The Shopping List… Summer Travel Planning Part 2

Just a small warning, over the next 12 days, you’re probably going to get a little bombarded with holiday related posts such as what i’m taking in my bags, and of course today’s post about what I’m hoping to buy. Then while I’m away I’m hoping to keep a diary and update on the go! So be prepared.

So anyway, like I mentioned above, tonight I’m sharing some of my wishlist for while I’m over there. I say some because I plan on doing a lot of Christmas shopping and some of the people I will be buying for read my blog. So what I should be saying is this is the shopping list for myself, and maybe a couple of things thrown in for Little Miss. You know, just for good measure. 

I won’t be the only person doing this as recently MyVoucherCodes.co.uk have done a survey and have discovered that the US was the top destination for picking up a bargain. I won’t lie, the thought of doing some shopping for not just brands unavailable in the UK such as Marc Jacobs Beauty and Tarte but also for items that are way cheaper over the pond is one of the things that most excites me about my up coming trip (the sight seeing and food being the two other things I’m majorly excited about, oh and meeting old friends of course). I was surprised at the outcome of which items are the most popular when it comes to purchasing abroad; 1 Electronics, 2 Clothing,  3 Handbags, 4 Jewellery 5 Alcohol & Cigarettes. Perhaps it’s because i’m much more interested in anything Disney related or beauty products, which will make up 9/10 of what I chose to bring back but I can definitely see the draw as the mark up on things such as Apple products is insane in this country, and that’s even after you add the sales tax that is usually additional in the US. Mark Pearson from My Voucher Codes has said “We work hard to make sure we can help savvy shoppers in the UK can get the best deals possible when shopping, but sometimes that’s still not enough to beat some prices abroad. We can help shoppers get the best deals for their holidays though! I would caution travellers to be careful when returning home that they don’t get caught by customs. Wearing clothing they bought and taking off labels can be a good way around it, along with using electronic products. However you should also check the limits for bringing back cigarettes and alcohol into the UK.” The caution about customs is definitely be something I’ll be baring in mind after my case was opened on the last trip due to my carrying about $100 worth of groceries. Thankfully a lot of the stuff I bought four years ago is available in Tescos these days!

Starting at the top left, a couple of Christmases ago The Disney Store stocked these mini plush Princesses, Little Miss managed to get all apart from Ariel, Rapunzel & Merida. She has a large Rapunzel so that’s not a huge deal but I’d really love to bring her back the Ariel one at least and if they stay at $6 (making them just over £3 each) Merida too. Of all the gifts Little Miss received for her Christmas and birthday past, the Disney Fisher Price Little People have been her favourite, she plays with them every day. They’re rather expensive to buy over here, with the packs of two people at £7.99 (and some places sell them for £9.99!) but in Toys R Us in the US (which is in Times Square and I will definitely be going in!) you can buy the little packs of two like Rapunzel & Tiana for $7.99 and the Aurora with the three fairies is $9.99. I had already saved the Aurora set for Christmas on Amazon which is about £18 (eek) making it a huge difference as converted to pounds it would only be just over $5! Finally, again still with the Little People, my daughter has a soft spot for Buzz, so if I can find it (and the box isn’t too huge) I would love to get her the Buzz Lightyear and Space Ship to put away for Christmas/Birthday. At $24.99 (£14 ish) you can hardly go wrong for something I know she’ll play with!

Now onto the beauty. Jessica, my favourite US beauty blogger over on The Mod Mermaid reviewed the Origins GinZing Scrub which is a product I’d had my eye on for ages but I didn’t want to pay £18.50.. however over the pond it’s $19.50 making it around the £11.50 mark, that’s a pretty big difference! The same works for Bumble & Bumble! Although the products don’t look like they’d be a huge difference, with the current exchange rate being in huge favour for us Brits it really is! The Bumble & Bumble City Swept is a product I’ve had my eye on since it was released earlier this year, however over here it’s £21.50 and in the US it’s $29.50, making it just over £17. Not as big a saving, but enough to make you want to buy it abroad.

The next four items aren’t even available over here. As you all know, I’m a big HUGE Marc Jacobs fan, so much so I plan on buying Daisy Dreams in Duty Free thanks to some vouchers I got after some bad service on the holiday to Disneyland Paris. But in the US they have Marc Jacobs beauty and I have my eye on a couple of lipsticks, Surrender Dorothy & Happily Ever After Lip Gels. At $30 a piece they seem expensive, but converted to pounds and they’re cheaper than a YSL, Dior or Chanel lippie! I won’t lie, I am purely buying these for their names! Since starting this blog I have ALWAYS wanted a Tarte blush and now is my chance. At the moment from swatches I will probably be going for Exposed, but I may change my mind seeing them in the flesh. Tarte is one of those brands I may cave and spend all my money on though.. good job pretty much all the touristy things I want to do, with the exception of Top of the Rock are free! Finally, I have only read good things about Kat Von D’s Water Proof Autograph pencil so at $10, I’ll definitely be giving one of those a go!

If i’m honest, this is probably only scratching the surface. I haven’t included Walgreens because looking through the website gives me the same sort of head ache I get from Primark on a Saturday.. but I know there are a lot of brands I want to try such as ELF, Cover Girl, Wet & Wild that are not only cheap but they’re unavailable over here! And of course The Disney Store always has things in store that you can’t get/is sold out online, so who knows what I will ultimately end up coming back with. But at least you get an idea!

I have been saving like crazy since March and any money I have received as gifts from my family (birthday, Easter) has all gone into the pot so I can have a little bit of a spree. I’m not taking much with me to ensure I have plenty of weight limit left for going home.. which is important since I already made three Hot Topic orders and had them delivered to friends! Thankfully a lot of what I wish to buy is make up or clothes for the kiddies in my life and as you can see even for Little Miss I only want to bring back a few packs of plastic figures and if I had too I’d simply remove them from the box to make them more transportable! Making sure I remain within the weight limit is vital as I remember how much extra my dad had to pay one time on a return flight from Florida! Just putting together this post has made me so excited for shopping! I cannot remember the last time I had a proper “spree” I hope you’re ready for the haul posts when I return!

What do you like to buy when you go on holiday?