WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER! SUKIN ORGANICS PRIZE WINNER

The last of my blogiversary prizes has been won! This comp was run on Instagram, and I'm pleased to announce that @megandgypsy, aka Katie, has won this amazing prize pack!

The method we used to draw this one was the good old fashioned "3 year old kid draws a name out of a hat" method. Tried and true.

Katie will be enjoying over $160 worth of Sukin Organics products, and I can definitely vouch for the yumminess of the scents, and the effectiveness of the products. I still have a couple of reviews for you guys as the weather gets warmer!

It actually makes me really happy that this prize is going to someone who has been a supporter of the blog since the very beginning. I think the universe chose a very deserving winner. Congratulations to Katie. I'll have the products to you very soon.

I want to send out a big thank you to everyone who entered and got involved. We had quite a few entries from new followers, which helps the community to grow.

My biggest thank you needs to go to Sukin Organics, who provided the prize for this awesome giveaway. I appreciate their support so much, and love working with brands who not only have amazing products, but who embrace the blogging community and appreciate us. It's a really awesome community to be a part of, and I'm really happy that I get to combine two passions of mine: writing and beauty. I feel very fortunate.

My next giveaway will be a Christmas one, after I show you guys some really cute Christmas gifting ideas this month and next. Stay tuned for that. I also have some great posts coming up in the next few weeks. We need to explore the Spring trends, and I'm going to share some more Makeup Skillz, as well as some reviews of awesome things I've found recently. It's going to be a really great rest of the year!

GIVEAWAY - SUKIN PRIZE PACK VALUED AT OVER $165!

I'm super stoked about this giveaway for my blog birthday. It's a huge skincare pack from Sukin Organics, valued at over $165!!!

I've tried a few of their products now (OMG that body oil is TO DIE FOR), and there are reviews coming soon. I bet all you guys care about right now is HOW CAN I WIN THIS AWESOME PRIZE????

I'm running it as an Instagram comp. On my Instagram account (@katylylak), you'll find a pic (several times, in fact) with instructions on how to enter. You basically take a screen shot of the pic, crop it and repost it with the hashtag #kbsgiveaway, then hit that little follow button on my account, and @sukinskincare (it's only fair!) and you're automatically in the draw! The winner will be drawn, verified and contacted on 1 October, 2013. All contact will come from my Instagram account and my official email address (katysbeautysecrets@gmail.com). You do need to be in Australia to win this one, though.

So head on over to Instagram now and check it out!

While we're talking about giveaways, don't forget about the other one I'm running for my blog's birthday. You can find it right HERE. There will also be another giveaway announced next week!

GIVEAWAY! JOHN FRIEDA PRECISION FOAM HAIR COLOUR! 5 TO WIN!

I really hope you all liked my review of the John Frieda Precision Foam hair colour as much as I enjoyed reviewing it.

I wanted to give you guys a chance to try it out for yourselves, and see just how awesome it is, and as part of my blog birthday celebrations, I have 5 of these awesome colours in brand new shades to give away!

The competition will be open internationally, and run through rafflecopter. All winners will be announced on the blog and on my YouTube channel on the 1st of October, 2013, and NOT BEFORE. There have been several scams running, especially on YouTube, where people are sent messages from fake accounts claiming to be people running giveaways, saying that they have closed it early and you are the winner, they just need your details. Please do not respond to anything that comes from any YouTube account. I will be contacting you via the email address that you use when you enter on rafflecopter, and the email will come from my official address (katysbeautysecrets@gmail.com). Because I am currently on vacation in Texas, the video announcing this giveaway will be delayed until I get home in a few days, so you guys will get the opportunity to enter first! Comments will be disabled on that video, as that's how the scammers are accessing peoples' usernames there.

So, to enter, just click on the rafflecopter widget that corresponds with your choice of colour, and you'll be taken to the entry page! Good luck everyone!

Colour 10A - Extra Light Ash Blonde

Colour 5C - Medium Copper Brown

Colour 4R - Dark Red Brown

Colour 2A - Luminous Blue Black

Colour 5A - Medium Ash Brown

ENDOTA COMPETITION! $500 skincare pack!

Endota has finally landed in the photogenic world of Instagram!
To kick start their Instagram, they want pics, and lots of them.
They’re even willing to give away prizes to get them!

The first ever Endota Instagram photo comp is super simple:
Take pics of your Endota product(s) in their natural habitat, for example;
• ➢endota lip balm out to lunch
• ➢endota rosehip oil rockin’ a retro bathroom cabinet
• ➢endota nail paints nailing the perfect out-for-the-night mani
Then upload your skincare endot-adventures on instagram, making sure to use @endotaspa and the hash tag #endotadventure to ensure your entry in the competition.

The most creative shot which clearly displays an endota skincare product wins a $500 skincare pack.
5 runners up will take home a skincare starter pack.
No instagram? No worries: the Instagram-shy can send their pictures to competition@endota.com.au.

Competition ends February 22nd 2013. For more information visit endota.com.au

I can't wait to see all your Endot-Adventures on Instagram!

Good luck, guys!

This is not my competition, and I am not being paid by Endota to promote their competition. I felt my readers would all love the opportunity to win an awesome prize, so I'm passing on the information.

(CLOSED) CHRISTMAS BEAUTY GIVEAWAY!!!!!!

Ok...so when I started thinking about doing a giveaway for Christmas, it was because I'd found cheap deals and thought I could put together some cool stuff and it wouldn't cost me much money.

When I mentioned to some of my lovely PR girls that I was doing a giveaway, they jumped on board and contributed some products, and now I not only have a little hamper to give away, I ended up with so much stuff that I have THREE prizes for this!

Let's have a little look at the prizes one by one:

Prize pack #1: Winner: Sara Byrne
Savoir Faire limited edition makeup kit (with thanks to bellabox for including such an amazing gift with their December box).
1 x Hair feather (with thanks to Sarah and Manny at hairchalk.com.au).
Hedkandi by Eylure Ibiza false lashes (with thanks to the amazing people at Eylure).
Covergirl fantastic lash high volume mascara in very black.
L'Oreal wer infinite eyeshadow duo in 202 tidal wave.
2 x OPI mini nail polishes.
1 x skinmiso pore beauty nose strips step 1 & 2.
1 x Lip Tattoo in green swirl design.
Max Factor silk gloss sheer frot in 370 cinnamon glow
The soap bakery Vic rough cut soap bar (random selection, not pictured)

Prize pack #2: Winner: Marwa Sayed
12 pack hair chalk sticks (with thanks to Sarah and Manny at hairchalk.com.au).
Hedkandi by eylure Glitterball false lashes (with thanks to the amazing people at Eylure).
Eylure Naturalites 150 false lashes (with thanks to the amazing people at Eylure).
Covergirl fantastic lash high volume mascara in very black.
1 x skinmiso pore beauty nose strips step 1 & 2.
1 x Lip Tattoo in rainbow design.
2 x OPI mini nail polishes.
Almay Pure Blends eyeshadow in Cocoa.
Revlon just Bitten Lip stain/balm in Lust.
The soap bakery Vic rough cut soap bar (random selection, not pictured)

Prize pack #3: Winner: Carly McKeown
So...? Superstar EDT 30ml (with thanks to the lovely people at So...?fragrances).
1 x hair feather (with thanks to Sarah and Manny at hairchalk.com.au).
Le Tan SPF30+ Coconut lotion (sample size)
Hedkandi by Eylure Twisted Disco false lashes (with thanks to the amazing people at Eylure).
Biore14 pack combo Deep Cleansing pore strips (with thanks to the wonderful people at Biore)
2 x OPI mini nail polishes.
1 x Lip tattoo in cheetah design.
L'Oreal wear infinite eyeshadow duo in 302 soft fern.
Nivea Gentle Cleansing Cream Wash (sample size).
Revlon Grow Luscious eyeliner pencil in graphite.
Rimmel London Vinyl Jelly lipliner pencil in 001 Moreish.
Maybelline XXL Volume mascara (not pictured)
The soap bakery Vic rough cut soap bar (random selection, not pictured)

--> So... how do you get your hands on these babies? It's really simple.
Take a photo of your holiday look, and email it to me at katysbeautysecrets@gmail.com
It could be a christmas or a new year's eve look, it could be a party look, it could be makeup, hair, nails or even an outfit. I want to see how you're dressing up this year!
Winners will be chosen by a panel of judges, which will not include myself or any entrant in the competition.
Competition runs from today (Saturday 15 December, 2012) until 8pm AEDST January 5, 2013.
Competition is open to entries from any country in the world.

Entrants under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian's consent to enter.
Winners must be prepared to supply their address upon notification of their win.
By emailing photos of your look to Katy's Beauty Secrets, you are giving permission for the photographs to be used on my blog and on my facebook page without the use of your personal details, for as long as the competition runs, and with the use of your name, should you win, after the competition has ended.
All products in the prize packs are in new, unopened condition.

Super-sneaky peek: Christmas giveaway.

With Christmas steadily approaching and my viewcount going crazy, I'm happy to tell you all, my dear readers, that we are definitely going to be having a Christmas giveaway...and it's a big one!

I took a picture of the product I have and could fit in the shot so that you guys can have a really quick sneaky peek at the kind of things on offer, but I'm still working out the details of the giveaway and what extra-special things you'll have to do to win it, so it's by no means complete yet.

I can also tell you that there's a super-secret special product that I'm going to include in the giveaway. It's really awesome and I really want to tell you all what it is...but you'll have to wait.

Also, I will acknowledge and thank several companies who have contributed product that I have included so far in the giveaway. Eylure, Biore, and So...? fragrances all have products in the giveaway that were provided to me free of charge, and I thank them from the bottom of my heart. there are some other companies that are contributing, and I'll get around to thanking them when I do my official giveaway post.

So...I know what you're all thinking... Shut up, Katy and show us what's in there so far!!!!

Ok...

QUICK! DON'T MISS OUT!

Ok... so here's the deal, for those of you who haven't had a look at dollarcosmeticclub.com.au yet.

I got an email telling me that they are running a 12 days of christmas deal, where there is a different $1 deal every day, a different discounted cosmetics pack every day, and a different bonus offer every day.

Yesterday, I picked up 2 mascaras for $2 plus shipping, but missed out on my makeup remover pen because I forgot to share it on facebook. Today, 2 l'oreal eyeshadows for $2 plus shipping AND a rimmel lip liner for free. Also, they have the most amazing Maybelline pack for $19 in their store.

The best part is that everything we buy in the 12 days of Christmas sale is guaranteed delivered before Christmas, so if there's anyone who loves makeup in your family, GET ON IT!

I'm buying double-ups so that I can do a giveaway for the new year IF I can hit 5000 views by Christmas day. It's a big ask. We are currently sitting on 3,100 views, but my traffic has significantly increased in the last 2 weeks (since I was approved for the google partnership???) and I think we can do it. I'll even put out extra content to make sure there's new stuff for you to read between now and then, make it worth your while to come back here again and again.

What I'd like from you guys is simple. Comment below, and let me know what you want more of. I know I've been slack with makeup tutorials, so I'll start to do more of that, also from my view count, it looks like you guys like it when I post nail looks (?).

Anyway, go have a look at the 12 days christmas dealie, sign up for their email newsletter and they'll just email you each time there's a new deal.

Again, I am not sponsored by, or provided free product from dollar cosmetic club. I just want my readers to have the same opportunities for awesome deals that I get.

Review Thursday: Hello Kitty GIVEAWAY!

Here's something really exciting.....new products from Hello Kitty Cosmetics!!!

Earlier this week, I was lucky enough to receive a package in the mail from Hello Kitty, and they have released some awesome new products that I'm crazy about.

You all know how much I love nude lipglosses, and these two are really awesome. Diamond Gloss in Baby Candy and Marshmallows are both amazing-looking natural pinks that roll on! So easy to apply, and so cute in the HK packaging. I've only swatched them on my (anti-bacterial treated) arm, and there's a reason for that, which I'll get to further down the page!

Also in roll on packaging is this gorgeous glitter in smoky gold and pink rainbow, again swatched on my arm. It's loose glitter, which doesn't seem to be mixed with anything, so you'll need to keep that in mind hen you're applying it. You'll want to set it with something so that it doesn't end up everywhere.

Super-extra-cute little nail polishes in gold, and pinky are next, and I really love both of them! They both have glitter and sparkly bits in them, and the pink one in particular is awesome for showing off the sparkly bits.

Last of all, there are these cute nail art stickers! Gorgeous little hello kitty motifs that you can wear on your nails!

So....here's the awesome part. I'm giving away ALL of these products! Here's what you have to do to get your hands on some goodies:

There will be two prizes. First prize winner will choose which colour pack they want, between the gold tones and the pink tones, and also will receive the nail stickers. Each colour pack contains one mini nail polish, one diamond stars roll on glitter, and one roll on lipgloss.

Second prize will receive the remaining colour pack.

All of these products have been opened and swatched for this review, but ONLY onto my arm, which had been treated with antibacterial gel first, and onto clean nails. So essentially, you are receiving brand new, unused products.

TO ENTER: You must first hit the "like" button on both my facebook page HERE and Hello Kitty Cosmetics facebook page HERE, and leave a comment on this post (on the actual blog, not on the facebook link) completing this sentence:

"Hello Kitty Cosmetics are awesome because...."

The winners will be selected by an impartial third party, based on comment content.

I must reiterate: you need to like both facebook pages and comment below on this post to be eligible.

Competition will run from today until Wednesday, 14th November, 2012. Winners will be announced on Wednesday night at 8pm. Competition is open to all readers, worldwide.

GOOD LUCK, GUYS!

Second giveaway winner!

Congratulations to Deb Bond, our lucky "liker" from facebook who won the giveaway today!

You have a box of goodies heading your way which includes the box pictured, plus some extra goodies from brands like Biore, Dermalogica and MAC!

I'll be in touch soon to organize getting your prize to you! Have a great weekend, everyone and I'll see you all on Monday for how-to!

1000 view giveaway!

On my facebook page, I announced that I'd hit my goal and exceeded 1000 views in my first month, and would be doing a giveaway to celebrate!

At this stage, it's a little one, but I do have a habit of adding things to the boxes as I go along, so there's a fair chance you'll get some happy little surprises in the box if you win.

So far, it's just a Rimmel eyeshadow, 2 ChiChi duo lipglosses (6 colours in total) and some hand cream and bath salts. I have some skincare bits and pieces lying about here to pop in there too.

All items in the giveaway are brand new and unused.

All you have to do to be in the running for this little box of goodies is hit the like button on my faebook page at www.facebook.com/katysbeautysecrets

If you're already subscribed to my facebook page, you're already in the draw, but what I like to see is people getting their friends involved and giving them a chance to win too, so anyone who shares this post on their facebook timeline will get an extra entry! Just go to the facebook page and share it from my post so that I see the share pop up in my stats and know that you've done it.

GOOD LUCK, everyone! I'll have the boys draw the winner on Thursday 11/10/12.

Giveaway winner!

A big congratulations to Jelva on winning the giveaway from last week! I'll be in touch via the book of faces very soon to organize a dropoff.

Also a big thank you to everyone who got involved and helped my blog grow in the last week. You all help me out so much on a regular basis, and I wish I could give you all a present every day.

To watch the video of my boys drawing the winner go to www.youtube.com/katysbeautysecrets, or just pop over to the right of this post and watch it in my video bar!

I want to let you guys know that there might be another giveaway soon, because I have 3 days left until I've been blogging for one month, and we're getting close to 1000 views. If I hit my 1000 view target before the 4th of October, I'll announce ANOTHER giveaway!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Share the love, and I'll be sure to share it right back.

GIVEAWAY! Help my blog grow and you could win!

I'm SO excited! I just finished packing up this box of goodies that I have to give away to one lucky reader! There are so many things inside the box that I couldn't get the lid on properly! As you can see, there are all different kinds of products, from nail polish and art to skin care, to brushes and sponges and even sunscreen, because that is THE most important skin care product that you can own. All of the products are brand new and unopened, purchased specifically for this purpose, except for a few little treats (not pictured) that I've included as a special surprise from the amazing people at Biore!