Embarrassingly late Swap Update...

Here's the last bunch of unposted swaps from, um, late 2009. I'd totally forgotten about them until I found the pictures. Here goes...

Swap 1 [Malaysia].

This was my second swap with Hanna :). This time, the stuff I sent her went missing :(, but she was kind enough to allow me to send her a replacement and keep what she'd sent me.

A note from her :), Estee Lauder Gentle Eye Make-Up Remover, Barry M Lip Paint in 52, Estee Lauder Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipstick in Sugar Honey, Stila Brow Set in Warm, Laura Mercier mini eye liner in Mahogany Brown, Avon Naturals Whitening Anti-Marks Cream & Whitening Day Cream SPF 15, a sample of Etude House Perfect Proof Sun Guard SPF 50, and a
Skin Food Black Bean Nose Pack.



Hopefully she'll resume blogging one day :).

Swap 2 [England, Kaleidoscope palette swapper].

Superdrug Vitamin E Moisture Cream SPF 15, Ruby & Millie A Decade Of Colour Anniversary Quad, Bourjois Shimmering Shine Liquid Eye Shadow in Gris Platine, NYX Eye Shadows in Slate, Champagne and Highlight, Milani eye shadow quad in Blooming Fields, Almay Whipped Gloss in Pink Cloud, Sally Hansen Line Smoothing Mineral Lip Treatment in Citrine, Revlon lip gloss in Pink Afterglow & Flirt! Plushious Liquid Velvet Lipcolour in Red Stiletto.

Wouldn't recommend the Superdrug cream :-/.

And here's a close-up of the Ruby & Millie quad, 'cause it's gorgeous :).

Swap 3 [The USA].



Revlon Mineral Mousse foundation in Fair/Light. Plus an adorable mini nail polish as an extra ^_^.

The foundation isn't as pale as I normally like mine to be, but it is light & looks natural.

Swap 4 [England, same swapper].

Urban Decay eye shadow in Heat & yet another Revlon quad - this time, it's Nude Elements.

I can never have too many red eye shadows ;).

Or should I just say eye shadows?



Swap 5 [Italy, the swapper I got my Goldfinger orange lip pencil from].

Pout retractable liner in Eye Envy You & Canmake lipstick in 14. She also added a sample of body lotion as an extra :).



Thanks for looking :).

I didn't arrange any swaps this year - the more stuff I own, the less I 'need' ;). But I'm thinking of getting back into it. We shall see.

Can't think of a title. Just another post with a look & swaps.

[Sorry if this post is badly written, I'm pretty tired.]

*The pics for the palettes collection post have been taken ;) & that'll probably be up next. Unless it's the tags. I'm behind on my tags again. (I always am, it's getting ridiculous...)

Swap 1 [The USA].

(For my Estee Lauder Idealist Pore Minimising Skin Refinisher mini, unused Veet facial wax tube, and some extras.)

I love Bourjois stuff :D. The extras were pretty nice too ;).

Swap 2 [England].

(For my mini Juicy Tube and lots of extras, 'cause I was just so happy about hers ^_^.)

Bourjois powder in Miel Dore (my new fave contouring shade), and as an extra, a Red Earth (my first item from that brand ^_^!) eye shadow in GR048 (a beautiful sparkly blue grey) :).

Swap 3 [Scotland].

(I got her a Korres Jasmine Lip Butter and added extras too ^_^.)

We agreed to swap for the Sleek Safari palette (and isn't it gorgeous :D?), and I also asked for the Jemma Kidd kabuki brush as an extra. But she added even more extras ^_^! I got a sample of Lush's Daddy-O shampoo (recommended - leaves hair clean but not dehydrated & does enhance its blondeness ;D), a Barry M kohl pencil in 4, and catalogues :D - well, a Benefit catalogue & a GOSH make-up look card ;). I love this kind of paper stuff but rarely receive any, so this was an incredibly lovely surprise ^_^.

Swap 4 [England, Kaleidoscope swapper].

(I got her a Korres Quince Lip Butter, Manhattan waterproof mascara, Oriflame Seeing Is Believing eye cream, Oriflame rose face cream, my two Lancome mini sunscreens, and of course, extras.)

The palette's by a UK brand called W7 - yes, I know I already have too many eye shadows, but I was craving a palette like this one :-P. Also pictured are GOSH On Stage Cool Lip Jams in 101 (blue) and 105 (purple), Lip Smackers lip gloss in Starburst Raspberry, Revlon eye shadow in Riviera Blue (had that, swapped it to her & got the very same one back, lol), NYX Chrome eye shadow in Java and ArtDeco eye shadows in 206 and 376. The double-ended lipstick (Astor Double Excellence in 017) was an extra ;).

Close-ups:

This swap actually arrived with a relatively large hole on the envelope, but somehow nothing was missing :D. (Am I lucky or what?) I suppose the palette stopped things from falling out ;D.

Oh, and this palette has 77 colours ;).

Now for the look. I promise to do a look with no blue on the eyes next :-P. This one's blue based again though, 'cause it's just such a pretty colour ;D, especially with dark eyes like mine.

This look's very simple (almost too embarrassingly simple to blog about :-P), yet has impact ;).

Apologies for this pic's [lack of] quality:

Skin: I tried my Avon loose mineral foundation (in Soft Ivory) for the first time today, & I must say I'm very impressed - it's so beautifully pale :). NYX Concealer In A Jar in Fair took care of the under eye area, and as usual I used my Tigi Fixx-It Stick on any spots.

Eyes: I started with Revlon Riviera Blue matte eye shadow, then changed my mind >:-D and covered my lids (over the Revlon, why not :-P) with Mark Retro Peacock. (The shades are quite close, but Riviera Blue is matte while Retro Peacock has fine glitter.) I filled in the area from lid to brow with white (I used the very top right shade from my W7 Paintbox - probably just to be difficult & make my products picture look bulky :-/, 'cause any white will do) and lined the lower lashline with silver (Oriflame Visions glitter pencil in Silver Snow). Finished off with curled lashes & mascara. That's it.

Cheeks: The cheek colour from my Too Faced Love Lisa palette on the apples & spread out. Looks nice & glowy but you can't quite pin down whether there's a product on there ;). I like that effect :).

Lips: Boots No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Cameo.

More pictures...

I wish this next one hadn't come out faded. But I still like it & will post it anyway.

Or maybe I like it because it's faded >:-D?

I almost deleted that one because of that shoebox, but ended up keeping it.

Thanks for reading :). Regular quality blogging should resume soon.

Last Swap Update...For now. I still have more to come (literally) & will post them once they do.

Believe it or not, Swap Updates are my favourite kind of post to write. Looks are a pain because I'm a perfectionist and it's so annoying to get decent pictures, because I wasn't blessed with a nice face >:-). On the other hand, products are generally beautiful to look at (and if they aren't, I won't swap for those XD) :).

So, here goes ;).

Swap 1 [England, Kaleidoscope swapper].

(For 4 ArtDeco eye shadows & a Magnum Beauty Box to match, Stila tinted moisturiser samples, some extras, and a birthday present for her ^_^.)

Yet another huge multi-swap ;).

*Tesco Ginger, Vanilla & Pink Pepper perfume (50 ml). I love this even though it's cheap :D. It's a really nice, warm, spicy scent.
*So...?SuperStar mini perfume (20 ml). The packaging's so cute ^_^.
*Sugar Sweet Cheeks baked duo in Cupcake. This arrived broken, but it can still be used so I don't mind.
*Icing by Claire's nail polish in Signature Runway (wearing it here).
*Physicians Formula baked eye shadow trio in Baked Oatmeal (I love this - must try more baked stuff).
*Ruby & Millie Eye Colour in Red 420P.
*Bourjois eye shadow in Brun Somptueux.
*Milani eye shadow in Garden Mist.
*Barry M lipstick in 129 - the famous Lavender Whip supposed dupe. It's more Lavender than Fashion Mews ;).
*NYX lipsticks in Tea Rose, Ceto and B52.
*Benefit lip cream in If Only I Had Known. Isn't the pot gorgeous?
*Everyday Minerals eye shadow in Comfy and eye shadow mini in Hot Chocolate.
*Sleek Eye Dust in Inferno. Sleek palettes are famous around the blogosphere, but their pigments should be too ;D! They're amazing. I'll probably do a look to prove it ;).
*A Rimmel shadow & liner as an extra (swapped that off).
*Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush lip gloss in Slice Of Heaven - beautiful and tastes so good, I totally recommend Beauty Rush glosses and plan to get more ^_^.
*TheBalm Plump Your Pucker Tinted Gloss in Strawberry My Shortcake. Cooling effect (always a plus during the summer) and it does plump :).
*A Lancome mini Juicy Tube in Frozen Punch as an extra (I swapped that off too).
*Prestige Total Intensity eye liner in Intense Olive.
*Wet & Wild Idol Eyes Creme Shadow Pencil in Pixie - perfect for brightening inner corners ^_^. This was an extra too ;).

Close-ups:

Lipsticks from left to right: Barry M in 129, NYX Tea Rose, NYX Ceto and NYX B52.

Tea Rose is the colour of roses, Ceto is a mildly metallic tangerine coral, and B52 is a creamy rosy brownish nude.

Swap 2 [England, same swapper].

(For three Korres Lip Butters (Pomegranate, Guava and Plum), my Revlon eyelash curler (since I got & prefer the Shisem ;D), the Stila Illuminating Tinted Moisturiser (in 1), and some extras, including my Clinique Wow Violet lipstick.)

*Revlon Leading Lady Blush in Smoky Rose.
*Bourjois blusher in Rose De Jaspe (the lid broke off but the product's fine).
*Lots of sample baggies ^_^. Most are eye shadows, but there's one of lip balm :-/.
*Jane Be Pure mineral gel liner in Black (comes with a liner brush).
*An Avene face wash sample as an extra - gave that to my sister.
*Avon Treselle roll-on fragrance - it's sweeter than my usual type, but I think I like it.
*Soap & Glory Sexy Mother Pucker in Clear. Warning: this doesn't just make your lips feel cold or tingle, like most plumpers do - it has a very strong (probably close to painful the first time you try it) effect that's reminiscent of electric shocks >:-). Also, it smells freakishly exactly like cake (made me wonder just how fake food flavours may be nowadays). But it does work and the cake smell is pleasant :). And I got used to the electric shock treatment after enduring it twice :-P.
*Maybelline Line Stylist liner in Jade Flash (as an extra - I swapped it off).
*NYX Lip Pencil in Pink Nude.
*Tarte Lock & Roll Creaseless Eye Shadow Duo in Rose Gold. This works. I wore it on a hot day for over 12 hours and it didn't slide off :).
*NYX Lip Gloss With Mega Shine in Cady Shop [Candy Shop] and Frosteed Beige [Frosted Beige?]. Here's the situation: My glosses say 'Cady Shop' and 'Frosteed Beige'. The NYX official website lists 'Cady Shop' as Candy Shop (though the swatch is way off), but 'Frosteed Beige' is spelled with a double e :-/. Verify it here.
*Sleek Eye Dust in Jet Set and Vintage. I love these pigments so I got more ^_^.
*NYX eye shadow in Rust. I can never have too many reds ;D.
*NYX Chrome Eye Shadow in Iced Mocha.
*Everyday Minerals eye shadows in Lap Top and Net Surfing, and eye shadow minis in Mistle Toe, Snow Flakes and Starlit. Mistletoe is meant to be a single word as far as I know, but the packaging spells it as two words :-/.

I suppose this was the typoed products lot >:-). Lol. Close-ups:

Bourjois Rose De Jaspe, Jane gel liner, Sleek Jet Set, Sleek Vintage, NYX Iced Mocha, Everyday Minerals Lap Top, Net Surfing, Mistle Toe, Snow Flakes and Starlit.

Bonus pic:

Had to depot my Olivia lip balm to get a pot I could use for one of the Stila tinted moisturiser samples ;).

Not all brands featured have been added to the labels list, because 'the combined length of all labels cannot exceed 200 characters' >:-). I'm really sorry :(. [And annoyed >:-@.]

Thanks for reading ^_^.

Finally got my contest prize ^_^! & Swap Update and some nail pics.

*Getting a new phone (finally >:-D, lol) next week...Which means more posts ;D! I'm going to apologise yet again for slacking off, but I'm just not a summer person. I thrive when it's cold. [And I just happen to live in Greece >:-). Country swap, anyone :-/? Lol XD...]

I'm referring to the Barry M Nail Paint in Mint Green (famous for allegedly being a MAC Peppermint Patti dupe - can't confirm since I don't own the latter :-P), my prize for winning the random draw in Rebecca's Animal Instinct contest ;). (Here's my winning Smokey Pigeon look ;D ^_^.) That particular item was delayed (the reason was a perfectly valid one and I didn't mind), then sent, returned due to the sticker with my address falling off (lol), re-sent with lots of lovely extras to make up for the delay :), and finally reached me last Tuesday :D.

And here it is :).

I also got a mask, Tresemme and John Frieda samples (my hair's very dry right now for obvious reasons so these were brilliant ^_^) and a Glamour Doll eye shadow in Trophy Wife - this is so pigmented and metallic. I'm gonna love this ;D. Thank you so much Rebecca :).

(For the record, I've won a few other contests and giveaways, but I haven't always received my prizes...Oh well :-/. Thumbs up for all the honest bloggers who do complete their giveaways ;D ^_^.)

Of course, I had to wear the Nail Paint ASAP ;)...

(Pre-clean-up pic, which can sort of be seen, sorry about that XD.)

It's beautiful :D. It looks a lot better than it did on others' blog pics (no offence meant or anything, it's just far more appealing in real life). As for the formula, it applies quite well, and two coats provide enough colour :).

Now, it's time for a Swap Update :). (New readers: I'm an odd girl and usually swap instead of 'hauling' ;D. Oh, and hi :D!)

Swap 1 [Singapore].

(For my Jesse's Girl trio in Lime Lights, and some extras.)

Fine, I suppose I didn't need both XD - but red's my favourite colour :-P ^_^.

Oh, and they're Sasa eye shadow singles in RD002 ;).

Swap 2 [Canada].

(For my Bourjois mini pigment in 9 and Schwarzkopf mini shampoos...Remember those? Yes, this swap was arranged a long time ago, took two months to show up and was sort of stressful because of that :(. But it was worth the wait ^_^. Oh, and I did add extras ;D.)

Lots of stuff :D...All by Mary Kay ;).
So, I got blushes in Apricot Breeze, Burnished Bronze, Desert Bloom and Pink Meringue - the two bottom ones combine wonderfully for a pink contoured cheeks look ;).
And eye shadows in Ivy Duet, Fig, Periwinkle, Raspberry Rush, Storm, Tutti Frutti and Seashell. I asked for six shadows, but she added another as an extra ^_^! Along with lots of nice samples :). Despite the slow shipping, I'm glad to have done this swap :).

(Updated my palette with Storm, Raspberry Rush, Periwinkle, Fig and Seashell. Although I've since swapped off Storm and replaced it with Twilight, lol.)

Swap 3 [The USA].

(For my Revlon Black Cherry lipstick, a mix CD, and extras.)

Finally got a denim shadow :). I've always wanted to try that ;)...It's Clinique High Impact Eye Shadow in Faded Denim. The Sugar Sugar mini was an extra and I swapped it off because I already had that shade.
And a Colour Me Nude Lip Concealer by Etude House. I've worn that twice since then and I love it. If you're looking for a statement nude (I did say statement nude - this isn't a soft natural look and 'Lip Concealer' is a very fitting name for it), this is your product. I'll probably do a look with it to show it off ;).
More extras: a Hello Kitty lip balm ^_^ and a sample of the famous Urban Decay Primer Potion ;).

And here are some nail pics that I took before my Mint Green mani (pictured near the beginning of this post).

Two coats of OPI Rosy Future on all nails. Then, two coats of Oriflame Visions Skydiver on my thumb, and two coats of Icing by Claire's Signature Runway on the two dark nails.

(I always just paint over when I'm planning to use a darker colour after a lighter one. Why waste remover :-P?)

This (funny-looking) picture gives a much better profile of Rosy Future. It's similar to Skydiver, but while Rosy Future reflects violetish rose, Skydiver reflects glass-like icy light blue that reminds me of skyscrapers :-P. Rosy Future's more subtle ;), while Skydiver is a vibrant one, even though it's light.

I tried to capture the red glitter in Signature Runway, but failed >:-/. It's there in real life though. By the way, that's probably the reason why this colour doesn't make me look dead (me & black lacquer normally don't suit each other). Yay for that :).

Before doing a full mani with Barry M Mint Green, I swatched that on my ring finger. (Building up from the pics above, that is ;D.) I certainly had a funny-looking hand that day XD.

Thanks for reading, everyone :). Time to catch up ;D...

My Make-Up Collection Part 3: Hello Kitty Lip.

[No, this is not a tutorial on how to erase one's mouth >:-).]

(I had a comment on Hello Kitty Eye, something like, "I thought this was going to be a Hello Kitty eye look...", and well, wasn't & won't be a lip look this time either ;D.)

This is the case I keep my lip products in :). It's Hello Kitty ^_^, hence the nickname Hello Kitty Lip XD.

View from the top:

Alright, let's open it...

Scattered on top of most lipsticks and glosses are various lip palettes, glosses that aren't tube-shaped, small-sized products, and certain lip balms that are coloured enough to belong here & not inside the Rimmel Case ;).

Hard Candy Pin Up lip palette, Mark Candy Stripes lip gloss in Candied Apricot and Candied Apple, a Mark Hookup double-ended gloss in Sugar Almond (left) and Marshmallow (right), a mini Hello Kitty lipstick, Tarte lip balms in Thursday and Friday, Embodyment Organic Essentials Cherry lip balm, Hershey's Milk Chocolate Scented Lip Gloss (this is a lot more of a balm-like product despite the name :-/), MAC lipstick in Malt (in a sample pot), L'Occitane lip gloss in Rose Bonbon, Biotherm mini Glossy Shine Luminous Crystal Gloss in 130, Burt's Bees Lip Shimmer in Champagne, and Oriflame Sweet Talking Lip Candy in Sweet Bubblegum, Sweet Caramel, Sweet Vanilla and Sweet Butterscotch.

These heart things are the tastiest lip product I've ever tried. It's sort of annoying because they're literally good enough to eat, and too often, I do >:-). Oh, and they're gorgeous too ;D.

After removing all the clutter on top, here's what is left...

Most lipsticks are located in the centre section, while the lip glosses are split into groups & live in the side pouches ;). I'll cover the glosses first.

Estee Lauder High Gloss in Ivory and Pearl, mini Pure Colour Crystal Gloss in Sugarcane, mini Pure Colour Gloss in Burgundy, Pure Colour Crystal Gloss in Raspberry Pop, and Pure Colour Cool Gloss in Cool Coconut.

Labello CareGloss & Shine in pink and nude (can't find a name on them :-/), Clinique mini Superbalms in Raspberry Tint and Mango Tint, mini Colour Surge Impossibly Glossy in Cream Soda and Camisole, and mini Glosswear For Lips in Air Kiss.

Mary Kay lipsticks in Pink Daisy and Pink Coral, and Liparazzi lip gloss in Velvet Rope and Stalker. Yes, these light up :D! Will do a review one day ;). Oh, and I'd love to swap for Premiere if anyone has it ^_^.

Palladio Plump 'N' Shine Herbal Plumping Lip Gloss in Frosting, Miners Double Trouble lip gloss (the pink one - no shade name given :-/), Tigi Bed Head Dumb Blonde lip gloss (which is what some will think of me after reading all this, I suppose >:-D), Dior Sparkle Shine Glitter Top Coat For Lips, and Wet & Wild Diamond Brilliance in 616 Rachel's Rocks.

L'Occitane Cherry Blossom Lip Gloss, Bourjois Rouge Pop Chic in Poupre Chic, Oriflame Plump & Gloss in Naughty Girl and Nice Girl, and Stila It Gloss in Striking and Inviting.

Bourjois Poupre Chic is rain-proof :D. And I'm referring to crazy flood-like rain. I'm always happy when it rains :), but a lasting-through-the-elements bright red lip colour just makes it better ;).

MAC mini Lipglass in Gold Charm, Lipglass in Cult Fave (Fafi), Totally It (Fafi) and Silly Girl, Pout Lip Gloss in Tickle My Fancy and Be My Baby, and Urban Decay XXX Shine Cooling Lip Gloss in Love Junkie.

For someone who allegedly dislikes glosses, I sure have a lot >:-).

And I happen to like lipsticks ;D...Guess what brand most of mine are by?

MAC >:-D! Of course :-P...Eleven and counting ;D.

Fresh Buzz, Pretty Please, Flowerplay, Fresh Brew (Hello Kitty), Fashion Mews (Hello Kitty), Strayin' (Hello Kitty), Not So Innocent (Fafi), Strawbaby (Fafi), Flash-N-Dash (Fafi), Fun 'N' Sexy (Fafi) and Utterly Frivolous (Fafi) - that was my first one ^_^.

Next, Oriflame.

Power Shine lipsticks in Rose Bite and Sangria Red, Matt Glam (that's how they spell it - why not 'matte', I don't know) lipsticks in Liz, Lauren, Jean, Audrey and Marilyn, Colour Attraction lipstick in Golden Forest (sadly, the pretty green tube's Limited Edition packaging :-P) and Visions Lip Love lipstick in Justin.

Opened:

Estee Lauder and Clinique.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Crystal Lipstick in Crystal Baby, Crystal Pink and Tiramisu, Futurist Full Treatment Lipstick in Divine Wine, and Pure Colour Long Lasting Lipstick in Sugar Honey, and Clinique Colour Surge Lipstick in Wow Violet.

Opened:

Wet & Wild, NYC and Essence.

Wet & Wild lipstick in 514A Cherry Frost and 519A Hot Red, Precious Metals lipstick in 762A Ruby Glam, Mega Colours lipstick in 909B Pink Suede and 907A Black Cherry (the packaging is completely different but both are named Mega Colours :-/), NYC Ultra Moist Lip Wear in 324B Cameo and Essence lipstick in 03 Romantic Secrets.

Opened:

NYX, Revlon and Barry M.

NYX Black Label Lipstick in Nude and Round Lipstick in Iced Honey, Revlon lipstick in Nude Attitude and Silver City Pink, and Barry M Lip Paint in 100 Baby Pink and 123. At least I think it's 123 - the label has partially faded. As of me writing this, there's no 123 on the official site.

Opened:

Various luxury brand lipsticks.


Dior lipstick in Golden Mirage, Orlane Rouge Extraordinaire Lipstick in 34, Cargo Plant Love lipstick in Nahinni, and Pout Full Cover Cream Lipstick in Mi Amore.

Opened:

Last but not least, my set of mini Mark glosses :-P.

Glow Baby Glow minis in Girly Girl, Bubbles, Smooches and Blow Kisses, and Glow Baby Glow Luxe minis in Lucky Luxe, Choco Luxe, Flirty Luxe and Petal Luxe.

Swatches/reviews/looks on request ;). Next, I'll be presenting my cheek stuff, or as I like to call them, Face Enhancers :). Thanks for reading ^_^!

Oh, and to the one person who answered, "I don't know why you do these make-up collection posts anyway, they're so show-off & frivolous..." on my poll, thanks for the honesty - and I do it to keep a log of what I own, and because I enjoy looking at make-up :-P. I hope some of my readers do too :).

Blogger won't let me include more than 20 labels, so I can't mark this post with all the brands I own. Sorry :(!