Wednesday 23 October 2013

USA Haul


Ever since I started following beauty bloggers from America, my wish list has been as long as my arm! I was lucky enough to travel over to the US at the beginning of October, as you can see I made one or two, (maybe a few more) purchases which I have been a tad excited to share with you all...

 

The kiss graduation nail polish set is something I have not seen before in the UK, although I have found it online (Link). I am very excited to try this out as I love the graduating look on the nail, especially in this unusual grey colour. Keep your eyes peeled for a full review and tutorial on this!
As we do not have a Sephora in the UK, I really wanted to pick up something from their line. When I was having a little browse at their counter, their eye shadow sticks really stuck out to me. I bought beautiful shimmery light taupe colour, the shade is called 04 taupe (Link). I love stick eye shadows because they are so quick to apply! You just sweep the pencil over your lid, blend it out with your finger and your good to go.  If I was in Sephora again I would pick more colours up, but I do think they are very similar to the Rimmel Scandleyes eye shadow stick which you can pick up really cheap.
The beauty blender is something I have really wanted to get my hands upon. If you are not sure what this is, it is a make up sponge which you can use to apply foundation and concealer. When I was in Sephora I noticed them by the till, so I put one straight into my basket, and I am so glad I did! When damp, you use tapping and blending motions to blend foundation into your skin. This leaves an air bushed, flawless finish, whilst being extremely quick to apply. I absolutely love it! However, now I have delved into the world of sponges, I would be interested to see how the beauty blender compares to other brands.
The ESOS lip balm is a product I was really excited about picking up. The ESOS lip balm can be found anywhere in the US. I love the unique round packaging and the fact that you do not need to faff around putting it on with your fingers. The scent of this lip balm is raspberry, but they also come in many other scents. Since I bought it I have taken it everywhere with me as it is very moisturising on the lips. I do think it compares to our UK version, the Balmi lip balms which comes in a cube packaging. If you are not going to the US any time soon, I would recommend picking up the Balmi lip balm for the fast approaching cold winter days.
 
Cover Girl is a brand we do not have here in the UK. Both the Mascara and the eyeliner came in a set. The mascara is amazing! It gives my lashes a full look with lots of length. As you brush the mascara through your lashes it also gets rid of any clumps, which I think is incredible. If you go over to the US I would definitely recommend picking one up. The eyeliner has also really impressed me. The consistency is very creamy and it applies like an eye shadow, which gives the eyes a smokey look. However, I do not like the sponge to smudge the eyeliner which is on the other end of the pencil. It rubs the eyeliner off instead of smudging it, so I use my real technique smudging brush or my finger. I would not rush to buy this again as I think we have many eye liners in our UK drug stores which are even better.
 If you are a fan of Maybeline baby lips, you will love this electro baby lips. The electro range has all of the moisture benefits as well as lots more colour compared to the original. In the packaging the colour appears very bright and you would think it would look tacky on the lips, but it is not in the slightest! On the lips it is a beautiful rosy pink colour, which stays on the lips for quite a while. In the range they also have neon orange and purple, all in black packaging which I prefer. I really wish Maybeline would bring this out in the UK because I love it!
Tarte is another brand I really wanted to have a look at in the US. It is a high end brand, which has a blush line named the Amazonian clay 12 - hour blush (a long name I know!). I also knew I wanted to pick up the colour tipsy which is a beautiful coral colour with a hint of pink. The colour looks very neon in the packaging, but when swept over the cheeks lightly it gives a lovely flush of colour. As the name suggests it also stays on ALL day! I really wish Tarte came over to the UK because I think this blush may have made its way to the number one spot of my blushes. I could not recommend these enough. If you are heading over to the US any time soon it is also worth looking at the colour exposed. If you are lucky you can find these blushes on eBay!

 
The Josie Maran oil is something I have been desperate to get my hands on as I have heard so many good things about it. The oil is 100% pure argan oil which can be used on your face, hair, body and cuticles, which sounds amazing to me. I picked this up in the Mini section by the tills as the large version was $44, which I thought was a little much for something I have not tired. It is also available in the UK! (Link). Look out for a full review on this product very soon!
 
The next two products are ones you can easily pick up in the UK, but I have had my eye on them for a while and thought whilst I am spending money I may as well pick them up! The first is the Laura Mercier radiance foundation primer. I picked this up in the mini section, I could not resist it as I am one of these people who is a sucker for anything in miniature form. I have not tried this yet as I plan to use it with my Estee Lauder double wear light foundation to give it more of a dewy finish. Again, keep your eye out for a post on this product!
 
The last product I picked up in Sephora was the Nars RadiantCreamy Concealer in light 2 Vanilla. I think this concealer is wonderful! It covers my black circles amazingly whilst brightening my under eye area at the same time. It sticks around for most of the day which means it is a winner for me. I love the creamy consistency as well because it makes it really easy to blend in. The colour is also perfect for me as I always wear concealer a couple of  shades lighter compared to my actual skin tone. The concealer is also a more yellow tone as opposed to a pink tone, which I love as I feel it makes the face appear brighter. However, as the concealer is quite radiant I do not think it is great to apply over blemishes. To wrap it up, I will be repurchasing!

Allure is a magazine which is packed with the latest beauty buys and trends which I buy monthly on my ipad as it is near enough impossible to get hold of the print version in the UK. If you love beauty like me I would recommend you having a look!


Yours faithfully




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