This is a paid collaboration with Livingston Designer Outlet.
Daydreamers, I’m feeling very smug right now – I’ve finished my Christmas shopping!
Last Thursday (the 7th of December, can you believe it?) Mum and I took a drive to Livingston Designer Outlet so that we could get the last of our Christmas gifts, knowing that we could then enjoy the rest of December panic-free. The designer outlet is packed with amazing presents and gifts sets, and of course they have significant savings on regular items which means treating someone special (or yourself) is that little bit kinder to your bank balance.
What I love about Livingston Designer Outlet is that you can get everything under one roof – coffee, shop, eat, shop, repeat… There’s also a Santa’s Grotto on the weekends throughout December, so the kids are entertained too. We arrived mid-morning and immediately had a coffee to start our day, plus a toasted tea cake – got to keep those energy levels up! We set off shopping together, visiting Clark’s where we got the baby’s feet measured, Le Creuset, Next, and then Tommy Hilfiger where mum treated me to a wool dress for my Christmas. Annoyingly, she took it home to wrap…
Later we went to Lindt, where we spent far too long taking Boomerangs of me with a giant chocolate teddy bear for the outlet’s Instagram Story, before buying big chocolate teddies for friends. Mum also got a couple of baubles, which you fill with your own selection of Lindt balls in flavours such as milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hazelnut, salted caramel… oops, sorry if you’re drooling right now. The Lindt shop is heaven on earth, filled with yummy gifts at seriously cheap prices, in comparison to regular prices in supermarkets.
Of course, we went to Hamley’s (they have enormous, cuddly teddy bears with £15 off ), Radley (there’s a lovely gift set on offer at £18, usually £40), Barbour (tartan scarves at half price, £20), Ted Baker (too many bargains to list), and The Cosmetics Company, where you’ll find beautiful gift sets from brands such as Estee Lauder (a five-piece gift bag is just £40), and the Tom Ford make up range is to die for – there’s around £20 off the eye colour quad. Later, we enjoyed hot chocolates before one last stop at M&S where mum got some really cute knickers-in-a-box (such a good stocking filler) and I treated myself to the most gorgeous wool blend wrap coat in a rich, berry hue. Well, everyone deserves a wee Christmas treat from themselves, right?
Needless to say, we went home laden with gifts, the pram being used mostly as a trolley for our bags while I carried the baby through the mall so he could have a good look at all the gorgeous decorations and twinkling lights. It was a really lovely day out, and we got some serious bargains while managing to avoid the last-minute rush of Christmas shoppers.
If you’ve still got some Christmas shopping to do and fancy a day out with your other half or your friends then I would seriously suggest a trip to Livingston Designer Outlet because there’s just so much on offer right now. Plus, it’s ideal because you can go for just a few hours, grab your coffee and get your shit done, or you can make a day of it and spend hours there. It’s a really nice way to finish – or start! – your Christmas shopping.
Don’t forget to treat yourself too – there are just too many bargains not to. And after all that hard work, you’ll deserve it.
WHAT WE BOUGHT
Lindt teddy bears – 200g at 2 for £8 (usually £5)
Lindt bauble filled with pick ‘n’ mix chocolate balls – £2.50 (or 24 chocolate balls for £10)
Le Creuset butter dish – £21 (down from £30)
Tommy Hilfiger dress – £98 (down from £140)
GAP Christmas baby vest – £7 (down from £10)
M&S wool blend coat – £39 (similar online just now for £199)
M&S knickers – £0.49 (down from £6)
Check out Livingston Designer Outlet’s festive opening times.
Images: Kris Miller.
