A Piercing, A Passing, A Primark Fail, And Pain! - 2 Weeks In LouLouLand

Hey peeps, it's been a couple of weeks since I last posted, and what a few weeks they've been! I had every intention of posting sooner but with the events of the last week or so it's been a bit of a balancing act for some of us on social media, wondering whether it's okay to post or whether or not some people might see it as being a bit disrespectful. It all depends on your view of the monarchy I guess - To be honest I'm not a huge fan of the whole institution, and the pomp, and inequality of it all, but even I've shed the odd tear or two. I can completely understand people being indifferent or critical but for me that doesn't mean that you can't be respectful, the same way you should be if anyone has lost a loved one. Thankfully though today a sense of normality seems to have returned and it was nice to see the news readers wearing cheery colours this morning and long may that continue.

Anyways apart from that I've actually had quite a busy couple of weeks. After cancelling god knows how many times, on Monday 5th September I actually made it to the Metro Centre for the first time since December 2021!!

Unlike some people I know, I wasn't there every week, I only ever went to real shops about once a month, but an unenforced 9 month absence is something of a record even for me! It's been a crappy year health wise for both me and Mummy Lou, and it seemed like every time I was well enough to go she wasn't, and vice versa. Finally though the stars aligned and I made a trip to one of my spiritual homes.

I had two main reasons for going  - number 1 to get a birthday pressie for Mummy Lou, and number 2, to spend some of my own birthday money on something that I'd wanted for a long, long time..

No, I didn't get a tattoo, I got a piercing! After debating it for a long. long time, I eventually took the plunge and got my left daith pierced by the lovely Kelly at Doc Black Ink.

I'd been fancying another piercing for quite a while, and I loved the look, and slightly secretive aspect of the daith piercing, and even although there doesn't seem to be a lot of solid evidence, I was also intrigued by the fact that some people find that it helps with headaches and migraines, however I had once been told by someone else that my daith was just too small and tight to pierce, so I decided to pop into the shop, and get a second opinion.

After speaking to someone on the reception desk, and talking to Kelly, she said it should be fine to do, and it was, it was a touch awkward but she was skilled enough to do it without any problems, just one thing though when a piercer tells you that the process might be "a bit nippy" what they're probably trying to tell you is that it might hurt a bit, and I'm not going to lie, it did!

It was a combination of stinging and pressure, and it continued to throb for a good 24 hours or so afterwards, and even the slightest touch maybe me want to jump through the roof, thankfully though (touch wood) just over two weeks later now the pain has pretty much gone, and whilst I still can't sleep on it till it's fully healed, or wear ear pods (I've bought some cheap wireless headphones from Poundland that are actually pretty impressive!), so far so good. My ear seems a touch dry and flaky in patches, but I'm keeping it clean with saline spray, and looking after it so fingers crossed in 6 months or so, it will all be nicely healed and I can start buying some pretty jewellery for it!

I honestly can't recommend Doc Black Ink highly enough, they're are really convenient (they are upstairs in yellow mall opposite Primark), you don't need an appointment for piercings, it was really clean and hygienic, and all of the staff were really nice, and Kelly especially did a really good job of putting me at ease and making sure I was okay, so much so in fact that I'm already planning my next piercing or two, maybe another upper lobe / cartilage piercing, or maybe a helix? Let me know what you think I should get in the comments, and I'd also love your recommendations for places to buy nice daith jewellery x 

I went for my piercing straight away, and thankfully I was okay enough to do a bit of shopping afterwards. I picked up a few things for my mams birthday, and then I headed to another one of my happy places, Primark, and do you know what lovely readers, I left feeling pretty disappointed!

Maybe I just didn't really need anything but it was just an unsuccessful trip all round, the little people hadn't gone back to school so it was still stupidly busy and I'm being serious when I say there was virtually nothing in the entire store over a size 16! Just racks upon racks of 8's, 10's, 12's XS, S, and M's! Talk about a confidence destroyer! I saw a few things I liked but finding anything that I liked enough to buy in my size proved to be an impossible task, so I only ended up spending a massive £13.50, and that included £3 on a t-shirt for Mummy Lou! Disappointing but I thought I'd share my buys with you anyways.

Yes, I had to do it, I continued the ear theme of the day by picking up a set of 6 pairs of celestial style earrings for £3.50. The set contained 3 pairs of studs, including a pair of clear crystal like stars, a pair of plain circular blue crystal studs, and pair of gold tone triangle shaped dots. The set also included 3 hoop style dangly pairs including a pair with beads and blue crystal detail stars, a pair of crystal hoops with beads, and moons, and a pair of plain hoops (which can also be worn alone) with a chain and a star plaque charm.

If you can wear cheaper earrings then to be honest you can't go past Primark. The jewellery section didn't really wow me this time around but I absolutely love sets of earrings like this because if you have multiple piercings it really takes the effort out of deciding what to wear, and who doesn't love moons and stars, just don't try and pierce your eyes with them! I've recently got lost in piercing Tik Tok and I can't believe there are people out there who try and pierce their own ears with Primark earrings! eeek!

The next thing that I bought it something again that I'd wanted for a long time. I used to have one of these years ago but alas it got into a fight with a cat and lost, no I'm not going to say how lol but I'd meant to replace it and I'd just never got round to it.

These things really are a godsend for some many reasons, first up they help you keep your bag more organised, fill it up, pop the things that you reach for most into the pockets, attach your keys to the lanyard, and because of the light colour you can find what ever you want straight away in even the darkest and deepest of bags.

If you're a handbag junkie like me, handbag organisers also make it really easy to move the contents of your bag from one bag to another. I do like to switch my bags up depending on my outfit or mood, and this makes the job so much easier just move the organiser from one bag to another, and you're good to go. This is actually a pretty decent size so if you use smaller bags then it probably wouldn't really work for you, but personally I love a good tote bag, so this one is currently entrenched in my Coach Chelsea Hobo with room to spare.

Finally I had a look through the beauty section, and again nothing really stood out but I did manage to pick up 3 beauty products, and 2 of these were reduced! First up a hair brush, and not just any hair brush, it's a Care Bear hairbrush! It's hard to believe but it's been 40 years since the Care Bears were first introduced, and when I was tiny (ok and maybe still now!) I was obsessed with the Care Bears, I had lots of cuddly bears, the wallpaper, the duvet set, the books, and countless rubber and plastic bears - I loved them! In fact I think I still have some of my collection packed away. 

I was and still am a huge fan, and I've bought quite a few bits to celebrate their 40th anniversary including some jewellery and t-shirts from Shein, but alas I think I missed out on most of Primark's offerings but I did manage to get this Cheer Bear paddle brush that was reduced to just £2.

Sticking with both the reduced and har care theme I also picked up this hair care kit from their Paradiso range that was reduced from £6 to just £3.

The kit included a gorgeous orange and pink marbleised tropical leaf design tangle teezer, wet brush style detangling brush. I have quite a few of these but they never come in wrong as they also make quite good cat brushes, and this is a particular pretty one.

The main reason that I bought this set though was from the hair mask, I am slightly obsessed with hair masks and I'm always on the look out for new ones. Packaged in an Ojon, Sol De Janeiro style tub, this one contains argan oil, as well as jojoba and coconut oil. I've got to be honest and say that on opening the tub I wasn't that impressed, I haven't tried it yet but it just resembles more of a thicker, fresh smelling conditioner rather than having a proper thick mask like texture, but you've never know appearances can be deceptive and it might surprise me, I'll let you know my thoughts in a future empties post x 

The final item that I picked up is something that you've seen before although not in this packaging or under this name. Understandably since I was last in Primark lots of things have changed and that included my favourite tea tree wipes, which are now named Clear + Cool Facial Cleansing Wipes. They are still biodegradable though, they are still just £1 for 2 packs and they still smell the same so it's just the name and packaging that seems to have changed. I don't really use these on my face i just use them as a general freshening wipe and here's a tip, if your NARS rubberised packaging has gone sticky, then these wipes are great for removing the sticky rubber, which is actually pretty scary when you think about it!

Whilst the Primark trip was a bit of a fail, I did manage to get my piercing, and my mams birthday pressie, and I enjoyed a normal shopping trip, which was something that I'd really missed. 

In the days that followed Mummy Lou had a nice birthday and although I had to cancel one family visit, I did manage to see some family members before the pain and exhaustion kicked in again and painkillers once again became my best friend. Alas that's the trade off anyone with chronic illness has, do something fun, good or even something that's considered normal and spend days recovering, that's just the way it is! Thankfully I'm now feeling a little bit more with it so I should hopefully be able to get another post or two up in the next week or so, including a long promised empties post x 

Thanks again for sticking with me and don't forget to leave me your piercing and jewellery recommendations and of course any questions that you have on my daith piercing or on my Primark haul x Thanks for reading and I'll see you soon x 

My First Primark Haul Of 2021 - Clothes, Jewellery, Hair Accessories, And Beauty

Hey everyone, I hope you've all had a lovely week x Thankfully things have calmed down here a bit, and touch wood my Mam seems to be on the mend.

Now, even though I've been doing a little bit of online shopping (check out the Instahaul highlights tab on my Instagram), nothing beats shopping in real bricks and mortar stores. Thankfully the shops opened up on the UK just in time for my birthday, so way back in May I took a quick trip to the Metrocentre to get my brows waxed and to do a little bit of shopping.

I didn't actually buy that much, I didn't really need anything to be be fair, it was more about the actual thrill of being out of the house, being around other people, and returning to some kind of normality.

One shop I did buy some bits in though was Primark, I didn't go crazy but I bought a few essentials, a couple of bit to try and a few things that I couldn't resist.

One thing that I love, and that I always buy in Primark are their stretch t-shirts. I own them in loads of different colours and I think that they are so flattering, and comfortable. I also love the length and whilst it does sometimes vary, the majority of them are long enough to at least cover my hips.

Now my aim was to stock up on basics and to a few t-shirts in both black and navy, but unfortunately the largest size that I could find in the navy was a medium (I usually buy an XL). I did however manage to get one of the short sleeve, stretch crew neck t-shirts in black which was £2.50.

Since these shirts are quite fitted, I think you could dress them up with a smart pair of trousers, and a blazer, or you can dress them down like I have here with a pair of jeans (excuse the smudged mirror).

As well as the plain black, stretch crew shirt, I also went for one of the striped ones. I have quite a few stripy tees in. my collection, and I'm actually this same colour way in the long sleeved version today. In the same crew neck, short sleeved style, this one is white, with pale blue (a lot lighter than it appears on camera) horizontal stripes. This one was a little bit more expensive at £3.50.

I also picked up another t-shirt in a slightly different style and fabric. Described as a "Printed Tee", this one is a little bit shorter, and the fabric is a little bit thicker, and less stretchy. Again with short sleeves, and a crew neckline, this navy blue t-shirt has a white star and dot design. This one was £2.50 and given the design I also think that it would make a nice PJ top.

Next up something that I saw and loved on sight! Like so many curvy people I was always told that horizontal stripes would make me look larger! Seriously though who makes these stupid rules? Needless to say I'm passed that now, and I've full embraced the horizontal stripe in my wardrobe.

I have quite a few different striped dresses in my collection now, but this one was just a little bit different. In a dark navy blue stripe, it's made of a slightly stretchy jersey. It's a full length maxi dress with a wide crew style neckline, and slightly capped almost batwing style sleeves. It has a drawstring waist and a fabric belt.

I don't think it has a lot of hanger appeal but it's really nice in the flesh and I'm looking forward to wearing it once the weather improves. It was £10.

That was it clothes wise but I also bought some nightwear, and some underwear pieces. 

I'm huge fan of Primark's nightwear, and I could resist these pretty pj's. Unlike the ready packaged and ribboned sets I actually but these pieces as separates which meant that they were a little bit more expensive than the regular sets but for me they were well worth it both appearance wise and quality wise.

They are made of the softest, mid weight fabric that you've probably ever felt. They feel gorgeous and with their gorgeous dark green / teal background, and bright tropical flower print, they look gorgeous too. The long sleeved cuffed top was £7, and the legging like bottoms were £8.

Now it's been a while since I managed to buy a bra in Primark. Quite a while ago now they used to do a range of bras in sizes D-F but they seems to disappear but as I discovered a few weeks ago, look hard enough and you might be lucky.

I love under wiring but I hate padding in my bras, and bras like this one are perfect. Made of a gorgeous soft ivory fabric I paid £8 for this but I would say that the fit is a little bit small so if your looking at these I'd either try it on first or I'd size up slightly. It's just a tiny bit tighter cup wise than I would have liked but it fits, it's wearable and I love the copper / rose gold detailing.

There is really nothing worse, clothing wise, when you buy a piece of clothing but it's just slightly too sheer. Well just before lockdown 1 last year,  I bought a gorgeous silky, nude beige top, from F&F at Tesco, the only trouble is that it's just a touch see through, so whilst you could get away with just wearing a tonal bra underneath, I don't feel confident enough to do that so I decided to get a underwear style camisole to wear underneath it.

I honestly thought that it would be really easy to find one but it actually took a while, and I ended up buying one from Marks and Spencer online. I can't remember how much I paid for it it now but somewhere around £12 seems about right. I had initially looked in Primark last year for one but they didn't have anything in my size, this time though they did, and it's almost identical to the one that I got in Marks and Spencer. It's nude in colour, silky soft, almost invisible under clothing and it has adjustable straps, and it was only £3!

So I got the camisole, and then I picked up some coordinating underwear to match. Yes guys, I'm showing you my knickers, I haven't got the guts to model them but I'm showing you them anyway! These super cute scallop edged, mini briefs are invisible under clothing so you can wear them under the tightest and clingiest garments without seeing a telltale VPL. This pack of 3 was £5 and whilst the colour looked identical to the camisole under the bright lights in store, it isn't quite the same, but do we really need to match our underwear all of the time? Oh and another sizing tip, I got the XL but I probably could have sized down in these because they are quite stretchy and as a result fairly generous size wise.

So that was it for clothes, pj's and underwear, now for jewellery and accessories, and first up hair accessories. I literally buy hair bobbles all the time but what on earth happens to them and where do they go? I love animal print so I picked up this pack of 3 black and animal print satin scrunchies for £2, and this pack of 20 No Snag black hair bobbles for £1.

One section that I can never resist checking out in Primark is the jewellery department. If I never ever bought jewellery again I'd probably still have too much for just one person. You know how it is though Primark just drags you in and I ended up treating myself to just a few pairs of earrings.

I love hoop earrings, and having multiple ear piercings I find them really easy and comfortable to wear. Obviously just costume jewellery this first pair are basically just a chunky gold hoop with an enamel, cloisonne, floral bead. I love enamel / cloisonne jewellery and I have a nice little collection of both modern and vintage bracelets and bangles, and these £2 earrings will work perfectly with them.

Next up the first of two sets of earrings that I picked up, and these ones are perfect for people, like me, with multiple ear piercings. In this set you get three pairs of gold tone, gem set, pear shaped studs, and three matching pairs of gold tone hoops, with slightly bigger pear shaped gems dangling from them, in pink and green crystals, and in a slightly pale blue opalescent crystal. These were £2 for 6 pairs.

The final set of earrings that I got contained a massive 20 pairs of studs. The pack contains various gold tone studs, ranging from balls, to hearts and diamond shapes, as well as studs containing clear, lilac and blue crystals, and some containing almost lapis lazuli type stones. A nice assortment, again perfect for multiple piercings and a bargain at just £3.

Finally I picked up a few bits from the beauty section, and I got a few bits from one of their new body care lines.

All of the products that I bought have a bit of a Sol de Janeiro vibe with the bright yellow packaging and coconut, summery, beach like scent

The three products that I picked up were the 125ml Clay Body Mask which was £3, the 125ml Body Cream which was £3, and the 100ml Body Firming Gel which was also £3.

I haven't had a chance to try these bits properly but I do have some of the real Sol de Janerio products so I can see if these bits are possible dupes for the Brazilian Bum Bum range x Obviously I'll let you know my thoughts in a future empties post x 

So that was it, my first Primark haul of 2021. I was actually supposed to have gone to the Metrocentre this week but that's had to be put on hold for a bit, so as per usual if you have any questions please let me know, and don't forget to keep an eye out on my Instagram and my Instagram Stories to see some more mini hauls x 

A Small Winter Primark Haul - Clothes, Jewellery, Beauty And Christmas

It's not only posts that have been thin on the ground this year, but hauls and specifically Primark hauls have been too. It's no secret that 2019 has been a bad one health wise for me but as I've already said I've also been trying to cut down on my spending, and I've also been trying to buy less and wear more, so my monthly Primark trips just haven't happened this year.

You know how it goes though, you don't go somewhere for ages and then all of sudden it seems like you live there! Well over the last 4 or so weeks I've managed 3 trips to Primark, including 2 in a week and whilst I've tried to be a little bit more selective about what I bought, I do have a few things to show you

First up the sale rails, now usually I can't do a lot with the sale rails in Primark, plus sizes are rare enough as it is without them being reduced but on two successive trips I picked up up two of the same tops, in two different colours.

Whilst they aren't t-shirts, they aren't quite jumpers either but they do have a soft, ribbed knit, almost jumper like feel. They aren't the thickest of tops for this time of year but they are ideal for layering, so you could either wear them with a vest underneath, or with a thicker cardigan on top, on even both if you're feeling cold. The first one that I picked up was in a lovely neutral beige, oatmeal marl type colour, and whilst the other one is officially described as dark orange, it more of a rusty, orange red marl. Both of these tops had originally been £6 but I got them for £3 each. They aren't that exciting but they're just a nice throw on basic.

Now when I'm at home, writing or just chilling, I'm very much a leggings girl, I love comfort, and I can't stand anything with zips or buttons, but I fancied a change, and I've so many girls looking casual yet effortlessly cool in joggers that I thought I'd give them a go. I tend to get quite overheated at times so I didn't want anything too thick even for the winter months, and whilst Primark do have a lot of chunky, and fleecy joggers in at the moment, these skinny fit ones that I picked up aren't quite as bulky, or weighty. There were a few different colours to choose from but I ended up steering away from my usual black and picking up a pair in a charcoal grey marl. They were only £5 and they definitely feel more expensive than that. I haven't worn them yet so I'll try and stick a pick on Instagram when I do.

One of the most frustrating things with any shop, but particularly with Primark is seeing something you like but they don't have your size, well that's what happened with these pyjamas. On Friday 13th in desperate need of cheering up, I dragged myself out and went Christmas shopping! I popped into Primark for a few bits, and I ended up in the nightwear section. As per usual if your looking for Christmas PJ's Primark is the place to go, they really do have something for everyone this year. I bought my mam a gorgeous floral nightshirt, and even though I'm officially PJ'd out, I couldn't resist picking up another pair.

Officially described as emerald green, in real life these pyjamas are in fact much more of a forest, bottle green. I think the colour way is really unusual, and I love the vintage floral and spot design on the pants. These particular pj's are from their sustainable cotton range, and they were only £6. On my first trip they didn't have my size but I went back on a whim and they been restocked - it was meant to be!

Now it wouldn't be Christmas with out some socks and some slippers, and this cute pair combine those two festive must haves. They are short slipper socks or footsies. With a lovely pink fluffy lining, and a grey velour outer, they are in a super cute mouse design. I love this type of slipper sock, and these were only £3.50

Next up some jewellery, and a couple of sets of earrings. This first pack is a set of 3, gold tone celestial earrings, featuring some crystal star shaped drops, some golden half moons and and some small, plain, gold tone ball studs. The drops are ideal for the party season but you could easily wear the other two pairs every day, no matter what the occasion. This particular set was £1.50.

Other this next set of earrings initially screams Christmas with the candy canes, festive bows, snowflakes and gingerbread characters, this set also contains a few pairs of plain red, faux pearl, and gold tone studs, bows and stars that you could wear all year round. This set was just £3 for 20 pairs of earrings.

Now if you are a regular reader of my blog, you'll more than likely have at least one empties post where I've sang the praises of Primark's PS... Cuticle Oil. I've lost count of how many bottles I've used up over the years, but it's safe to say it was one of my holy grail beauty products. I say was because in their wisdom Primark seem to have discontinued it.

I thought that all I had to do was go into store and pick up another four bottles or so, but it was nowhere to be seen. So instead I ended up buying the two products which I assume have replaced it.
The first one is the PS... Nourishing Cuticle Revive Nourishing Cuticle Oil Pens which £1 each. 

Now although the glass bottles are great for home use, these twist up pens are a much better, and safer idea for holidays. All you do is twist the pen and eventually the oil comes out through the brush, all ready for you to brush onto your nails and cuticles.

Containing Vitamin A, and sweet almond oil, this is nice, almost fragrance free oil, that's easy to use and it absorbs quickly into the nails, making dry skin look better in an instant. I ended up buying two and I'm pleased that I did because I don't think that these pens will last that long compared to the old style bottles. As well as being made of plastic instead of glass each pen contains just 1.5ml of oil, compared to 10ml for just a £1 in the old style glass bottle.

If pens, and plastic aren't your thing though, on my second Primark trip, I found another cuticle oil, the PS...Nail & Cuticle Oil Nourishing Treatment which was £2 for an 11ml bottle. This one comes boxed, and it comes in a square glass bottle, with a glass, plastic, and rubber dropper, instead of the old style brush.

Containing very similar ingredients to the original oil such as avocado oil, almond oil, and Vitamin E, it's has a very similar consistency, but with a slightly stronger, sweeter, almost coconut scent. Again it absorbs quickly and it makes an immediate difference to the nails and cuticles.

I can't lie I do like the replacements, but I'm still of the opinion if it isn't broke don't fix it. Whilst both of these products are amazing value when you compare them to something like OPI Avoplex, they still work out a lot more expensive than Primark's original cuticle oil so whilst I'm still happy to be able to get my hands on a budget friendly cuticle oil, I'm still mildly aggrieved that they had to change it!

My final beauty buy was this super useful set of adhesive mirrors. For just £1 you get 10 mini self adhesive mirrors that are specifically designed to be stuck onto lipstick bullets, and make up palettes. So many many palettes now don't include mirrors, and these are a real time, and space saver in your handbag. I first saw these on Hayley Hall's blog and I'm seriously debating on whether to try and get another set.

Finally some Christmas bits - would you believe we still haven't finished putting up our Christmas decorations yet? The thing is we never just decorate one room, we decorate the whole house and as you can imagine that can take a while. Christmas decorations are like an addiction for me and Mummy Lou, and every year we can't resist adding more and more pieces to our already overflowing grotto esq house.

Whilst Primark have some gorgeous Disney bits in, I'm personally obsessed with their reindeer offerings. Every year they same to so similar but slightly different things, and the first thing that I got was this gold ceramic reindeer tree decoration which was £1.50. I have a standing one from a year or so ago, and a similar designed candle holder. I've popped him on the Christmas tree in the living room, and you can just about see him, amongst all of the dwarfs, woodland creatures, baubles, and holiday buys.

Next up another regular Christmas item, in previous years, I've got both a white version, and a rose gold, copper version of this ceramic reindeer tea light holder, and this year I picked up the silver, and silver glitter version. I'll probably be using mine with battery operated tea lights, but it actually comes with a real wax tea light, all for £1.50.

Finally another reindeer, and if you're brave enough or silly enough to be popping into Primark over the next couple then you might be able to get this one and maybe, the other bits in the sale. This was already reduced last week so you might be lucky. It's a decent sized white ceramic reindeer ornament, with gold detailing on the nose, antlers and the star. It's a really nice piece and it looks a lot more expensive than what it is. It was originally £6 but it had been reduced to £3

So that was a very late Primark haul for you x If you have any questions on any of the items that I picked up then please leave me a comment below x and I will see you tomorrow aka Christmas Eve with a little festive post xx