I didn’t intend to buy this much… honest… I bought it on 3/4 occasions and I didn’t realise how much I’d bought until I put it altogether! No regrets though, I had the best time discovering brands and products I’d never tried before. I think we have one Sephora in the UK, but it’s nowhere near where I live, so the majority of these products were from there (thanks to Matt). T.J Maxx also does stocks some amazing brands, way better than T.K Maxx here! Before we begin, just be warned that this post contains a lot of lipsticks. Mainly lipsticks in fact.
I think I lose all sense of rationality whenever I’m looking at nude lipsticks, I’ve never quite found my shade. All my others are too dry, too dark, too purply etc, so I made it my mission to find one I loved while I was there. Admittedly I found a lot of other stuff that I wasn’t expecting to find, but I wanted to find some lipsticks I liked.
Riverhead:
First up, in an outlet shopping centre in Long Island I bought the Becca Shimmering Skin Perfector in Prosecco Pop. I’m a bit of a magpie when it comes to makeup, highlighters are my weakness, especially non-powder ones. I find that I’m drawn to gold ones. I’ve wanted to try one of the Becca highlighters for ages because they are so creamy and beautiful, I’ve seen so many people rave about them. I have a few powder ones I use over my liquid Iconic drops, but I don’t think I have a cream one that I absolutely love. I only used a tiny bit for this photo and when I rubbed in it just kept spreading and getting shinier.
Target:
On a trip to Target with Matt and my cousin Kyra I wanted to test some cheaper drugstore makeup. I bought the Covergirl Trueblend Matte Made Foundation in the shade L20. I’ve never tried anything from this brand, I’m not sure if it’s available in the UK, but it’s really good. It’s very pale and not too high coverage, so 1 to 2 pumps gives me a really smooth and even complexion. It was super cheap and I really can’t complain about it.
I also bought an e.l.f. Poreless Primer because I’m always looking for things to make my pores appear smaller. It feels like silicon, kind of like the Benefit Porefessional Primer, but less bitty than that one. I prefer it over the benefit one so if you like that one, try this out! It sinks into my skin and I don’t feel any texture once it’s on. I love it, amazing for only $6.
At this point, I thought I’d never find a liquid lipstick that didn’t make my lips crack, so I bought the e.l.f. Matte Lip Colour in Natural because it looked really creamy. It’s very much a ‘your lips but better’ shade, which is what I wanted, and it’s beautiful. You have to reapply it if you wear it all day because it’s so creamy but that’s not really a problem. I thought it had pretty good staying power for an evening. Luckily e.l.f. is available in the UK so I can repurchase these if I want to, I’d recommend both!
I also bought the Burt’s Bees Lip Crayon in Outback Oasis, which has made my lips SO soft and smooth. It’s very like the e.l.f. one but glossier, I love it. Burt’s Bees is available in the UK but I haven’t seen it in stores before.
Sephora:
We ended up having an extra day in the city towards the end of our holiday, and I finally caved and went into Sephora. To be honest, Matt forced me (honest) because it was so hot he just wanted to go in anywhere with aircon. I said I didn’t want to spend any more money on makeup, so Matt treated me to these bits that I’ve had my eye on up for ages. I’d resisted walking past them the whole time we were there, then my boyfriend ended up dragging me in. The guy who HATES shopping.
I tested about one hundred products on my hand and checked everything out, then eventually settled on 3 things. I’ve always wanted to try a Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick and chose the colour Ophelia. It’s such a perfect nude, isn’t drying and really does last ages.
(Swatches at the end of this post)
I also got the Huda Beauty Liquid Matte in the shade Wifey. Another gorgeous nude shade that lasts all day and I think actually suits me. It’s the perfect amount of pinky nude for me.
Finally, I chose the classic ABH Dipbrow Pomade because my current eyebrow product is running out and there must be a reason that this product is so cult. I’ve tried the Brow Whiz and loved that, so I’ve no doubt that I’ll love this just as much.
T.J Maxx:
T.K Maxx is one of my favourite shops here in the UK, so just out of curiosity I went into T.J Maxx. It’s SO much better! I never buy makeup from T.K Maxx because it’s all opened, dirty and not brands I love. In the T.J Maxx they had Anastasia Beverly Hills, Kat Von D, Too Faced, Lorac Pro etc.
I bought the ABH Cream Contour Kit in Light which I have wanted for a long time. I love cream contour, and the 3 dark shades are all ones I would use daily, they’re perfect for my skin tone. I’m excited to use the lighter shades as well.
I also bought more lipsticks.. whoops. Couldn’t help it.
I bought an ABH matte lipstick in the shade Honey, a slightly darker nude.
A Too Faced lipstick in the shade Sure Thing, which has the most beautiful lipstick bullet I have ever seen with apples engraved into it. This is a much lighter nude but just as beautiful. It’s part of the Peach Kiss collection so it also smells divine.
The final lipstick I bought was the Kat Von D lipstick in the shade Agatha (unavailable online). A very pretty, pale matte nude. This lipstick is the palest one I’ve got, perfect for when my tan fades.
All the lipsticks I bought not only had the most beautiful packaging, but are also very comfortable to wear. I don’t think you can really go wrong with a nude lipstick. I like having several different shades to choose from (clearly).
All of these products were either reduced or cheaper than they would be in the UK, so I don’t regret buying so much. I absolutely love everything I got. If you’re in the market for a nude lipstick or some cruelty-free makeup, check these products out! Definitely visit these shops if you’re ever in the USA for some great finds.
Check out my other cruelty free beauty posts HERE!
