Shoplog: USA & Canada vacation

Vacation of course means shopping for me. I had made a bit of a wishlist before I went so I would have something to stick to. This turned out to be handy to have and I bought all the things I wanted and then some. My one rule for shopping when I’m abroad is to only buy from stores that I either cannot get to easily or that are more expensive at home. So for a change I didn’t buy anything from H&M or ZARA. Instead, I went to Forever 21, Victoria’s Secret, Topshop, Urban Outfitters and then some. I have decided to just make one post with all my purchases from fashion to beauty and everything in between.

Enjoy the pictures and let me know what your favorites are in a comment below. Also leave a comment if you would like me to make reviews/ swatches/ outfits of the day/ looks of the day with any of the items you see below.

Tan messenger style backpack (Forever 21)

I love messenger bags and I have quite a few already. What I liked about this one is how it’s not a regular messenger bag, but a backpack. It fits a lot and has a zipper as well as a flap closure. There are two flaps on the sides that allow you to make the bag even bigger. I ended up using it right away as my carry on luggage for the plane.

CDs, books & magazines (COOP, Barnes & Noble, random drugstores & other places)

Not that many books or CDs this time, but then again, the US isn’t much of a book reading country in the sense that you can find a ton of discounted books. You simply pay full price for them, which is alright, but that means you buy less. On my wishlist was a book on language by Steven Pinker as well as one of the books by Tara Stiles. I went with her first book as it seemed to be the most complete guide to her take on yoga. The novels (Fifty Shades of Grey and Hemingway’s The Sun Also Rises) and the book about Record Collecting for Girls were spur of the moment buys.

I always like buying magazines when I’m abroad as you always get some more insights and there are so much more magazines out in the US than in Holland. So I bought Nylon (2x), Vogue, Blackbook, Harper’s Bazaar and a special edition on style by People magazine. I had a hard time finding a decent music store and I found one on my last day and bought two CDs: Tennis – Young & Old, and Purity Ring – Shrines.

Silver short Aztec/ tribal necklace & cuff bracelets (Forever 21)

I already went on a major accessories kick earlier in the year. So by this time, I didn’t find anything that was too interesting to me. I just went with some silver chunky bracelets and a short necklace with some aztec/tribal/geometric designs. Nice, clean and simple and they amp up any outfit. The bracelets are all different by the way. The top left one is a clasp cuff, top right is an actual cuff, the bottom right one has an elastic band running through it.

Twilight Woods & Coconut Lime Breeze shower gels (Bath & Bodyworks)

The main reason why I went into Bath & Bodyworks was to smell their scented candles. Those candles would be difficult to take home and when I saw they had a buy 2 get 1 free deal on their shower gels I decided to go with that instead. I bought three, (I also had Moonlight Path) but I gave one to my mom. Twilight Woods smells like leaves that have just been rained on and I think it will be a perfect just-before-bed-time smell for fall and winter. Coconut Lime Breeze smells like a summery cocktail. I’d almost want to drink it. It’s that good.

Drug store make up (CVS & Walgreens)

Naturally I had to buy some make up when I was in the US. I had my eyes set on a few products that are unavailable, hard to find, or more expensive in the Netherlands. Collections in the US are more extensive and often times cheaper. On top of that, CVS and Walgreens both had buy one get one 50% off deals for most of these items and I even bought a few things with a coupon making it even cheaper. I will list all the items and the colors you see on the picture below:

– L’Oreal Infallible eyeshadow in Midnight Blue and Perpetual Purple.

– Maybelline Color Tattoo cream shadow in Fierce & Tangy & Painted Purple

– Wet & Wild Color Icon eyeshadow palette in Petal Pusher

– Cover Girl eyeshadow in Tapestry Taupe and blusher in Rose Silk

– Wet & Wild Color Icon blush in Mellow Wine

– Milani Baked Blush in Berry Amore

– Physicians Formula Happy Booster in Warm

– Revlon Just Kissable Balm Stain in Cherish Devotion

– NYX Matte Lipstick in Angel & Soft Matte Lipcream in Addis Ababa

– Revlon Colorburst Lip Butter in Berry Smoothie

High end make up (Sephora)

The number of high end make up items I bought are limited. Since most of the brands are now available in the Netherlands as well, I didn’t have that much to look for. I really wanted a Kat von D palette but none of them really jumped out at me, but when I looked at the palette you see in the picture above I was pleasantly surprised. I will definitely write a review and make some swatches of the palette in the next few days.

– Sephora + Pantone Shades of Nature eyeshadow palette (Limited Edition)

– Sephora + Pantone blush in Tangerine Tango (Limited Edition)

– Kat von D high voltage eyeshadow primer in Skin

– Urban Decay 24/7 glide on eyeliner in Bourbon

Sephora + Pantone Shades of Nature eyeshadow palette (Limited Edition)

T-shirts from Harvard & Urban Outfitters

Very simple t-shirts. The Harvard shirt is a men’s shirt, but I will just cut it up some time to make it fit better. Luckily it is a wine red color which is right on trend for autumn.

Neon colored t-shirts (GAP)

GAP isn’t exactly my favorite store in the United States. It’s a bit bland but that makes for some good basics. They had a deal on t-shirts: 2 for 30 dollars and when I saw that they had neon colored shirts I had to have it. So I went with neon peach and neon fuchsia.

Black chiffon button down shirt (Forever 21)

I was still in search of a nice black button down shirt. I have one, but it’s got shiny material and I am not a big fan of it. I love how the gold buttons add a cool detail to the shirt.

Black & white mixed lightweight sweater (Topshop)

When you go to NYC, you can also go to Topshop. The store is located in Soho and I literally stumbled upon it. This sweater is a lightweight knit, with a batwing style sleeve and an overall baggy fit. Great casual sweater for layering or just throwing on as a cover up.

Pink & black shorts (Abercrombie & Fitch), black racerback crop top (Topshop)

While I was at it, I decided to also buy some new work out gear. I tend to buy new clothes for dance class and the gym during summer, before the start of dance class. I have always loved this style of shorts and I love the pink. My work out clothes tend to be black or grey so this will give my work out outfit a nice color boost. The crop top will be great for layering underneath shirts.

Grey lightweight hoodie (American Eagle Outfitters)

I only had one zip up hoodie left in my closet and it was old and the color had become this faded purple. I knew I wanted a lightweight hoodie as this will allow me to use it for layering in winter and just throwing it on during any season. I bought it right before the whale watching trip in Boston and boy was I happy to have bought this as it did get kind of chilly on the water.

Black strappy sandals (Forever 21)

The one thing I hadn’t packed: sandals. My first day in Toronto was so ho that my sneakers really wouldn’t do. So I walked into Forever 21, found these on sale for 10 dollars and went with it. They’re also the only shoes I bought on the entire trip.

Floral print midi skirt (Kensington street Toronto)

I bought this skirt at a boutique on Kensington Street in Toronto. Here you can find vintage items, and so I guess this skirt is too. You may have already spotted me wearing it on my pictures at Niagara Falls.

Black multi-layered dip down skirt (Urban Outfitters)

Item on my wishlist: a black dip down hemline skirt. When I found this one at Urban Outfitters it was absolutely perfect. I love how it is a bit different as it has two layers of fabric and how it’s a bit poofier than your average dip down skirt.

Red chiffon maxi skirt (American Apparel)

Can you tell I’m digging long skirts? This sheer chiffon one from American Apparel is nice and flowy and can be worn year round. I will just pair it with thick tights for winter, add a pair of chunky boots and you’re ready to go.

One place I couldn’t pass up of course was Victoria’s Secret. Their bras are the only ones I wear and some I had were old and tatty looking so I desperately needed new ones. I didn’t take pictures of the ones I got, as I don’t feel comfortable showing my underwear on a blog. Instead I will just give you the links to the ones I got from their website:

Body Multi-way bra in Bluff
Incredible demi bra in white/ nude with black lace
Showstopper full coverage bra in Raspberry Ice

And that’s it! That’s all I got. Hope you enjoyed the shoplog and I will be back soon with regular posts.