Harmony aromatherapy's BRAND NEW Lavender/Peppermint Foot Care Set - Review/Giveaway

I'm so pleased & happy to be the very first one to review this! Thanks Amy! One lucky reader will win a sample size of the brand new Lavender/Peppermint Foot Care Set - sea salt soak, pumice scrub, & renewing cream. The giveaway will end at midnight on January 16, 2012. This is open to residents of the US & Canada.

Before we begin, Amy wanted me to let you know about her New Year Special! For the month of January she will be offering a FREE 1/2 hour phone consultation with the purchase of any oil! 

Plus; she's shared some exciting news with me! Amy will be offering foot care parties!!! If you've ever attended a Pampered Chef or Scentsy party, you'll understand how this will work. She'll send the host a full size set of the Foot Care Set for the guests to use during the party. The host will collect orders & has the opportunity to earn an incentive. Contact Amy for more details - amy@harmonyaromatherapy.net

She also wants me to let you know that she's selling some of her products on eBay at a discounted price. It's a great way to get a bargain! Click here to visit Harmony Aromatherapy on eBay.

About Harmony aromatherapy:

This isn't my first time reviewing a product by Harmony aromatherapy. (See my review/giveaway for essential oil protection.) Amy Lapierre is the owner & licensed aromatherapist behind the business. She uses only pure therapeutic grade essential oils in all of her products. She offers several different essential oils & can even do custom orders! Amy gets her oils from all over the globe, & they're tested through gc/ms for purity. Her oils are classed as therapeutic grade. Harmony aromatherapy is a family owned business that operates out of Utah, & it's growing by the day!

About the Foot Care Set:

The Soak - is formulated with therapeutic grade peppermint & lavender essential oils that are blended into sea salts. "It not only refreshes, but also invigorates your tired feet." 

The Scrub - The scrub is made with fine pumice & is designed to help slough off dry skin to help start the renewing process to help you obtain the softest of feet.

The Renewing Cream - The renewing cream puts nutrients back into your feet. It's Paraben free, & enriched with Sweet Almond & Jojoba Oils, along with therapeutic grade peppermint and lavender essential oils. The essential oils help to heal and soothe tired feet. "Our luxurious renewing foot cream is deep, long-lasting moisture protection that softens even the driest skin."

 My Experience With The Product Line:

The box from Harmony aromatherapy arrived just before Christmas break. It was a cute Christmas-sy design, with snow falling in the lid whenever the box was moved. The mail came just before I had to leave to pick my 13 year old up from school. I brought the box with me, so I could examine the contents while waiting for her. My entire car smelled yummy! As soon as my daughter opened the door to climb in she said "What smells so good?!?" She thought I had peppermint candy in the car.

Look at the cute box!

And the contents packaged with sparkly tissue

I will be the first to admit that I have horribly dry & ugly feet.  That's probably due to the fact that I wear flip flops 90% of the time - year round! (I live in a suburb of New Orleans). My problem areas are my heals & my big toe. I'm almost ashamed to show you my before shot, but this wouldn't be much of a review without one.

*Note* Don't worry; both my daughter & I were wearing shorts for the following pics. LOL

What the Foot Care Set Looks Like. You use the salt soak first (in the middle), the scrub 2nd (on the left), & the renewing cream last (on the right).

My ugly feet before.

 And the dry heal & big toe

My 13 year old daughter & I decided to do a girl's night last night. We have a jacuzzi tub, so I filled the tub with warm water & let the salts dissolve. As soon as the sea salt was put in the warm water a yummy combination of peppermint & lavender filled the bathroom. Not only did it smell good, but it also did wonderful things for our sinuses! We sat on the side of the tub & soaked for a while. It felt so good - a contrast of warm water mixed with the cooling sensation of the peppermint. By the way, if you don't have a jacuzzi or foot bath, don't worry. You can still do this at home! Just use a plastic dish washing container. It works just as well.

Here's a before shot of my daughter's feet

 Me soaking in the sea salts

 

My daughter soaking her tootsies

 

After soaking for about 5 minutes,  we moved on to the pumice scrub. It wasn't like any other scrub I've ever used before. It was gentle & had moisturizers in it. Many scrubs I've tried in the past have left me feeling like I've been scrubbed raw with sand paper. This was super smooth & gentle. It also had that yummy peppermint & lavender scent! In fact, I liked it so much that after doing my feet I massaged it into my hands.

My daughter massaging the pumice scrub on her foot

After massaging our feet thoroughly, we rinsed in the water again.  We used the same water we originally soaked in - the water with the sea salts in it.

Me rinsing the scrub off my feet

Look at the dead skin floating in the tub near my daughter!

After rinsing our feet, we simply dried off with a towel & then massaged the renewal cream on. This cream was just as surprising as the scrub!  It's very dense, so I was afraid that it would be super greasy & overpowering, but it wasn't! You only need to use a little bit to get the job done, but it goes on SUPER smooth! I just put dabs on & added as I needed more. I also rubbed it into my hands after doing my feet. It left both my feet & hands super soft, but not greasy! I tend to walk around the house bare foot & I was concerned that I would slip, but I didn't. :o)

My daughter massaging the renewal cream on

My after shot

 And an attempt to show you my heal & big toe (it was cramped in the bathroom with both of us in there!)

My daughter's after pic

My impression of Harmony aromatherapy's Foot Care set:

Pros:

1) The scent! I LOVE it! It smells heavenly, it's super gentle yet effective, & it makes you feel like you're getting pampered in a spa - only you're doing it for yourself at home! 

2) For someone with good feet like my daughter, no extra treatments are necessary. She noticed an immediate improvement! Even someone with challenging feet will notice an immediate improvement - you just might need to do the steps a few more times to see a dramatic improvement of your trouble spots.

3) Both of our feet smelled so good & felt cool after using the set. 

4) And it's gentle & healing for those with sensitive skin! My daughter & I tried another brand a couple of years ago. I don't want to name names, but it came from a very well known chain store that used to do sales parties as well. My daughter complained that her feet felt like they were on fire after using that other brand. After using Harmony aromatherapy's set, she felt nothing other than a pleasant cooling sensation.

Cons:

None, but I want to point out that if you have feet like mine you might need to use the scrub a few times to see a major improvement in the trouble spots. If you're impatient, you might be tempted to use a pumice stone on your rough areas. However, this stuff rocks! I like the fact that it's gentle & moisturizing because I believe it's better for my skin than scraping it raw.

The Giveaway:

One lucky reader will win a sample size of the brand new Lavender/Peppermint Foot Care Set - sea salt soak, pumice scrub, & renewing cream. The giveaway will end at midnight on January 16, 2012. This is open to residents of the US & Canada.

Sand Gone Review/Giveaway! Ends Aug 22!

Congrats to quiet ct! I think you'll be happy with this. It smells so yummy! Please watch for my email.

Are you planning a trip to the beach soon? Do you live near a beach, or do you frequently visit one? If so, you're probably sick of that irritating feeling of sand plastered all over your body. Sand Gone generously sent me a 12 oz Family Sized container of their all natural powder to test out, & is offering one lucky reader a 12 oz Family Size as well! The giveaway ends on August 22, 2011 at 12 Noon CST. As usual, the Giveaway details will be at the bottom of the Review.

Don't forget to enter to win an itti bitti d'lish SIO Diaper! There's still time. The giveaway ends Aug 11, 2011 at 12 Noon CST.

About The Product:

Tiffany Smith is a Mom of 2, who spent a lot of time at the beach with her children. She grew tired of using water to wash the sand off her kids, so formulated a powder that became known as Sand Gone.

Sand Gone is made from all natural products. It contains vegetable starch, plant starches, & fragrance.

Sand Gone is available for purchase on their website. You can pay securely with Paypal. You can purchase an 8 oz Family Size for $12.95 plus shipping. She also sells a Sand Gone Beach Bag, with all kinds of goodies in it: an 8 oz Family Size, a 2 oz individual size, Almond Coconut Soap, & display bag. The Beach bag currently sells for $26.00 plus shipping.

My family finally made it to the beach this past week! I love the beach & Summer just isn't complete without it. Nothing says Summer like the smell of the ocean, the feel of sand between your toes, & the sound of waves & seagulls. However, as much as I love the beach I do not enjoy the feel of sand stuck to my body on the drive home. It seems like no matter how much you rinse off with water, towel it off, or try to brush it off with your hands it just lingers in the most uncomfortable way!

About a week ago I received a sample of Sand Gone. It's said to be perfect for beach goers. It claimed to remove sand with a dry body powder, leaving your skin clean & soft. I thought it sounded too good to be true, but couldn't wait to test it! I'll admit to being skeptical.

I live in a suburb of New Orleans, & have grown up going to the beach every Summer - Grand Isle (pre BP Oil Spill), Biloxi, Ship Island, Florida, & now Alabama. All are within driving distance to me.

I'd always heard how clean & beautiful AL beaches were, & that they rivalled FL beaches. Since I have a 5 month old baby that I'm nursing every 2 hrs, I wanted to keep the car drive reasonable, but I also wanted to go to a clean beach that was as far away from last year's oil spill as possible. Let me just give a shout out to Cotton Bayou Beach in Orange Beach AL. It was BEAUTIFUL, & well worth the 4 hr drive to get there!

My Experience:

We spent several hours on the beach & in the water, but before we knew it the time had flown by. It was time to hit the road. We had to walk about 25 yards across the beach to get to the pier that led to the parking lot, flip flops sending sand up the back of our wet legs. We had a pretty decent amount of sand on us by the time we reached the parking lot. My 13 year old daughter used the outdoor public shower to attempt to wash her sand off. I used the Sand Gone. My husband multi tasked by holding the baby while shooting video of me using the Sand Gone. Later he used the towel to try to remove his sand. Out of the 3 of us, I definitely fared the best. Unfortunately, they were too shy to let me take pictures or shoot video of them! However, I can tell you that when we arrived home at 9:00 that night, they both couldn't wait to jump in the shower to wash the sand off! On the other hand, I was too tired & waited until the morning to shower - that's how well this product worked!

It's hard to see the sugar white sand on my feet & legs, but I did my best to show you.

When I opened the container of Sand Gone, the very first thing I noticed was the lovely tropical scent of coconuts! It smelled so good! There was a powder puff inside to apply the Sand Gone to the sandy areas with a brushing/sweeping motion. I used it in the exact same way that I would normally use my hand or towel to attempt to brush the sand off with, dipping the powder puff into the coconut scented powder often. I started off using the powder sparingly, but quickly learned not to be shy about really digging into the powder. I could see the sand flying off of my skin with each sweep. I didn't feel like I was rubbing my skin raw with sand paper, which is how I usually feel when trying to brush off sand with a towel or my hand. Instead, the Sand Gone went on smoothly & gently. All I felt was the powder & powder puff. As stated earlier, I did use the powder very generously because I found that worked best.

Here are the after pics. The white that you see near my toes in the bottom pic is the Sand Gone powder.

My hubby attempted to video me using the product. I apologize in advance for not resembling anything near a swimsuit model! The most important thing is to watch the sand flying off of me! You'll see it as little sparkly flecks. You will hear my know it all 13 year old in the background doubting that it works (gotta love teens!). However, you will literally see the sand flying off of me - especially on the 2nd leg.

Video of me testing Sand Gone

I think the video speaks volumes! However, if you're still skeptical, you can check out the videos on Sand Gone's website.

This will be a permanent part of my beach bag from now on!

Pros:

1) Smells delicious! I would use this powder any time - not just at the beach! I've been tempted to use it after baths except that the powder now has sand in it (as you would expect it to).

2) It works! I found that it removed much more sand than any other method.

3) It leaves your skin feeling so soft, & leaves a lovely tropical scent of coconuts.

4) Is a pleasant & relaxing way to remove sand. You feel like you're pampering yourself.

Cons:

1) This isn't really a con, but something I want to mention to my readers to make using the product easier for you. I think some people might try to put it on sparingly. I was guilty of that myself at first, but quickly learned that it was more effective to really dig into the powder with the powder puff.

2) I suppose some people might find ordering it online to be a con, though this doesn't bother me in the least! I tend to do most of my shopping online, but some people are a little afraid of making payments online (mostly people in a more advanced age group). Paypal is a very secure way to make payments!!!!!

3) It does take some time to rub yourself down with the powder puff, but honestly so does any other method of sand removal. I don't think there's a quick fix to getting rid of sand. :o) Besides, I found it to be pleasant & relaxing. It was so soft & smelled so good!

There you have it! I don't think there are really any cons to Sand Gone at all! If you're planning a trip to the beach, or frequently visit beaches, I highly recommend this product!

The Giveaway:

This is open to both new & existing readers. However, if you're already following me you still need to comment to let me know. This is for residents of the USA who are 18 & older only. Please play fair & enter with only one email addy. You have the opportunity to enter 6 times by completing the tasks & commenting with your name & email addy. However, the 1st task is mandatory for all entries! I will be checking to make sure that all tasks have been completed, & if they haven't the comment will be deleted. The drawing will be on August 22, 2011 at 12 Noon CST. I will use random.org to select the winner.

Mandatory Task

1) Follow me publicly with GFC. Comment with your name & email addy letting me know that you've done so. This applies to those who are already following me as well. :o)

Extra Entries

2) Subscribe via email & comment with your name & email addy.

3) Follow me on Twitter (@heartnbutterfly) & comment with your Twitter ID, name, & email addy.

4) Tweet about this Giveaway. Include the link to your Tweet, name, & email addy in your comment.

5) Follow @SANDGONE on Twitter. Comment with your Twitter ID, name, & email addy after doing so.

6) Like Sand Gone on Facebook. Post a thank you for the Giveaway on their wall & tell them that my blog sent you. Please comment with your Facebook name & email addy letting me know that you've done so.

Good luck!

The Body Shop Body Butter Giveaway! Ends 06-29-11, 10:00 am Central

CONGRATS to Sam Wheeler, who just won the body butter! I'll be in touch with you shortly to get your information. Thank you to everyone who entered!

I currently hold in my hot little hand (literally because we're averaging temps in the upper 90's currently!) a container of  The Body Shop's Moringa Body Butter. I've been trying it out & also have one to giveaway to a lucky reader as well.

I have a 50 ml container, & I'm happy to tell you all about it! I have eczema on my hands, & it stubbornly refuses any treatment! I've been using this for a little less than a week, & while my eczema remains, I do have to say that there's a dramatic improvement. Not only does it look better, but it feels MUCH better too. The itching & cracking/bleeding skin has all but disappeared. This is a condition that I live with on my fingers from the Spring through part of the Summer, & I'm not kidding when I say that it's torture. My fingers either itch like crazy or hurt constantly. Just look at these before & after pics for proof! I can only imagine the improvement I would see if I used this for a month solid.

Before

After

Update: I continued to use it for the rest of the month & my eczema is almost gone! It's completely gone on the 1/2 of my finger that is closest to my hand, & almost gone on the fingertip.

The Body Shop states that it lasts up to 24 hrs, & I have to admit that it was awfully long lasting. I wash my hands frequently with a small baby, cooking, testing out cloth diapers, etc. It definitely made my skin softer & lasted. With other lotions & potions, I find myself slathering it on several times a day. I applied the Body Butter to both of my hands once a day, but topped up the eczema areas a couple of extra times a day with small dabs. I think for "normal" skin it might very well last 24 hrs. The Body Shop states that this particular Body Butter is best for normal to dry skin, & that definitely describes me!

How it works:

• Moringa seed oil with natural oleic acid moisturizes and protects skin.
• Community Trade shea butter moisturizes and softens skin.
• Community Trade cocoa butter is an excellent moisturizer that melts at body temperature.

Pros:

1) Super soft skin

2) Requires just a dab to get the job done

3) Smells very feminine & flowery

4) Compact size makes it easy to carry in your purse, or in my case a diaper bag

5) Long lasting

Cons:

 1) Some might say that this is an overly floral scent - perhaps even overpowering. I didn't find that to be a problem since I was just dabbing it on.

That's it! I honestly can't think of one bad thing to say about this product. I'm hooked & hope that you will be too. I look forward to trying out other scents.

Now for the part that you've been waiting for! If you're interested in participating in my giveaway, please do the following:

1) Subscribe to my blog via email, & comment to this post with your name & email addy telling me you've done so.

2) Follow me publicly with Google Friend Connect, & comment to this post with your name & email addy telling me you've done so.

3) Vote for my blog on "We're On The Fence" by clicking on the button to the right, & then comment to this post with your name & email addy telling me you've done so.

4) Tell me why you would like to win this product, & comment to this post with your name & email addy telling me you've done so.

*NOTE* You must supply your name & email address in each comment, & you must comment for each step to be entered. I have no way of notifying you if you win otherwise. This giveaway ends on June 29, 2011 at 10:00 am Central. You will be contacted by email telling you if you've won, & you will have 48 hrs from the time I send the winning notification via email to respond. If you don't respond within 48 hrs, I will select a new winner.