We have a winner!

We used random.org to pick the winner of our very first blog giveaway and it is...

drumroll...

Megan of Mommy Minded, who said:

Congrats to Megan!  She's being emailed imminently and will have 48 hours in which to respond and claim her prize, the "For Your Face" gift pack!

That Lucky Streak of Mine

It continues.  This time, I won the most adorable iPod case... only I don't have an iPod, so I wanted it as a case for my Droid Incredible.

It's a blueberry pop tart!  So cute, and very well made with pretty stitching around the edges and blue felt lining.  The sugar is in the form of tiny beads sewn on.  And my phone fits perfectly!

With it, I won that cute cupcake pin, which will be perfect when I'm face painting.

Oh, and in the back of the case, a handy pocket.

From whence did I win these adorable items?  From The Curious Pug.  Check it out!

Do you want to be a winner too?  Then enter our blog giveaway and win this awesome For Your Face prize pack!

Reef Botanicals on the Road

Mostly Rte. 80, I think.

We're participating tomorrow in the Autumn Extravaganza Arts & Crafts Show at the Minerals Resort & Spa in Vernon, NJ!

If it's like the last one we did at this spa, it promises to have some good crafters with nice wares.  We received a good response last time we were there in the Spring, so we're excited to go now that our product line has grown.

We have high hopes, so wish us luck!

Feel free to come meet us if you're in the area, where you can see, touch, and smell our stuff in person - including our new bath salts & facial scrubs.

In the meantime, don't forget our blog giveaway, which is still in progress up until my favorite holiday, Halloween!  Go here to get details and enter.  After all, free is a cool way to try something new, right?

Our First Blog Giveaway!

This contest is closed.

We're feeling like a giveaway to celebrate the release of our new product:

Almond Pastry Facial Scrub

It smells great, is easy to use, and makes skin glow!

What you get out of this is a For Your Face Gift Pack, containing one full size shaker container of this awesome new scrub, one bar of our Purity soap, and one bar of our Oatmeal Honey soap, all great for your face!

You have SIX chances to win!  For each entry, leave a separate comment on this post to let us know, one comment per entry task completed.

Rules:
1.  This giveaway is open to everyone in the U.S. and Canada.
2.  There will be one winner chosen.
3.  The winner will be notified by email, and will have 48 hours in which to respond.  If the winner does not respond, a new winner will be chosen.

**Please make sure you provide a valid email address when entering this giveaway.**

Mandatory Entry:
Please become a follower of this blog, then visit Reef Botanicals and leave a comment on this post telling us what you would love to have from the shop.

Additional Entries:
1.  "Like" Reef Botanicals on Facebook and leave a comment letting us know with your Facebook name.
2.  Follow Reef Botanicals on Twitter and tweet this contest.  You can do this once a day for additional entries.  Just leave a comment for each daily tweet and leave a link to your tweet.  Use this tweet:

Win a "For Your Face" Gift Pack from reefbotanicals.com @ReefBotanicals #giveaway at http://dld.bz/zAUW!!

3.  Post about this contest on your Facebook wall and post the link here in a comment.
4.  Add our badge (from the left sidebar) to your blog or website and leave the link in a comment.
5.  Blog about this giveaway and leave a link to your post here in a comment.

GIVEAWAY ENDS ON SUNDAY, OCTOBER 31, AT 5 P.M. EST.

My Favorite Yet

Oatmeal.

Yum, right?  Well at least I like it.  I eat it fairly frequently.

Here's what this site has to say about oatmeal:

Used topically, oatmeal is effective for relieving dryness and inflammation, including insect stings, rashes, and eczema.  It contains polysaccharides and lubricating fats, which prevent dullness and dryness.  It is also filled with natural pore cleansers.

Almonds.

Also yum.  Big yum.  Heck, you can even have almonds in your oatmeal.

Here's what this site has to say about almonds:

Used topically, almonds are said to be nourishing and healthy for both baby and adult skin.  It's very gentle and believed to have good anti-oxidant properties.  Ground almonds also have an exfoliating nature.

Honey.

Do I even need to say what I think of honey?  And doesn't it sound great with almonds and oatmeal?!

Here's what this site says about honey:

Honey is a natural humectant, helping to keep the skin hydrated and fresh.  It traps in moisture, leaving skin soft and supple, and hair glossy and healthy.  It is also antibacterial and a good source of antioxidants.

Bentonite Clay.

Okay, so bentonite clay isn't yummy.  At least, I don't think it is.  I don't plan to try eating it.

And here's what this site says about bentonite clay:

Bentonite clay has long been known for its therapeutic abilities.  Due to its high absorbency and its ability to pull oils and toxins from the skin, it is one of the best clays for making poultices and an excellent ingredient for skin care and spa treatments.

So why am I bringing all of this up?  Can you guess?  If you're a fan of our Facebook fan page, [okay, fine, if you "like" Reef Botanicals on Facebook, just call me old fashioned, I like "fan page"] you may have seen me post a status update quite a while back regarding a new ingredient I was very glad to find and obtain, for a new product I was trying to develop.

See, I've been dying for a facial scrub.

We've got three great body scrubs.  When Life Hands You Lemons is  based in white sugar and olive oil, and it's great.  Cafe Mocha is based in brown sugar and grapeseed oil, also great.  And Heaven Scent is our salt scrub, primarily epsom and Dead Sea salts, with olive oil.

While there are light oils that work well on the face, like almond, emu, and jojoba oils, I really wanted to keep the facial scrub pretty much oil-free... so no liquid to it.  The only oil in this scrub is the healthy and beneficial bit contained in the almonds that I ground myself.  So I did a bunch of research, and several trials, wanting specific ingredients... mostly honey.  But I didn't want anything wet involved so it wouldn't get yucky when stored.  Water, you see, would lead to a fuzzy (ick!) facial scrub, not a yummy one.  Hmmm.... what to do?  What to do?

What I did was a little search.  And I found... wait for it... honey powder.  That's right, food grade, sweet as can be, honey powder.  It's just dehydrated, powdered honey.  That's the sole ingredient.

Aha!  Did you picture the light bulb over my head there?  Here, I'll help:

So... on to my bright idea.

Many, many years ago, I had a commercial product that's no longer available.  It came in a small shaker container, and had a single ingredient:  finely ground beans.  Dry, finely ground beans.  What the instructions said to do was shake about a teaspoon of ground beans onto the palm of my hand, drip water into it and mush it around until it became a paste, rub it all over my face, and then wash it off.

Well... here I was, with almonds that I myself finely ground, oatmeal that I myself finely ground, some awesome bentonite clay at my disposal... and now powdered honey.  Sounds like a facial scrub to me!

We found shaker containers, similar to the one I used to have from that commercial bath and beauty company (only bigger), and voila!  We now have available for you our first facial scrub!  You use it the same way I do, the same way I used those ground beans oh so many years ago.  It doesn't get furry when stored.

And it's awesome.  May I present our brand new Almond Pastry Facial Scrub.

Oh, and by the way, here's a photo of the bath salts, so you know what we've been talking about so much:

And... another reminder.  When we reach 500 fans on our Facebook page, someone wins!

Update:  In addition to buying this great facial scrub, you can win it as part of our "For Your Face" prize pack in our first blog giveaway!

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