Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick for Body Giveaway Contest

Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick for Body ($75) is a luxurious, radiant "bronzing/illuminating" powder that can be used to create head-to-toe glamour. The lightweight, silky powder can be used on arms, legs, décolleté, or anywhere you want to glow - including your face! The deluxe oversized compact features three shimmering bars of color. It's easy to select only one of the shades if you want because the compact is large.

I love mine (one of my all-time favorite shimmer bricks) and was able to find one for a giveaway contest at the Estée Lauder Company Store in Leesburg, Virginia. This Shimmer Brick for Body sold out at some of the stores and remains hard to find, although it's available at Bobbi Brown's Web site with a brush (this prize does not include a brush). This is such a beloved product, there might be an outcry if the company discontinues it without a replacement!

How can you enter to win this contest (technically a sweepstakes)? Just leave a comment on this feature (not in another BTiB post). After you comment here, feel free to send me an e-mail at bestthingsinbeautycontests@gmail.com (the contest address, not my "personal" e-mail) 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). Please make sure I have your e-mail. If I can't notify you, you can't win - even if your number is drawn.

You can earn extra entries. Follow this blog (through an e-mail subscription, GFC, or though one of the many Google readers - see sidebar at right) to earn a second entry. If you are a follower, it would help me tally entries if you tell me in your comment how you follow. You don't have to follow to enter. I want everyone to have a chance, but I also want to reward my followers. I must be able to track this entry.

You can earn a third entry by tweeting this contest. You must include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) and the contest title in your tweet. Remember, tweet the contest title - if you don't, that entry won't count. I will tweet the contest this evening, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry - if that's easier.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, May 19, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner on Sunday morning. 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 may not be able to replace it with another prize just like it. I'll do my best on this end; let's see if your mail service does right by you on the other end if we have an overseas winner.

For all the legalese related to this contest, please see the Contests/Sweepstakes page at the top of the blog. Good luck!

Photo courtesy of Bobbi Brown

Bobbi Brown Shimmer Brick for Body Giveaway Contest

Bobbi Brown's Shimmer Brick for Body ($75) is a luxurious, radiant "bronzing/illuminating" powder that can be used to create head-to-toe glamour. The lightweight, silky powder can be used on arms, legs, décolleté, or anywhere you want to glow - including your face! The deluxe oversized compact features three shimmering bars of color. It's easy to select only one of the shades if you want because the compact is large.

I love mine (one of my all-time favorite shimmer bricks) and was able to find one for a giveaway contest. Actually, I purchased two when I found it - one for my "stock" and one for one of you. This Shimmer Brick for Body sold out at some of the stores and remains hard to find, although it's available at Bobbi Brown's Web site and Neiman Marcus (Bloomingdale's too, I think). There might be an outcry if the company discontinues it without a replacement!

How can you enter to win this contest? Easy! Just leave a comment here once. After you comment, 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).

You can "earn" a second entry by tweeting this contest. Just make sure to include "@BTiBeauty" (without the quotes) in your tweet. I will tweet the contest later today, and you can simply retweet it to earn that second entry. You can earn a third entry by following the blog - either here or on Twitter (any entrant who is already a follower will automatically earn the follower point, but you can save me time by telling me you're a follower in your comment). I can't track followers through a third-party service, so you need to be on Google's list for me to verify the entry.

The deadline for entries will be Saturday, June 18, at midnight. The next morning, I will use a random number generator (random.org) to select the winner. I will e-mail the winner at that time. 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 will be open to anyone anywhere in the world. I will ship the prize uninsured (the insurance costs way too much). I will also provide proof of shipping, if necessary. I will take a chance that both mail systems - the winner's and mine - will deliver the box without loss, theft, or destruction!

My contests are a way to give back to you for all the friendship you bring me. Thank you - and good luck!

Photo courtesy of Neiman Marcus

Gleam with GLEAM Body Radiance

GLEAM Body Radiance ($40) is one of the nicest lightly shimmering body tints I have ever used. I was contacted by a sweet PR guy about GLEAM, and he told me that GLEAM Body Radiance was created by Melanie Mills (the former Emmy Award-winning head makeup artist for Dancing with the Stars), and it had been used on the celebrity contestants and dancers for years. My first thought was, "Too flashy for me!" I lead a relatively simple life. My curiosity had been piqued, though, and I sent him my address for samples. When they came, I flipped.

It really is an amazing product. The show's producers have recently made it mandatory that all participants on Dancing with the Stars use the product! The line became available nationwide this month. One of its nicest features (among nice features) is that it comes in four different shades and can be used on every skin tone and type (it has been used by everyone from Kirstie Alley to Kim Kardashian to Jennifer Hudson).

Melanie is a talented gal. She's been doing face and body makeup, not only for Dancing, but also for other shows and celebrities, including Jennifer Grey, Brandi, Susan Lucci, Jane Seymour, Kelly Osbourne - and many more. She has worked at the Academy Awards, Emmy Awards, Golden Globes, SAG Awards, and American Music Awards. While I didn't know her, she is clearly a well-known professional. I had to wonder if the artist touching up Lauren Alaina's legs, after the darling girl's "pantyhose ripped," was using GLEAM Body Radiance. Lauren's legs looked better than ever.

GLEAM Body Radiance is a body makeup that hydrates, perfects, and nourishes while imparting a glowing, velvety radiance to the skin. It enhances and perfects the skin's appearance and fills wrinkles to provide an airbrushed look. Even more exciting, it contains all-natural ingredients - vitamins and botanicals - that slow the breakdown of collagen and elastin in the skin. Because it's available in four shades, there's a perfect shade for each of us.

GLEAM Body Radiance is made with water and olive oil, jojoba seed oil, safflower seed oil, the antioxidants Japanese green tea and white tea, aloe leaf extract, and brown seaweed (a hydrating marine extract that stimulates synthesis of hyaluronic acid and increases elasticity). That lineup will excite any skin-care fanatic.

GLEAM can be used on the face (I know where I'll be using Light Gold), neck, and all over the body. With four shades available, there's one for everyone. It should be used on dry, clean skin, with no other lotions or products for maximum transfer-resistant efficacy. I have used it, and I'm pleased that it did not stain my clothing. It is not waterproof. GLEAM Body Radiance is lightly scented with a hint of vanilla - it smells fresh and clean. It's extremely subtle and will not clash with your fragrance. If you plan to wear it while sunning, it's best to spritz an oil-free sunscreen over it once GLEAM has set.

Light Gold is an ethereal ray of sunlight, the lightest formulation of GLEAM, with a pale yellow base that counteracts ruddy and reddish skin undertones. It has a pure, creamy finish for light to medium skin tones. It will camouflages stretch marks, scars, and other light imperfections and impart a subtle dewy glow. I love it on my face.

Rose Gold is Melanie Mills’ signature color and her personal favorite - mine too. This shade is the original color created by Melanie for the “golden glow” that all Dancing with the Stars celebrities and pro dancers have worn for the camera. Melanie wanted this creamy potion to emulate real rose gold and be like liquid metal for the skin.

Bronze Gold is pure bronze, like a shining statue, and has a yellow-orange undertone. Bronze Gold is the third deepest shade, perfect for medium to deep skin tones.

Deep Gold is a pure, luminous chocolate soufflé, with red velvet undertones, that never looks ashy on darker skin. Beautiful and rich, this deep metal shade delivers a glow for the most melanin-rich skins, helping to hide pigment patches, scars, stretch marks, and dark knees and elbows.

I applied all four shades with my finger and barely blended them for my swatch photos, taken in outdoor sunlight. If I were to blend them well, I could wear even the darkest shade. In fact, the first one I tried, Deep Gold, is the darkest, and I was blown away by the gorgeous tint it left on my skin. I realized I could finally be bronze goddess - without sun exposure. Why didn't they have products like this when I was in college, baking my skin with baby oil and sun, trying to look tan like the rest of the girls?

The swatch photo above left shows, from top to bottom, Light Gold, Rose Gold, Bronze Gold, and Deep Gold. I am going to be penniless after I purchase the full sizes of all four shades. Maybe you will have more discipline than I do. I love GLEAM!

I zoomed in on Light Gold and Rose Gold in the photo at right. I get weak in the knees over rose gold makeup (and jewelry), and the Rose Gold shade did it to me too. It's hard to find words to describe its beauty. I think you can see in the photo why I find Light Gold a perfect illuminator for my face.

I didn't want to leave you dark-complexion gals out, so I also took a close-up of Bronze Gold and Deep Gold for you. I love the rose tint in Deep Gold. I think that's why I like is so much, even though it wasn't designed for my pale skin.

Remember, I barely blended these shades for the swatch photos. I wanted to get maximum impact for the photos. Once you blend them, your skin will have an incredible appearance. Be careful; you could get hooked on GLEAM!

You can purchase it from the GLEAM Web site. Please see the comments for more information. GLEAM Body Radiance is also available at three California retail shops. Go look!

Photos at top courtesy of GLEAM Body Radiance; swatch photos by Best Things in Beauty

NARS Body Illuminator in Laguna from Portrait of Paradise for Summer 2011

I'm sure NARS created the new, limited-edition Body Illuminator ($45) in Laguna for me. Well, maybe for everyone like me, sun phobes who look too white to wear a sun dress. I don't miss the sun - and the damage that came with it - but I do hate my pasty appearance in tank tops and shorts when I "go ultra-casual."

The NARS Body Illuminator will give you fair-skinned beauties a golden glow from head to toe - or wherever you want it. Laguna Body Illuminator imparts a bronze (but not too bronze, more like sun-kissed) radiance. It also deliciously scents the skin with the exotic, tropical Monoï de Tahiti oil. In short, it looks great and smells great - and it washes off. There's no weeks-long commitment.

After the success of their award-winning, light-reflecting illuminators for the face, NARS created this illuminator for body application. The color dries quickly, stays put, and does not transfer onto clothing. It's perfect for arms, legs, neck, and décolleté, and you can use it year-round.

This product contains bisabolol, obtained from the chamomile plant, and used to soothe and care for dry skin. Bisabolol has a weak, sweet floral aroma and is used in various fragrances. It has been used for hundreds of years in cosmetics because of its perceived skin healing, anti-irritant, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties. It also has açaí oil, polar berries, and sodium hyaluronate - all good things for your skin. In addition to those ingredients, there's Indian Frankincense, believed to have soothing and comforting properties. As a rule, I don't like the smell of frankincense, but I don't smell it in this body tint. I smell its luscious tropical scent.

NARS had another product a year or two ago (I still have it), scented with French Polynesian Monoï de Tahiti oil. NARS Monoï Body Glow II is/was a body oil that captures the fragrance of the native Taire flower soaked in coconut oil. Body Glow II is so intoxicating, I still have it. I ration my use of it because I never want to run out.

The shade of the Laguna Body Illuminator is subtle, which is why I love it. For my swatch photo, I applied it on my arm as I would apply it naturally. It blends easily and leaves behind a pretty tan color - not muddy or surreal. I've seen it on Kathy Shoreman hours after application. I thought she had used a self-tanner on her arms. It's a perfect shade for both of us. It is not, in my opinion, a perfect shade for those with dark skin, but dark-skinned beauties probably aren't worried about looking pasty. You could wear it as a light illuminator.

The finish is slightly shimmering - pleasantly so. It will jazz up your appearance without shouting fake. The shimmer you see on the left side of my photo is the sun's reflection. The finish is closer to what you can see on the right side of my arm. I turned my arm away from the sun while taking the photo to try to reduce the glare.

You can purchase the NARS Body Illuminator at NARS online or at NARS counters at Neiman Marcus and other department stores - Sephora too. NARS is offering free shipping with a purchase from Portrait of Paradise, so it would be a good time to order it if you can't get to a NARS counter.

Photo at top courtesy of Sephora