Prague and Copenhagen Beauty & Sephora Haul

Just a small Sephora haul from Prague and Copenhagen! In Prague, if you bought two Sephora branded items, you got the second one half price. And in Copenhagen, you got a free goodie bag if you spent over £60 ish in store.

So far I am loving the Sephora foundation, although the BA sold me the wrong colour in Prague, so I also have another one which is around 4 shades too dark which I think I'll probably end up selling.

I also picked up some Sephora branded tweezers which are not pictured here.

I have read and heard sooo many amazing things about these Formula X Nail Colors and yes, they are very, very pretty!! I bought five (oppss, at £12 each!!), but tried to go for quite unusual or different colours that I hadn't seen before. The effects ones are beautiful. (Full review coming soon with swatches).

Such pretty colours here from Rimmel! And at around £1 each, I wish I had of bought more from Prague. The makeup here is quite a bit cheaper than in the UK (brand depending) and these were an absolute bargain. I think they are quite new(ish) colours too, so not old stock. Oh, I do love shopping for cosmetics in other countries!

I think Dermacol is a Czech Republic brand as I have never seen or heard of it before. I currently use a Jessica Quick Dry Top Coat, but for around £2, decided this Dermacol Rapid Dry would be a good investment if it worked!

I could not resist these pretty colours! And again, very cheap from the Dermacol brand in Prague. I have tried both of them so far and for the cheap prices (on par with Collection 2000 if it is still called that?!), I am quite happy I picked them up.

After walking soooo many miles each day in Prague, I needed something to help my poor aching legs and feet. Manufaktura have their own shops in Prague (a bit like a cross between the body shop and Lush?). I also got a peeling scrubby soap with citrus and grapefruit in it which is lush, but wouldn't photograph very well as I've been using it! This Manufaktura Massage Gel contains lots of nice ingredients to help aching muscles and it smells very relaxing - sort of herbally and a little bit of menthol.

In Copenhagen, Søstrene Grene (All Over the World) is one of my favourite shops to explore (alongside Tiger which apparently we now have in Nottingham?!). Søstrene Grene sell amazing and really cheap home wear goods, kitchen accessories, stationery, candles, napkins and various other bits and bobs! The box and wooden bowl were both things I picked up from here, and were amazingly cheap at around £3-4 each. You can visit their Instagram Account here which is really cool too. Their shop is certainly worth a visit if you're ever in Denmark.

I also picked up a plastic lipstick holder, some of my beloved Nespresso capsules for my machine, alongside a few other random bits that I did not feel were blog worthy!

Having never visited Prague before, I would definitely consider going back there; I absolutely loved it! Such a fantastic place with great transport links, amazing food (veal cheek, venison saddle!!!), cheap beer and friendly locals. Copenhagen is somewhere I visit every year to see my friend which I also love!

Is there anywhere else in Europe you recommend visiting? I have been to quite a few places & off to Berlin in December. I certainly appreciate living such a short plane ride away from all of these wonderful cities.

Laura xx

     

Manchester Shopping Haul

On Monday, I headed to Manchester for the day (with free train tickets courtesy of various WH Smiths deals etc via Red Spotted Hanky) on a little shopping trip. As a full time student, I didn't have lots of money to spend on my shopping haul because I also need to buy a dress for my friend's wedding in August and I'm almost out of my amazing Nespresso capsules, so need to place an order for those too.

Two Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Sugar Apple and Huckleburry

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette in Fair

Barry M Gelly Hi-Shine Nail Paint in Sugar Apple and Huckleburry

I adore Barry M Gelly polishes and couldn't wait to get my hands on a few more pastel shades for summer. I bought these colours after being influenced by sooo many blogs. I am a sucker for buying things I see people write about! These are currently on buy one get one half price in Boots.

Sleek Face Form Contouring and Blush Palette in Fair - £9.99

I have been lusting after this for a long, long time. Again, another product I see beauty bloggers rave about and caved in and bought it. I swatched the colours on my hand and they all felt very creamy in texture, not cheap and powdery like some brands. I can't wait to start using it.

MAC Face and Body Foundation - £21.50

Looking for something lighter for summer, wandering around House of Fraser I talked myself into buying this as it felt ultra lightweight, but seemed to offer a nice light/medium finish. I love that it's waterproof and will be looking forward to putting it to the test for summer.

Origins Spot Remover Blemish Treatment Pads - £23

Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Moisturiser - £23

I've read quite a lot of good things about the Spot Remover Pads and as I get spots along my jawline, I thought these would be nice to try. It recommends using them twice a day, but I think I'll just use them a few times a week as I'm worried they'll dry out my dehydrated skin even more so.

After over thinking about what to buy for my 300 follower giveaway, at the Origins counter, I decided I'd cave and buy the GinZing Moisturiser for one of my lucky readers. I haven't read a single bad review on this and as much as I want to keep it for myself, I have decided I'll give it away as a thank you gift. I was tempted to buy a mix of lower drugstore items, but getting colours that will suit everyone seemed quite hard, so I decided to stick with skin care as I think this moisturiser pretty much suits all skin types whether dry or on the oily side.

Origins GinZing Energy-boosting Moisturiser - My 300 follower giveaway prize which will go live on Friday 4th April! Please make sure you're following me via Bloglovin' so that you can enter the competition on Friday. I think I will run it for a month until 4th May.

Clinique Chubby Stick in 05 Chunky Cherry - £17

This is my first Chubby Stick purchase and so far, I am loving it. If you're on Instagram, feel free to check out my photos that I uploaded. 

Primark Super Skinny Acid Wash Jeans - £11

As a huge jean lover, it's pretty much what I live in 99% of the time. I get a bit fed up with my usual black and blue jeans, so thought these were a bit of a change. I got my usual size 12 because of my hefty, child-bearing hips, but they're actually really big around the waist band by 1-2". The plain Primark pairs I wear in a 12 are actually tight around the waist, so I do recommend trying these on before buying (which I didn't because I was running for my train haha!).

H&M Cable Knit Jumper - £14.99

Jumpers and jeans are my favourite combination! I really feel the cold, so have a whole array of different jumpers, which many are ready for the bin after wearing and washing them so many times over winter. This is nice, not too heavy and the material is lovely - not that horrible acrylic stuff. I didn't think £14.99 for a jumper was too bad. I would have bought more from H&M, but I was running out of time.

H&M Striped Lightweight Jumper - £14.99

This jumper is very light weight, knitted material. Not warm enough for winter, but now spring is arriving, it will be perfect to wear. I am a huge sucker for anything striped, so I was instantly drawn to this. There were only large and xlarge left on the rail, but after a quite wander around, I found this size small mingled in with other tops. H&M is awkward for sizing. This is a small and very substantial for my size 10/12 top half, but the blue jumper is a medium and just big enough without looking like it has shrunk in the wash. I own quite a lot from H&M and find ordering online from them a nightmare. Especially as the returns can't be taken back to the store...

Laura xx

     

Manchester Mega Shopping Haul

A few months ago, my friend and I planned a shopping trip to Manchester for 17th December, so last week, we jumped on the train (£17 return from Nottingham!) and stayed in at the Premier Inn Manchester Central for £29.

I spent wayyyy too much money, but I have been working so hard over the year that I felt like I deserved it, even if I did feel a tad guilty! I pretty much worked all summer and only had a few days off and the same over my Christmas break. I have Christmas Eve (today), Christmas day and Boxing day off and then the fun begins again - back to working!

Everyone in the blogger world seems to love seeing and reading about shopping hauls (and I love showing you what I brought!), so here are a larger number of photos showing you what I spent my money on:

Gorgeous printed top, looks really nice and flattering on. 

£32 | Oasis

I love the sparkle to this top and it helps to jazz up a pair of blue jeans for dinner/wine with friends. 

£30 | Oasis

A bargain from H&M | £12.99

I love the colour and zip feature of this jumper, it's something a bit different

H&M | £14.99

Another Oasis purchase, I spent quite a lot of money in here! Although I think it's gone down to £25 in the sale in stores.

Oasis | £32

I thought this was a little expensive for a lace vest, but loved the style and fit when I tried it on.

Oasis | £28

I wanted a pair of boots that would be ideal for day and evening and I think these fit perfectly. I've seen these boots worn by quite a few other bloggers. 

Black scalloped mid chelsea boots | Faith, Debenhams | £75

This necklace was in the sale for £10 which I thought was quite good. It's simple and will go with most outfits, although I'm not very good with necklaces and really struggle to match them up!

Box Chain and Spike Necklace | Warehouse | £10

I absolutely love this stuff. Conditioner often makes my hair lank and greasy, so I use this as an alternative. It really helps me to brush through my hair after showering and makes it lovely and smooth but without weighing it down.

Ojon Revitalizing Mist | Boots | £20.50

I've never tried this before but liked the sound of it. It smells very unusual, herbal and quite heavily scented. I will review fully once I've used it a few times.

Ojon Full Detox Rub-Out Dry Cleansing Spray | Boots | £19

In need of a new scrub, I picked up this. Although apparently it's for oily skin? Not sure whether this will be too drying on me. I'm almost out on my MAC Volcanic Ash Exfoliator but wanted to try something else.

Clinique Exfoliating Scrub | Boots | £18.50

I've been eyeing this up for sometime now so decided to purchase it. It's very strong and sensuous, hence the name! I don't think it would be everyone's cup of tea, but I love it. It's very vampy and overwhelming, perfect for winter.

Estee Lauder Sensuous Noir | Boots | £48.50

Three Estee Lauder Foundations | Double Wear Ecru | Double Wear Light Intensity 2 | Resilience Lift in Nude

I love this ultra dark and vampy lipstick from Smashbox in Black Plum. I will swatch it soon and write a review.

Boots | £15.50

I think this is from a discontinued collection, but I thought it was gorgeous and I'm a real sucker for highlighters.

MAC In The Abstract Highlighter

I'm really loving dark vampy lipsticks at the moment in berry shades and deep purples. I think this lipstick is discontinued or was limited edition.

There are some really, really good swatches of Black Cassis on beautyswatch.com 

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Velvet Lipstick in Black Cassis Matte

This is a very summery me colour. It goes on beautifully and is really sheer and hydrating with a nice pop of colour. You can put it straight on dry winter lips and it still looks lovely, there's no need to prime your lips beforehand.

Estee Lauder Pure Colour Sheer Rush Lipshine | Boots | £19.50

Again, I think this is another discontinued product, but I love the colours. I've never tried a Mineralised eyeshadow from MAC, so can't wait to try this out.

MAC Mineralised Eyeshadow Duo, Thunder and Rain

This is limited edition and now out of stock on the Aveda website. I like the sound of this mascara as it's conditioning and contains Iceland moss. Not sure what that's supposed to do, but I'm looking forward to trying it.

Aveda Black Forest Mosscara | Aveda | £15.50

Have you been on any shopping hauls recently? Leave me a link to your blog in the comments as I'd love to take a look!

Laura xx