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

New Season Primark Haul - Clothing And Primark Home

You know that old saying, you wait ages for a bus and then two come along at once? Well take away the bus and replace it with Primark visits and you're there. I always try to avoid going into town or into the Metro Centre when the kids are off school so it feels like I haven't into Primark for months and then what happens? I go twice in a fortnight!

Although I'm praying that summer isn't really over both the weather and the shops seem to suggest otherwise. The heating has been on for the past couple of nights and the stores are now full of hats, scarves, and woolly jumpers. Although I love summer and I love warm weather, fashion wise I think I much more of an autumn / winter person. I love scarves, cosy cardigans and fluffy jumpers, so I decided to accept the changing season and see what Primark had to offer.

Quite a lot as it happened, and something I would always say about Primark is if you see something you like, buy it! You can always return it later but the stock turnover seems to be so quick if you don't get it, you might miss out altogether. On my first trip I was trying to be restrained and whilst I saw a couple of things that I would like, I decided to hold off, unfortunately when I returned to the same store 6 days later, they'd gone :( A lesson learnt me thinks! One of the things that I was going to get was the grey version of this jumper.

I bought something similar in a sort of mint / turquoise shade last year and I love it. This one is in a deep, almost bottle green, teal knit. It feels like wool but it's actually made from synthetic fibres. Around the neckline there are fixed clear crystals and gunmetal beads that makes it look as though you are wearing a necklace. It features a little keyhole detail at the back of the neck which fastens with a tiny button. This isn't my cheapest Primark purchase ever at £14 but it's well worth the money and I'm sure you would pay at least double that anywhere else, and I'll definitely by trying to track the grey version down x

The next thing I got could be worn whatever the season, but I think the rusty, orange, red colour gives it an autumnal feel.

Made of a lightweight, crepe like fabric, this pull on, collarless shirt  features a v-neck, and a gold tone zip detail at surround the neckline and finishes half way down the front. It features turned up sleeves that secure with a self coloured tab, and gold tone buttons.

I love loose shirts like this and I will be probably be wearing it over skinny jeans and jeggings. This shirt was £10 and I believe it comes in several other colours.

When you think about it I guess the next two tops that I got aren't really that autumn / winter specific either but they seem to be embracing two trends that seem to be everywhere again this season, lace and Victoriana.

The first top that I got it basically a long sleeve, light ivory, lace tunic. I saw this and I just couldn't resist. With a rounded neck and a solid collar, it features a gorgeous lace detail panel down the front, and it features beautifully trimmed button cuffs, and again a keyhole detail at the back of the neck which fastens with 2 buttons.

This top was £14 and again it's something that you would pay a lot more for if you bought it elsewhere. The pictures in no way do it justice, the lace is soft and it isn't too scratchy and the details make this top look a lot more expensive than what it was.

Sticking with the girly and pretty theme, the next top that I got falls into that category too. Again a pull on top this one is in the almost loose poets shirt style.

Again in a pale ivory, this  top features a cute scalloped collar and neckline, and tie detailing. It's made of a sheer fabric with a tone on tone raised dot design.

This top was just £10 and again I think it's something that you could wear all year round, either over sun sensitive shoulders or with skinny jeans, and boots.

That's it for the clothing I did buy some indigo denim jeggings, some basic black leggings and some undies which I haven't featured here but you can see them, as well as everything else in this haul in the video below x



I also had a look at the jewellery when I was in store and for a change nothing much wowed me. I did spot a couple of necklaces on the Primark instagram page but they haven't appeared yet so I just got a couple of pairs of earrings.

These are described as "front - back earrings" - the first pair feature a big crystal stud with a gold tone circle. The crystal stud, which can be worn on it's own, goes in the ear as normal, and the gold circle hangs at the back of the ear. With the second pair the gold, ball stud goes into the hole as normal and the crystal, glitter ball almost seem to hang down from behind the ear. Apologies for the useless description but I hope you know what I mean - this type of earring is everywhere at the moment and you really need to see them in the ear. I might have described it better in the video so definitely have a watch x

At the till I picked up some of my face wipes but the rest of the haul is all about Primark Home. I'd gone initially in search of the led star light that quite a few bloggers seem to have but it's proving extremely elusive grr! I debated whether to get the arrow but I don't think it would really go in any of the places that I had planned so I'll just have to keep searching.

Primark Home has really upped it's game recently and despite the small home section in the Metro Centre store, there was a lot of stuff that I could have bought but I just two things including this duvet set.

You've probably see this one a hundred times already but I'm all for supporting my fellow bloggers and as you know I'm a mad cat lady so I had to get this Triangle Dream duvet set from Gabriella from @velvetgh0st exclusive collection for Primark.

I love the grey and pastel tones but the real draw was the cat face on the "Let's Sleep In" pillow :). It's a polyester / cotton mix and I got the double which was £16. My whole room is in disarray but I'll instagram a picture when it's on the bed.

The final thing that I got was this little mirrored wall hanging,which features the Audrey Hepburn quote "Happy Girls Are The Prettiest" Did she really say that? who knows? I know a lot of people hate all this inspirational quote stuff but each to there on, I like it - I need all the inspiration, help and positivity that I can get at times ;)

I'm pretty happy with the bits that I got but I can definitely see another Primark trip on the horizon. Their stock changes so often that it's one of those shops that you really need to go into a regular basis in order to get the good stuff. Whilst Metro Centre is normally my Primark of choice, I'm planning on heading into Newcastle next time to have a look at the full home section and I'm hoping to get some of the fab copper coat hangers that I've seen on instagram. If you've posted a Primark haul recently I've love to see it so link me up below x

November / December Haul - Part 1 - Home Accessories - H&M, Busy Bee, Yankee Candles And More

I know that December is a busy month for most people, but I just seem to be constantly on the go at the moment. As a result my November haul pretty much forgotten about, so I've decided to do a combined November and beginning of  December haul :) Like Octobers haul this one too, is going to be split into two parts - home accessories, and fashion and beauty.

I'm really into prettifying my surroundings at the moment and like so many others I've decided to embrace the festive bedding trend. As much as I love all the reds and the reindeer's they don't really fit in with the pastels, and the silver and purple tones of my room. So I went for this Nordic, style offering from Studio.

Covered in geometric snowflakes, and tiny hearts, it's grey and white, and I think it will work perfectly with the rest of my decor, bar my tartan throw from Primark but that's staying no matter what because it's so cosy :) Unfortunately I can't find this duvet set on the Studio website anymore but they have some similar Nordic styles, and of course the baubles and reindeer's that we've come to expect.

My name is Louise, and I'm obsessed with cushions! I love cushions, and I always have a huge stack of them on my bed. Every time a new cushion appears I can almost see my mums eyes starting to roll, so I'm trying to cut down on the amount that I buy, after all I don't really need 8 cushions and 4 plus pillows on my bed. Last month though I saw a cushion that I loved and thankfully it wasn't a cushion, it was actually a cushion cover.

This gorgeous wool mix, cushion cover comes from H&M. The fabric is a really nice quality, and the grey, blue colour coordinates perfectly with my new duvet set. The thing I love most about this cushion though is the print, on the front embroidered in silver are the words " Meet Me Under The Stars" and a little star. I love it and it's going to have pride of place on my festive bed. It was £7.99 from the H&M website and it also comes in an ivory, white with gold writing.

I really wish that an H&M store near me stocked their home products, I'm really loving a lot of their pieces at the moment, and continuing on with Octobers owl theme I couldn't resist this owl tea light holder.

Made of a glossy white ceramic, this little guy also comes in a turquoise / duck egg blue. To be honest I don't think I'm going to use real tea lights in him, he's too cute for that, but I'm sure he'll look just as pretty with a battery operated one, tucked inside. He was £6.99 and he also came from the H&M website.

I was so impressed with my October purchases from Busy Bee Candles that I couldn't resist placing another order, this time for some more festive scents.

My mum is a huge fan of ginger fragrances, so we got 2 Ginger Christmas Soy Wax Tart Melts. We haven't tried these yet but they smell exactly like gingerbread cookies baking in the oven. We also got a Mulled Wine Soy Wax Tart Melt, which smells deliciously fruity,with just a hint of spice, and a Christmas Spice Room And Linen Freshener. If you buy nothing else from Busy Bee Candles then buy this room spray. So many room sprays are synthetic and just not that nice but this is something else, if you love the smell of cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and ginger then you need this room spray in your life. For just £5.95 this product really is Christmas in a bottle!

I was a silly billy though and placed my Busy Bee order the day before Black Friday, thus missing out on their discount offers :( The lovely people at Busy Bee though kindly put a little extra in with my parcel to make up for the fact that I missed out on the offer. The product they gave me was some Jack Frost Magik Beanz. If you like candy canes and After Eights then this is the fragrance for you. It's a combination of peppermint and vanilla, that clears your head and makes your mouth water in equal measure.

I'm really loving all of these festive scents at the moment, and for a fruit and floral girl that's really saying something. I was inspired to make me next purchase by Shannon from Raspberrykiss. Like me she's a bit of a fan of home hauls, and recently she bought some festive wax melts from Poundland.

I'm a bit of a Poundland fan so I had a little look and found some of the Airpure Wax Melts in Mulled Wine. They come in a sold block divided into 6, all you do is snap off a melt and put it in a melt warmer or a burner. Again I haven't tried these yet but they do smell nice, a bit spicy and a bit fruity.

My final home purchase of the month was another fragrance item and this time it was from Yankee Candles.

Excuse the bad pictures but this is a Yankee Candles Car Jar in Lemon Lavender. This is one of my favourite ever Yankee fragrances, and it's one that I tend to burn at night. You get a fresh lavender scent with just a hint of citrus, some people find it enlivening but I find it quite relaxing. Unlike cardboard air fresheners of the past, these are plastic jars, with a gel fragrance in them, so the fragrance is more intense and  lasts longer. This isn't for the car instead I'm planning on using this one either in my wardrobe or as a general room fragrance. I have bought one for my mum's Christmas stocking though, in the Macintosh apple fragrance, which she will probably use in the car.

So that was my November and early December home haul. If you have any questions on anything that I've bought please leave me a comment, and I'll see you tomorrow with my beauty and fashion haul, and maybe something else x