Amsterdam Beauty Haul

So, today is day seventy of my one hundred day spending ban  - and the day before yesterday I technically broke my ban. Over the last three months of not shopping I saved enough money (just from not shopping) to be able to afford to go on a holiday to Amsterdam with one of my friends. The cost of the whole trip was quite reasonable considering how much we did and saw, and on the last day of my trip I had about forty euros of spending money left over. On the way back to the station we walked past a shop called Kruidvat which is the Netherlands' drugstore, the equivalent to England's Superdrug. As we neared the store I made a decision to spend the leftover euros from my holiday. I knew it would make me happy to try out some make-up I can't get back home and as I knew that it was an expense that I could afford I decided to just go for it.

 The two main brands I was interested in were Essence and Catrice; Essence has very low prices (€1-3) and Catrice is more expensive (€3-5) but is still very affordable. I spent about €34 (approximately £28.50) and I bought thirteen products. I know this is excessive but as far as I am concerned I had budgeted to spend it anyway (and only hadn't spent it because Tom and I had skipped dinner and stayed in the night before) so to me this spending slip-up is not the end of the world, and I'll be continuing my spending ban.

Anyway, on to the make-up! I'll briefly go through what I bought and roughly how much it cost me. I hope this helps any of you looking to go beauty shopping in Amsterdam in the future!

(left to right) Essence Lisptick in All About Cupcake, Essence Lipstick in Natural Beauty and Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Matt-erial Girl.

Essence Lipstick in All About Cupcake (€1.99)

This is the only piece of make-up that I've already tried out. I absolutely love the colour of this but the formula is quite sheer and doesn't wear very well. I also find it very drying! I will definitely wear this lipstick but it isn't a winner in my book.

Essence Long Lasting Lipstick in Natural Beauty (€2.59)

Gorgeous colour and the formula of the Long Lasting Lipsticks is much nicer than the previously mentioned line of lipsticks. It is much more opaque and more matte. It is definitely worth the extra 60 cents. 

Catrice Ultimate Colour Lipstick in Matt-erial Girl (€3.99)

I think the colour is a real show stopper and although I haven't tried this out I loved the feel of this when I swatched it. It is really creamy for a matte lipstick and goes on very evenly, I'm very excited about wearing this one!

 (top to bottom) Essence Super Fine Eyeliner in Deep Black (close up is of this product), Essence Kajal Pencil in Teddy and Essence Stays No Matter What Eyeliner in Midnight Black.

Essence Super Fine Eyeliner in Deep Black (€2.79 approx.)

The nib on this eyeliner is so fine. I've tried it on my hand and it gives the finest line you can imagine. I was planning on getting the newly released Rimmel fine/micro eyeliner pen once my spending ban ended so when I saw this (which is much cheaper) I thought I'd try this instead. I have very high hopes for this.

Essence Kajal Pencil in Teddy (€0.99)

I've heard a lot of good things about this eyeliner and at less than a euro I couldn't say no to it. This is a very deep, rich brown which I think will be very flattering.

Essence Stays No Matter What Eyeliner in Midnight Black (€1.59 approx.)

I've tried some of Rimmel's Kohl Kajals which are very long lasting but I don't have a black version. I'll be interested to see if these Essence eyeliners are a dupe - if so that will be amazing as they are so, so cheap.

 (Top to bottom) Catrice Eyebrow Filler and Catrice Eye Brow Stylist in Blond but Brow'd.

Catrice Eyebrow Filler (€3.59)

Maybelline has recently come out with a tinted eyebrow taming gel that I was keen to try after my spending ban ends, so when I saw this I thought I would try this Catrice version instead. I'm very excited by this product as I haven't tried anything like it before. 

Catrice Eye Brow Stylist in Blond but Brow'd (€3.59 approx.)
Again, I was keen to try the Maybelline Eyebrow Pencil that I saw over on Amy's blog (Srsly,Lou) not so long ago. However, I liked the look of this one and am hoping it will be just as good, if not better.

 Catrice Cosmetics Lip and Cheek Colour in the shade Bed of Flowers

Catrice Cosmetics Lip and Cheek Colour in the shade Bed of Flowers (€4.99)

Now, I haven't used this much yet but I think this could just be the best drugstore cream cheek product I've tried. It is pretty sheer but is easily buildable and I love the colour. This comes in three shades, a coral, a true red and a purple (I chose the purple). I think the red shade could potentially be a dupe for Mac's Frankly Scarlet which seems to be getting more and more popular.

Essence I Love Stage Eye Shadow Base, Essence Metallic Eye Shadow in the shade Party All Night and Essence Shimmer Effect Eye Shadow in Cappuccino, please! 

Essence I Love Stage Eye Shadow Base (€3 approx.)

I'm really happy I found this as my current eye shadow base (which is from Darling Girl) is nearing its expiration date. This Essence Eye Shadow Base is  very affordable and on first inspection seems good quality. My only concern is that it is very opaquely coloured so might not work with very light eye shadows. Still, I think this could well be quite the bargain.

Essence Metallic Eye Shadow in Party All Night (€1.49 approx.)(bottom eye shadow in close up image)

This swatches very prettily but it is absolutely transformed when applied over the eye shadow base. It is gorgeous over a base, incredibly metallic but a very subtle colour which I think will be easily wearable. I love it and will probably be using it a lot now I'm back at university and will be "going out" more.

Essence Shimmer Effect Eye Shadow in Cappucino, please! (€1.49 approx.) (top eye shadow in close up image)

I love the name! And the colour is very pretty and wearable. It isn't glittery at all, the shimmer is subtle but looks as though it will really brighten the eye. I'm hoping that this will be easy to wear during the day with black liner for a quick, but pretty, day-time look. 

The last item!

Labello (Nivea) Fruity Shine Lip Balm in Guava (€2.39)

I often see Nivea's Fruity Shine Lip Balms in American drugstore hauls and I always really wanted one! Tinted lip balms are some of my favourite things to wear, especially if they smell good. This Guava scented one has a very sheer pink tint and it smells unbelievably good, like no other lip balm I've ever owned. I'm so glad I saw it in the shop and (I know this sounds lame) but if I had only bought this I would have honestly still been very happy.

It was a pretty massive haul considering I'm not supposed to be buying everything but all my choices were very well thought out. I am happy with everything I bought and if you're going to the Netherlands then definitely check out Kruidvat for these Essence and Catrice make-up (or the store Douglas if you're after a more Sephora-esque shopping experience).

Is there anything you'd like to see an in depth review of? What item did you like the look of the most?

Follow me via: [Bloglovin]  [Facebook] [She Said Beauty] [Twitter]