& Other Stories Haul

If you haven't heard of & Other Stories (where have you been?) it is the latest label from H&M, launched in March it offers a whole range of clothing, accessories and beauty products. & Other Stories aim to cater for your entire look, all under one roof, and therefore offer an extending range of ready to wear clothing, skin care and beauty products, and this is what really sets & Other Stories apart from the likes of their 'sister' brands, including H&M and Cos. it's refreshing to see a combination of what completes an individuals look being the focus of a store.

Unfortunately I haven't had the opportunity to check out & Other Stories only UK store on Regent Street yet, but I have been lusting over their website since it launched back in March, and I am definitely not disappointed! Their site has a very Tumblr-esque feel to it which really promotes their opinion of self expression of fashion. It is also incredibly easy to navigate as I always have a nightmare when ordering online! An added bonus for me was being able to use my staff discount on the online store, which was a pleasant surprise when signing up!

Once I created an account with & Other Stories I headed straight to the Beauty section, where they have a huge selection of make up and skin care products (minus their nail polishes which is so annoying!) after humming and hahhing for what seemed like ages I settled on one of their lipsticks, foundation and a two in one cleanser and toner. The total came to £32 prior to discount which I think is pretty reasonable for what has been classed a more 'high class' brand. 

Cleanse and Tone Treat - £5 

Oh my lord I cannot express my love for this product, and I haven't even tried it yet! The scent is just heavenly! I was drawn to this primarily for its 2-in-1 claims as I am a nightmare when it comes to removing make up and this will surely save time. I'm really looking forward to adding this to my skincare routine and its such a brilliant price! 

All Day Perfecting Foundation in Colour 3- £15

I took a massive risk ordering foundation online without swatching it, but I got really lucky here as it is a perfect match! & Other Stories have a total of 9 shades of their All Day Perfecting Foundation so they cater for a range of different skin tones, however it would be useful for the sight to display more accurate colour swatching to give more of an idea when ordering, instead of just taking a gamble like I did! I haven't worn this all day yet but I've tested it and it's so lovely and soft and again I have fallen in love!

Lipstick in Tissue Pink - £12 

I am a huge lipstick junkie and I love bright colours so I was instantly drawn to Tissue Pink. It looks slightly brighter on their website but I have little darker colours so this is a welcome addition to my collection. It looks and feels like a real high brand lipstick and despite it being a slightly darker tone than I'm used to I'm really looking to trying this and I can already tell this will be trademark summer shade for me. 

A free sample of their Fig Fiction Body Lotion was also very kindly added to my order. I think this is a really lovely touch, and I'm passing it on to my amazing besty Sophie as I know she would love to try it, and she was super disappointed that the polishes weren't on the online store (boo!) 

Have you tried any of & Other Stories own brand beauty items yet? X 

Primark Haul September

Yesterday afternoon my brother and I decided to take an impromptu visit to our local Primark, which is in Bedford (I'm not including the Northampton one as it's terrible!) I was looking for some bits and pieces I can wear to uni this year and some clothes that are suitable for work!

Owl Jumper - £6 - This was actually part of the lounge and pajama wear but I absolutely adore it so will definitely be wearing this non-stop once the weather gets a bit colder! I love the elbow patches as well so it's a total win all round! 

Tights £1.50 each - I am the worst person ever when it comes to tights, I manage to ladder them instantly but I really  like Primark quality tights so I stocked up on a few different styles 

Fake Eyelashes - £1 - I picked up the natural lashes as well as the full look ones but I think they must have fallen out my basket or something because I didn't pay for them so I'm so gutted! Can't wait for an excuse to wear these as I've heard so much good things about Primark Beauty products!

Slipper Socks £4 - I already have a million pairs of these from last year but I absolutely love them so picked up one of Primark's new style ones, so I'll be packing these away for winter! 

Skinny Jeans - £11 - Needed some new black trousers for work so I'm busting out the black skinnies. I love Primark Jeans but wasn't sure which size to pick up so I just grabbed a 34" and hoped for the best! 

Cream Peplum Top - £8 - I originally picked this up in an 8 and it looked insanely small so settled for a 10 but haven't actually tried this on yet but I love it! Primark has loads of Peplum shirts but they were all really weird designs so I settled with the cream 

White Collared Vest - I actually picked up three of these, but two of them simply would not photograph at all! This white one has lovely lace detail across the shoulders, and I got this in black as well. The final one is also black and has studding detail across the collar which I'm so gutted I couldn't show you all so I'll big it up in an OOTD soon so keep an eye out ;) 

Have you brought anything from Primark recently? Let me know! X 

The Big Back To Uni Collective Haul

Seeing as it is under a month to go until I begin my second year of my Psychology Degree I thought it was about time I get organised, to ensure I have everything I need for my studies. I've brought a few bits and pieces that I need as well as going through my own belongings to decide what I'll be needing. As I will be commuting to University this year I've tried to condense everything so I have everything I need without having to carry much! So I'm sharing with you a few things I've purchased, as well as things I already have that I will be putting to good use this academic year!

 A4 Lever Arch Files - Pink Polka Dot and Black Floral WHSmith, Cream Pattern Tesco

This year I am doing 3 full year modules so I've brought 3 bigger folders so I have one for each module so I am keep all my lecture slides and notes kept together. I tried this last year and I was so unorganised but I'm determined to keep everything tidy this year! 

A4 Folders - Bottom two WHSmith, Top Tesco

As well as 3 full modules I'm doing 6 half year modules, with 3 in the autumn term and 3 in the spring. Instead of buying loads of folders I've got 3 with the intention of recycling them so save on space!

Notebooks - Bottom 2 are WHSmith, Top is from Paperchase

I don't really know why I have so many Notebooks because most of the time I type my lecture notes, but I tend to pick up cute notebooks when I see them! I used the bottom two last year for uni so they're both half used but I'm going to use them for as long as possible.

The top one is brand new from Paperchase and I love the pattern on it, and it has 5 dividers on it so I might just carry this around with me when I need to.

Acer Netbook - £198 from gogodigital.co.uk

Although I have a full sized Laptop it is a bit of a chunker so I struggle to fit in it my bag with everything else and carry it around all day so I brought a Netbook for all Uni related purposes. It is so compact and light I can just chuck it in my bag and not have to worry about it being heavy. I only ever use it to type Lecture Notes on but it saves so much time. I'm quite OCD about my lecture notes so if i hand write them it takes forever for me to write them perfectly so a Netbook is a god send. Also love the super cute lilac colour!

Kobo eReader - £79.99 from WHSmith

Last year at Uni I borrowed my mum's eReader to download some of my favourite books onto, so I recently got my own. Before recently I only ever used it for books for leisure but I was having a look on eBook websites last night and I was able to download 3 books I use for university for free! Obviously this is a lot more convenient than carrying around a load of books so I will definitely be adding this to Uni Stash! 

Last year my University released an iPhone app for all students, and I never really took much notice of it until recently. It provides me with my timetable as well as syncing it to my phone calendar, gives me the contact details of any lecturer I may need to contact, as well as giving me up to date notifications through the online University system! This is a great idea and saves me having to check about any cancellations to lectures and what not!

I think with all of this I will definitely be more prepared for the upcoming year at University! Are you all organised to get back to your studies? X 

Superdrug Haul

Hi Guys! Before I start I want to apologise for the lack of posts recently, I've been really poorly again, and after spending an afternoon in my local A&E yesterday I am offically drained! I've been giving a little while off from work to have a few days to relax and recover but I'm still not 100% and I've just wanted to sleep and mope around feeling sorry for myself! But I've cleared my day tomorrow in the hope to write lots of posts for you all!

On Tuesday I fancied treating myself to a few bits and pieces to give myself a little pamper session, I originally intended to go to Boots but they must have been doing a stock take or something, as there were staff everywhere and I could hardly move! 

L'oreal Elvive Triple Resist Shampoo and Conditioner and Herbal Essences Beautiful Ends Mask 

I usually use the John Freida Damage Restore shampoo and conditioner but I've been interested in trying other brands. I originally intended to pick up the Lee Stafford Growth range but I couldn't get it anywhere so settled for the L'oreal shampoo and conditioner instead. I've used this once already and I'm already in love, so this may be a permanent addition.

I wanted to try a new hair mask to give extra protection to my hair, and as I am prone to split ends I decided to pick this up. I haven't used anything from Herbal Essences in years so looking forward to giving this a try!

Simply Pure Night Cream, Simple Face Wipes. Tropical Cocktail Face Mask

I picked up this Night Cream as I've been suffering from dry skin a lot recently so decided to give this a try, but due to feeling so poorly I haven't actually had a chance to try this yet so definitely looking forward to trying it! I've used the Simply Pure toner before and I was quite happy with it so looking to see how this compares.

I don't usually use face wipes unless I take my make-up off after a night out, but picked some up on a whim and these are the best I've used so far, they were a godsend last night after a day of ruined make up and lots of tears (mostly from having my blood taken, booo!)

I love love love this face mask, as you'll see in an upcoming review! Only picked the one up and I'm already regretting it. Peel off masks are my favourite because I'm gross like that but I'm going to pick up a lot more of these on my next Superdrug trip! 

Pretty Quick Nail Drying Spray

I used a Nail Drying Spray for the first time on Monday and I was quite impressed so I picked this one up because it was pretty cheap. Used it once already and my nails were dry almost instantly so I'm really impressed with this! Won't be using it all the time but it's great for nail art! 

A huge thank you for all the messages and tweets people are sending me wishing me well soon! Have you guys got anything from Superdrug recently? X

Primark Haul August 2012

On Saturday I popped down to London for a bit of retail therapy. Despite it being a lovely day I didn't actually spend too much at all! Primark on Oxford Street was insanely busy (as always!) and it was quite hot and crowded so I didn't have the opportunity to get much! But here's what I did manage to pick up

Black Suede Effect Loafers £6, Brown Brogues £10, Dusty Pink Slippers £2

Whenever I go to Primark I always head straight to the shoe section. I really wanted to pick up a pair of black flats and I was originally going to pick up the Brogues in black as well but when I noticed these loafers I went for those instead! I needed a new pair of slippers as the only ones I've got at the moment are booties and they're a bit too wintery for right now! Pretty annoyed that the Brogues were on a size 5 hanger but are actually a size 6, I'm gonna get some insoles from work and hope that they help!

Vanilla Lip Balm £1, 20 Hair Bands £1

I always lose my hairbands so I picked up a pack of these to restock my supplies! I was attracted to the Lip Balm because of the cute Owl print on it but I haven't tried it yet, but it smells delicious! 

Freddie Mercury Vest £8

I only noticed this vest as I was queuing up to pay but I knew I had to have it! I quickly rushed over to pick one up and was gutted that the only sizes they had were 12 and 14! I usually wear a 8-10 so I picked up the 12 and hoped for the best! It's a bit baggy but overall it's fine! 

This came to a total of £28 which I think is fantastic value for money! Have you picked up any treasures from Primark recently? X 

Incredible La Senza Haul

Last December I was personally saddened by the news that La Senza had entered administration, and I have watched the past few months as my local store slowly turned from a top high street lingerie store into a shop which looked a bit worse for wear. Admittedly I haven't bothered going into La Senza in the past few months as I felt it was a waste of time. However a friend came into work today and told how she got 4 bras for a bargain price of £10, so I thought it was time to venture in there and see if I could find any similar bargains. 

Little did I realise that I would make a saving of £96! Practically everything is reduced and everything has a buy one get one free so I managed to get 4 bras, 2 briefs and 2 pajama playsuits for a total of £32, with a RRP of £128! 

Chloe, French Follie, Chantel and Saffron Bras 

The reason for the huge bargains is because La Senza is having a complete re-vamp! My local store will be closing from July 15th and it will be re-opening shortly with an entire new stock from their Canadian counterparts.

Watercolour and Mocha Spot Playsuit Pajamas 

I am completely besotted with these two playsuits. They're made from chiffon material and they're so soft and and floaty! They're just something a little special and I am in love with them! 

Is your local La Senza still open? If so then get down there and see if you can make as much savings as me! X 

Mini Primark Haul!

As the Primark in Milton Keynes is yet to open I don't often find myself browsing in there, but yesterday I had to travel to Northampton to hand in my keys for my halls of residence so me and my parents decided to mooch around the town centre, and this gave me the perfect opportunity to have a look around in Primark. Many people I know complain about the how small Northampton's Primark is but I quite like it, and they usually do some nice pieces on top of all the basics like leggings and jeans that I have tonnes of!

I didn't go too crazy buying things, as I have literally no money until Friday, but my mum picked up a few pieces for me, isn't she lovely! Once my room deposit is returned from my room at uni I'm definitely going to going on a Primark spree as they had some really nice pieces in, but I settled on a few summery pieces for the time being. 

Pink and White Striped Jeans, £13 - How cute are these pastel jeans? They're advertised as ankle grazers but when I tried them on they were full length, but I did go up a size than I usually wear as Primark Jeans ALWAYS shrink for me. The belt they came with is really adorable as well and it's actually pretty good quality in comparison to some of the tat you sometimes get with jeans, and basically I can't wait to wear these bad boys.

Kermit t-shirt, £6 - As soon as I saw this t-shirt I knew I had to have it. I am royally Muppet obsessed and I love Kermit. The fit of this t-shirt is so nice! Usually I find Primark Ts are quite short but this one is quite long  and I just love it :) 

Sheer Cat Print Sleeveless Blouse, £10 - I saw this on someone's blog in May and for the life of me I cannot remember who it was! But I went into Northampton's Primark after seeing it and they didn't have it and I was so disappointed but quickly forgot about it, until I saw it yesterday! My mum really liked this too and I was convinced she was going to buy it for herself  but she said she would never wear it so I picked it up instead. Again I got a size bigger than I usually wear as the 8 looked so tiny, and a 10 is a perfect fit, yet I held it up to a 14 and there was hardly any difference! I love the contrast of the bright pink to the monochrome pink, and I can see this becoming one of my favourite tops.

Primark was absolutely packed out for a Sunday afternoon yesterday, you could hardly move in there! Have you brought anything nice from Primark recently? X