Petit Amuse Box for July Review & GIVEAWAY! (Wine Jelly?!?)

August 2, 2012 By StephanieLouise 754Leave a Comment2012-08-02+15%3A15%3A00StephanieLouise

Petit Amuse noun pə-ˈtētˈ ä-ˌmüz
Also known as amuse-bouche. A French term that literally means “mouth amusement.”These are tiny bites of food served before a meal to whet the palate and invigorate the appetite. They’re more whimsical than hors d’oeuvres, and smaller than appetizers.

When Petit Amuse contacted me asking if I would review their box of groumet goodies & give one away to you guys, I jumped on it. Subscription boxes are one of the absolute MOST popular searched terms on this blog so clearly you guys like them or love to hate them! Either way, I’m always happy to bring you something a bit different.

I love the idea of this box, its definitely something I can share with my husband or family as opposed to some of my other more beauty themed boxes which honestly, I have to make him look at. He doesn’t even care about eyeliner! Can you believe that?

So this box is only $10 a month which is rare for non-beauty boxes. They are normally $12+ so that’s something to note.

In a nutshell, here’s what this box is all about according to their own website ( www.PetitAmuse.com ):
Focus on Producers
We put a lot of effort into the discovery and promotion of products from small food artisans that you won’t find in large retail chains. Why go to all that trouble? Two reasons.

Small batch artisan foods simply taste better. The quality of ingredients and care in production make for amazing products, unlike most anything that you will find in your local supermarket.
They need our help! For a litany of reasons, the odds are stacked against small artisan food producers. Even the best products often don’t get distributed outside of their local markets; never reaching a majority of foodies who would love to buy them if only given the opportunity.

So the idea behind this book is ACTUALLY how I feel about many beauty boxes: There are SO many brands out there that we miss some small ones that are really great. A few brands people know & love but there are others (Nails by Laura, Everyday Minerals, & the recently discovered Sauce Box come to mind!) that I’ve discovered around the way that just don’t hit the spotlight like they should! I can’t even imagine starting a company right now so to know that this box supports the baker down the street & the food artists makes me feel good about it!

What I got in the July Petit Amuse Box:

Ice Wine Jelly from Caramoomel: I’m shocked I’ve never had wine jelly, seriously! I love wine. I like jelly. How? Anyway! This is a simple mix of quality ingredients. A very nice sample size, its a solid 2 oz so it will get used up…but not too fast! Also, love the coloring & the packing is nice as well! My favorite item in the box!

Garukabar by Garuka Bars: This is another example of simplicity tasting incredible. I’ve tried lots of bars if for nothing else but convenience, but I LOVED this one. It is nice & soft, not overly sweet, & tastes exactly like the ingredients inside. High protein, real peanut pieces, & a really wonderful honey glaze.

Original Kettle Corn from Oogie’s Gourmet Popcorn: I’ve had it before & I’ll probably have it again. I liked it then…& I liked it now! Tasty, convenient, & a great snack!

Cha-Cha’s & Salted Rosemary Shortbread from Lark Fine Foods: These were really good! I’ve never tried anything from Lark Fine Foods so these two cookies were a great testers. The Cha’Cha’s has a slight spice, nothing over the top at all. They tasted really dark & rich but were a bit hard. The shortbreads were awesome, super buttery & perfect. I had never thought of rosemary shortbreads, I might need to make these sometime!

Things to note:
-I love that the ingredients are right there on the card, especially with the peanuts & such!
-Really nice sized samples! 3 full sized & then the 2 specialty cookies.
-Simple, clean presentation. Nothing frilly or excess.
-Although MY cookies were crumbled (HA!) they have assured me yours will be packed much better!

So…time for the giveaway! Everyone seems to LOVE the subscription box giveaways so I’m thrilled to bring you another one! Please keep in mind you will be receiving the exact same box & that Petit Amuse will be shipping it to you. This contest is for US residents only (sorry guys!) & its easy to enter! Please do know I WILL NOT be spamming your e-mail, the e-mail is strictly to contact the winner!

If you DO NOT see the Rafflecopter widget load below so you can enter, please wait a few seconds/refresh the page if necessary. If you’re still having issues, contact me! As always, my terms & conditions are up in my PR/Contact tab.

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Dove Visible Care Softening Creme Body Wash Review & a Giveaway!

July 19, 2012 By StephanieLouise 764Leave a Comment2012-07-19+15%3A53%3A00StephanieLouise

Visibly more beautiful skin from a body wash is rare. I honestly think Dove is #1 in my book when it comes to softening my dry skin, it just kicks the competition. Dove has always been a natural choice for me: it smells clean but not overbearing, Dove products have never irritated my skin, & most of all, Dove products work. This softening body wash is no different, in fact, it replaced a few other body washes designed with the same goals.

I love a body wash that I can pick up with a great price & at a convenient place like mass retail stores. I like the light scent which doesn’t irritate my dry skin spots further. Although I tend to lean towards fruity scents, this floral smells super relaxing. It instantly makes me think of taking a long bath with a good book rather than hurriedly getting ready for work. Plus, I’m pretty much a sucker for anything containing jasmine.

Whenever I get asked which companies I admire for their advertising, Dove always comes to mind. Do you guys remember the campaign I took part in for Dove where I got my picture up in NYC? Dove ads are always happy but still impactful for women of all ages. They do a remarkable job catering to the many different levels of the female market. Dove is constantly empowering women, how could I not love it? In a time when beauty in general is questioned…Dove makes it very clear that all women are beautiful, despite what some of us might think of as flaws.

On a lighter note, hey! Its hot here! Summer feels like its suffocating me so I’ve pretty much switched from pants every day to dresses & shorts. I am LOVING how soft this is leaving my skin! Win for Dove & for me! Plus it doesn’t leave that residue or greasy feeling some washes leave that claim to be ultra moisturizing. Color me impressed & glad that I can afford to compulsively buy it!

So let’s look at the positives again before we get to the giveaway shall we?
– Super affordable at under $7 for 18 FL OZ
– Very softening
– Healthy skin for summer
– A feminine but not overbearing scent that lingers pleasantly

So all in all, I am loving this body wash! I’ve used the Toning variant from this line as well & really liked it. I think Dove has really stepped up & filled the need for high quality products at affordable prices. Plus, this softening one really heals with patchiness & such, perfect if you self tan & practically exfoliate your skin off beforehand like me!

Enter to win one of two $500 Spafinder gift certificates!

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY
COMMENTS TO THIS POST ARE NOT SWEEPSTAKES ENTRIES. PLEASE SEE BELOW FOR ENTRY METHODS FOR THIS SWEEPSTAKES.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
a) Follow this link, and provide your email address and your response to the Promotion prompt
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c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and then visit this link to provide your email address and the URL to that post.
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. Winners will have 72 hours to claim the prize, or an alternative winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/18/2012 – 8/22/2012
Be sure to visit the Dove^® VisibleCare™ Crème Body Wash brand page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Become Beauty Tinted Mineral Foundation Review & GIVEAWAY!

July 14, 2012 By StephanieLouise 767Leave a Comment2012-07-14+15%3A46%3A00StephanieLouise

From Become Beauty: (Click on the photos to enlarge!)

A fresh, natural multi-purpose makeup with 30 SPF UVB/UVA protection. Provides translucent coverage in a universal shade. Helps protect, firm and tone the skin with high-potency anti-aging ingredients.Check out more on their site by clicking here!

My Take:

The packaging on this is pretty standard: comes in a box & is contained in a tube. I like tubes just fine so that doesn’t sway me either way. Its sealed on the inside with a foil stopper, something I do really like & wish more companies did just so I would know I’m the first one to open it & get that gratification. This smells incredible which is, to my memory, something I’ve never said about a moisturizer before. It smells faintly of lemon & sugar with absolutely none of that sunblock smell I seriously hate. I really hate it, its right behind self-tanner stench.

I put two dots on my hand & lightly swiped one of them to see the texture. Its pretty dense which I wouldn’t expect from something marketed as a tinted product. As you can see, it does lean quite a bit yellow which had me rather concerned as I am quite light & cool toned. I didn’t want to come out of this looking sallow or ill.

The fact that there is only one shade of this product really bothers me, I wish there were at least 3. Or even 2: one warm & one cool? Although I do like it on me because it balances out my redness, it does take some buffing in around the hairline. This doesn’t bother me. I am really interested to see how it would do on darker skin tones. It doesn’t have tons of coverage but when my skin is less broken out & irritated it looks really nice!

Left- Only my eyes done Right- 10 minutes after application + lip gloss

What I DO like about this product very much is that it really performs well on oily skin. My skin is usually one extreme or the other but with the humidity, its definitely leaning oily. These still has a slight dewy effect at first but it totally keeps my oil in check. It REALLY clings to my skin which I was very impressed with since I kind of put tinted foundations in the moisturizer category. I don’t think I’ve ever placed a tinted face product on this blog & said it was better for oily skin! Rejoice! In winter my skin is dry so I may need to moisturize a bit before applying this to test it out.

Recap: Great for oily skin, yellow toned, SPF 30, anti-aging, & toning.

Want to win it? You’re in luck! Become was kind enough to supply me with a Tinted Mineral Foundation & they are sending one to a lucky reader as well!

Please wait to see the Rafflecopter Widget load if you can’t see it below already! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!
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DOVE Puts Your Photo in Times Square & a GIVEAWAY!

June 1, 2012 By StephanieLouise 7917 Comments2012-06-01+15%3A36%3A00StephanieLouise

Let’s start off with this: Dove will put your photo in Times Square. Do I have your attention? All you have to do is take a qualifying picture (which is quite simple…just don’t be a perv or overly made up!) & submit it to Dove. They then e-mail you to let you know its approved (which happened that day for me) & then they e-mail you a snapshot of it in Times Square (the next day for me!) so you can squeal like me. I mean, I even called my mom.

My Info from Dove:
It’s easy – women simply head to the Dove® Facebook tab (http://on.fb.me/DoveShowUsYourSkin) to submit a photo* showing off their skin. Every woman who submits a photo will appear in a Dove ad – including a billboard in the famous Times Square and online digital ads. Women will be emailed a snapshot of their “moment of fame” on the Times Square billboard, and can share that photo with family and friends. Women can also go to Dove.com/ShowUsYourSkin to view the online gallery of all photos.

The “Show Us Your Skin” campaign celebrates Dove Body Washes and Beauty Bars that give women soft, smooth skin they will want to show off!

*Photos must meet all requirements outlined in program rules

The Giveaway:

Dove® Body Washes and Beauty Bars give women beautifully soft and smooth skin they will want to show off, and only Dove® Body Washes contain NutriumMoisture™ technology that goes beyond moisturization to nourish skin deep down– so it won’t dry your skin like soap.

So I’ve had a love affair with Dove for many years. In winter, when my skin aches & feels too tight, Dove is there to rescue it. I mean seriously, check out how rich this body wash is. It smells fresh & slightly cucumber-y. I love that it makes my skin feel soft year round but not oily or slick. I HATE residue, especially in hotter months when I feel like it gets everywhere. I love the comfortable feeling left behind after a shower & if I don’t use lotion afterwards my skin isn’t lacking. That’s a big deal!

Please enter using the Rafflecopter widget below! If you don’t see it, give it a moment to load, refresh your page, or contact me directly & I will try to help! Sorry this is US only & please refer to my disclosure policy which has a special section just for giveaways!

Good luck guys! & please feel free to e-mail me your photos & I will put them up on my blog! Enjoy your spotlight moment!

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***This particular bottle of Dove Visible Care Body Wash was sent for review/giveaway but trust me when I say I’ve purchased loads of these myself!

3 NEW Vaseline Total Moisture Lotions + GIVEAWAY!

May 19, 2012 By StephanieLouise 80027 Comments2012-05-19+15%3A40%3A00StephanieLouise

When it comes to my cuticles, I am wildly addicted to my Vaseline Plus Cocoa Butter. Because I am such an addict (every night I rub it into my oh so valuable cuticles!) I jumped on the chance to review Vaseline’s 3 new lotions & they were kind enough to offer one to a reader! Let’s look at these 3 new formulations & hopefully you will find a lemming for at least one!

Vaseline Total Moisture Body Lotion:

This lotion smells like a lot of my all-natural products, definitely an oatmeal scent with a sweetness. This is the medium lotion of this trio. It isn’t ultra thick or thin, its a great daily lotion. This is the easiest for me as it doesn’t have a strong scent & is a happy medium type of consistency.

Vaseline Total Moisture Aloe Fresh Body Lotion:

I think I’ve been looking for this lotion all my life. There are so many heavy lotions out there, but not enough thin ones. In the humidity or high heat, I can’t use super thick lotion. I feel like it just slips right off or I sweat it off. Gross right? Well I’ve found the perfect active lotion! This is thin, aloe-cucumber scented, & moisturizes my skin to the right degree.

Vaseline Total Moisture Cocoa Radiant Body Lotion:

This scent is always going to be one of my favorites…something about cocoa butter. Why? No idea. This is the thickest & richest of all three options. I like this best when my skin is drier, especially on my legs! This is kind of the happy medium between my legs with lotion normally & my legs with bronzed lotion. Sometimes, because I’m so fair, the bronzed lotions can look harsh & way unnatural. I don’t have naturally tan commercial legs, there’s my deep dark secret…HA. But anyway, I do like this for its texture, cocoa butter scent, & it moisturizes my super dry areas like a charm.

GIVEAWAY:

Vaseline & RocketXL have been kind enough to offer one reader the chance to win one of these lotions! When they asked me which one I wanted to giveaway, I honestly couldn’t decide! What if they wanted a different one? What if they want the aloe for summer or the oatmeal for sensitive skin? After letting them know that we decided YOU will decide which one you want!

How to enter: Leave ONE comment below stating how you follow my blog (GFC, Bloglovin, HelloCotton, only this time please!) & your username for that method, your E-MAIL address, & which lotion you’d most like to try! Simple right? Each way you follow is worth 1 entry!

Giveaway ends June 10th!

To enter, please read my disclosure policy HERE which should answer any questions, but if not, just let me know!

Disclosure: I was provided with Vaseline® Total Moisture® lotions and information about the products by RocketXL. All opinions are 100% my own. I was not paid for this review or giveaway. Please see my disclosure policy for more information located in the tabs above.

Minerals Mate in ‘Red at Play’ Review & Giveaway!

May 10, 2012 By StephanieLouise 80629 Comments2012-05-10+13%3A14%3A00StephanieLouise

So Minerals Mate was kind enough to send me a this dandy tool that has quickly been entered into my must haves. I am an avid mineral makeup user & loose makeup in general. I love pressed makeup as well, but loose minerals are so easy to work…with a few exceptions. The mess is clearly the main one! I mean, I have to prep myself to clean up every time I use a loose product. Eyeshadow flies, blush spills, & foundation disappears in a puff of wasted funds.

Minerals Mate is pretty incredible, from the lightweight design to the ease of clean it has definitely made my life run a bit smoother. No more wasting & less mess honestly makes my life much simpler.

This is a sturdy palette, unlike some I’ve had in the past that either cracked or just didn’t have large enough wells. The wells for this are not only a good size, but they come with lids that fit atop them so you can save your items. My favorite part of this is that when I become a shade darker or lighter, I just mix it as I need to. This allows me to save my perfect shade.

My second favorite part is the ease of foiling that this product gives. Anyone who foils eyeshadows will understand the mess involved! This lets me do it in a sanitary spot (as opposed to my skin…guilty…) & even add other shades to create something custom. I love foiling shades to make eyeliner so this is perfect!

The thumb grip also doubles as a brush cleaner/scrubber but I just use it as a grip. Maybe later on or when traveling I will try to use it as a scrubber? But for now, this lets me safely hold the palette by keeping my fingers out of my clean minerals & not dropping it on my floor.

Here it is against my nails so you can see how thin it is!

Now, for the big bang, the most excited part! I CAN PUT IT IN THE DISHWASHER! Not what you were expecting? Well how many other beauty products can I put int he dishwasher? Seriously!

You can also pick this up in different designs, but ‘Red at Play’ is definitely my personal favorite!Although these retail for $21.95 I have a discount code for 25% off! Just use the code 2468MINERALSMATE at checkout.

UPDATE: These have been reduced to $19.95!

This giveaway is open to US residents, please see my giveaway disclaimer for more information. Please read these carefully as entering means you agree to these terms.

This Minerals Mate & the winners are both supplied by Minerals Mate! This giveaway would not be possible without them so a big thanks!

Please wait to see the Rafflecopter Widget load if you can’t see it below already! GOOD LUCK EVERYONE!

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Freeman Beauty Prize Pack Giveaway!

November 23, 2011 By StephanieLouise 89815 CommentsFreeman+Beauty+Prize+Pack+Giveaway%212011-11-23+14%3A11%3A00StephanieLouise

When Freeman Beauty contacted me about hosting a giveaway, I was thrilled! You lovely readers always have so many great things to say about my face mask obsession so now is a great chance to win a few of my favorites! One winner will recieve an identical prize pack to the pictures below sent directly from Freeman Beauty! Stay tuned for reviews of all these products if I haven’t already! I have used everything in this kit before, but haven’t always typed up so I am POSITIVE you are getting an amazing prize pack, but only one can win!

What You’ll Receive:

– 1 Pink Freeman Hanging Travel Case

– 1 Chocolate & Strawberry Facial Clay Mask (Full Size!)

– 1 Avocado & Oatmeal Facial Clay Mask (Satchel Size)

– 1 Cucumber Peel-Off Facial Mask (Satchel Size)

– 1 Pssssst Shower Cap

– 1 Freeman Hand Towel

Mini Review of the Prize:

All in all, this is a perfect prize pack for this time of year! The bag is a great hanging organizer with lots of pockets and one very large (from top to bottom!) section in the back where the towel fits perfectly. Personally, I like bringing my own face towel and wash cloth when I travel so this is great! The Chocolate & Strawberry Clay Mask is definitely one of my favorites. I am a big fan of soothing my sweet cravings without the caloric guilt. This reminds me of those romantic chocolate dipped strawberries but in an effective mask. You’ll want to eat it.

I’ve been putting together a review for the Cucumber Peel-Off Mask (one of my favorites!) which I’ve been using as long as I can remember. The Avocado & Oatmeal Clay Mask smells earthy and natural but definitely draws out impurities! Lastly, the shower cap. This seriously arrived JUST as I needed a new one to travel with for the holidays! Coincidence? Check out my review for Pssssst Dry Shampoo as well, if you win you’ll recieve a coupon!

For ALL of my readers, I offer up a brand new code to use on Freeman Beauty’s Website! Simply enter ‘BLOGGER25’ & you’ll get 25% off your order! Christmas shopping perhaps?

The winner will be announced the middle of next month. Remember if the winner doesn’t respond within 3 days, a new winner will be chosen so keep your eyes peeled!

XOXOXO Readers & the VERY best of luck!

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