The day I was shocked in Primark

I promise I don't only shop in Primark. Far from it. I have returned again today after my visit on Sunday only to return the shoddy dress I purchased. I had a leadership course day and finished at 3 so took advantage of the spare time and dropped into town. Well. I managed to pick up a black and white vest in my size (miracles do exist) and in the process, spotted a dark purple dress that I thought would be good for work. Much of a muchness, simple dress, easy to change the look with cardigans, scarves, different footwear etc. I tried it on and just glimpsed the label as I was taking it off, and was shocked to see it cost £17.

£17. A small sum of money indeed, but for Primark? For a very simple, not-much-to-it dress? No siree. I will happily pay large sums of money for good quality, higher end items but £17 for a Primark dress? I must be getting tight in my advancing years, or else the effect of the husband is finally rubbing off after 9 years of togetherness. (Thank you S, I really do appreciate your financial management lessons...)

I might have also purchased a new scarf from Marks and Spencer as well as an advent calendar for me and the husband and some praline chocolate stars. I did manage to avoid the Christmas decorations that looked so inviting though <polishes halo>. Restraint is my middle name...

Finishing with outfits for the last couple of days, both work days, Monday normal work day, today more casual due to the course:

White long line vest top : Primark
Cream angora mix boxy knit: H & M
Plain jersey scarf: Cos
Dark leopard print skirt: F and F @ Tesco
Black tights: Marks and Spencers
Flat riding boots: Primark

Beige long line vest top: Primark
Cream thin long sleeve top: Cos
Silver open back thin knit: Zara
Tassel Piaf Scarf: By Malene Birger
Dark denim jeans: River Island
Biker boots: Dune

Black leather jacket: Zara
Grey wrist warmers: H & M
Bag: Mulberry postman's lock hobo

As seen above, my Dune boots arrived! And they fit, miracle of miracles! I swear I saw the husband visibly exhale when I excitedly relayed to him that they fit and I like them... I think he was having visions/nightmares of a trip to Westfield this coming weekend so that I could continue my search. Although I'm pretty sure I still need to do some Christmas shopping, and haven't we got some birthdays (including mine) coming up...

Only kidding S ; )

Two blogs in two days...

Hell has not frozen over. I have indeed managed to blog two days in a row after an absence of, hmmm, what was it now?  3 months?! Hurrah!

Today was nothing too exciting, just a quick runaround and chores. I schlepped to TK Maxx fully intending to purchase a few Christmas gifts (they have some very nice OPI and Leighton Denny gift sets in at the moment), and instead got distracted by items for myself. Fail.

I think I may have mentioned before that I have a bit of a love/hate relationship with TK Maxx. I have found some amazing bargains in there in the past, but on other occasions, it resembles the private dressing room of Lilly Savage. I had time today so had a good rummage and found a few items that set my heart a flutter. I tried on two jackets and purchased the one that fit me well (the other I loved but was a large size small so had to be left behind). I'm not sure how I'll pass off said jacket as 'Christmas shopping', I'm hoping hubby won't ask to see what I purchased when he gets home.. It's not even like I managed to buy any other gifts that I can show him.. double fail.

Antoni and Alison jacket, £37 reduced from £150.

And now for today's outfit, nothing too exciting, practicality a must for shopping and chores:

Thick stripy jersey top: H & M
Long line white vest: Primark
Blue jeans: River Island
Hi tops: Converse (These are permanently attached to my feet at the moment, they are perfect for running around in).
Checked scarf: New H & M purchase from yesterday. Annoyingly not on their website.
Leather double rivet cuff: Mulberry
Sunglasses: Missoni (not because I am a poser but because of the blasted winter sun, I nearly crashed my car when driving without them the other day).

Cream coat: H & M
Grey wrist warmers: H & M
Bag: Mulberry

I will try not to leave it so long between blogging in future, I ordered the boots from yesterday's epic boot saga so will hopefully have some pics and a success story soon!

If you kiss enough boot frogs you will eventually find your boot prince...

Or you will instead end up consuming copious amounts of wine/gin/vodka (pick your poison) when it becomes ever apparent that the black boot you are searching for does not exist, and the hours you have dedicated in this search have been for nothing.

Bugger. Let me backtrack. I need  would very much like a new pair of everyday black boots. Leather of course, flat to very low heel, mid calf biker style with perhaps a buckle or two for extra je ne sais quoi. No studs, stars, laces, strange colours mixed in, just an everyday biker boot, perfect for wearing with skinny jeans and dresses alike. Am I asking too much here?? It certainly seems so. Double bugger.

But I digress. Having spent the day searching in my usual shopping mecca (Bluewater), I have found nothing that a)fits b)looks half decent c)doesn't hurt/pinch toes. The few pairs that I had narrowed the search down to on the iPad this morning were all in stock (a miracle in itself), but were just not quite right for a plethora of reasons:

Pair 1: Dune Riff calf boot £120. This pair was item number one on my agenda, the leather looks divine in the pics and the buckles a nice touch. In reality, the size 5 were too big, my heel would not stay flat inside the boot when I walked. The 4 were of course too small. Sob.

Pair 2: Label lab biker calf boot £111 House of Fraser. This time, the boots were too big around my calves, think a small child in a much too large pair of wellington boots. Damn my slim calves.

Pair 3: Lauren by Ralph Lauren Saphira boots, £161 House of Fraser. I had high hopes for these but once again they were too big around the calves. An old lady sitting nearby tried to convince me that they looked good but I was having none of it. 

Pair 4: H by Hudson Kepler £180. I also tried on the H by Hudson Horrigan £145. Both were too big, same problem as with the Dune boots, my heel would not stay put. I even had thick socks with me to see if that made any difference, It didn't.

In desperation, I headed to Clarks to see if they had anything similar. Fail. They all looked a bit, dare I say it, mumsy. Which is a shame, as the summer season at Clarks was pretty good this year. Having already persused M and S online, I knew there was nothing there either.

So. All in all today I have concluded that my feet have shrunk a bit, and must be a pretty odd shape as nothing anywhere seems to fit me properly. Short of taking a shoe making (cobbling?) course and stitching my own, I'm going to have to keep trying until I reach the holy grail, the boot prince. I am set to order the following two pairs tonight, and hopefully, something there will fit. (She says as she begins researching shoe making courses in the south east area).

Dune Rallie boot £95. This seem worth a shot, definitely the style I am looking for and with cosy shearling inners. Couldn't find these in store today but they have size 5's online so I'm ordering away.

Radley leather buckle biker boots, £127, John Lewis. These could be another contender. Not quite as high up on the leg but long enough not to leave cold ankles. 

So that's pretty much the whole boot adventure from today. When I relayed this mini-saga to hubby over the phone he was extremely confused and pointed out that I only bought two new pairs of black boots last winter. 'Well yes, but they are heeled boots dearest. And don't you want me to have nice sensible walking boots, you always moan when I have to walk slowly in heels'... he's still unconvinced. Men never understand sensible shopping logic anyway, I may as well be explaining myself to the rabbit. (Love you really S x)

Finally what I wore today to go on my long and arduous adventure:

Leather jacket - Zara
Beige long line vest - Primark
Stripy long sleeve tee - Cos
Horse print scarf - Dorothy Perkins
Black leather double rivet cuff - Mulberry (a little purchase I made at Cheshire Oaks designer outlet on Tuesday)
Khaki skinny jeans: Zara
Sneakers: Converse
Bag: Mulberry

Apologies for the lower quality photos, our camera gave up the ghost on our recent trip to Yorkshire (more on that shortly) so I have been using my iPhone. A new camera has been added to our joint Christmas list (which is growing longer by the day), so I will have good quality images fairly soon, hurrah.

Wish me luck with the boots... gulp.

End of year purchases : )

Hello dolls, how is everyone today? Hope everyone is still on holiday, and if you have gone back to work, it's nice and relaxed for a bit!

I met up with the girls last night, one friend back from working in Moscow and one friend down from Manchester, it was lovely to catch up with all the goss. I stayed over my at my best friends house last night and today we headed off to Lakeside for a day of shopping. We got there around half 11 and it was surprisingly easy to get to and park, no traffic to speak of. The shopping centre itself wasn't too busy, and only got busy later in the day just before we left.

I'm pleased to say I came away with a few bargains! As I hate sales shopping so much and rummaging through dis-organised displays, we stuck to the few shops that we know do sales well, and keep on top of the mess. This was only a few shops, and then we stuck to the full price merchandise in the less organised shops. Below is a little selection of some of my fave purchases : )

Jimmi Jams pjs from Boots - it infuriates and delights me simultaneously that  Boots put their entire Christmas stock in the sale just after Christmas! I always have a good look and stock up on anything I might need for the year such as shower gels, bath bubbles, face cream etc, as well as all my Christmas cards, wrapping and tags for next year! I picked up these pjs because I loved the cute slogan and bunny print, and thought they were good value at £14.

Close up of the pjs, and my own cheeky bunny making an appearance in the picture!

Aaah love : ) I have wanted a comfy pair of black wedge boots (although they look grey in the pic!) for ages  and saw these today in Debenhams. I was shocked they had a size 5 as being a common size, they often sell out quickly. These boots are by Faith and originally cost £60. They were reduced to £30 : )

Another style of boot I have been keeping an eye out for recently is the Chelsea boot. These  boots fit the bill perfectly and look a bit vintage I think. They are by Red Herring and were reduced by 70% - £60 to £18! Both boots are leather which is an added bonus : )

Rubbish picture, these jeans from Zara are really nice- skinny, navy blue colour with gold zip detail to the ankle.  They were only reduced by six pound but were still a good bargain at £19.99.

Pretty pleased with my purchases, especially the boots, they should see me through a few winters to come and will work with so many outfits. In terms of good sale shops, I found Zara the best, with the majority of stock being in the sale. Unfortunately a couple of items I wanted were not in my size so I shall have to be eagle-eyed and visit a few more Zara branches to see if I can get hold of them.

Has anyone else had any successful sale purchases recently? XOXO

Queen of hearts nails

Hello strawberry cupcakes, how are you all today?? I can't believe it's Thursday already, really where do the weeks go?? Not that I'm complaining, after this week it will only be 6 weeks until the Christmas holidays, seriously cannot wait!!

Today's post is a nail of the day post, one that I created during half term with some new nail bits and pieces. My mum came to visit me and bought with her a little nail kit that she received in Boots when she bought an eye pencil from 17. (Don't mums always bring little bits and pieces with them when they visit?? I always receive a range of products, varying from beauty products, to washing up liquid, packets of crisps/chocolate and tins for my tin cupboard! Love it!) Anyways, this particular kit was of much interest to me, as I have really got into nail art recently, and the colours looked particularly pretty.

Cute little bag that the products came in... I don't know about anyone else but  I'm a sucker for glossy, girly packaging!!

The kit consisted of 2 full size nail polishes, one in a coral pink colour and one in a classic red. It also included a leopard print nail file (handy size for your bag) and some heart nail stickers, some in pink and some larger with leopard print.

Finished result! I painted my nails with a Maybelline base coat, and then added two coats of the red colour. I used a pair of mini tweezers from my Benefit brow kit to apply the little hearts to all of my nails bar the middle one, which had one of the larger hearts. I also added a large heart alongside the little one on the thumb. The stickers were surprisingly easy to use and adhered really well, I made sure they were super secure with a 2 layers of top coat painted over. 

What do you think?? I really liked the look and thought it looked quite different and eye-catching. It lasted 3 days without any chipping, so a pretty good result too. And let's not forget it is a free product, so I think this is even more impressive!

Hope you are all well, roll on Friday...XOXO

New Jewels

Hi dolls, hope your are all having a lovely week, almost Friday now yay! After the beautiful sunshine we have been enjoying in the UK this week, the weather was not so good today, raining constantly for much of the day. Luckily I had done all my shopping and trips out and spent the day packing and organising for our festival trip tomorrow! I am sooo excited and have everything prepared which makes me even happier. The suitcase is packed and sorted into day and night outfits, I have packed an extra bag of food and snacks, and lastly, I have printed all of the information I previously researched, including details of restaurants, castles and historic houses to visit, and directions to our hotel and the festival. Oh and i've packed the festival tickets, don't want to forget those! Hubby is home from work now so all we need to do is take it easy and wait for the fun to begin!

Anyways, todays post is a showcase of some new jewellery I have bought recently. I keep seeing gorgeous little gems everywhere I go and I can't help indulging! One shop I am really looking forward to visiting next week is Forever 21, which has opened a new branch on Oxford Street. I couldn't find it (did I ever mention I am rather directionally challenged!) when I visited Oxford Street the other day, so hubby has promised to help me find it when we head to London next Tuesday. I keep reading about how good the shop is, and how brilliant the jewellery is, so I am very excited!!

From top to bottom:

1) Shimmery green stone set on gold ring from H & M - £3.99

2) Amber gem stone drop earrings from New Look - £4.99

3) Bright pink and purple peace charm necklaces from Topshop - £1.50 each (in sale)

4) Silver with gemstone flower ring from New Look - £4.99

5) Long silver chain with large purple stone necklace - £1.99 from Boots (in sale)

6) Gold chain and charms necklace - £12.99 vintage from Rokit Covent garden

7) Long chain gold necklace with turquoise stone - £1.99 from Boots (in sale)

I love the green stoned ring from H & M, and the necklaces from Boots were a complete bargain! I only noticed them by the door as I was leaving and couldn't resisit as they were such good value! Love the vintage necklace too as it is different and very 'ghetto gold' (Carrie's phrase for cocktail gold jewellery!) Hopefully I will be showcasing some of this jewellery this weekend at the festival!

Hope you like, I can't wait to share my festival outfits with you all when I get back! Enjoy the weekend, hope the weather is beautiful for you!! xoxo