Beauty is More than Skin Deep

I am sure we have all watched our share of beauty pageants. We all see those incessantly smiling faces and think "sure, they're all sweetness and light on the surface, but I bet underneath those smiles they all wish the others would trip over their gowns".

Well, maybe just I think that.

But here's a story that shows some true congeniality and kinship from the Mrs. America Pageant. Mrs. Tennessee America, Christian Ryan, was bitten by a rattlesnake as she left the Loews Ventana Canyon Hotel in Tucson, Arizona. The snake was coiled at the bottom of some cement stairs, and struck out at Ryan's foot as she stepped down.

Mrs. Iowa, Taryn Schuyler, a quick-thinking and quick-acting registered nurse, immediately attended to Ryan, removing the snake's fang and calling paramedics to the scene. Mrs. Tennessee had to spend the night in the hospital and receive anti-venom but is going to be fine, and will compete along with Schuyler and her other competitors for the crown.

I, for one, will be rooting for Mrs. Iowa. Sometimes beauty pageant contestants are just as nice as they appear to be.

Free Bangle Bracelets - Revlon

The smoky eye is still in - grey and silver are hot for both clothes and eyeshadow colors. Also moving in are traditional earthy fall colors, including olive green.
To set eyes off, use a great mascara that adds volume and definition. This would be a great time to use that $2 Revlon coupon we told you about in this post.

Right now you can save $1 at Target on Revlon's new 3D Extreme Mascara and get lashes that are 25x fuller and 80% longer. Save your receipt because if you purchase $10 of Revlon products including the new 3D Extreme Mascara, Revlon will send you a pair of Black & White Bangle bracelets, absolutely FREE!

You must purchase the cosmetics between August 15 and September 30, 2007. The offer is good while supplies last for receipts received by October 15, 2007.

See full details HERE.

Bid4prizes

You know I like bargains and deals, and I believe in getting something for the least possible cost, even free and then sharing that information with my readers. So I had to take this opportunity to tell you about a site where you can win great prizes and Free gifts. The list includes some pretty great prizes like Apple I-Phones, HDTV's, Designer Bags, cash prizes, even a Scion XB!

Bid4prizes is a user-friendly, reverse-auction game site. That means the lowest bid in the auction wins the prize. Yes, that's right, the lowest bid. The key is to submit the lowest unique bid. If you win, the prize is yours free, and you don't pay a penny.

In addition there's a Sweepstake to enter. For every bid you make you earn tokens, these tokens can be used to play fun arcade games and each token played is a chance to win a real Cash prize.

If you have a cell phone, you can text in your low bids. Simply text the lowest unique bid and the prize is yours. What could be easier than that? Check out bid4prizes for great Free gifts, prizes and a lot of fun. Watch the video of a happy winner as her new 2007 Scion is delivered, totally free!

Get a Free Sample of Covet by Sarah Jessica Parker

I love freebies and here is a super freebie offer!

Here's another great offer from Coty, Inc. - a free sample of Sarah Jessica Parker's Covet fragrance. Coty describes it as a blend of fresh, green notes and florals. A modern scent, feminine and seductive.


To request your free sample go to The Case of the Coveted Bottle. There is a very short form to complete that asks only a few questions about your buying habits for fragrance and cosmetics. It takes only seconds to fill out. There are no other offers to complete.

Lavender for Relaxation

I have always loved lavender. I've been hooked on lavender since my first bar of Yardley's Old English Lavender soap. For many years, I requested a Yardley gift package at Christmas, the only time of year they seemed to sell body spray and perfume. Maybe that's why I associate lavender with the cooler seasons.

Lately there has been an explosion of lavender products and lavender is touted in aromatherapy circles for its relaxation properties. I took some little shopping trips (virtual, of course) in search of lavender products and there are many. Too many really, so here are just a few of my favorites:

Bath and Body Works Goodnight Bath aromatherapy. The gift set features Body Wash, Body Lotion, a scented candle, a bath pillow and even Pillow Mist in soothing lavender vanilla all gathered in an attractive gift basket. The perfect way to give someone special some needed relaxation and beautiful dreams.

Healing Garden - everything in this line is delicately fragrant and soothing to mind and body. For dry skin, try the exfoliating body scrub and moisturize with the deliciously scented body lotion. Layer your fragrance by finishing up with the perfume spray.

Then there's the one that started it all. Yardley's English Lavender. They still carry a line of products from soaps and body wash to talcum. Lovely.

Fall 2007 Shoe Trends

Summer is waning and it's time to go shopping again for the new fall wardrobe. This year, shoes especially are going retro. High heels and pumps are definitely in, although some flats in jewel tones, with buckles and other adornments will still be hot. Lots of open-toed shoes for those feet that love the freedom. The classic Mary Jane is back in varying heel heights and not just in shiny black, either.

Heels can be thin or chunky, the newest styles resembling the chunky heels of the 40s and in great colors. This fall you won't be limited to earth and natural tones, there's royal blue, red and fuschia. Metallics are still in too. Booties abound and boots are always a fashionable fall footwear choice.


Here's a preview of the new styles:

Vasca, Nine West $89.00

Giove, Nine West $79.00

Carlos, Carlos Santana $149.00

Kachina, Guess $110.00

Now for some stylish shoes, I can afford:

No Boundaries, Walmart $18.92

Xhilaration Mary Janes, Target $17.99

I plan to shop around all the big name and designer name lines and then go find what I need in a reasonably-priced shoe. Fashion doesn't have to cost an arm and a leg.

Clean, Soft and Fresh Sweepstakes

We all have to do laundry. We might as well get rewarded for it.

Here's a great sweepstakes to enter from Proctor & Gamble. The Grand Prizes are three getaways vacations for two. The sweepstakes highlights Proctor and Gamble's pure essentials line of Tide, Downy and Bounce. The three destinations echo the themes of clean, soft and fresh with trips to Arizona, skiing in Utah and an island getaway to Hawaii.

The First Prize is a year's supply of laundry cleaning supplies from Tide, Downy and Bounce. With the price of everything including laundry detergent going up, I might consider this prize to be better than winning the trips.

Click here to go to the Proctor and Gamble website and enter the sweepstakes. Your entry must be received by 9/21/07.

Touch of Pink - Lacoste For Women

Pink is a standard color around here. That's why I couldn't wait to post this fabulous offer from Lacoste. You may remember Lacoste for their knit polos with the little alligator emblem.

Lacoste is introducing its new perfume for women called
touch of pink. It promises a top note of blood orange and coriander, with base notes of sandalwood and musk and a subtle lingering of vanilla all wrapped around a floral note- jasmine and violet, how lovely and feminine!

To get your free sample of touch of pink you have only to fill out a short form with name and address. You can fill out a second form to send a sample to a friend and surprise her with the gift of fragrance.

Click here to go to the website. Click on free sample on the left and then fill out the form.

Dreams of Paris

Have you ever practiced "net escapism"? I mean, have you ever surfed the net for airline fares to some fabulous place like Paris, or compared prices on hotels in France?

When I was in school, there were things we had to study that I was sure I would never use in real life; for instance, when was the last time you used the information that the square of the hypotenuse was equal to the sum of the squares of the other two sides? It's a catchy phrase, but I don't need to measure triangles a lot.

I never felt that way though, about taking four years of French. I was utterly convinced that one day I would travel to France and book reservations at one of the fabulous hotels in Paris where I would be discovered and become terribly famous. Perhaps I would be the next Piaf. Ah, Piaf, the little sparrow! Chantez pour toujours La Vie en Rose.

When my nephew was in high school, his entire French class went to Paris for a school trip. Oh, what a waste, I thought. These callow youths of 17, shod in Nike sneakers, traipsing unawares through marvelous places like the Louvre and never appreciating the true magic of coming face to face with the Mona Lisa. How I envied him.

My little net escape led me, as Joni Mitchell sang, to "wander down the Champs Elysées, going from cafe to cabaret". I took in the revue at the famous Lido (it was a fabulous show). I not only saw the Mona Lisa on my trip to the Louvre, I saw Egyptian and Roman antiquities and even the Venus de Milo. My eyes and ears were full of the sights and sounds of the city of lights and left me thinking "Je veux voyager à Paris"!

Of course,if you're planning a real trip to Paris, or anywhere in France, you'll need a place to stay. All you need to do is go to this site where you can findhotels in France. There are listings for nearly any region you want to visit. Search for a Paris hotel in French if you want to brush up a bit on your language skills before you get there. I was amazed at how reasonable it can be. It had me thinking, maybe someday...

Where's My Invitation?

Have you ever noticed that engagements and wedding showers seem to come in bunches - kind of like bouquets of bridal events?

The last bridal shower I attended was for a good friend with whom I worked for many years . The organizers were family members and so I was spared having to participate in the planning and the choosing of the right location, decorations and bridal shower invitations. Good thing too, for I don't seem to know a lot about it.

They got quite cute at this shower and along with the unique >wedding shower invitations they sent everyone on the list an index card. The idea was that you would write out your favorite recipe on the card for the new bride, to aid her in her new duties as "woman of the house". I thought about it long and hard, trying to choose a recipe that I liked best for ease of preparation and taste. Finally, I decided on the best recipe to give a new bride who is also a working woman with many obligations and a busy schedule. I wrote out the phone numbers of the best pizza delivery and take-out restaurants in the area. I don't know if that had anything to do with it, but I haven't been invited to a shower since. Hey, I thought it was a good idea...

Grandma Chic - Beaded Brooches

According to the new issue of Vogue, the latest style is Grandma chic. Everything old is new again, including those beaded flower brooches that Grandma used to wear. Vogue features some beautiful pieces but the prices might cause a little dent in your wallet.

If you don't want to shell out the cash and you are crafty, here's a site that will tell you how to make lovely beaded brooches with simple materials. Warning: you must be proficient with a crochet hook for this one.

edressme.com has some beautiful pieces for $10 and under (a sight more affordable than the $313 variety featured in Vogue). This darling little red brooch is only $8.



Of course, you could just be really nice to Grandma and maybe she'll let you wear some of her jewelry.

Free Rimmel London Lipstick

Coty is offering a free sample of its Rimmel London Lasting Finish lipstick. The product promises long-lasting color and sheen, up to 7 hours. They have 55 shades to choose from, so there's bound to be one to suit your style, your coloring and your mood!

Requesting your sample is easy. Simply go here and click on "Free Sample". There is only a short survey about your buying preferences, no long forms to fill out. That's always a plus. You can choose not to receive any further offers or you can accept beauty tips and offers by email if you're interested.

The only drawback was I couldn't find any place to make a color selection, so it will be interesting to see what color my new lipstick is. If I decide I like it, I can use their online search to find a store near me that carries the line. (I already checked and there are quite a few in my area)

$2 Coupon on Revlon Cosmetics

Revlon has some exciting new looks in their Limited Edition Collection - metallic eye colors, dazzling nail colors, glosses for lips that are dark and sultry or soft sugar powders for that innocent pout.

Whatever your look, you'll find some of the hottest colors and products to help you achieve it beautifully at Revlon.

To make being beautiful easier and easy on the budget, Revlon is offering a coupon worth $2 off any Revlon color cosmetic product.

Go to Revlon.com and click on the coupon in the left-hand corner. Then simply fill out the form and register for updates on future deals and offerings from Revlon, as well as to get your $2 coupon off all their fabulous color cosmetics.

Get Paid For Your Opinion at myLot

Looking for a little extra cash for some items that have been too long missing from your life? Maybe that cute pair of sandals or a fabulous makeover at a downtown salon. Is the budget tight and getting tighter? Hey, you're online anyway, why not fill that change purse at the same time?

MyLot is a net community of people from all over the world who get paid simply for posting comments and opinions in discussions on varied topics. Pick your interests and find discussions on those topics. Post a comment in a thread or start a new discussion and MyLot will pay you for it.

The payments are not overwhelming, so don't plan that vacation in the Bahamas just yet. But with a computer and a few opinions, you could pocket a little cash. What could be better than being paid to express yourself?

Try out MyLot, you have nothing to lose.

John Frieda Hair Care Samples

Here's a free offer that's just right for these hot, humid, summer days. Wal-Mart is offering free samples of two John Frieda frizz-fighting hair care products.

Summer can dry out hair with sun damage, frequent washing and cause more fly-aways, more frizz and dull-looking hair. Here's John Freida to the rescue with two products that will tame fly-aways and frizz and restore gloss and manageability to your hair.


You can choose between a sample of Frizz-Ease® Thermal Protection Serum that seals each hair strand against heat and sun damage, or a sample of Frizz-Ease® Secret Weapon® Flawless Finishing Creme with sunscreen and moisturizers to restore silkiness and shine.

To order your free sample go here and simply click on Free Sample. Fill out the form with your name and address. Your free sample will be on its way. Wal-Mart states it will take four weeks to receive your sample, but in my experience, it usually comes more quickly than that.

Dove Skin Care Coupons

If you love Dove, you'll love this great offer! How about personalized coupons for Dove products and a chance to win free Dove for year!

All you need do is go here to take Dove's beauty survey. It only takes a few minutes to complete the survey and register for your coupons and the chance to win Dove products for a year. The coupons are all worth $1 or $2 off a variety of Dove products.

Personally, I am a great supporter of Dove's Real Beauty advertising campaign. They use real women instead of half-starved models, women who look the way real women look. Theirs is a message all women need to hear.

You're beautiful.

GALS - Get It All for Less

I am really excited about my new blog. I can't wait to show you all the bargains I have hunted down. There will be links to freebies, samples, coupons and just really great bargains you won't want to pass up.

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