Neutrogena® Norwegian Formula Hand Cream Review

Disclosure: This is a compensated campaign in collaboration with Neutrogena® Norwegian Formula® and Latina Bloggers Connect.  All opinions are my own.

Fall and winter are two of my favorite seasons, primarily because of the seasonal attire.  No surprise there!  But, one of the things I dislike is the fact that my hands get super dry.  So dry sometimes that they crack!  It’s the worst.  I had been on the hunt for a decent hand cream, and therefore was pleased when I was selected to participate in the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream challenge.

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I was asked to try the lotion for 7 days.  I was not asked to note anything in particular, but simply to share my experience with you.  That seemed reasonable enough.  So here’s what I thought.

I love it.  Let me count the reasons why:Norweigian Formula Hand Cream

1.  It’s a light formula, so it spreads nicely and absorbs quickly.

2.  It doesn’t feel oily.  It sort of does at first, but soon there after, absorbs into the skin and the oiliness disappears.  I would say this takes no longer than 10 minutes.

3.  It smells nice!  Not like medication or overly scented.  It just sort of smells…clean and fresh!

4.  It works!  My hands were getting so dry.  It was awful.  Skin that resembles sand paper in texture is not attractive.  Thankfully, after my 7 day trial period, I no longer qualify to work on a construction site. 😀  I would say it took 3-4 days for me to notice a difference.  The formula was originally developed in Norway for Artic fishermen who needed to protect their hands from the cold and harsh weather they face on the job!  Thankfully, it has since been adapted for mass production and nicely packaged for our use.

Finally, I love that it’s relatively affordable, especially considering it’s effectiveness – only $4.99 for a 2.0 oz tube.  Notice the size is perfect for travel as well!  You can find it nationwide at food, drug and mass merchandisers.

Here are some additional factoids about this awesome hand cream:

  • It helps repair skin’s natural moisture barrier to keep hands, and especially cuticles,
    softer and smoother, longer
  • It eliminates 7 signs of damage – dryness, chapping, cracking, split nails, dry cuticles, scaliness, roughness
  • It’s long-lasting formula is clinically proven to heal dry hands
  • It noticeably improves the look and feel of your skin
  • It’s available in scented and fragrance free formulas
  • It provides effective relief that lasts up to 17 hours
  • The formula has been around since 1972!

Let me know if you have used the Neutrogena Norwegian Formula hand cream or if you decide to try it for the first time, give the 7-day challenge a try and comment below with your experience.  I’d love to hear about it.  Finally, don’t forget to check out my daily outfit posts on Instagram, sources for outfit inspiration on Pinterest, and latest musings and retweets on Twitter.

Until next time!  Stay Chic!

Thrifty Thursday’s – Calypso St. Barth’s Friends and Family Sale

There’s a great sale going on at Calypso St. Barth, so I just had to share it with you!  It began yesterday, October 22nd, but will run through Sunday, October 26th so there is still plenty of time to shop! 🙂  I was actually at Calypso St. Barth for the launch of the Friends and Family sale last night, offering styling tips and helping pick out pieces for the fall.  It was so much fun!  So, I thought I would do the same for you in this post. But first, let me tell you about my outfit of the night (aka #ootn).  I wore a pair of Calypso St. Barth sequin pants (currently on sale!) that I purchased a while back for next to nothing during another one of their sales:

IMG_20141022_175105Outfit details: Calypso St. Barth Sequin Pants (here) // Altuzarra for Target jacket (here) // Paris Hilton Heels (similar here) // Vintage Gold Clutch (similar here) // Forever 21 Bracelet (similar here) // Kendra Scott Earrings (here).  Photo: Hubby.

In Birmingham, the launch of the Friends and Family sale also coincided with the Shop and Share event, hosted by the Junior League of Birmingham, with social media coverage by B-Metro magazine. IMG_3095Here I am with Heather of My Life Well Loved and Buffy York of The Style Gathering at the B-Metro Magazine step and repeat who were live-blogging during the Junior League of Birmingham’s Shop and Save event.  Photo: Buffy York.

I’ve shared my love for Calypso St. Barth with you all previously, and also mentioned how pricey the store can be.  I believe I also mentioned how amazing their sales can be too, though!  There are some fantastic items on sale now in stores, but also many that can be found online.  One of the things I like to do when shopping sales is to plan ahead and shop for the following year.  So, for example, there are some amazing summer items for sale at Calypso St Barth right now.  They are incredibly affordable after the Friends and Family, 25% off discount.  To save you some time, I’ve curated some outfit ideas for you!  Take a look at some of the “looks” I styled for you at three different price points:

1. Beach attire – Summer 2015: All under $30 before 25% off discount.

Calypso St. Barth - Summer 2015

Calypso St Barth cover up swimwear / Calypso St Barth tankini top / Calypso St Barth bandeau top / Calypso St Barth clothing / Tkees flip flops / Assorted TKEES Flip Flops | Calypso St. Barth

2.  The Cookout – Summer 2015 – All under $50 before 25% off discount.
Calypso - Summer Cookout

AG Adriano Goldschmied shorts / Leather sandals / Flora Bella woven purse / Vintage necklace / Isabel V-Neck Linen Tee | Calypso St. Barth

 
3.  Dinner Date – Summer 2015All under S100 before 25% off discount.
Dinner Date - Summer 2015

Calypso St Barth wrap dress / Summer sandals / Crossbody purse / Morra Designs dangle earrings / Element Dangle Necklace | Calypso St. Barth

Don’t you just want it all?!  If you want a personal shopping experience, feel free to contact my friend and Calypso St. Barth store manager, Brittany Jones (205.262.2996) at the Summit in Birmingham, AL.  She can order everything for you (personal shopper you say??) and have it shipped to you anywhere in the US!
Otherwise, feel free to order on your own, online, using promo code FRIENDS14.  Let me know if you end up getting anything from the sale!  I’d love to hear about your bargain finds!!  Finally, for those of you wondering, the winner of the denim giveaway was announced on Instagram two weeks ago.  Congratulations to Nancy Wander!!
Until next time!  Stay Chic!

Thirfty Thursday’s – Sleeveless Tuxedo Dress DIY

This week, I got a little creative and crafty!  As you may recall, my friend Natasha from Baby T’s Fashion Diaries and I have joined forces for a two-part thrifting series.  Last week’s post was a huge success and many of you have mentioned that you were inspired to go thrift shopping as well!  I’m so glad that the post was inspiring.  Hopefully today’s will be as well. 🙂

This week, Natasha and I decided to take a thifted item and ‘repurpose’ it.  Make it work, as Tim Gunn from Project Runway would say.  So we did!  Take a look at what we did below:

Part 1:  The Inspiration – I’ve really wanted a sleeveless tuxedo dress for a while now. When I saw this Neil Barrett Tuxedo dress on Intermix.com for $1495 I knew I had to find a more affordable version of this dress.  So, when Natasha and I agreed to write this blog post together, I knew exactly what item I was going to repurpose!

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                    Neil Barrett Tuxedo Dress, $1495 (Intermix.com)

Part 2: The Thrifted Item – A men’s tuxedo style blazer/jacket.  I went straight to the men’s section of the thrift store (after all, I really only had a few minutes to shop with 2 kids in tow), and picked one that would be long enough to wear as a dress and didn’t have any holes or stains, etc.  Ten minutes and $6 later, I was the proud owner of this jacket:

$6 men's jacket from the Salvation Army

Part 3: The Sleeveless Tuxedo Dress:  Remove sleeves and sew extra material into inside of jacket and voila!  A sleeveless tuxedo dress!  I paired it with a Zara ruched sleeved top for work and added a Victoria’s Secret lace slip (which I scored for $4 at their recent Semi-Annual Sale) underneath to add length, but otherwise, also great to wear alone with a pair of shooties, like the ones I’m wearing here from Ann Taylor!

pic front pic side clear

Intermix vs Thrifted DIY

So, what do you think??  Let me know if you would like me provide specific details about the repurposing process and I’ll post a tutorial!

Otherwise, take a look at what Natasha found and did with her thifted item this week!  I love how she repurposed her skirt to make it into a more youthful-looking skirt!

Midi skirt to above the knee full skirt!Doesn’t she just look darling?!  A full-lenth midi skirt hemmed to show off her fabulous gams.  Love!  Read more about her process on Baby T’s Fashion Diaries!

Finally, let me know if you’re enjoying these thrifting posts in the comments section below.  Maybe this thrifting thing can be a weekly thing from now on. 🙂

Until next time!  Stay Chic!!