[Note: My apologies to those who previously entered! There has been a slight change in the giveaway rules so please re-enter the updated giveaway!]
Many of you may or may not remember but this giveaway was supposed to happen many months ago... I ended up forgetting about it (oops!) but while I was clearing out my room the other night, I found two neatly wrapped prizes ready to be won & shipped!
This giveaway is also split into two prizes; one for an international follower and another for a domestic (US/Canada) follower. Hopefully this giveaway will make two Makeup Kismet followers very happy!
International followers will have a chance to win the following:
- Stila Party In A Box (All Over Shimmer Powder in Kitten & Lip Glaze in Kitten)
- Annabelle Smoothie Eyeshadow Pencil in Acaidasiac & Licoriche
- Annabelle SmudgePaint in Skyline
& U.S./Canadian followers will have a chance to win the following:
- Stila Daydream Palette
- CANMAKE Cream Cheek in #6 (Nut Cream)
Both Winners will also receive:
- 1 Face Q Caviar and Hyaluronic Acid Moisture Mask
- 1 My Beauty Diary Chocolate Truffle Sheet Mask
- 1 My Beauty Diary Earl Grey Tea & Macaroon Sheet Mask
+ extra surprise goodies!
Now for the rules...:
1. Giveaway will end on April 17th, 2012.
2. This giveaway is open internationally.
3. Must be 18 or have parental/guardian permission to enter.
4. Must be a follower through Google Friend Connect, Bloglovin' or Twitter or email!
However, I will disqualify entrants if their accounts are strictly for signing up in blog giveaways.
5. Must leave a comment below (about anything!) with your Twitter handle (if you followed through Twitter) and email address that I can contact you with!
Additional entries:
1. Post about the giveaway on your blog (+1). It can be a post, sidebar photo (with a link back to the giveaway), but only do one! There are no extra entries if you do it all.
2. Tweet about the giveaway and leave a link in the comments below (+1).
Good luck!
Happy 2013 everyone! (ノ ゜∀゜)ノ*`☆*
Okay, okay I know I'm majorly late on the New Year celebrations but whatever. Better late than never, right? We're far into January now but I seriously wanted to blog at least once this month. Don't worry, this won't be a recap of 2012 but more a long the lines of a haul with quicky reviews. Most of the products were purchased near the end of December and a few during this month but all of which were tested recently.
Kate Somerville EradiKate Acne Treatment
Only starting to test this out but so far? LOVE. The first time I used it, it shrunk a HUGE pimple overnight. I am not exaggerating when I say "huge". The pimple literally looked like a third nipple growing on my face (－‸ლ)
Andalou Naturals Moisture Rich Shampoo (Argan & Sweet Orange)
Shampoo isn't something I splurge on but that isn't to say I'll settle for any cheap drugstore shampoo. Aside from a low price I also need my shampoo to be sulfate-free and smell phenomenal. Andalou's Argan & Sweet Orange scented shampoo smells like orange creamsicles! The scent is very light and doesn't linger which saddens me but it is still the second best sulfate-free shampoo I've tried so far (Alba Botanica's Colorific Plumeria is #1!). It foams up easily but doesn't leave the scalp feeling dry and scaly. It also leaves my hair soft and I frequently skip conditioner when using this shampoo.
Lush Let the Good Times Roll
Lush did it right with this cleanser-exfoliator hybrid. Let the Good Times Roll is perfectly grainy and leaves the skin feeling soft and new. I can't even begin to describe how delicious it smells either. It's like caramel popcorn but so much better. I've seriously contemplated eating the stuff...
Klorane Mango Oil Spray
When I first read about this hair oil on Jessica's blog Getting Cheeky I knew I had to try it. Unfortunately for me, this is the one Klorane product not available in Canadian stores. Months later I enlisted the help of Mr. Waffle (my wonderful SO and mule) and purchased a bottle through Drugstore.com. I tried it a few times but so far I only like the smell of the oil.
Hurraw! Root Beer Lip Balm
Someone on Soompi posted a picture of Hurraw! lip balm and my lip balm addict self had to try one out too. My good friend E helped buy this for me at UBC's book store but we've since found out American Apparel carries a decent selection of the brand's flavors. The scents are very accurate to the flavors but the balm itself isn't the balm-b (get it, bomb? balm-b? LOL). It's a thin balm that doesn't last for more than 2 hours but when you're hankering for a yummy smelling lip balm, Hurraw! will have you covered.
That's about it for this post but I hope you liked it! I certainly enjoyed trying out different brands and discovering new favourites. It felt like I was swimming in the same pool of brands and featuring the same products over and over again last year but now it's time for change! Who's with me?!
Wooooah! Is it really the end of 2012? Time flies by faster and faster each year. It feels like it was just yesterday I was writing my first empties post of the year. Alas, here we are reading about the last empties post of 2012!
Starting off hair schtuff:
Kiehl's Olive Fruit Oil Nourishing Shampoo* smells lovely - light, sort of creamy - but that's all that I love about this shampoo. It makes my hair decently soft and tangle free but my scalp a dry, flaky mess.
I still love The Body Shop's Rainforest Moisture Hair Butter and I have another backup of it in my drawers. But, I think I'll try Essential's Ultra Honey Hair Mask at the start of 2013, just cause y'know?
The Alba Botanica Natural Hawaiian Shampoo in Colourific Plumeria is my favourite shampoo ever. Everyone has a signature scent and then there are the few that have a signature hair scent. I used to be very wishy-washy about my hair and used what ever smelled decent but now I strictly use this. The SLS-free shampoo foams up like regular shampoos but leaves my hair even softer and scalp not as dry nor itchy. It's THE shampoo for me!
The TRESemmé Thermal Creations Heat Tamer Spray has been sitting on my bathroom counter for years. There's actually two of them but one is missing, obviously. I hardly use this when curling or flat ironing my hair but when I do I don't find this makes a difference. Hair serums/oils do a better job of protecting, providing shine, and taming frizz.
Lots of cleansers:
My first forray into the cleansing oil was with the shu uemura Cleansing Beauty Oil Premium A/O Advanced Formula. It took me two full years to finish and it wouldn't have taken so long if I didn't hate it so much. It smells awful and doesn't rinse off completely. The Kose Softymo Deep Cleansing Oil is much more satisfying, that is all.
NIP + FAB Clean Fix Wipes are surprisingly good! It doesn't remove waterproof mascara but regular eyeshadow is fine. Though I must say it has stung my eyes on a few occasions but lucky not my face.
Marcelle Hydra-C Facial Exfoliating Gel is the first Marcelle product I have come to dislike. It's not a bad exfoliator but it's just too gentle for my liking. There's much more gel than exfoliating beads but this makes it great for everyday use if you have normal skin.
L'Oreal Youth Code Foaming Gel Cleanser, Clearasil Rapid Action Face Wash, Caudalíe Instant Foaming Cleanser, and Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser - these cleansers are "meh". I mainly used the L'Oreal and Clearasil cleansers to wash face clothes and makeup brushes. The Kiehl's cleanser is gentle and non-drying which is great but the Caudalíe foaming cleanser is the exact opposite.
Onto the body:
This can of h2o+ Oasis Mist is fairly old. It served its purpose well and a repurchase is likely in the future. The mist is much finer than the Avène Thermal Spring Water or Evian facial spray. Also, the h20 didn't die out 3/4s into the can like the Avène spray did. Though, the packaging has changed so maybe I won't like it the second time around.
Yes, that is TWO Cake Milk Made Velveteen Hand Cremes that you're seeing. It's tricky to finish hand cream quickly because I rotate four tubes at a time. I keep one at my desk, one at my bedside table, one in my car, and another in the washroom. Milk Made sinks in quickly without that icky, greasy look and feel in the winter. However, it's a bit heavy for the summer. I still highly recommend it and I've gifted it to many friends over the years!
Lush's The Jilted Elf Shower Jelly didn't make a return this year for Lush's holiday collection but this tub is from 2011. The scent is very warm and spicy, not something I go for normally, but it's perfect for the holiday season. If Lush had made it into a shower gel instead of a jelly, I would have finished it sooner. The Jell-O like soap is too flimsy in the shower and even when frozen it won't be solid like a bar of soap. Miranda on the other hand is perfect and a permanent product. The soap doubles up as an exfoliator and smells fruity but not too sweet.
eos Smooth Sphere Lip Balm has been talked about enough and Kiehl's Creme de Corps as well. There's too much hype surrounding both items. The lip balm is too light and doesn't hydrate the lips for very long and the body lotion is too heavy. It certainly moisturizes the skin but at the cost of greasy feeling skin.
Samples & Sheet Masks:
My Beauty Diary Sheet Masks (count: 4) and samples packets (count: 11).
And now it is time for the BIG round up combining all the empties counts throughout this year:
Jumbo = 3 (1 jumbo = 2 full size) = 6
Full size = 38
Deluxe Samples/Travel Sizes = 31 (5 deluxe samples = 1 full size) = 6.2
Samples = 44 (10 samples = 1 full size) = 4.4
Masks = 20 (10 = 1 full size) = 2
Tossed = 9
Total? A million! Okay, maybe not a million but 56.6 isn't as impressive... I've changed how I calculate deluxe samples and sample packets so my total is less than last year's but whatever. The important thing is that I've emptied a lot and I will continue to do so in 2013!
How about you? Were you an emptying machine this year? Have any plans to be one in 2013?
The past few months have been all about emptying. Seeing my stash reduce greatly encouraged me to keep going and now I'm on a roll. But before I empty more, I want to share my stash of empties so far.
HadaLabo AHA + BHA Cleanser, Lush Lemony Flutter, eos Everyday Hand Lotion:
These three products are linked to their full reviews. In short, they are all products I recommend and plan to/have repurchase(d). In fact, I am on my second tube of the HadaLabo cleanser and fourth pebble of the eos lotion.
Murad Clarifying Mask, Lush Ayesha Mask*, Skinfood Gold Kiwi Hydrating Mask (x2), My Beauty Diary (x3):
Out of these four masks, I highly recommend the Murad and Lush mask. The worst hydrating mask I have ever tried has got to be the Skinfood mask. It is highly fragranced and it hardly hydrates the skin! You'd be better off using a My Beauty Diary mask which you've probably heard about before already. Anyway, you can expect a review on the Murad Clarifying Mask soon as it has reached holy grail status! Ayesha is also a clarifying mask but results aren't as impressive as Murad's. It is still a very good mask with great, natural ingredients though.
Simple Cleansing Facial Wipes, Lush Dirty Shaving Cream, Sephora Collection Instant Moisturizer, Kiehl's Creme de Corps (x2), Kiehl's Ultra Facial Cleanser:
My skincare and body care sample stash is growing quicker than I can use it up but that's not stopping me from trying to get through it all. Luckily, none of these samples have impressed me enough to purchase the full sizes so I won't be stocking up on anything new or draining my funds anytime soon. There are cheaper alternatives to all of these samples which I like more.
Etude House Fresh Cherry Tint, Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, Laura Mercier Invisible Loose Setting Powder:
I have been aiming to use up at least one makeup product per empties post and this time I've got two. (But let's ignore the fact that they're merely samples though...)
The Etude tint has a lovely texture that isn't watery but almost mousse-like. If Etude had a wider range of shades, I'd be happy to try those out as I am swamped in bright lip products. Anyway, I finally see why so many lip balm addicts like the Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment. The sugary lemon scented lip balm isn't waxy nor too emollient. The balm is thin but it coats the lips enough for instant lip gratification. The price keeps me from purchasing a full size but it's a nice change from my holy grail Jack Black Intense Therapy Lip Balm.
Just Bee Natural Bee Quenched Moisturizing Shampoo in Sparkling Pom, Shiseido Tsubaki Conditioner:
Eeeep! I love the milk bottle-ish packaging for the Just Bee Natural shampoo. This was one of the first sulfate, phosphate, and paraben-free shampoos that I ever tried and it's good enough to recommend. It lathers as good as generic shampoo does but isn't stripping.
I reviewed the whole Tsubaki white label line two years ago and my thoughts are still the same. This hair care line suits damaged hair best. Got healthy hair? Look elsewhere as this will be too rich.
Method Hand Soap (x3):
Many people swear by Bath and Body Works Anti-bacterial soaps but I think they're overrated and over-fragranced. Method on the other hand makes fantastically scented soaps without the headache inducing perfumes. Also, Method formulates their soaps without triclosan which is a big plus to me. If you're at the supermarket looking for a simple yet unique to the supermarket hand soap, be sure to check out Method. My fave scents? Fresh Currant and Juicy Pear.
And there we have it, another gratifying round of empties! Have you finished anything lately? Maybe you're feeling inspired to now :)
*Product was provided by PR/Company. All opinions and thoughts expressed are my own.
Disclosure
Make-Up Kismet is a personal blog written and edited by myself. This blog was created to share my experiences with whom ever reads it.
All reviews posted are written by me and are my honest opinions. All products reviewed are purchased by me for personal and/or review purposes unless stated otherwise. Each person is different, as are our experiences. With that said, I cannot be held responsible for any unsatisfying reaction to a product I review or recommend.
Photos on this blog are either from Google, other Bloggers or, my own. I try to depict all products as accurately as possible. I may edit photos for this purpose.
