ASOS Hauling

Since opening a premier account with ASOS, where you pay £9.95 a year for unlimited next day/nominated delivery, I've done a lot of shopping, and my love for the brand has grown. Most of the items are from ASOS' own range, some are from the current sale, and the majority of them are tops. I was in need of tops.

Okay, so the first two items are actually from the Zara sale, but I thought I'd just include them here. The retro, geometric print mini skirt was £9.99 down from £19.99, and I bought this in a size S, which is the perfect fit for my size 8 body (I had no idea what their sizing would be like, so I guessed). It's still available to buy in sizes S and M, and it's now only £7.99, if you're interested. I've already worn this to a meal with black tights and boots, and I love it. You can see a photo of it on at the end of this post.

The bag was £19.99 down from £29.99, and this is still available as well. I only have one other small bag, and it's a lemon yellow satchel, so this was a welcomed addition.

The 'pocket full of sunshine' tee is one of my most recent purchases from ASOS, and was £9.50 down from £14 in the sale. It has a v-neck cut, which isn't usually a style I like on myself, but it actually looks okay.

The cacti pyjama top and shorts are my new favourite things. These were £12 down from £20, and I bought these in a maternity size 6. The top of this in the normal range was cropped and open at the back, whereas this one is a normal fit, which I much prefer.

The grey, oversized t-shirt with the embroidered heart was £14, and I bought this in a petite size 6. I've found their t-shirts to be pretty long, which is fine by me because I tuck the front in anyway. This one is so simple, but the quality is great.

I was going to buy the grey sweatshirt on its own for £16. Then I found the grey and black pair in the sale for £16.50, so bought those instead. Then they went down in price again to just £11, so I returned the ones I had and re-ordered. I bought these in a size 8. They're just standard sweatshirts, so I can't really say much else about them. 

Shirts have never been my thing. They look great on other people, but I never felt comfortable in them myself. I've been wearing things I wouldn't normally wear in recent months, though, so thought I'd give this striped, soft cotton one a go. It was one of the more expensive items, at £22, but I've decided to keep it. This was bought in a size 8.

The light grey skater coat was bought in a petite size 10, and was £45 down from £75. Despite it not having a hood, I love this coat. It just looks chic.

And although you can't see it here, I also bought a khaki skater mac/trench coat for £36, down from £60. This came up really big on me, so I ended up keeping a size 6. There's a photo of me wearing it (over my work uniform) at the end of this post, but it doesn't do it justice.

The charcoal marl polo neck top was £14, and this was bought in a size 8. Again, the quality is great, and I've already worn it.

The ribbed Brave Soul tees with the slightly longer sleeves are the only items which aren't from ASOS' own range. These were £5 each down from £10, and I bought them in a size S for a relaxed fit.

Then, finally, the grey, white, and striped t-shirts are from ASOS 'the ultimate easy t-shirt' range. The grey and white ones were in a pack for £18, and the striped one was £12.

I've also ordered a couple more striped ones because they were in the sale, and I love some stripes.

Phew! Let me know if you picked up anything in either the Zara or ASOS sales, especially if they're still available to buy...

Collective Haul

Going through my Instagram earlier, I decided that my small purchases here and there over the last couple of months could actually be grouped together for a 'haul' post. I show all the little things on Instagram, but then forget to even mention them on here until I review them!

So, the first photo is of OPI's Steady As She Rose, which I bought from Fragrance Direct for £3.99. It's a beautiful, light, dusky lilac. I've already swatched and reviewed this here, and have compared it to Models Own Utopia here.

I've also been buying more Bath & Body Works hand gels recently. I already owned Vanilla Berry Sorbet and Fresh Picked Apples, but then bought Tuscan Melon, Market Peach, Island Nectar, and Sweet Pea last month. They were all £1.99 including P&P from various eBay sellers, which is a rip off compared to American prices, but I really wanted them! They keep changing their prices and stock, so I won't link you to any listings, but just search 'bath and body works hand gels' and you'll find them. Market Peach is my favourite, which is no surprise! They all smell exactly like their names, and Island Nectar smells like really sweet mango with a hint of floral.

I then bought Barry M's Gelly Nail Paint in Sugar Apple from ASOS because I wanted it (obviously) and could get student discount and free delivery. You can see my swatch and review of it here. The formula's not the best, but it's a beautiful shade.

I don't think I suit sunglasses at all, but want to start wearing them more because I seem to squint outside a lot, and squinting = more wrinkles when I'm older. I bought the ones above from Primark for just £2. The style is a lot bigger than I'm used to, but I like them. I may buy some without the brown tint next.

From eBay, I bought these white rose fairy lights for £11.99 including P&P. They're quite expensive for what they are, but I wanted some fairy lights that looked good turned off as well as on. They're not very long, but they're just the right length for the header of my bed.

After finishing writing my dissertation last week (handing it in Thursday!), I decided to go shopping, but didn't really buy much. I did buy some pretty bras from Primark, though. I love the style of them, and they were only £4 each.

I bought the NYX Butter Gloss in Peach Cobbler from eBay for £6-7 because I didn't want to pay £5 + £4.50 P&P on the NYX website. I should have waited, though, because I ended up ordering from them last week as they had free P&P! I've already swatched and reviewed this here. It's my new favourite lip product!

On the same day I bought the Primark bras, I also bought Models Own Beach Bag in Superdrug. It was £5, but I had some points to use on my beauty card, so it was cheaper. It's the first polish that's caught my eye from them for a while, and is a neon pastel peach. You can see me wearing it here, but I don't know if I'll be blogging about it because I'm not 100% happy with my application! It's also hard to capture on camera.

Finally, two products which arrived today (after Interlink screwing up): NYX's Powder Blush in Taupe and Butter Gloss in Apple Strudel. They had free delivery on orders over £10, so thought I'd pick up a couple products I'd had my eye on! The blush is for contouring (or attempting to), and I wanted another Butter Gloss because I love Peach Cobbler so much. This one is beautiful, too. I'm not usually one for lip gloss, but these are something else!

I've also just ordered from The Body Shop because they finally have a peach body mist! I can't tell you how happy I was when I saw it on their website. What have you been buying recently?

New Bags from ASOS and Accessorize

I've only ever had bags that are practical for school/uni, and if I went somewhere else, I'd either just use the same ones, or shove my purse in my coat pocket. For the last two years of uni, I've been using Cath Kidston shopper bags, but wanted something with less print and more security. This was proving difficult, though, because I didn't want to leave my style completely and get a 'grown up' bag. I then decided on a satchel style, but finding ones that were able to fit A4 files in and weren't the colour tan was harder than I initially thought! I couldn't even find any I liked on eBay. The odds weren't in my favour, but I've somehow managed to become the owner of two new bags in the space of a week.

ASOS Large Satchel Bag with Scallop Trim and Front Buckles in Nude - £28

I came across this bag on ASOS while buying jeans, and knew straight away that it would be a squeeze to fit A4 things in, but it was too pretty to resist! The 20% off, free delivery, and free returns sealed the deal for me. It justtt about fits a display book and notebook in, as well a water bottle, pencil case, purse, and other bits and bobs. I do have to pop the sides out, though, and the display book slightly bends. Also, the colour isn't appropriate for hauling everywhere, so it's going to be my shopping and occasional uni bag. It took me a while to decide on that because I normally return something straight away if it isn't as practical as I'd like, but looks won this time. I'm tempted to buy the teal version of it, too. (It's more nude in real life; it's looking rather pink here)

Accessorize Hampstead Satchel in Chocolate Brown - £32

Even though this one isn't as pretty as the other, it's my favourite of the two. It's just more practical! The lock on the front is easier to open and close, it has a zip on the inside for extra security, there's a smaller compartment at the front, it's dark in colour, and it's slightly bigger, so it fits my A4 files in. It also has a zipped compartment and pockets on the inside, but the ASOS one has those, too. The main zip doesn't close with the A4 files in, but with the top over already, it's not an issue. It's just nice to have a zip if I use it for other things. Also, I must say, this fits my uni stuff in because I use display books (which fit loads of sheets in by the way; I'd recommend them over folders). If you use folders, you'll just be able to squeeze one in. My sister, who isn't as 'girly' as me, also really likes this bag, and within a few minutes of seeing it, ordered herself one! They also have it in navy and tan.

Are you a fan of satchels? Loads of them seem to be just that little bit too small for A4 files, and I wish they were made a few cm bigger! I may not need to carry around A4 files after uni, though, so it won't be a problem. Oh, man... the thought of life after uni is terrifying!

Unintentional Haul

An impulse buy here, and an impulse buy there, and suddenly I have enough to warrant a haul post! Small purchases are deceiving because they're cheap on their own, but they quickly add up to a small fortune without you realising it. I'm cutting down on these cheap thrills now. 4 days into August and I haven't spent a penny ;)

I met up with a friend on Wednesday who needed her Primark fix, and this wore off on me. Just a little. I bought a few pairs of underwear, with the pink and black lace pair being £2, and the other two being £1.70 each. I then picked up the bunny makeup bag for just £1 down from £3. I'd very nearly bought this before after seeing it on numerous blogs, so when I saw it on sale, I couldn't resist!

We then ended up in Superdrug, and the Imperial Leather Foamburst Body Washes caught my eye. The packaging is really nice, and I love foam shower gels, and they were on offer for £2 each, so I picked up a couple. If you've ever used a foam shower gel, you know how big and messy one little pump can get, so I couldn't smell them in store. My guessing paid off, though, and I love these two scents. They smell just like their names. Sweet Vanilla & Cherry Blossom is subtle-y sweet with a hint of floral, and Uplifting Lime & Grapefruit smells like lime and grapefruit! It's slightly more grown up than other lime shower gels I've smelt, though. Even though you can't really smell them in store, one bottle/can of Blackberry & Wild Fig had already been tested, so I decided to also have a whiff. I made a mess and ended up having to put the foam into my coat pocket haha, but it smelt amazing, so I think I'm going to have to go back for it. 

I've also ended up buying a couple bottles of the Bath & Body Works hand gels from eBay. The scents I bought were Fresh Picked Apples, and Vanilla Berry Sorbet, both of which were £2.84, including P&P (from here and here). I actually resent paying what I did, but one's for a birthday, and both are unique scents. I just can't help but think that they're only $1-$1.50 in America!

Next up we have The Body Shop's All In One Face Base in 02. Usually £14, but I paid £8.40 because of the 40% off code. I normally use concealer and translucent powder, but wanted something with a little more coverage. Nothing on the highstreet really caught my eye, so I went to The Body Shop's website where this had many positive reviews. I would never pay £14 for it, but then I'd never pay full price for anything at The Body Shop! They always have a code out.

Lastly, I bought Bourjois' Shine Edition Lipstick in 1,2,3 Soleil from ASOS for £4.95 (normally £7.99). I'd been eyeing this up, so when ASOS had an offer on Bourjois cosmetics, and I had a 10% off student discount code, I went for it. I've wanted a lightweight, coral lipstick for a while, and very nearly bought L'Oreal's Rouge Caresse Lipstick in Dating Coral, but liked the look of this better.

This time, I really am going to try and cut back the spending! Have you tried any of the products above?

Favourite Nail Polishes - Glitters

Choosing just 16 favourite nail polishes in my Favourite Nail Polishes - Rainbow Edition post was incredibly hard, so I bring you part 2: Glitters! I used to dislike glitters, but have come to love them. Fine ones look pretty over every nail, and chunkier ones look great on an accent.

My first favourite glitter is Illamasqua's Creator; a black base with silver glitter. I bought this on ASOS with a £10 voucher, and I'm glad I did, but wouldn't pay the full £14.50. As much as I love bright nail polishes, I also love shades like this.

Sally Hansen's Oxide is more of a shimmer than glitter, but it didn't fit into my Rainbow Edition post! This is similar to Creator, but it's more of a gunmetal shade, and the glitter is much finer.

Models Own Ibiza Mix is a mix of green, blue, purple, gold and bronze glitter. Very unique, in my opinion. I used to hate chunkier glitters, thinking they looked tacky, but this looks very pretty on my ring fingers.

Models Own Party Pieces (exclusive to ASOS) is a mix of larger and smaller glitter chunks, and the colours include red, blue, green, purple, gold and silver. It's very fun and goes with most colour nail polishes.

Barry M's Amethyst Glitter is densely packed with blue, purple, pink and gold glitter pieces. I love this with darker blues!

Barry M's Pink Silver Glitter is so, so pretty. The glitter is very fine, so I don't mind wearing this on every nail. Glitter can be very bold, so I love that the colour is subtle to even this out.

Essie's Beyond Cozy is another fine glitter that I like wearing on every nail. Normally, the combination of gold and glitter screams tacky, but this colour is very cool toned, and can sometimes look silver, so I think it works. I wore this for Christmas 2012, and will probably wear it for Christmas 2013, too!

I also love my flakies nail polishes (Nubar 2010 and Gosh Rainbow), but haven't included them in the photo. They're so beautiful, with the flakes changing colour in the light. They look incredible over dark polishes!

What are your favourite glitter nail polishes? Are there any I absolutely have to have?

Shorts Haul

If I'm not wearing jeans, I'm wearing shorts with black tights. A few weeks ago, I felt like I needed a few more pairs! The top left pair are from ASOS and are originally £22 without any codes. They're called 'belted shorts with turn up', and they also come in navy and berry red (which I really want!). They feel like great quality. I'd never purchased bottoms from ASOS before, so didn't know if their sizes were true to fit, but they are. Then, I headed to eBay and bought the other three pairs - All new. The top right pair are from New Look and I paid around £5, including P&P, for them. They're very similar to the ASOS ones! They're also quite see through, but I'll be wearing them with black tights, so it doesn't matter. I already own the bottom left pair, and wear them all the time, so wanted some back ups. They're also from New Look, and cost me just £3.70, including P&P. The last pair are from River Island, and I paid around £9 for them, including P&P. They don't go with black tights as well as the others, so don't think I'll be wearing them as often, but I still really like them. All of the shorts above are fairly high-waisted, and the last pair definitely are, so my legs look extra long!

Have you found any gems on eBay recently?

ASOS Treats

Nail polish and socks are my weaknesses. Mugs are too, but that's for another post!

Thanks to yourvine.com, I had a £10 off code for ASOS. My sister also had one and kindly gave it to me (Yay!). With the first code, I ordered Essie Beyond Cosy (£9.95) and some cute Oysho socks (£5.99). With the code, these worked out to be about £3 each. With the second code, I ordered my first Illamasqua product - Creator nail polish (£13.50). I ended up paying just £3.50 for this, with free next day delivery.

I must admit, I wouldn't pay full price for these items (I don't like paying over £6 for a nail polish), but they are incredibly beautiful, so I'm glad I was able to treat myself to them for an affordable price. How gorgeous are the nail polishes?! I don't own any similar shades, so they were completely justified purchases ;) Both of them will be perfect for the Winter. Also, the Illamasqua nail polish came in a box. Fancy indeed!

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

ASOS: Illustrated People owl jumper £20 in the sale

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

New Look: Vest tops £2.49 each

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

H&M: Parka coat £39.99

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

ASOS Cardigan

Pyjamas and bed hair, woo!

This is my new favourite cardigan. I wear a lot of simple outfits (skinny jeans and white tops), so I thought this cardigan would spice up and add some colour to my wardrobe. I love how the colours mix in with each other and continue into the next block of material. It was £35, which is more expensive than the usual cardigans I buy, but I had money in my PayPal account, and we all know PayPal money isn't real money ;)

This cardigan may not be everyone's cup of tea, but if you like the look of it, you can buy it here.

Toodles!

Summer Bargains

Hello, all! I feel like I haven't blogged about my beauty or clothing purchases for a while, so thought I'd show you the things I've bought in recent months. As you can see, I haven't bought much at all. This is because I've been buying books, crafts and items for my room. Also, if I have bought a beauty product, I have shown you it in a post already, so didn't feel the need to include it in a haul. As I was gathering the above items, I realised that all of them are appropriate for the Summer months, and all but one of them was bought with an offer.

Let's start with the Superdrug order I placed over a month ago. Superdrug had an amazing offer on the sun lotions (I know they don't come under the 'beauty' category, but I still wanted to include them). Selected products were half price and then buy one get one free. They also had free delivery, so I just had to order! So, for the Nivea Sun Invisible Protection Spray and the Nivea Sun Spray, I paid £7.15, including delivery. Around £3.50 per bottle is a bargain, considering they're between £12 and £15 each when they're full price. I've tried them a couple of times and like them. I'm really not fussy when it comes to sun lotion though. As well as the sun lotions, I bought the Simple Kind To Skin Sun Kissed Moisture Cream for £4. I've used this a couple times a week for a month and I really like it. It gives me a subtle, natural glow and makes me look healthy.

The next order I placed was with ASOS. I bought Models Own Fluro' Orange nail polish for £3.50 in the sale (I blogged about it here) and a skinny, lilac waist belt for £3, which was also in the sale. I was unsure what size to get, but I bit the bullet and went with a small. The smallest hole on the small belt is perfect, so I'm glad I'm not any slimmer! I also bought some other things, but they're for a birthday present.

The last item I bought, which arrived this morning, are these New Look chino shorts. These were an absolute bargain! They were originally £17.99, but were in the sale for £5.40. Then, I had my student discount and a free delivery code, so altogether, I paid £4.86 for them. They fit perfectly, just like all of my other New Look shorts. I can't wait for the sun to come out now.

So, they are all the beauty and clothing items I have recently bought. It's not much, but I didn't have the patience to wait until I bought more things to blog about them.

I'm off to make cheese straws (The recipe will be up shortly). Thank you for reading!

Nails of the Week!

Natural light

Flash

ASOS Olivia, Barry M Coral, China Glaze Make Some Noise, Barry M Pink Flamingo and Barry M Bright Pink.

Whilst in bed last night, my mind wondered off to what my next manicure could be. I thought a gradient/ombre design would be fun and allow me to use many bright colours. I really like it and can't wait to try it with other shades!

Pixi and NYX treats! Swatches and First Impressions

Pixi Endless Silky Eye Pen in Cafe Gold, Pixi Lid Last Shadow Pen in Mocha Mauve, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Milan and NYX Rouge Cream Blush in Glow (I couldn't resist swatching it before I took the photos!).

Swatches in same order as above. Natural light.

Swatches in same order as above. Direct sunlight.

Look what arrived in the post today!

I was interested in buying some Pixi products, and when a handful of them went in the ASOS sale, I couldn't resist! The Endless Silky Eye Pen in Cafe Gold was £6.50 down from £11 and the Lid Last Shadow Pen in Mocha Mauve was £6.50 down from £12. I couldn't find any swatches online, but gambled and ordered them anyway. Thankfully, that gamble paid off! Both of them are insanely creamy and pigmented, and do not budge once dry! I'm already looking at the other shades they have to offer. Also, how beautiful is the packaging?!

I ordered the NYX products from this eBay seller, who I've ordered from four times now and couldn't recommend enough! I paid around £13 for both products, including P&P from America. I think that's pretty good! I love lip creams, so I knew I would love Milan. I also already love the cream blush. It's very creamy and blends like a dream. So far, I like it more than my Topshop one. Because the Topshop one is a cream-powder blush, I find it harder to blend. In the photos, Glow looks quite orangey because it is next to Milan, which is a cool toned pink. Glow is definitely more pink when on its own. A warm pink, but a pink nonetheless.

I will be reviewing each of these products in detail soon, so keep an eye out for those!

I hope you're having a good day,

Louise xo

A cheesy birthday present

I turned 19 on the 20th January (I kept my birthday quiet on the blog this year). For my birthday, my sister bought me this t-shirt I wanted from ASOS. It was originally £18, but I think my sister bought it in the sale for just £9. I love t-shirts (and cheese!), so have already worn it a few times, and I can see myself wearing it a lot.

They see me haulin

They hatin, patrolling, they tryin to catch me spendin dirty.

Yes, I did just quote and tweak the lyrics of that song (and I may have sang my version over five times).

Now that I've completed my assignments, I have some time to blog! I have a few posts coming up, but first, I wanted to show you what I've been buying over the past few weeks.

LUSH:

Sweet Soap of Mine stack £5.25, Snow Globe soap £2.50 per 100g, Porridge soap £2.95 per 100g, Australian Igloo sugar scrub £2.75, Avobath bath bomb £2.99.

Some of these are gifts from people and some are my own purchases. Snow Globe smells SO good! It's fresh, citrusy and sheberty smelling. I rarely have baths, but I repurchased Avobath because it's amazing. It smells delicious (just like Snow Globe because they both have lemongrass in) and it leaves your bath a beautiful lime green colour.

Superdrug:

Maybelline One by One mascara £8.49, MUA clear mascara £1, Accessorize blush in Sensational £5, Biore nose strips £4.06 (half price), Impulse body sprays 95p each (half price).

The Maybelline mascara is a repurchase because I loveee it. I bought another Accessorize blush because I use my current ones everyday. Sensational is a warm pink and really brightens up your complexion.

Blog Sale:

Sleek Pout Paints in Rosette, Milkshake and Minx £1.50 each.

I bought these from Siobhan just because they were a bargain! They're easy to use and I just dab them on with my finger to create a stain.

ASDA:

TRESemme: Salon Silk shampoo and conditioner, Restructuring Deep Conditioning Treatment Masque 3 for £10.

I really like TRESemme products. They're one of the few brands that work well with my hair. The conditioning treatment smells of mayonnaise, but thankfully, it doesn't leave your hair smelling like it!

Amazon:

My Blue Nose Friends: Needles the Woolly Mammoth, Quiver the Emperor Penguin RRP £5 each.

I had an Amazon voucher so actually paid nothing for these! I now have nine of the little cuties.

H&M:

Bambi make-up bag £2.99.

How adorable is this?!

Wilkinsons:

Apple ceramic pot £2.50.

I couldn't resist! I have a thing for apple shaped items at the moment.

Primark:

Footlets £1.50, Seamless Footies £1, Vanilla Snow candle £1.

New Look:

Socks £3.58 for all three pairs (originally £1.99 each), dolly shoes £9.35 (originally £12.99).

New Look had 3 for 2 on their socks and free delivery, as well as the usual 10% off for students. They're so cute! I bought the hamster ones because I always joke that I look like a hamster (because of my fat cheeks).  I then placed a second order because New Look had 20% off and free delivery again. I had a sudden urge to buy some red dolly shoes and I don't regret it because they'll add some colour into my boring outfits.

Tesco:

Boots £12.50.

These are a complete bargain! I find it hard to find boots I like because I only like a particular style; suede looking, slouchy ankle boots. I only like a certain type of brown shade too. I don't like bright, chestnut brown and prefer them to be quite dark, like the boots above.

ASOS:

Cath Kidston: Oil Cloth Book Bag £11.50 (originally £18), Cotton Book Bag £10 (originally £16), Zip Top Purse £3.50 (originally £6).

A few weeks ago, ASOS had a sale on their bags and because I'd been looking for shopper bags for University, I placed two in my virtual basket. I've been using the first one because I absolutely love the print and it is waterproof, so is handy for the horrible weather we've been having! The purse was for my sister. We were expecting it to be purse sized because 1. It's called a purse and 2. The website makes it look really small. However, when it arrived, it was the size of a make-up bag! I'm not too bothered though because I can use it for something else or give it to someone as a gift. 

x