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!

 

 

What's In My Bag?

I recently got a new bag and I've noticed that it has quickly got heavy and is so full of stuff that instead of waiting a few months to write a what's in my bag post, I've decided to write it right now! Let's go..

    

The bag itself was a birthday present and was from River Island. Prior to my birthday I had my eye on this bag and so when I was asked what I wanted, this was near the top of the list. I haven't had much success with bags in the past because it takes a while for me to find one I like and then once I've found it I'll usually keep using it until it breaks. Recently I've been using a smaller across the shoulder bag from New Look, but decided it was time to invest in a bigger one.
  I absolutely the bags from River Island and so this was the first place I looked. I didn't have to look for very long, and I found this matches my purse as well which was a bonus. In terms of price, I think they are quite reasonable at £45 because it will last me a long time and it is so gorgeous. 

When I tipped out the contents, I was a little surprised at the amount of stuff I have in there. I don't usually have everything that is in my bag currently but because I went out over the weekend there are some strange things in there.

Firstly I have my iPad and stylus. An absolute essential for me for checking emails, twitter, facebook, instagram and other tasks. The stylus isn't used as much, but is used when sketching or drawing usually.

After a sunny August and continued sun so far this September, my sunglasses have never been too far away. To reduce the chance of them breaking and getting scratched I keep them in this pouch from Next. 

At the weekend we went out in my Dad's car and so I decided to bring this CD along with me to listen to. I've loved this album so much and must have listened to it a lot when it was first released. More recently, I've had a break from it but rediscovered it this weekend and I can still say I love it. My favourite songs from the album are the hidden track Weight Of Living Pt 1, Oblivion and Laura Palmer.  

Whilst my sister has been on holiday in Turkey, I've been using her camera to take the pictures used in my blog. Although it is a pretty good camera with a front LCD screen, I've missed the quality of my Sony. However, this camera is great for parties and events because if you are taking a picture of yourself and friends whilst holding the camera, you can see yourself on the front screen. I love the colour of this as well and it has the ability to film too. 

A more typical find in my bag is my River Island purse and my keys. These are always in there and although at the time I didn't know this but my purse actually matches my bag quite closely which is a bonus. 

  On my set of keys I have my car keys and house keys along with a keyring my mum brought me from her holiday to Cancun in Mexico a few years ago. 

Also in my bag I have my tangle teezer hairbrush, my inhaler and my little compact mirror which comes in handy when I am out and about. These three are usually found in my bag and they all make my life a little bit easier. 

I actually didn't realise how many smelly products I had in my bag until this post. I probably don't need all of these, but I like to have a bit of variety in my bag. Firstly on the left is some body spray from Boots and it smells absolutely amazing and is a really summery smell because it smells of mango and passion-fruit. It is a lovely body spray for when you need to freshen up, and I sometimes use this as a replacement for perfume.
  Next I have the new compressed version of the Sure deodorant and this is brilliant because it is small and can easily slip into your bag.
  Finally I have two products by Calvin Klein in my bag at the moment and these are the CK One Shock for her perfume and body lotion. I actually have two sizes of the perfume and this 50ml size is perfect to put into your bag so you can reapply throughout the day if necessary. The only problem I find with carrying perfume is that I'm scared the bottle will break in my bag so it is a bit risky. The body lotion is in my bag for if I feel like I need to apply the product and it also compliments and enhances the CK perfume if I'm wearing it because it smells exactly the same.  

As I was out and about over the weekend, I carried my blog book and some pen and pencils around with me just in case I had time to scribble down some ideas or to write a post. I use this notebook as a way to write down all the posts I would like to write as well as information that I will be using within the post. Colouring pencils are used to colour code parts of the book as well, as I focus on writing about different topics. 

As everybody knows it is important to stay hydrated and so I try to keep a bottle of water in my bag for when I get thirsty. 

As I have been loving this lip tint from Rimmel, it has found it's way into my bag. This shade actually lasts a long period of time so I don't really find the need to reapply it that often so I'm not really sure why it's in my bag. 

Another essential in my bag is my trusty iPod nano. I've had this for a fair few years now and it is always in whichever bag I'm using as I listen to it a lot.

Finally in my bag I have a sample of the Rimmel Stay Matte foundation which I am going to try and possibly write a post on in the future.