Recent Purchases - Primark, Lush, and More

I go through town on a daily basis to get to work, and will quickly pop in somewhere to get the odd item, but I hadn't been on a leisurely shopping trip in months, so my sister & I decided to do just that yesterday morning. It was nice strolling around without thinking that I need to be somewhere in half an hour. I thought I'd combine yesterday's buys with some other bits I've bought recently, not including the coat and Christmas bits I've acquired over recent weeks. This haul has a little bit of everything; home, clothing, beauty, and food.

I love bedding, as sad as that may sound. I actually went in Primark intending to buy the fairisle Christmas duvet set, but couldn't bring myself to buy it because it was brushed cotton, and the ones they have on display always look worse for wear. I settled on the paisley damask and grey floral bird sets, both of which are shown above. At £11 a set, I didn't need to decide on just one. The grey one is right up my street as I love anything grey and floral. I'd seen the paisley damask one on Primark's Instagram page, and even though it's a little over the top, I really like it.

I rarely buy clothes these days, but did find a couple items yesterday which took my fancy. I used to love the basic v-neck cardigans from H&M, having nearly one of each colour, and didn't like round neck cardigans at all. My tastes have clearly changed because I absolutely loved this black one from Primark (£6) when I tried it on yesterday. It'll be perfect for work.

I've never liked high-necked, thin knit jumpers on myself either. They look great on other people, but I felt like I couldn't pull them off. I liked the neckline and colour of the one above, though, so decided to try it on. Initially, I didn't like it at all. Then, not even 30 seconds later, I started warming to it. I've called it my Parisian Chic jumper. The best part was that it was £4.90 down from £6 - Bargain! I just have to remember to put it on before I do my makeup because it's difficult to get over my head.

Of course I bought some more pj bottoms. These grey ones with little white stars on were £6.

I didn't plan on showing these, but was so pleasantly surprised when they arrived yesterday that I just had to. They're novelty tins filled with biscuits! I needed a Christmas gift for my grandad and someone else who are incredibly difficult to get for. I know they're the easy/boring way out, but you can't go wrong with biscuits, especially when they come in an awesome tin. They're quite big actually, and I'm tempted to keep the radio one for myself. These were £10 each from Debenhams, but there's often some form of discount on them.

I have the Freedom Eyebrow Pomade in Soft Brown, and while it matches my hair perfectly well, it's a little too warm for my natural eyebrow hair, so I picked up Medium Brown in Superdrug for £5. It's cooler, and a touch darker than my Anastasia one, but with a light hand, I have high hopes.

Lush have changed their bath melts to bath oils, so I wanted to try my two favourites, Mmmelting Marshmallow Moment and You've Been Mangoed, in this new formula. They're a lot smaller, but they're also only £2 now. I'll be using a chunk in a foot soak later, so will see how that goes.

If you've been to Primark recently, what's your favourite purchase?

Christmas Sales Wishlist

I know, it's not even December yet, but it's good to be organised! Some people believe that the sales are full of rubbish you don't really need, and that you should be spending time with your family over the festive period instead. One: the things below are far from rubbish, two: if you make a plan and stick to it, you're only buying things you really want, and three: online shopping! You can get your bargains and stuff your face with the cheese board at the same time. And even if you are one to hit the Boxing Day sales at 6am, if it makes you happy, do it.  

The annual event that is the Lush sale. The Christmas range and products made before October are half price. The website was chaos last year, not working for hours, and then only showing a handful of products. My sister has just passed her driving test, so we're either going to go in early on Boxing Day, or I'm going to order over the phone. I'm not sure how busy the line will be, but I'm guessing it'll be a lot less hassle than the website. I don't know what time the lines will be open, though. If it's 10 and the website is already up, I'll be using the latter!

These next items are from Feel Unique. The Pamplemousse Rose Lip Conditioner & Hand Cream Winter Duo is £8 full price, the Laura Mercier In The Glow Trio is £25, and the Caudalie Mask Trio Gift Set is £22. I don't tend to buy from higher end brands, so think the sets are a good way of trying multiple things. I don't know how much they'll be discounted, if at all, but I'm still going to keep an eye out for them. I hadn't heard anything about the Caudalie masks until yesterday, but a quick search tells me they're highly rated, so I want in on that action.

Boots is the other retailer that people swarm during the sales. There's not much I want from the main Christmas gifts because I bought everything I wanted during staff double discount week, but wouldn't mind getting the Soap & Glory Well I'll Be Glammed Set. It may even be a Star Gift before then, though. I'm not paying £40 for it anyway, especially when I'll be giving the eyeshadow palette and brushes away.

The Origins sets aren't with the bulk of the Christmas range, but in the luxury beauty section. I really want to try more from the brand because I highly rate what I have, so am hoping I can get my hands on at least one of these. The gift set at the top is Glow So Nice £40, the bottom left is Shining Stars (exclusive to Boots) £25, and the bottom right is Let Us Glow £30. The VitaZing in Glow So Nice is £29 alone, and the GinZing moisturiser in the other two is £25, so they're already worth their money.

These gifts are available from Debenhams, with the Rituals sets priced at £28.50, and the Bobbi Brown ones at £39. The Rituals sets are in the Indian Rose & Sweet Almond Oil and Organic Rice Milk & Cherry Blossom scents. I wanted them last year, but didn't manage to get hold of them. I'm hoping this year will be different because I'm a huge fan of foaming shower gels, and really want to try the shower oils.

The Bobbi Brown sets may not be discounted that much, if at all, so I won't be getting both if they're available when I go online. I just wanted to show both sets because I love the look of them. Sunset Pink is on the left, while Pink Dusk is on the right. I've never tried anything from Bobbi Brown, but it's a brand that's talked about a lot, and swatches of these products look beautiful.

I've decided that I'll be getting presents from Whittards for people next Christmas (I've already bought their presents for this year - they've been ready to wrap since late last year/early this year). I just think their products make for beautiful gifts, for both sexes. The items above are what I want for myself. I'll either point my parents in the direction of them, or buy them after Christmas. Top left is the Dotty About Hot Chocolate Gift Set £20, top right is the Christmas Kilner Bundle £24 (how beautiful are they?), bottom left is the English Rose & Glass Mug Bundle £18, and bottom right is the Luxury Hot Chocolate Hamper £15.

Last year, I was expecting larger discounts than there were, so was left disappointed. My expectations are significantly lower this year, and I'm prepared to see the words 'out of stock' many times, so I doubt I'll even buy half of the things above. I hope this has given you some ideas, though, even for Christmas presents. When I get my own place, it'll be homeware over beauty products!