LONDON HAUL: ZARA, PRIMARK, FOREVER 21, SUPERDRUG, BOOTS, SELFRIDGES

Hi everyone! Today I'm (finally) coming to you with my long overdue London haul! I've been wanting to put this post together basically since I bought these things, but I didn't have a decent place to take pictures while I was in England! (no, your boyfriend's flat at university is not ideal for blogging as the lighting is terrible and both of your stuff is strewn everywhere because the room is WAY too small for two human beings to share...in case you were wondering) Mike and I ventured to Oxford Street to do some shopping (i was shopping, mike was a great boyfriend and held my coat and bag while i tried things on) and we hit up Zara, Forever 21, Selfridges, and Bershka (cheaper version of Zara) All of the stores were an absolute zoo, but we braved the crowds and I found some great pieces!

I cannot even begin to tell how you how excited I was to go to Zara! I've heard so much about it and have seen people haul clothes from Zara, but I've never actually been to Zara before! I don't have one anywhere near me so naturally I had to have a look around. They had a sale on but their clothes are still on the pricey side (as i'm sure most of you know) so I stayed on the more casual side with my purchases. The first thing I picked up was this really comfy white graphic tee and I'm so in love!

It has an outline of the London skyline and at the bottom it has some cute phrases like "crazy shopping" and "never ending coffee" (sounds like shopping on oxford street to me...am i right, uk people?) I got a small at first, but after I tried it on I decided on a medium because I wanted it to be more loose fitting.

The second piece I got from Zara is this basic white flowy top. Okay, at first I thought the cut on this was standard, but the more I wore it I started to realize that it is asymmetrical, which is really unique! It is shorter at the bottom on one side than the other (as you can see in the picture) which makes this basic top different from anything else I have in my wardrobe. I bought this to wear with leggings (which i have already done on multiple occasions because leggings are my fashion obsession...no shame) but I plan on styling it with jeans as well!

Mike and I went into Bershka next, which I had never heard of but I quickly fell in love with these leggings and I had to have them!

Actually, I would say these are more like trousers than leggings because they are quite thick. I said to the girl at the till that they reminded me quite a bit of the riding pants-style leggings from Zara, and she told me that Bershka is owned by the same company as Zara! So, it made sense that the two leggings are so similar...but these ones were much cheaper than the Zara ones ;) I bought them in black and olive green and I see myself getting a lot of wear out of them! I'm going to call them my fancy leggings from now on...!

Forever 21 time! I went in with a mission: to find a dress for New Year's Eve. I had this idea in my mind that I was going to find the perfect sparkly dress...and that didn't happen. But I did find this hunter green skater dress which I love! Probably a better buy anyways, I'll get much more wear out of this than a sequined number. It doesn't look like anything spectacular on the hanger, but let me tell you it flatters my figure like no other!

Believe it or not, Mike actually picked out this crop top for me! At the moment it seemed like a strange purchase (it is really cold at home right now) but as I'm packing for Florida now it seems pretty much perfect! And, it's Minnie Mouse colors so perfect for Disney World! Mike did a good job :')

Primark...oh Primark, how I've missed you. A couple days before I left (while Mike was at college...hey, i had to occupy myself somehow!) I went shopping in Winchester and of course I had to take a trip to Primark! This shirt has a little story behind it...A couple months ago I was perusing the Shop Jeen website (everything on that website is perfection and i want it all) and I saw a shirt...or was it a skirt? Anyways, it was a clothing piece with basically the same print on it and I wanted it so badly! But it was pretty pricey, so I decided against buying it. So, when I walked into Primark and I saw this shirt, I couldn't resist!

I'm a tad bit obsessed with emojiis so naturally I had to have it. *insert sassy girl emojii here*

I also got a new wallet at Primark! I've been desperately needing a new one for a while and I waited until I went to Primark to get one because they are cute and inexpensive! This one was only five pounds, and it's adorable!

still have pounds and such that i didn't spend...oh well, i'll save them for next time ;)

And of course, I had to pick up a few beauty items when I was in England! Mike and I went into Selfridge's because I wanted to see what was in there and we ended up at the MAC counter. I've been wanting the Nightmoth lip pencil for ages, so per Mike's suggestion I decided to treat myself and get it! I haven't actually worn it yet, but here is a swatch for you!

nightmoth is a purple color, almost black! comment down below if you want a picture of it on and i'll put it on twitter!

I went into the Superdrug in Winchester on a hunt for Makeup Revolution products and thankfully they had them in the shop! I only ended up getting one item, The Matte Effect Foundation, per my friend Stephanie's request. The selection was not as great as I would have hoped, which is why I didn't buy more! I've tried out the foundation a few times and I really like it :)

My mission in Boots was to find a new moisturizer (i'm running low on my first aid beauty ultra repair cream) and some makeup remover wipes, and I gravitated towards the Soap and Glory display for both of these items! In the United States, Soap and Glory are not the kind of brand that you can find in the drugstore (sadly) However, Boots has basically any Soap and Glory product you could ever want so whenever I go there I tend to buy their products simply because I don't see them as often at home! I tried their Off Your Face makeup remover wipes when I was in England the first time, so I repurchased of course. They smell like heaven and they make my skin look nice and refreshed. I've never tried a moisturizer from Soap and Glory before, but I decided on The Fab Pore Daily Micro Smoothing Lotion and so far I'm loving it!

Wow, that was a long post but I hope you enjoyed! If you love hauls as much as I do, I'm sure you didn't mind ;)

https://twitter.com/essentiallyshan

until next time,

YET ANOTHER HAUL: FOREVER 21, BOOHOO, FRANCESCA'S, AND DSW

Hi everyone! I'm back with, you guessed it, another haul! I've been shopping around for some warmer pieces to wear to school and also for my trip to England in less than three weeks! It's been absolutely frigid here the past two weeks (so glad I'm leaving for Florida in January!) and it will be quite cold in England, so I wanted to get some clothes that will keep me from freezing but are also adorable! So, let's get into it!

First up is my Wednesday Adams dress from Boohoo! Definitely not the actual name for this dress, but that's what I call it! I've been looking for a dress like this for what feels like forever...but I finally found it :) I was expecting the dress to be stiffer but it's made out of a stretchy material so it's pretty comfortable. I love the collar, in a way it reminds me of the Pilgrims...but in a good way? It's more sophisticated than anything though! I can't wait to wear this with tights!

I got two chokers from Boohoo as well. I can't help but laugh because if you told my ten year old self that ten years later I would be buying chokers and wearing them again...I would have thought I was crazy! Who knew they would be in style again?! Like the scrunchy trend, I wasn't into the whole choker thing at first but I love the grunge look and when I started seeing other people wearing them and I remembered how awesome they look I was totally in! I love how a choker can add a 90's vibe to any outfit, and I really like styling them with lower neckline tops so it's the focal point of the look!

The last thing I got from Boohoo is this pair of black combat boots! I'm so glad I finally found a pair to replace my old ones (R.I.P.) that fit me and that I actually like!

They have silver detailing and a knit material that sticks out of the top. They aren't as high as my old pair of combat boots which makes me kind of sad, but I still really like them.

I only made one purchase at Francesca's, but I'm so in love with it. It's this stunning green and black skater style (my fave) dress and it's actually perfect. I saw it on a mannequin as soon as I walked into the store and I knew it was the one! I was looking for a sequinned dress to wear for New Year's (because I'm actually doing something on New Year's for once in my life!) but I was having a hard time finding one that I wouldn't have to sell my soul for (they're so expensive!) so I gave up on that dream. But I found this one and I couldn't be happier! It's super festive and I can't wait to wear it on New Year's or Christmas...I haven't decided yet :)

Onto Forever 21! I got this black cable knit sweater dress and it's the best. It's a lot warmer than I expected and it goes down to right above my knees so I could wear it with or without tights! Sweater dresses, especially basic ones like this, are such a perfect piece for winter because the ways you can accessorize them are basically endless! I like pairing it with some black tights or leggings and my combat boots for a more edgy feel, but I could definitely picture it dressed up with some gold jewelry and black heels!

Speaking of heels, I'm actually head over heels for this sweater. Which is crazy, because normally I don't even like wearing turtlenecks! Well, technically this is a cowl neck sweater but you know what I mean. Again, this is really great quality for Forever 21 as it actually keeps me warm! And, cowl neck = no need to wear a scarf! Also, it's cropped so it looks awesome with high waisted jeans :)

And last but not least, I picked up a pair of basic black ballet flats from DSW! I primarily got these for the Disney College Program as I'll be in business casual clothes quite a bit while I'm there, but I plan on wearing them around as well! Just need to break them in first ;)

Have you been taking advantage of Black Friday sales? What do you have your eye on for Christmas? Let me know in the comments!

until next time,

FIVE FALL ESSENTIALS

Hi everyone! Today's post is going to feature five of my fall beauty and fashion essentials (wow, that's a mouthful!) So if you're ready, let's get right into it! :)

1. a festive fall lip: As I mentioned previously, I'm always on the lookout for fall lip colors that suit me. Fall is the time to bring out the deeper colors like cranberry, oxblood, and in this case, purple! I'm wearing (and currently loving) the Revlon Colorburst Matte Balm in Shameless. I must admit, and I might be a bit biased now because I'm head over heels with the Nyx Soft Matte Lip Cream, the formula leaves something to be desired. I love the color that this balm achieves but it tends to smudge quite a bit and it is a pain to put on.

2. plaid flannel: I know this is going to sound a bit strange, but I'm almost positive that I've never actually worn my flannel as a shirt. Lately, I've been obsessed with tying my flannel around my waist! I love the way that it can "grunge" up pretty much any outfit. I mean don't get me wrong, flannels are great as shirts too ;)

3. a dark fall nail: I've said before that I usually stick to neutral colors when it comes to painting my nails because my skills are sub par to say the least. However, when fall rolls around I tend to be more adventurous and attempt to find and use some darker colors. I recently picked up the Revlon Parfumerie Nail Polish in Autumn Spice (isn't the name itself just delightful?) and I really love it! This picture definitely does not do it justice. You probably can't tell, but it's a nice shimmery coppery color! I like the brush that it comes with, however it doesn't smell like autumn spice in the least. Although, it might smell better than normal nail polish...maybe. 

4. scarves: Are you starting to see a pattern? Yes, I'm quite in love with plaid. And this scarf is not exception! In the fall, I tend to wear a scarf almost every day because they keep me warm (especially this one, it's like wearing a blanket around your neck!) and they can spruce up any outfit!

5. boots: Boots are by far my favorite kind of foot wear. Technically, combat boots are my all-time favorite but my black pair that I wore to death in England are in pretty rough shape and I am desperately in need of a new pair! (I've been eyeing the Steve Madden Troopas but I'm still trying to rationalize the price in my mind...) I've been loving these brown ankle booties recently though, they are so easy to slip on! I love boots because they add so much character to my outfits. If I want to add a bit of edge, I put on my combat boots. If I'm feeling more chic, I'll slip on my ankle booties.

If you're doing some shopping for your own fall essentials, you should check out raise.com! In addition to being able to sell your unused gift cards for cash, you can buy gift cards for awesome places like Starbucks, Victoria's Secret, and Nordstrom at discounted rates! Hope you enjoyed this post :)

www.raise.com/buy-gift-cards

www.raise.com/sell-gift-cards

until next time,