I completely forgot that in 2007 I was briefly addicted to the super nothing else like it under the sun exfoliation superstar, MaMa Lotion. And thanks to SkinCareRx & Tess Moody's Six Feet Under blog running a special giveaway promotion, I just remembered how much I really adored this product!

About two years ago I realized the missing element in my skincare routine was speedy exfoliation. It was precisely lack of a healthy rate of exfoliatino that was leading to all sorts of unpleasant problems- from acne to uneven skin tone to just a general lack of glow. So I did extensive web searches & probably via the insanely insightful reviews at MakeUpAlley, got tipped off to this underground, cult favorite odd sounding "Mama" lotion. So I read the rave reviews & I bit. And I tried it. And I loved it.

If you want to try an intense exfoliation product that is not based on glycolic acid (which I've never used, it just seems complicated to a lay person), this might be the one for you. This is one of those products- I've only tried the prior version of M2 Skin Refinish 20% which was previously known as MAMA Lotion & has since been reformulated- this is one of those products you read about & the praise seems so hyped that it can't be true. I repurchased it three times so that should indicate my enthusiasm for the original & my curiosity about the new version.

Happy to learn it has been reformulated & hope many discover it. Refinish is the right way to decribe what this product does. Like may people in the last few years I put the brakes on personal spending pretty hard, but this is one product that helps your skin maintain an optimal health & glow that is worth shortlisting. It must be similar to the way regular use of a Clarisonic helps your skin more efficiently absorb & benefit from topical treatmens.

For your chance to win a  M2 Collection Bundle please visit host sixfeetundersite directly for the SkinRx sponsored giveaway & learn how to enter their contest which ends on Dec. 11th.

Enter there, not here, please, as entries made here will not count. Good luck!

[archive] 3 winners will receive the following from Leonor Greyl: Huile de Palme; Shampooing Moelle de Bambou; and Masque Orchidees

Back in September The Beauty Girls a ragtag exclusive group of 7 beauty bloggers whose ringleader appears to be Amber at Beauty Blogging Junkie threw one heck of an online party for Fashion Week. They treated readers of their allied blogs to a series of outstanding product reviews & giveaways that were shall we say, Over.The.Top. They covered Fashion Week the way one imagines magazines would, but don't, and will in the future, when they catch up on how innovative bloggers are already changing the way consumers receive the ripples created on the runway.

Imagine moi surprise when I scored- big time- and randomly won products from Leonor Greyl: Huile de Palme; Shampooing Moelle de Bambou & Masque Orchidees. Imagine my triple surprise because I checked back afterwards & somehow missed my name on the winner's list, then one day I almost tripped over a mystery package from Leonor Greyl at my front door.

Narrowly missed sprained ankle notwithstanding, I'm pained to report that these products are every bit as good as the hype & then some. I have seriously curly hair that demands some kind of elusive, ever-changing combination of moisture & protein that no matter what combination of prouducts I've tried isn't quite right & isn't long lasting.

Some have come close, I'll admit. Wella's old Kolesterol treatment, Neil George's Indian Gooseberry Treatment Oil & Ojon's also very fantastic Shine & Protect line as well as MyFavoriteLeaveInConditionerEver Ojon's heavenly Restorative Treatment are all on my short list. For drugstore brands, I like Neutrogena's Triple Moisture, Aveeno's Nourish & in a pinch Aussie will do. For wacky at home treatments emu oil or hot coconut oil treatments are helpful. But my hair really craves lasting moisture. 

I wasn't wowed by the packaging, being American & all. :D But the products were sent with quite a bit of literature which I did enjoy flipping through, especially being new to the product line. The website was certainly fantastic. Before I used the product,  I thought the woman with the black braided hair might be a little overstating it. Afterwards I see how it captures the spirit completely.

The only other French brand of hair care I was quite familiar with was Phyto, which I always feel has a bewildering array of choices that are too targeted, I want something that is more multi-tasking. I feel I would probably love Phyto if I tried harder.

First the Huile de Palme, a pure oil which turns quasi solid when cold. Don't freak out & I'm showing my age here, but the light scent triggers some scent memory of I have of L'Air du Temps from the mid 80s. Just a hit of it but quite pleasant & evocative of the islands. A high grade light oil quickly absorbed. This wasn't particularly messy & very little product is required. I would like to see this product in a dark bottle or a squeeze tube. My hair instantly drank this wonderfully scented oil in. 

Masque Orchidees: Creamy & rich with a faint banana scent. Another formula designed for hair to drink deeply.

The Shampooing Moelle de Bambou: An extremely rich almost translucent creme shampoo. It has a luxurious scent & low lather. I carefully rubbed it from the top of my head down without trying to scrub it into my scalp but rather press it in, I focused on squeezing it into the length of my shoulder length hair & let it pentrate for a few minutes.

I didn't have a Leonor Greyl conditioner, so finished with an Ojon conditioner.

Even as I rinsed my hair I could feel the deep difference in my hair. It was not coated with a waxy finish designed to cloak a lack of deep conditioning, it didn't have a glycerin coating which would allow me to comb through then instantly disappear. My hair felt strong, supple & skinny. If you have loopy, curly wild hair as I do you can probably tell a lot about what condition your hair is really in by the feel of it when it is wet & being rinsed. What did the silkening feeling really mean? The cuticles were sealed My hair grabbed onto every nutrient in Leonor Greyl & slammed the doors shut! :D That's going to mean no frizz, too.

With an unprecedented feeling of health restored to my hair- hair utopia, hair holy grail- this isn't overstating it- the best condition I can ever remember my hair being in as an adult-my hair has Shirley Temple spring in it, remarkable sheen & silkiness. It's in perfect condition- which means I have a Medusa-like array of loops & curls going every which way - it's gorgeous. Whatever the elusive Rosetta Stone of moisture & protein is that my hair has been seeking all my life, the combination of natural oils & bamboo, I suspect, is the real catalyst here for my curls- these products which contain such pronounceable ingredients are surely deserving of the highest praise.

I'm forced to conclude that Leonor Greyl deserves that coveted Best of Class- That tiresome French tradition of having "The Best." The best bra (trust me, you haven't lived or been properly dressed if you have not once in your life treated yourself to an actual Aubade bra). The best red wine 2004 Bouchard Pere & Fils - Premier Cru Pommard. Etc. :D

Thank you Julia Conley, Beauty Girls & Leonor Greyl for introducing me to this line. It's a keeper.

Indian food is one of my favorite cuisines & it the No. 1 "ethnic" type of food I'll usually go for if I'm out & about somewhere new or traveling. I also moved recently - and am now an hour away from any sort of authentic Indian restaurant.

I've also tried my hand at some of my favorite dishes, like Chicken Korma at home, purchasing the shockingly expensive Cardamom to so so! :D The dishes I've made were good, but not great & since I don't have a baseline of familiarity that comes from a lifetime of using this family of spices which are therefore a little "exotic" to me.

I've been meaning to pick up an Indian food cookbook & have several stashed on my Amazon wishlist. This one always floats near the top!

If you’re looking for a book that can give you some useful hosting tips as well as some great recipes to help you host a dinner party that’s different from everyone else’s, you should check out Entertaining from an Ethnic Indian Kitchen. Part guide, part cook book, part coffee table book, Entertaining from an Ethnic Indian Kitchen author Komali Nunna provides her recommendations on everything from music to party favors. It also has 250 beautiful pictures of food, decorated rooms, and table settings.

Here's your chance to win a copy of this highly regarded guide to entertaining with Indian food! Simply visit What's Cooking at DD.com for your chance to win a copy of this highly regarded title. You must enter directly through What's Cooking, entries made here do not count. Expires Nov. 5, 2009.

Every woman deserves a beautiful strand of genuine, high quality pearls-

They're indispensable for special occasions & put polish on dressy outfits.

They make you glow, are easy to mix & match & their elegance is universal.

Here's your chance to enter to win a strand of Akoya pearls valued at $2,400 from PearlParadise.com hosted by Two of a Kind, Working on a Full House blog... Visit Pearl Paradise to explore the fascinating world of pearls & learn about the many different types of pearls. Find your favorite, each beautiful in their own right.

Enter directly at Two of a Kind, entries made here don't count. Ends Oct. 19, 2009.

Another cool crafty artsy dream product from the good people at The Original Scrapbox is the low profile version, the MiniBox which is perfect for so many spaces.

Most organizational messes really do come from inadequate storage space & lack of a designated space to put things. If you work with a lot of simliar or tiny components, you'll appreciate the pure genius of simply making sure you have enough storage area to BE organized in the first place! :D

Right now, at the Original Scrapbox you can Enter this code when you place your order to get $100 off your shipping: 100Writes

Happy crafting!

Rachel Writes has more on The Original Scrapbox here.

Outblush blog is hosting a marvelous jewelry giveaway from the famous one deeply, deeply, deeply discounted one jewelry deal at a time only  DiamondShark.

The watch is "the classic Barcelona from Accutron by Bulova. This timepiece's bezel is accented with 34 twinkly white diamonds, making it the perfect look for daytime or a casual evening date, while the stainless steel bracelet and scratch-resistant crystal make it water-resistant to 99 feet. Retail value on this goh-geous piece? $975!"

How fantastic is that? Super fantastic! :D

Visit Outblush directly to enter through Outblush. (You can't enter here).

And why not tell a friend? If they win, you'll get the karma! :D

Sigh. You know how some people... know where all of their tiny little nearly invisible components are? Well- they're... organized. And to be organized often means creating sensible storage space. It's one of those failing to plan is planning to fail little truisms- If you don't create a designated place to put something, of course, it will pick out a place all by itself.

Beads are curious critters, some are social by nature & wish to mix & mingle. Others are anti-social & roll off in a corner all by their lonesome. But with The Original Scrapbox's Minibox, you can change all of that! You can have different types of beads, findings & components nest happily together within reach. Good fences make good neighbors- and good compartments make great crafting & designing!

Right now TheOriginalScrapbox is offering a special promotion on shipping. To enjoy it, simply enter this code when you place your order to get $100 off your shipping: 100Writes

Besides the efficiency of the minibox, I like that one could also place a laptop right on top & get busy with ecommerce & crafty sites with everything well within reach.