When the weather outside is frightful...

...its hard not to have dry, sandpaper skin.  It dipped before 60 in Florida today (at least for a couple hours) and I broke out my winter skin care.  I thought I'd share a few of my favorite winter skin fighters...

- Dead sea salt scrub.  You can pick your brand.  I usually find a tub at TJMaxx.  It exfoliates all your dead skins cells away, allowing fresh new ones to the surface.  It's not expensive but it has great results.  A tub can last you several months, even if you use it 1-2 times per week.

- Dove exfoliating body wash.  This is new to my list after my piticure experience at the Dove night.  It's fabulous.  It's good for every day use, a gentle exfoliator is has a similar effect to the sea salt scrub but on a gentler level.  On elbows, this can be a miracle worker.  You can get it for 5 bucks at Target.  Beauty on a budget, the way I like it.

Matrix Hydratherapy Conditioning Balm - great for year round 'hairapy'.  I use it in the summer when I'm out in the sun.  But it's great for year round moisturizing.  As instructed by my hairdresser, I use it once per month.  I wash my hair, massage the balm into my hair, put on a shower cap to hold it in and keep it from rinsing out while I take a 15 minute shower, then I rinse with cold water.  Works like a charm.

Body butter - my absolute favorite winter-beater-beauty-product is body butter.  I'm partial to Arbonne myself, but many companies have a version.  A thicker, deeper moisturizer than lotion.  I recommend it post shower, at night.

I hope this helps all my little snow bunny readers.  I'll have to take my own advice very seriously as I brave 5 days in the bitter cold of Indiana over Christmas.  DIY spa days every day while I'm there?  Don't mind if I do.

Love,

B

My first giveaway!

Joy & I trading in our Lady Speed Sticks for Dove!

This is my 200th blog post and I'm excited to be doing my first ever giveaway!

I hope you all are looking forward to hearing about my experience at the Dove event Thursday night. In fact, I owe each of YOU a thank you that I was invited since this blog is how they found me and the reason I got a free spa night courtesy of Dove. There will be video, pictures, and details to come. BUT thanks to Kristen and Rachel from Edelmen's & Dove - I'm able to share a little of the love with you.

It's time for my first official giveaway on my blog. Here's the deets:

I was given a few extra sticks of Dove deodorant to give away to you lovely readers. And I'm going to take full advantage. Joy and I talked about what would be the most interesting way to pick our winners. I'm not sure what she's going to do yet...BUT I've decided to make mine funny. The best 2 pictures I get of you with 'pit stains' are going to win you a free stick of Dove deodorant. Send them via e-mail to: rebeccaholmeschristensen@gmail.com and after I select the winners (next Friday) I will mail (or hand deliver if the winners are local) you your prize.

Get your sweat on.

Love,

B

And then there were two.

I was asked by Rachel of Dove if I had any other young, 'influential', blogging friends I'd like to bring along for the Dove event Thursday! Sadly, Christina Sanders can't attend but thankfully my good friend Joy Engdahl (author of binding the broken) will be accompanying me. Both ladies I consider to be young (even though I like to tease Joy about being older than me) and both run fabulous, noteworthy blogs.

Joy & I both love a good freebie so a free spa night? Done & done. We've decided since we are curious ourselves about this 'manicure for your armpits' called a 'piticure' we will be taking a flip camera and getting a little video blog action. I even e-mailed Rachel from Dove for confirmation that we can document this interesting new phenomenon. Be excited. I haven't done a video blog in quite a while but I figure getting your armpits exfoliated is video worthy. Stay tuned for that.

Just wanted to share the fun news with you that I now have backup for Thursday's event. I am seriously looking forward to some time with the Dove group.

Love,

B

Yes, please.

Many wonderful things have come of my blogging. Self expression. Honesty. Better writing abilities (I hope). New friends. Other writers to 'do life' with. Insight into a great many things. An excuse to research. And this week, an invitation to a free spa day.

That's right. For being a Tampa blogger, or as the invite read 'an influential twentysomething' ...I have been invited by Dove to a spa day! The invitation is for a delightful night that includes a mani/pedi and a new treatment called a piticure. Compared to a manicure for your armpits. Intriguing, yes? The night will also have drinks, hors d'oeuvres, and chatting with other beauty conscious writers. I of course said, 'count me in!'.

This may just be the best benefit to come my way yet from my time as a blogger. So thank you readers for making me considered influential...and I promise to report in great detail of what I'm confident will be a great experience with the Dove crew @ Sharmaines Salon & Day Spa in Clearwater Beach. And of course, I will tell all of the 'piticure' experience. This may be video blog worthy.

Stay tuned.

Love,
B

Guilty as charged.

I've decided that Tuesdays are entirely too boring. There's almost never anything exciting about Tuesdays. So at least until I run out of them Tuesdays are going to be for sharing guilty pleasures. I use that term loosely because if I really felt guilty about them a. I wouldn't do them and b. I wouldn't tell you about them here, now would I? : ] So maybe they're more quirky 'likes' of mine than legit guilty pleasures. Either way, this weeks is inspired by my Tuesday night activity...

GP #1 - Facials!

They are the single most relaxing 2 hours of my month! I haven't found anything that relaxes me like getting a facial. I look forward to them for the 29 days between. Having the world's best facialist (if you live in my area I'd be happy to pass on her info) certianly helps. I think it's a justifiable GP because it's a healthy outlet for my stress. It's great for your skin, especially when you live in a state like Florida that's murder on your skin to begin with. I would honestly get one every day if I had the option (and the money). But for now, this once a month GP tickles my fancy.

Feel free to share one of your GP's. : ]

Love,
B