European Beauty Haul

If you read my last blogpost you would know that I was in Berlin and Prague. If you haven't read my Berlin Travel Diary you can see it here, and my Prague Travel Diary will be coming on Friday so keep an eye out for that. All the products I talk about are linked so it makes it easier for you to have a look at them online yourself. 

There are a good few European beauty and makeup brands that you can't get in Ireland and although you could buy some of them online I still prefer to see makeup in person before I purchase it. When I was in Berlin I had to pop into Kiko because the quality of their makeup for the price is incredible. And then when I was in Prague I had to visit Sephora because I was never there before and it did not disappoint. 

Quick disclaimer, so I know that 'normal' people would not buy this much makeup on their holiday and I know it is a crazy amount, but this is what I do and I love trying new things and having new products to share with ye. I spend the money I earn on makeup and skincare and clothes instead of buying other things, so it is a lot of makeup but this is what I do as a blogger. 

I'll start by talking about the Kiko stuff as I did purchase that first and then we'll chat about the bits I got in Sephora. Before I went in to both places I had some research done and had some idea about what I wanted to pick up.

I was dying to try the water shadows after seeing swatches of them. They are honestly the most beautiful shadows I have ever seen in the pans with a gorgeous wave like texture. I was on the hunt for a shimmery khaki shadow to layer over another eyeshadow I have so I picked up the Kiko Water Eyeshadow in the shade 209 which is a beautiful shimmery khaki green. I also couldn't not pick up 200 which is the most incredible shimmery champagne I have ever seen. These shadows are designed to be used wet or dry so you can get them to the intensity you want.

Pigments are the one thing that I don't think you can find easily on the highstreet and I have always wanted to try them to create intense eye looks. I saw Kiko had some on their website but wasn't expecting to find them as they were on sale, but they had them in store for only one euro so I was over the moon. I grabbed the Kiko Pigment Loose Eyeshadow in 12 which is a rich chocolate brown and 08, an electric blue which will be perfect for festival season.

This time last year I picked up a Creamy Lipstick and I absolutely adore it so I decided to pick up a different formula from the same range (they have a creamy, matte and glossy lipstick formula in this range). I went for the Kiko Velvet Passion Matte Lipstick in the shade 301 which is a very different colour for me. It's quite a warm toned nude, beige with almost a brown tone, Can we just take a moment to appreciate how amazing this lipstick packaging is?! I can't wait to play around with it and pair it with different eye looks.

The last thing I picked up in Kiko was definitely an impulse buy, because when you're surrounded by amazing affordable makeup this is bound to happen! If you saw my most recent beauty post which you can read here you would know I tired out a gel liner that wasn't very pigmented and I was quite disappointed with it. So I switched the Kiko Super Colour Eyeliner in the shade 103 which is a very deep brown and I was really impressed. The brush is really skinny and so far its been very easy to use and has been long lasting.  

Onto Sephora so I only picked up Sephora own brand stuff because you obviously can't get it here and because it was a smaller store there wasn't a lot of brands that you couldn't get here. I have had their liquid lipsticks in the past and loved them so I wanted to get a pink rose type of colour as I thought that would be a good one to have in my collection. I picked out the Sephora Cream Lip Stain  in the shade 13 which is a rose mauve toned shade. While I was swatching them number 25 tickled my fancy and I decided to pick it up too. You could describe it as a rust colour, almost like a muted red. I can't wait to experiment with these and see how they work.

As I was doing my research I saw someone recommend the Sephora Beauty Amplifier Powder which is only in their European shoes (hence why I had to link it in the French site). This is the creamiest pressed powder I have ever felt and it's a white translucent which I prefer in powders. It claims to be shooting and brightening and although I haven't tested it out that much I definitely will in the near future. It also has a great sturdy compact which will be fab to throw into my bag.

Everyone raves about their face masks so of course I had to pick on up to try and they were also so affordable. I originally planned on getting the sheet mask and I was in between the Algae and Green Tea so I decided to pick up one in the sheet mask and the other in the sleeping mask. I ended up getting the Sephora Green Tea Face Mask and the Sephora Algae Sleeping Mask, which are both targeted towards acne prone and troubled skin.
Because I went mask mad I decided I might as well pick up a lip mask while I'm at it because I have never used one and my lips have been quite sore and dry lately. I went for the Sephora Rose Lip Mask  which I will definitely put on my Snapchat when I use it.

Because I picked up 3 masks I could get this little travel size bag for free which will come in handy in the future. I was also kindly given some samples to try out including a mini of the Sephora Outrageous Volume Mascara  as well as two sachets of the Sephora Mud Mask which is supposed to be purifying and mattifying. I can't wait to try these and I might have to get someone to purchase the full size for me if I enjoy them! 

Finally, we're onto the last but certainly not the least product that I picked up on the way home. I still had some Czech money that I needed to get rid of in Duty Free and I saw the Nuxe Reve de Miel lip balm and decided to pick it up. As I said earlier, my lips have been quite dry and sore and I knew this would help as this is my second or third time repurchasing this balm. I honestly notice a difference in my lips when I stopped using this and it's such a lovely texture and has a great smell I couldn't pass it up

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So there we go, all the beauty products I bought while I was in Berlin and Prague. All these products will definitely be featured in GRWM's over on my Snapchat if you want to see the in action. Or if there is any product you'd like to see in particular then let me know. 

I hope you enjoyed this post and my Prague Travel Diary will be coming on Friday so you can look forward to seeing that, 

Ailbhe x