USA Haul! - Part 2

For part 1 click here.

If you need a reminder of the mega-ness (is that word? It is now...) of this haul then here's another gratuitous pic.

Mega by my standards, mini by others I'm sure

Obviously I haven't gotten round to using everything yet, so mini-reviews and first impressions will be coming along in dribs and drabs.

One thing I absolutely adore already is the Sugar Lip Polish by Fresh. This was probably the most expensive item I bought and one which was a 'what the heck' purchase at the till in Sephora. You see, just when you've decided what you want you go to the till to pay for it and lo and behold there is a whole new world of goodness lining the queueing area filled with dinky little irresistable treats which don't make a dent in your already full basket, but which ended up emptying your wallet none the less.

This was one of them. In a box no bigger than a lip balm it didn't look to be worth the $22 I paid for it, but I'd heard so many good things about Fresh that I thought I'd just pop it in. Anyhow, my lips are always terribly flaky and dry and this kind of promised good things.

Fresh Sugar Lip Polish - Utterly delectable!

I am SO happy I bought this. It is seriously wonderful stuff and now I just have to be careful that I don't over-scrub my lips as I really want to use it every day. You need the teensiest amount so the little pot will last me probably the best part of the year if I use it about twice a week. It's basically brown sugar crystals set into a luxuriously emollient base of shea butter, meadowfoam seed oil,  jojoba oil and grapeseed oil. It doesn't sound that thrilling but they really have got the balance of ingredients so right that I don't think just rubbing sugar and oil onto the lips would come close to how this performs. It smells sweet, like caramelised brown sugar, but almost citrusy at the same time. It begs me to lick it off but a flannel is really the way to go ;) Once you finish gently polishing the lips for, say, 40 seconds, you wet a flannel or muslin cloth and wipe away the residue. Behold, you are left with the softest, smoothest and most lusciously plumped lips EVER. At least that's what happened to me. My lips literally doubled in volume and I swear they had never felt smoother. I wasted a lot of time that evening pouting at myself in the mirror.... Love love love.

So that was the unexpected purchase. What I intended to come away with were a couple of good liquid liners in colours other than black. I chose a Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in shade 07 which is the most incredible jewelled deep violet colour which sparkles so elegantly that it never looks teeny bopper. This I adore. The formulation is a bit watery so it needs two 'coats' before the colour really comes into it's own, but the applicator is great for getting a nice precise cat-eye and although it stays true to it's promise of being budge-proof all day, it's also not a trauma to remove with make-up remover, it flakes away easily.

The other liner I bought I love even more, in fact I may weep once I run out of it. It's the Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner pen in Dark Brown. Such a perfect shade of brown, it could almost be black under certain lighting, it gives me a softer look without compromising on the drama of using liquid liner (I need to have some drama going on, drama is fun!). The applicator is even better than the Make Up For Ever liners in my opinion, it's slightly longer and has a bit more flexibility.

Make Up For Ever Aqua Liner in 07 and Smashbox Limitless Liquid Liner in Dark Brown, pictured here with Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream Eyeshadow in Vintage Violet. 

Here are swatches:

Top: MUFE Aqua Liner in 07, Middle: Smashbox Limitless Liner in Dark Brown, Bottom: Estee Lauder Double Wear Cream shadow in Vintage Violet

The Estee Lauder Cream shadow, pictured above with the liners,  was something I picked up at the Cosmetics Company outlet store. It was only $12 and such a lush shade of burgundy violet, I couldn't resist. It's no way as shimmery as the Benefit Creaseless Cream shadows and is definitely drier in texture. I love the colour but I wouldn't say it was violet, I see more burgundy brown with a purple undertone. It's going to be a lovely autumn colour methinks. I've only used it once and I noted that you really need to blend it quickly because it sets fast and doesn't move. Still prefer the formulation of the  Benefit shadows to be honest.

Another truly successful purchase was the Boscia Pore Purifying Black Strips. Actually I bought another box of these after I tried one in our hotel room in LA and saw how well it worked. I won't go into gory details, but if your a freakoid like me and you like, ahem, 'extractions' then these won't disappoint! They are seriously powerful. My nose has never been clearer, and I mean NEVER. Not only do they remove a lot of (cough) 'gunk', but they also facilitate the removal of even more 'gunk' manually.... if you get my drift. Or am I just sounding a bit disturbing???

I'd not heard of Boscia before seeing Pursebuzz do a video on these pore-strips a few weeks back and I made a mental note to buy them once I was in America. I also bought the Luminizing Black Mask which was recommended to me by the sales assistant as a great compliment to the pore strips. I can't wait to give it ago.... Out thee damn spot!!