True fact: I had to go out and buy a loofah to review this Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash because I haven’t owned one in years. I subscribe to the “meh, my shampoo sort of dribbles down and gets the rest of me clean enough” school of Shower Techniques. “But Suzanne!” absolutely no one just asked, “What about when you shave?” I don’t want to alarm you, gentle reader, but I used regular old soap. The kind meant to make men less smelly. It’s like I was on a mission to make my knees as rough and scaly as possible. At least I could save money on sandpaper!

In the winter, dry skin is itchy and uncomfortable but easily hidden with pants and sweaters. With spring quickly approaching – not to mention all the shorts I knew I’d be wearing on my vacation – I needed to do something about my dry skin but I don’t want to spend a bunch of time applying moisturizer.

Enter Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash! First of all, I want to tell you I really, really like how the Olay Body Wash smells. A LOT. It’s like a fancy perfume, kind of reminiscent of lily of the valley, and it stays on my skin for a long time after I shower. The whole bathroom smells fantastic and I’ve been surreptitiously sniffing my arms when I think no one is looking. Second, I LOVE that there’s more than a whole jar of Olay moisturizer in every bottle. The body wash feels rich and creamy and luxurious whether I spread it on directly as shaving cream or on the loofah to wash all over. A small amount goes a long way and it lathers up nicely.

But most importantly, my skin feels great. Even my husband noticed my skin felt smoother, although it might have been because every time I put on a sundress I said, “Look at how soft my skin feels! Touch it! So niiiiice!” I love that using Olay Ultra Moisture Body Wash means I don’t have to waste any time applying moisturizer and I can use that time for more important things, like taking iPhone photos of my kids while they sleep.

Tell me one way you simplify your routine for a chance to win a $50 Visa gift card! Just leave a comment on this post.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 3/20 – 4/17.

Be sure to visit the Olay Body Wash page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win! While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!

I share a lot of personal stuff online. My kidney stones. The state of my uterus. Birth stories. One time, I wrote a post here on my blog about how I am really sweaty. That was pretty embarrassing. I thought at the time it was probably the most embarrassing thing I was ever going to write about online.

I was wrong.

Today, I am going to tell you my deepest, darkest, personal secret, one I don’t even think my husband knows because I am so ashamed.

I shave my moustache. Yep. Shave. With a razor. I could have participated in Movember and probably done better than a good percentage of dudes.

I started shaving it in college after I went to the salon for an eyebrow wax. The waxer said, “Obviously you’ll want your lip done too.”

I was like, “Um, NO, that WASN’T obvious to me until just now, so thanks for that. I’ll be over here in the corner weeping and wondering how many of my friends are silently hoping I’m going to do something about my HORRIBLE LIP HAIR.”

I let her wax it, a mistake I never made again because my pain tolerance is not that high. I tried a hair removal cream, but it burned and smelled terrible, and I was too poor to afford it regularly. So in desperation, I used my cheap disposable razor. POOR CHOICE. The hair is blond, but it grows fast and thick so now I have to do it every couple of days or I get stubble. STUBBLE. On my face.

So when BlogHer asked if I would review New Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo, I couldn’t say yes fast enough, even though I knew it meant writing about my moustache on the internet. I was that desperate to find a better solution.

The New Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Removal Duo box comes with two things: a Skin Guarding Balm to protect your skin before you remove the hair and the Hair Removal Cream, which does the actual work.

The balm goes on like a lip gloss, complete with a lip-gloss-like applicator. It didn’t have any smell and was slightly waxy but not at all unpleasant. I was a little worried it might make my skin break out, but I haven’t had any problems in the days since I’ve used it.

When I smoothed the hair removal cream over the balm I didn’t feel a tingle or burn. I didn’t even notice a smell until the 8 minutes were up, and I wiped it off right under my nose. Then it smelled like typical hair removal cream. The hair was definitely gone, and I didn’t have any redness or soreness or lingering effects, unless you count feeling prettier and less self-conscious as a lingering effect.

Overall, it only took a few minutes longer than my old method, and the results have lasted much longer. I like that I can do it in the morning and not worry about redness even if I have somewhere to be or errands to run. And I REALLY like that I don’t feel like some kind of crazy weirdo who’s going to end up on a talk show called “My Shameful Secret Habit” with the lady who eats table sugar with a spoon and the guy who bites his toenails.

For more information on the New Olay Smooth Finish Facial Hair Remover Duo, check out their website!

And for a chance to win a $50 gift card from BlogHer and Olay, leave a comment on this post!

I’d love to know how you express your inner beauty or what inspires it!

Rules:

The sweepstakes runs from 1/3/2012 – 2/3/2012.

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about the promotional products and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older.

Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail.

You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

Be sure to visit the Promotions & Prizes page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

While we’re on the subject of looking good, you might want to check out the “Looking Your Best” posts in the Life Well Lived section of BlogHer.com. There are some great tips and expert posts!