Maternity Pictures!

A few weeks ago we had some maternity photos taken, we went to the beach and it was pretty casual.We had so much fun and got some amazing shots of our growing family. I could not be happier with how they turned out, C was so sweet although she did have a melt down when it was mommies turn to take photos. Haha Thank you again to Amanda from April Smith Photography, she's the BEST and has been capturing our family since we moved here 4 years ago! 

My Dress | Steves Shirt | Cs Dress old but similar here and here

This is such a amazing time in our life and I am so happy we got to capture it, we will cherish these photos forever. 

XOXO

Mama Mondays | Mommy Beauty Tips

Mama Mondays | Mommy Beauty Tips
Monika Zeldin 

Gosh, I remember that feeling of panic like it was yesterday, when I got my nails done for the first time since my son was born.  It took me three months before I had the courage (and trust in others) to leave Dorian for 30 minutes. I had the fastest mani/pedi of my life and it was probably the nail techs too! Now, looking back, I laugh at how unrealistic my expectations of myself was as a mother and how much pressure I put on everyone also to be perfect for  “baby D”. 

Being a stay-at-home mom, I waited at least eight months before I felt confident to leave my son long enough to get my hair done and even receive an eyebrow wax treatment after that!  Once it did happen though, and my son was perfectly fine upon getting home, I committed to taking time for myself. I noticed that once I started taking this “me” time to get a mani/pedi, hair treatment or facial, I started to relax not only as a mom but, as a person in general.  No one tells you that once you become a mom, you’re selfless nature can take you far away from yourself and leave you resentful and maybe even a little loony, if you let it get that far.  It is important to take care of yourself so you can take care of others.  It’s like the airplane analogy; “make sure you put on your mask before assisting others….”.  Whether you are a brand new mom or a seasoned pro, we are after all first and foremost, feminine beauties and taking care of our skin and hair is a MUST.  This doesn’t mean spending hours in the bathroom to prep every morning, (seriously, who has time for that?), it means making a habit of a few simple daily things to keeping ourselves hydrated, nourished, and looking good.  If you do get some time to give your skin and hair a little extra TLC, there are plenty of options out there for you to get it done in speedy fashion.  Remember, you put on the mask first, then….

5 Quick Beauty Tips for hardworking mamas:

1.     WASH your face every day and every night.  If you are a brand new mama, then clean your skin every night, at least. Don’t rush through your routine, take a little time. Luke warm water is your friend, not hot (causes dry skin) and not cold (tightens pores and hard to pull out impurities). Once a week, use an exfoliating brush on your face, it works wonders. (My favorite: Clarisonic Mia)

2.     APPLY a good serum on your face. Serums are lightweight and most are water-based, eliminating oils and petrolatum, which are common in moisturizers. Serums contain the most potent doses of anti-aging ingredients and truly help with cell rejuvenation and turnover. Plus, they work great on oily skin, which is a huge culprit of mommy hormone flare-ups. Bonus: Store your serums in the fridge to wake up your tired skin and tighten those pores! (My favorite: Luxu Hydrating Serum)

3.     DAB, dab, dab on the eye cream/gel. With the lack of sleep, our eyes are the ones that get hit the hardest (red eyes, dark circles, puffiness).  If you have a good eye treatment that can minimize these for you, then you’re coming out on top, even if you physically don’t feel like it. (My favorites: Rodan + Fields Multi-Function Eye Cream and Eve Lom Eye Cream)

4.     WEAR sunscreen! One of the things I am sure we all agree on is how much we treasure our long walks with our kiddos, especially when they are newborns. With that being said, sunscreen is your best friend. Even if it’s a ‘stay indoors’ kind of day, sunrays do seep through the window, so lather on that protection and save your beautiful face! (my favorite: Badger Unscented Sunscreen)

5.     BRUSH those beautiful locks. One of the most horrifying experiences is shedding copious amounts of hair after you give birth to your baby. Nice work Hormones. It is important, whether you shampoo frequently or not, to brush your hair at least once a day. I don’t always have time to do a good lather in the shower, but I always can take a minute to simulate my scalp with a good brushing.

When you have time to treat yourself a little extra, CUEHair Salon and Skin Care (Newport Beach, CA) offers the following services in under an hour.  It’s wise to invest in beauty maintenance.  When you look good, you feel good and that is a win all around.

CUE EXPRESS SERVICES

-       Deep Conditioning Hair Treatment

-       Express Shampoo/Blowout

-       Express Facial

-       Hand Rejuvenation

-       Sugar Wax Eye Brow / Lip Wax

-       Eyelash Strip Application

Monika Zeldin is co-owner of CUE Hair Salon and Skin Care in Newport Beach, CA. She handles all aspects of marketing and events.  Monika’s background is in Magazine Publishing, brand marketing and social media strategizing. She now splits her time between taking care of her 18-month old son, attending Pure Barre, pampering herself with facials and hair treatments and striving to make her full-service beauty salon a long-lasting success in Orange County, CA. www.cuehairandskincare.com

GO Check it out!!! 

XOXO

Loving Lately

I was going though my beauty routine the past few days and thinking to myself wow, some of these products are really great you should share them. So, I figured why not do a loving lately post. So here we go four essentials I can't live without these days. 

If you follow me on instagram (@bumpsbabesandbellinis) you probably have already guessed I am a HUGE Dry Bar fan. I have gotten blow outs from many different places, around the country and not one has ever been as good as the blow outs I received at Dry Bar. So naturally I started using their products. This one is one of my favorites. First lets talk about how all of their products have the best names! How cute is that! Hot Toddy as it says on the bottle is a hair protector from heat and frizz control. My hair gets so frizzy, its not fun. I only wash every other day sometimes every 3 days and this stuff makes it super smooth and almost frizz free. You can usually tell if I forget to use it. It's lotion for your hair, I so recommend this. 

I have been using Aveeno lotion since I was a kid. I suffer from eczema and this was some of the only over the counter lotion my pediatrician told my mom I could use. Since then I have tried many other lotions and I have to say I always go back to Aveeno. I like a light weight lotion for everyday use, but it still has to be moisturizing enough to last thoughtout the day and this sheer hydration totally does this trick! 

Back to Dry Bar again, haha. I never used dry shampoo before recently. I had a lot of trouble finding one I liked. Then at my last blow out, I asked about the Detox, dry shampoo. I decided to grab a bottle and give it try. Well boy am I glad I did. This dry shampoo is fantastic. It doesn't leave my hair feeling heavy or dirty, it feels fresh and clean. I usually use it if I'm rocking some three day hair and don't have time to tame my mane. So happy I picked this up, it's my new go to hair product. 

Last but not least Color Wow, my mom actually turned me on to this product. Here's the thing guys, ok deep breath.... I am going gray. There I said it now everyone knows, haha. I have actually had gray hair since I was 16, and I fought dying it for the LONGEST time. Well about 5 months ago I decided it was time, my hair is now growing in gray in the front and I had to do something about it. I was headed to a wedding in May and was due to get my roots done, but didn't have the time before we left. I knew my mom would have a solution, that she did and I discovered Color Wow. I love this stuff, it covers up the grays until I have time to get my hair colored and it works so well, plus the it's small enough to fit in my purse. 

Well there you have it a few of my favorite things! Have anything you can't live without? Leave it in the comments below, I love trying new products. 

XOXO