Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle Winners!!!

I'm so excited to announce the winners of the Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle Giveaway because it's, literally, the best smelling candle ever. So without further ado, the lucky winners are Satvi and swankygirl.

Ladies, be sure to check your email because I'll need your real names and addresses to ship your prize. And please let me know how you like the candle, though I'm sure you'll agree with my rave review.

Many thanks to Aveda for sponsoring the giveaway - and for making such an ab fab candle, natch.

And don't forget to enter Spoiled Pretty's remaining Earth Day-inspired beauty giveaways!

Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle Giveaway!

If you're a regular reader of Spoiled Pretty, you probably remember a review I wrote a few weeks back – extolling the virtues of Aveda's Shampure Soy Wax Candle.

It might be a stretch to call the Shampure Candle the best-smelling candle of all time – considering, well, I've only been on this earth to judge for 31 years. But I'm going to give it that title anyway because I dare someone to find me one more wonderfully fragrant. I triple dog dare you.

This candle smells so good, I want to petition Aveda to create a body wash, lotion, perfume and hand cream in the same scent (they already have a Shampure shampoo and conditioner – which are on my "next to try" list).

The aroma of 25 pure flower and plant essences - including certified organic lavender, petitgrain and ylang ylang – soothes the senses. And the candle, housed in a 95% recycled glass holder, burns cleanly and completely for up to 50 hours.

I'm not content to enjoy this candle solo – so, in honor of Earth Day (April 22) and Natural Woman Week, I've teamed up with Aveda to share two with you!

Two winners will receive Aveda's Shampure Soy Wax Candle – and I dare them to tell my challenge my 'best-smelling candle of all time' theory.

To enter the giveaway, leave a message in the comments section; make sure to leave your email or another way for me to get in touch, just in case you get lucky. Contest is open to U.S. residents only. The giveaway ends at noon (EST) on Tuesday, April 27, 2010. Good luck!

And don't forget to enter Spoiled Pretty's other Earth Day-inspired beauty giveaways!

Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle: Simply the Best

I am way past due on my spring cleaning - and, as a result, my apartment looks like an episode of Hoarders: Buried Alive. But despite the clutter, it smells and feels like Clean House up in here, thanks to my Aveda Shampure Soy Wax Candle. Seriously, light the wick and you'll be amazed at how the fragrance instantly transforms a stifled space into a peaceful retreat.

I'm a connoisseur of candles and the Shampure Candle is one of my absolute favorites. Its calming aroma of 25 pure flower and plant essences - including certified organic lavender, petitgrain and ylang ylang - relaxes and soothes me at the end of a particularly hectic day. Even Mr. Spoiled Pretty raves about the scent.

At $30 for a 9.7 oz candle (which burns for 50 hours), this one is kinda pricey...but it smells so fantastic that I gladly buck up. On the upside, the Shampure Candle is refillable and refills will only set you back $19.

The only way I can see improving upon this candle is if Aveda were to sell it in bulk. Aveda, are you listening? I want to buy in bulk. One Shampure Candle is just not enough.

Free Aveda Body Wash

Print out the image above and bring it to your local Aveda store to receive a free travel-size Rosemary Mint Hand and Body Wash*. Or shop online at aveda.com to receive the free body wash and free standard shipping on all orders over $40** (use coupon code HOLIDAY119 to redeem at checkout).

* One to a customer. Good while supplies last at participating locations. Offer expires January 31, 2010.
** Offer ends on November 18, 2009 at 11:59pm EST; available to U.S. Residents only.

Five Cold Weather Makeup Bag Essentials - Plus A Giveaway!

The cold weather hit Philly earlier than I had expected. So this weekend, I switched out the contents of my makeup bag (I don’t even want to say how many products I had crammed in there…I’m embarrassed) and replaced them with the following cold weather beauty essentials.

Last week, it was cold and wet in my neck of the woods. It’s not even November yet, and my hands are crack-a-lackin’. So I retired my summer hand lotion, and pulled out the heavy artillery…Aveda’s Hand Relief. If this isn’t the best hand lotion on the market, I don’t know what is. It hydrates and soothes even severely dry hands - without leaving them greasy or sticky. And the citrusy scent is a nice pick-me-up. If you’ve never tried Hand Relief, now is the best time to buy. The Pink Ribbon special value tube has 7% more product than the regular size, and Aveda will donate $4 from each purchase to The Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Clear Nail Polish is another cold weather essential I highly suggeststashing in your makeup bag. Not only does it protect your polish against the elements and extend the life of your mani, it’s also great for stopping stocking runs and rips in their tracks.

Remember how I told you that I carried a mini tube of Donna Karan Cashmere Mist Deodorant in my purse this past summer? Well, it’s still there. And that’s where it’s gonna stay this season. Yes, I realize that the mercury is falling – but layered clothing combined with co-workers who like to jack up the thermostat can have you smelling quite ripe, if you’re not prepared. I am…are you?

Chapped lips are the bane of my existence. I hate how they look, how they feel, and how they’re the prelude to a bleeding, peeling, jacked up mess of a mouth. Preventing chapped lips doesn’t have to cost a fortune, as is evidenced by one of my new cold weather beauty finds - Carmex Moisture Plus. It moisturizes with Vitamin E, Aloe, and Shea butter and protects your pucker with SPF 15. I love the vanilla menthol scent and the fact that, despite the sun protection, I don’t feel like I’m eating sunscreen if I lick my lips. The slant tip applicator also ups the fab factor.

Stila Convertible Color is a makeup bag must have year-round, but I always fall a little deeper in love when it gets colder and the summer glow fades from my face. This versatile bestseller brightens cheeks and lips with creamy, translucent color. If your skin tends to dry out during the colder months, you’ll love the formula – and how it gives your complexion a lit from within, realistic glow. I use Poppy to give my cheeks a pop of color – for a straight from the slopes, snow bunny look.

This post was sponsored by Carmex Moisture Plus Ultra Hydrating Lip Balm. Thanks to them, I'm giving away a $25 Visa gift card and a one year supply of Carmex Moisture Plus samples! To enter this giveaway, please leave a comment by Wednesday, October 28th at midnight - and tell me one of your favorite cold weather beauty products.

For more chances to win, visit DivineCaroline.com. There, women are sharing their five favorite beauty products and entering to win a $250 gift card. Check it out!

Straight Talk: Aveda Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener

When I heard about Aveda's new Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener - which promises to "straighten and smooth hair while adding lustrous shine and protecting the cuticle from heat damage" - I was intrigued, yet skeptical. That's quite a bold claim, Aveda...but you haven't met my mop top.

You see, my hair has some serious behavioral issues and likes to test my patience on a daily basis. So I wasn't expecting much when I smoothed a silver dollar-sized dollop through my towel dried tresses. But after my hair was fully blow dried, I was (pun intended) blown away.

I kid you not...my hair was so straight, soft and shiny that if you didn't know any better, you would have sworn that I took a few passes at it with a flat iron!

Smooth Infusion Glossing Straightener is available at Aveda stores and aveda.com.

New York Fashion Week: Bodkin, Fall 2009

On Monday, I traveled to The Horticultural Society in NYC to report from backstage at Bodkin, a still relatively green collection - designed in accordance with principles of sustainability in materials and production methods. For the Fall 2009 line, Bodkin found a natural partner in Aveda, a brand that strives to set an example for environmental leadership and responsibility - not just in the world of beauty, but around the world.

I had an opportunity to speak with John Reyman, lead hairstylist for Aveda, about the inspiration and seasonal trends.

"The idea was a little bed-heady…a little like a girl has been outside all day and her hair is a little wind-blown, but at the same time very healthy and very well taken care of. It looks shiny and it looks glossy, but it doesn’t look overworked or overdone. Like she cares but she doesn’t care too much - so kind of that balance. So the idea was we just put a very loose, loose wave in there with some Volumizing Tonic and then we finished it, actually, with the men’s grooming cream to give it a little bit of texture and some shine."

For Fall 2009, John said, "A lot of people are putting ponytails in the hair. I think we’re really seeing cleaner hair. The last couple of seasons, we’ve seen really textured, really frizzy, really fuzzy hair…almost like the girl didn’t care at all. And I think as the economy sort of changes, people want to look and feel more put-together - and so the hairstyles are really reflecting that…a little cleaner, a little more refined."


Andrea Harrison, lead makeup artist for Aveda described the Bodkin Fall 2009 look as really simple and pretty. "She’s so naturally gorgeous. She really has been running around all day...with cold, flushed pretty cheeks. No powder on her skin. Just a very healthy, very natural kinda dewy skin. On the eyes, there’s a light, shimmer. You can really see the skin through it. It’s our Moonstone shimmer, and it’s nice and really smooth. Black mascara just on the top lashes. Just a polished brow which is just really lightly filled in…nothing that you would really look at and say, 'Oh, that’s hard.' And Berry Lip Tint on the lips, so it’s very fresh - again, like she’s just been running around. Just an easy look that anybody could duplicate quickly. It would be great for young girls, older, anybody."

When asked about key trends for Fall 2009, Andrea said, "One thing that you’re seeing everywhere is that the models are all growing out their eyebrows. It seems like another popular trend is, instead of, a smoky eye and a dark lip - you just see one feature that they’ve picked to focus on. Whether it’s eyebrows or just cheeks or just mascara or just lips. So instead of having the full complicated look. So it would be great for everybody. Good for the average woman to pick their favorite feature."

Before concluding the interview, I asked Andrea to name three Aveda products that every women should have in her beauty arsenal. "One thing is for certain when it comes to makeup…the key to good makeup is beautiful skin. So you always want to make sure that you’re using great skin products. I personally love our Tourmaline Charged Hydrating Creme. I use that on every model before a photo shoot or runway just because you can always add powder if you feel like it’s too much, but it really just makes the makeup go on beautifully. The other thing is mascara…to me, it can make a look that on it’s own. Sometimes you don’t need to anything else. And skin…I really see that being a trend. I love our Tinted Moisturizer; it’s got SPF 15 in it and it’s nice because you can still the skin underneath it. So anybody can wear it easily. Just make sure you match your skin tone. It’s nice and sheer, so everybody can find their skin tone easily."

#NYFW