American Drugstore Excitement

What is it about foreign supermarkets that makes them so appealing? Don't get me wrong I do love a good Waitrose trip, but its not the same as Walgreens. Two floors of undiscovered American bargains but lets be real, I'm only there for one thing…the sicky tasting chocolate. Actually, make that two things, the sicky tasting chocolate and the mother load of drugstore makeup.

Walking down the CoverGirl aisle and seeing hundreds of mascaras in cardboard packaging, brings me a joy that my heart never knew existed. 

Now I am back from my travels with a heavy dose of post holiday blues, I thought I would share my purchases. I'm sure I will put up a post with some actual holiday pictures to prove that I did see some culture, as well as drugstores ;)

CoverGirl The Super Sizer Mascara

I'm not even a massive Star Wars fan, this was purely me getting lost in the moment and finding myself riding a wagon. I haven't tried this mascara before, so if its any good I'm sure it will be mentioned on here again.

Maybelline Full 'N Soft Mascara

As well as new unchartered mascara territory, Americans still have every single mascara that has ever been discontinued in England. As you can probably tell by the basic bitch packaging, Full 'N Soft is old. In fact I can remember Sarah Michelle Gellar used to advertise this back in the day.

I have used this mascara before and loved it. If you like dramatic lashes, you won't like this, but I love the natural look it gives and sometimes its nice to not have crispy looking lashes! 

CoverGirl Ready Set Gorgeous Foundation and Concealer

This foundation was on my radar to try, as I had seen a lot of American's raving about it on YouTube. I know technically Max Factor is the same as CoverGirl so I'm sure there is a UK equivalent.

 I ended up picking up the concealer to try as well because I am a sucker!

Maybelline Instant Age Rewind Eraser Dark Circles

You can get this concealer in the UK but you can't get this shade. This is the brightening colour which is designed specially for correcting darkness under the eyes. I have tried the original concealer and liked it, so I thought I would give this a whirl.

EOS Vanilla Mint Lip Balm

I need another lip balm like I need a hole in the head but EOS are like Pokemon and even though you can buy them over here, they are sold for about £6.00, compared to $3.00 in the US

Physicians Formula Argan Wear Ultra Nourishing Argan Oil Blush in Rose

Catchy name…

Name aside, I love the Physicians Formula Happy Booster blushers and this one was too pretty to leave. I don't know how a blusher can be 'infused with argan oil' but lets just ignore that and stare at it for a bit longer. I'm pretty sure the gold is an over spray which will wear off after a couple of uses though.

Eyebrow Razors 

Saved the best till last didn't I ;) 

Whenever I go to the States I always buy a pack of these, they are genius. No I don't shave my eyebrows, but they are good for getting all those blonde fine eyebrow hairs and I won't lie, definitely have used these on the old 'tache once or twice. 

Next post….a Sephora haul OMFG

An EOS Obsession

If there was an award for cutest lip balm, EOS would win by a mile! My friends and I have become a bit obsessed with these little egg shaped lip balms after collecting a heap of them on our America travels.

They look like little eggs but when you unscrew the top, your lip balm is inside. I love that you don't have to dip your fingers into these and they are made from 95% organic 100% natural ingredients, no nasty chemicals here.

EOS is finally making its way over to the UK and I have seen them popping up in Selfridges, Topshop and Amazon. Annoyingly these only cost a couple of dollars in the States but the price has been bumped up over here. The cheapest place I have found them is naturisimo.com for £4.99 including delivery.

Oh and if you're wondering my favourite flavours are Sweet Mint and Honey Suckle!

Inside My Makeup Bag

For Christmas I got the most adorable makeup bag from my Mum and Dad. Its extra special to me as its New York themed, with little taxis, pretzels and 'hot doigs' all over it. I adore New York, I have visited 5 times and would love to live there.

As I have been showing you inside everyone else's makeup bag, I thought I would give you a peek into mine. The only makeup I really reapply during the day is lipstick/lip balm, so this is pretty much a bag of different lip products which grows throughout the week!

Oh and if you are interested the makeup bag is from Kate Spade, I'm not sure if you can get it online but I know my Mum bought it from the Kate Spade outlet at Bicester Village in Oxford. 

Chanel Les Beiges Healthy Glow Sheer Powder (Shade 20) - Not going to lie, I pretty much bought this for the packaging alone. I like to have a nice compact in my bag and you can't get much more beautiful than this.

Bobbi Brown Creamy Matte Lip Colour in True Pink - I do love a matte lip and this is a pretty matte pink colour.

NARS Sheer Lipstick in Dolce Vita - This is the lipstick Liv Tyler wore in the film Jersey Girl. The film is shockingly bad (JLo and Ben Affleck ahem) but this lipstick is a really pretty, very sheer red. Perfect for me.

EOS Organic Lip Balm in Summer Fruit - Because I am obsessed with EOS.

DIOR Creme De Rose Smoothing Plumping Lip Balm - Don't waste your money on this lip balm, its nothing special.

NARS Radiant Creamy Concealer in Vanilla - I'm still forming my opinion on this concealer. Its nice under the eyes and has a good brightening effect but I'm still not sure if I like it as a concealer for redness/blemishes. I will report back....

DIOR Lip Glow Colour Reviver Balm in Original and Coral (limited edition) - Skip DIOR's Creme De Rose and get one of these instead. One of my absolute favourite lip balms, I got through a tube in less than 2 months I was that obsessed. I love these because they adapt with the temperature of your lips and  give you the perfect colour.

MAC Lipstick in RiRi Woo - I learnt the hard way to keep a red lipstick in my bag in case of emergencies. I was interning at a magazine and got invited, very last minute to a Pixi Lott Lipsy launch party. I had no makeup on me (FML) and there is a very terrible picture of me with Pixi Lott to prove that (again FML)

Hair Apparatus - When you've got to bun, you've got to bun! I love these Sephora hair ties, they leave no kinks in your hair at all.

Manuka Doctor ApiRefine Lip Enhancer - My friend bought me this for Christmas. It has purified bee venom in it and trust me it really makes your lips tingle. I didn't know if I was allergic to bee stings until I tried this....luckily I'm not!

Collection Lasting Perfection Concealer in Medium - Now, this is one of my favourite concealers for blemishes. Covers anything but feels very light and its so cheap, I love it!

Burberry Lip Cover in English Rose - I know I always bang on about this lipstick but it truly is my favourite 'nude' colour.

Sephora Cinderella Collection Rollerball Perfume - I wish dreams really did come true! One day.....

Kate Walsh Boyfriend Rollerball Perfume - I love this slightly masculine scent, especially in the Winter time.

Jordana Lipliner in Tawny - One of my best American drugstore discoveries and it only cost $1.99

I always have such a heavy bag and now I realise that's because its full of lip balm!

Do I Need This Many Lipsticks In My Bag?

I am not a very organised person.....at all. I have tried to be but I just don't have it in me. What can I say, Im just a messy, chaotic, creative person, I cant help it!

 I tend to wear a different lipstick most days and whatever lipstick I put on in the morning, I chuck in my bag. You can imagine how many lipsticks are in there after a month! Anyway I fished out the current batch and thought I would share them with you. 

I think I have every lip eventuality covered here!

From left to right:

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Vivid Shine in  Hot Lava - Perfect metallic red for Christmas but it smells like old ladies.

MAC RiRi Woo - I do love this colour but MAC no more Rihanna collections please, 3 in a year is ridiculous. This is my emergency red lipstick, some people carry around plasters, I carry around emergency red lipsticks.

NARS Velvet Gloss Lip Pencil in Baroque - This is my new favourite, thanks to my lovely friend Chloe! This looks so pretty on the lips, it looks quite glossy but its not too sticky on and I just really love the colour. I am worried about sharpening this though as I used to own a Stila glossy lip pencil which was impossible to sharpen as it was too soft. If you have any of the Velvet Gloss Lip Pencils please let me know! 

Wet n Wild Fergie Perfect Pout Lip Colour in Ferguson Crest Cabernet - Wet n Wild is an American brand but I bought this off Amazon. Amazing colour and so cheap, under £4.00! I wish I had bought some Wet n Wild lipsticks in America, oh well I will just have to go back next year ;)

Burberry Lip Cover in English Rose - My all time favourite everyday lipstick

MAC Hot Gossip - Another pretty, everyday colour. I had completely forgotten I had this so was excited when I rediscovered it the other day!

MAC Plumful - This actually looks brighter on the lips than it does in the swatch. I love this plum/rose colour, one of MACs best lipsticks....in my opinion!

Jordana Lipliner in Tawny - If you are in America and in a Walgreens, pick this up its only $1.99 but is  just as good/better than any MAC lipliner I have used.

Not pictured is my little EOS lip balm, I love those things!