Luck Magnet

I have a backlog of recipes I've made in the past few weeks, but don't have the energy to post them. Remembering references, detailing procedures, and cropping those photos so you can't see the dirty dishtowel off to the side is hard work. So instead, tonight I'm going to post about how lucky I am.

Remember when I won $30 in Amazon gift certificates by playing that game with the jumping cow car daily? And when I scored a free hat at Times Square on New Years? Well, I like to push that luck by entering a ton of sweepstakes whenever I get the chance (conversely, that's possibly the reason I seem to be so lucky, but let's not quibble). So whenever the companies who make my favorite products let me sign up for something, I do, and game the system by answering "no" to all of their subscription offers.

All of my makeup is by Covergirl, except for the mascara (which I only use when I haven't gotten enough sleep anyway). This isn't because I have a particular brand loyalty, but because it's the cheapest stuff on the market that isn't iffy. In February I made some silly candy heart thing on Facebook because they said they might send me a free product for doing so...then hid the heart thing on my profile and disabled the app. Well, on my birthday I received this message:

Tamara Marnell,

We're happy to let you know that you're a winner in the My COVERGIRL Promotion! You've won a COVERGIRL makeup product, which has an approximate retail value of up to $13.00. Congratulations!

There's nothing you need to do except look for your prize within 8-10 weeks. If we happen to need additional information from you, we will contact you at this email address.

Woohoo! Presents! And I'd only have to wait 8-10 weeks! I had an inkling that was an error, and have been stalking the mailbox ever since. I was torn between hoping it would be a new compact or lipstick, because I'm running out of powder in the former and the two I have of the latter I've been using since my second year of college (sounds sanitary, no?) Finally, today my little box from Proctor & Gamble arrived, thoroughly beaten up in transit. After cracking open the mangled lid and sifting through blindingly-shiny gold paper, I found my prize.


(Picture from Target.com, because my desk is way too messy to be taking real-life shots).

I couldn't figure out how to open it at first, because it has this weird colored square base which gives the illusion that it's the part with the pigment in it. But Sweetie managed, and I was relieved to see that the color will not clash horribly with my skin! Getting free makeup is a risky business, because you never know exactly what they'll send you. Fortunately, this "Soulmate" hue is pinkish, not too dark, and shimmery. I'm 23, so I like shimmery.

If I were a responsible blogger, I would post a picture of myself wearing my new lipstick. But it's 10:45 at night and I'm not putting on a lipstick that's supposed to last all day to point a camera at my face. So this is the best you get:


For the record, I am not Drew Barrymore. I will never look anything like Drew Barrymore. If I were ever to wear as much makeup as Drew Barrymore is in this photo, it would be because the funeral parlor hired a new girl to prep my corpse for an open-casket service. But she's advertising the product that is now in my bathroom (in a much more innocent shade, of course), so there you go.

In conclusion, yay me for winning things. Now, if only Lindt would cough up those "one of over 100 prizes!"