It's safe to say that I saved up a lot of money before going on holiday, making sure I was very harsh on myself for the majority of the summer, meaning I could have as much money as possible for New York because... SEPHORA!?!? I managed to do alright, and had about $400 for my trip, which of course is all gone now, but in its place I have some amazing products and bits and bobs which I am dying to share with you!
SEPHORA
This makeup heaven has to be up there with my favourite shops, even though I have only ever been in 3. As you know, lots of makeup that you can buy in Sephora in America, is not easily available to purchase in England, so I obviously grabbed this opportunity with both hands and went a bit mad. I am also aware that some of the things I bought in Sephora, can be bought in the UK, but the majority of it is cheaper, so I went with it anyway.
I have never really been that happy with my skin, not because of acne or spots, but because my skin is very uneven, with red/blue patches across my face. Also I have quite an uneven texture, which when it comes to foundations, has always been an issue. To top it off, I have quite oily skin, which means that it takes me bloody ages to find a foundation that I can put on in the morning and will still be there when I go to take my makeup off at night. After finding my perfect foundation a couple months ago (Estēe Lauder double wear) I came to the conclusion that I also wanted something with less coverage, that I could easily use on a daily basis, and something sheer enough that you could still see my natural skin underneath. After researching into it, I found the Urban Decay one and done foundation, which is a mix between a sheer foundation/BB cream/tinted moisturiser. After buying it, I was slightly weary about whether or not it would last all day, but to my absolute amazement, it does. It's pretty mad, but it really does, and I absolutely love it. It works well with my beauty blender and evens out my skin without looking cakey af.
Onto the beauty blender, well not really much to say. I had the real techniques miracle complexion sponge, which worked, but it just wasn't perfect. With the beauty blender, however, my makeup goes on EXTRA flawlessly and just looks amazing everytime. Couldn't recommend more, even if its not the cheapest thing in the world.
Liquid lipsticks ar something which i am rather obsessed with. Around easter time, I got two Kat Von D liquid lipsticks, and since then I have built up my collection. They last so much longer and look so much better than normal lipsticks; you will probably never catch me buying a Mac lipstick again. In NYC I picked up two of the tarteist lip paints which are just wow. The pigmentation is ridiculous and even though they don't dry completely matte to the touch, they seem to last through anything. I got two from the new naughty nudes collection and am obsessed. I also picked up another Kat Von D one in a bright red as it was something a bit more daring and exciting. This does dry completely matt and does not transfer AT ALL. love love love.
For christmas, I got what I thought was the Laura Mercier Translucent setting powder. After looking into it, it turns out that I actually got the universal setting powder, which is a smaller pot, and doesn't work as well. So I decided to get the right stuff this time, and I love it and completely understand why it is raved about as much as it is. I use this to bake and just set my face lightly and it keeps me shine free all day, even in the 100 degrees New York heat (Which was absolute torture by the way).
I have never been very good at mascara. In the sense that I will use a mascara for years, and never be bothered to spend money on getting a good one. After reading countless reviews on the tasteist mascara by tarte, I just had to get it. For one, the packaging is beaut, but the mascara itself is just even better. It lasts amazingly and volumes AND lengthens your lashes, so in reality, what more could you want?
Concealer, I find, is so bloody expensive. Like you don't get that much but you pay ridiculous amounts for the stuff. Saying this, however, I will buy it because having oily skin, means I need a good concealer, and after 4 tubes of the Urban Decay naked skin concealer finished, I decided to branch out and try something a bit different. I am very glad I did because the born this way concealer is everything I had heard it to be, creamy, full coverage and long lasting. I got the lightest shade to highlight my face with and it works a treat. I will 100% be repurchasing this when I sadly come to the end of the bottle. Oh and also, the applicator is very good, which is always a plus.
BRANDY MELVILLE
This is a brand I have spoken about multiple times on here, and obviously it originates in America so there were plenty around. I started off in one in the centre of New York and bought these two tops. They are pretty basic but very effective. I love them a lot. With jeans, shorts, skirts, whatever, they look lovely, so I just had to get them! They are also reasonably cheap, at $15, about £12, it really isn't that extortionate for the quality of the clothes. When we moved onto Connecticut to stay with my Grandpa, I found out that there was another store in their actual town which was just AMAZING. So obviously I couldn't resist going back. I ended up buying something a bit different, a jacket (more for autumn/winter) but I just thought it was gorgeous, and decided to go for it. For the price again ($55) its pretty good, considering the quality and the thickness of the material and just how nice the product fits. I will definitely be getting a lot of wear out of this jacket and cannot wait to start wearing it!
URBAN OUTFITTERS
UO is a shop I adore, but simply can't afford. The clothes and accessories they have are completely on trend and look amazing, yet I just don't have the money to buy lots from there. I did however spot a flannel shirt I loved, and thought again, it was something I wasn't really used to wearing. I decided I wanted to mix up my style a bit and wear things a bit different, so I went for it and bought it. I also love the colours on the shirt and think there are multiple ways I can wear it, making it a very versatile product.
NIKE
One thing I lack a lot of, are shoes. I just have very few pairs, and the pairs I have a pretty basic. I really wanted some nike shoes a couple years ago, and when I saw a huge Nike shop in the town I had to go in. Jamie and I looked around and finally I tried on a lot of pairs. I knew I didn't want anything too extreme, just something nice that I could wear on a daily basis. My other excuse for spending $106 on shoes, was that my plan this year is to start going to the gym. Anyone that knows me, knows I am extremely lazy and don't do much, if any physical exercise which is seriously bad, so to motivate me to start going to the gym, I decided to buy the shoes... (that is some serious girl logic right there). Either way, I adore these shoes. They're like walking on pillows and seem to go pretty nice with all my clothes, so I do not regret buying these at all, even though I did more or less spend my entire life savings on them :)
There you go, here are the things I bought on my trip away, Im sorry for the long wait, but it just has been so busy! I hope you enjoyed it, and will be back again soon.
with love,
Becks x
very interesting!!
ReplyDeleteThank you
ps how's the PS coming on.....