Primark & New Look Haul

 

If you follow me on Twitter you will know that I have been selling all my belongings on Ebay the past couple of weeks. I say all my belongings, I really mean all my “fat clothes.” As I have lost quite a bit of weight over the past few months, my clothes have been getting rather large for me, especially around my boobs! So as I have been quite successful on Ebay I decided to reward myself and go on a shopping spree!

It was great to go in a shop and not know what size I was, and in most of them I was pleasantly surprised!  Unfortunately, as always when I have money to spend I can never find something to buy, so my haul was smaller than I wanted it to be.

You can find what I bought in the video below, which for the first time is in HD! Yeah!

 

Have you got any tips about which shops have some great stock in at the moment? I really need some casual dresses, so any help is much appreciated!

Presents for myself| A Sales Haul

 

So again this post is late compared to all you other organised bloggers, but I’m going to do it anyways as I wanted to share with you what I bought myself this Christmas. I say that they are presents because my Christmas money went towards them, and a lot of it is actually stuff that was on my Christmas list but Santa forgot to bring me… not that I’m complaining as it’s always nice to treat yourself. I say treat myself, more like spoil… my bank balance is not looking great and it is mainly down to this haul and too much champagne over the Christmas period!

Anyways onto my buys. I did not venture onto the busy high-street to buy the above… there is no way you would find me fighting other people in queue to get into a shop the day after Christmas… no I am not one of those crazies that you see on the news. I am in fact a smug shopper who purchased all of the above without breaking a sweat and from the comfort of my office. Before I go on to my buys I have a little confession… the majority of what I bought was not in the sales… whoops! But everything I bought I have been lusting after for some time, so that’s my justification!

Stylist Pick provided me with the Luz Black Metal Detail Wedge which are perfect for work… even if they are a little higher than I imaged. These were my sale buy with the biggest discount with nearly 50% off, full price £38 sale price £20.

Asos did have a pretty good sale in which I bought more items for work, the Arrow and Stud Detail Waist Belt and Black and Gold Pumps, again both had around 50% off. The belt I bought a size smaller than what I normally would seems I’ve lost some weight, but it’s still a little tight so I won’t be wearing it till next month I image.

Debenhams was where I splurged and bought everything I have been lusting after for some time. I bought my first EVER Mac lipstick…yes you heard me right. You can expect a review on it very soon, along with multiple reviews on the rest of the gorgeous beauty buys I got from Debenhams. I bought Urban Decays Naked Palette 2 so I now have both… yeah! The Benefit set was the only product with a little money off, not much but enough to justify buying it. I had wanted to buy the Primer but thought I’d be better to buy a smaller version to see it I liked it first before I splashed the cash, so thought this set was perfect.

Many of you will recognise my final buy the infamous beauty blogger favourite; Muji Drawers! I have like many of you been eager to buy these for a long time, especially after buying some rubbish makeup storage this time last year. I needed something big enough to fit everything it, and something chic so thought the Muji Drawers were perfect! I bought 3 of the two drawer sets, a 9 compartment organiser and a pen pot for all my brushes.

Did you buy anything in the sales? Leave your links and I will check them out. What do you think of my buys?

Christmas Day 2012| Santa was a very kind man

 

So this post is a little late, I know the majority of you got your Christmas Day Present posts up on Boxing day or soon after, but I have been a very busy bee and have only just had time to sit down and relax after travelling around the country for the past 11 days.

Like many I was unsure as to whether write this post, as there has been some mentions in the blogging community that it’s bragging or showing off, however I have had people asking me what I received for Christmas and I want to share with them what I did receive, as I am very grateful and thankful. So if you don’t like these posts then please stop reading now…

If you are still there, I will continue. I’m going to keep this short and sweet, seems it is so delayed! I love these posts, as I am very nosey and love to peek into people lives. To find out what a person receives for Christmas can give a real snapshot into their personality and their likes, as well as the personality, traditions and tastes of their family.

I received a lot of cosmetics and beauty products… I assume you did too! I received the Soap and Glory Gift Set along with the Sanctuary Gift Set…. both are some of my favourite brands, so I’m excited to start pampering and reviewing some of my favourite products for you. The Lady Million perfume by Pacco Rabanne is a new one for me, I have tried it in the shops and loved it and Matt kindly bought it for me. From my friends I received a caviar nail varnish set and the ELF Smokey Look Palette, both I image will be fun to try and review.

I received two bags, a clutch and a tote bag, both I adore… a girl can never have too many bags! I also received a new purse from my mum’s friends, which is gorgeous, and she must be a mind reader as I was desperate for one but forgot to ask Santa for one. The leopard print and snake skin bag at the front of the photo are my new makeup and toiletry bags. I didn’t previously have a toiletry bag and was scared of things leaking in my holdall when I go away at the weekends, so was desperate for a cute one. I also got the red leather gloves… very glam! And a cute new brolly… definitely needed here in the lakes where it rains 90% of the time!

I always receive some gorgeous books at Christmas despite having a Kindle. As much as I love my Kindle I still love to have a bookshelf full of beautiful books and the two I received are both fantastic in their own ways. My mum and Steve bought me the Diva Dogs book which is full of info on your dog and how to pamper it. It’s quite funny, but at the same time has some interesting facts in it. The Pippa Middleton book I was pleasantly surprised with. I’d heard bad things about her book, and yes some of her ingredients are a bit ridiculous, but I love it! I can’t wait to start planning dinner parties and being the perfect little hostess. There is also a lot of DIY and crafty bits in it, which are all very cute. The DVD was a great surprise as it was my favourite film when I was a little girl, so my mum tracked it down for me! On the top of the pile are my new diary and organiser/ notebook. I was desperate for a Filofax seems I’m a working girl now, and Matt excelled himself and not only got me the diary but also a thinner, sleek notebook so I can go to meetings now looking glam rather than scribbling notes down on a notepad.

And this is my new baby! As you will have seen in my New Years Resolution Post I mentioned I received a new camera for Christmas and here it is! Previously I had taken all my pictures either on my iPhone or on a compact camera, and although they were ok, when the pictures were blown up and uploaded to my blog the quality was not to my satisfaction. You can even see on this post the difference between the quality of pictures; all the previous pictures were taken on my new camera and the picture above was taken with my iPhone. I’m still getting to grips with it as I’m a complete novice but I’m excited to be able to do more close ups and be able to write more Face Of the Day posts, as this little baby really picks up all the little details, including my blemishes and fine lines unfortunately!

I also received Michael Buble tickets off Matt as my main present from him. I already knew about them as I ruined the surprise when the tickets were released and I tried to buy them myself, so Matt had to tell me then that he had already bought some for us. However he was a little cutie and wrapped up the confirmation in a giant box and filled it all with tissue and put it under the tree so I didn't have clue what it was! I was rummaging around in what I thought was an empty box! So I have a wonderful weekend away in London in July to look forward to!

So that is my last Christmas post of the year… cue tears and sad face from me! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and New Year and managed to spend it with your loved ones and received some lovely gifts. Let me know what you received, I would love to know, feel free to share your link below.

Burning a hole in my pocket| Haul

Well as the title suggest, I have been hauling my bum off recently, once while I was in Spain and the another last weekend, and lets just say I don’t really have the funds to be shopping like a crazy person. However as always, that never stops me! I have thankfully paid my overheads, so there will be no debt collectors on my doorstep, however I should be saving, not spending my money, but what is a girl to do. The items I have bought are needed… not urgently but still needed, so I’m not beating myself up too much.

My first haul was when I was in Spain on holiday. There was a few sales going on, and as I needed clothes for work I indulged and bought the blazer and two t-shirts above. Like many others I am obsessed with blazers, I have quite a little collection going on, and it’s still growing. I love how versatile they are, and how they instantly smarten up any outfit. This one is from Pull and Bear, which I’m not sure we have in the UK. It’s very high-street; key new styles mixed with essentials all at reasonable prices. The blazer was only 20 Euros, so a bargain really. My T-shirts like the blazer are bargains as well. They are both from Zara where there was a huge sale going on, which was more like a jumble sale; picture girls grabbing anything, clothes thrown everywhere, and girls trying things on in the middle of the shop. I got both t-shirts for 8 euros, and they should of been 45 euros collectively, so I was pretty pleased with that.

My second haul is from last Saturday, I only went into town for my bridesmaid dress fitting and to pick up a few things, but ended up with this lot and £120 down. Again, it is stuff I need, but maybe I shouldn’t of bought it all at once. I got the two bags from Tkmaxx, the large teal one is now my new work bag. I had been searching for one that was large enough for all my lunch and paperwork, as well as all the other crap I carry around, that was in a design I loved and would last me a while. This one turned out to be the winner, it’s teal coloured leather, has many pockets and compartments, zip fastening, and only cost me £60. The second more interesting bag is the clutch bag I am going to wear for my mums wedding. I needed a silver glittery one to match my shoes which I blogged about here, with it being only £15 I picked this one. The perfume again is from Tkmaxx, but thankfully my boyfriend was being a star and treated me. Overall I was pretty impressed with Tkmaxx, its not normally a place I shop, but it’s one of the few shops we have in Kendal so I don’t have much choice but to try it now.

The beauty products, are all form Boots, and I’m pleased to say they were discounted or on offer. However it seems that doesn’t stop me spend any less money, I just end up buying more! The Maybelline products were my best bargain as they had an offer on where all Maybelline products were 2 for £10, so I pretty much got an item free! I’ve never come across such a good offer before, and was hugely impressed. The 

Soap and Glory products are some that I have wanted to try for a while, and as it was buy one get one half price I indulged and added to my huge Soap and Glory collection at home. The Rimmel products were both reduced, the powder was just needed, and the primer is something I have been wanting to try. I have been struggling with my foundation recently; it hits about 3 o clock in the afternoon and my makeup has slid right off my face, so I’m going to try using a primer and see if it will help make my make up last at least till the end of the working day. I started with a cheap one, and if this doesn't work will venture into more expensive territory, but expect a review in a few weeks.

Have you been indulging recently? Did you take advantage of the Maybelline offer? Also if anyone has any primers they recommend let me know!

Fashion over Food| Haul

I’ve actually had this post lined up for a while, as these are the clothes which I purchased for my holiday, so I bought them about three weeks ago. I literally got paid and then went straight into Newcastle city centre and spend half of my wage in about two hours…whoops! It felt amazing at the time… huge feeling of retail theropy, but within the next few days after bills started to come in I did regret it a little bit. But like I said to my boyfriend, I can’t go on holiday naked…I needed new clothes!

As I went on holiday to Finland and Lapland, I found shopping for holiday clothes more difficult than usual, and a little bit more boring, as some of the clothes were for activities such a hiking and rafting, not pretty bikinis for posing by the pool.. my normal holiday attire.

The three tank tops, hoodie and shorts that I bought were worn for hiking, so they were more practical buys than fashionable, but I still wanted to look a little bit cute. The bras were completely necessary! I swear these Wonderbras are the best bra you will ever buy. They are strapless but completely supportive, comfortable and give an amazing cleavage.

The more interesting buys were the denim dress, which is from H&M, it cost me about £20, so was cheap and can be worn with anything, dressed up and down. The pink dress was from River Island and was £25, it is quite low cut so I kept it for nights out in Helsinki, as its a bit more dressy, but you could dress it down with a cardigan and flats. The striped dress was from H&M again and is great for just throwing on with a cardigan, very comfortable and easy to style. Finally the white shirt was from Primark and was about £10, I actually wore it as a cardigan over the top of casual dresses, which made the outfit look more dressed up.

Overall I am impressed with the Spring and Summer collections in store at the moment. I was especially surprised at Primark, as normally I walk out of there empty handed.

Which stores are you loving at the moment? Have you bought you holiday clothes yet?

Giant Clothes Haul

*Playsuit- New Look* *Printed Dress- New Look* *Maxi Dress- New Look* *Black Dress- Asda* *Tan Blazer- New Look* *Tweed Blazer- EBay* *Bird Print Dress* *Blue and Green Dress- Next*

It seems over the past few weeks I have spent quite a significant amount of my hard earned wages on clothes, some necessary, some not. However I claim it is all necessary as its a new season, therefore I need new clothes. So pretty printed dresses and playsuits are a must! 

As you will see a lot of my clothes were from New Look, but thankfully I had a voucher left from Christmas, so these clothes were technically were free… yeah! The bad thing is there are so many other things in many stores that I am lusting after… I already see next months wages disappearing quickly… not what I need. There are so many pretty blazers in H&M, River Island and Primark that I seem to want in every colour… a bit obsessed about blazers seems I’ve already bought two this month!

I have already worn a lot of these clothes already. As you will see that the Bird Print Dress I wore the other night to the Drake gig. I wear the tan blazer all the time, it seems to have replaced my grey blazer for day-to-day wear. The only dress I haven’t worn yet is the maxi dress, as it is very summery and it has done nothing but rain since I bought it, so I think I will be waiting a while till I am sporting that number, unfortunately.

What are you lusting after this month? Or season ?

A lush time in Lush

Todays post is a haul, but also a recognition of excellent customer service. From working within customer service for the past 8 years I know that it is rare to hear of good customer service experiences, as it is always negative experiences that people remember and pass on to others. Today I am going to change that and tell you lovely girls about my wonderful visit to the Lush store in Eldon Square in Newcastle.

I decided to pop in to buy some little treats for my mum, and having not visited a lush store for sometime I took my time, browsing at many items. During this time, two members of staff came up to me asking if I needed any help, asking me about my day, and offering their advice and personal experiences with certain products. I noticed that the other members of staff we all interacting with the customers, showing demonstrations, talking about products etc.; no one in this store had a chance of being ignored.

I settled upon a facemask and a reusable bubble bar. When purchasing the product I was engaged in conversation with the server, the staff definitely weren’t having a conversation between themselves, like you see in many other high-street stores. I was told about how the products should be used, and about a campaign they currently are having against animal testing, offering me the chance to sign a petition and even write my name on their shop window in a sign of how many of us are against animal testing- which was a great personalised act.

Overall I left feeling I had been a valued, welcome customer; with a huge smile on my face; and even a spring in my step.  One thing I really enjoy is excellent customer service, and I have to say that the girls in this Lush store were above and beyond my expectations.

How have your experience faired in other Lush stores? Are all their stores excellent at delivering great customer service, or does Newcastle have a gem of a Lush store?

Shoe Dazzle Haul

Just a quick little post to share some picture of my lovely new shoes. As I mentioned a few weeks ago Shoe Dazzle UK was closing down, so they had a huge sale. Naturally I indulged and ended up buying 3 pairs of shoes, which I finally received today... YEAH!

The shoes themselves are gorgeous! Really well made and comfortable.

Which is your favorite? Mine are the purple ones!

Saturday's Haul

So I bought a few bits and bobs quickly after work. Pretty dumb of me I know, seems it was unbelievably busy, I was literally squeezing past people.

I am off out for tea tomorrow night with my friends. Its a yearly dinner we always have and its great to catch up with everyone. Plus because I haven't seen everyone in a while its always good to look nice and buy a new outfit. So that's what I did.

I bought a new dress in the sale at Dorothy Perkins. It was meant to be £30, but I got it for £17. I also got new House of Holland Tights from River Island for £12. I plan on wearing both these with a back blazer, black leather waist belt, and black patent platform shoes. I think I'm going to mix it up a little by accompanying  it with red shoulder bag. I will obviously post pictures of what I wear later in the week.

I also got some hair dye, as I have awful roots. Its a new one that I haven't tried before so I will do a quick review of it later. Then I got my staple face-wipes and a cheap moisturiser, along with Boots own faketan, again I will do a review later.

Finally I bought my mother an extra couple of Christmas presents and a ring to complete my outfit.

Did anyone else have a good shop this past weekend?