Haul - Primark, Revlon Matte Balms, and More

Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Audacious, Revlon ColourBurst Lip Butter in Wild Watermelon, and Revlon ColourBurst Matte Balm in Elusive.

Birthday money in hand, I decided to do a spot of shopping this week, and then thought I'd combine the other odd bits I've bought this month to create a haul!

The majority of the stuff above is from Primark, so we'll start there! I bought yet another men's jumper for £12. I love them. They're comfy, warm, and easy to wear. I then picked up some coat hangers to store my expanding collection of jumpers, which were £4. I've always been a little reluctant to spend money on coat hangers, especially because I store most of my clothes in chests of drawers, but the colours of these persuaded me! The giraffe pyjama top was £4 and is incredibly cute. They also had matching giraffe print bottoms, if you're interested. I then picked up another one of their reed diffusers in Red Berries and Orchid for £3. It's along the same lines as their Juicy Blueberry and Blossom one, which I love. The socks at the top were £3.50, and are knee high and extra thick. They're more expensive than the ones I normally buy from Primark, and are just as expensive as Topshop and Accessorize ones, but, I suppose, they are extra long and thick. The last things from Primark are the tweezers. Both the floral owl and black polka dot ones were £1 for 2. They're not the sharpest I've had, but they do the job!

I bought a fair bit of bedding from Tesco Direct a couple weeks ago, and while most of it was fitted sheets and pillow cases, I did buy the pretty, floral, fleece throw you see at the top. It was £10, and I bought it to spruce up my plain bedding sets. I also bought the bedding you see everything on, which was £15 (now £12). I wasn't sure about it at first, but it's warming on me!

A couple weeks ago, my friend and I had some time to kill, so decided to venture into Next's home section. We came across the Apricot Blossom scent, and just had to buy something from the range. I'm not allowed to burn candles under my dad's roof, so opted for the reed diffuser, which was £5. If you're interested in the candle, it was £3.50. I'm tempted to get it just to smell it whenever I can! I love apricot/peach scents.

Birthday money, not buying makeup for ages, my love of lip crayons, and a 3 for 2 offer all contributed to these next buys. I walked into Boots and headed straight to the Revlon stand, knowing they'd have the new Matte and Lacquer Balms. I wasn't expecting there to be a 3 for 2 offer on, so that just pushed me to get swatching even more. I decided on the Elusive and Audacious Matte Balms, intending to sheer Audacious out to make it more subtle. I also wanted Unapologetic, a really bright, warm pink, and also intended to sheer it out, but it was out of stock. At 9am on the day of release. No extras in the draws underneath. The Lacquer Balms were okay, but most had shimmer in, so decided to swatch the lip butters. I've never owned one before because the colours didn't float my boat, but then I came across Wild Watermelon, and a spark ignited within. Okay, a little dramatic, but you get my drift. In the tube, it looks like an orangey red, but when swatched and sheered out, it turns in a light, pinky red. I also want Juicy Papaya now! All three retail for £7.99, but the 3 for 2 offer meant I received one for free.

I'm also going in town tomorrow to get some workout clothes because I've started exercising (only a little, mind!), but will no doubt end up in Boots again. Back at the Revlon stand. Have, or will, you be buying any of Revlon's new releases? Lip crayons got me into wearing lip products, so they'll always have a special place in my heart!

Cake Decorations Haul

I've been getting into baking over the last month, and have bought a few things to make my treats that little bit prettier! 

The first things in the photo above are my favourite out of everything. They're the Wilton Food Colouring Pastes/Gels (which can be bought from this seller for £2.85-89 each). You only need the tiniest amount, so I can see them lasting a while. I bought Pink, Sky Blue, and Violet. I bought the Violet to make my buttercream/frosting whiter. It will counteract the yellowness of the butter (just like a purple toning shampoo counteracts brassy tones in blonde hair).

I also bought a few pots of decorations from Tesco. The Dr. Oetker Sugar Stars were £1.29, the Tesco Multi Coloured Confetti was £1.50, and the Strawberry Glimmer Crunch was... I've forgotten, but it was probably around the same price!

The Rainbow Dust Edible Cake Decoration Glitter in Hologram White is from the same seller as the Wilton Food Colouring Pastes/Gels, and was £2.95. I chose this colour because it will go with everything. I'm tempted to buy a few others, though!

The muffin cases were from this listing, and cost £1.20 for 24. I think they're expensive, but they're big, thick, and I'm using them for my sister's birthday cupcakes/special occasions. They're not cases to be used every time you bake!

The Dr. Oetker Wafer Daisies were also from Tesco, and were £1.49. These are also for my sister's birthday cupcakes :)

From TK Maxx, I bought some Silicone Baking Cases for £3.99. I've wanted some of these for a while because you can reuse them, making them more cost effective in the long run!

I also bought the Confetti Sprinkles for £2.49. They're more expensive than the ones from Tesco, but the pot is double the size. These are the ones I used in my Chocolate Chip Cookie Slabs.

The Cookie Cutters were bought from TK Maxx a couple of months ago, but thought I'd include them because I saw some similar ones when I bought the Silicone Baking Cases and Confetti Sprinkles the other day. I also wanted to include them because they're so colourful! These were £2.99.

I also bought a piping bag and some cupcake boxes, which were also from eBay, but they weren't pretty enough to make this post ;)

Haul - H&M, New Look, Primark, Paperchase and More

I thought I'd show you some of the things I've been buying recently!

H&M - Neon Balconette Bras £7.99 each, Flower Hair Clips £1.99 each

I wasn't planning on buying any bras yesterday, but when I saw these, I couldn't resist. The colours drew me in! I also picked up some more flower hair clips. I already own a few colours of these.

New Look - Brown Boots £29.99

It's difficult for me to find boots I like, so when I do, I snap them up. These are sturdy and waterproof, so should serve me well.

Primark - Loose Fitting Textured T-shirts in Black and Neon Yellow £2.50 each, Stretch Vests in Various Blue Shades £2.50 each, Ice Cubes £1

£2.50 for the t-shirts! And the vests are really nice. I'm normally a size 8, but have recently found that Primark's sizes have changed, so I got the vests in a size 6, and the t-shirts in a 10 so they're loose. The ice cubes are so practical! You can refreeze them, and they won't water your drink down once they've melted.

Paperchase - Mechanical Pens £2 each

I bought the bunny one a couple of weeks ago, and love how it writes, so picked up the floral one yesterday. You can also get refills for these, which is handy.

WHSmith - Photo Album £6.99. TKMaxx - Floral Tin £1.99

I've been looking for a pretty and affordable photo album for ages, but couldn't find one I loved, so settled on this simple black one. I don't know what I'm going to use the tin for yet, but I had to buy it. It was the only one left, and I saw a girl eyeing it up, so when she left, I dived for it (Not literally. I'm not that weird!)

Tesco - Cream and Pink Planters £1 down from £4, Floral Tins £8 for 3, Various Chocolate and Sweets

While in town yesterday, dad rang my sister and said he'd pick us up. Then, he gave us £20 and told us to spend it on Easter treats! Unsurprisingly, all of the eggs were sold out, so I settled on my favourite chocolate bars, Kinder eggs, and Jelly Tots. I also wanted some items that would last, and was drawn to the floral tins. They'd be great for tea, sugar and coffee when I get my own place, but for now, I'm going to have to find another use for them! I also picked up the planters. £1! Bargain. However, I don't have a use for them yet because I've just bought a load of brightly coloured plant pots. These don't fit the colour scheme, and won't even fit on my windowsill. 

Once the rest of my plant pots have arrived, and my windowsill is looking colourful and pretty, I'll write a post about them! Not exciting to some, but it is to me!

Christmas Sale Purchases and More

I went shopping today! I felt like I hadn't been in ages, but it was probably just a few weeks. It was so quiet it town, considering the Christmas sales started yesterday. In fact, it was quieter than it normally is throughout the year! There was no one in Lush and there were no queues in Primark - Shocker! I'm always quite level headed when it comes to shopping, and the Christmas sales are no different. I feel so guilty at the thought of wasting money (so I try to justify everything haha). Quite a few of the items you see below are for birthdays, Mother's Day, even next Christmas! Here we go...

 

Of course Lush was on the agenda. They didn't have any of the Christmas bath bombs though, so I'm not sure what's going on there. They had loads of everything else. Anyway, I bought my first bottle of Snow Fairy shower gel for £3.12 (the prices I'm giving are after the 50% discount), 2 Magic Wand bubble bars which were around £2.50 each (these are for birthdays!), a Rocket bubble bar for £2.50ish (which smells like Parma Violets! I wish I bought another one now), a Santa's Sack bubble bar for £2.09ish and a 200g chunk of Mr Punch soap for £3.75. Once I got home, the Mr Punch soap smelt different to me, so I'm going to try and swap or sell it. 

I then went to The Body Shop. I think this was the first time I've bought stuff in store. I normally buy online because of all the amazing discount codes. I was buying my mum a bottle of the Vineyard Peach shower gel, which was half price at £2, and once I smelt it, I had to buy a bottle for myself. It smells delicious! The Ice Blue shampoo, Cranberry shower gel and Cranberry hand cream were also down to £2 and I bought them for my dad for his birthday. The Cranberry products... oh my. They smell good enough to eat. I may have to keep them!

 

I'm always underwhelmed by Boots' Christmas sale. I know people love it for the Soap & Glory products, but I've never tried or been interested in them. I do love Boots Extracts though, and thought this mango gift set was a bargain at just £5. One Christmas present for 2013 down ;)

 

I can't go shopping without visiting Primark. These two items were not in the sale, but they were cheap anyway. The large cosmetics bag was £4 and the slippers were £3. I also bought a pair of ugly moccasin slippers because I knew they were going to be super comfy. They also have a rubber sole, meaning they won't get disgustingly dirty on the bottom!

 

I spent a small fortune in H&M. I don't regret it though because they're items I always wear. The pink, mint green and yellow garments are cardigans and were £9.99 each. I think I have every colour of their cardigans now! The lilac garment is a lightweight jumper and was £14.99, which is pricey for what it is, but I bought it in the heat of the moment! The teal and black tops are scoop necked and long sleeved, and cost £7.99 each. Again, I have a variety of colours of these and wear them most days. The quality of them is amazing and they last so well.

 

After my sister and I got back from town, our dad informed us that he was going to Tesco. I couldn't pass up a trip to Tesco. I found these boots for just £15, and they weren't even in the sale. I love them. I really hope they last. My other boots from Tesco didn't last very long, but that's because the soles weren't durable. These soles are rubber and chunky, so finger's crossed!

 

I've also bought a couple things from the online sales, and they're all things I've had my eye on for months. The coat is from New Look and was £35 down from £55. I wanted a more formal coat, so I'm hoping this is nice enough to keep. From Superdrug, I bought the Remington Pearl hair dryer, which was £24.99 down from £38. I rarely blow dry my hair, but I do blow dry my dogs after I've bathed them, and a hair dryer is always useful to have. The one I currently use is really old and I'm always scared it's going to explode because it has sparked a couple of times! I chose the Remington Pearl one because I have the Remington Pearl straighteners and the Remington Pearl conical wand, and love them both. To receive free delivery, you needed to spend over £25, so I added a little chocolate truffle to my basket which cost 29p haha

This bedding was the first thing I bought in the sales. It's from BHS and cost £22.50, down from £45. It's not to everyone's taste and I'll admit that it's quite garish and in your face, but I'm drawn to it! I was looking at it months before the sales, so I think it was meant to be. If the design gets too much for me, I can flip it over and have a simple, floral pattern :) I also found a £5 off code which worked on sale items. To redeem it, you had to spend at least £25, so I also bought a mug.

I would love to see what you've bought in the sales, so link me up!

Back to School Stationery Haul

Hello! I'm going into my second year of university in September and I've now bought most of the stationery I'll need, so I thought I'd show you it. Stocking up on stationery for the next academic year used to be as exciting as Christmas when I was younger. I still love buying stationery, but for the last few years, I've bought the basic, cheap necessities, and that's it. This year, I wanted to add some more colour to my notes, because I can (We were only allowed to use black or blue ink in school). The prices of things didn't really matter to me this year, so you can probably buy some of the things below at a cheaper price from a Supermarket own brand.

Last year, I found that display books worked well for my course, so I've bought a few more this year - One for each module. Display books usually contain about 30 pockets, and I usually put 2-4 pages in each one, so they are a good size for my needs. The blue, purple and pink display books you see above are from WHSmith and were £4.99 for all three. They were in the 'Back to School' section and were 75% off :) I then bought three popper wallets for my assignments - They're perfect for my ideas, plans and drafts. They were also from WHSmith, but I cannot remember the price. They certainly weren't the cheapest though - I'd suggest buying some from Tesco.

The Ryman notepad was £1.99 and 3 for 2. The paper is thick and I like it because the lines inside are narrow, so they're great for my small writing. I bought the Pukka Pad yonks ago, so cannot remember the price, but you can get them for £1-2 when Tesco have their Back to School deals on. During the rest of the year, they're about £4.

The Stabilo highlighters, Staedtler fineliner pens and Paper Mate black ball pens are all from Ryman, but they can be found in many other stores. The highlighters were £5.99, the fineliner pens were on offer for £4.99 (And still are!) and the Paper Mate black ball pens were £1.99. I've used the Paper Mate pens for years and always repurchase them. I used to only be able to write with fountain pens, which was annoying because ball pens are so much cheaper, so I'm glad I can now write with ball pens!

The coloured Paper Mate ball pens are from WHSmith and were £2.49.  These were an impulse buy really. I liked the look of the colours and packaging! The pencils were also from WHSmith and cost £2.24. They're not the cheapest, but I couldn't be bothered to search any more stores. I always buy pencils with rubbers on the tops because I'm lazy. Picking up a separate rubber when I've made a mistake is just too much work! haha. Also, once a pencil is blunt, I tend to move onto the next one, instead of sharpening it. As I said, I'm lazy.

The Tesco sticky and film index markers were £1.18 and £1.41. Last year, I found out how useful these are! The sticky index markers are great to write annotations on and the film index markers are great to bookmark textbooks.

The 2012-2013 academic elephant diary/planner was £4.50 from Paperchase. It looks small, but there is plenty of room for me to write what I need. It has a week per two pages layout, which is the layout I prefer. Also, how cute is it?!

My pencil case is by Cath Kidston and cost £3.50 in the ASOS sale. It's meant to be a purse, but it's far too big to be one! It's the perfect size for a pencil case though.

My school bag is also by Cath Kidston and was £11.50 in the ASOS sale:

I've used this bag for the last year and it's still in perfect condition, so I'll probably use it for the next year too. However, I've been eyeing up another design, which I may have to purchase! I just think they're perfect for school and uni. They fit in all the books and folders I need and the oilcloth material allows me to use them when it rains.

And this is the end of the post! Phew! I still have to purchase some printer ink and maybe another memory stick, but that's about it. Oh, and I obviously need to buy some new clothes ;) I bought two more pairs of jeans from New Look yesterday and love them. One pair are high waisted, so I cannot wait to wear them.

Spendin'

The quality of these photos is not the best - I'm back to using my own camera *sob*

Lush - Ocean Salt and Sexy Peel soap - £6.75 for 120g and £3.25 per 100g

I think these products are quite expensive, but I decided to buy them because every time I have resisted buying them, I have regretted it. I had a sample of Ocean Salt and liked it, so wanted to buy a full sized pot. Initially, the pot looks small, but my sample lasted me a couple weeks, so this should last a while. Sexy Peel soap smells like sherbet lemon - bliss. I'm going back to Lush soon, to buy my mum a few bits for Mother's Day. I may buy myself something else while I'm at it (I won't feel guilty then :P).

H&M - Cropped jumper - £7.99

I love the periwinkle shade of this jumper... and the price! H&M's prices are very similar to Primark's. I also bought a cobalt blue, basic cardigan (£9.99) and a white, long sleeved top (£7.99), but they're currently in the wash!

Tesco - Jumper - £12

My camera has made it look like the jumper has dirt on it in the first photo, but this is not the case! This jumper is girlier than most of my clothes, but I really like it.

Primark - Bambi t-shirt - £6

I bought another Disney t-shirt!

Primark - Men's bold printed socks £1.50 each, pack of three cow socks £2, pack of two pink and white cosy socks £2.50.

I love socks :)

Primark - Shoes - £3 each

I've been looking for these for six months! Last Summer, I bought a couple pairs of these shoes and wore them to death. Since then, size sevens have been out of stock. So, when I saw multiple size sevens on Saturday, I grabbed four pairs; two grey and two navy.

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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. 

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I've been spending money, yet again!

I bought a lot of the following things weeks ago, but I never got round to posting about them!

Boots - 17 Wild Metallics cream eyeshadow in Wild Nude - £3.99

I rarely wear eyeshadow, but I thought this would slowly ease me into wearing it because it's a subtle, day time shade.

eBay (Joy017) - NYX Jumbo Eye Pencil in Iced Mocha and NYX Concealer in a Jar in Green - Around £3.50 including P&P and around £5.40 including P&P

I've been using the Jumbo Eye Pencil on my lower lash line and then applying a taupe eyeshadow over the top. I needed another green concealer, so I thought I would try this :) I highly recommend this eBay seller. Great prices and fast delivery from America.

The Body Shop - Inflatable Bath Pillow and Vitamin E Facial Cleansing Bar - Originally £8 and £3

The Body Shop had yet another discount code floating around (this time it entitled you to 30% off) so I thought it was the perfect time to get what I needed. The bath pillow is one of my dad's Christmas presents. He's really hard to get for, so I tend to buy him things I know he'll get a lot of use out of. The cleansing bar is my favourite cleanser and is my third one!

Claire's Accessories - Ladybird and fish earrings - £3.50 and £6.50

I love the ladybird earrings and have been wearing them a lot recently, which makes a change because I haven't worn earrings in over a year. The fish earrings are part of my sister's Christmas present :)

H&M - Basic cardigans - £9.99 each

I was looking for some basic blue cardigans for ageesss, so was delighted to see some in H&M for a great price. These have been getting a lot of wear because blue is my favourite colour.

Primark - Thick tights - £3 (I also bought some other thick cotton tights, which were down to £1.90)

I am really impressed with these tights! They're very opaque. A lot of tights I've tried in the past haven't been very opaque once they've stretched around your legs.

I've also just got a new bed (my Christmas present from my parents). For it, I've bought a new duvet, two duvet cover sets and two fitted sheets. I still need to buy some new pillows, a valance, lamp and fairy lights. Here is a phone camera snap shot of one of the duvet covers:

It's from Tesco and was £13.

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