Cold Weather Beauty Swap Outs with Dove: Prepping for Colder Weather

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When the weather starts getting colder and the humidity plummets, there are a few swap outs that I make in my beauty routine that make a big difference! I thought that today was the perfect time to share my picks! In general, I go for items that are more gentle and add some much needed moisture to my skin and hair. The cold, dry air of the winter (and all of my subsequent time spent indoors with central heating) really does dry out my hair and skin, despite running our humidifier.


I recently shared Dove's Self-Esteem Project with my readers, and there's been a huge outpouring of response! So, while I was at Rite Aid recently I picked some of my favorite Dove products. Read on to see what I grabbed while I was shopping!



1. Dry Shampoo: Dove Volume and Fullness Dry Shampoo
I love dry shampoo year round to stretch the time I go in between washing my hair, but that becomes even more important during the winter! If I wash my hair too frequently in the winter, it becomes dry and staticky, with fly aways that are hard to control. I've also found that my scalp becomes dry and itchy if I wash every day.

So, I use dry shampoo to stretch to about 3-4 days (instead of 2-3 days) in between hair washings. I love using dry shampoo at night before bed, instead of in the morning. I can apply a bit more product, it soaks up oil even better, and there's no whiteness or dullness issues! This dry shampoo from Dove smells great and also adds some great volume to my hair.

2. Moisturizing Antiperspirant: Dove Advanced Care Antiperspirant
Strange but true, even your underarms need to be a little pampered. Dry skin can happen everywhere, and if I get dry under my arms, well, I get itchy. Instead of applying moisturizer under my arms, I use an antiperspirant that also helps to hydrate my skin. Multi-tasking!

3. Super Hydrating Body Wash: Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash
Once the weather turns cold, it's a good idea to conserve any and all moisture you can in your skin. One of my favorite swap outs is to go for a super moisturizing body wash. This is one of my favorites! It is very gentle but still gets my skin clean, and it leaves my skin very soft and moisturized.




Want to win these products for yourself? Head to my Instagram and comment with your story about a time you or a friend had a negative experience on social media and let me know how you got through it. Use #SpeakBeautiful and you’ll be entered to win a Dove tote bag filled with full-sized Dove products! There will be 6 winners! Full Rules Here

Included in the tote:
• Dove Deep Moisture Body Wash, 12 oz.
• Dove Advanced Care Original Clean Deodorant
• Dove Invigorating Dry Shampoo

Learn more about Dove's Self-Esteem Project





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This post is a paid collaboration, but all opinions, and dry shampoo obsessions, are my own.

5

Summer Renewal and Beyond with Aveeno

Product Sent for Review, Sponsored Post


There's some excitement around my home the last few weeks. Why? Because the weather is finally consistently warm and sunny! While we didn't have a bad winter this year in Michigan, it has felt like the process of really warming up and keeping away the overcast gloom has taken a bit longer than usual. I've been sharing a few of my product picks for the spring time, but it's time to share some great picks for the summer!

This summer will have a lot more outdoor time for my family than ever before, and a lot of that will be spent swimming. While pool time as a mom of two little girls is pretty different than pool time of about 6 years ago, I do still like to look a little cute! I have some product picks to help me look my best and recover from my time in the sun.

1

Softer In One Shower? Putting Dove Body Wash To The Test

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I've used (and liked) Dove Body Wash in the past. It is gentle but gets my skin clean, it is hydrating and in general works great for me. So when I found out that they updated the formula, I wasn't sure what to think. It turns out that all they did was make it better! They've added a little more of the cleanser ingredients, and it is just as moisturizing as it was before. I love that there is a nice lather as well, and everything rinses off easily. The differences are subtle but there, I can definitely recommend the new formula!

Dove is claiming that after just one shower you will have smoother, softer skin! And yes, after my shower my skin was definitely softer than before my shower.



You can get a sample of Dove's new Body Wash to try for yourself! Just watch Dove Beauty Expert Jeannine Morris's tips on how to show off beautiful skin and receive a free sample of new Dove Body Wash here.


Dove also has a great giveaway for 15 Minute Beauty readers! There are 5 Dove Prize Packs up for grabs, each has the body wash, deodorant, a loofah and a gift card! Open to those over 18 years old and in the US.

Dove Body Wash - 15 Minute Beauty

Watch Jeannine's Tips Here!
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0

At Home DIY Pedicure Kit: Everything You Need

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As nice as it is to have a professional pedicure, I don't always have the hour or so needed to stop into my local nail salon and let someone else paint my toe nails. But, I also want to keep my feet looking pretty!

I thought I would share some of my favorite at home pedicure products, you can buy all of them at Sally Beauty. I'm stocked up now for the rest of the summer, I'll keep doing my pedis at home until my bump prevents me from reaching my toes!

1. Scrub Away Rough Spots

For me, the biggest part of pretty feet is having soft feet that aren't full of white, dry areas. Yuck.

I love the Heel to Toe Exfoliating Polishing Foot Scrub, which actually has pumice in the scrub! It's great all over my foot and helps get rid of some of the rougher parts.

Next, I use Dr. G's 3-in-1 Antimicrobial Callus & Cuticle Remover. When applied to my feet to smooth rough spots, I need to give it about 4 or 5 minutes to work. Then I use a pumice stone (I like the Mr. Pumice Extra-Coarse Pumi Bar, though I also keep an "original" strength Pumi bar around as well) to scrub down any rough areas.

Once I've used the Callus & Cuticle Remover on my feet, I apply it to my cuticles and give it a minute or so before using a thumb nail to push down my cuticles and remove any excess.

The Callus & Cuticle Remover works really well, and I do think my feet are even softer than when I get a professional pedicure, but it is something you need to use every week or so. I keep it in the shower! Note that the active ingredients in this one are Urea and Benzalkonium Chloride (a disinfectant), so it is pregnancy safe.

2. Pamper Your Legs

When I have a little extra time, I do like to exfoliate my legs a bit too. It's something they do at my nail salon, and it makes the whole process seem more pampering! While they use a scrub at the salon, I've fallen for Heel to Toe Peppermint Sloughing Lotion.

The Sloughing Lotion is not like any other lotion I've tried! Usually, after using the scrub and callus remover, I rinse off my feet and pat them dry. Then I grab this lotion (it smells amazing, like Peppermint), and start rubbing it into my legs and feet. While you're rubbing it in, you'll actually start to get little pills of dead skin off. It sounds strange, but it looks like Elmer's Glue and isn't a big deal. You can rinse off and repeat as needed. I've found that it takes a long time to work on the rougher areas, but it is perfect for your legs, around the ankles, and top of the feet.

3. Super Moisturize

Once you've rid your legs and feet of rough skin, it's time to add moisture! I like super hydrating and non-greasy moisturizers, the Heel To Toe Argan Heel and Foot Treatment is perfect for this. If you get any on your nail, make sure you wipe it off (with rubbing alcohol, acetone or polish remover) before applying polish.

4. Buff Up Your Nails

Finally, it's time to prepare the nails for polish! I have pretty thick ridges on my toenails, so I do buff them down a little with a Buff & Shine Block. I only use the first few buffing sides, not the shine side. If your nails are too slick your polish will slide right off! I also shape the nails with a Beauty Secrets Black Cushion Nail File.

5. Apply A Pretty Color

Everyone has their favorite polish colors for a pedicure, but I'm a bright pink girl. This is Orly in Oh Cabana Boy, and it is perfect for the summer!

I always use Heel to Toe Toe Spacers when polishing my toes. My little toes tend to curl under and smudge the polish on things otherwise. Spacers are worth the 90 cents invested! I use 2 coats of Orly Bonder Basecoat on my toes. I've found that the extra coat helps my pedicures stay chip free for a full 10 days, which is usually when I need to redo my pedicure. After 2 coats of polish, my favorite top coat is Seche Vite Dry Fast Top Coat. I love how shiny it is.




I have a really fun giveaway! Sally Beauty and I are collaborating on one more post in this series, and it will be all about the winner! I'll need your beauty question (hair, makeup, nails?) and a little info. I'll create a post like this one for you, trying to keep my budget about $45. Sally will give you a $45 Gift Card to go and buy everything! (You'll also get a cute tote like the one in the pedicure pic above!)

This is open to any one in the US, you must be over 18 years old. I don't need to publish your name as the winner, but you will need to write me a little paragraph about a beauty dilemma you're having so I can answer it!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Pinterest Contest!

Sally Beauty is holding a Pinterest Contest!

Here's how to enter:
1. Follow Sally Beauty on Pinterest
2. Create a “Sally Beauty Boho” board
• Repin the contest image
• Add $45 worth of product from SallyBeauty.com to your “Sally Beauty Boho” board
3. Email Pinterest board to social@sallybeauty.com by August 29, 2014

Contest dates: August 1, 2014 – August 29, 2014
Prize: Five (5) Grand Prizes. Five Prize Winners will receive a $45 Sally Beauty gift card
Official Rules here


Finally, I need to call attention to the cute bag at the bottom of the graphic. When you buy $45 worth of products at Sally Beauty in August, you can get a tote for free! There are 3 to pick from, but this one was my favorite.

Sponsored Post

6

Wavy and Undone Hair: My Solution For Too Much Sleek

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This summer I've been all about big hair. I crave big, Connie Britton worthy hair, which is likely a reaction to my length, as I’m still growing out that long bob I cut on a whim last summer. That long bob is very easy to blow dry and look sleek and professional, but I've been craving wavy and undone!

This isn't a look that I do for work. Instead, this is a fun look for the weekend. It has a lot of volume and the waves and curls are imperfect on purpose. Everything I used in this look is affordable from Sally Beauty, even the flat iron. I'm so impressed with it that it is replacing my much more expensive model!



Sally Beauty Ion Heat Protection Spray
Sally Beauty Ion Styling Mousse
Sally Beauty Ion Mega Hold Freezing Spray
Sally Beauty Ion Titanium Platinum Gator Flat Iron 1"
Sally Beauty Meta Grip Premium Bob Pins
Sally Beauty Ion Anti-Frizz Wide Tease Brush
Colortrak Tools The Croc Clip



I start this look on dry hair and I think it would probably work best on second day hair. I prepped my hair with the Styling Mousse and Heat Protection Spray while it was still wet. The Mousse is just enough hold, isn't sticky and adds some nice volume. The Heat Protection Spray is a step I'll never skip after frying my hair 2 years ago. This one provides amazing protection but you can't feel it in your hair.

I section my hair off with the Croc Clips. I like that they're big enough to hold a lot of hair. Using the Ion Flat Iron, I curl my hair. Because I'm not looking for perfect curls, I just grab random small sections, start at the top of the shaft and turn the iron 180 degrees. Running the iron down your hair, you'll want a little tension on the edge of the iron that is facing the floor - that's where you'll really get a great curl! I want some curls, some waves and none of them should be perfect.




Once I've finished the entire lower layer I spray everything with the Finishing Spray. It has great hold, but still touchable. Now I take down the top section and repeat the curls up on the top of my head.



Once all of the sections are done, you can see that my hair is definitely voluminous and not perfect. I want a bit more volume at the crown, so I grab a large section and use the Wide Tease Brush and back comb a bit. I also use the Finishing Spray all over the top of my hair too.



Finally, I needed to pull back some of my hair, otherwise I wouldn't be able to see! I experimented with different sections, finally deciding that I liked the way just a small area pulled back looked the most. I used two Meta Grip Premium Bob Pins. I'm a bit of a bobby pin snob, and when I discovered these a few years ago I was amazed! They are very heavy duty and stay put all day!

Great Beach Vacation Sweepstakes
I have a lot of Sally Beauty news to share! They are running an amazing sweepstakes with Beaches Resorts!

Enter the Sally Beauty & Beaches Sweepstakes
• Enter between 7/1/14 and 7/31/14
• Grand Prize: Luxury all-inclusive 4 day/3 night Caribbean Vacation to any Beaches Resorts.
• You can get extra entries by sharing on Facebook and Twitter
• You also get entries for shopping at Sally Beauty! Use your Beauty Club Card and you'll get 1 entry for up to $29.99, 2 entries when you spend over $30.
• Maximum of 8 entries per person


In-Store Offer
Get a free bag when you Buy 3 ION products or 1 ION styling tool appliance


Sally Beauty is also offering a great giveaway for 15 Minute Beauty Readers! 1 winner will get:
• Ion Dual Voltage Ionic Travel Dryer
• Ion Swimmers Shampoo
• Ion Miracle Leave-In Conditioner
• >Ion Sun Protection Spray

The contest is open to those in the US and over 18 years of age. Enter below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Product Sent for Review Sponsored Post

0

Lazy Night Skincare: Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes

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I write a lot about skincare here on the blog. I love learning about new products and ingredients, and new things we should all do to take better care of our skin. But, I fully admit that as much as I love my nightly skincare routine, I also have lazy nights. Nights that I just can't drag myself to my bathroom sink to fully wash my face and apply serums and creams.

So, I usually have a pack of facial cleansing wipes hanging out in the top drawer of my nightstand (see it there with my millions of hand lotions and lipbalms?)



There are a ton of options out there for cleansing wipes, but my favorites are always the "wet" towelettes (there are some out there that require you to wet them down, I'm not sure how that saves time) and for the most basic, gentle formula I can find. The wipes with added fruit extracts and exfoliating ingredients always aggravate my Rosacea.

So, I usually end up with these Pond's wipes. I like that they are super gentle and do remove an entire face of makeup with just one wipe. I can crawl into bed, use a wipe, and roll over to go to sleep! It's definitely more simple than the full skincare routine, and infinitely better for my skin (and my pillowcase) than just going to sleep with all of my makeup on.

You can win a prize pack of Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes and a GC to Walmart! Open until 8 pm on Friday, 5/9/2014.

If you want to try the Pond's Wet Cleansing Towelettes for yourself, go grab the $1 off coupon!

Check out the Cleansing Towelettes and get the $1 off coupon!

PONDS Towelettes Giveaway - 15 Minute Beauty

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This review is sponsored by Pond's and Lunchbox, but all opinions are my own. I really do keep a package of these towelettes in my nightstand!

4

CoverGirl's Flamed Out Collection Review and a Color Eye Tutorial

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I've been having a lot of fun with eye shadows the last couple of days, courtesy of CoverGirl and ULTA. They asked me if they could send me some of this summer's Flamed Out collection (have you seen it? I admit I've been drooling over the displays in stores for a bit now), I would review the products and put together a look. They'd even send me extras for a giveaway! How can a girl say no to that???

Flamed out is this summer's collection from CoverGirl. The colors are pretty bold, and they are "inspired by fire, the bold new flaming femme look takes your eyes from flames to ashes." The colors include red, pink, gray, gold, blue and green. Some of the colors are pretty bold for me, but I've been inspired over and over by blue and green eye looks recently, so I've been dying to try some of the colors!

When my products arrived, I only had a few shades (and none of the bright blue/green ones I wanted to try out), so I pretty much ran to ULTA the moment I opened my package. It's a good thing that I have an understanding husband! CoverGirl is Buy One get one 50% Off (until Friday, June 28th) including the Flamed Out Collection, and I admit that I bought a lot of the colors! I don't have every color (yes, I did manage to use some control), but I have almost all of them.

I have a million and one pictures of the colors, a tutorial for the blue and green eye I created, and even a giveaway! Read on to see more!

114

Summer Beauty Challenge: Lorac Pro Palette Day to Night Eye Shadow Looks

Product Sent for Review


So, remember recently when I shared with you what I would buy with $25 at ULTA? (Shopper Files) I wrote that post in preparation for this post. Oh yes, this is a long awaited post my friends!

The nice people over at Coupons.com gave some friends and I each $50 to spend at one of three on-line beauty stores. They were some of my favorite stores, ULTA, Sephora and Drugstore.com/Beauty.com. Our mission? Either create 2 looks or come up with some great dupes to share. Oh yes, and be sure to use one of the coupon codes, I used the ULTA Coupon Codes.

We had a lot of fun shopping, and you should have seen some of our Facebook messages showing what was in our carts! I fully admit that I went crazy and spent a lot of my own money over the $50. I got some great deals though at ULTA! I was so happy to finally pick up the LORAC Pro Palette (check out my Lorac PRO Palette Review & Swatches post). I also grabbed another L'Oreal Extra-Intense Liquid Pencil Eyeliner in black. I knew I'd be needing more black liner, and that's one that I haven't written about enough. I kind of love it.

Read on to see the 2 looks I created, find links to see what my friends did with their $50 and to enter a contest to win $300 to ULTA!

39

Aveeno On the Fly Fix-up Contest!

Aveeno has offered to hold an “On the Fly Fix-up” Giveaway for 15 Minute Beauty readers! These are some of my favorite Aveeno products, I hope the winner likes them as much as I do.

Included in this prize pack:

Pure Renewal Dry Shampoo: Definitely one of my favorites! It does a great job of mopping up the oil, adding volume and doesn't turn your hair white.

Ultra-Calming Makeup Removing Wipes: They just remove everything, are very gentle and don't leave any residue behind. These wipes are the ones I reach for when I am mid-morning routine and I've just spilled eye shadow all over my cheeks. Which is... basically every day.

Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer (in light and medium shade): Light to medium in terms of coverage, this is moisturizing but not too much for my combination skin.

There will be 3 winners! Open to those in the US and over 18 years of age.

a Rafflecopter giveaway


Aveeno

110

Gwen Stefani in Settle Down: What Products Do You Need to Get Her Iconic Look?

I'm a big fan of Gwen Stefani. (And it isn't because I'm about... 2 degrees of separation from her in many directions. Ok, via a bunch of people that I used to work with in California that have all known her since high school and say she's actually super sweet and nice and even a little shy in real life.) Oh, I also like her music. And I love LAMB, though the designs are a bit fashion forward for my conservative work environment.

Gwen has definitely figured out a signature look, and she knows how to work it. She does vary it a little bit, but really she has her dramatic eye and lash with red lippie. And it really works with her super blonde hair.

No Doubt is about to come out with a new album (in September) and I'm definitely preordering it on iTunes! To help tide me over, I've been making do with the first video which they just released, Settle Down.



Gwen is a L'Oreal spokesperson, and they've helped me round up which products Gwen used to create the look in the new video. Many of these I've used myself (I'm a bit obsessed with that mascara right now, just FYI, and that red lippie is the one I recommend to friends that want to try a red lip for the first time, it is Infallible Le Gloss 8HR in Red Fatale).



The amazing people over at L'Oreal are offering a giveaway of these products! As usual, open to those in the US and over 18 years of age.

a Rafflecopter giveaway




Prize provided by L'Oreal!

17

Fighting Aging with Parisian Botanicals: Darphin Paris Skincare Review

I was recently asked to review some skin care products from Darphin, a skin care company that I've been really curious about for years. I've only had the products for a short period of time (I'll be posting an update after my typical six week trial period), but so far I've really been liking the products!

I started using the products two weeks ago, right as the cold(ish) winter weather was suddenly giving way to mid-70 early summer weather? What was up with that? And it was a challenging time of the month for blemishes. So, from several perspectives, these products have already been through some skincare-challenging times.

Azahar Cleansing Micellar Water

This was a completely different skin cleanser for me. It looks like water, but you basically use it like a toner. Which means you apply with a cotton round and don't rinse it off. It did remove all of my makeup without issue, including mascara and eye liner. Since Darphin says to not rinse afterwards, I was worried about residue, but there wasn't any. I had no after wash irritation or redness. It seemed to just get the job done and to be very gentle. Darphin says that this product has been formulated to be ultra-gentle and suitable even for those with rosacea.

Age-Defying Dermabrasion

I'm super picky about scrubs, particularly if they will be used on my face. My phobia stems from a comment made by one of the faculty during a lecture when I was in medical school. They showed a picture of the skin surface after using a scrub. It was full of deep scratches, and while they weren't visible to the naked eye, it really it looked horrible. It made most of us cringe. I had a few tubes of the same scrub stockpiled in my bathroom at home, they were promptly thrown out! The problem? The grit was unevenly sized, sharp and there wasn't enough of it. To compensate, most women really scrub with the scrub, resulting in skin injury.

This scrub really does have all of my ideal scrub qualities. When looking for a scrub I look for grain that it small, uniform in size and not at all sharp. The grit (silica, pearl and lava powders) is small, consistent in size and I haven't had any issues with sharp edges. There's just enough grit to spread around and get every little bit of skin. With light washing I found that this scrub has a good balance between being gentle enough to use a few times a week and still get a nice exfoliating effect.

Ideal Resource

Ideal Resource is the real star here, the anti-aging cream. Sure, it has the usual suspects such as anti-oxidants (Tocopheryl Acetate), my beloved sqaulene and sodium hyaluronate are there for some hydration, and there's even caffeine for some added temporary skin tightening. But, you'll also find some new ingredients here such as Centella Asiatica, Knotweed, and White Hibiscus.

What exactly do these things do? Truthfully, I was a bit confused by the paperwork sent to me by Darphin on these ingredients. (What exactly does "increased oxygen resource" mean?) The MD in me needed more info, so I dug some up.

Centella Asiatica

According to Darphin, Centella recharges the dermo-epidermal junction with oxygen resources by stimulating cutaneous microcirculation, resulting in an increased "glow." What does this mean? It took me a while to figure out because that term "oxygen resources" was confusing me. What I can figure out from that sentence is that the underlying levels of the skin see improved oxygen delivery because their microcirculation is better, essentially because there are more blood vessels in the area. Is it true?

A quick search for this ingredient over in Pubmed found that it is used in a wide array of applications, and this reference in particular mentioned decreased edema, anti-oxidant properties, anti-inflammatory actions, collagen modulation to prevent scarring, and yes effects on blood vessel creation in the area. I even found quite a few references about wound healing (2, 3, 4). Perhaps more encouraging was the effects on fibroblasts, preventing them from early death (reference 5).

So, overall there are quite a few ways that this little extract could fight aging, and the increased "oxygen resource" claim is true as there is evidence in the literature for improved microcirculation in the area.

Knotweed Knotweed extract is rich in Resveratrol, the amazing wondrous anti-oxidant found in red wine. Preventing damage from reactive oxygen species will help fight the signs of aging, but in particular premature aging due to sun exposure (reference).

White Hibiscus Here's another claim that I was confused by when reading the info sent to me by Darphin. White Hibiscus is present to "recharge the epidermis with cellular vitality resources by stimulating keratinocyte renewal" and the "epidermis is transformed progressively, and skin surface imperfections are removed." Which I think means improved cell turnover and maybe improved cellular life so that the cells are around to improve that skin surface.

White Hibiscus was a bit harder to find information about, and surprisingly enough a lot of what I initially found was about insulin resistance and hyperlipidemia (1 and 2). What was more interesting about those references was the potential for anti-oxidant activity, which was then confirmed in reference 3, and then in reference 4 there was event discussion of specifically improving White Hibiscus for topical application. I'm not certain that what I found matches what was in my paperwork, but it does sound promising as an active ingredient in skin care.

So, get to the point

After all of that, how did I actually like the cream? I really like it. It is thick, light ivory color, and it has a subtle floral scent. It feels really, really good going on. It seemed like it should have been much too heavy for my combination skin, in particular once the weather turned so warm. But it really wasn't. The cream absorbs within 1 or 2 minutes and there wasn't a residue left behind. I can use it at night or in the morning since it doesn't interfere with makeup application at all. And since it is so hydrating it seems to just make me glowy. All sorts of glowy goodness is going on. And there were no issues with blemishes, despite some hormonal issues and weather changes. So far I really like this cream!

Darphin Paris

This is a sponsored post, so I have been given both free product (from Darphin) and money for my time (from BlogHer) to write an honest review. All opinions are my own.

Sweepstakes

Now that I've tried the Darphin Age Defying Dermabrasion that I was lusting after, what do you want to try? Leave me a comment to enter for a chance to win a Darphin products valued at a minimum of $100.

Plus, Darphin has a special offer (one of their best!) just for readers of this post: Get a free Age Defying Dermabrasion Deluxe Sample, Dark Circles and De-puffing Eye Serum Deluxe Sample and Spa Headband with any order at Darphin.com through 5/31/12. Use code BLOGGER at checkout.

Sweepstakes Rules:

No duplicate comments. Leave your email address in the comment below with your entry info.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 4/23 ñ 5/24

Be sure to visit the sponsor's brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

56

The Nail Files: A Common Pedicure Mistake and A Contest!

I fully admit to liking reality television, though I'm pretty selective about what I will watch (some Kardashians, Real Housewives of the OC... but no Bachelor. Sorry.) There's a new show coming out soon on the TV Guide Channel that will likely be making my list of reality shows!

Nail Files is from the creators of Jersey Shore. Katie Cazorla, owns a Hollywood nail salon popular with celebs, is engaged to Walter Afanasieff, a Grammy award-winning music legend. The series follows Katie as she aspires to take The Painted Nail to the next level. Katie has gifting suites at Sundance and the Oscars, attends the Grammy Awards with Walter and has a ton of drama with her staff. She looks fun and just... real.

The series premieres on Tuesday, June 21st and I've already set my DVR!




To celebrate the premiere, I have 5 prize packs! Each includes Katie's line of Painted Nail Nail Polish, a mini fan, a manicure set, TV Guide Network T-shirt, and a poster. The Painted Nail's polish is created with Nubar, and my friend Michelle over at All Lacquered Up loved it in her recent review.

You can only win once, and you must be in the United States to win. You can have multiple entries! Fill this out once to enter. For additional entries, you can follow me on Twitter or are my Facebook Friend or subscribe to my daily emails. For each of these items you can fill out the form again, and indicate why you are cool. You have until next Sunday, 6/26 at midnight eastern to enter. Good luck!

I used Random.org to draw numbers, the winners were entry numbers: 27, 98, 125, 6, 7


The prizes have been provided by TV Guide

0

Talent, A New YouTube Series

Talent is a new on-line show from the producers of Gossip Girl and Pretty Little Liars, and follows Harper, an aspiring singer from a small town, as she tries to make her dreams come true in LA. The first episode is above, and I have to say that I was pretty impressed. I'm not sure why they didn't put it on tv (perfect for the CW I think), but I do like that the episodes are short and free on YouTube!

To celebrate the launch of the show P&G has offered to give away baskets of P&G beauty products that the stars of Talent use in the show! Simply enter below. One entry per person please, open to those in the United States. You have until 5/15, 9 pm EST to enter. Good luck!

Update: Thanks to everyone that entered! Random.org picked #10 to win, check your email to see if that was you!



The prize is provided by P&G

0

Nature's Beauty Secrets: Create Your Own Natural Beauty

I know that a lot of people are looking to go more natural in their skin care and beauty routines, and what could be easier than doing so yourself with items found already in your own kitchen? The only issue is that after a while you want to go beyond the typical yogurt facial.

Luckily Dawn Gallagher, a healthy lifestyle expert and former model is coming to the rescue with a great book, Nature's Beauty Secrets. Dawn has gone to the best spas in the world (places like the Four Seasons Resort Maui) to find recipes that you can duplicate at home using healthy ingredients from your own kitchen—such as avocado, banana, olive oil, and yogurt—at a fraction of the price. The book is a collection of ancient and modern beauty secrets and lifestyle tips from exotic locations in Arabia, the Caribbean, the Far East, India, South Africa, and the Indian Ocean islands.

The book will be released in March, but you do have a chance to win one of your own! 3 winners will be chosen, enter in the widget below. Open to those in the US only please.



Dawn Gallagher

The prizes have been provided by the company.

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