Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Archive for April, 2014
Thrifty Finds No.4: Car Boot
3
4 years
On Sunday I decided to indulge, yet again, in one of my favourite hobbies – thrifting – and got up bright and early to go to two car boot sales in Leicestershire. In particular I was hoping to find some bargainous clothes to add to my spring/summer wardrobe, and though I came away from the first car boot with nothing (how disappointing!), the second was a veritable treasure trove of fashion! For the grand total of just £4.50 I managed to get a waterfall cardigan, a thin knit jumper, a t-shirt, and my absolute favourite find of the day, a pair of wedge shoes.
Z Black and grey striped waterfall cardigan £1.50
Next Thin knit black jumper 50p
River Island Skeleton heart t-shirt 50p
Truffle Black velvet wedge shoes £2.00
Total: £4.50
I’m really pleased with this little thrifty haul, and I’m looking forward to styling each item in outfit posts in the near future. Which is your favourite piece?
Naomi x
What I Wore: Acid Wash
1
4 years
by Naomi in Fashion
I didn’t do much shopping during the recent spring sales, but I did place a little order with USC at the start of April. Unfortunately they use Yodel as a courier, who are notoriously unreliable, and it took over two weeks for my parcel to arrive – not great considering I paid £3.99 postage! At one point I was told my parcel was lost, but then it miraculously turned up the next day! Though I’m not happy with the service I received, the items I got were sort of worth the wait. One of said items is this gorgeous acid wash denim skater skirt, which was reduced from £22 to just £3.50. Acid wash was all the rage in the 1990s, the decade of my childhood, and though fashion wasn’t the greatest in those days, I do quite like acid wash denim, and this skirt makes me feel all nostalgic.
Glamorous Acid Wash Skater Skirt / Primark Black T Shirt / Primark Sheer Black Tights / Converse Suede Polka Dot Hi-Tops / Zatchels Gothic Lace Saddle Bag / Claire’s Spike Necklace
I really wanted the skirt to do the talking with this outfit, so I paired it with a plain black tee and sheer black tights. I was considering wearing heels too, but in the end I settled for Converse as I think they suit skater style clothing well, and my partner and I were heading to the cinema so I thought I’d keep it casual.
Finally, to pull the outfit together, I accessorised with a grey spike necklace from Claire’s, and my metallic silver Gothic Lace Saddle Bag by Zatchels, just to bring out the silver in my shoes and to match the grey in the skirt.
I also got a beautiful dress in my USC order which I absolutely love, so check back soon to see how I style it!
Naomi x
What I Wore: Foxton Locks
2
4 years
by Naomi in Fashion
Today my fiancé and I visited Foxton Locks with my sister and her boyfriend. Foxton Locks are ten canal locks on the Leicester line of the Grand Union Canal, and the whole area is so lovely and green. I’ve always enjoyed visiting the Locks, ever since I was a child, but today’s trip was extra special as it was the first time my fiancé had been. We all had a nice time and had a little picnic whilst we watched the boats go by, before going for a walk along the canal paths.
As April’s weather is usually unpredictable, I thought layers would be best, so I wore my favourite Primark skater dress (which is becoming a Spring wardrobe staple of mine), and teamed it with my trusty faux leather biker jacket and some basic leggings. Over this I wore an oversized but light floral skull scarf which I thrifted last year, for an extra bit of warmth if necessary. As it happens, the weather was gorgeous and the sun was shining, but luckily it didn’t get too hot.
Primark Faux Leather Biker Jacket / Primark Faux Leather Cap Sleeve Skater Dress / Primark Leggings / Dr Martens 1460 W Purple Shimmer Boots / Abandon Floral Skull Scarf (thrifted) / Topshop Leather Stud Bag (thrifted)
As I knew we’d be walking a lot, I thought it best to throw on my Dr Martens, which was definitely the right call, and I also took another thrifty find of mine – my Topshop leather stud bag. The perfect size to carry my camera and picnic food.
I’m so pleased that Spring is finally underway as I love being out and about enjoying the nice weather, and today was a great opportunity to do so! Have you been taking advantage of the sunshine lately?
Naomi x
ResinSparkles Pendant and Ring
9
4 years
by Naomi in Fashion
I recently came across a great little Etsy store called ResinSparkles, which is owned by the lovely Sara. Sara creates unique pieces of jewellery out of resin and glitter, a lot of which have a fab geek-chic theme, with Dr Who, Star Wars, steampunk and comic books regularly featuring in her designs. Sara very kindly offered to send me a couple of pieces to review, and after browsing her store the magpie in me chose a Sparkly Ring and a Steampunk Clockwork Pendant.
Both pieces are really well made, and they are both very generous on the glitter. They’re so eye-catching, especially in the sun, and both make a real statement. They came packaged in cute matching gift bags too – perfect if you want to give them as a present (and trust me, the receiver would not be disappointed with their sparkly surprise).
The pendant comes on an 18″ silver coloured chain and is nice and lightweight, so though it’s a fairly big piece, it’s incredibly comfortable to wear and hangs well. I chose purple as it’s my favourite colour and this particular shade is stunning, but these pendants are available in a wide range of colours. I absolutely love the steampunk theme too, as the little cogs and metal bits suspended in the resin give it an added edge.
The ring I received has come to be known as my mermaid ring, as the layers of bright blue glitter are so pretty and remind me of a mermaid’s tail, or the surface of the sea sparkling in the sun (how romantic!). Like the pendant, the dome of the ring is quite large so really stands out, and it sits securely on a silver coloured adjustable metal band. I have quite slim fingers so it best fits my index or middle fingers, which is where I prefer to wear rings anyway. These are also available in a wide range of shades, with some combining two different glitters.
Considering all of Sara’s pieces are handmade and great quality, they’re also very affordable. The pendants are £7.50 each including the chain, and the rings are just £3.50. So, if you’re a fan of sparkle, or know someone else who is, be sure to check out ResinSparkles on Etsy, and on Twitter.
Naomi x
*These pieces were sent to me by ResinSparkles for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
NOTD: GOSH ‘Frosted Plum’
5
4 years
by Naomi in Nails
You may remember that at the beginning of January I swatched and reviewed a gorgeous glitter varnish from GOSH’s Frosted Sand collection, called ‘Frosted Purple‘. Well, it officially became one of my favourite varnishes of all time, and I couldn’t wait to add more frosted shades to my collection. In particular I was trying to get hold of ‘Frosted Plum’, but the only bottle in my local Superdrug for months was a damaged one. Then, earlier this week, I noticed that they had a few more in stock, and luckily for me all of GOSH’s varnishes were on offer for £1.99 each! Obviously I bought it straight away and applied it when I got home, so today I thought I’d share the swatches with you.
Like its purple counterpart, ‘Frosted Plum’ is a pleasure to apply, looks opaque in just one coat (although I applied two), and dries really quickly. It’s also rather hard-wearing, and stays put for a good few days without chipping, even without a base or top coat.
The best thing about it though is the colour. The base shade, as you’d expect, is a beautiful deep plum purple, but throughout it are flecks of gold, bronze and bright pink, which give it a brilliant depth. It looks absolutely amazing in the sun, and even indoors it still looks impressive. The glitter in this one is a lot more consistently sized than in ‘Frosted Purple’, and I think it looks a bit like a caviar manicure.
Indoors (with flash)
Outdoors
I’ll stand by my previous statement that GOSH’s Frosted Sand glitters are honestly the best glitters I’ve tried, and I will continue to add to my collection! I have my eye on a couple of their spring pastel shades, ‘Soft Blue’ and ‘Soft Green’, which are also currently £1.99 in Superdrug (reduced from £3.99).
Will you be buying any of GOSH’s frosted glitters?
Naomi x
What I Wore: Rat Face
4
4 years
The weather is finally starting to get warmer, which means my winter knits are gradually being replaced with t-shirts. I love to throw on a baggy t-shirt on a lazy sunny day, and a recent addition to my collection is this awesome rat face tee from Tam’s Treasures, which retails for £21.99.
The Mountain Big Face White Rat T-Shirt / Primark Dark Grey Skinny Jeans / Clarks Liberty Chorus Voice Shoes
There’s a somewhat ironic trend at the minute for big face animal t-shirts, and though I perhaps wouldn’t wear the clichéd wolf or tiger, this rat tee is just my thing. I adore rats and like to think that I’m on a little campaign to clear their name, and thanks to Tam’s I can now do so loud and proud! Also, the rat on this shirt looks just like my first rat, Crumble, which makes it that little bit more special.
The t-shirt is by an American brand called The Mountain, and is from their Big Face Animals Collection. It’s made from 100% cotton so is incredibly comfortable, and is prewashed and preshrunk so it’s already nice and soft and unlikely to shrink any further. The colour is a lot more earthy than I usually go for, but I actually quite like it, especially as it’s tie-dyed by hand with water based inks. It goes perfectly with my Liberty Chorus Voice shoes from Clarks! The quality of the screen print is also very good, and looks and feels like it will stay put for a good while.
And of course, here’s the obligatory photo with one of my rats, as is the norm with my rat-based fashion! This time, the model is Mog (excuse my odd face)…
Tam’s stocks a HUGE range of unisex t-shirts from The Mountain (over 600 designs I do believe), as well as gifts and greeting cards, so there’s something (or several) for everyone. As the shirts are made in America the sizing runs slightly larger than that in the UK and Europe, so it’s best to order down or check the measurements before ordering. I went for a small, which is the smallest adult size (about a 10-12), and it fits perfectly.
To browse the full range at Tam’s Treasures, click here. Delivery is free within the UK, and if you ‘like’ their Facebook page you can get an extra 10% off!
Which design would you choose?
Naomi x
*This Big Face White Rat T-Shirt was sent to me by Tam’s Treasures for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Degustabox March 2014
9
4 years
Last month I was given the chance to receive a Degustabox to review, and as a lover of food and surprises, how could I say no? Degustabox is a monthly subscription box which contains between 10 and 15 surprise food items, some of which are new to the market. Each box costs £12.99 including delivery, and there’s no obligation to keep your subscription.
So, the March box. My box was dispatched during the last week of March, and it arrived a couple of days later. The service I received during the delivery process was really impressive, as I was sent a couple of texts and emails to say that my box was on its way and when it would be delivered, and when it did arrive the items inside were chilled, so you don’t have to worry about anything going off in transit.
The box itself is really quite large, and comes packed full of items – I genuinely don’t think they could’ve squashed anything more in there! In total, I received 15 individual items, none of which are particularly high-end, but pretty much all of them were new to me, which was exciting.
Here are my thoughts on each…
Drink Me Chocolate Chai Latte (RRP £2.55) and Earl Grey Tea Latte
I was really excited to see these in the box as I already have Drink Me’s Spiced Chai Latte and it is gorgeous. The Chocolate Chai Latte is better though, and is my favourite thing in the whole box. The chocolate is dark and rich and slightly bitter, and the spices give it a hint of warming sweetness. It actually tastes exactly like Lebkuchen which are my favourite Christmas treat, so this is a definite winner for me.
I haven’t yet tried the Earl Grey Latte so I can’t comment on its flavour, but I have high hopes. Degustabox list these as being £6.50 for a multipack which seems quite expensive, but I checked online and they appear to be 32p per sachet in Sainsbury’s and Waitrose, which is pretty reasonable.
MOMA! Plain and Cranberry and Raisin Porridge (RRP £1.50 each)
These didn’t excite me at first, especially as I’m not keen on porridge made with water, but they’re quite nice. They’re easy to make too and perfect for a quick breakfast on the go – just mix with boiling water, replace the lid, leave for three minutes, and voila! Instant brekkie. The oats are mixed with milk powder so the texture is lovely and creamy, and the overall flavour is comfortingly sweet. The cranberries and raisins in the purple pot add a warm burst of fruitiness too. A thumbs up from me, but at £1.50 each I don’t think I’ll be eating them every day of the week.
Shaken Udder Kids Milkshake (RRP £1.89 for 3)
These little cartons of milkshake are perfect for kids. The packaging is appealing, they come with a chunky straw and they’re just the right size for little hands. I usually prefer thick and creamy milkshakes and these are quite thin in consistency, but they’re actually rather yummy. I haven’t tried the banana one yet, but the other two have a really authentic flavour, probably due to the lack of anything artificial. The chocolate one is my favourite so far. These came with a couple of vouchers for a free pack of three, as well as a free ‘grown up’ bottle, so I’ll definitely be cashing those in.
Schwartz Italian Creamy Herb Tagliatelle and Spanish Paella Flavour Shots (RRP £1.40 each)
A new addition to the Schwartz family, these little pots contain a blend of herbs and spices mixed with oil, to make cooking tasty meals quick and easy. I used the Italian Creamy Herb Tagliatelle shot earlier this week and it was so simple to use. The packaging has a recipe printed on it, and all you have to do is fry chicken (I used Quorn) in the flavour shot before adding sliced mushrooms, cherry tomatoes, creme fraiche and rocket, and mixing with cooked tagliatelle. The meal took about 15 minutes to make in total and was absolutely delicious. I highly recommend these!
Organico Italian Durum Wheat Pasta (RRP £1.49) and Tomato & Basil Pasta Sauce (RRP 1.99)
I’m yet to try these Organico products, but they’re both right up my street. Organico source organic food made with sustainable, good quality ingredients, so there are no hidden nasties to be found. I absolutely *love* brown pasta so I’m looking forward to using this, and the sauce looks fresh and beautiful. These are on my meal list for next week!
Mexican Dave’s Nacho Cheese Tortilla Chips (RRP £1.00) and Tyrrels Sweet and Salty Popcorn (RRP £1.80 for 6)
I’d never heard of Mexican Dave’s before, but after trying these tortilla chips I’ll definitely be looking for them again. They’re not as nice as Doritos in my opinion, but the flavour and crunch are fantastic, and they make excellent nachos! I had these last weekend baked with spicy salsa and cheese and they were scrumptious. In fact, I’ll be having them again this evening!
Tyrrels’ popcorn is a satisfying combination of salty and sweet, which may sound odd but it’s amazing. You get quite a lot of popcorn in the bag, but at less than 70 calories this popcorn is the perfect guilt-free treat. I’d probably grab a bag as part of my lunch or as an afternoon snack.
My only quibble with the March Degustabox is that it’s a bit too savoury. I have a sweet tooth and was hoping for some sweet treats to munch on, but the only sweet things in the box are drinks and porridge. Oh well, maybe next month. Other than that I’m really pleased with the box, and luckily for me everything in it is vegetarian, and all of it is yummy, so nothing will go to waste and everything will be enjoyed! As a current saver I probably wouldn’t buy a box every month, but as an occasional treat when you fancy some food inspiration, £12.99 isn’t bad. I definitely prefer Degustabox over the more costly yet smaller Flavourly box that I’ve tried once before.
If you want to know more about Degustabox and this month’s products, you can visit their website here. You can also find them on Twitter and Facebook.
Will you be subscribing to Degustabox?
Naomi x
PS. You can check out the rest of my Degustabox reviews here.
*This Degustabox was sent to me by Degustabox for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
CheckoutSmart App
4
4 years
As my regular readers will know, I’m always looking for new ways to save money (I am saving up for a house after all!), and I recently came across a brilliant app that lets me do just that, whilst still enjoying good food. CheckoutSmart makes ‘your supermarket shop more rewarding’, but rather than giving you coupons, it gives you money back on branded and own brand products that you’ve already bought.
The app basically consists of a list of offers on featured items which, if you buy them, you can then get a certain amount of money refunded to you via the app. To get the refund, all you have to do is select the supermarket you shopped at (Tesco, Asda, Morrisons, Sainsbury’s, Waitrose, Aldi or Lidl) and the date you were there, choose the offers you want to use, and then photograph your receipt. Once the photos have uploaded, you then submit your claim and wait for your account to be credited! In my experience, this can take everything from a few hours to a few days. Then, once you have at least £5 in your CheckoutSmart account, the money can then be transferred to you via PayPal or into your bank account.
I know what you’re thinking, sounds a bit dodgy… But no! I’ve used this app myself several times, and it is completely safe. I chose to have my balance transferred into my bank account, and all the app asks for is your sort code and account number, and the payment was made the following Thursday (payments are always made on Thursdays). Each transfer does incur a fee of 5%, but that’s only 25p off of every £5, which isn’t much really.
The variety of offers is really impressive too. They seem to be updated almost daily, and there’s a wide range of items to choose from, with everything from fruit and veg, bread and milk, and alcohol, to chocolate and ice cream, cleaning products, and even baby items. Admittedly, you only get a little bit back on most items – 10p here and 20p there – but trust me, it soon adds up, especially as a lot of the featured items are weekly basics. For instance, this week you can get 20p back on 4 pints of milk, 20p back on a bag of potatoes, and 30p back on yoghurt, amongst other things!
My favourite offers though are the freebies. Every now and then an offer will pop up that gives you the full amount back on certain items, so once you’ve made your claim you’re essentially getting them for free! Last week I got a big bottle of Volvic flavoured water and a little box of Cadbury chocolates, and today I got a free box of McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes. Such a great way to treat yourself, and everyone knows free food tastes better!
Now that I’ve started to use CheckoutSmart, I’m even going to use it to plan my weekly meals around, as a lot of the items featured could be put together to make a meal. This week, for example, you can get 20p back on Uncle Ben’s chilli sauce, 15p on Napolina kidney beans, 20p on supermarket own brand basmati rice, and 20p back on both onions and peppers. Veggie chilli anyone?
To grab this app for yourself and get saving, you can download it from the App Store or Google Play for free.
What do you think of CheckoutSmart? Will you be using it?
Naomi x
