What I got for Christmas & London Haul

I feel so bad at the moment cos I really don't have a lot of time on my hands to sit down and blog as much as I'd like to with all that is happening in my life right now. Thus here is my late 'What I got for Christmas & London Haul'.

I will start with the Christmas gifts I received first. So our consultant doctor at work gave each of the girls at work a Marks & Spencer body lotion and chocolate (which I ate already of course!). Next we had our own version of Secret Santa between my shift colleagues and I was gifted with this pretty set of dainty stud earrings in rose gold and a card wallet which I absolutely love!

We also had a Secret Santa with Mario's family and this silver bag is right up my alley when it comes to special occasion accessories as I don't really fancy flashy sequins and stones so thank you to my father in law :) Mario's family gave us some vouchers for home ware seeing we are moving in together in a few weeks and we also got a set of bath towels.

My Mum & Dad really spoiled me with a pair of Charles & Ron Marilyn jeans which fit like a glove and I can't wait to wear them! Lastly, my amazing boyfriend bought me this Carvela Kurt Geiger bag while we were in London as we had agreed that we shall be buying our Christmas gifts for each other while on holiday. I love how I can pair this bag with loads of outfits and it fits so many things! 

The last Christmas gift I have to show you is this River Island eyelet midi dress from my brother. I love how this looks on me and it is a very versatile number as well.

Christmas Gifts

London Haul

Luxury Beauty Buys

Onto what I bought from London, which actually isn't as much as I thought I would buy (yes I am looking at you in the eye stupid exchange rate), starting with the luxury beauty buys.

I bought this Scandalous perfume miniature (£8.50) from Victoria's Secret as part of a larger underwear haul but of course I will not be sharing any pictures of that here. I also decided to try this Facial Peeling from Onsen (RRP £99.99, £59.99 with offer) which I shall be reviewing very soon here and the lady also gave me a body lotion sample.

I walked into MAC in the hope of finding the Ellie Goulding collection but it wasn't out yet; however, I did not leave the store empty handed as Odyssey lipstick (£15.50) caught my eye. It is a satin finish and is a sort of magenta-plum shade. Also from MAC, I purchased the Dita von Teese lipstick (€24 including shipping) online and I found it waiting for me when I got back from my holiday.

Drugstore Beauty Buys

Next I have some drugstore beauty buys from Superdrug and random stuff I got from Primark. I got some hair ties in black and brown, a brow and lash comb and a travel container set which were £1 each. I also got other random bits and bobs such as hand sanitiser gel, a lint roller, mini jar candles and scented tea lights, cotton discs and socks. Also from Primark, I got some exclusive Montagne Jeunesse masks and Hask Keratin hair masks for £0.90 and £2 each respectively.

Superdug had some really cool offers going on and I got myself some nail polishes from Bourjois (£5.99), Revlon (£6.99 each), Essie (£7.99) and Models Own (£4.99). I also got a travel sized version of the Tokyo dry shampoo from Colab (£1.99) and I got a free compact mirror and HD lipstick with my Revlon purchase apart from the fact that the Matte Colour Balm was free on a 3 for 2 offer.

Lastly are the fashion items! So I finally found not one but two hats that actually fit my tiny head! The cloche hat is from H&M and I bought it for £14.99 while the floppy one is from Primark and I bought it for £8. Also from Primark is the blush laser cut floral motif belt which was only £2 and the bag behind it was actually another gift from my parents but somehow I ended up photographing it with the belt.

Next are these two joggers from Gap which were on sale for £7.99 each and I bought them to wear for my night shifts were tend to go for something more comfortable. The silver based earrings are from H&M and I love the enamel colours on them. They were £3.99.

As for clothes, I was really happy to see a lot of small sizes available but it was disappointing to see that some of them still were too big for my petite frame. Nonetheless, I still managed to buy some exciting pieces.

Zara is the only store where everything I purchased was on sale and they are probably my favourite pieces. I got this flower print crop top which was only £17.99, the anchor print shirt was £12.99 and the trousers were £19.99.

H&M is probably one of the first stores that I look for when I am abroad because I really like the quality and style of their clothes. I was sad that I didn't find the new makeup line though but I am determined to find it the next time I am abroad ;) So I got a few tops from there and the prices were as follows (left to right): £14.99, £19.99, £29.99 and £10.00 for the shirt which was on sale. Shift dresses are staples in my wardrobe so I got this grey one for £24.99 and I also got this super cute skirt for £24.99 as well.

Primark is always full of people who seem to go bonkers with all the cheap priced items the store has to offer so the first time we went there was a little too chaotic for my tastes and I only ended up buying the random stuff above and the navy and cream shirt (£10) which caught my eye while we were in line to pay. We did visit again on Sunday to buy luggage and socks which I remembered I had to stock up on and since the atmosphere was much calmer, I had all the time in the world to browse the store for some basic pieces. I got myself two more blouses, two knits and a faux suede skirt. The monochrome blouse and the knitwear were only £6 each, the burgundy blouse was £10 and the skirt was £8.

Lastly, I have my River Island online order which came home while I was abroad as well. I bought the black embellished collar shirt in a separate order but I liked it so much I decided to buy the cream one too. I also bought this black Victoriana blouse because it is something different. All three shirts were on sale for €25 each.

That was one long post! Hope you enjoyed it guys and I hope I get more time to blog again normally soon!

London Haul

Last week was one of the best so far for 2015 as I got to spend it in London with my boyfriend and his family for graduation. It was my first time in London and it definitely won't be the last! There's so much to see and do! 

It goes without saying that a trip to London is not complete without a little shopping so I planned out a full day of shopping in the most popular districts and streets of this magnificent city. My visa was definitely not happy with this but I really did enjoy myself and that's all that matters ;) Here is what I bought for myself.

The first hop we hit was obviously Primark. All Maltese nationals love Primark and I could now see why myself. I mostly grabbed myself a handful of polishes, a lipstick, face and hair masks, foundation sponges to use for nail art and a cute three-row necklace. I have already swatched the polishes and happen to really like the Angelica ones for they have a very nice formula and brush. My favourite thiugh is the spherical one which smells of orchids when dry and has a perfume bottle shape. Keep your eyes peeled for more nail polish and nail related items that I got online in the next haul post.

At the bottom of the picture is Rimmel Scandaleyes Waterproof Kohl Kajal in 005 Nude which I have been looking for forever and I managed to find at Boots. The Balance Me lipgloss and Garnier moisturiser sample were free with a Glamour magazine issue.

From Primark I also scored this fringed cover-up which I will be taking with me on a cruise come July and a dirty green sleeveless loose shirt with lace details on the shoulders. The other two tops and shirt are all from H&M, another store I look forward to visiting while on holiday. I think they have good quality clothes at reasonable prices and I just can't understand why they won't open a store here :/ I also found a cossack hat at Camden Market and it really does keep me warm :)

Moving on to the luxury purchases, I was in awe all the time while we were browsing Harrods. It is by far my favourite spot of the whole trip, especially their shoe heaven! I just couldn't stop oohing and aahing over all the beautiful Choos, Louboutins, Manolos and Sophia Webster's creations to name a few but I only had a day of shopping so I had to re-compose myself to get what I wanted.

First up, I bought a Michael Kors Jet-Set Tote that I have been wanting for ages and I chose one in a dark blue colour so it matches a lot of outfits. I also got the Rouge Louboutin nail polish which I can say is a very beautiful red and I really love the packaging of it! Also from Harrods, I picked up a few things from MAC for Marija from Pocalocca and while I was there I got the Mineralize Blush in Gleeful and a Retro Matte Lipstick in All Fired Up which my boyfriend chose for me. The blush is very pigmented and you have to be extra careful to use a light hand with it but I really love it for it stays on all day.

I finally got my hands on the Urban Decay Naked 3 palette from House of Fraser which I cannot wait to use! I've swatched a couple of shades and I could see what all the hype is about. They have excellent pigmentation and I'm really looking forward to creating makeup looks with them!

Lastly, I got a London shot glass and a London Eye glass souvenir to add to my personal collections.