Huge Mexico HAUL + REVIEW

So I recently went on the most amazing trip to Mexico (a post will be coming on that soon, I promise!) and whilst I was there I obviously couldn’t miss the chance to go a little crazy shopping in Playa Del Carmen! They had an awesome range of shops, from big brands to traditional boutiques, and as you’ll see I may have gone a little overboard.

The first store I hit up was MAC, because how can you not? I bought MAC Fix+, which is a staple for any make-up obsessive like myself and is awesome for making sure your make-up looks smooth and flawless, as well as stays put all day. I also love to use this on a beauty blender before applying my foundation to make sure that my base make-up is set well. This is an absolutely great product, and kept my make-up looking good through the heat and humidity of Mexico! Plus it’s only £17!

The next place I went was Sephora, because really any opportunity I have to take a trip to Sephora I’m going to make the most out of as we still don’t have one in the U.K. – please Sephora, come to the U.K., we need you! Sephora have such a wide range of sheet masks, so I had to pick up almost one of every kind, including a lip mask! I’ve only tried out a few of these so far, but I’m obsessed with the ones I have tried and I’m hoping I can ration these out until I can get some more, because they really are amazing and leave my skin glowing. You can check out the collection of sheet masks on Sephora’s website, starting from $5 (around £3), because Sephora does ship to the U.K.!

Of course I had to pick up a beauty blender; I’m so obsessed with these, they make any make-up application absolutely fool-proof and super flawless, I honestly cannot be without these. I currently have two, but I’m already planning to expand my collection and try out other products from beauty blender! Although these are a little pricey at £16 each, they’re so worth it and will last you a really long time.

On this trip I also picked up Benefit’s Hoola Bronzer, one of their cult products which I had actually never tried before! What I love most about this bronzer is that it’s matte, so it doesn’t make be look unrealistically shimmery when I just want to look bronzed, and it’s also really great for a more natural, daytime contour. The colour is also really great, not too warm and not too grey, the perfect combination of the two to create a really natural-looking tan. It’s also pretty good value for only £23.50, because it really will last you a long time.

 

To go with my new Hoola Bronzer I also bought the Hoola Bronzing and Contouring brush, which not only looks stunning but is also awesome for contouring. I was a little sceptical at first as to whether or not this brush would work well for contouring, as I felt that it wasn’t dense enough to do a lot and blend well, but I couldn’t have been more wrong! This brush contours like a dream, and its tapered just enough to fit in the hollow of your cheekbones, plus for £17.50 I think it’s a bargain. This is honestly the only brush I use now for contouring.

On the topic of contouring, I also bought the Kat Von D Shade & Light Contour Palette, which, not to be extreme or anything, really has changed my life. This palette gives you three highlight and three contour shades, however I mainly use the highlight shades as colour-correcting setting powders rather than a highlight as I personally prefer something more shimmery. I really love the yellow shade, ‘lyric’, for under my eyes to cancel out the purple tones of my dark circles, but you also get a pink and peach shade for extra brightening. The contour shades are also awesome, with three different shades that all have different tones, allowing you to have either a more natural or more extreme look, as well as creating a more natural contour through the use of different tones. I really love this palette, and although it’s really hard to get Kat Von D products in the U.K., you can get this from Sephora for $46 (£33.50).

Although I very rarely use blush, I was really drawn to this one from Benefit due to it’s peachy shade with gold shimmer, perfect for summer or whenever you have more of a tan. This is now my go-to blush, because it’s not too dark and looks quite natural, but also adds a healthy glow to my cheeks that I really like. You also get a lot of colour payoff, and I really love the four segments of colour in the box that you could either use on their own or swirl together to create this pretty peach colour! This blush is £23.50, which isn’t that bad for the amount you get and the fact that it’s from Benefit, however they do have a huge range of shades to choose from if this blush isn’t your thing.

 

My final purchase from Sephora is this stunning Monarch Palette from Kat Von D, which sadly has been discontinued! I’m so happy I was able to get my hands on it just before it was discontinued, as it really is a stunning palette with an awesome range of shades that are super pigmented. Although this is more of a shimmer palette, the matte shades are just as pigmented, something that very rarely happens, and the shades in this palette are really unique and all so beautiful. Despite the fact that this palette is no longer available, this does prove the quality of Kat Von D eye shadow palettes, so you can always get your hands on one of the other palettes that she has because I’m sure they’re all incredible!

Finally, I went to Pull and Bear and picked up this boho, embroidered bustier and a cool tank that says “Rebel With A Cause”. I haven’t ever shopped at Pull and Bear before because there aren’t that many in England, but they have some really cool stuff so I might have to do some online shopping! They weren’t very expensive either, I think the two tops were about £30 for both which I thought was a bargain because they’re really good quality!

So that’s everything I bought from Playa Del Carmen! I must admit, I did slightly go on a shopping frenzy, but I’m so pleased with all of my purchases and I would totally recommend everything I bought! I really hope you guys enjoyed this post and seeing what I bought, and I promise I will be posting a Mexican Trip post very soon!