Category: beauty

Well, it’s the end of the second week full of June, so I figure I should probably talk again about how I hate summer, because you guys need to hear about it at least once a week, RIGHT? Okay, okay, I should be honest here: I don’t REALLY hate it. I had a great week with the big kids at VBS and Jonah at summer preschool (4 more weeks of that, and he is LOVING IT!! So happy!!) I just get a bit bent out of shape when I go all day without a single moment to myself. And after a few days or weeks of that, I get REAL bent out of shape…flustered, my self-diagnosed adult ADD gets worse, and I want to become a hermit. I am just one of those moms who needs a wee bit of time to herself to recharge and get stuff done. I’m not talking about a daily spa session or anything, I am talking about a couple hours of non-interrupted work and getting things done. It does WONDERS for my soul. Therefore, when we are on the school schedule, I am much more functional.

So: here is one way I am surviving summer. I am carving out space for some small splurges on myself. Taking the time a couple times a week when, instead of spending 30 minutes finishing that work assignment, I spend 30 minutes giving myself a manicure or a making a  homemade facial scrub. Because those activities, when you have wet nails or a face covered in yummy-smelling goo? REQUIRE YOU TO SIT STILL FOR A BIT. And sometimes, that is what I need more than anything. The kids each have to do 30 minutes of reading a day, and a couple days a week during reading time, I am going to sit and be good to myself.

I started today, with an oatmeal face mask which I whipped up as part of a sponsored campaign with Dawn Hand Renewal (which has been my fave dish soap since it came out! I stockpile that magic elixir when it goes on sale at CVS!) It was a huge mess but it felt kind of awesome on my face. You guys know I am into BEAUTY, especially my OWN, ha ha, and I love the way an oatmeal mask feels because it’s nice and exfoliating when you put it on and take it off! It has all kinds of benefits for the skin like the aforementioned exfoliation and hydration, too. Only trouble with making your own pampering mask at home is…you end up with some goopy dishes to clean up!

So, it’s a good thing that I like to treat myself to some pampering dish soap: Dawn Hand Renewal. There are a few “luxuries” I enjoy around the house. One of them is my fancy-brand paper towels and the other is my fancy dish soap. I’ve been a goner for Dawn Hand Renewal since it first came out. I mean, the coupons in the P&G Saver insert were for 50 cents off when it first came out and the coupons for regular Dawn were 25 cents off, so…you guys know I went for that! And I LOVED it so much, it’s all I buy now. I’m a total stockpiler when it’s on sale! Dawn sent me this new scent that I hadn’t tried yet, Peach & Almond, and it’s pretty much amazeballs. Super-yummy smell plus it makes your hands nice and soft while you do dishes, or after a million hand-washing that every mom does each day because our kids are always getting gross stuff on us. (They have a lot of new scents! I am dying to try Pomegranate Splash next. Yes, I really am. This is how much I love this soap!!)

I love that Dawn Hand Renewal really does moisturize, soften, and treat my hands sooo well while I am doing the daily mundane (and possibly unpleasant) tasks that require it’s use…it makes those things that much better! Plus, it cuts grease like a BOSS and powerfully washes away stuck-on foods like Dawn has always done since the…dawn…of Dawn. (See what I did there?)

Do you like Dawn Hand Renewal? What are your thoughts on this fab everyday life (and hand) saver? Leave me a comment and let me know what you like about it and you’ll be entered to win your own Dawn Hand Renewal Simplify Your Summer Kit  (which includes a big ol’ bottle of Dawn Hand Renewal) just like the one I used to make my oatmeal mask! One winner will be chosen Friday June 24 at 6pm EST. All you have to do enter is leave a comment – good luck! And Happy Summer Simplifying!

This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Dawn. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine. Thanks Dawn, for including me in this campaign!

I have a confession to make: Despite the fact that I am beauty-obsessssssed, I haven’t visited a Sally Beauty store in years. Scandal, I know! I am not even sure why, perhaps it’s my drugstore coupon obsession that kept me away and/or my unwillingness to spend actual money on myself. But whatever the reason, I am happy to say all that has changed! As part of a sponsored post campaign to celebrate Sally Beauty’s 50th anniversary, I recently visited the store and I was super-impressed with their selection of makeup, shampoos, skin care, and hair styling tools –  not to mention the stuff they have for professional stylists and makeup artists.

I was very tempted by the makeup, but since I need a new lipstick like I need a hole in the head, I decided to go after something I’ve needed for a long time but have been too cheap to invest in: a decent hair dryer. And oh baby, did I find one! Meet my new BFF:

Let me just tell you something, there is a REAL difference between a higher-end hair dryer and the crap I’ve been buying for years. WOW, does this baby dry my hair FAST. I hate drying my hair because I have thick hair that holds water like a sponge and it takes FOREVER and leaves me a sweaty mess. UNTIL NOW. Now it takes about five minutes and leaves me happy. YAY!

And the experience shopping for this dryer at Sally Beauty was great, too! I could NOT believe how many hair dryers there weere to choose from, and there were lots of reputable brands. (They also had tons of flatirons, wavers, curling irons, curling wands…it was crazy!) I had done some research online, reading reviews, but I still needed help in the store because the selection is huge and they all looked fantastic. The Sales Associate was really helpful and she assured me that if I don’t like it I have 60 days to return it with my receipt. YAY! So I have plenty of time to test it out and make sure it’s what I need! (So far so very, very good.)

So, did you catch up at the top of this post where I said it’s Sally Beauty’s 50th anniversary this year? 50 years of bringing the beauty – that’s pretty great! Of course to celebrate they are having some awesome sales  – the aforementioned wonderful hairdryer was 25% off PLUS I had a coupon as well, yes I did and you can print said coupon yourself! Head on over to Sally Beauty’s 50 years of Beauty website and print this $3.50 off any $10 purchase coupon!

I would totally do that if I were you, because the sales to celebrate 50 Years of Beauty are AWESOME (including some great buy one get one free deals!!) and you can score some really great deals with that coupon and a sale. They even have some special OPI nail polish limited edition colors that were specifically made for Sally Beauty’s 50th for you mani-lovers. I myself might have to go back for some of the BOGO makeup. I can’t help myself. It’s a sickness.

I gotta say, it won’t be long before I walk back into a Sally Beauty store again, especially since this kickin’ 50th anniversary sale will be going on for a few more weeks! Now that I’m into styling my hair a little more, I need to get back in there and get the latest greatest products to put in it! I am SO glad I finally took the time to invest in a decent hair dryer – it has already made my life so much easier this week and was well worth it!

What’s that beauty item you’ve been needing but can’t quite get around to purchasing? (I bet I know where you can get it!)