American Beauty Haul

My BFF went to New York and all she got me was… this amazing haul! Revel in the awesomeness! I’m so happy to get the magazines, apparently Nail It was fairly hard to find but my lovely friends persevered and hunted it down. And I couldn’t believe the size of Allure! The only problem is, I know I’m going to find stuff in it that I’ll want but won’t be able to get in the UK. Why don’t we have a magazine like this here?

Let’s have a closer look at the makeup. Can you tell I love my eye products? The Maybelline Colo(u)r Tattoo’s are their Pure Pigments. I believe that these will be making an appearance in the UK soon but I’m impatient. On the left is ‘Downtown Brown’ and on the right is the awesomely named ‘Breaking Bronze’. What’s the bet that if we do get this in the UK they’ll change the name to something boring ala ‘Bad to the Bronze’ becoming ‘On and On Bronze’. A quick swatch tells me that a teeny amount goes a long way with these bad boys. Will report back on staying power.

The mascara is CoverGirl’s Clump Crusher by LashBlast. I have absolutely no shame in admitting that I’ve wanted a CoverGirl LashBlast mascara since, like, the first season of America’s Next Top Model. Laura pulled a masterstroke in picking up the Black Brown version, I don’t have any mascara this colour and it really suits the fluttery, natural look this gives you. Easy, breezy, beautiful!

Check out this Wet ‘n’ Wild ‘Comfort Zone’ palette. Especially that cheeky little duochrome in the bottom right. Hello every shade I’ll need for A/W! I requested this specific palette after seeing Lily Pebbles blog about it, and I am not disappointed. Lovely soft, pigmented shadows and a perfect colour selection. The guide on the back is pretty handy for learners like me too.

This is Maybelline’s Color Whisper in ‘Lust for Blush’. Again, I believe that these are on their way to the UK. This is a lovely soft pink, it’s slightly too pale to be a ‘your lips but better’ shade on me, but is very wearable with a hint of shine and colour. Can definitely see getting plenty of wear out of this.

Well it’s officially autumn in the AlleyHope residence with these burning. These are mini’s from Bath and Body Works and they smell so good. The Blackberry Spice one reminds me of an apple and blackcurrant pie (yum) and the Marshmallow Fireside one just smells so cosy. We don’t really do pumpkin in the UK as much as America seems to, but the strongest scent in Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin is definitely the cinnamon element. Rather than burning this for Halloween I’ll be keeping it ’til Christmas. Very appropriate.

Lastly, I got this adorable sugar skull money-box from Lola Star on Coney Island Boardwalk. I love Day of the Dead iconography and this looks perfect on my new desk.

How lucky am I? I want to say a massive thank you to Laura and Dave for taking time out of their holiday to indulge my shopping addiction from afar. I love every single thing you picked out/found for me and I really appreciate it all.

THANK YOU!

What would you buy from the states? If you’re from the US, what are your recommendations for us poor Brits? (JK, we have pretty good shopping, but the grass is always greener right?).