A Very Late September / October Primark Haul - Clothes, Beauty, And Home

Where on earth does time go, it doesn't seem like two minutes since I was craving an Indian summer, and now? well the gritters are out and it's only 5 weeks until Christmas - Argh! This year has flown by but the last few months in particular seem to have passed by in a blur. Despite picking up the odd bit here and there I haven't managed a proper shopping trip in quite a while now. In fact the last time I went into Primark was either at the end of September or at the beginning of October! See, it's been so long I can't even remember when it was!

For me though it was a long time ago, and a good Primark trip is well overdue but before that happens (hopefully next week!) I think I better show you the bits that I picked up way back when, which have been living in a carrier bag for a few months now.

On several of my previous Primark trips, I'd picked up a couple of their crew neck t-shirts and for the price I was really impressed with both the fit and the length, so after a recent, major wardrobe clear out I decided to fill a few gaps in my wardrobe and pick up some more basic, stretch, long sleeve t-shirts.

The first one that I got was in a classic navy blue, and like the previous shirts that I'd picked up, it has a softly rounded, crew style neckline.

I couldn't find too many shirts in the crew neck style this time round so I decided to try a few tops in some their different neckline options. This gorgeous dark, forest green t-shirt comes with a deeper, scoop neck,

and this classic black t-shirt comes with quite a low cut v neckline.

For just £3.50 each I think that these t-shirts are excellent value. They all have a good stretch to them, and the length is excellent. I can't stand short tops, I'm not big on flashing the flesh and my wobbly bits, I'm long in the body and I wear a lot of jeggings and leggings, so long line tops are a must have for me, and despite not been marketed as long line, these tops definitely cover my muffin top. You can probably see if from the pictures but I do think that the black top is at least a couple of centimetres shorter and whilst it's fine, I might try and stick to the crew and scoop necked tops in the future for that bit of extra coverage.

To be honest I went into Primark all of those months ago purely with the aim of picking up some basic tops, and once I'd got them I wasn't too fussed about picking anything else up, so I didn't really examine every single clothes rail like a normally do, and the only other clothing item that I picked up was this Miffy sleep tee.

I do love a bit of Miffy and since I managed to get rid of a few sleepwear bits in my recent clothing clear out, I thought that I could justify adding this oversize sleep tee to my sleepwear wardrobe. It was just £5 which I think is pretty decent. The fabric feels nice against the skin, and it has a printed label inside rather than a tag. It's often the little things that sell something to me, and with my creepy crawly, medication and chronic illness, induced skin, the lack of fabric tags on nightwear is a godsend.

That was it for clothing, and seeing as I'm going through another ebay jewellery love in, nothing really appealed in the jewellery and accessories section so I headed to the ever expanding beauty section and bought something that I'd seen in a lot of both Instagram and blog posts.

Taking inspiration from Too Faced's Sweet Peach collection, Primark have recently introduced their own range of peach inspired make up, and being as obsessed with blusher, highlighter and cheek colours as I am, I couldn't resist picking up the Cheeky Peachy Blush & Highlight Palette.

The solid cardboard palette, comes with a magnetic fastening and contains three heart shaped cheek colours, Peach Twist, a golden, champagne highlighter, Peachin', a matte bright peach, coral blush and Sweet Peach, a light peachy, pink blush.

All of the colours are embossed with cute little faces, and like the Too Faced version they have a nice, sweet peachy, fruity scent. They don't just look good though, as you can hopefully see from my swatches, the pigmentation is pretty decent, and these cheek colours have a nice soft feel, and blend easily. For me this palette is well worth the £4 that I paid for it, I know I keep saying but Primark really have upped their beauty game this year and I hope that we can look forward to even more affordable beauty treats in 2018.

So that was it for beauty but I did pick up a couple of home things including yet another candle. I'm slightly obsessed with candles, and just about every month I seem to pick up some form of scented candle, and the latest addition to my extensive candle collection is this Jewelled Satin Scented Candle which was £2.

I'm not going to lie, I was drawn to this one because of the gorgeous, matte plum coloured mini Kilner style jar that it comes in! I love mini things and I'm quite excited to start filling it up with something, I don't know what yet but we'll see once I've finished burning the candle, maybe paper clips or earrings, who knows? Although it's pretty small, this warm fruity, floral scented candle has an estimated burn time of around 15 hours so I'll have a little while to wait yet to reuse the jar but I'm sure I'll enjoy the almost fine fragrance in the meantime.

The last thing that I got in this haul from long ago, was a Christmas item, and it's another reindeer. Reindeer's are everywhere this year and since I already have a couple of the Primark deer tea light holders (see my most recent addition here) I had to pick up this super cute, and stylish tree decoration.

In a right on trend, gorgeous coppery, rose gold, ceramic, this super sweet chubby reindeer bauble was just £1.50, but I have to say it looks a lot more expensive than that. If you like him, then I would recommend that you have a little watch of one of my latest You Tube videos. It's an exclusive home, home fragrance, Christmas, lifestyle and stationery haul, and it features some very affordable ceramic, chubby reindeer ornaments and tea light holders. You can watch it below of via this link.



So that was it, a small and very late Primark haul. I didn't buy a lot but I was pleased with everything that I bought which I guess is the object of the exercise. If you're interested I've also uploaded an accompanying video to my You Tube channel, so if you want to find out a bit more about the products and why I bought them, then check it out below, or via this link, and don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel while you're there, I upload a lot of hauls and unboxing and I'm definitely going to be mixing it up a bit in 2018 so make sure your subscribed so you don't miss a thing.



As I say I'm hoping to go into Newcastle next week, and whilst my major aim will be to do a bit of Christmas shopping, I am thoroughly intending to treat myself to a few bits. If you have any questions on my videos or on any of the items that I've bought then please leave me a comment and I will try and get back to you asap, and don't forget you can also contact me on Twitter, I'm @LouLou699 so make sure your following me if you aren't already x Thanks for reading and I'll see you sometime in the next few days with a long overdue nails of the day post x

A Small July 2016 Primark Haul - Home, Jewellery And More

It's taken nearly the whole month but earlier this week I actually managed a little Primark trip. I know, I know I broke my own rule to never go into Primark during the school holidays but since I was in Intu Metrocenter anyways it made sense to brave the teen and pre- teen shoppers.

If you're a fellow North Easterner then you'll probably be pleased to know that the store refurbishments are now complete so there are no more banging and drilling noises to disturb your shopping trip! The store is now much bigger, the checkouts have improved and there generally seems to be a lot more space and air. Understandably though nothing is where it used to be so if you go in you'll probably need a bit of time to familiarise yourself with the new layout. For me though time was something that I didn't have so it was very much a dash, grab and run visit.

I entered the store on the second floor so I headed straight to the new home section, unfortunately it's not much bigger than it was before, but they did have quite a few new things, including this little pineapple candle which was just £3.50.

I already have a few ceramic pineapple trinket boxes, and candles from H&M but I didn't have one in this beautiful chocolate, bronze tone. This one is a candle, and unlike the H&M one I have, this candle is fragranced and has a beautiful fruity, Kiwi and Lemonade scent. It also comes in white, which has a different fragrance.

Next up yet more fairy lights - I've already got a set of plain blue LED lights for my office / study / craft room from a previous Primark trip, but in my opinion you can never have too many fairy lights so I decided to pick up these ones as well.

In various shades of blue, and white, this set of 10 battery operated LED lights resemble balls of wool or balls of string. They're a lot chunkier than the previous set and I think that they will tone in perfectly with the blue and white paint work and the blue carpet. I have a long white shelf that stretches along nearly a full wall, and think that they will look great hanging along the edge. They were £4.

They had some other fab fairy lights and pineapple related goodies in but for once in my life I showed a bit of restraint and headed down in the lift to the first floor. I was a bit of overawed clothing wise and since I didn't have much time, I ignored the majority of the summer things and had a look at some of the new autumn arrivals

On my receipt this is described as a Bardot Ribbed Dress, but there is no way on earth that I could ever wear this as a dress, on me it's definitely a long top or a tunic. It doesn't look much on the hanger but it's a really nice classic piece that I will get a lot of wear out of. The vertical ribbing is really flattering, and I love the wide neckline. This was £8 and it also comes in a blush pink / nude, that I would have also bought if they'd had it in my size.

No trip to Primark is complete in my eyes without a visit to their jewellery section. I love a bit of cheap bling, but nothing really called to me this time round, so I just got a few pairs of earrings. I own lots and lots of earrings but I'm a creature of habit and having four piercings in each ear I just tend to stick to my sleepers. I've been fancying some nice, large hoop earrings for a while now but I didn't want to spend a fortune on them because I knew I wouldn't wear them that often, so I decide to get this set of 3 pairs for just £1.50.

You get a pair in a silver tone, a pair in a gold tone, and a pair in a rose gold tone. All of the hoops are slightly different and it's hard to describe it but depending on which way round you wear them, you can get two different looks from each pair. I know a lot of people can't wear cheap earrings but providing I don't leave them in too long I'm usually okay with them, so with that in mind I also bought a pair.of rose gold tone,sparkly stud hoops, which were just £1

Right next to the new jewellery section you'll find the accessories and the beauty. Unfortunately like the home section the selection seems to be pretty similar to what they had before. The stands were a lot tidier but there was still no sign of the PS Pro line so I just picked up a nail polish.

I hate it when nail polishes don't have shade names, but in this case Primark I'll forgive you. This is one of their PS Gel Effect Nail Polishes and the colour is simply sublime. I already have a few shades like this but I really love this lilac, blue almost forget me not type shade. I haven't really tried a lot of nail polish from Primark, but at just £1.50 this one was well worth a try.

As per usual I've made a video to accompany this haul which you can see below or if your on a tablet or a mobile phone, via this link x



I know this wasn't the biggest of hauls but I hope you liked this post anyway x If you have any questions on anything I've bought please leave me a comment below and again if your a blogger or a you tuber and you've posted a Primark haul lately then leave me your links below and I'll seen you soon with a new post x  .

Another June 2016 Primark Haul - Home, Beauty And More

When it comes to shopping probably my favourite places to go in the North East is probably Intu Metrocentre. You have 100's of shops and eating places under one roof, there are plenty of places to sit down and the parking is free! I love it but sometimes you need a bit of a change so for the first in a ages last month instead of heading into the Metrocentre I went to Newcastle instead.

I don't get into Newcastle anywhere near as often as I used to so I thoroughly enjoyed both of my trips into the city last month. Although you can find a lot of the same shops in the Metrocentre, in Newcastle they're usually bigger and better! Case in point - Primark!

Although Primark's Metrocentre store is currently undergoing an expansion, Primark's Newcastle branch is without a doubt the mother ship! The first Primark in the North East, Newcastle's Primark is a A grade store, with it's four floors of budget heaven and even it's own Costa Coffee. My first trip was a bit of a rushed one but the second time round I had loads of time to explore and pursue the rails, and fill up my basket. Since I'd been to Primark  at least once already in June (read my post here)  I actually didn't buy an awful lot, but in this all be it late post I thought I'd show you what I did buy.

Clothing wise it was a bit of a fail, I'm feeling a bit mehhh about myself at the moment, and I don't really see the point in stocking up on summer clothes for what could be a non existent summer in the UK, so I only bought one thing and it was a real basic, a plain white vest. This actually came up on the receipt as a vest dress and I guess if you were a bit shorter than me, or if you are confident enough then you probably could wear this as a summer dress or as a beach cover up. Personally though I will be wearing this as a vest, all be it as a nice long line vest that covers both my tummy and my bummy! This was just £3.50 and it came in a few other colours.

For a change jewellery wise, nothing appealed so I moved onto to accessories and again I wasn't desperate for anything so I just picked up some more of these fabric spiral hair bobbles.

These were just £1 for 6 bobbles and they're quickly becoming one of my go to products for tying my hair back. There is no metal or anything that will catch on the hair, and the spiral shape just seems to hold the bobble into the hair, without it slipping. I love these and so does one of my cats, Tallulah, who thinks that they are kitty toys! hence I needed to buy some more to replace the chewed ones!

I also picked up a phone case. I recently upgraded to a lovely gold iPhone 6S, and I just wanted a case for it. I've ordered a few from ebay, which I'll show you in a separate post, but I just wanted something to tide me over until they arrived and this one fits the bill perfectly.

It's just a clear hard plastic cover, that's covered in large gold dots. It was just £3 and I think it works really well with my gold phone :) Some of the cases I ordered have arrived but I'm keeping this one one for the moment because my phone feels so protected and I love the look.

The major difference between the Primark in Intu Metrocentre and the Primark in Newcastle, is the size of the home wear section. If ever you see something advertised online or in a magazine, you can pretty much guarantee that Newcastle Primark will have it and at the moment Metrocentre won't.

The first thing that I looked at was the lighting and in particular the carnival style lights. I love the look of these and I always wanted a letter L, but all of the ones that I've seen were way too expensive, and the Metrocentre branch only ever had two letters, A and Z. They had a lot of different letters but I couldn't see an L, so I knelt on the floor and took every single one off the shelf and the last box I picked was....an L, it was fate!

This battery operated LED light, is really well made and made of a cream coloured metal. It was just £8 and whilst I still have no idea where I'm going to put it, it was meant to be, so I just couldn't leave it behind!

Fairy lights used to just be for Christmas but not any more, I love lights and fairy lights in particular, and I'm since I'm currently sorting out my office, come craft room, I thought that I'd buy a set of blue LED fairy lights to match in with the blue walls and the blue carpet. The room features an almost full length shelf so I think I'm going to drape these, somehow, along the edge of the shelf, we'll see though. This battery operated strand of 40 LED lights was £2.50.

There are three things that I really love home decor wise, lighting, cushions, and candles, and whilst I didn't pick any cushions up this time round, I did buy myself a candle.

I've had a love / hate with Primark candles over the years, but this one was love at first sight and at first sniff. The heavy weight mirrored mosaic votive is beautiful in it's own right, but when you smell the amazing Clementine and Peony candle inside, there was no way I was going to leave this one the shelf. I haven't burnt it yet so I can't vouch for the smell once it's burning but even without burning it, it has an incredible fruity scent, that literally makes your mouth water. This was £4 which is a bit pricey compared to most of Primark's candle selection but the holder is well made, heavy weight and reuseable so in my opinion it's well worth it.

Finally a took a look at the beauty selection, and surprise, surprise again it's way bigger than the Intu Metrocentre branch but unsurprisingly it was messy and it had been well ravaged and well tested. I wanted to have a closer look at the PS Pro line but the stand was smeared with make up and all the boxes looked as though they had been opened so I didn't bother! Instead I picked up some of my favourite face wipes, which are in new packaging but are still just a pound

and I also got a couple of nail bits that I'd been looking for including this pale blue nail polish, with pink and white nail art sprinkes, which was just £1.50

and a bottle of the PS Cuticle Oil which was just a £1. I'm an OPI Avoplex devotee but I go through it at the rate of knots, so I wanted something a bit cheaper to use along side it. This stuff has really, really surprised me, it really is that good, it smells nice and it absorbs pretty quality and makes a real difference in almost an instant. Mummy Lou also gave this a go, and I ended up having to get her one as well.

I really enjoyed having a nose around a different store, even if I did need a lie down once I got home! I didn't buy a lot admittedly but I did manage to pick up a few things that I hadn't seen in the Metrocentre branch, so I was still pretty happy with my haul. I've made a video to accompany this haul which you can see below or via this link.



Being a spoonie I definitely find it easier to shop in Intu Metocentre but I love big department stores like Fenwick and John Lewis, and I love the choice. and the options that you find in a big city. Wherever it is though I love shopping and as well as this Primark haul, I also bought a few other bits when I was in Newcastle including some bits from KIKO, and Tiger, which you'll hopefully be able to see in some of the many upcoming haul posts that I have planned, but in the meantime if you've got any comments on this Primark haul then leave your musings below and let me know x