Well, this is kind of embarrassing – but here we go. It’s been about eight months since I went to New York for what turned out to be a quickie holiday – but an amazing one, nevertheless. And you know what made it even more amazing, despite the fact that it was the start of a world pandemic? The fact that I got to go to not one, but a bunch of Sephoras. God, what a delight.
As to why it’s taken me so long to write up and publish this post… who the hell knows? Blame it on Covid. Blame it on a case of writer’s block. Or maybe blame it on the fact that I do worry about my ability to write about beauty stuff without sounding super basic – as in, “I like this ’cause it’s nice”. But f*ck it – I love beauty and I’m going to write about some lovely new beauty products that are nice. So yes, this post is long overdue – but this is where a f*ck ton of my money went when I was in New York. Because why buy souvenirs when you can buy make-up?
Lipsticks
I buy lipsticks almost as often as I do a food shop, so obviously there was no way I was going to resist picking up a few newbies in New York…
Sephora #Lipstories Lipstick in № 36 Spring Break
OK, so I committed the cardinal sin of falling for something because of the packaging being so damn cute and making me feel like a holiday. But beach vibes aside this is such a pretty colour! I am always after something that resembles a nude, your-lips-but-better lipstick – but as a light olive-skinned girl, this is almost impossible. Charlotte Tilbury’s Pillow Talk lipstick, which EVERYONE seems to rave about? Definitely too pale for me. Mac’s famous Velvet Teddy? Corpse lips alert. The nude lipstick search continues, but for now my kind of nude is definitely a rosey, dusty pink shade of sorts. And this lipstick from Sephora really does have a my-lips-but-better tone. I do love a strong and defined lip as my lips are not very defined and are naturally quite pale, so I would normally prefer to wear this cream formula on top of another one or with a lip liner. But it’s still such a nice choice if I’m keeping my makeup simple or minimal and need a little extra something – be it for a super chilled meet-up or even a glammed-up supermarket run (Yes, I’m all for those).
Sephora Cream Lip Stain (№ 25)
First up let me just say that Sephora’s lip stain formula is kind of amazing – two of my all-time favourite lipsticks are from Sephora (№ 17, a timeless, perfect red, and № 84, a perfect rosey pink), I’ve even bought them repeatedly. So I had to treat myself to a new shade – and this brick red shade is beautiful. Be warned: it is a pretty dry formula (but it basically lasts forever) so moisture those lips!
Tarte Cosmetics Tarteist™ Quick Dry Matte Lip Paint in Bling
OK, let me just say that this purple-ish rosey pink shade is, you guessed it, amazing. I wore it lots over the summer and will continue to do so throughout autumn and winter. I’m also delighted that I finally got to try a little snippet of Tarte Cosmetics – I completely forgot to do some research and budget to get a few more things from this brand (I would love to try its famous concealer and one of its bronzers), which has been on my radar for years.
Cheeks
Lipstick is the one make-up product I couldn’t live without, but blusher comes very close – so if I can get a product that looks after both your cheeks and lips, we’ve got a win-win situation…
Milk Makeup Mini Lip + Cheek in Quirk
I’m terrible for beauty hypes, so when the brand Milk Makeup opened up a pop-up shop in the UK in 2019 I queued up for ages alongside a bunch of 15-year-olds and spent way too much money. And the worst part? I didn’t really like the products. So why, you ask, did I buy another Milk product while in New York? Well first up I love tiny things that are cute, convenient and have a 2-in-1 purpose – especially when these tiny things come in the shape of beauty products. Secondly (and most importantly), I didn’t mind the blusher and do want to get better at using liquid and stick make-up, so got myself a more suitable shade (the other shade I have is Werk, which I think is a little too pale for me). And for some reason I really glamorise the idea of being able to do and touch up my make-up on the go and anywhere, be that the tube or elsewhere (in a pre-Covid world).
Nars Blush Bronzer Duo – Orgasm & Laguna
Oh Nars – I’ve loved your blushers for so long, and have heard wonders about the Laguna bronzer. So I couldn’t resist picking up this little 2-in-1 treat. I genuinely struggle a lot with bronzers, as I aim to do a ‘brontour’ (bronzer + contour) effect, but often feel like many bronzing shades look muddy on me. But Laguna seems to work. I’ve loved using this product so much over the last few months that I’ve already hit pan with the bronzer – as my birthday is coming up I might have to treat myself to a normal size of it. While I have no regrets getting this product, I’m still unsure whether Nars’ iconic Orgasm blusher actually suits me (I think it’s a little too light), and my friend kind of ruined it for me when she told me the mini duo is in fact available in the UK. D’oh!
Skincare
I really need to do more homework when it comes to skincare, but there is one brand I just can’t resist…
Tatcha The Dewy Skin Cream
I unfortunately discovered Tatcha through beauty blogger Kaushal – and I say unfortunately because 1. this luxurious Japanese brand is heartbreakingly expensive; and 2. it’s not super easy to get your hands on it here in the UK (although it is stocked on this website). So buying this little sample was, essentially, a form of self-torture. Did it make a difference to my skin per se? I honestly don’t know. But what I do know is that it felt like I was putting silk on my face. I adored the formula of it, I would never have thought that putting on moisturiser on my face could be so delightful. Believe me when I say I was kind of devastated to hit pan with this little beauty.
Tatcha Camellia Gold Spun Lip Balm
So I think this is, by far, my favourite ever lip balm. And I’ve tried what feels like hundreds of them. I don’t know what it is about this product, but overall it does do the job for my always dry lips. The pieces of gold?! So pretentious, but my lips seem to love it. This is the second one I bought – the first one lasted at least a year. So I’m hoping that by the time I use this up, the option of travelling to the USA might be perfectly doable (Not that I’d fly for lip balm…).
Tatcha The Kissu Lip Mask
Another Tatcha product, another dream. I like to help my poor lips as much as possible, and they are loving this mask. I’ve been putting it on every night since I got it and my lips look super plump – and great – in the morning. I’m not sure if this effect lasts all day or of there’s any long-term effect, but it’s still an absolute treat for my lips that they’ll absolutely miss when it runs out.
So there you have it, my small-quantity, big-price-tag haul from Sephora. It’s hilarious that I can buy a lot of these products here in the UK, so I’ll make sure to do some proper research next time and hopefully get some really niche stuff. Having said that, do I regret getting any of these products? Je ne regrette rien – other than not having more dollars to get a few more things!
xxx