JennM149's Midsummer Dream List

Original Post -- Midsummer Fairy Swap

Hello, Fairy Godmother!  Just wanted to provide a few more details about me and my loves/not so loved items.  What you'll read below may seem at first like a whole lot of "no," but honestly, I am willing to give pretty much anything a shot and figured it would be easier if I just listed some things I know I don't really like.

• Mascara -- I have been on the hunt for a HG mascara for, oh, about 30 years now.  I have been hoping to try the L'oreal Butterfly Effects, but haven't gotten around to it.  I've tried pretty much every Maybelline (I know people swear by Great Lash, but it's not for me).  I prefer not waterproof.  And I LOVE colored mascara.  If you have a fave, I'd love to try it!

• Nail Polish -- I have a gargantuan nail polish collection, with lots of Julep, Zoya and Butter London, so best to avoid those brands.  I subscribe to Julep, Glitter Guilty, the Rainbow Honey mini monthly mystery bag, Square Hue, Black Sheep Lacquer and usually get the Llarowe Box Indied.  What I don't tend to have a lot of are drugstore brands or the fancy-pants stuff like Jin Soon and Chanel.  I really do like all colors, finishes, glitters, etc., so no worries there.  One thing I'd love to give a try is OPI's Glitter Off peelable base coat or something similar.  I also see there's a new "dip-it" type polish remover by Formula X at Sephora, and a highly-loved one at Target (the Up and Up line).  Either of those would be awesome.

• Eye Shadow/Liner - I'm not a big eye shadow wearer.  I just don't want to take the time.  I have a couple of palettes for when I do want to use it, so I think I'm pretty well covered there. I have 1 Clinique Chubby Stick in Lots o' Latte that I will use, and I could see myself using other colors in the Chubby Stick (or something similar) a lot.  It's easy-peasy to put a bit on, then put a bit more where I want more color.  A lot less fuss than shadows.  I have about a dozen or so UD eye liners in various shades, but I'm always open to more. I love lots of colors of eyeliner, so chances are, I'll use whatever you think I might like.

• Lips -- As I said in my survey, I'm not a big user of lip products, other than balms.  I like most Bite products that I've tried, I have a couple of Clinique Chubby Sticks for lips and a Lipstick Queen or two which I will use.  But I don't really care for lip glosses, and even most lipsticks feel "thick" to me.

• Blush/Foundation, etc. -- I'm pretty good in these categories.

• Hair -- I have this weird hair that manages to be fine and frizzy simultaneously.  I've finally gotten to a good routine with it, so please, no hair stuff.

• Skincare -- My skin is fairly normal, tending a little dry.  It is not particularly sensitive, which is good because for the most part, I just use whatever products I happen to have on hand when it comes to face wash, exfoliator, moisturizer and eye stuff.  I have been using the PTR Laser-free eye and face serums lately, mostly because they actually seem to work, but partly because I like the reaction I get when I tell people I use dragon's blood serum (seriously, that's the name of one of the ingredients!).  The only thing I'd say "no thanks" to here is anything for acne/oily skin, as it does tend to dry me out, and bar soap.

So, anyway, about brands.  I adore Lush -- I used to buy scads of it when I'd visit my aunt and uncle in England, before they started opening Lush stores in the US.  The closest store to me is almost a 2 hour drive, so I don't think to buy from them.  But just about anything from there is great.

And while this exchange is all about me, I do live with my husband and our 5 cats (I almost listed "cat hair" as one of the 3 items decorating my home).  Thanks so much for participating in this, and I'm sure you will be the best Fairy Godmother of all!!

Update:  May 19 -- Birchbox Ideas

Pretty much anything I buy from BB is something I love, so you pretty much can't go wrong with anything there (except for the fall Ruffian polishes -- I have them all).  But here are a few specifics:

-  Anything Cynthia Rowley, except the silver and black eyeliners

-  Anything from Anastasia Beverly Hills (I usually use medium/dark brown as brow color), except the brow scissors, which I have

-  Tocca -- OMG, I love this stuff!

Update:  May 22 -- SUMMERSWAP

Hello, SummerSwap Buddy -- I thought it would be easiest to "combine" these two lists into one, so that I wouldn't have to repeat some of the information.  If you're interested in looking at it, here's a link to my Midsummer Survey response:

https://www.makeuptalk.com/f/topic/131905-midsummer-nights-dreamlist-and-survey-central-now-open/?do=findComment&comment=2196955

Let me again say "thanks" and offer reassurance that I am super easy to please!  Other than the things I've said I'd rather not receive, I love everything and really look forward to trying things that you love.

Having said that, a couple of things I'd throw out there:

-  Indie nail polishes are always good.  The Indie Polish Lovers thread always has something new and gorgeous going on.  Other than Glitter Guilty, the Rainbow Honey mini mystery bag and Llarowe's Box Indied, I don't usually buy stuff.  I got one Colors by Llarowe polish (Courage, Brains, Heart) in a box, swatched it earlier this week and am in love.  Also, anything new that's posted there after today, I promise not to buy.  And seriously -- any color, any texture, any finish.  I love it ALL.

-  Although I'm not a big lipstick wearer, I do like lip scrubs, balms, etc.

-  One product I'd never heard of until recently that I'd like to try are the Lush Shower Smoothies.  Ooh boy, do they look nice!

-  Julep makes these moisturizing nail masks that I saw recently.  Haven't tried them, but they sound like a nice way to restore nails after all that polish!

Thanks, have fun and most of all -- no stressing!  Your gift will be perfect!!