May 10, 2012 / 3 Comments
My 26th birthday was on Tuesday, and I celebrated early by having my hair done. Sebastian and I spent the weekend with friends, and my sister Natalie, for a pro hair & makeup job as well as a play date. I enjoyed hanging out with my lovelies and chopping off a good amount of hair! I didn’t plan to lose quite so much length but I can’t resist the dramatic when it comes to changing up my look! Plus I know my new cut will look killer as it grows out.
I’ve already received lots of positive feedback on social media, but here are a couple of photos from our hair date day:
Hair before and after. I feel that the shorter length is more flattering at this point on my slow & agonizing post-partum weight loss journey, but that’s another post for another day.
Halfway through my makeup job. Definitely not an everyday look! But it is really fun to look flawless even for one evening. (Even if that evening is just going back home with your husband and toddler.)
My sister & Ginger, while new chocolatey hair color sets.
Who looks older? – My lovely sister “Aunt Nattie” lives about an hour away and we don’t see her often enough. Sebastian adores her and we look at her photo often.
A quick photo before saying goodbye. (Excuse the redeye.) Superman on the left with the mismatched socks is Ginger’s daughter Ophelia. The kiddos are about a year and a half apart.
On my actual birthday day, we had homemade burgers and store-bought red velvet cake. I have to confess, I think that watching Sebastian tear into the cake was my favorite part! Donny also bought me flowers. A simple & perfect day.
If you are in the Portland area and need your hair done, please check out the Devil’s Haircuts Facebook page or contact me directly for help setting up an appointment. Ginger also provides hair and makeup for events. This summer I believe she will be offering waxing and lash extensions as well.
Categories: Look of the Day / Tags: hair, makeup
May 07, 2012 / 43 Comments
Bravado is probably my favorite breastfeeding company. I love that they sell only nursingwear – There is a place for pumps and compatible bottles, but I dig that Bravado focuses on fostering a skin-to-skin breastfeeding relationship above all. Their site includes a good amount of helpful breastfeeding info, and I love that they have a specific section dealing with the first six weeks of breastfeeding, which I found to be hands-down the most difficult period as a new mom.
I recently reviewed the Bravado Sublime Nursing Bra. The Sublime is a sexier bra, with elegant satin and gorgeous lace detailing, but still offers easy, full nursing access. Equally beautiful and functional, the Sublime Nursing Bra would make a fabulous Mother’s Day gift.
The Sublime isn’t as quite supportive as the Body Silk Seamless nursing bra I reviewed before, but it isn’t designed to be. I would choose to wear the Sublime underneath a slinky tank top or blouse, whereas the Silk Seamless would be better under a t-shirt. I’d recommend the Sublime for a mama who has established breastfeeding, doesn’t leak much and is ready to feel sexy again. It would also be a great maternity bra. Honest to blog, I love Bravado bras enough to wear even when not pregnant or nursing. So comfortable!
Sizing for Bravado nursing bras is really easy and customer service will assist you if needed – I’ve reviewed two Bravado nursing bras now and they both fit perfectly. For a new or busy mom especially, being able to simply place an order online confidently is a big deal.
(I reviewed the matching Sublime bikini panties as well, and for those I would recommend sizing down! I am definitely not lacking in the butt department, so given as the options are S/M or L/XL, I assumed the largest size was a no-brainer. Unfortunately I was wrong and they are too big for me. If you’re on the fence for Bravado undies, definitely go smaller.)
Bravado offers a variety of perfect bras for breastfeeding, nursing tanks in a variety of fun colors, and reusable breast pads.
Bravado 20th Anniversary Giveaway
This year, Bravado is celebrating their 20th anniversary of helping moms with breastfeeding tips and superior nursingwear! To celebrate, they are giving away two nursing bras (of your choice!) and a tank – Choose from three super easy entry options and enter here.
Win a Sublime Nursing Bra from Alternative Housewife
Enter here (on this post) to win a Sublime Nursing Bra from Alternative Housewife! Leave a comment for each entry below – Be sure to leave a separate comment for each entry.
Entry Options:
* Mandatory entry: Either follow Bravado on Twitter or like Bravado on Facebook (You may do both for one entry each.)
* Sign up for the Bravado newsletter
* Follow Alternative Housewife via RSS feed
* Like Alternative Housewife on Facebook
* Tweet about this giveaway (Include a link to this post. You may tweet once per day.)
* Share a link to this post on Google+
* Share a link to this post on Facebook
This giveaway is hosted by Bravado and is only open to CA/US residents (Quebec/Florida excluded, sorry).
Giveaway ends Mother’s Day, May 13th, at midnight PST. Winner will be chosen randomly and contacted by me, so be sure to leave a valid email address with your comments. (Email addresses will not be published.) I have received products from Bravado for the purpose of this review but all opinions here are my own – I genuinely love this brand!
Categories: Baby Beluga, Product Reviews / Tags: breastfeeding
May 07, 2012 / 0 Comments
G&L Clothing is your source for work and outdoor clothes in the top brands, including Levi’s and Carharrt. They don’t have women’s Levi’s, or skinny styles I’d love to see, but they do have straight-leg and other Levis jeans for men at great prices. They also offer Dickies clothing, which I’ve been a fan of since high school – Perfect work pants! Black or khaki Dickie’s are the perfect pants for lots of wear whether you work outside or at a retail job with a uniform. They are surprisingly flattering as well.
The items featured on G&L Clothing are primarily high quality work and outdoor gear. We camp at least once a year and I’m loving on the Carhartt hats and other accessories for kids and keeping warm. Outdoor events are really popular here in Oregon, but much of the state is very cold at night even during the summer months. I am particularly sensitive to cold and looking cute (and ideally not too bundled) while staying warm is beyond important to me. My guys love cool weather but I simply cannot have a good time if I am not warm!
G&L offers easy product tracking and returns, and shipping is free for orders over $100.
Categories: Uncategorized / Tags: sponsored
May 04, 2012 / 0 Comments
I’m on quite a home design kick right now. I’ve been DVR-ing The Nate Berkus Show everyday to watch while the kiddo naps, spending more time on Pinterest, and stalking my mailbox daily in anticipation of this year’s IKEA catalog. We’ve been really trucking away at the inside of our apartment, building a small gallery wall arrangement in the living room and finally purchasing a cozy little dining table this week! I really want to become “house proud,” to really enjoy our small family apartment and entertain more often.
As the weather warms up, I’ve been turning my efforts toward making the outside of our home pretty as well. We rent, but are lucky enough to have a sizable patio space. Along with planning for a container garden with a mix of flowers and edibles, I’ve been bookmarking cute and clever ideas for displaying house numbers, such as personalized address plaques. In our case, I’d like to display our apartment number more prominently, like we own the place. 
Along with lots of DIY options, there is a website that sells just residential address plaques. Especially when renting, every little bit of personalization counts, and custom address plaques are a great (and very affordable) way to embrace your space.
Categories: Home Design / Tags: sponsored
© 2012