HUGE Holiday Giveaway - Whitening Lightning Holiday Bundle

'Tis the season to give to those you LOVE and guess what I REALLY LOVE my readers!  So much so that I've partnered up w/ Whitening Lightning again to give you guys the chance at another AMAZING Giveaway just in time for the holidays!

I've used and loved Whitening Lightning products in the past and I've done a few giveaways w/ them too...and they've always been super generous w/ my readers but this giveaway is really awesome!

PLUS they've also given me a new discount code to share w/ my readers...hey if you don't win the giveaway...or you just can't wait to have this awesome kit you can still get this amazing bundle for $89.00 (HUGE SAVINGS) by using the coupon code SnowMan or if you're looking to purchase some of their other cool products you can always use my discount code JESSICA70 to get 70% off your purchase!!

So what exactly am I giving away you ask?

I'm giving away 1 Whitening Lightning Holiday Bundle (basically the first pic on the blog) to 1 lucky reader in the US or Canada!

Whitening Lightning Bundle includes:

Get the Dial a Smile Teeth Whitening Kit, your choice of 2 pens (Any Pens) and 2 Lip Glosses (Any Colour). VALUE $499

The home kit contains 3 complete professional whitening treatments

• Whiten your teeth at home
• Takes only 20 minutes
• Painless
• 4-7 shades whiter per treatment on average
• Great for smokers, wine, and coffee lovers
• Great for teens that just got their braces off

The Super booster pen will whiten your teeth while you sleep with a Whitening Lightning Teeth Whitening Pen

• up to 7-10 shades in 14 days
• Works while you sleep
• No unpleasant taste
• Just paint it on 
• No sensitivity unpleasant taste
• No Mess

The Color Your Smile Lighted Lip Gloss  Contains collagen peptides - increase lip volume Reduces Lip Wrinkles Doubles as a lip treatment Feels smooth and light on lips - never sticky Will not feather or bleed How AWESOME is all that! So how do you ENTER...it's SO Easy & Simple AND I've given a ton of options to choose from!  Do 1 or do them ALL! Please allow a few seconds for the Rafflecopter Widget to load...it's sometimes slow!  a Rafflecopter giveaway Happy Holidays and Good Luck!

Private Makeup Lessons - Great Holiday Gift, Great Personal Investment!

In the last year I've seen a surge in the amount of Private Makeup Lessons I give to women.  I think in part this has to do w/ the fact that I advertise the service on my Wedding Site but also b/c a lot of women are coming to realize that they know very little about makeup and in fact many are even scared of it but they do realize its importance in society...esp. in the professional sector.

The mere idea of hiring someone to teach you makeup seems like a fairly modern and new concept to a lot of people out there.  It's actually funny b/c so many women initially have trouble grasping the concept of investing in someone to teach them how to apply makeup b/c it is "just makeup" after all but then if you were to ask them many of these same women would express how "scared" they are of makeup and doing it "wrong".  I mean I remember when I was a teen I don't remember any sort of thing like this being available (and there def. wasn't YouTube around back then w/ tutorials and advice).  Plus, I find with many women makeup tips and skills are initially learned through the mothers and if the mother never wore makeup then it's more likely that these women never really started wearing or experimenting w/ makeup themselves.

So as the holidays are fast approaching it got me thinking about what a unique and thoughtful gift it might be to invest in a Private Makeup Lesson for your wife, sister, daughter, girlfriend, mother etc...basically any woman in your life lol!  I can almost guarantee no one else would be getting that person the same thing plus it really shows a lot of thought and people love when they get gifts that are "outside the box" and experiential gifts!  Plus how cool would it be for a lot of women to have a professional makeup artist come to their house and personally teach them "tricks and secrets" of the pros!

There are SO MANY women out there that LOVE makeup but are just too scared to try it themselves...or they have drawers and drawers of makeup that's going to waste b/c they don't know what to do w/ it.  With a private lesson a woman would learn what works exactly for her and how to apply makeup specifically for her features and face.  Plus she'd learn what specific products or brushes she should be investing in which for a lot of women would actually save money as they wouldn't be buying tons of makeup that either didn't work for them or they didn't know what to do with.

It's also a great idea for young girls that are newly getting into makeup.  I know we've all seen those young girls that are ruining their beautiful young faces w/ too thin brows and too much eyeliner.  Why not have someone teach them the basics and good techniques from the start so they don't have to look back on their teens years 10 years from now and think "What was I thinking?" lol!

Also, for any women out their reading this and thinking they might want a lesson...go for it!  Give a gift to yourself sometime!  I'm all about giving gifts for myself lol...especially when I was a single lady (b/c let's be real no one else was doing it)!  I often talk to my clients about this being an investment into one's self.  I honestly believe knowing how to apply a basic day look style of makeup is the equivalent of a man knowing how to tie a tie.  It's a life skill that every woman should learn that will help them in almost all professional settings.  Now I'm not saying all women need to wear tons of makeup all the time.  I'm just saying knowing and understanding the basics and how to pump those "basics" up for a night look are great skills to have and they come in handy in a lot of personal and professional settings.

I'd actually say I get booked most for lessons by women that realize they need to start looking more professional and pulled together for their career and workplace.  Often it's young women just entering the workforce that need to appear mature and polished or even women that are heading back into the workforce after taking some time off for their children.  Whatever the case may be a lot of women are seeing the importance makeup plays in presenting a polished and professional person.

So for anyone looking for a last minute gift idea that is guaranteed to be unique and memorable I'd definitely say a private makeup lesson could be a great idea or suggestion!

Christmas Time With Lush Cosmetics!

 Christmas came early for me this year!  After my excellent experience w/ Lush Cosmetics Halloween line I of course jumped at the chance to try and sample some of their products from their current Holiday collection.

If you're struggling w/ a gift for an friend, family member or someone in the office some of these little treats would make an excellent addition.  As I mentioned before Lush Cosmetics are handmade and fresh w/ little to no preservatives or packaging.  All products are vegetarian friendly and many are vegan friendly.  The only thing some people aren't a fan of (and I mentioned this before) is the fragrances.  The products do tend to have a lot of natural fragrance so if that's not something you're cool w/ you might want to pass on these things.

Now on to the treats!

Sandy Santa - This is a shower body exfoliant in the shape of Santa.  Good for buffing away that dry Winter skin for your feet, legs and elbows.  I'd probably avoid the face w/ this one as I think it would be a little too coarse or rough for that.  This year they've also added coconut oils and shea butters to soften the skin while exfoliating.  It's a good product but beware that Santa's red cap does bleed once wet so can be a little messy and your shower might need a bit of a rinse...I think my boyfriend referred to this product as "bloody Santa" or "bleeding head Santa" lol.

Buche De Noel - Another exfoliant/cleanser but this one is for the face.  It usesground almonds to gently exfoliate the face and almond oil and seawood to hydrate and nourish it.  I like this product and I do find a little goes a long way....which is great b/c my one complaint about some Lush products is that they get used up very quickly considering the price.  I personally wouldn't use this as my everyday face shower cleanser maybe more like 1 or 2 times a week.  Because of the ground almonds...even though they are ground finely I think it could be a bit much for the skin to use it everyday...plus I sometimes worry about the the micro tears almond exfoliants can create on the skin b/c of the rough edges (even when finely ground).  I do really enjoy the smell of this product though and I do not find it drying to the skin.

Snowcake - This bar soap has been a hit w/ my boyfriend...so much so I'd say I actually only used it a couple of times lol.  He even said he'd consider buying other soaps from Lush as sort of "special soaps" to sometimes use instead of his regular day to day "man soaps".  I really liked the almond icing and marzapan fragrance and I did overall find the soap very moisturizing...although I'll be totally honest and admit I'm more of a shower gel girl anyway ;)

Rose Jam - Speaking of shower gel this leads me to my next product and actually probably my FAV out of the bunch.  I LOVED the way this shower gel smelled!  And I'll be honest I'm not usually a big "rose" fragrance fan but I really like this!  Plus unlike a lot of other shower gels the fragrance stayed w/ me after the shower.  I remember one time in particular thinking what is that lovely smell...then I realized it was me lol!

Bombardino - These are one of those cute and fun stocking stuffer type gifts!  It's definitely a little treat for your skin and a bit of an indulgence b/c they aren't really long lasting but that's what makes them perfect to give as gifts.  I personally love gifts that I'd never actually buy for myself but would still like to try and this little bath bomb is perfect for that!

Santa's Lip Scrub - This lip scrub feels and tastes so yummy on my lips.  It's very moisturizing and the sugar exfoliates while the coconut oil moisturizes.  Sure you could make this scrub (minus the flavour and colour) at home but this is a nice little treat that's easy to keep in your purse or again throw in a stocking or gift bag for a friend!  It has a cherry cola fragrance and taste and it's edible so you just lick it off your lips after you exfoliate...it tastes so good I also lick it off my finger after I apply it too lol!

Santa Baby - This is a perfect companion gift for the Santa's Lip Scrub.  Made w/ shea and cocoa butters to moisturize lips during the cold, harsh Winter mths.  This lip tint/moisturizer does give some intense colour pay off so if you're not looking for some rosy lips I'd try something a little more neutral like the Eggnog Lip Balm. Another neat trick - you can use this lip tint to give your cheeks a nice rosy flush...I love when products have duel purposes!

The Christmas Penguin - Last but definitely not least!  How did Lush know my fav animal is the penguin ;) This little guy is another bubble bath bomb and every penguin is unique as they are each made from hand.  I thought this one was just too cute!

This is just a sample of the items available in the Holiday Collection by Lush this year so there's definitely something for everyone and definitely worth checking out online or in-store!