Some nail pictures.

I admit that I'm posting this as an alternative to nothing at all. At this point I'm literally too busy to focus on writing here :'(, and trust me, I'd love to blog more frequently and will as soon as it's viable. And that's a promise ;).

These were taken back in 2009 when I left the blogosphere for a fair period of time...But since I never intended to quit, I took blog-related pictures anyway ;D.

NYC Big Money:

Very foil looking. A nice shade for pale complexions. But not the easiest formula to work with. Still, in my opinion the colour makes it worth it. And hey, it's a very cheap one so fair enough :-P.

Also, that nail length isn't for me. I kept scratching my face by accident when applying anything to it XD. I've gone back to short, cute & practical ^_^.

MAC Girls Will Be Girls:

Limited Edition, from Fafi. My only MAC polish & it, like NYC, is also kinda too fluid and hard to work with. But I love the unique colour. Will probably re-photograph this one to get a truer representation.

Oriflame Visions Serial Blogger:

Love the name. Love the fact that it makes a great glittery top coat for anything I care to throw it over. Its texture is like rough sugar because of the glitter bits (lol).

That's it for tonight. Thanks for reading :). Will do my best to write and comment more.

P.S. Thank you all SO much for the birthday comments :). Sending wishes of cake to all who requested it XD ^_^.

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 ;).

Still alive :-P. Awards, swap update, some randomness and a pic.

*Me wearing Brave New Bronze...

[Bare face, just Korres sunscreen.]

My face is funny :-P.

About my neck...Yes, my face is lighter than my neck. I don't mind, but I know that most people will assume that I'm wearing badly matched foundation or something like that, and will judge me accordingly.
Anything I can do about that? No. Thus, I don't care.
But I have started high SPF & AHAs on my neck too, and am hoping it evens out eventually ;).

Oh, and I like Brave New Bronze on me :). I haven't bought it yet (for this, I used the tester & took a pic once I got home) but I think I will ;D.

The new shade of SolarBits, I hate :(. But the repromoted ones are beautiful :). Bright Future is really pretty :D and I like Sunsationalist and Liberated too ;D. As you can see, got a mini wishlist - now I just need to act upon it :-P.

*I want this.

*Triple award from Sammie :D - who was kind enough to award every single follower of hers :'). Check out her blog if you don't read it already ;D.

Here are my pretty pictures ^_^.

I'll leave this open to anyone who'd like to take them :).

*Remember my red, white & green contest entry ;D?

Well, Linda sent me a little something just for entering ^_^! Isn't that kind :)?

There's even a note :D.

And stuff: A CoverGirl trio, N. V. Perricone and Skyn Iceland samples, and a Bare Escentuals mini Well Rested Multi-Tasker For Eyes ;).

I only kept the last 2, but I can't wait to use them :).

*And I won the random draw with my pigeon smokey eyes :D! Am I lucky or what XD? I really should enter some more contests, haven't done that in a while...

Swap Update :)...

Swap 1 [The USA].

(For my Oriflame 36 eye shadow palette, and I added many extras ^_^.)

Two NYC liners, an Avon Satin Gel Eye Liner in Black/Brown Pearl which I love :D, I'm afraid I'll have to swap for more gel liners XD...A Revlon highlighter stick in Crystal Calm, two Revlon lipsticks in Soft Silver Red and Silver City Pink, and the last 2 items were something of a disappointment :(...

The Physicians Formula Retro Glow gloss is lovely, but...I'm allergic :(. Will swap it off.

And this is what the Fiori eye shadow trio looked like when we were arranging the swap:

This is what I got.

Yup...Broken :'(. She didn't really wrap it properly.

Oh well, at least it's a pretty colour :).

Swap 2 [England, Kaleidoscope swapper ^_^].

(I got her 4 ArtDeco eye shadows and a shadow box for them, 6 Elf single shadows, and lots of extras as usual ^_^. And I think there was something else, but we always do large, generous multi-swaps and I can't recall every single item ;D.)

Two Revlon quads in Sultry Smokes and Berry Bloom, a Pout eye shadow duo in Miss England (yay, more Pout :D), the Revlon Pure Confection Highlighting Face Powder, Barbara Daly For Tesco Moisture Foundation in Porcelain (I hope this is good 'cause it is a supermarket product :-P, but I have to say that the packaging, at least, does not appear cheap at all), a Mark Kiss Therapy tin in Shimmering Bronze (you know me & Mark lip products XD - plus I was looking for something like this for the summer), the Eyeko pink 3-in-1 cream :D, a half-full (I was aware of it, don't worry ;D) Physicians Formula loose powder in Translucent, a Victoria's Secret Sexy Cheeks Mosaic Highlighter, Estee Lauder lip gloss in Cool Coconut, Sephora tinted moisturiser in 100 (so far, love this ^_^!), Bourjois Rose Fougue blusher and Noir Cobalt eye shadow, and extras - a mini lipstick and Avon samples :).

Lol, I practically wrote a mini essay up there XD. Close-ups:

You can see the Eyeko pot better in the mirror ;D.

I'll try to do some looks soon ;D. If I still have readers :-P.

Thanks for reading then :).

What may be the largest ever swap in blogging history :-P ^_^.

After lots of bubble envelopes and boxes, weeks of swapping, and much anticipation...

Here it is.

The Hello Kitty tote pictured is also part of the swap ;D :). I'd stupidly dented mine >:-/ :'(, but Sarah had extra ones available, and she kindly agreed to send me one :).

And that isn't even all of it. This photo has the things from Parcels 1 and 2. Funny story about these: one was a bubble envelope to be sent by Airmail, and one was a box to be sent by ground mail...But bless the absent-minded guy or girl at Canada Post who sent the box by Airmail XD - even though Sarah'd paid for ground shipping (which is cheaper) :D.

Of course, I'm going to describe all this in detail ;D...

Elf powders in Sunkissed, Warm Tan, Luminance and Tone 2. In real life, Tone 2 is darker than Luminance :-/.

The first three are meant to be bronzers. However, Luminance is not going to bronze you up unless your skin is literally white >:-). It's a beautiful and well, luminous XD powder that I use when I want my face to glow (for the record, I'm quite light) - and it can also be used as a highlighter ;).

Tone 2 is just a regular powder, and I got it for my sister ;).

Elf eye shadow singles in Moondust, Mocha, Sage, Wisteria, Ivory and Truly Pink. These are very pretty, but I ended up swapping them off to somebody who had them on her wishlist ;). I would've definitely kept them had I not known her though! They're lovely ^_^. My fave is probably Wisteria ;D.

Elf quads in Butternut, Pretty 'N' Pink and Nouveau Neutrals. These are so tiny and adorable in real life, and the colours are so pretty :D!

NYX eye shadows in Orange, Prune, Blondie, Lanikai and Lime Juice.

I swapped off Prune ;). Orange is a great matte orange :D, Blondie is a blondish gold and I adore the name, Lanikai is a very blue blue, and Lime Juice is true to its name ;D. I love these NYX cute square shadows and have since swapped for a couple more of them :).

NYX Loose Pearl eye shadows in Yellow Gold, Turquoise and Ocean Blue, and Wet & Wild cream eye shadow in Champagne Toast :).

NYX round eye shadows in Deep Purple and Prune (from a trio), and trio in Copper/Rust/Bronze.

I swapped away the first two. And I broke Bronze >:-). Maybe I'll use the pigment to make bronze body lotion - got that idea from a magazine article ;).

NYC lipsticks in Smooch and Cameo.

Smooch is a fairly metallic mid-pink. But the stain it leaves is a very lovely rosy colour - makes me wonder why they didn't bottle (tube?) that colour in the first place :-/. Cameo is a very pretty and on me, very natural looking (as opposed to a statement colour) coral :). Not sure about Smooch yet, but I'm definitely keeping Cameo ^_^.

Annabelle pigments in Cool Mint and Azure.

I'm in love with these pigments ^_^! They're vivid, they don't crease or fade, and they're so flattering with my eye colour that I really couldn't believe it XD :'D. I think I'll try to track some more down ;)...

(In case you were wondering, this is a Canadian brand ;D & their website is here.)

Wet & Wild nail polish in Bijou Blue and NYC nail polish in Kool Blue [sic >:-)].

Here's a detailed blog post about Bijou Blue ;). I swatched it on one nail and it turned out very turquoise - greenish blues don't really suit me (or rather, I dislike them), so that turned me off doing a full mani, but I will in the future and hope it grows on me.

While Kool Blue (stupid spelling notwithstanding) is The Perfect Icy Blue I Have Been Seeking All My Life :).
Thankfully, it's a 15 ml bottle XD ^_^!!!

The Body Shop Shimmer Waves in Rose :). This is a lovely blusher that can be used as eye shadow & for highlighting too if you'd like ;), and as you can see, it has 5 rosy colours :-P. Love it ^_^.

(A bronze version also exists ;D.)

Everyday Minerals mini blushes in Pink Ribbon, Anytime, Theme Park, Corner Office, Jump Rope, B & B, Plum Dust, Best Friends, Photo Album, All Smiles, Cookie Sheet, Chit Chat, and Once And Again.

Once And Again was sent in an envelope because she forgot to include it with the rest of them - and due to Canada Post's rules about bubble envelopes not exceeding a certain thickness, she had to depot the blush into a baggie, unscrew the cap, and send it in that disjointed state XD.

I originally planned to swap some off, but after trying these, I don't think I will ;). I love them :). Oh, and the 'mini blush' name is misleading - since these are mineral loose pigment, you only need a little bit at a time, so they'll last for long ;D ^_^.

Everyday Minerals eye shadows in Tinsel Time and Bubble Tea, eye liner in Gingerbread Man, and sample size eye shadows in Wild Flowers, Baby Bath, Well Being, Oasis, Birdhouse, Shopping Spree, Pressed Olive and Cypress. The full size eye shadows are the same size as the mini blushes above ;).

My pigeon inspired smokey look features Well Being ;D :).

Everyday Minerals Lip Scrub & Silk Naturals Date Bait Perfection Powder and Sleep In A Jar Under Eye Concealer.

I love the way the Silk Naturals stuff feels, but unfortunately it's just too coloured for my pale skin :(. I gave Date Bait to my sister ;), and while Sleep In A Jar makes my under eye area look jaundiced, it works well as lid concealer (think Benefit Lemon Aid, but in powder form) ;D.

Dior Detective Chic palettes ^_^!!! I got the eye shadow & highlighter (Pearl Reflection) palettes, and I now have 3 Dior clutch palettes total :D :) ^_^.

Great classic neutral colours ;).

I'll probably use these as eye shadows too XD.

[Wearing NYC Kool Blue on nails ;).]

And...

Hey, I didn't swap for these!!!

She gave me extras ^_^!!! Hello Kitty pins and a Wet & Wild I-Sparkle quad in Celestial Realm ^_^!!! Thank you ^_^!!!

Here's the pic of Parcel 3's lot ;).

The Wet & Wild liner came in Parcel 1 or 2 (I can't remember which), but I forgot to photograph it then so I added it to this pic ;D.

Pictured: NYX trios in Spring Leaf/Lime Green/Green Tea and Aquamarine, and NYX round eye shadow (I suppose this has been depotted from somewhere) in Lakemoss (far right). There's also a MAC ribbon ^_^, a primer sample, and a Wet & Wild lip liner in 666 Brandywine. That was a wishlist item of mine :D, and a replacement for the Wet & Wild tinted moisturiser we agreed on, because she'd discovered it had gone bad ;).

And some more extra stuff - ads ^_^!!! If you're swapping with me and have any you don't need...Take note ;). I love them :).

That was a MAC promo card that I gave to my sister 'cause she's a Fergie fan, while I hate her >:-).

Lise Watier ^_^! Another Canadian brand ;). I like the look she's wearing there :D. And I like the look of this...

Colourless mineral foundation to match all skin tones? That's brilliant ^_^!!! Has anyone tried this ;D?

Gosh...Featuring 6 looks. This is my fave ;).

And Revlon :).

Sarah, thanks again for a truly perfect swap :D :) ^_^.

Swap Update Part 2 ^_^ & a few random bits and pieces.

[More look/contest posts next week, promise ;). & I've been tagged to show my blogging space, which I'll do ASAP too ;D.]

*IsaDora Delirious is available here in Greece :). I (of course >:-D) love how fluorescent the eye palette is :D, but I'm not sure whether I'll end up getting it yet ;). The liner is gorgeous, but my Avon Turquoise liner is similar enough, so I don't need it :-P. The lip colours are a bit too bright for me to like :(. (Maybe they'd work for darker complexions?) And surprisingly, I quite like the perfume :). Do test it if you have the chance to ;D.

*I've moved my eye products out of the Hello Kitty case & into a gold Estee Lauder one I have - it's much bigger. The Hello Kitty case now houses my cheek stuff, or, as I like to call them, face enhancers ;).
I'll probably throw in a pic of the gold case in my next post. I officially have WAY too many shadows. And I still want more. I'm still getting more :-P.
My fave quote related to this subject..."Well, at least we're addicted to something healthy."

*I've received my first ever Blind Swap ^_^!!! It's from Nikki :), and I feel a bit surreal, swapping with such a famous blogger XD. She got me truly wonderful stuff, I can't wait to share it with you ^_^. But of course I have to wait till she receives mine ;D.
Also, I've finally sent out the last part of my Watercolour Mega Swap :), so I'll be able to post that up soon too ^_^.

And here are some more swaps :).

Swap 1 [Malaysia].

(For my 2 Estee Lauder sample packaging eye shadow duos in Neptune and Jupiter, some perfume samples and some extras.)

A Clinique eye shadow in Blue Lagoon :), a Lumiere eye shadow in Cafe Latte, and 2 Estee Lauder mini glosses in Sugarcane and Burgundy ;). She also kindly added a sample of MAC Malt as an extra :). It's lipstick - I thought it was a Paint Pot sample at first (lol) XD, but nope, it's lip colour ^_^.

Swap 2 [The USA].

(I bought her three Korres Lip Butters. I've been kinda meaning to try some of these myself 'cause everyone adores them :-/, but I have enough lip balms ;D. Proof here :-P.)

She was beyond generous :). Behold this lot :D...And much of it was extra :-P ^_^. So, we have...

*A Mark Flip For It palette in South Beach :). I love these ^_^! As you know XD.
*Wet & Wild trios in Aquamarine, Jewels and Green Moss.
*A Prestige eye liner in Rhapsody.
*Mark eye shadows in Retro Peacock, Dragonfly and Heavenly.
*NYC eye shadows in Tiger's Eye and Aquamarine.
*Bourjois Little Round Pot eye shadow in Khaki Etonnant.
*Sonia Kashuk lip balm - that was an extra :). Gave it to my sister ;).
*Samples of Pure Luxe blush in Cheeky, Pure Luxe blush in Giddy (swapped that off), and Fyrinnae eye shadow in Polar Bear. These were extras too :).
*2 NYX loose shadows - also as extras ^_^! They don't have names on :-/, but they're a silvery white & a coppery red.
*Wet & Wild Diamond Brilliance lip gloss in 616.
*Palladio plumping lip gloss - another extra XD! This is such a nice peachy nude, and large as my collection may be, I actually did not have this colour...Until now :). Can't wait to use it ^_^.
*Lipstick extras - L'Oreal Watermelon Ice & Rimmel Birthday Suit. Swapped those off 'cause I don't use these brands ;).
*A Coastal Scents sample of Frenzy eye shadow (another extra).
*Jane Shimmering Blush in Wisteria - will swap that, I know somebody who has it on her wishlist ;D.
*A Revlon eye lash curler :). Yet another extra, and one I needed very much - thank you ^_^.

Here's a close-up of the South Beach palette :). The blush is upside down >:-D, lol XD.

I actually sort of like it though :), like my chewed-on Be:Yu lime nail polish XD ^_^. And here are the lip colours...

Nice :).

Swap 3 that was really a gift ^_^ [The USA again & a different swapper].

(I sent her a request for her Mark Bohista quad, but she couldn't find anything she liked from my stuff. So she offered it to me for free ^_^.)

I was expecting the Mark quad, and she mentioned some used Wet & Wild stuff. But I ended up receiving all this...

From left to right & all as usual: Mark Bohista eye quad, Wet & Wild Ultimate Expressions eye palettes in Sandcastle and Let It Snow (yay, covered on neutrals :D - I would've never shopped for them myself XD, thank you ^_^), a Luscious Cosmetics blush & highlighter duo in Coral Gables (that has some of the best packaging I've ever seen, read on ;D), a NYX lipstick in Iced Honey, Wet & Wild trios in Egyptian Sands and Belgian Chocolates, and a Wet & Wild blush in Berry Shimmer.

That blush can be built up to an intense & very beautiful colour that can be used as red eye shadow :).

Yes...My search is almost over ^_^. (I'm a perfectionist and will keep looking for red eye shadow that was made to be eye shadow, lol.) And since this is a blush, it's huge and will last near forever if used as shadow :). I can't believe I got this for free XD! Can't wait to use this - expect a look with it soon ;).

I compared the Belgian Chocolates trio that I got from this swap to the one I already have, and they're not identical :-/. However, they're similar enough, so I gave one to my sister ;D. She loves browns :).

More pics: the Mark quad, NYX lipstick and Luscious Cosmetics blush tin ^_^.

And here's the Luscious Cosmetics blush, opened :).

Isn't it lovely ^_^?!? I'd never even heard of that brand before receiving this. Thank you :).

& I guess the moral of this story is...Ask for things you like even if they seem out of your league, you'll never know who'll be kind to you XD ;). Thanks for reading :). Doing this contest next - why don't you try too ;D?