Does this Motrin ad speak to you?  As a woman and as a Mom (of five daughters), I take myself and my responsibilities as such very seriously.   I am insulted, I am angered, and I am pissed off by this Motrin ad campaign.

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Democrats, Republicans, Libertarians, no matter what your party affiliation, remember to get out to vote today.

Let your voice count! 

My sweet MIL Claralyn Hill fought a valiant fight against her opponent and unfortunately lost.  She did amazingly well in a predominantly Republican district.  We spent the evening down at their Democratic headquarters to support her and her team.  We love you Claralyn!

And in my current district Trisha Beck beat her opponent by a very slim margin, whew!  My DH and I spent a few afternoons walking for Trisha, and realize that through all our efforts we made the difference.  Best wishes and hooray for Democracy!

A sweet little bird (named Tasha) just informed me that the Sephora’s Friends and Family Discount offer starts this coming Thursday November 6th.  Now is your chance to purchase those items that you have been lusting after all year!

nov 6 till nov 10th
Enter code ff2008 @ checkout

The Friends and Family code at Sephora runs November 6th through the 10th, but possibly could be extended a few more days.  As Tasha put it, “I mean 4 days can’t possibly be enough…lol.”  No kidding Tasha, and thank you so much for both enabling the beauty addicts and stimulating the economy at the same time, LOL!  You are awesome.

This week we will be sure to post reminders of some of our favorite Sephora Exclusives that you might want to add to your list, like that Lash Stash Sampler, or the Scent Sampler, or that Laura Mercier Flawless Face Kit, or the Korres Sugar Plum Kit, or possibly some Caudalie skincare… I better stop right now!

I recently had a spur of the moment trip to join my Daddy-O for a few days. With 5 days of travel and 3 different hotels, I wanted my makeup kit to be portable but diverse. I needed something for transit, for the moment when I jumped into his arms, for a touristy walk through the art district, and for fabulous evenings out to dinner. How could I possibly fit everything all those looks required into one little train case? If only there was something compact that contained a plethora of flattering shades…. (more…)

Yes, you read correctly.  Any Prescriptives fans out there?!  Well if you are, this is your chance to stock up or try some Prescriptive cosmetic and skincare items.  25% off and free shipping, swweet!

Some of my Px favorites? 

Px’s Flawless Face Foundation, great build-able medium to full coverage and works well on my sensitive, combination skin. 

Px’s Vibrant-C Skin Brightening Lotion Moisturizer, as Mo will attest, this moisturizer packs a nice vitamin-c brightening punch.

Super Line Preventor Xtreme - This is Prescriptive’s Pink Ribbon Item.  I just received this skin treatment for review so I cannot vouch for it yet, but for every purchase a donation is made to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.

Site Unseen Brightening Concealer SPF 15 -  With one swoosh you can lighten and conceal your dark circles and complexion flaws and spots.  I really love this concealer!

This discount runs until Friday the 24th, and don’t forget to pick your free sample!

Yet again, another t-shirt site has grabbed my attention!  LTD Chix.com offers a great variety of colorful and clever tees for Moms, who are constantly saying to themselves,

“I was a better mother before I had kids.”

I particularly love LTD Chix’s Halloween tee, and can sooo relate to it.  I have and continue to be the candy-loving woman who slaps on a witch hat and follows her kids around trick-or-treating.   Halloween weather isn’t always ideal either, but some years have been fabulous.  I remember one particularly cold Halloween where it was SNOWING outside and the bitter winds were so terrible that my children were in tears because they were literally freezing, but they couldn’t stand the thought of not continuing to trick-or-treat!  I always love houses that give kids full-sized candy bars or a can of soda too!  One family in our neighborhood gives out cups of warm spiced cider and doughnuts to their Halloween night visitors.  Halloween is the best holiday EVER!   Check out these fun spirited Mom Tees:

Halloween Mom
Beach Cart Mom
Cleaning Mom
Cooking Mom
Laundry Mom
Minivan Mom
Multi - Tasking Mom (brand new design)
Referee Mom
Shopping Mom
Under Weather Mom
Working Mom
Workout Mom

LTD Chix.com is offering us a nice coupon code for first time buyers – you can recieve 15% - just type in 14blog.   They have also recently decreased their prices by 15-25% per shirt.  These shirts would make great holiday gifts for the women in your life, and don’t forget to pick one up for yourself!

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I am posting every Saturday a personal tribute to someone in my life who has had to battle with cancer.  This is a tribute to my dear ol’ Dad Ed, who one year ago had his prostrate surgically removed after being diagnosed with prostrate cancer.   His wife Jan, who I wrote about last Saturday is a breast cancer survivor of seven years.  I want to include the men who struggle with cancer issues and support the women in their lives with cancer too! 

My freshman year in college I took a ballroom dance course and there was a very low ratio of men to women enrolled in the class. I asked my teacher if my single Dad could participate.  As it turns out, my future step-mom Jan was enrolled in this dance class as a faculty member of Indiana University and within a few weeks, (more…)

In honor of October being Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I would like to post every Saturday a personal tribute to someone in my life who has had to battle with cancer. This is a tribute to my Step-Mom Jan, who seven years ago had a radical mastectomy after being diagnosed with breast cancer.

My freshman year in college I took a ballroom dance course and there was a very low ratio of men to women enrolled in the class. I asked my teacher if my single Dad could participate. Jan was enrolled in this dance class as a faculty member of Indiana University and within a few weeks, the two got acquainted during class time. Jan and my Dad were engaged and married by the following semester. Twenty some years later, I am very happy to say, we all love Jan dearly. She has been a wonderful blessing to me and my family’s lives.

Jan adores animals, and has been known to adopt several cats over the years that didn’t have a home. At the age of 71, she remains very active and takes her health seriously. She has a flair for gardening and home decor, volunteers for several local community projects, as well as being a wonderful Grandmother to 16 grandchildren! (more…)

One attribute I greatly admire is the art form of making things from scratch.  Anyone can throw a frozen pie into an oven, but to prepare a pie crust, roll it out and carefully lift and place it into a pie plate is a thing of beauty.  To peel and slice freshly picked peaches and pour them lovingly into your prepared pie crust is even more spectacular.

The ability to create and perform these once everyday actions are lost to many of us.  I cannot tell you the last time I rolled my own pie crust!  We use our rolling pin for play-doh these days.

The art of making handmade soaps is another amazing art form to me.  And lately, many independent handmade soap and skincare companies are appearing around the country.  Beautifully thought out and carefully manufactured beauty products from their own kitchens. 

Today I would love to introduce to you Pam Keller the owner of The Golden Goat, LLC from the heartland of America, OshKosh, Wisconsin.  

In 2003, Pam found her passion for animals, particularly goats.  Being a one income family, Jeff decided that the animals would have to pay for themselves so as not to affect the family budget.  Pam, being a researcher at heart, discovered numerous ways to fulfill that demand, and settled on soapmaking. 

She taught herself to make soap, and when the goat milk started flowing, she was ready to start selling her fantastic products.  Local Farmer’s Markets and crafts fairs gave her a good footing and a loyal following.  Soon, the customers requested a retail store front from which they could buy her products year round.

The first product that caught my attention was The Golden Goat’s Goat Milk Shampoo Bar.  Being a fan of some different shampoo bars on the market, I found that this formula was easily equal if not a little more nourishing than the other shampoo bars I have tried (It must be the goat milk).  This shampoo bar creates a lovely lather and has a naturally sweet scent.  Shampoo bars are wonderful for anyone with a sensitive scalp, dry, or naturally curly hair (you can read more about my post on shampoo bars here).  If you are a fan of shampoo bars you must try this one!

A few months ago, we went out to dinner with some good friends.   I noticed that my friend Chris’ neck and face looked slightly irritated and also had a few knicks from shaving earlier that evening.   Chris has been bothered by this issue for as long as he has been shaving, and I asked him if he would like to try a different type of shaving soap.  He was more than glad to volunteer as a guinea pig!

Here is a bar soap for shaving.  The added bentonite clay forms a slick coating on the razor edge. The razor glides sleekly over the skin, cutting the hairs in its wake. Less scraping the skin means fewer nicks, no dry skin, more softness. Amazingly, the clay does not dry your skin!

You have to try this to believe it. Men love it for their faces (and some men shave their entire head with it), preventing razor burn and nicks. Women love it for legs, underarms, bikini area…

No more little red bumpos on your legs. Sleek, shiny, soft legs are the norm wth this soap. As an added bonus, your razors will last longer since the blades aren’t being dullled from scraping your skin!

Chris has been using The Golden Goat’s Goat Milk Shaving Soap for the last month and has reported significant improvements with his skin.  Less knicks, less irritation and a much happier face altogether. 

No need to thank me, just doing my job Chris, just doing my job!

Not only does Pam create handmade soaps, she offers a variety of homemade skincare and cosmetic products at her online store, The Golden Goat, LLC.   I am confident you will find something that you will want to try, and Pam is so incredibly nice; you might even make a new best friend in OshKosh, WI no less!  Pam would like to sweeten the deal by offering $5 off any $15 plus purchase when you put MYTHS in the coupon box!  Thanks Pam!

Hey Tracy, can you send me your recipe for fresh Peach pie?

It has been a year since I launched Mythbuster Beauty! And what a year it has been!  One year ago, after the frustration of searching for honest beauty reviews, I decided to take on the challenge of creating a place where individuals could openly vent their issues and share with others their pearls of wisdom.  One year ago, Mythbuster Beauty was born.

When you have a dream, you can either take the risk and jump in and try something new, or decide to let the dream pass.  Fear and self-doubt is something we all struggle with, but by facing our fears and taking risks we can grow.  Mistakes are embarrassing and humbling, but they are part of the learning process. 

Some of my most memorable fumbles this year include: referring to myself as a “Beauty Booger,” mixing up emails to beauty companies, grammatical errors and tyypos, computer programming challenges, changing my logo at least a dozen times, and learning blogging protocol and manners.  I continue to learn something new everyday and I am so grateful for the experience.

Success in my opinion is learning from your mistakes (hopefully), and getting back up after getting knocked down and trying again.  Persistence is the key.     

And without the friendship and love from many amazing and persistent women, I would have dropped this beauty blogging gig a long time ago. 

My most heartfelt thanks to:  Jami at Bionic Beauty, Mo, Tracy, Amanda, HSF, Jen at Raging Rouge, Nenette, Cecily, Jen, Debbie, Alyson at Authentic Beauty, Jamie at The Beauty of Life, Allie at Wardrobe Oxygen, Sherry at LooseLipsNY, Marilyn, DecoDiva, IFW, Kate the “Rock,” Meg from Megsmakeup, Jess McGuinty at Jessicurl, Suki Kramer at sukiface/sukicolor, Marissa Shipman from theBalm, Ken at Herbaria Soap, Everyday Minerals, Urban Decay/Hard Candy, tarte Cosmetics, Asma, Alison Raffaele, Benefit, Lancome, Clinique, Posh Mama and this list could go on and on.  So many people and organizations believed in and supported me, even when they had very little evidence to go on.  One amazing contributor is my behind-the-scenes editor, my best friend and husband, Evan.  Thank you so much for supporting my work Evan. I love you! (Editor’s comment: I love you too, Jen!)

And most importantly, many thanks to YOU!  This year we will continue to bust beauty myths, discuss hot topics, and hold monthly giveaways. 

Here’s to another year!