It’s September and those of you out there with children might almost have the new morning routine down to a science. But it’s hectic, right? Breakfast, school lunches, getting kids dressed, grabbing the backpacks, finally out the door and then a little voice says, “I forgot, I need to bring something for show-and-tell today.” Hectic just went to maddening.

That five-day-a-week race to school before the tardy bell rings leaves little time for moms to worry about the details. So, it’s easy to understand why so many moms just don’t have the time to change out of their PJs before taking the kids to school. Or is it?

Since many of us do the car pool line, it’s easy to try and hide what we’re wearing. That is, unless you have a flat tire. Then everyone including the guy from AAA will know. Other parents walk their children to school or escort the kids to their classrooms so mommies in jammies are spotted by the school staff and all the parents and students.

A school in the UK got fed up with parents schlepping in the door wearing pajamas and slippers and made it clear that moms should respect the school enough to put on clothes. They felt it set a bad example for the students so pajamas were banned.

A CupCase devotee admits she was regularly dropped off in the carpool line by a mother sporting her bathrobe and a bed head, and she says it wasn’t just embarrassing, it was mortifying. Why couldn’t she get dressed? Why didn’t she care what others thought of her when they passed her at the school entrance?

Celebrities are often photographed walking their kids to school. They get out of the door with a little style so why can’t we all do the same? We know, we know: They probably have a cook and a maid, but is it really that time consuming to throw on some cute jeans, plain top and boots or sandals? Even a cool hat if you don’t have time to do much about your bed head. Take a look at these looks worn by some celebrities for ideas.

And here’s a thought: Why not pull an outfit out of your closet the night before when you are asking your child to do the same? After all, you’re asking your child to look neat and get dressed for school, so set a good example rather than “do what I say, not what I do” J.

Sorry Super Moms, school mornings are not going to get better anytime soon. However, when you get to school late without a lunchbox because it’s still on the kitchen counter, but with the show-and-tell item that you snatched from your child’s toy box at the last minute, you’ll look together, even if nothing else is. J

There are some women who embrace the aging process whole heartedly and present themselves au naturél. The rest of us want to stay looking young from head to toe as long as possible. And that includes our breasts! Just like the skin under our eyes and chins, we want our breasts to remain firm, beautiful and free of tiny lines and wrinkles.

Women spend millions of dollars a year protecting their faces from premature aging, dryness and sun damage. Breasts need the same love!

Women’s Health Issues reports that the skin surrounding the breasts is thin and needs extra care. Just as women moisturize their faces (and necks), women also should moisturize their breasts with a firming cream that stimulates collagen and elastin growth, as well as offers UV protection. Moisturizers will keep breasts healthier and help prevent the skin from wrinkling and sagging.

A moisturizer formulated specifically for breasts is Skin Tight Breast Firming Lotion from Nourish Skin Care. This moisturizer tightens skin, and it lifts and defines the breasts. When moisturizing, you should also include the nipple area. They can get dry so use an emollient like Vaseline.

In addition to moisturizers, Our Vanity has some more suggestions for keeping those breasts booby-licious:

Hydro Massage - This is an effective remedy for premature breast skin wrinkling. Massage your breasts with a cool water sheet clockwise for 10 minutes paying special attention to axillary creases (that area in front of your armpit) and the area under your breasts. Also you can massage your breasts with frozen milk cubes. But remember that breast skin is very sensitive; therefore, massage moves should be tender.

Breast Skin Masks - These work like facial masks. Take some time once a week to treat your girls to one these rejuvenating masks!

Nourishing Mask – Combine one mashed banana, two drops of olive oil and apply to your breasts for 30 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Refreshing Mask – Peel and mash an orange, blend it with a frothed egg white and apply the mixture to your décolleté, neck and shoulders. Cover with towel for 15 minutes before rinsing off.

Moisturizing Mask – Apply a grated fresh cucumber to your breast skin.

We want you to be good to your breasts, so in addition to moisturizing them, don’t forget to do a breast check while you’re at it! We want the girls healthy inside and out! J

The weather will be turning chilly soon and shorts and sundresses will head to the back of the closet with jeans and turtlenecks moving upfront. This is the perfect time to attack that closet and get it in order before the seasons change! With these 8 closet organization tips, you’ll be in great shape:

1. Take everything out of your closet. Everything! Vacuum the closet floor, wipe down the walls and dust the shelves. This should be done at least twice a year.

2. Before you even think about putting clothes back in the closet, purge! We know you’ve all heard the rule: If you haven’t worn it in a year, toss it. Those are holy words when it comes to organizing a closet.

Next, trash anything faded, soiled, torn (you aren’t going to ever get around to sewing it, we promise.) or doesn’t fit properly. What’s left are the items you love, want to wear and feel great in.

3. As you put clothes back in the closet, organize them by type and then by color. Putting together your outfits will be so much easier this way. And it makes it impossible to ignore the fact that you do not need another black shirt (because you can see that you own 35 of them), but you need some more tops in red. Items that stack, like sweaters and jeans, should be on easy-to-reach shelves. And again, organize by color. To fold your clothes like they do in department stores, check out this video.

4. Hang clothes on the same kind of hangers. Clothes should also be placed on the hanger facing the same direction and tops should be buttoned and skirts zipped so clothing looks neat and tidy. Always remove dry cleaning bags immediately. They will damage your clothing.

5. For panties, use drawer dividers with 6-inch-wide sections. Drawer dividers make it impossible NOT to keep that drawer of delicates organized. We suggest storing bras, especially expensive ones, in a CupCase to protect them in the drawer and keep them in tip top shape for that next evening out.

6. Trees keep boots from slouching and toppling over, which will damage the leather. Women’s boot shapers are perfect for keeping boots upright. Or try our solution: empty Pringles cans!

7. Purses should be on a shelf and organized by size and color. Hanging them on hooks will damage the straps.

8.  Martha Stewart suggests installing a peg board in the closet. We love this idea! It’s great for organizing belts, scarves, hats and even some pictures of your favorite fashion inspiration!

Have we inspired you to get started on some closet organization? Let’s see some before and after pics! Please share on our Facebook page, Pinterest or Twitter. We’d love to see your success.

“Ah, summer, what power you have to make us suffer and like it.” – Russell Baker, newspaper columnist and Pulitzer Prize winner

Summertime always comes with lots o’ heat and humidity, and it seems like we’ve gotten a double dose of everything this year. While exposure to the sun’s summer rays, sky-high temperatures and major humidity don’t always leave us looking our best, with a little prep work we can still look fabulous while enjoying every last day of this glorious season!

Hair to There

Beauty.About.com tells us to give up the humidity fight. You’ll never win. Instead, with the right products, you can learn to love what humidity will do to your ‘do. One of the best tips is to just add an anti-frizz product to your hair and let it dry naturally. Put away the flat iron and embrace your hair’s natural assets. You can do it!

Sun + chlorine + hair color = Not what you paid your stylist for! Real Beauty says to make sure you protect your color-treated hair from all that summer throws at you with a color protector. If you’re in a pinch, sunscreen works for hair, too!

If your highlights are brassy, ask your stylist to add lowlights or highlights to brighten up your summer locks.

Whether you color your hair or not, summer sun and lots of time in the pool can dull/fade the color of your hair. Return your hair’s healthy glow with a gloss treatment that can give hair tone and shine. Plus, it can enhance the hue for those with color-treated hair. Ask your stylist which treatment is best for you.

Skin to Win!

For the best luminous, healthy summer skin, Real Beauty has some easy tips:

Replace your foundation with a tinted sunscreen, which will add a little moisture to your face without being too heavy. Plus (and this is a huge plus!) it protects your skin from the damaging rays.

Don’t dry out in this heat! Exfoliating is a great way to soften dry skin. Follow up with a rejuvenating mask twice a week.

Those crow’s feet on our faces are from squinting, not sun damage. Wear some chic sunglasses with UV protection – even in the winter!

CupCase hopes these tips have helped prevent your hair and skin from suffering this summer. Now your electric bill … we can’t do much about that! J What are your best summer beauty tip

Many times, people make a statement or pay tribute by wearing a T-shirt or a hat with a certain color, design, phrase or photo. But this year, a number of Olympic athletes used their fingernails and toenails as tiny billboards!

That’s right: nail art took the Olympics by storm and we loved it. So many athletes painted their nails with the color and design of their country’s flag or the Olympic rings. We thought it was pretty cool and wanted to find out more.

It turns out there were nail artists in the Olympic Village who catered to the athletes! Nail booths were also inside Procter & Gamble’s “Home” for the athletes and their families (a place they could go relax and socialize together).

We also found out the nail art craze was perfected by British “nail queen” Sophy Robson. Her team of nail artists provided services to athletes and their guests in “grooming salons” in the Olympic Village, according to an article on CNN.

“It was such fun working with the athletes,” Robson told CNN. She designed a menu of 207 country flags to choose from in a partnership with corporate sponsor P&G. “There are no egos involved and they are just excited to have something represent their country on their nails.”

But why do fingernails or toenails make the perfect bilboard? And why didn’t we see any of the gymnasts sporting the trend?

One nail artist told CNN that nail art is a great way to make a statement because “It’s not as permanent as a haircut and having 10 fingers means the opportunity to sport various themes.”

As for the gymnasts, we found out official gymnastics competition rules say competitors cannot wear nail polish and if they do, they can get points deducted for doing so. We definitely can’t have that!

Let CupCase know what you think of this trend. Want to get in on it? Here are some fabulous nail art designs as seen on Glamour’s website. We’ve also got a great nail polish board on our Pinterest. Be sure to “follow” us there!

Breast cancer myths and rumors are endless and recently the rumor that sleeping in a bra can cause breast cancer has been circulating. Ever since the husband and wife team Singer and Grismaijer reported that bras cause cancer in the 1990s, breast health experts have been working to dispel this claim.

Well, you can breathe a sigh of relief because based on cancer research it looks like wearing your makeup to bed is more dangerous than sleeping in a bra. The American Cancer Society confirms “we do not know of any epidemiologic studies published in scientific journals that suggest bras directly contribute to breast cancer.” That includes bras with underwire, bras that don’t fit, or wearing a bra for too many hours a day. Wearing a bra has no link to cancer.

The Maurer Foundation understands that the myths can be rattling so it explains the theory and why it makes no sense. It was reported that underwire can cause pressure to the chest area causing toxins in the lymph system to be blocked. While this sounds like it makes sense, the cause of breast cancer has no link to the lymph system. Instead, breast cancer is believed to be blamed on gene mutations that lead to cells dividing suddenly and rapidly. The actual cause of the mutation is not known.

Need more reasons to doubt the claim that bras cause cancer? How about this: Men get breast cancer too. Also, breast cancer is older than bras! It is reported that breast tumors were detected as early as 1600 BC, but modern day bras weren’t sold until the mid-1930s.

The conversation reminds us of the signs of breast cancer and the obvious links to the disease.

Get a mammography every year after 40 years old, or younger depending on your family history. Look for the following when doing a breast exam:

• changes to breast shape or size
• breast dimpling, rash or other skin changes
• unusual or persistent breast pain
• nipple sores or discharge
• swelling or discomfit in armpit

Women’s risk factors include:

• personal and family history
• inheritance of mutations in the genes BRCA2, BRCA1 and CHEK2,
• exposure to female hormones (natural and administered)
• poor diet and inadequate exercise
• excessive alcohol consumption

So ladies, eat, sleep, jog, meditate, shower, whatever you want – all while wearing your bra! There is no evidence that your bra is bad for your health. Knowing that, maybe it’s time to order a few more CupCases for packing bras and bra protection! (Especially while the Charming Cheetah and Spot on Leopard are on sale through summer!)

Remember when reusable shopping bags started popping up in grocery stores? They were functional (yeah!), reusable (double yeah!) and usually shaped like a paper bag with the store’s logo (yawn).

Oh, how far they’ve come! These days, reusable bags are seeing more than grocery store aisles. The colors and patterns are endless and they’re popping up everywhere. We’ve seen reusable bags at the beach full of essential beach needs, the farmers market where they provide ample room for lots of fresh fruits and veggies, the library for a convenient way to carry books, and on overnight stays for a change of clothes and toiletries (and plenty of room for your Cupcase!). These bags are usually made from fabric like canvas, woven synthetic fibers or plastic and are lightweight and can easily be stored when not in use.

If you’re active and need a sporty-looking bag to take to the gym, bike riding or even a day hike, check out the Glacier Sling rePETe. At $14.99 this messenger style bag can carry up to 40 pounds. It’s machine washable and made of 99% recycled content. When the bag isn’t in use, simply stuff it into the included pouch for easy storage.

For a chic disposable bag, Baggu offers great styles in more than 40 colors and all for $7 and up. Our faves are the Big Baggu ($12. I know! Crazy low!) and the Baby Baggu ($7. Even lower!). At these prices, grab multiple bags to compliment any outfit and any activity.

For a quality, versatile bag, Bed Bath and Beyond’s Totester  is a great buy at $19.99. This bag can be a cute clutch by night and with a quick unzip, become a roomy tote by day. We love that!

We can’t get enough of these great bags that are perfect for any occasion. How fab is it that we can look stylish and take care of the environment at the same time? Just don’t forget to pack your CupCase!

A luau is the perfect way to survive this blistering heat and we’re here to help you plan the perfect Hawaiian-themed party with everything from coconut bras to easy-to-learn hula moves!

Since the temperatures are almost unbearable, party guests will welcome the idea of wearing casual clothes – and very little of them, at that. Luaus wouldn’t be luaus without coconut bras and grass skirts. If you’re the crafty kind, making a coconut bra is pretty simple. It just takes a coconut and string to make and a whole lot of confidence to wear! Ordering a coconut bra online is also an option. It’s one-size fits all and they’re pretty cheap.

A grass skirt with bikini bottoms underneath is the only way to complete the luau look. And you must have the grass skirt for all the hula dancing you’ll be doing!

The history of hula dancing  dates back for centuries. Hula dancing is more complicated than the left to right hip swing most people do. This dance has many movements that are meant to tell a story.  Hawaiians are known to perform this dance at religious ceremonies and social gatherings. At your social gathering, teach your guests some authentic hula moves. The Hukilau is an easy dance to start with.
Check out this how to hula website for the Hukilau and many more hula dances.

We’d love for you to post some pictures of your luau on CupCase’s Facebook page. A big “Aloha” from CupCase!

The same seamstresses that sewed your mother’s or grandmother’s bras may have also sewed NASA’s first spacesuits that allowed Neil Armstrong to walk on the moon! Crazy, right?

In the early 1960s, NASA was struggling to come up with a new space suit design. Up until this point, the astronauts didn’t leave the safety of the space craft. But NASA needed a suit that would give astronauts the mobility to walk on the moon’s surface while surviving the perilous conditions. The design prototypes that NASA engineers had developed were too rigid and were built more like a spaceship than clothing.

NASA needed help and asked eight private companies to design a suit for future space travel. The only company not familiar with the space industry was ILC, a subsidiary company of Playtex that made bras, girdles and even baby’s rubber pants. Playtex actually means perforated latex, which when sandwiched between cloth, gives underwear its elastic and body-shaping character.

ILC used its experience at making rubberized flexible clothing and created a space suit design that allowed for mobility due to rubberized joints that were stabilized with small steel rods. NASA embraced the engineering behind Playtex’s underwear and awarded ILC the contract to build the 21-layer A7L spacesuit.

A team of ILC seamstresses were selected to sew these spacesuits. By hand, the seamstresses had to sew 1/64 inch stitches without the use of pins. It was a tedious job that was inspected and inspected again. Overnight these women went from seamstresses to the space program’s unsung heroes. Some seamstresses continued to make suits for the space program through the shuttle and space station era.

In honor of the upcoming 43^rd anniversary of Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, it is CupCase’s pleasure to recognize Playtex and their seamstresses. Their talents and commitments provided women with fitted undergarments, which led to making NASA’s most epic journey in our lifetime possible.

We all love the unordinary, right? Those people that make us pause for a second and think “Wow!”? Several Guinness World Record holders fit that description and we want to recognize a few of those people and their, um, accomplishments.

Drum roll please …

Annie Hawkins-Turner (aka Norma Stitz) holds the record for largest natural breasts. Yes, Mother Nature bestowed upon this woman an around-chest-over-nipple measurement of 177.8 centimeters (70 inches). Her under breast measurement is 109.22 centimeters (43 inches). It might be tough to fit this woman’s brassiere into a CupCase, but we’d sure try!

Breasts have one legitimate purpose – providing milk that nourishes babies. But let’s recognize Susan Sykes (aka Busty Heart) for giving her boobs another purpose. She holds the record for crushing the most drinking cans with one breast in one minute. On April 1, 2011 Sykes crushed 34 cans on the set of Lo Show Dei Record in Milan, Italy. We hope she was wearing a Turtle Shells bra when she did that!

Bras can be pricey. It’s one of the reasons we created CupCase Your Bras – to protect your investment! But Victoria’s Secret holds the record for the world’s most expensive bra. For a mere $12.5 million, the Heavenly Star Bra features 1,200 Sri Lankan pink sapphires and a 90-carat emerald cut diamond that was worth $10.6 million when it was created in 2001.

Raising awareness for breast cancer was at the heart of the next two world records. Reckitt Benckiser and Vanish made the largest bra, which is on record at 26.72 meters (87 feet 7.97 inches) under the bust and 29.6 meters (97 feet 1.35 inches) at the bust. This pink bra achieved its world record during Breast Cancer Awareness month in London Oct. 28, 2011 and was unveiled at the ITV tower in London’s South Bank.

Citizens Who Care also supported breast cancer awareness by creating the longest chain of bras. In Australia on Aug. 9, 2009, this bra chain was made up of 166,625 bras and measured 163.77 km (101.7 miles).

Got any breast/bra accomplishments we need to be aware of? Let’s hear ‘em!