Make-Up Monday: I'm Lovin' LASHES

Anastasia Steele snagged Christian Grey's heart by constantly looking at him through hers... Iconic movie stars always had long, thick fringes... yes - I'm talking eyelashes. 

Longer, thicker, non-clumping eyelashes can be all your need to finish off your look - or all you need at all to look your best. Think about this. Currently, women in the US spend 7 billion dollars on make-up each year; Breaking it down, the average woman will spend over $13,000 on make-up in her lifetime - with over $3,000 dedicated to MASCARA alone.

We have a thing for lashes. As we should. Our eyes are the portals to our souls - don't we want our souls to be dressed properly? 

So, how does a girl get fabulous lashes?

Masacra and Lashes by hipmamab featuring shu uemura

Mascara:

Every beauty expert agrees that if you put ONE thing on in the morning, it should always be mascara. It's the easiest, cheapest way to get amazing lashes. While make-up artists around the globe swear by Maybelline's Great Lash mascara, my personal favorite is Volumin' Express Falsies. I also love the Votre Vu Eiffel Power and of course, Dior Show. With so many great products at different price levels you really have no excuse not to use mascara daily. 

Grow 'Em:

Latisse is an amazing product. When I used it a few years back my lashes were so long I actually need to trim them. But other products have popped up claiming the same results without the Rx. French beauty company, Talika claims longer lashes in 28 days with it's Lipocils Expert. This lash enhancer was actually discovered in 1948 and is all natural with no side effects. I used this product for about 3 weeks and saw noticeably differences in my lashes*. Maybe not as extreme as Latisse, but my eyes didn't get red when I used it and I liked the fact that its more natural. Plus the applicator is fabulous and easy to use. 

 Fake It, Baby

So why did I stop using the Lipocils? Because I ended up going the fake-route. I've been DYING to try eyelash extensions for years. I did them years back when they first came out, but they were the clumps of lashes, not individual ones. A few weeks ago The Dailey Method had a promotion going on promoting a new eyelash salon in the area. While I wasn't going to do it, seeing the lovely ladies I work out with regularly sporting these fab lashes with their lulu's - I HAD to go for it. 

Ali from Ciao Bella Eyelash Studio in Encinitas worked her magic and they are fabulous. My favorite thing is that I can wake-up, put on a little tinted moisturizer and lip gloss and be done with my make-up. I didn't go all out Kim Kardashian, but more natural. They are perfect. 

*Just a quick digression to the Talika product mentioned above. I know that it was working, because when Ali was doing my lashes, she had to use the longer ones on me, citing that my natural lashes were longer than the shorter extensions she normally uses on clients!

*disclosure: As a blogger I get to review tons of products {Squee!} While services and products may have been provided to me, all opinions are my own. 

HipMamaB San Diego: THIS Sunday September 9th: Eat Your Greens to Give Some Green at Whole Foods #WFMSaladDay

"Wow Mom, I just want to buy all these vegetables and take them home and eat them all!" - Lucas, age 8

So, that was a total brag. But when Lucas said that to me while walking though a local farmer's market last Saturday, my pride SWELLED. Yay! I'm doing something right! I'm lucky, I know it. Not a lot of parents have kids that love arugula and broccolini. 

I'm also very lucky that our public school district, San Marcos Unified, has made healthy eating in our schools a priority and has instituted the USDA's new guidelines that requires meals to be healthier and served in smaller portions, with more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and with less sodium and no trans fat. Additionally, in order to encourage kids learn to eat healthier all the time, all students MUST have one serving of vegetable or fruit on their tray.

But doing this is not cheap. Many California districts are strapped for cash and sometimes just being able to offer free or reduced price meals is better than nothing. 

That's where Salad Bars 2 Schools comes in. One of the major programs of the Whole Kids Foundation (in partnership with the Let’s Move Salad Bars to Schools initiative), is Whole Foods Market's ‘buy a salad, give a salad’ program that supports putting salad bars and other healthy eating programs in schools.  

This Sunday, September 9th, you can help support this program with the "Eat Your Greens to Give Some Greens" donation drive at your local Whole Foods in the Southern Pacific region (Southern California, Hawaii, Arizona & Las Vegas). 

It's easy to participate. Simply buy a salad or hot food item from the bar at Whole Foods this Sunday and a $1 per pound donation will be made based on total salad and hot food bar sales.

Hitting even closer to home, the donations will be tallied up and made for each metropolitan area - meaning the money raised locally will go to bring salad bars to schools in San Diego County. Schools such as the ones in the Encinitas Union and Oceanside districts or any other local schools/districts that apply for a grant online at www.SaladBars2Schools.com. 

So this Sunday take the day off cooking, at hit up a local Whole Foods salad/hot food bar for a delicious lunch or dinner. Locally, Whole Food locations include, Hillcrest, La Jolla and the new(ish) location in Encinitas. 

So, let's recap: 

Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post for Whole Foods Market.

I bought a shirt off the back of a van, and I'll do it again. Mobile Shopping with It's a Luv Thing

Imagine having the cutest boutique in the universe 1 mile from your house. 

Imagine what it would be like if one of your girlfriends owned this hot pink palace packed full of fun tops, comfy pants and locally made jewelry at affordable prices. It would be a dream. A dangerous dream.

When I first stumbled upon Kamie and It's a Luv Thing 6 years ago in Leucadia, I thought I had died and gone to shopping heaven. The cutest, sweetest woman owning and running a store packed full of everything I want to wear. Her store became my second closet.

When I was 5 months pregnant and needed a cute outfit to wear to Jason's birthday dinner, they styled me up in a Pucci-print maxi and red sandals. If I needed a top to wear on a girls night, a dress to wear to a baby shower, a present for my sister-in-law or just a new pair of the most perfect leggings ever, all I needed to do was hop down the street. As my dream turned into an addiction, I even traded social media/marketing services with her for clothes. At one point over half my closet was from Kamie's store. 

Alas, one wakes up from dreams. I moved, she moved...but we never broke up completely. 

The past few years have been rough on retail businesses of all sizes, but the smaller stores in my area have been hit hardest. High rents in coastal San Diego mixed with people pinching pennies have forced many businesses in my area to shut their doors. Also, the competition is stiff. National retailers such as H&M, Urban Outfitters and Anthropologie have moved into the area - not only taking away dollars from locally owned stores, but also offering similar clothing at drasticly reduced sale prices. The small boutique, no matter how many loyal shoppers it has, has not been able to survive...without a little creativity, that is.

Kamie started her career as a Nordstrom buyer. From there she went on to build out the Juniors label at Rusty. She has an eye for trends and the best damn t-shirts you can find. She wasn't going to close up and walk away - she was going to take it with her. Enter the Luv Bus.

These days you can get a gourmet meal off the back of truck, so why not some great clothes? Kamie's Luv Bus is an bright red 1971 VW Bus with a custom hot pink fur interior - inside, it's stocked with adorable t-shirts, jeans, jewlery and dresses. She does local farmer's markets, street fairs, and pulls up in front of friends' spas and exercise studios. Having a fashion emergency? She's even been known to meet ladies to hand-deliver a new pair of skinnies or sparkly sweater. She carries favorite labels such as Gypsy '05, Wildfox and Chaser LA, and being that she's small and personal, she always has new clothes you can wear today - not when the season changes. 

Growing up in LA, my mom always joked "You know its a good day when you spot Angelyne's pink corvette!" Honestly, these days that's how I feel when I spot Kamie's Luv Bus rounding a corner or stopped at a light. Walking out to pull the car around after Jason's knee surgery, Kamie just happened to be passing by; stopping momentarily to give me a hug and a chocolate kiss, she made my day. 

So if you are driving through Encinitas and see her red bus - honk and wave. Celebrate the small businesses doing something unique. Celebrate those of us who are doing what they can to live their dreams. Or better yet - just stop and pick up a really cute top for dinner tonight. 

Find out where Kamie is! Like her on Facebook, Follow her on Twitter, or shop online at: http://itsaluvthing.myshopify.com/

Disclosure: This is not a sponsored post. This post was just written out of luv. :)