Kalis Skincare products (with 20% discount code)

I had the opportunity to try out a few potions from a British company headed by an Italian scientist/formulist. The products reviewed here were given to me in exchange for a review. You, dear readers, can get the promotion code for a 20% discount, should you decide to order from Kalis Skincare. Read on.

First I checked out the company's website. I noticed that the company emphasizes the use of natural ingredients, but admits to using small amounts of chemicals for functionality.  The site also states it has no genetically engineered ingredients, and that it uses plant oils rather than mineral oils. Animals are not used in testing, certain carcinogens are not used, and packaging is minimal. Finally, if you're in the UK, you don't have to pay extra for shipping.

1. The Rose of Damascus cream, which I tested on my face and neck for a couple of weeks, was the first to go under the thumbs (or on the skin, as the case may be). My kids adore the smell, as do I -- rosy but not overpowering. Very moist but not heavy, which is much desired in my dry climate. There is no sunscreen in it, so SPF protection would require a second product

Here is the list of ingredients --click to embiggen. ($37.83 for 50 ml)

2. At the same time I tested the Rose cream on my face, I tested the Chestnut and Seaweed Toning Cream on my body. The website says that chestnut is an antioxidant, that caffeine can repair some skin damage (20 years of sunbathing is coming home to roost), and that carnosine (carnitine on the label -- I assume they are the same ingredient) can help combat wrinkles. The cream has an earthy smell, and it makes my limbs and body feel steeped in moisture. $40.92 for 200 ml. Label:

3. After the first trial period I got to the second string of products. I selected Superfood Plant Extract Emulsion, chosen because it claims to nourish the skin and prevent wrinkles (notice a theme?) Smells fine and  has pomegranate in it, a known antioxidant. $32.42 for 50 ml. Label:

4. Lastly, I tested the Night Night Face and Body Cream. Because, as you may have guessed, I HAVE DRY SKIN. Like the other potions, it smells good (thanks to the chamomile and marigold) and goes on luxuriously smooth, hydrating my skin. My husband actually commented on how soft my skin was the first time I used it! It's heavier (but not greasy) and best used at night. This formulation, like the others, seems to leave my skin better than it was prior to use. $40.92 for 200 ml. Label:

Number 3 was fine -- not bad but not spectacular. I give thumbs up for Numbers 1, 2, and 4, though. Such ratings speak well for the likelihood that you'll appreciate the rest of Kalis' products, even if your skin and climate aren't as dry as mine.

Should you wish to order these creams or any of the others formulations at Kalis-Skincare, you're in luck.  From now through March 31, 2012, you can get 20% off your order by using the code "ALLTHUMBS" at checkout.

Happy holidays to YOU and your skin.

I was sent samples of these products at no cost to me in exchange for an honest review.

-- Submitted by Lori

goodnessKnows® Luscious Snackbars Giveaway

While I'm not able to personally review these healthy snack items due to a lifelong nut allergy, I can tell you that my husband and kids snarfed down goodnessKnows® Luscious Snackbars with particular zest.

I recently attended a luncheon sponsored by goodnessKnows® and Belly Bliss in Cherry Creek and which featured Trista Sutton from The Bachelorette.The topic was how busy moms can provide easy and nutritious snacks for ourselves and our families.

goodnessKnows® bars have only a handful of ingredients in them, each one easily pronounecable (always a plus in my book). The snacks come in come in 3 flavors:

• Almonds & Berries
• Very Cranberry
• Fruity Nuts & Grains

Denver is the first (and currently only) market in which goodnessKnows® snackbars were available, and until they are rolled out in your market, they'll be hard to come by. But enter below to win a giveaway basket that includes bars in all three flavors. US residents only, please.

Enter with a comment below stating which of the ingredients pictured at the top of this page really whets your whistle. Make sure that I am able to reach you by email should you win. Enter by September 30 and I'll announce the randomly selected winner here shortly thereafter. And while it's not required to enter, consider following goodnessKnows® on Facebook and Twitter while you're there.

Thanks to goodnessKnows® for providing and fulfilling the giveaway package.

-- submitted by Lori

Geochick, you win! Check your email! And thanks, everyone, for reading and entering.

Giveaway: Stonyfield yogurt & The Unhealthy Truth

Check out my review of Robyn O'Brien's ideas in The Unhealthy Truth over on my main blog, Write Mind Open Heart.

You may enter the giveaway here. Stonyfield Yogurt is offering one winner, selected randomly, a package that includes:

• The Unhealthy Truth 
• The Stonyfield Yogurt Cookbook
• 5 coupons for Stonyfield Oikos Greek yogurt
• 5 coupons for Stonyfield YoBaby yogurt

Enter by September 30, 2011 by telling one way you'd like to eat more healthfully or feed your loved-ones more healthfully. US/Canada residents only.

Wishing you a Fall of healthier eating!

-- Submitted by Lori

Betsy, you were selected by random.org and you win the gift package. Check your email!

Shabby Apple dress: So much potential

Remember in my last post when I said some reviews were easier to do than others? Well this one is the counter-balance to that one. (You HAVE entered the giveaway for $50 in OmShanti clothing, haven't you?)

A year ago, ShabbyApple.com approached me to do a review and offered me to select one from a menu of dresses.  All were good-looking and some suited me better than others did. In browsing the site, I really like this feature, in which you can shop by body type.

I eventually went off the menu I was given and selected this dress, The Madison (listed at $76), which, I see now has been featured in O Magazine. Now it can add AllThumbsReviews to its already impressive resume.

Cute, huh? At the time I was, perhaps, influenced by watching Mad Men Season 1 from the library. I fell in love with this dress on the page.

But not so much out of the box.

Let's just say I should have paid more attention to the reviews. (The buttons on the sleeves are a bit weird in their placement, and I put the dress on and it's fit is really really bad. It looks like a bag. To be fair, there are positive reviews, too.)

When I tried on the dress, the chest was too tight (that never happens to me!) and the waist was too loose. I told my Shabby Apple contact that I wouldn't be able to review the dress unless I had it altered, and I offered to send it back. She indicated she'd wait for me to have the dress altered and then I should provide a review.

$41 later, I have a striking dress that looks WONDERFUL on a hanger. I do get compliments on it when I wear it -- maybe because I have matching earrings -- but the fit is still off. You be the judge.

Above the bust it poofs. At the bust it puckers. At the waist it's just blah. The arms are tight and the fabric just doesn't lay right. From the hips down it looks downright matronly, don't you think?

Other than all that it's a cute dress.

But not one I can raise my thumbs for.

-- Submitted by Lori