#EclosBeauty...Trial and Giveaway!

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of éclos Skin Care. All opinions are 100% mine.

I was contacted by elcos Beauty to try out their skin care system.  

éclos Skin Care

What makes eclos skin care different from others? eclos features Apple Stem cells extracted from a rare Swiss apple.  Why are stem cells so helpful?  They have been shown to stimulate skin stem cells--meaning the stem cells encourage aging skin to act more like younger skin.  Who doesn't want younger more beautiful skin?

The starter kit includes:

• Facial Cleanser Skin Prep
• Cellular Activator Face Serum
• Moisture Therapy Regenerative Cream
• Restorative Eye Cream
• Instant Radiance Facial Scrub
• Skin Renewal Clay Mask
• eclos Terry Cloth Head Band

During my trial of the starter kit I used everything but the Terry Cloth Head Band.  Each bottle has instructions included-so you can figure out which order to use the products.  The smell wasn't too bad, fresh and not overpowering.  My hubby didn't like the smell much though.

My two favorite products were the Restorative Eye Cream & the Skin Renewal Clay Mask

I loved how the Restorative Eye Cream made the skin aroundmy eyes seem smoother a less puffy--quite the feat considering I wasn't getting much sleep.

I also enjoyed the Skin Renewal Clay Mask.  I've used masks in the past that made me feel like the hulk while wearing them.  eclos beauty Skin Renewal Clay Mask was a thin layer that wasn't too restrictive and made my skin feel refreshed after using.

  

Before (Day 1)

I was a bit concerned about using the product because my skin is a bit more sensitve while I'm pregnant.  eclos skin care was gentle on my skin.  I liked the way it made my skin feel smooth and tight.  My skin didn't over react to the products.

After (Day 8)

I don't see a huge difference in the pictures, but I could feel a big difference.  My pores felt smaller and as mentioned above, my skin was smoother and tighter.

My overall review of the product:

Pros:

Easy to use, gentle on skin and eyes.  Apple stem cells help boost your own skin cells

Cons:

A little complicated to figure out which product to use in which order.  There are a lot of products in the system, I don't know if I would buy each product if it didn't come together.  I wish there was sunscreen in the moisturizer-I don't want to add any skin damage.

Giveaway...

Eclos has generously offered a trial kit for one of my readers to try.

Do you want to try it to?

 Leave a comment on this post, include which product in the kit you are most excited to try and also include your email address.  I will send you your own starter kit to try for free.  

This giveaway will be open until Friday, June 1st 5pm PST.

A Little Early

Last Wednesday I went into labor--at 36 weeks.  So not too early, but early enough for her to have slight respiratory issues.  After three days in the NICU we thought she would be coming home, then her bilirubin shot up and she spent another three days.

We are home now and enjoying life.

Pictures and more to come in a bit.

Baby Prep: Quilt #2 Paper Piecing

I wanted to give paper piecing a try.  So what better time to try it out than when you are 8.5 months pregnant.

Once I got the assembly line down the blocks didn't take long to bust out.

The outside border and inside of each star are the same material.  I was thinking of just having a solid purple border around the white-but tried the floral and loved it more.

Even though this is a crib sized quilt I'm sending it to a quilter- my tummy is getting to big to wrestle a quilt through the sewing machine, and time is getting short.

When it comes back from the quilter and I add the binding I will show the finished product.

Baby Prep: Diaper Bag

During the sewing room purge I got to look at all of my fabric again and evaluate what I wanted to do with some of it.  I knew I needed a diaper bag--so the search was on.  I'm picky about my diaper bags and purses.  I don't want them so big that they weigh more than your baby when you fill it with everything-and I don't want it too small.  A diaper bag has to fit diapers and a full bag of wipes--it's a must for me.

I scoured the web for patterns and found a few that I was going to use to make the bag for me, until I found a FREE Amy Butler pattern.

When I cut out the pattern I added 3.5 inches the the length.

Index cards work well for this.

I added a pocket for my cell phone on one side.

A pocket for my keys on the other side--this pocket gave me a headache. I really want to pick the stitches out and do it over, but it's not happening.

Per the pattern one divider has a zipper-the other is open-perfect for mommy's personal stuff and a perfect spot for my wallet.  I hate not being able to find my keys, cell phone or wallet in a purse.

So there you have it-my diaper bag for the next few months.  I find once my baby reaches 6-8 months my diaper bag needs change and I usually get a smaller bag.  One side note:  I used stiff interfacing for the outside main panels, this makes the bag stand by itself.

Baby Prep: Quilt #1 HST Scrap

My nesting instincts have taken over.  My sewing room looks great--I only filled two big black garbage bags.  While I was cleaning I finished a few projects that were WIP.

Do you remember this quilt:

My plan was to make it much larger-but the material just wasn't cooperating.  When I finished the project I had a shoe box full of sewn half square triangles (HST)

During my sewing room purge I whipped up this quilt for our new baby.

There isn't a pattern, just rows and rows of HST sewn together.

I love how it turned out.  Each square is quilted in the ditch.

The back is a pink rosette flannel

Pin-It Up Thursday-Denim Skirt

I found the inspiration from this pin

Then used materials from my stash.  I inherited some fun vintage fabrics from my hubby's grandma.

I made up the pattern-it was fun to do and fits my little girl well.

Stains Be Gone

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of Triad Retail Media. All opinions are 100% mine.

If this baby comes as early as my last I have just under 3 weeks until d-day.  Last weekend my in-laws dropped by and we were talking about the new baby...my MIL volunteered to take the new born clothes and wash them.  So I finally pulled them down from the top shelf in the closet and we went through them.

Let me back up just a little, for the most part I don't dry my children's clothes-so stains will go away and colors will stay bright.  And for both of my kiddos I have always used Shout®on all their stained clothes.  It works well, and the spray action helps when you only have one hand to work with.  Back to the newborn clothes.  My first was a pooper, she liked to blow out an outfit at least once a day.  My second was a spitter, it took us 5 months to realize he was lactose intolerant and he had projectile spit-up--a lot of it!  So I was worried about the state of the newborn onesies and little outfits that have been sitting in the closet for nearly 4 years.  To our surprise there were only two or three onesies that have a spit-up or poop stain!

So let me tell you Shout®works!  Shout®Trigger is different from other stain removers in that it has: a Triple-Acting formula, Clings-Penetrates-Lifts away stains, easy to use Trigger dispenser, works in all water temperatures, & safe for colorfast washables.

When you have little ones you don't have time to scrub stain remover or yellow soap on clothes.  And you don't have time to soak clothes--especially if the kid is going through outfits like they are on a fashion runway.  Even if you don't have kids, Shout®Trigger works great on all stains--you know the soda you spilled on your clean crisp white shirt?

Shout®saves you time and it is available for purchase at Walmart.

Shout® Trigger