And the winner takes it all ...

Okay, must admit, I watched "Mamma Mia" the movie on DVD this weekend, and that song is sticking. As is Pierce Brosnan's horrible singing, for that matter.

Thanks for all your entries, the winner of the Mama Mio Smoothie Spa kit is



comment #5: Cid!!

(and for those of you who noticed, yes I had 7 comments but one of them was doofus me responding to Kami's question, so I took myself out of the running, of course.. d-oh!)

Congratulations!

And you can be a Mama Mio too

So what do Jessica Alba, Milla Jovovich and Christina Aguilera and a host of other celebrities have in common with little ole moi?

Why, they're super moms and they've tried Mama Mio products.

Developed by three moms in the UK, who also happen to be be experts in the beauty field, the focus of the line is skincare for moms. We all know that the skin goes through so many changes, especially through pregnancy, but also beyond. The product is also made with safety of ingredients in mind.

I would have loved if these products were available when I was pregnant with both my kids, the number one reason being the ingredients and the scent. The one thing that I shied away from while pregnant and nursing was anything that was too fragrant, and then certainly because I was holding my babies so close to me, anything that I was "wearing" they would ultimately be wearing too. But no matter, I'm still a "supermama", and I think any woman would appreciate this product, being mother or not. Smart ladies though, this is a niche that has obviously met a need in the market, because mamas are now not just about their babies anymore. We are making time for ourselves (even if only micro-milliseconds).

I was lucky enough to try a few of their products, and I'll share my thoughts with you here:

1/ Moisturising Shower Cream: This goes on so nicely, with a lovely calming scent. It feels like you're hydrating, but not as if you're slathering yourself with cream. Once it rinses off, that's it. Very clean sensation, and you can also use it in your bath.

2/ O-Mega Body Oil - The one not so great thing I inherited from my Dad's side of the family are my scaly-dry limbs. This body oil goes on without an oily feel. This was probably my favourite of all the items I tried.

3/ Supersmooth Body Buff - this is a very fine scrub that can be used to exfoliate. To be honest, I didn't use this product much as it's an extra step in an already rapid-fire shower timeframe, but I can see how it would be extra help to get rid of the "dead" skin cells. Lovely in combination with the body oil.

4/ Wonder-Full Balm - and how wonderful is this? I used it on my lips, cuticles, heels for instant comfort and instant relief. It comes in lipgloss type packaging that you could even carry around in your purse - not just limited to bath/shower time.

5/ Tummy Rub - now this is actually meant to help prevent stretch marks during and after pregnancy, so it's a little late for me. Mind you, despite the huge girth I developed while pregnant, I didn't have so many marks on my tummy, more on my thighs. I tried this anyway as it was the first product in the line. It would have been nice to have this around years ago. Lucky mommas have access to it now. Even if stretch marks aren't a problem, it's a nice oil that feels very luxurious. Love that tummy.

So, the good news is that the kind folks at the PR company have provided me with a giveaway package! You don't even have to be a supermama, it's just nice to treat your skin.

All you need to do is comment here between now and Sunday March 29 (because of March break, I'll keep this giveaway open for a couple of weeks), and you'll be entered to win the Smoothie (Spa at home) kit which includes:

1/ The shower cream
2/ The Supersmooth body buff
3/ O-Mega Body Oil
and as an added bonus, the Wonder-Full Balm.

(Giveaway is available to Canadian residents only.)

I'll pull the name (or more likely go high-tech with the random generator), and announce the winner on Monday March 30 (after March Break). Good luck!

Product Review Policies

I love stuff and I love to talk about it. Those are the main rules.

But to make things easier for everyone, I thought I would put some sort of structure in place. Blame it on all my years of being in a regulated field. Some things are very obvious, but for the sake of transparency and so that I remember myself, I'll also cover those here.

So here we go, everything you wanted to know if you would like me to try your product and blog about it:

1. The PR folks/ product supplier/manufacturer agrees to provide products for review, without cost, once I agree to try the product. These will be sent to me without me incurring shipping costs.

2. I am pretty much open to reviewing any product that would interest me, my family and my readers. Just so you know however, I will review the product and cover both the great things and not so great things about it. I will not slam any products, and I would not tell readers not to buy the product, but I feel it important to give my fair and honest opinion.

If I don't like a product, I will say as much. However, I will let you know beforehand. I also reserve the right not to review a product and will also let you know. In this case, it wouldn't be my standard process to return the product. If you have some screaming need to have it back, however, I would arrange it as long as you cover the shipping costs associated with the return.

3. I try to review products within a couple of weeks of receipt of the product. If you have a defined timeline please let me know and I will be sure to try to accomodate. You can check back with me on the status and I would be happy to share the links to the review as well.

4. I don't charge for product reviews, but I am always up front if I have received the product for review. The only costs incurred by the PR company, product supplier or manufacturer are those related to the product inventory and shipping and duty charges, if applicable.

If the occasion arises where I am paid to post, this will also be made clear in that particular post.

5. If the review can be supplemented with a giveaway or a discount, this is always a nice bonus for my readers and of course will spread more good news about the product. In this case, please detail whether the product is available to Canada, Canada and the US or worldwide. Obviously, the wider the availability, the wider the reach.

For any such giveaways, I will use a random generator to draw the winner's names. I will act as a conduit by providing the name and address of the winner(s) to the PR company, supplier or manufacturer. The product and the shipping costs associated with sending the product to the winner are the responsibility of the PR company, product supplier or manufacturer.

That pretty much covers it, but of course any changes to the above are at the discretion of me. Because it's my blog and I'll change it if I want to.

That being said, I'm sure I'll love your product and will give it a fair and honest review.

After all, what are Librans known for if not balance?