The American Beauty Products You HAVE To Buy

I may have mentioned once or twice or a thousand times that I went to New York. I may have also mentioned that I bought a lot of makeup whilst I was there. There's always an added thrill when I visit the US because of all of the makeup I can't get my hands on over here, as well as the place I truly believe to be my paradise; Sephora. Here I've compiled a list of what products I believe everyone should pick up over in the USA.

Allure

If something is truly missing in the UK publishing market, it's a beauty magazine. The beauty pages at the end of Look just won't suffice for me, I need a big, meaty publication, stuffed to the brim with makeup and beauty. For you lucky things over in America, however, you have Allure. You can get it in the UK but you're paying a hell of a lot of money and spending a hell of a lot of time searching it down. Whenever I go across the pond, this is always something I pick up before I've even left the airport!

Make Up For Ever HD Foundation

Okay okay so yes I've heard that MUFE are (finally) making their way over to us, but it's probably going to be seriously expensive so let me have this one. I first picked this foundation up when I visited New York last year, and it was what I made a beeline for in Sephora when I visited this year. It creates the most flawless, natural looking base, with no cakey-ness or separating, and as it's formulated specifically for use in studios, it's perfect for my filming days. Let's just hope the rumours of it being reformulated are unfounded.

Milani Baked Blush 'Luminoso'

Ingrid (aka MissGlamorazzi) raved about this on her channel for the longest time, and therefore by the rules of physics, I simply HAD to own it. So I did. And it's been a staple in my collection ever since. 'Luminous' adds a beautifully sheer pop of coral to the cheeks, making you look glowy and radiant like never before. It's definitley my 'I don't have much time to make myself look amazing' blush.

Wet n Wild Mega Last Lip Colour

A new American discovery for me, but that by no means means I love them any less. After hearing the Mega Last Lip Colours raved about by pretty much everyone, I had to test them out for myself and picked up the shades 'Wine Room' and 'Spiked With Rum' in CVS. I was curious to see if they matched the $2.99 price tag and... they don't! The quality of these are similar to some high end lipsticks, if not the same. Soft and buttery, super long lasting, no colour bleeding, AND highly pigmented? We have a winner. 

Sephora Lip Cream 'Strawberry Kissed'

Yet another new purchase, but already to be raved about. The entirety of Youtube is in love with the shade 'Always Red', however me being impatient me, that particular shade was out of stock so I grabbed 'Strawberry Kissed' instead. It's still a red, but with a pink tone running through it making it much more wearable on a daily basis than your classic Marilyn red shade; so glad I picked up this shade, it's an absolute beauty. This baby stays on my lips for hours, stays matte without cracking and flaking, and doesn't feel uncomfortable to wear. 

EOS Lip Balms

And finally we have the cult classic, EOS lip balms. Yes you can pick these up from Topshop, but £7?! You have to be joking. I refuse to buy them in the UK purely on principle - I picked up three in New York from Duane Reade for $3 each! After much umming and ahhing over which flavours (is that the right word?!) to choose, I got Vanilla Mint, Coconut Milk and the medicated Tangerine. I have yet to try any of the new ones out as I'm still working my way through the Honeydew that I picked up last year. Yes that's right last year. I would't say I'm an avid lip balm user, but it comes with me wherever I go and if my lips are feeling dry, out comes the EOS. It keeps them hydrated, comes in a super cute ball-shaped case and tastes incredible. The hype is there for a reason guys.

American makeup seems so much more exciting than UK makeup, but then again I do always like the unobtainable. What's the items you must pick up when you go to the US? Let me know in the comments!

Love,

Georgia

xxx

P.S. Just in case you haven't had enough of my beauty ramblings, have a watch of my American Beauty Haul video that I put up on Youtube. Grab a cuppa, it's a long'un!

ALL The Travel Toiletries

So this post was intended to go up a week ago but life happened, I realised how much I had to do before I jetted off to NYC and instead I'm writing this whilst incredibly jet-lagged at 4.30am after landing back home 17 hours ago. My New York post will be going up soon, just as soon as I can bear to look at the photos without crying (New York blues is a very serious condition).

I bought this toiletries case from Primark for £3 last month. If you're in the UK, there's no better place to get your travel cases. It rolls up and fastens with velcro, it has a hook so you can hang it in the bathroom of wherever you're staying, and the middle pocket is attached with velcro, so you can detach it if you need to - it would be perfect to store your makeup in, if you're not a crazy toiletry person like myself.

One advantage of writing this post after arriving back home is that I can tell you how good my toiletries packing was, and I'm actually very impressed with myself. I used everything I packed, and the only thing I would change would be to take a full sized bottle of dry shampoo. Do not underestimate how gross the Manhattan humidity makes your hair (32 DEGREE HEAT!!!) or how expensive dry shampoo is in the USA. $9 for a usually £3 bottle of Batiste?! No thanks. My hat came in very handy this past week.

Now let's quickly run through what I took with me. There's the obvious: Lee Stafford Poker Straight shampoo & conditioner, Soap & Glory Clean, Girls shower gel, the aforementioned Mark Hill Dry Shampoo and Dove deodorant. Then there's the skincare: super cute The Body Shop Seaweed Facial Wash and Aloe Calming Toner minis, a mini packet of the Yes To Cucumbers face wipes for the nights I arrived back to the hotel slightly tipsy at 1am, and hidden away in the shea butter tub was actually a LOT of coconut oil. Read here for my feelings on coconut oil. Finally, the top pocket was reserved for the very important bits-and-bobs. Cotton pads, bobby grips, elastic hair bands, razor, toothbrush and painkillers. (Side note: if you suffer from back pain, I highly recommend Anadin Back & Muscle Pain tablets)

I'm so sad to be back home, but keep your eyes peeled for the compulsory Sephora haul and plenty of new product reviews in the coming weeks. If you need me, I'll be in bed reliving New York memories, crying, and counting down to Dubai in September. 80 days...

Georgia

xxx

A Birthday Tea at the Ritz

Apologies for the super photo heavy post, but the only way to describe tea at The Ritz is through photos. I don't think I could possibly describe just how decadent it is inside. As someone who's always felt as if they should have been born into the upper class and afternoon tea should be a regular occurrence, there was no place better for me to go on my 21st birthday. (Yes I know I look about 17. I'm 21 now, promise.)

In true Francis fashion, me and my family arrived 5 minutes late after lots of panic and a sulking Georgia on the tube, but none of the staff batted an eyelid and we were sat down at a table with the most expensive silverware I've ever seen. As it was my birthday, they poured the over 18s some complimentary champagne (cue my sister commenting rather loudly 'I prefer lambrini') and we all had to pick a tea from the rather extensive tea menu. I'm not a regular English breakfast tea drinker but I settled for the Passion Fruit and Orange tea and drank an entire teapot of the stuff; it was delicious! 

Tea at The Ritz is famous for their finger sandwiches, I think I ate about 17 in total as well as two raspberry macaroons (I have a macaroon weakness) and 4 scones. I could barely move afterwards but all the food was so yummy and as it's not cheap, I was determined to get my moneys worth - mission accomplished. They also bought round some extra cakes on a really fancy looking trolley, it would have been rude not to have had a generous helping of the orange and white chocolate cake.

Towards the end of the tea, the waiters started to bring out birthday cakes for everyone who's birthday it was. We hadn't paid for the birthday tea but the waiter knew it was my birthday so bought a little cake out anyway which I took home in a little box. It's the little touches like that which made it such an amazing birthday experience. 

I've included a little OOTD photo at the bottom which I'm quite nervous about posting because I don't have the best body confidence and I wasn't the biggest fan of my dress. It was a Topshop panic buy because I didn't have a suitable dress, but horizontal stripes?! What was I thinking. However, I did want to share my outfit because it'll be a lovely memory to look back on. On a better note, I'm totally in love with my Steve Madden shoes even if I could barely walk in them.

Have you ever been for tea at The Ritz?

Georgia

xxx

Georgia 'Pops' Into Boots

Every girl is familiar with the 'I'll just pop into Boots to get some deodorant' situation, you know, the one where you come out with £50 less in your bank account. On this particular occasion, I popped in to get some deodorant and razors, both of which I forgot to pick up. Doh. However, I did manage to get sucked into the 3 for 2 deals so here I am with a mini haul for your enjoyment.

I originally got sucked into the L'Oreal 3 for 2 deal as my beloved L'Oreal False Lash Telescopic mascara and L'Oreal Superliner were both on their last legs, so I picked those both up (I even had to search in the drawers below the counter to find the right eyeliner; how to spot a true beauty enthusiast). I took ages trying to decide on the third item to pick up but my trusty Collection Lasting Perfection concealer was running out so I picked up the L'Oreal True Match concealer to replace it as on first swatch, the formulas seemed very similar.

Next I headed over to the skincare aisle and got sucked into yet another 3 for 2 deal. My skin is crazy hyperpigmented so I was immediately drawn to the Yes To Grapefruits Uneven Skin Tone Moisturiser. Whilst I was browsing the Yes To... range, I heard a woman next to me rave to her friend about the Sanctuary range so I headed over and blindly picked up the Sanctuary Fresh-Faced Purifying Wash as I sort-of-not-really needed a new morning cleanser. I then took forever trying to decide what to pick as my 3rd skincare choice, until I saw a lone Serozinc hidden at the back of the La Roche Posay counter. I snapped that baby up faster than I've ever moved in my life.

Now for the boring bits (but we all know the boring bits are actually the most interesting, right?). I picked up yet another Batiste Dry Shampoo in 'Deep and Dark Brown'; a must have for any dark haired girl, I can't remember life before this and this must have been my 20th can. Then cotton pads. It's probably strange to have a cotton pad preference but the Boots Double Sided Cotton Pads are always my go-tos. And last but not least, I picked up this adorable little mini travel bottle set for when I'm jet setting off to NYC next week. A girl can never have too many mini things. 

Reviews will be coming soon!

Georgia 

xxx

The Cheapest Summer Lip

I had a bit of a love affair with the Collection Cream Puffs a couple of years ago, but new lip products came in and the Cream Puffs were pushed to the back. Until a couple of weeks ago that is. I was searching through my collection for a low maintenance, bright(er) summer lip and rediscovered this in the shade 'Fairy Cake'. It scores instant points just for the adorable name.

Fairy Cake is a beautiful coral shade, perfect for the warm summer months and due to the doe foot applicator and matte finish, it is probably one of the most low maintenance lip colours I own. One slight negative is that I find it takes a couple of layers to build up a solid colour but for just £2.99, can you really complain? The matte formula is also one of my favourites that I've tried; it's nowhere near as drying as some matte shades can be and has a slight velvet-y texture on the lips.

Next time you're near a Collection counter I would highly recommend you go pick this up! There's only 4 shades in the range, with this and 'Cotton Candy' (a true baby pink) being the only good picks of the lot, so Collection... get your act together and release more shades ASAP!

Georgia

xxx