Mommy Makeover

Dear Diary,

Before baby, I bought the latest lipsticks, blushes and eye shadows as soon as it hit the MAC counters. I didn’t leave the house naked—meaning without makeup! I’ve always been comfortable inside my skin, so my minor makeup obsession wasn’t connected to confidence. I just loved dressing up, face and all. I think it’s hereditary. Growing up, my mother worked for fragrance and makeup companies. My sister at one point was a makeup artist for Iman cosmetics. I worked as a fragrance model. So our house was always full of bottles of perfume, nail polish and foundation. When I became a mom, sleep was a higher priority than my beauty regimen. I pulled my hair in a ponytail and brushed a gloss over my lips. That was the gist of my morning routine. I stayed at home and stayed in my pajamas for the majority of my daughter’s infancy. I missed makeup.

Then, my social life picked up a bit and I returned to work and got back to self-care—something all first time moms forget from time to time. So, you can imagine my excitement when my friend Dana, Cocotique’s founder, sent me her one-year anniversary box. I don’t use the term friend lightly! It came in the mail the same weekend Caitlynn decided to cover her body in eye shadow when I left her to do a number two! The box is all about celebrating your “Inner Queen.” Your Inner Cleopatra to be exact! Coctique partnered with Actress Nicole Ari Parker, who’s starring in William Shakespeare’s Antony & Cleopatra. Nicole curated a selection of beauty essentials fit for a Queen.

The box includes: Cover FX BB Gel – Mattifying Anti-Blemish Treatment Revlon Bold Lacquer Mascara I won’t spoil everything that’s inside! There are several more beauty gems inside, including a shower gel, fragrances and body butter! The best thing about the box—unlike my destroyed Urban Decay eye shadow palette, I can share some of these products with Caitlynn. Several of the items have natural ingredients. Plus, the shower gel and hair products smell really great! And although I now shower daily—don’t act like y’all never missed a day when you just had a newborn!, it’s important for me to smell nice and clean as Caitlynn calls it.

Cocotique isn’t just about taking care of customers. Like us moms, the brand takes care of others! This month, Cocotique is donating donate 15-percent of the box proceeds to Sophie’s Voice Foundation. Sophie’s Voice Foundation was founded in 2008 by Boris Kodjoe and Nicole Ari Parker in honor of their daughter Sophie who was diagnosed with Spina Bifida at birth. By dedicating themselves to a healthy lifestyle they found ways to address not only their daughters mental, physical and medical needs but also the needs of their entire family. Boris and Nicole have committed their resources and celebrity to educating multicultural communities worldwide on the importance of families working together to build healthy lifestyles one day at a time. You can contribute to this cause AND receive a beauty box in the mail for only $20. Place an order on Cocotique’s website here.