breast cancer awareness month...stila's positively pink set

everybody has that cousin.

that one person you love to see and sit next to at weddings, baby showers, or other family events, because you know they will turn a long and generally boring affair on its ear.

carmella was that cousin.

i'm the youngest of all the first cousins...so i (of course) was always the 'baby" whenever the family on my mother's side would get together.

carmella would give me hugs, offer up any candy she might happen to have on her person (she always did fyi), and play with my hair.

she always had a funny story to tell.

always.

she loved being a teacher and would tell me that, like it or not, i was going to be a teacher* too one day.

she taught me my first joke, that i can still tell today and kill with...and it's not g-rated.

she loved music and loved to dance.

she had an infectious laugh and personality.

you always found yourself smiling around her.

she's the one who named me.

as what sometimes happen with cousins, you lose touch with one another.

children grow up.

families move.

one day i received the call from my sister that carmella wasn't doing so well.

turned out the breast cancer that she had fought almost her entire life was back and attacking her body with a vengeance.

she died the next day, before i had a chance to see her.

a beautiful person inside and out.

gone.

what's so heartbreaking is that there are other women like carmella out there.

other amazing women who are losing their struggle with breast cancer, or who are being diagnosed with it, every day.

october is breast cancer awareness month.

it's your chance to show your support for those affected and their families.

this month, i'll be posting some products that will not only make you look good, they'll make you feel good too.

take the above for example.

for every purchase of this really cute positively pink set, stila will donate $1 to the breast cancer research foundation.

what's not to love about that??

head on over to stilacosmetics.com to find out more.


*disclosure: i have not purchased this product, nor was i given a set to review. i was, however, a teacher before i stopped in 2005 when i had my son. :)

things that make me blush...bobbi brown pot rouge for lips and cheeks

one morning, this past summer, the kids and i were hanging out making pancakes and dancing to some music.

just a fun weekday morning for us.

at some point, the doorbell rings and little r headed to the front door to see who it was.

he comes back in and said that i had a package on the porch.

i headed to the front door and opened it...figuring i'd grab the box quickly and come back in.

we're talking about the distance of one single step away from the door.

i step out the door and balance on one leg while holding the screen door open with my other foot.

all the while hearing my kids behind me, wondering aloud what could be in the box.

as i am reaching down to grab the box, i hear a distinctly MALE voice say "ma'am?"

yeah...you might know where this is going.

did i mention that it was morning and i was wearing only a t-shirt and my undies??

no??

yeah. 

i was.

of course the male voice belonged to the ups guy.

who i thought was long gone.

he had tried to drop off a package at the house a couple doors down and had no luck.

so he came over to ask if i would sign for it.

fyi...it's really hard to try and stretch your t-shirt over your exposed bottom while holding a package and propping a screen door open at the same time.

really, really hard.

and, in case you're wondering, it IS possible to feel yourself turn every shade of red imaginable.

every. shade.

soooooooo....that's how i get a little color in my cheeks!!!

seriously though...for those times when there is no spare ups guy to happen upon me while my tushie is exposed, or in case you're in the mood to have a little color in your cheeks, there's this blush.

well, actually two of these blushes used in combination with one another.

my favorite duo is bobbi brown's pot rouge in powder pink applied with a light hand on the cheek bone and a pop of the pot rouge in pale pink on the apples.

gorgeous and just that sweet natural color that flatters and makes you look all glowy.

they're $25 each, but last forever and can also be applied to your lips too.

find yours at bobbibrowncosmetics.com or at your local bobbi brown counter.

disclosure: i bought these myself at my local nordstrom.

clinique even better eyes dark circle corrector

"time marches on and sooner or later you realize it's marching across your face"

                                                                                           -dolly parton (steel magnolias)

lately, my children have started taking up residence in my bed...very, very early in the am.

at any given moment i will be woken up by one, or both of my kids as they crawl into bed with me.

now before you say "awwwww...that's just so darn cute jenn!!", understand that they are also horrible sleepers.

horrible.

i'm talking tossing, turning, hitting, kicking, etc.

nothing says GOOD MORNING than a swift kick to the face by a random little foot.

awesome.

what always confuses me is how someone so small can take up 3/4 of our king sized bed, so i am left with a teeny-tiny sliver that leaves one of my legs dangling off the edge.

how is that even possible??

due to the fact that i get a lot less sleep, i have become a devote of anything eye care related.

so, when the above was sent to me to test out, i grabbed it and claimed it mine...laughing maniacally.

ok, maybe not that crazy, but i was pretty darn excited.

i use it in the morning, over my eye cream, and then if needed later on in the day.

you only need a little fyi.

it has this cooling applicator tip, so all you have to do is squeeze and apply.

i do a little patting in just to make sure it's "in there", but that's it.

the sheer optics in the tinted formula can work with fair to dark skin...which is perfect so you don't have to try and figure out what color you need.

it's also said to visibly lighten dark circles by 30% in just 12 weeks.

i haven't been using it for that long, but i have noticed that it's made any darkness i might have look less obvious, without having to use concealer.

love that.

find yours at clinique.com, or your local clinique counter for $39.50


disclosure: i clearly received a sample from clinique for review, but would not hesitate to purchase this again because it's pretty darn fabulous.. 

maria sharapova did NOT cut her hair...you may sleep easy tonight

what the hell is it with celebrities posting pictures of themselves with short hair, waiting for the reaction, and then being all like it's a joke people!!!

so annoying.

well, the budding amateur comedian posted an update today on her facebook wall and here's a little snippet:

wow, when I posted those photos with the short hair I had no idea everyone would all go bananza....( my dear friends, I never actually said I cut my hair!) so for the sake of my email inbox and it's stressful 24 hours, I would like to show you the below pictures...my hair is still long...and blonde.

no maria, you never actually said you cut your hair, but you definitely implied it.

i mean...duh!

the thing that's the most shocking to me though is the reaction.

namely the backlash (i'm guessing) that she received?

i mean, were people actually going apesh*t and clogging her inbox with emails that have the words why, why, WHY????!!!! in the subject line?

seriously???

get a grip people, it's just hair.

facebook.com/Sharapova

cute (short) summer style...maria sharapova chops off her hair

how freakin' cute is maria sharapova's new cut??

the tennis phenom...who i follow (or "like" on facebook...i can't figure out that facebook terminology), recently posted this new pic, of her much shorter crop, on her wall.

i love it and i think it looks crazy adorable on her.

what do you think?