Wednesday 1 January 2014

American Beauty Shopping


Well, where do I start with this one? 

I'd like to take a moment to direct your eyes back to yesterday's blog post which was an overview of my trip to New York for the couple of days leading up to Christmas, and in that post I promised to share with you the purchases I made whilst in the Big Apple. Of course I bought plenty of souvenirs from gift shops (yes, I'm that kind of person) but that's not what you're interested in is it? Oh, you want to see make up and other beauty products? Well, read on my pretties, read on.. 

For a start all I have to say that it's my money that I worked for and earned so I shall spend it on what makes me happy, and if that's excessive amounts of beauty products then okay. But, not only that, I also found out that I was going to New York on my birthday (amazing surprise, btw!), which meant that any money which was kindly slipped inside cards or given as a gift (as is common for a milestone like 21) then I kept it in a safe place with the intention of using it to be able to shop in style on my trip to NY. 

Duty Free, Manchester Airport 

Clarins Ever Matte Pressed Powder - 00 Transparent Opale
Totally an Essie Button inspired purchase! I've not used this yet, but hopefully it will help to keep a shine free finish for longer, because no matter how matte my foundation is, that sneaky shine always creeps in around 4pm! Plus, Clarins packaging is gorgeous! Literally, stunning. 


Mac Pro Longwear Paint Pot - Bare Study
A soft and creamy eyeshadow that's easy to work with a leaves a whatever sort of pigment you want it to be; a light wash for a subtle hint of shimmer, or build it up to be more intense, but it'll still be longwearing and creaseless. I got Bare Study because it's a light champagne colour and will make a nice base, all over lid colour, and browbone highlight. 

Mac Frost Eyeshadow - Bronze
Bronze is kind of like a dark, mucky brown, but a good colour that can be used in lots of different ways, and it's definitely a staple colour. I wanted to play it safe with a 'goes with everything and can be used any time' sort of shade.  

Mac Frost Lipstick - New York Apple 
How could I not get that lipstick?? C'mon! Aside from the perfectly fitting name for my destination, it is actually a very pretty colour. I've heard many people comment that 'frost' finishes from Mac would not be a preferred choice, but Costa Chic is actually one of my faves for summer and New York Apple is definitely a winter hit. Frost finishes tick my boxes. It's a lovely dark pink shade with a shimmery sparkly finish to it (not in a tacky way), but it makes it that something a little extra special around the holiday season - it made the cut as my Christmas Day lipstick this year!


Macy's

Bobbi Brown Corrector - Porcelain Peach
This was $24 to buy from Macy's and despite their huge store wide sale, there was no discount on Bobbi Brown :(, but at the current conversion rate this works out at about £14.50 so I did make quite a good saving compared to if I'd have bought it in the UK. The saleswoman also almost convinced me to buy to Creamy Concealer Duo Kit as well and I've since decided that I'm going to order that next time Debenhams has 10% off beauty because at the end of the day my under eyes were looking pretty damn good! I can tell from pictures taken which day I was wearing the corrector and concealer (they were demonstrated on me in store), compared to the days when I wasn't and they really did make a difference. I haven't actually used this since I got back (should've put it to work on Christmas day to conceal my bags!) but it's a cult product to cancel out dark colouring under the eye - bye bye zombie eyes!

Victoria's Secret

Victoria's Secret Fragrance Mist Set
Victoria's Secret fragrance and body care seems to be a popular hit, but is something I've never tried before, and when they look so pretty and girly and smell so lovely it's hard not to want to add a bottle or two to your collection. I can't quite remember what the deals were on full sized bottles but I think it was mix and match any 3 for $25 (something like that), but in a busy store it was hard to stand around sniffing different bottles to figure out which scents you like and I got as far as knowing I like 'Pure Seduction' before I spotted this set of 5 smaller sized fragrance bottles in a box. It was only $18 which is just less than £11.00 for 5x 60ml bottles of fragrance which I actually thought was a really good deal; it makes them about £2 a bottle!! For how overpriced their lingerie is, this was good value and I'm so pleased that I found it so now I can try out which fragrances I like from this set of: Pure Seduction, Coconut Passion, Love Spell, Mango Temptation, and Pure Daydream, and then I can buy my favourite in the full size around summer time. Plan!


Sephora

Make Up Forever HD Complexion Starter Kit
On sale for just $55(!) (£33) this Complexion Kit from Make Up Forever contains: a full size 30ml HD foundation, 15ml HD primer, 5g of HD powder and a kabuki brush. When just the foundation alone is $42(/£25) it seems like a good idea to pay a little extra to recieve a primer, a powder and a brush too, all in a neat little set. These are my first products from Make Up Forever so it's the perfect little introductory set to the brand, and the quality is supposed to exceptional so I look forward to having a HD complexion over the next few weeks. Full review covering the whole set in detail will likely follow.


Smashbox Photo Finish Primer - Color Correcting Adjust
Everybody knows how much of a sucker I am for mini things, they're just 'awh! adorable!' being so small and cute. I'd had a browse at the Smashbox primers but ended up not getting one because the Make Up Forever Kit contains one, and I already love using my colour correcting Bare Minerals one, but these minis were lined up by the til, just so handy to make a last minute decision of 'oh go on then, I'll get one'. It was $10/£6 which is quite a lot for only 12ml but I'd rather just try out the small size and see how I get along with a green primer because I can sense it being quite a risky purchase and not a 'guaranteed love', if that makes sense.



Boscia Lumanizing Black Mask
Perhaps quite an unheard of brand and product? I know that in the UK this doesn't receive much attention at all, but I've seen at least 3 American YouTubers talk about this and sing it's absolute praises/show demonstrations and I've wanted it for such a long time, I even contemplated paying £40 to get one off eBay because they're only available in Sephora. It was $32/£20, and it's kind of like the Origins Clear Improvements Mask, but only because it's dark in colour (it's actually opaque jet black) and it works to detox the skin and remove impurities, but this isn't a clay mask.. it's a peel off mask. I've used it three times since I got back and I absolutely love it - it's so difficult to try and ration it, I don't want to run out!! As you lift it away from your skin you can see it pulling any oil and yuckkk out from your pores; it's so gross, but so fascinating, and really helps to brighten a complexion.


Drugstores; Walgreens/CVS/Duane Reade

Jordana Glitters Nail Polish - Confetti
This nail varnish looked so pretty in the bottle and the perfect chunky pink glitter, but on the nails I'm not sure I'm impressed (I'm wearing it over a light pink in these pictures) and I've had to put on 4 coats to get the glitter particles this dense. I like it, I'm just not thrilled by it.


Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette - Comfort Zone 
It wasn't an accident that I picked up two 'Comfort Zone' palettes. In a similar fashion to what I did with It's a 10 Miracle Treatment, I got one for me, one for you - I'm going to host a giveaway! It doesn't seem like much because Wet n Wild is an inexpensive American brand, but the colours are so pretty and it is near impossible to get hold of one of these in the UK ..so I wanted to share the joy :) It contains 8 super pigmented shades and although the green shade on the right probably won't suit me, the rest of the colours look really wearable. I'm going to review one palette, and keep it for myself, and then keep the other safe and pristine to give to one of my readers some time in January (Cough cough, be sure to be following my blog so you don't miss out!). :)


Wet n Wild Eyeshadow Palette - Walking on Eggshells
Why is Wet n Wild not available in the UK?? I swear it did used to be, didn't it? But anyway, how perfect is this little palette! I say this about so many palettes that 'it's the perfect one for every day use', but no really; a light highlight colour, a pink natural lid colour and a darker brown crease.. all in a super compact teeny palette that was literally no more than £2! How do they do it? This was the only trio palette available but I'd love to see more (edit: I found this image of some more - I need more!).


Maybelline Baby Lips - Pink Shock


Yay, Baby Lips! Double yay for non-UK Baby Lips! Pink Shock is one from the 'Electro Range' and although it's mostly same old same old with these; super cute adorable lip balm that leave your lips superficially soft and smooth.. (but nobody cares that they don't have long lasting effects because they're just so damn yummy!!), these ones also leave more of a tint on your lips than the previous tinted offerings, i.e. Cherry Me. I look forward to trying this and it could make it's way into a full review and hopefully they'll cross the pond to the UK soon.




Non-Beauty Shopping in New York..
Aside from enough souvenirs to keep the Manhattan Gift Shop Industry running for the next year, and a bag full of American sweeties to keep my sweet tooth happy, I also made a couple of non-beauty purchases in Michael Kors (eep!) and Victoria's Secret: 

Michael Kors
I talked in my New York, New York blog post about how my mum and I thought we were walking through a door into the Rockefeller Center, but got confused in the crowds and actually walked inside a Michael Kors store ..easy mistake to make! The first bag that I laid my eyes on was the one that I walked out of the store with 10 minutes later and it was definitely love at first sight! I got a twist on the classic black and went for navy; a colour that should never go out of fashion, and a classic style that should hopefully be timeless. It's my first ever designer bag, and actually my first designer item at all! I'm hoping it will be an investment and last me for years and years. 
Large Selma Satchel Bag - Navy $358.
It's £315 to buy in the UK (Selfridges price), but it was around £245 in America - kerching for a bargain! 



Victoria's Secret
As much as I'd like to say I got myself an amazingly perfect new set of underwear, I'm not made from pure platinum and could barely even afford the skimpiest thong (jokes). At a minimum of $55 (plus tax) per bra, it wasn't meant to be. But I did pick myself up a pair of those 'invisible knickers' to avoid VPL disasters in tight clothing - nothing worse than lumps and bumps showing in a pencil skirt! A picture would definitely be too much, so all I'll say is if you're looking for some undetectable underwear then VS has your answer!


I don't know if that seems a lot or not, but for a three day sight seeing holiday.. it probably was excessive. But every morning when I do my make up I can think 'ah, I remember buying this in New York' ;) 

What do you think of my purchases?
I could've bought so much more out there; American beauty stores have so much more choice and it's so much cheaper too!

Thanks for reading and Happy New Year!! 
Twitter Bloglovin | Instagram | Advertise
---
Check out my December Gold advertiser, Elysia, and her amazing blog:

35 comments:

  1. Amazing stuff!
    When I next go to America, I'll be getting loads of stuff from Make-Up Forever!!
    alicekatex ♥

    ReplyDelete
  2. I'm taking a trip to California in February and am so excited to do some shopping. Great picks and definitely making a list of some of these beauties! Happy New Year
    casualllyawkward.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  3. Lovely haul! I love the MK bag. I have that same one but I got it in black. xx

    ReplyDelete
  4. Awesome haul! Love especially your Michael Kors bag and the MUFE starter kit. The kit is such a great value. I love trying out kit in sample sizes first before I commit to buy the full-sized product.

    Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete
  5. You got some amazing stuff! Aren't Sephora and VS just the best?
    Happy New Year! :) x

    www.natalielovesbeauty.com

    ReplyDelete
  6. You picked up some gorgeous things, that bag is absolutely stunning!
    http://wwwclairabelle.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  7. Oh what fabulous buys! HD foundation, I'm so jealous!

    Liza | Glambeautys | YouTube

    ReplyDelete
  8. My oh my that's a whole lotta stuff! I love a good haul so I'm well jealous of everything. Happy new year Hannah. X

    ReplyDelete
  9. wow, that make up forever set was such a good deal and had all the three products i've been wanting to try out... This is why i need to go to New York! :p

    Lauren| thatgirlcalledlauren.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  10. What a brill haul! I'm so jealous of your Michael Kors bag... it's a beaut! I'm a huge fan of Bobbi Brown's Corrector but I wasn't overly impressed by their creamy concealer. xx

    duggydimples

    ReplyDelete
  11. A friend of mine has the New York Apple lipstick, it's so nice!
    Hayley
    Water Painted Dreams xxx

    ReplyDelete
  12. You got some great bits. I hope you had a fantastic time.
    I can't wait to read the HD foundation review!

    Beth | BethBlogsBeauty
    xx

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow you got some lovely bits! The bag is to die for! Happy new year!

    www.britishbeautyaddict.com

    ReplyDelete
  14. Amazing purchases - I'd love one of those Victoria's Secret minis and a palette from Wet n Wild is on my list of things to try :o). Xx

    Makeup by Candlelight

    ReplyDelete
  15. Great haul. I'd love to try out everything, especially Bobbi Brown corrector.

    Kah-Feh Yen

    ReplyDelete
  16. Ah, these are perfect products. I also love M.K. bag *.*
    passingfancyy.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  17. Ahhh you got some amazing goodies! I am in love with the bag! You've made me wanna go back to New York just for the shopping and we should really have wet n wild here too! xo

    http://prettypetticoats.blogspot.co.uk/

    ReplyDelete
  18. Amazing purchases. The VS sprays are such an amazing deal!! Love the MK bag, I've wanted that one for so long now, it's beautiful. Hope you had an amazing trip. I'm hopefully going to NYC for New Year 2014 :)

    Claudia xx | Beauty and the Chic

    ReplyDelete
  19. Wow wow wow! Some amazing goodies indeed! I'd love to try the MUFE Foundation. Hope you had a lovely Christmas and New Year!

    Megan xxx
    Thumbelina Lillie | UK Beauty Blog

    ReplyDelete
  20. You got some amazing items!
    That bag is gorgeous :)

    egtx3.blogspot.co.uk
    xo

    ReplyDelete
  21. Ahh I'm so jealous! Not only did you go to NYC but you got some very very amazing items. And that Michael Kors handbag is just perfect, I might have fallen in love with it!

    Tania x
    thetaniadiaries.blogspot.com

    ReplyDelete
  22. I'm going to New York in February and am SO excited, I'm going to have to check out Tarte and drugstores.
    catrinteleri.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  23. That's a lot of beauty - amazing stuff. I'd like to try the HD foundation. Looks like good coverage. Love Duty Free! They are awesome.
    Beauty Fashion Skin Care Blog -Girlie Blog Seattle | Casual Chic Style

    ReplyDelete
  24. I LOVE all your purchases and some of my favourites there. I picked up the MUFE foundation on my trip to the States back in October and I've been using it almost daily during December. I'm not a foundation fan but I LOVE LOVE LOVE this.

    New York Apple is a great lipstick from Mac, I haven't used mine in ages and must dig it out.

    Victoria
    FlorenceandMary.com

    ReplyDelete
  25. WOW! What a haul! So many new goodies for you to play with!!

    Kallie @ But First, Coffee

    ReplyDelete
  26. As soon as I saw this post pop up in my feed I knew after reading I would be VERY JEALOUS. That mufe hd kit looks amazing, so jealous of your gorgeous new bag too ! Looks like you had a great time :)

    Sophierosehearts x

    ReplyDelete
  27. WOW, biggest and possibly best haul ever ;) Thanks for sharing!

    Sophie
    http://what-sophie-said.blogspot.co.uk/
    xxx

    ReplyDelete
  28. Great post hun, loved seeing the products you bought, you chose well :) hope u had a lovely time, Abbie xx

    www.abeautifuldelight.blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  29. HOLY MOLEY you really hit those days hard! I'm pretty jealous about the MUFE kit!!

    http://mercuteify.blogspot.com/

    ReplyDelete
  30. Hope you enjoyed your trip Hannah. Have you tried Health & Beauty Products from hard supplements UK? They have some simple yet very effective products. Give them a try and see for yourself. Thanks again for sharing your experience.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Such an amazing haul! I'm sure I'm not the only one who's very jealous that you got your hands on some stuff we can't get here! Great buys looks like you had an absolutely amazing time!

    SaturdayNightGirl.Blogspot.co.uk

    ReplyDelete
  32. I just read this and i LOVE IT!
    can't believe how much you saved in america, jel!
    actually in love with that MK bag aswell, good luck with your one way ticket to the USA! have fun hehe xxx

    ReplyDelete

Thank you all so much for visiting Cosmetic Crave, and thank you for taking the time to read and leave a comment. I read and appreciate every single comment that is left and I do try my best to reply to comments (I'll admit I'm not the best for keeping on top of this). If you leave a comment with a direct and specific question I will often use Twitter to respond to you so I know you see it.
Thanks!

Minimal Blogger Templates from pipdig