tips Archives — Page 2 of 3 — Everyday Cori By Corine Ingrassia

The Secret To Curing Your Skin Hangover

January 8, 2016 By Cori

The dark circles, puffy eyes, dull complexion– sometimes our skin can begin to feel a bit like a frenemy– always ready to spill the beans about our tiny off spring boycotting sleep, or that last cocktail we vaguely recall convincing us it was a good idea to stay out till 3am…

In short, we’re drained, feeling lackluster and blah and it is written all over our face.

Enter Skyn Iceland…

photo: Skyn Iceland

I first stumbled upon Skyn Iceland’s products while perusing the isles of my local Ulta in search of some new products to try out this winter.

The Skin Hangover kit immediately caught my eye for 2 reasons:

I’m always on the hunt for products that will help my dark, tired, eye baggage (The Louie’s I carry under my eyes are perhaps what I am most self-conscious about) and many of the Skyn Iceland products touted words like cooling, de-puffing, firming… Yes, yes, YES!
The package, priced at just $25 was a great way to tryout a variety of their products:

– Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels with Hexapeptide Technology 0.11 oz (2 pairs)

– Icelandic Relief Eye Pen with Glacial Flower Extract .14 oz

– The ANTIDOTE Cooling Daily Lotion 0.5 US fl oz

– Fresh Start Mask 0.28 oz (2 packets)

From the Skyn Iceland website:

Designed for all skin types, The Skin Hangover Emergency Relief Kit features four skyn ICELAND all-stars that work together to help revive and restore overworked, overstressed, depleted skin and eyes. Oxygenate and rejuvenate skin with the Fresh Start Mask treatment. Refresh and hydrate skin with the the ANTIDOTE Cooling Daily Lotion then de-puff tired eyes with our Hydro Cool Firming Eye Gels and Icelandic Relief Eye Pen.

I started with the Fresh Start Mask before our big New Years Eve party, which is a two step mask…

I totally texted this to James “Waiting for my midnight kiss” hahaha

Romance.

Anyway, back to the mask.

The blue clay went on cool and when mixed with the AHA fruit acid gel it began to feel a little warm. I left it on for 10 minutes as instructed (I should note that unlike many other masks, this one does not harden) and washed it off with warm water.

My skin felt refreshed.

I followed it up with my own toner and then the cooling lotion and eye relief gel. These two products were cool to the skin and felt incredible.

The cooling products made my eyes feel more awake. I was energized.

SO much so, that when I was done I literally headed back to Ulta and picked up another Skin Hangover packet for my friend hosting the New Year’s Eve party that night.

I used the packet again 2 days later, after a late New Year’s eve and lazy day recuperating, and received several compliments that my skin was glowing .

I mean, how many times have you had a late night out and had someone tell you, you were glowing?

Hence why this is my very first Friday Fresh Pick of 2016.

Cannot wait to try more from this line!

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Friday Fresh Picks are hand-picked favorite items, reviews and highlights from the amazing women you see above.

Visit their websites to learn about other amazing picks from this week!

Sarah from Finnegan & The Hughes

Sheila from Pieces of a Mom

Hilary from A Fancy Girl Must

Tina from Life Without Pink

Corine from Complicated Mama

Perfectly Simple Ways To Survive Holiday Eating + New Year Diets

December 21, 2015 By Cori

This post is sponsored by Zone Perfect

The holiday season can feel like a whirlwind of parties and excuses for indulging in sinfully delicious and high calorie food.

Everywhere you turn, there is a tray of cookies or pasta– am I right?

And it tends to carry over sometimes into the early days of the new year– tempting our efforts at eating right…

But there are ways you can enjoy this season of eating without packing on the pounds.

Below are some simple strategies you can start implementing today:

Don’t skip meals!

The less calories we eat during the day, the more calories we can chow down on at our big shindig– It is a common mindset that I’ve been guilty of from time to time that sounds good in theory, but in practice it is setting you up for failure.

The less you eat during the day, the more hungry you become and in the end you will likely eat more calories in the day than you would have if you ate balanced meals prior.

Stash protein rich snacks at your desk

Protein rich snacks will fill you up and things like fruit and almonds are filled with it and if you really want a sweet treat packed with protein, stock up on snack bars like Zone Perfect’s Perfectly Simple protein snack bars.

Zone Perfect’s Perfectly Simple limited edition holiday flavors, Pumpkin Chai and Peppermint Bark are filled with flavor for that sweet tooth and are also gluten free, under 200 calories and has 10 grams of protein! Win, win, win.

Go to town on the Crudite

When you get to the party, try to fill up on the veggies first. The more veggies you nosh, the fuller you will feel and the less likely you will be to over indulge in the carbs and fried stuff.

Use a small plate

It’s easy to over eat when your eating appetizers. “Just a bite of this”, “just a bite of that” feels kind of harmless– but it adds up. Filling up a small plate and stepping away from the dips and finger foods will help you with portion control.

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About Zone Perfect’s Perfectly Simple Limited Edition Peppermint Bark Protein Snack Bar:

Get your holly jollies on without the guilt. This gluten-free, protein-packed snack combines the velvety sweetness of white chocolate chunks and cocoa with the refreshing finish of peppermint.

Available in Target.

Disclosure: Zone Perfect is a paid sponsor of Complicated Mama. As always, all thoughts and opinions expressed are our own.

2015 Back-To-School Trends, Style + Shopping Tips | #FoundAtSimon

August 21, 2015 By Cori

Summer is winding down, gearing up for Back To School has once again crept it’s way to the top of your to-do list and time is of the essence.

You want to power through that Back-To-School shopping like you power through your favorite Netflix series on a lazy, rainy weekend.

Yes, it’s time for a little shopping haul– but where to start? what’s on trend? … and what do your kids really need?

Earlier this week, I teamed up with one of my absolute favorite malls here in New Jersey, The Mills At Jersey Gardens to share some of my tips on style and this year’s Back-To-School trends along side money saving expert, Andrea Worwoch.

The Mills at Jersey Gardens is one of my go-to places for “haul shopping” because it is filled with outlets of my favorite stores (Saks Off Fifth, PS by Aeropostale, Nike, Vince Camuto, Victoria Secret’s …oh, my!)

I don’t know about you, but when I need to set us up for a new season, back to school, or when I am trying to knock out that long holiday list, I am a woman on a mission and want to accomplish as much as possible in one place, without breaking the bank.

| Express Outlet @ The Mills at Jersey Gardens |

One shopping trip and BOOM! Done! (aren’t those the best?)

By shopping at outlets you get to shop the brands you love at deep discounted prices (and no, that doesn’t always mean it’s “last season”).

In addition to the already discounted prices, Andrea shared a few ways to score some additional discounts.

My two favorite money saving tips?

Download your Simon Malls app. Check the deals + map out a plan before you go!
Use Coupons + Coupon Sherpa App. Always ask if the store allows you to stack your coupons, because some definitely do!

This $5 coupon book is sold at The Mills At Jersey Gardens for extra savings and typically pays for itself within your first visit.

Earlier this year, I forgot about my coupon book and was KICKING myself for missing out on $20 off Saks off 5th – don’t let it happen to you, my friends!

Below are some of my tips for stocking up on your kid’s fall wardrobe this year.

Back-To-School Style Tips

Plan to layer. Layering allows you to mix, match and stretch some of your kid’s favorite summer styles long into fall. It also allows you to shop some of those awesome clearance racks!

Seek out deals on cardigans to pair with swing dresses, hoodies to peek through denim, cool leather moto jackets and chambray button downs to make your kid’s crop top obsession, school appropriate.

Choose quality over quantity. While we all love a good bargain– ultimately– with all the wear and tear kids give their clothes, we need them to last. Be brand loyal and spend a little more on the basics you know will last the long haul. Spend less on the trendier pieces as trends are always changing.

Know your kid’s personal style. When kids are little, we parents have more say in what they wear, but as they reach the tween years, kids develop their own sense of style (for better or for worse).

Talk to them about what they like and don’t like because the only thing worse than return lines is investing in something that collects dust in their closet.

Kids will often change their style once they see what everyone else is wearing. So another option you may want to consider is only getting those basic staples and waiting for school to start to get those trendy items.

Mix it – Don’t Match it! Feel free to let your kids express themselves by mixing up their favorite clothing because mixing patterns, textures and bold colors is in, in, IN!

Polka dots and stripes??? … YES!

Plaids with floral?? … YUP!

Neons with fall neutrals? … DOOO IT!

Let’s Talk Trends…

The Year Of The Jogger

|Left: Old Navy, Right: H&M Kids – Available at The Mills at Jersey Gardens|

Comfy like a favorite pair of sweats, “dressy” enough to pull off on non-gym days– jogger pants are “on fleek” this fall!

This tapered ankle trend is exciting news for back to school because kids love comfort, and parents love their kids looking pulled together– it is a win-win!

Throw’n it back to the 90’s!

90’s grunge started coming back last year and continues to trend this fall– and that is a-ok in this 90’s loving girl’s book.

Florals
Flannels
Light denim + ripped denim
Moto/Chunky ankle boots

Now if only, they could make 90’s hip hop cool again, so that my kids would let me jam out in my car ( I wish I were a little bit taller. I wish I were a baller… )

Pops of Neon

|Modell’s @ The Mills at Jersey Gardens|

This fall is set to be just as bright and colorful as our spring and summer, with pops of neon showing up all over.

Athletic Socks (The hottest: Nike Elite)
Inspirational Graphic Tee’s
Patterned Yoga Pants

Textures + Prints

|PS by Aeropostale @ The Mills at Jersey Gardens|

This season’s hottest print trend is what I am calling boho-meets-southwest. The prints are bold and detailed with an easy breezy vibe to them.

Quilted textures
Laser cut leather
Animal prints
Geometric patterns

Slip-ons. Buh-bye laces!

|Famous Footwear @ The Mills at Jersey Gardens|

If there is one thing to be sure about this year, it is that tying your shoes is NOT cool.

This year’s biggest shoe-trend is all about rocking your kicks sans clumsy laces!

Even the hottest fall shoes that have laces, are being worn knotted at the end and worn as slip-ons.

Here are some of the must- have BTS footwear to check out:

Ballet flats
Vans
Nike Roshe Runs
Bobs For Skechers®
Ankle Boots
Moto boots

See some of the Periscope’d highlights from the Back-to-school Luncheon below:

Disclosure: Complicated Mama is proud to partner with Simon Malls & The Mills At Jersey Gardens

Refresh Your Car! In Under 5: Say Goodbye To Those Musty Odors + Bacteria

August 11, 2015 By Cori

When we entered into summer, for some reason I had this (crazy-town) idea that life would slow down for a little bit.

The reality however, has been much different.

Although the kids are having a blast keeping busy and having fun– it’s also been slightly exhausting too as our days are spent ping ponging from one place to the next– hardly any of that dreamy downtime I was envisioning.

We go from camp, to the track, to the pool, to cheer and to playdates… and yes, sometimes all in the same day.

I calculated the other day and I am averaging around 3-4 hours of drive time a day– A DAY!

And do you know what joins us as we cart around town in our trusty- Traverse?

…. All kinds of sweaty-kid-funk and bacteria.

The crushed up goldfish on the floor, lollipop sticks in the cupholders, miscellaneous sweaty socks that magically pop off my sons feet the second he enters the car….

And friends, let me tell you, that you have not smelt anything more distinct, than the lingering smell of sweaty tween-age boys crammed into an SUV after an 8 hour day at basketball camp.

Oh. Em. Gee.

Cleaning and deodorizing our whip has become my full time job.

So when the team at Refresh Your Car! reached out for me to try out their products, I nearly wept tears of joy!

Refresh Your Car! has a variety of fresh-scented products that eliminate foul odors (like sweaty sporty little boys and sour milk bottles), kill bacteria*, and leave behind wonderful, clean scents.

When it comes to ridding the car of the bacteria, my favorite of these products by far were the leather wipes.

Did you know that your steering wheel alone can be covered in NINE times the amount of bacteria as a toilet seat??? (GROSS)

These wipes are perfect to keep in the car and use at any time for a quick interior clean and refresh – which as I already said, I have to do practically daily.

If you have leather interior I highly recommend these as they are gentle on the leather and leave it looking great too!

My second favorite product was the oil diffusers. I found that these lasted the longest (some up to 90 days!). The oil diffusers have a lot of nice light smells to choose from, but my personal fave was this dual scented one– fresh strawberries and cool lemonade!

You can release the scents one at a time or blended. I love the blend.

Another product that has a “cool techy factor” is the electric air freshner/USB:

Check this out– the future of fresh smelling cars:

Refresh Your Car’s refillable Power Plug plugs into your car’s 12-V adapter and provides great fragrance whenever your car is on. Powered by a built in heat source and illuminated with a colored LED light, the scented oil capsule can be replaced with a refill when a new one is needed—without having to purchase a new device! And new for 2015, Refresh Your Car plug in with a USB – the same great device consumers love but with a USB charger so you can charge your phone or tablet while still enjoying a delightful fragrance experience in your vehicle.

Bottom line? Our commute around town has been much more enjoyable thanks to Refresh Your Car!

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Tell me, what are some of the funkiest smelling things you’ve found hidden in your car?

Disclosure: Refresh Your Car is a paid sponsor of Complicated Mama. As always we only partner with brands we truly believe in. All thoughts, opinions, and smelly examples are our own.

Home Decor: Paint sets the mood for your home…. but you know, no pressure.

November 30, 2014 By Cori

Paint colors really set the mood and atmosphere of home– but you know, no pressure.

You may recall how badly paint drove me to drink back when we first moved into our home last year. I sounded completely insane, I’m sure friends and family considered having me committed. I stared at paint swatches for WEEKS, you guys…. W-E-E-K-S.

Not kidding.

With the long winters we have here in New Jersey, I wanted to make the most of the natural light we get. I wanted the rooms to be bright, airy and at the same time warm and cozy– which sounds a little contradictory when you’re starting with blank walls and 2117 paint swatches.

Now a year later, we are at the corner of settled-ish and still settling. The good news is that I’ve become more comfortable making decorating choices and have learned some valuable things about color schemes along the way.

So for those of us who sometimes feel overwhelmed by a home decor project, I wanted to save you from staring at an absurd amount of paint samples for an embarrassing long time, because I took one for the team and did that useless stuff so you don’t have to.

Choosing A Paint Color in 1-2-3

Start with a color scheme– DO NOT visit the swatches!

Trust me on this one. It is the golden rule, you guys. I will tell you why.

It is way easier to visualize a room by looking at a group of complimenting colors vs. a card of 5 shades of the same color– especially if you are like me and are better at looking at the full picture vs. piecing together the details.

Starting this way also makes it easier to choose which colors you want to accent with and which you want to be your main wall color.

Do a search on Pinterest for color pallets.

To hone in on what you love, be descriptive and search with a color and/or words like “Cozy”, “serene”.

Below is the the “Pinspiration” I found for our living room.

Sigh. Every time I look at this pic, it reminds me how desperately we need new couches… but you know– puppy. toddler.

One day.

Consider Where The Walls Can Be Seen

This was the hardest thing for us. The way our home is set up, standing in the kitchen you can see the foyer, living room and a wall of the dining room.

My head hurts just thinking about it.

Wether you are going with bold or neutral, if you are painting a shared/main living space, stick to a basic color scheme from room to room.

This DOESN’T mean you can’t have rooms look completely different. Just make the colors compatible so they are pleasing to the eye and don’t clash.

Compliment With Contrast

Consider painting door frames and molding, a shade or two lighter than your wall to give dimension and contrast. We did this with wainscoting (I’ll leave that for another post, but it was crazy easy! Don’t be intimidated).

Built-in shelves are great to create an eye catching focal point.

I am OBSESSED with built-in shelves and sadly do not have any.

Though this bookshelf tutorial on Just A Girl Blog has my mind daydreaming about Home Depot and Lowes (which is always scary, because I can’t build things)… but.. Gahhh!! … look at this gorgeousness!?!?

If you have one of these bad boys or can whip one up with the tutorial- DO IT (then send me pics to make me jelly).

Family Travel: Minimalist Packing Tips For A Road Trip

September 10, 2014 By Cori

Packing for a family vacation is always a bit of a challenge.

You want to be prepared for every place and weather change you may experience.

When we planned our big 10 day California road trip adventure, I was faced with a big packing challenge.

Not only were we packing for 5 (including an infant), but our luggage (and baby gear), had to fit in the back of the Acura MDX we were using to trek around from place to place.

The MDX was the perfect fit for our family of 5. It had ample trunk room and an awesome 3rd row that could be partially folded down for extra trunk space (Oh, hello there baby gear!) and was super easy to for the kids to access – just a touch of a button.

But even with the best scenario for our vehicle, it took some extra planning and Tetris-skills to get us all packed up (don’t forget we were also flying from NY to Cali!).

For a 10 day road trip we packed our family of 5 with:

3 duffle bags
3 backpacks (one for each kid)
and minimal baby gear

This will probably be my most braggy-travel story and I plan to tell it often. I can’t help it. I love a good challenge and am so proud and excited to share the packing tips and tricks that we learned from this trip.

How To Pack (the least) For A Family Road Trip

1. Transitional Pieces

Plan out outfits for 1/2 the stay of your trip with pieces you can recycle.

So for example, for our 10 day trip, we packed each family member:

– 1 sweat shirt

– 3 to 4 bottoms.

This ALWAYS means at least one pair of jeans. The rest could be shorts or skirts. Jeans can generally be worn a few times before they need a good washing, so use this to your packing advantage!

– 5 tops MAX

-2 pairs of shoes … Ok, ok 3 for Mom if you have a place you are getting lucky enough to be getting a night on the town sans kids… otherwise, leave the wedges and heels at home.

– Underwear + socks for every day

2. Packing Cubes.

Not kidding you guys, these babies are nothing short of magic.

We’ve tried the “rolling” method of packing and it did seem to save some room, but these packing cubes made our bags UBER organized truly created packing miracles.

I decided to try these on whim when I saw them at check out at our local TJMaxx. They came in sets of 3 (large, medium and small pouches) and turned out to be worth every penny of their $9.99 price tags.

3. On-site laundry. I know, I know– laundry is the LAST thing you want to think about when you are planning a vacation.

TRUST ME, laundry is the bane of my existence and I am willing to go out on a limb and say there isn’t anyone who prays for a laundry fairy more than I do, but when you are traveling with a family it actually may be a life saver and allows you to put a few outfits on repeat, ultimately resulting in less clothes to pack.

For us, we did laundry twice. Once when we stopped to visit family, and another towards the end of the trip at because our suite in the Grand Californian had a washer dryer in the room.

We went home with bags of mostly all clean clothes– which I was VERY thankful.

So when you are scoping out your hotel or stops along a road trip ask yourself if there will be anywhere you can throw in a quick load of clothes

4. Kid Entertainment Bags Pack one carry-on backpack filled with their own snacks, toys, games, etc. It’s easy to let panic get the best of you and want to pack tons of options, but don’t.

Pack things like crayons, coloring books, iPads, iPods and headphones. If it doesn’t fit in the bag, it doesn’t come on the trip. THE END. The older kids were responsible for their own bag.

/Bungalow 360 Baby Backpack/

We even got the baby a mini bag of his own, which was perfect for a few diapers, snacks and pacifier that we could carry with us while waiting on lines in theme parks, restaurants or walking through parks.

5. Baby STUFF. Traveling with a baby is intimidating to many and with many good reasons, one undoubtably being ALL. THE. STUFF. The gear, the food, the diapers… the entertainment and snacks…

When it came to gear there are a few recommendations:

– A great umbrella stroller. For our trip, Summer Infant provided their 3D Lite Convenience Stroller. It had all the essentials we needed in a light weight stroller: a great storage basket, shoulder strap, an extended flip out canopy to shade from the sun, multi position recline *and* it was only 12 lbs!

I did at times wish there were a snap on tray for snacks and things, but truthfully, that may have made it a bit clunky.

– The Ergo baby carrier. Strollers don’t bode well for beaches or lines at amusement parks. The Ergo has great back support and is overall really comfortable for baby and carrier.

So why do I need to bring both of these?

Well, maybe you don’t.

That is something you may need to weigh on a case by case basis. And if you are trying to travel with as little gear as possible, definitely weigh it all out.

For us, we wanted the stroller so the baby could nap in Disney. He did fall asleep in the carrier a few times, but for long stretches that could get a bit sweaty. Also, the stroller had nice storage underneath for diapers and things.

–Car seat travel cart. If you plan on taking a few trips with the carseat- this is a must. You can actually double it as stroller in the airport.

/We used the Brica Roll ‘n Go– $59.99/

If you decide you don’t need a stroller in addition to the carrier? This is super-sweet! You can check it right at the door of the plane– easy peasy.

We used ours as extra hands and attached 2 of our bags.

Alternately, you can usually rent a car seat through your car rental company but again, weigh the pros, cons and prices. For us, this investment has already paid for itself.

– Diapers, Formula, Food…

Plan ahead. Map out where there is a store closest to the airport or look into grocery delivery services OR look into services like Jetset Babies , that help you order and coordinate baby essentials like diapers, wipes, formula, etc to be delivered directly to your hotel.

Then when it comes to packing you will only need to pack for the plane + a 1 or 2 extra *just in case*.

–Planning for sleep

Most hotels have port-a-cribs or pack and plays they can bring to your room (This is what used for our road trip).

However, if you are staying somewhere that does not offer this, or at a family member’s home, I highly recommend the super duper lightweight Journey-bee or Lotus play yard/travel crib. They are essentially like the pack and play but WAY lighter and WAY easier to set up and take down.