Sunday, May 19, 2013

Bloomingdales NYC haul!

Last NYC haul I promise!  Thought I would post this whilst I am away in London for a few days at my beautiful friend Hannah's wedding.

I had forgotten how good Bloomies beauty hall is.  The staff are overly friendly (a bit too much sometimes to be honest) but far far more knowledgeable about their brand than their Dubai counterparts.

And now Bloomingdales has Space NK in it-Space NK and Selfridges in the UK are my MOST favourite beauty havens to spend time in so it was lovely to see Space NK outside of the UK-and doing well it seems as it was really busy.

I purchased from the Trish McEvoy counter where I spent quite a lot of time chatting to the sales assistant there and she was very helpful.  When I lived in the UK I used to buy Trish McEvoy from Harvey Nichols in Leeds, I loved the way you could put a bespoke palette together.  I can't buy Trish McEvoy in Dubai and if it's still sold in the UK I don't know where (although I think I saw it in Selfridges last week).  It doesn't get a lot of press in the UK and I think it's a really under-rated brand.  If you like brands like Bobbi Brown or Laura Mercier, Trish McEvoy is definitely a brand you should investigate.

Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Serum and Trish McEvoy Beauty Booster Cream

Hyaluronic acid has become quite popular recently-don't get me wrong it's always been around but I think products like Hydraluron from Indeed Labs and Caroline Hirons the skincare queen have brought our attention to the benefits of hyaluronic acid.  Basically hyaluronic acid is the body's own hydrating molecule-it has the ability to hold 1000 times its own weight in water and is therefore responsible for keeping skin plumped up, smooth and supple.  As we age, our natural levels deplete causing wrinkles and loss of skin tone.

The Trish McEvoy product is expensive-$128 eek!  Hydraluron is £24.99 from Boots in the UK and often on 3 for 2.  Other products containing Hyaluronic acid are Astalifts Day Protector which contains hyaluronic acid in the moisturiser itself (£39), Hyaluronic Face Glow from By Terry (£44) and This Works No Wrinkles Wonder Essence (£30).  It's obviously not a cheap ingredient but I am hoping the benefits will outweigh the cost-think of it on a 'cost per wear' basis.

Where does it fit into your skincare routine?  Generally cleanse, tone, hyaluronic acid, moisturisor.  I'll be honest, if you use another serum I don't know where that fits best-before or after the Hyaluronic acid.  The sales assistant also told me this product is great for frequent flyers like myself as it can be re-applied during the day, even over make-up.  Flying is hugely dehydrating to the skin and I have found my skin is a little lacklustre at the moment having flown so much this year (16 flights and counting).  She also recommended the Beauty Booster cream (of course she did, it retails at $90!) which is a multi purpose moisturiser, primer and sunscreen to restore radiance to the skin, provide a great base for foundation and protecting the skin from harmful UVA/UVB.  To be honest, had I know the price beforehand it is unlikely I would have bought this but I was swept away in holiday utopia that I just handed my card over at the checkout.  Sucker!

Trish McEvoy Thickening Mascara and Trish McEvoy Lip Liner

Trish McEvoy Thickening Mascara and Trish McEvoy Lip Liner

The sales assistant used both of these products on me in store.  The thickening mascara was amazing!  The wand is hourglass shaped and the sales assistant showed me how to use it horizontally and vertically on my lashes.  She said it could also be used over any other mascara to intensify the effect.

The lip liner is a rosy pink colour-she did an ombre lip on me which I actually really liked using this liner on the outside and a coral gloss on the inside.

My favourite thing from Trish McEvoy and something that is perfect for me as a frequent traveller is the Effortless Beauty-Little Black Card palette.  This is the kind of thing I love from Trish McEvoy-and it literally fits in the palm of my hand.


Beautiful Tiffany blue quilted casing

Top layer-eyeshadows

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Bottom layer-bronzers and blush


This was a ready made palette but every colour in the palette can be moved and customised to your own preferences-and refilled at a later date.  The palette also has a big mirror.

These colours are right up my street-neutrals for daytime but with a smoky green and aubergine for more definition in the evening.

Brushes and a gloss

The palette also houses a mini blush and a mini eyeshadow/angled brush.  To complete the set is a Beauty Booster SPF15 lip gloss in Brightening Pink.  Cute as a button!

I then moved round into Space NK and picked up some other 'essentials'.

Darphin Aromatic Cleansing Balm and Aromatic Purifying Balm

My first foray into Darphin, the french skincare brand.  I'm a total convert to cleansing balms so I jumped at the chance to try a new one.  I'm using it at the moment and I have to say I'm not blown away-but I have been using it only for a week.  I can already confidently say however that I would not repurchase it because of the price alone.  It's only 40ml in size which will only probably last me a month at the most using it once a day in the evening and it retails at £30.  As a comparison the Ren No 1 Purity Cleansing Balm retails at £23 for 100ml and the Emma Hardie at £34 also for 100ml.

I also bought the Aromatic Purifying Balm-am overnight detoxifying treatment containing 12 essential oils.  Targeted for skin prone to imperfections, its 12 Essential Oils formula claims to clarify and promote pure, healthy-looking skin, helps visibly reduce imperfections and rebalance skin's appearance for a more even complexion.  Again this is expensive and I am hoping this will be amazing!

Hourglass Ambient Lighting Powder

I'd purchased 2 of the other Hourglass powders from Sephora but they were out of stock of the Diffused Light which was on my wish list.  I love this powder, it's so finely milled and just adds this amazing sheen to your skin.

Finally I had read bits and bobs about the Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer but I didn't full understand it.  I bought it but in all honesty I don't think I still understand it!!  The sales assistant told me it it's very pigmented so can be used as under eye concealer or mixed with your foundation for heavier coverage or mixed with moisturiser for a custom tinted moisturisor.  He also told me though not to dip my fingers into it as it can cause the cream to discolour.  He advised just pulling out what you need with a spatula or cotton bud and that you really only need a tiny bit.  I need to have a play with it to see what works best for me.  It certainly gets good reviews on the various websites I have looked at.

Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer

Kevyn Aucoin The Sensual Skin Enhancer

You can read my other UK/US trip hauls by clicking the following links;

Dubai Duty Free haul, Debenhams haul, UK online haul, UK drugstore haul, US drugstore haulMacy's haul and my massive Sephora haul

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