Don't forget to check the beauty sale pages at Macy's here and
Nordstrom here for new beauty deals plus free shipping!


Tuesday, December 21, 2010

My swap with a beauty junkie in London (pic heavy)

It all started out so innocently. Over a year ago, I reviewed a UK hair product for weheartthis and I absolutely fell in love with it. Sadly, it turned out that you could only purchase this product in the UK, so I decided to ask the wonderful Jen over at A beauty junkie in London if she'd be interested in doing a little swap. I know that UK gals cannot easily get Milani and CoverGirl products across the pond, so I was hoping I could entice her with the prospect of some new drugstore goodies! And of course you know I'm obsessed with UK drugstore products as well, so it would be a win-win situation for both of us!

Well, one year later and here we are! This swap was never meant to be in negotiations for a YEAR, but as they say in life: good things come to those who wait! I think Jen and I were so excited by all the wonderful goodies we could send each other that this swap eventually took on a life of its own.

Week after week, I discovered more amazing UK brands and products I found myself wanting (Barry M! Sleek!), and she thought of some US brands and products she wanted (Sonia Kashuk brushes, etc.) so it became this ongoing project that was just so fun we couldn't stop ourselves.

So even though this swap might appear to be one of the biggest swaps in US/UK history, remember that these products were purchased here-and-there, over the course of a YEAR. I've found that it's quite easy to pick up one or two things a month for a year and then, before you know it, you've got quite a collection to send to your swap partner!

Opening this package was like an early Christmas and birthday rolled into one. Naturally, I am beyond excited to share every single product Jen sent to me, but I'll limit my commentary when possible because this is going to be loooooong.

Deep breathe: here we go. Oh, and PLEASE NOTE: I'm including all of the official swap products and the extras (items that Jen sent out of the kindness of her heart, above and beyond the "official" swap products).

First, the product Jen sent that made me GASP:


Can you believe it? This polish by Barry M has to be one of THE most talked-about and coveted products of the year! I cannot believe she got it for me and I can't WAIT to show you how it works. It is soooo cool that I'm going to post a video of it in action. You've got to see it with your own eyes!


And of course here's the product that started it all! This curl taming cream works pure magic on my wavy hair and I am THRILLED to have another tube of it.

Yay for yummy lip balms!

My very first Sleek palette!

How cute is this little kit?


These colors are so me it's not even funny.

My camera washed out these polish colors--they are so much prettier in person. How cute is that box?

My very first GOSH product! And a volumizing mascara to boot!

The name of this product cracks me up.

I LOVE how this packaging is made to look like someone took a bite out of it.

Who doesn't love a mini gloss?

I love the embossing on this little shadow duo.

I cannot believe I am finally the proud owner of a Dazzle Dust.

The bottle shape of this polish is adorable.

I have no words to describe how I feel when I look at these Barry M polishes.

Yeah for mini bottles and yeah for mint green!

How cute is this shoe bag? I normally use an old plastic bag for my shoes when I travel--not any more!

I cannot wait to try this.

Could this be any cuter?


I specifically asked Jen if she could purchase this for me after reading about it on a haircare forum (but I had no idea she'd get me a pink one--that totally made my day!). I am SO excited to review this for you--if you have long hair that tangles easily, you have got to stay tuned for my review. This thing is unbelievable.


And last but certainly not least, I asked Jen if she could pick up a curlywurly bar for me and she is so sweet that she sent me FIVE! If you don't know what a curlywurly is, it's the UK equivalent of a long-ago discontinued US candy bar called the Marathon Bar. Marathon Bars were my favorite candy of my childhood, and I still curse the day they were discontinued. So I have no way of expressing to you how it feels to eat this candy bar again!

Thank you SO much, Jen, for making this one of THE most memorable swaps ever. It took us a while to get there, but it was SO worth the wait!

If you see any products above that you would like me to review, please just leave a comment on this post and let me know! In the very near future I'll be reviewing the Barry M Instant Nail Effects and the Tangle Teezer, but after that I'll review anything you request!

And definitely stay tuned over at A beauty junkie in London to see what I sent Jen! I went a little crazy for her earlier this year when CVS was having their semi-annual beauty sale!
SHARE:

15 comments

  1. aahhhh I love how you love the stuff we love in the uk..sleek palettes are amazing! Xxxxx

    ReplyDelete
  2. Love UK products! Too funny, I just got the lipstick pen for my birthday!

    ReplyDelete
  3. OK, G, there are no words to describe how jealous I am of the awesomeness! I need to find a UK friend! :) Enjoy your new pretties!

    ReplyDelete
  4. In case you didn't know, Curlywurly candy bars are available at World Markets here in California. They're less than $1.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Miss Jones: How could I not? Hahah! You guys have amazing beauty products there. I'm so jealous! :)

    Polish Pauper: You did? That IS too funny! :)

    JenJen: Awww, I am SO glad you can appreciate this as much as I can! It's pretty amazing--I still can't wrap my head around everything. :)

    JammingJen: Are you serious?? I have never seen those at my local World Market!! I'll have to look more closely next time! Thanks so much for the info!

    ReplyDelete
  6. AHH! The Sleek Graphite palette was my very first Sleek product too! You're going to love it so much you'll want all the other ones.
    I know I do ;P

    ReplyDelete
  7. Holy wow! She got you the graphite palette?! I'm jealous!

    ReplyDelete
  8. Ashley: It was??? Yay!! Girl, you've got me so excited to try it now I can hardly contain myself. ;)

    JT: Yup. And it's even more gorgeous in person (not to rub it in or anything). ;)

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow! you certainly have a few hours of playing ahead of you, eh? I'm so jealous of your Dazzle Dust! I always get so curious when I see people talking about them.

    ReplyDelete
  10. i would LOVE to see a review on the mascara!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Tangle Teezer is now available for us stateside gals at Sally Beauty too (I know cuz I freaked when I saw it on their site during the Black Friday sale and ordered one for myself!! Love it!)

    ReplyDelete
  12. OMG!!!!! So jealous!!! What a wonderful gift!!! I have to say some of it looks to beautiful to use? Do you ever do that? Covet something and when you get it its TOO PRETTY TO USE???? haha! Cant wait to see what you do review I will wait with bated breath!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I would love more info on the Gorgeous Curls cream.

    ReplyDelete
  14. What an awesome swap! There are a lot of great UK products that I want...Sleek, Barry M, etc. Maybe someday I will have to find someone in the UK to do a swap with me! I bet opening your package from her was amazing!

    ReplyDelete
  15. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Tangle Teaser. I found out that they sell them at Sally Beauty now and i bought one right away. It has totally saved my hair. I don't know how it gets rid of tangles so easy but it does. I'm not sure how I ever lived without it!

    ReplyDelete

I love and encourage comments here at Nouveau Cheap, and I do not censor comments unless they violate my comment policy, which you can view here.

Please refrain from comments that contain:
• Links to your own blog or website
• Advertisements or referral links

Thanks very much for your help in keeping this a spam-free zone.

© 2009- Nouveau Cheap. All rights reserved.
BLOGGER TEMPLATE MADE BY pipdig