A big part of my trip to Los Angeles was shopping. I’d saved up a good amount of money to be able to have a good time and indulge in some retail therapy; LA style. I bought a heck of a lot of stuff that if I listed everything, we’d be here for some time. So I’m just going to share with things I feel you would be interested in! Here’s the highlights of my Hollywood Haul.
Hot Topic
Hot Topic is a brand I fell in love with years ago thanks to the amount of pop culture inspired clothing. I bought a few shirts a while back but the customs charge was a bit painful, so I decided that further purchases would be made when I’m next in the states.
Disney Up Balloon House Embroidered Tricolor Girls Ringer T-Shirt
Up is one of my all-time favourite Disney Pixar films and truly had an impact on me. When I saw this shirt, I fell in love and knew I had to get it. I thought it’d be a great shirt for the Spring/Summer season and in my attempt to wear a little less black and a bit more colour, this seemed perfect.
Disney A Goofy Movie Powerline World Tour T-Shirt
Ironic how I said I want to wear less black and then talk about this shirt! A Goofy Movie is one of my all-time favourite films ever. I used to watch it every Sunday at my Gran’s house without fail as a kid and I still watch it quite regularly to this day. It’s such an underrated Disney film and I highly recommend you watch it if you haven’t seen it. The music, in particular, is something I’m besotted with. The famous rockstar in the film is named Powerline (voiced by Tevin Campbell) and the concert scenes are perhaps some of my favourite Disney scenes ever. They’re songs you could absolutely imagine being on the radio back in the 90s and perhaps even today. I’ve always said how much I wished Powerline was real! In a 90s throwback, Hot Topic created some Powerline inspired merch which looks like a tour t-shirt; something I absolutely could not leave the store without! The back actually has some tour dates on the back to make it look like a real piece of tour merch.
Blackheart Beauty Bunny Bubble Mark
The bubble face mask is something that’s been trending on social media for a while and I’ve been pretty intrigued by it. Though I usually only stick to LUSH products, including masks, when I saw this I had to get it. I’m really excited to see it in action and bubbling up!
Sephora
Oh, how I wish Sephora would open up here in the UK! As a makeup lover, I was so excited to be able to explore Sephora and see the different makeup available. Safe to say I did burn a hole my my pocket a little but it was absolutely worth it.
Urban Decay Naked Heat Palette
I’ve been wanting this palette for so long. A lot of people felt as though the colours were too red-toned, which kind of scared me a little bit but after swatching it, I knew the shades weren’t too red for me and had more of a bronzy kind of look. I decided to get the palette when in Sephora because I knew it was something I really wanted. I can’t wait to experiment more with it!
Milk Makeup Cooling Water
When I knew I would be heading to Sephora in the States I asked Rena Lovelis, the lead singer of one of my favourite bands, Hey Violet, what she recommended. She messaged me a great list of products to try out and my favourite one was this Milk Makeup Cooling Water. Milk Makeup isn’t available in the UK so I’ve been intrigued to try it out. The Cooling Water is a a caffeine-infused seawater gel stick which de-puffs unde reyes as well as energise the look of your skin. It’s also meant to work pretty well as a makeup primer!
Kat Von D Everlasting Liquid Lipstick in Lolita
I love the Kat Von D liquid lipsticks and it’s been a while since I’ve been able to purchase one. I really wanted to get a nice colour which I felt would match the palette I picked up. I swatched a few, but this one was definitely the most beautiful. When I looked at the shade name, it said Lolita which made sense as I’ve heard a lot of people raving about this shade! I feel like this is going to be my “go-to” lipstick for a while.
Barnes and Noble
As an avid book reader, I had to check out Barnes and Noble! I felt it was a lot like the American answer to Waterstones but the store I went in was a lot bigger, with a hefty three floors as well as a Starbucks! I managed to enjoy a drink and bit of a read in the store for an hour on the last day.
I Have The Right To: A High School Survivor’s Story of Sexual Assault, Justice and Hope by Chessy Prout
The cover of this book really caught my attention when I was browsing the shelves of the store. I immediately picked it up and read the blurb on the back cover and knew I had to buy it. Chessy Prout was a high school freshman at a prestigious boarding school when she was sexually assaulted by a senior boy as part of a ritualized game of conquest. Prout bravely reported the assault to the police and testified against her attacker in court. Unexpectedly, she received backlash from her once-trusted school community, she shed her anonymity to help other survivors find their voice. It takes a lot for someone – let alone a teen – to open up about such a personal and horrific incident and I want to read Chessy’s story and support her for being brave to be able to help other survivors find their voice by taking a magnifying to institutions that turn to such behavior and a society that blames victims rather than perpetrators.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Right next to Chessy’s book was this one by Angie Thomas which also caught my eye. The Hate U Give is a young adult novel which follows a 16 year old protagonist drawn to activism after she witnesses the police shooting of her unnamed friend. Thomas began writing this book as a reaction to a fatal shooting which took place 2,000 miles away, but to her it was something she took deeply personal. Only a college student at the time, Angie was shocked when some of her white classmates said “he had probably deserved it”. With friends of all races and backgrounds I don’t want to be ignorant. I don’t want to be like Angie’s classmates. I am an intersectional feminist from a white majority area, so I want to learn. I want to be an ally for my friends and I want to have a better understanding. While I will never understand this from a POC’s point of view, I want to understand as best as I can. After studying the cover and reading reviews I quickly Googled on my phone, I knew I wanted to read this book.
Bath & Body Works
There were so many scents in Bath and Body Works to test but when I came across this, I knew I had to get it! There’s such a gorgeous smell to it which I feel is a great fragrance to wear out maybe to a dinner or date or a smart casual event. It’s full of sparkling quince, pink prosecco, crystal peonies, gilded amber and amaretto crème so it’s very sweet and fresh. I can’t wait to wear it this Spring! I even bought the hand gel which smells just as nice.
Sleep – Lavender & Vanilla Concentrated Room Spray
Ever since trying the LUSH Sleepy body lotion, I’ve been in love with lavender! It helps me get a better night sleep and relaxes me. So when I saw this in the store I had to get it. I feel like a room spray would help enhance things and make a more relaxing environment in my room.
That’s pretty much the best of what I bought for my Hollywood Haul! Like I said, I did buy a lot more but we would be here for a very long time…
Jazz is a Disney, tea and pop culture enthusiast with a passion for blogging. Also a proud introvert.
