Lakeside Shopping Haul Part 2

As you may know, a few weeks ago I went shopping with my friends in Lakeside. It is fair to say that I may have gone a little overboard on this day investing in a lot of makeup especially. Therefore I have dedicated this part of the haul to primarily makeup and beauty items but have thrown in my biggest and best purchase of the trip at the end just to top it all off! Let's go!
  You know that you are in trouble when you walk into Boots and they are doing a 3 for 2 promotion across their whole beauty and cosmetics range. This means you can get makeup, brushes and accessories included in this deal and I needed no invitation to make full use of this offer. I may have accidentally ended up buying 6 products but I am so pleased with them.
 One of the first things I wanted to do in Boots was to check out the Sleek makeup. I have been a huge fan of their blushes over the past year and for the past two months have fallen in love with their eyeshadow palettes. Where I live the Boots and Superdrug stores aren't big enough to sell Sleek so it was time to stock up in Lakeside.
  After looking at the palettes in the flesh I opted for the 'Ultra mattes v2 darks' palette because I have been all about matte recently. This palette contains entirely matt shades and the pigmentation of them is incredible. Like the Au Naturel palette the shades blend really nicely and I love the range of colours here. The huge mirror also is really handy if you are on the go and I love that each shade has it's own name like 'Villian' and 'Orbit.' The palettes are also so affordable, costing just £7.99 for 12 shades.

Since discovering the Real Technique makeup brushes, it has transformed the way that I apply my makeup. The contour and buffing brush have been two of my favourites so far and so I decided it was time to invest in a new blush brush. The Real Techniques blush brush cost £9.99 I still can't get over how soft it is and how easy it is to apply makeup with this. It makes product blend so flawlessly and it is the perfect shape and size.

As I've mentioned a thousand times before, I love sleek blushes. Everything to the packaging to the colour range to how easy they are to apply and the beautiful finish they give, it is hard to fault them. Whilst I had to make the most of stocking up on Sleek products I decided it was time to invest in some more blushes. Three to be exact. The first was a shade called 'Coral' which in the pan looks to be a really unique orange/pink colour. It reminds me of the shade 'Flushed' because it looks matte on first inspection but it does contain the slightest bit of shimmer.

 

The next shade that I bought was 'Pixie Pink' which is a gorgeous light pink which is very matt. However from first impressions it doesn't seem at all chalky and I'm expecting this to be great for the summer. It isn't half as bright as 'Flamingo' but it looks a much cooler tone and is so beautiful to look at in the pan. 
 The final Sleek blush I bought on this shopping trip is another matte shade called 'Life's a Peach.' In the pan this shade appears to be a very bright and slightly scary orange. However, I didn't let this put me off when I first bought Flamingo and I turned out to love it and so I thought that I would give this shade a spin. Although this may not be a shade suitable for all year round (well it could be, we will find out when I test it out!) I think it will be great for summer, especially when you have a little bit of a tan. One of the biggest advantages of these blushes is that they are so affordable at only £4.49 each and this is part of the reason why my collection of them has grown so big so quickly.
  My final purchase to finish off my Boots splurge I decided that I would buy a product that I had never previously tried. A lot of my drugstore purchases recently have been lip products, so much so that my storage is getting a bit overrun with lipsticks, crayons and balms. Nevertheless, I still decided that it would be a good idea to buy another lipstick(!) After trying and really liking the Revlon Matte balms recently and having never tried a Revlon lipstick I opted to go for a shade from their 'Super Lustrous Matte Lipstick' collection. To be honest there wasn't many shades in this collection but I picked up the shade 'Stormy Pink' because it thought it looked the best on the back of my hand. Haha. This cost me £7.49 but it turned out to be one of the free items in the deal.  
 By the time we managed to get round to going into Superdrug, it was near the end of the day. Out of a matter of interest I innocently went to look at the Sleek counter in Superdrug just to see if they were selling anything different to Boots. As a matter of fact they were. To celebrate 50 years of Superdrug Sleek have released a limited edition eyeshadow palette called the Showstoppers palette. This palette consists of 7 shimmery and 5 matte shades. Honestly I probably didn't need this palette but because it was limited edition and I loved a couple of the shades especially I decided to buy it. Superdrug were also doing a 3 for 2 on all cosmetics too and so I thought that I might as well take advantage of the offer. This palette cost £7.99  

As I had not bought a new nail polish in a while I decided to have a little look at what Rimmel had on offer. I was aware that Rita Ora recently bought out a range of nail polishes and Colour Rush Balms, but one of the repackaged lasting finish polishes actually caught my eye. This shade is called 'Fancy a Dip' and is a lovely blue shade. I think it is really unique because it isn't a pale blue or a royal blue but it looks slightly lilac and is completely different to the other shades I own. This retails at £2.99 which is so affordable and I'm really excited to try this shade out really soon.
 After buying a lot of the Barry M Hi-Shine Gelly collection nail polishes last summer it was good to see that they have released some more shades for this summer. I've noticed a lot of the new colours focus on pastel shades and these really appeal to me. I've been really attracted to blue tones and shades recently and so whilst browsing the new shades on offer 'Huckleberry' stood out to me. It is a really pale almost white blue shade and I think this will look absolutely amazing alongside tanned skin. It is really similar to the shade Blue Moon from the original Barry M nail polishes but I'm sure the added shine will make a big difference to the appearance of this shade. It costs £3.99 like with the other Hi-Shine polishes in the collection.
  Now on the way to the checkout in Superdrug I noticed that they were selling the Tanya  Burr Cosmetics. I've really wanted to try out some things from her collection ever since they were launched but this was the first time I had seen them in the flesh.
 I decided to try out just one product to start with because I didn't want to go crazy buying a product that I had never tested before and so opted for the nail polish in the shade Little Duck because I had seen some photos of this shade and loved it. I plan on writing a full review on this product, especially because it has been receiving some incredible hype over the blogging and Youtube world recently. This nail polish set me back £5.99 which I thought was quite a bit for a polish but until I try it out I won't know if it is worth the money.
 Tanya Burr's nail polish concludes the beauty and cosmetic part of my haul and I have a load of products now that I will be vigorously testing over the coming weeks and months. There is just one more product that I bought in Lakeside as a treat to myself.
About 5 years ago now my mum and step-dad got me a iPod Nano as a Christmas present from New York. I have had so much use out of my iPod over the years and I have loved using it but now it is starting to show signs of age because the buttons have started to become temperamental. I have been thinking about buying a new one now for about 6 months and decided in Lakeside that I would make the investment. I went into the Apple store and it was so easy to pay and get hold of one and I love it. Once again I went for the limited edition Red and Apple puts some of the money you pay for the iPod towards helping people in Africa who are suffering with AIDS. I haven't had a chance to properly set it up yet because I want to organise all my music first but I am so excited to start using it. It will be going everywhere with me when it is ready to go and I was actually impressed that the 16GB version only cost £129. I seem to remember my 8GB one cost me around £100 when I got that so I definitely got a lot for my money.  

OOTD: Possibly the beginning of summer

  Therefore I fished my trusty black skirt out from my wardrobe (was relieved when it still fit and was actually slightly loose) and then started to consider what I would wear with it.

We are finally starting to move into my favourite time of the year, Summer! As soon as the sun makes an appearance the people of Britain strip off, whack out the BBQ and enjoy a beverage or three in the company of friends and family.
  Last weekend we were lucky enough to experience just a little bit of sun and by that I mean one day, where temperatures were unusually high for May. Traditionally, the BBQ's were dusted off and the beers cracked open, followed by the shirts coming off in hope of getting a tan that looked as if you had just come back from two weeks in the Caribbean in just a few hours. Of course we had to make the most of it, especially because whilst I write this post just a few days afterwards it is pouring down with rain with potential floods on their way. The joys of British weather.
 To mark the start of warmer weather, I decided to abandon the leggings and jeans for one day and start to experiment with some new additions to my wardrobe ready for this season.
  I was so happy a few weeks ago when I went shopping and realised that maxi skirts would be making a reappearance in the trends, especially because I bought three of them myself last summer. I think they are a great addition to any wardrobe, as they can be worn casually throughout the day and also look great dressed up for the evening. They are also perfect for the warmer weather, flatter almost every shape and are a great alternative if you don't fancy flashing any leg.

  In the end I opted for a blue tie-dyed vest from New Look, which I picked up at the start of Spring for around £10. I love the colour of this vest and it was something a bit different to the other things in my wardrobe. On the front it also has the letters NY printed and I have been so excited to wear this. I had also worn it previously with leggings, a black leather jacket and studded pumps for a recent visit to the cinema, but I think it also works well with the maxi skirt. My skirt was also from New Look and I remember picking it up in the sale at the end of August last year for just £8!

  I kept my jewellery quite simple in this look, wearing one simple banded ring on each hand, my link chain silver bracelet and my silver Fossil watch. I decided not to wear a necklace because of the print of the vest and I wanted the focus on the outfit to be on that.

  Although it was a beautiful sunny day I wore a cropped denim jacket when evening started to set in and the temperature started to drop. I think it tied in well with the rest of the outfit and it kept me warm when it got chilly. The denim actually complimented the tie-dye really well and the length of the jacket was perfect as it came down to just after where the top was tucked into my skirt. I actually got this jacket a few years ago now, but I think it was originally from Next for around the £20-£30 mark.

  It was a lot of fun documenting what I wore and how I put together an outfit. I had never written an OOTD post before and now that I have done one I am a bit more confident in creating more. Over the summer I am going to try to experiment more with my style and start to wear things that are outside of my comfort zone. I'm hoping that England will be lucky enough to have at least a few weeks of lovely weather, especially because I don't think I will be going abroad this summer.

Lakeside Shopping Haul Part 1!

A few weekends ago, four of my friends and I decided to have a girls shopping trip. As we don't live in a very big town, shopping is very limited to a New Look and Dorothy Perkins and so we decided we wanted to go somewhere with a bit more variety. A 90 minute car journey with the help of my Australian voiced Sat Nav and a playlist of music later we turned up at Lakeside. I had never been shopping there before so I was really excited about our little shopping trip. It is fair to say that I went a little overboard on the shopping and was definitely feeling spendy that day so I thought that I would share all the bits and bobs I picked up.
 One of the first shops we went in was the massive Primark. I think it actually covered at least two floors and so it was a bit overwhelming when we went in. However we had such a laugh trying on the funny hats, sunnies and clothes and we also found some bargain buys. I never seem to have much patience with Primark and it doesn't take me long for me to become bored of shopping in there and so I was really pleased when I found a few things I liked. 
The first two things I got were these shorts. I actually got a grey pair and purple pair for my holiday last summer and they were so handy for going to the beach and pool in and were comfy and light enough to wear sleeping too. So I was so thrilled when I saw these have returned this year. At only £3 a pair they are a fantastic buy and so I got a red and a beautiful royal blue pair too. Each pair has the white detailing around the bottom and a logo on the right leg and these will be perfect for chilled summer days even if I don't go on holiday this year.
 The next thing I bought in Primark was this bright pink pillar candle. I've really been into candles recently and wanted a few to accompany my scented Yankee candles. The colour really appealed to me and although these are scented I actually like the Mango & Citronella scent as it is different to what I usually go for in a candle. It really is a fresh, uplifting summer scent and this was another bargain at only £2.
 My final purchase in Primark was picked up whilst I was waiting to pay for my items. I hate the fact that shops put little items around the queuing area because it makes you want to buy pointless stuff that you don't necessarily need. On this shopping trip this is exactly what happened to me because I picked up this huge pot of Tic Tacs for only £1. To be fair they were rather refreshing and different to the typical mint or lime and orange flavours I'm used to and plus I hadn't had Tic Tacs in a long time so this justified buying them.
 Another shop that we went into on our trip was Forever 21. Up until this day I had never really shopped in Forever 21 or even been interested in the clothes they sell. I don't think I had even ever looked on their website but as soon as I walked into the Lakeside store I knew I had been missing out.
 They have some lovely pieces in there from their dresses to tops to bags and jewellery that I kind of regretted spending so much money before I went in this shop. It was so hard to resist buying from here and I had my eye on a gorgeous pair of sandals and a necklace but in the end was good and only bought two things.
 The first thing I got was this casual logo vest costing £9.50. I love the print of this top and the text of 'Fortune favours the brave' and I think the cut and shape of it is really flattering too. It is cut quite deep at the sides and so my second purchase was a little bandeau top which I thought I could pair with the vest. I thought the hot pink would contrast well with the navy blue and make it look more interesting.
 The bandeau itself is a really pretty lace floral print and was a really good price at £3.15. Overall I was really impressed with the prices of the items in Forever 21, as they were much cheaper than I expected them to be.  

Of all the shops we went into that day, I was expecting to come out of New Look with some serious damage to my debit card. As it happened I only came out of the shop with one thing. This however, was a beautiful kimono that since buying it, I haven't stopped wearing. It is made from a sheer material which makes it so light and wearable for summer and the floral pattern is interesting yet not too in your face. The colours are also lovely and I am especially liking the royal blue shade in there. Costing £24.99 I wasn't sure if it was a little overpriced but I knew I couldn't leave it on the shelf.
 My next purchase was in River Island. After scouting the bag and purse section as is tradition when I go in there and having nothing in particular catch my eye, I thought that I would have a peek at the jewellery.
  Although I am a huge fan of rings, I don't own that many necklaces, especially statement pieces. I was attracted to this silver piece because of the beautiful detailing and the slightly 'tougher' look it has. I also thought it was reasonably priced at £7 and this had been a welcome addition to my wardrobe. So far I've worn this with the above kimono and a plain white tee and it has worked really well.  

My final clothes/accessory buy during this shopping trip were these aviator styled sunglasses from Dorothy Perkins.
 I have always been a fan of this style, yet have never found a pair to suit my face. I have loved wearing the retro styled sunnies for the past few summers and bought a new pair from RI at the beginning of the season but I was still looking for the perfect aviators.
  I was actually about to buy a different pair of sunglasses when I saw these and I tried them on just by chance when my friends said they suited me. I agreed and so these are my first pair of silver aviators costing me only £8. They have a grey graduated tint in them which I think looks great and they even came with this beautiful floral case to keep them safe and clean.
Although this is the end of all the fashion and random things I bought on this shopping trip, I did go a bit over the top on the cosmetics and beauty items and so will be posting a part two of this shopping trip over the next few days. I had such a good day at Lakeside, not just because I went shopping but because I got to spend the day with some of my favourite people and catch up with them because I don't get to see them as much as I used to.

May 2014 Favourites!

It honestly felt like just yesterday that I was putting together my April favourites post. Now a month later it is time to share the things that have been worth my money this month! Enjoy.

Beauty/ Makeup:
Barry M Hi-Shine Jelly Nail Polish in Guava
It is no secret that I adore the nail polishes by Barry M. A few months back I actually bought a few more shades after noticing  that Barry M had added some new colours to their Gelly Hi-Shine collection. One of these was the shade 'Guava' and it has been by far my favourite nail polish this month. The colour is an incredible teal/blue colour and it lasts ages! Costing only £3.99 this product is worth every penny.
 I've found that like with the other polishes in this  collection that two coats of this stuff is plenty and the dry time is also really good.

 

 

 

 

Real Techniques Brushes

For Christmas I was lucky enough to receive a collection of the Real Techniques brushes from my sister. Although I was really excited about trying them I thought it would be a good idea to wait until I had built my collection a little more and to be honest I didn't want them to get dirty! However this month I realised that this was a ridiculous thought and started to use them religiously to apply my makeup. I particularly love the contour brush, as it blends product really well and gives me a really defined look. Next I would like to buy the set of eye brushes which would help me to apply my eye shadow better especially because I have been a bit more experimental this month.  

Sleek Blush in Flushed
My final beauty favourite this month has been a blush from Sleek. After discovering Sleek blushes in the middle of last year and having loved the shade Flamingo so much I decided it was time to try out the other shades in the collection.
  This month I have really enjoyed using the shade 'Flushed.' Unlike Flamingo this is a much darker shade but is still a beautiful pinky shade. It gives my complexion a really healthy glow and looks so natural on my face. Although I find myself having to apply more of this than with Flamingo, I think it is because Flamingo is so much brighter than this. I like that the colour isn't as bright though because it means that you can gradually build it up depending on your skin tone and the look you are achieving. This shade is also a lot more matt than Flamingo but it still contains the slightest bit of shimmer in it as well. The price of these blushes are also a huge plus point costing only £4.49 each.



Fashion:
Kimonos
Up until this month, I had never owned a Kimono. I'm not sure why, but they just didn't appeal to me and I never thought that I could pull one off and was worried that they wouldn't flatter my shape or that I would feel too self conscious in one. However, whilst I was shopping this month a came across one in New Look. The print instantly attracted me because it was full of greens and purples and was a gorgeous Hawaiian floral style. The material was also really soft to touch and as my friend was going to be trying on some stuff I decided to try this out. When I tried it on I really liked it and so bought it for £12.99.
  Since then I have been back into New Look and bought another kimono because I loved my first one so much. My second kimono is more of a sheer material, but is once again a floral print combining cream, a pinky/nude tone and also a beautiful royal blue too. This one was a little more expensive at £24.99 but it's been perfect for Spring. 
Forever 21 Vest
Up until now I have been obsessed with wearing a printed vest from Pull & Bear because it has been so comfortable and easy to wear. Whilst shopping with friends this month I found a new vest which I have fallen in love with from Forever 21. I think it cost around £10 and I really like the print and think it will be perfect for summer. It is cut quite low at the sides so I have been experimenting with bandeau tops underneath to add something different too.
Statement Jewellery
My final fashion related favourite product this month has been statement necklaces. I have never been a jewellery person really in terms of necklaces but after discovering this wing necklace from River Island this month I have been converted. Although it isn't the biggest statement necklace in the world I think it still makes an impact on a simple outfit and I love the detailing on it too. It cost me only £7 and I can't wait to start buying more necklaces.



Music:
The 1975
How has it taken me this long to discover the genius that is the 1975's self titled album? This album has been out in the UK now for ages, yet this month I started to listen to it for the first time. It only took a few songs to realise that I would love this album and I have been listening to it on repeat throughout the month alongside my other music favourites. Some of my favourite songs from the album are 'Robbers' and 'Girls' although I have liked almost every song!
Mr Probz: Waves
I am a huge fan of songs that you love the moment that you first hear them. Although I do eventually like songs even if I haven't when they were first played it was not the case with the release of Waves. I really liked this song as soon as I first heard it and although now I have started to over play it a bit I have been listening to it a lot throughout May.
Sam Smith: Stay With Me
I will be the first to admit that I wasn't overly keen on 'Money On My Mind' by Sam Smith. I didn't think the verses were too bad but along with the chorus which I didn't like and the radio station over playing the song up to 7 times a day everyday for 3 weeks I dreaded to hear it. However, this month I discovered the song 'Stay With Me' and I have been listening to it on repeat ever since. It is so much different to MOMM and I think it is really beautiful to listen to.
The Vamps: Meet The Vamps
Although The Vamps featured in my April favourites I couldn't resist putting them into my May Favourites as well. Last month I was raving about their performance in Radio 1's Live Lounge but since then their debut album has been released in the UK. I bought this album alongside The 1975's and although they are both completely different I have been enjoying these a lot. The Vamps album is really fun with a mix of upbeat and slightly more serious songs. For a band so young I think their album is incredible and there hasn't been a 'bad' song that I've listened to. Big favourites of mine have been 'Somebody to You', 'Shout About It', 'Dangerous' and 'Lovestruck.'


Films/TV:
Bad Neighbours
I don't go to the cinema very often and so when I do it is because I am going to see a film that I really wanted to see. At the start of the month Bad Neighbours starring Zac Efron and Seth Rogen came out and so my friends and I went to watch it. I won't give too much away apart from the fact that it is hilarious and you should go watch it!
Modern Family
My final TV/Film favourite is a program which is regularly shown on Sky 1 and Sky 2. Modern family is a show which follows three families which are all related in one way or another it follows their lives and choices. It is hilarious and unique in that one as the storyline is played out the characters narrate and comment on their thoughts and actions. My sister has been watching this program for years and I can't believe it has taken me this long to give it a chance. I think it is brilliant.