Kiss My Face Giveaway

I LOVE Kiss My Face products, and right now you can enter to win 4 bottles of their newest flavors of mouthwash at Mom's Best Bets 

I really love their mouthwash because it doesn't have all the stuff that makes me feel like I'm gargling with sulfuric acid, but it still feels effective. Minty, as opposed to painful!

• Great tasting natural formula for ultimate fresh breath and healthy mouth
  
• No alcohol, artificial sweeteners or flavors
  
• Natural formula kills bad breath
• Promotes healthy teeth and gums
  
• With natural xylitol
  
• Super fruit antioxidant boost including goji berry, pomegranate and green tea 

Mixology Mineral Makeup giveaway

Right now at Etsy It Up

you can enter to win a makeup and fan brush set (a $28.00 value!) from Mixology Mineral Makeup. 

Cool deal!

Sampler Village Easter Sampler

I am simply enamored with the samplers available featuring handmade items! Not only is it a great way to try out unique items, but they're always SUCH a great deal! Quite often I get turned on to something that sends me back to the artisan to make a purchase, and as someone who is myself a crafter, I feel good about myself supporting people who are creative and following their passions.

I just received a new sampler (well, new to me) from Sampler Village, and I really encourage you to visit their site and sign up to be notified when their April Sampler goes on sale (April 21st). They can be found at 
www.samplervillage.blogspot.com 

This was their March sampler which is now sold out, but I can only imagine that the next will be just as chock full o' awesomeness. 

Please note:
There's a link to each seller, though the photos shown are simply representative of their items, not necessarily the exact item I received. The item stated is however what was in my package. While I obviously can't possibly have had time to try out each individual item, when I do I'll update the info. I can say however, that every soap I received smelled so good I wanted to just stick my head inside the box they came in. Well, actually, that's exactly what I did :-) 
 
Simply Sweet Confections Silky Skin Soap Sample Kumquat Fruit

Strawberry Tops Spa Shoppe Lavender Mineral Crystals Sample Size

The Fairy Apothecary full sized decorative soap (mine was really pretty with this cool swirly talisman looking thingie on it.)

Marilee Jane Designs Easter themed Cup Cake Topper and Paper Gift Tag

Cottage Shaped Scented Guest hand Soap from Sampler Village




Isabella's Upcycled Treasures black Lego crayon (oh my gosh! these are so freakin' cool! And since I actually still enjoy coloring- when I babysit, of course- ahem...)

Use coupon code SamplerVillage10 to receive 20% off!




Soapsational Creations Tulip Soap 
You can have them custom make soaps for you with any design, picture or logo you want! These would be an awesome wedding souvenir, wish I'd known about them when I got married)

Cassia's Garden Grapefruit Lily Fragrance

It came with a discount coupon code, but unfortunately it was expired before I received the sampler (3/31/10)


The Bubble Room  Wings Of Spring Butterfly Soaps

Kruger's Creations lavender Scented 1oz Bunny Soap

Tracy's Home Canned Goods Assortment bag of homemade rock candy in Orange, Grapefruit & Creme de Menthe
These are SOOOOOO yummy! It's a really generous sized bag, and these taste so much better than any rock candy I've had before. The flavors are really strong, unlike most rock candy I've had which pretty much just tasted like sugar. I especially like the orange flavor, because it's a true orange with a tang. I already went to her site and was astounded to  find not just the candy but also actual honest to goodness canned goods. I'm gonna get the meat sampler, cause I'm dying to check 'em out! (Yeah, you heard me)

 


Grammy's Soap Bakery Tulip Shaped Soap in Blooming Tulip Fragrance 

DunGees Num Nums sampler bag of Gourmet Cranberry Pecan Granola
Really good, the only problem being that some of the scent from the other items in the sampler seems to have leaked into the bag a bit, I guess because they were just twist tied and not sealed, so the granola has a subtle 'perfumey' taste. I guess that's a testimony to how good it is though that I still thought it was really yum :)

The Gingerbread Cupboard soaps, one chocolate bunny soap in Jelly Bean and 6 baby carrot soaps in Carrot Cake.

The Vintage Chest Barkery  peanut Butter Bunnies Homemade Dog treats
Well, I can't personally vouch for their taste, but Anna Nicole and Boomer give them two paws up. I guess I could eat them though, since all the ingredients are actual real food and not tons of chemicals and cow eyeballs! 

 Save 15% on orders of $15.00 or more with the code Easter2010 through 5/31/2010



Rose Petals And Rust Shabby Chic 3 Dimensional Cupcake Gift Tag

Beautiful Twists Full sized Tube of lip Conditioner Balm in 'Bunny Burp' (carrot cake)
This is a really soft, moisturizing lip balm with a nice yet subtle scent and flavor. Their site has TONS of cool stuff, like Evil Waitress coffee scented room spray and astrological themed vegan lip conditioners.  

 

Purrfect Gifts 1 Bunny Kiss and 1 Easter Eggcite-Mints
Those tiny little boxes are so cute! I saved them to reuse.....

Blue Rose Candles Peanut Butter Creme Sandwich Cookie Melt

Bella Bejewled pink Beaded Hair Pin
I love this little hair pin, and have made similar ones myself since my booty length hair is always in need of ornamentation. Their site has some truly unique and elaborate jewelry pieces on it. 

So what are you waiting for?

Oh Monday, Monday

Beauty Addicts RelationLips lip Palette in Seduce is 4 pans of lovely gloss. They're called Shimmer, Sheer, Shine and Satin and you have colors ranging from a pretty tinted berry to a mod glossy silver/white.

They can be mixed to create different looks and have pretty good staying power. Infused with shea butter, aloe vera, and vitamin E for a healthy pout, and the compact has a great little mirror. My one complaint is that the 2 most pigmented colors also tend to bleed if you don't use a neutral lip pencil first.








Well Estee Lauder High Gloss is super boofoo. It's so sparkly and shiny, like a combination of plastic and glitter. Normally glosses this pale need something underneath them for them to have any oomph, but this stuff is so shiny it speaks for itself. I love that it doesn't feel gummy or heavy, which most glosses this, well, glossy tend to do.



The fig scent is yummy yummy yummy (it went through the husband test of "hey, baby! Smell my mouth!" "oooh, smells yummy!" Oh, the things I put that man through....)  I like the Rose color because it's this combination of earth toned and pink that makes it versatile enough to wear with multiple colors. Normally when I think rose I think pinker than this, but I like that this isn't such a Barbie pink. About the only colors it doesn't wear well with are the red/orange/yellow family.






Something I'm really excited about right now is the Kokokahn Coconut Body Balm. 

I just received this the other day and it's truly astounding.

From their website:
 

"Coconut Body Balm
Nourish & Heal

Nourish and heal hands, cuticles, elbows, feet, knees or any other dry parts of your body. Or use as an all over hydrating & healing night mask or daily moisturizer. A decadent tropical coconut aroma especially good for after sun care, dry winter skin and sensitive skin.

All of the oils, butters and beewax used in our body balms are unrefined and in their natural state leaving all the wonderful health benefits Nature intended.

Ingredients: Certified Organic Simmondsia Chinensis (Jojoba) Seed Oil, Certified Organic Cocos Nucifera (Coconut) Oil, Organic Beeswax, Certified Organic Theobroma Cacao (Cocoa) Seed Butter"

I LOVE this company!  I had just bought a new pair of sandals, cause it's getting to be about that time, and was horrified to see that my heels look like those nasty things hanging off of the back of some grody person's flip flops at Wal Mart. Being on my feet all day wreaks havoc on my tootsies but one swipe of this balm and they looked like someone else's feet. Seriously, I was amazed at the enormous difference this stuff made with just one application. You'd have thought I'd just paid some pedicurist tons of money to shave my feet or something. Seriously wonderful stuff! 

Recently Slapped On my Mug.....

I was introduced to Sponge Krema Mattia Anti-Wrinkle Eye Cream through a Barney's sampler, and I gotta say, it rawks. It's really cooling and refreshing, and great for putting on your eyes 'the morning after' to perk up your eyes and take away the tired. It's 100% chemical free with all natural ingredients, including olive oil, olive leaf, and vitamin infused grapeseed liposomes. It reduces puffiness and dark circles as well. It has these nifty little spheres in it that absorb into the skin and all in all I gotta give it the thumbs up! (I love the smell, too!)


I've also recently tried out DDF's Mesojection Healthy Cell Serum. I have yet to be disappointed in any DDF products. After application of this serum, the skin immediately feels smoother and on me, my redness is greatly reduced. They say it reduces free-radical damage by 24%, which I believe based on how my skin ate this stuff up. I like that the company was formed by actual dermatologists, so it's not just some big company throwing some ingredients together to make a buck. It's obvious that a lot of knowledge and research goes into all of their products.





Mesojection™ Healthy Cell Serum is a non-invasive topical treatment inspired by Mesotherapy, an anti-aging injection therapy sweeping Europe.  The proprietary DDF formulation is rich with antioxidants, to reduce free-radical damage to the skin’s critical moisture barrier by 24%.  The formula also contains potent peptides and amino acids to immediately rejuvenate skin’s luminosity while smoothing skin’s texture.  The innovative Virtual Patch technology helps the anti-aging formula penetrate 14 layers deep into the skin’s surface, and seals in the vital ingredients for hours to ensure longer lasting effects.  The result is younger skin tone, texture, and a renewed vitality. A lightweight serum ideal for all skin concerns. 

Strivectin Neck Cream is a tightening and skin conditioning cream that visibly firms and tightens the neck area and your decolletage. 

The problem I have with it is, well, the weirdness of their attempt to gain your attention with their packaging. On the front of the box in enormous letters it says
" Got Turkey Neck?" Good Lord, that's rude!  I realize that they're simply trying to grab your attention, but it smacks a little too much of 'teenager acting out  so Daddy will notice her' to me. Yeah, I noticed it, but not for the right reasons. I received this in a sampler which is the only reason I tried it out- I would have never actually bought this as the turkey neck thing really turned me off. Why would such a pricey prestige brand stoop to such depths? 

But I digress.


I don't have a turkey neck, but I also do not want one either. After about a month of using this in lieu of my face moisturizer for my neck, I have to report that the skin on my neck does feel tighter, softer too. Where I'm really happy though is with my decolletage. I am seeing a definite improvement in the firmness and appearance of the skin, and my stretch marks are rapidly diminishing. I am of the, shall we say, busty variety, so to use this as a bust cream for me is really putting this stuff to the test!  

Their website says they have a 30 day money back guarantee, so they themselves are pretty confident in their product. I have read mixed reviews- some see it as the second coming while others see it as overpriced. I can say that it is super concentrated. A 7ml jar has lasted me a month and I've only used roughly half of it. Granted I am not applying twice daily like I'm supposed to as in the mornings I'm lucky if I remember to put on pants.  

BeFine Ginger and Willow Bark  Firming Toner is great. I can see myself going crazy with this stuff in the summer when my face feels all greasy and out of sorts from the Texas heat and humidity.
And at that price? How can you NOT try it? It's really refreshing and is a great step before applying makeup, as it really closes up the pores and makes skin firm and fresh. I would probably not use it in the winter when my skin dries up from all of the artificial heat, but again I'd say it's the perfect summer toner. It's so refreshing to see something be both this effective and this low cost.









Peter Thomas Roth Oil-Free Moisturizer is another thing I'll be using for the summer. This is a unique gel/lotion so at first I kept using too much and feeling like my skin was kind of sticky until it dried. I'm used to using a lot more with fluffy creams, but this you only need a dab. 
I can already tell that this is going to revolutionize my summer face when used with the BeFine Toner. Again, not a product I'd recommend for those with really dry skin, but if you're like me and have skin that is changeable with it's enviroment or just have plain old oily skin, this'll be great. I so look forward to not having my entire face slide into my lap by the end of the day! YAY! 








  Glytone Protect Sunscreen is the bee's knees. 
It does have a little of that 'sunscreen' smell, but it fades extremely quickly.  It's light enough to be used on the face in lieu of moisturizer, but where I really am liking it is as a lotion. I am such an albino that I actually carry parasols around just to go from the car to the store or what have you. I'm noticing though, that my left arm is about 10 times darker than every other part of my body from being in the car, and that freaks me out. When I say darker, I don't mean tan. I mean my freckles have so inundated every available skin surface that they create this weird optical illusion of a tan- like those tests for the color blind with all the dots to see if you can read the number inside the circle. I don't use this all over my body, I just apply it to my exposed skin over my normal lotion. It's a little extra protection without putting on thick gloppy pasty sunscreen that doesn't absorb into the skin and can leave funky streaks and funkier aroma. I'll be keeping this one in my glove box! 

Get Nailed

Fingernails......

Well first, you need to start with a good base coat. I've been using Avon's  Nail Experts Tough Enough Base /Top Coat.  

Features

• Fast Drying Formula
• Contains titanium to help create maximum protection for stronger, more resilent nails.
• Provides a protective layer to help condition and nourish weak nails.
• Formulated with Biovite, and exclusive Avon Complex containing Biotin, Vitamin E, Panthenol, Apricot Kernel Oil, Keratin and Calcium Complex.
• Free of Formaledhyde and Formulated without Toluene.   

I have read that with regular use, this will strengthen my papery weak nails, but I've only been using it for a few weeks, so we'll have to see. It does extend the wear of polish  by a few days, especially on my toes. It also makes the polish super super shiny. It seems to be discontinued, but lots of people still sell it online, I got mine for about a buck. Not the magic bullet I keep searching for, but not the worst either.

 



I really like that Zoya has an astounding assortment of colors as well as being free of harmful chemicals. They are safe for use by pregnant women and those with chemical sensitivites, which your average brand is not. "Zoya Nail Polish has been awarded as the longest wearing natural nail polish by an independent panel in Women’s Health Magazine. Zoya Nail Polish is a nail polish free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. Nail Polish by Zoya offers over 300 gorgeous nail polish colors to choose from, plus 4 seasonal collections of nail polish every year. Zoya Nail Polish was specifically formulated to deliver the longest wear possible on natural nails." 

The one downside is that you have to have to have to put on a top coat or this will be chipped within a day, or at least on me, anyway. Granted, I am very hard on my nails, as I am constantly shelving and pulling books and typing. I experimented and used a clear top coat on one hand and none on the other and it made a huge difference.  

Another downside is that you must really shake it up well or it will be gloppy and go on thick, which results in smears and crazy long dry time. I recommend giving it a super duper shake up to begin with and then recapping and giving it a few extra before going to the next hand. Make sure you've given yourself plenty of drying time between coats, and remove extra clinging to the brush to avoid gloppiness. If you don't mind taking a little extra time with your nails, Zoya is well worth the extra effort.

I like alternating nails with Zoya's Tangy and Irene. 

A polish that really surprised me was Pierre Balmain. I was unfamiliar with the brand and it was pretty inexpensive, but it applied like a champ. It glided on evenly and dried quickly with no smudges and beautiful glossy color. It lasted almost a week with hardly a touch up needed and I got a ton of compliments on the color (Barely Red). Sadly, I can't seem to find it anymore, but if you happen to run across the brand, know that it's certainly worth it. 



Sinful Colors

is a drugstore brand with some lovely colors. They're obviously trying to bring OPI to mind with their bottles. Unfortunately they don't last as well as OPI, but they're good for a cheapie and they're really well pigmented. They are also free of toluene, formaldehyde, DBP (phthalates) and camphor. I'm wearing the burgundy apple right now (the color on the far right) and have gotten tons of compliments on the color. It's very high shine and goes on smoothly, but if you don't put on a top coat as soon as your color dries, it will chip at the tips really quickly.  

Something that really surprised me with it's fabulosity was Broadway Nails Fashion Diva Nail Art. They're available at most drugstores (Walgreens has them online) and they are cheap ($1.99!). I had someone ask me how hard it was to paint these designs on! I recommend putting them on when your top coat of color is still a wee bit wet then applying your clear coat over them so they stay on well. These particular ones look incredible over the burgundy apple Sinful Colors, very asian cherry blossom. Really quite a pleasant surprise!

Rue La La Exclusive invite

Well what do you know? Here's another invitation for you for a free membership to 
RUE LA LA 
Another amazing members only by invitation site for HUGE discounts on designer clothing, cosmetics, hone accessories, jewelry and more. Man oh man, they have the most exquisite pearl jewelry up right now..... and Bare Escentuals kits for something like half off. YOWZA!