Giveaway: Beauty Without Cruelty $50 ARV {6.1; US}

This is a joint giveaway with True Confessions of a Real Mommy and Natural Parents Network.
You may enter at one site only. Please find the section marked "Win it!" for the mandatory entry and optional bonus entries.

Reviewer received a free sample for review purposes, and consideration was given to NPN
for hosting the review/giveaway. Links may be affiliate links.

Beauty Without Cruelty is offering our readers a giveaway of $50 worth of
their products.

For over 40 years BWC has been a company with a mission of ethical, cruelty-free
products that are made with natural, safe ingredients. All BWC color cosmetics are
suitable for vegetarians and vegans and are fragrance-free. Their nail colors are free of
toluene, formaldehyde, and pthalates.

If you win, you'll have yours for the choosing, $50 to spend at www.beautywithoutcruelty.com.



From our reviewer, Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy:

I don't use a lot of beauty products. I am generally a no 'poo, no makeup, just go with
the bright hair kinda gal. But a friend sent me just a sample of Beauty Without Cruelty,
and I wanted to know more. Luckily, the opportunity arose to really check out the
products and company when they sent me items for review.

In 1963, Beauty Without Cruelty was founded in England by the trustees of BWC Charitable
Trust, an animal welfare organization. Its goal was to manufacture and distribute
natural, color cosmetics that were NOT tested on animals and did NOT contain any animal
ingredients.

I chose to try Beauty Without Cruelty Aromatherapy Hair Care Moisture Plus Shampoo, BWC
Aromatherapy Hair Care Moisture Plus Conditioner, BWC Aromatherapy Skin Care Herbal
Cream Facial Cleanser, and BWC Attitude Nail Colors in Summer Sky.

BWC Aromatherapy Hair Care

To start, I love how well the shampoo and conditioner deal with my poorly (over)treated
hair. I have a penchant for abusing it with bleach and bright dyes that look fun but
really fry my hair. BWC Aromatherapy Hair Care Moisture Plus Shampoo and
Conditioner were excellent in putting moisture back in, leaving it so soft, with less
frizz and fuzz. I even think it may help keep the color bright. The only downside to the
product is I wasn't big on the scent. It reminded me of that old baby lotion. Just not my
thing. But, I do know their Lavender Highland and Rosemary Mint Tea Tree versions smell
wonderful. With S.L.S.-, paraben-, animal-product-free ingredients, as well as no
synthetic fragrances, it seems like a better alternative to typical products when I do
choose to wash my hair.

BWC Aromatherapy Skin Care

I was a little wary of trying a facial cleanser. I have NEVER been good at regular face
washing, and I have always had a problem with reacting when I tried a new one, but
everyone keeps saying it is crucial to keeping a young-looking face. So, I gave it a
shot. It was smooth, creamy, smelled nice, was gluten-free, and my face felt amazing
after using it. I followed the instructions to apply with my fingertips with some
concern: it seemed too creamy to wash without some exfoliant. No need to worry, my face
felt fresh and clean. No oily residue. I can't say it has helped my recurring blemishes
any, but no major breakouts.

BWC Attitude Nail Colors

The Attitude Nail Colors in Summer Sky was just a bit of fun for me, and my children. I don't often take the time to do the mani/pedi thing. (Really, I still have remnants from last summer's pedi. Shhh!) But I thought it would be nice to make some time. That didn't happen, of course.

My 3-year-old loves getting his nails painted. Have you painted a 3-year-old's nails? They can't sit still! And then my 15-month-old wanted in on it (just her toes), and I thought we were in trouble. Not to worry! The Attitude Nail Colors in Summer Sky went on
easily, dried FAST, and one coat was enough (though I did a second coat on some of mine). The paint did chip after a day or two, even though they call it "Chip Proof," but I have never had any nail polish last longer than that. Because it was toluene-,
phthalate-, formaldehyde-, and GLUTEN-free, I was less worried about using it on them than traditional polishes.

The short of it: great stuff. Responsible practices, reputable company, and some great
scents and colors. I would (and do) purchase from Beauty Without Cruelty.

BUY IT!

You can purchase your own vegan beauty supplies
at Beauty Without Cruelty.

And just for Natural Parents Network and True Confessions of a Real
Mommy readers, Beauty Without Cruelty is giving a
20% discount on all orders from now through June 15, 2013.
Enter code CMBNCXRB during the ordering
process.

WIN IT!

For your own chance to win a $50 credit from Beauty
Without Cruelty, enter by using our Rafflecopter system
below.

The winner will receive a $50 Gift Certificate to use at Beauty Without Cruelty.
Contest is open to the US only.

MANDATORY ENTRY:
Simply enter your name and email address in the Rafflecopter entry
system.

Leave a valid email address so we can contact you if you
win. Email addresses in Rafflecopter are not made publicly visible. Please leave the same
valid email address in any bonus comments so we can verify entries.

This is a joint giveaway with True Confessions of a Real
Mommy and Natural Parents Network. You
may enter at one site only, and we'll be recording IP
addresses to ensure that there are no duplicate entries. That said, please do visit and
enjoy both sites!

BONUS ENTRIES:
See the Rafflecopter entry system for bonus entries to increase your chance of winning
after completing the mandatory entry. All bonus entries are entered directly into
Rafflecopter. Give it a try, and email or leave a comment if you have any questions!

Beyond the Farm

Welcome to the August 2012 Carnival of Natural Parenting: Farmer's Markets
This post was written for inclusion in the monthly Carnival of Natural Parenting hosted by Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama. This month our participants have written about something new they've learned about their local farmers.

Farmer's markets are some of our favorite places to visit. My calendar is marked Wednesday through Sunday with local markets. We have always gone with our children and found great things to eat. Our boys love picking out honey, berries, apples, sugar snap peas, and all kinds of deliciousness.

Some market peaches I canned with vanilla. Mmm.

But, did you know there is more than food at most farmer's markets? Artisans, crafters, and musicians! The newest goal my boys have is to SMELL the farmer's market. They target the soap makers. We had a wonderful experience with the gal from Snohomish Soap Company. L1 saw her basket of travel size bars and wanted to smell. He very politely pointed to each one and asked me if he could smell. The vendor was very polite and didn't take long to pick up that HE was the customer and treated as such. When he made it though the whole basket, he chose one called Milk and Honey, paid his dollar, put it in his hand basket and ran off to show everyone what he bought. 

And this wasn't the end of it. He showed L2 and they shared. Then, at the next market we went to (you know, because two in one week is normal, right?) they didn't head straight for the honey sticks or blueberries. They wanted to find the smelly soaps. And they did; they found Cedar Mountain Botanicals. Again, a great experience where they talked to the vendors, introduced themselves, and did what they could to help my boys really have a good experience.

Food is easy to love. Sweet treats and bright foods; those things were easy to get my family interested in what the market had to offer. Now I am glad to see there is still more for us to explore and love. More great, local people to get to know and ways to keep our money supporting our community.

***
Visit Code Name: Mama and Hobo Mama to find out how you can participate in the next Carnival of Natural Parenting!
Please take time to read the submissions by the other carnival participants:
(This list will be live and updated by afternoon August 14 with all the carnival links.)

10 Simple Ways to Make the Farmer's Market More Fun for Kids — Lorie at Reading Confetti shares ideas and books to help kids get the most from the farmers market experience.

10 Things I Want To Teach My Daughter About The Importance of Shopping at the Farmer’s Market — Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama shares the ten lessons she hopes to impart to her daughter about the importance of shopping at local farmers markets.

Charmed by Two Small Town Markets — Shannon at GrowingSlower was charmed by two small-town farmers markets while on vacation.

The Olympia Farmer's Market (and a giveaway!) — Shannon at Pineapples & Artichokes and family took a trip to their state capitol to experience a new market. See what they saw, and enter to win a book written about that very market.

— Exploring the farmers market by Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy writing at Natural Parents Network — with a scavenger hunt!

Exploring the Market ... Alphabet Style — That Mama Gretchen is in the midst of creating a learning tool for her toddler and it's all about the market!

Unschooling at the Farmers Market — Megz at Aspen Mama loves building memories as a vendor at the Market.

Montessori-Inspired Vegetable Unit — Deb Chitwood at Living Montessori Now shares links to Montessori-inspired vegetable printables and activities to help your family get the most out of a trip to the farmer’s market.

Markets — How sustainable mum has fitted a monthly farmers market into a weekly food shop.

The Farmers Market In Under An Hour ("Carl Style") — Andrea and family at Tales of Goodness adapt their farmers marketing approach to make everyone happy.

Tales Of a Troubled Gardener — Sam at Love Parenting writes about her dream of self-sufficiency and her lack of gardening skills!

A Few {Of The Many} Reasons Why I Love Our Farmer’s Market — Even though the experience can sometimes be less than peaceful, MomeeeZen shares why she enjoys taking her family to the Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings.

Experiencing the Farmer's Market from a Different Perspective — Emily at S.A.H.M. i AM had a great time letting her toddler lead the way at the farmer's market...

Ask A Farmer's Daughter — Abbie at Farmer's Daughter answers questions about her life growing up on a small family farm in New England.

Giving Up the Grocery Store — Kerry at City Kids Homeschooling shares her family's summertime challenge to eliminate trips to the grocery store and rely almost exclusively on local, farm-fresh foods.

Urban farming and fresh food in the city — Lauren at Hobo Mama takes trips to farms, gardens, and markets within reach of a big city.

Market Tip: Get to Know Your Farmers — Justine at The Lone Home Ranger finally gets up the guts to talk to her farmers and learns she is among ardent food lovers.

New Farmer's Market Find — Kellie at Our Mindful Life is excited to make a new find at her new farmers market.

"The Real World" Grassroots Edition — jessica at instead of institution takes some time out to write a love note.

9 Insider Tips for Farmer's Market Newbies — Dionna at Code Name: Mama chatted with a few farmers to bring you some insider information on how to get the most out of your local farmer's market.

The Place Where I Can Say "Yes!" — Erica at ChildOrganics gives you a tour of her favorite vendors at her local farmers market and discusses the benefits of creating community through the market.

Raw Local Milk — Jorje shares her family's field trip to a local dairy. Learn what you can appreciate from a small town farm at Momma Jorje.com.

Italian Secret Vegetable Soup Recipe — Alinka at Baby Web convinces an Italian Farmer & Cook to reveal a precious minestrone recipe and shares it with her readers.

Where do our eggs come from? A visit to Sucellus Farms. — Carli at One Fit Mom takes her family to meet the chickens that have been providing their daily eggs.

Beyond the Farm — Jennifer at True Confessions of a Real Mommy and her family enjoy looking beyond the food at the local farmer's market to see the wares of the over vendors.

Magic at the Market — Do you ever take time to really look at the food you eat? Amy at Anktangle enjoys marveling at the beauty (and the utility) of the foods and goods available at the farmers' market.

Farmer's Market Discoveries — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen reminisces about the discoveries she's made at the Farmer's Market throughout the years.

Are You Getting the Most out of Your Farmers' Market? (My List of Not-So-Common "Musts") — Sheila at A Living Family shares some uncommon ways to squeeze even more joy and connection (and yumminess!) from your local farmers' market experience.

Pick Your Own And Eat It — Luschka from Diary of a First Child shares their trip to a PYO farm and the journey from picking to eating her favourite food

Camping

I love camping. My husband loves camping. But, we have only been camping together a handful of times. I'm not sure why we didn't do it more when we were kid-less, but I can now appreciate why we haven't done it more as our family has grown. And yet, we vow to go more often. As in, we just got back, and we are planning another in about 3 weeks. That seems a ways off, but we have had a full summer, and I know it will be here before we know it. And this time, we are going alone.

Ok, maybe not totally alone. We hope some friends will join us, we just aren't planning on organizing anyone but us four.

But, I figured I should write out now what I learned on this last trip to make things easier on the next. I made a few rookie mistakes, but also planned very well in other aspects.

We went with my family: Mom, Tante and her boyfriend, and my mom's husband and his daughter. (Yes, there is a distinction between that and step-dad and step-sister. There isn't a point in explaining it here, as I hope as we all grow older and wiser we can eliminate that seperation. We just aren't there quite yet.) They brought the boat and we visited a beautiful area on Baker Lake. My mom's husband planned most of the food (I filled in for our food restrictions, but he mostly had it covered) and that was great to not have to plan, or cook all of it. Or any really: he precooked a LOT of meat, so it was ready and delicious with very little time spent.

Now, my list of things to remember:

1. Kids need things to DO or they will find something, including getting into trouble. We spent much of our time keeping L1 from running off to the lake to throw rocks in the water. I need to remember to bring things for him to do in camp. Snacks he can help make, cars to drive in the dirt, crafty things to utilize the amazing surroundings.

2. Non-walkers who are almost walkers HATE not being able to roam. L2 outgrew his shoes AS WE LEFT (I swear!) so we spent a lot of time keeping him off the ground. I don't mind the getting dirty part, just the scraped feet and knees. I need to pack better, so he can explore safely.

3. Pack tons of diapers. Then double it. I carefully packed the number of cloth diapers we would normally use, and all of our covers. So, of course, the boys changed their habits and we ran short.

4. Be ready to not do any of the things you planned. I didn't get out on the boat once. But, I did get to take long naps and read an entire book. A real one, with chapters and no pictures.

What I did RIGHT!:

1. Don't count on sleeping bags. We used some oversized ones opened and spread out. I brought pillows and blankets a plenty to keep us warm in as close to our family bed style as normal. It was great. I have never been so warm and comfy camping as I was will little bodies all around. And I knew they were safe and warm with me.

2. Bring a variety of clothes, as you never know what the weather will do. I had warm jackets, sweaters, lined pants and shorts. And more than one pair of shoes for everyone. Well, except L2. Sorry baby!

3. Babywearing. Always a must, no matter where we travel or what we are doing. Even L1 spent some time on daddy when he was tired and overwhelmed.

4. Bring good bug spray. With L2 being so sensitive to, well, everything, this could have been a hard one. Good thing I already had a trusted skincare product provider My Mama's Love, and she just introduced Bug-Off-Me, so I picked some up knowing that if her daughter's skin was ok with it, so would L2's and that her products are the best quality and they WORK! (I'm not affiliated with them, I just love-love-love every product I have ever tried and am quick to tell anyone who asks.) Now, I just have to wait for them to put out a sunscreen!

Overall, it was a very fun, but trying weekend. I really need to start realizing that if something isn't working it is usually my attitude that needs to be addressed first. Can't wait to get our family out again!