Jumpin' for (Jumpsuit) Joy!!

I LOOOOOVVVVEEEEE a jumpsuit!

Much like the beloved maxi-dress (or any dress for that matter) it is the only single item of clothing hanging in my closet that allows me to have an entire outfit put together (minus accessories) in one quick clothes hanger grab.

As if the speed factor is not enough to make you hear the choirs sing, a jumpsuit will also hide a multitude of figure flaws and cellulite sins - something us postpartum mamas can really appreciate!

As today was a hair wash and blow-dry day for me and the length of Emma's morning nap does not give any consideration whatsoever to how much time I need to get ready (can you imagine? I know!), I knew that I was going to have to shave off major time in the clothing-selection-and-try-on department if I was to also fit in a wash, blow-dry and flatiron in my 45 minute to an hour, baby-free window.

So for my lunch date today I decided to rip the price tag off of my yet unworn, sweatshirt material, Forever 21 all-in-one number:

Jumpsuit - Forever 21

Necklace - old

Sandals - Michael Kors

Bag - Michael Kors

I'm still trying to lose that dreaded, last 10-15 pounds of baby weight, but in this outfit, I feel comfortable and at the same time stylish and put together. To be quite honest, with my gargantuan breastfeeding boobs, and my thicker than normal waistline, a v-neckline would have been much more flattering. That said, I think the outfit still rocks :)

While I adore my Marc Jacobs "Pretty Eliza" diaper bag, I'm getting kinda bored of carrying the same thing every day. And truthfully, despite how cute it is, at the end of the day, it is still (let's face it) a diaper bag - I mean how chic can one really be??? I knew I was only going to be gone for a couple of hours, so I got the idea of carrying Emma's things in my Michael Kors Hamilton Tote. It's one of my favorite handbags, and I actually haven't used it in like a year. I got this one almost two years ago at the outlet in Las Vegas and I really ♡ it:

I'm pretty sure they no longer make the nameplate version but you might be able to find it at an outlet in your area. I was pleasantly surprised with what a FANTASTIC alternative diaper bag this turned out to be!! Because it has that zippered divider section down the middle and really large inside pockets I was able to fit (and neatly organize) a couple of diapers, wipes, a bottle, some formula packets, a 500ml water bottle, 2 bibs, my wallet, keys, iphone and my Marc Jacobs change mat! AND there was room for a lot more! I definitely could have added at least one change of clothes and a couple of small toys. I feel another blog post coming on...but alas, I digress...back to jumpsuits.

There are a lot of great options at a wide range of price points and I've included some of my favorites below:

Clockwise from top left: Forever 21, Forever 21, Diane von Fursetenburg, Zara, H&M, Topshop

I absolutely LOVE all of these, but can we talk for a minute about the back on the Zara number...

I know right? I was like "say WHAT?!?" Gorg ♡♡♡♡ 

Gotta go - online shopping awaits!

My Accidental (oops!) Sephora "Haul"

I am a girly girl.

I am romantic and I love flowers and pretty things. That said, my "beauty" knowledge has always been pretty limited - the first time I ever purchased a foundation was for my wedding about 7 years ago and I have only just replaced it (Makeup Forever - Mat Velvet #70) for the first time this month!!! Save for the occasional MAC product - most likely purchased at the annual sale that my lovely friend Anissa manages to score tickets to - I have been a drugstore cosmetics girl.

In the last few months (thanks to mat leave free time) I have spent more time browsing Instagram and YouTube and I've come across some really fantastic beauty vloggers and bloggers that I've been following. My favorite by far is @tymetheinfamous. Not only is she incredibly talented, but she is hilarious and super entertaining to watch. As a result, I've been inspired to step up my 'beauty' game and finally invest in some higher end products and tools. So I headed out to Sephora to get the key items that I thought I was missing to build my makeup/beauty base. I decided to start with the following:

1. Good brush set for eyes and face
2. Neutral eye shadow pallet

I already had a liquid foundation, a blush that I adore and lipsticks, liners and mascaras that I am happy with. I headed off to Sephora and about an hour later, I somehow managed to leave the store with

all...

of...

THIS:

From the top left: 6 Professional series brushes, Too Faced Natural Matte Eye Shadow Collection, Sephora Nano Eye Pencil in "pure white", Sephora Eye Primer,  Make Up Forever Artist Shadows 1 Palette, NARS blush/bronzing Powder Duo

Truly, I did not intend to drop the coin that I did. However I think that my purchases were really good "investment" items, and I won't be needing anything else for quite some time.

Shadow

I love neutral eye makeup. The coppers, the bronzes, the golds....I think they look really gorgeous on all skin tones but are especially complimentary on us caramel hued girls. I mean, can we talk about this eye???

I had looked around on-line and found great reviews for the brand new Make Up Forever Shadows 1 Palette which I ended up purchasing:

My only disappointment was that most of the shadows were shimmers. I wasn't able to find a palette that had a great complement of both matte and shimmer neutral shadows, so I ended up getting the Too Faced palette as well, which was the only neutral collection I came across that was made up of completely matte shadows:

Both palettes come with a 'step-by-step' booklet for creating different looks using the colors in the collections - super handy for a novice like myself!

Brushes

I purchased 6 new Sephora professional series brushes:

This by far, took up the bulk of my spending budget. However I think that with proper care, these should last me a very, very long time. Watching the guru's do their thing on YouTube, helped me to figure out just what I would need for face and eyes. Other than the MAC 266 angled brush, I had never purchased a professional grade brush before. So this is what I got:

1. Tapered PRO contour brush (79)

    I will use this for applying highlighter the tops of my cheekbones 

    and for setting powder over eye concealer

2. Round PRO eyeshadow crease brush (10)

    'nuff said

3. PRO allover powder brush (61)

    This large, beautiful brush will have multiple uses I feel from setting 

    powder and bronzer for face, to body shimmer for shoulders and the collarbone

4. PRO Contour blender brush (77)

    I saw @tymetheinfamous use a very similar brush (hers was the MAC version) for placing contour     in the hollows of your cheek. I had to have it!

5. PRO Shadow brush (14)

    For lids

6. PRO Flawless powder brush (40)

    My new blush brush!

Right away you can tell the difference as far as how soft the bristles are and how much fuller they are compared to my old brushes. Although it would have been a lot more budget friendly, I chose not to go with one of the prepackaged Sephora brush sets. I knew I wanted each one of these brushes specifically and didn't come across a set that had all of them. 

Impulse Buys

I am a SUCKER for the checkout line impulse buy! I don't know if it is that they place the best, items here or if the marketing department designs these displays for me in particular, but I always manage to find something that is too good to pass up when waiting in the checkout line. Needless to say, I added the NARS blush/bronzer duo and an eye primer to my purchase:

                                   

Almost every makeup video I've watched and article I've read raves about the NARS blush in the color "orgasm". As I mentioned I love my MAC "gleeful" mineralized blush that I've been wearing for years. However, as I was curious about what all the fuss was about regarding this NARS blush and I really like the eye shadow duo I already own from NARS, I decided to give it a try. The duo was cheaper than buying the blush alone, and this way I could give the bronzer a try as well!

I've never used a makeup primer before, and I figured if I wanted to really get the maximum beauty effect from my new palettes, I should probably give one a try. So with the help of one of the lovely shop assistants, I grabbed this eye primer:

Lastly, I've heard that white liner on the inner rim of your eye or "waterline" can really help open up your eyes and make you appear more alert. Can't think of a single new mom who couldn't use some help in appearing more awake, so I picked up the nano size so I could give it a try as well.

Right before the cashier gave me my total, she announced that I had unlocked the "next level" of the beauty insider card and I was now a VIB (Very Important Beauty Insider) YAY for me!!!

Once she told me the total I understood why - WOW!!! (that's gonna leave a mark) Good thing I don't do this often!! 

I am super excited to "play" with my new stuff. I'll be sure to post the new looks I try and my thoughts on these products. What do you think about my selections? Is there anything I am missing that you think is an absolute must have? I'd love to hear from you!!

Have a great weekend!!!

Bloggin' (with a baby) Ain't Easy!!! Common Royalty 2.0

Wow! It has been a hot minute since my last post!

Sorry for the MIA status, but Emma has been keeping me SUPER busy, these last few months as her naps have become much fewer (basically one long nap around mid-day) and her awake time has been much more active.

Emma Update:

At 7 months now she is pulling herself up to stand and is crawling all over the place. As a result I have been finding that the "free" time I have while she is asleep is eaten up with cooking, cleaning up, errands, etc..and by the end of the day, I am either zonked or vegging out in front of some very bad reality TV while giving myself a DIY mani. That said, she's been worth every single second of sacrificed "me" time ♡♡♡:

(...that smile tho'!!!)

I posted on my Instagram a fun little "magazine cover" I made of Emma using PhotoGrid:

I was snapping iphone pictures of her in her car seat just as we were readying to leave the house one day, and I got this super serious shot of her that look so "posed". I couldn't resist the urge to do something fun with it and I think it is HILARIOUS!  I must say, I am quite proud of my clever little baby celeb "articles" listing - I am planning on framing it and adding it to her nursery.

Blog Update:

My maternity leave is just about half way over now, and while I did contemplate giving up on my blogging "experiment" (particularly about two months ago when Emma had me getting up two sometimes THREE times at night!!) I have decided that I'm not yet ready to call it quits and so I will forge on - despite the fact that my readership is dominated by close friends and obliging family ;) 

Truly, as blogging is something I've always wanted to try, I am doing this for myself and for the fun I have in designing this page - Yes, I did every last bit of this blog on my own using Google search to direct me to a bunch of helpful sites and providers of the requisite html codes! (No, I did not have any idea what html is/was prior to this endeavor - and for the most part I still do not beyond the fact that I am able to copy and paste the 'code' I need into the box I am told to to make my blog do what I need it to do!)

Common Royalty 2.0
As I move into my second effort at this blog I've made a couple of changes. The first is I've changed the title from this:

to this:

I've added an Instagram feed to my @commonroyalty page along the right side bar and upped my social media game by finally creating my google+ and facebook fan pages!!!

 

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Common-Royalty/988045997886849

 

Thalicia Pennant (Google+)

I've been doing a lot of research on how to attract readers and connect with other bloggers and so now that I am happy with the design and functionality of my site, I am planning to spend this next phase really focused on increasing my content and and connecting with others in hopes of improving my online presence. 

I'd love to hear from any of you who may be in a similar boat as far as facing the challenges of starting a blog, or if you have any thoughts on the new look of my page. Let's connect!