A Very Much Needed Haul!

I’m meant to be saving money, but for some reason towards the end of my second semester of uni I suddenly felt the urge to buy myself some things. Things that whilst I can afford, I shouldn’t really buy. However a majority of these items were in the sale, so it wasn’t too bad! Plus a couple of things were free and one was a gift, but I’ll go into detail about this.

I’ll talk about each item in order of when I bought them.

Towards the end of April me and my boyfriend decided to treat ourselves to a new game for our 2Ds’s and that game was the latest Pokemon, Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire. Since then we’ve played them loads, but my boyfriend has already completed his! I’ve been too busy with my uni work to play but when I’ve handed my last assignment in Thursday, I’ll be able to complete the story!

I’d read a review recently about Makeup Revolution’s new Iconic Pro lipsticks and whilst I didn’t need anymore (or any new ones for that matter) the two I had spied were dupes of MAC Heroine and possibly Violetta, two lipsticks I have had my eye on for quite some time. So, for £2.49 each I thought, what the hell! I ordered Liberty in both the matte finish and the standard finish, which looks creamy, yet glossy. These are gorgeous lipsticks and since buying them I’ve worn them  nearly everyday. I’ll definitely have to review these in the future as not only are they MAC dupes, but the packaging also reminds me of MAC too. Really can’t go wrong for the price. The only thing I disliked was how much the postage was, and what made it worse was how long it took them to arrive! Not very pleased about it, but they’re here now and were definitely worth the wait!

This was intended to be the only treats I was going to buy myself this month, but alas after ordered those lipsticks, I couldn’t stop.

I use Love Sales to tell me when products I want to buy go into the sale. The second said item goes down in price I get an email about it. This happened a lot that same day due to New Look having a sale. I’ve seen a lot of items I wanted from there, so alas those items were put on sale. A lot of items I wanted weren’t available in my size, but the ones I picked up were.

I picked up this crop top, which I’ve been wanting for ages! It was listed under New Look’s 70’s trend, which I’ve really been liking this spring so far. I’ve wanted some more crop tops for a while as whilst I don’t like my tummy, my waist is pretty awesome! I can wear something high-waisted (probably black shorts, jeans, disco pants, or a skirt) and it’ll look awesome all year around. When I tried this on it felt a little tight, but I think this is how it’s meant to be. It makes my boobs look awesome too, so I’m glad I picked this up! It was originally £7.99, down to £4.00, bargain! I’m really pleased I picked this up. It’s going to be the start of me getting more body confident again. Although this being said, I haven’t yet found anything high-waisted that I like the look of. I’ll have to keep looking.

I’ve wanted this dress for months and looked in every store imaginable to try and track it down to try on and buy. I looked in two Coventry stores, three Birmingham stores, Milton Keynes, Cheltenham, and Leicester, and no one could help me! They all told me to order it online. But I left it, I don’t tend to like ordering clothes online… However when this popped up in the sale, I couldn’t resist. At the time of ordering there was only one size left, which is one-two sizes too big for me, but I could get it taken in and it would be okay. And to be honest, with how self-conscious I am about my weight lately I thought, “You’ll probably fit into it anyway… You’re getting fat.” However, when it arrived and I tried it on, it turns out it was too big for me! Deep down I was so damn happy! But the story doesn’t even here about that dress. The next day I had a look online to see if they had any of my sizes left, which they did! So my boyfriend was nice enough to order it for me and so, when that dress arrived and fit okay, I took the one I ordered back to the store. Happy days! I’m so pleased I finally got this dress and at a bargain too, it was originally £22.99, down to £10. TEN WHOLE POUNDS! So pleased! I already know how I want to wear this and will wear it all year around. I wore it to a party recently and I loved it. I had nothing but compliments and it really did make me feel like a blast from the past with its 60’s/70’s look to it.

Both of these items were spoken about on one of my wish list Wednesday’s posts, which you can check out here.

Something else I decided to pick up from New Look were these cute little poodle socks. I’m a sucker for anything with a poodle on it and of course I just had to get these. You can never have enough pairs of socks, especially me! These were originally £1.99, down to £1.00. Can’t complain for that money.

Without flash

With flash

Out of pure boredom on my day off from work I had a look at Topshop’s sale to see if I could spy anything nice for a bargain and I came across these shoes. I have had my eyes on a pair of Vagabond sandals for nearly a year now and I still don’t own them. Why? Because they’re just too damn expensive! Like the New Look items I had them on Love Sales and waited patiently for them to drop in the sale, but they didn’t drop to as much as I hoped they would. However, on the Topshop sale they had some shoes somewhat similar to the Vagabond ones. I wasn’t sure whether to order them… So I waited until my boyfriend was home from work and asked for a second opinion. He agreed on the reasons why I wanted them and so I ordered. Instead of paying £3.00 to have the delivered home, I decided to opt for free delivery to my nearest store. The sales assistants were lovely in store and I tried them on there and then. They fit me lovely and I was so excited to take them home! These were the best bargain out of the lot at a cheap £15.00 down from £40.00! They’re not real leather, but I’m not fussed about that. These will go with loads of things over the spring and summer months, hell even the warmer autumn days! I’ll probably team these up with the crop top, as well as the dress. I’ve already worn them with the dress and they looked awesome! When I first tried these on they did seem a hell of a lot higher than I thought they would be, but they’re really easy to walk in and very comfortable. I can’t wait to wear these more throughout the summer.

L-R: Soap & Glory Sugar Crush Body Scrub, Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, and Garnier Pure Active 3-in-1 Wash Scrub & Mask

I needed to pick myself up some bits and pieces from Boots, these being a face and body scrub. So I took advantage to Boots 3 for 2 offer and decided to treat myself to Soap & Glory’s Sugar Crush Body Scrub and although I haven’t tried it yet on my body, I have tried it on the back of my hand and it feels gorgeous and smells delicious! I love the Sugar Crush line and it smells delicious, just like key lime pie! I’ve owned the shower gel in the past and was tempted to pick it up for this offer, but left it this time. This cost me £8.00.

Instead I picked up Soap & Glory Whipped Clean Shower Butter, which I have had my eye on to try for quite some time. What really encouraged me to buy it is the fact it smells JUST LIKE pistachio ice cream, which I adore. This shares the same scent as Smoothie Star Body Milk, and I can only imagine it does with the Smoothie Star Body Buttercream, and the Smoothie Star Breakfast Scrub. I tried this out the day after I bought it and it’s really nice to use! I imagine it’s like the Nivea in shower moisturiser as it did leave me feeling moisturised for a while, but my skin soon went dry in patches. This being said, my skin is very dry. I’ll be test driving this out more throughout June! This cost me £7.00

The item I picked up for free was what I settled on as my new face scrub, this being Garnier’s Pure 3-in-1 Wash Scrub & Mask. I’ve heard nothing but good about this and have wanted to try it for a while, but never did. However I thought what the hell this time and also gave this a go as a scrub the day after I bought it too and it really did feel nice to use! I of course haven’t noticed much change yet, but it didn’t dry my skin out which I liked. I can’t wait to try this as a mask as I really want to start using face masks again. This was on sale at the time of purchase for just over £3.00 but it’s now priced on the website as £5.99.

L-R: Ocean Salt, Ultrabland, and Let The Good Times Roll

Whilst I was out shopping with my boyfriend and before I picked up my items from Boots I ventured into Lush to check out their face and body scrubs, as I contemplated buying one from them. I had Ocean Salt and Rub Rub Rub in mind. The woman who served me was lovely and very chatty about Lush products. She also let me try out loads of products which was nice! However some of the things she was telling me about products I know from my personal research in the past were incorrect and I was somewhat confused about that. But I know she meant well and was speaking more from her own experience, as opposed to what they’re taught about the products. She was so lovely though that she gave me enough samples to last me for quite a few weeks. I nearly picked up Rub Rub Rub or You Snap The Whip, but I left it as to be honest, Lush is expensive and in my mind is something you only pick up as a treat.

The samples she gave me are Ocean Salt, Ultrabland, and Let The Good Times Roll. I’m really excited to try Ocean salt and Let The Good Times Roll, not so much for Ultrabland though. I tried this out in store and it felt so greasy on the back of my hand. This isn’t something I want to feel on my face… But I’ll still give it a go!

My family recently came back from a holiday and were lovely enough to bring me back this set of OPI Nail Lacquers with some of the Hawaii Collection inside. I’ve painted my nails and toes with some of the shades already and they’re gorgeous! I’m so grateful for the thought behind these and I know I’ll be rocking them throughout the summer! I’ll definitely be reviewing these soon.

I’m so pleased with my purchases and I’m really happy I treated myself to a few goodies. I’ve just about finished my second semester of university and I won’t lie when I say I feel like a weight has been lifted… Somewhat. I need to wait to see how I did first before the weight is fully gone. But for now I am due to start working on my dissertation, which will be a lot of work, but not as much as before.

This means more blog posts! I’ve really missed writing for my blog, so I’m glad to be back.

Have you been buying anything in the sales? Drop a comment and let me know!

Until next time all, take care and I’ll see you soon.

February Wish List

I’m going to be honest and say that I’m trying to save money at the moment as my holiday wasn’t the cheapest in the world and I want to try and get my savings back as soon as I can! This being said I’m probably going to buy crap I don’t need now I’ve been paid… In fact it’s the weekend now so as this is live on my blog, I’ve probably already spent some of my money. Oh dear.

So this is basically a list of things I want and will possibly buy if I want a treat.

  • Lush Prince Charming Shower Gel.

The new Valentine’s Day range is now out at Lush and sadly it’s only there now until Saturday and then it’ll be gone for another year. I’ve already picked this shower gel up but it was definitely on my wish list before I did. This is a gorgeous pink shower gel that smells of fresh pomegranate and grapefruit and of warm vanilla and marshmallow. What more do you want from a shower gel, eh? This also keeps the skin lovely and clean, as well as smelling sweet and feeling soft. Perfect for Valentine’s Day as a treat for yourself, or for someone else. I never liked the smell of this shower gel last year and I thought the hype for it was daft. Personally I still don’t see why it’s so hyped but it does smell nice. I’m going to see if I’ll pick up another bottle, or even a larger bottle as whilst it is nice, it isn’t THAT nice and Lush have brought out better smelling shower gels. Even so if you want to try this, pick up on of their smaller bottles. It’s well worth the money!

  • Pokemon Center Eevee Mobile Phone Ear Jack Strap.

As regular readers will know, I love Pokemon and I especially love Eevee and the Eeveelutions. I would love a cute dangly accessory for my phone as if you know me, I’m always on my phone. Whether I’m texting, doing stuff relating to my blog, Twitter, etc. I’ll be on my phone! So why not having something cute dangling from it eh? You can get these sent to the UK pretty cheap, as Pokemon Center’s are mainly located in Japan. If I buy this it’ll only be as a cheer me up treat as it won’t be cheap to get this over to me (over £10) and I’m trying to watch my money at the moment. Definitely worth the splurge though, I love Pokemon!

  • Logitech Bluetooth Multi-Device Keyboard K480.

I noticed this whilst I was away on holiday in an electrical shop and briefly had a look at it. Since then I’ve read a couple of reviews on blogs about it and I REALLY want it for my iPad. It would mean no more needing my laptop all the time, I could actually use this keyboard to do my uni work, blog posts, whatever I wanted! It isn’t cheap at £50, but it would be totally worth it! You can also use this with your phone too, which I think is pretty good. You can get this in black or white, I rather like the black with the yellow on it. The keyboard does remind me of a typewriters keyboard which I think is pretty nifty!

  • Eeveelutions Charm Bracelet.

I’ve only recently started to look on Etsy as my friend Gabriella uses it and I really have found some lovely little bits and pieces on there that I want. It’s mostly Eeveelution items but that’s because it can be hard to pick things up like this over in the UK. Unless you ship them in any way. I don’t really need a new bracelet as I have my two Pandora ones, but I think that this looks too cute to resist! I probably wouldn’t even use the bracelet that much, I guess I would want the charms to pop on a keyring and keep that on my keys. I just think these look incredibly cute and who could resist?

  • Pokemon Alpha Sapphire for 3DS.

Since this came out before Christmas, I’ve been lusting after it and I nearly bought the Spanish version whilst I was on holiday, but ending up leaving it. Alas I’ve now started to play Pokemon X again and getting ready to try and complete the Pokedex on it. As soon as I do that, I’ll be treating myself to this version. I never played the original Ruby and Sapphire, so it would be nice to play and see what the story is all about.

  • Lush Unicorn Horn Bubble Bar.

Another Lush product I’ve actually bought since putting this wish list together, but I haven’t yet used it. It looks so beautiful and it’s definitely one of my favourite Valentine’s Day products to come out from Lush since the Ex Factor Bath Bomb (back from 2010!) so in five years I’ve been waiting for something good to come out, and finally I have it! Unicorn Horn looks so pretty, various different colours, a bit of shimmer and some candy stars. Can’t go wrong with that, eh? As well as that it also smells faintly of lavender, which I really like. It’ll be nice to use in the evenings to wind down before bed. I’m going to try and pick some more of these up before they go away after Saturday as I can see me loving these for after university.

  • MAC Viva Glam Miley Cyrus Lipstick and Lipglass.

In October MAC and Miley Cyrus announced their collaboration and the beauty world went mental! Including myself, and as soon as swatches came out of the new lipstick and glass, I knew I wanted to be one of the first to see. Both the lipstick and the glass are hot pink and gorgeous for when summer comes around. I love hot pink shades and own a couple already, but as these would be going to a good cause, I wouldn’t mind getting some “dupes”. The swatches of these are amazing and I can’t wait for them to come out in store so I can swatch it for myself. I don’t know if I’ll buy the lipstick, the gloss, or even both! The gloss would make a nice change, but I couldn’t see myself using it all that much. I will have to wait and see what I think. But with the collaboration I think it’ll work out really nicely! I can imagine Miley’s second shade being red.

So that was my wish list for this month! What’s on your wish list for February? Let me know in the comments down below.

Sorry for this post being late, but better late than never eh?

Until next time, take care all!

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November Wish List

It’s November… Really? This is probably the quickest year I have so far seen and it’s really quite scary. It only felt like yesterday when my boyfriend and I were starting to get ready to celebrate our first Christmas together and now Christmas is next month. Scary or what?

I doubt very much I will be buying much this month as I really do need to save my money for Christmas and also for things I ACTUALLY need. If I buy anything for myself it’ll be more so as a “Ooo I have spare cash, TREAT TIME.” which we all do, don’t try and deny it ladies (and gents!).

In all fairness Christmas IS just around the corner and if I end up buying things it won’t give my boyfriend and family any ideas on what to buy me.

So here is a wish list of things I MIGHT (but probably won’t) buy.

  • Crowded Teeth Fox Coin Purse.

My holiday is due soon and I really want to make sure I get everything ready for it as soon as I can, this is including some clothing as well as other bits and bobs. I have the wallet to match this purse and I’d really like this purse to take with me on my holiday. I don’t particularly want to take my big wallet with my on holiday as it’s full of store cards I can’t really use abroad. However with a nice little coin purse I can use it for my euro coins and notes, as well as a few cards. This is currently in the sale and if it’s still available after Christmas I’ll definitely pick it up! I nearly bought the shoulder/tote bag to match this design but I left it… I would have bought it but I didn’t like the design, sadly.

  • Iron Fist Rotten Smile Oversized Raglan T-Shirt.

I’m a huge fan of Iron Fist and have been ever since they brought the brand over to the UK about 10 years ago. Their clothing is perfect for someone alternative like me and are great quality for great prices. They currently have a huge sale on their website, as well as some new pieces, including this one. I’ve been after some new oversized t-shirts for a while now, especially for university as I like to be comfortable and this just looks so snug! I really do like the print on the front too, as it does really look rotten with the cartoons smile! It’s just a nice spin on the smiley face. I would of course take this on holiday to wear in the evenings with shirts or over a bikini.

  • The Body Shop Glazed Apple Hand Cream.

I LOVE hand creams at this time of year and due to my eczema they’re also a life saver. I have 3 L’Occitane hand creams to keep me going throughout winter, but I like to have some lighter formula hand creams to carry around with me in my bag. I love The Body Shop’s hand creams for this and my current favourites are their latest Coconut and Strawberry ones. For Christmas they have brought out a new collection, Glazed Apple and from what I have heard, it smells delicious! I already want the majority of the collection but I really have my eyes set on the hand cream. To have my hands smelling like apple Hubba Bubba is a dream come true and the sooner I get my hands on this, the softer and better smelling they’ll be!

  • Pokemon Alpha Sapphire.

I’m a massive nerd, always have been and like most nerds, I love Pokemon and have done ever since Pokemon Red and Blue came out. I never bought the original Ruby and Sapphire games on the Game Boy Advance and I’m quite sad that I missed that era, but I was just too in love with the originals to buy any of the Advance games. However now The Pokemon Company have re-released the games out on the 3DS, which I own and love! So I will be getting my hands on this game possibly the day it comes out in November… But I’m not 100% sure I will or not, as Christmas is coming and if someone wishes to buy me that game, then so be it. BUT I can’t wait to play it! I played a demo a few weekends ago and it was really fun to play.

  • Oasis Strawberry Playsuit.

I have been eying up this playsuit for quite a while now and I remember being out with my friend Poppy when I saw it. “Get it!” she told me, but I told her I would wait for it to be in the sale, as at nearly £50 that was a lot of money for me. Now it’s less than £20 in the sale AND in my size! So I’ve actually already ordered this, but alas it can still be on my wish list. This is a gorgeous playsuit and very lively with the red strawberries all over it. I love playsuits and have been looking for some to replace the standard skirt/shorts and t-shirt. ALSO because I want to wear them on holiday as it’s just so easy to throw a playsuit on for the daytime and evening. I can’t wait to wear this out one weekend too with a cardigan, a massive coat, thick tights and boots.

  • Iron Fist Ship Wrecker Bikini Set.

Another piece I want for my holiday! I have two swimming costumes ready for my holiday, but as of yet not a bikini set, and I know I’ll need one for when I want to tan and have lazy days lying in the sun. I wanted to go for a nice bikini that resembles me and I really do think this one does that perfectly! As well as that it’s Iron Fist (who I’ve already stated I love) and it’s in the sale, so I can’t really go wrong with this one. The bikini top would look amazing under a sheer t-shirt, or even teamed up with a pair of denim shorts.

  • The Lacquer Lab Limited Edition (For Halloween) Polish in Teen Witch.

This nail polish is beautiful, and stunning, and all words that mean good! It’s very Halloweeny and whilst a lot of people would buy this, wear it on Halloween and never again, I would wear it all the time! I’ve just never seen anything like this before, and I doubt anything like this will be brought out anytime soon. I can see me buying this for myself as a treat as this month gone hasn’t exactly been stressful but the past couple of weeks I’ve felt a tad run down and crappy. Brit Nails has done a review for this polish over on her blog, which you can check out here.

So, that’s my wish list for this month! I can’t see me buying much off of it due to Christmas coming up, but I really do want the nail polish as it’s just so gorgeous… Watch this space!

What are you lusting after this month? Make sure to  let me know in the comments!

Until next time, take care all and see you soon.

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