Marvelous Girl Has Moved!

Archive for March 2009

Photo by yeagleya

Photo by yeagleya

Kids will soon be home for the summer break… and they’re going to be hungry.  With grocery prices soaring you may be worried about providing healthy, inexpensive snacks for your kin. 

Just because you’re on a budget, doesn’t mean you have to compromise health.  The cost of organics is coming down.  Now when you fill your cart at the store, conventional groceries are just as much as organic and natural products.  Here are a few price points from O Organics to prove you can snack healthy on a budget:

– Blue Corn Tortilla Chips with Sesame Seeds: $2.50
– Fire Roasted Salsa: $2.50
– Italian Lemon Soda (1 Liter): $2.69
– Black Tea (16 oz): $1.39
– White Cheddar Popcorn: $2.09
– Chicken Sausage (12 oz): $6.99

Available at Safeway, O Organics offers affordable organics — everything from pretzels to popcorn and pizza to tortilla chips – all 95 percent+ organic!

Photo by aschaeffer

Photo by aschaeffer

I spoke with a womenswear specialist, Lisa Mascaro, about buying the perfect bra and what she said blew my mind!  What most women don’t know is they’re wearing the wrong sized bra.  Studies have shown 60 percent of women are indeed unaware they’re wearing the wrong size because the garment doesn’t feel uncomfortable.  Here are a few tips from Mascaro that I had to share with my marvelous girls:

 – Get Fitted!  Because we are women and we deal with water retention and hormones, it is recommended to get fitted every 6 months.  The same goes with replacing your bras.  It is something we wear every day for at least eight hours a day!  Like a running shoes, it wears too!  Go to a specialty store to get fitted, chances are they have been trained and educated on the process.

Invest in your breasts! Keep in mind, a good bra is going to be more expensive than the $20 special at a local boutique.  On average you can get a good bra for about $40.
 

Tip:  Look for semi annual sales, like 2 for’s and such.  Sign up to be emailed about promos; be the first to know so you get the best selection.  Also a savvy tip, if you like colors, the seasonal pallet will always be marked down so don’t buy them full price.  Splurge on your staple colors, nude , black, white.
 

Shop a trusted brand!  Just because Victoria has a secret, doesn’t mean she has mastred a woman’s bust line!  I love Vic for “occasional” pieces – like if I need a racy pearl thong to wear – but not everyday garments.  Shop places like Gap body and Nordstrom, which have a great selection of sizes and brands.  Both also have bra experts to give an accurate fit.
 

Take the time to try on different brands to see what is going to be best for your body.  Shopping for the perfect something takes time…so have fun!  When you feel sexy and confident in your foundations, it shows!

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Sephora

Sephora

Do you shop at Sephora?  Well you can win a $250 gift card for sharing your feedback about your experience within the company.  The survey takes about five minutes and a winner is drawn every week! 

Click here if you’d like to voice your opinion and enter for a chance to win a mini-cosmetic shopping spree!

Photo by lockstockb

Photo by lockstockb

Hilton Family of Hotels has teamed up with Samantha Goldberg, celebrity wedding planner and star of the Style Network’s “Whose Wedding is it Anyway,” to create a new wedding planning Website, “Guestiquette.”  The online wedding resource will shed light on tricky wedding guest etiquette topics, provide guidance on working with a hotel, offer tips on making out of town guests feel welcome, and offer access to the Hilton Family’s signature online group booking tool at HiltonFamily.com/guestiquette for brides to book and manage their guest hotel accommodations online.

Samantha Goldberg, wedding planning expert, is the voice of Guestiquette. The website covers topics such as:

“I’m Engaged, Now What” – Help in getting started planning a wedding including tools for guests’ hotel accommodations, an easy-to-use budget tracker, tools for guest hotel accommodations, a straightforward, manageable timeline and more.
“How to Speak Guestiquette” – Answers to common guest etiquette questions that trip up many couples while planning their wedding.
“Making Guests Feel Welcome” – Simple ways to help guests feel appreciated for being present on the big day, including tips from real brides and advice on what should go into welcome letters and baskets.

 
“Tough questions about modern-day guest etiquette threaten to trip up every bride and groom: Who gets to invite guests and who doesn’t? What do I pay for and what do my guests pay for?” says Samantha Goldberg, celebrity wedding planner and television personality. “The language of ‘Guestiquette’ is tricky, so I teamed up with the Hilton Family of Hotels to provide brides and grooms with this much-needed, helpful advice for planning their weddings.”

Brides also will have access to the Hilton Family of Hotels’ online group booking tool, which allows today’s busy but tech-savvy brides and grooms to plan, book and manage their wedding blocks (five to 25 rooms) online with real-time inventory across the Hilton Family of Hotels, with 24/7 booking access. After brides or grooms book their wedding block online, they receive a call from the catering or sales team of the hotel offering additional assistance and support. The couple also receives immediate access to a tool that allows them to review which guests have booked rooms and which guests need a gentle reminder, as well as a tool that lets them create a personalized Webpage for their wedding and include a direct link to allow guests to book their room in the couple’s hotel block.

“At Hilton Family of Hotels, we’ve seen an increase of 211 percent in brides who plan, book and manage their wedding room block online through Hilton’s group booking tool,” said Bob Brooks, vice president – eSales Strategy and Performance, Hilton Hotels Corporation. “In addition to providing couples with easy online tools to book and manage their wedding blocks, our new Web site, Guestiquette, provides them with guidance on the ins and outs of working with a hotel and making out-of-town guests feel not only welcome, but right at home.”

Photo by ElvisFan76

Photo by ElvisFan76

Summer is around the corner and this year it’s your time to shine.   I asked renowned hairstylist, Penny Doster of Hollywood And Mane Salon,  to provide a few easy steps for a sexy summer makeover.  Here’s what she had to say:

• Bangs are still around and very stylish! While angled fringe Bangs still tops the list, change it up a bit. Try different angles, blunt or solid. Make them thicker or thinner, if long enough part them down the center. Whatever it is, a slight change, bangs are always noticed – even if you don’t change anything else. It’s a great way to change up your look without too much commitment.

• The haircut craze that is still hot and going strong is the Bob, a timeless and classic haircut .  Lately we have started seeing some added length to this cut, with some exaggerated pieces falling below the jaw line on one or both sides with stacked layers.

• Get a brow wax.  Brows can subtract 10 years from our appearance- eyebrows make a difference.

• Clarify – Everyone needs to clarify from time to time and wash hair from the inside to help remove chlorine and impurities.  A great product to use is Paul Mitchell Clarifying Shampoo.

• Protect – spray on hydrating daily UV protector to protect hair from discoloration, fading and all harmful sun rays. It also neutralizes chlorine & metals.  Try Lanza Healing Haircare Swim & Sun.

• Moisturize – Nothing is worse than dehydrated hair especially in the winter.  A good moisturizer is a must for everyone.  Get Euforas Urgent Care (which is also great for sun -burnt skin) or Humectin Extreme Moisture Conditioner by Nexxus Organics.

• GO GREEN!– free yourself of harmful chemicals with the gentle earth-friendly Onesta Haircare shampoo and conditioner.  Always free of parabens and sodium sulfate, your hair will look and feel great when you use pure natural hair care products.

Acknowledge by top stylists for her hair coloring techniques, Penny Doster has 18 years of experience and specializes  in hair coloring, weaves, perms, conditioning treatments as well as prom, wedding and party hair up-dos. 

Hollywood And Mane is located in Mesa, Ariz. at 1235 S. Gilbert Rd.  For an appointment, call 480.748.1148 or visit www.pennyathollywoodandmane.com.

dr-laura-mothers-dayDr. Laura Schlessinger, the No. 1 most-listened-to female radio talk show host in America, is coming to more than 450 movie theaters nationwide this Mother’s Day with Dr. Laura Live! In Praise of Mom.  

Dr. Laura Schlessinger invites moms and their families to celebrate Mother’s Day and join her in a special tribute to the women who receive little recognition for their devotion to motherhood. Known for her no-nonsense advice on the popular internationally syndicated radio program, Dr. Laura will recount her own life as a career woman turned stay-at-home mom showing her journey from mis-conception to conception and from birth to the joys and struggles of parenting during this live stage show.

Dr. Laura Live! In Praise of Mom will run live on Tuesday, May 5th followed by a taped encore on Wednesday, May 6th at 8:00 pm ET / 7:00 pm CT / 6:00 pm MT and 7:30 pm PT (tape delayed). Tickets are available at www.FathomEvents.com and presenting theater box offices. For a complete list of theater locations and prices, please visit the Fathom website (theaters are subject to change).

 

Photo by bodgie

Photo by bodgie

WEAR TODAY GONE TOMORROW is a new national women’s clothing rental website that specializes in designer dresses, tops, jackets and skirts, from designers including Vera Wang, Etro, DVF and Tracy Reese. It provides a weekly rental system similar to movie and accessories rental websites, but instead with the highest quality, most current designer clothing, at 90 percent off retail, and with no monthly membership or late fees.

WTGT will help women break free from the cost burden of constantly having to purchase new expensive clothing. It gives the customer the benefit of spending less money while obtaining the use of more quality designer clothing.

WTGT created a revolutionary sizing system where clothing is measured, which guarantees clothing will fit, and will give customers their money back if it doesn’t. They also provides fit and styling tips for each piece of clothing, and help via toll free phone and ‘Live Chat’. Returning rentals is simple, with packaging and pre-paid postage included. WTGT uses a high-quality, odorless, organic dry cleaning process. Perc-free dry cleaning is better for the environment, the cleaning operator and the clothing wearer.

Sounds pretty marvlous to me!

Photo by eanbowman

Photo by eanbowman

So you’re pregnant or maybe you just have a long torso, either way standard shirts just don’t fit.  Nothing is more annoying than looking like you bought your clothes at Baby Gap, right?

Well, if you like the look of layering then you’ll  love a topless undershirt from Blush Accessories.  The shirt is worn like a tube top, but around the waist, and is made of a poly/rayon/spandex blend, allowing a huge amount of stretch and great support.

Unlike a tank top or long shirt, it doesn’t have straps which cause your undershirt to constantly ride up.  It stays put without having to always readjust.  Without straps, you are not limited to where the length of your shirt falls.

Topless undershirts are available for $15 on www.toplessundershirt.com. They make fantastic baby shower gifts…and Marvelous Girls get 20 percent off the price of two or more when they enter the code welovebloggers upon checkout.