Giveaway: $50 Spa & Wellness Black Gift Card from Spa Week

Happy Cyber Monday! This day is not only a great day to get online deals, but also serves as our officially ushering into the holiday season. Yes, the next few weeks are going to be full of making holiday reservations and trying to find the perfect gift for family and friends. By New Year's, you are definitely going to need to relax, and what better way to do so than with a $50 Spa & Wellness Black Gift Card from Spa Week?

The cool things about this card: it doesn't expire and can be used at 8,000 spa and wellness locations around North America. How can you win it? Send an email to hjclaypr@gmail.com including your full name and email address for your chance to win. Good Luck! 

Spa Week Subscribers Receive Discounts and Promotions All Year Round on the website www.spaweek.com. To take advantage of the holiday promotions and other great deals please sign up at www.spaweek.com for exclusive savings, the latest spa deals and amazing giveaways. 

Snapped: BACARDI Hosts Untameable House Party Tour in Atlanta with Meek Mill

Pretty Read: The Little Book of Skin Care

I am probably one of the few women on the planet left that doesn't believe that being beautiful boils downs to pins and needles in your face. But I will not lie. I will be 31 in about a month, and I find myself paying more and more attention to my skin. Thankfully, Charlotte Cho has written The Little Book of Skin Care: Korean Beauty Secrets for Healthy, Glowing Skin to give me some solutions that don't include going under the knife. 

This book is full of pages and pages of awesome skincare advice. One thing that I found interesting is how Cho suggests "Double Cleansing"; first with an oil cleanser and secondly with a water-based cleanser. This is interesting for me, because I was always told that applying oil to the skin would cause breakouts. She also discusses the importance of moisturizing and using sunscreen. While giving readers these hot skincare tidbits, also gives readers a peak into Korean beauty culture. 

I am making it a goal to take better care of my skin in 2016 and this book is definitely going to be a big help. Learn more about the book here.

Review: Dove Quench Absolute Shampoo and Conditioner

Many curly girls say that the hardest thing about having curls is finding the right hair style, but for me, the hardest thing about being a girl with curls has been finding the right products. Fans of this blog will tell you that I have essentially tried everything and that I have my favorites. I am now adding the new Dove Quench Absolute Shampoo and Conditioner to this list.

First and foremost, I have been a fan of Dove soap for years! Sadly, my skin is too sensitive to use fancy, scented soaps. However, when I heard that they were coming out with not only a hair care line, but one with products for textured hair, I was skeptical. I was also wrong. I am in LOVE with their shampoo and conditioner. I am a sucker for products that smell good, and these products smell amazing! Combined, I found the shampoo and conditioner to cleanse my hair without stripping it. After towel drying,  my fro was soft and fluffy.While twisting my hair once it dried, I also found that my hair was detangled and easier to manage. 

The Dove Quench Absolute Creme Serum is also a great product. I use it as a daily leave-in conditioner. It is very light and doesn't weigh down the hair. It also doesn't leave a residue like other serums that I have tried and it isn't oily. It is great for when you just want to pull your hair back and go without a lot of fuss. My aunt has also become a big fan of the serum. We are sharing a jar, lol. Her hair is very course and she is a product junkie, trying any and everything she hears about on Youtube vlogs. She also tends to overuse products on her hair. However,we have found that the Quench Creme Serum is all she needs. It elongates her hair and leaves it looking full. WE ARE FANS!

Check out this adorable, touching commercial about embracing your curls. 

Review: Carmex Moisture Plus

We all can agree that our lips need extra attention in the winter. Luckily, Carmex has our backs with the Carmex Moisture Plus sticks. These snicks come in trendy packaging, but the real treat is what is inside. 

Carmex Moisture Plus includes ingredients such as Aloe, Vitamin E, and Shea Butter to hydrate and moisturize lips. I love it because, unlike a lot of chap sticks, it is not thick and doesn't cake on the lips. It is smooth and soothes lips, and works well with lip sticks and gloss. It would also make an awesome stocking stuffer;)

Learn more about Carmex at  www.mycarmex.com.

Snapped: Celebs at the Global Spin Awards

Swizz Beatz

Swizz Beatz and Rev. Jesse Jackson 

Timbaland

Mark Ronson 

Ty Dolla $ign

Holiday Sips with Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

Smirnoff is coming out with its Peppermint Twist just in time for the holidays! A splash of the vodka in your favorite winter drinks will add the taste of our most beloved holiday treat. Below, see recipes for yummy holiday Smirnoff Peppermint Twist cocktails. 

Smirnoff Peppermint Twist Shot

·         1.5 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

Shake over ice and strain into a chilled shot glass with crushed peppermint rim.

Smirnoff Peppermint Martini

·         1.25 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist

·         0.5 oz Baileys Original Irish Cream

Shake ingredients over ice and strain into a chilled martini glass.  Garnish with grated nutmeg and a mini candy cane.

Smirnoff Peppermint Hot Chocolate

• 1.5 oz Smirnoff Peppermint Twist
• 6 oz hot chocolate

Pour shot of Smirnoff Peppermint Twist into hot chocolate.  Garnish with whipped cream and a peppermint stick

Elizabeth Heard Favorites

I really like barrettes, but I didn't think that they were age appropriate for me. I mean, I'm 30! Then I found out about Elizabeth Heard Hair Accessories. These barrettes are stylish and perfect for barrette lovers of all ages. Below are my faves. 

"You'r A Gem" Agate Barrette in Pink, $34.50

"Fan Club" Hair Barrette, $22.50

"Make The World Your Oyster" Light Hair Barrette, $18.50

"Take A Bow" Hair Barrette in Dark Brown Basketweave, $35.00

"Party Animal" Elephant Hair Barrette, $34.50

"Take A Bow" Leather Hair Barrette in Navy, $60

For more info on Elizabeth Heard, click here.

Review: Kesh Argan Oil with Rose Essence

My skin gets so dry and itchy in the winter, that I have found that I need a little more than lotion to moisturize. Last year, I fell in love with organic coconut oil, but I found that it worked better on my hair than it did on my skin. Although it smelled great, it was also really greasy and stained my clothes and bedding. After coming across the Kesh Beauty Argan Oil with Rosewater Essence, I am convinced that I have found my savior for the season.

Unlike the coconut oil, the Argan Oil is dryer and less greasy. It quickly absorbed into my skin and dried just as fast. Kesh's Argan Oil is also very rich, so you only need a small amount to get the job done. It can also be used on your hair and face, although I am only using it on my body. The Kesh Beauty Argan Oil with Rosewater Essence also has a rich fragrance that last all day. For more info on the Kesh Beauty and their Argan Oil with Rose Essence, visit here.

October Faves

1. Compeed, $8.99, Walgreens.com 

Do any of you get that heel-shoe situation where you heels rub against the back of your shoes, causing blisters and irritation? Compeed is the solution for this annoying issue. The clear strips stick to the back of you heel and serve as a buffer between you and your shoe. 

     2. LAVANILA Laboratories The Healthy Sport Luxe Deodorant in Vanilla Breeze, $16,               Lavanilla.com 

Deodorant is one of those things that I need but I can not stand. Since I started wearing it as a kid, it has just been a painful journey of irritation. However, the Healthy Sport Luxe Deodorant from Lavanila is different. It smells AMAZING and is aluminum free. What surprised me about the deodorant was that, although it is a natural alternative to traditional brands, it held me all day. No wonder it is an Allure "Best of Beauty" Award winner. 

        3. Mango Butter Hand & Body Scrub, $12.99, NubianHeritage.com 

I can not live without my scrubs, and I have to say that I have found a favorite in the Nubian Heritage Mango Butter Hand & Body Scrub. It is a sugar-based scrub, not a salt scrub, so I find that it is softer but it still exfoliates. It includes all types of skin goodies, including Shea Butter, Mango Seed Oil, and Jojoba Oil. It also smells like candy! This scrub is a winter essential! 

The Edge Challenge: Bosley Professional Strength Healthy Hair Moisture Masque

When I turned 30 last year, I noticed two things: my first gray hair and that my edges were starting to get tinky from years of wearing my fro in an INCREDIBLY TIGHT up puff. I can go completely gray if I must, but the diminishing edge issue is a deal breaker. You should have seen me the other day, I was losing it, thinking of the women in my life when I was a kid whose hair lines stared in the middle of their heads! Who can forget that lunch lady that created baby hairs to cover her hair loss by geling the hair from the back of her head to the front?! I mean, I was literally biting my nails in panic! A few days later, it was like the edge angles had heard my cries, and I was sent the Bosley Professional Healthy Hair Moisture Masque to review.

I had heard of Bosley from the commercials but really didn't think it was for me. I mean, I am not going bald. But after reading the ingredients, there is some good stuff in their products that I feel my hair needs like mango, Shea, and avocado butters. It is also contains red wine extract and is safe for color treated hair. So I am putting the masque to the challenge of edge rescue. It is all about preventative measures after all before I wake up at 33 with a Little Edie Beale Grey Gardens situation on my hands...not that Edie wasn't fly!  Stay tuned for the results! 

Drew Barrymore as Little Edie Beale from HBO's 'Grey Gardens.