Let Mary Kay Help Freshen Up Your Look this New Year! {Review & Giveaway}

We are well on our way to a wonderful year and I am LOVING my weight loss success thus far. I am in a competition with my family members and have really been watching what I have been eating. Christmas is always a time of over-eating for me and I typically am wanting to lose some of those extra pounds after the holidays. I was so thrilled to find out that I have lost a total of 14 pounds so far and am pushing for more. I can already tell a difference in the way my face looks and I have lost alot of the bloating that comes along with extra weight. It feels SO good!! Because I am losing weight, I am also looking at my makeup inventory and am going to freshen up my appearance as well. 

Mary Kay has been a staple for me when it comes to my makeup and I am always so excited when I find out that they have new and exciting products to try. Today, I am going to share some of those products with you and also, some great makeup application tips and tricks from  Mary Kay's Glam Squad Celebrity Makeup Artist Virginia Linzee!

Mary Kay is a leading makeup and beauty company that is celebrating 50 years of giving women the looks and glamour of professional grade makeup without all the junk and money that comes with high-end makeup.   When thinking about how you can really spruce up your look and do some different things with your makeup, here are Virginia's tips for a more beautiful you in 2013!

• The perfect modern brow makes a statement.
• Using a clean mascara wand or brow brush, brush the brow hairs downward
• Starting at the top of the brow, sketch quick, light strokes with Mary Kay Brow Definer Pencil, mimicking the direction that your natural hair grows
• Dampen a very thin angle brush like Mary Kay Angled Eye Brow Brush and dip into an eye shadow or brow powder that matches your natural brow color. Fill in any sparse areas using quick brush strokes
• Comb Mary Kay Brow Gel into brows in an upward motion to keep brows lifted and hairs in place
• The “new neutral” is simple and sultry.
• Start with Mary Kay Tinted Moisturizer on clear skin or Mary Kay TimeWise Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation on more uneven skin tones
• Using Mary Kay Eyeliner in Deep Brown, work the pencil into the upper lash line keeping the line thick near the outer eye and thinner as you near the inner corner. Soften the line using a smudge brush
• Sweep a mid tone eye shadow shade over the eyelid and blend into the crease. Blend softly under the lower lashes as well
• Using a darker shade like Mary Kay Mineral Eye Color in Truffle, blend shadow on the outer corner of the eye and over the liner. Be sure to blend well and fade the shadow out to avoid harsh lines. Finish off with Mary Kay Lash Love Mascara in Black.
• To keep this look super modern, skip the blush and instead, contour using Mary Kay Bronzing Powder. Then apply Mary Kay Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust on the cheek bones near the temples, the bow of the lip, down the bridge of the nose and on the center of the chin
• Finish off with Mary Kay NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Café Au Lait or Rich Spice

She makes it sound so simple, doesn't she? It just goes to show that all you just need is a bit of creativity and the right tools to accomplish your best look.

So, for this review I was sent some really great Mary Kay products to try out and I have to say...my finished result was gorgeous!! I was sent:

TimeWise Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation

Tinted Moisturizer

Lash Love Mascara in Black

Eyeliner in Deep Brown

Brow Definer Pencil

Angled Eye Brow Brush

Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust

Bronzing Powder

Brow Gel

NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Café Au Lait

Mineral Eye Color in Truffle & Gold Coast

My first step was to apply the foundation. You need a good base to make sure the rest of the makeup will look it's best and Mary Kay's foundation is sooo great. It is silky smooth and blends really nicely with my skin. The color I was sent was a touch lighter than I prefer, but it ended up looking really nice. 

The next step was to tackle my wild eyebrows. My sisters keep telling me that I need them waxed. I am so busy with my children, some days it is all I can do to get myself dressed let alone go get my eyebrows waxed. So, I just make do. This is where Mary Kay's Brow Gel can come in handy. It tames and evens the eyebrows so nicely. 

Before I applied the gel though, I filled in some bare areas with the Brow Definer Pencil. I have never used a brow pencil before but after using this one, I love it! It really helps to even out the look of your eyebrows...especially if you over-plucked. 

The Eyebrow and Eyeliner Brush is REALLY handy too...you can use it to help comb out your eyebrows before applying the gel and it also helps to tame wild and stray hairs. I didn't get any pictures of the eyeliner or mascara but it too does a fantastic job on my eyes. I have not learned the fine art of lightly applying eyeliner so it ends up looking really heavy on my eyes. However, practice makes perfect so I am definitely going to keep practicing! :)

Ever since I was introduced to Mary Kay's makeup, I have especially fallen in love with their Mineral Eye Color. Wow. It is amazing! I love how easy it is to apply and how pretty it looks. Their earth tones are perfect for me and I just love the subtle shimmer that is in it too!! Isn't Truffle (the bottom color) gorgeous?!?

The Mineral Bronzing Powder is totally new for me. The idea of "bronze" scares me honestly, but it's only because I have fair skin. Mary Kay's Bronzing Powder is not overpowering at all. It is used in place of blush and the Mineral Highlighting Powder is used to do just that-highlight specific areas of your face. It really does make a difference and brightens up your whole look!

Last but not least, the Lip Gloss. Mmmmmmmmmm...my favorite color of all time! Café Au Lait! It is a mauve/brownish color that just amazes me every time I use it. The color combination and shine is simply stunning. I use it all the time and always get compliments on what I am wearing. You know you have a good product when people comment about it! :)

Because my little guy was wanting my attention, my final photo is of him and I together. I hope you can see just how great this makeup looked on me...honestly, I thought it turned out gorgeous!! I put this picture on my husband's Facebook page and so many people commented on how great it looks...THANK YOU Mary Kay!! :)

All of these above-mentioned Mary Kay products can be purchased from Mary Kay's website, or you can find a beauty consultant near you by using their Mary Kay Beauty Consultant Locator on their website.   

So, in my opinion...Mary Kay has once again wowed me with their wonderful products. I am able to create the look I like with some of the best makeup I have ever used! Each product works so well and I would definitely recommend them to anyone. Beautiful company, fantastic makeup...GORGEOUS you! :)

Mary Kay has offered to give one of my readers ALL of the same beauty products I received! That means one of you will receive: 

TimeWise Luminous-Wear Liquid Foundation

Tinted Moisturizer

Lash Love Mascara in Black

Eyeliner in Deep Brown

Brow Definer Pencil

Angled Eye Brow Brush

Mineral Highlighting Powder in Pink Stardust

Bronzing Powder

Brow Gel

NouriShine Plus Lip Gloss in Café Au Lait

Mineral Eye Color in Truffle & Gold Coast

Here are your entry options...have fun! :)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclaimer: I received no monetary compensation for this post. I did receive free Mary Kay products for review purposes from Mary Kay. All quotes and stock photos are from the Mary Kay website and email. Prize is being provided and shipped by the sponsor. This blog is not responsible for lost, stolen or damaged prizes.  All thoughts and opinions are 100% mine.