I know what you're all thinking, I say that I'm going to get my blog on and then what do I do? I disappear. I know that I haven't managed to get a post up this week but I can promise you that I've been working on a lot of posts and I've been a busy bee on You Tube.
This week has definitely been a You Tube week, and in the last 7 days I've uploaded five videos to my channel for your delectation and delight, including a couple of unboxings and 3 What I Got For Christmas videos x
As much as I would love you all to subscribe to my You Tube channel and watch every single one of my videos from start to finish, I know that videos aren't everyone's cup of tea (and maybe my rambling isn't either!) but I know a lot of people are nosey like me so I thought I'd share my What I Got For Christmas videos with you on the blog x
Like everyone who posts videos, and Christmas present posts I'm not bragging, we post them because people normally request them, and in my case especially I do it to show my gratitude towards, and my love for my family and friends. I'm very, very lucky and believe me I do know that and appreciate it x
If there is anything in any of these videos, that you would like to see more of, or in the case of the beauty products that you would like to see reviewed then please leave me a comment below, and if you really want to make my day then please subscribe to my You Tube channel via this link for more exclusive content x
As I've said before I'm not really a one of making new years resolutions, but every year I promise myself that this will be the year when I rein in my spending and try and save a bit of money, and this year is no different. in 2017 I'm definitely going to try and cut down on my spending and I'm going to try and be a bit more selective about what I do buy and obviously I'm going to try and cut down on the haul posts. Will I achieve it ? Only time will tell I guess x
Anyways back on point and what have I got for you today? Well a haul post of course LOL, to be fair though this haul is from last year, or should I say last month, and it's my final Primark haul of 2016.
I managed a couple of Primark visits in December and whilst i was good and mainly bought pressies for my friends and family, I did pick a few bits and pieces for me :)
I'm going to be honest and say that this jacket, come long line kimono, come over shirt, has no hanger appeal at all, it needs a body to fill it out. It's basically a long line lightweight crepe jacket, with no fastenings, or buttons, and slightly flared kimono like sleeves, and side pockets. I love the floral pattern and the flowing feel. You can get some trousers in the same print, to give more of a suit look, but personally I'm going to be wearing this over a skinny trouser, a skinny jean or a pair of leggings. This jacket was £15.
I don't know why it is, but ever since Christmas I've been in the grip of a pretty major Fibro / CFS flare, and all I've wanted to do is sleep :( I've had an awful lot of duvet days over the last fortnight or so, and I've spent a lot of time in my PJ's. I love my PJ's and even though Santa bought me several pairs for Christmas, I can't resist buying cute pairs of PJ's when I see them.
These are just cream, legging style, drawstring waist, PJ pants, with a pale grey / beige and pink Pusheen the cat print. I love anything cat related and this Pusheen is super cute. These PJ pants were £8.
Although I have seen a Pusheen t-shirt in Primark's nightwear section before, I couldn't find a top that matched these pants so instead I decided to get a toning, vest top.
This creamy, ivory vest top was also from the nightwear / lounge wear section, and it's made of a super soft fabric, it contains an internal bra shelf, and it features adjustable shoulder straps, and a cute lace trim. It was only £2.50 and I think that it will coordinate not only with these Pusheen pants but also a lot of my other nightwear pieces.
Next up jewellery and I make no apologies that this haul is about 80% jewellery. I love fine jewellery as much as the next person but cheaper jewellery pieces are perfect for buying the on trend pieces, or for trying something new or even for expanding your own jewellery wardrobe.
Primark is one of the best places for buying on trend and fashion pieces, their stock changes so regularly you can pretty much guarantee that you can pick up a least one of two pieces that are right on trend. One of the biggest trends, at the moment, jewellery wise has to be the disc or circle pendant. If you love the look that the likes of Links Of London, and Thomas Sabo, are all championing at the moment, but you don't have that kind of budget, then Primark should be your first port of call,
Unfortunately this photo doesn't do this piece justice. It's basically a silver tone chain, which comes, with a silver tone, crystal studded disc pendant. It's is super sparkly and it was just £1.50. My Godmother has a Thomas Sabo bracelet which features small almost identical diamond studded discs and this necklace matches it perfectly for about a 40th of the price! Okay it's not silver, or white gold or real diamonds but the look is definitely there.
This Y necklace that I also picked up has a similar smaller disc at the top of the Y, and at the base of the Y, is has a filigree disc, that is surrounded by a crystal studded disc. This necklace has a real designer look and it was just £2 - Bargain!
The next necklace that I got is a double layer necklace, and this time it is in a rose gold tone.
The top strand features, an initial, I think they had all of the most common initials, but obviously I went for the letter L for Louise :). The second strand features an almost identical disc to the previous necklace only this time in the rose gold tone. It has a filigree centre, and it's surrounded by a crystal studded outer ring. This necklace was £2.
My final Primark jewellery purchase was a pair of birthstone earrings, which were just £1.50.
I can't remember what the correct name for these earrings is but I always call them back to front earrings. I can never describe this type of earring properly but these particular ones feature a gold ball stud (which you can wear separately) which is the part that goes through the ear, and they have a round green, crystal drop which is slightly set back. Useless description I know but I hope you know what I mean LOL. These particular earrings are birthstone themed, and being a May baby, these ones have a green faux emerald crystal stone. I also got my mum a pair of these for Christmas - her birthday is in September so hers have a deep blue, faux sapphire stone. These earrings were just £1.50 and I think that they would make a lovely birthday pressie for anyone with pierced ears.
The final two things that I picked up last month were both beauty related bits, first up a duo pack of my favourite face wipes for just £1
and I also picked up a tube of this GWA Girls With Attitude Brush On Eyelash Glue which was reduced to £2.
I really struggle with false lashes, and I particularly struggle with the glue. I always end up squeezing way too much out and making a mess, so I'm really hoping that this brush on adhesive will make it a little bit easier - I really want 2017 to be the year when I master false lashes!
I've made a little You Tube video to accompany this haul which you can see below or via this link x
If you have any questions on anything that I've bought, then please leave me a comment below, and if you've written a Primark haul post, or uploaded a Primark haul video recently, then please leave me your links below so I have a nose and see what bargains you've picked up x
Operation catch up resumes today with another haul. As I said before I've got quite a few beauty hauls coming up over the next few weeks but I don't want to bore you so I'm going to try and break it up a bit with some reviews and some non beauty related hauls.
Today I'm going to share a little or should I say largish, Primark haul with you. I've been feeling a bit mehh about clothes shopping lately but thanks to the new autumn and winter arrivals, I can at last feel my enthusiasm returning and as a result I picked up a few pieces that I'm really looking forward to wearing.
The first thing that I got is this ribbed Bardot style dress. I already got this in black in a previous Primark haul (have a read of it here) but this is the dusky pink version which was £8.
Although this is sold as a dress, on me it would be way too short, so I will be wearing it as a tunic, over leggings, skinny trousers or skinny jeans.
The next thing that I got is another dress come tunic, but I think I could probably get away with wearing this one as dress.
I love the paisley, floral print and I love the silky smooth fabric. I already have a tunic / dress in a different print but in the same fabric from Primark and I love. It has a such a light and airy feel, and feels gorgeous against the skin. This was £9 and I think it comes in a few different colours and patterns.
My name is Louise and I'm addicted to shirts and blouses! Over the past of couple of years I've fallen in love with shirts and blouses in a big way. One of my go to outfits is a bright or a patterned shirt and a pair of skinny jeans or jeggings. It just works for me and people always remember me for my gaudy shirts. I love my bright and floral print shirts but I fancied a bit of change so after seeing on a few blogs and instagram accounts, I decided to hunt it down.
For me this is very subtle but I couldn't resist the tiny, ditsy black and white bee (or are they wasps?) print. Primark shirts are never the most generous of fit on me and despite going for the largest size it's still very gappy and bursty so I'll probably be wearing this slightly unbuttoned and with a white vest underneath it. Still it was just £7 and I can't resist a cute print, speaking of which...
Another cute print and this time it's a navy blue vest covered in tiny white stars, I know we're moving into autumn but I wear vest tops and camisoles all year round, whether they're under shirts, jumpers or even cardigans. I like layering and this is a cute piece that I'll get a lot of wear out of. It was £4
Thanks to being ill so often and feeling permanently exhausted I have a lot of duvet days and I spend a lot of time in my PJs - I currently have 5 drawers full of nightwear but I just can't stop buying more, and especially love cute pj's like these ones.
I'm a huge Miffy fan, and I couldn't resist these PJ separates. The over sized, raglan style, stripey top was £7 and on the front it has a fluffy Miffy design which is super soft and stroke able.
I also got the matching legging style, cuffed PJ pants, which are £8 and are charcoal grey and have a white Miffy design printed on the legs.
That was it for clothing but I did buy one jewellery piece, these sparkly hoop earrings which were just £1.50.
You can't see them too well in either of these pictures unfortunately but they are basically just a gold tone hope, with 6 gold tone, rings which are covered in clear crystals, threaded through them. I'm trying to wear more exciting earrings and I think that these hoops work perfectly with the gold, and silver hoops that I normally wear.
Seeing as I was in the Newcastle store, I had a little look at some of Primark's new home wear additions and although there were plenty of things that I liked, I stayed strong and just bought a throw for my mam and some stationery. I love Primark's stationery selection and they have some lovely stuff at the moment, including the new collection from Gabriella aka VelvetGh0st but if your loving the copper and rose gold tone look at the moment then Primark is where you need to be. As well as some gorgeous hangers and coat hooks they also have a few copper tone stationery pieces and I couldn't resist jumping on the bandwagon with this cute set.
Packaged in a reusable craft style, organiser box. This set contains a slim ruled notepad, some drawing pins, some paperclips and some bulldog style clips all in a gorgeous rose gold. It also contains 5 pencils, with different words embossed on them including Plan, Own It, Boss, Believe and Because. At £5 this isn't the cheapest set you can buy but when you look at rose gold, and copper toned bits in other stores it looks like a bargain.
I said at the beginning that this wasn't a beauty haul but I did have a good look at the beauty section and I did end up buying a few make up brushes.
I've already bought a few brushes from this range at Primark and I have to say that I'm really impressed with them for the price. The brushes are good quality and the matte black and rose gold makes them look a lot more expensive than what they actually are.
I already own one of the PS Concealer Brushes but it's such a versatile brush that for just £1 I had to pick up another one.
I honestly can't remember if I already have this brush but eyeshadow brushes never come in wrong so I also picked the PS Double End Smokey Brush, it has a rounded flat end and it has a thinner more pencil shaped end for more detailed application. This one was just £1.50.
The final brush that I got was the PS Precision Eyeliner Brush which was also £1. I'm trying to get back into wearing liner and I'm a real cream or gel eyeliner girl, I normally prefer a short, flat ended brush but I also use and love the Real Techniques silicone, thin tipped eyeliner brush. The tip of this brush is almost identical to the Real Techniques one which is nearly 6 times the price, so I'm interested to see how it compares.
So that was my latest Primark haul as per usual I've made a video to accompany this haul which you can watch via this link or below.
I'm definitely planning another Primark trip in the next week or so, so I'd love to know what bargains you've picked up recently, so leave me a comment or a link below and let me know xx
Hey Guys
Well we made it after a few weeks of aborted attempts we eventually made it to the Metro Centre yesterday. I have to be honest and say I'm pretty broke ahead of my holidays so my mum bought me a few things, meaning I only made the tiniest little dip into my monthly spends, first up the things that St Mummy of LouLouLand bought me :) She gave my £20 for spends so I did what any bargainista does and I went into Primark. I've read so many posts lately on the delights of Primark at the moment but I have to say I was a bit disappointed nothing really jumped at me and the things that did seemed to stop point blank at a size 12 :( Never mind I did pick up one thing that I have seen in pretty much every Primark haul lately some lovely and cozy fleecy PJ pants
For just £5 these will be sooo warm for the winter, Mummy Lou is even considering getting some for herself! That was the only clothing item I got the rest was all accessories - first up one of these ski headbands - I got one last year and it kept my ears toasty and warm - it was £1.50
Next up hair bobbles - as you know Primark hair bobbles are a real staple of mine (click here to read a review) and I was delighted to see that they had introduced a whole load of new colours, so yes your eyes aren't deceiving you I picked up 5 packets!
That's 150 bobbles for £5 which I don't think is bad, and yes I will get through them all they are probably Tallulah's favourite play things, and I lose about 3 a week to her very sharp teeth, I'm loving all the new colours I really will be able to coordinate my bobbles with my outfits :)
Next up a cute little charm, it has a turquoise stone, and a little silver tone bird and feather detail, these are only a pound and there were lots of different ones to chose from, as well as a faux silver sweetie style bracelet to put them on. I have a little faux Pandora style bracelet that I was going to put it on but once I've got it home it's a different shade of turquoise entirely - never mind I'm sure I'll find a use for it it.
Finally I picked this cute little highlighter up from the make up range High Beauty Baked Highlighter
All the make up items seem to have been reduced to just £1.00 which I guess indicates the end of the range which is a bit of shame to be honest I have discovered some real gems in it. If your interested in what to grab before everything disappears don't forget to keep checking back, one of my planned schedules posts whilst I'm on holiday is a Budget Beauty Series post focusing on the best of Primark Beauty.
So that was my Primark haul - just £13.50 spent so can you guess what I did you I crossed the mall and went to Superdrug to finishing spending my £20. First up I headed to the Sleek stand which I have to say was an absolute disgrace the stand was coming apart nothing where it was supposed to be, it was horrid. I actually complained to a member of staff who told me that the stand was actually damaged the slots were coming apart so things couldn't stand up and Sleek wouldn't replace it!! She was actually pretty mad at the state of it and the products on it and so she should be, the stand design etc maybe Sleeks responsibility but the state of the products and the damaged testers etc is surely Superdrugs? I tried to get a photograph but I was being glared it constantly after I dared mention it! Hmm anyways I wanted to check out the nude collection, the eyeshadow palette never really appealed as I'm not a huge matte shadow lover, but it was in such a smashed state it would have been hard to swatch it anyways - The blusher on the other hand had sparked my interest!
At first glance it had appeared to be too dark for me but the more I saw it the more I thought I might be able to get away with it - today was the first opportunity I'd had to swatch it and I have to say I really like
Suede 921 is a gorgeous peachy nude, is it anything different to what I already own probably not but hey ho but for £4.29 of not my money it was well worth it, especially since the pigmentation is amazing
The last proportion of Momma Lou's money went on a bottle of Drench Orange and Passion Fruit Juice - OMG how amazing is that stuff , and a little item from MUA. Like my local Superdrug the Metro Centres stand was predictably half empty but I did spy one of the new eyeshadows, this is Shade - 30 Pearl
What an amazingly pigmented metallic copper shade, this brand just impresses me more and more with every product I try!!
I did pick up one thing with my own money in Superdrug - one of the NYC Smooch Proof Lip Stain 16H in 490 Persistent Pink
I've only managed a quick swatch so far but it seems a bit more wearable than the Revlon one I picked up.
I'll do a full review of this product when I get to my Budget Beauty Series post on NYC but first impressions are good x
I did buy one tiny little other thing the time in WHSmith - a copy of Papercraft Inspirations magazine. I used to subscribe to this magazine a little while ago but like the rest of my mags I cancelled it. This months copy though has a free Forever Friends Christmas card making kit with stamps, toppers, and cards. I have a few Forever Friends Christmas kits already and I thought this would be a great addition to the things I already have.
After that we headed home via Lidl but not before my mum treat us to a little Starbucks trip - this is one of the new Creme Brulee Macchiatos
I have to say it was yum, the Caramel one has been one of my favourites for a while now but this was equally good, sweet but with a lovely strong coffee taste. I also had one of their Gluten Free Chocolate Brownies which are gorgeous - Starbucks Gluten Free range isn't the biggest but at least us Coeliacs aren't completely ignored!
So that was yesterday, today I am utterly exhausted, achey and sore -why do a few hours pleasure lead to so much pain grr. Anyways if you have any questions on what I've bought please let me know xx
