Manchester Haul | ft. Primark, Topshop & Lush

Helloo. At the weekend I went on a shopping trip to Manchester with my boyfriend so that he could pick up a few bits and pieces for his summer holiday to Zante and I thought that I might as well show you what I picked up while we were there too. I didn't have a massive spend or go OTT, but I did buy quite a few things and for a change I am actually happy with everything that I bought and don't want to take any of it back like I usually do!

Primark
First stop: Primark. Primark is one of those that I have a huge love/hate relationship with, I love it's on trend clothes at bargain prices and super cheap accessories, PJs and underwear... but I strongly dislike the actual experience of shopping in the store. Unless you hit it at a quiet period like at 10am on a random Tuesday morning like I sometimes could while I was at university, it is a nightmare place to be. So, so, so, SO many people are in there, all trying to cram their huge baskets down the same tiny gaps, barging you out of the way and putting their smelly armpits in your face when they reach up to higher rails (I actually have had these experiences!). Not to mention the ridiculously hot, sweaty and claustrophobic atmosphere along with sometimes having to rummage through piles of clothes (jumble sale style) just to try and find your size.

We arrived in Manchester just after 10:30am and after we'd found somewhere to park the car we headed towards the Arndale Centre. As Primark is probably my boyfriends least favourite place to be in the whole world he said we should definitely go there first before the rush hits and it gets too busy, plus he said I had 1/2 an hour maximum in there so that we could go grab a coffee and a cake from Starbucks as a mid-morning snack (this was actually a reasonable request because I have been known to spend multiple hours scouring Primark if left to my own devices). As soon as we walked through the doors I instantly thought 'eugh we're too late' as it was already heaving! What do you expect from a Saturday morning in a city center though really? The heat and the thick, sticky air hit me like a tonne of bricks and I knew there was no way I was going to get to have an indepth look at any of the rails, so I just have a quick scan over and if anything at all caught my eye from a distance then it was worth while having a closer look. I was quite happy when my 30 minutes allowance was up as I couldn't wait to get out of there. I didn't get much at all but here is what I did manage to pick up:

- Red Zip Up Jacket (XS from the men's section) £12.00.

- Pyjamas. Bottoms £5.00, Top £3.00.

- Snood £4.00.

- Sunglasses £1.00.

Topshop

Topshop is actually not a dissimilar experience from Primark; over heated, over crowded and loud music blasting so you can't even have a conversation with the person you're with. Not to mention they had a sale on which just added to the mania in there, people just seemed to be grabbing at everything and anything. I would definitely much prefer to shop in a calmer and quieter atmosphere. Nonetheless, here is what I popped in my basket in Topshop:

- Nail Varnish - 'War Paint' £5.00.

- Jumper £26.00

- Vest top £6.00 (2 x £6 basic tops for £10)

- Cropped vest top £6.00 (2 x £6 basic tops for £10)

- Underwear £4.00

I also got 10% student discount off everything.

River Island

I only picked up one thing whilst we were in River Island as it's not a shop that I tend to like very much. I had a quick scan through their sale as I've often picked up some amazing bargains from there in past but couldn't find anything so I spent more time helping my boyfriend go in and out of the changing rooms trying to choose from about 6 pairs of shorts that he'd picked up. I did spot this one top by the door in the 'New In' section, I thought it was something I'd wear often and was reasonably priced so I got it.

- Print tee £16.00.

Superdrug

After lunch at Nandos we went into Superdrug because I am STILL on the hunt for the Sleek Contour Kit in 'Light' and can never find it in stock anywhere (still had no luck :(.) As my boyfriend had been kind enough to pay for lunch I thought I would repay the kindness and buy him all of his toiletries that he needed for his holiday. I think I actually got the bad end of the deal here and ended up spending quite a bit more than he did on lunch! When you add together the cost of sun cream, after sun, deodorant, shower gel and whatever else he popped into my basket it really does add up to a hefty total, especially when just one bottle of suncream costs £10 and he needed a 10-day supply. But he's worth it and here's what I got for myself:

I CANNOT get this picture to rotate - apologies!

- 200ml Batiste Dry Shampoo in Brown £1.95 (on offer!)

- Barry M Liquid Eyeliner in Black £4.79

- 80ml Montagne Jeunesse Peel Off Face Mask £3.49

- 10ml Tea Tree Peel Off Face Mask £0.89

- 10ml Superdrug Peek Off Face Mask £0.99

- 10ml Superdrug Purifying Clay Mask £0.99

Okay, so you may think that I went a little bit face mask crazy, especially when you read on to see what I got from Lush, but face masks are one of my favourite things to treat myself to on a lazy Sunday or just a general pamper day before night out or special day. I prefer the peel off ones as they are generally less mess than trying to wash off the clay ones. In the future I plan on doing a review of my 'Best & Worst Face Masks' on all of the ones that I have tried and tested. 

Lush

I won't ramble on much because this post is already really long. But I picked up two masks from Lush, neither of which I have tried before. One is a cleanser and the other is a fresh face mask that needs to be kept in the fridge and used up within 3 weeks. I'm going to do a more indepth review of both of these soon once I've used them up to include things like how long they lasted me/how many uses I got out of the tubs, if I think they're value for money, and any noticeable improvements to my skin after continued use, which one I prefer, if I'd repurchase - that sorta thing.

- Cup Cake (75g) £5.95

- Mask Of Magnaminty (125g) £4.95

That's it for my 'Manchester Haul' and if you've seen my recent 'Payday Treats' and 'Asos Haul' posts then you'll know that I've bought myself quite a lot of stuff in the past few weeks. Maybe I should be imposing a spending ban on myself!

xxx.