Be my Valentine...?

1. Heart Dress - £20 Topshop
2. Beagle Puppy Card - £1 Marks & Spencer
3. Lips Print Shirt - £5.85 eBay
4. Lips Mug - £5 Marks & Spencer
5. Heart Print Tights - £15 Littlewoods
6. Patent Lip Clutch - £25 Aldo 

Don't forget the Chocolates and Flowers!

Weekend Haulin' - Primark and Beauty

Not had the energy to venture in to Oxford Street for a while now, so the last two weekends that I've had free I have just popped into my local Primark for some retail therapy!

I love Primark home items and fell in love with this soft lips cushion - only £4, and the space invaders coasters - reduced to £1. The Baggy top was £6, and is to wear with leggings. The burgundy skirt was a bargain at £5 - although not ideal in this windy weather, but looks great with boots and came with a gorgeous studded belt.

I also got a green jersey pencil skirt for work - which meant I had to pick up their body shaping tights. If they work for £2.50 I will definitely be getting some more!

Beauty wise, I was ecstatic to find OPI's Skyfall set in TKMaxx - 3 for £16.99, so gorgeous it will have it's own post! The rest are items I picked up in Boots, my first Real Techniques brush, and 3 Rimmel items as they were on 3 for 2!

A Surprise weekend away in Bath!

A couple of weekends ago I was spoilt by my lovely boyfriend to a weekend away in Bath. It was something he'd saved up for as a late anniversary present and I was thrilled to be whisked away so unexpectendly! 

If you have never been to Bath I really recommend it - such a beautiful historic city, and a welcome break from the hub-bub of London. I'd been before when I was little but it was great to go with a boyfriend as it is a truly romantic setting.

Wandering round the town is a joy - there are so many unique boutiques as well as all the standard shops, (great Urban Outfitters). However I didn't just drag my poor fella round the shops, we did all the normal touristy stuff. It is a must to visit the Roman Baths; formed on Britain's only natural hot spring, it is amazing to step on the same stones as Romans did 2,000 years ago.

There is a modern Thermae Bath Spa as well, but we didn't have time to go on this visit. We stayed at the Hilton, which had a great location close to the stunning Putney Bridge and served a gorgeous breakfast buffet - best part of staying in hotels I think! 

We went for dinner at an amazing Asian restaurant that we had passed in the day - PanAsia. The decor and drinks were gorgeous, and the food was so yummy! So if you like Asian food and are visiting Bath - make this restaurant a must.

And here's the outfit I wore in the evening - a blue pleated dress from H&M and a holographic clutch that was reduced to £5.

Have you ever been to Bath before? There's still time to plan a last minute Valentine's trip this year!

My January sale purchases!

My favourite time during the sales is right at the end - when it's quieter and you rummage around to discover a solitary item left just in your size - that's when a bargain feels more rewarding! Sure, I got excited when the email notifications came in on Boxing day, but week 3 in January is when things have been really reduced. In particular I'm talking about Zara, some items only had a minuscule £5 off at the start but yesterday (21st Jan), I got £80 off a pair of boots!

Firstly we have a Zara shirt with a metal collar tip and gorgeous botanical flowers, this was £22.99 and I wanted it originally full price. The snake necklace with emerald eyes was £6 from Accessorize and the stunning red suede bag was £59.99 from Zara. This Lancome gift set from Boots was such a great deal - £13.99 for a full Hypnose Drama mascara, khol pencil and eye make-up remover. The masacara alone normally retails for £21!

And yesterday on alternate routes home from work due to snow, I was magnetically drawn into the Zara at Canary Wharf which still has tons of sale stuff left at cheaper prices. I picked up this rhinestone cowgirl shirt for £17.99 and these red studded boots from £119.99 to £39.99... pretty amazing right? And they are the softest leather ever!


So over a whole month I don't think my January sale buys are that excessive, although I doubt it's over!

Best of 2012 Beauty

Here's a selection of my favourite products I discovered in 2012 - all of these I either have repurchased already or will do once I've finished them.

1. St Ives Blemish Fighting Apricot Scrub -  Such a brilliant scrub for face or body, great for clearing up acne quickly and leaving smooth skin behind. Gorgeous apricot scent and a steal at £3.99 but is often on offer as well. I discovered this from a tester and have kept repurchasing it ever since as it does the job so well.
2. Yes to cucumbers hypoallergenic body lotion - I bought this on a whim during a sale at work a couple of months ago as it was only £1, and have been so impressed with it that I would repurchase it for it's normal £10! This is great to use on sensitive areas of skin that need a bit of TLC, and is also great at helping heal blemishes. And yes, it does smell of cucumbers which is amazing.
3. Dove original roll-on deodorant - So simple and can't go wrong. A deodorant that works, is caring to underarms and smells great. I love dove products and this is a staple to me.
4. Shu Uemura eyelash curlers - A bloggers favourite - ridiculously overpriced at £20 but at least I got the limited edition gold pair during the Olympics! They are the best eyelash curlers and I am even confident to go out without mascara after using these.
5. Simple light moisturiser - I have tried so many face moisturisers but keep coming back to this one. It's perfect to use daily before make up as it is so lightweight, leaves no film and is not greasy. Yet it hydrates the skin perfectly and doesn't have any intense smell. Great price and will continue to repurchase this as I trust it.
6. Morroccan Oil - An expensive product but popular for a reason. It makes your hair feel lush - that is the only word I can use to describe it. 
7. Pantene mousse for defined curls - Are you looking for a hassle free way to add some boost to your hair, increase your natural curls and is lightweight? This is it. Only a few pounds and as you only need a small amount it lasts ages. Recommend giving this a try.
8. Maybelline colour tattoo eyeshadow - These eyeshadows last all day without creasing and I love the colour of 'on and on bronze'.
9. Sleek face form contour & blush Palette - A great purchase in 2012 is this bronzer, highlighter and highly pigmented rose gold blusher. Reviewed here 
10. Clarins lipstick in fig - This was a second lucky £1 purchase from a sale at work. I wouldn't have chosen this colour in the shop but it actually compliments my skin really well. I love this lipstick as the smell is incredible and it is really moisturising.

I forgot to include my favourite concealer which is Bourjois' healthy mix! - Highly recommended. But otherwise there's the detail of what I enjoyed using most throughout 2012. I've linked the best price online for each of the products, happy to say 7 of them are £10 or under! 

Let me know if you also love any of these products.

My Festive week in photos #16

I hope you have all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year! Mine was generally chilled, which was a great change from all the hustle and bustle of London. I love living in the city but I love visiting my home in Dorset just as much. My sister and I cooked Christmas lunch this year; including a gorgeous cranberry and meringue pie. So knackering, I have sympathy for mums everywhere that slave cooking the Christmas lunch!

The Ritz Christmas tree and gold leaf cocktail, New Look jewellery from myself to myself, our decorations, Christmas pie, Bryn with his favourite present and New Year fireworks on Blackheath hill.

I hope blogging in 2013 will be more regular and I'm going to make a conscious effort to comment on posts more - as I know I love reading your comments!