Found Not Lost

This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Cheer

How do you brighten somebody’s day? I found that the things that brighten my day the most are the little blessings and surprises that happen unexpectedly. Sure, anybody’s day will brighten immediately if they won the lottery, but how many times is that going to happen?

For me, my day gets brighter when someone gives me a sincere hug. I’m not a big hugger so I’m not one of those people who hugs everyone hello. And if you know people like that then you’d know that sometimes those hugs are just for show. Some will come up to hug you but the hug is empty and limp. Sort of like a weak handshake. You know, the kind where their fingertips just brush your palm when they shake hands? Well they have their hug counterpart. Those are the ones that hug loosely then let go quickly like they don’t want to touch you. There are also the patters who pat your back like they’re sending you on your way. Well heck, don’t give me a hug that I didn’t ask for in the first place if it’s going to be like that!

My favorite hugs are the ones that are lovingly and sincerely given. When I see my mom, for instance, after an extended separation she hugs me like she wants to swallow me up. She hugs me tightly and firmly and I can feel her love seeping from her to me and I get warm and teary eyed like I am now just thinking about it. Yeah, I guess I’m missing my mom…

But, let’s get back on topic here… The reason I’m talking about how to Cheer someone up is because of the sponsor of this post, Cheer Detergent. They sent me the Cheer Bright Clean laundry detergent to sample. They didn’t know I already had some in the laundry room! I use this detergent because, well, we have a ton of laundry. What with four women in the house and a man who likes to work outdoors, we’ve got a lot of dingy laundry! Well, Cheer keeps our clothes looking bright and smelling fresh so we’d like to share it with you too. All you have to do is enter the giveaway below.

Visit the Official Cheer Detergent site for more information and Check out Cheer’s fun instant win game.
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This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Dove Self-Esteem

Every day is so wonderful
And suddenly, i saw debris
Now and then, I get insecure
From all the pain, I’m so ashamed

I am beautiful no matter what they say
Words can’t bring me down
I am beautiful in every single way
Yes, words can’t bring me down
So don’t you bring me down today

~Beautiful (song by Christina Aguilera)

My husband used to get upset when he would tell me how beautiful I am and I just roll my eyes and shake my head. See, I never learned to accept compliments graciously. Compliments made me feel uncomfortable and creepy, to tell the truth. The strange thing was, I didn’t think I looked too bad; I just didn’t get that others would see me as being more than the way I saw my self.

When I was growing up in the Philippines, my aunts used to bemoan that my skin was a little too brown and my nose a little too flat. Back then, they didn’t bother to whisper behind a child’s back either. They would just come right out and say it in front of me and to my face. They didn’t mean any harm, at least I don’t think they did, it was just a matter of fact for them. It was a way of making conversation.
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THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED

The winner is commenter number 372, Alexandrea M who said:

Alexandrea M Says:
August 1st, 2009 at 12:57 pm
Wow that’s a good question! There are a few women who have hair I covet, tend to be hispanic women with dark hair because it can look SO glossy!
I’d say Penelope Cruz on a wavy hair day is what I wish I could morph my hair into.

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This is a compensated review from BlogHer and Pantene Full & Thick

My hair was long, thick and shiny when I was younger. Then I got married and had kids. I was thrilled at how my hair reacted to pregnancy. It became lustrous and I could swish it around like the models you see on television and it would swing and sparkle just like on TV. The nine months soon passed too quickly and the honeymoon was over.

Post pregnancy, my hair started falling out. Then it started getting wiry and frizzy. Whatever it was that made it shiny and thick apparently came out with the placenta. That was my first pregnancy.
Then I got pregnant two more times. After three cycles of lusciousness during pregnancy and frizziness afterward, it’s taken its toll on my crown. What used to be so thick it is barely contained in a rubber band wound twice, is now so thin, I can wind the same elastic band around it four times. Talk about post partum depression, every time I picked up a handful of hair from my pillow or from the shower drain, it brought tears to my eyes. Not that I’m vain, mind you. I’m far from being vain. I was just scared of being bald.

It’s been twelve years since my last pregnancy and my hair has never recovered. I live with the way it is now, ravaged by age and hormones, thinning and even occasionally plagued by dandruff. I switch from one shampoo to the other that claims to be able to make my hair thicker and healthier all to no avail.

One constant that I always go back to though is Pantene and I’m not just saying that because I’m getting paid to do this review. I was glad when I received my free sample in the mail; it meant I didn’t have to buy any this month because I do buy Pantene on a regular basis. It’s my backup, fallback shampoo when all the extraordinary claims of other shampoos fail me. Pantene is there to pick me back up again, help me get over the dandruff that the other shampoos failed to get rid of and although it never really stopped my hair from shedding, it does make it look fuller and thicker than it is.

The shampoo that I received in the mail and am using now is thePantene Full & Thick. It does make my hair fuller although I couldn’t tell you the science behind it. If you’re really interested in the science, read up on it on the Pantene website. I have tried most of the other types of Pantene shampoo also, and I’ve always been very happy with the results. They don’t dry out my scalp, ergo no dandruff and unsightly flakes. Good thing too because I have a bad habit of touching my hair constantly and wearing black shirts. You know what I mean don’t’ you? Black just has a way of highlighting flakes like no other.

WIN!

If you’re already a Pantene fan like I am or would just like to try it out, then this is your chance to win a year’s supply of Pantene (ARV $47.88) and a $100 Visa gift card!

This contest will run from July 1st to August 1st and here’s several ways you can win:
• Leave me a comment and tell me: If you could have any celebrity hair, whose would it be? (No duplicate comments, and you must answer this question or your other entries are void.)

Please leave me an comment for each additional entry you do:
• You may receive an additional entry by following me and mentioning this giveaway on Twitter and leaving a link to your tweet in the comments. Or simply tweet the following text:

RT @jmom Get Full & Thick Hair from Pantene plus $100! http://tinyurl.com/mu2ow8

• You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and leaving a link in the comments.
• This giveaway is open to US residents, aged 18 and over
• Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
• You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
• Please see the official rules here: Official Rules

Check out the rest of the BlogHer reviews for 8 additional chances to win!