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 

A Small Primark Haul - Fashion, Accessories And More

Over the last week or so I've experienced a lot of emotions, but I think the one that's made its presence felt more than any other is frustration! I've been a flaky blogger for a long while now, and whilst I seem to apologise for it quite a lot, sometimes other things really are more important. At last though I was starting to feel as though as I could see the light at the end of tunnel. I started post planning, and taking photographs, and I can honestly say that I was starting to enjoy the whole blogging thing again, all be it at my own pace. Then what happens? everything goes belly up! After a pretty nasty rainstorm my land line and my broadband went down - cue a week and a bit of hardly any internet access. Thankfully it was fixed yesterday and I'm back, and hopefully for good this time ;)

So instead of being up to date, I'm playing catch up again with my blog posts, starting with a long awaited Primark haul. Primark trips and to be honest shopping trips in general have been very thin on the ground this year - I just haven't had the energy and as I've said before I'm really trying to buy less and wear more but with a bit of birthday money to spend I decided to take a little trip to Primark. I didn't buy a lot but I bought a few things that will work really well with items that I already own, and I bought a couple of, shall we say experimental things.

I've really gotten out of the habit of wearing dresses, I don't know but over the years I've gone through lots of dress phases, where it's all I've bought is dresses, and then I'll go through phases where I don't wear dresses for month. Style wise I'm not at all sure about this one, it's quite form fitting, but loved the pattern, the midi length, and the slightly stretchy fabric. I'm sure it's going to show off every bulge and bump, but I kind if thought what the hell, it was only £8 and I'm picturing it with sandals, or even with short Converse, I just need to be brave enough to wear it now!

Now something that I've always enjoyed in fashion is layering - from playing with jumpers, tops, and cardigans to wearing shirts as jackets to wearing vests over t-shirts I've always enjoyed experimenting with layers, and teaming different fabrics and textures, and this top just screamed Louise from a more playful, and experimental time. With an almost animal print, tie dye esq design, in a host of neutral tones, on the surface this appears to be quite a 'safe' purchase. Look more closely though and this boxy style t-shirt is actually made of a sheer mesh. If you're being brave, and you're wearing super pretty underwear than this could be a real statement piece, I think though I'm going to take the safer option and wear a vest or a camisole underneath it - whilst you could experiment with colour I think I would personally go for something in nude, coffee or black. Let me know if you have any other suggestions though, I'd love to hear your ideas x This top was £5.

From two slightly brave options, to a quintessential safe Louise option - a striped t-shirt. Although I'm not as brave as I used to be with clothing, I'm a firm believer that any rules about not wearing horizontal stripes when you're curvy should be thrown out with the rubbish - break those rules and enjoy fashion that's what I say!

Apart from the unusual combination of the peach, green, and black and white stripes, I love this t-shirt because it could be something that you've stolen from your boyfriend, it has a great over sized feel, but at the same time it's quite fitted, and as you see from the picture below it's long, and it covers my hips. Primark isn't the worst offender by any means but why are clothes so short at the moment - I know cropped t-shirts are all the rage again but I seem to pick up and put down so many items because they only seem to come 3/4 of the way down my back- what is going on? Is it a general sizing issue or am I just a funny shape? That's why when I find a long vest or t-shirt I buy it in every colour - indulgence or just sensible shopping taking advantage of clothes that actually fit you? Anyway enough ranting - the fabric is also super soft, it was only £5 and I love it!

I did see a few more nice clothing bits but bar a couple of additions I think I have enough clothes to see my through summer in the UK, especially if the rain keeps up. I did buy a couple of accessory bits though, and who'd have thought it, scrunchie is back! When I was at school I had so many scrunchies that I made my own scrunchie holder out of a kitchen roll tube so I could display them all, sad huh? and wearing about 3 at once? what was that all about? Anyways bar some bad fashion moments scrunchies are pretty practical when you think about, they very rarely get caught on your hair and they definitely cause less of an ouch factor than a conventional elastic bobble, and they don't hurt your head. I've always been partial to a scrunchie and even though they've went in and out of fashion I've still worn them for bed, but I think I can still rock a scrunchie in public so I picked up this pack of 3 for just £2. They're made of a nice textured fabric, and the colours work perfectly with so much of my wardrobe, I love coral, who doesn't need a neutral and you should now by now that I love mustard! Could I wear them all together? Maybe, but I think I leave the 90's and 00's behind, for now anyways!

I had a good look through the jewellery but as I said in my last Primark haul (read it here if you haven't already) I'm feeling a little bit overawed by my jewellery collection at the moment so I'm trying to shop my stash a bit but I thought these earrings were just too cute to leave behind. I don't own a lot of jewellery in rose gold or rose gold tone, and I think that it just complimented the design of these earrings perfectly. Small textured, filigree butterflies with a central crystal stone - I don't always do pretty and feminine but for just £1 these earrings are exactly that.

I don't know whether it's because my trips to Primark are a lot more sporadic than they used to be, but every time I go in now I seem to be more and more in awe of their beauty range, so many new items, high end dupes, collaborations and brands - the latest brand to join the Primark stable is 3INA and whilst some of the eye shadows looked amazing I couldn't really justify buying anything make up wise. Even though I had no intention of buying anything else I took my usual look at the reduced section and whilst it can sometimes be a shelf of broken eyeshadows and stained packaging, I think I found myself a little bargain.

Yes, my make up brush collection is verging on the obsessive but I do love a bargain and this big fan brush was only £1. It wasn't particularly expensive at £2.50 in the first place but come on a £1!

As bargaintastic as it was though, it isn't a bargain if it's no good, and you'll be pleased to know that this is a nice brush, for adding a bit of loose powder or a touch of highlighter. It has an easy to grip, rubberised handle, and super soft, synthetic bristles. Did I need it? Not really but it's decent and I'll definitely use it.

So after a week of frustration I've finally got a post up. It wasn't the biggest of hauls but I think I got some nice and interesting things, I just need to get my experimental fashion, or should I say style mojo back x Have you been to Primark recently ? Let me know your top finds x

A Late August 2018 Primark Haul - Clothes, Accessories And Beauty

I've said it before and I'll say it again, I honestly don't know where this year has gone, it seems to have flown by so fast that I don't seem to have been able to do anything, go anywhere or achieve anything. Please tell me I'm not alone in feeling this way or is this just middle age and life catching up with me? - who knows! Like most things this year Primark trips have been pretty thin on the ground, my last visit was in May so a little shopping trip was well overdue! It's always the way though isn't it, you don't go somewhere for ages and then you end up going three times in 4 weeks! a bit like buses I guess, but you what that means, it means that I have a couple of Primark hauls coming up for you in the next week or so, first up the goodies I picked up on two trips in August x

Last time I was in Primark way back in May, it was all about summer style, with shorts, vest tops , bikinis and sandals as far as the eye could see, this time round though the sale rails were clinging on to summer whilst the rest of the store, was bedecked in Autumn and Winter colours and styles.

Something that seems to be back big style for A/W 2018 is checks and tartan, I love a checked shirt on a guy but I'm also partial to a little bit of plaid in my own wardrobe. I've always loved tartan and checks for as long as I can remember; I remember having a couple of dresses in tartan as both a child and an adult, and I remember owning the most fabulous bright blue tartan mini skirt from C&A, it probably wouldn't fit me know but I wish I'd held on to it.

This top is probably a little bit more practical than my long lost skirt, and at just £5 it was a must have. It's basically a fine knit type fabric tunic, it has a slightly boxy bat wing shape, and a visible back zip.

Primark have apparently improved their sizing on a lot of their items, and this was one of a few items that I saw that was available in a 2XL, which they claim should fit a 22-24. Still not trusting Primark's sizing and always going for the largest size, this was the size that I went for, but to be honest I should have gone a size down because on me it's pretty roomy. Despite the fact that it's pretty lightweight it's still pretty cosy but since I do have a bit of extra room in it, and because it has 3/4 sleeves, I could wear it on top of either a long sleeved t-shirt or a black polo or roll neck for a bit of extra warmth on those colder days.

Although the store was full of Autumn and Winter bits, there were still a few basics and things that I think you could wear all year round. I love florals,  be it ditsy, gaudy, or even vintage, if there is a flower on something that you can pretty much guarantee that I'll like it. I'm also a huge fan or shirts and blouses so team either of those with a floral print, and I'll be there in a flash.

I couldn't resist this long line tie detail shirt, in a slightly sheer chiffon / gauze fabric, this off white shirt features a vintage style blush floral rose pattern. It only buttons half way down leaving you free to wear it loose or to knot it at the front.

It was only £12 and I loved it so much that I went back and picked up the same shirt but in a different colour and print. This one is in a beautiful deep teal, with a slightly different but equally big and blousey vintage floral print in shades of blue, blue, and beige.

Again it was only £12 and again you can wear it in several different ways. Being so sheer I probably will need to wear a vest or a t-shirt underneath but you could wear it unbuttoned as a kind of a jacket, tied, or even loose with the buttons fastened, giving it an almost slit detail look.

There seems to be a lot of this teal / petrol shade around at the moment and I also ended up buying one of my favourite long line t-shirts in this fab deep petrol shade.

I've talked about these Primark t-shirts on many occasions now and they are a real staple for me, this one was just £3.50 and again it's perfect on it's own and perfect for layering as the weather gets colder. I'm also a huge fan of their long sleeved t-shirts so I picked up this navy blue and red stripe crew neck t-shirt shirt for £4.00.

Although the long sleeved t-shirts aren't marked as being long line, on me the length is pretty decent, and because of the elastane content they skim my curves and they don't tend to ride up. If you want a bit more length though you could maybe size up a bit but I'm both long in the body and curvy and they're fine on me.

Apart for a pair of leggings, and a pair of my Primark wardrobe staple indigo jeggings, that was it for clothing, but I did go slightly mad in the hair accessories, does anyone really need 45 different hair bobbles, well I do! I honestly don't know where they go! Like so many things Primark have been playing around with their sizing on their hair bobbles, and I picked up a pack of their snag less 30 Standard Hair Elastics which were £1.50. I haven't tried these yet but on reflection I should have gone for the ones for thicker hair we'll see though and I'll know either way for next time. I also got a pack of 12 of the rubber / plastic Spiral Hair Ties in various shades of brown for just £1. Again I love the fact that these don't catch, snag or damage the hair, they also hold their shape pretty well, just keep them away from four legged felines if you want them to last though ;)

Now, as someone who grew up in the 80's and 90's I have many stories about the humble hair scrunchie, be it my scrunchie collection and when it became a bit of a competition as to how many you could wear in your hair at once! I'm not entirely sure that I want to go back there but scrunchies are immensely practical especially if like me, you tie your hair back for bed. They're soft, they don't catch the hair, and you can't feel them digging into your scalp! I have a few floating round that I still use but since they seem to be on trend again I thought I'd stock up with this pack of 3 black scrunchies which just a £1. I'm not sure I'll wear them out of the house, I think I'm over that but I'll definitely wear them for bed.

Next up beauty, and despite seeing a few things online that I liked the look of when I got into store I didn't desperately need or want anything, so I just ended up buying some face wipes and a lipstick.

Okay I didn't need a lipstick but for just 90p and since Primarks beauty range is now cruelty free, it would have been wrong not to have popped this PS Lustre Lipstick in Skin On Skin into my basket

In almost self coloured MAC esq packaging, the lipstick is in a lovely pink / nude colour, it has a coconut taste and scent, and feels very moisturising on the lips. The pigmentation is excellent and it has a nice sheen to it - overall well worth 90p and maybe even more!

Now I also mentioned that I picked up some face wipes, I have used Primark's tea tree face wipes for what seems like forever, I've gone through so many packets that I've lost count. I use them for all sorts of things and when I don't have them I panic! Since I hadn't been to Primark for around 3 months understandably I'd ran out and I thought if I just picked up some generic tea tree based face wipes from B&M that they would be the same, believe me they weren't and they made me realise just how good the Primark ones were, you can therefore imagine my horror when I couldn't find the ones that I usually buy - instead all I could find were these.

They were the same price and you got the same amount of wipes, and the ingredients looked similar so I hoped upon hope, that it was just a name and packaging change, and thankfully that's exactly what seems to have happened, they look, smell and feel exactly the same as they always use to - Phew!!! breathes a huge sigh of relief!

The eagle eyed and loyal LouLouLand and LouLou699 followers amongst may have already seen this but last week I posted a little video to accompany this blog post, you can find out a little bit more about the items that I've showed you here (bar one of the t-shirts that I forget to film eek) and hear more about a couple of things that I haven't talked about in this post. You can watch it below or via this link.



As I say I've got another Primark haul coming for you in the next week or so but in the meantime if you're a fan of hauls don't forget to follow me on Instagram (I'm @LouLou699 ) I've recently posted a TK Maxx haul on my stories featuring a few Illamasqua bits. If you've missed seeing that in my storeies though you can always check out my Instahaul highlights tab to see all of the purchases that I've shared on my stories over the last few months x I love reading and watching other peoples haul post so don't forget to link me up in the comments and of course please let me know if you have any questions on anything that I've bought x