WARNING: There's a long backstory ahead so skip to the following paragraph to see what I have purchased! Today I hit the town with the wholehearted intention to buy a new foundation. Since I have the Body Shop's colour adjusting drops on hand to remedy most situations, shade isn't exactly the issue I have with my current foundation. The undertone of my current foundation is all wrong. I've been using Urban Decay's Naked Skin in the shade 9.0 and I find it makes me look a little ashy because it had redder, pinky undertones instead of yellow, golden ones –– I have to spend time working excessively with other powders to return much needed warmth into my face after using it. After browsing online I chose Clinique and went in store to get colour matched. I sat patiently while the loveliest sale's associate in the world tested out number 23, aka Ginger, on my skin. Other than the fact it looked slightly too light for me I liked it –– the undertone, the formula, the coverage, all great. Andddd... Just my luck, Ginger has been discontinued. I know. Mortified, Clinique gave me a freebie mascara for the slip up and I continued on my merry way... And I stopped by a couple of stores to spend that foundation money. Die another day, I guess?
This is a quick update on my purchases today, why I bought what I did, what I plan on using them for etc! I'll keep you all updated on my informed opinion after I've been consistently using the products but I wanted to share my current excitement. Yay for new things!
Okay, first and foremost, Happy Socks. I love socks and I probably have too many. Socks with clouds on them, socks with famous paintings on them, socks with various items that can be found in the fridge on them, you get the gist. I've been to Happy Socks before and I lowkey died walking into such a glorious emporium head to toe in snuggly socks the first time. The second time around, I just smiled with quiet contentment. I purchased the I Love Mum Giftbox for £20 in store and there isn't much to say! They're really thick and warm, the patterns are very pretty and I'll probably be crawling back into the store in a couple months.
I then dilly-dallied, you know the drill. I popped into a couple of stores that looked interesting but had nothing for me in reality... Eventually I found a hidden gem, tucked away near Urban Outfitters, called Cath Kidston. Personally, I'd never heard of her brand or store before today (who is she?) but I'm really glad that I discovered her. The store was divided cleanly into sections with clothes, home goods like candles, and handbags and purses. Everything in there is so quirky and vintage shabby chic, I love the colour scheme and the whole vibe. Not quite in the mood to do handbag or purse shopping, I avoided the main products that were displayed and picked up two little items: the blue polkadot glasses string and the painted rose lip balm. I thought the lip balm was going to be an actual stick because instore it was hidden in the box, but it turned out to be a squeezy tube. I'm the least crazy about the lip salve because it feels super thick without really being hydrating. It doesn't help that the rose scent is suuuper strong to the point of being headache inducing either. I've tried the Balance Me Rose Salve in the past and although that scent was perfect, like delicious rose turkish delight, it didn't do much on the hydration front. We'll see how this one fairs! The glasses string is super cute though, I'm in love with it. I have a feeling I'll really like Cath Kidston's fashion line, maybe for another time.
Next was ArtBox. I think their store is a pop-up one? They essentially revolve around Japanese trending fashion, they sell cute stationery and some snacks too (mostly variations of Pocky you never knew existed). I didn't stay there too long because I knew exactly what I wanted. To be honest, I bet I could have picked up similar products in ChinaTown for a more competitive price but uh... Indulge me, yeah? I got the cutest little sheep plushie keychain to put on my backpack. I've been wanting one to replace my tired winky emoji for a while, not specifically the sheep, but a small plushie animal. I got it because it reminded me of a game Pewdiepie played a while back called Catherine. It's so cool and cute! I also got washi tape for my planner. The pattern is little pink crosses, which I reckon is super pastel goth of me.
And finally! The star of the show! I dragged my ass to check out Pixi :D I've been cruelty-free with my makeup purchases for roughly 6 months now and I like to buy vegan makeup when possible (RedAppleLipstick Review coming up soon!) but I've never bought any Pixi products. Everyone raves about them all the time so maybe in the upcoming weeks I'll get to see why. I bought the Glow Mist, the Lip Contour Liner in Natural Rose, the H2O Skin Drink and Endless Silky Eye Pen in Cobalt Blue. The sale's associate also threw in a sample sized Glow Tonic and Pore Primer for me to try (which I am forever grateful for and excited to use). First impression? Love love love the blue eye pen. Nevermind the fact that it is so pigmented, it is super soft almost like a gel liner consistency but still incredibly precise and it doesn't budge. I've included pictures with no filter below to show y'all. I'm in love. I want 500 in all the shades. It's much smoother than my blue Kiko smart pencil and a hell of a lot brighter. I'm impressed!
I can't wait to try out the H20 Skin Drink –– it sounds amazing for my super sensitive drier skin and it has raving reviews online. It also has a pump which I am obsessed with (tell me I'm not the only one who loves complexion items with pumps?). I'm also anticipating the Glow Mist because my Lush Tea Tree water is coming to an unfortunate end and I hope the Glow Mist will perform as well, if not better considering the price tag. I love facial mists, gotta get that glow, what can I say?
That concludes my gigantic haul! Let me be Raven for a second and predict my immediate future: I see no to little beauty buys :') Let me know when you last bought something? Is there anything from the brands I've mentioned that you'd recommend? Have an awesome Saturday.
