OpinionMom

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Here at OpinionMom we love to try new things. So when Pete Grimaldi of 21st Century Formulations asked if I’d review his company’s lotion, Skin MD Natural, I gladly said yes.

Little did Pete realize that he was sending his lotion to someone with skin as dry as the Sahara desert. Okay, maybe not totally, but I live in Texas and dry skin is a real problem for me. If the heat outside doesn’t dry out my skin, then the constant exposure to air-conditioned air will.

My dry skin is why I eagerly opened the package that contained the Skin MD lotion as soon as it arrived in the mail. I was immediately pleased by the light scent of the product, which smelled clean to me. (Skin MD contains no added fragrances, so what I was smelling was the natural aroma of the product’s ingredients.)

The Skin MD lotion was much thinner in texture than any other lotion that I’ve used. In fact, the first few times that I used it I applied way too much lotion on my hands and had to rub it up my arms and even on my neck. You truly only need to apply a small amount of this lotion!

We have several members of the family with eczema and sensitive skin. In fact, one of my daughters has such sensitive skin that we can only buy detergent without dyes or perfumes or her skin will break out in a rash.

After I had used the Skin MD lotion for several weeks without any problems, I turned my entire family (even those with sensitive skin) into reviewers right along with me. I was pleased to note that no one, not even those family members with sensitive skin, had any negative reaction to the product. (That may not seem like much, but if you have sensitive skin it’s HUGE!!!)

Since using the Skin MD Natural lotion I have noticed a slight softening and smoothing of my dry skin. My skin definitely feels less tight now. I also have to mention the clean smell of the product one more time. I just love that smell!

As I was examining the product labeling to write this review I was pleased to notice that, not only is the product hypoallergenic (which is why my daughter could use it), but the label also states “no animal products or testing.” Since I’m a pet owner it makes me feel a lot better to know that no animals were harmed in the creation of this product.

If you have dry skin Skin MD Natural might be worth checking in to. If you want more information you can go to their website at www.SkinMDNatural.com or view this very interesting YouTube video that Pete sent me, which explains in detail how the product works.

Have you tried this product? If you’ve tried it, I’m interested in knowing what you think of it. Leave a comment and let me know.

(Disclosure: A product sample was provided by an agent for Skin Md.)

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved

Trimming my own hair is something that I’ve been doing for quite a while now to save money. When my hair was short and layered, I used to have to get my hair cut every month. At a cost of about $20 a month, the cost to maintain my hairstyle was over $240 a year!

My new hair style, which is basically shoulder-length hair with bangs, is much more budget-friendly! The only thing that needs cut every month is my bangs and I cut those myself with a pair of moustache scissors (available in most mass merchandise stores) using my eyebrows as a guide. My need for an expensive professional hair cut has been reduced to about four times a year.

For men who prefer short haircuts, the savings can be even greater. My brother uses a Wahl home haircutting kit (basically a razor-like device with multiple attachments for cutting the hair to different lengths) to cut his hair. Since he likes to keep his hair really short (about 1/2 ” all over) he has no trouble getting the look he wants. The Wahl device costs between $20.00 and $40.00.

If you have a steady hand (or a friend with a steady hand) you may find that home haircuts can save you a great deal of money.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Last week I teased you in my giveaways post by letting you know that I won something, but not telling you what it was that I won.

Well, I didn’t mean to let it go so long before my reveal, but here it is:

That’s right! We won Mandisa’s new CD, True Beauty. I entered this contest on the 5 Minutes For Mom blog (one of my favorite places) and won!

So, the next time someone tells you that no one ever wins those blog contests anyway — just send them to this post to prove that it’s not true!!

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

I almost missed Frugal Friday!

I’m in that post-vacation crunch. You know, the one where everything hits you all at once?

I do have a Frugal Friday entry, though.

This week’s entry concerns using a popular coupons savings book, the Entertainment Book from entertainment.com to save money.

“What?” You might ask. “Do I have to buy something to save money?” In this instance, the answer is “yes.”

You’ve probably seen these nifty little books around and know that they are filled with discount coupons for dining, movies, and sports events (to a name a few of the deals available).

What you may not realize is that they also contain coupons for groceries ($5.00 off each month’s groceries in my market), car rentals, and vacation discounts.

For me, the grocery savings alone (about $60.00 a year) makes it worthwhile for me to purchase this book (at about $25.00).

Yes, we have broken down and used the dining coupons from time to time. But, if you’re going to occasionally dine out anyway isn’t it better to do it for less?

Here’s a picture of my well-worn book below. You may want to try this saving tip for yourself.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Contents (c) Copyright 2007, Laura Spencer. All rights reserved.

Do you believe that you have a chance of winning those items you see posted on blog giveaways? I wasn’t sure about them either until I ACTUALLY WON SOMETHING!!! I’ll post more on that later.

In the meantime, here’s my list of August contests and giveaways:

• 20 Giveaways at I’m not just a mom…I’m a Home Mom. Home Mom has lot of links for prizes …
• 5 Minutes for Mom: Babeebrite Contest, Fiber One cereal (Hurry!), Meerkat Manor Contest. As you can see — one site, multiple giveaways.
• 13 contests at An Island Life. Be sure to check this out!
• SharedAnswers07. My group writing project on my other blog with a prize for one lucky participant of a $30 Amazon Gift Certificate.
• Laura Williams’ Musings has a fun list of contests that you won’t want to miss.

What about you? Do you know of any August giveaways or contests? Leave a comment and let me know.

I didn’t really intend to post again today, but I just took the Are you dumb? quiz which I found on NS.net and had to share the results with you.

If you decide to take it leave a comment and let me know how you did.

I’ve been on vacation, so I thought that the best way to ease back into blogging would be to share this really cute pink blogging award I got a few weeks ago from Angela at Domestic Divapalooza.

I put the award in my sidebar. The best part about this award is that I get to pick ten new recipients for the award!

I really love commentators, so I thought I’d reward the ten most recent commentators with this award (did I mention how cute it is?). These also happen to be some of my favorite bloggers:

• Donna at Just Me
• Frigga at Any Apples
• The Brewer family at … “And Miles To Go Before We Sleep …”
• Juana at Everyday Joy
• Mousey at Say Cheese…
• Kate at Babylune
• Musings of a southern girl at heart
• Corey at Living and Loving Every Minute of It
• Christine at Are We There Yet
• Mom at What Works For Us

Enjoy!