A Gift! – The Beauty Grapevine Secret Pal Holiday Gift Exchange 2010

One of the nicest things about Christmas was the annual Merry Emakemeup (MEMMU) gift exchange that I’d taken part in for a decade. Emakemeup is now defunct but its fabulous forum, The Grapevine, has since evolved into The Beauty Grapevine, where my makeup-mad friends and I continue the chatter and beauty traditions of the previous website.

As its name suggests, this gift exchange is shrouded in secrecy – we know whom we’ll send to but not who will send to us, so the package that we eventually receive is laced with surprises.

Last year’s gift wowed me with its thoughtfulness, care and immense generosity. It was hard to believe all the beauty treats that my pal, Sarita, had placed inside her package…but fill it to the brim she did. Packed snugly in a huge box were goodies galore! Though I’m late in writing this post, I’m still overwhelmed and very much touched by her kindness.

Here are some of the lovely presents she’d sent me:

And here’s a closer look at the pretty lovelies inside:

Pop Beauty Glow Belle Palette – A versatile face palette that is perfect for highlighting and subtle contouring.

Senna Glisten Face Powders in Glisten Rose and Glisten Nude – I was super excited to see this brand, not having tried anything from it before. The Face Powders are soft and glimmery; they’d give a lovely glow to the visage!

Senna Eye Colors in Pink Martini and Mystique – These wearable shadows blend easily and are such pretty neutrals.

NYX Matte Smokey Look One Night in Morocco Palette – A stunning smokey eye palette that comes with a shadow base, 8 beautiful matte eye colours (the white and beige for highlighting; the greys, the blues, the taupe and the brown for accenting the lids/contouring work) and 4 complementary lip shades that can be mixed for a custom look.

NYX Winter in Moscow Silver Gray Smokey Look Palette – Another amazing smokey eye palette with 14 (!) complementary eye colours (♥ the mattes, shimmery greys and inky hues), 2 gorgeous blushes (what beautiful deep shades) and 5 lovely lip colours (berried and greyed – my kind of shades!).

I’ve had success with the NYX products that I already own, so I’m really looking forward to breaking in these two incredible palettes.

Paul Dorf Smoke Gets In Your Eyes Eye Kit – Knowing my penchant for smokey eyes, here is yet another smokey eye palette from my pal! The Paula Dorf products I’ve owned and own have a certain refined quality to them; this is true too of this nifty compact.

Bobbi Brown Party Eyes – In this box of treats were Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Cream Shadow in Galaxy, Extreme Party Mascara and Instant Long-Wear Makeup Remover. The cream shadow is a pretty pewter (and it lasts), while the cleanser is handy for quick makeup removal (I keep it on my dresser for days when I’m too lazy to do the cleansing oil routine).

Bobbi Brown Long-Wear Eye Kit – In this box were Bobbi Brown Granite Ink Long-Wear Ink Gel Eyeliner, Gel Eyeliner Brush and Extreme Party Mascara. The gel liner is much-appreciated; I have some inky ones from other brands but I don’t have one from the brand that started the gel liner trend! ;)

Bobbi Brown 3 Pan Palette with Metallic Eye Shadow in Sparkle Eye Shadow in Black 17, Metallic Eye Shadow in Black Charcoal 78 and Metallic Eye Shadow in Rock Star 11 – A sparklelicious trio of shades that are right up my alley. I love the chic sleekness of this palette and how intensely twinkly the shadows are!

There’s more:

Tokidoki Perfetta Makeup Pouch – A huge surprise but a much appreciated one – I really like the whimsical Tokidoki characters on this roomy pouch!

And how do I know it’s roomy? Well, it held quite a few goodies! Besides Sephora Matte Blotting Film, Trish McEvoy High Volume Mascara, Hello Kitty Nail Files, Clé de Peau Cotton Squares (so luxe!), Crème de la Mer samples (LOVE this skincare brand; am so grateful for these deluxe-sized samples), it also contained:

Laura Geller Powder Eye Liner Pencil in Midnight Blue – A beautiful shade that would be lovely for rimming the eyes or as an eyeshadow base.

Sue Devitt Eye Intenstifier Pencils in Zaire and Ava – Two silky deep-toned fatty pencils that would intensify eyeshadows.

Tokidoki Kabuki Vanita Mirror – A two-sided mirror (one side is regular while the other has 3x magnification) with cute Tokidoki prints and 3-dimensional etchings.

Tokidoki Robbery Palette – Not only is the clever packaging adorned with colourful and winsome Tokidoki characters, the flat palettes of eyeshadows/blushes are also fun and varied. The tin is certainly something I’d treasure for years to come (I particularly like the cheeky wad of bills ;)).

This fridge magnet on the tin is a keeper too – I love the Sephora paper bag detail. ;)

More, still:

Stuffed into a mesh bag were a pretty aqua eyeshadow from Sephora (Sephora Colorful Mono Eyeshadow in Swimming Pool 37), Elf and Trish McEvoy treats, as well as:

Three Custom Color Specialists Lip & Cheek Stains in Ski Bunny and Mom on the Go – These lip and cheek stains are incredibly beautiful. 3CC is not only known for its customisation of lip colours, it is also known for its quality, so I was thrilled to receive these gems.

And then there were sugary treats – mint/chocolate confectionery that I have a weakness for. Sarita sent me York Dark Chocolate Covered Peppermint Patties, York Pieces Peppermint Flavored Dark Chocolate and Hershey’s Bliss Crème de Menthe Milk Chocolates. These delicious choccies were very much welcomed by my family too. ;)

She also included two pretty packs of Caspari Hankies, to spiff up my handbag accessories.

A sweet bunny card with an equally sweet message accompanied the package.

I think this lengthy and picture-heavy post proves how much Sarita has spoilt me with her generous gift. Words can’t express how thankful I was and am, for this wonderful present that arrived at a time when I needed a shot of cheering up.

♥ Thank you so much, Sarita! ♥

Image source: The Beauty Grapevine