USA Swap

Last year, I did a swap with Betzy  from California (posts 1 & 2); it went really well so we decided to organize a new one. A couple of weeks ago, I received her parcel with these lovely items and loads of extras:

Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Trio in Silent Treatment 

I love WnW trios; quality is great, the powders blend easily and they always get the perfect color combinations. Been wanting Silent Treatment for a while - that eyelid colour is gorgeous!

Maybelline ColorSensational Lipcolor in 515 Coral Crush

Every Spring I get all obsessed around corals; this shade is perfect for day and night and very moisturizing on the lip.

CoverGirl Lip Perfection Lipstick in 400 Temptress

Never tried anything from CoverGirl before; packaging is cure and the colour has a beatiful sheen to it. For what I understand this brand is very affordable and I'm liking the quality so far.

Buxom Big & Healthy Lip Cream in Mudslide

This is amazing, I want every colour! It's not really a lipgloss but a lip cream so the colour payoff is very good. The tingle is totally different from your ordinary plumping product; it's actually refreshing, like rubbing an ice cube on your lips, nearly numbing in that sense but not uncomfortable. It's really hard to describe but it's definitely due to the peppermint in it. If you have tried the Burt's Bees lip balm, you know what I mean.

l-r: coral crush, temptress, mudslide

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12-hour Blush in Exposed

This colour is perfection! It would never normally go for a brownish blush but this one has got the right amount of pink to it and looks beautiful on the skin. I really don't understand why Tarte is not available in Uk, it'd do brilliantly and I'm looking forward to try more of their products.

I'm also looking forward to try the Maybelline Baby Lips and the Softlips - they are basically SPF for  your lips and I read great things about them! :)

I love overseas swaps - have you done one before?

Miscellaneous

I got the Garnier Body Intensive 7 Days Ultra Softening Lotion through the post a few days ago. This is a new product and they send you 7 satchel to take the 'week challenge'; I think it's, definitely, a good body cream, absorbs fast and smells lovely but I didn't notice any serious improvement.

I swapped the Monu Rosewood Reviving Mist on the Facebook group, Beauty Box Swappers. I think this was sent in a recent GlossyBox but I'm not a sub anymore - still, I'm obsessed with Monu and really enjoying face spritzers/toners, lately.

The smell is a bit too strong for me - the sandalwood makes it quite musky - so I was glad to discover that it can also be used as a body refresher.

I go these candles samples on www.yankeecentral.co.uk ... they only took over TWO MONTHS to arrive!!! You had to pay for postage, that's what is annoying.

Anyway, they all smell really good and I can't wait to try them - Pink Dragonfruit is my favourite. :)

Definitely, I wouldn't recommend to order from this website - the customer care is appalling!

I got the Benefit PoreFessional with Glamour Magazine; I'm already using this product so I picked myself a backup (it's also sealed so It won't get spoiled).

Marie Claire, instead, was giving away a Ciate' nail polish - I chose Bon Bon.

I wished it was more on the pink side (like My Fair Lady) but it's a grower; as always, I love the black bow on the bottle and I'm liking the new skinny font, as well.

Unfortunately, it started chipping after 2 days - not good enough for me as I can't be bother to paint my nails more than once a week.

You can get your Avene samples, filling a profile on their website and then they send you some products to try, targeted to your skin type: Brilliant!

I got the Gentle Gel Cleanser and Hydrance Optimal UV Legere. 

I've very excited to use these - I love Avene as a brand and looking forward to try some new products.

Other swaps from BBS:

Liz Earle Clenase & Polish Hot Cloth Cleanser - well, I always need a back up of this product as I adore it. You can read what I think about it here.

Percy & Reed Dry Conditioner: I was so curious and intrigued when I heard about it. Dry conditioner? How is it working?

Do love the Totally TLC Hydrating Mask too.

UNE Skin-Glow Foundation: I received this sample from Boots.com - looking forward to try something from this brand... any recommendation? I like their minimalist packaging.

That's all folks! ;)

State Side Swap - part 2

... Part 1 here ...

EOS Lip Balm Sphere in Honeysuckle Honeydew
I rank this the second most exciting product of the swap. Again, I read plenty about this lip balm on the web... surely also because of the spheric container. Apart from that, they are 100% natural and 95% organic... and considering the cool packaging and quality ingredients you get, they are actually cheap!
I got to admit that I love to twist the wee ball of product on my lips - you can do both upper and lower lip in one go! ;)
I picked this flavour as it sounds the most interesting - it smells like melon to me :S - still pleasant... and needless to say I WANT THEM ALL!!!

NYX Cream Blush in Glow

From NYX, I decide to try this blush as everybody is saying it's a dupe for Mac Posey (which was on my wish list). I like it very much - it's a cooler toned pink than I, usually, wear but I found it suits my skintone, too.

When I opened it, I thought it looked very similar to Mac Something Special but as you can see - in the picture - Something Special is definitely more coral.

For the product itself, NYX is sticker and gives a more dewy finish, whilst Mac dries matte on the skin.

I like both results, personally!

l: Something special - r: Glow

NYC Ultra Moist Lip Wear in 316 Blossom

 Very bright in the tube but it, actually, mutes down on the lips; very moisturising and comfortable to wear... I can never get tired of rocking fuchsia lips! ;P

Maybelline Color Tattoo 24hr in 30 Pomegranate Punk
I, finally, got my Pomegranate Punk! I complained before how this colour wasn't released in Uk.
You all must have tried the colour tattoo already, so product-wise is like the one you find in Uk; packaging-wise is completely different and they could be easily two different products. Personally, I prefer the British pot.
This eyeshadow reminds me of Chanel Illusion d'Ombre in Ebloui but the Chanel is more of a rusty colour, while the Maybelline more purple/plum.

Betzy sent me these extra perfumes to try, too.

L'Etrog by Arquiste, especially, is very me! :)

I had never thought about swapping with somebody overseas before because I was worried about custom, but everything went smoothly; it was fast too and we got each other parcels in about a week.

Here is the link to Betzy's Blog again... so you can check out what I sent her!

... I can, definitely, see another swap on the horizon... ;)

State Side Swap - part 1

Few weeks ago, the lovely Betzy - from Betzy's Makeup - asked me if I'd fancy a swap with her... so, I jumped at the chance of getting some goodies from the USA.

My parcel arrived few days ago and ever since I haven't stopped playing with my new make-up.

(I'm gonna split the Haul into 2 posts as it's very picture heavy, sorry!)

First of all, the box: Betzy used a BirchBox to send me all the items and I'm sooo gonna keep it!!! :)

I'm, also, loving the floral tape - too cute!

Ta-Da!!!

I asked for brands that I can't find in Uk or items that are yet to be released in Uk (see Revlon Chubby Stick - exciting!!!) - and luckily, loving everything so far.

Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in 001 Honey

This is the one that I was - mostly - looking forward to try out!

I adore the Clinique Chubby Sticks and these look like exact dupes but cheaper... these really just came out in the States and it's really hard to find swatches online so I just picked the colour which looked most unusual but still wearable. 

The gamble paid off because I'm so pleased with my choice; I'm not really sure how to describe this colour so I'll just let the swatch do the talk. ;)

Believe me, It's so so pretty!

Maybelline Bouncy Dream Bouncy Blush in 60 Coffee Cake

I, actually, like the bouncy consistency - although you end up wasting product. I think it's easy to work with and easily build-able.

I picked this colour because I have too many pink blushes already - It's, actually, less orange than in the picture and very flattering on the skin.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Eyeshadow Trio in Knock On Wood
I saw so many youtube videos where people rave about these eyeshadows... I chose this trio because pink and purple are my most used eye colours.
These are lovely - very buttery and a joy to work with. They have a great pigment payoff (even the lighter shade) and blend very well. I'd, definitely, love to try some more of these.

Wet n Wild ColorIcon Blusher in Pearlescent Pink
Probably, my least favourite of the lot; as I said above, I have loads of pink blushes already so nothing particularly exciting about this product.
Still, lovely quality powder and I will, definitely, use it - safe blush choice!

Wet n Wild Wild Shine Nail Color in Burgundy Frost
Another WnW item - hehe :)
Pretty, deep red shade with a bit of shimmer in it - can't go wrong with a red manicure and this colour will work well for a pedicure, too.
It lasted well for 4 days straight and dried super fast. I think, for the price, you get a good deal here.

... part 2 to follow...