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 ;).

TAGs can be quite addictive indeed ^_^. Here's another popular one :-P.

Got this tag from here, check it out :).

So, what am I using at the moment? Read on to find out ;D ^_^.

Hair

Shampoo: Tigi Dumb Blonde. It's great :) (and yes, I'm a [bleach] blonde).

Conditioner: At the moment, I'm using these tiny tubes that came with my bleach; I have a few lying around and I want to use them up before I buy conditioner ;).

Styling products: I don't style my hair :-P. If it feels dry or weak, I spray on some Tigi Health Goddess.

Hair mask: Pantene Blonde Expressions, but I don't like it much and wouldn't really recommend it.

Body

Shower gel: Oriflame Arctic Cranberry...Or something like that anyway, can't be bothered to go upstairs and check the label :-P.

Body moisturiser: I have four. Tigi Melon Body Butter for really dry areas, Cherry Blossom body lotion (from The Body Shop) for my lower body (NB. Won't repurchase this, it feels too alcohol-ey for me to like it :(, even though the smell is nice...), and I alternate (depends on my mood :-P) between Tigi Creamy Dreamy Orange and Oriflame Pop Glam Vanilla (that was Limited Edition, and I kind of regret not buying 2 of them 'cause I love vanilla) body lotion for my upper body :).

Deodorant: Avon, supposed to slow down hair regrowth. Not sure if it does, lol.

Fake tan: No thanks, I like being fair :-P ^_^.

Face

Cleanser: Oriflame Cranberry Milk Cleanser; I love this stuff, it feels so soft :), kind of like Clinique's cream cleanser. I prefer creamy cleansers to face washes.

Eye makeup remover: Oriflame 3-In-1 make-up remover (the green bottle). It works really well, at least for me.

Exfoliator: For my face? Oriflame's Cranberry scrub, used once a week on average, or whenever my face needs it.

Make-up

Primer: I don't use one.

Foundation: Oriflame Visions Fresh Face Foundation in Porcelain Doll :).

Foundation brush: Fingers ;).

Concealer: Tigi Fixx-It Stick in Light.

Powder: Rimmel something, I can't remember the exact name and can't be bothered to go upstairs and check :-P. By the way, hit pan (yay, lol) :D.

Blusher: Lately, the rosy colour that comes with my Pupa Heart palette (I have the blue one).

Bronzer: I like being pale :-P.

Highlighter: From the Pupa blue Heart palette again ;). At least that way I'm sure it matches my blusher ;D.

Eyeshadow base: When I need it, cream shadow under powder works well enough for me. But generally, I don't mind reapplying (as long as it's been hours and not minutes >:-D).

Eyeshadows: Oddly enough, I haven't worn any lately.

Eyeliner: White inliner :). Specifically, the white end of Oriflame's Laurel & Hardy (from Visions). Yes, I love that brand ^_^.

Eyelash curler: From The Body Shop, but I want the Shu Uemura gold one. One day...

Eyelash base: I'll be honest and say I've never heard of it...Don't think I need it though, I like my lashes :). In fact, they're the only part of my body I'm completely satisfied with.

Mascara: Rimmel Lash Maxxx...Is it 3 xes? I forgot. Lol.

Lipstick: Since my sister has boycotted companies that test on animals, she gave me (among loads of other stuff) her L'Oreal Travel Exclusive Essential Colours palette, and I've been using those for a while now. Mostly the deep and red colours, but the mauvish and shimmery pink are OK too. (I still use stuff that has been tested on animals, but whenever I shop, I try to pick products that have not been tested over those that have.)

Lipgloss: Haven't worn any lately, I prefer lipstick :). But I do own many glosses and do use them, it's just that I haven't been in the mood to do so these past few days.

Nail colour: Oriflame Visions Fast & Furious nail polish (I think they called it that 'cause it's quick-drying) in Skydiver :). The best damn colour of the whole range, it's a sort of pink/lavender that reflects glass blue when the light hits it...I <333 it :D. Maybe I should post a picture instead though, lol.

I, as usual, will tag anyone and everyone who wants to do this ;).

TAGged again...Beauty questions, courtesy of Maddy.

Maddy's blog; check it out :).

What’s your favourite eye shadow colour to wear? Pastels. Oh whoops, one? It's a tie between white and blue, I'm afraid, and that was hard enough :'D. I can't pick just one :-P ^_^.

What’s the one product you wouldn’t leave your house without? Sunscreen ;). SPF lipbalm on my mouth, of course, since it would be bizarre to use actual sunscreen there ;D.

What’s your favourite makeup look – high drama OR natural? Dramatic :). Crazy intense eyeshadow, lol.

Which feature do you play up the most? Eyes usually...But when I can't be bothered, I just curl my lashes and throw something bright and pretty onto my mouth...It works quite well, 'cause my lips are full and nicely shaped. [Supposedly, anyway. And yes, I've gotten 'Angelina' quite a few times, but they're not that full, nor would I want them to be. They're just right :).]

Which feature do you try to downplay/cover up? Not sure if that counts, but I try to contour my face into definition, 'cause it could definitely use some more ;).

Your favourite makeup brand, if you could pick only ONE to exist? Only one in the entire world :(? Fine...Laura Mercier ^_^.

Which product have you re-purchased OVER and OVER again? Labello lipbalm :). But different types/colours/flavours of it, lol.

Which product would you NEVER repurchase again and why? L'Oreal Infallible foundation. It was too infallible (that is, annoying to get off), didn't exactly suit my skin, and had a glass bottle - so one sweet day, one of my brothers knocked it off the shelf by accident, and it broke ^_^. Lol.

One beauty treatment you would always PAY to have done? I'm not sure if haircuts count, but I can't think of anything else :-P.

One beauty treatment you would NEVER pay to have done? I would never let anyone manicure my nails (ditto for feet, actually). Ever. I'm not sure why I hate the idea, but just...No. I will never. Maybe it's because I dislike being touched...

One beauty trick you can share with everyone? Heating your eyelash curler makes it work better :D (just make sure it's not too hot). And if I want cheap eyeliner to provide intense colour, I use a lighter to heat the tip a bit. (Warning: This doesn't seem to work with waterproof pencils; they burn instead of melting. Lol.)

Best advice you've ever been given regarding beauty and makeup? I can't think of anything >:-)...I'm afraid I don't get much advice. Let me know if you have any for me ;).

I tag...Anyone who feels like doing this ^_^.