"Free Makeup Is a Bad Thing" - Said No One Ever

Hey pretty guys and gals! Today, I thought I'd share with you a few ways I use to get free makeup. (These of course, are not all the ways to get freebies). All of the items in this post were received during the month of August and were free!
**Warning, there are alot of pictures and links in this post!**

All my freebies!

So I guess I'll start off with one I think most people know about: Sehpora Beauty Insider.

One of this years' birthday choices from Sephora: Nars lippies!

Nars lip pencils in Cruella (red) and Rikugein (pink) (with flash)

For those of you that don't know, Sephora has a rewards program and if you sign up for it, you get a choice between two samples each birthday you have while you're a member. You can redeem your birthday gift at any time during the month of your birthday by either going to their stores and showing them your card (this way is completely free) or you can add it to an online order. Another way to receive samples from Sephora is to make an online order and use your Beauty Insider Points (collected by making purchases) and/or to just select 3 free samples before checking out online (you can do both in the same order).

My birthday was in August, so I was eligible to redeem my birthday gift. They offered Nars lippies and some kind of skin care sample set - I can't remember what brand it was, but there was a cucumber mask and some kind of eye cream or gel in it. I picked the Nars, since I'm set on skincare and I've never tried Nars before. I like the colors, Cruella - a nice red and Rikugein - a neutral pink.


The second way to get freebies, is to use My Coke Rewards!

Lipmatic Lipgloss in Cotton Candy Lane (with flash)

I've been a My Coke Rewards member for a long time, and they're a great way to get freebies - I've gotten magazines, GameStop eGift cards and now a lipgloss! Unfortunately, I don't believe this particular reward is available anymore. But it was 500 points and My Coke Rewards e-mailed me a Promo Code that covered the cost of the lipgloss and the shipping (Lipmatic did NOT require a credit card since the total cost was covered).

This lipgloss is from Lipmatic by Destiny Jones. I don't know anything about the brand, but I'm really excited to try this out! This shade kinda reminds me of MAC's "Mall Madness" lipgloss released with their Betty and Veronica collection a few years back.


The third way to get freebies is through MAC cosmetics with Back to MAC!

MAC lipstick in Heroine (with flash)

I think most people know about this one, but for those that don't know, Back to MAC is a way to get free lipsticks. All you do, is take 6 empty MAC containers (must be plastic or glass) back to your local MAC - there's also an online form where you can mail your empties to MAC - and then you pick out what lipstick you want! The only lipsticks you can't get this way are the Viva Glam lipsticks (since those are for their AIDS fundraising campaign) and any special collaborations.

So for my freebie, I picked Heroine. I thought it would be perfect for fall and I love my purples!


A sidenote: I didn't realize this when I got these, but don't these colors look like they'd go good together? ;)

MAC Lipstick in Heroine (with flash)

Lipmatic Lipgloss in Cotton Candy Lane (with flash)

And finally, the last way to get free products is through Mary Kay.
*This method depends on your Beauty Consultant*

Mary Kay eyeshaows in Raisin, Gold Coast, Iris & Sienna (no flash)

The first thing you need to do is find a Mary Kay Beauty Consultant and attend a facial party. Usually at their parties, you try out one of their skincare lines and sample a few makeup items. If you like the colors you tried during the party, you can ask your Consultant for samples. Sometimes, they'll play a game during the party to see who can get their makeup on the quickest - the winner usually gets a sample. And finally, sometimes they ask questions during the party and if you answer their questions correctly, you'll get a sample.

Mary Kay eyeshadows in Raisin, Gold Coast, Iris & Sienna (flash)

At the party I attended, I won an eyeshadow in 'Raisin', an eyeshadow in 'Sienna' and a Satin Hands handcream sample (not shown).

After the party, I asked my Beauty Consultant for samples used in the party and she gave me an eyeshadow in 'Iris', an eyeshadow in 'Gold Coast' and a blush in 'Shy Blush'

Mary Kay Blush in Shy Blush (with flash)

Mary Kay blush in Shy Blush (no flash)

My Beauty Consultant didn't have a couple items I wanted samples for, so she surprised me with a couple free full sized products - the Indulge Soothing Eye Gel and a Creme Lipstick in Raisinberry. I offered to pay her for them but she said no! She is officially my favorite Mary Kay Beauty Consultant ever! :)

Mary Kay Indulge Soothing Eye Gel

Mary Kay Creme Lipstick in Raisinberry (with flash)

Creme Lipstick in Raisinberry (with flash)

I hope you enjoyed this post! If you saw something you'd like to see a review of, just let me know and I'll get on it! Look out for my next post later in the week! Love and hugs to all! <3

My Top 3 Makeup Picks for This Week!

Hey pretty guys and gals! Long time, no see! I'm going to make an effort to blog regularly as well as keep to my Youtube schedule! ;)

I thought I'd start posting my current top three beauty items weekly here on my blog! Now, I know what you're thinking - "Luna, you already (normally) post pictures of what products you use on Instagram, why write a blog post about it?" Well, one of the things I don't get to do on Instagram is explain WHY I like a specific product so much. One could argue I could just make a Youtube video every week on this topic, but by the time we got to the end of the month, there'd be no point in making a favorites video! That being said, without further ado - I give to you my top three beauty items for this week! :)

1. Hard Candy Fox In a Box Blush in 'Sweet & Spicy'

Outer Packaging

So, this product isn't a newbie in my makeup collection and I've talked about it plenty of times before, but I keep finding myself reaching for it this week (and this month for that matter). I don't like wearing bronzers in the winter time, so when spring comes around and it starts getting hot, I start wearing my bronzers again, but I ease myself into them. (Later in the summer, I'll be transitioning into my Tarte Amazonian Clay Blush/Bronzer but it's a little dark for me to wear at the moment!) This blush/bronzer is a perfect one for those with lighter skin tones or for those not wanting a deep bronze, creating a beautiful peachy color! It adds a lovely pop of color and glow, without going over the top! (Retails for $6 - Walmart.com)

It even comes with a little brush!

Swatch!

2. CoverGirl AquaSmooth Foundation in "Classic Ivory"

CoverGirl AquaSmooth Outer Packaging

I started off the month using Mary Kay's CC Cream, but in the last couple weeks I started using this wonderful foundation. It blends in nicely, dries quickly, has a matte finish, doesn't make my skin oily (I have combination skin), has about the same consistency on the skin as a BB/CC cream and as an added bonus has SPF 20. Since I started wearing this foundation, paired with the Hard Candy blush featured above - I've gotten lots of compliments about how good my makeup looks in regards to my skin tone. Considering it is a creamy foundation and I live in a hot and humid climate - I still recommend giving it a shot - In my opinion, it does a great job of staying in place! (Retails for $10.99 - CVS.com

Inner Packaging - Ignore the messy sponge! ;)

3. Be a Bombshell Eyeliner in 'Expresso'

Outer Packaging

I've not talked about this item since I received it in a Boxycharm box awhile back. I've been obsessed with brown eyeliners lately, was digging through my makeup collection for some and found this. I fell in love with it immediately! It's your typical felt tip liner and creates great lines of all sizes - but what made me really fall for this liner in particular, is its color. I've tried other brown felt tip liners before, but they've been a tad dark for my taste. Of course, you could also say "Well, you could always use pencils or gels" and I could, but felt tip liners are my go-to in the summer, because they dry much quicker than pencils, they don't smudge and they don't sweat off in the heat and humidity! I highly recommend this liner to anyone looking for a good felt tip liner - I've only tried this color but I can only assume the other colors Be a Bombshell carries are just as rich! (Retails for $14 - beabombshellcosmetics.com)

Swatch!

I hope you enjoyed this post! Stay tuned to my Youtube channel -  https://www.youtube.com/user/LunaSolara91 - for a Birchbox Haul, Empties video and a Monthly Favorties video - all coming at you in the next week! 

Until next time pretty guys and gals!