Monday, October 21, 2013

Gifts & Deals: Grilling

Are you having a tough time shopping for the right gift for someone who loves to grill or BBQ?



Luckily my husband is a grill master! 
Check out top 5 grilling gifts my husband recommends. *The compact starter's price has dropped too. Don't miss on this deal. Be sure to bookmark these deals to keep an eye on the prices.








This blog uses affiliate programs for monetization, which means when you click on links to various sites that I recommend in my posts and make a purchase, this can result in a commission that is credited to this site. 

Monday, October 14, 2013

doTERRA Deep Blue Review & Giveaway




I absolutely love fall. Pumpkin patches, hayrides and spooky tours. All that walking leads to aching legs. Thankfully I had doTERRA's Deep Blue to review. It's a special blend of essential oils in a roll-on tub for easy application.  Within minutes the cramping eased enough for me to sleep without the aid of pills or chemicals. Treat your mild cramps naturally. This blend is especially wonderful for those sensitive to peppermint oil as it contains wintergreen. The scent does linger for a long time.

Ingredients: Wintergreen, camphor, peppermint, blue tansy, German chamomile, helichrysum and osmanthus


Now is your chance to win a bottle of DEEP BLUE to easy your pains.
One entry per household in the US. Entrants must be 18 years or older. Winner is chosen at random and will have 24 hours to reply to the winning email. Emails are collected solely to contact the winner. Any entries not honestly completed will result in all the entries for that person to be deleted.
a Rafflecopter giveaway


The product I reviewed and the giveaway prize was provided by My Natural Family and will be shipped to the winner by My Natural Family.  All opinions expressed are my honest opinions based on my personal experiences.  If you own a blog and would like to run a giveaway like this, check out their blogger program.

Young Living's Essential Oils Review

Some times the subject for a review just falls into your lap or in my case the trash can.

I thought about talking about how spearmint is refreshing in homemade toothpaste without the punch from peppermint oil. I then considered adding it to my lip balm base.

If you have toddlers then you have experienced Potty Training and mishaps. Today was a mishap day when this sweet young girl decided to poop in her panties and try to cover up the accident by wiping herself with tissues and discarding the mess in a trash can. Thank goodness for Spearmint essential oil and TRASH DAY.

Create your own disinfectant spray with a spray bottle, cheap vodka and a few drops of Young Living's Spearmint Oil. Simply spray the offending room, toilet, trash can and door handles. It's even safe to use on your hands.

Spearmint (Mentha spicata) has a minty, slightly fruity scent, softer than peppermint. A little goes a long way. Spearmint sharpens your senses and also eases a headache, fatigue and stomach upset (tea).

Make sure you dilute this oil in a carrier like jojoba. It may cause skin sensitivity.





Gary young developed his first organic herb farming and distillation operation in 1993.Unsatisfied with the altered essential oils on the market, Gary build an advanced distillery for the production of essential oils in North America.

Today, Young Living has become the world leader in essential oils while staying try to Gary Young's original vision.

You can learn more about Young Living's essential oils and Aromatherapy products here.

I strongly advise you to consult with a knowledgeable health practitioner before ingesting any essential oils.

Generally Recognized as Safe (GRAS) list of essential oils.


Disclaimer: I received Young Living's Spearmint Oil free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

nuNAAT Real Me Review





I was recently given an opportunity to try nuNNAT's new line of hair care called REAL ME!

Get ready for picture overload!






Don't see a difference? That's a wonderful thing for my hair. I spent 2 years formulating my own conditioner and hair gel to achieve the same results as nuNAAT's Real Me product line.

What I like about nuNAAT Real Me:
Retains my curls while holding just enough moisture. The styling products are very light weight. The conditioner perfectly balances the moisture in my hair. Did you know frizz can occur when your hair is over conditioned too? Yes that's correct!

Sometimes I do use my own gel for extra hold. There is no crunch with the hair products. It only flakes when I apply too much. You do have to find the right balance of pomade, curl activator and sheen.

My husband prefers a pomade that isn't waxy with hold. He was surprisingly content with nuNAAT. I personally think his hair looks healthier. It's has shine and less frizz.








Here is my process:

-Shampoo once a week 

-Apply everyday thinner conditioner

-Rinse with water and finger comb

-Finish with a cool rinse








I use the deep conditioner as needed which has been every two weeks. As I mentioned earlier you can over conditioner your hair. I was using similar ingredients to nuNNAT's deep conditioner as an everyday product. I changed the formula several times to avoid over conditioning. What I needed to do was leave that as a treatment and formulate another conditioner without BTMS which is what nuNNAT has done. A detangler is what I need daily since curls like to twist and knot together.

Anytime you try a new scented product, the smell is more noticeable. My husband said it took a few days to not notice the scent. Which is good news if you are not a fan of the fragrance. I love how it's not a heavy scent but light and airy.

What I don't like about nuNAAT's Real ME:
Applying 3 styling products to achieve the same look as my one homemade gel. I prefer simplicity and my hair needs ingredients from each product to retain the curls and moisture without frizz. Overall, the 3 products worked much better than any other commercial gel I have used in years.


Everyone's hair is different and we may experience different results. I can say these ingredients are gentle on my hair and I have selected many for my own formulas. Formulating your own products takes times and patience. It just comes naturally to me and at least I am putting my College education to practice.
 

If you are looking for a gentle, no silicone, sulfate free product then you must try this line. It doesn't weigh your hair down either and leaves tons of shine without a greasy feeling.

What's the secret in my hair gel? Silicones and panthenol.

The Real Me product line contains
  • Lather Up & Hydrate Shampoo
  • Real Moisture Conditioner
  • Pick me Up Sheen
  • Blast of Shine Hair Mask
  • Natural Curl Activator
  • Perfect Do Pomade

Connect With NuNAAT
Disclaimer: I received the Real Me line free in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts & opinions are my own.

Some tips for curly hair:

Scrunch and comb with your fingers in the shower. Don't brush or rub your hair dry. Use a cotton t-shirt instead of a towel. Avoid friction!!!! Frizz appears in dry hair, over conditioned hair, too much friction or sorry to say genetics. The less you disturb the curls the more shape it retains. Cold rinse really does work when your hair is healthy and you are using the correct products. It make take 2 weeks to see the desired change in your hair. It needs time to adjust and so do you.


Do you like the hair clips featured in this review then visit my LillaRose shop or facebook fan page for more details.  Some photos feature past clips of the month that are no longer available.

Old Navy Sweet Deal

Check out this daily #deal at Old Navy!



Save from 20-30% off online purchases. NO code needed. Then add ONEXTRA15 for an extra 15% savings including sale items.  Keep reading for more deals.

Reg $22.94, Sale $18.35, After 15% $15.64 =$7.30 savings


Reg $24.94, Sale $9.97, After 15% $8.47= $16.47 savings


But the savings doesn't end there! Login to swagbucks <- link="" nbsp="" p="" referral="">Go to the top menu -Discover then special offers. The page will open to Trial Pay offers. Sort by selecting More then Clothing & fashion. You will see an offer for 170 points when you shop at Old Navy. Click the link to register your credit card. This is used to track your purchases NOTHING ELSE. Don't sign up for extra offers.

Now go back to sawbucks-special offers-trial pay- More-clothing & fashion. (This tab should be open still). Look for the offer worth 255 points when you spend $39 or more. This tracking link works just like Ebates and Shopathome. 450 points is equivalent to $5 Amazon gift code. You will earn just under $5 in points from this offer on Swagbucks.

Shopathome is offering 4% cash back <- link="" p="" referral="">Ebates is offering 2% cash back <- link="" p="" referral="">It doesn't end there! Now Old Navy offers cash back for future purchases!



Thursday, October 10, 2013

BOO

Hi I am Michele and I am a solar light addict!




It's true that the last two summers I competed with my neighbor for the best light back yard. I do draw the line with holiday solar lights. Between finding storage space, batteries and tricking my husband to shop for more, I decided it was best to get creative.

I also hoard glass jars. It does pay off at times like when a friend needed large quantities for her wedding, last minute center pieces and now Halloween.

Here is a super easy Halloween craft that you and your family can do together. Please supervise the children when using glass, oven and silicone adhesive.  You can easily do this simple project for any theme.

I am in love with Americana's Glass Enamel paints. I used them on my glass flowers. I baked them for 20-30mins at 325 and they survived the summer. I also used UV6800 silicone adhesive that also held all summer. I knew these were the perfect items for my solar craft.

Gather your solar lights and empty jars. You need to match the mouth of the jar to the solar lights. You want it to rest on top of the glass.




I started with a small amount of paint inside a clean jar. Less is more. I used a sponge brush. You want to gently apply the paint to the glass. Swirling will not work with this paint. It's thick and doesn't want to glide. The lighter your touch and use of paint, the less you will see the lines. I personally loved the streaked effect for this project.

Bake at 325 for 30 minutes and allow cooling in the oven with the door shut. A sudden shift in temperature may shatter the glass.

After painting I went and cut some spooky images (bats and trees) on my cricut using the Chic & Scary Seasonal Cartridge. You can use any adhesive you have on hand but you want something that dries clear. I used my cricut tools to apply the cutouts inside and press down.

After designing the inside you want to take the top of your solar light. I used $1.97 light from Walmart. The .99 lights were smaller than the jar openings. Apply the silicone adhesive to the light and place it on the jar. Allow it to cure for at least 2 days before setting these outside.

I tested on jar I previously glued and the plastic tube on the solar light warped from the silicone. I would recommend removing that piece. The part that holds the batteries was in perfect shape and didn't warp.

I also tried stuffing cotton balls in the jar but it diffused the light too much.


ENJOY!!!! Feel free to share your creations. There are so many things you can do with these.

Sunday, October 6, 2013

Fall Outdoor planter


Once again I found inspiration on Pinterest. I finally figured out what my planters were missing! Multiple types of plants with themed decorations!

Last year I bought these beautiful mums. I put 3 pots on the steps in various colors along with our real pumpkins. It was cute but missing something. It didn't have the WOW factor. It didn't stand out from other houses.

Pumpkin Topiary-Dollar Tree Craft



Hello everyone! You might have noticed there hasn't been many new posts. That's because I have been trying out different crafts to share with you. Being a SAHM means limited alone time to craft. Which is why I have been quiet for weeks.

Pink!