OOTD: Another Sunny Day

Dress: Primark, Sunglasses: Marco Polo via TKMaxx, Bag: KappAhl (old), Shoes: Primark

 The summer has finally begun! While most of England seems to have been graced by sunny skies for weeks now, here up north we've only just managed to get rid of the rain, clouds and seemingly endless fog. At least for now.

Now, I'm not going to complain about the warm weather... but I must say that I much prefer a bit milder summer. Sitting on a sofa should not make me sweat, you know?

That said, I've been taking full advantage of the sun by getting all my summer dresses out. 

This particular day wasn't one of the warmest (there was a lot of fog and by the time I got home, it had risen so far from the sea that it was freezing again - so I was glad to have taken a coat with me), so I still got away with a bit longer sleeves.

Someday I will learn how to look natural in photos. Someday.

Until next time,

Jenni

Sale Haul (Louche, Miss Selfridge, Debenhams, ASOS...)

I love sales. I'm very thrifty and always hunting for bargains — I love finding a good deal, and often wait for the sales to buy something that I want. More often than not this is also about necessity — you just can't afford as many things as you'd like with a student budget. Therefore, I try to limit my shopping to sales, so I can bulk out my wardrobe a little bit more with the money I have.

 WARNING, for those of delicate sensibilities — this post includes a piece of lingerie.

Louche Windsor Corgi Jumper, £25 (was £45)

Oh my god, this jumper. Ever since I saw it on someone on Location, Location, Location (house hunting programmes are my guilty pleasure), I knew I had to get my hands on it. The problem was that at the time, my size seemed out of stock everywhere. And it was £45! Which, to be fair, is a good price for 100% cotton sweater. But £45 is not a good price when you're an unemployed student. After unsuccessful Ebay hunting, and eventually getting employed, I happened to find this back on stock at JOY when the sale began and voilá — I had my Corgi jumper! I still need to find the cat one (but I will only accept red or turquoise)...

I'm so glad I ordered the 12 when 10 was out of stock, as their sizing is definitely on the small size. My flatmate saw the jumper and said, somewhat bewildered, that it looked more like a size 8 than 12. This one fits me perfectly without being too snug, which I think a 10 would have been.

Miss Selfridge Pussybow Blouse, £15 (was £28)

I made an impromptu visit to Miss Selfridge on my way to see The Fault in Our Stars, after a phone call with my boyfriend which had left me sad and lonely... I did not mean to buy anything! I swear! But I saw this on the rail, in a lonely size 8, and decided to try it on despite it being the wrong size (I'm a size 10). Aaaand somehow ended up on the till? (Yes, it fitted) Talk about retail therapy.

 Freya Patsy Underwired Plunge Bra from Debenhams (£9.30, was £31)

The inescapable fact of being beyond the size that most high street clothing shops cater to means that bras are damn expensive. Specifically, around the £30 mark and over, if you want a bra that actually gives you the support you need. Freya is one of my absolute favourite lingerie brands, their designs are always great, and the quality is great. I snapped this beauty up in 70% off sale at Debenhams, which meant I paid less than £10. :) It is also absolutely gorgeous, and I have hope I can find a matching pair of knickers for it somewhere too.

and then... ASOS!

I was so good at resisting their sale, but then I got extra 20% off code for the sale and my self-restraint just crumpled. Oh well. I did get some fantastic deals!

 Floral Pintuck Skater Dress, £16 (was £32)

 Satchel Bag with Scallop Flap, £15 (was £25)

 Shorts with Scallop Hem, £17 (was £25)

I also ordered a striped cardigan with heart elbow patches, but I'm undecided as to whether I will keep it or not. It's so wide! It feels really lovely and soft though, so I might do some DIY magic and take it in with my sewing machine if I can't deal with the wideness. This Bardot Jacquard Tulip Dress is getting returned without further ado though, the weird padding on the hips makes me look at least two sizes bigger than the dress label would suggest... Sometimes you can really tell why a dress has been reduced from £65 to £14!

Have you made great finds in the summer sales?

Until next time,
Jenni

Lucky #1

I began entering giveaways early this year, as a sort of productive form of procrastination when I needed a break from writing essays or other University related things. To my great surprise and delight(!), I have actually won a fair few now, so I thought I'd share my wins and the lovely people who organised the giveaways. :) This post will have my wins from March to May this year.

Funny enough, I only ever win blog giveaways — despite the massive amount of Twitter giveaways that I enter, I've never won a single one!

March 2014

Months supply of PopChips and 'Master Your Metabolism' book by Jillian Michaels 

(Amy, Amy Valentine)

I confess, I was mostly in this for the crisps, but I actually found myself very interested in the book and agreed with a lot of what it was saying. I forgot to photograph the book, as it's taken its place on my bookshelf.

I also won 'Retro Makeup: Techniques for Applying the Vintage Look by Lauren Rennells' from Gertie at Gertie's Blog for Better Sewing in March, but never received it. I don't feel like pestering her anymore than I already have about it, just keeping my fingers crossed that it might still pop into my mailbox. It was my first win and I was so excited for it, being a massive vintage lover!

April 2014

Bunny Purse and Brooch

(Julia Laing, Materialised)

I was so excited when I received this, as not only was it the first prize I received, but also I absolutely adore everything handmade (being a crafter myself). The set came with the sweetest handwritten note too!

Witch Skincare Bundle

(Hannah, Midnight Violets)

I'd never tried any Witch products before, but had been told by friends that they're great, so I was very excited to win this MASSIVE bundle of Witch Skincare products from Hannah. So far I've only tried the makeup wipes (due to some problems with delivery, I only received this in early July), but I have to say I'm seriously impressed!

 Sorry for the dreadful quality of my phone camera...

May 2014

£50 Zalando Voucher

(Gemma, Miss Makeup Magpie)

I opted for a beautiful floral top by Joules and a draped pencil skirt by Anna Field (plus t-bar wedges, which I returned as they just didn't look right on me).

Nanshy Make Up Brush Set

(Christine, Makeup, Beauty & Fashion)

These are my first set of good quality make-up brushes and boy do they make a difference! I am completely in love with these. :) I don't know how I lived without them haha!

Do you enter giveaways? If you do, have you ever won anything?

Until next time,
Jenni

This Week I Love... #1

I've seen a lot bloggers do weekly posts about things they are loving that week, things that make them happy, things they are grateful for and so on. I thought I'd start my own — This Week I Love...

First up:

Moroccan Houmous

via Pickles & Honey

I don't own a food processor (though it is first on my list of things to buy when I move out of student accommodation), so I've been making do with shop-bought instead of homemade. Tip, the Morrisons one is way superior to the one at Tesco's (if shopping at Tesco, go for the Asparagus, Broad Bean & Mint Houmous, because it is fantastic). 

The above photo is from a vegan recipe and lifestyle blog called Pickles & Honey, and the recipe sounds delicious!

Crafts

via Polka Dot Chair

I've always been a crafts person, but the inspiration and drive to actually make things seems to sort of come and go. Right now, I want to make everything. I started knitting again more while finishing up Buffy the Vampire Slayer this week, and now I can't stop. I need another series to watch so I can keep this up! Or maybe an audiobook. 

The crafts section at Pinterest has been a great source of inspiration and ideas, and my sewing machine is sitting on my table again, waiting for another project. Knitting sort of took over after I finished my pillow (which you can find on my Instagram!) almost 2 weeks ago.

I love the look of this handmade clutch tutorial on Polka Dot Chair, I might give it a go if I find any suitable fabrics in the stash I have with me here! This could also work as a laptop sleeve, with some extra padding. Mine's a bit old now, and I don't like it as much as I used to, so perhaps this will be the next project.

Confession: I don't use clutches. I like the way they look, but they just don't work for me.

Cats

via Pinterest

Okay, this is a bit of a cheat, because I love cats every week, every day, every hour. I am cat obsessed. But this week I've spent extra time browsing the Facebook page and website of Lady Dinah's Cat Emporium (I need to start planning another trip to London), and generally just looking at cat pictures online and squealing. I'm in love with Lady Dinah's Petra, she is such a beauty (have a look at their Facebook page). One of the things I'm most looking forward to about when I move out of student accommodation and settle into a home somewhere with my boyfriend is to finally have my own cat. I used to have cats at my dad's, and I miss having a fluffy companion around.

Ginger

via Mom On Timeout

 I know a lot of people associate ginger with Christmas and winter in general, as a warming ingredient in drinks, food and baked goods. Me, I love ginger in everything, all year round. Food, sweets, candles, perfumes (Lush's Smell of Freedom is one of my favourite perfumes)... anything!
 I recently bought some absolutely delicious stem ginger ice cream from Tesco and have been enjoying cheeky spoonfuls of it this week. Apart from food and sweet things? I'm planning a visit to The Yankee Store this weekend to have a sniff at their new Indian Summer collection, which includes a very tempting 'Ginger Dusk' scent, and I may go and pick up Granny Takes A Dip bath bomb from Lush, in anticipation of a couple of days off work next week.

The above smoothie from Mom On Timeout looks like the perfect thing for light breakfast or post-workout snack, and I can't wait to try the recipe out! I love the combination of pear and ginger (makes amazing jam too).

Until next time,
Jenni

OOTD: Sailboats

I love this dress so much. It took me absolutely ages to get my hands on it — I first saw it on ebay, but I kept missing/losing every single auction for the dresses in my size. Then I found it on Vinted... and the seller never sent it! After a refund, I almost gave up hope, but then I found another! This is that dress. It was in like new condition, and it's just perfect. The material is light, which makes it perfect for summer, and it has pockets! POCKETS!

I took these photos only after I had already been out in town for hours, so I hope you'll excuse my somewhat messy hair and general disheveledness (is that a word? I say it is).

Earclips: Vintage (inherited from grandma), Dress: Topshop via Vinted, Cardigan: Seppälä (old)

 You might have noticed that I like matching colours quite a lot. Earclips, some of the boats in the dress, and the cardigan, all in my favourite shade of deep turquoise!

Until next time,

Jenni

OOTD: Something New

Until I got this Miss Selfridge pussybow body-blouse, I only owned one pink item in my wardrobe: a Cheshire Cat t-shirt from Disneyland Paris. 

I'm sort of liking it? Now I just need bright lipstick to pair it with!

Earclips: Vintage (inherited from my late grandma), Top: Miss Selfridge via Vinted, Skirt: Miss Selfridge (old), Shoes: Hush Puppies via Amazon

Until next time, 
Jenni

The Magical Wonderland of TKMaxx

Who doesn't love TKMaxx?

I popped into one of the Aberdeen branches the other week, with the intention of just checking whether they would happen to be stocking my favourite granola (The Food Doctor), as TKMaxx seems to be the only place where it can (occasionally) be found in Aberdeen. Well, you know what they say about good intentions...

I left the shop with some great bargains in my bag. I bought two pairs of pants, rhubarb-strawberry loose leaf tea, a massive tin bucket of gourmet popcorn (almost a kilo!) and some protein pasta. There was also a very pretty vintage-esque red polka dot dress that I left in the shop. For once, reason reigned over — since 90% of the clothes I've bought over the last month have been either red, red-white or polka dot patterned, I decided that it wasn't special enough.

Popcorn and tea, what else does a girl need? Pasta and knickers weren't interesting enough to be included in the photo I'm afraid ;)

I got all the food items from the clearance section, and both the tea and the pasta were only £1 each! Best before dates are well in the next year, so I definitely got lucky. :) The bucket of cookies and cream popcorn was £3, which was also amazing for the amount. I had been wanting to try some gourmet popcorn for ages, but it's so expensive... But this was going out of date at the end of the month, hence the low price. I did however have another reason for buying that massive bucket of popcorn — because of the bucket. It's just so pretty, I just kept imagining it on my desk or shelf as a sweet smelling storage box, and I had to get it. I think £3 for a good-sized storage tin is already a fairly good price, so I was happy with my purchase, even if I can't feed the almost-a-kilo of popcorn to anyone (I will not eat it all by myself).

How delicious does that look?

Apart from the treasures I took with me, my branch also stocked other temptations such as lots of TIGI shampoos and conditioners (my absolute favourites), Benefit's Hello Flawless foundations (in shade far too dark for me), some other nice make-up items, deliciously smelling candles, Emma Bridgewater mugs and Le Creuset teapots. All for well reduced prices!

Have you made any finds in TKMaxx lately?

Until next time,
Jenni

(mini)Hauls: LUSH and Superdrug

I recently finished up my pot of Let The Good Times Roll cleanser from Lush (which I plan on repurchasing, it was amazing!), and that just happened to be my fifth empty pot... which meant a free facemask! This also happened to be my payday, so of course I coudn't resist a cheeky pop into the shop to get a couple of other things too while we were in town to see a movie with my boyfriend.

After having read some positive reviews online, I also decided to get the Tea Tree Water Toner Water (£3.95/100g). I have used it a couple of times now, and it makes my face feel lovely and refreshed. :)

Love Lettuce Fresh Face Mask, £6.25/each

My free facemask! I chose Love Lettuce — I asked one of the shop assistants for help in choosing as this was my first facemask. I have a combination skin that gets both dry and oily, and I was assured this was a great choice. As you can see, I was too impatient to leave trying it out until after I'd taken photos haha. I'm loving it so far!

Sweetie Pie Shower Jelly, £3.25/100g

In addition to the facemask, I repurchased a pot of Sweetie Pie shower jelly. Cherries, blackcurrant, bergamot, coconut and glitter? Yes please. It actually sort of smells like Ribena, but ten times better. I absolutely loved it when I last had it and have been wanting to get another pot since I ran out!

New Charity Pot Hand & Body Lotion, £1/10g

There was also a New Charity Pot, which I of course happily got. It's such a handy thing to keep around. I don't like this scent quite as much as I liked the previous one (which I loved), but it's still a nice one. :)

I ran out of my BB cream, which meant I also had to make a quick trip to Superdrug! I couldn't decide on a new product to try, so I decided to be boring and repurchase the Maybelline Pure BB Cream in Light (£6.99), which I'd just ran out of. And as it happens, Maybelline had a Buy 1, Get 1 Half-Price offer on... so I picked the ColourSensational lipstick in Coral Fever (£6.99) as my half-price treat. The Nivea daycreams were half-price (so only £1.99), so I picked one up too for the future. :)

Until next time,
Jenni

Wishlist: Accessorize Summer Sale

When received an email this morning announcing the start of the summer sale at Accessorize, I (of course) had to go and have a browse! I've always been a big fan of their cute accessories and gorgeous bags, and always pick up a few things from their sales. 

This wishlist has two items that I would normally never even consider: the bracelets. I don't really wear necklaces, rings or bracelets as they make me feel weirdly anxious (choked, chained, that sort of thing) and I can't stop fiddling with them, but I'm trying to get over myself, since there are so many beautiful things out at the moment — and because I own so much beautiful jewelry that people have bought me, but which has been sitting in a box for good few years! Wish me luck.

Here's some of my favourites from this season's sale!

 

001. 4 x Nautical Friendship Bracelet Pack, £4

002. Poppy Flower Bando, £7.50

003. I Feel Pretty Travel Card Holder, £2.50

004. Pippa Double Pocket Lady Bag, £28

005. Felt Back Bow Cloche Hat, £14.50

006. Owl Clipframe Purse, £4

007. Charlie Clasp Waist Belt, £7.50

008. Essaouira Ethnic Bracelet, £8.40

Be quick and grab your favourites, some lovelies were already out of stock — like this gorgeous vintage clutch!

Until next time,

Jenni

OOTD: Dusty Pink Tones

The weather in Aberdeen seems to be persistently staying under 20 degrees (and mostly cloudy), but I am trying to stay positive and channel some summery vibes with this floral number I swapped for myself through Vinted!

Dress: New Look via Vinted, Bag: KappAhl (old), Shoes: ASOS (old, similar)

I wore this outfit on a little excursion to town, where I had a look at the many charity shops of Aberdeen, and to enjoy my montly free tea and cake at John Lewis (which you too can access by just joining their free loyalty program My John Lewis). I found a gorgeous like-new quality Laura Ashley dress in my size for measly £7 in one the shops (the exact same dress on Ebay), and was absolutely gutted when I tried it on and it was clearly made for someone about 10cm taller than me. I did not end up buying anything, but I did discover a few amazing charity shops I hadn't been to before. :)

 

My handbag is an old love. I got it on a 70% off sale back in Finland about 5 years ago, and it's still one of my favourite bags. I hardly ever use it, despite loving pretty much everything about it — the colour, the shape, the cute floral lining and the vintage look. It has one major flaw however... it's tiny! I'm one of those people who carry their entire life around with them, so this cute little purse is usually reserved for parties and such. But for this once, I decided to take the bare minimum for my trip to town — phone, cash and couple of essential cards (even my wallet is too wide to fit into the bag!), keys and headphones. I suffer from tense and sore shoulders, not helped by carrying tons of weight in shoulder bags, so it was actually quite pleasant (and liberating!) to carry such a light bag around.

 As a side note, I'm quite enjoying being blonde! 

Until next time,

Jenni