Recently I was asked to review Mont Bleu’s nail file and tweezer set.   I received these products to try (pictured below).

I never knew I could love a pair of tweezers so stinking much.  These tweezers make eyebrow preening so easy!  They can grab the finest, smallest hair without a problem.  I find myself grooming way too often just because it’s so gratifying to defeat the eyebrow war.   To make this even better, the tweezers and the nail files are really, really pretty.  Such a girly thing to have, and I love it!   It will be my personal mission to arm my girlfriends with these tools.  They are pricier than the cardboard sandpaper that you can buy at the checkout line, but ever so stylish and really effective.

Disclosure: I received product samples to review. The opinions are 100% mine.

Okay, time for girlfriend talk.

I have such dark facial hair that I have to get my lip waxed at least once every six weeks.  Sometimes I have to do it more often!!   At $6 to $10 a pop (depending upon how much time I have and where I go) it is pretty pricey when I consider how much I spend on it per year.  I was recently in the beauty supply store and decided to try a wax strip to do it at home.

I used another wax product a few years ago and it was not pretty.  It left burn marks and open burns on my upper lip.  UGH  no cover-up can fix that.   So I was a little hesitant to try it.  I ended up choosing these Parissa wax strips.  The directions seemed easy enough, and the box indicated that the product was good for beginners.

The strips already have wax on them; you just rub the strip between your hands for a few seconds then separate the strips (kind of like opening a band-aid.)  I did one side at a time, rubbed in the direction of hair growth, held the skin down just like the beautician does, and pulled it off really quickly.  I had to repeat about three times on each side to get it all, but it worked!!  And it was much less painful than having someone else do it, for some reason.  I didn’t have any reaction to this product at all.  I will definitely do this from now on!!  Ulta often has coupons in the paper (or sign up for their free rewards program and get coupons mailed to you!)  so I ended up getting these for $7 a box.  That will last almost a year!

I also tried the Parissa 2-in-1 hot wax products on my  legs, but it didn’t work as well.   I’m really scared about the bikini wax, but more embarrassed to go to the salon and have a stranger peeking down there, so I ordered this kit from Amazon.   It was not a success — I ended up throwing it away after a painful trial and error session.

Do you have any thrifty beauty tips?  Share them with us!

(Disclosure: The Amazon link is my affiliate link.  I benefit from any purchases you make through this link. Thanks!)

School’s out!!   This is a great time to get your child into a book series.  Your child can earn a free book at Barnes & Noble just by reading ANY 8 books!  We did this last year and my daughter loved going in to choose her free book.  I plan to keep the Reading Journal for both of my kids this summer.  I looked through the free books you can choose from, and there is a great selection.

Need some books for your kids?  Head to the library or download some freebies!  You can find a big assortment on my Pinterest board for free books.

For many of you, school is already out and you’re twiddling your thumbs wondering what to do.  My kids really enjoy being outdoors, but we can only do so many days of bike riding in the cul-de-sac before that gets old.  What about heading to the National Parks?  The great thing about these is they are all around the country (duh….national) and there is sooooo much to do.

Mark your calendar for these upcoming  2012 fee-free days:

• June 9
  Get Outdoors Day
• September 29
  National Public Lands Day
  
• November 10-12
  Veterans Day weekend

Then check this list to see if any other promotions are offered with your local National Park.

Note that there are exclusions to the fee-free thing, so read the fine print.  
Many National Parks charge NO FEE at all, so this could be a great summer activity for the whole family to enjoy for only the cost of gas.  Find a park and get outside!

I received no compensation for this post. The opinions shared are 100% mine.

Couldn’t sleep (too excited about the last day of school!!)  so I am of course shopping online.  I wandered over to Plum District to see what I could score tonight, and was really impressed with the offers they have right now.  Here are some of my favorites and which city I found them under!   I haven’t shopped around to see if they are the best deals ever, but they seemed pretty good to me at 1:30 AM.

Remember to click through different cities to see if there are online deals you might want.  Even if the offer is in a specific city, you can use the online deals from anywhere!

My account automatically applied a discount to my purchase (VISA10 for 10% off).  I also went through Shop At Home for 8% cashback.   If you are a first-time Shop At Home shopper, you will get $5 immediately applied to your SAH account, too!

Before you purchase a deal, make sure you read the fine print and can abide by them.

$15 for $30 men’s products at Every Man Jack (Think Father’s Day!)  under Sacramento

$17 for $49 value iPhone accessories (includes free shipping)  Under Washington DC-Frederick

$65 for camera (retail = $100)
(Everywhere)

$65 for waterproof video camera  (soooo tempted by this one!)
(everywhere)

$29 for personalized duffle bag…..think summer camp and sleepovers, cheerleading and dance practice!
(Under Atlanta)

$12 for 3 nail tattoo kits (under Baltimore)

$30-$42 for crystal-studded wall letters…..I think this would be an amazing gift for a little girl who wants to redecorate her room!  (Under Indianapolis North)

$15 for $30 products at Simply Pure (under Washington DC-Frederick)

Disclosure: These are my referral links.  I would love for you to post your referral links below for my readers to use!

Oh, how I love office supplies.   Even when I was a little girl, when all the other kids ran to the toy aisle in the store, I chose to browse in the school supplies and admire the pens, pencils, paper, and all the other goods.  I’m still that way!!  Having a good pen to write with is such a treat.  Too often, I pull a pen out of my desk drawer to find that it’s dried out, has leaked, or that it just won’t write.  You know the drill…..find a scrap piece of paper to scribble on until it has holes in it, then you give up and start digging for a new pen.  Repeat.  Well, Sanford Brands has addressed these issues.  I received several products from Sandford Brands to review and I must say, they have stepped up their game! [Read more…]

If you read my other Natural House product review, you’ll see that I’m really impressed with these products.  First of all, the small package contains a 30-day supply.  Love that everything is in convenient little pacs that are pre-measured.  Secondly, I love that Natural House products are safe enough for use in my house (with 2 kids) but effective enough to really get the job done.   They sent me Moppy for review and as before, I really like this product.  Here’s why! [Read more…]

I still have 13 codes to share for the PearlMountain Image Converter…..if you’d like to win one, just enter the Rafflecopter form below!  Void where prohibited by law. Ages 18+. Your chances are very good since we have so many codes to give away.  To find out more about PearlMountain Image Converter, read my review.

I received codes to share with my readers. The opinions shared here are 100% mine.

Amanda from Coping With Frugality and Alesha from Full Time Mama are excited to bring you this fun Father’s Day event called “Celebrating Dad”. This event will run from 12:01am EST Friday, June 1, 2012 through 11:59pm EST Sunday, June 10, 2012. Want to join in the celebration fun? It’s super easy!!

When I first read Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, I thought Professor Dumbledore’s comment about wanting a new pair of socks just silly!! But now that I think of it, maybe he really needed a good pair of socks. I should send him a link to Socks4Life.com!

Socks4Life sent me samples of men’s diabetic dress socks for review.  My husband wore them with his regular dress shoes for several days.  I chose the black option because they would go with anything in his wardrobe, and with his shoes.  The main difference with these socks was that there was no elastic at the top of the sock.  There was literally no restriction, which I’m guessing would be good for those who have circulation issues.  Although he is not diabetic, my husband said they are very comfortable.  He tends to get those elastic rings around his shins daily, so this was a nice change.  He said that the fabric was cooler and lighter, but seemed to keep his feet more wet during the day.  In the future, I will probably order him a cotton blend socks instead. [Read more…]

Moms, let me ask you……How much do you (or did you) spend per month on baby wipes?  I have always been frustrated with how much baby wipes cost, knowing that my husband goes through about 40 of them per diaper change.   Then we have the issue of the stinky diaper.  There’s not a lot you can do about that, and then if you add the risk of diaper rash on top of it, you can’t even procrastinate the inevitable.   I received Baby Fresh Cleanser to sample and was interested to see if the product would make the whole diaper-changing process a little less unpleasant for me and my kiddo.  It was formulated by a mom, and you all know I love to support small businesses and MOM businesses. I was excited to give it a try. [Read more…]