LaLicious Seasonal Travel Sets: Summer Series

Last month, LaLicious sent me one of their Seasonal Travel Sets to review - and they were absolutely perfect for my recent summer sojourns to Miami and Maine.

Each Seasonal Travel Set includes four 2 oz mini LaLicious products (Whipped Soap, Sugar Soufflé Scrub, Body Butter, Body Oil) in a travel friendly bag. And with TSA-approved sizes, you'll fly through the airport security line. Available in 8 irresistible scents (I have/love Tahitian Flower - a soft, tropical gardenia), the sets are available until September 15.

LaLicious Sugar Kiss Moisturizing Body Scrub Giveaway!

LovingEco is a new members-only shopping site that offers unsurpassed and innovative eco-friendly products at exclusive price points (up to 70% off retail), without compromising style. By working closely with the top brands, they bring you amazing discounts through private sales. LovingEco recognizes that people will continue to consume, but as we change our purchases to products that are better for the environment, healthier for our bodies and committed to doing good, we together will help change the world.

For each purchase, LovingEco donates 3% of its net proceeds to a social or environmental cause. For founders Justine Lassoff and Melinda Moor, an important goal in founding the site was to give back and to create a sustainable way to raise critical funds for non-profit organizations that are fostering important change for our community and our world.

Not only does LovingEco believe in giving back, they also believe in giving away. This week, they’re giving away LaLicious Sugar Kiss Souffle Moisturizing Body Scrub! This highly moisturizing, all-natural body exfoliator combines notes of Vanilla, Citrus and Rose. Before you get out of the shower, scrub all over your body and rinse with warm water. Skin is left soft, smooth and moisturized.

To enter, follow me on Twitter (I'm @spoiledpretty), then tweet this message:

Follow @spoiledpretty and @loving_eco & RT to win a LaLicious Sugar Kiss Moisturizing Body Scrub! http://bit.ly/kdqnaC #giveaway #contest

The deadline is Friday, June 24 at 5pm ET. I'll choose FIVE winners - and will DM them to contact me with their mailing address. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!

Bumpy Ride: A Long Journey To Rid My Legs Of Hair Bumps

Since I hit puberty, I've been cursed with hair bumps on my legs. Because the hair on my legs is coarse and grows in a curly pattern, sometimes as the hair grows out, it curls back under the skin into the same follicle. And because the hair is trapped under the skin, even after I shave, I still have many unsightly ingrown hairs.

The condition isn't physically painful, like razor bumps; but it is emotionally painful, as I've spent many years hiding this condition beneath long skirts and pants - even during the dog days of summer.

For half of my life, I've had a serious case of leg envy. Every time I see a woman with silky smooth gams, I selfishly hope that she silently suffers from stretch marks, bacne or some other embarrassing ailment that isn't apparently obvious. It just isn't fair!

I've tried a million and one products and techniques to solve the problem...and while I've yet to discover a panacea, I have found a temporary solution.

To keep hair bumps to a minimum, here are my shaving suggestions:

1) Don't start shaving as soon as you get into the shower/bath; allow the steam and warm water to soften the skin and hair.

2) Next, exfoliate (like all get out) with a scrub that won't irritate skin. Right now, I'm enamored with LaLicious Coconut Cream Sugar Soufflé Scrub, an all-natural sugar scrub made with coconut oil that absorbs quickly and easily into skin, leaving it moisturized and protected without feeling greasy. Pure cane sugar crystals buff away dead skin cells while sweet almond and vitamin-e oils condition, moisturize, and smooth you to perfection. And it smells amazing; if heaven has a tropical all-inclusive resort, this is probably what it smells like. By exfoliating, you will release the ingrown hairs that are trapped beneath the skin.

3) Slather your legs with an ultra-hydrating shave cream; I'm a fan of eos Shave Cream, which is so moisturizing, you can shave wet or dry (though I recommend wet). Then shave with a new or relatively new razor; the sharper, the better. Gillette's Venus Embrace razor takes shaving to a whole new level of smoothness with 5 blades that deliver a dramatically close shave.

4) Finally, when you emerge from the bath/shower, don't towel off completely. While your legs are still a smidge wet, slather on lotion or body butter. Palmer's Cocoa Butter Formula Lotion is an excellent choice because it heals, softens, and tones - plus an 8.5 oz bottle costs less than $5!

Even if you don't have issues with ingrown hairs (I hate you...just kidding...okay, not really), you can benefit from my bumpy journey to smooth stems. The above routine is highly recommended for achieving your closest shave ever.