I don’t think there’s a soul on Earth who doesn’t like to get mail (when it’s the non-$$-owing kind).  I personally love to get mail (even bank statements!), and am sure to send it out as much as I can – Christmastime gets all kinds of crazy.  The absolute best/worst kind of mail is the kind that results from online shopping: awesome because you got a real treat delivered to your door! – but a little scary because it can get out of hand, quickfast.  I haven’t yet reached the *yikes!* stage, but I DO have to hold myself back quite frequently.

Lately I’ve been indulging both my love of beauty and my love of mail by engaging in a whole bunch of swaps, ticking things off my lemmings list methodically which is super-terrif.  However, before I got oh-so-wise, I did do a wee bit of other purchasing:

The Too Faced bronzer and the NARS eyeliner were swap items, but the ELLIS FAAS ELLIS FAAS ELLIS FAAS (just making sure you’re paying attention – I bought ELLIS FAAS!) product I purchased last month.  ELLIS FAAS revamped their website in July and to celebrate they were offering free shipping till the end of the month, so I had to get on that!  The brand was another on my “12 Brands to Try” list, so I’m pretty stoked.  I won’t say any more about the mystery product, but keep your eyes peeled for a review and FOTD very soon!

Now, I haven’t forgotten that there’s also an a-England polish kicking around there too – one more shade to add to my collection!  The brand was also having a promotion last month where the Mythicals collection was all half off, and when I noted one day that I didn’t own a black polish, my smart lady-friends Larie and Eugenia both recommended Camelot as a must-have.

Camelot is an inky, rich black that doesn’t have any other leanings – it’s a true, straightforward black, with no funny business.  The formula is lovely, with the perfect consistency, and it’s fairly shiny on it’s own (here its shown with one coat and no top coat), but I think with two coats and a top coat it would simply gleam.  However, it’s unlikely I’ll ever wear this as is, truth be told.  I think shades like this are better left to the more fair-skinned of the world, as the contrast between light and dark is much more pronounced, and in my eyes, prettier.  But there are several polish shades I own that could benefit from a black base coat, so I figured it was kind of a staple requirement in my stash.

With flash

Artificial light

…Then I got an idea. An awful idea. This gal got a wonderful, *awful* idea!

Remember that garish gold polish I showed you a few weeks ago?  The SpaRitual one that just about blinded you with it’s bling?  Well, I think I might have found a way to make it work…

BAM! KAPOW!  OH SNAP!  Yes, my friends, I discovered a fabulous way to wear Aurum without wanting to take it off instantly!  In fact, I kinda want to wear this look a whole lot!!  And it’s so funny….today I decided that I wanted to get my hands on butter London’s Wallis – yep, I was gonna have it – and now I think I can hold off (for a while, at least).  I know that it’s not a dupe by any means, but the idea of it is so similar that I can be satisfied on that front I think!  I’m so pleased that I will be able to wear Aurum, as I can’t stand buying things that end up being all wrong.  The black base totally chills out the shade (this is just one coat over Camelot) and grounds it so it’s not so aggressively sparkly and yellow-toned, and almost makes it look a little edgy.  Love love love.

So all in all I had a great day today!!  I have another handful of swaps on the way (yea, I’ve been busy), and a lot of pretty stuff to show you, so I have to get on it!  I hope everyone is enjoying the last weeks of summer, it’s been a fantastic one here (can you believe, that our ‘norm’ now is sun!?), so I’m reluctant to see it go, but I am pretty excited for fall makeup shades!  And this combo of Aurum and Camelot will totally fit in, don’t you think??

Do you order things online or only buy in-store?