Even though I had an absolutely amazing time Traveling in Ethiopia (read about it here & here) I was really looking forward to my stopover in London. Even if the timing was much too short (only 3 days), it was long overdue. Though I’ve been back since, this year marks a decade since I studied abroad in England – which seems absolutely crazy to me. Enter cliche about time flying by here.
My first two days were low key, yet spectacular. I spent them visiting Jade and her little brood out in Kent. We may not be blood related, but she’s family and always will be. Cue the second time in a few days where I cried leaving one of my best friends.
However as my flight home left very early Monday morning, I decided to try out AirBnb for a night and head back into London. I chose a cute little room just down the street from the Warren Street tube station, and it could not have been better. The flatmates were very nice and friendly, the bed was comfy, and it was so much more reasonable than booking a room at a hotel. Naturally I put forth all the money I was saving into justifying a haul of all hauls. You see, I had every intention of stocking up on all of the beauty brands and products that I’d seen UK Beauty Bloggers rave about, but weren’t available State side. While I forgot about or couldn’t find a few items, I most definitely managed to put a decent dent in my wallet and my wish list. If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen a sneak peek of what I’ve added to my beauty arsenal.
I essentially started my trek at the Bond Street station, walked all the way up to Tottenham Court Road, and then up to Warren Street. I was a woman on a mission. Stopping at Selfridges, House of Fraser, John Lewis, Zara, Boots, Kiko, and everywhere in between, I left no store un-browsed.
While I’ll get to everything in those bags over a series of posts, I figured I’d focus this particular one on the additions to my wardrobe.
Zara Red Coated Biker Jeans (found here), Zara Black Zip Leggings (found here), and a River Island cream jumper (unfortunately I can’t find this on their website – so they might have phased it out already ]= ). While the coated biker jeans aren’t all that practical, I just couldn’t say no to them, they fit like a dream and seem like they’ll go well with a nice set of heels and a blouse. The leggings on the other hand, so comfy that it’s hard not to wear them to work every day. They have the cutest detailing on the thighs that don’t show up in the picture very well, but do a great job of making them stand out again all other leggings.
I picked up these great little finds at House of Fraser, after trying on what I’m sure was at least half of the store. Jane Norman PU Biker Jacket (found here), and a Yumi swan dress (sold out, but similar here, here, and here).
The only thing more difficult than handing over that much of my hard earned money in one day, was lugging everything back to the AirBnb place. But once I got there, I was reminded why I lucked out with booking it. The flat mates were doing facemasks and asked if I would like to join them. This was something I was excited to do already, then I noticed that she was mixing up the May Lindstrom Problem Solver mask. I HAVE BEEN DYING TO TRY THIS MASK FOR EFFING AGES. So we’re all sitting there, drinking wine / watching Marco Polo on Netflix, and I’m trying to play it cool like this isn’t the best thing in the world.
After an hour long episode we all washed off the mask, applied some facial oil, and went about our respective plans. Now, the only thing holding me back from immediately going out and getting myself this container of sheer miracles, is the price. If you can stomach the $90 cost of it, you can find it here. I am mostly hoping that my family decides to go in on it for me as a birthday present. But let me tell you, my skin was so radiant after this that I walked out of the flat to meet up with my friends sans makeup. If that doesn’t say enough about that then I don’t know what will.
The next morning I managed to stuff everything into my bag, wrote a little thank you note for my hosts, and headed to the airport. Honestly I don’t think this trip could have gone better if I planned it, there really is something to be said about keeping trips flexible enough to be able to take advantage of all the opportunities that present themselves.
♡Em
