New York Haul

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!

A Very Late 13 Best of 2013!

Hey everyone, hope you're all well. You may or may not have noticed I haven't posted for a while which is down to a combination of things. Namely having a bad time at my job and having to quit, being a busy third year university student and some exciting goings on which have meant I haven't been able to blog as much as I'd like. I'm hoping now this will change as I've really missed posting and thought i'd start my return by doing my belated 13 favourites of 2013. As everyone says, it's so hard to narrow it down to just 13 products so I really tried to pick the ones that absolutely stood out over everything else and managed to eventually whittle it down to these!

1) Benefit Porefessional & MAC Refined Zone Primer (not pictured) - This may be cheating a bit but this combination of primers is my absolute favourite. I find the Porefessional is great at hiding any pesky visible pores around my nose whilst the MAC is amazing at reducing shine and mattifying any oily patches of skin for longer lasting make-up.

2) Covergirl Outlast Stay Fabulous 3 in 1 Foundation - Sticking along the theme of long lasting make up, I adore this foundation! Not only does it stick around for hours but it contains SPF which is great for daytime, is a perfect colour match and gives great coverage without looking too unnatural. The only downside for me is that it's unavaliable in the UK but if I ever visit the US I'll definitely be stocking up!

3) Loreal Nude Magique BB Powder - I really like this powder for looking really natural whilst helping with any oil control on my face. It photographs nicely and sits well on the skin whilst not being too expensive or clogging my pores. The only negative is that the shade range is limited to around two. They are fairly adaptable but if you have a medium-dark skintone, I'm not 100% sure this could work for you.

4) Laura Mercier Secret Brightening Powder (White) - This is one of my favourite discoveries of the whole year. The perfect powder for under eyes as it not only sets the area beautifully to allow a crease-free finish but also further brightens any undereye dark circles left after concealer. I will definitely continue to repurchase this throughout 2014!

5) Illamasqua Blush in Tremble - I have to admit, I'm not someone who always wears blush but when I do, this is the one I reach for 90% of the time. It's such a pretty, wearable peachy pink that I can't imagine looking bad on anyone. When my face needs perking up it's the one i'll always choose. I love it because it's the most long lasting brand of blush I own and it's matte so doesn't leave too much shimmer on my face. Highly recommend this!

6) MAC Patisserie Lipstick - This is definitely my all-time favourite everyday shade. It's basically a much easier way of wearing nude as it's a pinky brown shade which doesn't wash me out or look too unnatural. It provides a bit of a sheen and a wash of colour and for someone who finds nudes just don't work for them I find this perfect.

7) MAC Sable Eyeshadow - The perfect plummy toned shimmery brown. It's a hard to describe shade but it's great all over the lid or in the crease and I find it works well with practically any colour I wear. Seriously beautiful and I use it quite a lot!

8) MAC All That Glitters Eyeshadow - My favourite all over the lid, everyday colour. This is a colour I will always repurchase and that gets the most love from me! It's a really lovely pinky gold colour that is super flattering.

9) Stila All Day Waterproof Liquid Liner - This year brought about a new love of liquid eyeliner that I'd never had before and it's all because of this baby! It's a really opaque, slightly glossy black and I find the thin nib of the felt tip applicator makes application so much easier. The only negative is it does take a minute or two to dry so I do tend to wait before curling my lashes.

10) Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil & Liner - Another one of my favourite discoveries of the year. I never really heard this talked about but I absolutely love it. I also own the Hourglass Brow Sculpter but find this so much better. You get a felt tip applicator on one end which is great for sparser areas of brow where I need to mimic hairs and then a really pigmented pencil which leaves an amazing finish on the brows. So, so good!

11) YSL Babydoll Mascara - Although expensive, this was definitely my favourite mascara of the year. I'm still not sure if this is 'the one' but it's one of the best ones I've used for creating a slight curl, adding length and volume. It leaves a really nice finish and has left me wanting to try every YSL mascara there is now too.

12) Bumble & Bumble Dryspun Finish Spray - I've gotten through around 3 cans of that this year as I just can't leave without big hair. This stuff is really good at just adding some texture and volume to the roots and ends and creating good bed hair. I'm not 100% sure I prefer this to the Oribe offering but at £17 cheaper it's definitely worth it!

13) Models Own Hedonist, Topshop Celestial & Barry M LE Holographic Silver Glitter - As you may be able to tell, I've massively cheated here. But who realistically can be just one nail polish for the whole year?! It was hard enough to get it to three.. But anyway! These were the three that stood out to me. Hedonist is an incredible neon red shade that I could barely take off all summer. Topshop Celestial is probably my joint favourite shade ever with it as an amazing cornflower blue shade that works any season. Finally, I picked up this Barry M LE Shade (with no name) towards the end of the year and it is THE most amazing glitter - it's like a silver toned rainbow on the nails! I must have stocked up on around five so if you can find it i'd definitely recommend it.

So that's my (sort of) 13 favourites of 2013. I'd love to know what you think of any of these products or what you're favourite products were and i'll hopefully be back soon with another post! Thanks for reading :)