My First Experience With Mary Kay Cosmetics, Plus a Chance To Win a Mary Kay Gift Basket

Recently I was given the opportunity to try out several Mary Kay skincare and makeup products. Since I’d never tried anything from Mary Kay before, I was excited to test some stuff out. After trying out multiple items for the past few weeks, I can definitely say that I’m a new fan of their line. I’d not read many online reviews of Mary Kay beauty products before, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was quite surprised at how much I loved everything. Let’s take a closer look at all the goodies!

I’m a sucker for lip gloss, so the three tubes of Mary Kay Nourishine Plus Lip Gloss ($14) were the first things I went for. I received the colors Mango Tango, Rock ‘n’ Red, and Café Au Lait. The formula is amazing! It’s so silky smooth on the lips and isn’t sticky at all.

And the colors, oh my! These creamy lip glosses are the most pigmented I’ve ever tried. There really is no need to wear anything underneath. They give the lips such nice, bold color on their own. I’ve been totally obsessed with Café Au Lait since I received it!

The next thing I’m most excited about is the Mary Kay Lash Primer ($15). I’ve tried a few lash primers before and haven’t been really excited by them. This one is totally different. Usually lash primers are a milky white color, but this one is clear. It goes on so smoothly that I didn’t expect anything from it. But I was wrong. Even though it looks like nothing extra is going on your lashes, don’t be fooled. The magic happens once you apply your mascara on top. It gives my lashes really nice length and volume, especially my bottom lashes.

That leads me to the Mary Kay Lash Love Mascaras ($15). Both the regular and waterproof versions go on smooth and even without any clumping. The lashes stay nicely separated and have a good amount of extra length. I like both versions, but I’m really partial to the waterproof one. It is smudge- and budge-proof! Even after a full day of wear, I don’t experience any flaking or transfer at all. Love it!

The Mary Kay Ultimate Mascara ($15) is another good option. The brush is a lot more dense than the ones on the Lash Love mascaras. It easily grips and glides through lashes, adding nice bulk without clumping them together. Simply put, it gives a bit of extra length but mostly adds volume.

If you’re looking for an exciting and fun travel compact, check out the Mary Kay Compact Mini ($16 empty). This pocket-sized compact holds multiple items in one convenient place. The top flips open to reveal a magnetic tray that holds your choice of eyeshadow ($6.50), blush ($10) and/or bronzer ($12) refill pans. You can mix and match your heart out!

Aside from holding your favorite makeup choices, the magnetic tray portion also flips up to reveal a handy spot for your applicators. On the inside of the top lid you’ll also find a nice-sized mirror. Not only is the Compact Mini convenient but the eyeshadows and blush I received are super pigmented. They are very silky and smooth in texture and have great color payoff. A little goes a long way with these, and they blend out easily too.

Lastly, let’s talk about some amazing skincare items. I was so leery to try any skincare items because changing my routine usually results in severe breakouts. But not with the Mary Kay TimeWise Microdermabrasion Set ($55). The set consists of two steps: an exfoliator and a serum.

Step one takes place in my shower after I clense my face. I simply rub a small amount on my face with my hands and rinse it off. It contains small exfoliating crystals that aren’t too rough on the skin. I then apply the serum before my regular moisturizer. I noticed a difference in my skin within just a few days. My skin looks smoother, feels softer and, more importantly, my pores are noticeably smaller!

Finally, we have the Mary Kay TimeWise Repair Volu-Firm Eye Renewal Cream ($40). Love, love, love this stuff!!! It has made such a difference on my under-eye area! The metal applicator tip feels cooling on the skin and helps the cream glide on without having to use your fingers.

I used to notice several lines under my eyes, and the skin was thin and crepey. Now, after using this for a few weeks, the skin looks and feels a whole lot plumper. Awesome!

As you can tell by now, I’m impressed by Mary Kay! I never really thought about the company before, but now they’re on my radar. I always thought you needed to order directly from your local sales rep, but nope, you can use Mary Kay.com to get in touch with a consultant and order. Dangerous! I’m already eyeing a few more things to try!

Now here’s your own opportunity to win a Mary Kay gift basket and try out some items yourself! Just comment to tell me the greatest beauty tip you’ve learned and you’ll be entered to win.

Rules:

No duplicate comments.

You may receive (2) total entries by selecting from the following entry methods:

a) Leave a comment in response to the sweepstakes prompt on this post

b) Tweet (public message) about this promotion; including exactly the following unique term in your tweet message: “#SweepstakesEntry”; and leave the URL to that tweet in a comment on this post

c) Blog about this promotion, including a disclosure that you are receiving a sweepstakes entry in exchange for writing the blog post, and leave the URL to that post in a comment on this post

d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 19 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to get back to me, otherwise a new winner will be selected.

The Official Rules are available here.

This sweepstakes runs from 12/5/12–12/31/12.

Be sure to visit the Mary Kay page on BlogHer.com where you can read other bloggers’ reviews and find more chances to win!

I was provided with Mary Kay products to use and review, and was compensated for this post, however all opinions are my own.