Amie Skincare - Your Skins Best Friend

Amie has become a brand I am always excited to see and use. the name meaning friend in French, is a brand which is non-expensive, kind to skin and contains no nasties. My morning routine at the minute involves two Amie products - first there is Morning Clear which is a facial wash and then there is Morning Dew, a matte finish moisturiser.

Starting with Morning Clear which is in the pastel pink coloured tube, this product is pH-balanced and uses what are called harmonising natural actives such as:

• mayblossom and elderflower purify and decongest the skin, keeping oiliness in check and helping prevent spot formation. 
• Natural sugar moisturisers ensure skin is not stripped or dried out. 
• Cocoa seed butter nourishes and sweet almond oil softens. 
• Orange blossom and raspberry tone pores and refresh skin.

Putting all of these ingredients together it leaves your skin feeling fresh, properly washed and smooth to the touch. What I love about this product is the texture of the wash which is quite creamy and it lathers really well upon contact with water and the fruity smell it gives is wonderfully refreshing.

After showering and then further using a toner and cleanser, I moisturise and again with Amie. Morning Dew, which is contained within a pastel yellow coloured tube.

Morning Dew is described as being a "really light daily moisturiser that’s totally mineral oil-free and parabens-free" which I am sure will get the thumbs up from some bloggers. As you apply this to your skin, it is surprisingly quick to absorb itself and it leaves your skin feeling soft and smooth to the touch. When a product states that it will leave a matte finish what does it really mean? Well in the case of this moisturising cream I am told that "it gives skin all the hydration it needs while controlling shine and leaving a smooth, matte finish that’s a perfect base for make-up or facing the day or night ‘au naturel’" and having used it for the last few weeks I can almost certainly tell you that it does that.

As with the facial wash, this product also contains those harmonising natural actives and in this case they are:

• organic rosehip and bilberry nourish, 
• natural plant sugars hydrate 
• Vitamin E acts as an anti-oxidant protecting against sun damage and pollution. 
• Lemon Fruit Extract acts as an effective antiseptic 
• Orange Blossom is an excellent skin clarifying agent, helping to remove excess sebum and keep oily skin clear.

Again this smells really wonderful and it has one of those scents which lingers on your skin all day long. As someone who often suffers from an oily t-zone, I can confirm that it does indeed help remove excess sebum and keep oily skin clear, so much so that I haven't even opened the new pack of blotting pads I bought prior to use these two products.

Both of these products retail for £4.95 and they can be found in places like Waitrose or from their own website which you can find HERE

Have you tried these products? have you tried any Amie products?

How I got my own Domain Name

So a few days ago I announced that no longer was I a blogspot.co.uk but instead I had become just a .co.uk for my blog, going from beautyqueenuk.blogspot.co.uk to www.beautyqueenuk.co.uk and I did so in less than 2 hours. This is something I had debated doing for some time, though my biggest fear was losing everything I had worked so hard to do.  Before I continue, I just need to point out that I am not quite self-hosting a website, I have simply got my own domain name and am still using blogger as I always have done to write, draft, schedule and publish my posts.  I figured that once I got used to my own domain name and am using it properly, I would then, with more time see how easy self-hosting would be.

Anyway....

How did I do it? read on to find out.  Firstly I had a look around online at sites where you can buy domain names from and settled on using GoDaddy which seemed to be a favourite site with fellow bloggers.

Then it is time to see whether or not your Domain name is available so in the middle section where it says 'Search for a new domain' you type in the name of you blog and decide whether you want .com, .co.uk, .net and so on...Then if your favoured domain name isn't available it will show you what is and how much it is.

As .com for me was taken, I settled on beautyqueenuk.co.uk and added it to my basket. Then you need to create an account if you do not already have one, takes a few minutes. Once you have bought your name for the number of years you can afford - mine was £5.98 for 2 years, you will get an email confirmation and then you are ready to go and transfer from Blogger to your own Domain  Name and this is the guide I used - HERE and it is really straightforward to follow.

You will need to be logged into both Blogger and your GoDaddy account to complete all the steps:

To Edit Your CNAME Record

1. Log in to your Account Manager. - this means your GoDaddy Account
2. Next to Domains, click Launch.
3. From the DNS menu, select DNS Manager. The DNS Dashboard displays. - the second tab
4. For the domain name you want to use with your Blogger account, click Edit Zone. The Zone File Editor displays.
5. In the CNAME (Alias) section, click the www record. - 3rd option down (see below)
6. In the Points To field, type ghs.google.com.(see below)
7. Click Save Zone File, and then click OK.

Then you need to leave your blog for about an hour for these changes to take affect and then log into your blogger account to complete or check every 5 minutes like I did.

To Configure Your Blogger Account

1. Log in to your Blogger account.
2. From the Settings tab, select Basic.
3. From Publishing, click Add custom domain.
4. Click Switch to Advanced Settings, and then enter your domain name. For example, enter www.coolexample.com.
5. To specify another location in which to look for files, in the Use a missing files host? section, select Yes and enter the path. If not, select No.
6. Click Save.

Then click save and it should now look like this:

As you can see every blogspot.com/co.uk depending on what your blog was will now be redirected to your new Domain, as mine shows above.  Again, it might take up to an hour before you can enter your new domain name and again I was checking it every 5 minutes.

At this point you should be able to simply refresh the page and all of your changes will have taken place - it is as simple as that! Then you log in and use Blogger as you always have done, nothing changes that, as I mentioned above, you have simply got a new domain name, not a website - that comes next.

That is how I became www.beautyqueenuk.co.uk and hopefully I have explained it well enough and simple enough so that should you make the change, it goes smoothly for you. I am by no means an expert but if you do have a question, please do ask for tweet me @Beautyqueen_uk and I will try and help you.

Beautyqueenuk appears on the Packaging for Inhibitif!

I don't know if any of you have yet bought or tried Inhibitif, but you'll all know that I am a huge fan, basically because it does as it says it is going to do which is this:

"Inhibitif is a breakthrough hair inhibitor for women and men that minimizes the need for shaving, waxing and other forms of hair removal in under 8 weeks, reducing the look of unwanted hair, unsightly stubbles and ingrown hair".

So guess what... I am starring on their packaging, my legs are shown with before and after pictures which I showed in this post - HERE

And here is the packaging:

I have to say thank you to the lovely Gina from Beauty & Nonsense who posted this picture on Twitter.

Have you tried this product yet? Have you ever starred on a brands packaging before?

Dirty Works V Soap and Glory - is it a dupe?

You know when you use a few different products and suddenly one reminds you of another? Well that happened to me whilst I was on holiday.  As mentioned in a previous post, see HERE, I took with me lots of travel sized lotions and potions and whilst using my Soap and Glory products I realised they smelt similar to another product that I had received for my birthday from a friend.

Here are those products:

Dirty Works are a brand of bath and body products that you find for sale in Sainsburys and quite a lot of the Blogs I follow have reviewed them.  I got the package above as a birthday present from a friend who knew I liked Soap and Glory but promised me this brand would be just as good if not better.

However, I don't know if anyone else has noticed this and please note I did say 'similar' and not the same, but it was with Scrub of your life that I first noticed that there was a similar scent to Buff your Stuff and when I got home I used both of the products one after another to look further into it:

Dirty works on the left and Soap and Glory on the right

Neither product look similar and truth me told the Soap and Glory Scrub is much thicker in texture than Dirty Works though the scrub particles are similar.  The similarity comes with the scent and that is all it is, similar.  The fruity smell I have come to know and love with Soap and Glory products is very similar with this particular Dirty Works product and could it be a very good dupe?

The Scrub of your life currently costs £7 for 200ml whereas Buff Your Stuff from Dirty Works costs £3.99 for 200ml which is quite a big saving.

Have you noticed this? Have you tried a Dirty Works product?

Inhibitif: The End of being a Shave Slave - on holiday!!

You'll probably know by now that I have been trialling Inhibitif on my blog and not only do I like it... I love it. For those of you who haven't read about it, my Inhibitif series can be found:

• Introduction to Inhibitif
• 2 week Inhibitif Update
• Featured in The Sun newspaper
• 8 week Inhibitif Update

The idea of this product is that you apply Inhibitif evenly on shaved or waxed body areas twice per day for 2 months or until body hair appears nearly invisible. Then reduce application to 3 times per week to maintain results. Then you should see initial results within 2 weeks and then within 2 months hair should appear finer and finer until the hair removal routine becomes easier and less in frequency as the graphic below shows.

So as I was going away for 6 nights and couldn't take my Inhibitif with me and nor could I at the last minute find a bottle to transfer some into that would be okay for hand luggage (that is all I took) then I would have to go without it and see how my legs reacted.  So before I left, I continued using Inhibitif as you do 3 times a week and I found I had to shave my legs once, twice a week at the most (beforehand it was every other day).

So the morning that I left, my legs were shaved and sprayed leaving them all nice, soft, smooth, hair free and moisurised as shown below:

When I came back 6 days later, this is what you can see...

Just a few small stubbly bits of hair had become visible and for the first time I didn't feel I had to rush out and grab a razor whilst on holiday to shave my legs due to paranoia particularly as I wouldn't have got one in my hand luggage.

Have you tried Inhibitif yet? What are your thoughts on it?

GUEST POST - Home Deco - Wishlist For A Mini Office

Today we have the lovely Hannah guest posting on my blog.  Hannah is the wonderful lady who is responsible for my blog header!... Over to you Hannah!

Hey Everyone,

When Rachel asked me to guest post on her blog I of course jumped at the chance. Recently I've been thinking a lot about turning an empty corner of my bedroom into a mini office. I'm currently blogging from my sofa or bed (not exactly the most creative or best places to blog). I don't have room anywhere else, and I thought turning that corner of the room into my blogging center would be a great idea. So here's my Office Wishlist:

1. Desk:

This Ikea desk is perfect for the small space I have for my mini office. I choose to keep it white as my room is white, and I'm really liking Home Decor that's white with a pop of colour added through accessories at the moment. You can find this desk HERE! 

2. Cushion:

I chose this cushion to put onto the white desk chair I chose. It adds a more comfy feel to the clinical white, and I chose this one because it reminds me of home and makes me happy. This cushion is from Debenhams and you can find it HERE!  

3. Oh My Deer Print:

I thought a print would brighten up the space and add in more colour. I was looking for an inspirational print but when I saw this I thought it was too cute not to add to this wishlist! You can find it HERE! 

4. Candle:

I think a candle is always something lovely to have in an office to give off a scent and also look pretty. I'm very picky about scents I'm not really fan of most scents either flowery, spicey, or pretty much the majority of scents on the market. I prefer fresh scents like beach walk from Yankee Candle which you can find HERE! 

5. Desk Lamp:

Everyone needs some sort of lighting in their office. I chose this lamp as it is a easy to use adjustable lamp, so great for a desk. It is from Ikea so also really affordable which always helps, you can find it HERE! 

6. Cardboard Letters:

I really want some Letters to use as book ends for all my blogging inspirational books. I would love to get A and Z for the alphabet. I would either paint or get some cool wrapping paper to cover them in! You can find them HERE! 

7. White Swivel Chair:

I think a swivel chair is a necessity for a desk, for all those moments when your bored and spinning around on a chair can give a bit of inspiration. I like this one because it fits in with the desk, it's from Ikea and you can find it HERE! 

8. Magazine Storage Basket:

I find magazines great for keeping up with trends and really inspiring for blog posts, so I like to keep a few of my old favorites and current ones for when I'm feeling stuck in a rut! I think this storage basket is great for keeping them tidy but in keeping with the decor! 

HERE! 

What would you include in your Office? 

Thanks so much to Rachel for having me as a Guest on her lovely blog! 

GUEST POST - Colour on Friday Gone by Monday.

The dip dye has made a big impact within the world of hair and it doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon. Summer 2013 has seen the trend becoming even bigger news with everyone adding a stroke of colour to their summer dip dye locks. However, colouring ones hair blues, purples and pinks is not always a realistic and practical commitment that many are happy to make to their hair (consider the startled looks around the office on Monday morning as you stroll in with bubblegum pink tips). It was therefore, only a matter of time before a temporary version was created; all hail the hair chalk! Hair chalking has become a hair sensation, allowing you to show off electric blue locks one night and then return to your original colour the next day. It has particularly become a popular purchase for many festival goers, looking to achieve a quirky look for the weekend. Think of all the fun and creative things you can try out on your hair without any of the, possibly not so sensible, commitments.

What to use?

There are a few different options out there to try for temporarily giving yourself a colourful dip dye look. These include the hair chalk, the hair shadow and the comb in hair colour and all with their own pros and cons...

I have tried colouring my tips with the comb in hair colour http://www.urbanoutfitters.co.uk/pink-comb-in-temporary-hair-dye/invt/5763400303222/ and the hair chalk and have experienced quite different results. For me, the hair chalk won hands down compared to the comb in hair colour. Unlike the hair chalk, the comb in colour is a wet gel like consistency that you need to allow time to dry before you can head out. The drying time for me took around half an hour to 45 minutes and I was stuck sitting around in a towel as I feared the wet colour could stain the white dress I planned to wear. Once dried, it did provide a subtle light pink colouring to my tips, i think however this was helped by my already light blonde hair, my darker haired friend did not have such great success! The hair chalking, however, was a much more simple and effective way to add a temporary colourful dip dye look to your hair, no matter the colour of your hair. On that note, I am therefore going to share a few useful tips for trying out hair chalking. Let’s get colouring!

Top Tips for Successfully Chalking Your Hair:

• All you will need is your chosen hair chalk, a water bottle, a towel and protective gloves. Be careful to lay something down when applying the chalk, it can get a little messy!
• If your hair colour is anything other than blonde you will have to wet the area being coloured first. The water will help the colour to attach to your hair. The wetter the hair, the deeper the colour
• If you are blonde however, applying water first will mean the colour will stay on your hair for a longer period of time. If you want coloured tips but for one night only miss out adding water first.
• Choose semi thick strands of hair, twist the hair and chalk in a downward motion. Twisting the hair as you colour will make the chalk release more pigment and will therefore create a stronger colour
• If you have wet the hair first, just add a little extra time to allow the hair to dry, I would recommend letting the water dry naturally.
• Once dry, you can go over the colour with a straightening iron or curling tong to better seal in the colour.

Know the Best Colours for Your Hair:

Redheads – Be aware that certain colours will change when on your hair, for example colouring it yellow may come out more as an orange. Purples and greens are the best colour choices for this hair colour.

Black hair – Those with black hair need to invest in bright vibrant shades, cobalt blues and shocking pinks are an awesome dip dye contrast. Think of Jessie J for inspiration!

Brunettes – Depending on the shade, brunettes can get away with almost any colour. The lighter your hair the more intense the colour.

Blondes - And for the lucky people with blonde hair, the world is your oyster and you can try out just about any colour you so wish. A nice idea is to also try more than one colour on each strand to create a tie-dyed look, start with the lighter colour at the top of the strand going into a darker colour by the tip. Lauren Conrad once mastered this tie-dyed look with hair chalk brilliantly.

 

Considering chalking it up? Check out http://www.haircolorchalk.com/Default.asp and http://hairchalking.net/ for a great colourful range of hair chalks.

There you have my top tips for creating a hair chalk success, i hope you have all been inspired to get creative with your hair! If you want some more chalking inspiration check out our Pinterest http://pinterest.com/appointedd/chalk-it-up/ and facebook page for some colourful looks https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.390308461075103.1073741836.278318852274065&type=1


Bio:

Leah Hutcheon is the founder of appointedd.com, a brand new site where you can book salons and spas online, 24/7. She was recently featured in the BBC documentary, The Entrepreneurs. Appointedd also features salon reviews and has a hair and beauty blog, appointedd.com/blog.