Beauty Package Swap #2 - Darcy Mae

Beauty Package Swap #2 - Darcy Mae

Sunday, 31 August 2014

14 comments

About two weeks ago I recieved this amazing package from Darcy Mae from darcymae.com and I was so excited to open it! About a month ago Darcy contacted me via twitter saying she wanted to do a beauty swap, and I was over the moon as she is from America which gave me the chance to try products I can't get my hands on over here! I started writing a wishlist very quickly and she picked out things I wanted and a few things she thinks I'd like to!

Here's what I received: 

Wet n Wild Fergie Shimmer Palette
Wet n Wild Fergie Photo OP Eyeshadow

Wet n Wild Palette in Comfort Zone
Wet n Wild Trio in Silent Treatment

Covergirl Lipstick in Honeyed 258
Covergirl Outlast Foundation in Ivory

Physicians Formula Shimmer Strips Palette

Darcy also sent me another Wet n Wild Trio, but it smashed during shipment! I will still be using it, as only one of the shades smashed and the other two shades are gorgeous so I couldn't throw it away!

I've already tried a few of these products since receiving the package and I'm in love! Why can't we get these products in the UK?! I'm not sure what I'm going to do when I finish them, I will have to find a way to get my hands on them again!

I couldn't be happier with this package, Darcy really picked out items that I'll love and I can see how much thought she put into buying the items. I will visit America and buy these products myself one day, but I'm so grateful that Darcy sent some over for me to try while I don't have the money to go!

Would any of you be interested in doing a beauty swap? 

I'm always looking for people to do them with as I enjoy them so much, email me if you're interested theperksofbeingami@gmail.com or tweet me at  @/perksofbeingami

Ami xo

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Lush Surprise Giveaway

Lush Surprise Giveaway

Friday, 29 August 2014

7 comments

The team from Lush Southampton gave me a goodybag to give away to one of my followers!
I decided to keep the contents of the goodybag as a surprise as it's more fun that way and you can be excited to try something you don't know about!

This giveaway will run for two weeks, it is mandatory that you follow/like Lush Southampton on Facebook or Twitter and follow my blog via Bloglovin. 

Enter using the entries below.

Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Ami xo

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High End Lusts; Concealer

High End Lusts; Concealer

Wednesday, 27 August 2014

21 comments

I am finding it so difficult to buy a concealer and actually like it, I loved the Collection 2000 one for months but now it just makes me look cakey and horrible, so I decided to look elsewhere and venture into the high end market. These three are very well reviewed everywhere, and they also all do a shade light enough for my skin which is something I struggle to find too.

1. Nars Creamy Concealer - I want to get this and pair it with the NARS Sheer Glow foundation, it sounds like a perfect base. The word creamy really attracts me to this product as it puts the imagery of something that buffs into the skin easily and doesn't make you look cakey/orange.
2. MAC Pro Longwear - This concealer claims to be high coverage which is exactly what I need to hide my dark circles, I have no type of sleeping pattern at all so I never get the right amount of 'beauty sleep' to get rid of them! The wear time and coverage of this concealer are major pull factors to buy it, and the fact that it has a matte finish makes it even better.
3. YSL Touche Eclat - This concealer would be a good one for me, because I'd use it as more of a highlight like it's designed to be, to apply under the eyes and along the cheekbones to brighten up the areas making skin look more awake/fresh.

Ami xo

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Lush Southampton Blogger Event

Lush Southampton Blogger Event

Monday, 25 August 2014

12 comments

If you follow me on Twitter or Instagram, you'll know that I attended a blogger event at Lush in Southampton on Friday! It was such a well organised event and it was so much fun, I've used Lush in the past but only really used their bath products so it was great to learn about their other products!

On arrival we were greeted by a lovely team of staff and light refreshments! There was a choice of champagne or sparkling flavoured drinks, I had something that tasted like raspberries but I'm not entirely sure what it was! Throughout the evening we snacked on amazing vegan cakes, fruit and popcorn!

Our first activity was an icebreaker! We had to pair up with someone we didn't know and give them an arm massage using a Lush massage bar whilst finding out about them and their blog. I paired with Karis from beautybykaris.com, it was a fun starter activity and definitely broke the ice!

The group was then split in two to do different activities, I started with making facemasks. It was amazing to see how they're made, and what they're made from. I learnt their facemasks use all natural ingredients which are sourced locally where possible. We made Cupcake,which smells like mint chocolate and Catastrophic Cosmetic, which smells like blueberries!

Photo Credit: Ashleigh 

Photo Credit: Ashleigh

Then my group moved onto the Emotional Brilliance Wheel to learn about Lush's makeup range! You have to sit down and close your eyes while the wheel is spun, the wheel contains dry ice which covers the wheel in smoke. When the wheel has stopped spinning you have to pick the three colours that appeal to you first with no thought, these correspond to your feelings. The Lush consultant will explain to you what each of them means. I picked Drive, Believe and Decisive. They're all lip colours which corresponds to me perfectly as I wear lipstick a lot. 

How amazing is this Creamy Candy Bubble Bar Cake?!

After the activities we had some time to chat and shop, I tried not to spend money but that plan failed completely, I will be doing a haul/reviews of everything I bought soon. When it was time to leave we were all giving a bag of goodies to take home and try which was so generous.

Overall the evening was perfect and I'd like to thank the Lush Southampton team for putting on such a fab event. Seeing as it was the first ever blogger event, it was so well put together, and I'd love to attend more in the future. 

The goody bags contained something for us, and also something for our followers! I received;

Bubblegum Lip Scrub

Ocean Salt Face and Body Scrub (I have been dying to try this since forever!)

African Paradise Body Conditioner 

Cupcake Facemask

Catastrophic Cosmetic Facemask

Creamy Candy Bubble Bar

I can't wait to try all of these products, there will be many reviews up on my blog in the next few weeks, if there's something you'd specifically like me to review let me know in the comments below!

Stay tuned for a giveaway featuring some Lush goodies!

Ami xo

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Peachy Cheeks

Peachy Cheeks

Sunday, 24 August 2014

11 comments

If there's one thing I've been wearing all summer, it's definitely been this baked blush by elf. The gorgeous peachy colour has been my statement blush over the past few months. It adds just the right amount of shimmer and a slight flush of colour, I find this blush is great for me because I've only just recently started wearing blusher and this is the perfect first step.

This blush is in the shade Peachy Cheeky. If you haven't tried any of the elf blushes, you're totally missing out, they cost around £3 and you really can't go wrong with them. I love their range of baked blushes and they're so nice to look at as well. The packaging is so simple and the colours that run through the blush really add something else to it. 

This blush is very pigmented so you can sometimes apply a little too much, especially with the amount of shimmer in it, so it is essential to use small amounts and build it up gradually by blending. The wear time is great too, this blush definitely lasts a whole day as I never feel the need to reapply at all and my days can be 12 hours sometimes, so a 12 hour weartime is amazing for around £3, don't you agree?

I will definitely be buying more shades of elf's baked blush's!

Ami xo

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5 Product Face Tag

5 Product Face Tag

Saturday, 23 August 2014

6 comments

Hey guys!

I was tagged by Cristy to do the 5 product face tag, you can see her post here! I've wanted to do this post for a while, to see if I could actually create a look with using only 5 products, and I found it quite easy when I eventually narrowed down the products I had to the products I needed.

As we're still in the summer season, even though the weather seems to have other ideas, I decided to keep this look very light and natural. 

1. I chose Rimmel Match Perfection Foundation as a base because it is so light and very low coverage, so great for the warmer days when you'd rather not be wearing a lot. 

2. The MUA Undressed Me Too palette, although I feel like this is a cheat item because it's a palette, I only used one of the eyeshadows to create this look so it counts as one, right? I used the third shade down the left for a light shimmer across the eyelid and into the inner corner.

3.  Mascara is something that I can not leave the house without. My eyelashes are blonde so if I don't wear mascara I'm eyelashless and it isn't a great look, it makes me look about 10.

4. For a little flush of colour this Elf Baked Blush is perfect, its in the shade Peachy Cheeky which is a gorgeous peachy shimmery colour, perfect for the summer.

5. I didn't want to add a lip colour to make this a bold look, so I kept it simple with a Baby Lips in the shade Grapevine which just adds a slight purple tint to the lips.

I tag;

Alice from www.anniewritesbeauty.blogspot.co.uk

Karis from www.beautybykaris.com

Heather from www.porcelainbeautyx.com

Ashleigh from www.hello-aj.com

Jemma from www.adrugstoreaddiction.com

Ami xo

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Did You Say Ice Cream? - Devon #1

Did You Say Ice Cream? - Devon #1

Tuesday, 19 August 2014

16 comments

Over the past few weeks I've been visiting my grandparents in Devon, I visit them at most half terms and during the summer holidays as I love to be in the country. They live in a little village outside Honiton and I don't think I could go anywhere better, it's so isolated and quiet but you're never far away from anything. 

As I'd been doing a few little jobs for people around the village, I was recommended to Otter Valley Dairy  and they were looking for someone to employ! I was literally over the moon, working with ice cream, could life get any better?

Doesn't it all look amazing? Everyone buys with their eyes nowadays so presentation is key!

If you've never tried Otter Valley Ice Cream and you're going down that way anytime you definitely need to check it out, it is literally the best ice cream I've ever tasted. It is all made up at the farm which is above the summerhouse where they serve the ice cream. During my time I worked in both the dairy and the summerhouse, so I got a real variety of experience and it was such a great job. 

How amazing is the summerhouse? It's such a cute little serving place, the views of fields from it are beautiful but unfortunately I didn't get a photo!

The range of flavours is absolutely incredible, they try to make a new special every week, we made Brown Bread, White Chocolate and Raspberry Ripple, Lavender and Honey to name a few of the specials!

My favourite flavours have to be Lemon and Lime Meringue and Salted Caramel with Chocolate Brownie. 

Perks of working there include lots of ice cream eating!

I can not wait to go back and work there next summer, it's an incredible place to work and the people are amazing. 

Ami xo

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Beauty Package Swap #1 - Little Miss Lines

Beauty Package Swap #1 - Little Miss Lines

Friday, 15 August 2014

6 comments

Recently, I posted on twitter that I wanted to do a beauty package swap with someone, as I'd done one in the past and I thoroughly enjoyed picking out items and receiving post is one of my favourite things.

Lisa from Little Miss Lines replied to my tweet and we started planning the swap! We had a few weeks to buy everything and then we sent them. Here is what Lisa picked out for me;

MUA Undressed Me Too Palette
Maybelline Colour Tattoo - On and On Bronze
Rimmel Stay Matte Powder - Translucent
Mua Undress Your Skin Highlighter
Collection Colour Pro Lip Lacquer - Rebel
Maybelline The Rocket Volume Mascara

I am already a massive lover of the MUA palette and the Stay Matte powder, they're items I use in my everyday makeup routine, but it's so great to have a back up so I'm so glad Lisa picked these out. Also, I'm always leaving my makeup at my boyfriend's house so having two will really fix my problem as I can leave one there!

The MUA highlighter, just wow, I was so excited to use this when I pulled it out of the box and I'm actually still waiting to use it, but it looks amazing! I swatched it on my arm and it has a lovely shimmer to it, I can't wait to try it properly.

All the other products are great, I have tried them all and I couldn't be happier with the items Lisa picked out, they're perfect for me as I love plastic mascara wands, easy and quick eyeshadow application and I've always wanted to try a lip lacquer and I finally have now!

Lisa also went to the Commonwealth Games and picked me up this key ring which I thought was such a sweet and personal touch as I really wanted to go to the games but it's so far to travel, so it made me smile!

Would any of you be interested in doing a beauty swap? 

I'm always looking for people to do them with as I enjoy them so much, email me if you're interested theperksofbeingami@gmail.com

Ami xo

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High End Lusts; Mascara

High End Lusts; Mascara

Wednesday, 13 August 2014

8 comments

I actually found it quite hard to find some high end mascaras that I'm dying to try, as I already have so many high street loves and I never feel the need to buy anything else as they do the job perfectly. Eventually, I remembered a few mascaras that have been recommended to me over the past few months!

First up is Babydoll by YSL! Yes the main reason I want this mascara is because of the packaging, it's gold and looks so luxurious, what more can you ask for? Also, it's a plastic wand, which I love, even though it kills when you poke yourself in the eye, anyone else do this regularly?

Second up is They're Real by Benefit! I've actually tried this mascara before, I bought the issue of ELLE Magazine that contained a sample size mascara about a year ago and I've been meaning to pick it up ever since. I LOVE this mascara, it just works so well for me and really makes my lashes long.

Lastly, it's another one by YSL! It's the Shocking mascara. Again, the packaging is great, but this mascara is a bristle brush, which is something I never usually go for but I've read countless reviews on this mascara and I really think it could work for me.

If you haven't noticed by now, I love packaging, it can really decide whether I buy a product or not.

Ami xo

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High End Lusts; Eyeshadow Palettes

High End Lusts; Eyeshadow Palettes

Wednesday, 6 August 2014

20 comments

As you can see, I'm a pretty much a neutrals kinda girl, I know I really should try and experiment with more colours but it's the same as my wardrobe, I'm so stuck in wearing black constantly that I'm too scared to change.

The first palette is the In The Light Palette by Stila, it's got 10 pretty neutral shades, I'm more drawn to the lighter colours in the palette as I always like to wear quite natural makeup but the darker colours would be a start to getting out of my comfort zone. Stila eyeshadows also have great pigmentation and are such a great price for the colour payoff.

The second palette is the Lorac Pro Palette, this is such a sought after item, but due to it only being available in the US it's so hard to get your hands on it unless you have friends over there willing to buy it for you or you travel there, and I have/can do neither so I'm probably going to be lusting over this palette for a while. Again it's a neutral palette, but I love that there is 8 matte shades and 8 shimmer shades as I prefer shimmery shades on the lid but matte shades in the crease when creating eye looks.

The next palette is another one by Stila, it's the In The Garden palette, this is my effort to get out of my comfort zone, it's full of colours I'd normally look at and freak out but I look at this palette and see wearable shades which is unusual for me so it was kinda love at first sight with this palette. I love the mix of colours, there's a wide variety as no two colours are very similar in this palette unlike most others.

The last 3 palettes are all over the blogging world, if you haven't heard of these then you've been living under a rock, they're literally everywhere, but they definitely deserve the hype they get. They are the Naked palettes by Urban Decay, these three are the Naked Basics, Naked and Naked 3.

 I want everyone of these palettes for a different reason; I want the Basics because it's all matte shades which are so wearable! It's also a great travel size so you can take it everywhere with you without taking up too much room unlike other palettes.

 I want the Naked palette because like the Lorac palette it's a mixture of matte and shimmer shades, and I love how versatile the colour selection is feauturing pinks, browns, golds which are colours that I find so easy to wear without feeling out of my comfort zone!

Finally the Naked 3 palette, the packaging is rose gold, it's full of rose gold pinky shades, and I just love everything rose gold. Plain and simple.

What's your favourite high end eyeshadow palette?

Ami x

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My Attempt To Start Skincare

My Attempt To Start Skincare

Sunday, 3 August 2014

29 comments

If you know me, you know that I literally have no skincare routine at all, sometimes I don't even bother to take my makeup off until the next morning, gross I know. I've just never had the time or need for a skincare routine, makeup wipes were my saviour and I felt no need to change. The other day I was in Tesco and everything L'Oreal was half price, so I thought why not, and picked up these two products to attempt to start a skincare routine.

At first I was quite excited to use these, I wanted something that would actually take off my makeup properly and leave it feeling fresh and clean because makeup wipes failed miserably at this.

Firstly, I tried the Skin Perfection Micellar Solution. I poured a small amount onto a cotton pad and wiped my makeup off, it took my makeup off and really did make my skin feel clean, but I wasn't overly wowed by it, but for the price of under £3 it'll do! Some people said they found that they wasted a lot of this product as you have to pour it out, not squeeze it out like other micellar solutions, but I didn't find this problem at all, I applied a perfect amount onto the cotton pad and didn't waste any at all. 

After taking off most of my makeup using the Micellar Solution, I moved onto the Gentle Eye Makeup Remover, again pouring a small amount onto a cotton pad. I really was not impressed with this product, it didn't remove my eye makeup very well at all and made my face feel sticky and clogged. I ended up going back to the Micellar Solution to remove the rest of my eye makeup, which definitely worked a lot better.

Overall, I wouldn't recommend the Eye Makeup Remover, it just didn't remove my eye makeup like it claims to and just makes your face feel awful. However, I think the Micellar Solution is a great way to remove makeup, it's simple and easy, although I wasn't wowed by it I'll continue using it as it does the job and for the price I paid I think it's worth it.

Ami xo

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Neon Pink Pop

Neon Pink Pop

Friday, 1 August 2014

22 comments

Over the past few weeks I've actually wanted to jump out of my comfort zone and stop wearing black so much, it's been so hard with all this hot weather too, but the majority of my clothes are black or darker colours because I find light/bright colours don't suit me at all.

I decided that I could spice up my outfits and add a few pops of colour without actually changing the clothes I wear, just the accesories! I've had my eye on these simple pair of strappy sandals from Missguided for a while but I keep putting off buying them for some reason, but I feel like if I had more accesories to match them then maybe I'd buy them so I found some items to match and put them in an outfit.

This outfit is just a really simple outfit which I think could be worn in the day or the evening as it's classy but casual too. I stumbled across this bag on Paul's Boutique, and if you remember Paul's Boutique you probably remember quite a chavvy brand to put it simply, but it was so in fashion back then, they've now rebranded and their bags are so chic and classy so I recommend checking them out!

Top
Jeans
Shoes
Bag (similar)
Necklace
Nail Varnish

Ami x

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