15 Jun 2014

USA Haul Post, Part 2, Beauty Haul

Hello Beauties, so here it is, what you've all been waiting for, my USA beauty haul. I know there is no need to do a disclaimer as I have included one in the part one of this post but there is one little thing I would like to say.

I am a professional makeup artist and I am constantly building my kit so I have purchased a lot of makeup and will continue to buy makeup until I feel satisfied with my kit, in saying this I want you to know that there is absolutely NO NEED to spend ridiculous amounts of money on makeup or buy unnecessary products, buy makeup as you use it and not for the sake of having it because there is absolutely no point in wasting money on makeup your not going to use just because you saw it on someones blog or a blogger/beauty guru said it was good or your friend has more makeup than you.

Makeup is my career and is something i'm very passionate about, that is why I have the amount that I have but in writing this blog I am in no way claiming that everyone should have/buy this amount of makeup or spend ludicrous amounts of money on makeup there are wonderful brands on the high street and in the drugstores and you will ALWAYS be able to find a dupe for your favourite high end products.
Any way that's enough of all the serious talk it's time to get on with the haul.

Before I left the UK I made a makeup wishlist of some of the products I wanted to pick up and a list of shops I wanted to visit. First on my list were some of the most popular drugstores in the USA such as CVS, Walgreens and Dwain Reids and as ashamed as I am to say it I actually forced Cían to come with me to Walgreens on our very first night just for a mosey, I'm sure it was EXACTLY what the poor boy wanted, just off an 8 hour flight and is forced to go and look at makeup for an hour "sorry Cían if your reading this".
I didn't actually pick anything up in Walgreens as it was our first night and I didn't want to seem like a complete eager beaver even though I so was.

The next day Cían and I went to the Florida Mall and the first shop I saw when I walked in was CVS so obvioulsy I had to drag Cían in with me.


I picked up 3 Clump Crusher mascaras, two for my kit and one for myself, I actually picked up two different types without realizing. I have heard so many great things about this mascara and I knew I had to try it for myself and with it only being a couple of dollars each I figured I may as well pick some up for my kit as well.

Next I picked up two L'Oreal Infallible eye shadows, I already had a couple of these and knew I absolutely loved them and with them being so much cheaper in the USA I decided to pick up two more. I picked up the colours Iced Latte and Amber Rush.

Finally in CVS I picked up two Maybelline colour tattoos (review here), I absolutely love these bad boys and I knew they had a much larger variety of colours in the USA so I had to pick some up I picked up the colours Edgy Emerald and Barely Branded.

On evening two Cían and I hit The Mall at Mellenia and I hit up both MAC an Seophora, all the MAC stuff i bought is all together in the photos so it looks like a lot but I picked it up over a couple of days in the MAC Pro stores in both The Mall at Mellenia and the Florida Mall.

We will go through what I picked up for myself first and then go through what I picked up for my professional kit.


The first two items I will speak about are the two products from the Alluring Aquatics line because I didn't actually purchase these in the USA I picked them up in Hethrow airport before I even left.

I had my heart set on the bronzer from the range in the shade Golden but anywhere I looked it was sold out and I was worried that by the time I reached the USA it would be sold out there too so when I saw it in the airport I knew I had to pick it up, I was lucky to get it in the airport, it was the last one which makes me believe even more that it's meant for me.

The second item I picked up from the range is the frost finish lipstick in the shade Pet Me, Please, I know a lot of people are not fond of the frost finish lipsticks but they are my absolute favourite especially in the bronze/gold shades.

In the USA I picked up 7 new shades of lipstick for myself, as you may or may not know I am MAC lipstick obsessed (MAC lipstick collection post). I picked up the colours Frenzy, Brave, Velvet Teddy, Sweet and Sour, Viva Glam Rhianna, Flat out Fabulous and Rebel, I also picked up a tube of lipglass as I absolutely love it and ALWAYS use it.


L-R Pet Me, Please, Frenzy, Brave, Velvet Teddy, Sweet and Sour, Viva Glam Rhiana, Flat Out Fabulous,Rebel

I picked up 4 new eye shadows to add to my palettes I picked up the colours Phloof, Dazzle Light, Sable and Coppering, I had wanted these colours for a long time but decided to wait and get them in the USA.


Second Row L-R Phloof , Dazzle Light, Sable, Coppering

I picked up two new pigments one pressed and one loose, I picked up Blonde Streak pressed pigment and White gold loose pigment, I really wanted Pink Opal but they were sold out everywhere so it's still on my wishlist.

I also picked up a Paint Peinture, my very first one, these little beauty's are very like paint pots except for instead of being in a pot its in a little tube I picked up the shade Stilife and cannot wait to try it out, I'm very excited. 

Finally I picked up a tube of Strobe Cream I absolutely love this stuff and always have a tube of it in my makeup collection and if you haven't tried it I really recommend you do. 

Next we will move on to the MAC items I picked up for my kit.



Obviously when working as a professional makeup artist you need to have many different kinds of foundation in  your kit in a multiple of different shades and some of my favourites are MAC Studio Fix and MAC Face and body and obviously I couldn't leave without picking a few bottles up.

I picked up 4 bottles of Studio Fix in the shades NW1O, NW15, NW20 and NW40.


L-R NW10, NW15, NW2O, NW40 

I picked up two bottles of face and body in the shades C4 and C5, these are perfect for use alone or for mixing with other foundations, I have a multiple of different colours in my kit now (I have built quite a collection).

L-R C4, C5

I also picked up a tube of Prep and Prime face and a tube of Strobe Cream, these are a must have for any professional kit in my opinion, I use them on a daily basis and clients seem to love them.

I picked up a number of different palettes in MAC as they are so much cheaper in the USA and it I always enjoy building palettes for my professional kit (and my personal makeup kit but we won't mention that).


The first palette I picked up was a large palette with two blush inserts to go with it, I have found it SO difficult to purchase blush inserts in both the UK and Ireland so I knew it was one of the main things I wanted to pick up the USA, turns out I didn't even get to as there was a mess up and I was sold the wrong thing so had to purchase the inserts off the MAC website when I got home, but that's a story for another day.

I already had one blush insert so I picked up 5 more so one side of my palette would be complete, i'm quite OCD about things like this which can be a real pain sometimes. 

I picked up the shades Love Cloud, Peaches, Margin, Cubic and Tenderling.

Top Row L-R Love Cloud, Peaches, Margin
Bottom Row L-R Cubic, Tenderling

 I also picked up a large palette and two inserts for my lipsticks, I decided on the 12 lipstick inserts rather than the 24 inserts as the 12 fits the whole lipstick in it rather than only half in the 24 which means being able to get rid of the empty bullets straight away rather than having both the lipstick bullets and palette in my kit.

I picked up 3 new lipsticks for my kit in the shades New York Apple, Flat Out Fabulous and Rebel. I have now melted all my lipsticks into my palette and absolutely love it.



L-R New York Apple, Flat Out Fabulous, Rebel, Russian Red, Morange, Plum Pink
L-R Jazz, Frou, Pattisserie, Angel, Behave Yourself, Up The Amp

The Final Palete I picked up was another large palette with 2 15 eye shadow inserts, I already had a 15 eye shadow palette but it was one of the old palettes and it was getting a bit grubby looking so I decided to replace it and what better way to replace it than with one double it's size.

I picked up 3 new eye shadows to go in my new palette in the shades Yogurt, Phloof and All that glitters, I already had 15 MAC eye shadows and I plan on filling the rest of my pallets with purchases from the IMATS. 

L-R Yogurt, Phloof, All That Glitters

I also picked up two paint pots for my kit I already have plenty of these little posts of heaven in my personal makeup (MAC paint pots collection post) collection but I didn't have any in my professional kit, I picked up the shades Painterly and Ground Work. 


L-R Painterly, Groundwork
I know it may seem like I bough a lot in MAC and I did but if you have been reading my blog a while you will know that MAC is one of my all time favourite makeup brands and it makes up the foundation of my professional kit as well so with it being so much cheaper in the USA I knew I would pick some up and I also get a % discount off each purchase because of my pro card so it was actually much cheaper than I ever imagined it to be, it almost seems sinful buying MAC in the UK and Ireland when you realize just how much cheaper it is in the USA. 

The next shop we visited was Seophora, and like any other beauty blogger I am obsessed with Seophora, when I heard they had started shipping to the UK my online shopping bag grew seriously fast but I restrained myself and decided I would wait until we were in the USA which I am very proud of if I do say so myself.

The main thing I went in for was the Tarte Amazonia Clay 12 Hour Full Coverage Foundation as I had heard so many beauty bloggers and beauty gurus raving about it but unfortunately when the colour IQ matched me to a shade it was actually out of stock, I tried too other Seophora stores before we left and they were also out of stock so obviously my skin tone is a very popular shade. My cousin is in Canada at the minute though so I may ask her to pick me up a tube before she comes home.  In saying this I definitely didn't walk out of Seophora empty handed, in all honesty, who could? 


The first thing I picked up was the Kat Von D Lock It Tattoo Foundation and Lock It Tattoo concealer, the woman In the shop knew I was looking for a full coverage foundation and recommended these, I had never tried anything from the Kat Von D range so was very excited to try them, I have been using them since I got home and O WOW , they are honestly incredible, full coverage, easy to apply and blend and last absolutely all day with no need for a touch up, I really wish I had picked up another bottle of this as I absolutely love it, it will definitely be added to my online shopping bag.


The next thing I picked up was also from the Kat Von D range and it is one of the Everlasting Love Liquid Lipstick and it is in the shade Armageddon, I haven't actually had a chance to wear this yet but when I swatched it on my hand it was so pigmented and creamy I knew I had to have it. 

Armageddon

The next few items I picked up were from Tarte, I was disappointed that they didn't have the foundation I wanted but I knew I wanted to try out a couple of there other products as well, I had heard great things about there Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blushers so I picked up one in the shade exposed, The other item I picked up was the Smooth Operator Amazonian Clay Pressed Finishing Powder, the woman in the shop had used this on my while testing foundations and I absolutely loved the finish it gave so I knew I had to have it.



The next thing I picked up was two Obsessive Compulsive Cosmetics lip tars, as a complete lip product junkie I am not quite sure why I had never tried these little beauties before my god am I happy I have tried them now, So pigmented and easy to wear, these two are my new "go to" lip products. I picked up the shades Interlacelt and Femme.

L-R Interlacelt, Femme 

Next Thing I picked up was two eyeliners from Makeup Forever, we do actually have a Makeup Forever shop in Dublin but I never go in there and I'm really not quite sure why. I picked up two Aqua eyes in the shades 23L and 2L, I have actually lost the swatch photos for these but I will be doing a full review of them soon.

I then picked up two Seophora own brand brushes, I had never tried any of the Seophora makeup brushes so I actually asked on Twitter what ones you guys would recommend so I picked up the Miner Powder Brush which I have actually been using for foundation and I absolutely love it and the Precision Foundation which is PERFECT for under eye concealer. 

Last but by no means least in Seophora I picked up the Bobbi Brown Gel Liner Duo for my kit, we recently had Amy Conway from Bobbi Brown come in and do a demo for  us in college and ever since seeing her use these I knew I had to have them.


Next place we went to was Victoria Secrets and along with the other things I got I picked up 3 of there lip-glosses I have been using and loving Victoria Secret lip-glosses since I was in secondary school so I knew I had to pick up a few more, I picked up the shades Melonrageous, Citrus Kissed and Candy Baby, they smell and taste absolutely incredible.

L-R Melonrageous, Citrus Kissed, Candy Baby

The second to last shop we visited was Target and to say I did some damage in Target would be the understatement of the century, when the sales assistant had finished scanning everything through and told us how much it was I am pretty sure I saw Cían shed a tear. 

The first things I picked up were EOS Lip Balms, who doesn't love EOS, I couldn't actually pick what flavors I wanted so I picked up one of each of the flavors the had there. Summer Fruits, Sweet Mint, Lemon Drop, Strawberry Sorbet, Honey Suckle/ Honey Due and Pomegranate Raspberry.


Next I picked up some Baby Lips, I absolutely LOVE the Baby Lips Lip Balms and have the complete collection of the flavors we have at home so I figured I would pick up two of the flavors we can't actually get at home and these are from the ELECTRO Range, I picked up the flavors Berry Bomb and Minty Sheen. Excuse the photo below as it includes my Victoria Secrets Glosses and my Elizabeth Arden 8 Hour Cream which I picked up in one of the outlet malls.


Finally in Target I picked up some bits from NYX this is the main reason I dragged Cíán to target as I really wanted to pick up some butter glosses and repurchase some of my other favourite NYX products.


Obviously the first thing I picked up was the butter glosses, I have heard so many people rave about them that I just knew I had to try them, I picked up the shades Tiramisu, Vanilla Cream Pie, Merengue, Peaches and Cream and Maple Blondie. 

L-R Tiramisu, Vanilla Cream Pie, Merengue, Peaches and Cream, Maple Blondie

Next thing I picked up was three of there blushes I picked up the shades Terra Cotta, Peach and Pinched, I absolutely LOVE the NYX blushes as they are so pigmented but so creamy and easy to blend and wear.

L-R Terra Cotta, Peach, Pinched

Next I picked up 4 of the Jumbo Eye Pencils, I picked up two in the shade Milk, Milk is such a cult product in the Beauty world and this is a repurchase for me also it's perfect for highlighting or even wearing under eye shadows as a primer/base as it really makes the colours pop, the other two shades I picked up were Mocha and Yogurt.

Finally the last thing I picked up from NYX was there HD Eye shadow Primer, this is also a re-purchase I have tried so many different eye shadow primers and honestly nothing compares to this little beauty. 

Finally we have reached the end of my haul and the very last shop I visited Bath and Body works for one reason and one reason only hand sanatizers, The deal in Bath and body works is 5 for $5 so I picked up 10 7 for myself and 3 as part of my giveaway prizes if you haven't entered do so RIGHT NOW (Here), and I also picked up a cute little holder for them to clip onto my brush belt.


If you have made it to the end CONGRATULATIONS and thank you for sticking with it all the way to the end as I know this is a really long post, I could have done it in three parts but I really wanted to get it up in to, I hope you have enjoyed it and maybe it has given you some inspiration on products you want to pick up in the future, leave me a comment telling me what is your favourite product in my Haul or what your favourite USA drugstore products are. 














8 Jun 2014

USA Haul Part 1, Candy, Clothes and more

Hello beauties and welcome back, as weird as this may sound I have really missed you guys. Ass you may or may not know I am just back from an incredible trip to Orlando Florida for my 21st birthday, to say I have been utterly depressed since I got back would be an understatement, coming back to college and the real life is hard, especially coming back completely and utterly penny less, there’s really no one to blame for that except myself (well myself and Cían).

The good news is being penny less can only mean one thing, a nice big haul post. Before I start I would just like to say I am in no way bragging about what I got Cían and I both worked very hard in saving before the holiday for the sole reason of being able to blow it while we were away and that is exactly what we did and I would just like to take this time to say a massive thank you to Cían, my parents and my brother and sister for making my birthday trip absolutely incredible and one that will never be forgotten.


As I have mentioned I bought quite a bit while I was away so this post is going to be split into two separate posts, the non-beauty haul and the beauty haul.  This being the non-beauty section of the post, I apologise for the quality of the photos they are not the best as I was in a bit of a rush taking them as I just wanted to be able to start wearing and using my new stuff and I needed to unpack it all and put it away rather than having a suitcase at the end of my bed.

So lets get into it, little warning this post is going to be quite photo heavy.


The first evening we arrived we were all obviously very tired after traveling but we went to the supermarket anyway to stock up the fridge, the family had one trolley and Cían and I had another and you could say I went a little candy CRAZY.

Sweets are honestly my weakness and when it comes to American candy I just cant get enough M&M's, Jolly Ranchers, Sour Patch Kids, Gold Fish and more I had to stock up, this is a very small selection of the candy I stocked up on, honestly my hand luggage was absolutely overflowing with it. 

The other bits you can see here are from Disney and Universal, Cían knows I absolutely obsessed with Frozen so picked me up this Olaf rice treat and I don't have the heart to eat it, i'm pretty sure he will be staying in its packaging forever, the other bits are from Universal I picked up a chocolate frog and every flavor beans, the chocolate frog looks so damn tasty but I don't want to eat it and ruin it and with the jelly beans, well lets just say I'm being a complete wimp. Who wants earwax and vomit tasting jelly beans anyway? They look much nicer displayed.

Next we will move onto some clothes, I love shopping in the USA because I find it so much easier to find nice clothes to fit my size and they actually fit well unlike some of the clothes I pick up in the UK and Ireland.


I picked up two pairs of shorts in Lucky Brand Jeans, I picked these up in the outlet malls right beside our hotel on the second day because I stupidly didn't bring any shorts away with me, a pair of the shorts are missing from the photo as they were in the wash.

I also picked up two pairs of jeans from American Eagle, I absolutely LOVE American Eagle jeans, they fit me perfectly, they are so comfortable and they have so many different styles, colours and washes to choose from.

The last pair of bottoms I picked up are a pair of boyfriend sweat pants from PINK, I absolutely love these they are so unbelievably comfortable and perfect for wearing when lazing around the house or traveling and we all know I do A LOT of traveling.

I picked up another couple of pairs of shorts that aren't in the photo purely for the reason that I forgot them when I was coming back to the UK, but they are just two pairs of black shorts, nothing too exciting.

Next we will move on to tops and sweaters.


First things first, my Thing 1 hoodie, honestly who can go to Universal studios without picking up one of these bad boys. I have been living in it since coming home, its just so warm, cozy and just perfect for lazy evenings watching TV.

The Figment sweater in the front is a bit of a family joke but I saw it and just could leave it in the shop I absolutely love figment he is one of my favourite Disney characters and this sweater is so comfy and cozy, the bonus being it has a picture of figments wings on the back so when I wear it I turn into a dragon and lets face it, who doesn't want to be a flying purple dragon?

Next is two things I picked up from the PINK store, honestly PINK can't really do wrong in my eyes, their clothes are always spot on and so comfy, it also helped that there was a sale on while I was in there and I was being helped by an absolutely LOVELY sales assistant. 

I picked up a black and grey leopard print sweater, its massively over sized and so comfy and the other is a long sleeved pink tye die top, I wore this coming home and got so many compliments on it, I LOVE IT. 

Next item really isn't too exciting, I picked it up in the American eagle sale it's a black lace sweater, I figured this would be absolutely perfect for work and honestly it was so cheap I couldn't leave it in the shop. 

The last sweater I picked up is from Aeropostal, it's a gorgeous white over sized sweater with big black love hearts on it, I haven't had a chance to wear this little beauty yet but I honestly can't wait to style it. 


Ok so answer me this, who can go to the USA and shop in American Eagle, Abercrombie or Aeropostal without picking up some camis, not me that's for sure.

I picked up two from Aeropostal, I usually only wear plain camis but I was feeling very adventurous so I picked up these two, I have no idea what i'm going to wear them with but i'm sure I will figure it out. 

On our very last day of shopping Cían and I took a trip into Hot Topic, I absolutely love Hot Topic and all the unusual clothes it does, fortunately for me on the day we were there they were having a massive sale so everything was 50% off so I picked up two tank tops, one of which was an awesome find on Cíans part.

I hadn't spotted the Tinkerbell tank top but as soon as Cían pointed it out to me I knew I had  to have it, the second one I picked up I found all on my own and I absolutely love it it's perfect for me firstly because it's mint green, MINT GREEN PEOPLE and secondly it says I believe in mermaids, honestly how perfect can a top get? 

Next we shall move onto foot wear.


If you read my wish list post you will know that I really wanted to pick up some nikes while I was away but NEVER in my wildest dreams did  I imagine I would pick up three pairs.

I got two pairs of Airmax 90's a black pair and a grey pair, the grey pair are looking a little worse for wears as I wore them every day while I was away which makes me sad and the  other pair are brand spanking new because I haven't touched them yet and i'm too scared to ruin them.

Finally I bought a pair of Rosche Runs, these I wasn't too sure about actually, I had to have a think about them and go back for them but boy am I glad I did because I have fallen madly in love with them. 

Last but by no means least.


Underwear, who doesn't love buying underwear, especially when it's from Victoria Secrets and PINK, obviously I couldn't leave without picking up a few pairs.

I picked up two head bands in Aeropostal, i'm crazy for headbands at the minute i'm not really sure why but these are nice additions to my collection. 

Cían was in a candy shop buying sweets for his litter brothers when I spotted these nerds socks and I just couldn't leave them in the shop, they're just too cute. 

Finally the last thing hair ties, how exciting picked these up in Urban Outfitters purely because I thought they were really cute and pretty.

Well lovelies that's it for the first part of my haul post, hope you have enjoyed it and stay tuned to catch the second part of the haul.

3 Jun 2014

Soap and Glory, Archery


Hey Beauties, so as you may or may not have noticed I am really loving brow products at the minute so today I have another review for you. Soap and Glory Archery Brow Tint and Pencil.

I had been ummming and ahhhing over this product for a long time and on a recent trip to boots I once again found myself standing in front of the soap and glory display with this in my hand so I finally decide to purchase it as part of the 3 for 2 offer and haven’t stopped using it since.

What Soap and Glory say:
"Soap & Glory Archery  Brow Tint and Pencil is a double-ended brow tint and precision shaping pencil for fuller, beautifully shaped brows."

Packaging:
The packaging is pretty simple and sturdy. It's a double ended stick that keeps the product nice and safe.
When it comes to eyebrows I am completely and utterly obsessed, and although I like my brows because they are quite full and thick, I have to fill them in because in places they can be a bit patchy.

Sometimes my eyebrows also just need a little defining too so I'm a big fan of eyebrow makeup and think it's essential for achieving beautiful brows.

 The product contains two ends, a precision pencil and an eyebrow tint. So, the pencil, I find it really  dry and hard to work with as it seems to really drag the skin which is a shame but the pencil isn't what I love about this product, the thing that I'm a big fan of is the tint. It allows you to create precise hair like strokes which are great for filling in those missing patches.

The shade match is perfect for my dark brown hair and the overall look is natural yet nice and defined giving you almost perfect eyebrows. If I’m honest I would have liked the colour to be that little bit darker but I suppose beggars really can’t be choosers.

I love this product, simply for the brow tint. If you love natural, yet defined brows, this product may just be for you, my little piece of advice would be just ignore the pencil entirely as it really isn’t worth your time.

What's your favourite brow product?


1 Jun 2014

IMATS Tag


Hello Beauties, so it’s that time of the year again, IMATS time, who’s excited can I get a “HELL YEA”. I had never seen this tag before but Megan told me about it so I checked it out on YouTube and decided it was a must; I tag whoever wants to do it. Enjoy.

1. Which IMATS are you attending?
IMATS London 2014, and I am beyond excited for it, I'm going with my fabulous boyfriend Cían and I will be shopping up a storm, if I’m honest I think Cían is more excited than I am, the cutie.

2. Have you ever been to IMATS before?
Yes I have been twice before in 2012 and 2013 and enjoyed both years immensely. The first year I went with my college and the second year I took a weekend trip to London with my cousins who are both qualified makeup artists and we attend it together.

3. How are you getting there?
The train, as always, I don’t think I’d ever drive the train is so much easier and its really quick.

4. Are you bringing anyone along?
As I have already mentioned Cían and I are going together were making a weekend out of it and I honestly couldn’t be more excited.

5. Is there anything else in the IMATS host city that you want to see?
Not really, I live in London so I’m not really into the touristy things so much but Cían and I may go to the theatre in London one of the evenings if were not too tired and broke.

6. What days will you be in the city that IMATS is in?
 I live in London so I’m here all the time anyway.

7. Who do you want to meet?
I can't wait to meet inspiring artists, and learn new techniques to play around with. I'm also hoping to meet Gracie Francesca from The Ugly Face of Beauty.

8. What company’s exhibits are you most excited to see?
Sugar pill are at the show this year and they are definitely the brand I am most excited to see, I have been lusting after some of their products for a while now.

9. What products are you looking for?
I'm yet to write a formal shopping list which is a real shock for me because I am list crazy, but I know that I want The God Father Case from Stillazi and I really want to have a look at MAC, Inglot and pick up some Royal and Langnickel brushes. I know I will just end up picking up things that catch my eye though, but that is just how it goes.

10. How much do you plan to spend?
Hopefully not too much, but I have put away some money to spend.

11. What do you want to get out of IMATS?
I want to lose some of the shyness that holds me back in life and converse with some of the artists I admire and, of course, I want to enjoy the access to brands I wouldn't otherwise, and take home some goodies.

Will I see you at IMATS? Tell me now and I'll have worked up the courage to say hi by then.


I tag all of my lovely readers.