Nail Swatches: OPI Mariah Carey Liquid Sand Review

I received these lovely new Mariah Carey by OPI Liquid Sandnail polishes from a giveaway hosted by the lovely Jamie at The Beauty of Life. Check out her blog; it's awesome! Then check out my review and swatches of the Liquid Sand colors below!

 

OPI by Mariah Carey's Liquid Sand in Stay the Night is a beautiful dark maroon with flecks of red glitter. The liquid sand creates a rough texture that is difficult to see in the swatches. I couldn't wait to try both colors, so I put Stay the Night on my toes!

It's much easier to see the texture on swatches of the next color, The Impossible. I love the little star glitter, though I only managed to get one on my nails (it's on my index finger)! The liquid sand texture gives the nail color a rough, almost matte look. Though you could shine it up with a topcoat, I left the color without a topcoat. I also only used one coat, man, is it bright!

 

Thanks for looking at my new OPI nail swatches and reading my review. Let me know in the comments: have you or are you going to try Liquid Sand by Mariah Carey?

Giveaway tips and tricks

Some of my real life friends and coworkers have been interested in how I win free stuff online. While I could be selfish and say "Do what I did and spend hours online looking this stuff up!", it really wouldn't be very helpful. And for those who are serious about "sweeping", they will be spending hours researching anyway, so I may as well give a few pointers.

And you will spend hours doing it. I spend at least an hour everyday, going through my dailies, finding new sweeps, etc. This hobby does take time. And patience. Results are not immediate. Results are not guaranteed. I went 3 weeks without a win before I won a shopbop giftcard the other day. It is very much a numbers game, enter more and you're more likely to win something. Enter giveaways with less entries (or less exposure/hits) and you're more likely to win. It takes more time to find the more obscure giveaways! Or perhaps just a bit of organization...

1. Set up a Routine
Set up an alternate email account, a google account, a pinterest, a bloglovin', a stumble, and a twitter account. These are the most common ways you may be asked to follow someone to gain an entry into the giveaway.
Some giveaways will ask to fill out a form, others will ask you to leave a comment for each entry, and many now use a widget called rafflecopter to keep track of entries (it uses your facebook account to remember your entries). I have won giveaways that use each of these different methods and I don't see much difference, except that usually forms are on the more popular websites (such as magazines) and you may have less of a chance of winning because there's no way to tell how many people have entered.
Set up a series of bookmark folders or a notepad document to keep track of your entries. Note if the giveaway sponsor will email you if you won, or if you need to check back to see if you won. I bookmark the pages I need to return to later with the date the winners will be posted.

2. Use Add-ons
The most important add-on I use is Roboform. With a click of a button (and a few loading seconds if the particular site isn't already saved) all of my information is filled out onto the form. This saves a lot of time!

3. Double-Check All Information
Don't hit that submit button before checking to make sure your information is entered correctly, and that you have fulfilled all requirements for the entry.

4. Frequent Different Listings
Many blogs have listings of giveaways because sometimes the giveaway will offer extra entries for sharing and posting about that giveaway. Most giveaways posted on freefragments falls under that category.
Online-Sweepstakes.com: this site is great. It has an extensive and active forum where sweepers can learn more about sweeping from the pros, tips and tricks, even free samples and survey opportunities. I use this site to keep track of many of my dailies (after you sign up, click the red button next to the sweep to add it to your MySweeps).
Esty Giveaways: This is a nice listing of esty (handmade or vintage) giveaways. They list giveaways by add date in the main posting section, but also by the ending date in the left-hand column.
The Giveaway Lifestyle: Sarah is awesome. Everyday without fail she posts the ending-soon list of giveaways she's entered. Many of these are nail polish or other beauty products. She's also very nice!
Also: check your favorite brands or magazines frequently for giveaways or promotions. Do a quick search on facebook, google or twitter using your favorite brandnames +giveaway or contest. I frequently search for Sephora, Stila, Tarte, OPI, Shabby Apple, Anthropologie, Blowfish, and Urban Decay because 1. they are popular, 2. they constantly host or have blogs host giveaways and 3. I love their products!

Which brings me to my last point: Don't waste your time on trying to win something you won't enjoy. It may be tempting to enter that baby book giveaway because there's only 20 entries, but it's useless unless you or someone you know can use the product. So go for stuff you always wanted but can't usually afford and have fun!

Julep Maven Sneak Peak Box

According to Julep, my style is Boho Glam. What's yours?

Enter to win an intro box from Julep at Mommy Living the Life of Riley! Ends 1/19.

Today's Shabby Apple Giveaways 12/13

Key to my Heart necklace at Creative Southern Home

Humboldt skirt at I Know, Right?

Bali Ha'i' dress at My Repurposed Life
Bali Ha'i' dress at Sew Country Chick
Bali Ha'i' dress at Crystal's Craft Spot

Black Oak dress at It's so Very Cheri

Today's Shabby Apple Giveaways 12/12

Key to Wonderland necklace at Baby Shopaholic
Key to Wonderland necklace at Love Sweet Love

Nothin' Like a Dame dress at Keeping it Simple
Nothin' Like a Dame dress at Eat the Damn Cake

Francine skirt at No Model Lady

Bali Ha'i' dress at It's Fun to Craft!

Whie Rabiit's Timekeeper at Chocolate, Drool and Kisses

Today's Shabby Apple Giveaways 12/11

Andes Skirt at Audrey Allure

Waimea Dress at Sweet Serendipity Design

Humboldt Skirt at Going Home to Roost

Key to my Heart Necklace at Oh For Heaven Cakes

The Queen's Rose Necklace at Passing Daisies

Today's Giveaways! Ending 12/10

A different giveaway today!

Our Whiskey Lullaby is hosting a giveaway for $50 to Mikarose!

Mad Hatter's Timekeeper at Holiday Helpers

Francine Skirt at Pocket Full of Pink

Ballerina Dress at MaryJanes and Galoshes

Nothin' Like a Dame Dress at I Believe in Unicorns

Today's Giveaways 12/8

Nothin' Like A Dame Dress at Finding Fabulous

Coco Bean Dress at One Avian Daemon

Francine Skirt at Pink Argyle

Andes Skirt at House Tweaking

Giveaways Ending Soon!

Ending 12/6

Ballerina Dress at Lyndsay and the Johnsons

Ending 12/7

Dark Secrets of Wonderland Bracelet at the VeraStyle

Light as a Feather Necklace at the life of a wife

Boogie Woogie Dress at Whatever Dee-Dee Wants

Spanish Steps Dress at Caroline Heartstrings

Mariposa Grove Dress at Beautiful You by Julie

Bacciami Dress at Bacon Time

Today's Giveaways! 12/5

Spanish Steps Dress and Francine Skirt at Family Ever After

Bali Ha'i' Dress at Consume or Consumed

Bacciami Dress at Cupcakes and Corsets

Today's Giveaways! 12/4

Boogie Woogie Dress at Casa Greer(only 28 entries!)

Francine Skirt at Ducks in a Row

Spanish Steps Dress at Mrs. Southern Bride
Spanish Steps Dress at Sweetest Next

White Rabbit's Time Keeper at The Functional Space

Giveaway Ending Today

A World Full of Prettiness is giving away this great sleek prize pack! Enter today as it ends tonight!

Shabby Apple Giveaways 11/29

Ending Today 11/29

Francine Skirt at Curious Notions

Ending Tomorrow 11/30

Kanani Dress at Creation Corner

Bali Ha'i' Dress at Fashion Fling

Bacciami Dress at Natalie's Sentiments
Bacciami Dress at Haute Whimsy

Waimea Dress at The Short and the Sweet of It

Giveaway Winners + Shabby Apple Giveaways Ending soon!

If you checked the rafflecopter widget you'll find that there are two winners for the Maybelline prize pack!

1. Jackie
2. Val

I have already emailed the winners. Thanks everyone who entered! I hope you'll stick around for more giveaways, reviews and such!

I'm going to change around my Shabby Apple giveaway list and instead of updating the same old list, I will provide a list (with pictures!) of giveaways that are ending soon. If you love modest but stylish clothing as much as I do, you'll love Shabby Apple!

Ending Today 11/28!

Andes Skirt at thelook4less
Andes Skirt at Breakfast at Gigi's

Looking Glass Locket at Permanent Posies

The Francine Skirt at The Virgina House
The Francine Skirt at A Little Knick Knack