March Prize Unboxing

 Welcome to my March Prize Unboxing! Wait until the end for perhaps the biggest prize of my comping career..?

Prize: Ring, £50 Voucher, Flowers 

Promoter: SVP Rings

Entry Method: Instagram

Prize: Anxiety and Sleep Capsules

Promoter: Unbeelievable Health

Entry Method: Instagram

Prize: Chopping Board

Promoter: Kinlochlovin

Entry Method: Instagram

Prize: 7 day holiday to Crete!

Promoter: Heart/Jet2

Entry Method: Radio

WINstagram: 2021 Update

 

It feels like Instagram is constantly updating and changing, so it's time for another update! Instagram remains by best for wins, probably because it is so easy to enter! For a break down on different Instagram competition types, check out my old blog here.

Below are my top tips for winning on Instagram!

1) Beware of the scams (and extra entries) 

First of all, watch out for the scams that seem to be so popular at the moment on Instagram! If you get a message request from a company after entering their competition, check out their Instagram handle. Scam accounts are frequently messaging entrants from an account that is close to the promoters handle, but not quite (see example below). In general, the winning announcement will be from the same account you entered on, will not be a private account and will only ask the details needed to send the item to you!

In terms of extra entries, watch out for companies who ask you to do ridiculous things for extra entries. Things such as tag a friend, like the post and follow the company are acceptable, as is share to your story (but make sure to tag the company). However, when they ask you to like 4 previous posts, follow everyone the company follows (yup, that one is real) or tell your dog all about the competition, consider how genuine the comp is. If it is difficult to track entries, question if you want to spend your time entering. 

2) Create shortcuts for your tags

Instagram comps are ones you can enter relatively quickly, just as you are scrolling through your regular feed. One way to speed it up even more is to create a shortcut on your phone so that you can tag your usual comping friends in just three letters. 

To set this up on Apple go to Settings. then General, then Keyboard then Text Replacement. In there you can set up a phrase (for example @lornab22 if you're tagging me) and a shortcut (for example lor). Just make sure that the word you pick isn't one that you use a lot (I had a lot of typos in texts where I would namedrop @mustardbomb (hey Neill)). 

3) Follow small businesses

A great way for small businesses to get engagement is to run a competition. And a great way for a comper to win, is to enter competitions with low entries. If I'm short on time, I will check how many followers a profile has before entering. If it's hundreds of thousands, I won't bother. If it's a couple of hundred, I'll make the time. Also, keep an eye out for local small businesses when you're out and about and check them out on Instagram! Some small businesses I have won from recently (and that do regular comps) are:

@kinlochlovin

@prettypomsuk

@completeplanners

@badgerbeers (has 6,000 followers but I've won twice so worth a go!)

4) Engage with the promoter

Although a lot of promoters say that winners are picked randomly, this isn't always the case. Especially for the smaller business comps, they will have more time to read through each comment. It could be a complete coincidence, but I have found that I won more competitions when I added a little personal message about the prize, rather than something generic or a simple tag. If you've got the time, it's worth commenting why you want the item, what you'd use it for or if you have a connection to the company (I won a Scottish themed chopping board by mentioning that I am a Scot abroad and miss my home country).

5) Don't be a private egg

Promoters want to give prizes to real people, and often not a "professional comper". So, make sure that your profile is public, that you have a profile picture (not the egg) and that you clear off any competition reposts from your main grid once a competition is finished. This also ties into tip 4, so try to leave genuine comments on the posts, rather than a generic "OMG winning this teapot would change my life, incredible, amazing, so cool", which may make you look like a bot. 

So there we have my 2021 WINstagram update. How do you find it for winning? Comment below your tips for winning, and your Instagram handle if you are willing to be tagged! See you on the 'gram!

Luck and love, 

Lorna

February Prize Unboxing

 My first month back to comping has been fairly successful. No big wins but a few lovely little ones:

https://youtu.be/u7QTvNh1akc

Prize: Case of 8 beers

Promoter: Badger Beer

Entry Method: Instagram

Prize: Embroidered Hoodie

Promoter: Tate Espoana Apparel

Entry Method: Online Entry (Gleam)

Prize: Cheese Board and Vegan Sheese

Promoter: Veggie Magazine

Entry Method: Online Entry

Prize: 3 planners and a pen

Promoter: Complete Planners

Entry Method: Instagram

What was your favourite win this month and what are you aiming for next month? I'm going to set the task of winning a fitness watch! Check in next month to see if I manage...

Luck and love, 

Lorna

Mental Health and Comping

Intro note: for those only interested in just the top tips, skip to the bottom. Enjoy!

*tries desperately to remember password*

*resets password*

 *dusts off blog*

Hello, does this thing still work? 

It's been a hot minute since I wrote a blog. In fact, my last blog published on the 27th of September 2018, announced my return to the comping world. Since that is still my last blog, I think we can all assume how that went. Since my last real blog post in July 2017, life has been busy. One university degree, an ED relapse, 2 break ups, 6 house moves, a parents divorce, a dream job, a global pandemic, meeting my incredible boyfriend and lots of other highs and lows in between. 

In short, it's been busy, and my mental health took a battering. As someone with a highly addictive personality, and a bit of a perfectionist, comping became something that I had to do, rather than what I wanted to do. And when I wasn't winning, rather than being able to brush it off, I felt like a failure. Rather than taking hope and celebrating other compers' wins, I felt jealous and compared myself to them. All of a sudden, I realised that comping had gone from being fun, to a source of my anxiety. And so, as the saying goes, when the fun stops, stop.

So, how did I get back to a place where I can enter competitions for fun, enjoy the wins I get and feel genuine pleasure when other compers win (the recent Capital Holiday comp being a great example, Lucky Learners showed the country how to comp!)? In truth, I worked on my mental health. Three things have helped me the most: I have given up alcohol (perhaps temporarily, but at least until I get my anxiety fully under control), I have started therapy and tackled my demons, and I have began to feed the good wolf, rather than the bad one. The parable goes like this: 

One evening an old Cherokee told his grandson about a battle that goes on inside people.
He said, "My son, the battle is between two "wolves" inside us all.
One is Evil. It is anger, envy, jealousy, sorrow, regret, greed, arrogance, self-pity, guilt, resentment, inferiority, lies, false pride, superiority, and ego.
The other is good. It is joy, peace, love, hope, serenity, humility, kindness, benevolence, empathy, generosity, truth, compassion and faith."
The grandson thought about it for a minute and then asked his grandfather: "Which wolf wins?"
The old Cherokee simply replied, "The one you feed."

I have decided to feed joy in others' wins, hope in success, truth in when I need a break, and compassion to myself when I do not win. And so, I have come up with 5 things I am going to do to protect my mental health, all while diving head first into this incredible hobby:

1. Focus on wins: your wins, friends wins and little wins

When you do win, rejoice! Celebrate it! I won a 4-pack of beers as my first win back into comping.        They will be going to my boyfriend, as I am not drinking at the moment, but I sprung out of bed and celebrated like I'd won the lottery!

2. Not winning does not mean you're failing

The fact that the word win in featured so heavily in the comping world, and the antonym is fail, makes it easy for compers to get caught up in their "failures" rather than their wins. However, given compers can enter countless competitions in a day, with perhaps only a 10% success rate, it is important to focus on the wins. If your success rate is 0% (we all have dry spells), try to focus on other people's wins and know that one day they will be celebrating with you! Finding the joy of comping friends will help with that.

3. If your eyes strain, head aches and you want to take a break: take a break

Simple this one. When the fun stops: stop. It's all so tempting to think "just one more", "the next one might be the winner". But in actual fact you cannot prove that the next one will be a winner and you are more likely to just end up with a head ache and a bad nights sleep (said from experience).

4. You don't need to spend all your time on social media. 

Switch up methods if you're avoiding social media: social media has never been great for mental health, so if you need to avoid it, do not think that it is the end of your comping! Yes, there are many competitions on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook, but these are also becoming very popular. Perhaps by trying some gleam comps, or creative comps (to get away from that screen), you will even  increase your wins!

5. Have a natter. 

 Remember that there are real people our there! Chat to other compers on comping Facebook groups. Hearing other compers chat about their lives, their wins and their not-wins (avoiding that F-word), makes them real, rather than a competitor. It helps you to celebrate their wins, rather than being disgruntled that you did not. Groups such as Lucky Learners and Mission Competition (shameless self plug) are a great way to meet other compers. 

So, that's my current 5 aims of being a comper and keeping my head above water. I'll be trying to create a "compers chat" post on  my Mission Competition Facebook group about once a week and celebrating everyone's wins. Please do add your own tips in the comments: I'd love to compile a massive list of ways we can support each other!

Luck and love, 

Lorna

WINstagram: 2018 Update

Like with most social media, Instagram is constantly updating and changing the way that it does things. This means that the way we enter competitions is also constantly changing. And so I felt it was high time to update my old Instagram tips blog with this brand spanking new one. While my old one had more tips and tricks, this blog serves as more of a guide as to how to enter Instagram competitions (with the odd tip thrown in for good measure of course).

In my opinion, Instagram is one of the trickiest and also best ways to win competitions and it is where the majority of my wins have come from. These two things go hand in hand: because the competitions often require a little more effort and hunting, less people will enter them.

There are different kinds of Instagram competitions:

- Repost (including repost to story)
- Combination of like/comment/follow/tag
- Loop competitions
- Creative competitions


1. Repost Competitions

Now to be honest, this is the sort of Instagram competition that I enter the least. In fact, I have only done a repost comp once, and that was to win a pair of wellies that I really needed for work, and I was lucky enough to win!

The issue with repost competitions, in my opinion, is that they make my Instagram profile look a bit messy. Some promoters will check out your Instagram page to check if you are a bot or a comper (give us a break), and so making your profile as 'real' as possible is important. For this reason, I would recommend deleting the post from your page after the competition winner has been decided.

To enter a repost to win competition, you have to post a copy of the promoters original competition post onto your own page. The simplest way to do this is to download an app such as 'Repost for Instagram' or 'RepostIt'. This will make sure that the caption below the promoters post is also copied over, and this often contains essential hashtags and handles.

For the repost to story competitions, you just need to take a screenshot of the post and put it on your story, as shown in the infographic below. Once you've chosen your picture you can add things to it! Make sure to tag the company and include any hashtags.

2. Comment/like/tag/follow Competitions (I need to think of a catchier name for these)

The most common type of Instagram competition is a simple interaction one. The promoter will give instruction in the post, and you just need to follow these. Be careful to check how many people you need to tag, and also if the person you tag also needs to follow. If that is the case, I will tag a fellow comper who has already entered the competition (or I'm pretty sure will after my tag) to make sure we are both entered correctly. If you're looking for people to tag, or want to be tagged, comment below this blog with your Instagram handle to build up some comping friends.

Make sure to follow all the brands mentioned, as they will check if you follow if/when they go to contact you as a winner. Be prepared for your Instagram feed to become filled with promoters, so if you're not a fan of  'JD posting a different angle of shoe every 15 second' (Neill Johnstone, 2018) consider opening a separate comping Instagram (but make sure to post to it so it doesn't look like a fake account). A similar style of competition are:

3. Loop Competitions

If you don't like following a lot of brands on Instagram, this is not the competition type for you. The idea of a loop competition is that lots of different brands collaborate together to have one large prize, and each of them benefit.

Starting on any of the competition posts you will have to like and follow the post/promoter before following a link to the next promoter in the chain. When you find the same competition post on their page you then also like/follow and continue to the next page. Do this until you are back at the original post and comment 'DONE' (or they will tell you to comment something). The idea is that all the promoters benefit, however it can be a bit of a long process, as sometimes there can be a hundred brands involved (well, about 15 but you get my point). Easy to enter if you can be bothered, but check where it's open to, as these are more common in America.

4. Creative Competitions

All hardcore compers love a good effort comp! Instagram is the perfect platform for them, as it is such a visual social media channel. These can be harder to find, but there are a few good Facebook groups that advertise them. Whenever I see an effort comp on Instagram I take a screenshot of it and add it to an album on my phone, so that I can check the details whenever inspiration hits. Another way of doing this is the 'Save' feature on Instagram. This way all the details are easily accessible for when you have time to create your post (often not when scrolling through Insta on the bus).

The key thing to remember with creative competitions is to stand out. Really take your time with these and read the brief carefully, making sure to include any tags, hashtags, products or specifications necessary. You don't want to go to a lot of effort for the perfect landscape photo when it has to be a selfie.

Another tip would be to check out the other entries by clicking the hashtag to view the other entries. Obviously not to copy any entries, in fact, the opposite: make sure your post is original and stands out amongst the others. Pick a colour of background or clothing that hasn't been used much, or include text or quirky angles to draw the eye of the promoter. 

Personally, I love a good Instagram competition. They are so easy to enter when out and about, and as I follow so many brands, the competitions just come to me on my timeline when I'm scrolling anyway. 

Follow me on Instagram (@lornab22) and comment below your Instagram handle if you want to be tagged in competitions too.

Luck and Love, 

Lorna 

The Return of the Lost Comper....

Hello! Long time no speak. In fact, I just checked and my last prize unboxing was September 2017: a whole year ago!

Let's begin by addressing the fact that I (digitally) disappeared for a year. Basically, life got in the way of comping, however, I now sit before you as the proud owner of a 2:1 degree in Geography from the University of Glasgow. This is something that 4 years ago seemed totally impossible for me to achieve, having had to leave the University of St. Andrews due to an eating disorder. Going into my final year of university, I knew that a couple of things would have to take a back seat, and sadly, comping was one of these things.

However, I am now hoping to prove something that I always used to say back in my blogging days: comping is such an amazing hobby because you can dip in and out of it! Sometimes it can feel a little overwhelming to have a list of competitions in front of you and trudge through them until your back is hunched and your eyes ache. So stop. If you need a break from comping, just pause, competitions will still exist when you get back. And if, like me, you suddenly have something else taking up all your time (a new house, a degree, a baby etc), then take a break from comping! In truth, I feel so much more ready to get stuck in with comping because I took such a long hiatus. Yes, every so often I would enter an Instagram competition (something in my core won't let me ignore the word 'win') but I was not seeking out competitions and my comping Twitter was inactive for a whole year.

And what am I doing with my life now, I hear no one ask. Well, let me tell you anyway. I am currently starting an internship with the Yorkshire Wildlife Trust in North Yorkshire, a beautiful part of the country. This will be 4 days a week, allowing me to dedicate some time to comping and this ol' blog here. I hope you guys are just as excited to join me on this adventure back into comping, and that I'm not just nattering away to myself.

So what are  my plans to break back into this wonderful world gently? Here are my 5 aims for my first month back (October 2018):

1. Film a prize unboxing

For me, knowing that people will be looking at the items that I have won really encourages me to actually have something to open in front of the camera. It's not much of an unboxing without any boxes is it?

2. Seek out prizes I want to win

Following on from point 1 though, I am not wanting to just enter any old competition. Something that has changed this last year is that I have become a lot more environmentally aware. Comping can be very wasteful if not done correctly. I am planning on only entering competitions for items I really want or that I know other people in my life will use.

3. Start seeking out Christmas presents

It is never too early. Trust me. Two years ago I paid nothing for Christmas presents because I started early and won a combination of person-specific gifts and vouchers that I could then spend on items for people.

4. Be patient

When talking to comping newbies, I always say it's so important to be patient when starting out at comping. I may have a head start with my experience, however I know that I cannot just start winning the same amount that I was before. Good things come to those who wait (and comp).

5. Communicate

Now that I'm back into comping and blogging I really hope my comping family will be behind me. My Facebook group 'Mission Competition' has been kept going by the wonderful Neill Johnstone in my absence, and so I will be using it as well as running it as I get back into comping.

Leave me a comment below to let me know if you've ever taken a break from comping and any tips/encouragement for my journey back.

Luck and Love, 

Lorna xx

Swagbucks: Top Tips to Earn Vouchers

Like more and more people in this increasingly technological world, I spend a lot of time with my eyes glued to a screen. The lure of Facebook, YouTube and Netflix all seem too much to resist. Surely there’s a better way to be using this screen time? Surely I can Swag some Bucks?

To put it simply, Swagbucks is a website where you complete tasks that you would be doing when online anyway, and get rewarded with a currency called Swagbucks. This adds up until you can swap it for gift cards. Some examples of ways to earn Swagbucks are:

• Completing surveys
• Watching videos
• Using the SwagBucks search engine
• Playing games
• Shopping

If these seem like things that you would be doing anyway then that’s half the battle won! Sign up here and follow these top tips for making the most of Swagbucks.

1) Loyalty Pays

Swagbucks have a great system in place to encourage you to visit every day - every day you get given a daily target and each day you hit this target you get a bonus. Then, every 7 days you consecutively reach this target you get another bonus, reaching a total of 300SB if you manage to make it every day of the month. At the start of the next month, pick up your bonuses from the previous month, or else you will miss out.

2) Get into a routine

It is easier than you may think to visit Swagbucks every day - just add it into your routine and you'll hardly notice! For example, I always squeeze in a survey first thing in the morning as I eat my breakfast. Then, I will watch a few videos while I’m having my lunch and play some games in the evening after I’m finished studying. I would be on my laptop doing mindless tasks anyway, so why not earn some Swagbucks?

3) Searching for SwagBucks

One of the changes I hardly noticed was searching through Swagbucks. By setting your search engine to the Swagbucks one instead of Google, Bing or Yahoo, you have a chance to win bucks every time you search the internet. You won't win every time, and if you have won you won't get another winning search for another few hours, but the occassional 5-15SB really adds up.

As someone who has always used Google, I was a bit dubious about whether or not these search results would be up to scratch. However, the search engine is actually run by Yahoo, so they are pretty reliable. The only difference that I have noticed is that it’s not as good as Google at predicting what you are going to search for, but it’s a small detail in the grand scale of things.

4) Swag Button

Another way to easily integrate Swagbucks into your usual routine is the Swagbutton. This is a little icon on the top right of your toolbar (a bit like the Pintrest button) that means you can access Swagbucks  easily while elsewhere on the net. You can watch videos while on other sites (who doesn't love a good technology multi-task), use the search engine, and find quick links to shopping offers! Another bonus is that it gives you an alert when there is a new SwagCode available.

What’s a SwagCode I hear you ask?

Well, every so often, Swagbucks give out a few Swagbucks and all you need to do is enter a code into the appropriate box. These can be found on certain pages of the Swagbucks site and also are often posted on their Facebook page – so worth following them. You can also Google (or SwagSearch) for the latest codes, as there are some sites dedicated to posting up SwagCodes as soon as they are released (such as sc-s.com). But be aware that there is a time limit to each code, so enter it as soon as you see it!

5) Surveys

To earn large amounts of Swagbucks fast, surveys are the way to go. The rewards can vary from 20SB up to over 200SB but the time they take also varies massively. In addition, it's very common to get screened out and miss out on the full reward (but you do get 1SB when this happens). One 10 minute survey can be enough to hit the daily target - so if this is all you have time for, prioritise the surveys. For other great survey sites, check out this post.

6) Shopping

If you are someone that does a lot of online shopping, Swagbucks offers a certain number of SB per pound spent at specific stores. If you have installed the SwagBucks Toolbar you will automatically be alerted when you are on a site that offers SwagBucks for your purchases. It works in a similar way to cashback - the reward won’t be instant, as they have to make sure you don’t cancel or return your order. When making big purchases, you can really rake in the points. Also, look out for promotional periods where they offer things like double bucks on certain sites.

7) Videos

Who doesn't wish that you could get paid for all that time on Youtube? Well, SwagBucks offer something pretty close - although there is a 150 SB daily earn limit. You can pick from a wide variety of genres such as Fitness, Food, Entertainment and Fashion. I particularly like watching the trailers to the newest films that have come out, or doing Yoga along with the fitness instructor in the video. If ever there was motivation to work out, it’s getting paid for it! 

By combining all of these techniques, the Swagbucks can build up fast! I tend to earn around £10-£20 a month in Amazon vouchers – not enough to quit uni and live off, but a nice wee bonus when you want to treat yourself, or take the strain of the Christmas shopping debt. Last year, I saved up just over £100 of Amazon vouchers and got all my Christmas shopping done without paying a penny. 

Currently, I'm saving up my vouchers to buy a bike for getting to and from uni – something I couldn’t normally afford to buy. So even if you are on a tight budget, you can still treat yourself and your family, without breaking your budget. Sign up here and get earning!

Unibox Giveaway: A Monthly Gift for Students

University can be a tough time for many young adults. For me, it was so tough that I left the University of St. Andrews after one year and took a year out to regather my jumbled thoughts. Now in my third year of a Geography degree at the University of Glasgow, I am more comfortable with being away, learning to be independent and managing the increasing deadlines most of the time. Most being the operative word. There are times at university when all we need is a wee pick me up - a phone call from the parents, a coffee with an old friend, or a wee care package coming through the door.

This is where UniBox comes in. Every month, they send out care packages to students around the UK, taking away the hassle of having to choose items to send and remembering to send it. Even if you are ordering it for yourself, it feels so nice to get a parcel all made up for you to open like a present encouraging you to power through coursework. The boxes are filled with items that every student will love (mine came with tea and chocolate this month, what more could I ask for?). All you have to do is sign up on their website and pick a subscription and they do all the hard work for you! There are two types of subscription to go for:

Monthly Subscription: This can be cancelled anytime before the end of the month (i.e cancel by the 30th January if you do not want a February box).

Pre-paid Subsciption: Chose from either 3-month or 6-month. These work out cheaper overall than the monthly subscription, but you cannot cancel as you can with the monthly. 

I received a January box to review, watch the unboxing below to see what treats I got!

gl

My favourite treats this month:

Tea. Anyone who knows me at all will know that I love tea. Black tea, green tea, herbal tea and....unusual tea (which popcorn definitely falls into the category of). Teapigs is a great company and a cuppa is the perfect way to chill out after a long day at uni. Also a great ice breaker with your new flatmates - who needs popcorn at a movie night when you can have popcorn tea!




 Now I love chocolate as much as the next person but I can be a wee bit fussy when it comes to the cocoa percentage (try not to judge me). This chocolate however beats the >70% rule by a whole 2%. Also it has honeycomb in it which is an instant bonus and is as beautiful as the Welsh accents of the country it is from. A company I will be keeping an eye out for in the future.




If you have been following my blog from the start (hello!) then you may remember that I made apple crisps as a way to save money. However tasty and money saving the DIY version may be, sometimes it's so much easier to have a bag of them for taking to uni. It can be really hard to satisfy snacking cravings when out and about, especially when surrounded by the vending machines on campus, so I'm really looking forward to having these as a go to healthy snack between lectures.






Would you like to win a February box for you or a student in your life? It will be a whole new box full of mystery treats for them to enjoy. Enter via the Gleam app below!

Can't wait? Get 15% off your first order using the code UNIBOXLORNA - Good luck! 

ENTER HERE

Luck and Love,

Lorna

#MakeUpFreeMe

January is a time of year when we are surrounded by magazines and adverts encouraging us to lose the weight we gained over Christmas and guilting us into splashing out on expensive gym memberships and fad juice diets that leave us hangry and skint. This year, I am setting a New Years Resolution intended to last longer than a diet and teach me more than a self-help book that ends up dusty on the shelf. Two weeks ago I embarked on a challenge that may seem easy to some and impossible to others – I'm going make up free for the month of January. For me, it lies somewhere between the two - I love a wee make up free day, but the thought of going out clubbing or to a fancy meal without it isn't something I'm comfortable with. I am doing this both to show that there is nothing wrong with embracing the natural us, and to raise money for the incredible eating disorders charity B-eat. To read more about my recovery and to donate, please visit my just giving page <here>.

Two and a half years ago, I was admitted to a general mixed psychiatric ward in which I would stay for 5 months and 5 days (not that I was counting). I learned a lot in this experience, but more than anything I learned that there is no such thing as a perfect body, but that yours is perfect for you. I am not saying that I love every inch of my body, I miss my thigh gap and toned abs, but I now have curves that make me feel attractive and like a woman, rather than a skeleton. I am learning to love my body for how it is, flaws and all.

A key to my recovery was to accept the natural me, to embrace the weight I became living the life that I wanted to live. I would rather weigh a little bit more and be able to enjoy the Sunday tradition of waffles for breakfast with my boyfriend, than sit miserably eating an apple, or have a crazy night out with my pals without worrying about the calories in every drink. As part of my challenge to accept me for who I am, I have set myself this task of going makeup free every day in January.

I am now two weeks into my challenge and have already faced some of the things I was most worried about. I had never been on a night out without makeup, and this week I discovered there are some major benefits to hitting the dancefloor make up free. For one, getting ready takes half the time (although at times, the getting ready is one of the best parts of the night) but most importantly, your make up with last the whole night - because you aren't wearing any, You don't need to worry about it getting ruined by some guy tossing drinks at your group. You can simply give him a wee glare and get back on with the dancing. Also, to wake up the next morning without massive panda eyes was a serious benefit, because however well you THINK you've taken off your make up after a night out, it's never enough.

Another big challenge for me was going to an interview without a layer of foundation and mascara to hide behind. It's almost a given that we dress ourselves up and present ourselves at our best when going somewhere that makes us nervous. Yet why I thought that urban decays latest products would make me any better suited for a summer internship at an accounting firm, I do not know. I settled for some glasses and a smart blazer instead, and got an extra 10 minutes in bed as a bonus.

 As well as the extra snoozing time in the morning, I am doing this challenge to show people that we can embrace the natural us, rather than striving to be like the unrealistically perfect, skinny and flaw-free models that we see emblazoned on magazines. It’s okay to go into a club without makeup, you can appear attractive to people as the natural you and a life without panda eyes is a good one. 

Halfway through the month and I still get nervous when taking photos next to friends who look beautiful with their long lashes and bronzed cheeks, and I am so aware of my face when filming videos for my blog but slowly I am starting to like my natural look. I care less about what people think, and realised that half the time people don't even notice I'm not wearing any make up, it's only me that cares. I still have challenges to go - a date night with my boyfriend and a family meal (that in my family is an occasion to get dressed up) but I am already starting to feel that this month may just extend into more of a life style, with just the odd special occasion allowing me to crack out the old eyeshadow palette...

Fancy joining me? Share your make-up free selfies on Instagram or Twitter with #MakeUpFreeMe and tag me (Twitter @LaurieBeat Instagram @lornab22) and please do share my just giving page link with it to help spread the word.

Having confidence in your natural look is the strongest kind of confidence a person can have.

                                        We are beautiful, exactly the way we are.

                                                           Let’s embrace it.

Prize Unboxing: December 2016

Prize: Urban Decay Mascara Miniature

From: Artemis & Xena

Entry: Twitter

Prize: Beauty Bundle worth £110

From: odettebeauty

Entry: Instagram

Notes: only 38 entries!

Prize: Heeled Boots

From: FyoUK

Entry: Instagram

Prize: Slippers

From: The White Company

Entry: Instagram

Prize: AA Skincare

From: Set of 3 FaceMasks

Entry: Instagram

Prize: CocoVita

From: Coconut Oil

Entry: Twitter

Prize: Tote Bag

From: ASOS

Entry: Online Form

Prize:  Terex Truck Merchandise

From: terex Trucks

Entry: Twitter

Prize: 4 Cereal Bars

From: Good Full Stop

Entry: Instagram

Prize: ProperCorn and Beer

From: ProperCorn

Note: Still no sign of the beer

Prize: Jeans

From: jack & Jones

Entry: Instagram

Prize: Black Mud Soap and CC Cream

From: Spa Finder

Entry: Instagram

Prize: Oven Glove

From: Whitworths

Entry: Purchase Necessay

Notes: I burnt my hand because I only had one oven glove...

Prize: Protein Kit

From: Ripped Kit

Entry: Instagram

Prize: Only & Sons Power Bank

From: USC

Entry: Instagram

Prize: £200 Love2Shop Vouchers

From: Ski Yoghurt

Entry: Online Form

Prize: £20 MAC Voucher (Mascara)

From: No Idea

Entry: Create your lipstick style

So that's it, the last Prize Unboxing for 2016! My favourite prize has to be the Love2Shop Vouchers and I loved having a wee day out with my mum and us both picking some new outfits!

Luck and Love, 

Laurie

Life After Advents

We have spent the last few weeks devotedly visiting the same websites, playing ridiculously difficult games (Xigen's Ninja Santa Game anyone?) all in the hope of winning a little Christmas present for ourselves. Now that the advents are over, its coming up to a time of year where competitions seem few and far between, only exaggerated by the extreme amount that were available in December. So how do we prevent a loss of motivation during this time?

My first tip would be to use the time to organise your comping. Did you come up with new techniques to handle the sheer volume of advent competitions (if so please comment them below!) - I started using bookmarks and saving links on Facebook a lot more than I used to.  The first thing to do is not to delete all of these, as they may be useful next year, but instead to file them away somewhere (and then not forget where). Bookmark pages you visit every day such as an instant win list, free daily lotteries and any gleam competitions that you are particularly wanting to win, so that you can complete the daily entries. Other good sites to bookmark are Prizefinder, Loquax and Compers News (if you are a member). 

It's also the perfect time of year to go through photos from Christmas and pick out the funniest ones or ones that may fit a future competition such as Christmas jumper theme, family fun or Christmas crafts/baking. Put these away in a folder on your computer and you'll be thankful for it next year.

Another thing to do is to go through some of your advent wins and decide what to do with them. I had been comping for Christmas presents so my 'prize bookcase' isn't too full, but every so often I will go through and sort wins into boxes - presents, things to sell and spares for me (such as make up and toiletries for when mine run out). That way I can see what prizes I have won (cue motivation boost), and know what prizes to focus my time on! It is also a great opportunity to go through your wish list and tick anything off (a great feeling) and to make a new one. Wish lists are such a good way to keep motivated and to make the hobby more manageable. For more tips of wish lists, check out <this post>.

Another thing that I like to do when the quantity of competitions is not there, is to focus on 

quality - particularly effort competitions. I use competition forums to find creative competitions and spend the days between Christmas and New Year, when you don't even really know what day it is,  thinking up slogans, baking photogenic cakes and coming up with winning video ideas. With less daily competitions to enter now that advent is over, you can spend more time working on your entry. These competitions also tend to have bigger prizes, while often being low entry too, so really worth putting the time in. Also, it's nice to get a break from all the quick social media competitions and form filling that occupied my life during December.

What are your plans now that advents are done? Did you have a successful month? This was only my second year of really committing to advent and I really enjoyed it! Only 11 months and 3 days until next advent!

Day in the Life of a Comper....ME!

I have been asking so many of you guys questions about how you got into comping and what you like about it that I realised I had never answered these questions myself! So here you go, a day in the life of this comper, questions asked by my lovely Mission Competitions Facebook Group:

What was your first prize and how old were you? What sort of competition was it?

My first ever prize I distinctly remember winning. It was from the Dorset Cereals 'Spin to Win' Competition around 6 years ago, so I would have been 15. I remember sitting on my bed upstairs at my parents mindlessly clicking the spin button I had pressed so many times before. I wasn't in the best of moods was really tired. However, as soon as that 'WINNER' notification came up, I had a burst of energy and sprinted downstairs to tell my dad (who also entered most days). We were so happy and after that I was hooked on comping!


When did you start and how long do you tend to spend a day on comping?

Although this incident was when I first won, I didn't start comping to the serious extent that I do now until about 2 years ago. I was taking a year out of uni to get my life back together, and needed something to focus on. Comping gave me that buzz and time-killer that I needed. 5 months later I started this blog and haven't looked back since.

I spend 2-4 hours per day on comping, spread throughout the day. I tend to spend 10 minutes here and there on my phone entering competitions too, so it may add up to more than that. I try to work it into my daily routine to make it more manageable.

Check my daily routine post <here>

How do you keep motivated?

For me, having this blog, filming prize unboxing and chatting to my lovely followers over on my Facebook group really inspires me to keep going. If you aren't wanting to start up a blog (I don't blame you, it takes time) then try and think of another way to keep track of wins - a spreadsheet, a notebook or try to display your favourite wins somewhere (I have a bookcase dedicated to this in my tiny room). That way, if ever you are lacking motivation, you can have a look at what you have won and know that it is possible to win again!


Where are you most lucky?

I'm not sure if I am most lucky on Instagram or if I just spend so much time on it, that it is where most of my wins come from. I love photography, and so entering creative competitions by posting photos on my Instagram is easy! I also love the like, tag, comment competitions (feel free to tag me @lornab22) and always try to add in a personal comment or emoji to the promoter.


Do you use comp list sites or Google more?

Here's a confession, I can be a lazy comper. I find it so much easier to just go onto Prize Finder or Loquax and hit 'Closing Soon' to find some competitions than search them out. If I am looking for something in particular (currently a bike) I will search for it on Prize Finder or, on a rare occasion on Google (setting filters to 'UK only' and 'within the last month'). I know that I should probably use Google more to seek out low entry comps, but we ain't all perfect. Maybe I'll make that my New Years Resolution.


What's the most effort you've made for a comp?

This is a hard one to pin-point, but probably one of my creative photo comps. There is currently a competition on to take a photo in a Windfarm just outside Glasgow, and so, when I saw that the sky was pretty, I strongly encouraged my Dad to drive the pair of us out there (about 40 minutes) and then walk round in the -3°C Scottish heat to take pictures of wind turbines....

There is also a photo of me dressed as a Christmas tree kicking around that is amazing for Christmas comps each year, but man it took ages to get that green out. 

How many friends have you converted?

Well, this is a tricky one. Not for want of trying, but not very many. I think people underestimate how much effort goes into comping. They hear about wins and think they can click a few buttons and have prizes arriving at their door by the end of the week. As many compers know, it takes a lot more than that. And so a couple of friend who have tried have then stopped as they didn't want to put in the effort.

Also, outside the comping world, I'm not very vocal about this hobby. It's not that I'm ashamed, quite the opposite, I am just afraid that it will seem like I'm bragging if I go on about the Apple Watch and iPad that I won. If people ask, I am more than willing to tell them about it, but I don't shove it in their faces. Therefore, I convert less people than I possibly could.

Recently, I have managed to get my flatmate into comping, after I won us tickets to the Good Food Show and the Girls Day Out Show. It always makes me smile when I see that she has tagged me in a competition, as I know she would never have done that before. I'm still working on converting my dad, although he does enter the odd Instagram competition. However, after I won a competition last week that he had also entered and tagged me in he is beginning to lose faith. One win and I'm hoping he is fully converted.

What has been your most unwieldy or weirdest  prize? (I love the wording of this question)

These days, I always stick to the rule that if I don't want a prize, I won't enter. However, due to random runner up prizes I have had a few odd ones. One of the weirdest was an automatic toothpaste dispenser. It sat in its box for months, until one day I decided to use it....I now use it every day. So random, and seems so lazy, but keeps my bathroom shelf nice and tidy!

Another one that my sister likes to take the mick out of me for was a runner up prize in the Frubes competition. I won a single bed Angry Birds duvet cover - I have a double bed and don't like Angry Birds. Still, it made someone happy when I gave it away. (see her oh so subtle point <here>)


What has been your favourite prize?

I think it has to be my Apple Watch for a couple of reasons. Firstly, it was my first big win and first radio win. It was with Kiss FM and I won a technology bundle - Apple Watch, iPod Touch, Beats Headphones and iTunes Vouchers, I was on holiday in France when I got the call and couldn't believe it! Shows you're a comper when you still answer the phone even though you'll pay extra for being abroad! The other reason that it's my favourite is that I use it everyday! I love my Apple Watch, and don't know what I'm going to do when it breaks, because I cannot afford a replacement! Because I wear it everyday, it's a great reminder about what comping can achieve.


What's your favourite group on Facebook for competitions?

Well I mean, apart from my own Facebook Group <join here> I love Lucky Learners. Sometimes I find it's a bit busy and so enjoy smaller offshoots of it such as the Instagram Competitions group (a fabulous source of my fav comps). Facebook Groups are such a good source of inspiration and I learn so much from hearing other peoples stories. They really do show that Compers are Lovely People


Obviously you're very organised & methodical about comping, but do you have any secret superstitions as well?

Although I do follow a comping routine, I do not stick to it so seriously that I'll be stressed if I veer from it. Life is too short to worry about missing the free lottery one day or entering competitions in a different order than normal. This is a fun hobby, and so I don't want to taint it by superstition and stress. Every so often I like to take a couple of days off comping (shock, horror) and appreciate life on the outside.


Thanks for all your questions guys, it was fun to answer and hear what you wanted to know. Please comment any other questions below and I'll try to answer as many as possible :) 

Luck and Love, 

xx