American Swap Haul!

As some of you may already know, I love doing package swaps with people who live in different countries to me because there are so many cool things you can get elsewhere that you can't in the UK! Or, at least, if you can get it in the UK it's horribly expensive to cover shipping costs. So I did a package swap with a lovely lady called Frederica, whose Instagram you can find here, and she was so generous! 

Frederica's Instagram feed is filled with make up and beauty products that I love, and she takes such pretty pictures so I was instantly keen to do a swap with someone who knew what she was doing when it comes to make up! And, on the plus side, she's from America which is my dreamland so I didn't need much convincing!

She sent me a list of products that she wanted to try so I went out and bought them for her, tallied up the total and gave her her budget to work with as well as a list I had! Although, I think she was naughty and went over because her package to me was just incredible!

I'll start with skincare. When I was in America in the summer, one of the places I had to visit was Bath & Body Works. This place is like heaven to me, why do they not have them in the UK?! It's literally a magical land of body lotions, shower gels, sprays, candles and more. I was so sad that I couldn't bring the whole shop back with me but Frederica was lovely enough to send me the whole Paris Amour range which not only has the prettiest packaging but is so delicately fruity and girly. The website states that it has top notes of "sparkling mandarin, petite strawberry, cassis, sparkling pink champagne, apple blossom and dewy freesia", mid notes of "luscious peach, jasmine petals, french tulips, water lily and frangipani" and dry notes of "french vanilla, coconut milk, amber wood, sandalwood and creamy musk". Boy, that's a lot, but I would describe it as smelling really, really good (sorry I'm useless at describing scents)! She also sent something that she wanted me to try - Sonia Kashuk's Make Up Remover. The solution in the bottle separates into three layers and, when shaken, become a milky looking substance which can be used with a cotton pad to remove make up. I'm really excited to try this as I've heard great things!

Moving onto scents, she sent me the nicest Autumn candle, again, from Bath & Body Works called Blueberry Pumpkin Patch. I was a little apprehensive about this as I'm not always a fan of pumpkin but I friggin love it! I've been lighting it in the evenings to help me relax for bed time and it really is the perfect Autumnal scent. She also sent me the cutest little bottle of Viktor & Rolf's Flowerbomb which she saw in my Autumn Wishlist post which was so kind and thoughtful! She's made me fall in love with it even more which I didn't know was possible! She also put in some cute hand sanitizers from B&BW again, in the scents Paris Amour, Fresh Strawberries, Pink Chiffon, and Merry Cherry Love. I am forever using hand sans when I'm working and especially using public transport so these are perfect!

And last, but definitely not least, is the make up. I had asked for a few things from MAC as I know that in America it's a fraction of the price that it is here in the UK but I didn't think she would get all of the things let alone everything else she sent me! So cheeky. 

She sent me four eyeshadows in the pan: naked lunch (a subtle gold shimmer), woodwinked (a dark gold, almost copper, shimmer), shroom (a light creamy shimmer which is great for highlighting too), and sumptuous olive (a shimmery olive green). 

Frederica also sent me the two MAC lipsticks I had asked for, both from the Amplified range. Morange, a very bold orange which is a bit of a risk for me but I think with the right eye make up and outfit it will get the "pop" it deserves, and Dark Side, which is a lipstick I saw someone had on Instagram and instantly wanted it as I've been really getting into darker lipsticks lately and it does not disappoint. It's a gorgeous dark purpley-red and goes really well with dark eye make up.

She sent me a few lip balms too! Two Maybelline Baby Lips in the colours Grape Vine and Strike A Pose. Grape Vine smells like, would you believe it, grapes and has a very sheer purple colour to it, and Strike A Pose smells quite fruity and has a pink sheen to it! She also sent me an eos lip balm in the flavour blueberry açai. It smells beautiful and I love the eos lip balms because of their shape and the moisture they give! It's so hard not to actually eat them.

Lastly, on the make up front, I received a Milani Baked Blush in the colour Corallina. This is something I've never considered before but now I have it, I love it! It's super pigmented and perfect for a night out - the coral and sparkles running through it are just so pretty!

On top of all the lovely things Frederica sent me, she also sent me some sweeties, gum and chocolate, and lots of samples of make up and creams and face masks and primers. I feel so lucky and grateful to have been able to do a swap with her, she is a lovely lady with a very sweet heart and I can't wait until we next do a swap around Christmas time!

Have any of you ever done a swap? What was it like?

Until next time!

xxx