Mini Sunday Haul

Do you ever get that feeling where you just want to spend? You know what I mean, you just really fancy something new and shiny, for no other reason other than you feel like it?

Do you ever get that feeling?

That was me on Sunday, so I prompted the husband to take me to our local Boots and TK Maxx for a little browse and came back with this mini loot.

Bank Holiday Haul

It's the same story every new season - I want to change up my entire wardrobe! I've been taking a more minimalist outlook when it comes to clothes this year, only buying things that are versatile for work and casual days, finding things on offer, and making sure they are quality items.

Stationery Haul

I absolutely love buying new stationery. If it was up to me, I'd pick up every notebook and pen that's for sale in Paperchase, and keep it all organized in sleek Muji storage. I had some time to waste last weekend (what is even happening to me, time to waste?), so I used it as an excuse to have a little peruse at Homesense/TK Maxx.

Did I mention these stores are within a 5-minute walk from my flat?

Dangerous.

What I Bought in Paris

I had a very specific plan when I visited Paris last month: find the nearest French pharmacy and completely raid it! While I bought many clothes in Paris the first time around, I had a completely different mindset for this trip. I have seen countless reviews, hauls, and Youtube videos about specific French skincare brands and there were some products I absolutely needed to try.  

Boxing Day Haul

While I don't normally shop on Boxing Day (The deals on clothes were never that good back home in Canada!), I decided against the whole drinking-until-you-pass-out tradition that is Boxing Day in the UK - or is it only Wales? Either way, the boyfriend was planning on getting extremely drunk, while I chose to go shopping with his sister. We went to the St David's shopping center in Cardiff, and wow, have I missed Cardiff shopping.

Cohorted Mini Haul

Have you heard of the website Cohorted? No? Have you been living under a rock? If you love makeup and you live in the UK, you have to check it out. This is how it works for all you non-cohorted folks: every Monday at 6 pm, Cohorted puts out 4 fabulous beauty items for sale. If you want to buy it, you join a cohort, and the more people join - the bigger the discount! They'll always tell you what the maximum discount will be, so you'll have a clear idea of what amount you could save. They have some of the latest items, and some great classics.

FABB Birmingham Haul

Look. At. This. Bounty.

I have never seen such a fabulous goodie bag than the one I got at the FABB Birmingham event (find my post about it here). The bag was so heavy I could barely carry it back home! Obviously, it would take me ages to go through every item I got, so I won't do that. I'm obviously going to try every single product and if something blows my mind, I'll let you guys know. Or if there's something you spot in the picture and want a review of it, let me know in the comments!

"Workwear" Fashion Haul - H&M, Forever 21, and The Gap

With a new job starting later this week, I had the sudden realization that I didn't really own any "office casual" clothing. Working at The Body Shop meant I could wear black leggings and a black t-shirt to work every day, super comfortable but not exactly a good base for working in an office setting. So as I heard I got the new job, I decided to treat myself by getting some new pieces that I could work at work. I managed to spend less than £40 at every store, which is a really good bargain when I've come out with seven tops and one bottom. Read below to see what I got!

Birmingham Blogger Meetup Haul

I wanted to write an entirely separate post about the goodie bag I got at the Birmingham Blogger Meet, hosted by Abbigayle Warner. Just look at my stash! I would have never believed I'd get all of these goodies for free, and I'm super grateful to Abbigayle and the sponsors for being so generous with us. Anyway, read more if you want to see the products in detail!

Mini Boots & Paperchase Haul

I was feeling a little spendy the other day, so I decided to go to Boots to pick up some essentials (aka razors, deodorant, etc) and I was sucked into the beauty aisles - typical me. I managed to control myself and only picked up three things (yes, I forgot to photograph one, that's how unorganized this post was) and then went to Paperchase because I needed a new diary for the year. 

Spain Shopping Haul

While most of my trip to Spain was spent on the beach, soaking in the sun, we did manage to take a little detour to a local shopping center - because we all know how much I love a good mall. I only had to go to three shops before I decided to halt my spending, otherwise I would have never been able to bring everything back! I went to Bershka (an old favourite that dates back to my first trip to Spain three years ago), Lefties (a new favourite) and Kiko (the makeup mecca I don't have access to in Brum).

Topshop Summer Haul

I wanted to pick up a few pieces before my holiday to Spain, since I didn't actually bring too many summer clothes with me to the UK. Who knew we would be having a heatwave? All I packed up before moving were sweaters and jeans, expecting that would be perfect for rainy England. I wanted to get some basics that would be good for me all year round, but that would extremely good in sunny Spain weather. I settled on three new pieces (ignore the floral shorts above, they were just a matter of creating symmetry) from Topshop.

The Body Shop Haul

Since starting work at The Body Shop, it seems like I've already acquired a rather small collection of TBS products. Here's what I got on my latest haul, where I finally took advantage of my employee discount (the two greatest words a beauty blogger could hear, truly). I combined some things I bought myself, along with things I was kindly gifted as they're new products we're selling.

Bourjois Haul & First Impressions

Last week, I dabbled into a brand that I could never get back home in Canada - so I'm bringing another UK import this time too. Bourjois is a French company that is actually available in some Pharmaprix drugstores back home, but their range is - once again - a lot smaller than what they have here in the UK. I picked up three items since they were on offer, and damn those pesky 3 for 2 deals because I can't reists them. I got the Bourjois Magic Nail Polish Remover, the Bourjois Rouge Edition Velvet Lipstick, and the Bourjois Liner Feutre.

Soap & Glory Mini Haul

While I've been in the UK for almost a month now (oh my god), I didn't get around buying any new makeup until this week. I finally caved and did some shopping at Boots to pick up some highly coveted makeup that I could never get back home in Canada. First up, these three goodies from Soap & Glory which were all inspired by essiebutton's latest Brand Focus, where she talked about her favourite products from the brand. They were on a 3 for 2 offer at Boots, so I got the One Heck of a Blot Powder, the Kickass Concealer, and the Sexy Mother Pucker Gloss Stick. 

Drugstore Beauty Fix

Do you ever get the need to buy some more makeup? Who am I kidding, of course you do, I can't be the only one. There are days where I literally want to try every single shade and buy every newproduct that I've been hearing about. So sometimes, I splurge a teeny tiny bit. It's nothing crazy, after all this isn't a Sephora haul, so I haven't broken my budget. I went to Walmart, which actually always has the lowest prices, I'm not even kidding. The only downfall about shopping at Walmart is that you really have to check the products before you buy them to see that they haven't been opened. I try to avoid buying product that doesn't have a plastic packaging on it, or I always go for the ones in the back because they seem to be less touched. I can't tell you how many times I've grabbed a lipstick in Walmart only to open it and see it had been used - the horror.

Thrift Haul - Eva B

I ventured out to the Montreal thrift shop Eva B a few weekends ago with my parents. I had no idea what this place was until a friend of mine actually tweeted about it (thanks @kevinngminghing!) If you guys have never been to this place, I would definitely check it out if you're ever in Montreal. It's at 2015 Saint-Laurent Boulevard and they're open Monday to Sunday. Honestly, I would have probably walked right past the shop if I didn't know the address, because the wall are completely covered up in graffiti and it actually looks rather sketchy from the outside. But it was a gold mine! I've never had as much luck thrifting as I did that day, so I've definitely fallen back in love with the concept. 

Forever 21 Floral Haul

Oh, I did a little damage last week. I was feeling a little down in the dumps, so I figured that was reason enough to treat myself. Plus, all the florals in Forever 21 were just making me crave spring. I'm so disappointed because there was actually another snowstorm this weekend and I probably won't wear those beautiful shorts for another three months, but oh well. Everything was reasonably price, as is usually the deal with Forever 21 clothing. Fun fact, I actually worked there for two years when they first came to Montreal, and I was put off the clothing for so long after I quit. I guess I had seen enough of their styles, so everything looked horrible to me. I feel like they might be stepping up their game though, because I'm seeing more and more things I like. They are really good for finding trendy bits at a reasonable price, because who wants to pay $30 for a pair of floral shorts, I'm looking at you Brandy Melville.

Teeny Tiny Haul

So technically I am a bit on a spending ban, since I'm trying to save up as much as much money as I can before I move the UK, but sometimes a good deal is just too hard to resist? Plus, if I don't treat myself every once in a while then I go into a pit of depression and nobody wants that. My cousin has fabulously graced me with a friends & family discount from H&M, which gives me 25% off all of my purchases until the end of April - the sweet bonus? I can use it as often as I want! If that's not a good incentive to shop, I don't know what is.

Mini Target Haul

I ventured into Target the other day to pick up some discounted Christmas wrapping paper (It was a dollar on sale!) and I found so many things had been discounted. It was actually quite sad because I wanted to buy so much but I held off since I'm supposed to be saving my money. I decided to get a few things I had already been thinking about buying and left behind about four Essie nail polishes because I have too many already.