Beauty Bar and Allure Bring You Sample Society

Hey everyone!

The premier beauty retailer, Beauty Bar, is collaborating with The Beauty Expert, Allure magazine, to introduce Sample Society—a breakthrough in beauty sampling. A members-only subscription service, Sample Society delivers the most exclusive samples of hair-care, makeup, skin-care and fragrance products plus expert information each month.

As the number-one driver of discovery and purchase, sampling has solidified its position as the backbone of the 30-billion-dollar beauty industry. Product sampling has long been a marketing tool, with samples of all kinds reaching 70 million households each quarter.* In fact, according to a national poll, 49 percent of women say sampling is the top purchase motivator when it comes to new beauty products. Beauty is the only industry to reinvent sampling and turn it into a paid service.

The beauty sampling experience has evolved from the passive and free department store gift-with-purchase model to a sought-after service women are willing to pay to join. Beauty Bar and Allure are reinventing it yet again—by marrying expert advice and insight from Allure editors with deluxe samples culled from Beauty Bar’s expansive selection of high-end domestic and international products—to create the ultimate beauty Sample Society.

“Given the thousands of beauty products that are introduced each year, sampling just makes sense,” says Linda Wells, editor in chief of Allure. “Who can really buy all those products? Who has the time to try them all? With Sample Society, the products are edited, and the sizes are ideal for multiple uses—so you can really figure out if the product is right for you. And what I also love about it is that the box feels like a present. It offers the pleasure of discovery.”

A Sample Society membership introduces consumers to the latest trends and innovations in beauty through sampling. As members, customers receive the following every month:

~Five deluxe-size samples from premium brands such as By Terry, Dermalogica, Fekkai Advanced, and Bond No. 9. Samples are deluxe-size, meaning they are intended for more than one use, allowing customers to truly experience and test products’ efficacy.

~Original content written by Allure editors with each month’s samples, giving the customer relevant expert information that can optimize her experience and ultimately help her make purchase decisions.

~A $15 gift code that can be used toward the purchase of any product from the featured brands received that month (not just the specific product sampled), meaning that each box pays for itself .

About Allure: Allure, the only magazine dedicated to beauty, is an insider’s guide to a woman’s total image. Allure investigates and celebrates skin care, hair, makeup, fragrance, and fashion with objectivity and candor, and places appearance in a larger cultural context.

Visit beautybar.com/samplesociety for more information. 

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by PR.

Get Pretty in Pink for Valentine's Day with Bath & Body Works!‏

Hey everyone!

Bath & Body Works invites you to be our valentine this year at a chic celebration of the latest must-have Signature Collection scent: Pink Chiffon. An ultra-feminine fragrance with girly grace, this quintessential romantic scent will sweep you off your feet. Put on your preferred pink outfit Saturday February 11^th and join Bath & Body Works to fall in love with the new scent just in time for Valentine’s Day.

At the event, guests can also:

• Cast a vote for your favorite new Signature Collection Fine Fragrance Mist, showing love for your signature scent.
• Complete your date night prep with a stop at our Pucker Up station, your destination for the ultimate kissable pout.
• Find the perfect gift for the man in your life in the Bath & Body Works Men’s Collection.
• Enter to the ultimate Valentine’s Day prize – a dreamy bedroom makeover or romantic trip for two to Hawaii!

Celebrate Valentine’s Day in style with Bath & Body Works for fine fragrance, free gifts, and much more! 

WHO:              Bath & Body Works             

WHAT:            Valentine’s Day Party 

WHEN:            Saturday, February 11^th, 10am - 4pm

WHERE:         Bath & Body Works stores nationwide

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by PR.

Bath & Body Works' Rio Rumberry Body Lotion

Hey everyone!

Bath & Body Works' exclusive Signature Body Lotion formula, fortified with powerful ingredients like super conditioning Shea Butter, fast absorbing Jojoba Oil and protective Vitamin E, hydrates skin with moisture that lasts all day. The non-greasy formula absorbs quickly and completely to leave skin feeling incredibly soft, smooth and nourished, making it the perfect daily moisturizer.

Rio Rumberry is an exotic blend of tropical berries, fresh papaya and vanilla blossom.

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Bath & Body Works sent me this product to try and feature on my blog. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to feature their product. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Soap & Glory Peace Hand Love Set Review

Hey everyone!

This is a review on the Soap & Glory Peace Hand Love Set!

Behind the brand - The Glory of It All - Soap & Glory’s squeaky-clean story

Kilgore used her cosmetic chemistry savvy to bring, fearless, and fantastically formulated bath, beauty, and body products to Soap & Glory has been supporting the "Clean of England" since 2006, when founder and suds-loving entrepreneur Marcia the U.K.

Kilgore is widely renowned as the skincare expert's expert. At 26, she opened her first big business—New York's famous Bliss Spa. She's performed thousands of facial and body treatments, on her "regulars," top beauty editors, and an A-list roster of celebrities. She boasts an encyclopedic—and practical—knowledge of cosmetic ingredients, can tell you what really works, and knows what lifts a skincare, body, or cosmetic formulation from average to amazing. Most importantly, she believes that a good laugh can take off as many years as a good "lift."

Within weeks of Soap & Glory's first launch, the word—and gloss—on everybody's lips was their now iconic, super-plumping Sexy Mother Pucker™. Soon after, Soap & Glory's Righteous Butter™ Body Butter was voted Britain's Best Body Butter and their Make Yourself Youthful™ anti-aging peptide serum took The Times beauty award's gold star. The bar was set high. And every single Soap & Glory product that followed has been brilliant.

But it's not all foam and frivolity. Soap & Glory's 2-Minute Rinse campaign promotes quick, easy-to-do, 120-second showers. It has become de rigueur for those worried about the approaching global water shortage. And so, Soap & Glory always suggests—whether you're using S&G or other products—shorter showers are better.

A proud purveyor of an absolutely fabulous full range of beauty, body, and bath stuffs, Soap & Glory recommends putting your products on with happiness and abandon, because they believe while beauty absolutely matters, it doesn't matter absolutely.

This may be the 21st century, but in our home, dishes are still washed by hand! As you might imagine, because of this barbaric practice, my mom and I both suffer from dishwasher hands. Worst yet, the cold weather and added pots and pans from holiday cooking makes them extremely dry and chapped, causing unsightly rashes and cracked skin! The only solution up to now has been to use medicated creams before bed, along with expensive medicated hand lotions.

So when the opportunity to try Soap & Glory’s Peace Hand Love Set presented itself, we jumped at the chance to find out first-hand, if the products were as good as we had heard! To our delight, they were even better. The rich, liquid floral hand soap lathered up nicely and rinsed away clean, leaving our hands feeling soft, refreshed, and conditioned. But the piece de resistance was the fragrant hand cream that hydrated and revived our tired overworked hands, and brought them back to life! We couldn’t ask for anything more, except a dishwasher! lol

This set contains:

- 8.4 oz Hand Food Hand Cream

- 8.4 oz Wash Your Hands of It Hand Wash

- Sink-side metal caddy

This set retails for $18.00, and can be purchased at www.sephora.com!

Pros:

~Hand soap and cream both have a lovely floral scent

~Soap rinses clean

~Soap is non- drying

~Cream leaves hands feeling nourished and restored

~Cream absorbs quickly

~Cream is non-greasy

~Vintage packaging with a British flare

~Metal sink-side caddy

~Affordable

~Ideal Gift

Cons:

~Hand cream contains parabens

Overall, I rate this product at 5 out of 5 sugarcubes! Don’t make war, make peace, and love your hands with Soap & Glory!

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Soap & Glory sent me this product to try and review on my blog. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to review their products. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Love Package from Lexy!

Hey everyone!

I received a sweet package in the mail today from my good Blogger friend Lexy!

She sent me a bunch of adorable Hello Kitty items (a pencil, sticky notes, and a lip balm key chain), Sally Hansen Nail Polish Strips in It Girl, NYX Ultra Pearl Eye Shadow in Jade Pearl, Maybelline Color Tattoo Eye Shadow in Pomegranate Punk, a cute pink teddy bear phone charm, a mini Bath & Body Works Bali Mango lotion, and a sweet card!

Needless to say, I absolutely love everything I received! Thank you so much for the thoughtful gifts Lexy, I can't wait to send you a birthday package!

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: The items shown above were sent to me from my good friend Lexy!

Rimmel London New ScandalEyes Mascara TV Ad

Hey everyone!

Introducing Rimmel London's new scandal'eyes mascara - 3 times the collagen creating a high volume scandal. Give your lashes the attention they have been craving.

XoXo,

Whitney

Complimentary 10-Day Supply of Estee Lauder Night Repair Serum

Hey everyone!

Have you experienced the miracle of beautiful skin? Now’s your chance – January 20th through 22nd, visit any Estée Lauder Counter nationwide to receive our gift to you: a deluxe 10-day supply of our #1 serum, Advanced Night Repair.

Find a store near you http://bit.ly/qKHROc. One per customer, while supplies last.

XoXo,

Whitney

Smashbox Cosmetics Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette Review

Hey everyone!

This is a review on Smashbox Cosmetics’ Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette!

From red carpets to runways, pastel lids rule this spring! Get ‘em with this perfectly on-trend palette. Eight richly pigmented blendable shadows will have you creating endlessly pretty looks all season long.

Don’t get left in the dark wearing last year’s fall eye shadows! Be Discovered with Smashbox Cosmetics’ newest eye shadow pallet, when time springs forward this season. It’s filled with eight beautiful hues to brighten your eyes and mood. The shades are nicely pigmented and smooth in texture, which make application and blending a breeze.

From left to right:

~Bliss - matte fawn

~Rosewater -  blushing pink sheen

~Opal-  white with pink iridescent sheen

~Mist - sparkling silver

~Adobe -  matte medium brown

~Champagne - shimmering beige

~Pebble -  matte stone brown

~Lilac -  shimmering lavender with pink iridescent

Beauty Tip:

Finish up any look with a touch of the opal shade on inner corners of the eyes. Instant brightening!

This product retails for $44.00!

Pros:

~Beautiful pastel colors

~Matte, shimmer, and sparkling finishes

~Silky soft texture

~Easy to blend

~Great for fair skin

~Paraben free

~Travel friendly artsy packaging

~Mirror

~Plastic inside keeps palette clean

Cons:

~None

Overall, I rate this product at 5 out of 5 sugarcubes! Be Discovered with iconic eyes from Smashbox Cosmetics this spring!

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Smashbox Cosmetics sent me this product to try and review on my blog. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to review their products. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Sally Hansen Teams Up With White + Warren!‏

Hey everyone!

Frigid weather doesn’t mean you have to say goodbye to flawless hands. Nail authority Sally Hansen is teaming up with luxury cashmere designer White + Warren to offer consumers the warmth of beautiful gloves that they can slide their perfectly primped hands into. 

For a limited time, every consumer who purchases a pair of White + Warren Fingerless Gloves from the White + Warren website (http://www.whiteandwarren.com/) will receive a complimentary Sally Hansen Manicure Set filled with manicure must-haves.

Protect your hands against the drying effects of cold winter weather with White + Warren’s luxe cashmere fingerless gloves, and beautify your nails with Sally Hansen’s ultimate manicure kit. The nail essentials set includes:

~Expert Nail File – to help you achieve the perfect shape for your nails.

~Nailgrowth Miracle Serum – for instantly softened and smoothed cuticles that resist dryness and damage as they grow.

~Complete Salon Manicure in Right Said Red – an all-in-one formula that delivers base coat, vivid color, growth treatment, strengthener and top coat in one smooth polish.

~Dry, Chapped Hand Cream – an ultra-moisturizing, gentle lotion that leaves hands touchably soft all season long.

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by PR.

Alighiero Campostrini Soap Review

Hey everyone!

This is a review on the Alighiero Campostrini Soaps in the scents Primitivo and Gentile!

These skin-softening antioxidant-rich bars are made with 100% olive oil. This ancient recipe uses a traditional boiled process where only pure olive oil is used throughout the soap production. Each fragrance uniquely represents the tastes associated with the variety of flavors found in olive oil.

Primitivo Ingredients (Inci): Sodium Olivate, Aqua (Water), Parfum (Fragrance), Glycerin, Potassium Oleate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Benzyl Benzoate, Citronellol, Coumarin, Eugenol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexenecarboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool.

Gentile Ingredients (Inci): Sodium Olivate, Aqua (Water), Parfum (Fragrance), Glycerin, Potassium Oleate, Sodium Chloride, Sodium Citrate, Tetrasodium Etidronate, Amyl Cinnamal, Benzyl Salicylate, Butylphenyl Methylpropional, Citronellol, Geraniol, Hexyl Cinnamal, Hydroxycitronellal, Hydroxyisohexyl 3-cyclohexenecarboxaldehyde, Limonene, Linalool.

Alighiero Campostrini Soaps have lovely, unique scents that come from the essential oils of plants and herbs,  found in Mediterranean gardens. The bars when wet, produce a light creamy lather that conditions and nourishes skin, while the soaps’ fragrances relax and soothes mind, body and spirit!

These products retail for $8.50 each!

Pros:

~IPO allergenic

~No dyes

~No EDTA

~Pleasing herbal aromas

~Moisturizing

~Rinses clean

~No oily/soapy residue

~ Does not leave shower floor slippery

~ Large size

~ Affordable

~Quality Packaging

~Long-Lasting

Cons:

~Limited availability

Overall, I rate these products at 5 out of 5 sugarcubes! Alighiero Campostrini Soaps brings the fine arts to bathing!

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Alighiero Campostrini sent me these products to try and review on my blog. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to review their products. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Smashbox Cosmetics Be Legendary Lipstick Review!

Hey everyone!

This is a review on Smashbox Cosmetics’ Be Legendary Lipstick in the shade Primrose!

Let Smashbox Cosmetics’ perfect your pout with their new high-impact lip colors. Just one swipe and you'll see this is the stuff beauty legends are made of. Available in twenty-two shades from modern mattes to hydrating creams, the ultra-lux formula glides on smooth and doesn’t settle into lip lines, creating show-stopping, saturated color every time.

Primrose is a smart mauve/pink color that fashions a picture ready look! It can be worn alone for a striking statement, or cooled down with an iridescent gloss on top!

The packaging is timeless, yet elegant with its simple black square metal tube, in a nonglossy finish and Smashbox logo!

Beauty Tip:

Make lips even more luscious by changing the shape. Subtly round out your upper lip around the cupid's bow with The Nude Lip Pencil for a romantic, heart-shaped pout.

This product retails for $19.00!

Pros:

~ Lustrous finish

~ Shea butter for lasting moisturization

~ Vitamins A and E (antioxidants) to protect

~Paraben free

~Last 4 to 5 hours

~Chic packaging

Cons:

~Can be drying to some

Overall, I rate this product at 4.25 out of 5 sugarcubes! Be Legendary with iconic lips from Smashbox Cosmetics!

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Smashbox Cosmetics sent me this product to try and review on my blog. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to review their products. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Pastel Eyes

Hey everyone!

Want the freshest A-list look taking over runways and red carpets? Get it with Smashbox Cosmetics' Be Discovered Eye Shadow Palette! Pro Lead Artist Lori Taylor shows us how to rock pastel eyes.

XoXo,

Whitney

Sophie Theallet for Lancôme plus a chance to WIN a luxurious getaway!‏

Hey everyone!

Lancôme teamed up with CFDA award-winning designer Sophie Theallet for an exclusive gift with purchase at Saks Fifth Avenue. The French-born, Brooklyn-based designer, who is known for her feminine-with-ease designs and superior craftsmanship, created the ultimate makeup bag for all beauty lovers. 

Packed with Lancôme must-haves (Visionnaire LR 2412 Advanced Skin Corrector, Bi-Facil, La Base Pro and Hypnôse Doll Lashes Mascara) the chic, limited-edition bag designed by Theallet allows you the option to select your moisturizer (Absolue Premium BX or Absolue Precious Cells) your lip color (L’Absolu Rouge in Viole De Rose or Fleur De Lis) and 4-pan eye shadow compact to tote inside the Theallet bag.

Available exclusively at Saks Fifth Avenue from January 10^th to the 28^th, this trés chic bag is complimentary with any $65 purchase (up to a $151 value).

Additionally, visit your nearest Saks Fifth Avenue Lancôme counter during this promotion to enter for a chance to win a luxurious getaway full of fashion, beauty, and celebrity treatment in New York City for yourself and a friend.  The winner will receive airfare, ground transportation and hotel for two, a personal consultation/fitting with Sophie Theallet at her NY studio, a complimentary Sophie Theallet dress (up to a $1,200 value), a $1,000 gift certificate to Saks Fifth Avenue, beauty consultation with a Lancôme expert and dinner for two at an exclusive NYC celebrity hotspot (no purchase necessary to enter). 

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by PR!

Progresso Souper You Contest!

Hey everyone!

Are you ready for a new look this New Year? 

Progresso is excited to announce the return of their Souper You Contest giving you the change to win an incredible makeover! By telling Progresso why you deserve a makeover and what you love about their soup, you could have the chance to win an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood this Spring!

Now that the ball has dropped and the confetti has settled, it´s time to consider how you will stick to your resolution for the New Year and maintain your weight management plan, without sacrificing on variety or the taste of foods you love. Thanks to Progresso, you can have your soup and eat it too!

With 40 delicious soups with 100 calories or less per serving, Progresso Soup has a variety of offerings that help you beat diet boredom and satisfy your taste cravings, while helping you stick to your weight management calorie goals. Progresso soups are packed with hearty ingredients like pasta, beans, rice, meat and vegetables that suit your taste buds and make you feel good about including it in your meal choices.

o This year, the Souper You Contest will provide three lucky winners with an ultimate makeover experience in Hollywood; this includes a trip for 2 to Los Angeles, California where the winner will receive a head-to-toe makeover including hair and makeup, guided shopping spree with a $1,000 fashion retailer gift card, $1,000 spending money and 2 tickets to this season´s live finale of NBC´s The Biggest Loser.

o Progresso is asking fans to visit www.SouperYou.com and submit their photo with a brief essay about why they love Progresso soups and why they deserve a makeover, by no later than February 22nd.

o Fans can check back on March 12th for the announcement of the top ten finalists, and to vote for their favorite finalist until March 25th.

o Also, tune into The Biggest Loser on NBC Tuesdays at 8/7c

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by Progresso through My Blog Spark!

Bath & Body Works' Holiday Hand Soap Review

Hey everyone!

This is a review on Bath & Body Works’ Holiday Foaming Hand Soaps!

Our powerful germ-killing hand soaps are enriched with an exclusive moisturizing blend to help hydrate and soften skin as powerful ingredients leave hands clean and lightly scented.

An exclusive blend of moisturizing honey, coconut milk and olive fruit extracts helps to nourish and soften skin, while Mango fruit extract gently cleans hands and leaves them feeling conditioned and soft.

I can think of no better way to keep the smells of Christmas throughout the year than with Bath & Body Works’ Holiday Foaming Hand Soaps. Not to mention, there’s no better time to pick them up than at Bath & Body Works' Semi-Annual Sale. After all, Christmas doesn’t need to end at the stroke of midnight, on the 25th of December.

These products retail for $5.50 each!

Pros:

~Festive aromas

~Relaxing scents

~Lightweight foams rinse clean

~Leaves hands feeling soft

Cons:

~None!

Overall, I rate these products at 5 out of 5 sugarcubes! Bath & Body Works Semi-Annual Sale is going on right now, so hurry in, before it ends!

Note: Bath & Body Works sent me the Ribbon Candy Hand Soap to try and review on my blog. I purchased the other scents from the Holiday Line with my own money. I am not associated with the company, nor are they paying me to review their products. As always, my reviews and opinions are 100% my own!

Ring in 2012 with Celeb Nutritionist Kim Snyder

Hey everyone!

It's that time of year again, when everyone is setting their health goals for 2012. But, believe it or not, about 65% of people end up breaking their New Years resolution after the first month. Celebrity nutritionist and author of The Beauty Detox Solution, Kimberly Snyder, knows that getting healthy is all about changing what and how you eat.  Boasting celebrity clients like Drew Barrymore, Fergie, and Hilary Duff, Kim's book has become a must have among A-listers in the know.

And to ring in 2012 the right way, Kim is offering one lucky consumer the chance for exclusive access to her expertise.  Between January 2^nd and 8^th, anyone who purchases a copy of The Beauty Detox Solution (available through Amazon.com and Barnes and Noble stores) and sends a copy of their receipt to contest@kimberlysnyder.net will be entered to win this A-list treatment.

For more info, people can visit: http://www.kimberlysnyder.net/blog/2011/12/28/free-1-hour-consultation-with-kimberly-snyder/ or http://wp.me/p1rrrX-2Qx

XoXo,

Whitney

Note: Information provided by PR!