Put A Ring On It!

Evening all.

So I'm pleased to report that I had a really good second week at my new job :-) But I still think that no matter how much you like your job, you still get that Sunday night feeling where the weekend just seems to have flown by and you can't believe it's Monday so soon. Ah, well, it will be Friday again before we know it!

I really want to do another couple of posts like my last one on my old room at home, but because I don't want things to get too boring, I thought I'd mix it up, do this post on accessories, and then do another room post next.

Now I do love a good old bit of costume jewellery. A statement ring here. A funky necklace there.

Over the last few weeks I've added a few new rings to my collection. I only really tend to buy costume jewellery in the sales, as you can get some real bargains. Here are a few of my latest purchases... I can't wait to wear them...

Miss Selfridge - £2

Big. Chunky. Flower. Can't go wrong.

Left: Miss Selfridge £2. Right: Bijou Brigitte (Uxbridge) £5

I bought these two separately but I think they look good together. I bought the Miss Selfridge one because I have so many rings for my middle finger, but none for my ring finger.

Accessorize - £1.80

I'm not really sure about this one, as the diamantes aren't my usual style, but it's still quite pretty and will look nice when I want something a bit more subtle.

Dorothy Perkins - £2

So this one's pretty big and impractical, but it's pretty! I wouldn't wear it on a daily basis but thing it could be a statement piece to add to quite a plain outfit for a night out or event.

\

Miss Selfridge - £3

I couldn't resist the colour of this, with the wires and chains. I also picked up the matching long necklace for £3. I probably wouldn't wear them at the same time though.

I don't know about you, but my heart always skips a beat when I see a sale jewellery rail! *need to get my kicks in ways other than shopping*

xx

Pretty Place for Pretty Things

Hi girlies,

Sorry I've been a little bit absent from blogging over the last week or so. I started a new job on Monday which meant moving city and being really tired from taking lots of new information in every day, so I haven't had the energy in the evenings to blog. But now I've had a lovely lie in this morning I feel much more awake and ready to get into the swing of things! My job is going really well so far - I've had a great first week :-D I'm looking forward to moving into my new flat in a week or so too, and not longer having to live out of a suitcase (MBFGW calls...)

Anyway before I left home for this new job I'd just about got my room at home how I wanted it, so I took loads of pictures. I'm going to miss my room as I'd just got it really pretty and girly, but hopefully I can make my room in my new flat just as nice.

So, despite moving out and so my room at home not looking like this any more, I still thought it would be nice to show you some photos of what it did look like. I've done a post on my bedroom before (which you can find here) but all the pictures were taken for that when I didn't actually live at home and was at uni. However, when I moved back in before Christmas, the room had all my stuff in and so was a lot more 'me' :-) I'm going to do a couple of posts to show how I finally got my room looking, but for now I'll start with my dresser (well, it's not a dresser, it's a chest of drawers, but I used it for the same purpose).

So, here it is, as it was...

The chest was from Ikea and I believe it was about £80, which I think is great value. The mirror is also from Ikea and it was a bargainous £10!

On top of the chest I kept all my jewellery, everyday things that I need easy access to, and a range of trinkets to keep my room looking pretty :-) I'm not a particularly girly girl generally, but I find a girly, pretty room so much more relaxing that any other style.

The 'LOVE' block is one of my more recent purchases. I got it from TK Maxx for just £3.99, and couldn't resist its sparkly goodness! There's also a pair of adorable tealight holders on there. I don't ever light them, but they're cute just for decoration. The flowers are artificial, but added some much needed colour. The dark box is my nifty solution for storing all my earrings - you can see the post I did on it here - I thought it was a cool idea!

I kept my everyday essentials out on top of the chest. I have more brushes than this, but not that I use on a regular basis. I keep a few brushes, emery boards, tweezers, scissors and eyelash curlers in this 'Bridesmaid' mug which I was given when I was a bridesmaid last year.

In the back corner are all my necklaces and bracelets on a mug tree. I find its the only way I can keep them all untangled, which made it much easier in the morning when I'm rushing about, trying to get ready.

Probably my favourite thing on the chest is this lovely glass pot, which I got from a car boot for £1. It actually has a silver lid that goes with it, but because I use it to store all my eye make up, it wont fit on. These are all the eye shadows, eye liners and mascaras I have - not a huge collection, but to be honest if I had any more I probably wouldn't use them.

I got this cute vintage pot from a car boot for just 50p! At the moment it's perfect to store all of my rings. However, my collection seems to be growing rapidly, so I might need to reassess...

Finally, hanging off the handle of the top drawer is adorable sign... so true...

So there we have it - my much loved chest of drawers. I'm really going to miss it now that I've moved out again, as I'd just got it set up exactly how I wanted it.

I'll be doing another post shortly to show where I kept all the rest of my make up and toiletries, and how I stored them while I was back at home.

Have any of you got any cute storage ideas? Send me links to your blog posts on your storage if you've written any...

xx

Snippets from the Sales

Hello lovely ladies!

As promised, as a follow-on from my last post which showed all my recent bargainous beauty buys, here's a peek at some of my clothing and accessories purchases from the good old January sales :-)

First up is this beautiful evening bag from Next...

I love that it is a clutch, but it also has a strap which can be tucked inside if its not needed (because 90% of the time I take a clutch bag out with me, and by the end of the night when I'm giving it my all on the dancefloor I wish I didn't have to hold my bag!). The colour should go with anything too. I'm having a bit of a clearout at the moment and am discovering I own way too many cheap going out bags (mainly from Primarni) which I want to get rid of, and just have a couple of really nice bags instead.

This little beauty was just £8, reduced from £18 :-)

I'm really into scarves recently, as I seem to be wearing a lot of plain outfits and then adding colour or texture with a scarf. This was from River Island...

It was £24.99 reduced to £10, and is a mix of white, greys and black, with some velvety-feel parts, and some see through sections. Scrumptious!

Everyone has to get PJs for Christmas or in the sales don't they?! It's like an unwritten rule! These were from Dorothy Perkins, reduced from £20 to £12...

The trousers are full length but I folded them to get them all in the picture. I particularly like the top, as on the front it is plain black, but on the back it has the same floral pattern as the trousers - this means that from the back I look like I'm wearing an all-in-one! I can't wait to snuggle up in these :-)

Probably my favourite purchase has to be this jumper from the Signature collection at Next... (even though my mum says it looks like I have ferrets on my shoulders)...

I had wanted it when it was full price at £40, so I couldn't resist when it was marked down to £20 :-)

There's cute button detailing on the back too...

It reminds me of something I saw Frankie Sandford wearing in a magazine. It isn't exactly the same top, but I'll probably wear it in the same way (but won't look as good!).

FInally I got some shoes (of course!). A girl can never have too many black heels right?! Again, these were from Dorothy Perkins...

I love that they will go with everything that a normal pair of black heels would, but are a bit more 'interesting', with the zips and silver heel and platform. The fact that they were reduced from £40 to £10 just makes them even better!

And that's pretty much it :-) I still plan to head in to the sales once more this week, probably in Birmingham, to have a final look for some last minute bargains.

Let me know if you managed to get anything good in the sales. Even better, if you've done a blog post on your bargains, just post the link below - I really want to discover some more good blogs!

xx

Bargain Beauty Buys!

Happy New Year All!

I'm sure along with many other bloggers, one of my New Year's Resolutions is to blog more often (or at least be more consistent), so here I go with my first post of 2011!

Anyone who knows me knows how much I love a bargain :-) So I always get particularly excited about hitting the January sales (I'm not one of those people who queues at 5am though - I normally give it a few days so the serious shoppers get out of the way!)

This year I managed to get quite a few bargains. I'll show my clothes and accessories in a different post, but for now I thought you might perhaps like a gander at my bargain beauty buys!

First up is this gorgeous eye set from No7. As I'm sure you all know, all of Boots' gifts went down to half price after Christmas, and this set was one of those items. I was a very happy bunny to pick this up for £7.50, and it consists of three trio eye shadows, two eyeliners and a small mascara, perfect for my handbag. The packaging on the eye shadows is just adorable.

Next up were these three trio eye shadows from 17. Again, these were half price so I got them for £3. I know the colours are quite similar to some of the ones in the No7 set above, so I'll definitely wait to finish one set until I start the other - I hate having too many similar products on the go at the same time, as I never end up finishing anything off!

I hit Ruby and Millie next (not literally) and got this brush for £4, again from Boots. The shiny casing is gorgeous and it even comes with a lovely leather feel case so it doesn't get scratched on its travels.

Ruby and Millie again, next up is this sleek compact mirror. It has gold casing, swivels open, and has a normal mirror and a x2 mirror (scary!). I wanted to nab myself a compact mirror for my bag in the sales so was very pleased with this :-)

I'm sure many of you know that Boots have recently been doing an offer that when you spend a certain amount you get a £5 voucher for No7 - they do this quite regularly and I'm a big fan! After visiting Boots several times (as you can tell above!) I managed to get hold of two vouchers, and quickly snapped up these two brushes - a concealer brush and an eyeshadow brush. Obviously I had to pay some money towards them, but I still saved £10. I've been wanting to throw out all my old brushes for ages and start a fresh so was very pleased(continued below...!).

I managed to drag myself away from Boots (just!) and next stop was Marks and Spencer. It's not usually one of my favourite shops, but I just fell in love with this little set - funky tweezers, nail clippers and nail file! How cute are the tweezers in particular?! The set was reduced to just £3 so I couldn't say no!

Finally we have these little beauties - a brush set from No7. I've seen these on a few blogs, and I have to agree with everyone that's written about them - the floral pattern is super gorgeous, and the brushes seem great quality. I haven to admit that I didn't actually buy these for myself :-/ I bought them for my mum as an extra Christmas present for £15 from Boots, and then told her that I planned to get myself a set in the sale. However, when I tried to get them in the sales all my local Boots were sold out :-( So my mum said I could have the set I got her, as she knew I really liked them and she already had a nice set :-)

They even come with this cute black patent case with pink lining, which is really handy if you are taking them anywhere with you.

And that's it! Mission Sales Shopping, Accomplished!

Hope you like my purchases! I'm a very happy lady, as I love all the things I bought and, even better, I love that I got them for bargainous prices!

Have any of you managed to get any bargains in the January sales? I'd love to hear about them!

xx

Heavenly Haul

Hola Chicas!

Firstly I should say that I haven't gone AWOL! My recent absence from the blogosphere has been due to my poorly mac, which had to be fixed in the apple shop. But it's now back fighting fit and I'm once again ready to rock n roll!

After getting my hands on a few new purchases recently, I thought I'd do a lil haul post for you :-) I managed to get a few sale bargain as well as some really useful items that should be perfect for work. So here goes...

Poodle Beanie Hat - Topshop -£2

I was very happy to stumble across a Topshop outlet store in Slough the other week - I didn't know these even existed. I'm trying to build up my stash of winter accessories to make the thought of the colder weather a little bit more bearable. And for £2, what a bargain!

Gold Leaf Necklace - Republic - £2

A girl can never have too much jewellery! What more can I say...

Motif T-Shirt - New Look - £4

Since starting work I've got a little bored of dressing sensibly 5 out of 7 days a week, so on the other two days I'm starting to want to be a little bit more fun with what I wear. I thought this was super cute (look at the little bow in the girl squirrel's hair) and I just couldn't resist :-)

Beige Cardigan - New Look - £16

So this cardigan isn't the most exciting thing I've ever bought, but it will be really useful for work. I'm wearing a lot of basics for work at the moment, made a bit more interesting and adding colour with scarves and jewellery.

Maxi Skirt - New Look - £12

I was lusting after this maxi skirt when it was full price, so when it was reduced to £12 in the sale I just had to get it. I think the colours are lovely and its perfect for this time of year.

Skinny Trousers - Dorothy Perkins - £25

I was in need of some trousers for work that were smart but still casual (if that makes sense!). These fitted the bill nicely and are super comfy - shame I saw them reduced in the sale yesterday for £15 :-(

What have you guys been buying recently? Any good sale bargains or cute winter purchases?

xx

The wanderer returns... In Primark wedges!

Good afternoon lovelies, on this lazy Sunday (well it's pretty lazy for me anyway!)

Firstly I want to say sorry (cue puppy dog eyes) for my absence recently. As you'll know if you follow me on Twitter I've moved to a new part of the country recently and have been super busy making our flat feel like home (and getting a job in the process - yay!). Anyway, because I've been run off my feet I haven't written a post for over a week :-/

I promise to get my act together now we're all settled, and I still need to fill you in on all my goss from The Look Show I went to last week - better late than never! My post on that should be up real soon.

For now though, I just thought I'd do a really quick post on my latest purchase. Now I love Primark as much as the next bargain-hunting fashionista, but on my last few visits I haven't found anything that tickled my fancy. However, yesterday I grabbed (in a slightly aggressive manner I admit) the last pair of these beauties from the shelves...

I wouldn't normally dedicate a whole post to one item, but these just have to be one of my best buys in ages - I'm in love with them :-)

I've been reading everywhere that 'camel' is the colour for this season, so I really wanted to get myself some camel-coloured shoes. These ones are just perfect. They have a suede feel and wedge design, and in my opinion were a bargain at just £12!

I think they'll be perfect for my new job, as they look professional but are still young and on-trend (and comfy too, which will be important for all the traipsing round the office that I'm sure I'll be doing as I learn where everything is and no doubt get lost on my way to the canteen on my first day!)

What do you guys think? Have you got any good bargains in Primark recently?

Again, sorry for my lack of posts recently but now we're settled in the flat I'll be back and firing on all cylinders! If you have any requests of posts or videos you'd like to see, just let me know - I have a week until I start my new job so should have some time to get writing/filming :-)

Hope you all enjoy the rest of this lazy Sunday...

xx

Car Boot Bargains :-)

After writing about my new ingenious storage solution (even if I say so myself!) for my earrings that I bought from a car boot recently (see post here) I thought I'd share a few of my other recent car boot buys with you. I tend to buy a real range of things from car boots - anything that catches my eye :-) Also, as I'm moving into a flat with my boyfriend soon, I've been on the lookout for anything that might be useful for that. So here goes...

Leopard print mirror - £1

We'll need a mirror in the flat, and I've already got a full length one, so I thought this would be perfect for doing my hair and make up. I know leopard print can be a bit Peter Stringfellow-y, but I think it's cool! And plus, £1 = bargain!

Girly reads! - 10p/20p/50p each

I have to be honest and say I'm not much of reader, so when I do pick up a book I just want something girly that's easy to read. Marian Keyes and Cecelia Ahern always have me hooked, and I heard that Eat. Pray. Love. by Elizabeth Gilbert is a book 'every woman should read' so I thought I'd give that a go too.

Flower letter rack - 50p

I thought I could put this to use in our new flat to hold all my letters, post it notes etc. Cute and girly is always a winner in my mind :-)

Retro Cadbury tin :-) - 50p

I really want to use this tin for all our chocolates and other naughty treats in our new flat! I have huge affection for Cadbury as my nan used to work for the company so it's always been part of our family, so I thought this was a really cool find.

Finally, this is my favourite recent buy. I picked up a really basic round chipboard table with legs that can be unscrewed for just £1.50. It was really plain and boring, but after getting back from the car boot I thought I'd make it my afternoon project to transform it into something unique for our flat. So I set to work...

Plain chipboard table - £1.50

And this is what I ended up with...

I'm so pleased with it! First up I painted the whole thing white, then on the legs I used masking tape to create a different design on each leg with bright pink paint - one is a spiral, another is stripes, and the third is squares.

For the top of the table I printed out a picture from the internet on to normal paper, cut it out and used it as a stencil.

This was my first little step into DIY design (I've never done anything like this before in my life) so I'm really pleased with how it looks. I think it will be perfect for my bedside table. Now I'm on the look out for a similar one that I can paint with a more manly design/colours for the boy's bedside table.

I really want to do other mini projects like this cos I really enjoyed it, so if any of you have any ideas of things I could do I'd love to hear them :-)

So that's just a few of my car boot buys. I'm off to another one tomorrow, so hopefully I'll pick up some goodies there too!

xx