Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My 2014 Sweeps & Contest Thank Yous!

As my faithful readers know, I have become a total sweeps and contest junkie- entering sweeps and contests having proved itself to be not only far more lucrative than playing Solitaire or Candy Crush in the wee hours, but interesting and fun (I have learned a great deal about marketing and new products), and as calming as good therapy- a double bonus, as there are no decent therapists out here in the boonies! LOL This year I had a some truly extraordinary wins, and I want to take this opportunity to thank the companies and people who made these lovely things happen- things we NEVER would have been able to enjoy otherwise!
Number One on the Thank You List goes to Wind & Weather, the wonderful home decor store I love! Thanks to their "Share The Love" contest, Dan and I had THE most delightful, fun, and romantic Virginia getaway this summer, complete with a magical hot air balloon ride, an all-day wine tasting, fabulous gourmet food, shopping, horseback riding, and a stay at THE most romantic Inn with the best service we've had in the USA- the Inn at Willow Grove! I did a blog post on it when we returned: http://www.southernwestvirginia.blogspot.com/2014/08/ultimate-virginia-getaway-thank-you.html so if you're thinking about a trip to Virginia Wine Country, please check it out! Thank you again Wind & Weather!!!















A HUGE thank you to Wantable.com, for the totally fabulous Prada Saffiano Mini Handbag, filled with an assortment of fabulous makeup! When I won this I literally started screaming!!!


I won excellent Celestron SkyMaster 15x70 Binoculars
from Oh, Ranger! (for birdwatching at the Inn!)

My beautiful Heather Moore pendant...
 One of this year's loveliest prizes was a gift certificate to Heather Moore Jewelry, and they made me the most beautiful and personal pendant, with the dates Dan and I met and married, and our names...
Me, with my beautiful Heather Moore pendant!
From DailyBreak.com I won Cat's Pride Kitty Litter and a Litter Box- and with two kitties we ALWAYS need that! :-)
From the donnahup.com blog I won a delicious assortment of Autumn petit fours from The Swiss Colony




And I won a YUM-O assortment of Perky Jerky!!

Sometimes it's The Year of Shoes- a few years ago I won 4 pairs of fabulous shoes- but this year was definitely The Year of Anti-Aging Skin Care! I won some really great beauty gifts, and got to try some great products!




I also won a delightful Bioelements Kerafole Mask,  a deep purging, exfoliating facial mask that reveals fresh, radiant skin.


I LOVE Ahava Dead Sea mineral skin care from Israel, and I won their excellent Extreme Radiance Lifting Mask, 
to lift and smooth skin to restore
its youthful, radiant appearance and tone!


I won a Cocoa 24K Gold Vitamin Clay Mask from
LaRocca Skincare
Makeup from Beautystat.com! YAY!
Miami Beach sun care products from #SOBE #MiamiBeach100  on Twitter!

I got to test and review a great HSN Collection
of beauty products from TotalBeauty.com
I also won the 1-4-ALL Peel from The Skin Regime



And last, but not least, I won this adorable stewardess tchochke 
from ANA Japanese Airlines...  
I was SUPPOSED to win the trip to Japan! LOL

Dan, The Kittehs,& our great, new Litter Genie!

  This year we also got to try a number of great products through #Crowdtap, including the excellent Litter Genie, Riccola cough drops,  Campbell's, Prego, V-8, and Swanson products, Zep Commercial Cleaners, and Folgers Flavors! Thank you all!





And then, 2 weeks ago I won THE most amazing prize- a trip for two back to Vietnam, from Central Coastal Vietnam Tourism! Dan and I were literally dreaming about how to somehow return to Vietnam, and joked that they only way we could do it was if I won us a trip! And I did! And hopefully we'll be going this spring!


Sunday, December 28, 2014

Plexus: HELL, YEAH it works! See for yourself!

3 weeks on Plexus, and here are my results (black dress photo above) so far! I am actually beginning to see my waist again AND my cheekbones! YAY!  SO happy, because it's TOTALLY without dieting! Hubs Dan is thrilled, because he sees- and can feel!- "me" again- and he knows I've tried Everything, and how frustrating it's been! Plexus isn't some "overnight miracle"; you really do have to stick with it! But if you are serious about losing weight, give yourself a month at least to try it!  It's easy to do, I feel good, and I am DEFINITELY sticking with it! If you'd like to join me, and my friends, check out my Plexus website http://elkhorninn.myplexusproducts.com , and if you have any questions, email me at elisse@elkhorninnwv.com, or call me at 304-862-2031, and I will help you get started! I have tried EVERYTHING under the sun to lose weight, and this is actually working- and with NO DIETING!  YAY!

Elisse Jo Goldstein-Clark's photo.
Me, "before"- UGH!!!


Thursday, December 25, 2014

Chef Dan becomes a Campbell's Gourmet!

Through a #Crowdtap #sponsored program, we recently got to #DiscoverCampbells and try an assortment of Campbell's new products (which include Swanson, Prego, and V-8), and we liked several of them SO much that Chef Dan has bought them again and again, and is using them in his signature recipes at the Elkhorn Inn! We had such a blast "taste-testing", that I even made a fun YouTube music video about it: http://youtu.be/EvkOMLXhcwg
 
The products we got to try included Swanson Cream Starter, the Chicken Parmigiana Skillet Sauce, Prego Alfredo Sauce, V-8 Fusion, Campbell's Savory Portobello Mushroom Soup for Easy Cooking, Campbell's Creamy Poblano & Queso Soup, Campbell's Chunky Beer 'n Cheese Soup, Slow Cooked Chicken Noodle Soup, & Spaghetti Os!
Ingredients for a great dinner!
The clear winners, so far, are the Swanson Cream StarterCampbell's Chicken Parmigiana Skillet Sauce, Prego Alfredo Sauce, and V-8 Fusion!

Chicken with Cream Sauce and Spinach Pesto!
As you can see, you can turn out some truly fine meals- really quickly!- using Campbell's products! Dan and I had a lot of foodie fun taste-testing, as you can see! There are several other prodcuts we are intrigued to try now, including the V-8 Spicy Mango (which we haven't been able to find here in southern WV/western VA),  and the Korean & Thai cooking sauces! Check 'em out next time you go shopping!

Chef Dan, sauteing the chicken...





Chef Dan with his Campbell's Creation!

Chicken Parmigiana with Fresh Parsley, over Pasta!

Chef Dan, starting the Alfredo-Dill Sauce with Prego...


Chef Dan's Herb-Poached Salmon with Alfredo-Dill Sauce, over Pasta!

V-8 Fusion, Rum, & Fresh Rosemary! YUM!

Cheers!!!

Tuesday, December 2, 2014

L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal Test: Update!



I am participating in a Vibrant Influencer Network campaign for L’Oreal Age Perfect. I am receiving a fee for posting; however, the opinions expressed in this post are my own. I am in no way affiliated with L’Oreal Age Perfect and do not earn a commission or percent of sales. #sponsored #cellrenewal


As you know from my post last month, I was delighted to be selected to try the L’Oreal Age Perfect Cell Renewal regimen, and I’ve been using all three products- the Age Perfect Cell Renewal Golden Serum, Age Perfect Cell Renewal Day Cream, and Age Perfect Cell Renewal Night Cream- Religiously, daily and nightly! I’d always wanted to try a complete anti-aging skin care regimen, where all the products were made to work together and complement each other, and I’m finally getting to do it! Hubs took some “before and after” photos of my face so we can all see if there’s any real, visible improvement after only a month, and here are the results to date: 

Before: Oct 27 - no makeup
Now:  Dec 1 - no makeup
Nov 14 - with light makeup

Dec 1 - no makeup
Dec 1 - no makeup







  I personally think I'm looking MUCH better! The best part (for me), is that my HUSBAND sees a positive improvement, and wants me to stick with the program!  Where I see the most visible improvements are in the lessening of redness and blotchy discoloration, both on my face and neck and décolletage, where the “wrinkly” area is much smoother, too! YAY! The regimen has smoothed and improved the texture of my skin, which is a real plus, as well.

I strongly suggest you take “before" photos, too- because day-to-day you may not see results, but you WILL when you look at the photos after a couple of weeks!
I have to say I am Quite impressed! I honestly wasn’t expecting anything so dramatic at all! 

As I wrote in my last post, my initial experience with the products was lovely, and it still is; I especially like the way the Serum goes on smoothly and velvety, and the pale, golden sheen it gives my skin. The Day Cream is creamy and richer, and goes on smoothly on top of the serum, as does the Night Cream, and all the products are readily absorbed into my skin, and give me a nice, “dewy” glow, but no oiliness or greasiness or breakouts. My skin continues to feel soft and velvety after applying the products, and that feeling lasts through the whole day, which is great! I don’t wear makeup most of the time, but when I do, it goes on smoothly over the products with no problems at all, and the Serum and Day Cream make my foundation look and wear better- as you can see from the photo where I have on light makeup, I have a nice "dewy glow", as opposed to the usual matte finish that full-coverage foundation gives me, which seems to accentuate every single "fine line" on my face... The Serum has no perfume to speak of, and I like the light, sweet scents of the Day and Night Creams. I have already bought more Golden Serum, and I am continuing with the regimen!
No, Age Perfect didn’t take off 40 lbs. or 15 years (yet - LOL), but I do find that in only 34 days it has made a noticeable and positive difference in the appearance and texture of my skin- and what made me happiest is that Other People (hubs) noticed it, as well. The regimen accelerates skin cell renewal by enhancing exfoliation, so surface cells are revealed faster, thus resulting in refreshed, re-plumped, and visibly renewed skin, and it also promises firmer skin after only one month- and it has noticeably improved the look and texture of my skin.
 
My feeling is that the regimen of all three products would be a wonderful holiday gift for a friend who you know would Love to try it, but might not buy it for herself! (Or himself! :-) )  I don’t know about you, but I have LOTS of friends (and relatives) like that! And in the new “one for you, and one for me” tradition of holiday gift-giving, here’s a great coupon to get you started: http://bricks.coupons.com/Start.asp?bt=vi&tqnm=vixncnp45783236&o=116959&pt=&lang=&ws=&ct=&ci=&cl=&cp=&eb=1&c=LP&p=168169158&z=&r=&pc=&  One of the nicest things about L’Oreal products is that they are not prohibitively expensive, and are readily available across the country, so this is also an easy gift to get oneself or for a friend!  TIP: if you are getting all three products, my suggestion is to get two bottles of the Golden Serum, as there wasn’t enough product in one bottle of Serum to get me through one jar each of the Day & Night Cream. That’s really my only “pet peeve”- I wish there had been twice as much Serum in the jar, so I hadn’t had to go buy more Serum when I was only half way through the Day and Night Cream!

Stay tuned, because I'm going to post another update in about a month!
 
Here’s the link to the L’Oreal website, so you can check out all the products: www.lorealparisusa.com/cellrenewal
May you all have a happy- and beautiful- holiday season!

www.lorealparisusa.com/cellrenewal