They smell delicious and felt soft and smooth on my lips. I like that they are light and I can also layer them. My favorite is the Sugar Plum Berry with a fruity touch and I also love the Sugar Cookie which smells like the real thing. The Winter Mint is very nice and cooling and Sugar and Spice smells like eggnog to me.  These are perfect to get your lips ready for under the mistletoe or for New Year’s Eve smooches.

The first two entries are mandatory and the rest are optional for extra entries. Enter via Rafflecopter (click Read more).

Disclosure:  I received free samples of Softlips products for my review. 
No compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

“Life is complicated. STUF is simple” – STUF

Ok, so you’re probably wondering what STUF is. STUF is a great natural men’s skincare line which I just found out about and was very pleased to review.  They have also generously offered to do a giveaway for Strange Daze Indeed readers with the same products I received.

ALL ABOUT STUF

It is a competitive world we live in. Mark Spitz has an unequaled competitive edge. You don’t win 9 gold medals by being complacent. His success has streamed from sports to business to entrepreneurship. And Mark recognizes that the way you look has a lot to do with the way people look at you. To be your best requires attention to every aspect of your “game” including grooming.

For my review,  I had the good fortune to have a very good male friend who was eager to try the products and give me feedback.

My friend, Mike, and I reviewed the Classic Shave Kit which includes Daily Facial Cleanser, Shave Gel, After Shave Balm and Anti-Aging Moisturizer with SPF 15.

Let’s start with the Daily Facial Cleanser.  The Daily Facial Cleanser moisturizes while it removes oil and impurities, unclogging pores. It’s naturally pH balanced and contains aloe vera, chamomile, papaya and antioxidants incuding Green Tea, Vitamin C and Pycnogenol to help nourish the skin.



First of all, let me say Mike really was happy that STUF products didn’t have a heavy or chemical scent. These products really smell natural and light. I smelled them and loved the smell. Just very clean and fresh. Not like so many of the overpowering men’s shaving products.  You don’t need too much. A little goes a long way! There wasn’t a lot of lather,  but he said his skin felt non-oily and smooth afterward. I felt it; it did. Very nice. 


Next up, the smoth and silky Shave Gel.  Again, a very nice,  fresh smell.  Mike said it gave him a very close shave, no irritation. It contains aloe vera, chamomile, Allantoin, an extract from comfrey leaf, cucumber and menthol for soothing.  His skin felt moisturized. He wanted to keep the products which I happily agreed to.

After shaving, the soothing healing After Shave Balm. Mike said it felt cool on his skin and soothing after shaving and left his skin hydrated. It absorbed quickly. This one smelled a little stronger. I looked up the ingredients and found Tea Tree Oil. It still smelled good – very clean and a bit herbal. Tea Tree Oil  helps keep pores clear and resolves blemishes, ingrown hair and razor bumps.  There is also Vitamin E and Shea Butter to replenish nutrients and soften skin as well as other healing vitamins and herbs.

Then, we get to Mike’s favorite, the Anti-Aging Daily Moisturizer with SPF 15. I loved the smell of this. Herbal and delicious is how I would describe it. Mike says it’s very light and moisturizing  and doesn’t feel heavy on his skin. STUF says it: “Minimizes the appearance of aging, smoothing fine lines and improves overall skin heath.” So far, so good on that front. It’ll take more time to see the full results. It’s also good for sensitive skin as it’s non-irritating and contains Green Tea, Vitamins A, C and E and Pycnogenol, a powerful antioxidant that helps reduce fine lines, wrinkles, brown spots, and other irregularities, and promotes healthy skin that can stand up to the elements and stresses of life.  Mike says it was non-greasy, absorbed quickly and left his skin feeling clean and smooth.

So,  based on my outside viewpoint, and Mike’s inside viewpoint, I do recommend this set for holiday gift giving, especially because it doesn’t contain  Pthalates, Parabens, Animal By-Products, Colorants, or mineral oil. Instead you’ll find herbs, vitamins and powerful anti-oxidants. This is reflected in the feel, the smell and the results.

One of my readers will be receiving the Classic Shave Kit which I was sent and Mike is now enjoying containing 4 full-size products:  The Daily Facial Cleanser, The Shave Gel, The After Shave Balm and the Anti-Aging Daily Moisturizer (SPF 15) – an $80 value. 

Please enter via Rafflecopter.  Click on Read more. The first two entries are mandatory. The rest are optional for extra entries.

I’ve been putting together posts for the holidays about my favorite things and I must admit that Laughing Vixen is one of my favorite people. I love her friendship and her sense of humor, and I love sharing her artistry with my readers.

She has generously offered the winner their choice of $12 silver pendant with chain or ribbon. And, there is quite a fun selection to choose from. You can check out her art at the Laughing Vixen Lounge.

I always have great fun looking to see what she’s come up with next and if you are buying gifts for the holidays, she will accomodate you in any way possible in terms of color and style, etc. until you find just the perfect item. She has done this for me on many occasions and I really appreciate it.

In her own words:  Welcome to The Laughing Vixen Lounge

Specialties of the house:
Pendants, Charm Bracelets and other Needful Things. 

 

My family loves 8th Continent Soymilk. We use it in cereal, in coffee and tea and for cooking.  I think it is one of the best tasting soymilks out there and I’ve tried the original, the Vanilla and chocolate flavors. The chocolate is especially yummy. When 8th Continent approached me to do a giveaway on my blog I was very happy to share the soylove!

8th Continent soymilk is low in saturated fat and an alternative for those wishing to avoid lactose and gluten. Also, you can maintain a healthy heart and have a good source of protein and calcium.  8th Continent soymilk also contains vitamins such as Vitamin A, Vitamin D, Vitamin B12. Very healthy and delicious too.

The American Masters of Taste has awarded 8th Continent Soymilk with an Award of Excellence and declared 8th Continent a World Taste Champion.

 I also wanted to share that 8th Continent has a great new contest revolving around Moms. They will be sending a Mom and a friend to Hollywood to meet the ladies of Hollywood Mom’s Night and donating $5,000 to a school of their choice on their behalf. Exciting! Check it out here! And you can explore the site here.

Also, you can follow 8th Continent on Twitter and like them on Facebook to get great recipes, craft ideas, coupons, and to keep up to date with the contest! They’re extremely friendly!

And, because they’re so cool, they’ve offered 5 lucky readers of Strange Daze Indeed the chance to win 2 coupons each for free cartons in any flavor they would like.

Disclosure: I received free 8th Continent Soymilk Coupons. No
compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.  

JUST CLICK READ MORE TO ENTER  (via rafflecopter) 🙂

Carmex lip balm was invented in 1937 by Alfred Woelbing on the family stovetop. For the next 20 years, he and his wife made Carmex by hand, pouring it into the familiar jars with the yellow caps.  That takes a lot of dedication and devotion. Now, Carma Labs employs about 100 people, but it is still owned and operated by the family: Alfred’s grandsons, Eric and Paul Woelbing.

I feel that this ongoing tradition contributes to a company that truly cares about their customers and the products it shares with them.

As part of the Carmex Blog Squad,  I was sent a  muslin bag filled with a full-size and travel-size Carmex Healing Lotion and Carmex Healing Cream.  It couldn’t have come at a more perfect time, because the weather in New England has been changing. It’s always erratic, but we actually had snow before Halloween. I do a lot of do-it-yourself projects and painting, and I seem to always have dry hands in the fall and winter, so I was thrilled to try these out.

The Carmex Healing Lotion is great for daily use, and, the more I use it, the more hydrated my skin seems to stay.  It has Aloe and Vitamin E to help nourish and moisturize skin. I love the smell. It’s like the Carmex I’ve always loved, but milder, a clean fresh scent. It’s not greasy and absorbs quickly. If I apply it to my legs, they feel incredibly soft and smooth, as well as soothed. I like to put it on after a shower or bath and it’s great anytime.

I found the Carmex Healing Cream to be a bit thicker, with 9 healing ingredients, especially formulated for your driest skin. It’s more concentrated and you can use less.  If you have dry or cracked skin, this is perfect. It’s great for feet, elbows and knees, and dry hands or stubborn rough spots. I use it whenever my skin is feeling especially dry and love having the travel tube to carry with me in my purse. I apply it to my hands at night before bed, and, when I wake up, I’m really happy with the results. My hands feel smoother and softer than when I went to sleep. Over a few weeks, the dry patches have become healthier and healed. This also has a light scent which I found fresh and pleasing.

Carmex was kind enough to also provide a skincare kit for one of my readers, identical to the one I received. It contains:

One 5.5 oz Carmex Healing Lotion
One 4 oz Carmex Healing Cream
One 1 oz Carmex Healing Lotion
One .75 oz Carmex Healing Cream

To enter: 

Disclosure:  I received free samples of Carmex Skin Care products. No 
compensation was received. The opinions expressed are my own.

Are you fabulous? Of course you are! I have been following @fabuloussavings on twitter. They have great coupon deals on just about everything and are a great deal of fun to talk with.  On their site at fabuloussavings.com, you can find awesome discounts and coupons.  They are even giving away an IPad2. I told you they were fabulous!

So, I began to contemplate the concept of fabulosity and I believe a lot of it has to do with how you see yourself and the world.

So, here are some reasons I am fabulous:

1) I love to help my family and friends. This makes me very happy!
2) I love to make people smile or laugh or cheer up their day.
3) I am a very good listener.
4) I am witty and funny and a very good artist and writer.
5) I love encouraging the arts.
6) I’m very trustworthy.
7) I’m there for my friends anyway I can be.
8) I live in the present as much as possible, not worrying about past or future.
9) I speak French, Italian, Spanish, some Greek and I love to cook gourmet foods!

and most importantly:

10) I know that all of you are fabulous.

Thanks so much to everyone who participated! The first winner drawn at Random.org is #4

HedgeHogi said… 4   Follow Weleda on Facebook *(Tearsa Keith)

Congrats! You win the Weleda Body Oils Essentials Kit

The second winner drawn at Random.org is #19

Tami Alves said… 19 http://twitter.com/bikerblue1972/status/18884006024052736

tweet!!

Congrats! You win the Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care Kit

I’ll be contacting you both to get your mailing info asap 🙂 .

Enjoy!!!!

Happy 2011 everyone!

I am very happy to have received lovely products from Weleda to review and to be able to give away the same products to two of my readers (one set to each).

First up is this lovely Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care Kit

It comes with

Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil 0.32 fl OZ (10ml)

Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream 0.3 fl OZ (10g)
and 
Pomegranate Creamy Body Wash 0.72 OZ (20g)

I love that Weleda products are all natural and contain nothing synthetic. Instead, you’ll find flowers, fruit extracts, herbs and more – all designed to heal, protect and enhance your own natural beauty.  This is what most attracted me to them. Every product I’ve tried not only feels wonderful but smells wonderful. The aromatherapy to me is a big part of the appeal.

I really love the scent of the pomegranate collection. It’s fresh and fruity and a bit tart but the scent is very subtle and natural.  The collection is rich in antioxidants which help protect your skin from damaging free radicals. The body wash is not the high lathering type but is rather sleek and smooth and leaves your skin feeling soft and revitalized.  I love its gentleness yet it is very effective and your senses will love it!

The Pomegranate Regenerating Body Oil contains organic pomegranate seed oil rich in essential fatty acids to moisturize, nourish and help improve your skin’s firmness. It leaves your skin glowing and well hydrated.

The Pomegranate Regenerating Hand Cream is a total delight. It absorbs easily and quickly into your skin and smells delicious as it pampers. It rejuvenates and restores your skin’s natural health.

The second product I have here to review and giveaway is The Weleda Body Oil Essentials Kit

Purpose: To replenish, balance and protect
What’s inside:
 

• Birch Cellulite Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.
• Arnica Massage Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.
• Lavender Relaxing Body Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.
• Wild Rose Body Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.
• Citrus Refreshing Body Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.
• Sea Buckthorn Body Oil, 0.34 fl. oz.

This is a gorgeous festive colorful set with 6 bottles of oils with different scents and properties. You really only need a little at a time and they absorb quickly and easily leaving your skin silky soft. Any one of these would be great to pop in your purse to take with you.

The Birch has a mild woodsy smell and leaves my skin feeling toned and revitalized.
The Arnica Massage Oil has a lovely warmth and helps tired muscles relax and de-stress.
The Lavender Relaxing Body Oil is indeed very soothing and great for sleepless nights. Just a dab was very calming to me.
The Wild Rose has a soft delicate smell and vitamins A and E that are highly concentrated to smooth and soothe.
The Citrus Refreshing body Oil has a hint of lemon and seems to brighten my skin while the smell invigorates.
My favorite is the Sea Buckthorn Body Oil. I’ve been also using this scent in the body wash and I adore it. It is unlike any other scent I’ve smelled.  The essential oils are from mandarins, oranges and grapefruits – creating for me a little bit of heaven. It replenishes with antioxidants and vitamins.

Overall, these oils are very nurturing and good for your skin while the aromatherapy soothes your mind and spirit.

I was very pleased with both sets. They are reasonably priced and I’ve already bought some as gifts and stocking stuffers for the holidays.

As mentioned, thanks to Weleda, I’ll be giving away one set of each. 2 lucky readers will each get a different set.

To enter this giveaway:

MANDATORY ENTRY: Visit Weleda and tell me what product or products strike your fancy. Please specify if you are entering for The Pomegranate Set or the Body Oil Essentials Set or if you would like to enter for both.

Extra Entries (please leave a separate comment for each) :

Follow me on twitter @MissingLynxx
Follow Weleda on twitter (leave twitter name)
Follow Weleda on Facebook (leave FB name)
Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (if you already do just let me know in a comment)
Post about and link to this giveaway on your blog (5 entries) leave one for each

Tweet about this giveaway (1x per day will count) . Either write your own tweet or use this one:

@MissingLynxx blog Holiday Giveaway – @Weleda Pomegranate Care and Body Oil Essentials Kit –  for glowing skin! http://bit.ly/fklywz #win

Pomegranate Regenerating Body Care Kit just $9.99 at Weleda.com
Body Oil Essentials Kit  just 14.99 at Weleda.com

RULES: Open to US Residents only. This giveaway will end at 11:59 pm EST January 2, 2011. Please be sure I have a way to contact you via your blogger profile or via email. The winners (2) will be chosen via Random.org and will be contacted. They will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Disclosure: I received these kits from Weleda in order to write this review but the opinions herein are completely my own.

Good luck everyone!!!!!!!

Since I could not find the Oracle of Delphi, I hit up good old Random.org and had them generate a number and the number is lucky #27:

Penny Zeni said… 27 Liked Carmex on Facebook (PennyZeni)

Congrats to Penny Zeni. I will be contacting you to get your address and hope to mail your package this weekend.

Thank you to everyone who entered. I hope to have more giveaways soon!

I’m happy to have another Carmex Blog Squad review and giveaway for Strange Daze readers.

This summer Carmex introduced two new Carmex Moisture Plus Tinted Lip Balms with sheer color tints. They’ve sent me two sets of these tinted lip balms. One is for me to review and one set is to send to a reader of my blog.

I live in New England and it’s gotten cold here very fast this year. My lips have been extremely chapped, so I was more than happy to try these products. They sent Pink and Peach tints and both worked very well in keeping my lips very hydrated. They work like Carmex lip balm but reminded me of lip gloss. The color isn’t too bright but rather leaves a natural look to your lips – a nice shimmer.

They moisturize very well with aloe and Vitamin E and have an SPF of 15 to offer added protection.
Their sleek, slant-tip applicator made it easy for just the right amount to glide on easily. I also tried them over lipstick and they added that extra touch of moisture and protection. They lasted for a good while and I didn’t have to reapply often. They are very sheer and feel great on my lips and the tube is so sleek you can take it anywhere.

I give these tinted lip balms very high marks for both value and performance. They are only $2.99 and can be found at Walgreen’s and online at Walgreens.com.

These would make great stocking stuffers this holiday season!

So, lovelies, now on to the giveaway!

For a set of Pink and Peach Carmex Moisture Plus Tinted Lip Balms, simply leave a mandatory entry telling me why you’d like to try these new tinted lip balms.

For EXTRA ENTRIES you can do the following (please leave a comment for each)

1) Follow my blog via Google connect (if you are already a follower just leave that in a comment)
2) Follow me on twitter @MissingLynxx (comment)
3) Follow Carmex on Twitter (leave a comment w/twitter name)
4) Like Carmex on Facebook (leave a comment w/ FB name)
5) Post about and link to this giveaway on your blog (5 entries) (leave one for each)
6) Tweet about this giveaway (1x per day) . You can write your own or use this one:

Win @CarmexLipBalm Moisture Plus Tinted Lip Balms in Pink/Peach from @MissingLynxx blog http://bit.ly/g9g6QC  Get your sleek on! #giveaway

 RULES:  Open to US residents only. This giveaway will end on Thursday, December 16 at 11:59 PM EST.  Please make sure I have a way to contact you via your blogger profile or via email. The winner will be chosen via random.org and will be contacted. They will have 48 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.  

Disclosure: I received two tinted lip balms from Carmex in order to write this review but the opinions herein are completely my own.