European Beauty Buys

I recently came back home from a two month study abroad adventure in Amsterdam and Belgium, with a weekend trip to Paris, and I thought I'd share the beauty bits I purchased while I was there.

Rimmel Wake Me Up Foundation in Soft Beige

I had heard about this foundation from many a beauty blogger so when I found it in a drugstore I was immediately swatching away. After trying it out for a day (because in Europe they have testers in the drugstore-how cool is that?!), I decided I was in love and purchased it. It was quite expensive, I think it was around 14 or 15 euro, but since I can't find it in the US, I felt it was justified. It's a very light foundation, almost more of a tinted moisturizer, and it also contains SPF 15. I have oily skin, but I like a bit of glow, which is exactly what this foundation gives. It evens out any redness or imperfections, but you can still see my freckles when I wear it!

Zara Black Perfume Rollerball

This was an impulse buy near the register, and I am so glad I grabbed it! It smells pretty similar to Viktor and Rolf's Flowerbomb, but slightly different. I'm terrible at describing scents so this is something you will have to smell for yourself!

Bourjois One Second Gel Nail Polish in Blue No Blues

I've read so many rave reviews of this product, so the ultimate question was which color to buy. I decided on this highlighter blue and boy, is it bright! The brush is super wide, which can make application a bit tricky in my opinion, but also means you can get your pinky in one go. It does dry quite quickly, but I still put a fast dry top coat over it. The formula lasts really well too, and the packaging is just so darn cute.

Repetto Perfume

Repetto is a French dance/shoe brand, and I picked this perfume up while I was in Paris. I really can't describe the scent well, but I partially bought it because I love Repetto and their dancewear. So gorgeous.

Barry M Gel Polishes in Lychee and Guava

Another excellent long lasting nail polish! After buying Guava (the teal), I fell in love with the opacity and wear time of the polish, so I had to buy another. I didn't think I would be able to find these in the Netherlands, but picked them up at River Island.

& Other Stories Nail Polish in Pekin Cherry

Another Paris purchase! This store was amazing, I'm surprised I didn't spend more money. I was on the hunt for a perfect red nail polish and I love this one. I've had trouble applying the color evenly, but I'm quite impatient when doing my nails so there's a possibility I just need to take my time. The brush on this is awesome though, nice and curved, but not too much, making for a fuss free application.

Nail Dotting Tool and Cuticle Pusher

These were picked up from Hema and Kruidvat purely because they were cheaper than any I've seen in American drugstores! Excited to try out the dotting tool...

Those are my European beauty buys, I'm pretty pleased with myself for not going totally nuts, but if I had gone to England, it would've been a different story...