Beauty Giveaways
Wednesday, May 11th, 2011
Win Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum (And Fight Kid-Induced Wrinkles)
Amy Adams and Gisele Bundchen have crystal clear skin…
* Beauty Review Fest of the Week:
Can you get clear skin from plants? What about the things that you drink? Read on to see how natural ingredients can give your naturally gorgeous skin in little time….
Exclusive Giveaway: Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging Serum
Motherhood ages you. Let’s face facts… be honest… stop cutting corners…. Motherhood is one big excused to let yourself go. It’s stressful (anyone with a snotty, fevery, teething toddler knows that), it’s full of anxiety (I check their seat-belts 40 times before hitting drive) and it’s exhausting (my 5 year old could pee every 3 minutes at 3 in the morning if I let her). In short, we have earned the right as mothers to use special products that help us fight against aging (ahem, our kids), and now you can win a product to aid the cause.
Origins Plantscription is a lightweight serum that smells amazing (unlike those funky, sticky formulas), and gives prescription results without overly harsh side effects. In fact, studies showed that it had 88% of the wrinkle-fighting power of a prescription… but a heck of a lot less of a price tag. The goal is to get smoother, more lifted skin without stripping or irritating your complexion (goal totally achieved!)
How To Enter:
* Comment Below: What is one of the most stressful aspects of motherhood that NO ONE warns you about?
* Give Plantscription a quick shout out via social media (Twitter or Facebook: your choice!) Just Follow @Origins or Like Origins.
You’re done! One lucky winner will get a one month supply of Origins Plantscription Anti-Aging serum…so enter fast!
Nutrition Update: Phenom Water
Water and I are not friends (and we never have been). I wish I was one of those cool people who naturally drinks water all the time, and is so hydrated the sunlight seems to shine out of their pores. Unfortunately, the only way I can get myself to truly drink agua is by tricking my taste-buds into it (be it bubbly, flavored or otherwise). As a former certified personal trainer I know the benefits of water and could preach healthy drinking until the cows come home…. but my own finicky, lazy hydration habits tell another story.
Luckily, Phenom Water is aiming to reward you for your fabulous commenting skills (so get ready to get your comment on). For anyone who writes an insightful comment on the Phenom Water website, they get a full size sample to try for themselves. Phenom Coconut Water is a potent alternative to your usual boring drink, because it contains electrolytes, multi-vitamins and metabolism boosters depending on the flavor. Whether enjoying the classic Pure flavor or the bold Pineapple Punch of Lemon Mojito, each drink perfectly supports your craziest days, most intense workouts or deepest hydration needs. And since we’re talking about coconut water and not milk, it’s only 45 calories per serving with tons of potassium to boot (bye bye weird leg cramps left over from pregnancy!) So drink up, enjoy and feel better soon.
Makeover Mommaâ„¢ occasionally receives cosmetic products for review, with no obligation to positively promote or cover said brand. Receiving products has absolutely no influence over our recommendation of any particular product.
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Posted in Beauty Giveaways, Beauty Momma, Nutrition Momma, Nutrition Reviews | 9 Comments »
Friday, May 6th, 2011
What Happens When Your Mom Becomes a Mi Mi
Is there anything better than this?
* Column of the Week:
I have always loved Mother’s Day.
In the past, Mother’s Day was a time littered with papier-mâché plates and Crayola Faberge creations given with poorly concealed enthusiasm 5 days in advance. It was a holiday that made perfect sense to me, because it was all about my Mommy. My mother was the person who was always there to jam bobby pins deep into the inner cortex of my frontal lobe on the way to dance, or make road trips educational with license plate math games and Cracker Barrel books on tape. She would let me stay up late during every presidential election, coloring off the Democratic and Republican states in red and blue crayon, or encouraging me to write letters to Senate members when my first-grade self was displeased with the system.
Even though I wasn’t exactly the Kim Kardashian of our 7-member family (be that I was battling crooked front teeth, a weird pension for over-blinking and a kitty cat T-shirt habit), I still felt special in my own right, despite my low-level social status and lack of Limited Too ensembles. At the time, I had no idea that it wasn’t cool to watch the Labyrinth on repeat at your birthday party because you’re in a David Bowie phase, or that putting purple mascara in your ballerina bun does not make you look punk rock (it makes you look ever so slightly homeless). Instead, I felt a complete sense of self-security, excitement and enthusiasm for the world around me, and it was because of one particular reason: my mother taught me that I had a voice.
If you asked me at the tender age of 8 what I wanted to do when I turned 18, I would have never said, “Go to college as soon as I can†or “Leave home without looking back (while also buying porn and cigarettes)â€. Instead, I knew that voting was one of the greatest honors that the sacrificial and brave women of our country had given before me, and that the power of one person’s voice should never be underestimated. Then again, it was easy to underestimate my mother if you didn’t know her. As a dedicated housewife, devoted mom of five and frequent school teacher, she gracefully moved from state to state to support my Dad, while pitching in at every single after school activity around (tutu sewing skills and egg salad sandwiches always incorporated).
Unfortunately, the culture we live in today teaches us that the women who can yell the loudest, pull hair the hardest and back stab the most, are the ones with which the power should lie. Whether you’re watching the cat fights on Celebrity Apprentice or yet another installment of The Bad Girls Club (really? You cancel The Good Guys and you keep that?), pushy, bossy and forceful examples of womanhood are witnessed everywhere. If there is anything that my mom has taught me over the years, it’s that the thoughtful, deliberate and giving women are the ones to look out for. They don’t need to yell to let their opinion be known. They don’t need to stoop to the standards of high school teenyboppers, to stand up for what they believe in. And most importantly, they choose their words wisely and that is what makes what they have to say all the more wise.
My youngest enjoying the lap of her Mi Mi…
But even though it might seem like my Captain of the Cheerleading Squad, former Homecoming Queen mother was completely and utterly perfect, the fact of the matter is that I didn’t care about any of those things… all I cared was that she showed up. Whenever I exited a practice, completed a test or succeeded in a challenge of life, she was always ready to carpool, congratulate and sometimes commiserate. When I failed at something (which by the way, is one of my greatest skills), I never worried about judgment or vilification. Everything in life was looked on as a learning experience, from the spilled chocolate milk in the living room to the first boyfriend who inevitably broke my heart.
Never the less, one of the hardest transitions in life has certainly been watching my mother go from Mommy…. To Mi Mi. As an adult, I can no longer curl up on the couch of my parent’s house when I’m sick, and hope that mom will make me weird amounts of squash and tempeh to ease the pain. (Heck, I’m lucky to shove a few out-of-date baby Tylenol down my throat before moving on to the next thing). As a mother myself, I fight back the urge to call her whenever I have a problem, a question or saw a really interesting episode of Oprah, because I know that she is no longer just Mommy to me… but Mi Mi to eight beautiful grandchildren (and eventually counting).
Yet as Mother’s Day approaches, I can’t help but think if I add up to the example she set before me, both as a Mommy, a Mi Mi and a woman. While we wore Laura Ashley matching denim dresses as kids, my girls are almost always clad in Goober-covered Goodwill gear, with an inordinate amount of pollen and foliage in their hair. And even though I am so “that mom†who is always missing the important piece of paper, the form for approval or the children’s socks at the shoe-less playground, there is one thing I always know how to do…. Show up.
In the future if my girls can look back on their childhood, and remember that they always had someone to drive them, watch them, encourage them and cheer for them… who cares what outfits we wear? If years from now, they reflect on the books read, homework studied and blue and red states to be colored, does anyone notice if we have the right shoes? Our job in life as mothers is not to be the best, it’s not to look a certain way or do more than everyone else. It’s simply to be the support that never wavers, the shoulder that’s always there to lean on and the voice that’s forever in our heads.
So when my 5 year old daughter greeted me one morning recently holding a makeshift coffee mug and hand-scribbled card 5 days premature, I knew that even though I may not be able to count on my Mom to pick me up from practice anymore, make me squash when I’m ill or tell me what do when the going gets tough… she will never stop being my Mommy.
Why? Because she gave me the power of her voice. You don’t need to have a loud one to know how to use it, and you don’t have to be special to have something important to say. It’s true that my mom was a great many things throughout our lives, but the greatest gift she’s ever given us is the voice in our heads guiding us to always use our own.
And that, I have to say, is the best Mother’s Day gift ever.
* Super Special Exclusive Giveaway: Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Kit ($138 Value)
Who doesn’t want to win a $138 value anti-aging skincare kit from complexion guru Peter Thomas Roth? (If the answer is not you, psychological evaluation may be needed). The fabulous PRT is celebrating the 5 year anniversary of their acclaimed Un-Wrinkle innovation, and in honor of that (and you on Mother’s Day), they’re giving one lucky lady a complete kit. Un-Wrinkle products are designed to combat the signs of aging with dermatologist-levle results (think peptides, neuropeptides and other fancy pant ingredients which you can’t pronounce). It also combats environmental factors- your child’s temper tantrum phase likely included- with potent antioxidants to soothe the skin. Want to win? Speak up!
* Makeover Momma will be giving away THREE Peter Thomas Roth Un-Wrinkle Kits throughout the month of May to celebrate the 5 year anniversary (kicking off with Mother’s Day weekend!)
* Comment To Enter: What is the biggest source of stress in your life, likely causing you wrinkles?
Just comment and keep eye on Makeover Momma Twitter and Facebook accounts (I’ll announce the winner in exactly one week!) And make sure you don’t give up, because I still have 2 more kits to give away in May. Good luck!
*Â Bailey Vincent Clark is the Editor-in-chief, author and founder of Makeover Momma. She hosts Makeover Momma TV on Tuesday (7 PM/EST & 4 PM/PT), and writes this column weekly (if the kids don’t interrupt!)
Posted in Beauty Giveaways, Beauty Momma, Family Momma, Getting Friendly | 19 Comments »
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011
How Airbrush Foundation Will Change Your Skin
My rosy skin without makeup and my face using TEMPTU…
* BONUS POST Product Review:
I am a foundation addict. I’ve tried liquids, compacts, creams, mousses, powders and more… but even after years of trial and error, I still find myself having “bad foundation days” very frequently. There is nothing worse than looking back at photos later and seeing myself either A) shinier than the diamonds I’d love to be owning, or B) more be-speckled and mis-colored than my children’s attempts at Easter eggs. And even though mineral foundation is generally my favorite, the smallest of changes can make my skin breakout or look irritated.
My face without makeup and with my mineral makeup…
But as you can see from the images above (one in which I am rosy without foundation and the other shiny and splotchy with minerals), it’s hard to decide which is the lesser of two evils. Enter TEMPTU: the AIRbrush Makeup System that lets you apply foundation in the same way as the pro’s, giving you a pristine, natural look that is literally airbrushed. Even though it’s super pricey for the every day momma (at least the freakishly frugal ones like me), once you own the system, you only have to buy makeup refills as needed. And it doesn’t just apply foundation, but blush, bronzer, highlighter or anything else desired too. It’s pretty much as close as you’ll get to feeling like a flawless, pampered celebrity (minus the court cases and devastatingly dashing boyfriend), and that’s definitely always a good thing!
If you’re worried about the cost, try entering the TEMPTU BFF Backstage Beauty Adventures Sweepstakes (they are giving over $10,000 in prizes to over 500 winners). All you have to do is Like their Facebook page (but it ends this weekend, so act fast!)
1/2 my face without makeup and 1/2 with TEMPTU…See the difference?
So would the TEMPTU AIRbrush Makeup System work for YOUR skin and your lifestyle? Kindly keep reading…
1. You’ll love it if you’re lazy. I hate anything that requires blending, shading, softening or smoothing, and this necessitates none of the above. In fact, all you have to do is point, aim and spray…simple enough?
2. You’ll dig it if you have tricky skin. My skin is like Tara Reid on the weekend… you never know what level of crazy you’re going to get. My major dysfunctions involve blotches, freckles, redness and the occasional hormone induced pimple, all of which require differing levels of coverage. This personalized approach gets the job done…
3. You’ll dig it if you want to look flawless. Not everyone wants to be perfect (or at least that’s what I tell myself), and some of us even embrace your flaws. I love my freckles and sun-free skin, but still have no qualms with looking as spotless as possible. The mere idea of airbrushing donates crystal clear, even skin, and that’s exactly the purpose of this system.
* Speak Up: Would you ever spring for spray foundation? Do you like the mineral look or TEMPTU more?
Makeover Mommaâ„¢ occasionally receives cosmetic products for review, with no obligation to positively promote or cover said brand. Receiving products has absolutely no influence over our recommendation of any particular product.
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Posted in Beauty Giveaways, Beauty Momma | 5 Comments »
