ClaireDecember 16, 2013

December Fashion Haul: Glamorous, Abandon Ship & Primark

Hey 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.

Cropped 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.

Cigarette 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.

Fur 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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ClaireNovember 12, 2013

November Make-Up Haul: MUA

Hello one and all! So the other day I decided that I really needed to replace my eyebrow brush that had gone walkabouts, and then the next thing you know all of this had jumped into my online basket. Weird how that happens isn’t it? In my defence though, two of the items were Lauren’s. And even further in my defence – it’s MUA, the cheapest brand possibly ever.

It was my first time ordering from the MUA website, and I was happy with the layout of the site and the delivery time (around 3 days after ordering). Here’s a little rundown of what we picked up:

E2 Eyeshadow Contour Brush / E7 Eyebrow Brush / L1 Lip Brush

I’ve heard some quite good things about MUA brushes so was intrigued to give them a try – and at the ridiculously cheap prices, it was too easy to add a couple more in on top of the brow brush that I wanted. The E7 and L1 were both just £1.50, while the E2 contour brush was £1.95. I’ve used both of the eye brushes this morning and on first impressions, they seem pretty good! Not the softest brushes in the world, but they seem firm and sturdy enough to last. The lip brush, though I haven’t tried it yet, is retractable, so will be SUPER useful for my handbag.

Matte Perfect Loose Translucent Powder / Matte Perfect Shine Control Foundation

I eventually begrudgingly had to admit that my previous MUA powder, which I praised highly in my £1 MUA post, actually wasn’t doing the job properly. I’ve always said that I don’t care about powder and they all do the same job, but I did begin to notice that the MUA pressed powder barely lasted at all on my skin and I was having to powder my nose so much more throughout the day. Either my nose had suddenly got extra oily, or the powder was simply a bit wubbish – and considering it cost a quid, I was forced to lean in the direction of MUA blame. So I decided to crank my budget up to the ludicrously high £2.30 and try out the loose powder from the new Matte Perfect range. I’ve only used this for the first time this morning, but will report back on how controlling this promised ‘shine control’ really is.

Lauren also decided to purchase the foundation from the range out of the morbid curiosity of it being only £2. Yes: £2. They only have 2 shades available at the moment: Fair, and the somewhat weirdly named Almond. Lauren opted for Fair, and I eagerly await her opinions on this cheap little product.

Pro-Brow Eyebrow Kit

As we all know, Lauren is a girl who likes an eyebrow. Or two, usually two. After finishing her beloved Sleek brow kit, she’s been using, in her own words, ‘a weird array of pencils and foolish things’ and so decided to give this eyebrow kit a whirl. For £3.50, who can blame her? It contains three shades of powder and a fixing gel, plus a handy little pair of tweezers and a mirror in the compact. She’ll be reviewing this soon so wait til then to cast your eyes on the product in all its glory.

Out There Plumping Lip Gloss in ‘Candy Pink’

I know it’s very 2007 of me, but I still find that a good pink lip gloss is my ultimate go-to everyday lip product. I decided to try this plumping lip gloss from MUA in the shade ‘Candy Pink’ for just £2.

I’m a big fan of the colour, and the pigmentation is quite nice too. In terms of lasting time, don’t expect much – I find that I re-apply this quite frequently throughout the day, though that’s usually the case with cheap glosses. The ‘plumping’ aspect of the gloss can be felt when you apply it, as for a few minutes you’re left with a tingly feeling on your lips. Does it visibly plump them though? Of course it doesn’t. I have yet to find a plumping lip product that delivers on that promise. Overall though, as an everyday lip gloss this gets the job done fine and I’m sure I’ll find myself reaching for it most days.

What do you think of this mini MUA makeup haul? Have you tried any of these products?

ClaireOctober 9, 2013

Beauty Haul: 23rd Birthday Box!

Ladies, 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?

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?

ClaireOctober 6, 2013

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

Hi 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.

Marc 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.

Leopard 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.

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

Viva 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!

Game of Thrones figurine: ’nuff said

Makeup: 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.

Brogues 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!

ClaireSeptember 27, 2013

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

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!

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.

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!

Claire

Kimono | 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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ClaireSeptember 7, 2013

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.

Tangle 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.

‘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!

PU 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.

Sleep 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.

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.

Lace 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.

Makeup 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.

La 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?

ClaireAugust 24, 2013

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.

Camis – 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.

Leather 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.

Kimono – £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.

Frilly 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

Cut-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.

ClaireAugust 13, 2013

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.

I’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.

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!

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?

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.

New 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?

ClaireJuly 27, 2013

July Haul: Missguided, Primark, ASOS & More…

Forgive me father, for I have shopped.

As it was payday this week, and as I was left on my own today while Lauren swanned off on her holiday with her family (erm, did she miss the part of our housemate contract where it said she wasn’t allowed to go away without me in her suitcase?), I decided to pop into town for the ever mysterious ‘one or two bits’. Of course this always accidentally turns into six or seven bits – but I can’t help that I have ~~a heavy flow and a wide-set vagina~~ no willpower.

I’ve also had a few things delivered the last couple of days, oops…

ASOS Petite Pencil Skirt £15 (SALE) / Missguided Split Maxi Skirt £5.99

This ASOS skirt is my favourite thing that I’ve bought in quite a while. I’m going to Sheffield next weekend for my friend’s birthday and had originally ordered the white bardot dress from Missguided’s value range for that. However, when it turned up with the rest of my Missguided goodies, I wasn’t in love with it and so this skirt was swiftly ordered in its place. The colours, the print, the fit… it simply makes my soul happy. The maxi skirt from Missguided was thankfully not a disappointment like the dress was. I LOVE this skirt and am actually wearing it today (god help any neighbours who would have been walking by at the point where I whipped it off to take these photos). The slit comes to about halfway down the thigh so it’s just about daytime-acceptable.

Missguided Acid Green Skater Skirt £5.99 / Missguided Crop T-Shirt £3.50

Don’t worry, I will iron these before wearing them…

Primark Playsuit £8 / Playsuit Leopard Boyfriend Tee £5

When I went into town I popped into Primark to look at the shoes, and ended up coming away with these. This playsuit was one of those things that you almost don’t want to buy in Primark because it seemed as if literally everyone was snapping one up, but it was simply too pretty to leave without. I also picked up this t-shirt on a bit of a whim. I love leopard print but actually don’t tend to wear it very much (blonde extensions, fake tan and leopard print – it’s even too much for me, and that’s saying something); this print with the leopard faces really caught my eye though. It’s an oversized, boyfriend-fit tee which isn’t my usual thing but I thought it would be good for slouchy days. To be honest I have no real idea at the moment what I’ll wear it with, but I like clothes that also give you a good challenge, like you’re on the Crystal Maze.

Primark Floral Headband – £2.50

Excuse my MASSIVE SHNOZZ but – I’ve finally hopped on the floral crown bandwagon.

Naturally, I ended up picking up a few beauty bits too. My first stop was Poundland, where I found these bendy hair rollers. Next, I swung by Boots and picked up No. 7’s Exceptional Definition mascara to try, after reading some good reviews. Usually I’m loyal to Boots, but I headed to Superdrug too today to investigate the MUA range and instead discovered the Sleek stand. I’ve only seen Sleek online before (probably due to my afore-mentioned Boots loyalty) and so spent ages poring all over their different products before eventually deciding to try their BB cream. With my trip to Sheffield next week in mind, I picked up a new Barry M lipstick in ‘Palest Lavendar’ and of course some new false lashes. I went quite small compared to my usual drag queen-esque lashes, as the lipstick’s quite intense:

And so I came home quite a bit poorer of purse… but richer in mood? That’s a legit justification for spending, right? I’ll be trying and reviewing all of these bits soon and pestering you all with my thoughts on them, YOU LUCKY THINGS.

ClaireJune 29, 2013

June Haul: Primark, Topshop, Motel & eBay

ALOHA, SLUTS. This week, two big events coincided – one, payday; two, A Terrible Week. When these two things meet, a lot of shopping ends up happening, and that is why all of these new clothes are currently sitting in my room. I won’t depress you all with the details of A Terrible Week, but it goes without saying that cocktails and friends have made things significantly better.These new little purchases have helped too….

Printed trousers and midi dress – both Primark

Of course, I had to venture to Primark in my time of need. I’ve been after these trousers for a couple of months now, and finally got round to buying them. I do think that a pair of ridiculous trousers can really brighten not only your day, but the days of everyone around you. These are really comfy and the elasticated waist came in SUPER handy yesterday when I accidentally had a pie and chips for lunch instead of a salad (how does that sort of thing always happen? It’s a mystery).

I also finally picked up one of the Primark midi dresses. As I’ve no doubt whinged about before, being petite means that finding a midi is a challenge and most of the ones I’ve tried on in places like Primark have looked awful. To be honest, this one didn’t look great on in the changing room – despite getting a size 6, the slouchy fit still just looked TOO slouchy and shapeless, and I’m just not sure if they suit little people. So why did I buy it still? That’s a really good question, and I wish I knew the answer. I think I want to try it on with some wedges and a belt and see if it can be salvaged – if not, it is farewell, midi.

I picked up a few other bits from Primark, including a new purse, a belt, some socks and a makeup bag – unfortunately at the time we went to press (ie now) all of these items were strewn around various parts of my house and not available for photographing.

Jeggings – Topshop £22

This might be a really odd thing to say but these are actually my first pair of jeggings. Ever. I’ve never found any before that suited me or that I liked and, to be honest, I thought they were kind of gone now. But I saw these in Topshop and decided to try them on because I liked the pale denim. And IT WAS LOVE. They fit beautifully and are perfect for the summer. So please can nobody ruin my joy by telling me how sooo 2010 they are (even if they are).

Cropped blazer – eBay

I actually already have this blazer in black and in white. I’m usually not a fan of stocking up in this way, but I actually can’t resist with this item. I love blazers but really struggle to find ones that don’t swamp my small frame and make me look about seven feet wide due to unnecessary shoulder pads. These cropped waterfall blazers from a run-of-the-mill eBay shop are actually the perfect length, and come in at around a tenner including p&p – so of course I couldn’t resist adding this minty one to my collection.

Tube skirt: Motel £10

When I spied this bad boy in the sale, I couldn’t say no. It’s described on the website as being ‘a maxi or a midi depending on your height’; on me it is definitely a maxi, but quite an ankle-grazing one, which is quite nice. It’s actually a thick, knitted material which I wasn’t really expecting (because I don’t read descriptions, mainly), but I’m happy with it as I’ll get loads of wear out of it into the winter too.

Dip-dye dress – Topshop via eBay

This shouldn’t really be included in the haul seeing as it’s not a ‘new’ item as such – I actually swooped in and won this on eBay for a victorious £3. It was brand new without tags so quite the bargain.

What do you all think of this haul? Have you bought any of these items lately?