Stocking up on Makeup in States, your picks?

kathycork

Hey girls,

I'm looking for any tips on buying makeup. At the moment I use Benefit pressed powder, Benefit primer, Benefit foundation, and Benefit concealer!! Going to the States next month so I'm going to stock up on these:

Powder, maybe Mac? Which one's the best?

Under eye Concealer, not Touche Eclat?

Foundation, ugh the bane of my life! I'm pale with clear skin, but with blotchy parts, so need decent coverage. Mt skin is dry in parts and a small bit oily Tzone...

Primer, was thinking Smashbox?

Any tips on magic products??

Thanks!xx

eth0_

MAC studio tech concealer is good if you need more coverage than Touche Eclat (which isn't actually a concealer, it's a highlighter, so if you have dark circles it just highlights them!). Powder - currently I am in love with MAC Mineralize skinfinish natural. It gives an amazing finish.

But what you should do, is visit Sephora and MAC stores. It's a totally different experience to shopping in Ireland. They will willingly give you makeovers, samples etc. That way you can choose for yourself over a few days which products work best for you.

legal eagle 1

Stock up on smashbox primer.....its a must have!
Also, go into Sephora and pick up one of their make up brush sets......there worth the investment!

Pythia

Rather than get Smashbox, get Monistat Anti Chaffing gel. It's basically the same as Smashbox primer but very cheap. You can get it from the 'drugstore'. I'd recommend going to a drugstore, lots of great finds in there, for both make up and also hair products.

Novella

Sephora, best place in the world! I spent about five hundred dollars in there when I was in NY over the summer!

I bought Smashbox primer and I have to say I love it. I'm running out now but definitely gonna buy it again, it's really good.

I use MAC powder. I've used Benefit in the past but prefer MAC. I bought a lot of MAC when I was in NY as well. Bought some in Macy's and found the girls there really helpful. They gave me wee samples for free too.

Bought some NARS too which I can't say enough good things about. The blusher, Orgasm, is amazing. I constantly get asked what blusher do I use!

As someone mentioned, the brushes in Sephora are worth investing in. I bought their smoky eye brush and it's brilliant. Makes putting on eye make up so much easier.

Check out Walgreens and their chemists too. They have Covergirl and other brands that we don't have which are worth a look and reasonably priced. I bought Maybelline's Great Lash mascara for around three dollars and got some great nail varnishes too.

Have a great trip

eth0_

Be very careful if you're buying a lot of stuff in the States. I know a few people who've been on work trips to the USA this month and on their way through customs in Dublin on their way home, the customs officers were really cracking down on people who'd bought lots of stuff in the US and issued them with VAT bills!

Be sure to ditch all the packaging, price tags etc.

Alicat

+1 on removing packaging. Take them out of the boxes, throw away the leaflets and mix them in with your normal make-up bag.

It's silly to remove the tags off everything though, I mean who comes back from the States with NO new things? :rolleyes: So I keep tags on a select few (cheap :P ) items.


On the subject of concealers, I haven't tried the Benefit one, but I use one from a range called 'the Balm' and I love it! They had it in Sephora last year so they might still have it. I also use their tinted moisturiser.

Stella777

Kiehl's!
Their original Manhattan store is on 3rd Ave around 13th Street. It's a fun place to visit. The staff are VERY generous with samples and quite helpful. My favorite product is the Creme de Corps body lotion, great for winter dry skin. Their lip balm is legendary too.

Shu Uemura: Barneys and Bergdorf Goodman carry it. Some Sephoras also carry this line. Great brushes, lipsticks and mascara.

FiberWig: Amazing mascara you can find in Sephora. It DOES NOT budge until you wash it off with warm water.

Lorac and Vincent Longo are other brands which come to mind which I think are hard to find in Ireland. Both at Sephora.

Barneys department store has the most amazing makeup department, though their staff can be a bit...snooty.

Takashimaya is a high end Japanese department store on 5th Ave which carries some very interesting brands, both Japanese and others.

Twee.

+1 for Nars! Lip gloss and blusher in Orgasm are both amazing!

amdublin

Victoria's Secret does makeup!

Half the price of Mac and FABULOUS!