WIN: Over $250 in prizes in Mother’s Day giveaway

MUMS supporting mums is the theme behind this gorgeous giveaway in the lead up to the day when soggy toast and snotty kisses reign supreme. Of course, we all know its mum’s day every day. But who are we kidding? We still want to be spoilt, right?

How do these take your fancy? Read each review, discover what the mummy businesses are offering in the giveaway, visit their sites and then abide by our easy entry details to score the lot.

Chai Station's Plunger Chai

CHAI STATION

I’ve long been a fan of India’s answer to the latte – chai tea. Since Chai Station sent through some of its divine hand blended chai teas, I’ve been in heaven. Finally, I don’t have to head out to enjoy a decent cup. You have no idea how great that is. And these chais are as good, if not better, than anything I’ve tasted in quite a while.

The beauty of these chai blends is you can brew them on the stovetop, in a modern plunger or a teapot. The Stove Top would be my favourite, with a real sweet spicy taste that takes you directly to India, thanks to the simple blends of cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, ginger and Ceylon tea.

I allowed the Plunger Chai Tea to sit in the plunger for quite a while and it created such a heady brew, thanks to the additions of peppercorn and liquorice root.  The surprise among its range is the Green Tea Chai, which provides all the antioxidant and health benefits of green tea, with the spicy taste of chai. Here it’s hard to mistake the additions of jasmine.

The biggest issue was allowing three-year-old Ella a taste – she now insists on her own “chai’’. Although, it does mean 10 minutes of peace as we both indulge in the flavours from this Melbourne company’s range.

GIVEAWAY: Chai Station is giving away Value Pack 12 (valued at $74.95), which includes four 100g packs of each of the Stovetop, Plunger and Green chai teas – that’s plenty of chai for yourself and enough to share among family and friends.

Web: Chai Station  Twitter: @ChaiStation  Facebook: Chai Station Fan Page

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BellyCo's ECO Belly Wrap

BELLYCO

The BellyCo belly wraps are still making their way in the post, so I’ll give you a good review of the BellyCo original once it arrives. In the meantime, I have to say I’m rather impressed with the idea behind this creation.

In those weeks and months after first popping out Baby Holly, I was so conscious of everything “coming back together’’. We’re so willing to look after ourselves during pregnancy, we sometimes become a little lax afterwards. This can result in body and back ache.

According to the site, belly wrapping is an ancient practice for restoring the stomach to pre-pregnancy shape and size and has also been shown to provide additional support to the legs and back. For breastfeeding mums, like me, it also helps posture during feeding to avoid that all too common back and shoulder pain by keeping your back straight. Other benefits include minimising swelling, reducing discomfort, assisting in accelerating the healing process, especially for women after a c-section and may help minimise postnatal stretch marks.

As well as the original BellyCo ($49.95), it’s also released the BellyCo ECO belly wrap (RRP: $59.95), which feels similar to cashmere thanks to the bamboo fabric. It’s highly durable and odour resistant, not to mention keeping you cool in summer and warm in winter. All materials are bio-degradable, non-toxic, medical grade and non-allergenic – good for the environment and good for you.

GIVEAWAY: BellyCo is giving away a BellyCo ECO belly wrap (RRP: $59.95), for women recovering after giving birth or breastfeeding mums. If you can’t use it yourself, you’re sure to know a friend or family member who would benefit.

Web: BellyCo  Facebook: BellyCo Fan Page

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Skirties Sleepwear Tracy set

SKIRTIES SLEEPWEAR

There’s nothing I love more than slipping into beautiful sleepwear. But, if truth be told, once the girls came along, the standard of my sleepwear slid. Hello, puppy dog flannel pyjamas! So I felt all feminine and beautiful again when I slipped into Skirties Sleepwear’s chic Tracy lace top and matching shorts.

This set is truly stunning. The jersey knit fabric (95% cotton, 5% spandex) feels so soft and light against the skin and the soft pink colour further adds to that feeling of beauty. There’s a comfy elastic waistband, tie on waist and matching pink stretch lace trim. The lace trim is just so sweet. Both top and bottoms are loose fitting, so there’s an element of freedom, but they also have plenty of stretch.

What I love most about the top is the shape – it’s cut high at the sides and hangs low at the back and front. And, according to Ella, I look beautiful. What more of a recommendation do you need?

I’m also eyeing off a couple of the others in this Australian designed and owned range to snuggle up in of a night. The Kylie nightie is gorgeous, while the Kim ¾ tee would be ideal for the cooler nights. There are also plenty of other nighties, PJ shorts, pyjama pants and tops to choose from.

GIVEAWAY: Skirties Sleepwear is giving away a Tracy lace top with pink shorts (RRP: $55). Note, these can be purchased separately. The set will be in size M.

Web: Skirties Sleepwear  Facebook: Skirties Sleepwear Fan Page
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SeneGence's LipSense Collection range

SENEGENCE

EVEN on days when I don’t manage much makeup, I still make an effort with a bit of lipstick. However, there’s long been frustration with wax lipsticks not lasting long enough and you wonder why you bother. When I stumbled across SeneGence’s LipSense Collection I became rather excited.

When I was sent the Pink Champagne, I couldn’t help but think “this is MY colour”. The idea with SenGence’s premier product, LipSense, is that it’s not only long lasting – between four and 18 hours – but non drying. It attests to being smudge proof, waterproof and kiss proof – I tried out the latter and believe me, it’s true! There’s also no lead or wax.

And sure, Christina Aguilera might be a big fan, but don’t trust her word. I’m telling you ladies, this is semi permanent colour that lives up to its word. It’s nice to find something that doesn’t smear, fade, feather or transfer onto your coffee cup while drinking with friends. Always a good look, right?

This is how it works. You make sure your lips are perfectly clean (not even foundation), then apply the lip colour in one sweep. If you go over the lines (yes, even us adults can manage that), then there’s LipSense Ooops Remover. Genius. Then, before doing the all-important lip smacking, pop LipSense Glossy Gloss over the top, which helps your colour’s longevity. SeneGence is a party plan company and Sharryn is always looking for distributors nationally.

GIVEAWAY: SenGence is giving away its premier product, LipSense Collection (RRP: 66). It includes a LipSense shade in Pink Champagne, LipSense Oops Remover and LipSense Glossy Gloss. The items can be purchased separately, but work best together.

Web: SeneGence

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So, to go in the draw to win ALL FOUR prizes from our wonderful mummy businesses, simply leave a comment telling us what your wish is for Mother’s Day (it can be simple or elaborate, we don’t mind!). The giveaway is open to Australian residents only and will be drawn randomly on Monday, May 3 at 9am. 

If you’re still on the hunt for something for your own Mum this Mother’s Day, consider supporting one of these mummy businesses. I highly recommend them. 

Want more entries? Then here’s how you can up your chances in the draw. Each task is worth one extra entry.

1. Click the Facebook button below and share this giveaway with your Facebook friends. Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Facebook’’.
2. Click the Twitter button below and share this giveaway with your Twitter followers (Twitter handle is @ThreeLil). Then leave a separate comment saying something along the lines of “I’ve shared this on Twitter’’.

Best of luck!