Like Magic anti-aging serum is one of my absolutely favorite Garden Girl products. Part moisturizer and part magic wand that reduces wrinkles and firms skin – I call it my tiny face-lift in a bottle. The magic comes from a couple of key ingredients. First, its Hyaluronic Acid – an amazing ingredient that is naturally found deep in skin tissue, responsible for keeping skin plump – but sadly, it depletes with age. Ugh. That’s why it’s a great thing to replenish in your skin. Plus it is one of the most effective moisturizers available – it traps and holds 1000 times its weight in water.

The other nifty ingredient is a peptide complex called Argirilene that is believed to help relax the tiny muscles that cause wrinkles. This is an ingredient that is found in the really pricey serums that you see advertised or at the cosmetics counters.

The result? A fabulous little lift for your eyes, smile lines and even crepey-neck-syndrome. Best of all, you’ll notice a difference the first time you use it (I’m not promising plastic-surgery-like results but a nice little lift) PLUS the longer you use it, the better your skin will look over time.

So the Garden Girl super bonus gift for you this week is:

FREE LIKE MAGIC

with a $100 purchase. That’s $44 worth of product for FREE. I think this is the biggest offer we have done yet!

So here’s what you need to do to grab your own free Like Magic. Simply place an order at

www.gardengirlskincare.com

that totals $100 or more. Then be sure to write in the comments section (NOT the coupon code)

FREE Like Magic Please!

And we’ll send it straight out to you!

And don’t forget, if you are running low on Nature Nurture, No Worries, Starting Over or Cookies + Cream you can now order refill packages and save big $$ along with saving the environment.

Enjoy your own little bottle of magic!

I love finding new ways to use eco-friendly, kid-safe products around the house, and I recently came across an article that outlined some great uses for baking soda. Yep – just regular plain old baking soda. So I wanted to share them:

• You can use baking soda as earth-friendly alternative to unclog your drain. It’s simple to do, less expensive than the store bought product, and just as effective.

Here’s what you do: Pour one cup of regular table salt, one cup of baking soda, and half a cup of plain white vinegar down the drain. Leave it alone for 15 minutes and then pour two quarts of boiling water into the sink. Follow this by running the hot water into the sink for at least one minute.

You’ll be amazed how effectively this combination works. The drains will be clean and you won’t have added anything toxic to the drain system. For tough clogs you may need to repeat the process.

• Baking soda, when mixed with salt, is also an effective stain remover and scouring powder. Mix one cup of baking powder with one cup of salt. Then use this mixture the same way you would any other scouring powder. Again, an effective mixture that is less harmful to the environment.

• Sprinkle some baking soda on your carpet and let it sit for 10 minutes. When the time is up, vacuum away any stale odors that may have settled in your carpet.

• Add a little baking soda to your dishwasher the next time you’re loading it. The baking soda will give your cleaner an extra boost to get your dishes sparkling clean.

• Making an equal mixture of baking soda and laundry detergent will stretch your detergent and make your laundry smell fresh.

So next time you’re at the grocery store, buy one of those bigger boxes and check out some of these tips!

I can’t believe I haven’t introduced you yet to the “other” Garden Girl! She’s the one that actually gardens! Her name is Patti Moreno and she’s amazing. She is a total city girl who decided to take her 3/4 acre property in Roxbury and turn it into a sustainable garden. She not only does that, but she also has turned it into quite a business – filming segments for online viewing and also appearing on Farmer’s Almanac TV on PBS (sadly, not in Boston…). She was recently featured in a great Boston Globe Magazine article as well (http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/magazine/articles/2008/08/17/green_acres_in_roxbury/)

Her website is an amazing source of all things “green” – green living tips, recipes – and of course gardening tips. Her gardening information, while clearly helpful for urbanites – is also totally applicable to suburbanites as well. And with rising food costs – wouldn’t it be great to grow some of your own food?

I invite you to check out her website athttp://www.gardengirltv.com and definitely sign up for her newsletter. It has tons of information and is fun to read.

This weekend was the “tax free” weekend in Massachusetts. That meant a savings of 5% on whatever you purchased. But since Garden Girl customers are from all over – I wanted to offer something bigger and better to you all this week.

So today’s special is 10% off ALL orders

Yep – that’s right. All orders. No minimums or special items to purchase. The more you spend – the more you save!

So just go to:

www.gardengirlskincare.com

then place your order, using the coupon code:

AUG18

So easy to stock up on your favorite Garden Girl products. As always – they are free of parabens, sulfates, petroleum products and phthalates!

As always – this offer is on it’s own little timeline! It expires Monday night at Midnight!

It’s Olympic time! I love watching all of the competitors doing what they have been training for all their lives. It’s so impressive (particularly since I lack even a hint of athletic ability). So they have inspired me to offer a $5.00 discount on ALL orders (no minimum). Hopefully you’ll see the connection between the Olympics and the offer

So here’s what to do to take advantage -

go to:

http://www.gardengirlskincare.com/

fill up your shopping cart, then use coupon code:

AUG11

It’s that easy to save on Garden Girl’s paraben-free, sulfate-free, petroleum-free and phthalate-free products. Happy shopping!!

Well, I’m going back to watching the women’s uneven bars. Sadly, right now they are on a streak of “issues” with each performance – hopefully they are going to pull it together!

Have a great week !!

Having just watched the entire “The Daily 10″ show (which I had not previously seen – sort of like a TV version of US magazine) – there was no hint of the segment on natural skin care. I had caught the end of yesterday’s and seen that this is “Spa Week” so it appears as though Matthew McConnaughey’s baby-placenta-burial and the Hollywood Anthrax scare preempted the product reviews.

Oh well – better luck next time! But at least I now know that Hillary Duff’s sister is an up-and-coming actress and they are “best friends” …

Fingers crossed, Garden Girl is going to be featured among other natural skin care products tonight on E! The Daily 10 at 7:30 pm. They contacted me a few months back and I sent a bunch of products and was told last week that GG would be featured in the show. YEA!!! Why the “fingers crossed” part? There’s a chance that the segment won’t be aired b/c of time constraints. It’s apparently the part that gets cut if there’s a lot of “news” (at least the kind E! is interested in ). So fingers crossed that GG makes it on. Tune in (or TiVO) to check it out!

Oh – and if you miss it, they re-air it tomorrow at 8:30am and 12:30pm.

I have to say, having worked for Staples for many years, I have been HP-brainwashed. I always believed that when it comes to printers and ink, HP is the only way to go. I have been very hesitant to use any refilling-options because I always believed that the original ink is your only choice. So I have begrudgingly shelled out the zillions of $$ to buy replacement cartridges.

Being an eco-conscious kind of gal, I have been recycling my cartridges so at least I was trying to reduce waste. But finally, I decided I would try one of those refilling systems. I went to my local Walgreens, highly suspicious (HP brainwashing still in effect). I figured I would test it out. They took my cartridge, tested it to make sure it was “refillable” (not too old, damaged etc) and filled it. I came back and picked it up, still skeptical. But today I started using the “new”/old cartridge and it works GREAT!! No leaking, no streaking, great coverage etc.

This was black ink, and the woman at Walgreen’s told me in “confidence” that the color cartridges aren’t as successful, but even if I can do it just for black I’ll be happy. $10 AND re-using AND it works? That’s fantastic!

Well – it’s pedicure season for sure. I went for a lovely one this weekend – very relaxing, and even used hot stones for their “basic” pedi – nice touch! But what did I want to do immediately when I got home? Load up on one of my favorite GG products – Zippity Do Dah peppermint foot cream. My feet just aren’t happy until they get their daily dose!

Why is this a favorite? Easy – it is so simple yet so effective. It is thick and rich, and has just the right blend of deep moisturizers and fresh clean peppermint oil, which helps to revive your tired dogs. And in the summer – with all those flip flops and sandals, who doesn’t want to have soft and smooth feet? No one’s happy to wear revealing shoes with dry, icky feet!

And of course, Zippity Do Dah is (say it with me…) paraben-free, sulfate-free, petroleum-free, mineral oil-free and phthalate-free!

So this, the first Monday in August (ugh), our Garden Girl gift to you is a

FREE Zippity Do Dah

All you need to do is go to

www.gardengirlskincare.com

make a minimum order of $50, and then add Zippity Do Dah to your order (it needs to be in the basket for the coupon to work). Then use coupon code:

AUG4

As always – it’s that simple Enjoy your week and thanks for checking in!

And for anyone in the Boston area, definitely check out the Massachusetts Marketplace at Elm Bank Reservation on Saturday, August 9. It’s a great event run by the Mass Horticultural Society – showcasing some fabulous Massachusetts-based companies (like Garden Girl!!). Great for the whole family!

I come across a list like this all the time when I am doing any industry research. I thought it might be interesting to share.

This show who own’s which companies in the beauty industry. It makes you think about some of these “natural” companies that are controlled by some of the worst offenders of toxin use in skin care.

Clorox Burt’s Bees

Estee Lauder Stila, Aramis, Aveda, Clinique, Jane, Tommy Hilfiger Fragrances, Bobbi Brown, Presecriptives, MAC, Origins, Donna Karan cosmetics, Jo Malone Perfumes, Bumble + Bumble, Kate Spade Beauty, Crème de la Mer.

L’Oreal The Body Shoppe, Maybelline, Lancome, Helena Rubinstein, Kiehl’s, BioMedic, Cichy, Biotherm, Giorgio Armani Parfums, Ralph Lauren Pafums, Shu Uemura, Ombrelle, Redken, Matrix, Farnier, and La Roche Posay

Procter & Gamble Cover Girl, Max Factor, Clairol, Olay, Noxzema, Pantene, Vidal Sassoon

Johnson & Johnson Neutrogena, Aveeno, Clean & Clear, PersaGel, RoC, Retin-A and Renova

Revlon Almay, Ultima II

Sheishedo Cle de Peau, Decleor, NARS and Sea Breeze

Beiersdorf La Prairie, Nivea, Basis, Eucerin and Juvena of Switzerland

Do you know of any others to add to the list? Let me know!