Dress rental made easy

I was familiar with clothing rental websites like Rent the Runway and StitchFix, but had never tried them. In fact, I've heard mixed reviews about Stitch Fix, like that the first shipment was fine, but then the options went way downhill. But when I had a big presentation last week and felt like I had nothing to wear, I figured I'd give it a try. I started using Gwynnie Bee, a site that mails you clothing. It focuses on sizes 10-32, but many reviews of the site say that most of its best clothing falls in the lower to middle of this size range. You can either rent it or if you love it, buy the item at a discount. I received many compliments on the 4 dresses I've received. I have purchased 2 of the dresses so far, and they were both under $50, so it seems pretty affordable. Here is the first one I bought:

and I got this one that I ended up giving my presentation in:

And I didn't purchase it, but really liked this one for date night:

It's $10 to rent clothing for your first month, and goes up after that. Shipping is free both ways via USPS and prepaid envelopes.

I'm wearing the dress below today with knee-high brown boots. It worked well both for giving tours of my daughter's elementary school to prospective parents, and for an afternoon coffee with a friend, and a birthday dinner out with a colleague.

Happy shopping!

Blowout

I gave an important presentation at work this weekend and wanted to look my best. So I took a suggestion from a colleague and a local mom friend, who both recommended a blowout.

A blowout in my mom dictionary means something very different. But it turns out a blowout is a thing you can do to get your hair washed, dried and styled, not cut or colored. So I decided to give it a try yesterday.

What do you think?

I really liked the result. But given that it's expensive, $40 plus tip, and time consuming, I think I'll save it for special occasions.

I went to Drybar in Chestnut Hill. There's also one on Newbury St. Be Styled is another blowout chain, also in Chestnut Hill, as is Blo. Finally, Hairo on Newbury seems popular.

Happy styling!

Mantra bracelets

As you probably guessed from reading this blog, I am a very verbal person. I consume writing the way an art critic enjoys art or an oenophile sips wine. I love communication in all forms: texting, literature, social media.

So it's no surprise that I wear my heart on my sleeve, or in this case, around my right wrist. I'm a huge fan of writing reminders on my jewelry, specifically bracelets. I have half a dozen mantra bracelets that I wear at least 50% of the time. Here's my first mantra bracelet that I purchased a few years ago from the fantastic jewelry maker The Vintage Pearl. If you subscribe to their newsletter, they will often send coupons.

Happiness IS a choice. It's a conscious decision to maintain an optimistic perspective, give people the benefit of the doubt, and choose to see the beauty in the mundane. I love to wear this reminder.

When I am feeling a bit anxious or worried I'm going to be focused on the wrong stuff, I put on this one.

Live in the moment. When I glance down at my purse to pull my phone out of my purse one more time, I pause. I look around me and observe. I don't really need to know what is going on in my inbox, Twitter feed, or Facebook. I have everything I need, right here. I am enough, and aren't I lucky? I wore this on my daughter's field trip this week and it helped me to embrace the chaos of dozens of kindergarteners and not dwell on any work I was missing. There will be time to catch up on that after, I told myself. And there was. I left work on Friday afternoon with 0 messages in my inbox, a rare feat for me lately.

My next mantra features a nautical theme: Refuse to sink.

I found this one on the sadly-now-defunct Mamabargains website. It's my go-to bracelet for when I anticipate a rough day. I can look down at it, take a deep breath, and say what needs to be said.

My newest addition to the mantra collection is sort of based on the popular Frozen song.

 It reminds me of my daughter belting out the song, which makes me smile. This saying also encourages me to focus on what matters most in my life, and take a deep breath and discard the rest.

I'm definitely not the only mom blogger who loves mantra bracelets. Last week rockstar mommy blogger Glennon Melton, founder of Momastery, shared a touching mantra bracelet story. Carry on, warrior.

The Bees Realm

It's that time of year again. Dry, itchy skin time. I am prone to eczema and my thin, pale skin is like paper under these late autumn and winter conditions. Both my frequent hand washing and being exposed to nothing but dry, inside air combine to really dry out my skin. I run humidifiers 24-7 in my house, and even have one at work, but it doesn't appear to have much effect.

One of the only things that improves my dry skin is an amazing local beeswax product made by my friend and local mom Heidi. She makes her own products out of her apartment in Jamaica Plain, and you can find her online at The Bees Realm and in person at local craft fairs. Her flagship product is a beeswax body balm. This rich, thick cream multitasks as a lip balm, cuticle cream, foot moisturizer, baby lotion, etcetera. The 2 oz. jar for only $8 is a steal. I am still using mine from last winter. I prefer the unscented coconut version. At night, I apply a thick layer of this balm on my hands and cover with cotton gloves. It's the only way I know that prevents the backs of my hands from cracking and bleeding.

For a portable lip balm, scroll to the end of the page for a wide selection of scents.

Heidi's latest product is a natural deodorant. I was surely a doubting Thomas, but it really works! Even if you think natural deodorants are for hippies, you should give it a try. We have enough exposure to chemicals as it is in 2014, so we don't need to go slathering on yet another on our skin daily.

Heidi con't make this product without the bees' help! Please check out some easy ways to protect the bees.

My favorite, natural, vegan makeup

I love to wear makeup. It makes me feel more put together and ready to face the world.

I searched for years to find the right products. I finally landed on mineral makeup. I didn't like the way liquid foundations felt on my face (streaky), and I loved the lightweight feel on my skin. I had avoided mineral makeup for years because I didn't think it would cover any imperfections. I'm of Irish descent and I tend toward a ruddy complexion, so I like to even out my skin tone. I was surprised to learn that Bare Minerals actually offered enough coverage. However, I still didn't love the colors, as they were too far away from my pale skin.

I found out about the local all-vegan natural cosmetic store The All Natural Face through a Groupon-like promotion. I ordered a few products, such as their colorful and sparkly eye shadows, and was hooked. They have an awesome Find your Perfect Shade mineral foundation package for under 5 bucks where they'll ship you 26 different shades of foundation so you can try them all and decide which one suits you perfectly. They also have a great mascara. I love the dark plum shade. This product has the added bonus of not leaving raccoon eyes the next morning. I rarely wash it off at night because it disappears on its own. If you can't live without your Maybeline, then pick up their oil-based makeup remover. I'm also a fan of their brow wax; one pot lasts forever. Check out their lip balms, lotions, perfumes, and face wash, too.

There is a brick and mortar store in Framingham, MA, which I've visited twice, but their shipping is so reasonable (seriously, like $2) that I mostly order online.

So, head on over to support Crystal, the local entrepreneur/founder of The All Natural Face, and tell her I sent you! As an added bonus, new customers can save 10% off your order! I definitely resemble a child on Christmas morning after ordering from The All Natural Face, especially with this deal.