Sunday 31 March 2013

The Weekend Post #3: Easter!



As I mentioned in my Easter Bunny nail tutorial post, I love Easter, mainly because I get to eat a large amount of chocolate and not feel as guilty because I know everyone is spending the day indulging in a few Easter eggs (or almost everyone). This weekend has been packed full of shopping, eating, ignoring my dwindling bank balance (whoops) and visiting family, so as you can imagine I have been busy.
tasty | Tumblr
image from weheartit.com
I'm currently sat in my living room surrounded by wrappers and cardboard boxes, creme eggs, maltesers, buttons and wispa bars are strewn across the room and watching films with my sister. There is no better way to spend Easter in my opinion! I know I promised this weeks post would be a bit more interesting but I'll be honest, I actually forgot about this post (the shame) but I pinky promise that next weeks will be more appealing. Anyway back to eating my chocs now!

What have you been doing over the Easter weekend?

March Favourites

So here's a quick post to show you what I've been loving using this month, it's been a while since my last favourites post (November to be precise..whoops!) but I'm back on track with now, thank goodness!


First up is L'Oreal's GlamShine Stain Splash (shade Romy). This has been in my makeup bag ever since I purchased it and I won't blabber on too much about this product because I did a review of this here. It applies smoothly and evenly, leaving a subtle gloss. Unfortunately the gloss doesn't last very long but the staining power in this product is fantastic, so even when the gloss has worn off your lips aren't completely bare. For £7.99 each these certainly won't break the bank and they come in a variety of different shades from lilac pinks to intrepid reds these are most definitely worth the price. Next up is Benefit's Creaseless Cream eyeshadow in R.S.V.P, I love how natural this looks on my eyes, it's shimmery but not OTT and these NEVER CREASE! I use this on its own and as a base for other eye shadows, it's creamy and glides straight on your eyelids with no bother at all and you don't need to tug on your eyelid to blend it in either. R.S.V.P is a dreamy champagne shade which is easy to build up too. You can also use these as eye liners, and there are darker shades available. Oh and I forgot to mention, these are only £7 on the Benefit website at the moment, such a bargain! They are so buttery and a delight to use and I'm so glad to have one of these in my collection.
Rimmel London Kate Moss Matte Lipstick in shade 101, has been my go-to lipstick this month. It's creamy and velvet texture makes them easy to apply and they are astonishingly moisturising, which isn't what you would expect from a drugstore matte lipstick. It's a dusky blue-toned pink and looks quite mauve on my lips and also gives the appearance of whiter teeth.
I'm a huge fan of bright natural eye makeup (especially for Spring), so this Rimmel Scandal Eyes eyeliner is fantastic for brightening up your eyes. I use this on my waterline and as these are water-proof, it lasts all day long. Their divine rich, silky consistency makes these the easiest to utilize.
Bare Minerals aren't really a brand I look at that much, but when I heard about their foundation (ages ago) I knew I would have to try it out for myself. It's high coverage and long lasting, which I would of never expected from a powder. This is actually a mini version of the foundation but you can buy it here for £25, which I believe is a pretty acceptable price, seen as you only need a tiny amount of this to cover any blemishes, scars or un-even skintone you may have.
And last but not least is my Stila Convertible Colour in shade Lilium, as I'm sure most of you beauty addicts out there will know how much these have been raved about previously, but as I was rummaging through my makeup drawers I came across this and decided to give it another go. Lilium is a stunning soft rosy pink shade, great for Spring, I like to use this on my cheeks but do occasionally use it on my lips at the same time if I'm going for a matchy-matchy look. I was impressed with how fuss-free this was to use because I usually end up looking like a clown when I use cream blushers but after a few practices I found a way that's suitable for me.

What have you been loving this month?

Friday 29 March 2013

Benefit Hervana | Review

Benefit Hervana has been out for quite a while now, and I'm quite surprised I'd never done a review of this beauty before! Benefit, being one of my favourite high-end makeup brands, has never disappointed me when it comes to their blushers/bronzers.
When this was first released I knew I just had to have it, it contains four different shades (from Lightest to Darkest) Lucky Shell, Divine Peach, Heavenly Rose and Berry Delight. You can't actually use the shades separately (well, I guess you could, with difficulty), but when mixed together with a big fluffy brush, they create a perfect natural pink/peach shade with a slight shimmer too.

                                                          a 'good karma' face powder!

Benefit describe this as an 'orchid blossom' blush, which I do agree with. It's perfect for people with paler skin as it's not too bright. Whereas on darker skin it would probably work more like a highlighter. Hervana is pretty matte but does have subtle shimmer running through it, which is perfect if your skin needs brightening up a bit! Like all other Benefit blushes, it's housed in a small cardboard box with a good sized mirror (perfect for on the go) and an angled brush. Personally I don't use the brush that comes with it, I use one of my other fluffy brushes but it's incredibly easy to apply and lasts a good 5 hours before fading. So if I'm going for a natural makeup look I reach for this. It's quite pricey at £23.50 a pop but I don't regret picking this up as it applies effortlessly and is easily built up if you want more colour.

Have you tried any of the Benefit box blushers?

Thursday 28 March 2013

Baking Cookies

After reading ViviannaDoesMakeup's, Lilly Pebble's and Suzie's cookie post's, I just couldn't resist having a bash at them myself. (well kind-of anyway) I did the same as Suzie from Hello October and bought a Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookie mix (£1.35) and a bar of Cadbury's Dairy Milk (£1) (Suzie used Rolo's instead of dairy milk though) and spent my Sunday evening making cookies even though I should of been revising.
Pour the mixture into a bowl, add 30ml of water and mix until you have a doughy consistency. Roll the mixture up into balls and place on a baking tray. Then just before you pop them in the oven add a commendable chunk of Dairy Milk on top for extra chocolatey-ness. Mmmm
On the pack it says to bake for 10 minutes at 170 degrees (or 160 for a fan assisted oven) but I did them for slightly longer because they needed bit more time. Then you should have some delicious, soft and sweet cookies! They are super-easy to make and don't make tons of washing up either!

Will you be trying these out?


Monday 25 March 2013

Easter Bunny Nails | Tutorial

I love Easter, it's one of my favourite times of the year (yes, because I have an excuse to eat more chocolate than usual) But I love to keep my nails to a theme too, and for Easter, Yes you guessed it! Easter bunnies!
I was actually quite impressed with how they turned out, seen as I'm no nail expert:
Here's what you will need to create the same nail look as me:

Step 1: Paint your nails with any base colour you like, I used Collection's nail polish in Dynasty. Make sure you have a smooth opaque base, I applied two coats.

Step 2: Paint almost half of your nail white and make sure it's rounded at the edges otherwise it won't look like a bunny's head. And using large dotting tool paint on the bunny's ears.

Step 3: Paint on the bunny's eyes with a black nail polish using a small-ish dotting tool. And once dried put an even smaller white dot in the centre of the black one, so they look like eyes.

Step 4: Using a bright pink colour, I used Rimmel Lycra Pro nail polish in Urban Princess, to add the inside of the bunny's ears and of course a cute little nose too.

I chose to only paint two of fingers with a bunny design but you can paint them however you wish to. I hope you enjoyed my mini tutorial showing you how to create a simple, fuss-free Easter bunny design. I really like them and will probably have them on my nails for some time after Easter too, as they are just too cute to get rid of!

Will you be trying these Easter bunny nails out?



Sunday 24 March 2013

The Weekend Post #2: A Lazy Weekend

Well I was scratching my head this week when it came to this post, I mean I haven't really done that much. I did manage to make my way to Boots yesterday though (despite the snow and shockingly cold weather for March), to get a load of the latest's beauty releases, which I have already added to my wishlist. On the plus side, I haven't had too much work or exam revision to do so I thought I would make the most of it and spend a couple of hours planning my next few blog posts and taking a hefty amount of photos all ready for my blog. Oh how I do love being organised.

                                                           Image from weheartit.com
So I'm going to finish eating my toasted tiger bread slathered with Philadelphia, watch some YouTube videos, write and read some more blog posts and relish a lovely lie in.
I do promise that I will have a much more interesting weekend post next week.


What have you been up to this weekend? Have you been as indolent as me?


Tuesday 19 March 2013

Clarins Instant Light Natural Lip Perfector | Review

My love affair with lipgloss will never end, it always has been (and always will be) one of my favourite things. I can never leave the house these days without a slick of lipgloss on, whether it's on its own or over the top of a lipstick. I just love a glossy lip look and whenever there's a new launch I always dash out to the shops and buy one. Clarins will be releasing 3 new shades: Candy Shimmer, Petal Shimmer and Rosewood Shimmer which will all be available in May. I own one of their older shades: Rose Shimmer.

Clarins describe these beauties as "a softly textured lip gel with a deliciously sweet scent". Simply reading this description alone would coax me into buying one. I wouldn't of really said they were a 'lip gel' but more of a gooey, but not sticky, balm-like gloss. These are perfect to wear alone as they leave your lips soft, shiny and plump. Although all of the names incorporate the word 'shimmer' non of them actually transfer any shimmer onto the lips.

The squeezy tube with a sponge-tipped applicator makes these the most easiest to apply. They leave your lips with a slight gloss (not over done) and a hint of colour too, these do exactly as they say, 'perfect' your lips. As well as looking fantastic they feel and smell incredible too. Your lips feel hydrated and smooth afterwards, as it is a balm. They possess an alluring vanilla/caramel scent, making me want to re-apply this dozens of times (even though it's not needed) just to smell it. The price; £17 which made me whimper when it was time to hand my money over at the till, but hey ho they are (without a doubt) worth it, and I will most likely be heading towards my nearest Clarins counter in May to pick up one (or three) of their new shades.

What do you think of the Natural Lip Perfectors? Will you be trying them any time soon?

Sunday 17 March 2013

Goodbye to GFC...

As I'm sure all of you will of heard that Google Reader is disappearing very soon (July 1st to be exact) so most of us will notice the little 'join this site' vacate from our blogs. So if you wish to follow my blog please do so using Bloglovin' or HelloCotton. Thank you for stopping by, I really do appreciate all the followers I get!

The Weekend Post #1: Bookworm

I wanted to start a new series of posts and as I was scribbling down some ideas I came across ViviannaDoesMakeup's blog and noticed she does a ' The Weekend Post' which is when she just writes about things shes been doing in the week, etc... so I thought I would do it too, as I've seen a few other blogs with the idea as well. So I hope you enjoy!

Over the past few weeks, I really have been enjoying a quiet night just sat reading. Which is unusual for me as I usually can't spend more than 10 minutes without some kind of electrical thing within my grasp, but one of my New Year's resolutions was to read more, so I've been giving it a go.


The Hunger Games are an amazing series of books, I began reading the first book in the sequel when it was first released and it took me about 5 months to read (yes, I did say I wasn't the best at sitting down and actually reading) but once I'd finished it I couldn't stop and just wanted to carry on.

The book I've been reading this week is A Perfect Death by Kate Ellis.  Kate Ellis is a murder mystery author and I have previously read one of her other books (Kissing The Demons) which was a fantastic story that had me on edge almost every second. I see a lot of people on Instagram posting pictures of their recent reads and I've managed to make a list of books I would like to read:

The perks of being a wallflower- Stephen Chbosky
The fault in our stars- John Green
Looking for Alaska- John Green
A cursed inheritance- Kate Ellis
Wreck this journal- Keri Smith

I know that wreck this journal isn't really a 'book' but I still want it nonetheless.

What books have you been enjoying lately?
xxx


Saturday 16 March 2013

The Notes: Instagram #1

Follow me on Instagram @Theperksofbeingamyy: Which to polish? | RND 2013 | Mini Eggs | About to start new book | Some sneaky purchases | A few old favourites | New blog post | Rimmel Apocalips | Moustache socks | Sisters top | Primark socks | Shopping stash

Gelly Nails | Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint | Review

Barry M have recently released a new selection of colours in their Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint range, their whole collection consists of muted down nudes, pastels and bright eye-popping shades. Since they released this collection, sleek, glossy, wet-look nails have the been incredibly popular. Me being me I picked up; prickly pear, a lovely lilac shade. I never actually owned a shade like this before (which is hard to believe considering the amount of nail polish I own).
Barry M Gelly Nail Paint (Prickly Pear) £3.99
They apply like a dream and all I need you need is two coats, or one if your pretty heavy handed like me sometimes. As far as longevity goes they are pretty good and don't tend to chip easily, so I don't usually bother with clear top coat, however I sometimes like to add a clear top coat (just in case). They are really cheap for only £3.99 each and fantastic for if you're on a budget! Overall I am really impressed with these polishes and would love to try some more their shades. Barry M are one of my favourite nail polish brands but I don't think anything would beat my love for Essie.

Do you own any shades from the Gelly Hi-Shine range? What do you think of them?

Thursday 14 March 2013

L'Oreal GlamShine Stain Splash | Review

I've been eyeing this beauty up since it first arrived in my local Boots and I've been putting it off for a little while now, but today I finally caved and ended up buying one.


I've heard these are a drugstore dupe for the YSL Glossy Stains (which I have still yet to try) and because I've been lusting after the YSL ones for ages now, so I thought these would be good to try to see if I'm a fan or not.

They feel quite watery but also creamy at the same time, and apply on your lips evenly too. Even with just one application they leave a subtle gloss that stains your lips at the same time, so even when the gloss has worn off, your lips still won't be bare. (And just to point out the gloss doesn't last long.)

These retail for £7.99 which I personally think is a little over priced considering they aren't incredibly pigmented, however their ability to stain is great. They have a slight berry scent which I find quite nice as opposed to the sickly plastic smell that some lip products acquire.
I think the packaging is quite elegant-looking and I think it looks a lot more expensive than it actually is. Overall, I really enjoy using this product and will most likely be buying more very soon...

What do you think of these? Will you be trying any soon?
xxx

Monday 11 March 2013

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Butter Cream | Review

Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Butter Cream £10.50 available from Boots
It's not long since everyone was raving about Soap & Glory's Sugar Crush Body Wash, which I have not yet tried but when this beauty was released I simply couldn't resist. This sweet-smelling body butter cream has a whipped cream-like consistency that feels luxurious when it's melting into your skin. But the best thing about this product is the scent, its a blend of kiwi fruit water, lime tree blossom extracts and coconut oil which all together smell heavenly. It's easy to apply and doesn't take for ever to sink into your skin, so it's the perfect thing to use after a long soak in the bath.

It also contains almond oil, shea butter and coconut butter which when combined together are the perfect combination for healthy, supple and glowing skin. I would definitely recommend getting your hands on this for Spring, as it's fresh and fruity fragrance is sure to brighten up any day!

The zesty lemon and lime fragrance with a brown sugar sweet twist lingers on your skin even once its been absorbed into your skin, it's the perfect Spring/Summer body butter cream to help keep your skin lovely and soft.

What do you think of the Soap & Glory Sugar Crush range?
xxx

Sunday 10 March 2013

The Wishlist | March

As most beauty-bloggers out there will know how dangerous these kind of blog post's can be, especially to your bank balance, but I have promised I am going to save my money up now for a big shopping spree. Anyway here's a selection of products I've been lusting over.


 
Photo 1 of Burnout Tee      SHOPPER WITH BRAIDED HANDLES  


       

I am and always will be a lover of Topshop clothing, every time I go in I can never seem to resist the urge and usually end up leaving with a bag or two... But I'm trying to save more so unfortunately I had to resist and put this top back the other day. ARghh I want it soo much!


Believe it or not, I actually don't own a handbag from Zara, in fact I haven't bought a new handbag since..well I really can't remember. So when I was flitting through their website I came across this lovely and at £39.99 I wouldn't say no.

I've had my eye on this ever since EssieButton mentioned it in one of her videos and it hasn't left my wishlist since then, the only thing thats been putting me off is the price, £10 for hand cream, I just can't seem to spend that much money just on hand cream, but it would be marvellous if someone bought it for me though..hint hint.

My lip product drawer is overfull as I speak but one can never have enough lipsticks..ever. Enough said.

The original Lovestruck fragrance was never really my cup of tea, I went through stages of liking it but it never made it's way into my shopping basket somehow. The design of the bottle is really pretty, not very handbag-friendly but it would look nice on my dressing table. I really do prefer the scent of this one compared to the original though.

I almost bought this at the weekend but whenever I get close to picking it up a voice in my head keeps saying 'no Amy, you have enough mascara already' so I end up re-placing it on the stand and walk away. And yes I do have too many mascara's on the go at the moment so once I've got some used up I may just buy this.

What products are you craving for?
xxx


Thursday 7 March 2013

New | Models Own Fruit Pastel Collection



Models Own are always on the ball with new new releases, and this collection is right up my street. You're probably thinking, 'well Models Own have plenty of pastel shades already' but these beauties are different. Each bottle has it's own little retro scratch 'n' sniff label and have fruity names too. Some may find this a bit of a gimmick but I'm very curious to see what these are actually like. I love a good pastel nail polish so I'll definitely be heading off to my local Boots to pick one or two of these beauties up when they hit the shelves.

The five nail polishes names are (in order L-R on the picture) Strawberry Tart, Apple Pie, Banana Split, Blueberry Muffin and Grape Juice.

This fantastic collection will be available from the Westfield Bottle shop on the 9th of March, online on the Models Own website from 20th of March and available in Boots stores from 22nd of March. Models Own have recently released the Neon Ice collection which consists of  a number of neon shades which maintain their boldness by being kept in the fridge! Yes their bottles are specially designed frosted bottles, I've never actually come across this before even though I own a huge amount of nail polish and as a matter of fact I surprisingly don't own any neon shades so I may be picking one or two of those up too! Head over to their website (found here) to keep up to date with their latest releases.

What do you think of these pastel nail polishes?
xxx