Review/Contest: Vintage Body Spa

Okay y'all know my skin is THE WORST! Oh...wait...some of you may not know...so let me just tell you...my skin is THE WORST! I had a mild case of eczema most of my life but during my pregnancy and after the birth of Jackson, it morphed into this crazy case of "Christie is a Allergic to EVERYTHING!" No kidding! Baffled the hell out of my dermatologist. After almost of two years of testing me for everything under the sun, we came to the conclusion that I was allergic to 90-95% of chemical ingredients in soaps, lotions, detergents, dryer sheets, shampoos, conditioners, deodorants, etc...etc. Oh and to add insult to injury...I STILL have the eczema! So what do I do? I go au natural! Wait, not that au natural...I have to use natural products. No chemicals, sulfates, parabens, "oxides"...you get it. So I am always on the hunt for good stuff for my skin. Enter...Vintage Body Spa!

Vintage Body Spa are luxurious scrubs, moisturizers, and skin treatments that give you that "spa" experience right in the comfort of your home. I first learned of VBS when I met the owner and product mixologist (she's gonna love that) Alyssa Middleton when we both attended JessicaKnows' Rock Your Blog sessions. Just looking at her website had me at "hello". Alyssa gave The BlogRollers some product to take on our BlogHer or Bust Road Trip so that we were looking, smelling, and feeling good while we were away.

I am absolutely IN LOVE with the Whipped Sugar Scrub. Due to my crazy skin, I can no longer use bath salts or salt scrubs but my sking just looooooves suuuugaaaah (go figure). The Citrus Blast scent I chose is a great pick-me-up in the morning and the sugar gently exfoliates. I love this because it is a one stop shop...soap, exfoliant, and moisturizer all in one!

Since my skin eruption, I have discovered the beauty and benefits of natural, pure shea butter. While it is a killer moisturizer (and any of you with any level of dry skin should become a believer) by itself, it's just boring! VBS has this fantastic Whipped Shea Butter that is HEAVEN! It goes on smooth and creamy and just a little dab will do ya! I have it in the spicy Ginger Cardarmom Cream scent and all I can say is YUMMY!

Speaking of yummy, you MUST try the Suga' Lips Lip Balm in Ginger Peach. It is silk for your lips. It leaves them super soft and with that scent...somebody will kiss you! (even if it is just your kids)

I can almost hear you saying "Ooooh...aaaaahhh...mmmmm" while you are reading this! You want some right? Of course you do! Well, I just happen to have a really really nice VBS "Spa to You" Gift Set for a lucky reader. The set includes full-size samples of the following:

• Butter Beans (moisturizing bath fizzies)
  
• Suga Lips Lip Balm
• Wherever Body Cream (rich body lotion)
• Whipped Shea Butter
• A few extra goodies from The BlogRollers
  

All you have to do is leave me a comment...yep that's it. I will give you an extra entry if you friend Vintage Body Spa on Facebook and/or follow her on Twitter. Don't forget to come back here and let me know you did it...m'kay! The winner will be announced on The ChatterBox Show on FRIDAY AUGUST 7th at 10:00 AM EST. Be sure to tune in!

Spring Vintage Body Spa to Your Springpad

Review Rating: JB/RVW

Review: TJMaxx/Marshalls Spendervention

As you may know, I am on a mission to get "Conference Fly" before BlogHer and other conferences this summer and fall. The great folks over at TJMaxx and Marshalls helped me out by providing gift cards for me to find some great fashions for less than department stores as a part of their Spring/Summer Spendervention!

I am soooo not a shopper and most clothing stores make me break out in hives but knowing I would like to have some really cute clothes for my trips was major motivation. Part of me not being a shopper also has to do with me not wanting to spend a whole lot of money so I was also curious to see how far my $25 per store would go!

So what do you think? For a non-shopper and going completely out of my comfort zone with clothing choices (if Wifey and Joan were not there, everything purchased would have been solid black), do you like?

Review Rating = RVW

REVIEW: Chiquita Fruit Bites - Another Great Snack for Kids (and Adults)

Review Rating: RVW

Hey everyone! Here is my video review for Chiquita Fruit Bites. I am trying out a new video platform called Fliqz. Please let me know what you think of it!

You can also see this review (and others) on my MomTV Profile

REVIEW: Diane Birch - Bible Belt

Rating: RVW

Anyone who knows me knows I am a big music fan. I love music...all music. When someone asks me what kind of music I like, my reply is "anything that sounds good to me". I usually jump at the chance to review a new artist's debut album and I was so glad I was selected as one of the lucky recipients of Diane Birch's album Bible Belt.

When I first popped in the CD, I was immediately taken to a coffee shop on a lazy Sunday with my laptop or a sudoku book and she was the live entertainment. Her voice is very soothing and the music bluesy, soulful, with a hint of gospel and country...just a hint...probably why she called it Bible Belt, eh? It was the kind of music that I could work to or read to...rock in a hammock to. Background music, if you will...and that is not a negative comment.

Being a music lover, what impressed me most was that I could feel her "realness" for a lack of a better term. Her voice was real and her lyrics from the heart/soul. The music is pure. I can hear each REAL instrument and that is something that is very important to me with this kind of music. I can get down with a synthesized, digitally remastered beat every now and then but sometimes it is just really nice to hear a real piano, a real guitar, real background vocals!! She put me in the frame of mind of wonderful songstresses like Carole King, Carly Simon, and Phoebe Snow (oh geez, I'm dating myself again!)

My favorite cut on the album is by far track #4 - "Nothing But a Miracle"...that I would upload to my iPod. If you have a strong appreciation for real music, Diane is your girl! If I had to give this CD a 5-star rating, she would get 3 1/2. Bible Belt is available in most music online music outlets like iTunes, Amazon, Best Buy, and Target.