2010 January | Theta Mom®

01.30.10

The Big e.l.f. Review and Giveaway

***This contest is now closed. Thank you all to those who entered. Congratulations to KTKatherine. An email has been sent.***

Eyes Lips Face, better known as e.l.f., was launched in 2004 by celebrity and beauty professional Scott-Vincent Borba. It’s been considered a revolutionary company because it creates cosmetics that moisturize your skin, giving your complexion that natural glow without breaking the bank. I reviewed e.l.f. products before and since I am very passionate about this line of cosmetics, I was excited to work with e.l.f. again!

What continues to impress me about this company is the quality of makeup you receive at such an affordable cost. You can achieve a professional and polished look with money still in your wallet! And when I apply e.l.f. products to my skin, they don’t ever feel heavy or “cakey.” As I’ve said before, I’ve tried other brands in the past that made me feel as though the makeup was wearing me instead of me wearing the makeup. I also have very sensitive skin and these products do not irritate my skin in any way, which is essential to me when choosing a brand of cosmetics.

I reviewed the e.l.f. Makeup Artist Starter Kit which has once again, surpassed my expectations. If you want to check out all of the details of the kit I reviewed, click here.

The Makeup Artist Starter Kit includes the following:

Makeup Artist Travel Belt
Travel Mirror
Mechanical Eyelash Curler
Eyeliner and Shadow Stick (black/smoke)
Eyebrow Kit
Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara (black)
Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter (glow/light)
Eye Primer & Liner Sealer (natural)
Lip Primer and Plumper (clear/natural)
Lip Definer & Shaper (nude/natural)
Translucent Modifying Powder (translucent)
Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder (blushed/bronzed)
Concealer Pencil & Brush (light)
Makeup Case (black)

ELFArtistStarterKit

This e.l.f. starter kit has everything you need to be your own makeup artist! All of the items fit into the adorable makeup case and I feel like such a pro when I wear the makeup belt around my waist! Each product easily slips into the different compartments for easy access, so when I am getting ready (especially for a Theta Mom time out) I am looking so chic! Although I would absolutely recommend all of these products included in this kit, some of my favorites are: The Lip Primer & Plumper because it is applied like clear gloss that moisturizes my lips and makes them feel fuller; The Under Eye Concealer and Highlighter because I can’t tell you how many mornings I wake-up with those “mom eyes” from being up with the kids the night before and this product quickly diminishes any dark circles or puffiness; The Lengthening & Volumizing Mascara because it actually lengthens my lashes; The Eyebrow Kit because it helps me to keep those brows in check, and The Contouring Blush & Bronzing Powder because it gives my skin that “natural” glow…You can follow e.l.f on Twitter here and on Facebook here.

And you can purchase the Makeup Artist Starter Kit for $50 here OR you can enter to win because e.l.f. is giving one lucky Theta Mom reader her very own Makeup Artist Starter Kit! What an awesome giveaway! Think Valentine’s Day ladies and look fabulous!!!

How to Enter The e.l.f. Giveaway:

Required Entry: Follow my blog publicly and tell me you are.

Extra Entries: (You must leave a separate entry for each extra entry to count and extra entries won’t count unless the required entry is done)

1. Follow Theta Mom on Twitter here and leave me your twitter name. (1 entry)

2. Become a Fan of Theta Mom on Facebook here and leave me your FB name. (1 entry)

3. Subscribe to Theta Mom via email. You must activate the subscription for this entry to count. (2 entries)

4. Subscribe to Theta Mom any other way. (1 entry)

5. Grab one of my cute buttons and add it to your website. (2 entries per button)

6. Click to vote for me at Top Mommy Blogs. Just click the banner on the right side bar and tell me you clicked. (1 entry per click – you can click up to 3x per IP address)

7. Tweet this giveaway! Just copy/paste the following: Enter to win The e.l.f. $50 Makeup Artist Kit #giveaway @ThetaMom http://ow.ly/1nR1ft Please RT (1 entry per daily tweet)

8. Post about this giveaway on your blog and link back to me. Leave me your link to show the post. (2 entries)

9. Add Theta Mom to your blogroll. (2 entries)

Giveaway Rules:

This giveaway is open to US residents only. It begins on January 30, 2010 and will end on February 11, 2010 at 9 pm. One winner with a valid entry will be selected at random using random.org. The winner will be announced and must respond with a current email address within 48 hours to claim. Otherwise, another eligible entry will be chosen. Enter as many extra entries as you would like Theta Moms and good luck!

I was provided the Makeup Artist Starter Kit from e.l.f. I was not compensated for this review. These are my own honest opinions and experience with the product.

{ 791 Comments }

01.29.10

I Have Google Magic

Since late October, I’ve had some major Google drama. The kind of drama that forced me to make the move to WordPress. If you want to read up on all of the reasons why I left Blogger, be sure to read this post. Anyway, it has been so frustrating for me the last few months because I have not been able to sign into Google Friend Connect to follow any blog. Not one single blog.

My reader was completely messed up, many were not receiving my feed and any blog I previously followed (before the Google breakdown) did not have my public profile showing. I was a blank blue square on GFC and some blogs couldn’t display my profile at all. It was a complete nightmare.

Up until now.

For whatever reason the stars have aligned and I now have Google magic!!! If I was previously following you, I magically can see your blog again in my reader! And what’s more exciting is that I see my cute little profile picture on your GFC widget. And the really good news for Theta Mom?

I can follow blogs again!!! {Insert AMEN here}

So, I can proudly welcome the “Celebration of Friday Follow” because I can actually do just that. Follow!!! Be sure to check out the blog hop hosted by One 2 Try, Hearts Make Families, and Midday Escapades and get yourself in on the action. It’s a fabulous way to meet some new bloggy friends.

And if you follow me please leave a comment and let me know so that I can follow you. And if you are a new reader, welcome to Theta Mom! I look forward to getting to know you better. Now while I have all of this Google magic, I am off to meet some new followers!

{ 118 Comments }

01.28.10

Time Out for Theta Mom Thursday

Time Out for Theta Mom Thursday is back and I am hosting this party once a month! For those of you visiting for the first time, the goal is to grab one hour of time within one month to do whatever you want…without the kids. It’s such an amazing proposition, I know! On the last Thursday of each month, post how you spent your time out (add my button from the right side bar or link to me) and be sure to stop here to link up and meet other Theta Moms to see how they spent their time out!

So I am officially kicking-off this monthly time out party! Woo Hoo!

And I must say I certainly enjoyed my time out this month. January is such a busy time for us as a family because we have a few friends and other family members that have birthdays this month. It’s always fun getting together to celebrate, but it’s just as fun to go shopping for the presents!

Remember my chotchkie drawer? If you missed that post, it really is a must read so check that out here. Well, I went to Target (one of my absolute favorites) picking up a few items from the dollar bins to add to my chotchkie collection, but I was also there to shop for the many presents I needed to purchase. Seriously, you should see our weekend calendar in January…it’s birthday party central.

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I can’t tell you how relaxing it is to be in a store that I really enjoy without reaching for a sippy cup every five seconds as a trail of goldfish speckles the floor. I don’t have to listen to the cries of my daughter because she no longer wants to ride in the shopping cart. I don’t have to argue with my son as he tries to get me to buy every single thing in the store.

Nope…it was just me, my red Target cart and the peace of mind that this was my time. I enjoyed shopping for the gifts, picking out fun birthday cards and finding cute bags and wrap to match. I even picked up an adorable shirt for myself! So take that, stranger in my closet!!! It really was a glorious afternoon, well spent without the kids.

Sooooo……I can’t wait to read your blogs! How did you spend your one hour this month? If you are participating in Theta Mom Thursday, link up and share your time out and be sure to visit some other Theta Moms as well!

I am so loving this!!!

{ 61 Comments }

01.26.10

The #1 Playground Rule

Going to the playground with my baby girl is really fun until she wants to run away from me and then I have to chase her…

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So a little break here and there is a good distraction, I think…

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Until the moment occurs when the only thing my baby girl wants to do is take off her shoes and run away again…in her clean, white socks. So I’m forced to keep her put while I manage to place her shoes on her feet for the one millionth time…

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So what’s the #1 rule when taking my baby girl to the playground, while keeping her happy AND her socks clean???

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HEAD STRAIGHT FOR THOSE SWINGS!!!

Don’t forget Time Out for Theta Mom is this Thursday! Be sure to post about your time out and come back here on the 28th to link up! If you missed that post or for further details, click here. I can’t wait to see what you’ve all been up to!

{ 91 Comments }

01.24.10

I Have a Chotchkie Drawer and I Know How to Use It

Last week the weather was cold and rainy. Simply the perfect conditions for me as my kids were driving me crazy. It never ceases to amaze me; the times when my children seem to annoy me the most are the times in which I am unable to get outside with them. It’s like forced torture with additional cabin fever.

You know the moment when you have completely reached your threshold and there is no escape? Well, that was me on this particular day.

I was done.

Truly, it was one of those days where I had enough.

So, that’s when I ran upstairs and went straight for my chotchkie drawer. Every Theta Mom needs a chotchkie drawer. You know, the one filled with useless crap that you purchase at the dollar store? It’s the drawer containing all of that cheap, junkie toy-garbage that your kids drool over because it’s wrapped and it’s new.

{If you don’t yet have a chotchkie drawer, I strongly suggest you make one. Immediately. It could save a life.}

So, as I reached into my bag of tricks, I found this beauty I picked up in one of the dollar bins at Target called Grow Capsules:

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You fill a cup up with warm water and throw one of those suckers in.

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Then, you watch your children scream and shout with delight as the capsules begin to “come alive.” Seriously, my kids were mesmerized. And there were so many beautiful moments of silence when they excitedly waited for the creatures to “come to life.”

This process takes about 4-5 minutes for each capsule…and it comes with 12 of those capsules…catch my drift? We are talking almost an hour of solid entertainment.

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