Perfect Palettes for the Holidays
November 12th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
I can’t believe the holidays are here! I love this time of year and am especially loving several cute holiday palettes I came across recently. Whether you give them as gifts or keep them for yourself, these compacts are versatile, stylish and will take you from day to night to party!
Stila’s eye for color shadow palette ($18) features thirteen new eye shadow shades for countless, easy-to-create looks. Shades include Petal Pink, Burgundy, Bronze, Coffee, Moss, Green, Blue Green, Navy, Lilac, Orchid, Porcelain, Bisque and Black. Stila also created three quick holiday looks using the palette with step-by-step instructions that can be downloaded from their site. The three looks are Work Party, Holiday Party and New Year’s Eve. This palette will go the distance and for $18, it doesn’t get more perfect than that.
Everyday Eye Edition
E.L.F. Cosmetics does it again this year with their super cute AND cheap holiday palettes. I saw them in Target and they immediately caught my eye. These “Little Black Books of Beauty” come in Everyday Eye, Lip and Sparkle Eyes Editions for only $5!
Sparkle Edition
The Everyday Eye and Sparkle Editions includes 12 eye shadow shades, 2 cream eye shadow shades, 1 eyeliner and 1 eye shadow brush. The Lip Edition includes 12 lip color shades, 2 lip gloss shades, 1 lip liner and 1 lip defining brush.
Lip Edition
Keep following for more perfect palettes for the holidays. You never know, these just might turn up in our Favorite Things giveaway! 
Beauté Giveaway: ON MAKEUP Magazine
May 27th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
If you love all things makeup, then you will enjoy the latest issue of ON MAKEUP (not pictured) from The Powder Group. Immerse yourself into the makeup industry with great content, interviews, beauty makeup and photography, product spotlights and one of my favorite features “In Your Kit.” I like to compare the products in my makeup kit to what other pros in the industry are using. Complete the form below to enter the drawing. Good Luck!
Contest open to U.S. residents only.
Beauté Splurge: What is Your Favorite $50 Luxury?
April 13th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
Answer that simple question and you could be a winner in Darphin’s 50 Little Luxuries contest as they celebrate the launch of Hydraskin Essential, a.k.a. the most luxurious $50 face cream, according to Darphin. The contest is open until April 21st and all you have to do is share your $50 indulgence at www.50littleluxuries.com. For every 
submission, Darphin will donate $2 to the Ideal Providence Farms to purchase school supplies for children in Ghana. Then on April 21st, the most creative (and realistic) 50 ideas will win new Hydraskin Essential. These 50 winners will also be eligible to win a New York City Spa Getaway. The grand prize winner will be announced on May 1st and includes:
• 2 round-trip transportation
• 2 nights at The Surrey Hotel
• 2 Darphin signature spa treatments at The Spa in The Surrey Hotel
• Dinner for 2 at the renowned Café Boulud at The Surrey Hotel
Celebs have even weighed in on their favorite $50 luxuries: Emmy Rossum treats herself to buying a favorite TV show DVD series and coffee ice cream. Kara DioGuardi indulges in an extra long pedicure massage. Becki Newton spoils herself with fresh flowers. Whitney Port’s $50 pleasure is a manicure and pedicure, and Perrey Reeves picks up a great new plant for her garden.
What’s yours? Visit www.50LittleLuxuries.com to enter! And remember April 21st is the deadline.
Show and Tell: Skin MD Shielding Lotion
January 25th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
PR sent. Blended Beauté tried and the verdict is in: This is some good stuff! According to the company, Skin 
MD Shielding Lotion + Sunscreen SPF 15 is a lotion that combines the best features of shielding and sunscreen lotions. It helps prevent loss of natural oils and moisture, doesn’t allow irritating substances to penetrate the skin and absorbs the part of the UV spectrum that contributes to premature skin ageing and development of skin cancers.
I have been using this lotion for the past three weeks, and I had a friend try it too. Her face had been dry and irritated thanks to Old Man Winter, but since using the Shielding Lotion, she has seen considerable changes in her skin. For starters, she applied it as often as needed, whenever her face felt dry or taut. This is a necessary step until your skin gets used to the product. After a week or so, she only applied it twice a day and has raved about how her skin looks and feels. I’ll let her tell you more:
“I love that this lotion is light and keeps my skin moisturized. I even like the sunscreen. Other products I’ve tried with sunscreen felt goopy; but not this moisturizer. Nor does it leave my skin feeling oily or shiny.”
I tried it as a moisturizer, but I also tested it as a primer on myself and clients before applying their makeup. As a moisturizer it absorbed quickly; there was no 
greasy residue or oily feeling. And it’s odorless, so no strong sunscreen smell. As a primer, it really left my skin feeling silky smooth and my foundation glided on as if I had used my regular go-to primer.
And the price is right for such a highly potent moisturizing lotion. Only $18 for a 4-oz bottle that will last because a little truly goes a loooong way.
I want you to experience this lotion for yourself, so enter our giveaway for a chance to win a bottle of Skin MD’s Shielding Lotion. Complete the form below or send an email to blendedbeaute@gmail.com. Your skin will love you for it!
“New You for the New Year” Giveway
January 4th, 2010 § Leave a Comment
What better way to start the year off than with a giveaway! What are your plans, goals or resolutions for 2010? What new “you” are you striving for? Losing weight, getting healthier, feeling and looking fabulous tops many people’s list and Blended Beauté wants to help.
This blog is about seeing beauty in every color, every shade, every skin tone. It’s about helping you look fabulous whether you’re porcelain, ivory, almond, honey, mocha or espresso. So with that in mind, we are giving away three customized Artistry Essentials makeup kits (in light, medium and dark) that have everything you need to enhance your natural beauty.
The kits come with everything you see above inside a sleek, black makeup bag:
- mineral foundation – 100% pure mineral makeup.
- concealer – Blend away imperfections with natural-looking coverage.
- colour quad – For eyes and cheeks. Also mineral-based and enriched with vitamins A and E.
- lip shine – Gorgeous color for lovely lips.
- mascara - For dark, defined, fuller-looking lashes.
- face and eyeliner brushes – The right tools to create your look with ease.
Mistake-proof products + shades to match your skin tone = flawless results.
To win one of the Essentials kits (a $60 value), complete the form below or send an email with “New You for the New Year” in the subject field to blendedbeaute@gmail.com. What does your “new you for the new year” plan involve? I’d love to hear about it.
Contest open to U.S. residents only. Blended Beauté subscribers, Facebook fans and Twitter followers who enter will receive multiple entries in the giveaway. Subscribe or follow to increase your chances in this and future monthly contests. Good luck!
Favorite Things Giveaway 8: Lock & Mane
December 22nd, 2009 § Leave a Comment
If you want the best in luxury hair care, then Lock & Mane has plenty of options. The online boutique has a unique product selection and pretty high standards for what they sell. Every product has been tested and evaluated by their team. If they don’t use it, they don’t sell it. I tried several products back in September (read more here) and they were all hits.
Lock & Mane is rounding out our Favorite Things Giveaway with Philip B. African Shea Butter Shampoo. This shampoo is a favorite because it’s fragrance-free, velvety smooth and gentle on your locks. Made with a lightweight moisturizing blend of African Shea Butter, Panthenol (pro-vitamin B5), and 16 plant extracts, it delivers much-needed moisture to dry hair. My hair eats up moisture and so does my daughter’s, but with a mild 5.5 pH, it’s gentle enough to even use on her hair. Another plus? It restores elasticity and prevents breakage. And no worries if your hair is colored. Mine is also and it’s safe for color-treated hair.
Ten 2-oz bottles (perfect for traveling) are up for grabs. Complete the form below or send an email to blendedbeaute@gmail.com. Contest open to U.S. residents only. Congrats to Shanelle, winner of the Steelo lip glosses.
A special thanks to all of the sponsors who helped in our first annual Favorite Things Giveaway: Smashbox, Sephora, Sally Hansen, ARTISTRY, Victoria’s Secret, Lancome, Laniege, Z Palette, Senna, Temptu, Steelo and Lock & Mane. Thanks for helping Blended Beauté spread a little holiday cheer to our readers. Thanks to everyone for following and participating. And congrats again to all the winners. I hope you are enjoying your prizes.
Happy Holidays!
Favorite Things Giveaway 5: Senna Cosmetics
December 13th, 2009 § 4 Comments
Don’t let winter blues steal your glow. Get a glowing complexion in seconds with our next giveaway from Senna Cosmetics. The beauty kit up for grabs includes Glisten Beach Shimmering Face Powder, Wildfire Sheer Mineral Blush, Base Buffer 22 Brush and Mimosa mini Lip Lacquer in a cute clear pouch. And as a bonus, Blended Beauté is throwing in two of our favorite Senna lip colors: Nova and Glint.
I fell in love with Senna back in September when PR sent some products to try. (Read the review Part 1, Part 2). It’s a great line with products that perform. I use several items in my professional makeup kit including the Silky Primer, Lip Love, Brow Definer, Brow Fix, Spot Lites, Double Effects Creamline Powder Duo Palette and some of their lip liners.
The beauty kit in the giveaway includes some of Senna’s best products for a healthy glow in seconds. The colors are universally flattering and will look good on many skin tones. Glisten Beach is a shimmering sheer medium bronze that instantly perks up skin and helps diminish flaws; Wildfire is a sheer golden pink blush; Mimosa lip lacquer is a golden peachy pearl that looks good worn alone or over lipstick; Nova (glistening peach) and Glint (warm pink) are great sheer lip colors. Lastly, the Base Buffer 22 Brush is a wide rounded brush great for applying bronzer over the entire face and soft enough to buff it to a fine satiny smooth finish.
Enter to win this fabulous kit (a total value of $107.50). Complete the form below or send an email to blendedbeaute@gmail.com. Contest open to U.S. residents only.
Congratulations to Ruchee and Avartsy, winners in the Z Palette giveway!
Favorite Things Giveaway 3: Luscious Lips
December 4th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Smile bright for the holidays with five of our favorite lip products that will definitely give you the perfect pout.
Revitalize, hydrate, and pamper your lips so that new lip color you’ve been dying to wear looks its best. The Artistry Lip Care Kit offers a gentle exfoliating Lip Polish that lightly buffs away dry skin cells from lips, while the Lip Conditioner instantly softens, soothes, and smoothes. This kit is a Blended Beauté favorite because it truly creates soft, supple lips. And both products together provide the ultimate protection without being heavy or sticky.
Smashbox’s WISH for the Perfect Pout is a limited-edition set of six gorgeous glosses showcasing best-selling and new-for-holiday shades, including two bonus full-size glosses. The set includese Pout (full size), Luster (full size), Tease, Candy, Aura and Radiant.
Get high shine and major flavor with Victoria’s Secret Beauty Rush lip glosses. The set includes Cherry Bomb (sheer red), Strawberry Fizz (light pink shimmer) and Cupquake (pink shimmer). Pucker up with a satiny swipe of yummy color.
Want a grown and sexy lipshine? Then reach for Lancôme’s La Laque Fever Ultimate Lasting Full Color Lipshine. I loved this when PR sent it to try because of its great color payoff and shine in one gliding stroke. And it truly is lasting. I didn’t need to touch up for hours. I usually don’t like the applicators that come with glosses, but this “soft-sculpt” applicator is different. Not only does the color glide on, but it precisely defines fuller lips in an even layer and shapes the contours of the lips for a great application. Fever lipshine is available in over 20 shades too. Since purple is hot this season, we have the universally flattering Plum Savvy up for grabs!
I’d never heard of Laneíge Cosmetics until a trip to San Diego over the summer. I was shopping in a small boutique in Old Town where I tried several products. Truly liked the Snow Crystal Sheer Lipgloss and love the concept behind the line:
“When light meets snow crystals, the reflection generates different effects in each of the six steps in the snow’s journey. Those effects are incorporated in the makeup line of Laneíge.”
Snow Crystal Sheer lipgloss has beautiful shimmer and shine without stickiness. The texture is light and the finish is glassy, sleek, sheer brilliance. It has a great soft-tip applicator as well. It comes in 15 shades of which Shine Purple is up for grabs.
To enter to win one of our favorite lip products, fill out the contact form below or send an email to blendedbeaute@gmail.com with “Luscious Lips” in the subject. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only. Good luck!
Favorite Things Giveaway 2: Smoky Eyes
November 29th, 2009 § 2 Comments
The smoky eye look is one of my favorites to do as a makeup artist. It’s classic, sexy, and anyone can pull it off. From a subtle smoky eye to super dark, there are many variations. Want to rock a smoky eye but not sure how to achieve it? Well the two smoky eye kits we have up for grabs make it super simple, which is why they are Blended Beauté favorites.
Sephora’s Smoky Eyes Palette is an all-in-one-kit to create sultry, smoldering eyes. The palette gives you the tools and instructions you need to achieve the classic smoky eye in six easy steps. The kit includes:
- Four eyeshadow shades
- Black eyeliner pencil
- Gradual Volume Black Mascara
- Double-sided brush/sponge-tip applicator
- Palette equipped with explanatory pictures and a mirror
Now you can take the makings of a stunning look wherever you go with this essential ensemble.
Sally Hansen’s Natural Beauty inspired by Carmindy line has a Perfect Smoky Eye kit that is also makeup made simple. In just five steps, you can achieve smoky eyes. The kit includes:
- Eyeshadow palette in Storm (pictured)
- Mascara in Jet Black
- Liquid eyeliner in Black Onyx
- Step-by-step instructions
The eye shadow colors are a shimmery black (goes on the lid); shimmery dark gray (for the crease); and a vanilla (highlight color). The colors are universal and look good on many skin tones. This kit is also a Blended Beauté fave because it’s part of Sally Hansen’s line of paraben-free cosmetics.
To enter for your chance to win one of these awesome foolproof kits fill out the contact form below or send an email to blendedbeaute@gmail.com with “Smoky Eyes Giveaway” in the subject. Giveaway open to U.S. residents only.
CONGRATS TO SMASHBOX GIVEAWAY WINNERS Deanna (Photo Finish winner) and Gretchen (WISH for the Stars winner)!!! Thanks to everyone who entered. The drawing was conducted by Random.org, a third-party drawing service using entrant email addresses. The contest closed at midnight on Saturday, Nov. 28th and the drawing was completed at 6:48 pm EST. A permanent record of the drawing is here. Entrants can query the drawing to see if their email address was included and whether it won or not.
Keep following Blended Beauté for more holiday freebies from MAC, Tarte, Lock & Mane, Z Palette, Lancome, Senna, Steelo and more. The giveaway won’t end until the last prize is won!!
Smoky Eyes Palette ($50 Value)
What it is:
An all-in-one kit to create sultry, smoldering eyes.What it does:
The Sephora Brand Smoky Eyes Palette gives you the tools and instructions you need to achieve the classic smoky eye in six easy steps. It’s the ultimate sexy look made beautifully mistake proof!What else you need to know:
- Four 0.07 oz eyeshadow shades
- Black eyeliner pencil
- 0.1 oz Gradual Volume Black Mascara
- Double-sided brush/sponge-tip applicator
- All in a smart, handy palette equipped with explanatory pictures and a mirror. Take the makings of a stunning look wherever you go with this essential ensemble you simply can’t miss.
Smashbox Giveaway Now Closed!
November 28th, 2009 § Leave a Comment
Thanks to everyone who entered the Smashbox Giveaway!! The contest is now closed and the winners will be announced later today. The drawing will be conducted by Random.org.
Stay tuned!
