This is a Sponsored Post written by me on behalf of KAO Brands. All opinions are 100% mine.
I have spoken about my slight (okay, maybe a little more than slight) obsession with bath and body products here before; so when I heard about the Temptation is Beautiful sweepstakes, I was more than just a little excited.
The Temptation is Beautiful sweepstakes began March 10th and every day up until May 8th a lucky winner who has successfully registered through the sweepstakes website will receive a gift basket full of tempting, luxurious Kao Brands products with a retail value of approximately $75. Those who successfully register will also be entered to win the grand prize of a 3 day/2night trip to Las Vegas for four; the package includes round trip air transportation, ground transportation, hotel accomodations and $1500 spending money with the approximate retail value of $6,000. That is amazing!
This sweepstakes is so unbelievably simple to enter; all you have to do is register on the official website and this sweepstakes is open to US residents (sorry beauty product fanatics of other countries, this giveaway is open only to US residents,) and you also must be 21 years of age or older to enter. While that is simple enough, you can enter to win the daily sweepstakes once per day and by entering every day, you will automatically be entered to win the grand prize trip to Las Vegas with three friends; so by the end of the sweepstakes period, you can have up to 60 entries for the grand prize sweepstakes! Even better, you can score up to four bonus entries into both sweepstakes prizes by taking a short, sweet and fun quiz, finding your Temptress Temperature (see my score below!) and sharing the results of the quiz with your friends on Twitter and Facebook.
Enter the Temptation is Beautiful sweepstakes daily for a chance to win a gift basket full of fabulous products and to be entered to win a trip to Las Vegas.
Back in December, news broke of Julia Roberts joining the ranks of Anne Hathaway and Kate Winslet, becoming the newest face of Lancome. The news excited Roberts fans tremendously, since the actress has been busy raising a family, putting Hollywood on the backburner. Even in the newest movie she is in, Valentine’s Day, she only appeared in the film for about 6 minutes total. It may have taken a few months, but the famous smile of Julia Roberts has finally made its debut for Lancome in their just-launched French television ad with Roberts wearing their forthcoming European-market mascara, Hypnôse Precious Cells. Check out the television ad below and weigh in on what you think of it in the comments.
The first thing you may have realized about the above television ad is that yes, it is completely in French, which is a little disheartening and confusing. Julia Roberts is an actress; she’s pretty good with saying words out loud, memorizing lines and even the models of America’s Next Top Model have to try their hand at semi-perfecting foreign languages for their CoverGirl commercials. Was it just easier to have a male voiceover be the only thing you hear in this commercial? The fact that this was the debut of Julia Roberts for Lancome and her advertisement is completely in French is a bit of a letdown as well; especially considering that she is still a pretty big deal in Hollywood, retaining every bit of class she has had throughout the years. Hopefully we can see more of Julia Roberts for Lancome television advertisements in the future and perhaps they will even be in English.
I have been doing some very frequent research on simple things every day, regular women can do to help keep skin looking healthy and happy. I know as much as anyone out there who has ever scoffed at a commercial or advertisement from some beauty product or another claiming to give you flawless skin that perfect skin is probably not possible, especially when you don’t have an exuberant amount of money to toss at beauty experts. So I have come across a few tips that may help all of my fellow women out there who do all they can to keep themselves together every day and know that while we can’t strive and expect perfection in the way we look, we can aim for skin that looks healthy and keeps us happy.
I am told that I have to drink more water very frequently. With my skin that is very prone to eczema breakouts and my bouts with adult acne, every time someone feels the need to comment on any of this, they always tell me that I need to drink more water. Low and behold, the first rule of getting healthier skin is to drink two to three liters of water a day.
Yoga is already known to help stress, trauma and illnesses that affect the body and mind, but yoga can aid the skin in many different ways and it has been said that some beauty courses even use yoga exercises. While some experts will say that exercise helps acne, a lot of people found that this claim cannot be further from the truth for them because exercise obviously produces sweat and sweat often irritates the skin, which causes acne to become inflamed and makes it look even worse. Yoga, on the other hand, keeps you relaxed, fit, healthy and healthy looking and gives the people who perform yoga a glowing complexion, very much like that “after sex glow” we women (hopefully) know so well.
Switching from product to product is incredibly dangerous to your skin and when you’re trying to find that perfect product, the worst place to take that gamble is on your face. Once you get into a stable routine, from what you apply to your face after washing and before going to bed at night and what you apply to protect your skin throughout the day, you shouldn’t have surprise breakouts or bad reactions to products out of the blue. It’s best to apply a gentle face wash and moisturizing cream every morning and night and if you don’t know what products are best for you, try the greatly-rated Olay Gentle Foaming Face Wash ($4.86) or consult a dermatologist.
Frequent pimples, sudden breakouts and premature aging can all be attributed to one thing in a lot of cases–not removing your makeup every night. It is so simple to fall asleep at night after a very long day without removing your makeup, especially your eye makeup that can take a little while to get off completely. There are a ton of eye makeup removers on the market, including a formula developed by Lancome ($19.99).
What causes acne in the first place? Waste and toxins built up in your system. Your bowels and kidneys are the primary ways to get that waste out of your body, so the best way to make sure your kidneys and bowels are working the best they can is to maintain a diet high in fiber. Foods with the highest amount of fiber are apples, bananas, oranges, raspberries, strawberries, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, parsnips and potatoes. If you cannot keep these foods in your diet daily, it’s also important to take fiber supplements, like Benefiber.
Who has the money and the time to get a professional facial? Yeah, not many people in the least, but facial masks do wonders for your skin and a lot of women with some pretty awesome skin have long relied on weekly DIY facial masks to suck out impurities and refresh the skin. One of the best ingredients used in a facial mask is clay–try the Lather White Clay Mask ($22).
We have all seen the spring and summer emails coming in from our favorite stores we receive email alerts from. I have been known to complain about these emails, shouting in their bold-faced type that it’s almost spring and time to buy flip flops, which isn’t surprising since at this exact moment, I am sitting in front of a window watching inches upon inches of snow layer the ground. Hopefully spring will come to Northeastern Pennsylvania soon because I am getting ridiculously tired of snow and to prepare for those spring and summer seasons, Old Navy has a ton of styles, colors and sizes for all the men in your family.
The Old Navy FUNdamentals Sale is well underway and from now until March 4th you can get baseball tees, v-neck tees, boxers and socks for just $5, shorts for $15 and cargos, khaki and jeans for just $19. What makes this deal even sweeter is that not only will you cash in on Old Navy’s lowest prices of the season, but you will also receive free shipping on your purchase over $75 or more by using promo code ONFREE75 at checkout.
We all have lives. We all have families, regardless of whether we simply live our lives as people who have grown around, with and because of a group of people, or whether we are taken care of our own. We all have responsibilities and that last episode of LOST to catch up on before the next episode airs. Very, very few of us take time out of our days and nights to indulge in purely recreational, self-fulfilling activities that are completely and utterly selfish and one-sided. While words such as self-fulfilling and selfish may latch onto you as very negative things to do, when it comes to relaxation, it is just about the best thing you can do.
We have all heard of the term “mental health days,” but the term is often tossed around as a joke between women as to what they wish they could do–if only they could afford the day off or were able shirk their daily duties to a fellow co-worker for the day. When it comes to women actually taking a true mental health day to do something fun and fulfilling for themselves, we may as well be living in a fantasy world because we just don’t do that and if they do, they take that dangerous day off of work to catch up on their list of errands that must be completed in order to live in a house that doesn’t smell faintly of gym socks or for functions or other obligations we really couldn’t fit into our schedule, but tried to convince ourselves we could.
I did not post on Woman Tribune yesterday. I thought about it and really sat down at the computer with the intention of writing and putting more content out there, but when it came down to it, my head and my heart wasn’t in it and the worst kind of blogging you can do is forced blogging when you’re just not feeling it. Through the years, I’ve noticed that when I forced myself to put content out there when I really just didn’t feel like it and wasn’t passionate about it, my hits would decline over time and my number of subscribers would follow suit. I was creating the same amount of content, but really, I knew it was all filler–and so did my readers. So instead of posting here yesterday, my partner and I hit up the store (in the middle of a snow storm, woops,) and filled up on the most junk food we have bought in a very long time. When we got home, we both went to our computers, but instead of working, we decided that it was time to spend some time together doing something we both love–play video games. And yes, we do consider him sitting in his office upstairs at his computer and me sitting downstairs at my computer “spending time together” if we’re both logged into the same video game and talking through Skype. We’re nerds like that.
We ended up playing Empire Builder with a friend of ours last night for over nine hours. That sounds extreme and of course I do not want to imply that everyone has nine hours to sit at the computer getting nothing but high scores on a video game accomplished, but being such a creature of the computer and such a video game nut, I needed a day of nothing but gaming to let me relax, rid my head of my absolutely insane list of things I need to accomplish, have been wanting to accomplish and have been trying to make myself accomplish. After last night and sitting here today, I don’t have to force a thing and I’m back to my normal, workaholic self.
So, in conclusion, regardless of your list of errands or the amount of minutes or hours you have to spare in a day, take some time to do something that you genuinely enjoy doing; something you may even feel guilty about because it is so self-indulgent. Do it and when you’re through and you have allowed yourself that time, you will come back to your list of errands, because they never do just disappear, regardless of how much we may want them to, an you will feel refreshed and be ready to get to work.
It is my profound belief that no woman should ever be without a pair of truly kick ass black boots. Much like the little black dress, kick ass black boots serve a distinct purpose in a woman’s life. While the dress is something brought out of the closet when nothing else seems just right and is guaranteed to look fabulous regardless of what event you are attending or who you’re looking to impress, kick ass black boots make their appearance when women are feeling confident, strong, powerful and fearless; and if women weren’t exuding these attributes at first, as soon as they lace up those boots, they become a bit transformed. Black boots never go without being noticed and pair perfectly with those vintage graphic tees and jeans that hug your hips just right.
Important Update: Due to the popularity of this event, the venue of their anniversary cocktail party has changed. The party, which was scheduled to be held at the Ava Lounge Rooftop Bar, will now be held at the Hudson Hotel Bar. Updated details below.
Urban Girl Squad turns two in February, and to celebrate, they are throwing an Urban Girl Squad-style bash on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 7:00PM.
Help us celebrate in style at a cocktail party at the Hudson Hotel Bar, where we’ll have drink specials, door prizes, gift bags, and more. Whether you’re an Urban Girl Squad regular or you are totally new to the group, come join the fun, have a few cocktails, and spend time with friends – old and new – in NYC.
We’ll be featuring cupcakes and cookies from Sweet Hunnie Cakeshop and door prizes & gift bags from:
Bliss
Molton Brown
Pure Yoga
By Carolina
The Andean Collection jewelry
Swarovski crystal-studded sports bra from BodyRock Sport
Bring five friends to the party and you’ll be entered in a raffle to win The Ultimate Urban Girl Squad Package: 5 free events and an Urban Girl Squad t-shirt!
You don’t want to miss this FREE event. RSVP is required to attend. Space is limited, so reserve your spot now and invite your friends!
About Urban Girl Squad
Amanda Hofman created Urban Girl Squad, a community-based social group for women in their 20’s and 30’s in New York City, in January 2008. Urban Girl Squad creates opportunities for these women to try new things, spend time with friends, and meet new people. Our events include food and wine tastings, beauty and fashion nights, dance and fitness classes, sports, events, cocktail parties and more. We provide special, discounted access to the city — you’ll meet store owners and designers, taste gourmet food and drinks, receive personal attention from popular venues, and score some amazing gift bags. The welcoming atmosphere at our events makes it easy for members to attend on their own or with friends.
Fast Facts:
Date: Thursday, February 25, 2010
Location: Hudson Hotel Bar
356 West 58th Street
New York, NY 10019
Juicy Couture founders Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy have announced they will be leaving the brand to pursue other projects, including books, television and movies.
Since selling the brand to Liz Claiborne in 2003, the two founders have netted more than $200 million and since that time, their participation in Juicy Couture has been a downward spiral. In 2008, they stepped down as co-presidents of their own brand to become creative directors, making their announcement to leave the brand completely the only logical next step in their edging-toward-exit process. Nash-Taylor and Skaist-Levy did make a brief statement on their departure from the brand, saying:
“We stayed seven years, which is a long time… We’re super-creative girls. We want to bust out and do everything.”
While the founders are definitely trying to exit without too much of a flareup from their fans or anyone else associated with them on a business level, some are speculating that the real reason they have decided to completely leave the brand is because of their scufflings with Liz Claiborne CEO, Bill McComb. It has been said the duo and McComb have gotten into scuffles over the quality of Juicy Couture’s fashions declining after recent reshuffling of Asian manufacturers. McComb has also stated, “As a business gets bigger and bigger, less and less comes from the founding team.”
However, contrary to what McComb has stated about the continued success of Juicy Couture, upscale department stores, including the likes of Neiman Marcus and Bloomingdale’s have been cutting back floor space allotted to the brand after plummeting sales and markdowns. In fact, Juicy Couture’s third quarter sales have dropped 7.8% and while Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy still continue to remain upbeat about its long-term prospects, I have to say that now was the best time to get out with their $200 million and spread their juicy-scrawled asses all over books, movies and television.
I have been using L’Oréal Paris® Lash Boosting Technology for the past three weeks (you can check out week one here) and according to L’Oréal Paris®, they only need four weeks to completely transform your short, almost non-existent eyelashes into phenomenal, longer, stronger lashes. Thanks to BzzAgent, I was able to give L’Oréal Paris® Lash Boosting Technology a try and in the past three weeks, have definitely seen a few slight differences.
My eyelashes don’t fall out by the multiples when I wash my makeup off at night. Big, big plus.
My eyelashes are most definitely longer and more defined, even with no eye makeup on at all.
There are two products in the L’Oréal Paris® Lash Boosting Technology line–the Lash Boosting Serum, which retails for around $12 and the Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara, which retails for for around $10, or you can buy them both together. While I have been applying the Lash Boosting Serum at night for the past three weeks, if you don’t want to buy the set, I would definitely opt for the Double Extend Lash Boosting Mascara of the two. It is, hands down, the best mascara I have ever used. It goes on evenly and stays there all day long and I really love it.
I have never been one to wear a ton of makeup; I am a big fan of natural beauty and most often, I can be found wearing only some eyeliner and mascara. I love accentuating my eyes, I’ll dab on a little lip gloss or if I’m going out somewhere special I’ll apply a classic red lip, but that about covers me and makeup’s relationship. Needless to say, I go through a great deal of eye cosmetics, especially considering you should update your mascara once every three months; something I had not known until just a few months ago. Lucky for me, just around the same time I needed some updating, BzzAgent sent me a brand new mascara product from L’Oréal Paris®–their Lash Boosting Technology.
Of course, because I’m well, me, before even reading my literature on the product, I ran up to the bathroom and put it on, since I was getting ready to leave the house already anyway. With just the very first application, I was amazed. I ran into my partner’s office and started saying, “Look at my eyelashes! Look how much bigger and fuller they are, they look amazing!” He agreed, of course, and started comparing the literature on the product to how it really worked, such as the fact that it really does separate and accentuate each and every single lash you have, which let’s face it, most mascaras do not do without some major clumping. I was absolutely overjoyed with the product, but completely forgot that they are currently hosting a 4 week challenge to let you see just how much your lashes will change in 4 weeks while using L’Oréal Paris® Lash Boosting Technology.
So here we are at the beginning. Week 1. Here is a picture of me with absolutely no makeup on whatsoever. In fact, I have been sick with pneumonia for the past 10 days and this is what being sick, just waking up and having no makeup on looks like:
Week 1 of the 4-week L'Oréal Paris® Lash Boosting Technology Challenge. Sick. Just woke up. No makeup at all.
As you can see, without mascara, my eyelashes look nonexistent until I close my eyes. Hopefully this lash boosting technology fixes that. So be sure to check back here every Tuesday until February 9th to see if it really works!
After doing some research when it comes to lash boosting technology and eyelash growth cosmetics and products, L’Oréal is definitely one of the cheapest ways to go about lengthening your eyelashes in a safe, comfortable and easy way. Some products sell for up to over $100 and the entire product line of Lash Boosting Technology sells for up to $21.79. You can purchase it at Walmart and Target for pretty cheap!
I have spoken about my slight (okay, maybe a little more than slight) obsession with bath and body products here before; so when I heard about the Temptation is Beautiful sweepstakes, I was more than just a little excited.
Back in December, 
We have all seen the spring and summer emails coming in from our favorite stores we receive email alerts from. I have been known to complain about these emails, shouting in their bold-faced type that it’s almost spring and time to buy flip flops, which isn’t surprising since at this exact moment, I am sitting in front of a window watching inches upon inches of snow layer the ground. Hopefully spring will come to Northeastern Pennsylvania soon because I am getting ridiculously tired of snow and to prepare for those spring and summer seasons, Old Navy has a ton of styles, colors and sizes for all the men in your family.
Juicy Couture founders Gela Nash-Taylor and Pamela Skaist-Levy have 
I have never been one to wear a ton of makeup; I am a big fan of natural beauty and most often, I can be found wearing only some eyeliner and mascara. I love accentuating my eyes, I’ll dab on a little lip gloss or if I’m going out somewhere special I’ll apply a classic red lip, but that about covers me and makeup’s relationship. Needless to say, I go through a great deal of eye cosmetics, especially considering you should update your mascara once every three months; something I had not known until just a few months ago. Lucky for me, just around the same time I needed some updating, 
