A Shoe And Accessory Haul Featuring Mel, Primark And More

This week on the blog I'm going to make a huge effort to get a few outstanding posts done including some long awaited reviews and a few belated hauls. I'm really conscious that it looks like I've been shopping non stop but all of the items in this haul and in the next one I'm going to show you have been picked up over the last couple of months. It's quite scary when you realise just how much you can buy with just the odd item here and there, it all adds up to a lot of stuff eek.

Anyway this is the first of two fashion hauls, I might do a video to accompany the next one which is a clothes haul but it will definitely be live this week, but in the meantime this one is all about shoes and accessories.

One of my earliest ever memories is sitting on the floor at the Tommy Ball's shoe warehouse in Blackburn, amongst a rack of shoes - we regularly used to make the trip down to Lancashire and I think it's one of the reasons why I'm so obsessed with shoes. Give or take a bit of swelling, shoes will always fit you no matter what your size, and I love them for that.

One of my favourite shoe brands is Mel, the diffusion line of rubber shoe manufacturer Melissa. Rubber shoes I hear you cry? Well yes and if you haven't tried them you should I have a few pairs of their pumps and some of their flip flops and they are so comfortable. My feet have never felt overtly sweaty in them and smell of bubblegum.

As you might have seen in one of my most recent posts I'm a huge fan of catalogue shopping, and both me and my mum have a few catalogue accounts, one of which is Littlewoods. Recently they sent me a discount voucher which to be honest I wasn't going to use until I had a look at the shoe section and saw these.

These are the Mel Flower Flip Flops, and I love them I'm a huge fan of daises as you probably now and I just loved the sharpness of the black, white and yellow design. These were £32 full price, and although they don't have them on the Littlewoods site, Top Shop also stocks them in a bright yellow.

Naughty LouLou, I couldn't just stop at one pair though could I, I also ordered and subsequently kept these ones too.

These are the Mel Honey 3 Flower Detail Flip Flops, and they originally retailed at £30. I already have some Mel ballet flats with a similar design and they remind me quite a bit of the Chanel Camellia's.

I think I'm slightly obsessed with Mel and Melissa shoes and I can definitely see myself adding to my collection this summer. Very have a similar range to Littlewoods, and Top Shop and Dorothy Perkins also have a few nice styles, as do ASOS who stock the higher end Melissa line and a few designer collaborations. Hmm I think I might get some more ballet flats if I'm honest, I wear my black bow ones an awful lot, so they would probably be a better investment than buying yet more flip flops.

Speaking of flip flops, I also bought a pair from Primark. As well as flip flops in all the basic colours, this year they're also doing a character range with the likes of Minnie Mouse and Frozen. I liked them but I went for something from the men's department.

Minions! sometime large feet have their advantages, I usually take between a 7 and an 8 depending on the brand, and the Men's size small fitted perfectly. I loved the Minion Havaianas but I've only ever seen them in children's sizes so at just £3 these were a great alternative. As yet I'm not going away this year but I'm such a child and I'm so excited for the Minions movies that I just had to pick these up.

Pair of shoes number 4 and it's a pair of Converse. I only have one other pair of Converse which are
hi tops, and whilst I do like them, they can sometimes be a pain to put on when your in a rush, with all of the laces, so I tend to reach for my low rise Converse a likes instead.

I couldn't quite make my mind between the navy and the white, but in the interests of practicality of went for the navy. My two favourite colours at the moment are probably navy and orange, which are both very different but great summer colours in their own right. The navy and white combination is a real classic and I know that I will wear these an awful lot, in fact I may have already worn them in some pics that I've had taken for an upcoming outfit post - so keep your eyes peeled and see if you can spot them.

From shoes to handbags, and believe me I love my bags just as much. From designer bags to budget totes, a good bag can make a real difference to any outfit and at the moment I'm loving all the quirky bags that out there. From bags that are shaped liked lips, to ones shaped like fruit and even perfume bottles.

I saw this in the Next Spring sale and I had to have it. I have no idea where I'll use it but I needed it. Its a hard plastic box clutch in the shape of a perfume bottle, and it has label picked out in faux leather. It opened with a snap clasp at the lid and it has a removable chain strap so you can wear it two ways.

I think I paid £12 for this but unfortunately I can't find it on the Next website anymore but you never know it might still be available in store. They also did a playing card bag and a postcard and a Swizzles bag that were very similar in design.

I also got another bag from the Next sale and this one is still a clutch but it's a bit more practical. Again it's a clutch but this time it's just a flat zip up pouch in an almost exotic floral design with a tan zip pull. Apologies but I can't remember how much it was but this too has disappeared from the Next site.

Another Next sale purchase was this necklace. This was originally £40 but I paid £12. I love statement necklaces and this one definitely fits the bill.

It's a really dramatic multi-layer piece with all different types and colours of chain and charms hanging from a gold tone chain. It's quite heavy to wear but it's a real impact piece. Again this is no longer online but you may still be able to pick it up in store or in a Next Clearance.

My final accessory, shoe and jewellery purchase came from...Poundland! I saw this necklace from their Purple Ivy range on a few instagram post and again I love the multi layered look

It's made of silver tone and gunmetal and features various different chain types, and some spike charms. I think it;s really decent for the price and it certainly looks like you would have paid more than £1 for it x

I hope you've enjoyed this little haul, my next haul post will be a collective fashion haul, so you'll either see that up next or some beauty content x Thanks for reading and if you have any questions please leave me a comment x

A Little Home Haul Featuring B&M, Primark And More x

Thanks to a recent purchase I'm trying to get my head around some long overdue blog posts and that includes quite a few haul posts. Today's haul post is all about the home, getting organised and making it look and smell fabulous.

First up B&M Bargains, this is one of my favourite shops at the moment, mainly down to the fabulous array of American candy that Mummy Lou manged to procure for birthday but despite the allure of their half pound Reece's Peanut Butter Cups!! my B&M haul is all about sorting out my mind and my clutter.

The first thing that I got was a new weekly planner pad. One of my naughty cats destroyed the last one, and I really think that these pads help me get organised. I use them mainly for planning posts and for documenting what I need to do every day. You can occasionally pick these up in Poundland but I love this bright, floral Cath Kidston esq one which was £1.49.

Sticking with the floral theme, I also picked up a zippered floral storage box, which was £2.99. Currently on the top of my wardrobe I have several cardboard storage boxes from IKEA, that to be honest have seen better days. I just use them to store my beach and swim things but after dragging them up and down for a few years, their more suitable for the bin than for my bikini. So I decided to try one these boxes, they just fold out and zip right the way around, and I'm hoping that they'll keep my things safe and dust free. If I like them I will need a few more but I'll see how I get on

Clearing out my clutter is a big thing for me at the moment and I'm currently working on my extensive shoe collection. I've accumulated so many pairs of flips flops, ballet flats and sandals over the years that I'm having to have a little purge, with one of my local charity shops being the key beneficiary. Shoe storage is always a huge problem I've tried pretty much everything, broken the drawers under my bed and numerous shelves, and the answer always ends up being piles and piles of shoe boxes. So many shoes  don't come with boxes now though I thought I'd be some more to revamp my storage.

I paid £1.99 for a pack of three fold out boxes, and because of the size I should be able to fit a few pairs of flat sandals or flip flops. The boxes are clear enough for you to be able to see what's inside but each of the boxes also features a fun shoe design, and a fun quote or saying all about shoes.

The Cinderella one is by far my favourite but I think these are a cute way to store your shoes, now I just need to decide where to put them.

From one of my favourite shops, to another, Poundland. Do I need to say more, what is there not to love about Poundland, especially when they sell candles that smell as nice as this one does.

This Chewitts Blackcurrant Scented Candle, smell exactly like the sweeties, it's very fruity and mouthwatering. These candles are pretty generic and the Love Heats, M&M's and Betty Crocker ones are all packaged the same and made by the same company. I haven't tried this yet but I'm hoping that smells even a little bit like it does when it's unlit.

This next item is a little bit of an odd purchase but one of my aims for the year is to try and save up a bit of money and although being a pig collector I have several money boxes, this Despicable Me / Minions money tin was a better fit.

The reason why I like this is because it's sealed, if you want to get into it, you have to get a tin opener out and open it properly. I'm not 100% sure what I'm saving up for yet but I'm thinking about maybe something special or meaningful.

The last two home items that I've bought recently were both hanging decorations for my rooms and they are both heart shaped. The first one is a tin hanging heart which was just £1 from Primark. In pastel shades it has the words "Dream Big" on it.

Finally this wooden hanging heart, which came from ebay and was just  £4.95 from this seller.

I love the quote and this one and a bit of research seems to suggest that it was attributed to Marilyn Monroe. I'm not sure on that one but the saying "A Smile Is The Best Make Up Any Girl Can Wear" is maybe something to live by x

So that was my little home haul, as per usual if you have any questions please leave me a comment and I'll try and get back to you as quickly as I can x

A Little Fashion And Accessories Haul

Ever since I decided to post hauls as they happen it seems as though I've posted nothing but hauls, and believe it or not here's another one. This haul actually consists of a few clothing, accessory and jewellery buys that I've accumulated over the last month or so. I've also got a few beauty buys to show you but I'll show you those in a separate post.

I don't know about you but once you placed one order from a mail order catalogue you find that they are never off your back, and they continually offer you discount codes and free gifts until you give in and place another order. You know me I'm sucker for a bargain so when I was offered a free travel bag and a discount I couldn't resist placing an order with La Redoute.

There stuff can vary immensely in sizing and in quality so it's no surprise that I sent pretty much everything back. The only thing that I ended up keeping apart from the pretty useful pink and grey travel bag was this turn up sleeve, navy blue and white nautical t-shirt.

This t-shirt was originally £13 but I got it for £11.70. It also comes in an alternative colourway - navy blue with white stripes. It isn't the thickest t-shirt  that I've ever bought but everyone needs at least one stripey t-shirt in their wardrobe, and believe me I have more than one!

Another recent catalogue buy was this super cute, jumper from the brand Adore at Studio. I know that Studio is predominantly a Christmas catalogue but their website is worth a look all year round.

In a sort of oatmeal, marl knit, it features a Fox head design in silky soft, eyelash type yarn. I paid a bit more for it but it's now on sale at just £9.99.

The rest of my buys are all accessories and they're all from ebay. First up this almost pashmina like, gorgeous green, toned tartan scarf.

It was just £2.99 with 99p postage from this seller. Coming from Hong Kong it took a little while to arrive but it was worth the wait. Something else that was worth the wait was this cute turquoise and silver tone stretch bracelet.

This cute bracelet is ideal for stacking, and features some round circular turquoise (faux?) beads, divided by circular, engraved silver tone beads and various silver tone charms including a sun, dolphins, fish, a key, a hand and a star. It was just 99p including postage from this seller x 

The next thing that I got isn't really fashion but I guess it could count as an accessory - it's a key ring!

As I said in my recent Accessorize sale haul I love the whole concept of the lucky cat or Maneki Neko and of course I love Hello Kitty, so when I was looking for a new keyring for my house keys that was where I started searching. I thought this one was adorable and I love the fact that it actually contains little bells. Annoying as they are at times I hoping that it will help me keep an eye on my keys and maybe I won't lose them this time round! I actually paid less than it's currently being sold for but it's still not bad at £1.79 with 79p postage from this UK seller.

The final item is this post isn't really an accessory or a fashion item but I wanted to show you it and it probably fits in better here than it does in my up and coming beauty haul! 

It's another Minion :) No it's not a toy or mini figure, it's an 8GB Memory Stick :) I'm currently in the process of transferring my data from my old laptop to my new one and typically I couldn't find my flash drive so I bought a new one, and then I found my old one ha ha. Typical really but this one is a lot more fun than my boring grey and black one, Made of a rubber material, just pull his head off and stick him in the USB lol I got him from this seller and he was just £2.99 including postage x

Not the biggest haul I admit, but I got a couple of nice things, and a couple of bargains. My beauty haul post should be live  on Friday but in the meantime tomorrow is a bit of a special day on the blog so stay tuned for something exciting x 

A Little Primark Haul

Apologies that I'm a little late with this one, but a couple of weeks ago I ventured into Newcastle city centre for a meeting and as I had an hour or so to kill I went shopping. I didn't buy that much but I did buy a few things in Primark. Since I'm more of a mall girl I don't actually go into Newcastle that often now, but when I do I always head to the cities huge, 4 floor Primark. It's so big that I actually find it a bit overwhelming so I never end up buying a lot and this visit was no different.

One of the biggest assets of the Newcastle's, Primark is it's home department, I'm a bit obsessed with home wear at the minute, and especially cushions (I have a cushion wishlist! Sad?) and I couldn't resist picking up this kitty cat cushion. It's made of a wool mix felt, and it was just £6.

They also had an owl version and some lovely duvet sets but I reined myself in and headed to the sales racks. As per usual there was a lot of tat but I saw this top and I couldn't quite decide if I loved it or hated it.

I picked up and put it down twice before I decided that I had to have it. I think it's a love / hate piece but I'm a big fan of gaudy, 70's type floral prints so eventually I put it in my basket. It's made of a scuba type fabric and it's covered in a slightly, blurred digital rose and floral print, in shades of green and cream. It was reduced from to £10 to £5.

Big Floral and 70's style prints are huge at the minute and I could easily have bought a few more and I definitely feel like a return trip, but on the day I was super good and bought only one other clothing item.

Minions! These strange yellow things always make me smile and I can't wait to see the Minion movie when it's released later this year. This was £6.

I had a good look through both the beauty and jewellery section but there was nothing that I really wanted, and since the shoes were also out due to my damaged toe, the final thing I bought was a pack of the £1 Opia hair bobbles in brown and cream tones. I've reviewed there hair bobbles here and I swear by them. They're cheap and they don't tug on your hair like metal bobbles. I've bought packs and packs of these over the years, and I'm sure I'll continue to buy them, I just wish my cat Tallulah didn't love them as much as I do!

Since I'm trying to get back into You Tube I've also filmed a little haul video for you x I'd really appreciate if you'd take look and I'll love you for ever if you subscribe to my channel x

I'm seriously planning another Primark trip in the next few weeks, so if you've seen anything fabulous or worth picking up I'd love to hear from you x Thanks for reading x