New York Haul

Tuesday 10 June 2014



Hi everyone, hope you're all well! Back in April I made a trip to New York for my mum's 50th, a surprise trip her boyfriend had been planning for her for months. It was incredible with all kinds of amazing experiences from a helicopter ride above the city, visiting Ground Zero (something I'd wanted to see for a while) and of course, all the shops filled with goodies we can't get in the UK! I haven't posted in an extremely long time, mainly due to focusing solely on getting my degree but now that I have obtained my 2:1 I'm back to blogging more regularly which I'm so happy about.

I did end up spending quite a bit in New York but trust me, this was me holding back. There were so many amazing brands and products I really had to narrow it down to the wishlist I'd had of things I really wanted to try. Here's what made the cut!


Can you tell I'm a foundation junkie?! Base products are definitely by far my favourite makeup product to collect and I'm constantly on the hunt for the 'perfect' foundation. Starting with the Tarte Clay Full Coverage Foundation, this was something I had to pick up after seeing countless positive reviews online. It is a lovely foundation, like it says on the packaging it offers great coverage whilst appearing light on the skin and not too matte. Really love this for covering up redness.

The next foundation was the first of my repurchases, the MakeUpForever HD Foundation which is my all time favourite base for nights out. It really does live up to it's title as in photos this makes my skin look flawless without an imperfection in sight. I don't love it for the daytime as it can look a little heavy but trust me, if you want something for photo or evening use, this is a great pick. My second repurchase was the Covergirl Outlast 3 in 1 Foundation. Unfortunately, I picked up a shade darker than my usual colour so I'm unable to wear this unless I mix it with something lighter but the foundation itself it great for long lasting staying power and good coverage without looking too heavy.

Finally, I went for another Tarte favourite, the Tarte Clay Airbrush Foundation which is a powder foundation. I have to say, I'm undecided on this one. It's definitely one for days where my skin is looking a look less red which isn't much at the moment and I don't find the staying power great either. A bit of a let down but good for those who don't require as much coverage and have more normal skintypes.


Stepping away from foundations, I also picked up the extremely hyped GlamGlow Mud Mask. I have to say, for something so eye-wateringly expensive I really expected more from this. It is a good face mask but I wouldn't say it's any better than cheaper ones I've found at clearing my pores. If you have the money to spend it might be worth a try but I wouldn't buy this again. Another hyped product I purchased was the Fresh Brown Sugar Perfume. I love how America sells the rollerball perfumes, so convenient, I got far too excited over this! This perfume smells so amazing, as the brand would suggest it's a really fresh scent, slightly sweet but also citrusy. If you get a chance to smell this I definitely would, I'm addicted to it.

Next was a recommendation from a friend, the Clinique All About Eyes Serum. This stuff is my saviour against my puffy, dark circle eyes in conjunction with my Bobbi Brown Corrector as the rollerball applicator and product combined really cool and depuff my eye area. I didn't realise this before going but Clinique is SO much cheaper in the US so I'd recommend grabbing some of their stuff over there if you can.

Finally, I was given this Buxom Full-On Lip Polish in Sophia which is effectively a lip plumping gloss. Firstly, the colour is so gorgeous. It's similar to my natural lip colour but with a really subtle shimmer to it and a sheen that makes my lips appear lighter. I'm not sure it massively plumps my lips but I really love the staying power and colour of this gloss, not bad at all for a freebie!


The only hair product I picked up was another thing I slightly regret, the It's a 10 Miracle Leave-In Product. I'll start by saying it's not that this doesn't work, it does detangle and fulfill the uses listed on the bottle however I CANNOT stand the smell of this at all, it's so horrible! I have other products that do a similar job so I wouldn't buy this again, it was pretty expensive and I'd probably rather by something that has a nicer scent if it will be noticeable on my hair for days like this was.

Lastly, I bought a Victoria's Secret Body Spray in Passion Struck. I really wish these were more accessible in the UK as they are so lovely. This scent in particular contains notes of Fugi Apple and Vanilla Orchid, making it a really fresh fruity, sweet fragrance that I haven't stopped wearing!

So that's my New York Haul, have you tried any of these? I'd love to know what you all thought of the same products!

6 comments:

  1. Amazing haul and done in New York of all places - lucky thing. I really want to try the glamglow mud mask, seeing this brand everywhere at the moment x


    Kate | A British Sparkle

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  2. Want an amazing trip! I bet you had lots of fun :D
    I really want to try more Tarte, I wish it was more accessible here.

    Sarah | More Than Adored

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  3. This has made me so excited to go to New York in September! It sounds like you had fun. Do you know what company you got the helicopter ride with? I'm trying to find the best one to go with.
    The Covergirl and MakeUpForever foundations are on my list to get. I'll avoid the hair leave in conditioner for sure- no one else mentioned it smells gross but that is a major put off. x

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  4. One of the best hauls I have seen from a blogger in a while! I love New York, and I would love to visit there again :) I would definitely like to try the Tarte Amazonian Clay foundation as well as the Makeup Forever HD foundation, but at the moment, the CG 3 in 1 is my all time favorite. It's good to know that the glam glow mask doesn't work as well as it's hyped up to be because I was always wondering why everyone says it's the best thing ever? The Fresh Brown Sugar perfume sounds so yummy, and I will definitely take a whiff of it the next time I shop for makeup. I'm not a lip gloss type of gal, but the Buxom lip glosses are truly one of the best I have tried. Next time you get a chance to head into VS, I would recommend smelling Victoria by VS because it's one of my favorite everyday scents at the moment :) Also, if you ever head back to the US anytime soon, I would take a visit to Bath and Body Works too (one of my favorites)!

    Emily // ahemitsemme.blogspot.com

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  5. So many nice picks! I am incredibly curious about both of those Tarte foundations. That Buxom gloss looks super pretty too :)

    -Jen

    www.vibrantbeautyblog.com

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  6. Funnily enough, I live in the US, but I end up discovering more products because of UK bloggers! I'd never heard of the body spray or the Clinique serum before, but I want to check them out!

    http://mwritesabout.blogspot.com

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