Welcome to another installment of the Bionic Boondoggle! It’s basically a “best of” roundup from the perspective of moi.

My snake-bitten ankle is finally healed and I’m doing strengthening exercises daily. I’m still visiting north Florida and loving the area here more and more! For a little get-outta-the-house time, my friend and I headed to the Devil’s Millhopper park in Gainesville. We packed our cameras and a few of our Moleskine journals and sketchbooks. I also wore tall, heavy leather boots. I have vowed never to hike without leather boots on again. No more snake bites for me, thank you very much.

Devil's Millhopper - One really old sinkhole!

I love greenery, shade (as you can tell by my paleness), and humidity. The Devil’s Millhopper suited me perfectly. There were teeny waterfalls winding through limestone covered in liverworts, lichens, and mosses. The waters flow through the porous limestone, making its way into the Florida Aquifer, and finally… very very slowly flows towards the Gulf of Mexico.

A trickling stream through limestone rock covered with mosses and liverworts

On our trek, I spotted a few native orchids (unfortunately not in bloom), some really cool aquatic plants, tiny glossy mushrooms, and more ferns than I’ve ever witnessed in one locale. It was truly a fabulous day! The only mar on the day’s perfection… I seem to have dropped/left/lost my digital camera. So if anyone found a pewter and black Olympus digital camera at the Millhopper over the weekend, could ya please send it back to me? I’ll bake you brownies and my famous banana bread! I miss my super-macro mode already for taking makeup shots. Grrrr.

Writing in my journals + surrounded by greenery = Happiness in Bionic-land.

Anyhow, let’s get on Boondoggling, shall we?

Ever wondered what some of those big long tongue-tying names are in your hair care products? Beauty with Brains gives you a 101 course on Polyquaternium 11.

Beauty and Fashion Tech uses skin care products from Arcona and Peter Thomas Roth to help cure her adult acne.

My dog “The Amazing Woo” is holding giveaway for a pet goody bag from Chicken Soup for the Pet Lovers Soul. Y’all should enter if you’ve got any furry friends!

E.l.f. Cosmetics has some pretty fabulous discount codes that are available for a very limited time. Shop quickly, everyone!

• Get a free 3 piece back to school makeup set from e.l.f. cosmetics when you purchase $20 or more in their makeup goodies. Use code BTSAF. This coupon code expires August 31, 2010.
• Now through August 31, you can save 30% off elf’s Studio Makeup collection with a minimum $20 purchase. This offer is valid with coupon code STUD30.

Lastly, here is my favorite quote from the book I finished last week…

“Truth can never be defeated, Sarene. Even if people do forget about it occasionally.”
~King Eventeo in the book Elantris by Brandon Sanderson.

Have you spotted anything wonderful around this web this week? Feel free to share sales, favorite quotes, funny videos, or whatever strikes your fancy in the comments section below

Congratulations to the following Bionic Beauties…

Yvonne C is the winner of the Jeune D’Age Organics skincare setup. Seriously- her mail box is going to overflow! Her primo prize pack will include their famous skin care originals and some of their latest releases including Jeune’s plantable Serum box, Marin toner, facial cleanser, body lotion, pumpkin peel, and Argan oil.

For the YBF Skincare giveaways on Twitter, the entries totaled a walloping 2,131! The winners are as follows:

• The July 15th winner ~ @lifestooshort7 nabbed a YBF prize pack of Quench, Boost and Define (valued at $150).
• The July 22nd winner ~ @gettsum won full-sized bottles of Quench, Boost, Prep, plus a trial size of Correct (valued at $225).
• And the grand prize, July 29th winner @Vgrlfrnd snagged full sizes YBF’s Quench, Boost, Prep, Restore and a trial-sized Correct (valued at $345)!!

Thanks to everyone out there who entered these giveaways. You made it a them all a huge success!

Stay Bionic,

Don’t forget to celebrate 3 Years of Powerful Beauty with the Bionic Beauty blog by entering the YBF  Skincare and Jeune D’Age Organics skin care giveaways!

The Jeune D’Age Organics skin care set contest ends tomorrow night, July 30th at midnight (US Eastern Time).

The last of the month-long YBF Skincare giveaways ends today, July 29th at 3:00pm (US Eastern Time). Don’t forget, the YBF giveaway is unlimited entries – so even if you haven’t participated up until now, you can get plenty of entries in today!

Tell your friends and family too – the more, the merrier! Plus it’s always nice to meet some new Bionic Beauties. Good luck everyone!

Continuing Bionic Beauty’s “Three Years of Powerful Beauty” celebrations, one of my favorite skin care brands, Jeune D’Age Organics is sponsoring an absolutely wonderful giveaway worth over $165!!

One lucky Bionic Beauty is going to win a Jeune D’Age skincare gift set that includes:

• Serum box – Packed with CoQ10, DMAE, Hyaluroan, Acai, and Vitamin A. This facial serum is not only good for you, but it’s packed in a cool box that you can plant and it’ll sprout wildflowers! Don’t miss Bronnie’s full review of Jeune’s serum.
• Marin Toner – Both Bronnie and I LOVE this toner… it’s packed with lots of extra product and lasts forever!
• Facial Cleanser – Not only does it cleanse but it also gently exfoliates. Check out Bionic Beauty’s review!
• Body Lotion – This body lotion will protect and soften your skin this summer and is also perfect for fall!
• Pumpkin Peel – Jeune’s Pumpkin Peel is one of their newer products. It’s designed to help with skin cell turnover and clear out pores.
• Argan Oil – Unless you’ve been hiding in a cave, you know Argan Oil is one of the new leading skin care ingredients. Many companies use diluted amounts in their products, but not Jeune D’Age. Their Argan Oil is 100% Pure!

How do you enter to win Bionic Beauty’s Jeune D’Age Organics skin care giveaway?

Simply leave a comment below telling me about one of Jeune D’Age’s ingredients that interests you. Name the ingredient and why it is used in their skin care products. This way we can all learn a bit more about what we are putting on our faces and bodies!

The Rules: One (1) winner will be chosen randomly from the qualified entrants and will receive the Jeune D’Age Skincare set, as detailed above. Approximate retail value is $166.70. To qualify for entry, you must follow the entry rules as outlined in this post. This giveaway is open to residents of the USA and Canada only. Please enter only once; duplicate entries will be detected and discarded. Entry deadline is July 30, 2010 at midnight USA ET. The winner will be chosen via Random.org and will be announced here on Bionic Beauty and contacted via email. *Please note that I will never share your email address with anyone! I only use your email address to contact you if you are a winner. If you do not enter a valid email address, you will be disqualified.

Please don’t forget to sign up for the Bionic Beauty blog newsletter (or you can subscribe in your favorite RSS reader). This way you can easily keep up with the free samples, product reviews, beauty and makeup news and giveaways offered on the blog.

Good luck Bionic Beauties!!

FTC Disclosure: This giveaway is sponsored by Jeune D’Age Organics Skincare in honor of Bionic Beauty’s Third Anniversary. All opinions in this article are based on my own personal experience and were not influenced by any source. I received no compensation for this giveaway. Feel free to read Bionic Beauty’s disclosure policy for more information.

H

appy 4th of July, and Happy Anniversary to Bionic-Beauty.com!

It may sound a bit odd for me to “wish my own blog a Happy Birthday”, but I think of July as the month when I, and some of my most favorite cosmetics brands, get to turn the tables and give back to you!

I could get a bit mushy here remembering when Bionic Beauty first started- back when the only readers were my sister and me; and now there are over 1,100 of you. (sniffle, sniffle!)

In any case, it’s high time I let you know about the big events surrounding Bionic’s “Three Years of Powerful Beauty” celebration…

Articles by special guest authors, “Twitter parties”, the oh-so-popular second annual Charity Auctions (coming in August), videos, random giveaways, and weekly giveaways are some of upcoming goodies!

• Purely Cosmetics mineral makeup, Jeune D’Age Organics skin care, Cactus & Ivy spa and body products will all be giving Bionic Beauty readers the chance to win some of their most popular products!
• Starting *now*, YBF Skincare is holding a month-long series of giveaways!! To enter, simply tweet the phrase:

#HappyBionicBirthday to @BionicBeauty’s web site of 3 years @YBFSkincare is celebrating Jami w/$720 of giveaways! http://bit.ly/9FomHD

• For the full details of YBF’s giveaways, including their very humorous bio of me, giveaway schedule, prizes, and other fun facts, visit YBF Celebrates Bionic’s Birthday!
• Be sure to follow @BionicBeauty (me) and @YBFSkincare on Twitter since there might (hint, hint) be some spur-of-the-moment super surprises!
• Not a Twitter-type? Don’t worry, you’ll get your chance to win lots of YBF goodies too!

So get cracking, and stay tuned for all the spectacular festivities! And most importantly, thank you all for being better readers than I imagined possible!

Stay Bionic,

Congratulations Tashi, Robyn and Rachel!
Tashi and Robyn have each won their own bottle of Pucci’s limited edition Vivara Turquoise fragrance; and Rachel has won the L’Occitane Immortelle Skincare Discovery Set!

Thanks to everyone out there who entered these giveaway. You all helped make them a huge success!

As a little hint to upcoming events, Bionic Beauty’s Third Anniversary Celebration will kick off on July 4th. This year’s sponsors include YBF Skincare, Purely Cosmetics, and Cactus and Ivy.

There will be giveaways galore, featured guest articles, video posts, social networking, twitter “parties” and brand new article series launching this month. I promise, you’re going to enjoy the festivities!

Stay Bionic,

Don’t forget to enter the L’Occitane skin care giveaway at Bionic Beauty! The winner will receive L’Occitane’s “Immortelle Day Skincare Discovery Set” with toner, face cream, and eye cream – all packed in a cute tote.

This contest ends tonight, June 19th at midnight (US Eastern Time). Don’t delay, get your name in the hat now!

In order to qualify, you need to leave your comment (follow the rules, please) over at the L’Occitane Skincare Giveaway article!

Best of luck to all the Bionic Beauties out there!

Here’s a friendly reminder, in case you missed the original announcement… Everyone who comments on any Bionic Beauty during the month of June 2010 is automagically entered to win a bottle of Emilio Pucci’s new limited edition fragrance – Vivara Turquoise.

I will pick two winners at random. Everyone is welcome to enter, but your comments must be relevant to the articles (or to the discussion taking place in the comments section). Please don’t just say “hey” or “thanks a lot”.

I’m also choosing not to publicize this giveaway on other contest forums, sweepstakes websites, etc. This way I hope to give my loyal Bionic Beauty blog readers (that’s you!) the best chance to win.

Comment as often as you’d like!
Best of luck to all the Bionic Beauties out there!

Ahhh… the famous Pucci fabrics and designs. Colorful graphics, black lines, and a feeling of luxury and life. That’s what I feel when I see his work… of course, you might think something entirely different. And that’s part of the joy of art!
So why am I going on about Pucci and art on Bionic Beauty? Emilio Pucci has a new limited edition fragrance: Vivara Turquoise. It’s fresh, clean, and modern; without being over-powering.

That's one gorgeous bottle!!

The Vivara fragrance breaks down as follows…
Top notes – Galbanum, Calabrian Bergamot, Amaretto
Middle – Sambac Jasmine, Narcissus, Orange Flower
Under – Florentine Iris, Vetiver, Patchouli

And a bit from Pucci about the meanings of Turquoise…

“Rich in symbolism, the Egyptians associated turquoise with every life form in the waters of the Nile. For the first North Americans, the stone was worn as an amulet while for Tibetans, it represents both sky and water. Turquoise is a symbol of success and strength with an exceptional colour that lies between the green of Jupiter and the blue of Venus.”

Pucci’s limited edition Vivara Turquoise can be purchased this summer only at Disney’s Epcot Center in Orlando, Florida.

Not planning a trip to the Magical Mouse-land this summer? Two lucky Bionic Beauty readers will win their own bottle of Pucci Vivara Turquoise! Everyone who comments on any Bionic Beauty article during the month of June 2010 is automatically entered to win! Comment as often as you’d like… however your comments, or discussion in the comments, MUST be relevant to the article. A comment saying “hi” or “thanks” isn’t going to cut it – so please put in some effort. I’ll be picking the winners at random to keep it fair. Most of all, have fun and good luck beauties!

FTC Disclosure: This item was sent to me free of charge in return for an honest review. The opinion in this article is based on my personal experience and was not influenced by any source. I was not compensated for this article. Feel free to read my disclosure policy for more information.

Congratulations Donna K, Linda F, Jen, Leslie P, and Dianna! These Bionic Beauties are the winners of the John Frieda Frizz-Ease Smooth Start shampoo and conditioner sets!

Thanks to everyone out there who entered this giveaway. You made it a huge success!

• Launching June 1st, Two lucky Bionic Beauty readers will win Pucci’s Limited Edition Vivara Turquoise fragrance! Comment on any June 2010 Bionic Beauty blog article & you’re entered!
• And don’t forget to enter Bionic’s L’Occitane giveaway to win your own Immortelle Skin Care gift set packed with anti-aging goodies!

Stay Bionic,