What I bought in New York - Sephora / Bath & Body Works

It's been ages since I last blogged! Sorry! I will try to get back in the swing of things!  My day job as you will already know is as a mobile beauty therapist, so as we get towards the end of the year I am getting busier, but I will try my best to blog as much as I possibly can! (promise!)

Anyway, back to today's blog.  Back in September I went on what can only be described as a trip of a lifetime!  I went to New York & Memphis, Tennessee!  Both places are extremely different but incredibly amazing.  I would go back to both in a heartbeat!

And of course, when you are on holiday, you always bring a few purchases back with you.....or at least, I do! 

So, yes, I got a few things & amongst the various bits & bobs I managed to accumulate were, of course, a few beauty buys from that beauty 'mecca' Sephora! And of course, while in New York I couldn't escape (as well as Sephora) Bath & Body Works!

I absolutely fell in love with Bath & Body Works! Why on earth is this shop not in the UK?

So, lets dive in to the shop of dreams.....

I decided to get mini things due to weight & getting them back home.  To start with I bought shower gels in the mini 88ml versions.  
I bought - 
Japanese Cherry Blossom - one of the best smells ever! 
Warm Vanilla Sugar - a lovely sweet comforting vanilla smell.
And finally - Pretty as a Peach - really gorgeous. You can really smell fresh peaches in this. 
Can't wait to use all of these!  They all contain Shea Butter & Vitamin E; a super moisturising formula.

Onto the huge range of hand sanitizers!  I never knew that anti-bacterial hand gel could smell so nice! 
In the shop they had an offer on for 5 minis, or as they call them 'pocketbac' (29ml) & I love an offer, so why not?

I got -
(again) Japanese Cherry Blossom 
I Donut Care - amazing smell of doughnuts! (who would have thought, in an anti-bac?!)
Copacabana Coconut - literally smells like a Pina Colada!
Pumpkin Berry Crumble - sweet & lovely 
& finally, Coconut Pumpkin Latte - totally gorgeous!

So, as you can tell, I absolutely love all of these & I also bought a little sparkly gold holder to put a pocketbac in.  You then clip it to your bag strap, so its always at easy access. Genius! 

Finally, I purchased 2 candles.  I would have loved to have bought more candles, especially the 3 wicks, but I was worried again about getting them back.  I would have been devastated if they had broken.
As Bath & Body Works Autumn range was already in full swing, the scents were amazing.  The 2 mini candles I purchased were Pumpkin Pecan Waffles & Pumpkin Apple.  Both again, wonderful scents. The Pumpkin Pecan Waffles had a lovely sweet & comforting scent to it & the Pumpkin Apple does really smell of fresh apples. I can't wait to start burning them - I've resisted so far - I wish they were 3 wicks so they would last longer! 

Onto Sephora.  On a side note, there are so many Sephoras in NY!  Obviously, I wasn't going to miss a snoop around at least one! 

So, heres the low down on my purchases....

Firstly, I had heard so many good things about Sephora's own range & especially their masks.  So, I picked up Sephora's Anti-Fatigue (I need this!) & Energizing Pomegranate sheet face mask, their Perfecting & Brightening Pearl sheet face mask, their sheet eye masks in (again) Pomegranate & also the Moisturising & Soothing Lotus.  I'm really looking forward to trying these - I can't believe I haven't so far!  I feel a pamper night coming on....! 

Lastly, I purchased 2 mascaras.  I bought a sample size of Urban Decay's Perversion mascara & also Clinique's Bottom Lash mascara.  
The Urban Decay mascara is very good but you do have to be very careful how you apply it as it does seem to have quite a wet consistency.  Has anyone found this or is it just me?
Clinique's Bottom Lash mascara though is fab!  And perfect for me as I always seem to smudge my mascara on my bottom lashes! It has the tiniest of brushes so no mistakes are possible! (Even for me!)

So, yep, that's my roundup of the beauty buys from New York.  If you are ever in the Big Apple & fancy a trip to Bath & Body Works or Sephora, be careful, you may get a little carried away!! 


Bee x 


  

The Palette You Just Can't Give Up...

My mum once said to me that you should never go back to an ex.  It never works out.  It maybe 'comfortable' to be with that same person but it will all end in tears.

Now, what's this got to do with makeup??

Well, I've used a certain palette for a while now.  I loved it.  I went through most of the colours & then I got a bit bored & put it to one side.  I thought I would try out some new ones; like a kid in a sweet shop, trying out all the varieties out there is always exciting!

Then, after a few weeks, the looks I was trying out seemed a bit stale. So, of course, back to my old palette I went; like a faithful puppy, it was awaiting my return!

And, I'm so glad I did.  You see, it's perfect.  What's it's name?  Iconic 3 by Makeup Revolution.  

As I say, I've used it for quite some time now & the quality is so good, that I've barely made a dent.  No wonder people say it's the perfect dupe for Urban Decay's Naked 3!

The shadows are soft & perfectly pigmented but without fallout - which is great for me!  Especially when I'm in a rush!  You don't want shadow flying everywhere!

The pricepoint is great too at only £4.00 compared to it's 'big sister' at around £38.00!

It's packaging is on the cheap side & very basic, I must admit but you really want to dive straight into the colours & not faff around with packaging.  I also wouldn't bother with the appicator though.  I would just use your favourite brush to apply the shadows.

The palette contains 12 shadows - a mix of shimmery & matte.  I particularly love the warm pinky bronzey tones which compliment my green eyes well.

I do think on the whole these Makeup Revolution palettes are great especially if you are starting out in makeup as they have so many colours to experiment with & you definitely don't lose out if some shades don't suit you as they are so cheap compared to their more expensive counterparts.

But, back to the Iconic 3. It has so many shades that will work for any look - should it be a daytime look or something more dramatic for night time.  The colours are all very wearable.

So, what was I saying about that ex that you shouldn't go back to?  Yep, it may feel comfortable but it won't work out; you know why it didn't in the first place.  Well, thankfully in the makeup world, if you find a palette comfortable & faithful, then why not take it back, should you get bored??

This palette is dependable & with perfect colours for every look necessary.  The Iconic 3 will always be the reliable sort you just can't give up.  It will never let you down!

It's the perfect love story!

So, what makeup do you always go back to? I'd love to know!

Bee x