HAUL 2013: TOPSHOP, ESSIE, PRIMARK.

IT'S HAUL TIME. ONCE AGAIN. I just can't stop myself from buying things, which is the main reason why my bank balance hates me most of the time. 

ESSIE NAIL VARNISHES: I recently discovered a website called Fragrance Direct which sell a lot of Essie colours for only £1.99. When I found this out I just couldn't stop myself from ordering not one, not two but SIX different shades. Even though I hadn't seen many of these colours in the stores I didn't mind due to the price. I was able to purchase a really popular shade on many blogs, Bikini So Teeny. When I saw this shade on there I done a little dance...

The shades I ordered were (from left to right in the picture):

1. Bikini So Teeny #219A
2. Cascade Cool #220A
3. Off The Shoulder #223A
4. Mojito Madness #222A
5. Delicacy #10
6. We're In It Together #240

I'm glad I ordered the ones that I did as I love the majority of them, the colour Delicacy isn't normal a shade I would go for as it's like a pearly shade. However, being the nail varnish addict that I am, I will definitely try it out. 

TOPSHOP: I was just looking back at the photos I took and forgot to fully photograph my necklace from Topshop, how bad is that?! I had been looking for this bright blue jumper for absolute agesssssss and when I saw that Topshop had one I was always going in to see if they had my size and they never had it *sad face*. It was £36 so I kept saying 'do I really want it for this price?' as I did think it was quite pricey for a jumper. BUT then the Topshop sale came along yipppeee and this beauty of a jumper was reduced to £20 and I got student discount off which reduced it even further to £18. What a bargain eh?.

PRIMARK: Primark's necklaces never fail to impress me for the prices they charge. There's always at least one that I end up buying. The 2 I bought were £3 each, THREE POUND. I think they will both look lovely with a plain black or white t-shirt and even look nice with the right outfit on holiday. My second purchase was all thanks to Barbara from 'The Persian Babe' who recently featured this bag in a recent haul video. I had previously seen it in Primark but never purchased it for some reason and it was only when Barbara said that she had bought a replacement for when it breaks was when I decided I had to have it. I've had this bag for around 2 weeks and I take it absolutely everywhere with me, it's perfect! I recommend you all getting one of these bags as they honestly look more expensive than £8 and they are the best size bag for when you don't want to take a big bag out during the day. I'm tempted to get the tan colour too..

I hope you all enjoyed this haul, let me know if you like any of the items that I purchased or if you are going to purchase any yourself. Hope you'll all having a lovely week.

TOPSHOP MAY 2013 & OOTN.

So here are my recent Topshop buys. I have wanted a daisy printed top for agesssssss but have never been able to find the exact type that I was looking for UNTIL TOPSHOP. I absolutely love the style of the Topshop top as it has an oversized fit which I like to wear. I have worn it with a white vest top underneath and the print really stands out. The top was only £26 and I got student discount of 10% which got me £2.60 off woohoo. 

Also while I was in Topshop I wanted a statement necklace to go with the top but finally decided that anything too chunky and bold would not suit the top juts because of the detail on the top. The top picture shows the necklace I decided to pair with the top but once I got home I put it on with the top and think that the top does NOT need a necklace. I think it looks like there is too much going on when a necklace is added. The necklace was £10 and again I received student discount which got me £1 off. The picture hasn't shown the necklaces true colour very well as it is a gold colour whereas in the photo it looks like a bronze/silver colour, woops bad camera skills! 

Okay, I've put OOTN but you only get to see the top half of my outfit as I forgot to take a full length picture *sad face*. The picture below (excuse the pouting) shows how I teamed it with a bright pink lip and curly hair! 

What do you all think of my Topshop buys? 

30 Ways to Save £1 - Money Supermarket

Recently I was contacted by Money Supermarket to take part in their '30 ways to save £1' campaign. On April 21st, 2013 the one pound coin celebrated its 30 year anniversary. Most of my ways are to save more than £1. It is always a good feeling when you're able to save as much money as possible! I must admit this was harder than I first realised to think of 30. 

30 WAYS TO SAVE MONEY 

1. Car Boot Sales - Every Sunday, my dad and occasionally me, go to car boot sales around our area. It is incredible when you look at all the bargains you find when you do go. You should go to a car boot sale, I love them and I'm always finding new films that I want to watch for only 50p!!!
2. Ebay/Amazon - These are just 2 online websites that you can find cheaper alternatives. They are a great way of finding cheaper items. For example, I wanted a lipstick from Maybelline and it was £7 in stores but on Amazon I found one for £2.50. 
3. Supermarket Own Brands - These are so much cheaper than the well known brands.
4. Pay as you go vs Contacts - I'm currently on a £25 a month contract and I absolutely HATE it. The fact that I can't stop it or reduce the minutes/texts that I receive really annoys me. I can't wait until the contract is finished in December and I'll be able to think about going on a pay as you go, that way I will only use money when I need to instead of paying £25 every month. You can find really good contracts for a lot less than £25, just don't fall in the same trap that I did! 
5. Offers at the Supermarkets - Different supermarkets do different offers every single week.
6. £1 shops (Poundland etc) - The £1 shops have items that are in the supermarkets at an increased price and you can get them in £1 shops for of course £1! Always check to see what they have in there before purchasing them in the supermarkets.
7. Oyster Cards - If you travel occasionally then oyster cards are an essential item.  
8. Pre Book your Travel - If you have a date set as to when you'll be travelling somewhere, why not book your travel weeks in advance. It saves you a lot of money. 
9. Walking to places - If you need to pop down to the shops or go somewhere local, walk and don't take a form of transport. If you normally take a car it'll save you petrol money and if you take the bus/train it will save you money in fares. 
10. 3 for 2 offers on make-up etc - An extra item for free, yes please. 
11. Loyalty Cards - I've got loyalty cards for both Superdrug & Boots and my points are gradually increasing. For boots I think I have around the £20 mark worth of points which is really exciting to think I'll be getting something for 'free'. You can get loyalty cards for supermarkets aswell and they send you vouchers for money off your next shop. Such a great way to save money. 
12. Avoid Takeaways - cook your own meals, takeaways take away money that you could spend on something else that you REALLY want. 
13. Cinema offers - 2 for 1 on Orange Wednesdays, AMAZING. I use this all the time as the cinema prices have increased dramatically in the past couple of years. With the 2 for 1 you end up paying about £3.50!
14. Student Discount - As a student myself, so many stores offer 10%+ off. I absolutely love this, especially in places such as Topshop where the clothing and jewellery are at a higher price. 
15. Newspapers promotions - Alton Towers & Thorpe Park tickets are a regular occurrence in newspapers, saving you money on a full price ticket. 
16. Charity Shops - You are always able to find some good bargains in charity shops, a lot of the time people forget about places like this but it's definitely worth a look. 
17. Visit Second Hand Shops - Furniture etc at a discounted price - sounds good to me.
18. Don't buy magazines - A lot of magazine companies have online websites where they put the majority of content from their weekly magazine. On a daily basis, I browse DailyMail online and catch up with the latest celeb gossip but also what is happening in the world. It's a great way to save yourself £1+ a week on magazine subscriptions or buying a newspaper daily when the content is available for free online. 
19. Share your clothes/jewellery etc with family members - don't worry I don't mean share your dresses with your brother and dad or anything like that! My mum loves to borrow my jewellery/accessories to add something extra to her outfit, it's free to borrow off of people so why not do it?! 
20. Buy body sprays rather than perfume - I know how expensive perfumes can be and sometimes body sprays can last longer than perfumes. You can get a variety of different smells, especially Boots own brand, they do some lovely scents. 
21. Clothes are cheaper elsewhere - Topshop had a top for around £16 and I was so tempted to buy it. It was only a plain short sleeved t-shirt but I couldn't justify spending that amount of money. I went shopping in many different places and sure enough in Primark they had exactly the same top but for £3.50. It shows that looking in different/cheaper stores you are able to find the items you need but for a fraction of the price. Overall, I saved myself £10+, amazing! 
22. FreeView instead of Sky? - My family's sky bill is over £100 a month and I have to admit, half the channels go unwatched. Freeview is a great way to save money as it is FREE and more channels have been added. 
23. Credit Card 0% introductory offer - this gives you 0% interest on purchases for a certain amount of months. It's always good to look out for it!
24. Social Media Advertising - You can always advertise your business/company on the popular social media websites such as Twitter, Facebook, etc. These are all FREE to sign up for and give you recognition.
25. Piggy Banks - Save those 20p,50p and all loose change that you have in your purse or the bottom of your bag. I promise you the money will soon add up, just don't be tempted to take the money out. 
26. Gym Memberships - If you are motivated to go to the gym weekly/monthly, an annual gym membership can save you money. The annual memberships allow you to go as much as possible - just make sure you stay committed to it to get your money's worth!
27. Government Websites - See what your entitlements are regarding free dentistry and any other health care related issues. 
28. Energy saving products - For example, energy saving lightbulbs are much cheaper to run and last longer than the conventional ones.
29. Holidays - It is significantly cheaper to book a holiday out of school term times.
30. Cash Discounts - Certain shops have been known to give discounts to customers if they are paying by cash and not using their card.

WOAH, that was hard work thinking of varied and useful money saving tips! I hope some of them help you if you are trying to save an extra little bit of cash.

TOPSHOP WANTS

Damn the 'New Arrivals' page on the Topshop website. I feel like I want the majority of things on there! Considering it's payday for me and probably the rest of the country this Friday, I always have the urge to log  onto every clothing website and "browse" for things I want. However, it never ends up being just "browsing" it always ends up in purchasing things that I probably don't need. 

'Ribbon Twist Collar' Necklace £18.50:  Statement necklaces are EVERYWHERE at the moment. They change a simple plain t-shirt/outfit into something completely different. Just the adding of a necklace is surprising just how much it changes the entire outfit. Even though this necklace is slightly pricey, I say this just because I've emptied out Primark's stock of statement necklaces which are only £4 each! I love the pale pink and grey effect on this necklace and the diamond effect completes the look. I am EXTREMELY tempted to go and see this in the store to see if it looks as nice. There's been a lot of times where items look much better online so I hope this necklace doesn't..if it looks as it does on the website, I can happily say it will be added to my collection of statement necklaces.

Nail Varnish 'Gel Effect Top Coat' £5.00: I've bought nearly every single nail varnish from the Barry M Gelly Collection and I am impressed with those. The only thing that is disappointing is the colour range. They are obviously gradually going to bring out newer colours but I feel like I would like my 100+ nail varnishes that I've already got (I know, ridiculous right?!) to have the gel effect. When I saw this on the Topshop website I knew I would have to try it out, I hope it doesn't disappoint and isn't just a 'clear top coat' that makes absolutely no difference. If anyone has tried this, please let me know what you think!

'Lip Butter in There She Goes' £8.00: Topshop lipsticks are very very good. I own around 3-4 and even though that's not that many, I love the moisturising feel on my lips when it has been applied. I hope that these lip butters have the same effect as I adore the colour of this one! Have anyone of you tried the lip butters?

'Wanda Leather Strip Wedges' £75.00:  These wedges were the first thing I saw and loved on the 'new arrivals' page. I understand that they probably won't be everyone's cup of tea but personally I absolutely love them. Because I'm 5 foot 10/11 I wouldn't purchase them but I think they are PERFECT for the upcoming summer months. I'm undecided which colour I prefer the best,  I'm thinking the tan pair are more summer colours than the grey ones. 

'Zig Zag Aztec Tunic' £26.00: Again, this is another item which won't be liked by everyone. I thought it would look nice with a bright coloured bag and accessories. It reminded me of the tops that are currently out with all the comic book look. Maybe that's just me that thinks that? Most probably. 

What do you all think of these items? Would you purchase any of them?

Topshop LA top

I must admit I am NOT A FAN of all the tops saying the words 'GEEK' 'DORK' etc on them, BUT...

This top is UH-MAZ-ING. I saw this top in Topshop earlier this week and was debating with myself whether to buy it or not. It cost £18 and I also received the 10% student discount. 

I don't know whether its meant to mean 'LA 

I'm not sure whether its meant to mean 'LA' is in Los Angeles or 'LA' is in lalalala?!

Anyway, because Los Angeles is somewhere I've always wanted to visit I've decided it means that. 

What do you all think of the top? 

Topshop Nail Varnish

I was pleasantly surprised by this nail varnish. I have a serious addiction of buying way too many nail varnishes as you may realise in the future. I picked this one up in Topshop for £5.00 (I got 10% Student Discount aswell, making it £4.50). I wasn't expecting them to be amazing but I must admit this is one of the better nail varnishes I've tried! It hasn't chipped once after having it on for 3 days and only needed 2 coats to get the true colour - love love love. I'm extremely happy with my purchase and it may be my new favourite place to buy nail varnishes. 

What do you all think of the colour? Do you have any Topshop nail varnishes? 

Topshop Lipsticks

You can never have too many lipsticks that are near the same colour, well this is what I tell myself every time I buy another nude lipstick.
I must admit I don't have LOADS of lipsticks but the lipsticks that I do have are mostly nude colours with the occasional red or dark colour making an appearance every now and then.
I've never tried the Topshop lipsticks so decided when I went into Topshop the other day that I would 'browse' the colour selection that they had. I started putting a few colours on the top of my hand and gradually started getting a bit carried away so it ended looking like I had a colour chart on my hand (not a good look to go into work with). I must say I am extremely surprised as the 2 lipsticks I purchased have a really nice shine to them and they look like they will stay on the lips for some time. I may be tempted to buy a few more the next time I'm in Topshop, but one thing is for sure, I'll be looking at the new colours they bring out.

TOPSHOP LIPSTICKS - £8
Student Discount gives you 10% off.

What do you all think of the Topshop lipsticks? Have you tried them?

 

Wishlist Wednesday

Topshop '1/2 sleeve' Jumper - £18

I was browsing the 'new in' section on the Topshop website & found this jumper. I love jumpers that are perfect for a lazy day indoors, comfort all the way. When I went to check the sizes in stock it showed that it was unavailable in every size *sad face*, I will just have to keep an eye out for this in the shops and even check online every couple of days. 

http://www.topshop.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?beginIndex=1&viewAllFlag=&catalogId=33057&storeId=12556&productId=9152993&langId=-1&sort_field=Relevance&categoryId=277012&parent_categoryId=208491&pageSize=20 

Black Studded Bag - H&M - £29.99

I first saw this bag in store and wasn't 100% sure on it BUT after seeing it with an outfit on a blog I wanted it. I went into one of my local stores and then was torn between the 2 colours as they have this available in a cream/white and the black. Then I wasn't sure about the price because the bag isn't overly big and I left it which I was I hadn't done as I've come home and decided I wanted it but I can't find it anywhere online!! I will have to hope it's still in my local store as I have to have it.

FAST Shampoo & Conditioner 

These have only been released in Boots  a couple of days now but I'd read a few articles online before and they've had a lot of hype behind them. I am always looking for products to make my hair grow fast, I'm currently using the Lee Stafford product for hair that doesn't grow past a certain length and I have noticed some minor differences. I'm quite impatient so this shampoo and conditioner is VERY appealing to me. The products seem extremely pricey but all the reviews I've read have been positive. I'm a bit torn as I don't know whether to splash the cash on this product but if it worked I would be over the moon (obviously). I might wait to see more reviews before finally making my decision.

Urban Decay Naked Basics

Unlike the majority of the population I don't actually own a Urban Decay Naked palette and I do actually feel like I'm missing out. Every one loves this product but I think if I was to purchase one I would go for the new-ish one that has the 'basic' colours in it. 

What is on your wishlist this week?