Subscriber Giveaway - Sassi's Favorite Things in 2011 (CLOSED - INTERNATIONAL)

As a big "thank you" to my YouTube Subscribers, I am holding an International Subscriber Giveaway!  These are a few of my favorite things from 2011, and they include a designer handbag, makeup, fragrance and a jewelry holder.  Everything is brand new and I bought the items exclusively for this giveaway.

RULES!

1. Be a Subscriber to my YouTube Channel. Click here: The Sassi Wench.

2. "Thumbs up" and "Favorite" the video.

3. Follow me on Twitter here: The Sassi Wench on Twitter

4. Then, you can enter once per day (i.e. once every 24 hrs) for each day the Giveaway is open.
5. For your first entry, please write what your favorite kind YouTube video is - for example: 

   What's in My Purse? or Makeup Organization and Storage, etc. After that, just write anything as your entry except "Enter Me" because otherwise YouTube may take down the video.

6. The Subscriber Giveaway is open to anyone, anywhere in the world!
7. If you are under 18, please get your parents permission to enter this Giveaway.
8. Winner will be chosen on December 27, 2011, using www.random.org, and I will check to make sure that the winning entry has complied with the rules.

9. After I contact the winner, they will have 5 days to respond with their shipping address.  If they don't respond, I will draw another name.

10. Please do not email me to ask me who the winner is.  I will post a video of the drawing on YouTube, so check your subscription box after December 27th.


Give-Away includes:

• Rebecca Minkoff Cherish Tote in Gold leather

• MAC Tartan Tale Swinging Violets Mineralize Set which includes:

1. Earthly Riches Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo
2. Paint Pot in Bare Study
3. Zoom Lash Mascara in Black
4. Icescape Lipglass

• Pirates of the Caribbean OPI Mini Nail Polish Collection which includes:

1. Skull and Glossbones
2. Planks a Lot
3. Sparrow Me the Drama
4. Stranger Tides

• MAC Quiet Please Lipstick

• Dolce and Gabbana 18 La Lune 20ml(.67 oz.)

• EOS Lip balm in Strawberry

• Ring Holder by artist Kristina Chadwick 

Rebecca Minkoff Cherish Tote Front

Rebecca Minkoff Cherish Tote Back

Inside the Rebecca Minkoff Cherish Tote

MAC Giveaway

MAC Tartan Tale Swinging Violets Mineralize Set

MAC Earthly Riches Mineralize Eyeshadow Duo

MAC Paint Pot in Bare Study

MAC Zoom Lash Mascara in Black and MAC Icescape  Lipglass

MAC Quiet Please Lipstick

Pirates of the Caribbean OPI Mini Nail Polish Collection

Dolce and Gabbana 18 La Lune

Ring Holder by artist Kristina Chadwick

For more information on designer Kristina Chadwick and ordering her custom ring holders and other handmade jewelry and ceramics.  She also does bulk orders, and makes custom pottery.   Click here:

Kristina is offering a coupon code of 10% off! Use code "Sassi"

Kristina's Handmade Ceramics and Jewelry

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench


All of the items included in this Giveaway were purchased by me.  This is not a sponsored video/giveaway, and I am not affiliated with the companies who produce these products in any way. 


Until next time, 

The Sassi Wench!

What's in My Travel Makeup Bag?

Paul & Joe Makeup Bag and Furla Makeup Bag

The last time I did a "What's in my Travel Makeup Bag" video or blog post was in January, and I've travelled so much this year, so this video and blog post is long overdue!

Inside my Paul & Joe Makeup Bag

Like so many women, I do tend to take too many products with me.  I know that I have never ever used absolutely everything I've ever brought with me while on vacation. 


I also use travel time to test out new products and play with samples that I may have forgotten about , or just never got around to using.  Often I find that I have more time in the morning to apply makeup and style my hair than I do in my regular day to day life.  


I did splurge a little and I bought a new foundation brush (Louise Young), a new eye brush (Edward Bess), and a new eyeshadow palette just before I left to go on this vacation.  It was the perfect opportunity to experiment with the new shadows and brushes.


And all of these products fit comfortably into the Paul & Joe makeup bag!

All of this makeup fits inside the Paul & Joe Cosmetic Bag!

On this road trip we traveled to Washington, D.C., Manassas and Leesburg in Virginia, and to Gettysburg Pennsylvania for a vacation seeped in American Civil War history.

The Hakuhodo makeup brushes (on the left) are my all time favorite!

We saw The White House, took bus tours, auto tours, visited museums and monuments, shopped in Tysons Corner Mall and The Fashion Centre at Pentagon City, ate cupcakes from Georgetown Cupcakes, saw $64 million in cash money at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing, and sat down to a Witches Brew Tea at a plantation in Virginia!

Furla Makeup Bag filled with Chanel Particulière Nail Polish and nail tools.

I found that I used everything that I brought with me, except for two makeup brushes, the nail polish remover wipes, my backup mascara (explained in my video) and the NARS highlighter.  I just wasn't in the mood to use the highlighter.  So all in all, I feel that I did pretty well and didn't overpack too much this time around.


I took all of my nail tools with me because I gave myself a mani-pedi in my hotel room.  I don't use lip gloss and I rarely use a primer or concealer, so I didn't bring those products with me.


2009 Paul & Joe Waterproof Cosmetic Pouch:

• Lipsticks MAC Creme d' Nude, NARS Bangkok
• Laura Mercier Silk Creme Foundation
• MAC Blush Dame
• MAC Beauty Powder in Light Sunshine
• Anna Sui Beauty Mirror Rose
• Bobbi Brown Long Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Stone
• Mally Beauty Volumizing Mascara (this might just be my favorite mascara of all time!)
• Laura Mercier Mascara (backup)
• NARS Highlighter in Luxor
• Too Faced Eye Love Sephora Eyeshadow Palette
• Stila In the Light Palette
• Mbeze Sweet Sanura Natural Perfume 
• Boots No7 Beautiful Brows Pencil
• Makeup Brushes:
• Hakuhodo
• MAC
• Louise Young
• Edward Bess

Furla Makeup Bag:

• Chanel Particulière Nail Polish
• OPI Base Coat
• Essie Super Duper Top Coat
• Nail Clippers
• Cuticle pushers
• Bloom Nail File
• All Season Sanding Stick
• Polish Off Nail Polish Remover Pads
• Nail Buffer

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Review - Count Your Assets

I was in the mood to try something new, so I invested in one of MAC's Limited Edition Big Bounce eye shadows, called Count Your Assets.  It's from the Flighty Collection that was released a few months back, and it retails for $16.50 for 5g.  Is it worth the money for this pricey goop?  I think not.

MAC Big Bounce Shadow

MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets Packaging

MAC claims that this eyeshadow has a mousse-like, spongy quality, that it lasts for hours, that it's lightweight and cool upon application.  Those are a lot of promises, and I'm not convinced that it lives up to all of them.

MAC Big Bounce Count Your Assets

MAC Count Your Assets Shadow

MAC Big Bounce Eye Shadow

If you decide to purchase this, I would advise you to keep the little plastic insert (shown above on the right) on the pot under the lid, otherwise you'll end up with the eyeshadow stuck underneath the lid and it will probably be very messy when you open it.


While the shadow is definitely cool when first applied, this isn't particularly groundbreaking technology because if you apply any kind of cream or lotion it feels cool the first moment it touches your skin! 

MAC Big Bounce Eyeshadow Pot

I found the consistency to be rather inconsistent with a mousse.  I feel that a makeup mousse is usually more airy, but this texture seemed to be a little more dense to me.  I suppose I would consider the texture to be just a little spongy, but it's rather more tacky.

I certainly don't think that this is an eyeshadow that you should use if you are in a hurry - I wouldn't dream of applying this before I rush out the door each morning for work.

The problem is that if you apply it and blink before the eyeshadow has set you may find that you have eyeshadow in places you never intended to put it!  Some beauty reviewers recommend using a brush, but I got the best application by using the tiniest amount on my finger and building it up a little.  A little really does go a long way.  You would never want to slather this stuff on.

The eyeshadow is highly pigmented, and once it sets it stays put.  Even when I rubbed the area about 2 hours later, the color remained and didn't smudge, although a small amount of shimmer was visible on my fingers.  I do have dry eyelids, though.


I didn't use primer because of the tacky texture of the product sticks to the skin well enough on its own.  This also has drawbacks, however, because one little dab of the stuff in the wrong place and it can be quite a mission to remove all that sparkle.

MAC Count Your Assets Swatch

The Big Bounce Shadow collection is a rather strange concept from MAC, and certainly not one of their greatest hits.  In fact, I don't even know why they would even allow something like this to be manufactured in the first place.  


The best (and maybe the only good) thing about this shadow is the actual color.  It's an intense purple with silver flecks that sparkle like diamonds - it's absolutely gorgeous! 


While I do enjoy this eyeshadow as the final result is exceptionally stunning for a few hours (after some fussing about with it and layering some regular eyeshadow over it in the outer corners of my eyes), it's not something I would reach for very often.  It's probably more suited to wear in the evenings anyway, and not very practical to apply unless you have a decent amount of time to get the job done properly.  


While I will use this on the rare occasion, I won't purchase another color from this collection because, to be honest, who really has the time to fuss this much with makeup? 


- The Sassi Wench

My First MAC Palette

Actually, this is not the first MAC palette I have ever owned.  It is the first MAC palette that I have assembled.  The first palette was pre-filled and I purchased it around 2002.    It was about the same size as this palette, but it had around 4 or 6 eyeshadows (I wish I could remember what they were!), and maybe 2 blushes.  I threw it out a few years ago, but I wish I hadn't - for some reason I didn't realize that I could refill the palette!  And how I wish MAC made a palette like that today!

Regardless, I finished assembling all of the colors for this palette a while back, and I had intended to do a blog post about it but for some reason I never got around to it.

My First MAC Palette

For the longest time I just purchased MAC eyeshadows in their infamous black plastic pots, but then I realized that there were so many eyeshadows that I wanted that it was better to just purchase a palette - not only was it a space saver, it was also cheaper.

MAC Brule, Filament, Jest, Pink Venus, Electra, Shroom, Retrospeck, Woodwinked, Swish, Shale, Phloof!, Vex, Wedge, Expensive Pink and Blackberry 

What's Inside my MAC palette?

Top Row: 

Brulé - Satin

Soft creamy-beige

Filament - Lustre

Platinum silver

Jest - Frost

Soft peach with icy shimmer

Pink Venus - Lustre

Washed pink

Electra - Frost

Silver with icy shimmer

Middle Row:

Shroom - Satin

Soft beige with shimmer

Retrospeck - Lustre

Beached blonde

Woodwinked - Veluxe Pearl

Warm antique gold

Swish - Frost

Bright pink with icy shimmer

Shale - Satin

Mauve-plum with subtle shimmer

Bottom Row:

Phloof! - Frost

Frosted off-white

Vex - Frost

Beige with pink/green pearl

Wedge - Matte

Soft muted beige taupe

Expensive Pink - Veluxe Pearl

Pink with duo chrome

Blackberry - Matte

Muted burgundy-plum brown

My MAC Palette

I'm definitely a fan of neutral colors - I find that they complement my eyes, which are dark brown.  As for the finish, I'm probably more partial to a satin, but I really love them all.

MAC Eyeshadows

Because I travel so much, I enjoy taking this palette with me.  The convenience of having my personal eyeshadow selection on hand is immensely satisfying. 

MAC Eyeshadow Palette

As for a favorite eyeshadow?  It's very difficult to say, since I really do love them all, but if I had to pick it would probably be Vex and Retrospeck.


- The Sassi Wench

Acrylic Cube Makeup Storage

I decided to update my makeup storage, because I kept on losing my eyeshadows.  In particular, my MAC eyeshadows!  I don't know why.  Anyway, a speedy solution was necessary!  

I found this clear cube acrylic three drawer jewelry box from Beauty Makeup Supply.  I tried it out for a few weeks, then I realized that two of these particular boxes would be the perfect solution to reign in my missing eyeshadows!  I just stacked one on top of the other.

The boxes come in several configurations, all of which can be seen in my video above.

A clear cube 3 Drawer Storage Box.

Each drawer is completely removable.  The size of this organizer is approximately 9" wide, 4" high. 

Stackable clear cube makeup storage.

 Each drawer can hold 15 regular MAC eyeshadows.

MAC Eyeshadow acrylic storage cube

Even MAC Paint Pots fit comfortably inside the drawers.

Storing MAC Paint Pots and eyeshadows

I decided to store the beauty powders and blush in there as well.  

MAC beauty Powders and blush in acrylic makeup storage drawers

In the second cube I stored some Stila, Bourjois and Bobbi Brown makeup. 

Stila and Burberry Eyeshadows stored in acrylic makeup drawers

Storing Eyeshadows - Stila and Bourjois and Face Powders

Acrylic container storing Bobbi Brown Eyeshadows

My makeup is definitely looking more organized now.  My video about other makeup storage tips will be up next week, and I'll create a blog post for that video, too.

Makeup Organization and Storage Tips

Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench

MAC Brushes, Eyeshadows and Mickey Contractor Haul

I've been hauling some MAC lately from the Cosmetic Company Stores (CCO's) and from Nordstrom, so I thought I'd share. 

MAC Haul - including Mickey Contractor and Cham-Pale Paint Pots.

 I bought all of this over the course of a few weeks.  I really need to avoid the MAC counter - it's too tempting!

MAC Mickey Contractor Blush Sur, Blush Dame, Cream Color Base Hush.
Superslick Liquid Eyeliners Nocturnal, Smoky Heir, Eyeshadows Hypnotizing, Patina. 

I'm busy building a beautiful makeup brush collection - including MAC brushes.

MAC Baby Goth Girl nail polish, MAC brushes.

I had a problem with the MAC 179 Body Buffer Brush.  After washing it, it began to reek like a dead animal.  I thought I'd have to return it, and I was very upset about it.  I washed it about 10 times alternately using MAC Brush Cleaner, facial cleansers, shampoos and finally Neutrogena Rainbath.  That seemed to do the trick.  I left the brush to dry for several days, and now it only has a faint scent of the Rainbath.  Phew!

Top to Bottom, MAC 179,  134, 189, 109, 165 Brushes.

Cham-Pale collection lipstick in Quiet Please, and a new pair of MAC false eyelashes to complete the multitude of looks I can create from my haul!


Click here for a link to their my January 2011 Birchbox: January 2011 Birchbox
Click here for a link to TestTube: TestTube
Click here for a link to my YouTube Channel: The Sassi Wench

- The Sassi Wench

Eyeshadow Haul - Chanel, MAC, Clinique

I haven't bought Chanel makeup in years.  I went through a Chanel phase, starting when I was living in London 10 years ago, but then I kind of lost interest in it.  

I'm not exactly sure why, but I think I bought a lip gloss or some kind of lip palette, and it smelled so strongly of roses (not my favorite scent) that I couldn't bare to use it.  


In fact, the last Chanel I purchased was a creamy eye-shadow palette where the colors looked like little pearls.  The base of the palette broke after about a week (how? I don't know!), and it squashed all the eyeshadow pearls.  I wasn't that impressed with the product anyway, and so it was au revoir Chanel!


Recently, I went to a Chanel beauty event at my local department store, Lord and Taylor, and I watched in amazement as the resident makeup artiste transformed a rather dowdy (by her own admission) grandmother into an attractive woman!  He used Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow, and I was intrigued!  It took me a while, but finally I gave in and took the plunge, and I purchased the Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow in Dunes.

Chanel Quadra Eye Shadow Dunes.

I couldn't help experiencing a tingle of excitement upon seeing the protective pouch!

The Chanel protective pouch.

I love looking at brand new, untouched makeup!

I have dark brown eyes, so even though I can wear a many different eye-shadow colors, classic neutral shades simply look the best on me.

Chanel 47 Dunes Quad.

I also decided to invest in Chanel's Base Lumiére, because the artiste used this during his demonstration, with stunning results. I caved in and purchased this, but I didn't realize how small the container would be!  For some reason I thought it was double this size.  But a little goes a long way.  I have dry skin, but thanks to the Base Lumiére, it actually makes my skin look dewey again.

So, mission accomplished - I'm using Chanel products again.

Chanel Base Lumiére 

I bought this MAC eyeshadow in Henna, and on reflection, I have decided to give it to my sister.  She has Heterochromia, otherwise known as someone who has two different (completely different, in her case) color eyes!  She has a kind of gray/brown eye, and a deep green eye.  It's completely hereditary (she's not the only one in the family), and on her it looks really striking.  Often people don't even notice it, and yet others can't figure out what is different about her.  

Heterochromia - The Scarlett Wench, sister of The Sassi Wench!

Anyway, she has to stick to more neutral colors, and a deep, rich golden olive green like Henna is just perfect for her!

MAC Henna.

MAC's olive golden green Henna up close.

And finally, I just couldn't resist this - Clinique Fresh Bloom Eye Shadow in 01 Maple Blossom.  It's a silvery taupe color duo that is simply stunning!

Clinique Maple Blossom Eye Shadow.

The Sassi Wench