New York Day 4 & Haul! | Blogmas Day #23
So today’s post marks the very last day of my incredible New York trip. We had to leave the hotel at 3pm meaning it wasn’t quite as jam-packed as the other days, so I’ve decided to include a cheeky haul at the end of this post with all the beauty bits I picked up! If you’ve missed any of the other NYC posts you can check them out here.
We started off the day with probably the most unhealthy breakfast I’ve ever had in my life. We went to a restaurant around the corner from us called Morning Star Cafe, and we were both in the mood to get something rather ridiculous. I opted for, as shown in the picture above, Waffle Smores, which was essentially a waffle topped with melted chocolate and marshmallows. Don’t get me wrong, it was delicious, but I definitely couldn’t finish it. The boyf went for a Waffle Banana Split which was equally as impressive and indulgent.
Then the only plans we had for our day was to hit up Macy’s. And boy did we… The christmas department was incredible; it had trees of different colour schemes, a countless amount of christmas decorations and my favourite of all was the wish machine, which printed out emails from children with their wishes for Santa. I think the squirrel one was my favourite…
After a spot of Pinkberry in Macy’s, and then grabbing some lunch at a cafe called TreeHaus, it was off to the airport. Unfortunately it was so much cheaper to get a non-direct flight, so we did have to stop off in Paris before we finally made it back to London. Now for the fun part…
Starting off with the more budget-friendly purchases, I popped into Duane Reade a few times too many and picked up a few bits that I’ve had my eye on for a while. From Wet n Wild, a brand I’ve been interested in for a while, I picked up two Mega Last Lip Colors in Spiked with Rum and Think Pink and the coveted Color Icon Palette in Comfort Zone which was actually really difficult to find. I picked up two L’Oreal Infallible Eyeshadows in Amber Rush and Bronzed Taupe, which we can’t get in the uk. Another eyeshadow I picked up was the Maybelline Color Tattoo Pure Pigments Eyeshadow in Breaking Bronze as these haven’t been released here yet. The final thing I got which I am so excited about is the Milani Baked Powder Blush in Luminoso, a highly raved product.
And obviously Sephora happened. We will skip over the fact that I managed to achieve VIB status in four days… I picked up the Lavanilla The Healthy Deodorant in Pure Vanilla, the Kate Somerville Nourish Moisturiser, the Anastasia Beverly Hills Brow Wiz in Taupe and the Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper. From Bergdorf Goodman I actually got the best deal – I bought the Hourglass Mineral Veil Primer twice the regular size for the same price of the usual in the UK! I also popped into a random beauty shop near the Empire State, and picked up the Dose of Colors in Sorbet, which I have been wanting for a while!
It wouldn’t be right not to make the most of the amazing gift sets out at this time of year. I went into Mac and saw that they still had the Objects of Affection Pink + Rose Pigments + Glitter in stock, so I picked it up immediately because it just looks stunning. I also picked up this stunning Tarte Pin Up Girl Amazonian Clay Blush Palette which I couldn’t resist. I also had in my mind that I would pick up the Anastasia Beverly Hills Contour Kit as it is quite a bit cheaper than in the UK. Finally, something that I had a little trouble ordering with LookFantastic, I went into the Benefit store in Soho, and saw that they still had the Cheeky Sweet Spot Blush Palette so I cancelled my order and picked it up!
I haven’t used much of this stuff yet as I was waiting for good light to photograph in. I will, no doubt, be reviewing most of this at some point, so if there is anything you’ve got your eye on let me know, or keep posted…
–RachelElizabeth
What’s In My Makeup Bag – New York Edition! | Blogmas Day #14
The time has finally come for my birthday trip to New York! This afternoon I am jetting off to NYC with the boyf to celebrate my 21st birthday! This was actually my present from my parents, and it is possibly the best a girl can ask for. However, I have committed myself to Blogmas, and I really want to keep up with posting everyday, so I actually plan on scheduling enough posts until I return on Thursday! I thought I would start off with what makeup I am planning on taking on my trip, as these are some of my favourite posts to read – everyone loves to be nosey…
I will begin by saying that I am by no means a light packer – I like to have options. Having said that I don’t think that I have gone too overboard; I will leave that one up to you.
Face
Because the days will be long, I definitely wanted to bring a primer. One of my all time favourites is the Max Factor Facefinity All Day Primer (full post here), and as I’ve almost ran out, I thought I would be able to finish it off on the trip. I then decided to bring my tried and true L’Oreal True Match Foundation (review here)- I am bringing two shades (W1 and W4) because I fake tan, and once it fades I need to mix the shades. I am also bringing two concealers: the Nars Radiant Creamy Concealer in Custard for blemishes and general imperfections and the Maybelline Fit Me Concealer in Fair to highlight the face. Moving on to powder products, I am bringing the Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder in Dim Light (post here) to set my makeup, and the Nars Bronzing Powder in Laguna and the Mac Blush in Harmony for general bronze and contour goodness (check out my recent post for more details on this!). I decided to bring two blushes – my all time favourite Tarte Amazonion Clay Blush in Exposed and Mac Mineralize Blush in Warm Soul. These are quite similar colours, but Exposed is matte and Warm Soul is very shimmery. Finally, I’m bringing my current favourite highlighter theBalm Mary Lou-Manizer (post here).
Eyes
This category is one that I feel I have actually been quite selective. I had to bring my trusty Nars Smudgeproof Eyeshadow Base to keep my eyeshadow looking flawless all day, and I also decided to bring the Estee Lauder Pure Colour Stay On Shadow Paint in Chained for days when I want a quick easy option. I decided to stick to one palette that has everything I need, and this had to be the Lorac Pro Palette – I have a full review and swatches here. This is still quite new to my collection but it is probably my favourite palette, and I know that it will serve me well. Next is the Urban Decay Ink for Eyes liquid eyeliner and for mascara I am bringing the Bourjois Volume 1 Seconde Mascara. And of course I am bringing an essential to my makeup routine – my Tweezerman Eyelash Curlers and my current eyebrow pencil, the Revlon Brow Fantasy in Dark Blonde. As a bit of a glamorous addition to my makeup for my trip I thought I would bring a pack of my favourite eyelashes, the Ardell Demi Wispies.
Lips
Probably my favourite category, and one that I always struggle to pack for! So I decided to bring the basic choices. For my nude lip option, I have picked the Kiko Precision Lip Pencil in 300 Caffe Latte and the Mac Lipstick in Kinda Sexy. This is one of my favourite go-to combinations at the moment. For a bold red, I chose another Kiko Lip Pencil in 306 Geranium Red and my current obsession, the Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red. In case I’m feeling a bold lip that isn’t red, I decided to bring Mac Impassioned, which is another fave of mine. And finally, the newest lipstick in my collection, Tom Ford Leonardo (full post here) just because it’s stunning. For a lip liner to accompany that, I’m bringing Mac Beet Lip Pencil.
Brushes
The final category is tools. For ease, I will list the brushes I am taking, and if you want to know more about my favourites, check out my posts on brushes here. So from left to right we have: the Real Techniques Setting Brush, the Sigma F25 Tapered Face Brush, the Real Techniques Contour Brush, the Real Techniques Multitask Brush, the Sigma E35 Tapered Blending Brush, the Real Techniques Buffing Brush, the Mac 239 Brush, the Real Techniques Blush Brush and the Mac 217 Brush. I know this may seem like a lot of brushes, but it means that I will have everything I could possibly need on my trip.
I apologise for the incredibly wordy post, but I hope that you enjoyed having a nosey in my makeup bag. Stay tuned tomorrow for all the skincare goodies that will be travelling across the Atlantic with me.
–RachelElizabeth
Sephora Cream Lip Stain 01 Always Red | Review and Swatches
If you read Amelia’s, Lily’s or Anna’s blogs, then you’ve probably heard of the product in the title of this post. I have to admit that when those three mention a product, my ears definitely perk up and I immediately want to try it. So after they all couldn’t stop talking about a certain lip product, this was the first product I had to pick up when I was in Sephora in Paris.
The infamous Sephora Cream Lip Stain in 01 Always Red is a liquid lipstick that dries to a matte finish. Now this is a bright red, not for the faint-hearted. It’s not a blue-toned red, but I wouldn’t say that it is overly orange-toned either – it sits somewhere in the middle giving us a nice neutral hot red. As a bold (and red) lip lover, I was so drawn in by this colour when I saw it. It applies like a typical liquid lipstick – very creamy and somewhat shiny, but it doesn’t take long for it to dry down to a completely matte finish. What is also great is that you can layer this product without the product glooping on the lips (I’m looking at you Hourglass Opaque Rogue). However, it is the wear of this product that really makes it stand out for me. It is definitely not drying, which is a quality that has become somewhat associated with both matte liquid lipsticks and lip stains. It is also incredibly long-lasting and even lasts through meals (however if the meal is oil-based then it may break down the lipstick, but that is to be expected). I would say this one of the best lip products I own in terms of longevity, and it is safe to say, I am in love.
If you live in a country where Sephora is readily available then you have to check this out. I cannot rave about this product enough, and I would even go so far as to say that is one of the best lip products I have ever tried. And don’t worry UK folk, because Sephora ships to us poor makeup-deprived souls. Have you tried any of these out? It’s safe to say I need more of these in my life…
–RachelElizabeth