My Hair Clip Collection

Last week I tidied up my hair accessory drawers for the first time in my life, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity to give you a little peek at some of my hair clips.

I didn't realise I owned quite so many hair clips and grips! The bad thing is, I don't wear any of these hair clips- or any hair clips, for that matter- on a regular basis. By the time I've dried and straightened my hair, I'm happy with my locks as they are and seem to forget about accessorising. I need to mix it up from time to time.

I seem to have acquired more bow clips than anything else! I love them! I bought about a dozen of them from a boutique in New York a few years ago, reeled in by gingham and polka dots. I regret nothing! Some of my other bows are from Cath Kidston, New Look, and a giveaway I won on Rachel's blog last year.

I love these cute strawberry clips from Cath Kidston. They were actually aimed at children, but I found them too adorable to resist.

These floral hair grips from Accessorize are some of my favourites.

These black and white flower clips look so early noughties! I must have bought them more than a decade ago! I can't actually remember ever wearing them, though...

Also, how pretty are the yellow felt flower clips I won in Char's giveaway?

So, that's my pretty little hair clip collection. I love it because it's mine!

Have you got a hair accessory collection to rival mine? Do you own any of the hair clips shown in these photos?

A Little Outlet Haul March 2014

A couple of weeks ago, I ventured out of the house for the third or fourth time this year, and popped over to Bicester Village with my older sister. She wanted to shop, I just tagged along for some fresh air.

I find it difficult to come home from Bicester Village, an outlet village located in Oxfordshire, without purchasing something. I always get tempted by something, no matter how small. (I blame my sister!) I can't afford to shop in the designer shops, but Cath Kidston and the cosmetics companies always get a visit. On this occasion, I came home with a few little things from Cath Kidston, and some make up.

I wasn't swayed by a lot in Cath Kidston this time, but I couldn't leave without the set of two bunny and toadstool print cosmetics bags. I'd been admiring them online before the winter sales and fell in love with the print. (The crazy bunny lady strikes again!) They were £10 for the pair down from £15, which was a good discount.

Just look at how lovely that print is!

I also had to have these red and turquoise polka dot hair grips, which were just £2.50 instead of £6.00. I also came home with a pretty writing set for just £2, and some canape flags that were dirt cheap that I'll probably use to decorate a cake at some point this year.

If you love Cath Kidston's bags, the Bicester Village branch was well stocked with them when I visited a fortnight ago and the discounts on them weren't bad.

While we were there, we also visited The Cosmetics Company Store, which for some reason I'd never noticed on previous visits, even though it was practically opposite CK. I think it's probably a good thing I hadn't! It's basically a beauty lover's paradise, with discounted products from luxury brands like Clinique, Mac, Bobbi Brown, and DKNY. We spend some time having a play with it all. 

I'd never seen most of Clinique's make up range before, so treated myself to a few pieces, and also my first Mac nail polish. My above purchases were the result of restraining myself. I could of quite easily gone far more over board than I did, but still spent far more than I'd planned to that day. Oops.

My older sister has recently got in to watching beauty vlogs, which has rekindled her love of make up, and came out with a few finds, too.

I got three Clinique powder eyeshadows, and a Clinique Chubby Stick lip crayon... I'll be revealing the shades I bought when I review them for you really soon. They're lovely!

And I got myself my first Mac nail polish, Formidable, which I'll also be reviewing for you very soon.

If you love your designers and a good bargain, I really do recommend Bicester Village for a little outlet shopping. The outlet village has a great atmosphere and I find it quite relaxing to dawdle around from shop to shop... apart from on the days when it's incredibly busy with bargain shoppers. Weekends can be mental! There are places to grab some food and drink, and it's got a good selection of stores. It's located close to Oxford and it's easily accessible from other parts of the country.

Have you snapped up any bargains lately?

Cath Kidston Haul / Messenger Bag Review

Hey guys,

On Sunday I went to Oxfordshire's outlet village, Bicester Village, with my older sister to browse for bargains, potential Christmas presents, and new handbags.

Most of the shops in the outlet village are designer fashion retailers, and unsurprisingly, are way out of my budget (not to mention dress size), but it's always fun to gaze adoringly at all the beautiful bags, shoes, and outfits as we drift in and out of the more affordable shops. This time it was a quick visit as I was struggling with the pain and feeling nauseated, but we conquered L'Occitane, Guess, Zatchels, and Cath Kidston. 

The sister bought the most gorgeous purple and yellow Zatchels satchel, which I would've bought had she not beaten me to it, but I did come home with a few things from Cath Kidston. If there's one thing I love more than Cath Kidston, it's Cath Kidston things at discounted prices!

So, this is my mini Cath Kidston haul. I bought a new polka dot messenger bag, a pack of four floral folders, a set of four strawberry hair clips, and a strawberry brooch. Oh, and also the most adorable retro wooden stamp set for my best friend's little boy for Christmas.

I loved the strawberry collection Cath Kidston had for Spring / Summer 13, and had coveted most of the range, including these adorable hair clips and brooch. They featured in one of my Wednesday Wish List posts many moons ago, although I never made a purchase... until now. 

The hair clips are actually from the kids department, but they were far too cute to resist and I had to buy them for myself. Why let the kids have all the fun? There are two for each side of the head,and they are made from a mixture of metal and plastic. These were £2.50 down from £5.00, I think.

The brooch is equally cute, and I think it'll look lovely pinned on to a cardigan or dress. It's made from plastic, but it's also quite solid and sturdy. It was £3.00 down from £6.00.

Messenger Bag Review

I couldn't leave the store without bringing this bag home with me. I was lured in by the gorgeous deep red polka dotted fabric... Yep, I never change! This was another piece I'd been admiring for months, but since I already have the same bag in blue, I couldn't justify the purchase. However, with it being on sale at £26.50 instead of £40.00, and with hospital appointments, physiotherapy, and hydrotherapy in mind, I decided it would come in handy and justified it to myself!

Cath Kidston's messenger bags may look quite casual, but I can't deny how practical they really are. I used to use my blue one for work, and for travelling by bus, train, or plane. It's got so much room for all those essentials, and even when it's heavy it's comfortable worn over the shoulder with the cross-body strap, leaving your hands free for other things.

The bag is made from a very thick, good quality cotton. The outer front and back is a beautiful deep red with white polka dots, and the inside features a print of hunters, horses, and hounds on a white background. I'm completely against hunting animals for sport, but the print does look lovely, and is very quintessentially English.

There are two inner pockets which could be used for storing a mobile phone or keys; those essentials you like to be able to grab in a split second without emptying the contents of the entire bag on to the tarmac to find them. While these pockets are handy, I personally think the bag could do with a zipped inner pocket for keeping certain things concealed.

As you can see, the bag has so much room. You'd be surprised by how much you can really cram in these bags.

There are also two pockets at the front of the bag.

The brand name is present on the front, but it's a modest size and not overbearing.

I love the colour and all the polka dots.

The strap is made of thick canvas in denim blue, red and white.

It's adjustable, and can be shortened to wear on the shoulder, or extended to the desired length to wear over the body. I often find straps are too short for my taste, but this strap is generous and can sit lower than the hip!

This shows the strap extended fully.

I'm really pleased with my new bag. It will be perfect for hospital appointments, and for future travels. I also think it's the perfect casual day bag for Autumn, as the deep red is the perfect fall colour. It'll look great with most outfits layered up for Autumn / Winter; from jeans and a sweater, to dresses with opaque tights, and a cardigan. Just add a pair of boots, a scarf, and a cosy beanie hat and you're ready for Autumn adventures!

These items are no longer available on Cath Kidston's website, but it's worth popping in to your nearest branch or outlet Cath Kidston shop because you may still be able to find them. They're highly recommended!

Have you bought anything from Cath Kidston recently? What bargains have you been buying?

A Mini Haul

Hey lovelies,

I hope you're all well and looking forward to the weekend.

This is just a quick post to share a few little things I've picked up this week.

I finally sourced a gorgeous iridescent Model's Own nail polish which I've been admiring online for many months, "Indian Ocean". Every beauty blogger and their pampered pooch seems to have been raving about this nail polish for months, while I'd only been able to admire it from afar... until now.

I went in to Boots to buy bandages and found myself distracted by the Model's Own display- I'd never found one anywhere before. The Indian Ocean polish turned out to be a beautiful lilac-blue polish with a hot pink and light gold metallic sheen, far prettier than I'd imagined it to be. It was £5 for a very generous sized pot. I also picked up a black nail art pen which was £6, which I later began using to turn my red nails in to ladybirds.

In Accessorize I found these adorable heart print hair grips for just £3 for 15. They're so cute and have a tight grip so hopefully they'll last a bit longer than the average kirby grip.

And, I also bought this quirky little pencil necklace from Accessorize. It was on sale with 70 percent off the original price, which meant I only parted with £1.80 to make it my own! Not bad considering it's guaranteed to be worn to death as it's just my style!

I have my heart set on so many accessories and make up products after this little shopping trip. My favourite find was a string of multi coloured necklaces in pastel shades combined as one pretty boho necklace. I desperately want to buy it to wear with my Spring/Summer wardrobe. Here's hoping for a lottery win on the horizon...

What have you been buying recently?

Thanks for reading,

Shopping Haul

My personal expenditures have been very minimal over the last couple of months, as I've been focusing on buying gifts to spoil family and friends with this Christmas. It's been a little tough as there are so many lovely things I want, but I have avoided temptation, except for a few little things that didn't break the bank.

This is what I've been buying...

I treated myself to these two headbands from River Island a couple of weeks ago, encouraged by the tempting offer of free delivery. I've been keeping my eyes open for some new hair scarves for a while, and I don't know whether I've just not been looking in the right places, but there seems to be a real lack of great hair scarves in the virtual retail world. So when I saw River Island's cute wire headbands for just £6 each last week, I knew I had to have the floral and camouflage designs straight away.

The hair bands are brilliant. The great thing about wire scarves is that they help to hold the shape of the scarf on your head, instead of slipping off or creasing and folding over. The bow or knot keeps it's shape instead of wilting like a parched plant. I imagined the wire to be a little uncomfortable on the head, but I don't find that at all. In fact, I don't even notice it's there. They look so retro, and I think they're the perfect finishing touch for many of my dresses.

Recently I've been enjoying wearing glitter nail polishes layered over different colours as well as on their own. I'm not sure where this new obsession has come from- maybe it's because it's almost Christmas? Anyway, I bought the Barry M Amethyst Glitter last week from Boots. It appears to be mainly black in the bottle, but it actually has a more silver finish when built up on it's own; it also has pink, teal, and black in the mix, too. I'm in love!

1- Shade 8
2- Shade 5 // 3- Shade 6
4- Frozen Yoghurt // 5- Deepest Purple // 6- Plum Noir // 7- Bright Plum // 8- Shade 8 // 9- Shade 13

I ordered some MUA nail polishes and eye shadows a few weeks ago when they were offering 35% off plus free delivery on their website. I spent £6.50 on ten products, which is a real bargain, although one nail polish was out of stock and refunded.

The main reason for ordering was because I want to make beauty Christmas crackers this year and their nail polishes are great; at just £1 each they don't break the bank. (I'm keeping the eyeshadows and two of the polishes for myself). However, it took sixteen days for this little parcel to make it to me which I was not impressed with at all. I mean, seriously, sixteen days to ship out an envelope of make up?? Their communication is also pretty poor; I didn't receive order confirmation or a dispatch email either. I was left wondering if they had received my order, and if I would actually receive it. Thankfully, I didn't leave the order until the last minute, so I still have time to use them for their intended purpose, but I don't think I'll be ordering from them online again in a hurry.

My little Boots haul got to me two or three days after I placed the order online. I was impressed with the speed of the delivery, especially for December. I ordered a few (mostly strawberry scented) products to add to my Sisters' Christmas gifts.

I bought a Samphire & Sea Minerals Hydrating Hair Mask, and two Wild Strawberry Face Masks. They'll make great little stocking fillers for any girlie girl.

And I also picked up the Natural Collection Wild Strawberry shower cream, body spray, and body scrub to bulk out a beauty box. The scents are very sweet; quite a typical strawberry bath and body scent, really.

Boots also sent two free silver snowflake gift bags with my order. I already bought gift bags for my Sisters' Christmas goodie bags, but these will definitely come in handy for my parents' presents.

And last but not least, while taking advantage of ASOS's promotions last weekend, I treated myself to these cream Pieces Ardel mittens which were just £5 instead of their RRP of £12! (They're now on offer for £8). They're a gorgeous chunky knit and lined with fleece, and they've kept my hands incredibly warm through this week's bitterly cold temperatures. They're a little on the large size, as mittens often are, but they were a great buy. They also come in black and mustard.

I've also bought quite a lot of Christmas presents over the last few weeks, but I'm going to share those in a separate post. I'm pleased to say I've almost finished my Christmas shopping, and I may have added a new bag in to my shopping basket yesterday, too... and perhaps some Paul and Joe blotting papers, as well...

Okay, I did.