Bicester Village

It is considered as one of the tourist attractions in England and is visited annually by 3 million people worldwide according to Wikipedia. Bicester Village is located in Oxfordshire and is the leading designer outlet in England.

I have been to other designer outlets but I think Bicester Village is the cream of the crop. It houses high end brands like Gucci, Valentino, Jimmy Choo, Burberry and of late, Prada. I like the fact that it is not like any typical outlets which gives the usual mall vibe. The shops design reminds you of the Hamptons and gives you that old town feel. I love the color combination of the blue facade and brown awning. Just walking around here window shopping is enough to lift your spirits up. Plus, they have Starbucks in the village. What more could a shopaholic and coffee addict ask for?

The side entrance from the parking area.

The village even has a playground right next  to Ralph Lauren Kids. How well thought of. Mommy can browse in peace while daddy keeps an eye on the kids in the playground which what I actually did.

And then we had lunch at Carluccio's which serves the best seafood pasta in the land.

Bicester Village 
50 Pingle Drive
Bicester
Oxfordshire
OX26 6WD
England

Holiday Inn

We stayed at the Holiday Inn, Leeds. It was our first time in this hotel and we loved it. It is probably one of the newly renovated . The front desk and reception was really spanking new and the bedroom was lovely with 2 double beds and very modern decor which I really love. This might become one of our "go to"  hotels aside from  the  Premier Inn.

The cleanliness of the place is also very impressive.  I can eat on the toilet floor!

And have I mentioned that the Buffet Breakfast was great?

Leeds and the Shops

We attended a wedding in Leeds (UK) and it was a 3 hour drive from our place. We decided to slip in a little staycation and booked a hotel, Holiday Inn, which deserves its own blog post. The wedding was on Saturday and the next day, we spent our day exploring the city. It is a very old city I realized, with Victorian type buildings and architecture. What really caught my fancy though were the beautiful shopping arcades in the center of town.

Special mention to The County Arcade which is very Victorian built in the 1800's and the pastel colored Queen's Arcade.

The County Arcade which is very Victorian and is now a full of designer shops from Mulberry to Louis Vuitton and also home to a lot of famous cosmetic brands and toiletries like L' Occitane, Jo Malone and Crabtree and Evelyn.

The candy colored Queen's Arcade

In Her (makeup) Bag

I already have someone in mind whom I was supposed to feature on Stage Mommy's In The Bag Series for August but it's September now and she has not confirmed yet. So I will just feature what's inside my makeup bag since I already did a post on what's inside my handbag here and not much has changed so far except that I don't bring formula bottles anymore.

This is my "big" makeup bag which holds all of my makeup but I don't carry this around in my handbag as I have a smaller one which only has the basic essentials.

This is my pink Prada makeup bag which I bought with eyes closed (LOL) as it was so expensive but I bought it as a gift to myself for bagging the best job in the world (for me).
 
 from left clockwise:

• Dior lipstick

• Victoria Jackson Lipstick (my new fave)

• Chanel lipstick

• O.P.I lipgloss (another new fave)

• Dior lipgloss

• Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser

• Victoria Jackson eye palette

• Chanel face powder

• MAC eyeliner in Coffee

• The Body Shop brow and liner kit

• The Body Shop brilliance powder

 Victoria Jackson is my new favorite makeup brand. It is very inexpensive but can compete with my branded ones not just with the quality but with the packaging as well. I love the creaminess of the lipsticks.

I love my Dior lipgloss but when a friend gave me this O.P.I gloss, I was impressed. I thought the brand is only good when it comes to nail polish. It give my lips a nice shimmer without being too sticky.

I have just started using eye makeup and MAC's eyeliner in coffee did not disappoint. I love the way my eyes look everytime I put eyeliner on.

Before I discovered Chanel and Dior, I have been a fan of The Body Shop and up to now, I still do get some of my makeup from them. I really like the brow liner kit. Instead of using eyebrow pencil, I use this compact with the brow brush that come with it. It gives my brow a soft look compared when using an eyebrow pencil. The Brilliance powder I use on my cheeks. Gives me a bronzed look especially in the winter when I look really pale. It comes in a no-mess tube with an integrated brush.

Lastly, my can't do without is Laura Mercier Tinted Moisturiser. It's when I don't want to use foundation but don't really want to be barefaced as well. As the name implies, it's a moisturiser but with a hint of foundation. A lot of brands have come up with their own version like Olay (which I use daily for work) but Laura Mercier was the pioneer.

There you go, a peek in my makeup bag.