Certain things I know & Swap Update.

I wasn't sure how to title this. I think 'beauty tips' sounds like something a professional, or at least someone experienced, would say. I don't want to claim that, so I'll just say that these are things I've learned from experience and consider worth sharing ;). Though they work well for me, I cannot guarantee that they will for you - but I certainly hope they do :).

*Apply cream onto damp skin. This works great for me personally :).

*If you have long & dark lashes, you don't really need mascara - just curl them ^_^! This'll save you time and eradicate the very annoying task of getting mascara off >:-) ;D.

*If you're out of make-up remover, try olive oil - it works better than half of the products I've tried >:-D and isn't irritating at all ^_^.

*Cheap liners can be made to look more vibrant & pigmented if you melt the tip a bit using a lighter. Just make sure you let the pencil COOL OFF before it touches your eye - test it on your hand if you're not sure. I do this to make liner look bold and graphic, or fluid-looking. And in case you were wondering, this is indeed the reason why I sometimes have a lighter on my Products Used photos ;D.
Note: this does not work on waterproof pencils. They burn >:-).

*Speaking of that, don't smoke - avoid the sun (and use SPF when you can't) - stay hydrated. This will keep you from decaying XD.

*Don't forget to wear SPF on your lips, neck and hands when it's sunny! (I assume that you do wear it on your face...) Failing to do this will result in your neck being darker and more leathery than your face - ICK, not to mention that most people will think, "Foundation line" >:-). And a lip burn is terrible - and easy to avoid, so just do :-P.

*Oh, and the sun can distort hair colour, so if you mind that, you'll need SPF in your hair too ;) (lol). On the other hand, if you're blonde like me, you may allow it to give you some natural highlights :). Don't forget leave-in conditioner though to make sure your hair doesn't fry ;D.

*A gleaming, 'pale glow' powder product is a great thing to own. It can be used on the eyes, as highlighter, or for an all-over glow. I recommend Elf Luminance - it's very cheap yet works brilliantly ^_^.

*Lip balm with high SPF (example: Nivea Sun) gives a matte nude Fashion Mews appearance that I personally really like :).

*Another cheap and practical thing to own is a four-step trim/clean/smooth/polish (I've also seen 'file/clean/condition/shine' used) nail file. Mine is from Essence, and I'm pretty sure that Avon makes one too, but I don't think the brand really matters. These things really do work, and after doing all four steps, you get the effect of a clear/nude mani without actually using lacquer ;).

*For brunettes: a sage tea rinse helps enhance your hair colour :). This tip was taken from a book & tested by my sister ;).

*Never assume that a cheap product doesn't work, or that an expensive one does work. Try things out. You may be surprised.

*If you have any beauty products that don't work on you, are neglected, or you no longer like, swap them ;).
As the blogosphere Swap Queen, I had to say that :-P ^_^.
Or you can give them away :). I often pass on products to my sister ;).

Most Important Piece Of Info: Never worry about trying a new make-up style, look or colour! If it doesn't suit you, you can just wash it off ;). If it does...You've learned something :).

Please add any little notes below (by commenting) if you have any of these to share - I'd love to read them ^_^!

Swap Update time :D!

Swap 1 [Canada].

(I bought her a Korres milk soap.)

2 Mark eye shadow stripes shadows (in Pure Nudes and Pure Pinks) in a medium palette, two blushes (Star Glo and Kitten Glo) in a medium palette, and a large palette - the shadows there are mine ;). Finally they have a home :).

And a lovely C post-it ^_^! This was the nicest extra in recent memory :).

I ended up moving all the shadows together into the large palette ;).

Swap 2 [Canada again].

(The two Mark blushes pictured above, and some extras. Lol - I see nothing wrong in swapping away things received in swaps though, if they're not what you expected or you found something you'd rather have, why not ;D?)

Funny how the blushes went from Canada to Greece to Canada though :-P XD.

Stila tinted moisturiser in Fair (it's not full & I was aware of that so no issues there ;D), NYC nail polish in Big Money (I'm not gonna wait for OPI Aragon something to indulge my craving for green lacquer :-P), Essie mini nail polish in Flirty Girl ^_^, and some lovely extras :D! Skin Food samples (I'll use these on my neck & hope they help with whitening it to match my face ;D - see above on why one should wear SPF on one's neck too, I'm a prime example >:-D) and a Blistex roll-on cherry SPF lip balm :). I love cherries ^_^! They're probably my favourite fruit ;)...

Oh, and she included a business card. First time I saw that in a swap XD.

Swap 3 [England].

(For my 5 Oriflame Daydream Collection mechanical liners. I just didn't use them much - I prefer pencils. And toe separators as an extra - my little sister donated these ;D ^_^.)

A Bourjois mineral powder in Vanilla (looks a bit too dark in person, but it's the lightest shade, what can I do :-/?) and as extras, an Eyeko ad and make-up remover wipe :). And a note ^_^. It looks like recycled paper :D!

Yeah, I adore swaps ;D. Thanks for reading :)! I'll be doing Part 3 of the My Make-Up Collection series (lip products) soon ;).