Just in time for Mother’s Day, we’ve got a new giveaway. Keep it for yourself or share it with your mother, we won’t tell.

KLEAN has created an easy way for you to group a selection of KLEAN products together in any combination and any scent that you wish…the KLEAN Kit (a $63.00 value). This is a great way to try the different KLEAN bath and body products or create to create a great smelling travel kit.
read more from "Giveaway: Time to Get KLEAN!"

As Spa Week starts today, we thought this would be a great time to delve a little deeper into what to expect when you go to a spa.

Once you arrive at the spa, turn your cell phones, pagers, PDA’s, and any electronic devices all the way off (not vibrate, not silent, but off!) or better yet leave them in the car so you can truly relax and enjoy your spa time. There is nothing more distracting than the sound of a phone ringing, beeping, or vibrating during a treatment. It brings you back into the feeling of stress in your busy lifestyle and is very counter productive to letting go and relaxing. Remember you are not the only one there, and the other clients enjoying their treatments do not want to be disturbed by the outside world either. Also keep your voice down, using what I call your “spa voice” in order to preserve a restful, tranquil environment for everyone - we all know what it can be like when someone talks a bit louder than necessary.

read more from "What to Expect When You Go to a Spa"

Doesn’t everyone wish from time to time that they knew the ins and outs of the beauty world? Maybe knew what high end products were worth the splurge and which drugstore brands would work just as well? Well Nadine Haobsh knows those secrets and isn’t afraid to dish.

In her latest book, Beauty Confidential, this former beauty editor leaves nothing back and let’s you know when to spend your hard earned money and when to save it. We sat down with Nadine and asked her to share some of her knowledge and know how with you.
read more from "Beauty Confidential: An Interview & Giveaway"

As a longtime spa owner and licensed esthetician, I consistently get asked many of the same questions about spa etiquette. Today I am going to share some of these tips with you so your visits to the spa can be truly relaxing and comfortable for everyone.

Before you call a spa to make an appointment, my recommendation is to visit their website and familiarize yourself with their hours of operation, their treatments, and figure out what treatments you are interested in.
read more from "Spa and the City: Before You Book Your Appointment"

Every hand-crafted piece of BEADIFUL Jewelry by Catherine Howe jewelry is given a unique and feminine name that the designer feels matches both the look and feel of each piece. Nearly all of the new Spring 2008 Collection pieces are named, but she could not come up with a name befitting this beautiful pair of 14kt hollow, gold-filled, leaf-shaped, earrings with faceted citrine briolette drops.

Here’s where you, the members of ConstantChatter, come in. These earrings, which retail for $42 can be yours if the name that you suggest for the earrings is chosen by Catherine Howe. This is your chance to get creative and win.

Rules:

1. You can enter by leaving your suggested name in a comment below.
2. You can enter with as many suggestions as you like, there’s no need to use separate comments for each entry.
3. The winning name is decided entirely by Catherine Howe and she will contact you directly for your mailing information, so be sure to leave an email address where she can contact you.
4. If by chance a single name is suggested multiple times by different people and Catherine has chosen that name, it will be granted to the first comment (all comments are date and time stamped).
5. This contest ends at midnight, March 8th.

Good luck!

CONGRATULATIONS MAPLEKITTY!!!

Your brother/sister/cousin/friend/whatever just called and they’re getting married. Great! And they want your son/daughter to be their ring bearer/flower girl. Great! Except that you’re going to have to pay out the wazoo for some fancy outfit they’re going to wear once.

Or perhaps you need the perfect little outfit for Easter. Or Christmas. Again, you don’t want to pay a ton for an outfit that’s not going to get much wear.

Finally, there’s the perfect solution - Gaga’s. Why someone didn’t think of this before, I don’t know. It’s pure genius.
read more from "The Perfect Answer for Children’s Formalwear"

If you’re anything like me (and considering the average American gains, what, 10 pounds over the holidays?) the traditional November-December season is fraught with peril. Everywhere you look you are greeted with gobs of pumpkin pie, piles of gingerbread, and decadent, sticky fudge….mmmm….fudge. And booze. The holidays are entirely and inextricably linked to indulgence.

However, if you’re trying to avoid the temptation of a 1000 calorie dessert while still surrounding yourself with the scent of holiday cheer, never fear, your intrepid scores of bath and body retailers are standing by and ready to assist you. For a grand total of zero calories, you can slather yourself in potions and lotions that fill your senses with seductive smells, without the worry about your New Year’s Eve outfit popping a button on the 31st.

I am an admitted perfumista. I chose that word. My husband calls it “hoarder of bottles, creams and salves”. I guess we are both right, as any visitor to my cluttered master bathroom vanity will attest. Everyone knows about the big names in the smelly stuff biz- Body Shop, Bath and Body Works,  etcetera, all offering some variation of the typical apple cider, pumpkin pies or gingerbread scents. But if you’re looking for something a little different, there is a huge niche market in the etailer world for small businesses, many of whom specialize in one type of scent category or bath product. Allow me to enable you to a few:
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This post is about the maintenance of one’s crotch. Yeah, I know, I’m surprised I’m bringing this topic up too. But hey, if you can’t share TMI with a few hundred of your closest acquaintances who can you share with?

I was brought up in a fairly low-maintenance household. My mom put my hair in a ponytail every day of my life until I was 9; her own hairstyle was wash and wear. Makeup? Fuhgeddaboutit. I learned about how to apply eyeshadow through good old trial and error, and considering this was 1989 and I had a vast array of Wet n Wild colors from which to choose, it took a lot of trial, and some tragic error.

My point is, it took me a long time to really master the art of personal grooming. It wasn’t until I went to college in LA with a slightly neurotic former model as a roommate that I learned about all the things I was missing. Like MAC makeup, or how to use lipliner. This is a steep learning curve we’re talking here folks. Needless to say, the fine art of, um, “really personal” grooming was a mystery that eluded me even longer. I had no idea that anything other than the basic sort of standard grooming was widely used, or desirable in people other than nude models. I wasn’t around a lot of naked women or Playboys- how was I supposed to know I was going about it all wrong?
read more from "The well appointed carpet (and drapes!)"

Luggage
Originally uploaded by Cake Walk. I’m a big believer in packing light. Since I jettisoned the large suitcases, I’ve been enjoying travel a lot more. My personal philosophy is that regardless of where I’m going, I really don’t need more than one carry-on sized suitcase and a handbag or small backpack. I’ve applied this belief to dozens of trips with success, from a week in Hawaii to my two-week honeymoon in Europe. Some of the biggest reasons it’s best to travel light:
read more from "Who Needs Baggage? Pack Lightly Instead"

I recently found myself in the unenviable position of needing to buy decent clothes to cover my twice blessed postpartum body. After 3 years of seldom girls’ nights out, I decided to change my reclusive habits. Most of these outings consist of dinner and drinks at a moderately priced restaurant and I feel a bit out of place in my well-worn capris and Old Navy t-shirts.
read more from "The Empire Strikes Out"