Holiday haul: what I bought

The final installment of my holiday related blog posts is a dedication to the thing I'm most skilled at, shopping! As I mentioned in my previous ramblings, we paid a visit to the new shopping boulevard which was heaven upon entrance! The small gift shops owned by friendly Chinese families were also another favourite of mine, you can rely on them to provide everything but the kitchen sink (or maybe even that would be lurking around somewhere). I think visiting those kind of shops everyday became a norm of mine despite already knowing every item they sold in there and whereabouts they were placed, off by heart. In the end (along with the fridge magnets, the tea towels and the usual gifts you bring back for your friends and family every year without fail), I only came back with 10 new purchases which I guess for me, is an acceptable, guilt free achievement.

KIKO Purifying Mask - €5.90 | Pure Bliss Organics Eczema & Psoriasis Healing Balm - €4.00

KIKO is a brand I've never really heard much about but when I saw the new KIKO shop in the boulevard and noticed how presentable the layout and overall classiness of the store was, it drew me in. Browsing round the cosmetics, the pretty packaging and the vibrant colours, I had to stop myself from jumping into buying something I probably won't ever wear. I don't like purchasing products I've never read reviews on, I like to ensure it will be suitable for me and my skin first before anything else but trudging over to the face masks and being in need of another beneficial purifying mask which seemed to tick all the boxes, I just couldn't resist this. Thank god I did discover such a wonderful product! I've used this mask around 4 times now and am just, if not more impressed with every use. The mask does exactly as it says; when applied (for 10-15 minutes which is definitely the longest amount of time I've left a mask to set) it feels so lightweight, it doesn't leave a heavy feeling on your face yet when it is rinsed off you can completely see the difference it's made to your skin. It leaves me with a healthy, fresh glow, erases all dullness and redness in my skin, my face feels smoother, more matified and most of all, improves the visibility of my blemishes, reduces my excessive oils and prevents my skin from breaking out, keeping the spots at bay. I couldn't recommend this enough, just one application of this soothes the skin and provides a new appearance; you wouldn't even think you'd had a nasty breakout the day before the morning after you'd applied. I wish I'd have picked up more items now, but luckily you can purchase KIKO products from the UK too!

The Eczema Balm was sort of a quick, random buy sort of thing. As we walked past a boutique shop one night, there was an advertisement in the window about a new organic treatment for eczema that has had positive results around the globe. At only €4.00 for a decent sized pot, I thought I may as well give this a try. I've had eczema for a good few months now, I never used to suffer with it but for some reason, it's appeared out of the blue. The eczema is only around my hands, fingers, and wrists and is mainly irritable by itching constantly, being extremely dry, flaky and often this leads to me making the redness worse or sometimes even making it bleed by scratching. Using this whenever I have a flare up has definitely improved the severity and the texture of my scaly skin. It is a very greasy balm and the smell isn't too pleasant but I do believe this works a miracle. Before, the appearance of my eczema was horrible and when running your hand across it, it was rough; now you can't even tell I have it and there are only the odd few dry patches. My itching has reduced and my hands are now super soft. Mild eczema sufferers, I advise you do look out there for this product or even something similar, it calms the skin instantly and improves your overall confidence and insecurities when it comes down to eczema. 

H&M Necklace - €2.00 | Belly Bar - €5.00 | Patchwork Purse - €12.00 

Wicker Basket - €3.00

H&M Mint Green Cami - €5.00 | Primark Peach Vest - €6.00

Floral Crochet Cami - €7.00 | Tile Print Skirt - €13.00

H&M having a sale whilst I was abroad wasn't the greatest of things, for my purse that is. (Talking of purses, I ironically even bought myself a new one of those that I shall get on to later). However, I'd brought enough euros with me to accustom my shopping habit and that allowed me to treat myself to a few things. One of those things was a €2 necklace which I thought would make a perfect casual staple piece. The next thing was a mint green cami top with lovely lace detail, ideal for the hot days we've had back in England and goes with pretty much everything! Building a Primark in my most visited holiday destination wasn't the best thing to do either. Once I hear about a Primark or see a Primark sign, that's me gone before I can even catch a warning. The Spanish Primark wasn't the biggest of Primark's, but I still managed to pick up a few pieces (of course). The first being a plain peachy coloured chiffon vest which I thought would be ideal to chuck on as a basic piece and dress it up or down. The second was the cutest floral crop top with crochet trimming. I'm a sucker for crochet, or anything floral in fact and it just so happened that I picked this up without second thought and  added it to my over the arm struggling to walk collection (seriously, who forgets to go grab a basket in Primark?!). The third item was this beautiful tiled print skirt. Oh my, it was love at first sight and like it was there ready and waiting for me, they only had one left in my size! My initial thoughts were how it looks more like a Topshop or a Zara skirt, than a Primark skirt. Even the quality looks and feels more expensive than it actually was. It's definitely become my most worn item since returning home!

My belly bar was bought from the dainty street market when we spent the night in the centre, there were loads to choose from but I went for this charming white rose with tiny speckled sparkles. The only reason I bought it was because being the plonker I am, I forgot to bring any belly bars away with me and when you're in your bikini more or less 24/7, I think it's nice to jazz things up a little (if it is pierced of course, I don't promote drunken mistakes of piercing body parts). The gorgeous wicker basket with lace and flower detailing was another household object I couldn't tear myself away from. At only €3, I thought it would make the perfect addition to my already over decorated with lace and floral bedroom, and would be handy to store pretty much anything. Finally, a couple of days before we went home, I paid my final visit to the Chinese gift shop. I'd spotted this purse on my first week there but kept putting the buying off and telling myself I don't need to spend €12.00 for nothing. However, as you've most likely guessed, that thought rolled away from my brain and into the distance... I went ahead and bought the purse anyway. I loved the patchwork style; the pattern was so unique, which made a change from the plain, cheap purses I usually go for and with it being real leather, I hope it will last me a lot longer than those cheap purses too.

So that's that, I managed to contain myself and not go too overboard when there's an opportunity to shop till I drop hovering over me. Does anyone else find holiday shopping the best kind? Because I know I do.