London Haul: Clothes, makeup, hair care and more!

Hi guys, hope everyone had a great weekend! I hit 100 page views for a single day’s count and was so happy! Thanks for remaining with me and continuing to read this blog!

So I went to London on Saturday for a haircut at Bloww hair salon/spa in Piccadilly Circus. The staff there was lovely and I really like my new cut. I did take some before and after photos, which I’ll post in the upcoming days, should you be interested. I had a Redken shot treatment which nourished my hair, and after seeing the Moroccan Oil display, I requested Tom, my hairdresser to use it on my locks.

The end results left me quite amazed. I don’t suffer from frizzy hair, and they’re in pretty good condition anyway, but the oil gave my hair such softness that I can’t stop stroking it, even two days after. So I went ahead and grabbed a bottle for £30.45.

Afterwards, I went to Oxford Circus and did a bit of shopping there. I saw a long line of women protesters for International Women's day at around 2pm, each representing some female-oriented cause.

 Seasoned Londoners may know just how packed Oxford Street is during the weekend. It wasn’t too bad for me initially – I went to Harvey Nichols and had a browse around, checked out the new Nars Illuminators and talked to the MUA there for a bit. I really liked the Super Orgasm illuminator, but I wanted to see if there were other makeup stuff I’d rather buy.

And indeed there was! As you may or may not know, Ruby and Millie is being discontinued in Boots. There were some great bargains to be found and I snapped up two eyeshadows, a lipstick and a lipgloss for £3 each – they were around £12 originally! I really wish I bought more eyeshadows now, as I’m really impressed with the softness and pigmentation, plus the circular pots can be clicked onto of one and another – very convenient. However, there weren’t many good colours left and I don’t particularly wish to buy more rarely worn colours. I also got the brand’s eyeliner brush for £1.50 but haven’t used it yet.

From top: The Body Shop hemp hand cream, Ruby and Millie lipgloss, lipstick and two eyeshadows

From top: Ruby and Millie eyeliner brush, Body Shop blending brush, mineral foundation sample

I hauled a large stash of mainly facial stuff from the Body Shop and grabbed a few sample pots of serums too. The total came to £32, since I got the Vitamin C facial scrub free, having spent over £15 on skincare.

From left: Vit C microdermabrasion, Vit C Skin Reviver (repurchase), Tea tree oil, Ruby and Millie lipstick (Matte orange)

I was on the hunt for some cool summer wedges, but it seemed like they were all size 5 or larger, probably because of the height on the heels. This is rather unfortunate considering I’ve size 3 to 4 feet, and have been known to fit into size 2 heels. My desperation to find a suitable pair or wedges may have prompted me to venture into Primark, where I thought the selection will be large. What a mistake that was! I managed to get on to the first floor and have a quick glance around before I needed to leave. The place was stuffy, smelly and packed with people – vicious, bargain hunting natives and foreigners hell-bent on snatching that last dress on the racks. Now I’ve participated in some pushy Boxing Day sales before, but the experience at Primark was simply traumatising. Kudos to any reader who can navigate around the place on a Saturday afternoon without breaking sweat!

I escaped to New Look and managed to snag two pretty outfits – a green leopard print, long sleeved dress and a heather grey dress shirt. Ever since I bought my Calvin Klein heather grey snood last month, I’ve loved the colour. My wardrobe normally consists of blacks, whites, pinks, reds and purples – very few neutral or cool-toned outfits as they don’t flatter my skin tone as much. However, I’ve been selecting some specifically coloured items now to broaden my clothes palette, since I like expanding my range.

The lighting's pretty yellow since I took the photos at night, as soon as I got back, since I wanted to pack all the hauls away.

That’s all the stuff I bought this weekend! It was a very tiring experience and not a pilgrimage I’d likely to make often. I do want to check out the Camden or Portobello markets next term, after my exams though. Any seasoned Londoners with good advice on which stalls I should check out and the time-frame I should go? I think stall holders normally pack up around 3 or 4 in the afternoon and call it a day, so do I need to go in the mornings?

Let me know if you want specific reviews on any of the products I bought on Saturday!

xoxo Cassie