GIVEAWAY: Huge Deluxe Beauty Samples Pack!

Hi guys! I hope you're going to love my January Giveaway, because it's quite a Beauty! I've talked about my love of beauty samples before, so I thought it would be fun to give away a Huge Deluxe Beauty Samples Pack to one lucky subscriber! Samples are great because a) they're free and b) they allow you to try before you buy. I've discovered many fantastic products through samples and I've also used them to determine which products are crap don't work for me!

This prize contains over 50 samples (many of them generously sized) from 30 different brands, including skincare, perfume and haircare samples from Clinique, L'Oreal, Tom Ford, John Frieda, Tigi, Benefit, Dermalogica, Trilogy and La Roche-Posay.

The Prize:
Innoxa Natural Finish Makeup (Buttermilk) 40ml, Suvana Organic Paw Paw & Honey Balm 25g, Ivadore Tanning Treatment 20ml, Carefree ProComfort Tampons 8pk, RubiFresh Body Cream jar, 2 x Trilogy Rosehip Oil 2.5ml each, Palmers Exfoliating Facial Scrub 15g, Benefit The POREfessional 3ml, Naturalus Paw Paw Ointment 7g, Dermalogica Active Moist 10ml, Clarins Hand & Nail Treatment Cream 8ml, Nivea Creme 10ml, Dermalogica Clear Start Matte Moisturizer 7ml, La Roche-Posay Uvidea XL Extreme Fluid 3ml, 4 x L'Oreal Revatalift Filler sachets, 4 x L'Oreal Revitalift Day sachets.
~~~~~~~~
Clinique Happy perfume 4ml,  2 x Tom Ford Noir Pour Femme 1.5ml each, Tom Ford Noir 1.5ml, Harem, Pseudonym, Jungle Man & Iris Berben sample vials.
~~~~~~~~
Justice Smooth & Groom Styler 25ml, Hask Keratin Smoothing Shine Oil 18ml, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Finishing Creme 30ml, John Frieda Frizz-Ease Creme Serum 15ml, Girlboy Hair Candy Forming Gel 10ml, Girlboy Hair Candy Smoothing Creme 10ml, Kerastase Lait Vital Nourishing Care 10ml, Tigi Bedhead Recharge Conditioner 10ml, Tigi Bedhead Elasticate Conditioner 10ml.
~~~~~~~~
Benefit Total Moisture Facial Cream xela pk, Benefit The POREfessional 15ml,  3 x Maybelline Dream Pure BB Cream (medium) 1 ml each, L'Oreal Age Perfect Extraordinary Facial Oil sachet, The Body Shop Oils Of Life Revitalising Facial Oil 1ml, A'kin Pure Radiance Rosehip Oil 2ml, A'kin Pure Facial Creamy Cleanser & Toner 2ml, Biore Balancing Cleanser 7ml, Derma e Vitamin E 12,000 1U Creme 3.5g, Natio Renew Day Cream 5g, Australian Bush Flower Essences Daily Essence Moisturiser 3ml, Australian Bush Flower Essences Face Wash Serum 3ml, Naturalus Paw Paw Ointment 2g, Naturalus Paw Paw Pure Gel 2g, Naturalus Pure Aloe Vera Gel 2g.

HOW TO ENTER
It's easy to enter! Just follow the prompts in the Rafflecopter widget below. Please note you must be an email subscriber to enter, but all the other tasks are optional, each getting you more entries and thus chances to win. After you subscribe, remember to click the link in your email to complete the subscription process, otherwise it doesn't count! I do check entries to ensure they're valid, so please enter properly. Have fun and Good Luck!

This giveaway is open to Australian residents only.
The winner will be notified via email and given 3 days to reply, otherwise a new winner will be chosen. Winner must provide address and standard postage within Australia is included.
I'll announce the winner here on the blog and on the Max The Unicorn Facebook page too.

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

Disclaimer: Max The Unicorn blog is not affiliated with any of these brands and this is an independently-run Giveaway.



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Priceline 40% Off Skincare Haul!

I officially have no willpower when it comes to Priceline sales! Because, SALE ALERT! Priceline are holding their famous 40% Off Skincare 2 day sale event, on the 27th and 28th of January. So if you're reading this on Thursday, hop to it as it ends at midnight! This offer is available in-store and online, and the specific details are:

* 40% off skincare, suncare and tanning
* excludes Ego brands, Skincare vitamins and supplements

I went in with a list of four products and emerged with eight (lol). I bought a back-up of my staple Skin Doctors Eyetuck (which I reviewed here), stocked up on facial wipes and used the opportunity to trial a new (to me) brand, Nip + Fab. I'm so keen to see how these products perform! Here's my haul.....

~ Skin Doctors Eyetuck
~ Biore Deep Cleansing Pore Strips
~ Garnier Micellar Cleansing Wipes
~ Yes To Blueberries Age Refresh Cleansing Facial Wipes
~ Indeed Laboratories Fillume Volumising Serum
~ Nip + Fab Skin Viper Venom Extreme Night Fix
~ Nip + Fab Skin Dark Circle Fix
~ Nip + Fab Skin Bee Sting Fix Eye

My Recommendations

• a bottle of Garnier Micellar Water or try the awesome Garnier Micellar Cleansing Wipes
• Skin Doctors Eyetuck and Skin Doctors Instant Eyelift are both fantastic for the under-eye area
• Indeed Labs Eysilix & Indeed Labs Snoxin are amazing anti-aging products
• now's a good time to get pore strips, facial wipes and lip balm
• Trilogy Rosehip Oil is lovely
• Pick out the  Formula 10.0.6 Mask that best suits your skin needs
• For a reliable all-rounder, you can't beat Olay Total Effects Moisturiser
• Check out the Yes To range; I've loved every product I've tried from them

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Leave your Priceline haul post links in the comments; I want to see what you got!

Wordless Wednesday: Fun With Makeup!

I let my eight year old play with my makeup yesterday. Here's how the afternoon unfolded!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: No good cosmetics were destroyed in the making of this post. We only used my shittiest makeup.

I'm linking up to the Fabulous and Fun Life Monday MakeUp Madness Linky Party!

When was the last time you painted your face? And I mean painted, not applied your everyday makeup. LOL

What I've Been Watching: TV & Movies!

Oh hey! I've been stepping up my movie-watching game recently, so I thought I'd share all the movies I watched in December, plus the TV shows I've been investing my time in. It was one of my New Year's Resolutions to watch more television shows and Netflix, and I'm pleased with my efforts! Let's have a look at the ten movies I saw in December first....

The Hunger Games: Catching Fire (image credit: Murray Close, Lionsgate)

THE HUNGER GAMES: CATCHING FIRE
It was fun delving back into The Hunger Games films, as I hadn't seen the original one in ages! Jennifer Lawrence is fantastic as Katniss Everdeen. This just made me want to see the rest of them, which I've now done. Series complete!

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 1
This film is dark and bleak; Katniss finds herself in District 13, where she becomes the symbol for a huge rebellion against the Capitol. This one is my least favourite in the entire series.

THE CROODS
I loved this computer animated, family-friendly film from Dreamworks! It was so funny, and with the voices of Nicolas Cage, Emma Stone, Ryan Reynolds (love!) and Catherine Keener, how can you go wrong?

ELF
I'm pretty sure you either love or hate Will Ferrell. I think he's a comedy genius and love all 6 foot 3 inches of him! This is a hilarious Christmas comedy with a lovely message, perfect for watching with your kids at Christmas time.

THE POLAR EXPRESS
I'd built up my expectations for this computer-animated musical fantasy too high, after learning of its award nominations and wins. I found the animation to be a bit creepy, and just didn't love it as much as I thought I would.

GROUNDHOG DAY
This was a re-watch, because honestly, who hasn't seen this classic?! Heads up; if you watch this with your kids, be prepared to pause it constantly, because there will be lots of questions to answer. Bill Murray and Andie MacDowell are engaging and delightful in this heartwarming comedy. Everyone needs to see this movie at least once!

THE HUNGER GAMES: MOCKINGJAY PART 2
The last movie in the franchise, I was lucky enough to see this in the cinema using tickets I'd won. Another dark, grim offering, this one sees Katniss, Gale, Peeta, Finnick and the District 13 unit embark on a mission to liberate the Panem citizens.

TWILIGHT
Of course I've seen this before, as with most of The Twilight Saga movies, but there's a few I missed, and ABC2 have kindly decided to show the entire franchise, one by one lol, by screening them in order (handy!), every Sunday night. I know there are plenty of Twi-haters out there, but luckily I don't GAF. Are you Team Edward or Team Jacob?

ALEXANDER AND THE TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY
This stars Aussie Ed Oxenbould, who you may remember from Paper Planes, as well as Steve Carell and Jennifer Garner. This is just a silly yet enjoyable, family-friendly comedy where it's best to just roll with the story and appreciate the laughter of your kids. Fun viewing for family movie night!

DADDY'S HOME
Ah yes, another Will Ferrell comedy. I was really looking to this, given Ferrell again teams with Mark Wahlberg (please check out The Other Guys, if you haven't already!) and I'd won a family pass, so we saw it on the big screen. It didn't disappoint! So funny!

Daddy's Home (image credit: Paramount Pictures)

~~~~~~~~

And now for the TV shows I've been loving....

True Detective Season 1 (image credit: Anonymous Content, HBO)

True Detective
I binge-watched Season 1 over a weekend recently. This is quite a slow-moving, yet engrossing anthology crime drama series (meaning the entire cast changes from season to season, as each story is self-contained). Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey are fantastic as Detectives Martin Hart and Rust Cohle, respectively. How skinny is McConaughey in this, though?! Also, I think I might have liver issues and lung cancer just from watching Rust's constant drinking and smoking. I'm still undecided at this point, whether or not to watch Season 2.

Master Of None
This is a Netflix original comedy series starring Aziz Ansari, from TV's Parks and Recreation. I'm really enjoying this show, which focusses on the personal and professional life of Dev, a 30 year old Indian-American actor living in New York. The episodes cover Dev's attempts at dating and romance, social life with his friends, issues of race, work life including auditions for parts and his family. It's so easy to watch, and really funny. Give it a go!

I've also just started watching BoJack Horseman on Netflix, a rude animated comedy series featuring the voice of Will Arnett as the titular character. Such a guilty pleasure! So wrong, yet so funny. I've just seen the pilot of Freaks and Geeks; there's only one season so I should be able to finish it pretty quickly. I get a weird thrill out of watching James Franco, Seth Rogen and Jason Segel before they hit it big in this Judd Appatow-produced series! I'm midway through Orange Is The New Black, Girls and Please Like Me too, so I really need to get back to those!

BoJack Horseman (image credit: Netflix)

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

What are you watching at the moment?

Review/Mani: Rimmel Super Gel in Rock N Roll*

I was recently sent a Rimmel Super Gel duo pack* comprising gel nail colour and gel top coat, and I honestly couldn't be happier with the shade I got. This is Rock N Roll. It's a stunning, sexy red, that's flattering, bold and a real showstopper! I am in love with this colour. When I put it on, I immediately thought why don't I wear red more often? I need to wear red on my nails more! If you don't think nail polish can give you confidence, try swiping Rock N Roll on. It's a shade with attitude. There are 14 shades available in this collection, and eight of them have been designed by Kate Moss (you'll see 'Kate' on the bottle of her shades), but only six colours are available in duo packs. You can see the full range of colours on the Rimmel site.

And now for the actual formula! Rimmel have taken a leaf out of Sally Hansen's book (I'm referring to Miracle Gel obviously!) and created a two-step Super Gel, so we can reap the benefits of a gel manicure (long-lasting, shiny results) without the need for UV lamps and light curing. The gel top coat is self-curing and seals the colour in for 'up to 14 days of colour and shine'. Now I never get close to two weeks with any polish, gel or otherwise. In fact, manicures seem to chip on me in record time. Maybe I'm just one of those people that uses their hands a lot. This was still looking good on Day Four though, which is saying something. The formula is smooth and applies easily and the finish is super shiny. Another plus; it was easy to remove with normal nail polish remover. For this mani I used two coats of Rock N Roll and one coat of Super Gel Top Coat.

Rimmel London Super Gel RRP $9.95 each or RRP $14.95 for the duo packs. You can find them at Priceline, Chemist Warehouse, Target, Kmart, Big W, Coles, Woolworths and selected pharmacies.

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Disclaimer: This product was provided for editorial consideration. Reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

Have you tried Rimmel Super Gel?

Post-Xmas Sales Hauls: Mecca, Lush, OZHair & Beauty!

How did you go with the Boxing Day/Post-Christmas sales? I didn't do too badly. Actually I'm happy with my little hauls; I didn't go bat-shit crazy, yet still managed to pick up some nice bargains. Here's a look at what I snapped up!

Mecca

~ Talika Eye Therapy Patch
~ Bumble and Bumble Thickening Hairspray
~ Ciate Paint Pots Nail Polish in Sugar Plum
~ Mecca Cosmetica Natural False Lashes
~ Origins Retexturizing Mask with Rose Clay (sample)
~ Kate Somerville CytoCell Dark Circle Corrective Eye Cream (sample)
~ Kate Somerville ExfoliKate Intensive Exfoliating Treatment (sample)

It was exciting to get some cool products (seriously can't wait to try the eye patches) at a discount and know that I was also building up points towards my first Beauty Loop box. A bit annoying though, that lots of the items in the 50% off sale section were 'currently unavailable online'. I'm super-happy with my choice of samples as I've been wanting to try something from Kate Somerville. This online shopping experience was a rollercoaster alright; I went from excited to disappointed to frustrated then pumped and relieved when it was finally over!

Lush

~ Lord of Misrule Shower Scream (ROFL)
~ Bohemian Soap
~ Figs and Leaves Soap
~ Ice Blue Soap

I really wanted some Rose Jam shower gel, but by the time I got online on Boxing Day, nearly everything in the Sale section was 'out of stock'. We went to my local Westfield to see a movie five days later and I was shocked to see plenty of half price items still for sale. I then proceeded to drop dead, and my ghost bought three soaps and a large Lord of Misrule (the only size left) all at 50% off. SUPER HAPPY (even though I missed out on my favourite Rose Jam). Of course, because I was now a disembodied spirit, my product label read Lord of Misrule Shower 'Scream' instead of 'Cream'. Spooky! I really hope I like it because now I have a fucking massive 500 gram bottle. LOL

OZHair & Beauty

~ Sebastian Thickefy Foam
~ Redken 06 Volume Rootful Root Lifting Spray
~ Redken 10 Guts Volume Spray Foam

I love Sebastian Thickefy Foam. It's pretty much my favourite product for injecting volume, body and thickness into my fine hair. But it's so expensive. I just cannot spend $39 on a hair product without feeling sick. So I was thrilled to find it for $19 at OZHair & Beauty, even though I'd never shopped there before. It was free shipping once you spend $50, so I used the opportunity to add some Redken volume products to the old cart, since the brand is so raved about.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I also bought hubby some new undies from AussieBum, various goodies from ABC Shop online and I might have dropped $118 at Chemist Warehouse yesterday on their half price makeup! I went in with my family thinking only Rimmel was on sale, but the other makeup brands were also half price. Needless to say I swatched shit for ages until Mr 8 gave up and sat on the floor. I vaguely heard hubby muttering "Are we done yet?" on a continual loop in the background, although it was only when I sensed certain defeat in his voice that I decided I should probably get to the checkout. LOL. There are big savings on brands such as Rimmel, Maybelline, Revlon and Sally Hansen; I don't want to be an enabler, but you should probably haul arse to Chemist Warehouse and check it out!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

I'm linking up to the Fabulous And Fun Life Monday Makeup Madness Linky Party!

What did you pick up in the post-Christmas sales?

WINNER ANNOUNCED: Fizzy Bath Bombs Giveaway!

A huge thanks to everyone who entered my Fizzy Bath Bombs Giveaway and welcome to new Max The Unicorn readers! I hope you enjoy my posts and I look forward to connecting with you in the comments and on social media. I'd also like to thank my regular readers for their continued support, it means the world to me. I can't wait to bring everyone more Giveaways in 2016! :)

Here's a reminder of the prize:

~ Arome Ambiance Candied Fruits Bath Fizzers
~ Jardin Delice Bath Bon Bon
~ Strawberry Cupcake Bath Fizzers


And the winner is.....

ROSE POWELL!!


Congrats Rose, I hope you enjoy your prize! Rose has been contacted by email.

Don't worry if you didn't win, because I'm already putting together the next Giveaway, which will be happening this month, so make sure you keep reading Max The Unicorn! While we're on the subject of competitions, at the end of January I'll be publishing a post about everything I won in December, which was about three times what I usually win in a month, because I went hardcore on the Christmas comps. LOL. So look out for that!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

Madam Glam Dusk At Sea Manicure*

Hi guys! I recently received an email from Madam Glam, a nail polish and cosmetics company based in New York's fashion district, asking if I'd like to trial some of their nail polishes. After having a read of their website, I discovered their nail polishes are cruelty-free, vegan and five-free, too. This means they free of formaldehyde, dibutyl phthalate, toluene, formaldehyde resin and camphor. Yes! The range of colours available is quite impressive - I ended up selecting Dusk At Sea, Just A Flirt, Trendy Mauve and Chic Madame. Today's mani features two of these polishes and I'll be featuring the remaining ones in an upcoming post.

Dusk At Sea* is deep, dark dusky blue.

Just A Flirt* is a pretty pastel lavender/pink shade.

This is two coats of each creme polish, without a top coat, because I wanted to show the natural finish, which you can see is pretty glossy! I definitely needed two coats to even out the look and give it an opaque finish, but it applied smoothly and easily and dried fairly quickly. I've used Dusk At Sea on most nails, with Just A Flirt on my ring fingers as a contrast..... What do you mean this went out of fashion years ago?! *buries head in the sand* LOL.

These polishes are available online for $10.95 each. Madam Glam offer international shipping.

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

*Disclaimer: All products were provided for editorial consideration. This is a non-sponsored post and reviews are my honest opinion. There are no affiliate links in this post. Please see the Disclosure page for further information.

What shade of polish do you love to wear?

New Year's Resolutions!

Happy New Year! I hope you're all having lovely holidays, with lots of time to relax and hang with family and friends. Did you go crazy in the Boxing Day sales? All of my shopping was done online because I'm lazy and hate crowds! I got some beauty products from Mecca, some stuff for hubby's upcoming Birthday from ABC Shop and I bought a couple of tops, but that was with a $100 gift card I won, so it doesn't even count! I wanted some Rose Jam shower gel and Lord of Misrule shower cream from Lush but nearly everything in their Sale section was out of stock by the time I got online. Update - I went to the Marion store yesterday and they still had some 50% off Sale stock left! I'll be writing a post on my Boxing Day Hauls next week.

Anyhoo, onto my monthly goals! Let's see how I did with my December Goals.

December Goals

1. Eat healthier in general (except Christmas Day) ~ Yes & No. Yes up to Christmas, mainly no after Christmas. LOL
2. Drink more water ~ YES
3. Clear and clean my desk (minimalism!) ~ No, it still looks like a bomb hit it.
4. Don't get overwhelmed by comps and/or feel the need to enter every single Christmas Countdown competition! (compers will get this one) ~ No. I got completely overwhelmed pretty much straight away!
5. Clear and clean makeup organiser and toss unused/old products ~ No :(

Summary: 1/5. Not going to lie, that's a pretty piss poor effort.

No January goals this time, because I've been formulating my New Year's Resolutions instead.

New Year's Resolutions

1. Look after myself better
Exercise more, eat healthier food, drink more water and try to kick the Coke Zero/Pepsi Max habit! Keep track of my weight in a spreadsheet. Switch to washing my hair twice a week. My skincare routine is on point at the moment, so keep that up. Oh and get more sleep!

2. Learn to cook healthy recipes
There's no excuse for this! I'm basically stuck in a rut of cooking meals I know how to cook (like spaghetti bolognese) but that aren't particularly healthy, just because it's easy. I have a heap of cookbooks (including healthy ones) and a ton of recipes I've cut out of magazines over the years. Time to look through and find some fairly easy healthy meals to make, and actually change my family's eating habits for the better!

3. Spend more time blogging
Sadly, this will mean less comping, because somethings gotta give. I'd really like to publish 10 posts each month. I need to plan my posts out and know when each one goes live and be consistent. I also want to run more giveaways this year!

4. Step out of my comfort zone!
This will take some doing, but I want to push myself to do things I normally wouldn't. Actually attend blogger events and stop saying no to everything. Network, meet new people and socialise more. Super hard for an introvert, but a change that might be good for me.

5. Watch more TV shows/Netflix
There are so many shows I'm behind on, like seasons behind. I need to catch up on Orange is the New Black, Girls, Please Like Me, The Mindy Project, House of Cards, Elementary and Offspring to name a few. Plus there are newer shows I want to check out like Wet Hot American Summer, Master of None and Jessica Jones. I want to engage in some serious binge-watching!

6. Be more organised
Set certain days for particular housework tasks, plan ahead with my blog posts (ties into number 3) and if I buy Take 5 and That's Life magazines, ensure I get my entries in on time! Look in my Diary every morning and know what's happening that day. Don't wait until the last day of the month to achieve my monthly goals (lol I do this all the time) and don't wait until the end of each month to check the expiry date of gift cards and offers either (ugh, don't ask - let's just say I'm an expert at the last minute shop dash to use cards that expire that day). For God's sake, start being an adult!

Don't forget to enter my Fizzy Bath Bombs Giveaway, as it ends in a couple of days!

Don't miss a post!

Like Max The Unicorn on Facebook

Follow on BlogLovin'

Follow me on Twitter @ShinyGlitterBug

Subscribe via email (right sidebar)

What are your New Year's Resolutions?