Suave Skin Solutions Body Lotion Giveaway Contest

This is the time of the year - late winter - when my skin screams for help. My heels crack open, my hands are dry, my legs look like alligator skin. I am one dry mess. I'm always reaching for something to soothe my skin, and I suspect many of you are also drying out. That's why I was thrilled when Suave offered me the opportunity offer you a giveaway for Suave's newly formulated Skin Solutions Body Lotion and Skin Solutions Advanced Therapy.

The new and improved body lotions have a richer, thicker formula that lasts all day - or all night - to keep your skin hydrated. You could be red-carpet ready. During award season, the red carpet is a beauty battleground. Designer gowns, sky-high stilettos, and radiant skin are all essential to pulling together a winning look, but you don't have to be nominated to flaunt radiant skin. This year, rich skin care and style experiences are accessible to all women - thanks to Suave's Body Lotions. The brand is teaming up with celebrity fashion stylist and TV host George Kotsiopoulos to show women how easy it is to experience the richness of beautifully moisturized skin and great style, on the red carpet or off.

"As a celebrity stylist, I know that every detail, including having beautifully moisturized skin, is key to any look – and that celeb-worthy style doesn't have to be expensive," said Kotsiopoulos. "That's why I'm excited to team up with Suave. The Suave Skin Solutions Body Lotions collection includes new, richer formulas that make it easy to have beautifully moisturized skin all day long." Or all night long at the awards show.

Women everywhere can experience the richness with Suave Skin Solutions Body Lotions. The new silky-smooth formula glides on easily and absorbs quickly for skin that is soft, smoothed, and delightfully fragrant. Even the fragrance was improved to last longer, making you'll smell as good as you look and feel. Skin Solutions Body Lotions are dermatologist tested and provide silky 24-hour hydration. Key offerings in the Suave Skin Solutions line include Suave Skin Solutions Advanced Therapy Body Lotion, Suave Skin Solutions Smoothing Body Lotion with Cocoa Butter & Shea, and Suave Skin Solutions Soothing Body Lotion with Aloe.

"Suave believes that "rich" skin-care experiences should be accessible to all women, every day," said Alison Clark, Brand Building Director at Unilever. "As awards season kicks, off, we are thrilled to team up with George Kotsiopoulos to show women everywhere how to achieve the ultimate accessory for any style trend: beautiful, glowing skin."

Advanced Therapy Body Lotion is enhanced with essential vitamins and glycerin to heal and relieve severely dry skin. Despite its heavy-duty power, it absorbs quickly.

Skin Solutions Smoothing Body Lotion with Cocoa Butter & Shea is enriched with a mix of nutrients, which are known to enhance the moisture levels and texture of multiple layers of the skin.

Skin Solutions Smoothing Body Lotion with Aloe also has cucumber in the ingredients. It feels light on your skin, but instantly revives it with a look of freshness and a fresh scent. All three lotions will increase your skin's hydration levels by 100%. Plus, they are clinically proven to last 24 hours. Depending on the size you purchase, these wonderful body lotions range in retail price from about $3 to $5. They provide a nice return on a small investment.

We will have four winners of this contest! The grand prize winner will receive all three lotions shown above. Each of three more winners will receive one of these lotions. Pretty nice, huh?

How can you enter to win this giveaway contest (technically a sweepstakes)?  Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post) explaining why you'd like to win. After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn. I can't believe the number of winners I haven't been able to find in the past.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and Suave Skin Solutions in your tweet. I will tweet the contest this afternoon, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

Even though I can't count these, I'd love for you to "like" Suave's Facebook page. There is a sweepstakes there too - involving cash!

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, February 9, 2013, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winners. I will e-mail each winner on Sunday morning. Each winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to residents of the United States. Here are the terms. Suave will ship the prizes. The winners must be able to provide me with a "mailable address," meaning the U.S. Post Office recognizes it as a good address.

For all the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photos courtesy of Suave

Why You Should Enter the Suave Naturals Giveaway Contest

My Suave Naturals Body Lotion and Suave Body Wash set in the new scent, Everlasting Sunshine, arrived at my house. These fragranced body-care products are even better than I had imagined. They sent me into a peaceful place. I love the scent!  The predominant effect is floral, with the passion flower leading. The vanilla is a backup player.

I've worn the Body Lotion to bed two nights in a row. I have to adore a fragrance to wear it to sleep. In my view, bedtime is no time to experiment. I don't want to get up several hours later and scrub, after being distracted by a scent I don't love. Nothing of that sort happened. I'm falling asleep with my arm at my nose!

I used the Body Wash this morning in the shower yesterday. The love persisted! If you haven't ordered the giveaway contest yet, you should! These products will delight you, and I've got two sets to give away - thanks to the generosity of Suave. Please make sure to enter the contest on the contest feature, not this one.

Photo courtesy of Suave Beauty

Suave Professionals Everlasting Sunshine Body Care Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Charlotte M and Amyovrin!

Suave Beauty has introduced new body-care products in a new fragrance, Everlasting Sunshine. The Suave Naturals Body Wash, enriched with skin conditioning vitamin E to leave your skin fresh and delightfully fragrant, will shower you with the uplifting scent of passion flower and vanilla in the new Everlasting Sunshine. The Suave Naturals Body Lotion, which delivers clinically proven hydration, is scented with the same scrumptious blend of passion flower and vanilla.

This is the first time Suave has launched one fragrance across all of its product categories. In addition to the Body Lotion and Body Wash, there's shampoo, conditioner, and antiperspirant. You can layer Everlasting Sunshine throughout your beauty routine and have a refreshing scent that will stay with you all day.

To introduce you to the new Everlasting Sunshine products, the nice folks at Suave has offered a set of Everlasting Sunshine Body Wash and Body Lotion (valued at approximately $7) to two Best Things in Beauty contest winners. Once we select the winners next weekend, Suave will mail out the prizes.

How can you enter to win this contest (technically a sweepstakes)? Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post). After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn. I can't believe the number of entrants I haven't been able to find in the past.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet. Remember, tweet the contest title - if you don't, that entry won't count. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, June 16, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday morning. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open only to entrants in the United States. We'll have another international giveaway contest in a few days. For the rest of the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photos courtesy of Suave

Suave Scalp Solutions Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner

Suave sent me a shampoo and conditioner from the Suave Scalp Solutions line - for testing and evaluation. I don't have dandruff (fortunately), so I wasn't sure how I could test the products adequately. I politely asked a few work colleagues if they would be willing testers, with an e-mail that started with, "This is a serious question." It was a little forward of me, given that I had never seen a flake on any of them. I did see one individual at work with a serious issue, but I didn't want to endanger my job by suggesting she could use some help.

According to Suave, people would rather clean the bathroom than admit to their partners they have dandruff. Men would rather see a bad haircut or messy hair than flakes on their ladies. Of the men surveyed, 90% reported they'd like to use a shampoo that would make them flake-free, so our guy friends are totally aware of scalp issues. Clearly, dandruff is a condition that bothers men and women equally. Suave has the perfect bathroom solution, to be shared by all members of the shower.

In the absence of a willing tester, I decided to try the Scalp Solutions Anti-Dandruff Shampoo and Conditioner myself (the active ingredient, pyrithione zinc, wasn't going to hurt me). Wow! These nourishing hair-case products are luxuriously moisturizing. They leave my hair silky, shiny, and easy to comb out - without any loss of volume.

The Scalp Solutions line combines an effective dandruff-fighting ingredient with beautiful fragrances to make the hair-washing chore - daily for me - a delight. I tested Coconut & Shea Butter, which has a divine smell in the shower. Then it's gone - perfect! Coconut not your scent? Scalp Solutions are also available in Invigorating Mint & Eucalyptus and Ocean Minerals & Aloe Vera.

Suave recommends that you go easy on your scalp of you've got the flakes. You need to use the shampoo and conditioners together. Using Scalp Solutions with a regular conditioner defeats the purpose. They also recommend that you use a natural boar-bristle brush and gently brush your hair - again staying away from your irritated scalp. Check out their video on Facebook to learn more.

I used my Coconut & Shea Butter every day for two weeks. They are definitely gentle products, and I enjoyed my "test." I can't tell you whether they will banish flakes, but given my happiness with every Suave product I've ever used, I'll bet they will.

Now, I need to keep searching for an eager volunteer. It would be ashamed to let such a valuable treatment go to "waste" on me. I have reluctantly set aside the products for another person to try. I'll be continuing to observe my friends. The stars will align.

Suave Scalp Solutions Shampoo and Conditioner (priced in the $3-4 range each) are easy to find at mass market drugstores, grocery stores, and discount stores like Target and Walmart. They are also available at many online sources, including drugstore.com.

Photo courtesy of Suave Beauty

Nicole Richie's Modernized Sleek Pony at the 2012 Golden Globes

The verdicts are in. Nicole Richie hit the ball out of the park with her Modernized Sleek Pony hair style, created with the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion System! If you'd like to recreate it, I've got the scoop on the steps from my friends at Suave Beauty.

Sleek, smooth styles are all the rage. Nicole Richie worked it, thanks to the Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion System. To copy the look quickly, spray Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Dry Shampoo directly at the root, crown, and front of your hair to add volume. Use your dryer to work in excess product and brush it through to refresh your hair before styling.

1. Pull up and section off the hair around the crown, then tease (back comb) to create volume.
   
2. Use a brush to smooth-out the hair on the sides and back. Pull the back section of hair into a ponytail, securing it with an elastic.
3. Take a side section and wrap it around the ponytail, securing the hair with a bobby pin.
   
4. Take the opposite side and also wrap it around the pony, securing with a bobby pin.
   
5. Last, take the teased crown section and lightly smooth and brush it back over the ponytail.
6. Work a dime-sized amount of Suave Professionals Keratin Infusion Smooth & Shine Serum into the palms of your hands, then delicately smooth the ponytail strands and eliminate flyaways.

Easy, right? Anyone with long hair can have Nicole's dynamite look. Keep up with Suave at Facebook, where you can find the insider tips and exclusive giveaways - along with a short film by Nicole.

Photos courtesy of Just Jared

My Picks: The Best and Worst Looks at the Emmy Awards

There I was, watching the red carpet on TVGuide.com, wondering how so many women had selected relatively hideous gowns. I hadn't seen "seriously hideous" until I saw Rita Wilson's get-up.

My first reaction was, "Whose mother wore a shower curtain?" Then I noticed Tom Hanks and thought it was sweet that he brought his mother, however weird her taste. Suddenly, I realized the woman next to Tom Hanks was Rita Wilson, his elegant wife - the woman who has always made looking elegant look easy.

Never in a million years did I expect Rita Wilson to earn the Fashion Victim Award, wearing Miuccia Prada (a designer known to test boundaries). This dress, the plastic shoes - the most hideous of the night. At least her hair and makeup looked good - if you could get past the shower curtain. Another women worth of a "worst" mention was January Jones. Madonna wore out the pionted boobie look. January's blue ones were distracting.

My selection for the best? Claire Danes looked like a golden goddess, wearing an elegant gown by Giorgio Armani Privé. Some have remarked that she was too gold. This blond thinks her entire look was magnificent. Did you know that she wore a red-toned eye shadow? It worked!

Another mention should go to the darling Sofia Vergara for her fabulous hair, styled by Suave Beauty's Jenny Cho. She wore my selection on Suave Beauty's Facebook page, cascading waves of long, shiny, and lush hair. Despite those clunky earrings, she was radiant.

That's it from me. There were many other women whose looks were dynamite. Fortunately, there were none who looked as bad as Rita Wilson.

Photos courtesy of dailymail.co.uk and wwd.com/eyescoop