Haul - H&M, New Look, Primark, Paperchase and More

I thought I'd show you some of the things I've been buying recently!

H&M - Neon Balconette Bras £7.99 each, Flower Hair Clips £1.99 each

I wasn't planning on buying any bras yesterday, but when I saw these, I couldn't resist. The colours drew me in! I also picked up some more flower hair clips. I already own a few colours of these.

New Look - Brown Boots £29.99

It's difficult for me to find boots I like, so when I do, I snap them up. These are sturdy and waterproof, so should serve me well.

Primark - Loose Fitting Textured T-shirts in Black and Neon Yellow £2.50 each, Stretch Vests in Various Blue Shades £2.50 each, Ice Cubes £1

£2.50 for the t-shirts! And the vests are really nice. I'm normally a size 8, but have recently found that Primark's sizes have changed, so I got the vests in a size 6, and the t-shirts in a 10 so they're loose. The ice cubes are so practical! You can refreeze them, and they won't water your drink down once they've melted.

Paperchase - Mechanical Pens £2 each

I bought the bunny one a couple of weeks ago, and love how it writes, so picked up the floral one yesterday. You can also get refills for these, which is handy.

WHSmith - Photo Album £6.99. TKMaxx - Floral Tin £1.99

I've been looking for a pretty and affordable photo album for ages, but couldn't find one I loved, so settled on this simple black one. I don't know what I'm going to use the tin for yet, but I had to buy it. It was the only one left, and I saw a girl eyeing it up, so when she left, I dived for it (Not literally. I'm not that weird!)

Tesco - Cream and Pink Planters £1 down from £4, Floral Tins £8 for 3, Various Chocolate and Sweets

While in town yesterday, dad rang my sister and said he'd pick us up. Then, he gave us £20 and told us to spend it on Easter treats! Unsurprisingly, all of the eggs were sold out, so I settled on my favourite chocolate bars, Kinder eggs, and Jelly Tots. I also wanted some items that would last, and was drawn to the floral tins. They'd be great for tea, sugar and coffee when I get my own place, but for now, I'm going to have to find another use for them! I also picked up the planters. £1! Bargain. However, I don't have a use for them yet because I've just bought a load of brightly coloured plant pots. These don't fit the colour scheme, and won't even fit on my windowsill. 

Once the rest of my plant pots have arrived, and my windowsill is looking colourful and pretty, I'll write a post about them! Not exciting to some, but it is to me!

Throwback Thursday - Sister Edition

Aww, look at the cuteness! In case you're new to my blog, I'm the older, ginger one in the photos. My sister, Nikki, is 2 years younger than me :)

MUA Power Pouts

MUA Power Pouts in Justify, Broken Hearted, Irreplaceable and Crazy In Love

Bare lips

Top row: Justify and Broken Hearted

Bottom row: Irreplaceable and Crazy In Love

Here are the lip swatches of the MUA Power Pouts I have! How beautiful are they? I'm especially loving Justify because it's the one that surprised me the most. I was expecting this almost garish orange (I bought it to warm up the other shades if I wanted to), but it's a subtle coral, and suits me quite well. These lip crayons are just £3 each, pigmented, moisturising, and leave a stain (I read that they didn't stain, so was pleasantly surprised because I love long lasting products). If you don't like how glossy they are, you can dab your lips with a tissue so you're just left with the stain.

So far, these get a big thumbs up from me!

MUA Haul, Swatches and First Impressions - Power Pouts and Undress Your Skin Range

Power Pouts in Justify, Broken Hearted, Irreplaceable and Crazy In Love, Undress Your Skin Skin Primer, Foundation in Porcelain and Highlighter

Power Pouts in Justify, Broken Hearted, Irreplaceable and Crazy In Love, Undress Your Skin Foundation in Porcelain and Highlighter

When MUA announced that they were releasing lip crayons last week, I knew I had to buy some. I love my Revlon ones, so these excited me! I also added some other products from the Undress Your Skin range to my basket.

So far, I'm liking the Power Pouts (£3 each). They're a lot more pigmented than I thought they'd be, and they also leave a slight stain. I don't wear orange lip products, so wasn't going to buy Justify, but thought I could layer it and warm up some of my pink shades. It's much more beautiful than the online images, so I'm happy. The other three shades are also beautiful. The only shades I didn't pick up were the nude and red ones, but I may have to! I'll be posting some lip swatches of these in the next few days, so stay tuned!

I really like the primer's (£3, normally £5) packaging! I was pleasantly surprised to see it comes in a glass bottle. I was also surprised that it's only 15ml because the other primers I've tried are 30-50ml. I suppose you don't need much of it, though. I've only tried this on the back of my hand so far - It was so soft, it felt oily, but it wasn't oily at all, and it absorbed into my skin incredibly quick.

I don't wear foundation, but I use a generous amount of concealer, especially on the bottom of my cheeks where I have red patches. I bought the Undress Your Skin Foundation in Porcelain (£3, normally £5) to use in these areas. Underneath my arm, where I've swatched the products, is one of the lightest parts of my body, so although it looks slightly too dark for me in the photo, it's not.

The highlighter (£2, normally £3) looks really pretty. I was surprised how hard it feels to touch, but that doesn't hinder the pigmentation. It's shimmery, like most highlighters. There's not much more to say. It was one of the products I added to my basket just for the sake of it!

MUA are really on the ball at the moment. They've also just released some Merged Baked Eyeshadow Trios, which look really pretty.

Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms

Bare lips

 

Pink Blossom

Hibiscus

Rose

Top: Bare lips, Pink Blossom

Bottom: Hibiscus, Rose

I've had the Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balm in Pink Blossom for months, but when I heard Super Smoocher was having a closing down sale the other day, I decided to try some other shades. The Burt's Bees Tinted Lip Balms are normally £5.99, but I bought Hibiscus and Rose for £3 each. I'm gutted that Super Smoocher is closing down; it was the place where I bought all of my natural lip balms from. Unfortunately, when I had a look at the sale, all of the Crazy Rumours lip balms were sold out. I wanted to stock up on the amazing flavours! Anyway, even though these lip balms are more expensive than others, they're 100% natural, the packaging is great (if a little excessive), they give a nice tint, and are moisturising. They're very sheer, but because my lips are quite pale, they show up nicely. I was expecting Hibiscus and Rose to be more pink, but Hibiscus is more of a nude, and Rose is orange toned. When I first wore Pink Blossom, I didn't like how glossy it was - My usual Vaseline Rosy Lips stick lip balm has more of a satin finish, which I love. However, I'm used to it now, and I know a lot of people love glossy lips.

Overall, I really like these lip balms. There's not much more to say, really!

Easter Nail Fail

The nails above took me hours to do, I wasn't happy with them, and they weren't drying, so I've just removed them. Thankfully, I managed to take a rubbish photo on my phone before doing so. I wasn't going to show you them, but they took ages, so I may as well get something out of it! In case you're wondering, the blue nail polish is Look Beauty's Vintage, the yellow is Sally Hansen's Yellow Kitty, the light pink is Barry M's Strawberry Ice Cream, the lilac is Barry M's Berry Ice Cream, the white is Models Own Nail Art Pen in White (mine was clogged up, which didn't help matters!), the black is Models Own Nail Art Pen in Black, the orange is Barry M's Gelly Papaya, and the medium pink is Barry M's Gelly Dragon Fruit.

I think this will be the last time I try nail art for a while! I become obsessive and stressed, which is never fun.

Swatch of the Day: Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush

Flash: Bare lips, Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush

Flash: Stain after wearing Revlon's Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stain in Crush for half an hour and wiping it off

In natural light, Crush is darker and slightly more purple, but I couldn't capture it, so had to use flash! I don't normally wear it as intensely as the photo above; I usually dab it on to create a light stain, which looks really pretty. Applying it this way also means it doesn't sink into the lines of my lips like it has above.

Do you own this product? Or any of the Revlon Just Bitten Kissable Balm Stains?

Shorts Haul

If I'm not wearing jeans, I'm wearing shorts with black tights. A few weeks ago, I felt like I needed a few more pairs! The top left pair are from ASOS and are originally £22 without any codes. They're called 'belted shorts with turn up', and they also come in navy and berry red (which I really want!). They feel like great quality. I'd never purchased bottoms from ASOS before, so didn't know if their sizes were true to fit, but they are. Then, I headed to eBay and bought the other three pairs - All new. The top right pair are from New Look and I paid around £5, including P&P, for them. They're very similar to the ASOS ones! They're also quite see through, but I'll be wearing them with black tights, so it doesn't matter. I already own the bottom left pair, and wear them all the time, so wanted some back ups. They're also from New Look, and cost me just £3.70, including P&P. The last pair are from River Island, and I paid around £9 for them, including P&P. They don't go with black tights as well as the others, so don't think I'll be wearing them as often, but I still really like them. All of the shorts above are fairly high-waisted, and the last pair definitely are, so my legs look extra long!

Have you found any gems on eBay recently?

Throwback Thursday

I thought it would be fun to start doing Throwback Thursday posts, so here's my first one! It's also reminded me to scan in the photos that mean a lot to me. The one above is one of my favourites, and I actually have it in my purse. You have my dad, my sister (the baby), me, Jessie (the dog) and Monty (the cat). I'm guessing my sister is around 6 months old here, which would make me 3 1/2 in this photo. I'm surprised I'm not smiling because in all the others I am - I loved the camera! Jessie lived right up until I was 15, and she was 15, too (My dad got her when I was a baby). Look how huge Monty was! He wasn't far off being Jessie's size. I would pick him up under his armpits and drag him around the house, and he would just put up with it. He wouldn't let anyone else do it to him, though. Sadly, Monty got cancer 1-2 years after this photo and died. If we ever have another cream male cat, we'd name it after him (like my current dog is named after Jessie).

So, there's my first Throwback Thursday. I wasn't planning on writing that much, but when my animals are included, I can talk for days!

Wordless Wednesday

Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Dragon Fruit

I wasn't going to buy Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Dragon Fruit because I thought I owned a similar shade, but it turns out I don't. I gave away the closest shade I had (Barry M's Bright Pink) a few months ago. Dragon Fruit is a barbie pink with subtle silver shimmer. There are some air bubbles in this manicure, which are really annoying me, but it's down to my application, not the polish. In the photos above, I'm wearing three coats, but you could get away with two. It's not a unique shade, but it's pretty, nonetheless!

Blush Comparison: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine and Sleek Rose Gold

Flash: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

Flash: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

Natural light: Dainty Doll You Are My Sunshine, Sleek Rose Gold

When my Fragrance Direct order arrived and I opened Dainty Doll's You Are My Sunshine powder blush, I realised how similar it was to Sleek's Rose Gold. In the pans, You Are My Sunshine looks more pink than Rose Gold, but when swatched, Rose Gold leans pinker. However, once blended out, they're very similar. Dainty Doll's offering usually retails for £13.50, but it's currently just £1.99 on Fragrance Direct. Sleek's blushes are £4.49, and can be bought in Superdrug and Boots, so are more easily available. Rose Gold is more pigmented than You Are My Sunshine, but the latter is silkier. At the moment, I prefer the Dainty Doll blush, but that could be because it's a new product to me. Both blushes are so beautiful, though.

Do you own either of these blushes? And have you ordered any Dainty Doll products from Fragrance Direct yet?

Barry M Gelly Nail Paints

Greenberry, Blueberry, Prickly Pear, Dragon Fruit, Papaya, Grapefruit, Pomegranate, Blood Orange

After buying Dragon Fruit on Monday, I realised just how many Barry M Gelly Nail Paints I have. I love them, and can't wait to see what other shades will be released this year! You can see my swatches of Greenberry here, Papaya here, Pomegranate here, and Blood Orange here. I'll be taking photos of the other shades soon.

Do you own any of these nail polishes?

Bookshelf Walls

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One day, I'd love to have a bookshelf wall. I absolutely love books, and think the walls in the photos above look amazing. You can even create one in a small space. Shelves that you attach to the wall would be good if you didn't have much money and wanted to gradually build one, but they leave marks and holes, and some places don't allow that. A large bookshelf unit would be great if you saved up for one. The only problem would be moving the books if you moved, so I'd probably wait until I found a place I wanted to raise a family in. Below are some of the books I own at the moment. I don't have much room left, so I'm going to have to go easy until I have my own place. This means checking books out of the library instead of buying them!

Superdrug Purchases

I wasn't going to blog about my recent Superdrug purchases, but they smell so good, I just had to! The Alberto Balsam shampoo and conditioner were 2 for £1.79. I've had them before and really liked them, but for the last couple of years, I've been using TRESemme. I cannot get enough of the Strawberries and Cream scent; I don't know why I ever stopped using it! The next product I bought was the Superdrug Raspberry & Macadamia Nut conditioner for 99p. This smells amazing! Like fizzy sweets. The pump is handy, too. I also bought the Coconut & Sweet Almond intensive conditioner for 99p, which I've used before. Again, this smells delicious, and leaves my hair really soft. Lastly, I bought the Superdrug Vitamin E facial oil, which was £2.99. I love the hot cloth cleanser in the range, so thought I'd give this a go. I used it last night, and like it so far. It completely absorbed into my skin after a few minutes, leaving it soft, soft, soft.

I love Superdrug's own brand. The products are affordable and great quality (from what I've experienced, anyway).

Charity Shopping

This morning, my sister and I went to a few of our local charity shops to have a look at the books. The little owl ornaments above aren't books, but they're ever so cute. They were 60p each, which I think is quite expensive for a charity shop, but I couldn't resist. While photographing them, Jacks came to see what the fuss was about, and just had to have a play. As well as these, I bought quite a few books! The ones on the left were 99p each, and the ones on the right were just 25p each. I haven't heard of most of them, so don't know if they're going to be any good, but for the price, it's worth the gamble!

Have you been charity shopping recently?