I’m just as guilty as the next using Instagram (follow me: @jaymelamm) to retouch up my looks. Sometimes it makes my lines go away, sometimes it makes my skin brighter, sometimes it just makes the picture pop a little more. Or at least in my mind it does!
Recently, I tried out the Burt’s Bees Brightening Line, which is clinically proven to brighten and even out skin tone when used as part of a daily regimen (usually over an 8 week span). It helps diminish discoloration, and the Dark Spot Corrector was something I desperately needed. As for the Dark Spot Corrector, 80% of test subjects in clinical studies showed a diminished appearance of dark spots and discoloration. I wasn’t included in this particular study, but I definitely see the difference in my own skin. Not only did it help with discoloration, it helped a ton with hydration, which during the summer months, is critical here in Texas.
Most of you probably already love their lip balm (guilty), so I urge you to try this new line. I still love Instagram and don’t plan on slowing down over there, but I love their tagline: Retouched by Nature, not a computer.
The Blonde Side & Budweiser Clydesdales (Photo: CatchLight Group)
The Iconic Budweiser Clydesdales Join Opening Day Festivities for the Houston Astros
For only the second time in Houston history, the World-renowned Budweiser Clydesdales will participate in Opening Day with the Houston Astros at Minute Maid Park. The iconic Clydesdales along with their hitch team will process down the warning track before Tuesday’s game against the New York Yankees and will deliver the ceremonial first pitch to Texas’ own Nolan Ryan.
These ambassadors of the Great American Lager will be getting ready for their big appearance inside Minute Maid Stadium at the intersection of Avenidas de las Americas and Texas Avenue beginning 4:00p Tuesday for fans to come and get up close and personal.
The love and recognition for the Budweiser Clydesdales extends well beyond their award-winning Super Bowl commercials, especially the “Puppy Love” ad spot that appeared in Super Bowl XLVIII, where the ad won first place in USA Today’s AdMeter. Before the ad even aired in the coveted and pricey Super Bowl slot, it had already earned 30 million YouTube views. Perhaps the adoration for the Clydesdales has something to do with the fact they have appeared in more than 24 memorable and award-winning Super Bowl commercials dating back to 1986. The Clydesdales are no doubt an enduring symbol of Budweiser’s heritage, tradition and commitment to quality as well as one of the world’s most recognized corporate symbols.
One of the most common questions of the hitch team is whether or not these particular set of Clydesdales are the original Clydesdales. The original Clydesdales team took form April 7, 1933 and 2014 marks their 81st anniversary with Anheuser-Busch. The Budweiser Clydesdales have three hitch teams, which allow them to make hundreds of appearances each year across the country, and overall there are about 180-200 Clydesdales on the Budweiser team.
One important member of the Clydesdale team that made the trek to Houston is Fez (pictured), who is 10 years old and
The Blonde Side & Budweiser Clydesdales (Photo: CatchLight Group)
weighs about 2200lbs. An average day for Fez includes eating more than 40lbs of hay and drinking 35 gallons of water (yes, all that comes out) and the hitch team spends about five hours on each Clydesdale before a show prepping and pampering them to make them presentable to fans. The team traveled to Houston with 10 Clydesdales and eight will be present for Opening Day festivities, where the rest serve as backups and get rotated throughout events in Houston during the week.
Ten horses, along with the famous red, white, and gold beer wagon and other essential equipment are transported in three 50-foot tractor-trailers. Seven expert handlers normally travel with the hitch, and each team is on the road at least 10 months out of the year with jobs ranging from driving to grooming the Clydesdales for appearances to ensuring each Clydesdale receives a high quality of care. It’s a tough job, but a rather rewarding one after a long day with fans.
To make the cut for one of the traveling hitches, a Budweiser Clydesdale must be a gelding at least four years of age, stand 72 inches at the shoulder when fully mature, weigh between 1,800 and 2,300 pounds, have a bay coat, four white legs, a white blaze, and a black mane and tail.
Traveling alongside the 10 Clydesdales to Houston is the two-year old Dalmation pup, Chip. Dalmations have traveled with the Clydesdale hitch team dating back to the 1950’s as their breed has been associated with horses and valued for their speed, endurance and dependable nature. Chip is often seated perched atop the wagon, proudly seated next to Doug, the driver.
Opening Day with or without the Clydesdales is a pretty big deal – after all, folks at Budweiser, alongside Hall of Fame shortstop Ozzie Smith have been petitioning baseball fans everywhere to sign a formal petition denoting Opening Day a Holiday. With the 100,000+ signature milestone already met, the petition is now at the White House and waiting presentation to President Obama.
The Blonde Side’s photoshoot with the Budweiser Clydesdales team
To celebrate Opening Day, Budweiser will deliver more than 1,500 kegs of Budweiser day-fresh draught kegs to MLB stadiums and cities, just a fraction of the amount consumed on this almost-Holiday. Many fans will get to enjoy the absolute freshest Budweiser at the game, which was packaged and delivered this morning, making it the freshest in all of Texas.
I’ve been told I spend entirely too much time in workout clothes. That could be a really great thing if I worked out even 1/3 of the time I spent in legging and tennis shoes, but that isn’t the case.
If you read The Blonde Side ever, you’ll know I’m a big fan of lululemon and am pretty loyal to New Balance running shoes, but I’m also fairly adventurous in trying new brands and styles, so when I learned of the Heidi Klum for New Balance line, I was initially sold on the idea of at least giving it a test drive.
Who wouldn’t want to look like a supermodel while sweating it out? Clearly that isn’t what this line promises, but it was a good start. I love their tagline, Fierce Meets Fit. I’d like to think that was my life motto long before this athletic line came out, but if the shoe fits…
The line is flirty, feminine and yet still designed to take the beating your long runs or yoga workouts can give it. It’s durable, it’s comfortable, it’s flattering – pretty much covering all the basics. I get it, it looks better on Heidi Klum than probably all of us combined, but it is a pretty universal fit and flattering on most.
Here are some of the products I’ve personally tried out and my thoughts:
As I mentioned above, since I spend so much time in tennis shoes, I don’t mind that they are loud and attract a lot of attention and these certainly do. I haven’t logged any serious runs in these yet, but so far, they perform the way I’m used to New Balance performing. Important to note: they are a pretty solid and stiff running shoe – I usually like a more flexible shoe, but those with bad ankles should really give these a go.
HKNB Mesh Singlet ($59.99) – I love the look and feel of this tank. It’s sexy and still tough, like a tomboy should be. It’s great to run errands before or after your workout because it’s airy and the mesh allows your sweat stains to dry out faster than most running tanks.
HKNB Perfect Pant ($84.99) – The thing I love most about these running pants – buh-bye muffin top! I know, I know, I workout so much and run so much, why do I have muffin top?! But most pants are so constricting at the top, that even if you’re wearing your exact size, it can’t help but give you muffin top and that’s incredibly unflattering and makes you self-conscious. The design of these pants, the slimming features and mesh in the perfect spots make these a GREAT leggings to run in (or run errands in).
About the brand:
Heidi Klum for New Balance Performance Apparel and Footwear is a stunning collection of workout gear designed to perform anywhere your life takes you, from the street to the studio.
This season, HKNB takes a contemporary approach with a floral print but adds a sporty twist, with cutting edge design and world-class style. It’s the perfect combination of Sport + Fashion, featuring jackets, leggings, capris, tanks and more! Footwear ranges from performance running to lifestyle, allowing you to mix and match to create a look all your own so you feel great during your workout.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/Screen-Shot-2014-03-25-at-1.05.15-PM.png473395Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-03-25 16:27:022025-03-20 00:45:10Heidi Klum for New Balance: Product Review
Instead of bombarding all our social media outlets with what’s going on, here’s a simple breakdown of what’s going on, what you need to know, how you can hang with us, etc.
WTF shirts. Due to the CRAZY popularity, we are extending the NAVY WTF: Where’s the football shirts until Tuesday, the 18th. Thanks to Texan Hollie for sharing hers, we had a ton of new orders. To see the shirts (the ones pictured are not for sale, we are ONLY doing navy shirts in men and women with white font so it pops more!), click here and ORDER Today. The price is $20 and keeps going down the more you order (hello, did someone say GIFT TIME?!)
Join our 5k team for Run for the Rose, Sunday, March 30th. You can sign up for the 5k AND/or donate at this very link. This 5k is open to serious runners, hungover individuals, walkers, those with baby strollers that want to hang out, etc. The cost to register is $30 and it goes to brain cancer research. This is a run/race that The Blonde Side (& Charity Chicks Houston) has happily been involved in for five years now – we are aiming for 50 people on our team and to raise $2,500 for the cause. If you are a business who wants to make a tax deductible writeoff, well, hello! Here we are! Please SHARE with other Houston folks!
Sticking with the charitable efforts, The Blonde Side has once again (for the third straight year) partnered up with those goofy SportsMonkey guys for ourAnnual Charity Kickball Tournament. We are looking for teams of 8-10 players on Saturday, April 19th for an all-day event. Our friends at Bud Light Houston have sponsored the event, so the beer will not run out. Get your team together and sign up today – total team cost is $250, it’s fun and goes to a great cause.
As part of The Blonde Side’s existence in Houston, we cannot forgo mentioning the Houston Rodeo, where we do concert reviews for Culture Map. Check out the concerts we’ve covered so far, and if you’re going to one, let’s meet up! (As long as you’re not creep!).
Contests. Damn. We’ve been lucky to have a slew of contests for readers of The Blonde Side, but we’re going to slow down, because the responses just aren’t there lately. In one week we gave away an autographed James Harden ball from BODYARMOR and a Fila Golf Jacket and we expected a ton of more entries. In order to keep our sponsors happy and these contests going, I NEED MORE SUPPORT. Enter each contest (if you win, you can turn it down or gift it), SHARE the contests, give feedback (are we requiring too many steps, do the prizes suck, etc.). Help me help you!
The Blonde Side was also able to surprise Station 58 of the Houston Fire Department last week with
Station 58 First Responders!
Natural Pawz – PAWZ HERO award for rescuing 3 dogs from a burning home by providing them tickets to an upcoming Houston Astros game alongside Bud Light. Please take a minute (now and each day) to thank our first responders – they do so much for us and sometimes we all overlook it!
All FSU shirts have been ordered and will be mailed out in seven business days, so thanks for your order and be patient! If you have more designs in mind, shoot me an email, if we use yours, YOU GET A FREE ONE!
The Blonde Side is looking for a project-by-project basis graphic designer that is down for small paying jobs and working with trade (hey, we’re working on the budget), so if you’re a lover of sports, detail oriented, and all that jazz, email us ASAP: jayme @ theblondeside . com
If you’re a lover of baseball and think Opening Day should be a legit national holiday, check out this petition at the White House via Bud Light and go sign it.
Oh, and Happy St. Patty’s Day! Go enjoy some green Bud Light, but enjoy responsibly!
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/03/10001492_10151967779307314_415433396_n.jpg403300Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-03-17 13:12:252014-11-19 11:40:35The Blonde Side Social Calendar 3.17.14
Majestic Pleasures tank top and alice + olivia pencil skirt from Tootsies
Photoshoots are part of my job these days as a sports + travel + fitness writer here at The Blonde Side, and no matter how incredibly awkward I am behind the camera, I still love it and have a great time doing it.
And I’m super lucky to have an amazing team behind me – for this particular shoot I had a new’ish team, but it was a blast. Since I’m no model, by any stretch of the imagination, just like my sport’s column, it’s always a work in progress.
My photographer this go-round was Oakley Almberg – she’s kind of new to the photography game and does a lot of fun personality shoots (my favorites!) – I’ve seen her work with the gals at lululemon here in Houston so we decided to partner together and have some fun. She definitely brought some good ideas to the table and we had fun attempting to use a hair dryer as a fancy smancy “wind blower” like all the models have on the beaches, haha.
Needless to say it didn’t work out quite as expected, but I’m always up for trying new things.
My hair and makeup was from my trusty and faithful Andrea Simmons over at FaceForward Weddings. I keep telling her that her business name suggests she only does hair and makeup for weddings, but she does all kinds of stuff and is always willing to work in the confines I set forth and always makes me look better than I ever do on my own. It’s definitely an art what she does. Andrea rocks out hair and makeup for any kind of photoshoot or just a special day, definitely look her up.
Heart tank from alice + olivia & Rachel Zoe varsity letterman jacket from Tootsies
Styling was a combo effort with my weirdly sporty style paired with the likes and expertise of the lovely Kim Dunn with Luxe Style Labeling. Kim works on shoots all over Houston and puts together some of the most awesome outfits, but she lets (and suggests) you keep your own style.
I wanted to rock my USA Olympic jacket and she let me – she just paired it with something a little more fancy and added in some jewelry and voila – she made it look better than if I was on the medal stand in Sochi (well, almost). I’m always amazed at how easily Kim can create an outfit that I already owned and would never have thought of and make it look brand new and top of fashion. She’s definitely into layers and jewelry. Thanks to her, I’ve learned those are the two main keys to fashion success.
And the styling helped quite a bit thanks to my favorite Houston store, Tootsies – a full line specialty store in West Ave. They have anything from wedding day fancy to a casual bar night – and I love to take some of their more sporty clothes and dress them up and do the exact opposite with their dressier shirts and take them down a notch by wearing them with a pair of pink chucks.
Trina Turk sleeveless shirt and pink Converse
Check out this heart tank top from alice + olivia – I also wore this to a Rockets game – the red hearts were Rockets colors and it was my subtle and cutesy way of saying “I love the Rockets!”
For the shoot I paired it with an incredibly amazing Rachel Zoe varsity letterman jacket – that pairing was actually thanks to Kim’s suggestion, you know, since that’s her job and all.
Probably my favorite outfit was paired with the simple olive green
Majestic Pleasures tank top and the alice + olivia camel colored pencil skirt (the top picture)- it kind of showed off just how hard I’ve been working out and pumping iron at Sculpt Fitness!
And of course I loved the gold and flowy Trina Turk sleeveless shirt – and the pink chucks just really set it off, just my style.
Thanks to my entire glam-squad for making me feel oh-so-pretty! xoxo to you all!
The Denver Broncos are headed to their 7th Super Bowl, 3rd most in NFL history, behind only the Steelers and Cowboys, who each have eight appearances under their bedazzled belts. You may think you’re prepared for the Super Bowl with your gluten-free wings and Lime-A-Ritas in tote, but get your manicured foam fingers ready with this helpful Broncos 101:
John Elway Era:
– Former QB John Elway (now Executive VP of the Broncos) led the Broncos to five Super Bowl appearances between 1986 & 1998 – tied with Tom Brady for most by a QB.
– Denver lost their first four Super Bowls, including three in four years (’86, ’87, ’89) with Elway as QB, by a combined score of 163-50.
– Denver lost Super Bowl XXIV to San Francisco 55-10, which is the biggest blowout in the Super Bowl’s 48-year history. This game also holds the SB record for most TDs (8), although only one belonged to the Broncos. *Fun note, this game was also parodied on an episode of the Simpson’s where Homer fantasized about being John Elway.
– The Broncos Super Bowl victory in 1998 was the last game of Elway’s career; he was also named MVP.
Peyton Manning Era:
– Broncos were 0-4 in the Super Bowl until the 1997 season when they changed their logo and uniforms, and have been undefeated in SBs since, proving high fashion helps you score in more ways than one!
– If they weren’t headed to the Super Bowl, five Broncos would have gone to the Pro Bowl: Peyton Manning, Demaryius Thomas, Julius Thomas, Matt Prater, Louis Vasquez
– Thunder, the Arabian gelding serving as the Broncos mascot will also be in attendance at MetLife Stadium for the big game. The 900-pound horse will be flown out on a cargo plane in the same manner Olympic horses are transferred.
Although the Broncos overall Super Bowl record is 2-4 (having only beat the Packers in ’98 and the Falcons in ’99), according to pretty much every source in Vegas, they are favored to beat the Seahawks and Manning is already a big favorite to win the MVP.
*And if you’re looking for girly drink recipes, be sure to check out Lime-A-Rita, which is a big Super Bowl drink of
Straw-ber-rita jello shots for the Super Bowl!
choice for women this year (still with 8% alcohol!). Here are some drink recipes to check out.
* Still looking for Super Bowl game day attire? Check out these Junk Food tees specifically for the Super Bowl – it’s a brand sold at Nordstorm and Bloomingldays, very cute and super comfy – my absolute fave game day shirts!
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/1558551_647735131954512_1533803759_n.jpg816612Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-02-01 14:50:412014-11-19 11:53:04Manning the Super Bowl
Call me a fat kid (seriously, it’s totally cool), but I love the Super Bowl for a ton of reasons: one of those is the food! That’s the best part of a Super Bowl party (well that and the Bud Light and popping a bottle of Veuve if your team wins, although the Eagles have never won, so I digress…).
Check out this press release from two of my FAVORITE Houston restaurants. If you’ve got leftovers, call me?
Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar (Heights location only) and BRC Gastropub are offering Super Bowl To-Go items for the big game this Sunday, February 2, 2014.
If you are hankering for good ole’ tailgate fare, Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar in the Heights is featuring a dozen (12) cheeseburger sliders for $18 as well as its scrumptious Frito Pie for 10 people, which and includes 1 gallon of chili, 1 large bag of Fritos, 1 quart of cheddar cheese, ½ quart of onions and ½ quart of jalapeños. In addition, customers can order one quart of Chile con queso and chips for $18 to go.
For something lighter, Liberty Kitchen also can prepare one quart of pimento cheese w/ crudités including carrots, celery and crackers for $20 as well as One pound of smoked salmon with smoke salt butter and sliced baguettes for $28.
BRC Gastropub is offering a dozen (12) grilled and roasted chicken legs with hot sauce syrup for $24 in addition to
Bud Light: The Blonde Side’s Super Bowl Beer
one dozen (12) pigs in blankets made with Wimmer’s hot dogs and wrapped in BRC’s famous cheddar biscuits for $27.
The restaurants require a 24-hour advance notice for orders but the sooner the better as the items may sell out. If you forget to order, call anyway, they will have extra on hand. Please call Liberty Kitchen & Oyster Bar at 713-802-0533 or BRC at 713-861-2233 or check out www.feedtx.com.
Find us on our twitter @brcgastropub or @libertykitchen.
Recently The Blonde Side was asked to share some fun and interesting facts and reasons to watch the Super Bowl for the awesome “inside scoop for the gal around town” online publication, Tidbits. It was featured in five of their cities (they are all over), check out the post below or click here to see the original content on the Tidbits website.
The awesome online publication is in a ton of cities, so click on the link above and scroll to the bottom for your city and subscribe – it keeps you in the know on important things, not just the Super Bowl!
_____
In anticipation of the Super Bowl this weekend, we turned to Jayme Lamm of The Blonde Side for party conversation starters. Grab your manicured foam finger and tick through the sports personality’s gal-friendly factoids.
1.The Basics. The Broncos are favored to win by 3, according to most Vegas sports books. That’s just a simple field goal, so every point matters.
2. Why Watch? This will be the first time since 1990 that the No. 1 offense (Denver) will face the No. 1 defense (Seattle). Translation: Plenty of aggressive plays by men in tight pants are anticipated.
3. So Fugly! USA Today claims this will be the ugliest Super Bowl in its 48-year history, with Denver wearing their almost-all-orange uniforms and Seattle wearing white. “Separately, the uniforms aren’t terrible. Mixed together, however, they make for an eyesore. It’s not peanut butter and jelly, it’s peanut butter and broccoli,” said reporter Chris Chase.
5.QB Breakdown Peyton Manning (Broncos) is going up against the younger, faster Russell Wilson (Seahawks), who was only nine years old when Peyton was drafted to the NFL. This will be Denver’s seventh appearance in a Super Bowl and Seattle’s second.
6. Blue Box Dreams. The trophy awarded to the winning team, the Vince Lombardi, is seven pounds of sterling silver, handcrafted by Tiffany & Co.
7. Betting on Bruno. Bruno Mars is expected to put on an epic halftime show, even better than he did at the Houston Rodeo. Not interested in the actual game? Fashionistas can get in on a “prop bet:” What will Bruno Mars be wearing on his head at the start of his performance? Fedora 2/3 | No hat 2/1 | Fur Hat 5/1 | Tuque 8/1
8. Sticker Shock. Ticket prices range from $3K -$14K. The most expensive ticket for the first-ever Super Bowl, 1967, was just $12.
9. Million Dollar Chance. Intuit gave small businesses a chance at a coveted commercial spot, which reportedly sell for $4 million each. One of four finalists – a pet food business in North Carolina, a compost company in Idaho called Poop, a Cali toy maker, or an organic egg farm in Minnesota – will have a professional spot aired for free on Sunday.
10. Fashion Forecast: Puffy Jackets This will be the first cold-weather city to host the game, outdoors. Jersey has an expected low of 23 plus a 20% chance of precipitation. (To date, the coldest played is Super Bowl ’72, played in New Orleans.)
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/Screen-Shot-2014-01-30-at-11.06.56-AM.png650759Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-01-30 11:12:222014-11-19 11:54:14Tidbits: 10 Reasons to Watch the Super Bowl
Check out this new limited edition shirt from The Blonde Side – on sale this week only so we can place all the orders at once: $24.99.
Comes in a kelly green racerback tank (Alternative Apparel brand) or a short sleeve unisex shirt (Tultex brand) – perfect for gameday at the Linc or on the couch!
Click the link for payment/shipping/sizing info and please share with other Eagles fans.
Just because we aren’t in the Super Bowl (story of our lives), doesn’t mean we can’t show our fandom right now!
Shirts designed by Chris Summerville of Summerville Photography.
https://theblondeside.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/PhillyFly.jpg403585Jaymehttps://theblondeside.com//wp-content/uploads/2018/06/1526998321020-300x192.pngJayme2014-01-22 15:37:512014-11-19 12:05:30FLY Eagles FLY Shirt for Sale
Let me first start with full disclosure: I probably don’t need a sports bra, at least not a heavy duty like this one. While I do wear a size C (or Medium in this fit), my “girls” don’t really move up and down thanks to my beloved plastic surgeon, but I never go on a run without a sports bra – for multiple reasons including comfort and fear of nipping out and being super awkward in public if I have to run errands after a long run.
This ultra-light high-to-max support was probably more than I needed, but I run with so many girls who often have to double-up sports bras on long runs. That thought is beyond crazy to me, but I am fairly certain this is the sports bra for you if you’re one of those double-up coverage seeking gals.
If you are a runner, especially of long distances (get it – the MARATHON SPORTS BRA), you’ll want to check this bra out. It’s all the essential components to any piece of workout gear: no chafe, no bulk. Don’t let your sports bra tell you when your run is over due to chafing, stop when your legs (or your mind) tell you to. It is a faster drying bra thanks to Vapor Technology, helping you dry faster as your body heat rises. All good things in my runner’s book.
The thing I love most about this sports bra is that it has adjustable straps to give you a truly custom fit. Most things in life are not one-size fit all, nor should your sports bra be. Overall, this bra was a bit more strength than I needed, but I will definitely wear it for my longer runs thanks to the no chafing and no bulging, and I highly recommend this for other runners!
