Giveaway Archives - Page 2 of 5

Celebrating with a Giveaway from LORAC

August 20, 2014 Katie Marie 15 Comments

In celebration of rebranding my blog, LORAC was kind enough to send me a few of their new lipsticks to try out and give away to one of my awesome subscribers!

The lipsticks they sent are from their newly-released PRO Matte Lip Color pencil line. I was really intrigued when I read about these lipsticks, as they have a matte finish (I prefer that over shimmery) and come in a twist-up tube as opposed to a typical lipstick bullet. This really goes well with their whole “Pro-To-Go” theme — twisting up this skinny tube of lipstick makes applying it a dream!

But I’m getting a bit ahead of myself. Let’s take a closer look at the product line before we go on.

About LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color:

Go PRO with LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color! This velvety-smooth, matte lip
color is infused with anti-aging antioxidants of Acai Berry,
Pomegranate, Grape Seed Extract and Vitamins C and E to help nourish and
protect your lips. The PRO tip hugs the curves of your lips with
precision and control while the weightless, PRO formula easily glides on
with a long-lasting, matte finish. PRO Matte Lip Color comes in an
array of highly-pigmented, buildable, rich colors from natural nudes to
vibrant hues for a modern, matte lip in any shade you desire.

So when I received these products, as per the usual, I popped them out of their boxes and swatched it. LORAC sent me the color Mauve — a really beautiful matte color!

Now, I’ve only had the opportunity to wear this lip color once, so this post will not be my review of the product. That will come later. 🙂 But so far, just from the swatch and wearing it once, I am really loving this product!

I think my favorite aspect is that it’s really thin and twists up, which makes applying this to my lips really easy. For me, easier than a regular lipstick bullet.

So, if you would like to win your own LORAC PRO Matte Lip Color…now is your chance! 🙂

Rules: Since this giveaway is a celebration of rebranding my blog from Legacy of a Writer to From My Vanity, it’s going to be all about connecting with my updated social media handles! This giveaway is exclusive to GFC followers of my blog — and if you aren’t a follower yet, you can do it right now at the top, right side of my blog. 🙂 USA entries, only. If you are younger than 18, please get your parents permission, as I will need to know your mailing address. This giveaway will run for 3 weeks and end at midnight on September 10th, 2014.

So, now that that’s all over, enter away!! 😀

UPDATE: To read my review on the LORAC Pro Matte Lip Color, click here.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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

One Direction Is Coming Out with Their Own Makeup Line (Giveaway)

July 30, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

Do I have any One Direction fans on here??

Well, then get excited!

The Big News:

One Direction has teamed up with Markwins (who’s brands includes some lines that I love — such as Wet n Wild and Physicians Formula!) to come out with their own limited edition prestige makeup line!

This new range of makeup and cosmetic products celebrates youth, style, and
the uninhibited lifestyle of a new generation. Celebrating life with
bold shades, unique formulae and infused with limited edition
collectable packaging, Makeup from One Direction is fun, bold, often
irreverent, with a touch of cheeky mischievousness.

The best part? They’re going to be offered at prices
that every girl and woman can afford.

More About the Brand:

The irreverent attitude and colorful style of a new generation takes on a
glamorous form in Makeup by One Direction. The world’s biggest pop band
debuts a limited-edition cosmetics collection by Markwins
International, launching mid-August 2014 at Macy’s and select other
major retailers worldwide.

Much like the One Direction band members themselves, this prestige
makeup line is fun, bold and a tad mischievous, featuring vivid shades,
premium formulas and chic, collectible packaging and components.

About The Looks Collection:

“The Looks Collection” comprises three keepsake tins inspired by One
Direction’s globe-conquering albums, “Up All Night, “Take Me Home” and
the latest chart topper, ‘Midnight Memories.” Each tin comes complete
with everything you need to show off your personality. Are you a rock n’
roll girl, a fun party girl or the girl next door? We have just the
right collection for you and illustrations to help show you just how to
get your perfect look. All your beauty essentials are housed in a
LIMITED EDITION collectable keepsake tin with removable sleeve, complete
with ONE DIRECTION doodle stencils to decorate your keepsake tin and
make it uniquely your own!

Details on the 3 Looks Collection tins: http://bit.ly/1DMakeupLooksCollection

US Release Dates:

Macy’s – August 11th
Stage Stores – August 25th
Dillards – August 25th
Beauty Brands – August 25th
Lord and Taylor – August 25th

Follow them on Facebook to stay up to date on more release dates: http://www.facebook.com/MakeupbyOneDirection

The Giveaway:

I am really, really excited to be able to share this giveaway with you all, my awesome followers! The rules are simple, so just follow them below and I hope you win! 🙂

If for any reason, the giveaway form isn’t showing up in this post, you can go here to enter the giveaway.

More Exciting News:

I just received one of The Look Collections in the mail, and am so excited to start testing them out! So be on the lookout for my review of all of the products in the coming weeks!

I
received one or more of the products mentioned above for free from Markwins, sponsored through BrandBacker. Regardless, I only recommend
products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my
readers.

I’m Renaming the Blog! (Details Below :-)

July 28, 2014 Katie Marie 132 Comments

I feel like I haven’t posted in forever! But, while I haven’t been posting, I have been working behind the scenes! I’ve got some exciting posts planned for this blog, but first — as you already know from the title of this post — I have some big news to share.

I will be renaming — or rebranding — this blog! 🙂

I’m sure you are full of questions, so I will try my best to answer them thoroughly in this post. But if I have missed a question, please leave it in the comments below and I’ll answer it. 🙂

Why Am I Renaming the Blog?

There are several reasons for this. The biggest one, though, is that the niche for my blog has changed drastically in the past year. When I decided on the name Legacy of a Writer, I was exclusively devoted to reviewing books. About a year ago, however, my schedule started to prohibit my ability to read often. So I started blogging about other stuff — other products, games, makeup, and skincare. As I went through Cosmetology school, I really grew a passion and enthusiasm for makeup.

With my love for beauty and a desire to bring you guys more reviews and tutorials on makeup, I feel my blog title isn’t really accurate anymore. I don’t want to confuse my readers or the companies I work with by saying I blog about beauty and my title suggests reading.

Another big reason for changing my blog — and more specifically my URL — is because I recently got married and no longer have my maiden name. I am not really sure what I was thinking when I picked my maiden name as my blog URL — *palms forehead* — ah well, who knows! But since I am going to be changing my blog name, I thought it was a good time to change the URL as well. 🙂

Does that make sense? If you’ve become a recent beauty follower, let me know if you had similar thoughts when you subscribed to my blog. Did it confuse you? Make you wonder?

Will the Changes Effect My Followers?

No. I’ve been doing a lot of research and reading up on this (one of the reasons I’ve been absent for so long), and I believe I can change it without it effecting you at all. 🙂

Of course, I will have a new website URL, so you would need to update any bookmarks you have set up…or just remember the new URL. 🙂 But if you’re a follower of my blog, you should still remain a follower of this blog and get the email subscriptions (if you are signed up for that).

What Will the New Blog Name Be?

That is where you come in — my awesome followers! 🙂

I have a couple ideas in my head for a blog name, but none that stand out from the rest. So I want to make you all a part of this transition! Give me some ideas for a blog name. Tell me what you think my blog name should be!

My blog objective will be to bring you reviews, tutorials, and hauls of skincare, makeup, and other products. These will be things that I would personally use in my own skincare or makeup routine — so, reviews to you that are from my ‘vanity’ or ‘beauty room’, so to speak. 🙂

So please leave your comments! If you have just one suggestion for my blog name, or if you have a hundred suggestions, leave them below! 🙂

There’s a Giveaway Going On?

Yep! I thought this would be a fun way to celebrate my announcement! As usual, all you have to do is enter in the Rafflecopter form below. But don’t wait — this giveaway ends in one week! Rules for this giveaway are at the bottom of the form — in short, though, USA only, must be a follower, and must be 18 years or older. 🙂 The giveaway form will close on Sunday, August 3rd, at midnight.

What’s the prize? Well, it’s an assortment of makeup! They are all full size products (except for the fragrance) that are brand new. I originally swatched the NYX eyeshadow palette, but it’s in perfect condition and has been disinfected, so all good!

I’ve listed all the products in the form below, but the total value of this makeup bundle comes to around $70! (I don’t know the exact price, because two products are not sold in the US.)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Thanks for all your love and support! I’m really excited to be rebranding my blog and renaming it. I can’t wait to share my passion with you all! 🙂 Thanks for being such an awesome group of followers! I love reading your comments!

The (Much Anticipated) FINAL ‘Hairstyling with NuMe’ Tutorial!

June 3, 2014 Katie Marie 23 Comments

Yes! It’s finally here! I am so sorry that this post took over a month after my marriage, but…I won’t bore you with excuses. I promise you, though, I’ve been keeping super busy moving into our new home and settling on the other side of the United States with my new hubby. 😀

There’s going to be a lot of information in this post, so let’s just get right in with the final ‘Hairstyling with NuMe’ post!

Wedding Hairstyle Tutorial

First off, before we get into the fun information, let’s talk about my wedding hair. As those of you who’ve been following my blog for a while know, I styled my own hair for my wedding using the NuMe Titan3 curling wand set. And it turned out FABULOUS! So here’s how I did it. 🙂

Step 1: Curl!

As always, I like to start with curling my hair so that I have a lot of body in my style when I pin my hair up. 🙂 I used the smallest barrel out of the Titan3 set and it worked wonders at giving my awesome, long-lasting curls!

Step 2: Braid the Right Side & Pin

Okay, so what I wanted to do was combine both braids and twists into this curly hairstyle. So I decided to do a french braid starting near the front, right hairline and adding hair all the way back until I got just past my ear. From there, I just continued with a regular braid until I was almost at the end.

Then I laid my braid back against my hair and pinned it in place. I made sure to taper of the braid just before I got to the left side. Don’t worry about securing the braid with a pin — just leave it loose. We will cover the braid over with a curl in the next steps so it all looks very seamless. 🙂

Step 3: Twist Back the Left Side & Pin

Okay, so for the left side, I took the chunk of hair from my front hairline back to my ear and twisted it really tightly and distinctly against my head. Nothing special, at all, just try to make the twist really obvious and stand out. Pin it in place as you go.

Continue twisting your hair back until you overlap the braid that you pinned in the back. I twisted it till I reached about the middle of my head, then continue to place pins wherever I felt it needed more support.

Step 4: Tie on Your Pearls

Okay, so first off, let me explain how I made these. They are nothing pretty, and you could probably find them online already made for you, but since I had an old pearl headband that was falling apart…I decided to save the pennies and make them. All I did was use black string to tie the pearls onto a small elastic black band (like the kinda you can get at Sally’s Beauty Supply). Prest-o — you’re very own pearl ties. 🙂

Now is when you can let your creativity show! Just start tying those pearls sporadically throughout the hairstyle. My mother’s wedding dress had pearls on the front, and I really wanted my hairstyle to look like it had sprinkles of pearls throughout — almost like pearls were just magically floating. 😀

Step 5: Add Random Braids

I wanted more braids in the hairstyle, so what I did was randomly go around my head and add really small, thin braids. I secure these (of course) with the pearl elastic rubber bands and twisted them around the curling wand for a few seconds so that the braids blend easily into the curls.

Add as many or as few as you want — I think I did about 5 or 6. Whatever you’re feeling and however obvious you want it to be. Just make it our own!

AND YOUR DONE!

And you’re done! This is how it looks!!!!

Also, something I added right before the wedding, was to buy some pins that had pearls on the end and I slide them into my hairstyle along the twist and braid. So it kind of gave me a pearly crown on my wedding day, as you can see from this picture below 🙂

I hope y’all enjoyed this tutorial. And when I do my post on my wedding, I’ll be sure to add more pictures of my hair. NuMe’s Titan3 did an OUTSTANDING job at keeping my curls fresh. I did my hair at 10 o’clock Saturday morning, and at 8 PM — when we finally headed to the honeymoon — they all still looked awesome. The picture you see of me above was at least 6 hours from when I originally curled them — and they look awesome! I didn’t need to re-curl any strands at all throughout the day. Loved it!

Curl Jam Giveaway Winner

I know it’s been FOREVER since the giveaway ended, but I am FINALLY announcing the winner! As usual, I always use Rafflecopter to select a random winner — and I went through and made sure all the entries were legit. 😉 Aaannnnnnnddddddddd…..

……….the winner is………… ……….drum roll…………

***** LORI BUTLER *****

Congratulations! This lady tweeted a BUNCH over the course of the giveaway — wowza! As always, I’ve already emailed the winner and am waiting to hear back. So, if you’re Lori and reading this…check your email!! 😀

Sad you didn’t win?? Well, guess what — I have ANOTHER NuMe giveaway for you all! Yes, that’s right — another chance to win!!! Many, many thanks to NuMe Products for their continued generosity.

Mega Star Flat Iron GIVEAWAY!!!

What’s the Mega Star? Well, it’s NuMe’s best and most popular flat iron! I personally own it and LOVE it! Trust me — whoever win’s this is going to LOVE it, too! It leaves your hair feeling sooooo good!

The Rules: This giveaway is only open to GFC follower of Legacy of a Writer, so be sure you are a follower! (And with the giveaway being this big a prize, make sure your picture is in my little GFC box — because I do check! 🙂 This giveaway will run for one month, ending on Sunday July 6th, at midnight.

This giveaway is open INTERNATIONALLY — except for the countries NuMe does not currently ship to, which are: Brazil, Croatia, Czech Republic, Portugal, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Colombia, New Zealand, Portugal, Morocco, Romania, Spain.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

By the way, if you have been wanting to purchase a NuMe curling wand and were bummed that you didn’t win the Curl Jam, NuMe has a fantastic sale that you should totally take advantage of! If you use the code “71CLASSIC” when you check out, you can get any one of their classic curling wands for 71% off! That is an AWESOME deal, let me tell you!

If you do buy one of the NuMe tools, please let me know in the comments below! I love hearing from my readers!! 😀

Pretty Journal’s made from Recycled Materials! (Giveaway & Review)

May 21, 2014 Katie Marie 5 Comments

Hey strangers! I am so sorry that I have been away much longer than I ever imagined. Being married has kept me much busier than I ever imagined, but it is starting to slow down a bit, so this next week I hope to get back into my normal blogging routine — and do my last Hairstyling with NuMe post where I show you how I did my hair for my wedding! 😀

But for today, I just realized that I have two reviews due this week. So I’m going to be sharing one f them with you today. I also have, on my ever-growing “To-Post” list, to do a post with pictures from my wedding and also let y’all know what I’ve been up to since my wedding on April 26th. Would y’all be interested in seeing some pictures? If you would, I’ll definitely get it up ASAP. 🙂

I’m so glad to be “almost” back into blogging again. I really missed interacting with you guys on here!

Anywho, let’s dive into this review!

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

About Lavishy Paris Journals…

Paris journal made with recycled wood free paper

Designed by LAVISHY to match our unisex bag and accessories
collection Viaggio–Italian for Travel, this journal is made with
recycled wood free paper.

-Material: Recycled wood free paper

-Size: 21 x 15 x 1.2 cm / 8 x 6 x 0.5 inch

-144 lined pages

-23 lines per page

-Elastic closure band

-Handy internal pocket

From Lavishy — “Our designs are our points of view how the world and our life can be. Be good, be beautiful, be creative, and have fun.”

My Review…

Packaging & Appearance…
I really love the look of these journals! Lavishy sells many different designs, but this is the one that stood out to me the most, and seeing it in person is even better. I love the warm tan/brown/black color of the background and I think the bird (a swallow, I believe) is so pretty! And there are other cut little decorative items randomly sprinkled on the front and back cover — from a 10 cent stamp to the tips of a leaf. I love everything about the look of this journal!

Ease of Use…
The journal has a really nice strap around it that helps keep the book closed. I like that little”protective” touch to the journals. I know it doesn’t do a whole lot (it’s not like it locks it away from prying eyes), but I always like some sort of closure on my journals. And the strap/band isn’t super tight or anything, letting you easily slip it on and off whenever you want to open the journal. The spine of the journal is pretty tight, so this definitely isn’t the journal that will just flop open and stay open, so keep that in mind. I don’t mind that fact at all.

Any Likes & Dislikes…
There’s a little pocket included in the back, which is really neat. I like the idea of being able to put little pieces of paper back there and know it’s secure. I always tend to stick random papers in my journal, so this aspect of Lavishy’s journals is definitely a plus! I am not sure how well the spine of this book will hold up over time, but that might be the only negative part to these journals…maybe. 🙂 The price is pretty good — $12 for a journal. But the fact that they are journals made from recycled wood-free paper is pretty neat. Especially if you like to buy more Eco-friendly material — this journal would definitely be something worth checking out.

Final Thoughts…
I really like Lavishy’s journals! I have always enjoyed keeping a journal, and even if you don’t you’d probably find these journals very helpful and handy. Such as for taking notes in class, church or a meeting. I like that they’re made from recycled materials, too. All in all, I give these two big thumbs up from me. 🙂

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…

This giveaway is hosted by Tomoson.com, and there’s only a few more days left to enter. So if you are interested in winning one of these journals, make sure you enter TODAY!!!! Don’t miss out — anyone can enter!!!

Hangers that will make that special day even more memorable! (Review & Giveaway)

April 16, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

Today I’m featuring another business on Etsy called Rosa’s Bridal Gifts. I thought, with my wedding only 12 days away, this would be the perfect time to talk about bridal accessories! 🙂

Rosa Duarte opened her shop on Etsy in 2012 and have done over 3,000 sales with an average 5 star review. Her goal for Rose’s Bridal Gifts is to “…fulfill your highest expectations! We are 100% committed to provide our customers with the best quality of products and services to make of your shopping with us a great experience!”

What does Rosa sell at her store? Elegant, personalized bridal hangers!

She sells a large variety of hangers ranging from different colors to different information on each hanger. If you only want your name on the hanger, it’s $25 and if you want to add the date above your name it’s only $5 extra. Pretty reasonable prices, in my opinion, especially for the quality you get with these hangers.

My Review…

Arrival/Packaging…
I was really pleased with how this showed up at my house. With it being a hanger, I knew the package would be bulky and there’s always that chance of something getting bent or broken during shipping if you don’t package it correctly. Rosa did an amazing, superb job at packaging it well. It was in a really sturdy box and the wire lettering was protected with cardboard (see picture above). No fears about the hanger breaking during shipment — that fact get’s two thumbs up from me. 🙂

Quality/Durability…
I wasn’t sure what kind of wire to expect on these hangers — I mean, I’ve seen everything from really flimsy to thick and durable. I was delighted to find out that the wired used to spell out the bride’s name was decently thick. The wire is suspended between the hanger and everything about the wire and the wood hanger feels and looks really high quality. I love the detail that she incorporated into the hanger, like the heart over the “i” in Garvin.

Any Major Likes/Dislikes…
There was nothing negative about this hanger — the quality was great and the size of the words was really decent. Definitely something that can be seen and ready easily. I really like that it’s fancy cursive writing, but still totally eligible and easy to understand. A hanger with my soon-to-be new name on it is something that I’ve always thought as extremely special and unique.

Final Thoughts…
I highly, highly recommend Rosa’s Bridal Gifts hangers. If you are getting married anytime in the near future, this would be a lovely addition to have on your wedding morning — just imagine how beautiful your dress will look hanging from this hanger, and your new name displayed in the picture. Or if a friend of yours is getting married, this hanger would make the most perfect, meaningful, and special bridal shower gift for her. Rosa’s packaging and presentation got 2 big thumbs up from me, and so does the quality and appearance of the actual hanger. Definitely a lovely gift to give or a special accessory on your wedding day.

I received one or more of the products mentioned above from Rosa’s Bridal Gift’s Etsy store for review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

The Giveaway…

Rosa has very kindly offered to give one of my followers the chance to win something from Rosa’s Bridal Gifts! The winner will receive a 20% off coupon code to use on any item in her Etsy shop. This is a great opportunity for any bride’s getting married in the near future — and for those who want to start getting things for that special day right now! 😉 Don’t forget to check out all of Rosa’s social media spots, too!

Etsy Shop

Facebook

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, May 5th.

—> ATTENTION: Please make sure you are following all the instructions in order to be entered into the giveaway. I do check it all, once the giveaway is over, and hate to disqualify winners. Thanks!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Statement Necklaces and Jewelry at a Reasonable Price! (Review & Giveaway)

March 31, 2014 Katie Marie Leave a Comment

For those who have been following me for a while, I posted a review for Majestical Jewelry’s earrings a few weeks ago. Well I’m here today to bring you a giveaway from them! When they sent me the information for the giveaway, they also were kind enough to give me another pair of earrings to review for you today. So let’s dive right in! 🙂

About Majestical Jewelry…

Fashion Jewelry
for Women at Wholesale Prices
Majestical Jewelry
has amazing deals on the latest and greatest fashion jewelry for women. Shop
our store and you’ll find must-have trendy pieces at only a fraction of the
cost of major retailers and over-priced boutiques. Majestical Jewelry offers
fashion jewelry, costume jewelry and handmade jewelry at wholesale jewelry
prices that are 20-80% less than our competitors because we believe every woman
should feel beautiful regardless of budget. If you’re looking to make a
statement, be sure to check out our bold collar necklaces in bright colors that
work perfectly with a LBD. If you’re going for classic style, browse our
selection of handmade silver jewelry. Snag the best deals on whatever it is you
desire at Majestical Jewelry.

For today’s review they gave me a pair of gold earrings to review. I tried looking for them on their website, so that I could let you know the price of them, but couldn’t find them. But, depending on the type of earrings you are looking for, the prices at Majestical Jewelry are very reasonable.

My Review…

First Impressions…
These earrings are more of an off-gold kind of gold — not a really bright or shiny gold. Which didn’t bother me, but is a fact that I noticed when I first opened the box. It’s a really neat design. The leaf-like charms dangle beneath little beads that are attached to a circle. They’re all connected at the top, but since the bottom of the ‘leaves’ hang free, it jingles as you move. Which is fun — unless this bothers you. It doesn’t for me, and I actually like it when it makes a little noise. 🙂

How it Wears…
These earrings are heavier than the earrings I reviewed previously, but they’re not too bad. You definitely feel the weight of these earrings when you wear them, but it’s not anything drastic or painful. They make a good bit of noise when they’re in your ears, every time you move. More than I had predicted. So I wouldn’t wear this somewhere that’s going to be really quiet. That might be awkward. 🙂

As I already mentioned, they are already a dull gold color. So I don’t think these would dull or change in appearance too much. Of course, I can’t say this for sure, as I haven’t had these earrings long enough to determine that. But the earrings I got over a month ago from them still look as bright as when I first received them.

Major Likes & Dislikes…
I like the style! It’s fun and different. Almost kind of modern and edgy. I’d say if there was a dislike, it’d be because of the weight of the earrings. These wouldn’t be the earrings to wear all day. But for a dinner date night or event, I don’t think they’d be that bad.

Final Thoughts…
I like the product’s I’ve gotten from Majestical Jewelry. I think their website is a really affordable place to look for fashion-statement necklaces or earrings. They have a large supply of different types, which makes me think that everyone will always be able to find something they like in their store. I highly recommend you go check them out!

I received one or more of the products mentioned above from Majestical Jewelry through Brandbacker for review. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers.

My Giveaway…

As I mentioned above, I have a giveaway for y’all as well! Majestical Jewelry sent along a $20 gift certificate to give to one winner. And I am also going to include another giveaway — the earrings I received for review! Since I already have one gold pair from them, I thought I would give away this one I just received to one of my followers!

So there will be 2 giveaway prizes and 2 winners — one winner will receive the $20 gift certificate and one winner will receive the earrings. 🙂 Enter in the rafflecopter form below!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Question for My Readers: Do you enjoy wearing fashion statement necklaces and earrings? Or do you like the small and dainty jewelry?