It's here: my big New York beauty haul! I've pretty much been saving all year and also got money for my birthday (which is why we went away) so obviously there's a lot of stuff. Although it was what I'd been waiting for, I can't say I wasn't a little horrified watching the total rack up on my first trip to Sephora... Most of you guys wanted to see this as soon as possible so this is going to be more of a 'show' than a tell, as I've tried some of these products more than others and some haven't even had a look-in yet. However I will be doing full reviews of these over the next few weeks, so stay tuned.
Obviously I picked these products up in the States, though I will try to link to sites that ship to the UK or advise how you can get these products here where possible. I did try to stick to buying things not available in this country, however there were a few things I'd wanted for a while and was just feeling spendy about! I bought all the drugstore products from CVS, Walgreens and Duane Reade, most of the high-end stuff from Sephora and then I did a ColourPop order. Note that in the US, tax isn't included in the prices already. I'm not sure about the rest of the country but in New York that meant an extra 8-9% on the prices below at the till, so things aren't always as cheap as they seem however there are still a lot of savings to be had.
The drugstores are really much of a muchness - they tend to carry the same brands with almost identical aisles and you only really need to visit more than one if you can't find stuff in stock. There are no testers at the drugstore, which was annoying (especially with foundations) but you can return things so if you go to the US I'd advise to check everything is the right shade before you leave. One thing I really noticed is that the drugstore isn't *that* cheap. I think the L'Oreal cushion foundation was $16-17 vs. £15 in the UK but then you have extra tax on top of it. I'm sure there are discount vouchers online and in magazines you can use but there aren't offers just there in store in the US. In the UK it's virtually impossible to pay full price because every brand will have discounts and special offers readily available (3 for 2, 2 for £10, introductory prices and so on) but in the US everything was full-price.
Sephora was obviously the main place I went wild in, as we've not had their stores in the UK for about 10 years (though there are always rumours it's coming back, nothing ever seems to come from them) and even when we did I'm pretty sure it was more like Sephora France so we wouldn't have been able to get all the US brands anyway. It's a little unusual because unlike in the UK there aren't counters for high-end brands. You just go up and serve yourself, which I personally prefer. Ironically I tend to spend more when I'm able to browse in peace than when there's someone hovering around me constantly.
The drugstores are really much of a muchness - they tend to carry the same brands with almost identical aisles and you only really need to visit more than one if you can't find stuff in stock. There are no testers at the drugstore, which was annoying (especially with foundations) but you can return things so if you go to the US I'd advise to check everything is the right shade before you leave. One thing I really noticed is that the drugstore isn't *that* cheap. I think the L'Oreal cushion foundation was $16-17 vs. £15 in the UK but then you have extra tax on top of it. I'm sure there are discount vouchers online and in magazines you can use but there aren't offers just there in store in the US. In the UK it's virtually impossible to pay full price because every brand will have discounts and special offers readily available (3 for 2, 2 for £10, introductory prices and so on) but in the US everything was full-price.
Sephora was obviously the main place I went wild in, as we've not had their stores in the UK for about 10 years (though there are always rumours it's coming back, nothing ever seems to come from them) and even when we did I'm pretty sure it was more like Sephora France so we wouldn't have been able to get all the US brands anyway. It's a little unusual because unlike in the UK there aren't counters for high-end brands. You just go up and serve yourself, which I personally prefer. Ironically I tend to spend more when I'm able to browse in peace than when there's someone hovering around me constantly.
I've only included the products I got for myself, not any gifts for other people but I did pick up a couple of bits to put in a giveaway, so keep your eye out for that...
Bite Beauty Lip Lab Custom Lipsticks | $45 each
One of the things I did in New York was to visit the Bite Beauty Lip Lab to make my very own custom lipsticks. Obviously the shades are unique to me but I thought I'd still show them in here (let me know if you'd enjoy a post on the experience and some swatch comparisons of the shades I made with ones you can get off the shelf). The formula is matte but it's really creamy and comfortable on the lips with a very slight sheen. I originally was only going to make one, however we mixed another shade 'for fun' and I really fell for that too! Both are nudes, one has pinky-mauve undertones and the other is more coral-coloured.
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita II | $20
I have a couple of these and they're really pigmented, long-lasting and not as dry as some others I've tried. This is a very warm-toned brown nude. I like it for me, however I can see it might look a little orange on more neutral and cool skin tones.
Too Faced Melted Matte Liquified Long Wear Liquid Lipstick in Sell Out | $21
I actually purchased this without seeing it based on the colour on the box as there wasn't a tester! Luckily it ended well because this is a beautiful medium pink-brown nude colour. I actually thought this was similar to Echo Park on first impressions but it dries quite a bit darker. On first impressions it's slightly drying on the lips but gives that completely matte finish that lasts for hours.
Lime Crime Velvetine in Riot | £13.95
I actually picked this up in Urban Outfitters as they have a really great beauty department in the States. I vaguely remembered people praising these liquid lipsticks online so thought I'd have a look. I swatched this pinky-rust colour and just had to have it! It has a really sweet scent and the formula isn't too drying, though it does transfer a little bit.
ColourPop Ultra Satin Lip in Echo Park | $6
I really wasn't sure if this was going to be for me, having Googled swatches, as in some pictures it looked really light but in others it seemed like something that might work for me. I really love the Ultra Satin finish so for $6 thought I'd give it a go and I'm very glad I did. If it was slightly lighter it would be a little bit 'concealer lips' on me but it's just the perfect peachy-brown nude. The Ultra Satin formula is really comfortable and non-drying but still so pigmented, which decent staying-power. I've shipped ColourPop to the UK three times (one time, when I spent over $30 I did get a customs fee though) and you can read about how I do it here.
Anastasia Beverly Hills Liquid Lipsticks in Soft Lilac & Kathryn | $20 each
I've heard so much about these liquid lipsticks that I just had to get some! You can pick these up in Sephora or Macy's but I didn't know for sure at the time and stocks did vary so I ordered them online to my hotel (with their permission, of course). I took a break from the nudes and picked up two bolder colours: Soft Lilac and Kathryn. Soft Lilac appealed to me as I really fancied trying something like MAC Snob, but that shade was just a bit too light for me and this is just that bit deeper and more vibrant. It's definitely a 'weekend' colour but I really like it! Kathryn is an evening shade for me; a deep rosy plum tone. I will definitely update you on how I get on with these but my first impression is that they're a little bit tricky to apply; they're very pigmented and have a slightly thicker formula so the standard doe foot applicator doesn't work very well. However hopefully they'll be worth the effort
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