GIVEAWAY: Keranique Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner [Ends Oct. 7, 2012 -- USA only]

Hello, Beautiful!

Keranique is giving one of my lucky readers (USA only) a Volumizing Shampoo & Conditioner (a $70 value)!

The Keranique Volumizing Shampoo gently deep cleans, stimulates/nourishes the scalp and follicles, and removes oil/build up that drags hair down. The shampoo is free of sulfates, parabens, and synthetic fragrances. Retails for $35.00

The Keranique Volumizing Conditioner coats the hair to make each strand thicker and protects fine hair with a unique cream-gel formula that doesn't weigh it down. It is also formulated to help hydrate and stimulate micro-circulation around the hair follicle to help nourish the hair. The conditioner's blend of technologies penetrates each hair shaft to help smooth cuticles, mend split ends, and decrease hair breakage. Retails for $35.00

One lucky winner will receive a Keranique Volumizing Shampoo and a Keranique Volumizing Conditioner. This prize is worth $70!

Giveaway Rules & Details:

• Open to my blog readers in the United States (sorry international ladies)
• If you're under 18 you must have your parent's permission to enter.
• Must be a follower of my blog. New followers are always welcome!
• Bonus entries available!
• Giveaway ends October 7, 2012
• A winner will be selected via Random.org within a few days of the giveaway end date, and notified via email.
• If the winner does not respond within 72 hours of notification a new winner will be selected

To Enter:

Simply fill in the Rafflecopter form below. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick, 7 shades - swatches, pics, review

Hello, Beautiful!

Milani's Color Perfect Lipstick is an affordable, creamy, pigmented lipstick. They have eight new shades to their current collection, and I'll show you seven of those eight new shades in this post. My favorite shade from the seven below is Nude Creme; what shade do you like best?

Check out my pics, swatches, stats, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick
Shades: 47 Red Velvet, 48 Brown Suede, 49 Plum Deluxe, 50 Nude Creme, 51 Pink Passion, 53 Barely There, 54 Red Label
Continue scrolling down to see more pics of each individual shade.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick

Shade: 47 Red Velvet
Shade Description: A blue-pink based red.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick

Shade: 48 Brown Suede
Shade Description: A bronzy brown.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick

Shade: 49 Plum Deluxe
Shade Description: A blackened brown plum.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick

Shade: 50 Nude Creme
Shade Description: A pinky nude beige.













Milani Color Perfect Lipstick
Shade: 51 Pink Passion
Shade Description: A medium lustrous pink.













Milani Color Perfect Lipstick
Shade: 53 Barely There
Shade Description: A beige nude.













Milani Color Perfect Lipstick
Shade: 54 Red Label
Shade Description: A warm pink based cherry red.

Basic Stats for Milani Color Perfect Lipstick:

Formula: stick lipstick

Wear: average

Coverage: medium to full color

Shade Info: currently available in 35 shades

Cost/Availability: $4.99 (0.13 oz full size). Available on the Milani Cosmetics website and everywhere else Milani Cosmetics are sold (most drugstores).

Packaging: squared tube with pull-off cap and twist-up lipstick bullet

My Rating: 4 out of 5 Kisses

Formula:

These lipsticks are creamy, go on nicely pigmented and feel comfortable on your lips.

Wear:

Average wear for a lipstick; re-apply as needed/as wanted.

Coverage:

Medium to full color. These are very nicely pigmented, and if you apply with a lip brush (or more precisely then I did) you can get great, even, full color!

Shade Info:

Currently available in 35 shades.

Cost/Availability:
$4.99 (0.13 oz full size). Available on the Milani Cosmetics website and everywhere else Milani Cosmetics are sold (most drugstores).

Packaging:

Squared gold tube with pull-off cap and twist-up lipstick bullet.

Milani Color Perfect Lipstick Review:

I think the Milani Color Perfect Lipsticks are a very affordable option for creamy, full coverage lip color. They go on nicely, feel comfortable on your lips, and come in a great range of shades.

If you want to get even better/longer wear from these you can apply your lip balm, then a lip liner to your entire lips (outline first, then fill in), and then finally apply your lipstick directly from the tube or with a lip brush. You can also apply with your finger (I use my pinky) to get sheerer coverage.

Out of the seven shades shown in this post, the shade Nude Creme is my favorite. It's a perfect nude that looks great on its own and paired with a sheer sparkling pink gloss on top! I'd also like to try the shade Pink Love, which is also new but I don't have it (yet).

I found the darker shades (Brown Suede, Plum Deluxe) went on a little uneven, but that can be typical with darker lipstick shades. That's why it's best to apply darker shades with a lip brush to get the best lip look.

Overall, an affordable lipstick that I'd recommend!

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of these lipsticks? Have you tried them or would you like to? What shade from the ones above do you like best? Discuss in the comments below.

Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift - pics, review

Hello, Beautiful!

This is a product I tried out when it originally launched on QVC back in January 2012. I was really excited about this because it looked like an innovated product that would yield great results. It was a bit pricey (I believe it was specially priced at around $80, but it retails now for $95), but I figured I could always return it if it truly didn't work out. Well, I did end up returning it after trying it out for almost 4 weeks straight. As fun as it was to use, and as good as it felt on my skin, this just didn't do anything to warrant the price. Maybe my skin is too young (I'm 28) to see any results, so it's possible someone with more mature skin could love this. For me, it just didn't work. Regardless, check out the pics and full review below.

Check out my pics, stats, and review... click on pics to view them larger.

Kate Somerville
DermalQuench Liquid Lift

Basic Stats for Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift:

Formula: spray liquid/foam

Cost/Availability: $95.00 (2.5 oz full size). Available on the Kate Somerville website, QVC's website, Sephora's website, and everywhere else Kate Somerville products are sold.

Packaging: rounded bottle with spray-nozzle 

My Rating: 3 out of 5 Kisses

Formula:

DermalQuench infuses the skin with 3 powerful ingredients in the advanced HydraFill Complex. Wrinkle-relaxing PFC-Oxygen Carriers draw and lock in oxygen with an oxygen magnet. They relax facial muscles to dramatically smooth and soften. After just 2 weeks, 83% of women reported that their lines appeared dramatically smoother and softer. While deeply hydrating hyaluronic acid provides fast-penetrating, long-lasting moisture. Improving the look of elasticity, firmness and texture. After just 1 use, clinical instruments measured up to a 130% increase in skin moisture. And Radiance-boosting Botanical Extracts instantly create a healthy-looking glow, revealing a more youthful complexion. After just 2 weeks, 90% of women reported an improvement in their skin's appearance overall.

Cost/Availability:

$95.00 (2.5 oz full size). Available on the Kate Somerville website, QVC's website, Sephora's website, and everywhere else Kate Somerville products are sold.

Packaging:

Rounded bottle with spray-nozzle and pull-off cap.

Kate Somerville DermalQuench Liquid Lift Review:

This is a fun product to use that feels great on your skin, that part alone would make me keep this if it wasn't $95, but the fact it didn't really do anything for my skin meant I didn't have the budget to keep an almost $100 product.

Yes, it did feel great going on. You shake it up and spray lines on your face, then massage in. It absorbs quickly, leaving behind no sticky residue and feels really refreshing. My skin felt great and had a slightly more radiant look to it (but a face mask and/or scrub can do that too for me).

I took before and after photos to see if I could see any difference at all and unfortantely I didn't see any difference. I zoomed into them and studied them side-by-side, hoping I could find even one example of the immediate results this claims (and what was presented on-air on QVC). I couldn't see one difference on my skin. Not one. I also did after pics after the almost 4 weeks of use, and still no difference in my skin.

Now that's not to say that you won't see a difference. There were some great before and after's during the QVC presentation --- of course all on more mature skin than mine. I say if you're younger (20's or younger) this isn't a product you need to buy. There are cheaper options out there to get an instant glow. However, if you have more mature skin then you may love this and find it to be a great skincare tool.

Overall, I wish it were cheaper because I really did enjoy using this but it just doesn't give me any results. I'd only recommend this to those in their late 30's and up.

Now let me know what you think...

What do you think of this product? Have you tried this or is this on your wish list? Discuss in the comments below.