HomeGoods, How Do I Love Thee?

HomeGoods, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Since being introduced by my mom a few years ago, HomeGoods and I have grown quite close. HomeGoods has become one of my favorite retail destinations – especially since moving into my new house (movin' on up, Jeffersons style). Every room in my new abode has somehow been touched by HomeGoods – from the baskets I bought to organize my arsenal of beauty products to the artwork in my bathroom to the jungle-themed growth chart and bookends I bought for Westley's nursery.

Besides furniture and decorative home accents, Home Goods has some wonderful bath and body products. My favorites are from CST (Commonwealth Soap & Toiletries), a Massachusetts-based company that develops products for HomeGoods and its sisters, Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I've been crushing on this company for years, thanks to their high quality/reasonably priced beauty products. I've blogged about them before, but I recently discovered something new that warrants another mention.

A few weeks ago, my mom threw me a fabulous baby shower. We played some fun games, and one of the prizes was this soap set my mom found at HomeGoods. The soaps smelled so divine, I felt greedy for coveting a set of my own…especially considering the generous gifts my guests had given me. After the party ended and everyone went home, I was chatting with my mom about the soaps, and she admitted she kept a set for herself. Now, I was super jeal.

But I must have good kharma because, last weekend, Mom and I went to a random HomeGoods in New Jersey and found a set of the soaps. AND they were marked down to $3.50!

So if you're in a HomeGoods, TJ Maxx or Marshalls anytime soon, look for a round box of soaps that looks like the one pictured above. Though it's difficult to accurately describe the scent (I've never been great at that), I would say that it has a subtle, floral/powdery, feminine fragrance. Go get you some. You'll thank me later.

Bath & Body Works Summer Vanillas Collection

As you probably know, I just moved. It was a very stressful experience, considering Mr. Spoiled Pretty and I had about three weeks prep time and we have way too much stuff. Okay, I'll be honest...it's just me who has too much stuff.

Packing and unpacking your life's possessions is just one of the most annoying and tedious jobs of all time, and I am so glad to be (almost) done with it. But I have to say that there's a silver lining to the moving experience - shopping, which I've been doing a lot of lately. Bed Bath & Beyond, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Kohls, Pier 1, Walmart, Target and Lowe's and I have been like this the past few days - and my Visa is still smokin'.

One of my other favorite pre-move destinations is Bath & Body Works. I just love their products - fabulous quality for not a lot of money. That's the best type of shopping. And don't you just love how Bath & Body Works always seems to be having a sale? Every time I go in there, the salesperson is all "Today, you can get four of these for the price of three...and we're going to throw in a product from our Signature Collection for free." Um, yes please.

Anyway, I was in there last week and I discovered their new Summer Vanilla Collection. Vanilla is my absolute favorite scent, so I had to give these products a whiff. The three fragrances - Berry Vanilla, Coconut Vanilla and Lemon Vanilla - smelled so delish, I threw all three Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps into my mesh bag. The sinks in my home are always accompanied by a Bath & Body Works anti-cac soap, so this turned out to be a very productive trip.

In addition to the anti-bacterial hand soaps, the Summer Vanilla Collection also includes cooling mist, fragrance mist, shower gel, body lotion, lip gloss and candles. Get on this, girls.

Winner of the John Masters Organics Giveaway

Congrats to Rebecca Graham, winner of the John Masters Organics Soap Giveaway. Rebecca will receive a set of certified organic bar soaps that smell incredible, deliver serious, targeted results and come wrapped in 100% recycled paper printed with water-based inks.

John Masters Organics new Bar Soaps are available in three super-moisturizing formulas that meet various needs and treat all skin types:

Lavender, Rose, Geranium & Ylang Ylang Soap: Formulated with organic olive and cupuacu seed butter and organic glycerin, this may very well be the perfect beauty bar. Lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils impart a heavenl

Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar: This incredible multi-purpose soap is an excellent all-over body cleanser that also functions as a shaving bar for men and women. Enriched with organic olive oil, it lathers to a rich and soothing foam that allows for a close and comfortable shave. Birch and cedarwood oils offer antiseptic properties that help prevent shaving irritation and leave skin clean and conditioned.

Orange & Ginseng Exfoliating Body Bar: This unique body bar contains real organic orange and lime peel that gently and effectively exfoliates while ginseng root stimulates and revitalizes. Exhilarating essential oil of orange blended with an organic palm and coconut oil soap base creates an invigorating lather with high glycerin content. Skin is left clean, soft and smooth.

Each 4.5 oz John Masters Organics Bar Soap ($8) is available at johnmasters.com, Whole Foods Markets and a variety of spas and boutiques nationwide.

Many thanks to John Masters Organics for hooking Rebecca up and sponsoring this giveaway!

John Masters Organics Soap Giveaway!

With the launch of his eponymous product line in the early 90's, John Masters set the standard for "green" beauty. Now this visionary pioneer raises the bar with the launch of three organic bar soaps exceptional enough to meet his exacting standards.

John Masters Organics Bar Soaps are certified organic by Oregon Tilth and feature a gentle, skin-loving base of certified-organic palm and coconut oils. Each of these luscious bars smells incredible, delivers serious, targeted results and comes wrapped in 100% recycled paper printed with water-based inks.

John Masters Organics new Bar Soaps are available in three super-moisturizing formulas that meet various needs and treat all skin types:

Lavender, Rose, Geranium & Ylang Ylang Soap: Formulated with organic olive and cupuacu seed butter and organic glycerin, this may very well be the perfect beauty bar. Lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils impart a heavenly fragrance while offering skin soothing and balancing benefits, making this soap ideal for both face and body.

Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar: This incredible multi-purpose soap is an excellent all-over body cleanser that also functions as a shaving bar for men and women. Enriched with organic olive oil, it lathers to a rich and soothing foam that allows for a close and comfortable shave. Birch and cedarwood oils offer antiseptic properties that help prevent shaving irritation and leave skin clean and conditioned.

Orange & Ginseng Exfoliating Body Bar: This unique body bar contains real organic orange and lime peel that gently and effectively exfoliates while ginseng root stimulates and revitalizes. Exhilarating essential oil of orange blended with an organic palm and coconut oil soap base creates an invigorating lather with high glycerin content. Skin is left clean, soft and smooth.

Each 4.5 oz John Masters Organics Bar Soap ($8) is available at johnmasters.com, Whole Foods Markets and a variety of spas and boutiques nationwide.

This week, one reader will get spoiled pretty with a set of all three bar soaps!

To enter the giveaway, leave a message in the comments section; make sure to leave your email or another way for me to get in touch, just in case you get lucky. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends at noon (EST) on Wednesday, April 28, 2010. Good luck!

And don't forget to enter Spoiled Pretty's other Earth Day-inspired beauty giveaways!

The 80's Called...They Want Their Soap Back

In case you hadn't heard, the 80's are back. First, the decade of excess made its way into our closets. Then it trickled down into our makeup bags. Now, it's showing up in our showers!

Check out these soaps I found on Etsy. Totally tubular, right? I can imagine my 10 year old self sudsing up with these soaps, before slipping into my favorite EJ Gitano outfit and LA Gear sneakers.

All American: Bath & Body Works American Grown Collection

A few months ago when our hand soap got low, I replaced them with some generic soap I bought at the drugstore. When he saw my purchase, Mr. Spoiled Pretty looked at me like I had two heads.

"What happened to the Bath & Body Works soap we always use? I like that stuff," he said.

So, the next day, I swung by my local Bath & Body Works store (holler at the Liberty Place location) on my lunch break and picked up two bottles of their Anti-bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Japanese Chinese Blossom and Warm Vanilla Sugar.

Now that our stock is almost depleted again and it's time for me to replenish the soap supply, Bath & Body Works fortuitously debuts a new line that I'm sure will satisfy my spoiled spouse.

American Grown is a collection of hand soaps and body gels inspired by great American destinations. Formulated with invigorating botanicals grown in the U.S., American Grown products condition, rejuvenate and stimulate the skin. Packaged in big, bold and colorful bottles, each hand soap and shower gel transports you to the American locale from which it draws its name.

In honor of my Libby, Montana-born/Spokane, Washington bred husband, I think I'll add the Montana Sky and Washington Apple hand soaps to my shopping list. Products are also available in Napa Grape (we honeymooned there), Siesta Key Lemon and Savannah Mint scents. American Grown hand soaps retail for $6.60 and shower gels will set you back a mere $12.50.

Graham, you're so vain...you probably think this blog post is about you.

Are You Singing Happy Birthday When You Wash Your Hands?

Earlier this week, Mama Spoiled Pretty called to check in...for the seventeenth time that day. I was just finishing washing my hands, and I told her so - as we have a TMI relationship. Then, she asked me what seemed like the most inane question ever...

"Did you sing 'Happy Birthday' while you washed your hands?"

Huh? What in the world does the Happy Birthday song have to do with hand-washing?

She explained that singing the song in your head ensures that you're spending an adequate amount of time sudsing up.

Just to make sure this wasn't some 'gang members are killing people in Walmart parking lots'-esque urban legend that's been debunked on snopes.com, I did a little investigative journalism. And it turns out that Mama Spoiled Pretty is a know-it-all, tough as it is to admit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when washing your hands with soap and water:

• Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
• Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue rubbing hands for 20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend!
• Rinse hands well under running water
• Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet
  

The CDC also recommends hand-washing in the following situations:

• Before preparing or eating food
• After going to the bathroom
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom
• Before and after tending to someone who is sick
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After handling an animal or animal waste
• After handling garbage
• Before and after treating a cut or wound

If soap and water aren't available, use alcohol-based gel to clean hands.

Photo: Getty Images

Bath & Body Works Giveaway Winners

It's time to announce the winners of Spoiled Pretty's Bath & Body Works giveaway. Congrats to Jennifer Barnett, Elaine Conte and Eva Daniell.

Each of these ladies will receive Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Soap, Foaming Sanitizer, and PocketBac Deep Cleansing Hand Gel in Coconut Lime Verbena.

Many thanks to Bath & Body Works for sponsoring this Swine Flu-free contest!

And be sure to check out the giveaway page, for more ways to get spoiled pretty.

Nectarine Mint Anti-Bacterial Products at Bath & Body Works

I'd like to give a big shout-out to my co-worker, Kate, for introducing me to Bath & Body Work's new scent, Nectarine Mint. Last week, she took advantage of a sale and picked up an arsenal of Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps. She generously gifted two bottles to the second floor bathroom of my office building, one of which was in the line's newest scent.

The mouth-watering fragrance is fruity, with a twist. Unfortunately, for now, there are only five products available in Nectarine Mint. But, hopefully, the brand will soon expand the scent's offerings.

Hit up your local Bath & Body Works store or check out bathandbodyworks.com and try my new favorite fragrance. For a limited time, the anti-bacterial hand soaps are 3 for $10 (originally $5 each).

Protect Yourself From Swine Flu With A Giveaway!

Have you heard about this little thing called the Swine Flu? Well, Mama Spoiled Pretty sure has. Since the story first broke last week, she's been calling me constantly...scaring me with play by plays of the latest news reports. So finally, to allay her fears that her first born might become an incubus for the deadly virus, I decided to visit my local Bath & Body Works store and stock up on their Anti-Bacterial collection; because beauty products are so much chicer than a face mask, plastic bubble or haz-mat suit.

And now that I'm protected, I'm doing my civic duty by partnering with Bath & Body Works for a giveaway.

Three Spoiled Pretty readers will win Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Soap, Foaming Sanitizer, and PocketBac Deep Cleansing Hand Gel in Coconut Lime Verbena (my favorite scent).

To enter, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The subject line should read "Bath & Body Works Giveaway." The contest ends at midnight (EST) on Tuesday, May 12th. Three winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Wednesday, May 13th, I'll announce the winners' names. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. residents.

Good luck...and stay healthy!

Mr. Sandman, Bring Me Smooth Skin

Get ready for summer with Bobbi Brown’s Beach, a collection of bath and body products that perfectly captures the atmosphere and attitude of summer. Beach Fragrance is a lightly intoxicating blend of Sand Jasmine, Sea Spray, and Mandarin. The Body Oil, Body Lotion, Shower Gel, Sunscreen Body Spray SPF 15 and Body Scrub share the same beachy scent.


My favorite item in the collection is the limited-edition Beach Sandbar Soap. Back by popular demand, this creamy bar soap has a luxurious lather, a fresh beachy scent (like ocean air and sunscreen), and it contains tiny grains of sand that clean, refresh and exfoliate the body all at the same time. The sandy side is especially effective on knees, elbows, and feet...but take it easy on more delicate skin. Plus, the bar looks super cute in the soap dish.

The Beach Sandbar Soap ($16) is selling like hotcakes, so get yours while supplies last. Buy a few just in case Bobbi decides to retire this perennial favorite. It's still available at Saks Fifth Avenue and Neiman Marcus.

Nima Nyima: A Himalayan Retreat

Last month at New York Fashion Week, while chillin’ on the steps at Bryant Park, I noticed a woman handing out bars of beautifully wrapped soap. So you know this beauty junkie made a beeline over there and snatched one up.

When I returned home, I took Nima Nyima’s Tibetan Safflower Citrus Soap for a test drive and it was love at first shower. Its creamy formula, a combination of Safflower oil and petals, softens skin and imparts a delicate floral-citrus fragrance. And the soap, itself, is super-cute.

Nima Nyima soaps (also available in Himalayan Mountain Woods, Himalayan Nettle Spearmint, Himalayan Rose Honey, Tibetan Herb Spikenard, and Yak Milk Lavender) are handmade in Nepal using all-natural ingredients and native philosophies imported from the Himalayas. Cold-processed and eco-friendly, they’re biodegradable and never tested on animals.

These soaps are perfect for a guest bathroom. Or impress your friends by giving them this chic gift. But if you’ve only got one bathroom (like me), or you’re kinda stingy with your beauty goodies (me again), just buy a whole bunch for yourself. I won’t judge.

And while you’re at it, be sure to try Nima Nyima’s wonderfully perfumed, candles.

Like the soaps, they’re both functional and fragrant. Plus they’re blinged out with gemstones – which, besides being pretty, are also essential to the precious pills of Tibetan medicine.

As I type this, I’m burning the midnight oil with Nima Nyima’s Wild Saffron with Camelian and Ginger Candle. Get yours at Rescue Beauty Lounge.

I'm Bringing Anti-Bac...Yeah!

I’ve heard that antibacterial body products and toiletries are bad because they give rise to super-germs. I’m no M.D., so I don’t know how true this is. But I’m willing to live dangerously – because I love Bath & Body Works Anti-Bacterial Moisturizing Hand Soap. It doesn’t leave my hands parched and flaky like most hand washes - thanks to green tea extract (soothes), shea butter (moisturizes), and Vitamin E (nourishes).

And if you hate the soap clumps that sometimes accumulate in and around your sink, try the Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap. No mess!

The soaps are available in 26 scents - I’m partial to the Coconut Lime Verbena (kitchen) and Warm Vanilla Sugar (bathroom), and Mr. Spoiled Pretty likes them too. But the Black Raspberry Vanilla is sounding delish, so I might give that one a try.

If you are new to the products, or just need to restock – click this link for an in-store printable coupon. Get a FREE anti-bacterial product with a $10 minimum purchase. Offer is good though March 30th.

Philadelphia Phocus & Giveaway: Mother's Nature Soaps

It’s freezing right now in Philadelphia, and my heater is working overtime to keep my home toasty warm. So, nowadays, one of the things I most look forward to is a relaxing, hot shower. But because this time of year is particularly harsh on my sensitive skin, I have to be careful of the bath and body products I use. Luckily, I’ve discovered Mother’s Nature Soaps.

Mother’s Nature Soaps is a family-run company that specializes in luxurious homemade soaps, bath products, and natural skin care products. Alyson, the owner, started making soaps in 2003 to help her son’s eczema. Five years later, she says the same amount of love that went into her first bar of soap still goes into every bar she makes now.

The hand-crafted soaps are made with pure rainwater, oils of olive, coconut, sunflower, palm, castor and canola; some of the soap formulas also contain extra nourishing ingredients such as shea butter, cocoa butter, honey, buttermilk, organic milks for extra skin moisturizing benefits and are colored with natural pigments. Noticeably absent from the list of ingredients are the synthetic chemicals found in many conventional bar soaps. Mother’s Nature Soaps are also rich in natural glycerin, which draws moisture to your skin to promote a healthy, youthful appearance.

My favorite product is the Monkey Farts Soap, a unique blend of bananas, fresh grapefruit, with strawberries, kiwi, bubble gum and a touch of vanilla. Alyson says that it’s a hit with kids and adults. I'm also wild for the Butter Kisses; they literally melt on your skin and moisturize with pure cocoa butter, shea butter, olive oil and Vitamin E.

Mother’s Nature Soaps is located in Middletown, Delaware (a half-hour drive outside of Philadelphia), but their website ensures that – no matter where you live – their all-natural products are just a click away.

But this week only, Spoiled Pretty is giving you the opportunity to win some of these wonderful products! One winner will receive a Mother’s Nature Soaps Gift Basket, filled with the following goodies: Lavender Fields Soap, Monkey Farts Soap, Lavender & Eucalyptus Soap, Clarity Bath Salts, Lavender & Mint Body Polish, Soap Saver, 4 oz Lavender Whipped Body Butter, and Chocolate Mint Lip Balm. This gift basket retails for $50.

A 2nd place winner will receive a $25 gift certificate, and a third place winner will be rewarded with a $15 gift certificate.

Entering the giveaway is easy. To be eligible for the contest, you must be a Spoiled Pretty subscriber. Subscribing is simple and quick - just click here (don't forget to verify your email address). Plus you’ll be signed up to get posts delivered directly to your inbox. Contest closes at 9pm EST on Sunday, January 27th – and the winners will be revealed on Monday, January 28th. Good luck!

Jaqua Introduces Hand Soaps

Jaqua knew there was a demand for hand soaps when they found out customers had been using Shower Syrups and Shower Crèmes as stand-ins at their bathroom and kitchen sinks.

Now you can send your favorite Jaqua shower washes back to the shower and replace them with feminine, yet hard-working Hand Soaps instead! With these new, richly lathering Pink Buttercream Frosting and Pink Champagne Hand Soaps, not only will your powder room look even more like a palace - your hands will get cleansed and conditioned with skin-soothing formula filled with fruit and plant extracts, vitamin E and aloe.

Take 30% off Pink Buttercream Frosting and Pink Champagne Hand Soaps, as Jaqua’s way of inviting you to try their newest indulgence. Don't forget your guest bathrooms too!

Promo Code: SOAP1A Expires: January 16, 2008

Go Ask Alice

For Holiday 2007, Walt Disney has partnered with Gianna Rose Atelier to produce triple-milled soap sets inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

"We went into Disney's vaults and drew upon the inspiration of Walt Disney's iconography to transform the characters, images and themes into couture soaps," said Blair Buckley, Vice President of Product development at Gianna Rose Atelier.

Alice’s Treasures includes three soaps in the shape of a heart, a key, and a pocket watch – all packaged in a baroque style collector's box, embellished with a key charm and story hand tag.

Alice’s English Garden is comprised of hand soap petals, “plucked” from the garden - infused with a blend of Gardenia and White Rose - and placed in an antique-style apothecary jar.

The Red Queen’s Court features four playing card-shaped soaps, embossed with silhouettes of Alice, the White Rabbit, the royal crest of the Queen and the key to Wonderland. All rest on a beautiful porcelain dish, and are boxed in Disney-inspired collectible style.

Oprah's Favorite Things 2007

Yesterday, America watched as Oprah unveiled her Favorite Things of 2007 list on an unsuspecting audience in Macon, Georgia. Three hundred golden ticket holders left the convention center pushing shopping carts filled with the (now) most coveted products in the country.

This year, Oprah took her show on the road because Macon consistently has the nation's highest percentage of viewers tuned into her talk show. Filming the "Favorite Things" episode in Macon was a thank-you to the fans, she explained. Audience members left the local convention hall pushing shopping carts toppled with loot – including camcorders, apparel, refrigerators with an LCD TV built into the door – and, of course, beauty products!

When the ‘Queen of All Media’ wants to spoil herself pretty, she reaches for…



Claus Porto Soaps From Lafco New York
These all-natural, bath-sized bars distributed by Lafco New York are a labor of love. They have been created by the Claus Porto's family-run factory in Portugal for the past 117 years. Each bar starts with top quality 100% vegetable soap base and pure, skin softening shea butter. Next, the finest fragrances from the South of France are mixed in so that the scent lasts until the very end of the bar. All of these ingredients are then milled seven times in the traditional European way for a hard, dense soap that has an ultra luxurious and creamy lather.

The jumbo-sized soaps appeal to the senses with beautiful wrappers and 17 magnificent scents, from honeysuckle to grapefruit fig. "They make great hostess gifts," Oprah says.

Cost: $42 (set of 3)
lafcony.com


Kai Body Butter and Body Buffer

"Bathing is an art form and nobody enjoys it more than I do," Oprah says. Kai customized their signature scent into a moisturizing body butter in a tub just for Oprah. Kai body lotion contains safflower seed oil, shea butter, apricot kernel oil, and cucumber a silky whipped soufflé with a moisturizing shea butter base blended with safflower seed oil, vitamins A, C, and E, aloe leaf extract, chamomile flower extract, cucumber fruit extract, apricot kernel oil, and the original kai perfume oil. "It's clean and fresh," she says.

She also loves the Body Buffer by Kai, a hypo-allergenic loofah infused with a light blend of exotic perfumes and natural essences to cleanse, exfoliate, and moisturize the skin. Just wet and squeeze to release foaming bubbles that smell like an exotic garden.

Cost: Body Buffer $28; Body Butter $55
kaifragrance.com
Also available at embraceyourstyle.com and eluxury.com


Clarisonic Skin Care System

Developed by the people who created the Sonicare Toothbrush, the Clarisonic Skin Care System helps remove six times more makeup than soap and water alone. The bristles vibrate 300 times per second and massage your face to squeaky clean perfection. The Clarisonic system cleanses so well that products absorb better; reduces oily areas, dry skin patches and blemishes; visibly shrinks pores; minimizes the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles; and leaves skin feeling and looking younger and smoother. "It's a miracle massage for your face," Oprah says.

Cost: $195 (includes Cordless Clarisonic, charging cradle, two brush heads, and 2 oz. trial size Gentle Hydro Cleanser)
clarisonic.com

Duck, Duck, Goose

How adorable are these Extra Pur Duck Soaps from La Compagnie de Provence Marseille? Made with palm oil, these soaps are ideal for daily use in your shower and tub, and leave your skin soft and subtly fragranced.

Available in cherry blossom, fresh verbena, olive & lavender, fig of province, orange slice, summer grapefruit, wild rose, and fragrance-free (gentle enough for the little ones).

Baby Your Skin

These gentle soaps won’t irritate or dry out even the most sensitive skin.











Splurge
Royal Jelly Treatment Soap by Gianna Rose is a bountiful six ounce bar that sparkles with splendor. This luminous soap is enriched with shea butter and royal jelly. Available as a single or trio, both elegantly boxed and equally indulgent. $14 each











Steal
Baby Bee Buttermilk Soap by Burt's Bees is made with buttermilk - a natural, soothing skin cleanser and moisturizer. Oat flour calms irritated skin, and honey and glycerin moisturize baby's (and your) skin. $5 each