A Very, Very Late May 2018 Primark Haul - Clothes, Home And Beauty

Do you ever feel as though life is passing you by? This year seems to be going by so fast at the moment that the days seem to be blurring into one! I can only apologise that it's taken so long to get this post up but as I say I don't know where the time seems to be going at the moment.

Primark trips like a lot of things seem to have been a little thin on the ground this year, and to be honest another trip is well overdue at the minute. I haven't been to Primark since May and  since we are nearly in July now I thought it was about time that I shared my May haul with you. It was a bit of a rushed trip, and I didn't really have too long to look around but I hope that the majority of these bits are still available but even if they aren't, you can always find something worth buying in Primark.

I seem to have inherited a lot of things from my mum,  including her sense of humour, her openness, her eye colour, and weirdly enough her obsession with cardigans. We both love a cardigan, and if you're any sort of person then you'll know why. They are just so versatile and so easy to wear, a nice sloppy cardigan can look super cosy and casual, where as a shorter, more fitted garment, can add a bit of stylish, glamour with the right outfit and the right accessories.

Given the weather that we've had over the last week or so, this purchase does seem a little unnecessary but hey this is the UK, warm weather certainly isn't the norm even in the summer months, and even when the days are warm the nights can still be cold. Throw in the fact that Primark's one of those shops where you need to buy things when you see them and then you can understand why I honed in on this long line cardigan.

Okay I probably won't get too much wear out this cardi, till hopefully the autumn but the colour and the style just fit me to a T. With a slight balloon sleeve and no fastenings, this cardigan is in the over sized, long line boyfriend style; The ribbed detail gives it a bit more of a stylish edge, and I love the taupe, stone, mocha, almost deep oatmeal marl esq colour. It's perfect for just throwing on over a vest or a t-shirt, and a pair of leggings or skinny jeans and it's something that I'll eventually get a lot of wear out of. This was originally tagged at £13, and I would have happily paid that but I didn't realise until I got to the till that it was reduced to just £5 - Bargain!

Long line t-shirts and vests are real wardrobe staples for me, Although my body is quite short in comparison to my legs, I'm still pretty long in the back, and being a little curvier around the middle than I would like to be, I do love, no I need! a bit of length in my tops. When it comes to length Primark tops and shirts can be a little bit inconsistent but lately I've found some gems, look for the long line tag and that's exactly what you'll get. I've bought a lot of vests and t-shirts from Primark recently, and this long line charcoal grey, t-shirt was a welcome addition to my wardrobe.

The neutral tone, means that it pretty much goes with anything, and the fit is perfect for my shape. It's long enough to cover my hips and my tummy, and it has plenty of stretch so it clings to and emphasises my curves. You could size up I guess, but if you like a baggy, less form fitting t-shirt then maybe this style isn't for you personally though I love it and at just £3.50, next time I'm in, I'm definitely going to have a look and see if they have any colours other than the ones I already have.

Although I saw quite a few other clothing items that I quite liked (striped trousers I'm talking to you) as I say it was a bit of a rushed trip and I didn't really have a chance to try anything on, so that was it for clothing, but as I've said on numerous occasions, sometimes I really need to shop my own wardrobe and wear more of what I already own, and one way to do that it is to pimp up old items with new accessories.

I love scarves, I always have done, yes you can wear them to keep you warm, and you can even wear them to keep the sun off you and to keep you cool, but as well as the practical element they also have a serious fashion vibe and they can really finish off an outfit. As much as I love jewellery and chunky necklaces, sometimes, a simple scarf just tied loosely around your neck can take your outfit from meh to miaow ! Did I even say that - cheesy! lol, you know what I mean though, depending on the scarf and how you tie it you can add a touch of class to even the most boring jeans and t-shirt combo.

This scarf combines two of the key trends of Spring / Summer 2018, stripes and florals. A little bit more expensive than Primark's usual neck wear options at £6, this scarf comes in a slightly textured fabric, I think the term they use is Swiss dot, and it features almost a self coloured, raised polka dot design, throw in an on trend pom pom trim, and thanks to it's long length, this scarf will take you from beach, to bazaar to bar.

Accessories are great way to update an outfit but some of them also have a practical purpose, and since the plastic bag tax was introduced in the UK, I always now have at least one reusable bag in my bag no matter how big or small that it is. Some of them are a bit mehhhh, who really wants a bag with a shop logo on? I want something a bit funkier, hence I have a few of the Poundland Disney bags, and I've now added this House Of Holland shopper to my plastic free bag repertoire.

Yes, you heard me House Of Holland, it's been a long time coming but eventually Primark seems to have jumped on the high street store / designer collaboration bandwagon. Unlike a lot of stores though Primark's collaboration with designer Henry Holland isn't about selling a name it's all about selling a dream.

Holland has designed several different shopper bags to raise funds for London Graduate Fashion Week and to help the next generation of fashion designers to achieve their dreams. The bags retail at £3 and Primark will donate £1.32 of that from ever bag sold to Graduate Fashion Week. Made from sustainable cotton there are several designs to choose from, but the one I went for with it's vibrant slogan, just screams classic House Of Holland.

I guess if I was going to give this post an alternative title I could have called it a haul contains things that Louise is obsessed with - scarves, bags, long line tees, cardigans, and now cushions! According to my mam I have an unhealthy obsession with cushions, they're just so cosy and comforting and despite having way too many for just one bed, I can't seem to stop buying them! I initially went into Primark's home section to hunt down an ice cream cone shaped cushion that I'd seen on Instagram, alas I couldn't find it but this one made me equally happy.

I know I'm an adult but there is something about cartoon cats and cats in general that I just love, I love Hello Kitty, Simon's Cat is my latest love and there is something about Pusheen that brightens my soul. In fairness, this super soft furry, velour feel cushion which was £6, resembles a cuddly toy more than a cushion but either way I couldn't resist it. It's cute, it feels lovely and like all cuddly toys and cushions it's comforting. 

From home to beauty, and something else that I love, the Primark PS Cuticle Oil, I've talked about this stuff, quite a few times lately, and I'll be talking about it again in my next empties post so at the risk of boring you I'll keep this brief, it's only £1 for a 10ml bottle and it fabby, nuff said!

At the moment my nails are pretty rubbish but if you follow me on Instagram (please follow me if you aren't already I'm @LouLou699), I've recently been posting a quite a few nail art hauls. When my mam was in hospital sleep didn't always come that easily so I spent a lot of the nights trying to while away the hours until daylight came and it was easier to sleep. On more than one occasion I fell into a You Tube wormhole and started watching videos on everything from the sexiest actors without shirts, to pimple popping, vegan recipes, and hours upon hours of nail art! I used to love nail art, and thankfully I've still got a lot of my old stuff including nail foils, and stamping plates, so when I get some nails back again hopefully with lots of new inspiration I can pick up where I left off and get creative. 

I saw this nail art set and I thought that it would make a nice addition to the tools that I already have, it was reduced from £5 to £2, and as well as containing a nice glittery nail file, it also contains 3 silver tone, nail art tools with fabulous purple / fuchsia crystal detailing. The kit contained 2 brushes in two different thickness, which are perfect for striping, painting and detail work, and one fabulous double ended rubber / silicone tool. I'm not going to lie this tool is probably the main reason that I bought this kit, I've seen a few people use this type of tool to smooth out nail foils, and stickers, and also being used to apply things like holographic and pearl powders. I can't wait to start having a play around with these tools, the nail art bits that I already have and some new additions and to see what I come up with x

I've lost count of the times that I've raved about Primark make up brushes but in my experience the majority of them really are that good, even more so when they are only 50p.

When I was last in Intu Metrocentre Primark, they had a whole rack of these PS Foundation & Concealer Brushes reduced from £1.50 to just 50p each.

This double ended brush with rose gold tone ferrules, features a classic, flat rounded foundation brush, and a substantial rounded concealer brush. The hairs are nice and soft, but they're dense enough to do the job - I didn't really need any more make up brushes but this was too good a bargain to turn down - a nice dual purpose brush at an even better price.

Ah Primark, your make up collection just keeps getting better and better, I definitely have my eye on their new highlighters but in the meantime on my last visit I picked up two lip products. The first one comes from their newish bridal inspired range, and this is one of their PS Bride Tribe First Kiss Lipsticks.

Packaged in an on trend, rose gold tone, Tilbury, Lauder, Arden esq ridged tube, these lipsticks have a quirky, push button, pop out design, that adds a bit of quirk and a bit of extra style.

There were a few shades to choose from them in the range but I went for the shade Bachelorette, a really pretty and wearable nude.

Alas I didn't manage any shots of it on the lips but this is a really nice colour and a pretty decent formulation. It has a pretty strong coconut, vanilla scent but it's really moisturising and it leaves a lovely glossy finish. I probably have a kazillion similar shades but for just £3 I'm happy to have this one in my collection.

From something I love to something well that I don't! If you watch the accompanying haul video below, then you'll see that my first impressions of this product were pretty good but when I started using it my opinion rapidly changed!

From their range of K-POP and Kawaii inspired make up products, I picked up the K-POP Pillow Talk Matte Lip Cushion in the shade Cuddle which was £2.

Packaged in pink and white tube, this lip colour features a screw cap, and a velour tip. Simply squeeze the tube, and out comes the product, all fresh and ready to apply to the lips.

So far so good? it looks cute, the packaging works, and I love the fruity taste and scent, but that's pretty much wear the positives end for me. First of all it was nearly impossible to apply evenly, the sponge tipped applicator wiped the product off almost as fast it put it on, throw in a streaky as hell formula, and a matte and dry finish and the whole thing was a just a nightmare. The paler than pale pink colour didn't help either, rather than giving me the Bardot esq lips that I'd hoped for it just seemed to emphasise every flaw, and make me look dead. On the lips this is a big no no for me but since I hate waste I'm going to try and maybe use this as a matte, liquid cheek colour, I haven't tried it yet but fingers crossed it works better on my face than it does on my lips.

You can't win them all I guess and I was pretty happy with the rest of my Primark bargains so I guess I can't really complain. I've made a video to accompany this haul so if you want to hear my first impressions on some of these items,  more my decent into a You Tube wormhole and my opinions on Henry Holland original slogan tees than have a watch via this link or below, and of course don't forget to subscribe to my You Tube channel.



I think another Primark trip is well overdue in LouLouLand, so if you've picked up any Primark bargains recently don't forget to share your links and your finds with me in the comments and of course if you have questions then leave me those as well x 

A Huge Primark Haul - September 2017 Edition

Ahh Primark, nothing lifts my mood than a bit of budget indulgence. Like most stores Primark's prices have increased but it's still one of the cheapest places on the high street to buy clothes, accessories and home wear, and I never, need an excuse to fill my basket.

I've got quite a bit to show you so I'm going to quit the babble and get started, and the first item that I picked up was this sleep tee, which was just £4.50 from the Newcastle store.

When I bought it though, I committed the cardinal sin, and didn't check that the size on the nightshirt corresponded with the size on the hanger grrrr. Thankfully when I went back to exchange it in the Intu Metrocentre store and there was one left in my size! Call it fate or the luck of the Unicorn or the feline but I'm happy to have this in my life. It just a basic over sized t-shirt in a sort of navy blue marl type fabric. You can't see the writing too clearly in the photos but it says "When I Dream I'm A Caticorn" - cats and unicorns what could be better!

Next up something stripy, I've always loved stripes and this year especially, the stores, seem to have caught up with my obsession. A few hauls ago I picked up a basic, short sleeved, striped crew neck t-shirt, and it's something that I've washed, and worn, and washed and worn since I got it. The length is good, and it's super stretchy. I couldn't see any short sleeved ones on the this trip but I did find a long sleeved version in a few different colours, it was just £4 and I went for the pale blue and white stripe version.I've already worn this and for the price I think it's a pretty decent top, and I'm definitely going to pick up a few plain coloured ones for layering.

Sticking with the striped theme, I also picked up this jumper. I'm a big fan of knitwear and lightweight pieces like this one are perfect for pretty much any season in the UK.

It's officially described as a Step Hem Jumper, and it's does have a bit of curved, uneven hem thing going on. It's in a slightly off white with a thin black stripe. It also features a bit of ladder detailing, and rib detailing on the hem and sleeves Again it comes in a few different colours including different stripes and plain colours and it was just £8.

I know they can often be seen as a little bit, grannyish, but I do love a cardigan, no I'll admit it I'm slightly obsessed with cardigans, I probably have enough cardigans in my wardrobe to start my own little cardigan shop but come on! they are just so useful. I love layering, and I always want to cover bits of my body that I'm not feeling very confident about, and cardigans fit the bill perfectly, and when I saw this one, it was woolly love at first sight.

This is one of the pieces from Primark's collaboration with UK Glamour magazine. I don't know the extent of the collaboration but a lot of the new Autumn and Winter pieces are tagged with As Seen In Glamour, so I'm assuming it's just a promotional feature but they had some really nice bits including this officially red, but really more like a bright, orange red cardigan. It's long length, in a wide ribbed design, it has no buttons or fastenings and it has pockets.

It was £13 and although it's made of largely synthetic fibres, it definitely feels a lot more expensive than it is, if you like the idea of angora but you won't buy if for ethical and animal rights reasons this could be something to try. It's the perfect autumnal bright and I can't wait to wear over jeans, leggings, and I'm even planning on wearing it over a plain black dress to give it a pop of colour.

When you shop in Primark as regularly as I do you come to the realisation that there are products that you always buy, things that you always use or things that you'll repeat purchase. For me it has to be Primark's viscose leggings, I don't wear leggings outside of my front door that often, but when I'm spending the day at home, they really are my go to. They retail at around £2.80 a pair, and they're actually pretty decent for the price, they hold their shape, and they aren't completely see through - it's a win, win thing, and every now and then I'll buy a couple of pairs.

As well as leggings there are a couple of Primark's beauty products that are also on my repeat purchase list. First up the PS Oil Balancing Cleansing Wipes With Tea Tree And Witch Hazel, I've lost count of how many packets of these wipes that I've bought over the years, I use them for all sorts of things and to be honest they are actually even better than the used to be. The last few packets that I've bought have been sightly thicker and textured but the price has remained the same, it's just a £1 for 2 packs of 25 so I never feel guilty stocking up when I'm in store.

One of my newest Primark must haves has to be the PS Cuticle Oil, which is just a £1 a bottle. When I first bought this I wasn't expecting a lot but I'm a convert, I love the Original OPI Avoplex but this stuff is nearly as good for a fraction of the price. If you have dry nails and cuticles this is well worth trying.

I know I've said it before but it's so true, Primark's beauty range just keeps getting better and better, yes they may be copying and duping high end brands but as someone who is attempting (haha) to stick to some sort of budget I'm not complaining. On my two September trips so far, I've picked up two of the newest make up items to try, the PS Setting Powder which was £3, and the really interesting looking PS Insta Girl Photo Flash Powder which was just £2.50 and claims to be an Instagram filter in a face powder. I'm going to review both of these items in a future post so you've just got a sneaky peek here x

The PS Insta Girl line seems to be a whole range of face, and make up perfecting, make up items, and beauty tools, that are designed especially for the selfie taking, Instagram obsessed generation. As well as innovative make up items it also contains a range of droolworthy make up brushes. The individual brushes are a little bit pricier than some of Primark's other brushes but they I loved the metallic ombre design so much that I couldn't resist trying the PS Insta Girl No Filter Foundation Brush which was £5.

Like all the other brushes that I've tried from Primark the hairs are super soft, and it's actually a pretty decent, and well made make up brush. Did I need it? did I hell! but I couldn't resist it!

Another Primark item that nearly falls into my must buy on every trip, is their spiral hair bobbles. I buy hair bobbles all the time, but when I need one I can never, ever find one - it's like hair grips, and socks - where do they go? These packs of 12 which are just £1 each, are a very similar to several higher price alternatives. They made of a rubbery plastic, so they don't snag the hair, and they don't lose their shape straight away. This time round I got a pack of navy blue bobbles and a pack which contains several different shades of brown bobbles.

As much as I love jewellery I'm starting to think that maybe I need to stop buying so much, as well as a cardigan shop, based on my own collection I could easily set up, and stock my own jewellery shop, I really do have that much! So I looked at the jewellery section, picked up one pieces and walked away! This is just a set of 3 Semi Precious Bracelets containing what looks like Rose Quartz. The set was £3 and it reminded me of Monica Vinader and some of the Z For Accessorize pieces which I love.

If you could sum this post up in one phrase it would probably be "I didn't really need it but..." and guess what it applies to these next two items as well! I don't need any more shoes, or at least I don't need any more less than sensible shoes but again I couldn't resist. I do love a bargain though and these fabulous slip on pumps were only £3 having been reduced from £8.

They are comfy but they certainly aren't for the faint hearted, they're made of a bright blue satin, and the feature an embroidered, almost oriental style floral design. I love a bit of colour and I think that these flats will be perfect for jazzing up a plain outfit, like for example a pair of jeans and a plain white t-shirt.

For as long as I can remember I've loved velvet, and in particular blue velvet, no I don't mean the film, even though I'm a big David Lynch fan, I mean the fabric, and in particular I have a bit of a thing for velvet footwear, so when I saw these boots, which were just £16 it was inevitable that the would end up in my basket.

Are they practical? not really, can I walk in them? if I concentrate I can I guess, why did I buy them then? Well just look at them they are so pretty,  even if I don't wear them I might find a way of putting them on display, I just don't want to destroy their velvet loveliness. Pointless purchase? NEVER!

If you've made it this far, well done, I know that this haul to put it politely was a long one, never mind I'm nearly done I just have 3 home related pieces to show you, including a band waggon jump.

Yes I managed to jump on the Primark, Beauty And The Beast band waggon, with a little Mrs Potts purchase.

Unfortunately it wasn't the actual teapot, does that even exist? but it was the next best thing, the Mrs Potts Money Box.

I have quite a few money boxes, and piggy banks in my collection, and think that this ceramic Mrs Potts will fit right in. It was only £8 and I think that it would make a great gift for either a Disney fan or a money box collector, no matter what their age.

So, so cute and something else that's pretty cute is this Reindeer Tealight Holder, which was just £1.50.

I know it's still a little bit early to start thinking about Christmas but there is nothing wrong with being prepared! Last time I went in Intu Metrocentre Primark, they were just starting to put their Christmas things out and I spotted this little guy. I already own him in white for a year or so ago, and since he was a bit lonely I had to pick up this bronze toned version as well. It was just £1.50 and it also contains an unscented tea light.

My final purchase was something else that was candle related, and like so many stores at the moment Primark have really upped their candle and home fragrancing game. With Jo Malone alikes, decent reed diffusers, and a Salted Caramel Brownie candle that everyone seems to have gone mad for, if you like a bit of home scent Primark is the place to go. Since I've recently purchased a few foodie scented candles I thought I'd try one of their fruitier options, and this one fit the bill perfectly.

At £5 this was a little pricey by Primark standards but I do think it was worth it. This Plum and Mulberry Scented Candle has the most amazing fruity fragrance, and it comes in a beautiful, swirled, almost tie dye effect, glass or ceramic (I can't tell, sorry!) holder, that I'm definitely planning on reusing x

So it was long, and drawn out and I didn't need most of it but hey, I probably spent a lot less in Primark than I would have done elsewhere for similar stuff. I've made a little (haha) You Tube video to accompany this haul that you can watch below or via this link.



Thanks for reading and hopefully watching, and if you have any questions on anything in this haul then leave me a comment below and don't forget to link me up to your latest Primark hauls as well x