Work Outfit Inspiration

photos courtesy of Tarin Crookston

believe it or not, this stay-at-home mom has occasion for business wear. whether i am meeting with Denver Post editors or pitching brands i want to look professional without losing my sense of style. the great thing about business wear is that you can keep it simple (hello, black) and add your personality through your choice of accessories. in this case, i went with a black blazer and coordinating pants, finishing with a colorful silk shirt.

accessorizing is where i had my fun. included was of course, the cool and colorful ESQ ONE^™. ESQ Movado will be keeping me accessorized all summer long with silicone straps that are comfortable to wear, sleek enough to be chic and utility enough to go with me into the pool. with it were my favorite gold bangles, delicate chain and Chimera bangle. the mint accent and gold detailing in the pocketbook helped complete the entire outfit and coordinated clothing and accessories.

once again i'm feeling like a MILK: a mom i'd like to know.

xo,

kristie

How To Clean & Sanitize your Makeup & Makeup Brushes

spring is here and what better time to learn how to clean and sanitize your makeup and makeup brushes? i am what you would call a bit OCD but my husband's a doctor who doesn't like when i self diagnose, so let's just say i have OCD tendencies. keeping my makeup and my makeup brushes clean is one of them.

raise your hand if you want bacteria, increased acne/breakout, risk of infection, herpes or any other virus your makeup can carry.

me neither.

keeping your making clean and sanitized is not only important, it is essential. for approximately $2 you can do just that. to clean your makeup you'll need: alcohol, a small spray bottle (picked up in the Target travel section for 99 cents), a small cup/jar and some cotton.

before you begin to sanitize your brushes you'll need to clean off the residue that makeup leaves behind. rather than investing in a pricey brush cleaner, baby shampoo works just as well and if you're a mom you probably have this laying around the house.

apply a dab of soap to the palm of your hand, briefly run your brush under the tap and then swirl your brush in the palm of your hand. this will gentle clean the bristles through the entire brush. rinse under luke-warm water and lay on a towel to dry.

sanitizing your brushes has never been so easy. simply pour some alcohol into a small jar, dip your brush tip in and swirl for a few seconds. wipe off any remaining alcohol and lay flat to dry. the alcohol evaporates quickly and your small brushes should take a short time to dry, however your large brushes will take a while.

make sure to let makeup brushes dry completely before using or else you will get a nasty buildup.

sanitizing your makeup is just as simple. pour undiluted rubbing alcohol into a small spray bottle. i found mine in the Target travel section for 99 cents. keep it filled constantly and sanitizing your powder/creams will be a cinch. to sanitize, spritz alcohol directly onto makeup. make sure you've sprayed enough to coat completely.

alcohol dries and evaporates quickly and will not damage your powders or creams. a few quick spritzes is all it takes to keep your makeup germ free.

last you are going to want to make sure your containers are also germ free. you can do this by soaking your cotton swab in alcohol and wiping down your containers.

as a makeup artist, keeping your products clean and sanitized is essential. let's be honest, no one wants a virus.

my intent was to only clean my eyeshadows, but my OCD tendencies got the best of me and i ended up cleaning my entire (personal) collection. *i always keep my work 'kit' cleaned before and after use

seems like keeping things cleaned isn't my only problem... #makeupoverload

xo,

kristie

H&M Grand Opening + Giveaway

H&M has announced the grand opening of a new store located at The Streets at SouthGlenn, Thursday May 30th. this announcement is exciting on so many levels.

i am a huge lover of H&M. i first discovered it while living overseas in England 9 years ago. here i was, this expat living in a land that was completely foreign and the one thing that could get me out driving on the wrong side of the road was H&M. i would travel 30 minutes to Cambridge just to spend some QT at the H&M store. it was my saving grace while pregnant and kept my little man stylish once he arrived. thankfully i have seen H&M stores popping up across the country since we have returned and it remains one of my favorite places to shop.

what's the new news on H&M opening? H&M has recently launched their Conscious Exclusive collection and garment recycling program. the Conscious Exclusive is a partywear collection perfect for celebrating the arrival of spring. Vanessa Paradis is the face launching the collection and is the perfect choice for highlighting the dramatic gowns and rock & roll red carpet style. the collection is made from sustainable materials in H&M's ongoing effort for a sustainable fashion future. 

the garment recycling program is perhaps an even more exciting announcement. with select stores providing a recycling container, the initiative allows customers to bring unwanted garments from any label to select H&M stores. in return for each bag of garments the customer will receive a 15% off voucher. return clothes for more clothes!

so why am i drooling over H&M right now? to celebrate the grand opening of the SouthGlenn store H&M has offered THREE lucky Blushing Basics readers a $50 gift card as well as a $100 gift card grand prize! the grand prize winner will have the chance to have early access to the store with me during the Grand Opening. sweet, right?!

be sure to follow the instructions below and keep those fingers crossed for your chance to win!


a Rafflecopter giveaway


xo,
kristie

Black/White Outfit Inspiration

what screams spring/summer more than white denim, rattan shoes and sheer blouses? nothing. absolutely nothing. one of my favorite looks for casual, work or evening is mixing black and white. you can never go wrong with this timeless color combination and accessories help provide that necessary color without affecting the overall color scheme. my black and white look includes my sheer animal print blouse (sleeves rolled, always!), white denim and black skinny belt. comfortable black sandals are a must since running after a 3 kids can be tiring.

i kept the color scheme in the accessories by using all silver from silver Tiffany & Co. bracelets and a black beaded necklaces. my cute and colorful ESQ ONE^™ watch by ESQ Movado adds just the right amount of color to an otherwise serious color scheme. ESQ ONE watches come in an array of fabulous and fashionable color combinations, i only wish i had more! also pictured is my beloved MAC Spring/Summer 2013 lookbook, a constant source of makeup inspiration.

what's black, white and read all over?

xo,

kristie

Missing Summer? Sparkle Nail Tutorial

you may be wondering - what's up with all the fashion posts this week so let me give you a heads up. my official title is Glambassador, but it is a fancy word for a blogger who collaborates with Glamour magazine. last month we worked together on a creating a series of posts - three different outfits featuring the new ESQ Movado watch. those posts will continue to be posted this week. in the meantime and in-between, let's enjoy some beauty!

here in Denver, summer is just a tease. with the occasional day over 70 degrees, i begin to get my hopes up and put my winter wardrobe away only to have it drop back to 30. if you'd like to dream of summer or are already in the midst of it, here is a tutorial to keep you sparkly.

*throws glitter*

i love all that glitters. i mean it. i am one of those people who believes that if you add glitter to anything, it looks better. makeup, artwork, toothpaste, frosting, car paint, jewelry...you see what i mean? i remember when i first received my engagement ring, i was driving down the road when i realized the sunshine on my ring was causing a disco ball effect on the ceiling of my car (this is making my ring sound much larger than it really is, it's modest, i promise). makes me smile just thinking about it.

during the summer months i particularly love to glitter up my toe nails and watch them shine. with the winter months here i haven't been using as much of the glitter. i thought it would be fun to do a quick and easy tutorial for a subtle glitter polish that is fun to use, even mid November.

for this look i used:

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Glitter Polish
Revlon Speed Dry Polish in Nude
Seche Vite Top Coat

first, apply a single layer of your nude polish for an even canvas to glitter up:

second, add two coats of your glitter. believe me, one is just not enough:

finish your polish with the Seche Vite top coat. (btdubs, adding so many layers makes the polish fairly thick so it will not chip as easily, but it will peel faster.)

enjoy your sparkly fingertips and think sunshine.

xo,

kristie

Casual Wear + Summer Accessories

photos courtesy of Tarin Crookston

today's outfit is one of my go-to spring casual looks. the light chambray shirt is comfortable and chic and the colored denim is cropped at the ankles for a warmer vibe. completing the look are my leopard print clogs. the clog shoe is typically a style worn during winter, however the open toe brings you into spring quite perfectly.

i accessorized with the newest addition to my watch family, the ESQ ONE^™.  it's cool, it's colorful and it has the swiss quartz precision of the ESQ Movado brand. there are twelve color combinations and the purple works like a charm in my wardrobe. i added some extra gold bangles and a geometric shaped bracelet to keep it casual without losing that fashionable edge.

no blogging sesh would be complete without my pink Mac and Cherry Coke.

xo,
kristie

Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes Review

the following post is compensated 

a few weeks ago i wrote about my experience with the Sonicare AirFloss. i think it is safe to say that oral care is important to me. in addition to taking care of my own teeth, i have three little be-boppers to watch over as well. getting them to brush in the morning is never a problem, it is the bedtime routine where everyone is tired, crying (okay, maybe it's just me) that really gets us. it seems that we speed through that routine as quickly as possible and as a result, my kids don't always brush enough.

exactly what you wanted to know about my life, right?

thankfully One Direction is not only the coolest band known to (every) man (14 years-old and under) they are also the solution to our brushing dilemma. with the new Arm & Hammer Tooth Tunes toothbrush, the special technology allows my little Co-man to enjoy some tunes while brushing. conveniently lasting 2 minutes, the brush plays the One Direction hit, 'One Thing'.

look how happy he is.

to celebrate the release of this new toothbrush, Arm & Hammer is hosting the Brush with Tooth Tunes™, Rock with One Direction Sweepstakes where one lucky winner will win 4 tickets to a One Direction concert. in addition, 100 winners will be selected to win a One Direction prize pack.

entering the sweepstakes is easy.

• create an option video of your kids brushing with One Direction ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™for your chance to be featured on ToothTunes.com. (videos are not required for entry)
• visit ToothTunes.com and complete the registration form.

you can enter up to once per week now through June 30th and the winner will be selected in July. for official rules visit ToothTunes.com.

even if you don't have kids and are a 30 year old woman who loves One Direction, you can enter. i won't judge. let's be real, Harry Stiles does have amazing hair.

good luck!

xo,

kristie

Disclaimer: I am part of the Mom It Forward blogger network. Mom It Forward and ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ partnered in support of this campaign. ARM & HAMMER™ Tooth Tunes™ compensated me for participation in this campaign. However, all thoughts and opinions are my own.