contest: win baby gear from Bright Start!

Between sleepless nights, constant spit-up and having a bundle you have to carry around all the time (at least for the first few months), life with an infant can be trying.

Enter the Bright Starts Facebook contest and make your life a bit easier. During May, June and July, Bright Starts is giving away the entire InGenuity™ Collection in the new Briarcliff fashion to one lucky winner per month, and that winner could be you!

This prize package, valued at more than $450 includes five amazing products, Perfect Place High Chair, Automatic Bouncer, Cradle & Sway Swing, SleepEasy Playard and Smart & Quiet Portable Swing to help make life easier.

Talk about easy...Entering to win only takes three simple steps. Visit the company's facebook wall: www.facebook.com/BrightStarts?ref=ts&sk=app_146242398774397, share your story about how Bright Starts has made your life easier, then vote! The winner of this baby gear upgrade will be chosen by the greatest number of votes, so don’t forget to tell your family and friends to stop in and vote!

For more info on Bright Start products, go to www.BrightStarts.com.

happy earth day: eco-friendly laundry products for a green clean

My son's allergic to lots of things...from food items, to environmental elements to my mom's Maltese. So I'm always looking for products that won't irritate his sensitive skin.

Vaska uses natural ingredients to develop laundry products that clean effectively without harming people or the planet. Whether washing high tech workout clothing or a toddler’s favorite tee, Vaska products clean even the most delicate fabrics gently yet effectively.

Whether you're celebrating Earth Day or want to be good to the planet every day of the year, check out Vaska’s home laundry product line:

• Herbatergent ™ liquid laundry detergent uses real lavender and potent botanical cleaning agents to clean clothing and linens effectively without harmful chemicals. Available in Light Lavender (it smells better than typical laundry detergents) or Scent Free, Herbatergent is free of perfumes, dyes, optical brighteners, and the traditional chemicals that damage fabrics and cause skin irritation. Ingredients include plant based surfactants, vegetable conditioner, water soluble degreasing agent, lavender extract, lavender scent (Light Lavender only) and filtered water.

$9.99 for a 48 oz bottle/32 loads and $15.99 for a 96 oz bottle/64 loads

(Available at Target)

• Herbasoft™ liquid fabric softener gives clothing and linens enhanced softness and a light, fresh, lavender scent. Herbasoft uses real herbs and advanced botanicals to soften textiles naturally, without leaving behind waxes or harmful chemicals that damage fabrics and or irritate skin (definitely better for kids with allergies, texture issues or those who just love the feel of something soft against their skin). Safe on colors, whites, natural and synthetic washable fabrics, Herbasoft is an ideal way to add an extra soft and fresh touch to laundry. Ingredients include vegetable derived softener and natural lavender scent. $9.99 for a 48 oz bottle/32 loads

• Oxygenbleach is natural, chlorine free bleach that makes whites sparkle (even those that have been spit up on and otherwise damaged) and keeps color garments bright. Oxygenbleach is safe on colors, whites, natural and synthetic washable fabrics, and it makes clothing and linens truly soft – without the stiff and crunchy bleach-feel. Oxygenbleach gets whites whiter, and unlike traditional chlorine bleaches that can harm fabric and skin, this formulation does not cause whites to become yellow over time. Ingredients include hydrogen peroxide, plant based surfactants and filtered water. $6.99 for a 48 oz bottle/32 loads

• Spotoff™ is an all natural stain remover designed to treat spills and stains on clothing, rugs, and upholstery. Spotoff uses potent botanical cleaning agents to remove wine, dirt, and other tough stains (we won't discuss which ones specifically but anyone with an infant can relate) without harming textiles. Safe on colors, whites, natural and synthetic washable fabrics, Spotoff contains no dyes or fragrances that can irritate sensitive skin and harm the environment.

Ingredients include botanical surfactants, natural blending agents, lavender extract, alcohol and filtered water. $9.59 for a 22 oz spray bottle

For additional information on Vaska’s product line, please visit www.vaskahome.com

Vaska Herbatergent is available at select Target stores nationwide and in Duane Reade in New York City. The entire line is available online at Amazon.com, Drugstore.com, and Alice.com.

nature takes its course

For me, when it comes to moisturizers, thicker is better. So the thicker the lotion, the more confidence I have in it moisturizing my dry winter skin.

Transitional skin is the worst...get dry winter skin ready to be revealed with Nature’s Gate Hemp Moisturizing Lotion ($10.99). Thanks to seven natural moisture boosters, it keeps you hydrated all day long and leaves skin fresh and smooth.

It's free of Parabens, Phthalates, Butylene and Propylene Glycol, PEG, EDTA, and animal by-products. Hemp Seed Oil, high in nourishing essential fatty acids, is combined with Shea Butter, Milk Thistle and Kukui Nut Oil to help smooth and soften. The result: Revitalized and replenished skin.

The moisturizer works great after Nature's Gate Hemp Velvet Body Wash ($7.49), another way to nourish dry skin. Just pour a generous amount onto a washcloth and rub it all over your skin, then rinse and repeat. Your skin will look and feel incredibly smooth as soon as you tower off. I love the clean scent and convenient pump dispenser too.

Getting into Earth Day spirit? Also try Nature's Gate Nourishing Shampoo ($7.29), Nourishing Conditioner ($7.29)

Go to natures-gate.com for more info on these and other amazing products.

raise the bar

My kids' shampoo saga continues.... One wants lots of suds, the other wants a fruity scent... I didn't think I could ever make them both happy in the bath...until I discovered One Bath and Body. The company's bar shampoo makes washing your hair easy and fun.

The solid tear-free shampoo is a round bar housed in an embossed aluminum storage tin and comes in a luscious Coco Banana scent. One bar lasts as long as three eight-ounce bottles so you save room in your shower and in the landfills. My kids love that they can apply it themselves and they get a kick out of the way it lathers up in their hair. Part of the endangered species collection, you can help save a monkey while you wash your child's hair. How cool is that?

If you like One Shampoo, you'll also love One Hair & Body wash in Panda Berry. It comes in a recyclable aluminum canister that has a scratch & sniff sticker on the top of the cover! So you can actually sample the scent without trying to break through the safety seal. And you can help save a panda while you use it. Another reason this is the One hair and body wash you can't live without.

Finally, try One Snow Leopard Lavender Body Lotion, all over your baby's skin and especially on their knees and cheeks. One Baby will donate a portion of its sales to support the sea World/Bush gardens Conservation Fund, swbg-conservationfund.org.

Go to onebathandbody.com for more info on these great products.

this sud's for you

It could have been a catastrophe last week when we ran out of shampoo. But then I remembered a bottle of Jason Natural Kids Only! extra gentle shampoo in the back of the cabinet that I'd been saving for just this sort of occasion. Both kids love the fact that it lathers up really rich (ok, it takes a little more effort to rinse it out of my daughter's corkscrew curls) and leaves hair silky and shiny, especially when followed up with the extra gentle conditioner. With aloe vera and jojoba oil , it soothes the scalp and adds shine. They love pouring the gel shampoo on their heads and lathering up, then dousing themselves with water and smoothing in the conditioner. Hey, if they have fun in the bath it's totally worth it. Get your Jason Natural products at www.jason-natural.com .

green with envy

On this Irish day of celebration, you see people decked out in every shade of green. But more than just a holiday tradition, it's actually a huge makeup trend for spring. Here, some great green products to try that'll make your friends green with envy...

Tarte's neutralEYES natural eye palette rocked the runways at spring fashion week. The versatile palette contains 10 Amazonian clay-infused shadows in neutral and universally flattering shades (green included!), emphasEYES™ aqua-gel eyeliner in brown, a double-ended shadow brush & a free sample of lifted™ natural eye primer with Firmitol™. Apply lifted™ first as a long-wear shadow base that also helps decrease the appearance of fine lines and wrinkles by 51% (in just 10 minutes). Then using the double-ended shadow brush to create the look of your choice by using the softly milled shadows (tip: you can also wet them for a more dramatic effect). To complete the look, apply emphasEYES™ aqua-gel eyeliner in brown, which glides on smooth and dries down to a long-lasting finish. neutralEYES™ natural eye palette includes: · 10 Amazonian-clay infused shadows, top row (L-R): matte bone, matte taupe, matte olive green, shimmering bronze, matte deep teal, bottom row (L-R): matte soft pink, shimmering soft peach, matte brown, matte plum, matte navy · emphasEYEs™ aqua-gel eyeliner: brown · double-ended eyeshadow brush. Get more details at www.tartecosmetics.com.

Another runway hit was the overabundance of green nail polish, mostly from Dashing Diva. At the Alexandere Herchcovitch and Ashleigh Verrier shows, veteran nail guru Pattie Yankee painted models' nails with Pier 39, a cool minty green. At the Zero +Maria Cornejo show, she used Greenpoint Grunge. And at Rosa Cha, models strutted their stuff in East Side Envy. Not gutsy enough to wear it? Try your favorite green shade on your toes first then switch to your fingertips when you get used to the green scene. See more great shades at www.dashingdiva.com.

save your smile

This month, we celebrated National Children's Dental Health Month. But just because February comes to an end today, doesn't mean we should stop promoting healthy dental care for our kids. Natural personal care leader Nature’s Gate partnered with RADIUS toothbrushes to offer discounts on both brands’ products via each other’s websites. The goal of the program is to educate and encourage natural product users to take a more holistic approach to their oral care regimens.

“We chose RADIUS as a partner because we share important core values: the desire to both promote the health and well-being of the end user as well as that of the environment,” said Jennifer Schweitzer, Nature’s Gate’s brand manager. “In addition to promoting oral health, both brands incorporate environmentally friendly materials into their products and packaging, including natural, recyclable and post consumer recycled materials.”

Nature’s Gate kids' toothpastes include a cherry gel which, in our house, even holds a candle to the popular Dora and Sponge Bob brands. My kids love the yummy cherry flavor...and it's all natural so it keeps their teeth and gums healthy.

For more info on promoting healthy oral habits for your kids, go to www.natures-gate.com and www.radiustoothbrushes.com.