It's been a while since I did a good old fashioned haul, so I thought one to signal the fact that this blog is turning into a full-time beauty blog (just kidding but more on that at the bottom of this post).
On Saturday I went mall hopping with mom & here are some of the things I bought. I was supposed to buy some clothes too (not that I need any, just wanted to scratch the clothes buying itch) but nothing 'called me' in Zara, & at another shop I tried on something that didn't fit well AND I was supposed to pop into the Elle Fashionwear store but I plum forgot! So I ended up buying all skincare & aromatherapy products only. Here they are without further ado (in order of purchase).
Oh & I almost forgot, it's official - Forever 21 is opening their first store in Mumbai on June 1st at Infiniti 2, Malad. They (finally) chose to open here just when I turn 21. Co-incidence? I think not. But jokes aside, how do you feel about it? I can't say I'm excited but I sure am curious!
First stop was The Nature's Co. I had won a spa voucher via a Pinterest contest they had & I decided to give it to mom. I didn't even know they had spas... turns out it's a spa chair sectioned off by a bead curtain at the corner of their store & it's quite nice. So while my mom got a face massage I had a chance to poke around the store. They have some really nice skin & hair care products (I bought a face wash online a couple of months ago but haven't had the chance to use it yet).
Anyway I was most attracted to the candle shelves they had some really nice ones. Smelled a ton of them & finally ended up getting lemongrass - I love scented candles & lemongrass reminds me of being in a spa (though I seriously considered getting cloves & sea breeze too).
The thing I love about TNC is that everything is organic & made from natural ingredients.
When I was just finished with sniffing all the candles like a loony person I saw that they also have incense sticks so I picked up two packs in Ocean Breeze & Lemon, & my do they smell divine! I had to buy a holder too obviously.
And finally the spa therapist recommended the rosemary-hibiscus hair mask for my mom. It's supposed to control hair fall. It's all powder & has to be mixed with water I think it should last long (would you guys be interested in occasional guest reviews from my mom, with products that are more suited to a slightly older age group?) 
Then we were wandering around & landed at the Soulflower counter at Shopper's Stop & so I bought a few essential oils - lemongrass & cinnamon along with two zodiac signs essential oil blends. I'm very curious as to what are in those zodiac blends, but I think they would be cute birthday gift! I've been meaning to show you some Soulflower goodies from a blogger meet a couple of months ago (soon, soon I promise!)
Last stop... Clarins! The lovely ladies at Vellvette (the folks behind The Vellvette box) held an event to launch the new Clarins BB Cream. There was some pampering, some trials, & we bought a few things too.
This was the first event I went to by the Vellvette team & I must say I really enjoyed it. They were all extremely friendly & warm & made sure we were comfortable. The Clarins sales assistants, not so much. I know they're sales assistants & all but the one assigned to my mom was so f*cking pushy. She kept insisting that we buy both the serums (at around 4.5k each) & even when we agreed to buy one she wouldn't quit. We had to gently tell her no for about 10 minutes (I'm thinking we should have screamed instead?) & after that she started sulking so badly. What a sour experience. Despite liking Clarins a lot I feel like never buying from them again because they hire horrible people like that.
Two full sized Single Eye Color Long-Lasting eye shadows, one Long Wear Moisturizing Lipstick, one lotus face treatment oil (for me) & an Intensive Brightening Serum for mom. The rest are samples, from the Vellvette goody bag & directly from Clarins for our purchases.
The full-sized Clarins products - I'm most excited about the Lotus Oil. The eye shadows aren't for me (I prefer neutrals!) but they were got with someone in mind.
So what do you think of the haul? Any favorites?
Regarding the talk about this becoming a beauty blog, I was kidding, but only sort of. When I started this blog back in 2009 it started as a fashion blog. I wasn't really interested make up or beauty. But since then my interests have changed. Not like I'm less interested in dressing up but it's quite a bother to take outfit photos all the time. I'm trying to set a rate of one per month at least (there's one coming up in just a couple of days) but I just wanted you guys to understand that there will be a change in direction, with a lot more beauty products being reviewed because I enjoy it right now & it's fitting into my life well, if that makes sense. So, we cool?
love,
Magali
I remember when Elle launched their clothing but I hadn't visited any of their stores before this so I didn't know what to expect.
We got to strut around the store in Elle Clothes, get our hair & makeup done by the folks at Biguine Salon. Sometimes I'm scared of going near professional makeup artists because they tend to overdo things, but Fanny Aubin from Biguine did some subtle but flawless work. I was blown away... best makeup I've had on my face in my entire life, for sure. There was also champagne & macarons to complete the Parisian mood. It was a fun way to spend an afternoon.
