Review: Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile Perfume (and GIVEAWAY!)

I try to match my perfume to my mood, or to the activities I'm doing that day. I have a few to choose from when it comes to 'date night', or 'drinks with the girls', but I've been struggling to find the perfect 'work' scent. The perfume you can spritz in the morning and have it last all day. The perfume that can uplift your mood in the morning, and make you forget that you're about to head off to work for 8 or 9 hours.
Guys, I think I've found it.

Acqua di Parma Magnolia Nobile.

 

As the name suggests, Magnolia is a strong note in this perfume, and this is a floral fragrance. But, I was really surprised when I first sprayed it, because the top notes contain citrus (Bergamont, Mandarin, Citron and Lemon) which make it really fresh and interesting. I think this always helps to take away the sickly sweetness you get with some floral fragrances.Unlike other florals in my collection, to me this is a much more mature scent. I think that's because whilst you definitely notice the floral notes, they're understated and part of a much deeper fragrance mix. After wearing this on my skin, it settles and I can smell hints of jasmine, musk, vanilla. I love the longevity, and have found that it lasts for hours on my skin - I spray it before I leave for work (around 7.45am) and I still catch subtle whiffs of it up until 5pm the same day.

This perfume is classic, and I can see it working for sophisticated women of all ages!

You can buy it from David Jones here, along with almost every other fragrance you could ever want.

David Jones Australia have also very generously given me an extra bottle to give away to one of you fantastic readers! Due to shipping restrictions, this giveaway is only open to Australian residents (sorry international readers!). Fill out the rafflecopter below to enter!
(Note: Following me on either bloglovin or GFC is mandatory, however both are ticked as mandatory options. If you follow me with both, you'll get the bonus points, but if you only follow with one let me know in the section of each which one you follow with. E.g. for the bloglovin entry point just type "I follow on GFC" in the comment section"

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules and Legalities:

1. You must be over the age of 16 to enter. If you are under this age, you must have your parent's consent to enter. 

2. This is a game of skill (hence the answering of the question)

3. If you do not comply with the rules on entering, your entry will be deemed as invalid. 

4. The competition will end on the 6th October 2014. The winner will be decided and notified, and given 24 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be decided and will also have 24 hours to respond. 

5. The prize will be mailed out, using regular Australian Post within a week of the winner responding. If the winner would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

6. This giveaway is open to Australian residents only.

Disclaimer: This item was sent to me for editorial consideration from the kind people at David Jones. This has not influenced my review, and all thoughts and opinions are my own. Check out my disclaimer for further details.



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Review and Swatches: Revlon Colourburst Matte Balms (and GIVEAWAY!)

Earlier on in the week, I wrote about the new Revlon Lacquer balms. I've also already written up a preliminary review on these, if you want to check that out here.
It's well documented on this blog how much I love matte lips, so matte lip crayons?? These were practically made for me!

I don't have anything more to say on the packaging, than what I've already said. I love lip crayons. I love the sleekness of these. I love the matte-ness. I have nothing to fault.

(L-R: 230 Complex; 205 Elusive; 220 Showy; 240 Striking; 250 Standout; 215 Shameless)

(Top: natural lips (no product); Bottom: 230 Complex)

Complex is a peachy nude. I thought it was a bit more pink when I swatched it on my arm in the store...

I honestly am unsure about this colour. I have tried and tried, and I think it just doesn't work with my colouring. I was really hoping this would be a good matte nude, but I think it's a bit too peachy for me. 

(Top: 205 Elusive; Bottom 220 Showy)

Elusive is a cool toned light pink. I love this colour so much more than I thought I would! This is really office appropriate; it's not quite nude, but it's not a really bright colour either. This one is definitely in the running as one of my favourites. 

Showy is a bright, blue-based pink. This colour is lots of fun, and I've loved wearing this with the sunny days we've been having lately. 

(Top: 240 Striking; Middle: 250 Standout; Bottom: 215 Shameless)

These are both beautiful reds! I think striking is a cool-red, as it almost shows up with an orange hue on my lips. 

Standout is a gorgeous, deep berry red. This one is also in the running as one of my favourites. I did find however, that I needed to re-apply this colour quite frequently to keep the intensity up, which is kind of annoying.

I featured Shameless in a face of the day not too long ago. This colour is the most intense of all the matte balms, being a deep purple. I bought this one on a whim, not knowing if I could pull it off, but it's definitely one of my favourites for something different. I love the slightly vampish look this gives, and I'm always a fan of a dark lip. This does not last at all when eating or drinking though, and comes off pretty easily. 

Overall, I really love these. They aren't that long-lasting though. I was kind of let down by that; I found I was reapplying every 2 hours to stop them from going sheer. Some of the colours came off completely when eating or drinking which is a bit of a shame. They are really hydrating though, and feel like a balm on the lips (not that the name gave that away or anything). There is a slight peppermint smell, but I think it's a lot more subtle than some of Revlon's other lip products. There's also a wide variety of shades so I really think there's something for everyone! 

AND! Now for a sneaky giveaway! I love these so much that I wanted to give some to one of you guys! 

I have 220 Showy, and 135 Provocateur (from the lacquer range...check out this post if you missed it for more details). To enter, all you need to do is fill out the rafflecopter below!

 (I know, I know. But it makes it super easy for me to keep track of all your answers, and I swear there's not a billion entries. All you need to do is leave me a comment and follow on either bloglovin or GFC! (Or both...you get an extra point for both) Too easy!)

Giveaway Terms and Conditions:
This giveaway is international, and winners will be drawn on the 23rd June, 2014.
You must be over the age of 18 to enter, or have your parent's or legal guardian's permission. All entries will be checked and verified. The winners will be decided on 23rd June, 2014, based on creativity of response, at the judge's discretion. The winners will have 24 hours to respond, and if no response is given, a new winner will be drawn. The prize will be mailed out using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winners would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

a Rafflecopter giveaway


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2013: The Books I Read (and giveaway! NOW CLOSED)

This post was inspired by The Belle Lumiere. I thought a yearly round up of books read was such a great idea for a post, and a giveaway of books? Even better!

Excluding textbooks, I didn't read all that much last year. I noticed during semester, my leisure reading slowed down somewhat considerably and as soon as I was on holidays, I devoured books like nobody's business.

I got through 14 books in 2013, and for 2014 I'm upping the ante...my goal is 30 books. We'll see how I go. I also plan to write a lot more book reviews in 2014, hopefully that will keep me on track with my reading goals. So without further ado...these are the books I read (in no particular order).

   

   

   

 

I've decided to also do a giveaway with the books I loved the most!
I will be giving away one of the following books to each winner: Stephen King's The Green Mile; Anthony Burgess' A Clockwork Orange; Piper Kerman's Orange is the New Black and Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting.

All you have to do to win is follow this blog on GFC and on Bloglovin, and tell me (using the form below) which book you would like to win and why. That simple!

GIVEAWAY NOW CLOSED.

This giveaway is international, and winners will be drawn on the 8th February.
Terms and Conditions: You must be over the age of 18 to enter, or have your parent's or legal guardian's permission. All entries will be checked and verified. The winners will be decided on 8th February, based on creativity of response, at the judge's discretion. The winners will have 24 hours to respond, and if no response is given, a new winner will be drawn. The prize will be mailed out using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winners would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 


What books did you read in 2013? Have you set a reading goal for 2014?



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2013 CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY (PART 2!) (CLOSED)

Source (edited by myself)

So! As I explained in this post last week, I am doing two giveaways this Christmas! 

This is a SEPARATE GIVEAWAY from the one last week. You have the chance to win both prizes! If you haven't already go ahead and enter last week's giveaway! I'll wait, I promise. 

SECOND PRESENT

For the second present I am giving away an O.P.I 'Take Ten' gift pack! This is 10 mini versions of O.P.I's best-selling nail polishes! Ahhhh this pack is so amazing I kind of want to keep it for myself! 

The shades included are:

Pirouette my whistle / Alpine Snow / Bubble Bath / Tickle my Frace-y / You Don't Know Jacques!

Cajun Shrimp / Big Apple Red / German-icure by OPI / Malaga Wine / Lincoln Park After Dark

I thought this was such a great pack to try out the best of O.P.I! So if you want to enter, read on! 

RULES AND LEGALITIES:

• This giveaway is open internationally
• You must be over the age of 18 to enter. If you're not over the age of 18, you must have your parent's permission to enter. 
• You need to be a follower on GFC, and answer the questions in the google form below. Leaving a comment DOES NOT COUNT as entering. You can leave me comments if you wish (I do love reading and interacting with you guys!) But this will not count as an entry. 
• For extra entries, follow me on bloglovin and on twitter, and tweet about the giveaway! 
• You can enter both this giveaway and next week's. 
• All entries will be checked and verified. If you do not comply, your entry will be invalid. 
• The giveaway will end on the 22nd December, 2013. The winner will be decided and notified on this day, and given 24 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be decided and will also have 24 hours to respond. 
• The prize will be mailed out, using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winner would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this.

(ETA: The winner of this prize was the lovely Frith)

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2013 CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY - NOW CLOSED

Source (edited by myself)

Christmas is less than 5 weeks away! Can you believe it? We've put the tree up at the J&M household, and we've started buying gifts for everyone. Christmas and I have such a love-hate relationship... I hate the inevitable drama of the season. But I think that my love  for the high spirits of the season, and my love for giving gifts outweighs anything negative about this time of year. 

So in the spirit of giving, I'm going to give away TWO prizes to TWO lucky winners! 

SO. This is TWO SEPARATE giveaways. If you wish to win both or either prize, then you will need to fill out both forms! Today I will reveal the first gift I will be giving away, and then next Sunday I will reveal the second gift! 

FIRST GIFT

A little 'ZING' from Lush! I thought this gift pack was so cutely wrapped, and had some great products inside, I couldn't resist grabbing it for one of you! 

Inside is a Rub Rub Rub shower scrub, and an orange jelly soap! Tropical scented sea salt shower scrub and orange soap.  Hello summer!
Being from Australia, I tend to associate Christmas time with summer and citrus and sunburn and barbecues and all the good things that come with this time of year. So I thought this would be a great gift for an 'Aussie' summer! If you're from a hotter climate then this will suit this time of year perfectly! And if you're one of my northern hemisphere readers...then you can use these products and wish you were somewhere with a bit of warmth.

RULES AND LEGALITIES:

• This giveaway is open internationally
• You must be over the age of 18 to enter. If you're not over the age of 18, you must have your parent's permission to enter. 
• You need to be a follower on GFC, and answer the questions in the google form below. Leaving a comment DOES NOT COUNT as entering. You can leave me comments if you wish (I do love reading and interacting with you guys!) But this will not count as an entry. 
• For extra entries, follow me on bloglovin and on twitter, and tweet about the giveaway! 
• You can enter both this giveaway and next week's. 
• All entries will be checked and verified. If you do not comply, your entry will be invalid. 
• The giveaway will end on the 15th December, 2013. The winner will be decided and notified on this day, and given 24 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be decided and will also have 24 hours to respond. 
• The prize will be mailed out, using regular Australian Post within a week of responding. If the winner would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this.

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND GOOD LUCK! 

ETA: THE WINNER is Di from Max the Unicorn! Her favourite thing about Christmas is "Watching my six year old son rip open his presents under the Tree on Christmas morning! The excitement in his eyes bring me such joy."
Congratulations to Di, and thank you so much for everyone for entering...I loved reading through all your entries and wish I had more money to buy you all prizes. Thank you all also, so much, for supporting my blog :)

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Give-away: 3 year blogging anniversary!

It is so crazy that just over three years ago, I decided to start a blog. I had no idea what to do with my blog, or the direction it would take; in fact I'd only just started reading other people's blogs myself. I was totally naive as to the extent of the blogging community and how big a part blogs play in the online world. 

I've come a long way, and I thought I'd share a few goodies to thank you guys...my readers! 

The prize:

- kikki.K Make up case (shown above) 

- MOR: Hand and Body Wash in Honey Nectar

- Revlon Lip Butter: In 020 Brown Sugar

- Australis Nail Colour: in Rose Tattoo

-Rimmel Apocalips: Lip Lacquer in 201 Solstice

- Model Rock Lashes: in Fabulous Friday

- DUO eyelash glue 

(all products were bought by myself and are unopened and unused)

To Enter:

1. Follow this blog through GFC (link in the sidebar on the right)

2. Leave me a comment below stating either:

a) If you own a blog: what have you loved the most about blogging?

b) If you don't own a blog: what is your favourite part about reading other people's blogs?

In your comment, also tell me: what is your favourite post of mine, from the last 3 years (lots to choose from!)

It's that easy!! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Rules and Legalities:

1. You must be over the age of 16 to enter. If you are under this age, you must have your parent's consent to enter. 

2. This is a game of skill (hence the answering of the question)

3. If you do not comply with the rules on entering, your entry will be deemed as invalid. 

4. The competition will end on the 30th August, 2013. The winner will be decided and notified, and given 24 hours to respond. If there is no response, a new winner will be decided and will also have 24 hours to respond. 

5. The prize will be mailed out, using regular Australian Post within a week of the winner responding. If the winner would like registered post or tracking, they agree to pay the costs of this. 

6. This giveaway is open internationally. 

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New in Subscription Boxes: Europe in a Box

Over the past few months I have done monthly reviews of what I received in two beauty boxes that I was subscribed to. These boxes were a great opportunity to try out a bunch of samples from many different companies at a reasonable price.
Today, I'm going to share with you a new subscription box: Europe in a box. 

The concept of food subscription boxes isn't new; there have been a few companies launching over the past 6 months with aims of bringing healthy snacks to your door. No fuss, no muss.
So how is Europe in a Box different?
This box is about more than receiving some nuts and snacks; it's about culinary and cultural education.
I've had a lot of friends travel to Europe in the past 12 months, and almost all of them comment on how great the food is over there. For them, receiving this box of authentic treats would invoke memories of their expereience. For me, I've never travelled to Europe, so this is a cheaper way to try out those foods and snacks until I can actually get my butt over there.

Each box contains four gourmet products each originating from a different culinary destinations in Europe, including an authentic imported drink, additional samples and a keepsake.(1)

If that's not reason enough to sign up, a percentage of the proceeds from the sale of each box are donated to All Together Now, the only national charity in Australia dedicated to tackling racism issues. How great is that!?



You can sign up online at www.europeinabox.com.au, with membership prices starting at $48 per month, with free shipping.

Cyndie, the creator of Europe in a Box has also also kindly given me some discount vouchers for you guys, valid until the 30th March! Just type in either of the below codes at check out:
SPREADTHELOVE: to get $5 off your one month transaction (this is a one off fee, not a recurring transaction)
DISCOVEREUROPE: $10 off a 3 month subscription.

Have you travelled to Europe?
What was your favourite food over there? Let me know! 

(1) Note taken from media release. 
Disclaimer: I was asked to write this post on behalf of Europe in a Box. I am not being paid for this post, nor are any of the above links or discount codes affiliate links. I really think this is a great idea and thought you guys would be interested in hearing about it :)


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Giveaway Winners!

And the winners are....

(drum roll)

The winner of my blog giveaway is... Natalie!!

The winner of my youtube giveaway is ... Sue!!

Congrats ladies! I have mailed off both your parcels today!

Thanks to everyone who entered, if you didn't win this time, you might next time so don't lose hope!
To the lovely winners - I really hope you enjoy your prizes!




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CHRISTMAS GIVEAWAY!

Source

It is getting so close to Christmas now, with only a little more than 5 weeks to go!
The Christmas displays have started going up in the shops, and I'm starting to freak out that I haven't properly considered what I'm buying for whom.

Every year Christmas has its dramas, but I can't help but still love the holiday season. I love the feeling of giving gifts and catching up with everyone.

So with that in mind, I thought it would be a good idea to give a gift to one of you guys, my readers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The winner will receive:

1. An adorable spotty Christmas stocking
2. 100g Limited Edition Lush Ponche Shower Gel
3. Lush Sandy Santa Sugar Scrub
4. Pack of Christmas Chocolate Truffles!

The Rules

To enter all you need to do is:

1. Make sure you're a follower on this blog via Google Friend Connect. 
2. Leave me a comment below telling me:
   a) what you have planned for Christmas day
   b) what you plan to wear (fashion-wise and/or makeup-wise)
3. follow me on twitter and tweet daily about the giveaway to earn extra entries!

The giveaway is open internationally and will close at 6pm, 14th December AEDST.

I will draw a winner at this time, and notify them via email. 

To allow postage on time, the winner has 24 hours to respond or I will draw a new winner. 

I'm also hosting another, separate giveaway over at my Youtube channel so go check it out, and enter there as well!
(N.B. These are two different competitions!) Click the video  below for entry details for that one. 

GOOD LUCK and MERRY CHRISTMAS

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