that were going up worldwide, you saw a whole different look, in shape. My sense was hairdressing definitely needed to be changing. To me hair meant geometry, angles. Cutting uneven shapes, as long as it suited that face and that bone structure.” — Vidal Sassoon

Read the original Vidal Sassoon, Remembered on Chic Shopper Chick.

This is the first Mother’s Day that I’ve spent really, really far away from my sweet mom and because of that I tried to make it as special as I possibly could. Not too long ago I was introduced to Harry & David by my fiance’ who sends his father and stepmother a basket from Harry & David every year for Christmas – they even ask for it by name. So, when I was looking for the perfect place to find a thoughtful Mother’s Day gift for my mom, I immediately knew that it would be from Harry & David.

I probably spent 30 minutes on the website searching for the perfect gift, and eventually settled on this lovely Wooden Gift Tote – what do you think?

I’m sorry to say that this particular gift is now sold out but there are still lots of other lovely Mother’s Day gifts to choose from that will get to your mom in time for Mother’s Day! I especially love the Vintage Rose Gift Set, the Tower of Treats, or the Mother’s Day Petits Fours.

Don’t those petits fours look amazing? I love Harry & David because the gifts are all thoughtful, elegant, and so beautifully presented. Even if you live in the same town as your mom, a gift from Harry & David will still make her feel incredibly special. Of course, we are already Harry & David fans – we also sent Morgan’s stepmom an Apple Blossom Amaryllis plant from Harry & David this year as well – she loves to be in the garden and we just knew she’d love it.

You’ll find that all of these gifts vary in price to fit any budget, and some even offer free shipping! Just be sure to order your gift by 1 pm EST on Thursday May 10th to assure delivery in time for Mother’s Day!

PS – If you ever want to send me a gift, feel free to send me this delicious looking Strawberry Lemonade Cake. Yum!

Read the original Last Minute Mother’s Day Gift Idea: Harry & David on Chic Shopper Chick.

Designed for pre-schoolers, the app offers a variety of games that younger kids will love including: memory matching, jigzaw puzzle, find the difference between two images, and a coloring book. In addition, they have a fun game where kids are asked to make faces, and the ability to capture those moments is worth the price of the app itself. As Erika and I have begun to research more educational and entertaining apps for our kids, we’ve found that they can really vary in quality and value. Pip and Posy: Fun and Games is definitely at the top of the heap.

What? Pip and Posy: Fun and Games App / Nosy Crow / $2.99

What’s Chic? The charming illustration, delightful narration and thoughtful attention to detail make this an app worth having for your pre-schoolers.

What’s Weak? We just wish they made one for slightly older kids! Our soon-to-be-kindergarteners handled the most advanced levels with relative ease.

When our kids use the iPad we want to ensure that they’re getting something out of it. Educational apps, problem solving apps, language and math skills, letter-writing and more, we want interactive time to be a mentally stimulating experience where they can work on skills that they’ll need while encouraging them to explore subjects that might one day become their passion. That’s not always easy to find in apps made for kids; but Nosy Crow has really delivered an app that you can feel good about letting your pre-schooler play. It has great brain-stimulating games like memory, jigsaw puzzles and coloring, and it’s wrapped in a thoughtfully designed and whimsical world of Pip and Posy, a lovable bunny and mouse who transition from lead characters in the popular books into playmates in the app.

See the app in action here:

The Pip and Posy: Fun and Games App comes with the following:

• Jigsaw puzzles of scenes from Pip and Posy books
• Spot the difference game to find the differences between two photos
• Memory matching game with 8, 16 or 24 cards
• Coloring pages of Pip and Posy
• Copy the faces of Pip and Posy

Each game (except for coloring and copy the faces) has three levels. They start of relatively easily and then increase in complexity with the hardest being at level three. You can see this particularly in the jigsaw as the number of pieces increase, and in the memory matching as the number of pairs increases. This is a great way to let your younger children find success, while keeping the app fresh and engaging as they build their skill. As I mentioned, our kids, 5 and 6, found level 3 the one most interesting, as the other levels were too easy; but for younger preschoolers the app seems perfectly balanced. I wish they had this when our kids were a bit younger, as I’m sure it would’ve provided hours of entertainment. But even now, the kids really enjoy the Level 3 games.

One of our favorite parts of the app is a game where you make faces that mimic Pip and Posy, and then capture the picture with the iPad camera. You can then save it to your iPad, to email it, etc. It’s a ton of fun and we had a great time playing with it. I’m sure you’ll get a kick out of it too.

Audrey Grace making a Happy Face

Does Chic Dad Recommend?

Absolutely. The attention to detail and care that went into making Pip and Posy: Fun and Games App is apparent. It’s well done and perfect for kids 3 to 6. Pip and Posy are the perfect playmates in this well-designed and delightfully-illustrated iPad app. It really is one of the best children’s apps we’ve had the pleasure of playing with. Alex Scheffler and Nosy Crow are known for their thoughtful children’s books, and they’ve made the leap to game design seem like second nature. As I mentioned, I hope Nosy Crow continues to invest and develop children’s games and apps. Our family will be anxiously awaiting future titles. But until then, we’ve got Pip and Posy: Fun and Games to keep us all entertained.

Want to know more about Pip and Posy? Watch this brief video:

Disclosure: I was provided a copy of this app at no charge. Opinions are my own.

Read the original Pip and Posy: Fun and Games, a Delightful App for Little Ones on Chic Shopper Chick.

It’s certainly no secret that I’m a beauty product fanatic – and one look at my bathroom counter (much to Morgan’s dismay) proves it. I love trying new products and thanks to the influence of my sister Dawn, who writes a natural beauty blog, I also try to find products that are natural and not full of all of that gross toxic stuff that I know is not good for me or my skin.

A while back I was introduced to First Aid Beauty, also known as FAB, which is sold online and in Sephora. First Aid Beauty’s products are free of harsh chemicals and known allergens, including parabens, phthalates, alcohol, fragrances and artificial dyes. According to the FAB website:

At FAB we like to keep it simple. The packaging says what the products do, and the products do what they say. And by keeping our packaging simple, you can be assured that our resources and yours are spent on what matters: what goes in the bottle. FAB products blend serious therapeutic action with luxurious textures, so individuals with tough skin conditions no longer have to sacrifice luxury nor tolerate greasy creams and bland formulas.

I’ve been using 5 of the First Aid Beauty products for a few days now and I’m insanely impressed. My 30th birthday is fast approaching, so delaying the signs of aging is at the forefront of my mind. Because of that, it was easy to fall in love with the Uplifting Serum from First Aid Beauty which firms, sculpts, and smooths the skin. I personally saw results after two days of use, and according to FAB, your skin continues to improve the longer that you use it.

In addition, I’ve also been using the FAB 5 in 1 Eye Cream (yet another awesome product to delay aging, thank heavens) Facial Radiance Pads, the Ultra Repair Concentrate, and I’ve also been lucky to get a sneak peek at the new product from FAB, which won’t be released in Sephora stores until May 16th – the new Aloe+ Soothing Gel – which will be great for my entire family in the summer.

To celebrate FAB Moms around the country, plus the release of their all-new Aloe+ Soothing Gel, First Aid Beauty is having a Twitter party this Monday, May 7th from 4:30 pm to 5:30 pm Eastern Time or from 1:30 to 2:30 pm. Yours truly will be the host, and we’ll have a number of others joining us to celebrate FAB Moms like yourself, so please join in on the fun by using the hashtag #FABMom on Twitter and you might win one of five FABMom Prize packs!

Win it! FAB has graciously offered to give one of you the chance to win their very own First Aid Beauty product collection like the one that they sent me, valued at $170! This contest will run through 11:50 pm PST on May 14, 2012. Good luck!

Read the original First Aid Beauty Celebrates FAB Moms {A Giveaway} on Chic Shopper Chick.

For the first two nights we were home, I didn’t even sleep when she slept. I was afraid something would happen to her.

You’ve heard it before and it’s true – babies don’t come with instruction manuals. Baby’s first year, especially for a first-time parent is exhausting and full of questions. Even though I didn’t know much about what I was doing, I was thankful for the awesome gifts that I had received that made Audrey Grace’s first year easier – a pack and play that doubled as a bassinet for my bedroom, a swing, a high chair, and a play mat for tummy time and stimulation.

My sweet girl, at 3 months old, in her Fisher-Price Rainforest Swing.

I eventually figured out that when I needed to take a shower I would put the swing on the carpet right next to the bathtub and turn it on so that I could rinse off but still have her close by. As she grew older, I would put a few toys in the pack and play and let her sit in there and play while I folded laundry. There were hours of sweet baby giggles during play time on the playmat, and lots of messy moments in her high chair.

When I look back on those early months, there is one thing that was a constant. All of those things – the pack and play, the swing, the high chair, and the play mat – were made by Fisher-Price. So, when they reached out to me about a month ago to ask if I wanted to share my first-year experience and must-have baby items with you, I couldn’t resist because their awesome products have been such an integral part of my life.

7 days old, swaddled and peaceful in her Rainforest Bassinet by Fisher-Price

If you’ve found this post because you’re pregnant – congratulations! You are embarking on an amazing journey. If you’re searching to figure out what you need for your baby’s first year, I can help!

Here are the top 10 items that new moms say were the most crucial during their baby’s first year of life, ranked in order of importance!

#1. Swing. (My personal #1 as well!)

#2. Bouncer.

#3. Sleeper.

#4. Feeding support pillow.

#5. Carrier.

#6. High Chair.

#7. Activity Gym.

#8. Jumperoo.

#9. Breast Pump.

#10. Play Mat.

You can read more about the list, and what moms are saying about each item on the First Year Favorites landing page on Fisher Price.

As a part of this campaign, I was sent the Fisher-Price Kick and Play Piano Gym to review. This product is all kinds of awesome – here’s why:

1. It grows with your child. Start them out on their back with the overhead gym and they piano facing their toes. For tummy time the bar adjusts and lays flat. When they are big enough to sit on their own, the piano adjusts up so they can sit and play. One investment, many uses.

2. I love the mirror on the activity bar (babies are so fascinated by their own reflection, and the soft teething bird toy. Lots to look at and play with.

3. The piano makes me happy. I love music, and it gives them something to touch with their toes and get instant gratification when they do. Wait until you see all of the giggles that your baby gets out of this toy.

4. The music lasts for up to 15 minutes – so you don’t have to push the button every 30 seconds when your baby cries for more!

At 5 and 6, both of our kids are too old for this now, but I so wish they had it when they were little. They both would have loved it.

Win it! Are you interested in winning a Kick and Play Piano Gym of your own? We are excited to say that we have another one to give away, courtesy of Fisher-Price! Just use the form below to enter – and good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Compensation was provided by Fisher-Price, but Fisher-Price is not a sponsor, administrator, or involved in any other way with this post. All opinions expressed in the post are my own and not those of Fisher-Price.

Read the original Fisher-Price BabyGear is A Life Saver For Baby’s First Year {Giveaway CLOSED} on Chic Shopper Chick.

What? Boardshorts from RVCA, O’Neill, Lost, Hurley, Volcom and more.

What’s Chic? Fixed waist boardshorts wear more like shorts than the trunks you wore as a kid. Shorter lengths and classic looks make this year’s boardshorts winners.

What’s Weak? If you’re used to paying $19.99 for your Speedo, you might experience some sticker shock with these bad boys. Mostly in the $40 – $60 range.

When I moved to California one of the first things my new friends did was drag me to the local surf shop and get me to trade in my waist-hugging elastic waist suit for a pair of boardshorts. They were on to something. The fixed width waist and lack of lining make the shorts much more comfortable than a typical bathing suit, and more stylish to boot. I’ve been a devout believer in them ever since. If you haven’t tried them you owe it to yourself to make the switch this summer. Ladies, help your man out and pick up a pair of boardshorts when you’re out shopping for him for the summer. In fact, they could be a perfect Father’s Day gift.

Here are seven of my favorite boardshorts for the summer:

	Volcom Dredge Boardshort – $55 Comes in yellow (shown), red and turquoise.
	Billabong CLAS SIC – $59.50 18″ length means more leg. It’s in this year, trust me.
	Hurley Phantom 60 Kings Road Mens Boardshort – $62 Multiple colors available. Plus Hurley now has a “create your own” boardshort where you pick the styles and colors.
	Lost Blim-Blam Borwn Boardshort – $37
	Rusty Undertow Boardshort – $39.50Comes in all sorts of colors.
	O’Neill Jack O’Neill Makala – $65 Also available in Navy and White.
	RVCA Barry Boardshort – $64

So there you have it – my top boardshorts of the summer. If you see any out there that you absolutely love, be sure to share with us in the comments. And if these are your first pair, welcome to the club!

Kelly Slater photo credit: I wish I knew.

Read the original 7 Great Boardshorts for Summer on Chic Shopper Chick.

Honestly, I’d like to declare every week pajama week. Hey, it’s like college all over again!

You already know that I’m a milk drinker. In a major way. I’m tempted to go over to my fridge right this second and take a photo of the 4 cartons of organic milk that are currently hanging out in there, waiting to be consumed. I only say that I’m tempted because while I’d like to show you, if I do then you’d have to also bear witness to the disaster that is my refrigerator, and while I live most of my life publicly on the internet, some things just have to be off limits, you know? Like leftover Chinese food. Too personal.

Where was I? Oh! Yes, we love milk. I say we because my kids love it too. (Proud mom bragging moment in 3…2…1…) I don’t even have to flavor it for them to drink it (though I’ve never seen them turn down a glass of chocolate milk) they just love milk. And rightfully so, it’s just good.

If that isn’t reason enough for you, look, Salma Hayek starts her day off with milk, too!

In honor of Pajama Week my awesome friends with Milk Mustache sent me these super cool cow “PajaMOOS” (though I think “MOOjamas” works equally as well), a cozy Breakfast Project t-shirt, a breakfast cookbook (that my family is desperately hoping that I read – it came with a picture of Eggs Benedict on the front cover which set the bar needlessly high), a breakfast tray, some fun recipes, and a cow spotted milk frother. Oh and they sent me COW SLIPPERS. I have officially declared myself the coolest mom in this house.

Because everyone knows that what goes on the internet is not searchable forever and really simple to remove, I decided that I should model my “PajaMOOS” for you.

How great are those cow slippers? I like to call them “MOOshoes”. Kind of like the Chinese food in my fridge!

And one more photo of me in cow pajamas because, well, why not?

How awesome are those? Would you like to win your very own pair of “PajaMOOS”? I’ve got a fun gift basket to give away just like the one I received thanks to the folks who reign over everything Milk related. The winner will receive:

• A Breakfast in Bed Tray
• Breakfast recipes from MilkMustache.com
• A breakfast cookbook
• A mug and milk frother to perfect your morning latte
• A pair of PajaMOOs (Cow pajama pants & a Milk Mustache shirt)
• Cow slippers

To enter to win, just leave a comment below! I’d love to hear how you incorporate milk into your daily routine if you want to share. In your latte? In your cereal? Do you sneak sips of the kids’ chocolate milk? Share your thoughts in the comments and you could win a Milk Mustache breakfast basket!

Don’t want to wait to see if you’ve won? Follow @MilkMustache on Twitter – they’re giving away more “PajaMOOS” all week long. You can also check out Salma, The Breakfast Project, and our friends at Milk Mustache on Facebook!

Fine print: Contest ends May 7th at 11:59 pm PST. Winner will be chosen at random and you must leave a valid email address so that you can be contacted should you win. Winner has 72 hours to respond to my email before another winner will be chosen. 18 and older only, void where prohibited, be a nice person. Thanks!

Disclosure: I was provided a prize pack for this post. Opinions are my own. I really do drink milk. I really do drink tons of milk. You should too, it’s good for you!

Read the original I’m wearing Cow Pajamas in this Post. Happy Pajama Week! {A Giveaway!} on Chic Shopper Chick.

In my case, my two Maids of Honor and one Matron of Honor (I couldn’t bear for them not to be of equal standing), also known as my sisters and soon-to-be sister-in-law, totally lucked out. Not only do I have a self-proclaimed awesome sense of style, but I also like clean, classic looks that will hopefully give my 3 favorite girls in the whole wide world a great dress that they can wear over and over again.

Which is why, when Ann Taylor offered to dress all three of the MOH’s for our wedding, all four of us squealed with excitement. I may have even danced a little bit. Ok, a lot.

I don’t think I’ve shared our color palette for the wedding here yet – it’s called “French Riviera”. To reflect this, we decided to go with navy dresses for the women, and either navy suits or navy ties for the men. Then, I had the absolutely amazingly fun task of sifting through all of the Ann Taylor Bridesmaid Dresses to decide what styles I loved the most. I settled on 3 very different favorites, all in Navy. We will either choose one of each dress for each girl, or everyone will wear the same dress, but I feel like we can’t decide until everyone tries them on.

Here are the three bridesmaid dresses that Ann Taylor is sending the ladies so that we can choose a favorite:

Dress #1: Ann Taylor Silk Dupioni Scoop Neck Bridesmaid Dress

I personally love dupioni silk and when I saw this dress I instantly fell in love with its classic silhouette. Classy, and feminine, this dress has a self-tie chiffon sash, a hidden side zipper and, bonus, even has pockets at the seams. Perfect to carry a lip gloss and some powder, and maybe even a small camera for the reception.

Dress #2: Ann Taylor Silk Georgette V-Neck Bridesmaid Dress

My sister Danielle put it perfectly when she said that this dress has a grecian goddess type feel to it which is really romantic. I love the shirred, fitted bodice with the soft, ethereal skirt. This dress is completely different from the first, and I love them both equally.

Dress #3: Ann Taylor Silk Taffeta Strapless Tea Length Bridesmaid Dress

This might be my favorite dress out of the 3. Like the first dress, it also has nice deep pockets – if my MOH’s can’t find something to fill them with I’m sure I’ll have a few requests of my own (tissue? blotting papers? lipstick?). I’m in love with the fitted bodice and full skirt, plus the strapless neckline would look amazing on all three women.

So there you have it – I have a major decision to make here but I want to wait until all three women try them on because I think that will make a difference – so I’m trying not to get attached to one in particular. I’ll be sure to keep you posted but in the meantime please let me know – which one is your favorite?

Disclosure: Ann Taylor is sending all three of my MOH’s dresses to wear in the wedding, but no additional compensation was received for this post. I’m a huge fan of Ann Taylor and am thrilled that they want to be a part of my wedding day. All opinions are 100% my own, but you already know that – I wouldn’t settle for anything less than perfect on the big day, anyway!

Read the original Ann Taylor Makes Finding The Perfect Bridesmaid Dress A Breeze on Chic Shopper Chick.

It’s not just the exterior of the resort that is amazing – the inside is dripping in luxury as well. The Private Reserve includes 2 master suites with floor to ceiling windows, offering uninterrupted views of the coral reef as well as the Indian Ocean as far as the eye can see. It was built with the environment in mind and is created from only natural materials.

The Reserve also includes it’s own spa facilities, including an indoor and outdoor treatment room, sauna, and steam room. Just in case you need it, it also includes a private, air-conditioned gymnasium.

One of my favorite areas of the Private Reserve has to be the entertaining space – with a sunken conversation pit as well as a large dining table. I also love the large daybeds and outdoor lounging areas – the Soneva Gili Private Reserve really looks like the epitome of paradise.

The kid in me is in love with the idea of a water slide that originates on the second floor of the reserve – I think every one of my “dream house” drawings as a child included one of these – I had no idea they actually existed. I’m in awe.

And if you can find me a single person who says that taking a bath in this bathtub doesn’t seem like the best idea ever invented, I’m going to be forced to give up all hope in mankind. Ok, maybe it’s not that severe but c’mon – does this look like heaven or what?

Morgan and I have already chosen to go to Bora Bora for our honeymoon, and we are beyond excited about that, but I still think I’ll add this amazing resort to my bucket list anyway – who knows where life will take me – maybe I’ll actually get to visit it one day.

Do you think my family might all want to chip in and rent this place out together? I’d be game.

What is your idea of paradise?

Photos via the Soneva Gili by Six Senses

Read the original Bucket List Travel: Soneva Gili Private Reserve in the Maldives on Chic Shopper Chick.

What? The Perfect Mint Julep for the Kentucky Derby (May 5, 2012)

What’s Chic? Pretend you’re at the Downs with the sweet smell of Mint and Bourbon under your nose.

What’s Weak? Anything but the drink. It’s almost all straight booze, so give someone else the keys if you’re enjoying one.

The Mint Julep is more than just a Derby drink in our household. You see, the Mint Julep is just as at home in the Big Easy as it is in Churchill Downs. In fact, a Mint Julep is truly a Southern tradition, and the exact way to make a perfect one brings out heated debates and opinions from all over the south. With such a beloved drink, everyone has an opinion on whether to use Rye or Whiskey, how to crush the ice, which mint leaves to use and how much muddling is too much. With this drink, even the length of the straw matters.

Esquire captures some of the history of the storied Mint Julep:

Just about every state in Dixie had its own sacrosanct way of handling the mint, the sugar, the ice, the booze. Duels were fought. Names were called.

Brushing aside all the tedious to-and-fro about brandy, rum, and rye (before the War between the States, a true southern gentleman would be hanged before he’d let whiskey pass his lips, and even after, when standards had slipped, no Marylander would build his julep with anything but rye), it’s that mint that caused most of the trouble.

As a former barkeep myself, I was taught the key to a good Mint Julep was three things: a chilled glass, simple syrup, and lots of mint. Combine that with a great Bourbon and you were in business. But as a Yankee, I’m sure we missed out on the subtleties that make for the perfect Julep. So where better to look for that perfect Mint Julep recipe than the place that makes them famous every year? The Kentucky Derby at Churchill Downs, Kentucky. Here’s the recipe for the Early Times Mint Julep on the Kentucky Derby website:

Ingredients

2 cups sugar
2 cups water
Sprigs of fresh mint
Crushed ice
Early Times Kentucky Whisky
Silver Julep Cups

Directions

1. Make a simple syrup by boiling sugar and water together for five minutes.

2. Cool and place in a covered container with six or eight sprigs of fresh mint, then refrigerate overnight.

3. Make one julep at a time by filling a julep cup with crushed ice, adding one tablespoon mint syrup and two ounces of Early Times Kentucky Whisky.

4. Stir rapidly with a spoon to frost the outside of the cup. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

But that recipe doesn’t really go into the care and thoughtfulness that’s required to make a perfect Mint Julep. Luckily, Bill Samuels comes to our rescue. If you don’t know who Bill Samuels is, you’re not familiar with bourbon. Bill Samuels is the former President of Maker’s Mark, one of the finest bourbons made. He ran the company for 35 years, so he knows a thing or two about how to make the perfect Mint Julep. He was on The Food Network to show everyone just what goes into making the perfect Mint Julep, and you can watch the clip here:

And here’s the recipe for the perfect Mint Julep from that show:

Ingredients

4 cups bourbon
2 bunches fresh spearmint
1 cup distilled water
1 cup granulated sugar
Powdered sugar

Directions

1. To prepare mint extract, remove about 40 small mint leaves. Wash and place in a small bowl. Cover with 3 ounces bourbon. Allow the leaves to soak for 15 minutes. Then gather the leaves in paper toweling. Thoroughly wring the mint over the bowl of whisky. Dip the bundle again and repeat the process several times.

2. To prepare simple syrup, mix 1 cup of granulated sugar and 1 cup of distilled water in a small saucepan. Heat to dissolve sugar. Stir constantly so the sugar does not burn. Set aside to cool.

3. To prepare mint julep mixture, pour 3 1/2 cups of bourbon into a large glass bowl or glass pitcher. Add 1 cup of the simple syrup to the bourbon.

4. Now begin adding the mint extract 1 tablespoon at a time to the julep mixture. Each batch of mint extract is different, so you must taste and smell after each tablespoon is added. You are looking for a soft mint aroma and taste-generally about 3 tablespoons. When you think it’s right, pour the whole mixture back into the empty liter bottle and refrigerate it for at least 24 hours to “marry” the flavors.

5. To serve the julep, fill each glass (preferably a silver mint julep cup) 1/2 full with shaved ice. Insert a spring of mint and then pack in more ice to about 1-inch over the top of the cup. Then, insert a straw that has been cut to 1-inch above the top of the cup so the nose is forced close to the mint when sipping the julep.

6. When frost forms on the cup, pour the refrigerated julep mixture over the ice and add a sprinkle of powdered sugar to the top of the ice. Serve immediately.

So whether you’re in the Big Easy, Churchill Downs, or at home, now you know the secret to making the perfect Mint Julep. With that, your Kentucky Derby party is complete, and you’ve got a great story to tell your dapper guests about the sweet drinks under their nose, complete with the perfect-length straws and perfectly crushed ice. They’ll be impressed, and you’ll be known as the Derby host with the most. And if you’re up for it, you can even try out the community edition of the Mint Julep!

How do you make your Mint Juleps? Let us know in the comments. And if you make these, report back and let us know how they went over!

Image credits: delish.com, flickr4jazz, Boulder Libation

Read the original How to Make the Perfect Mint Julep for Your Kentucky Derby Party on Chic Shopper Chick.

Either way, when I heard that Walmart was introducing a new AR app (that’s ‘augmented reality’, for those of you who are clueless like I was before our resident Chic Dad explained it to me) to celebrate The Avengers coming to a theater near you, I knew the Superhero fans in the house would want to check it out. So today we loaded up the family and headed to our local Walmart where we had an absolute blast taking photos with our favorite superheros. Even the resident princesses in our family got in on the fun!

As you can see, the app has a photo-taking portion which places life-sized versions of the Superheroes next to you in the store. People in the store were looking at us like we had lost our marbles, mostly because to passers-by it looked like we were just posing with a random in-store Avengers display. Luckily, my entire family marches to their own beat and we just laughed it off. The photos are totally awesome and our kids got a huge kick out of seeing themselves with the Superheroes. I did notice that we are a bit blurry in each of the photos, and I wish that there was a way to remedy that within the app (touching to focus as I normally would didn’t seem to change that), but it didn’t diminish the overall awesomeness of taking photos with our favorite Superheros!

The app also comes with a game, which Morgan said was “actually pretty cool”. Apparently when he played it here at home, it looked like there were ships and bad guys trying to attack him in our living room. Check out the video below, which will tell you more about it:

While I think the app is pretty cool overall, there are a couple of things that I feel could be improved – namely that the app is huge, so takes up a good bit of memory on your phone, and that it takes a while to initialize – so if you’re going to use it I would advise downloading it and initializing it before you go to the store. My other complaint is that the download button on The Avengers page on Walmart.com brings you to a PDF with a QR code, which you then use to download the app. To me that entire process is a little clunky, and I’d much rather have a direct link to the App Store. Once you get past the initial download process and initializing of the app, the whole experience is pretty awesome.

If you have gamers or SuperHero fans in your home, you’ll definitely want to check out the SuperHero AR App that is available now in the app store or on Walmart.com.

Read the original ‘The Avengers’ Augmented Reality App Review on Chic Shopper Chick.

What? The HTC One X / HTC and AT&T / $199.99 w/2-year contract

What’s Chic? The big, but not too big, display, quad core processing power, retina-quality graphics, Beats by Dre sound and 8 megapixel camera are all packed inside one eye-catching white frame that should win some design awards.

What’s Weak? There are some questions about battery life and the proprietary HTC Sense 4.0 skin on the Android OS leaves a bit to be desired.

Photo by gdgt.com

Let’s get right to it. Eye candy is important when it comes to a phone, at least for me. I want it to look good. I want it to feel good in my hand, and I want to get some joy out of using it and looking at it. I want people to ask “Oh, what phone is that?” or “Can I check out your phone?” when I pull it out of my pocket. This is where the HTC One X delivers in spades. It’s a great looking phone. Not just passable, but great. It’s beautiful and the white casing is stunning. I have no doubt that this phone gets noticed, and it looks easy on the eyes. So it’s got that going for it, which is nice.

I know, it’s silly, but aesthetic is a big deal to me – so sue me. And really, that’s always been the problem with the Android handsets. They’ve been beating the iPhone on specs for the last year or so, but the overall package just isn’t there. I don’t care if the phone has 8 gagillion megawatts inside of it if looks like it was slapped together or made in the late 90′s. If you’re phone looks like a Star Tac, I’m out. Period.

But it’s not just all style and no substance. This phone packs some serious muscle. It’s got a 1.5 GHz Nvidia quad-core processor which gives it the horsepower of a laptop, along with 32 gigs of onboard storage. A 4.7″ 720p display puts it right in retina display territory with the iPhone 4. Plus it’s 8 megapixel camera and high-quality audio make it the multimedia heavyweight the Chic Dad demands out of his phones.

I’m not expert, but I know good when I see it, and the HTC One X is definitely a phone that I can’t wait to get my hands on and give it a shot. It seems like most of the experts agree. The Verge gives the HTC One X an 8.4/10 and their readers score it 9.5/10. gdgt scores the HTC ONE X an 8.5 with readers weighing in a 9.4. Dare I say it? It might just be the phone that gets me over to Android.

So let’s hear a bit from the experts, who really know what they’re talking about:

And here are the high points from Engadget’s review of the HTC One X:

There’s absolutely no doubt that the One X is a masterpiece of an Android device: it obliterates pretty much all of its competitors by giving even the mighty Galaxy Nexus a run for its money. HTC’s really crafted something special here, with a brilliant combination of branding, industrial design and user experience. This handset looks and feels stunning, with top-notch materials and build quality, the most gorgeous display we’ve ever stared at on a phone, a fantastic camera that’s fast and easy to use and a laundry list of every possible spec under the sun. Sense 4 is thin and light enough to enhance — not detract from — stock Ice Cream Sandwich. Pinch us, ’cause frankly, we’re smitten.

Ultimately, buying a One X is a lot like getting a unicorn — it’s wild, fast, white, beautiful, expensive and fickle.

Does Chic Dad Recommend?

I haven’t even seen the phone in person, so I can’t recommend. What I can say is that here is yet another phone to take a look at when I decide to re-up. We’ve got the Nokia Lumia 900, the HTC One X and I’m anxious to see what the Samsung Galaxy III looks like when it’s announced. The HTC One X isn’t yet available to the public, but if you’re ready to pull the trigger you can pre-order to HTC One X on AT&T’s site. Thanks for taking this phone ride with me. It’s fun to think about the different devices out there and see if there’s one that’s a better fit than the iPhone. Time will tell; but it sure is exciting to see some new contenders on the market.

Featured image credit: The Verge

Read the original HTC One X: The Phone That Makes Me Seriously Consider Android on Chic Shopper Chick.