Lizzy Gets Her First Award :D

As I was browsing my little corner of FB earlier in the week, I happened upon the following post to my wall by one of my fav fans and fellow blogger mNg:

Liz! ♥ I tagged you for an award so go check out my blog entry. Didn't wanna spam your page with the link. LOL.

Ever the dutiful friend, I hopped over to her pretty-in-pink blog, I'm Not Skinny--So What? (which I love) and was so excited to see that she had passed to me The Versatile Blogger Award!  Newbie that I am, I was thrilled to be receiving my first peer-given award, and from someone I greatly respect.

Why, thank you, mNg!

So here's to mNg, and all the other Versatile Bloggers that have come before me ;)

Giveaway: I'm Not Skinny, So What?

So, besides the fact that fellow blogger mNg is a lovely person and beautiful woman, I have to give props to anyone with the attitude to pull off the awesome title of her blog: "I'm Not Skinny, So What?"  I was so happy to see her blogging that I nearly missed this little gem of a giveaway being hosted by her with a very unique prize supplied by My Pretty Zombie--three custom-created, delicious shades of pink that were a collaboration between Andrea, owner & proprietress, and mNg, who was looking for that "just so" shadow ;)

photos courtesy of ohsillymng.blogspot.com

mNg has a big heart, a sharp wit, a very direct communication style, and as I mentioned before, a healthy attitude toward herself and the world in general.  You can pretty much count on her to give her honest opinion about anything she's chosen to blog about--despite her love of all things girly, pink, and sparkly she is no whitewasher (LOL!!).  That being said, she does the best she can to be fair.  She's generous, too, so the winner of her giveaway will receive all 3 of the above "mNg Pinks"--amazing!!

How cute is this??

One of the things I love best about mNg's blog is the threads of RL she weaves into her posts--you all know how I love a good story!  How about you, darling readers?  What are the qualities you look for in a good blog?

And...go check out mNg's blog!  You can enter her "All Pink-ed Out " giveaway here.  It's open for new  entries until Midnight (12:00 AM or 0:00 for the 24-hour clockers) on April 29, 2011.

MKA,

Lizzy

Franken-Shading!!!

Recent tremors in the MMU world have left me (and a great many other beautiful ladies) with more than a few items of mineral makeup of...well, let's just say questionable provenance.  Several have even mentioned in a variety of forums that the quality of these products were also in question, with concerns running the gamut from lack of opacity, depth, or texture to allergic reactions.  Many of us have learned a hard lesson from this experience: caveat emptor--let the buyer beware.  Fortunately in the age of instant access, finding support from those who have similar experiences (positive or not) and banding together to advocate on behalf of ourselves and those who might be harmed in the future is much less burdensome.

One of the wonderful things to come out of this is the practice of "frankening"--taking a product you are less than thrilled with and mixing into it other elements (base, additional shades, etc.) to create something both beautiful and useful.  This can result in a collection of "franken-polishes" (MMU shades mixed with clear nail polish--especially helpful in using up product discovered to be not eye or lip-safe), "franken-glosses" (mixing shades with clear or tinted lip glosses), and "franken-shadows."

I have to say there is something about frankening that I just adore--not the reasons that necessitate it, of course, but "cooking up" something unique and special from disappointing product takes me right back to my early days playing in my mother's makeup...and lotions...shampoo...you get the picture ;)

Giveaway: Glitters and Bubbles

The lovely Amanda T. is hosting a giveaway on her blog of glittery delights, Glitter and Bubbles.  What's so special about this, you might well ask, and you would have a point--there are many giveaways hosted every day by lovely people all over the world.

Here's something that makes this giveaway unique and wonderful: Amanda is offering not one, or two, or even a few, but six jars of shimmery, sparkly, colorful eye candy.  Even more enticing is the fact that the shades included in this mini-haul are in themselves unique and wonderful, for two reasons--first, they were manufactured by the recently closed and much-lamented Aromaleigh (renowned for quality product made by an indie company) and second, these shades were "oops" shades--happy accidents that were not offered up for sale until the company closed its doors (purging its vaults in the process).

This makes them a rarity twice over!

A mini-rainbow of Aromaleigh--six shades for the lucky winner!

Ever the sweet and thoughtful beauty, and mindful of the health and safety of her followers, Amanda has gone that extra mile and repackaged the goods in clean, clear jars:

"All of these eye shadows have been repotted from baggies. In case you're wondering how sanitary this is, I swabbed the jars with alcohol, covered my work area with a paper towel and I wore nitrile gloves the entire time. Each jar has a sealed sifter to prevent product loss."

I love this!!  This is putting the concept of "inner beauty" into practice by looking out for the well-being of others, whether in RL or the virtual world.  Amanda is an amazing role model for this and I admire the example she sets here.

Well enough of my soapbox (heehee!), back to the pretties!!

One winner will get them all!!

Amanda describes these lovely "oops" shades as follows:

Ooops #1 - Silvery gray with copper sparkles and a hint of rainbow sparkle
Ooops #2 - Medium blue/green with rainbow sparkle
Ooops #3 - Golden beige with rainbow sparkle
Ooops #4 - Light pink/purple with aqua sparkle
Ooops #5 - Medium green with green and rainbow sparkle
Ooops #6 - Dark dusty purple with holographic sparkle

Gorgeousness!!  Considering both the awesome that is Amanda T (she is an absolute rock star when it comes to swatches!) and the uniqueness of the prize, I urge you to go check out her blog, Glitters and Bubbles, and enter her giveaway here.  The contest is open until May 5, 2011.  And don't forget to be a good guest, check out her other well-written posts, and share your (positive!) thoughts with her.  I certainly did ;)

Good luck all my lovely followers!

MKA,

Lizzy

Act Beautiful, Be Beautiful

UPDATE: April 25, 2011

Success!  I made it through the whole season of Lent without giving in to the impulse to buy (though I was SORELY tempted, thanks to incredible artisans like Concrete Minerals, Meow Cosmetics, Antionette's Revolution Cosmetics, and Mineral Maven, to name a few ;D ).  Starting on Good Friday, which this year coincided with Earth Day, I began to submit donations using some of the money I saved during this period of abstinence.  To date, I've donated over $200 to my chosen service organizations, including local food banks, Pacific Whale Foundation, public radio, and Aveda's "Water Warriors" initiative, with pledges in to NorCal Boxer Rescue and the American Red Cross.

A great big MAHALO to all my lovely friends, fans, and followers for your positive energy and encouragement (and even the gentle teasing--made me smile all 40 days!!)--you are truly beautiful inside and out!