E.L.F Haul

I have a confession to make.. Ready? Ok, this was my first time ordering from E.L.F. I know, I know.. I'm not even sure why cause I've known about them long enough! I had some pennies on my Paypal last weekend while E.L.F had £10 off a £25 spend so I thought it was about time. There were a few bits I knew I wanted, from reading other blogs and watching YouTube videos, like the matte lip colour and blush. I'm planning on doing some reviews on these products so I won't go into any detail, I'll just leave you with a bunch of pictures and prices :)

Eye shadow brush, eye crease brush, Blushing, bronzing and blending brush.

Matte lip color in tea rose, lip stain in fashionista.

Eye shadow - brightening eye colour - in brownstone and ethereal.

Nail polish in glamour girl.

Blush in mellow mauve and gotta glow.

So there is everything I ordered from E.L.F first time round. Do you have any of these products? - Thoughts? Is there anything else from them you recommend? Without giving too much away, I know I'd like more shades of a couple of things I got, others maybe not. xxx

Recent Purchases - Clothes.

I love shopping. Unfortunately I don't get to do it half as much as I'd like to as I'm unemployed but I am lucky enough to have a fiance that doesn't mind me having a spend of his wage every now and then :) Since it started getting colder I realised I have bugger all to wear! I have quite a few summery clothes but not very many jumpers or snuggley cardigans.. My typical outfit through winter is leggings and boots with a jumper or top and cardigan. To be fair though I live in leggings all year round..
If you saw my Wednesday Wishlist last month, you'll know I've really been loving the clothes in Asda this year.. Not only have I really liked many items, they're so reasonably priced it's hard to resist - and even then you don't feel guilty - bonus! Here's what I've been buying anyway.

New Look Inspire dress.

New Look Inspire jacket.

I wore the blue dress and cream jacket for my friends sons baptism last month in Birmingham.. I felt great in it til we got there.. Then I felt over dressed! Our families Christenings I've seen pictures of, everyone has been dressed up quite smart but not many people made much effort for this one so Aaron (who wore smart trousers and a shirt and black shoes) and I looked kinda out of place but nevermind. I completely forgot to get a picture of me wearing this outfit so you'll have to wait til it gets used again... Hope you like waiting!!! ;) I bought the dress in a size 22 cause of my boobs and I'm so glad I did cause they only just fit still, bloody things! The jacket is a size 20.
The burgundy dress (which I bought in a 20) below I had the intention of wearing with black tights, flats and a black cardi with a thin black belt.. But when I put all of that together the dress was a bit big and I felt like such a dumpling so I sold it on Ebay! I don't think I'm a dress person? I only own 2.. The one above and a black one for funerals or Christmas parties! LOL.. The jeans (size 16) I bought around 2 months ago and still haven't worn yet.. Oops! Although they do look good on :) I got the top from Select (size 18) a while ago too and really liked it at first but now everyone in my town seems to be wearing it as Select is the trendiest shop here!!

New Look Inspire dress.

New Look jeans.

Select top.

George at Asda tshirt.

George at Asda jumper.

George at Asda jumper.

George at Asda jumper.

The grey tshirt from Asda I sized up twice with and got a size 24. I think it's meant to be kinda fitted but I don't like really fitted clothes, so it's baggy but in a nice way, it doesn't look silly, in my opinion. I should get some pictures of me in these clothes really shouldn't I, especially as I'm terrible at describing things!! The cream jumper (size 20 as they didn't have my size and I had to have it!) I looove.. I actually went back and got it in a purpley blue colour too (size 18). They need a vest top underneath (unless you like showing everyone your bra obviously!) but they're so easy and comfortable to wear. The black and grey jumper (size 18) is thicker but it's also shorter so I still like to wear a top underneath so I'm not showing everyone my belly when I reach up! Finally, the blue jumper with the baggy neck I bought for lounging round the house. I sized up twice (got a 22) so it's baggy and comfy, it's lush :)

Which shop have you been loving recently? xxx

Charity Shoppin' #1

I will hold my hands up and admit that until I started volunteering in one of the local charity shops, I was a bit snobby about going in them. I always thought of a charity shop as somewhere old people shopped that smelt a bit fusty, was packed full of clutter and had a grumpy old lady serving everyone.. For some that is true but they're not all the same! The one I very much enjoy volunteering in (Barnardos) is unlike any charity shop I've ever entered. It smells nice, it's not cluttered, all the clothes are set out in different coloured sections and always looks very tidy and 99% of the volunteers and staff are such a lovely bunch. If you didn't know better, you probably wouldn't think it was a charity shop to be honest - people compliment the place all the time when they're paying for things - saying how it's not your typical charity shop. Oh and I'd say more "young" people come in than "old" people.

I really love a bargain so I'm not entirely sure why I didn't stop being a twit and start hunting around the charity shops before.. I mean, I buy second hand on Ebay so it's not much different is it! I might be biased but our one is definitely the best in the town (having gone in all the others with my lovely nan not so long ago!) so I only really buy from our one.. Plus we get 25% staff discount too! I can't believe some of the things people give away.. Brand new and/or branded items.. Good quality items! Our one always has really nice things from places like Top Shop, River Island, New Look, Marks and Spencer, Debenhams, Next, Dorothy Perkins.. etc.

Anyway, here's what I've come home with so far! All prices are before staff discount was applied.

(Please note: due to my naturally built in need to spend when I see things I like, this post will become a regular thing!)

Yours Clothing top, £3.99.

George cardigan, £1.99.

Red Herring dress, £1.99.

New Look shopper bag, £2.99.

Marks and Spencer slouchy bag, £3.99 (new).

No tag so not sure where the scarf is from but it's soooo soft, £1.99.

Sainsburys vase set, £1.99.

That's everything I've bought since I started in July.. I'm truly addicted now and always trying things on - especially Wednesday mornings, me and the lady I work with are in and out of the changing rooms when it's quiet! If I were a size 10/12, my wardrobe would probably have collapsed by now so I guess it should be thankful that I'm a chubster and it will take me longer to fill it!!! I bought a couple of bits today and will more than likely keep buying bits so there will be another post in the near future.

Have you bought any bargains lately? What are the charity shops like near you? xxx

Small Superdrug Haul

It's not often I get to treat myself to things, although now have a job I can't wait to have a good spend! It's been way too long. A big chunk of my first wage will go on clothes, it's shocking how old my clothes are and I very rarely leave the house feeling good about what I'm wearing so expect some outfit posts when I start spending :) Then I have a beauty product wishlist the size of my arm.. Plus I want to do my driving, we'd like a nice holiday, a newer car and to move to a nicer house too... There's no rush though, it's all just "stuff" at the end of the day, isn't it.. I'm grateful for everything I already have, anything else is a bonus :)
Anyway! Here's what I bought!

I tend to shop in Superdrug more than Boots because 99% of the time, their prices are lower. I also like how when you spend your loyalty card points, you can split it with money meaning you don't have to add it all up unlike at Boots where you can't split money with points and when you want to spend the points, you have to add your items up to make sure whatever you're buying falls within that. What a palava!!

If you saw my last wishlist, you'll know I've been after the Real Techniques Blush Brush (£9.99). I've never been a big wearer of blusher but since getting into make up (which is only really since blogging) I've wanted to make more of an effort and in order to wear blusher, I need a lovely soft, pink brush to apply it with, obviously! ;)

I never wore lipstick until I started blogging. There, I said it.. Blimey! I had a couple of lip glosses (clear ones!) but no lipstick. The only reason for this was that I just wasn't that bothered about make up before - I didn't even wear foundation until 2 years ago! :O I'd just wear mascara and lip gloss. Now I have a growing collection of lipsticks, which I much prefer to lip gloss. This is the Kate Moss for Rimmel Lasting Finish lipstick in #03 (£3.99). I do wish they had names! It's a lovely, creamy lipstick in a pinky/brown blue-toned nude colour. I like nude colours :)

Another product I've been lusting after is Barry M Gelly Hi Shine nail polish in Blueberry (£3.99). The matchbox sized Superdrug store in my town was always sold out so it wasn't until I went to the next town, I was actually able to pick it up! What a gorgeous colour it is. I can't stop looking at my nails when I wear it. Unfortunately it chips pretty quickly, even with a topcoat, I had a chip the following day. The longest lasting colour I've found from the Gelly range so far is Pomegranate, which easily lasts a week without chipping and I can't say that about many polishes at all.



Another product I've happily ticked off my wishlist is the Sleek Face Form Contouring and blush palette in light (£9.99). I have wanted this for so long, isn't it just the most beautiful thing you've ever seen!? I've never tried to contour my face but always been very intrigued so I'm finally going to push the boat out and give it a go!

The colours are very pigmented and so gorgeous, especially the blush which has a golden shimmer to it. I can't wait to try it out! I'll have to put pictures on when I do - providing I don't end up looking like a clown that is ;) hahaha. I love the packaging too, it feels nice to hold?! Ooh and a nice big mirror inside too, how handy!
The only thing that annoyed me about this was that someone had touched it, which unfortunately I didn't realise until I'd got home. It annoyed me more because there was a tray for samples to go and none had been put out for this particular palette. Even if you're going to open it, do you really need to stick your mitts in it if you're not going to purchase it?! And if you wanted to swatch it, ask a member of staff where the sample is! Lesson learned for me anyway, I'll make sure to check next time!

Do you have any of these products? I'd love to hear your thoughts on them! xxx

My Sinful Colors Nail Polish Collection (so far!)

As I said in my full (at the time) nail polish collection blog post - here - I've bought more polish since I took the pictures.. Most of which are from Sinful Colors which is now available in Boots stores, yay! When I first saw them a few months ago I got a little bit excited because they have lots of gorgeous colours and they're so affordable, at £1.99 for 15ml you just can't go wrong.

Not only are these totally affordable but the brush is decent (unlike some other cheap nail polishes *cough*MUA*cough*) so you get a decent finish and they're pretty long lasting. I find my nails chip quite easily no matter which top coat I use but these last well above the average time in comparison to all my other polish. I'd even go as far to say the quality is up there with China Glaze - woah, now there's a statement!

L-R: 924 Social Ladder, 376 Glass Pink, 945 Soul Mate, 313 Pink Forever.

L-R: 264 Vacation Time, 950 Savage (matte), 927 Nail Junkie, 1100 Blue By You.

There isn't one of these colours that I haven't thoroughly liked and enjoyed wearing. They're opaque in 2 coats (apart from Social Ladder, Glass Pink and Nail Junkie for obvious reasons) and dry quite quickly. So really, what's not to like? In my opinion, nothing! I can't wait to get my mitts on more colours.

Have you tried Sinful Colours nail polish? xxx

MoneySupermarket: Big Night In

MoneySupermarket are holding another fantastic competition as they believe (and I agree) that staying in is the new going out and they would like to see how us bloggers would spend £50 on a night in, courtesy of them. Those who take part will also be entered into a draw to win £500!! To find out more, clickety click right here while there is still time for you to join in too!
I had a couple of ideas when I was contacted about taking part but after a very stressful day Friday (Aaron came home with flowers for me to cheer me up and he hasn't done that in about 2 years!) I knew what I'd like to spend it on. Another reason I chose to do what I did is because me and Aaron sat down last week and decided we need more quality time together away from his Xbox and my laptop and phone so this came at the perfect time!
We decided to have a cosy, chilled out night in Saturday night with no Xbox or laptops which had become a very rare thing, sadly.. I was allowed my phone whilst The Voice was on so I could Tweet about it but that was it! We bought 2 DVDs (Ted for before The Voice and Twilight BDP2 for after!), Haribo, chocolate, wine, cider, bag of treats for the kitties and a lovely colour changing scented candle and ordered in a Chinese takeaway so we didn't have to cook! As you know, we have been doing Slimming World but decided to have a massive blow out for one night.. We're back on track now though.

Twilight BDP2 was brilliant! Ted.. wasn't.

We hadn't had alcohol in months so this was such a treat! :)

Yummy Chinese :) Couldn't eat it all though!

Tiff & Aaron love it so, the happy world of Haribo!

Mmmmmmmmm :) nom nom nom!

Couldn't leave our babies out could we!

Vinnie, Chester and Braxton.. Chester licking his chops!

Loved this candle! Will be another when we go shopping!

In my comfies! :)

My best tips for having a great night in are:
- Get comfy! PJs, fluffy socks and a big wooly cardi are a must for me!
- Don't cook! Who wants to cook when you're trying to have a lovely night in?!
If it's a cosy night in like mine:
- Get chocolate! It's not the same without it!
- Grab a blanket/throw/duvet! To snuggle up with of course.
- Light a candle. They add to the cosyness and make the house smell lush!

Thank you Money Supermarket for supplying us with £50 to spend on a night in - We haven't had a cosy night in with quality time together in absolutely ages so it was just heaven! xxx

mini haul - mixed.

wanted to share a few things i got over the weekend and my opinions on them, having already tried them out :)

nail varnish x 4, earrings x 3 and the benefit porefessional that everyones going mad for! :)

if you didnt already know, i larrrve my nail varnish. i have just under 100 now and still going!

ill start with the one aarons mum bought me when she had a shopping trip with one of her friends.
collection 2000: hot looks: neon art. no idea how much these cost.

its not exactly neon but it is quite bright. one of those colours you have to really be in the mood to wear. its quite small but who actually uses them big bottles anyway!? i know i dont!
i wouldnt really say its anymore fast drying than other makes i have.. im not sure how long it lasts cause i took it off and used a different colour in the end! overall its alright, nothing to rave about.

the next 3 i got at superdrug, 3 for 2.

2true glossywear: shade no. 47: £1.99.

i have this polish in shade no. 8 too.. its exactly the same shade of pink except instead of the really fine shimmery/glittery silver this one has, it has a very slight bluey tint in the light.
it says it lasts 5 days.. it doesnt on me and i always wear a top coat.
it doesnt dry mega fast either but it doesnt claim too so cant really moan!
one thing i dont like about this make is the brush.. oh and the lid as well actually. its quite big to hold which can be awkward and theres something about the brush that makes application a bit hit or miss.. but for the price is alright and i love the colour :)

NYC - in a minute. shade: 246 - park ave: £1.79.

never bought this make before so didnt know what to expect, i just hoped it would be alright as i got 2!
i really like this colour, its like a nice warm mocha kinda colour.. i always think this colour looks grown up or is that just me?! i like it either way :)
this applied nicely, it was nice to hold and the first layer dried super quick.. but the next coat didnt seem to dry quite so quickly?! not sure how long it lasts as i took it off to try the pink one.. you'll have to keep reading to see if that one lasted ;)

NYC - in a minute. shade: 242 - uptown: £1.79.

i REALLY love this pink! really really really a lot :) its my perfect shade of pink and is now my favourite of all my nail varnishes. i just loooove it! - can you tell?! haha :D
it has a very very slight shimmer to it but once you have it on your nails you really have to look to see it.. this isnt a bad thing at all though.

its a gorgeous girly girly pink, not too bright, not too dull.. just perfect.. the pics make it look a bit darker than it is.. or maybe thats my screen?!
as mentioned with the other colour i bought, it goes on lovely etc.. however there are a couple of bad points unfortunately.
most disappointingly, it doesnt ever seem to set properly.. i put it on a couple days ago and made sure they were dry before doing anything.. however as the 2 days have gone by, ive noticed there are lots of scratches and marks printed in it, as if it hasnt ever dried properly.. and its still doing it now. i only done a bottom coat, 2 coats of this then a top coat, which is what i'd normally do..
and the other bad point is that it started chipping after a day :/ - but wasnt noticable until 2 days.. if you change your nail varnish all the time like me then its not a massive problem though.
to be honest i love the colour enough to not be fussed and remember it was cheap too!

next is the earrings i bought.
i ordered some clothes online at new look and one of the tops wasnt quite what i wanted so i took it back and got some earrings instead..

roam earrings: £5.50

as soon as i saw these i knew i had to have them! the bottom ones are pink with light pink sparkley diamantes and the top ones are gold with iridescent diamantes. the picture doesnt do them justice at all, they're so sparkley and pretty and nice and you should go and buy them too :)

roam earrings: cant remember how much.. £3ish?!

i love pink :) everyone knows i love pink. and pink looks larvely with black and silver. so i like these a lot. they look nice on too.. yep, i like them!

last but by no means least..
benefit porefessional. the freebie from the glamour mag: £2.00.

i bought one of these in superdrug saturday and used it last night. WOW!
i'd never had any products by benefit before, infact id never even heard of it before i joined blogger! but ive read so many good reviews about this particular product that i knew i had to have it. how chuffed was i when i heard it was going to be a freebie with glamour!!

so i got one and tried it last night. i am one of those really unlucky people with large pores (rarrr!) and i definately was not disappointed. i was putting it on and like was "omg...! ...omg!" it was like magical.. it made my skin look 'normal' and i was sooo happy! i recommend this a million times over. - and i went out and picked up the last 2 copies in asda too.  if you have big pores then you need this product in your life, trust me :)


anyone else tried anything i bought? - if so what did you think and why? xxx

mini new look haul - bargains!

so, i sold some of my clothes that i dont wear anymore on ebay and with the money i made, i bought some new stuff :)
anyone that knows me will know very well that i pretty much only shop in new look! its been that way for like.. 5 or 6 years now! i dont strictly limit myself to new look - i also like select.. and george at asda and matalan have some nice bits every now and then.

i havent shopped in top shop for years and i have never purchased clothing in river island. although both shops have some really nice things, they're both stupidly over priced for my liking. i love a bargain! and 9 times out of 10 you can find similar items for way cheaper!

i have always been the same in that i wont buy something just cause its in fashion. also, i wont stop wearing something if i still like it and its gone out of fashion.. if i like something then ill buy it and ill wear it until i decide i dont want to anymore.

because i dont follow fashion and just buy whatever i happen to like, i have so many different styles. i personally think its a good thing! i dont want to look the same all the time and i dont want to follow what everyone else is doing and look the same as them either!

anyway, here's what i bought: sorry they're not all personal pics, have lost my camera and the lighting on my ickle phone was shhhhhhhocking! forgive me? :) ta!

1. 32" white linen trousers. £12.00 (was £19.99)  here!
i have these in black and because they're so comfy, i had to get white too! they have an elasticated waist band, which i love cause there's nothing worse than feeling uncomfortable! they do these in the normal range and the inspire range. mine are from the normal range.
2. coral aztec bubblehem vest. £6 (was £7.99) here!
i have loads of their bubble hem tops cause they're brilliant for every day. the only one i didnt have was pink - weird considering its my fave colour! :) this one has coloured stitching round the edges to make it a bit more exciting. it was from the inspire range. until my foot heals and i shift some weight, i can buy tops in the inspire range aswel as the normal range but buttom half i can only buy in the normal range!
3. white flower bubble hem vest. £9.99. here!
again, this is from the inspire range. it has come up a bit big but they dont go any smaller as its inspire and i love the print so its staying! i need more light colours in my wardrobe for summer so this will be perfect! cant wait til the sun comes out again so i can wear it :)
4. stripe and bird print shopper. £6.74 (was £8.99) here!
id been looking for a new bag for weeks - im so fussy about bags.. and clothes... most things actually..! - but had no luck.. until i saw this! just what i was looking for. a bargain bag thats cute and summery :) i love the pattern and i like how it has a draw string so its not such a plain shopper. a girl can never have too many bags, right?!
5. coral gem hair slides (x2). £3.50. here!
i like clipping one side of my hair back in the summer when my thick hair (that acts like a scarf) gets on my nerves. i take the top layer from the side opposite to my side parting and clip it back slightly, its a nice summery look (especially with wavy hair) and now i've got the summery hair slides to match :)
6. black studded bulldog clips (x2). £3.50. here!
i could not resist these.. they're covered in gems and they catch the light.. purdy :) im not sure when ill wear them but i pinky promised myself i would so obviously i will... wont i?! :D

where do you usually shop? xxx

haul - todays bargains :) wilkos!

So today i went to Wilkos.. I was only supposed to get some dye for a top... oops!

I got: 2 pink sponges, 2 packs of wilkinsons razors, pearl drops toothpaste, dylon clothes dye, coolmint listerine, rimmel mascara, palmolive bath milk & a hair brush. i also bought some sarnie bags and cling film but thats not very exciting! all of that come to just over 20 squids. lush.

2 sponges - 40p each. i chose them cause they're pink (i really had to root to the back of the pile for them!) i hate flannels - wheres the lathery bubbley stuff! - so yeah, sponge for moi.

2 packs of wilkinsons razors - £2 each pack. they're normally nearly £4 in asda/superdrug. ive used these ones for a few years now and they're my fave. they also have scented ones but they dont smell once the water has touched them so pretty pointless considering they cost like a squid more!

pearl drops toothpaste - £1. been using this about 2 or 3 weeks now and i've really noticed the difference. my teeth were stained from smoking (gave up 3 years ago this month, yay me!) but yeah, they do seem like they're getting whiter. and it keeps your breath fresher a lot longer than normal toothpaste too which is always a plus!

dylon clothes dye - £2.99. wellllll i shouldn't really have needed this BUT i won a top on ebay that said it was pink (and it looked pink in the pic) but when it turned up it was red and anyone that knows me will know i HATE the colour red (i dont really know why, i just do) i messaged the girl but she was adamant it was pink. obviously colour blind. id have lost more by sending it back as she said she wouldnt refund postage so i kept it and im gonna just dye it black. annoying much.

coolmint listerine - £2.75. well, everyone wants nice smelling breath dont they :) and this after the pearl drops is doing my teeth the world of good. smiiiiiiiiile :)

rimmel mascara: volume flash - £4.98. i usually get the pink one of this (cause its pink) and it has a slightly better brush but this was on offer (save a squid) so i got this one instead. - before the pink one come out i always got this one (the black and red one) and it is really good, so i got it again.. i wonder if ill prefer it to the pink one or not...?!

palmolive bath milk: cherry - £1. i have quite sensitive skin and palmolive is just perfect for me. I have tried so many different brands and i always go back to this one. when i shave using a different shower gel i nearly always come out in a bit of a rash which obviously is a pain. I also find this with their deodrant, which i've been using years now. even if i cut my armpit shaving, i can put deodrant on and it wont sting. perfect :) my fave is the coconut one but thought i'd give cheery a go. plus the smaller one is usually just over £1 in supermarkets and this is double the size and cheaper. bargain!

hair brush - £1.38. ive been looking for a hairbrush like this for a while (a cheap one) - they're like 10 squids in superdrug/boots etc which im not willing to pay so was well chuffed when i found this! i have really long thick hair and the brush i was using was really pulling and ripping at my hair but this is so gentle and pain free, i swear i fell in love all over again tonight when i tried it out! :)

have you bought any bargains this weekend? hope you're all enjoying the sun! i got sun burnt on my arm and chest from just going round looking at cars today! oops! :/ lol xxx