Style + Beauty Archives | Cool Mom Picks

The single most important thing your kids can do after they’ve been vaccinated from Covid-19

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Thinking : Parent

I can hardly express the relief and utter joy we’ve felt over the past few weeks, since my teens got their first Pfizer vaccines against Covid-19. The feelings increased substantially since their second shot — knowing they can safely see friends, go to the...

7 cool tie-dye pattern tutorials to help you DIY your own trendy tee

by Kate Etue | DIY, Fashion, Kid Fashion

My 15-year-old son recently came home after a camp planning meeting with his friends and announced that they have decided to tie-dye their camp shirts this year. I kind of love this idea, so I wanted to look up some tie-dye pattern tutorials on You Tube to help them...

Why I’m supporting these brands and their cool Pride month products and collaborations.

by Liz Gumbinner | Doing Good, Living, Style + Beauty

I had a long talk with my (avidly LGBTQ+ supporting) teens this week about the overlap between Pride Month and brands. On one hand, there’s an argument about the “corporatization” of Pride Month, and the rainbow washing of products. On the other...

Jellies shoes are back! Here are 7 favorite styles for kids, teens, and those of us who may actually remember the 80s

by Kate Etue | Fashion, Kid Fashion

I couldn’t be more excited that jellies shoes are back, because these were my absolute favorite 80s fashion trend as a kid. Well, friendship bracelets were totally rad too. And I did love my tie dye everything. Let’s just say I’m thrilled that some...

10 cool vaccination t-shirts that let people know, even when you’re walking around (safely) without a mask.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion, Health, Fitness + Wellbeing

Vaccination t-shirts are more than a trend, they may be kind of important to you. I have seen so many people tell me that they are thrilled to be vaccinated, they’re ready to take off their masks outside or with friends — but they don’t want people...

10 super cute summer backpacks that help you say buh-bye to a long winter

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

Oh hi, it’s me, your handbag-obsessed friend in NYC, now looking for cute backpacks for summer. As I virtually window shop my way across the internet I’m seeing lots of cute, colorful backpacks that are on trend for 2021 and my “add to cart”...

Oversized handbags for spring and summer: Go big or go home! (Or, “go big and also stay home” works too.)

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

Oversized handbags are trending and well, hallelujah, the world has finally caught up with New York City! See, we don’t have cars (or trunks or gloves compartments) in which to stash our daily lives, so we just carry our entire lives with with us at all times in...

Hand sanitizer cute enough for an Easter Basket? Sign of the times.

by Liz Gumbinner | Health, Fitness + Wellbeing, Kids

A few years back, kids probably wouldn’t have considered hand sanitizer as a “cool” Easter gift like they would a funky lip balm or a springy AirPods case. But this year, OLIKA, who makes the cool, natural -hand sanitizers shaped like cute birds,...

We love this jewelry supporting AAPI communities and helping to #StopAsianHate

by Liz Gumbinner | Doing Good, Mother's Day Gifts, Style + Beauty

For years, we’ve been covering the beautiful work of Peggy Li. I mean, we’re talking years and years. I just adore her affordable jewelry, which always makes its way onto the arms of the rich, famous, and highly televised. I mean, who wouldn’t take a...

Here’s our 100% honest review of Green Ablutions bar shampoo: From cost to efficacy to environmental impact

by Kate Etue | Beauty + Cosmetics

Ready for a new shampoo that not only keeps your hair gorgeous but cuts back on all that bottle waste? Thanks to Liz’s recommendation that I try out Green Ablutions Moroccan Argan Oil bar shampoo to see how it works, I think I’ve finally found my new...

I discovered the best ever pandemic pajamas, and hey! Jodie Foster and Alexandra Hedison seem to agree.

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion

This past year, on a special episode of A Very Pandemic Christmas, I realized it had been a while since I had any decent pajamas. So I asked Santa for a very specific pair of soft, cozy, but still cute pajamas. Hey, I have to differentiate between my sleeping clothes...

We love you Moderna & Pfizer & Johnson & Johnson, oh yes we do…

by Liz Gumbinner | Fashion, Kid Fashion

Well, hey there scientists at Johnson & Johnson! Did you hear us singing your praises (loudly, and possibly with some happy tears) this weekend as your single-dose vaccine joins Moderna and Pfizer on the approved Covid vaccine list? Because we did. Clearly...

Hi! We’re Kristen + Liz!

Kristen Chase + Liz Gumbinner of Cool Mom Picks

We started Cool Mom Picks in 2006 to help make life cooler, more meaningful, and more fun for parents of all kinds.

Trivia: It was called Cool Mom Sh*t for the first two days. (Yeah, we rethought that.)

We had no idea our site would grow to become a major lifestyle network, that we'd end up sharing our finds with the TODAY Show and Martha Stewart, that we'd be able to make a real difference for so many small businesses and women-run companies, or that we'd end up with an incredible community of the coolest readers on the planet. (If we do say so ourselves).

We still love what we do every single day. And we're so glad you're here.