My Favorite Health & Beauty Products $10 Or Less

This is not a paid or sponsored post. These are simply my own opinions about some health & beauty products that I use on a regular basis. Prices may vary slightly from what I've listed below and I typically purchase most of these products at Walmart or Walgreens.



Listerine Whitening Vibrant White Pre-Brush Rinse $6.29
This is probably one of the best-kept beauty secrets around. It truly works wonders and I faithfully use it twice daily. I drink a lot of coffee and tea every single day (I'm talking at least 5 or more cups daily) and I used to have occasional problems with stains on my teeth. The dentist would remove the stains at my cleanings, but, in between the cleanings, the stains would start to come back. I have always used the original Listerine, but, saw this particular whitening rinse and decided to switch. I noticed a difference in my teeth so quickly and now no longer have any stains on my teeth at all. It still does all the things you expect from Listerine - fights plague, controls tartar, and kills bad breath germs, but it whitens teeth, too. Love it! Highly recommend it.


Noxzema Deep Cleansing Cream, Original $4.49
Around the age of 14, when I first started taking an interest in makeup and skincare, this was the first product I used to clean my face. I was blessed to have pretty decent skin, but, I do think that this helped keep my complexion fresh and clear. Although, I do use other anti-aging facial cleansers most of the time, I still use this occasionally if I encounter a breakout, run out of my normal cleanser, or just want a refreshing change of pace. It's also great to ease the discomfort of sunburns.



Coconut Soap from eco Store USA $4.00
My family tends to have somewhat sensitive skin. This soap is so mild and smells so nice - we all love it!



Gold Bond Ultimate Comfort Body Powder Aloe $5.99
My husband uses the Gold Bond medicated powder, but, it's just too medicine-y for me. Instead, I use this Gold Bond Ultimate Comfort Powder. It has vitamins A, C, and E, aloe, and chamomile. I use it every day after showering - it leaves my skin so soft and really helps protect against odor and moisture.




Pantene Pro V: Detangling Light Conditioning Mist $4.78
This is a product I cannot do without. It's a light conditioning and detangling spray that you apply and leave in towel-dried hair.




Herbal Essences Tousle Me Softly Hairspray $2.99
This flexible style hairspray is infused with wild violet and pomegranate so it smells great. And, it never leaves my hair feeling sticky or stiff.



Avon Smooth Minerals Blush Reg. $10.00 currently on sale for $5.99
I recently started using this mineral blush from Avon and I really like it. It goes on so smoothly and has such a nice, luminous sheen. It feels and looks very natural. Great for sensitive skin.



Burt's Bees Beeswax Lip Balm $2.99
Is it possible to be addicted to lip balm? Because I love this stuff and use it all the time... carry one in my purse and keep another on my bedside table. I love the way this smells and how it instantly soothes my lips.



Avon PRO-TO-GO Lipstick $9.00
I have never really been a lipstick girl. Most lipsticks that I tried either made my lips look and feel too dry or didn't have any staying power. I don't know why, but, wearing lipstick always made me feel like a little girl playing dress-up...it just didn't look natural on me. But, this Avon PRO-TO-GO lipstick has won me over. First of all, it doesn't feel like any lipstick I've ever used - it's so creamy and conditioning that it's more like a lip balm. It makes my lips look and feel great. Second, I adore the tube that it's in - simply use the button to slide it open or closed. Makes it quick and easy to apply.



PedEgg $9.99
Don't laugh at me for this one, but, I love the PedEgg. I have dry skin, especially on my feet. This handy-dandy little tool is so easy to use and it really works.



What about you? What are some of your favorite budget health & beauty products?

GIVEAWAY WINNER - Rubbermaid Quick Organizational Challenge: The Junk Drawer

The random winner of the Rubbermaid Drawer Organizer set goes to the following commenter:

Lissa said...
Follow/tweeted:
http://twitter.com/LissaL/statuses/9359060965

February 19, 2010 6:57 PM

Congratulations Lissa! I will be emailing you shortly.
Thanks to everyone that entered.

Rainbow Brite Activity CD - GIVEAWAY WINNERS

The Rainbow Brite activity CDs go to the following 4 commenters:

1. Marianna

2. Posh Nicole

3. Laura's Leaner Life

4. The Double Dipped Life

I will be sending you an email shortly and will have your CDs in the mail as soon as I hear back from you. Thanks to those that commented!

Aloha Friday - What Annoys You?

Aloha, it's Friday! In Hawaii, Fridays are a day to take it easy and get ready for the weekend. So, I will post something quick and easy for you to respond to....

What annoys you?



Last night, I went to pick up my 16 yr. old son from work. On the way home, he asked if I could run through the drive-thru so he could grab a snack. The car in front of us had 4 people in it - they looked to be in their late teens to early 20's. After they got their food and were pulling away, they suddenly stopped and, right in the drive-thru lane, opened the car door and dumped out some trash. That makes me so mad! I think that's just so disrespectful and ugly!


Here are a few other things that annoy me:

-when drivers do not use turn signals
-when my family leaves lights on all over the house
-when someone does not replace the toilet paper roll
-when someone blocks the aisle at the grocery store and takes forever to move
-rude or poor customer service
-when my computer is being slow

I could keep going, but, I don't want to turn this into a vent-post;o) Have a great weekend! For more Aloha Friday, visit Kailani at An Island Life.

Rubbermaid Quick Organizational Challenge: The Junk Drawer (Plus Giveaway)

~This Giveaway is now closed~





Junk drawers - we all have them, right? Well, I have several junk drawers in my house...here's one that's in my kitchen. It's not junk, per se, but it is junky. It's where we stash a bunch of kitchen gadgety-stuff. Every time I need something in this drawer, I have to dig through it all and find whatever it is I'm looking for. Then, because I just dug through it all, the drawer usually won't close, so I have to move it all around some more until all the junk finally lays down nice and flat, allowing the drawer to close.

I was so happy when Rubbermaid invited me to try out their new drawer organizers by participating in their Quick Organizational Challenge: The Junk Drawer. They sent me a 6 piece set of the organizers along with a list of helpful tips on how to quickly tackle the junk drawer.

First, I emptied out the entire drawer. The tip sheet suggested that I sort things into four piles: 1)Belongs somewhere else, 2)Trash, 3)Donate, 4)Keep. As you can see, this is part of my trash pile, because, really, why do I need to keep 10 disposable medicine cups.



Next, I placed the Rubbermaid drawer organizers into the drawer. These are great - they interlock with one another and allow you to create a configuration that fits your needs (and drawer space). My drawer happens to be fairly skinny, so, I didn't use every piece in this particular drawer. This interlocking feature ensures that the organizers stay together when you open and close the drawer. They also have special feet to help stabilize them in the drawer. I really like how well they keep all your items securely in their place.



Now, take a look at the drawer after I put my "keeper" items back in. Doesn't it look so much better? It's amazing how something so quick and easy can give you such a sense of satisfaction. Seriously, every time I walk past this drawer, I can't resist opening it, just to look at how neat and organized it all is.




For more information, please visit the Rubbermaid website:

• Here is the link to the product on the web site.

• Here is a Tip and Solution article on the site about organizing your junk drawer


Giveaway

Rubbermaid has generously offered to give away the same 6-piece Drawer Organizer set to one lucky Alas 3 Lads reader. ~You must live in the U.S. or Canada to be eligible for the giveaway~

There are 6 ways you can enter; please leave a separate comment for each thing you do. To enter, you may do any or each of the following:


1. Visit Rubbermaid and sign up for their emails

2. Follow @Rubbermaid on twitter

3. Follow @RubbermaidTwo on twitter

4. Follow me on twitter AND tweet about this giveaway

5. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect (see sidebar)

6. Subscribe to my blog via email (see sidebar)

I will choose a random winner on 2-24-10. Remember, you must live in the U.S. or Canada to enter.

Rubbermaid provided me with a 6-piece drawer organizer set. They will also provide the same 6-piece drawer organizer set to one Alas 3 Lads reader. No other compensation was provided.

Book Review - Chicken Soup for the Soul NASCAR

If you or someone you know is a fan of NASCAR, you should check out Chicken Soup for the Soul NASCAR. It's one of the latest books in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series. You'll enjoy this collection of 101 stories shared by NASCAR drivers, their families, and teams. There are stories by Jimmie Johnson, Tony Stewart, Darrell Waltrip, Kurt Busch, and Bobby Labonte, just to name a few. There's an entire chapter of stories about Dale Earnhardt. Read about driver camaraderie and pranks, tales of perseverance, and life in general. As always, you will be inspired and entertained by these stories. Prepare to get a look at the action that happens on and off the NASCAR track.


~Chicken Soup for the Soul provided this book to me for review. No other compensation was received.

Rainbow Brite - Relaunch and Giveaway

~This Giveaway is now closed~




Like me, I bet many of you remember Rainbow Brite and her friends from your childhood. The Rainbow Brite brand was first introduced by Hallmark about 25 years ago. The dolls, cartoons, books, and other toys in the line quickly became a favorite of little girls everywhere. These sweet, colorful characters are known for sharing messages of courage, kindness, and hope.

Here's a little background information from the Rainbow Brite website:

"Not so very long ago, a little girl name Wisp appeared in a colorless and unhappy world. Through courage, kindness and friendship, Wisp became Rainbow Brite and transformed the unhappy world to Rainbow Land, a magical place where all the colors in the universe are created.

Now, Rainbow Brite is one of Rainbow Land’s four Sky Powers, characters whose magical powers determine the cycles of Rainbow Land’s days and seasons. With the help of her friends, her magnificent horse Starlite, and her magical Color Belt and Star Scepter, Rainbow Brite travels to the far corners of the universe, bringing hope and happiness to everyone she meets. No matter where you are, you can always count on Rainbow Brite to make your heart a little lighter and your world a little more colorful!"



I'm happy to share the news that Hallmark is relaunching the Rainbow Brite line. You can check out the fun by visiting the Rainbow Brite website, where you can meet Rainbow Brite and her friends as well as view new Rainbow Brite animated mini episodes.

The newest Rainbow Brite fashion doll collection is now available at Target stores. It's expected to arrive at Toys R' Us this month as well.

Giveaway:
To help spread the word about the Rainbow Brite relaunch, I have 4 Rainbow Brite CD's to give away to 4 lucky winners. These CDs contain games, puzzles, the theme song and more. There are 4 ways you can enter the giveaway; you can do any or each of the following (please leave a separate comment for each):

1. Visit http://www.rainbowbrite.com/ and tell me if you played with Rainbow Brite as a child

2. Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect

3. Subscribe to my blog via email

4. Follow me on twitter AND tweet about this giveaway


I will choose 4 random winners on 2-21-10. U.S. entries only, please.

~MomSelect and Hallmark provided me with a Rainbow Brite promotional CD pak, which included 10 activity CDs for me to review and share. No other compensation was received for this blog post.

Movie Trailer Tuesday - Public Enemies

From Netflix:

In the shadow of the Great Depression, criminal minds are thriving -- notorious men like John Dillinger (Johnny Depp), "Baby Face" Nelson (Stephen Graham) and "Pretty Boy" Floyd (Channing Tatum) -- and it's up to J. Edgar Hoover (Billy Crudup) and the FBI to bring them down. Michael Mann directs this gritty crime drama based on the book by Bryan Burrough. Christian Bale, Giovanni Ribisi and Leelee Sobieski co-star.

I thought this was a good movie. Johnny Depp was brilliant, as usual, as the handsome and charismatic gangster, John Dillinger.

Book Giveaway Winner - Chicken Soup for the Soul True Love

The randomly selected winner of the book, Chicken Soup for the Soul True Love, is....

Julie

I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing address. The book will be on it's way as soon as I hear back from you.


Random Integer Generator
Here are your random numbers:

5
Timestamp: 2010-02-12 13:03:55 UTC

Thanks to Chicken Soup for the Soul for providing this book for giveaway.

Join Zappos in Supporting Fashion For Haiti

The tragedy in Haiti is uniting retailers around the world in raising money for the victims of the earthquake through a national “Fashion for Haiti” campaign. Fashion designers around the world, including Stella Mcartney, Tory Burch and Betsey Johnson to name just a few, are coming together in support of Fashion for Haiti and your favorite online apparel and shoe retailer, Zappos.com, is teaming up with them!



Beginning February 16th, you will be able to purchase this exclusive t-shirt that not only shows your support for Haiti, but does it fashionably!

The t-shirt will be on sale at Zappos beginning February 16th for only $25, with $16 of every purchase donated to the Haiti Relief Fund!


Here is a link to a video that shows every high end designer involved with Fashion for Haiti. They are all wearing the t-shirt in their own unique style. Kenneth Cole has also donated a Westside Holiday billboard promoting the shirt and hot celeb, Beyonce is the official face of the Fashion for Haiti initiative.

Check it out and join Zappos to show your support.

Book Review and Giveaway - Chicken Soup For The Soul True Love

I'm sure most of you are probably familiar with the Chicken Soup for the Soul books - they are the popular books that contain inspiring and heart-warming stories on a variety of themes. I recently had the opportunity to review one of their latest editions, Chicken Soup for the Soul True Love.

With February here and Valentine's Day coming up, this is the perfect time to read some great stories about dating, romance, love, and marriage. One of my favorites was a story called Breakfast and a Movie. It's about a couple who found a way to make "date night" into something all their own. Every once in awhile, on a weekday morning after their daughter went to school, they would head out to a nice relaxing breakfast and then to an early matinee movie. Something so simple, yet, a wonderful way to share some special time together. Another story, called Challenged, really had me laughing. A twenty-something single girl meets a young man. Because he is so tongue-tied and shy around her at first, she presumes he is mentally challenged. Once she gets to know him, he admits that it was her beauty that had him so tongue-tied. The two eventually end up getting married!

I love to read the Chicken Soup for the Soul books because they are always full of stories that can make you smile, laugh, and even cry. The stories are all short and easy to read - it's the perfect book to carry with you when you may have a few extra minutes here and there to spend reading.

Giveaway:
Thanks to the folks at Chicken Soup for the Soul, I have a copy of this book to give away to one Alas 3 Lads reader. To enter the giveaway, leave a comment on this post saying you want to win. Please be sure I have a valid email address to contact you. Open to U.S. readers only.

Extra Entries:
You may do any of the following to earn extra entries (leave a separate comment for each):

-Follow my blog via Google Friend Connect
-Subscribe to my blog via email
-Follow Chicken Soup for the Soul on twitter

I will choose a random winner on Friday Feb. 12.

Chicken Soup for the Soul provided me with two copies of this book - one for my review and one for the giveaway. No other compensation was provided.

Aloha Friday - Vitamins/Supplements

In Hawaii, Aloha Friday is the day to take it easy and look forward to the weekend. Therefore, I’ll ask a simple question for you to answer. Nothing that requires a lengthy response.

If you’d like to participate, just post your own question on your blog and then head over to An Island Life to leave your link. Don’t forget to visit the other participants. It’s a great way to make new bloggy friends.

Do you take any vitamins or other supplements?

I try to take a multi-vitamin daily. I also take 1-2 fish oil capsules daily and occasionally a calcium supplement.

Enter to Win a Flip Ultra HD

I just entered a contest to win a free Flip Ultra HD from NateHines.net (worth $199!) and I wanted you to have a chance to win one too!

All you need to do to enter is to click the link below or copy and paste it into your favorite Internet browser:
http://natehines.net/win-a-flip?ref=30732939

Be sure to read the email you get from Nate after you register. You'll get your own unique link that you can use to earn even more entries in the drawing!

Piano Player

My daughter will be so furious if she finds out I posted this, but...I'm posting it anyway;o) She has been taking piano lessons since kindergarten and last year was the first time she started to complain about it and ask to quit. Every week it became a battle to get her to practice and so I finally gave in and let her quit at the end of the year. It was against my better judgement, but, I hated to think that I was the only reason she was continuing the lessons. Normally, they did a recital every year at Christmas. But, the teacher and her husband had both had some health issues this past year and weren't up to it. Instead, they did a "mini-recital" during one of their last lessons of the year. Here is Shelby's performance -

Movie Trailer Tuesday - 500 Days of Summer

This is a recenly released DVD that I watched last week. It's cute and quirky, definitely not the same ol' run-of-the mill romantic comedy. I liked it a lot. Tom (played by Joseph Gordon-Levitt) is such a cutie as the hopeless romantic who falls in love with Summer (played by Zooey Deschanel). He's just the kind of guy you would like to see your daughter date. I liked the way it skipped around through different times in their relationship - it made the movie a little more unpredictable.