Mother’s Day is just around the corner and we are excited to be partnering with Emitations to give away a present that any mother would love! Whether you enter to win one for yourself or a mom in your life, you will find this Baker’s Pink CZ Pave Cupcake Necklace to be the perfect addition to any spring outfit.

To Enter:

1) Leave a comment below telling what you would do with the necklace (one entry).

2) Twitter about the contest and leave a comment below with your Tweet (one entry).

3) Sign up for our newsletter on the right and leave a comment below (e-mail will be verified) (one entry).

4) Blog about this contest and leave your link to the post below (two entries).

Drawing will take place April 26 at noon Eastern. Must be a US Resident, age 18 or older to enter. Winner will be notified via e-mail and have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be selected.

Thanks to Emitations for sponsoring this terrific contest.

They have a beautiful selection of jewelry, and you can save 11% site wide between now and the end of April when you use code AFFMOM!

Added! Congratulations to Lawanna! Emitations will be contacting you about your prize!

I’ve always been a fan of American Eagle clothes for myself but have not found much there for my kids. That completely changed when I was introduced to 77kids by American Eagle. 77kids is American Eagle’s brand for kids only. Right now the sizes range from toddler through 12, but I have heard that those will be expanded on each end in the coming months. The merchandise is currently available online only, but 77kids will be opening stores soon in select cities.

What I love most about 77kids is that these are clothes that kids can wear to school or church but also play in and not have to worry about ruining. In fact, they say that you can wash the clothes 77 times and the clothes will look as nice (or better) than when you bought them. I know some of my kids’ favorite clothes that I have washed at least 77 times! Most of them do not look as good after even 5 washes as when I bought them. In fact, I don’t even let them wear some of their outfits before we go on a vacation for fear that they will not look very nice by the time that we get there. If I could wash them even 10 times before we go, the kids would get more use out of them.

Take a look at 77kids by American Eagle and tell me what you think of their line. I’m anxious to get some ordered for my girls since they will be needing new spring clothes soon anyway. I love that I can now get American Eagle quality in kids’ sizes.

This week only, Pur Minerals is offering a free trial size of their signature, award-winning 4-in-1 Pressed Mineral Makeup Foundation. It’s a trial size, and it does come with some restrictions:

1) This opportunity is only available to NEW Pur Minerals customers
2) Only 1 free trial per customer
3) This offer is only available for a limited time: 2/8-2/14
4) Must use promotion code: FREETRIAL2010 to redeem offer

It’s still a really good opportunity if you have wanted to try their makeup or even just like keeping a trial size makeup in your purse. The trial size usually sells for $17 (not including shipping and handling). You do have to pay their standard shipping and handling on the sample ($5.95).

The other day my hairdresser was telling me that I am lucky to have oily hair and skin because I will not get wrinkles as early. Looking at my mom and grandma, I believe her. But in the next sentence she was telling me that I should not wash my hair every day. What? How can I have oily, thin hair and not wash it every day?

Her suggestion was to use a little bit of dry shampoo. I will admit that every now and again I use the “baby powder in the hair” trick. But even a little white powder can be mistaken for gray roots. So I don’t love it.

I was reading Good Housekeeping magazine today and they were writing about dry shampoo as well! I thought that it was expensive, so I didn’t get any after my hairdresser suggested it. Turns out that one of the top picks from Good Housekeeping is Batiste Dry Shampoo from Sally Beauty.com, and it is only about $7! That is definitely worth trying. They suggest that you spray it in before bed and brush it through. In the morning, your hair will look fresh. If you are considering trying it, here’s a coupon to save $5 off of $25 with coupon code 555202 (expires August 31).

How about you? Do you use dry shampoo? Does it work? Are you sticking with your baby powder? Do you let your kids use it?

If you wear plus-sized clothes, you have got to check out my friend Angie’s site, Cherry Heels. No offense to Lane Bryant, but there are so many great plus-sized clothes merchants out there that no one ever talks about!

At Cherry Heels, you will find all of the hottest trends in curvy styles. Did you know that there is a specific place that you can buy Twilight t-shirts in plus sizes? Or that Old Navy online has an entire plus sized section? You would if you checked out Cherry Heels!

Right now if you sign up for the Cherry Heels newsletter, you will be entered to win a $100 Kiyonna Gift Certificate. Kiyonna has some of the most beautiful, stylish clothes that I have ever seen. So visit CherryHeels.com today and get entered to win while you discover a whole new world of beautiful clothes.

I’m one of those girls who loves makeup–mascara in particular. I will try anything that says it will make my eyelashes longer, thicker, and more lush. I was really excited recently when I saw that new mascara that puts the little “tubes” on your eyelashes to make them longer. Excited until I tried it, that is. Yuck! I asked my husband if my eyes looked any different and he said that they looked “messy.” Yeah…that’s because I couldn’t get the clumps out. And when I tried to wash it off, I ended up losing a lot of my eyelashes. It wasn’t worth it. I seriously considered trying extensions, but who has time for that?

Imagine how excited I was when I heard about Lilash. Lilash is an eyelash growth stimulator. I checked around for Lilash reviews online and found generally positive feedback. Some of the Lilash reviews were downright glowing! But could I remember to use the Lilash every day for 4-6 weeks and be patient enough to wait for the results?

I was worried at first that I would have to put on the Lilash rather than regular mascara, and it is clear. I don’t like clear mascara. I was wrong about that. You actually put the Lilash on along the base of your lashes like a liquid eyeliner. Once it dries, you can do your eyes as normal. First problem solved.

My second issue is that I am a contact lens wearer. I wear them night and day, 7 days a week. I was worried that Lilash would irritate my contacts because I have read that other eyelash growth stimulators irritate your eyes. Luckily, from day one I have not had any problems at all. But what about the 4-6 week wait?

The good news is that in only 10 days, I am already seeing results. I have blonde eyelashes, so I will always have to wear mascara. However, in just 10 days of Lilash application I can honestly say that I am seeing a big difference. The lashes are long enough already that they are curling up on their own–noticeably. With just one coat of regular mascara, I am seeing a big difference.

Why did I call this my Lilash Review Part One? Because I intend to be back in a few weeks, once I have given Lilash the full 4-6 weeks it requires. For now, check out the official Lilash reviews on their website. And get free shipping on your order.

Edited: New Lilash coupon expires May 9, 2010! 15% off plus free 2-day shipping with code MDAY10

I got an awesome new pair of underwear, and I have to share. You know all of of those undies that say that they are not going to ride up but then they do? I was at Kohl’s getting a new bra and saw a pair of Warner’s Unslippables (Hipster) that matched. I didn’t believe that they wouldn’t slip, but they matched and I was in a hurry, so I bought them.

I am here to tell you–they didn’t move! I tried everything. I jumped around, bent over, even tried to do the splitz. I was sure that they would move at some point. But the didn’t. I’m in love!

I got mine in a cute red, but they have a lot of different colors. I am sure that you can get them at Bare Necessities and other places as well, but they were actually on sale at Kohl’s. Here’s a picture of them (don’t worry…it’s not of me!).

If you are a mom like me, your days are filled with homework, carpools, lunch packing, dance classes, PTO meetings, and all other kid-related activities. The last thing that you have time to do is sit and think about how your skin looks. Mario Badescu can help with that.

If you are a mom like me (or a pregnant mom-to-be), you can’t help but look at yourself in the mirror and think about how your skin looks. In fact, every day you notice a different little bump or splotch or line. You buy products you see advertised in magazines or on television because you know you need to buy something but can’t take the time to find out what really works best for your skin type. You’re worried whether it is safe for every day use or while you are pregnant.

If you are a mom like me or are pregnant, you need Mario Badescu. Whether you have acne (yes, moms do get acne), rosacea (I didn’t even know until I was 30 what it was), or just signs of aging like fine lines and wrinkles (I dare you to say you don’t), Mario Badescu has the skin care products you need. They understand that not everyone has the same type of skin and creates natural products that you can mix and match to fit your skin care needs. Moms and pregnant women are constantly changing and need products that are flexible.

I’ve recently starting using the entire Mario Badescu line starting with the Enzyme Cleansing Gel and continuing through the Healing Cream. I cleanse and moisturize and make pimples disappear. The Almond & Honey Non-Abrasive Face Scrub exfoliates with chopped almonds and leaves my skin feeling smooth and soft. Just a small amount of the Hyaluronic Eye Cream helps reduce the fine lines around my eyes. Mario Badescu has made my skin radiant, and it has done the same for thousands of other women. Don’t take my word for it; read the Mario Badescu member testimonials on their site.

If all of that isn’t enough of a review for you, how about knowing that the products are never tested on animals? In addition, Mario Badescu uses botanical ingredients with few preservatives. Their products are completely safe for use by pregnant women.  They actually have an entire Mario Badescu pregnancy page.

Take the Mario Badescu questionnaire and find out what products will work best for you. You’ll see on the site hundreds of celebrities who have used their skin care products. If Jennifer Aniston’s skin deserves Mario Badescu, so does this mom’s!

For those of you who do not regularly check out the free sample section at Walmart.com, you should definitely check there today. They have a link for a free sample of Gold Bond Ultimate® Soothing Skin Therapy Lotion, which is a wonderful product. It has the healing properties of Gold Bond powder but is in a lotion form.

I haven’t gotten the freebie myself because I have already tried the product, but Walmart is known for being good about sending out the free samples that they advertise on their website.

I was once told that there is no such thing as an ugly woman, only a lazy one. I have found this to be so true! There are numerous things you can do to help your appearance. From working out, experimenting with make-up, to facials to give your face a healthy glow! And speaking of facials to give your face a healthy glow, I think that will be the first recipe I share with you! This recipe is for a banana and chickpea protein mask. The reason for using chickpea flour is its many advantages. It’s a proven skin softening exfoliator, it stimulates circulation and it rejuvenates tissues! The bananas in this mask will help reduce both puffiness and redness. You will also need an egg which will help tighten pores and leaves your skin feeling rejuvenated! Now that you know what these ingredients do, it’s time to tell you how much is needed!

4 tablespoons chickpea flour
1 ripe banana, peeled and mashed
1 egg, beaten

Now onto the mix! In a bowl, blend the chickpea flour and banana until it turns to a paste. Next add the beaten egg. Apply the mixture to your face and neck, leaving on for 15 minutes. When the 15 minutes are up, rinse well with warm water and gently pat dry. You can’t get a much simpler (or cost effective) all natural facial mask than that! Although if you can, I’ll be sharing that one with everyone too!

Before I end this, I want to share a quick beauty tip….

The skin on the neck and chest are very sensitive areas. These areas show the signs of aging such as sunspots, wrinkling and dryness very early on. So instead of using soaps which can dry these areas out even more, use your facial cleansing cream instead!

About the Author:

Summer Kupres
http://www.summerkupres.ws/