The Swag Report

I hate when people tell me, "I want to start a blog, so I can get free stuff too." Hmph. First off, it's not that easy and second it's not the reason why I blog. But yes, I won't lie, it is a nice perk, lol. After almost 5 years of blogging (my 5th anniversary is in October!) I'm finally at that point where I do get quite a bit of cool freebies and invites, but as the about section on my blog states, I only blog about stuff that I actually like and think you might like too. If I do not like something, I simply do not give it the time of day on here. However, when I am digging something I'm always eager to share it with you and here are some of the fun swag items I've received this summer--yikes does that mean summer is over?

Despite knowing the jingle from their commercials (easy, breezy, beautiful cover girl!), I've never actually used any CoverGirl products before, but I'm now loving their CoverGirl & Olay Simply Ageless Foundation ($15.99). It's a packed cream compact with a white swirl in it. This soft, creamy foundation contains Olay Regenerist Serum to help give skin a boost of anti-aging benefits (it's clinically proven to provide significant improvement in just 4 weeks). Apparently, It's also the product that Ellen does the ads for and she definitely looks good. I don't usually use liquid foundations though, as I've been using MAC powders for some time. Yet, when I forgot to pack my makeup on a business trip and had this sample in my purse, I started using it. It comes with a circular sponge for application and it feels slightly wet going on, but it blends really well and quickly dries. I really like how light it feels on my face and moisturizes my skin and evenly covers red areas and any flaws. I briefly went back to my powders when I went home, but was disappointed with how dry it would look on my skin, so now I'm definitely sticking to CoverGirl Simply Ageless and have since purchased another shade. Oh and it also has SPF 22!

While at BlogHer '09, Suave hair care had a booth in the conference's exhibit hall and were giving out full-sized bottles of their shampoos, conditioners and styling products. I picked up their Suave Professionals Volumizing foam mouse and root lifting spray ($2.99) as my straight hair sometimes can use a little poof. So, as I got ready for the different evening parties, I eagerly applied the volume products to my hair and was impressed with the lifting it caused and overall added volume to my hair. I've now been using it since BlogHer! They also smell really good. On the bottles it reads that it's comparable to Matrix Amplify. Note: Suave is a company client, but not in my office or my account.

Another beauty product that I tried and enjoyed is Liz Earle Cleanse & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser ($24.50). Apparently Liz Earle is already a popular natural botanical company in Britain, but it was my first time trying the brand. I immediately liked the fact that their products contain natural and safe ingredients. The polish includes cocoa butter and skin-brightening eucalyptus and comes with a muslin cloth to wash it off with and a zip-up kit bag to put it all in. Not sure if it's the creamy polish or scrubbing with the muslin cloth, but it left my skin looking bright, fresh and radiant. I found it especially soothing after being in the sun like getting a facial, but without going to a spa.

2 comments

  1. I've never received anything for free from blogging and think if that's the reason people do it it would get old fast. I mean it's a nice perk but you gotta blog cause you love it.

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  2. I've also never tried CoverGirl, but may after reading your post!

    Through being a Bzzzagent, I recently got to try the new Burt's Bees natural acne solution line. I've never had really bad skin, but the purifying cleanser and spot treatment have been great and are really natural so I don't feel like I'm using a ton of chemicals and drying out my skin!

    Thanks for sharing what works.

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