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

Creating An Autumnal Capsule Wardrobe With ESPRIT*

As much as I love the heat and the warmth of summer, I do love Autumn, I love the colours of the falling leaves, Pumpkin Spice Lattes and of course I love Autumn fashion.

When you're feeling a bit less than confident about your body, Autumn and Winter fashions give you the perfect opportunity to cover up those bits you're not so keen on. Throw on a few layers and in an instant you'll feel more confident and ready to enjoy all of those occasions and events that Fall has to offer.

I think that what I like most about Autumn fashion though is the colour palette, pop into any store, or take a look online, and you'll be greeted by clothing in all sorts of warm autumnal tones ranging from rusts, to mustard's, tans, browns and reds.

I love colour but if you're a bit scared of it and you're not quite sure how to work some of those fall shades into your wardrobe, then take my advice and start off with a simple piece like this long sleeved striped t-shirt from ESPRIT.

Think of a striped top, and you'd probably automatically think about the classic blue and white, Breton stripe that we're all so familiar with. Nothing looks fresher in the Spring and Summer months then those classic stripes teamed up with either blue, or white, jeans or shorts - the nautical look is a real fashion classic and with good reason, but sometimes as the season changes you need to try something new and mix it up a bit.

This 100% cotton t-shirt, comes in 3 very different but coordinating colour ways, and every option is perfect for adding a little bit of Autumn into your wardrobe. Just team one of these t-shirts with with clothing and accessories that already own such as a pair of blue jeans, and some brown and tan accessories, or even with a pair of white trainers, and with the addition of the mustard, red and brown tones of these shirts, you're all set for the season ahead.

Whilst t-shirts like these can help you update even your oldest clothing and accessory pieces for the new season, you can also use simple pieces like these as a basis for your own Autumn capsule wardrobe, adding carefully chosen pieces to create several different outfits.

You could easily team any of these t-shirts with some plain blue or black jeans but where would the fun be in that. If like me you're a bit braver when it comes to colour then why not pick out some of the colours that you can find in each individual top, and get some coordinating or even contrasting pieces in some of these fall tones to create your own capsule wardrobe. I think that any of these separates, also from ESPRIT, would work perfectly with any of these striped t-shirts. The inclusion of the reds, and the rust tones obviously goes without saying, but don't be frightened to try pieces in almost a clashing colour like these bottle green trousers, or even a piece with a clashing print like the subtle check on this pencil skirt, to create your own individual look.

And of course don't forget about your outerwear, you shoes, your accessories and your layering pieces. Again by picking out some of the colours from the tops, you can create your own stylish grab, run, and go outfits without too much effort or thought. I'm particularly loving the Brass Yellow Cotton Blazer Coat and the Garnet Red Melange Knit Cardigan, to add just a hint of warmth and of course colour to your outfit on those drearier Autumn days.

A lot of people think that creating a capsule wardrobe or changing your wardrobe every season is difficult, but I've hopefully shown you here that putting outfits and different items of clothing together doesn't have to be hard. Start of with a basic piece like a striped t-shirt and then either use items that you already have or buy a few more select pieces either in a coordinating or contrasting colour palette, and have fun creating new outfits. A lot of people are scared of colour and of trying new things, but fashion should be fun, and it should be a way of expressing yourself, and creating your own signature style, so play with colour and with new pieces and you might be surprised at just how easy it is to climb out of your comfort zone.

All of the items in this post are currently available from the ESPRIT website and in selected stores and online. Are you a fan of Autumn colours and fashions? Let me know in the comments.

*Sponsored Post

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  .

Primark Haul - February 2016 - Clothes, Home And More

So far this year hauls have been a bit thin on the ground for me - I really am trying to be good this year but for the past month or so I'd really been craving a Primark trip. I hadn't been to Primark since before Christmas and I was suffering for severe withdrawal symptoms! So last week I eventually managed to get my fix and predictably I bought a few things.

I love watching haul videos and reading haul posts and the first thing that I got was something that I'd seen on quite a few blogs and instagram posts...

According to Mummy Lou I have quite an obsessive personality, and two of the things that I'm slightly obsessed with are bedding, and daisies, so buying this duvet set was pretty much a given. This cotton and polyester mix duvet and pillowcase set is double sided - one side features large daisies and flowers on a back ground and the other side features a daisy chain pattern on a coral, pink background. I got the double which was just £11. I'd just made my bed so I haven't put this on the bed yet but I'll stick some pictures onto Instagram when I do x

You can also get matching cushions in two sizes and whilst I stayed strong on the day, my cushion obsessions is kicking back in and I'm really tempted to go back and get one of the larger ones. Primark's home wear collection just keeps getting better and better and whilst I didn't buy anything else on this visit, I can't wait to see some of the new additions when the Metro Centre store completes it's expansion.

Although it feels like it's still winter in my little part of County Durham, the shops are now full of Spring and Summer fashions and Primark is no exception. To be honest I don't need any clothes at the moment especially since I'm trying to lose a bit of weight so I only bought two things, something for now and something that will ideal for the warmer weather.

I know they aren't always the trendiest or coolest things but I'm a big fan of jeggings, You have the comfort of a legging but the look and feel of a skinny jean, but without all those zips and buttons that seem to embed themselves into your flesh! I buy most of my jeggings in H&M or Asda, but a few months ago I tried a pair of Primark's and for the price they were pretty decent. They had a couple of new colours in this time round a real stone 80's stone wash and this bright blue pair. They look a bit more of a navy blue in these pics but in real life they are a much brighter blue. These jeggings  are only £7 and they are stupidly comfy.

I wear jeggings all year round but the next thing that I got is probably more suitable for the warmer weather.

This pretty sleeveless ivory lace detail top was just £10, it's quite sheer so I would need to wear a vest or a camisole underneath it but I just thought it was unbelievably cute. It has a little collar, a tie at the neck, lace detail around the neck, shoulders and decolletage, and little lace trimmed cap sleeves. It also features little pleats and pin tucks.

That was it for clothing but I did buy a few accessories, including two lots of hair bobbles.

I got some Invisibobbles in a recent beauty box, and I really liked them.  Although my hair is in a pretty good place at the moment  (find out why soon!) I've suffered from quite a  lot of hair problems over the years, and having long hair I;m always careful what I use to tie it back with. I normally use Primark Opia plain, metal free, bobbles  (read my review / rave here) but I really liked the Invisibobbles. Marks and indentations in the hair don't really bother me but I like that way that they don't seem to pull out chunks of hair when your take them out. They aren't cheap though so I'm really hoping that these Primark alternatives do the trick. I first saw these on the lovely Ray's blog Who Is She, and whilst I couldn't find find the exact ones she had, I got the metallic rubberised coil rings, which have little charms on them that you can see above, which were £2 for 5, and a pack of black, fabric hair rings, which were £1 for 6.

I think that the rubber ones might stretch a bit overtime but I'll see how I get on and I'll let you know. The next thing that I bought was something that I nearly bought over Christmas.

Why on earth I didn't buy it at the time I'll never know - it was only £1 for goodness sake. Never mind at least I managed to get it in the end. All it is a gold tone ring, in a sort of cage design, with a thin, black oval stone. I liked the idea of cage or kiss rings like this but I wasn't sure how comfortable they would be. Surprisingly though despite the size and the shape this ring is actually really comfrotable and easy to wear, and it was a bargain.

The final thing that I got (apart from some Minion Tic Tacs!) was an old favourite and something I buy every time I go into Primark...the duo pack of the PS Love Your Skin Oil Balancing Facial Cleansing Wipes For Combination Skin


These wipes are just £1 for two packs of 25 wipes, and to be honest I've lost count of how many packs I've used. I very rarely use them for my face though, I normally use them for either freshening up on the go or for cleaning up swatches. I used nearly two packets already this month for swatch cleaning so I thought I better stock up.

I had intended to have a look at the new look Primark Beauty range, which I'd seen online and includes some new foundations, some velvet lip pans, and a pretty exciting Urban Decay Naked Palette dupe, but the usual stands were nowhere to be found. I'm presuming that they were missing either due to the store makeover or due to the new launches but I'm hoping they'll be back soon.

I'm already planning another Primark trip to pick up a few things that I left behind, and to look for a few things that I couldn't find, so if you have any recommendations or you've done your own haul post or video then please let me know x In the meantime please take some time  out to watch the video to accompany this haul either below or via my You Tube channel x Thanks for watching and thanks for reading x

Another Small Primark Haul - Clothes, Jewellery And More

Although we all seem to be shopping for other people at the moment, it's important to treat yourself every now and then. I wouldn't go as far as to see I believe in the one for you, one for me philosophy but at this time of year we need to show ourselves a little bit of love. I don't need an excuse to go shopping but I've been in Primark quite a few times lately picking up the odd pressie and it goes without saying that I picked up a few things for myself.

These carnival style LED lights have been one of the big home trend of 2015, and it's a trend that I've loved. I never managed to get my hands on the Primark star but after a lot of searching I managed to get my hands on this Love sign.

This was just £12 and I think it's well worth the money. It's made of an off white coated metal, and it goes perfectly with the white star that I got  a little from 24Studio (you can see a picture of it here). I'm not quite sure where I'm going to put it yet but the fact that it's battery operated gives me a few different options.

Primark has some gorgeous clothes in at the moment, and I'm currently lusting after their long line knitted waist coats, and their sparkly party wear, but sometimes you just need to say NO and show a little bit of restraint. Despite wanting to buy half the store when it came to clothing I only bought two jumpers.

Okay I didn't really need another Christmas jumper but look Gingerbread people, how could I resist, especially when it was reduced from to just £7.90. It's got a nice thickness to it and I love the applique button eyes and the pom poms on the hat.

From a happy Christmas jumper to something plain, and a bit uninteresting in comparison.

I'm going to be honest with I picked this up and put it down twice, before taking the risk and leaving it on the rail. The trouble was I couldn't stop thinking about it so next time I went to Primark I headed straight for it and luckily they had one left in my size.

This is a very lightweight, soft, oversized black jumper that's longer at the back than it is at the front. Initially it looks quite boring at first glance but look at it more closely and you all sorts of different design details. It actually has a ruched crossover detail at the front. It looks nothing on the hanger but it's one of those tops that just looks right. It is quite sheer so you need to wear something underneath it but it looks great as a layering piece over leggings or skinny jeans. It was tagged at £9 but when I got to the till it was just £8 - a complete bargain for something I know I will get a lot of wear out of.

Black is such a practical colour when it comes to clothing and accessories, it with absolutely everything, and it's a real wardrobe essential. I already have black gloves, scarves, and hats but I didn't have a black snood, in fact I didn't even own a snood. They are so practical though you can use them as a scarf, and you can pull them up and use them over your head. This one is just in a plain black, soft touch knit and it was just £2.

That was it for clothing, home wear and accessories, but I did buy a few jewellery pieces, including this necklace.

You can't see this piece too well unfortunately, but this necklace is from the newish Opia Rose range. Rose gold is so popular at the moment and if you can't afford the real thing this line gives you the look without the price tag. It's a lovely copper tone and this plaque necklace was just £2.

I love both delicate necklaces and chunky pieces, but at the moment I'm in a delicate, layering piece phase. This thin gold, tone chain features a small gold tone disc, which is embossed with a small gold heart. It was reduced to just 50p.

Something that I love but that I don't wear often enough is rings. During my university years I was one of those girls that wore a ring on every finger but these days rings are for high days and holidays. That needs to change though and in 2016 one of my aims is to wear a lot more of my jewellery and to work my way through my extensive ring collection. So starting as I mean to go on, I couldn't resist adding a few pieces.

This one is just a chunky gold tone, geometric band which is set with a large grey, marble effect acrylic stone. This one was just £1.50.

The other ring that I got was a little bit more expensive at £2.50 but you are getting real semi precious stones. I'm a huge sucker for Tigers Eye, and this gold tone, double band effect ring, contains both a round Tigers Eye stone and an almost Planet Earth like, cloudy blue stone with could be Sodalite. They also do a matching necklace and some matching earrings, which I may have bought Mummy Lou for Christmas :)

The final thing that I got in Primark was something else that would be great for gifting -  Reese's Peanut Butter Cup Lip Balm

These individual twist up balms are just £1.50 but they also have a couple of gift sets in store. I'm not 100% sure about how good this will be for the lips, but it such a sweet taste, it could definitely help with those chocolate and sweet cravings.

So that was my latest little Primark haul, as I say they have a lot of good stuff in at the moment, including lots of gifting options and of course lots of things to treat yourself with. I've made a little video to accompany this haul so don't forget to take a peek and subscribe to my channel x



Thanks for reading and hopefully watching and I'll see you soon with more posts and more videos x