SEPHORA HAUL

Let's just address the fact that yes I have now lost my Sephora virginity! I'll attach a little picture of me when I first set my sites on the Sephora in Times Square at the end of this post. When I first went in, it was a little different to what I expected - the actual shop was an odd shape so the brands were set in a way I wouldn't necessarily have thought they would be. Anyway, enough about the structure of the building, and let's get on to what was inside it!

I didn't get as much as I thought I would but boy, what I did get I love. I went to 3 Sephora's and got a few things in each one - on my last trip to the sacred land I had to put a few things back (the Fresh cleanser and the Sephora brush cleanser) as I got a little bit overambitious! On to what did make the basket...

Sephora Ultra Shine lip gloss in Rose Petal - I didn't initially intend to get this beaut, and only picked it up when I was looking at the lipstick display after a friend got a lipstick and it was gorgeous. This is absolutely gorgeous - it's a natural, rose tinted pink that gives your lips that something extra. The applicator is great and coats my whole lip and the formula is non sticky and lasts a good few hours which I was pleasantly surprised about as lip gloss has normally disappeared on me within the hour. This retails for $14, so around £8, so doesn't break the bank either! I'd definitely get more shades if I were to go back to the US.

Tarte Amazonian Clay blush in Natural Beauty - this was the number one thing I dived for in Sephora. I clapped eyes on it, did a quick swatch and was at the till within seconds. Seriously. I was just in love - its the perfect blush for everyday but just gives the cheeks a bit more colour than what you'd expect for an everyday blush. In the pan, it looks terrifying, as its a strawberry red shade, but a few sweeps across the apples of the cheeks and it makes you look so healthy and vibrant, and even shapes your face a little too. These blushes are also true to everyones claims - they're so long lasting and a little goes such a long way. At $26 they aren't cheap but are definitely worth it.

Benefit They're Real mini mascara - This is one of the best mascaras I've tried and is just a no fuss, does it all product - it lengthens my lashes really well, whilst separating them nicely and adding just the right amount of volume. I did only get the mini as I had planned to get a few other mascaras while I was over there and was enticed by the samples around the till (how can you not be?!) so I may repurchase this over here. What I love with the Benefit minis is that you get the same brush as you would with the full size product, which is great as the brush is the main thing that makes this product so great. This product was only $10 too, so it's great if you're just wanting to try it out.

Paco Rabanne Lady Million rollerball - I don't need to say too much about this, do I? It's just perfect - the perfect mix of citrus and musky scents that is just the nicest scent ever, after Dolce and Gabanna Light Blue Men. We can't get rollerballs in the UK so I was glad to get one of these for perfume application while I'm out and about. At $20, they're alot cheaper than bottles of fragrance and so saves you a few pennies, or cents, if you are only wanting to try the scent.

What wasn't photographed...

Benefit TropiCORAL set - I only got this because I had planned to get CORALista, but when I seen it I thought about whether or not I would really use a whole one of the boxed blushes up. So when I seen this next to it, and about $3 cheaper, I whipped it up into my basket. This contains products I've tried and a few new ones - it has a pan of CORALista blush and a mini High Beam, which I both love, and the CORALista lip gloss and a mini Cha Cha tint, which I haven't tried but am really excited to use. The box is so cute too, as is the packaging it comes in, which is a gorgeous pink leopard print. This retails for around $28, so roughly around £16, which is alot cheaper than in the UK - the UK market price is £25.50, but I'd say its well worth it.

Sephora tapered crease brush - I was going to get some Sigma brushes when I was in New York, however a few days before I was set to jet off I found out that they don't have an actual shop (to my knowledge anyway) and so those plans had to be flushed down the drain. So I thought about what brushes I wanted the most and a crease brush was right up there with the must haves. I opted for the tapered one, which I probably wouldn't get again before the plain version, but nevertheless this is still fabulous - its amazing at applying colour really precisely into the crease and blending it out a little. The Sephora own brand brushes come with a little brush protector too, which is adorable and great for travelling.

Here is a b-e-a-utiful photograph of me after clapping eyes on the Times Square store...

That's everything I picked up from the glorious beacon of beauty on my first trip, so who knows what will end up in my basket the second time around? Also, Sephora are now shipping to the UK, yipeee! But be aware that certain products such as perfume and aerosols are out of the question due to import restrictions. What about you - what's your favourite Sephora products?

xx, gabrielle