We CAN Have It All: My Interview with Josie Maran!!!

Yep, you read it right! I got to interview THE fabulous Josie Maran! I've been writing posts about her and her SPECTACULAR products for ages, so you lovelies know that I'm a fan. Of course I LEAPED at the opportunity to interview her. I hope that you find her answers as inspiring as I did; she is proof positive that women are capable of finding happiness, fulfillment, and success in all avenues of life. It's all about focus and balance...

When the new CEO of Yahoo, Marissa Mayer, announced her pregnancy it ignited an instant debate. Mayer, like many other mommy CEO’s, will continue to prove that women can “do it all.” Mayer faces criticism from people like Brian Sullivan from the MSNBC show “Morning Joe” and Anne-Marie Slaughter from The Atlantic’s website, who claim that she should take time off to raise her baby and work on the company, and her career, later.

Many other well-known female CEOs have proved and continue to prove that women can “have it all,” being successful in the business world and as a mom. For example, Josie Maran has found a way to make it work. 

"I started my company when I was pregnant with my first daughter," Maran says, "and I only stopped running it for the four hours it took me to birth my second, earlier this month" (in July). Our company's COO (my husband) was right there with me and the midwives. He caught the baby. It's crazy-making hard sometimes, but so are most things worth doing. I believe that every woman and every man can do it all, and do it all well. I send my love and support to Marissa Mayer. I know what she's going through."

Josie has proven it is possible to balance family and work life – nurse your new baby, build a company and do it all again the next day. More than just the face and founder of her brand, Josie Maran is also the key product developer, working on new products and ensuring that each formulation is made with the safest ingredients and delivers top performance.

      

Is it difficult balancing a life full of demands as a business woman with being a mother? How do you stay grounded and what advice do you have for working mothers? What does your every day schedule look like?

When you’re ready to take on the world, great things can happen. My advice? Never take “no” for an answer. All my life I had people telling me I couldn’t do it all and have it all. I couldn’t be a model because I’m short, I couldn’t have a business and a family, I couldn’t make natural cosmetics. If I’d listened to them, I wouldn’t be where I am and JMC wouldn’t exist. If there’s something a woman really wants to do, she should just do it! 

My schedule changes from day to day. If I’m in LA, I go to the office. If I’m elsewhere I phone in to conference with my coworkers. My husband Ali and I make our kids a priority. I’m lucky to have a job where I can bring my kids and have them with me at work. Rumi loves seeing all her friends at JMC, and I’m sure Indi will love coming to work soon, too. The best advice I can give to working moms is to be present in all you do. When you’re with your kids, be with your kids. Don’t divide your attention, and savor each moment.

      How does being a mother influence 1) your work ethic, 2) your outlook on life, and 3) your style choices/the way that you dress?

Becoming a mom changed my life. It makes me work harder for a better world and a better future for my kids.  They’re my inspiration for everything I do.  You could say that I’ve perfected the “natural look”—some days I’m lucky if I have time to swipe on some lip gloss! I love makeup and fashion, but my daughters will always come first.

         What is your skincare routine? Hair care? What are your go to products?

My skincare routine is super simple. I use my Argan Cleansing Oil to dissolve dirt and makeup, and follow up by putting my 100% Pure Argan Oil all over my face and body. That’s my beauty must-have. It’s 100% organic, and it keeps my face moisturized all day. Then I put on my Argan DailyMoisturizer SPF 40 to protect my skin from the sun. It protects me from sun damage, which can cause wrinkles and discoloration.

I keep my hair routine simple, too. Less is more in beauty. I don’t wash my hair every day—shampoo can be really drying and stripping. I wash it every other day and keep it moisturized with my Argan Oil and Argan Oil Hair Serum, which adds shine and makes my hair smell amazing. Every week I use an Argan Hot Oil Self Heating Hair Treatment, especially if  I’ve had to heat-style my hair for a photo shoot. It really perks up dry strands.

Rimmel London Glam'Eyes HD Eyeshadows

As you can see, I've already dipped my brush into  Black Cab! In the middle is English Oak and to the right is Purple Reign.

I LOVE eye shadows! One of the things that I love about Rimmel London's Glam'Eyes HD Eyeshadows is that you get 4 shadows-everything you need for a complete look-in one posh little package. There are times when I have to run out of the house and can't finish my makeup application, and a chic little palette like this is perfect for allowing me to put on my face, while literally on the go!

Give It Away, Give It Away, Give It Away Now: nuNAAT Brazilian Keratin Daily Care Collection

I've had the privilege of trying out several products from nuNAAT, an internationally known (I can't type that without hearing Rob Base in my head) hair care company that fuses nature with modern technology to offer a vast array of extraordinary products (and I've tried 2 different lines so far and they were both kinda AWESOME!). I'm extremely happy to share this new from nuNAAT with you lovelies...

nuNAAT is promoting that they can give you GREAT hair, every day! If you want straight, frizz-free hair, check out nuNAAT's NAAT Brazilian Keratin collection. Designed to work for ANY hair type to restore and intensify's hair's nutritional balance, leaving it incredibly smooth, strong and flexible.

nuNAAT is giving away three sets of their popular NAAT Brazilian Keratin daily care collection. You have until 12:00 AM Eastern, Friday August 31 to enter to win via the Rafflecopter Widget below! 

I do hope that one of you lovelies win! Stay tuned for my reviews of nuNAAT's Karite Special with Shea Butter Collection, NAAT Treatment Curly Hair with Cupuacu and Keratin Collection, and the NAAT Treatment Repair Care with Acai and Keratin Collection.

nuNAAT Rafflecopter giveaway



Until next time...


Ciao, XxO

Q

Be Chic Literate: Dressing Marilyn (A Book Review)

One of my style inspirations is Marilyn Monroe. To me, she embodies ultimate glamour and femininity. This August actually marks 50 years since her death (there will even be a special memorial for her in Los Angeles). Ever on the look out for good chic lit, I jumped at the chance to preview the new book Dressing Marilyn, by Andrew Hansford with Karen Homer, about the man that styled Marilyn throughout her career, William Travilla. 

About the Book

William Travilla is one of the best costume designers of all time and Marilyn Monroe his most famous client. Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla focuses on the striking dresses that Travilla designed for Marilyn, from his early work on the thrillerDon't Bother to Knock and the gorgeous pink dress in which Marilyn sang “Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend” to the legendary white dress from The Seven Year Itch, which arguably contributed to the collapse of Marilyn's marriage to Joe DiMaggio. Featuring Travilla's original sketches, rare costume test shots, dress patterns, photographs of Marilyn wearing the dresses, plus exclusive and never-before-seen extracts from interviews with Travilla, this book offers a fresh insight into the golden age of Hollywood.

About the Author

Andrew Hansford has been involved in fashion for many years, having worked as a model and established his own business in the beauty industry. However, his life changed dramatically in 2007 when, after a phone call from a friend, a box of dresses designed by William Travilla for the screen legend Marilyn Monroe arrived on his doorstep. Since then, Andrew has worked with the Travilla Estate to help Travilla regain the renown he deserves. Andrew now manages Travilla's archive and has been responsible for six exhibitions showcasing Travilla's stunning work.

This book is the perfect gift for any Marilyn Monroe fan or even those simply interested in old Hollywood glamour and fashion. It is a beautiful book, full of pictures both familiar and new of the fabulous designs of Mr. Travilla. It is truly one of those rare books that can be enjoyed over and over again and is the perfect conversation starter as a coffee table book. Even the hubby was impressed with how beautifully the book is put together and my 12 year old daughter is often thumbing through its pages. 

Dressing Marilyn: How a Hollywood Icon Was Styled by William Travilla is now available at many fine retailers, such as Amazon and Target.com. 

Ciao, XxO

Q

PS-This book was sent for review by the publisher or PR. I was not paid for this review and all opinions stated are 100% honest and my own. This post does contain affiliate links-if you choose to click on a link AND make a purchase, I will receive a small commission :)

What's New From Smashbox! (A Wish List)

I've already shared my love for Smashbox Cosmetics with you lovelies, so I won't digress; but I am SUPER excited by all the new goodies I'm seeing from them! I'm steadily adding to my wishlist and so that I won't be alone in coveting all of the makeup goodness, I thought I'd share some of the new (and not so new) releases with you!

I'll start with my most wanted item, The Master Class Palette:

Smashbox The Master Class Palette (Sephora Exclusive) $59.00

Via Sephora:

What it is: A superloaded palette inspired by the bags full of product Smashbox pro artists bring on set.

What it does: From cases full of eye shadows to bags brimming with glosses, the amount of products the Smashbox artists bring on set can be overwhelming. Get all your photo-ready essentials in one place with The Master Class Palette by Smashbox, a palette jam-packed with 28 Photo Op Eyeshadows, four brow tech powders, eight cream eyeliners, two blushes, three soft lights, and four lip glosses. Featuring Smashbox's core eye shadow formula for the ultimate in blendability and pigmentation, plus many of our other studio-tested products, this palette contains everything you need to dust, blend, and swipe your way to a multitude of looks.

This set contains:- 28 Eyeshadows (starting at top left corner) in Vanilla, Frost, Butter, Parfait, Ambiant, Frambois, Peacock, Cabernet, Serpent, Aubergine, Azure, Ash, Opal, Linen, Flirt, Nectar, Granite, Golden Orchid, Dusk, Cinnamon Toast, Blacko 

Beauty on the Go

Beauty Must Haves For Travel by mamafashionist1 featuring a thick eyeliner

This weekend I had the opportunity to test drive and experiment with my ever growing makeup stash in order to fine tune not only a simple go to look (similar to my Basic Face), but also looks that would last all day (in the Georgia heat), be easy to touch up if necessary, and help me look put together but not overly made up. The arsenal above proved to be exactly what I needed and they will definitely be in my travel beauty bag from now on! 

The only items not pictured that I utilized this weekend are my all time favorite highlight (and HG product) MAC's Extra Dimension Skinfinish in Superb, Benefit's  The POREfessional primer  and one of my favorite palettes, Smashbox's Click You're It Holiday 2011 Palette (which I also feature here). Here's a breakdown of everything else I used (as pictured above):

After washing my face, Maijan's Argan Oil was my moisturizer of choice. It was perfect for prepping my skin for makeup, but more importantly it left my skin smooth and glowing. Because my skin was in decent shape, I did not need a full face of liquid foundation. I simply smoothed on the Benefit primer, used Smashbox High Definition Concealer in Medium/Dark under my eyes (to brighten and highlight) and on a few blemishes, and apply a light layer of Josie Maran Argan Matchmaker Powder Foundation with SPF 20 in Medium/Dark to even out my complexion and eliminate unwanted shine (and the gorgeous rose gold compact the foundation comes in is some of the prettiest packaging I have ever come across). I contoured with NYC New York Color SUN'n'Bronze Bronzing Powder in Montauk Bronze, added MAC Powder Blush in Fleet Fast from the Hey! Sailor Collection to my cheeks, and Superb Skinfinish for the perfect glow and dimension.

Everyday for the eyes, I started with MAC Bamboom Paint as a base. On Friday, I simply used the Eyeko Skinny Liquid Eyeliner in Black to make an intense cat eye and Urban Decay 24/7 Glide On Pencil in Perversion to tightline. On my waterline, in the inner corner of the eye, and on my brow bone, I applied NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Milk. I finished my eyes by curling my lashes and applying a few coats of Bobbi Brown Intensifying Long Wear Mascara in Black to the top and lower lashes (and the applicator in this mascara is perfect for grabbing every single lash, especially in the inner corners and lower lashes, and making the most of them). On Saturday, I went more delicate with the liner on my upper lash, added a bit of #6 from the Smashbox palette, and kept everything else the same. On Sunday, I did my traditional cat eye, used Maybelline EyeStudio Color Tattoo 24/7 Eyeshadow in Edgy Emerald in the inner third of the lid and along the inner half of the lower lashline, applied #14 from the Smashbox palette in the crease and outer v, and #10 in the center of the lid, and #4 to highlight under my brow bone.

For lips, I kept it simple. Each day I started with my favorite (another HG) eos lipbalm in sweet mint, and used MAC Lipglass in Rebel (on Friday and Saturday when my eye look was simple) and a beautiful sheer, nude cream lipstick from Giorgio Armani on Sunday. 

The best thing about each of the looks was that, with the exception of reapplying balm, lipstick, and/or gloss, the only kind of touch up I needed throughout the long hot days was a bit of Mally Beauty Evercolor Poreless Face Defender to keep shine at bay. Another must that stayed in my purse all weekend long, was Sally Hansen's Gem Crush nail polish. I had Bling-Tastic on my toes and Showgirl Chic on my fingers. I love how adding these sparkle-licious colors to just one finger on each hand and one toe on each foot is enough to add a little extra something to your look! Plus if you chip the polish on any of your other nails, just covering the chip up with a bit of the Gem Crush polish adds a bit of unexpected flair that is really unique.

So that's that. After this weekend, I literally cleaned out my makeup bag and refilled it with these goodies (well, at least the ones that will fit into it). For the most part, I felt polished and put together this weekend, despite the crowds, heat, and my kiddies, and that was due in large part to the products. What's in your makeup bag? What products do you have to have with you where ever you go? My inquiring mind wants to know! Leave a comment below and let me know what you think. Until next time...

Ciao, XxO

Q

PS-Some of the products mentioned above were provided to me by PR. I was not paid for this post and all opinions stated are 100% honest and my own. This post does contain affiliate links-if you click on a text link AND make a purchase, I will receive a small commission :)