February 2015 – The Hustlin’ Homemaker

The Yumbox Lunch Review

This is a bit of a Mommy Favorite today, but adults could definitely use this too. This is the Yumbox.

This is a hard plastic lunch container with 6 different sized sections. They come in a variety of colors, but of course, we chose the pink one.

Love these little stickers built into the plastic – they help to make sure you get every important food group!

The Yumbox is meant to go inside of a lunchbox along with a drink and an ice pack.

So, the reason why I love this is because it has six different divided sections. I have searched to find another brand with this many sections, and I haven’t found one with more than four. Here are some examples of the lunches I have made for my oldest daughter Allison.

It is so fun to come up with different foods to place into the different sections, and Allison loves when I make her lunch in this. Instead of just packing a few things in plastic baggies, you can pack six different things in smaller portions.

No trash! No baggies, cups, containers or wrappers to throw away. Also, the clear plastic tray comes out and is top rack dishwasher safe.

On the inside of the lid, there are little plastic grippers that make sure the food is kept locked in and separated. It’s leakproof! I wouldn’t put liquid in any of the sections, but things like ranch dressing, hummus, or yogurt work great in here! The food never mixes together.

This would also be a great snack box for adults to use! It’s good for portion control; and the Yumbox just makes food look so much more appetizing, doesn’t it?

You can get the Yumbox from Amazon, or at http://www.yumboxlunch.com.

This post is not sponsored by Yumbox, and this was not sent to me! I just love this and wanted to share it with you all.

Thanks for reading! Have a great weekend 🙂

Jewelry Trend I’m Loving : Southwestern Inspired

Wearing jewelry is the way I like to dress up an outfit. Since becoming a stay at home mom over 4 years ago, those rows of stiletto heels in my closet are no longer used to dress up my casual, day-to-day outfits.

Instead, I use jewelry (and cute flats and wedges…who wears a stiletto to a play date?) to dress up my outfits. I have always loved jewelry, but I am really not a necklace person. I have necklaces that I love, but I always prefer a larger earring to a necklace. Earrings are my favorite type of jewelry, especially statement earrings.

Anyway. The jewelry trend that I have been obsessed with lately is anything southwestern inspired. Fringe, dreamcatchers, feathers, turquoise…I love it all!

Here are a couple of my favorite pieces that I like to wear.

omg. Can we talk about this silver feather bracelet from Alex and Ani? Love.

the blue triangles and geometric shape of these earrings will give any outfit a cool edge.

What kind of jewelry are you loving right now?

Thanks for reading! 🙂

How To Get The Perfect Manicure : Tips and Tricks

Hi everyone! It may not come as a surprise that I love painting my nails. You will hardly ever see me without nail polish, and you will never see me with chipped polish! I usually paint my nails once or twice a week- and I am here to share with you some of my tips and tricks on how I get the perfect manicure every time!

THE TOOLS

The first thing you want to do is use nail polish remover to remove any leftover nail polish from your nails. I recommend using remover even if you don’t have nail polish on, because it gets any excess oil off of your nails. I use little round cotton pads. You can use q-tips to get around the edges to make sure it all comes off.

The next thing I do is clip my nails ( I like to keep mine short), and then file them into a round shape. After I do that, I take a cuticle pusher and push my cuticles back. You can use some coconut oil on your cuticles to make pushing them back easier. I also use a nail buffer to smooth out any rough edges along the nail. Make sure to go around the edges with your buffer so your nail tips aren’t sharp or jagged.

Now onto painting.

Always use a base coat. This not only helps your nail polish go on smoother and helps the polish last longer, but it helps with the yellowing of your nails from dark polish.

My two faves.

THE COLOR

Start with your pointer finger first, and always paint your thumbs last.
Do a stripe in the center of the nail, and then a stripe on each side. If you mess up and get some on your skin, use your thumb nail from your other hand to scrape it off. Paint one hand first (minus the thumb) and then the other. Then paint your thumbs. Always do two coats of polish. It makes sure that it’s opaque, and it gives you a chance to correct any streaking or mistakes. By the time you do your thumbs, they will be dry enough for a second coat.

Always use a top coat. The top coat seals the polish, gives it some shine, and helps it last longer.

My two faves.

After you are done with your second coat, you’re ready for the top coat. Move quickly, and get a lot on the brush. Not globs, but enough to where you won’t cause any streaks on the color. Also, make sure to go over your tips. You want topcoat on the tips to prevent wear, peeling, and chips. If you have any mistakes on your skin, grab a q-tip, dip it in some remover, and go over the mistakes.

Wait about an hour. I know it’s hard, and you want to do stuff, but just wait. If you screw up your mani after all this work, it’s gonna suck! Let the topcoat dry. I recommend doing your nails at night. I wait until my girls are in bed and do them then. After the nail polish is all dry, get some hand cream and apply it all over – nail polish remover is really drying.

I don’t do this full process every week. I do it every other time I paint my nails. Sometimes I just remove my polish and start painting.

Practice makes perfect. I’m not a professional, these are just the things that have worked for me over the years. I have been painting my nails for about 15 years. The more you practice, the better you will get! Give yourself some time and you will be a master manicurist!

I hope this was helpful! Do you have any nail tips to share?

Thanks for reading! 🙂

The Budgeproof Lip : Sephora Cream Lip Stains

These lip stains were my secret, and now everyone is finding out about them! These are the Sephora Cream Lip Stains. They come in a ton of colors, last all day, and are comfortable to wear.

I have these in 06 Pink Souffle, and 07 Cherry Blossom. Pink Souffle is the nude, lighter pink, and Cherry Blossom is the more fuchsia-toned one.

So, first off, the packaging. It’s a simple tube with a doe-foot applicator. I like this packaging, but I wish it had the name printed on it somewhere. I had to look up the names of these.

You’ll need to really moisturize your lips before applying these, since they are a liquid. I would even use a lip scrub, just grab some sugar and coconut oil and rub it on your lips. When you apply the stain, work pretty fast because it dries fairly quickly into a matte finish. Once it sets, it does not budge.
The scent of these is pleasant, they have a slight fruity, sweet scent, but not overpowering.

I can get about three hours of wear out of this before I need to reapply. They are not drying to the lips and they are actually comfortable to wear. You’ll need makeup remover to take it off at the end of the day!

Check these out next time you’re in Sephora. They are $13 and there is a shade for everyone!

Have you tried these out? What types of long wearing lip color do you like?

Thanks for reading!

OOTD : Pink Coat

Today’s look is a basic black and white combo, but instead of throwing on a black coat, I thought it would be fun to wear this pink one. Pink is my favorite color and I love how feminine and girly this coat is. I also added some printed heels to dress it up.

I love the lace detailing on the neckline and arms.

I kept the makeup simple, a bronzed eye and matte pink lips.

What I’m Wearing:
Black lace blouse: JCP
White skinny jeans: GAP
Printed heels : Nordstrom
Pink Coat : Macy’s
Nails: Nails Inc Brompton Place
Makeup : Dior Star Foundation, Tarte Dollface blush, Too Faced Chocolate Bar Palette, Rimmel Lip Liner in East End Snob (all over lips)

Hope yall liked this look!

Thanks for reading 🙂