Stars And Strollers

Nobody appreciates a good old celeb spotting like myself. And especially when the topic is something as interesting as which strollers celeb mums prefer! Fair play to my new daily read iVillage for the informative and cute summary!


Mama Natascha may do some seriously grown-up stuff on TV show Californication, but luckily her little man Rex, 2, seems like he’s well-shielded from the world inside his Bugaboo Cameleon. My own personal favorite. Oh, that and the BEE!


It’s all shades of gray for 3-year old River Russell Deary, son of former Felicity star Keri Russell and her hubby Shane Deary, with a sleek Maclaren.


Spiderman Tobey Maguire might be famous for web slinging his way around town, but his kids with wife Jennifer Meyer, Ruby, 4, and Otis, 10 months (not pictured), just climb into the Citi Mini Double Stroller.



A slick and speedy-looking iCandy Apple stroller makes sense for yummy mommy Kourtney Kardashian, after all, baby Mason’s middle name is Dash. Cute!


2-year old Honor rolls through NYC in a sunny (budget-friendly!) Maclaren Volo, led by hot mama-to-be-again Jessica Alba.


From her yellow-diamond engagement ring to ample amounts of the bright color in her wardrobe, it’s no surprise Camila Alves is impressing her love for mellow yellow on 9-month old Vida with the sunny Bugaboo Bee. HEART! I love our red one, but now I'm thinking yellow might be the way to go!


How does the baby of a world-famous supermodel and Super Bowl champion quarterback get around town? In a stroller that's nice, normal and durable, in this case, the Maclaren Triumph.



So now, which are your favorites?!

(Photo Credit from here)

Essie Does It Again

Sand Tropez, Topless & Barefoot och Kisses & Bises are my MUST HAVE shades for spring 2011. L.O.V.E.

My New Lifesaver

I am pretty sure I have raved about how AMAZING The Organic Pharmacy is before - but a good thing can surely not be said too often, no? This line of organic skincare goods are completely sans artificial preservatives, fragrances, colorants, petrochemicals and animal ingredients. HEART!

This Lip & Eye Cream, which is my latest cannot-live-without-you product is a super nourishing, dual action cream that gives moisture to the lips and eye area, strengthens cells and acts as a protective barrier for the sensitive skin. It's gentle enough to use every day - which I do - and perfect for mornings as it brightens and helps to reduce puffiness and dark circles. Now, could this be more perfect for a working mama like myself?! I'm obsessed!

Here, just because we should know what goes into our bodies AND on our skin - are the highlighted organic ingredients and their effects:

Eye Bright: a wonderful tonic and anti-inflammatory for the eye area
Fennel: antibacterial, decongesting and toning action
Evening primrose oil: high essential fatty acid content helps repair dry cracked lips
Frankincense: anti-wrinkle and anti-inflammatory action
Bilberry: high in anti-oxidants and gentle fruit acids that reduce redness while toning and rejuvenating the skin
Rosehip: clinically proven to reduce scarring and the appearance of wrinkles, while conditioning the skin
Marigold: anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, soothing and healing

Besides the green factor, which I utterly love, it really does open your eyes to bigger and better things! I've been using mine every day (and night!) lately and I swear my skin has never looked better! Surely that makes this worth a trip to London in itself - I feel an expensive visit to The Organic Pharmacy coming up!

Our New Life-Saver...

... was a Daddy-must-buy the last time we traipsed through Hamley's Toystore. Ever since Nahla was born we have said over and over again how handy it would have been if the little music device attached to her cot had come with a remote control- as we constantly found ourselves running in and out of her room, flicking that little sheep-shaped switch on and on and on until, finally, she caved in and went asleep. Which on some nights would be as many as 37 (I counted!) times. Which, when you are in the midst of doing other things that you would do once baby is in bed, would be rather time-consuming. To say the least. But anyway, I am moving away from the main story. Back to Hamley's last week, when delighted Daddy/BF/Man-in-need-of-some-peace-and-quiet-once-precious-child-is-asleep stumbled upon this genius device:

Ta-Da: The VTech's Sleepy Bear Soothe & Surprise, who's inventor deserves the Nobel Prize as far as we are concerned. So cute and smart and hard-working, they should hand them out at maternity wards all over. It comes with soothing natural sound effects, 30 calming melodies including two sung-songs plus a magical light projector! I kid you not; it actually projects a little light show onto the ceiling above Nahla's cot! And the absolute best part is that: 1. Our little munchkin LOVES it and 2. The remote control actually is as good and handy as we thought it would be. Oh, and 3: It looks super-cute attached to her lovely Mamas&Papas cot! The timer function is pretty handy too, letting us decide that it switches off after either 5, 10 or 15 minutes. GENUIS!

Moo G Magic!

Check out the utterly cute hairband I have ordered from here for my little munchkin! Now, as you may well know if you have looked at recent pictures of Nahla, she does not exactly have a lot of hair. Which can be a problem if you desperately and madly want to stick cute clips and ribbons in your child's hair (guilty as charged!). But fear not! The clever lady who set up Moo G Clips has taken care of this, and provides a massive range of hairbands and clips that STAYS IN PLACE. Yes, really. And as I am a sucker for clever and pretty advertising, sure I believe what it says on the tin- and ordered this super-cute big flower hairband for my own little rose. Now, a little ballerina tutu to match and I think I have her birthday outfit sorted!

Leander LOVE!

Is it alarming that the only regrets I have so far in motherhood is over STUFF I DIDN'T buy?!?! Yes, you say. And I hear you- for sure. It's just that there is so much amazing stuff for babies! Seriously. Gorgeous gorgeous things. Some of which I did not buy. To my deepest regret. I know I have raved about the stunning- and practical(!)- Bloom high chair before, which I am so sorry I didn't invest in from the beginning.

Another thing I wish I had bought for my little princess is the truly exquisite Leander cradle. So so beautiful it makes my heart stop whenever I see it pictured in magazines. Nahla now is FAR to big- and mobile- to ever be put in a device hanging from the ceiling, but for my next baby- whenever that may be(!)- the Leander cradle will come live in our house!

(Photo Credit from here)

Noa Noa Miniature Baby Has Hit The Mark...

... once again. Their Christmas 2010 collection is as cute as a button, and makes me want to run out and dress Nahla head to toe in their lovely yummy clothes. While the main Noa Noa line- much as I can admire it on others- is not completely my style, their baby and children's collections are super-nice. And so my style. Muted colors. Pretty patterns, Vintage-y styles. So so pretty.

Noa Noa Miniature is both authentic and sometimes almost haute couture-like collections for girls between the age of 3-12. Their Miniature Baby collection follows the same idea. The brand has four annual collections that are mainly miniature interpretations of the very best Noa Noa grown up styles, however always child-like and age appropriate. Noa Noa was founded by the two Danish brothers Harald and Lars Holstein in 1981 and almost immediately the brand became a success. Maybe I have found Nahla's Christmas and birthday outfits??

Clever Little Gadgets

The other day when we were on our little family outing to Kilkenny, I picked up this smart little baby-must-have for my own little babe. Having had lunch in a place where they did not provide high-chairs and spent most of our was-meant-to-be-relaxing lunch crawling around after Nahla on the floor, trying to feed her bits of ciabatta bread, it almost seemed like fate when I came across this clever chair harness thing'y in a little local baby shop a mere 30 minutes later. This thing will turn every random chair into a baby chair, strapping your stroppy toddler in so that you can feed them in a comfortable position- for you both. Genius if you ask me!

Mini & Maximus...

... have some of the funkiest children's tee's around. They even got a page in this mont's Lonny magazine, cementing their status as cooler than cool. Mini & Maximus; totally worth checking out!

My Pumpkin Princess..

... was well wrapped up today for our long long walk. Clad in Mummy's old snowsuit- how retro(!)- and tucked inside her new Troller goose-down pram bag, Nahla was ready for whatever climate we would possibly have to endure on our trek across the city, from Sinsen, across beautiful St. Hanshaugen, down over Bislett and down to Aker Brygge. The weather, however, was stunning for mid-October, sunny, crisp and just windy enough to ensure we had rosy red cheeks by the time we came home 4 hours later!

Could Not Resist..

.. these super cute little notepads from Bookbinders Design today. After all, sure don't all journalists need somewhere (stylish) to write stuff down on?! (Ignore the fact that this was one of my justifications for ordering an iPhone too!) Plus- when I have my home office, I am planning for an orange and white theme, so color-wise, sure these would fit right in!

Nahla's Wishlist..

... if she could talk (and indeed, be as advanced as to make a wish list in the first place!), I am sure would include these cool toys from the geniuses at VTECH Baby. We already have a musical bear, a ball and, a singing mirror (crazy annoying at that!) and a fish that looks like Nemo that sings songs in the bath, and my princess LOVES them all. The colors, the music, the lot, she is a happy bunny when playing with them. It seems she does not at all share mummy's taste for old fashioned, muted color wooden toys...

(Photo Credit from here)

Mummy Skin Must-Have!

Having worked on A LOT of photo shoots, both fashion and bridal, in the line of work, I must admit I always used to try and soak up as many beauty tips from make-up artists as possible- I mean, the are GENIUSES, you'd be a fool not to lend an ear to their words of wisdom- and, most importantly, experience. A lot of the stuff I snapped up in conversation I tend to forget about- especially on hectic mornings when my beauty routine is as sped up as possible in order for the logistics to even have a shot at going to plan. But one tip, more so than others, have forever made its way into my morning habits and make-up bag. MAC Stobe Cream, the single most amazing product ever created. If you have not yet tried this little magic potion, you have seriously missed out! This is youth in a tube!

Trust the experts, this is one of those staple products that makeup artists always keeps in their kit, and is essential backstage at fashion shows season after season. The cream is an instant pick-me-up, and contains green tea and tons of vitamins to moisten, freshen and revitalize tired, dull, and flat skin. Sounds familiar, oh-sleep-deprived mums?! Yup, I hear you, me too!
You can use it over, under, or mixed into your foundation (one part strobe cream, three parts foundation) for a gorgeous glow. I, who cannot stand foundation and only ever use tinted moisturizer (by Laura Mercier if you're wondering), tend to blend a drop of moisturizer with a drop of MAC Strobe Cream, and voila; dewy glow'y flawless skin! The beauty of Strobe Cream is that, unlike A LOT of highlighters and other same category skin enhancers, it gives a rather subtle glow and isn’t overly shimmery as opposed to some of the other creams out there, that leaves you looking like a disco ball- which is NOT A GOOD LOOK.

I know I have raved about Clarins Beauty Flash Balm here before, and although it also gives your complexion that lift, it works in a different and not so instantly glow'y way. I still use Beauty Flash Balm (just gently dab it all over my face, over make-up) on days when I feel like I need a little extra to even dare venture out my front door. But Strobe Cream is a daily addiction, ensuring I can stay more yummy than slummy every day- no matter what time princess decided to get up at! Now GO GET IT!

Tutu Couture

Cuter. Than. Cute. What is it about little girl in tutu shirts?! So heartmeltingly cute! I came across the amazing Tutu Couture through an American mommy blog the other day- and now I think I have Nahla's very first birthday outfit sorted! I know it is still a couple of months away, but never to early to get organized!

Hidden Nasties- BE AWARE!

Everyone that knows me knows I am rather obsessed with healthy food and, more importantly, healthy ingredients. Like, I read the back of EVERYTHING, I buy organic where at all available, I avoid refined sugar as much as possible, preferring instead to sweeten things with honey or agave nectar. I believe in food that nurture and makes a difference to your health. I have written countless articles on the issue of food and health. I have read A LOT about these topics and I want to make sure my family and myself always eat food that do our bodies good. This does not mean that I never have a treat- or more importantly that I will never let Nahla have treats (the baby/child/sugar/healthy diet discussion is HUGE and I will come back to that again!) I know that a muffin every now and again is not going to ruin a diet that overall is very healthy. I have no doubt too, that indulging in a pizza when out for dinner every now and again will also not make a difference. But overall, obsessed none the less.

This to an extent also goes for chemicals and unsafe stuff we not only put into our bodies, but also on them. On average a woman (myself included!), will apply as many as 15-20 different products to her skin/hair/body in the course of a day. Many containing chemicals and toxins that are absorbed into our bloodstream. I try to think about this when I choose my beauty products, but sometimes wanting to look good and wanting products that make a visible difference win.

But my attention was caught by this article published on Lil Sugar this week. It made me edit Nahla's toiletries ASAP. Read and learn; educating yourself is the best thing you can do as a parents as it enables you to make better choices and educated decisions about all things related to your baby.

Article by Christie Haskell:

5 Dangerous Chemicals In Your Child's Bath

Stop! Put down the baby wash you're using! Have you read the ingredients? More importantly, do you understand what some of them are?

A lot of soaps advise against ingestion (duh) and while for some, the worst baby will get is a tummy ache, others have some nasty chemicals that really should be avoided ... and not just because your baby could eat them, but because what goes on the soft skin can be even more absorbed than what goes in the mouth.

"Those same chemicals, if eaten, are likely less of a hazard because they travel through your body's many cleansing methods, like the enzymes in your saliva and stomach, as well as your liver and kidneys," says Dr. Joseph Mercola, an osteopathic physician and founder of the Dr. Mercola's Natural Health Center.

When you put these things onto baby's skin, especially with pores and sweat glands wide open from the warm bath, they go straight into the bloodstream and body tissues with little to no filtering whatsoever. Baby's skin may absorb even more than her digestive tract. Eek.

Even scarier, want to know who controls the ingredients? Well, no one. The FDA says companies should police themselves and, if something hasn't been tested and proven to be safe, to simply write, "The safety of this product has not been determined" on the label. The FDA tests ingredients in shampoos just as much as herbal remedies and foods -- that is to say, they have so little say that it's essentially a joke. They've only reviewed a mere 11 percent of ingredients commonly used in soaps and shampoos, and 99 percent of products have ingredients that have never been tested but are potentially hazardous.

So that leaves it up to you, the consumer. What ingredients should you be on the lookout for, and why? I've listed the top 5 offenders and the reasons they should be avoided.


#1. Sodium Lauryl Sulfate (SLS)

This ingredient creates all your nice lather and suds ... as well as working as a fabulous degreaser for car washes and garages. Wait, what? Ick. It's also a neurotoxin, mutates cells, can cause reproductive harm or failure, skin and eye irritation, and maybe even cause cancer. Just what you want to rub on your baby's belly, right? Yeah, not so much.

#2. Dioxane

This ingredient is linked to breast cancer in lab rats. It's there to make the SLS less abrasive and more foamy. Gee, great.

#3. Diethanolamine (DEA)

This known carcinogen is especially dangerous for pregnant women, as it blocks the absorption of the nutrient "choline," which is essential to brain formation. It can be dangerous for babies as well.

#4. Monosodium Glutamate (MSG)

Yeah, the same thing you avoid in food is being rubbed onto your head, usually under the name of amino acid, yeast extract, or glutamates. Why is it bad? It's shown to cause headaches, dizziness, and stomach discomfort after ingestion. Now that we know that being absorbed through the skin is often as bad or worse than eating something, it's not really a good thing to have in your shampoo either.

#5. Propylene Glycol

This strong skin irritant can cause liver abnormalities and kidney dysfunction, and yet it's in your shampoo ... and anti-freeze, coolant, de-icer ... ick.

Before you buy new baby soap, pop on over to the amazing Cosmetics Database's list of baby soap, and write down the names of some of the non-toxic ones. On a scale of 0-10, 0-2 means low/no hazard, 3-6 means moderate hazard, and 7-10 means high hazard. There's a complete breakdown of each ingredient of concern for every product as well, so you can determine which things you're concerned about.

I hope this shook you up as much as it did me- and inspires you to pick better and safer products for your beautiful baby! And, for that matter, for you!

Princess Dress By MEMINI

How amazingly cute is this dress?? Seriously, I came across it on the Norwegian online childrens' wear store Min Engel & Bøllefrøe, it is by Norwegian label MeMini By Kristine Vikse, which has truly beautiful nostalgic baby and children' wear, and I think I will need to get it for my very own little princess. The rest of their collection is equally stunning, and very worth being checked out.

Today's Obsession..

.. is Bloom's Alma Urban Crib, the Bloom Fresco Loft high chair (as raved about here once or twice before) and pretty much anything by the clever guys at Bloom in general. Seriously, is it bad that one of my main motivations for having another baby at some point is getting to buy more baby stuff?! Although, I might not even have the patience to wait that long! As mentioned, when we move, I think I will get Nahla the Fresco Loft chair, as it will just go perfect with the rest of our contemporary stuff. And the Alma cot? It might be a tad unreasonable to buy for Nahla coming up to her first birthday- as it is only really suitable for up to 2 years- but for my princess' future little brother or sister? For sure!

Lovely From Lindex

When Nahla was newborn- and pretty much ever since- I have loved baby clothes from Swedish high street store Lindex. Their newborn stuff is all made of the softest organic cotton, the colors are oh-so-sweet and they just seem to make lovely lovely little outfits for your tiny tiny tot. And when you take into account that their prices are even cheaper than H&M, sure how can you resist?? Their latest collection had so much cute unisex and little boy stuff, which makes a change, as I think it is often so hard to find cute boys' clothes. It seems most of my friends that have welcomed their little bundles lately have all had baby girls, but lucky M is having a little prince in December, so I have someone to buy all this cute stuff for!

(All images from here)

Beauty And The Bib

We love Nahla's super-cute new "Button" bib from Beauty and the Bib! Check out their gorgeous collection, perfect for baby gifts!

Bathtime...

... sure is fun in my new Aqua Pod that Mummy picked up in Mothercare! Seriously genius gadget, as not only does it suit for now, when Nahla still needs a little support sitting up in the bath, but it can also fit both a toddler AND a baby later, as the toddler sit directly on the anti-slide mat, and baby in the pod. Oh, and for all you twin-mummies out there, they do a double-pod version too! Baby bath must-have if you ask me!