ProductWhores

Happy Birthday!

One of my favorite brands of all time, philosophy, is turning another year older.  To celebrate their 14th birthday, philosophy is launching an instant win game beginning today.  All you have to do is go to philosophy.com/birthday every day for a chance to walk away with great instant win game prizes and to be entered for a chance to win the grand prize - a $1000 shopping spree on philosophy.com.  (Can you imagine the fun you'd have spending that money?  The thought makes me giddy!)  The game will run from March 1st to March 31st, so you have a lot of chances to win.  Good luck!

Caramel Apple Goodness

Caramel apples and I have a complicated history.  The first time I ever saw one, I was really young and walking around Great Adventure with my family when we passed one of those stands selling them.  Instantly, my seven year-old brain was like, "Must.  Have.  Immediately."  So even though we had just hit up the churro stand (which, looking back, is even funnier than it sounds because there are a ton of churro stands at Great Adventure and why were churros such a hot item in NJ?  I don't think I even knew what they were, but I had to have one every time we went there).  So even though I still had churro dust on my face, I asked my parents to buy me a caramel apple, to which my mom responded, "Nope.  Caramel apples are dangerous.  The caramel is so thick that when you bite into them, sometimes your teeth just come out and stick in the apple."  !!!!  My seven year-old self was horrified.  I totally pictured biting into one and pulling back to see my entire row of bottom teeth sticking in the apple.  It scarred me for life!  And now that I'm older and have seen many a person eat a caramel apple without becoming toothless, I'm pretty sure my mom completely made that up, either because she didn't want to deal with a kid with a total sugar rush or because Great Adventure charged roughly the price of a small car for their caramel apples.  Either way though, that incident has totally stuck with me and (many) years later, I have never had a caramel apple because they still kinda scare me.  I did, however, recently discover Philosophy's Caramel Apple Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath and I'm pretty sure that it makes up for all those years of going without them.  It's ridiculously delicious smelling.  The apple is definitely the first thing that hits your nose, but the sweetness of the caramel is close behind.  It's a really great mixture of fruit and sugary goodness, especially because it's just strong enough to be potent, but not so strong that it's overwhelming.  (It lathers nicely as well).  I'm totally obsessed with it lately, and I just found out that it's a limited-edition, so I think I'm going to have to go buy a few more bottles and stock up, just in case.  (I always regret not doing that with Philosophy's holiday sets when they're all gone in January).  Plus, like most of their Shower Gels, it's only $16 for 16 ounces, so it's a great value.  And best of all, it doesn't have any calories AND I know I'll make it out of the shower with all my teeth.  Win win!   

A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Philosophy.

Philosophy Discount

I think by now we all know of my obsession with clean smelling scents.  (Including my original obsession, Pure Grace).  For today only, when you shop at philosophy.com, you can take 15% off all fragrance products by entering the promo code FRAGRANCE when checking out.  Time to stock up!

Candy Hearts Lip Duo

If you're like me, Valentine's Day is actually a holiday that's best for treating your friends with little pressies rather than relying on your guy to get you something you actually want (9 times out of 10, they get you something you'd return if you could get away with it - take note:  lacy, red, itchy, cheap thong).  Philosophy's Candy Hearts is an adorable set that's sure to make anyone smile (it makes me grin like a school girl).  The set contains two tubes of Pink Bubbly and Angel Food Cake flavored lip shines which leave a lovely shine and really do moisturize.  Heck, you should buy one for yourself - you deserve it.  It retails for $20 and is available at philosophy.com

Have A Little Philosophy This Holiday

Does Philosophy not have the best gift sets around the holidays?  Some brands come out with one or two gift sets in December and call it a day, but Philosophy has a plethora of fantastic gift sets that you can make someone very happy by putting under their tree.  (Also, how proud is my childhood vocabulary teacher that I just used the word "plethora" in a sentence?)  

The Cookie Exchange ($30) is probably my favorite of all the gift sets, and that's saying a lot.  It has four 4 ounce Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath bottles in Lemon Cookie, Oatmeal Raisin, Coconut Macaroon, and Chocolate Chip Cookies.  SO, SO good.  They smell exactly like their cookie namesakes, which makes the cookie lover in me a little giddy when I step into the shower because I can't wait to use them.  And they're calorie-free!  I'm kinda hoping Philosophy comes out with full-sized versions of these after the holidays because I want to own them all.

The Winter Escape ($19) is perfect as a stocking stuffer for your sister or best friend.  It has a 4 ounce  Peppermint Hot Cocoa Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath, a Melting Marshmallow Cream Lip Shine, and a 2 ounce Melting Marshmallow Cream Body Soufflé.  Love!  The Lip Shine is so delicious, I keep putting it on just so I can smell it on my lips.  It's actually making me crave S'mores because it smells so much like a gooey marshmallow.  (I almost broke down and made them on my stove tonight.  My stove!  That's just sad).  I've also been slightly obsessed with the Peppermint Hot Cocoa Shower Gel since I got the full-sized version last month, so I'm loving the smaller, back up bottle that I can save for my next weekend away.

The Bake Shoppe ($22) is another set chock full of sweet scented products that I can't get enough of.  This one has a 4 ounce Pink Frosted Layer Cake Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath, a 4 ounce Raspberry Mousse Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath, a Raspberry Mouse Flavored Lip Shine, and a 2 ounce Sweet Creamy Frosting Body Lotion.  I adore the body lotion - it smells just like a bowl of freshly made frosting - and the shower gels are light and fruity.  I really love these small sizes too - even if I don't use them when I travel, they're easy to mix and match in the shower every morning.  Plus, this one comes in the most adorable packaging meant to look like an old-fashioned bakery.  So cute!  

These are only a few of the many gift sets Philosophy has released this holiday season.  Check them all out at Philosophy.com and Sephora.com.

Pepperminty Goodness

Can I just say that I am totally in love with Philosophy's Peppermint Hot Cocoa Shampoo, Shower Gel & Bubble Bath?  Because I am.  It's easily in my top three flavors of the many, many (many!) that they've released over the years.  We all know the deal about the formula by now - it's creamy, lathers very well, and doesn't dry out your skin - plus the bottles are a great value at 16 ounces for $16.  But the scent of this one is what really made me fall in love.  It's ridiculously good.  It smells exactly like the Peppermint Hot Chocolate at Starbucks around the holidays, which is totally my kryptonite.  I literally cannot pass a Starbucks without getting one of them (or the Peppermint Mocha Latte) once those festive red cups are rolled out every year.  It's a sickness.  The Peppermint Hot Cocoa shower gel has a strong scent of chocolate, but that's mixed with a minty, fresh flavor as well.  The best way to describe it is delicious.  So, so delicious.  (Although I do have to admit that it totally makes me crave chocolate and want to eat some immediately after I get out of the shower).  I'm totally stocking up on this one so I can be using it long after Starbucks retires the Peppermint Hot Chocolate or the season.  (Sniff, sniff).

Note: A sample of this product was sent to me by a PR representative working with Philosophy.

Play To Win

You're going to want to play philosophy’s new “gingerbread man instant win game.”  The online game starts tomorrow (November 3rd) and can be played daily.  Every week for the next six weeks, a different holiday prize will be given to 5 lucky winners every day.  Plus, at the end of the six weeks, one person will win the grand prize, which is kind of awesome.  One lucky person will receive a $2,500 philosophy shopping spree.  (Told you it was awesome).  You can only play the game once per day, but you'll be entered to win the grand prize every time you play, so the more you do it, the better your chances are.

You can see the list of weekly prizes by clicking on the image above.  Starting tomorrow, you can play the game at philosophy.com/gingerbreadman (it will also be featured on the philosophy.com home page).  Good luck!

Philosophy for the Cure

Shower for the cure ($20) is Philosophy's pink ribbon shower gel - a creamy all-in-one formula that can be used as a shampoo, shower gel or bubble bath.  This long-time Philosophy favorite contains a touch of milk proteins and fruit essences to provide a delightful experience for your senses.  Shower for the cure represents the spirit of every woman and 100% of Philosophy's net proceeds from the sale of shower for the cure will be donated to the Women's Cancer Research Fund.  The memorable scent and poem on the pink ribbon shower gel was inspired by the unforgettable charity event, one of Hollywood's most beloved occasions, which is held every spring and is chaired by Rita Wilson and Kate Capshaw.

Philosophy's she colors my day charity bubble bath ($20) was created to honor all women while giving back to a very worthwhile cause.  It is inspirational, playful and can be enjoyed by mothers and daughters alike.  She colors my day pink generates high-foaming bubbles, lightly tints your bath pink and helps soothe and moisturize skin.  We encourage you to take pleasure in the bright pink bubbles and delicious pink bubble gum scent as you soak in the tub.  100% of Philosophy's net proceeds goes to the Entertainment Industry Foundation's Women's Cancer Research Fund to support the early detection of women's cancers.

You can buy both of them on philosophy.com.

Super Glossy

For all the many (many, many, many) Philosophy body products I have, I really haven't played around with their makeup very much.  I'm not sure why, considering every time they come out with another of their new  shower gels, I practically run to Sephora to get it.  (Caramel Apple is my few favorite, which is pretty ironic considering I've never even had one.  True story - when I was little, someone told me that if you bite into one, your teeth could come out and stick in it.  It was probably one of my older cousins just making it up to scare me, but it totally stuck with me and I've been afraid to bite into one ever since.  They traumatized me for life!)  Anyway... Philosophy's new The Supernatural Superglossy Lip Gloss SPF 15 are totally fantastic.  The glosses are moisturizing and way shiny, but they're not sticky at all.  And they have an SPF 15 in them, which my lips are very grateful for considering the weather here in Los Angeles lately.  (It's like hell.  If hell had In N' Out).  There are 9 different shades - I tried Do What Comes Naturally (a sheer glistening golden honey) and Live in the Moment (a sheer glistening pink mocha) and liked them both.  They don't give a ton of color, but the shine makes them look great over lipstick and I adore their minty flavor.  I guess I should venture out of my (shower gel) comfort zone more often.     

Philosophy Love

For all you Philosophy lovers out there (and let's be honest, who isn't?) from now until June 28th, you can save 20% off your order at Philosophy.com by entering the code sharethelove at checkout.  Since June is the month of weddings, you might want to stock up on The Bridal Party, an adorable shower trio that will make any of your friends taking a walk down the aisle very happy (and maybe guilty too, for sticking you in such an awful bridesmaid dress!)  Or you could get yourself a bottle of Pure Grace, one of my favorite fragrances of all time.  And if you're looking for a new scent, you'll definitely want to check out Unconditional Love.  I've been using the Perfumed Firming Body Emulsion and it's to die for.  I can't recommend it enough.  Have fun filling your cart!