London 2013 shoplog: Topshop, Primark, Illamasqua, etc.

If there is one thing I knew I wanted to do it was shop. The main goal of the trip was to reward myself for finishing my Master’s degree and the crappy situation at my job in the weeks leading up to it. So I was all set on thoroughly enjoying myself and just not have a care in the world. So I shopped till I dropped for one out of the three days and I got quite a few things. It’s mainly clothes and make up with some reading material and beauty bits thrown in. I will first show all the fashion bits, then the make up and beauty bits and then some random things at the end. So let’s get started (oh and don’t forget that cup of tea…).

Black brogues (Primark) & Black 1461 Dr. Marten’s

I took home not one, but two pairs of flat black shoes that will go with my dress/ black tights combo for winter. I didn’t have a sturdy pair of low black shoes that are easy to walk in and that will go with almost anything. Unfortunately the Dr. Marten’s are far from comfy at the moment, but I’ve decided to wear them whenever I can for shorter amounts of time to break them in and then hopefully before the weather becomes absolutely dreadful, they will be comfy enough to be worn for longer stretches of time.

Topshop Joni jeans in stone/ acid washed denim & Topshop Jaime jeans in stonewashed denim

I don’t wear jeans very often, but that’s mainly because I don’t find the ones I have super comfortable. Most of the jeans I have are all actual jeans: stiff, coarse and baggy. The minute I put on one ounce I can’t fit into them anymore and even though they’re still nice, I only get to wear them during the winter months because of that. I wanted a pair of jeans that was soft, stretchy and preferably high waisted but still look flattering. The problem for me with buying jeans is that in The Netherlands all pants are to long as the don’t do a 30″ inseam in my size because in general Dutch people are so tall. So hip hip hooray for the UK: I found not one but two fabulous pairs of jeans that fit all of my criteria AND have a 30″ inseam.

Green Baroque skater dress & Tartan shift dress (Topshop)

I was a bit disappointed with Topshop this time to be honest. It wasn’t until I went into the basement of their flagship store that I found these two amazing dresses. My eye immediately was drawn to the green dress and since the fabric isn’t stretchy I was afraid it wouldn’t fit me. Luckily it fits like a glove and looks amazing on. The shift dress doesn’t look like much on the hanger, but it does when it’s on. Another thing on my wishlist: a tartan dress that wasn’t too school-girly and that had a nice tartan print. Check check, double check.

Snowman knit pj bottoms & Poppy print black shirt dress (Urban Outfitters)

I am not a huge fan of Primark clothes. Shoes yes, but actual clothes, not so much, apart from their PJs. So when I saw they had a Christmas edition sleep and loungewear out I couldn’t resist. The snowmen are simply the cutest and these things are the comfiest thing ever. The poppy dress is by the brand Cooperative which is sold at Urban Outfitters. It was on sale for 15 pounds and looks really nice on. I have to hoist up the skirt a little to make it fit but other than that it’s great. It’s got a flattering neckline, a button down front, strings in the back to give it a bit more shape and a nice overall retro feel.

Black floral boxy button up top (Urban Outfitters) & Plaid men’s shirt (Primark)

In Urban Outfitters I also went for this boxy buttoned shirt. Again the neckline scoops down a bit, like with the dress and it just is very flattering on. Now I just said I’m not a big fan of Primark clothing, apart from their men’s line. I spotted this flanel button down from the corner of my eye and when I tried it on it had a nice oversized but not too bulky fit.

Lush Rose Jam LE shower gel & Tresemmé Keratin Smooth heat protection

I hadn’t checked out Lush’ Christmas collection yet and not much grabbed my attention, apart from Rose Jam. It’s a sweet smelling and warm scent to me and I’ve been using it in my before bed time showers and it’s great at helping me go to sleep. Tresemmé is a haircare brand I’ve been wanting to try for some time and when I saw they had a new keratin line out I went with one of those products. A heat protection spray is important for me now, as I got a new haircut a few weeks ago and I have been reaching for my hair dryer, straightener and curling iron on a regular basis now.

Soap & Glory Hand Food, Body Lotion and Body Butter & Neutrogena moisturizer original and in Pink Grapefruit

A brand I had heard much about from British Youtubers is Soap & Glory and Boots had a buy 2 get one free deal on their hand and bodycare products. So I picked up a few mini’s to try it out and a full size handcreme which I have heard so many raves about it got me very curious. Neutrogena is another one of those brands I was curious about. And since I was looking for a moisturizer to help my skin during the colder months coming up, I decided to pick these up and give them a whirl.

Soap & Glory make up: blotting powder, eyeshadow primer & lipstick in Guavarama

Soap & Glory also does make up but that is far harder to find than the body and skincare products. I happened upon a display in Boots on Oxford Street and picked up these three things to try. I have swatched both the primer and lipstick below. The powder is translucent so no need to swatch it as it won’t show up on my skin.

Topshop lipsticks in Macaroon & Wicked

Whenever I watch shoplogs of Dutch beautybloggers who have been to England they have always ransacked Boots, Superdrug and Selfridges. But don’t forget Topshop! They do some great make up. I am a particular fan of their lipsticks with Rio Rio being my favorite red lipstick. At 8 pounds a pop they don’t break the bank either, are longlasting and there is a massive color range. Macaroon is a pinky coral tone and wicked purple berry color and by far not as scary on a swatch as it looks in the tube.

Illamasqua lipstick in Shard and blush in Naked Rose

Where on previous trips I hunted down a bunch of high end brands not available in The Netherlands, this time I had my sights set on Illamasqua. I had never before tried any of there products and heard great things, mainly about their blush and lipstick so I picked up one of each. I tried on both products before buying. Naked Rose is a great every day blush, completely matte and a great dusty rose color. Shard is a deep plum which looked surprisingly good on. I didn’t look dead and this can be worn as a stain or full on as well.

Swatches: Soap & Glory Guavarama, Soap & Glory eyeshadow primer, Topshop Macaroon, Topshop Wicked, Illamasqua Shard, Illamasqua Naked Rose

Barry M nail polish: Bright Red, Blood Orange, Blue Grape, Crush, Espresso, Duchess (swatches are in a slightly different order)

I of course cannot go to London without picking up nail polish. I picked up some Barry M mainly and these are my favorites. I especially love Duchess: a burgundy textured polish with gold reflects. I think the swatch (all the way on the left of the picture) is even prettier than the color in the bottle. I also love how Barry M now does Matte nail polish. I think both the burgundy and black look so classy.

Bloch dance shorts and footless tights & Primark fuzzy socks and statement necklace

Then on to some random things. I wanted to try some Block dance clothes but since the only stores they have are in London and Sydney and I had never tried on any of their stuff I decided to wait until I went to London. I bought a pair of spandex shorts and black dance tights. Primark is not only good for PJs but also for socks and accessories. I didn’t find too many interesting things, apart from these two.

Books & Magazines: Harper’s Bazaar, Glamour, Company & Leigh Bardugo – Shadow & Bone and Cassandra Clare – City of Bones.

Books are so much cheaper in England than here (same goes for CDs & DVDs btw) and so I always pick up a few things whenever I’m there. I also like buying magazines when I’m abroad as they usually focus on slightly different trends.

And that’s it! All I got in London. I hope you enjoyed this post and I will see you again soon.

What’s your most recent purchase?