Happy Tuesday, Bionic Beauties! I hope you all enjoy these freebies I’ve rounded up from the far, far reaches of the interwebs. Now vamoose… get on with your requesting!

Free sample of Lilly’s Lotions! You can choose from their Lavendar, Citrus, or Coconut scented body lotions.

Grab a freebie of Origins GinZing “energy-boosting face moisturizer” by “liking” their page on Facebook and then requesting the sample.

Soften your overworked heels and feet with a free sample of Flexitol Heel Balm. Visit their webpage and click the “Request Sample Sachet” link just under the Heel Balm picture.

Become a fan of Palmer’s Australia Facebook page and then request a free sample of their Cocoa Butter cream lotion!

Pick up a freebie of Pureology Serious Color Hair Care shampoo and conditioner by filling out this short form on their website.

Hugs and freebies,

If you’ve been sleeping constantly, or slightly out of the beauty news loop, you may not have heard about the latest facial skincare “trend”: oils.  No longer do we run from oil, screaming like a banshee, while imagining zits exploding on our face. No.  As most of us know, that silly old wives’ tale about oil making you break out is FALSE. In fact, there are many (but not all) oils that are awesome for your face, and can even help clear up troubled skin!

For those Bionic Beauties who are just learning about skincare oils, below is a super helpful article from Total Beauty which outlines some benefits and some of the newest product releases…

11 Best New Beauty Oils

These new picks will motivate you to use oils in every step of your beauty routine

This is a TotalBeauty.com Skin care article Remember when we wanted everything in our beauty regimen to be oil-free? Well, those days are long gone. From nail care to hair color, every beauty category is experiencing an oilboom. Why? Oils are not only moisturizing and nurturing, but they’re also loaded with antioxidants. We tried dozens of the newest oils and came up with an entire beauty routine that is oil-based. Click ahead to see how beauty oils can beautify you from head to toe.  See oils

Stay tuned for my upcoming article covering an intro to oils, fun facts, myths, and how to use oils easily, and inexpensively, in your skincare routine!  In the meantime, feel free to ask any oily Q’s below.

Here’s to skincare smarts and oily mythbusting,

I’m dedicating this manicure to all female Trekkies and their continuing voyages to boldly go… with awesome nails!…

Hopefully I’m not the only one who is super excited for the new Star Trek movie, Into Darkness, which opens tonight! (Insert geeky squeal here.)

To show my fandom, I decided on a simple but meaningful nail style.  The main color is Bella’s Vampire by Gelish – a very dark purplish burgundy.  I added tiny Star Trek “Command” emblems on my ring finger using a silver no-name nail art pen; then drew in the elongated 5-point star with a black Sharpie.  I added a bit of extra starry bling with a holographic shimmer top coat – just on my ring fingers.

A quick top coat of Seche Vite and I was done!

Now I’ve just got to calm my excitement until I can see the movie!  Any Bionic Beauties heading to the midnight premiere tonight? Or will you be waiting for the crowds to subside a bit?

Live long and prosper…

Shopping for skin care products can be a nightmare. Especially for a self-acknowledged, obsessive label reader like me. Combine that with the fact that SO many companies do not seem to include all their actual ingredients on the labels (side note: smaller, indie skincare companies seem to be completely and wonderfully honest in their labeling; the bigger brand names are the ones I’ve noticed that artfully neglect some of their ingredients).

Ingredients lists are long, scientific and frequently boring; but here’s a quick list of seven new skincare ingredients to keep your peepers peeled for during your next online or in-store shopping trip!

7 New Skincare Ingredients To Get Excited About

Retinols and glycolic acids are so yesterday. Get updated on the new buzz-worthy skin care ingredients

This is a TotalBeauty.com Skin care article When it comes to the beauty products we use everyday, skincare is where the science is. New skin care ingredients and skin care advancements are being discovered practically every day. The tried and true concoctions should still hold a place in your skin care regimen (don’t skimp on the SPF and don’t give up on retinol just yet!), but there are new and exciting skin care ingredients that you should introduce into your regular routine. Click ahead to get the 411 on the special skincare ingredients you should try. See ingredients

Stay sane on the skincare aisle,

I’ve got a multitude of new free samples for you! But first, a note from… well, me….

Over the past month, I’ve had a poll running on Bionic Beauty’s sidebar asking if I should include free samples that require you to login to Facebook and/or “like” something on Facebook. The overwhelming response is that Facebook freebies pretty much suck. But, for those Bionics out there that don’t mind interacting with Facebook to request a freebie, I’ll be including some of them in this, and future, Freebies Found articles. BUT… I will be tagging the FB freebies with a notation. That way y’all can avoid them if you choose, or seek them out if that’s your bag o’ tea. Happy campers, all around, see?!

And now, on to the freebies!

Scent a man in your life with a freebie of Hugo Boss cologne. You can pick from Hugo Man, Hugo Just Different, and Hugo Red. (This free sample is open to the US and many countries worldwide!)

Grab a free sample of L’Oreal’s new Advanced Haircare system by liking their Facebook page, and then filling out the short form. (Facebook freebie, you’ve been warned.)

For Sam’s Club members only – Grab a free sample of Fekkai Technician Color Care shampoo and conditioner. Just visit the special section of the Sam’s website and click the blue “Get Sample” button about half way down the right side of the page.

Many of us are still fighting the dryness of winter… so go ahead and nab this little sample packet of Eucerin Professional Repair Extremely Dry Skin lotion.  Chuck it in your purse and you’re good to go.

And finally, here’s a totally weird freebie… DirectTV users can (apparently) go to channel 111 on their TV to request a sample of Tresemme’s new Platinum Strength hair care.  Since I do not have DirectTV, I’m not sure how, or if, this one works.  If any of you try, I would love to hear how it goes for you! Pretty please?

On a totally unrelated note… anyone going to see Iron Man 3 this weekend? I cannot wait!!!

Hugs and freebies,

As most of you know, Annette Funicello passed away earlier this week. As a young girl, I watched Annette on Mickey Mouse Club reruns and in the always-fun Beach Blanket Bingo movie. Even though I was still in the single age digits, Annette’s grace and presence struck me. I grew to respect her poise even more when I learned of her battle with MS.

Annette Funicello was a true Powerful Beauty ~ inside and out.

Catch up on the rest of the Powerful Beauty features. And remember to check back each Friday for another dose of how to Achieve Powerful Beauty!d

A few days ago, the following cryptic message appeared in @YBFSkincare’s twitter stream:

Which led to this post on Facebook.
Which in turn led to hints about and a secretive announcement that YBF Skincare is launching an uber-special face mask called Clarity!!

And this doesn’t sound one little bit like your ordinary face mask. Here’s an exclusive direct quote from one of the YBF founders:

“The matcha we are using is some of the very best matcha available in the world and for anyone who has ever enjoyed a matcha face mask, ours promises to be an entirely superior experience.”

What’s Matcha you ask? It’s a very special variety of Japanese Green Tea ~ a high quality, fine-milled tea powder.

YBF Skincare’s new mask will be available in single use packs (sold individually) and in packs of five. Below are the usage instructions from the back of the mask packet:

• preparation: into a small bowl, precisely measure two teaspoons of water and one teaspoon of honey. empty in packet and with a fork, briskly stir for 30 seconds or longer until smooth. then allow the mask to rest 15 minutes before use.
• application: start with a clean face. avoiding the eye area, apply a thick layer of mask. enjoy the mask for 20 minutes or until completely dry.
• removal: shower off or use a warm washcloth to rehydrate and gently remove the mask. once removed, rinse with cool water and apply your favorite product from our line.

Another yet another hint for all my fellow Bionic Beauties out there… you can click on the image of Clarity above to take a sneak peek at the ingredients list.  Be awed by the fact that you are one of the first in the world to lay your eyes on it!

Stay Bionic y’all,

Do you remember those strange pamphlets of folded paper covered in tiny type and bright lines that were a necessity before any car trip? Maps!

These analog accessories are now usually passed over for our GPS-laden smartphones, but some strange people (like me) hold a fondness for paper maps.  And I’m saying this right now…

Nail Polish + Map of Paris = Super Awesomeness!

Want to know how you can create your own radical map manicure? It’s actually pretty easy-peasy (Especially since I did a gazillion tests and worked out most of the kinks. Bonus to you!) with these steps:

1. Paint your nails as usual. I used a base coat; 2 coats of a very light pastel blue nail polish (“Havana Dreams” by OPI for Sephora); and a cheapy top coat. A note about color: I recommend using any light color for your polish ~ white, off white, cream, and pastels all work wonderfully!
2. Flip through your magazines or printed materials for a map, words, design, logo, or pattern you like!  DIY if you have a laser printer at home, or have your map/other copied/printed at the local print shop ~ you basically need a laser or toner printed image.  Inkjet won’t work.  For the magazines ~ look for ones with pages that are *not* the super shiny.  I used a Paris tourism ad page from the French version of Elle.
3. Cut little 1 inch by 1 inch squares from your chosen map.
4. Fill a shallow saucer a bit of rubbing alcohol.  I used the 70% Isopropyl Alchohol from the drugstore.  I tried the other concentrations and they didn’t work as well, but your mileage may vary.  I also tried Vodka… and didn’t have much luck but you could drink it while doing your nails *wink*.
5. Dip a square into your alcohol until it is fully damp.  Just a few seconds should do it.
6. Press the paper square, with the design side facing your nail, onto your finger nail.
7. Mush the paper against your entire nail.  Be sure to press it down into the edges too!
8. Keep pressing for a good 30 seconds. Be careful not to move the paper! Otherwise your design will double print or you’ll get smudgies.
9. Slowly peel away the paper from your nail.
10. And there’s your design!
11. Finish your other nails.  Let the final nail dry for 5 minutes after you finish.
12. Apply a nice thick top coat!  I use Seche Vite.

If you mess up, just wipe the design off your nail with a alcohol soaked cotton ball. And then start with a new square of your map!

It might take a bit of practice, but the comments I got were SO totally worth it!  I hoping to do a set with QR Codes soon to show off my geeky side.  Can you imagine?  “Lookie! Scan my nails to visit Bionic Beauty!”

Wishing you many long and happy car trips,

I hope everyone is having a lovely weekend so far.  The weather in my parts is wonderful, but a tad warm for my tastes.  And now… enough babbling from me, and onto the two quick freebies I just spotted on the web.

Nab a free sample of Chomp Soap ~ an “all natural” hand soap.

Get scented with goodness  by grabbing a freebie of Escada‘s new perfume ~ Cherry in the Air.

Have a very happy 47 Day!