Pre-Christmas Collective Haul

Post-Birthday & Pre-Christmas Collective Haul | Featuring. Lush, The Body Shop, Soap & Glory, Clarins, Clinique, Avon, Superdrug, Primark, New Look, ASDA, and a couple of gifts. 

 

..That is what I wanted to call this post, but that's just crazy long, so I decided to shorten it down to just Pre-Christmas Collective Haul. Mannn, I have done a lot of shopping in these past 2-3 weeks. I can just hear my poor bank account crying out for me to leave it alone now!




I've had multiple shopping bags sitting in the corner of my room for the past two and a half weeks which was ideally supposed to be full of Christmas presents but when it came to sorting through it all and wrapping up presents last night I discovered that 'gifts for others' vs 'gifts for myself' was quite disproportionate: 22 things for friends, family and boyfriend ..57 for myself. Season for giving?! Slap on the wrist for me this month!

I didn't realise that it had gotten that extreme, but I do love a good shop! It's so difficult to resist things when there's so many good offers on at this time of year and going out shopping for others is something that cannot be avoided. I'll hold my hand up and say that I don't at all enjoy the experience of Christmas shopping; I find it stressful and unpleasant as I hate shopping in busy and crowded environments with cheesy Christmas songs blasting down my ears with chavvy mums ramming their prams into me trying to get past down aisles that are too small, with the added pressure of wanting to find something really special that will truely spoil someone that you care about and will put a big smile on their face Christmas morning! So, to soften the hard task that is shopping for others I pick little treats up for myself along the way :) Everything here obviously wasn't bought all in one go.. I wouldn't have the biceps capable of carrying it all back home again! It was a gradual and accumulative process.

I also had my birthday at the end of November so received lots of birthday spends that were to be used to treat myself, and treat myself I have done!! I'm sure I'll be finding a way to justify everything that I picked up for myself.. read on to find out what I've spoilt myself with and what my excuses are!

Lush
I've already done a whole separate post dedicated to this box of goodies that I ordered online a couple of weeks ago using some of my birthday money. I went all out and ordered 9 little treats and received 1 free sample of 'Fun'. My box includes 4 Christmas limited edition items including Snow Fairy shower gel, Bubblebeard bubble bar, Christmas Eve bubble bar and The Melting Snowman bath melt. I also ordered a hair mask (H'suan Wen Hua), a fresh face mask (Love Lettuce), a massage bar (Soft Coeur), a spot treatment (Grease Lightning), and a solid shampoo bar (New). Safe to say this box smells amaaazing and you can read a little bit more about it here: LINK.


 

The Body Shop
If you didn't already know, this month's issue of Glamour magazine includes a Joy Card inside it which entitles the reader to either a £3, £10, or £100 voucher for The Body Shop but you won't know how much is on it until you take it instore. This months Glamour mag was a special price of £1.50 so I knew that even if I got a £3 voucher it would still be a saving and I'd put it to good use - I looove The Body Shop! Yes, I got a £3.00 voucher and it can only be used on full price items and not in conjunction with any other promotions so I spent it on something that has been on my 'lust list' for a while and even featured on my 'Christmas Wish List' (link) and it was the Almond Hand and Nail Cream (RRP £5.00 for 30ml), so that ended up being a little £2 treat to slip in my bag.

Soap & Glory
I'm quite new to the Soap & Glory fan club and have only tried a couple of bits, but Scrub Your Nose In It is now a staple in my skin care routine and Hand Food has a firm place on my bedside table, along with Mist You Madly being my perfect on-the-go refresher. I wanted to branch out a little bit more and try the Glad Hair Day Shampoo after hearing Corrie (Dizzybrunette3 - link) talk about this in her hair care routine video and she has amazing hair so it can't be bad! Soap & Glory is almost permanently on a 3 for 2 offer in Boots so I thought I may as well throw in the Glad Hair Day Conditioner and Intensive Conditioner too and try out the whole range together.

 

The day that I had nipped to town for a few more Christmas presents happened to be the same day that Boots reduced their price of the Soap and Glory BEST OF ALL Giftset to better than half price. The previous day, lots of bloggers had been hyping this offer up on Twitter, saying how they couldn't wait to get down to Boots early and snap one up before they all sold out, and I wasn't really that fazed or tempted by this hype.. until I was actually in Boots and saw that there was tower piled high with these giftsets and thought, 'oh it's right here infront of me, everyone keeps banging on about it, might as well get one while I can!'. So I did. Happy Christmas Hannah! The set cost £27.00, originally costing £60.00 and contains 9 full size products which individually total over £70.00 - Talk about a bargain! The set includes: The Righteous Butter body butter, Hand Food hand cream, Sugar Crush body scrub, Clean On Me shower gel, Smoothie Star body milk, Heel Genius foot mask, Peaches and Clean cleanser (been on my wishlist for ages!), Sexy Mother Pucker lip plumper, Thick and Fast mascara, plus the great big pink bag that they come in too!

 

Clarins and Clinique
It's pretty rare for me to ever buy myself high end products; I can't ever seem to justify such a large amount of money for just one product, so these two items were a real indulgence for me that I splurged on whilst Debenhams had a 15% sale on beauty and fragrance. I got the Clarins Beauty Flash Balm and the Clinique Chubby Stick Intense in 05 Plushest Punch, a vibrant hot pink. I am cherishing these two very dearly and would easily say they're my favourite things in this entire haul, they just feel so luxurious and I wish that everything I own could be from Clarins and Clinique!

 

Avon
I ordered more than this from my Avon representative but returned most of them and was left with just these three products, which were part of a '3 for £10' deal which is a pretty great bargain. All I really wanted was the Supershock Mascara (this one has limited edition Christmas packaging), and the incredibly vibrant blue Nailwear Pro+ Nail Varnish in 'Cosmic Blue', but when the mascara costs £8 and the nail varnish is £6 is seemed crazy not to get a third product and only pay £10 for all three! I wasn't sure what to get and just gambled with a mineral powder foundation as I've never tried one before.

Superdrug and Body Care
MUA clear mascara - £1. Technic highlighter - 99p. Who's a bargain shopper? Me, but only sometimes. I've been wanting a little something to fix my eyebrows in place better and have been lusting after a Mac Brow Set but I didn't want to part with £12.50 for something that is a reported 'love/hate' product so played it safe with a £1 clear mascara that I actually paid for using my Superdrug points! I've heard fantastic things about this super cheap highlighter from Body Care and it is an apparent dupe for Benefit's ..Highbeam? (I think?) so I wanted to give it a little try out for myself.



Primark
Just a few cheap and simple bits from Primark; it's been too busy to have a decent rummage recently. I am absolutely loving their bargainous mega cheap but on trend jewellery that can be found in other high street shops for up to five times the price!! My friend got these Primark earrings for her birthday and when I saw that they were only £1 I just said 'Sorry, I'm going to have to copy and get some for myself'! Then I found this shirt reduced from £12 to £5 but I don't know why it's reduced? It isn't damaged and there was a whole rail full of them reduced too, in all sizes from 6-20 (or whatever it goes up to), so perhaps it's 'past season' or something? But anyway, it's pretty and thought it would be something nice to wear out to an evening meal somewhere. And then I got some tights, because who doesn't need super cosy warm thick tights in December??

New Look
My excuse for this one is that I had a credit note from last December when I returned something after Christmas but didn't have the receipt, and these credit notes expire after 12 months so I desperately didn't want almost £40.00 to go to waste by it expiring! I'm not so much a huge fan of New Look clothes, there's the odd good thing but I never have the energy to search through the tacky stuff but I was very happy with this quilted jacket that I found for £34.99. It's pretty casual, easy to wear, fitted style, light but really warm too - better than a wasted credit note anyway!

 
 

ASDA
These are what you could regard as 'essentials', except Glamour.. but it was cheaper than usual and I wanted the Joy Card for The Body Shop! I was shopping for presents in ASDA as it's great for stocking fillers and the likes of alcohol, chocolate, DVDs etc so I couldn't resist stocking up on some everyday bits while I was there; cleanser, mini deodrant, face wipes and lip balm!

 

Gifts

These were all gifts that I was extremely lucky to receive these past few weeks! Firstly is my 'International Beauty Bloggers Secret Santa' gift that was organised by the lovely Sandra at The Puzzle of Sandra's Life (link) and my gift was from the host herself - Thank you Sandra! All the way from Slovenia I was sent a Christmas hand cream from the brand Essence as well as three nail varnishes, a L'Oreal Caresse Lipstick and some chocolate - yummy! Secondly, I've been a moody/hormonal little bitch the last week and in an attempt to put a smile back on my grumpy little face my boyfriend bought me a present.. Topshop Green Room! It definitely made me smile; the boy knows the way to my heart that's for sure. And then, as if I didn't already have enough nail varnish my Nanna rolled up with a little bag and said that she'd cleared out her collection and was donating some nail varnishes to me that she no longer wants. None of the colours struck me as too exciting, but when someone is offering to give you the likes of OPI and Leighton Denny it isn't something you turn your nose up at!

 

Aaaand that's it! Finally! Well done if you made it to the end - haha!

 

I'm not sure why some of the picture quality is really clear on some pictures and a bit crummy and fuzzy on others but I'm still trying to learn my way around the settings on my new camera; one day I'll learn when the 'close up' option is appropriate and when it isn't. I would love some kind of photography training course one day, just to get me up to speed with the basics, I feel a little useless with my snaps.

 

But anyway, thank you for reading, hope you've enjoyed!

♥

 

Winter Primark Haul | December 2012

I can't quite get over how good Primark is at the moment, I've been absolutely loving their winter stock and there's so many cosy jumpers that I could snatch up, plus I've had my first taste of a 'midi dress' from Primark and stocked up on them so now I'm all sorted for outfits over the next few weeks of festivity. A lot of people have been saying that Primark prices have increased and it's not 'cheap' anymore but I don't think that a single thing I bought was over-priced or expensive at all, everything was extremely good value for money in my opinion.

 

The items below are what I bought on a visit to Liverpool to last weekend:

Sheer Maxi Dress: £14

This dress doesn't look very sheer on the picture, but it is and it has built in shorts/knickers at the top so obviously you don't have the problem of your underwear being on show. I thought this skirt was a bargain for £14 and is extremely nice for Primark - it has two slits going all the way up the front of it, is an amazing colour and I like the belt that came with it too! I wore this skirt on my birthday night out and got lots of compliments on it - I love it so much. 

Both of these midi dresses cost £10.00 each and I'm looking forward to wearing them on nights out over the next few weeks. The grey one is extremely fitted and makes me feel like I daren't breathe in it and it shows every single lump and bump.. but as long as you're having a good body day it's very flattering! The black one is a lot easier to wear because it's looser and a stretchier jersey material so gives you room to move and breathe! I think both of these dress will be pretty timeless and can be worn again and again so were a good staple purchase for just a tenner each!

 

Striped Knitted Jumper: £10

 

Dipped Hem Fox Print Shirt: £6

I saw this shirt in a recent Primark haul video by Kate (Dolly Bow Bow) and thought 'Ooo that's cute' but when she said that it was only £6.00 I just knew that I had to have it! It took me a while to rummage around and find but I finally did and I'm glad I spent the time looking for it. Such a lovely little bargain shirt for every day casual wear.

 

Slouchy Jersey Top (White): £6

Slouchy Jersey Top (Blue): £6





Bobble Hat: £3

Definitely a winter essential! It's been so cold recently that I can't leave the house without a hat on.. plus it's good for covering up bad hair days. For £3.00 everybody should have one.

Scull Scarf: £3

Necklace: £4

 

Primark is absolutely manic at the moment with Christmas shoppers rampaging everywhere, but if you can bear the crowds then get yourself down there ASAP because there are some bargain gems just waiting to be found!

♥



Small Primark Haul | Manchester

Without too much chatter and rambling.. I spent last weekend in Manchester with one of my best friends and her older sister who lives there. On the Saturday night we took a trip down Canal Street (bit of an experience!) and then spent the Sunday shopping in town with the majority of our time spent in Primark. I restrained myself extremely well and spent a grand total of £66. If you think that sounds like a lot then check out the items that I managed to get for myself for that price. Considering Primark have upped their prices I think I found myself some pretty amazing bargains which include 3 pairs of shoes, an amazing dress, a couple of winter essentials and more!

 

Plum Wedges - £20

I am aaaaabsolutely in love with these wedges! They come in black and grey too but it was the beautiful plum colour that won me over. They're super comfy too and I can't wait to wear them soon.

 

Cheapo Converse Dupes - £6 

Again, I love the colour of these Converse style trainers. At only £6(!) for a pair I don't know why I didn't stock up on more. I love this style of trainer but not keen on the idea of splashing out £40 for a branded pair when I only want them for casual, scruffy days and need something easy to throw on my feet so I'm sure I'll get a lot of wear out of these and more than my money's worth for sure!

 

 



Slippers - £6

Can you see a bit of a pattern forming with a certain colour that I was drawn too?? Definitely loving the plum/burgandy footwear this week! Needed a new pair of warm slippers and I preferred the navy blue pair with penguins that they had but unfortunately they only had sizes 'S' (3-4) and 'L' (7-8) and I was after an 'M' (5-6) so got purple with deers on.

 

 

 

Ballet Pumps - £6

These pumps are great, the perfect black pumps that go with almost anything. Almost as essential to a wardrobe as an LBD! Even better, these ones have cushioned soles to make them comfier.

 

 

 

 

Print Tee - £6

This faded print dip hem top looks great with disco pants and a cardigan for a casual day, but I've also managed to dress it up for a night out by tucking it into a pair of shorts with heels and chunky jewellery - very versatile and easy to wear for a bargain price.

 

 

Black Dress - £13

I feel like I got myself a bargain with this little number. Classic fitted little black dress with only minor peplum detailing and a little bit of mesh cut out, making it perfect for this season but will probably be wearable for many more seasons to come as it doesn't make a huge statement out of the key trends that are around at the moment. I amazing in this dress and I know that it's one I will get one than one wear out of which is always a bonus when buying a glam going out dress.

 

Stripey Snood - £4

I definitely feel like every winter I must buy atleast 3 new scarves and pairs of gloves because I keep finding them everwhere I look! Maybe this year I'll be good and only buy one new scarf! This stripey snood is a gorgeously soft knit and there's plenty of it too to keep you nice and cosy on the frosty days that are going to be turning up soon :(

 

Hair Oil - £2.50

I saw this at the till as I was paying and I'm not sure what came over me but before I'd even realised I'd done it I'd picked one up and put it on the counter to add to my order. I have atleast 5 hair oils that I rotate between so hardly needed another adding to the collection but I felt I had to try it out. I couldn't risk missing a potential bargain treasure. I've only used this once so far and felt no difference to my hair but I'll keep you posted if it turns out to be good.

 

 

 

Socks - £2.50

Thick, chunky socks; a winter essential.

 

Not bad, not bad.

 

Also, one little thing that I picked up that wasn't from Primark. I got this earring from Topshop while they were giving students 20% off for a couple of days last week. I wandered round and round looking for something but in the end felt like I'd only be better buying something for the sake of it because I'd feel like I'd be making a saving because of the 20% discount. I saw this earring which is similar to the cuff style ones that are popular at the moment but instead this one requires two pierced holes to be able to go through. This was £4.00 but £3.20 with student discount. Trusty NUS card has served me well!

 

 

 

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♥