Aug 23, 2013 | Beauty
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve become more conscious of not only what I put in my body (favoring organic, responsibly-produced, ethically-farmed, and natural products whenever possible)…but also what I put on my body. The skin being the largest organ means that what it absorbs truly makes a difference in not only how you feel, but also the toxic load placed on your entire system. (more…)
Jul 1, 2013 | Beauty, Fashion

We’re all busy. Life can be totally hectic sometimes, and it’s easy to let one’s beauty routine fall by the wayside, especially when you’re in a rush. Besides being a full-time fashion and DIY blogger and freelancing in graphic design and illustration, I’m also a full-time mom to a rambunctious 7 year-old. It seems no matter how early we get up in the morning, we always end up in the car 20 minutes late to get my little one to school. Body lotion is the last thing on my mind in those precious few minutes I have to get ready.
But summer’s here, and I want to walk around in breezy dresses, shorts, and shorter skirts. My legs are nowhere near summer-ready and I am way behind on starting a moisturizing routine, but I’m still in a rush and honestly quite lazy when it comes to beauty. The more hands-off and fuss-free, the better!
That’s why Vaseline® Spray & Go Moisturizer appealed to me from the very first commercial I saw (I tried the Total Moisture® variant, specifically). Spray it? Go? Instant absorption? Sounds like Vaseline just cut moisturizing time in half. It’s super easy to use–same concept as using hairspray or spray-on sunblock–just uncap, aim, and spray.

The moisturizer is actually more of a lightweight lotion (with a multi-layer moisture complex), and I was surprised by how quickly it absorbed into my skin. Before, I would apply body lotion (when I would remember to) at night after my bath, but with Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer I can just add it into my morning routine and have healthy, moisturized skin all day without the mess.

To apply, you just spray up, switch hands, spray down, and then rub in (“Up, Switch, Down, Rub”). After spraying it on and rubbing it in, I put on a pair of jeans within 3 minutes and my legs weren’t sticking to the inside of the jeans–an awesome improvement.

And I was surprised that my legs were still soft and gleaming–even when I got in the bath about 8 hours later in the evening, when the water beaded wherever I had applied the moisturizer.
Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer comes in three variants: Total Moisture, which contains pure oat extract and leaves skin feeling healthy and soft skin (pictured); Aloe Fresh, which contains pure aloe and leaves skin feeling healthy and fresh, and Cocoa Radiant™, which contains cocoa butter and leave feeling healthy and skin glowing.
And yes, although I am still rushed in the morning, it’s not that big of a deal to just spray the moisturizer onto my legs before slipping into jeans.
Soon…I’ll be slipping into shorts. 😉

Sweepstakes: Win a $1,000 SpaFinder Gift Card
Tell me! How would Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer maximize your morning? Each comment will automatically be entered for a chance to win a $1,000 SpaFinder gift card. Entries will be pooled from participating blogs and one winner chosen.
Sweepstakes Rules:
No duplicate comments.
You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:
Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.
This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winner will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
The Official Rules are available here.
This sweepstakes runs from 7/1/13 – 7/31/13.
Be sure to visit the Vaseline® Spray & Go page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!
To learn more about Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer visit their Facebook Page!
Good luck to everyone!
xo Carly
FTC Disclosure: This post is part of a paid campaign with Vaseline® and BlogHer. I received compensation for the post, and a sample of Vaseline Spray & Go Moisturizer Total Moisture. All opinions are my own. My Disclosure Policy is here.
May 15, 2013 | Beauty, DIY
I ran out of my old deodorant awhile ago, and was wondering what to do about it. I had been hearing a lot about “natural” deodorants, and wondered if they worked any better than store-bought. With all-natural ingredients and no aluminum, they are undoubtedly better for you. I found some links to various recipes here, changed some ingredients to create a stick-type product, and decided to try my hand at making my own DIY version. Here’s how:
Recipe: (more…)
Jan 14, 2013 | Beauty, Score!
I recently received a sample Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash, and it’s become my newest bath-time indulgence.
I’ve had really dry, itchy legs for the first time ever this Winter (maybe I’m allergic to my socks?? I’ve been wondering), and nothing has given me any relief. By night-time in the bath I am scrabbling away at my ankles, trying to calm the itchiness, slathering on lotion and moisturizers to no avail once I’m out. I’ve been using regular Dove bar soap in the bath, and haven’t had much of a problem with it…until now.
So I was really surprised that within a couple days of switching over to Caress Body Wash instead of soap, the itchiness had gone down tremendously. The wash is silky smooth and super-moisturizing, and even Lil Tot likes the fragrance of it.
It has a complex scent, of spicy orange rose and passionfruit: fruity, flowery, and Wintery all in one. I’ve never smelled anything like it before – and it makes my whole bathroom smell like a warm Winter punch (with orange slices floating in it), and lush gardenias and rose blossoms. Plus the scent lingers long after my bath, and I smell delicious for hours afterwards!
Courtesy of Caress® Passionate Spell®, they are giving away a $25 gift card to one lucky reader! With it you can purchase Caress® Passionate Spell® Fine Fragrance Elixir Body Wash to try out yourself, and snag yourself a pretty accessory to go with your gleaming, scented skin. Or use it wherever – on whatever – you want! Here are the details:
GIVEAWAY: ONE $25 Gift Card

How to Enter
REQUIRED:
1. Leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite scent is (for body wash, perfume, in general, whatever!!)
And that’s it!
Total entries allowed: 1 entry per person.
Giveaway open to U.S.-based readers ONLY.
Giveaway period is open from now until Monday, January 21, 11:59 PM PST.
Winner chosen by Random.org and notified by email.
Good luck!
Edited to add: Giveaway period is now over, winner has been notified and sent their gift card. Thanks for entering!
And check out Caress on Facebook and on Twitter, with the hashtag #Caress, for more discounts, coupons, giveaways, and all the latest news on the brand!
xoxox
Carly
FTC Disclosure: I was provided with Caress® product, a $25 gift card and information about the product by Caress®. All opinions are 100% my own. Read more about my Disclosure Policy here.
Post images from here, here, and here; opening photo collage by me.
Nov 1, 2012 | Beauty
Even with Halloween over (and the subsequent letdown I always feel come the month of November), I still am hankering for something decorative and over-the-top, even in a small way.
Revlon’s Nail Polish Duos in their Moon Candy Collection (launched a few months ago, I know I’m late to the bandwagon) supply that perfect blend of decorative nail art with ease-of-use. (I have some loose holographic flakies to add to nail art designs in my nail art kit…but having a vial of tinted sparkly chips attached to a perfectly-coordinating basecoat color is a such a time-saver. I just love the blues of Orbit and Galactic – and the gold flakes in the Universe shade is so reminiscent of the beautiful falling Autimnal leaves.
The perfect, chic, and affordable way to do some easy nail art – and bling out your tips for the holidays!
They’ve sold out at my local Fred Meyer and Target, but you can still buy a few colors on Amazon.com
(about $12.99 for a duo), or search at your local Walgreens, Target, or other beauty supply store.
P.S.: You can also see a review + swatch photos on nails here.
xoxox
Carly
Jul 14, 2012 | Beauty
I’ve been on the search for a true-to-form holographic nail polish like a reincarnation straight out of the 80’s… just like those shiny Rainbow Brite stickers or a heavy-duty Trapper Keeper and its accompanying folders. (Are any other children of the 80’s with me on this??!)
But most nail polishes straight out of the bottle fail to perform and look disappointingly monochrome, with none of the oodles of rainbow shimmer that holograms have.
However, I’ve just discovered Nfu Oh!, from a post from awhile ago by Stylorectic.
This is Nfu Oh Victorian Polish Number 061, ordered off the Fabulous Street website. (Yes, the website look is a bit of a deterrent and I for a moment worried that I was forking over my money to something extremely shady and perhaps even related to some sort of adult-video-rental-business…however, everything was on the level and I received an emailed order confirmation, shipping confirmation, and my ordered items at my door in just over a week.) As per Stylorectic’s recommendations, I also ordered the Aqua Base, a base coat that’s apparently necessary for the adhesion of these special holographic polishes. And boy did it make a difference in wear! These polishes are not exactly cheap at $12.50 a bottle (so a $25 investment if you want to get started with holographic polishes), but this color is just so amazing, I almost don’t have the words. Almost;-)
The Number 061 looks like thick granulated silver coming out of the bottle…nothing to get excited about yet, and goes on pretty much the same. However, even with one coat as it dried the rainbows began to form, and once completely dry the perfect shimmer of purple, green, yellow, and orange appeared. It’s gorgeous.

In bright sun.


Indoors, no strong direct light.
I would recommend 2 coats here, and even though I put on a topcoat for extended wear I found the topcoat dulled the holographic effect slightly (not so many obvious rainbow ribbons; they became thinner and subtler-colored). However without the topcoat it chips super-quick, so you might have to constantly redo this mani to keep it perfect.
But oh, my is it breathtaking!
xoxox
Carly
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