If you're visiting the tourist death trap of Covent Garden, step away from the piazza (there's only so many street performers you can donate your pennies to) and head north. Tucked in between Shaftesbury Avenue and Charing Cross Road is a small roundabout with seven streets leading off to some of the best stores in London.
Seven Dials is a little treasure trove of shops including some of my favourite places to browse and, ultimately, spend: smaller brands like Tatty Devine, Bailey Nelson, Cambridge Satchel Co., and well known high street favourites like Urban Outfitters, All Saints and Kiehl's. This weekend they made the whole area a car free zone and let excited pedestrians roam free, claiming 20% off in shops and restaurants, and lounging on a mock-garden on the famous roundabout outside Cambridge Theatre. I had a quick checklist of where I wanted to go but rapidly ran out of time meaning I only made it to two beauty places where I needed some old favourites and wanted to try some new things I've read about on good old faithful Pinterest.
I'd make a crap beauty blogger, because when I find something I love, I very rarely move on to try anything new. Benefit's They're Real mascara (RRP £19.50) is one of my basics that I can't imagine ever replacing, and I have genuinely been asked if my lashes are real when wearing it. Gone are the days where I used to wear lots of eye make-up (my 14 year old self hates me for ditching the liquid black eyeliner so callously), but I actually don't look awake without mascara to prop open my sleepy eyes. It's the last piece of make-up I put on in the mornings and as we all know, the final touch is almost the most important.
I've been curious about the Shu Uemura cleansing oils for a while, as every beauty buff seems to rave about them. They are, however, quite pricey, so the 20% deal was the chance I needed to give it a try without regretting the spend. After three days of using the classic high performance balancing cleansing oil (RRP £30 150ml) twice a day, I felt compelled to shout from the bathroom to my housemate to tell her how fricking awesome my pores looked. Normally huge and open, they have been reduced drastically, something of a miracle in my opinion. I have oily combination skin and have been wary of using an oil to cleanse with, but after massaging this into my face and emulsifying it with water, my skin feels smooth and moisturised, not greasy. It's a hard task to find something that doesn't make my face feel as greasy as a chip pan, or as dry as a desert (seriously, it's one extreme to the other here), but early signs are signalling that this is a winner.
On a total whim, I also bought a new lipstick from Shu Uemura (RRP £20) too. I've seen so many people wearing orange tones and surprisingly, they don't look like they've just been drinking a lot of Irn Bru, so I figured I'd give it a go. The matte finish keeps it subtle, and although I have found it a little drying so far, the colour is perfect for everyday wear. I'll get some pics of me wearing it soon as the colour here looks much more pink (that'd be a result of taking photos in dim light with an iPhone!).
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