I Need To Stop Buying Lip Products

Honestly. You know those storage holders which fit 24 lipsticks in? I have three of those just for the shades I can't bear to put away, and I've just had to order a fourth. Three said 'wow, you have a lot of lip products', whereas four says 'you may have a problem'. Butttt, there’s so many shades, so many finishes, so many formulas. I never used to wear nudes or lip liners, so the last few months have seen me exploring those areas, opening up so many more buying opportunities. The ones in this post kind of reflect that.

I wouldn’t have bought the Rimmel lipsticks if there wasn’t a stand where I work. They were simply impulse purchases on my lunch break. We have the shade Retro Red 53 from the new Kate Moss Red vs Nude collection, which is celebrating 15 years of collaboration. This is a deep, berry red. Then there’s another Kate Moss Lasting Finish lipstick in the shade Rossetto 03. It’s a nude which isn’t too pink, or too orange.

I travelled up to Exeter with my parents last week because my dad was getting a new tattoo. While he was doing so, my mum and I went shopping. When we popped into Boots and I saw the NYX stand, I let out a little sound of surprise and excitement. We spent a good amount of time swatching the products, but because I’ve already bought a lot from the brand in the last couple of months, and I knew I really should calm down on the lip product front, I left with just one Soft Matte Lip Cream. I used to love the shade Milan, and the Collection Cream Puffs, which are a similar product, but haven’t used them in so long. I picked up the shade Cannes 19, which is a terracotta colour. I don’t really have anything like this in my collection actually. The other shades I have in this colour family are brighter and more peachy.

On the same day, I also bought the Essence Long Lasting Lip Liner in Girl Next Door 08 from Wilko. You can only buy these in store, but my local doesn’t have a big enough stand to stock them, so I was very happy to find them up there. The shade I wanted was actually out of stock, and I thought this was far too brown at first, but decided to give it a try for £1.50. I love this product. I have some photos of me wearing it at the bottom of this post. Forgive the fact that they're poor quality and taken from my Twitter. I like wearing it on its own, sandwiched between two layers of lip balm so it’s not too drying. I’ve been using potted lip balm so it doesn’t disturb the colour, like a stick would do.

I love NYX, I love lip liners, and I love nudes, so the NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude 10 is a winner. It’s very similar in shade to the NYX Slide On Lip Pencil in Nude Suede Shoes, but I’ve been using this over that one because it doesn’t need sharpening.

Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in Retro Red 53, Rimmel Kate Lasting Finish Lipstick in Rossetto 03, NYX Soft Matte Lip Cream in Cannes 19, NYX Retractable Lip Liner in Nude 10, and Essence Long Lasting Lip Liner in Girl Next Door 08.

Essence Long Lasting Lip Liner in Girl Next Door 08.

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...

Recent Beauty Purchases

I received a sample of coconut oil with one of my recent online orders, and as I mentioned on Twitter, it removed my makeup twice, moisturised my face, and conditioned my hair. I started to see why people are obsessed with it, so had to buy some myself. I bought the Biona Organic Raw Virgin Coconut Oil (£4.39/200g) because it was buy one get one half price at Boots, and I paid with my points, so it was technically free. 

I'm a big fan of Superdrug's own brand products, and have tried many over the years. The Hydrate & Shine Coconut Water and Coconut Oil Conditioning Hair Masque (£2.65 down from £3.99) and Clearly Youthful Retexturising Glycolic Peel Off Mask (£2.39 down from £4.89) both had good reviews, and were so cheap, that I had to try them. I've only ever tried glycolic products from Nip & Fab, and I love them, so am really looking forward to trying the face mask. You don't see many affordable brands with a product like this. The packaging of this Clearly Youthful range is not bad either.

I was running out of my Soap & Glory One Heck Of A Blot Primer (£10), so needed another, and because it was buy one get one half price, thought I'd browse the rest of the range. I've seen the Hocus Focus Illuminator (£11) talked about a few times, and liked the idea of adding some to my foundation, so opted for a bottle. I've already mixed it with my base makeup a few times, and used it as a highlighter, and really like it. It's glowy, not shimmery. I used to use the Superdrug Vitamin E Radiance Face Cream (£2.99) years back, but I don't know exactly how similar they are because it was so long ago. 

I hadn't ordered from The Body Shop in a while, but was running low on my Shade Adjusting Lightening Drops (£10) and All In One Face Base in 02 (£14), so thought I'd browse the rest of the website while ordering these. I'd heard good things about the Fresh Nude Foundation (£15), so added the shade 010 Chelsea Porcelain to my basket. I've been using it for over a week now, and quite like it. It has a light-medium coverage, with a natural satin finish, which surprised me because I somehow assumed it would be overly dewy. It's not cakey, doesn't cling to any dry areas, and feels fairly moisturising. 

Seeing as it's fast becoming my new favourite thing, I'm curious to know if you use coconut oil?

Another Collection of Essence Purchases

I posted an Essence haul just last month (here), and although I said I may pop back to the stand for a couple more things, I didn't expect to buy enough to warrant another post. But here we are.

I really, really didn't need another mascara, but wanted to try the I Love Extreme Crazy Volume Mascara (£2.80) because of the high ratings. At £2.80, I thought I may as well.

I already own two lipsticks from the nude range, but found the Long Lasting Lipstick in 06 Barely There (£2.30), and had to add it to my collection. The other two I have from Essence are pink and mauve based, whereas this is more brown, so it's completely warranted.

I picked up another Lip Liner (£1), this time in 05 Soft Berry, because I quite liked the Satin Mauve one I bought last time.

I was also a fan of the Liquid Lipsticks (£2.50), even though I wouldn't go as far to say they're liquid lipsticks. Like the Maybelline Colour Elixir Lip Lacquers, they're pigmented, balmy glosses. The shade above is 04 Show Off, which is a bright, summer red.

Finally, I opted for the Long Lasting Eye Pencil in 25 Say Hi Light (£1.50). I absolutely love this pencil, and have already bought another. If you'd like to see my review of it, click here.

This affordable brand has really impressed me, and I like that they regularly bring out new releases to keep up with the trends. They have a range of gel-like nail polishes, and have recently brought out eyebrow pomades as well. It's certainly a brand I'm going to keep an eye on.

An Essence Haul | First Impressions & Swatches

I'd never taken an interest in Essence before this week. I just thought it was a cheap, childish brand, which is ridiculous because I like other brands with a similar price point. Anyway, since getting into wearing lip liner, I'd seen the Essence ones being spoken about a few times, so thought I'd pop into my local Wilkinson (Wilko) and have a look at the stand.

Everything above was £1-£4, which isn't bad at all. The packaging looks a little cheap, but I've seen far worse. The products also have that cheap smell to them, which doesn't bother me too much, but thought it was worth mentioning.

The reason for going to the stand in the first place was to pick up a lip liner or two. I ended up walking away with 06 Satin Mauve, which is a natural, muted pink shade. It's slightly harder in texture than the Rimmel Exaggerate ones, but this was £1 instead of £3.99. I read that they used to be softer, but Essence wanted to make them act more as a lip liner, which I get. I've used it once so far, and think it does the job perfectly well.

There were a lot of lipsticks, separated into different formulations. I went with two shades from the Long Lasting Nude range, which were £2.30 each. 03 Come Naturally is the cooler of the two, and is a mauvey shade. 05 Cool Nude is a pink toned nude. I like them a lot so far, but I think it's pretty hard to get a lipstick wrong. The formula doesn't feel any different to a normal lipstick, so I don't know where the 'long lasting' part comes into it, but they're creamy and comfortable on the lips.

Do the next lip products look familiar to you? The Liquid Lipsticks are £2.50 each, and are practically the same as the Maybelline Colour Elixir Lip Lacquers. I have 02 Beauty Secret, which is an everyday pink, and 06 Make A Statement, which I'd describe as being a daytime rosy red. Just like the Maybelline ones, they're a pigmented, balmy gloss. I like them, but I don't think they should have been called liquid lipsticks. They're not.

I barely wear eyeshadow, but the All About Nudes Eyeshadow Palette (£4) looked too pretty to pass up, and I thought my mum would appreciate it. I think it's a great little palette so far. The bottom champagne shade has a pearl finish, and the bottom taupe shade is shimmery, but the rest are satin. They're buttery soft and not chalky, and the pigment payoff isn't bad either. It's not mind blowing, but I think that's okay for these types of shades.

I also picked up an eyeshadow in 19 The Grammy Goes Glammy, which is a shimmery champagne, and was just £1. I don't think the shimmer is fine enough to be used as a highlight on the face, which is what I thought I could use it for at first, but they had a couple other similar shades. Like the eyeshadows in the palette, it's buttery soft.

Long Lasting Nude Lipstick in 05 Cool Nude, Long Lasting Nude Lipstick in 03 Come Naturally, Liquid Lipstick in 02 Beauty Secret, Liquid Lipstick in 06 Make A Statement, Lip Liner in 06 Satin Mauve, Eyeshadow in 19 The Grammy Goes Glammy, All About Nudes Eyeshadow Palette.

I don't know if any of these will become all time favourites, but I'm pleased with what I bought. I'm considering going back to the stand and trying a couple more things anyway, which says something!

Beauty Purchases

I was being organised and took photos for multiple posts a few weeks back, but the error in doing this is that I've since bought more products! I'll just have to put the Zoeva brushes and lip liners in a separate post.

As some of you may know, I tinted my eyebrows not long back (you can find the post here), and while I still have multiple applications left, I wanted to give the Eylure Pro Brow Dybrow Dye Kit in Dark Brown a go. It's £7.49, you get up to 12 applications, and it has high ratings. I bought this from Superdrug because the Boots website only has the single application ones (which are £9.95!). It's not on Eylure's own site either, so I wanted to buy it now while I can still get hold of it.

NYX is one of my favourite brands, which is why I've bought eight products from them recently now that they're available at Boots. I've been loving the Butter Lipstick (£5.50) in Root Beer Float, so went ahead and bought Licorice (now known as Moonlight Night) as well, which is a deep plum shade.

I also bought the Micro Brow Pencil in Brunette (£7) because it's often compared to the Anastasia Beverly Hills one, and has great reviews. I'm still getting used to achieving a natural look with a pencil, though, because I'm used to powders and pomades.

The Intense Butter Gloss in Tres Leches (£5.50) is similar in shade to the Butter Lipstick in Root Beer Float. It's incredibly opaque, and basically a liquid lipstick with a gloss finish. I've since bought one of their lip liners in a similar shade, which pairs nicely with it.

I don't do much with my hair in terms of styling, but I'm obsessed with keeping my hair as soft and conditioned as it can be. The OGX Argan Oil of Morocco Miracle In Shower Oil (£8.35) is another product with high ratings, and can be used in multiple ways, so I thought I'd add it to my collection.

More eyebrow products, I know. It's a little ridiculous. I'd never tried a brow gel/mascara type thing before, though, so was curious. The Soap & Glory Archery Volu-Boost Brow Fibre Gel in Talk Of The Brown (£8) is a new product, and one I bought before I dyed my eyebrows darker. I can still use it, but that's why I then bought the L'Oreal Brow Artist Plumper in Dark Brunette (£5.99). Again, it has great reviews, and it's cheaper than the Soap & Glory one, despite having more product in. I don't know if these types of brow products are for me, to be honest, but I'm going to try and make them work.

I've been using the Lush massage bars in the same way as their solid body butters, by smothering myself in them while stepping away from the shower. My skin feels great, so I wanted to get some more. You can see how far back I took these photos by the date on the wrappers, by the way. Anyway, I bought Pearl (£6.50) and Strawberry Feels Forever (£5.95). I've already reviewed Pearl, which you can find here.

While there, I picked up another Ultrabland because I always like to have a back up at the ready. Seriously, it's amazing.

Let me know if you've tried any of these products, and if you've taken advantage of NYX being readily available to us now.

For When I Leave The House

Hauls aren't rare on this blog, but clothing ones are. I'm usually in uniform or pyjamas, leaving very little room for other pieces! I have bought a few bits recently, though, so thought I'd gather everything together.

I already own these £24.99 boots from New Look. They're the first chelsea boots I've liked, and have really changed my outfits, so thought I'd get another pair while they're still around. The socks are also from New Look. At £1.99 a pair, or 3 pairs for £4, you can't go wrong, especially when they have pizzas on them.

H&M is probably my favourite place to shop for clothes. The items look more expensive than they are, so I'm always surprised when I look at a label and see that it's cheaper than the likes of New Look. The grey and teal ribbed tops are high necked, slightly cropped, and have sleeves which come an inch or two above the elbow. I'm not crazy on cropped clothing, but these look fine with a vest underneath. Best of all, they were only £6.99 each. The cacti sweater was only £5.99, people!

I want to be more social just so I can wear these £11 printed trousers from Primark.

Primark has some beautiful lingerie in at the moment. I picked up navy and lemon yellow crocheted sets, but the navy bra had to be returned because the balconette fit was so poor. The yellow one fits nicely, though, and it was £8. The thongs were both £3 each.

The bag in the first photo is from Accessorize, and was £16 down from £32. I'm not cool enough to wear it as a rucksack, but it works well when using the strap to create a shoulder bag.

Excuse the Instagram photo, but I bought another high neck jumper, with this one being from Oasis. It was £12 down from £25, with free delivery. I'm impressed with the quality, so will have to make sure I check out Oasis more often.

New Makeup

I know, another haul, but... well, I don't have an excuse. I spend a ton one week, and nothing the next. This is a week where I've exercised my bank account. A lot. 

NYX is one of my favourite makeup brands, so I'm glad us folk in the UK are now able to buy it from the likes of Boots, Feel Unique, and ASOS. Some other places stock it as well, but these are the main three I personally buy from. Anyway, I've had the blush in Taupe for ages. I love the shade for contouring (the majority of products are too warm for my liking), but it has hardly any pigment, and you have to scratch the product up each time you use it, which is why it was featured in my Love-Hate Relationships post. NYX have since reformulated their blushes (£5.50 a pop), so I had to buy a replacement. So far, I've found that it's softer and more pigmented, and just a touch powdery. I still think it's better than the old formula, though, despite this.

When the NYX Butter Lipstick (£5.50) also arrived, and said 'Root Beer Float' on the bottom, I thought I'd bought the wrong shade, but after a little research, I found that they've renamed the shades, and this was once Pops, the shade I wanted. I know many dislike this phrase, but it really is a 'my lips but better' colour. It's a combination of a nude and pink, which isn't so different to my natural lip colour. It's pigmented and creamy, and seems to wear well, but because it's close in colour to my lips, I'm not as certain as I am with darker shades. Moonlight Night, formerly known as Licorice, is next on my list of lipsticks to buy, even though I have enough!

I've been loving the Makeup Revolution Ultra Aqua Brow Tint in Medium, and have read many positive reviews of NYX's Eyebrow Gel (£5.50), so had to buy it to compare. I bought the shade Brunette, but because I've yet to use it, I can't tell you more than that. I'm looking forward to giving it a go, though, because I love eyebrow products.

I've recently been using a small brush to create a crisp lip line with my chosen lipstick for that day because I only own a couple lip liners, and they're all red. I wanted a more natural shade that enables me to create the illusion of fuller lips, and because so many people rave about Rimmel's Exaggerate Lip Liner in East End Snob (£3.99), I went ahead and ordered it. I'm excited to dip my toe into this makeup category, and if all goes well, there's a couple from NYX I'll be purchasing.

The Sunday Girl brought the GOSH Forever Matt Eyeshadow Sticks (£6.29) to my attention, and 10 Twisted Brown looked like a great shade to contour with because of its cool tone. From the swatches I've done, it's incredibly creamy and pigmented, so I just hope it blends well enough to be successful.

Let me know if you own any of these products, and what your favourite lip liners are.

SS16 with Accessorize

It was payday, I was in the mood to shop, and found myself on the Accessorize website. It happens to the best of us. 

Some of the spring/summer prints they have in at the moment are beautiful, and I ended up buying three items in the same print because I liked it so much.

I always have a shopper bag inside my handbag, and I couldn't resist this pineapple print one for £5. The necklace was overpriced, at £15, but I'd had my eye on some similar for the best part of a year. I ordered it thinking I could always return it, but ended up really liking it, which was kind of annoying!

I've seen non-wired, triangle bras cropping up in various stores recently, and while I don't have the confidence to wear one out, I think they're perfect for lounging around the house in. This one was £10, and is very pretty. For reference, I'm a 34D and bought this in a medium, which happens to fit well. I'm a size 8 in clothes, but not when it comes to bras with this sizing scale, so never know which size to get. It happened to work in my favour this time, though.

I love Accessorize underwear. They're the prettiest things, and happen to last better than their cheaper counterparts. I bought two Brazilian briefs for £7 each and two thongs for £5 each.

The pj bottoms were £13 down from £18, and in the Fleur print I'm clearly a fan of. I just love these, and think they'll look great with a white vest/tee.

I also bought a bag for my mum for Mother's Day, and had a 10% off code, which softened the blow a little! Is Accessorize a place you buy from often?

Lush Haul

I've been to Lush three times in the last week, spent too much money, and am now the proud owner of the products above.

I'm running low on my favourite cleanser, Ultrabland, so picked up another 100g pot for £11.95. I've spoken about this countless times before, but it's the best thing to remove my makeup, and is incredibly moisturising.

Outback Mate is a eucalyptus, lemongrass, and peppermint scented soap, which is £3.50/100g. Sunrise, the orange soap in the bottom photo, smells of mandarins and tangerines, and is £4.25/100g. It also has murumuru butter in to moisturise the skin. I still think it's expensive for soap, but because it's limited edition for Mother's Day, I went ahead and bought it anyway!

I really didn't need the Razzle Dazzle bath oil (£2) and Ladybird bubble bar (£3.95) because I don't have baths and only use these types of products for hand and foot soaks, but I couldn't resist the scents. Ladybird is fruity, floral, and minty all in one, and really reminds me of something from when I was younger, but I can't pinpoint what. This is also a product only around for Mother's Day, which is what pushed me to buy it now.

I love the Lush body conditioners, and anything that moisturises my skin in the shower, so picked up a King of Skin body butter (£5.95) to try. I also bought the Full of Grace serum bar (£8.25) at the same time because it has high ratings and positive reviews. I'm really looking forward to using these because they're different from anything I've tried before.

Finally, I bought the Let The Good Times Roll fresh cleanser (£6.95) to use every couple days after removing my makeup with Ultrabland. I've already used it a couple times, and like it so far. It polishes the skin, leaving it soft, smooth, and smelling delicious. It honestly smells like caramel-y, popcorn-y goodness.

Have you tried any of these products? Or bought anything from Lush recently?

Recently Purchased

I hadn't painted my nails in roughly two years, but last week saw me buy four polishes from Barry M's new ranges, and I've painted my nails multiple times since. I don't know what changed, but I'm rolling with it! I bought the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Pink Lemonade (the third one along) in store, wore it, loved it, and then decided to buy some more online at Boots. It was 2 for £6 or 3 for £9, but adding a third only increased the total by less than a pound, rather than £3. Then student and staff discount brought this down further, meaning I somehow paid £1.58-£2.36 for them. I chose the Mani Mask in Bashful, the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Cream Soda, and the Gelly Hi Shine Nail Paint in Butterscotch Sundae. I'm loving these delicate, nude shades. Pink Lemonade reminds me of a slightly pinker version of Models Own Utopia and OPI's Steady As She Rose. which are old favourites of mine.

I've been wearing and loving Rimmel's The Only One Lipstick in Naughty Nude an awful lot, but I also like my berry shades, so picked up Oh So Wicked from the same line. It's already love. I wore it the other night and it lasted through pizza, which is the ultimate test in my eyes. These lipsticks seem to seal themselves without becoming drying, meaning they comfortably last for a long time.

In the same Boots order as everything else, I also bought another Maybelline Lasting Drama Gel Liner in Black because I always like to have a back up.

Then, from Superdrug, because it was out of stock at Boots, I bought the Collection Illuminating Touch Foundation in Porcelain. This was £3.99 down from £5.99, and I used £1 of my collected points, making this just £2.99. It's darker than what it looks like on other people, and this is the lightest shade, but this isn't a problem now that I have The Body Shop's Shade Adjusting Lightening Drops in my life (I love them so much!). I've only worn it once at the time of writing this, but I like it so far. I'm used to natural or matte foundations, so wasn't sure how this dewy formulation would fair on my combination oily skin, but it lasted well, felt really nice on the skin, and actually made my skin look less flat than it normally does. It also wasn't cakey, and didn't settle in places it shouldn't. This was with using the Soap & Glory One Heck Of a Blot Primer underneath it, though, so I don't know how good it is on its own.

I've liked the look of printed trousers/jeans for a while, and finally decided to just buy some in Primark last week. The ones above were £11. The trouser material is something I'm going to have to get used to, but I love the print, and am already on the look out for some navy tile ones.

I spotted the skirt above (£17.99) in New Look before work one day, and impulsively bought it without trying it on. Once home, I found that while it didn't fall down, it was too big to look flattering. I wanted to exchange the 8 for a 6, but it wasn't available, so I just returned it. Then I found it on ASOS, where smaller sizes are available, so bought it again. The smaller size fits perfectly. I've recently tried on three New Look skirts in size 8 now, and all of them have come up big, so it's something to consider if you're going to buy one from them. Anyway, the print of this one is pretty boring, but I can see it coming in handy for a few occasions.

The makeup bag was also from New Look, and was £5.99. It's so incredibly tacky, but makes me happy to look at! It reminds me of mermaids and unicorns and all things beautiful. The photo above really doesn't do the changing colour justice, so I've included more photos below. I've also included photos of me wearing the clothing and Barry M's Mani Mask, all of which are from Twitter/Instagram.

I'd be interested to know what you've purchased recently, so let me know below!

Clothing and Homeware Buys

I don't buy a lot of clothes these days because I'm either in uniform or pyjamas most of the time, but a few items from New Look caught my eye last week. 

I've never been a fan of high-necked tops on myself, but that seems to have changed in the last month or so. The first thing I added to my basket was the colour block funnel neck jumper for £27.99. I personally think this is overpriced for New Look, along with the other two actually, but I've decided to just buy things I like the look of. It's not often that I find clothes I like, so I have to take advantage when I do! Despite me saying it's overpriced, it's good quality. I thought it'd feel quite rough and cheap, but it's soft. I've actually exchanged this for a smaller size because it was huge, hence the phone images - I couldn't wait for my other one to arrive before writing this!

The fine-knit striped jumper was £17.99, and I've already worn it because I like it so much. It's kind of cropped, which will take some getting used to, but at least it makes my legs look longer. I just have to be careful with makeup and food around it!

The jacquard mini skirt was £19.99, and is completely out of my comfort zone. I was drawn to it, though, and kept imagining it with tights and boots. I'd prefer it in a size smaller so it was tighter and gave more shape, but it doesn't come in one, so will just have to deal with it.

When I move out and have my own place, browsing TK Maxx will be one of my favourite hobbies. It is now, to be honest, but I have to restrain what I buy because I currently have nowhere to home things. This weekend's trip was fairly successful, though. I picked up the wire and canvas basket for £9.99, and this is currently storing my Lush products. I previously had them in a box, but would forget about them, so wanted something which would display them, while still looking fairly organised. It's from a brand called JVL, if you were wondering.

The wooden basket tag simply says 'handcrafted in vietnam', and this was £6.99. I really loved the rustic look of this, so bought it to store my teas and other hot drinks in.

The orange rim around the bowls is much brighter in real life, making them a lot prettier, but you get the idea. They're from a brand called Creative Tops, and are part of the Wanderer collection. The larger one was £3.99, while the smaller one was £2.99. I don't have a use for these yet, but couldn't leave them behind!

The last thing already has a special place in my heart. It's the Sabichi Oversized Spots Mug, which holds 600ml, and it was just £2.99. I'm already imagining having an epic hot chocolate in this. Who cares if it'll contain my daily sugar intake?

There were also these ceramic mixing bowls which nested inside each other, and each one had a different colour on the inside, but I currently have no room for them, so had to leave them behind. Sad times.

Have you found any gems in TK Maxx recently?

Purchases & Presents

I was planning on getting this post up earlier than this, but I keep buying things, so have been waiting for them to arrive before taking photos of everything. Even now, I have some sale sets on their way to me, but thought I'd draw the line with this lot, else we'll be waiting all year.

This post is a combination of a 'what I got for Christmas' and sales haul post because I don't get a lot for Christmas, but wanted to show you the things I picked out for my parents to buy.

I've already shown you the Lush sale products I bought with the Christmas budget my parents allowed, but I placed an order with Whittard of Chelsea before Christmas. I picked the Cocoa Creations Hot Chocolate Gift Set for £20, the Hazelnut Flavour Ground Coffee for £5, and the English Rose & Glass Mug Bundle for £18. They're expensive and not items I'd buy myself, which is why I thought they'd make an ideal present.

Also with my Christmas money from my parents, I ordered Face Paint by Lisa Eldridge from Amazon for around £15. I've never bought a YouTuber's product before, and I've never bought a makeup book, so this is a first on both accounts. I'm a fan of Lisa Eldridge, and I like that this book has been designed with an older audience in mind, rather than young teens. It's beautiful and not tacky at all. What I like most about it is that it's not just another book telling you how to apply makeup, but one which looks at the history and origins of it. I'm looking forward to having a proper read through of this.

I've been wanting to buy a Rituals gift set in the sales for the last couple of years, but they either sell out quickly, or I change my mind and think they're still not worth the money. Last week, though, M&S had the Ancient Beauty Gift Set for £7 down from £19.50, so I had to order it. The common scent across the products is rose, and it's combined with something else in each one. It's a subtle, sweet floral, but in a luxurious, spa-like way.

I bought a couple Origins sets before Christmas because they were on offer, and I'm glad I did because they were nowhere to be seen on the Boots website after then. I've already shown you the Glow So Nice Set, which I managed to get for £20.66 down from £40, but I've yet to show you the Shining Stars Set, which was exclusive to Boots. It was originally £25, which is still great value, considering the moisturiser alone is worth that. It then went down to £20, and when I added it to my basket, my staff discount took off more than it was supposed to, so I got it for £15.50. I've tried the Drink Up Intensive Mask before, but not the others, so I'm looking forward to giving them a go.

The Boots after-Christmas sale is one which I look forward to the most. I didn't buy anything from the main line of gifts because I bought everything I wanted during double discount week in October, but I did get some fragrance sets. The first was Dolce & Gabbana's Light Blue, which was £28 from £42, and the second was Marc Jacobs' Daisy Dream, which was £37.33 from £56. I then found a code for £5 off these, which was a bonus! I already own Daisy Dream, and my sister's already finished the bottle I bought her for her birthday and is on her second, so I thought I'd buy her this as a back up.

Then, earlier this week, Boots further reduced their fragrance gift sets, so I bought Dolce & Gabbana's Miniatures Set and Nina Ricci's Nina Gift Set, each for less than £20. Again, I already own Nina, but bought the set as a present. Still, I should probably avoid buying perfume for a while!

What have you bought in the sales?