Happy Spalidays, darling Twitterbugs! You may remember our #WinDailyWinItAll Tweet-a-thon back in July… well, now we’re twisting the tweets and wrapping them in tinsel for holiday time. Spa-la-la-la-la… get ready for #12DaysOfWellness!

From December 5 – 20 you’ll have the chance to win one – or ALL – of the prizes you see below, plus a $100 Spa & Wellness Gift Card – that’s over $1300 of goodies! Read on for how to enter, along with more info on the makeup, skincare, hair products and delicious treats that could be all yours this holiday season.

TWO WAYS TO WIN

WIN DAILY (12 winners, 1 announced each day)

• FOLLOW @SPAWEEK and our brand new Twitter sister @SpaWeekGiftCard.

• TWEET the message below each day to enter to win the daily prize.

WIN IT ALL (1 lucky grand prize winner)

• ENTER your info on our Facebook entry page.

• FOLLOW @SPAWEEK and @SpaWeekGiftCard.

• TWEET the message below at least once.

TWEET:

Holiday Tweet-a-thon! Follow @SPAWEEK & @SpaWeekGiftCard and tweet to #win ONE or ALL 12 prizes! bit.ly/12wellSW #12DaysOfWellness

Now, see what you can win! Let’s get this party started riiiiiiight…

DAILY PRIZES:

Monday, December 5

@YbCosmetics | Youngblood Mineral Cosmetics Lipgloss Party Mix – $75 A limited-edition set containing five full-size glosses. The non-sticky, lip-plumping formula helps create shiny, fuller-looking lips. Check out Youngblood’s Endless Beauty event!

Tuesday, December 6

Wednesday, December 7

Thursday, December 8

@sodastreamusa | SodaStream Genesis Home Soda Maker – $100 Fresh, fizzy homemade soda and sparkling water in seconds! Save money and the environment with Soda Stream USA.

Friday, December 9

Monday, December 12

@eveechoinc | Eve Echo Gift Pack of Entire Eve Echo Product Line, 4 fragrant Hand Soaps & 2 Sanitizers – $77 Join hands and create an #EchoEffect. Eve Echo loans 100% of profits to FINCA to help the world’s poorest women attain financial independence. Read more about Eve Echo!

Tuesday, December 13

@YourNamePro | Your Name Professional Brands Holiday Survival Kit – $145 Your Name Pro presents the Holiday Survival Kit packed with miracle products that maintain your fresh-faced glow from morning till night. Check out Your Name’s exciting Calling All Makeup Artists competition!

Wednesday, December 14

@NudoItalia | Two Nudo Olive Oil Sets, The Emperor’s Herbs and The Citrus Club – $76 An Italian artisanal extra virgin olive oil company from Le Marche supporting small, local producers.

Thursday, December 15

@ManeBoost | Full set of Mane Boost volumizing products per winner – $96 Feeling frazzled this holiday season? No need to look it – Mane Boost volumizing line offer sexy volume with healthy hair protection.

Friday, December 16

@skinresearchlab | NeuLash Holiday Gift Set – $180 Get the gorgeous lashes you’ve always wanted and deserve. Gift set includes 6 ml NeuLash, 3 ml neuveauBrow and Brow Defining Pen.

Monday, December 19

@ShopCoobie | Coobie Seamless Bras 4-Pack – $85 Coobie Seamless Bras are an ultra-comfortable, one size (32A-36D) bra that can be worn in place of a camisole or tank top.

Tuesday, December 20

@EMChocolatier | Edward Marc Chocolatier Pearl Tower of Dark Chocolate Sweets – $80 A special Edward Marc Chocolatier Pearl Tower of Sweets containing an assortment of hand made gourmet dark chocolate.

Grand prize winner will receive ALL of the above, and also a $100 Spa & Wellness Gift Card. (Which, by the way, are ON SALE for great wellness gift-giving this holiday season!)

OFFICIAL RULES

Congratulations, you’ve been asked to be a bridesmaid! Uh oh… what’s the dress going to look like? That is immediately what comes to a woman’s mind when she’s invited to be in a bridal party. Of course you are overwhelmed with joy for your newly engaged best friend or random relative, but you can’t help but wonder, “how much am I going to waste on this thing I only wear once?” Well, J. Crew sympathizes and has designed the solution to the ugly bridesmaid dress dilemma – so long as your bride is for it.

J. Crew’s Holiday Wedding & Parties Collection features beautiful dresses for a stroll down the aisle… and then dancing all night in at your company holiday party. Here are some dresses you’ll love wearing way more than once:

Gabby Dress

This strapless cotton taffeta dress was recently featured on the ABC comedy “Happy Endings.” She wore it to an event rather than a wedding!

Kayla Dress

An A-line dress is flattering on all body shapes. Plus, how amazing is this Bright Dahlia color?

Marguerite Dress

This silk charmeuse dress comes in classic colors that you are sure to get many wears out of.

Louisa Dress

Does anything sound more luxurious to wear than silk chiffon? I think not. It’s available in a lot of fun, bright colors to party the night away.

I’d be ecstatic if a bride asked me to wear this! I’m a sucker for anything sequin and definitely would wear this beauty more than once.

By Jamie Dougherty

Please join in welcoming Jamie, our brand new Lose Weight by Accident contributor! She and Sarah Jenks who has taken over the past few weeks will be switching off as authors here week to week. Jamie Dougherty, founder of JamieLiving.com, gives women the secrets to feel amazing in their bodies and create the balance they crave between their busy schedules and eating well. Jamie believes that though kale and brown rice are good foods to put on your plate, until we truly learn HOW to eat rather than just WHAT to eat we will continue to be carb-craving, super-frazzled, stress-out ladies. If you ever feel hungry, stuck and unsatisfied with your food be sure to visit Jamie’s website to get her FREE 5-Step Guide to Fabulous.  Seriously ladies, get ready for Jamie to rock your world!

Fall is here and you know what that means, right?  Ah yeah, the feeding frenzy that starts with Halloween and rocks on ‘til New Years is about to commence.  Are you ready!?!  Of course not, because as with every other lady trying to lose weight by accident, the holiday season is certainly not our strongest time of year.

Alright, now let’s just take a big deep breath together because I’m here to tell you that this year is not going to be like the last.  Why, you ask?  Because as it turns out, there is one particular fall food that can save you during this trying time.  May I introduce my fall favorite… the sweet potato! Besides being unbelievably delicious and loaded with vitamins A, C and a good dose of iron (all very important for our lovely lady bodies), this sweet treat can actually help with some seriously sweet weight loss.  Here’s how:

#1: Sweet potatoes are loaded with fiber that keeps you fuller much longer than say a turkey-day crescent roll and will subsequently prevent you from overeating.

#2: Though sweet to the taste, sweet potatoes don’t set you reeling on a sugar high like other holiday foods but rather create a stable foundation of energy for you to use throughout your day and into the night. That’s right. Sweet potatoes equal sweet energy!

#3: Because of their innate starchy sweetness, sweet potatoes help curb sugar cravings and can keep you from making poor food decisions. So, when you know you will be put face to face with fudge, pecan pie or any other sugar-shocked food, make sure to first eat a sweet potato. You will be amazed at how easy saying “no thank you” will be when your sweet tooth is already satisfied on the real stuff.

So, how do you get these sweet lil’ things on your plate?  Any number of ways!  Sweet potato fries are an amazingly satisfying snack as is a warm cup of coconut, sweet potato and kale stew.  You can also simply bake them and top with a bit of cinnamon (another sugar-craving curber) and pecans or savory tahini sauce.  See, easy as pie!

The holidays are here and you are officially down to the wire. Are you a super procrastinator intimidated by long lines and huge crowds? Maybe you just have no clue what to get that special person in your life. The best gift to give with wellness, relaxation, and total convenience in mind is one Spa Week’s Spa Gift Cards. You can beat the last minute shoppers by just printing out your Spa Gift Card and giving it to a loved one in a beautiful holiday card, or if you won’t be seeing them til 2011, you can send Spa Gift Cards via email.

And they’re ON SALE. Now through the end of the year pay only $79.99 for a $100 Spa Week Gift Card or get 20% off any denomination. These gift cards are accepted at over 2000 spas around the country and can be used for any service, 52 weeks a year, and never expire. For the holidays we’re thinking a relaxing massage might fit the bill. Get your holiday shopping done right here.

Image Courtesy of brentcsutoras.com

Guest Contributor: Healing Lifestyles & Spa

DID YOU KNOW that in the U.S. waste increases by almost 30 percent between Thanksgiving and the beginning of the New Year?

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, this translates to an additional 1 million tons of added packaging, food waste, shopping bags, wrapping paper, bows, and ribbons tossed into our landfills. Additionally, according to Use Less Stuff, a consumer advocacy group, of the 50 million Christmas trees purchased, over 30 million are winding up in landfills. How can we celebrate the holidays without sacrificing our green ethos? It’s time to take a step back and embrace simplicity and tradition. If giving is the true meaning behind the holiday spirit, can we think of other ways to give? And, when making purchases, can we make choices that positively affect the planet? Here are some ways you can continue your green commitment and find joy this holiday season.

1. Give Green: Give organic and eco-friendly gift baskets through Eco Express or the Green Perspective. Also, try making gifts from something you have already. Go to Etsy for inspiration.

2. Eco Lighting: String your house and your tree in LED lights. They consume up to 90 percent less energy and last nearly 10 times longer.

3. Wrap Green: Pick up Danny Seo’s Simply Green Giving (Collins Living, 2006) for alternative solutions to conventional gift wrap. Use old newspaper and magazines with hemp twine to wrap gifts. Buy gift cards or plant a tree for someone you love through americanforests.org.

4. Go Out into Nature: Find an inspiring hiking trail near you from the American Hiking Society.

5. Start a Tradition: Start or bring back an old tradition you can do with your friends and family. For ideas go to Disney Family Fun. It’s fun to bake organic cookies and decorate them with non-toxic food coloring.

6. Recycle: Recycle un-reusable wrapping paper by running it through a paper shredder and using it for packaging

7. Entertain Green: Keep your party green by serving organic wine, beer, and spirits. Check these out.

8. Travel Green: Carpool, pack light, and purchase carbon offsets with Terrapass.

9. Give Back: Reach out to a neighbor or someone at work that you have not had the time to get to know. Bring them some cookies.

10. Keep It Simple: Stop, breathe, take a break, have a cup of tea, and do your best to keep it simple.

Live mindfully, eat joyfully, and travel consciously is the motto of our newest weekly columnist, Healing Lifestyles & Spas. Each day the publication dedicated to showcasing the best in eco-living and delivering tips on travel, food, beauty and nutrition will bring forth new topics and ideas expanding on the spa lifestyle. SIGN UP HERE to receive their great daily tips and offers!

Image Courtesy of globe-net.com