Thankfully though, the procedure itself was easy and I saw incredible results with CoolSculpting® after just one visit.  After a consultation with the doctor to choose my problem areas, I scheduled my appointment and went back to have the “procedure” done.  They lay a cool gel pad over the area to be sculpted, line up the machine, and then they turn it on.  It sort of pulls your skin tight and sucks in all of the…ahem…loose areas of your body.

CoolSculpting literally traps the fat between two freezing plates for a certain amount of time, freezing the fat cells and allowing them to die off and eventually leave your body.  What I’ve noticed is that after the procedure you don’t feel anything (except a little numb in that area – almost like you had Novocain in your stomach – you don’t feel anything!) except a little tingling.  A few days later I was in some pain, but nothing that kept me from doing my everyday activities.  I told myself that the pain that I was feeling were the fat cells shriveling up and dying, so that pretty much made me feel better.

The machine looks like the photo below.  I was set up on a comfy table with lots of pillows, and they even covered me with a warm blanket during the procedure.  For a busy mom, it was actually kind of peaceful!

I had the procedure on my bra rolls, my tummy, and my thighs.  I saw the greatest change in my tummy and I wish I had the opportunity to go back for a few more treatments before my honeymoon.  The areas on my back and my thighs did not hurt during the procedure at all, though I did feel some (bearable) pain a few days later.  However, when they put the machine on my tummy for the first time I felt like someone had knocked the wind out of me.  I’m so thankful to the amazing nurse in the room with me, Ashley, who kept telling me that after 5 minutes it would stop.  She literally stayed in the room with me and helped to distract me during those rather uncomfortable 5 minutes and at 4 minutes and 45 seconds the pain completely disappeared.  I sat through the rest of the treatment sipping on a diet coke and watching the Bachelor on Hulu.

Not bad, right?

Check out this video below:

If you want to find out more about CoolSculpting you can check out their Facebook page – where I’m sure other patients who are very happy with their results are posting as well.

Want a chance to win a CoolSculpting treatment for yourself?  (The answer is YES, I promise!)  Fill out the form below to enter – and the folks at CoolSculpting will choose one lucky gal (or guy, I suppose!) from across the 14 blogs on this blog tour to win a treatment!  I’ll cross my fingers that it’s you!

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post on behalf of CoolSculpting. However, all opinions are my own.  Trust me, after having this procedure done personally I would not still be endorsing it if I wasn’t completely impressed with the results.  

And that is hardly an exaggeration.

Years of sucking my thumb as a child gave me protruding teeth and made me feel, and look, pretty much like a walrus.  Go ahead, laugh.  It was more sad than funny, though, I assure you.

So after 3 years of wearing odd contraptions on my head (oooh, fun, remember headgear?) and having a mouth full of metal, my braces came off when I was 14 – at the very beginning of my Freshman year.

Turns out, I had a pretty fantastic smile after all.

Ever since that day, I’ve gotten compliments on my smile.  I remember the week I got my braces off, a sweet lady in the checkout line at the grocery store turned to me and told me I had one of the most beautiful smiles she had ever seen.

I’ve gotta admit, it kinda went to my head.

On that day I realized what a powerful tool my smile could be.  My smile gives me confidence, and let’s face it – it’s rather disarming. Smiling at someone when they least expect it really knocks them off of their game – and gives you a significant tactical advantage.  (Sorry, I’ve been watching re-runs of 24 again – words like “tactical” seem to be making their way into my everyday speech.)

All joking aside, I’m proud of my smile, and of my teeth – and I like to take care of them.  So when BlissTV and Crest 3D 2 Hour Express Whitestrips came to me and asked if I was willing to talk about my smile on camera, I said yes.  In part because I can 100% honestly say that both my fiance’ Morgan and I use Crest Whitestrips religiously (we have occasionally been known to have a conversation wherein we try to figure out who has the whiter teeth – we are SO a match made in heaven) but also because I’m a big ham and I enjoy sharing my hamness with the world.

One final note:  The Crest 3D 2 Hour Express Whitestrips are awesome.  Perfect for a last-minute occasion, job interview, etc.  Thank you to Crest for sending a box over to us.  Morgan and I ended up in one of those “who has whiter teeth” debates to see who would be allowed to try them out (like I said, Whitestrips are a HOT commodity in our house) and because of my propensity to drink coffee all day long, I totally won.  I think that might be a bad thing, because it means my teeth were in more dire need, but c’est la vie.  All I’m saying is, these things are awesome and I will be heading out to buy another box this week.  This time for Morgan.  Because you know, now I’m the one with the much whiter teeth.

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post on behalf of BlissTV and Crest 3D Express Whitestrips. As a reminder, I only endorse things that I truly believe in, because keeping the trust of my readers is the only way this whole blogging thing works.

image via

One of the most well-done and highly anticipated designer collaborations is on its way….Missoni for Target! Arriving in stores September 18, the zigzag-clad offerings will include items for men, women, kids, and home. Did I mention there are accessories?

Scarves!

Rain boots!

Totes!

Laptop cases!

Cosmetic bags!

Luggage!

This is sure to be one oh-so-chic collection. To shop the new Missoni collection, head online or plan to get there early-what’s your strategy for getting first dibs on Target designer collabs?

I am so excited….O M(issoni!)G!

tunic, jeans, tank, shorts, blouse, jeans
sunnies, polish, sandals

Note from the Erika: I had NO idea she was planning to write this – but thanks so much Kat! xo

DIY sparkle polish, coral polish, nude polish, mint polish, neon polish

Nail color trends are ALL OVER THE PLACE this Spring. Light, bright, dark, subtle, textured-you name it, and someone is rocking it. Nudes are still carrying over from those shades of greige we saw all last year while corals are a simple and classic way to welcome in warmer weather. Neon hues are best suited for the free spirited fashionista (or toesies!!), but if you want to experiment with color in an more grownup way, try a pastel shade like mint green. The textured trend is definitely for the more patient painter, requiring layers of different polishes to achieve the final effect. The best part about nail polishes is that they can be easily changed and you can try a ton of different looks for very little cost. So go out on a limb and try a trend that’s a little more out there than usual-you’ll be glad you did!

Every now and then Lifetime offers to send me a screener for a new show as a part of my role as a Lifetime Mom. Just reading the title for their newest unscripted show (that means “reality show”, y’all) Glamour Belles made me giddy.  The title pretty much told me I all needed to know – I’d love it.  For those of you not as convinced – here’s the recipe for Glamour Belles.

1 hearty dose of a hilarious Southern woman named Paige, who owns Joann’s, a dress shop

Add a dash of her mother, Joann, the store’s original owner, who has a penchant for leopard print

Mix in Jared, the store manager and the man that Paige calls her “gay work husband”

Top with a sprinkle of colorful customers, from brides and beauty queens aged 7-70

And BAM! Glamour Belles.

Trust me.  It will give your current favorite show a run for it’s money.  Warning: don’t watch this show if you don’t like to laugh.

I’ll admit that the night that I sat down to watch the screener I was grumpy.  It was late, my daughter had gone to bed later than expected, and I could feel the weight of several deadlines pressing down upon my shoulders.  By the time it was over, I had tears streaming down my face from laughter and was desperately pushing the menu button on the DVD player remote, hoping to God that there was an extra episode.

There wasn’t.  I have to wait 2 more weeks to see the 2nd episode!  Ack!

Check out the 30 second trailer below if you don’t believe me. It will definitely leave you giggling!

Check out Glamour Belles this Wednesday, April 6th, at 10 pm/ 9 pm CT on Lifetime. Guaranteed to cure all grumpiness.

“Try to go at least 3 days without washing” the stylist-in-waiting said. She added “it’s better for your hair”.

The princess had a dilemma.  Her scalp was a bit oily, and sometimes on the third day it looked a bit, well, yucky.

The stylist-in-waiting introduced the princess to a new product that she found in a far off kingdom called “dry shampoo”.  It cost the princess a small fortune to have it imported to her kingdom, but it was worth it – it helped her to avoid that 3rd day ponytail, and allowed her to leave her locks long and flowing.  It weighed down her hair a bit, and by the 4th day her hair felt more like a helmut than hair, but she was happy to make that trade – it was better than oily hair.

Then one day, a new product appeared in the princess’ kingdom, a new dry shampoo by Suave Professionals. Because it was local, it was less expensive for the princess.  She was eager to try the new, more affordable dry shampoo, but she had her doubts.  Could anything possibly replace her over-priced, exotic imported-from-another-land dry shampoo?

It turns out, it could.

Even better, the new Suave Professionals dry shampoo didn’t turn the beautiful princess’ hair into a helmut – it was lightweight and still looked like the day she washed it, even on the third day.  If the princess wasn’t so vain, she may have even admitted to using it to make it to a record-setting FIVE days (and even then only washed her hair out of a feeling of obligation, not because of the way that her hair looked).  But don’t worry, the princess is too vain to admit to such things, even if they were true.

In the end, the princess rejoiced because frankly, her hair took a lot of work, and the new Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo took a major bite out of her daily prep time.  She was happy, and able to spend more time with her subjects in the kingdom, and less time in front of a mirror.

Thanks to Suave Professionals Dry Shampoo, the princess and her amazing head of hair were able to live happily ever after.

The end.

Oh, and seriously, check this stuff out.  It’s amazing.  Even Emily Rossum is crazy for it!

Disclosure: Suave Professionals sent me the new dry shampoo, hairspray, and mousse to try out.  I received no other compensation for this post – this stuff is just simply amazing. Everyone should have a bottle under the sink, ready to go.

The first time I saw Megan Fox, I sat in the darkened theater in awe of how beautiful she was.  I have always loved her makeup, as makeup artist Kandee Johnson so aptly described her as having the “pinup girl” look.  If you’re looking to play around with your look, and do something fun a la Katy Perry or Megan Fox, try watching this great tutorial from the awesome Kandee Johnson.  She posted this a while back but it’s one of my favorite looks (and looks sexy on any woman) so I thought I would share!

Interestingly enough, it seems like you have to put on a lot of makeup to pull off this “not-a-lot-of-makeup” look, but that is often the case.  As one makeup artist once told me on a commercial shoot – sometimes we put makeup on before we can take it back off to get the look we desire. So true!

Enjoy!

flutter sleeve dress and printed top at lulu’s
waisted dress at modcloth
panel dress at urbanog
blouse at urban outfitters
wedges at nordstrom

My favorite color this Spring? Coral! It’s fun, bright, and cheery-it can spice up the simplest of looks. Ranging from a deep reddish hue to orange-y, to teetering on the edge of hot pink, coral’s many incarnations make it wearable for absolutely anyone.  Feeling bold? Throw on a fun and flirty dress. Spice up your work wardrobe with a silky blouse. Not sure if you’re crazy about coral? Pop it into your look with a great shoe. No matter how you wear it, you’re sure to love it!

purchase feather hair extensions here and more feather hair extensions here

In my last post I introduced you to CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ – the non-invasive way to reduce fat in problem areas.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to go for a consultation to see just what this procedure was all about.

I arrived at the Dr. Kinsley’s office (which felt more like a spa, to be honest) and was given a robe and ushered into a comfortable room with a full length mirror.  Before I knew it, I was laughing and talking about my daughter and my life while standing in my bra and panties in front of the mirror, discussing parts of my body that I was not too…ahem…fond of.  I’m relatively modest, but Dr. Kinsley’s staff put me at ease immediately.

They more fully explained the process to me – about how the machine freezes the area to 12 degrees below zero, literally reducing and eliminating the fat cells in that area.  Cool fact about fat cells?  Once they are gone, they don’t come back!  The size of your already-existing fat cells can increase, but the ones you are targeting are gone and gone for a lifetime.   Of course, I had already done a fair amount of research – like reading this Marie Claire article about it, and watching a video of the procedure being done on Dr. Oz.

Where can I sign up?

I am somewhat shy, so I’ll refrain from telling you ALL of the places that I qualify for CoolSculpting, but let’s just say that it’s enough to make me feel like I will look like a new woman.  I’ve scheduled my appointment to try it out for next week, so I’ll definitely update you to let you know how it goes.  All of the women in Dr. Kinsley’s office have tried CoolSculpting and rave about it – including Dr. Kinsley herself – so I feel much more at ease going into it.  Basically I’ll be sitting for an hour for each problem “area” and hanging out, reading my kindle or watching a movie while the machine works it’s magic.  It must be pretty popular, because it was difficult to find a time in the near future when I could get an appointment – the office manager told me they have a steady stream of clients who are eager to try CoolSculpting.

So now I’m excited.  I am constantly aware of my weight and my body, but I struggle to get the look that I really want because of those pesky areas that I can’t stand.  Now I feel like when I get married sometime this year or next, I will have the sexy physique that I’ve always dreamed of but really thought was unattainable.  You can bet I won’t be wedding dress shopping until AFTER my treatment!

Don’t forget that you can win your very own CoolSculpting treatment for you and a friend on the CoolSculpting Facebook page!

Go check out the contest and enter to win.  As a bonus, if you enter, come back here and let me know in the comments, and I’ll enter you to win a brand new Flip Cam HD – so you have an extra chance of winning!

Disclosure:  This post was sponsored by CoolSculpting by ZELTIQ, but all opinions are my own.  For more information, check out my disclosure policy.

Don’t you love how some people try to make sweating sound all awesome – like they say you’re “dewey” or “glowing” instead of “jeez, you’ve got water pouring off of your forehead”.  Don’t worry, I don’t buy the glamour of it all.  Not in the least.

Of course, I’m not a big fan of working out in general.  The idea of it pains me – I feel like it should be a lot easier than it is.  I generally feel very accomplished when it’s over, but the whole process of getting in my gym clothes, putting on tennis shoes, and going to the gym is somewhat off-putting.  It seems like 3 hours of work for a 1 hour workout.  I write from home, people.  I’m a BLOGGER.  Getting dressed up and leaving the house reminds me just how agoraphobic I can be.

All of this to say that Walmart and Microsoft sent me an Xbox 360 with Kinect last week, plus a copy of Your Shape for the Kinect and I LOVE it.

Yoga in my pajamas? Yes, please.

Kickboxing at 2 am to blow off some steam and wind down? Yes, please.

Not counting every. single. calorie. burned because I’m having too much fun to care? Yes, please.

Sweating in the privacy of my own home, not next to a former student at the gym? YES, PLEASE.

Your Shape for the Xbox 360 with Kinect may have changed my life.  If that sounds dramatic, then good.  I meant it that way.  It certainly helped me to drop those 2 extra pounds this week.  5 down, baby.  10 to go.

How are your 2011 fitness goals shaping up?  Share with me in the comments!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms.All opinions are, and always have been, my own.

Essie, the long-praised and loved-by-every-celebrity-on-the-planet polish has released a second line in addition to it’s salon line, and that is a retail line being sold at Walmart. Oh yeah, Walmart.

I’m a long time Essie fan, and I’m certainly a beauty product FAN-atic, so having access to to my favorite line right here in my neighborhood Walmart is a home run.

Thank goodness for my new Essie polishes, by the way, because I had stashed “Fishnet Stockings” in my bag on my flight out to California for New Years and polished my nails on the plane (oh yeah, people LOVED me for that one).  I even took this really cool pic and posted it to Instagram:

Turns out that it’s a lucky thing that I gave myself that plane-promptu manicure, because the next day I had even more of a reason to show off my hands!

So clearly, Fishnet Stockings will always hold a very special place in my heart!  Which brings me to the polish itself!  Though it’s less expensive than the salon line, I don’t find any change in the quality of the product.  It’s the same great color and brand that my fellow Essie lovers have grown to know and love.  You can find your favorite shade at Walmart.com or in a local Walmart store for under $8 a pop – which is pretty phenomenal in my book!

The color stays on for about 4 or 5 days before I find that it begins to chip, though applying a fresh coat of clear top coat every other day seems to extend the life of the polish by a few more days.  All of the colors came off pretty easily with nail polish remover, with the exception of my new favorite, the red you see above.  However, this is very typical of almost ANY red polish, so I wasn’t surprised to have red cuticles for a few days after removing it – as a matter of fact I pretty much expected it.

Check out my video review below where I confess to you my addiction to nail polish!  What are your thoughts on this new line?  Do you have a favorite shade?  Leave me your thoughts in the comments!

Disclosure: This is a sponsored post for Walmart as a part of my role in the Walmart Moms.All opinions are, and always have been, my own.