New Email Address

I have a new email address just for this blog now.

From here on out any correspondance regarding Products of the Day needs to be sent to...

productsoftheday@gmail.com

Be sure to put "Products" in the subject line!!

Thanks

Next "Best Of" Contest Coming Soon

Since my first contest, Best of Sugar Scrubs, went so well...I plan on continuing my Etailer competions.

Attention all Perfumeries...the next "Best Of" contest is just for you. I thought I'd throw this out there now so you all can think on it and get ready.

In the next few weeks I will begin taking entries for the....
BEST ORIGINAL PERFUME BLEND

So put on your thinking caps, get your sniffers working and figure out what your best original perfume fragrance is. Details, rules and etc will be coming soon. And, I'll be getting my emails out inviting you to join if you don't read my blog yet. Feel free to contact me if you're interested.

Anyone who wants to comment or contact me with their favorite perfume maker can do so and I'll get in touch with them.

Remember, this will be for your best "original" perfume blend. NO DUPES! And, it's gotta be yours..aka you gotta make it yourself.

Stay tuned!

More Ways to Be Nice To Your Feet

A long long time ago in a blog far far away (not really) I posted about the great soap over at Two Rivers Soaps. My husband loves and adores the soap there (and he's usually a Zest kind of guy) and I now have to buy him soap online instead of at Target.


Anyway, I have since tried some of Jennifer's other wares and have enjoyed them just as much as we've enjoyed her soaps. This time it was her Foot Care line which consists of her Pedicure in a Jar and her Foot Butter. Two very nice foot care products that when combined really helped my feet look and feel better (at least until I ran out lol).


The Pedicure in a Jar runs about $7 for a 5 ounce jar. This is a lovely peppermint scented scrub designed for your feet. I can't tell you how better my feet fell anytime I use something with peppermint oil in it. There is also Tea Tree oil in there which is a great antibacterial and also eucalyptus oil which helps to refresh your feet. Combined with the exfoliants (salt and pumice)..this makes for a nice refreshing scrub for the feet. It really feels great if you use it after a long walk when your piggies are screaming! Plus, since it's a jarred scrub rather than a solid one, it makes it a heck of alot easier to get the job done. Oh, since this is a salt scrub, warning..if you've got a cut on your feet ..don't use this until it's healed..otherwise it's gonna sting like the devil.


The other product is Jennifer's Foot Butter. It's nice thick moisturizer designed specially for your feet. You've got shea butter, you've got cocoa butter and aloe vera as well as avacado oil (like my run on sentence don't you). Plus you've got the peppermint oil, tea tree oil and menthol to help relax and relieve those tired tired dry piggies. It's really thick so be sure to rub it in good. I like to use it before bed and put some socks over my feet after (my husband calls them my "stay put" socks since after many nights of doing the lotion and socks thing, they kinda stand up on their own) I rub the butter in. The Foot Butter also runs you $7 for a 5 ounce jar.

If you're wise as to how much you use, both of these jars can last you probably about 2-3 weeks. If you're like me and you are generous with your applications then maybe 10-14 days. Either way, another way to do something nice for your feet.

Texas Charm Bath & Candle Co.: Body Butter in Petite Choux

Ok, the title is long but the body butter is awesome! I got a sample of Texas Charm's Body Butter in a sampler box (can't remember which one) months ago, we're talking late last year. The scent was Petite Choux (based on a French pastry of the same name) and smelled like the roses of angels to me. The lotion was really good too. Because I liked it so much, I hoarded that tiny little sample jar and actually just used it up finally..only because they had a sale and I finally bought a full size jar lol.

If you like the smell of roses then this scent is the most divine rose fragrance I've ever had. It can be a strong scent so if you can't take strong flowery scents then please bypass my post here on it. As I said, it's based on a French Pastry that uses Rose water in the creme of the pastry. So it's roses with cream... I guess that's the best way to put it. But don't be fooled, the rose scent does dominate. And, the scent lasts a really long time and that surprised me in a lotion. I could put this lotion on in the morning and the fragrance would last at least till late afternoon. No perfume needed for me on those days I decide to use Petite Choux.

The lotion, I'm happy to say, is now paraben free. It's great to see more and more etailers discarding the paraben preservatives. I know they have to use some sort of preservative for the most part but I'm glad to see that parabens are starting to disappear from the etailers ingredient lists. Texas Charm has also stated that they use no mineral oils or petroleum bases in this body butter, thank goodness for that. I hate stuff with petroleum bases in them (chapstick, Dove creamy oil bodywash etc). It's gross. But I digress...this body butter has over 50% shea butter. That's a pretty good amount (unless of course you go with something that is just 100% shea butter) to keep my skin happy. It's thick, rich and has the consistency of a good cream icing or even buttercream would be a good comparison. Don't be fooled by the thickness of it though, this stuff just flows on your skin like silk. It's wonderful. I really enjoy using this body butter and will probably hoard the full size jar as I did with my small sample.

4 ounces of Texas Charm's body butter will set you back about $14.95 plus shipping (I waited for a 25% off sale for my purchase). She's got plenty of other fragrances that you can try but I loved this Petite Choux the moment I opened my sample jar. I've actually tried other stores lotions in Petite Choux, but found that Texas Charm has the best one.

Shame on Dove Products!

FOR SHAME!

I wanted to do this post and warn people about Dove's new Creamy Oil Bodywash products. I recently received a free sample in the mail of Dove's Creamy Oil Bodywash in the Ultimate version. I was shocked and disgusted when I looked at the ingredients and found that the second ingredient in the list (water was first) is PETROLATUM which is a petroleum based product. So now I know what the "oil" is in the "Creamy Oil" bodywash. So, needless to say my free sample will go unused, any coupons will be thrown away and I will only buy my bodywash from Indie etailers who would never think of putting petroleum products in their products. I say SHAME on you Dove!!!

An Etailer Who Found Me: Manor Hall Soap

I love finding new Etailers! I love it even more when they find me (cause they're reading my blog yay!). And, a couple of weeks ago an Etailer did find me and I'm glad cause I'm starting to love her stuff!

Susan Mann is the woman behind Manor Hall Soap Company , an all natural Etailer. She produces all kinds of soaps (a huge variety), body care products, facial care products and the list goes on. Right now I'm in the process of trying out a few of her products: Almost Sunset soap, Gentle Foaming Facial Cleanser and her Organic Foaming Hand Soap in Pink Grapefruit Lime.



The Foaming Facial Cleanser is great and I really like this product. The one I have is the "Gentle" one with Lavender and Clary Sage. It's so easy to dispense and so unlike other foaming cleansers I've used like Aveeno. The foam is heavier than other foams but once you start to clean your face you can really feel it working. If you stop and just let it sit for a minute you'll feel your skin just tingling. It cleans well and rinses so easily. The price is $8.35 for a 7.5 ounces bottle and that may seem pricey (well my Aveeno is $7) but the fact that this is an all natural product really makes the price worth it. She offers other varieties of the facial cleanser including Original (with Tea Tree oil and Lemon essential oil) and Pore Deep (with Rose Geranium and Lavender). My face truly feels clean and oil free after rinsing and you'll be surprised at how long this bottle lasts since you only need a little foam to clean your face.


Now being a Mom, I'm constantly washing my hands or using the hand sanitizer. Henceforth, my hands are always drying out. I usually use like Dial antibacterial soap in the bathroom and I just use the Dawn dish detergent to wash my hands in the kitchen. Now, I've got the 16 ounce bottle of Sue's Foaming Hand Soap. It's got a great light scent (in the pink grapefruit and lime) and it's really easy going on the hands. It doesn't dry them out to the point of old age like my other liquid soaps. And, again, a little goes a long long way since the special pump foams it up as it comes out. The 16 ounce bottle sells for $11.35 and yes I know that sounds expensive, it does to me too but it's ALL NATURAL!

Here..just so you know I'm telling the truth..I'm copying and pasting her ingredients straight from the site:
Ingredients: Distilled water, saponified organic oils of coconut, olive and jojoba, organic aloe vera, rosemary extract. Essential oils of pink grapefruit and lime.


and, here's the ingredients for the gentle foaming facial cleanser:
Ingredients: Water, saponified organic oils of coconut, olive and jojoba. Organic guar gum, organic rosemary extract, organic aloe vera & glycerin. Essential oil blend including lavender and clary sage.


It's great to not only find a new Etailer but also one that makes all natural products. I love her labels too, they add a nice bit of wit when you're not expecting it.


And, since it's a "soap" store, there are tons and tons of different soaps to choose from. What a fantastic variety she has on her site. And, all natural I might add once again.
Oh and for all you tea fans out there, she's got a Chai soap..yep soap infused with real black chai tea! (check that out in her "Specialty Soaps")


So please take a look at Manor Hall Soap Company and I'm sure you're going to find something there that you're gonna like.

Sad News: Two Etailers Close Up Shop

UPDATED POST:

It is with a sad heart that I write today. Last week (before I left for vactaion) I found out that one of my favorite stores, Aloha Coconut, closed down. You might remember my post on the fabulous Monoi De Tahiti oil that I raved about. Luckily, she had a couple left over so I bought them up fast. (If you're in a quandry because you got hooked on the Monoi de Tahiti oil, email me cause I'm planning on doing a major search for other vendors so I never run out.) I really loved Aloha Coconut. Jennifer didn't use Parabens or any artificial chemical in her products and she had some really good fragrances (loved the Raspberry Guava). One of the reasons she stated for closing up was because the bath and body online industry is saturated. I kinda agree, but I love shopping at all of them looking for new products and fragrances. It's how I found her store after all. I'm very sad to see Jennifer close up Aloha Coconut, but I have nothing for respect for her and hope that she finds happiness in whatever she does!

The other sad news I received yesterday in an email from Flour City Bakery. You might remember my post on her eye serum and cream that I love. Sadly to say but now Karley is closing up Flour City Bakery. FCB was only up and running since last August and Karley states that being a stay at home Mom and trying to run the business after the kids were in bed was becoming too much for her. I can understand having two boys of my own.

However, I want to relate my dismay at the postings I've been reading over at Makeupalley.com on the bath and body board. Things are being said about the soap at FCB Karley has not been honest. Apparently someone found out that some of the soaps at FCB weren't made by Karley but wholesaled. Whether or not it was stated anywhere on her site that she made all the soaps, I cannot say. I don't memorize the "About me" pages (I do read them, I just don't memorize them) so I can't say that she did or she didn't. I just want to say that I'm disappointed by the way that some of the posts on the MUA B&B board are being written in regard to this and to her charitible donations. If it is true that she had stated she makes all of her soaps, then I do understand that people are upset..but, is there a need for the rude and nasty comments..no, it could be handled differently Now, don't misunderstand me, I respect any and all opinions..because everyone has their own..but, when you let things get nasty and rude cruel then you have to take a step back and really re-evaluate yourself and the situation. I know Karley does make her charitible donations and any questioning about that is really a step beyond what anyone should do. I'm hoping that Karley isn't closing up shop because of these posts. I respect what she does and I wish her all the best in whatever she decides to do.

UPDATE: Karley has opened up an Etsy store to sell her facial care products. Jennifer did open up an Etsy store also but decided to close that up after all.

Vacation Time

I just wanted to let everyone know that I will be MIA for a few days. We're taking a short family vacation. I will be back on Wednesday for new posts.

Can You Help? Part 2

I just wanted to pass this on..all the raffle tickets for the Stephanie Fund at Jaycee Danielle are now $1 through the end of the month. They had such a great response during the 1 day sale that they've decided to keep the $1 raffle tickets from now till June 30th.
Please visit Jaycee Danielle for all the details and Thanks!

A 54 Million Dollar Pair of Pants

Normally, this blog is only for product reviews. Today, I'm just so darn curious as to the quality of a pair of pants worth $54 million.

For those of you not living in the DC area, there's the most rediculous lawsuit in history being conducted right now. A man named Roy Pearson, who is a lawyer and a judge, is suing a Korean couple for $54 million. Apparently, he brought several suits in for alterations and when he returned to pick them up...one pair of pants was missing. He felt mistreated by the dry cleaners and since their sign read "Satisfaction Guaranteed", that he deserved satisfaction. The pants were found (he claims these are not his pants even thought the ticket matches) and he was offered a monetary consideration for his trouble. Also claiming that they were cruel to him (they told him not to come back but he cried about it saying they were the only dry cleaners in walking distance of his home).

So, this is now in trial. He orginally sued for $65 million but the judge got him down to $54 million. He claims he is suing for this outrageous amount for the future safety of other DC consumers who might use this dry cleaner. He is also suing for attorney's fees, yet he is representing himself. According to the news yesterday, he was in tears on the witness stand yesterday..crying for his poor sweet pants. And, just so you know, this trial is costing the taxpayers of DC over $2600 per day.

I just want to know what kind of pants are worth $54 million dollars. I hope they are able to make my butt look as small as Nicole Ritchies and shape my legs into gorgeousness. For $54 million, this guys pants better have been the best pair of pants ever ever made. If anyone out there knows of such a wonderful pair of streamlined pants, let me know. I'd be more than willing to save my money for the next 75 years just to wear it for one day.

This just goes to show how absolutely stupid and greedy people are getting in this country. I'm glad I do not know this man and if I lived in DC and my tax dollars were paying for this trial, I would be very very angry. I hope that at the end of this trial, this Roy Pearson gets at least 10 years of community service..and I don't mean counseling people for free, I mean scooping crap out of the sewers.

Ok, my post of venting is over. Next time I return to my regular broadcasting. Thanks for listening!

June Crafty Cubes On Sale Today

I just wanted to let you all know that one of the etailer sampler boxes, known as the Crafty Cube, is now selling its June sampler box.

Here is a list of the etailers that have contributed samples this month:
Ann Bell
Bath and Body by Tracy
Bathing in Luxury
The Essential Herbal Magazine
Goldie's Glory
J & L Creations
Roberta's Aromasense
The Skin You're In
So Sassy

The cube is only $25 and includes the shipping cost. Every sampler box is different whether it's Crafty Cubes, The Little Black Box or Lemming Central. There will be different varieties of samples that vary from each box to each month. Go ahead and get yourself a cube, I did because some of these companies I never tried before.
I'll post on the samples I get when the box arrives. Happy sampling!

Can You Help?

First I need to say sorry that I've been MIA the past few days. I was out of town at a wedding, sans kids, and just got back yesterday. I'll post on the details and maybe post some embarrassing photos of my husband dancing...but that will be later.

I want to bring your attention to a very special charity Raffle that's being held by Amber, owner of Jaycee Danielle (bath and body). A customer of hers has a daughter named Stephanie. Stephanie is dealing with a rare form of cancer caused by Asbestos exposure. Here's the details from Amber's site:

"One of my customers has a daughter that needs our help. Stephanie has malignant peritoneal mesothelioma caused by asbestos exposure. There are only 4 Dr.'s in the US that treat this and she is being seen by Dr. Robert Taub in NYC. She will be going to NYC for her first of 2 surgeries to put in the ports for chemo on June 3 and will have to stay there for 2 weeks. She will then start traveling to NYC once a week for 3 weeks out of the month for 6 months for chemo. She will then have another surgery to remove the ports.... probably in Dec. She will not be able to work for this period of time. And her insurance company is not paying for the travel or the treatment. She is a phlebotomist at Presbyterian Hospital in Greenville, TX and has a husband, Kyle, and 2 daughters, Jayden age 9 and Camryn age 7."

Amber is holding a raffle right now and drawings will take place on June 30th. Many, many online Indie etailers have donated products or gift certificates to help out in this cause. My good friend Shannon Foster of Foster's Creation even made a special bracelet just for Stephanie.

These tickets are going for $5 each and include such etailers as Foster's Creations, Flour City Bakery, Beach Girl Beauty, Things that Make Sense, Charming Sam, several packages from Wickedly Chic (OMG the stuff they are donating!!!!) and many more. Right now through MIDNIGHT TONITE...tickets are only $1!!!!!!!!!!!! So, go now and get some tickets. You could win a very nice prize and you'll be doing something wonderful for another human being who really needs it right now. Pay it forward..you never know when YOU might need this kind of help.

Please click on the title of this post and it will take you straight to the raffle page.

Finally, a Mascara That Really Works

I recently received the newest
Sephora catalog in the mail. And, as usual there were tons of cosmetics that I'm dying to try. Unfortunately, the prices always stand in my way. Sigh. Anyway, I was flipping through and I found this mascara from Tarte called "Lights, Camera, Splashes!" It's absolutely adorable all wrapped up in denim with a applique anchor on the cap. Then I looked at the price: $18! Gag, $18 for a mascara? I wondered what was so special, after all every mascara I buy that promises no clumps or flakes ends up doing just that.

Well, my payday, however meager it is, was coming up and I said what the hell. I've got this wedding coming up and I could use some good makeup. At least I hoped it was good makeup. I had checked my old review site, Epinions, to see if there was a review and thankfully there was at least one. And, it seemed to be a really good mascara, at least to this one woman. Well, $18 is alot to spend on a mascara and basing my purchase on it's possible promises along with one person's review seems a bit crazy.
Hey, you know me by know, I am crazy. lol

So, I bought it and I'm very very happy that I did! It comes only in black and I don't usually buy black mascara. I'm ususally the brown or blackish brown type (heck, back in the 80s I was the blue, turqoise or any other flamboyant color type. Yes I wore bright blue or turquoise mascara back in the 80s).

Here's exactly what this mascara is supposed to do for you, and this is straight from the Sephora website:

"Finally, a mascara that doesn't force you to wear your heart on your sleeve (or your face)! This waterproof formula gives you the bombshell lashes you love, but it stays put through a trip to the gym, beach, or the latest tearjerker."

Everything it says here, this mascara does. I always curl my lashes too and when I put on this mascara, my lashes go from eh to WOW! It really does lenghten and thicked the lashes. No clumps and no flakes at all! I've used it several times since I purchased it and every time there are no flakes! So, I don't have to constantly wipe under my eyes to clean up any flakes or smears. I love it! I don't use it everyday, but when I do you can really see the difference. So if you go out alot (I don't, sorry 2 kids kinda zaps that ability out of you) this is a perfect mascara to have. It'll give you those long thick lashes that we always see in those mascara commercials but never see on ourselves. The brush is designed to avoid giving you clumps..but, I still recommend that you wipe it a bit with some tissue to remove and extra.

In conclusion..final words...I know $18 is alot for mascara, I admit it. I normally would have sighed and moved on..but, I really like this stuff. For once, a mascara that actually performs like it's supposed to.

Welcome Sweet Spice Essentials

I want to extend a warm welcome to my newest advertiser, Sweet Spice Essentials! Shannon is the owner of this great Etsy bath and body shop and she was one of my contestants in the Best of Sugar Scrubs contest.
She's got alot more than just sugar scrubs at her Etsy store. So please visit her Sweet Spice Essentials store by clicking her banner in my Shop Shop Shop section.

Pottery with Flare and Service that Can't Compare

I have a wedding to go to this weekend. The last of my husband's college friends is FINALLY getting married. And, hopefully he won't decide to click on my email link to my blog before Saturday or he's going to find out what they're getting lol.

Anyway, I looked at their registries and thought that I wanted to get them something different. I checked out all their colors and items they had listed and made my mental notes. Then, I went shopping on Etsy. Etsy has so many fantastic things, all handmade. I knew I'd have to find something there. So, I browsed through just about every pottery listing Etsy has and found OlaDesign.

Once I saw her wares on her Etsy store I knew I had found what I was looking for. Olga, the woman behind OlaDesign, uses such bright beautiful colors and handpaints each piece. She offers a variety of pieces from teapots to bowls to vases and more. Each piece is painted by hand and then she fires them so the design is permanent.

Here's the set I bought for our friends. It comes with the large green bowl, smaller white bowl, the two smaller green bowls and the 2 red cups. The design is simple but oh so elegant. I was really pleased by what I saw and what I eventually got in hand. And, Olga is so nice. She will custom make a set for you if you ask. The original listing was a four piece set but I asked if she could do two of the smallest green bowls and two of the red cups for the bride and groom. It wasn't even an issue. The price for all 6 pieces and shipping came to $58. Some of the other pieces I had been considering from other sellers were about $125 just for one piece.

I got the package after about a week, week and a half (she's in Canada so that's why) and unfortunately, the largest bowl (the big green one) was in pieces...it didn't make it. I immediately contacted Olga (I took pictures because I know there's alot of scammers out there) and let her know what happened. She got on it right away and made a new bowl for me. I even offered to ship the broken one back to her and she refused. Not long after that I got the new package from Olga and everything was in great condition. She even sent me a handpainted glass bowl for me to keep at no additional charge. How wonderful is that. Her customer service skills just blew me away.

I highly recommend OlaDesign for your pottery needs. There are many different styles and designs to choose from and they are all very reasonably priced. Great for gifts or just for yourself and the customer service cannot be beat!

Klean Bath & Body: The Devil Made Me Do It

Klean Bath and Body sure sent me one heck of a scrub! Jennifer Hardaway, the owner of Klean, send me her chocolate sugar scrub called: The Devil Made Me Do It. She's just lucky I wasn't having PMS when I got it or else I would've eaten it!

It arrived with no leaks, in a clear jar with a black lid. The green and orange Klean label on the lid. This was a very very dark colored scrub with oil on top. The oil mixes in good but does separate again. The only problem was that the labels were clear with black text, it was hard to read them against the dark brown scrub.

The smell was divine. It has a really good dark chocolate scent that makes you want to scoop some out and eat it. I only wish it had lasted longer on my skin after rinsing. It lasted about half an hour.

The Devil Made Me Do It felt really good in the shower, good and gritty but a little rough too. It really stuck to the skin but eventually melted away with scrubbing. An excellent exfoliant! Love that fine grain sugar (all the top scrubs used the finer grain sugar and let me tell you it works the best).

It rinsed off very easily and left my skin smooth and soft. I didn't have any greasy or oily feel to my skin even with the oils in the scrub. It made my skin feel like I already put lotion on and the moisturization lasted about an hour.

If you don't like chocolate, there are many other scents at Klean that I'm sure you'll like. As with all my other winners, I encourage you to visit these sites and try their scrubs for yourselves. These are all wonderful products by hard working women. I commend them all on their work and the results of that hard work!!

Relaxation Works: Cranberry Cocktail Body Sorbet Scrub

Relaxation Works is one of the two Etailers that tied for Third Place in my Best of Sugar Scrubs contest. And now I'm going to give you my review on the wonderful scrub I received.

Kris, the owner of Relaxation Works, presented my with her Cranberry Cocktail Body Sorbet scrub. The package arrived in great condition with no leaks! Everything was packaged in white, white jar (opaque) with a white cap and white labels. Even the scrub itself is white but it's offset by the red of the cranberry seeds that are mixed in. This scrub does have oil in it and has a soft, almost spongey feel to it.

When you open the jar you're welcomed by the most delightful scent, almost like a cranberry soda or cocktail. The scent was very refreshing and it lasted about an hour on the skin after rinsing.

When I started scrubbing I noticed that it felt both gritty and creamy to the touch. It provided excellent exfoliation, just right in my opinion. It really stuck to the skin and got the job done. Although, I did find that the cranberry seeds did get a little messy in the shower and it was hard to get them all down the drain.

The scrub did rinse off the skin easily but as I mentioned I had some trouble with those cranberry seeds. My skin was very soft and smooth and the moisturization felt just right. It wasn't too heavy or light but after towel drying it lasted probably about an hour on my skin...so, eventually I did need some lotion but not right away.

All in all, the Relaxation Works Cranberry Cocktail Body Sorbet scrub was a very good scrub. It exfoliated like a good scrub should and it moisturized the skin. It has a wonderful fragrance that to me was like a refreshing cocktail. Go ahead and try it for yourself and you tell me what you think.