If you are a regular reader of Cybelesays, then you know that I wasn’t blessed with strong nails. I have tried just about every product and pill out there to make them stronger, to no avail. So when I first discovered the world of polish strips and press-ons, I was kinda rocked. The reason I say kinda is that I go through phases with my nails. Like for a few weeks I will be all about them, full manicure and everything, then a few weeks of bare nails. There’s no reason.

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When I first started seeing CBD products and now hemp and cannabis, I thought it would just be a blip on the trend o’ meter but it’s really lasted longer than a blip. With more and more states legalizing it, it’s becoming more than a trend. And with products coming out with it inside and major beauty retailers like Sephora, Neiman Marcus, Barneys and ULTA getting on board, I’m interested. I mean, I don’t think the ingredient is a stranger in beauty but it’s literally exploded in the last year.

And it’s not just in a few things, it’s in edibles like gummies, tinctures (oil you take sublingually), makeup and of course skin care, the latter of which I’m most interested in.

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Raise your hand if you feel you have excessively sweaty hands or feet. The extreme condition is called Hyperhidrosis and it affects 2% to 3% of the population. That’s a lot of people!

I’ve never had a disproportionate sweating problem, but it doesn’t bother me here and there. Like here and for sure my feet. If I don’t wear socks or peds with heels, my feet really sweat, and I don’t think I’m alone. CARPE worked with derms and other experts and after 60 prototypes, they created a product for use on hands that sweat, Antiperspirant for Hands, and feet that sweat, Antiperspirant for Feet..

While I tried the Antiperspirant for Hands, it felt too chalky on my hands (the founder recommended I wash my hands 10 minutes after applying as it will still work). But thankfully I don’t really have a sweating problem there, so I tried it on my feet. And wow! No slippy-slidey in my shoes and no sweat means no smell. Double yeah!

The formula looks like any other lotion and all you really need is a pea-sized amount, rub it in and done.

From what I can gather, both the Carpe Foot and Carpe Hand ones have the same active ingredients so you can use it on both parts. And if you fall into the 2% to 3% of the population, they recommend applying the pea-sized amount daily just before bed and you’ll see about 25% reduction in sweat. $14.95/1.35oz @ mycarpe.com.

Is this something you need?

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

Quite a few times in the last few weeks I’ve found myself wanting a little boost in color but I have just not been in the mood to smell the self-tanner. Then I met SAY HELLO TO SEXY LEGS Tinted Glow Gel ($38/5.1oz @ sephora.com, qvc.com). It’s a wash-away-with-soap-and-water gel lotion that gives skin instant color and once it dries down is completely transfer-resistant.

And this is great for two reasons – sometimes I just want instant color before heading out for the evening and it dries down in 3 to 5 minutes! Yup, you don’t have to stand there waiting and waiting to get dressed. The other reason is that the color itself is really nice and doesn’t look fake at all. I am usually hesitant when it comes to these instant tints because it’s a one-size-fits-all when it comes to the shade but I have to say they pretty much nailed it with this one.

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This post is sponsored by Mirum Shopper. Opinions are 100% my own.

As I’ve mentioned a few times in previous posts lately, I’m all about 2 things this holiday season when it comes to gifting – usefulness and budgeting. I’m a little embarrassed to admit this, but when it comes to buying gifts for those I’m giving too, I’ve never stuck to a budget. While I do have an idea of what I can spend on each person, I’ve never had a specific dollar amount. But this year, I’m doing just that and putting a budget together.

The other habit I’m starting this year and hopefully continuing for years to come is making sure my gift is useful to the recipient. Like for my cousin I’m giving her some great quality bakeware. You know baking sheets, pie pans etc. He’s in culinary school and I know he will find them super useful.

Another idea is a stack of AA batteries for my father. He’s always looking for some and never has them on hand. Useful, right? 

And of course a gift that’s big on my list to give is beauty, go figure! My recipients pretty much expect me to give them some kind of beauty gift during the holidays. Smart beauty products are something all people, especially women, love to use.

So that’s why I’m giving gift boxes from Vaseline. They are a great value and packed with body essentials like lotions, lip tins and jellies but they also give back. With each Vaseline gift box purchase, you are giving 1 Healing Donation. Your purchase will support Direct Relief to deliver Vaseline Jelly, medical supplies and dermatological care to people affected by poverty or emergencies. Learn more about Vaseline here and the Vaseline Healing Project at see.walmart.com/Walmart.

Choose from 3 different Vaseline Gift Boxes that are only $9.88 each!

Essential Healing Gift Box – (4 products total) (shown here)

1. (2) 10oz Vaseline Essential Healing Body Lotion
2. (1) Vaseline Petroleum Jelly Original, 1.75oz
3. (1) Lip Tin Original, .6oz

Cocoa Butter Gift Box – (4 products total)

1. (2) Vaseline Cocoa Butter Body Lotion, 10oz
2. (1) Vaseline Petroleum Jelly Cocoa Butter, 1.75oz
3. (1) Vaseline Lip Tin Cocoa Butter, .6oz

Advanced Repair Gift Box – (4 products total)

1. (2) Vaseline Advanced Repair Body Lotion, 10oz
2. (1) Vaseline Petroleum Jelly Original, 1.75oz
3. (1) Vaseline Lip Tin Original, .6oz

I have about 6 coworkers I need to give presents to this year so they will for sure be receiving one of these super useful gift sets.

Now don’t you want to #SpreadTheDifference too?

I’ve been pretty obsessed with all things coconut these days for some reason. It doesn’t matter that the temps are dropping because I’m eating it (found a great recipe for coconut nut balls on Pinterest), drinking it (downing this like crazy), using as a hair mask, and now I’m putting it on my skin!

I’ve cooked with coconut oil quite a bit of the past few years and when I read about this KOPARI Coconut Melt ($36/7oz @ sephora.com, koparibeauty.com, qvc.com) I had to try it.

The base of each of the 4 products in the multitasking line is 100% organic coconut oil sourced from the Phillippines and all are free of sulfates, parabens, silicones and GMOs.

So getting back to this Coconut Melt. I had no idea that it’s made of pure coconut oil … like the coconut oil I bought at Trader Joe’s to cook with. Hmmm, so why not just use the one from Trader Joe’s on my skin? I could as the ingredients in it are organic virgin coconut oil and that’s it. But it could have parabens etc in it, right? And the bottle of this Kopari one looks a tad more presentable, dontcha think? Your choice.

Disclosure: A sample of this item was provided for review purposes.

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This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Amopé™. The opinions, photos and text are all mine.

I officially tucked my flip-flops away this past weekend and will be pulling out more of my actual shoes now that we are on fall's doorstep. And for me, with actual shoes comes the need for foot support. I sometimes feel like I'm the only one on the planet who has an actual shoe box full of full support products! Shoe too big? I have something for it. Shoe rubbing on a toe? I have something for it. And when I'm out shopping for new shoes I keep the contents of what's inside this box at the back of my brain and will even buy ½ size up to accommodate, if I think I'm going to need something extra inside my shoe.

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Disclosure: Post sponsored by Mirum Shopper but all opinions are my own. Please see below for additional disclosure.

What I love most about the nights getting colder in September is creating a home spa in my bathroom. It gets darker earlier in the day and that alone just makes me want to curl up in a warm bath or soak my feet! While an overall bath with candles and a good book is always pampering, I find just focusing on a part of my body and giving it a “super treatment,” like my feet or hands, is what I seem to do most.

And what better way to pamper this season than with the exquisite scent of sweet cream and peony inside the Dove Purely Pampering collection in Sweet Cream and Peony. Have you ever smelled peony flower before? It’s a little on the rosy side and a little on the clean side and 100% feminine.

They just came out with a Body Wash and Beauty Bar in the scent and it's just for taking care of your parts this season.

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[This is a sponsored post on behalf of Amopé. All opinions are entirely my own.]

The drugstore has to be one of my favorite places to visit. I mean, it has all kinds of cool stuff to look at and browse through. So when I was asked by Amopé® to pick up their Pedi Perfect™ Electoric Foot & Nail File at Walgreens for this campaign, I admit, I got a little excited! I blocked out 1 hour of the afternoon so I would have time to leisurely look around and put on my most comfortable shoes to do so. Yes, it’s a little adventure for me!. And I had a $15 off coupon for the device that you too can pick up @ coupon.com/amopé.

Now I can never have enough foot products on hand and I love trying new ones like this Pedi Perfect. I absolutely abhor dry cracked heels so I do whatever I can so that dry skin doesn’t appear on mine.

This useful tool has an ergonomically shaped spinning head to easily remove callused skin on the feet – use a course head for regular skin or choose the extra course head (shown here) for hard skin. Yup, I chose the one for hard skin! 

The motorized wheel has finely ground Diamond crystals for maximum and smooth exfoliation. And the wheel moves at a nice speed, not too slow like some I’ve used. As far as the texture of the wheel Diamonds? Think of them like a really course nail file surface! And this really smooths out my heels sooo  nicely.

So bellying up to the payment counter, I presented my $15 off coupon I mentioned above andsince the Amopé was on sale already for $36.99 (down from the regular price of $49.99), I picked it up for $21.99 + tax! Now how’s that for a total bargain? I love getting a great deal on something, don’t you? Let me know if you end up using the coupon to get your own Pedi Perfect from Amopé.

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Amopé™. The opinions and text are all mine.

1. AMOPÉ Pedi Perfect Electronic Foot File ($39.99 @ walgreens.com, ulta.com) – yucked-up feet are not sexy no matter what season it is, and believe me, we Los Angeleans wear sandals year ‘round so the bottoms (of our feet) have to look tops at all times. This one keeps feet smooth and callus-free without a lot of effort, thankfully.  

2. HARRY JOSH Pro Dryer 2000 ($300 @ dermstore.com) – I don’t really think of a hair dryer as a gadget, per say, but it does fall into this category because it’s electronic! Since my beloved T3 died late last year I’ve been on the hunt for its replacement and I think this is it. It’s the best way for the average person to get a good blowout. Besides the comfortable weight and quick drying time, the cool down button on this actually means c-o-o-l d-o-w-n. I've never met a cool down button that does much but this one totally does. 

3. CLARISONIC Mia Fit ($189 @ ulta.com) – still not convinced that these cleansing brushes really help the skin? Now I already have a Clarisonic and didn’t think I needed this one until I used it. The compact shape of this is, dare I say, is better than the original. It just fits better in my right hand. This has two speeds – a delicate and power and takes care of skin like all of them do. Choose from Blue, Pink and White.

4. COLOR ME Automatic Foundation Applicator Kit ($54 @ nordstrom.com) – this little battery-operated device is the latest to come along and to help apply your foundation flawlessly using 250 sonic taps per second! And this kit comes with a sponge to apply powder (both can be used for liquids) and a protective cover to keep it clean between uses.

Disclosure: Some of these items were provided for review purposes. Some I bought.