Jan 11, 2017

[Beauty Haul] Stuff I Bought from Europe


Shopping isn't my forte because I suck at it and I have no tolerance to stroll along the shops looking at things that I don't need or already have. However, it is a complete exception when it comes to beauty stuff. I can shop for beauty products all day and I'm good at finding deals, what's good and what's special. And my friends, these are all the beauty stuff I got from my shopping in Amsterdam, London and Paris.


Christian Louboutin Lipstick

First things first, I only had one priority item on my shopping list. Which is the Christian Louboutin lipstick. It is not so much of the lipstick that attracts me, it is more of the brand and also the packaging. Initially, my plan was to get the Rouge Silky Satin which comes in the classic black and shiny tube. It turns out they already sold out the shade before Christmas. With the lack of luck and determination to grab one nonetheless, I choose the Bengali Velvet Matte. Not my option, but my goal was to get one home, hence mission accomplished. I haven't tried it yet. It breaks my heart to use it. I'm sure girls will understand that feeling. I got it from Harrods for £ 65.



Tanya Burr Christmas Coffret Box

I love Tanya Burr (fan girl moment here)! I must admit she has gone commercialized since the launch of her book and also cosmetic line. But that didn't stop me from purchasing her beautiful Christmas Coffret Box. I actually bought 2 of it. In my rational opinion, the box isn't worth that much of money because there's not much product inside except a trio eyeshadow palette, lipgloss (which I won't use) and highlighter. The others are just add-ons to the box such as handmirror, nail buffer and eyelash. The box is huge! It makes a good collectible box which I planned to put all my travel knick knacks in it. I'm surprised how I manage to stuff these two huge boxes into my suitcase with all the winter jackets. At the end of the day, I still love the box and didn't regret a single bit because I won't be getting any Tanya Burr cosmetics back in Malaysia.



Seventeen Lipglosses

I'm growing to love the brand Seventeen, which is a partner brand with Boots. The brand has teenager's vibe and has really young feel to it. That attracted me to get 6 lipglosses to distribute to my girlfriends with different colour each. Lipgloss is a safe product as gift. No harm getting a few extra to keep, just in case.



Seventeen Highs + Glows Strobing Kit

Another product from Seventeen (told you I love the brand). I tried the tester and immediately fall in love with this one. It gives the same effect as the Hourglass Iridescent Strobe Lightning Powder, except this one comes in a form of stick. The best thing is, it has 3 different types of highlighter which will give you different effects of strobing - from mild to extremely reflective highlights.



Other drugstore gems

I also visited Superdrug, other than Boots, to check out the drugstore products. Rimmel mascara & Bourjois Velvet Lipstick. Rimmel is no longer available in Malaysia. According to Alie, Rimmel has very good mascara. Her opinion matters to me because we like the same products most of the time. Although Bourjois is available in Malaysia, I don't see this Peach Club shade. The ones that we have are usually bright red and nude only. Therefore, this lipstick can be considered as a special buy.



Hema face masks

In Amsterdam, I didn't shop much. The only thing that I grabbed were the Hema sheet masks. The reason why I got it is because we rarely see sheet masks sold in the Europe. Sheet masks are an Asian thing. Besides, after a long redeye flight, I need some TLC for my skin. These sheet masks smell really amazing. And they have really cute packaging that I couldn't resist. If you want to try this as well, do join my giveaway which will end on 31st Jan.



Caudalie

In Paris, the drugstores are called Pharmacies. You can find it literally everywhere. The pharmacies carry only skincare products and only a few bigger pharmacies (usually corner lot) have cosmetics as well. The usual brands that you can see in almost every pharmacy is Caudalie, Bioderma, Nuxe, L'Occitane, Eucerin, Avene, La Roche-Posay, and Clarins. I'm already a fan of Caudalie but when I saw the price, I think I wouldn't purchase any Caudalie products in Malaysia. It is so cheap there! You can even get a facial wash at 2euros. Caudalie in Malaysia is so expensive and sold only in Sephora. In France, they're almost like our Garnier. That is the standard difference between our country and theirs. To be fair, Caudalie is an original French product. It is definitely cheaper there. I took the opportunity to stack up some stuff - Vinosource SOS eyecream (my favourite), Hydration Mask and Grape Water Spray. All these below 25euros.



Bioderma

We are familiar with Bioderma brand, but only the makeup remover. I was surprised that Bioderma has a wide range of products that literally covers the entire ceiling to floor shelf. It got me speechless and confused what I should get from the brand. I picked up the facial scrub as my face grew bumpy when traveling. It does remove all the sebums and leave my skin smooth. I even use it on my elbow and thighs. It is super cheap that I didn't mind using it on my body.



Huda Beauty Liquid Matte Lipstick

Another brand that I was eager to try out is the Huda Beauty. The liquid matte lipstick is a close rival with Kylie Lipstick and some says it is much better. Also, to my dear Muslim girlfriends, Huda Beauty also known as one of the halal brand. To be honest, I didn't get to explore much of the Huda Beauty products because there is a long queue everywhere (at Harrods, Selfridges & Sephora Champs Elysses). The girls were queueing just to swatch and try out the products. I guess the crowd kinda explain the hype of it and there must be a great reason why they don't mind spending their time for it. I didn't queue like the others, instead I grabbed the mini liquid matte lipstick from the Sephora check-out ailse. To make myself feel better, I took 2 of it and I think that adds up to one full size
lipstick.



Laduree Les Merveilleuses Rose Petal Blush

I can't get enough of my pretty Laduree blush and got more! These are the mini size of blush that comes in pretty cardboard box. For those who don't want to spend RM700 on the full size blush, the mini ones are pretty affordable. I think it is around RM200 (I can't remember how much it is in euro because I do the conversion in my head and remember it in RM instead). They are not my initial to-buy items. To be honest, I don't even know they existed. I wanted to get the full size one, however, visiting Sephora at the wrong timing render everything sold out. I went there after the Boxing Day sale and almost nothing is available on stock. I'm still lucky enough to bring these 3 babies back.


Charlotte Tilbury Lipsticks

More lipsticks? Why not? Last year, Charlotte Tilbury lipsticks were one of the highly applaud lipsticks by Youtube beauty gurus. I really want to know if they are really worth the hype and also I am constantly looking for good lipsticks to wear. The color is very subtle and creamy at the same time. I personally like the Kissing (satin) finish one. The matte is comparable with the Mary Kay Semi-Matte lipstick, but the Mary Kay one is cheaper by triple the price. Charlotte Tilbury have installed their virtual mirror and I was lucky to try it out first hand. The mirror allows you to choose the look that you want to go for and virtually applies onto your face. It also features the product and description. This mirror helps a lot of us to choose the right product and not spend on the wrong shades. Praise technology!




Perfume

In the fragrance department, I have gotten some good stuff as well. Elie Saab Couture for my mom. She requested for a Prada bag and I must say I can't afford it. A specially crafted perfume not known by many is way more personalized than a bag. Am I right? Anyway, Elie Saab makes amazing perfume even though it isn't a popular choice. Do check it out.


For myself, the Jo Malone Blackberry & Bay is my all-time signature scent. It is a scent that reminds me a lot of my happier times during childhood. This is probably my 10th bottle and I'm still loving it every time. Initially, I wanted to get for my mom the Christmas limited edition scent which is the Orange Bitter. It is sold out everywhere. I looked for it high and low from Malaysia to London, to Paris, Belgium and Dubai. I couldn't get it before Christmas and no luck even after Christmas. They are not going to restock it and I just missed one of the great scents that Jo Malone made.


Lastly, the Lancome perfume from Paris. I got them in miniature so that I can throw them into little goodie bag for my girlfriends.


Not in photos, I also have Barry M eyebrow kit, some Essie nail polish, a Tom Ford lipstick and a blush from Bourjois. I couldn't find it because I pack them separately, and clearly I have no unpacked everything yet.

I would want to go back London again for all the beauty shopping. I think London gives me a better experience, especially Harrods, Selfridges and Westfields have really amazing brands under their roof. Also, the drugstores are more attractive compared to the Parisian pharmacies. If you have any brands or products that you love from Europe, do recommend to me.

Remember to join my giveaway <<here>>. I've handpicked some beauty items for you! Good luck. 
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2 comments

Mieza Everdeen said...

i'm basically puking rainbows upon reading your haul post! seeing all those things are making me happy already at 10.40am, thanks for the positive vibe Jerine ^_^ makeup and skincare does make me happy, and now I know what shall I look for if anyone asks me to kirim barang from Europe (i mean those that I can afford for now, hehe)

Jerine said...

@Mieza Everdeen: I wish I can bring back more of the drugstore stuff. So cheap man! Like MUA eyeshadow palette is only GBP2. Where can we get that? Even Elianto also not that cheap.