If you have visited the US and not been pulled in by
Sephora, you deserve some sort of medal. On a recent trip to New York City
(look out for more blogposts on what I purchased and which places I visited
each day), I think I visited around 3 times and spent around $500; something I don’t
regret but my bank balance probably does. I thought I’d talk you through the
products that I purchased, have tried and are still yet to try (I’ve only been
back 2 days) so here goes…
This is a product that I actually received as a sample but
this compact TSA approved makeup bag is getting added to my makeup essentials.
Although inexpensive, this bag is big enough to carry all your inflight
necessities so that you can walk off and nobody has to know that you’ve actually
just spent however long feeling grimy on an aeroplane. This bag also feels
extremely durable and is a plastic-y easy to wipe material in case your product
decides it wants to attempt to break out of its usual container (a nightmare
that I’m almost positive everyone must have experienced once).
This is another product I received as a sample (I thought I’d
talk about all of these first) and one I’ve heard only great things about. I
can’t lie and say I didn’t laugh at the name when I first spotted this going
into my bag but after having a quick smell of the sample on display as I left
the shop, I swear this product must be exactly what heaven smells like. If you
want a more in depth review, Tati (the queen of all firming products and
therefore the best expert to trust when it comes to these sorts of products)
featured a review recently on her Youtube channel which you can check out here.
This is definitely the priciest thing I was gifted as a
sample and again something I’m yet to try (in a way I’m hoping I don’t love it
because my bank balance is going to hate me a hell of a lot more if I spent $55
on a facemask). The Sephora website claims that this “brightens and renews skin
tone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces
the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes”; I’ll try to report
back with more once I’ve gave this a go.
(UPDATE: since writing this, I tried it and wow was it good. I want to start off by saying that the smell was not appealing at all; it literally smells of bad perfume which is trying badly to hide the smell of chemicals. This combined with the appearance, which can only be compared to custard, made me even more hesitant to put it on my face. However, this was both easy to apply and remove and left my face feeling soft and moisturised but in no way greasy (major plus points from me!!))
I was so excited when I spotted these sheet masks because
you can rarely find anything like this in the drugstore in the UK and sheet
masks are all the fun with not even half the mess. I was actually planning on
doing these on the flight back to help my skin cope slightly better with the
lack of moisture in the air; but on a brighter note, this just means a mum and
me pamper day has to happen soon and I’m totally game for that.
I was persuaded (not that it took a lot) to
buy this by my friend Lucy after she bought it on our first trip, loved it and
went back for more. As I am yet to try It, I got Luce to write a little review
for you all and hopefully you’ll love it as much as she does. “For a long time now, I’ve been desperate to
try this face cleanser. The price tag was initially what put me off trying it;
however, the allure of Sephora roped me in and I ended up buying both the
travel size (50ml) and the regular size (100m;). Let me tell you, this is
skincare dreams in a tube. The cleanser isn’t too thick and the texture is
smooth with no exfoliating beads (so if that is what you are after, I’d steer
away from this product). You simply put it on damp skin and then wash it off
and in seconds, it’s worked its magic. It’ll leave your skin refreshed, bright
and soft. I have dry and sensitive skin, so if it can work for me, I’m quite
certain it can work for anybody. Don’t let the price tag put you off, I swear
it is worth every penny (or cent).” Contrary to Lucy, I have combination skin
which is probably a lot closer to oily than dry so once I have gave this a go,
I’ll be sure to report back.
If
you weren’t able to grab the free sample of this lipstick around a year ago,
boy did you miss out (but even more reason to purchase it right). I’m pretty
sure this is the colour I originally ordered but they ran out and I received
Nude Pink No.5 instead; so when I saw this in Sephora, I quite literally had to
grab it (I didn’t but believe me, at the time, it felt like the new oxygen).
The shade of this lipstick is a simple nude but with brown undertones; if
anyone is like me, pink lipstick is perhaps the biggest no no since the world
itself began so finding a nude that is both wearable and not in your face pink
or brown is like a god sent gift. The lipstick itself is very lightweight and
moisturising but without sacrificing pigmentation. It honestly just feels like you’ve
got a balm on so if the feeling of heavier lipstick isn’t for you, definitely
check this product out.
Lip
gloss is a world I rarely dive into but after hearing such great things about
this gloss and with the pull of Sephora behind me, I had to grab it. This gloss
contains blue micro pearls which are meant to make your smile appear whiter in
both real life and photographs. How much this is true, I am unsure but all I am
saying is that after applying this for the first time, I got chatted up on the
subway (a story for another time) and told I have a nice smile, so I’m pretty
convinced. The consistency of this lip gloss is also great because it is in no
way sticky or tacky but again just feels like you have applied a light balm and
is something that can completely transform your makeup look.
I am a lover of brows, and by default, brow pencils; in this age of makeup, who isn’t?
I knew when I wanted to go to Sephora that the Anastasia counter was somewhere
I had to visit, so it is unsurprising that this is the first product I picked
up. Although there has been a lot of attention placed upon the ‘Dip Brow Pomade’,
I seriously do not think that this product has been given near enough
attention; I think I first heard it talked about by Bonnie Hoellein, a Youtuber
who always has the best brows.
Unlike other brow pencils I have tried in the
past, the ‘Brow Wiz’ has an extremely thin point which means you can fill in
your brows without them looking completely overdrawn or too dramatic. I also
love the fact that the pencil itself is in no way chalky or too waxy but just
creamy enough to hold your eyebrows in place and keep them looking great all
day long. I wore this all day in 34 degree heat in New York City and my brows
were still in perfect condition by the time the rest of my makeup had slid down
my face. I cannot stress enough how much you should go and grab this product
whilst you can (I even got an extra one in case I run out), it will quite
literally change your brow game forever. My only tip would be that when it
comes to colour, always go one shade lighter than you think your brows are,
this way they will look natural instead of that you have used a pencil on them.
I’m
just going to put it out there, New York City made me highlighter crazy; it took
literally all my will power not to buy every highlighter in the shop. These kits
come with 4 highlighters which are perfect for all skin tones and any makeup
look. These add such a beautiful glow to your face and can be built up or
blended out depending on how dramatic you want your look to be. I wore these
for the last 2 days of my New York trip and not only did they stay on all day,
but they were so amazing to apply. I feel like the world has experienced enough
reviews stating how amazing this product is so I would just say, trust them all
and pick these palettes up as soon as you can because you won’t regret it.
Again,
this is a product that has been raved about for what seems like since the world
itself began and having bought it, I can totally understand why. Although
pricier than the Anastasia highlighters in that you only get one instead of
four, this highlighter is absolutely beautiful and an essential if you are only
looking to buy one. The shade is perfect for most skin types and gives a
flattering glow which can be built upon for a stronger and bolder look.
Furthermore, the texture of the highlighter helps this in that it has an almost
creamy feel that means it sits perfectly on the skin and looks amazing all day
long.
This
is another product that I purchased with the plane in mind (hence the travel
size) but didn’t get to use. I, however, have tried the POREfessional ‘License
to Blot’ in the past so have no doubt that I will love this product just as
much. Although some may argue that $12.00 is slightly expensive for a primer of
this size, I think it is also important to consider that you use the tiniest
amount and only use it once a day before applying your makeup, so in my eyes,
it is well worth the money.
I originally
went into Sephora looking for a fan brush which I could use with my highlighter
but after finding out they were completely out of stock, a helpful lady told me
about this brush which I swear is the softest thing I have ever put on my face.
She told me about how this brush is good because it has a slight point but
makes blending super easy and wow she was right. I’ve been applying my
highlighter with this brush alone and I love it, it took a bit of getting used
to but once you do, it’s so easy to use and I would definitely recommend picking
one up.
From Monday I will be uploading day by day posts about my trip to NYC so look out for them!!brightens and renews skintone
and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and reduces the
appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes.brightens and renews
skintone and texture, minimizes pores, diminishes hyperpigmentation, and
reduces the appearance of fine lines in as little as 10 minutes.