StyleUnited: New View, New You Program and Contest

So excited to share my experience with the new P&G StyleUnited: New View, New You Program. This outstanding and innovative online beauty and fashion resource puts a team of experts in your "tool kit" to make you fabulous!

StyleUnited is brought to us by such great brands as Olay, Frederic Fekkai, DDF Skincare and Cover Girl. Providing access to exclusive editorial content and personalized recommentations, StyleUnited connects women to their full style potential using unique tools:

- Style 360: a fully personalized diagnositc quiz that has been designed to understand your individual needs in skin care, hair care, cosmetics and fashion
- Customized Beauty and Fashion Content - hundreds of curated articles, blogs and how-to videos from industry experts created to answer your every question while keeping you up to date on the latest trends!

I loved exploring the site and all the interactive elements. It's super easy to register and then you complete four quiz segments to get your personalized results: FASHION FOCUS, MAD FOR MAKEUP, SKIN DEEP and HAIR AFFAIR. You build your profile and can view or print out the results. You will get your personalized regimen for these important areas to look and feel great. You can even order on line with P&G QuickBuy which features the brands. Exclusive offers are currently available including a great Olay & Venus Smooth Skin Kit for only $30 with free shipping.



There is even an opportunity to schedule a complimentary, 1:1 Beauty Expert Consultation via webcam or telephone! Wow, that's all I can say! I am preparing to schedule mine for the 30 minute appointment. So psyched to get some great tips and trends in such a tech-y, fun way!

Another cool option is to invite others to participate in the fun and launch your own "Inner Circle" friend group to share your opinions and results...

Register today to be sure to enter in the SheSpeaks StyleUnited: New View, New You Giveaway. You could win a $500 shopping spree at Macy's or Nordstrom. Entries are now open until June 8th!

I received a promotional item from SheSpeaks to thank me for my review. My opinions are my personal experience.

My Tide: Tide Coldwater Liquid Detergent/P&G Future Friendly

I think if I ever really thought about how much time, energy and money our family invests in our laundry each year, that we would likely more seriously consider a clothing-optional lifestyle! Well....may be not! A New Year's Resolution is to try to reduce our family's environmental footprint and debt while also building a savings reserve and college/retirement funds. Whew, ambitious and daunting, but not without merit...

Anyway, I've found a great new ally in my battle of the laundry basket with Tide Coldwater Liquid Detergent. This great formula helps get all our clothes clean while washing in cold water. We did get an HE washing machine last year, but this is a new concept for me since I've always gone warm. However, we are making some serious efforts at our home to be more environmentally friendly while also focusing on saving for our future needs as we are participating in a financial peace workshop. My main concern was - will cold water really get our clothes clean?

I received a Tide Coldwater liquid detergent kit with a sample and product information from SheSpeaks.com to facilitate a review and share my experiences. I was excited to learn more about the cold water laundry option for our family to share with my readers.

I was a little skeptical, but immediately saw great results in my first load! I should have realized that since it's Tide we're talking about, there's no need to fear - Tide is here to save the day! I was pleased to discover Tide Coldwater and washing our clothese on the "cold" water setting provided fresh and clean clothes for all our loads - lights and darks.

Switching to cold water washing is a small step every family can take in your daily life to conserve energy and save money on your utility bill - gotta love a win-win, right?

Get more information on Tide Coldwater by visiting:
http://www.tide.com/en-US/product/tide-coldwater.jspx

I received a Tide Coldwater Liquid Detergent sample, resources and promotional item from SheSpeaks.com to help facilitate this review. These are my own opinions and experiences.

If you would like to learn more about SheSpeaks - visit them on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/shespeaksup

Torani Syrups Add Flavah!

The holidays are quickly upon us - Thanksgiving Day is my perfect holiday! Filled with tradition and family fun, without the overt commercialism that has overtaken many simple holidays. I enjoy gathering my timeless family recipes to prepare a wonderful feast for the senses! The scents, flavors, colors and textures of the fall and winter fill our home as we prepare the festive Thanksgiving meal while the kids begin preparing their Wish Lists for Santa as we watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade on TV....it's really magical! Love those traditions, but I'm always on the look-out for something new or innovative to add flav-ah to the holidays....

This year I've discovered a great new partner in the kitchen - Torani flavored syrups. These syrups are perfect for adding unexpected flavor and decadence to your favorite coffee, tea, cocoa, sodas or recipes. Many are sugar free and sweetened with Splenda, so they aren't on the "Naughty List"! The syrups come in a wide variety of amazing holiday-inspired flavors including:

◦Pumpkin Pie
◦Hazelnut
◦Peppermint
◦Gingerbread
◦Salted Caramel
◦Sugar Free Vanilla
◦Sugar Free Brown Sugar Cinnamon
◦Sugar Free Pumpkin Pie


Be sure to visit their website at: www.torani.comUse the link provided in this post to save 10% off your on-line orders - courtesy of Torani and SheSpeaks.

I received a sample of Torani products to help facilitate this review from Torani and SheSpeaks.

Aetna Healthy Food Fight

GREAT NEWS - get ready for some Twitter fun tomorrow - September 15 at 8pm EST. SheSpeaks has teamed up with the Aetna Healthy Food Fight to help spread the message of healthy living and eating in America. They'll be hosting a great party where we'll share healthy recipes, chat about health-conscious tasty foods, share tips on living well, and learn more about the Healthy Food Fight. (Plus, prizes include Dutch Ovens and gourmet cookware from Circulon donated by Meyer Corporation, U.S.)
Here's the deets:

#SSFoodFight Twitter Party Recipe Swap
When: September 15 @ 8pm EST
TweetGrid Dashboard: http://bit.ly/oy4lU9
Follow: #SSFoodFight and @shespeaksup


About Aetna:
Aetna is one of the nation's leading providers of health care, dental, pharmacy, group life, disability insurance and employee benefits. At Aetna, we believe we can help create a better health care system. This belief drives our daily decisions as one of the nation's leading health care benefits companies. We work hard to provide our members with information and resources to help them make informed decisions about their health. For more information on Aetna and the Healthy Food Fight please head to http://bit.ly/mVbfOe.

The site has some great information featuring the Culinary Institute of America (CIA) and chef Bobby Flay's outstanding cooking and eating tips. I have entered the Recipe Contest and Voted - be sure to get involved, too! Health cooking and eating is everyone's responsibility...

Twitter: @shespeaksup and use the #SSFoodFight hashtag




I will receive a promotional gift from SheSpeaks and Aetna for participating in this project.

I was selected to participate in a product review opportunity by SheSpeaks for the luxury Canadian skin care system, Mereadesso Woman. The system consists of the face and neck cleanser ($38.25) , a face and neck toner gel product ($102.00) and a microfiber washcloth ($4.25). The retail value is stated as $144.50 total, plus shipping. Products are now available for purchase in the United States via their online store at:
www.mereadesso.com

Prior to beginning this product test I was using a cleanser, a toner pad, serum, eye cream, day cream and night cream - wow, that quite a bit huh? I did a quick tally today and this comes to about $250+ for a 3 month supply. The Mereadesso system compares very favorably with my skin so far, so I would be realizing a savings using the system rather than the variety of products - not to mention the hassle and time! I really find that the cleanser is doing a great job - I had been experiencing a couple of minor break-outs around my mouth before I received my products, but these are clearing up after my first week using the system. I too find it a bit challenging to part with my old expectations of heavier creams and pare it down to just the cleanser and toner gel. I would like to purchase additional cleansing cloths - just one is challenging for twice daily use! I am finding that my skin tone and texture is improving with twice daily use!

My skin has been transformed! I cannot speak well enough of the Mereadesso System - Founder Linda Stephenson is to be congratuated!!! True Story: I have been using the system for about 5 weeks now. Everyone I encounter during this time continually comments on "how well I look" or "how radiant I appear"!!! It's amazing and I recognize that since changing my skin care routine, my skin is smooth, soft, bright, and clear! The system is easy, convenient, pleasant, and helps save time/money. I consider my skin to be an investment and I will be pleased to replenish my Mereadesso products as needed in the future - such an outstanding value!

I would suggest that you purchase additional cleansing cloths (I am ordering an extra 4-5 more) to have a fresh cloth available daily.

If Mèreadesso sounds like it might be interesting to you, you can use discount code shespeaks002 to receive 20% off of your order at www.mereadesso.com, plus free shipping. If anyone decides to try, or has already tried Mèreadesso, let me know--I'd love to hear your thoughts!