Tag: latina bloggers

Thrifty Thursday’s – #PurplePurse 2014 and the Celine Luggage Inspired Tote

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Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Allstate Foundation® and Latina Bloggers Connect.  All opinions are my own.

This week, I am combining two topics for my Thrifty Thursday’s post.  Originally, I had only planned to post about the ‘Luxe for Less’ Celine Luggage inspired tote that I found at Forever 21, but then, I learned that I was selected to participate in the Purple Purse 2014 campaign.  The Allstate Foundation Purple Purse campaign is making it fashionable to talk about the domestic and financial abuse that traps women in abusive relationships. I thought it might be worth combining the two and increase exposure for this very serious topic.

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For those of you who are not familiar with the campaign, the Allstate Foundation has been working since 2005 to bring attention to the issue of domestic and financial abuse.  This year, they partnered with Kerry Washington (yes of the show, Scandal, and fitting to talk about her today since Scandal premiered tonight!!) to bring even greater awareness to their efforts and raise money for this cause.

Screen Shot 2014-09-25 at 10.04.35 PMThe beautiful Kerry Washington!

They have made quite a splash on social media, using the hashtag #PurplePurse and helped to raise over $800,000 as of this evening!!  Part of what they are doing to raise awareness is encouraging women to post pictures of their #PurplePurse style.  Add a purple purse to your outfit, or perhaps a #PurplePurse tassel (many thanks to Latina Bloggers Connect and All State for mine!) and post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram!

Receipt of the #PurplePurse tassel coincided with my discovery of the Celine Luggage Inspired tote.  Let me tell ya, I put them both to use immediately!  I have coveted the Celine Luggage tote for a LONG time now!  Long time.  Perhaps since I was an egg.  Take a look at the beauty that is this bag for yourself:

fall_2014_leathergoods_26Celine Luggage Tote in Light Copper

But I was not about to spend $2800 on a bag!  So, of course I was ecstatic when I found this inspired version at Forever 21:

IMG_20140922_172030My very own luggage tote!  Only $32.90 at Forever 21.

The #PurplePurse tassel is the perfect addition to what has become my favorite work tote!  It fits my MacBook Pro, fits over my shoulder, and goes with most any outfit.  Take a look at how I have styled the tote so far:

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Perfect with a classic office outfit…pencil skirt and button-down top.

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Even perfect for travel!  Cheers to my luggage and tote!

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Finally, channeling Elle Woods of Legally Blonde with my darling Murphy in tow!

Not bad for an inspired bag, right?!  Especially to use as a work tote.  Adding tassels to bags is currently very on trend, and I have contemplated getting a tassel of my own, but am glad that I now carry one that represents something.  One that helps bring awareness to the seriousness that is the domestic and financial abuse of women worldwide.

Visit PurplePurse.com to get more information, and participate in the challenge on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter between now and 10/3/14!  Before I conclude this post, I leave you with some facts and statistics to better inform you, and hopefully encourage you to participate in the challenge and/or donate to this very worthy cause.  Open your heart and wallet to stand up for domestic and financial abuse victims and those who serve them.

Finally, if you or someone you know needs immediate help, call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-SAFE (7233) or TTY 1-800-787-3224.

Domestic and Financial Abuse Facts and Figures

  • Domestic violence affects one in four women in her lifetime – that’s more women than breast cancer, ovarian cancer
    and lung cancer combined.
  • Most people think only of physical abuse when they consider domestic violence. Yet, financial abuse happens in 98% of all cases of domestic violence and is one of the most powerful ways to keep a victim trapped.
  • Domestic violence and financial abuse often go hand-in-hand, but nearly 8 in 10 Americans have not heard much about financial abuse as a form of domestic violence. The number one reason domestic violence survivors stay, leave or return to an abusive relationship is that they don’t have the financial resources to break free.
  • Two-thirds of Americans believe that domestic violence is a serious problem, yet just over 1 in 3 have ever talked about it. Allstate Foundation Purple Purse aims to make it fashionable to talk about this difficult topic.
  • You can help ensure domestic violence survivors – likely someone you know – aren’t financially trapped in an abusive relationship by joining the Purple Purse Challenge.
  • The Allstate Foundation is investing more than half a million dollars in the Purple Purse Challenge. The more donations each nonprofit gets, the more it can compete for Allstate Foundation incentive funding. Go to PurplePurse.com between Sept. 2 and Oct. 3 to join the Challenge and help a nonprofit near you.
  • Kerry Washington, Emmy-nominated actress and domestic violence activist, is serving as a Purple Purse ambassador to help raise awareness for the cause and has designed a limited-edition purple purse. The purse was created to represent the center of a woman’s financial domain and to inspire women to reclaim their financial independence.

Until next time!  Stay chic!

Neutrogena Face-Off Challenge!!

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Disclaimer:  This post is a compensated post in collaboration with Neutrogena® and Latina Bloggers Connect.  However, opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not been modified by the sponsors or any other third parties.

When I learned that I was selected to participate in the Neutrogena® Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes “Face-Off Challenge“, I was beyond excited!  I LOVE Neutrogena products!!  True story. However, the towelettes were a product I had not used.  So, imagine my excitement when I received a trial of the towelettes to try, in addition to a cute white face towel for the challenge.

0306142237aSo before I go into the details of the challenge, I first have to share my usual makeup removing, sophisticated, technique.  Haha, not really! 😛

My usual night-time removal routine involves:

  1. Washing my face with Neutrogena Face Wash (which I love, but is not completely effective for 100% makeup removal).
  2. Removing the rest of my make up with face or any Aveeno lotion and a tissue or, usually, a piece of toilet paper!  Waa, please don’t judge me!!! 😦

0306142238-1That’s it.  My usual make-up removing ritual, before these magic wipes came into my life, was pretty depressing.  What’s worse is that I usually STILL had mascara smeared around my eyes because the baby lotion wasn’t effective enough, so my hubby slept next to a raccoon most nights!  Haha!

Sigh!  Anyway, cut to the Neutrogena® Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes “Face-Off Challenge”!  This was a complete GAME CHANGER!  I’m talking Oprah ‘Aha’ moment, fat lady singing, ‘Eureka’ moment, all in one!!

For the challenge, I took a picture of myself right before bed, prior to removing my makeup (yes, a selfie…SCARY!!):

0304142052aThen I took a single Neutrogena Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelette and used it all around my face – yes, even around my eyes!  The towelette is soft and smells pretty amazing!  It left my face amazingly clean!  But, yuck, so much remained on the towelette:

0304142114_1Ummm, perhaps I should consider wearing less makeup??!  Hmm, sounds like a good idea in theory.  Good thing I’m not a theorist! 😉

Next, I washed my face with my usual face wash.  No picture for that, sorry! 😛

Okay, the final step was honestly, a bit scary.  I REALLY wanted this challenge to be a success.  Because I had never used the towelettes, I had my doubts about the effectiveness of the product and wondered whether they would really pass the ‘white towel’ test!!

THANK goodness for the makeup removing geniuses who created these towelettes, because after drying my face with the white towel – yes, even around my eyes – there was NO makeup left on my face!!  SUCCESS!!

0304142114a_1Here’s a picture of me, with no makeup on (ACK!!!) and a CLEAN white towel!!  Please excuse the makeup-less selfie, but it was part of the challenge!! EEEK!

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Anyway, you get the picture…the towelettes work!!  I’m officially a fan!  Thankfully, I also have a whole box for participating in the challenge! 😀

PhotoGrid_1393989225092Anyhow, challenge completed and deemed a complete success!  I leave you with some information provided by Neutrogena about these makeup removing soft cloths, and hope that you enjoyed this review!

If you care to share, comment below with your makeup removing routine, or simply what you thought of this post!  Look forward to hearing from you!

Stay chic!! 💋

Some key info from Neutrogena about the Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes!

  • Neutrogena® Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes remove 99.3% of all traces of dirt, oil, and makeup to reveal clean, fresh skin.
  • Neutrogena is recommended by dermatologists two times more than any other brand.
  • Safe for contact lens wearers.
  • Neutrogena provides superior cleansing and make-up removal products.
  • Gentle enough to use around the delicate eye area.

Giving Thanks for Family

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Disclaimer:  This post is being sponsored by Johnson & Johnson and Latina Bloggers Connect.  However, opinions expressed in this post are my own and have not been modified by the sponsors or any other third parties.

As I prepared for today’s festivities, I thought of the traditions I grew up with as a kid.  I grew up in a traditional Mexican family, so part of our traditions each year included getting together with extended family, eating turkey (usually in the form of mole), making and eating tamales, and dancing (yes, we often had a DJ or wanna-be DJ in house, haha!), and drinking up a storm (Rompope, anyone?)!  How I miss those days!

When I was offered the opportunity to speak about Johnson & Johnson’s “La Familia de Hoy” campaign, I immediately drawn to it for the many similarities my family and the families represented in this campaign share.   Johnson & Johnson conducted a national search for a modern, authentic Latino family to launch their 2014 campaign, and has narrowed their search to three beautiful families! After reading the stories of all three families, I identified most with the Jiménez family:

Jimenez Family

Jiménez Family

Their story made me reminisce about grilling carne asada on the weekends, as well as my dad’s recent (as in the last 10 years, recent) interest in futbol…you know, TRUE ‘football’?  Calm down American football fans…I am only kidding, kinda. 😛   A family of 5 as well, they reminded me that I am blessed to have grown up with two loving parents two, most-of-the-time-loving sisters. 😉  Okay, 99% loving, 1% not-so-loving (especially when they would steal my clothes and shoes!).  They remind me of my ‘familia’ and embody, in my opinion, what it means to be ‘La Familia de Hoy’.

As part of the blog-reading community, you have the unique opportunity to vote for your favorite family!  By voting, you give one of these families the opportunity to become Johnson & Johnson’s spokesfamily, and you will also receive coupon codes for Johnson & Johnson Healthy Essentials products!  Coupon clippers, this is for you!!

Click here to vote! http://bit.ly/1jkwdJi

LaFamiliaDeHoyLogo

In closing, I want to wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my readers!  Remember what ‘today’s’ family means to you.  Perhaps it is your immediate family, extended family, fur-baby family, gadget (TV, computer, smart phone) family, friend or work family. Whatever it may be, may you all be spending this day among family!  Happy Thanksgiving!!