Makeup Souvenirs | Study Abroad 2017

I caught the travel bug last summer and decided to uphold my makeup souvenir tradition in my new adventure. I signed up for study abroad a few weeks after I came back from New York for the first time. I visited Spain, Morocco and France. BEST AND WILDEST MONTH OF MY LIFE.

I was SO HYPED to visit Sephora in Europe, especially after I read that sephora is a French company and their HQ is in Paris *squeals* lmaooo. I’m pretty sad to report that I was gravely disappointed 😭 Europe doesn’t have all the brands American Sephoras have. I should’ve expected that because not all brands are all allowed to sell in Europe or just don’t. Nonetheless, I found great things to take back with me to the states!

Study abroad things: calling the U.S. “the states” and avidly comparing everything to home lol

Spain:

Let’s just appreciate this view from my room. I stayed in Madrid for 5 days (I think lol). I was in Petit Palace in Gran Via (excellent hotel btw). To my surprise, there was a Kiko Milano store 2 minutes away. I visited the Miami store in Sawgrass Mall the weak before coming to Europe. I almost screamed lmaoooo.

I went inside and fell in love. The product line felt expanded. Kiko seemed hot because many lipsticks were sold out, including some I wanted 😥

I ended up picking up another lipstick: Kiko Milano Smart Fusion lipstick in 434 Chestnut. This was like a cooler/ more neutral version of Mac Velvet Teddy in my eyes. Mac Velvet Teddy looked warmer and pinkier on me.

Chestnut on the left; Velvet Teddy on the right.

This lipstick was a light, creamy matte. It was so flattering and the perfect everyday nude to wear in Europe. I also think it wore nicely even after I ate. I was tempted to buy 10 more, but I decided that I should wait considering Europe had more makeup waiting for me and it was only the third day 😎 I really enjoyed this formula!

I rate the Kiko MilanoSmart Fusion lipstick in 434 Chestnut 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I found a Sephora about 10 minutes away from my hotel on the way to Museo Nacional Del Prado and decided to pick up a Beauty Blender. One of my classmates said it was cheaper in Europe than Miami so I ran to pick one up lmao, but it was closed.

Museo Nacional Del Prado 🤤

I finally went to Sephora when I went to Sevilla and picked it up. I actually tried the pink Beauty Blender back home, but hated it. I think I got a faulty one because it was oddly shaped when it got wet. I’ve always heard the black one is the best one and that always low-key pissed me off because a color shouldn’t affect how good a sponge is 🙄

Excuse my dusty beauty blender 🙃

I ended up really enjoying the Beauty Blender. It’s good, but I don’t think it’s as magical as YouTube made it seem lol. I owned the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge before and loved it. They honestly feel exactly the same to me. I feel like neither sucks up a lot of product and that neither leaves streaks. Also, the sponges also help foundation look smooth and great on my skin.

I feel like the only differences between the two is that the RT one is larger when wet and has a flat side great for cutting the cheeks with powder to bake and blending out cream contour. The Beauty Blender is great for precise blending because the tip is slightly more precise.

I rate the black Beauty Blender, and conversely the Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge, 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Morocco:

Yeah no lol we couldn’t even eat food that wasn’t provided by our tour guide 🤣😅

France:

Even before my trip to Europe began, I dreamt of going to a Sephora in Paris. I visited the one in Champ Elysees and I nearly died of excitement lmfao. THERE WAS A RED CARPET LEADING INTO THIS SEPHORA; I FELT SO ROYAL.

I was set on buying a French company’s makeup in Paris. It just felt like the right thing to do. I decided to try MakeUp Forever’s new liquid lipstick. You can BET I almost cried when I saw that this Sephora didn’t have it. This Sephora was so large and the biggest one I’ve ever been in, so I couldn’t believe it. Like damn. I was crushed lmao. I decided to pick up their traditional lipsticks instead.

MUFE has such an extensive shade range in their lipsticks and foundations! I swatched like 10 lipsticks before deciding on the one I bought. I got MakeUp Forever Artist Rouge lipstick in shade M102.

This lipstick is breathtaking. It has such an amazing and lightweight formula. It’s sheer, but the pigmentation still packs a punch. This color looks so natural and stunning on my lips. It makes my lips look juicy, making it perfect for days where I barely wear makeup or focus on my skin. It surprisingly doesn’t bleed, despite being so sheer. Also, the packing is very sleek and feels expensive; I’m not really one to care about packaging, but this cost a pretty penny and it was so worth it!

I rate the the MakeUp Forever Artist Rouge lipstick M102 5/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you been makeup shopping in another country? Have you tried anything I’ve tried? Are my reactions in the Sephora in Paris too dramatic lmaooo?

Be sure to share your thoughts on my posts with me in the comments below or on my social media pages: yolauralikesbeauty on Instagram and Facebook; yolauraisfierce on Twitter.

Thanks for reading! 💋