Beauty. Fashion. Lifestyle.
Posts tagged Cheap
5 Ways to Save on Fashion Online
2
4 years
Let’s face it, we all like to look good, and new clothes, shoes and accessories really help with this, but when you shell out a lot of money for the pleasure the mood can be soured somewhat. So, what if I told you I’d found five websites that will not only help you look fantastic, but will save you money in the process, making you feel good too? Read on to find out how to get fashion with big discounts, for £5, or even for FREE…
1. Everything 5 Pounds
For unique fashion at a low price, Everything5Pounds.com is the place to be. As it says in the name, absolutely EVERYTHING they sell costs just £5 each, meaning you can get yourself a full outfit for around £20. I’ll admit not everything on the site is the most stylish, but if you spend a little while browsing there are some real gems to be found. Everything 5 Pounds’ bags and shoes really stand out for me, but in my experience you have to get in there quickly as they’re so popular they can sell out in minutes (it pays to join their mailing list/follow them on Facebook, believe me). Check out this bag I ordered from them a few months ago – the quality is amazing and people are always asking me where I got it!
2. Fashion Vouchers
My go-to website for all the latest sale news and voucher codes in the world of fashion is FashionVouchers.com. With categories including womenswear, footwear, accessories and beauty covering the most extensive list of fashion stores I’ve seen on any voucher website, Fashion Vouchers has a bargain for everyone – you just have to hunt it out! It really is an internet treasure trove of discount gold, and you can be savings savvy at just the click of a mouse. Any time I want to order something online from one of the popular fashion sites, I always check Fashion Vouchers first and more often than not I’ll find a code for money off or free delivery. Current offers include up to 50% off at Clarks, £20 off when you spend £100 at Lipsy and 10% off at Missguided.
3. Big Wardrobe
A few years ago I came across a website called Big Wardrobe, ‘The Worldwide Fashion Exchange’, and it has become a firm favourite of mine. Big Wardrobe is a cross between eBay and Facebook, in that you make yourself a profile, list the fashion items that you want to get rid of, and communicate with other users to negotiate swaps and sales on your things. The whole concept is a brilliant way to get new clothes for practically nothing, and you can even make yourself a bit of money too. After losing weight, I swapped items that were too big for me for some beautiful new clothes that fit perfectly. The swapping process is just so much fun and I highly recommend you try it!
4. eBay
The old classic for saving on fashion is eBay. When I was teenager I probably saved hundreds of pounds on clothes and accessories by buying from eBay, and I’m still fond of spending evenings scrolling through pages of dresses and shoes to see if I can bag myself a bargain. eBay is great for picking up unique pieces that can’t be found in stores, or even for finding highly sought after items that have sold out everywhere else. They often run special offers too, such as the current Summer Holiday Shop where you can get up to 50% off women’s fashion. I’m currently lusting after this Animal Swimsuit, down from £35.00 to just £13.00!
5. Fragrance Direct
No outfit is completely without make up, nails and perfume to match, and Fragrance Direct has it all. The website boasts hundreds of top brands at just a fraction of the RRP, and the icing on the cake is postage is cheap too! As a nail varnish fanatic, Fragrance Direct helps me feed my obsession whilst saving me some hard-earned pennies, as you can get brands such as Essie for just £1.99, and even OPI for £3.99, which is almost £10.00 off. Of course, they sell loads of designer fragrances too, with everything a lot cheaper than you’d find it on the high street. For instance, you can currently get the Vera Wang Princess Gift Set for £24.90, instead £45.00. Impressive, right? Here’s one of my recent Fragrance Direct hauls…
Which websites do you use to save money on fashion?
Naomi x
Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau de Parfum
3
4 years
by Naomi in Fragrance
I’m a sucker for fragrances, especially those with pretty bottles, and I take a great deal of pleasure in trying to work out the different notes and layers of scents in my rather large collection of perfumes. So, when I was given the opportunity to review Paco Rabanne’s Lady Million EDP for Fragrance Direct, I happily took up the offer as I’d been wanting to try it for a while.
The perfume comes packaged in an unusual bottle which stands out from the crowd amongst all my other perfume bottles. It’s shaped like a diamond, with a glass, classic cut bottom and eye-catching gold lid, etched with the Lady Million logo. The bottle is designed to ‘make any woman feel a million dollars’, and it definitely has the look of being expensive, but without the price tag. My only issue with the bottle is that its squat shape makes it slightly difficult to handle, but it’s worth it for such pretty packaging.
Lady Million has a very complex combination of notes that combine to create a beautifully rich, yet feminine and sweet scent, which has real power and wow-factor. According to the Fragrance Direct website, the notes are as follows…
Top notes – Raspberry, Amalfi Lemon and Neroli.
Heart notes – Gardenia, African Orange Flower and Jasmine.
Base notes – White Honey, Patchouli and Amber.
Patchouli is one of my favourite scents as it smells heady, sensual and expensive, which really sums up the diamond-inspired story of this perfume.
The real test of a good perfume is how long it lasts, and Lady Million goes all day, revealing each set of notes over the hours for effortless, long-lasting gorgeous scent. As such, it can carry you through from your working day to an evening out, making it a very versatile perfume indeed.
Overall, Lady Million’s lovely appearance and even lovelier scent makes it a wonderful addition to any scented wardrobe. If you’d like to try it for yourself, it is available online from Fragrance Direct, and costs just £28.99 for a 30ml bottle, which is a saving of more than £7.50 – bargain! Or, if you prefer a bigger size, it is available in 50ml for £39.99, which is an even bigger saving of almost £10!
Do you like the sound of Paco Rabanne’s Lady Million?
Naomi x
*This Paco Rabanne Lady Million Eau de Parfum was sent to me on behalf of Fragrance Direct for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Fragrance Direct Collective Haul
20
4 years
by Naomi in Hauls
There has been a big buzz on Twitter lately about Fragrance Direct, mainly because they have been selling a wide range of Dainty Doll make up for just a couple of pounds each. Dainty Doll is a brand that I’ve been wanting to try for a while as it is formulated for people like myself who have fair complexions, so when I heard the bargainous news I went straight to the website to place an order. I soon discovered that Fragrance Direct stock a LOT of other brands at incredibly discounted prices, and I ended up ordering a couple of other things too.
I plan on reviewing everything I purchased from Fragrance Direct in the coming weeks, but for now I thought I would show you my collective haul. The website is restocked almost every day, and also runs out of products just as quickly, so I ended up placing three separate orders in order to get hold of everything I wanted. It did mean I had to pay three lots of postage, but postage is only £1.99 and I split it with my mum and sister as they ordered a few things too, so everything still works out dirt cheap.
Here is what I received in my first two orders… (The third hasn’t arrived yet, but it only consists of two Essie nail varnishes so I’ll add them at a later date).
Dainty Doll Powder Blusher in ‘My Girl’ – £1.99 (RRP £13.50) and Dainty Doll Cream Blusher in ‘Paper Roses’ – £1.99 (RRP £13.50)
Dainty Doll Concealer in ‘002 Abracadabra’ – £1.99 (RRP £14.50)
Dainty Doll Lipstick in ‘Couture’ – £1.99 (RRP £12.50)
Essie Nail Polish in ‘Orange It’s Obvious’ – £1.99 (RRP £7.99)
(‘Bikini So Teeny’ and ‘Cascade Cool’ are currently in the post.)
Manhattan Rock Topia Nail Polish in ‘5’ and ‘6’ – £0.49 each (RRP £2.99 each)
(My mum ordered shades 2, 3 and 4 and they are all absolutely gorgeous.)
Dr Ciate Prescriptive Nail Care File for Brittle Nails – £0.99 (RRP £3.99)
Excluding postage, this little lot cost me just shy of £12.00, but is worth a whopping £72.00 in total! I’m really happy with all of my items and I can’t wait to receive my next order and place even more in the future. Keep an eye out for swatches and reviews of everything coming soon.
Have you ever ordered from Fragrance Direct? What did you buy?
Naomi x
Nails by AB
15A few weeks ago I was asked by Amy of Nails by AB to review a set of her gorgeous false nails. Amy is a trained beauty therapist and her new business, Nails by AB, specialises in creating personalised designer nails which are painted according to your own specifications, and then posted out to you. Having seen some of Amy’s designs on Twitter I was hugely impressed so, of course, I jumped at the chance to try some of her nails for myself. The design I asked for and swiftly received was a set of bang on trend owls.
The nails came very nicely packaged in a drawstring bag, and a handy little tube of nail glue was also provided.
This stunning owly set contains 18 nails (9 pairs of differently sized nails), so you’re guaranteed to find a complete set that fits you in amongst them. A set of 18 owl nails costs £8.50 (including UK postage), which is incredible value for money considering the amount of effort that goes in to painting them! However, if you want a smaller set (which usually costs less) Amy will ask you to measure the width of your nails upon ordering, so that she can choose, tailor and shape your nails specifically to fit you. How great is that?
As I’m sure you can tell from my photographs, the quality of these nails is excellent. The design is simple, yet really carefully and neatly painted, and the colours used are really bold. I absolutely love these little owls, they’re just so cute, and it is obvious that Amy has a real talent for nail art!
Both my sister and I have tried these nails on and we both agree that they are very comfortable. The nails themselves are made of plastic, which is thin enough to be flexible and look like a natural nail, but not too thin so that they break easily. The glue that is provided keeps the nails on for a good while (basically until you decide to take them off), so if you want your nails to last longer than just a night out, these will.
The photographs below were modelled by my sister. She has far shorter nails than me so I thought it would be a good idea to show that the nails stay put even on short nails…
The Nails by AB range features many quirky, bespoke designs, including the latest Moustache Nails which cost £9.50 a set and celebrate Movember, with £4.00 of the proceeds being donated to the Movember charity. However, Amy is more than happy to paint a set of nails to your own design if you have something specific in mind. Nails by AB nails start at £6.50 a set, but only go as high as about £10.00, which is so worth it when you consider what you’d pay for a salon manicure.
If you would like to order some pretty little nails from Nails by AB, you can do so via Amy’s website, on eBay (under nailsbyab), through the Nails by AB Facebook page, or even through the Nails by AB Twitter account. Payment can be made through PayPal or Credit/Debit Card, and once payment has cleared your nails should hopefully be in the post to you within 2-3 days, sent FREE by second class post.
Nails by AB’s products and service are top class, and it is obvious that so much care and passion is put into Amy’s work, so please help to spread the word about this nifty little company!
Naomi x
Thrifty Finds No.1
10
5 years
As I’m sure you all know by now, I love a good bargain. I’m a big fan of browsing eBay, charity shops and car boot sales for thrifty finds and I’ve recently had quite a few, so, I have decided to introduce a new feature to my blog! Every few weeks, or whenever I’ve gathered enough budget buys, I will post my Thrifty Finds for you all to see. Today is chapter one, and I will be sharing all the clothes I’ve picked up cheap this week. I apologise in advance for the bad pictures – taking photos of what you’re wearing is difficult, especially when there’s nowhere to balance the camera to put it on timer! My sister did come along and help in the end but they still didn’t turn out very well.
First up, dresses. I wear dresses throughout the year, just dressed up or down depending on the season, so I’m always on the look out for pretty new pieces to add to my wardrobe. These three dresses were all from eBay.
Black shift dress with silver skull print. £3.64 including postage.
Ditsy Tea Dress. £4.49 including postage.
Red Skater Dress with Black Bow Print. £3.70 including postage.
I also bought this brand new top this week from a charity shop. I hope I can get some wear out of it before summer ends!
Floral Print Sun Top. £2.99.
The last two items I bought in anticipation of Autumn. The purple one was from a charity shop, and the deer print jumper I bought today from a car boot sale. Both are previously unworn.
(Sorry if this just looks like a close up of my boobs… I really couldn’t get a good photo of it! It shows the detail on the top nicely though).
Purple Jumper Dress. £3.00.
Brown Deer Print Jumper. £1.00.
And that’s everything! Although I did find two very rare books in a charity shop earlier this week as well… They were £3 each, but I’ve seen them going on the internet for £150 each – amazing! Do you like thrifting too?
Naomi x
Bargain Alert! Sally Hansen Continuous Treatment Products
0
5 years
by Naomi in Nails
Just a heads up to my UK readers who might like a bargain or two… I recently discovered that B&M Stores are an unlikely place to find branded beauty products on a budget. It’s the kind of shop you expect to just sell furniture and garden stuff, but the one near me has a whole aisle of cut price cosmetics and toiletries. I went for a browse on Sunday and I picked up these two Sally Hansen Continuous Treatments for only £1.49 each! I’ve seen them retail in other shops for a lot more, sometimes around £6-£7, so you’re really saving quite a bit. I got the Base & Top Coat and the Time-Released Strength Formula. I’ve only tried the Strength Formula so far (and so far, so good!) but I’ll be reviewing both once I’ve given them a good go. I spotted several other brands in the shop too, including Maybelline, Nivea, Garnier and Lypsyl… You just have to keep an eye out!
Happy Bargain Shopping 
Naomi x
Avon Brochure 11 is here!
0
5 years
Hi all,
The time has come again for me to launch the latest UK Avon brochure – Brochure 11, which can be viewed online here!
As usual, if you live in the UK, USA, Canada or Europe, you can place your Avon orders with me by emailing me at . Just send me the item numbers and names of what you want and we can sort it out from there Postage will be charged at standard Royal Mail prices. For more information about ordering from me, just visit my ‘Order Avon From Me’ page, which is linked at the top of the page.
I will need your orders by Wednesday 23rd of May, and your items will be posted to you on Tuesday 29th May.
There are some really great offers in Brochure 11, some of which I’ll be taking advantage of myself! Page 2 features the Summer Eyes Set, which contains ANEW Clinical Eye Lift PRO, Super Magnify Mascara and a gorgeous pair of sunglasses for just £9.99 (saving you almost £30!). Keep an eye out for all the reduced make up too. Also, if you spend £12.50 in total, you will receive £44 worth of brochures to spend in Brochure 12 too! (See Page 210 for details).
Naomi x
