My Christmas Challenge with World Duty Free

Last month a rather awesome early Christmas gift landed in my inbox from the fabulous people at World Duty Free (you know, the super glamorous designer-filled shops you find at most airports?). They asked me if I wanted to take part in their Travel Blogger Christmas Shopping Challenge. I was intrigued!

Now when I say challenge, I actually mean more of a dream come true, as the aim of the game was to get all my Christmas shopping done at a World Duty Free shop with £250 worth of free credit! And seeing as taking a travel blogger to an airport without letting them travel would be like taking a kid to a sweet shop without buying them anything, they also kindly flew me off to Paris for a festive mini break.

The Challenge

My experience with World Duty Free began when I arrived at Heathrow Terminal 5 Arrivals hall. I was met by the lovely Marilyn, who was the personal shopper that would meet me on the other side and help me with the challenge. As my flight was delayed she told me she had arranged for me to receive a make-over from YSL, a hand massage from Jo Malone and a facial from Crème de la Mer – a perfect pre-flight pampering experience.

Once I finally got through security, I met Marilyn again and she gave me a guided tour of the World Duty Free shop, which is the biggest in Europe. She knew the shop like the back of her hand and was keen to show me all the travel exclusives and unique items they had on sale – including a gold plated pair of Ray Bans retailing at £2249! (Sadly my budget didn’t cover them). I am a sucker for designer make up and perfume, so couldn’t wait to pick out my Christmas gifts for my Mum, Dad and Sister (and a few travel treats for myself of course!)

By the time Marilyn had shown me around the entire shop, we realised there was only about 30 minutes for me to pick out my buys before I had to catch my flight. I shop better by myself as I am a very indecisive shopper, so I asked Marilyn to have the last 30 minutes alone. I suddenly felt very overwhelmed with choice and felt a slight sense of ‘Supermarket Sweep’ coming upon me but I stayed calm to avoid any impulse buys.

I had a bit of a mental note about what products I wanted to buy, but with so many incredible brands and designer makes there, I was genuinely spoilt for choice about what to spend my credit on. All the shop assistants couldn’t have been more helpful and there was a really lovely ‘Christmassy’ atmosphere in the shop to send me off on my festive break to Paris. So I suppose you’re wondering what I chose in the challenge? Well … keep scrolling!

The Results

I chose a mixture of Christmas presents for my family and a couple of indulgent travel gifts for me (if you’re not going to treat yourself, who will!?) I had the option to do World Duty Free’s Shop & Collect service where you – quite literally – shop before your outbound flight and collect your goods after your inbound flight. I thought this was a fantastic idea, as you can then shop without worrying about weighing down your luggage. But as all my items were small and light, I didn’t use this service.

1. YSL ‘Devoted to YSL’ Travel Compact – £57.15

YSL had an amazing range of make up compacts that were all travel exclusives. I loved the colours in this palette and the fact that I could bung it in my handbag and have a set of transitional colours to take me from day to night. It also came with a glamorous make up holder and mini mascara and brushes – perfect for packing light. This little baby was the first in my basket and was a gift from me – to me!

2. Mont Blanc Legend – Eau de Toilette 50ml – £29.40

Dads are always easy to buy for aren’t they? Well, mine is,  he is happy with almost anything! He specially requested a top up of this Mont Blanc Legend aftershave after I bought him some for Fathers Day this year. This was second in the basket and big tick off the list.

3. Chanel Brilliant Extreme Lip Gloss in 161 Bagatelle – £17.50

I had already bought my younger sister her main Christmas presents so I chose to get her this gorgeous chanel lip gloss as a little extra top up. She is a student so wouldn’t normally ever buy herself such a luxurious gloss, so I know she will really appreciate it! I have this colour myself and it’s my all time favourite.

4. Unisex Aviator Ray Bans – £112.50

OK – I splurged a little! When I wrote my Christmas Wish List blog post I mentioned how I was after some new Ray Bans for Summer 14 and thought this was the perfect opportunity! I was tempted to get the Club Master style but went for classic Aviators in the end as I figured they’re so classic – they will never go out of style! A timeless travel essential in my book.

5.  Victoria’s Secret Fragrance Mist – Pure Seduction 250ml – £9.20

My housemate at Uni had this scent and I used to be obsessed with it! As soon as I noticed there was a Vicky S concession at World Duty Free I went straight over to find it. The scent is very fruity and a perfect body spritz to keep you smelling sweet all day. I’m still undecided about whether to give this as a gift or keep it for myself. They also had amazing make up at Victoria’s Secret which I was also tempted by.

 6. YSL Touche Eclat & Mascara Duo – £38.35

My mother is a woman with an impeccable make up collection. She’s got enough luxury make up to rival the Harrod’s Beauty Hall, so I played it safe and went for a classic I know she loves, the YSL Touche Eclat. This exclusive travel pack came with the YSL mascara to try too, which I know is fab!

TOTAL: £262.50  (£12.50 over budget)

Thank you to all the lovely staff at World Duty Free for making my blogger challenge so enjoyable. I love all my products and it certainly helped with the monstrous task of Christmas shopping! What followed was an amazing mini break to Paris which is coming up on the blog next!

What did you think of my Travel Blogger Challenge with World Duty Free? What did you think of the purchases I picked out? If you enjoyed this post, leave me a comment in the box below! x