Mad About Mama Review and Giveaway: Pelle Beauty 5/08

As you all can probably tell by now, this mama loves her beauty products! I am an odd combination of Tom-Boy meets Girly-Girl. I can hang with the guys, crack jokes,  and get my hands dirty with the best of them. But at the end of the day, I love to unwind, relax, and pamper myself with products that make me feel beautiful. An essential part of beauty is skin care. No make-up is going to do its job to the best of its abilities if it's "painting" on a damaged canvas. And think about it: Your skin IS your canvas. It is the one thing that will be with you for the rest of your life, so you might as well take the best possible care of it. In recent years especially, women have become increasingly conscious of the way we treat our skin. For example, I use a high quality sun-screen year round to protect my skin from harmful UVA/UVB rays. (Yes, you can acquire irreparable skin damage in the winter!) I also opt to use self-tanners rather than slather on the tanning oil and bake myself in the sun. I tan beautifully and do not burn, but I know just how harmful tanning can be. Not only are there the dangers of melanoma, excessive sun exposure also causes premature aging and leathery skin. And what good is a tan if your skin looks like beef jerky?

Another thing that women have become increasingly aware of when it comes to skin care are the ingredients that go into the products they choose to buy. There are soooo many products out there claiming to have state of the art anti-aging skin protection, but have you LOOKED at the labels on these products? Chances are, they're chock full of ingredients you cannot even pronounce. And unless it's a scientific name used to classify a product, often used for common plant-derived ingredients, like Simmondsia chinensis (Jojoba) seed oil, chances are those ingredients are chemical-laden and are NOT providing ideal nourishment for your skin.

Your skin is a living, breathing organ. Yes, you read that correctly. Skin BREATHES. So many products contain harsh ingredients, like petroleum, mineral oils, chemicals, or parabens, that do not allow the skin to breathe. Who knew that something so commonly used in the products we buy everyday could actually be harmful to the skin? Well, breakthrough discoveries within the skin-care world have proven this to be the case. It DOES matter what we put on our skin, as what we use daily has an accumulative effect. So with so many options for skin care, how can we ensure that we're choosing the right kind of nourishment for our skin?

Allow me to introduce our next sponsor for my Mad About Mama event: Pelle Beauty. (FYI: Pelle is Italian for skin, and the beauty and culture of Italy is the inspiration for Pelle Beauty!) Pelle Beauty was created by Marnie Cipriani, who worked for 2 decades in the beauty industry as a make-up artist. Marnie is passionate about skin, and understands that if your skin glows, you glow, too. How is this achieved? Through creating products using less fillers and chemicals, and more naturally derived, quality ingredients. This is why Marnie created Pelle Beauty. She wanted to provide a line of products that provides the skin with the nourishment it craves, using natural essential oils and skin safe fragrances. All of Pelle Beauty's products are designed with YOU in mind. There are several options available that address different skin types and concerns. And all of these products contain pure and natural ingredients. As a matter of fact, Marnie at Pelle Beauty is so passionate about women being 100% aware of what we use on our skin, every product she creates has a full list of ingredients. I dare you to find anything harmful in any of Pelle Beauty's products. You won't be able to, because skin LOVES Pelle Beauty!

For my event, one lucky winner will receive 2 fabulous, best selling products from Pelle Beauty. One of those products is their Pelle Infusions. (Which I LOVE, by the way! It literally makes me feel like I just got pampered at a spa!) Here is Marnie Cipriani, founder of Pelle Beauty, talking about Pelle Infusions.

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I have to tell you ladies, I LOVE this product. I have been using it daily for a few weeks now, and I have noticed a definite improvement in the look and feel of my skin. I apply this after using the Pelle Clean Gentle Cleansing Gel.(I will talk about that in another review!) I began just using the Pelle Infusions Balancing Formula at night, as Marnie recommended, and I am now using it during the day as well. I have even used this as a buffer underneath a facial mask that was just a little bit too harsh. This product is made of wonderful and NATURAL, plant-based ingredients, such as Kukui, Babassu & Hazelnut oils to penetrate quickly, delivering vital nutrients and antioxidants that help moisturize and balance your complexion. It helps preserve natural moisture production and leaves the skin fortified, balanced, and incredibly soft. I even like the smell of this product. It has an herbal type smell that is very pleasant and soothing, more than likely because it contains lavender and sandalwood oils, as well as other essential oils that are very kind to the skin. And because this is a facial concentrate, a little goes a very long way. Just one pump is enough to apply to the face, throat, neck, and decollete  Doesn't that sound wonderful? Just think of how many chemical-laden products we, as women, put onto our faces to achieve these results. It's nice to know that there is a natural option available that is decadent feeling, luxurious, and effective.

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The other fabulous product my winner will receive is one of Pelle Beauty's nourishing lip balms. This is not your average lip balm! Most traditional lip balms are made primarily of wax that is then artificially sweetened and treated with synthetic fragrances, which can cause skin irritation. Pelle Beauty Lip Balms are different.They are emolliant, long-lasting, unsweetened, and are scented with essential oils. They are also vegan standard for those vegan ladies out there! At Pelle Beauty, they take great pride in the manufacturing of all of their products. These great lip balms are no exception! Each batch is hand mixed and poured. Their natural look is a result of the high quality ingredients they use. And they never, ever use synthetic or petroleum based ingredients in their lip balms. Formulated with a high content of raw cocoa butter and real essential oils, their scent is intoxicating. They’re one of the creamiest and dreamiest lip treatments around!  Never sticky or tacky; I am confident that you will be hooked! One will not be enough!  The lip balms come in three varieties – Mint, Vanilla & Mocha! I received a vanilla lip balm to review, and I am loving it. It is moisturizing without feeling sticky, and the smell is wonderful. It smells a lot like a natural vanilla bean! I use this lip balm daily, and even my husband has commented on how soft my lips are lately.

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I LOVE Pelle Beauty products, and I will have more reviews of their products in the future, because there are a couple others I would love to share with you. But right now, the focus is on these two amazing products. I am thrilled to say that one lucky follower will be receiving a Pelle Beauty Lip Balm AND Pelle Infusions! You're just going to love these products and how rejuvenated your skin will feel using them! Go check them out for yourself!

BUY IT:
You can purchase these and lots of other Pelle Beauty products on their website.
You can also learn more by visiting the Pelle Beauty blog.

WIN IT:
One super-lucky follower will win both of these incredible products! And I am excited to let you all know that Pelle Beauty is a proud, Canadian company, so this giveaway will be open for my Canadian friends, as well! I miss Canada...Especially Tim Horton's and Swiss Chalet!

Please enter by filling out this easy entry form. I love comments, and you are more than welcome to comment on this post with your thoughts, or just to remind yourself that you have entered. But please be advised, comments do not count as entries.

The giveaway will be open until 11:59PM EST on May 8, 2011. I will choose the winner using random.org and will announce here on my blog as well as contact the winner via e-mail. The winner will then have 48 hours to get back to me, or else I will have to re-draw. Good luck!

***Disclosure: I received complimentary products to facilitate my review. No other compensation was provided, and my opinions are 100% honest and have not been influenced in any way.***