Companies I Love Archives - Page 2 of 2 - Small Things Are Big Things

October 11, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Prevention with CosmetiCare – Suddenly I’m Old

I looked in the mirror, and suddenly I’m old.

I’ve always been happy with the way I look.
(I think more women need to say that out loud. So why don’t you just say it right now, even if you don’t believe it.)
I remember being in my early 20s thinking, ‘I can’t wait’ for those smile lines and wrinkles around my eyes to make an appearance. Like a badge of honor for a happy life spent laughing with friends and family.

Hahahahahahaha… (the innocents of youth)

Now, I spend a few minutes every day poking at my face and pulling it up on the sides and thinking… what the H-E-Double hockey sticks happened?!?!? And ‘if only’ this part of my cheek was lifted an eighth of an inch my whole face would look better.

It stinks. I don’t want to feel ugly.
I really don’t.
I mean, my husband tells my I’m pretty all the time… and I’m sure he means it.
But I also sleep with him, and I’ve heard men will say anything to get a girl in the sack.
Do I find my value in what other people think of me?
I’ve actually thought about this a lot.
I don’t. But when I look in the mirror, I want to like what I see.

I’m 35 now and I know about green leafy vegetables (she types as she is shoving cheese-its in her mouth), and I wear sunscreen everyday (it’s in my beauty balm, and that counts right?), I drink loads of water (I really do, I can’t get enough and I rarely drink soda… I crave a Dr. Pepper every so often… well I crave a sip of Brad’s DP. Hahahahaha!)

Any-hoo, what I’m saying is, I don’t think the cleanser-toner-moisturizer-sunscreen routine is enough anymore. I know I don’t want a face lift. That scares me.
(Side Note: If I ever go under the knife, it will be for liposuction or a tummy tuck. #justbeingreal)

Praise the Lord, I was chosen by CosmetiCare to be one of their #CosmetiCareMoms at just the right time!

I have to admit, when they invited me to be involved, I was like, “Have you read my blog?” It’s not really the fashion-forward-style-tip type thing… I blog more about inner beauty and how the Small Things we do in our lives can make a big difference in our family, community and the world. But after hearing the heart of the CosmetiCare medspa and meeting Dr. Michael Niccole, his family and his staff, (AND trying the hydrafacial, Juvederm and Botox), I’m sold.

#CosmetiCareMoms

CosmetiCare isn’t about copying someone else’s face or changing the way you look, they are about helping people love the way they already look. And giving women the tools they need to maintain their natural beauty. This really has to start before you start to get wrinkles to slow down the signs of aging or or treat issues like acne and brown spots. If you start taking care of these things now with nonsurgical treatments, then you won’t “need” something more invasive later. (Related Note: I’m using the word “need” loosely. This isn’t about conforming to another person’s ideal beauty, but making an individual feel more comfortable in their own skin.)

Prevention with CosmetiCare Tips…

– Don’t go it alone. Build a trusting relationship with anti-aging experts who can give expert, up-to-the-minute advice and create a skin regime just for you. Only trust your skin to a medspa managed and staffed by professionals (certified nurses, estheticians and surgeons).

– Botox won’t let you down. Start to use Botox as a preventative wrinkle-smoothing measure before the severe frown lines between the eyebrows, form. You could postpone those wrinkles for years, and no one would even know! (I can attest to that!!)

– The lift without the snip. Loss of volume in cheeks can make a women look sad or even angry. Voluma is an injection that adds volume and lift to your cheeks. It has the ability to enhance contour and create a more youthful profile without needing to take a drastic, invasive step like implant surgery.

– Plump it up. Young, healthy skin is resilient and plump because of the natural existence of a hydrating substance called hyaluronic acid (HA). Age and sunbathing (hey there everyone in So Cal) reduced the HA level in your skin. Less HA is the culprit for facial wrinkles and folds – those parentheses lines around your nose and mouth. Fillers like JUVÉDERM are the medspas’ version of HA. They can even out wrinkles around the mouth and nose with one treatment! It’s natural-looking results last up to a year – ideal for a woman on the go.

– Lasers! Orange County boasts an average of 278 consultatively sunny days a year. We love soaking up that sunshine – until we see the results, including sun damage, freckles and lesions. Medspas use laser resurfacing to remove layers of skin cells rather than the damaged ones only, and can reduce the appearance of scars, minimize deep wrinkles and even out skin tone. Intense Pulsed Light (IPL) uses light pulses that target darker pigmentation in the skin, breaking up discoloration and leaving lighter areas of skin untouched. IPL also is used to fade freckles and lesions.

I found the ones that are right for me. Which one is right for you?
Schedule a consultation with a medspa to find out.

Discover more about CosmetiCare on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, YouTube.

September 9, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

I Tried Juvederm at CosmetiCare and it was Intense!

I tried Juvederm at CosmetiCare …and it was intense!

If you are following along on instagram, I was chosen to be a CosmetiCare Mom! I’ve tested some of their popular treatments and now I’m sharing my opinions.
First I tried the HydraFacial (amazing) then botox and finally Juvederm.

This was out of my comfort zone and I was very nervous at the appointment.

My medspa provider, Suzanne Rogers, was really great (she did my botox treatment as well). So far, all of the CosmetiCare staff has been really great! She walked me through the whole process. Even when I passed out.
Yes, you read that correctly.
We’ll get there.

Juvederm is a very daring treatment (to me) but I really trust the people at CosmetiCare. Juvederm is a smooth gel filler that plumps out wrinkles. The gel is hyaluronic acid and is so safe you can drink it. Suzanne said by adding some filler around my cheekbones the bags under my eyes would be much less noticeable. This was really stepping out of my comfort zone.

The Juvederm injections were a little more painful than the botox (but nothing crazy) and the gel made a funny clicking noise as it is being injected. This is when I started getting a little woozy… and my hand started to feel a little tingly. I thought I was maybe dying of a heart attack (paranoid much?), I told Suzanne, and she got me some ice and had me lay flat for a few minutes. Then I was good to finish.

So, did I actually pass out cold? No.
Did I start to blackout? Yes.
I was seriously so so nervous.

Below is my before picture.
Even when my face is relaxed, you can see lines across the top of my forehead.
I don’t mind them that much, but it’s one of those things I know will only get worse with time… unless I start some sort of prevention plan NOW… before the wrinkles set permanently.
I think I would mind that quite a bit!

I got Juvederm at CosmetiCare 3 weeks ago so I’ve been able to get used to the way my face looks a feels and I’m super happy with the results! I really don’t get why there is such a stigma on medspa treatments. I mean women spend thousands on make-up/skincare and hair color with no stigma. And think about the chemicals going on your body every single day in skincare. (Well, not on mine because I use this.) That gives me a little more grace for the botox. (At least that’s what I tell myself!)

I’ll lay out my pros and cons for my CosmetiCare Juvederm treatment.

Juvederm ($800):
Cons –
-You get poked and it hurts.
-It almost made me pass out.
-It makes a creepy clicking noise… and although Suzanne warned me… it was weird.
-My cheekbones were sore for over a week. Everything looked great from the outside but I was little sensitive to the touch.

Pros –
-Injections don’t take long.
-The results last a year. YES, A YEAR!!!
-Looks so natural. People will say you look good or well rested, but they won’t guess you had injections.
-No injection marks or downtime.
-It will get rid of the bags under your eyes and keep your face looking fresh, not droopy.
–It works.

Final thoughts on Juvederm –
I’m so happy with the results for the bags under my eyes. I might start doing this yearly or every 18 months in a few years.

I can’t stress enough with both the Juvederm (and botox), that it really works!

Buuuut you are trusting someone with your face. Don’t take it lightly… this is your face people!!! Go with someone you trust. Dr. Michael Niccole has run this family owned business for 33 years. I’ve met his wife and his kids and they are good people. Really. CosmetiCare is located in Newport Beach and the staff is great. They know what they are doing and you really feel like you are part of the family when you are there for your appointments.

Here is a picture of me without make-up in the morning.
It’s from a snapchat with my hubby.
Sometimes I like to rub it in that I get to work at home in my PJs and drink percolated coffee while he is slaving away in an office.
#MarriedCoupleConversations

Read about my botox treatment at CosmetiCare too!

September 8, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

I got botox at CosmetiCare… and liked it!

I tried botox at CosmetiCare …and I liked it!

I always said I would NEVER do any kind of plastic surgery or beauty-type procedure. Even non-invasive ones. Mind you, I said that when I was in my mid-twenty with no wrinkles, and when I thought I was fat… but was 40 pounds lighter than I am today.

Do you ever want to go back in time and punch yourself in the face?
Me too.

Moving on…
You may have seen on instagram, I was chosen to be a CosmetiCare Mom! I get to test some of their most popular treatments, then give my opinion.
I tried the HydraFacial first and it was amazing!! I noticed my deepest wrinkles looked more shallow for about 2 months. But I wanted to try something a little more daring.

Botox? Well, that’s daring. Let’s do it!

I arrived for my appointment terrified.
Like heart-pounding-out-of-my-chest terrified!!!
They have coffee in their waiting room and that helped.
Even though it is a “medical” spa, the waiting room is cozy, it could use some magazines though. I’ve never had to wait very long so they probably don’t really need them that bad.

I was so nervous when I was called into the procedure room, but my medspa provider, Suzanne Rogers, was so comforting and encouraging. Each staff member at CosmetiCare is so friendly! She has been doing this for 15 years (yes folks, that was my first question) and talked me through everything.

Suzanne warned me the botox shots would hurt a bit. But they were fast and didn’t hurt me at all. It felt a little like acupuncture, and only took a few minutes.

Now that I’m almost a month out from my CosmetiCare medspa experience I have no idea why I was so worried or why there is such a stigma on this kind of thing. Seriously. I have friends who started saving for their boob jobs as soon as they found out they were pregnant with their first child. A huge majority of women don’t bat an eye about going under anesthesia, getting cut apart, then adding implants. It might be an Orange County thing (and if it is, then it’s coming to your town in a few years), but sometimes it’s hard to spot a woman in her 40s without implants. And I mean, how many people are seeing your boobs? Padding would do the same thing. But, botox? Something you can do in minutes. Never! And a gazillion people see your face every day!
That doesn’t make any sense.

I also should be clear that I liked the way I looked before the botox. I don’t even care if that sounds vain. I know I’m not a super model (and I don’t want to look like one… I like food too much… but I would like to travel like a super model). I don’t think I needed botox or any kind of treatments, but it sure was fun!!

I’ll lay out my pros and cons for my botox CosmetiCare treatments of below:

Botox ($400):
Cons –
-I got poked and injected with a drug.
-My forehead felt numb for the evening.
-I can’t make my forehead wrinkle anymore. (Is that really a con?)

Pros –
-The pokes didn’t hurt at all.
-It took minutes. (Less than a hour if you count waiting and drive time.)
-I can’t make my forehead wrinkle anymore! And because I can’t make my forehead wrinkle the lines on my forehead aren’t getting deeper and deeper every year.
-No injection marks or downtime.
-Lasts 4 months. (But I’ve heard it can last 6ish on some people.)
-It really works! Although it costs $$, since it works, it’s well worth it. More than the expensive wrinkle creams which don’t yield quick or effective results.

Final thoughts on botox –
I loved it. I’m considering making it part of my “don’t-let-yourself-go” routine. It lasts 4ish months, but I feel like if I do it every year it won’t break the bank and will keep my wrinkles from etching deeper into my forehead as I get older. A preventative measure.

I can’t stress enough with both the botox and Juvederm, that it actually works! You know how you go to the gym to get skinny. You shell out a monthly membership and childcare, work your behind off hours a week, and eat organic kale, all in the hope that you’ll look better in your jeans… in 6 months. With these CosmetiCare treatments you shell out some money and in one hour you have your results. It’s the best. Ever.

With that being said (typed), if you go to some random place you might get a botched job, or have a bad experience. I highly recommend CosmetiCare in Newport Beach. Dr. Michael Niccole has run this family owned business for 33 years. They know what they are doing and you really feel like you are part of the family when you are there for your appointments.

Below are some before and after pictures of my botox-ed forehead. They were both casual and I’m making the same facial expression so you can easily see the difference. I’m so expressive with my forehead that make-up was starting to build up in the creases by the end of the day.

discovery-cube

And I can still look surprised… just a younger surprised.

Here is us on the Tower of Terror at Disneyland.
Though I think the people behind us, not my botox, really steal the show!

Tower-of-Terror

Read about my Juvederm treatment at CosmetiCare too!

September 3, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

Getting the Perfect Car with the Help of #ECCUAuto

This is a sponsored post, but all the opinions are my own… especially the one about a teen’s first car!

We are officially the parents of a teen driver!

What?
You didn’t know we had a teenager??
It’s time I came clean… I have a secret love-child.
J/K
I’m talking about our foreign exchange student, James.
But we really do think of him as part of the family!
The kids had to do an “All About Me Poster” for school and included him in the picture.
Adorbs.

This year will be his third year as our host son and he is a great kid!
I have to say, it is pretty cool to practice the teen years on someone else’s kid.
Seriously.
Teenagers are weird… I can’t believe everyone on earth went through the teen phase.
Have you ever thought about that? No one can seem to handle teenagers, even though we all know exactly what it was like to be one.
I can’t even imagine what kind of chaos will happen when all 4 of mine will be hormone-ing at the same time!
Gross.
Anyhoo! We have a teen and he’s great!
See…

He just got his license last week and we are a lot more worried about him than I thought we would be. He drives a fast car. And when I say fast, I mean REALLY FAST!

Probably not the first car we would picked for a 17 year old boy.

(But he’s not our teen and obviously we didn’t buy that car! $$$$$$)

I think a bulky slow truck is a good choice for a teen boy.
No backseat. (wink)
And then you can make him move heavy things for all your friends.
I just may have to tell James’ mom about the Galpin Motors Labor Day Sale.
If you are in the market for a new car you might want to check it out this weekend too!

Galpin Motors Event Information:

When: Saturday, September 5^th from 9:00am-6:00pm
Where: Galpin Ford 15505 Roscoe Blvd., North Hills, CA
What: Shop over 5,000 new and used vehicles. Take advantage of current factory incentives and great Labor Day offers. Plus:
- ECCU members (current and new) receive oil & filter changes for the life of their loan.
  - Not a member yet? Sign up before or at the event to receive all member offers.
- They will also be able to shop early. The sale and oil & filter change offer runs from Friday, August 28 – Monday, September 7.
- Galpin Motors dealerships has loads of brands: Ford, Lincoln, Mazda, Honda, Subaru, Jaguar, and Volkswagon

Find more about ECCU on twitter, Facebook, youtube or on their blog and of course the ECCU website!
You can follow their hashtag #ECCUAuto on all their platforms!

We’ve always saved (and saved and saved) to pay cash for our used cars, but if we ever have to finance, we’ll use ECCU. Take a look at the rates…

And I’ll close with a picture of our teen the day he passed his drivers test.
I’m not going to say he’s a bad driver… but stay away from a white porshe when are out and about.
How excited is he in this picture!?!?!
Love it!

May 5, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf {They Love Teachers!}

This post is a public service announcement for all my teacher friends!

In celebration of National Teacher Appreciation Day (Tuesday, May 5, 2015), The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, teachers and faculty members can whip out their school ID and get any regular (16 oz.) beverage for only $2!
Two Bucks!!!
Just to honor the work teachers do for their communities.
That’s wonderful!
So is coffee.

I had no idea that The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is the oldest and largest privately-held coffee and tea retailer in the United States. Why do I love family owned companies so much?

To find the closest participating The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf location click here.

I took Tessa on a little mommy date to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, (that’s how I saw the teacher appreciation sign) and of course little Miss had to go potty.
Seriously.
Why do my kiddos have to go every time we are out and about!
So I took a bathroom selfie.
Mostly because I liked my outfit and it was a good hair day.

Seriously you guys… this girl!!!

Thank you to The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf® for sponsoring this conversation.

The End.
(Keep being awesome teacher friends!)

April 28, 2015 by: Kara Noel Lawson

CosmetiCare {Age with Grace WITHOUT Surgery!}

I’m going to be 35 this year.
Getting older has never really bothered me.
REALLY.
I’ve looked 35 since I was 13.
REALLY.
You don’t believe me?
Let me pull a picture or two of me in Jr. High to prove it… (last one from high school)

{Let’s all pretend the mom jean trend in the 90s never existed.}
Any hoo, I always thought I would age with grace, and embrace my wrinkles as laugh lines.
Well, the time has come for some embracing of lines and this girl isn’t embracing.
At all.
This girl is getting fake eyelashes and wrinkle cream!

I’ve never felt comfortable with plastic surgery. I’m not sure why.
But ask me again in 10 years! (Ha!)
The folks at CosmetiCare say “the beauty of youthful, ageless skin is not only possible: it can be yours!”
Um… ok!
They are having an event called BeautyLand on May 7th, and you’re invited!
I’ll be there! (At the 4pm slot.)
During the event we’ll get a behind the scenes look into CosmetiCare’s seven signature beauty rooms, where we’ll learn more about non-invasive treatments!
CosmetiCare has everything from a Skin Care Room to a Fat Melting Room.
Yes please, for the latter!
I hope you can come and hang out with me!

The details for the BeautyLand event:
Date: May 7, 2015. Tours take place at 2:00 p.m., 3:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
RSVP is required by e-mailing inquiry@cosmeticare.com or calling 949.273.2663

All of us attendees will have the opportunity to win gift baskets filled with skin-care products and services (valued up to $600). A $2,000 grand-prize winner will receive a gift certificate for one area of laser hair removal, one area of Tru Sculpt, one syringe of Juvederm and more!

But for now, CosmetiCare is letting me give away a $500 gift certificate for beauty services from CosmetiCare’s MedSpa! Enter the #BeautyLand giveaway in the box below… loads of extra entry options!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Maybe to you can’t go to BeautyLand because you live too far away.
I can’t let you leave this post empty-handed!
Below you’ll find 2 free printables all about beauty. Download the PDF here and print for the women in your life with true beauty.

Good Luck! I’m off to Costco to get bulk everything!

November 27, 2009 by: Kara Noel Lawson

etnies

I was invited along with a lot of other bloggers to the etnies hub for a tour of their Sole Technology Institute and to learn about the launch of the latest addition to the etnies brand… Grow with Me toddler shoes!

It was fun.

Wanna read about it?

No. (you’re thinking)

You’ll get to see how Hot Hubby dressed our children like vagabonds AND how Eli was kind of a pill with the super nice owner AND how Cora was dripping green boogers on everything AND how I always seem to look like an idiot AND a picture of me in Jr High AND Eli’s year of wearing etnies AND some cool other stuff about the shoes.

See I told you you’d want to read on!

###

Hot Hubby took a family day off work, so he had the kiddos while I headed on over to the etnies Corporate office aka Sole Technology Institute (Which happens to be right across the street from my Joann Fabrics… I may or may not have taken a detour there to get stuff for this).

I pull up and see this awesome place: (building designed by the amazing owner!!)

Then the bloggers got to chat and pretty much snoop around the office. Who doesn’t love a good snoop!?! My favorite thing was a huge company timeline display. See the online version here.

We walked on over to the Sole Technology Institute.

It’s a Biomechanics Skate Lab.

You read that right folks “biomechanics!” The one and only biomechanics lab out there.

Yes.

Really.

The ONLY one.
They brought in a skater kid who jumped down some huge stairs in a funny suit, landed on a special impact mat, while being recorded at all angles by computer cameras. All the information they compile gets… um… computed? Then someone smart makes better shoes.

(Those are totally the technical terms… ha!)

See for yourself…

They do all sorts of durability tests for the shoes. The ollie machine below simulates an ollie over 2,000 times to see if the shoe will last. After a new shoe is tested in the lab they give them to local skaters for a street test. etnies has a great blog, check it out here.

After our lesson we got to ask questions. I asked about the baby shoes but mostly I just wanted to tell them how much I like the Velcro kids shoes (those things are the best!).
Per the suggestion of my friend Marcy, I carry a few Eli’s Lids around for gifts…
During the Q & A the owner and passion behind etnies, Pierre Andre Seinzeruges, mentioned that he has a 14 month old son. So, I thought I would give him some Lids. Of course, I felt like a total idiot. It went way better than the Ralphie May incident. In fact, he seemed to like them. (Dear Pierre, If you steal my idea for practical/stylish Lids for infants that fit for up to 4 years I may or may not egg your building. Warmly, KN)

On our walk back to the office for lunch I heard someone screaming “Mommy”… it was MY someone. Hot Hubby had picked Eli up from preschool and cruised over to to see if I was done.

I was, and they let the whole fam-damily stay for lunch.Hot Hubby is good at a lot of things… dressing the children ISN’T one of them. Eli’s shirt was just a tad too small with holes in it. Cora had an orange bow, green dress and pale pink crocs on… so much for them being instantly asked to be etnies models… ha!

Lunch was AWESOME! Catered by a local favorite Jay’s Catering! And the cupcakes from Frosted Cupcakery were to-die-for!! (Dear Frosted Folks, I know a great cupcake gal, Kristen, from Meringue Bake Shop. You should be her friend. Kisses, KN)

Hot Hubby did get one thing right when dressing Eli. He remembered to put on his etnies… probably because they are one of Eli’s only pair of shoes. They were hand-me-downs from our good friends. Don’t tell the etnies folks, but Eli has been wearing those same shoes for over a year.

What you don’t believe me!?!?!

See for yourself! This picture was taken October 9th, 2008 on a family walk…

Because that picture of Cora is horrible, I must show proof of her cuteness as a baby…

Now, here is a pic of Eli in the same shoes on November 11th, 2009 (He was the star of the day at preschool).

Proof that the shoes REALLY are durable… and that I’m not very good at fitting shoes on my kiddos.

But I did wear this kick a&$ flannel vest for my 8th grade picture in 1994.

What? You don’t believe me!?!?

See…

Why do I love this picture so much!?!?

Dear Folks at etnies,Thanks for an awesome day… even though Eli acted like a snot and Cora got boogers all over your nice office (probably infested with the flu… which we got the following week). Especially, thank you (Don, Brenda & Ashton) for staying after to chat about my lil’ ole’ business AND for the chance to shop it the company store. We love our new etnies (we needed them) and have sported them proudly since we got em’. (I even wore my new tee in my latest She’s Crafty Video!)Much Thanks,
KN
Dear Readers,Buy anything from the etnies online store from now to December 4th and get $10 off for every $40 you spend AND free shipping!!! Enter the coupon code: ETNIES FAMILY while checking out!!Hug,
KN