One of the best things about booking a holiday abroad, second to the holiday itself of course and spending time with your friends or loved ones, is the chance to raid the counters in duty free. The opportunity to save money on beauty products isn’t huge, I think it lies somewhere between 10% and 20% but if you’re planning a big shop, the cumulative savings can amount to a fair bit and can be enough for you to pick up an extra product for “free”. On most occasions, I am armed with a list of “NEEDS” but on my latest duty free trip, I just went to ‘browse’ whilst my boyfriend was left on gate-check duty patrol. Before I knew it, I’d made two trips to the till point. Here’s what I picked up.
Let’s start with the Chanel Rouge Coco Shine. I’m always drawn to the Chanel counter and more often than not I leave behind a trail of drool and walk away empty handed (whilst I give myself an imaginary pat on the back for not succumbing to Chanel’s charms). This occasion was somewhat different with this Chanel counter being situated in Duty Free. Money off Chanel? I’d be stupid not to take up the offer! There is very rarely any opportunity to buy Chanel at a discount unless of course you are in Duty Free. After swatching the back of my hand to death, then rubbing it clean (as much as one can with a dry tissue) before swatching some more, I settled for the shade Suspense. Suspence is a beautiful berry shade and is the colour I automatically think of when you hear or see the words “stained lips”. Maybe it’s because it reminds me of the stained lips I used to get as a child when over indulging in cherries (sweet, dark cherries are my absolute favourite fruit). Whilst a “stained lip” normally depicts a matte finish, Chanel Rouge Coco Shine isn’t. If ever you were a little scared to wear a bold lip then the Chanel Coco Rouge line is a safe bet to ease yourself in. With one layer, you get a sheer wash of subtle colour. If you’re feeling more bold, go in with two or three coats to amp up the colour. The formulation is forgiving. It goes on smooth and imparts as much moisture and shine as it does colour. With loads of shades to choose from, I can see myself adding to my lip stash, I just don’t know why it’s taken me so long to finally pick one up.
Not content with picking up just the one lippie, I found myself back at the YSL counter once it was less crowded. After another swatching fest and getting annoyed by being interrupted twice by the overly keen sales assistant, I settled for the YSL Rouge Volupte Shine in the shade 12. This colour is probably more season appropriate than the Chanel lippie I picked up. A bold, vibrant fusion of red, pink and orange; a deep coral you could say. Coincidently, the formulation is not too dissimilar to Chanel Rouge Coco Shine, hence why both feature the word “Shine” in their name. Shiny formulations tend to be more comfortable to wear than your matte formulations and whilst I’ll happily pick up a shiny lippie, I’m a bit more cautious when it comes to matte lipsticks as they are well renowned for being drying on the lips (subject to brand and product). Again, a lot like the Chanel Rouge Coco shine, this can be applied sheer with a single coat, or layered for a more bold and vibrant pop of colour. I’m not going to lie though, the packaging played a big part in my impulsive purchase. I mean, just look at it. It’s an absolute BEAUTY! If there was ever an excuse to pull your lipstick out of your handbag, regardless of whether you are due a top up or not, then this is it.
The last thing I picked up was the newest in terms of product launch and it was the Clinique Chubby Stick (not Chubby cheeks as I keep wanting to call it) in the shade Robust Rhubarb. If I’m totally honest, I wear powder more often than I do cream blushers. Not sure why, maybe it’s because I find it less of a faff to apply. My justification for picking the Chubby Stick? I thought it would provide a nice, healthy pop of colour to my cheeks whilst I’m sunning myself by the pool (or if I’m feeling brave enough to venture into the sea), without my face looking like a streaky, hot mess (if you have ever been caught out in the rain with a face full of makeup, you will understand). I thought before covering my cheeks in the tester that the dark pink shade would be more up my street but when I swatched Robust Rhubarb on my apples, I knew right away that it was the perfect shade. It’s a peachy pink, a blush shade that can do no wrong on most occasions. This would work well on fair skinned gals but also those who have a slightly more tanned complexioned like myself, although I’m not particularly tanned right now, I know that this would still look good when I have got a bit more of a glow to me. Application is made somewhat easier by it’s stick formation, you can literally swipe the product onto your cheeks and blend in with your fingers. It sheers out beautifully onto the skin so it’s very hard to go wrong.
I’m travelling for the next few months so it’s going to be interesting just how many products I fight the urge to pick up in Duty Free considering that my luggage was already 2kg over and thats just the first part of my trip!
Have you made any recent purchases in Duty Free recently?