Introducing Alexia From Garage...Plus A Beauty Prize Pack Giveaway!

Nothing beats coming home from work to discover a mysterious unexpected parcel waiting for you! I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw it. Was it a product I'd promised to review and then forgotten? Something I'd bought online and forgotten? Nope. The surprise package turned out to be a round box from Garage. Inside, nestled amongst layers of fuchsia tissue paper, were a full-size fragrance and lip gloss in 'Dream' from their Alexia line. Thanks Garage!

The Alexia makeup line is named after the fictional persona which represents Garage's customer demographic. She's a teenager going back to school and she has a crush on a boy named Josh. Alexia is more sophisticated than many teenagers though; in Garage's press materials, they envision her putting on lip gloss and a last-minute coat of polish before throwing on a military-inspired coat and vintage charm necklaces and running out the door to meet Josh (who hopefully has an iced coffee in hand).



Fictional persona aside, how do the products stack up? I was pleasantly surprised by the lip gloss, a light peachy pink with a hint of gold shimmer. It's moisturizing without being sticky and the formula has good pigments, and although I declared myself to be a "lipstick only" girl, I'm definitely keeping this gloss around to layer on matte lip colours when I need a change. The Alexia fragrance features top notes of peach, bergamot, orange and apple; middle notes of green leaves, rose and heliotrope; and bottom notes of musk, vanilla and amber. I spritzed some on the fuchsia tissue paper and a sweet fruity gourmand scent filled the air. It's perfect for the young or the young at heart. Both items are very affordable: the gloss retails for $5, while the perfume is $26.50.

Talking about the perfume brings me to my next topic...

It's giveaway time!



I tend to accumulate more beauty loot than I could ever use, so I'm bundling together some fantastic items for one lucky winner:

• Alexia eau de toilette (50 ml)
• Shu Uemura white recovery EX+ brightening cleansing oil (50 ml)
• Shu Uemura UV under base mousse SPF 30 (30 g)
• Oliver + Lilly's pink lip gloss
• Mary Kay heated eyelash curler

Think of it as a thank-you to readers and followers. I've been blogging for almost three years now and a big part of why I continue is the blogging community itself. You guys rock! You're some of the most supportive, positive, and intelligent people online.

The rules:

1. This giveaway is open to all readers--Canadian, American, international. That's right, I'm shelling out the dough to ship to you.
2. Leave a comment telling me what your favourite fall essential is. (Also, if you don't have a blog or Blogger account, leave your email address so I know how to contact you.)
3. In your comment, mention the ways in which you follow updates from Solo Lisa for additional entries:
   • Google Reader or equivalent RSS feed reader (+1)
   • Google Buzz (+1)
   • Blogger's Followers function (+1)
   • Twitter (+1)
   • Facebook NetworkedBlogs (+1)
   • Bloglovin' (+1)
   Hint: If you want to maximize your chances of winning, follow me on every tool listed above.
4. The giveaway closes on Tuesday August 31st at noon. I'll choose a winner randomly from all the entries.

Good luck!