Summertime Hauling

Today it kind of feels like summer is finally around the bend. It seems ages ago England really had a no-clouds-in-the-sky kinda day, and for the first time this year, I wore sunglasses *gasps*. And summer couldn't come sooner, considering the amount I spent at the weekend in prep for sunshine. I'm very happy with my purchases - ranging from a good ol' Lush spend-up to a cheeky investment at Kurt Geiger - so I thought I'd share them with you guys. Enjoy! 

Let's start with some makeup. In the coming months I'm attending two Sixth Form balls; one at my old school as a plus one of one of my besties, and one for my current school. My old school's ball is casino themed, so in-keeping with that vibe I bought myself a LBD (I'm sure I'll do an OOTD nearer the time), but wanted to add a pop of colour with perfect red lips. I didn't have a lipstick that I thought fitted the bill, so I had a little stroll around Boots and picked up the L'Oreal Colour Riche lipstick in Blake's Exclusive Red. Firstly, anything to make me look anywhere near the way Blake Lively does is a plus. This red is seriously beautiful - not just in terms of the super snazzy packaging, but the incredible pure red pigmentation, creamy formula and longevity too. Because I'm not really use to bold colours like these, I decided to pick up a lipliner too. The one I got was the Revlon ColourStay Lipliner in the shade Red. I've heard this is a great dupe for MAC's Cherry lip liner, which goes well with the L'Oreal lippy, so an ideal combo. I do like this a lot. It, too, has fab pigmentation and helps the lipstick last a long time. It's also retractable, which I think is a lot for practical than one you constantly have to sharpen. Lastly, from Superdrug, a bit of a spontaneous but cheap and cheerful purchase of mine was the MUA Undress Your Skin Highlighting Powder in Iridescent Gold. It's a lot more subtle than I thought it would be. If you pay a bit more for a product I'm sure you'd get a lot more colour pay off than you would with this one, but if you're not used to highlighter and don't have a lot of cash to splash, this might be a good one to pick up. 

Lipstick - £6.99, Lipliner - £6.29, Highlighter - £3.00

Kind of sticking to the beauty theme, as a post-exams treat, my parents very kindly bought me the Stella McCartney STELLA 50 ml Eau de Parfum. Even though it came out a few years ago now, this is one I had had my eye on for quite a while as it is such a versatile scent. With floral top and heart notes, including elements of mandarin, rose and peony, it's a lovely light, everyday fragrance. However, it has base notes of woody ambers, which adds a muskier, darker side to the perfume, making it suitable as an evening scent too. And, let's be honest, who can resist that bottle? I was a bit weary about ordering from Amazon rather than a properly recognised perfumery like Debenhams or the The Perfume Shop as I wasn't sure whether it was genuine, but after receiving I'm it sure it is. It's a very 'me' fragrance and I have a feeling I'm going to wear it for many years to come.

STELLA Eau de Parfum - £50.75 (the price does keep changing, I got mine for
 around £43)

On to more summery things. Clothes wise, I had a mini splurge in Topshop. This first included a top that simply screams 'Eleanor' from the brand Tee and Cake - I mean, I was already sold by the label that literally has a recipe for cake on it. The top itself is a grey material that, I kid you not, is the softest t-shirt fabric I have ever felt. Written on it in black cursive writing is 'things will be fine' - a very apt message for an exhuasted teen whose just taken her AS Level exams. The fit is baggy, boxy and ever-so-slightly cropped - I ended up going for a size 6, a size smaller than my usual Topshop size, because there is a lot of t-shirt floating about - but at the same time, very flattering. I know I'm going to get so much wear out of this top and will pair it often with the next item (I can feel the suspense rising rn).

Tee and Cake T-Shirt - £20

*Apologies for the picture quality for the above and below items, I realise they're not the best*

You can stop sitting on the edge of your seats now, as the next item is a pair of black Mom shorts from Topshop also. Although I'm a bit cautious over Topshop's jeans now considering what happened to my Jonis, I still love their shorts. This might be because I wear them less than I wear jeans so they don't fade and rip as much, so remain uber-comfortable. I haven't had a pair of Mom shorts before but they are a particularly great fit for me. They're high-waisted whilst completely covering the booty, so I know I'll feel happy in them. These ones have rips towards the bottom, which I wasn't too sure about, but actually look really nice when on for a casual outfit, especially when paired with the top above tucked in loosely. If my black jeans are anything to go by, I know these will be my staple shorts this summer. 

Mom Shorts - £30

Finally for wearable stuff, I made the rather cheeky purchase of some Kurt Geiger, specifically Miss KG, sandals. When it comes to shoes I am especially picky, and after trawling round all the shops for ages, of course I went back for the first pair (and unfortunately, most expensive) I had seen. And as luck would have it, the size 4 had just been sold, so I had to order them. It was safe to say I was most excited for them to arrive, and rightly so. These shoes are completely gorgeous; they incorporate the neutral shades I was going for with stone-coloured material and coppery/gold chain detailing that isn't too in-your-face but noticeably stylish. I know these maybe aren't the most pricey pair of shoes in Kurt Geiger, but for a broke teenager they definitely not the cheapest option. However, I know I'll get wear out of them and I'm ridiculously excited to wear them as I'm strolling down a beach in Spain this summer. 

Miss KG 'Roz' Sandals - £45

Last but not least, as I said in one of my last posts, a shopping trip is incomplete without a trip to Lush. I picked up five bath bombs: Lava Lamp, Frozen, Intergalatic, Twilight, and Dragon's Egg. I much prefer the bath bombs in Lush to their other bath products just because I think they're more fun and feel like a bit more of a treat when I use them. I very recently did a review of the new Lava Lamp bomb which you can find here, and did reviews for the Frozen bath bomb (here) and Intergalatic bath bomb (here) last year. The latter two are definitely two of my favourites for summertime as they have very fresh scents that are instantly refreshing. Twilight is my favourite for pre-bedtime or one for a relaxing night in as it has very calming ingredients and qualities, as well as beautiful colours that reflect the look of the night sky. Surprisingly, I have never tried Dragon's Egg before but I know it's many people's favourite, so I'm looking forward to trying it out! 

Back left to right: Twilight - £3.50, Intergalactic - £3.95
Front left to right: Frozen - £3.95, Lava Lamp - £3.95, Dragon's Egg - £3.50

That concludes my summertime collective haul! I think that's enough spending for a long time. Hope you're all having a great day - if you're reading this on the day it goes up (5th June) hope you're bathing in the sunshine. 

Time to get buzzed for summer! 

From, 

Eleanor