Chemicals, chemicals, everywhere!  A lot of them under or non-regulated, or even some that are considered safe, but then whoops!  We find out years later that they weren’t so great for anyone after all.  There is particular concern for chemical exposure to children, simply because of their higher skin area to body mass ratios as compared to adults. 

So, one way to ease your fears is to buy products that are organic.  I know that I try to whenever possible, simply because I don’t trust our government to protect our children from harmful chemicals.  And I’m not even a Republican. 

These products are all-natural or organic, or in some cases both, so use with confidence.

California Baby Calming Baby Shampoo and Body Wash

Can be used by adults with sensitive skin as well!

California Baby Calendula Cream

Perfect for many skin conditions, ranging from diaper rash to cradle cap and everything in between.

California Baby SPF 30 + Sunblock Stick

This sunscreen does not contain potentially harmful ingredients found in many bestselling sunscreens. If you feel like getting annoyed, go read this article.

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Ah, the ubiquitous and well-beloved gumball machine. A sight to warm the cockles of any heart, no matter how wizened and dried. Who among us cannot confess to (even now) covertly scoping out the offerings, searching in vain for that five cent jellybean motherload. But as the ancients knew, the only constant is change, and change, my friend, has come to the gumball machine. Not only are prizes segregated now, removing the delightful thrill of actual gambling and completely slaughtering the grey market in traded prizes, but the prizes themselves have changed.

If only they’d had this a generation ago! Legions of now-regretful inked-up former hipsters could have gotten the urge to impersonate Cher out of their systems before puberty (or toilet training, for the either truly precocious or truly slow).

They grow up so fast!

Er, well, maybe these are just games I’ve never heard of before. These games are fun for the whole family, and perfect for those game nights! They all promise to not be boring for the older set, as there comes a point when you can play Candyland or Monopoly only so many times.

Quiddler Ages 8+ Sort of like Scrabble, but with cards. And a little more complicated.

Five Crowns Ages 10+ It comes closest to rummy, with five suits. Start with 3′s, and they are wild. Go on to 4′s and 4′s are wild, and so on…

Blokus Ages 5+ A game of strategy, in which your blocks may not be adjacent to anyone else’s blocks, but yet touch at least one corner of one of your other blocks. And once the block is down, that’s it!

SET Game Ages 6+ A card game where the object is to find specific sets.

Pass the Pigs Ages 7+ A game of chance in which you accumulate points by rolling two cute pink piglets.

Wild Planet Hyper Dash Ages 7+ An electronic game that gets the players moving! The game gives commands as to specific targets, and you have to run around the house or yard to get them! Has four different levels and four different game modes to challenge memory, coordination, and teamwork.

Mayfair The Settlers of Catan Board Game Ages 12+ Catan is an imaginary island that is different every time you play the game! The players are explorers and settlers who develop things on the island.

ThinkFun Rush Hour Ages 7+ Set up cars and trucks and try to maneuver your way through rush hour! Forty “road block” cards and four difficulty levels keep this game challenging!

Ticket to Ride Ages 8+ Claim your own railway route across the United States before your opponents get there first!

Deluxe Pit Ages 8+ A card game where you “corner the market” of a certain commodity. You’ll feel just like a stockbroker. But you’ll still be able to feel good about yourself in the morning.

Today we are going to be all about the beauty and the bargains. Or, more specifically, the kind of products you can pick up at Target or your local drugstore.

Much like some people prefer Blahniks to Payless, I tend to prefer name brand beauty products over your more mainstream brands like Maybelline.

But sometimes, my eyes are bigger than my budget and I have to pick and choose what I want in “designer” products. There is no doubt that the so-called “drugstore” brands fill an important niche, because if I had to pay over twenty bucks a rather small bottle for the facial cleanser I use twice a day, then I would never be able to splurge on my Vincent Longo lipsticks. Hey, I’ve got my priorities, you know?

So, what does Glinda recommend when perusing the drugstore aisles?

Soap & Glory The Righteous Butter

Ever heard of Bliss? Well, the same company makes Soap & Glory and it can be found at your local Target for a price that is much kinder to your wallet. This body butter with shea and aloe vera doesn’t leave that greasy residue that many body butters do. And it smells better than most, too.

Dove Energy Glow Self Tanner

I have the type of skin that tans, even if I don’t want it to. Sunscreen does not stop the tanning, thus usually resulting in the classic “farmer’s tan” on my arms, as well as some crazy shoe strap patterns on the top of my feet. To help even everything out, I use this Dove self tanner. Unlike most self tanners, it smells pretty darn good. It goes on gradually so that I never have to worry about those pesky streaks. And after about three days, you’ve got some good color going on. Yes, yes, technically the Clarins is better, but for the money, I’d go for the Dove.

Alpha Hydrox Facial Wash

My skin is extremely sensitive, and I have gone all the normal sensitive skin routes to try and find something that won’t irriate it. Cetaphil, Aveeno, all that stuff didn’t not work. What did work was some painfully expensive cleanser from Chanel, but I just couldn’t justify the price. Alpha Hydrox to the rescue! I am just as happy with it as I was with the Chanel. It contains no soap, is oil-free, fragrance free, and has just enough citric acid to pacify my inner Norma Desmond.

Now, let’s chat a bit. I want to know all about your favorite beauty bargains!

Excuse me, but where would I find the optometry department?

from the Failblog

Lord help us, neon is making a comeback.  Anyone growing up in the 80′s is familiar with the horror that the neon trend has forever imprinted on our retinas.

And for some reason, fashion has decided that it is time for the populace to experience neon again in all its day-glo glory.  Perhaps some of these people didn’t actually experience the 80′s, or else they might think long and hard about voluntarily attempting to reinstate its popularity.

Neon makeup is supposed to be big this summer.  There is no doubt that heavily pigmented neon makeup is a thing of the past. And deservedly so. As I stated before with the blue eye makeup, the pigmentation is lighter, although care always has to be taken in the application of such bright colors. I would make a clown joke here, but that would just be a little to easy, methinks.

The best rule to follow is to focus on one feature. Be it nails, lips, or eyes, neon should be used with restraint. I would think this would be obvious, but you never know.

The easiest way to do neon is of course with nail polish. Another good way is to use neon eyeshadow as a liner, not over the entire brow or lid. Just wet the brush a little and apply. Neon lipstick actually works well with minimal summer makeup. I can’t include it here, but next month MAC is coming out with an entire line of neon lipstick.

Here are a few products to try out the whole neon thing. If you dare.

Pop Beauty Lid Neon

Essie Neon Collection

Anna Sui Creamy Eyecolor #100

NARS Lipstick in Schiap*

*The color swatch is the actual Schiap color, not the one in the tube.

Because Teeny Manolo is ostensibly a blog about children’s clothes as well as various and sundry other things, I would like to present Baby Eggi.

Fugheddabout that horrifically priced Ed Hardy stuff if you are into tattoo-inspired wear. Baby Eggi is cute, affordable, and the designs are not as over the top as some of the other tattoo wear out there. I also like that they donate a hefty twenty percent of their profits to their charitable partners.   

Baby Eggi was started by two sisters who thought they had what it took to begin their own clothing line. With one of the sisters formerly employed in the fashion industry, they actually did have what it takes. Then, they enlisted the talents of tattoo artist Mark Mahoney. Mark’s real ink can be seen on the likes of Angie, Brad, and Johnny Depp, among many others.

These adorable “Forgive Me for I Know Not What I Do” shirts are eighteen dollars. Not bad when you compare them to Ed Hardy tees at fifty bucks or so.

Days of the week onesies, only twenty eight for the set! Also available in French and Spanish.

Books are already magical, and pop up books seem somehow even more special. There is no better way to get your child hooked on reading than by introducing them to pop up books. Children (and adults too!) are completely fascinated with three dimensional pictures that are, in essence, individual sculptures. Yes, little hands can be grabby and close supervision necessary, but pop up books are also a wonderful way to teach young ones to appreciate and respect books.

Encyclopedia Prehistorica Dinosaurs: The Definitive Pop-Up by Robert Sabuda Special note must be made of Robert Sabuda, as he is widely viewed as the best pop up book illustrator out there. This is not the first time you will see him on this list.

Mommy? by Maurice Sendak, Arthur Yorinks, Matthew Reinhart A classic Sendak book, which is slightly scary but has the protagonist outwitting all the monsters as he searches for his mom in a haunted castle.

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland: A Pop-up Adaptation by Lewis Carroll Yet another story illustrated by Sabuda, this is a retelling of the classic. But with totally cool pop up pictures.

Winter’s Tale: An Original Pop-up Journey by Robert Sabuda A story about animals who live in the snow, this visually stunning book ends with a Christmas cottage lit up by real lights.

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