Handle with care!
Last night I was got back home a little later than usual due to a hold-up at work, I was really tired – I had the flu, my nose was leaking like crazy (you have no idea how close I was to stuffing a tampon up my nose….not that you needed to know that but hey I’m trying to keep it real and funny here ya know?) and all I wanted to do was pop a couple of pills and sleep.
Then I noticed the box.
OMG MY SWAP PACKAGE FROM CATHERINE IS FINALLY HEREEEEEEEEEEE! I did a lil’ SQUEEE! and danced around the living room, totally forgetting that my parents were there and giving me weird looks. Uh, right. Sorry mom I know my 20 second ~IMMA BE JLO~ dance routine last night was painful to watch but despite the odds, I’m still your daughter k. Promise.
What’s weird is the box Catherine sent me only had our names and no addresses! I guess technology has become so advanced that you no longer have to write addresses on mail anymore…or maybe my Photoshop skills are so kick-ass and hot like fire that I managed to get rid of our addresses to prevent scary stalkers XD
A little back story on how the swap came about: Cat reviewed the MAC 5 Haute High Jinks Warm Pigment/Glitter Set and I commented on the post asking if she’s tried MAC’s pigment in Blonde’s Gold (gorgeous light yellow-gold color btw) because it’s one of my favourites. Turns out she hadn’t so I offered to send her a sample and cut to the chase, that somehow turned into a full blown international swap lol.
I was telling Cat how I had all these annoying bumps on my t-zone from time to time and I had absolutely no idea how to get rid of them. I think they’re a lot worse than pimples because although pimples are icky, they go away after a few days but these bumps just STAY THERE. What is the point srsly? They’re not even paying rent so they gotta go go go.
Cat recommended using a concoction of jojoba oil + squalane as a moisturizer to help declog the pores so she got me a bottle each plus a small vial of lavender oil to add into mixture. She’s also written a couple of blog entries pertaining to the wonders of jojoba oil and how they can help with acne, read about them here.
I also asked her to get me Weleda’s Skin Food because this multipurpose tube of moisturizer has been getting raves on Makeupalley, everyone’s proclaiming it to be the next best thing since Lady GaGa. It supposedly addresses many concerns like dryness, redness etc and you can use it on your face + body so I thought it would come in handy during winter in Melbourne.
NAIL POLISHES! L to R: China Glaze Stella, OPI Smitten with Mittens, OPI Merry Midnight. I asked Cat to get me some OPI, particularly Smitten with Mittens which was part of their 2009 holiday collection. She also talked me into getting another polish from the same collection – Merry Midnight and HOLY CRAP it’s an amazing shade of purple! She was kind enough to include so many extras for me including THREE other nail polishes, one of them being China Glaze’s Stella which an outer worldly shade of warm purple, gorgeousss.
Dude. I completely flipped out when I saw that Cat got me the infamous Essie Mint Candy Apple which is a great dupe of Chanel’s “Jade” nail polish. I love it so much omg, thank you, thank you! The funny thing is she also included a bottle of Essie’s Love, Beverly Hills xx, which is another color I’ve been curious about (it’s got 24k gold in it!) How the heck did you read my mind girl??
See the beautiful shimmery pool of gold in the red base? Can’t wait to try this one out!
Stella is a very unique purple, I think it should have been renamed Stellar lol because it’s just so alien-pretty…if that makes any sense (sorry it’s 11pm, I’m sick and I’m sleepy)
Smitten with Mittens is a classic red with gold glitter! You might think it’s similar to Love, Beverly Hills xx but that’s got more of a metallic finish compared to Smitten with Mittens.
I cannot get over how AWESOME Merry Midnight is! It’s a very deep purple with lots of blue-red glitter and flakes! If witches celebrated Christmas, this would be their nail polish of choice lmao. Oh and I’ve got Essie’s Mint Candy Apple on my nails in this photo ;D
I wanted a replacement for my MAC paintpots before they completely dry up on me so I now have the L’Oreal HIP cream shadow paint in 807 Secretive which is a very light neutral color that can be used alone or as a base for eyeshadow. I love how it comes with its own brush too!
Sweet Sienna’s a MAC LE pigment that came out 2 years ago and it is what I would classify as “The one that got away”. I can’t remember why I didn’t buy it but I’ve always regretted not getting the pigment. It’s a dirty brown with silver/grey pearl, I think there’s nothing like it. Cat actually received a large sample of Sweet Sienna in a separate swap and she kindly gave me a portion for me to try <3 <3 <3
LOL I’M NOT DONE YET. She also included another MAC pigment sample, Sunnydaze which is a stunning almost brown taupe shade! You’re so right Cat, I don’t have this at all lol! My pigment collection’s mostly golds and greens ;D
Thank you so much Cat!!! I love everything you sent, you’re my first official cosmetics swap ever and I had such a great time emailing/chatting with you on msn! I think we got to know each other a lot better since the swap so cheers to a blossoming friendship <3333 If you're curious to see what I sent Cat from my end, you can read about it here!
This post is seriously lacking in swatches, I know and I apologise. I couldn’t stay out in the sun for a long period of time today because this flu is just killin’ my fun and I had to take a day’s off from work :/ My voice is so hoarse and raspy now, I almost sound like Steven Tyler from Aerosmith. I hear he’s quit the band so guys, if you’re still looking for a replacement I’m willing to take the job but I should probably let you all know in advance that the only Aerosmith song I know is “Don’t Wanna Miss a Thing” from that Armageddon movie LOL
woots lovely package from catherine!! lol about your no address part haha..at first i really believe you on the no address…
*cries* just hearing about merry midnight make me sad!! because i have been indecisive about wanting to buy this and when i decided i WANT this product most of the places has sold out!! and purple my favourite colour!
ooh take care!! drink lots of water and those pi pa gao! alot of people have been getting sick nowadays..haha me too!! the only aerosmith song i know is tat too!
reply
great swap! cat is such a sweetie
i love mint candy apple it’s just such a cute color!
reply
so pretty! i love both of your blogs. OPI merry midnight is so gorgeous, I love the flakes in it! hope you feel better soon
reply
you’ve got really nice friends and a great loot!
I haven’t got any MAC stuff, nothing I wanna get atm.
Hope to hear about your DIY acne-busting concoction, sounds interesting and a review of the HIP es. Pity the range isn’t available here…
reply
@ evie
LOL I’m sorry if I deceived you for just a moment there, I thought it was pretty amusing.
Awww do they have it on transdesign.com you think? If you can find it, I would really recommend that you get it because it’s such a beautiful color especially since you love purple so much!
Thank you, I will lol. Eh you know I’ve never tried pi pa gao before, what does it taste like?
@ amynaree
Yes she is! She’s so generous and such a great person to talk to! I am completely blown away by how pretty Mint Candy Apple is, it’s not a very conventional color I would say.
@ makeupmorsels
Thank you!! You’re so sweet! Merry Midnight is a stunner, it’s the star color of the entire holiday collection for me.
@ AtelierGal
I’m very grateful I’ve made friends with so many people since the start of this blog, Cat is lovely
I will def. do a post on the jojoba oil + squalane, I hope it works out! I’ll be swatching the HIP paint soon too!
reply
omigod. OPI Smitten with Mittens is really pretty! please do a notd. xD I’ve been always wondering if red can go with me pinky fattybom bom nails.. but i just couldn’t find much of the pictures on the net. do one please
reply
Added you to my blog roll
reply
hi… this is such a great swap. I’m eye-inggggg ~ on those nail polish xD
reply
Essie Mint Candy Apple, I got it for my friend, like it but my skin tone can’t suit the colour….yummy nail polish!
reply
@ Sue
I think Smitten with Mittens would look great on just about anyone XD I think Catherine has done an NOTD with it before, go check it out
@ AtelierGal
That’s awesome, I’ll add you to mine too <3
@ nlngstar
She gave me so many nail polishes, I’m just so overwhelmed by their pretty colors lol.
@ Joey
Hey! Thank you for visiting! Yeah Essie Mint Candy Apple is a bit of a hit and miss for some people but I love it, it’s so cute!
reply
Awww…. what a lovely package from Catherine!!!
Cheapie me has decided on getting an apple green or should I say mint green nail polish from one of the Korean brands. Why? Because they’re much cheaper! hahaa~
reply
hmm for me i like the taste!…its sweet and cooling..haha…not very herbal taste if comparing to those normal TCM..but is very nice! haha..its suitable for daily use too..something like a supplement?but i dun use it for that..ehh but actually hor..pi pagao is usually used to cure cough/sore throats! hehe that is linked to flu those..but hope it helps!
yeah.. i have search for all the websites..all have been sold out! but i just found one! hope i can get it! ^^
reply
I’ve been a lurker for quite some time now, but finally delurking to say that I always look forward to reading your entries! You’ve got a great sense of humour, gorgeous photographs, and being a foodie, I appreciate the food entries here and there
Keep it up, sweetie!
reply
@ blair
Ooh is Skinfood/The Face Shop selling any similar colors?
@ evie
I had the impression it was going to be very herbal in taste lol, since it isn’t I should check it out…except er where can you get it from?
Ooh that’s great that you found one!! It’s something you shouldn’t miss out on ;D
@ [z:six]
Oh wow hi! Thank you so much for delurking and writing me a comment, I know it was terribly hard to delurk – I lurk around a lot too so I can relate to that, it’s just very comforting to stay anonymous sometimes lol!
I’m currently down with a bad flu and reading your comment was like having someone make good chicken porridge for me. It’s very comforting to know that people do like reading my entries and enjoy looking at my photos. I love it even more if they actually like my food entries hahaha! I’m such a hardcore foodie ;D
reply
fairprice has it..XD this is the picture http://www.helpofchinesemedicine.com/ChuanBeiPiPaGao.htm
but usually for flu, western medicine is faster for healing haha!..but if have Cough or sore throat i think pi pa gao is nice! XD the brand sea coconut cough syrup is good too!
hehe yup!! i straight away bought it! want it to arrive safely in my mail box! ^^
reply
Hiiiii! Super belated comment here (I swear the cosmos is conspiring against me as far as online communications and blogging, etc), but I just wanted to stop by and say YAY! I’m so glad everything got to you safely and I am so happy you like the nail polishes!
It’s been an absolute pleasure talking and getting to know you – hope this is just the first of many fun swaps.
reply
wowww~ i’m in total envy over your package! you got some really lovely nail colors
reply