Biggest Giveaway Ever-SkincareRx.com

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . March 8, 2010 . 8:00AM

Since I started writing blueshelled.com, I have been very lucky to have the support of some excellent people. One of those companies is SkincareRx.com. For the last six months, they have been a proud sponsor of my site and have been quietly working behind the scenes to support me in any way possible. They are one of the companies that make it possible for me to write here and I want to say thank you.

Besides being awesome and supporting unknown bloggers, they also do fun things such as giveaways to the faithful readers of said unknown blogs. It is another way of supporting this blog and rewarding the people who spend time here and I am incredibly grateful for their support. As such, I’d like to direct you back to their amazing home page and ask you to give them a whirl.

They are offering a great line of Skinceutical Advanced Brightening products, as well as all of the amazing skincare stuff you love. The Advanced Brightening products are particularly good for damaged skin, as they decrease the effects of that damage as well as protect your skin. If you aren’t using skincare, now is a good time to get started. I can tell the difference in my skin on the days that I use skincare versus the days I don’t. Soap and water isn’t enough, especially with the pollution we encounter daily in the air around us. I’m a fan of even toned skin, as mine tends to be blotchy, and this particular set helps even out the skin tone, as well.

My favorite product in the set is the sunscreen. I hate sunscreen. I hate the way it feels. I hate applying it. I hate having it on my face and stinging my eyes. I actually tried this brand a couple of years ago and it’s the only sunscreen I’ll use on my face because I can apply it with a makeup sponge and it feels like there is nothing there. Ok, enough gushing about the skincare. You want to know about the prize, right?

You don’t have the money to invest in skincare? This is where I come in and SkincareRx.com helps you out. We’re offering a giveaway for my readers! It is the largest prize I have ever offered and I’m thankful to them for sponsoring it. A gift card to SkincareRx.com is up for grabs in the amount of $150! This is NOT just for women. Men have skin, too, that needs protection. Even if you aren’t into your skin, I’m sure you know someone who is. Mother’s Day is coming up. What better gift than a $150 gift card to a great site? It’s pretty easy to enter, too. Here’s what you do:

As the sponsoring blog I will track and validate all entries. So when you post here that you posted or retweeted. I will check to see if you did. The winner MUST provide me with their full name, email address and a mailing address. Those are the rules. If you can’t do it, you can’t win.

How can you enter?

SkinCareRx Giveaway Entries

1) One entry for becoming a fan of SkincareRx on FaceBook
2) One entry for following SkincareRx on Twitter
3) 2 entries for retweeting any one of my tweets about this giveaway
4) 7 Entries for a blog post with a link directed to Skinceuticals Advanced Brightening System. This blog post must have a minimum of 100 words and use the words “SkinCeuticals Advanced Brightening System.”

That’s up to 11 entries! Post here when you have completed all of the entries you’d like to complete and I will keep track of them. The contest will run for 2 weeks and the winner will be posted March 22, 2010. Good luck everyone!

Congratulations toothbrush fan!

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 21, 2009 . 6:01PM

I have a winner! Here are your random numbers:6 Timestamp: 2009-08-21 22:53:40 UTC .

Congratulations, loopy, on your toothbrush and refill set win.

If you are ticked you didn’t win, and I get ticked about not winning freebies all the time, so you are in good company, please don’t stress it. I will have another giveaway very soon. If the toothbrush was the only thing you needed to complete your life’s work, sorry about that. My bad.

Thanks again for reading my blog. It means a lot to me.

Sonic Vitality Toothbrush + 2 refills giveaway

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 17, 2009 . 10:18AM

Ok, ok. I get it. The response to my other giveaways, since the big Stila one, have been lackluster at best. BUT, the thing to remember here is that the little giveaways were never meant to replace the big ones. I promise. The big ones were supposed to happen once a month, and they are, and the little ones are just to give you guys free stuff.

Feedback is good, though. If you guys aren’t interested in the little giveaways, please let me know and I’ll stop doing them. I don’t want to waste your time reading them or irritating you with them if you aren’t interested. If you are, I’ll keep on with the freebies.

Today, I have what I think is a GREAT giveaway. For one lucky winner, I have an Oral-B Vitality Sonic Rechargeable Electric Toothbrush and 2 refills to help get you through the next 9 months of your oral toothbrushing needs.

I think it’s great because I bought one of these myself and had some stellar results with it. My teeth feel squeaky clean and haven’t looked this good in years. Best of all, the Sonic Vitality Toothbrush has a built in timer, so I’m not tempted to brush fast and run. Which I generally do all the time.

Interested? Awesome. Here is what you have to do to enter for this sweet little gadget:

Here’s how to enter and the types of chances you can take to win:

1) Leave a comment before August 21, 2009 at 5pm CST telling me who your biggest influence has been in your lifetime.

2) For more chances, leave feedback regarding this blog. It can be positive or constructive. You can leave up to 3 separate feedback comments.

3) You can tweet this giveway and/or link it on facebook and/or link to it on your own blog for extra chances to win! Make sure you leave individual comments so all of your entries count.

4) New blog followers/subscribers get one extra chance! Make sure you leave an individual comment letting me know how you are following/subscribing.

5) Loyal blog followers/subscribers (meaning you’ve been here for at least the last week) get three extra chances. Make sure you leave an individual comment for each of these.

So chances are as follows:

New followers: Link blog, link FB, tweeting, 1 just because, 1 for being new and then 3 more if you want to give blog feedback = 8

Loyal followers: Link blog, link FB, tweeting, 1 just because, 3 for being loyal, and then 3 more if you want to give blog feedback = 10

Things to know:
**Anyone may enter as long as I can read your post (must be in English). If your country has rules about mailing toothbrushes that vibrate (???), please do not enter as I cannot guarantee you will receive your vibrating toothbrush.
**Comments posted after the deadline won’t be included in the drawing.
**If you win, you must email me your mailing address within a week of the drawing end in order to receive your prize. I am not responsible for anything that happens once this stuff leaves my hands. If it melts, gets lost, etc., I’ll feel really bad, but I can’t replace it.
**I will be using a randomizer to choose the winner of the giveaway. As long as your answer fits the criteria, you are eligible (unless you are me, Leon or A.J.)

Things to remember here: 1/You can always follow me on twitter to get sneak peeks at giveaways and find out when they are coming and 2/the giveaways are made possible by me.

I’d like to make my giveaways better, but that will only happen if I receive support via my paypal button or my wishlist (not required, but if you are happy with the site and want to support me, that’s awesome), both of which are located on the right hand side of your screen. If you wish to sponsor a giveaway item yourself or promote your own store/site, please contact me. Thank you!

Zicam causes loss of smell? What now?

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . August 5, 2009 . 1:20PM

Way back in June, consumerist.com had an article out on how Zicam didn’t release complaint reports that over 800 people had experienced anosmia (loss of smell) due to the use of its products. In July, the law suits began.

I have some pretty big issues with this story. Mainly because I use Zicam and, let’s face it, we’re more inclined to be impassioned about a cause when something affects us directly or someone we care about in some way. Or someone we pseudo-care about. Why do you think so many celebrities get paid to endorse things or they support causes? Because if they care, you will, too.

I care because when I get sick with a cold or a flu, this has been one of the first things that several different doctors have touted to me as a recommendation. “Get zicam, take zinc, drink orange juice and stay hydrated. Lots of rest.” It’s become part of the “general prescription.” I don’t like sticking things up my nose, but I use the Zicam because it’s supposed to help shorten my symptoms. I’ve used the kids version for my son.

I’m not a ship jumper or a lemming and I don’t get unnecessarily unraveled at small things. I have the heebies about this. I only use it once or twice a year, thankfully, but I wonder if it would affect me if I was a more sickly person. I want to know more about what’s happening here. The company that makes Zicam is suppressing information. If their product isn’t causing anosmia, why do that?

Most people believe that they can live without their sense of smell. Let me tell you this, your sense of smell is connected to your sense of taste. If you don’t have a sense of smell, your food won’t taste the same, if you have a taste at all. Why do you think you can’t taste food or don’t eat as much when you are sick? Food smells are memories for us. The smell of baby shampoo can take me back to the time when my son was an infant. I hate it when my husband wears cologne because then I can’t smell HIM. That unique makeup of pheromones and sweat and whatever chemical makeup is HIM. What would I do without that?

Why am I writing about this? I wasn’t affected by it, but I won’t be using it until I get the “all clear” and the company provides information about why they didn’t report findings to the FDA and why these people are losing their sense of smell. It didn’t affect me. It might affect you. I care about you.

I think I’d rather be sick an extra couple of days than lose my sense of smell. I’m just sayin.

Tiny Bubbles and sensitive skin problems

by Jillian @ http://blueshelled.com . May 21, 2009 . 3:43PM

I love tiny bubbles. Probably not the ones you are thinking about, however. No, mine are in the tub. Unfortunately, like any good bubble addict, I had to give mine up.

It started when I went to the dermatologist and she diagnosed me with…sensitive skin. Duh! I’m sorry, that wasn’t very ladylike, but really. You can’t really tell from my author picture, which my friend Natalie says makes me look like an Oompa Loompa, but I make pale look pale in comparison.

In my life, I’ve had few nicknames. I hate any of the ones that refer to Jack and Jill or putting my name with a bean near it (unless it’s been pre-approved by me). On some websites, I’m referred to as a “pale porcelain goddess” when discussing what color of makeup I should wear. A friend from right about the time before I got married called me “china doll” because my skin is light and I look like I’m porcelain. Someone else called me Lucy, but that’s another story for another time and has nothing to do with this post.

So, to say that I knew my skin would be sensitive due to its hue was an understatement. What I didn’t know was that her prescription for me would take away my bubbles. This was serious. Not serious in a terminal illness kind of way. Please. I’m a sensitive person behind that sensitive skin. No, merely an inconvenient kind of way. I live with boys. Boys who appreciate a good smelling girl. One of the ways I achieve that is with my Philosophy 3-in-1 scents. Man, do I love those things, and my boys often comment on how nice I smell. I don’t know how to cope without that self-esteem boost.

Now, I’m down to using Aveeno body wash for sensitive skin. It does its thing, I think. It doesn’t strip my skin, so I don’t have that super clean feeling, but my body isn’t flaking like a snake shedding it’s skin. It has no scent, however, so I suppose I’ll have to rely on perfume. I feel like a petulant child and it’s making me unhappy with my body makeup only because I really like the way Philosophy smells. It’s immature, but it’s a sad, sad state of affairs….

Without the bubbles.

It’s a life change, to be sure. If you still have your bubbles, enjoy them and remember that there are people in the world, not just in 3rd world countries, who do without bubbles! Be thankful for your capability to bathe in bubbles! Revel in your bubble bathing abilities and be confident that you will come out of your bath smelling great!