First Giveway--25 Follower My Favorite Things

Yay! It is finally the moment we have all been waiting for!!! My first ever Glitter, Gloss, and Glaze Giveaway!!! As promised, I said when I hit 25 followers I would do this! (as this week has gone on, I think right now I have 31 followers, so even more exciting!!)

For this first one, I wanted to give one lucky person some of my favorite things--and all things that have been mentioned/reviewed/loved by this blog. (****All items were purchased by me with my own money****)

Here's the overall item picture and then itemized pix of everything:

Ta-da! Some of my fave things!

Cosmetics Bag

Maybelline Baby Lips in Peppermint

Sinful Colors Extra Shiny Lip Gloss in Creamsicle Cream

Burt's Bees Lemon Butter Cuticle Cream

e.l.f. Nail Polish Remover Pads

Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Violet

One of my favorite polishes of allll time is Sally Hansen Hard as Nails Xtreme Wear in Lilac. It looks great with stamping; it did an awesome job with water marbling; it looks pretty by itself; it's pretty with glitter on top; it's doesn't chip very easily--it truly is my favorite polish! Sadly, I couldn't find lilac today, but Violet is just a pretty color and even has a little sparkly glimmer to it:)

So Rafflecopter is going to help with my first giveaway! The rules are pretty simple. You must leave a comment on this post in order to be entered. You can write a random fact about yourself or what one of your favorite products is. Then if you want additional entries, you can Like my Facebook page, Follow me on Twitter, and/or Tweet about this giveaway! So, that's a total of FOUR chances to win!

You do need to be 18+ and in the continental United States. Sorry to all my international lovelies, hopefully my later, bigger giveaways will be open to you, too! You have until next Saturday, January 14, 2012 at midnight EST time to enter! I'll notify the winner and he/she will have 48 hours to provide me with their contact/shipping information. Good luck!!!

Baby Lips ~ Review!

Okay, it's the moment you've all been waiting for! Are my lips actually baby soft?! Here is the "before" picture

So not horrible. Perhaps a little chapping in the corners, but not terribly rough or dry.

Now the claims from the "four week clinical study" are: 

82% visibly less dry

94% less rough

77% more supple

77% better looking

I should put in a disclaimer that I did not use this product ONLY during the 4 weeks. I continued to use my other lip products (Hard Candy Glossaholic, Mary Kay lipstick, and a couple random Bonne Bell Lip Smackers) So it's possible I didn't get a completely clean "clinical study," but I still think it's close enough.

Here's what I liked--the price! At Wal-Mart it was only $2.99 and there are some $1 off coupons roaming around the interent. The packaging--they are all so cute and colorful and fun! The size--perfect to fit in your purse, pocket, or anywhere else so it's always with you! The SPF--since I'm in Florida the sun is almost always out, so I love that my lips are coated and protected! 

Here's what I didn't like: the texture--now this is just a personal thing. I am more a gloss girl than a balm girl, and this is definitely a balm. I don't know how to explain it, but it's almost like it feels thick or gummy on my lips. The taste--I know this was a plus for some people because the flavor is not very distinct, but I'd prefer to have a "taste" to it than just the balm-y basic flavor. 

Here's things I'm kind of indifferent on: the color--sometimes it was a light pink and I really liked it. Other times I felt like it almost hot pink and a bit much, (obviously this would change if I got an un-tinted one which I would definitely try). The lasting--I know it claims to give "8 hour moisture" or whatever. And it may actually keep my lips moist on the inside that long; but I felt I needed to reapply every few hours (obviously more if eating, drinking, etc.)

Here's my after pic, then I'll let you know I feel it stood up to all the claims

So, less dry? YES!

Less rough? YES!

Better looking? SURE!

More supple? well... let's take a moment... I guess when I think "supple" I think "lush" and "full" and "beautiful"! Basically, I was hoping for Angelina Jolie lips (that did not happen..) But when I actually look up the defintion of "supple" it means: "bending readily without breaking or becoming deformed;pliant; flexible:" and for that? YES! 

When I run my finger over my lips, they really do feel soft! I've always had pretty soft lips, but this is definitely a more soft! Overall, it's a great product. I probably will continue to use it daily. I will tell you, my favorite time to use it is to put it on right before bed. I feel like it soaks into my lips over night. I know, I know, clearly I don't need the SPF while I'm sleeping:) Also, I'll probably pick up another couple tubes of it. I do recommend this product! Two thumbs up! Yay!!!

Next lip product to review? 

Stay Tuned!!

xoxo,

Soft as a baby's.... lips??

So everyone has heard (and probably used) the phrase "soft as a baby's bottom." I'm not sure how often we say, "soft as a baby's lips"; but I imagine baby lips are probably pretty soft! That's the plan behind Maybelline's recently released Baby Lips Moisturizing Lip Balm, which touts accomplishments such as "82% visibly less dry, 94% less rough lips, 77% more supple, and 77% better looking lips." Who wouldn't want to enjoy all those things??

Now, let's back up just for a moment for a little background on the lip issue. Lip gloss has been a part of my life for as far back as I can remember. My first glosses were Bonne Bell Lip Smackers in orange and watermelon--and maybe 'cause it was my first, but to this day, some 20+ years later, Lip Smackers are still my go to choice of a basic lip gloss. I claim that my lip gloss "addiction" started around 8th grade... it was again Bonne Bell, but it was a little jar of "Watermelon Falls." That went with me everywhere! I was using lipgloss first thing in the morning, throughout the day, and of course right before I went to bed. I had the softest, smoothest, most kissable lips around! When I was sixteen or so, my mom found this article in the newspaper that talked about lip gloss addiction. OMG! That is what I had! The article said it was all "psychological," but I knew better. I knew the burning sensation I had if I went too long without reapplying. I knew how fidgety I got if my lips felt dry. I'd never smoked, but I figured this is what it felt like to try to quit smoking. There was no quitting this addiction, I was hooked.

I've been through a variety of brands and flavors and at one point even had a "lip gloss inventory" which I documented every tube I had, how full it was, when I got it, and rated it on a 5 star system. (lip gloss dork alert!) 

The point is, I'm kind of a (self proclaimed) lip product connoisseur, and when I saw the advertisement in the November 2011 issue of Cosmo, I knew I was going to have to try "Baby Lips."

It comes in six different "flavors" and I chose "Pink Punch" which is a pretty, light hot pink color. It comes in a pink tube with yellow letters. All the packaging is really catchy which makes the product fun and girly! At Wal-mart, it's $2.97 so even if it were horrible, I wasn't going to be out a whole chunk of money. Reading all the claims, I was pretty impressed to start. However, my lips were already "less dry" and "less rough" to begin with, so I wasn't really sure what results I could expect from it. The smell and flavor is sweet and just like a tropical punch. It goes on smooth and is not too thick or heavy. It does have a hint of color, which I haven't decided if I like or not. As a balm, it is not shiny or glossy but does feel very nourishing. The 20 SPF sunscreen is a nice touch!

Since the claims are all based on a "clinical study after four weeks of use," I've decided to do my own "not-so-clinical study of four weeks of use" and document the status of my lips.  Today is day 3. I'm expecting at the end of these four weeks, I'll have lips much more supple--like those of Angelina Jolie. Will keep you posted and give a complete review of the product at the end:)