competition

Tomorrow, I fly out to New York with an empty suitcase. To help us all get over the inevitable January blues, I'm bringing back a selection of US only beauty products which Sarah and I will be giving away in January.

We asked for some suggestions of particular things you might want, and so we're asking again - we've already got Sephora by OPI polish, NYX eyeshadow and the Milani Orgasm dupe blush on our list, but is there anything else?

Last chance to let us know in the comments!

Naked Bodycare, maker of a few things I've reviewed recently, are currently running a competition to boost their Facebook fan numbers. Become a fan on Facebook, and then send an email with your name, address, and the date you became a fan to nakedcompetition(at)yahoo.co.uk. The first 100 people to email in will be entered into the draw for a hamper of Naked products worth £50.

Personally, I love Naked, especially for their lovely silicone free conditioners, so I'll definitely be taking part. No word on exactly when the competition ends (presumably when 100 people have emailed in), but in vague terms I think this'll end just before Christmas.

One half of the LBR team is off to New York just before Christmas, and we've decided to bring back a few US-only beauty items to give away to our readers.

So, you tell us in the comments - what would you love to try that's only available in the US?

Due to it being Christmas and all, we'll be bringing back mostly drugstore items (and maybe a few Sephora items too). Let us know your thoughts in the comments and we'll be giving away some treats in the New Year.

On my list is:

• Milani Luminous blusher - supposed to be a dupe for NARS Orgasm, and much cheaper
• Something from the relaunched, Walmart only Hard Candy line
• OPI for Sephora nail polish
• NYX eyeshadow
  
• Body products from Bath and Body Works - so many fragrances, so little time!
  

Selfridges and Grazia have teamed up to offer a beauty goody bag worth a whopping £700 to one lucky winner. The prize includes offerings from brands such as YSL, Dolce & Gabbana, Trish McEvoy, RMK, Clarins, Thierry Mugler, Lolita Lempicka and Illamasqua.

You can enter the competition through Grazia's website, where you'll need a login (you don't have to agree to receive email from Grazia, however). Entries are accepted up until the 1st of December.

Disclosure - prizes are provided by PR for the purposes of the competition


The sun is out in London and to improve the mood even more, we are giving away three massive bumper bundles of goodies from Sure, Vaseline and Dove.

Three individuals will win the following:

• Dove Summer Glow Beauty Body Lotion  (RRP £4.99) 250ml
• Dove Original Beauty Cream Bar (RRP £1.54) 2x100g
• Dove Triple Moisturising Beauty Care body wash (RRP £1.99) 250ml
• Vaseline Intensive Rescue Soothing Hand Cream (RRP £3.39) 50ml
• Vaseline Intensive Moisture Locking Body Lotion (RRP £2.99) 250ml
• Sure Crystal Clear Aqua roll-on (RRP £1.69) 50ml
• Sure Maximum Anti-Perspirant Deodorant (RRP £4.99) 50ml

The giveaway will run for 2 weeks from today (closing on Monday 7th June). To enter, just write us a comment telling us what your favourite "basics" are. That is, the day-to-day items that work best for you and that you return to time and again. Could be deodorant, nail polish remover, body wash, anything that you buy over and over because it works well for you.

Please also include an email address, Twitter @name, blog URL or similar so we can notify the winners and get their postal details.

Good luck!

Sarbeauty!

Congratulations Sarbeauty - please send us your address via email and we will arrange for your prize to be sent out to you.

Illamasqua are running a contest at the moment to find the inspiration for a new shade of nail polish. It closes on March 14th (Sunday) so get your skates on if you want to enter.

As I'm always banging on about duochromes, and am especially fond of those that appear in the natural world, my choice is pretty obvious. My entry to the contest is below.

Cetonia aurata - the rose chafer beetle, pictured by ParaScubaSailor on Flickr

A polish in tribute to the jewelled beauty of the rose chafer. Clinging to the fingertips like 6 delicate legs, shimmering rose gold and green like the multi-faceted wing-cases of this gentle springtime insect. Vibrant and shining, shifting colours on a blue-black base. An unconventional beauty brought into the spotlight.

As we reported earlier this week, OCC have just unleashed 4 new shades of their culter-than-cult Lip Tar - Complex, Demure, Hoochie and Vapid. They are exclusively available in the UK, along with the other 20 shades, from The Makeup Artist Boutique.

They can be pre-ordered now, and are expected to ship on 23rd March. (Use the promo code OCCLBR for 10% off your order.)

We are offering you the chance to win one of these new Spring shades - Hoochie (third from left, above) in conjunction with the girls at The Makeup Artist Boutique, who are supplying the prize.

To enter, just drop us a comment below, telling us what other products you would pair with Hoochie (for example, you might combine it with black cat-eye liner and a matching plum blush). If for some reason you're not yet following us (*nudge*, *wink*), please leave us your email address in the comment too.

The competition will close on Saturday 20th March at 12.00 GMT, when we will pick a winner at random from the entries.

(NB - Get Lippie is also giving away one of the new Lip Tars - head over to her page to enter.)

Thanks to everyone who entered our giveaway which closed earlier this afternoon. We both very much enjoyed reading everyone's entries and feeling the vicarious "haul thrill" from your tales of cosmetic discovery. It's given us both plenty of food for thought and ideas for new products to try out.

The winners have now been selected using random.org.

I am delighted to congratulate

Pop the Fashion, who has won Prize 1:
Boots 17 Lip Glaze (Rising Star), Maybelline Define-A-Lash mascara (black, waterproof), Cargo Plant Love lipstick (shade Lola), Barry M Dazzle Dust (shade 69), Boots Protect and Perfect serum (small sample size), MUD eyeshadow pan (Sienna)

and

Lillian Funny Face, who has won Prize 2:
Cargo Oil Free foundation (shade F20, pale/warm), Boots 17 Lip Glaze (Remember Me), Barry M Lip Gloss (Shade 4), Boots 17 Eye Dazzle (shade All At Sea), MUD eyeshadow pan (Sienna), Barry M Nail Paint (shade 284)

Girls, please email in your addresses asap to admin@londonbeautyreview.com and I will get the prizes sent out to you this week.

Enter before 12.00 GMT (midday) on Saturday 27th February for your chance to win one of two sets of makeup.



They're all treasures from my "backup drawer", brand new and untouched, and ready to find a happy home in your makeup bag.

Enter here.

There are a number of beauty competitions and offers floating around on the web at the moment, so we thought we'd sum them up for you.

Firstly, our own competition is running for just over another week, and includes two prizes of lovely beauty things. Open to all, UK based or not, find out more here, and get your entries in by 27th February.

Secondly, SpaceNK are running two promotions of note: firstly, the chance to win an entire collection from both NARS and Oribe - well worth entering, and open til March 2nd. Additionally, they're running an insider only beauty evening in-store; you can purchase a ticket for £10 up until 23rd February, which'll grant you access to the event on the evening of the 24th February. You'll scoop a goodie bag as well as hints, tips, and tricks from SpaceNK artists. Find your nearest store to buy your ticket.

BeautyBay.com are running a Facebook competition; you could win your favourite beauty product just by talking about a product you absolutely can't live without. Only two days left to enter this, so comment quickly!

BrandAlley are having a Pop Beauty and Pixi sale; prices from £2.50 (plus p&p). You'll need to join up to take advantage though, and postage is often slow - most things are posted after the sale ends, which for this is on the 21st February.

MAC Cosmetics are offering free shipping til Sunday: use code SHIPFEB at the checkout.

If you know of any other competitions or offers going on... share the love in the comments!

We're giving away two prizes to our readers - each is a collection of products, mostly from UK brands. The competition is open to both UK and international readers.

To enter, just leave us a comment below, telling us about your best/biggest/most enjoyable product haul. It could be half of Selfridges or just a couple of bits from Boots, just let us know what you bought and why it made you so happy.

We've also recently introduced Google Friend Connect on the blog, so if you think we're worth following, it would be great to see your name there on the list if you've entered.

The prizes will be allocated at random to two lucky entrants.

Prize 1:
Boots 17 Lip Glaze (Rising Star), Maybelline Define-A-Lash mascara (black, waterproof), Cargo Plant Love lipstick (shade Lola), Barry M Dazzle Dust (shade 69), Boots Protect and Perfect serum (small sample size), MUD eyeshadow pan (Sienna)

Prize 2:
Cargo Oil Free foundation (shade F20, pale/warm), Boots 17 Lip Glaze (Remember Me), Barry M Lip Gloss (Shade 4), Boots 17 Eye Dazzle (shade All At Sea), MUD eyeshadow pan (Sienna), Barry M Nail Paint (shade 284)

I'll be packaging your prizes up tonight, as soon as I work out whereabouts my husband has hidden carefully tidied away the bubble wrap and padded envelopes. Hopefully a trip to the postoffice can be shoehorned into my day tomorrow.

We have one winner who hasn't yet emailed in with her address - Klara, winner of the lipstain and mascara prize, please get in touch within a week of today, or your prize will be given to someone else.

Thank you so much to those who entered our US beauty competitions over the past week - we've really enjoyed reading all your recommendations and have picked up a few product ideas!

Without further ado, here are the winners, as picked out with Random.org. If you're a winner, please email in to londonbeautyreview [at] gmail.com with your handle, name and address. Drumroll please!


LashBlast Mascara and OutLast lipstains: Klara (comment 6)
Bath & Body Works Warm & Sensual products: La (comment 5)
Mosaic Powders & LashBlash Mascara: Get Lippie (comment 6)
Bath & Body Works Fresh & Floral products: Friya (comment 1)
Milani Luminous Blush & Coffee Shop Eyeshadow: Jo (comment 2)
Sephora By OPI polishes: PCMP_Forever (comment 7)

Congratulations girls, don't forget to email in to claim your prizes!

Thanks to everyone who entered our week of American beauty giveaways. All the contests are now closed and we're randomly selecting winners for each prize.

Keep an eye on the blog for more giveaways in the near future, and good luck if you entered this one!

In our final giveaway, we have two shades from the widely-praised Sephora by OPI collection.

Screen Test is a shimmering rich magenta colour; perfect for winter.

212-Sephora is a limited edition shade created to mark the new Times Square Sephora flagship store. A smoky black with copper, gold and iridescent glitter, this shade is only available online or at the Times Square store - very exclusive!

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us about your favourite nail polish - what brands are the best? Entries posted before midnight on Sunday UK time will be counted, and winners will be selected at random next week. We don't require that you to follow us here or on Twitter, but if you'd like to, feel free! This competition is open to everyone, whether based in the UK or not.

Today we've got two items from Milani, a drugstore brand with a big reputation.

Milani Minerals Blush in Luminous is often talked about in the same breath as NARS Orgasm - which is a compliment indeed. With the same universally flattering shimmery peachy-pink shade, this blush is supposedly more pigmented.

Milani Runway Eyes Eyeshadow in Coffee Shop; a rich, deep brown colour with golden sparkle. Comes with a double-ended brush and can be applied wet as an eyeliner, or dry as an eyeshadow.

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your favourite blushers are. Entries posted before midnight UK time will be counted, and winners will be selected at random next week. We don't require that you to follow us here or on Twitter, but if you'd like to, feel free! This competition is open to everyone, whether based in the UK or not.

Today, we have a few more treats from Bath and Body works for you.

True Blue Spa Shower Cream (travel size) in Be More Pacific: formulated with Tahitian monoi oil, this shower gel is luxuriously moisturising and soothing, leaving the skin soft and smooth.

Antibacterial Hand Cream in Midnight Pomegranate: moisturises as it sanitises, with notes of blackberry, red pomegranate, cassis, patchouli and anise.

Body Lotion (travel size) in Coconut Lime Verbena: light but hydrating lotion perfumed a light tropical island inspired scent - don't worry, it's not too heavy on the coconut!

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your favourite body products are - scrubs, lotions, oils, whatever! Entries posted before midnight UK time will be counted, and winners will be selected at random next week. We don't require that you to follow us here or on Twitter, but if you'd like to, feel free! This competition is open to everyone, whether based in the UK or not.

Today we're giving away three pieces of makeup you'd be hard pressed to find on our shores.

CoverGirl LashBlast mascara in Very Black: LashBlast was big news last year, with US based beauty blogs giving it great reviews. Many different variations have been released since then, but we're giving away one of the original formula.

Physician's Formula Shimmer Strips in Natural Glow: this pretty compact of complimentary, shimmering colours is a cheaper alternative to Bobbi Brown's shimmer bricks, and can be used as either a blush or a highlighter.

Milani Powder Mosaics in Honey Kissed; a versatile mosaic powder compact with no shimmer - use either as a multi-toned blush or choose individual shades for contouring.

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your favourite mascara is - or mascaras, if you can't choose just the one! Entries posted before midnight UK time will be counted, and winners will be selected at random next week. We don't require that you to follow us here or on Twitter, but if you'd like to, feel free! This competition is open to everyone, whether based in the UK or not.

Today we're giving away three Bath and Body Works products, in a selection of warm, sensual fragrances.

Shimmer Splash in Spiced Gingersnap: this warm, spicily fragranced body spritz imparts a dose of fine golden glitter to the skin.

Shower Gel (travel size) in Sensual Amber: a moisturising and softening shower gel, scented with notes of lotus, amber, plum, and creamy sandalwood.

Hand Cream in Warm Vanilla Sugar: with shea and murumuru butters, this soothes dry skin and cuticles, leaving hands soft and gently fragranced with delicious notes of vanilla, and creamy sandalwood.

To enter, all you have to do is leave us a comment telling us what your bath and shower treats are - high or low end. Entries posted before midnight UK time will be counted, and winners will be selected at random next week. We don't require that you to follow us here or on Twitter, but if you'd like to, feel free! This competition is open to everyone, whether based in the UK or not.