Coconut & Bean

Where family and style coexist

kin style-date night

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Let’s face it, a mom’s day-to-day wardrobe can leave something to be desired. It’s hard to get dolled up just to get messed with food, markers, paints, and the other unmentionables that come with parenting young children. But when the stars align and I get out with grown-ups, it’s nice to play dress-up. My kids always tend to go nuts right when I start getting ready which is why I often end up in some slightly spruced up version of what I’m already wearing, usually skinny jeans. Here I paired them with a cute leather jacket and some heels to make a comfy, but fun date night outfit. This video was a true family affair, complete with the girls and Mike’s big debut. A little chaotic, yes, but still fun. I think that’s why I did something I don’t usually do, breaking one of my own style rules-mixed metals. If I could go back, I would have worn silver accessories because of the silver studs in the jacket. This is just one of my little pet-peeves, you may like it. If you do, let me know! I could use the ego boost! Enjoy.

kin style-three ways to tie a sarong

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One of my favorite things about summer vacations is how easy it is to get dressed. No layers to worry about, big coats or jackets. Just throw on a dress or a swimsuit and go. To that point, there is nothing easier than a sarong. I love it for the beach, lunch by the pool or even dinner out. Here are my three favorite ways to wear it on your beach vacation or just lounging in the backyard by the pool. Are you going anywhere fun this summer? If you are, a-I want to hear about it, b-I’m extremely jealous!

makeup in minutes

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No matter how early I get up in the morning, I am always left with less than five minutes to do something with my face. After getting the kids ready, dog fed, tea made (but never enjoyed), lunches made, emails answered and the occasional newscast I’ve usually got to put my makeup on with the kids already in the car and me in the bathroom scrambling. I’ve tried coming home after dropping the kids off and get ready for the day then, but it never seems to work. I mean, I’m already out-gotta keep the momentum going, too much to do. The only benefit to this mad rush to beautify is that it’s forced me to simplify my routine. So, here it is…

I keep everything in one place so I don’t have to rifle through my bottomless drawers, and I limit my brushes to only what I need. It’s a good idea to invest in good brushes, I’ve had these from Mac for ten years and with regular cleanings they are still as good as new.

This daily moisturizer is super light, leaves a clean feeling on my face and has a decent amount of SPF-so careful around the eyes. I mix it with a tiny drop of the best foundation ever-Armani’s Luminous Silk. It’s pricey but it lasts forever and the coverage is unparalleled in my opinion. For evening I add two or three drops and apply with a foundation brush instead of my hands for day.

In my book, it goes like this for favorite inventions of all time. The epidural, the iPhone, and Benetint. It makes you look naturally flushed and you don’t even know you’re wearing it.

To erase the dark circles from staying up too late on the computer I use a swipe of Ooh la lift eye brightener to soften delicate under eye skin and lids. Then I pat on a few fingerprints of Time Balm concealer. If I need to matte or blend I use a simple makeup sponge like this one.

This looks adorable, but if left unattended it can get really messy really fast.

This shimmery brown shadow from Mac is great because it can be lightly sprinkled (day) or heavily lined (night). I recently purchased an angled brush at the recommendation of this Kin segment and I’m kind of obsessed with its accuracy.

Last but not least, this is my favorite mascara. I don’t wear it everyday, especially in the summer because of the pool, but I love this one because of its brush. It has really long thin separators that give a natural look for day and a wow look for night with a couple more swabs of it. Is that a word? I finish the whole thing off with a little Rosebud Salve and hit the road.

This all works great for day and for night I basically add more of the same, concentrating on the eyes with heavier shadow at my lash line and mascara, mascara, mascara!

You can see some more of this routine in action here.

 

 

kin giveaway

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Feeling lucky? Here’s another chance to win a free piece from my wardrobe through Kin Community’s Cast-off segments-a really good piece I might add! The neutral color and flowy shape make this a very versatile top-perfect for a girl’s night out in jeans and flats, or an evening event with black pants and heels. Good luck!

Kin giveaway

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One of my favorite pastimes is to clean out my closet every season (and a couple of times in between), and get rid of clothes I’m not wearing anymore or store them for a later, warmer or cooler date. Part of this ritual usually involves giving away some great pieces that either don’t work for me anymore or that I know would be better suited for one of my friends or a member of my family. My Dad says, “What you give away, you keep forever.” Unfortunately, that’s not entirely true because as much as I love to give, I’ve often found myself missing what I gave away, but I get what he’s trying to say. And when I see someone wearing one of my giveaways and how happy it makes them-I feel vindicated in my original decision to give it away in the first place. Not trying to get all Pollyanna on you, but I’m just sayin’-it feels good to give. Try it, you’ll see what I mean if you don’t already!

Kin Community, a fantastic new lifestyle channel on You Tube, knows this feeling and understands how rewarding it can be. Maybe that’s why they’ve started a new segment called Cast-Off, where they give away a free pair of shoes or a piece of clothing. This week they’re giving away one of my favorite pairs of special edition New Balance tennies. They didn’t end up working for me, but I think they would be so great on someone who wants to stay styled while keeping comfortable-which is always one of my personal style goals. Watch the video and if you love the shoes and want them in your closet, leave a compelling comment as to why and they will pick a winner at random to send the shoes to. Also, don’t forget to subscribe to the channel so you won’t miss a video!

 

Kin comes to town

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Me with Kin producer Beth LeManach. I'm wearing one of today's featured looks, a dress by Roberta Freymann

Today I stepped out from behind the scenes and filmed some new style segments for Kin Community. The lovely folks from Kin, a fantastic new lifestyle channel on YouTube, showed up at my door at 7am (ouch) with bagels and donuts in tow (yum), ready to shoot five separate segments, each with a different wardrobe change.  I was so nervous, but Beth and the rest of her team made me feel completely at ease, and I have total faith they will be able to cut around all of my awkwardness to make a couple of great segments featuring my favorite Spring and Summer looks. The one I’m wearing here is from Roberta Freymann, and it’s my go-to Spring event outfit-perfect for baby showers, Mother’s Day brunch, Easter and all other Springtime fetes.

Here’s a peak behind the scenes today, and keep a look out for the segments to air on Kin within the next couple of weeks.

Today's location-our living room.

 

Jack waiting in the wings.

Coco's room becomes the wardrobe room.

Fresh

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I wish I could say I always have fresh flowers in my house, but the sad fact is, I don’t. There is nothing like an important guest to motivate me though, so when Beth from Kin Community visited this week to check out the house for a shoot, I pulled out all the stops! Actually, it was so easy-I am going to try to do it more often. Almost anything living-flowers, fruit, even a decorative branch, make a room feel so fresh and pretty.

Must have worked too, because Beth and her crew will be back next month to film my first style segment for Kin-keep you posted!