American Beauty Recommendations and Haul

As soon as I found out I was heading to New York I started compiling a lust list for Sephora, Duane Readed and CVS aka the holy trinity of US beauty stores. From the general views of beauty vloggers, bloggers I sought out the best of the best of the goodies that are impossible to get in the UK.

Starting with Sephora I made a beeline for the Kat Von D stand and picked up the cult Tattoo Liner and having had a good week to test it out I can confirm that it is completely worth the buzz. It’s a felt tip style liner but the slim tip and varying width means its perfect for both wide flicks and delicate looks while the slight flexibility to the brush makes it all the easier to apply. Not to mention it provides the perfect deep black that so many other liners seem to lack.

My next stop was Tarte which although is available through QVC in the UK is at a pretty substantial mark up compared to the US prices. Although I was initially tempted by the Amazonian Clay Smart Mascara I finally settled on the Lights, Camera, Lashes version as I prefered the fuller look of the brush not to mention the gorgeous fake snakeskin looking packaging. The fuller brush provides a great base coat separating lashes and with further applications it builds really nicely, all in all one I will definitely be repurchasing.

Next I hit the fragrance and the heavily lusted after Elizabeth and James Nirvana white and black perfumes, which are very hard to come by in the UK as Sephora won’t ship it. I completely fell in love with the white fragrance which wasn’t a surprise as I’d heard it is more popular of the two, but the real mind blowing moment comes when you combine them. Holy cow it smells so good I ended up coming back with the black rollerball as well as the large version of the white just so I could recreate it at home.

Then I decided to swing by the Formula X stand after seeing a haul video by essiebutton who raved about ‘The System’ set, which combines a cleanse, base coat and top coat as well as a colour of your choice. I have often moaned about my want of salon quality nails but unwillingness to dole out for the high price tag, so I thought I would finally bite the bullet and give it a whirl, and at a price like this I couldn’t resist. And I have to say my eyes have been opened and I’m never going back. My nails look healthier than ever, they are less prone to chipping, and look so professional I would really recommend them if you want a salon looking manicure for a fraction of the price.

Of course I couldn’t leave without picking up some bits and pieces from the minatures aisle which I’m just saying is something we really need in the UK. It’s basically a double sided little wall that marks out the queue which is filled with loads of minatures of some of their best loved products. The combination of travelling and the harsh American coldness was wreaking havoc with my skin so on the hunt for a cure I picked up this First Aid Beauty Ultra Repair Instant Oatmeal Mask which I’ve heard many bloggers like Amelia Liana rave about, as well as their Anti-Redness Serum to try and calm my skin down. I also couldn’t help but pick up a Sephora Instant Depuffing Eye Mask as well which really helped providing coolness, and drastically lessened the dark puffy circles under my eyes from the jetlag. First Aid Beauty is definitely something I’ll be checking out again as someone who suffers from sensitive skin I often have reactions to most skincare products, but the cleanser provided a great deep clean while acting gently on my skin. The serum took a lot of my natural redness out of my face, as well as making it look a lot less like I’d been slapped in the face everytime I went into the cold so a definite win in my book.

Unfortunately I missed the memo in which it was announced that Make Up For Ever is coming to the UK later this year, but I definitely don’t regret purchasing their HD Invisible Cover Foundation ahead of time. Another product I’ve heard very good things about I was on the hunt for a new foundation and was blown away by the range of colours, in particular the pale shades. As being both a complete paley but with a rose toned skin colour I find it really hard to find a foundation as I find most of them are yellow toned, but these are perfect. It comes in colours suitable for olive, beige and yellow tones, and it’s definitely one of the more universal foundations I’ve come across, as well as it being oil free yet great for dry skin. Even the coverage which boasts medium-full is brilliant for both those like me who are less keen on a heavy makeup look, but is incredibly easy to build on as well, not to mention it’ll last all day. I can’t wait for this to come to the UK and I highly recommend you guys check it out too!

Finishing with Duane Reade I popped in to grab some Revlon bits, which is one of my favourite brands in the UK (probably something to do with the fact the Emma Stone is their poster girl). I got to get a look at some beauties that aren’t available in the UK, and after much deliberation picked up the Revlon Colourstay Overtime Lipcolour which is based on the same sort of concept as the Maxfactor Lipfinity, but boasts a 16 hour stay time and boy does it deliver. Even with my obsession of the Bourjois Rouge Edition lip stain this provides a much longer stay power, and well as an incredibly high pigment. It feels slightly strange when you first apply it, but once it’s absorbed it feels as natural as a lip tint. The pressed powder was a slightly less impulse buy and more of a need for some powder, but this last minute purchase actually turned out pretty well as it’s incredibly finely milled and provides a very slight glow, which is a great alternative to most powders which seem to wash me out.

I know this has been a bit of a wordy post but I hope this has helped some of you if you’ve been thinking of trying some of these products or brands as I would highly recommend them, and I only hoped I could have gotten more! I will probably cave and end up placing a Sephora order soon so I would love to hear your recommendations on new products or even new brands for me to try!

Taking New York: Museum Mile

So to kick of my series of New York posts I thought I’d focus on one of the most famous streets in the city, Museum Mile. I am a complete little museum nerd so this was very high on my …

New Year New Me?

What with the past few weeks being a blur of essays, work, Christmas and travelling it’s only in the past two days that I’ve actually had a chance to sit down and reflect on the previous year. And I’ve been thinking that maybe we shouldn’t be taking in the New Year with the intention to completely change ourselves, but rather appreciate how far we’ve come in some of our previous resolutions, or ways we’ve improved ourselves in other ways. So I thought I’d come up with some New Years resolutions that will be ways to continue to improve myself, as opposed to picking out my flaws and failures.

1. Keep On Saving

In the last few months I had the realisation that my relationship with money was unhealthy and I needed to change it. I only started with small changes such as taking a moment before I bought something as to whether I really needed it or whether there were cheaper alternatives, and making sure I kept a constant check on my finances. I know these are clichés but I have come to realise they are clichés for a reason as they really do work. It’s still early days and I still have the occasion slip, but overall I have been able to save money which results in guilt free spending which is all the more rewarding.

2. Keep on Moving

This is another one that features quite heavily on most resolution lists in some form or other and I think it’s most likely there for a reason. In the midst of university it’s easy to became trapped in a routine of sitting and lazing about and while I’m quite lucky in that my job keeps me very active, I still would like to increase my activity. I’ve noticed my mood increases as well as my general well being due to this mild exercise and while I don’t think I’ll be running any marathons anytime soon, I’d quite like to increase my daily walks to a couple of classes and who knows where it’ll go from there.

3. Have Patience

Another relatively simple one, but as my sister recently pointed out to me I can sometimes be so set in my ways that I am sometimes slightly less understanding when it comes to the reason behind peoples actions. Although I do try to be less judgmental when it comes to making snap judgments based on snapshots of people’s behaviours, I think being patient is a perfect resolution, both in taking account of people’s feelings but also just day to day living and maybe taking a minute to slow down and take things as they come.

I’d love to hear what your New Year resolutions are and whether there’s any I can add to my own, also I do appreciate it’s the 5th but seeing as I’ve only been in the country since Saturday I can totally count Monday as the beginning right?