Try new products…for free!

I’m always on the lookout for a bargain or a good deal. And there is no better deal than getting something for free. That’s why I’ll join just about any consumer research site on the Internet, and I’m always filling out surveys and forms on company websites to try new products.

Think about it — you’re not only getting something for free. You’re getting to give a company your opinion on something they’re trying to get feedback on, and you can also share your thoughts with your friends and other consumers. It’s called word-of-mouth marketing, and with social media, blogs and YouTube so popular, it’s become really valuable to businesses.

For instance, I found a link on the Origins website today to receive a free sample of one of their new products — Dr. Andrew Weil for Origins Mega-Mushroom Skin Relief Advanced Face Serum. It may or may not work for me, so I’m glad to be testing it out in a small amount. And, if I like it, and it’s something that helps my skin, I know that I can invest in a full-size of the product!

And, if you’re really interested in word-of-mouth marketing, check out BzzAgent. It’s an online network of WOM marketers, and I’ve been a member for years! You just fill out some basic profile information, and they match you up with “BzzCampaigns” — that’s when a company enlists BzzAgent to help them get feedback on a new product or marketing campaign. BzzAgent sends you a “BzzKit” for every campaign you’re in, which sometimes includes free products or coupons, along with all the information you need to share the product with other people. You submit reports to BzzAgent based on your feedback and what others tell you when you “bzz,” and you get rewarded with better status on the network (and that means you can get invited to campaigns early) and MyPoints, which you can use to redeem for gift cards at awesome retailers.

The way I see it, word-of-mouth marketing and being a consumer tester isn’t just getting something for nothing. Consumers’ opinions are so valuable to companies, and you get to help businesses make products that you’ll support and that other people will benefit from.

giveaway time!

Who doesn’t love free stuff?

Since I’m just trying to launch this blog, I thought a giveaway would be a good way to get people to visit (even if it’s just to win something at first) and hopefully continue to read my blog after the contest. So, what’s up for grabs?

Look familiar? It’s my holy grail hair treatment combo — Chi Silk Infusion and Argan Oil! I’m giving away one set of brand new bottles of Chi Silk Infusion and Argan Oil.

The only rules I have are:

• You must subscribe to this blog (Google Reader, RSS, whatever).
• You must be in the U.S. or Canada (sorry international readers, but shipping can get expensive).
• You must be 18 or older, or have your parent/guardian give permission. I’m going to need your address to ship out the prize if you’re the winner.

So, what do you have to do to enter? You have a few options…

• Reply to this post, telling me your holy grail hair products/tips. You can do this as many times as you want (one entry per response), but each response must be a different product/tip.
• Tweet about this giveaway. (Make sure to reply to this post letting me know you’ve tweeted so that I can count it as an entry.)
• Post on your blog about this giveaway. (Again, I need you to reply separately about this so that it’s counted as an entry.)

The rest of the info…

• This giveaway will be open until July 30, 2010, at midnight (giving you two weeks to get your entries in!).
• I’ll use random.org to generate a winner and will notify the winner through a blog post and by email (so make sure you leave your email address in your replies).

GOOD LUCK!

The fine print: I purchased the products for this giveaway with my own money and was not provided with products by any company.

e.l.f. Beauty Book — an A-to-Z neutral eye look for $5!

If you’re the least bit into makeup, and you are even a slight fan of saving money, you need to know about (and probably already know all about) e.l.f. Cosmetics — that stands for eyes lips face, by the way! These are great quality cosmetics for a crazy good price; everything in their standard line is $1 (yeah, that’s a dollar sign, followed by a 1), and their studio line products are $3.

For the longest time, you could order e.l.f. on their website (which is awesome, by the way; they always have coupon codes and they do great giveaways and promotions on Twitter and through their mailing list), but it was difficult to find the line in a brick-and-mortar store. Every once in awhile, the dollar store had a few things, and Target carried a couple of items around holiday time, but the pickins were slim!

Fortunately, earlier this year, Target started carrying just about every e.l.f. goodie you could want (as if Target needed to do something else to be my favorite store of all time). I was shopping there a couple of days ago when an endcap in the cosmetics section caught my eye — it was a ton of new e.l.f. products, all themed “back-to-school,” including this lovely $5 deal:

There were a few different e.l.f. Beauty Book palettes, including one for creating a smokey eye, but I’m a neutral-lovin’ gal, so I picked up the (duh) neutral eye version. And the verdict?

I’m in love! These are gorgeous colors, highly pigmented and blendable. Plus, there’s a good mix of shimmery highlight shades, taupe-y lid colors, medium browns for the crease, darker browns for the outer v, and some really pretty light, shimmery and darker pink options, too.

If you want to see how the shadows look on, here’s my face of the day. Warning – my camera is inexpensive and doesn’t do a good job of picking up detail, so you probably won’t really see much happening on my eyes in terms of which color is placed where. But, I used the one in the top right corner of the palette to give a sheer wash across my lid and to brighten my inner corners. Then, I added the shimmery pink (2nd row, 2nd color) in the middle of my lid to add some shine, followed by the darker brown lightly blended into my crease with a fluffy eye blending brush and on my outer v.

I really love how this palette gave me a truly neutral eye look. There’s enough color so that in person, my eyes are brighter and really pop, but it’s neutral enough to wear to work. I wanted to show the color on the lid better, so I attempted a shot with my eyes closed…

Excuse the goofy photos — wish I had a really nice camera and a cameraman to get good blog photos, but this is what I’ve got to work with, so I’m working with it!

I definitely want to hit up Target again and grab the other Beauty Encyclopedias. It’s a bargain you can’t pass up — 12 gorgeous shadows for just $5! The kits come with a dual-ended applicator and an eyeliner pencil, too, but to be honest, they’re not really worth mentioning; the shadows are the real winners in here, and they’re definitely worth a Lincoln!

Not sure if these Beauty Books are exclusive to Target. On the e.l.f. website, they’ve got a line of Beauty Encyclopedias, which seem similar to the Beauty Books, but they include cream shadows. There’s also a Beauty Encyclopedia for face that comes with shimmer creams, bronzer, blush and concealer, and a Beauty Encyclopedia for lips. Anddddd, until 7/19, you can get the Face & Lips Beauty Encyclopedias free with an order of $25 or more on their site (use code EYESLIPSFACEBOOK).

UPDATE 8/9/2010: Want to win one of these e.l.f. Beauty Books (Neutral Eye Edition) for free — along with 14 other awesome drugstore products? Check out the What’s On My Face? giveaway here to enter. (contest ends 8/31)

need a hair pick-me-up?

For most of my life, I’ve had long hair. There was a period in junior high when I cut it above my shoulders, but I’d rather forget that and not look at photos from back then.

My long hair is a big part of how I see myself, and how others see me. However, having long hair requires work and maintenance, two things that don’t always gel with my laziness and lack of time to spend on my hair. But, when I see a sea of split ends and feel the weight of the world on the top of my head, it motivates me to figure out a plan of attack. Trust me when I say I think I’ve tried everything to manage my hair…this picture is evidence of the amount of stuff I have for hair care (excuse the mess):

So, here are some tips I’ve picked up along the way on how you can wage war against dull, lifeless long hair:

• First – get it cut! That might seem counterproductive, if you’re trying to grow out your hair or keep it long, but you need to visit your stylist at least once every 6 weeks to get a trim. Otherwise, you’ll be housing dead, lackluster locks, even if they are long.
• And – think about layers. If you’re like me, and your hair is generally pretty thick and straight (or only has a slight natural wave), you might consider getting some long layers (and I stress the word long in that description), just to give some shape and movement to your hair. If everything is one length, and that length is past your shoulders, you probably want to lighten things up by asking your stylist for long layers (no shorter than chin length).
• But don’t forget – a great cut will only take you so far. You need to use the best products to keep your hair in shape in between trips to the salon. Here’s what I’m using, and what I’ve found to work for me: BEFORE shampooing, I get my hair wet in the shower. After ringing it out and combing, I put about a dime-size amount (maybe a tad more…I have a lot of hair) of Chi Silk Infusion through all my hair, followed by a generous amount of Argan Oil (which is a miracle product! I got mine on sale at Sally Beauty Supply for $6.99 or so, but I think Whole Foods also sells it, and you can get it on several online sites).I pile all of the hair on top of my head and put it in a topknot with a hairband. You can sleep with the   treatment in, but I don’t have time to wash it out in the a.m., so I just let it set for an hour or so. Then, I hop back in the shower, rinse, and use my shampoo/conditioner (right now, it’s Aura Rosemary Mint Rejuvenating  Shampoo & Conditioner, an Aveda knockoff you can get at Sally Beauty Supply. I had a coupon, and it was on sale the month that I bought it. Quick review – I like it and I don’t find it drying at all).

  After that, I wrap my hair in a towel and pat dry. After taking it out of the towel, I spray TRESemme Heat Tamer Spray all through my hair, to protect it from the heat I’m about to put on it, and I rub a styling cream on the ends to keep the frizz at bay (right now, I’m using Sunsilk Hydra TLC 24/7 Creme — I bought this forever ago, so I’m not sure if this particular product is still in their line or if the packaging has changed, but get it if you can; it’s inexpensive and really helps to keep my hair smooth as I blowdry).

  

  Then, I blowdry my hair upside down with my Conair Ion Shine (love love love this dryer! I use the diffuser on the end to concentrate the heat on my hair, and I get it about 80-90 percent dry. From there, I blow it out with  a round brush (I learned how from lolamarie7 on YouTube. Check out her awesome, easy-to-follow tutorial.)

  And the end result? A head of long hair that I’m really happy with!