Philosphy Sale!

I don't' really make it a point to do posts on sales. If you are like me, your inbox receives so many emails trying to get your cash that your Paypal account is running for cover. But I just had to share this one!

My latest health and beauty kick has been Philosophy shower gels. For a long time I was a naysayer and an unbeliever thinking "It's just soap. Why is it so friggin expensive?" Then I bought the Holiday Party gift set. Pomegranate and lavender bubbly... Sweet Josephus!

Well I still can't tell you why it's it's so pricey but it's worth it if you have a little extra cash for some indulgences. They also make great gifts for the crazy shower gel huffer in your life.

Here is the link for the 3 for $33 sale. There are 10 different 16 ounce scents you can choose from. This isn't a bad deal considering the regular price is $16. That means the third bottle is $1! Woohoo! Act fast because this sale ends 12/14.

B.B.

Lush Makes Bath Time Fun... And Expensive

My first trip to a bricks and mortar Lush this past weekend did three things. (1) Created a $50 hole in my wallet, (2) convinced me that I need to take more nice, long , hot baths and (3) woke up my creative DIY side because there has got to be a cheaper way to battle the ashe then dropping $12.95 on a King Of Skin Body Butter every few weeks.

Here are a few quick and dirty reviews on my haul. No pics because I am sure you don't really need to see used bars of soap. LOL!

Lemony Flutter Cuticle Butter- $13.25 / 1.5 oz.

I had been lusting after this for a long while. It is raved about on the nail boards and is always recommended as a "must have" in your nail care arsenal. I am quite pleased with it. It smells divine. A clean lemony scent just as the name implies. I admit $13.25 is a bit steep for a cuticle creme but a pea sized amount is enough to do all ten fingers. A container will last for ages. What? Still not convinced... Ok... JR Watkins has a lemon scented cuticle salve for about half the price of Lemony Flutter... Oh... and it's twice the size.

Dreamtime Bath Melt - $5.95 / 1 oz.

This wee little block is jampacked with lavender, jasmine, sandalwood and chamomile oils to relax the senses and help get a good nights sleep. It smells wonderful. Unfortunately, once it melts in the tub the scent dissipates fairly quickly and you're just left with cloudy bath water. It wasn't very moisturizing either.

Buffy and King of Skin Body Butters $10.75 & $13.75 /3.3 oz.

These are by far the stars of my haul! When I walked in, an SA did a quick hand treatment using a Buffy bar, Ocean Salt Cleanser, Lemony Flutter and a hand cream that I can't remember the name of. My right hand was silky smooth and as soft as Baby Brown's bottom for the rest of the day. I refused to spend $18.55 on a salt cleanser and I have enough hand lotions to choke a mule so I passed on those two items. The King of Skin bar is crazy moisturizing. Actually both of them are but you have to rinse after using Buffy to get the scrubby bits off. I used TKoS while I was still dripping wet from my shower. I did a few quick rubs over my body and rubbed it in like a regular lotion and voila! Glowy, soft skin the rest of the day. No extra lotion needed! It does go on a little greasy but a small price to pay to keep the ashe away!

Why am I going all DIY you ask? Because the Body Butter bars go quick! They are mostly cocoa butter so they melt easily (and quickly) against the skin. I'm not dropping $14 every two weeks on pimped out cocao butter. *gives Lush the side eye*

All in all... I enjoyed my trip Lush. They have some fun things that make for cute cheap, occasional splurges. I want to get a few of the Bath Bombs and Bubble Bars. They look like so much fun! Lush has an after Christmas sale called the Clean Slate sale that is widely known for it's blow out prices. Last year a lot of the items were B1G2F! Unheard of I tell ya!

Do you Lush? What do you use to make bath time fun?

B.B.

Flax Seed - It's What's For Dinner!

O.k. Not really. But flax seed oil is definitely something that you should consider adding to you diet.

Flax seed oil is very high in essential fatty acids (EFA). As you may know, EFAs are quite a big deal when it comes to your health. They help you burn excess fat, lower cholesterol, relieve arthritis pain, and improve the immune system.

But did you also know that EFAs are also beneficial to you skin as well? They lubricate from the inside out resulting in softer, more supple skin. EFAs also play a role in balancing hormones so adding flax oil to your diet can improve hormonal acne. I've been on the flax seed band wagon since the summer and I have noticed the benefits. My hair is shinier and my skin isn't nearly as dry as it was last fall.

There are several EFA supplements available. A great way to add flax seed oil to your diet is to put some over your salad with your dressing. I usually throw a tablespoon of flax seeds in the magic bullet with my health shake every morning. Give it a quick blend and presto! Great skin, healthy heart and all that other stuff all in one healthy, vitamin packed shake... YUM!

B.B.

Beautification for the Boys!

Hey all! I hope your weekend was fab! They go buy so fast. The highlight of my weekend was scoring these Steve Maddens for $15! TJ Maxx is the bee's knees



Anyways... On to the boy beauty!

I am the lone female in my house so it's only natural that my love for beauty spills over into the lives of my men. At any given moment I may request testers for scents, soaps and the likes. Evey now and then, one of them may actually be intended male use! Boy Beautification will highlight (or serve as a warning) these products that my men were gracious enough to try out for me.

I don't know about you but I am constantly surprised (and horrifically offended) by the odors that emanate from my men.

An actual conversation-
BB: "Whoa... Something smells like feet and cold cuts". At this point, I begin to look for the shoeless culprit. Then the 13 and 8 year old run by. I my nostrils begin to burn and my ears wilt.

BB: "How can I possibly smell feet and bologna and you two have on your shoes? There isn't even any lunch meat in the house"! *Covers nose and motions towards the shower*

13: Sniffing and laughing "What? I don't smell anything." He then dry heaves upon sniffing his arm pit 'o death.

8: As serious as a heartattack "Moooommm.... This is how a man is supposed to smell"

I laugh so hard my eyes begin to tear... Or maybe it's the toxic stink cloud that is hovering around my boys.

Everyman Jack Body Wash Citrus Scrub to the rescue!


Everyman Jack is a skin and bodycare line for the hairy, stinky man in your life. The faux woodgrain and simple, yet bold packaging is sure to win over even the manliest man. No froo-froo frilliness within five miles! The writing on the package is witty and to the point. The citrus scent is invigorating and is a great morning pick me up. It has a bold orange peel base. I love the little scrubbies in it. I see them as backup grime busters. My men need all the grime busters they can get. I knew I had a winner on my hands when the DH gave it the thumbs up and said "The new soap is nice". The fact that he even noticed it is enough to put this stuff in the soap hall of fame. This stuff is manly enough that you won't have to sneak it into your man's "regimen". I use that term as lightly as possible because most men have more of a regimen for drinking beer and scratching then they do for actual skincare. Lol.

You can find EMJ products at Target and on line at the EMJ website. Even GQ loves this stuff. The items run about $5 each, which is a steal in my book.

Have you tried EMJ's products yet? What do you think? What are some of your favorite products for "Beautification for the Boys"? Betty Brown wants to know!

Be bold and Beautificated!

Betty Brown