January Sales...

The January Sales. The best sales in the sale calendar. Massive savings on a whole range of items (not just clothing, but things for the home, holidays and even cars too) means that people go slightly mad when the shops open on Boxing Day. Now, I do love shopping but I could never handle a busy shopping centre on Boxing Day. And don't get me started on the people that queue from 3am just to grab the best bargains! I'm not quite that hardcore.  

I always seem to do pretty well in the January Sales, well, and any Sale for that matter. I nearly always come away with some quality items! Friends have asked how the hell I get so lucky so, I decided to share my tips for successful Sale shopping...

- I never go shopping on Boxing Day. Boxing Day to me is having a nice lie in, eating turkey sandwiches, watching telly, and later on a night out with my girls! Going a couple of days later means that there are still bargains to be had! And the shops aren't as busy. 

- Always have an idea in mind of what you want. That way you don't spend all day aimlessly walking round shops in the hope you may find something. I'm not saying have an exact idea of what you want, just a general one. This forward thinking gives your trip some direction. 

- A lot of shops do discount things up to a whopping 75% off. When buying things with that much off always take a good look and think "is it worth it?" and most importantly, "will I wear it?". Items discounted that much are only often discounted to such an extent because shops can't sell the clothing.

- Sales are perfect opportunities to invest in good quality 'basics'. Basic items are things that will see you through season to season, and never date. I'm talking about jeans, jumpers, LBD’s, heels, coats, classic tailoring etc. Snap things like this up from the more expensive end of the High Street. Shops at the 'higher' end include places like Reiss, French Connection, Ted Baker and All Saints. You may only get a maximum of 25% - 50% at a push at these places but it's still better than paying full price!

- Always take someone with you. More importantly, make it someone you trust to tell you what looks good and what doesn't. Similarly, don't be persuaded by shop assistants who may try to tell you anything just to get you out of the changing rooms and parting with you hard earned cash! 99% of sales assistants are great and will advise, but trust me there are some that really aren't so honest. 

- Take a large brolly with you. Not so much as a rain guard but as a weapon to keep other savvy bargain hunters away from you’re soon to be purchases! ;-)

So, as I went Sale shopping today, what did I buy?

Jack Wills 'Fairdown' Gilet - £98 down to £79. 

Warehouse Cable style knitted jumper. £35 down to £25.

A close up of the jumpers detailing.

Until next time lovelies. In the meantime, happy shopping! x

Secret Santa...

The other day it was 'Secret Santa' giving at my work. Being my first one as a working woman I was a little bit unsure of what it was going to be like. Was it going to be like Uni times with slightly 'rude' pressies (you know what I mean, Ann Summers chocolate willies etc) or would be a more grown up affair? Cue my delighted surprise when I unwrapped a Sanctuary bath set! Sanctuary is of course Boot's popular bath and body cosmetics line. The distinct sweet orangey smell will perk up even the most boring of bath times. I also associate the scent with holidays and sun cream. I do happen to 'borrow' a lot of my Mum's Sanctuary products, so I'm pleased to finally have some of my own!

The set is miniature sized versions of the full sized products available on a daily basis in pretty much every Boots store. I like the gift sets you can get at Christmas. It means you can have a selection of good quality products for a fraction of the price. The full sized Sanctuary products aren't cheap in my opinion! Altogether the set contains:

• Body Lotion
• Body Scrub
• Body Wash
• Foaming Bath Soak
• Luxury Bath Float

Watch out for plenty of posts in the New Year reviewing my loot!

All that's left to say now is a big thank you to whoever had me for Secret Santa - I still haven't worked it out yet!

And, considering that I'm writing this on Christmas Eve - Merry Christmas everyone! Have a fabulous and festive time!

Much Love x  

MakeUp Masterclass...

Last weekend I did one of those things that you probably should do more often that you actually do. I cleaned my makeup bag and my makeup brushes. Modern living means that we probably don’t do this enough, but one free Saturday afternoon I decided it was time my makeup and I had a little face off (terrible pun I know).

Brushes and bags harbour dirt like you wouldn't believe. And where does all this bacteria transfer itself too? Your hands and face of course! Germs from your hands and the air all settle in Ladies' makeup bags across the country, leading to bad skin and spot breakouts. I know we all get bad skin from time to time but these can be minimised by taking proper care of your makeup brushes. We all know that you shouldn't use out of date makeup, so why let your brushes get clogged up with dead skin and other equally nasty germs?

I usually wash my brushes in either the kitchen or a bathroom. Why? Because there’s a sink and it’s easier to clean up any spillages than in a bedroom. This time I used the kitchen, so do excuse the eggs just chilling in the background :D

I started by locating my entire set of makeup brushes and washing them in warm water with shampoo (the water afterwards was a wonderful shade of brown/tan colour haha!). An inexpensive one will do the trick. (Just like the one in the photo. It also makes them smell nice after with the fruity scent - win!) 

Next, I washed my makeup bag. Again, with a clean sponge and shampoo. I left them to dry overnight on some kitchen towel. And voila, in the morning they were all clean and fresh, ready to be used again!

Clean makeup brushes are the key to good skin

Notes on makeup...

I use a sponge to apply foundation. Every couple of weeks I replace the sponge with a brand new one. Doing this prevents your pores being clogged up and of course, unsightly spots! You can buy loads of really cheap foundation sponges in places like Boots and even Asda so they can be disposable. 

Bin old makeup when you clean your makeup bag. Makeup isn't designed to be kept for ages, and like food it does have a 'sell by' date. Don't keep mascara for more than 3 months and eye shadow for more than 6. Otherwise you run the risk of getting nasty eye infections like conjunctivitis. Look at what you use and what you don't. Avoid wasting money on makeup you won't really wear, because high chances are you will end up binning it anyway. Don't ever look at a bright pink eye shadow and think "yeah I'll wear that" when you know you really won't. 

Don't keep foundation for ages either. The chemicals in it will start to condense and it will not be a pleasant experience for your skin!

Make the effort to clean your brushes on a regular basis, and in time your skin will thank you for it.

Until next time lovelies x

Hard As Nails...

The Strictly Come Dancing Edition!

I love Strictly Come Dancing. Nearly as much as I love painting my nails. Ballroom dancing has been given a modern make over with a host of sexy profession dancers, (ooooh Artem!) some spectacular costumes and clever routines. I also love Len Goodman simply because he is such a darling! This may sound really old fashioned and a bit sad, but I would absolutely love to learn how to ballroom dance! Who knows, maybe Santa will grant my wish this year? 

I associate Strictly with winter. Winter equals Christmas. And Christmas equals lots of glitz and glam. Yes, at Christmas it is the only time of the year where it is acceptable to look like a disco ball. I decided to take a little bit of glam to my nails. My latest Avon haul included this glittery top coat so I decided to experiment with colours to paint underneath it. Black sprang to mind simply because I thought it would make the glittery top coat stand out so much more than say a red or a purple. You can also buy the same top coat but in a purple or a gold colour. Too shop the collection, click here. 

I used my trusty Barry M black for the first coat. After painting my nails I left them to dry and then painted the glittery top coat on. What a difference it made! My nails sparkled and glittered, and brought a bit of a change to an otherwise simple manicure. I got a few compliments from people in work too. Let’s face it; it's always nice to have a compliment or two! Brightens up my day anyway :-)

The only thing I would say about this top coat is that it is a devil to remove! So be prepared to scrub your nails to get this polish off!

You can experiment with any colour as the first coat - it gives a nice winter sparkle up any manicure. I shall defiantly be using it again and again to make my nails glam ;)

Don't forget to also put base coat on - you don't want to stain your nails.

Until next time lovelies x