My Favorite Natural Beauty Tricks For #ALLERGYFACE

This post is part of a sponsored campaign on behalf of Latina Bloggers Connect and the makers of ZYRTEC®

This Summer has been brutal on my allergies.  There is nothing worse than the combination of heat, watery eyes, itchy red nose and puffy face to make you feel like canceling plans and preparing for a day or night at home.  But with the business I'm in, that's not always possible.  I have had to suck it up and embrace my natural beauty.  Not like that's a bad thing at all!  My absolutely favorite tip when I'm feeling under the weather is using a water spritzer - yes keep your allergy face hydrated!  It is so soothing and refreshing, a little spray and you'll be feeling like a million bucks!  Look for a travel size water spritzer from your favorite retail store, fill it with bottled water and keep it in your purse!

My second favorite tip is to wear bright colors or prints!  Colors make you feel good - it helps boost your mood and is one of my favorite natural beauty tricks!  Red is great for energy, green & yellow for happiness and blue for calm.  I took this picture experiencing watery eyes and sneezing when we were in Orlando, FL last week - I bet you can't even tell I was suffering!    

  

In this video, Embracing Your Natural Belleza Latina - Carmen shares simple beauty tips to help women look naturally bella when tackling ALLERGY FACE™, including:
How to Combat a Puffy Face

• Drink plenty of water each day to help keep your skin hydrated.
• Also, to reduce the appearance of a puffy face, rub an ice cube over your face before applying your makeup.

How to Reduce the Appearance of Watery Eyes

• Apply navy blue or cobalt mascara to help the whites of your eyes appear brighter.
• Less is more! Don’t overdo it with too much makeup.

What beauty tricks do YOU use to embrace your natural belleza Latina?

Visit ZYRTEC® on Facebook at Facebook.com/ZYRTEC to learn more about how to combat ALLERGY FACE™.

Be sure to follow Carmen on Twitter at @VivaFashion and check out her blog www.VivaFashionBlog.com for her latest ALLERGY FACE™ tips and tricks.

Filter Fridays

Saw this Star Wars Stormtrooper Helmet at the thrift store and could not resist snapping a picture of Duke in it.

Instagram: Inkwell

The Simpsons & Springfield In Real Life #FamilyForward

I have seen some cool things in my life but The Simpsons very own Springfield USA at Universal Studios Florida takes the cake.  It is a work of art.  The thing I love about The Simpsons is that they aren't a perfect family but they love each other.  The Simpsons (the whole lot of them) are thee epitome of an American family, much like my own.  It takes an involved community to grow and progress. I started a few blog posts (still in perpetual draft status) about the state of some bloggers showing their lives as too perfect, too sanitized...  I am not one of those bloggers.  What you see is what you get with my family - we don't strive for perfection and in that, it makes us perfect?  No wonder I felt so at home in Springfield.      

  
Krusty Burger $9.99

The Ribwich $11.99

Clogger Burger $12.99

Chicken & Waffle Sandwich $10.99 (With Maple Syrup Mayo - not too sweet)


I intentionally didn't put up all my pictures from Springfield because you have to see it for yourself!!! I also used the Yearbook filter from PicMonkey to give it a different feel.  

You have questions, I have answers:
Fast Food Blvd. is where you can find Cletus' Chicken Shack, Moe's Tavern, Krusty Burger, Frying Dutchman and Luigi's Pizza.  Not on the show but a necessity for those healthier eaters is Lisa's Teahouse of Horror.  The setup is food court style - you get in one line and order from the restaurant you want, get in another line to pay and are greeted by staff to seat you.  It looks overwhelming but it was a breeze.

You can enter the "food court" via Moe's Tavern or Krusty Burger.

The inside of Moe's Tavern looks incredible.  There is a real bar setup where you can order a Flaming Moe. There is also a pool table and Love Tester game.  Looks like the real deal!

There are two rides in Springfield - the newest being Kang and Kodos Twirl 'n' Hurl.  The other ride is The Simpsons Ride.

Krustyland is the midway section of Springfield, you can play your heart out at carnival style games.

The area between The Simpsons Ride and Kwik-E-Mart is where you can meet The Simpsons.

Bumblebee Man's Tacos, Lard Lad Donuts and Duff Gardens are all standalone food offerings.  Duff Gardens has Squishees, Duff Beer (specially brewed for Universal Studios Florida).  Lard Lad Donuts has Homer's favorite pink donuts - they are ginormous and only $4.99

Kwik-E-Mart has everything from t-shirts, comic books, skateboards... definitely worth a visit.

Springfield is truly one of a kind, I felt like an excited little kid.  Our family absolutely loved visiting!  I'm not spoiling everything because you really should experience it for yourself :)   

Disclosure:  This is not a compensated or sponsored post.  We purchased a heavily discounted family pass to Family Forward.  All thoughts are my own.

Taking Our Littles To #SummerSlam #WWEMamarazzi

Disclosure:  I was invited to WWE Mamarazzi and Summer Slam.  All thoughts are my own.

A little known fact is that I loved wrestling. Turns out my husband loved wrestling too but at different times in our lives.  I even went to Wrestlemania in Houston in 2001.  I was quite the Mick Foley/Mankind fan.  The ever-changing story lines, the action and the fun really made for good tv but nothing compares to seeing a live show.  The energy and excitement is contagious and when the invite came to attend The Moms WWE Mamarazzi and Summer Slam, I knew we had to take the littles.

The littles whose WWE knowledge was limited to seeing the Mattel line in stores were intrigued by all the outside action.  We weren't even inside yet but they knew fun was going to be had.  Just as I predicted, our 15 month old Omie (our little rowdy adventurer) would wild out.  Babies know and love WWE.  This is a fact.

Attending Summer Slam has rekindled our secret love affair with WWE.  It was exactly what I remember it to be, maybe even better.  The best part was listening to WWE EVP Creative Stephanie McMahon talk about being a power mom and making time for her kids.  I'll admit, I am a workaholic and I have always been.  I have been blessed this past year with attending conferences and one of the common topic threads is spending quality time with your family but nothing quite hits home until Stephanie McMahon says it.

Some interesting facts I learned about WWE:

• WWE has maintained a 30 YEAR partnership with Make-A-Wish, WWE Superstars and Divas have granted more than 3,600 wishes.  John Cena alone has granted 375 wishes and is the only celebrity to reach this milestone.
• Be a STAR was launched by WWE and The Creative Coalition in 2011, the Be a STAR (Show Tolerance And Respect) program has delivered anti-bullying messages to students, parents and teachers across the globe.
• WWE Universe raised more than $1,000,000 for Susan G. Komen for the Cure
• WWE.com gets more than 344 MILLION page views per month
• WWE's Facebook Page has more fans than MLB, Gatorade, NFL, ESPN and Pepsi
• John Cena is the 3rd most followed American athlete, with more followers than Lebron James

The Miz was absolutely adorable telling us about his mom supporting his dreams by buying him paint and streamers so he could pretend he was The Ultimate Warrior.  

Omie absolutely loved the Mattel suite.  He could not believe I put him down and gave him the green light to go crazy.



The Moms! Melissa Musen Gerstein & Denise Albert

WWE Executive Vice President Creative, Stephanie McMahon and WWE Superstar The Miz

SoCal local Rey Mysterio!!!  Duke loved cheering and booing the wrestlers!  He thought he wouldn't like it but he's WWE's newest fan!

Summer Slam is intense and elaborate - if your life list is short, add on a WWE live event.  I promise you, you will enjoy yourself.

This match was crazy!  CM Punk vs. Brock Lesnar

Check out this video from The Moms about WWE Mamarazzi

Who is your favorite WWE Superstar?  

I Went To BlogHer '13 For #WineOverIce

This post is sponsored by Turning Leaf Refresh.  All thoughts are my own.

I had the amazing opportunity to attend BlogHer '13 in Chicago as Refresh by Turning Leaf Brand Ambassador.  It honestly was the best job in all of McCormick Place.  (It really was and I'll fight anyone who says otherwise.  Kidding.  Kind of.)  I was thrilled to represent the new style of wine from Turning Leaf.  I mean, it's only fitting since my favorite wine is moscato!  It was exciting to hang out at the Refresh booth during BlogHer and talk with bloggers just like me into sampling the wines.  Oh yes, the best swag of all - sweet, small sips of Refresh wines and good conversation.

I loved when someone would ask for a "flight" (a sample of all four wines) or ask me what my favorite is.  I love them all but if I had to choose... it would be the Refresh Red Moscato.  It's light and refreshing with red fruit notes.  It is definitely the red wine of my Summer.  I have enjoyed it at backyard barbeques and Summer picnics.  All my girlfriends love it!    

Refresh is a slightly fizzy, fruit-driven, light wine.  Refresh by Turning Leaf comes in four light, refreshing wine options: Crisp White, Red Moscato, Pink Moscato and Moscato.  These slightly fizzy wines are best served chilled, over ice, with a slice of orange or lime, or as the base of a refreshing wine cocktail.    
The Leaf Lounge was so inviting and relaxing!  Did you come over and put your feet up?  Did you chat with me, Deb of justshortofcrazy.com or Eden of sugarandcharm.com?  Our team rocked!  

Me!  I had so much fun reppin' Refresh at BlogHer '13 - good times for everyone!  

I met some awesome bloggers and got to invite my friends to hang out!  (R) Amanda of The Pretty Pinhead

(L) Maribel of Que Pasa New York City (R) Tonia of The Chatty Momma and Ruby of Growing Up Blackxican - My friends were all about the Refresh Pink Moscato #pinksallaround

(L) Gracie of All Those Things I Love (R) Deb and I!!!

(L) Amy of As The Bunny Hops and Mallery of Horrible Housewife (R) Alejandra of Tu Fashion Petite and Alicia of Alicia Borchardt

Have you tried Refresh?  What do you think of slighty fizzy, fruity and refreshing wine?  I think it's better than still wine, less filling than beer and lighter than a cocktail!  

Refresh by Turning Leaf is available nationwide wherever wine is sold, at the suggested retail price of $8.  You can learn more about Refresh by Turning Leaf by visiting www.turningleaf.com or follow on Facebook at Facebook.com/TurningLeafWine

Minnie Mouse Style #D23Expo

Another favorite at D23 Expo was checking out Minnie Mouse fashion - I didn't expect the collection to be so diverse.  Here are my favorites from OPI, Marc Jacobs, Melissa and Harvey's

Do you like the new take on Minnie Mouse style?  Share your favorites!