Beauty & Fashion Inspirations

I have been meaning to write this post for a while but haven’t gotten around to it but today I read a post in one of the blogs I read regularly: Gigi’s Gone Shopping and it reminded me about it once again.

About 4 months ago, I decided to buy the Clarisonic Classic Skin Care System. I got it at Beauty.com with a 20% off coupon. I had been debating about buying it for a while because it’s so expensive but after thinking about how much I spend on facials in general, decided to bite the bullet and buy one.  You have to think about it as an investment because taking care of your skin when you are young will reward you as you age.

The thing I like about it is that your face really feels clean when you are done. It’s not a harsh scrubber but yet my face has never felt cleaner. It’s water proof so you can bring it in the shower in the AM and wash your face. I use it in the morning in the shower and in the evening at the sink.  I have a recharger as well so it sits in that when not in use.

I also have been trying to go more organic with my face products — so I started using Alba Products. Wegmans had a sale a few weeks ago so I decided to try these facial products and so far, so good!

After 4 months, I think the overall appearance of my skin has improved. It exfoliates and stimulates your skin which promotes growth and renewal.  Also, it really does a great job of getting all of your makeup off at the end of the day without harsh scrubbing which can contribute to wrinkles.  This pic is of me this month, with no make up on getting ready to go for a run.  I think it’s a great example of how nice my skin looks and I think it has a lot to do with using the Clarisonic 2x a day.

So if you are looking for a good skin care system and believe it’s a worthwhile investment, then I recommend it because I really did hem and haw about buying it but I don’t regret the purchase at all.  And I do recommend getting the one with the recharger. The Mia version will work great too but it doesn’t have the rechargable cradle and for me — that was worth the extra money!

Let me know what you think of the Clarisonic if you have one or share your own skin care regime.

I’m down in body fat and lbs this week. The 4th week of the 4 week boot camp session we get our body fat checked. While not 100% accurate – it gives you a general idea of where you are.  I have been much more diligent about my extra snacking and have been trying something new. Before my 545a workout, I have been drinking 8oz of Fat Free Calorie Countdown Milk with 1/3 of a scoop of chocolate protein powder mixed in – so it’s like chocolate milk. My theory is that I need some fuel to get movin in the morning and so far, I am down 4lbs since I started doing that. I’m not saying that’s what is doing it because I have also curbed my after dinner dessert routine as well.

Because Scott is away – I had my neighbor Tim come over to watch the kids and I headed for a 915a boot camp.  It’s good to try a different group every now and then to mix things up. It’s amazing how a smaller group of women can change the entire feel of the workout. Not good or bad — just different.

And I am not sure if it was the heat later in the day or the cup of coffee I drank before I headed off — but I had the dry heaves after finishing this workout. I probably should have eaten something but my routine was all off….or maybe I just pushed myself hard — who knows.

Warmup:
Rockette Kicks
Forward Lunge
Bounding
Backpeddle

Corex2
pilate half-pikes
crunches
bicycle up and downs
25 bottom up push-ups
general stretching

workout
15,12,9,6,3
65lb back squats
power clean press 25lb db
lunge squats x3
ring push ups x2
200m,100m, 200m, 100m, 200m

I’m on a week vacation from work and will be kicking it by the pool today with the kiddos. Ahh… pool time!

Nordstrom Uses Web to Locate Items and Increase Sales – NYTimes.com

I love Nordstrom and its customer focused philosophy. And it shows that by focusing on what the customer actually wants, not what you THINK they want is a win/win situation.

Wal-Mart hoped that deeper cuts in its standard rollbacks would be a draw, but then said the prices went too low. At Saks, perhaps customers would go for designer labels if the lines offered less-expensive items. And for Macy’s, how about inexpensive clothes by Madonna?

The secret, at least for Nordstrom, has not involved a piercing insight into a customer’s mind. Rather, it has changed the way that it handles, of all things, inventory. And that has brought the department store more success in improving sales than at most of its competitors, whose recent reports signaled that their consumers were still cautious.

Fall Fashion – What Do Young Fashionistas Want? – NYTimes.com.

I love reading about fashion trends. Here’s an interesting article in the NYT about Millennials and their take on fashion this fall….what are your thoughts?

There is plenty of research about the so-called Millennials — people ages 18 to 29 — to suggest you can’t lump them all together. Not only is this group likely to become the most educated generation in American history, according to a Pew Research Center survey this year, it is also the most racially and ethnically diverse. At the same time, this generation’s 37 percent unemployment rate is certain to affect taste. It may explain an underlying conservatism in fall fashion — penny loafers, camel coats, longer hemlines — that goes beyond “Mad Men” hype.

Sometimes when I am driving to work or out doing an errand – I will randomly notice other women that look to be close to may age. Some of them look great – while others, well they don’t look their best. In some cases, it looks like they have given up any sense of self. They don’t put themselves together, take a few minutes each day to tidy themselves up. I am not talking about full on glamour, but more than just wake up and put on the first pair of sweats you find on the floor. It really doesn’t take that much to do. I think the way you look says a lot about the way you feel about yourself in many ways.  So when I came across this on Piperline’s Facebook, I loved what it was saying- I used to not put a lot of thought into how I dress – then I found my passion and started to see the results of taking care of myself and part of that is looking my best.

I’m not talking about spending a fortune or having enough shoes to rival Imelda. I am talking about buying a few things that make you feel great, are comfortable and fit well.  A great pair of jeans can be found relatively inexpensively and for most of us, nothing is more comfy than that.  A great shoe – Target has some great ones to choose from. Just a few things that says to anyone around you – I do give a damn about me.

And if your reason is because you have gained weight or don’t like something about yourself — do something about it. If it bothers you that much, either learn to accept it or change it. To sit there stagnant is not the right thing to do. My heart sinks for some of the ladies I see out there – I am not talking about one certain kind of body type either. Fat, thin, skinny, tall, short – everyone can take a few minutes before they head out and fix themselves.  So why not start tomorrow?

Friday means Rest Day! I appreciate this day so much – get a few extra Zzzz’s, get up and don’t have to rush with the kids, and let my body rest. Makes me very happy – I am planning on getting up early to go for a run before the heat of the day comes tomorrow AM.

Summer is here and that means getting in bathing suits. For women, it means getting rid of unwanted hair so you can look good in your suit. Here are some suggested products to help you …

Guide To The Best Hair Removal Products

Some women get a little off schedule when it comes to hair removal during the winter months. But with summer on the horizon—along with shorts, skirts, spaghetti straps, and swimwear—now’s a great time to get back on track. Whether you like traditional blades, look to electronic aids, or yank it out by the roots, we found the best at-home hair removal solutions to get you beach ready in no time.

I love the store Anthropologie. But man, it’s expensive. So I love a good sale. A blog I read: Anthroholic is a great resource for all things Anthropologie – sale info, outfit reviews, outfit suggestions, community, and support. Anthroholic is Kim – a bonafide Anthro addict and I am glad she is one. Here is her recap of the big sale that is going on starting today at Anthropologie:

Confirmed List of Anthropologie Items

Top Perfumes Contain Hazardous Secret Chemicals, Report Finds

Failing to name the chemicals in a fragrance is legal under the Federal Fair Packaging and Labeling Act of 1973. Though that law requires companies to list cosmetics ingredients on product labels, it explicitly exempts requiring breaking out the specific components of a perfume or cologne. Instead, when a consumer reads the ingredients of those products, she finds only the generic category of “fragrances.”

“By taking advantage of this loophole, the cosmetics industry has kept the public in the dark about the ingredients in fragrances, even those that present potential health risks,” Houlihan says.

I recently read about this product: Kids Konserve: A Common Theme … Helping The Environment. Sounds like a great company with a very good mission. I am always looking for ways to reduce our families footprint. I’m not perfect but where I can, I do.  I am sure we all have ways we are trying to conserve and teach our families the 3 Rs – Reuse, Recycle & Reduce!

The Kids Konserve waste-free lunch kit and other reusable products were the natural outgrowth of what two women saw as a big need that required immediate attention. With the premise that any business they undertook had to help the environment in some way, it didn’t take much imagination to see how they, as parents of young children, were contributing to garbage landfills, pollutants and sending the wrong message to their own children. How could they set an example of conservation for their children and empower them to be the examples of change for the future?

Focusing on how school lunch programs operate opened their eyes and propelled them to create Kids Konserve. Calculating the amount of trash being produced each day at their own schools during the lunch hour alone, shocked them enough to begin more research into reusable products that dramatically cut down on Earth’s ever growing garbage pile.

BrowBeat: Confessions of an Over-Tweezed Teen: Beauty Blogger: Beauty: teenvogue.com.

While this article focuses on teenage males and eyebrow maintenance, I thought it would be worthwhile to broaden the scope of the discussion a bit. First a few observations to share.

A few years ago I returned to the good ole jersey shore to spend the day on the boardwalk and beach with my mom, sister, Scott, and the kids. What became abundantly clear to me on that trip was that many of the beach regulars look exactly like what I remember the Jersey beach regulars looked like when I was in High School — that is not necessarily a compliment! Time had stood still. One thing had changed though – I noticed the guys in their sleeveless shirts had their eyebrows waxed. It was so obvious, and many of them had nicer brows than women I know!!

Then last night, I was watching some cheesy reality show – The Millionaire Matchmaker – and they had this guy on whose eyebrows were a bit too shaped for my taste and I thought to myself — am I missing something here?

Don’t get me wrong – I certainly am not a fan of the uni-brow on a man, but I also don’t like a man who has perfectly coiffed eyebrows either. Neatly trimmed is the way to go in my mind for a guy…clean ‘em up but don’t over shape them!

For women – a nicely shaped brow can make all the difference in how you look. I am sure you have heard of Anastasia. She’s famous for her eyebrow shaping talents. I did not know this until my sister “C” told me – Anastasia offers eyebrow shaping services in some Nordstroms at her Anastasia Brow Studio. You can see if there is one near you at her website: store locator. I am told it’s expensive, but from what I have seen – it’s worth it. Many of the thousands of local nail salons offer the service too and I have found a few that do a great job – but it’s also a crap shoot. There are times when I have gotten a mediocre eyebrow wax and have had to finish the job or fill in any gaps when I got home.

As the article said – I, too, am a fan of Tweezerman tweezers. I have used others and always come back to my trusty Tweezermans. They tend to be a bit on the expensive side but  it’s worth it and the company offers free sharpening. I have found some good tutorials on their website like shaping and maintaining your brows.

If you have never had your eyebrows shaped – I strongly encourage you to get it done. You will see a marked difference in your appearance and you will never go back!!

This spring, fitness based fashion is all about color and function with vibrant hues, moisture-wicking technology, slimming silhouettes and comfortable fabrics you’ll want to wear all over – not just to work on your fitness!

Did you know that one of the newest trends is to have the hottest designers team up with sports apparel manufacturers to bring you high fashion work out wear? Right now, Adidas is the only company with collections that combine the latest advances in sports clothing and the latest fashion trends of a top designer.

Adidas by Stella McCartney is sleek, stylish and super sporty!

And of course don’t forget how Adidas is partnering with Star Wars to bring you Star Wars Original

The Gap is offering a Give and Get offer this weekend!  One of the ladies from my boot camp family, Susie, is the store manager over at Tyson’s Gap. Head over there this weekend to take advantage of the great deals!

You will get 30% off during their Friends & Family event.

get the coupon for the Gap Friends & Family Event here.

Teens: Get Real! Aeropostale seeks fresh faces from all over the USA for a new ad campaign celebrating “everyday” teens. Kids ages 13-19 can share what it means to them to be “real teens” in their contest submission, then gather votes from their peers during the Real Teens 2010 Contest. Semi-finalists move on to a second round (judged by industry pros and celebrities) where eight finalists are selected to win $5,000 college scholarships and the chance to be featured in the upcoming ad campaign. Enter by 4/ 5

Fun stuff happening around our area this weekend received from a great AOL newsletter that I get weekly:

SUN 3/21 Peeps Family Day Families can drop by for Peeps-themed games, Peeps and art supplies for kids to make their own mini-dioramas, and a chance to view many of the top entries in the Peeps Diorama contest. 11:30am-2pm  http://postfun.washingtonpost.com/node/363

One of the things I have been thinking about since watching this video from Dr Oz with Carnie Wilson is how Dr Oz gave the advice that you need to be more in touch with the food you eat -  meaning you should make most of the food you consume.  Knowing what is in the food you eat, and how it is made can help you develop a healthy relationship with it. I never really thought about it like that and it really does make sense.

I have read a ton of info about how nutritional guides provided by restaurants aren’t necessarily the most accurate and pre-made meals at grocery stores – well I find those labels hard to understand.  I know when I cook at home, I try to add more vegetables in for my family and buy better quality products and ingredients. I add baby spinach and fresh mushrooms to spaghetti sauce, fresh broccoli to pasta dishes, you name it.  My kids hardly notice – if I chop it up fine enough that is!

I am going to really make a point to cook more at home not only because eating out often is financially rough on my monthly bottom line, but also because of all the many ways it can help me live a more healthy and fit life.  So, on that note,  it was kinda funny timing that I was invited to a Pampered Chef party in January which led me to host one at my house.

Last night, I held a Pampered Chef party for a few of my friends.  They have some really good updated stuff and if you have the right consultant, they can really show you some time saving techniques in preparing meals. I asked my consultant, Stephanie, to prepare a lighter fare dinner and within 30 mins she had prepared a really delicious meal that can be adapted to be super healthy.  She made a Grilled Chicken Penne Pasta Al Fresco which had fresh basil and a Spinach Salad with Candied Pepper Bacon.  It was seriously delicious and easy to make.  Having this party also got me excited about creating meals again!  If you want to order something or look at a virtual catalog,  email me: shoaglund@gmail.com and I am happy to pass along the info.

One of my dear friends, Connie (or Miss Connie as I call her) came last night and as a present to me she made the most amazing cake. My daughter Hannah always says to me “Mommy, you are rich in purses and shoes” and I would love a Louis Vuitton purse,  but I just can not bring myself to spend that much money on one, so in keeping with that theme – Miss Connie made me my very own Louis Vuitton purse… in CHOCOLATE!! Yes folks, that purse you see is edible and the cake was ridiculously delicious. People asked if they could take home slices, that’s how good it was. How great is Miss Connie?!! It’s my own version of luxury.

Connie can do all sorts of custom cakes and she does it as a hobby. She is a corporate professional by day.  I created a flickr set to showcase a sample of the cakes she has done – Miss Connie’s Cakes.  She’s one of many amazing women I have met through my boot camp.

If you are ever in the market for a custom cake, let me know and I can send you her info.

Some Finds out on the web for you all today:

Dunkin’ Donuts is offering free samples of their ground coffee for home brewing. All you have to do is register here. If you’re a coffee drinker and you’ve never had Dunkin’ Donuts coffee – give it a try. I personally love Dunkin’ Donuts coffee and buy the big package of it at Costco to enjoy every morning.

Are you a beauty product junkie? Like to try new stuff?  I do,  but hate to spend all that money, because man, it can get expensive.  So I joined  The TestTube™ Sampling program- which sends me this unique array of products.  So, 4x a year I get this big tube of all sorts of products delivered to my house. They charge me $29.95 each package and they guarantee that the total value of the contents inside the tube far exceeds the 30 bucks. And it’s just fun to try new stuff- it’s like a Sephora in your own home! Many of the products are FULL Sized too. I have discovered some great products that I have begun to use because of this program, like Korres face cream and SuperSmile toothpaste.

I love to shop. That is obvious, but I love when companies let you shop while giving back. It’s the least they can do, right?

This Friday: Gap Stores are holding a promotion: bring in a pair of jeans – any jeans you don’t wear, use, need – and it can be denim in general too – skirts, jackets, shirts and GAP will give you 30% off (35% off using a Gap card) any new pair of jeans from their store.

All of the jeans they collect will be recycled and used to make insulation for new homes.

Pretty great right?

As you navigate and interact around the blogosphere, you begin to find your community. Communities that speak to you. One of the things I love is fashion and shopping. I have certainly been able to find a wealth of information out there on these topics. One of the blogs that I found and now has become a daily staple for me is Kim over at Anthroholic. She loves Anthropologie and takes the time to review their clothes and share it with all of us. She also is great at letting us know when things go on sale. Her style is so great and I really have been inspired by her.

Another great thing about visiting these blogs – from time to time, they give away free stuff. Kim is giving away a pair of sweet Kensie sunglasses! Click here to enter. :)

Friday’s are my exercise rest day and in my blog I  focus on more fashion/health/beauty related topics to end the work week.

I was thinking about fashion and working out. I see so many people that go to the gym or workout and don’t seem to put any thought into their attire. Don’t get me wrong – the point that you are even exercising is duly noted!  My thoughts are though – why not make it fun and show your personality while you are sweating and pushing your limits. Here are some trends I have noticed recently:

Cool Old Skool Shirts

People who saw this picture recently seemed to find joy and humor in it – how fun to wear a RUN DMC old skool shirt while working your ass off?  I got this shirt at Old Navy!  My friend – Kimmie -loves this shirt so much. The day I came in with my Star Wars hat and Run DMC shirt almost threw her over the edge. I was a walking billboard for pop culture.

Running skirts

http://www.runningskirts.com – High Performance running and fitness skirts, skorts and tops. High quality skirts and skorts designed by runners….made to go the distance.

I have 2 of these skirts that I ordered at the end of the fall season on sale. I am very excited to give them a try when the warmer weather hits.  I know a few of my friends really like wearing them and don’t wait for warmer weather. Me, I like being warm heading into the gym as well as when I am working out.

Headbands

I constantly have problems with headbands falling off or slipping when I workout. It drives me crazy.  Currently I wear the Goody Stay Put bands pictured here. But they slip even though they are called stay put.

So I was doing some research and came across these Bondi Bands. I am waiting for my order currently so I can see if they really are all that. I have high hopes for it and each year they  donate 10% of their pretax profits to charity. So – how could I not like that?

Bondi Bands are composed of a unique blend of nylon, lycra, and spandex. The result is a stretchy yet form fitting band that holds up under the toughest hair styles and types.

I will be sure to let you guys know what I think.  I ordered the one pictured to the left, one that says Heart your Core, and No Pain, No Gain.  I used the discount code – 2010 for a 20% off discount.  Let me know what headband type you use…

Funky & Fun Socks

Now I personally don’t wear fun socks while i workout -standard Adidas fare for me. But I have seen a lot of ladies don fun knee high socks when they are working on their fitness. Mel over at The Clothes Make the Girl wrote a post about this a while back. She said knee high socks are one of her favorite things. She recommends this site – SockDreams.com.

I am not sure I am bold and daring enough to wear knee highs working out, but man I smile when I see pics of those that are.  Look at how badass these Bad Ass socks are!  Maybe I can convince the bootcamp ladies to wear these when we do Run Amuck in August!

So those are a few of the trends I have noticed in my fitness journey recently – what have you noticed?

The Return of the Ski Bum – NYTimes.com.

Ahh, corporate layoffs help some people learn to just enjoy life. Skiing all day, every day – working jobs that they can indeed leave behind when their shift ends. Remember those days? As this article says: It’s the return of the American ski bum. Recent college graduates, laid-off young professionals and resort residents who have also lost jobs have jumped at the opportunity to bus tables, park cars and sell lift tickets here and in other Rocky Mountain resorts.  But it’s not all its cracked up to be I am sure. Not making enough to actually go out and buy a hamburger, pizza. Not being able to buy shoes.  And many of these folks aren’t necessarily doing this by choice.

As Jeff Garlin Loses the Fat, Will He Still Be Funny? – NYTimes.com.

This is so interesting to me. Here is a guy who has made his living on being the fat, funny sitcom guy. What happens when that guy is no longer fat? Can he make it? Is he still funny?

5 “bad” foods you should be eating | Eating Well.

I thought this entry was dead on. I often think oh man I can’t eat peanut butter because its so fattening. But if you think about it, if you have just a tablespoon it’s 90 calories. It boils down to – can you stop at 1 tablespoon? That’s the trick!  And as mentioned here, so many people  fear healthful foods when they shouldn’t. Other foods mentioned are eggs, beef, chocolate and potatoes. What are your thoughts on foods that you are fearful of eating? Why?

Nosh: Rockin’ Chipotle | fitbottomedgirls.com.

I love Chipotle. But after finding out how many calories were in one of their chicken burritos, I decided to make some hard choices. I now get a burrito chicken bowl with veggies, black beans, light on the rice, no cheese or sour cream, mild salsa and extra lettuce. Now while not as “fun” as havin all that other stuff, it satisfies my Chipotle urge and isn’t too bad calorie wise!

Once a diet no-no, nuts are in again – CNN.com.

(Health.com) — High in fat and calories, nuts were a dieting no-no during the low-fat era. Now these nutrient-packed powerhouses are making a comeback as a top heart-healthy snack.And what’s not to love? They taste delicious, are naturally low in sodium, contain no trans fats or cholesterol, and are a good source of fiber and protein — the perfect combo for a hunger-quenching nibble. A low-sugar content also makes them a healthy choice for diabetics, who are at greater risk for developing heart disease.

The thing about nuts is if you are trying to lose weight, I would steer clear of nuts. Not because they aren’t good for you but because too many times people eat too many and it ends up hurting your efforts. Just my opinion…

Personal Best – Why Being Slimmer Doesn’t Always Make You Fitter – NYTimes.com.

This should tell everyone that you can not compare one person to another. Common sense, we all know that there everyone has a different body shape and these studies are really showing that unless you are doing a customized, personalized training program evaluated and created by a professional just for you, it’s hard to know what your ideal weight and body fat should be. You can’t just compare it to a chart and say with utmost certainty that that’s your ideal weight. Don’t get me wrong – you should probably be within that range. We all know when our bodies are out of whack, but trying to be super precise on a chart to figure out your ideal weight isn’t necessarily the best way to go it would seem.

Exercise physiologists agree that if your sport is particularly affected by the tug of gravity — running, cross-country skiing, cycling up hills — you are penalized for excess weight. But that leaves some questions: What is the ideal weight for your sport? And how much difference will it make if you actually achieve it?

The problem is that everyone has a point at which further weight loss actually makes their performance worse, said Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky, a muscle metabolism researcher and physiologist at McMaster University in Ontario. Dr. Tarnopolsky, who is a nationally ranked athlete in winter triathlons, adventure racing and ski orienteering, said that people vary so much that there is no formula to figure out the perfect weight.

The likely reason, he said, was that he had reached a point where his body began burning its own muscle protein for fuel. He was weaker, and his performance was worse, even though he weighed less.

More than half of Americans use Internet for health | Reuters.

This is no surprise to anyone is it?  From my personal experience while dealing with our cancer journey, it can be a double edged sword. You have to make sure you are researching your health issue with a very critical eye. There is so much out of date info, mixed information and just plain wrong info in addition to actual helpful information out there. We were very fortunate in that I was able to email our oncologist with any information I read and he got back to me super fast on it.  But many people don’t have that and go to the Internet like it is the bible. It reminds me of my Grandma Hallie,  who died many years ago.  She  used to read the National Enquirer and believed anything she read in that thing and to hear her talk about it – you couldn’t believe she couldn’t tell that it was all crap. So all I am saying is make sure you read health related things with a critical eye and make sure you are getting it from reliable sources.

Since Friday’s tend to be my rest day, I am going to focus on more fashion/health/beauty related topics to end the work week for you all… Although truth be told, I am planning on getting on the elliptical tonite since our family is headed down south this weekend to visit some friends in Richmond.

As I have mentioned before, living a healthy and fit life is not only about exercise and diet. It’s about knowledge, philanthropy, finding your passion and looking your best.  So I hope you will find inspiration in many things that I highlight on here! I love fashion and beauty related information and love it even more  now that I get to indulge in more shopping!  I am continually  inspired by my friends’ sense of fashion, other fashion bloggers, and of course living in general.  Many of my favorite sites out there are listed in my blogroll.

News and Information

Personal Health – Healthy Aging, With Nary a Supplement – NYTimes.com.

Each year millions of people fall prey to false promises that this, that or the other formula or fortified food can protect their hearts, prevent cancer, improve memory, strengthen their bones, uncreak their joints, build their muscles, even enable them to burn extra calories without moving.

The desire to achieve a healthy old age is laudable indeed, and will be even more so in the future. According to a projection of the century-long rise in life expectancy published in The Lancet in October, more than half the children born since 2000 in wealthy countries can expect to celebrate their 100th birthday.

Sales and Good Deals

Sample/Private Sale Sites like Gilt, Rue La La, One Kings Lane, Ideeli and HauteLook. are on the Web and can offer great deals on designer goods.

Shop it to Me: Shop It To Me Apparel, proactively sends you clothing that matches your size and brand preferences as soon as it goes on sale. Shop It To Me Running allows you to find out when your favorite running shoe models and running gear go on sale. I love getting that Friday email that lists all the stores and brands that I love and where I can get the goods at the best deals.

These few are from: College Fashion.net

Barnes & Noble is having a Shipping Extravaganza – this weekend only, get free shipping on orders over $10 automatically! Offer ends on 2/21.

Macy’s Online Sale & Clearance Event is going on right now – save 20-80% on your purchases from now through 2/21!

ULTA Beauty will give you a free 15-piece set (and $88 value) with any $17.50 purchase of ULTA Cosmetics, ULTA, Minerals, ULTA Implements, or ULTA Beauty Tools. Promotion is good through 2/20.

My sister just came to visit me from Portland, Oregon.  I will not mention the Blizzard of 2010 that she had to endure as well as being trapped in the house with my 2 kids for days and days and days because of it — this is my interpretation of the situation not hers, mind you! She had recently taken a trip to Israel for business and brought me back a gift pack of Ahava products.

The only cosmetics enterprise indigenous to the Dead Sea region, AHAVA is driven by a deep passion to unearth the secrets of the revitalizing effects of minerals on the skin. Our dedicated scientific approach has helped us to acquire an unrivaled expertise on the subject, which has culminated in the development of an international network for ongoing academic research. Moreover, we have translated this deep knowledge base into a series of superior skincare product lines, based exclusively on the rich resources of this magical region.

She brought me some hand cream and bath salts and body soap. I am not a bath person so I actually gave her the bath salts because she said she loves them. I fell in love with this lotion. I have very dry skin and in the winter I get eczema all over my hands and those little tiny cuts that only appear in the crevices of your fingers.  This cream was great and I have been waking up every morning with smooth, soft hands. I also have begun using the body soap. Both are winners in my book.

Funny story though – My sister so thoughtfully brought it back from the Masada in Israel. So when she gave it to me, I said “oh yeah, I have seen this at Ulta!” Gulp!! But that made it easy to go and buy the body lotion and foot cream as well!! She swears by it and made a believer out of me as well.

check it out and let me know how you like it!