Christmas in July Event {Early Entries} - July 25th - 31st

I am pleased to announce that I will be participating in a fabulous event called Christmas in July!  There will be amazing sponsors on over 120 blogs offering items that you will definitely want to win! The event runs from July 25th - 31st so make sure you are signed up to receive emails from me. Believe me, you don't want to miss this event!

Visit my amazing sponsors in the meantime and show them some love!

Extra Entries!

Want to get an early start on entries?  I've got a couple ways for you to get a head start.  Make sure you  comment on this post with which early entries you completed.  These early entries must be completed by July 20th in order to receive credit for them.

2 entries - Tweet about this event using the retweet button at the top of this post (one-time only)
2 entries - Share this post on Facebook (one time only)
5 entries - Blog about this event and post the event button on your sidebar






<br /> <center><a href="http://www.justmarriedwithcoupons.com/"><img src="http://www.justmarriedwithcoupons.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/05/Christmas-in-July-Giveaway-Hop-smButton2.png" border="0" alt="Photobucket" /></a></center><br />

NeoStrata Bio-Hydrating Cream PHA 15 {REVIEW}

I don't know about you, but keeping my skin soft and healthy is the most important part of my morning and evening beauty routines. I'm constantly on the search for new products that offer something different and are effective. As I get older, the need for products that help protect my skin from all of the irritants out there trying to suck out all the moisture and attack my cells is becoming more and more crucial.  I was recently introduced to NeoStrata Bio-Hydrating Cream PHA 15 which is a cream that works at reducing the visible signs of aging while providing long-lasting moisture.

Here's some info about the cream directly from the website:
This high-strength emollient cream is designed to reduce the visible signs of aging and repair the barrier function of the skin, providing long-lasting moisturization. Gluconolactone inhibits the enzyme that can break down elastin, so it helps preserve skin’s elasticity and suppleness. This cream exfoliates and restores youthful skin texture without irritating even the most sensitive skin. Ideal adjunctive therapy for topicals such as retinoids or for pre and post-procedure use. Perfect for patients who are unable to tolerate Glycolic Acid but desire the benefits of high-strength AHAs. Fragrance-Free. Non-Comedogenic/Acnegenic. Formulated with 15% Gluconolactone and Vitamin E.

The first time I tried NeoStrata's Bio-Hydrating Cream, I was immediately impressed with the texture of this product.  It was not greasy at all and it instantly absorbed into my skin.  After a few days of using this cream every morning, I noticed that my skin felt soft and supple without feeling heavy.  I would have to use this product for longer than the few weeks that I did to really give you an honest opinion about it's protective qualities but I did notice that my skin looked a little brighter and healthier.  My favorite feature, though, is the absence of scent.  Most of the products out there with these same qualities tend to have a chemical odor to them but this product doesn't have any scent at all.  My biggest problem with this product is that it is gone so quickly!  It's a small tube at 1.4 oz for $42 but if an anti-aging product that works is really important to you, NeoStrata's Bio-Hydrating Cream is well worth that price.  Also, for a limited time you can get free shipping from the NeoStrata website.  It's a little hard to find NeoStrata products in the stores so free shipping is a great deal!

Disclosure:  I received a free sample of the product from NeoStrata and was asked to give my personal, honest opinion in exchange.  I was not obligated to write a positive review or offer a giveaway in exchange for the free product.

Better late than never winners...

I apologize for the delay in posting the winners of my most recent giveaways but, better late than never, right?

Congratulations to the winners of my Vedette Shapewear giveaway!

#29 - sueparks2003

#33 - erin.nicole

#12 - Cynthia

Congratulations to the winner of my Pepto Party in a Box prize!

#77 - coriwestphal

All winners have been notified by email and have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Stay tuned for more giveaways coming soon and look for a fun event at the end of July!

Repechage Hydra Medic Mask & Serum {REVIEW}

If you have read other posts of mine that discuss skin care, you probably know that I have always suffered from problem skin, specifically acne.  My search has been long for a solution and I have had to endure dry skin as well as smelly chemicals to keep my acne to a minimum so that I could feel beautiful.  As I've aged, my acne has decreased however I still get blemishes now and again that brings back all of those memories of being a young girl with horrible pimples on her face.  I would do just about anything to keep those darn blemishes off my face.  Along comes Repechage.  A couple weeks ago, I reviewed the Repechage Hydra Refine One Minute Clarifying Mask and fell in love because it made my skin feel soft and silky while combating my acne.  Imagine by surprise and delight to find out that I was receiving two more products from Repechage to try out!

This time around, I received some products from the Hydra Medic line which is made for acne prone skin to help decrease breakouts and keep the blemishes in check using salicylic acid along with other healing products.  The first of the two products that I tried is the Hydra Medic Sea Mud Perfecting Mask.  This mask uses ichthammol, kaolin clay, zinc oxide, titanium dioxide and eucalyptus oil to reduce oiliness and shrink pores.  It's essentially a purifying mask that doesn't dry out the skin and, in fact, makes my skin feel softer and cleaner.  You know how most masks pull on your skin as it dries and when you rinse it off it feels like all the moisture has been sucked out, too?  Well, this does not happen with Hydra Medic Sea Mud Perfecting Mask.  In fact, the opposite is true.  My skin felt soft and supple after I rinsed off the mask.

The other product I received is Hydra Medic Beta Hydroxy Serum.  This serum is amazing and is perfect for acne prevention.  All you have to do is apply a light coat of the serum after you have cleansed your skin at night.  Let it dry before you go to bed and you will maintain beautiful, clear skin.  My favorite part is that the serum doesn't bleach your sheets or towels even with zinc and salicylic acid as ingredients.  I've used products with chemicals in them that can bleach textiles but this serum doesn't!  The only criticism I have is that the dropper is a little cumbersome when you have the serum in your hand.  I think this serum would be easier to apply if it was in a squirt bottle or had a spray top on it.  Other than that, it's an effective serum for keep those pesky pimples at bay.

So, the next time you are looking for some help clearing up your acne (Repechage also sells product for those of you with dry, sensitive, combination and mature skin) check out Repechage.  All of the products I have tried do exactly what they claim to do which is a new experience for me.  I'm used to being disappointed in skin care products that claim to clear up my acne yet just make my skin dry and flaky.  I think I've found my new skin care regime!

Disclosure:  I was sent free product to test and give my honest opinion on my blog.  I was not compensated in any other way and was not required to write a positive review in exchange for the free product.

POM Wonderful Pomegranate Cranberry 100% Juice {REVIEW}

Have you heard of pomegranate? If you haven't than you've been living under a rock for the past few years!  Pomegranate is one of the new "super" foods because of the incredibly high amount of antioxidants found in the fruit.  Antioxidants are extremely important for neutralizing free radicals that exist all around us and work against us and our health by damaging the cells that compose our bodies.  We can help combat the damage done by free radicals by ingesting additional antioxidants.

A great way to take in more antioxidants is by drinking pomegranate juice and POM Wonderful makes many delicious blends of juices using pomegranate as well as other fruits like blueberry, cherry, mango and a few other fruits.  I was sent some POM Wonderful Pomegranate Cranberry 100% juice to try out and tell you all about.  This was a nice addition to my diet because I love cranberry juice and how it helps keep my urinary system healthy.

I decided to make some fun drinks with this Pomegranate Cranberry 100% juice.  Since Cosmopolitans are a favorite drink of mine, I chose to make a POM Cranberry Cosmo for dinner one night just to see how it rates against the original version.  I obviously started out with POM Wonderful Pomegranate Cranberry juice as well as a few other important additions such as vodka, Cointreau and lime juice.

Here's my recipe:

2 oz POM Pomegranate Cranberry juice
2 oz vodka
1 oz Cointreau
1 oz freshly squeezed lime juice, strained

Add these ingredients to a shaker with some ice cubes in it and shake it up!  If you feel so inclined to rim your martini glass with sugar, it would be a nice addition to the tart flavor of the juice but I was too anxious to taste the drink so I just poured it in my martini glass and drank up!

I really enjoyed the sweetness of the Pomegranate Cranberry juice.  It's not nearly as tart as pure cranberry juice which is what is used in a classic Cosmopolitan so that was a nice change from the original.  I also love the dark red color of the juice!  It was a pleasure to just look at this drink but, honestly, I enjoyed drinking it more.  Next time you're in the grocery store, look up the POM Wonderful products and try one out!  In fact, POM Wonderful is offering a coupon for $1 off your next bottle of POM Wonderful.

You can also enter the POM Wonderful presents The Greatest Movie Ever Sold contest where you can win a number of incredible prizes including a Sony 3-D television, a new MINI Cooper, or a fun date night package from POM Wonderful.  Get over there quick and enter to win!  The contest ends June 30th.  Good luck!

Disclosure:  I was sent samples of the product and was under no obligation to write a positive review or offer a giveaway in exchange for the product.  All opinions are my own, honest thoughts.

Tropical Traditions winner!

I've chosen another winner!

Congratulations to #12 - Diana D, the winner of the 

Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent.

The winner has 48 hours to respond to my email or I will have to choose another winner.  Thanks to all for entering this giveaway as well as my other ones.

Don't forget to enter my two open giveaways:

Vedette Shapewear Lingerie (3 winners) - Ends 6/12

Pepto-Bismol Party In a Box - Ends 6/21

Pepto's #PartyInABox Contest! {GIVEAWAY}

Summer is right around the corner and Pepto-Bismol is helping us get the celebrations started by hosting weekly giveaways on their Facebook page called Party In A Box!  It's so easy to enter to win awesome prizes like a new cooler, BBQ tool set, a pink apron, theme park passes and other great stuff.  Just go to the Pepto-Bismol Facebook page, like the page and click on Party In A Box.  From there, you just have to answer the question and fill out your contact info.  Easy as pie!  Hurry over there, though because the Party In A Box contest on Facebook ends on June 30th.

It gets even better because Pepto-Bismol has generously offered one of my readers a pink gift set for free!  Check it out!

Isn't it cute?  You've gotta love pink!


Mandatory Entry

Tell me what you are most looking forward to this summer; vacation, sunshine, visitors? (Please make sure that I have an email address to contact you if you are the winner either in the comment itself or on your profile.)

Additional Entries (Make sure you leave separate comments for each entry.  For example, if you post my button on your blog, leave three separate comments letting me know you did.)

3 entries - Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post and the Pepto Facebook page. Leave the link to your blog post in your comment.
1 entry - Become a public follower through Google Friend Connect of Giveaways and More or let me know if you already follow this blog.
1 entry - Become a Giveaways and More email subscriber. Check your email and make to sure verify your address to gain this entry!
1 entry - Subscribe to my RSS feed.
1 entry - "Like" Giveaways and More on Facebook.
1 entry - "Like" Pepto-Bismol on Facebook.
1 entry - Follow me on Twitter.
1 entry (1x daily) - Tweet this giveaway. Make sure to include the link to your tweet in your comment.  Feel free to click on the retweet button at the top of this post.


This giveaway will close on June 21st at 11:59 pm PDT. This giveaway is open to US residents only. The winner will be chosen via random.org, announced on this blog and notified by email. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, another winner will be chosen and notified.

Thanks to Pepto-Bismol for sponsoring this giveaway! 

Disclaimer: I was provided with a free sample of this product to review, and I was under no obligation to review it if I so chose.  Nor was I under any obligation to write a positive review or sponsor a product giveaway in return for the free product.

Happy shopping!

Congratulations to the winner of the Stella and Dot $60 giveaway!

#82 - MANDY83

I've sent an email to the winner who has 48 hours to respond or I will choose another winner.

Don't forget to enter my Tropical Traditions Powdered Dishwasher Detergent which ends tomorrow, 6/5!

Good luck and thanks for the support!

10 Tips for Summer Road Safety

Summertime is getting close and so are those fun family road trips that always take place when the kids are out of school and the weather is clear and warm.  We all want to make sure that we get our families safely to our destinations so here are some simple tips to keeping your family safe on the roadways this summer season.

1. Get a tune-up!  Make sure before embarking on any road trip, short or long, that your vehicle is running at it's best.  Take your car to your local mechanic and have them do a quick tune-up including an oil change and topping off of all your fluids.  This will not only ensure you avoid burning up your engine but it can also increase your gas mileage!
2. Check in with relatives along the way.  Make sure that someone else knows about your plans and where you will be every night and check in with them when you reach your destination.  I know my mom doesn't sleep until she knows I am where I say I am, even at the age of 34!  If something should happen, you've got someone looking out for you.
3. Check your tires.  Blown tires are not fun and definitely not safe so make sure that your tires are inflated to the correct pressure and that they are free of any rocks or glass in the tread.  Once again, healthy tires can affect your gas mileage in a positive way and goodness knows that gas prices are high enough that most of us are trying to be more efficient so that we can spend the extra cash on fun stuff!
4. Have a spare.  Just in case there is an accident and your do blow a tire, make sure you have a spare in your vehicle.  Newer cars are almost always equipped with a spare so if you have a newer car just make sure you know how to change the tire and that the spare is inflated correctly.
5. Have provisions on hand.  My parents always took a cooler or two filled with drinks and snacks whenever we went out on a road trip.  It's so important to keep hydrated and have some emergency snacks and drinks just in case of an unforeseen problem.
6. Know your route.  Once again, this was an essential component of  my family's road trips when I was young.  My dad always mapped out our routes and know exactly where we were going.  Nowadays, there are GPS devices that we shouldn't lost but those devices are not always correct so make sure you have a back map in case your GPS sends you the wrong direction.
7. Drive safely!  This should be done all the time, especially with children in the car, but sometimes we need to be reminded that there are speed limits for a reason and exceeding those speed limits can be detrimental.  Give yourself some extra time to get where you are going so that you don't make life altering decisions behind the wheel.
8. Know when to take a break.  Driving can be very tiring, especially in the heat of the summer.  Take short breaks to get up and stretch your legs.  This will also help keep your blood flowing and your mind sharp.  If you need a longer break, don't be proud.  Your family's safety could depend on it!
9. Replace those wipers!  Windshield wipers can get dried out in the summer sun and heat so before you embark on a road trip, replace the blades in your wipers.  They are inexpensive and could be important if you should encounter a sudden downpour.
10. Money talks!  I always make it a point to carry a small amount of cash (I'm talking less than $100) when I'm traveling.  You never know when you could happen upon a small business in the middle of nowhere who doesn't take Visa.  Just remember, cash is accepted everywhere!

I hope these tips are reminders that more planning is involved in a vacation that just hotel reservations.  Safelite Autoglass wants to remind us all that a chip in your windshield can easily turn into a crack at any time, especially in extreme temperatures.  Repairing the chip is often more economical and just as safe as replacing the entire windshield.  A repair usually takes around 30 minutes with the result of a strong windshield and almost no visible scar.  All of this and most insurance companies will not even charge a deductible for the repair!

Be safe this summer and enjoy those family road trips!  Those memories are some of my most favorite from childhood and I can't wait to make those memories with my own children someday.

Disclosure:  I wrote this blog post while participating in the SocialMoms and Safelite blogging program, for a gift card worth $30. For more information on how you can participate, click here.

Stella and Dot Giveaway ends Thursday night (6/2)!

Quick!  Don't forget to enter the Stella and Dot $60 Giveaway that ends Thursday, June 2nd at midnight, Pacific.  Seriously, this is an awesome company and any of their jewelry would be an amazing gift for yourself or another woman in your life.  Maybe your daughter or granddaughter or niece is graduating and would love a beautiful pendant or pair of earrings.  I think this would be perfect for a new grad or a late Mother's Day gift!  There are lots of ways to enter and not many entries so far so the odds are with you.  Good luck!