Right. So I bought a lot of shit. Although honestly not as much as I though I would (shockingly). I mostly stuck to my list and bought things that I can't buy in the state (or were cheaper in the UK). I'm also definitely on a spending ban for a while lol. So without further ado, the post you've all been waiting for, the England Haul.
I'm never really sure how to write these posts because I haven't tried these products long enough to review properly and I don't want to give the wrong impression. So I figured I'd just waffle on until I get tired. The place I was most excited to visit (shopping-wise) was the Burberry Flagship Store. It is so so so beautiful. I obviously couldn't afford anything, but after a wander around I made my way to the beauty section. I'm super excited about these products, but I had one of the worst customer service experiences ever here. I know we're young, but we walked around the different floors for about 20 minutes and encountered probably 30 employees and only received one stiff hello after I smiled at a girl. So weird to me. The girl helping us at the beauty counter was pleasant, but after selecting our items (Elle bought some things too) she disappeared for 15 minutes! We had a train to catch, and I was honestly really disappointed with what's supposed to be a luxury experience. If I hadn't been set on buying these I probably would have just left.
Okay rant over, on to the beautiful products. I had gone in expecting to get some of the Liquid Lip Velvets, but they were out of stock of the colours I wanted so I ended up getting the original Lip Velvet in Oxblood. This ended up being a blessing in disguise because the classic colour is so so beautiful. It isn't as dark as I was expecting so I'd say it's a more wearable dark in a super comfortable, velvety finish. They were also out of the Ivory shade of the Cashmere Concealer (not a happy camper). I ended up getting the Porcelain, which is a bit too yellow for me. Kind of a bummer, because I have to make it work but the formula is really lovely! The one thing I got that worked out is the Fresh Glow Highlighting Luminous Pen, a beautiful champagne highlighter housed in a slim, shiny, graphite pen. Love. Definitely sour about my experience, but the products are lovely and I'm glad I got them!
While waiting for our bus, we wandered down to the Jo Malone Flagship just to have a nose. And the lovely sale associate there talked me into getting Blackberry and Bay. I'm super happy I ended up with this because while I know it's popular, it's really unique especially to my fragrance collection. I picked up several things from Charlotte Tilbury. Including a full-size of my beloved Wonder Glow, and new favourite aka the Light Wonder Foundation, and the Airbrush Flawless Finishing Powder (which is just alright in my opinion). I'd planned on grabbing a bunch of things from Boots and Superdrug and only ended up with three (plus some nail polishes). The Bourgois Healthy Mix Concealer gets rave reviews, but on first application I found it preeeeetty yellow. Like almost pastel? Will be giving it another try as I did like the finish! Kate has always raved about the La Roche Posay Toleraine Ultra line, so I grabbed the Toleraine Ultra Nuit which is a divine soothing, moisturizing overnight serum. And then on the last day I picked up the Tanya Burr Contour Stick because I saw a few of my blogger friends talking about it! So far it seems nice, pretty sheer and a little too orange to be contour but it makes for a nice cream bronzer.
All of the Topshop beauty sections I went to were pretty picked over, so I ended up just getting the famous Topshop Glow and their Magic Liner as I was in need of a liner! Both seem pretty nice, but nothing earth-shattering. The Cambridge KIKO store nearly saw me faint, as they were having an incredible sale. I picked up five of the Long Lasting Stick Eyeshadows because they were only £4 (!!!!) each. Violette has used these in her videos a few times which is why I got that crazy ass-blue (and rocked it in a small beach town on the coast lol think I gave some people a shock), but the formula is absolutely incredible. I forgot to put these in the photo but I also picked up one of their Single Shadows and a Water Shadow which I'm sure you'll see on Instagram soon.
I went a liiiil crazy in duty free, but all on things I'd been wanting for a while so it was justified. The ByTerry Clarifying Comfort Toner was basically a requirement as it was $20 cheaper in duty free. I mean. It'd be silly not to right? Verdicts still out if it's worth a $65 repurchase but we shall see. I had my mind set on Chanel Adrienne, but decided it was a bit too orangey for me so I ended up with Madamoiselle instead. The rosy brown is perfect for every day and I really love the hydrating formula. I also managed to find the Ted Baker Mihai bag I had been eyeing the entire trip for 50% off at our gate. Can you say fate? So with one last swipe of my card she was mine. I love my Rebecca Minkoff, but sometimes the all black seems a bit much and the size makes it annoying for everyday use. This one is still small but it's a straight up Hermione Granger bag because I swear the inside expands into nowhere. I was hoping to be able to wear it as a cross body, but the chain isn't quiiiite long enough. Anyone know of a good way to extend the chain?
As far as clothes go, I got a loot of basics from Zara as I love the way their clothes fit (the Trafaluc line especially). I got maybe four or five t-shirts in the sale that ended up being £3 a piece (thank you), and a thin grey turtleneck to wear under coats in the fall. I also got two pairs of their TRF High Waisted denim because they're £19 a piece come on. Easily the best thing I found on the entire trip is this beaaaaautiful TRF leather jacket that was reduced from £100 to £40. They had one left, it fit me, I bought it. End of. I'm super duper happy with it and I can't wait to wear it every day this fall.
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