Romy Raves

Being a Brand Ambassador for AVON has it perks as you might imagine, and using my influence to bring joy to others is truly what makes my heart smile. So I had an inspired idea that I brought to AVON a month or so ago, that I would like to select a handful of women who are mothers and are very special to me, and gift each of them with their own personally curated assortment of my favorite Avon products in honor of Mother’s Day. I especially like the idea of gifting AVON products because they have such a vast selection of amazing products that are very affordable and high quality.  Fun idea right?

So here is a glimpse of the lovely gift bags I sent out

And here are some of my favorite AVON products that I included in these special gift bags:

ANEW GENICS Treatment Cream ($38)

ANEW GENICS Eye Treatment ($36)

ANEW CLINICAL Resurfacing Expert Smoothing Fluid ($38)

Foot Works Beautiful Marine Salt Hydrating Balm ($5)

Jillian Dempsey for Avon Professional Perfect Eyes Kit in Smokey Eye ($9)

OUTSPOKEN by Fergie Eau de Parfum Spray ($30)

And who are these special women and amazing mothers that I sent these wonderful gifts to, you ask? Well, of course my own amazing mother, my two sisters-in-law whose mothering I respect and admire, my very dear friend who recently became a mother for the first time after 40, my dear cousin who is an amazing mother and recently got divorced and one of my favorite mommy bloggers whom I respect and admire.

I wanted to wish these special women a spectacular Mother’s Day and wanted them to know how special they are to me and how much I respect and admire each and every one of them as women and for being the beautiful mothers that they are.

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY TO ALL

THE AMAZING MOTHERS

ENJOY & CELEBRATE!

Disclosure: I wanted to extend a special thank you to AVON for being such an amazing brand to work with and for allowing me to send out these wonderful gift bags to the special women in my life!

I don’t know about you, but I am always conflicted on Mother’s Day about how to best spend it: “Is this my day, a day of celebrating motherhood as I wish with my own family?” or “Is it it the day to focus on and celebrate my own mother?” Can you relate? It’s a tough choice no matter how you slice it. So this year, I came up with an inspired way to celebrate Mother’s Day with my mom and make it really special without impacting my special day thanks to Burke Williams!

During a recent visit to my local Burke Williams in Sherman Oaks, I noticed that they were offering a fabulous Mother/Daughter Special Package in honor of Mother’s Day and suddenly a light bulb went off in my head: I would invite my mom to come up from Palm Springs and share a special spa day with me at Burke Williams, a week before mother’s day (show mom a slice of my beauty bloggin’ life ) My mom was more than delighted by this special invitation!

Here’s what the Special Mother/Daughter Experience Gift Card includes:

• Both Mother & Daughter each receive a pampering Spa Pedicure
• Each also has her choice of  either a 50-minute Burke Williams Massage or Spa Style Facial with a peel
• Use of all spa facilities
• Relaxation and Mother/Daughter bonding time
• Cost: $275 (valued at $360) and a priceless experience together
• This special gift card package is available for purchase until Mother’s Day May 13, 2012, but you can use it whenever you would like at your convenience

Now, let me tell you all about the fabulous day I shared with my mom and why we have decided to make it an annual tradition! My mom was like a giddy school girl as we arrived at Burke Williams because we were spending this special time together and she hasn’t been to a spa in years

Upon arrival, we were greeted warmly and whisked back to the gorgeous, serene and relaxing Women’s Spa. I did note the pleasant music that was playing in the background as well as a calming signature scent (lavender with a hint of citrus I think) that they had wafting throughout the spa (I love when spa’s have this added touch because I really think it anchors the experience in your memory.) We immediately changed into our yummy & snuggly oversized robes

And we started our treatments right off the bat. We both opted for massages, although I decided to upgrade to the deep tissue massage because I carry so much tension in my neck and shoulders (computer work will do that to you) that a relaxing massage doesn’t do the trick. We both LOVED our male masseuses! My mom said her massage was perfect and sooooo relaxing and my masseuse (Michael) had the most amazing strong hands, he got into every one of my knots and went consistently deep enough to get rid of my tension (which is no easy task!) This was truly one of the best massages I have ever had, he had the perfect touch and it paved the way for an uber relaxing day. In all honesty, I usually have low expectations when it comes to spa massages and this one truly blew me away!

After we were kneaded into mush by our fab masseuses, my mom and I enjoyed some relaxing time in the jacuzzi, steam room and sauna. The Women’s spa is so clean (I noted that someone was always cleaning up the space in some way & I liked that) and beautiful we just loved it. I also noted and appreciated that there were attendants constantly on hand to attend to our every need. After we were steamed and relaxed, we headed to the quiet room for some further unwinding. My mom fell asleep and I was engrossed in Fifty Shades of Grey (steamy & FAB). I totally chilled out and read for about 45 minutes in the serene quiet room and my mom ordered a lovely lunch which they coordinated for her.

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Happy Valentine’s Day!! Have any fun plans tonight? I debated about going out, but on second thought opted to stay in with my boys, sip some fab bubbly and eat a home cooked meal. Much more relaxing and romantic for me. However, I did want to make sure my lips were smooch worthy for tonight’s kissing, so this AM I pulled out The Gift Set by Sara Happ to get my lips smooth and pucker worthy.

I am a long time fan of Sara Happ Lip Scrubs because they were created by a beauty junkie in pursuit of smooth lips. Sara’s scrubs are the perfect combination of sweet and gently exfoliating sugars, emollient oils and tasty flavors. They work instantly to get rid of flakes and dry skin and moisturize your parched pout.

Her newest Limited Edition Gift set contains a swoon worthy Black Velvet Cherry Lip Scrub and the cult fav Lip Slip. The Black Velvet Cherry Lip Scrub is a rich dark scrub that smells like a combo of cherry almond and vanilla, it tastes divine and it beautifully removes all traces of dry lips while at the same time infusing them with moisturizing oils. I LOVE this scrub and so do my lips! And Sara’s Lip Slip is a luxurious balm infused with sweet almond, jojoba and macadamia nut oils with a polymer blend that took 2 years to perfect. It has a wonderfully emollient texture which envelops the lips, hydrates and gives them a nice glossy shine with just a hint of shimmer. This dynamic duo will make your lips kissable soft and irresistible this Valentine’s Day!

The Gift Set by Sara Happ ($40) is available HERE

Disclosure: I was sent a sample of The Gift Set by Sara Happ for editorial consideration, but my opinions and kissably smooth lips are my own.