Neutrogena Beach & Beauty Party

Kids are going back to school, the stores are already starting with holiday merchandise, and my favorite shows starting to release last season's episodes on dvd. The summer feels like it gets shorter every year.  But its not over yet, and its party time thanks to Crowdtap and Neutrogena. I got selected to host a Neutrogena Beach & Beauty Party.  I received for free from Crowdtap a variety of Neutrogena products to try and to share.

Included in this fun party pack was:

Neutrogena's Makeup Remover Cleansing Towelettes.  I have to admit I am guilty of trying them already before letting any family or friends sample them. I love face cleaning wipes (or towelettes if we must be fancy). And these are great.

Next up is the Neutrogena's Professional Triple Repair Fortifying Shampoo and Conditioner. It is suppose to mend split ends, strength brittle hair and protect from breakage. It smells very nice and I'm sure one of my friends will love it.

Now we have what everyone needs during the summer.  Neutrogena's Beach Defense Water & Sun Barrier Lotion Sunscreen. Broad Spectrum SPF 70.  I'm going to make sure my sister tries this one. She is forever without sunscreen.  My only comment on this is that it doesn't smell like most sunscreens I've tried.

Neutrogena's MoistureShine Lip Soother with SPF 20 Sunscreen and Cooling Hydra Gel is up next. I tried a little (with an applicator, not by touch the container to my lips, I swear.) and it has an odd sensation on my lips. Must be the cooling gel. That would take some getting used to.

And finally is the Neutrogena Visibly Even Daily Moisturizer with Broad Spectrum SPF 30 Screen.  It contains essential soy that is suppose to help reduce blotchiness & the look of dark spots.

Oh there is a frisbee too.  It will be fun to play a game or two with friends and family...if I can ever get it away from the dog. She loves frisbees.

I got these products for free from Crowdtap.  The opinions in this blog are mine and mine alone.

The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook review

I'm a Yankee by birth. Half Southern by blood.  This means I like clam chowder just as much as I do bbq ribs.  I eat apple pie yet I make a mean lemon ice box pie. I make northern potato salad but my corn bread is pure southern.  The point is I love food and I love learning how to cook food, whether it be northern or southern.  So when I was given the chance to receive the The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook by Alexe Van Beuren with recipes by Dixie Grimes from Blogging for Books I jumped at the chance.

The B.T.C. Old-Fashioned Grocery Cookbook is written by some locals in Water Valley, Mississippi, which makes this  the perfect book for me to review because I live in a town about 50 miles from Water Valley.

This cookbook is full of delicious sounding, well presented recipes. You of course can find recipes for foods such as Cornbread dressing, tomato gravy, chocolate gravy, key lime pie, and chicken and dumplings. No southern cookbook is complete without them. You will also find tasty recipes for dishes such as Watermelon Salad with Feta and Artichoke & English Pea Au Gratin.  I'm dying to try the chocolate gravy recipe. Chocolate gravy is one of the best things I've ever found in the South.  Grew up hearing that you can't have stuff like ice cream for breakfast, then we move to Mississippi and learn that they eat chocolate gravy for breakfast. Yeah, that is what a kid wants to hear.  

There are some great recipes in this book. Yes, you will find pecans, peppers, relish, etc used in quite a few recipes because that is how the South is.  Put a little bit of everything into a dish.  I plan to try out some of the recipes (husband is begging for the Key Lime Pie) but I will probably tweak them a bit because I do not put pickles, peppers, etc into my dishes.  All in all, I highly recommend this book to anyone who wants to make some authentic yet modern Southern dishes.

Book Excerpt

 Facebook link to Cookbook 

*Disclaimer: I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review*

**All opinions in this review are mine and mine alone.*