Farewell, 2017. You’ve been real.

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This year has been a whirlwind….a roller coaster of sorts, with many many highs and some occasional lows (and shockers). If I could have seen the future, even just a year ago, I wouldn’t have believed what 2017 had in store for me…or who I would become!

Late in 2016 I started a new job. It was an exciting move for me, as my career had always come first. I love my husband and kiddo, but work was something I put everything into, where my passions and purpose thrived. So when I was given an opportunity to lead a new marketing department, I jumped on it. I never would have left the American Heart Association under any other circumstances….So, God had to yank me out of there and that started my unimaginable journey.

My 30-year shoe obsession and my scores this month

11 / 26 / 171 / 12 / 18

I have an obsession with shoes. It all started when I was a young girl and my Welita would take me on weekly trips to the local K-Mart and buy me a new pair of shoes. Yup, a new pair every week.

Not toys. Not candy. Shoes. Shoes are my jam.

So it is no surprise I own nearly 200 pairs of shoes. Well, a surprise (and suffering) to my husband, but that’s not interesting to write about. With 30+ years of experience, and tons of shoes later, I consider myself pretty shoe-savvy. I have an eye for fit, feel and affordability. After all, you don’t learn to spend a ton of shoes when you are out to buy a pair a week (well, at least in my pre-mama life). Read More

9 thoughtful (and affordable) gifts to get your best friend

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Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission. I only recommend products that I personally love.

Whether your BFF is miles away (like mine), or just next door, I’ve put together this awesome and affordable list of gift ideas for your girl-friend. They arrive in 2 days or less (if you are an Amazon Prime user!).

My “person” is more than 1,100 miles away in Florida, and she has a birthday coming up!

Review: L’Oreal Color Riche® Matte Lipstick

8 / 20 / 171 / 10 / 18

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I had the opportunity to try 3 colors from the L’Oréal Colour Riche® Matte Lipstick line and am totally a fan. While the experience wasn’t perfect, I am happy with these lippies and will totally purchase more colors.

Speaking of the colors….the rich, vibrant hues are great! My favorite of the 3 shades is Blake’s red, even though I don’t wear red often. I get so many compliments when I wear this color, and it lasts much longer than the nude colors in the same line. Read More

When it rains…

8 / 17 / 17

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We all have “one of those days” every once in a while, right?

So a few days ago I was driving to a playdate thinking about how I needed to come up with something good to blog about. It’s a funny thing – when my life was active and busy I didn’t have time to write, and now that I’m mostly a SAHM life gets a little crazy, yet not exciting to write about.

So, my wishful thinking turned into something that will be humorous to any mamas out there that can relate. Girls…ugh.

I had injured my arm sometime over the weekend so I was stuck at home, which meant BabyCoolJ was experiencing cabin fever. I had scheduled a playdate with a new mom on Tuesday so I sucked up the pain (along with pain killers and lots of ice packs) and ventured out. I knew it was a little risky cause the kiddo is usually nuts if he’s been cooped up too long.

We met at a Starbucks inside Barnes & Noble, grabbed some drinks and all was good. After the awkward getting-to-know-you casualties (luckily I think we hit it off, but who really knows!) we made our way to the children’s area before story time. BabyCoolJ and her toddler ran around and played and all was wonderful.

It was then, in the middle of telling this mom that I am so blessed because my kiddo hasn’t pooped in public since he was 3 months old, that he looks up at me with his little red face and said “poop?”

Y’all. Remember my hurt arm? Yeah, after 20 minutes in the women’s bathroom and myself almost in tears from pain and disgust (by the way, I hate germs) we made our way back.

Story time started and BabyCoolJ was NOT. HAVING. IT. He ran amuck. I knew it was coming, but just went with it and chased him around. When it ended, we went over to say bye and I told her I hope we could get together again (yeah, she hasn’t called…) and walked off. I saw a couple of books on sale that I knew the kiddo would love and went over to the cash wrap.

In this moment he just went nuts. He was doing that thing where I wouldn’t let him run off so he twists his arm and lays on the floor to wiggle out of my grip. It hurt too much to pick him up so I let him dangle a little until I finally bent over to pick him up.

Then….RRRRRIIIIIIPPPP. There was a mom behind me in line and I asked her how bad it was…she gave me the head tilt and said “oh, it is really bad.” I handed her the books, picked up my kiddo with my bad arm, and held his backpack across my butt as I walked across the B&N and through the parking lot.

I slipped into the drivers seat to turn on the air, slid my butt across the car to the back seat, strapped my crying hysterically toddler in, slid my butt back to the front seat, and laughed and cried a bit. Then, someone knocked on my window.

Remember the mom that told me it was really bad? She gave me her number and told me if I ever wanted to have a playdate, or grab coffee, to let her know. Way to make an impression.

So luckily we have a garage where we park the car, so I was able to get us out and into the house peacefully. I took off my Old Navy shorts (shoulda known better) and low and behold…they were ripped from the waist to mid crouch. And I was wearing a thong.

Luckily, as I write this, our week has only gotten better!

A churro-free life

8 / 7 / 173 / 25 / 18

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Can you believe I just had my first churro this summer?

It’s important you understand that I grew up very in-tune with my roots. I am first-generation American (on my dad’s side). I grew up on the Texas-Mexico border. I spoke Spanish before English. My grandparents never even learned English. I went grocery shopping in Mexico. In fact, we did a lot of shopping in Mexico, ate at the restaurants, visited the doctors and picked up our prescriptions across the border.

Yup – I know my cultura well and I happily embrace it, albeit it wasn’t always that way.

This weekend Mi Amor and I had a craving for Pan Dulce. I’ve never been a huge fan (I mean, I like it, but I’d rather have ice cream or cake!) but after experiencing my first churro I had to have it. We left BabyCoolJ with my in-laws and picked up some goodies. Read More

#MusicMonday – Lift up your hearts with a smile

7 / 31 / 171 / 10 / 18

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We had such a great weekend, and with perfect timing after being stuck at home for more than a week with a sick kiddo!

My in-laws came to town Saturday. Before you get a little uncomfortable with that sentence, know I am extremely blessed with great in-laws! We have been praying they’d visit for a long time – especially because we haven’t mustered up the guts to drive 6+ hours with a toddler to see them!

It is moments like these – sitting Familia around the living room or dining table, seeing them love on BabyCoolJ, seeing joy sparkle in everyone’s eyes, and hearing the roaring laughter from the other room, that I truly feel complete. We moved away from family for opportunities, but honestly we also love our independence, space and privacy. But in that process our son misses out on important family time. And, so do we.

He has no cousins or grandparents nearby so we make the best of it in our little family of three. But when we have these special visits, life just feels full.

Also during their visit we also took full advantage of our special gift from Latina Home Party! These guys sent us a full setup of Palm Breeze Sparkling Alcohol Spritz, swag and decor for a fun summer Luau. All that was missing was a pool.

LHM

Latina Home Party provides chicas exclusive access to new products and services to try at home with friends and family. Latina Home Party is a community of collaborative marketing by Hispanic women. If you sign up, you’ll have the opportunity to participate in marketing activities from your favorite products and be able to collaborate with your favorite brands. You learn about new products just to be launched to market at the convenience of your own home (try them for free) and influence with your opinion some of the best known companies in the world.

The Palm Breeze drinks were a hit at Casa Alfaro! Perfect on a hot summer Texas evening. Luckily we stocked up so we had enough for a couple of nights.

So, to families out there… Lift up your hearts with a smile, lift up your feet with a dance and lift up your spirits with a song. Family time can be an awesome time.

#MusicMonday: You can’t judge right by looking at the wrong

7 / 10 / 17

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I feel compelled to share a little story with you, especially being knee-deep in mama season which can include a whole lotta judgement. So I invite you to sit back, relax and use your imagination.

A woman picked a perfect spot on a park bench to enjoy a beautiful and peaceful fall day. Birds were chirping, kids were laughing at the nearby playground and there weren’t many people around. She worked long hours so having a free day to find peace and quite was rare, so she intended to take full advantage. She opened the book she brought along, settled in and began to read.

During a very interesting plot twist, she felt something hit the back of her head. A child had thrown some dirt at her and ran off. Considering the day she was having, she felt a tinge of annoyance but let it go. She brushed the dirt out of her hair and looked around to see the kiddo was with their father and two younger siblings.

At first, she felt sympathy for him. But after witnessing that he was distracted and disciplining them wasn’t his priority, sympathy turned into annoyance, frustration and eventually she disregarded his ability to father.

She wanted to continue reading, but in-between the pages she could see that the father had lost all control. One child was pulling a girl’s hair on the playground, the toddler was eating mulch off the ground and the oldest was terrorizing everyone around. She sat there in disbelief – but brushed it off again, and started reading.

A couple was enjoying a picnic near her bench – close enough to hear them, but not close enough to hear their conversation. Out of no where, she hears the girl scream and stand up. The child had thrown a bunch of dirt on the couple and their food.

She had had enough. Being a mother of four, she understood that kids can be kids but she also knew the importance of discipline. She debated saying anything to the father or just walking away. Then, she saw him grab his kiddo and run over to the couple.

Authentically apologetic, he explained that he had just lost his wife, their mother, days before and this was the first time they had gotten out of the house since her funeral.

Feel that kick in the gut? I did too. So this goes out to all of us – whether quick to judge or not.

I love this little saying from my mom – “Thank God it isn’t my place to judge, that is for Him only.” Doesn’t that take a lot of stress off you?!

Full disclosure: I heard a similar story the other day and made it my own. Not because their version wasn’t good, but because I couldn’t remember the details…and I enjoy writing! So if you have heard something similar, know that I was inspired by…and not trying to steal the idea!

Review: L’Oreal Revitalift Moisturizer

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I was really excited when I received L’Oreal Revitalift Triple Power™ Deep-Acting Moisturizer complimentary from Influenster – a special platform for product discovery and reviews. I’ve formed an on-again love for L’Oreal when I decided to try some drugstore products again. L’Oreal has become one of favorites, but I have mixed feelings about this moisturizer.

So, let’s be real here. I don’t have a lot of wrinkles or age spots, however, I do have uneven skin tone, dark circles under my eyes and my skin isn’t as young as it once was. I’ve seen quite a difference in my skin texture in just 14 days of using Revitalift. My makeup applies smoother, my under-eye circles have really brightened up and my skin is overall healthier looking…except for the zits.

The moisturizer felt a little heavy on me and took some getting used to. It also has a strong scent – not a bad one, but it is very distinctive. I have preferred the moisturizer for evening use, but hesitate for daytime because of the heaviness. When I used it paired with my L’Oreal Magic BB Cream, I loved it! It held my BB cream really well and the shine wasn’t too bad by the afternoon. I really liked how well it made it glide on. Now, with my full coverage foundation, it was a little too heavy and by mid-day there was a lot more slickness.

Then there was the BAD…I broke out three times since using Revitalift for just 14 days, twice a day. And it wasn’t one here-or-there, it has been big breakouts all around my jawline. Breaking out does not happen often for me, except for the occasional single zit.

Because of the good and the bad, I wouldn’t purchase Revitalift for my self, however I would recommend it as the breakouts are the only thing keeping me from purchasing. I was impressed with it overall and will probably try another L’Oreal product line soon.

What’s your favorite moisturizer?

Lisa’s Loves – what I heart in June

7 / 1 / 171 / 10 / 18

Another month bites the dust! I can’t believe we’re almost halfway thru 2017. This year sure has been a whirlwind! I feel like every month has had some huge highlights, and June didn’t fail to deliver. I started working hard on both my businesses and am pleasantly surprised at the success so far. I had a month full of playdates, joined a new morning mom & toddler bible study and made a few new friends along the way.

At the beginning of the month I had the opportunity to be a part of an amazing, inspiring retreat for the volunteers with Created Woman. I assist with the ministry’s social media, but many women that are a part of the CW Family are stylists and makeup artists. So, to fit the crowd perfectly, on the first day of the retreat we spent a few hours shopping at The Domain. Then, for the first time, I stepped into a NYX Cosmetics store.

I love everything I bought! I am honestly shocked at how professional the items are, and delighted that I bought a ton of items for what I would have gotten on 1-2 at Sephora. Don’t get me wrong-I still love Sephora-but this was awesome!! You should also know that a friend pro makeup artist helped me pick out some items, and she is not biased towards any particular brand.

Here are my top 3 items I am still in love with a month later:

NYX Wonder Stick: I purchased this in medium and it has been the perfect color. This makes it super easy for a newbie like me to contour without errors! Here’s a little tip: many reviewers say the contour is too light. I found that by using a blending brush (stay tuned below) instead of my beauty blender it made it considerably darker. And it layers well. I still love my L’Oreal beauty blender for the highlight part.

NYX High Definition Blush: I’ve been using NARS Orgasm for years. I mean, like, 15 years…and it was my first and only real blush. My friend mentioned that I may want to try a non-glittery kind because my face has a lot of texture…and voila! This blush is amazing – it has high pigment, blends great and I found my perfect shade. Bye, bye NARS…Hello $6.50 blush!

NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream: The color is high intensity without being overly bright and and it lasts for hours. It isn’t drying like many lip colors, and it glides on so well. I was so impressed I’ve already gotten 3 more colors. You should know the color of the tube and the color that goes on DOES NOT MATCH…at least for my skin color! Luckily I’ve loved every color so far.

OUGES Maxi Dress: A girlfriend posted this dress on Facebook, and lucky for me she shared the link! I have minimal experience buying clothes on Amazon, even though I love online shopping. This dress is absolutely perfect! I mean, you get what you pay for, but the material is lightweight, the pattern is exactly as advertised and the fit is perfect. I love that is grazes the floor so I can wear small wedges…a great option for short gals! (I’m 5’3)

I received an unexpected gem in my June Sephora Play box, Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in K-Dub. First, I never would have even tried this color but I was dying to try KVD lipstick after seeing all the hype. Verdict is I LOVE IT! This blows any other product out of the water – it is moisturizing, doesn’t dry, comes in some great shades and has awesome staying power. I can’t wait to go pick up a few more shades. I love pairing K-Dub with plain white or black outfits.

Real Techniques Sculpting Brush: After asking a few makeup artist friends about their favorite drugstore brushes, I was reintroduced to Real Techniques. I’ve seen these around but never would have guessed they work well. I love learning from others! So I snagged the Sculpting Brush and it has totally changed the way I sculpt. It made my NYX Wonder Stick 100% better.

Anyone else digging NYX? I’d love to hear about your favorite products!

Disclaimer: Some of the links on this page are affiliate links, and at no extra cost to you, I may receive a small commission if you make a purchase after clicking through. I recommend products and services that I have personally used and love, or have found using my own search methods.