Earlier this winter, I reviewed some Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner. It was great! It left my hair flake-free (something I was battling with the dry winter air) and feeling fresh and clean. The smell of the eucalyptus one wasn’t medicinal at all – it was pleasant, and even tingled a little which was a nice wake-up in my morning shower.

So when BlogHer asked me to review Head & Shoulders’s new Green Apple scented shampoo and conditioner, I was more than happy! I’ve had the same results with this one – not much noticeable in the way of flaking, and my hair looks good.

Unfortunately, the apple scent (which I normally LOVE in any product) didn’t quite hit home for me. In the shower, every time I lather up with the apple shampoo, I have the feeling that “something went wrong with this smell.” I don’t know if it’s my pregnancy, or if I just personally don’t like it, or if it truly smells weird…the conditioner smells less-bad in the shower, but still not good. Once out of the shower everything is fine though, and one day I did happen to catch a whiff of my own hair later on, and had the thought that it smelled lovely and appley.

So you should probably sniff it in the store to see if you think you’d like it, but it definitely resulted in “good hair” for me even if the smell wasn’t my favorite this time.

The shampoo lathers up really nicely which lets you use just a small amount, even with long hair. I usually don’t use conditioner unless my hair feels particularly dry, but for the review period I have been. The conditioner does a good job of helping get tangles out and doesn’t feel too heavy, though every third shower (or so) I felt like I needed to wash with regular shampoo and no conditioner, as if there were some sort of buildup. I’m not sure if that’s my imagination or what, but there it is.

Not a big deal though. I just have the Head & Shoulders shampoo and conditioner, plus one other shampoo in my shower right now.

Now that I’m finished reviewing the apple scent, I’ll switch back to the eucalyptus ones in my shower…I’m missing the smell and the tingly scalp too!

Do you want to be entered for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card? Let me know what scents make you feel beautiful and fresh in the comments!

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 1/30 – 2/28 .

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win! And visit the Life Well Lived section on BlogHer.com for more great tips on looking your best.

I was really excited to host my PartyLite party for this review, not just because of the fun-looking goodies in their catalog and the potential to earn free stuff… but because it was a great excuse to spruce up my house, cook some good food, and invite friends to spend the afternoon together. While there definitely is a sales aspect to any home sales party (duh), the social part is still there and it’s still a ton of fun. Heck, I go shopping with my friends at Target or the mall… this is basically the same, but in my comfy house.

Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves — exploring the catalogues, smelling the samples, and asking questions. The PartyLite Consultant, Sherri Smith, kept everything low-key and engaging. She had everyone introduce themselves and say how they know me (can we say I have a lot of natural parenting friends? Most were from NPNH and LLL, with a few from my squadron’s FRG and a couple neighbors) and ask one question about PartyLite. A lot of great information came out of this little session, and I won’t spoil it all for you (you should do some exploring on your own), but in case you’re wondering – I thought this was cool – they have a line of candles and oils made with essential oils instead of fragrance oils. So no VOCs from those, and I loved 3 out of the 4 of them (the other one has ginger in it which I’m not super-wild about in my food or in my nose).

Oh, see those tickets? Everyone who asked or answered a question got one, and Sherri gave away a few awesome little door prizes at the end.

See? Everyone’s engaged. Even the babies are interested.

Sherri also told us about how she’s kind of a lazy decorator… instead of having lots of decorations for each season, she has these vase-like candle holders that can hold seasonal stuff. And she has ziploc baggies filled with “fillers” for each season/holiday. So all she has to do is dump out her Christmas “fillers” back in their plastic baggie, and dump in some Valentine’s “fillers.” Easy. This sounds great for someone who doesn’t like having a lot of junk around, or military wives like (most of) my friends at the party who move frequently and don’t want to have tons to pack all the time. Switching out your scents for the seasons can also make an impact in the “vibe” of your house for different times of year.

Once Sherri finished telling us about PartyLite, their products, and her story, she finished answering lingering questions and we set about the mingly/explorey/hanging-out-y part of the party.

We all flipped through our catalogs, including (lucky us!) the winter clearance catalog. The Spring catalog launched December 16th, so we got to look at all the new items too.

We had some yummy food, which I completely went overboard on I think… you could definitely just crack open a jar of salsa and a bag of chips.

I had prosciutto-wrapped pineapple, grapes, meat/crackers, pickles, a-freaking-mazing artichoke dip, bacon-wrapped dates, and …

…a new cheese ball I invented for this party. I’ll have to type it up in its own official recipe post soon, but I’ll just tell you now… cream cheese. PartyLite’s pepper jelly, and pecans. Simple. Great. I got some of those gluten-free nut crackers to eat it with, and they were good, but I actually like it better on celery. So delicious! It was so good, in fact, that several people ordered pepper jelly just so they could make more at home.

Sherri talked to everyone, answered more questions, explained things, and took orders…

And we all made our final decisions about what we wanted in our own homes. I really enjoyed the chance to smell all of the samples. There was a page with all the smells listed, and I just went through with a sharpie, smelling each sample and either circling the name/picture or crossing it out with a big X. I ended up with 12 scents circled, which was perfect, because in January there was a 12 DOZEN tea lights for $12 special for the hostess! So I ended up ordering a dozen of each of my favorite scents.

When everyone was wrapping up their orders, sneaking a couple more bacon-wrapped dates, and going home, Sherri told me that my party met the minimum orders required for me getting “hostess benefits” – aka getting deals and free stuff. So I got my tea lights deal, but I also got to pick out lots of goodies for myself. I ordered a wax melt warmer thingy (which has LED bulbs that never have to be replaced!), the 3 essential oil blends I really enjoyed, some red lanterns that were on clearance from Christmas, but which will be great for Valentine’s Day, of course more pepper jelly, and some chai tea mix to try.

Trying to remember what else…ooh some pretty clearance white candle holders that can hold tea lights or tapers, and a matching tray for pillar candles (but it’s also food-safe)… just lots. and lots. and lots. of good stuff. I’m so excited! And all in all, with tax and everything, I only paid about $25 total out of pocket, thanks to hostess benefits!

Our orders should be coming in SOON and I’m looking forward to it. Because it’s a lot of goodies, but also because it’s another excuse to pair up with each of my friends to give them their stuff too.

The PartyLite Simple Pleasures Holiday Sweepstakes is over, but there are always other promotions and events going on, so be sure to contact your consultant to learn more.

And like PartyLite Facebook  to make sure you always know what the hostess and guest deals are each month! I hope you have as much fun hosting or attending a party as we all did!

BlogHer asked me if I would like to try out a new shampoo and conditioner from Head & Shoulders, which was supposed to help correct dryness, itchiness, and sensitivity of the scalp, along with eliminating flakes.

It was actually a pretty timely request because our weather is changing, and we’ve had a couple chilly snaps. With the weather combined with our already-dry climate, I had been making sure to scrub my scalp thoroughly, especially near the hairline where I get the most flakes and rinsing it forever to try to get all the flakes out.

It hasn’t been a huge problem but there definitely was flakiness going on, and sometimes I’d get out of the shower and have to pick out one or two that were leftover. Annoying. And, if I’m being honest (that’s what I do, y’all,) a little embarrassing.

Head & Shoulders says, about their latest shampoos and conditioners:

Beyond leaving behind a clean scalp, the foundation for great looking hair, Head & Shoulders’ new collection goes one step further to excite and indulge your senses with fresh, naturally inspired fragrances including almond oil, eucalyptus and aloe vera.

I find eucalyptus to be a hit-or-miss type of scent. Sometimes it smells tingly and wonderful, and other times it can smell like you fell into a vat of melted cough drops. Luckily, the shampoo and conditioner are spot on, and the smell is great for waking up in the morning. Plus you won’t walk around smelling like a medicine cabinet all day, because it’s pretty subtle. I’m pleased with that aspect.

You might have noticed the past tense of all the flaky/dry/itchy business. That’s because after a couple weeks of using the shampoo and conditioner, I don’t think about rinsing extra-well to get out flakes of dried skin. I don’t look in the mirror up close to pick out one or two I might’ve missed in the shower. And an old friend from high school actually commented on my facebook wall in response to my latest photos, “You’re having a really excellent hair period.”

That could be in response to my hair being awesome from the shampoo, or it could be because I’m trying to change my part and do these sideswept bang thingies. I’d like to think it’s not unrelated that he mentioned it while I’m trying out a new shampoo and conditioner, you know? It’s all good.

Well, almost all good. There are only two negatives I’ve found in reviewing these hair products. The first is that if you get them in your eyes, it stings. A lot. Obviously you’re not supposed to get it in your eyes. But apparently I’m a pro at that, and ouch. I don’t know if it’s because of the “active ingredient” or what, but it stings a lot more than normal shampoo. The other negative is probably something you’ll laugh at me for. I find the hole in the conditioner bottle to be far too big. I accidentally squeeze out 2-3 times the amount I need EVERY TIME. And you can’t really put it back in very effectively. I have issues.

Anywayyyyyy…. with the weather changing all over, I’m wondering:

How do you change your beauty routine in the colder winter season from the warmer seasons? Leave me a comment to be entered for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card, provided by BlogHer.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post
b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 11/21/11 – 12/22/11

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

Want more great tips for winter hair care? Check out the newest “Looking Your Best” post in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com.

Have you seen the trailer for Monte Carlo? It looks pretty darned cute to me. I don’t see movies in the theater often, so I am way behind on previews (and Netflix Instant doesn’t have previews when you watch the movies, so I get even MORE behind). Social Spark sent me the opportunity to write about this movie, which is playing now in theaters, and when I checked out the preview it looked so cute I couldn’t pass it up.

I’ve always been a fan of swapping places / mistaken identity movies (and plays). Think Twelfth Night, Freaky Friday, and The Parent Trap. Monte Carlo looks like it’s going to be a mixture of those and the “awkward girl suddenly thrown into a princess role” that The Princess Diaries (LOVE that movie) had going on too.

Selena Gomez is super cute, and I’m a sucker for romantic comedies. Looks like this would be a great “girl date” movie, or maybe something to save to my Netflix queue for when it comes out on DVD so I can watch it when the baby is in bed and my husband is away with the Navy.

You can check out the movie’s official Facebook page and get your tickets on Fandango now.

1.
Pat the Bunny was one of my favorites when I was a kid. Making it into a zombie book is 20% sad, 80% awesome. I just hope it’s interactive like the original one is.

2.
This naughty alphabet books was one of my favorites to read whenever we visited my grandmother. I understood that it wasn’t “for real” and laughed at the jokes, even if I didn’t understand a few of them until I was a bit older. “G is for Gigolo. A gigolo is a musical instrument. Tell your parents you’d like a gigolo for your birthday.” and more gems.

3.
This one is on pre-order only I think, for now, but it’s already a huge internet sensation since a PDF of the complete book was leaked. The illustrations are gorgeous, and the text couldn’t be better. It’ll resonate with any mother who’s ever yelled at her baby in desperation, “Why won’t you just sleep?? You are TIRED!”

4.
I’m judging a book by its cover. Awesome.

5.
Definitely a lesson I’d like to teach Anneliese. In my preschool class, we teachers had the kids chant, “you get what you get and you don’t pitch a fit.” if they started to whine about how Sidney got the orange cupcake they wanted, and theirs is crappy purple. It actually worked really well … but I imagine the promise of monsters eating them might work more efficiently.

6.
When I was in elementary school, our librarian read us this book. It was probably one of my first introductions to parody. I was hooked.

7.
From the “Baby be of Use” series. This book will teach our babies to be good mechanics. That would definitely be helpful when my husband is deployed.

8.
Apparently I’m not the only person who doesn’t cry every time someone mentions “The Giving Tree.” But I think in this parody, the tree gets even in the end.

9.
My dad and stepmom have this book, which is an alphabet book about how 26 different children meet their ends. “A is for Amy who fell down the stairs. B is for Basil assaulted by bears. C is for Clara who wasted away. D is for Desmond thrown out of a sleigh…” My niece and nephew LOVED this book a couple years ago and would ask to hear it every time they visited.

10.
This would be great to read around Halloween. It’s formatted the same way as the classic Goodnight Moon, and the prose has the same cadence.

Do you have any favorites to recommend? I’d love to hear them!

Some more things to click over to:

Blogher and Purina are learning about ProPlan Selects – click over to check it out!

And it’s your last chance to win a Libman mop and $100!