Stress has been wreaking complete havoc on my mood, my appetite, my performance at my job, my sleep/workout regimen and especially my skin. I'm at my wits ends!! I can't seem to get a grip on everything and nothing I do to try and relax/de-stress seems to be working. :(

I'd love for you ladies to impart some advice--what are your sure-fire ways to de-stress?

There are still a few days left to enter to win a free Ms. Pedicure "Foot Spahh"! Just scroll down to the original post and leave a comment with what your must-have brand/color of nail polish is this summer. :)

Another item from my Beautyfix 2 kit and I love, love, LOVE this hairspray. (And yes, it is"Jonathan" from that show "Blow Out") Honestly, I have yet to have found a hairspray that holds this well but feels so lightweight and non-sticky. Fantastic for pesky fly-aways, it has a light scent, gives your hair a soft shine, and notably, also is 100% vegan.  

Because of the price (retails for $30), I can't justify using the Product Finish Control in my everyday routine. But it's great for those days when you have some extra time to do your hair or on special occasions/nights out. I never would have tried a product from this line had I not gotten it through Beautyfix, and now I'm psyched to try out more.

I haven't had a chance to look through it yet, but thoughts on the cover (which is apparently an alternate cover)?? Like or dislike?

Who can't afford a beloved $60 pedicure to kick off the summer this year? (Raises hand)

What I CAN afford however is this perfect little pedicure kit from Ms. Manicure. It's only $12.99 and contains a pumice stone, exfoliating foot scrub, moisturizing foot lotion, invigorating foot and leg rub and massager all in a cute pink reusable tote.

One lucky reader will be receiving a Ms. Manicure "Foot Spahh!" for free! All you have to do is leave a comment on this post with your email address (or link to your cite) and what your must-have nail polish brand and color will be for summer of 2009. Really. It's that easy. :) A winner will be picked by June 1st.

I wanted to give some love to one of my sponsors, Kranich's Jewelers, because their diamond initial necklace has become a staple in my everyday wardrobe. (And I'm really not much of a jewelry girl.) Kranich's specializes in diamonds and engagment rings but they have a wide variety of other types. The prices on their jewelry are competitive and the website is easy to manuever. I especially like how you can shop by price--so you're only looking at items that are in your budget.  

Glowelle is a luxury beauty supplement available at Neiman Marcus that claims to fight aging and give your skin a glow. (Thus the name.) It contains an antioxident-rich mix of vitamin A, C and E along with goji berries, green and white tea. At $40 a pop for a week-long supply, this stuff should work miracles, right? I put the "Natural Pomegranete Lychee" 7-day kit to the test last week and here were my thoughts:

*The packaging was very cute and I adored the little clutch that came with it to store the daily powder packs. I think having it with me in my purse made it easier to remember to drink it everyday.

*You would think from the name of the flavor and the ingredients that this drink would be delish....not so in my opinion. It was over-the-top vitaminy and medicinal tasting and I had a really difficult time drinking it just mixed with water the first couple of days. It even gave me headaches, which I found odd. Maybe all the sugar I realized was packed in there too?

*Day 3 and 4 I wised up and started mixing it with juice instead of water, making it slightly more tolerable. The last three days I mixed it with a homemade strawberry/banana smoothie--which ended up being great. :) 

*I couldn't have picked a better time to try out Glowelle because my skin has hit a rough patch the past few weeks, I'm guessing from all this fun divorce-related stress. ;-) I've had breakouts galore and my skin has been dry one day and oily the next. By Day 2 I could already see my skin starting to clear up and it really did seem more even-toned and "glowy".

Overall consenus: Unless I'm making smoothies everyday, this was tough for me to drink. The end results were good, but do I think you could get the same results from taking good-for-your-skin vitamins everyday? Most likely.

The lovely Christina Jones (www.christinaloves.com) turned me on to the latest and greatest when it comes to sampling programs. Actually, to label Beautyfix as just a sampling program isn't giving it justice. Here's how it works:

You sign up to become a member at Beautyfix. Four times a year, members are mailed several full size or deluxe travel sized must-have beauty products (not teensy trial sizes) hand-picked by Beautyfix's top beauty industry experts. These experts range from dermatologists to plastic surgeons and famous estheticians/makeup artists. The best beauty bloggers are included in the mix as well. As a member you are a part of this great online community where you can share in forums and swap opinions/tips/tricks. Members also get free gifts and special pricing on the products you will inevitably end up loving.

The cost for these quarterly deliveries? Under $50. I spent some time pricing out the Beautyfix delivery I just received and I about fell over when I realized it would have cost me around $300 to buy all of those products!

Over the next week or two I will be reviewing each of the Beautyfix products, which include:

3Lab M Cream – deluxe travel size

Bella Bronze - self tanner - full size

Exuviance Rejuvenating Treatment Masque – full size

Global Goddess iDivine eyeshadows - full size

Glowelle Beauty Drink Mix - pomegranate or raspberry – 7 day supply

Jonathan Finish Control Hairspray  - full size

Kerstin Florian Aromatherapy Neroli Water – deluxe travel size

Lisa Hoffman Vitamin A & C Serum – deluxe travel size

I am very happy to announce that, with the chiding of my fellow beauty bloggers, I've finally gotten the blog it's own domain name. The new location is at www.beerbudgetbeauty.com--but no worries, if you type in the old address it will automatically forward you over.

I'm hoping the location change will be the beginning of a bigger, better, more frequently updated blog. Of course, it could not be without my lovely, loyal readers. Thanks again guys! :)