Sunday Summary #54

So its February! January usually drags but for me it went by in a blink. I've very excited for Valentine's Day in 11 days. I've got a post planned to go up this week with ideas how to make it special without spending a fortune. For me its more about just being with my boyfriend and doing something special. I love how its started to get milder although its been a cold weekend. It even snowed yesterday morning! I thought we wouldn't be seeing it again for a while.
Me and my boyfriend have been making our plans for our week off work soon. We'd toyed with the idea of staying in London but its so hard to find hotels with good reviews! Plus the annoying reviews put on that mention every other detail about that person trip (the weather, the travel, the sightseeing, the food, etc) but not the actual hotel! Infuriating! We've settled on a day trip to London, a weekend or a day in Cambridge and then a trip to Colchester Zoo. The remainder of the week will be rest and relaxation. I'm so excited to go shopping and treat myself. We're not sure if we'll see a show in London but my boyfriend wants to go to Madame Tussauds so we may try that. However there is so much I want to do, like get a Boris bike in Hyde Park, ride a red Sightseeing bus and I love Camden so thats always on my list.

These are insanely good! £1.99 at the Co-op is a steal. I've been sharing with my boyfriend but they're so addictive I'm sure I could manage on my own ;) 

 My wonderful boyfriend bought me all three to try! YES! I've been less than impressed at my failure to find any!

Now get ready for some SERIOUS bargains! Claire's often do offers on their sale items, last year it was 5 for £5. This year it was 10 for £10, so the same principle but taking more items. 

 These are my bargains. Originally £9 each!!! Now my hair is getting longer and I'm washing it less its always nice to wear it different ways. I've watched video tutorials on free hand french twists but never even attempted them. I've looked at kits before but never thought I'd be able to get such a sleek look. For £1 each though it would be mad to miss these. I already have several hair donuts, but I liked the extras in the Updo box. 

 This was the only one left and so up my street. They had loads of cases and my brother just got an iPhone but doesn't have a case yet so I found an orange plain jelly case to tide him over for now. He actually really likes it and so does my boyfriend. 

 I first thought these were bracelets but they're for buns. You could probably get away with them as bracelets though. 

 More hair bows! Well it'd be rude not to!

 I didn't notice the band had a tooth missing but never mind I'm sure it'll still do for around the house. I love navy and stripes so this little bracelet was a find. 

 These weren't in the sale but I love little sparkly earrings for my second hole. It sits slightly more into my cartilidge so smaller earrings look better plus I sometimes wear big studs in my bottom holes.

 Primark are definitely ripping off Topshop as these next few pictures show. I love this cat top so much as my cats are this colour. 

 Look familiar? 

 Oddly these tops are sized S, M, L etc and the smalls aren't very small. Wondering if they're mens? Although they were in the womens section? I quite like these being baggy on me so its not a problem.

 I found myself in Accessorize for birthday presents and somehow, accidentally, found some items for me. Oooops! I never used to wear studs but since finding really cute ones a few years back I've been wearing them more and more. These were too cute to resist. 

I just had to buy the anchor necklace and the owl is so cute! I have the gold diamante version and I love this brighter version. 

Hope you've all had good weeks 

Bargain Girl

I expected so much more from the sales this year and I've been left severely disappointed. Its probably a good thing I found so little but I've never known them to be so poor. I'm still very happy with what I did manage to find so here they are -

ASOS -
I actually bought more from ASOS but I'm returning it so no point in showing them.

 Disney Couture Believe ring £20 - Not a sale item but I've kept for this post as I've used Christmas money for it. I've coveted this ring for weeks now and couldn't wait to get it. I LOVE IT!

Orelia rings £8.50 - I love Orelia jewellery, its made with precious gem stones and Swarovski crystals this little set of rings are so pretty. I can't believe I paid so little for them as they're beautiful.

Accessorize (online) -
I actually bought a wheelie suitcase (too small) and Anchor bag (too big) but had them refunded so no point in showing them.

 7 keyring £2, E Daisy keyring £2 - my favourite number and my initial, hoping this E doesn't chip within a few days of being with my keys and other keyrings 

iPhone portable charger £10 - I pondered over one of these when I was in London in November. My battery was down to 10% at 3pm so I wasn't too impressed (I had been using maps for a while and taking lots of photos) so this will come in very handy in the future 

Travel document wallet £2.25 - I have a lovely purse style one already but its more for abroad travelling with different compartments and a passport holder. This will be great if you are carrying various train tickets, hotel bookings, emails regarding trips or offers etc. Its made out of card but should last a while. I usually keep everything in envelopes in separate bag/holdall/suitcase pocket so it'll be nice to have this instead.  

 Summer floral clutch £7.50 - I've liked this for a while but never bought it. I just decided to get it this time and I do love it. Its light enough in colour and pattern that it should be quite versatile and go with most outfits. I'm always put off patterned or bright clutches because they're harder to use with a patterned or bright dress but now I'm just thinking who cares, mix it up a bit. It also has a chain so you can have it on your shoulder. Its a really nice length as I hate little bags that bang against your hip because they don't have enough weight in to not spin around.

Asda - 

A combination of online and in store, my Mum found me these and I love what she brought me home :)

Minnie Mouse fleece blanket £5 - Because I will never have enough!

Gingerbread men pjs £6 - I love gingerbread men so this was a great pick. Its adorable, look at the bottoms!

Disney pjs tops £3 each - I already have the Dalamatian one but I always sleep in these in the summer. I've recently bought new pjs (mostly Disney) as my sleep wear were pretty much all 9-10 or 12-13 years old haha. At 24 it seemed appropriate to charity it all and get some new sets. 

Love vest £3, Unicorn top £5 - Mum thinks the vest is a bedtime wear one (hard to tell with Asda sometimes) but I think I could get away with it as day wear? Love the Unicorn top, looks lovely on and is a baggy, capped sleeve top. 

Pooh bear pj top £3 - another Disney cutie. 

Check bomber jacket £15 - This looks so nice on! Mum knows I love my little jackets, they're so easy to throw on for errands. Its a button up front and has a hood which is always handy when you never remember your umbrella!

Captain top £5 - I LOVE the picture on this and really want it but the fabric is really thick and its quite loose. I'm really undecided about this one. 

Boots - 

I only went into Boots tis week as the website sale was so poor I assumed the store would be the same. I found a few bits and resisted the Soap & Glory but got these bits. 

 Lunch bag £6 - For some reason when I bought this I didn't realise it was a lunch bag! I thought it was an odd shaped make up bag haha. However I've needed a new lunch bag for a while so I'll probably end up keeping this.

Set of 3 tins £8 - I loved the rainbow maned horse on this tin the moment I saw it a few months back. I just had to get this set if only for the first tin. I've used the middle one for Christmas decorations but may give it to charity as I'm not crazy about it. 

Matalan -
I had to return two pairs of high top wedges, I decided to keep the nude studded ones and the bigger black studded ones, see this post and this one.

 Sunny Days bathroom sign £4 - this was full price but has ended up in here anyway as everything else was sale!

 Jewellery - I love these pretty faceted beads and this one is a combination of all different colours and looks really nice when it catches the light. I love these little candelier earrings, I go through times of liking big earrings and then small ones. I'm in the small zone at the moment.

 Beach kaftan £4 - A girl can never have too much beach wear! I haven't booked a hot holiday for this year yet but this will handy for years to come. I tend to burn when in the sun for a long time so this is perfect to cover up to keep the rays directly off me.

OMG sequin top £7 - like a moth to a flame, this was sparkling beneath the store lights and boom into my basket it went. In a few months I'll wonder why I bought it :-/

Peter Pan collar top £7.50 - The camera flash has made this top look quite sheer but its not to the naked eye. I love the beading on the collar and they are multi coloured in the light, you can slightly see in the photo. 

 surfdome.com -
I googled this make up bag as it had sold out everywhere!

Ted Baker make up bag £17.59 - I waited to get this bag as I hoped to get it with money off (which I did eventually) but by the time I looked it had sold out. I googled it and after much searching finally found it on surfdome. Even if it had been full price I'd still have bought it. Its the most expensive I've ever paid for but I'm hoping it'll last longer. It feels very good quality and I'm sure it'll do me for many years to come. 

The Body Shop (online) -
I stumbled across this sale and found loads for my Mum so threw some bits for me in too.

Love etc perfume £7 and solid perfume £2.50 - Like a muppet I paid £7 for the 30ml instead of £9 for the 50ml. I feel some websites trick you into things like this, so pretty annoyed. Its my favourite perfume and reminds me of first being with my boyfriend :) 

Satsuma mini shower gel £1.80 Vineyard Peach showerl gel £3.60 - I adore the smell of satsuma, its my favourite body shop smell so I had to get this mini one. I've got a limited edition peach body shop shower gel so hoping this one smells similar as I love it and use it sparingly. 

Sunday Summary #28

Can't believe its another week gone and we're now into August. This year is hurtling past and before long it'll be Christmas! Had a topsy turvy few days, with uncertainty surrounding possible redundancies at work. Luckily its all ok and everyone is staying, for now at least. I can't imagine ever not working but I also don't think I could cope with the anxiety of my job being at risk. Then to be made redundant must be the worst feeling in the world. I'm so lucky. Had a brilliant week with my boyfriend as he's been off work so more free time. He went to the Olympics on Tuesday to see the Boxing which I was most jealous of. He had an amazing time. We've been watching it all week when we can and its incredible. Its definitely more exciting on home turf and with Team GB doing outstanding. So many medals too, its been so exciting to check my phone and hear from others when I haven't been near a tv. Me and my boyfriend went down to Colchester on Friday for shopping. Had such an amazing day, exploring and shopping. I am so lucky to have found someone like him. He isn't much of a shopper but he didn't complain once. We went to see Ted today and laughed our heads off. It is has such naughty lines in it, and Ted is one very bad bear indeed. I don't think I've ever seen Mark Wahlberg in a film before but he really impressed me in Ted, I was more into seeing how Mila Kunis did. They work so well together and some of the scenes between them are hilarious. Its mad how someone thought up the films idea. We also saw the trailer for The Sweeney which I have to see. Ben Drew and Ray Winstone?! Yes please. Planning to see The Dark Knight Rises a second time. It was so epic the first time and even though it was only a few weeks ago I need to see it all again.  Mum went to London on Wednesday and brought me loads of goodies back. Some are pictured below. She also got me a Union Jack cool bag and a Union Jack travel suitcase on wheels, its been great having so much Union Jack stuff popping up.

Making the most of Claire's Accessories 5 for £5 sale

 I did the deal with my Mum so all of the above cost £1 each!

 Primark Spending: Floral blouse £10, Leopard print sweetheart cut blouse £12, USA flag and Eagle top £6

I upsized on all of them as I like my blouses slightly flowy/loose and the flag top I want to be slouchy.

 Free photobook from Photobox, through Facebook

Mum's finds in London. The photo doesn't do the jacket justice, but its navy with gold thread that only shows up in the light, tops and duck mitt, London themed pjs and top. More Claire's Accessories 5 for £5.

 She also got me these bits from Accessorize and Forever 21. 

 I have Olympic Fever big time, so the headbands and jewellery are obvious. Couldn't resist the pin badge.I went into Build-a-Bear in Colchester and just had to have this one! So British I loved her. 

 I finally got my hands on an MUA Undressed palette and even better it had £1 off so was £3, crazy bargain. 

 MAC purchases :) 

 Mineralize Eye Shadow in Smutty Green, Girl About Town and Impassioned

 Light swatch of Smutty Green, Girl About Town and Impassioned

Yankee Candle haul

 Accessorize purchases

 Tokyo, Paris, New York, London spinner necklace, Lindy bunny necklace, Owl necklace

 Vitrail pendant, so amazing!

 Lush purchases. My boy picked for me :) Blackberry, Sex Bomb, Dorothy and Rocketeer

This case Mum got in London in the Claire's offer. I forgot it as its in use. I love it so much!! 

I am so happy with the new little bits I've got this week. Its been so nice to treat myself after hardly spending in recent weeks. Definitely appreciate stuff much more when I haven't shopped for a little while. I only went into MAC for one lipstick but I always see more in store than online, you see the true colour of a product in person. I've been after Impassioned for a while and then I saw Girl About Town. I'd seen it pop up on blogs before but I wasn't sure I could wear it. Out of all the brights I swatched me and my boy agreed the two I got were our favourites. Can't believe they've gone up again but I have all the colours I want now except a couple so I'm not too bothered. I don't always like every collection MAC release so unlikely they've bring out ten colours and I'd want all of them. 

Completely enjoying the London 2012 Olympics, so proud to be British and loving the medals racking up. I'll be sad when its all over but I have amazing memories from it. 

Hope you've all had good weeks