currently loving.

lush godiva shampoo bar & jungle solid conditioner

 {via}

{via}

colgate optic white toothpaste

{via}

korres guava bath & body collection

{via}

paper mate inkjoy 300 rt pens

{via}

starbucks caffe verona k-cup portion packs

{via}

what are you currently loving?

if you own a keurig or received one for the holidays, please come back to my blog tomorrow because i'm giving away a mini sampler pack of the barista prima k-cup portion pack {when i say mini, it's one sample of each of the four barista prima roasts}. also, if you need to stock up on portion packs, please take advantage of the code at the top of my blog!

{giveaway}: fun fall colors for your fingertips

THIS GIVEAWAY IS CLOSED...THANKS!

i hate mondays.
you hate mondays.
we all hate mondays...
so why not kick off the week with a giveaway, right??

first things first...i'm a nail polish nut. seriously. it's an addiction i've had for a long time. i don't have a favorite brand. if it looks good, goes on good & wears good, then i'm hooked. i also owe a lot to blogging & the twit because my enabler friends often share their favorite colors, trends, etc. that word of mouth thing? it rocks.

anyways, about this giveaway...

i've been talking about this for a few weeks & i'm very excited to gift to one of my readers two of my favorite fall nail polish colors. both are by orly. i would have never tried orly polishes had it not been for mrs. wasp {coincidentally, she also loves qvc & has a love-hate thing for ulta...just like me}. mrs. wasp had tweeted about orly's birds of a feather collection. i took one look & i was hooked.

only two colors called to me:

{sea gurl}

&

{fowl play}

i don't usually get compliments about my nails, but since wearing orly polishes, people ask me about my manicure all the time! and, just so you know, orly polishes are dbp, toluene & formaldehyde free.

i want you to have fun nails & get compliments about your nails, too, so i'm giving away - to one of my lucky readers - a bottle of sea gurl, a bottle of fowl play AND a small bottle of orly's bonder {the best base coat ever!!}:

here is your mandatory entry for the giveaway:

• what is your favorite brand, color, manicure type, etc. when it comes to nail polish? do you like following the trends? do you keep things classic? are bold colors your thing? all you have to do is tell me what you like about nail polish!! {please leave an email address with your comment if your blog comments are not set up to automatically link to your email.}

for extra entries {please leave each extra entry as a separate comment, thanks!}:

• follow stuttering shell via google friend connect {it's found under the beachcombers tag. it also sometimes disappears for no reason, so refresh your page if you have to}.
• like stuttering shell's facebook page.
• follow me on the twit. {tweet me a shout out if you do!}
• tweet about this giveaway. {please leave proof in your comment!}
• blog about this giveaway. {please leave proof in your comment!}

that's SIX chances to win!

this giveaway will be open until 11:59pm EST on thursday, october 27th & the winner will be announced on friday, october 28th!!

in addition, this giveaway is for u.s. & canadian blog readers only. sorry, international friends.

the fine print:
orly is not affiliated with this giveaway.  they neither provided me with product or asked me for a product review. all opinions are my own. all products for this giveaway were purchased by me & will be shipped by me. all pictures used in this review are property of stuttering shell.

hair today, gone tomorrow.

well, that was yesterday's saying.

my last haircut was in january.  i never, EVER go that long without so much as a trim.  as for color, i won't lie.  i use box color to stretch out the time between salon quality dye jobs.  my stylist knows this {and she's okay with this}.  highlights, on the other hand, are something i haven't had in a long while.  a long, long while.

on wednesday, i did it all - all over color, a fun cut & highlights {or as my stylist says, "some perky around the face."}.

before {hair fresh from the shower}:

after {just a bit wind-blown}:

if i was smart, i would have taken a picture of the back {i'll do that this weekend}.  it's short.  it's fun.  i've had a short, choppy bob cut before.  i love it.  and, best part of all?  i got to share my fun day at the salon with this wonderful gal {she got her hair cut, colored & highlighted, too}!

Got dark circles?

I do!

Blame it on genes. Blame it on lack of sleep. Blame it on whatever you want. I have dark circles under my eyes.

I'll spare you the picture. Trust me. We're not going there {besides, my brows are in need of some TLC}.

I am currently using a concealer by philosophy, but I'm ready for something new. I need a product that will keep my skin moisturized, cover those dark circles, doesn't look cakey & stays put all day. Is that too much to ask?

What is your concealer brand/product of choice? Please tell me so I can finally find something that I love & stick with it.

PRODUCT REVIEW - Dove's Body Wash with Nutrium Moisture

About a month ago I was asked to try a few of Dove's newest body washes. Over the last few years, I've been quite loyal to my body wash brand of choice {a pricier option by a pretty well-known women's skincare & beauty line}, but I was interested in the chance to try something new. As we all know, Dove is a very reputable brand - it's been around for 50 years & it's dermatologist recommended - and it's also very affordable.

So, what was so special about these NEW Dove body washes? Imagine my surprise when I read that most all body washes on the market dry out your skin. Apparently, the body washes break down the proteins & the lipids in the skin's most outer layer which leads to tight, dry skin. Some body washes try to combat this by adding heavy moisturizers; however, the heavy moisturizers only temporarily alleviate the dry skin issue and don't really address the fact that those damaged lipids in your skin need some TLC, too.

Dove has found a way to combat the dryness by using this:

What's nutrium moisture? It's a formula of soybean oil & natural lipids that are able to penetrate deep into the skin's layers to nourish & replenish the skin...all the while maintaining & repairing the skin's protective layer while you cleanse your body. Dove stands firm in the fact that their body washes with nutrium moisture are the only products of it's kind on the market & that clinical studies show that using the product reduces dryness and improves moisturization.

Dove's body wash with nutrium moisture comes in three formulas - deep moisture, sensitive skin & gentle exfoliating - and I had the opportunity to try all three.

I took every bit of one month to try out these body washes. I was a bit hesitant at first just because I am such a creature of habit and really loved the body wash brand I had been using for years. But, dare I say that I am actually quite happy with the results of using Dove's products and my view on body washes has changed??

I do suffer from dry skin. I have eczema {granted, it's on my hands only, but still}. I am pretty careful about the products I use on my body because I don't want to have some wonky reaction. I had nothing to worry about with Dove's body washes. Each had a pleasant scent and cleansed my skin well. I left the shower feeling clean & the body wash didn't leave a greasy feeling to my skin. I also loved how the body washes left a light scent on my skin {yes, I actually caught myself sniffing my arm one day}. I've noticed that my skin looks healthier {if that makes sense} and my skin isn't so tight & itchy anymore. My husband tried out the body washes & loves them, too. And, right now, I have the sensitive skin formula in my children's bathtub & they enjoy using the product, too.

Out of all three body washes, my absolute favorite is the gentle exfoliating formula. It has small, blue microbeads that lightly scrub your skin and help get rid of the funky dead skin cells & other gunk that's on your skin. It's not a harsh scrub and it's gentle enough to use on a daily basis.

This is definitely a drugstore product that's worth checking out. I found it in my local Wal-Mart.

For more information on this product, please check out this link.

Moisturized.

(source)

Due to our self-induced budget crunch {more on that later} I am in need of finding a facial moisturizer that is super good for my skin, easy on the wallet {say, $20 or less} & can be purchased - preferably - at either Target or Wal-Mart.

I have been using Hope in a Jar by philosophy for years and just finished my super-sized tub of it; however, the $105 price tag isn't budget-friendly {of course, I could go with a smaller tub of it, but still...this is about being budget-conscious}.

Therefore, I am enlisting YOUR help...

Girls, I need to know what moisturizer you use & why do you swear by it??

BLOG B'DAY BASH - Kiehl's for YOU!

THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED. THANKS FOR ENTERING & PARTICIPATING! WINNER WILL BE ANNOUNCED SOON.


Happy Hump Day and welcome to Week 4 of my blog's birthday bash giveaway extravaganza. I'm a little tardy on this one considering all the other giveaways have been posted on a Monday. Ah, well...the hubs has been hogging the computer I've been limiting my time on the computer, but...

Why not try & win some of my favorite products from Kiehl's??

Kiehl's has been around for a while. I first became acquainted with Kiehl's back in 2001 after reading a magazine article about different beauty products. I headed straight to Nordstrom and came home with a ridiculous amount of new things courtesy of Kiehl's. And, to this day, there are a few Kiehl's products that have become a regular part of my beauty regime and this giveaway gives YOU the chance to win some of my favorites! Yay!

(If you're skeptical about new beauty products or this line, I urge you to check out their website and read about the company and what they are all about...)

Here is a rundown of the products you have a chance to win and a reason why I love each one:

Creme de Corps Nurturing Body Washing Creme - so silky & creamy...this body wash will keep your skin soft and moisturized and will not dry you out nor will it overwhelm your senses with fragrance or perfume. If you're like me and have to be careful about what types of soap you're using, this is perfect for you! If you're not, well, it's still perfect for you!

Ultimate Strength Hand Salve - OK, confession, I have eczema...on my hands of all places. Basically, it means that 364 days out of the year, I have dry, cracked skin on my hands. It's gross and, ironically enough, it's the result of OCD hand washing thanks to many years in the restaurant industry. Go figure. Anyways, I am NEVER without this lotion. It's thick, gooey, not greasy and it moisturizes like a champ! I use it on my tootsies, too!

Kiehl's Lip Balm #1 - I am a lip gloss/lip balm junkie and this gives me the shine of a gloss with all of the benefits of a balm including sun protection! This keeps my lips soft and kissable.

Superbly Efficient Anti-Perspirant & Deodorant - This is the ONLY deodorant I've used for the last, oh, nearly EIGHT years. I will never, ever buy deodorants from those other brands again. This is a cream that you rub on right from the tube. It keeps the stink away and moisturizes at the same time. And, an added bonus is that it softens your pit hair which results in smoother shaving!

So, there you have it...my four favorites from Kiehl's and they can be all yours -- all you have to do is enter!
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

You know the drill, but we'll keep it simple this time:

• Leave a comment and you'll get TWO entries
• If you are a follower of my blog you will get an extra THREE entries

You have until 11:59 pm EST on Tuesday, June 30th to enter and I'll announce the winner on Wednesday, July 1st!

This will be the last of my blog birthday bash giveaways - thanks for making my blog's birthday month a lot of fun & a big success! But, stay tuned for more fun things for you, the kids and this blog (you know, since I'm closing in on 100 followers and I'm working my way towards my 500th post).

Budget be damned...I want clearer skin!

Well, I guess I should start off by saying that I have pretty decent skin. No, I'm not being stuck up, I really do have nice skin. I've been told that by friends, family and aestheticians. But, I want to take care of my skin and get rid of these pesky blackheads and make my pores appear smaller.

Once upon a time I was a faithful facial girl. But, that was many, many, MANY months ago back when I really didn't give a damn about dropping between $60 to $80 at a time to have someone professionally clean my skin. Ah, those were the days! Yeah, those really were the days because I would also treat myself to a pedicure, too. But...

Here I am, a 30 something mother of two who has semi-sensitive and slightly temperamental skin (I fluctuate between an oily/normal to dry combo...it's fabulous to have a shiny ass nose and a dry, flaky chin...at the same time...not). I think I take good care of my skin. I wash and moisturize faithfully every day. I use sunscreen. I'm brand/product loyal and I've been using Philosophy's skin care line for YEARS (and trust me, I've used many skin care lines over the years including Proactiv, Dermalogica, Biore, Neutrogena, Bliss, Joey New York, L'Oreal, Cetaphil, etc...yes, I'm a beauty/skin care product whore!). Anyway, tonight I was in bed watching QVC and (yes, I actually got up out of bed to type this but that's a whole 'nother ranting blog post in itself) and they were talking about the Clarisonic Skin Care Brush. I've seen it before on QVC and in the Bliss catalogs I receive every month. I've even seen the cheaper knock-offs in the discount stores. I've always wondered how well the Clarisonic cleans and whether or not it's really worth the money -- the Clarisonic, which is made by the same people who make the Sonicare toothbrushes (funny, I use a plain jane manual toothbrush), retails for damn near $200.

Wow. $200. $200 for a spinning brush that will supposedly help me clean my skin even better than I am cleaning it now -- or so I think I'm cleaning it.

I read the testimonials, I saw the photos and, I'm almost ashamed to say, that I finally succumbed to my curiosity and I just ordered the sucker from QVC. Thank goodness for the four payment option! At least this makes my new $200 face brush a bit more budget friendly and I don't have nearly the amount of buyer's remorse I would have had if I had purchased it outright for the full price.

So, here's to cleaner, clearer skin -- you had best believe that I'm going to charge that sucker up once I receive it and use it faithfully two times a day. And, hopefully, my new $200 friend will make my skin look as if I'm spending $$$ every month on facials and other beautification rituals.


OH - and the best part?? I bought this at QVC online via Ebates so I get 3% BACK of the total amount I've spent. Yes, that's right - 3%. It's not much, but it adds up. It actually pays to shop! Wait...what's that you're saying? You're not Ebating? Well, then you need to click here.

Seriously - sign up, it's free and you've got nothing to lose and only money to gain! You get paid quarterly and I've already earned two checks totalling nearly $150. Don't believe me? Then click here to read a post I made about my first Ebates check.

Attention all GIRLIE GIRLS!

If you have a stash of beauty goods like I do, then you might want to read closely and do as I say...

HEAD ON OVER TO MOMLOGIC (via the link below) AND ENTER YOURSELF TO WIN $500 WORTH OF BEAUTY SUPPLIES!

All you gotta do is join Momlogic's Beauty Logic group and share your beauty tip and you're instantly entered to win! Easy peasy!

http://community.momlogic.com/profiles/blogs/400-best-of-beauty-giveaway