Collective Haul

This is a collection of bits and pieces i've picked up recently for myself. I've been on a bit of a spending frenzy lately, but a lot of it has been Christmas presents which i don't want to post on here in case anyone see's any spoilers! 

 The first thing i want to talk about are these gorgeous pieces of jewellery my mum gave to me a couple of days ago. The first is a locket she's had since me and my brother were small and she passed it onto me just because she doesn't wear it anymore to be honest! But I think it's lovely and it's got pictures inside of us when we were small. She also passed down one of her rings (may have been a wedding ring? I can't remember!) and they are both 9ct gold. The ring has two small diamonds in the middle. So they're some precious little gems added to my jewellery box!

The next thing I got my hands on was a replacement foundation. I just went for the same one I usually go for because it was cheap and easy to be honest! I know i like it and i didn't fancy fussing around after work. I use Max Factor Miracle touch liquid illusion foundation in creamy ivory (Yes i'm VERY pale!). I think it's £12.99 from superdrug, but I actually had some vouchers so i got it for around £9-10. I really like this foundation because it gives that sort of natural dewy finish without looking greasy and it lasts a long time too! (A little bit goes a long way).

My next recent purchase was from my local charity shop, Tenovus. I feel like i talk about this shop far too much on here but i find some real beauties there! This gorgeous little bag was £6, which is a bit steep for a charity shop but it is almost brand new. Plus it's absolutely adorable and i feel like it goes with almost anything (I love the snakeskin effect!) It is slightly on the small side though, like i can't fit my purse in there.. but hey, what are pockets for?!

Another goody I received from mum a couple of weeks ago were these burgundy winter boots. I'm not sure where they're actually from, but the colour fits so well with this season and i love the fur lined rim. Let me just clarify she also passed these down to me because she can't wear them anymore - she doesn't spoil me with new things all the time! Anyway, I just think they were nice to show you guys.

I've need a new bigger bag for ages now (due to the heaviness of school books, my last two have sadly seen better days!) so i decided to take the plunge and invest in this bad boy. I found it through vipxo's tumblr ebay links and fell in love with the bag and the price! It did take a little while to arrive but it's so worth it. I think all the little detailings are adorable, like the studded bottom and the double straps. And the size is perfect too. 

In the charity shop, i also picked up this leather jacket originally from H&M (£5). I haven't actually paid for it yet because i wasn't sure if i definitely wanted it or not, so the manager kindly said to take it home and try it on with other things before i decide if i want it or not - bless her! But i am going to pay for it next time i go in to work. It has got a bit of wear and tear on the sleeves but i think it gives the jacket a bit of character and i've wanted a leather jacket for a while now too.

Okay guys, this is where i need your help! I've also got this top from the charity shop which i'm not sure about so again, i haven't paid for it yet (Hence why the tag's still on). It's originally from Bershka and its going for £4 but i'm not sure if i like the style and what to wear it with. I was really attracted to the stud detailing on the shoulder which is why i picked it out, but I don't think I like the top overall and I can't decide whether to keep it or not! The sleeves and hem are elasticated so it could be worn as a short dress or baggy top - What do i do?


So that's my latest haul, probably the last until after Christmas due to a lack of money.
Hope everyone's well, Much love, xxx

November Glossybox

One thing i adore about Glossybox is the excitement of waiting for the middle of each month, not knowing what goodies you've got heading your way. This week i'v been really poorly but Monday's postman came and handed me my beauty box, and through coughs and sniffles a smile spread across my face.

The first thing i noticed this month was it's weight - Did anyone else think it was a lot heavier? A small part of me was hoping we'd have another six pack box! 

Now, i have mixed feelings about this box but here's what i received this month:

The point of this months GlossyBox was to give us sort of a Christmas gift guide which I think is quite sweet and i'm looking forward to part 2 :)

The Dead Sea spa bath salts were the source of weight in the box! I was pleasantly surprised to receive these to be honest with you. I won't be using them myself so i can't really review them for you. Instead i'm going to give them as a gift this Christmas because i know a certain someone who looooves Dead Sea products.

I can't wait to try these Nail Rock wraps - I've seen them everywhere and have been debating on whether to try them out - Just gotta let my nails grow first! I  like the design i got too, i quite like the look of the "furry cheetah" and "giraffe black on gold," but the dots are very me :) Has anyone else tried these?

Next, i received these perfume samples from Serge Lutens which i really don't like! They aren't my cup of tea at all - They remind me of those little lavender sweet you used to be able to get, parma violets are they called? Anyway not a fan of parma violets and not a fan of this perfume i'm afraid!

I also got these two bad boys. The first is a full sized product of recovery balm by Monu. I've never heard on Monu before but it feels quite expensive! The balm works quite nicely on my dry, eczema-y skin, I haven't really tried it enough to see results but it definitely feels ok. The hand cream by Arbonne also seems ok but again, only really briefly tried this one. I'm not sure how good the make is either - may need to read into that. But these two products i wasn't too fussed about really. I guess when you subscribe to a beauty box you're always going to get hit's and misses but I just didn't enjoy this box and i have the others. It seems really skin related and i don't use a huge amount of skin care products. But hey-ho rant over.

What did you guys think about this month's box?

Much love xxx

 

BearPaw

Last week I was contacted by the lovely Abby from abbzzw only to be told that I had won her BearPaw giveaway! The next day, the generous people from the nature shop dropped me an email asking which of the sheepskin boots i'd like to get my hands on. The nature shop are an online environmentally friendly retailer who sell premium nature inspired brands such as BearPaw. I decided to chose the Silverton Smoke boots, but it was a hard chose between those and the Samba Hickory's which look like so much fun!

I was very impressed with them actually! They are fabulous quality - VERY soft of the inside which is absolutely perfect for winter. And it's nice to know that even the packaging isn't harming the environment and they've really thought about it. The box actually says on the bottom..

"At Bearpaw we recognize the importance of being responsible. 

Responsibility is a journey, not a destination. We will continue to

strive for sustainability and ways to further reduce out impact on

the environment."

I apologise in advance because these photo's are SUPER blurry :(

Anyway, MASSIVE thank you to Abby and The Nature Shop - I absolutely love my new boots.

What do you guys think?

On another note, who is thinking of attending the Blogger's Christmas Party in Bristol? I've bought my ticket - it would be silly for me to ignore a blogger's event in my own town! I'm very excited about it just a bit nervous because i don't know anyone going! (you can buy tickets here). 

Much love, xoxo

Yes, I Know It's Early But, Dear Santa...

1. I really need some new PJ's and these just look perfect for Christmas. (These are also cute,) I just need something comfy ready to wear throughout the holidays to snuggle up watching elf constantly. The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear!

2. Ahhh i want some mittens so much right now! And some earmuffs actually. I can't believe Peacocks are doing these faux fur mittens for only £8! How cute are they?

3. I'll admit I have got a small recent obsession with triangles right now. This necklace from LHC would go quite nicely alongside my new triangle earrings that i bought in Barcelona. For some reason it reminds me of the navajo look!

4. I know a lot of people have these black unicorn skinny jeans from Topshop but i love them too! I don't really know how or where i'd where them, I just think they'd look good in my wardrobe. I also think Topshop skinny jeans are really comfy compared to some of the super skin tight jeans you can get and hardly be able to move in them!

5. I saw this bag on fantasy shopper (already bought it on there!) and i love it! It's my most wanted item on my wishlist at the moment. All my bags just seem to be falling apart right now :( booo! I just don't think i can justify the expensive price tag on this one, especially as it's non-leather. But it's soooo pretty!

6. Finally on my wishlist, (I know there's been a lot of Topshop today) but it's this metal loop fan ring. Not much to comment on this one - I just like it!

Please tell me someone else has started their Christmas wishlist's already?!

Much love, xxx

F+F

Tesco extra recently opened in my town so I thought i'd see if i could find any fashionable bargains for the winter! I came across this really gorgeous green quilted coat and have been looking for one for a while now so I thought £20 was rather good. Not to mention how lovely and warm it is! I also picked up some little brown booties with fur trim lining as winter alternate to the uggs i've lived in for a couple of years now. The boots were only £12! My boyfriend was kind enough to take these photo's of me at a lake near to where we live and we had a lovely afternoon feeding the ducks and swans.

Coat - F&F Tesco: £20 (Can't find a link, sorry!)

Booties - F&F Tesco: £12.50

Scarf - Gift but I think it's from Sainsbury

Skirt - Shana: €9.99
Bag - Tenovus Charity Shop: £5
Rings - JWLRY: £10 for 5

What winter warmers have you bought recently?

Much love, xxxx

nomnomnom graze.

I wish i could remember who's lovely blog i was reading when i stumbled across graze, but unfortunately i can't! If you don't know about graze, you can try a free box here using my code: W25HHV7
They basically do yummy healthy snacks of goodness! With my code you can 
try a box completely free of charge, and then you have no obligation to make a second purchase if you weren't satisfied. It's worth a try if it's free though, right? 
Anywho, here's what i got in my box this month.

I was quite surprised with how compact the packaging is, it makes the portions look tiny but i suppose they're all about being environmentally friendly and use as little packaging as necessary. It's also worth noting they use recyclable materials which is always a plus. The snacks i received were Toffee Apple, Beach Bum, Honeycomb Flapjack and Scrumptious Blueberry Swirl. They were all really yummy, my only complaint was the toffee apple because that portion really was tiny! I did feel really good eating the snacks though knowing that they were really healthy. They're also perfectly sized to fit into my bag to take to school or work for my breaks! I'm definitely going for another box because there's so much i want to try on their website! It all looks so scrummy! Let me know if you subscribe to graze and what you think. If you want a free box don't forget to use my code!

Speaking of yummy food, i never did show you all the cake mum made me for my 18th! Apologies because this was zooonnksss ago and is completely random to put on my blog at the moment but I've just stumbled across it while i was looking through old photos.

Really good right?!

Barcelona - Part Two

Hi everyone! I know I haven't been regularly posting recently, boooo i'm a bad blogger! I'm afraid i've just started another new job and am finding it hard to keep on top of 4 jobs and A-levels! When i do get free time, i just want to sit down, relax and read all your amazing blogs rather than taking photo's for mine etc. 

Anyway i thought i'd just add another quick post about Barcelona even though it feels like i've been home for ages now! 

So whilst in the city of pickpockets, i also visited the Segrada Familia which you will probably know, is Gaudi's stunning, however unfortunately unfinished, cathedral. This is where i want to get married!

I know i'm making a huge blogging mistake featuring the same dress i wore here (shock horror!) But this time i teamed it with a new winter warmer from new look, my new bag from the charity shop (here) and some old primark pumps (they don't look that dirty in real life! I also wore my LHC owl necklace and a ring from JWLRY. Anyway what do you think about the building? Pretty something huh? If you ever get the chance to go inside, you will understand why i want to get married there. 

We also had the strangest experience outside because as me and a couple of friends sat down to sketch the building, a group of 30 or so Japanese tourists came and asked to have their photo's taken with us. And i don't mean the group as a whole, i mean each individual tourist in the group! We were sat there for about 10 minutes smiling at countless camera's.. feeling like a pro.

(One of many..)

We also visited Gaudi's Park Guell where we caught some beautiful landscape photographs and watched a cute French band perform a few songs. It's astonishing to see the amount of illegal sellers with their "sale umbrellas!" One mention of the "policia" and they all flee in the blink of an eye! 

(Amelie)

We also visited the Joan Miro foundation, The Tapies museum, Barcelonetta beach and many other cultural landmarks but unfortunately i was either unable to take photo's or the photo's i did take weren't brilliant. All in all it was a fantastic trip and i would recommend Barcelona to anyone who is stunned by beautiful urban cities. Yes, is a shame that the place is filled with pickpockets, but if your careful, it's not something to let get in the way of having a fabulous time in this stunning city.. (God i sound like a travel agent!) Has anyone else been away lately?

On a complete other note, who's on fantasy shopper? I am totally completely addicted! It's like every girls dream game so if you're not on it.. get on it here.

Hope everyone's well, what are you doing for bonfire night tonight? Keep safe, much love xxx