Tag Archives: beauty

Haute Mom: Jenn Falik

March 5, 2014 Aubrey 3 Comments

Name: Jenn Falik
Child & Age: Alexa, 3
Hometown/Current Location: Westport, CT
Quick Bio: I host Selective Eye, a video series featuring quick peeks at must-have items and must-know tips, always in 60 seconds or less, because who has more than a minute to spare? No mom I know! It is a very fun new endeavor for me – creating and controlling my own content, allowing me to authentically speak about the fashion essentials and beauty buys that help me (at least look like) I am polished and put together in the most simple way possible. Subscribers get one or two videos a week delivered to their inbox – you can subscribe here. Additionally I write about my favorite finds on my website site, www.blog.jennfalik.com and, since 2005, I have appeared as a Style Expert on national television shows like TODAY, ET and The View. I guess that is how all this began…

You can also follow my finds on social media- @jennfalik on Instagram, Pinterest and Twitter.

Q: What is your “go to” snack/toy/show/trick when your kids start to fuss?
A: I tell Alexa we are going to do a “project” and she is excited. It can be anything- but if I say “want to draw?” she isn’t as interested as if I say “Want to do an art project?!” Same activity, different way of selling it. Oh- and of course, Welch’s Fruit Snacks and an iPad never hurt.

Q: How do you balance being a Mommy and keeping your sense of self?
A: My career has always been a cornerstone of my self confidence, so keeping that going – however I may need to alter it at different points to fit my life as a mom – has been key for me. It gives me a healthy balance – I have time to go to a mommy and me class or take Alexa on a play date here and there, but I don’t have time to obsess being included in every “mom’s night out” girls dinner or getting in our first choice bunk at camp.

Q: How do you incorporate fitness into your daily routine?
A: Since I don’t always have time to get a solid hour at the gym in, on days I can’t make my favorite cross-training class, I do 100 burpees to start the sweat session, and then pick a workout I find on Instagram (there are so many great accounts that post no-equipment-needed routines daily!). 30 minutes later I feel amazing- and can be back at my home office or in my daughter’s playroom minutes later.

Q: Share something you have learned about yourself since you became a Mom.
A: I need to work on my patience. I always knew patience was not my strong suit- but negotiating with a toddler on a daily basis has proven just how short fused I can be and how important it is to take a deep breath, remind myself that this too shall pass, and keep my composure!

Mommy 101, News

Facelift for Mom?

November 13, 2013 Aubrey Leave a comment

A post by 53 Weeks contributor Dr. Andres Bustillo, MD

As a facial plastic surgeon, I have seen many things in my career. You name it and I have seen it. Well, so I thought, until last week. A nice and attractive woman in her late forties came to my office to consult about a facelift. As I like to do with all my patients, I conversed with her to get to know her. This may sound superficial coming from a plastic surgeon, but I think this is an important part of “ being able to make the patient happy.” How can you realistically make someone happy if you do not know them? By getting a feel of “where they are coming from” you can better direct them “to where they want go.” She was forty-nine, happily married, worked part time as an attorney, and had two high school girls. All signs of a happy and confident woman with an ideal family support. This is an ideal candidate for plastic surgery.

I always like to know why a particular person walks through my office. What is that “click,” makes them pick up the phone and call for an appointment? Well, in this case it was her younger daughter! Her twelve-year-old daughter told her that she felt uncomfortable when her mother attended school functions because she looked older than her classmates’ mothers. This is definitely the first time that I’ve heard of a mother “dragged” into the plastic surgeon’s office.

You see, I live in a city where looks carry a person a long way. Yes, that’s Miami and love it or hate it, that’s the way it is. That’s why its common to have patients come to my office for rhinoplasty, facelifts, or eye-lifts. But never because the daughter suggests plastic surgery for the mother! I have seen it the other way around, where the parents bring the child with prominent ears for an otoplasty, but this was a first. The story goes like this…. The mother did lose quite a bit of weight recently and because of that she did have significant excess skin in her neck and fairly severe jowling (the skin that hangs just behind the chin). The daughter attends a private school in an upscale neighborhood and is very involved in school activities. It seems her friends had made some comments about her mother’s neck and chin, which made the girl uncomfortable when the mother was present at any of the activities. The daughter began to avoid those activities that involved the presence of her mother. When mom asked why she no longer wanted to attend, she replied, “because you look old and your neck looks like a turkey’s!”

So here I am today planning her facelift procedure and wondering if I would have ever said that to my mother. I don’t think so. But times are different today and so are people. It does surprise me the extent and reach that plastic surgery has in our society today. I would be interested to hear what some mothers have to say about this.

Dr. Andres Bustillo is a board certified facial plastic surgeon in Miami, Florida. http://www.drbustillo.com

Mommy 101

Everyday Mommy Face

November 12, 2013 Aubrey Leave a comment

One of the biggest challenges of being a Mom is taking care of yourself. When we were single and unattached to these little ones, we had all the time we needed on a daily basis to primp and go, but might simply run late due to poor time management and indecision about the right color of lipstick for the day! Well, when the early morning wake-ups calls strike via crying or the cute, happy coo’s full with another day of energy, it can be easy to toss our “beauty regimen” to the wayside. I’m definitely guilty of this..I actually feel pretty accomplished when I can have everyone (including myself) fed, dressed and ready to head out the door for errands or walk by 9am! And while most days I am just fine with my pony tail and plain face, there’s always a part of me longing for the “real” me. I’m not talking about getting all dolled up and photo shoot ready, but I come from the school of thought where I want to look and feel good for myself. So while “natural beauty” is fine and dandy, my hair always seems a little less mane-ish and my face not so plain and colorless when I can do a little something! If you’ve ever met me in person you’d know I have been blessed with a gorgeous, full head of hair that these days is often mistaken for a weave! haha! Now while I am lucky to have the kind of hair people pay for…it’s a lot to deal with, on most days it ends up in the Mommy ponytail, unless it’s a special day. But this post isn’t about hair, it’s about face!

Here are my everyday go-to’s, to make me a feel a little more presentable and “like me.”

Tinted Moisturizer – find one that works well with your skin tone. I use MAC studio moisture tint, and I love it because not only does it even out my skin tone, it also has SPF and moisturizes!
Eyebrows – I may not be able to tweeze & pluck or get these babies waxed on the regular, but when you fill them in to “frame” your face, it works wonders.
Bronzer – I love giving my face some much-needed color with a touch of bronzer…I add some along my cheekbones and dab a little along either side of my chin, a touch on the nose and forehead, and I am good to go! My sister gave me a Laura Mercier Shimmer Bloc that I love, and I also use MAC’s Mineralize Skinfinish Powder.
Lashes – Lashes have come a long way, you can get them permed, add extensions and always wake up with beautiful eyes…but if you can’t or haven’t indulged in either of those, grab your eyelash curler & put on a coat of mascara.

The great thing about my beauty basics routine, is that aside from the brows, it doesn’t take too much precision to get it on and really you can do this in a matter of minutes. I may not get to it everyday, but on the days when I do…it feels good!

…and 2 babies later