Annmarie Dead Sea Facial Scrub Review

Have you ever heard of Annmarie Gianni Skin Care?  I hadn't until I started trying to find the ultimate skin care company and was reading an article (can't remember where) and the author said that Annmarie was very diligent in sourcing her ingredients.  I contacted the company to learn more and long story short, they ended up sending me six of their products to try out.  How generous and brave is that!?!  I will review all of their products in coming posts, but I first wanted to let you know the one thing that stands out about all of Annmarie's products.

Using Annmarie skin care is the ultimate aromatic experience.  It is hard to describe but when I use them I breathe more deeply.  I try to place the scent, and think, "now what does this remind me of".  I guess I am a dominant smell person. ;)  So thanks Annmarie for filling your products with pure ingredients and scents that I am not afraid to breathe!  Okay, now on to the review.

Annmarie Dead Sea Facial Scrub

This a (50 ml) jar for $39.95, which should last about five months (or 28 scoops).  This is for all skin types EXCEPT those with sensitive skin.

This scrub looks like a gray mess but it smells intensely

Awesome deal on Physicians Formula at Rite Aid till Oct 3 (No coupons involved!)

UPDATE:  Sadly, I cannot recommend their Organic Wear CC cream or mascara.

EXPIRED:  I need to interrupt my skin care series with a seriously frugal deal that you need to know about NOW because it only goes till Oct. 3, 2015.  When you buy $15 dollars worth of any Physicians Formula Cosmetics from Rite Aid, you get $10 loaded onto your PlentiPoints card.  You can do this deal twice..so buy $30 worth, then get $20 loaded on your card to use the next time you come in (as long as you wait 24 hours for it to successfully load)!

Mad World of Skin Care

Happy Monday to you all!

Here is a quick  just a reminder about my last post and the Sam's Club FREE annual membership offer for new and expecting mom.  If you meet the qualifications of expecting a baby or being a mom to a little one that is one year or younger, then you have until tomorrow, September 29th, to contact Sam's Club and let them know that you would like to get the free membership for new or expecting moms.  They will then most likely send you a mailer that you can take into your nearest Sam's Club and finish the sign-up process.  Wow, isn't this so kind of Sam's Club?  Will you please remember to thank them for this generous offer?

Okay, now moving on to what has been weeks in the making.  

I am so excited to start a series on NATURAL SKIN CARE.

I am now in my 30s and am seeing the beginnings of wrinkles and age spots.  I used to be perfectly happy using a fresh diaper wipe (hey, mother of five here!) to quickly cleanse my face before hitting the hay and then splashing my face in the morning with water and calling it good.  I wouldn't use lotion unless my face felt dry.  Seriously, that was my skin care.  But these last few months, I have had to change my tune.  I actually care about cleansers, toners, serums, and masks now.  I have been picking up things from the supercenter, the mall, online, ETC.  I have been researching products and companies and let me tell you this:

Made with reuse image of earth and picasa.

I still go into slight panic mode when I think of all the options.  There are thousands of products to chose from, from your average St. Ives to Chanel, ranging from $ to $$$ per product, and consisting of made-made chemicals to essential oils to snail mucus.  It is CRA-ZY!  And the claims that companies make sound like they are in possession of The Unbeatable Elder Wand, when it is basically just a industry of pseudoscience.  Lets get real.

Sabbath Sunday

EXODUS 20:8-11

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

FREE Sam's Club Membership for New or Expecting Moms is LEGIT...[OFFER EXPIRED]

Here's the inside of my mailer.

UPDATE-UPDATE:  So I thought that I would let you know that the mailed did indeed come from Sam's Club. I went into Sam's Club with my mailer and scored a free years membership.  It was just in the nick of time because my "new" baby was about to turn two (and the requirement for this offer was one year or younger).  Thanks again, Sam's!

Oh, I'm Just Stretching

MONDAY MUSING

This weekend I have been feeling stretched.  I'm a mother of five kids, 10 years and under.  Mothers feel stretching of all kinds.  It begins with a stretching belly but the stretching never ends.  What kind of stretching am I talking about?

Sabbath Sunday

EXODUS 20:8-11

Remember the sabbath day, to keep it holy.

FREE deluxe sample of Benefit Porefessional No Purchase Required EXPIRED

I'm happy to share another Frugal Friday with you today.  If you are a Sephora Beauty Insider (free to join), then you are eligible to use this coupon at a Sephora Inside JcPenney.  There are only a couple of days left to use it. EXPIRED

Lancome Definicils vs Lancome Hypnose Mascara Review (plus, What are parabens doing in Lancome?)

I have reviewed Lancome Hypnose Mascara (this is the regular Hypnose) but I thought some readers might be interested in how it compares to Lancome Definicils Mascara, especially if you are loyal to the Lancome brand.  Personally, I am a brand hopper.

Spoiler Alert:  Lancome Hypnose (the regular one) is better than both Lancome Definicils and Lancome Hypnose Drama (which I did a comparison to in another post).  Despite me not being able to recommend any of them to you at their high price, I still find myself reaching for Lancome Hypnose (regular) quite often when I am in a rush because of how easily and quickly it applies.

Here is a basic breakdown of each mascara, starting with their formula and wand traits, moving on to how they apply, and then how they wear throughout the day.

"Bachelor Mother" Movie Review...Neglected Classic

Okay four words for you:  Ginger. Rogers. David. Niven.

Credit

BOOM.  These iconic actors lit up the old film screen.  Ginger Rogers and Top Hat.  David Niven and The Pink Panther.

This was my film type growing up, along with Sleeping Beauty, Polyanna, The Harvey Girls, and Show Boat.  By the time I got to college, I considered myself an expert in musicals.  Then I enrolled in Film 101 and discovered one of the GREATEST classics of all time;

The Bachelor Mother

FREE Shutterfly Photo Book with code FREETREAT (Offer EXPIRED)

I have purchased photo books, note pads, and stickers from Shutterfly and have been very pleased with the finished products.  My favorite thing to order from them is their photo books.

Best Cheap Budget Vacuum for Carpets is Under $50

IF you are looking for an inexpensive vacuum for carpets that is:
    - Powerful
    - Easy to Maintain
    - Bagged
THEN the $43.84 Bissell Powerforce vacuum (exclusive to Walmart) is for you.  This vacuum has proven to me that you don't have to spend a ton of money to get a great vacuum.

I used a snippet from Bissell website to create this collage.

This was the vacuum that my husband and I bought when we were newlyweds.  We used it until we had to leave the country (ha ha, that sounds so dangerous).  Upon our return to the states,

FREE Deluxe Sample Buxom Mascara at Sephora Inside JcPenney

FRUGAL FRIDAY:  FREE Buxom Mascara

I'm happy to share another Frugal Friday with you today.  And since my last two posts have compared mascaras, I thought this free mascara would be just the thing.  I picked mine up earlier this week and am excited to try it out. UPDATE:  I did not like this mascara at all.  It was a smudge pest!

You probably know that you can get a birthday freebie from Sephora by being a Beauty Insider.  And you probably know that you can ask Sephora employees to make you a sample of just about anything in the store.  But you might not know Sephora Inside JcPenney periodically and quite randomly releases coupons for FREE deluxe samples. UPDATE: These no purchase required coupons are becoming more and more rare!  So if you like Buxom Mascara, take advantage of this coupon with no expiration date.  Personally, I think their lip glosses and shadows are way better than this mascara.

They email and mail these coupons quite randomly.  I have come across quite a few of these coupons googling "deluxe sample Sephora Inside JcPenney".  I called Sephora's customer service about the coupons to see if it was okay to use them.

L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes vs Benefit They're Real....The SHOCKING Truth!!!

Well, apparently ya'll like it when I compare mascaras.  I totally dig that, as mascaras are totally up my ally.  I love what it does for my sparse lashes!  Today I am going to compare a drug store mascara, L'Oreal Voluminous False Lashes, with a high end mascara, Benefit They're Real!

The results really threw me through a loop.  I was shocked!  Let me back up, to give you the history so you can be shocked with me. ;)

Way back in my early marriage, I used Mary Kay's Ultimate Mascara and couldn't be happier.  Well, when my birthday came around, I went to Sephora to pick up my free birthday gift and it happened to be Benefit They're Real Mascara.  I fell in love with it so much that when my mascara deluxe sample ran out, I coughed up the money to buy a full size. Yes, coupon/deal-loving-Abi bought her first high end mascara.  I told all my friends about this wonderful mascara and even gave one to my mother for Christmas.  It was the holy grail of mascaras for me--for YEARS!

But in March, I had a light bulb moment.  Benefit They're Real mascara wasn't the only high-end mascara in the world.  Perhaps I should at least try some others.  So I bought a big sampler set from Sephora with 10 high end mascaras in it.  I am still working on trying them out.  Later, another light bulb moment, could drugstore mascara compete with high end mascara?  So then I started buying drug store mascara again.  Honestly, I am swimming in mascara right now and could do mascara reviews for months!

Lancome Hypnose vs Hypnose Drama Mascara

This is a comparison review of two mascaras from the same company.  Lancome makes both Hypnose and Hypnose Drama mascara.  Despite having similar names, they are very different from one another.  I have worn both of these mascaras multiple times.  These are my own opinions and I am not being paid for this review.

Here is a picture with Hypnose on one eye lashes (to your left) and Hypnose Drama on the other eye lashes (to your right).

Here is a basic breakdown of each mascara, starting with their formula and wand traits, moving on to how they apply, and then how they wear throughout the day.