My Favourite American Beauty Buys

This is way, way overdue seeing as i visited Florida last August but since i've been using all these products for a while now i thought it might be a good post to share with you some of my favourite purchases from my time in America. I had planned that i was going to stock up on beauty products, as there is so many things you can buy over there that you can't get here, and i shopped everywhere from Sephora to Ulta, to CVS and Bath & Bodyworks. I also thought it'd be a good idea to share with you some of my not-so-favourite purchases from my buys in America, in another post as i often find those types of posts even more interesting to read. If you're heading to the states any time soon, or live there, and are thinking of buying any of the items i didn't like then it might make you think twice or help you make a more educated decision whether it's something that would work for you. Anyway, here are some of the items that i fell in love with from my America haul.

I'm sharing two powders with you here, the first being from Physicians Formula which is a brand i had heard so much about from beauty bloggers. I bought this one from CVS but i'm pretty sure you can buy it from Ulta too, and it's the Mineral Glow Pearls in Translucent Pearl, which is a pink-toned shimmer. I'm pretty sure you're supposed to use this all over your face but it is way to shimmery for me to do that, so i love using this as a subtle highlight on all of the 'sun lit' spots on my face. It just adds an understated shimmer on my face which i really like and works amazingly on my very fair skin. It blends beautifully and is super soft, leaving no harsh lines and not much blending even needed. The other happens to be another highlight, actually, this time from Becca and this is definitely a product i heard all about before i left. This one is the Pressed Shimmering Skin Perfecter but you can also buy them in the 'poured' version which is a cream. This shade is Moonstone and is described as a pale gold shimmer, but i would say that it's slightly more champagne-y and not at all a yellow gold. This is probably my favourite highlighter that i own as it's so finely milled, applies beautifully and is about the perfect shade for my fair skin.

I would say that my most favourite purchase of the entire trip, as you can probably tell by the state of it, is the Tarte Coloured Clay CC Undereye Corrector and this is in Light/Medium. I was previously using the Bobbi Brown Corrector but i had a shade that was too dark for me and, honestly, i just fell out of love with correctors until i bought this one. It was the absolute perfect shade for my skin, it was creamy but didn't crease, almost melted into the skin and did everything it was supposed to. I'm actually back using a lighter shade of the Bobbi Brown offering and while it's good, it's just not doing it for me like this Tarte one is. So when i visit the states, later this year, i will definitely be picking up a few more from Tarte.

A very last minute purchase, while standing in the check out line at Sephora, was this Bite Beauty Luminous Creme Lipstick Duo in Fig & Date. It's just so handbag friendly and i love the nude yet rosy shades, perfect for everyday. I liked this idea so much in fact that i bought one for two of my closest friends too. They're creamy and buildable, and work great alone or with a gloss too. They're super hydrating and have an almost velvety finish as they're not matte but don't have a gloss either, making them very versatile.

An almost cult product are the Bath & Bodyworks Pocketbac Hand Sanitisers, which i think everyone and their cat has at least heard of. I've loved antibacterial hand sanitisers for a long time and in the UK it's not so much a thing to have fun scented ones like it is in the states, there are a few on the market but they're very limited. Over there, it's like a free-for-all - there are just so many to choose from and i love that they generally go by season. They're not at all drying on the hands, no matter how much you use them, and they're the perfect size to pop in your bag.

Lastly is a Lorac products, and not actually the one i went in for but i was so desperate to try out the brand that i picked this one up instead. I went into Ulta to track down the elusive Lorac Pro or Pro 2 Palette, which they were totally out of stock of which, i suppose, just goes to show how popular they are so i decided to opt for this Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette instead and i'm so glad i did. Buying this palette has just made me want all of Lorac's offerings. The shadows are so, so creamy and i know i've said this before but these shadows really do blend like a dream. They are so pigmented and versatile working amazingly together or with other shadows. If you get a chance to get your hands on any Lorac shadows then i highly recommend you try them out because, for the price, they're the quality of Urban Decay for me.

And there you have it, friends, a run down of my favourite American beauty products. I'll definitely be posting a not-so-favourite beauty buys post too as there are probably a few products in there that you wouldn't expect.

K|xo