Beauty Swag For Your Momma: Part One

Mother's Day is only one week away! I'm dying to know....

What did you get your Momma to show her your love and appreciation? To celebrate her patience and dedication? To make her feel extra special on this glorious holiday?  Nothing yet?! Slacker. Lucky for you, (and your sweet Mom) you have me to swoop in and save the day. (And your ass.) I have searched all across the interwebs, and made you a list of perfect gifts your Mom will love.  All beauty swag of course.

Image: tokyo-milk.com

Tokyo Milk 
Bubble Baths  Small, 16 0z., $22.00  Large, 33.8 oz., $36.00 Nine Scents and Images to choose from. I absolutely love everything Tokyo Milk makes. The brand offers a wide variety of products in a huge array of scent combinations that you have never smelled anywhere before. The product formulas are beneficial and effective and everything is reasonably priced.

My sweet Octopus is scented with Linden,
Honeyed Rose, Wisteria Petals, and
White Musk.
Image: tokyo-milk.com

But just look at those bottles! The unexpected, bizarre images linger behind a sea of bubble bath, suspended in a simple glass jar. Super weird but totally beautiful right? I am smitten with the Octopus version. I have a strange obsession with those tentacled creatures so this is right up my alley. 
Oh wait.... We are shopping for Mom. Not me. Oops.

Skull With Roses is scented with
Deep Vanilla, Exotic Wood,
White Orchid, and Ebony.
Image: tokyo-milk.com

Fish Bowl with Floral Background
is scented with Lily, Peony
Vanilla Bean, and Violet Petals.
Image: tokyo-milk.com

Tokyo Milk threw together extract of Japanese Green Tea, rich Avocado, hydrating Olive Oil, and Vitamin E and created what could possibly be THE best bubble bath in the world! Mom will be thrilled to take time for herself and soak all of her stress away. The intoxicating scent will fill the bathroom, adding to her bliss. As she inhales Tokyo Milk's scent, she will glance at the gorgeous bottle on the side of the tub, admire it, and think about how happy she is to have it in her life.

Maybe that's a bit overboard, but you get the idea. 

Visit tokyo-milk.com, follow on Twitter, and like their Facebook page.

Image: 100percentpure.com

100% Pure
Bunnies Chasing Carrots Clutch 8.5x4.5 $35.00
Hand Wash  11 oz., $11.00 Available in four scents.
Hand Buttercream
2 oz., $8.00 Available in four scents.
Lip Butter Tin
$13.00 Available in seven flavors and colors.

My Mom likes her beauty products to be so natural you can eat them. She is a strict vegan, and I am amazed at how many beauty products she cannot use. The good news is that her beauty product choices may not be as narrow as they would have been a few years ago. Recently "Green Beauty" has exploded and experienced a surge in popularity, and as a result formulas, packaging, and prices have changed for the better. These days you can even find decadent, luxury brands and collections who offer expertly crafted, beautifully packaged, all natural potions for crunchy but chic tree-huggers everywhere.  For a perfect example of how fabulous green beauty can be, saunter on over to 100% Pure's website and drool over their impressive products. The brand offers makeup, skin care, hair care, among many other delightful odds and ends. There are so many indulgent treats to be had, and at prices that won't make you have to adjust the rest of the month's budget to make up for splurging. Ramen Noodles anyone?  Also, 100% does not hurt one single animal during the creation process or through product testing. That is super important. Period.

Bunnies Chasing Carrots Clutch
Image: 100percentpure.com

This adorableness is called the Bunnies Chasing Carrots Clutch. It's the big enough for all of you essentials when you only need a small purse, but small enough to use as a makeup bag in a larger tote if needed. Made with organic cotton that has been dyed pink with vegetable ink, trimmed with a sleek silver kiss lock frame, this could easily become Mom's go to bag. Scattered all over the bag are the cutest little bunnies! What's on the inside? Well, there is not a picture of the inside. Anywhere. Word on the street is that the lining of the clutch is spotted with itty bitty carrots! I have an inside source at 100% Pure who gave me the exclusive inside scoop the other day. No really, I do. That happened!

Well maybe that's stretching it a bit. My "inside source" is the person behind the company's Twitter account. The "exclusive inside scoop" was delivered to me via three tweets after I whined about not being able to find a picture of the clutch's inside lining They informed me that a picture would be up soon. Once I see it, I will update this post with the picture!
The best part about the clutch is that 100 % Pure is donating a portion of the proceeds from the sale of the Bunnies Chasing Carrots Clutch to the Humane Society. If reading that sentence made you think "Who is the Humane Society?", then I am ordering you to  stop reading my post right now, click on the link, and read all about this inspiring and super important organization. Not only will you learn something, but your heart will melt.
But why stop there? The clutch is a nice gift by itself but THIS IS YOUR  MOTHER! Why not be amazing and pop some goodies into the clutch? Like I mentioned earlier, 100% Pure carries a wide range of products that span multiple categories. 
Oh.... I know.... choosing something that will become your Mom's new beauty obsession can be so hard. Shhhh....don't distress boo. I picked three very basic items that most of women always keep in their arsenal of beauty products. These are simple, every day items, but 100% Pure has transformed them into luxe must-haves.

Clementine Hand Wash
Image: 100percentpure.com

I don't know about other Mom's of the world, but this Mom washes her hands about 10,000 times a day. All of that washing can be harsh on hands most hand soaps strip the skin of it's natural moisture. Most of the time I go through life with dry, irritated hands, and ragged cuticles. It's the worst. 100% Pure apparently got inside my head and came up with the hand wash of my dreams. Their all natural hand washes are made with antioxidants, vitamins, and other anti-aging properties. Yucky germs are annihilated by antibacterial herbs, while Aloe and Rose Hydrosol replenishes the moisture that was lost from constant washing. 

Virgin Coconut Hand Buttercream
Image: 100percentpure.com

I dare you to find someone who doesn't love a good hand cream. And, if for some reason you just laughed at me and thought, "Ha! I don't like hand cream!" then I challenge you to try the one above and not fall in love. 100% Pure'shand creamintensely hydrates dry hands and cuticles with anti-aging Vitamin E and C, Aloe, Coconut Oil, and Shea Butter. It is totally Gluten Free, Vegan and all four scents smell so good!

Cranberry Lip Butter
Image: 100percentpure.com

We all know that I am obsessed with lip balm, but I am willing to bet that you and your Mom share my addiction. How pretty is the pot of Lip Butter up there? It's so delicate and feminine! There are nine shade and flavor combinations, all in different colored tins. The butter itself is Vegan and Gluten free, and packed full of Avocado, Shea, and Cocoa butters. Natural fruit and berry pigments give the lip treatment it's color, and have the added benefit of infusing lips with antioxidants and vitamins.
Visit http://www.100percentpure.com, follow on Twitter, and Like the Facebook page!

Image: Mor Cosmetics

Mor Cosmetics


Winter Wonderland Gift Tin
3-Piece Gift Set Contained in a Collectible Tin, $40.00
There are three versions of this Gift Tin to choose from.


Australian based Mor Cosmetics is one of my all time favorite beauty brands! Each product is so special, and makes you feel like a princess who owns some of the most wondrous treasures the world has to offer. Mor packages their delightful goodies in exquisite boxes and papers, and ties each one off with a bow. On the soaps, instead of a bow, the ribbon is held together with a wax seal. Fancy right?! The swanky product packaging could really help you out during gift giving crisis. Since the smart folks at Mor have taken the time to pay attention to details, the grunt work of finding and wrapping the perfect gift is all taken care of. Simply buy anything from their website and BAM....you have an insta-gift that will bring the recipient endless joy. It's seriously that easy.
A few years ago, my sister gave me this very same gift tin in Mor's most famous fragrance, Marshmallow. I loved everything about the set, and was so brokenhearted when I inevitably used up every last drop that was contained in the pretty little tubes and pots. I cried billions of tears while I was unwrapping the soap. I hated to throw the beautiful, delicate wrap away. I actually stood at the trashcan, looking in at my precious Mor soap wrap with it's broken wax seal and searched my brain for ways to repurpose it. Then I would be able to keep it and make it into something new and useful! Then I can love it forever and ever! 
Quickly I realized that I was starting to blur the line between rational and irrational thinking, and was inching closer to crazy. So I shut the lid and backed away from the trashcan, cursing all of the uber-talented people with mad crafting skills. Being so furious with the ENTIRE crafting community made me realize that perhaps I needed to add another session to my once a week date with my beloved Psychologist. 
But good Lord, the wrap is just so pretty!

Winter Wonderland Gift Tin
Image: morcosmetics.com

Don't be scared or put off by the festive, Christmasy name of the gift set. Who cares what it's called? It's what's inside the Winter Wonderland Gift Tin that matters. 
Close your eyes and imagine a fluffy cloud puffed full of Candied Almonds and Sugar Blossom swirled into a warm Vanilla base, floating all around you. 
Sounds delicious and wildly comforting right? That my friend is what Mor's Candied Almond Vanilla smells like. Creamy, indulgent, and sweet.
First let's talk about the tin. Instead of a black tin, the one I received was pink with gold flourishes. Each gift set has a different color tin. The lid and base are hinged together, so the tin opens like a jewelry box. I haven't stopped using mine since receiving it. Currently, my pink tin houses all of my hair accessories. It's perfect. I never loose hair ties, clips, or bobby pins anymore! And it looks so chic on my dresser.

Candied Vanilla Almond Soap
Image: morcosmetics.com

This slice of suds is such an opulent indulgence, I promise that your Mom will actually get excited about a bar of soap. Once she opens it, (and cries when tossing the wrap!) she will swoon while inhaling the sumptuous fragrance that wafts up her adorable nose. In the shower or bath, she will be astonished at how much lather this triple-milled soap creates. And her mind will be blown all day at how soft and hydrated her skin feels. AFTER USING A BAR OF SOAP PEOPLE! 
Mor's soap is different from others because of the high quality ingredients the utilize. Vitamin E nourishes the skin, Shea Butter works hard to moisturize, and Glycerin protects that moisture while adding a little of it's own.

Candied Almond Vanilla Hand Cream
Image: morcosmetics.com

The rich Hand Cream will drench Mom's hard working hands with a wash of rich moisture. The silky cream formula is made up of deeply soothing elements, and was designed to make hands look and feel their healthiest. Top notch ingredients like Shea and Cocoa Butter, Irish Moss, and Sesame Seed Oil work together to heal, hydrate, and protect hands.

French Vanilla Lip Macaron
Image: morcosmetics.com

Pulling out my Lip Macaron in public made me feel so posh. The swanky little tin made any grown women around me squeal with delight and intrigue. They needed to hold it, smell it, and demanded to know where I bought it. 
Can you imagine their frustration when I shrugged and replied, "I received it as a gift." 
Now imagine me laughing like an evil witch.
The texture of the balm surprised me because it wasn't as thick as other balms or glosses are. I was also baffled by the lack of flavor because the balm is very perfumed.  It does not feel sticky or thick at all, just really slick and thin, like a silky nightgown for your pout. It's thin consistency didn't it matter one bit because it is such an effective lip balm. Vitamin E and Beeswax nourish your pout, and the delicious little Lip Macaron gives your lips the prettiest, subtle sheen. Mor's balm is a really stellar lip product!
I do want to put out there that while all of Mor's products smell lovely, their fragrances are very intense. So while their impressive, lavish packaging may dazzle your Mother, if she has a sensitive nose, this is not the gift for her.
Visit http://www.morcosmetics.com, follow them on Twitter, and like their Facebook page!
That wraps up part one of my Mother's day gift guide. (Pun intended.)
Make sure you come back later today for Part Two of my Mother's Day Swag post. I have such an exciting surprise in store for you guys! Think of it as my Mother's Day gift to you! I don't care if you aren't a Mom yet. I'll let it slide because I love you boo!
Smooches!