My Shoe Collection (An old, forgotten post)

Back in the Summer of 2013, I was managing to write posts every day for the good part of 1 and a half months. However, since then the posts have been rather few and far between and whilst trawling through my 'drafts' I found that I I had started to share my collection of shoes. Even though I wrote this 6 months ago I thought that I would share a bit of the past because it seemed like a bit of a waste to just delete it! So enjoy!

I will be the first to admit that I have an unhealthy obsession with shoes. I own too many pairs, so many that they no longer fit in the wardrobe dedicated to their storage and I am having to put them in other places. My thinking however, is that we will always need shoes. We will always need them as long as we go outside and travel and so I always find myself looking at new ones on various different websites. My collection of shoes vary, some are formal, some are high heeled and some are casual but I love every pair I own. 

This first pair are my newest addition to the collection. They were a present from my sister when she went on holiday to Turkey and although they look as though they are Converse, they are a cheaper knock off brand. However, they still do the job and were much needed as my other 'white' converse type shoes were getting rather grey/brown. 

These shoes haven't been put into any particular order, they are just in the order that I took them out of my wardrobe. The second pair of shoes are my summer sandals. These were a new purchase this year from New Look at only £12. They were a bargain and although I am not usually a massive fan of gold, I loved the studs and the colours of this sandal. I also like that they have a zip off the back so they don't fall off my feet and these were an essential shoe which I've worn a lot throughout the summer.

Next are probably one of the most expensive pairs of shoes that I own. These are my wedges from Next which I brought at the beginning of summer last year and they cost me £45. I fell in love with them when I saw them and knew that they would have to come home with me. I love the colour of them and every detail such as the buckle around side to secure them to your feet and the fact that they are surprisingly comfortable to wear.

Next up are my black biker boots which must be around 3 years old now. I have had a lot of wear from these boots and it will probably be the last winter I will be able to wear them. I brought them from Pilot for around £30 at the time and they have been so good for the weather during the winter! They've survived the snow and the ice, and I can even wear thick fluffy socks with them when it's cold. 

Another new pair of shoes this year are these heeled boots from New Look. They cost £29.99 and found them really interesting as they were different from the plain black boots that they were selling also at the time. I was also loving studded things at the time and just thought these were amazing. I haven't worn them as much as I had expected because I think they will be better for autumn or winter but I really do love them. 

I am a massive fan of comfortable trainer type shoes for everyday wear. These two pairs of shoes are exactly the same apart from the colour, but I had to buy the white/grey pair after having the brown because of how comfortable they were.
  The brown pair I got as a Christmas present, costing £30 from Next. I then bought the grey pair from the Next sale after Christmas and I think they only cost £14 which was a complete bargain for me. 

Another pair of heels that I own are these black patent ones from Dorothy Perkins. They cost around £30 but I actually think I 'borrowed' these off my mum and they've been in my wardrobe ever since. They aren't the highest heels I own but they are classic and quite comfortable to wear on a night out and they don't rub my feet either.

This sandal typed shoe is also from Next. These are fairly old in my collection but I don't wear them half as much as I thought it would. Partly because I forgot about them and partly because I've found them to rub my feet near where the buckle is. I think I picked these up for about £6 because they were in the sale at the time. 

Oh look another pair of high-tops. This pair were a Christmas present last year and were from a shop called Pull & Bear. Again, my like of studs are shown here and this is what attracted me to the shoes. They cost £25.99 and I've had so much wear out of these shoes.

I was so excited when I brought these wedges from New Look about 2 or 3 years ago. I really liked the shape and style or them and because they weren't too high I could easily walk with them. Fast forward to the present and I've hardly worn these shoes, maybe once or twice. They cost £19.99 and I haven't got the most out of these at all. 

Yet another two pairs of converse styled shoes. The first pair in the background are a denim material by Lee Cooper and I think cost around £10. These were so different from the other shoes I already owned and I wore these a lot when I first got them.
  The second pair are another sale item from Next last year and cost £10 I think. I liked the colour of these and the fact that they were different and made from a suede like material. Admittedly I haven't actually worn these yet, but now it is Autumn I think it is the perfect time.

For Christmas two years ago, I received a lovely pair of brown brogues from New Look and I wore them until there were holes in the bottom. Once they were gone I missed them and so from the Next sale last Christmas I got these new brogues. They didn't actually have a brown pair so I opted for this grey and I love the detailing on them. I think they cost £14 but I'm not sure.

Before this post I didn't actually realise how many pairs of shoes I got from a Next Sale. These boots are also surprise, surprise, from a next sale and cost about £40 I think instead of their original price of £90. I love the two colours in these boots and that they are almost knee length as they are perfect for the winter. 

January Sale Shopping

 

It's no secret that the January sales are notorious for big deals and bargain finds. Due to overspending in the lead up to Christmas this year I didn't do too much sale shopping this year, but what I did do was buy loads of shoes. (This was whilst I was on a shoe buying ban, oh dear.)

 

 

 

My obsession with shoes is now getting a little out of hand, but once I aw these gorgeous burgundy chunky boots in the New Look sale, I knew that they would be going home with me. I persuaded myself that they were an absolute 'must-have' and I'm so glad I picked them up as I know I would have regretted it otherwise.

 

 

One amazing thing about these boots are that they have a zip on the inside of the shoe, which means that you aren't spending forever and a day unlacing them everytime you want to wear them. The laces are more of a decorative feature and I haven't even tied them whilst I've been wearing them.

Another bonus is that I can actually walk in them without looking and feeling like an idiot and a huge bonus is that I can safely drive in them! (It's always a pain when you have to take a flat pair of shoes to drive in when all you want to do is  wear heels.) These beauties were reduced from £29.99 to £22.49 in the New Look sale, but honestly I would have paid full price for them anyway! They also come in grey too I think.

 

This winter it is safe to say that I have gone a little bit boot crazy. However, I had my eye on these cut out boots from New Look from the moment they were released into stores. I love the cut out detailing on them and that they are a little bit different from other boots and shoes I owned. So imagine my delight when I spotted them in the sale in Cambridge, and I got the for a ridiculous bargain. Originally retailing at £30, I scooped these up for £12! Admittedly, I haven't actually worn them yet and I have no idea if I can sensibly walk in them, but at £12 it was worth it.

 

So, these heels pictured above weren't actually purchased in any type of sale, but as they are so gorgeous I thought I would feature them in this post. After realising that you can never have too many pairs of black heels (or shoes for that matter) I decided to firstly buy this pair to wear to my work's Christmas meal.

I think they look really sophisticated and I love the t-bar styled straps which give me a bit more support and doesn't make me feel like I'm going to fall out of my shoes every two minutes. Also I loved the price of these, only £24.99 from H&M. The only bad thing about the is that they aren't particularly comfortable to wear, but with some gel cushions in I can easily last all night in them.

 

A few years ago I received a pair of dark brown brogues from New Look for Christmas and wore them until there was practically nothing left of them. Since then however I haven't had the chance to repurchase some replacement brown brogues and so whilst buying other shoes in the New Look sale, I came across these. Originally priced at £14.99, they had been marked in the sale at £8 which was a great find for me. Even better, when I got them to the till I was charged £6 and I wasn't complaining! 

 

Finally, I thought I would add two pairs of boots which I was lucky enough to receive for Christmas this year. Above are my ankle boots from Topshop, which I actually got for £45 after they had been reduced from something like £70. These boots are so comfortable and go with pretty much everything and are so easy to slip on and off, they really are great.

 Below are probably my most worn and most loved boots this season. Similarly to the boots above, these ankle boots are black yet have this lovely buckle detailing on them to make them stand out just a little bit more. They are also my most expensive pair of shoes, costing me £60 from River Island. They are so worth the money though, and I think I've been living in them since I unwrapped them on Christmas day!

 

With January coming to an end, the sales are thinning out. However, this means that soon spring and summer clothes will be hitting the stores ready for my favourite time of the year! I can't wait to start shopping for summery clothes, although I will miss wearing my boots!

 

 

NOTD: Ruby Fruit

To get in the spirit of autumn and to have a change from my usual go to nail polish brand of Barry M today I've used a polish by Max Factor. This is the only nail polish from max factor in my collection and it is a dark red, almost black shade called 'Ruby Fruit.' I think I've only actually worn this a couple of times previously and when I was looking through my collection it caught my eye. I think it is a perfect colour for autumn and it certainly contrasts to the brights and pastel shades that I was wearing during the summer.

I found that the consistency of this nail polish was really lovely, not too thick or thin and the brush can hold a fair amount of polish. Also the brush is really long, so you can easily reach all of your nails without getting it on your skin. I also applied two coats of this polish, but I think you could easily get away with one, but two coats makes the colour look very intense. 

Another thing I really love about this nail polish is that in some lights it looks really dark and almost black whilst in others it looks red. It makes it seem as though you are wearing two polishes at once! One thing I'm not looking forward to though is taking it off because I'm pretty sure it will stain my nails, so I'm planning on keeping it on as long as possible.

What's In My Bedroom?

I have previously written a couple of posts such as what's inside my bag and purse and I enjoyed writing them so much that I thought I would write a similar post, but include the things that are in my room. This is pretty much going to be a room tour, and I'm going to show off the room that I redecorated myself with the help of my friends. Although I decorated about 3 years ago now, I still love my room and the way it looks but I also love to add new accessories and features every once in a while.





Right next to my bed I have this little bedside table with three drawers. In the top drawer is all my important things and stuff like notepads and stationary. In the second drawer I keep all my haircare and body products and the final drawer is just a random drawer full of junk!

  On the top of the table is a whole host of products and necessities as well as my little lamp which is touch sensitive so I never have to spend time looking for the switch.

On the bedside table itself I have two remotes, one for my tv and one for my stereo although it doesn't actually work at the moment because the batteries are dead. I also have a mirror and I keep my makeup bag here. I'm actually really bad and I put my makeup on here which means I can lay in bed and do it! I also have a few beauty products such as moisturiser and cleanser as well as all my makeup brushes. I actually used some leftover wall paper and placed in underneath the glass so that my bedside table matches my feature wall. 

Next to my bedside table I have my single wardrobe. Inside this is a hanging rail and also a shelf and so I use this wardrobe to hang all my bottom half clothes such as leggings, jeans and maxi skirts. I also use the shelf to store my jumpers and hoodies when it's summer and I also have my shoes at the bottom of this wardrobe. You can also see the back of my door in the shot above and on the back I have all the jackets and coats that could possibly fit there.







Then, above my bedside table and bed I have a lot of storage cupboards that go all the way across my wall. In the first single cupboard I have loads of denim jeans or shorts that I don't wear very often and is awaiting a proper sort out. Next in the middle double cupboard I have all my pyjamas and comfortable things that I wear around the house like tracksuit bottoms and finally in the last cupboard are all my dvds and books. 

Underneath all the overhead cupboards I have two large photo frames which I have made collages out of. Again I've used leftover wall paper for the background of the photo frames and this is a simple way of making the whole room look as though it matches. Next I have a certificate from Red Bull Racing that I received when I was part of their 'faces of charity' campaign and finally I have two canvases which were painted by my friend and given to me as a birthday present.

These two canvases were made for me the same year that I decorated my bedroom. My friend had taken a bit of the wallpaper home and at the time I had no idea why. It all became clear when I received these for my birthday a few weeks later, and they've been a part of my bedroom ever since!

The wall that you see straight ahead when you enter my room and the wall next to my overhead cupboards is the main feature wall. Before I started to decorate I knew that I wanted one feature wall and then keep the rest of the room quite neutral. Therefore I opted for a creamy-white paint for the walls and this beautiful monochrome floral wallpaper for the feature wall. Originally I was going to keep this wall completely free of anything else but then I had no-where to put my massive F1 poster. I think it is A1 in size and it is huge! This is the official 2012 poster for McLaren and because they haven't released one for 2013 I haven't been able to update it so as far as my room is aware, Lewis Hamilton still races for them ;) 

Near the poster is a shelf which contains my tv. This shelf also backs onto my other wardrobe. As well as my tv I also have a DVD player and a few me to you bears which have been gifts over the years.

Behind my TV is my sneaky collection of Formula One & car related books. These include an encyclopaedia of F1 and one of the many books written by Jeremy Clarkson. My Jake Humphrey book is also meant to live here, but I think that was accidentally put into my book cupboard. This collection is ever-growing so I think they might need a new home soon somewhere else in my bedroom.

Underneath my TV and at the end of my bed I have my collection of CD's. It is usually full but since I've had my car some of my favourites are now living in there. I've also got a box for a pair of curlers and some makeup which I don't use very often here too.

Then in-front of the CD rack is two more storage cases full of makeup and other beauty related items such as brushes. I really need to go through these and get rid of the makeup that I don't use so that is on my to-do list. Then I have this old whiskey bottle which I use to collect 1p's and 2p's. I am aiming to fill it completely to the top and then convert the money and I think at the moment I've got £15 in there just in pennies!

This is my second wardrobe. It is much bigger than the one I use to store trousers and shoes and it also contains drawers. In the drawers live my underwear and socks and skirts and in the main wardrobe are all my tops, dresses and any other jackets. This wardrobe also has a shelf and on this I keep boxes and blankets and other random items.

Continuing to move around my room, to the right of the double wardrobe is the window. Underneath this I have three canvases, my radiator and a wicker basket for my laundry. These canvases were from Argos a few years ago and were a bargain at only £10.

Next I have my desk, which again also has three drawers for storage. In these are all my school related bits and bobs and although I don't go to Sixth Form anymore, I can't throw them away. I don't actually have a chair for my desk and so where the chair would tuck under I've used it as a space for more folders, books and a place to store bags. Above the desk I also have a full length mirror.



On the desk itself I have my stereo, a digital photo frame, my perfume collection, some of my jewellery such as rings, earrings and small bracelets and I also have my sunglasses collection.

The final wall in my room is where my desk used to be. I also have another canvas and my accessories holder as well as two more photo frames. I love this canvas as it matches the theme of my room and I also love zebras! Again it was from Argos a few years ago and I think it cost around £20-£30. 





 My accessories holder has been one of my lifesavers. It cost £6 in the next sale two years ago and it has kept all my long jewellery such as necklaces and bangles so organised. They hardly ever get knotted together this way and I can easily find what I'm looking for. Next to this are two photo frames, which finishes off the wall.

 Finally, what kind of bedroom doesn't have a bed? This is mine, with probably the most comfortable mattress in the world on it. As I have a patterned wall finding bedsheets is quite difficult because I don't want them to clash with the print yet I don't want just a plain black or white sheet. So I have compromised. My current bedsheets are floral but they are quite subtle and I think they compliment the wall paper well. I also have an insane amount of pillows, 8 in total just because I like having loads. Then on top of this I have cushions, 5 of them, just to add to the insane amount of cushions and pillows that I have.
  I was going to get my cat off the bed to take this photo but then decided against it because 1. She matches the theme of the room and 2. She pretty much lives in my bedroom with me. She loves sleeping on my bed and snuggling up in the cushions and duvet and because it is a double she is able to stretch out.

These two photos just show the room in it's entirety. I've loved decorating and perfecting my room over the years and I am really proud of what I have selected and created.