Nails Of The Day - Illamasqua Seance And A TK Maxx Love In

If you love a bargain and especially a high end or a quirky one, then one of my favourite shops to go to is TK Maxx. One of the first stores in the North East opened many moon ago near my dads old workplace and from the very first moment I stepped through the door I was heaven. Over the years I've picked up all sorts of bargains from Missoni cardigans and towels, to Givenchy and Emilio Pucci handbags - It can take a bit of time to search through the rails but believe me there are gems to be had!

When I was young and skinny I used to head straight to the clothes but nowadays I tend to gravitate more towards the beauty section. Yes I know it can sometimes look like a disaster zone with opened and smashed products left, right and centre but if you're after something a bit unusual or something that's been discontinued for sale at a bargain price, then TK Maxx is well worth a look - case in point this beautiful nail polish from Illamasqua, which I picked up a couple of months ago for just £3.99 (RRP £14.50!!)

Originally released in 2013 as part of their Paranormal collection, Illamasqua Seance, was one of their limited edition UV Glow nail varnishes. Whilst I haven't managed to go into a club or a bar to test out it's glowing aspect, I can still appreciate the beauty of this polish

Described as a bright violet, this beautiful pink / purple shade is crammed full of silver sparkle that gives it an almost holographic appearance. Application was nigh on perfect, one coat gave almost full coverage, and gave a more pink colour, but add a second coat like I have here, and the true bright purple shade comes into it's own.

This polish dried almost instantaneously and it wore well. Despite containing a whole load of sparkle, this polish has a super smooth finish.Whilst the camera flash suggests otherwise, this isn't the glossiest polish I've ever used in fact it has more of a satin finish, obviously if you wanted a glossy finish, then you could use a top coat but I like it just the way it is.

Alas this polish was a limited edition and unless you can find it in a TK Maxx store or online then you're probably out of luck. I'm pretty pleased that I managed to pick up this shade though, I love everything about it, from the colour, to the finish, and the formulation. 

I'm definitely going to pick up some more Illamasqua polishes up in the future and I'm also going to keep checking out the beauty section in TK Maxx, to see what other bargains I can find? Have you picked up anything interesting in TK Maxx lately? Let me know x 

Holiday Outfits Of The Day and Night

Another one of your requests on my giveaway post was outfits of the day, eek as you probably know I'm not a million percent happy with my body at the moment but whilst I debate starting yet another diet I thought why not. Mummy Lou took a few pics of me whilst I was on holiday so I thought I'd show you some of the things I wore. You've seen some of these outfits on me before but there are plenty of new combos x

Travelling In Comfort

Drawstring Waist Cropped  Black Harem Pants -George at Asda

Purple Long Line Vest - Top Shop

Lightweight Black Waterfall Cardigan - ebay

White 2 Strap Birkenstocks

Snowflake Obsidian Gem Bracelet

White Round Glass Bead Bracelet

A Few Day Outfits

Multicoloured Striped Pocket Skirt - H&M

Yellow Vest - People Tree

Blue Brazilian Havaianas

Floral Skirt - Dorothy Perkins

Purple Bandeau Top - Dorothy Perkins

Black Havaianas

Prescription Sunglasses - Jai Kudo

Night Time

Black Floral Maxi Dress - Uttam London

Black Melissa Bow Flip Flops- ASOS

Not Seen - Red Rose Earrings - Superdrug

Kelly Maxi Dress -Boohoo

Coral Toned Bracelets - Evans and Primark

Not Seen - Peach Flower Earrings - Peacocks

Cream / White Cropped Cardigan / Shrug - George at Asda

Melissa Flip Flops - As Before

Purple Floral Maxi Dress - Mela Loves London

Cropped Cardigan - As Before

Flip Flops - As Before

Not Seen - Purple Rose Earrings - Superdrug

Turquoise Floral Maxi Dress - Bon Prix

Fiona Black Mesh Shrug - BooHoo

Same Flip Flops

Pandora Style Bracelet - Gift

Silver Tone Turquoise and Coral Earrings - Cyprus A Few Years Ago

Navy Blue Sequin Details Dress - Moda at George at Asda

Flip Flops As Before

Blue Sandstone Lola Rose Bracelet and Earrings

Navy Blue Silver Tone Gummy Bracelets

As you can see I need a bit of practise with the posing, but now I'm home and I've got my tripod this might be a bit easier - I warn you I am one of the most boring dressers ever but my public has spoken lol Any questions on anything leave me a comment x Next up the post you've all bee waiting for the holiday haul!                          

My Nail Polish Collection - Color Club

Hey my loves and welcome to the first proper post in My Nail Polish Collection series. In this super long series I am going to be showing you all the nail polishes in my collection through pics and paper swatches as well as including link where appropriate to nails of the day posts. As I said in a previous post this has been requested in video format but this is probably the easiest way to do it x
I've decided to start off with quite a new brand for me Color Club, I have to say I hadn't heard of the brand until late last year when it started popping up on You Tube channels and on blogs. I think it's a US brand and I've bought the 3 bottles I have from ebay for a pretty reasonable price. However I know a few people including the lovely Lillian have managed to pick up some Color Club polishes from TK Maxx so it's worth having a look there too x
The 3 colours I have are all pretty much in the same theme, sparkles, glitters and holographic, and I have to say I am super impressed with the colours, application and wearability of the polishes I have, so without further rambling here they are, Oh and don't forget if you click the names of the polishes it will link you to them on my little fingers in a nails of the day post

From left to right - 850 Worth The Risque, 852 Revvvolution, and 859 Fashion Addict

It's so hard to show you on here just how fabulous these colours actually are, the sparkle is amazing, Worth The Risque is an amazing silver holographic a worthy and easier to apply dupe of Gosh Holographic,  859 Fashion Addict is a beautiful lilac shade with lots of holographic sparkle, and as you can see 852 Revvvolution  is a gorgeous dark charcoal shade, again with lots of holographic sparkles

If you love sparkle these polishes are definitely worth a look, I really want to try out some more Color Club polishes so if you have any recommendations please let me know x

Erm How Can I Put This.......? Haul!!!

I apologise guys I really don't know what to say but believe it or not I have a bit more haulage for you. On Tuesday my mum had to take her car for it's one month service ?? why I really don't know surely it doesn't need servicing after just 4 weeks ! never mind I joined her on a little trip to Durham. The garage isn't in the city centre it actually in between two retail parks on the outskirts of Durham - yup I said it retail parks!
Durham City Retail Park isn't that exciting mainly PC World, B&Q and Argos, but Dragonville is much better :). We didn't go to Tesco this time instead we headed straight for some proper shops - first up TK Maxx. I mentioned this TK Maxx on one of my previous Durham days but this one is so orderly it's untrue, it's super tidy and the rails aren't stuffed full. On my last visit I complained about the lack of shoes in larger sizes but this time it was much better - Mummy Lou was kind enough to buy these babies for me to compensate for the pile of things she bought lol - they aren't the most attractive beasts but they are so comfy

Birkenstocks! or more precisely Silver Madrid Birkenstocks I already have a white pair with two straps (Arizona?) and they are soooo comfy I love them - they were £22.99 but they have an RRP of £39.95 :)

As I say Mummy Lou bought me these because she bought loads of things for herself, she also bought herself a few things in Matalan but nothing really appealed - I did however pop into Peacocks :) This shop is really coming into it's own with me lately they have some lovely things especially in the fashion jewellery line :) . First up I got this super cute earring set - with having 4 piercings in each ear I often like to wear hoops in three of my holes and a little stud in the bottom one and these certainly fit the bill.

 Try as I might couldn't capture them on camera so I've borrowed the pic from the Peacocks website - you get a pair of tiny daisies, a pair of tiny butterflies, and some opal type crystals

I also got these dangly earrings daisies again - these are very similar to some rings I own from Primark

and I got this faux jade stone ring - this is very similar to a Primark / River Island one that I wanted some time ago love this :)

and finally from Peacocks I picked up another make up item - this is the get the smoky look kit from Evie Glam

This little kit contains 2 eyeshadows, and a mini khol pencil and mascara

It was only £4 :) I will doing a full review of this product as well as the other items I've recently purchased from Evie Glam for my Budget Beauty series so don't forget to look out for it x

That was my haul from Durham but I got him just in time for a delivery from Home Delivery Network  - the outer parcel was soaking wet with grey / black raindrops  clearly visible on the red plastic, it was delivered in a bit of monsoon maybe with a bit of volcanic ash added urgh!!
Anyway the contents of the parcel was perfectly fine - it was from River Island - can you guess what was in it? Yes it was an item from my wishlist - the polka dot and pansy scarf :)

I absolutely love it is much longer than I thought almost pashmina a like and it can  be worn in loads of different ways - bad pic of it just draped around my neck :)

Another item kind of sneaked into my backed a pair of cute Henry Holland socks that were in the sale :)

So that was my haul - I am waiting for a few online purchases which I will update you on as they come but you can expect to see some Milani, some Color Club, some H&M, some L'Oreal HIP, and maybe cough cough some NARS and some Daniel Sandler eek I have spent soooooo much money this month I've stopped counting June will definitely be more frugal I promise. In an attempt to earn a bit of cash and sort out my overflowing drawers and wardrobes I have spent the afternoon sorting out my wardrobe I am nowhere near finished but I have already fill a bin bag full of things for ebay, so don't forget to keep any eye on my sidebar for more ebay updates → I will also be updating my blog sale at the weekend again there are a few bits left and reduced from the last update so don't forget to have a look x I have a mountain of coat hangers to clear off my bed so I better stop rambling and get to it x Any questions as per usual leave me a comment x Next up a review I promise x

A Tiny Bit Of Haulage - Here Come The Summer Sun??

Hi guys sorry this post is up so late tonight but I was listening to the football and trying to fix my Blackberry - a  0-0 draw at home to Man U has left my feeling pretty chuffed, Newcastle's Premiership future is secured for another season :)
Yesterdays little outing lead to a further dent in this months spending diet - this month has been a total and utter disaster I'm not proud but I'll keep documenting my failures in the side bar for you ;) I have a couple of online purchases to add and a potential trip to the Metro Centre this week too eek! As you know yesterday my mum went to pick up her new car, and whilst we were in Durham we went to a local retail park, we stocked up on some Easter food stuff (chocolate) in Aldi and Tesco, and we popped into TK Maxx. I have to say I had never been in this particular TK Maxx before and I was pleasantly surprised. Often TK Maxx stores are a little bit of shall we say a mess, don't get me wrong I love a good rummage, but sometimes you just can't be bothered. This store was a revelation everything was well displayed, and tidy. The cosmetic goodies were particularly good - the display area was clean and everything was sealed - they had a good selection of brands including Leighton Denny, Nails Inc, Margaret Dabbs, Tigi, St Tropez, and Rodial. There were a few things that tempted me but I remained strong, and headed to the shoes - lots of lovely shoes in sizes 3, 4, and 5 :( The size 8's were awful in comparison which is such a same damn you big feet, next up the clothes.
I have to say this particular stores clothing range wasn't the biggest but the quality was excellent, lots of variety and nothing looked as though it has been dragged around the floor. First up the bargainista in me checked out the sale rails, they had a few nice things including a whole load of Max C dresses for less than £15 but this top called to me. Yes unsurprisingly for me lately, it's a nude blush colour and it has ruffles :)  It's by a brand called Spense and it's in a lovely silky fabric which is a polyester/elastane mix, and better still it was only £10 :)

I then went to look at their dresses and I immediately fell in love with this maxi dress. Maxis look set to be one of the key trends for summer again this year, so I think I need to add a few more to my collection. This dress is by a brand called Uttam London, and it was £19.99, and had an RRP of £49.99

It's in  black with a rose print in 100% cotton with a smocked top and adjustable tie straps, which you can use or tuck in to wear it strapless and it has a large rose, floral pattern :) This one really appealed to me because of it's similarity to one I bought last year from Bon Prix which I loved - it's exactly the same style and has a very similar print

slightly chubby LouLou modelling it on my hols last year ;)

So they were my purchases eek, I guess we'll see what the rest of the month brings spends wise, I ain't holding my breathe for much success lets put it that way ;) Any questions let me know x I'm not sure if I'll manage to get a post up tomorrow what with my hospital appointment and so but I'll see xx

Small Haul

Hey guys, yesterday I went to the Metro Centre with my mum, to try and find some lampshades, Operation Lampshade as yesterday will be subsequently referred to, was a bit of an epic, we started off in the Metro Centre moving on to two DIY stores, and an out of town retail park containing a Next, a TK Maxx and a Poundstretchers, before ending up at a relatives house, and did we find the suitable lampshades, did we hell!

 Anyways I did make a couple of tiny purchases which may have just sneaked me over my monthly limit on the 7th of the month eeek Never mind first up a nail polish - I've seen this on a few blogs and I think it is sooo pretty - It's the 17 (when did they drop the number 17 by the way?) Nail Xtras Crackle Top Coat - this is such a nice gold/silver shade - unfortunately you won't be seeing it on my nails for a bit following my fight with a sharp knife at the weekend but I have tried it on my toe nail and it is so pretty much nicer than the black crackles

Next up WHSmith - I had wanted some new storage bits for my make for a while now - I had toyed with the idea of the Muji clear acrylic drawers but finances didn't allow so I got one of the multi drawers - I love the floral rose print on these ones and they were only £9.99 :) I've already stocked them up with my lip products and my eye pencils so they are now a bit full whoops!

The finally port of call on our shopping event was TK Maxx I love TK Maxx and can spend ages rooting through the rails - there were a few decent beauty products including St Tropez, Ecotan, and Margaret Dabbs but I was good and headed to the clothing racks I bought a skirt which is just plain black cotton, with a smocked waist and black flower details on the bottom, it was only £14.99 and will be great for the summer - alas no pics I just can't get the details to show up

I did buy this tho from the home department - I love TK Maxx home department it has all sorts of  quirky things that you don't always see elsewhere. I had seen something like this on QVC but they were a lot more expensive than this - this cute, ceramic treat jar was less than a fiver :) I've already put it to good use and put my cotton buds in it :) So they were my purchases and I have to admit I have my eye on a few other bits at the moment too, I don't know whether it's the appearance of the sun of what but I am loving the look of skirts and summer things at the moment, I keep imagining myself in flippy skirts and flip flops lol

My Day In Pictures

A different type of post for you today - I planned to film a Vlog for my You Tube but my camera batteries were on their last legs so I took a few pictures of my day for you  - I've just noticed that a lot of these pics are food related eek well tis the season to get fat ;)

The Temperature This Morning - eek

Doesn't It Look Pretty Though

Ah That's Better

The Purpose Of The Trip - Yum

Look What I Found In TK Maxx

A Chocolate Treat

I hope you enjoyed this slice of my life in Co Durham and Tyne and Wear this morning I have a few more posts planned this week - I am definitely going to fit at least one review in, and my Christmas Decorations post as well as my giveaway draw so don't forget to keep checking back during the last minute rush xx

Guilty Pleasures - Part 3 - TK Maxx!!!

Don't you just love TK Maxx!

Yes it looks like a jumble sale at times but there are some real gems to be had!

The other day one of my local branches had some fab designer stuff including Missoni, Calvin Klein Couture, Cerruti and the wonder that is Emilio Pucci all for loads less than the rrp !

I am the world biggest Pucci fiends, the colours, the swirls - amazing ! and to get a bag for over £100 less than the retail price made me a very happy Lou Lou!

I've bought some fab Missoni, Chloe, CK, Matthew Williamson and Givenchy in the past - amazing labels for a cheaper price

With TK Maxx we can all afford a bit of designer in our lives - brave the jumble sale like rails, practise your rifling and grab a bargain!