Hope you had a wonderful weekend! Mine seems to have gone by too quickly! Today was a relaxed Sunday: slept in, sipped coffee, ran a few errands and did some reading.
Friday night, however, I was on a mission. While at work on Friday, I learned that Radiant Orchid (or as everyone else knows it: purple) is the pantone colour of the year. I was so excited, as purple is my favourite colour (and the only colour I seem to wear besides black and grey). I had been wanting some purple lipstick, and had gone to four stores last week in my search, but to no avail. This new information, however, inspired me to hunt down the perfect shade of purple lipstick once and for all.
At dinner, I casually mentioned to my boyfriend that I wanted to grab a tube of lipstick after dinner- it would take no time at all. He (for whatever reason) believed me, and we strolled to the closest tube station.
Mistake No. 1: Trying to take the tube in London at 7pm on a Friday night.
For whatever reason, I thought I could just jump on the train and take a leisurely ride to Oxford Station. Instead, I found that roughly 90% of the London population wanted to take the Piccadilly line and were on the same train as me, squashed together like sardines. When we got off, I was relieved to get a breath of fresh air. Actually, just to be able to breathe at all. My boyfriend and I headed down Oxford Street towards Debenhams.
Mistake No. 2: Not having an umbrella at any given moment while in London.
I should know to have an umbrella with me- I have a purse full of crap I never use, why not add an umbrella to the collection? Because that would've made my life easier. That's why. It wasn't a slight drizzle or even a decent rain. This was a monsoon to prevent the Thames from ever becoming more narrow. But alas, I needed my lipstick, and we moved forward. We arrived to Debenhams (a bit damp) ready to find the lipstick of my dreams.
Mistake No. 3: Not knowing what cosmetics are carried in Debenhams.
I perused (and then threw shade at) each cosmetic counter's lipstick section, as all of the "purple" lipsticks were more of a burgundy or magenta. I asked one of the associates if there was a MAC Cosmetics counter in the store, but there wasn't. She assured me that there was one at House of Fraser only one block away. Boyfriend and I left Debenhams and journeyed towards House of Fraser
Mistake No. 4: Believing the Sales Associate at Debenhams.
I don't know why she thought there was a MAC Cosmetics counter at House of Fraser. Maybe it's because one of the two enormous department stores on Oxford Street should house one of the most innovative makeup brands in the world. Of course, this was not the case. Time to ask the House of Fraser Associate! She instructs me to find one at Selfridges, but that it's a bit of a walk. By now, my boyfriend is throwing me a look that suggests he's never going shopping again, but I am undeterred. I need purple lipstick. I haven't come this far to leave empty handed. Onward to Selfridges!
Mistake No. 5: Going to Selfridges on a Friday night.
I am obviously not from the city. Or any city. I could see horses from my back yard growing up. So naive little me believed that Selfridges would be wide open for my exploration on a Friday night. Reality check: It was payday for 75% of the women in London, all of which decided to spend it in Selfridges (which, honestly, is the best way to spend a paycheck). Despite the sea of people (and a tiny dog that was roughly the size of a guinea pig in a Louis Vuitton collar), I made it to the MAC counter. It was swarmed with people (apparently it's the only one in London), but I wasn't phased. An associate helped me find the most purple shade they had, which was exactly what I had been searching for! Quest complete! Time to make my purchase and take my trophy home!
Mistake No. 6: Forgetting that US Dollars are different from British Pounds Sterling.
My perfect purple lipstick was £15. No problem! Thats..... $25 USD. I just spent $25 dollars on lipstick. I'm not a college student avoiding debt or anything, I totally have $25 for lipstick (this is a total joke). My mum, who raised me to be frugal, would be mortified. Since she has access to the credit card I used to buy it, she was going to see I spent $25 to make my lips purple. I'll just tell her when I get home. Great Plan.
My (tired and traumatized) boyfriend and I got home after our lipstick excursion, and I began devising ways to break the news to my mum. Tell her I got married? No, I used that for the concussion. Pregnant? She'd never believe it- it'd ruin my figure and I couldn't wear heels.
Then, all of a sudden, the most majestic, brilliant idea popped into my mind. It was perfect. So perfect, that instead of re-creating the conversation, I will just show you.
For reference, £1900 is a bit more than $3200. Obviously I did not get a Prada bag (or any bag) at Selfridges, my credit limit is certainly not more than $3200 on my new credit card, and I would never buy such an expensive bag at this point in my life. Needless to say, my mom was relieved when she learned I only spent $25 on a tube of lipstick! She loved the color (it's perfect in every way) and shares my love of MAC Cosmetics. About the lipstick:
Color: Cyber
Texture: Satin
Pair With: Strong Coverage Foundation & Nude/Neutral Eye Makeup
Perfect For: Staining Wine Glasses & Easy, Dramatic Look
While Wearing: Don't Kiss Anyone. Trust Me.
Purple lips are going to be hot this year! They're a favourite of singer Lorde, singer of the hit song Royals, and her entire album Pure Heroine is genius.
Speaking of Royals, I visited the Tower of London Saturday with my boo! We went on a tour and learned about the history of the Tower. We also saw the White Tower, the Line of Kings, and of course, the Crown Jewels.
I was amazed (and drooling over) the first star of Africa. The 7 carat ring in the window of DeBeers on Bond Street (much to my boyfriend's disdain) was a half birthday present compared to the First Star.
The Tower didn't just have diamonds and jewels; it had men. Lots of men. Tall, strong men in uniform. Sounds dreamy, right? In America, it is a (mis)belief that you can basically do anything to these guards and they won't move a muscle. That is absolutely wrong. These guards are holding (and ready to use) machine guns with huge knives on the end. You cannot get close to the guards, either. They are roped off. My boyfriend forced me to take a picture with them, despite being scared out of my mind, so I made the best of it.
I had a smashing time! Hope all of my fashionators had a great weekend too!
xo
BJordan
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