Dressing Mama – Putting LipSense to the Test

Five years ago, I sang with a cover band called the Big Wow Band. These guys are quality musicians and a lot of fun to work with. I had the opportunity to fill in for their current female vocalist this past weekend for the Race to Robie Creek after party – and party we did.

What does this have to do with lipstick? Whenever I get to perform on stage, I take that as my opportunity to have a little fun with the things I wear and be a little more bold with my makeup (yes, I am…Sasha Fierce). A few months ago, I sent a note to my friend, Kimberly (a LipSense distributor), about this bright red LipSense color I saw posted somewhere on Facebook called Blu-Red. She gave me some details and a couple days went by and I plain forgot about the conversation.

A couple weeks ago, Kimberly reached out and asked me if I’d like to collaborate. Since the buzz about LipSense has grown, I was really excited to say yes. She sent me the starter kit: the Blu-Red lip color, the Glossy Gloss, and the “Oops” remover.

Being a stay-at-home-mom doesn’t necessarily lend itself to many opportunities to bust out this high-voltage, long-lasting red lip but, when the Big Wow gig came my way, I knew this would be a fun place to try it out.

Here’s the morning’s first awkward selfie:

(…don’t look too closely or you’ll see my not-so-subtle dry shampoo appearance.)

I drank some coffee, I helped unload gear up at the event site, I talked to a lot of fun people, and then I checked in on my lips around noon (12:02 p.m. to be specific).

We scored some free Gatorade from the event organizers and I wanted to check things out after downing some liquid.

Selfie game? Still awkward. LipSense game? Strong. Ceiling paint on nails? Check.

I should mention that, though I brought my Glossy Gloss along, I didn’t get a lot of chances to re-apply it. So. My color was mostly matte throughout the day but it didn’t bother me.

Are you ready for some action?

We sang and sang and sang. For folks that had just run up and down a mountain for 13.1 miles, these people had amazing energy.

I took this photo at the beginning of our third set; my vocal chords were giving out but my lip color was still making a statement (the statement was: don’t pay any attention to the “mom moves” she’s throwin’ down – check out those lips).

After a really, really fun reunion gig with these fellas, it was so great to get home to my little family (there was no cell signal up at this gig – it felt like I was on the other side of the country). I snapped the following photo after the kids were in bed – when I got a chance to fall onto the couch and relax.

Even my Mac Longwear lipstick couldn’t take a beating like this. Yes, after ten plus hours of wear, you can see my waterline but – I’ll take that over having lipstick on my teeth, chin, microphone, or not having lip color at all. I totally get the appeal and I’m excited to pick out a couple more color options – the next on my list is a color called Bombshell – it’s a pinky-nude color. LipSense for the win – I’m hooked.

 

This post was a happy collaboration with Beauty by Kimberly. You can check her out here, here, and here.

 

Annnnnd, if you want to check out the Big Wow Band with their normal (super hot) female vocalist, head over to their Facebook page and keep an eye out for gig alerts!

 

 

Dressing Mama with Shoreside Boutique

My friend, Arielle, announced a few months ago that she was opening an online clothing boutique; she dreamed it and decided to go for it. I was completely inspired. When she opened up shop a couple weeks ago, I was inspired to purchase the t-shirt dress immediately. I was so quick on the click that I was her first order on opening day.

I ordered the t-shirt dress because I love that silhouette – sort of a pencil dress kind of shape. Let’s be honest for a minute, online shopping (especially after two babies) is a little risky sometimes. When I was getting ready to place my order, I took a minute to read the section on the product page called “Arielle’s Thoughts” wherein she advised buyers to size up if they’re uncomfortable with clingy fabric around the midsection. I sized up and was really happy with that decision.

Some of you might have seen this picture on social media from my Valentine’s Day date with Adam:

We had an early day date so dressing up this simple dress was easy enough without going overboard.

After I told Arielle how much I loved this dress, she invited me to team up. So. She sent me another piece I had my eye on and here we are. I’m gushing about two pieces from Shoreside.

Enter the Black and White Stripe Pattern Pencil Skirt. The pencil skirt – my favorite wardrobe item. Ever.

This one didn’t disappoint because the fabric is structured enough to hold a girl together and the pattern is heart-eyes.

The skirt is true to size – I ordered a large. It was fun to style it with these Mia wedges (old) and this turtleneck but I’m excited for summer – I have a black, scalloped tank and some strappy sandals that will work really well with this (the t-shirt dress should also transition nicely to warmer weather – the fabric is breathable without being flimsy).

Now is probably the time to tell you that I asked Adam (while he was so patiently taking these photos, waiting for his awkward wife to stand up straight) how people get their pictures taken for a living. I mean…I guess when you have as much on-camera charisma as I do…

…yeah. Nope. Still don’t know how people do it. That should tell you how much fun I had wearing these clothes – I was confident enough to stand for pictures in them. Thank you, Shoreside Boutique.

Also – I had assistance with hair and makeup.

Thanks, Leo.

And thank you for reading! For making it this far, here is a happy little discount code just for Adam and Layne readers! Visit shoreside.us and, at checkout, enter adamandlayne10 for a 10% discount off your purchase!

-Layne

 

*This post is a happy collaboration with Shoreside Boutique.