Tag Archives: lotion

Jul22

Bath & Body Works July Freebie

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Bath & Body Works July Freebie

Hey everyone and TGIF! This month’s Bath & Body Works Freebie was a good one because the coupon was for a full sized product! This was very exciting for me because 1) Who doesn’t love free? And 2) A full sized product means lots of choices to pick from. I went with their Pretty as a Peach body cream which was a thirteen dollar value that I didn’t pay a penny for. Check out the adorable packaging for my new lotion steal and let’s discuss:

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My favorite fragrance when it comes to perfume is anything apple scented. However, my favorite scent when it comes to bath and body care is, hands down, peach! I live for the Vineyard Peach body butter from The Body Shop (In fact, I’m using it right now!), so when I saw a peach scent from B&BW that I didn’t even know existed, I was stoked. What I really like about peach scented products is that it’s the perfect combination of a sweet and fruity fragrance. Peach scented anything walks the fine line between too sweet for my preference and just right and I friggen love it for that.

Bath & Body Works’ Pretty as a Peach scent is dangerously close to crossing the line to something that I don’t care for. However, this was redeemed by the fact that Pretty as a Peach is a really unique take on a peach scented product. Instead of being solely peach scented, Pretty as a Peach has a lot of really interesting fruit and floral undertones. These include vanilla orchid, apple blossom, and jasmine.

Normally, I despise really floral-y fragrances. I like scents that are tart and have a little bit of bite to them so I am kind of shocked that I like my new lotion as much as I do because the floral undertones in it are really evident. I still really like the scent despite this because it smells like total and one hundred percent summer. It will be really nice to break this lotion out on a cold fall or winter day and be reminded of sweet summertime thanks to the juicy peach and fresh floral combination that is Pretty as a Peach.

If you are a fan of sweet, fruity, floral, or all three fragrances, then I definitely recommend this B&BW scent. Pretty as a Peach is a light and lovely fragrance that will keep you in a summertime spirit all year long. You can shop on Bath & Body Works’ website to check out Pretty as a Peach and all of their other fun and fabulous products!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works July Freebie! What is your favorite B&BW scent? What is your go to summer fragrance? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Jul4

Monday Update: June Finishes Edition

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Monday Update: June Finishes Edition

Hello everyone and happy Monday! With July now upon us, it’s time to talk about the beauty product empties that I had for the month of June! I was able to complete some products that I liked a lot and others that kind of sucked which balanced out to a great month for beauty product finishes. Take a look at my June Finishes:

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Would I Use It Again?

Why/Why Not?

Suave Body Wash: I absolutely love the scent of this shower gel. It’s floral-y and bright without being too overpowering and it lathers so well. It is the perfect fragrance to wake up to in the morning and I think it’s an overall excellent value. It took me about a month and a half to finish it.

Tone Body Wash: I would use this body wash again solely for the fact that it was only two dollars at my local discount store. The scent was very citrus-y which I liked but it didn’t lather anywhere near as well as the Suave body wash, for example. It took me about a month and a half to finish it.

Olay Cleanser: I would absolutely one hundred and fifty percent use this amazing cleanser again! Olay’s Bead Me Up cleanser has been hands down one of the best beauty products that I’ve used in months. You can read about it further by clicking the link that takes you to my review about it but just know that I enjoyed every single day of using it. It took me over four months to finish it, too – talk about a great value!

TBS Skin Boost: This product is one of my tried and true old faithfuls so of course I would use it again! Now if only the price for it would dwindle down some! It took me about three months to finish.

Nourish Organic Cleanser: I would never ever EVER use this cleanser again. You can read more about it in my review which I provided the link to but this was easily the worst beauty product that I have ever used. You could not pay me to ever use it again. It took me about two and a half months to finish this cleanser and every day that I used it was absolutely miserable.

VS Lotion: I liked the Deep Berry scent of this Victoria’s Secret lotion a lot, however, there was nothing special about the product and I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy it again. I finished this lotion in four uses.

Overall, June was a good month for finishes. I was left with only two products that I wouldn’t use again so I would definitely call that a success! I am also so happy that June was the month that I could finally finish the Nourish Organic cleanser. Yuck. -_-

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: June Finishes Edition! What beauty products did you have empties for this past month? What skin or body care products are you using now? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May28

May Finishes

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May Finishes

Hi everyone and happy weekend! Welcome to my May Finishes post where I let you know what I was thinking about my completed items for the month. Some were great and some I would never use again if you paid me! All in all, it was a pretty successful month of product finishes and I was left with a lot of items that I definitely want to use again. Take a look at my empties and then let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Them Again?

Why/Why Not?

Trader Joe’s Moisturizer: If you read my review for this product then you’ll know that I absolutely loved it. If you didn’t read my review for this product then know that I absolutely loved it. This moisturizer lasted me two months.

Suave Body Wash: I really like the Suave shower gels. They lather so well and they always smell amazing! This body wash lasted me close to a month and a half.

B&BW Fragrance: Of course I would use this again! I have three safely tucked away in my back stock as we speak! I love all things apple scented and this spray from Bath & Body Works is one of my all time favorites. This perfume lasted me about five to six months.

VS Lotion: I wasn’t a big fan of the Pear Glace lotion. The scent didn’t exactly win me over and there was nothing special about the lotion that made it different than anything else I’ve tried. I wouldn’t go out of the way to buy this again. I finished this bottle of lotion in two weeks.

Secret Deodorant: I got this product for testing purposes from Influenster and I would never have used it if it didn’t get sent to me. I don’t like stick deodorants and I didn’t like the scent that this antiperspirant had. It was much too floral-y and I hated that I could smell it during the day. From now on I will stick to my unscented Ban roll on deodorant, thank you very much. I finished this product in one month.

Beauty Bath Products: These items came from a gift set that my sister didn’t want that I figured I would take off her hands. I hate lavender scented anything but hey, free is free. The bubble bath didn’t lather at all, the bath salts did nothing, and the lotion didn’t move me. I finished the bubble bath and bath salts after three uses and the lotion after two.

Olay Mask: This mask was excellent, as my review for it mentioned! I would love to have another jar added to my skin care supplies like, yesterday. This mask lasted both my mom and I about two months.

Covergirl Mascara: The Flamed Out Mascara is one of my all time favorites. I need to restock this makeup item ASAP because I’ve been using it for years and don’t plan on stopping now! This mascara lasted me close to four months.

Overall, I was pleased with all of my empties this month, despite some obvious losers. I like being able to narrow down what I like and what I don’t so I never make the mistake of buying my least loved products again!

So there you have it, my May Finishes! What products were in your empties pile this month? Have you used any of the items that I mentioned above? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May11

Bath & Body Works May Freebie

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Bath & Body Works May Freebie

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Sorry I’ve been MIA these past couple of days, I’ve been uber busy and have had a little case of writer’s block so you weren’t missing out on much! As all of you guys know, I freakin live for my monthly, travel sized freebies from Bath & Body Works. In the past year or so, I’ve probably gotten close to one hundred dollars in free product thanks to these coupons. I always have so much fun picking out what lotion fragrance that I want for the month but this time around I decided to go for an old favorite, Love & Sunshine. Take a look at the sweet packaging and then let’s discuss:

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As part of my sister’s birthday gift last month, I added on a freebie set of my Love & Sunshine lotion and shower gel. It was awesome because it was an additional ten dollar gift that I didn’t spend a dime on but it also kind of sucked because it was my favorite scent that I had on back stock in my bath and body care hoard. The good news? My sister loved the Love & Sunshine scent. The bad news? I was without a Love & Sunshine lotion!

I spent my drive home from my boyfriend’s house yesterday morning debating on what lotion I should go with while running errands in the afternoon. I was at a crossroads between Warm Vanilla Brown Sugar and Love & Sunshine and I was simply beside myself on what to do. And then I remembered the painstaking moment when I plucked the L&S lotion and gel from my hoard last month and placed it in my sister’s gift bag and knew that Love & Sunshine was the way to go.

I can’t get enough of the fruit and floral fragrance that Love & Sunshine has to offer. The sweetness of the daisy scent is counterbalanced by tart lemon and strawberries which creates a scent perfect for summertime! I plan on taking my freebie with me while my family vacations in North Carolina next month as my fun in the sun fragrance. Can’t wait!

So there you have it, my May Bath & Body Works Freebie! What is your favorite scent from B&BW? What is your go to scent for summer? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

May5

May TJs Trip

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May TJs Trip

Heyy everyone and happy Thursday! I hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far. Okay, I swear this is my last time posting about shopping trips to TJMaxx for a while (until June, anyways!) but this time my mom and I really couldn’t help ourselves! It was a dreary weekend night and we both had errands to run in a shopping area that had a TJs so we figured that we might as well stop in to take a look around. Our “looking around” resulted in a haul of more wonderful products from The Body Shop, a new shirt for me, and a new top and workout apparel for my mom. I’ll post pics of my recent clothing purchases later on in the week but for now, check out the latest goodies that we snagged fresh from TBS:

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The Haul:

  • Jumbo Pink Grapefruit shower gel
  • Virgin Mojito body butter
  • Jumbo Strawberry body butter
  • Jumbo Olive body butter
  • Jumbo Moringa body butter

We Spent: Less than fifty dollars

In store Value: OVER $120!!!!

Okay, so I know it looks bad but I promise it wasn’t that bad! The Virgin Mojito body butter was for my sister and the Olive butter was for my dad to match the jumbo shower gel that we got him a few weeks ago. There was only one Strawberry butter there which was a must for me because I freaking love that scent. There was also only one left of the Pink Grapefruit gel which my mom just had to get to match the jumbo butter from the last haul.

The Moringa butter was a scent that we were both shocked that we liked as much as we did. When I worked at TBS, Moringa was the “it” fragrance. Young girls, teenagers, and adults alike all flooded in to snag the Moringa butters, gels, and lotions. Because it was all Moringa everything during my time at The Body Shop I naturally couldn’t stand the scent since I was surrounded by it daily. But after I took a smell of the butter after years of not working there, the strangest thing happened…I kind of liked it! My mom loved the scent, too, so into our shopping cart it went.

Thanks to TJMaxx we are now overflowing with products from The Body Shop at home that are seriously going to last us for the year. After I finish the lotion that I’m currently using from Victoria’s Secret, I plan on breaking out my Vineyard Peach body butter from a previous TJs trip which will be perfect to welcome the warm summer weather with! I also can’t wait to use my Cocoa Butter which is another one of my classic TBS favorites! Next time you make a trip to TJs or Marshall’s, do make sure that you check out their bath and body care section because you never know what good stuff you’re going to find!

So there you have it, my May TJs Trip! As always, it’s a wonderful time going out and spending time with my beloved madre and I can’t wait to do it again next month! Where are my religious TJMaxx shoppers at? What is the latest item that you scored from there? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr30

April Finishes

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April Finishes

Hi everyone and happy weekend! The end of the month brings us to another post about all of the beauty products that I used up in April. I emptied out a solid amount of lotions, skin care, and makeup so take a look at my finishes and then let’s discuss:

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Would I Use Them Again?

  • St. Ives Nourish & Smooth Body Wash: YES
  • Victoria’s Secret Rockin’ Body Cream: NO
  • Bath & Body Works Vanilla Brown Sugar Shimmer Cream: NO
  • The Body Shop Vitamin C Skin Boost: YES
  • Garnier Makeup Removing Cleanser: NO
  • The Body Shop Mango Whip Lotion: NO
  • Maybelline Falsies Pushup Drama Mascara: NO

Why/Why Not?

St. Ives Body Wash: St. Ives is one of my all time favorite skin care brands and I love everything from their scrubs to their body washes. The jumbo sized body wash bottle is a great value and it leaves you feeling clean and hydrated after every use. It took me about a month and a half to finish this body wash.

VS Cream: This month, I tried to finish up all of the shimmer lotions that my sister left behind when she moved to her apartment. I would never use this product again simply because I despise shimmer lotions and this particular VS cream didn’t do the best job of moisturizing, either. It also didn’t make me look 5X Sexier, as the marketing claimed. 😦

B&BW Cream: Same goes for this Bath & Body works number. I love the Vanilla Brown Sugar scent, I hate the cup full of glitter that they dumped into the bottle.

TBS Skin Boost: This is my old faithful serum that I’ve been using for years. I am trying to find a less expensive serum but until I find just the right one, I’ll be sticking with this bad boy.

Garnier Cleanser: This was one of the worst cleansers that I’ve ever used. You can read my full review here but if not, just know that I hate it.

TBS Lotion: As I’ve mentioned countless times, I love all of the bath and body care products from The Body Shop. However, I can’t stand their Mango scent. It seriously smells like rotten fruit to me and I was so happy to finally be done with it because it took me for friggen ever to finish.

Maybelline Mascara: I read so many reviews on how amazing this mascara was but I just wasn’t a fan. The Falsies Pushup Drama Mascara was so clumpy that I had to rake through my lashes after I applied it to get them separated. I was thrilled when I finished this number and am currently using Covergirl’s special edition Star Wars mascara and loving it!

Unfortunately, I wasn’t too successful as far as liking all of my finished products go this month. But that’s okay, because I still have an entire under the sink cabinet filled with beauty products to try during the month of May. As of now, I’m using Victoria’s Secret’s Pear Glace lotion, a cocoa butter body wash from Suave, a shameful cleanser from Nourish Organic, and a fabulous exfoliator from Olay. I can’t wait to give some new products a try and kick the finished ones to the curb so be sure to join me next month so we can discuss what I finished in May!

So there you have it, my April Finishes! Has anyone used any of the products that I emptied this month? What did you think of them? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr20

TJMaxx Trip

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TJMaxx Trip

Hi everyone and happy Hump Day! Over the weekend my mom and I had our monthly TJMaxx Trip and returned home with a huge bath and body care haul. Let’s be honest, when you’re out shopping, sometimes it’s much easier to just browse through the things that you don’t have to try on. My mom and I were both feeling ambivalent about clothes shopping so when we stumbled upon the shelf of marked down bath and body care goods, we just couldn’t tear ourselves away. Take a look at some of our new goodies:

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The Haul:

  • Pure & Basic Creme Brulee scented lotion: $6
  • The Body Shop Honeymania shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Argon Oil shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Olive shower gel: $8
  • The Body Shop Pink Grapefruit jumbo body butter: $10
  • The Body Shop Smoky Poppy body butter: $4.50

In Store Value:

  • Approximately $130!!!!

For less than fifty dollars at TJs, my mom and I scored a major haul full of goodies from The Body Shop. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: I love the bath and body care goods from TBS. However, I would never ever pay thirty dollars for a jumbo sized body butter. Or twenty bucks for their mega shower gel. It all just seems so ridiculous to me. I do use their skin care products, which I am willing to shell out the cash for. But to pay so much for lotions and body wash seems like pure insanity. Having said that, I have absolutely no problem buying them super marked down at TJs…Obviously.

The great thing about this TJs haul is that it gave me the opportunity to try new TBS scents. The only product that we got that I’ve used before was the Pink Grapefruit butter so I’m looking forward to giving the Smoky Poppy, Honeymania, and Argon Oil a go. The Olive scent is a good fragrance for men so we got that shower gel to spoil my dad and brother a little! I also can’t wait to try out the super delicious smelling Creme Brulee lotion from Pure & Basic. It seriously smells like a rich vanilla and caramel cake so I’m kind of obsessed!

When you’re in a slump and don’t feel like clothes shopping you literally can’t go wrong with browsing the shoes, bath and body care, and home goods sections of TJMaxx. My mom and I walked away with new towels, makeup, shower gels, lotions, and a new pot and bird feeder for our garden. Our April TJMaxx Trip was an obvious success and I can’t wait to do it again in May!

So there you have it, my latest TJMaxx Trip! What is the best item that you’ve scored at a discount store? What was one of your favorite finds at TJMaxx? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Apr4

Monday Update: Beauty Blogger Tag Edition

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Monday Update: Beauty Blogger Tag Edition

Hi everyone and happy Monday! I hope all of you had a fabulous weekend! I’m so flattered by all of the awards that lifewithlilred has been nominated for in the past week and this latest tag is no exception. I was so excited when my friend, Aurora, over at hlauroremode nominated me for the Beauty Blogger Tag because I’ve never been before! Every time I see this tag on other posts I get green with envy and wonder when it’s going to be my turn so today’s post is such a treat! Thank you so much for the nomination, Aurora! Everyone please be sure to give her page some loving, too! Now let’s check out the rules for the Beauty Blogger Tag:

The Rules:

  • Tag the blogger that nominated you.
  • Answer the questions you were given.
  • Nominate 10 other beauty blogs of your choice.
  • Choose 10 questions for your nominees to answer.
  • Inform your chosen bloggers that you nominated them.

Q & A:

What is your beauty routine?

I use a cream cleanser and an exfoliater every morning and then use an eye cream, a moisturizer, and a serum afterwards. Once I get my skin ready for the day, I apply my makeup and then straighten my hair with the assistance of Fiji oil.

How often do you exercise?

Never. Unless eating pizza counts.

Do you organize your makeup and nail polish?

I wouldn’t necessarily call my makeup organized but I do know where everything I need is in my bathroom cabinet. I actually don’t really wear nail polish so keeping them organized is never a problem for me since I only wear black polish on occasion!

Can you go out without wearing makeup?

Yep! It took me a long time to be comfortable and confident enough to be able to do it but now I go out makeup free all the time. In fact, I went shopping without my makeup on just last night!

How long does it take to put on your makeup?

It used to take me such a long time to do my makeup but now I’d say that my morning routine (shower, prepping my skin, makeup, hair) takes about forty-five minutes.

How often do you wash your makeup brushes?

Oh jeez, never. That’s something that I definitely need to be better at!

What is your favorite store to buy clothes at?

I love H&M as well as the occasional splurge at Express and American Eagle Outfitters.

How do you keep your skin soft?

At least three or four times out of the week I apply lotion from my hoard all over before bed. I like putting it on before I hit the hay because I know that it’s going to do its thing all night and then I can get the residue and scent washed away in the morning.

What motivates you?

People who are successful because they did things their own way.

What is your “smell good” routine?

That’s an easy one! My Country Apple spray from Bath & Body Works. I LOVE apple fragrances and originally I was using Victoria’s Secret’s Enchanted Apple. Unfortunately, that scent was discontinued so when I found B&BW’s Country Apple during one of their big sales, I stocked up! I seriously don’t know what I’m going to do if they ever stop making that scent because I was legitimately devastated when VS no longer carried their Enchanted Apple.

My Nominees (I’m only doing three):

My Questions For You:

  1. How old were you when you learned how to put on makeup?
  2. Did anyone teach you how to apply makeup or were you self taught?
  3. What is one beauty product that you can’t live without?
  4. What is your favorite beauty product to splurge on?
  5. Favorite fragrance?
  6. Have you used a beauty product recently that didn’t live up to your expectations?
  7. Would you rather not wear makeup for a month or wear the same outfit for a week?
  8. What brand of makeup do you use the most?
  9. What is your favorite beauty or fashion trend for spring?
  10. What is your favorite lipstick or gloss shade?

So there you have it, this week’s Monday Update: Beauty Blogger Tag Edition! Thank you so much again to Aurora at hlauroremode for the nomination! How would you answer some of the questions that Aurora asked her nominees? What about the questions that I asked mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar29

March Finishes

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March Finishes

Hey everyone and happy Tuesday! First of all, I hope someone gets the There Will Be Blood reference in my featured image photo. No one? Okay, moving on. As you guys might have seen in a previous Monday Update, I have quite a substantial stockpile of lotions, perfume, and body wash that I’m working diligently on dwindling down. This month, I finished a solid amount of lotion which I’m really happy about! Take a look at my empties from March and then let’s discuss:

finish

^^^ Woohoo!

I admit that I’m not the biggest lotion fan in the world but this month I have definitely noticed that my skin feels a lot softer. My stretch marks (everyone has them) also seem to be less prominent, too, which is a nice bonus. As I mentioned before, a lot of the items in my hoard were either gifts, freebies, or dirt cheap so there are quite a few products in my stash that I wouldn’t use again upon completion. However, there were some items in my March Finishes that I would totally reuse if I had the opportunity. Check out how this month’s finishes fared and find out what products I would want to restock my stash with:

  • The Body Shop’s Amazonian Rain Lily lotion: NO
  • I Love… Strawberries & Milkshake shower gel: YES
  • Bodycology lotions: NO
  • LilaGrace Honey Almond lotion: YES

The Body Shop: I actually really like the Amazonian Rain Lily fragrance from TBS. I have two bottles of the perfume and am a big fan. But in lotion form, this scent was way too potent and I was very eager to finish the bottle. I really don’t care for lotions of fragrances so I’m so happy to be done with it.

I Love…: I wrote about this shower gel before and I like it a lot. I think the scent of it is really nice and the strawberry seeds thrown into the gel are an awesome touch. And you also can’t beat two dollars a bottle at the nearby discount store in my neck of the woods!

Bodycology: These little lotion tubes were a gift and they weren’t bad but they didn’t blow me away, either. Their scents were just a little off and I wouldn’t go out of my way to find and purchase them. I also think the name of the brand is insanely ridiculous!

LilaGrace: This lotion was actually my favorite finish this month and I would totally buy it again if I knew where it came from. My best friend gave this to me for Christmas and it’s just delightful. The scent is so light and subtle and the lotion absorbs quickly which is a must for me. I really enjoyed using this lotion and my only regret is that I didn’t have a bigger bottle of it!

My lotion testing journey as I try to clear away some of my bath and body care hoard has been a lot of fun so far. It’s a treat to get to try new products and my skin is definitely thanking me for it. Next month I know there will be a few makeup empties, as well, so I’m looking forward to breaking out some new makeup products and to continue picking away at the rest of my stash!

So there you have it, my March Finishes! Has anyone used any of the products that I had empties of this month? Does anyone have a beauty stash similar to mine? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah

Mar22

Bath & Body Works March Freebie

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Bath & Body Works March Freebie

Howdy everyone and happy Tuesday! As all of you know, I live for my monthly freebie from Bath & Body Works. Thanks to their coupons that I receive like clockwork each month, I get to select another goodie to add to my stock pile (which was featured on yesterday’s post!). Usually, I pick out a travel sized lotion for my monthly treat – but this time, I decided to switch things up. My trip to Bath & Body Works resulted in a shower gel this time, so take a look at my selection and then let’s discuss:

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As you can see, I went with the Love & Sunshine shower gel this time around. Why the sudden switch up? Well, I already have the Love & Sunshine lotion so I decided to grab the matching body wash. My sister’s birthday is coming up soon and I thought that a shower gel and lotion set would be a nice little addition to her many presents that I selected. The lotion just doesn’t seem complete without its travel size shower gel counterpart!

I was going in blind to my most recent visit to B&BW – nose blind, that is. I snagged my freebie right in the midst of one of the worst colds of my life and I couldn’t smell anything. I couldn’t even smell the lotions that I already had stockpiled to determine which gel I should get to match. I remembered really liking the floral and slightly fruity Love & Sunshine, though, so I figured that it would be a safe bet to go with. I’ve never used the shower gel from B&BW but I can imagine that it’s really nice, as far as gels go!

My sister isn’t huge on Bath & Body Works products but a travel size gel and lotion set seems just right to counter her ambivalence. I plan on tying the two products together with a bow and tossing it into one of her gifts from her fabulous little sister! A ten dollar add on to her presents and it didn’t cost me a penny. Thanks, B&BW!

So there you have it, my Bath & Body Works March Freebie! What store gives away the best coupons or freebies? Have you shopped any great sales lately? I want to hear from all of you, so leave me a comment and let’s chat! Much love. -Sarah