What I Buy From Boots: Your Lunchtime Shopping List

Well, firstly I have to say a HUGE thank you for the overwhelming response and feedback to Wednesday’s article. If you’ve yet to have a read, then you can do so here if you fancy hearing me step up onto my soapbox for once, but I cannot thank you enough for all your kind comments, emails and DM’s on the matter. The comments under the post show how it really is an issue that effects all of us, and it was lovely to see kind and helpful advice being shared between everyone. Talking about these kind of topics that aren’t covered as often as they should be is something that I’d like to do more, so holler with what you’d like to see me dig into next. Consumerism in the world of blogging? Being the breadwinner in the household? The pressures of being self-employed? I’m happy to cover them all, so drop me a comment with what you’d like to see next.

Today’s post however is something a little lighter. It’s Friday! The sun’s out! Pay day has just happened! I thought that just incase you were going to trot down to Boots on your lunch-break to pick up a meal deal, then I’d share with you my shopping list that I go into town to buy every couple of months. I like to make most of my beauty and fashion purchases online, but there’s something about that place that still has some magic for me. I go wanting to buy cotton wool and end up with a bag that’s absolutely brimming. There are some repurchases on here that I’ve made many, many times before; but there are some newer items too that come highly recommended. I’ll have a prawn mayonnaise sandwich and a CHANEL Lipstick please…

Double-Sided Cotton Rounds & Cotton Buds. At the time of taking pictures for this post their Double-Sided Cotton Rounds were alive and kicking. Then last week I went back into store to do my bi-monthly restock and it turns out that they’ve not only been repackaged, but the end product inside is completely different. I. AM. GUTTED. And from the reviews online, it looks like others have the rage about the situation too. Bring ’em back Boots! They were by far the best cotton pads available on the high-street and I loved having the two-sides to pick from. They were sturdy and just the right level of absorbent, leaving the correct amount of product for swiping. If you find some of the old versions hanging around  in-store buy them immediately and thank me later. Thankfully the cotton buds are the same as always – PHEW – and I always like to stock up on both here because they are forever on offer.

Bumble and Bumble Sunday Shampoo. Continuing with the ‘obvious items that I’ve spoken about 76 times before‘ theme, say hello to basically the only shampoo that I’ve used for the past six years of my life. Seriously. Others never come close to the cleansing power of this and it somehow manages to cut through whatever thickening/volumising/dry shampoo product I have clogging up my strands and leaves them feeling squeaking clean, but in a way that never feels dry. I wash my hair every two or three days and find that a bottle of this lasts me around six weeks, so it’s not the cheapest beauty habit I have; however I like to buy my bottles from here because it’s always in stock (and always out of stock on the places I like to buy beauty online for some reason!), and I can stock-pile Advantage Card points whilst I’m at it.

Clarins Instant Eye Makeup Remover. IF YOU WEAR WATERPROOF MASCARA YOU NEED THIS IN YOUR LIFE. There’s not much else to say on the matter. Being the fan of waterproof formulas that I am, I’m always asked how I remove them and the answer is this, and only this. Nothing else even comes close. Yes I’ve tried the cheaper dupes. Yes I’ve tried micellar. Yes I’ve given practically every eye makeup remover on the market that says that it obliterates waterproof mascara a go – and this is the only one that actually keeps that promise. I buy bottles by the bucketload whenever there is a gift with purchase happening so I can accompany buying the big bottles with getting loads of the free mini bottles too. I actually find myself getting panicked and cutting down on my mascara wearing days whenever my stock gets low.

Sally Hansen Cuticle Remover. This is my secret to fresh and polished looking nails. You lot know me, I’m not really an avid nail polish wearer these days. I do in fact have a gel polish on right now thanks to the lovely lot at Nail Crew, but it’s an anomaly and only because I’m heading to Ibiza next week and it’s my subtle nod to me making some kind of effort. Most of the time I’ll service my nails quickly each weekend and paint on a fresh coat of clear polish and be done. However this is the product that turns them from raggedy looking, to refined. I remove the clear coat from the previous week, trim them down and give them a quick file if needed. Then I’ll apply this to my cuticles, leave it a minute or two and push them back. Voila! Any overgrown areas are gone and things look nicely cleaned up. I’ll wash the remnants off and paint on a new layer of clear, dollop on some cuticle oil and I’m good to. This also works really well and softening any areas of hard skin on the feet too, so it’s a good one to have on standby for the summer.

Isle of Paradise Self Tanning Drops. Ok, now onto two things that I haven’t mentioned in every other beauty blog post that I’ve written in the past half a decade. Boots is where I like to go whenever I’m in the mood to buy some new tanning bits. They stock most faux-glow brands there; from high-street, to the slightly pricier offerings and so you get a good lay of the land. One brand that I basically bought every single SKU from when it was released is this – Isle of Paradise. A brand created by fake tan connoisseur Jules Von Hep, thats point of different is that it incorporates colour-correcting undertones into the formula and features new textures too. I’ve had the most success with these drops – although be warned, don’t even THINK about testing these out un-concentrated. I like four or five drops mixed in with my face oil in the evenings, or I blend 10-ish drops into each blob of moisturiser, or gradual tanner for extra oomph, when I’m tanning my body. Less is more. Trust me on that one.

CHANEL Le Rouge Jumbo Longwear Lip Crayon. I LOVE LIP CRAYONS. I don’t know why I’m so much more attracted to them than lipsticks, because they are basically exactly the same thing just set in slightly slimmer form. But there’s something that tricks me into thinking that they’re somehow easier to use, faster and just more of a ‘no-makeup’ makeup staple. I love the Laura Mercier ones and the Hourglass ones have a special place in my heart too, but CHANEL have entered the ring and they are offering some cracking colours for summer. A La Rosée is a fluorescent bubblegum pink that is a little much for me applied opaquely to the lips, but looks great blotted down. I love it mixed with Au Naturel which is a nude – surprise, surprise – which is a little too brown on its own, so blends well with a bit of pink added in. These have a slight shine to them, but do set on the lips and have some lasting-power to them, although the soon-to-be released matte-version which are coming out for autumn, might just be even more up my street…

Photos by Emma Croman

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