April Haul: Urban Decay, Asos, Steve Madden, Nars & More

Hello lovelies
Haul posts are always one of the most popular things I put on the blog, and as a hopeless retail addict, there will always be stuff to post about with me, so I decided to do a collective April haul.

I didn’t actually think I’d bought very much this month, but when you start to add it all up, you realise there’s quite a lot there!

As ever, I love reading other people’s hauls, so if you’ve done one recently, do pop me a link in the comments below.

Urban Decay Naked On The Run

What a thing of beauty. This is one of those items that I wanted straight away when it launched, but have stopped myself from buying for months, reasoning that I didn’t need it and it wouldn’t be useful.

Hahahahaha. I always crumble eventually! I spied a couple of reviews on this baby and found myself gazing wistfully at it, getting kind of obsessed, so I knew it was going to happen.

I justified it by telling myself I’m doing a lot of travelling next month and that this would be ideal to take with me!

Everything about this travel collection is just totally lust-worthy, from the beautiful tortoiseshell and rose gold coloured casing to the products inside. J’adore.

Being from the Naked range, everything is also beautifully wearable. There are stunning eyeshadow shades, bronzer, blush and highlighter, a full size Naked lipgloss, and travel size 24/7 Glide On eyeliner and Perversion mascara.

Something about being pregnant is making me less tolerant of complications and clutter, so I’m hoping this and just a couple of other products can be all I take on holiday. I’m in love. Full review and swatches
coming soon!

Mac Veluxe Pearlfusion Shadow in ‘Brownluxe’

And of course, because a girl can legally never have too many eyeshadow palettes at her disposal, I ended up buying this Mac palette as well.

These are so pearly and shimmery, they’re a dream. Powder shadows that feel like a cream formulation, these can be worn dry for a diffused shimmer or wet for a shot of bolder metallic.

There are six palettes in the range, each with five thin pans of shadow, but Brownluxe immediately struck me as the most useful of all of them.

There’s a soft, whitish peach, a creamy beige, a bold copper, a stunning khaki and the most amazing dark purplish brown. If you like a hit of shimmer to wake up your peepers, you’ll love these.

Paperchase hummingbird pencil case

Do you love a good bit of stationary? Were you always the one spending hours each new term choosing your pencil case and lingering over the gel pens? I certainly was, and stopping by Paperchase still gives me that pure schooldays thrill all over again.

So I recently bought this extremely pretty pencil case with its digital hummingbird print. But its not for pens and pencils. Its actually to store my make-up brushes in when I travel, which I thought it would work well for as the inside has these elastics to hold everything in place.

I’m a total sucker for pretty little pouches and storage, so I thought my brushes deserved an upgraded travel solution. I don’t like to just drop them in my makeup bag as they can get dirty and damaged – silly when you pay so much for them.

What do you use to store your brushes when travelling?

Rayflector grey oversized sunglasses

Going on holiday demands a new pair of sunnies (especially when bikini shopping is out as you’re the size of a whale!), so of course I treated myself to some shades.

I don’t like to spend a lot on sunglasses because they usually get sat on or left behind somewhere, so although I do own a Celine pair and a Gucci pair (now broken!), I actually prefer the high street for my shades.

They do some amazing designs, and you can buy lots of different styles to suit your mood or outfit. I fell in love with this oversized grey pair from Rayflector. They are a lot bigger than I’d normally go for, and I don’t have any in this octagonal shape.

But when I popped them on, I found them quite glamourous and very Victoria Beckham – perfect for Venice, dah-ling! They’ve totally replaced the tortoiseshell cats-eye style I was rocking before, and I’ve been whipping them out at every ray of sunshine we’ve had.

Asos black swing dress

More loose dresses to add to my collection. They’re so versatile and seem to suit my changing shape.

So far, I haven’t really put on weight anywhere else but my stomach is getting bigger by the day. Some days I don’t mind showing my baby bump off a bit, and other days you just want to be a bit less conspicuous and more comfortable, so these kind of ‘swing’ or ‘cocoon’ silhouettes are perfect. 

Plus, they will still work after the baby arrives, so I don’t feel like I’m wasting my money.

You can never go wrong with a classic LBD anyway. This is actually from Asos’ ‘tall’ range. I’m 5’7’’, which is taller but not massive, but I wanted to make sure this fell a bit longer even with my bump in the way, so it would be suitable for day as well as evening, as I just got it in my usual size. I figure this is an easy jersey piece that can be dressed up or down.

Steve Madden jewelled flats

Love, love, love. I’m going through an anti-heel phase at the moment, I just can’t be bothered with uncomfortable feet. But I don’t want to give up looking good completely!

Luckily, there are so many beautiful flatties around at the moment. I wanted a flat black sandal that I could make work for day or night, and these beauties are just the ticket.

They’re covered with little studs and crystals in gold and silver and feature a neat ankle strap, which makes them look more dressed up. I think these will be ideal for almost any situation and I have a feeling I’ll be wearing them to death – just like I do whenever I find something that’s both deeply desirable and functional.

Its my first purchase from Steve Madden, but this could be the start of a beautiful friendship as there are some great designs in the range.

Per Una blanket cardigan

It may be spring, but there’s still a definite chill in the air most days, and this being Blighty, we’re going to need our cover-ups for a while yet.

Blanket style cardis are another useful buy for me at the moment. Not only are they comfy, soft and slouchy, but they look on-trend and they fit over an expanding bump, but will still work when I’m not preggers (seeing a theme here? I hate the idea of buying lots of maternity wear that will only work for the next few months!).

I really liked the tones in this one – a gorgeous nude blush with a crisp white stripe. The drape is really nice and flattering also, whether you’re expecting or not! If there’s a place that M&S really delivers, for me it’s the undies and the knitwear!

H&M Conscious tweed jacket

So you may know I have a serious collection of little boucle tweed jackets going on. They’re just so Chanel, dahling.

I love that they work in the office or with jeans at the weekend, and instantly add a tailored vibe to any outfit, even if that outfit involves maternity leggings! Again, they’re a good way to look smarter while rocking a comfy casual outfit underneath, as they don’t need to be buttoned up.

On the high street, H&M and Zara are absolutely the best bet for tailoring. I already have a cream H&M tweed jacket that I’ve worn to death, but its cropped and black bordered, whereas this one is longer-line and plainer.

It’s a mix of cream and soft green, which I liked, and is from their Conscious Collection, which is well made and ethically sourced. It’s the perfect thing for weddings and christenings coming up as well. I knew this would get plenty of wear so didn’t hesitate to add it to my collection!

Nars Satin Lip Pencil in Rikugien

Some impulse buys just grow and grow on you, until they become must haves. This was certainly the case when I bought a Nars Satin Lip Pencil last year.

The more I used it, the more I realised how much I loved it! These are creamy, pigmented, easy to apply and make your pout look beautiful – I’m such a fan of a satin finish, far more than matte, pearl or gloss.

I knew I wanted to add another shade to my collection, and although I initially wanted a red like ‘Cruella’ or ‘Red Square’, I actually ended up going for this soft, sheer darker pink. Just because I loved the way it looked on my lips.

Its not as dense as some of the other colours. It comes out as a sheer rose pink with a hint of shimmer. I think it looks really classic and elegant – the opposite of some of the loud, statement colours I normally like!

It would pair terrifically well with either a coloured smokey eye or lots of bronze. Its also great for days when you want to look a bit more natural and understated.

Benefit The Porefessional

Another item I’ve been wanting to get for ages, and just caved in! I really didn’t want to like this, or think it was anything special, mainly because I think this is really overpriced for what it is, even for Benefit.

I’ve tried every dupe for this under the sun, with varying results, but I’ve finally had to admit to myself that this is just…better. It suits my skin so well.

The main reason I love it – nothing to do with pores, which I don’t have an issue with - but it completely erases my fine lines. They should really market it on that, because it doesn’t say anything about its wrinkle reducing powers in the marketing, but they’re there!  It just makes my skin look amazing, beating other primers hands down for me.

I use a primer every day, because I work long hours and want to keep my make-up fresh, so this could be a costly new habit.

Clinique Pop Lip +Primer – ‘Wow Pink’

This one was a bit of an accidental, whoops I did it again purchase.

I was picking up some essentials in Boots and the Clinique counter lady literally collared me. Because I love a new lippy and also because I am useless at saying no, I ended up purchasing the one she tried out on me, which was this pretty shade of pink.

The formula for this is amazing and feels so good and light on, while the colour has real staying power, and when it does eventually fade, it does so evenly and leaves a pretty tint behind.

I also like that this is a bright, punchy spring shade, but while a lot of pinks I’ve tried can make even the whitest teeth look a little yellow, this has cool undertones that enhance your smile. The new, sleek, pop-art style packaging is also lovely, and makes me want to collect a few more shades!

And that is my little haul this month – what do you think? What have you been buying for spring?