HomeGoods, How Do I Love Thee?

HomeGoods, how do I love thee? Let me count the ways…

Since being introduced by my mom a few years ago, HomeGoods and I have grown quite close. HomeGoods has become one of my favorite retail destinations – especially since moving into my new house (movin' on up, Jeffersons style). Every room in my new abode has somehow been touched by HomeGoods – from the baskets I bought to organize my arsenal of beauty products to the artwork in my bathroom to the jungle-themed growth chart and bookends I bought for Westley's nursery.

Besides furniture and decorative home accents, Home Goods has some wonderful bath and body products. My favorites are from CST (Commonwealth Soap & Toiletries), a Massachusetts-based company that develops products for HomeGoods and its sisters, Marshalls and TJ Maxx. I've been crushing on this company for years, thanks to their high quality/reasonably priced beauty products. I've blogged about them before, but I recently discovered something new that warrants another mention.

A few weeks ago, my mom threw me a fabulous baby shower. We played some fun games, and one of the prizes was this soap set my mom found at HomeGoods. The soaps smelled so divine, I felt greedy for coveting a set of my own…especially considering the generous gifts my guests had given me. After the party ended and everyone went home, I was chatting with my mom about the soaps, and she admitted she kept a set for herself. Now, I was super jeal.

But I must have good kharma because, last weekend, Mom and I went to a random HomeGoods in New Jersey and found a set of the soaps. AND they were marked down to $3.50!

So if you're in a HomeGoods, TJ Maxx or Marshalls anytime soon, look for a round box of soaps that looks like the one pictured above. Though it's difficult to accurately describe the scent (I've never been great at that), I would say that it has a subtle, floral/powdery, feminine fragrance. Go get you some. You'll thank me later.

Bath & Body Works Summer Vanillas Collection

As you probably know, I just moved. It was a very stressful experience, considering Mr. Spoiled Pretty and I had about three weeks prep time and we have way too much stuff. Okay, I'll be honest...it's just me who has too much stuff.

Packing and unpacking your life's possessions is just one of the most annoying and tedious jobs of all time, and I am so glad to be (almost) done with it. But I have to say that there's a silver lining to the moving experience - shopping, which I've been doing a lot of lately. Bed Bath & Beyond, HomeGoods, TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Kohls, Pier 1, Walmart, Target and Lowe's and I have been like this the past few days - and my Visa is still smokin'.

One of my other favorite pre-move destinations is Bath & Body Works. I just love their products - fabulous quality for not a lot of money. That's the best type of shopping. And don't you just love how Bath & Body Works always seems to be having a sale? Every time I go in there, the salesperson is all "Today, you can get four of these for the price of three...and we're going to throw in a product from our Signature Collection for free." Um, yes please.

Anyway, I was in there last week and I discovered their new Summer Vanilla Collection. Vanilla is my absolute favorite scent, so I had to give these products a whiff. The three fragrances - Berry Vanilla, Coconut Vanilla and Lemon Vanilla - smelled so delish, I threw all three Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps into my mesh bag. The sinks in my home are always accompanied by a Bath & Body Works anti-cac soap, so this turned out to be a very productive trip.

In addition to the anti-bacterial hand soaps, the Summer Vanilla Collection also includes cooling mist, fragrance mist, shower gel, body lotion, lip gloss and candles. Get on this, girls.

Winner of the John Masters Organics Giveaway

Congrats to Rebecca Graham, winner of the John Masters Organics Soap Giveaway. Rebecca will receive a set of certified organic bar soaps that smell incredible, deliver serious, targeted results and come wrapped in 100% recycled paper printed with water-based inks.

John Masters Organics new Bar Soaps are available in three super-moisturizing formulas that meet various needs and treat all skin types:

Lavender, Rose, Geranium & Ylang Ylang Soap: Formulated with organic olive and cupuacu seed butter and organic glycerin, this may very well be the perfect beauty bar. Lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils impart a heavenl

Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar: This incredible multi-purpose soap is an excellent all-over body cleanser that also functions as a shaving bar for men and women. Enriched with organic olive oil, it lathers to a rich and soothing foam that allows for a close and comfortable shave. Birch and cedarwood oils offer antiseptic properties that help prevent shaving irritation and leave skin clean and conditioned.

Orange & Ginseng Exfoliating Body Bar: This unique body bar contains real organic orange and lime peel that gently and effectively exfoliates while ginseng root stimulates and revitalizes. Exhilarating essential oil of orange blended with an organic palm and coconut oil soap base creates an invigorating lather with high glycerin content. Skin is left clean, soft and smooth.

Each 4.5 oz John Masters Organics Bar Soap ($8) is available at johnmasters.com, Whole Foods Markets and a variety of spas and boutiques nationwide.

Many thanks to John Masters Organics for hooking Rebecca up and sponsoring this giveaway!

John Masters Organics Soap Giveaway!

With the launch of his eponymous product line in the early 90's, John Masters set the standard for "green" beauty. Now this visionary pioneer raises the bar with the launch of three organic bar soaps exceptional enough to meet his exacting standards.

John Masters Organics Bar Soaps are certified organic by Oregon Tilth and feature a gentle, skin-loving base of certified-organic palm and coconut oils. Each of these luscious bars smells incredible, delivers serious, targeted results and comes wrapped in 100% recycled paper printed with water-based inks.

John Masters Organics new Bar Soaps are available in three super-moisturizing formulas that meet various needs and treat all skin types:

Lavender, Rose, Geranium & Ylang Ylang Soap: Formulated with organic olive and cupuacu seed butter and organic glycerin, this may very well be the perfect beauty bar. Lavender, rose geranium and ylang ylang essential oils impart a heavenly fragrance while offering skin soothing and balancing benefits, making this soap ideal for both face and body.

Birch & Cedarwood Cleansing & Shaving Bar: This incredible multi-purpose soap is an excellent all-over body cleanser that also functions as a shaving bar for men and women. Enriched with organic olive oil, it lathers to a rich and soothing foam that allows for a close and comfortable shave. Birch and cedarwood oils offer antiseptic properties that help prevent shaving irritation and leave skin clean and conditioned.

Orange & Ginseng Exfoliating Body Bar: This unique body bar contains real organic orange and lime peel that gently and effectively exfoliates while ginseng root stimulates and revitalizes. Exhilarating essential oil of orange blended with an organic palm and coconut oil soap base creates an invigorating lather with high glycerin content. Skin is left clean, soft and smooth.

Each 4.5 oz John Masters Organics Bar Soap ($8) is available at johnmasters.com, Whole Foods Markets and a variety of spas and boutiques nationwide.

This week, one reader will get spoiled pretty with a set of all three bar soaps!

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 Wednesday, April 28, 2010. Good luck!

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

The 80's Called...They Want Their Soap Back

In case you hadn't heard, the 80's are back. First, the decade of excess made its way into our closets. Then it trickled down into our makeup bags. Now, it's showing up in our showers!

Check out these soaps I found on Etsy. Totally tubular, right? I can imagine my 10 year old self sudsing up with these soaps, before slipping into my favorite EJ Gitano outfit and LA Gear sneakers.

All American: Bath & Body Works American Grown Collection

A few months ago when our hand soap got low, I replaced them with some generic soap I bought at the drugstore. When he saw my purchase, Mr. Spoiled Pretty looked at me like I had two heads.

"What happened to the Bath & Body Works soap we always use? I like that stuff," he said.

So, the next day, I swung by my local Bath & Body Works store (holler at the Liberty Place location) on my lunch break and picked up two bottles of their Anti-bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soap in Japanese Chinese Blossom and Warm Vanilla Sugar.

Now that our stock is almost depleted again and it's time for me to replenish the soap supply, Bath & Body Works fortuitously debuts a new line that I'm sure will satisfy my spoiled spouse.

American Grown is a collection of hand soaps and body gels inspired by great American destinations. Formulated with invigorating botanicals grown in the U.S., American Grown products condition, rejuvenate and stimulate the skin. Packaged in big, bold and colorful bottles, each hand soap and shower gel transports you to the American locale from which it draws its name.

In honor of my Libby, Montana-born/Spokane, Washington bred husband, I think I'll add the Montana Sky and Washington Apple hand soaps to my shopping list. Products are also available in Napa Grape (we honeymooned there), Siesta Key Lemon and Savannah Mint scents. American Grown hand soaps retail for $6.60 and shower gels will set you back a mere $12.50.

Graham, you're so vain...you probably think this blog post is about you.

Are You Singing Happy Birthday When You Wash Your Hands?

Earlier this week, Mama Spoiled Pretty called to check in...for the seventeenth time that day. I was just finishing washing my hands, and I told her so - as we have a TMI relationship. Then, she asked me what seemed like the most inane question ever...

"Did you sing 'Happy Birthday' while you washed your hands?"

Huh? What in the world does the Happy Birthday song have to do with hand-washing?

She explained that singing the song in your head ensures that you're spending an adequate amount of time sudsing up.

Just to make sure this wasn't some 'gang members are killing people in Walmart parking lots'-esque urban legend that's been debunked on snopes.com, I did a little investigative journalism. And it turns out that Mama Spoiled Pretty is a know-it-all, tough as it is to admit.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when washing your hands with soap and water:

• Wet your hands with clean running water and apply soap. Use warm water if it is available.
• Rub hands together to make a lather and scrub all surfaces.
• Continue rubbing hands for 20 seconds. Need a timer? Imagine singing "Happy Birthday" twice through to a friend!
• Rinse hands well under running water
• Dry your hands using a paper towel or air dryer. If possible, use your paper towel to turn off the faucet
  

The CDC also recommends hand-washing in the following situations:

• Before preparing or eating food
• After going to the bathroom
• After changing diapers or cleaning up a child who has gone to the bathroom
• Before and after tending to someone who is sick
• After blowing your nose, coughing, or sneezing
• After handling an animal or animal waste
• After handling garbage
• Before and after treating a cut or wound

If soap and water aren't available, use alcohol-based gel to clean hands.

Photo: Getty Images

Bath & Body Works Giveaway Winners

It's time to announce the winners of Spoiled Pretty's Bath & Body Works giveaway. Congrats to Jennifer Barnett, Elaine Conte and Eva Daniell.

Each of these ladies will receive Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Soap, Foaming Sanitizer, and PocketBac Deep Cleansing Hand Gel in Coconut Lime Verbena.

Many thanks to Bath & Body Works for sponsoring this Swine Flu-free contest!

And be sure to check out the giveaway page, for more ways to get spoiled pretty.

Nectarine Mint Anti-Bacterial Products at Bath & Body Works

I'd like to give a big shout-out to my co-worker, Kate, for introducing me to Bath & Body Work's new scent, Nectarine Mint. Last week, she took advantage of a sale and picked up an arsenal of Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Hand Soaps. She generously gifted two bottles to the second floor bathroom of my office building, one of which was in the line's newest scent.

The mouth-watering fragrance is fruity, with a twist. Unfortunately, for now, there are only five products available in Nectarine Mint. But, hopefully, the brand will soon expand the scent's offerings.

Hit up your local Bath & Body Works store or check out bathandbodyworks.com and try my new favorite fragrance. For a limited time, the anti-bacterial hand soaps are 3 for $10 (originally $5 each).

Protect Yourself From Swine Flu With A Giveaway!

Have you heard about this little thing called the Swine Flu? Well, Mama Spoiled Pretty sure has. Since the story first broke last week, she's been calling me constantly...scaring me with play by plays of the latest news reports. So finally, to allay her fears that her first born might become an incubus for the deadly virus, I decided to visit my local Bath & Body Works store and stock up on their Anti-Bacterial collection; because beauty products are so much chicer than a face mask, plastic bubble or haz-mat suit.

And now that I'm protected, I'm doing my civic duty by partnering with Bath & Body Works for a giveaway.

Three Spoiled Pretty readers will win Anti-Bacterial Gentle Foaming Soap, Foaming Sanitizer, and PocketBac Deep Cleansing Hand Gel in Coconut Lime Verbena (my favorite scent).

To enter, send an email to spoiledprettycontests@gmail.com. Be sure to include your full name and mailing address. The subject line should read "Bath & Body Works Giveaway." The contest ends at midnight (EST) on Tuesday, May 12th. Three winners will be chosen at random from among the entrants. On Wednesday, May 13th, I'll announce the winners' names. Please, only one entry per person; duplicate entries will not increase your chances of winning. Contest is open to U.S. residents.

Good luck...and stay healthy!