New York Haul (Kiko, Ulta, And More)

Two weeks ago, I went on an unexpected weekend trip to New York with my boyfriend. Although the reason for the trip was not under the best circumstances, he knows I love makeup and was so kind as to tag along as I scoured beauty stores. I'll show you what I got at various stores, with some old favorites and new discoveries of places to shop. I've only used the products maybe once or twice, so I'll be giving short reviews (otherwise this post would be a novel), but let me know if you want to see more in-depth reviews of anything.

On our way there, we stopped at an Ulta in Albany. I love Ulta because there are none super close to my house, and their online service is not the best, so I always enjoy going to the stores.

Essence Long Lasting Cool Nude Lipstick. I think Essence lipsticks are great for the price, and this new cool mauve shade was calling my name.

Essence Soo Glow! Cream Highlight. For some reason, I can't find this on the Ulta website, which is why I was surprised when I saw it on the display. I'm a sucker for highlighters and you can't beat a $4 cream-to-powder one.

Essence Mosaic Compact Powder. I thought this was a bronzer, but it swatches more like a highlight. It's so sheer that it could be used as an all-over powder, but it is pretty shimmery, so watch out for that.

NYX Highlight and Contour Palette. 8 different shades for less than $30? I've found NYX products to be generally good quality, but so far the bronzers are out-performing the highlighters.

Laura Geller Inkcredible 5 Piece Eyeliner Set. This one grabbed me right by the cash register. You get 5 full-sized eyeliners for less than $30, and there's a great shade variety with all of them super long lasting on the waterline.

Our next endeavor was the Palisades Mall, where I was finally able to go to a Kiko store for the first time and also discover Korean makeup/skin brand Skinfood. The associate Lucy was very helpful and friendly, and even threw in two free black honey masks (which are amazing). Unfortunately they don't have an online website so I've tried to find the items on Amazon.

Rebel Bouncy Blush in Treasure Rose. This is my favorite limited collection I've seen in a while, so I wanted to pick up a few more things in the gorgeous rose gold packaging. This isn't really a spongy blush but does have a softer texture.

Bronzer Powder in 102. Again, I'm so impressed with how inexpensive yet good quality their products are. This isn't anything super special, but I just wanted a slightly shimmery darker bronzer.

Intensely Lavish Lipstick in 02 Mauve. Another product from the Rebel Romantic collection that I already own in another shade and love the creamy, hydrating formula.

Soft Touch Blush in 105 Dark Rose. Okay now this was a total impulse buy--I was just so happy to be in Kiko I was grabbing things left and right. But it's a solid blush that wears pretty well and is a darker neutral color.

Pencil Lip Gloss in 12. (See above explanation except it's a lip pencil not a blush).

Skinfood Salmon Dark Circle Concealer. I can't get enough of products that will help me cover up my dark circles, so this salmon-shade works wonders before I apply concealer.
Rose Essence Blusher. A very creamy blush that sinks into skin. I got a more coral shade that seemed scary when I swatched it but actually blended to be one of the less intense colors.
Skinfood Black Bean Lip Pencil 03. I had no idea this lip pencil contained black bean extracts, or what that even does, but it's a rosy-peach retractable lip liner.

Lastly, in a mall near my boyfriend's house, we discovered a random makeup store called Flormar. They started in Italy and are relatively new to the US. The store reminded me of MAC, but with Kiko pricing. I don't think you can order directly from the store online, but there are a few of them around, so I recommend checking it out.
Puffy Eyeshadow in Lily Fields. I couldn't even find this on the english website. The packaging is so big that originally I thought it was a highlighter (similar size to MAC Mineralize Skinfinishes), so I gravitated towards the glowy champagne color.
Terracotta Blush in 44. I'm a sucker for anything baked, and these are definitely dupes for the MAC Mineralize Baked Blushes or Laura Geller ones.

I know that was a lot, so thank you for sticking with me if you've read all the way to the bottom!