Swell Savings: Free Gift With Purchase From Clinique

Ever since the day that I first heard the phrase,  I've loved the words, "Free Gift With Purchase." Ta-da!! Free stuff, especially free BEAUTY stuff, woohoo - count me in.


Clinique is one of the companies who does this regularly. Right now they've got a little one going on at Clinique.com where you make a $35 purchase and then you get a little High Impact Mascara in black and a Take the Day Off Cleansing Milk when you use the promo code KICKOFF at checkout.

If you shop at Nordstrom, then they have a much bigger offer. Inside a cute Trina Turk makeup bag you'll find $75 worth of Clinique favorites. All you have to do is make a $25 purchase. No code is required. Available online and in store, while supplies last.

Includes:

• 7 Day Scrub Cream Rinse-Off Formula (1 oz.)
• Sun Face Cream SPF 30 with keychain (0.24 oz.)
• Even Better Skin Tone Correcting Moisturizer SPF 20 (0.5 oz.)
• Travel-size Shimmering Stripes Powder Blusher in Peony
• High Impact Mascara in Black (0.14 oz.)
• Different Lipstick in Ice Bloom (0.14 oz.)
• Long Last Glosswear SPF 15 in Fire Berry (0.07 oz.)

Image credit: Clinique.com and Nordstrom.com

Swell Guys: Treat Your Man To A Timothy Jay Candle

I'm feeling much better today. Time to start catching up on some of the product reviews I have waiting for me. I have a number of sunblocks to review, but we've been short on sun around here. It's pouring rain (again!) and I want to give the formulas a real test in the heat. That's where it counts, right? Is it comfortable to use, to wear, does it work? I will get back to you with that as soon as I can.


In the time being, I wanted to tell you about these beautiful candles that I was sent for review. Timothy Jay Candles come in 16 fragrances, all but two of these fragrances are built like a fine perfume with base and top notes. The candles were developed by artisanal candle maker Timothy Jay Sullivan. Sullivan is a former ad executive who gained a knowledge of fragrance through his work with companies like AVON, Cosmair, and Airwick. He is a hands on, artisanal candle maker, working out of his West Hollywood studio/store.

Timothy Jay candles come in traditional floral fragrances, but they are also available in a large range of of fragrances that appeal to a more masculine nose. I love this! I'm a big fan of men's fragrance, with a number of men's colognes in my personal collection. I enjoy the notes used in men's fragrance including woody notes, mossy notes, and a fresh herbiness. These candles are perfect for creating a relaxing atmosphere in a man's home by using this same type of multi-note formulations.

For example, Havana, is made up of notes from Geranium leaves, mosses, and Tobacco flowers. It smells incredible. Another new favorite of mine is the Flax candle with notes of Rosemary and other herbs. The candles are divided into four fragrance families; the Florals, the Naturals, the Greens (Celadon, also gorgeous!), and the Fruits. All Timothy Jay candles are packaged in very stylish black and white boxes patterned with paisley. They would make such a lovely gift - something to keep in mind with Father's Day on the horizon.

I was able to try the Havana, the Flax, and a box of the Greens in votive size. I've burned the Havana candle, a travel-size, for about a week, and it lasts and lasts and lasts. I lit the Flax and burned it for a couple of hours and there's only a little dimple in the top of the 10 oz size candle. In my opinion, a candles needs to smell good, that's number one, of course, but if it can smell good for a long time, that's even better.

Click here for the Timothy Jay Candles website.

Image credit: Timothy Jay Candles

Swell Hair: Sarah's Letters To Juliet Look

My youngest daughter graduated from elementary school today. She picked a very grownup dress for her promotion ceremony, so she wanted a grownup hairstyle to go with it. She saw the movie, Letters to Juliet for her birthday and wanted something similar to a look the main character wore in a scene in that movie. Half up, half down, it turned out very cute and was easy to do. It works best on long, wavy hair, like Sarah's.

Here's what I did......

*Start with clean hair. Comb the tangles out, apply a combo of leave in conditioner and gel (mix half and half), then put it up in a towel to pull out the extra moisture. (When She took the towel off she said, "It's like Kate's hair when she comes out of the ocean." Oh, my little LOST fan.)

*Start drying with your blower set at low. Scrunch the ends up toward the roots, to encourage the curl. Blow until it's damp-dry, then use your fingers to twirl a 1 or 2 inch section into a spiral, lay that down, move on to the next section, and repeat the process. Do this all the way around.

*Let it air-dry the rest of the way. This allows the curls to dry into an organic sort of no-work look.

*When it's dry, part the top of the crown off and give it a light back-combing to produce a little height. Nothing huge, we are going for a sort of mermaid-y look. More romance than Jersey Girl (not that I have a problem with Jersey Girls - they are skillful back-combers, that's for sure).

*To section off the "up" portion, use your fingers to slice off a hunk of hair, leaving the front sections free. Slide your finger along, drawing a line about an inch above your ear to the back of your head. Use a pony holder, to make a small ponytail, then gently pull the crown loose-ish, so create a little height.

*Give it a quick spray with some hairspray and you are good to go.

Swell Makeup: Get The Look

I'm back! This morning, I went to the Dr where I received a boat-load of antibiotics, a breathing treatment, and a shot in the butt. By this afternoon, I started to feel a bit human again. Finally. Life is so much better when you can actually breath. Bronchitis sucks.


So, lets get to it....

Have you seen some of the latest It Looks at Sephora? They have a whole section called Get The Look where they give you the product info and the instructions to recreate looks that are sure to be hot this Summer.

Some of the looks are on the avant-garde side, (see Icy Blues), but with a slight bit of tweaking (as in, apply with a lighter hand), they all can be worn fairly easily, by a wide range of ages and skin tones.

For example, the Turquoise Liner look is a fresh Summer look that consists of bright, turquoise blue lined eyes and an orange lip.

It's perfect for a women in her 20s-30s, but a gal in her (early!) 40s, like me, would maybe remove or shorten the long tail of liner at the corners and thin out the bottom liner for a cleaner, more subtle pop of turquoise. (With knowledge and maturity comes the acceptance of that adage - Less Is More).

Now, on the other hand, Dinner in Paris, I'd leave it completely as-is. Smokey steel-gray eye, bold brow, sculpted cheek, barely pink lip - gorgeous!


You can find these Get The Look, looks here,  plus a whole lot more.


Image credit: Sephora

Swell Guys: Gap's Sunwashed Collection

There are a number of reasons why I like the Gap...

I like the affordability of the clothing which makes it easy to stock up on basics. I like the way the store is laid out which makes it easy to shop - I remember many trips with my friend Yuka, both of us pushing a stroller. If you are a mom, then you know what a plus being able to maneuver can be.

More than anything, I like the soft texture of the clothing. Smooth, comfy tees and shorts - like someone broke them in for you, turning them into instant old favorites.

I got an email today about the new Sunwashed Collection at the Gap for Men. The collection consists of shorts, tees, short sleeve buttoned shirts, shoes, belts, and hats, pretty much anything a guy could need. Take a look at the entire collection here.

Image credit: Gap

Swell Skin: Fight That Cellulite

Cellulite sucks. Those cottage-cheese looking dimples can show up on your thighs or your butt - yuck. I was lucky, I didn't get cellulite until my late 30s, but it can appear on any woman, of any age, be she thick or thin. One of those equal opportunity downers, like the Bad Hair Day or a huge zit. Bleech.


It's believed to be caused by a a breakdown in the elasticity of the skin. The fat bulges around the fiber compartments in the skin, which shows up in the form of bumpy, dimply, uneven skin. Factors that effect skin elasticity include the female hormone estrogen, bad diet, smoking, some medications, crash diets, lack of exercise, not enough fluid (water) intake, and aging.

How do we prevent it? Well, one article I read that other day mentioned drinking large amounts of green tea. Will that work? I don't know, but I do enjoy tea, so I'm going to give it a try.

St. Ives sent me their new 2-part Cellulite smoothing system. The system consists of St. Ives®Cellulite Shield Gel Crème and Advanced Body Moisturizer. The products are made with green tea, caffeine, citrus extracts, menthol, and shea butter. They are clinically proven to show a reduction in the appearance of cellulite in 2 weeks.

Two Step Program:

*Step one: Increase circulation with the Cellulite Shield Gel.

*Step two: Smooth and tone with the Advanced Body Moisturizer.

I'm currently on Day 3 of the 2 weeks and so far I can say that the products are easy to use and my skin feels soft and moisturized. I will give you a full report when the 2 weeks are up - hopefully the results will be good, because cellulite smooth products can be pricey and this system is not - each product retails for only $6.99.

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Not Swell At All

Sorry I've been MIA. My son has pneumonia and I've got a cold, or possibly the flu. I will be back with Swell Stuff very soon. Take care!

Swell Smells: 5 Fresh Summery Fragrances

Do you change your fragrance when the seasons change? Something lighter for the warmer weather?  There are some fragrances that I wear year round, but in the Summer months I do seem to be drawn to the light notes of water accord, fruits, especially the fresh scent of citrus.


If you are in the market for a new Summer scent, here are a few fragrances that launched recently featuring notes of fresh citrus or exotic flowers. Floral, Fresh, or Spicy - there's something for everyone.

*Calvin Klein CK One Summer
Top note: Watermelon, Pear, Mandarin, Kaffir Lime Leaves
Middle note: Violet Leaves, Marigold, Verbena, Water Lily
Base note: Patchouli, Skin Musk, Vetiver, Cedarwood

*FlowerByKenzo La Cologne
Notes: Poppy, Bergamot, Bigarade Leaves, Orange Blossom, Neroli, Musk, Vanilla

*Rio Bikini by AVON
Top note: Pitaya Fruit, Juicy Kiwi, Watermelon
Middle note: Coconut Milk
Base note: Beachy Accord, Sandalwood, Musk

*Rio Rhythms by AVON
Top note: Jasmine, Coconut Water, Peony
Middle note: Gardenia, Lilac
Base note: Vanilla, Milky Accord, Warm Wood, Amber

*St. Tropez Dispenser by Smell Bent
Notes: Jasmine Absolute, Coconut, Aloe Vera, Vintage Musk.

**Calvin Klein, Kenzo, and AVON fragrances were all furnished to me for review**
Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Style: A Girl's First Makeup

Friday was my youngest daughter, Sarah's 12th birthday. At 12, I let my girls wear makeup - it's the same age I was allowed to start wearing it. It's important to me that my girls understand how to apply makeup well and how to take it off. I do not want my girl to be that middle school kid who walks around with way too much black eyeliner on because she has no clue how to apply it.

For her birthday, I chose a few simple starter-type cosmetics. Her skin is healthy, so she doesn't need a foundation or base. I started in the Bonne Bell section, because their cosmetics have light, sheer shades, that are perfect for young girls to learn with. I picked up a 4-color eye shadow in Girlie Pinks, a Plum eyeliner, and black mascara. I showed Sarah how to apply the colors and gave her some tips on how to keep things looking fresh and pretty, but not too heavy. If you know a young girl who is ready to start wearing makeup, here are a few things to keep in mind.

*Chose light, fun shades that can be layered for deeper color. Young girls love shimmer, so a quad like the Bonne Bell pinks that I picked out for Sarah is perfect.

*Black eyeliner is too harsh. Chose something in a brown, plum, or light blue, if your girl wants some extra pop. A pencil or crayon-type eye liner is the easiest to use.

*Shadow and a damp eyeliner brush is also a good way to apply a subtle liner and the technique is not hard for a young girl to pick up.

*Stress the importance of keeping things clean. Wash hands before touching makeup, make sure the face is clean, don't share mascara, and keep cosmetics in a clean, dry container. Sarah is using a tackle box that used to hold her Polly Pockets. (Oh that makes me a little sad, she's so grown-up.)

*Provide a spot with plenty of light so that your girl can see what she's doing.

*Blend, blend, blend. Women of all ages need to remember that rule. *Have fun!

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Style: Rio-Inspired Bags For Summer

The people at Mark recently sent me some great items to review. Among them was the Take Me To Rio Bag designed by award-winning accessory and handbag designer, Carlos Falchi. The bag is part of a line the designer created for Mark to give the consumer a taste of a "trip to the tropics" of Rio. The line is made of fun and colorful accessories, perfect for wearing this Summer.

“Rio embodies color, vibrancy and spirit, all of which are reflected in this collection,” Carlos says. “Each piece is unique and incorporates my signature features, like the colorful linings of the bags, inspired by the Copacabana boardwalk, and the unique fabrications.”

My daughter has been carrying this bag all week and she gets a lot of compliments. The latest being that it "looks like a mermaid's bag."  That makes sense - it does have a shimmery sea-blue appearance. Bay likes that she can fit so many things inside the tote making it the perfect choice for the beach or an overnight away from home. It's a large bag with a zipper closure, zipper pocket inside, and a small outside pocket that is perfect for stashing your cell or keys.

Click here for more information about Carlos Falchi's Take Me To Rio bag. It retails for $40. If you like the look of this bag, then take a look at the Rio Ready Mini bag, also from the Carlos Falchi collection. It's a smaller size and can be worn over the shoulder of around the waist.

Image credit: Meet Mark.com

Swell Style: Cannes Dresses

Have you seen any of the Cannes dress photos? I love to see what people wear to these things. I noticed a lot of light colors - champagne, blush pink, silver, gray. Here's a beautiful example worn by Fan Bingbing - I hope I'm getting that right, I'm not familiar with her.




I love this dress. Let me see if I can find a close-up of that bodice.



I think that the dresses at Cannes are more fun than most of the other big events because so many of them are rule-breakers. Like this dress worn by actress, Julie Atlas Muz, at the premiere of On Tour.  It's a slightly different take on "nude."


One last thing, check out these shoes worn by Hofit Golan, also at the premiere of On Tour. Wow. Love them!





Image credit: PicApp.com

Swell Skin: Lancaster Retinology Total Age Solution

I've been using a couple of the Lancaster Retinology Total Age Solution skin care products for about a month now. Lancaster sent me the High-Efficiency Day Cream and the Eye Recovery Cream to sample for review. I waited a month before reviewing, because I wanted to it give a fair assessment before writing the review up.


The Lancaster Retinology line uses Active-Retinol to improve moisture content in the skin, improve skin texture, reduce wrinkles, and firm skin. Users reported that their skin could look approximately 15 years younger. It takes up to 8 weeks to see full results.

"Gene therapy uses one of the most advanced levels of delivery vector known to contemporary science. This is why Lancaster turned to this area to search for our “ideal” Retinol vector. Active-Retinol is delivered “intact” to the cell for 100% efficiency, thanks to the Intra-Cellular SystemTM."

So, does it work? Yes, my skin does look better, but not so much on my forehead area, for some reason. My cheeks are smoother in tone and texture, the lines under my eyes are less noticeable. My skin does have a firmer feel.  The product doesn't sting, which is sometimes a problem with anti-aging creams. It doesn't feel greasy. The eye cream is good, very soothing. Good stuff. I'd rate it a 9 on a scale of 1 to 10 - not the best results I've had with an anti-aging skin care line, but very, very good.

Image credit: Lancaster-Beauty.com

Swell Makeup: Erika Christensen's Mercy Red Carpet Look

I am a fan of simple, classic,  glamour. That's just the sort of look that Erika Christensen was wearing at the Los Angele premiere of Mercy. You can easily recreate this look with products from mark. Here are the details straight from Jamie Greenberg, the celebrity makeup artist who created Erika's lovely look...




*She prepped skin with mark Mist Opportunity Muliti-Tasking Refresher and See Things Clearly Brightening Moisturizer. Erika has great skin, so she only required a bit of Get A Tint Tinted Moisturizer Lotion SPF 15 in Buff/Natural.

*Cheeks were dusted with Glowdacious Illuminating Powder in Prettied Up, then Good Glowing Custom Pick Powder in Cameo Glo was applied to the apples of cheeks.

*Jamie prepped Christensen's lids with Please Hold Eye Primer. She used Get Bright Hook Up Highlighter in the Natural shade to get rid of any under-eye shadows.

*The lids were shaded with I-mark Custom Pick Shadow in Latte, with Espresso in the crease. To "make her eyes pop," Greenberg lined the lower lids in the Gold Opal shade of Mini Mark It Hook Up Sticks for Eyes. Upper lids were lined with Get In Line Hook Up Liquid Waterproof Eyeliner in Cocoa Coquette. Lashes were treated to two coats of mark Scanda-Lash Hook Up Mascara in Blacklash.

*Lips were slicked with Kiss Dry Goodbye Lip Smoother, then a combo of the Juicy and the Mist shades of Dew Drenched Moisturlicious Lip Color. To give a matte effect, she patted Erika's lips with a tissue after application.

If you'd like to see what Erika Christensen's dress looked like, here's a full length shot. I love the way she accessorized with the blue shoes. Fun choice.


Hey, ladies, don't forget to enter my Lubriderm skin care giveaway.


Image credit: PicApp.com

Swell Style: Kiss Fashion Nails

I was invited to take part in an informational webinar with the people from Kiss recently. The webinar focused on some of the new products Kiss launched this Spring including their Broadway nails, Color-Changing nails, their shorter length Everlasting French manicures, and nail art that includes stickers and kits for creating designs. Lots of fun and inexpensive new items. My girls loved this project.

Bay likes the Everlasting French Manicure products. When she gets acrylics put on at the salon, she goes for the same look. With the Kiss kits she can get the same look, but at a fraction of the price, plus it's easy to change the look. The nails come in lots of sizes, so finding the perfect fit is easy. When you glue them on, make sure you press the entire nail down when gluing, this helps the glue to spread over the whole nail. The tips last for about a week, then you take it off with the Kiss All or One nail remover. Never pull or peel glued on nails off.

My daughter, Sarah,  is a little more adventurous. She likes the Nail Art Kits that come with three colors of polish, but her favorite product is the Color Changing nails. When you go out into the sun, they change color or a pattern shows up. Or there's the Fashion Diva nails with a Harajuku flair with bright neon tips. These tips all last about a week.

You can find any of the Kiss nail products at Walmart.

**Don't forget to enter my Lubriderm Skin Care Giveaway!!**

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Makeup: Bronzer & Highlighter

I've had sick kids home with me the last couple of days. Yesterday I had an almost completely computer-free day while we hung out and watched TV. They both seem better today, but neither kid is even close to 100%. It's too pretty outside to be sick!


The people at Mark sent me one of their new Glowdacious Illuminating Powders in the Shimmied Up colors. The product contains 3 colors of highlighter/bronzer with just a touch of shimmer to it. The compact comes with a built in mirror and there's a place to store your makeup brush under the makeup. You can find it at MeetMark.com where it retails for $12.

The product can be used without or without foundation and it's formulated without oils or fragrance, so it's safe for sensitive skin. They recommend the Prettied Up for fair skin, the Shimmied Up for medium, and the Amped Up for dark skin tones.

Bailey, my 18 year old, has been using the Shimmied Up regularly since it arrived. She said she likes to swirl the brush through all three colors for bronzing her face. She uses the darkest color (outer rim) to deepen her eye makeup at the crease. She likes that the product is so easy to use, that it fits easily in her purse-size makeup kit, and that you can use the colors however you want - all at once, or individually. Everything you need in one little kit for the perfect Summery glow, without the sun.

Don't forget to enter my giveaway!!

Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith

Swell Skin: Win Lubriderm Advanced Therapy SPF 30

I'm a long time Lubriderm fan. I first started using it as a young mom, when the constant hand-washing the mommying job requires lead to dry, cracked hands. My grandma kept a bottle on her sink and I found that it was the only moisturizer that really made a difference in the feel and appearance of my dry skin.


Lubriderm has continued to improve their line, adding new products along the way. One of the newest is the Lubriderm Advanced Therapy Moisturizing Lotion with SPF 30. This formula is the first of it's kind - a daily moisturizer with a SPF of 30. I've been looking for something like this forever. I want to be able to shower, moisturize, and be protected for the entire day.

Lubriderm Advanced Therapy with SPF 30 is formulated with essential lipids which help to form a moisture barrier keeping your skin hydrated for 8 hours. It contains Vitamins B5 and E, plus "Sheer Protection," which is Lubriderm's patent pending UVA/UVB protection technology. This product is recommended for use by the Skin Cancer Foundation.

Lubriderm is giving me 5 tubes of the new Advanced Therapy Moisturzing Lotion with SPF 30 to giveaway to Girl Looks Swell readers! To enter the giveaway, you need to be a resident of the US and you need to leave a comment on this post. I will contact the random winners next week.

Have you seen Lubriderm's new commercial, featuring the Mr. Freeway, the alligator? If not, click here for a link to the commercial. If you'd like to save $2 on a Lubriderm product, click here for an online coupon offer.

**I'm running the same giveaway at Gadabout Media's Beauty Section. Feel free to enter both giveaways, but you can only win once.**

Image credit: Lubriderm.com

Swell Smells & Style: Stella Solid Fragrance Necklace

When I was a little girl, I got a little yellow chick pin for Easter. I think it was made by AVON.  If you lifted the chick's head, there was a little pan of solid perfume underneath. I loved that pin. Even though I'm a big girl now, I still enjoy double-duty accessory-fragrances.


Several fragrance lines carry these items - I have a pin/necklace in the Marc Jacobs Daisy fragrance. That one is sort of triple duty, since I have the choice of wearing it either way. 

Stella McCartney is now offering a solid fragrance necklace. It's in her Stella fragrance, a little silver disc locket with the Stella McCartney logo on the top and the Stella fragrance inside. I like this one, because it's so non-frou-frou. Simple and modern. It's only available for a limited time and it's only available at Sephora.

The Stella fragrance is a Floral with notes of Rose, Peony, Mandarin, Rose Absolute, and Amber.

Image credit: Sephora

Swell Skin: LUSH Bath Goodies

I love a bath. Fill the tub, grab a cool drink, and a book - I'm set. LUSH, known for their bath bombs, is THE place to shop for handmade, good-for-you, bath goodies. My favorite product is their Comforter Bubble Bar. The bars make a lot of bubbles, so I break one  into pieces, which means I get 3 or 4 bubble baths from a single bar. (Lots of bubbles for your money).


LUSH sent me a few new products to try for review last week. One of the items in the box was a Bath Bomb. They make their Bath Bombs with Sodium Bicarbonate, Citric Acid, and Essential Oils. You add them after filling the tub and they bubble and fizz. They are kind of fun, in addition to making your skin feel soft and smooth.

The Bath Melts are made with 50% Calamine Powder and Cocoa Butter. The Melt that I tried is called Happy Blooming. It's made with dried cherries and passion fruit juice. It melts in the warm tub, giving the water a "milky consistency" which really leaves your skin feeling soft and smelling great.  Each Melt breaks into three pieces for three separate baths.

LUSH products are made with fresh, organic ingredients. They are handmade with vegetarian ingredients and contain little or no preservatives. If you are looking for something special for Mom, then take a look at their line of "Mum Gifts."



Image credit: Michelle Hamor Smith