London Haul - Neal's Yard, Mac, Lush, Topshop, Brandy Melville and Urban Outfitters

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As I have taken two trips to London in the past two weeks, I thought I would share my recent purchases with you. I'm going to be honest, as I am a student, I don't normally spend a lot. However, as I was in one of the best shopping destinations in the world, I thought I may as well. Therefore, I may have spent a bit too much, but hey, what are student loans for? (And I apologise in advance, it's kind of a long post as I have realised that I ramble on way too much, but I hope you enjoy it!)

Neal's Yard


I have recently been looking for a moisturiser for my face, as I have very dry and sensitive skin. Therefore, when we went to Neal's Yard, I couldn't help but look at the moisturisers to see if they had any for my skin type. As I am quite hopeless at knowing which product is good for specific skin types, I asked for advice from someone who worked there. She immediately brought me to this product, and I have got to say, it was a very good suggestion. As well as doing wonders for my skin, it smells pretty great too. Does anyone else base their opinion on a product due to its scent? Just me? Okay... But yeah, this is really good. Even though it says 'almond', I actually think this smells of Turkish Delight, which is a bonus for me as I love Turkish Delight. However, if you don't, you probably won't like the smell. Or I could just be terrible at describing smells and it could smell nothing like Turkish Delight. That's probably more accurate.

'Almond Moisturiser' - £19.50

Mac

It's got to be said, Mac is the staple for all things lips. I personally love the lipsticks, as the range of colours that they have is amazing, and there is definitely something for everyone. Another plus is that they stay on for a reasonable amount of time. So, whilst I was in Convent Garden, I decided to pop into the Mac shop and see if I could find a new lipstick to add to my make up collection. Recently, I've heard a lot of great things about the Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour, which I think is a range that is reasonably new to Mac. So, I thought that I would check out what colours they had, and found this gorgeous red. As someone who isn't very adventurous with their lip colour, I was hesitant at first, but thought I may as well give it a go. After trying it, I fell in love, and literally wore it none stop for the next couple of days. This range is matte, so gives something different to an everyday lip look, plus stays on for soooo long! I also purchased the lip pencil 'Cherry', which is just as good, as it can be used for most red lip shades.

'Retro Matte Liquid Lipcolour' in shade 'Fashion Legacy'- £21
'Cherry' lip liner - £12.50

I also picked up this little beauty; the shade 'Velvet Teddy'. I, again, have heard good things, as I know quite a few people who have this shade. It's perfect for everyday use, as it's a matte nude, so basically goes with everything and just adds a finishing touch to your make up. Love it.

'Velvet Teddy' - £15.50

Lush

Let's be honest, everyone loves Lush. There's no bath like a Lush bath, so I had to go in and see what they had. Plus, in the Oxford Street store, they have limited editions, so wanted to check them out too. I'd never actually been to the Oxford Street Lush store before, so was actually really excited to go in (I'm sad, I know). 

I ended up buying a couple of things, as once I go, I never leave empty handed (it's so bad, I know, but everything just smells so good!). My first pick was the Blackberry Bath Ballistic, as it's one of my absolute favourites. I'm pretty sure it was one of the first Lush bath bombs that I ever bought, and I always go back to it. It smells amazing, literally one of the best products that Lush make. Would 100% recommend.

'Blackberry Bath Ballistic' - £3.35

My next pick was something I had never seen/tried before, so I thought I would give it a go, as I think it is one of the products that they only have in the Oxford Street store. I actually really liked the smell when I was inside Lush, but now I'm not so keen. However, it says it has silver glitter and popping candy inside, so I'm excited to try it.

'Cyanide Pill Ballistic' - £3.50

Next up, we have the Flutterby Bubble Bar. In comparison to other bubble bars that I have tried, this one is really big, as in it'll last you a fair few baths. This one smells really sweet, which I like. It's also got a cute little butterfly on the top, and I love the swirly pink and white pattern. Yes, that probably was the most girly thing I have ever said...

'Flutterby Bubble Bar '- £4.95

This one isn't actually from London, it's from Sheffield (oops), but I thought, as it is a recent purchase, I may as well share it with you guys! This is the Ultraviolet Bubble Bar, and again is larger than the average bubble bar. I love the different colours that it has, as I bet it makes the bath look amazing! Plus, it smells of parma violets, which I love, so yeah, excited to try this one.

'Ultraviolet Bubble Bar' - £4.95

Last, but definitely not least, we have the Rose Jam Bubbleroon. I've used this one before and it honestly smells amazing. My personal favourite Lush scents are sweet and floral, and this is definitely floral. Even though you probably can't tell from the picture, it has glitter on the top, which just adds a cute little touch of sparkle. (sorry, my photography skills are terrible, but I will hopefully get better!)

'Rose Jam Bubbleroon' - £3.75

Brandy Melville

Yes, these couple of products are kind of the same, but I swear that I will get my wear out of them! As well as being really easy to wear (they literally go with anything), they are really comfy and cater for my body shape really well. The first of the tops, the plain black strappy cropped cami, (well that was a mouthful), is super comfy, and has the softest material. I also love the thin straps, as I have quite small shoulders.

Black Cropped Top - £11 

This one is actually grey (I know, my photography skills are pretty poor), and is ribbed. Again, this is super comfy, and is a bit more casual than the first one. As these products are all one size, I was apprehensive of whether they would fit, as my back and shoulders are quite small (I'm literally a dwarf), as normally cami tops fall straight off my shoulders. However, these tops seem to fit really well.

Grey Cropped Top - £11

The last is a little different in the fact that it is velvet. I never used to be a huge fan of velvet, but I have learnt to love it in tops, as it gives a plain outfit that little something extra. Again, fits well and super comfy. After never trying Brandy Melville before, I have definitely fallen in love with it, especially as all these top were only £11 each! Will definitely be returning next time I'm in London.

Velvet Cropped Top - £11

Topshop

I think basically about 1/2 of my wardrobe is Topshop. I just love how they do everything, from the basics to really unique clothes. When I went to the Oxford Street store, I just knew I was going to find something. Surprisingly, I ended up buying a skirt, which is very unlike me. Normally, I stick to a pair of skinny jeans, but I thought, I'm 19, why not try something different? So, I decided to buy this skirt. On first glance, it seems quite formal, but I think if you put it with a sparkly or strappy top then you can definitely wear it for a night out or just pair it with a simple jumper for during the day.

Topshop Grey Skirt - £26

Urban Outfitters

Again, Urban Outfitters is probably the other 1/2 of my wardrobe. I love the clothes in there, although now that I'm on a student loan, I've realised how pricey it is. However, I thought, as I'm in London, and don't really go shopping very much, that I may as well have a quick look in. However, I ended up buying two items, although they are both great additions to my wardrobe.

I have wanted a leather skirt for ages, but never really found one that suited me. However, when I found this, I really liked it. I actually paired it with the top that I bought (pictured below), and love them as an outfit. They both go together really well for a daytime look, as it looks sophisticated, yet the leather gives the outfit a twist on the stereotypical skirt and top combo. 

Sparkle and Fade Leather Skirt - £39

Plus, the top is fitted, so is comfy, but gives a sophisticated look. Plus, I love a good turtleneck top, they are definitely a must-have in my winter wardrobe.

Cooperative Ribbed Turtleneck Stripy Top - £19

So, there you go, my purchases of my recent trips to London. I love writing posts like this, although I'm pretty sure that I ramble on waaay too much! I hope you enjoyed reading regardless of my rambling, and please feel free to leave the link to your blog in the comments, as I would love to start reading them!

Much love,

Grace x

London, baby! (Part 2)

Okay, so I may have gone to London again...

To be fair, this trip was planned well in advance, so it's kind of acceptable that I went there twice in 2 weeks. Kind of. Anyway, I thought that I would share my travels round London with you lovely lot again, as I actually really enjoy writing these kind of posts.

Day 1

This time I visited London with my boyfriend, as he hadn't really been before. Unfortunately, as we both go to the University of Birmingham, we had to get up at a ridiculous hour to actually get to London to spend the full day there. I do love a good 7am start...not. It was fair to say that we were pretty shattered, so spent the majority of the morning trying not to fall asleep in the middle of Oxford Street. However, we were quickly awakened by the fact that we were surrounded by one of the best shopping destinations in the world, so went straight to spending our student loan on things that we didn't need. Oops.

So first stop was Topshop (I had to, it is the biggest in the world), and I will be shortly uploading what I bought along with the last London trip's purchases. When I came out, I saw the Lush sign, and immediately dragged Alex to it. Lush is honestly one of my favourite shops, I love the colours, the smell and just basically everything about it.

Obviously, as I was in Lush, I had to check out the limited edition products that are only available in the Oxford Street store.

Oxford Street soap

Look at how cool this is?! The Candy Floss Showder is something I had never even heard of before, but I think it's a really cool concept. You just pour out a bit when in the shower and then it turns to suds when wet, so is basically like washing powder for the shower. Very cool. I wonder who thinks of all the new ideas for Lush's products, as that would be the best job ever. Job goals.

Candy Floss Showder

From there, we ambled into a couple of other shops and bought a few things. We also came across this amazing Godiva shop, which had a chocolate fountain in the window. I really wanted to go in, but resisted, as I couldn't justify spending about £10 on strawberries and chocolate. It's a cool window display nonetheless. Window goals.

Our next stop was Carnaby Street, where we saw places such as Liberty, and I'm going to be honest, it's a pretty impressive department store.

After that, we went to Jamie's Italian for food (again, I know, but it was just too good! Plus, we got a 3 course for £20, which was a really good deal, especially for us students.)

Day 2

On the second day, we got the tube to South Kensington, as we decided to go to the museums for the day. We first went to the Science Museum, which was really good. I love how interactive the exhibits are; as someone who personally could not stand science at school, I love the science museum, and would recommend it to all. However, on that specific day, the IMAX was closed (sadly), but they have a various amount of other attractions, so we picked to go on the Red Arrows experience, and we both loved it.

After this, we decided to venture to the V&A, and I dragged Alex round the fashion bit. (He wasn't happy). Personally, I loved looking at how much fashion has changed over time, and was in awe at how beautiful some of the outfits were.

The view of the V&A from the Science Museum

Lastly, we visited the Natural History. We actually aimed to visit here first, but the queue was so big, we decided to visit elsewhere before. After we finally got in, our first venture was food, as wandering round London is tiresome (not really, we just love food), so got some food at the cafe. We then went round the exhibitions, and I even got to see a sloth (I love sloths so much). Honestly, if I was an animal, I would definitely be a sloth.

The architecture is amazing in the Natural History Museum

After visiting the museums for the majority of the day, we decided to visit Harrods, as we thought we may as well as we were in the area. Plus, Harrods is pretty cool. The sheer size of the shop is insane, and I love looking at all the clothes that I can't afford. To be fair, the displays are pretty cool too, so I thought I'd insert a couple of pictures of the inside of Harrods to show you guys.

Harrods

Up close and personal

Food section of Harrods

 Window display in Harrods

I also obviously had to get a picture in the Disney shop that's situated in Harrods, as I love Disney! But, let's be honest, who doesn't?

Love a bit of Disney

So there you go, that was my weekend in London, part 2! I had a really amazing time, even though I am seriously sleep deprived, and really want to visit again to explore more of the city. Hope you enjoyed reading, and I'll see you all again soon!

Much love,

Grace x

P.s. A haul of everything I bought will be up shortly, so keep a look out for it!