US Beauty Must-Haves | High-End

This post has been sat in my drafts for a while but I finally feel like I’ve gathered my thoughts enough to give you the run-down of my favourite high-end US beauty products. I’ve kind of got a mix of products you can get in the UK (though not just by wandering into your local Boots), ones you can get shipped here and products you might want to get your hands on if you’re visiting the States. I’ve got something in most categories but haven’t forced it! Make sure you come back next week to check out my drugstore and affordable version of this too.

Urban Decay Naked Skin Correcting Fluid in Peach | £17.50 | This range will actually be launching in the UK next month – which is great timing because I’m a good 2/3s of the way through this! I picked it up from Sephora in New York so if you can't wait you can order it from their site (they do a great flat shipping rate if you spend over £80 with all duties calculated at the checkout). It’s slightly thicker in consistency than the original concealer but has amazing coverage and does a really great job of masking my dark circles. It is quite a light shade and they don’t do this in a darker peach sadly, however this is brightening on me without being too much (though it’s borderline!)

Sephora Pro Airbrushes in #55 and #57 | $24-34 | I will definitely be trying to grab some more of Sephora’s own brand brushes when I’m in Italy and Paris in a few weeks! Both of these synthetic face brushes rank amongst my all-time favourites. The #55 is multipurpose but personally I love it for a flawless, natural finish with a light-medium coverage base. It’s really hard to describe but it just blends the product in seamlessly with no brush strokes in just a few seconds! The #57 is like its concealer equivalent and has the perfect bristle density to work both under the eyes and on blemishes. Whether you want that cake-free coverage under the eyes or to really buff the product in over imperfections; this does the job. They wash really well and somehow still scrub up pretty much to what they looked like when they were new.

Becca x Jaclyn Hill Shimmering Skin Perfector Pressed in Champagne Pop | £32 | I know Becca is an Australian brand before anyone tries to correct me but for a good while this was only available in the States due to it being a collaboration with American YouTuber Jaclyn Hill. It’s pretty much impossible to make a highlighter universally beautiful on everyone but I have to say that from the array of skintones that wear this well, it seems to come as close as we’re going to get! It’s a golden-champagne shade with peachy undertones. The formula is extremely smooth, blends out beautifully and has this incredible dewy look without any glitter. It isn’t one for the faint-hearted but you can always use a fan brush for a more natural everyday look.

Tarte Amazonian Clay 12 Hour Blush in Exposed | $28 | This actually used to be stocked by QVC in the UK but they look to have discontinued the single blushes so your best bet is Sephora. Tarte’s blush formula is famous with very good reason; I only own mattes from them but they always apply evenly and last for hours. They have that perfect level of pigment; it’s nothing too insane but you still get colour payoff. Their shade range is pretty impressive but I have to say my favourite colour is the pinky-mauve of Exposed. It’s one of my favourite minimal blusher shades and just always seems to work. There’s enough warmth in it that it doesn’t look grey on the skin but it never takes over a makeup look.

Lorac Unzipped Eyeshadow Palette | $42 | UK Shipping | When my boyfriend couldn’t find this in stock anywhere in New York last year, I gave up hope of ever owning it! However luckily I found a cheap, quick, easy and legit way to get this to the UK (the details are in the post I’ve linked, along with an in-depth review of the palette) and I’m so glad I did! It’s just the most stunning array of golden, copper, brown, rose gold and bronze hues. The Lorac eyeshadow formula is on another level; the shimmers go on like foiled shadows because they’re so smooth, dewy and pigmented. The mattes have amazing payoff, aren’t at all chalky and have such an easy-to-blend texture. The colours in here really pack a punch on the lids and will last all day without creasing or fading away.

Anastasia Beverley Hills Eyeshadow Singles | $12 each | You can order these directly from the ABH website however I’d recommend Sephora due to their shipping deal. I absolutely love these shadows and if you buy 4 you get a free 4-well empty palette (which also fits Makeup Geek and MAC shadows). The quality is incredible; even just swatching them all in-store I didn’t come across any duds. They have several finishes available from full-on dewy shimmer to subtle sheen to completely matte. My favourites are Glisten (a coppery-nude shimmer), Red Earth (a muted pinky-brown matte), Cognac (a very warm red shimmer with brown tones), Truffle (a plummy-brown shimmer) and Dark Plum (a deep muted matte plum). I just find these so easy to work with; just one swipe with my brush gives amazing colour payoff and they blend out beautifully. The warm Autumnal shades I have here also work beautifully together.

Kat Von D Tattoo Liner in Trooper | $20 | This Sephora-owned brand will actually be stocked by Debenhams very soon! This is a very precise black liquid eyeliner with a really interesting brush-like applicator instead of your usual felt tip. There is definitely a knack to this but once you have it nailed, it gives you such an amazing thin, matte winged liner look that won’t budge all day or all night long. Whilst I do prefer my Stila liner these days, I will definitely repurchase this once it lands in Debenhams.

Anastasia Beverley Hills Brow Wiz | £15.50 | You can’t get this in-store in the UK but you can easily order it from BeautyBay or Cult Beauty. Although the Soap & Glory Archery Brow Pencil is a pretty spot-on dupe, this does come in an incredible shade selection and of course it’s the original! On one end is a super-precise, not-too-soft, not-too-waxy brow pencil that just twists right up. On the other is a spooly to brush your brows out with. It just creates a really natural brow look that’s always guaranteed to last the day without smudging or wearing away.

Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Double Dare | $20 | Though I’ve discovered a load of liquid lipstick brands over the past few months, I always seem to come back to this muted strawberry shade. It’s a gorgeous warm-toned colour that always seems to work, whether it’s a weekday, weekend or I need something that will take me from day to night. The formula is very watery but also totally opaque and lasts a good 4 hours whilst eating and drinking once it has set down. It can sometimes be a little drying but it’s nothing a lip balm can’t fix.

Bite Beauty Custom Lipsticks | $45 each | I know it’s reeeeally mean of me to include these but I just couldn’t resist! I created two shades at the Bite Beauty Lip Lab in New York on my birthday: a Pinky Mauve Nude and a Coral Nude. However in general I really recommend Bite lipsticks, especially the creamy (almost satin) matte finish of the ones I made. If you’re planning a trip to New York then I also totally recommend making an appointment at the Lip Lab to create your own perfect shade. I wear these two all the time so they were well worth the investment!

Formula X Nail Polish in Here Comes the Sun | $10.50 | I really wish I’d snapped up more shades in this nail polish formula because Sephora don’t ship it to the UK! It’s so opaque and fast-drying, plus can last me a good 4 days before chipping slightly. This is a really vibrant coral shade I’ve been wearing so much this summer.

What are your must-have high-end US beauty products?

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