Know a girl who can tell the difference between a kabuki and a stippling brush or owns a whole makeup store at home? Well we’ve rounded up five items that are bound to be on her wish list this season. To save one lucky reader from a trip to the mall, I’ve got a giveaway for one of the most favored beauty brands: MAC! See below for the great prize pack you can win and how to enter.

Benefit Countdown To Love advent calendar, $68

Enjoy the thrill of opening up a little cardboard door to find a surprise. While you’re 7-year-old self may have enjoyed the small piece of chocolate, this limited edition calender is filled with must-have beauty goodies. Containing Benefit’s bestsellers including BADgal lash mascara and ultra plush lipgloss, everyday will be an exciting one. The calendar includes 24 mini beauty products and also a charm necklace, bracelet and barrette. It’s available at benefit or sephora stores.

Fresh Sugar Lip Treatment, $22.50

For lips that are ready for kissing under the mistletoe, this Sugar Lip Treatment from Fresh is a best-seller known for its nourishing and protective benefits that glides on easily and stay on. This isn’t your regular drugstore chapstick, and it’s a rewarding investment that keeps lips moisturized for up to 6 weeks. A personal favorite of mine, it also comes in different tints to add some subtle color to your lips!

Marc Jacobs Beauty Showstopper 7-Piece Holiday Set, $107

This is the first Christmas you’ll be able to give Marc Jacobs Beauty as a gift, the line having only been released earlier this year in August. This special holiday set gives you the best bang for your buck and the opportunity to get a taste of the different products. It’s a $261 value that comes with mascara, lipgloss, eyeliner, eyeshadow and the super chic Makeup bag. Good quality makeup for a great price!

Nicole by OPI Gumdrops nail lacquer, $7

I’m not one for textured nail polish but these are beautiful. They are easy to apply and leave your nails looking dazzling. These give you the perfect chance to stray away from your usual colors and sparkle is perfect for the holiday season!

Vera Wang Pink Princess Eau de Parfum, $60

I’ve always been a fan of Vera Wang fragrances, but it’s Pink Princess that has won my heart with its girly smells that combines the scents of raspberry sorbet, pink hibiscus and fluffy marshmallow. Perfumes are always a great gift to give during the holidays and it’s a safe bet they receiver will love it.

GIVEAWAY: MAC Beauty Trio

Add a pop of color this holiday season with this MAC eye shadow, lip pencil and metallic pigment set!
Contest is open worldwide and no purchase is necessary. Enter below:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Christmas Countdown: Beauty Gift Guide appeared first on Confessions of a Twenties Girl.

2. Stay away from the table the employee is cleaning.
For the past hour that post-tornado of a table that once used to display nicely folded t-shirts stood untouched. Of course, as soon as a sales associate decides to tackle it and is one t-shirt away from achieving the impossible aka bringing the display back to its pristine shape, a swarm of customers come in like a pack of hungry bees.
Bottom line: If you see an employee working hard at cleaning something, don’t just come by and grab the item that they were about to fold out of their hand, or mess up the table right in front of them. Have the courtesy to at least try and pretend you’re not purposely trying to be the Tasmanian devil or ask them for the size you want.

3. If you drop something, pick it up.
Don’t think I didn’t see you knock over that sale sign with your giant suitcase purse, only to hear the sound of something crash behind you, look back, stare at the fallen object for a good five seconds, do a quick (and totally suspicious looking) scan making sure no one saw you and walk away. Seriously, just take the five seconds to bend down, pick up what you dropped and put it in it’s rightful place. Unless your clumsy self bumped over a mannequin, then run call a store employee over.

4. Find your manners and then use them.
Think of that old aunt you see every holiday that loves to pinch cheeks and say with a nasally voice, “Where’s your manners young lady/mister?” I’d recommend the golden rule of treating others the way you want to be treated but some people clearly like being a victim of Regina George. Say hello back to that overtly friendly employee greeting you at the front door, say thank you to the one who just climbed a really tall and scary ladder to get you your shoe size and say please when asking if you can have a fitting room. If you’re nice, I’ll definitely do my best to help you, but if you decide to get all Mean Girls on me then oops, I may or may not have charged you regular price for that belt that was secretly on sale.

5. Don’t ask for the employee discount if you’re not an employee.
This isn’t a car dealership where “everyone” gets the employee discount. This also isn’t a flea market or garage sale where you can bargain prices with me. I can’t and I definitely won’t give you 40% off just because you lean over the till and flash me a smile that tells me you haven’t been to the dentist in years. If you want to be cheap, I will gladly give you directions to the nearest dollar store.

6. Have your decisions made and your wallet ready when you reach the cash register.
Cashiers aren’t personal stylists who will spend hours with you deciding which color and size to get. The worst lines we hear sound something like this: “I don’t want this anymore, never mind I’ll get, wait can you get me a size small, actually I’ll take that medium, you know what I don’t want it, why’d you take that out I wanna get that.” If you haven’t made a final decision on what you do and do not want, get out of the line because you’re not only making the cashier upset but the dozen or so people lined up behind you. Also a great help would be having your method of payment out and ready, whether it’s cash, credit or debit. Am I the only one who hears the Jeopardy theme song playing while people take ten minutes to search through their purse to pull out a water bottle, makeup case, lotion bottle, pack of gum, teacup dog before actually finding their wallet?

So take a hint from some of these tips and help make this holiday season a jolly one for everyone!

Note: these are not the views of my employer, just mine, and every retail employee who suffers through the Black Friday/Christmas shopping season as well.

-@Naomi_ML

The post Shopping Ettiquette 101 appeared first on Confessions of a Twenties Girl.

Also, be sure to scroll to the bottom for a great beauty giveaway!

The “Whatever” hat, $4, Urban Planet
For the longest time I’ve wanted a winter hat/beanie like this. There’s been an increasing popularity in what I like to call “word hats” that have everything from “Ain’t no wifey” to “Rich” on them.
I’m someone who’d prefer to keep my “geek” status hidden instead of scripted on my forehead, so this “Whatever” hat was perfect for me. It also perfectly describes my mood on school days.
For Canadians you can buy this hat, for the extremely cheap price of $4 at Urban Planet, and while they only ship within Canada, others can buy other similar styles them on eBay or at Brandy Mellville.

Daisy by Marc Jacobs Eau de toilette spray, $100, Sears
No, I did not splurge on this floral smelling perfume, it was given to me by my amazing internship editor, but boy does it smell good. Described as fresh and feminine, with a playful innocence, it’s perfect for a night out or everyday wear (though I don’t think I can part with my Vera Wang princess perfume yet).

Rottweiler puppy shirt, $24, Urban Outfitters
Before you do anything else, just take five seconds to look into this puppy’s eyes.
….And now you know why I purchased this oversized tee. While roaring tigers and other animals are cool and all, nothing beats this adorable adorable pup. I also love how it’s a play on Givenchy’s famous rotweiler design.

Assorted gold jewelry, $6, Charlotte Russe
My favourite place to buy jewelry in the States would definitely be Charlotte Russe. They have the most gorgeous pieces that are in-trend for the best prices. $6 for one or 2 for $10 hello! Gold jewelry is the only thing I spend my money on (sorry silver!) so here are the three that caught my eye this visit.

Michael Kors signature hats.
Here’s the thing I have an addiction to winter accessories; hats, gloves, scarves you name it. My mother has since banned me from buying anymore items but it hasn’t stopped me from buying them for other people. These Michael Kors signature hats were a steal so I had to snatch them! Christmas is coming up after all!

Tribal Print Cardigan, $22, Papaya
Warm and thick cardigans are a must-have in my closet during the winter months. One with a bold print like this is perfect to throw on during those lazy days.

Essie No Chips Ahead top coat, and tour de finance and too too hot nail polishes, $6
I’ve been needing a new top coat, having used Essie’s To Dry For top coat, I thought I’d go with this one which is supposed to extend your manicure by ten days. I’ve yet to test to out but from all the brands I’ve tried, Essie is by far my favorite!

Studded Sleeveless blouse, $20, JCPenny

Wedge Sneakers, $70, Steve Madden
Definitely my favorite purchase, wedge sneakers have been on my to-buy list all summer and I finally found a great pair at a reasonable price! I can always count on Steve Madden. I love that they add height without making it super obvious with a giant heel.

Giveaway, FREE (if you win)
With each haul, I figured I’d grab something extra for my fabulous readers. This month, I’ve got a mini beauty prize pack that includes some awesome Halloween themed nail products!

There are three ways to enter, you only need to to do one, but for each method you get an extra entry (for a total of three entries)!

To enter:

1. Follow @Naomi_ML on twitter and tweet “I want my nails to be as scary as my costume this Halloween! Help me out @Naomi_ML! #BeautyGiveaway https://confessionsofatwentiesgirl.com/”

2. Like my brand spakin’ new Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Confessions-of-a-Twenties-Girl/172271422978078 and like the post about this haul!

3. Follow this blog, post a comment on this post and tell me what’s the best thing you bought this month so far or what your favorite item from this haul is and why!

Contest open worldwide and closes October 23, 2013.

The post September/October Shopping Haul + Giveaway appeared first on Confessions of a Twenties Girl.

To promote their new line, Mendocino (a Toronto based chain of stores that sell the best of  brand name merchandise that one would usually only find in New York, Paris and LA) teamed up with a group of Toronto fashion bloggers to share their “My Mendocino Moment” styles on mannequins in their store windows.

A simple retweet (or three) got me a VIP invite to their #MyMendoMoment launch party at the Eaton Centre and I was able to shop like a star. Greeted by extremely friendly staff, offered great tasting champagne and tempted by a colourful candy bar; the night was definitely a memorable one. The best part about winning the contest though? Getting a $100 gift card to buy whatever my heart desired in the store. Unfortunately for me, my heart wanted everything, but in the end I was able to make a decision and buy two pieces.

Check out my pictures from the event:

What’s in that Mendocino shopping bag?

(Left: Chiole Denim Architect vest, $85 Right: Freeloader tank, $52)

There were seriously so many beautiful items, Mendocino has earned it’s spot on my “favourite stores” list. (If I wasn’t a financially starving student I’d be shopping here every week!) Be sure to check out their website and lookbook and if you live in Toronto, visit one of their many locations!

Thanks again to TextStyles and Mendocino for hosting this amazing contest and event!
-Naomi

The post #MyMendoMoment Event appeared first on Confessions of a Twenties Girl.