Tags
Advanced Cell Renewal Night Creme, CATRICE Cosmetics, date-night, fibi & clo, jewelry, makeup, necklaces, Night Cream, PUR attitude, sparkle, Ulta, Valentine's Day
Happy Valentine’s Day, everyone! I’m feelin’ extra lovey-dovey this year, with my new lil’ guy here in my arms. Our newborn son is the sweetest cuddliest Valentine I could ask for! Since family will be in town helping with baby, I have this crazy idea that the hubs & I will be able to sneak out for a nice dinner BUT in reality, that might actually be a quick run out to the fro-yo shop 🙂 However the evening plays out, I want to make Feb. 14th feel somewhat romantical during this trying transitional period known as the newborn stage. It’s helped me to do some little things to feel pretty & vibrant these days, even if I am sleep deprived & a tad hormonal. Even if it’s just a date night in, here are some fun things I’m using to get Valentine’s date night ready…
Add Some Sparkle: I love how necklaces dress up a basic tee like magic. I’m relying on them to be a quick outfit pick-me-up when all I want to wear these days are comfy clothes. Y’all may have heard of fibi & clo, a women’s shoe and accessories brand that offers unique and eye-catching sparkly designs. As Valentine’s Day quickly approaches, jewelry gift ideas can come in large supply, but when they are affordable and on trend – even better. They recently released an all-new line of jewelry that is purposefully paired with their signature sandals. I recently got the Seahorn Necklace & the Montauk Necklace ($55 each) and am fawning over the amount of semi-precious stones on each…so sparkly!
Putting on a Fresh Face: One of the rituals I’ve tried to keep up with post-delivery is putting on my makeup. I’m a makeup-lovin’ girl, and for me, it’s something about getting ready for the day & putting on a fresh face of make up that makes me feel like normal again. Even if I’m not leaving the house, the process just helps me feel good about myself. I received a shipment of a new-to-me makeup line, CATRICE Cosmetics, and I have to say: I’m impressed with both the product and price point. 
If you’re not familiar with CATRICE, they are a European brand who just launched stateside. Originally from Germany, they are now available in 60 countries world wide and expanding to 300 ULTA locations in the U.S. this year. CATRICE is known for being a luxury product at an amazing price point, offering a wide range of complexion, eye and lip products, featuring luxury packaging, innovative ingredients and beautiful, on-trend shades.
New Night Cream: One of my favorite non-toxic skincare lines, PUR attitude, has just released Advanced Cell Renewal Night Crème, a high-performance anti-aging cream that delivers key ingredients into the skin overnight via a natural polymer time-released technology.
While the health benefits of eating fermented, probiotic foods are widely accepted in the food industry at this time, their use in skin care is relatively new. Fermenting natural oils restructures complex molecules, transforming them into tiny “superfoods” for the skin, providing faster absorption that results in healthier, younger-looking skin. Advanced Cell Renewal Night Crème uses a fermented olive oil for superior performance. –Kind of like Kombucha for the skin!
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I especially love their portability — perfect for amping up water fountain tap water when refilling your reusable water bottle. Whether at home or on the go, the convenient mineral sachets can easily transform ordinary water—bottled or treated—into a boosted beverage that may help support optimal energy and hydration. Alkalized water has also been known to help the body maintain a healthy pH balance, hydration level, and metabolism, as well as support natural detoxification.
He’ll love how razor-sharp his thinking gets with ENERGYbits and it’s all thanks to their high concentration of healthy fatty acids, plant-protein, chlorophyll and B vitamins, with no caffeine, chemicals or sugar. These tiny little algae tablets are the healthiest way for everyone to focus better, recover quick, and work smarter not harder. Show your dad (and yourself) some love this Father’s Day and feed your brain with bits. One size fits all!
The Chicago-based Backpack debuted in September and is available in two blend varieties, Cheek Rose’ and Snappy White, in four-can packs. 
They’ve just opened a plethora of presents under the tree and were drug to more holiday events than they can count. As much as we try to make them feel special and not forgotten after the Christmas chaos, winter birthdays aren’t the best. Everyone’s coming down from that yule-tide high and ready to just #NetflixandChill. After those packed schedules that come with the holiday season, people are beginning to settle back into their regular routine and at this point, are frankly partied-out.
But what to do when the dreary days of January & February have most of us ready to hit the fast forward button to Easter? My little one has an early January birthday and last year I kept it low-key for her first birthday celebration. Admittedly, that approach was due to me feeling like I was still getting my shit together has a new mom and couldn’t fathom adding party planning into the mix. So we went for something small and intimate, no guest list to manage, no decorations to fuss over. I have a little twinge of mom-guilt over it, but we ended up skipping the traditional 1st bday party in lieu of a morning of simply doing an activity she loved. We chose to spend a couple hours at 
This year, I am kinda taking the opposite approach… Thankfully it is now in my capacity to take it up a few notches for her second birthday. We’re throwing our little one a Texas “2”-Step themed party. To kick things off, we are hosting local children’s music artist 
Lunch will be catered by Austin’s famous 
The HartFelt 360 Toothbrush is the world’s first 360 degree toothbrush and revolutionizes your brushing experience with unparalleled cleaning power.
INVO Tropical is packed with 5 essential electrolytes, low in sugar and 99% fat free. With a great source of vitamins C and B, INVO’s cold pasteurization process locks in all the nutrients, giving that freshly cracked coconut experience, just as nature intended. It is never frozen, never heated and has nothing artificial added, making it a healthy beverage choice to experience the tropics without the guilt.
Austin’s official children’s museum is a wealth of opportunity for fun & learning for families with kids of all ages & stages. They put on a slew of summer camps, reserve a “Baby Bloomers” morning just for the littlest crawlers, host a number of special events throughout the year, etc. As my “Community Placement” with 
Here’s the dollar-by-dollar breakdown: the average family in the U.S. spends $740 a year on toys if they have one child, and $1,200 a year on toys if they have two children. (PRWeb.com) With Toybrary memberships at $40 per month & a year’s membership adding up to $420, the savings most families see is over $300 per year! If you go once a week, and check out 3 toys each time, the kids get to use 12 toys per month. But don’t forget, families can visit and exchange toys as often as they like.
We recently had the special opportunity to shoot our family holiday photos at 
Although it’s private property and you do need an appt./permission to shoot there, I spoke with the owner at length before our session & he is opening it up as much as he can for photos. The venue (his home) is his labor of love and called it like a cultural center…holding weddings there is donation-based, for example.
It’s sad, really: due to some city zoning issues & complaints from neighbors, it’ll probably get all torn down and turned into condos soon. You can read more about the plight of the our community’s “secret theater” 
Today, I’m sharing photos from inside the greenhouse, but more moments from the rest of our shoot will be shared here on the blog & 
Thrive are made up of a superfood ancient grain blend, are all less than 200 calories and provide plant-based protein, essential fatty acids, and prebiotic fiber to fuel your body and mind. Like all GoMacro products, Thrive are USDA-Certified Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified, Kosher, Gluten-Free certified, 100% Vegan, and soy-free. Thrive is currently available to purchase online and will become available at Whole Foods Market locations this month. *Special discount for Blog Joie de Vivre readers: Use code Thrive30 for 30% off of your purchase for Thrive at 
A healthy alternative to other fattening dips on the market, HOPE makes a terrific snack for the whole family. Eat it with pita chips, vegetables or try one of their 
Lightweight and long-lasting (no refrigeration necessary), the all-natural, Non-GMO Project-verified snack is ideal for Halloween, but also perfect for school lunches and extracurricular activities for kids (and parents) constantly on the go. There are NO skeletons in the closet here – Crispy Fruit has no cholesterol or fat, no added sugar, is free of additives and preservatives, is nut-free, Kosher certified and has a long shelf life. Crispy Fruit is available online and in retailers such as The Fresh Market, Harris Teeter, ShopRite, Safeway and selected Whole Foods Markets.
This event will also celebrate the launch of Taco Cabana’s month-long fundraiser, Taco Treat, to benefit the 
Blog Joie de Vivre 