Giveaway! My Paula's Choice favorites ($149 value)

Because the people who read my blog are so awesome and have clicked my Paula's Choice referral link so many times, I've been able to try and to review a ton of different products from that brand over the past year. I have also been able to keep using my favorite skin care products even when I've been unemployed or underemployed, which is something I really fucking appreciate. So in gratitude, I wanted to give some back. I'm going to send my five favorite Paula's Choice products to the winner of this giveaway.

The prize will include:

2% BHA Liquid (reviewed here)

Skin Balancing Moisture Gel (reviewed here)

Resist Ultra-Light Antioxidant Serum (reviewed here)

Resist C15 Super Booster (reviewed here)

Tooth Whitener (reviewed here)

It's a $149 value in total.

I've chosen the things that I've found myself replacing when they run out, which I think is a good sign that they are reliable. The moisturizer and BHA I've been using for at least a decade (and that makes me feel fucking old). The tooth whitener I've been using for a few years, and the serum I just discovered last year, but I've already bought my third tube. The sort of exception is the Vitamin C serum. I'm still a little on the fence about it, but I recently did a consumer trial of a serum from another brand that I absolutely hated for over a week, and it left my skin looking really sad. When the test period was over, the Resist C15 was one of the first things I used, and my skin perked right up. It wasn't the only product I used, so who knows how responsible it was for my recovery. But technically I am on my second bottle, after using up a trial size first. Also, it seems like something lots of people would be curious to try, but nervous about shelling out the $48, so I figured it would be fun to include here.

Obviously most of these things will work best for people with skin like mine (combination leaning more toward oily than dry) - but these are the things I can vouch for. (If you are allergic to aspirin, you shouldn't use the BHA liquid - but you can enter anyway and we can work out a different option if you win. That will be the only exception I'll make. Any other winner will get this set.)

To enter, you only have to provide your email address using the gadget below so I can contact you if you win. If you want additional entries, there are other options, but they aren't required. One winner will be chosen at random from all the entries. Once the winner has been announced and contacted, they will have 48 hours to respond with their mailing address. If I don't hear anything in 48 hours, I'll pick someone else. (Well, I'll let the gadget pick someone for me.) I will have the prizes shipped to you directly from Paula's Choice (i.e. they will be brand new, not the products pictured above that I have here at home). That means I can send things either to US or Canadian addresses.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

This giveaway is in no way officially affiliated with Paula's Choice. They don't know I'm doing it. It's not meant to promote Paula's Choice. I just like some of their products - you can see reviews of things I like and things I don't like under this tag.

Free 1 year ShopRunner membership for Amazon Prime customers who have not yet renewed and for American Express card holders

ShopRunner is a free 2-day shipping service that is available for certain stores. If you regularly shop at any of those sites, it's pretty handy to have, because you get fast, free shipping with no minimum. I've used it a lot for Drugstore.com during the past two years that I've had an account. You can also use it places like Newegg, Petsmart, GNC, shoes.com, and a bunch of other stores, including a number of clothing retailers.

Normally it's $79 a year, but right now they are offering free 1-year memberships for people who have Amazon Prime but haven't yet renewed it, and for "eligible" American Express card holders. For $79, you'd have to use the service quite a bit for it to be worthwhile - but for free? Definitely worth it. Drugstore.com alone regularly has makeup stuff that is hard to find in stores and also has good promotions. There are also special deals on the ShopRunner site for members.

If you click my invite link (I get $10), you'll find banners at the top of the ShopRunner page advertising these free memberships (you can just go to their website without clicking my link, if you prefer). There is also a list of all the stores this works for on the linked pages.

(Unfortunately, it doesn't work if your Amazon Prime account is a trial one, or if you've already renewed it, or if you already have a ShopRunner account. Boo.)

Giveaway! Max Factor Fantasy Fire (and a bunch of other shit)

Man, do I have something good for you. I picked up an extra bottle of the famous, coveted, and not-for-sale-in-North-America Max Factor Fantasy Fire nail polish when I was in the UK last year. And now I'm giving it away. WHAAAAAT? Well, I have two bottles for myself. You can have the other one.

This is in fact the very bottle you will win.

It's a mini bottle (i.e. the only size it comes in), and this shit goes for about $15 on ebay. But it is everything you've heard and more. Go ahead and google some swatches and then come back here.

I'm throwing in a bunch of other shit too, mostly because it seemed kind of sad to just mail off a tiny package with a single bottle of nail polish in it. And isn't it more fun to have a whole bag of swag to open? The other stuff isn't nearly as exciting. Yes, some of it I got from Ipsy and some from ULTA, etc. It's all new, not used, of course, but it's a supporting cast for the star: Fantasy Fire. Let's have another look at that, and then I'll show you the rest of the loot.

The prettiest of pretties.

Along with the bottle of Max Factor Fantasy Fire, the giveaway winner gets:

• ULTA Neutral Eyeshadow Quad
• Nicka K nail polish in Classic Taupe
• ULTA Double Ended Eyeliner in Black and Deep Brown
• ULTA eyeshadow single in Twilight
• NYX Bronze Smokey Look Kit
• ULTA mini brush set
• POP Beauty Eye Shadow Trio in Smokin' Hot
• 2 Color Club mini polishes (not labeled: bright bubblegum pink and silver foil)

I'll pack it all up for you in a fully functional makeup bag with a zipper. Oooooh.

All you have to do to qualify is enter your email address in the widget below so that I know where to contact you if you win. You can earn additional entries by completing the other tasks, if you want to. 

I'm afraid that the full giveaway is open to U.S. residents only, because I can't ship nail polish internationally. If you live outside the U.S. and would like to enter anyway, I can send you everything except the nail polish if you win. Then I'll pick a second person to win the nail polish. Your call.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ipsy has a new points system for earning free shit (plus: swatches of Zoya Giovanna)

Disclosure: This post contains referral links.

Zoya Giovanna, from my Glam Bag this month
(see more below).

Birchbox has had a system for a long time now where you could earn points a variety of ways, the easiest of which was to rate the products you got in your box. Those points can be used toward purchasing things from their shop. It was really the only thing I liked about Birchbox. I kept getting annoyed by the crap in my boxes, but I also earned enough to get a few free full-size products from the store.

I like the Ipsy Glam Bags much better Birchbox, since I prefer the larger sizes and the fact that there is more makeup than skin care. I got so many moisturizers from Birchbox. So many. I AM MOIST ENOUGH OK? (Though Ipsy's customer service could use some definite upgrading.)

Anyway, blah blah. My point is that Ipsy now has a points-earning system in place too. You earn 250 points for a referral, and 10 points for each review. Since you get 5 items per bag, you can earn 50 points per bag. When you collect 1000 points, you can redeem it for a free gift. Right now there are three to choose from: a Benefit mascara mini, some of those stupid hair ties, and the NYX Bronze Smokey Look kit. Obviously it's going to take a while to get to 1000 point at 50 point intervals, and it's not as good as Birchbox's deal, but hey, it's better than nothing.

Never Buy a Razor Again (Or: Where to Get Free Shit)

Disclosure: Affiliate link.
At this point, I have 5-6 brand-new razors in my cabinet, and I didn't pay for any of them. Since I only shave a couple of times a week, those will last me months. Some of them came with refill blades, too. (And remember to use this technique to keep the blades sharp twice as long.) Razors are one of the easiest things to get free samples of online, next to shampoo and conditioner, toothpaste, and hand cream. Remember when I showed you my hoard of bath and beauty junk? Most of that was free. I have probably a year's worth of free shampoo and conditioner in there.

Everyone knows about requesting free samples online, right? Or do I only think that because it was one of the first things I did when we got the internet at school in around 1996? I like free things, I like getting (non-junk) mail - perfect. Either way, maybe I can give you at least one source here that you're not already aware of.

Of course you're "paying" for these products with your own time, whatever it takes to find the samples and fill out a form to request them. But if you tend to sit around playing on your computer/device during your downtime anyway, you could do this and get some things in return. You also have to provide some of your information to these companies. I can't emphasize this enough: make yourself a dedicated email address to use for things like this. You will get spam. You might also want to sign up for a Google voice phone number to use. Don't put in a fake phone number - I got multiple calls every day for a few months from spammy sources when someone used my phone number to sign up for something. Not cool.

But enough lecturing, here's where to get the free shit:

$20 worth of cosmetics free (with $2.95 shipping)

The cosmetics retail website Sindulge has a $20 off $20 code: SNC20. Shipping is $2.95. They sell makeup, skin care, and hair care brands like blinc, theBalm, POP Beauty, and Clarisonic. I've never bought anything from them before, but that sounds good. The site is running EXTREMELY slowly right now, so you'll have to be patient. I haven't managed to actually get anything in my cart yet.

Expired.

Guest Post from Savannah Scorpion: Do I Need This? Customer Loyalty Programs

The enigmatic and magnanimous Savannah Scorpion is back with more of the insider scoop on how to buy beauty products without throwing your fucking money away. As always, comment below or email with any questions or future topics you'd like her to address! 

Hello again!

This is Savannah Scorpion, your friendly neighborhood seller of Expensive Cosmetic Shit, back with another post. 

I was invited to send a picture, and I chose a film still from Butterfield 8. While I do not look like Elizabeth Taylor, I have been tempted to write rather nasty things in lipstick on men's mirrors/car windshields. The only thing that has stopped me is that most of the lippies in my collection are pricey, and I'll be damned if I waste one of my $25 Nars Velvet Matte Lip Pencils on damaging the property of some hipster douchebag. I think I'm going to buy one of the $1 e.l.f lipsticks and designate that as my official "Writing On Glass Surfaces" lipstick. [I should add that to my review as a possible use. - Ed.]

Anyway....

I'm sure y'all have been offered to sign up for different loyalty programs at different restaurants and grocery stores. Cosmetics retailers have loyalty programs, and I'll give you the rundown on how they work. Do you need them? Yes. Even if you don't buy cosmetics all that much. 

And the winner of the giveaway is . . .

Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links.

Sarah R. (Entry #31)! Just send me an email with your address (cheapasf AT gmail DOT com), and I will put your prize in the mail.

Thanks to everyone who entered! The winner was chosen at random from all the entries using the same app that you all used to enter the giveaway (powered by random.com). Check out the original post here to have a look.

4 days left to enter the giveaway!

Less than 250 entries so far, and you can enter multiple times, so your chances are pretty damned good! More info here.

1 Year Anniversary Giveaway: Fully-fucking-stocked makeup kit (15 pieces)

I've been fucking around here for a year now, so I'm celebrating by giving you a present. Well, one of you. I put together a makeup kit that has almost everything you need to do your face and claws. I tried to include an assortment of basics and neutrals that would suit just about anyone  - and for that reason I didn't include anything skin-colored, because I don't know what shade you are, mysterious future giveaway winner. Okay, so maybe the self-tanner isn't for everyone, but whatever. To make up for the lack of skin shit, I included an assortment of nail and lip products.

Free Orly nail polish or treatment at Sally with any $3 purchase

Ummm. That's pretty sweet. You should get the Orly Bonder basecoat. It works fucking wonders.

Free mp3s for sleep and relaxation

They are half an hour long, and there are a variety, depending on what works for you.

Free mp3s for sleep and relaxation

Free Shit: Giveaway!

Finally, I’ve got my shit together, and I’m going to give it to you. Yes, it’s mostly cheap shit. But you know what is better than cheap shit? Free shit. (The word “shit” is beginning to lose all meaning.)

Here’s what you get:

1. Paula’s Choice ultra-light weightless finish SPF 30 sunscreen spray, 118 ml. It’s the best. This is the old bottle design, exp. 02/13.


2. Birchbox earbuds.


3. e.l.f. 32 Piece Cool Eyeshadow Palette


4. e.l.f. All Over Color Stick in 3105 Golden Peach


5. e.l.f. Eyelid Primer in 7501 Sheer


6. e.l.f. Hypershine Lipgloss in 9012 Blossom


7. e.l.f. Studio Lotion Wipes in Vanilla and Coconut


8. e.l.f. Nail Polish in Metal Madness (3-free)


9. Wet n Wild Fastdry Nail Color in Teal or No Teal


10. Essence Color and Go Nail Polish in Party Princess


11. Forever 21 goldtone ring with rhinestones and filigree decoration

How to get it: 

• Reblog this post. I will only count one reblog entry per person (likes won’t count).


• For a second entry (or if you don’t have a tumblr), send an email to cheapasf@gmail.com.


• I will select one person randomly to receive this shit on Wednesday, September 19, 2012. That means only entries received before midnight on Tuesday, September 18, 2012 will be counted.

Good luck!

Fix Your Face: Everyday Minerals (Free Shit)

If you’ve never tried mineral makeup (or even if you have), check this out. Everyday Minerals lets you order 7 free samples and just pay for shipping, which is usually less than $3. The samples are decently sized (at least they were last time I got some) and last me for months! This is some good shit right here. Right now they are offering base (i.e. foundation), blush, and finishing powder samples. 

If you want to be really nice, you can pay a little extra and all of the money you put in will go to the Everyday Minerals Wilderness Preservation Plan.

UPDATE: I just got some samples in the mail. They no longer send you the little jars that they used to send, so I think the sample size is smaller now, fyi. Still pretty good, though.