Oh-My-Gosh, My-Golly, Shutterfly has Made me JOLLY

          It seems that once one has children, the inevitable picture holiday card comes into play- I've been no exception to that rule. For some reason, however, I just wasn't feeling it this year.
      Maybe it's because of all that's been going on in the past few weeks; maybe it's because of my growing knowledge of photography and disdain for the typical pre-set glossy cards that everyone and their mother sends out; or maybe I'm just a grump this year- at any rate, I honestly was considering not sending out cards 
at all this year. But then, I read a post over at Samurai Strong's Blog.  
      In the post, the author wrote about an opportunity from Shutterfly,to get 50 free Holiday Photo Cards! Now she had my interest-who doesn't love free?  I immediately started perusing the Christmas Card section of Shutterfly's site 
and was totally impressed!    
      First off, the selection was just amazing! I spent a good two hours (no lie) browsing through the Christmas selection contemplating which would look best with my token Christmas picture of the boys. Seriously, there are so many classy designs available- go check it out for your self! Some of my favorites include: Color Me Merry ; Woodblock Joy ; and Mod Love.
     Second, I LOVE that they have the matte option for their stationary cards! The more I appreciate photography, the less I'm in love with gloss as is standard with most holiday card options. The fact that I can order my cards in the matte finish, is a huge plus in my book- it feels like it adds a bit of class. 
     Third, I appreciate that Shutterfly uses sustainably forested card stock to create their cards! It makes me happy to know that the paperproducts I am buying have come from environmentally friendly resources. 
     Finally, I was excited to learn about Shutterfly's many photo gift options (you know for the grandparents). An added bonus in having children is that it makes Christmas gift buying a bit easy in the grandparent department- what grandparents don;t love photo gifts? Shutterfly has a large selection of Christmas gifts available, including: mugs; calendars; and my personal favorite- photo books!
     So, have I convinced you to look into Shutterfly this year for gifts and cards? It's not too late to place those final orders. And if you don't celebrate Christmas, no worries, Shutterfly also has a wide selection of Holiday Cards (non-Christmas specific). 
    And since the majority of my readers probably won't get to see my final product, click here to see our family card this year :) I'm pretty proud of it I must say- it makes me giggle at each viewing... 
    So what are your plans for cards this year? Are you sending them? If so, what company did you order them from? I'd love for you to share your experiences with me :)
    


Just in case you missed the links in the above post, here's a list of links to the Shutterfly site that you might find helpful:

·         Christmas  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

·         holidays  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/holiday-cards

·         personal calendar  http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars  

·         photo cards  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

·         xmas cards  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-cards

·         mugs  http://www.shutterfly.com/photo-gifts/photo-mugs

·         thank yous  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/thank-you-cards

·         Bar Mitzvahs  http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/religious-celebrations/bar-bat-mitzvah-invitations

Disclaimer: The above post was originally written in order to satisfy the requirements to receive the promotional 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly.com, however, the opinions expressed in the post are 100% my own and I am very excited about our cards this year! 

**CLOSED EcoGlo Minerals, "100% natural mineral cosmetics at prices you can afford," Review and Giveaway!

          ***CONGRATS to lucky number 7, @ABCGP, WK! You are the winner according to Random.org. Check your email for a notification :)


      I recently "met" the owner of EcoGlo Minerals at a EcoChicParties Twitter Party. I've been a HUGE mineral makeup fan for about ten years now, so I was excited to hear about another natural makeup company. I quickly contacted the owner and she graciously agreed to sponsoring a review and giveaway on my blog. 
       Before I jump in to my review, I'd like to take a minute to give you some background on the company. Below, taken from the EcoGlo Minerals website, is their philosophy and pledge as a natural beauty company:


                 What's EcoGlo's philosophy? Natural beauty.

Stop clogging your pores and aging your skin with big name makeup brands that do you more harm than good!

All of our makeup is 100% natural. EcoGlo's mineral makeup is a healthy alternative for flawless looking skin. With EcoGlo's all natural and long lasting mineral makeup, you will have cleaner, flawless looking skin and coverage that persists through the day. Our mineral makeup is super light and feels completely natural, and it will never clog your pores since it is free of oils, silicone and waxes! In fact, it contains some ingredients that actually help the negative effects of acne and rosacea.

Our makeup does not contain:

• Bismuth oxychloride
• Talc
• FD&C dyes
• Chemicals
• Perfumes
• Ferric ferrocyanide
• Preservatives such as parabens
• Organic materials that can spoil such as cornstarch or rice powder
• Nanoparticles or micronized minerals

What do we promise? Why choose EcoGlo?

• Superior, high quality mineral cosmetics
• Exceptional customer service
• Affordable prices
• Fast shipping!
• A variety of shades and natural products to choose from
• Our products are made in the U.S.A.

Campaigns and Pledges

• EcoGlo Minerals is a proud signer of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics (safecosmetics.org), pledging to not use chemicals in our products that are known or strongly suspected of causing cancer, mutation, or birth defects.
• EcoGlo Minerals also voluntarily pledges to follow Natural Ingredient Resource Center™ (naturalingredient.org) Criteria for labeling natural ingredients and products.
• Absolutely no animal testing is done with our products!

We are located in Salt Lake City, Utah. All of our products are manufactured and shipped by us.

      Wow! How refreshing to have makeup that's actually good for your skin! I also love that the company is a supporter of The Campaign for Safe Cosmetics and that all products are manufactured in the USA. 

      The product I received to review was the 3 Piece Mineral Makeup Kit (retail value $23). With the kit, you get to pick one foundation (9g), one blush (4g), and one finishing powder (3g). I chose the Fair Neutral Foundation, Light Rose Blush, and Ulti-Matte Finishing Powder. 

          I was very impressed with the foundation! I found it to provide flawless coverage and yet still remain virtually weightless on my skin! I didn't even have to use concealer due to its tremendous coverage. Under eye circles became non-existent, and blemishes/ scars disappeared- wahoo! The Light Rose Blush added just a hint of color to accent my cheekbones and I loved the warm, light pink color. The product that I loved the most, however, was the Ulti-Matte Finishing Powder! The translucent powder went on smoothly to create a flawless finish that made my skin totally look air-brushed! Also, I love that it contains zinc oxide for added sun protection. Below is my "before" and "after" comparison pic. It's not a huge difference, but that's what I LOVE about mineral makeup- it enhances your natural look rather than masking it. (I did go ahead and finish the look by adding eye makeup too.)

        Below is my first attempt at "vlogging." Please bare with me, but there is a short tutorial on how to apply the 3-piece kit:

        I really can't say enough good things about this company! They have excellent costumer service; quality products; a user-friendly website that includes make-up tips; and an awesome customer perk program where you can earn "loyalty points" towards future products. 

        

         AND now for the GIVEAWAY! How would you like to be the proud new owner of an EcoGlo Minerals blush and blush brush? Up for grabs, is a full-size Light Rose Blush (the color I reviewed; retail value of $7), and a Blush Brush (retail value of $21), in a cotton drawstring bag (retail value of $4). 

  MANDATORY ENTRY:

            Please visit the EcoGlo Minerals website, and let me know which product you would LOVE to try and why. Please include your email so that I can contact you if you win :)

Extra Entries:

          Please note that mandatory entry MUST be completed first before extra entries will count. All extra entries count as one entry unless otherwise noted.Make sure your email was in the mandatory entry- no need to repost in each extra entry opportunity.  

1. "Like" EcoGlo Minerals on Facebook. Leave a comment below and please thank them for sponsoring this giveaway. 

2. Follow EcoGlo Minerals on Twitter.  Leave a comment w/ your twitter name.

3. Subscribe to the Eco Glo Minerals NEWSLETTER . Leave a comment bellow (3 entries).

4. Follow me, @ShortyRobs on twitter and tweet the following (or be creative): "OOO Natural Blush & Brush from @EcoGloMinerals is up for grabs @ShortyRobs Blog http://bit.ly/gD9mAO ENDS 12/31"  Leave a permalink and this can be tweeted daily. One comment per tweet.

5. Follow my blog publicly through Google Friend Connect. Leave a comment.

This giveaway will run from Dec. 11 through Dec. 31, 2010 at midnight ET. I will choose a comment number via random.org and then contact the winner. The winner will have 48 hours to contact me to claim their prize, or I will have to select another winner. This giveaway is only open to the continental US. 

Disclaimer: The above product was given to me to review at no cost. The opinions expressed are strictly my own :) See my PR Friendly tab for my full disclosure policy. 

Eco-Mom for Holiday Shopping

              I use to get a thrill about going out on Black-Friday and shopping for all the best deals, but now, with two little ones to lug around, it just doesn't happen. Instead, I find myself doing the majority of my shopping online. I'm also really trying to make eco-friendly gift choices for the boys this year and have been browsing around to find good deals.


          I've been blessed to be able to join forces with Calley from Eco Chic Parties as a "sidekick" to help her out with her twitter parties. Through the second half of the year, I've been able to "meet" various eco-friendly companies during these twitter parties. One such company is Eco Mom. I really can't say enough good things about this company! 


          Taken from their site, Eco-Mom's vision states,
"Founded to address the connection between the health of our environment and the health of our children, EcoMom is committed to making eco-conscious living easy, affordable, and rewarding. By helping women begin to take better care of themselves and their families – with education, support, tools and products - we empower them to take the all important first steps toward a healthier, more balanced, and sustainable lifestyle.

         EcoMom.com is about bridging the gap between making healthy choices and making easy choices. We created EcoMom because we care and are concerned for babies and their moms, our families and our communities. We want every mom to be an EcoMom because being an EcoMom means making choices that are good for all of us, and the planet which we all share.          
       Originally launched by a passionate and concerned mother, EcoMom.com has become a team of moms, dads, aunts, uncles, e-commerce veterans, business and finance professionals committed to making healthy decisions for our children and planet as easy, practical and affordable as possible."

          The online store has a TON of great gift ideas including a Gift Guide. Little Man will find this dump truck under the tree, and Big Boy has this Joey Magnetic Doll awaiting. I can't wait to see their faces when they open their gifts, and it make me so happy to know that there is no threat of harmful paint or chemicals in these toys. So do you have a little one that needs so safe and fun gifts this year?

        Another awesome thing about Eco Mom is that she has several fun promotions. First, there is a Daily Deal that you can steal daily from Monday through Friday. Every day a new "deal" for a particular product is posted at 10:30 AM PT at significant savings. In addition, if you sign- up for an Eco-Mom account (free of charge), yo can become a member of her referral program earning reward dollars to her store. If you use code SB006115 at checkout, you will receive 15% off your order (also earning me reward dollars), plus you can sign-up for an account and start your own referral program! 

        So what are you waiting for? Go get some shopping done today! And if you end up purchasing anything, I'd love to have you leave a comment and share it with me :) Happy shopping!

Disclaimer: By using the above code you will get 15% off your order, but also will help me earn reward dollars to the store.