Mary Kay Review, Plus $100 Giftbasket Giveaway!

This is a sponsored post from BlogHer and Mary Kay.

I like to think of myself as something of a makeup savant, and I thought I had Mary Kay pegged. I had an admittedly preconceived notion of dated colors, frosted lips, and blue eyeshadow. Also something about pink suits? I don’t even know.

I wasn’t entirely wrong about the blue eyeshadow, but I was totally wrong about everything else.

BlogHer and Mary Kay recently approached me to see if I would like to try some of their products, and share my thoughts with you. Before my prettily wrapped package arrived at my front door, I was asked for my eye color, so they could customize the items just for me. (Yes, JUST FOR ME. My brown eyes are like precious and rare jewels, you guys!)

I opened the box, and found in there some Ultimate Mascara,Tinted Lip Balm Suncreen with SPF in Rose, and a magical little magnetic, swap-out-able compact, loaded with a mineral blush, and three eye shadows. (Including one in –yes—blue. More on that soon.) 

This is the face I make when I see blue eyeshadow.

I immediately began playing around with my new products. I was intrigued by the Tinted Lip Balm Sunscreen; I’m all about multitasking products, and lip balm (gloss, stick, etc.) is a weakness of mine. I was a little scared of the color in the tube…

 

But I absolutely adored how it looked once it was on.

The balm glides on, imparting a dewy, sheer glow. Instant addition to my summer beauty arsenal!

Next, I moved on to the mascara, which, frankly, blew me away. I grade mascara on a VERY HARSH CURVE. And when I find one that gets the job done without clumping up, leaving me with  lashes that basically touch my eyebrows? I am SOLD. 

I then played around with the blush (which came in the “Shy” shade), and noted that while it was very subtle, it imparted that sought-after, lit-from-within, candlelit quality. The eye shadows, too, were a revelation, with a finely-milled quality that rivaled the texture of – yes – my Chanel shadows.  And wonder of wonders, I wound up LOVING the deep blue shade (“Midnight Star”) which I pressed on very close to my lashline, and which made my dark brown eyes pop. 

All in all, I was really impressed with the products, from the standpoint of both quality and packaging.

And now, here’s where you come in! As part of this review, I’m giving away a $100 Mary Kay gift basket. Just leave a comment between now and August 26, 2011 at 11:59 PM EST, telling me which Mary Kay product you would love to try and you will be entered into the sweepstakes! You MUST leave an email address within your comment! I will select a winner at random after the close.

The following list details more ways to win and some more guidelines. In fact, please visit the Official Rules. Here's a quick rundown:

1. Leave your comment on this post
2. Tweet about this promotion and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post
3. Blog about this promotion and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post
4. For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules and follow instructions for an alternate form of entry.

No duplicate comments. This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

In addition, go here to read more Mary Kay-BlogHer blogger reviews so you can enter their sweepstakes for even more chance to win!

And the Winners Are...

The first prize in the Kraft iFood Assistant 2.0 contest (a $50 American Express Gift Card) goes to number 65...






Which is....Becky!


 
And the winner of the second prize (the $25 iTunes gift card) goes to number 13...

Which is...Elizabeth!



Congratulations to you both! I'm emailing you for your addresses, and your prizes will be on their way! Thanks, everyone, for playing along, and sending me your amazing-sounding recipes!






(Note:The total number of entries in the contest was 70; however, one didn't contain a recipe, per the contest instructions, and one was a duplicate comment. Hence, the total number of entries was reduced to 68.)

A Contest, and Review of Kraft iFood Assistant 2.0: A close second to that live-in chef I've been wanting

Cooking is one of my very favorite things to do when I have a bit of free time. I find it incredibly relaxing, and if done right, it often results in me eating untold quantities of cookies. Delicious cookies. Sadly, free time is like unobtanium around here (topical!), which is why you will often see plaintive tweets from me at 1 in the morning as I wait for bread dough to rise, bemoaning the fact that I neglected to start the whole process earlier.

My poor planning skills are only exacerbated by the fact that both my husband and I work full time, so our dinners are often slapdash and totally thrown together. Lately, we’ve been feeling that perhaps we should put in a bit more effort on Sunday, and truly organize ourselves, mealwise, for the week. You know, so we could have actual, proper meals and our children could remember that food comes in non-nugget and tot form.

I was recently contacted by Kraft Foods to review their iPhone app, iFood Assistant 2.0, which retails for 99 cents,* and puts 7,000 recipes at your fingertips. I was all, “YES PLEASE WHERE DO I SIGN UP.”

I downloaded the app, and immediately put it to work.

One of my Actual, Proper Responsible Meal Planning strategies had been to cook up a big ol’ vat of soup on Sunday which we could eat throughout the week and/or freeze, so obviously I headed to the “Soups” section, because I am a winner, and also very smart. Time being the commodity that it is around here, I was also interested in the “Prep in 30 minutes or less” category. It was there that I found the Tomato Broccoli Soup, which could not have been easier, and tasted great. (It contains Good Seasons dressing mix, which, along with onion soup mix, are my secret ingredients in a bazillion of my recipes.)


Another great feature that I LOVED was the “What’s On Hand” section, where you plug in up to three ingredients you’d like to cook with (the predictive input there is a plus) and it searches the database for recipes you can make with those items. It was through this feature that I discovered Hot & Spicy Brittle recipe, which we’ve concluded must contain trace amounts of crack, such is its addictive deliciousness.

In terms of navigation, the layout of the app is very straightforward, and easy to follow. One area for improvement, however, would be to -- after clicking on a recipe, and then hitting the “back” arrow -- have your spot on the page be “anchored,” rather than sending you back up to the top of the page. Not a big issue, but it would be a nice enhancement.

In all, I highly recommend the purchase of this app; for 99 cents, you get a highly searchable database of 7,000 recipes, a whole mess o’ features I haven’t even mentioned here. (oh, fine: a few more—a Shopping List section where you can add items by aisle, recipe, or even store locator! WE ARE IN THE FUTURE, people. You can even email the shopping list to yourself.) It’s precisely the type of app I’d have downloaded on my own, which, to me, is always a good litmus test as to whether or not I’d endorse a product.

And! Two lucky readers can try this app out, as I’m running a little contest. Seeing as I’m trying to be better about cooking real dinners lately, simply enter by giving me your best go-to, easy, peasy recipe. (You can either leave a link to it in the comments, or cut and paste it there. I’m not picky!)


I will select two winners at random. The first winner will get a $50 American Express gift card, and the second will get a $25 iTunes gift card.


The contest will end Wednesday January 27, 2010 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.

Good luck! I can’t wait to see your recipes!

*I have been compensated by Kraft Foods to cover the cost of groceries to try out recipes featured on iFood Assistant 2.0, downloading the app and conducting reader giveaways. However, my opinions are entirely my own and I have not been paid to publish positive sentiments towards iFood Assistant or other Kraft Foods mobile offerings.

Winner of the L'Bel Contest!

And the winner of the L'Bel giveaway, worth $500 of their products, is...number 288!

Nancy!

(Note: The actual number of entered comments was 314, however the last one was posted after the stated contest deadline, so out of fairness, I excluded it from the final tally.)

Congratulations, Nancy! Your prize will be on its way shortly!

My Holiday Party Makeup Tips, and an L'Bel Paris Makeup Review: It's through sheer force of will that I'm not saying "ooh, la la!"

This is a compensated review by BlogHer and L'Bel.

Despite having a full-on makeup addiction AND a secondary job as a beauty writer (to feed my addiction/enable me to justify my purchases for “research purposes”), my actual makeup routine is pretty minimal. I know! This IS just like an Alanis Morissette song!

You wouldn’t know it from my steamer trunk-sized makeup bag(s), but the truth is, I’ve got the whole thing—hair and makeup—down to under five minutes. (Video proof here!) I’m a creature of habit, and so while I’ll do little things like swap out this lip gloss for that, or switch from cream blush to powder, by and large, the routine itself remains pretty much the same.

The only time I stray from it is when I have a truly fancy party to attend. My litmus test for determining the Fanciness Level of a given event involves a complicated series of algorithms, but basically, boils down to “does my husband have to wear a tuxedo to this thang?” If so, I do one of three things to add a little something to shake up my routine:

1. LIPSTICK

As I mentioned, I’m a bit of a gloss fan. I have….well, an embarrassing number of them, and a special event is the perfect excuse for me to act like a grown up and put on some lipstick. The mere act of applying it just feels more elegant.

2. EYELASHES

I’ve recently gotten over my lifelong fear of false eyelashes and learned how to actually apply them. (The secret: individual lash segments! So much easier and more natural-looking than the full eyelash strips.) Done right, they make your eyes look incredible and party-ready.

3. GET MORE PRETTY, PRETTY MAKEUP

Let’s be honest, I usually wind up taking options 1, 2, and 3. And with the holiday party season rapidly approaching (hold me!) I was delighted when BlogHer asked if I’d be willing to do a review of some beauty products from L’Bel. I said yes, because, uh, see above, and also, because I'd never heard of L’Bel, and I was intrigued.

And now I shall bore you with my product review methodology: I take my reviews seriously. I used my unfamiliarity with the L’Bel brand as a factor in this review. I did not research L’Bel in advance, so as to ensure a fair and unbiased perspective, and when the package arrived (it had been customized via questionnaire for my age, skin, and preferences), I held myself back from even checking the prices online. I honestly had no idea how L’Bel was classified from a price point perspective, and again, I wanted to judge the products on their own merits. My total lack of knowledge of the brand enabled me to critique itin a completely unbiased way, without thoughts like “well, it’s good, for a drugstore brand” or “for a department store product, I expected more”.


I only recently received the products, so I cannot speak to the efficacy of some (such as the Regression Yeux eye cream), which take a while to take effect. However, some standouts for me were the (surprise!) Delicious Lip Gloss Plump (which had the perfect touch of sweetness, but not so much that I compulsively licked it all off and needed to reapply it every 12 seconds. It’s a tough balance to strike), and the Regression Jour face lotion with SPF 15. It’s made to protect against the first signs of aging (which I TOTALLY HAVE), absorbs quickly, and has only the faintest of scents, which I personally appreciate.

Overall, I was impressed with the products I received. It was only after a few days of testing them that I actually looked up prices (and learned about the company). L’Bel is a French cosmetic company which focuses on developing products focused on both age range and skin type. The quality of the products and the upmarket packaging led me to believe the prices would be in the mid-to-high-priced department store brand range, but in fact, they were more along the lines of, say, Clinique. (The lip gloss, for instance is $11.)

And--YOU GUYS. I’m hosting a sweepstakes for $500 worth of L’Bel products custom selected for the winner.

Entering is easy: Since the holidays are coming, just leave me a comment below and tell me: What you add to your makeup routine for special occasions/moments. It can be as simple as “red lipstick” or as involved as “a Rapunzel-length weave. WITH GLITTER SPARKLES!” You can also answer the question in a post on your own blog, and leave a link to it in the comments below. The contest will begin on December 9, 2009 and run until January 8, 2010. Pretty please leave a valid email address in the comments.

Also, check out the BlogHer.com review/giveaway round-up page here for other reviews, and eight other chances to win, and feel free to follow L'Bel on Twitter for beauty tips and special offers.

Good luck, and happy holidays!

Rules:

* No duplicate comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by linking on twitter and then leaving a link in the comments.
* You may receive an additional entry by blogging about this contest and then leaving a link in the comments.
* This giveaway is open to US Residents, aged 18 and older.
* Winners will be selected via random draw, and will notified by e-mail.
* You have 48 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.
* Please see the official rules here:

Max Factor Winner!

I'm pleased to announce that the winner of the Max Factor contest:





(Although, I must say, the REAL winner in all this is me, because my GOD, people, your tales of makeup mistakes had me weeping from laughter.)

Congratulations, Caleal! Send me your info, and your prize will be on its way!

The End/The Beginning

I think (and hope) I’ve managed to get through my Potty Ambassador and Potty Project posts these past few months without getting too sappy, but I think I’m going to fail MISERABLY today. You see, this is my final post for this endeavor, and I’ll have to hand the crown (er, jewel-encrusted potty seat?) off to the next Ambassador soon enough.

As I mentioned in my last post, despite T having been solidly toilet trained for over a month, I was extremely nervous about putting him in his underwear on our recent plane trip. What if he had an accident? What if he forgot everything? As I've mentioned in the past, T was initially quite stubborn with regard to potty training (not unlike the adorable Brandon, who, I believe, would be fast friends with my kid). As the morning of our flight drew near, I became increasingly anxious that putting him in underwear would be nerve-wracking at best, and The World’s Biggest Mistake at worst, if for no one else, than the person who would next inhabit what was sure to be a very soggy Seat 9F. Still, Jen’s advice in that post--which boiled down to the importance of consistency--compelled me to give it a shot. I mean, if the worst-case scenario played out, I wouldn’t be around to incur the wrath of the wet-butted person who sat in the seat after T, right? Right? I took a leap of faith.

Well, as things turned out, I need not have worried. I had taken him to the bathroom twice in the airport while we waited to board our flight, and once while we were in the air. (And speaking of which, if the Toddlerlympics ever become a reality, I’d like to enter myself in the Feats of Strength Division, under the category of Lifting Large Child Aloft, Mid-Pee, In Order For Him To Avoid Any Sort of Contact With Airline Toilet of Questionable Sanitary Conditions. These biceps don’t grow on trees, you know.)

The fact that this-- the first real test of his potty-training skills-- took place on a plane was sort of apropos, as I truly felt like (GAH, CLICHÉ ALERT) we were flying blind, so to speak. Other than a hasty change of clothes, there was no true fall-back plan for us here in the event he didn’t make it to the potty in time. All I had to back me up here was simply confidence in my kid, and his ability to remember what he needed to do. And you know what? Despite the excitement of T’s first plane flight (and as such, his new surroundings), he never forgot what we’d been diligently working on together for the past few months.

Like a sportscaster not wanting to ruin a perfect game, it was not until after we landed (and made a beeline for the restrooms in O’Hare) that I gathered T in my arms, grinning, and told him how proud I was of him for making it through his first plane trip without an accident. He smiled back and said (in an almost condescending tone, honestly) “I’m a big boy, Mommy. I go on the toilet.” I told him he was right, and together, we walked back to our family waiting for us at the baggage claim. We enjoyed our time in town over the next few days, and when the time came to fly back, I spent a lot less time worrying about a potential potty accident, and a lot more time reveling in the milestone my son had achieved.





Many, MANY thanks to everyone at Pull-Ups and the Potty Project for all the support, encouragement and resources throughout my Potty Ambassador experience. I could not have made the experience I had potty training T as (relatively!) painless as it was without their guidance.

As noted, I am being compensated by Pull-Ups for my role as spokesperson, however the opinions and feelings expressed here are my own. Become a fan of Pull-Ups on Facebook!