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Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Part 2 — Fragrances

Want to give your mom (or any other important lady in your life) a sweet-smelling Mother’s Day gift on Sunday? There’s still time to pick out something that she will love to receive! A few fun ideas are:

Kenzo Gift Set — Illusion ($72.00 USD) is a cool way to give her the fabulous gift of Kenzo for Mother’s Day. This set is available in Kenzo’s two most popular fragrances, FlowerbyKenzo and KenzoAmour. The kit includes a 1.7oz eau de parfum and 3.4oz Body Milk housed in a graphic gift box. Which one to choose? FlowerbyKenzo has notes of Bulgarian Rose, Parma Violet and White Musk while KenzoAmour has notes of Gentle Rice, Musk and Frangipani Blossom. Both are soft and pretty! Visit www.kenzousa.com to purchase.

Mother’s Day Fragrance Gift Sets ($15.99 USD) — These limited-edition kits include a full-size fragrance, a $20 gift certificate for 1-800-Flowers, a decorative gift bag with tissue paper and a giftable pouch with a personable “From-To” card. Choose from six different scents: Halle by Halle Berry, Halle Pure Orchid, Faith Hill, Celine Dion Sensational, Jovan Musk and Jovan White Musk. Purchase at www.target.com.

Or make your own kit with the Cherry Blossom fragrance collection from Bodycology. All Bodycology products are just $4.99 at mass market retailers nationwide. Choose from body wash, body lotion, body sprays and other fabulous products.

So buy Mom something to perk up her spirits — fragrance always makes you feel (and smell) good!

Mother’s Day Gift Ideas Part 1 — Makeup Kits

Makeup kits are one of my favorite beauty gifts to give — and receive! I find that neutral colors or pinks are great to give to almost anyone! And how about a new mineral foundation. It’s pretty easy to match skin tones with those! Who doesn’t love playing with new colors?

Lorac always has fantastic new kits for great prices. This makeup is classy and high-quality, just like mom! The limited-edition Hollywood Insider Collection ($39.50 USD) contains these five full-sized products:

Perfectly Lit Oil-Free Luminizing Powder in Spotlight (warm beige)
Baked Matte Satin Blush in Hollywood (bronzed rose)
Bronzed Bombshell Eye Shadow Trio in Sand/Serenity/Bronze
Special Effects Conditioning Primer/Defining & Lengthening Mascara
Couture Shine Liquid Lipstick in Vintage (light neutral beige)

These colors will look lovely on everyone! I especially love the wow effect of the mascara and the beuatiful luminizing powder. You can pick this up at Sephora or www.sephora.com.

I always love looking at Kohls’ makeup counter. They have fun makeup brands like Flirt! and American Beauty that you can only find at Kohls. A really sweet kit for mom is the American Beauty Spring Look Kit in Pink Gingham ($30.00 USD). This set contains:

Luxury for Lids® Eyeshadow Duo (in Pink Gingham) – Limited Edition – .06 oz. each Blush Perfect® Cheek Color (in Rosy Cheeks) – .10 oz. Softly Shaping Mascara® (in Black Velvet) – .16 oz.

These pretty-pink colors are so fresh looking, and the mascara make lashes look lush! Visit a Kohls near you or go to www.kohls.com

This Pür Minerals Starter Kit ($37.00 USD)is a great way to try mineral makeup. Mom can’t be afraid of these travel sizes of Pür Minerals’ most popular mineral makeup products. It includes:

4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup (.15oz): The cornerstone of Pür Minerals, this one-minute mineral makeup miracle is your mineral foundation, powder, concealer and SPF protection all in one neat makeup compact. Completely free of oil, alcohol, talc, fragrances, preservatives and chemical dyes, this mineral foundation is actually good for your skin!

Mineral Glow (.12oz): A touch of sun in a makeup compact, this mineral powder will impart a natural, sun-kissed glow to your skin.

Universal Marble Powder (.10oz/3g): Give your skin back that rosy glow you were born with. Porcelain through Tan Start Now kits come with Marble Powder in Pink. Medium Dark through Deepest include Marble Powder in Spice. This multi-purpose mineral makeup can be worn on your eyes, lips and cheeks.

The Chisel Makeup Brush: The magic behind the mineral makeup look! The only makeup brush to use for application of your 4-in-1 Mineral Makeup, it provides maximum coverage and an amazingly smooth finish.

First of all, LOVE the brush it’s bristles are compact and perfect to swirl the minerals in the lid for application. This is one mineral makeup that doesn’t accentuate my lines and pores so I love it. The bronzer and blush complete the look. Visit www.purminerals.com to purchase this great and affordable kit!

Fresh Wave Will Make Your House (and Your Pet) Smell Great!

Looking for a natural way to remove odors in your home? Fresh Wave is a company that creates products that get rid of odor in a natural way.

Shake away your carpet odor away with Fresh Wave® Carpet Shake ($14.00 USD). Fresh Wave claims that this odor eliminator gets rid of food, pet, and cigarette smells. Although I’m not a smoker, I do have kids who spill food and a puppy (she’s a Great Dane so she’s like 3 puppies) and I know from carpet odor! I shook the Carpet Shake over my carpet, left on for 10 minutes and vacuumed away. Voila! Fresh smelling carpets.

And speaking of my puppy Bella, I really enjoyed bathing her with the Fresh Wave Pet Shampoo ($13.99 USD). I liked that this shampoo natural and non-toxic and it not only cleans, but deodorizes Bella’s fur. It claims to get rid of all odors, even skunk!

Visit www.fresh-wave.com to learn more about these and other odor eliminators.

Nude Skincare Detox Supplement

I have been curious about detox programs for a while. Would it really work, cleaning out the system to make one look and feel better. As I am not ready to try a liquid detox, I have been trying a pill, Nude Skincare Detox Food Supplement ($29.00 USD for 2 courses of treatment included in one tub). The website describes the supplements as:

“This definitive treatment delivers a targeted probiotic detox with complete nutritional support. Liquorice and ginger support digestive function to reduce water retention and increase energy. Chlorella, holy basil and turmeric defend against free radicals and support the liver for clear, radiant skin.”

This treatment has a patented probiotic fermentation that delivers easily absorbed, full spectrum nutrition. It is also biocompatible whicm means that the food base ingredients are easily assimilated by the body.

I have taken 2 capsules morning and night on an empty stomach with a glass of water for ten days. I have also made sure that I drink a lot to water each day. I have noticed that after one course of treatment, my skin looks clearer and healthier and I did lose a couple of pounds. I did feel more engergetic.

Visit www.nudeskincare.com to learn more and to purchase these fantastic supplements!

Pangea Organics Hand Soap

Pangea Organics Hand Soap (regular price $14.00 USD on sale for $10.50 USD) is a herbal hand soap that is foamy and fun! The soap includes organic coconut, olive, hemp and jojoba oils blended with our pure organic herbal extracts and essential oils to nourish the skin.

This hand soap is available in the following combinations:

Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom: The benefits of lavender are soothing, healing and tension-relieving, and the benefits of cardamom are antiseptic, cleansing and invigorating.

Italian White Sage, Geranium and Yarrow: The benefits of geranium are cell-regenerating, toning and rejuvenating and the benefits of yarrow are anti-allergenic, anti-inflammatory and detoxifying.

Canadian Pine with White Sage: The benefits of pine are antiseptic and elevating yet grounding and the benefits of white sage are antioxidant, calming and healing.

I have used the Pyrenees Lavender with Cardamom and I really love the scent, it’s sweet and refreshing. It foams up wonderfully and cleans well! It also leaves skin soft, not dry.

Visit www.pangeaorganics.com to learn more and purchase this great soap!

Twist Organic Water

I get sometimes get tired of drinking plain water all day long while I’m trying to get healthier. Twist Organic Water ($1.49 USD a bottle) is a refreshing drink that has only 9 calories and is not overly sweet.

Twist comes in 4 organic flavors: Mandarin White Tea, Pomegranate Blueberry, West Indies Lime, and Mango Acai and 4 natural flavors: Marionberry, Mandarin, Peach and Lemon.

Visit www.drinktwist.com to find out where to find these delicious drinks!

Calm Your Skin with New Anti-Acne Skincare from H2O Plus

I love H2O+’s sea-derived skincare. The scents are fantastic. The main fragrance is a spa-like, oceany scent that is so addictive! I have never tried their anti-acne line, but I do break out occasionally, especially when the weather gets warmer (like now).

H2O+ products control oil production naturally with their gently astringent seaweed extracts that break down bacteria.

Sea Clear Refining Facial ($22.00) — is a great scrub that is enriched with five sea minerals (Zinc, Copper, Iron, Silicon and Magnesium) and oil-absorbing marine botanicals (Gigartina, Neptune Kelp and Dulse). You apply and massage in the facial, and it will flake away along with dull, pore-clogging surface cells to reveal naturally renewed, shine-free skin. I love how fresh my skin looks after this treatment, and my pores appear smaller after use.

Anti-Acne Calming Corrector ($24.00 USD) — is a serum that can be used as a spot treatment or can be applied all over the face to keep oil at bay. It also contains the oil-absorbing marine botanicals plus salicylic and glycollic acids to prevent, treat and fade blemishes without irritation or drying.

I have used it as both a spot treatment and all over on oily days. It works well to calm the skin and treats the breakouts!

Visit www.h2oplus.com to purchase these and many more fantastic products. Enjoy!

Brighten Your Complexion with New Skincare Products from Clarins

Since 1954, the Clarins Group has used its expertise in the field of beauty to offer consumers safe, effective products that deliver real results. They make consumer safety a priority and believe in using plant-derived ingredients.

I tried two new Clarins skin care products, and boy did they make my skin glow! There is a reason that Clarins has such a great reputation in the beauty world!

The Gentle Peeling Smooth Away Cream ($30.00 USD) is a very different type of exfoliation. It gets rid of dead skin cells and boosts the appearance of the skin by gently exfoliating your skin without any abrasive substance. To use it, apply a little bit all over clean, dry skin, and leave on for one minute before removing with light sweeping movements working outwards from middle of the face and neck. This is messy business, because of the white flakes that fall off of the skin, so do it over the sink! Once done, rinse your face and voila! Glowing skin!

The Brightening Hydrating Day Lotion SPF 20 ($59.00 USD) is a beautiful combo moisturizer and sunscreen that leaves a smooth matte finish. This cream is enriched with a combination of Sea Lily and Alchemilla extracts to provide protection against dark spots and a combination of raspberry extract, biotin and highly stable Vitamin C that reduces melanin. This will leave skin brighter. Plus you get UVA and UVB filters to protect against harmful sun rays plus white tea extract to protect against free radicals.

I have been using the Gentle Peeling Smooth Away Cream a couple of times a week and the Brightening Hydrating Day Lotion every day and my skin looks smoother and brighter! Fantastic!

Visit www.us.clarins.com to learn more. Enjoy!

Make Your Eyes “Pop” with Trish McEvoy

Trish McEvoy creates beautiful cosmetics and life-enhancing solutions for women. Her guiding philosophy is that “women should be able to maintain a standard of beauty to live their best lives each day and not be obligated to sacrifice their beauty because of the constraints of time, space and the natural changes that occur with age.”

I have recently tried two of Trish’s most popular products, the Eye Base Essentials and High Volume Mascara.

I absolutely love the iconic Eye Base Essentials ($24.00 USD). This cream-to-powder formula gives lids an even and flawless look. Just this product makes eyes look more awake. Apply shadow on top, and you have a crease-proof, all-day look. It is available in six shades; Sand, Linen, Sheer Gold, Soft Peach, Bare and Malibu.

Don’t be fooled by the name High Volume Mascara ($28.00 USD). The brush has short bristles, and it grabs every lash and extends them, making the mascara lengthening as well as thickening. This is also a tube mascara, meaning the product deposited on the lashes forms little tubes and won’t come off until you take it of with warm water. It is also flake-proof and smudge-proof — fantastic stuff!

Visit www.trishmcevoy.com to learn more and to purchase. Have fun defining those eyes!

Thymes Kimono Rose Rollerball Perfume

I love rollerball perfumes. Not only are they portable and convenient, they are an affordable way to try a new perfume.

Thymes Kimono Rose Rollerball Perfume ($20.00 USD) is a fresh scent that is perfect for spring. It is a sheer floral with clementine, cassis, rose, peony, jasmine petals and vanilla.

This is a great everyday scent. At first, it is swwet and flowery, but it dries down to a powdery floral. Very pretty.

Thymes has other fragrances in rollerball. Visit www.thymes.com to learn more and to purchase great products! Enjoy!