Mother’s Day Gift-Giving Guide, Part 2: Long on Love, Short on Time & Money

So you still don’t have the perfect, pretty gift for the pretty lady in your life? Well, with Mother’s Day right around the corner, you still have a few last minute, lovely options that are sure to tickle Mom pink!

Our moms were there for us when we cried our first tear, said our first word, took our first step. So even if you’re short on time and/or money, you’ve gotta find a way to show the most important woman in your life how important she is to you on Mother’s Day!

Here are my top tips on how to honor and celebrate Mom this Mother’s Day without breaking the bank or running out of time.

1) Give Mom a present every month. Beauty boxes are a new, thoughtful, little service that Mom will love! A few times a year or once a month (depending on the service you select), she’ll get pampered with an assortment of beauty products to try. There are so many choices that it can be overwhelming so let me break it down for you.

Is Mom a glamourous woman? Does she love any and all things beauty? Is she always looking for the best new makeup or skincare?
New Beauty Test Tube is the way to go! For only $29.95 every 3 months, Mom gets a beauty box filled with goodies like this:

New Beauty Test Tube: The GoodsNew Beauty Test Tube: The Goods

For more info about New Beauty Test Tube, read our BF post here: http://www.beautyfrosting.com/mailbox-monday-new-beauty-test-tube

Is Mom eco-conscious? You’re own earth mother incarnate? A goddess of green?

 Eco-Emi is the way for you to go!

For more Eco-Emi details, read our post here: http://www.beautyfrosting.com/mailbox-monday-eco-emi-glamour-you-can-feel-good-about

There are lots more beauty box services where those came from but those are my BF-Best picks for this Mother’s Day! And while Mom won’t receive the actual box on Mother’s Day, when you tell her what you’ve done and that she’ll be receiving gifts all year long, she’ll be utterly delighted at your forethought!

2) Favorites are fun! Does Mom have a wine she adores? Buy her a case of her favorite wine at BevMo. Too expensive? Buy her a bottle and a fancy wine opener like CorkPops! The cork pops right off thanks to CO2 cartridge. I don’t wanna say she won’t need you anymore but…you get the idea!

Mom more of a tea-totaler in that she loooooves her tea! Buy her an antique teapot, a teacup and a box of her favorite tea (most people don’t mind an Earl Grey, English Breakfast or Darjeeling).Wanna be extra thoughtful? Buy her a box of sugar cubes. Every true TEAista loves ‘em!

3) Spa Day at a steal. Subscribe to  YipIt.com (even if only for 2 days) and get the best deals on all discounted spa services and favorites (everything on Lifebooker, Groupon, Daily Candy, Living Social and all the others in one place!!!) for your favorite lady!

You will get DEEPLY DISCOUNTED spa, restaurant and more deals that will make you look like the prince you are while paying like a pauper. Nice. How cheap am I talking? I’m talking $5 manicures, $29 massages, $25 blowouts, $30 hair coloring and more. Yes, it can be more than that but that’s as low as they go!

4) Pack a picnic. Gather your Mom’s favorite foods and beverages and hit a park, museum, beach, lake or backyard. Every girl, no matter the age, loves a picnic. It’s really that simple. Be sure to pack glassware, utensils, plates, napkins and a candle too!

5) Movie Matinee. Take Mom to a movie. Just don’t forget to sneak in her favorite champagne or candy! It’s that little extra step that makes it special!

6) In-Home Spa. Can’t get away? Need a last minute solution? Pamper your pretty lady at home. Many women I’ve talked to said that it really couldn’t get better than just getting a few moments alone. Draw her a bath, light some candles, pour her a glass of her favorite wine (or steep a cup of her favorite tea), grab her favorite book/trashy magazine and set her up in her own personal in-home spa night! Perfect for those moms with little ones running around. Let her relax and unwind in the bath while you pop in a dvd for the little darlings! And pop the bubbly for her. Just remember that she’s in a spa treatment. That means NOOOOO disruptions!

7) A Little Something Special? Maybe you love all of the ideas above but still want to give her a little something special. Check out my In-My-Tub-Tuesday: Mother’s Day Edition post to get a few bathtub-ready treats. Anything by Kai or Darphin will tickle her toes!

8) Super Last Minute Fix. Buy 2 bouquets of flowers at Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods or your favorite neighborhood florist. This can be done for under $20. Keep it simple. Don’t buy a mixture of 15 colors. Women don’t want it.

Buy 1 or 2 colors (I’m partial to pink, violet, yellow or white and roses, hydrangeas, peonies, tuberose, tulips or gerber daisies) and divide them into 5 different smaller-medium sized vases.

Put one each in the bedroom, bathroom, living room, kitchen and anywhere else where when she sees them, she’ll smile. It’s that extra thought of scattering them through the house that means the most! Just be sure to clean up your mess, throw away the trash – and oh!- be sure to put water in the vases with a touch of Sprite (may sound crazy but they’ll last longer)!

***
If you do one of the above, I can guarantee you a smile (and probably a hug too) from the Mom in your life. And, if she likes it, drop me a note or send me a pic!

 

xoxo,
BF 

BF Asks: What’s the best Mother’s Day gift you’ve ever given or received?

 

FREEday Friday: We have a Glamour Birchbox Winner!!!

And….we have a winner in our Glamour Birchbox Giveaway!!!

And the winner is...ALLYSON!!!

 

 

ALLYSON!!!

Allyson, This is what you have won on FREEday Friday!

Glamour Birchbox July 2012

To celebrate their “Five Senses of Summer” July issue (on stands now), Glamour has partnered with Birchbox to stimulate the senses of beauty junkies everywhere.

Curated by Glamour’s beauty editors, the July box features treats from the following brands, among others:

See It: stila and Color Club to showcase the latest cosmetics trends

Hear It: Custom designed headphones and a Glamour edited “prettifying” playlist on Spotify – plus a month of free premium service on Spotify in every box

Feel It: AHAVA and Alterna® for skin and hair that feels silky smooth

Smell It: Oscar de la Renta fragrance to keep you uplifted

Taste It: LÄRABAR and Tea Forté for your snack cravings

You can get your Glamour Birchbox by subscribing at: https://www.birchbox.com/join

And stay tuned for another gorgeous giveaway on FREEday Friday soon!

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: What are you most excited to get in your July Glamour Birchbox?

Are you entered in our Glamour Birchbox Giveaway yet?

Hi beauties,

Have you heard about the glamorous partnership between Glamour and Birchbox next month?
You haven’t?!!

Well, consider yourself informed.

Glamour Birchbox July 2012

To celebrate their “Five Senses of Summer” July issue (on stands now), Glamour has partnered with Birchbox to stimulate the senses of beauty junkies everywhere.

Curated by Glamour’s beauty editors, the July box features treats from the following brands, among others:

See It: stila and Color Club to showcase the latest cosmetics trends

Hear It: Custom designed headphones and a Glamour edited “prettifying” playlist on Spotify – plus a month of free premium service on Spotify in every box

Feel It: AHAVA and Alterna® for skin and hair that feels silky smooth

Smell It: Oscar de la Renta fragrance to keep you uplifted

Taste It: LÄRABAR and Tea Forté for your snack cravings

You can get your Glamour Birchbox by subscribing at: https://www.birchbox.com/join

And guess what? One of you lucky lovelies is gonna win it!
Just do the following:

1) Follow BeautyFrosting on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BeautyFrosting, RT “Win July @birchbox by following @beautyfrosting!”  and comment below with “I heart Birchbox!”. Be sure to include a link to your tweet! *Contest open to U.S. residents only *Contest ends Thursday, July 5th at 6pm PST and 1 winner will be announced on Friday, July 6th.

Sending lots of lovely, lucky thoughts your way!

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: What are you most excited to get in your July Glamour Birchbox?

FREEday Friday: Glamour Birchbox Giveaway Announcement

Hi beauties,

Have you heard about the glamorous partnership between Glamour and Birchbox next month?
You haven’t?!!

Well, consider yourself informed.

Glamour Birchbox July 2012

To celebrate their “Five Senses of Summer” July issue (on stands now), Glamour has partnered with Birchbox to stimulate the senses of beauty junkies everywhere.

Curated by Glamour’s beauty editors, the July box features treats from the following brands, among others:

See It: stila and Color Club to showcase the latest cosmetics trends

Hear It: Custom designed headphones and a Glamour edited “prettifying” playlist on Spotify – plus a month of free premium service on Spotify in every box

Feel It: AHAVA and Alterna® for skin and hair that feels silky smooth

Smell It: Oscar de la Renta fragrance to keep you uplifted

Taste It: LÄRABAR and Tea Forté for your snack cravings

You can get your Glamour Birchbox by subscribing at: https://www.birchbox.com/join

And guess what? One of you lucky lovelies is gonna win it!
Just do the following:

1) Follow BeautyFrosting on Twitter at www.Twitter.com/BeautyFrosting, RT “Win July @birchbox by following @beautyfrosting!”  and comment below with “I heart Birchbox!”. Be sure to include a link to your tweet! *Contest open to U.S. residents only *Contest ends Thursday, July 5th at 6pm PST and 1 winner will be announced on Friday, July 6th.

Sending lots of lovely, lucky thoughts your way!

xoxo,

BF

BF Asks: What are you most excited to get in your July Glamour Birchbox?

Mailbox Monday: May Birchbox “Gossip Girl” edition

Happy Mailbox Monday!

You guys know how much I love beauty boxes, right?
Have you subscribed yet to any?
Today we’re discussing the May Birchbox which celebrated CW’S Gossip Girl season finale.

May Birchbox: Celebrating CW's Gossip Girl

I received it on the actual day of the season finale so it was super fun!

In it, I received these little happier:

The little happies inside my May Birchbox: Gossip Girl edition

Details about May Birchbox: Gossip Girl edition

And here is the BeautyFrosting May Birchbox Gossip Girl video in our Mailbox Monday video series:

Mailbox Monday: What’s in a Birchbox?

Does that title make you feel like you’re in WhoVille?

Maybe.

But let me tell you what came in my March Birchbox.

I’m expecting my April Birchbox to arrive any day and I really want you to see the super-sweet fun treats that came in the March Teen Vogue-sponsored Birchbox.

So here’s a step-by-step rundown on receiving Birchbox:

When it arrives...Thanks UPS!

Birchbox's cute pink Box

March Birchbox Product Listing

Birchbox March

March Teen Vogue-sponsored Birchbox Gorgeous Goodies

The March Teen Vogue-sponsored Birchbox was delightful!!

Subscribers had the choice between their regularly scheduled Birchbox and this fun, Teen Vogue picks-filled Birchbox!
Obviously, I chose the latter.
And I’m soooo happy I did! I ended up receiving:
one of my favorite polishes, Essie Glove Service (a pink glitter polish that would describe my shoes if I had been Dorothy in Oz!) and my beloved Tarte Lipsurgence Lip Tint in Lucky (a charming baby pink shade that reminds me of my dearly departed Nars Sabrina Lip Balm).

The beauty booty:

Essie Luxeffects Polish in A Cut Above ($8)
Twirl Kate Spade New York (3.4 fl oz, $80)
Tarte LipSurgence Lip Tint in Lucky ($24)
Kérastase Elixir Ultime, (125 ml $54)
Twistband yellow hair tie, (6 for $16)
Vouchers to Modcloth.com and Teen Vogue Subscription
Birchbox Beautiful, indeed!!
If you’d like to receive Birchbox, click here and instantly subscribe for the monthly fun, click here: Subscribe to Birchbox for $10/month!
xoxo,
BF
BF Asks: Do you receive Birchbox? If yes, what was your favorite product in the March Birchbox? If you don’t subscribe yet, what would have been your favorite product to try?

Mailbox Monday: Beauty Boxes-An Introduction

Well, I don’t know if you’ve noticed but there are a slew of beauty box companies out there. So what are they and how do you know which one to pick?

(Da-da-da-da!!!)
BF to the rescue!

On Mailbox Mondays, we will look at what came in those beautiful little boxes that we can all sign up for. Or, rather, after you see what comes in them, you might sign up for.

First, what are they?

Monthly beauty boxes are the newest, lovable trend in beauty because, for a small fee every month (between $10-$20), they let you try some truly amazing products.

What kinds of products? Moisturizers, eye liners, lip glosses, serums, body lotions, nail polish, false lashes, mascara, blush, eye shadow, eye cream, hair products and more!

And what girl doesn’t like to receive mail the old fashioned way… in their mailbox?

I know this girl does.

Every time I get a delivery, I feel like it’s my birthday or Christmas!

Every month, I will detail what gorgeous little goodies arrived in my mailbox!

Today, we’re going to look at the March Birchbox I received.

To see that post, click here: Mailbox Monday: What’s in a Birchbox?

Here are a few boxes I’ve received, after subscribing to Birchbox, Eco-Emi, My Glam and New Beauty Test Tube. Always fun and always surprising… kind of like the prize at the bottom of the Cracker Jack box!

Birchbox

Eco-Emi

My Glam

New Beauty Test Tube

Stay tuned every Monday as I open another “beauty box” to see what gorgeous goodies arrived on my doorstep and decide which one(s) you’d like to arrive on yours!

 

xoxo,
BF

BF Asks: Do you subscribe to any monthly beauty boxes or beauty programs? If so, which one(s)?