Collective Haul

I handed in my last ever uni assignment yesterday and then panicked about my future, so today's shopping trip was much needed! I thought I'd also include some other bits I've bought recently. 

I'll start with the Primark T-Shirts dominating the photo. I mostly bought these for lounging around the house, but will probably wear them out, too. The two grey scoop neck ones were £2 each, while the rest were £3 each.

The Primark Beach Hut Pyjama Bottoms were £6. I've wanted them for a while, so thought I'd just get them today!

The Primark Cosy Socks were £2. Socks need no explanation.

The Primark Tights were £3.50. Expensive for one pair (compared to Primark's other tights), but they're the 'super silky opaque tights with 3D lycra for a perfect fit' ones which I love.

The Primark Pop-Up Laundry Hamper was £3. I also bought the Shower Curtain (£5) and Hand Towel (£3) in this design, but they're already in use! They add a pop of summer colour to the bathroom.

I then bought the Revlon Photoready Perfecting Primer (£8.99, normally £11.99) and Revlon Colourstay Concealer (£6.99) from Boots. I'm running out of my current primer and wanted to try a new one. This has mixed reviews, but so do most products, so I thought I'd try it out for myself. I also wanted to try a new concealer because the two I currently have are at opposite ends of the spectrum and I wanted something in the middle. The shade (fair) looks like a perfect match for my skin and makes one of my other concealers look orange in comparison!

The mint green/light blue sweatshirt at the bottom of the photo is from H&M and was £9.99. I prefer to keep the tops of my arms covered, but now that it's getting warmer, I can't wear jumpers. This is perfect because it's very lightweight and can be thrown on over a vest top.

The black and white aztec high waisted shorts are from New Look and were £11 down from £20, I think. They feel like great quality and were the only thing I ended up keeping from my order.

The Boston Warehouse Large Tumbler was £4.99 from TK Maxx. More than I'd usually pay for such an item, but I'd been looking for one for a while (my Primark no longer stocks them) and I loved the print.

The last things, in the top right corner, are from Poundland. I like the new Jane Asher range, so picked up the measuring cups & spoons, icecream/cake mix scoop, baking tray, baking sheet, and cake tin circles from it. The cake tin circles are so handy! I also picked up the oven glove and ice cube blocks. I already have some similar ice cube shapes and think they're so convenient. They don't dilute your drink and you can refreeze them.

What have you bought recently?

Recent Purchases - Primark, New Look, and iPhone Cases

It feels like it's been months and months since I last bought enough things to worthy a post, but really, my last haul was 5 weeks ago. To be honest, 5 weeks is a long time for a girl, and especially for a blogger! It's partly because nothing has taken my fancy, and partly because I'm running low on the money front! 

I'll start with the jeans. Both pairs are from New Look, and they're repurchases. I actually already own 3 pairs of the high waisted ones, but they're all looking a bit worn and faded because I wear them so much, so thought I'd get some more. The top pair were £19.99 and are the 'navy supersoft skinny jeans', and the high waisted pair were £22.99 and are called the 'navy high waisted supersoft skinny jeans'. Since trying 'supersoft' jeans, I haven't gone back. They're just so comfortable!

Moving onto Primark, I actually planned on buying much more, but hardly anything caught my eye. I also wasn't in the mood to shop (shocker!), so that hindered my spending. Every year I plan on buying some knitted jumpers, but never end up doing so. I think it's because a lot of the ones I see are not knitted tight enough, so I know they're not going to hold up. It's also because the material makes it hard to remove hair from, and I have a house full of animals! Anyway, the women's jumpers just weren't doing it for me. The quality wasn't there. So, I went to the men's section and found the knitted jumper you see above. It's tightly knitted and the quality is much better than others I've seen in the past. It was expensive for Primark, at £15, but I was willing to pay it because I've wanted a big knitted jumper for ages. The next item I bought was also from the men's section! The bluey grey hoodie was £10. I love the men's hoodies, and already own a couple, so knew I'd get a lot of wear out of this. The third, and final, items I bought from Primark were the thermal socks for £2.50. Primark's thermal socks are my favourite, so I love it when they bring out new patterns this time of year. I'm going in town tomorrow and Friday (three times in a week!), so will no doubt buy some more bits from our beloved Primarni.

My sister and I upgraded our phones to iPhones at the beginning of the month, and the first thing we did was pursuit eBay and Etsy for cases. The first one, the galaxy case, worked out to be £3.23 including P&P from this seller on Etsy. Admittedly, the case does look better in the picture, but it's still beautiful. Also, for the price, I don't really mind! Quite a few sellers sell this case, and other galaxy variations, so just have a search to find the right one for you. The second, a mix of galaxy and aztec designs, was £3.99 from here. The finish is almost matte, and I really like it. The final case, an aztec design, was £2.99 from here. In the last couple of weeks, I've learnt how hard iPhone cases are to get off! I couldn't get them off for the life of me before. I can now, but still find it difficult haha

This seems to have turned into an autumn haul, hasn't it? Speaking of autumn attire, I still haven't found a pair of black boots that I like! It's becoming mission impossible. 

Have you bought any Primark or autumn appropriate items yet?

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!

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?

Forbidden Haul

Original prices given!

H&M loose fitting t-shirt in Grey Blue £7.99

H&M loose fitting t-shirt in White £7.99

 

New Look Navy Supersoft High Waisted Skinny Jeans £22.99

 

H&M pack of 3 socks £3.99, New Look socks 3 for £4

 

Superdrug Naturally Radiant Brightening Hot Cloth Cleanser £5.99, Barry M Gelly Nail Paint in Greenberry £3.99, Avon Naturals Room & Linen Sprays in Strawberry & Guava, Raspberry & Hibiscus and Cherry Blossom £4 each (always on offer though)

Avon Sonal Flower Umbrella £10. "You're not supposed to put umbrellas up inside! It's bad luck!" I really don't care haha

I was meant to be on a spending ban this month, but then I realised that I would just buy the stuff I wanted in March anyway, so cancelled it.

I bought the H&M items with £5 off and 25% off codes. I bought the t-shirts in a S, instead of an XS, because I wanted them to be very loose fitting. I'm going to tuck them into my high waisted jeans. How cute are the zebra socks?!

New Look's jeans are currently discounted, so I bought another pair of my favourite ones. I now have three pairs. The buttons are more brassy on this pair, but I don't mind. I also couldn't resist adding some socks to my basket. Animals on socks are my weakness, I tell you.

I also ordered from Superdrug this month. The hot cloth cleanser was half price at just £2.99, and I really wanted the nail polish. There was also free delivery, which sealed the deal for me.

From Avon, I ordered three room and linen sprays for £4, and the umbrella for £8 because I needed a new one. Excuse my messy bed in the background! But how cute is it? I love it.

I've also bought some homeware bits, some H&M sprays and a couple Primark throws, but I've already blogged about them.

I've been naughty, I know, but... but... I have no justifications *hangs head in shame*

Shopping!

This is my 6th haul this month! You can see why I'm going on a spending ban in February. To be fair, there's been a lot of sales this month, and it was my birthday. So, here's my most recent purchases! I'll start with the duvet set. I bought a similar one at the end of December and love it so much. Like that one, this was also in the sale, and then I had a 25% off code on top of that. I ended up paying £27 instead of £45. £27 is still more than I normally spend on a duvet set, but I loveee it. The squares on this one are all different sizes, and the patterns are different. The reverse is equally as beautiful.

Next is the purple, pink and orange floral fleece throw from Primark, which was only £6. It's so pretty! I can have up to 5 cats and a dog on my bed, so need a throw to keep my duvet covers clean.

I then bought a couple pairs of Super Cosy tights for £3.50 each. I love Primark tights, but I've never tried their Super Cosy ones, which are always raved about. They feel so nice, so I can't wait to wear them. I also bought some pig socks for £2. I love my novelty socks! In terms of animals on your toes, I now have pigs, cows, sheep, foxes and bumble bees.

I then bought a bra from New Look for £11.99. I fell in love with it straight away. The camera doesn't pick it up, but it's blue with purple lace, so it looks almost duo chrome. I also have this style of bra in green and yellow, and really like them.

When cleansing my face, I either use my fingers or a pair of exfoliating gloves. I didn't have anything in between. So, I bought the Botanics Facial Brush from Boots for £6. It feels soft for a facial brush, which is just what I wanted. I used to have a small one from The Body Shop, but it was far too rough for everyday use.

Finally, I bought a bottle of Original Source Spearmint shower gel for £1 from Savers. Original Source has gone up in price in a lot of shops, so I'm glad it's still a pound in Savers. I have about 10 bottles of shower gel stocked up in my drawer, so I shouldn't have bought this, but it smells so nice! I love the scent of spearmint. Some mint scents can be overwhelming, but this is perfect.

That's it. No more shopping for me for a month! I do have an MUA order on its way though which I placed last week, so look out for that. I also have a birthday present post coming up and a few reviews!

Christmas Sale Purchases and More

I went shopping today! I felt like I hadn't been in ages, but it was probably just a few weeks. It was so quiet it town, considering the Christmas sales started yesterday. In fact, it was quieter than it normally is throughout the year! There was no one in Lush and there were no queues in Primark - Shocker! I'm always quite level headed when it comes to shopping, and the Christmas sales are no different. I feel so guilty at the thought of wasting money (so I try to justify everything haha). Quite a few of the items you see below are for birthdays, Mother's Day, even next Christmas! Here we go...

 

Of course Lush was on the agenda. They didn't have any of the Christmas bath bombs though, so I'm not sure what's going on there. They had loads of everything else. Anyway, I bought my first bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel for £3.12 (the prices I'm giving are after the 50% discount), 2 Magic Wand bubble bars which were around £2.50 each (these are for birthdays!), a Rocket bubble bar for £2.50ish (which smells like Parma Violets! I wish I bought another one now), a Santa's Sack bubble bar for £2.09ish and a 200g chunk of Mr Punch soap for £3.75. Once I got home, the Mr Punch soap smelt different to me, so I'm going to try and swap or sell it. 

I then went to The Body Shop. I think this was the first time I've bought stuff in store. I normally buy online because of all the amazing discount codes. I was buying my mum a bottle of the Vineyard Peach shower gel, which was half price at £2, and once I smelt it, I had to buy a bottle for myself. It smells delicious! The Ice Blue shampoo, Cranberry shower gel and Cranberry hand cream were also down to £2 and I bought them for my dad for his birthday. The Cranberry products... oh my. They smell good enough to eat. I may have to keep them!

 

I'm always underwhelmed by Boots' Christmas sale. I know people love it for the Soap & Glory products, but I've never tried or been interested in them. I do love Boots Extracts though, and thought this mango gift set was a bargain at just £5. One Christmas present for 2013 down ;)

 

I can't go shopping without visiting Primark. These two items were not in the sale, but they were cheap anyway. The large cosmetics bag was £4 and the slippers were £3. I also bought a pair of ugly moccasin slippers because I knew they were going to be super comfy. They also have a rubber sole, meaning they won't get disgustingly dirty on the bottom!

 

I spent a small fortune in H&M. I don't regret it though because they're items I always wear. The pink, mint green and yellow garments are cardigans and were £9.99 each. I think I have every colour of their cardigans now! The lilac garment is a lightweight jumper and was £14.99, which is pricey for what it is, but I bought it in the heat of the moment! The teal and black tops are scoop necked and long sleeved, and cost £7.99 each. Again, I have a variety of colours of these and wear them most days. The quality of them is amazing and they last so well.

 

After my sister and I got back from town, our dad informed us that he was going to Tesco. I couldn't pass up a trip to Tesco. I found these boots for just £15, and they weren't even in the sale. I love them. I really hope they last. My other boots from Tesco didn't last very long, but that's because the soles weren't durable. These soles are rubber and chunky, so finger's crossed!

 

I've also bought a couple things from the online sales, and they're all things I've had my eye on for months. The coat is from New Look and was £35 down from £55. I wanted a more formal coat, so I'm hoping this is nice enough to keep. From Superdrug, I bought the Remington Pearl hair dryer, which was £24.99 down from £38. I rarely blow dry my hair, but I do blow dry my dogs after I've bathed them, and a hair dryer is always useful to have. The one I currently use is really old and I'm always scared it's going to explode because it has sparked a couple of times! I chose the Remington Pearl one because I have the Remington Pearl straighteners and the Remington Pearl conical wand, and love them both. To receive free delivery, you needed to spend over £25, so I added a little chocolate truffle to my basket which cost 29p haha

This bedding was the first thing I bought in the sales. It's from BHS and cost £22.50, down from £45. It's not to everyone's taste and I'll admit that it's quite garish and in your face, but I'm drawn to it! I was looking at it months before the sales, so I think it was meant to be. If the design gets too much for me, I can flip it over and have a simple, floral pattern :) I also found a £5 off code which worked on sale items. To redeem it, you had to spend at least £25, so I also bought a mug.

I would love to see what you've bought in the sales, so link me up!

New Look Christmas Party Competition

Here is my entry for the New Look Christmas Party Competition! I would say I have a slim hourglass body shape, and because of this, I feel like most dress styles suit me. I could have chosen an in-your-face dazzling dress, but I wanted to choose something that I would buy and wear myself, and feel comfortable in. I think this dress (which you can buy here) suits my style the best. The colour is festive and would contrast against my auburn hair well. The belt would also emphasis my waist, showing off the curves I have. I then chose these shoes to dress the outfit up. They're sparkly and black, so can be worn with anything! I chose the bag because the studs contrast against the feminine lace on the dress. Also, because it's black, like the belt and shoes, it ties the whole outfit together. I then thought the pearl stacked gold cuff was pretty and would go well with the other snippets of gold in the outfit.

Miscellaneous Buys (Bedding, beauty, books, socks and more)

This post was meant to be up hours ago, but Blogger informed me that I used all of my photo space up and had to buy more. Loads of bloggers have also received the same message. I think it's such a scam. Blogger/Google know that photos are essential to us, so they want to charge us. I've just switched to Photobucket, and these photos are the test to see if it works. Hopefully, you can see them!

Anyway, over the last month or so, I've been buying all sorts of things. I can't remember everything I've bought though - Below is just the majority of it!

Double duvet set - eBay - £14.95, Duck egg waffle fleece bed throw - BHS - Originally £20

You all know I love my bedding! I have the pink and orange version of the duvet set above and absolutely love it, so wanted to get it in the duck egg blue colour scheme. If you like the look of it, you can buy it here. It also goes well with my new bed throw. The throw ended up costing £14, including delivery, because I used a combination of discount codes. The only problem is, is that I don't want my cats getting it dirty because it's too pretty, but the whole point of having it on my bed is to protect my duvet covers.

Burt's Bees tinted lip balm in Pink Blossom - Super Smoocher - Originally £5.99, Vaseline Rosy Lips tinted lip balm - Superdrug - £2.05, Glow in the dark nail polishes in 13 and 14 - eBay - 99p each

I repurchased Vaseline Rosy Lips because it's probably my most used lip product. Because I love it so much, I wanted to try out another tinted lip balm, so bought the Burt's Bees one. I like it, but not as much as the Vaseline one. The nail polishes are really pretty, and are more opaque than I thought they would be! They have a decent glow to them in the dark too. You can buy them, and a load of other colours, here.

The Scorch Trials - Amazon - £2.80, The Death Cure - Amazon - £2.78, The Fury - Amazon - £5.27

I finished reading The Maze Runner the other day, and quite enjoyed it, so wanted to read the next two books in the trilogy. I also popped The Fury into my basket because it sounded interesting. I said I wouldn't buy any more books for a while because I have assignments to do, but I just couldn't resist!

Sony ICD-PX312 digital voice recorder - Amazon - £33.62, 4GB memory card - eBay - £3.35, 20 Duracell AAA batteries - eBay - £4.29, 12 Duracell AA batteries - eBay - £3.99

The items above are not what you normally see on beauty blogs, but I thought I'd show them because they're useful! The recorder is for my assignments and I'm impressed by it so far. You can buy the memory card here, the Duracell AAA batteries here, and the Duracell AA batteries here.

Marshmallow Fluff 454g - Fizzy Lips (A shop near where I live) - £4.50

After finishing my 200g tub, I wanted the large one. It's certainly large! I can see it lasting ages. It is expensive for a sweet treat, but I treated myself to it because I presented my presentation on Monday.

Deer socks - New Look - £1.99, Bumblebee socks - Accessorize - £3.50, Fox socks - Accessorize - £3.50, Fox phone sock - Accessorize - £4

I love the items above! As well as protecting my phone when in my bag, the fox phone sock will also protect my dictaphone when I need to record data for my assignments.

Briefs and shorts packs - Primark - £2.50-£3 each, Navy patterned underwear - Primark - £1, Grey and lace underwear - Primark - £1.70, Various packs of socks - Primark - £2.50 each

I went a little crazy with underwear and socks today! Underwear and socks are worn every day though, so at least they'll all be used.

Christmas print pyjama bottoms - Primark - £5, Sea green t-shirt - Primark - £3, 100 denier microfibre tights - Primark - £3, Navy plimsolls - Primark - £3 each

I bought two pairs of the plimsolls because they finally had my size in stock! Whenever I'm in need of them, size 7s are out of stock for months.

Owl t-shirt - New Look - £7.99, Dark red knitted snood - New Look - £7.99, Navy striped shorts - New Look - £2.99, Scotty dog briefs - New Look - £2.99

A few weeks ago, I also bought the items above, but they're currently in the wash, so couldn't take photos of them!

And that's the end of my varied haul! Enjoy your evening :)

Autumn Dolly Shoes

Hello! Just a quick post from me this evening to show you my new dolly shoes. They're from New Look and are normally £15.99, but there's currently £5 off selected shoes, so I paid £10.99 (Actually, I paid even less because of my student discount). I've been looking for some more dark red/burgundy/berry shoes because they go with most of my outfits (I love wearing navy and this shade goes well with it). It's currently raining and hailing, and tomorrow's weather doesn't look like it's going to be any drier, so I can't wear them just yet. Hopefully, I'll be able to at some point this week!

Latest Buys (ASOS, Illustrated People, Cath Kidston, H&M and more)

I've had these photos on my camera for a couple of weeks now and I fancied blogging tonight, so here we are!

ASOS: Cath Kidston purse £8 in the sale, Models Own Luis Lemon nail polish £5, Barry M Blink eyeliner £4.59

I had a 25% off code, so the above items were a fair bit cheaper than the prices I've given. 

I bought the purse because I didn't want to lug my huge one around if I was only going to the shops or something. It turns out that everything from my old purse fits in this one, so this is now my full time purse! On the back, it has a clear slip and I'm using it to display one of my favourite photos from my childhood.

The Models Own nail polish is quite sheer, so I think it'll work best with a white base coat. I'm excited to use it though because it's such a fun, bright colour!

I have yet to use the new Barry M eyeliner, but I can't wait to. From a swatch I did on my hand, I can tell you that it's pigmented, but I'm not sure how waterproof it is. It's definitely not as long lasting as my Collection 2000 one.

ASOS: Illustrated People owl jumper £20 in the sale

This was originally £35, but it was in the sale and my 25% discount code worked on it, so I ended up paying £15! It looks great on and I'll definitely be buying some more in the future.

New Look: Vest tops £2.49 each

I included some New Look vests in a previous haul, but they were a little big, so I gave them to my mum. These are a smaller size and fit perfectly, so I'm happy :)

H&M: Parka coat £39.99

I finally have a Winter coat! I've been looking for a coat for months. I wanted a parka, and there are some on the highstreet, but none of them cut it for me. I saw this and it was love at first sight. Yay!