The USA shopping list

With so many of you lovely lot heading off to the States in the coming weeks and months, this is by far my most requested post I have had in a long time and even though I have written posts like this before, as well as a lot of Sephora and USA hauls, there is still a need for an updated list!!

With so many must have brands now available in Ireland and with the Euro so weak against the dollar, my best advice when shopping in the States, is to buy stuff that you can’t get here. There really is no big savings to be found on brands that we already have and in fact in some cases, it can work out more expensive. Urban Decay I am looking at you!

While Sephora is the main pitstop when it comes to makeup shopping there are so many more that you can grab your bargains at. Keep an eye out for Ulta, as this has a mix of high end brands, some of which can not be bought in Sephora, and drugstore brands too. Along with a massive hair range!!! Of course then you have the drugstores like CVS and Walgreens, but I personally love Target, as the shelves are always well stocked and they have a really great choice of products.

So what should you buy. I am going to break it down by brand, as this will make it easier to screen shot and take to the make up stand with you.

Kat Von D

If you’ve been reading the blog for a while now, or follow me on snapchat ( @thebeauttruth) you will have heard me harp on for my love of the Kat Von D brand. I adore this brand and it is my first stop when heading into Sephora.

Tattoo Liner

As a lover of liquid eyeliners and in particular pen liners, I have tried them all and while I have found so really good ones, such as the Make Up For Ever Graphic liner and the Physician Formula liner, nothing can hold a candle to the Kat Von D Tatoo liner. This is the blackest, longest wearing, non fade eyeliner I have ever worn. The nib makes the liner extremely easy to apply and even though it is long wearing, if you make a mess it is easy to take off.

Do not get it confused with the Ink liner, as the Ink liner is not great at all!!! You can buy the Tattoo liner in Sephora for $19.

Lock it Concealer

This is another must have if you have dark circles. I am using this more than any other concealer at the moment, because while it is fairly full coverage, it doesn’t feel heavy or go cakey or crease under the eyes. The only downside to this concealer is that there is a massive shade range and it can be a little hard picking the correct colour. This might not be one to buy when you have someone hovering around you . You can get this in Sephora for $25

Ever lasting liquid lipsticks

There is going to be quite a few liquid lipsticks on this list, but the Ever Lasting liquid lipsticks from Kat Von D need to be top of you list. These are amazing. They go on so beautifully. Dry to a matte finish and yet don’t feel heavy or dry on your lips and they last for ages!!! I only have the colour Lolita but there are so many more that I want to buy. This is another Sephora buy for €20.

A few more Kat Von D items that deserve a mention, but I haven’t personally tried are her light and shade palette, both for contouring and for the eyes and her Lock it Foundation.

Anastasia Beverly Hills

While the Anastasia Brand is becoming more readily available in Ireland through the like son Cult Beauty and Beauty Bay, there are still so many products from her range that you can’t get.

ABH Eyeshadows

I adore these eyeshadows and along with my Makeup Geek shadows, these are probably the most used in my collection. There is a massive range of colours and they are so beautiful to work with. They blend easily, have great colour pay off and they wear really well throughout the day. You can read a full review of the colours I have here, but on top of these make sure to throw orange soda into your bag. I regret not buying this one. You can buy the single ABH shadows in Macys and they cost $12 each but if you  buy for they reduce the cost to $10 each.

ABH liquid lipsticks

I told you there would be a few liquid lipsticks on this list! The ABH liquid lipsticks are gorgeous. While I do prefer the Kat Von D ones, the ABH range have a beautiful section of colours with Pure Hollywood being one of my Favourites. You can get these in Macys and Ulta for €20.

Make Up For Ever

While this is a brand that can be picked up on Irish shores, it is hard to get as you can only buy it in the Make Up For Ever store or online at www.makeupforever.ie . Sephora have an absolutely massive range of Make Up For Ever goodies for you to pick from. Also something you might not be aware of. If you’re buying a new foundation, they will gladly give you a sample to try before you commit to buying.

Ultra Hd Foundation

This is a really beautiful foundation. It is a medium coverage, that is lightweight on the skin and when worn with a primer it is long wearing. I wear the colour 130 during the day and 127 at night. You can read a full review here. It costs $43 in Sephora.

 Bronze Fusion bronzer

Bronze Fusion bronzer they have created a light weight, gel-powder, waterproof formula that is available in two different finishes. Matte or iridescent. Each finish comes in 3 shades, with the lightest one said to suit light skin tones, the middle of the three is said to suit medium skin tones and surprise, surprise, the darkest is said to suit tan skin tones. Initially I was torn between the lightest and the medium shade, but when I tested it on my face, the medium was far too dark for me. The lightest colour, Soft Iridescent Amber, is such a beautiful shade for Irish skin and gives the skin a beautifully natural warmth. You can read a full review here.

Artist eyeshadows

Oh Lordy these eyeshadows are really something. They are expensive at $21 each but if you’re looking for a few really special shadows then you can’t go wrong with these. I have a full post on my colours here. You can also get the Artist palettes which are smaller premade versions of the artist shadows. These palettes cost $44.

Bite cosmetics

Rather than detail individual items here, I am just going to tell you to try out their lipsticks and lip crayons. I love the lipsticks as they are incredibly creamy and long wearing and I seriously regret not buying the Lip Crayons. I put it down to a moment of madness that I walked away from them.

Mac

There are two eyeshadows in Mac that I firmly believe everybody should have in their collection but sadly they can’t be bought in Ireland. They are Soft Brown and texture. You will here many American you tubers talk about these and it is not hard to see why, they really are beautiful.

L’Oreal

While I know L’oreal is a brand we can get here not a bother, there are a few products that can’t be bought on Irish shores.

L’Oreal Infalliable eyeshadow in Amber rush

If you have blue eyes, this eyeshadow is an absolute must.I love this range of shadows and have bought a number of them in Ireland but amber Rush was one of those colours that was only available in the States. Amber rush is a coppery rose gold colour that really makes blue eyes pop. It is an unusual texture but one that is long wearing on the eye. I am not too sure of the price but I think it is around the $10 mark.

True Match Lumi Magic Liquid Highlighter

Liquid highlighters are ten a penny, but this one from L’Oreal is really gorgeous. It comes in three shades Ice, Rose and Golden. I have both Ice and Rose and love them both. They can be worn all over your skin under your foundation, mixed with your foundation or applied to the high points of your face. You can pick it up for $12.99.

Maybelline

Dark Circle Eraser

This is one of my all time favourite products for dark circles. There is not a day that goes by that I don’t use it. While you can pick up the light and the nude shades in Ireland, it is the naturaliser shade that really is fantastic for canceling out the darkness. Be warned it can be hard to find but when you do get it, grab two or three. Again I can remember the price but I think it is around the $10.

Full and soft mascara

I don’t think I will ever understand why brands don’t sell the full range in both Europe and the US, especially when it is as good a product as the Full and Soft Mascara. This mascara is fantastic for giving both length and volume while at the same time it gives very natural looking lashes.