Juniper Tree Naturally: Bath Gelatos

In the September Little Black Box I had a coupon to Juniper Tree Naturally for BOGO on their Bath Gelatos. BOGO!...How could I resist that. You know me by now..always looking for a good deal.

I love Bath Bombs (which are what these are) because they just smell so darn good in the tub. Usually they're made of Sodium Bicarbonate (baking soda to you all) that gives them the "fizz", citric acid, coloring and fragrance. Juniper Tree goes a little further by adding not only Shea Butter but also Coconut Oil to these Gelatos. I can attest to the fact that you will leave that tub and not even need any lotion. Your skin will be well taken care of.

The fragrance selection is really nice. There's 29 different fragrances to choose from. I got Pink Grapefruit & Sugar Cane, Night Cap, Strawberry Cotton Candy and a few others. This is a very large bath bomb and the cost is only $4. I've seen bath bombs of this size go for up to $6. Plus I had the BOGO coupon so I got a bunch. Very nice!

I had also gotten a sample of their lip balm in my LBB and let me tell you...it is really really good. Now, I have alot of lip balms on hand right now and this one (which is all gone now sniffle) just went on smoothly. I didn't have to reapply as often as I usually do. The flavor I got was Chocolate Butter Cream and it was fantastic. The Lip Balms at Juniper Tree sell for $2.75 which is about an average price from what I've seen for online lip balm.

I do highly recommend the Bath Gelatos. Make sure you have some of those magic erasers..they work wonders at getting the residue off your tub when you're done.

Stinky Whip Whips My Skin Into Shape

Recently, I did a Lab Rat test (via Lemming Central) for Cocoa Pink. Ilona sent me a few samples including a sample of her Stinky Whip. Ok, the name throws you off, I understand. However, this is medical grade shea butter. Grade A from what she tells me and she had to pay an arm and a leg to get it. She combines this Grade A shea butter (unrefined) with coconut oil, apricot kernel oil, kukui nut oil, meadowfoam oil, evening primrose oil, pomegranate seed oil and red raspberry seed oil. As you can see, it's full of good all natural stuff.

Even though it was just a sample size (A Flirt as it is called at Cocoa Pink), you really only need a little and it goes a long way. When I test a product for someone I test it. When I get a lotion or body butter to test I test is on my driest parts: my feet, knees and elbows. Now, I've tried alot of different "shea butter" products from different etailers..from refined to unrefined, but the Stinky Whip works the best. I applied the Stinky whip to my feet, my knees and my elbows right before bed. They were still soft and moisturized in the morning..that hasn't really happened to me before so I was really amazed. If something can keep my feet soft all night and into the morning after one application...I'm sold!

So, don't be fooled by the name...this stuff is awesome. 2.5 ounces will cost you $5.99 and if you want a 1/2 ounce flirt, it will set you back $1.99.

There is much more on the site besides Stinky Whip...there are soaps, hair products and a lot more. It's a new site and there is more products coming from what I read on Cocoa Pink. I have bookmarked the site and I'm planning on going back to see what other things I can find. You should too! At least try the Stinky Whip..there's Stinky Feet too.

CONSUMER ALERT: PARABENS WHERE YOU LEAST EXPECT IT

With all the information out there about how bad any of those paraben preservatives are, I was shocked recently to find parabens in a product that I did not expect it.

I had gotten a whole package of samples like Pepcid AC, Immonium etc. My older son had some stomach aches awhile back and I knew there was a small bottle of Mylanta in that sample pack. I was reading the dosage directions on the label when my eye wandered to the "inactive ingredients". Here's the ingredient list for the Regular Strength Mylanta:

Butylparaben, D&C Yellow #10, FD&C Green #3, FD&C Yellow #6, flavors, glycerin, hydroxyethyl cellulose, propylparaben, propylene glycol, purified water, sodium saccharin, sorbitol.
Uses

Besides the large amount of food coloring (why?), is there anything else that catches your eye??? How about the Butylparaben and the propylparaben? This is a product that goes in your stomach for crying out loud. I have only seen parabens in lotions and cosmetics but now in an OTC heartburn product?

I looked over the other Mylanta products and here are the other ones that contain parabens (Luckily not in the Children's products):

Maximum Strength Mylanta Liquid (all flavors)
Regular Strength Mylanta Liquid
Mylanta Ultimate Strength Liquid

I'm getting curious as to what else that we ingest has parabens in them. All I can say is when you are in the store..CHECK THE LABELS! Needless to say, I threw out that bottle of Mylanta.

BOBE Baby

First, I must apologize to my readers for being AWOL for the week. I have become a walking example of Murphy's Law and have suffered a sprained ankle, smashing my head into the car door and having a Thomas the Tank Engine wooden bridge dropped on my face (while I had ice on my forehead for the car door incident). So...I've been a bit occupied to say the least lol.

A few weeks ago, I was asked by Marlese of Bobe Bath Essentials if I would like to try out one of her new products. I'm such a lotion addict that I asked her if I could try her new Silken Cream. I couldn't decide between a few scents so I told her to go ahead and send me what she thought was her best.

I received my Silken Cream on the 1st and just finished up my jar yesterday. Marlese sent me her Mango Sherbert scent and let me tell you, it is a really really wonderful scent. It's not overly fruity (and I thought it might be from the description). It is just the perfect combination for a light, luscious fragrance. I also like the colors Marlese uses for her labels. Each product has its own color for its label and they are pretty and feminine...a nice touch.

The lotion itself is not a thick body butter. It's a soft and silky cream that is meant to glide over your skin. There's no need to over rub this into your skin, it absorbs immediately. It glides on easily and makes your skin feel smooth and soft right away.

Since I used it exclusively for the past couple of weeks (yes, I did not use any lotion on my body except Bobe) I got a good feel for how it affects my skin. My skin feels smooth and silky with no rough spots...even on my elbows and knees..and that says alot. A really nice cream altogether. Plus, no artificial colors to make it look pretty, there is never a need for artificial colors..as long as it smells great and works great. The cost for a 4 ounce jar is $8.19 US (since the dollar sucks right now....) and $8 Canadian.

There are plenty more products at Bobe Bath Essentials from lip balm to scrubs to perfumes. So check the site out and see what you can find.

Just a Couple of Things

I just wanted to note a couple of things happening this month.

The October "Think Pink" Crafty Cube is on sale right now. $2 of every purchase this month will go to the Local Breast and Cervical Early Detection Program. Contributors include SBS Teas, Foster's Creations, Vampyrz, Women For Hope and more.

The other event going on is thru Le Mod Boutique. Amber is once again selling raffle tickets for the Stephanie Fund. Stephanie is the daughter of one of Amber's loyal customers and she is suffering from a rare cancer caused by Asbestos exposure. Raffle tickets are just 50 cents and all proceeds go to Stephanie for travel and treament expenses. Indie Etailers who are donating prizes include Cleanse Your Soul, SBS Teas, Fosters Creations, Sweet Spice and more. Plus Amber says that there will be more etailers to come!

2 great causes and two great events. Go check them out and do something good today. Pay it forward!

Caress Me Karess

As you all may remember, I've got a soft spot for anything with Manoi de Tahiti oil in it. I love how it smells, I love how it feels and I love what it does for me. So of course when I saw Karess Krafters was selling a body butter combining Shea Butter and Manoi de Tahiti..how could I possibly pass that up?!?

Ok, so you're looking at this and checking out the site and you discover that this costs $6.50 for a one ounce jar of the Shea Manoi lotion. I was a bit wary when I got mine thinking it looked rather small for the price. However, the stuff inside the jar is what counts..how it feels and how well it works. Don't be fooled by size, size doesn't matter in this case.

The texture is liked whipped cream and it just melts on your skin. The scent of the Monoi is just lovely and I can never get enough. The site says a little goes a long way and I can tell you YES IT DOES. I used this primarily on my hands, elbows, knees and feet before I go to bed. My skin felt so soft and silky, even my feet..and trust me that is saying a heck of a lot (I hate my feet!). It really does what it says it will and does it well. I'm sad that I have none left and I'm cash poor for a while so I have to wait to get some more.

I had also purchased some of the Pure and Simple Body Butter and the fragrance was so light and beautiful. The lotion is very nice and kept my skin hydrated just about all day.

All in all, I'm very pleased with just the two products I purchased from Karess Krafters. There's alot more that I haven't tried but I must wait till I get some more of my own money.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness month and it holds special meaning for me. My mother (the photo on the right) passed away in 1994 after a 4 year battle with breast cancer and since then I've always spent this month in remembrance and hope. I wear my pink ribbon all month long, I make sure to make donations and buy products that will also donate funds to the Susan G. Komen foundation.

So, in honor of Breast Cancer Awareness month and for all those out there fighting this disease...I have asked Indie etailers to send me their BCA products so you can see what you can get to support this cause.

My good friend, Shannon Foster of Foster's Creations is herself a uterine cancer survivor. She spent her recovery time last year making jewelry which she now sells on her site. I have a pink ribbon cell phone charm and a pink ribbon beaded bookmark that I love! The bookmarks are $30 and the cell phone charms are $12. She also has Pink Ribbon key chains, bracelets and earrings. This month Shannon is donating 20% of her sales to her local Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program and you get a free Pink Ribbon air freshener with your order in you choice of scent.

The Flower Peddler also has some Pink Ribbon items. For every Pink Ribbon soap ($5.50) sold, she will donate $1 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. There are also Breast Cancer Awareness Candles ($12) with 20% of sales going to the Foundation and this beautiful Breast Cancer Care Package ($85) with 20% going to the Susan G. Komen Foundation.

ZeVin Creations has made some really beautiful cards for BCA month. I especially love this trio called The Caring Woman. The purple one is for Leukemia, the Teal is for Uterine/Ovarian cancer and of course you know what the pink one is for. These cards are selling for $8 and ZeVin Creations is donating 50% of the sales of the pink and teal cards to Harriett B. Porter Cancer Education and Research Endowment .

A Planet 4 Creation has some nice pieces of Pink Ribbon jewelry. And, like me, they have had family members who have died from this disease. 20% of all sales in the month of October will be donated to the Komen Foundation of Southern Arizona. The earrings sell for $22 and the necklace for $32.

Women For Hope has lots of great products and several really nice Pink Ribbon jewelry pieces. 15% of the proceeds will be going to CancerCare. Earrings range from $12-$15 and the bracelets ranges from $20-$25. This beautiful pink Cat's eye beaded bracelet is only $20. And you're supporting a really great cause!

Another fabulous stationary artist, Anna Bella Stationary, is donating 50% of the sale of ANYTHING pink on her site to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. This stationary set called "Rosie" runs for $18.95 and is just so darn cute. So it doesn't just have to be something with a Pink Ribbon on it..it just has to have pink on it and the donation will be made.

So, whether you make a donation directly or buy one of these wonderful products, you are helping to find a cure for this horrible disease. Remember it does not discriminate..it takes Mothers from their Children, it take Wives from their Husbands, it takes Sisters from Brothers and so on. It doesn't care if you're white, black, asian or any other race. Breast Cancer is a killer and if we all did a little part, we can help to rid ourselves of it.

For more Indie Etailers who are selling awareness products visit The Women for Hope Blog here:

http://womenforhope.com/weblog/?p=9