May Haul: Primark, Topshop, Boohoo & Boots

As the old Chinese proverb goes: ‘when in May, go out and spend your money’.  Ah okay then, if you insist…

May Haul 1White distressed jeans: Boohoo – £25
We know it’s all about white denim this summer, and with the light wash, boyfriend fit and distressed rips, these tick so many trend boxes that there ain’t even any ink left in the pen (see what I did there?) I was lusting after these badboys for weeks before they finally made their way from my online basket into my grubby mitts (no seriously, I’m grubby – that’s a chocolate mark on the knee from some rocky road I was eating the first day I decided to wear them) and now I have them I absolutely love them. I featured them in an OOTD post last week so check that out if you want to see what they look like on – I won’t give away any spoilers, but they look pretty much the same except my body is poking out.

May Haul 3Tulle midi skirt: Topshop – £18
Another piece that I was perving after for a few weeks was this midi tulle skirt from Toppers. Now it’s mine I don’t REALLY know what to wear it with, or for what occasion (anyone having an Adams Family style wedding in the coming month? No?) but what I do know is that I bloody love it and I will make it work if it kills me. They also do the skirt in a mini version, but they only had the midi when I sent my sister on a tulle-finding mission for me. Can we also just take a moment to appreciate the price? £18 for a Topshop skirt is really good in my opinion – could the gods of the UK highstreet finally be listening to prayers and making Topshop a bit less batshit crazy in its pricing?! Let’s keep our fingers and eyes crossed, my bargain hunting friends.

May Haul 4Strappy crop top: Topshop – £8
Every time I wear something with thin straps I catch sight of myself and think “Good god, who’s that hulking man with the massive shoulders?” and vow never to let anything spaghetti strapped into my life again. And then I go out and buy this sort of thing. Why? I don’t know.

May Haul 2Floral blazer: Primark – £13
I ventured into Primark earlier today solely for a belt and of course ended up looking around the entire shop. It was one of those really infuriating Primark visits where everyone was getting in my way and I nearly ended up shouting “Excuse me! Do you know your kid is being a dickhead?!” at at least 15 various parents, but then I saw THIS beauty and it was like the heavens opened and angels started singing and all the dickhead kids didn’t exist for a moment. How bloody nice is this for £13? It’s quite lightweight and thankfully for me doesn’t have any shoulder pads (see aforementioned hulking man comments), making it the perfect Spring blazer.

May Haul 5Crop top: Primark – £4 / Shorts: Primark – £3
I made an error here and thought the crop top was in fact a sports bra, but let’s just overlook my stupidity and pretend I actually have the sort of stomach that means I could go to the gym in just a crop top. Oy vey. These shorts are just for mooching about the house in complaining how cold I am while refusing to wear anything that keeps me warm.

May Haul 6Sunglasses: Primark – £2 each
As it’s now May, I can definitely start buying things with the ‘it’s for my holiday’ excuse. Yes I’m not going away for another three months. Yes I’m only going to Tenerife for 4 days. But yes I will still continue to throw things in my basket with gay abandon because ‘it’s for my holiday’.  Not that these need justifying because they’re only £2 and they’re FIT.

May Haul 7Makeup and beauty bits: Primark and Boots
ALL of my base products took it upon themselves to run out at once which was simply superb, so a trip to Boots was also needed today. Luckily the 3 for 2 offer was on which meant I got to pick up a Revlon Lip Butter and new nail polish with only small traces of buyers’ guilt.

What do you all think of this mini haul? What have you been buying lately?

March Haul: Primark, Elsie & Fred and Topshop

Thanks to boring things like heating bills and food, it’s been quite a long time since a haul post has graced this blog. Ew, who knew the grown up world was so chuffin’ dull? Anywho, when I haven’t been rummaging around behind sofas/in strangers’ pockets looking for spare change, I have managed to sneak in the odd shopping trip this month. And here are a few things I’ve picked up:

March Haul Collage 1Jacket (£15) & Shorts (£10) – both Primark

Yes yes yes, the co-ord is mine! You may have already seen this in my recent Outfit of the Day post, but it deserves to be featured twice because… well, look at it. Ticking so many trend boxes that it may as well come with it’s own big pen, this is a checked monochrome matching sports luxe dream.

March Haul Collage 2Structure Black Tee (£6) & Pink Embossed Tee (£5) – both Primark

On the same shopping trip I picked up these two tops. I decided I needed a few more basic bits in my wardrobe, and these fit the bill perfectly. The black top has a kind of waffle-knit texture, with structured sleeves giving it quite a slightly more formal slant than your standard black t-shirt. The pale pink is a more standard slouchy cotton, though the embossed pattern adds a touch of interest. Both of these will be great for layering now and flaunting on their own (maybe with something on the bottom half, who knows though) come summer.

March Haul Collage 3Candy Panel Bralet – c/o Elsie and Fred

Has any piece of clothing ever made you long for summer more in your whole entire life? Didn’t think so. This little beauty was sent to me by Elsie and Fred, an independent label that hail from my hometown of Coventry (whaddup). They stock vintage, customised and one-off pieces and are basically cool as cool shit. You can also check out their Twitter @_elsieandfred.

Cami (£6) – Topshop

I’m not sure why this has come out vomit-yellow on camera when it’s in fact a beaut lime green, but that’s the peculiarities of technology. These little £6 camis come in a couple of different colours and are sure to be everywhere this spring/summer. Like on my body, for starters.

Marxh Haul 9Necklace (£4) – Primark

This was also featured in aforementioned OOTD post, but I felt like throwing it on the floor and taking another photo anyway.

March Haul 8 March Haul 7Pumps (£6) and Sandals (£14) – both Primark

Let’s groove past the boring black flats (bought to replace my other black flats with have gone walkabouts, possibly having thrown themselves off a building for being too boring)(there’s a strange image…) and focus on the BEAUTIES that are these white sandals. I actually did a little gasp in Primark when I saw them, and definitely nearly threw up with excitement when I saw they were only £14. I think I’ll be going back for the black pair very very soon.

What do you all think of this haul? Have you picked up anything good lately?

January Fashion Haul: Missguided, Boohoo & Primark

So, how are all of your post-Christmas spending bans going? Yeah, mine’s going great too thanks. Anyway, moving on…

Haul 11th Collage 1Playsuit (sold out) £15 / Jumpsuit £25 – Both Missguided.com
I placed a cheeky little Missguided order just after Christmas, I think with the intention of getting something to wear for New Year’s Eve. In the end our NYE plans were cancelled and I ended up staying in, eating pizza and watching repeats of Stars in Their Eyes (which was surprisingly fun, actually – there was a very impressive Cliff Richard), so neither of these were worn for the occasion – but aren’t they flippin’ beautiful?

I also picked up a Bardot body from the Sweet Deal range (though that’s currently in the wash) and some leggings – which did NOT please me length-wise, being the longest leggings known to mankind and completely unwearable. Hmph.

Haul 11th Collage 2Crop Top (sold out) £4 / Chelsea Boots£ 30 – Both Boohoo.com
Not long after New Year I ended up making a little Boohoo order too. This was for no other reason than I was fighting the January blues, and realised that these boots were the one and only thing that could bring happiness to my life. And my oh my, they have made every day better since. 

Haul 11th 7Sports Bra £4 – Primark
My gym is currently twice as busy as it was pre-Christmas due to all of the ‘New Year New Me’ gym joiners – and this is a trend that Primark clearly knows all about, as their gymwear has been moved from a dusty corner at the back, right to the front of my local store. Now, it will come as no surprise to you that I don’t really need to wear a sports bra, seeing as I essentially have no boobs whatsoever – but I couldn’t say no to this neon crop of joy.

Haul 11th 6Cocoa Brown 1 Hour Tan / Sultry Eyelashes £1 each – both Primark
I’ve been wanting to try out the Cocoa Brown fake tan for ever and ever and ever AMEN, and today was finally the day I added it to my massive Primark basket. I’m going to a party tonight and am currently the ultimate pail Gale, so can’t wait to blast my skin with this and see how it turns out. I think this is about £6 a bottle (currently too comfy on the sofa to go and check my receipt, soz) which is expensive compared to my usual St Moriz – but I’ve heard such good things about it that I decided it was worth the extra pounds. Rumour has it that Cocoa Brown tan doesn’t even smell like fake tan. Wizardry.

I also stocked up on a couple of pairs of Primark’s eyelashes in ‘Sultry’. I reviewed these lashes here and they’re genuinely pretty amazing for just one measly quid.

Haul 11th 5Necklace £3 / Midi Rings £1.50 – Both Primark
Primark’s currently coming up with some absolutely beautiful statement necklaces, and this one was too much of a bargain to resist. You can’t see well in the photo, but it’s rose gold metal woven with a kind of pearlescent cream material. I also picked up a pack of three silver midi rings. I have horrendously fat fingers and so I’ve got no idea whether these will look good or not, but for £1.50 I was willing to risk it.

I also picked up some Primark essentials including tights, leggings, hair bands and a new hair donut, but thought I’d spare you the boredom of seeing those. And now I must get back to my life, and look up what ‘spending ban’ actually means…

What do you think of this haul? What have you been buying lately?

December Fashion Haul: Glamorous, Abandon Ship & Primark

Dec Haul 1Hey there all of you fine pieces of ass! Now normally it annoys me ever so slightly when people post a ‘haul’ and it actually only contains a couple of items. And yet… that is exactly what I’m going to do for you today. I know, I know, one rule for you and another for me; I’m a bloody nightmare.

Due to poverty I haven’t been buying much recently, but here are a few bits that I’ve managed to pick up when I’ve been able to collect enough pennies from bins, gutters, etc.

Dec Haul 3Cropped fluffy jumper: Glamorous

I picked up this little beauty from The Clothes Show last weekend. My obsession with all things fluffy has been strong this winter, and I lusted after the similar Topshop version of this jumper for a good while, but at almost £40 I just couldn’t justify it. When I spotted this at the Glamorous stand my little heart started singing with joy, and I managed to bag it for a mere £20 (RRP £35, huzzah!)

Kitten body: Abandon Ship Apparel

Another Clothes Show purchase. As soon as I laid on this body I was almost borderline hysterical with laughter and joy – and while I wouldn’t usually recommend hysteria as a good mindset for shopping, I haven’t looked back. I can’t find this on Abandon Ship’s website anymore, but they have a range of other Satanic kitten-themed clothes that I strongly suggest you check out.

Dec Haul 4Cigarette trousers: Primark

I actually picked these up about a month ago from Primark so I’m not sure if they’re still in stock. They have a kind of embossed effect that makes them a little jazzier than your usual black trouser. I think they were only around £11 and I’ve already got a lot of wear out of them.

Tartan leggings: Primark

Finally, finally, I hop on the tartan bandwagon. Topshop have had an amazing pair of thick tartan leggings in store for a while, but again I couldn’t indulge myself with Toppers prices. These aren’t quite as nice, but at £6 they’re around a quarter of the price so I’m definitely able to cope. They’re a nice thick material so avoid that tacky look that printed leggings sometimes have, and I quite like the strong blue tones in the tartan. I’m looking forward to wearing these rolled up with some chunky black boots and pretending I’m cool.

Dec Haul 5Fur collar: c/o New Look

I’d been after a fur stole/collar/scarf thing for ages and was delighted to stumble upon this one in New Look. Despite the fact that it’s still – as Lauren and I keep telling anyone who will listen – very mild for December, this has been a welcome addition on many early mornings.

Miscellaneous: Primark

Whilst in Primark at the weekend I had to pick up a few boring essentials such as tights, socks, a hair clip and the elusive black vest (I must have about twenty yet can I ever find them?!). I also picked up these brogues, which I already have the brown version of – never let it be said that I don’t step out of my comfort zone.

What do you all think of this mini haul?

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Beauty Haul: 23rd Birthday Box!

Birthday Box 1Ladies, I make no attempt at humbleness today – I am bragging and want you all to prepare yourself to be jealous. You ready? Let’s go.

I’ve documented my relationships with beauty boxes in quite a lot of detail on this blog, with Glossybox and (the artist formally known as) Beauteco  both eventually disappointing me and being unsubscribed from.  Imagine my absolute sheer delight then, when Lauren presented me with my bithday present from her and the rest of my friends and it was my VERY OWN PERSONAL BIRTHDAY BEAUTY BOX.

So, what goodies was my box jam packed with?

Birthday Box 2

Birthday Box 4

  • Real Techniques Powder Brush
  • Superdrug Face Masks x 3
  • John Frieda Luxurious Volume Root Booster
  • Lee Stafford Spray Shine
  • Charles Worthington Colour Shield Spray
  • Seventeen CC Cream
  • Barry M Nail Varnishes x 3
  • Soap & Glory Flake Away
  • Real Techniques Miracle Complexion Sponge
  • MUA Lipstick
  • Boots Vitamin E Eye Cream
  • Tresemme Platinum Strength 60 Second Treatment Shot

How lucky am I?! I was particularly amazed by the Real Techniques brushes (am I a real blogger now..?) but am so excited to try everything out. A huge thank you to my chums for giving me this amazing present, and for putting up with me for yet another year despite my endless foolish behaviour and hair shedding.

Have you tried any of these products, or have you ever had a present like this yourself?

October Birthday Haul: Marc B, Juicy Couture, Primark, Sleek & More!

Bday Haul AllHi there errybody! I’ve got a few minutes free on the retirement home’s desktop before a rousing mid-afternoon game of backgammon accompanied by a fine glass of sherry awaits me, so thought I’d quickly do a post for all of you young’uns. In case you’re wondering what in the name of all that is holy I’m waffling on about, I am of course referring to the fact that I turned 23 on Friday and am now probably the World’s Oldest Blogger.

I actually had a really nice birthday, despite my mammoth reservations in the run-up to the occasion. The actual day was quite a nice chilled one; I took the day off work to see various family members and friends, shop and eat cake. Then last night I went out for dinner with some of my besty friends, which was inevitably followed by cocktails, spiking our own fishbowls and crap dancing. Superb.

As it was my birthday I received some absolutely amazing presents, which I thought I would share with you all now in the form of a birthday haul post! Some of these were given to me, others were bought with birthday money – all have equal amounts of love attached to them.

Bday Haul 1Marc B ‘Giselle’ Bag in Maroon: Be still my beating heart! I’ve been after a Marc B bag for ages; they’re so sophisticated and classic, yet also retain a fun element with the leopard print lining and gold plaque detailing. I desperately needed a new everyday bag as my Topshop one was literally going bald (damn you, leopard print panel!), so when my dad asked what I wanted for my birthday, this was top of my list. It is absolutely BEAUTIFUL. It’s also bloody massive – you can see it in its full glory in this OOTD post where you will see that it has basically made me look like even more of a Borrower.

Bday Haul 2Leopard print throw, ear muffs and thermos: my dad sent my sister on a shopping mission to pick up a few more presents for me (I know, how lovely of him! I think he takes pity on me not having a boyfriend so spoils me more as a result) and she oh so wisely picked up an array of leopard print treats. The thermos is a particular fave; tea AND animal print, TOGETHER?! No finer combination of things has ever existed.

Bday Haul ClothesClothes: knowing how dear Primark is to my heart, my sister also picked me out a few bits from there.

Bday Haul 7Viva La Juicy Noir: I’ve loved this since I got the sample version in one of my Glossyboxes and now a full size bottle is mine!

Bday Haul 12Game of Thrones figurine: ’nuff said

Bday Haul 11Makeup: with some birthday money from my momma, I couldn’t resist buying some new makeup. I ordered the Sleek stuff about a week ago, and decided to get the BB Cream in the ‘Fair’ shade to actually match my skin tone (shudder) and a new lipstick in the shade ‘Cherry’. I picked up the Barry M bits in town – I opted for the new matte nail polish in black, the new Natural Glow eyeshadow and blush palette and then because of an offer I got the Lash Vegas mascara for free for spending over £10! I am always a bargain hunter, even when it’s someone else’s money. I also bought this eyebrow pencil from Maybelline.

Bday haul PriBrogues and rings: couldn’t resist popping into Primark and picking up these beauties. I’ve been after some brogues  for ages but have just never really got round to buying some – these were only £12 I think, so it was finally time to actually get some. The stacker rings are a mixture of silver, gold and rose gold so will come in vair handy.

I have to stop writing now because I’m very hungover and need a vat of squash in my system RIGHT NOW. But let me know what you think of this haul!

September Haul: Missguided & Bodycare

iyaaaa! Right, now the politeness of the day is over, let’s get on with it.

Today we have a super fun haul post for you all. Yes we are officially still on our spending ban (and are delighted to announce that it’s been worth it thus far as our application for our new house has been accepted! AWOOGA) but in our defence, many of these products were absolute life necessities. I mean, do you really expect us to go through life without false eyelashes? What sort of barbarian are you?

As it was payday on Wednesday we actually ventured away from our desks at lunch time and went into town. Like the big spenders we are, we headed straight to Bodycare to stock up on all of our cheapy cheap beauty essentials. We then came back to our desks and placed some orders online because we’d scratched the shopping itch, but just made it more itchy and needed to scratch it some more. Hate when that happens, don’t you?

Here’s a little run-down of some stuff we purchased:

Lauren

DSCN3005T Zone Pore Strips | L’oral Elvive Triple Resist Hair Mask | Schwartzkopft Supersoft Volumising Hairspray | St Moriz Tan Dark | Aussie Miracle Mask | L’oreal Hot & Smooth Serum | Clean & Clear Deep Action Cleanser | Nivea Harmony Time Shower Gel | Eye Candy Lashes | Rimmel Lasting Finish 200 | Rimmel Stay Matte Powder | Gold chain from eBay

Gut gott in himmel, I accidentally spent £30 in Bodycare. As Drizzy would say however, you only live once and my life required lots of new beauty products. CUFF ME.

I won’t bore you too much, but a couple of these products I would thoroughly recommend. First off, Eye Candy eyelashes are a big favourite of mine and they are amazing quality for the price. When I get the chance to go to Bodycare, I always stock up on these badboys. If you’re looking for a cheaper alternative to Eylure, then these are your man!

DSCN2997

I also have loads of love for this heat protecting serum, L’Oreal Hot & Smooth. I used to use this all the time when I was younger and first started straightening my hair and sort of forgot about it until I saw it the other day. They’ve changed the packaging to be a bit more jazzy, but it’s definitely the same product inside. 100% recommend it, especially if you are skint like I am but still want to protect your locks. HUZZAH.

2 DSCN3005

I put in an order with Missguided after spending about 300000 hours trying to figure out what to buy. This dungaree dress was the result, which I LOVE. Unfortunately it’s way too big so I’m going to have to return it and exchange, but it’s the perfect A/W addition to my floordrobe – 90s you are back with a vengeance, my son!

DSCN3009

Claire

September Haul 1

September Haul 2

September Haul 3Kimono | Crop Tee | Bodycon Midi Dress – Missguided

I also bought quite a few bits in Bodycare, but as I started scooping up my various shower gels and body scrubs to photograph it occurred to me how massively boring they all were so I thought ‘EFF THIS!’ and threw them all back into the shower. My Missguided order was thankfully a little more interesting; I snapped up this kimono (there’s 15% off them this week, so go go go!) and crop tee to wear over the weekend as we’re going to the Bullring’s tenth birthday catwalk show so I fancied something new – don’t worry, I’ll also be wearing something on my bottom half, I’m not trying to be the most scandalous person in Birmingham (Lauren already has that title).

I also finally bought this midi dress that I look at each time I’m on their site. I’ve always been put off buying it as the sizes only some in ‘S/M’ or ‘M/L’ (which is something that annoys me more than you would even believe, how can they narrow down all the shapes and sizes of women in the UK to just two sizes? How? How and why and how?!) but it’s part of the Sweet Deal range and only costs £5.99 so I decided it wasn’t the end of the world if it didn’t fit. It’s an okay fit; as I expected it’s too baggy on me to really be called bodycon, but it still sits quite nicely and is a good length so is fine for work – and still amazing for the price!

What have you all been buying lately? And what do you think of this haul?

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September eBay Haul: Fashion and Beauty

Anybody who knows me knows that I love a bit of eBay. Whether it’s screaming ‘YES, EAT MY DUST BITCHES’ when I speedily out-bid someone or just browsing for a Buy It Now bargain, I can (and do) happily spend hours of my life scouring the site.

I know that not everybody likes the auction aspect of the site (though how else do you people get your kicks if not from destroying other bidders with your super-fast finger skills?) but what always amazes me is how many people don’t understand the full wonders that can be found by shopping via eBay. I get literally so much junk useful hair, beauty and fashion bits from there that I either wouldn’t be able to track down on the high street, or would pay much more for.

I’ve had a fair few bits delivered from eBay the last month or so, so thought I would make a collective haul post to show you all my wares. All of these were bought brand new for a Buy It Now price.

ebay haul tangle 3
ebay haul tangleTangle Teezer by Shaun P – £8.50 (UK Seller)
My weave has a mind of it’s own so I decided it was definitely worth investing in one of these babies. The thick, widely spaced teeth glide through hair effortlessly, and I’m already wondering how I ever got through life without it. These have an RRP of £10.20 on the official site, so buying via this eBay seller will save you a couple of squid.

ebay haul t-shirt
ebay haul t-shirt 2‘You Can’t Sit With Us’ T-shirt – £6.99 (UK Seller)
If you don’t understand this t-shirt then you’re more stupid than Karen!

ebay haul coat
ebay Haul coat 2PU Sleeved Wool Mix Coat – £18.99 (Overseas Seller)
Here is a fact about me: last winter, I was very very cold most of the time. ‘DUH,’ I hear you cry, ‘everyone was cold! It was winter!’ But, dear readers, I was especially cold because I went the whole winter without ever wearing a proper coat. I alternated between my Topshop leather aviator jacket and a faux fur jacket from H&M, neither of which kept me particularly warm. I think last winter I just had a lot of other priorities which meant I was never willing to fork out for a proper coat (if I recall, I developed quite a strong addiction to frozen yoghurt which perhaps needed funding). This year, I decided to be ahead of the game.

You can’t tell from the awful photo but this coat is rather beautiful – its quilted leather sleeves give it a bit of a nod to winter fashion, while the black wool makes it still a very practical, work-appropriate piece of outerwear. As it came from China, I was a bit unsure of which size to get. They advise that a Small is a UK 6, a Medium a UK 8 and a Large a UK 10 (I know, how ridiculous is this – THANKS, CHINA). However, because of my height I find coats are often too big and bulky so decided to order the Small anyway – and it actually still comes up a little big, so I would definitely advise sizing down with this. It cost £18.99 and then about £5 on top of that for postage – so I have no idea why the tag marks it as over 80 euros. I have seen UK sellers on eBay attempting to sell this same coat for about £50 though, which is why it’s always worth having a proper search to see if you can get something cheaper overseas. I know people have problems with the long postage, but I think this actually came in around 10-14 days which I don’t think is too bad at all.

eBay Haul RollersSleep In Foam Rollers x 12  – £4.28 (UK Seller)
I’ve blogged about these previously, but they really are an excellent bargain. A set of the genuine Sleep-In Rollers will set you back around £20, which is just a bit stupid when you consider you’re buying hair rollers with bits of foam in them.

eBay Haul phone iPhone 4S White Quilted Cover – £3.29 (UK Seller)
I still can’t decide whether this is a bit chavvy, but considering I got it to replace my much-loved silver glitter case then it can definitely be regarded as an upgrade.

eBay Haul socksLace Ankle Socks – £1.19 per pair (Overseas Seller)
I was on the hunt for some quirky ankle socks and so was overjoyed to find these full-lace versions. I bought this white pair, as well as the black that you can see in my cut-out ankle boots post. Again, these arrived quicker than I expected.

eBay Haul brushes 2
eBay Haul brushesMakeup Brushes – £2.59 each
Do these remind anyone of a certain famous brand of makeup brushes? O’ course they do; at first glance they’re the spitting image of Real Techniques brushes. I first saw these very similar eBay brushes featured over on Rebecca-Louse’s fabulous blog Autumn Leaves, and decided to buy a few merely out of curiosity and to do a bit of an eBay dupes post.

However, I’ve actually been SO impressed with their quality. These brushes are amazingly soft and I haven’t experienced any loss of fibres yet either. I know some people will probably be dead against the very idea of these brushes because people are SO loyal to the cult RT brushes, but bargain hunters might be interested in picking up a couple to bulk out their brush collection.

eBay haul toner 2La Riche Directions White Toner – £7.89 for 2
I won’t say too much about this as I have a full review coming, but I bought two pots of this white toner after home bleaching my hair. I think these can be picked up a bit cheaper from stores, but this was the cheapest price I found online. Plus buying online meant I got them delivered nicely to my desk at work and didn’t actually have to go and interact with any smelly members of the public.

Do any of you love eBay as much as me? What do you think of this haul?

August Haul: Primark and New Look

Today I did something I have never done before: walked out of my hairdresser’s house and burst into tears. It is honestly the most upset I’ve been about my hair, and this is coming from the girl who had to go to her Year 11 Leavers’ Ball looking like Honey Boo Boo.

After having my weave re-sewn in today, I asked my hairdresser to trim an inch or so off the ends as they were looking a bit ratty – so please imagine my shock when I looked in the mirror and saw that what were my 18 inch hair extensions had now been cut into a bizarre long bob which is only about an inch longer than my natural hair.

I did the typically British thing of smiling brightly, saying thank you and commenting how healthy it looked, and then fled. I admit crying might have been a bit dramatic, but it dawned on me that since having extensions, long hair has become a bit of a security blanket for me. Suddenly being out with natural-length hair made me feel like a big naked weirdo – and who wants to feel like one of those?

After ringing a friend and explaining that I would be hiding in my house for a month, I received strict instructions to pull myself together, head into town and indulge in a bit of retail therapy. And so VOILA – that is what brings me to this post.

Primark

I was very excited to see that Primark have started introducing their Autumn/Winter stock in store. I might have massively slated the collection in my Primark A/W 2013 post, but since then I’ve actually had a change of heart about a lot of the key trends this season and so am much more willing to give things a go. Also, the sight of lots of black clothing really matched my post-hairdresser mood, which might explain why there is not a bright colour to be seen.

Haul 24th August 1Camis – both £5

People have been loving the Topshop camis lately, but to be honest I haven’t been very interested in them; I’m strangely broad shouldered for my petite frame, so thin-strapped camisoles have never been that flattering on me. But when I spied these Primark versions, I decided to try the black one on just to see. I was actually pleasantly surprised with how it looked, as well as the overall quality, so decided to snap up the plum colour too. They also had them in coral, nude and grey, and other stores might have other colours too. For almost a quarter of the price of the Topshop camis, these are brilliant value for money and I’m once again left scratching my head as to why people would choose the more expensive option when I see such little difference.

Haul 24th Aug 2Leather Quilted Skirt – £10 / Leather-Sleeved Tee – £4

Primark are all over the A/W leather trend right now, so if you’re not sure about it still and want to try a few cheap pieces then I’d definitely recommend taking  a look. This skirt stood out to me because of the quilted texture – texture is set to be really important this winter so it’s ticking a couple of boxes for only a tenner. I wasn’t sure about it when I tried it on, though. I don’t think a-line skirts are particularly the most flattering shape for me to begin with, and with this skirt I have the problem I have quite a lot of it being very fitted on my massive bootay and then a bit gapey at the back where my waist is smaller. I do think it will be a great staple piece though, plus on the mannequins it was paired with jumpers which would eliminate  my gaping waist problem. I’m going to try it with a few things in my wardrobe and decide its fate later.

I’m also a big fan of leather sleeves at the moment. I think PU trim can look a little tacky (especially in Primark, so sorry to say this but it’s true) but sleeves are a nice way of bringing in a little leathery edge. Primark have leather-sleeved skater dresses, jumpers and t-shirts so whatever your needs, you can have a leathery sleeve to match. I decided on the tee, and bought it 2 sizes bigger than normal with the idea of wearing it as a dress.

Haul 24th August 3Kimono – £7 / Cardigan – £10

Ah, be still my beating heart. I’ve been after a kimono for a while now so was extremely chuffed to find that one of the last couple of these in store was a size 10. NABBED. I love the colours and the oriental floral/bird print. They had a few other kimonos in in lighter colours, but as I have my eyes firmly set on Autumn I stuck to the dark version.

I saw this cardigan recently on one of Lily Melrose’s hauls and loved the way she styled it. In keeping with the textured trend, I think this fluffy dream will be great for adding a bit of variety to outfits during the transitional Autumn period. Plus I just have hella love for anything remotely fluffy or furry, and it is SO warm and cosy.

Haul 24th August 4Frilly Socks – £1.50 each / Ring – £1.50 / Tights – £2.50

I’ve recently bought some cut-out ankle boots (see below if you simply can’t wait) and so have been after a couple more pairs of frilly ankle socks to wear with them. I think the different colours peeking through will be – I dunno, cute/fun/interesting(?) – I just want it to happen god dammit. I also need to bring more gold rings into my life as I love my gold chains but have hardly any other gold jewellery, and who isn’t always in need of an extra pair of tights?

New Look & eBay

 

Haul August 25th 6

Haul August 24th 5Cut-Out Boots – £27.99 / Wood Heel Platform Boots – £14.99

Neither of these were bought today, but I thought I’d include them anyway. Shoes aren’t something I actually buy that often, but I’ve bought two new pairs recently. Cut-out boots are everywhere at the moment, and I opted for this New Look pair (bought via ASOS because I like to take maximum advantage of my free next-day delivery) as they’re a slightly more feminine and work-appropriate version compared to the clumpy biker boots. I plan to do a full post on these soon, included how to style them and where you can buy alternative versions!

The eBay shoes are quite possibly my favourite things ever. Brilliant dupes for the Jeffrey Campbell classics, they cost just £14.99 from this eBay seller and are some of the comfiest but highest shoes I own. I think these will be brilliant for so many different occasions and basically I just love them mega loads.

So, that concludes today’s haul post. I hope your bank holidays are all off to a better start than mine – if anybody needs me over the coming weeks, then as stated I shall now be hibernating until I can afford a new set of extensions. Cheerio.

August Haul: Primark, New Look & More!

‘Ello ladies!

I have a bit of a confession to make…I am supposed to be on a spending ban. That went well.

aUGUST HAULI’ve been trying to invest in some simpler pieces to go with the more jazzy things in my wardrobe so I don’t have to wear too many mad prints at once – I usually am a bit of a ‘AHH LOOK AT THE LEOPARD PRINT. LOOK AT THE FLORALS’ kind of gal and have very little interest in plain things. But as a working girl in her 20s, sometimes turning up to the office in acid wash and leopard print isn’t the most professional way to dress.

CLOTHES

New Look Dress | Primark Shirt | Missguided Shorts

I managed my new simple mantra with *two* of my recent purchases, so all in all not too shabby! You can’t g wrong with a t-shirty style skater dress and I love the rose colour of this one! Rose is also a big colour for autumn/winter, so I’m pleased to be getting a few on-trend items in my wardrobe already! The shirt is very me and I have about 10 cream blouses in my cupboard already…one more can’t hurt, right? I plan to wear it with these jazzy neon floral shorts on Saturday night for our house party!

BEAUTYLush Happy Hippy Shower Gel | Lush Dirty Springwash Shower Gel | Lush Bohemian Soap | Lush Ocean Salt Facial Scrub | Lush Rub Rub Rub Shower Scrub | Lush Whoosh Shower Jelly | Maybelline Baby Lips | Nivea Day Cream | Nivea Cleansing Lotion | Palmer’s Natural Bronze | Purdie’s Hand Lotion | Model’s Own Nail Varnish |

Phew, we have a few beauty products on the go don’t we! I haven’t used any of my Lush stuff yet, so I can’t comment on those. The Maybelline Baby Lips lip balm is something I seriously don’t get. It’s just vaseline, basically. WHAT IS THE HYPE ABOUT?! The Purdie’s hand lotion smells amazing and I picked it up in Scotland. The rest is pretty self explanatory, oui oui?

ACCESSORIES

H&M Pork Pie Hat | New Look Bag | Primark Necklace and Earrings

I’ve been after a pork pie hat for AGES, but refused to pay Topshop prices because I am a tramp poor girl. I found this bad boy in H&M for £8.99 so it swiftly found it’s way into my shopping basket! It’s going to be another great autumn/winter piece and I’m very excited to start wearing it! The bag is another transitional piece (and one that was desperately needed after my main handbag began to fall apart!). It’s not the best quality but it cost me £10 in the New Look sale so you can’t complain really. Primark is one of my favourite places to go for jewellery and it definitely didn’t disappoint this week! I love this necklace and the earrings are right up my street (although very plasticy!). I also bought a really cute bee/bug ring but I couldn’t find it while I was taking these photos, cry.

SHOESNew Look brogues | Converse from Schuh

This pair of converse are actually a couple of weeks old and something I didn’t buy myself! My parents got them for me for my birthday, which was very lovely of them! I claimed I wasn’t a trainer girl for about a year and that has definitely change…so comfy! The brogues were another attempt at dressing like a grown up and since buying them about a week ago, they’ve had A LOT of wear. I’m very pleased with them, definitely a great classic addition to my wardrobe.

PHEW. That is pretty much all of my recent buys. I think I went a bit mad, but you know. You have to speculate to accumulate, right? (Anyone know what that actually means?).

What do you all think of my August buys?