Click & Pick Up: Airport Shopping Saves Cash and is Now Even Easier

I saw @theglossmag tweeting the other morning about resisting the lure of airport shopping. "For the first time ever, not succumbed to crazy 7am stylee shopping at Heathrow. On the plane - not a single purchase made," was the non-spending-related tweet and while I was impressed at such reserve, it got me thinking about the sheer JOY and WONDER of airport purchasing.

Once you're past the ignominy of your underwire bra deciding to mortify you, setting off alarms left, right and centre as you try to scuttle unnoticed through security*, the lure of The Airport Shops is only massive. And much like calories consumed out of country, somehow any cash spent once en route to the departure gate just doesn't count.**

Wily Jo Malone knows this and that, dear Beaut.ies, is why there is one in Dublin airport to tempt us. €60 for a candle? Why that is NOTHING. Nothing. I shall have two. After all, I am off on my holliers!

The other thing that is so ace about airport shopping is the discount. Typically you get at least 20% off downtown prices and if you've been out to Dublin airport recently then you'll have noticed the main shopping area has been rebranded as The Loop. There's a new service on theLoop.ie website called Click & Pick Up for those flying through Dublin too: buy online from home before you fly, pay for what you're getting and then collect your bag of goodies once you're past security. And no, you can't use it if you don't intend to travel!

Smart. But I was concerned. Wouldn't that take the fun out of some of the experience? An investigation (filling virtual baskets of products I can't buy as I'm not flying anywhere till November) proved to be nearly as warm-fuzzy-making as spending actual cash money, and while you can buy products from brands like Benefit, Clarins, Smashbox, YSL, Creme de la Mer, Clinique and tons of fragrance - some at 40% off, with a further 10% off until the end of the month - you don't have access to everything that's in the airport's bricks and mortar siopas.

The fact that you can't pre-pay for Chanel, Bobbi Brown, Jo Malone and all the other fancy-pants stuff seemed a little, well, pants to begin with. But every cloud has a silver lining, eh? So, here's what I think'll work: save cash by stocking up on skincare and fragrance staples using Click & Pick Up before you head off, and when you're actually at the airport, bag the lovely luxe limited edition bits you can't normally justify, but which are going to be blipping loudly on your radar because of the discount.

Oh, and because of The Curious Case of The Fiscal Irresponsibility in The Airport too, of course.

*Yes this has happened to me.

**Until you come home and face the credit card bill and/or the weighing scales, that is.