Welcome to another Freebie roundup by yours truly.  Let me know what you request and feel free to post any other freebies you find in your internet hunts – just use the comments section below!

Head over to Costco’s website and grab your very own freebie of Dove’s Go Fresh Revive deodorant.  It’s the perfect size for traveling, and this new variety is scented with Pomegranate. P.S. You do not have to be a Costco member to request your sample.

Snag a free trial pack of o.b. tampons… you do have to register first though.

Test out Dove’s new Nourishing Oil Care Leave-In Smoothing Hair Cream with a free sample!  It’s easy to register at the Dove website, or you can sign in using your Facebook account.

Get a free supplement pack from Nordic Naturals.  You can choose one of three packs: Wellness, Sport or Pets!   Just click free sample at the bottom of the page.

Head over to L’Occitane’s Facebook page, “Like” it, and then grab your coupon for a FREE 30ml hand cream lotion!  Offer is only valid until October 23rd, so you need to hurry.

Planning a vacation soon?  Trial sizes are awesome for traveling!  Tom’s of Maine is offering a freebie of their all-natural Silly Strawberry toothpaste!  The new flavor is geared towards kids, but I’d venture to guess it will be pretty yummy for anyone.

And finally, try out a new (to me, anyhow) skin care line…  Grab some free samples of Pristine Skin Care!

Stay Bionic,

Well it seems like it’s been a decade and a half since I went freebie hunting.   Thankfully I found a nice, long roundup of beauty goodies for you to request.  Some of these are just plain awesome and will go darn quick… so hustle up everyone!

Ready to soothe your dry skin?  I am!  Here’s a new product to me… Get three free sample packets of TriLipiderm “All-body moisture retention creme” – Keep them for yourself or share ‘em with friends! (US only)

Nab a free sample of Hugo Boss cologne for yourself or send a personalized postcard with the sample to a friend!

Try out Aveeno’s new Nourish hair care shampoo and conditioner with this freebie. Answer a few quick questions and select your hair type so they can match you up with the proper version of Nourish hair care. (US only)

Keep smelling nice this summer  with free samples of Gucci Guilty fragrance and/or Gucci Guilty Pour Homme cologne. (Open to USA, Canada and most international countries)

Snag a freebie trial size of Avon Anew Solar Advance Sunscreen Face Lotion with SPF 45. Scroll down the page a bit to enter your information. Hurry, these will go quickly!

Get a free sample of Murad Oil Control Mattifier face cream with SPF 15! Simply click on the thumbnail image below and the full size coupon will open. Print the coupon and take it to your local JCPenney store with a Sephora counter inside. You can also get a complimentary skin consultation while you’re there! Offer expires July 13, 2011.

And because you can never have too many… here are some new freebies of CareFree Acti-Fresh Body Shape liners. (US only)

While not a freebie, you can get a coupon good for 35 cents off your next purchase of Carmex lip balm by filling out a short form on their website.

Stay Bionic,

Welcome to another installment of Bionic Beauty Homemade with Joycey Couture!

With the temperatures dropping, there really isn’t much more enjoyable that I can think of than a relaxing bath. Why not try this simply, festive bath salt recipe that will help boost your mood and reduce fatigue?

Perfect for the holly-daze... A DIY Peppermint Bath Salts recipe will melt your worries away!

Ingredients ~

• 1/2 cup Epsom salt
• 1/4 teaspoon peppermint oil *
• 1 drop red food color (optional)

The magical creation ~

First grind the salt into a fine powder and pour into mixing bowl. (Hint: A coffee grinder or a mortar and pestle work wonderfully for this!) Then simply add the remaining ingredients.  Stir well and let it dry overnight.  Store your new bath salts in a sealed jar.  Makes 4 ounces.

To use ~
Add 1 tablespoon to bath water and enjoy!

* Why chose Peppermint besides it’s obvious delicious scent? Peppermint oil, originally from Europe, is often referred to as the “world’s oldest medicine.”  As hard as it is to imagine, the world has been using the oil for almost ten thousand years!  Such uses range broadly from removing ticks to soothing the common stuffy nose. This recipe also makes a wonderful gift for your loved ones!!

Stay Bionic,

Happy Holidays to all the Bionic Beauties! Take a few moments to kick back and request some free samples. You can’t beat free when most people are out shopping like crazy. Free is good. Very good!

Grab yourself a free sample of ForeverLily perfume.

Bath and Body Works USA stores will give you a free gift each month when you stop by the store on any Thursday and present your “I love Bath and Body Works” membership card!

Walmart is offering Vaseline Intensive Rescue body and hand lotion freebies. Hurry, these should go quickly!

Enjoy!

As you may recall I was impressed with the Arbonne lash enhancer I tested last month, so I was down right giddy to start using Arbonne’s RE9 Advanced Firming Body Cream.

To be honest, I’ve always been skeptical about firming lotions, so I have never shelled out the cash.
My first impression? The scent is off. It’s like an old lady with too much perfume. But I pushed on with testing, scooped out a bit from the tub and it applied great! It wasn’t greasy and sunk into my skin quickly.

Second impression? Still not fond of the scent. However, I focused my testing on the firming benefits of the cream, so I applied it again… and again and again. With any body or face firming cream, you’ll need to test the product for at least six weeks before you know if it’s working or not.

After using the product a few days, I realized I needed to reapply often to keep my skin from feeling dry. It actually seemed as though every time the reeking scent finally went away, it was time to use some more. Awesome.

At the eight week mark, I did not see any noticeable benefits to my body – I parted ways with the cream and found love again in my old favorites.

Maybe I’m being a bit harsh, or maybe I’m not. A review is simply an opinion, right? I mean, there is one quite pungent scent I’m quite fond of- “it’s called Sex Panther by Odeon. It’s illegal in nine countries. Yep, it’s made with bits of real panther, so you know its good.” *wink* Let’s be real though, I need my delicious scents back.

Arbonne’s RE9 Advanced Firming Body Cream is $48.90 on Amazon or $68 on Arbonne.com for a 6.7 ounce jar (196ml).

Stay Bionic,

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.

The holiday season is upcoming… by the way, you all are welcome to join me in hiding my head in the sand to pretend it’s not right around the corner. But in reality, whether it’s just a family gathering, some relaxing time in a cabin, or just dry skin from the no-humidity-winter, skin can look dull and dreary this time of year.

I’m going to let you in on my tried and tested glowing skin secret. I embrace my paleness and rarely use sunless tanner, so I look for other ways to help hide slight skin imperfections (such as the inevitable bruises, scraps, flaky skin, et cetera). Simply apply a slightly shimmery body lotion to your arms, legs, and chest. It’s typically not noticeable but makes your skin look soft and bright, dewey and fresh!

Don't bother with sunless tanner this winter. These shimmery body lotions will have you glowing in seconds!

My personal beauty stash favorites include:

• Urban Decay’s Midnight Cowboy – The scent is mildly tropical and guaranteed to warm your senses. The shimmer is gold-toned and looks splendid on legs! $28 at Sephora.com
• CND’s Scentsations Vanilla Shimmer Lotion – Warm vanilla comforts your nose, while the shimmer is perfect for your entire body but looks especially nice on arms and chest! Only $2.99 at Sally Beauty Supply!
• CND’s Sparkling Champagne Lotion (this one is a limited edition for the 2010 holiday season) – Geared toward holiday festivities, I love this new release from CND! Not yet released but check your local salons, spas and Sally stores.

And the best part is – it’s quick to apply and won’t stain your hands! Feel free to share your winter skin and holiday prep tips in the comments section below.

There were two key reasons I was excited to try Fight Back “2,” another product within the Mission Essentials line.  The first- the company is based out of Charleston, South Carolina, so their front door is just a hop, skip and jump away from my own.  And two- Charleston has bugs like no other city.  Bring on the insect repellent!

Joycey Couture puts Mission Essentials' all natural bug repellent to the Bionic test!

A little background on the company itself- Mission Essentials offers products that are paraben free, contain no sodium lauryl-sulfate (SLS) and are vegan-friendly.  They also only use earth-friendly packaging.  What’s not to love?

So there I was, an evening not unlike others, rocking on my porch chair and talking with a few of my friends.  If you’ve ever had a chance to visit the “Lowcountry,” as we call it, you’ll quickly learn that as soon as the sun sets, the bugs begin to bite.  Forks has vampires and werewolves, we have no-see-ums and mosquitoes.

I decided it was the perfect setting to test out Fight Back “2,” a 100% natural insect repellent.

I sprayed my entire body down and soon felt hungry for cereal.  It smells so much like Fruit Loops, I was certain a toucan was going to swoop down, land on my shoulder, then tell me how I needed to follow my nose.

No toucans came around, but no bugs did either. I was sold!
After using Fight Back “2” for a number of bug intense weeks now there is one thing that needs to be known- like any other bug repellent, the Mission Essentials spray does need to be reapplied every hour and a half (or so) for continuous protection.  Bring on the outdoor activities!

Ingredients: Water base, lemongrass essential oils (recommended by the FDA and CDC as the most effective natural ingredient against West Nile Virus), lemon eucalyptus (recognized by Consumer Reports as effectively comparable to low levels of DEET), geranium essentials oils and litsea cubeba, other essential and natural oils.

Grab your own 4 ounce spray bottle for $12 or a 1 ounce trial bottle for $5 at Mission-Essentials.com. You’ll be ready for the buggy outdoors no matter what!

Stay Bionic,

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.

After a few weeks hiatus, I’m back with another installment of Bionic Beauty Homemade with Joycey Couture!

Shoo fly, don’t bother me with this homemade, and all-natural, Bug Repellent spray!
After spending two long summers in muggy Charleston, I’ve come to cherish my insect repellents – at least the ones that have held their own against the mighty strength of the Southern bugs!

Joycey Couture gives you an easy way to make your own all natural bug repellent!

I’ll be honest, this do-it-yourself recipe isn’t the simplest due to the amount of ingredients, but it was quite fun creating the mixture and then realizing it actually works. And works well! It also smells great, and is safe for 2-legged kids and 4-legged fur-kids (i.e. your pets) to use. I know Jami has some mixed up especially for her Amazing Woo!

There are specific essential oils that will need to be bought for the recipe to work for you. You can find these essential oils at your local natural food market or on Amazon: $3.98 for 10ml of Peppermint Oil, $2.95 for 10ml of pure Eucalyptus Oil, and $3.15 for 10ml of Citronella 100% Pure Essential Oil.

As most of you have probably heard- eucalyptus and citronella have natural bug repelling quality; peppermint is also known for its bug-off properties. Peppermint has proven to be very effective against mosquitoes and other winged critters. And bonus- it’s smells delicious!
See ya later bug bites! You can buzz off!

Gather your ingredients…

• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/8 cup rubbing alcohol or (yes, I’m going there) plain vodka. Just be sure to not use any fruit flavored vodkas!
• 1/8 cup distilled water or reverse osmosis (RO) water
• 25 drops eucalyptus essential oil (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• 25 drops citronella essential oil (about 1/4 teaspoon)
• 50 drops peppermint essential oil (about 1/2 teaspoon)
• Small spray bottle

Mix ‘em up directions…
Pour everything into the spray bottle and shake well. Make sure to shake it up before each use.

Stay Bionic,


P.S. Not up to making your own natural insect repellent? Stay tuned to Bionic Beauty! On Tuesday, November 16 I’ll be posting a review of an all-natural bug spray that’s super affordable!

I’ve been scouring the internet again for beauty freebies… my time searching is now turned into your fun, and free, goodies!

Get a coupon good for a free pack of the brand new RepHresh pH Brilliant tampons! Simply fill out the form and use promotional code 3995trynow, then they’ll mail you a coupon to redeem at your local Walgreens.

Last week I posted a freebie for Tom’s of Maine Wicked Fresh toothpaste, now you can double up by grabbing another sample from Walmart.com of this new natural toothpaste!

Ready to begin the winter dry skin battle? Let Jergens help with free samples of Overnight Repair Nightly Restoring Moisturizer and Ultra Healing Extra Dry Skin Moisturizer. Plus they’ll send you a $1 off coupon good on any Jergens moisturizer or lotion!

Try the new fresh and fruit-tastic Hugo BOSS Orange fragrance with this free sample!

Enjoy the freebies, Bionic Beauties!

Mission Essentials is an all-natural, organic skin care line that I am thoroughly testing for all the Bionic Beauties out there.

The first product I tested? Their 100% natural Eucalyptus Soap.  The smell is unbelievable and completely refreshing, perfect for a quick morning shower, and the bar never leaves a residue.

Currently testing: All-natural Eucalyptus Soap by Mission Essentials

I fell immediately for this soap, but I wondered if the smaller size would last, as so many organic soaps don’t withstand shower steam.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that more than 3 weeks passed and my bar was still quite usable!

Yet another plus- every mission essentials soap contains 50% olive oil and are wrapped in environmentally conscious biodegradable wrappers.  I must say, mission essentials really is taking skin care to a higher level.

There are two options for bar sizes: a 7 oz. bar for $10, or a 3.5 ounce bar for $5. If Eucalyptus isn’t your thing, check out the other soap varieties- Lavendar/Shea, Lowcountry (this bar is not only packed with yummy scents, but is also looks like a work of art!), Aspen, Balsam and Cedar, and Patchouli. See? There is a variety for everyone! All the soaps are available for browsing and buying on Mission-Essentials.com.

Ingredients include: Olive oil, lavendar/shea butter, eucalyptus, rosemary, lavender & cinnamon essential oils combined with wildcrafted botanicals of sage, cedar, pinon and juniper.

Stay Bionic,

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.