Max Factor Foundation Testers Required - Apply Within

I recently applied to be a member of the Max Factor Circle on Super Savvy Me, and last week I found out that I'd been accepted. So, this afternoon a nice man knocked on my door with a bag (inside a box) of goodies that I want to share with you guys.

What's in the Bag?

Basically, I have 15 samples of Max Factor's New Ageless Elixir 2 in 1 Foundation + Serum to give away. All of the samples are 50 Natural so it should suit most skin types.

Fancy one...?

Not only will you receive a free sachet to try out, but you'll also get a voucher for £2 off the full sized product.

There is, of course, a small catch.

In order to receive a free sample, you'll need to agree to answer a few questions about your experiences with the product. The survey will be conducted by me, will be completely anonymous and your details will most definitely not be shared with anyone and especially not any third parties.

Fancy taking part and getting a free sample? All you need to do is leave your email address or Twitter name in the comments below, and I'll email or message you for your address to receive your free sample and money-off voucher.

A link will also be emailed to you for you to fill in your survey, which will need to be completed by 14th October 2011.

Note: If in the unlikely event that more than 15 ladies show an interest, I will place names in a hat and select them at random. However, it should be noted that the sample is only available to individuals who follow this blog (new followers are of course welcome!).

The closing date for applications is 12pm (Noon) on Sunday 18th September and samples will be sent out the following week, giving you plenty of time to test the product out and fill in your survey.

Any questions, then please feel free to ask and I look forward to working with some of you on this mini project :)

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NOTD: Stripey Style with Sellotape

This Nail of the Day is actually two variants of a look inspired by a post that Kim wrote a couple of weeks ago over at DottieK, which I loved. I don't have a very steady hand, so it's fair to say that I am rubbish at doing freestyle nail art, so this idea was ingenious for me, because even I can do it.

I've used Sellotape to create a "tip" effect  at the top of my nail, but I've never used it to do stripey looks before, so over the past week I've tried it twice with two very different colour combinations.

For this look I used:

• Max Factor in Disco Pink
• 17 Supreme Shine in Wave.

I didn't do a very good job of this one, mainly because I did the brighter colour as the base, which in this case, didn't work so well, because I could see the pink showing through the greeny, blue. I also think that this one turned out really messy, but not too bad for a first attempt. You might also notice that it's quite chipped, which is my fault for taking so long to take a picture of them!

For this look I used:

• NYC in French Pink (No. 35)
• OPI in Extravagance

I absolutely love this look, because I think the boldness of the OPI colour worked beautifully with the softness of the light pink. I was a little bit annoyed that when I applied a Top Coat, even though I gave it a long while to dry, it still managed to smudge the OPI polish into the lighter colour, but reflecting on it, I kind of like the wispy effect.

Neither of these looks are perfect, but I'm still learning how to master it.

What I've learnt from my two test runs:

• I found it easier to cut the sellotape into strips using a carving knife rather than scissors, which I found to be too fiddly
• I preferred it when I cut the sellotape into really fine strips, rather than the thicker ones, but this is of course just a preference
• I also found that the best type of sellotape for me to use, has been the cheap stuff that we'd normally consider rubbish because it has little stickiness and/or doesn't work effectively because it's too fine. Nevertheless, I think this works in its favour for doing the stripes, because it allowed me to create lines with a crisper edge to them.

Has anyone else tried doing their nails with sellotape? I love these looks, and think it's just down to having the time, patience and working out colours that work well together :)


I know that mine definitely do not look as amazing as Kim's, but what do you think?

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Max Factor Goodie Bag Review

What is the one good thing about getting rubbish presents at Christmas? Knowing that other people got rubbish presents too, which means that the Charity Shops are practically bursting, during January, with unwanted Christmas beauty gift sets. For scavengers like myself, who just love a good bargain, well, it's like Christmas and Birthday all rolled into one...well, minus a feast or a meal at Nandos, but hey, we can't have everything can we?

So what lovelies did I manage to pick up? Well, this cute little pink package is what I picked up, and inside it was a "Max Factor Summer Beauty Essentials" kit!

Okay, so maybe it isn't quite summer, but with all the miserable weather we've been having, I think I need something summery to cheer me up, even if it is a little too much pink for my liking!

Inside this little bundle was:

• Masterpiece Mascara in Black (5.3ml)
• Nailfinity Nail Varnish in Disco Pink (hmm, lovely....)
• Colour Collections Lipstick (you guess it, in pink!)
• Kohl Pencil in Black
• Earth Spirits Eyeshadow in Ultra Aqua (Not pink! Hurrah!)
• Second Skin tester Sachet
• Second Skin save £3 voucher (out-of-date! Someone seriously got a rubbish Christmas present!!)
• Pink Toe Seperators

Masterpiece Mascara in Black

When it comes to Mascara, I am often quite picky, and tend to find that the only brand I actually like is Rimmel. I'm not really sure why this is, but I just tend to find other Mascaras are clumpier in consistency than Rimmel, which as a rule I don't like.

But, then I tried this little gym, and I have to say that I could be very tempted to invest in a fall sized version of this Max Factor mascara.

I really liked the tiny bristles, that seem to open apply just as much mascara as I needed, and it just felt light, almost as if I wasn't wearing any at all.

Disco Pink Nail Varnish

This was never going to be my favourite product, really, was it? Not being an overly big fan of pink, I really would have been happier not using this, but for the sake of my blog, I pushed myself to at least give it a go.

Yes, the pink was too much for me, and no it didn't matter how long I left it, I was never going to get used to wearing it, but in all honesty, it wasn't that bad a colour, and I didn't feel too big of an urge to take it off again. In fact, it lasted several days!!

As nail varnishes go, it was nothing amazing, but nothing less that you'd expect from a polish. It applies nicely, takes a couple of coats to look it's best and it's just a bright pink nail polish.....yup! I have now officially worn a pink nail polish *gulp*

English Rose Lipstick

After the bright pink nail varnish, I had little hopes for this lipstick. Nevertheless, I gave it a try, and was amazed to find that this is actually a much more subtle colour than I initially expected.

The actual product is very creamy, and applies very smoothly. I'm assuming that it's because the lipstick is creamy, but it certainly does dry my lips out at all.

The overall colour is very pretty, and even though it's still pink, I kinda like it...but shh! No one needs to know that ;)

Black Eye Liner

As my regular readers will already know, I am incredibly fussy when it comes to eye liners. In fact, I have a little test that I always do with my eyeliners.

Initial Smudge Test: It didn't smudge very well, but instead faded quite a lot, which means that this eye liner is not suitable for smokey looks.

How easily it faded at this point also highlights another key flaw in this liner, it probably doesn't have very good longevity. I want an eye liner that is actually going to stay on, not fade into nothingness.

Nevertheless, the inital application went quite nicely, mainly because the product is creamy, so it doesn't feel like it's trying to rip my eye lids off, like some eye liners do!!

Being a plain and simple black liner, there isn't really much that I can say about the colour, except it appears to have a little bit of glitter that makes it sparkly.

Ultra Aqua Eye Shadow

I don't really have that much to say about the eye shadow. It's a very nice colour, that looks pretty on, but it doesn't really shout "wow" at me. There's nothing wrong with it, I just didn't click with it, I suppose.

It applied as an eye shadow should, but I haven't yet worn it long enough to test it's longevity, which like eye liners, is incredibly important to me.

I don't really have anything else to say about that really....


Foundation and Toe Seperators

I shall confess that I haven't had chance to test out the foundations sachets, and what exactly can be said about toe seperators? They go between your toes, are pink as they normally are, and just serve their purpose. Nothing more, nothing less! I did have fun experimenting with my camera though. For toe seperators, I think I got a little too fascinated with how slightly more interested I could potentially make them (sad! I know!)

I guess the moral of this blog is again bigging up Charity Shops. And, remember that just because you don't necessarily find everything in a gift set appealing, it is still worth it, on the whole, sometimes, for a couple of real gems!

Oh, and by the way, this only set me back £3! I wonder how much it really cost? If anyone has this gift set, I'd love to know :)

On a lighter note, I'm trying to update this blog more frequently now that things seem to have settled down into a more regular routine. So, I promise to have more reviews, tips and general rambling soon!!

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Miss Kei Kei's First Blog Giveaway

Head on over to Miss Kei Kei's beooootiful blog to find out how you could win some of these splendifirous prizes (ooooh...aaaaah!!) Go on, you know you want to ;-)


The winner will receive:
♥ Rimmel Lycra Pro Polish: Urban Princess
♥ YSL Elle Perfume Mini
♥ YSL Top Secrets Exfoliator Mini
♥ No7 Liplucious Lip Gloss: Pink Pop
♥ EOS Lipbalm: Summer Fruits
♥ Prestige: Everyday Mineral Blusher: Peach
♥ MaxFactor Eye Precision Colour: Pink
♥ Acrylic Cupcake Keyring
♥ Lancome Hypnose Mascara Mini
♥ Heart Shaped Bath Fizz
So, what the heck are you waiting for?Go, go go!! Miss Kei Kei is waiting to see you (in a non-kinky kinda way!!!!)

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