April 14, 2016

12 Mommy Must-Haves For Coachella!

April 14, 2016/ Adrianna Costa

Ladies!!! Coachella is just 24 hours away and that seems to be all people are talking and posting about!! Of course, doing Coachella as a Haute Mommy is a whole lot different than as a young, purrrrdy 20-somethin more interested in long hours of hard rocking than chilling out. Most of us who are going to the festival have probably made arrangements for the little ones and are heading to the desert for adult time to soak up some vitamin D, listen to great tunes and get laid!! At least that's our plan :) In the event you've been living under a rock for many years, Coachella Fest is so heavily focused on concert goers one-upping each other's style game that you literally can't walk two steps without having fringe, flower-crowns and barely-there denim cut-offs shoved down your friggin throat. It's just soooooo OVER ladies. So, with that, here are 12 Mommy Must-Haves For Coachella that'll have you glowing with sophistication, comfort and ease, and accessibility. Note: leave your feathers at the door.

Everyone needs a haute lil romper to take you from day to night at the festival without making a change. Urban outfitters.com $60-$80

Spray Sunblock is always the way to go for fast, easy. effective application. Be sure to get SPF 50 or stronger. You'll thank me later :)

Splendid Booties for both comfort and style!! $100 - Bloomingdales

Jin Soon - Nostalgia is a killer desert color. Also long days at the festival means lots of little chips...Who wants to deal with that?! Get a neutral color to camouflage any imperfections $18 nordstrom.com

Nars - For great lip gloss in gorgeous stains so you always look glam and ready to go and your lips'll love ya for keeping them protected. $25

Pack a great floppy hat with full coverage so you can wear it and take it off as you need. You want a flexible hat so you can stick it in your bag without ruining it. Less burdensome as well.

Backpacks are EVERYTHING at Coachella for storing what you don't want to hold...Phones to call the nanny, sunblock, gloss, hats, snacks and whatever else might tickle your fancy :) Come on, don't act so prude :) Tom's backpack $70 on sale at Nordstrom.

Rocking a pair of kick-ass shades can take an outfit from good to "OMG who's that girl?!?!" Katy Perry models them well. For a splurge, check out these sick shades from Chanel $525 - Just like the desert sun. chanel.com

Cute hair ties...need we say more - It's gets H O T out there in 90++ degree temps.

Everyone thinks about the actual show, but what about when you're recovering from it?! Pack a great pair of sneaks for a beautiful walk outside in the AM. The fresh air will help. Promise. Nike $55 nike.com

Don't forget a super cute swimsuit. Basta always gets it right with casual, sexy, comfortable suits. The best part? Buy your tops and bottoms separately. Tops and bottoms each $100+ BastaSurf.com

An Everything cardigan to throw on when the temps drop, or to add a pop of color to your black little romper. This is so of-the-moment. $79 target.com

April 11, 2016

7 Reasons To Take Your Tot To A Live Sporting Event

April 11, 2016/ Adrianna Costa

We know this is incredibly hard to believe, BUT it actually rained here in Southern California over the weekend. Whoa is me! But seriously, it left us scrambling to find fun family plans that would keep the kiddy entertained and us, dry. By the way, for us So Cal Mommies, this is actually kind of a big deal. Our standard trips to the park, farmers market and zoo, were a big fat no go....so we had to get real creative to fill the Sunday Blues. At that moment it became clear, there's one helluva basketball team, The Clippers, right in our backyard...our friend has season tix...what the hell are we waiting for LET'S GOOOOOO! Up until that point, we'd always thought about bringing our (almost) 2-year old son to the game, but was it really age appropriate? Would it be a bigger burden than "BAM! Why didn't we think of this sooner?!" Truth is, we've been to a lot of Basketball Games and can't remember a time when we'd seen many pint-sized fans in the stands? Turns out, it was just because we weren't looking. So with that, Haute Mommies, here are the Top 7 Reasons Why You Should Take Your Toddlers To A Live Sporting Event! (And like we always say: If it's good enough for The Beckhams, it's good enough for us :)

1. Stimulus For Dayzzzzzzzzz - From the furry, friendly mascots, to the thousands of people eagerly walking back and forth, and then there's the actual GAME, there is no shortage of stimulation for the little ones. Our babe slept longer and better than most nights. Game day everyday?? Sign us up!

2. Something For The Whole Family - Not all kid-friendly activities engage the entire family quite like a pro-sports game. This is a win/win (duh...pun intended)

Despite how it looks, he's actually having fun (promise!)

3. Food Food Food - Let's get real, #WeComeForTheNachos Yes Yes Yes! I mean, they're just so damn good. With a side of jalepenos, ummm, need we say more. Other recommendations: killer veggie burgers, veggie hot dogs, real hot dogs/hamburgers, sushi, peanuts and on and on and on...Note: be sure to rock an elastic waistband.

4. Get Em Acquainted With Sports Early On - Who knows you could have the next Lebron James on your hand.

5. Kids 2 Or Younger Are Free - Check with each venue/location. We looked online at the Clippers website and all children 2 years of age or younger are F R E E !!!

6. Make Great Memories - Be sure to look your best because you'll want to snap tons of pix...Great for posting and for making you feel like Mommy-Of-The-Year in years to come. And who knows, the kiss cam is always looming :)

7. A Screaming Child Ain't No Thang - The BEST part about this whole shibang is that there are thousand of screaming freaks, uh, I mean, fans in the stands so adding one more to the mix with your vocal child is just part of the fun. No shhhhhhssssshhhhh'ing!!! here.

April 06, 2016

Bonkers For Braids!!!

April 06, 2016/ Adrianna Costa

If you've turned on the TV or opened a magazine or laptop in the past month, guaranteed you've seen one of your favorite celebs sporting some sort of fancy braided concoction in her hair. At first, we thought, "WTF" but braids have become such a part of the fashion landscape lately that they've really started to grow on us. Here's how to rock the newest do on the block without looking like Pippi Longstocking.

March 30, 2016

AGING WITH GRACE

March 30, 2016/ Adrianna Costa

The thought of aging is about as daunting as bikini season. You know it's coming...there's endless talk about how to prepare for it, you often times try to avoid it...and while some embrace it more than others, bottom line is it happens to everyone. Why is it that we have such a negative perception of getting older? Isn't there something remarkably beautiful about the wisdom we gain over years of experiencing, of really living??

As if aging in general isn't hard enough, try aging in Hollywood. People look at you like you're damaged goods. The calls stop, the roles become fewer and fewer, shit dries up...sorta like they think we do. Case and point - Remember when Susan Sarandan wore this sexy ensemble to the SAGS this year?? People were up in arms over her choice to show a little skin, citing the look as inappropriate simply because she's not some 14 year-old sashaying down the runway. L A M E !

It takes women like Susan Sarandon rocking bold looks on the red-carpet and Cameron Diaz taking makeup-free selfies to prove aging is in fact, something to be proud of, not something to be scared of.

We here at HML have always LOVED Cameron for her sunny, carefree spirit and killer body (of work) but our level of admiration has skyrocketed after hearing how she approaches life and aging. At 43 Cameron's married to a haute younger rocker, Benji Madden, child free but filled with love and happiness. She's releasing a new book called The Longevity Book and shares her outlook on well, just that. Check out this blog the superstar posted to her website alongside yep, a barefaced selfie. www.ourbodybook.com We hope you feel just as inspired as we do after reading this. The book comes out April 5th! Yes girl, Yes!

March 10, 2016

A Cheeky Twist On Mom Jeans

March 10, 2016/ Adrianna Costa

As much as I'd kill to slither back into my favorite post-college low-rise, dangerously hip-hugging denim, well that's about as realistic as Kim K never posting another naked selfie. Sure they're sexy, but totally, unequivocally age-inappropriate!?? Yup! And with that, something I promised myself I'd never do, has become a reality....well, sort of.

By definition, mom jeans are hideous, pouch-protruding, wedgie-accentuating, dumpy threads of denim that should be tossed to back of our closets for...ETERNITY. That is, until now. It took a recent trip to CVS pharmacy for me to completely overhaul my closet and philosophy. Picture this...frantic mommy running after a crazy wild tot up and down the aisles until mid-rise rapidly turns into low-rise, as in, plumbers-crack fully friggin exposed. The poor check out lady had that "Oh bless her heart" look on her face when I limped my way up panting, sweating, on the verge of a full fashion meltdown. At that moment, mom jeans were about to creep their way into my wardrobe but not just any old frumpy mom jeans. After much research, I uncovered that cool mom jeans actually DO exist these days. Hallelujah! And everyone's taking a stab at em...J Brand, Mavi, Hudson- some with a super cheeky twist like the new Wedgie Jeans for Levi's...Here are a few faves. ENJOY!