This is not only a fun beauty kit it is also a science kit, designed to teach girls about what goes into the making of a cosmetic product.

This kit is produced by GiddyUp and is recommended for ages 8 and up.

The kit contains oil phase, pink dye and fragrance, 2 wax phase, 2 flower shaped compacts, mixing bowl, spatula, and activity guide. From reading the ingredients list you will find that there are chemicals and dyes in it but then again, what cosmetics on the market that you buy pre-made don’t?

If you get this kit you will need a microwave to make it.

The flavor of the lip balm you make is Cotton Candy, yum!

The object of this kit is not to create a product that is all-natural but to show girls what goes into making a cosmetic product and let them have a little fun making some for themselves.

I found the kit very easy to use and I could see where it would be fun for girls to try out with their friends. I give it a thumbs up!

The kit may be purchased through the GiddyUp site or on Amazon for $6.99 or locally at a Learning Express store.

GiddyUp have other Science Cosmetic kits to make products like soap, bath fizzies, body mist, and perfume and a whole collection of other fun kits. Read more here www.giddyup.com/science/category-126/Spa-Products.htm

FTC Disclosure: A sample kit was sent to me for review. No compensation was provided.

This week, Rico’s investigations take him to Mattel headquarters where he gets a preview of this holiday’s top toys from the big cheeses at Mattel.

From Barbie video girl with a color LCD on her back to the newest Loopz motion memory game, Rico will get a sneak peak at all the latest and greatest toys from Mattel and give you and your readers a heads up on the hottest toys out there. Rico is very energetic and has a lot of fun checking out all of the great new tosy.

Stay tuned for Rico’s final video next week, as he embarks on his final mission as “Fun Ambassador” and also stay tuned to find out how you can win this holiday season.

• 2 Night’s Stay in Florida: @Zipporahs
• Flip Ultra Camera: Kathleen kdeshan…@
• Flip Ultra Camera: Sidney annickv…@

@hotelsdotcom Hotels.com is giving one Sweeties readers a fabulous two-night stay in Florida at the Crystal Palm Beach Resort in Treasure Island, Florida and two winners will receive a Flip Utra™ camcorder.

It’s widely recognized that stress can lead to long term health issues. In fact, a May 2010 study from the U.S. National Library of Medicine released findings that among women who felt high stress, 35 percent were more likely to have heart disease. Hotels.com® knows that a long vacation, especially a free one, can relieve tension like nothing else.

Hotels.com is sponsoring this giveaway because they want to get the word out about their “I Need a Vacation” Summer Sweepstakes that runs until September 6th. You can enter once by uploading a photo that demonstrates why you need a vacation. There will be daily winners of a Flip Utra™ camcorder (ARV $149.99) and one super lucky grand prize winner will receive a vacation for life awarded as a check in the amount of $102,250. Can’t you believe that? What amazing prizes.

To enter visit www.hotels.com/ineedavacation.

“I Need a Vacation is our way of giving a huge thank you to our loyal customers,” said Taylor L. Cole, APR, director of public relations for Hotels.com. “It’s the biggest promotion we’ve done to date and we are excited to be able to offer someone a chance to have 50 years of spectacular vacations courtesy of Hotels.com. We’re proving that we’re not only the smartest way to book travel, but also the most rewarding.”

You can boost your chances of winning by recruiting your network of friends, family, and colleagues to vote for your picture everyday. You also have the option of uploading your pictures directly from your Facebook albums, enabling you to easily reach out to friends and Twitter followers to earn more votes.

And, as usual, you can always post your voting request on the Sweeties Facebook Fan page.

Camera-shy folks, fear not! Even if you do not upload a photo, you can still be entered into a random daily drawing that gives you the opportunity to win a Flip™ camcorder of your own, just for voting daily for your favorite “I need a vacation” look.

Grand Prize: One (1) Grand Prize winner will receive a vacation for life.  The prize will be awarded as a check in the amount of $102,250.  The amount of the prize is calculated based on the assumption that a winner will take fifty (50) vacations worth approximately $2,045 each over the course of a lifetime. See Official Rules for details.

How to Enter the Sweeties Hotels.com Giveaway:

Get one entry per day by: visiting the I Need a Vacation promotion at Hotels.com and check out the Photo Gallery full of photos of people who say they need a vacation!  Simply VOTE for your favorite photo and then come back here and tell me name of the person you voted for by leaving a comment below.

You will receive one entry for each vote you cast and be entered to win a Flip Utra™ camcorder on the Hotels.com site and when you come back here and give me the name you will get one entry into my giveaway as well. You can do this everyday until August 31, 2010, when my giveaway is over. But, keep entering daily up until Sept. 6th on the Hotels.com website to win.

Get an additional entry everyday when you: send out this tweet on Twitter.

@SweetiesSwag and @Hotelsdotcom is giving you the chance to win a 2-night stay in Florida or Flip Utra camcorder http://tinyurl.com/2c78djt

Note: You can also just click the Twitter button at the bottom of this button to tweet it out. I will see your entry that way as well. There is no need to come back here and let me know you tweeted because they come directly to me on Twitter and I see them.

And make sure to share this with your friends on Facebook so they can enter. Just use the button at the bottom of this post to share.

The Prizes:

One winner will receive a 2-night stay at the Crystal Palm Beach Resort in Treasure Island, Florida.

Two winners will receive a Flip Utra™ camcorder.

Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Ends on August 31, 2010, at midnight EST. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winners will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to my email. Only one winner per household. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. Winners will also be posted on Sweeties Swag.

Sign up for Hotels.com Rewards: After watching the Hotels.com TV commercials I recently signed up for the Hotels.com welcomerewards™ program Did you know you can get a free night stay after you stay 10 nights by booking at Hotels.com. Their deals are great too. We used them to book the hotel for our upcoming trip to Virginia and will definitely use them from now on so we can earn the free nights stay. Signing up with them is free so you should check it out.

Sponsor a Sweeties Giveaway and effectively promote your business, brand or product: Click here to find out how.

FTC Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% mine and I was not influenced by Hotels.com to write this post. I did not receive payment to host this giveaway but Hotels.com provided me with a Flip™ Ultra Camcorder. Hotels.com is providing the prizes and also shipping them to the winners.

As the official toy spokesperson for KMart Rico is taking us through the toy aisle and talking to kids to find out what is hot and what is not. Check out his first video here

Rico mets Dan the toyman at Hasbro where he checks out the new Nerf shooter, the light sabor, the cool Ricoshay, and the dancing pup.

Check out the KMart Fab15 site to see all of the toy nominations and stay tuned for the next video from Rico. You will be able to vote for your favorites on the KMart site so stay tuned for that as well.

Check out the KMart Fab15 site to see all of the toy nominations and stay tuned for the next video from Rico. Also, Kmart is going to give you a chance to win some great prizes so stay tuned for that as well and I will keep you posted on all of the fun details.

A free 30-day trial for SIRIUS XM is available at: www.sirius.com/marthafree30day.

SIRIUS XM’s Martha Stewart Living® Radio back to school highlights (all times ET):

Ask Martha (Mondays and Wednesdays 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm ET):

On Martha’s live, call-in SIRIUS XM show she takes questions from listeners across the country about cooking, entertaining, gardening, home keeping, what new projects she is working on and more. This week, call 866-675-6675 or email radio@marthastewart.com to “Ask Martha” your back to school questions (August 25, 4:00 – 5:00 pm ET).

Special series: “Feeding Our Future” with Chef Bill Telepan

Renowned chef Bill Telepan—chef/owner of New York City’s Telepan, Executive Chef of Wellness in the Schools (WITS), a non-profit organization dedicated to children’s environmental health, nutrition and fitness in the NYC public schools—continues his special 5-week series on nutrition in our nation’s schools with a special show featuring three NYC public school students to talk about what they think about cooking, school lunch, and eating well. Telepan conducts a blind taste test live on the air to find out if the kids prefer processed store-bought versions of chili, mac and cheese and chicken nuggets or his healthy, freshly made versions. Telepan also recommends ten essential items to stock a parent’s healthy food pantry. Telepan was involved in the development of the “Chefs Move to Schools” campaign, visiting the White House several times in the past months to work with First Lady Michelle Obama’s team and Share Our Strength. (August 28 at 10:00 am and August 29 at 4:00 pm).

Morning Living (weekdays beginning at 7:00 am ET):

*Co-host Betsy Karetnick welcomes Sarah Carey, Food Editor of Martha Stewart Living, as her special guest co-host on August 27

Back to school week guests include: Stephanie Nelson, aka “The Coupon Mom,” who will offer tips to save on school supplies (August 26 at 7:30 am); Chef/food writer Deborah Madison, author of What We Eat When We Eat Alone: Stories and 100 Recipes on cooking for one and back-to-school lunch ideas for the stay-at-home moms and dads eating lunch home alone once the kids return to school (August 27 at 8:00 am).

Whole Living with Terri Trespicio (weekdays beginning at 10:00 am ET):

Back to school week guests include: Shira Bocar, Senior Food Editor, Whole Living, with great ideas for healthy lunches and snacks (August 26 at 10:00 am); Macreena Doyle, Associate Director of University Communications, St. Lawrence University, on must-haves for a “green” college dorm shopping list (August 26 at 10:00 am).

Living Today with Mario Bosquez (weekdays beginning at 1:00 pm ET):

Back to school week guests include: Kevin Sharkey, Executive Editorial Director for Decorating, Martha Stewart Living (August 26 at 3:30 pm) and Lynne Gerald, founder/president of “What’s Cooking?” culinary school for kids, shares back to school cooking ideas for kids of all ages (August 27 at 1:00 pm).

On Martha Stewart Living Radio®, Martha and her team of lifestyle experts teach, offer advice, and inspire around-the-clock with shows about entertaining, cooking, pet care, gardening, weddings and much more. For more information visit:  www.sirius.com/marthastewartlivingradio

The Martha Stewart Show is moving to Hallmark Channel beginning September 13. For more details visit http://www.marthastewart.com/

• Heather heathersfree…
• Laura Forgionesg…

Even before I went to BlogHer and sampled the new I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray, I was a fan of their margarine in the tub. This is the brand we have been using for years. Before we used I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter we used Parkay and switched. The spray was something I hadn’t used and I was glad I tried it. Now I have some in the refrigerator and am using it everyday, especially on popcorn.

My It Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter Spray Review

I am a popcorn freak. I love, love, love, pan popcorn. What is pan popcorn? It is popcorn you make on the stove in a pan with oil using the popcorn kernels you get in the bag at the grocery store. We usually put Parmesan cheese on top but now I am also putting this new spray on first. You haven’t lived until you have tried pan popcorn with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray and Parmesan cheese – yu-um!

When I meet with Chef Normajean at the Unilever event she gave me from other great ideas for spicing up my popcorn. She said why not try Cheyanne pepper or garlic powder. I’m like, hmmm, never thought about that before.

And, did you know that the I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray adds fresh butter flavor to your favorite summer dishes and with 0 calories, 0g fat, and 0g trans fat per serving? It also helps you grill smarter all summer long.

Here are some other great ways you can use I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter spray to add great flavor to your favorite foods:

• For a savory seafood appetizer, grill clams until they open and arrange in a serving bowl. Generously spray the clams with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray and sprinkle with chopped fresh herbs.  Serve with crusty toasted bread slices topped with Spray.
• For easy seasoned kabobs, just before grilling your favorite chicken, beef, seafood or veggie kabobs, spray with I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray, then sprinkle with garlic powder and your favorite herbs.
• For a delicious buttery flavor, spray I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray onto hot corn-on-the cob just off the grill and sprinkle with freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Spice it up by splashing on a little red or green hot pepper sauce!
• For a super-easy “Blackened” Steak or Chicken, spray I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter! Original Spray onto steak or boneless, skinless chicken breasts, then sprinkle with chili powder, dried herbs and black pepper and rub into the meat. Grill until the meat reaches desired doneness.

How to Enter:

How to Win: two ways

1. Leave a comment below answering this question,What would you use the I Can’t Believe It’s Not butter spray for? – 1 entry per person
2. Post this tweet on Twitter – 1 per person per day

@SweetiesSwag and @ICBINotButter is giving you the chance to taste test their new buttery spray. Enter here http://tinyurl.com/236x8xj RT

Note: You can also just click the Twitter button at the bottom of this button to tweet it out. I will see your entry that way as well. There is no need to come back here and let me know you tweeted because they come directly to me on Twitter and I see them.

And make sure to share this with your friends on Facebook so they can enter. Just use the button at the bottom of this post to share.

The Prizes:

There will be two winners. Each winner will receive a I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Spray Summer Grilling Kit that includes: (click on the picture to see it larger)

• I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!® Spray
• Premium Non-Stick Grilling Basket
• Crate & Barrel Portable 4-piece Grill Tool Set with Carrying Case
• 8 Better For You BBQ Recipe cards
• Better For You BBQ Newsletter with recipes and tips

Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Ends on September 2, 2010, at midnight EST. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winners will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to my email. Only one winner per household. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. Winners will also be posted on Sweeties Swag.

Sponsor a Sweeties Giveaway and effectively promote your business, brand or product: Click here to find out how.

FTC Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% mine and I was not influenced by Unilever to write this post. I did not receive payment nor a gift to host this giveaway .

• Jennifer jnf5…
• tiffk yankeeswin…
• Marie mcl…
• Jennifer jenswin…
• Rose rgolz…

Have you seen the new P.F. Chang’s commercial about their new “Home Menu” frozen entrees? P.F. Chang’s Bistros is a national restaurant chain serving Chinese food. I know all about Chinese food because my daughter-in-law is Chinese. So, when I was given the opportunity to try these new frozen entrees at the Unilever event at BlogHer recently I said that they would have some stiff competition from me. I have had the “real deal” and not the Americanized version of Chinese food – think MSG.

My review of the P.F. Chang’s Home Menu Entrees

I was pleasantly surprised to find that I like the P.F. Chang’s frozen entrees. They are not what you would think of when you buy a frozen entree and they are not what I think of when I buy traditional Chinese food either. I haven’t actually eaten in a P.F. Chang’s Bistro so I can’t compare them to their restaurant food but what I did taste I liked. My favorite was the Chicken and Broccoli in the Ginger sauce because it has kind of a kick to it. It is spicy enough but not the hot spicy that makes your mouth get fired up. I also liked the fact that they come in a box-type package and not a bag. Those bags are harder to fit into your freezer. The box is compact and can easily be stored.

I was impressed that the chef at P.F. Chang’s was so concerned with putting quality ingredients in the entrees and making them taste like you were actually eating at the restaurant. He said he wouldn’t put his name on them until they were perfect.

“With a proprietary technology, we have been able to capture the bold flavors associated with P.F. Chang’s in a frozen entrée that is quick and easy to prepare,” said Gaston Vaneri, Senior Brand Building Director at Unilever. “The result, P.F. Chang’s Home Menu, is a delicious, flavor-packed meal for two that can be prepared at home in 13 minutes or less.”

More about P.F. Chang’s Home Menu

Created with the expert chefs at P.F. Chang’s China Bistro® and produced and distributed by Unilever, P.F. Chang’s Home Menu is a new line of premium Asian frozen entrées that captures the bold flavors associated with P.F. Chang’s. With P.F. Chang’s Home Menu, fans of P.F. Chang’s can now conquer their cravings for its signature Asian cuisine at home, when they can’t get to a restaurant.

Made with high-quality ingredients and featuring intense flavors, the bold, frozen meals for two are convenient and easy to prepare, going from the skillet to a succulent restaurant-quality meal at home in just minutes. The P.F. Chang’s Home Menu features fresh-tasting, high-quality ingredients, including Asian vegetables like edamame, water chestnuts, snap peas and bok choy. Each entrée includes chicken, beef or shrimp, with up to 25 percent of total volume in protein.

Proprietary technology ensures that the ingredients for the entrée are frozen without losing any of the bold flavor, and allows the different ingredients to cook together for consistent quality and taste. Sauces are frozen in Unilever’s unique sauce cube format, melting over and glazing the high-quality proteins and crisp vegetables as the entrée cooks.

P.F. Chang’s come in Eight Delicious Varieties:

• Orange Chicken – Battered white meat chicken with a spicy orange sauce, carrots, water chestnuts and edamame
• Shanghai Style Beef – Beef with a sweet and savory sauce, onions, string beans and red bell peppers
• Sweet & Sour Chicken – Battered white meat chicken with a balanced sweet and tangy sauce, pineapple and bell peppers
• General Chang’s Chicken – Battered white meat chicken with a sweet chili sauce, broccoli and red bell peppers
• Ginger Chicken & Broccoli – White meat chicken with a fragrant ginger sauce, broccoli and red bell peppers
• Beef with Broccoli – Beef with a savory garlic soy sauce and broccoli
• Shrimp in a Garlic Sauce – Shrimp with a garlic sauce, carrots, red bell peppers, water chestnuts and snap peas

How to Enter Sweeties P.F. Chang’s Giveaway:

How to Win: two ways

1. Leave a comment below answering this question,What P.F. Chang’s Entree do you want to try? – 1 entry per person
2. Post this tweet on Twitter – 1 per person per day

@SweetiesSwag and @PFChangs is giving you the chance to taste test their new Home Menu Entrees. Enter here http://tinyurl.com/33s9drj RT

Note: You can also just click the Twitter button at the bottom of this button to tweet it out. I will see your entry that way as well. There is no need to come back here and let me know you tweeted because they come directly to me on Twitter and I see them.

And make sure to share this with your friends on Facebook so they can enter. Just use the button at the bottom of this post to share.

BONUS: Get a printable coupon for $2.00 any of the P.F.Chang’s Home Menu meals for two. This is a Bricks coupon so you can print it twice. It expires on 9/24/10. Print your coupon here

The Prizes:

There will be five winners. Each winner will receive a coupon for a free P.F. Chang’s frozen entree valued at $9.99. The coupon is good until 2011. Click here to find a store in your area selling the new P.F. Chang’s Home Menu entrees.

Giveaway Rules: This giveaway is only open to residents of the United States who are 18 years of age or older. Ends on September 2, 2010, at midnight EST. The email addresses that are collected for this giveaway will only be used for the purpose of contacting the winner and will never be given out to anyone nor sold. The winners will be randomly chosen and contacted via email. The winner will have 72 hours to respond to my email. Only one winner per household. Please make sure you check your junk mail folder. Winners will also be posted on Sweeties Swag.

Sponsor a Sweeties Giveaway and effectively promote your business, brand or product: Click here to find out how.

FTC Disclaimer: All opinions are 100% mine and I was not influenced by P.F. Chang’s to write this post. I did not receive payment to host this giveaway but did receive a coupon to try P.F. Chang’s frozen entrees for myself.

• Mondays: Best day to buy men’s and women’s dress pants. The average sale is about 48 percent off.
• Mondays: Also great for purchasing sunglasses. The average discount is 55 percent.
• Tuesdays: Best for buying men’s apparel. The average discount is 42 percent.
• Wednesdays: Find lowest prices on shoes. The average discount is 38 percent.
• Wednesdays: Also find best deals on kids’ clothing. The average discount is around 40 percent.
• Thursdays: Best for buying women’s handbags. The average discount is 36 percent.
• Fridays: Biggest sales on accessories like jewelry, belts and scarves. The average discount is 42 percent.
• Saturdays: Best sales on intimates (37 percent off) and jackets/outerwear (51 percent off).
• Sundays: Buy your swimsuits for an average 52 percent off!

Read original details on Yahoo

And, many stores are now offering special discounts through their Twitter feed and Facebook pages so make sure to check those out as well. Be sure to follow the retailers you frequent to find out as soon as a deal is announced.

An easy way to find companies on Twitter is to use the Twitter search at search.twitter.com or go to Google.com and type the name of the company + Twitter in the search box.

On Facebook just start typing the name of the company in the search box at the top of the main page.

Here are some companies you should follow on Twitter to get great daily deals

Groupon, features daily deals on “the best stuff to do, eat, and buy” in 24 U.S. cities. You can save sometimes 50% on tickets and dining out through Groupon.

Fat Wallet, Slick Deals, CheapTweet, and CouponTweet Bargainist

In no particular order the top ten things American love are:

Favorite Place to Vacation Worldwide: France

Favorite Dog: Labrador

Favorite Chips: Lays

Favorite Cereal: Honey Nut Cheerios

Favorite Fish: Shrimp

Favorite Lipstick: Revlon

Favorite Sneaker: Nike Air Force One

Favorite Job: Sales Clerk

Favorite Item at Walmart: Banana

Favorite Car Color: White

Okay, I didn’t say it wasn’t an extensive list. I am not sure about the dog or favorite Walmart item. I would have said Golden Retriever (although they say it has been a past favorite) and at Walmart I think maybe it would be something else but they are basing it on total sales.

Read the original article here.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with this favorite’s list.

Okay, it’s a pretty dumb list. How about we make out own.

Favorite pants: Jeans

Favorite doll: Barbie

Favorite dessert: Jello

Favorite past-time: football

Favorite Social Media site: Facebook

Want to add any of your favorites?