Paris Haul and Switzerland Bits

I am sure everyone is tired of hearing about my trip so I promise this blogpost is not entirely about my trip; it's a haul which I know many people (including myself) like to read. In Switzerland, I didn't really buy much because the cost of everything was a little outrageous especially makeup .They had a wide variety of brands and makeup to choose from including shades that suit darker skin which I was really surprised about. 

Switzerland Haul
Anyway, I bought an NYX Concealer in Tan from a store called Douglas and I got it because I know I can't walk into many stores in London and find NYX being sold; it's mostly sold online. It cost me Swiss Francs 18.90 which was about £13 and that is seriously ridiculous because this same concealer is about £6-£7 online. Next thing I picked up was a Tripod which I had been searching for everywhere. It's the Hama Star 05 Tripod which is a mini tripod and it was really useful on this trip as it fits perfectly in my handbag yet it extends to a reasonable height. I'm so pleased with it and I popped it on my bag for my Paris trip and took proper photos with it. The tripod cost about Swiss Francs 23 which I did not mind at all because that's about the same price (when converted it comes to about £16) as I would find in the UK. I got it from this amazing store called Media Markt which is seriously the best tech store I have ever seen. They sold all the techy stuff you can ever imagine including cameras, lenses and of course my tripod. I also picked up an umbrella (I know so boring) but mine was a little tattered and this one was on offer so win-win. Last but not least, I purchased a cute little souvenir/paper weight/toothpick holder from the hotel where I stayed and I just love how happy the cow looks.

Paris Haul

Then, I went to Paris which was where I did majority of my shopping and sight seeing. Of course, my first stop was Sephora which I had been dying to go to. Well, I finally did and I can't say I was very impressed but I did enjoy my shopping there. I went to the one in Champs Elysée and it was quite a large one and very crowded; it was a little bit overwhelming. I had a list of things I wanted so there was no chance for me to lose my damn mind and I would say I was very good. I bought the Sephora Multi Tasker Brush #45 which is perfect for applying foundation and giving the face a good buff. I also purchased the Sephora Pro Air Brush #55 which is amazing for applying powder flawlessly on the face and I love both of them a lot (A review is in the works). I also purchased the Makeup Forever HD Foundation and a few eyeshadow palettes including the VIP Pass Eyeshadow Palette and another Sephora Palette one. I have heard a lot of good things about the Sephora makeup and brushes which is why I went ahead to pick them up. I could not be bothered buying any product I knew I could find easily in the UK. I would be showing you my Sephora Haul in more detail in tomorrow's post so keep your eyes peeled.

Then I went to one of the numerous French Pharmacies to stock up on my usual French Skincare Fix and I bought the usual culprits- La Roche Posay and Bioderma. From La Roche Posay, I picked up the Effclar Duo, Effaclar A.I. Effclar Clarifying Toner and the La Roche Posay Serozinc Spray which I have always heard about but never tried. I tried it out on my face in Paris and it is seriously the most refreshing toners I have tried so expect a cheeky lil' review soon. I picked up two mini travel sizes of Bioderma which I was pleased about because I prefer to travel with my Bioderma but the bottle I have at home is huge. As always, I got a lot samples (always ask in French- they would be impressed you even attempted to butcher their language and forgive you).

The sales lady gave me some samples of Caudalie and La Roche Posay - they were proper samples not just silly satchets. That's pretty much all I bought and I am proud of myself for not going over board. I wanted to go to the famous City Pharma in St Germaine  but I could not because I was only in Paris for a day and I had so much to fit in including sightseeing but I was more than pleased with all I purchased. If you would like a particular review of any of the products mentioned, leave me a comment and I would see you in my next post...x

Switzerland Photo Diary- Day 3 and 4

The City of Basel in Switzerland has been such an amazing one which I have absolutely enjoyed for the past week. I tried to do all the touristy things I could do but I never completed them because I really wanted to have a chilled vacation. If you fancy reading about my first 2 days, you can pop over here. For Day 3 and 4, I decided to go into the city centre to explore the city and do some sight seeing. I went on the Tram which appeared to be the major mode of transportation here although there were buses as well. I got a free mobility ticket from the Hotel where I stayed which allowed me to  freely travel all through my stay in Basel. I think most hotels do that and I think it is so useful for tourists because it means you can explore the city without having to worry about paying for transportation. The tram reminded me of Manchester (which is my favourite City in the whole world). I hopped on the No 8 train which went through Claraplatz, Ciba, Marktplatz where I alighted to explore the City and take photos. I tried to vlog-#epicfail but it did not turn out really well. There were a lot of shops around Marktplatz and Claraplatz including Aldi which was the only familiar one to me. 

I stopped by Migros which seemed to be one of the more popular supermarkets in Basel. I picked up some groceries and snacks because I was not about to finish all my money on the hotel's food. I also browsed through some of their Department Stores to pick up a few beauty items but I did not end up buying anything fantastic because I did not see anything I fancied. I popped into Yves Rocher which was a little exciting because it's a brand I always see online and never in-store but I was not out to buy anything so browsing it was all the way. I went further into the city and saw a Christmas Market but I think they were already packing up however, I managed to get a few photos. I wish I had a lot of space in my luggage to buy the Betty Boop Figurine (well almost a life size one) because it looked so cute. 




By this time, I was very exhausted and it was time to head home. I had an amazing time in Basel, Switzerland and it was indeed one of the cleanest cities I have come across and it also had one of the best transport systems which made it such a breeze for tourists like me. Although it was an expensive place to visit, I enjoyed every bit of my time here and I would definitely visit again. I did not really include too many pictures of myself because I figured you preferred to see pictures of the places instead. I also went to Paris and went a little bit crazy shopping but I would write up a separate blog post for that. I also took loads of pictures in Paris so expect that post by tomorrow or next...hope you enjoyed this lil' post or pictures and I would be back to beauty blogging soon!!...x

Photo Diary-City Break in Switzerland (Day1-2)

Sooo, I left the shores of London (not technically) and whizzed my way into Basel, Switzerland on Sunday. I feel so happy to be having a little break because it seems to me like it has been a moment since I went on a proper holiday and no, my trips to Nigeria don't count because that's my home country *shrugs* Anyway, I went through Heathrow (as you do) and I decided to go early because I wanted to have a nice wander through duty free and purchase some makeup there but alas! that did not happen as security took longer than I imagined. However, I managed to sneak in a purchase of MAC MSF because that's my holy grail powder! Seriously, that was all I picked up from duty free but I am not too sad because......I am also going to Sephora in Paris and I am absolutely excited because I have never been to Sephora although I have visited Paris. 

The Airport in Basel is called Mulhouse Airport but I think it has other names because apparently Basel is the city where the France, Switzerland and Germany borders meet so the airport has one or two other names. The airport was nice and it had two exits; French exit and Swiss exit so you have to take the right one. I was in the airport for a little while because I was waiting for someone so I thought it would be nice to explore and get some WiFi. I went to the French exit and the Swiss exit just to get a feel of both and they are essentially the same but they use different currencies in the two exits; Swiss Francs in the Swiss exit and Euros in the French exit although you can use any currency you wish. They had some nice artistic monuments/statues (i really don't know what to call them) but I took a few snaps. They even had a Flower/Bouquet Dispensing Machine which dispenses bouquet of flowers and I thought that was really clever and convenient so Gents, you have no excuse now for forgetting to buy your lady flowers. The weather was amazing and I was actually really shocked because I thought it would be super cold but it was rather sunny and warm and perfect for pictures although I felt a little shy taking pictures or even vlogging.....lol (silly me)







I bought a few bites which were ridiculously expensive and I had been warned anyway that things were super expensive here and they sure are. I was happy to be carted away to my Hotel (Best Western Stucki) which was amazing and strategically placed near a shopping mall with over 100 shops so I am a very happy bunny. It is also close to the River Rhine which I look forward to going to. I am here for a few days and then I would be off by road to Paris and I am very excited;  I would try and bring you guys along with me via pictures and possibly a vlog... The next day I went to the Stucki Shopping Mall (I was told pictures were not allowed *sad face*) which was so beautiful and I vlogged a teeny weeny bit.  I didn't buy much because they were quite expensive when I did the conversion but I bought a few things like an NYX concealer and a Hama Star 05 Tripod which I had been hunting down for a long time. I would show all that in a bit.I ventured into town via Tram and I have to say their transport system is really impressive and easy to understand; you cannot go wrong or get missing here at all. I went to Claraplatz and MarktPlatz and a couple of other places I can't remember but I will be showing you more pictures in my next post. Basel is such a beautiful city which shares borders with France and Germany which makes it the perfect choice to visit if you intend to see a few Schengen countries. I love how the buildings look ever so architectural a la Paris and my lovely Glasgow. So, I am leaving you with a few pictures from my first two days and I would be posting more soon. See you in my next post...x