Romy Raves

Mmmmmmm. . .Good!  LÄRABAR has hit it out of the ballpark with their latest delectable creation, Peanut Butter and Jelly flavored LÄRABARS. If you have not yet discovered LÄRABAR, you are totally missing out on one of the best, whole food bars around. Made completely of fruits and nuts with no additives or preservatives, they are healthy and tasty satisfying treats in a variety of flavors. The new PB&J flavor is insanely good with the right combination of peanuty goodness and the perfect fruit jelly accent (tastes like a fresh cherry jam), to me it tastes more like a treat than a good-for-you bar. I am totally hooked, yummy!

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For those of you who aren’t familiar with LÄRABAR, these lovely bars are a blend of unsweetened fruits, nuts and spices with no added sweeteners, fillers, supplements or flavorings. The bars are made from 100% whole, raw food which contains vitamins, minerals, fiber, protein, good carbohydrates, essential enzymes and healthy fats. Each bar contains no more than eight ingredients, and all bars are vegan and kosher, gluten, dairy and soy free with no GMO’s AND in spite of all these healthy claims they taste REALLY good. Â

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These delicious morsels are scheduled to hit store shelves in August so be on the lookout for LÄRABAR’s best treat yet. You won’t believe how good the PB&J tastes and how GOOD for you it is!  The rest of these wonderful bars are available in your local stores, and through Amazon. Enjoy !!

Girlfriend, I’ve just gotta tell you about this awesome new face scrub that I just discovered called Sugar Mud by Herban Body Care. First of all, I love the name, it totally grabs my attention and it just gets better from there.

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This is THE perfect summer time scrub because it’s minty, citrusy, cooling and refreshing all at the same time (thanks to the perfect eucalyptus-orange combo). The texture is just divine because it has a wonderful mix of organic brown sugar and sea clay blended together beautifully in a coconut butter base (BTW don’t be put off by the dark color, its all good!) And it feels amazing going on, it has the perfect combination of moisturizing and scrubbing action at the same time and I love the way the sugar melts into my skin when its exfoliating job is done. This lovely scrub wakes up my skin, hydrates it and makes it feel plump and beautifully smooth.Â

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However, what I think I love most about this great new product is that it feels like an artisanal, handcrafted, homemade product that is made with TLC–and you can thank creator Dana Miller for that! Dana is the brilliant mixologist of  Herban Body Care and her heartfelt product line is based on the stories that her mother told her about her Grandmother’s handmade soaps that were the talk of the town way back when. Dana’s beautiful concoctions utilize this family recipe and are based on body-nurturing bio-plant components, herbs, herbal extracts, natural bases and aromatherapy, which all possess healing properties and a rejuvenating feeling for all skin types. All of the Herban products are handmade, completely natural, paraben-free and offered in eco-friendly packaging.

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Honey (child), do yourself a favor and try one of Dana’s artisanal delights, so you too can feel the love! And girl, please, please post and tell the rest of us how sweet is it (to be loved by you )

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This just in: If you place an order with Herban Body Care between now and September 30, 2009 and mention Romy Raves as the coupon code you will get a FREE lip butter with your purchase. Recessionistas always love treats and gifts with purchase, enjoy!

Hey All You Recessionistas Listen Up .  .  .  .  .Â

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Every Monday from 7 am to 7 pm from now until August 3rd , it’s FREE MOCHA MONDAYS  at McDonald’s. Just head on over to a participating Mickey D’s location for a free 7 oz. Iced Mocha or 8 oz. Hot Mocha (while supplies last).

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This tasty freebie (officially called the McCafe Mocha BTW) is a yummy blend of milk (your choice of whole or nonfat, steamed or cold served over ice), freshly ground espresso beans and chocolate syrup. It’s topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of chocolate syrup. Not too shabby for FREE??

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So head on over to Mickey D’s for the next two Mondays to score this caffeine treat, and smile knowing that you can save your Starbucks money for two more weeks

My head is still spinning from beauty product overload at Cosmoprof, it was insanely, marvelously wonderful—the ‘Land of Oz’ for this beauty maven. I found so many wonderful products, I don’t even know where to begin. So I’ll “start at the very beginning, a very good place to start” and share my top favorite finds from the show. These are the products that I can’t stop using or thinking about because they are innovative, inspired, effective and will get a girl noticed  Check ‘em out and let me know which you like best:

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Bling StrandsÂ

I just LOVE this bling for your hair! It’s so noticeable, fun and diva-like that I just can’t stop thinking about them. They are basically shimmery strands in various colors that you tie into your hair and they kinda look like sparkly highlights. Everyone kept stopping me at the show asking what was in my hair. It’s an inexpensive way to glitz up your hair for a night out on the town and I am all over it!

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Kensington Caviar Hand Cream by Nails Inc.

I am totally loving all the fun and inspired nail and hand products by the Nails Inc. Girls. These cheeky ladies have developed a high quality, hip product line that everyone was buzzing about at the show. I am especially loving this yummy, creamy indulgent caviar hand cream (what diva doesn’t love her caviar?). The first time I tired this cream, I was in love—it smells yummy, has that perfect glycerin moisturizing quality and lasts for hours.

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Chic-Flic ToGo Whitening and Lip Plumper Pen

by Whiter Image

What a fun and inspired idea—a tooth whitener on one side and a blue based sparkly lip plumper on the other with bling in between, a perfect beauty product for today’s fashionista. And it also includes mini LED lights and a mirror to make the application portable and easy. Whiter Image has thought of everything a gal out on the town would need to look her bright smile best.

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Lip Service by Hissyfit

I am digging Hissyfit—love the ‘tude and the full service products. My first love in the collection is Lip Service, an anti-aging lip balm with SPF 50 that is super moisturizing because it has shea butter, jojoba oil and vitamin E. I love the way it feels on my lips, lush and instantly hydrating (it feels like it has a lip plumping quality too), and in additional to the great feel and shine, it has mega-watt sun protection too! It comes in a variety of great colors and I am loving the guava shade right now because it gives my lips a hint of a natural flush.

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Touch Back Marker by ColorMark

What an ingenious delivery system—hair color in a flat broad tip marker to cover gray between salon visits, brilliant! It is super easy to use and does a great job of covering those nasty grays. It can even can save you money by stretching the time between salon visits. I used it for my nights out in Vegas and was thrilled with the easy execution and awesome results.

I am totally digging this cute new, innovative, recession friendly lip balm by EOS (Evolution of Smooth–another great company name!) These adorable and inpsired Lip Balm Smooth Spheres  are organic, natural, and petrolatum and paraben free. The balms are packed with antioxidant rich vitamin E, shea butter and jojoba oil which keeps your lips moist, soft and smooth. And they are available in three mouth-watering flavors: Summer Fruit, Honeysuckle Honeydew, and Sweet Mint.

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So why am I raving about this new product? I think the spherical shape is totally unique and inspired, it feels really good going onto your lips (kinda sensual in my opinion) and totally different than your typcial lip balm (it comfortably fits the shape of your lips/mouth and totally makes ergonomic sense–good job EOS smarties!); the fragrances are summery and super yummy (Summer Fruit is my fav); the round, colorful packaging is fashionable, hip and girly; and best of all is that it is affordably priced at $3.29.

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This is a totally fun recessionista friendly product that I am having a ‘ball’ with and hope you do too! You can find these cuties at many of your local neighborhood drugstores and at Rite Aid. Please post your comments and let me know what you think.