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.

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 :).

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...

Some more New Acquisitions from swaps, various contest info, and lots of random notes.

*I know I was supposed to do a contest look, but I'm really not in the mood. I need motivation to expose my unpretty face >:-). But I'll have a few of these up soon, I promise ^_^!

*I can't wait for this (hoping to get everything), this (I so hope it's true ^_^!) and this :).

*I saw the new Avon quads in the latest Avon e-catalogue ;). Thankfully my fellow Europe residents have access to them now :), and hopefully my Asian readers eventually will too ^_^. Oh, and assuming you have the option of returning them (mine was a gift), which you should do if one shade is as defective as mine >:-), do grab one or two! The working colours are lovely :). Ahem. That's the problem of course, all colours are supposed to work >:-), but never mind XD.

*US readers: If you liked the Too Faced palette that I got with my birthday money ;), you can buy one here :D - and it's really cheap too :-P. And if you're feeling oddly kind, you can buy me the Unicorn one and I'd love to swap with you ^_^! (Lol - hey, it's worth a try XD.)

*UK readers: Blog sale promotion :). I like the green Bourjois, if anyone's feeling kind XD.

*By the way, thanks to all my new followers :). Can't believe that as of now, 72 people consider my blabbing worth reading :-/ :)...It feels great XD!

*Contests! I'm listing them, 'cause I tend to forget about them unless I do that >:-). So, there's the Barbie contest, Cinco de Mayo contest, pin-up contest, and the "Help Me Celebrate My Birthday" contest - come on, you know you want to check that one out XD. And of course, all are international ;).

*I'm done with notes now, thank you >:-). The actual blog post begins here :-P ;D.

I did receive more than these 2 swap lots ;). Including my package from my swap with Claire ^_^! Even though we both blog, we met through Make-Up Alley ;). But, it's not polite to start using one's stuff if it has been received first, so I won't blog about these until the other swappers receive their stuff ;).

Here are the things I can blog about :).

The Bourjois gloss was a GWP ;). I forgot to post a pic of it before >:-), so I did so now ^_^.

Swap 1 [Germany].

(For a Korres foundation I bought her.)

Yes...That is the Fafi pouch :). And brush, of course ;D :-P. My first ever MAC brush ^_^! I hope it's good :-P XD...

And lovely extra stuff :D! 2 lip balms ^_^! That's the famous anti-AIDS pot from The Body Shop :D, and the other one's by a brand called Olivia, which I'd never heard of before, but I've tried that one out (am wearing it now, actually ;D) and it's great :). It feels and looks really glossy. I'm very happy with it :).

Swap 2 [England - not the same swapper who gave me the Sugar palette though!].

(For my Clinique Sugar Sugar eye shadow, Rimmel Maxxx It Up eye shadow, Rimmel Pink Impact shadow stick, some perfume samples, and some extra stuff ;D.)

A Hello Kitty liner ^_^!!!
From H & M >:-). Of course I still hate H & M. But I'll forgive them their lousy clothes and accept this Hello Kitty pencil :-P :). Which by the way has the Sanrio date stuff on it, so I suppose H & M had the first official Hello Kitty make-up line before MAC did ;).

There's also a John Frieda leave-in treatment she threw in :), an Urban Decay gloss (my first ^_^!) in Love Junkie, and a MAC lipstick. There's only around half of it left, but it's Pretty Please - that was a wishlist shade for me ;). I'm happy :).

Swapping is so addictive. I will miss it...I've sent out almost all of my stuff I had for swap, and once I run out of things to swap, I will have to slow down :').

But I still have my blind swap to complete ;D! Collecting things for it, slowly :).

Thanks for reading ^_^! A contest entry will be next ;).