Athina's '100 followers' giveaway!!!!!! *****CLOSED*****

As you might have guessed from the title of this post I finally managed to put together a giveaway to celebrate the first 100 followers of my blog!!!!
First of all I would like to thank you all once again for following my blog, reading my posts and commenting. I love blogging and the fact that you guys support me means the world. I don't want to bore you any further so I'm going to get straight to the point...;)
Firstly I would like to lay down the rules of this giveaway as well as the ways you can enter.
How to enter:
You must be a follower of my blog!!!!!!!! I am doing this giveaway for my followers(both old and new of course)so it makes sense that this would be a prerequisite. Please make sure that you are not an 'unknown' follower.
You must be 18 or over to enter or have your parents' permission.
This giveaway is international!!! I would also like to let you know that I purchased these prizes with my own money.
You can gain extra entries by doing the following:

1. Follow me on twitter(1 extra entry)

https://twitter.com/#!/athinoul

2. Tweet the following(1 extra entry):

@athinoul Check out Athina's '100 followers' giveaway:
http://lifeisonebigplayground.blogspot.com/2011/05/athinas-100-followers-giveaway.html

3. Blog about this giveaway(2 extra entries).You could either write a post or add the first picture & a link to the sidebar of your blog.

I have designed a form and in order to enter you need to fill in that form.
I will not accept any comment entries. This is simply because it is much easier for me to keep track of the people who will enter(as well as their extra entries) by using the info entered into the form rather than info provided in the comments. You can still comment on this post if you have questions or if you have something else to say but make sure that if you want to enter my giveaway you'll have to fill in the form.



This giveaway will run from Sunday the 29th of May to Sunday the 12th of June

Here are the prizes:

* MAC "Crest the wave" eyeshadow (LE e/s that came out with the Makeup Art Cosmetics collection).

*Avon "Vivid Violet" nailwear pro nailpolish

*Samples of "Push the edge" and "Later." pigments by MAC (I put the samples in sanitized jars)

*Korres Quercetin & Oak / Antiageing & Antiwrinkle Day and Night creams in travel sizes

*2 wheel wooden spine roller (a wooden massage tool that I absolutely love).

*Origins washing mitt (I am not a fan of washing mitts but I love this because it also has a stripe of loofah at the very bottom)

*A nail rhinestone wheel

*This cute necklace.

That is all.....I would like to wish you all good luck and I hope you like the prizes. Unfortunately I couldn't afford more but I am commiting to future giveaways being even more exciting that this one...! ;)

xoxo

Athina

2011 cosmetics Bazaar Haul....!!!

Hello beauties!!!

I have a super exciting haul for you today! I went to the Estee Lauder/Sarantis annual bazaar today and picked up a number of things that I would like to share with you. I, mostly, bought stuff from MAC(surprise, surprise...) but I ,also, picked up some other stuff that I came across and thought they were too good to pass up...!Three of the things I bought will not be added to this haul since two of those were presents for my family and the third one is the last prize for first giveaway which will be my next post so you'll find out soon enough.
Here are the pictures:

Make-up...

¤MAC tinted lip conditioner SPF 15 in Gentle Coral
¤MAC pigment in "Later." (LE from the Tartan tale collection)
¤MAC pigment in "Push the edge"(If I am not mistaken this is a pro colour)
¤MAC paintpot in "Dangerous Cuvée" (LE from the Cham-Pale collection)
¤MAC Naked Honey skin salve (a got a back-up of this because it is such an amazing product.
Other products I picked up:

¤KORFF hydraenergy Comfort moisturizing cream
¤Origins White Tea body lotion
¤"Island" perfume by Michael Kors.
Here are some swatches of the pigments, paintpot and tinted lip conditioner


Tinted lip conditioner in "Gentle Coral"

"Later" Pigment

"Push the edge" Pigment

Paintpot in "Dangerous Cuvée"
I bet you're wondering how much i paid for all this so I will close this post by telling you that I paid 60 euros for all the things I mentioned above...!!The total came up to 80 but that includes some skincare items I picked up for my family.Overall I did very well and didn't spend much at all if you cosider how much stuff I bought...!
Let me know your thoughts on this haul!
xoxo
Athina

p.s. This bazaar is taking place at the Estee Lauder/Sarantis offices in Athens (Μεσογείων & Τζαβέλα 67 Νέο Ψυχικό/ Mesogeion Ave & 67 Tzavela str, N. Psychiko) until the 1st of June.

Sigma Dry 'n Shape...!

Now, since I put an affiliate link on my blog I haven't created a Sigma-related post however I thought I should share with you a new product by Sigma that I think will make a difference. This is the Dry 'n Shape that allows you to cut down your brush drying time in half whilst maintaining the shape of your brushes...!Check it out if you are interested...

Ta-da...
Athina

;)

Jennifer Lopez "I'm into you" make-up look!!!

Hey guys,

I have a make-up look to share with you today!I was inspired to create this from JLO's new music video "I'm into you". There are a couple of make-up looks in the video however I chose to re-create(to the best of my ability of course) one of them. I you haven't seen the video yet here is a link:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IgLcQmlN2Xg
note: if you fast forward to 2:06 you will see the look that inspired me to create today's post.

These are the products I used.And this is how the look turned out...





I wanted this look to be more wearable than the one in the video so I didn't make the lines as thick. Also, I used the Urban Decay transforming potion to create the lines. In the black eyeshadow I added some teal-coloured pigment("Teal" by MAC) to make the color less harsh. I added Ardell lashes(109)and some "Lash Stiletto Volume" mascara.
I hope you liked this post.
xoxo
Athina

NOTD Revlon Scented Nailpolish in "Pretty in Papaya"(+Review)

Hello my dear readers!!!
I hope your weekend started in the best way possible. I have a NOTD for you today and a much requested one as well.
Here are some nail swatches



Firstly let me tell you that I bought this nailpolish for 7 euros from Hondos Center in Halandri(that's for my greek readers).Now I'll try and keep the review short and sweet...!
☺
●It does smell nice however I couldn't necessarily tell you if it is a perfect pappaya smell but it is fruity.
● It comes in a good range of colours and smells
● It comes with a nice, big brush.
● The colour is true to the bottle ,however, it doesn't look as coral as I would like it to. This is because of my skintone and not the colour of the polish.
▼
● The formula is a little liquidy (if that makes sense) which means that you need to be careful when applying it on your nails.
● You need two coats and you cannot get away with just one.
● It kind of chips easily however I have only used it once and that was without my favorite top-coat (china glaze's fast forward). I think that it will wear better and longer if you use a good top-coat with it.
●If you expect the smell to last as long as the polish does then you'll be dissapointed since it goes away after a day or two.

I wouldn't say that this is a must-have product for summer. However I would like to try another color/smell just to see whether the fact that,the color didn't turn out the way I expected, has thrown me off of the product a little bit. Having said that, the nailpolish itself is pretty decent but a little overpriced (but I don't know whether I should "blame" Revlon for that or the people who import the products in Greece :p ).
That's all for today and as always, I'd like to know if you've tried this and what you thought of it.
Hope you liked this post and I'm still waiting for requests and/or recommendations for future posts!
xoxo
Athina

NOTD Barry M "Blueberry ice-cream" and "My Spring in pictures"

Hello my dears,

Here is a NOTD for you featuring Barry M's Blueberry ice-cream nailpolish!


I, also, have some pictures of my Spring so far(including Easter). I'd love to share them with you and I hope you like them!!!! :D




Picnic @Lavrio with Katerina, Natasa and Dimitris :)

Mitsaki's 25th birthday surprise cupcakes ;)

Praline Hot Chocolate @Petite Fleur(Halandri)

Amazing Ceasar's Salad @ Brazilian (Kolonaki)





Easter 2011!!

That's all for now!I hope you liked this post! :)
xoxo
Athina

Small Collective Haul!!!!

Hello my lovelies,

I have a collective haul for you today. I have been accumulating these products for well over a month now and I wanted to share them with you. So, here they are:

► Nivea Soft Hydrating Lotion
◊ I was looking for a hydrating hand lotion/ cream and I had tried this before from a friend so I decided to purchase it myself. It is not a unique product however it is good value for money. You only need a tiny bit each time because it can be a little greasy. It is great that it is supposed to double/triple as a face and body cream as well however I wouldn't use it on my face but I would use it on my body if I was out of body lotion.
► Cosmopolitan eyebrow brush & comb

◊ Not much to say really...!It is a nice and cheap eyebrow brush and comb ;)
► The Body Shop Tea tree concealer (01)
◊ I re-purchased this concealer after I run out of the one I got in January. I am obsessed with this product...!
► The Body Shop Tea tree blotting tissues

◊ Great blotting tissues that are also suitable for blemished skin! I carry them with my everywhere. A must-have product... :)
► China Glaze "Fast Forward" top coat

◊ Great fast-drying top coat. I bought my first bottle a year ago and I just ran out so I went and picked up a new one!
► AVON PRO Color and Gloss Lip Duo in Perfect Nude.


lipstick/ lipgloss
◊ I got this product as a gift with ELLE magazine and I have been carrying it with my everywhere since. Great product all around(texture, color, smell, application).
► Revlon Scented nailpolish in "Pretty in Papaya" (315)


◊ I haven't actually used this since I bought it because of the cloudy weather. However I wanted you to see a swatch so I used a fake nail ;)
► MAC eyeshadow in "HAUX" (pro palette refill pan)


◊ I back-to-mac(ed) a couple of days ago because I wanted to get a lipstick for my mom for her birthday. After she decided on "Shy girl" we had a look at some eyeshadows. I have been looking for the perfect matte taupe crease colour. The MAC artist was super helpful and he recommended "haux" so I picked it up and I have to say that I am liking it lots so far. I will let you know what I think in a couple of weeks though ;)

This was my small haul! I hope you enjoyed reading about these products. Let me know whether you'd like a review on any of them or maybe just a closer look on one of them ;)
Hope you are having a great weekend!
xoxo
Athina

Make-up storage & tips on how to organize your "vanity"

Hello my dears!!
This is a very unique post for me. I wanted to do something different to "celebrate" my 100 subscribers before I am ready for the giveaway in a couple of weeks. So I thought you might be interested to see how I store my make-up and how I organize my "vanity". This is not a "collection" post mainly because I find those pointless and, also, because I am not a collector hence I don't have a collection. I have been accumulating make-up products for years much like any other girl who likes make-up has. Anyhow....let's get right into it...!
Now, this is how I "store" my brushes...

Next to my brushes I also have some evian facial spray, a spray bottle with brush cleanser, a second spray bottle with rubbign alcohol and nailpolish remover.
Tip: If you're going to put your brushes in a beads or pebbles make sure their ends are rounded so that your brushes won't get scratched or damaged.
These are the two sets of drawers that are on my "vanity". I use inverted commas when I say vanity because I have been using my desk as a vanity ever since I stopped using it for studying.

info: The one on the left is from "Jumbo" and the one on the right is from "IKEA".
Tip: I clean my drawers with dettol diluted in warm water. The fact that they are plastic makes it very easy for me to clean.
The inside of the drawers of the left set :)
The top:

On the top I keep some sample jars with pigments and glitters as well as my eye and lip pencils.
In the first drawer I keep eye-liners, mascaras, primers and concealers.

In the second drawer I keep my blushes and highlighters.

In the third and fourth drawer I keep eyeshadows.


In the fifth drawer I keep my lipglosses.

And in the sixth one I keep my lipsticks.

Now, in the set of drawers on the right hand side I keep my face products(powders, foundations, bronzers etc), my nailpolishes and some misc products(lashes, glitters etc). Also, on top of this set I keep my MAC and Chanel nailpolishes as well as some of my jewellery.



Tip/Info: I used to be ashamed of this drawer but let me tell you this:every girl has a misc drawer that is messier than their other drawers...!
Finally, on my vanity, I also keep my MAC 15 eye-shadow palette, a moisturizer, a sunblock, a tub of hand-cream,some tissues, cotton buds and cotton pads,a towel and some baby wipes.



Tip: You can get really cheap flannels or small face towels that you could use for a number of things. I have a couple of those flannels. One of them is to wipe my hands with, one is to lay my brushes on to dry and a third one I use when I give myself manicures.I mostly put them in the wash after they've become dirty however I tend to throw them away after 6 months.
More tips will be coming your way soon!
I hope you liked this post!I welcome all questions and comments girlies(and boys).
Thanks a million for reading my posts and following my blog!
xoxo
Athina.