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Posts tagged Scarf
Valentine’s Gift Ideas: 10 Under £10
1
7 years
For today’s Valentine’s Gift Ideas post I have put together a gift guide of ten Valentine’s gifts, all of which cost under £10 each. Around this time of year, the prices of romantic gifts, such as chocolate and lingerie, are often hiked up. However, as this guide shows, if you shop savvy you don’t have to spend a fortune to treat that special someone (or yourself!) to something nice. The guide features some traditional gifts, but also fashion and beauty themed items.
Hotel Chocolat Lovely Hearts Classic £6.50 / Thorntons Because I Love You Premium Collection £6.00 / ASOS Heart Friendship Bracelet £2.00 / Yankee Red Raspberry Candle £7.99 / George Entice Lingerie Set £7.00 / Floozie Red Heart Fairisle Scarf £6.60 / Tesco Rose Petals in a Jar £5.00 / LUSH Heart Throb Bubble Bar £3.65 / Models Own Colour Chrome £4.99 / LUSH The Kiss Lip Gloss £5.95
What will you be gifting to your loved one this Valentine’s Day?
Naomi x
Christmas Swap Box with +10 Kapow
1
7 years
by Naomi in Swaps
I absolutely love putting together gift boxes for people, and of course I love surprises myself, so a little while ago I suggested to Chrissie of +10 Kapow that we do a Christmas Swap, and luckily she was up for the idea! We decided on a budget of £20, and agreed to fill a shoebox with little gifts that we thought the other would like. I had a lot of fun searching for items to give to Chrissie, and after a few weeks of browsing, buying and wrapping, the box was ready to send. Our deadline for posting was 5th December, and last week we each received our box of goodies!
As both of us are impatient we decided to open and blog about our gifts before Christmas, so without further ado, here’s what I received!
As you can see, my swap from Chrissie came beautifully packaged. The box itself is stunning, and puts the cardboard one I sent her to shame! I’ll definitely be using it to store things in, probably rings or nail varnishes.
There were eight wrapped gifts in the box, including a jewellery box which I was really excited about. I hurriedly unwrapped everything, and was delighted with all that Chrissie sent. I must say she chose well! Here’s what I got…
The first gift is this Baked Merged Trio Eyeshadow from MUA, in shade ‘Emotions’. All three shades have a slight shimmer to them, and are impressively pigmented. The neutral tones are perfect for a daytime look, and I can see myself using these shades a lot for a work make up look, although with some dramatic eyeliner they could easily be dressed up.
My lips get very dry at this time of year, so finding this Nivea Lip Butter in the box was much appreciated! The lip butter feels lovely and nourishing, and smells amazing too, like vanilla and macadamia. This has now become a winter essential for me and comes everywhere with me.
I spotted this Body Shop Glazed Apple Body Butter when browsing The Body Shop website a few weeks, and was really intrigued by it, so as you can imagine I was pleased to find this in the box too! I use body butters on a daily basis and have done for years, so this was very well chosen, and is incredibly moisturising. The Glazed Apple scent is lovely too – fruity, but also sweet and creamy.
Yet another product that I’ve been wanting to try – MUA Luxe Velvet Lips! This shade is called ‘Serene’, and is a dark peach shade with a pink undertone. It’s very highly pigmented, has a creamy texture so applies beautifully, and is long-lasting. I like it, and aesthetically, I also like the frosted tube.
This awesome keyring is triple awesome – it’s Splinter from Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, which I’ve loved since I was a kid, he’s a rat, and it’s lego! I’m going to hang this from my bag because I’m cool like that. Isn’t he fab?!
Chrissie made this galaxy necklace herself, and it’s my favourite item that she sent me. It’s really well made, and purple, pink and turquoise happen to be my favourite colours. I’ve been wearing it a lot since I got it, sometimes alone, but also layered with a couple of my other favourite necklaces, which I think looks great on a plain top.
Batman! A Batman ring! I’m sure it’s clear by now that I’m a big Batman fan, and this ring is absolutely fab. I really like how subtle it is, whilst also being super cool.
This pretty galaxy scarf has the same colour palette as the necklace Chrissie made, and is so soft and snuggly and warm. I’ve been wearing this lately to add a splash of colour to some of my darker winter outfits, and it seems to attract compliments!
Purple shades and holo effects are two of my favourite things to decorate my nails with, so this nail polish from Freckles Polish is perfect for me. The shade is called ‘I’ll Need Wine’, and is a rich purple colour, a bit like red wine, with a beautiful holo shimmer. Unfortunately I didn’t get any photos of me wearing it, but it applies nicely and is stunning on – fabulous for the festive season. Chrissie recently sent me some stamping plates too, so I plan on creating some looks soon using them and this polish, which I’ll be posting about soon.
I’m really happy with everything Chrissie sent me (thanks Chrissie!), and I hope we can do another swap one day! To see what I sent Chrissie in return, you can check out her post here.
Have you taken part in any Christmas swaps this year? If so, what did you send/receive? I’d love to see your posts about it!
Naomi x
What I Wore: Foxton Locks
2
8 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
What I Wore: Birthday Dress
4Yesterday was my birthday, and my fiancé and I went out for a lovely birthday/Valentine’s lunch at one of my favourite bars. It might have been freezing cold and chucking it down with rain, but I was determined to wear the beautiful black jersey maxi dress that my mum gave me as a gift, so I layered it up with tights, my Primark faux leather biker jacket, and my Fraas stars & skull wrap.
M&Co Black Jersey Maxi Dress / Primark Faux Leather Biker Jacket / Dr Martens Grace Denise 8 Big Eye Boots / Fraas Tonal Stars & Skull Wrap / Juno Black Patent Grab Bag / Primark Tights and Gloves
This wrap is my go-to piece to add a splash of colour to any outfit, and the great thing is it’s reversible, so you can alter the shade to suit your mood. The combination of pink, orange and purple is really pretty, and the stars and skull pattern is right up my street. It’s made of high quality wool too so it’s beautifully soft and warm; perfect for this time of year.
Wet weather also calls for trusty boots and a waterproof bag, so I wore my Grace Denise floral Dr Martens to colour match the scarf, and this stunning Juno patent grab bag from Where Shall I Wander. I used to only ever use shoulder bags, but lately I’ve really started to appreciate classic, structured handbags like this one (although it does come with a detachable shoulder strap). I absolutely adore the contrast of gold on shiny black, and for patent it’s pretty classy looking.
Another thing I love about the bag is how it fastens. It zips along the top but also partly down the sides, so no water can get in whatsoever, but when it’s unzipped it expands so it’s really roomy, with one main compartment and three little pockets. I use it to carry my camera around with me as I don’t have to worry about it getting wet.
If you want to see what I got for my birthday, check back soon for a little haul post!
Naomi x
*The Fraas Tonal Stars & Skull Wrap and Juno Black Patent Grab Bag were sent to me for review purposes. All opinions expressed are honest and my own.*
Fashion and Beauty Christmas Haul
6Well! After weeks of preparation – shopping, cooking and decorating – Christmas Day has been and gone, and we’re all probably a few pounds heavier than we were this time last week! I hope you all had a wonderful time, celebrating in your chosen way with the people you love, and I hope Santa brought you everything you wished for. I personally had a great time! The highlight of Christmas for me is playing games and doing quizzes with my family, and they were definitely done in abundance.
Christmas isn’t just about the presents, but I got some really lovely fashion and beauty related things this year, so I thought I would share them with you today. I also got a lot of chocolate, baking equipment, geeky stuff (including a bat detector which I’ve been wanting for AGES) and books – my friends and relatives know me well!
So, here are some of my Christmas gifts. Apologies for the strange colouring in a few of the photographs… They were taken in bad lighting!
My dad bought me this absolutely beautiful sterling silver Bat Skull necklace. He mentioned that he got it from Etsy and it was handmade in New York by an obviously very talented maker. I instantly fell in love with it when I opened the box, and in my surprise I ended up dropping the box in my mug of tea, woops! I adore bats so I am going to treasure this piece.
I also love hares, so my dad gave me this large pewter moon hare pendant as well. Isn’t it stunning? I need to find a chain for this pronto so I can start wearing it.
The dinosaur at the top was from my sister, Rex from Toy Story was from my fiancé, and the owl was from my fiancé’s sister. Owls, dinosaurs and necklaces are a few of my favourite things, so I was very pleased to receive all three of these beauties.
I received three different perfumes this year, all of which are replacements for perfumes I already have. Cacharel’s Amor Amor (one of my all time favourites), Vera Wang Princess Night, and an Accessorize Gift Set.
I didn’t get much make up this year, but my cousin gave me 17’s Smoky Eye Palette and a few little 17 lip glosses. The red gloss is gorgeous! The guy at the bottom is a rather cute owl lip balm.
How amazing are these?! My fiancé’s sister gave me these Batman nail transfers. I was so excited when I opened them and I cannot wait to give them a go. Definitely expect a review of these soon.
This cat bag from my mum was one of my favourite gifts this year. It’s big and furry and very soft – it needs to stop raining now so I can use it!
Christmas wouldn’t be Christmas without a scarf, gloves or socks, and this year I got all three. The scarf is purple with green skulls and is nice and light – ideal for spring. The socks have squirrels on them, one of my favourite animals, and the rainbow mitten gloves are SO SNUGGLY – win!
Not the best photo in the world but my mum got me a BATMAN ONESIE! Amazing, right?
A massive thank you to everyone who spoilt me this year, I am extremely grateful. Did you get anything fashion and beauty related for Christmas this year? I’d love to see your hauls too!
Naomi x
This Week: Collective Haul
21I had a fairly good week for bargains this week and bought quite a few fun things (despite telling myself that I wouldn’t spend anything this week!) so for those of you that like a good haul post, I thought I would share my collective haul with you.
First off, on Monday I nipped into town to buy some new boots to wear in the Autumn. I knew exactly which pair I wanted so I was in and out of Schuh in just a few minutes, which is quite unheard of! I went for these Blowfish Ranuku Boots in black which are usually £45, but I got them for £40.50 with a 10% student discount – doing a postgraduate degree does have its benefits!
It’s been quite cold this week so I’ve worn the boots a few times already and they are SO comfortable! They’re very versatile too, and look great with dresses or skinny jeans. A very good buy.
On my way to get the bus home I passed through Primark (always a mistake) and spotted this gorgeous owl scarflace. I have always loved owls, AND scarves, so I just had to have it. It was supposed to be £4 but the eyes were missing on most of the scarves so it had been reduced to £3. I can always just stick some beads on myself if I want it to have eyes!
On Tuesday I received my Avon delivery. In amongst all the items for my customers were a few goodies which I’d ordered for myself, including repurchases of my usual Glimmerstick Eyeliner and Colortrend Concealer, as well as a small bottle of Avon’s new Sparkling Senses Shower Gel (look out for it in Brochure 17). It smells gorgeous! I also ordered two nail varnishes from the new Colortrend range in Violet Freeze (which I reviewed here) and Peekaboo, and a lovely little star necklace.
Yesterday I went to see the Paralympic flame pass through Leicester with my mum, and whilst we were in town we also did a bit of shopping. For the past few weeks I’ve been checking Superdrug every few days for MUA’s new nail varnish shade, Frozen Yoghurt, but to no avail. However, I managed to pick it up yesterday for £1 (FINALLY), and I also bought an Accessorize Eyeshadow Duo for £2.22. Isn’t the packaging lovely?
The Accessorize eyeshadow was actually on offer for half price, down from £4.45, as were a lot of their lip glosses, and their nail varnishes were 2 for £5. I’m not sure when the promotion ends but it’s worth having a look because they have some really pretty stuff!
My last few items are all from Primark. As I mentioned earlier I love owls, so I couldn’t resist these £2 owly fingerless gloves, ready for Autumn/Winter. They’re so cute! And I love that they can be turned into mittens as well.
I spotted this Bambi sweater in Primark a few weeks ago for £10, but I resisted. I was surprised to see it in the sale yesterday at just £5, and luckily one of the two that I found was in my size, so I caved and bought it. Bambi used to be my nickname when I was younger so it seems quite fitting, and the soft, suede effect elbow patches are quite a nice touch.
Last but not least, another owl! This time, a purple owl print t-shirt which only cost £3. It’s quite a long, fitted tee but it looks great on with skinny jeans.
And that’s it! What have you been buying this week? Are you getting ready for Autumn yet, or are you clinging on to the summer for as long as you can?
Naomi x
This Week: Collective Haul
2I didn’t spend a lot of money this week but I still seem to have accumulated quite a lot of ‘stuff’. So, I thought I would share some of my bargain finds and little treats with you in a collective haul post!
I spent hours in town this week but I didn’t come away with much at all. I bought a hoodie, but I took it back the next day as it didn’t suit me. I also went to both Superdrug stores in Leicester, twice, to look for MUA’s new Nail Varnish shade ‘Frozen Yoghurt’, but neither had it 
I must keep looking! My shopping trips weren’t completely unsuccessful though. I repurchased a couple of essentials, namely a duo pack of wipes from Primark for £1 and my favourite budget Face Powder by MUA for £1, and I also picked up some NYC Nail Polish in ‘High Line Green’ (which I’ve already reviewed here), and a 10x magnifying cosmetic mirror for just 49p!
Whilst in town I also picked up this Team GB scarf from NEXT for just £5. I absolutely adore this scarf as it has such a special meaning behind it – all the illustrations in the background symbolise different things, including our Olympic Athletes, their supporters and all the Olympic sports. All profits from this scarf (and the bigger £10 scarves) go to the British Olympic Association which is a very worthy cause. I bought it to show my support for Team GB, and after yesterday’s performance I am very keen to show it off! Did you see Team GB win their SIX golds yesterday, including three in Athletics? So inspiring! All of our athletes make me so proud.
My Avon order arrived this week too. I repurchased my favourite Mango and Ginger Shampoo, but everything else is new to me. The Skin So Soft Body Cream contains Argan Oil and I can’t wait to try it. The make up bag, ANEW sample, nail varnish and lipstick that you can see were all free, and the beautiful ring trio cost just 85p! As an Avon Rep, I get a preview brochure for each campaign, which also contains sale items (which is where I ordered the rings from). The Cuticle Oil Pen that you can see was from the preview brochure and cost £2.10. It will be available for everyone else to buy in Brochure 16 
This free sample bottle of Estee Lauder Perfectionist Serum arrived in the post yesterday. I don’t actually remember sending off for it, but I think I signed up for it via a form on their Facebook page. I’m looking forward to trying it out anyway! I also got a big package of PR samples in the post, but they’re remaining top-secret for now 😉
These are one of my favourite finds of the week… I love cooking, I love Jamie Oliver, I love books and I love thrifting. Combine these things and you have a mission to find Jamie Oliver recipe books in charity shops and at car boot sales. For months and months my Mum and I have been searching but have found nothing – until today! I got a text from my mum this morning whilst she was at a car boot sale to say that she’d FINALLY found me a Jamie Oliver book, and a couple of minutes later she found another 😀 As you can imagine, I was very pleased indeed. My mum bought both books for me for just £1 each – BARGAIN.
And of course, what would a week be without some CHOCOLATE!
What did you buy this week?
Naomi xx
£100 Asos Blogger Challenge: Summer Gothic
8
10 years
To celebrate reaching (nearly) 1000 followers on Twitter, The Discount Coder Blog is running a giveaway, and to enter, you must complete the £100 Asos Blogger Challenge! So, today, I will be sharing my entry The rules of the challenge are as follows…
- Head over to ASOS.com
- Put together the hottest outfit you can for £100 or less (no student discount or Asos discount codes allowed)
- Blog about your stylish ensemble over on your blog
- Leave a comment below with a link to your post
I spent a good while over a couple of days browsing Asos for the ideal outfit for my entry. I wanted to put together a fairly basic but daring outfit that I would wear myself and would be great for summer, and this is what I came up with: Summer Gothic! The picture is clickable if you want to see it in more detail.
My starting point for this challenge was the main outfit. I love dresses and I love black, so it seemed only natural to look for something along those lines. I thought a sleeveless maxi was the way to go for a summer look, so when I saw this Maxi Dress with Dipped Hem I was sold. Dipped hems are very trendy at the minute and I like the floaty look they give. In my teenage Goth days I wore a lot of long flowy clothes so I think this is very suitable as a starting point for Summer Gothic!
My next choice was the shoes… I was hoping to find a pair of big, black, stompy boots within my £100 budget but unfortunately that didn’t happen, so I went for my second choice – a pair of heeled TERI Platform Chelsea Show Boots to give the look a more elegant feel, whilst remaining edgy. I mean, who doesn’t feel edgy in heels? The platform makes them look quite chunky too which is what I was after.
Accessories wise I wanted to keep it simple but make a statement. I thought skulls were ideal for the Gothic look, and when I came across the Skull and Floral Scarf I couldn’t believe how perfect it was! I really, really want to buy it for myself – the print is stunning and it would add layers and depth to the simple dress. I wanted something chunky but interesting for the wrists which is why I chose the River Island Bracelet Pack. The skull detail matches the scarf really well and the different beads and materials add texture to the outfit. The bracelets were in the men’s section of the Asos website, but who says women can’t wear ‘men’s’ clothes and accessories?
We all know an outfit isn’t complete without the right make up, so to match this simple Summer Gothic outfit, a simple Gothic make up look is needed. Heavy make up in summer is a no-no, so I think classic red lips and nails, and smokey black eyes are all that’s needed! Illamasqua’s branding screams classy and Gothic, which is why I chose Illamasqua SS12 Human Fundamentalism Lipstick in ‘Liable’, a beautiful bright red. For strikingly bold, black eyes, Barry M Supersoft Eye Crayon is ideal, and to add an extra splash of colour I added Rimmel London I Love Lasting Finish Nail Polish in ‘Double Decker Red’ to the mix.
The total cost of this outfit is £98.49, so you’d even come away with enough change for an ice cream – the summery icing on the fashionable cake!
Naomi x
