M·A·C Possessed by Pink Lip Kit Giveaway Contest

Congratulations to Ladytink, winner of Possessed by Pink!

I just love the Estée Lauder Company Store in Leesburg, Virginia. I find such nice things there, and sometimes, I buy an extra for a giveaway contest. That's how I came to have an extra Possessed by Pink Lip Kit. It was a limited edition when introduced.

The kit contains three lip colors and a lip brush and has a mirror.

• Sweet Smile is a sheer, shimmering rosy-pink gloss.
• Laugh A Lot is a sheer, medium rose-pink with a glossy sheen.
• Tickled is a dark, plum-brown with a glossy sheen.

Anyone who likes M·A·C and looks pretty in pink should be delighted with this kit, which is now virtually impossible to find - except on eBay, where you can pay more than its original price. I like the kit and find the colors to be lovely, particularly this time of year.

How can you enter to win? Here's the "fine print."

There are a few simple steps. First, leave a comment on this feature. After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and identify your comment. You can never be too careful about sharing an e-mail address you care about on a blog, so feel free to follow this step (an alternative is to code your e-mail, e.g., myname at gmail dot com, in your comment). That's all you have to do to be entered.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) or my Twitter account, @BTiBeauty. That will earn a second entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. Only one tweet will be counted as an entry. I appreciate multiple tweets, but it's not necessary.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, July 16, at midnight. The next day, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday. The winner will have 48 hours to reply to my message and provide a shipping address. After 48 hours, the prize will be forfeited, and another winner will be selected. Make sure to check your e-mail - and look in your spam folder - when the contest ends.

This contest is open to anyone anywhere. Here are the terms. I will carefully pack and ship the prize (as I always do). I cannot insure the prize for overseas shipment - it's amazingly expensive to do so because of the way I have to send insured mail. If it's lost or stolen in transit, I won't be able to replace it with another. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail services do right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner.

Good luck!

More about → M·A·C Possessed by Pink Lip Kit Giveaway Contest

M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder

M·A·C's Magically Cool Liquid Powder ($29.50) is pretty cool. I was enticed by its description to order a loose powder, even though loose powders are not my favorites - and I don't order every new M·A·C item that hits my inbox. They arrive with such amazing regularity, I tend to overlook them.

A silky, feather-light powder, formulated with 70% water, dusts on to the skin as a cooling mist to set and enhance the look of any foundation. Beyond sheer, light reflecting and translucent. A virtually invisible way to add luminosity and a soft, radiant glow to the skin.

There are three shades available: Truth and Light (yellow cream), Honey Rose (warm pink), and Cajun (brown-toned). I had to select one. I had given myself a limit! Even though Honey Rose didn't appear to be the lightest, I chose it. It appeared online to have more color - and a pink tilt - that made it potentially more interesting to me than Truth and Light.

I was so pleasantly surprised when it arrived, I wanted to show you instantly. Unfortunately, there was no sun to get a photo that day, or the day after, or the day after that. It was only this past Saturday, when the sun made an unexpected appearance, that I was able to get a swatch photo.

The powder is easy to control. The interior lid has little holes in it. If I screw on the cap, turn it upside down, and gently tap, enough powder for a few applications pushes through the holes. It's not a mess, as some loose M·A·C pigments can be.

Honey Rose is a drop-dead gorgeous warm pink on my skin. I am wearing it as a blusher - and as a finishing powder with a light touch. I am really impressed. On my arm, the powder shimmers; on my face, not so much. It adds a glow, but no discernible shimmer or micro-glitter. Figure that out! I think it's the difference between a dusting with a blush brush and a heavy application with a dense foundation brush that I used to apply Honey Rose on my arm for the photo. If I run my finger over the top of the powder, I get shimmer. On my face, I don't.

I hope you can see in my photos, with the very rosy azaleas and roses in the background, that Honey Rose is warm and sheer. It's definitely a pink shade, but it has a fair amount of brown in it, which makes it so desirable - and natural. I think the high water content contributes to its lovely appearance on the skin. It doesn't look like powder, as some powders can if you don't have moist skin.

I am more than happy with my M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder - I'm delighted. I can't always say that when I buy blind online. This one's a hit!

You can find this "liquid powder" online at M·A·C's Web site and at M·A·C stores and counters, I'm sure. Check it out and see if you like it as much as I do. If you have tried it, please let me know what you think.

Photo at top courtesy of M·A·C

More about → M·A·C Magically Cool Liquid Powder

M·A·C Cremeblend Blush

M·A·C Cremeblend Blush ($19.50) may come in a color you love! There are six shades of Cremeblend Blush, which M·A·C says "manages to make a simple blush state-of-the-art."

The price was right, so I ordered three of them: So Sweet, So Easy; Something Special; and Posey. They appeared online to be shades I might like. I have no idea why I didn't order Tea Petal, which I think I would have liked. I wish I had ordered it.

When the blushes arrived, I was immediately struck by the lightly creamy and easy-to-blend texture. They blend well with a synthetic brush or my fingers. Incredibly nice! The medium-coverage formula imparts a natural finish that's smooth and dewy.

Color makes all the difference. If you select the right shade from the six, you will be extremely happy. I want Tea Petal!

I love two of the three shades I did order. My swatch photo, taken in outdoor sunlight, with the shades fairly unblended, shows my three shades in this order top to bottom:

• Posey, described as warm peach, but a lovely coral (to my eye) even I can wear,
• Something Special, described as light coral, but a gorgeous peach with a hint of nude or warm pink, and
• So Sweet, So Easy, described as a bright yellow-pink, but really cotton-candy pink.

So Sweet, So Easy is way too sugary - a pink that for me is too cool, too young, too light, too something. How could anyone could have selected the description of "yellow-pink"? I don't like it at all, so it's headed to a better home, probably one inhabited by a 12-year-old kid allowed to wear makeup.

I do like the shades that are often hard for me to wear, Posey and Something Special. While I think they switched the descriptions at birth, they are both pretty. Why didn't I order Tea Petal? The site calls it a mid-tone reddish brown, but the swatch photo at M·A·C's Web site is gorgeous. Should I place another order? Anyone have Tea Petal?

You can purchase the Cremeblend Blushes at M·A·C stores, online, and M·A·C counters at department stores. I bought mine online from M·A·C.

Photo at top courtesy of M·A·C

More about → M·A·C Cremeblend Blush

M·A·C Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

Another Touche Éclat clone! That's how I think about every pen highlighter that's introduced. It's not fair, really, because some of the clones are much better than others. YSL scored big time with Touche Éclat. Every company wants to grow up to be YSL - at least with a pen highlighter.

M·A·C's new Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost ($23), the lightest of three shades offered, is a pen-style highlighter that adds a soft sheer wash of illuminating color to the skin. With its precision pen-style applicator, it adds radiance exactly where you want it, and blends smoothly for cushion-soft wear. You can use it over makeup for highlights, touch-ups, or under makeup to brighten and prime.

I actually like it, so perhaps I shouldn't have started my feature with a comparison to the unparalleled Touche Éclat. The $23 price is attractive, and the highlighter is nice. It blends well and adds a yellow-gold highlight to my skin - no striking shimmer, just a light-reflecting glow. I think it would be a great dual purpose pen to carry in your handbag: concealer and highlighter in one.

Here's a swatch photo of Light Boost, with the unblended shade at the top and a blended shade below. It was taken in full sun. I hope you can see that Light Boost adds a yellow-gold tint to my skin.

There are two other shades: Bright Forecast (peachy) and Radiant Rose (pink). I think I selected the best shade for my skin, but I'd love to see the others. I purchased mine online, so I had no opportunity to play with the others.

You can find M·A·C's Prep + Prime Highlighter at M·A·C's Web site and M·A·C counters.

Photo at top courtesy of M·A·C

More about → M·A·C Prep + Prime Highlighter in Light Boost

M·A·C Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer

I'm always game for trying a new eye primer, so when I saw recently that M·A·C had introduced Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer ($30), I wanted to try it. I'm glad I purchased it!

Called an instant eye prep, "this quick fix reduces the look of puffy eyes and under-eye shadows while imparting a bright natural radiance to the entire eye area." The company says it perfectly primes the eye for makeup. M·A·C says that if you use it regularly, you will see those instant benefits become more permanent. Sounds great, right?

I haven't used it long enough to tell you whether it reduces puffiness or permanently reduces shadows - that's a tall order. It does have caffeine in it, which is a diuretic and will help reduce puffiness, but the effects are transient. What I can tell you is that it has a host of great ingredients, and I love the effect it provides.

The pump dispenser is very convenient, and it's easy to use. Unlike other pumps, this one is fairly easy to control, so you can dispense only what you need, without wasting product. The texture is a lightweight cream that blends like a dream. It has a slight pink tint when you look at it in a tiny drop in your palm, but that blends into a neutral, almost transparent white shade in the palm (should you decide to blend it there, which you would do only out of curiosity). On my skin, it disappears - except for the beautiful radiance it leaves behind.

I've used it under my eyes, on my lids, and up to my brows. It is easy on the skin, meaning I don't feel it at all. It is a lovely base for my normal primer, corrector, concealer, or a shadow. It adheres to the skin well and prevents creasing of cream products applied over it. It also provides a great base for powder products. That's what we expect from great primers.

The ingredient list is a who's who of skin care, including dimethicone, shea butter, sodium hyaluronate, algae extract, ginkgo biloba leaf extract, chamomile, peptides, and many other beneficial ingredients. It is very moisturizing without leaving any kind of oil slick on the lids - which is impressive. It does have the humectant butylene glycol in it. Butylene glycol does irritate some skin, particularly around the eyes, but my sensitive skin has been unaffected.

The radiance it provides is the most exciting feature of Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer. It adds a glow, which is amazing since it disappears into the skin. I am excited about my new primer. I also purchased the new Prep + Prime Highligher. I'll tell you about it soon.

You can find Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer at M·A·C's Web site or M·A·C counters everywhere. Have you tried it?

Photo courtesy of M·A·C

More about → M·A·C Prep + Prime Vibrancy Eye Primer

M·A·C Quite Cute Mineralize Blush

Living proof that I'm not an effete makeup snob: I bought more M·A·C products last week. Quite Cute Mineralize Blush ($23) is really quite nice - and cute. I like the little heart. Like most new M·A·C introductions, it's a limited edition. Don't snooze if you want one of these.

Truth be told, I have always liked M·A·C's mineralized makeup. That's why this blush attracted me. I don't go to the M·A·C store or counter very often, so I ordered online. I selected the pink Giggly shade. When you hover over the photo online, it says "Select Giggly to Shop." Sound like me? The other two shades are Miss Behave, shown top left, and Sakura. Maybe the shopping idea got me. I shopped.

Quite Cute is a pretty baby pink, shown at right, sitting atop the jelly beans (for visitors) in my office. Last week, I had very few photo opportunities. When the sun came out, I took what I could get. I hope these April showers bring pretty May flowers!

This Mineralize Blush features two contrasting/complementary tones in one. The heart is baked right into the center. Fans of the Mineralize Blush's sheer wash of color and dimensional pearl finish will love it.

Here is a swatch photo taken in the sun of my office window. I applied the blush with a sponge-tipped applicator extremely heavily to get any swatch photo at all. This pink is extremely light on my skin - and cute. I keep using the word "cute" from the name of the line because it's a darling color. I'm going to keep this blush at work for afternoon touch-ups. It's a light shade that will enhance whatever blush I applied in the morning.

Want a pretty pink for spring without breaking the bank? You might want to check out Giggly or one of the other shades. It's still available online at M·A·C's Web site (amazing, since it's been available for about two weeks), and you should be able to find it at M·A·C counters.

Top photo courtesy of M·A·C

More about → M·A·C Quite Cute Mineralize Blush