Thrifty, Gifty Thursday

Since today is the first day of December and I know that many of us need to do our Chritmas shopping, I will dedicate Thursdays of this month to blogging about websites where you can get handcrafted gifts for a reasonable price. First up I'd like to talk about one of my all-time favorites. I've mentioned this site several times in my blog because I really love the products. Of course I'm talking about Hailey's Dragonfly Garden. You can check it out here: http://www.haileysdragonflygarden.com/. This site offers all natural bath and body care at an affordable price. I especially like the clear body washes. Because they're all natural, they smell heavenly and the scent lasts all day. There are also many different types of soaps, and even products for babies. In these tough economic times when all big businesses are doing is taking our money and giving us subpar products, wouldn't you rather support a small business that not only has heart, but great products, too?

Another Shoutout to Hailey's Dragonfly Garden!

In an earlier post I sang the praises of the Acai Berry Lotion that Hailey's Dragonfly Garden offers. Well I figured since that did so well for the dry skin on my arms that there must be something that would work on my dry, rough hands. The recommendation was made that I try the Mango Butter Lotion. Let me tell you, my hands were beyond ashy. They're always a bit dry, but New England winters make them especially scaly. The first time I put the Mango Butter Lotion on my hands it soaked in very quickly and left my hands feeling soft. I've been using it for a little over a month now and it has improved the texture of the skin on my hands (as evidenced by the before and after pics). For those of you who haven't taken the plunge yet, you've gotta check out the website: http://www.haileysdragonflygarden.com/. There are wonderful gift ideas for the holidays. I guarantee you'll find something that you like ;-).

Treat Yourself without Breaking the Bank

As women we're always searching for the next big thing that's going to make us look and feel good. Beauty products and skincare are a big part of all of our lives, but the ones that claim that they'll benefit us the most are extremely expensive. Even when the economy wasn't so bad, it was hard for me to see myself paying an exorbitant amount of money to make my skin look better. Over the past 20 years or so, there has been a real shift in thinking and there has been more of an emphasis on all-natural skin care. Unfortunately, the all-natural stuff that's supposed to be better for you is just as expensive, if not more so, than all of the others. Through Twitter I was able to find a small business that makes all-natural products that are not only good for your skin, but they're also affordable. You can check out the site here: http://www.haileysdragonflygarden.com/.

I've ordered soaps and a body lotion and am very satisfied with my products. The skin on my upper arms was very dry and bumpy. I've often heard it referred to as "chicken skin". There's an expensive cream on the market that targets that particular problem. I've been considering buying the cream for quite some time, but just didn't want to spend the money. Even when I had gift cards for Sephora (where it's sold) I didn't want to buy it. Now I don't have to because Hailey's Dragon Garden makes a product that solves my problem. The Acai Berry Lotion with Calendula is one of the first purchases that I made. I use it almost every day on my arms and legs and it leaves my skin smooth and hydrated. I didn't even notice that the bumps on my upper arms were going away until the other day. I just happened to take a look at my arms when I was getting ready for work and noticed they didn't look dry anymore. Also, the texture of my skin has improved quite a bit. I'm very impressed with how well the Acai Berry Lotion has worked and I paid about an eighth of what I would've paid for the high-end brand.

As I said before, I've also tried the soaps and I love them! They lather very nicely, leaving my skin feeling soft and smooth. I highly recommend these products to anyone that's looking for an all-natural way to care for their skin, but isn't able to spend the big bucks.