From My Vanity

Beauty, Skincare, and a bit of Lifestyle

Turn your special moments into a puzzle and make even more memories! (Giveaway)

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I’ve got another business to feature on here today. And this one is an extra neat shop to keep in mind for gift giving — especially if the person you have in mind like puzzles!

https://www.ubackdrop.com

They’re called The Missing Piece Puzzle Company and along with their website, they also have an Etsy shop where you can browse their items and make purchases. In their own words, they are…

“…a Personalized Jigsaw Puzzle Company specializing in turning your most cherished photo memories into personalized photo jigsaw puzzles, We go to extremes to make our puzzles the best and we make each and every puzzle to order. Utilizing only the finest quality machinery and printers, our puzzles are designed to last for decades. What sets us apart is the fact that we an industrial press and materials designed to produce among the best jigsaw puzzles available anywhere in the world, with the thickest board used by the giants in the puzzle business.   (We cringe when we see other products made with inferior materials that give our industry a bad name.)

 

Our puzzles are professional grade, and are built on thick eco-friendly board from the leading manufacturer in the World, creating a  puzzle that is both durable and designed to last a lifetime.  The puzzles are die cut from high quality molds, never hand pressed.  Ours are designed to last!

 

You will immediately notice the vivid colors of our puzzles because we utilize a 9 ink system that photographers use, as well as professional photography printers and the best machinery and materials available.  Your custom picture puzzle will have bright colors and deep contrast and will always be Professional grade.
Our board is thick and is made by the best board maker in the WORLD, which makes our puzzles sturdy, durable and exceptional.  Our puzzles are THICK, and are heavy and are made of 100% recycled board.  We pride ourselves in producing puzzles that last while producing smiles and lasting memories.

 

 

Each puzzle will arrive in a box with a laminated picture of the puzzle on the lid, unless otherwise noted or requested.  YES, BOX!  We produce a museum quality puzzle made by trained professionals.
We spared no expense to perfect our Personalized Photo Puzzle business and we look forward to serving you with pride.  So gather your favorite photo memories and let us make them into fun activities.  We love what we do, and we do it well!”
chirstmas backdrop

While I haven’t had the opportunity to try out any of their products, on Esty they boast of over 200 5-star reviews — each one of them with happy clients singing their praises on the high-quality and fast delivery of this company.

I personally love puzzles, so finding a company that will turn your favorite pictures into a puzzle is really neat. Or, as they suggest, turn your engagement picture into a puzzle and use that as your guest books — let each of your guests sign a piece of the puzzle. Then, throughout the years, you’ll always be able to relive that special day and read what your guests wrote on the back of each puzzle piece. How sweet and special!

As promised, The Missing Puzzle Piece has very kindly offered to host a giveaway on here today. 🙂

In order to ensure the winner get’s what they want, they’re giving away a $25 gift certificate to use on The Missing Puzzle Piece’s Etsy shop. With this certificate, you can go shopping on their store and get whichever style puzzle you want! 🙂

Before you dive into the giveaway, make sure you show The Missing Puzzle Piece some love and check them out on all their social media platforms!

 

Rules: This giveaway is only open to GFC follower of Legacy of a Writer, so be sure you are a follower! There are many chances to earn extra entries, so come back every day to take advantage of them. 🙂 This giveaway will run for three weeks, ending at midnight on Monday, March 3rd.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You don’t have to be a Pro to enjoy LORAC’s Pro to Go Palette! (Beauty Review)

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Today’s time for another LORAC review. 🙂 If you missed my original post or the review’s I’ve done so far, click on links below to catch up. If you’ve already read them, then just dive right into today’s review.

About LORAC Pro to Go Eye/Cheek Palette…

Go PRO with LORAC! Created by celebrity makeup artist Carol Shaw, this PRO artistry palette is packed with 3 Shimmer & 3 Matte Eye Shadows, 2 Blushes, a Bronzer and 2 Brushes, everything you need to look glamorous on the go. 

LORAC’S velvety-smooth, shadows and blushes are ultra-pigmented and packed with long-lasting PRO power so you can easily shade, shadow, line and define your eyes and color and contour your cheeks, just like a PRO!

My Review…

First Impression…
I really liked the idea behind this palette — there’s everything you need to create a look on the go, besides the foundation, liner, and mascara. It makes packing your makeup for a trip very easy, especially if you like nude and brown colors on your eyes.

It’s got great, basic colors, but you can still get looks from every day to sultry. I was able to put this palette to the test when I went out of town New Years week and brought this palette along. I really liked it! I used this palette for the days I just stayed around the house and I also used it when I went to an evening wedding. I’m one who always likes to pack light, so this was a huge plus for me.

The Packaging…
LORAC PRO To Go
is packaged very well. It’s kind of like they stuck two palettes back to back — one side is for the eyes and the other side is for the cheeks. On both sides there’s a magnet that is really strong. I’ve never had a problem with the cover opening unexpectedly. There’s a clear plastic insert on both sides that serves a few different purposes, I found out. Mainly, it ensures that the eye and face products don’t dirty the cover and it also comes in handy when I want to do a really sharp winged look with my eyeshadow — because it’s both bendable and see-through, it works perfectly! Even better than using tape. 🙂

The Product & Application…
The quality of the eyeshadows are really pigmented and buttery-soft — as you can tell from the picture on the right. Which, by the way, all of the swatches are done without primer underneath — which proves just how intense and pigmented they are. This really impressed me! I like that I don’t have to work hard to get the colors to show up on my lid.

These colors are so pigmented, you really just need to barely tap your brush into the shadow in order to get enough color for both eyes, oftentimes. The black is awesome — I do not own a black that’s this intense, and I find myself always picking up this palette to use the black when I want to darken the outer V, no matter what other eyeshadows I’m using. I like how they include a variety of shimmery and matte colors in this palette, as I don’t always like to have shimmer on my lids. The cream color is the perfect brow highlighter for me, and I love using it in the inner corner of my eye, too, when I want to brighten things up.

The bronzer and two blushes, on the other side of the palette, are really great, too. In fact, they’re the only blushes I’ve been using since I got this palette! At first, I’ll admit that I didn’t use the middle, pink blush, just because I thought it was too pinky for my skintone. But actually it gives a very natural blush for me, when used with a light handy. The coral plus (al the way on the right) has little flecks of sparkle in it, which I am not too big a fan of. But it doesn’t show up too much when applied to the cheeks. The bronzer is great! It gives me a really natural warmth to my face, and I’ve really enjoyed working it into my every day makeup routine.

Major Dislikes…
Because they are so pigmented and soft, it can be easy to cause fall out on your cheeks when you do your eyes. But tapping your brush off before applying to your lid helps keep the fall out to a minimal. The LORAC PRO To Go
palette also comes with two brushes, and while I like the angled liner brush to put shadow right against my lash line, I really don’t care for the other brush. It’s too small to really get good use out of. I suppose it would work well if you just wanted to apply color in the outer V, but for my eye shape it’s too small to do that.


Major Likes…
Obviously, because they are so crazy pigmented! I love it! It makes doing my eye makeup so much more enjoyable and easy, as the colors just glide right on. And they blend out really well, too. You don’t have to spend a lot of time building up the colors or trying to blend them out softly. LORAC knows how to make their eyeshadows!

The way the palette is put together is really nice, too. It’s not super thin, but it’s small and compact, making it easy to fit into my purse or makeup bag. The mirror on the eyeshadow side is great, too — the perfect size for if you are applying your eyeshadow on the go.

Final Thoughts…
I think LORAC’s PRO To Go
palette is a real winner! It would also be a really good gift for a girl who is just getting into makeup, in my opinion — the colors are easy to work with and the blush and bronzer that it comes with will save newbies from stressing over the multitude of blush and bronzer choices at the drugstore. It’s compact and easy to grab and throw in your purse for the day, and the brushes that it comes with (while I’m not crazy for one) would suffice very well if you had to use it for touch up. If you’ve never given any of LORAC’s products a try before, I highly encourage you to purchase this Pro to Go palette. It’ll give you a good taste of the quality of their products and you won’t regret it!

I received this product from LORAC for free in order to review. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this product, which I have done. I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used or experienced and like..

1 Girl Nation Gives One Direction Some Competition! (Review)

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I know I’m late posting this, but we actually lost internet last night. It was very weird to not be able to get on the internet, let me tell you! But this morning the internet has been restored and I’ve been working to make up for lost time. Enjoy today’s post. 🙂

Btw, if you don’t follow me on my social networks (Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook), I encourage you to check them out. I’m becoming pretty active on them and would LOVE to connect with you. Give me a shout-out! 🙂

About 1 Girl Nation…

Landing in the space where One Direction meets TobyMac, 1 Girl Nation is an exciting blend of upbeat pop music, with lyrics that are totally focused on living life for God, even while you’re young. 1GN, as they’ve already been dubbed, stars Carmen, Kayli, Kelsey, Lauryn Taylor and Lindsey, five girls with a passion for telling their fans about Christ through their music. Their first single, “While We’re Young,” can be heard on radio stations across the country and their self-titled debut album is available now!

Connect with 1GirlNation:


My Review…

I’d actually heard one of their songs — While We’re Young — several weeks before I found out about this album. It was on a Christian radio station that I listen to frequently and I remember thinking how they reminded me of One Direction. I thought it was pretty ironic when I got an email with an offer to review this group and to find out that they put themselves out there as a cross between One Direction and TobyMac!

I’ve listen to a few songs from both One Direction and TobyMac in the past and agree with the pitch that this group takes — their songs really do remind me a nice cross between the two. Let me start out by saying that this type of music isn’t really my type. Not that I hate it — I just don’t prefer this genre when I pick out songs to listen to throughout the day. 🙂

So with that said, if you enjoy the type of beat that One Direction songs have, but want the Christian elements to be within the song (like TobyMac), then I’m pretty sure you would like 1 Girl Nation‘s music! Each song has a fast and uplifting beat. After a few times listening to a song, I could get the full message/meaning behind the lyrics. I do appreciate that these girls are trying to write music that points to God and Christ, but I’m not sure about their method — as, besides the lyrics, their songs sound just like any other song in the world today.

1 Girl Nation is pretty similar to One Direction, though, and because they’re a ‘girl band’, I could imagine that they’d start giving One Direction a bit of competition. All the girls have beautiful voices and they even get into a bit of rap (which reminds me of TobyMac music).

All in all, I’m not a big fan of this type of music, but if you do and are looking for songs that have more of an uplifting and ‘Christian’ approach to them and in their words, then you’d probably enjoy 1 Girl Nation‘s CD.

I reviewed this CD for FlyBy Promotions – special thanks to Laura for setting this up! It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this CD, which I have done.

Get ready for hours of fun with Iello’s new game, Steam Park! (Game Review)

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I’ve really been looking forward to bringing this review to y’all. I’ve never done a review for a family game, but there’s always a first time for everything, right? 🙂 Let me know if you like the idea of me reviewing family games and I’ll be sure to repeat them in the future. My family loves big group games, so we have a ton in our game closet. 🙂

Okay, so board game publisher Iello (stands for yellow) sent me their new, robot-themed game called Steam Park
 to try out with my family.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

HEADING FULL-STEAM INTO FUN!

In this management game you’ll have to build your own gigantic, coal-powered amusement park and make it the largest and most profitable in the region. By constructing the three-dimensional, beautifully designed rides, you will see your park grow right before your eyes.
But as owners of those fantastic steam park, building attractions won’t be enough: you’ll also need to manage your employees, invest in advertising in order to attract and please the different kinds of guests visiting your park, and, above all, keep the dirt you park produces under strict control!
Choose your strategy well! Build Stands to attract more Visitors, or Toilets to keep the Dirt under control. Whatever decision you take, take it quickly: the less time you spend planning, the more time you’ll have to maintain you Park.
Thanks to a clever, original action-choosing mechanic, winning a game of Steam Park is as much a matter of being the best… as of being the fastest! 
My Review…
First Impression…
I wasn’t sure what to expect in this game. While they company had a very fun description of the game, I wasn’t sure exactly how you’d play the game. I was really excited when it finally game in and I immediately began reading the instructions. 
The theme park rides you build!
I give Iello two big thumbs up on the way they wrote their instructions. It was so personable and fun! And some of the way’s they explained things was down-right funny. For example:

One of the players…will have the task of giving and receiving components and money on behalf of the bank for the other players (no, this player can’t steal money from the bank. This isn’t that home-wrecking game in which you have to make your relatives broke and desperate).

As a matter of fact, once a die is placed on the Pig board, it can’t be touched again until the actions phase. If you “inadvertently” change the result “by accident” on purpose, please know that you are a bad person, and we pity you, you despicable game-spirit-ruining cheater.

Who can help but chuckle as you read that?! My sister and I were having a lot of fun reading through the short instructions manual and finding more humorous instructions. What a way to spice up a game — and I loved it!
All the pieces, before we popped them
out and put them together
Packaging/Quality…
The box and all the different pieces inside are made from really thick, sturdy material. No flimsy paper items that will rip, crease, or dissolve when accidentally got wet! The material is really durable and will no doubt last for years — even with my rough-on-games family. 🙂 That earned Steam Park
 another big thumbs up from me!
Playing the Game…
It was SO much fun! At the beginning of the game you get a little plot of land to build your steam park on, and the name of the game is to make enough rides and have enough visitors to earn you the most money out of the other players — and the game only lasts 6 phases! 
From left to right – Rea, myself, Julia, and Jessica
All set up for our first game!
I will admit that it took us all a couple phases before we completely understood how it worked. But by the end of the 6 phases, we all had a good grasp on the name of the game and were ready to start the game over and begin in earnest as more experienced players. 🙂 Everyone loves this game — from my 8 year old sister all the way up to the adults in the house. For the first several weeks, my sisters played this game almost daily — and even now, a month after I got it in the mail, it’s still a popular game that the girls pick out. And I anticipate it being popular for years to come. 🙂
Some of the other items you
use when you play
Major Likes…
As I’ve already said, I love the way they wrote out the instructions for this game. It’s really humorous and totally tickles my funny bone. 🙂 I also really like that the game only lasts 6 phases. It helps it from not dragging out too long, like some popular group games (*cough* Monopoly *cough*). I like that Steam Park
 is different and unique — as I said earlier, my family has a ton of games, but we’ve never played a game like this one before.
Major Dislikes…
There really isn’t anything big that I dislike about the game. If there was one thing, it would be that some of the game pieces are kind of ‘dark’. The whole game has that feel to it, really, but some of the pieces have sculls on them and some kind of octopus-looking creature coming out of the window. Depending on your preference, you might like or dislike this aspect of the game. For myself, I don’t really think of it anymore.
Final Thoughts…
I thoroughly enjoy playing Steam Park
! All the aspects of the game that are important to me — quality of pieces, point of the game, and  overall appearance — got a big thumbs up from me. And it’s just plain fun to play! I would say that if you enjoy spending nights playing games, Steam Park
 is definitely one you should invest in. It will last forever and give you hours of fun and memories as you try to battle each other for the biggest theme park!
Places to find Iello…

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

LORAC’s Eyeliner is on the Front of the Lines! (Beauty Review)

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I know it’s been a while since I reviewed the first LORAC product – which you can see my review HERE – but I’m back with another review on a product that I received from LORAC. 🙂 For those of you who missed it – or are new followers – I did a ‘What’s In My Mailbox? LORAC!‘ post a few months ago showing you what they sent me to review. And today we are looking at the awesome eyeliner they send me. 🙂
About LORAC Front of the Line Pro Eyeliner…

This high-performing no-smudge, no-budge, water-resistant liquid eye liner boasts a unique automatic delivery system that provides a clean, precise application. The flexible tip provides ultimate control, accuracy and smooth strokes, so you’ll never miss your lines. From very fine to dramatically bold, this versatile pro will take you to the front of the line every time!

Create any eye makeup look you desire with LORAC’s eye shadows and eyeliners! For more eye makeup techniques take a look at the LORAC Close Up Real Life To Red Carpet Eye Tutorial. The Eye Tutorial Kit comes with step-by-step instructions for applying makeup like a pro and remember: practice makes perfect!

My Review…

First Impressions…
I’ve seen this liner on the LORAC website before and was really intrigued. I always like finishing off my eyes with at least a thin winged liner, if not thicker/bolder. 🙂 I’m sure every girl out there has a feature on their face that they love to play up — and mine is most definitely my eyes. So when I saw that this finely-tipped liner was included in the package of things to review, I was thrilled! They sent me the Front of the Line Pro
 in brown.

The Packaging…
The packaging for this product is great! Really sleek and thin, compared to most liquid eyeliners I have tried. The cap has some sort of spring in the top and when you want to close it you have to make sure you hear a little snap. Once you hear that, you know the lid is on tight and there is no worries of it trying out!

There’s some kind of loose object inside that you can hear when you shake it — and I can really tell that this helps to keep the eyeliner going strong. Each time, before I use LORAC’s Front of the Line Pro
, I give it a good shake and it’ll give me a dark, intense brown line.

The Product & Application…
The liner is very liquidy, but because of the super-fine tip, it glides on like a dream. You have to give it a few seconds to dry before messing with it, but once it’s set it doesn’t go anywhere! The tip, as you can see, is very long, thin, and pretty flexible — which makes for easy applications whether you’re just lining your upper lash line or creating a wing.

While the tip is really fine, this doesn’t prohibit you from doing a thick line if you want to. How thick your line ends up being depends on how much pressure you apply. So this Front of the Line Pro
 liner is totally an all-in-one eyeliner! As I mentioned above, I received this in the color brown. Now I want one in black and I’ll be set! 🙂

Major Likes…
I like everything about it! Maybe I’m a little biased because I love a good eyeliner, but, seriously, this Front of the Line Pro
 is seriously ON the front lines when it comes to good eyeliners. 🙂 I like that I can get a really thin winged liner (for every day looks) and also get the really thick, dramatic lines (for special occasions). I usually have a difficult time getting both my winged eyeliners to look the same for both eyes, but not with this liner! It’s really easy to handle and just glides right on.

Major Dislikes…
There’s really only one minor thing that comes to mind, when I think of what I dislike about it. If you don’t give this liner a good shake before you use it, the liquid will be pretty watery and thin. But this isn’t really a fault of LORAC — that’s why they put the little ‘mixer’ in the tube. So just be sure to give it a shake before you use it!

Final Thoughts…
If you haven’t been able to tell yet…I absolutely love this liner! I know I am going to be very sad when I finally use this tube up. It’s so easy to use and makes winging your eyeliner out a breeze! (Which is really nice when you have issues with doing a winged eyeliner!) If you’ve been looking for a nice, high-end liquid eyeliner to try, I highly recommend you try this liner out for yourself!



I received this product from LORAC for free in order to review. It was not required that I give a positive review, but solely to express my own thoughts and opinions of this product, which I have done. I only recommend products and/or services that I have personally used or experienced and like..

What’s In My Mailbox? Orly!

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Good Wednesday morning, all! I hope you’ve been entering my big End-of-the-Year Giveaway that ends TONIGHT! 😀 Whether you like books, makeup, or nailpolish — there’s something for everyone who follows my blog!

For today’s “What’s in my Mailbox”, I’m sharing with you something that I got from Listia recently. For those of you who are not aware of Listia, it’s an awesome website where you can get rid of stuff you don’t want, earn credits, and then use those credits to get other new things that you do want. I did an entire post on Listia, so check it out for more information on how to sign up!

So on Listia, after I got rid of several things I no longer needed from my room and earned some credits, I used it to bid on this auction for a bunch of Orly nail polishes. It arrived a few weeks ago and I was really excited! Especially since, in comparison to the stuff I got rid of on Listia, it was almost like I got all these for around $10! 😀 And since Orly polishes range around $10 on Ulta…yeah, I figured this was an awesome deal!!!

Okay, so everything that came in this nail bundle was…

Orly MatteFX in Purple Velvet
Orly MatteFX in Green Flake Top Coat
Orly Nailtrition
Orly Bonder
Orly French Manicure kit (that comes with three bottles)
Orly Won’t Chip
Orly Glosser
Orly Sec n’ Dry

I’ve used several of the polishes, and am loving each of them! 🙂 Have you used Orly nail polishes before? Got a favorite color or clear coat? I’d love to hear your thoughts below!

For those of you who are interested in Listia and signing up, if you could use my link here, that’d be awesome — you get some bonus credits (to use for future bidding) and I get some bonus credits for referring you. If you do sign up, please let me know below! 🙂

Mia Mariu is releasing a new line of perfume! (Review & Giveaway)

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It’s a new week and I’ve got some great posts scheduled for this week. I hope you stay tuned. 🙂 Don’t forget, my End-of-the-Year giveaway is almost over — get your entries in before the 16th! And make sure you stick through till the end of this post…as there’s a new giveaway! 😉

For today, I’ve got a perfume review for you. I don’t think I’ve ever reviewed perfume on here before for y’all. Let me know if you like these kinds of reviews and I’ll be sure to repeat them in the future. 🙂

Cosmetic company, Mia Mariu, sent me a women’s fragrance from their new perfume line. The fragrance is called Magia.

Disclosure: I got this product as part of an advertorial.

“enchanting, flirty, sensual…deliciously unforgettable” 

This deliciously flirtatious fragrance invigorates the senses, creates a mood and sets the scene for unforgettable fun, romance and pleasure. With a medley of juicy strawberry, mandarin, peach and pear that play sweetly atop dewy blooms of jasmine, plum, magnolia and flirty frangipani; makes the perfect playmate and ideal soul mate for smooth and sensual base notes of rich vanilla, musk, tonka bean and warm and enchanting golden amber.

My Review…

The Packaging…
The fragrance is packaged in a very simplistic and sophisticated way. As you can see from the picture, it’s just a clear, glass bottle with a square lid and the Mia Mariu name brand on it along with the fragrance name. All the lettering is in pink, which makes for a very cute and girly bottle. I think it’s pretty! The lid doesn’t snap on very tightly, but it is pretty secure…as long as you don’t pick the bottle up by the lid. This bottle is 1.7 oz, which is a fairly good size for a perfume. All in all, I was very satisfied with the packaging.

The Fragrance…
I am terrible at describing scents (which is why I made sure to add the fragrance description above for your benefit), but the Magia is a lovely smell! I’m always leery of getting a fragrance online, because I don’t know if I’ll like it — I have to physically smell it. I’m the type of person who likes light, floral scents with maybe some touches of citrus in them, so it’s always hard for me to order fragrances online. If you are similar to me in your fragrance preferences, then let me highly encourage you to purchase this fragrance! It is a delightful scent! Definitely reminds me of a floral scent, but I can get the hint of the citrus-y side of it, too. Mia Mariu has come out with a perfect blend that will thrill many women!

Major Likes & Dislikes…
Well, my major like is that I love the scent! (Haha, that’s pretty important in a fragrance, huh? 😉 I love wearing this and, as you can see in the pictures I took, I’ve put a pretty decent dent in this bottle already. The lasting power of Magia is awesome — I can spritz my wrist in the morning, and several hours later in the afternoon I can still smell it on my wrist. The nozzle of the bottle kind of spritzs out a lot for one area, but that might just be my preference. But that’s really the only dislike that I can think of — which isn’t a big problem, in my opinion. 🙂

Final Thoughts…
Magia is a wonderful fragrance that will delight and please a wide variety of women. The fragrance does a great job of clinging to your skin and the scent will last for hours. I don’t know what more you could ask for in a fragrance! 🙂 Mia Mariu did a fabulous job in creating this perfume and I look forward to what they bring to their fragrance line next!

For those who are not aware, along with Magia, they have three other fragrances — two, of which, are for guys! 🙂

I received one or more of the products mentioned above for free using Tomoson.com. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.


The Giveaway…

Mia Mariu has kindle offered to sponsor a giveaway! I am so excited that one of you will be able to try out their new perfume for themselves! The winner will be able to choose from three of their fragrances in their MM line — MM Aqua for Men, MM Caoba for Men, and MM Magia for Women.

Below are the rules to enter this giveaway and, as always, the Rafflecopter is how I will keep track of entries. 🙂 

Rules: This giveaway is only open to GFC follower of Legacy of a Writer, so be sure you are a follower! There are many chances to earn extra entries, so be sure to come back every day to take advantage of them. 🙂 This giveaway will run for three weeks, ending at midnight on Monday, February 3rd. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway