My YouTube Story and 2012 YouTube Year in Review... plus, a holiday Henri Bendel giveaway!!
I consider 2012 my "first" year on YouTube, even though I've had the account for a few years prior. I just started paying more attention to my YouTube account in the past year and steadily increased my uploads to where I now consistently upload 2-3 videos a week on my main channel. It has been an incredible experience and I never envisioned a year ago that could turn into what it has become!
I'm hosting a series of holiday giveaways on Bags4Bubbles' channel as a "thank you" for such a great first year on YouTube! Here's to a great second year in 2013 as well!
I'm hosting a holiday giveaway series on my YouTube Channel, Bags4Bubbles - check out the giveaway that is going on now... for three great holiday products from LUSH Handmade Cosmetics!
There will be a series of holiday giveaways on my channel as a thank you for a great first year making videos on YouTube! Be sure to check them out! I am not affiliated with LUSH Handmade Cosmetics in any way, all products shown were purchased with my own money.
Well, as you may have noticed... I've taken a bit of a writing break in August. I needed a bit of refocusing time, to refresh, and figure out how to redirect the blog for the rest of the year. I like to keep the blog a fine balance of personal and product oriented, but at times it seems to swing more one way than the other... At that point, I like to refocus and assess whether my balance is fine as it is, or whether I need to adjust my writing on the blog to include additional elements that I would like to be here!
I haven't blogged about family or the girls in quite some time, so coming up in September I would like to bring some more blogs about what has been going on with us around the house. Not that anything too exciting is happening... but I do like to look back on my blogs to see what the girls were up to from time to time as well.
Also, I do have some exciting projects coming up that I've been working on for the blog and You Tube - there will be a giveaway at the end of August, I started a series on my Bags4Bubbles You Tube channel today of handbag wear & tear/maintenance videos that have been highly requested as of late, and I also just completed a "day in the life" video that should be posted on beingmommywithstyle by the end of the week! I will be sharing those on the blog in the next week, and the giveaway will be live by the end of August!
So we've been keeping busy! Looking forward to sharing more of what we've been busy doing with you!
The drugstore beauty favorites giveaway ended tonight and a winner was selected! Official video announcement is below:
I used Random.org to select a winner and out of 195 comment entries, the winner was #33!
Congratulations to Nidia143Pedro! Thanks to all that entered! I had a lot of fun with this giveaway and there was a great response! I'm looking forward to doing more giveaways in the future!
I'm excited to be hosting my first You Tube giveaway! The past few giveaways I've hosted were here on my blog and I thought it was time to say "thank you" to my You Tube subscribers by hosting a comment giveaway on my Bags4Bubbles channel there.
I'm giving away some of my favorite budget friendly beauty favorites, from Target and Ulta! You can enter to win by completing two simple steps! Subscribe to Bags4Bubbles You Tube Channel (if you're already subscribed, this step is done!) and then leave me a comment on the giveaway video below of a few of your favorite beauty items! And that's it, you are entered to win! Good luck everyone!
The giveaway closes on May 25, 2012 at 8:00pm CST. Giveaway is sponsored by Bags4Bubbles and is not affiliated with any of the companies aforementioned.
We had a great vacation and I didn't get any blogging done while I was gone (although I was happy to try out the Blogger mobile application with my post below!) - I did do a few vlogs! I will be sharing those in upcoming blog posts.
I did come back to an exciting piece of news this morning though! I found out that I was selected as a finalist by You Tube channel 'MyHouseWifeLife' in her 1 year anniversary contest, with a video that I submitted from my mommy vlogging channel, 'beingmommywithstyle'! To enter the contest, we were to select our five Spring must have items and tell what we most love about Spring!
Watch my video entry here:
And visit MyHouseWifeLife's Video Announcement of the finalists to vote by leaving a comment of your favorite video. (There were 8 finalists, no pressure to vote for me... I just wanted to share because I was so excited about being selected as a finalist! Watch the 8 finalist videos and vote for your favorite!)
Visit MyHouseWifeLife's Finalist Announcement and Voting Video HERE.
I was given the opportunity by Sibu Beauty to review their Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser. It is supposed to leave your skin looking and feeling radiant and refreshed; remove excess oil and impurities; gently exfoliate; and work for all skin types.
It is all natural, paraben-free, cruelty-free, and sulfate-free.
After using it for over a week, I feel like it leaves my face feeling more moisturized and refreshed. The consistency is a nice, lightweight cleanser that has small exfoiliating beads that provide a gentle exfoiliation. I love the unique smell, to me it has a light scent of clementine and berry... which I believe is the sea buckthorn berry.
I've been using this product in the shower, but I think it would also be a great cleanser to use at night to remove makeup. The consistency is great and the product is gentle enough to be used daily.
My verdict: The Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser is a great all natural choice to use for facial cleansing. I thought it did a great job at leaving my skin feeling clean and refreshed, and it wasn't too heavy. I also like the gently exfoliation beads, that helped to renew my skin. The smell was also great, a very unique scent - that wasn't overpowering, and very pleasant. A light scent of berry and citrus.
I'm planning on continuing to use this product and I would recommend it if you've been thinking of trying it!
Watch my video review here:
To try a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser from Sibu Beauty - enter by filling out the form at the link below. Sibu Beauty will be mailing one lucky reader a FREE Sea Buckthorn Balancing Facial Cleanser to try for themselves!
Enter by May 1, 2012. Product will be sent directly from Sibu Beauty. Please be over the age of 18 and a resident of the US.
* Please note the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.
My big announcement on You Tube yesterday was that we are going to have TWO exciting, exclusive You Tube, giveaways when I reach 1000 and 5000 subscribers!
I expect to reach 1000 subscribers (or be close enough to open the giveaway) in May, and took suggestions from my blog giveaways here at Mom's Got a Brand New Bag for what to do for the next giveaway. For the 1000 subscriber giveaway, we will do a beauty giveaway, full of my drugstore favorites from Target and elsewhere! I'm excited to be able to share some of my favorite products with you. That giveaway will open in May 2012 or when Bags4Bubbles on You Tube reaches 1000 subscribers, whichever happens first.
The REALLY huge announcement though... was after I thought about it for a bit, I thought it would be appropriate to start planning a Louis Vuitton giveaway! Since the majority of my videos on You Tube are bag and specifically a lot are Louis Vuitton related... I thought that if we made a goal and reached it, it would be a great way to say "thank you" for watching all of my videos to do a Louis Vuitton giveaway!
So I proposed a 5000 subscriber Giveaway Challenge on You Tube! When, and if, I can reach 5000 subscribers on my You Tube channel, www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles - I will be giving away a brand new Louis Vuitton bandeau! The bandeaus are the long, thing scarves that look fantastic tied on your bag as an accessory or can be used in many other ways as well.
I thought this would be an exciting way to get people more involved and also encourage people to check out my new videos, in addition to my old ones. Since I took a bit of a break from making videos, I wanted to let everyone know that I was back making them again!
The rules for the You Tube exclusive 1000 subscriber and 5000 subscriber will include the following:
1) You must be a subscriber at www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles to enter.
2) They will be random comment giveaways, so the enter will be placed with your comment on the giveaway video for each specific giveaway - and one winner will be chosen at random by Random.org.
3) Both giveaways will be open internationally!
4) Entrants must be over the age of 18.
5) The winner will have 48 hours to contact me with their shipping address before they forfeit and the gift goes to the next person on the list!
So they should be some pretty easy and fun giveaways! So if you've stopped by Bags4Bubbles to check out my older videos, come on by and check out my new ones as well! Subscribe, and help us reach our 1000 & 5000 subscriber goals!
Another great giveaway!! I'm happy to announce our second giveaway as a part of the 1 year Blogiversary! Toe Juice and Hog Wash were provided by GCubed LLC for this giveaway, I am supplying the butter London nail polish!
You can also get entry opportunities by following my blog here of course, liking the Facebook page for Mom's Got a Brand New Bag, OR a new opportunity - subscribing to my You Tube Channel! (Hi Everyone that is here to enter from You Tube!) I'm excited to be including my fantastic You Tube subscribers in my giveaways and also including a video with information on the giveaways!
The best part? It is totally FREE!! US residents only, must be over the age of 18. Mom's Got a Brand New Bag will ship our winning entrant of the 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway the winning gift for FREE! Good luck everyone! Perfect Pedicure giveaway ends on April 15, 2012.
Here's a video showing the items in the Perfect Pedicure giveaway! I will post CLOSED in the video title when this giveaway has closed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
And the official rules:
The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway is now CLOSED for entries!
I love the idea of blog giveaways! It gives a chance for readers to interact & connect with the blog. Plus, they are just fun!! I'm excited to give away a few products from some of my favorite brands with the idea of pampering yourself at home in mind, that any mommy or diva could appreciate!
The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway will be done by me personally and is not sponsored by the individual companies featured unless otherwise mentioned, I just want to do it for fun! (Please note Toe Juice and Hog Wash were supplied by GCubed LLC.) And share some items from my favorite companies with YOU! The Perfect Pedicure Giveaway is now CLOSED for entries! To enter, click on the link at the bottom of this page and fill out the form. Comments are not valid entries, but feedback is always welcome! Perfect Pedicure Giveaway Official Rules
1) An entrants must be a follower directly on the blog, Mom's Got a Brand New Bag(see link to left), or "Like"on our Facebook page. Your user name on the blog or Facebook name is required on the entry, otherwise your entry be invalid. Additional entries for the Perfect Pedicure giveaway include subscribers at my You Tube channel – www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles! You are not obligated to do any more than one of these for an entry, however you are limited to three entries. 2) To enter, click on the link below, fill out the form, and submit. You must submit a valid email address, this is how I will contact the winning entrant to get their mailing information. 3) Commenting on this post will not enter you in the contest... but you know I love the comments, so they are always welcome and appreciated! :) 4) Giveaway is for US residents only. 5) The winning entry will be chosen using random.org - a random number generating system that will pick a number at random out of the entries to be our winner. 6) One entry per blog follower name OR Facebook follower name OR You Tube Subscriber name. 7) Winner will be notified via email with 24 hours of the closing of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours to reply through email with their shipping information before they forfeit and another winner is chosen. The winner will also be announced on the Giveaway page here at the blog. 8) Giveaway will close on SUNDAY APRIL 15th, 2012.
I was sent a few products to try by GCubed LLC and wanted to share what I thought about them with you guys! Review of two skin care products - Toe Juice & Hog Wash!
Toe Juice, an "it can do it all" liquid that is supposed to cure a number of skin ailments, the main one being dry, cracked, or rough skin. I tested this product on my feet, around the edges where I get caluses and tend to need (i.e. want) a pedicure every few weeks to feel like my feet are comfortable and presentable. After a few weeks of using Toe Juice, I did notice that my feet remained softer, and that I could go longer between pedicures if needed. It is easy to apply, I found that it was most easily applied on a cotton ball and wiped on the foot. Available at amazon.com, toejuice.com, drugstore.com, Walgreens.com, and some brick & mortar retailers. If you're in the Chicagoland area, Jewel Osco carries it.
My verdict: I think that Toe Juice is a great product and I would like to continue using it in the future. Especially for those times when I'm too busy to get in for a pedicure, after consistent use... I think it could buy me an extra week or two between pedicure visits.
Hog Wash is a clear hand sanitizer that is supposed to make your hands softer and not over dry them like some sanitizers can. After a week and a half of occasional use (after diaper changes, etc.) I did find that it was not drying and did make my hands feel a bit smoother, like you had put a small amount of lotion on. The consistancy was slightly sticky after application, which can be a bit tricky if you're needing to scoop up a baby immediately after applying it - however it wasn't as bad as other hand sanitizers I've tried in the past. All in all, it doesn't over dry and is just a good basic sanitizer with a light lemon smell. Plus it has a cute name to boot.
My verdict: It is a good basic hand sanitizer for when you don't want some thing fragranced and are on the go. This would be something I would throw in the back of my vehicle for "on the go" diaper changes and other unfortunate instances like that, that require hand sanitization on the go. ;)
To try a FREE 1 oz bottle of Toe Juice, go to www.toejuice.com and enter code, "1ozfree". You only pay for shipping and handling, and the 1 oz bottle of Toe Juice will be free to try!
If you'd like to watch my review as well, here it is in video form!
I will also have a chance to win a travel size of BOTH products in an upcoming giveaway! Look for a future video in the next week with more details!
*Please note that the products in this review were sent to the reviewer by the aforementioned company to perform an independent review. I've given my honest opinions on the products mentioned.
** This giveaway is now CLOSED! Thanks for entering!**
**The link to ENTER is at the bottom of this page in BRIGHT PINK! Good luck!!**
I can't believe it has been one year already! Time to celebrate "Mom's Got a Brand New Bag" with a few fun giveaways!! I've got some exciting things planned and I can't wait to start the fun! This first giveaway is special, because you get a few extra chances to win! I'm also including entry opportunities if you follow or like my new other blog or the Facebook page!
You can also get entry opportunities by following my blog here of course, liking the Facebook page for Mom's Got a Brand New Bag, OR a new opportunity - subscribing to my You Tube Channel! (Hi Everyone that is here to enter from You Tube!) I'm excited to be including my fantastic You Tube subscribers in my giveaways and also including a video with information on the giveaways!
So the first GIVEAWAY will include over $50 worth of gifts!
The best part? It is totally FREE!! US residents only, must be over the age of 18. Mom's Got a Brand New Bag will ship our winning entrant of the 1 Year Blogiversary Giveaway the winning gift for FREE! Good luck everyone! Giveaway ends on April 2, 2012.
Here's a video showing the items for the first giveaway! I will post CLOSED in the video title when this giveaway has closed.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
And the official rules:
The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway is now CLOSED for entries!
I love the idea of blog giveaways! It gives a chance for readers to interact & connect with the blog. Plus, they are just fun!! I'm excited to give away a few products from some of my favorite brands with the idea of pampering yourself at home in mind, that any mommy or diva could appreciate!
The 1 year Blogiversary giveaway will be done by me personally and is not sponsored by the individual companies featured, I just want to do it for fun! And share some items from my favorite companies with YOU!
The 1 year Blogiversary Giveaway is now OPEN for entries! To enter, click on the link at the bottom of this page and fill out the form. Comments are not valid entries, but feedback is always welcome!
First Giveaway Official Rules
1) An entrants must be a follower directly on the blog, Mom's Got a Brand New Bag(see link to left), or "Like"on our Facebook page. Your user name on the blog or Facebook name is required on the entry, otherwise your entry be invalid. Additional entries for the 1 year Blogiversary giveaway include subscribers at my You Tube channel – www.youtube.com/Bags4Bubbles! You are not obligated to do any more than one of these for an entry, however you are limited to FIVE entries. (One like/follow/subscribe at each of the five sites.)
2) To enter, click on the link below, fill out the form, and submit. You must submit a valid email address, this is how I will contact the winning entrant to get their mailing information.
3) Commenting on this post will not enter you in the contest... but you know I love the comments, so they are always welcome and appreciated! :)
4) Giveaway is for US residents only.
5) The winning entry will be chosen using random.org - a random number generating system that will pick a number at random out of the entries to be our winner.
6) One entry per blog follower name OR Facebook follower name OR You Tube Subscriber name.
7) Winner will be notified via email with 24 hours of the closing of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours to reply through email with their shipping information before they forfeit and another winner is chosen. The winner will also be announced on the Giveaway page here at the blog.
8) Giveaway will close on MONDAY APRIL 2nd, 2012. *~* Giveaway is CLOSED, thanks for entering! *~*
Congratulations to our first giveaway winner, Shelly B.!
She will receive a 6oz. Philosophy shower gel, two Zoya polishes, and a few extra goodies!
A winning entry was chosen using random.org - out of 48 entries, the winning entrant was #22! Thanks to all for entering and since we've now gone over the next giveaway goal of 100 followers, stay tuned for another exciting giveaway in the future!
Don't forget to enter the giveaway, which will close for entries tonight at 6pm ET! The winner will be notified via the email they submitted on the entry form and will have 48 hours to respond before a new winner is chosen. I will announce the winner here on the blog and giveaway page also!
In other news, I'm back from vacation and exhausted! It was so fun though, definitely worth doing again... here are the highlights from the trip - I'll be sure to share some pictures from our trip later in the week...
- Cupcake is a great airplane traveler! She slept on every single flight and was lulled to sleep by the sound of the engines. Whew! What a relief!
- We had an absolute blast at Disney World and of course will be going back... Cupcake's favorite ride was 'It's a Small World' and she danced all of the way through it!
- Cupcake also had her first tea party at her Nana's house while we were away... too cute! She even brought along her Fisher Price tea set to use while the adults had their own tea!
Hope everyone had a great weekend and I'm excited to be announcing the winner of the first giveaway very soon! I'm off to go unpack a suitcase or something...
Mom's Got a Brand New Bag blog has met the 50 follower giveaway goal and is ready to do our first giveaway!
You're entering to win a 6 oz bottle of Philosophy 3in1 Shower Gel in Chewy Chocolate Lollipop, 2 Zoya nail polishes (Gemma & Jules from the Spring 2011 Intimate Collection), and a few surprise goodies!
To enter, please click on the link at the bottom of this post and fill out the form. When you submit the form you will get a confirmation from Google that your information has been accepted. Comments will not count as an entry, but of course are always welcome just to show some love!
First Giveaway Official Rules
1) An entrants must be a follower directly on the blog, Mom's Got a Brand New Bag (see link to left),or on our Facebook page. Your user name on the blog or Facebook name is required on the entry, otherwise your entry be invalid.
2) To enter, click on the link below, fill out the form, and submit. You must submit a valid email address, this is how I will contact the winning entrant to get their mailing information.
3) Commenting on this post will not enter you in the contest... but you know I love the comments, so they are always welcome and appreciated out of the kindness of your heart! :)
4) Giveaway is for US residents only.
5) The winning entry will be chosen using random.org - a random number generating system that will pick a number at random out of the entries to be our winner.
6) One entry per blog follower name OR Facebook follower name. (So if you "like" me both places, you get a double entry!)
7) Winner will be notified via email with 24 hours of the closing of the giveaway. The winner will have 48 hours to reply through email with their shipping information before they forfeit and another winner is chosen. The winner will also be announced on the Giveaway page here at the blog.
8) Giveaway will close on MONDAY MARCH 28th, 2011.
Painting Rainbows is having a giveaway of a huge haul of nail polishes and beauty products! Tons of great colors for Spring and a lot of great manicure/pedicure tools are included as well!
Head over to Painting Rainbows blog to follow and enter to win!! Giveaway closes on March 19th!
... and you know it's been a fun day when you can make that statement!
We started out getting ready for meeting friends for lunch by playing around the house... and trying on the new Easter bunny ears that Nana sent in the mail to Cupcake.
It wasn't long before she decided that she wasn't amused with them...
So she decided to see if she could stand up and shake them off...
But to no avail... finally she was victorious by just tugging on a rabbit ear and pulling! And they became a toy... just like everything else in the house these days.
So after playtime, we headed to the mall to meet friends for lunch and had some quality girl time!
And while we were there... we picked up a few goodies for the Giveaway too!
And after discussing it with a our shopping buddies, I decided that I would make a few changes to the giveaway, since I'm so excited about getting it started! The first giveaway will start when we hit 50 followers on the blog or 50 'Likes' on the Facebook page. Which ever comes first. We also tossed around some ideas for future giveaways as well!
I've also posted additional information on the Giveaway page, and you can always contact me if you have any questions too.
All in all, it was a great day. Cupcake was tuckered out by all of the fun!
So Happy Thursday to you! Hope it was a great shopping day for you as well!
Mom's Got a Brand New Bag is starting the blog's first Giveaway Challenge!
I love the idea of blog giveaways! It give a chance for readers to interact & connect with the blog. Plus, they are just fun!!
For Mom's Got a Brand New Bag's first giveaway, I'm thinking of making it a lofty goal of 100 followers here on the blog OR 100 'Likes' on the Facebook page - whichever comes first. Not sure when we will meet that goal, but when we do - I'm going to be excited to give away a few products from some of my favorite brands with the idea of pampering yourself at home in mind, that any mommy or diva could appreciate! (They won't be Mommy oriented, so you won't have to be a mommy to enter or appreciate the giveaway. HINT: For the 100 follower giveaway, you'll probably just want to like the brands Philosophy & Zoya!)
So tell a friend and let's see if we can get 100 Followers by May 2011! :)
