Last night's blue look, last week's blue nails, & more new stuff, including my contest prizes.

Finally, a look :-P.

(I know they're the most popular kind of post & everyone likes to see them, but I hate them - my face isn't a pleasant subject to work with in my opinion. Still, I can stand it when I have to ;D.)

This looked nicer in real life :), so I'll be wearing it again ^_^. But...

It looks exactly like a passport photograph. And that isn't a compliment.

(Hey, it's my face, so I can tell the truth :-P.)

In case you can't tell, yes, I really hate taking pictures >:-).

An angled eye close-up. I suppose I got bored of the regular ones.

(I do love that 'looking through the hair' effect. Even on me.)

Here's what I used. (Yes, many things are new.)

Skin: Jane AguaCeuticals (that's a g as seen on the pic, not my mistake :-/) Sheer Tinted Moisturiser SPF 30 in Fair Tones (the lightest shade).

You've noticed? It's not light enough for me :(, and I don't think I'll ever find a technically cheap TM as light as the Stila, but that's about the only problem I have with it. And it doesn't look unnaturally dark, so I can definitely pull it off ;). (In fact, I'm sure that most people would prefer this over my usual pale base colour.) It's a great product :). It makes my skin look (and feel) glowy, soft and healthy, and has SPF 30 :D. I've already arranged a swap for another tube & definitely recommend this to you all to try ;).

I also used my Physicians Formula loose powder (mainly because I wanted to try out the kabuki), and contoured with Bourjois powder in Miel Dore (not Apricote) - I think this one works better ;).

Eyes: I followed the technique outlined in this video. Since I don't have that quad though :-P, I used my Milani quad in Denim Blues (the colours are pretty similar ;D). Also, I made everything blue :D - so my liner & mascara for this look were Barry M Kohl Pencil in 4 and Avon Daring Curves mascara in Navy ;). And of course, I curled my lashes with my Shisem curler.

Cheeks: The Body Shop Shimmer Waves 02 (Blush). I used a mix of the darker colours on my cheeks & the lightest one (which looks white but actually reflects pink when worn) as a highlighter. Definitely recommending this product to all pale girls - it's not as shimmery as one'd expect of it, just softly glowing and very pretty :).

Lips: Estee Lauder Pure Colour Gloss in Praline. Which I thought would be brown (praline's chocolate, isn't it :-/) when I asked to swap for it - and obviously it's not >:-), but it's pretty so I don't mind ^_^.

Bonus pic: I'm watching you :-P...

Some swaps come next :). Read on for the blue nail polish pic ;), it came from a swap so :-P...

Swap 1 [The USA].

(For my depotted NYX eye shadows in Rust and Lime Green, and lots of extras ^_^.)

The Jane TM :D! (See the 'Skin' section of the tutorial for the full name, I'm lazy :-P. Or just read it on the pic ;D.) And...

Revlon Not So Blue-Berry nail polish :).

I've wanted that colour ever since I read this review, but living in Europe, I couldn't just go out and buy it :-P. (Don't get me started on that, there are so many products I wish I had direct access to :-/...)

Here's a pic...

Simply lovely. Oh, and it does smell like berries ;).

She also kindly added a Trish McEvoy Beta Hydroxy Pad and mini primer as extras :D.

Swap 2 [The USA, a different swapper].

(For two Prevage minis I had & obviously didn't need, and some extras.)

Clinique Glosswear For Lips Sheer Shimmers in Gold Sparkle. If you'd like to know what it looks like, picture Benefit California Kissin' in this colour, minus the 'freshness' effect, and it's quite sticky. Believe it or not, this looked like a cool-toned gold to me, so if you're after one, check this out ;).

She also added a La Roche-Posay eye cream sample & a face cloth as extras :).

And last but not least, here's my prize lot from Blogspot Beauty's contest :D.

This contest had a really cute concept - the prizes were minis of BB's fave products, so the winner could get to try them out for herself ;) ^_^.

The minis:

*Estee Lauder mini Idealist Pore Minimizing Skin Refinisher.
*Estee Lauder mini DayWear Plus Multi Protection Antioxidant Creme SPF 15.
*Boots No7 mini tinted moisturiser in Medium.
*Estee Lauder Bronze Goddess mini bronzer.
*Estee Lauder mini MagnaScopic mascara.
*Lancome mini Definicils mascara.
*Lancome mini Juicy Tube.

And two full-size products: a Sanctuary warming detox mask and a Boots No7 Moisture Drench lipstick in Cameo.

It's a medium rose with a reflecting sort of effect. Reminds me of my Oriflame Skydiver nail polish (which I'll have to repurchase 'cause my little sister knocked it off the table >:-@, but at least I'm glad it was this & not a rare OPI one, lol) or my Barry M lipstick in 123, minus the huge chunks of glitter in that one. I think I'll take a picture 'cause I'm having a hard time describing this with words :-P.

I've swapped off the mini skincare 'cause I know they won't work for me, and the Juicy Tube. I also gave the mini TM to my (teenage) sister - and she adores it :D. (I'm always happy & a bit vindicated to see her excited about a product, 'cause she normally looks so bored when I'm all giddy about my new stuff, it's irritating >:-/. But hey, her friends are all jealous of her & say she's lucky to have a live-in Sephora XD :-P.) I've kept everything else though, and will use it often ;). Thanks again BB :).

And thank you all for reading ^_^. I know I have a few tags pending, so I'll do these soon ;D...And there's more new stuff (swapped and purchased) to share :).

P.S. Thanks to everyone who missed me. I appreciate it more than I seem to.

Swap update...Oh, and an Italian products giveaway ^_^!

*Waiting for my new phone to fully charge ;). This :)...

*How adorable are these new Bourjois trios ^_^? I can't wait for them to come out :D! Got my eye set on the smokey one ;)...

*I don't usually do this, but I tend to make an exception for Euro bloggers 'cause I'd love to have more of us around :-P. So, if you'd like to win some gorgeous products by Pupa and Deborah (for reference, I used Pupa eye shadow for this look ;D - please excuse my face and note the wonderful eye shadow!), all you have to do is follow this lovely blog :), and then blog about the giveaway yourself ;).
This is especially brilliant for those of you who don't live in Europe, because you'll be able to try a lovely brand you don't have access to :). So get entering ;D.

Now for the Swap Update...

Swap 1 [England, Kaleidoscope (regular) swapper. Explanation for new readers: I've nicknamed her that because that was the first thing we ever swapped for ;).].

(For a partly used tube of Piz Buin suncreen, two Korres Lip Butters (Wild Rose & Jasmine), a Korres Body Butter in Quince, Avon lipsticks in Frozen Rose and Berry Berry Nice, a pot of Oriflame Radiance Energy cream, and extras as usual.)

Amie (French, rhymes with 'cherie') Morning Clear Purifying Facial Wash, Superdrug Simply Pure Eye Make-Up Remover (I thought I'd include it in the multi-swap 'cause I needed some), Nivea moisturising fluid for my sister, Complex moisturising fluid (this didn't work for me at all and I re-swapped it), Boots Botanics Organic Face Hydrating Day Cream, Milani eye shadow in Leaf Green, C.O. Bigelow Mentha Lip Tint (rosy tint), Ultra Mentha Lip Shine (the strongest of the three) and Orange Mentha Lip Shine (smells & tastes like Fanta :-P), a Bourjois chocolate highlighter (a.k.a. Delice De Poudre Highlighting Powder in 53) for my sister (yes, I'm nice ^_^), a Revlon eye shadow quad in Neutral Khakis, Jane Endless Eyes liquid liners in Darkest Blue and Charcoal (these were kind of dry though, especially the blue one), Urban Decay Pleather Pencil in O (re-swapped, not my colour at all :-/), Revlon lipstick in Pink Pout and NYX lipstick in Athena. I also got a Maybelline Wet Shine Diamonds lip gloss in Spoiled In Rubies and a nameless Milani gloss as extras :), but I ended up swapping those.

The C.O. Bigelow stuff makes my mouth feel cold, so it's simply brilliant for the summer :).

I'll be reviewing the skincare sometime in the near future ;). So far, I'm happy with the ones I've kept :).

Oh, and here are the close-ups...

Urban Decay Pleather Pencil in O (I'm guessing that refers to the book? Or perhaps it's a zero...), Revlon Pink Pout and NYX Athena. Athena's great if you're looking for a frosty, almost white shade of pink.

Swap 2 [The USA].

(For a Korres Lip Butter in Jasmine, three Oriflame Visions cream eye shadows, and extras.)

Jean Paul Gaultier MaDame and L.A.M.B. by Gwen Stefani samples (the latter was an extra and I gave it to my sister 'cause it's awful XD), Stila It Gloss in Fetching, Hard Candy eye shadow in Platinum Loner, Victoria's Secret Beauty Rush mini lip gloss in Sugar High (tastes so good), the Too Faced Love Lisa Beauty Battle Box ^_^, and my new staple - a gold Shisem eyelash curler ;).

Here's a close-up of the palette :).

(Yes, the cheek section has smashed in transit, but I don't really mind because it can still be used.)

Swap 3 [The USA - second swap with the girl I got my Mark Vintage Khaki eye shadow from ;)].

(For my Urban Decay Pleather Pencil in O, Sephora tinted moisturiser, and lots of extras - I was feeling guilty about not sending any the first time.)

An Urban Decay XXX Shine Cooling Lip Gloss in Guys Love Betsey (beautiful organic-looking red), Physicians Formula organic bronzer in Natural Glow (this is light enough to wear on cheeks & use for contouring - you know I don't do tanned skin ;D), and a Markwins eyes & cheeks palette as an extra :). The cheek colour's surprisingly pigmented and glowy, and I'll be trying the shadows soon.

I'd post more, but I'm limited to 20 labels per post >:-), so they'll have to come up in my next ;D. Thanks for reading :).