Avon quad review (and look), thoughts on some of my new stuff, and my current nail look.

[This will be my first review ever :).]

I had the time to play with some of my new stuff :D, and naturally I'm very excited about the products I've tried and would love to share my thoughts with you :). So I will do this :-P ;).

Review: Avon True Colo[u]r Eye Shadow Quad in Smoky Eyes [Q801].

This is what it looks like:

The round shadows look very similar to Lancome or Euro Chanel quads (random note: I hate the US square ones - US people, I pity you a little :-P, but you can't have all the good stuff ^_^), and quite a few of you commented about that on my previous post ;).

But while US Chanel quads are ugly, US Avon ones look good. This is what a European Avon quad looks like:

I hate these. They are so ugly :-/. I don't care how nice the colours are, I will never buy such a stupid-looking quad. If anyone from Avon reads this, perhaps you should rethink some of the junk you toss onto the European market >:-).

Moving on ;). This quad has AVON written on it (not very appealing to be honest, but I can stand it), and the box has some very basic advice on how one should use the shadows.

The quad has an OK-sized mirror and a sponge applicator (one skinny end for lining and one usual teardrop shaped one for shading) included. The shade names are listed on the back. They are White Pearl, Privately Pink, Moonlight and Steel.

White Pearl: I LOVE this :D.
It's maybe the best white I've come across, and certainly one of the best. It can be used sheer, or built up to a lovely matte white. Even when intensified, it's not dead-looking matte, but rather subtly iridescent and very pretty :).

Privately Pink: I HATE this >:-/ :(.
I'm very persistent, so I tried everything. I used my fingers, the sponge applicator and a brush. I tried using it wet. I scraped off the top layer. I scraped off some more and tried using that as colour.
This thing just does not work at all. You'd have better pigmentation from coloured chalk. I'm not kidding - this is so terrible that I'm hoping it's a defective one. Such a shame too because the shade looks so pretty :(! But this is supposed to be eye shadow - and it doesn't do that. At all. Sorry. I'm thinking of smashing this up and using it as loose blusher, but it will probably not even work for that >:-).

Moonlight: Well, first of all I have to mention that as soon as I touched it, the top layer broke off :-P >:-).
Aside from that (which isn't supposed to happen), the colour is lovely :). It's a nice grey that has a subtle glow to it, and yet it's grey, not silver. It's nice and soft too, and pigmented enough. I'm very happy with this :).

Steel: The dark smokey shade of this quad. It's indeed reminiscent of steel, or perhaps graphite. On fair skin, this dark grey colour gives a nicer smoke effect than classic black would. And I love it as a liner ;).

Swatches:

Left to right: White Pearl, Privately Pink, Moonight, Steel. The pink one is barely visible, and that's after multiple layers - and getting this swatch was a pain. I told you the pink was beyond awful.

And here's a simple look using the working >:-D shades from this, which also happens to be my first ever look of the day that isn't for a contest ;D.

I used Moonlight and Steel to line (Steel on top & Moonlight on the bottom), and White Pearl on the lid & all the way up to the brow.

Naked lashes, fair & powdered skin (using my usual skin lot), the lightest shade of my IsaDora Diamond Glow to lightly highlight cheeks, and my new liner from The Body Shop on my mouth. I haven't tried it as an eye liner yet, but I love it as a lip liner :). It turns my natural lip colour into a soft nude shade, and after swapping my L'Oreal nude lipsticks away, I needed that ;).

I look tired :-/...Oh well. You know I'm not photogenic at all.

Here's a rather strange eye close-up:

I am not wearing mascara here. Bless my lashes :).

Here's my usual product pic ;D.

[Lol at me in the mirror. I confess that I did that on purpose :-P.]

Staying power: After 4 hours, no fading or creasing. (I don't use base, only some foundation to even out my lid colour.) I'm satisfied :).

Would I recommend this?

To be honest, I can't :(. The three working shades are lovely, but I can't recommend a product that doesn't at least work - all of it, that is >:-D. If you can find a quad where all colours work though (maybe there was something wrong with mine in particular), this is a lovely smokey eyes quad :). And the packaging looks nice too :-P.

Thanks for reading ^_^!

P.S. Nails of the moment...

[I can't photograph nails well >:-).]

Index finger: Estee Lauder White Beige. The rest: OPI Russian Navy. Everything's been topped off with Oriflame Visions Serial Blogger (love the name, of course XD), I love that glittery lacquer as a top coat on almost everything ;D ^_^.

As of today, I will be twenty.

I'm not technically sure whether that phrase is grammatically correct. But it sounds good to me, all rhythmic, so I chose to post it as it is :-P.

So, yes. Today's my birthday :).

Thank you God. Thanks to everyone who has ever supported me. Here's to at least another 20 years :-P ;D.

And here's something for you all ;)...

Yes...I am actually smiling :).

[I told you it doesn't look good on me, and here's proof >:-).]

But I'm still quite happy, which is probably why I look OK enough to feel secure enough to post this ;D. Enjoy :-P. You won't be getting one of these for a long while >:-D.

Make-up: Nothing except Jean by Oriflame (the lipstick I used here) on my lips, except that most of it has faded so it's a sheer reddish stain on there. I'm surprised it has lasted at all - I've had it on since 9 A.M., I had sushi, I had my birthday cake...Should be long gone, it's just a lipstick after all, and not a long-lasting one XD. (I hate those, I much prefer to reapply than to feel like I have glue on my mouth.)

For a beauty blogger (sort of >:-D) and product addict, I do go out bare-faced quite a lot :-P.

My cake:

It's lemon ^_^! Store-bought, of course XD. Yes, it's tiny, but it'll still take me a few days to finish it :-P.

I like the idea of having paper numbers on my cake ;D. It started on my 18th when we were out of candles and I came up with this :-P, but I ended up liking it and have done it ever since ^_^. And of course they're my favourite colour :-P.

With the candle lighted:

That's a singing candle by the way ;). It sings Happy Birthday To You :-P. (Well, just the tune, like a ringtone ;D.)

I hope my wish comes true ^_^!!! (But of course, for that to happen, I can't share it with you :-P.)

Next...Lots and lots and lots of New Acquisitions ;D. Yay ^_^!!!

First of all, here's some stuff I received in the mail ;).

Swapping is wonderful :).

These are all from Make-Up Alley swaps ;). I won't be putting the lovely swappers' names here, but if you'd like to swap with them too & want to know who they are, you can ask me ;D.

Swap 1 [England].

(For my 3 L'Oreal Star Secrets lipsticks in Aishwarya, Laetitia and Claudia, Clinique Bamboo Pink and Maybelline Sugar Plum Ice. And some extras :-P ^_^.)

A Sugar Kaleidoscope palette :D, Essence eye liner, Wet & Wild lipstick, Mark quad and Mary Kay mini quad :). Extra stuff: the gold glitter liquid liner and Nivea body cream sample ^_^. The tiny bottle's mine, and don't worry, I will explain :-P ;).

Opened so you can see the colours ^_^:

Isn't everything just lovely ^_^?!? The left page of Sugar Kaleidoscope has the lip colours, while the right page houses the eye shadows ;D. I love the Mary Kay mini quad ^_^ - I really hope I can find those colours in full-size pans once I'm done with these! I love everything of course, lol :-P :).

(For the record: OPI Russian Navy on nails, one coat. Adore this. I need to find more OPI lacquers. To swap for, that is - they retail for 15 Euros at Sephora here. US people, please convert to dollars and think about whether you'd buy them at that price >:-D.)

Just one minor issue left to resolve - I don't really use liquid liner :(. Yet the glitters are prettiful...What's a girl to do?

DIY: How to de-liner-ify a cheap liquid liner ;).

You will need your liner, and a tiny bottle cap that fits it. That's what the mini bottle was doing on the pic above ;D...It's actually a soya bottle that came with some sushi I bought last week ;). Fortunately, I kept it :).

The liner will have a plastic insert thingy that makes the hole skinny enough to only fit the liner brush.

Well...Use manicure scissors (or whatever works for you, really) to remove it ^_^!

You will end up with this...

Result: A bottle of liquid glittery gel ;D, and a liner brush that's yours to keep for whatever uses you may have for it ^_^! I'm gonna use it when I use mascara as a liquid liner ;). I refuse to buy one :-P. Or for this product, if I ever use it as a liquid liner, and I probably will ;D.
(You can also see the insert I removed on the pic - and the now capless soya sauce bottle XD.)

Swap 2 [Norway].

(For my L'Oreal Penelope Cruz Red and Rimmel Walnut Pearls duo. I didn't include extras, and I feel terrible about it now because she did.)

An Estee Lauder nail polish in White Beige (I'm using this next ;D), eye and lip liner from The Body Shop (wow, I didn't know these existed XD), and 2 extras: an Ulta duo (I love the left shade ^_^) and Chanel Chance sample. I never tried that fragrance before because of the stupid ad, but I did now, and I love it :). I'm keeping this for my sample fragrance wardrobe ;).

Does anybody know whether Ulta tests on animals :o? I hope they don't, I really want to keep this!

Oh, and I love the Estee nail polish bottle ^_^! I want more XD!

Swap 3...Well, Gift 3 [The USA].

This was really quite unbelievable...

I sent a message to this girl, offering to swap for some stuff from her list. She said she didn't really need anything from mine. Fair enough. But then she offered to just send me certain things that I had asked for, with me owing her nothing in return. Of course, I accepted. But I wasn't really sure she'd do it.

Until this came.

That's an Avon quad. The ones we have in Europe have those nasty-looking stripes, which is why I never buy them >:-D. This one is sooo much prettier ^_^! And the colours are lovely :D.

And 8 mini Mark glosses ^_^! I love any Mark products I can get my greedy hands on - unavailability does make the heart grow fonder :-P >:-). It'll take me a few days to test them all, but I already love (and would consider buying full sizes of) at least half of them ;D :).

Thank you so much, Vanessa ^_^!!!

OK, that's all the swap stuff for the time being ;). But I'll be receiving more in the weeks to come ;D...Can't wait ^_^!

I'm not done with writing about my New Acquisitions though :-P. Read on ;).

In a previous blog, I had mentioned that I needed to visit Sephora @ The Mall (I know, I think that name is ridiculously corny too) to track down a certain item that I badly need for contests. Thank God, I found it :D :) ^_^. But...

I ended up getting something else as well XD.

It was simply lovely, the last one left, and thus practically begging 'Please adopt me ^_^'. How could I resist :')?

Well, here's a riddle for you :-P. Can you guess which of these was my intended purchase, and which my impulse buy ;)?

[The saleslady threw in loads of Prada ribbons ;). I like the scent :) and will have to find it in liquid form XD so I can test it properly :-P, but because I have so many ribbons now...If you're swapping with me and want one or two, ask me and I'll give them :).]

(Oh, and if you have any Midnight Poison ribbons that you don't need - yes, they do exist, I have one with a tiny stain of blue nail polish on it >:-D...Please send them to me ^_^!!!)

Anyway, the answer is...

This was my impulse buy :).

The Too Faced New Romantic Peacock Palette :). It's lovely :). The packaging's amazing. There's another similar palette called the Unicorn, and I'm trying to track one down and swap for it ;D.

A closer look at the colours, as usual...

I don't know who would wear olive sage, fuchsia and silver together, but this makes me want to try XD. The glosses are a hot pink, dirty pink and shimmery white, and they're brilliant ^_^. I'm not completely sure about the bronzer, but I can always use it as a shadow ;). For a face product though, it appears far too glittery. Why is this brand so obsessed with glitter XD?

And my final New Acquisition for this already far too long post :-P...

This is a Sephora palette :). My first product by the brand ;). I hope I'm not disappointed in it, but I did swatch before I bought it and was pleasantly surprised.

The cover art is one of those cool pictures that change depending on the angle the light hits it at. I used to have calendars with a similar effect when I was little ;).

View 1: Dark Angels...

Can transform into this...View 2: The Light Angel.

Beyond full marks for this packaging, of course :). But what about the colours?

Well, the top layer (which is a pain to open, I might add >:-D) houses this lot:

Nice soft lovely neutrals :). The top row contains the eye shadows, and the bottom row has the lip colours ^_^.

While the bottom layer contains the reason this caught my eye in the first place - and so much more ;D.

[Yes, they open differently. The top section opens by lifting the lid (by the way, I forgot to mention the simply wonderful large mirror :D), while the bottom section slides out ;).]

Do I see red?!?

Yes, I DO ^_^!!!!!

Red eye shadow :). I finally found it.

There's also black, a weird shade that can't seem to decide whether it is grey or it is brown >:-), and a fair highlighter shade :). And some gorgeous glosses ;D ^_^.

The back has tutorials for two looks that can be done using this palette ;). Certainly a very welcome addition XD. I wish more palettes would add something of the kind...

[I'm not sure whether these are readable, but if you want them, holler and I'll type them up ;).]

There's a Look Innocence ^_^...

And a Look Extravagance :-P :D :).

I will be using this a lot in the near future ;).

I also bought some stuff for my first blind swap :D, and 2 Bourjois mini cream blushes for a Make-Up Alley one ;). Yes, there will be more stuff received in swaps on this blog :-P, I hope you enjoy it ;D.

In closing...Thanks so much for reading ^_^!!!

Really :).

And Happy Birthday To Me ^_^.

P.S. Any advice on being a twentysomething XD :-P?

I'm too lazy to blog properly, so I'll just give you this ^_^.

*Please CLICK to vote for ME if you think I deserve it :-P ;D.

*What happened on Easter? Well, I'm horrible at getting ready on time >:-D. You'd know that if you knew me in real life XD. It happened this year too - I miscalculated so badly that I only had time to throw on lip balm (which is basically nothing :-P) and go. No Easter look after all - although I think I will do a blog about what should have been my Easter look ;) ^_^.
And it's OK because I went to church to celebrate and honour Easter, not to show off my make-up skills - plenty of time for that in the future ;D.

*This has to be the most ridiculous GWP ever, so I simply had to share this with you :-P.

Easter-themed glass bottle >:-). From a department store XD. For spending a hundred Euros on cosmetics :-P.

I suppose it's the thought that counts - but I have no idea what to do with this XD!

Please share your oddest GWPs, it'll make this blog more interesting ;).

I also got a Bourjois gloss though :). (For spending 40 Euros on Bourjois products - actually it was 39 something, but this once the saleslady was kind and let me have it anyway ^_^. Normally I encounter bitchy ones, I guess things have to vary sometimes :-P.) And when I came home, I discovered that I had that exact shade in my wishlist notebook, yay ^_^! It's Bourjois Rouge Pop Chic in Poupre Chic, and knowing me, you'll guess the colour :-P. I'll be posting pics of it later anyway ;D.

I only bought stuff for swaps :D on that shopping spree - will be sending them out later this week :), today is a public holiday and everything has closed down, which makes for a very boring day :-P - thank God for blogging ;D. This year, I'm spending my birthday money on swaps - except for one item which I'll be getting for me :-P (because it's gonna be perfect for a few contest entries I plan to do ;D), if I can track it down at Sephora @ The Mall. They no longer have it in the centre Sephora :(. Saw some tourists there by the way :-/...Oh great. You may disagree, but anyone who pays to visit this country isn't the cleverest person out there in my humble opinion :-P.

And finally, here's the reason I started writing this...Got side-tracked with all the stuff above, sorry XD. Laura tagged me ;) :). Haven't done a tag for a while now, so here goes :-P.

1. Respond and rework: answer the questions on your blog, replace one question that you dislike with a question of your own invention, add one more question of your own.

2. Tag eight other people.

What is your current obsession? Swapping XD.

What is your weirdest obsession? I really have no idea :-P...Actually, hang on - this is quite weird. If I had the freedom to, I'd be awake at night, just stay awake and watch the stars from my roof (it's flat). I'm obsessed with watching the night sky here. It's the most wondrous thing, and the only thing I'll miss when I leave this country. But I've never been to a country whose night sky I didn't love :). Except one - no, I won't elaborate. Don't ask.

What are you wearing today? My light green sweater, jeans and OPI Russian Navy ;). Thanks so much Sarah :D, it's perfect ^_^!

What's your favorite comfort food? If I correctly understand the definition of 'comfort food'...I don't have any. When I'm depressed, I don't eat. I completely lose any sense of hunger. Thank God for that silver lining.

What would make today special? I'd love it if it rained :D.

What would you like to learn to do? Figure out how to become irresistibly attractive, when I need it. I'd love that >:-).

What’s the last thing you bought? Bourjois and Korres products for swaps :).

What are you listening to right now? Whining. Don't ask :-/...

What is your favourite weather? Rain :D, snow, wind, clouds...Anything but sun >:-/.

What is your most challenging goal right now? It's challenging >:-). I never share this kind of thing anymore, previous experiences have taught me that.

What do you think about the person who tagged you? She's pretty, nice, and I love her blog :). And you should enter her Barbie contest :-P ;D.

If you could have a house totally paid for, fully furnished anywhere in the world, where would you like it to be? Somewhere in the North, definitely >:-D. I've had it with sunlight. But I have no idea about the country yet. That said, I'd love to live in England :). Just not sure whether I want to own a house there :-P.

What would you like to have in your hands right now? This is a really odd question >:-). I agree with Laura, I'd love to have money :-P.

What would you like to get rid of? Emotional baggage from my past. Anxiety. And my swap items XD.

If you could go anywhere in the world for the next hour, where would you go? London :-P. First place I thought of. I've never been there & would love to :).

Which language do you want to learn? I'd love to learn Chinese. But it seems so different from all the other languages I know (please don't ask ;D), and such a challenge...I'm too scared to actually do anything about it XD.

What do you look for in a friend? I don't look for friends. They find me :-P.

Who do you want to meet in person? Anyone I admire :), and all of my blogger friends ^_^! I'd love to meet you ladies :D!

What’s your favourite type of music? Pop, I suppose XD. And if I like a film, I love its soundtrack :).

What is your favourite piece of clothing you own? I don't know whether I have a single one, but I love my chartreuse sweater :). Unlike most of mine that are huge, this one is fitted ;D. And I actually like the way it looks on me. You've no idea how harsh I am about that >:-).

Any favourite models? Kate Moss, of course. The Model.

If you had £100 now what would you spend it on? I'd go buy Kitty Kouture after all ^_^.

Favourite designer? Of course, I can't afford designer >:-D. But I love clothes and accessories by Fendi and Chanel :).

Fashion pet peeve? I know most people will disagree, but I'm honest :-P and will say it anyway >:-). I hate it when fat people dress as if they aren't aware of their size. Or worse, when they think their size is something to be proud of. And note that you won't change my mind on this, so I'd ask you not to bother ;D.

Do you admire anyone’s style? Sienna Miller's. There isn't much that I don't admire about her :).

Describe your personal style. I normally wear jeans and a huge bulky sweater :-P. When I want to make an effort, I love long, flowing dresses, and unique tops :).

What's your favorite ice cream flavour? Vanilla :). But I rarely eat ice cream. Dairy products usually make me feel sick :(.

Why did you start your blog? I loved reading beauty blogs :). Still do XD. My sister wondered why don't I start one of my own, and it kind of evolved from there ;). And it was one of the best decisions I've ever made :).

I think I'm late on this (again >:-D) and everybody else has been tagged, but if you haven't been, by all means please do this :-P. Thanks for reading mine ^_^.

A swap package for me ^_^! Way earlier than I expected - and with extras! Am I lucky or what XD?

Important Note 1: I will be sending all swaps etc. next week at the earliest :( - I'm really sorry about this, but everything's closing down for a quite extended Easter break and there's nothing I can do about it >:-). I hope this doesn't cause too much trouble for anyone. Thank you ^_^!

Important Note 2: I'm a finalist in a contest, YAY :D!!! Please go here and vote for me :) if you liked my pin-up & biker looks ;D - of course, if you like someone else's look more, feel free to vote for them :-P >:-).

This time, shipping from Canada to Greece only took a week...How on earth did that happen?
I'm not complaining XD, but had I known it would arrive this soon, I would've sent my part of the swap out earlier...And now I can't and I'm making a lovely sweet person wait :(. That doesn't make me happy >:-/...I'll try to find some nice extras to make up for it though ^_^ ;D.

Anyway, here is what I expected to receive:
*One bottle of OPI Russian Navy. (Yes, she bought me one, even though it was not her fault that the first one shattered - she didn't have to! And yet she did it ^_^.)
*2 MAC Hello Kitty lipsticks in Fashion Mews and Strayin'.

Which is extraordinary in itself - I mean, if you'd found the 2 loveliest lipsticks from MAC Hello Kitty, which also happen to be extremely hard to track down >:-D, would you:

*Freaking keep them XD
or
*Swap them away to a girl you barely knew from blogging - and who lives on another continent >:-).

Hmmm?

[She chose the latter. I still can't quite believe that. Thank you Sarah :).]

And here is what I actually received...

*The stuff I expected :). The nail polish was wrapped in loads of bubbles XD, and so were the lipsticks, lol - to make sure nothing'd break. Nothing did :).

*2 little pots for me to fill with the Kitty pigments for her - I did & will include them in my next package ;).

*Hello Kitty band-aids and a Hello Kitty key head XD! In my favourite colour ^_^! That was so unexpected, I had no idea there'd be extras, and certainly not Hello Kitty ones :)! Wow :D.

*A rather sweet note :). Wishing me a happy birthday ^_^! (I guess we both miscalculated the shipping time on this one, lol.)

*A sample bag of Buff'd Cosmetics mineral eye shadow in Chestnut (this was hidden in the Hello Kitty box XD). Eye shadow ^_^! A mineral one! From a Canadian brand ;D! In a reddish colour! This is such a perfectly selected sample for me :D!

I know I sound freaking ecstatic about this swap...I am :). That package made my whole day :). Thank you. Did I mention THANK YOU ^_^? Lol XD.

Close-ups ^_^:

Strayin' on the left, Fashion Mews on the right ;) :). Not swatching them or using them until Sarah receives hers though :-P. (I shouldn't have opened them either, but in my excitement I forgot - I'm sorry.)

I have swatches of something else though...My Kitty pigments :). I thought I might as well make swatches with the tiny bits of pigment left over on the spatulas ;D.

Left: Milk. Right: Deep Blue Green.

[Please note that I only do pigment samples for close blog friends - I hope you understand & won't hate me for that :).]

Deep Blue Green would be amazing drama on the eyes...And Milk is so luminous - I'm thinking of trying it on top of Fashion Mews some day in the future ;). I'm so satisfied with both :), very happy that Deep Blue Green is Pro permanent :D, and kinda sad that Milk isn't :(...But I'm sure MAC will repromote this luminous colour in the future, 'cause it's just too lovely to fade into obscurity ^_^.

Sarah, thanks again for an amazing swap :). Everyone else - here's her swap/sale blog if you'd like to swap with her or shop there. Highly recommended by me ;D.

Oh, and in case anyone was wondering what I'm sending her...2 Hello Kitty TLCs, Hello Kitty pigment samples, the Blushing Coral & Scarlett lipsticks from my Swap Sale :), 2 Bourjois blushes and some Korres products I'll buy for her ;). (This is part of a way larger swap - when I receive the next package, you won't believe how generous she is, trust me.) And I'll have to come up with some really good extras or I'll feel guilty :-P.

Thanks for reading, everyone :) - don't forget to VOTE FOR ME :-P!!! Pretty please ^_^, lol.

P.S. Many thanks to Vonnie for sending me high-quality scans of the NYX catalogue :). (Yes, I'm weird and like that kind of stuff XD.)

Contest Entry: Fresh Spring Look. Cris-style :-P.

Important Note 1: Easter in Greece is next Sunday. I hope that explains a few things XD.

Important Note 2: If you can shop online, please take a look at this blog sale :). There's some lovely stuff (MAC, Asian skincare etc.), and you'll be helping out someone who needs it at this point in time ;D. Thank you ^_^!

This is my look for Janet's second contest. I had no inspiration for the masquerade look though :(, so I couldn't do that part...And I know I don't look too happy on here >:-)...It's the picture taking - I HATE it. I'm just not a very pretty girl, and it's hard to get pics that look relatively OK...I don't enjoy it :(. Oh, and I need a haircut >:-D. And colour :-P.

Anyway...My pessimistic ramblings aren't worth reading so I'll just get on with the blog post XD.

I have no inspiration pic for this look 'cause I made it up :-P. Before starting, I (oddly enough) knew what products I wanted to use, but had no idea how. I made it up as I went along XD. Basically, it's a multicoloured light eye with no mascara, paired with fresh lips and a pale but luminous face :).

Eye close-up:

(Note: My make-up skills are nothing special, so I usually work with two or three colours at a time ;D.)

How to do the Cris Spring 2009 Eye :-P

[I'll list the products below next to my product pic - I suppose using the exact same things as I did may simplify things a little, but you don't have to ;).]

*Line the lower inner lashline with white. We're going for medium opacity here - white enough to look white and not merely shimmery, not white enough to evoke a graphic 60s eye XD. I love them, but not for this look :-P.

*Line the lower outer lashline with a matte bright pretty blue :). Make it a skinny line ;).

*Shade the outer eyelid with a pink similar to the one I used - I can't think of a good way to describe the colour >:-). True pink perhaps? Not too hot, not too soft, not too milky and light :).

*Fill in the inner eyelid with a light lettuce green.

*Blend XD.

*Leave lashes alone. I think that keeps the look freshly blooming as opposed to overly dramatic :-P ;). Note though that my lashes are naturally black and long, so if yours are pale or you don't have many, you might try adding a single coat of a natural-looking mascara for a similar effect. Or you can let them be anyway - naked pale lashes are certainly out of the ordinary, and you know I love that ;D :).

And here's my usual products pic and list ^_^.

Face: As usual, Oriflame Visions Fresh Face Foundation in Porcelain Doll, and Tigi Bed Head Fixx-It Stick in Light. But, instead of using matte powder, I used my Shimmer Balls :). They do have a proper product name but I've no idea what it is :-P. And I took them off my Swap Sale 'cause nobody wanted them - but if anyone does, you can still let me know and maybe I'll let you have them ;).

Eyes: I used Oriflame Visions Dynamic Duo liner in Laurel & Hardy, Styli-Style Flat Pencil in Vienna, ArtDeco eye shadow in 243, and Avon's eye shadow duo in Porcelain Doll.

Cheeks: Nothing ^_^.

Lips: I wanted to see how my Burt's Bees lip balm would do as a base - it works well ;). (Only on lustrous or shimmery colours of course, but I never use base with matte colours anyway, I prefer to work them right into the lips.) I chose Oriflame Power Shine lip colour in Rose Bite for this look - shiny but soft :).

More pictures...

Revisiting the classic Diamond Enigma looking-through-the-hair eyes, as I'm sure everyone's had enough of my other signature pose (that mouth :-P) for the time being >:-). Oh, and my forehead is indeed a tad too pink - I was out of practice regarding shimmer balls, and...I ended up applying too much colour, as you can see XD.

Bending my head helps me look nicer, OK? If it works, there's no need to fix it :-P.

I'm not as hostile as I look, honest XD! Well, I hope so anyway :-P.

Oh, and I tried very hard to get a smiling photograph, but it wasn't meant to be >:-). I promise to do one next time though...It'll probably be my Easter look, and if I can't freaking smile prettily on Easter, I doubt I can do it at all XD. Thanks for your patience on this :).

And thanks for reading :).

P.S. I got something beyond lovely in the mail today :D (will elaborate in my next blog entry ;D), that I hadn't expected for another week or 2...I'll send out my end as soon as I can ;).

My third Blogger Award! Am I really that good >:-D? Lol, but thanks very much.

Rules: List 7 things or people you are passionate about. List the person that gave you the award. Put the award logo. List 7 other bloggers you feel are worthy of this award.

Laura & Miss Imperfect (I need your name XD!), thank you so much ^_^!!!

7 things I'm passionate about:

*This blog :). It makes me so happy :D! Really. And all you lovely people have brightened up my life so much, so thank you :).
*Swapping ^_^! I'm fortunate enough, I haven't had any negative experiences yet...I'm very sorry about everything that has been happening though :(, and I really hope that one dumb person won't end up ruining this for everyone. (If you don't know what I mean, go here and here.)
*Sticking to my beliefs. One should always do what she (or he) considers right, always :). I haven't regretted this and I don't think I ever will.
*Smiling :D! You know I hate doing it for photos >:-) ('cause it makes me look ugly), but as long as I don't get photographed (that is, recorded forever in such an unpretty state :-P), I don't mind ;D! It does help me feel better :).
*You won't believe this...Contests :D! I used to be really self-conscious, but people are never cruel - even when I don't look as pretty as a Beauty Blogger ought to >:-). And I absolutely love how I get to try looks I never would have otherwise - and end up loving them :).
*Kindness. I'm not perfect, and if you've hurt me I'll hate you back and be as cruel as I can be >:-D...But I've made it a rule to always be kind back to those who have been lovely to me. Always.
*Shopping ^_^!!! Who doesn't love shopping XD? Lol.

7 Bloggers who deserve this award ^_^:

*Ning*Star, her layout is certainly arty and very lovely ^_^.
*Sarah, who'll probably be too busy to do this, but I'm giving her this award anyway 'cause she deserves it :).
*Janet, 'cause her contest theme is art-related in a way :-P. (It's a masquerade look - try it ;D.)
*Miku - her blog's not strictly a Beauty one, but I love it anyway, she's very creative :).
*Care - who's doing a make-up course ^_^!!! Lucky her :-P :).
*Jess, yes girl I'm giving you another award :-P, 'cause your blog is lovely :).
*Ji - her photography is amazing, and I love her writing style :). Plus she's so nice ^_^!

I really wish I could've picked more than 7 bloggers XD! But oh well, there'll be more Blogger Awards going around, so if you haven't received one from me yet, you probably will in the future ;).

Random note: I adore this.










[If you don't know any French...It means, "This is an It Bag" ;D.]
When I'm rich, I'll get one of each :-P. I rarely fall in love with 'It' stuff, but this is very clever ;).

Thanks for reading ^_^!!!

Pin-up? Me? Well, I kinda changed it, I'll admit that :-P.

A contest entry again, I hope you aren't too fed up with them ;D...My sister let me borrow her phone :D. Its camera isn't as good as my old phone's :(, but it's way better than the Z1010 XD.

I love red :). I'm sure everyone who reads this blog has figured that out (and is well sick of it) by now XD. Therefore, any contest calling for bold red lips would catch my interest ;)...
But...How does one do a pin-up look with short hair?

I began anyway. I applied 3 coats of my trusty Penelope Cruz Red (that I haven't added to my Swap Sale yet), then went on to do the eyes...Did one. Looked in the mirror.

I loved my naked eye. It was so piercingly fresh. It suited the look much better than the other, lined one.

I changed my mind. To hell with rules, let's deviate :-P.

Ended up with this...

[Note: I'm never cheerful when taking pictures, mostly because my ugly face turns the whole process into an abhorrent chore >:-).]

The red lips are there alright :), but the eyes are something different...No black, nothing dark except black mascara on uncurled lashes, top and bottom. White cream shadow (from my new Revlon :D) on upper lids, and an underline of gold (yes, gold - not sure where that idea came from!).

Here's a closer look...

Note to self: Must not squish mouth on close-ups when wearing bold lips...Makes my lip line look wonky.

Red lips, porcelain skin...With spiky lashes, smudgy gold liner, and short messy hair...An alternative kind of pin-up :-P. And surprisingly, so damn me :).

And because you're probably getting a bit worried by now, here's your tutorial ^_^.

Face: Oriflame Visions Fresh Face Foundation in Porcelain Doll, Tigi Bed Head Fixx-It Stick in Light, and Rimmel Lasting Finish Compact Pressed Powder in Transparent. My current skin staples still ;).

Eyes: White cream shadow from the Revlon quad in Copper Crayon...Damn, I didn't expect to hit pan that soon :-/! But I still have lots of shadow left in there, so there's no need to worry ^_^. Benefit EyeCon on my under-eye area to keep things looking fresh. Gold liner on the lower lashline - Avon Arabian Glow liner in Gold. And Rimmel Lash Maxxx on all lashes, but I didn't curl them.

Cheeks: Nothing :). Just foundation and powder ;).

Lips: L'Oreal Star Secrets lipstick in Penelope Cruz Red. Three coats. I wanted a bright strong red mouth :D.

More pictures...

Just messing around with my very unphotogenic face :-P.

Oh look...Startled :o! Lol.

Since I was happy with my 'messy pin-up' look, I thought I'd try the second part of this contest ;). But I do have to warn everyone that I totally improvised...I've no idea how to do biker looks or make-up XD.

But anyways, here we go :-P...

Same sweater ;). I bought that jacket at a market for 5 Euros, but it's still one of my faves :). And can you see my dove necklace ;D? Isn't it lovely ^_^?

Updated product pic, 'cause as you can see, I've changed most of my make-up...Well, put it on what I already had, in a way. Read on ;).

Eyes:

*Remove white cream shadow, leaving just a tiny bit of it right over the lashes, like micro-liner.
*Apply brown shadow (I used the one from Almay's Trio For Blues - surprisingly, Almay shadows are really good :D!) all over eyelids, using a brush.
*Pat on some Oriflame bronze pigment over the centre of each eyelid with a finger, then blend a little with another finger to add shimmer to the look.
*Go over the gold liner with the Oriflame Visions Eye Shimmer Pencil in Shimmer Gold - a bolder, brighter gold :).

Cheeks:

*Apply Estee Lauder blush in Rosette (third from the left on pic).
*Add MAC Hello Kitty Beauty Powder in Tahitian Sand for a more glowy effect.

Lips:

*Blot away the red lipstick.
*Apply Oriflame Plump & Gloss in Naughty Girl.

To finish, I swept the Tahitian Sand Beauty Powder all over my face. And there you have it...Transformed :). More pictures...

I seem to like this pose too much for my own good :-P.

I've no idea what that facial expression is supposed to convey...What about you? Lol.

I suppose I moved, that's why it looks faded...But I still kinda like it.

If you'd like to participate in this contest, here's the link :). I hope my entry turned out all right...I did enjoy this :D. Except the taking pictures part, which is a total pain and which I always hate, but oh well, we can't have everything :-P. Let me know what you think, and thanks for reading ^_^.

P.S. I saw the tag ;). Will do it soon ;D.