Korres Fig Body Butter Giveaway Contest

Before I tell you a nice little story, I'll announce that we are going to slip in a little Korres Giveaway Contest before we start "Armani Giveaway Month." The Prize? Korres Fig Body Butter! Read on.




Last month, I missed the special promotional offer celebrating the new Korres Web site. When I ordered, I didn't see the promotional item added to my shopping cart, so I e-mailed Korres customer service. I received a very nice reply, almost apologizing that I had missed the end date for the promotion. I totally understood and felt like an airhead for not noticing that in the first place.

Of course, Korres has no idea that I write a beauty blog, so what happened next was astounding. I suddenly received a shipment notice from them. I couldn't remember placing a second order, so that piqued my curiosity. Monday, the promotional gift I had wanted arrived via UPS. I am so impressed! Their customer service folks answered my inquiry promptly and caringly. Then, they far exceeded my expectations when they sent me the gift. What a gesture!

They earned a loyal customer. The best way I can thank them is by telling others. If you haven't tried Korres products, they are top-notch. Check out their environment-friendly ingredient "choices" here. I have already written about my beloved Guava and Jasmine products. Korres Yogurt Cooling Gel provides such relief to red, burned, or itchy skin! Because I have loved Guava Lip Butter for a long time, I am now trying the Lip Saver Roll ($19.50, shown above), a trio of lip butters in Pomegranate, Quince, and their newest Jasmine. So far, I'm loving them! They feel good and add a bit of shine and tint - perfect for that natural look - from a company that makes products with natural ingredients. Love them!

To celebrate the company, Best Things in Beauty will give away a full-sized Fig Body Butter. Fig is richly hydrating, with essential oils and vitamins, including Sweet Almond Oil and Vitamin E. If you want to win this fragrant body moisturizer, e-mail Bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com and tell us, in three sentences or less, why you would like to try a Korres product. The deadline for entries is midnight on Saturday, August 23. A team will select the most persuasive entry. Good Luck!

For this contest, only U.S. entrants, please. I have posted this giveaway on Free!Grechen, a pretty cool site for contests and giveaways.

Photos courtesy of Korres.

Boots Mediterranean Grape, Olive & Nectarine Moisturising Lip Butter

Have you ever stumbled across something you really like because you stopped, looked it over, thought, "What the heck, it's cheap," and bought it on a lark? This is how I discovered this nice little pot of lip balm at Target. I just bought my second, which is pretty amazing since pots are my least favorite containers for lip balms.

Boots, the British brand, is carried at Target ($6.99) and drugstore.com ($5.59), among other places. They make a full line of treatment and cosmetic products - all very reasonably priced. Want to learn more about Boots? Go to this link. They have a very nice Botanics Organic line, the Mediterranean products designed to "delight the senses," and a well-regarded No7 Protect & Perfect Intense Beauty Serum.

The Mediterranean Grape, Olive & Nectarine Moisturising Lip Butter (yes, they substitute "s" in England where we use a "z") tester smelled great, so a nicely sealed pot jumped into my shopping cart. It has lived on the bathroom vanity ever since, and I swipe a little onto my lips each time I pass by. It's extremely hydrating, and has virtually no taste, even though it's a tiny bit fragrant. Figure that out!

I'm hooked. Remember it next time you stop by Target or need just one little product to get free shipping at drugstore.com.

Photo courtesy of drugstore.com.

Belou's P Natural and Organic Oils for Body and Hair

How does this sound for heavenly? Created in Saint-Barth with rose hip oil from Chile and Vitamins A, E, and F...no alcohol, no coloring, no artificial preservatives - just voluptuously natural and organic fragranced oils for the body and hair. Belou's P makes all-natural and organic fragrant oils, a mosquito repellent oil, and 100% vegetable soap.

Although it had been written up in Town & Country, W, and Bazaar, I stumbled upon the Colombier Fragrant Body Oil ($38) at Beautyhabit. Each fragrant oil is named for a different island beach. Colombier, enriched by lily, jasmine, and frangipani, sounded right up my alley. Used to moisturize, the body oil leaves a scent that is rich, floral, and tropical. I find it intoxicating. Not only that, the bottle is beautiful and recyclable.

Beautyhabit sells the body oil in two other scents. Chauvette radiates warm spices, santal wood, and lime. Lorient is a sensuous blend of tuberose, gardenia, narcissus, and iris. Pick your type and try one! Given the season, I'm thinking about trying the Mosquito Repellent Oil ($35). Advertised to keep mosquitoes away (they are everywhere and biting this year - I can't go to the mailbox without being attacked), the oil is also supposed to help with the itchy, unsightly red welts from bites.

Photo courtesy of Beautyhabit.

Clinique All About Eyes Concealer

Clinique's All About Eyes Concealer ($15.50) does its job well for a very reasonable price. I have been using this under-eye concealer for several years, and I can give it a definite thumbs up.

Described by Clinique as a liquid concealer, it's certainly a thick liquid. More like cream in a tube, the concealer provides great coverage and moisturizes as it provides camouflauge for dark circles and other annoyances. It also helps reduce puffiness. It lasts all day on me, and unless I put on too much, which is easily remedied with a brush, Q-tip, or my finger, it does not settle into any fine "smile lines."

I put a tiny amount into my palm and then pat it on with my fingertip, blending as I go. I use it over eye cream, but I make sure to apply the eye cream about an hour earlier than the concealer when I can. However, I have mixed it with eye cream with good results. When I put on my foundation after the concealer, I use the brush or sponge to blend them together so there is no line of demarcation.

I don't use this concealer over my eyes - just under. I use an eyeshadow primer over, so there's no need. I also think it may be a bit too moisturizing to use as a primer.

Available in seven shades from Clinique.com or at department stores, it suits all but the darkest skin. This is one of my favorite Clinique products, so I always buy two when I need one. It seems that everything I like gets a makeover at some point, and I want to be prepared in case it disappears. I like it that much!

Photo courtesy of Clinique.

La Mer - The Radiant Facial

There I was last week, wondering why I looked dull and seriously drab. The onset of the drabs was sudden, and I didn't think it was simply fatigue.

I knew I needed to exfoliate because my skin seemed dry, so I did that. I still looked drab. That called for desperate measures. I figured my miracle cream company, La Mer, had to have a product for my issue, so I headed over to the department store to see how I might energize my skin.

Years ago (when I was rich), I used the miracle "invitation-only" one-month treatment. Does anyone remember that? It cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $2100.00 - I can't remember exactly (it's the kind of expense best forgotten). What I do remember is that the effect was incredible. My complexion was remade.

This time, I decided to go with something radically less expensive, but, I'll warn, not inexpensive. The Radiant Facial ($320) seemed to fit the bill, since I felt I looked anything but radiant. One would probably pay that or more for seven weeks of facials, and I liked the do-it-yourself approach.

What do you get in the box? Eight treatments, each consisting of a primer and a two-piece cotton mask. The top mask has eye slits and covers from the hair line down to the cheekbones. The bottom mask has nose and mouth slits, overlaps the top, and covers the rest of the face. Each of the mask pieces is saturated - almost dripping - with what I understood to be The Radiant Infusion, or something like it, a product meant to deliver extreme radiance, clarity, and tone, while minimizing pores. It is infused with antioxidants, specially harvested marine extracts (the basis for Creme de la Mer), and tourmaline, which is said to help the ingredients penetrate the skin.

The scientists at the Max Huber Research Labs (Max Huber created Creme de la Mer) recommend using this express mask system as an evening treatment followed by Creme de la Mer. That's exactly what I did. When I started, the directions seemed awkward, but it was easy to apply. The mask was cooling and actually relaxing. I left it on for eight minutes because the directions say eight minutes for dry skin. After I removed the pieces, I used the excess product (and there was a lot left) to drench my neck, chest, and arms, as the reps had suggested. The directions say to use the mask twice the first week and once a week for the remaining six weeks.

Did it work? A resounding YES! I awakened the next morning to find my skin back to its regular decent-looking state, and that was after one treatment! My skin was less dry, and the blahs were gone. Am I nuts? Don't think so - a good friend with whom I spent the last drab day and the first not-drab day noticed the overnight change. Will I be finishing this routine? Absolutely! Another time this week and once a week until I have used up every last drop of this wonder-stuff.

Update on August 20: I did my second mask last night. It was just as cooling and relaxing as the first. This morning? Wonderful results! Not only that, the product is taking the red out of my face and chest.

Photo courtesy of La Mer.

Tarte Friends & Family Sale

Tarte is having a friends and family sale. From August 17 to August 24, you can get 40% off your entire online order - and free shipping on orders of $60 or more.

Just use code FF09 at checkout. If you have wanted to try their wonderful cheek stains, now's the time. I want the Green Siren Limited Edition Natural Cheek Stain ($30) shown here. Every purchase helps to preserve the Amazon Rainforest through conservation, improved living conditions, and educational opportunities for communities in Brazil. Doing good while looking good!

Photo courtesy of Tarte.

BURN Kaffir Lime Basil Hand Lotion Giveaway Winner

Margarete was the winner of the BURN hand lotion. Congratulations to her, and thank you to all who entered!

Her favorite August posting was Do You Use Store Testers? She wrote, "Your Aug 9th post was educational and served as a much needed reminder to all of us who buy beauty products!"

Many thanks to those who entered the contest! I want you to know how much I loved your e-mails. I wish I could have transferred all of your comments to the blog comments. One makeup artist wrote about how hard she tries to protect those testers, but she can't stop every customer from dipping or using in an unsanitary way. She said she wouldn't use them herself! Mamavalveeta03, I appreciated your e-mail.

Now, for the technical info. Each entrant was assigned a number in the order in which the e-mails arrived. I used a random number generator (RANDOM.ORG) to select a winner. That was as fair as I could make it.

Our next giveaways, coming soon, were donated by the Armani Beauty Team at Saks Fifth Avenue in Chevy Chase, Maryland. They were incredibly generous. Best Things in Beauty will be posting them, one at a time, over the next few weeks. Make sure to keep checking in for a chance to win a luxurious Armani product!